What's on your turntable this week

[John Bannon]

This week for me it's 'Buzzy' by Buzz Linhart released in 1968. I've had this in LP format for years, just managed to get hold of a CD copy, no hiss or crackles. Even with the background noise from my LP, have always thought this album was way ahead of it's time and the Eyes of Blue providing the backing..... how in heaven's name did they not make it in their own right.

[Rob the Organ]

That's funny John - I have a 2LP best of Buzzy and gave that a spin last weekend. Some great stuff (original Talk About A Morning is a dead ringer for Man arrangement other than Micky's soaring vocal).

Have a later one too "Pussycats Can Go Far" which at the time I bought it, I didn't enjoy as much. Might dig it out again and see if my opinion has changed as I mellow out on the home straight into lower middle-age.

[Michael Heatley]

Rob - I'd love to hear the original 'Talk' if you can let me have a copy... I agree about Pussycats, I picked it up on the strength of the name/Welsh connection years ago and it was sh*te! 

[Allan Heron]

Absolutely nothing on my turntable this week but some of the following have been wearing out the laser on my CD player:-

Terrapin Station/Dead Set - Grateful Dead
Live At The Gorge - Pearl Jam
Green/Out Of Time/Automatic For The People/New Adventures In Hi-Fi - REM
Songs For Insane Times - Kevin Ayers
Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills
Ocean Rain - Echo And The Bunnymen

[Nick Nation]

Frank Sinatra 'Come Fly With Me' LP
Horace Silver 'Song For My Father' LP
Jimmy McGriff 'Tailgunner' single

You didn't think I was going to say that, did you?

Suspect Rob T.O. will know about Jimmy McGriff, and I reckon that The God Like Genius That Is Phil Ryan will do too - and Horace Silver, the title track being used by Steely Dan for the intro to 'Rikki Don't Lose That Jumper'. Just Testing. The Sinatra LP is just fab and we are not worthy (well I'm not at least).

Talking of The God Like Genius That Is Phil Ryan, it would be nice to know more about his influences - there's been plenty of guitar talk here, but little keyboard. I'm sure if you were all asked 'Is the band better with Phil' then at least 95% of you would say 'yes', yet the poor chap hasn't even got his pic on the homepage! I listen out for things that might have influenced him, but I can never be as sure as I would with, say, Mickey. So I'm going to wave my little Phil Ryan flag in his honour and put Frank back on.

Boom Shanka.

   

[Tony Smith]

  Peter Green  The Anthology
 Hank Williams  the unreleased recordings
 and the Neutrons Black Hole star
 
cheeers
tony

[Stephen Barstow]

Well, I've been gradually working through Zappa's back catalogue this last year or so. This week it's been the L?ther Box Set and Jazz from Hell. The latter is all synclavier music (really interesting stuff) but stuck in the middle is this absolutely sublime live guitar solo, St. Etienne, with a Micky feel to it.... How did I miss this one for so many years? Was this a one-off or did he play this solo elsewhere?

...and I just found a video of the same performance on Youtube and he breaks a string at the end. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeyH4Ngn95c

[Colin Salter]

Mr Nation! Jimmy McGriff, Stick Shift, killer keys!

[Rob the Organ]

Frank Sinatra 'Come Fly With Me' LP
Horace Silver 'Song For My Father' LP
Jimmy McGriff 'Tailgunner' single

You didn't think I was going to say that, did you?

Suspect Rob T.O. will know about Jimmy McGriff, and I reckon that The God Like Genius That Is Phil Ryan will do too - and Horace Silver, the title track being used by Steely Dan for the intro to 'Rikki Don't Lose That Jumper'. Just Testing. The Sinatra LP is just fab and we are not worthy (well I'm not at least).

Talking of The God Like Genius That Is Phil Ryan, it would be nice to know more about his influences - there's been plenty of guitar talk here, but little keyboard. I'm sure if you were all asked 'Is the band better with Phil' then at least 95% of you would say 'yes', yet the poor chap hasn't even got his pic on the homepage! I listen out for things that might have influenced him, but I can never be as sure as I would with, say, Mickey. So I'm going to wave my little Phil Ryan flag in his honour and put Frank back on.

Boom Shanka.

Good choices Nick - as you say of J McG, I do indeed know it well. Dai P T would concur with me that both Jimmy McGriff and Jack McDuff slightly edge it over the (admittedly still great and almost god-like) Jimmy Smith - far more attack and balls to their playing. Tips for some good organ grooves for all to enjoy...

