Classic Rock Solo Albums - Whistle Rhymes by John Entwistle

 Who’s Next blew me away in the summer of 1971, the year I turned 14. I already had Tommy, and Live At Leeds, and I had heard songs like Happy Jack, I Can See For Miles, and Magic Bus on the radio, but from the opening sounds of Baba O’Riley, I was transfixed by this new Who record.

I wanted more, and while I waited on the follow-up, I read about a new John Entwistle album, Smash Your Head Against The Wall. According to the first review I ran across, it was only available as an import, but sounded a lot like The Who. I can’t remember where I finally found that album, but it whetted my appetite, as it sounded very “Whoish” to me, too. 

So, when I saw a cutout of Entiwstle’s follow-up, Whistle Rhymes, in a local record store a year or two later, I snapped it up. I don’t recall knowing much about the album when I bought it (you had to actually buy magazines to get info about new releases back then, and that’s assuming you could find the mags that covered the kind of music you liked in your area), but I do know I was expecting more of of what I heard on Smash Your Head. I was wrong about that, but not entirely disappointed.

Whistle Rhymes, released in 1972, found Entwistle working with a new group of musicians. Among those backing him on the album’s ten tracks were figures both familiar and obscure. One of the keyboardists was Neil Sheppard, to whose unreleased 1971 solo album Entwistle had contributed (for more on Sheppard’s history see the excellent article at https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/intervie. ws/life-neil-sheppard-marty-simon/).

Another was Alan Ross, who adds acoustic guitar and backing vocals to several tracks. Ross also later played on Entwistle’s “Rigor Mortis Sets In” and was part of his touring band in the early 70s. See https://lowando.blogspot.com/2010/06/british-guitarist-alan-ross.html?m=1 for more information on Ross.

Among the better known contributors to the album were Peter Frampton and Jimmy McCulloch. At the time they played on Whistle Rhymes, both were “known,” Frampton primarily due to his membership in Humble Pie, and McCulloch as the guitarist from Stone The Crows.

The album featured two drummers, Rod Coombes (Stealers Wheel; Strawbs) and Gordon Barton.

The songs focused on marriage and infidelity, and there was even one about a peeping tom.

Here are the tracks with a few notes. 

Side 1

1.     Ten Little Friends

Frampton on lead (lots of guitar)

Coombs on drums

Sheppard on keys

2.     Apron Strings

 

Frampton on lead (really featured again)

 

Jimmy McCulloch on rhythm

JE piano

Alan Ross Backing vocals

 

3.     I 

 

Frampton and McCulloch both on lead

JE piano

 

4.     Thinking It Over

 

JE piano synthesized bass

No elec guitar and no lead guitar

 

5.     Who Cares?

Brass – Trombone and trumpet (latter by JE)

Neil Sheppard elec piano and organ

Frampton lead guitar (at end)

JE piano and trumpet

 

All vocals (lead and backing) on this side by JE except 2

 

Side 2

 

1.     Wonder

Trumpet and Trombone again

A Ross Backing vocals

JE piano and trumpet

 

2.     Was Just Being Friendly

 

Drums guitar (PF) 

Synthesized bass (as a lead instrument)

 

3.     The Window Shopper

 

About a peeping tom

Ross Backing vocals

Synthesizer JE

No guitar

 

4.     I Found Out

 

Acoustic and 12 string Alan Ross

Piano JE

 

5.     Nightmare (Please Wake Me Up)

 

Synthesizer piano French horn JE

Trombone again by Bryan Williams who also plays organ

Also includes violin

 

Starts as a Ballad then turns up-tempo 

 

Are SHM-CDs Better?

 [NOTE: I write this blog as a guy who is passionate about music, but doesn’t go broke acquiring either equipment or media. I listen on a Thorens 145 turntable with a Shure M95ED cartridge, a vintage JVC amp, a Sony SACD player, and Definitive Technology Demand D11 speakers.]

 

I recently purchased my first SHM (Super High Materials) CD. SHM CDs are manufactured in Japan, and according to the “CD Japan” website, utilize “a polycarbonate material originally developed for LCD screens, and the enhanced transparency of the SHM-CD results in more clarity, depth and definition of sound, bringing the listener ever closer to the music of the original master.”

I’ve read varying opinions on whether or not these claims are valid, so I decided to buy one and judge for myself. The CD I chose was the 2-disc Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper 50^th anniversary edition. Disc 1 includes the original album, while disc 2 includes selected outtakes drawn from the 6 disc (4CD/DVD/Blu-ray) Super Deluxe Edition (SDE).

