More Albums Out of the Many I Have ( #AtoZChallenge )

      More albums out the many albums I still have are to be found in this post.  This is another long one.  I assure you that more short posts are to come.   This post will be like a carton of eggs.  An even dozen.

        Mountain is gone from my vinyl collection, but fortunately I have their albums on CD.  May Blitz and Moody Blues albums are no more for me, but at least I did get some Moody Blues on CD.  Good-bye to my Joni Mitchell and Harvey Mandel albums.  But never fear there are a whole bunch of M albums here...    

Links to the music are included throughout the post if you want to hear the music.

Ian Matthews "Tigers Will Survive"  (1971)  I was first made aware of this artist through his hit version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" which he recorded with his band Southern Comfort.  When I saw this album in the cut-out bins in 1973 or so I figured it would probably be good and it is.  Matthews chose good songs and performed them well.  "Tigers Will Survive" is an extremely listenable album that is hard to not like.  

McGuinness Flint "McGuinness Flint"  (1970) I knew this group from their hit "When I'm Dead and Gone" so when I saw their album in the cut-out bin it caught my interest. The cover art intrigued me and the album was a bargain so I bought it.  This is an outstanding album that has given me hours of listening enjoyment.  I'm glad I bought it and now I'm glad I kept it.

Murray McLauchlan   "Hard Rock Town"  (1977) & "Sweeping the Spotlight Away" (1974)  I discovered the music of this artist when I was working in Canada and looking for music from that country.  Murray McLauchlan has been unjustly overlooked by American audiences, but he is a Canadian treasure.  He's released a ton of great music since 1971,  I acquired much of his catalog on cassette tape and that's mostly what I have now.  However I did find two of his albums on vinyl at a used record store in Knoxville back in the late eighties.  I've kept these because it's not likely I'd find them again--at least not in the United States.

The Magic Show  (1974)  Soon after "The Magic Show" opened on Broadway I joined a touring magic show that I was with for a couple years.  During my stint with The Ken Griffin Magic Show I became interested in all things magic.  In 1976 when we were playing a magic convention in the Catskills we took a trip down to NYC to see "The Magic Show".  We were greatly disappointed to find the show sold out so Roberta Griffin sent a note backstage to Doug Henning, the show's star.  As it turned out, the Griffins, who had written a book about illusion shows, were like heroes to Henning.  He invited us backstage to meet him and then arranged for us to have special seats for the show. It's the only show that I've seen on Broadway and it was fantastic.   The soundtrack is wonderful--worth keeping for the music and for the memories.

McKendree Spring "3"  (1972)   After I heard this group's version of Neil Young's "Down By The River" on the radio I knew I had to buy their album.  After all, the group features a violin player and as I've said before I tend to be drawn to any group with a violin player since I play violin.  This is excellent music in the progressive folk rock vein.  I bought this album at full price at the University of Tennessee bookstore.  That was my place to go for albums that were difficult to find elsewhere. And besides, I was there going to school anyway so it was convenient for me.  

The McCoys  "Human Ball"  (1969)  At the time I found this album in the cut-out bins the song "Stormy Monday" was a quite popular song for bluesy bands to cover.  The album included a version of the song so I figured I would buy it.  I'd already known the McCoys from their hit "Hang on Sloopy" so they were on my musical radar.  Not that I liked their hit that much, but this album doesn't sound much like that song which is fine with me.  This is a very good album with an interesting mix of songs.  The album took me by surprise when I first heard it and now I think it's good enough to keep in my collection.

Larry Murray  "Sweet Country Suite"  (1971)  This album was part of the early country rock movement.  When I saw it in the cut-out bin I had little idea of what it was, but it looked interesting so I procured it for a pittance.  I was pleasantly surprised and ended up spinning this disc on my turntable with some frequency.  I recall many an afternoon sitting alone in my parents' basement rec room relaxing to this pleasant album.  I'm gonna keep this one.

John Mayall "Back to the Roots"  (1971)  In the early seventies it seemed like everyone I knew had a copy of this album.  Maybe it was always sold at a bargain price because, like me, my friends liked a good record deal whenever they could find one.  I probably picked this double album up for a couple of bucks and it was well worth the expenditure.  Legendary John Mayall is joined by a host of other legends including the amazing jazz blues electric violinist Sugarcane Harris. I was already familiar with Harris's work on Frank Zappa's "Burnt Weenie Sandwich" and was wild about what he did on that album.  Knowing that he was on the Mayall collaboration was worth buying the album.  This music still holds up very well.

Mason Proffit   "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream"  (1971) This group was another pioneer of the country rock movement and this album is an excellent collection of their music. This is the only album by the group that I've owned, but I have several cassettes that the Talbott brothers who formed Mason Proffit released in the eighties.  John and Terry Talbott both went on to become Christian artists and recorded several albums together as well as solo.  When I was buying those albums I initially didn't know that they had been part of Mason Proffit until I read about it in a Christian music magazine.

Mortimer  (1968)  "Dedicated Music Man"   When I saw this album in cut-outs the picture put me in mind of The Beatles so I bought it.  As it turns out they did have support from the Beatles.  The music is quite pleasant and nicely recorded.  This is music that makes me smile wistfully.  Ah, those younger days!    A short documentary about the group can be found here--interesting story about a mostly forgotten group.

   

The Merry-Go-Round   (1967)  Emitt Rhodes had a long solo career without spectacular success though he is revered by many music lovers.  Before going solo he was the primary creative force behind the short-lived group The Merry-Go-Round.  The music is sunny pop psychedelia with a Beatles like sound.  I always found this to be a likable album with pleasing songs.
 

Myrth  (1969)  If you like the big horn bands like Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears then you will likely find this album appealing.  Another find in the cut-out bins, I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this album though I knew it would have horns. After a spin on the turntable I knew I had a winner.  This album is a powerhouse of music.  This band from Phoenix AZ should have had more success, but so it goes and then it goes into cut-out bins for music lovers like me to keep in their collections.

        Which of these albums do you know?   Do you have a favorite Broadway musical?   What would be some of your picks for the letter M?