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Innervisions by Stevie Wonder (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Innervisions
  • Artist name: Stevie Wonder
  • Year: 1973
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Tamla Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: both of my parents thought that the other had owned this
  • Buy it on Amazon: $36.55

Innervisions by Stevie Wonder

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I don’t know a whole lot about Stevie Wonder, except that he’s blind. Also, my parents said that this record was extremely popular and that everyone had it, and they referred to him as “Little Stevie Wonder” when I said that I would be listening to it.

What I expected

Soul.

What it was actually like

I thought that I would like this record a lot, but actually I hated it! There was a strong funk sound to much of it, but so much of funk is wonderfully melodic and harmonic, while so many of these songs, like the first two, Too High and Visions, were almost atonally unpleasant.

Living for the City was more of a rhythmic soul song, but with a thumping techno sound (without getting too Oompa Loompa). Golden Lady was also soul, but incredibly boring.

He’s Misstra Know-It-All was also pretty boring, with sort of a soft piano lounge sound, and without the vocals I might have mistaken it for elevator music.

All in Love Is Fair was a terrible piano jazz love song.

Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing was kind of similar, except with a Caribbean sound. Without that island vibe, this song was more like what I expected the whole record to be.

It turned out that I recognized Higher Ground, a pretty famous funk-sounding song that I thought was good. I never realized that it was a Stevie Wonder song, but now that I know, it’s my favorite Stevie Wonder song by far.

Grade

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

The Chicago Transit Authority (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: The Chicago Transit Authority
  • Group name: The Chicago Transit Authority (ie. Chicago)
  • Year: 1969
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: Columbia Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Distinguishing characteristics: “G” written inside album sleeve, indicating that my father owned it
  • Buy it on Amazon: $51.99

The Chicago Transit Authority

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

This was a bit confusing. I’ve never really made a mental distinction between the bands “Chicago” and “The Chicago Transit Authority” until today, when I took this record off the shelf and realized that they were actually different groups. But then when I tried to figure out what record this was, I realized that “The Chicago Transit Authority” was actually the original name of “Chicago.” So, they were in fact not different groups.

I’ve reviewed one of their records once before, Chicago IX (1975): 2/5.

What I expected

On the telephone, my father said that this record was rock, but more jazz than rock, and that I’d like it.

What it was actually like

It was terrible. From the opening bars of Introduction, I thought it would be a funk record, but that was just more of a jazz song with strong funk influence, while the record overall had a whole lot of brass and was sort of split between rock-influenced jazz and electric guitar feedback experimentation.

I recognized one song, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?, which was both jazz and awful.

Other parts sounded kind of operatic, like Questions 67 and 68 that reminded me of Tommy, which was actually intended as an “opera” (I’ve seen Tommy on the shelf, so expect a review of it some time).

Poem 58 was an example of a Hendrix-style electric guitar rock jam, but lots of tracks included that.

One of the most pretentious tracks to which I’ve listened since I started this project five months ago was Free Form Guitar. Here’s the “producer’s note”:

FREE FORM GUITAR was performed on a Fender Stratocaster guitar through a Snowman amplifier equipped with a twin 15 bottom utilizing a Bogan P. A. amplifier as a pre-amp. No electronic gimmicks or effects were used in the recording of this selection, the intent being to capture as faithfully as possible the actual sound of the performance as it occurred.

I mean, I guess it succeeded, as it sounded like utter crap in my living room and I have every reason to believe that it sounded like utter crap in the studio when it was recorded, and that anyone who’s ever listened to this rubbish and not winced has been on a quantity and type of drugs that I can’t even fathom. If I had to compare its sound to anything, I’d say it reminded me of a stylized car accident, except with less style.

Prologue, August 29, 1968 was also not only the most obnoxious song on the record, but might have been the most obnoxious song possible.

Grade

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

Bette Midler (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Bette Midler
  • Artist name: Bette Midler
  • Year: 1973
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Atlantic Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: my mother
  • Buy it on Amazon: $4.77

Bette Midler (Vinyl record album review)

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I don’t really know much about Bette Midler, except that my father thinks she’s not good, while my mother professes to be a big fan.

What I expected

Maybe show tunes? I’m not really sure, but I Shall Be Released is on this record (I’ve previously reviewed cover versions of that song by Joan Baez and Pearls Before Swine).

What it was actually like

Midler’s version of I Shall Be Released started out pretty lame, but I definitely think it got better as it progressed.

Higher & Higher (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me), her version of the R&B song (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, had more of a gospel or soul sound, which was an interesting choice.

In the Mood was another cover, that I recognized as a swing song that gets used in movies set in the 1940s, and Midler’s version of it was totally acceptable, but it’s not a song to which I’d ever listen normally.

Breaking Up Somebody’s Home was a pretty good funk song.

I also loved her version of “Da Doo Run Run,” but that may be largely because the original (spelled Da Doo Ron Ron) is absolutely a high point of American musical culture. It certainly crushed the Rolling Stones’ shamefully bad version.

Optimistic Voices and Lullaby of Broadway, two songs from The Wizard of Oz, were a low point on the record.

Overall, this sort of reminded me of the famously and unbearably funny “We’re Sausalito” scene in Lost In Translation, though on further thought, I now have to wonder if that scene actually was a joke about Bette Midler.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll by the Rolling Stones (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll
  • Group name: the Rolling Stones
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Rolling Stones Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $28.33

It's Only Rock 'n Roll by the Rolling Stones

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m not familiar with It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll, but I’ve reviewed these Rolling Stones records in the past few months:

What I expected

Blues rock.

What it was actually like

Ain’t Too Proud to Beg is an awesome song and I love that the Stones covered it and made it into a rock song. Did it actually need to be a rock song? I’m not sure, but it’s great as a rock song. I also loved It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It), a hard rock song that’s hard rock in the perfect way, which is true to the blues roots of rock and hard rock; Time Waits for No One was also very strong.

Luxury was kind of interesting, with a reggae style rhythm.

Short and Curlies was the bluesiest song on the record.

Fingerprint File is more funk influenced and I thought they did an ok job with it, but it wasn’t actually a very interesting or enjoyable song.

Till the Next Goodbye was boring and slow.

Grade

4/5: would listen again

Feats Don’t Fail Me Now by Little Feat (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
  • Group name: Little Feat
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Warner Bros.
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $57.95

Feats Don't Fail Me Now by Little Feat

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I listened to Sailin’ Shoes by Little Feat back in May, but I had never heard of Little Feat before that point, and wasn’t really impressed by their music.

What I expected

I guess more blues rock?

What it was actually like

This was such a weird record that sounded almost as if it had been made by two bands, one a funk / jazz band and the other a blues rock / southern rock band.

Jazz and funk:

  • Rock & Roll Doctor
  • Skin it Back
  • Spanish Moon

Blues rock and southern rock:

  • Oh Atlanta
  • Down the Road
  • Medley: Cold Cold Cold/Tripe Face Boogie

Hybrid of both styles:

  • Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
  • The Fan was a sort of jazz-rock jam

I didn’t really like any of it, though.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me