Back to Reynold Philipsek with Black and Blue 1985 [vinyl rip]

 

A lot has culturally, musically changed of course in the 5 years that passed since Reynold's brilliant 1980 masterwork Short Stories (which I still can't auditorily believe) and needless to say we are eras, ages away from the 1974 Sailor fusion work.  We are in the sweaty thick of the crazy dancing jumpy digital new wave 1980s of course, with the dreaded drum machines and staccato synth chords, deeply advanced into the (plastic) years of Duran Duran.  Music moved so fast back then, not like today, when hip hop is not only still popular, but unchanged from those very same 1980s, 40 years ago.  Nonetheless, despite the majority commercial throwaway pop and blues numbers, there are great gems in here.  Information can be found here.

The sheer brilliance of his presumably solo acoustic guitar work, Blues for L.G., just blows me away:

Child's Play with a lovely drumless synth performance seems surprisingly out of place, but side b also closes with an all-synth composition:

The title track is definitely worth the price of admission here, with its magnificent dark sound and unbelievably virtuoso guitarwork, really harking back to the minor-key guitar fusion of a Mahavishnu long since passed and critically derided:

Listening to it closely, for sure this track alone was well worth the hunt for this very rare LP.

Crusade - Small and Blue, 1974 [temporary link only]

 

Classic mid-seventies prog with a lot of ordinary ssw and simple acoustic songs, along the lines of older Kayak, Focus, etc.  However, enough unusual or original chord arrangements & creatively oddball ideas to keep us focused and interested, for sure.  Sufficient for focus and concentration to avoid the fast forward button for at least half the length of this collection, depending on the level of acquired ADHD you might have developed in this wonderful age of smart phones and 6-second video clips.  There's vocals both male and female, hammond organ, and classical importations like fugues as you'd expect.  Also, sounding lovely and well-recorded, to boot.  I note this is not databased in discogs, surprisingly.

It's important to note, it was recorded back in 1974 but not released until more recently-- specifically 2000, if you want to call that recent (which my kids would argue with).

The first and title track:

Merilyn in Reverse:

A nice voluminous quantity of music to listen to, as well.

Addendum: the Netherlands artist behind the album Philhelmon, discogged here, with later releases.

Christian Gaubert, Part 3: 1979 Last Exit; 2013 Ligne Sud Trio (Gaubert, Ceccarelli, Jannick Top)

 

Obviously by this late in the decade year, he has moved from ssw to funk, a bit of fusion, minimal disco thankfully, but quite commercial-oriented.  There are nonetheless good tracks and enjoyable ideas to listen to.  Reminds me a lot of the later Ceccarelli albums posted back here.

Sweet and Fool Like A Child:

The 2013 album is instrumental fusion of the kind that's typical of this later period, but I included it again due to the presence of those other musical luminaries. It's databased here.  Note how eminently capable Gaubert is on the solo piano for a song called Mare Nostrum:

Christian Gaubert, Part 2: 1978 ST [WAV limited time only]

 

Information here. Again, note Jannick Top on bass, for what it's worth.

This album is not quite as strong, imo, as the Une Ville LP.  I decided to purchase and rip it in case it was amazing.  All ssw stuff.

Ma Song Californie:

Generique de Fin (ie, Theme of the Ending):

Christian Gaubert, Part 1: 1975 Une Ville, Une Vie, 1977 The Little Girl Who Lives down the Lane OST

 

Three posts about this wonderful and unknown (outside his home country presumably) French ssw / film composer.

Christian Gaubert:

French composer, pianist, arranger and band leader. Collaborations include Charles Aznavour, Mireille Mathieu, Gilbert Bécaud, Johnny Hallyday, Serge Gainsbourg, Pascal Auriat, and Gérard Lenorman among others.

Note he has been releasing albums since 1969, but those earlier ones didn't seem so interesting to me. Some are LPs of presumably easy listening cover versions, eg this 1972 album.

On the other hand on the 1975 album called Une Ville... Une Vie, the songwriting is just genius. It's like my old favourites, Dromadaire, and Le Loup des Steppes by Pisani, or the wonderful Xavier Gernet. In other words, 1970s French pop songwriting (not really chanson as such) with original melodies, chords, and nice hooks. On top of that, it features guitarist Claude Engel, and Magma drummer Jannick Top, though these guys remain quite in the background, playing quite unobtrusively, no zeuhl here.

The title track gives you a clear idea of what I mean in terms of original chord changes and interesting melodies:

And the rest of the album keeps up the high level of songwriting, with very few, if any, throwaways.

For a whole different genre, the OST of the 1976 Franco-Canadian movie The Little Girl who Lives down the Lane which starred Jodie Foster has some wonderful music written for it.  We have here a mix of Francis Lai / Morricone tender orchestral themes in the standard 1970s Euro-style and melancholy patterns with some fusion passages.  The theme from the movie carries hints of Francis Lai, Nina Rota, etc. and then suddenly picks up to an uptempo 16-beat groove in the rhythm section with a flute solo:

Those once exposed in childhood to those old movies and themes will feel some intense nostalgia upon hearing those classic musical lines.

On the other hand, Mystery of the Basement, with its fusion element, again, the electric piano plus strings is so classic:

For those interested, like me, the story is a disturbing one, really typical of those long ago days, and as usual you can read about it on wikipedia.  Note the following:

The production later became the subject of controversy over reports that [13-year-old at the time] Jodie Foster had conflicts with producers over the filming and inclusion of a nude scene, but a 21-year-old body double (Foster's sister) was used. After a screening at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, a court challenge was launched regarding distribution, and a general release followed in 1977.

I have two versions of this OST and I included both (CD and LP).  I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too. Kind of like Yuji Ohno's wonderful amalgam of tender themes with funky fusion parts, almost like his gorgeous Jimmy Dean.