The new collection on Ace Records’ BGP imprint packs a mighty punch. That’s because it’s dedicated to Horn Rock (with the equally-important subtitle And Funky Guitar Grooves), that boldest and brassiest of rock subgenres. The phrase “horn rock” immediately brings to mind the sound popularized by Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears (only one of which is represented here) but the added colors afforded by horns were applied to recordings in the baroque-rock, art-rock, psych-rock, and jazz-rock idioms, just to name a few. This 17-track sampler from artists both unfamiliar and unknown…
RPM Is “Looking Stateside” with Sons of Champlin, Knickerbockers, Joe Tex, Chuck Jackson, More
Cherry Red’s RPM Records label has been doing a lot of Looking with its series of themed mini-box sets dedicated to such pop subgenres as freakbeat, mod, and girl group soul. The latest set in the Looking series, established in 2011, is Looking Stateside. This volume is dedicated to U.S. R&B Mod, Soul and Garage Nuggets, and contains 80 such selections on its three packed CDs. Though limited to American recordings, the focus is otherwise diverse. As the compilers explain in the thick booklet of liner notes, the box spotlights “turn-of-the-decade R&B,…
