Kraftwerk "Ralf und Florian" (1973)

Ralf und Florian

release date: Oct. 1973

format: digital (1994 unofficial reissue)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,15]

producer: Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider

label: Germanofon - nationality: Germany

Track highlights: 1. "Elektrisches Roulette" - 3. "Kristallo" - 5. "Tanzmusik" (live) - 6. "Ananas Symphonie"

3rd studio album by Kraftwerk originally released on Philips and here in an unofficial version from Czech Germanofon released approximately 1½ years after Kraftwerk 2 (1972), and as on that, the band / music project here, as the title indicates, only consists of the two founders: Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Both are jointly credited a long range of instruments - and as something new: now also on vocals, which is, however, quite minimalistic with vocals as backing choir and a kind of secondary instrument - also without recognisable lyrics. Konrad 'Conny' Plank is not co-producer on the album, as he was credited on the first two albums, instead he is here credited as sound engineer. And just like the two previous albums, Ralf und Florian was reissued on Philips and Vertigo through the 70s, but releases after 1979 are all unofficial issues, and Kraftwerk has basically written off the albums from before Autobahn (1974).

The album is the first to be listed as having been recorded at the band's Klingklang studio in Düsseldorf, and it clearly bears the stamp of being somewhat more well-produced and reworked. Stylistically, Kraftwerk has moved towards the mastery of greater spaciousness and a more condensed simplicity, again taking a move further away from the rhythmic krautrock, although you'll find reminiscences of more traditional instrumentation with guitar and rhythm instruments such as bass and drums on some compositions. With the exception of the final track, 'songs' have generally become shorter and the music has been shaped as electronic ambient and less chaotic. The album has been hailed as essential for the ambient genre, and when listening to "Tanzmusik" it's hard not to think of more contemporary acts such as The Orb, Boards of Canada, Sigur Rós and Danish band Efterklang - to name just a few.

After the release, the band made several live performances, including on German TV, where Wolfgang Flür often participated on drums (see live version of "Tanzmusik") - from Autobahn and afterwards he was credited as permanent member of the band's new line-up.

[ 👍allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Carpenters "The Singles 1969-1973" (1973)

The Singles 1969-1973 (compilation)
release date: Nov. 9, 1973
format: vinyl (1991 reissue) / cd (2014 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Richard Carpenter
label: A&M Records - nationality: USA

Compilation of 12 singles by the brother-sister duo the Carpenters - older sister Karen (1950 - 83) and Richard (born 1946) - released over a four year period is an amazing quality collection of baroque pop songs. The album was released after the duo had issued 5 studio albums of a total of 11. Five yearsfollowing this one, a compilation sequel was issued titled The Singles 1974-1978 (Nov. 1978), which is another nice to have album.
I vividly recall listening to the Carpenters in my pre-teen years. They were among the most frequently played international artists on national radio alongside Sinatra, The Beatles, and Elvis Presley. I didn't know of any of their full albums but many of these songs were part of a preferred musical selection from very early on and just listening to Karen's singing voice makes me remember the house of my childhood.
I also recall how the duo in a way divided people. Everyone would acknowledge the qualities of their original sound and yet, somehow they sort of represented anything else than contemporary trends and still didn't belong to a classic line-up with the aforementioned stars, and although the Carpenters started out later than The Beatles, the American duo appealed more to an older generation. There was something innocent and safe about the Carpenters that put them on the same pop scene with Simon & Garfunkel, Dusty Springfield, Bee Gees, The Osmonds, and John Denver, and all of that wasn't part of the fast evolving rock-scene that grew in various directions, appealing more to younger generations; however, music by the Carpenters had a distinct and unquestionable quality stamp to whatever they produced. The duo didn't start at the top - in fact its debut album was basically unnoticed - but they quickly became a household name, and already the second album out Close to You (Aug. 1971) made it to number #2 on the Billboard 200 in the US (number #1 in Canada). Then followed three albums that all made it to top-5, securing a spot as one of the best known American acts. The duo's sixth album Horizon (Jun. 1975) 'only' peaked at number #13, still sellling Platinum but with the seventh studio album A Kind of Hush (Jun. 1976), which peaked at number #33, the duo experienced its first dissapointing sales numbers and a decline from top of the business was slowly initiated. Their final four albums all performed outside top-40, and the 11th album Voice of the Heart (Oct. 1983) was released after the death of Karen Carpenter - and although two more studio albums were released, the last in 1989, the '83-album stands as the formal finale (Richard released another Christmas album in 1984 and the '89-album based on outtakes and alternate recordings).
After having purchased The Singles 1969-1973 I have come across all of the duo's many studio releases, and what really strikes me is how persistent the high musical quality is listening to the debut from 1969 and all through to the '83 album. Richard's arrangements, not forgetting he's a fine vocalist, actually, are in the league of Burt Bacharach but the super-natural and utmost remarkable quality of the duo are Karen's vocal performances. And then people typically forget that she was often credited as drummer on their albums. But that voice. She sang with such ease and original colour and it lifted any song - be it cheerful and happy-go-lucky ones, or ballads, melancholic, sad ones and even vocal jazz standards were enriched with delicacy. It was something... unfathomable.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Not this particular album as such, but the Carpenters plays a big part of my earliest music memories that wasn't purely children's songs.

