Carl Elizondo:13 Albums That Changed My Life- by Andrew Daly

For me, Deep Purple was the energy and the vibe that I wanted my band to sound like; Ian Gillan’s and David Coverdale’s voices were perfect for this rendition of the band. Ian Paice and David Coverdale’s rhythm section was a perfect sketch board for Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore to paint the perfect songs. Heavy, loud, fast, and punchy, these songs were crafted for a live environment, and they did just that!

Ritchie Blackmore can let all the other musicians shine on through while he patiently waits for his lead slot, something that a lot of ego-driven guitarists didn’t do back then. The bluesy feel of Ian Gillan’s voice is the perfect fit for these songs, and David Coverdale’s soulful crooning accompanies Gillan’s voice perfectly. Some of these songs rock, some run, and some stroll, but they are all Deep Purple at their best. Key Song: “You Fool No One”

At this time, I was deep into the rock bands that I was playing with. Van Halen and many other noteworthy bands were on the circuit at the time. I wanted to play heavier and harder, and this album helped me. Bill Ward’s playing on this album was what I was looking for: straightforward, heavy playing and simple fills to hold the song together. This was a trying time for the band as they were trying to get out of their horrible record contract. So, Tony Iommi tucked himself into the studio and wrote some of the angriest angst-ridden heavy rock to date. Songs like Symptom of the Universe are riff-laden tunes that hold no punches. It’s loud, driven, and mad as hell, and I love it! This hard and heavy sound stayed with me for the rest of my life. Geezer Butler and Bill Ward can heavily groove a song, and Tony can play the meanest riffs on top with Ozzy Osborne’s vocals, making this album perfect for the time and me! Key Song: “Symptom of the Universe.”

The band I was in at the time was named RAZU, and we were very popular in the San Gabriel Valley in late 1977. The boys in the band were older than I was and had a more sophisticated taste in music; not to say they weren’t rockers; they just had a broader feel for music. I learned a lot from them. This album was one of those lessons. The musicianship and precise vocals make this album a masterpiece. The writing was innovative, combining fantastic musicianship with an almost theatrical feel.

These weren’t musicians writing music but songsmiths with an acute ability to draw you into each tune’s refrain. This was almost heavy classical rock with an air of nobility. These songs taught me to put as much into the lyrics as the song’s construction. To build a story, a narrative, or something the listener can grasp on to. The song “Ogre Battle” was so mind-blowing that I listened to it for a month, trying to dissect each movement in the song. There is a lot to take in with layers galore, backward masking, and vocals on top of vocals.

Brian May’s guitar work is exceptional and above par as he weaves multi-guitar layers into a blistering wall of sound. For the time, this was innovative. Here, I learned layering and multi-tracking ’til the cows come home, and then some. What I learned from this album was precision playing and knowing your craft well, with nothing to be taken for granted or left to chance. With this album, the players move as a whole unit, so I focused on the individual musicians less. Key Song: “Ogre Battle.”

Can it get any better than this album? Maybe. But this was very freeing for me as I felt a new form of heavy rock. Leaning more towards the side of the metal, with Michael Schenker’s searing guitar work and Andy Parker laying down what I consider the perfect feel to all the songs on this album. It’s a musician’s album, not something you would hear on commercial radio.

This album has the perfect combination of heavy riffs, solid drumming, and Pete Ways bass lines, all presented for Phil Mogg’s vocals to sing over. This was perfect heavy rock and exquisite musicianship. This album had me focus on my pocket timing and playing. Many bands I was in then, like Wizard and Tyrant Star, were playing UFO cover songs at our gigs. They were the perfect songs to hone all our skills and then some. Key Song: “Mother Mary.”

