AT 3 am this mornin', February 9, 2022, I was working on tape transfers that cost a small bundle! One featured a 2000 interview I did with June Millington of the fabulous rock group FANNY. I'd been out of touch with June for a good twenty years! Wednesday Feb 7 2022 she sent me a link to her new CD, SNAPSHOTS with former David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick! Met Earl back around 1986, and it was quite a surprise to find him working in this region again...June's out in Western Massachusetts. Equally surprising is that this album is so very, very good! Well, it shouldn't be surprising, those Fanny albums are spectacular. Richard Perry's voice is on the slate on track 11...had coffee with Richard and Jimmy Miller in L.A. back around 1986 too....the good old days!...which Carly says these are!
Let's resurrect my old column, Joe Vig's First Impressions
Joe Vig’s First Impressions
Album: SNAPSHOTS
Artist: June Millington
Make Me Happy 2:51
1)June Millington’s Snapshots CDs starts off with a pure pop confection that
sounds as if Laura Nyro and Paul McCartney decided to create a combination of
their skills. At two minutes and
fifty-one seconds it would fit on 2022 radio as easily as it would the year 1965.
Fun production too.
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2)Eagle to the Moon 5:18 Snarling rock and roll a complete 180 from
the pure pop that leads off the album. When Millington brings you to the dance
she brings you to the dance. And you
have to.
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3)Girls Don’t Dream 4:12 From pop to rock to folk, the Snapshots album is a perfectly balanced adventure. You’ll love the guitar lines that build underneath the folksy ode to those who ventured forth as the band Fanny did, from Janis Ian to Janis Joplin, the Runaways to Goldie and the Gingerbreads. Smooth, catchy and extraordinary.
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4)Too Close to the Bone …a grisly blues tune that would fit in any Terminator
movie a la George Thorogood in Judgment Day, fascinating interplay of the
keyboard and guitar, adding something extra to the genre the way Alvin Lee,
George Harrison and Jon Lord created a blues specialty with “Real Life Blues.”
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5)Letter from the Heart - perhaps subconscious elements of "Voodoo Chile" from Hendrix and ...yes, Alvin Lee's "I'd Love to Change the World," initiate the proceedings here it is the succession of vocals with the "no war" theme that are elegant and enchanting. Wonderful track..."we are your next generation." Guitar work very inviting.
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6)Fire in the Street - the production is something else here, so many elements to each composition ...the percussion and vibes draw you in. A chant or a mantra with a perspective on politics, cascading sounds demanding repeated spins.
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7)Un-Knowable....here where the esoteric forces take over for two minutes, good segue after "Fire in the Street" where Millington embraces her inner Sai Baba and walks through walls
Perhaps an adult lullabye, perfect pop that, again, seeks out the invisible masters... "We set our own sails...wondering where we've been since forever..." The musicianship is sterling at 2:32 ...two and a half minutes...this would be on Top 40...if Top 40 really still existed.
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9 Grace ...at 2:32 again, June Millington's pop sensibilities are very radio friendly. And again, the song mixes are pure perfection...from the rhythmic foundation to the vocals seeking the state of grace...state of mind, has the protagonist looking behind...
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10)Eyes in the Back of My Head - stripped down pop/rap...still looking for hope, and like "Grace" which preceded it, looking behind, politics and a beat.
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11)The Ballad of Fanny - this is actually a demo from back in the day with legendary Richard Perry's voice on the slate (RP produced "Photograph" for Ringo, Genya Ravan was his first girlfriend before he produced "You're So Vain" for Carly Simon and "I'm So Excited" for the Pointer Sisters) ....June tells the early story of Fanny a la The Mama's and the Papa's "Creeque Alley."
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12)Wonder Woman - someone get this to Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins. A supremely catchy hook, go to the definition of paean for the review of this song: Definition of paean 1 : a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph
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13)Make Me Happy (reprise, the label Fanny was originally on) ...this alternate version is equally "happy," what a great way to end such a wonderful album. A truly great recording from start to finish.
Some Jimi Hendrix VoodooChile
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