New Releases 1972.01.17
Phonolog Reports – New Releases
Week of
Caught my eye:
YES – Fragile (Atlantic SD 7211) (LP) (CD)
KING CRIMSON –
EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER – Pictures At An Exhibition (
LENNY BRUCE – Live At The Curran Theatre (Fantasy 34201) triple LP (LP)
Well, readers – I was certainly in the record stores downtown for this week’s releases! Imagine my good fortune – a King Crimson LP! And I heard “Roundabout” by Yes the same week, either in the hippie record store or on the FM radio. I think I already had the (then inexpensive) import version of ELP’s “Pictures At An Exhibition”. And I obviously couldn’t afford a triple comedy LP on my non-existent budget of 1972 – but I was into him…and I did eventually get a copy (it’s a whole show!).
Also of interest:
LORD SUTCH / HEAVY FRIENDS – The Hands of Jack The Ripper (
HERMETO PASCOAL – Hermeto (Cobblestone 9000) (LP)
LIGHTHOUSE – Thoughts Of Movin’ On (Evolution 3010)
I had the first Cotillion Lord Sutch album (I just got a CD of it recently!), but…this LP was likely $3.98 – so I didn’t bother with it – it would take a few years for my Joe Meek fandom to make me more curious about Lord Sutch. No, I didn’t know who / what Hermeto was then – that would take until the
Notable singles:
NEIL YOUNG – Heart of Gold b/w
GILBERT O’SULLIVAN – No Matter How I Try (Mam 3617)
MELANIE – Nickel Song (Buddah 268)
Perennially non-LP Neil Young B-Side, eh? Another non-hit Gilby single. Melanie was still a ways off from “Brand New Key”. She sure seemed to have a lot of duds.
Labels: 1972
posted by Ron Kane @ 10:12 PM
2 Comments:
Re: Prog Rock Triumverate
I'd give the nod to Yes in '72 for the durable if not stellar "Fragile," even though I am much more of a "Close To The Edge" guy, though when all is said and done, "Drama" is the only Yes album in my collection currently!
There was a period in my life, sad to say, when ELP was my favorite act but "Pix At An Exhibition" was never a fave rave from those guys. Feh. The weak sister of the first 4 ELP albums, which I can still live with [mostly].
And having only picked up "Islands" from KC recently, I wasted no time in divesting myself of it! To say I didn't like it is practically disingenuous!! And I really love King Crimson - all lineups - except for this one, super lame-o album.
Kinda tricky, this list, inasmuch as they are all "delayed" US releases.
This "stateside" release of YES' "Fragile" was almost two months after the U.K. release on November 26...1971! September of 1972 brought us "Close To The Edge" (and I, too, am more of a "Close To The Edge" guy). So, another feather in '72's cap!
ELP's "Pictures..." also was given the "delayed U.S. release" treatment, having also been out in November of '71 in the U.K. "Trilogy" was, without too much anticipated quibbling, the better album...and a true '72 release!
Perhaps an album best listened to in the zeitgeist of its original release (December 1971 in the UK, January 1972 in the US), KING CRIMSON's "Islands" is very much a "winter" record; rather cold, sometimes harsh, but perhaps best listened to in the dark with a fire burning (safely in the fireplace, if you please!). I grabbed it when it came out, and, having already been inured to the radical changes of the previous albums, I expected the unexpected when first I landed the needle on its lead-in groove. Though I might have hoped for another "In The Wake..." or "Lizard" (which I love/loved dearly), "Islands" became the one I listened to all the more frequently, if only in an attempt to unravel some of its darker mysteries. It was also a favorite spin when dropping by the house of a good friend who had *THE* audiophile system of the day -- and, when powered up on his system with WATTS to spare on his tube power amp and blaring out of speaker cabinets with their *own* gravitational pull, the full potential of this album was realized!
Post a Comment
<< Home