The Guess Who
Shakin’ All Over

(Sundazed 2001)

http://wcmr.com/legend/

Before “These Eyes” catapulted them to worldwide fame, the Guess Who remained primarily a Canadian phenomenon. Though their killer rendition of “Shakin’ All Over” reached #22 in the US charts in 1965, subsequent releases completely stiffed in the States, and the group was left to hibernate in Winnipeg, Canada. However, between “Shakin’ All Over” and “These Eyes”, the Guess Who recorded some great material for the Canadian label Quality, very little of which saw release in the US. That body of material is the basis for this new compilation on Sundazed. Appropriately enough, Shakin’ All Over starts off with “Shakin’ All Over”, a brilliantly executed version accentuated by ragged guitar leads, tinkling piano, and Chad Allen’s guttural vocal delivery. Many other tunes like “Baby’s Birthday”, “All Right”, and “Stop Teasing Me” are in a British Invasion beat style.

Possibly more interesting are gutsier garage punk songs like “Clock On The Wall”, “If You Don’t Want Me”, and “It’s My Pride”, the latter of which was featured on the enjoyable but ill-conceived Nuggets II compilation on Rhino. The best song in this garage rock style is arguably the killer “Believe Me”, an energetic Raiders-styled romp with some great guitar and keyboard breaks, which might’ve beat Mark Lindsay at his own game. Shakin’ All Over features recordings by both of the Guess Who’s early incarnations, as led first by vocalist Chad Allen and later by keyboardist Burton Cummings. Along with guitarist Randy Bachman, Cummings was largely responsible for the group’s change in direction from merseybeat towards gritty rock in 1966. This compilation is culled from the Guess Who’s original Canadian albums Shakin’ All Over, Hey Ho (What You Do To Me), and It’s Time, along with single tracks released on the Quality label.

This Sundazed comp is great, but I can’t help but wonder what uncompiled gems might remain on the three Canadian albums, all of which have are available on CD as Canadian imports. Sundazed also could have been more generous with their song selection; at 61:14, nearly twenty minutes remain which could’ve been filled with more great songs. Still, Shakin’ All Over is a solid collection with generous, attractive packaging and informative liner notes. Definitely worth purchasing, but true completists might opt for the CD reissues of the original three Quality albums instead. Read about them at the website provided.

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Nico
Chelsea Girl

(Verve 1967/Polygram 199?)

http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/

Though remembered primarily for her short stint with innovators the Velvet Underground, Nico made some brilliant, mysterious albums on her own. This, her first solo album, displays a maturity and confidence lacking in many other female solo artists of the time. Certainly Nico was no naïve, adolescent songstress. Largely responsible for the success of Chelsea Girl as an album is Nico’s choice of material, much of which is written by her old Velvet Underground cohorts Lou Reed and John Cale. Besides the Reed and Cale songs, the album is filled out with tunes written by Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, and a very young Jackson Browne. Songs like “The Fairest of the Seasons”, “These Days”, and “Chelsea Girls” feature excellently dark and mysterious lyrics and intriguing melodies.

The arrangements on Chelsea Girl are exceptionally beautiful, with Nico’s vocals accompanied usually by acoustic guitar and understated but lovely orchestration. One interesting exception to this formula is the eight minute long “It Was a Pleasure Then”, which is driven by wild feedback guitar work from Lou Reed. Nico’s deep, German-accented vocals distract at first, but become more familiar with each listen. Though her solo work is quite different from the better-known material she recorded with the Velvets, it remains experimental and distinctive. Chelsea Girl is a beautiful vision into the dark musical world of Nico. Brilliant songwriting, lovely arrangements, and distinctive delivery make Chelsea Girl an album to treasure.

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The City (featuring Carole King)
Now That Everything’s Been Said

(Ode 1968/Legacy 1999)

Though she had been a successful and talented songwriter for years, Carole King didn’t delve into performing much until forming the City in 1968, which became her first major project as a performer. Along with King, the City was made up of Charles Larkey and Danny Kortchmar, two session musicians who were fresh from backing the Fugs on their Tenderness Junction album. The City’s album Now That Everything’s Been Said is an interesting sample of MOR pop recorded before the style even became fashionable. Eleven of the twelve songs on the album are written by King, and two songs from the album became well known when covered by other artists. “I Wasn’t Born to Follow” was rendered brilliantly by the Byrds, whose version was featured in the soundtrack of the classic film “Easy Rider”.

The City’s version of “I Wasn’t Born to Follow” is mellower, lacking the Dylanesque country influence which the Byrds used to form their version. Another song from the album that was covered was “That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)”, which became a big hit for horn-rockers Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Other interesting songs on the City album are “Snow Queen”, “Paradise Alley”, and the beautiful “Why Are You Leaving”. The entire album is not far removed from the casual, middle-of-the-road style which King became known for later with her brilliant solo albums “Tapestry” and “Music”. While the City’s music is entirely un-psychedelic, fans of well-crafted pop will enjoy the wistful melodies and atmospheric arrangements. Though the songwriting on Now That Everything’s Been Said is not all memorable, it is certainly pleasant, and the performances are top-notch. Not a brilliant album, but an interesting one for King fans and MOR enthusiasts.

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