👉 Another one from that earliest stage.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Ike & Tina Turner "Nutbush City Limits" (1973) (single)

Nutbush City Limits, 7'' single

release date: Aug. 1973

format: vinyl

[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: Ike Turner

label: United Artists Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) "Nutbush City Limits" (4 / 5) - - B) "Help Him"

Single release by Ike & Tina Turner taken from the forthcoming studio album of the same name from November that same year. The song is credited Tina Turner and is one of the duo's final hit songs.

The single appears to have various front covers depending on national imprints. This particular Danish print comes from my parents' record collection. I do recall playing this at 7-12 years of age and found it one the better singles in my parents' collecion.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Thin Lizzy "Vagabonds of the Western World" (1973)

Vagabonds of the Western World
release date: Sep. 21, 1973
format: cd (1990)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Nick Tauber
label: Decca / Deram Records - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: 1. "Mama Nature Said" - 4. "The Rocker" - 5. "Vagabonds of the Western World" - 6. "Little Girl in Bloom"

3rd studio album by Thin Lizzy originally released on Decca Records following the album Shades of a Blue Orphanage (Mar. 1972) is also produced by Nick Tauber. The album was made after the band experienced its first real success with the cover single "Whiskey in the Jar", which they appear to have been pushed into making much against their will because the style of the song didn't match their own ideas. Nevertheless, the song became a hit, and it paved the way for the making of this very album.
Stylistically, the band touches on some of its later characteristic sonics, although, there's still a lot of more traditional blues rock and various other influences around making it a bit of a mixed experience as had been the case with the predecessor. That said, Vagabonds of the Western World stands as a more cohessive album and it also foreshadows some of the stronger original tone that would materialize somewhat later.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Nino Rota "Amarcord" (OST) (1973)

Amarcord (soundtrack)
release date: 1973
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Track highlight: 1. "Amarcord"

A wonderful soundtrack by Nino Rota to a marvellous film. Fellini's movie is a classic and the music by Nino Rota matches the movie like... nothing else. Generally, I just find that soundtrack music by Rota requires the movie, whereas music by another great (the greatest) Italian composer, Ennio Morricone often lives its own sacred life.

Original vinyl cover

T. Rex "Tanx" (1973)

Tanx
release date: Jan. 28, 1973
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Tony Visconti
label: EMI Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Tenement Lady" - 2. "Rapids" - 9. "Born to Boogie" (4 / 5)

8th studio album by T. Rex follows only 6 months after The Slider (Jul. 1973) and it's at first glance the continued journey with the same quartet and the same producer, although, it has become evident that the fast production tempo has consequences on quality. Tanx was a general success in Europe, and particularly in the UK where the album peaked as number #4 on the albums chart list just as the 1972 predecessor, but musically the album is widely considered a clear step down for Marc Bolan. Except from the two exceptional tracks "Tenement Lady" and "Born to Boogie" the album doesn't contain the 'usual' pack of great tracks.
The biggest issue about the album is that it mostly sounds like a copy of former hits and a mix of heavy inspiration from David Bowie and Lou Reed. The originality appears to be missing, and it's nearly only Okay glam rock and boogie. Some tracks appear like new attempts to move away from the style of his two previous albums with a stronger blues or rock & roll style with slower arrangements adding strings and backing vocals as you'll hear on Lou Reed's Transformer (1972), e.g. the tracks "Mister Mister", "Broken Hearted Blues", "Electric Slim & the Factory Hen" and "Left Hand Luke".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars, Rolling Stone review without rating ]

Frank Zappa / The Mothers "Over-Nite Sensation" (1973)

Over-Nite Sensation
release date: Sep. 7, 1973
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Camarillo Brillo" - 3. "Dirty Love" - 5. "Zoomby Woof" - 7. "Montana"

Released as 'Frank Zappa & the Mothers'. This was the last Mothers of Invention studio album, although, practically, it's the 17th Frank Zappa album! The album was probably the first big commercial success as it sold Gold in the US. Thematically, it's primarily about sex, and the music is experimental rock, art rock, and fusion rock.

