THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: February 22, 2021

NEKTAR – Magic Is A Child

February 22, 2021 /

I’ll admit to not knowing a whole bunch about these guys, other than they were English. Originally released in ’77, the band sounds like a cross between Yes and Styx. They passed me by back in the day, and I’m not sure why as this is a very enjoyable Prog album. It’s all here: weird fantasy subject matter, overblown arrangements, and great playing.

Opener Away From Asgard is classic Prog fare and done very well. The title track does make me think of Styx, as it’s very reminiscent of their early work. Eerie Lackawanna has a somewhat Supertramp feel to it with a cool funky guitar pattern. Midnite Lite is more of the same and sounds a tad like Gentle Giant. Side closer Love To Share is the weakest song the album and sounds a bit like The Beatles to my ears.

Side 2 kicks off with Train From Nowhere and has a guest appearance from non other than Robert Fripp, which is apt as this song does feel like a Crimson outtake. Listen starts off in epic grandiose style and then slows the pace right down. On The Run is the heaviest sounding track on the album, and the last track, Spread Your Wings has a quirky choppy start then is more of a straight ahead rock song with some nice guitar.

Not a bad album, and would I like to listen to earlier albums to see how proggy they were originally – apparently this album has shorter songs and is more accessible.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

STEVIE WONDER – Talking Book

February 22, 2021 /

Talking Book was the beginning of Stevie’s classic period from ’72 – ’76 where he couldn’t put a foot wrong as everything he put out was pure gold. Blind since just after his birth, and was seen as a prodigy, he was signed to Motown when he was just 11. He took soul and R&B to places that were not recognized at the time. He dragged the Motown label into the album era as they were known mostly for singles. At the time, Motown label artist’s songs were all 3 minutes and under. Stevie helped to change that outlook with 7 of the songs being over.

The album starts off with a stone cold classic, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. Maybe Your Baby weighs in at 6.45, and has funk added to the mix to give the song that harder edge – plus you get a superb vocal from Stevie. You And I is a slow ballad, and Tuesday Heartbreak follows in the great soul tradition of the label. You’ve Got It Bad Girl finishes Side 1, and is a mix of jazz, soul, and some very clever rhythm changes.

Flipping over to Side 2, probably Stevie’s most famous track, Superstition, get us underway with that unmistakable beat before you get Stevie’s trademark clavinet with the main riff of the song. I always associate this song with guitar as some very famous people (Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan) have turned it into a guitar workout, but this is all Stevie on the keys with some horns for great effect. This song is as groovy as it comes. The very un-R&B, Big Brother, is next and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was an Americana song written today. Blame It On The Sun is the weakest song on the album. The slow Lookin’ For Another Pure Love is next with a guest appearance from Jeff Beck, which then brings us to the album closer, I Believe, which ends things in epic ballad style.

I like this album a lot. This album, and the three that came after it, are the ones worthy of inclusion into any collection.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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