Rockasteria

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Various Artists - Morning Of The Earth (1972 australia, fantastic blend of folk prog soft classic rock, 2002 remaster)

In 1972, Albert Falzon made a film that would forever change the way the world thought about surfing. The film was Morning of the Earth. For many people it was the very first time they came to recognise surfing as a complete lifestyle. This recognition, coupled with mind-blowing, innovative surfing made the film a classic that has remained vital for over 40 years.Albe’s portrayal of all things pure and simple influenced generations, and passed on an enduring sprit to our culture, our music, and our lifestyle.

Morning of the Earth took a unique approach to music. For the first time, music was not treated as a background or incidental to the vision on the screen. The music was the narrator, with each track played in its entirety. The original soundtrack produced the Australian #1 single Open Up Your Heart and was the first Australian soundtrack to achieve gold sales. It was also recently included in the 100 Best Australian Albums.

Tracks

Artist - Title - Composer

1. G. Wayne Thomas - Morning Of The Earth (G. Wayne Thomas) - 5:06

2. Terry Hannagan - I'll Be Alright (John Capek, Terry Hannagan) - 4:05

3. Tamam Shud - First Things First (Tim Gaze) - 4:06

4. Brian Cadd - Sure Feels Good (Brian Cadd) - 3:44

5. Ticket - Awake (Eddie Hansen, Trevor Tombleson, Ricky Ball, Paul Woolright) - 5:20

6. G. Wayne Thomas - Getting Back (G. Wayne Thoma) - 5:06

7. G. Wayne Thomas - Open Up Your Heart (G. Wayne Thoma) - 3:42

8. Ticket - Dream Chant (Eddie Hansen, Trevor Tombleson, Ricky Ball, Paul Woolright) - 8:13

9. John J. Francis - Simple Ben (John J. Francis) - 7:43

10.Tamam Shud - Bali Waters (Lindsay Bjerre) - 6:16

11.Brian Cadd - Making It On Your Own (Brian Cadd) - 5:56

12.Peter Howe (Ullawatu) (Peter Howe) - 2:53

13.G. Wayne Thomas - Day Comes (G. Wayne Thomas) - 2:55

14.Tamam Shud - Sea The Swells (Lindsay Bjerre) - 6:15

15.Peter Howe (I'm Alive) (Peter Howe) - 3:42

16.Brian Cadd - Come With Me (Brian Cadd) - 4:55

1969 Tamam Shud - Evolution (2007 japan remaster and expanded)

1970 Tamam Shud - Goolutionites And The Real People (2008 remaster and expanded)

1971 Kahvas Jute - Wide Open / Live At The Basement (2005 remaster and expanded)

1971-72 Ticket - Awake/Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

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Sunday, November 21, 2021

Blue Oyster Cult - On Your Feet Or On Your Knees (1975 us, superb hard rock live blast, 2013 audiophile remaster)

On Your Feet or on Your Knees, Blue Öyster Cult's first live album (there would be two more), was also their first to peak inside the Top 40 best-sellers, which is more of an indication of the audience the group was building up through extensive touring than of its quality. Songs that had a tight, concentrated impact on studio albums got elongated here, and that impact was dissipated.

And the song selection left a great deal to be desired if this was to be a fitting summation of the band's career so far. Perhaps by their 1974 tour, BÖC had dropped such classics from their first album as "Transmaniacon MC," "I'm on the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep," and "Stairway to the Stars," but the less impressive material from the third album was no substitute. The album did mark the first commercial release of a version of "Buck's Boogie" as well as covers of the Yardbirds' "I Ain't Got You" and Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild." [A Strictly Limited Collector's Edition was released in 2013.]