Genesis "Selling England by the Pound" (1973)

Selling England by the Pound

release date: Oct. 13, 1973

format: cd (1986 reissue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]

producer: John Burns & Genesis

label: Virgin / Charisma - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" (live) - 3. "Firth of Fifth" - 5. "The Battle of Epping Forest" - 7. "The Cinema Show"

5th studio album by Genesis following one year after Foxtrot and only two months after the band's first live album Genesis Live. Co-producer John Burns had worked as sound engineer on the '72-album and would also produce the band's follow-up album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1975). The band remains the stable quintet of vocalist Peter Gabriel, guitarist Steve Hackett, bassist Mike Rutherford, keyboardist Tony Banks and drummer Phil Collins, and although, Gabriel wrote all lyrics, all five are credited the album's eight tracks, which has a total playing time at just under 54 minutes.

Musically, it's first and foremost a prog rock album with an overall theme reflecting on old nostalgic England in a contemporary modern era of economic and social crisis.

The album was met by positive reviews and became the band's first top-3 charting album, and retrospect reviews has put the album near the very top on lists of the best prog rock albums ever. It's also the band's first of only two albums to be included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

Together with the successor, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, this represents the most daring and artistic original version of the band Genesis.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Time Fades Away" (1973) (live)

Time Fades Away (live)
release date: Oct. 15, 1973
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,15]

producer: Neil Young, Elliot Mazer

label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Time Fades Away" - 5. "Love in Mind" - 8. "Last Dance"

First official live album by Neil Young released as 'previously unreleased material' recorded shortly after the release of After the Gold Rush. The late 1960s and early '70s was a period where live sessions, festivals, and live recordings was paid much attention. This album, however, is mostly found in poor sound quality as it was heavily pirated, and it doesn't contain his best songs from his major releases, 1962 to 1972. The album was only released in limited vinyl pressings and therefore most likely is found as bootleg material up until it's first official re-issues, which would be in 2017, which also may explain the origination of the digital version of the album, I have come by.

Tom Waits "Closing Time" (1973)

Closing Time [debut]
release date: Mar. 1973
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,85]
producer: Jerry Yester
label: Asylum Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Ol' '55" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" (5 / 5) - 4. "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)" - 6. "Martha" - 7. "Rosie" (4 / 5) - 9. "Ice Cream Man" - 12. "Closing Time" (instr.)

Studio album debut by Tom Waits (aka Thomas Alan Waits, born Dec. 7, 1949 in Paloma, CA, USA) released on Asylum and the only Waits album to be produced by Jerry Yester.

Although the album has near-mythic status, well, I didn't hear the album until sometime in the 90s at a time when Waits' music was becoming interesting. The album is obviously a must for Tom Waits' fans, but probably also for fans of modern vocal jazz.

The first two tracks are... pure enjoyment and show Waits at his best.

Already here he has established his persona - a man in his 40s who has lived his life in pubs, who has strolled around with several broken relationships behind him and who has strong ties to the beat generation of the 50s and especially to Jack Kerouac. Look at the cover - it's a 23-year-old Tom Waits!

Best of 1973:Pink Floyd "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973)

The Dark Side of the Moon
release date: Mar. 24, 1973
format: cd (2011 remaster)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5]
producer: Pink Floyd
label: EMI - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Speak to Me" - 2. "Breathe" - 3. "On the Run" - 4. "Time" - 5. "The Great Gig in the Sky" - 6. "Money" - 7. "Us and Them" - 8. "Any Colour You Like" - 9. "Brain Damage" - 10. "Eclipse"

8th studio album by Pink Floyd originally released by Harvest. The album was already under its way in the early 70s after recording Meddle (1971) and the soundtrack album Obscured by Clouds (1972), and apparently it was initiated with the ideas for an early version of "Eclipse", which closes the album, a song the band had been playing at live concerts. The album is different. Actually, it's just that, 'cause it sounds like nothing else, and that's also its biggest strength. It's a concept album in the way that it has a founding idea behind it, which is to deal with things in life that bothered the band members at the time when things became difficult while working with Syd Barrett. These things were identified as 'time, money, madness, death'. The album contains great tracks like "Breathe", "On the Run", "Time" and "Money", but the greatest thing about the album is the album itself. I remember listening to pieces of it as a kid in the mid and late 70s, and I also recall how out-of-this-world the album felt like. It fascinated and interested like no other album. It has been reissued, remastered, reproduced, and repackaged a zillion times or more, and it's one of the best selling albums ever made (in the US it's the second best selling album, and #8 in the UK). Naturally, it's in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Today I find that the album still has an appeal, which is quite outstanding. The cover art was made by (George Hardie) at Hipgnosis.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone Album Guide, Sputnikmusic, The Daily Telegraph 5 / 5 stars ]

