An Eternal Masterpiece With 56 Years Old

Original released on LP 

Columbia KCS 9914 (US) / CBS S 63699 (UK)

(1970, January 26)

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" was one of the biggest-selling albums of its decade, and it hasn't fallen too far down on the list in years since. Apart from the gospel-flavored title track, which took some evolution to get to what it finally became, however, much of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" also constitutes a stepping back from the music that Simon & Garfunkel had made on "Bookends" - this was mostly because the creative partnership that had formed the body and the motivation for the duo's four prior albums literally consumed itself in the making of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". The overall effect was perhaps the most delicately textured album to close out the 1960s from any major rock act. "Bridge Over Troubled Water", at its most ambitious and bold, on its title track, was a quietly reassuring album; at other times, it was personal yet soothing; and at other times, it was just plain fun. The public in 1970 - a very unsettled time politically, socially, and culturally - embraced it; and whatever mood they captured, the songs matched the standard of craftsmanship that had been established on the duo's two prior albums. Between the record's overall quality and its four hits, the album held the number one position for two and a half months and spent years on the charts, racking up sales in excess of five million copies. The irony was that for all of the record's and the music's appeal, the duo's partnership ended in the course of creating and completing the album. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

An established major act as the '60s came to a close and poised to reach an artistic Everest that most can only dream of, Simon and Garfunkel were slowly falling apart due to creative tensions and aspirations that stretched beyond music. It took almost a year, but "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was worth the wait and effort, a perfect way to say goodbye to their studio album career and full-time partnership. A recurring theme of the album is to start a song off rooted in the traditional folk that S&G had originally made their living from, then gradually blend into a louder, fuller sound drawn from various styles. For instance, the title track begins with a lone piano set against Art Garfunkel's delicate vocals (written by Simon, as was always the case), progressing towards the addition of Vibraphone and echo chamber drums before finally crescendoing in a strings and soaring Garfunkel that the Righteous Brothers would have been proud of. Likewise "The Boxer", recorded and released almost a year before "Bridge Over Troubled Water", starts off with a lone folksy guitar and Simon's quiet biopic vocals, then steadily collects Garfunkel, a bass harmonica, occasional pedal steel and piccolo trumpet over the next four minutes, climaxing with - you guessed it - echo chamber drums and strings. "Cecilia", a tale of afternoon dalliance, has a much more consistent volume and beat throughout, with very subtle use of instrumentation that has almost a hands-and-knees-clap quality to it - you know you're experimenting successfully when dropping drumsticks on the floor becomes a classic. Each of these songs became monster hits around the world, as did the album, which stayed on many major charts for years during the early '70s. This certainly isn't the most extreme example on record of folk boundaries being pushed, but it's definitely the most ornate and tasteful. (Azapro Nineoneone in AllMusic)

DONOVAN ~ ANTHOLOGY 3

LED ZEPPELIN TAKES OFF!

Escassos 4 dias após o Professor Marcelo Caetano iniciar na RTP as suas “conversas em família” (que assiduamente iriam ser transmitidas durante cinco anos – a última foi pouco antes do 25 de Abril de 1974) era editado em Inglaterra, a 12 de Janeiro, o primeiro album de um novo grupo chamado Led Zeppelin. Confesso que, na altura, ambos os acontecimentos me passaram completamente ao lado. As “conversas”, por residir então em Moçambique e lá não haver televisão (só tomaria conhecimento dessas sessões de esclarecimento, "sem formalismos nem solenidades", como então rezava a publicidade do Governo Marcelista, quando vim de férias à metrópole nesse Verão de 69). Quanto aos Led Zeppelin continuaram sendo uns ilustres desconhecidos até à publicação do segundo album (a 22 de Outubro de 1969). Aí sim, o tema “Whole Lotta Love” levou o nome da nova banda aos quatro cantos do Mundo. Mas só depois de ter comprado o terceiro album, já em 1970, é que me decidi pela aquisição deste album de estreia.