by William Ruhlmann

Tracks

1. The Subhuman (Eric Bloom, Sandy Pearlman) - 7:28

2. Harvester of Eyes (Donald Roeser, Eric Bloom, Richard Meltzer) - 4:56

3. Hot Rails To Hell (Joe Bouchard) - 5:38

4. The Red & the Black (Albert Bouchard, Eric Bloom, Sandy Pearlman) - 4:32

5. Seven Screaming Dizbusters (Albert Bouchard, Donald Roeser, Joe Bouchard, Sandy Pearlman) - 8:49

6. Buck's Boogie (Donald Roeser) - 7:12

7. Last Days of May (Donald Roeser) - 4:37

8. Cities on Flame (Albert Bouchard, Donald Roeser, Sandy Pearlman) - 4:04

9. Me 262 (Donald Roeser, Eric Bloom, Sandy Pearlman) - 8:22

10.Before the Kiss (A Redcap) (Allen Lanier, Donald Roeser, Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman) - 5:12

11.Maserati Gt (I Ain't Got You) (Clarence Carter) - 8:58

12.Born To Be Wild (Mars Bonfire) - 6:25

Blue Oyster Cult

*Eric Bloom - Lead vocals, Keyboards, Stun Guitar

*Albert Bouchard - Drums, Vocals

*Joe Bouchard: Bass, Vocals

*Allen Lanier: Keyboards, Rhythm Guitar, Synthesizers

*Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser - Lead guitar, Vocals

1972-79 Blue Oyster Cult - Original Album Classics (2008 five disc box set)
1974/77 Blue Oyster Cult - Spectres / Secret Treaties (2007 bonus tracks remaster and 2014 blu spec remaster)

1978 Blue Oyster Cult - Some Enchanted Evening (2007 digi pak remaster with bonus tracks plus dvd)
Related Act
1970 Stalk-Forrest Group - St. Cecilia, The Elektra Recordings (Rem Bonus Tracks)

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Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Flamin' Groovies - Supersnazz (1969 us, impressive straight ahead boogie 'n' roll garage punk, 2000 bonus tracks and 2013 Audiophile remaster)

Founded by Ron Greco, Cyril Jordan and Roy Loney, the American Garage Rock band The Flamin' Groovies had their start in San Francisco in the mid Sixties. The debut album Supersnazz was released in 1969, containing both re-creations of '50s Rock 'n Roll songs and more melodic tracks. It made the group one of the forerunners of the Power Pop movement of the '70sâ€”a genre the Flamin' Groovies had a major influence on and contributed significant work to.

Supersnazz has achieved a reputation among not just Flamin' Groovies fans, but lovers of Rock & Roll in general. It held up very well across the decades and is still able to make its own case for greatness as an impressive document of straight-ahead Rock & Roll circa 1969. It's both fully contemporary to its time and timeless, which makes the album a classic work.

They played a mixture of dirty, blues-rock with a smattering of British invasion rock and got caught in the shifting hippy scene.

Consequently, at that time, they looked (and sounded) way out of place. Nevertheless the band still played wonderful music and were arguably more appreciated in Europe than in their home land of the USA.

Look around. Bookshelves and, more increasingly, the internet, are just full of irritatingly inspirational soundbites on being a better person, having a better life, being happy et al. Social media areas such as LinkedIn seem to be populated by nothing else. Well, obviously, the Flamin Groovies were way ahead of the self help game because they literally ignored what was going on around them and ploughed a furrow that was all of their very own. These guys believed in themselves, were true to themselves, were brimming full of self confidence and refused to be shaken by outside criticism. They really needed all of that too because, about five minutes after this album hit the streets in 1969, it hit the bargain bins with a thud. It was toally ignored.

Some albums just don’t hold up over the years but this one has grown, like a hardy flower peeking from between concrete slabs, growing in recognisable quality and subsequent reputation as each year passes. It’s an incredible piece of straight ahead rock’n’roll. Contemporary to its time (and yet simple enough to be almost timseless) but with none of the artificial period nostalgia and fun (oh yes, lots and lots of fun), this is an album to seek out and wallow in. You too can bathe in a well that is occupied by proto-’70s punk, ’50s New Orleans R&B, country music, ragtime…you name it.