1973 Favourite releases: 1. Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon - 2. Black Sabbath Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - 3. John Cale Paris 1919

Van Morrison "T.B. Sheets" (1973)

T.B. Sheets (compilation)
release date: Dec. 1973
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Bert Berns
label: Bellaphon Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: 4. "Madame George" - 8. "Brown Eyed Girl"

Compilation album by Van Morrison is like the debut Blowing Your Mind originally released by Bert Berns on Bang Records without Morrison's knowledge or consent. The album contains eight tracks of which one half are taken from the debut album - the remaining tracks from Van's time with Them and early recordings of two tracks appearing on Astral Weeks. The production is credited Berns himself but it really is far from good.
The album has been labelled as unauthorised but is all the same enlisted on Morrison's own official website.
This is really not recommended for any other than completionists.

Lou Reed "Berlin" (1973)

Berlin
release date: Oct. 1973
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,78]
producer: Bob Ezrin
label: RCA Records - nationality: USA

3rd studio album by Lou Reed is a huge turn to... something else. The album wasn't met with positive reviews at the time of its release, but time has put it way up on most critics' best of lists of albums representing the all time best rock albums in history. As more of a rock opera, the album is a difficult first listen, and I didn't appreciate it until my fifth or seventh listen. The album is like one long story about two lovers' hard times with drugs, crime and violence, and it doesn't contain ordinary pop songs or hit singles. It's the story itself more than the music that makes the album of interest. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Emerson, Lake & Palmer "Brain Salad Surgery" (1973)

Brain Salad Surgery
release date: Dec. 19, 1973
format: digital (1987 reissue)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,38]
producer: Greg Lake
label: Manticore / Atlantic Records - nationality: England, UK

4th studio album by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the first to be released on the trio's new-founded label Manticore Records (the cd issue by Atlantic). Well, since ELP is not really my cup of... anything, the only reason I came across the band in the first place was because of the front cover made by Swiss artists H.R. Geiger. Musically, this is not as good as the trio's earlier works. They seem stuck in their classical adaptational mood rather than making interesting music. Somehow, I wish I would rate this higher than I do - but frankly, I probably already rate it higher than I would if not album and band had such high status. I don't listen to this. I find it annoying but... original, and for that it hand it 2,5 stars, although, I could throw 1 star at it for taste and enjoyment, but hey, the cover is great!
Some notes on the title.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Van Morrison "Hard Nose the Highway" (1973)

Hard Nose the Highway
release date: Jul. 1973
format: cd (1997 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Van Morrison
label: Polydor Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Snow in San Anselmo" - 2. "Warm Love" (4 / 5) - 3. "Hard Nose the Highway" - 4. "Wild Children" - 8. "Purple Heather"

7th studio album by Van Morrison originally released on Warner Bros and produced by Van Morrison. All except 2 tracks are composed entirely by Morrison, but what mostly distinguishes this from its superior predecessor St. Dominic's Preview, as well as the two great albums Moondance and Astral Weeks is not Morrison's ability to write fine lyrics, 'cause this is there all right, but more so the resulting musical output. There are a few very fine songs here but the overall sensation is really a lack of memorable tracks. "Warm Love" is fine and memorable and both the title track and "Snow in San Anselmo" are fine works, but they aren't sufficient to lift the album to the heights of his better releases. As a result the album turns out with a certain remoteness turning the album into a lesser lesser release by Morrison standards 'cause it's still far from any signs of mediocrity. Hard Nose the Highway is unfairly considered by many critics an unsuccessful album, but it's likely as a contender as his first album off peak in the 1970s. However, with several fine compositions and superior lyrics, this is still a much better release than his debut.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Deep Purple "Mark I & II" (1973)

Mark I & II (compilation)
release date: Dec. 1973
format: vinyl 2 lp / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Derek Lawrence; Deep Purple
label: EMI Electrola - nationality: England, UK

1st compilation album by Deep Purple originally released on Purple Records. The original vinyl album is a double lp and the first record (side A and B) is titled 'Mark I', and it features tracks written in the early formation of the band known as Mark I, which had Rod Evans on lead vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitars, Jon Lord on keyboards, Nick Simper on bass, and Ian Paice playing drums and percussion. The second record (side C and D) is labelled 'Mark II', featuring tracks written with the most popular and critically acclaimed period of the band consisting of Ian Gillan on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitars, Jon Lord on keyboards, Roger Glover on bass, and with Ian Paice playing drums and percussion. The release probably comes as a consequence after Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left the band in the summer of 73, which meant that the Mark II era had come to an end.

