McClelland's Highland Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: McClelland’s

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland

Age: Not specified but most likely around 5 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Amber/Gold

Nose: Peat, Wet Earth, Heather, Light Smoke, Wood and Light Sherry are my first impressions. There is a bit of Alcohol, which makes sense given the youth of the spirit. Some Malt and Spices (Think of Pepper) as well. Floral tones and a hint of ripe Fruit.

After a while in the glass, the Peat, Malt and green Wood become more dominant and I get some Biscuit as well. After having finished the whisky you will get some blossom and orange if you nose the empty glass after an hour or so. The nose, as so often, is the better part of this Malt.

Taste: The delivery is thin, sweet (Sugar, Honey) and hot (Black Pepper). Toasted Grains as well.

I added a few drops of water but it doesn’t contribute anything to the nose and the Palate gets watered down. Don’t add water to this Malt.

Finish: Short, Dry and slightly Bittersweet. The Wet Earth and Leaves are returning together with some Wood and Peat. Hints of Lemon and Cinnamon.

Rating:  76

Nose: 20– Taste: 18– Finish: 19– Overall: 19

General Remarks: A McClelland’s Distillery does not exist. It’s a series of 5 Single Malt Whiskies from the main Scottish production areas. Four of them, the Highland, the Lowland, the Speyside and the Islay are NAS or Non-Age Specified. In 2008, a Speyside 12 Years was added. McClelland’s Parent company is Morrison Bowmore Distilleries (Suntory Group). They are the owners of Auchentoshan (Lowland), Bowmore (Islay) and Glen Garioch (Highland). So we only have to guess where the Speyside is produced I would say! We can safely assume that the Glen Garioch Distillery produced this Highland Malt. McClelland’s main markets are the USA, Canada, Japan and France.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: This Single Malt is sold at around US$ 20. - and that’s cheap. One of the reasons for the relative low price is the fact that it merely ages for 5 years instead of the usual 10 to 12 for Standard Single Malt expressions. I did consider this fact in the final note. But to be honest, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction from whiskies like this one. It’s lack luster and it leaves me with an urge to drink something more interesting. It is however better than McClelland’s Lowland Expression and less sharp than Red Label. You could also argue that it has some hints of the main characteristics of a Highland whisky, namely floral tones on the Nose, slightly sweet on the Palate and a dry Finish. Still it’s just not good enough to deserve a permanent place in my Whisky cabinet!

Jan van den Ende                                                                        March 17, 2012

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - Review

Songs: Whole Lotta Love, What Is And What Should Never Be, The Lemon Song, Thank You, Heartbreaker, Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman), Ramble On, Moby Dick, Bring It On Home

Comments: Let’s go back for a moment to the debut Album. The cover of the album is really provoking. Of course it shows the burning Zeppelin “ Hindenburg” and you could argue that it symbolises a new band breaking into the seventies with full might. But in the end it represents the Phallus Erectus. Robert Plant like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame was obsessed by it and it would be a great influence in the Led’s work.

After the release of their first album the band started touring in the UK and the USA. As always there was the commercial urge to produce a follow up so during the tour the band got into the studios in London, New York and Los Angeles from time to time to record. This rush basically had three important consequences:

1.       There simply wasn’t enough time to record only new material. So the band used pieces of existing blues material that were part of their live shows. A lot has been said about them ripping up blues artists but I don’t see any problem there as it happens all the time in the music industry. I do think however they should have given sufficient credit to the authors;
2.       The Sound Quality got a bit muddy. Again, much has been said about that. The original record suffered a bit from it but the re-mastered version released in 1994 is of excellent quality;
3.       Since there was not enough time to produce layers upon layers, the music was crisp, energetic and very much to the point. 

The last observation becomes immediately clear when the Album Opener Whole Lotta Love (# 4 Billboard) breaks out the loudspeakers. A Great riff, great bass and great drums. A real explosion! I graduated from high school back in 1970 and this album was one of my presents alongside Santana’s first Album and Pearl by Janis Joplin. We played these records all day and all night while drinking a “couple” of beers. Yeah, I know, the middle part of Whole is a bit too long although it sounds rather cool when you listen to it with your headphones on. And Robert Plant made good his promise on the cover of the debut Album and had his first recorded orgasm. This part sounds a bit dated today but in 1969 we all loved it. Nobody had ever done that before.

In my opinion, What Is And What Should Never Be is the best track on the Album. It’s got everything that makes Led Zeppelins music so interesting. It’s dark and it’s light, it’s quiet and it’s loud and these combinations work perfect here. I suppose you could call it a ballad and as such it could have done without the screaming part. But I like it the way it is. It’s different and special. Great Song.