The first thing one notices is of course the packaging, which is excellent, as is the case with most Japanese CD (and vinyl) releases. In addition to the discs and the booklet, the SHM CD includes what appear to be rice paper inner sleeves for the CDs, a second booklet written in Japanese, and an OBI.

But how does it sound? The sound to me was detailed yet warm – more like the sound of vinyl than most CDs I’ve listened to (other than SACD discs). Is it better than a “regular” CD? Using the “ear” test, which is how I evaluate the sound of a particular medium and/or pressing, I’d have to say “slightly.” The music on the SHM has a subtle richness that I do not normally experience except when listening to vinyl. I can’t “prove” it through technical discussions of “zeros and ones,” or in the case of vinyl, analyses of the physics of playing a record. Not to say these issues aren’t important. I just leave them to others, and concentrate on what I hear.

Are SHM CDs worth the extra money, then? For me, that depends on several things, especially since the cost varies. I paid about $30 for the Sgt. Pepper 2-CD anniversary edition from a domestic seller that offered low-cost shipping. A brief survey of prices for the 2018 White Album 3CD SHM set shows prices from 35 to 50, but often with hefty shipping costs (understandable since most of the ones I saw were being sold by non-U.S. sellers).

Bottom line for me, is that I like the sound of my first SHM CD enough to seek out SHM pressings of my favorite albums, as well as albums I like but for which I have yet to find satisfactory pressings on CD or vinyl (such as pretty much the entire Jefferson Airplane catalog – but that’s a topic for another day).

Below is the track listing Sgt. Pepper 50^th Anniversary 2-CD SHM release, identifying the source of the tracks on disc 2  in the SDE (note that the SHM track list is identical to tracks found on the 2-CD package elsewhere).

 

Disc 1: 2017 Stereo Remix of the Original Album

Disc 2: Selected Outtakes

1.      Sgt. Pepper (Take 9) [Disc 2 Track 16 SDE]

2.      With A Little Help (Take 1 False Start and Take 2 Instrumental) [D3 T14 SDE]

3.      Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Take 1) [D3 T6 SDE]

4.      Getting Better (Take 1 Instrumental) [D3 T8 SDE][

5.      Fixing A Hole (Take 3) [D3 T1 SDE]

6.      She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 Instrumental) [D3 T12 SDE]

7.      Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite (Take 4) [D3 T3 SDE]

8.      Within You Without You (Take 1 Indian Instruments) [D3 T10 SDE]

9.      When I’m Sixty-Four (Take 2) [D2 T6 SDE]

10.   Lovely Rita (Take 9) [D3 T9 SDE]

11.   Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8) [D2 T18 SDE]

12.   Sgt. Pepper (Reprise) (Take 8) [D3 T15 SDE]

13.   A Day In The Life (Take 1 and Hummed Last Chord) [D2 T11 SDE]

14.   Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7) [D2 T3 SDE]

15.   Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26) [D2 T4 SDE]

16.   Strawberry Fields Forever (Stereo Mix – 2015] [D2 T5 SDE]

17.   Penny Lane (Take 6 Instrumental) [D2 T7 SDE]

18.   Penny Lane (Stereo Mix – 2017) [D2 T9 SDE]

Record Store Day 2023 Beatles-Related Releases

In addition to the commonly reported Gimme Some Truth (9 EP White Vinyl), Red Rose Speedway (half-speed master) and Stop and Smell the Roses (180g 2LP vinyl and vinyl replica CD), there are a couple of more obscure Beatles Related issues coming out on Record Store Day, April 22, 2023.  

One is Belinda Carlisle - Remixed, a 140g clear vinyl 2LP (1500 copies) release which includes an extended (8:06) remix of "Leave A Light On" featuring a wicked slide guitar solo by George Harrison. 

Another is the soundtrack to the 1971 movie Blindman, which featured Ringo Starr. Although Ringo's song "Blindman," first released as the B-Side of the 1972 single "Back off Boogaloo," is apparently not included, his likeness is featured on the cover. The Blindman soundtrack is listed as a "RSD Limited Run/Regional Focus" release of 1000 copies. 

See the Record Store Day website for details on lots of other great releases, including the Lennon, McCartney and Starr releases mentioned above. 

Ram Tribute On Vinyl

2-LP set from Cherry Red Records celebrating the 50th anniversary of Paul and Linda McCartney's "Ram," now available on vinyl. Features Denny Seiwell and Dave Spinozza.

