Quality: 3.25 out of 5Trip-O-Meter: 3.25 out of 5
Well, I've got to admit that the buttons that Lighthouse press are not really the ones that send my spirit soaring. First off, I'm not really a fan of "horny" rock - y'know, like Chicago or Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Lighthouse has a very prominent horn section tootling away through much of the album. They are also notable dabblers in the bar-band-blasting-with-a-blues-growling-white-dude sort of vibe. There's nothing particularly wrong with what these Canadians were up to if the previous things are a few of your favorites. Fortunately, there's also a touch of light psych to keep my attention.
So, for that little pinch of psych, check out "Little Kind Words" and "1849." Still, they float around on poofy clouds of woodwinds and lounge swings that's a little bombastic for my tastes. The seem to telepathically tune to their fellow Canadians in the Band on "Hats Off (to the Stranger" and Show Me the Way, but with lots of Rock of Ages horns, of course. The opening tune and "Old Man" come forward with the full-scale jazz rock big band thing, while the closing "Sweet Lullaby" gets a little too big for its britches.
The very trippy album cover pulled me in, and now here I am writing about an album that I don't particularly like. Still, Lighthouse does a pretty fine job of accomplishing what it set out to do. If evoking Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears does get your heart all a flutter, then I think that you may be the sonic receiving candidate that this vinyl is waiting for.
http://www.mediafire.com/?4vbd27r6zqlc97y
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteJust a bit more of a "personal" comment. Great memories while growing up(Toronto AM radio, 1050 CHUM AM), with their biggest hit "One Fine Morning"! This peaked at # 2 on Canadian charts, & # 24 on US charts. Listening to it RIGHT now....WOW! Brass may not be to your liking, but feel it works quite well on this song.
Thanx for the music!
Ciao! For now.
rntcj
Hi! (again)
ReplyDeleteAlso, LUV the build up & SHARP finish to "One Fine Morning."
As well, their previous 1971 single release "Hats Off (To The Stranger") was a # 9 hit in Canada, but did not chart in US. Again, more memories.
Thanx again!
Ciao! For now.
rntcj
Another memory from Southern Ontario...I grew up in Hamilton, and my first 'rock' concert was Lighthouse, Crowbar, Bob Seger, Teagarden & VanWinkle at the HAAA grounds. But I had been listening to Lighthouse since their very first album on RCA.
ReplyDeleteThanx for sharing
Al
why does so many lump brass as bad immediate? Did you ever see Lighthouse Live? THey were one of the greats to see, like Sly and Family Stone. they had a incarnation of the Paupers (drummer) and this band was the cusp of the boiled kettle. They were not about horns. they were about the group and a huge dynamic sound it was. Check out Crowbar for a nastier take on this formula from Canada.
ReplyDeleteAHHhhhhhh - Lighthouse… Most people think of "One fine morning" or Sunny Days" since those were the big hits.. but the band had stripped down by then…down from the initial 16 or 17 piece (depending on if you included "M" the road manager who played a great rhythm guitar) that Prokop, Cole and Hoffert put together back in '68. Long before Chicago, or BST or even the Flag, Lighthouse was the standard by which horn-based rock was based - and they carried their own string section as well.
ReplyDeleteThose who tuned into the band after they started having hits missed all the good stuff and probably find the pedigree a little hard to believe but it's all true and, more importantly, well -deserved.
Between 1968 and 1974 LIGHTHOUSE won four prestigious Juno awards as Canada's best rock band and performed at all the major halls including Carnegie Hall and the Fillmores East and West, and were featured at rock festivals around the world. They originated the cross-Canada rock tour, playing every major and minor venue across the country. LIGHTHOUSE was the first rock band to headline the Newport, Monterey and Boston Globe jazz festivals and was the only act other than Jimi Hendrix asked to perform twice at the Isle of Wight Festival in England. One of their proudest moments came in 1970 when they represented Canada at Expo '70 in Japan where they were so enthusiastically received they caused a near riot! .. .. LIGHTHOUSE also pioneered collaborations with film and television productions, created Ballet High with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company and toured it all across Canada, and performed with principal symphonies across North America. .. .BEFORE 1970.