Robert Plant & the Squeezed Lemons then perform The Lemon Song. The band used a number of old blues classics and glued them together. It’s not a great song but it’s certainly interesting and the bass playing is amazing. As far as I could ascertain, Robert had his second and last musical orgasm here on Led Zeppelin II and even seemed to fall out of bed during the final stages.  

Thank You is a beautiful pop song with childish lyrics but with a great feeling to it. It was written for Robert’s wife Maureen and I suppose she was very touched by it. On the other hand there were these bands of groupies awaiting Robert after each concert so I’m not so sure what really happened when the mountains crumbled to the sea.

The songs Heartbreaker and Living Loving Maid are usually played together as almost one song and that works fine. Heartbreaker is a great Hard Rock Riff and one of the high marks of the Album. Jimmy really shines here. Living Loving Maid is a quite simple fast rocker but it’s well done and to the point.

Ramble On is a kind of folk-rock song that people either like or hate. I like the guitar playing a lot, am confused by the silly lyrics and annoyed with Robert’s screaming. But it’s not a bad song. It should have been a Single release but the band wasn’t into that sort of stuff. At least not at that point in time.

How many words would have been written about the drum solo in Moby Dick. It’s too long but in 1969 everybody included a drum solo on their albums so what the heck. Let’s forgive them for always and forever shall we? The song has a great Riff!

And finally there’s Bring It On Home, apparently sung by Robert through his harmonica or maybe some other gadget. You could argue the band was trying to sound as an authentic blues band or you could say they were trying to see if they could get away with anything. I think it’s okay although it might have fitted better on the debut album.

And that’s it, Led’s Second Album. In my opinion it’s a great album, just as good as the band's first effort. But it’s also completely different. The first album was a coherent Blues album with prog-rock and folk influences. This one however is a collection of great songs and a crossover of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with the occasional references to the blues and a bit of folk. All the guys played extremely hungry and eager on this record with great results. If anything, the lyrics are a bit simple and dull but the music makes you forget that for most of the time. The Album meant the commercial and artistic breakthrough for the band. The cover of the album seems to confirm that with the Phallus seemingly exploding. Look out world, The Led is out!

Type of Music: Hard Rock and Heavy Metal mixed with bits and pieces of Progressive Rock, Blues and Folk.

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

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Sound Quality: Good. Be sure to get the re-mastered version.

Chart Success: The album made it to number 1 in the Billboard Album Top 200.

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody!!  Led Zeppelin’s Breakthrough Album and one of the true Classic Rock Albums of All Time. Get It Now!

Jan van den Ende                                   March 2012

Littlemill 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Littlemill

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Lowlands

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 15/03/2012

Colour: Deep Yellow Gold

Nose: Quite unusual nose. Sure there’s Grain, Malt, Oak ,Toffee, Straw and a hint of Peat. But also this sour unpleasant smell of morning sickness in combination with green winter Vegetables. A bitterness that hints at Sulphur. There is some Fruit in the background but it’s hard to identify. Maybe Pineapple.

Taste: Sweet Grains, Toast, Sugar, Bit of Honey and Pepper.

I added a few drops of water and the nose opens up a little bit with grassy and lemon tones. But on the palate this Malt becomes a plate of sugared cereals sprinkled with cheap honey. The Finish becomes bitter.

Finish: Short with a bit of Butterscotch and Pepper. Dry. Bit of a Bite on the tongue. Nothing to get excited about.

Rating:  71

Nose: 17– Taste: 18 – Finish: 18– Overall: 18

What a Sad Sight! 

General Remarks: The Littlemill distillery was located in Bowling near Glasgow, on the border of Lowlands and Highlands and was founded around 1770, which makes it one of the older, if not the oldest distillery in Scotland. Unfortunately the last owners (Gibson International since 1984) went broke in 1994 and the distillery had to close. The dismantled remainder was destroyed by fire in 2004. There isn’t much of the whisky left these days.

Drinking Experience Neat: Average

Conclusion: This is not an appealing Single Malt. Luckily, I only bought a miniature bottle so not too much harm is done. This is unworthy of a Single Malt. Even cheap blends score higher in my Rankings. I’m not familiar with the whiskies of this Distillery in former times but this expression is certainly below par.

Jan van den Ende                                                              March 2012  

This Was - Jethro Tull - Review

Songs:  My Sunday Feeling, Some Day the Sun won’t Shine for You, Beggar’s Farm, Move on Alone, Serenade to a Cuckoo, Dharma for One, It’s Breaking me Up, Cat’s Squirrel, A Song for Jeffrey, Round.

