Ayler, Albert - 1965 - Spirits Rejoice

Recorded live at New York's Judson Hall in 1965, Spirits Rejoice is one of Albert Ayler's wildest, noisiest albums, partly because it's one of the very few that teams him with another saxophonist, altoist Charles Tyler. It's also one of the earliest recordings to feature Ayler's brother Don playing an amateurish but expressive trumpet, and the ensemble is further expanded by using bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock together on three of the five tracks; plus, the rubato "Angels" finds Ayler interacting with Call Cobbs' harpsichord in an odd, twinkling evocation of the spiritual spheres. Aside from that more spacious reflection, most of the album is given over to furious ensemble interaction and hard-blowing solos that always place in-the-moment passion above standard jazz technique. Freed up by the presence of the trumpet and alto, Ayler's playing concentrates on the rich lower register of his horn and all the honks and growls that go with it; his already thick, huge tone has rarely seemed more monolithic. Spirits Rejoice also provides an opportunity to hear the sources of Ayler's simple, traditional melodies becoming more eclectic. The nearly 12-minute title track has a pronounced New Orleans marching band feel, switching between two themes reminiscent of a hymn and a hunting bugle call, and the brief "Holy Family" is downright R&B-flavored. "Prophet" touches on a different side of Ayler's old-time march influence, with machine-gun cracks and militaristic cadences from drummer Sunny Murray driving the raggedly energetic ensemble themes. For all its apparent chaos, Spirits Rejoice is often surprisingly pre-arranged -- witness all the careening harmony passages that accompany the theme statements, and the seamless transitions of the title track. Spirits Rejoice is proof that there was an underlying logic even to Ayler's most extreme moments, and that's why it remains a tremendously inspiring recording.

1 Spirits Rejoice Ayler 11:41
2 Holy Family Ayler 2:11
3 D. C. Ayler 8:00
4 Angels Ayler 5:30
5 Prophet Ayler 5:36

¡Aquí!

Sonics - 1965 - Here Are The Sonics!

The Sonics that Wailers bassist Buck Ormsby took into a small studio and unleashed on the world show a live band at the peak of its power, ready to mow down the competition without even blinking twice. Their debut long-player (originally issued on the Etiquette imprint) is reprised here with new liner notes by Norton prexy Miriam Linna in the original mono. The flame-throwing hits of "The Witch," "Psycho," "Boss Hoss," and "Strychnine" are aboard, along with versions of "Do You Love Me," "Dirty Robber," "Have Love Will Travel," and "Walkin' the Dog" that are no less potent. This long-play vinyl reissue also boasts the addition of four bonus tracks: "Keep a Knockin'" (the original B-side of "The Witch") and three selections from an Etiquette Christmas album, "Don't Believe in Christmas," "The Village Idiot," and "Santa Claus." Another important chunk of Seattle rock & roll history.

		1		The Witch	Roslie	2:40
		2		Do You Love Me	Gordy	2:18
		3		Roll Over Beethoven	Berry	2:49
		4		Boss Hoss	Roslie	2:24
		5		Dirty Robber	Dangel, Greek, Morrill	2:02
		6		Have Love, Will Travel	Berry	2:40
		7		Psycho	Roslie	2:17
		8		Money	Bradford, Gordy	2:00
		9		Walkin' the Dog	Thomas	2:45
		10		Night Time Is the Right Time	Herman	2:58
		11		Strychnine	Roslie	2:13
		12		Good Golly Miss Molly	Blackwell, Marascalo	2:08
		13		Keep a Knockin'	Collins, Little Richard	1:55
		14		Don't Believe in Christmas	Roslie	1:46
		15		Santa Claus	Roslie, Sonics	2:52
		16		The Village Idiot	Traditional	2:38

¡Aquí!

Who - 1965 - My Generation (2CD)

An explosive debut, and the hardest mod pop recorded by anyone. At the time of its release, it also had the most ferociously powerful guitars and drums yet captured on a rock record. Pete Townshend's exhilarating chord crunches and guitar distortions threaten to leap off the grooves on "My Generation" and "Out in the Street"; Keith Moon attacks the drums with a lightning, ruthless finesse throughout. Some "Maximum R&B" influence lingered in the two James Brown covers, but much of Townshend's original material fused Beatlesque hooks and power chords with anthemic mod lyrics, with "The Good's Gone," "Much Too Much," "La La La Lies," and especially "The Kids Are Alright" being highlights. "A Legal Matter" hinted at more ambitious lyrical concerns, and "The Ox" was instrumental mayhem that pushed the envelope of 1965 amplification with its guitar feedback and nonstop crashing drum rolls. While the execution was sometimes crude, and the songwriting not as sophisticated as it would shortly become, the Who never surpassed the pure energy level of this record.

		1		Out in the Street	Townshend	2:31
		2		I Don't Mind	Brown	2:36
		3		The Good's Gone	Townshend	4:02
		4		La La-La Lies	Townshend	2:17
		5		Much Too Much	Townshend	2:47
		6		My Generation	Townshend	3:18
		7		The Kids Are Alright	Townshend	2:46
		8		Please, Please, Please	Brown, Terry	2:45
		9		It's Not True	Townshend	2:31
		10		The Ox	Entwistle, Hopkins, Moon ...	3:50
Composed by: Entwistle, Hopkins, Moon, Townshend
		11		A Legal Matter	Townshend	2:48
		12		Instant Party (Circles)	Townshend	3:12

¡Aquí!