About this time, I was becoming the drummer I always hoped to be, but with this album, I found something new to strive for. This album was the perfect combination of rock and progressive, almost jazz or something like that, as the band could make left turns with their music on a dime. Neil Peart’s drumming took control of me, and for a while, I was like a plasterer, filling every hole I could find. Now if you are in a rock band and not a progressive rock band, that can be a detriment, and as Greg Leon later told me, “Less Is more.” So, I learned to use these new rudiments only occasionally and when needed. The time signatures on this album are fantastic, and the band’s tightness is seldom found in a three-piece. I have always been in awe of the songwriting and the different moods each song could have within it, ever-changing, twisting, and molding, as each song on this four-tune offering gives the listener. Also within each song is a story that can only be penned by Neil Peart’s imagination and particular penchant for songwriting. Key Song: “The Trees.”

Wow, why so far down on the list? Because before now, I didn’t care for The Beatles; blasphemous as that may sound, yes, I wasn’t a fan. Only until my guitarist Rick Anthony from Heroes in Love told me, “Sit down and really listen to them and the song compositions.” Only then did I realize the genius of each album, and I also noticed how all the previous artists I listed borrowed from The Beatles.

At this time, The Beatles were at the pinnacle of their inner mind psychedelia. These songs have so many studio tricks, exquisite songwriting, and fantastic lyrics that I can see the kids in Piccadilly Square shopping and mulling about when I listen to this album. This was a time for discovery and excitement, and this album conveys that. Paul McCartney and John Lennon are in lockstep with each other as George Harrison and Ringo Starr keep a steady rhythm section for the boys to sing and play over.

And as Paul is more of a lead bass player than a bass player, George’s rhythms and occasional leads are just where they should be. I love the experimentation that [producer] George Martin allowed them to explore using phasing, slowing down the tracking, and even some reversed elements of the instruments. I use this on my Carl Elizondo & The Royal Union of Architects albums to this day. The Beatles are the cornerstone of my songwriting efforts today. Key Song: “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

So, what do you get when you combine the heavy bands I have previously listed and The Beatles? Well, that’d be Oasis! This band of the ’90s came from the ruins of Manchester’s working-class children with more time on their hands than sense. But for Noel and Liam Gallagher they made the most of it, churning tunes out about the misery of living in the lower classes and writhing around in your own filth.

These songs are loud, raw, and raunchy, with a ’60s ancestry. The songs are cocaine-ridden, over-modulated tunes that show the angst of the times. I love the anger in most of the songs that Noel has written, and his playing is as if he is deliberately trying to break the strings on his guitar. Liam’s particular vocal style is so Manchurian that you instantly know his feelings and disdain for everyone else… except himself. This great album must only be played very loud to hear the meaning of the songs.

Key song: “My Big Mouth.”

I could go on about albums that touched my life, but my descriptions of other albums would seem redundant. These 13 albums did influence the drumming that I used in The Greg Leon Invasion, Razu, Heroes in Love, Sin, Jag Wire, and these days, with Carl Elizondo & The Royal Union of Architects. You can learn more about Wow, why so far down on the list? Because before now, I didn’t care for The Beatles; blasphemous as that may sound, yes, I wasn’t a fan. Only until my guitarist Rick Anthony from Heroes in Love told me, “Sit down and really listen to them and the song compositions.” Only then did I realize the genius of each album, and I also noticed how all the previous artists I listed borrowed from The Beatles.

At this time, The Beatles were at the pinnacle of their inner mind psychedelia. These songs have so many studio tricks, exquisite songwriting, and fantastic lyrics that I can see the kids in Piccadilly Square shopping and mulling about when I listen to this album. This was a time for discovery and excitement, and this album conveys that. Paul McCartney and John Lennon are in lockstep with each other as George Harrison and Ringo Starr keep a steady rhythm section for the boys to sing and play over.

And as Paul is more of a lead bass player than a bass player, George’s rhythms and occasional leads are just where they should be. I love the experimentation that [producer] George Martin allowed them to explore using phasing, slowing down the tracking, and even some reversed elements of the instruments. I use this on my Carl Elizondo & The Royal Union of Architects albums to this day. The Beatles are the cornerstone of my songwriting efforts today. Key Song: “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

https://www.classicrockhistory.com/carl-elizondo-13-albums-that-changed-my-life/