Parisian Phoenix Publishing

By Ralph Greco Jr.

Some of writing I do—when not penning kid’s books, a writer’s memoir, or co-editing a naughty story antho, all for the lovely Angel Ackerman—is scribbling reviews and interviews for various rock music sites and publication like Vintagerock.com. I receive lots of new music releases from classic or vintage rock acts (yes, many are still out there) or re-rerelease of boxsets (lots of them overpriced, quite frankly) of obscure collections long forgotten. I am in a position then to focus your attention on five underappreciated albums from classic rock acts that you might not have heard, or might hace forgotten.

1.) Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Love Beach. Even an ELP-fanatic like yours truly will admit there are more than a few stumbles here from this 1978 release from this prog-rock trio stalwart. Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer were well beyond their prime when they produced Love Beach, the first side of which, with the exception of the instrumental “Canario,” is riddled with terrible tunes. But on side two, the suite “Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman” is the last great long-form piece of music from ELP.

2.) Nazareth: Big Dogz. Jumping ahead a few years, Scottish rockers Nazareth (of “Love Hurts” and “Hair Of The Dog” fame) released Big Dogz in 2011, the second-to-last album featuring their gravel-throated original lead singer, Dan McCafferty. Nazareth still rocks hard, wrapping that heavy sound around some truly poignant lyrics.

3.) Iggy Pop: Aprè. Here’s one I am sure none of us ever expected. The Godfather of Punk himself, Iggy Pop, released the French-heavy Aprè in May of 2012. This unusual release, featuring Iggy crooning coers with the best of them (in French, no less), makes for a perfect album, with Iggy’s take on the classic Edith Piaf hit “La Vie en rose” worth the price on its own.

4.) Aerosmith: Done With Mirrors. Toxic Twins Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Aerosmith lead singer and guitar slinger respectively, somehow managed to bring The Bad Boys From Boston back from the dead (by kicking their Herculean drug habits primarily) reuniting the original Smith lineup for a rockin’ collection. Released in 1985, before Permanent Vacation became the band’s mainstream comeback, Mirrors is better than its follow-ups. Smith never actually hit it as hard again.

5.) The Waterboys: Fisherman’s Blues. The Waterboys, an Irish band led by Mike Scott, released this fourth album in 1988. It is the best roots-rock traditional Irish rock album you’re likely to not have heard. When I ever mention this band to anyone, they quickly reference their brilliant album that came before, The Whole Of The Moon, but Fisherman’s Blues, I feel, has stood the test of time. Steve Wickman’s fiddle is front and center here, as is some of the very best songwriting from brilliant songwriter Mike Scott. I saw The Waterboys touring this album, and the concert was damn incendiary.

If you enjoyed this list of music from the Parisian Phoenix crew, stay tuned for more information on our one-hour radio special on WDVR coming later this summer (or September) as part of our 50 books in 5 years anniversary celebration.