The late Billy Preston will forever be the undisputed king of Hammond for me, however - he had the blues like the other guys but had just enough old-school, big band/theater organ technique to give his dynamics a real cinematic quality. Watch this and weep!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwqFUxRtq38

Probably the nearest rock organ has got to a Hendrix/Beck true maverick is Garth Hudson. Unrivalled technique and a unique approach (from his playing right down to adhering to a Lowrey organ over a Hammond) that is both space age and primal in the same breath. Try this at about 2:22: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjrL8jfE5GM

Sometimes you have to kick back and enjoy the great Augie Meyers (once of the Sir Douglas Quintet and the late great Doug Sahm's perpetual ally) wheezing away Tex-Mex style on his old Vox Continental in that lovely jagged way that every dumb bastard thinks Steve Nieve invented: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6MdYSSjpkk&feature=related

As for Phil's influences, when he came round to borrow some kit for the August dates he sat at my Hammond and rattled off some good solid Booker T fodder and verbally gave the impression that Graham Bond was a big influence early on. You certainly can't argue with that as a solid choice.

[Nick Nation]

Mr Nation! Jimmy McGriff, Stick Shift, killer keys!

That's the one, Mr Oric! Shame about the vocals, though....

As for Phil's influences, when he came round to borrow some kit for the August dates he sat at my Hammond and rattled off some good solid Booker T fodder and verbally gave the impression that Graham Bond was a big influence early on.

Interesting.....and I think the thing with Phil is that he could also leap into the stratosphere - as could MJ and TW.

Other keyboard grooves to be found on the powerful Nationsounds Turntable facility of late have been 'Hailstone' (Winston Wright and The Upsetters) and 'Liquidator' (Harry J All Stars).

 

 

[Mike Cross]

Rob, or anyone else...

Could you recommend a CD by McDuff & by McGriff? All I've heard by them are single tracks on a Blue Note compilation EP:

"Blue Notables Vol. 12: Blue Note's Six Vital Organs: Home of the Hammond" - one track by each of Jimmy McGriff, John Patton, Jimmy Smith, Baby Face Willette,  Brother Jack McDuff, Larry Young

[Rob the Organ]

Rob, or anyone else...

Could you recommend a CD by McDuff & by McGriff? All I've heard by them are single tracks on a Blue Note compilation EP:

"Blue Notables Vol. 12: Blue Note's Six Vital Organs: Home of the Hammond" - one track by each of Jimmy McGriff, John Patton, Jimmy Smith, Baby Face Willette,  Brother Jack McDuff, Larry Young

I'll get to work on that request Mike - over the weekend I'll have a look/think what I've got and post a response. While I don't have anything of this nature myself as yet I would definitely recommend something fairly recent from J McG as I saw his latter day band and they were stunning, particularly the guitarist who stole the show with his solo spot singing "Easy Like Sunday Morning" of all tunes. McGriff would last another five or six years but was very frail even when I saw him; I had to help him up the stairs from the gents at Ronnie Scotts myself the night I saw him.

For Jimmy Smith, my current favourite is a 1970s live album called Root Down on Verve. Lovely instrumental take on Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" included, makes such a change from all those undoubtedly classic but also extremely samey Blue Note instrumentals.

Here's a slightly left field choice - Richard "Groove" Holmes, more his own man than most. Not only did he transport his Hammond around in an old Cadillac hearse but would use effects such as wah-wah as can be heard to good rhythmic effect on this clip from 1971: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yLJU6j_YEc&feature=related

Coming closer to home try this blinding bit of live footage and try not to be distracted by the obvious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aw-i7BzqH4

[Michael Heatley]

Dave 'Baby' Cortez - Rinky Dink! 

[Dai Port Talbot]

Well, I've been gradually working through Zappa's back catalogue this last year or so. This week it's been the L?ther Box Set and Jazz from Hell. The latter is all synclavier music (really interesting stuff) but stuck in the middle is this absolutely sublime live guitar solo, St. Etienne, with a Micky feel to it.... How did I miss this one for so many years? Was this a one-off or did he play this solo elsewhere?

...and I just found a video of the same performance on Youtube and he breaks a string at the end. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeyH4Ngn95c

Well there's an argument that I'd subscribe to that, without Hot Rats, there'd be no Mickey and Man that we'd recognise. Don't get me wrong, for me Frank is a genius, but the whole Hot Rats vibe is simply based on the Dorian church mode which, when I was first playing guitar by the Light of the Ethylene Flame, we just used to call "the Man scale".

There's a few other Frank guitar solo sleepers. The Duke of Orchestral Prunes off Lather or Orchestral Favourites could teach even James Marshall a bit about feedback control and Black Napkins off the DVD release of Baby Snakes.

[Dai Port Talbot]

Rob, or anyone else...

Could you recommend a CD by McDuff & by McGriff?

All of my finest Jack MacDuff moments are when he's paired with the sublime Gene Harris on piano. There's a nice record called ISTR Down Home Blues and an album by Gene Harris of faith songs called Brotherhood.

Both Mcs got sidelined into sub-disco nonsense in the 70s and 80s but came good later.

There was nice double CD compilation of Jimmy Smith's Verve years called Walk on the Wild Side - the title track being the standout for me.

Mentions in dispatches -  Mac for being the greatest ever Hammond sideman and Greg Rolie for best dirty Hammond sound (strong competion from Tony Kaye for the intro to Yours is no Disgrace by the, otherwise dreadful, Y*s)