VA - 2000 - Stoned Immaculate: The Music Of The Doors

Essentially Elektra Records' tribute to a band that originally helped put them on the map, Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors was assembled by producer Ralph Sall, with a heavy concentration on mainstream-oriented alternative rock. While some tracks are the straight-up covers typical of tribute albums, die-hard Doors fans have greater reasons to pay attention. The surviving band members appear on several tracks -- sometimes as a backing unit, sometimes as individual guest collaborators -- with frequently vital-sounding results. Echoing the Fatboy Slim "Bird of Prey" single (coincidence that this was released around the same time?), producer Sall also incorporates sampled Morrison vocals, usually over atmospheric, electronic-tinged backing tracks; this tactic also produces beyond-the-grave Morrison duets with John Lee Hooker and William S. Burroughs. However -- perhaps logically -- it's the band performances that have the most life to them, especially those involving the Stone Temple Pilots and Ian Astbury. Even though Stoned Immaculate occasionally suffers from typical tribute-album unevenness, it's overall a fitting testament to the Doors' legacy.

1 Break on Through (To the Other Side) Stone Temple Pilots 3:47
2 Riders on the Storm Creed 6:18
3 Light My Fire Train 3:43
4 Peace Frog Smash Mouth 3:02
5 L.A. Woman Days of the New 3:47
6 Love Me Two Times Aerosmith 3:20
7 Under Waterfall Doors 3:12
8 Wild Child Cult 3:22
9 Roadhouse Rap Morrison 1:03
10 Rock House Blues Hooker, Morrison 5:34
11 Is Everybody In? Burroughs 2:43
12 Hello I Love You Oleander 2:36
13 Touch Me Astbury, Cult 4:38
14 Children of Night Cervenka, Farrell 3:02
15 Love Her Madly Diddley 4:54
16 The Cosmic Movie Doors 3:03
17 The End Days Of The New 16:04

¡Aquí!

Van Morrison - 1970 - Moondance

The yang to Astral Weeks' yin, the brilliant Moondance is every bit as much a classic as its predecessor; Van Morrison's first commercially successful solo effort, it retains the previous album's deeply spiritual thrust but transcends its bleak, cathartic intensity to instead explore themes of renewal and redemption. Light, soulful, and jazzy, Moondance opens with the sweetly nostalgic "And It Stoned Me," the song's pastoral imagery establishing the dominant lyrical motif recurring throughout the album -- virtually every track exults in natural wonder, whether it's the nocturnal magic celebrated by the title cut or the unlimited promise offered in "Brand New Day." At the heart of the record is "Caravan," an incantatory ode to the power of radio; equally stirring is the majestic "Into the Mystic," a song of such elemental beauty and grace as to stand as arguably the quintessential Morrison moment.

1 And It Stoned Me Morrison 4:30
2 Moondance Morrison 4:35
3 Crazy Love Morrison 2:34
4 Caravan Morrison 4:57
5 Into the Mystic Morrison 3:25
6 Come Running Morrison 2:30
7 These Dreams of You Morrison 3:50
8 Brand New Day Morrison 5:09
9 Everyone Morrison 3:31
10 Glad Tidings Morrison 3:13

¡Aquí!

Yes - 1983 - 90125

A stunning self-reinvention by a band that many had given up for dead, 90125 is the album that introduced a whole new generation of listeners to Yes. Begun as Cinema, a new band by Chris Squire and Alan White, the project grew to include the slick production of Trevor Horn, the new blood (and distinctly '80s guitar sound) of Trevor Rabin, and eventually the trademark vocals of returning founder Jon Anderson. His late entry insured that Rabin and Horn had a heavy influence on the sound. The album also marked the return of prodigal keyboardist Tony Kaye, whose crisp synth work on "Changes" marked the band's definitive break with its art rock roots. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was a huge crossover hit, and its orchestral break has been relentlessly sampled by rappers ever since. The vocal harmonies of "Leave It" and the beautifully sprawling "Hearts" are additional high points, but there's nary a duff track on the album. [90125 was reissued by Rhino in 2004 with six bonus tracks, including the previously unissued "It's Over," plus remixes of the singles "Leave It," "Owner of a Lonely Heart," and "It Can Happen."]

		1		Owner of a Lonely Heart	Anderson, Horn, Rabin, Squire	4:30
		2		Hold On	Anderson, Rabin, Squire	5:18
		3		It Can Happen	Anderson, Anderson, Rabin ...	5:29
Composed by: Anderson, Anderson, Rabin, Squire
		4		Changes	Anderson, Rabin, White	6:20
		5		Cinema [live]	Kaye, Rabin, Squire, White	2:07
		6		Leave It	Horn, Rabin, Squire	4:13
		7		Our Song	Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, Squire ...	4:18
Composed by: Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, Squire, White
		8		City of Love	Anderson, Anderson, Rabin	4:52
		9		Hearts	Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, Squire ...	7:43
Composed by: Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, Squire, White
		10		Leave It [*]	Horn, Rabin, Squire	3:56
		11		Make It Easy [*]	Rabin	6:12
		12		It Can Happen [Cinema Version]	Anderson, Anderson, Rabin ...	6:05
Composed by: Anderson, Anderson, Rabin, Squire
		13		It's Over [#/*]	Rabin	5:41
		14		Owner of a Lonely Heart [#/*]	Anderson, Horn, Rabin, Squire	7:05
		15		Leave It [*]	Horn, Rabin, Squire	3:18

¡Aquí!

