The College Crowd Digs Me

American Boys by Steven Phillip Smith (1975) Paperback, 435 pages NO SPOILERS:      Oftentimes, the worst part of going anywhere is the anticipation of the return.  American Boys  follows four soldiers in Vietnam in 1966.  The writing was partially based on the author's personal experiences during the war.  Steven Phillip Smith left little doubt about the brutality and monotony of war, and just how hard it was to balance the highs with the lows.  Totally a mind-flayer keeping it all in check.  There are some brutal scenes Smith delivers that really leave a mark.   And yet, his descriptive prose somehow finds beauty in the mundane and the chaos.        The fighting was more from a helicopter/gunnery perspective, which I found both fascinating and horrific.  And the importance of it all was not lost on me.  As with all aspects of war, each moment can spell your last.  Lucky this; unlucky that....

"Wanted" - Mason Proffit (1970 )      Mason Proffit and this album in particular have a bit of a cult following.  In the Midwest, anyway.  Thanks in part to KSHE radio playing "Two Hangmen" from their debut album.  Listeners requested this song on a fairly regular basis.  At least that's the way I got the story.    Mason Proffit,  out of Indiana,   was an early country rock band whose first album,  "Wanted,"  became a kind of underground hit.   The album has a late Byrds, early Poco vibe, but with enough of a Mason Proffit  dust-storm to call their own.  I enjoy country-rock from this period, and this album is no better or worse than the other good stuff, so if you are of the same mind, your ears will probably be right at home with this square.      I see this particular album at almost every record show that comes around.  Always priced under a ten-spot, and still I skipped over it a ...

"Phenomenon" - UFO (1974)     I've had this on CD forever, but finding a vinyl copy of  UFO's  " Phenomenon"  was challenging  for me.  I just could never be in the right place at the right time, I guess.    The album is a wonderful conundrum that both rocks and relaxes at the same time.  UFO scratches both itches perfectly with its chill-metal salutations.  It's my favorite UFO album, bar none.  This, and their live  "Strangers In The Night," (1979)   are definitely my go-tos.      "Phenomenon" has it all.  There is an unusual headiness about this square that takes me somewhere.  There is some space rock dustings in the mix.  The slower and mid-tempo tracks  sizzle and burn, with  Phil Mogg's  vocals effortlessly selling the bridge without sounding the least bit wuss .  No hyperbole here.  Mogg makes it work.   Additionally, 19-year-old  Mic...

"Avenue Road" - Kensington Market (1968 )      There's an overall psych element in play here, but Kensington Market doesn't hit you over the head with it.  Rather, the pop-psych weaves into your consciousness via baroque dustings and unexpected arrangements.  The variety is good, without being misleading.  There are moments where influences of Love and Left Banke  can be heard, and though no one track is head and shoulders above the rest, I do have my favorites.  "Avenue Road" feels ambitious for what it is, and my ears appreciated it.      This Canadian band was a big thing up North.  For a spell, anyway.  They performed with Jefferson Airplane, Steve Miller Band, and other big acts of their day.  But in the psychedelic pantheon scheme of things, I suppose  "Avenue Road"  is considered an average square...and fair enough.  On the other hand, there are no tracks to be skipped.  No needle lifts....

"You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw" - Spooky Tooth (1973 )      Spooky Tooth , from Carlisle, England, released eight albums before putting it all to rest.  I rarely see any Spooky Tooth LPs here in Kansas, so when I saw "You Broke My Heart…" I quickly added it to a small stack I was making from a garage sale the other weekend.       This was the band's 5th album and first with Mick Jones, who had replaced Luther Grosvenor on guitar, who went on to join Mott The Hoople .  The vocals are good throughout, and Gary Wright's keyboards and Mick Jones' guitar mesh well together.  It's all pretty easy on the ears.  The songs are a mix of blues-rockers (less blues) with a few slower-tempo swirls and occasional very-slight prog dust thrown in.  Side one was the stronger for me, with the first three songs hanging together especially well.  As for the rest, it's various shades of okay.  All but one song was written by ...

"Live Album" - Grand Funk (1970 )      Who knows why we gravitate toward one specific band or album?  It's a hoo-doo thing.  But a little Grand Funk in my head, and I can get shit done.  Whether it's some active listening or just fuel to get my blood moving around the house.  It's a feel-good thing.  Grand Funk  starts my lawnmower.  They kick my car into the next gear.  The band should go halfsies on the speeding tickets with me.      Grand Funk has never been about flash or smoke and mirrors.  Always just a blue-collar powder keg ready to go off.  Their first live offering is a double square and easily one of my top ten live spins.  The vinyl catches the band rocking hard, heavy, and hungry. Often funky; sometimes psychy.  Back when live albums were important.  Years later, and it's still killer.      I have fond memories of hearing my dad drop the needle on this ...

"First Grade" - Thomas Jefferson Kaye (1974 )      Many have labeled Thomas Jefferson Kaye's "First Grade" a lost gem.  Perhaps it is.  I wouldn't go quite that far myself, but hyperbole aside, the album is an enjoyable square and a bit of a forgotten curio.  Kaye was a songwriter and producer  involved with early acts from the 1960s and 1970s, spanning from the killer song  "96 Tears"  by  ? and the Mysterians  to  Gene Clark's  highly acclaimed album  "No Other"   (1974),   which was initially panned and later considered a must-own record.      As for "First Grade," there's a late Poco vibe going on that's dusted with some early Steely Dan spankage.  There are a couple of outlier songs that hint at Dr. John and Edgar Winter, but the overall Colorado/West Coast country rock aura is everywhere.  The good kind.  Becker and Fagen  contributed two songs and, along with othe...

"Benefit" - Jethro Tull (1970 )      I'm a fan of prog-rock.  All kinds.  And I have my share on the shelves.  But I'm a picky sumbeach with this genre.  There's no middle ground.  No free pass.  It's album to album.  And I know plenty who like Jethro Tull , and just as many who don't.  The band's an acquired taste, I get it.  Their squares can be hit or miss sometimes, and I'm looking at you, "Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll."  But when they're good, they're very, very good.  Tull hits an undefinable sweet spot that I'm looking for in my various prog-rock pursuits.  And I want to hear them all.  With the rigmarole out of the way, let me say my newest Jethro Tull acquisition, "Benefit," is a keeper.      I love the heavy Martin Barre guitars and the acoustic flavors Ian Anderson weaves.  Ian's fluttering flutery is in good form here.  Ian's songwriting and vocals are cool as ever, wit...