{"id":4416,"date":"2020-03-27T11:45:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T11:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.casbahrecords.co.uk\/?p=4416"},"modified":"2020-03-27T11:45:51","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T11:45:51","slug":"casbahs-top-four-unhip-albums-that-we-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/?p=4416","title":{"rendered":"Casbah’s Top Four ‘Unhip’ Albums That We Love"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This month sees the publication of an excellent new book entitled 100 Unhip Albums That We Should Learn to Love<\/em>. Seeking to reappraise formerly ignored or derided albums, it makes the case for the unfashionable with examples from Van der Graaf Generator to David Essex, 10CC, Wings, and beyond. A refreshingly new idea, we thought, so by way of tribute, here are some of our choices ripe for critical makeover!

1. Cat Stevens \u2013 Foreigner <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Upon it\u2019s release in 1973, Foreigner was greeted by the critics with a mixture of polite indifference and outright hostility. The NME\u2019s Roy Carr called it \u201cone of the worst pieces of maudlin tripe pop music has had to suffer\u201d. Harsh words indeed as, listening to it now, it has blossomed and has a great deal to offer. Four albums of mainly acoustic catchy folk-pop had set the template for success both artistically and commercially. But when Stevens announced that the next album would be recorded without regular producer Paul Samuel Smith, with sessions musicians, and in Jamaica, alarm bells began to ring! Upon its release, sales peaked and began to fall away as the new intense and serious style was not what the people were used to. Cat wasn\u2019t quite as cuddly anymore! However, the music is played superbly by crack session players including Bernard Purdie & Phil Upchurch, and it has a free, loose, funky vibe, much in keeping with its Jamaican backdrop. Standout tracks \u2018Sweet Blue Love\u2019 and the finale, \u2018Heaven Must Have Programmed You\u2019, would have graced any of his previous works. Image result for cat stevens foreigner With the next album Buddha and the Chocolate Box, Stevens went back to the tried-and-tested set-up and with it gained the expected commercial success, but Foreigner is at least a pleasant interlude, and at best a brave artistic statement. Just for a moment, he was a honky cat that was a funky cat!

2. Linda Lewis \u2013 Woman Overboard <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When the Raft label folded in the early 70s, it left Linda Lewis high and dry and without a contract. Three albums of charming folk-soul-pop had given her a loyal following and critical acclaim but \u2018Rock-a-doodle Doo\u2019 apart, they achieved modest commercial success. So, when Arista got Lewis to sign on the dotted line, they were determined to market her as a pop-disco diva with her high vocal range as her gimmick. This meant Lewis\u2019s own songs were pushed into the background, onto B sides, in favour of cover-versions of soul classics and newly written pop fayre. Woman Overboard was released in 1977 and was very much a compromise between Lewis and the label: plenty of silky-smooth soul, pleasant though not particularly inspiring. What it does have are three outstanding songs, all completely distinct, which makes it a must-have for fans! First up is \u2018Bonfire\u2019, written for her by ex-squeeze Cat Stevens, which sadly only just dented the top 30. Next, there\u2019s a beautiful version of \u2018The Moon and I\u2019 from Gilbert and Sullivan\u2019s The Mikado. This girl could handle opera with the best of them, and even though it\u2019s a slightly less formal rendition, it\u2019s not going to cause Arthur Sullivan any swivels in his coffin! The standout for me is her version of Family\u2019s \u2018My Friend, the Sun\u2019. It\u2019s a sweet autumnal acoustic, a shimmering masterpiece that still gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. So if you see this album, with its sexy 70s disco diva cover, languishing in a bargain bin, do yourself a favour \u2013 liberate it and give it a home immediately!

3. Eric Clapton \u2013 There\u2019s One in Every Crowd <\/strong>
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The follow-up to Eric\u2019s bestselling comeback LP, 461 Ocean Boulevard, came as something of a disappointment to \u2018Slowhand\u2019 followers, who thought the new laidback Clapton was but a parting phase. This is about as laidback as it gets without actually falling over! After the opening two gospel-flavoured tracks, one of which, \u2018Swing Low Sweet Chariot\u2019, was rendered in a relaxed cod-reggae style, listeners could be forgiven for not pressing ahead with much enthusiasm. But Side 2 reveals three of Clapton\u2019s most endearing compositions from this period: \u2018Better Make it Through Today\u2019 is a touching, heartfelt prayer to self-preservation, presumably inspired by the recent therapy and cure of his heroin addiction. Next up, \u2018Pretty Blue Eyes\u2019 and \u2018High\u2019 are vintage badge-esque melodic, bluesy pop songs that Clapton excelled at writing during the late 60s and early 70s. It\u2019s not a masterpiece by any stretch but does contain some absolute gems and is definitely worth reinvestigation. Plus, it\u2019s got a very cute dog on the cover\u2026

4. Rod Stewart \u2013 Smiler <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I don\u2019t know what it is about 1974 but this seemed to be the year that established artists delivered albums that the critics dismissed as not up-to-scratch. Prime example was Rod\u2019s Smiler. It has all the ingredients of previous smash hit sellers: \u2018Every Picture Tells a Story\u2019 and \u2018Never a Dull Moment\u2019 with the (or most of the) Faces backing him up, a \u2018Maggie May\u2019\/You Where it Well\u2019-style single & co-write with Martin Quittenton in \u2018Farewell\u2019, and some cracking cover versions in Sam Cooke\u2019s \u2018You Send Me\u2019, Berry\u2019s \u2018Sweet Little Rock \u2018N\u2019 Roller\u2019, the obligatory Dylan cover (which is better than the original) \u2018Girl From the North Country\u2019 and a couple of top-grade, top-mates contributions in Elton\u2019s \u2018Let Me Be Your Car\u2019 and \u2018Mine For Me\u2019 from Sir Lord of Macca! What it also has, however, is a slightly dodgy sleeve design with Rod resplendent in his 19th-century silks and satins facing out from an antique mirror laid on top o f a tartan cloak. A bit too Scottish for most of us (especially as he was from North London\u2026). That apart, there\u2019s much vintage Rod to enjoy here, so ignore the sleeve art and dig in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This month sees the publication of an excellent new book entitled 100 Unhip Albums That We Should Learn to Love. Seeking to reappraise formerly ignored or derided albums, it makes the case for the unfashionable with examples from Van der Graaf Generator to David Essex, 10CC, Wings, and beyond. A refreshingly new idea, we thought, … Continue reading Casbah’s Top Four ‘Unhip’ Albums That We Love<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4416"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4416\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casbahrecords.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}