From the Stones-esque Love Have Mercy, the balladic A Part From That, the rocking The Girl Can’t Help It, Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu to the country vibes of Brushfire, this album was and is one of the most original rock albums in existence.

Tracks

1. Love Have Mercy (Roy A. Loney) - 4:28

2. The Girl Can't Help It (Bobby Troup) - 3:28

3. Laurie Did It (Roy A. Loney) - 3:48

4. A Part From That (Cyril Jordan, Roy A. Loney) - 1:57

5. Rocking Pneumonia And Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey P. Smith, J. Vincent Edwards) - 2:41

6. The First One's Free (Roy A. Loney) - 3:38

7. Pagan Rachel (Al Dexter) - 1:52

8. Somethin' Else / Pistol Packin' Mama (Bob Cochran, Shari K. Sheeley) - 3:43

9. Brushfire (Cyril Jordan, Roy A. Loney) - 3:12

10.Bam Balam (Cyril Jordan, Roy A. Loney) - 1:47

11.Around The Corner (Cyril Jordan, Roy A. Loney) - 4:05

12.Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey P. Smith, J. Vincent Edwards) - 2:36

13.The First One's Free (Roy A. Loney) - 3:37

14.Somethin' Else (Bob Cochran) - 2:06

15.Laurie Did It (Roy A. Loney) - 3:47

Bonus Tracks 12-15 only on 2000 Sundazed edition

The Flamin' Groovies

*Roy A. Loney - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Handclaps

*Cyril Jordan - Lead Guitar, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Handclaps

*Tim Lynch - Lead Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, Handclaps

*George Alexander - Bass Guitar, Harmonica, Handclaps

*Danny Mihm - Drums, Percussion, Handclaps

With

*Mike Lang - Keyboards (Tracks 1,5)

1970 Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo (2012 Audiophile remaster)

1971 Flamin Groovies - Teenage Head (bonus tracks)

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Friday, November 12, 2021

The Liverpool Scene - Amazing Adventures Of The Liverpool Scene (1968-70 uk, classic comical streetwise poetry anthology surrounded by explicitly rock-based ensemble, 2009 remaster)

The Liverpool Scene coalesced semi-accidentally around poet and painter Adrian Henri, one of the chief architects of the city’s multi-media “events” of the early-to-mid-60s. Today, being a poet is to risk being battered, de-kegged and set on fire. Back then, however, poetry was a noble, rather sexy and decidedly rock’n’roll calling, thanks in no small measure to the witty, perceptive and pretension-free work of Henri and his “Mersey Sound” contemporaries. Fronting a band was a logical and inevitable progression, and Henri did just that from 1967-70.

The Amazing Adventures Of… compiles the many highlights of The Liverpool Scene’s brief career, and is a five-course meal for the senses in a Pot Noodle world. Herein you will find giddy avant-garde experimentation (We’ll All Be Spacemen Before We Die), wry cultural commentary (Bomb Commercials), raucous pastiche (The Woo Woo, Baby, I’ve Got Those Fleetwood Mac Chicken Shack John Mayall Can’t Fail Blues), tender acoustic folk (The Raven, Burdock River Run), unabashed romanticism (The Only Thing It Needed Was You) and, throughout, a shining intelligence and genuinely poetic sensibility which gladdens the heart and replenishes the soul.

The contributions of guitarist/songwriter Andy Roberts, poet/ saxophonist Mike Evans and songwriter Mike Hart were as crucial to the band’s inimitable alchemy as Henri’s antic wit and benign presence. John Peel and Led Zeppelin adored them: hear the extraordinary key compositions Made in USA and The Entry Of Christ Into Liverpool to find out exactly why.

by Marco Rossi, 21st August 2009

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Love Is (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts, Percy Jones, Brian Dodson, Mike Evans) - 1:17