Original released on LP Atlantic SD 8216 (stereo)

(US, 12/1/1969)

Gravado em 15 dias durante o mês de Outubro de 68, ainda antes do grupo ter adoptado o nome que os tornaria célebres (escolhido pelo guitarrista Jimmy Page que se lembrou de uma frase usada frequentemente na época por Keith Moon, o baterista dos Who: «Going down like a lead zeppelin»), este primeiro e explosivo album parece popularizar a exploração iniciada por Jimi Hendrix. Os sons muito saturados, os solos virtuosisticos inventados por Hendrix são aqui disciplinados pelo grupo, com ajuda de uma rítmica muito mais pesada, quadrada e simples: o martelar binário herdado do blues, o canto agudissimo de Robert Plant e as improvisações de Jimmy Page (ex-Yardbirds) compõem um conjunto que torna mais acessíveis ao grande público as inovações de Jimi Hendrix. Influenciados pelo empresário Peter Grant, os Led Zeppelin tomaram a decisão de não editarem singles no Reino-Unido, o que os levou a serem banidos da rádio e a aparecerem raras vezes na televisão. Apesar desse boicote, o album alcançou o 6º lugar na Grã-Bretanha e o 10º lugar nos EUA. Uma curiosidade: Glyn Johns, engenheiro de som dos Led Zep, tocou um acetato do LP para Mick Jagger, visando a inclusão do novo grupo no Rock and Roll Circus, show a cargo dos Rolling Stones. A resposta foi um rotundo não! O mesmo aconteceu com George Harrison, que não viu qualquer interesse naquela música. O mesmo aconteceu com outros músicos, promotores e críticos da época, o que hoje só prova o quanto adiantados os Led Zeppelin se encontravam naquela época. Como complemento disponibiliza-se também o CD do concerto no Olympia de Paris, levado à cena no dia 10 de Outubro de 1969 - uma pequena amostra do fantástico acontecimento que era nessa altura ver actuar os Led Zeppelin em cima de um palco.

DISCOGRAPHY

Formed July 1968, London, United Kingdom

Disbanded December 1980

Jimmy Page (born 1944): guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, backing vocals

Robert Plant (born 1948): vocals, harmonica, tambourine

John Bonham (born 1948 > died 1980): drums, percussion, backing vocals

John Paul Jones (born 1946): keyboards, bass, mellotron, mandolin, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

1969-01-12 LP LED ZEPPELIN (US Atlantic SD 8216): A1. Good Times Bad Times; A2. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You; A3. You Shook Me; A4. Dazed and Confused; B1. Your Time Is Gonna Come; B2. Black Mountain Side; B3. Communication Breakdown; B4. I Can’t Quit You Baby; B5. How Many More Times

1969-10-22 LP LED ZEPPELIN II (US Atlantic SD 8236): A1. Whole Lotta Love; A2. What Is and What Should Never Be; A3. The Lemon Song; A4. Thank You; B1. Heartbreaker; B2. Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman); B3. Ramble On; B4. Moby Dick; B5. Bring It On Home

1970-10-05 LP LED ZEPPELIN III (US Atlantic SD 7201): A1. Immigrant Song; A2. Friends; A3. Celebration Day; A4. Since I’ve Been Loving You; A5. Out on the Tiles; B1. Gallows Pole; B2. Tangerine; B3. That’s the Way; B4. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp; B5. Hats Off to (Roy) Harper

1971-11-08 LP LED ZEPPELIN [IV] (US Atlantic SD 7208): A1. Black Dog; A2. Rock and Roll; A3. The Battle of Evermore; A4. Stairway to Heaven; B1. Misty Mountain Hop; B2. Four Sticks; B3. Going to California; B4. When the Leeve Breaks

1973-03-28 LP HOUSES OF THE HOLY (US Atlantic SD 7255): A1- The Song Remains the Same; A2. The Rain Song; A3. Over the Hills and Far Away; A4. The Crunge; B1. Dancing Days; B2. D’yer Mak’er; B3. No Quarter; B4. The Ocean

