2015 Was A Big Hit For New CDs By Aging Pop Artists & Adele

By Doug Draper,

Posted December 30^th, 2015 on Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com.

Those of you who have been visiting Niagara At Large for a while, know I like to break up all the news and commentary on the site with the odd piece on pop culture.

During this Holiday Season, following month after month of relentless politicking, punctuated shocks of one sort or another from around this crazy world, I get the impression that many people out there could use a bit of a break from that sort of stuff. So let me try a little end-of-year pop music round-up here.

Cory Wells, a Buffalo, New York native and a lead singer in the legendary rock band Three Dog Night, passed away this past October

If you are in your late 50s or early 60s like me – you know, more than half a century old – and you find yourself feeling almost totally out of touch with the current music scene while thumbing through the review section of Rolling Stone magazine, 2015 offered a little relief.

For lovers of classic pop music, this passing year saw a bumper crop of very good to great CDs from artists stretching back to the golden years of the 1960s and 70s.

Being the music addict I am, I go running out to get almost any new CD the classic performers put out and am always thrilled when the music lives up to the legend. At the same time, I find myself feeling a little sad, knowing that most of these artists are now in their 60s and 70s, and it ain’t gonna last. The latest CD by them could turn out to be a final encore.

This 2015 also saw the passing of some of the greats, including (just to name a very few) Percy Sledge (‘When A Man Loves A Woman’), B.B. King (‘The Thrill Is Gone’, ‘Sweet Sixteen’ and so many others) and Joe Cocker (‘Feelin’ Alright’ and the most awesome cover ever of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’).

The legendary Joe Cocker, shown here performing at the 1969 Woodstock festival, died in 2015.

I also want to recognize another great one whose passing got by me this past fall while I was cranking out commentary on our Canadian election. I feel a special need to mention him before this year ends because I have many friends and NAL visitors on the American side of the Niagara River and he was a Buffalo, New York native. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I was a big fan of him myself.

His name was Cory Wells and he was a lead singer in one of the most success, hit-making bands of the late 60s and 70s – Three Dog Night.

One very hot and humid July night about 26 years ago, my wife Mary and I saw Three Dog Night at the old Melody Fair in Niagara County, New York. Corey Wells’ clothes were soaked by the time he finished belting out hits like ‘One’, ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’ and cover of ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ that matched in soul and energy the version by Otis Redding, all while telling the audience how proud he was to be doing a show so close to his old hometown. And wow! What a voice.

A younger Cory Wells belts out one of Three Dog Night’s hits

I’ve promised myself that when I get a chance, I am going to be sending out emails to the appropriate people in his hometown, asking that a portrait of him be placed on the walls of Shea’s Theatre and that a tile with his name on it be placed on a walkway along Elmwood Avenue – two places where jazz musician Grover Washington, actress/comedian Lucille Ball, composer Harold Arlen and other performers who hailed from the Buffalo area are so honoured.

Cory Wells died at his home in Dunkirk, New York this past October with show dates for Three Dog Night still on his calendar for this coming year. He was 74.

Now here is my list of great CDs ‘(shown from left to right, and from top to bottom in the image below) from some of veterans of pop music who are fortunately still with us.

They are ‘Can’t Forget’ by Leonard Cohen, ‘Long Lost Suitcase’ by Tom Jones, ‘A Fool To Care’ by Boz Scaggs, ‘Alone In The Universe’ by Jeff Lynne’s the Electric Light Orchestra, ‘Power In The Blood’ by Buffy Sainte-Marie, ‘Cross Eyed Heart’ by Keith Richards of Rolling Stones fame, ‘Before This World’ by James Taylor, ‘Cass County’ by Don Henley of Eagles fame, ‘Introducing Darlene Love’ by Darlene Love whose stardom as a singer goes back to the 1962 #1 hit ‘He’s A Rebel and who should need no introduction, ‘Spirit of ‘67’ by the 1960s psychedelic powerhouse Vanilla Fudge and ‘No Pier Pressure’ by the legendary architect of Pet Sounds and all other things good about the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, who makes it happen with yet another fine group of songs.

And last but not least, there is a CD by the only young one on my list. She’s Adele whose voice and original compositions on her recently released ‘25’ live up to every bit of hype the album has received. I include her because as Time magazine said in an end-of-year edition featuring Adele on the cover, here is a voice and a talent that seems to bridge the past, present and future.

If Adele, almost single handedly, manages to make entire albums of music and brick-and-mortar record stores as popular as they were in the 60s and 70s again, then I am all for seeing her, at the tender age of 27, become the youngest artist ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

As for the older artists on my pick of those gifted us some great music in 2015, I have to echo something former Guess Who guitarist and songwriter Randy Bachman says from time to time on his CBC radio program ‘Vinyl Tap’. If Van Morrison or Eric Clapton or any of the other legendary artists from the golden age of rock come around your way on tour, try to get out and see them because it might not happen again.

Or if you can’t afford the ticket, at least pick up any new collection of songs they may release. I would assure you that it is almost always a very rewarding musical experience.

P.S. – Make a resolution for 2016 to support brick and morter record store by buying your music in them. Record stores are a far better way of discovering new artists and albums, and finding classic ones, than cherry picking tunes off the internet or shopping online.

By the way, the vey best store for new and used CDs and vinyl from New York City to Toronto (and just as great as any surviving record store I’m aware of in those two cities) is Record Theatre in Buffalo, New York. For anyone who loves music, walking into the flagship Record Theatre store on Main Street and Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo is like going to record store heaven. And no one paid me to say that. And No One paid me to say that. Visist the website for Record Theature – and, yes, it is also independently owned – is www.recordtheatre.com .

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.