2. Batpoem (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts) - 1:47

3. Son, Son (Mike Hart) - 4:18

4. Tramcar To Frankenstein (Andy Roberts, Mike Evans) - 7:47

5. The Woo Woo (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts, Percy Jones, Brian Dodson, Mike Evans) - 3:35

6. Burdock River Run (Andy Roberts) - 4:17

7. Happy Burial Blues (Maurice Cockrill, Mike Evans, Mike Hart) - 6:17

8. Universes (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts, Mike Hart, Percy Jones, Brian Dodson, Mike Evans) - 6:20

9. I'm Just A Simple Boy (Mike Hart) - 2:17

10.Baby (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts) - 2:44

11.Percy Parslow's Hamster Farm (Andy Roberts) - 3:56

12.Bomb Commercials (Mike Hart) - 2:20

13.Elsie Straws Saga (Adrian Henri) - 3:22

14.Wildwest (Adrian Henri) - 6:28

15.Colours (Mike Evans) - 5:23

16.Gliders, Parks (Mike Hart) - 5:31

17.Love Story (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts) - 11:20

Disc 2

1. The Entry Of Christ Into Liverpool (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts, Percy Jones, Brian Dodson, Mike Evans) - 7:49

2. We'll All Be Spacemen Before We Die (Andy Roberts, Percy Jones, Brian Dodson, Mike Evans) - 5:50

3. Human Tapeworm (Andy Roberts) - 3:27

4. The Morning The Sky Went Away (Andy Roberts, Mike Evans) - 1:43

5. Mental Astronaut (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts, Percy Jones, Brian Dodson, Mike Evans) - 4:01

6. See The Conkering Heroine Come (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts) - 4:29

7. Winter Poem (Adrian Henri, Percy Jones) - 3:22

8. Come Into The Perfumed Garden, Maud (Adrian Henri) - 7:55

9. The Raven (Andy Roberts) - 2:50

10.The Only Thing It Needed Was You (Mike Evans) - 0:54

11.I've Got These Fleetwood Mac Chicken Shack John Mayall Can't Fail Blues (Adrian Henri) - 5:37

12.64 (Andy Roberts) - 2:32

13.Night Song (Adrian Henri, Andy Roberts) - 2:18

14.G.B.S. Blues (Mike Evans) - 3:31

15.Made In USA (Adrian Henri, Mike Evans) - 21:59

16.Rainbow Poem (Adrian Henri) - 0:32

The Liverpool Scene

*Adrian Henri - Vocals, Poet

*Percy Jones - Bass, Harmonica

*Brian Dodson - Drums

*Mike Hart - Guitar, Vocals

*Andy Roberts - Guitar, Vocals, Accordion, Harmonica, Tin Whistle, Violin, Glockenspiel

*Mike Evans - Poet, Tenor, Alto Saxophone

With

*Pete Clarke - Drums

*Karl Jenkins - Oboe, Baritone Saxophone

*Ian Carr - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

*Malcolm Griffiths - Trombone

1973 Andy Roberts - Urban Cowboy (2012 remaster)

1971 Everyone - Everyone (2011 extra tracks edition)

1972 Plainsong - Plainsong (2013 japan remaster)

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Sunday, November 7, 2021

The Outlaws - Lady In Waiting (1976 us, exceptional country southern rock, 2018 remaster)

The Outlaws, a southern rock band who also incorporated strong country influences, a triple guitar attack and exquisite harmonies, first came onto the scene with their classic self titled debut album in 1975. It featured hits such as 'There Goes Another Love Song' and the live favourite 'Green Grass And High Tides'

The band had much going for them, with Hughie Thomasson, Henry Paul and Billy Jones all being skilled singers, songwriters and guitar players. 'Lady In Waiting' was their second album, issued in 1976, and serves as a fitting sequel to the well received first record. 'Breaker Breaker' is a superb slice of Eagles-like 70s country rock, while the bluegrass infused 'South Carolina' will get feet tapping in no time. A first class cover of 'Freeborn Man' and the Thomasson penned 'Just For You' are both fine examples of the band showing their southern rock roots and the supremely catchy 'Lover Boy' highlights how well the band's three vocalists blend on a chorus.