1975-02-24 LP PHISICAL GRAFFITI (UK Swan Song SSK 89400): A1. Custard Pie; A2. The Rover; A3. In My Time of Dying; B1. Houses of the Holy; B2. Trampled Under Foot; B3. Kashmir; C1. In the Light; C2. Bron-Yr-Aur; C3. Down by the Seaside; C4. Ten Years Gone; D1. Night Flight; D2. The Wanton Song; D3. Boogie With Stu; D4. Black Country Woman; D5. Sick Again

1976-03-31 LP PRESENCE (US Swan Song SS 8416): A1. Achilles Last Stand; A2. For Your Life; A3. Royal Orleans; B1. Nobody’s Fault But Mine; B2. Candy Store Rock; Hots on for Nowhere; B4. Tea for One

1976-10-22 LP THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME (LIVE) (UK Swan Song SSK 89402): A1. Rock and Roll; A2. Celebration Day; A3. The Song Remains the Same; A4. The Rain Song; B. Dazed and Confused; C1. No Quarter; C2. Stairway to Heaven; D1. Moby Dick; D2. Whole Lotta Love

1979-08-15 LP IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR (US Swan Song SS 16002): A1. In the Evening; A2. South Bound Saurez; A3. Fool in the Rain; A4. Hot Dog; B1. Carouselambra; B2. All My Love; B3. I’m Gonna Crawl

1982-11-19 LP CODA (Archival) (US Swan Song 7.90051-1): A1. We’re Gonna Groove; A2. Poor Tom; A3. I Can’t Quit You Baby; A4. Walter’s Walk; B1. Ozone Baby; B2. Darlene; B3. Bonzo’s Montreux; B4. Wearing and Tearing

1997-11-18 CD BBC SESSIONS (LIVE, Archival) (US Atlantic SD 83061-2): 1.1. You Shook Me; 1.2. I Can’t Quit You Baby; 1.3. Communication Breakdown; 1.4. Dazed and Confused; 1.5. The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair; 1.6. What Is and What Should Never Be; 1,7. Communication Breakdown; 1.8. Travelling Riverside Blues; 1.9. Whole Lotta Love; 1.10. Somethin’ Else; 1.11. Comunication Breakdown; 1.12. I Can’t Quit You Baby; 1.13. You Shook Me; 1.14. How Many More Times; 2.1. Immigrant Song; 2.2. Heartbreaker; 2.3. Since I’ve Been Loving You; 2.4. Black Dog; 2.5. Dazed and Confused; 2.6. Stairway to Heaven; 2.7. Going to California; 2.8. That’s the Way; 2.9. Whole Lotta Love (Medley): Boogie Chillun’- Fixin’ to Die – That’s Alright Mama – A Mess of Blues; 2.10. Thank You; [DeLuxe Edition]: 3.1. Communication Breakdown; 3.2. What Is and What Should Never Be; 3.3. Dazed and Confused; 3.4. White Summer; 3.5. What Is and What Should Never Be; 3.6. Communication Breakdown; 3.7. I Can’t Quit You Baby; 3.8. You Shook Me; 3.9. Sunshine Woman

2003-05-27 CD HOW THE WEST WAS WON (LIVE) (US Atlantic 83587-2): 1.1. LA Drone; 1.2. Immigrant Song; 1.3. Heartbreaker; 1.4. Black Dog; 1.5. Over the Hills and Far Away; 1.6. Since I’ve Been Loving You; 1.7. Stairway to Heaven; 1.8. Going to California; 1.9. That’s the Way; 1.10. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp; 2.1. Dazed and Confused (Walter’s Walk-The Crunge); 2.2. What Is and What Should Never Be; 2.3. Dancing Days; 2.4. Moby Dick; 3.1. Whole Lotta Love (Boogie Chillun-Let’s Have a Party-Hello Mary Lou-Going Down Slow; 3.2. Rock and Roll; 3.3. The Ocean; 3.4. Bring It On Home (Bring It On Back)

