STACK NZ APril 2016 Issue 72

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The Cars
Moving in Stereo: The Best
of The Cars
Ric Ocasek might not be the best-looking man
in rock, but he's certainly one of the smartest
songwriters and producers, and almost single-
handedly drove The Cars to chart-topping
success. He added polish to their snappy New Wave sound, kept
the radio-length songs tight and snappy, and steered a course
between artful rock and power pop with plenty of hooks to get
them on the charts. The Cars were one of the great pop-rock bands
of their era – and there was plenty of competition. Their heyday is
collected on the all-inclusive, six-CD set The Elektra Years 1978-
1987, but this single disc, 18-song party-time collection scoops
up their key hits and adds a new mix of Sad Song from their 2011
reunion album. Pop of its period, but also surprisingly durable.
Jeff Buckley
You and I
Buckley's small catalogue (two
EPs, one album) inflates again
with another posthumous release:
10 songs from pre-Grace sessions
as producer Steve Addabbo tried
to ascertain what Buckley was
capable of. Here Buckley does
Dylan (an overwrought Just
Like a Woman), Sly Stone badly
(Everyday People), the Smiths
(Boy With a Thorn in His Side
and I Know It's Over), Led Zep
(their unexceptional Night Flight)
and Bukka White (Poor Boy Long
Way From Home ). There's an
urgent run-through of Grace and
the unfinished Dream of You And
I – which became You And I on
the posthumous Sketches for My
Sweetheart The Drunk. Nothing
diminishes his reputation, little
enhances it.
Jeff Healey
Heal My Soul
Blind blues guitarist Healey – who
died in 2008 – would have been
50 this year, and these previously
unreleased songs confirm he
was in a class of his own (Mark
Knopfler, George Harrison,
Benmont Tench and many
hardcore black blues musicians
happily played alongside him).
A Canadian, he had jazz and the
sound of old 78 rpm records in
his soul, but couldn't be confined
to any genre. This collection
delivers searing, straight-ahead,
post-Hendrix playing, so if you
had him pegged as a bluesman
you may be surprised to find that
in places here, he is a convincing,
incendiary rocker. Not too late to
discover him.
visit
32 APRIL 2016
MUSIC
By Graham Reid
Santana (1969)
The debut which introduced Latin-infused jazz-
rock to the audience, which hadn't been there for
the band's stunning debut at Woodstock earlier
that month. Prepared the ground for the equally
impressive follow-up a year later, Abraxas. Both
essential.
Caravanserai (1972)
Because it followed three great albums which
established the vigorous Santana sound, this
controversial departure into jazz and more
meditative explorations was widely derided during
its own era, but it has stood the test of time. It
announced a new direction Santana would continue
to explore, sometimes with mixed results.
Moonflower (1977)
Initially this double album credited to the Santana
band seems like an odd mix of new studio tracks
and live hits, but the meld mostly works. He's on
the money with his singular sound and style, and
they even scored a hit single with their version of
the Zombies' She's Not There.
The Swing Of Delight (1980)
Although his guru got many writing credits
(presumably so Carlos could flick him some royalty
money), this double album outing under the man's
adopted spiritual name Devadip Carlos Santana
found him with stellar jazz players from Miles
Davis' band (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron
Carter, Tony Williams) and others on a free-flowing,
relaxed and sometimes expansive collection.
Essential, but a different Santana.
And also...
There have been any number of Santana band
and solo compilations, but the band collection
Santana's Greatest Hits is the one to find; it draws
from those first three “Woodstock era” albums.
For more interviews, reviews and overviews
from Graham Reid visit
Carlos Santana’s new album
Santana IV finds him reunited with
most of the original band. Graham
Reid recommends some essential
early albums by the group or from
Santana's own solo catalogue.
SANTANA