Lobo - Just a Singer/A Cowboy Afraid of Horses CD

Just a Singer/A Cowboy Afraid of Horses songs One must give the Moody Blues credit for tenacity and a single-pointed focus. For 37 years they've put forth a startlingly consistent series of themes: optimism, a kind of blind-faith spirituality that the universe is in good hands and that people are by and large decent and kind, and love songs that can be a bit twee, but nonetheless connect when one is in the emotional space to hear them. Their music has always been intimate and pretentious in the best sense of the words. December is the Moodies' first Christmas album. The classic lineup has been whittled down to three: John Lodge, Justin Hayward, and Graeme Edge; Ray Thomas decided to call it quitsin 2002. The band is augmented by unofficial member and producer Danilo Madonia in the studio. This is the most curious of Christmas recordings. December is an album about the spirit of Christmas but, with its lack of carols (though it does feature Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" near the end), it sounds more like another chapter in the Moody Blues' legend, and that's exactly what it is. Like many Moody Blues records since the 1980s, the original songs are nostalgic, pointing listeners back to memories of an idyllic past when things were simpler, and toward the hope that social and spiritual renewal are just around the corner. The set features a number of Hayward and Lodge originals, obscure and traditional Anglo folk songs, a transposed piece by Bach, and a cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" -- alas, if only that were true. If you're a fan or a detractor, you already know what the album sounds like. Unpredictability left the band's vocabulary in the 1970s, but that doesn't mean that this collection is without merit. For starters, it is one of the most original Christmas albums you'll hear all year. There is no new age drivel here; its topics and themes are indeed Christian, but weigh on the side of those that are universally held: brotherhood, compassion, hope, goodwill, and generosity. In addition, it's beautifully orchestrated and produced. Its sound is pristine, and Hayward and Lodge with their trademark elegance sound as if they mean every word they write and sing. And it's easy to believe that. It most certainly is sentimental and lush, and has nothing whatsoever to do with rock & roll, but that hardly matters. As the latest Moody Blues album, it likely lives up to fans' expectations; as a holiday recording, it's unlike anything else out there. ~ Thom Jurek New Studio Album Feat.New & Mostly Christmas Songs. Recorded in Italy. The Moody Blues includes: Justin ...

Just a Singer/A Cowboy Afraid of Horses buy CD music Also available in a 3-pack with FACE THE MUSIC and DISCOVERY. 1976's A NEW WORLD RECORD is both a classic of commercial '70s pop and an archetypal ELO album. From the outer-space synths and rich orchestrations that open the album to Jeff Lynne's meticulous production and Beatlesque melodies, A NEW WORLD RECORD is magnificent ear candy. Both ambitious enough to appeal to "serious" rock fans and ultra-catchy enough to sound terrific on Top 40 radio (the plaintively gorgeous, McCartney-like "Telephone Line" and the anthemic "Livin' Thing" were well-deserved smashes), ELO was one of the few '70s bands whose appeal covered both the FM and AM spectrums. The album even resurrects "Do Ya," a classic single by Lynne's former band, the Move, in a splashy new version. The next ELO album, 1977's elaborate double-album OUT OF THIS WORLD, was probably the band's commercial high point, but A NEW WORLD RECORD is the group's artistic high-water mark. Their #5 smash from '76 gave ELO its first platinum record, and it's probably their most consistent creation. The hits Livin' Thing; Do Ya , and Telephone Line join Rockaria; Tight Rope ; a full six bonus cuts and more! Electric Light Orchestra: Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan, Richard Tandy, Kelly Groucutt, Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale. Electric Light Orchestra: Mik Kaminski (violin); Richard Tandy (piano, Moog synthesizer); Kelly Groucutt, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale, Jeff Lynne, Bev Bevan. Personnel: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, slide guitar, Wurlitzer organ, percussion); Kelly Groucutt (vocals, bass guitar, percussion, background vocals); Richard Tandy (guitar, grand piano, electric piano, Clavinet, Wurlitzer organ, Mellotron, mini-Moog synthesizer, percussion, background vocals); Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale (cello); Bev Bevan (mini-Moog synthesizer, drums, percussion, background vocals). Liner Note Authors: Jeff Lynne; Rob Caiger. Recording information: De Lane Lea Studios, London, England; Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany. Illustrator: Kosh. Photographers: Kosh; Andrew Kent; Barry Plummer.