2012-11-19 CD CELEBRATION DAY (LIVE) (US Swan Song 8122-79709-9): 1.1. Good Times Bad Times; 1.2. Ramble On; 1.3. Black Dog; 1.4. In My Time of Dying; 1.5. For Your Life; 1.6. Trampled Under Foot; 1.7. Nobody’s Fault But Mine; 1.8. No Quarter; 2.1. Since I’ve Been Loving You; 2.2. Dazed and Confused; 2.3. Stairway to Heaven; 2.4. The Song Remains the Same; 2.5. Misty Mountain Hop; 2.6. Kashmir; 2.7. Whole Lotta Love; 2.8. Rock and Roll

BLIND FAITH

Original released on LP Polydor 583059

(UK 1969, June 22)

«I have finally found a place to live just like I never could before», segundo verso de “Presence of the Lord”, refere-se a Hurtwood, casa que Eric Clapton comprou após a dissolução dos Cream em Novembro de 1968 e onde passou a residir. Steve Winwood era uma visita assídua e foi para ele que Clapton mostrou pela primeira vez a canção que tinha acabado de compor. Uma noite em que Clapton e Winwood se encontravam juntos, a fumar charros e a dar uns toques nas guitarras, foram surpreendidos por Ginger Baker a bater-lhes à porta. Foi nessa noite que a ideia da formação de um novo grupo teve lugar, apesar da resistência inicial de Clapton, que tinha a intuição de que a coisa não iria dar certo. Mas acedeu à vontade dos outros dois e lembrando-se de Rick Grech para o baixo, o qual pertencia na altura ao grupo Family. Todos os primeiros ensaios da banda tiveram lugar em Hurtwood. Começavam a trabalhar ao fim da tarde e tocavam até de madrugada. A intenção inconsciente de Clapton era recriar uma espécie de The Band em Inglaterra, grupo que admirava. Mas por pensar que iria ser um autêntico tiro no escuro, resolveu baptizar de BLIND FAITH o que viria a ser considerado o primeiro “supergrupo” da história do rock. 

A 7 de Junho de 1969 a nova formação deu um concerto gratuito em Hyde Park, para uma assistência de mais de cem mil pessoas. Seguiu-se uma digressão pela Escandinávia a fim de cimentar a banda e tocando em recintos mais ou menos pequenos. No regresso a casa foram para o estúdio gravar o que seria o único álbum, o homónimo "BLIND FAITH". A produção esteve a cargo de Jimmy Miller. Um dia Clapton recebeu uma chamada de Bob Seidemann, fotógrafo que tinha conhecido em São Francisco, dizendo-lhe que tinha uma ideia para a capa do álbum, mas que ia executá-la e só a mostraria quando estivesse pronta. Quando Clapton viu a composição final achou-a deliciosa: era uma fotografia de uma rapariga nova e pubescente de cabelos ruivos encaracolados, fotografada da cintura para cima, nua, segurando um avião prateado e bastante modernista que tinha sido desenhado pelo joalheiro Micko Milligan. Atrás dela via-se uma paisagem com uma colina verde, fazendo lembrar os Berkshire Downs, e um céu azul com nuvens brancas a passar. Clapton achou que o quadro captava muito bem a definição do nome do novo grupo – a justaposição da inocência, sob a forma de uma rapariga, e da experiência, da ciência e do futuro representados pelo avião. Mas após o lançamento do álbum a capa causou um grande tumulto. As pessoas diziam que a representação da jovem era pornográfica e que o próprio avião era um símbolo fálico. Nos Estados Unidos os moralistas do costume ameaçaram boicotar o disco. Como de seguida iria haver uma grande digressão pela América, não tiveram outro remédio senão substituí-la por uma fotografia do grupo numa sala de Hurtwood. A digressão dos BLIND FAITH facturou imenso, empurrando o álbum directamente para o topo das tabelas americanas, mas acabou com o desmembramento da banda. O principal responsável foi o próprio Clapton que aos poucos se foi desencantando com o que andavam a tocar, começando a ficar seduzido pelo som dos Delaney & Bonnie, banda que lhes servia de apoio. Mas isso seria já a nova etapa na incrível carreira do mago da guitarra.

