Crosby Stills & Nash I Review

Hi Everybody,
Welcome to the Paradise on this fine Saturday morning. As you know Classic Rock from the Sixties and the Seventies is another passion of mine and today I would like to present to you my Review of the first Crosby Stills & Nash Album recorded in 1969. These guys are all time favourites of mine and very few albums come close to, let alone match the sheer Paradise of the harmony vocals offered by David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. David the Dreamer, Stephen the Captain and Graham the Ecologist. What a chemistry existed between those three. They still perform but obviously age does count and I prefer to hear them at their best in the late sixties and early seventies.
So have fun reading the Review. Tonight I will start tasting William Lawson's Blended Scotch Whisky. Have a nice Saturday and see you all back tomorrow,
Saude!
Jan

Crosby Stills & Nash I - 1969

Songs: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Marrakesh Express, Guinnevere, You don´t have to Cry, Pre-Road Downs, Wooden Ships, Lady of the Island, Helplessly Hoping, Long Time Gone, 49 Bye-Byes.

Type of Music: Folk/Rock with a slight touch of Acid. 

Comments:

For me Crosby, Stills & Nash are the true representatives of the Woodstock Generation. Peace, Love and Harmony!! It´s not too acid like Jefferson Airplane or Grateful Dead nor too sweet like Joan Baez. But their music fits perfectly with those long gone Summers of Love.

The combination of the writing and musical skills of Stephen Stills (ex Buffalo Springfield), David Crosby (ex Byrds) and Graham Nash (ex Hollies) produced some of the greatest music of the late sixties, carried by their unique harmonies. Their Debut Album is packed with those songs.

Shortly afterwards, Neil Young joined the band and the power struggle for control over the band between him and Stephen began.

Maybe because of that, our friends would never again be quite able to capture beauty, innocence and delicacy and transform them in sheer musical heaven.        

Stephen contributes most of the songs here. With the exception of  49 Bye-Byes they are all great. Most of you will know Suite: Judy Blue Eyes written for Judy Collins. But also enjoy little pearls like You don´t  have to Cry and Helplessly Hoping. Graham gives us the happy hash song Marrakesh Express and the honest Lady of the Island. And David wrote the beautiful ballad Guinnevere for all his past, present and future wives, lovers and girlfriends. You remember the Woodstock movie? It still gives me the creeps when the film starts and you hear David´s Long Time Gone.

And then, there´s the best of them all. The slightly psychedelic anthem Wooden Ships, co-written with Paul Kantner from Jefferson Airplane.

It´s about the world or what´s left of it after the Big Bang. Actually our friends got some criticism as the song contains the line: We are leaving, You Don´t Need Us.

But I don´t care about that. I love the song and it´s in my all time Top 10 of Classic Rock songs.

What else is there to say. If you don´t own this album you should do something about that. And Quick!!!!!  

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody.

Teacher's Highland Cream Review (Bottled in Brazil)

Country: Distilled, Aged and Blended in Scotland. Mixed with water and bottled in Brazil by Allied Domecq Brazil.

Brand: Teacher’s Highland Cream (Wm. Teacher & Sons Ltd.)

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: Unspecified but probably between 3 and 8 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: First impressions are Grains, Malt and Light Peat and Smoke. A bit of young Oak, harsh Alcohol, Vanilla and Spices.

Taste: Sugared lamp oil sprinkled with low quality pepper. Bit of Green Oak and Licorice.

Finish: It’s like holding a lump of sugar in your mouth that is slowly melting and is followed by something that resembles hot and bitter candle wax. Some Oak and Licorice as well. No use to spoil water on this blend!

Rating: 63

Nose: 17 - Taste: 15 - Finish: 15 - Overall: 16

General Remarks: Teacher’s Highland Cream is said to have a Malt content of around 45%, very high for a blended whisky. At its heart is the Ardmore Highland Distillery where the blend is produced. Glendronach is another important ingredient. Its nose should reveal Smoke and Chocolate and Butterscotch and Lemon and its taste should be creamy with Toffee and Sherry and Fruit with hints of Peat and Smoke. I can’t find anything like it in my glass today.

Drinking Experience Neat: Well Below Average.

Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!

Conclusion: I really don’t know if, and if yes, what happened with this whisky between it being distilled in Scotland and bottled in Brazil. Is only water added to the mixture received from Scotland? Because I find it hard to believe that I am drinking the same whisky that is highly praised in so many parts of the world. Or did I get a bad - or falsified bottle or something? I tasted a second bottle in September 2013. I wasn't that horrified this time, slightly adjusted the Tasting Notes and increased the Final score to 63 points. Still well below average of course. Not a Blend I can recommend, at least not the way it's marketed in Brazil.

Jan van den Ende                                 January 18, 2012/September 27 2013

J and B Rare Blended Scotch Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: J&B Rare (Justerini & Brooks)

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: Unspecified but probably between 3 and 8 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Average. I am welcomed by wafts of sharp Alcohol. I’m fighting my way through and find Corn Flakes with Sugar and a touch of Salt. I suspect the presence of many young Grain whiskies in this blend. Bit of Malt, Nuts and young Wood. Light Vanilla. There are some Fruity tones in the back but the Alcohol makes it difficult to identify them. Green Apples probably.

Taste: Thin delivery. Sugary Caramel with Hot Spices and rough Wood dipped in raw Alcohol.

Finish: Sweet as Candy. Bit of Honey and Oak. Stubborn Alcohol!

When you add a bit of water, it helps to drown the sharp Alcohol on the nose and I also smell a bit of Lemon. On the palate it waters things down on the one hand but it also makes the Caramel slightly less sugary. You can experiment a bit with water on this blend if you like.