Just a Singer/A Cowboy Afraid of Horses album for sale Audio Remasterer: Terry Jacks. Liner Note Author: Terry Jacks. Recording information: Blue Wave Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1996). Arranger: Terry Jacks. A Good Thing Lost: 1968-1973 is an excellent best-of collection from the Poppy Family, a great, if largely forgotten, late-'60s Canadian soft rock/psychedelic group. The meticulous songwriting, production, and arranging skills of guitarist/mastermind Terry Jacks (who later had a huge solo hit with the classic pop single "Seasons in the Sun") lift these recordings above the work of many of the group's better-known contemporaries. Singer Susan Jacks has a beautiful voice that sometimes sounds like (but predates) Karen Carpenter, but is eminently more soulful. Although characterized in the liner notes as a "soft pop" band, the Poppy Family was also capable of a somewhat tougher sound that sometimes recalled Surrealistic Pillow-era Jefferson Airplane and folkier material in the Kenny Rogers & the First Edition/Roger McGuinn vein. Throughout, Jacks frames the songs with creative, if often dated, arrangements that compare favorably to his obvious influences, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Phil Spector. In addition to "Which Way You Goin' Billy," the group's biggest hit (number two in 1970) and a generous helping of singles and high-quality album tracks, the disc includes an alternate, wildly psychedelic mix of "There's No Blood in Bone" and two different versions of "That's Where I Went Wrong" (the second of which features some cool country guitar leads). Overall, A Good Thing Lost: 1968-1973 is a fantastic find -- one of those hidden gems that record fanatics always hope to discover. ~ Pemberton Roach

Just a Singer/A Cowboy Afraid of Horses CD music This was the end of the line for Bread. David Gates reunited one last time with James Griffin after a four-year hiatus spawned by a power dispute between the two lead songwriters. The band returned to form pretty well intact, with the Gates power ballad "Lost Without Your Love" cracking the Top Ten. It would be their last hit single. By 1977, the Bread formula was starting to sound dated, but despite the unevenness, completists and heartier Bread fans should seek and find this record. There's plenty of filler, but a couple of the Gates ballads stand out: "Hooked on You" and "Belonging" are trademark honey sweet singer/songwriter pop. James Griffin co-wrote three cuts with original Bread member Robb Royer, and their work, like "She's the Only One," has a somewhat grittier country rock feel that is lacking in the more pop-centric work of Gates. "Hold Tight" is the album's only true embarrassment -- an abortive attempt at disco-rock. Casual listeners can safely stick with the best-of collections (especially Rhino's Bread retrospective, on which Lost Without Your Love is adequately represented). ~ Jim Esch Personnel: David Gates (vocals, guitar, violin, keyboards); James Griffin (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Larry Knechtel (guitar, harmonica, keyboards); Dean Parks (guitar); Michael Boddicker (keyboards); Michael Botts (drums); Tom Scott (wind).

Just a Singer/A Cowboy Afraid of Horses buy CD music Arrangers: David Gates; Larry Knechtel. Personnel: David Gates (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, keyboards, Moog synthesizer, bass guitar); Dean Parks (guitar, electric guitar); Larry Carlton (guitar); Dan Dugmore (steel guitar); David Lindley (fiddle); Jim Horn (saxophone, alto saxophone); Larry Knechtel (piano, electric piano, organ, keyboards, bass instrument); Mike Botts (drums, congas); Jim Gordon , John Guerin, Michael Botts, Russ Kunkel (drums).

Just a Singer/A Cowboy Afraid of Horses songs Wounded Bird's 2009 reissue Looking Glass/Subway Serenade pairs the two albums the New Jersey rockers released in 1972 and 1973 before parting ways. Their great one-shot hit "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" pegged the group as a smiley, sunshiny AM pop frivolity and while they surely shone in this regard, Looking Glass started out as a hard-boogying rock & roll band and elements of that can be heard on their 1972 debut. It's not enough to make the LP an unearthed hard rock treasure thanks in large part to producer Bob Liftin, who helped turn singer/songwriter Elliot Lurie's "Brandy" into a seamless, sunny confection and wound up defanging whatever rock & roll bite the group had in the process. Consequently, Looking Glass winds up as a bit of a bumpy listen, careening from pop to rock and spending a lot of time in between, but not unpleasantly so: there's enough panache in Liftin's production and enough punch in Lurie's melodies to give this a welcome `70s sheen. Subway Serenade finds Looking Glass hooking up with producer Arif Mardin to re-create the vibe of their debut, right down to replicating the shimmering vibe of "Brandy" for "Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne." Again, the group's rock roots -- which often surfaced on-stage and show up here on the rollicking "Sweet Jeremiah" -- were submerged by a pop production yet surfaced just often enough to make the record uneven. Again, this isn't entirely unappealing: this may swing toward the middle of the road, but Lurie has warmth to his vocals and Mardin's production captures the smooth, sun-kissed vibe of the post-hippie early `70s. It's not a masterpiece or a lost classic, but as a period piece goes, Subway Serenade, like Looking Glass, is quite pleasant. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine