JOESEDDIT’S CRATES FULL OF VINYL – HEAD EAST, TEN YEARS AFTER, IRON BUTTERFLY

I’ve got a couple of crates full of old vinyl albums that I haven’t listened to in years due to lack of equipment to play them. Over a period of about a year and a half I revisited each album on the internet or bought the CD and ranked the songs. I also recorded some brief thoughts, rated the album, and posted the results on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists comment section. I’m recycling and categorizing/grouping the posts on this website.

Flat as a Pancake

I was regretting my recent decision to revisit EVERYTHING in the crates after this Head East album came to the top of the pile. I’m not sure how I got the album, but I do know I’ve had it since I was a freshman in High School. I don’t remember why, but I assumed there was a good reason that I haven’t listened to it much since those early teen years. But the show must go on, so I found the album on U-Tube and braced myself. Turned out to be painless. The lyrics are pedestrian but the music ain’t bad. Nothing here that’s memorable, though. If there were, they’d be remembered.

Scale of 1 to 10:  C

1- One Against the Other

2- Never Been Any Reason

3- Jefftown Creek

4- Loving Me Along

5- City of Gold

6- Brother Jacob

7- Ticket Back to Georgia

8- Love Me Tonight

9- Fly by Night Lady

Ssssh

This is another one from the reject pile. As might be expected, Alvin Lee’s guitar playing is the highlight of this Ten Years After album, so the songs that feature are near the top of my list. Not a bad album, but the “reject pile” status is justifiable. The production is rough around the edges and the songwriting leaves a lot to be desired. But no question, Lee’s a smokin’ guitar player.

Scale of 1 to 10:  C - 

1- I Woke Up This Morning

2- If You Should Love Me

3- Bad Scene

4- Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

5- Two Time Mamma

6- The Stomp

7- I Don’t Know That You Don’t Know My Name

8- Stoned Woman

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly is known only for one iconic 60s song. More often than not, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (or the riff from “Sunshine of Your Love”) will be the background music you hear on the 60s documentary when they flash that scene of the shirtless long haired hippie worshiping the scorching sun in the Buddha position. It’s a marathon of a song that takes up a whole side of the album but it’s actually not that bad on first listen. But the other side of the album sounds dated and frankly, not very good. Iconic or not, one OK song that won’t stand up to repeated listens doesn’t make this a great album.

Scale of 1 to 10:  D

1- In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

2- Most Anything You Want

3- Flowers and Beads

4- Are You Happy?

5- Termination

6- My Mirage