ALEXANDER SPENCE ~ "OAR" (+ BONUS)

Original released on LP Columbia CS 9831

(US 1969, May 19)

I always thought that Skip Spence was the least technically proficient of Moby Grape's three guitarist/vocalists, but that he always made up for it with unmatched manic energy and that unquantifiable magic in his songwriting that few career songwriters manage to conjure. Of course, by 1969 and the release of this much-celebrated (but still obscure) solo album, Skip (now billed as Alexander) was long gone from the ranks of Moby Grape. There's a lot of mythology surrounding Spence's departure from the band, his time in Bellevue Hospital and the genesis of this album, which has generated a sort of Syd Barrett-like reputation for Spence as some sort of acid messiah. While I think it's easy to project an impression of the man's mental state onto this collection of songs, I think it holds up as fascinating and idiosyncratic work without reading too much into or presuming too much about its creator's psyche.

Probably the album's defining characteristic is that it was recorded in seven days with Spence playing all of the instruments (mostly guitar, bass and drums), which gives the album a loose, tentative feel that occasionally comes across as sort of half-assed and shambling. What continually fascinates me on repeated listens, though, is that the rushed, uncertain mood sort of fades away like a patina being polished to reveal songwriting that's often full of musical nuances and clever wordplay and not nearly as tossed-off as it seems. Like Syd Barrett, Spence has a reputation for sort of spontaneously firing great material out of his drug and illness-wracked brain, but, like Barrett I think he's a lot more in control than the songs' cowboy ballad structures and sketchy, plodding arrangements would suggest. Take the tongue-in-cheek mockery of Eastern religion-obsessed hippies of "Dixie Peach Promenade," the hilarious wordplay of "Broken Heart" ("an Olympic super swimmer whose belly doesn't flop/a super race car driver whose pit it can't be stopped") or the more somber punning "weighted/waited" turnaround of the country lament, "Weighted Down (The Prison Song)." Spence clearly has a knack for sharp satire, a taste for evocative images and an eye for the overall structure and flow that is so crucial to "classically" good songwriting.

While the album's songs veer toward a folk/country ballad style more often than not, it wouldn't have gained its cult status without some overt psychedelia--the opening "Little Hands" has the album's most hippie-ish message and amply demonstrates Spence's ability to blend droning acoustic guitar with clean electric parts for a unique texture. This palette reappears on the hazy "All Come to Meet Her," the closer, "Grey/Afro," which drones a little aimlessly but pays off with some cool bass/drum interplay at the end, and the album's psychedelic crown jewel "War in Peace," where Spence's delay and reverb-treated whispery vocals float above a sinuous, repeatedly swelling chord progression that finally breaks open with some understated but well-chosen lead guitar notes. Spence's delayed vocal sound effects twitter in between blooming guitar strums as the song fades out over a forgivable ripoff of the "Sunshine of Your Love" riff.

I sometimes wonder what this album had been like if Spence had demoed the songs and rehearsed a lot more before going into the professional studio. It certainly would have smoothed the rough edges on some of the wheezy vocals and tightened up the tendency of the drums and bass to emulate drunken lurching (hear both on "Lawrence of Euphoria"). Then again, I think the ragged feel is part of the album's charming appeal--it's almost like a trick, duping the listener into believing the music is garbage when in reality all of the most important melodic, structural and creative elements are there in droves. Consequently, the low-key sound means the songs are never really obtrusive despite their psychedelic tinges but anyone really paying attention will be rewarded by Spence's craftsmanship, which comes across as confused muttering if the disc is played as background music. This deceptively casual veneer has got to be one of the reasons this album is so popular with musicians - it's not easy to pull off, and the minimalism of the album's template means the songs could be (and were) embellished in unlimited ways. I can think of few other albums quite as effortlessly subtle, and none that do it in quite this way. (Elliot Knapp)

