More heavy sounds

Several years ago at a garage sale, I came across a CBS compilation that seemed to sit naturally beside a record album I once wrote about, Heavy Sounds. This companion record was titled More Heavy Sounds, issued in 1970. Like its predecessor, it gathered together a selection of powerful tracks from the Columbia/CBS catalogue, and listening to it today feels rather like opening a time capsule of late 1960s rock.

The album followed the success of the earlier Heavy Sounds compilation and leaned heavily toward the louder, more adventurous side of the label’s roster. Psychedelic rock, gritty blues and the first stirrings of jazz-rock fusion all appear here. In those days, compilation albums like this were a convenient way for listeners to sample artists they might not otherwise have encountered, and the selections on More Heavy Sounds were clearly chosen to showcase the energy and diversity of the Columbia stable around 1969 and 1970.

As with the earlier compilation, the interest of the record lies in the music itself. Each track was drawn from albums that had appeared on the Columbia/CBS label during the previous year or so, and the result is an engaging cross-section of what was happening in rock music at the turn of the decade.

The album opened with Save The Country by Laura Nyro, taken from her 1969 album New York Tendaberry. Nyro’s music always had a unique blend of gospel, pop and soul, and this song captured that mixture beautifully. Her piano drove the arrangement forward while her powerful voice delivered a passionate call for unity and compassion. The song would later be covered by other artists, but Nyro’s original remained the most emotionally compelling.

Next came It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, performed by The Byrds from their Ballad of Easy Rider album. Originally written by Bob Dylan, the song received a distinctly Byrds-like treatment here. Roger McGuinn’s nasal vocal and the band’s chiming guitars transform Dylan’s stark folk composition into a reflective piece of country-rock. The result felt wistful rather than bitter, almost as if the band were looking back on the turbulent 1960s themselves.

Taj Mahal contributed Six Days On The Road, drawn from the double album Giant Step / De Old Folks at Home. The song had long been known as a classic truck-driving country number, but Taj Mahal gave it a very different flavour. Instead of a straight-forward country approach, he injected a deep blues groove, turning it into a performance that highlighted his ability to move effortlessly between musical traditions.

The next track, Mama Get Down Those Rock And Roll Shoes by NRBQ, comes from the band’s self-titled debut album. NRBQ had a reputation for being unpredictable, blending rockabilly, rhythm and blues, and even hints of jazz into their music. This track captured that energetic spirit, slightly rough around the edges and full of the enthusiasm that characterised many late 1960s rock recordings.

From there the album moved into heavier territory with Pacific Gas & Electric and their track My Woman. Taken from their 1969 album, the song was built around thick guitar riffs and the gritty vocals of Charlie Allen. The band would later become known for more gospel-influenced material, but here they sounded firmly rooted in the hard blues-rock style that flourished in San Francisco during that period.

One of the centre pieces of the compilation is Chicago’s expansive version of I’m A Man. This performance originally appeared on the band’s debut double album Chicago Transit Authority. The group stretches the Spencer Davis Group hit into an extended jam filled with brass riffs, Latin-tinged percussion and a spectacular drum break. Guitarist Terry Kath also delivers some searing passages that remind listeners how formidable Chicago were as a live band in their early days.

Al Kooper followed with Too Busy Thinking About My Baby, from his album You Never Know Who Your Friends Are. Kooper had already established himself as a musician, songwriter and producer, and his interpretation of this Motown number carried his trademark organ sound. The arrangement was lush and polished, blending soul influences with the sophisticated pop-rock production that Kooper excelled at.

No compilation representing the Columbia roster of that era would be complete without Janis Joplin, and she appeared here with Maybe. Taken from her album I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, the song shows a more vulnerable side of Joplin. Backed by a strong horn section, she sang with a mixture of pain and longing that made her such a compelling performer. Even among many powerful tracks on the album, this one stood out for its emotional intensity.

The energy ross again with Johnny Winter’s take on Highway 61 Revisited. Winter transformed Dylan’s already surreal song into a blazing blues-rock workout. His slide guitar flashed across the track with astonishing speed and precision, and turned the performance into a showcase for his technical brilliance.

The compilation closed with Treat, an instrumental by Santana from their debut album. Beginning with a jazzy piano introduction, the piece gradually built into a fiery Latin-rock groove. Carlos Santana’s melodic guitar lines wove through the rhythm section’s driving percussion, illustrating the fusion of rock, jazz and Latin influences that would soon make the band internationally famous.

Listening to More Heavy Sounds today, I am reminded of how adventurous the Columbia/CBS catalogue was at the time. The album moved easily from gospel-tinged pop to country-rock, from Chicago’s brass-driven experimentation to Santana’s Latin rhythms. As a compilation, it captured a moment when rock music was expanding in many directions at once.

For collectors and listeners alike, the record remained an enjoyable snapshot of that period: a sampler of artists who, in their different ways, helped define the sound of the late 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s.