Joplin, Janis - 1980 - Anthology (2CD)

Anthology is an adequate double-disc retrospective of Janis Joplin's years with Big Brother & the Holding Company and her solo career, containing most of her best-known songs and a selection of forgotten gems. It's a fine set, but the single-disc Greatest Hits is better suited for casual fans, and the box set Janis serves the needs of collectors much better than this, so the 1997 reissue of this double album is a little puzzling and unnecessary, even if it is an enjoyable listen.

		1		Piece of My Heart	Berns, Ragovoy	4:17
		2		Summertime	Gershwin, Heyward	4:01
		3		Maybe	Barrett	3:43
		4		Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)	Ragovoy, Taylor	4:01
		5		To Love Somebody	Gibb, Gibb	5:22
		6		Kozmic Blues	Joplin	4:22
		7		Turtle Blues	Joplin	4:25
		8		Oh, Sweet Mary	Joplin	4:19
		9		Little Girl Blue	Hart, Rodgers	3:51
		10		Trust Me	Womack	3:07
		11		Move Over	Joplin	3:43
		12		Half Moon	Hall	3:55
		13		Cry Baby	Berns, Ragovoy	4:00
		14		Me and Bobby McGee	Foster, Kristofferson	4:35
		15		Mercedes Benz	Joplin, McClure	1:49
		16		Down on Me		3:02
		17		Bye Bye Baby	St.John	3:47
		18		Get It While You Can	Ragovoy, Shuman	7:15
		19		Ball and Chain	Thornton	8:00

¡Aquí!

Frampton, Peter - 1976 - Frampton Comes Alive! (2CD)

At the time of its release, Frampton Comes Alive! was an anomaly, a multi-million-selling (mid-priced) double LP by an artist who had previously never burned up the charts with his long-players in any spectacular way. The biggest-selling live album of all time, it made Peter Frampton a household word and generated a monster hit single in "Show Me the Way." And the reason why is easy to hear: the Herd/Humble Pie graduate packed one hell of a punch on-stage — where he was obviously the most comfortable — and, in fact, the live versions of "Show Me the Way," "Do You Feel Like I Do," "Something's Happening," "Shine On," and other album rock staples are much more inspired, confident, and hard-hitting than the studio versions. [The 1999 reissue in A&M's "Remastered Classics" (31454-0930-2) series is a considerable improvement over the original double CD or double LP in terms of sound — the highs are significantly more lustrous, the guitars crunch and soar, and the bottom end really thunders, and so you get a genuine sense of the power of Frampton's live set, at least the heavier parts of his set, rather than the compressed and flat sonic profile of the old double-disc version. Frampton and the band sound significantly closer as well, even on the softer songs such as "Wind of Change," and the disc is impressive listening even a quarter century later. Of course, one must take this all with a grain of salt as a concert document — as was later revealed, there was considerable studio doctoring of the raw live tapes, a phenomenon that set the stage for such unofficial hybrid works as Bruce Springsteen's Live/1975-85 and countless others.]

		1		Introduction/Somethin's Happening	Frampton	5:56
		2		Doobie Wah	Frampton, Headley-Down ...	5:43
Composed by: Frampton, Headley-Down, Willis
		3		Lines on My Face	Frampton	6:59
		4		Show Me the Way	Frampton	4:32
		5		It's a Plain Shame	Frampton	4:03
		6		Wind of Change	Frampton	2:57
		7		Just the Time of Year	Frampton	4:21
		8		Penny for Your Thoughts	Frampton	1:34
		9		All I Wanna Be (Is by Your Side)	Frampton	3:08
		10		Baby, I Love Your Way	Frampton	4:41
		11		I Wanna Go to the Sun	Frampton	7:15
		12		Nowhere's Too Far (For My Baby)	Frampton	4:49
		13		(I'll Give You) Money	Frampton	5:46
		14		Do You Feel Like We Do	Frampton, Gallagher, Siomos ...	13:46
Composed by: Frampton, Gallagher, Siomos, Wills
		15		Shine On	Frampton	3:29
		16		White Sugar [#]	Frampton	4:43
		17		Jumpin' Jack Flash	Jagger, Richards	7:40
		18		Day's Dawning	Frampton	3:34

¡Aquí!