STACK NZ July 2016 Issue 75

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Van Morrison
It's Too Late to Stop Now
Vol. II, III, IV and DVD
Although Morrison made many indifferent albums,
since Keep It Simple (2008) he's been back on
form. But longtime fans will always point to his
early years as evidence of his genius. His 1973 live
album It's Too Late to Stop Now – compiled from shows with his 11-piece
Caledonia Soul Orchestra – is a cornerstone for its energy, passion and
strong songs. It reappears as a remastered double-CD (and on record
for the first time in 25 years). But these other three volumes scoop up
previously unreleased performances from those performances remixed
by Beatles' engineer Guy Massey, along with a DVD of Van's Rainbow
Theatre, London show filmed for the BBC and available for the first time.
By 1973 Morrison had released the classics Astral Weeks and Moondance,
and was white hot. Tune in for these. You'll understand the fuss.
Fleetwood Mac
Mirage
After the mega-success of their
self-titled album in 1975 and its
follow-up Rumours (1977) which
sold even more multi-millions, the
Big Mac took a left turn with Tusk
(1979, well worth rediscovering)
and toured relentlessly. By
the time they got to Mirage
(1982) they were bickering and
burning out. Ironically, Mirage
erred further into comfortable,
radio-friendly soft rock. But the
lyrical undercurrents were often
autobiographical. This double
disc offers the original album
remastered, plus 19 early and
alternative versions of many
songs. Including the five minute-
plus version of Nicks' Gypsy. The
fire wasn't there but the embers
glowed warmly.
Various Artists
Solid Gold Hits 2
More classics (Boston's sky-
scaling More Than a Feeling,
Manfred Mann's Blinded by the
Light, Mark Williams' Yesterday
Was Just the Beginning of My
Life) alongside guilty pleasures
(Sammy Johns' Chevy Van , Cliff
Richards' Devil Woman, Paper
Lace's MOR gem The Night
Chicago Died), some disco-soul
(Andy Kim's Rock Me Gently,
Gloria Gaynor's Never Can Say
Goodbye, plus cuts from the
Tavares and Three Degrees) and
the late Jon English's terrific
Turn the Page. Play that funky
music white boy (because Wild
Cherry are here too).
visit
28 JULY 2016
MUSIC
By Graham Reid
Ramones (1976)
In an iconic street-punk cover (get it on vinyl so you can
frame it) the group delivered a classic debut which in
places sounded like The Beach Boys on speed – 14 songs
in less than 30 minutes – and forged their love of '60s girl
groups, flat-tack rock'n'roll and a view from the glue-sniffin'
corners of NewYork in the damaged and dangerous '70s.
Bottled electrotherapy punk-pop... and the just-released 40th
Anniversary Deluxe Edition comes as three CDs (remastered
stereo and mono mixes, outtakes, demos and live material)
and the vinyl.
Leave Home (1976)
Again chock-full of classic songs and riffs (Gimme Gimme
Shock Treatment, I Remember You, Carbona Not Glue, Suzy
Is A Headbanger, California Sun) but again it didn't do as
well as it should have. That became the Ramones story:
critical acclaim but no chart gain.
Rocket To Russia (1977)
Third essential album in a row (Rockaway Beach, Sheena is a
Punk Rocker , Teenage Lobotomy, I Can't Give You Anything
alongside '50s covers Do You Wanna Dance? and Surfin'
Bird ) but again, disappointing sales. It looked like their career
might be as short as their songs, but they soldiered on for
almost two decades, mostly to diminishing sales and song
quality returns.
It's Alive (1979)
Recorded live in London on December 31, 1977, this release
captured them at their peak. The setlist drew on cornerstone
songs from those first three albums, and they set a land-
speed record delivering them: 28 songs in 54 minutes. One
of the classic live albums.
Hey! Ho! Let's go! Here are the key albums by the band
that wasThe Beatles for brats – NewYork's classic punk-
pop group known for their “1-2-3-4” no-mucking-about
performances and memorable, economic songs.
RAMONES
And also...
Yes, you can cheat because the 99 double-CD set Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The
Anthology scooped up 58 songs (all their classics) from right across their
career. It confirmed the band were smarter than they looked and deserved
better in their era than they got. One of the truly great rock'n'roll bands, and
– just like the young Beatles – they had a band uniform. How could they not
succeed?
For more interviews, reviews and overviews from Graham Reid visit