Reviews roundup – Jim Stapley vs. Mick Abrahams vs. Magic Bus vs. Jeff Fetterman vs. Cold In Berlin
JIM STAPLEY
We Found Love
MITA Records
Who knew that a Calvin Harris penned pop hit could be turned into a soulful power ballad? Well, it has, so well done Jim Stapley, whose “Long Time Coming” album was very well received round our way.
Now some people might get sniffy about a pop cover, but if it gets people listening to his voice, then fair play. After all, his album was chock full of top tunes like ‘No Good Reason’, which could be a lost Bad Company tune, a killer ballad in the shape of ‘Hurricane’ and some roots rock on ‘My Way Home’.
It’s already been getting some radio play, so fingers crossed.
Revived!
Gonzo Multimedia
And here’s one time Blodwyn Pig / Jethro Tull man, Mick Abrahams, five years on from his stroke, and with a new album to boot. Well done that man. As you can tell from the cover, he still has a sense of humour, as anyone who saw the cover of an early Blodwyn Pig album will attest.
It’s a mixture of covers and originals, with an array of old friends popping in to help out. Now, gird yersel, because I’m about to drop some pretty heavy names. Deep breath. Geoff Whitehorn, Martin Barre, Bernie Marsden, Mark Feltham, Paul Jones, Bill Wyman and many more.
It starts and finishes with versions of the old Blodwyn Pig tune, ‘Summer Day’, there are takes on Canned Heats ‘On The Road Again’ and the Chuck Berry tune ‘Nadine’. Abraham himself sings on a couple of tunes, and does a fine job on the Leadbelly chestnut ‘Goodnight Irene’, with some moothie from Paul Jones. Jethro Tull fans will get moist when Johnny Kidd and the Pirates ‘I Can Tell’ gets a run out as it sees Martin Barre and Mick Abrahams on the same tune!
As a Whitesnake fan of a certain vintage, I particularly enjoyed Bernie Marsden popping up on Jimmy Reeds ‘Bright Lights Big City’ which also features the aforementioned Paul Jones. There is also a double disc version out there with a 30 minute behind the scenes DVD. Oh, and if all that weren’t enough 50% of the proceeds from the album are going to the Kids ‘N’ Cancer UK charity. So buy it now.
Various Artists
MAGIC BUS: Huge Hits From The Hippie Trail
Universal
A 3CD set, with each disc labelled Turn On, Tune In and Drop Out respectively. So you know we’re heading back to the sixties for some whacked out tuneage.
Now, there are a lot of these CDs around, but this one actually does a very good job. For sure, all the usual suspects are in place with the first disc harbouring hits by The Byrds, Scott McKenzie, The Mamas and the Papas etc. But they also find room for the likes of The Cowsills and The Association, who were never names over here. Although if you want to hear the definitive version of ‘Green Tambourine’, you really need to track down the version by Las Vegas legend Robert Goulet.
The second disc starts off badly, as Bob Dylan rears his head amongst an array of singer songwriters, but half way through the compilers throw in the towel and bung on some Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers and Deep Purple, as they too, lose patience with all that hippy tosh. Hurrah! And by the time you get to the third disc, Frank Zappa is rubbing up against Iron Butterfly and Elton John (eh?).
It’s a bit mad, as only the first disc really relates to the title and it’s the kind of thing you used to buy in German service stations at 3am because you’d left your only cassette in the bar of an after hours beer cellar in Munich and couldn’t spend another minute listening to schlager on the only 24 hour radio station.
JEFF FETTERMAN
Bottle Full Of Blues
Green Tea Music
Back to the blues now, with blues rocker Jeff Fetterman. He’s been doing his own things since the nineties, and has built his profile to the point where he has opened shows for the likes of .38 Special, Molly Hatchet, Buckcherry and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Which should tell you where he fits on the blues rock spectrum.
And it’s a good album, which mainly sticks to the blues rock template, but with the odd splash of funk and seventies rawk thrown in there for good measure. He’s got an excellent voice which really comes to the fore on ‘Wash My Blues Away’, probably the album highlight, and his guitar playing is firmly in the white boy blues mode ala Walter Trout, Coco Montoya and Eric Clapton (the early years).
He’s got a few good tunes up his sleeve with ‘Southbound’ and ‘Devils Shuffle’ getting the repeat play button hit regularly, so if you’re looking for a new blues rock fix, hit this bottle of blues.
COLD IN BERLIN
The Comfort Of Loss And Dust
Candlelight
What the hell was that? Well, “that” turns out to be the third album from London band, Cold In Berlin. But beyond that, there is a huge WTF attached to this.
Imagine, if you will, a soundtrack to Fritz Lang’s “M”, performed by unholy mix of goth metal, Diamanda Galas and Fu Manchu. Because thats what you’re getting. It really is bizarre and somewhat unsettling as they crash through the likes of ‘She Walks’, ‘The Bell’ and ‘The Sinner’ whilst vocalist Maya seems to be undergoing some form of anaesthetic free, invasive surgery.
I’m not entirely sure whether I’m allowed to use the word mental anymore, but assuming that (damn, you!) Brussels hasn’t outlawed it yet, then this is the soundtrack to your next inpatient stay for your “nerves”. Me? I’m walking away, whistling, nothing to see here.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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