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Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In by Loggins and Messina (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin’ In
  • Group name: Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina
  • Year: 1971
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Columbia Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Distinguishing characteristics: “G” written inside album sleeve, indicating that my father owned it
  • Buy it on Amazon: $27.99

Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina Sittin' In

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m not familiar with this record, but I’ve previously reviewed two by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina:

What I expected

Folk rock, country rock.

What it was actually like

Several songs on this record were also on On Stage, such as the famous Danny’s Song. The version on Sittin’ In was the version that I remembered, folk style with two guitars and vocals, and later with piano and violin.

Vahevala was nowhere near as dumb on this record as it was before; it helped that it was far shorter. The steel drums were way too much, though, and not even good.

Listen to a Country Song was one that I liked a lot from On Stage, and it was great here as well, especially its fiddle solo.

Of Trilogy‘s three parts, the first (Lovin’ Me) and third (Peace of Mind) were pretty boring filler material, with the latter including a pretty lame attempt at soul. I liked the second (To Make a Woman Feel Wanted) better, though. It was blues and country with honky tonk piano, but unfortunately they still couldn’t lose the damn saxophone.

Speaking of unnecessary saxophone, Back to Georgia started out as a country rock song with piano that was not good, but then started to get much better – until the saxophone made its appearance, and in this case it was actually worse, because the track had two different saxophones and my living room has surround sound, so they were coming at me from both directions!

And Nobody But You, a rock song with harmonized country-sounding vocals, some piano and a good tempo, was also diminished by the saxophone.

What was it with these guys and the saxophone? When reviewing their (later) record Loggins and Messina, I wrote:

I want to stress that rock musicians really need to avoid using saxophone in their music. If you’re Charlie Parker, I want to hear your saxophone part, but in rock I just don’t think there’s a lot of use for it.

And I wish someone had given them that message 50 years ago.

Anyway, Rock ‘n’ Roll Mood was not very rock ‘n’ roll to me. House at Pooh Corner was an acoustic folk-style song about Winnie the Pooh. Same Old Wine was very slow, blues style but rather boring, though the harmonica was fine – and at eight minutes and 17 seconds, twice as long as it needed to be.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Teaser and the Firecat by Cat Stevens (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Teaser and the Firecat
  • Artist name: Cat Stevens
  • Year: 1971
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: A&M Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Distinguishing characteristics: “G” written on top left of album, indicating that my father owned it
  • Buy it on Amazon: $22.99

Teaser and the Firecat by Cat Stevens

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I don’t have a lot of familiarity with Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam, except that he made singer-songwriter type music in the 1970s.

(I actually first heard about him on cable news as a teenager, in the context of what he said about Salman Rushdie, germane today because Rushdie was just very nearly assassinated a couple of months ago.)

This is the first Cat Stevens record that I’ll be reviewing, though there are several others in the collection, including one that will be up in a week or so.

What I expected

Singer-songwriter.

What it was actually like

I actually recognized a bunch of these songs, which wasn’t all that surprising, since my parents were both very enthusiastic when I mentioned that I’d be listening to it.

The Wind was quite a good song and, while listening to it, I recalled that I did know it as a Cat Stevens song! It was very folky with great guitar, a great voice and great lyrics! But why was it so short?

Another that I recognized was Morning Has Broken, a traditional song, but I don’t know if I remembered it because of Cat Stevens or not. Its very simple guitar made me think of it as a campfire song, but not in a good way. On the other hand, I recognized Moonshadow as well, and it also had that simple guitar and made me think of it as a campfire song, but in a good way!

Both Changes IV and Bitterblue had more of a rock sound, which I would generally appreciate, but they were only ok. They sounded sort of choppy and staccato-like, as if Stevens just didn’t get that rock is supposed to be rhythmic too.

Peace Train, that I recalled as one of Stevens’ hits, was another that I recognized, and had the staccato effect that I didn’t like, as well as some deeply inane lyrics.

If I Laugh and How Can I Tell You were boring, and the two worst songs on the record. They were actually more like what I expected all of them to sound like.

Rubylove, which had a verse in Greek, also had some outstanding Greek (or at least Mediterranean) style guitar, and that guitar really stood out on the record. I don’t know that I would have wanted to listen to a whole record of it, but I wouldn’t have minded one more song with it, either.

Tuesday’s Dead kind of reminded me of Jimmy Buffett, which was so weird.

Grade

4/5: would listen again

Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Every Picture Tells a Story
  • Artist name: Rod Stewart
  • Year: 1971
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Mercury Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Distinguishing characteristics: both of my parents denied owning this, but there’s a “G” written on top left of the album, indicating that it belonged to my father.
  • Buy it on Amazon: $22.39

Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I can’t stand Rod Stewart’s voice; it’s always sounded to me like he’s wheezing whenever he sings.

This is the second Rod Stewart record I’m reviewing, after Never A Dull Moment.

What I expected

Rock, folk rock, blues rock.

What it was actually like

As expected, I did not enjoy Every Picture Tells a Story.

Musically, it was actually not bad at all. Most of the songs were rock, and several were quite strong, with plenty of blues influence, but the vocals were so awful that it was difficult to listen.

In addition, though Seems Like a Long Time was an ok electric blues song, I disliked the gospel style chorus. Stewart’s acoustic version of Amazing Grace, besides the vocals, was interesting, and there were multiple examples across the record of great guitar work.

