BAD RICE

This reissue of "Bad Rice" is a musical revelation. Although I have the album by The Durocs, a later band featuring Ron Nagle, I had never heard or heard of this solo album that he recorded n 1970. Many thanks to the other reviewers who helped alert me to this gem of an album. Honestly, it's as good as they say it is; a real masterpiece of rock and pop music. This was Nagle's lone solo album, and it rates as a tragedy that not only did the album gather little notice or sales upon its original release, but that Nagle never recorded another album. Clearly, this guy had first-class songwriting chops. I hear elements of everyone from Burt Bacharach and Randy Newman to Todd Rundgren and even Andrew Gold in these songs. There are some beautifully tender ballads and delicious pop songs mixed with spirited rockers that exude the energy of an early Rolling Stones record. I love this description of the album in Gene Sculatti's excellent liner notes: "The results were stunning: indelible melodies, hard-charging rock 'n' roll and heartbreaking ballads, a level of insight and lyrical sophistication that, at its best, invests the songs with the depth and plot points of the most compelling short story." High praise indeed, but I agree with Sculatti's assessment. This was incredibly well-crafted music, songs full of hooks and lyrical brilliance, plus the production by Jack Nitzsche was sharp and perfectly balanced. As good as the original "Bad Rice" album was --- and still is --- the bonus CD of studio demos and unreleased material is also incredible. What a treat to belatedly discover this amazing music. Thanks to the folks at Omnivore Recordings for reissuing this lost classic. (Amazon)

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