Music : Stone Poneys Featuring Linda Ronstadt/Evergreen, Vol. 2 |
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Rating: - * So good to see it back in print... ... It is great to see this back in print; I still have my scratched up vinyl copy from November, 1965 when Different Drum was one of the defining sounds of free form FM radio (and a terrific party dance record). The other knockout track is Back in the Street Again which I have been unable to find for years (funny it never made it onto any of Ronstadt's numerous greatest hits collections). Ordinarily, I would rate this four stars (there is some dross) but for a record of its time it was groundbreaking and I am delighted to see it back in print. Kudos to Raven Records from down under. They provide high quality access to artists who should not be out of print (check out the great Willy DeVille/Mink DeVille re-issues and compilations. They actually seem to be done by people who listen to, and actually dig what is good or unique about an artist). Anyway, this is more than worth your time and money. Rating: - * Beautiful! ... This is wonderful stuff. As I told Kenny Edwards about a year ago via email, I wish all of the Stone Poneys material would be re-released (again). That day I just couldn't get the song "Train And The River" off my mind. I didn't know that he wrote it. Deserves a Box Set. I wish they'd get back together for more. Rating:  - * I find these recordings at last hurrah! ... I have been searching for these on vinyl but I failed to find them. By the way they are very expensive. Now I am happy to have find them on CD. Rating: - * The Stone Poneys Featuring Linda Ronstadt/Evergreen,Vol.2 ... I have said a 100 times Linda Ronstadt is the premier female lead vocalist of modern times.Her professionalism is unparalleled in the industry,except Crystal Gayle.This is a very old, rare glimpse at her beginnings.It is sort of a country folk theme,so typical of the 60's.When I gave this 5 stars,I meant that it was 5 star for the time period.This work would not stack up to her newer stuff,The technology just ain't there.Her ADUEI FALSE HEART and HUMMING TO MYSELF keep her rated #1 and are works of tip of the top professionals.If you want to hear some classic Linda , pick up GET CLOSER. Thank you Amazon for bringing this one to my attention,I am a die hard fan and may be in love with her. Rating: - * Linda--At The Very Beginning ... Often thought of as a Sunset Strip version of Peter, Paul, and Mary because of their two-men/one-woman line-up and their basic acoustically-inclined folk-rock sound, the Stone Poneys, though they only stuck around a short time (their break-up happening more or less in the spring of 1968) and were never hugely successful, clearly benefited from the songwriting strengths of the guys, Bobby Kimmel and Ken Edwards, and the vocal strength of their lead singer, a young Arizonan named Linda Ronstadt. And after much prodding, Capitol/EMI has finally seen fit to release the official two albums of the trio, plus tracks from a third Stone Poneys album that was mostly Linda plus members of the L.A. session mafia, onto a complete CD. This collection shows among other things that, if the Stone Poneys never got to be as successful as Peter, Paul, and Mary, the Byrds, or the Mamas and the Papas, it sure wasn't for lack of trying. Among the original folk-rooted Kimmel/Edwards compositions like "Meredith (On My Mind)" and "Evergreen", which, besides featuring great vocal harmony work also have occasional splashes of sitar, there's a heartfelt version of the Fred Neil composition "Just A Little Bit Of Rain" that gives us the first indication of where Linda would take her big, untrained voice, along with the Pam Polland-composed "I've Got To Know." And a review of this collection would not be complete without mentioning the song that serves not only as the lynchpin of the piece, but the lynchpin of Linda's entire career, the Mike Nesmith-penned folk-rock classic "Different Drum", which, thanks to going to #1 on L.A. radio late in 1967, would subsequently hit #13 nationally in January 1968. Among the bonus tracks from the third album is the minor hit "Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water", a very early example of the kind of alternative country music that Linda would set the stage for, not only as part of her own musical mix, but also for her future good friend Emmylou Harris, and women like Lucinda Williams and Tift Merritt. Linda herself isn't proud of a lot of her recordings, particularly these embryonic ones; but even if they don't match what she would subsequently do, in retrospect they showed very early on not only what kind of a vocalist she would go on to be, but also the kind of team player she would be in helping shape the Eagles, working with Dolly and Emmylou on their "Trio" projects, and working with Ann Savoy on ADIEU FALSE HEART. For just those reasons alone, this collection is essential to have. |
The two-disc set also includes The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon: A 10th Anniversary Special. In this 40-minute adventure, Dr. Yung invites Misty and Ash to take part in a special tournament on his new battle system. Yung creates formidable Mirage Pokémon from raw data, culminating in a super-version of Mewtwo, the powerful psychic Pokémon from the first features. Once again, friendship and kindness triumph over greed and arrogance, although the special ends with the words, "To be continued..." (Unrated, suitable for ages 8 and older: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
It’s unlikely that the full impact of the live performances will hit home to viewers unfamiliar with Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella Records stable of artists. Another frustration is trying to identify the array of visitors who trade raps on Jay’s stage. Included in the star-studded lineup are Missy Elliott, Foxy Brown, Pharell, Ghostface Killah, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, and R. Kelly. One unmistakable figure--and we do mean figure--is Jay’s squeeze Beyonce, who raises the temperature and the roof with her skimpy outfit, flowing hair, soulful yowl, and sexed-up dance routine that leaves her boyfriend and the whole of Madison Square Garden slack-jawed with animal desire.
Twenty cameras captured the event, and some of the most powerful sequences are sweeping moves across the swirling, blissed-out masses as they lip sync along in perfect unison with Jay-Z’s complex, profane, quick-witted raps. Less effective are intermittent cutaway segments that show the artist in various studio settings working up beats and rhymes. These amateurish home video breaks may give some insight to Jay’s perfectionism and dedication to his craft, but they detract from the visceral power of the beautifully executed performance footage. --Ted Fry