Rating: 74,5

Nose: 19 – Taste: 19 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 18,5

General Remarks: This blend is the second best selling blended alcohol in the world! It’s hard to believe! Only Johnnie Walker Red Label sells more. Much more actually. But Still! It’s very popular in Spain but I’m sure they mostly mix it with something down there. The very sweet delivery makes it suitable for mixing I suppose. At its heart lies the Speyside distillery Knockando (Diageo).

There are over 40 Malt – and Grain whiskies in this blend and it’s been around since 1900 or so. But I fail to see the relevance of mixing so many whiskies to get such an indifferent end result. It must be me!

Drinking Experience Neat: Average/Good

Conclusion: Some guy (I believe from Balvenie) once said that whisky is liquid muesli. He’s got a point there. But there are many flavors available to transform your basic muesli into a very special breakfast. However, these flavors are not part of the J&B Rare Blend I’m afraid. It’s just your basic grains with a bit of sugar and some salt. It’s drinkable of course but it does not make me scream out for more.

Jan van den Ende                                                                January 16, 2012

Knockando Distillery

Yamazaki 12 Years Review

Country: Japan

Brand: Suntory Yamazaki

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 43%

Color: Light Gold

Nose: Crisp and not too heavy. Malt, Cherries, Light Peat, Cinnamon, Blossom and Quality Oak are the first impressions followed by Honey and Tropical Fruit (Banana, Coconut and Pineapple). A bit of Alcohol but certainly within limits. Dried Fruits. The Honey and Floral tones on the nose are similar to Speyside malts. But with the Yamazaki we get Tropical Fruits instead of Sherry and the Wood is certainly different. Still, it would be difficult to keep them apart at a blind tasting session.

Taste: Strong delivery thanks to the 43%. Sweet Grain, Honey, Toffee and Dry Oak with Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg and Pepper. A whisky to chew on! The strong presence of Fine Oak sets this whisky apart from others tasted so far.

Finish: Sweet at first but dry towards the end. Honey, Apple and Oak. Very faint Peat and Ashes. Notes of Tea, Nuts and Tobacco. White Pepper to finish it off. But it all fades away too fast unfortunately.

When adding a bit of water, the Floral tones and Peat start dominating the nose. The palate becomes very smooth and honeyed and the Oak disappears to the background. I prefer it straight but you can certainly experiment with a bit of water. Just never overdo it!

Rating: 86,5

Nose: 21.5 – Taste: 22.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The first malt whisky distillery in Japan was constructed by the Suntory Founder Shinjiro Torii in 1923 in the Yamazaki Valley close to the city of Kyoto. The place was chosen because its water, soil and climate were similar to Scotland. It was the first distillery of this kind outside Scotland and it used copper pot stills. Today the Suntory Yamazaki is the most popular Single Malt in Japan and it is exported to more than 25 countries.

Since 1972 Suntory is importing its malted barley from Scotland and Australia. The spirit is aged in a mixture of casks from American -, Spanish – and Japanese Oak.

Drinking Experience Neat:  Good

Conclusion: It doesn’t happen a lot but the Yamazaki 12 Years scored better on the palate than on the nose. The nose is crisp and tropical along with Speyside Blossom and Honey, but it’s the palate that steals the show combining rich sweet Honey and Toffee with a handful of Spices and a first class dry Oak. Nice combination. The finish is dry and agreeable but way too short. What stands out in this Single Malt is the Wood Quality. If you like the Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Years or Glenmorangie Original 10 Years, you really should give the Yamazaki a chance although it is more expensive!

Jan van den Ende                                                              January 12, 2012

Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Review

Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Beatles (1967)

Songs:  Sgt. Pepper´s Lonely Hearts Club Band, With a Little Help from my Friends, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing a Hole, She´s Leaving Home, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, Within You Without You, When I´m Sixty-Four, Lovely Rita, Good Morning Good Morning, Sgt. Pepper´s Lonely Hearts Club Band Reprise, A Day in the Life.

Type of Music: Quality Pop with Psychedelic Influences.

Comments

It´s been called by some the greatest record ever made. Others consider it to be the first concept album. Many people regard it to be the best of the  Beatles Records.

Well, for me it´s non of the above. It´s not in my All Time Top 10 of Classic Rock Albums. And the fact that the title track is revisited at the end of the album is clearly not enough to consider Sgt. Pepper to be a Concept Album. There are too many styles represented here. And, for me at least, the best of the Beatles was still to come.     

Since we have now established what Sgt. Pepper is not, we can concentrate on what it does represent. First of all I consider it to be a Work of Art. Never before in my opinion was so much attention paid to the presentation of a record. I´m sure that many of you can at least partly describe the cover of the Album. The same attention was paid to the sound quality.

Sgt. Pepper is also a fine collection of songs. The variety of styles avoid the record to become boring even after many spins. There is the acid-rock of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, the Indian Chant Within You Without You written by George, the Circus Music of Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, the Vaudeville of When I´m Sixty-Four, the power pop of Lovely Rita and the sad but lovely pop-ballad She´s Leaving Home.

There are a few minus points as well. Everybody who saw the Woodstock movie will agree that Joe Cocker made With a little help from my Friends his Song. Sorry Ringo!!

I also rate Good Morning Good Morning as a weaker song and the reprise of Sgt. Pepper is irrelevant.

And although I consider A Day in the Life one of the best songs on the record, there are inexplicable irritating flaws in the way John´s voice was recorded.

But these observations do not prevent Sgt. Pepper from being an essential Beatles Album. As such it should be part of any Pop/Rock collection.       

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Rating:******** (8 out of 10)

Who should buy this Record: Everybody.