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/fernando-perdomo-ram-on-12-50th-anniversary-tribute-to-paul-linda-mccartneys-ram-2lp/

Ravi Shankar, "Shankar Family & Friends" (Dark Horse Records, 1974)

George Harrison's work in Indian Music, beginning with his use of sitar on John Lennon's "Norwegian Wood, " and continuing on such Beatles' tracks as "Love You To," "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Within You, Without You," and "The Inner Light," was the most consistently applied of the group members' work in extra-pop formats. While Lennon's publicly released avant-garde work with Yoko Ono ended with Wedding Album in October 1969, and Paul McCartney's last foray into classical music was 2006's Ecce Cor Meum, Harrison's work in Indian music continued until his death in 2001. 

Recorded after Harrison completed work on 1973's Living In The Material World, Shankar Family & Friends continues the east-west fusion approach of Harrison's Wonderwall Music and the !971 Apple Records LP Radha Krsna Temple. Western influences dominate on the two versions of "I Am Missing You," the first of which was lifted as a single release. The remainder of the music on the album utilizes primarily Indian instrumentation, with Side One including vocals on every track, while Side Two's "ballet" is mostly instrumental.

Shankar Family & Friends was reissued on Compact Disc as part of the Collaborations boxed set. See scans of the original Dark Horse Records vinyl release below. 

Apple Records Releases: John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Wedding Album (8-Track Tape), 1969

Of note on the 8-Track release of  "Wedding Album" is the track arrangement. "Amsterdam," 25 minutes in length, is spread across two full programs of the tape, concluding on program three (8-Track tapes contained four "programs," so an album's tracks often had to be adjusted or rearranged to fit into these programs). "John & Yoko (22:44) comprises the remainder of program three, and all of program four.

Zapple Records Releases: George Harrison - Electronic Sound (U.S. Cassette), Zapple 4XT 3358

Like its vinyl counterpart, the cassette version of Electronic Sound released in the United States incorrectly lists  "Under The Mersey Wall" as the Program One track. In reality,  it's the 25+ minute "No Time Or Space."  Program Two includes the conclusion of "No Time Or Space," along with the 18 minute "Under The Mersey Wall."

Forthcoming: John Lennon: "Give Me Some Truth" (10/9/20)

Due in October, coinciding with what would have been his 80th birthday, Give Me Some Truth is a 36 track compilation of John Lennon songs on two CDs or four LPs.  According to the to the official John Lennon website, all 36 tracks have been remixed, using the original multitrack studio recordings. These new remixes are termed "ultimate mixes." 

Based on the only track to be released thus far, "Instant. Karma," the new mixes will feature a slightly cleaner sound, although it is impossible to know for sure based on the sound of one track. A review of the track listing indicates that the set does not contain any rarities (granted, this is not a rarities set), but does include some surprises. While every Lennon or Lennon/Ono pop/rock album is represented, Sometime In New York City is represented by only one track, "Angela," an interesting if questionable choice. Give Me Some Truth completely ignores Lennon's avant-garde work.

The songs are, for the most part, presented in chronological order. For those who purchase the CD set, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 mixes will be available as well, perhaps the most interesting aspect of this release, sonically. 

Meant For Zapple: Allen Ginsberg: Songs of Innocence and Experience (Verve Records, 1969)

One project intended for Zapple, but scrapped due to Allen Klein's antipathy for the label and its rather non-commercial aims, was a recording of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and Experience," set to music and performed by the poet Allen Ginsberg in the style that he imagined Blake himself performed the poems in the 18th century. Zapple A&R head Barry Miles details the proposed Ginsberg project, as well as its eventual realization in the summer of 1969 (when he produced the sessions resulting in the release of Ginsberg's work on MGM/Verve in 1970) in his book, The Zapple Diaries. Below are scans from the original Verve release.

Listen: "Nurse's Song"

Zapple Records Releases: George Harrison - Electronic Sound (Italy, 1972 Pressing)

According to Discogs, Electronic Sound was not issued in Italy until this 1972 release. Of note, and apparent in the scans below, is the absence of the Zapple logo on the label. However, both the label and inner sleeve have "Zapple 02" imprinted. The Italian labels also include the track times, not included on the original British release.

Zapple Records Releases: George Harrison - Electronic Sound (U.K. CD 1996)

Below are scans of the 1996 reissue of George Harrison's Electronic Sound, originally released on Zapple in 1969. This reissue was part of Phase Two of the 1990s Apple Records reissue series, but was not released in the United States. Digitally remastered by Ron Furmanek. 

The CD  booklet includes the following quote (not found on the original release), attributed to Harrison: "It could be called avant garde, but a more apt description would be (in the words of my old friend Alvin), Avant Garde clue!" No date or source for this quote is provided, and an Internet search found the only source to be this CD.