Type of Music: Late Sixties Blues Rock

Comments:

Jethro Tull is a Progressive Rock group formed in 1967 in Luton in the United Kingdom. Key Figures are band leader Ian Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre who joined the band in 1969. First some general remarks about Ian Anderson. If you can’t get used to Ian´s voice, it’s difficult to like Tull´s Music. Secondly, Ian is not the most modest guy on this earth. Many times that makes his songs and texts extraordinary, sometimes it makes them almost unbearable. You will encounter all of these when we follow Ian’s career throughout the years. Jethro Tull is still very active by the way and tours the world on a regular base.   

Now let’s return to This Was, Tull´s First album. Tull was not yet the successful Prog-Rock Band of the early/middle-seventies but just one of the many Blues Bands that were active in England in the late sixties. Guitarist Mick Abraham (blues back-ground) played an important part in the making of this album.

The Album is unknown to most Rock fans and that’s a pity because it deserves our attention.

It’s mostly right out Blues like in Someday The Sun Won’t Shine For You and It’s Breaking Me Up. On various occasions the songs are jazz-flavoured like Move On Alone, written by Mick Abrahams, and Serenade To A Cuckoo, written by Jazz Flutist Roland Kirk, where Ian starts to show us his magical flute playing abilities. There is some instrumental filler here as well such as the traditional Cat’s Squirrel and Round. And Dharma For One is more of a showcase for the individual players than an actual song.  

All throughout his career, Ian sometimes found it necessary to “ robotize” his voice in the way Moby does it today. I think that’s a pity and it downgrades the otherwise good A Song for Jeffrey. Although in 1968 many people probably loved these experiments as they were quite new in those days.

On the plus side we begin to discover the wonderful and unique combination of Blues and Rock and Ian’s Flute. This would produce great results in the future but it also works very well here in My Sunday Feeling and Beggar’s Farm, the best song on the album. This last song shows the difference of having Ian and his flute in your band. Great Lyrics as well.    

The Album was digitally re-mastered in 2001 and contains three bonus tracks, the instrumental One for John Gee, written for the owner of the Marquee Club in London where the Tull started playing live, the Indian flavoured Love Song and the somewhat unusual Christmas Song. They aren’t bad songs but I can perfectly live without them.

This Album is different from all other Tull Albums but certainly worth listening to.

Bonus Tracks: One for John Gee, Love Story, Christmas Song.

Rating: ******* (7 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  If you like late Sixties Blues Bands like Cream, John Mayall or Ten Years After this album is certainly well worth its money. Real Prog-Rock Tull adepts should start their collection elsewhere. 

Pink Floyd - A Saucerful Of Secrets - Review

Songs: Let There Be More Light, Remember a Day, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, Corporal Glegg, A Saucerful of Secrets, See-Saw, Jugband Blues. 

Type of Music: Psychedelic Rock   

Comments:

Set the Controls for the Future of the Band. 

The Pink Floyd´s second Album is basically Part II of the Star Wars that started with The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. But there is one big difference: Syd Barrett. Or better, his absence. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds got the better of him and he had to leave the band. 

One final song, Jugband Blues with the immortal last words "And what exactly is a joke? " marks his departure. It´s not a very good song unfortunately.

I'm sure that many a tear was shed by the remaining band members but I also suspect that Roger saw his chance here to lead the band in the direction he saw in his mind.

Still, with Syd out we miss the genius or the "madness" that had marked The Piper. Because Roger Waters is no Syd Barrett. He wrote his version of the Interstellar Overdrive and named it A Saucerful of Secrets. It´s not bad but I hear a craftsman and not a genius, crazy as Syd might have been. And Syd´s Scarecrow is now called Corporal Glegg and it´s only half as funny. Roger would find his own way in the seventies but to me this record is Roger´s Piper Revisited.

Richard Wright wrote (Weird Word Sequence) two songs for the album namely Remember a Day and See-Saw of which the first one is the better of the two. So everybody did their best to show they could manage without Syd, but maybe it was too early for that in 1968.

That leaves us with Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. It was written by Roger but the other band members contributed to the song as well and it is the only moment on the album where you sense that they are capable of writing an interesting, complex and experimental song as well. It´s too little to save A Saucerful from being more than an average Psychedelic Rock Album. It did however gave them confidence. The confidence they needed to be able to make Dark Side in the future.

Syd of course was replaced by Singer/Guitarist David Gilmour and that was a lucky hand as time would tell. 

Rating: ******* (7 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Only for the real Floyd Fans. Of which there are a lot of course, including me!