Lost Treasure Found!
fgutch | Oregon | 08/07/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The gods must be Japanese. I discovered Cargoe in 1972 only to see them shortly thereafter sucked into a legal and business black hole of epic proportions. Unlike power pop icons Big Star (labelmates at Ardent Records), no one sang Cargoe's praises nor did collectors swarm swap meets and used record stores in search for their one superb album. No phoenix rising from the ashes here, I thought. Luckily, I was wrong.
The musical gods evidently have a way of correcting such wrongs. In 2003, that lost album surfaced as part of a Stax series put together by JVC-Japan, and what a treasure it is! From the collage which opens the CD on "Come Down" to the raucous and rocking "Tokyo Love", Cargoe takes you through musical paces few could reach. Most accessible are "Feel Alright", the band's one close-to-pop offering (though I hear it as more of a punchy rocker with hooks) and the beautiful and flowing "I Love You Anyway", a rock ballad of the first water. "Time" and "Leave Today" are anchors, longer tunes broken up into segments by musicians talented beyond their twenty-something years. "Introduction (This Is Real)" leads into a strange, laid back rocker ("Feelin' Mighty Poorly") which segues into "Thousand Peoples Song", which... I tell you, this is a production masterpiece. A place for every song and every song in its place, as an old friend once said.
Two things. First, since the re-release of this on CD and the release of the band's "Live In Memphis" CD, critics have attempted comparisons to Big Star. Cargoe is, indeed, not Big Star nor did they attempt to be. Nowhere on this or the live LP do I hear even an attempt at power pop. This is excellent structured rock, much beyond the depth of the pop sound of Big Star, and no apologies because I love Big Star too. Second, the depth of the music in this CD may take a number of listens to really appreciate. Do not be disheartened. If your mind is open and you really listen, Cargoe will take you to depths very few have reached. You might even get to the point I reached years ago: The point at which an equalizer becomes a necessary part of your system, just to hear more clearly what's in the grooves.
Because of the trade on the dollar, this is a bit expensive. You may ask, is it worth it? If you love music, my answer is, hands down!"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1