The Sound He Appears To Make

Reviews and news regarding recordings.

Long-time Hollies fans were pleasantly surprised when the recent album The Hollies BBC Sessions 1963 - 1964 -1965 seemed to arrive without any previous notice. A vinyl-only release from the Rhythm And Blues label, this collection offers 16 previously unreleased live tracks that aired on British radio programs. The earliest recordings show a dependence on cover versions of hit singles by American recording artists, but The Hollies bring their own approach to each of them. Particularly in terms of harmony vocals and Tony Hicks’ energetic guitar playing.

“Stay” and “Searchin’” were the hit singles that first put The Hollies on the British charts (American success would come a few years later), and they covered “Mickey’s Monkey,” “Nitty Gritty” and “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” for their albums. These live versions on BBC Sessions evoke a fun, sock hop atmosphere, while “Yes I Will” and “I’m Alive” find the Hollies moving toward a more sophisticated mid-60s sound. The collection also showcases the catchy originals “We’re Through,” “You Know He Did,” and “Nobody” that band members Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, and Hicks wrote under the pseudonym L. Ransford.

When the Chicago-based power pop band The Spindles follow up their impressive 2018 effort Past And Present with a new album next March, they plan to aim for a similar mix of catchy originals and a few well-chosen covers. As a preview, The Spindles recently posted a video on Facebook that matches their cover of The Elvis Brothers rarity “Rock For It” with a montage of The Elvis Brothers themselves performing at various times in their career. Quite a nice tribute. I’ve also heard The Spindles are looking to record another Hollies song—they faithfully covered “Look Through Any Window” on Past And Present—for the upcoming album.

Steven Delisi, a founding member of the power pop band The Thin Cherries, has a solo album coming out September 20. In the meantime, he’s released “New Valentine,” a clever and catchy single about searching for love. Delisi gets solid backing on the recording from local musicians John Abbey, Gerald Dowd, Matt Pittman, and Mike Hagler.

The October 25 release date for Burned, the fifth album from Chicago-based punk band The Effigies, will come a little over a year after we lost founding member John Kezdy in a bicycle accident. Kezdy had finished recording the album just prior to his death, and after what the official Effigies Facebook page described as “a very challenging year,” it’s ready to go. The Effigies recently released the hard-hitting single “Cede The City” as a preview on various streaming sites.

Listening to the original concept recording of Ladyship The Musical, it’s easy to understand the success of its stage production at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts in Eureka, CA this past summer. The show, with music and lyrics composed by Linda and Laura Good, is based on the true story of how England shipped women convicts to Australia from 1789 to 1841. The heavy subject matter was a change for Linda and Laura, who started out as a folk duo called The Good Twins on the Chicago club scene. Later, they gave us catchy and inventive alt rock songs such as “Blue,” “Lucky,” and “It’s Alright” with their full band The Twigs.

Ladyship’s rollicking first track “Seven Years” establishes an accusation that resonates throughout the musical; that the only crime these women committed was that they lived in poverty. The pretty “A Way Out” strikes a more hopeful note, and the ornate “Ready To Begin” offers genuine romance. On the other hand, “Pour Another Rum” sets the lecherous urges of the ship’s crew to a sea shanty, which makes “Only The Strong Survive” more meaningful. Songs such as “The Emerald Wye” and “The Bonnie Sea” tap into traditional Celtic fare, while “I Need An Anchor” and “I’ll Find A Way” are heartfelt ballads. The accapella “Sparrow Sparrow” is another highlight. The full cast includes several Broadway veterans; including Maddie Shea Baldwin, Savannah Frazier, Lisa Karlin, Annie Sherman, Quentin Oliver Lee, Brandi Knox, and Trevor St. John-Gilbert.