Deep Purple "Who Do We Think We Are" (1973)

Who Do We Think We Are!
release date: Jan. 13, 1973
format: vinyl (TPSA 7508) / cd (2002 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Deep Purple
label: Purple Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Woman From Tokyo" (4 / 5) - 2. "Mary Long" (4 / 5) - 3. "Super Trouper" (3 / 5) - 4. "Smooth Dancer" (3,5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Rat Bat Blue" (4 / 5) - 2. "Place in Line" (3 / 5) - 3. "Our Lady" (3,5 / 5)

7th studio album by Deep Purple released on Purple and produced by the band had its official release in the US in January and in the UK and Europe one month later. With this the band has moved somewhat away from the harder heavy metal sound they have showcased on Deep Purple in Rock (1970) and Machine Head (1972), and are more blues rock founded. Deep Purple always had a huge crowd of fans in the US, as they saw as their primary market, and they have throughout their career paid tribute to the blues and especially the Hendrix version of blues rock.
The album sold well, although peaking at number #4 in the UK and number #15 in the US, but it still made it to top the albums chart lists in several countries in the throughout Europe.
Although, fans of the band and many critics do not agree, I find that this is one their better albums. It's the last with the 'Mark II' constitution of the band as both Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left the band in the summer of '73 due to tensions and heavy disputes within the band.
Imho, this is the last fine studio album by Deep Purple.
[ allmusic.com album 2 / 5 stars ]

Black Sabbath "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" (1973)

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
release date: Dec. 1973
format: vinyl (1974 issue) / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Black Sabbath
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: England, UK

5th studio album by Black Sabbath originally released by World Wide Associates (WWA) in the UK and by Vertigo in the EU and internationally except for the American market where Warner released the album.
I was handed this album as an item in a collection my older brother gave me when he moved out of out family home, when I was 13 yo. I used to enjoy listening to this at age 12 when playing with Lego, and I guess that's why he included that. I haven't paid much attention to Black Sabbath as such, and to me, this still holds pretty nicely, although, I'm not a fan of metal rock nor sees the qualities of Black Sabbath or Paranoid, or other acclaimed works by the band, and I think what I really like about this album is the inclusion of more complex compositions - one the one hand - and more harmony-driven songs. I do recall back then, that I never thought of it as being a hard rock release. Many years later, I have come across the works by the band and by Ozzy Osbourne but never found it good enough to dig into.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Toots & The Maytals "Funky Kingston" (1973)

Funky Kingston
release date: 1973
format: cd (1991 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Warwick Lyn, Chris Blackwell & Dave Bloxham
label: Island Records - nationality: Jamaica

Tracklist: 1. "Sit Right Down" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Pomp and Pride" (4 / 5) - 3. "Louie Louie" (4 / 5) - 4. "I Can't Believe" - 5. "Redemption Song" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Daddy's Home" (4 / 5) - 7. "Funky Kingston" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "It Was Written Down" (3,5 / 5)

7th studio album by Toots & The Maytals org. released on Dragon (Records) and the first to be released internationally. It's quite evident that the album had been in the hands of more talented producers, as the sound is clearly bettering the predecessor Slatyam Stoot (1972). The album comes in two major different versions: the original Jamaican and similar European issues, and a 1975 issue released for the American market with a completely different track set [found here].
Many of the tracks had been issued on previous albums. "Pomp and Pride", "Louie Louie", "Redemption Song" and "It Was Written Down" were all on the '72 album in other versions. "Daddy's Home" is also found on the previous album and on the debut The Sensational Maytals (1965) as "Daddy", but here that song has been given its original name and the song has doubled its running time and become a reggae composition instead of the former rocksteady version(s), which built on the original 1961 doo-wop single by Shep and the Limelites (written by James Sheppard. The song has been covered by a vast number of artists).
[ allmusic.com, Sputnikmusic 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]

Nazareth "Razamanaz" (1973)

Razamanaz
release date: May 1973
format: vinyl (6303 085 A) / digital (2006 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Roger Glover
label: Philips - nationality: Scotland, UK

3rd studio album by Scottish hard rock band Nazareth is produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover.
My older brother handed me this in a pile of other albums, primarily of the 1970s, alongside albums by Deep Purple and Jethro Tull, when he left our family house back around 1979/80.