Maggie May is Rod Stewart’s most famous song, but I don’t care much for it either way.

Grade

2/5: bad, but I was able to listen to the whole thing

4 Way Street by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: 4 Way Street
  • Group name: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  • Year: 1971
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: Atlantic Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Distinguishing characteristics: “G” written inside album sleeve, indicating that my father owned it
  • Buy it on Amazon: $39.99

4 Way Street by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve reviewed an almost absurd amount of Crosby / Stills / Nash / Young music over the past several months:

… (and I know there’s a lot more Young coming up, as well as some more Stills, and who knows what else?) but I believe this will be my first time listening to 4 Way Street.

What I expected

Folk rock, rock.

What it was actually like

Side 1

This side was a kind of acoustic folk mix. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes was a huge disappointment because it was… just a few seconds long? Who the hell had that idea? Teach Your Children was a high point, though; they were laughing with (or maybe at?) each other on stage, and the audience loved it.

The next two songs, Triad and The Lee Shore, were a David Crosby mini-set and were both incredibly boring, a rare accomplishment given the subject matter of Triad, Chinese organized crime.

But Graham Nash saved the day with a piano-heavy version of Chicago that leaned heavily into its Oompa Loompa tendencies.

Side 2

This side kept the acoustic sound, but had less Crosby to mess things up.

The Neil Young mini-set, featuring Cowgirl in the Sand and Don’t Let It Bring You Down, really knocked it out of the park, and his claim that the latter song “sort of starts out real slow and then it fizzles out altogether” was absolutely false: I love that song and how he played it.

It was great to have an upbeat Stephen Stills mini-set after a couple of Neil Young songs that, let’s be honest, can be downers. 49 Bye-Byes/America’s Children was a sort of weird medley singalong, but also, did I really need to be reminded about Nixon, Agnew and Daley? Love the One You’re With was outstanding, with great harmonies and pacing, and I kept thinking that it was about to fall apart into chaos, but actually it just sounded tight and well rehearsed.

Side 3

This side was much more rock and much more electric than the previous two sides.

Pre-Road Downs sounded great and I was so impressed that this guy who, just a few minutes ago was doing Chicago on the piano, and was now rocking out with an electric guitar solo.

The electric blues version of Long Time Gone was exquisite.

I never thought I’d need to hear a ~14 minute long live version of Southern Man, and wouldn’t have expected to enjoy it because it’s kind of preachy, but it actually rocked. Listening in stereo on my father’s floor speakers, it sounded like there were electric guitars everywhere in my apartment.

Side 4

This side kept the electric/rock sound from side 3.

On the subject of preachy songs… when reviewing So Far I mentioned that I “have always found Ohio somewhat catchy but also rather obnoxious,” and that’s still true! But this was a great version of it.

Carry On was really excellent, and they did a fine job with the percussion, and the part after the bridge. This very long (over 14 minutes) jam really ought to have been the final song on the record; ending it with Find the Cost of Freedom just seemed anticlimactic and disappointing.

Grade

5/5: love it

Songs for Beginners by Graham Nash (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Songs for Beginners
  • Artist name: Graham Nash
  • Year: 1971
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Atlantic Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Distinguishing characteristics:
    • “Jean Edelen” written on both sides of LP
    • “G” written on top left of album, indicating that my father owned it (my mother’s copy is missing)
  • Buy it on Amazon: $15.89

Songs for Beginners by Graham Nash

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard of Songs for Beginners, but don’t think I’ve ever listened to it. Other Nash records that I’ve reviewed are:

I believe there will also be at least one Hollies record coming up in the next several months, and possibly more than one.

What I expected

Folk rock.

What it was actually like

I was a little worried that Songs for Beginners was going to be similar to, if not quite as bad as, Stephen Stills 2, but it wasn’t, and in fact I thought it was pretty decent!

There were some boring songs on it – Wounded Bird and Simple Man, for example – and Sleep Song sounded like its name. Those were easily offset, however, by Man in the Mirror and Chicago, either or both of which would have sounded right at home on a CSN record of the same era.

There’s Only One weirdly reminded me of the Netflix documentary Searching for Sugar Man about the American musician named Sixto Rodriguez who became famous in South Africa without his knowledge (and I mean that as a compliment).

Several of Nash’s songs sounded a bit more musically edgy than I might have expected, like Military Madness, which had somewhat adventurous vocals and a wah-wah pedal that I liked; and Better Days, which had an interesting, moody sound, with lots going on, and which at different points felt maybe like a Beatles song (that probably would not have made the cut for inclusion on a Beatles record); and I Used to Be a King, which had a tiny bit of a country sound, and which was less boring by the end than I thought it would be at the beginning.

The only truly bad song on this record was Be Yourself. I thought at first that it would be a Bob Dylan parody, but actually it was a parody of itself whose chorus consisted of a group of people singing:

Be yourself
Be yourself
Be yourself

And then at the end of the song, it was repeated with variations, including:

Free yourself

and:

See yourself

So lame.

We Can Change the World also was subpar, making me think of We Are The World, which I’ll probably be skewering some time around late November or early December, assuming I stick to one record per day until then[1].

Overall, Songs for Beginnings was really well put together, and while I’m confident saying now that Nash’s work was far better than Stills’, it was hardly on par with Neil Young’s at the same time (and I don’t think I’ve listened to David Crosby’s).

Grade

4/5: would listen again

References