Def Leppard - High ‘n Dry

This album takes me right back to being about 11 years old and hearing tracks like “Let It Go” and “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” on rock radio, and except for the occasional radio appearance it’s been almost that long since I’ve heard this album. It’s particularly strange hearing this on the tail of their first album, which is so different in just about every way, at least here you can easily recognize the candy metal hooks and phrases that would make them multi-platinum superstars with Pyromania. And it’s those tendencies that are a little 80s and subsequently a bit embarassing in retrospective that make it difficult to get behind this even with its considerable nostalgic strength. This was definitely a different musical vision that the Metallicas and Venoms of the era.

Bedlam s/t

I’m finding that there are so many 10-level early 70s hard rock albums from the US and the UK that I find them almost all impossible to absorb in any sort of memorable way, so with a release like the rather respectable Bedlam, it took me a few listens to eke out that despite the obvious Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin references that this had a bit of its own vigor and energy to it, maybe not enough to set it apart from the greater forces in hard rock, but certainly enough to gain my attention. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a Felix Pappalardi production (nor that he takes most of the keys) and despite the music being in a similar style, this isn’t terribly redolent of Cream or Mountain. The song titles are kinda stupid, “Sweet Sister Mary,” “Hot Lips,” “Set Me Free” and the like, but fortunately 1973 is early enough that this doesn’t verge towards camp as much as you might think.

George Benson/Brother Jack McDuff Quartet - The New Boss Guitar of George Benson

I can’t remember if this was Benson’s first album as a leader or not, but it’s fairly close, hailing from 1964. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a great deal to separate it from the hoards of mid 60s soul/blues jazz jam albums, that would come later for both Benson and cohort Jack McDuff. For the most part this sounds like an average Jimmy Smith session from a bit earlier, not having nearly the fire a trio like Green, Dixon and Patton would have. I dunno maybe it needs a few more plays to show me more, but I was significantly underwhelmed by this one.