RARE EARTH ~ "GET READY"

Original released on LP Rare Earth RS-507 

(US 1969, September 30)

MARIANNE's "My Songs of the Sixties"

Once upon a time there was a sweet loving girl called Marianne... No woman from the 1960s lost her youth as thoroughly as Marianne Faithfull. And by youth, I mean her innocence, not her looks. Long after that decade ended, she wrote in a song, "Where did it go to ... my youth?" She answered herself only last year with lyrics that begin, «I drink and I take drugs/I love sex and move around a lot». And no citizen of the '60s drank, took drugs and had sex with Faithfull's public abandon. This Rato Records's collection (shared once more 'cause of many requests), in three parts, reunites 75 great songs that Marianne recorded during the sixties, before her personal life went into decline, and her career went into a tailspin.

Never Comes the Day (For My Love and Me)

 THE MOODY BLUES

“ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM”
Original released as LP Deram SML 1035, UK April 25

 Side one:

                    A1. In the Beginning (2:07)

                    A2. Lovely to See You (2:34)

                    A3. Dear Diary (3:56)

                    A4. Send Me No Wine (2:21)

                    A5. To Share Our Love (2:53)

                    A6. So Deep Within You (3:07)

Side two

                    B1. Never Comes the Day (4:43)

                    B2. Lazy Day (2:43)

                    B3. Are You Sitting Comfortably (3:30)

                    B4. The Dream (0:57)

                    B5. Have You Heard – Part 1 (1:52)

                    B6. The Voyage (4:10)

                    B7. Have You Heard – Part 2 (2:36)

THE BAND:

Justin Hayward (vocals, guitar, writer)

John Lodge (vocals, bass, cello, writer)

Ray Thomas (vocals, harmonica, flute, tambourine, writer)

Graeme Edge (drums, percussion, vocals, writer)

Mike Pinder (vocals, Mellotron, Hammond organ, piano, cello, writer)

 

Produced by Tony Clark

Engineered by Derek Varnals and Adrian Martins

Cover Art: Phil Travers

Photography: Terence Abbott and David Wedgbury

 

"On the Threshold of a Dream" foi o primeiro álbum que os Moody Blues tiveram a oportunidade de preparar e gravar numa situação de relativa calma, sem distrações com agendas de digressões.  Na verdade, foi um trabalho feito em circunstâncias quase ideais. Os Moodies, na sua nova formação, vinham de dois álbuns excelentes, "Days of Future Passed" e "In Search of the Lost Chord", ambos com sucesso de vendas, quer nos Estados Unidos quer em Inglaterra. Tal êxito cimentou-lhes a consideração da editora, a Decca Records, que lhes deu carta branca para trabalharem em estúdio durante todo o mês de Janeiro e a maior parte de Fevereiro de 1969; além disso, com dois LPs no currículo, os Moody Blues estavam agora imbuídos de ideias muito mais concisas sobre o tipo de música que podiam compôr. Igualmente importante, tinham acabado de sair de uma extensa digressão pelos EUA (juntamente com os Cream) no decorrer da qual tinham conseguido desenvolver um som muito mais uniforme, quer instrumental quer vocal, estando prontos para uma nova etapa. "On the Threshold of a Dream" é claramente uma aposta ganha e um dos trabalhos mais bonitos e importantes dos Moody Blues. Pode também ser considerado, e surpreendemente, um álbum hard-rocking, considerando a quantidade de overdubbing que levou ao aperfeiçoamento das canções, incluindo violoncelos, instrumentos de sopro, e muitas camadas vocais. 

