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Loggins and Messina by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Loggins and Messina
  • Group name: Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina
  • Year: 1972
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: CBS
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics:
    • “PC 31748” sticker on front
    • “DEMONSTRATION / Not For Sale” stamped on back
  • Buy it:

Loggins and Messina by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard of both Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, but I don’t know much about either or both of them.

What I expected

I think Kenny Loggins is a country musician, but in all fairness, I might have conflated him with Kenny Rogers.

What it was actually like

Lady Of My Heart must have been one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard, and I couldn’t make any sense of how or why it got included on this record. It was sort of an approximation of jazzy lounge music, but just really bad, with even bad vocals. I think it must have been a joke or a dare.

Till the Ends Meet was also pretty boring. Holiday Hotel was lively and I enjoyed it, and Just Before the News was bluegrass-inspired and pretty good. Your Mama Don’t Dance was a decent bluesy rock song.

Angry Eyes had a saxophone, and 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. The same song also had a flute part and I’m maybe slightly more forgiving of flute being used in rock music, if only because it’s so uncommon, but there’s a simple standard that I would apply: are you Jethro Tull? Are you better than Jethro Tull, or engaged in a serious attempt to do something that Jethro Tull hasn’t done or can’t do? If you answer no to all of those questions, then you probably should leave the flute out of your rock song. Anyway, the vocals at the end of this song sounded like they were trying to channel Crosby, Stills and Nash (and maybe Young), and they weren’t half bad at it, so that was nice.

Grade

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

Willie and Family Live by Willie Nelson (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Willie and Family Live
  • Artist name: Willie Nelson
  • Year: 1978
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: Columbia Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it:

Willie and Family Live by Willie Nelson

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I know Willie Nelson as a popular culture icon, but haven’t ever given him much thought or listened to much of his music.

What I expected

Country-rock, rock, blues.

What it was actually like

This was a fantastic double record of a live performance, or perhaps multiple live performances. I’ll definitely be listening to it again. I loved all four sides, but highlights were probably Will The Circle Be Unbroken (I’m most familiar with the Staple Singers’ version) and Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms (I’m most familiar with the Flatt and Scruggs version).

Whiskey River is a terrific song, but it was slightly weird that it somehow got included on this record twice: as the first song on side one, and then again as the second to last song on side four. I guess they just really liked it?

Grade

5/5: love it

This Is The Moody Blues by The Moody Blues (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: This Is The Moody Blues
  • Group name: The Moody Blues
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: BMI
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it:

This Is The Moody Blues by The Moody Blues

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

The only Moody Blues song that I know I can name is Nights in White Satin, because it’s been in so many movies and television programs, and played so much on the radio. I’m sure I know other Moody Blues songs as well, without realizing it.

What I expected

Progressive rock.

What it was actually like

Before listening to this, I definitely expected to come out of it as a Moody Blues fan, but having just finished listening, now I can see why I never was a fan. Much of the record seemed to be channeling the Beatles consciously, but only the weirdest and worst tendencies of the Beatles, rather than their superior work from the mid 1960s.

I also got some Space Oddity vibes from the Moody Blues a few times, and a couple of songs had a weird science fiction narrator voice that definitely did not belong. Ride My See Saw was good, Nights in White Satin was as remembered, and I also recognized Tuesday Afternoon.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

The Monkees Greatest Hits by The Monkees (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: The Monkees Greatest Hits
  • Group name: The Monkees
  • Year: 1976
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Arista Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it:

The Monkees Greatest Hits by The Monkees

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m a Monkees fan, and fondly recall watching their television sitcom with my brother and cousins at our grandparents’ home in the 1980s! I’ve never been able to watch more than a few minutes of their movie Head, however.

What I expected

It’s literally called “The Monkees Greatest Hits,” so it wasn’t difficult to guess.

What it was actually like

It was great! Their best song is I’m A Believer!

Grade

5/5: love it

Miles of Aisles by Joni Mitchell and the L.A. Express (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Miles of Aisles
  • Group name: Joni Mitchell and the L.A. Express
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics: “PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE” sticker on front, “PROMOTIONAL COPY FOR BROADCAST & REVIEW / NOT FOR SALE” sticker on back
  • Buy it:

Miles of Aisles by Joni Mitchell and the L.A. Express

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard a lot of Joni Mitchell’s music over the years, but never had a strong opinion about her either way.

What I expected

Acoustic folk rock with intense vocals.

What it was actually like

This was a live record that was significantly jazzier than I thought (with a little bit of funk). I was surprised at how little of the material I recognized!

I did learn from this record that the famous (and somewhat annoying) Joni Mitchell song about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot is actually called Big Yellow Taxi, and the live version I heard on this record was better than the studio version that I hear all the time. The Circle Game was a bit weaker, though.

Ultimately I didn’t really like this record for the same reason that I don’t usually listen to Joni Mitchell: boring songs that exist to showcase a singer’s amazing vocal ability are… still boring songs.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me