O lado B foi o mais abertamente ambicioso das duas metades: depois de um par de canções dominadas pela guitarra acústica e mellotron, "Never Comes the Day" e "Lazy Day" (este último um comentário social mostrando que Ray Thomas, pelo menos, ainda se lembrava das suas raízes em Birmingham), o resto do disco cede lugar à composição musical mais desafiante da história do grupo. "Are You Sitting Comfortably?", deliberadamente arcaica, de Justin Hayward, uma peça que soa quase 400 anos fora do seu próprio tempo, evoca imagens da história medieval e renascentista entrelaçadas com magia e misticismo, tudo ao lado da guitarra acústica de Hayward e da flauta de Thomas, levando à contribuição poética de Graeme Edge, "The Dream", acompanhada pelos mellotrons de Mike Pinder na sua aparição mais exposta até à data num disco. Esta síntese da psycodelismo e música clássica, incluindo uma secção com Mike Pinder ao piano de cauda, pode soar exagerada e pretensiosa hoje em dia, mas em 1969 era uma música envolvente e destruidora de géneros, escalando fronteiras e avançando por territórios até então desconhecidos. "On the Threshold of a Dream" foi o album que me introduziu ao universo muito particular dos Moody Blues e, comercialmente, ultrapassou o êxito precedente, chegando ao topo das tabelas em Inglaterra, onde permaneceu durante 70 semanas, um feito ainda mais notável pelo facto do single dele extraído, "Never Comes the Day” / "So Deep Within You", nunca se ter destacado.

IT'S HIP! IT'S ZACHARIAS!

Original released on LP Columbia (EMI) / TWO 265

(UK, 1969)

Hip (hip), n. 1. the part of the human body surrounding and including the joint formed by each thigh bone and the pelvis; especially, the fleshy part of the upper thigh; haunch.

Depending on your outlook, you either have hips (in the conventional anatomic sense) or you are hip (in the present-day verb sense) or you’re flexible and lucky enough to have what amounts to hip hips, ie. the best of both worlds. If at that point you’ve managed to categorize yourself and you’ve landed in the second or third pigeon hole, you are enjoying the very delightful company of Helmut Zacharias, a German virtuoso violinist-composer-arranger-conductor who most definitely has hip hips. What made Helmut hip? It began in Berlin forty-nine years ago when he was born on January 27th which is Beethoven’s birthday and a very hip beginning. Helmut grew and grew under the tutelage of his father, a symphony violinist and composer and his mother, a concert singer, until, at the age of three he could play a pretty mean violin. By the time he reached sixteen, Helmut had joined the nationally famous Berlin Chamber Orchestra. At nineteen he discovered jazz and much like today’s young pop music heads, became deeply involved with his new love, composing and arranging even in the most out-of-the-way moments. In 1950 Zacharias became famous for his technique of over-dubbing (recording, then rerecording the same piece over the original). Thus were born the »Magic Violins«, the absolute and end sound of their day. Two years later came the Zacharias hit "Lilacs in the Rain" which reached the top of almost every country’s music chart. So far, so hip.

But today Zacharias has achieved the ultimate degree of – you can guess – hipness. He has developed »Talking Violins«. And you should hear what they say! Things like "Come on Baby, light my fire" and "I can’t get no satisfaction, I can get no girly action". That’s just how hip Helmut got. He takes his fantastic musical genius and plunges it deep into the worlds of Rock, Soul and Swinging Hip. He creates dinner music for the hip-over-thirties with Bill Medley’s "Brown Eyed Woman", Otis Redding’s "Respect", The Stone’s "Satisfaction", Donovan’s "Hurdy Gurdy Man", Aretha Franklin’s "The House That Jack Built", Dionne Warwick’s "I Say A Little Prayer" and another half truckload of the most contemporary, most hip music you can hear on the radio today. Helmut’s been hip ever since he was born on Beethoven’s birthday almost fifty years ago… but it’s just now on this album that we’re finding out exactly how hip!

(original liner notes of the 1969 release)