Closing out with the excellent 'Stick Around For Rock And Roll', 'Lady In Waiting' is a tremendous entry into The Outlaws discography and if you haven't got it, this reissue is well worth picking up.

The band would follow this up with 'Hurry Sundown' in 1977 and a live album in 1978. In 1979, the band would re-group after the departure of Henry Paul, who would go on to form his own band. Freddie Salem would be drafted in as a replacement and the band made the magnificent 'Playin' To Win' album, a much more rock orientated effort than their previous work. To see where the story goes net, you need the next batch of the reissues, reviewed here. In the meantime though, enjoy this sublime example of 70s Southern Rock with a country soul.

by James Gaden, March 26, 2018

Tracks

1. Breaker Breaker (Hughie Thomasson) - 3:00

2. South Carolina (Henry Paul) - 3:06

3. Ain't So Bad (Billy Jones) - 3:49

4. Freeborn Man (Keith Allison, Mark Lindsay) - 4:51

5. Girl From Ohio (Henry Paul) - 5:03

6. Lover Boy (Hughie Thomasson) - 3:59

7. Just For You (Hughie Thomasson) - 3:17

8. Prisoner (Billy Jones) - 3:58

9. Stick Around For Rock 'n' Roll (Hughie Thomasson) - 6:36

Outlaws

*Hughie Thomasson - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Billy Jones - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Monte Yoho - Drums

*Frank O'Keefe - Bass Guitar

*Henry Paul - Electric, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

1973-81 Outlaws – Anthology / Live 'n' Rare (2012 four disc set release)
1975 The Outlaws - The Outlaws (2001 remaster)

1977/79 Outlaws - In The Eye Of The Storm / Hurry Sundown (2003 edition)

1978 The Outlaws - Bring It Back Alive (2015 japan remaster)
Related Act
1979 Henry Paul Band - Grey Ghost

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Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Brown's Home Brew - Brown's Home Brew (1972 uk, folk country soft rock, 2020 korean remaster)

With a career that began in the 1970s and was still going strong in the opening decades of the 21st century, Joe Brown has cut a unique swath across British rock & roll. The east London-raised artist is most well-known for his bittersweet U.K. hit "A Picture of You," from 1962, the same year in which the Beatles opened for him on a string of dates. However, Brown's prolific run of early hits came to an end with the rise of Merseybeat, after which he increasingly pursued acting roles and became a broader entertainer. The '70s saw him unveil a new act, Brown's Home Brew, cementing his reputation as a musician's musician. Upon moving to Henley-on-Thames early the following decade, he reinforced his close friendship with his new neighbor George Harrison when the pair bonded over the ukulele. Following Harrison's death in 2001, Brown closed the Concert for George tribute show at the Royal Albert Hall (at the request of Harrison's wife Olivia), with a moving solo uke rendition of "I'll See You in My Dreams." His performance is reputed to have been the catalyst for renewed public interest in the instrument.

Born Joseph Roger Brown in Swarby, Lincolnshire in 1941, Brown proved a natural guitarist from an early age, and in 1956, at age 15, he formed the Spacemen, a skiffle group with whom he started his career in entertainment. The band -- whose ranks included bassist Peter Oakman and his older brother Tony Oakman on banjo and guitar -- later switched to rock & roll, and was subsequently spotted by impresario Larry Parnes, who was in the process of signing up lot of young vocal talent in an effort to get in on the rock & roll boom. The Spacemen became Parnes' resident band, backing such figures as Vince Eager, Johnny Gentle, and Marty Wilde on the early Parnes package tours. The group also had the good fortune to be spotted by producer Jack Good, who was putting together the house band for his new television music showcase Boy Meets Girl. Brown was already a prodigious player, and he was hired as lead guitarist for the house orchestra at the age of 18; he was proficient in authentic American-style rock & roll, country, and country-blues, and stood out from the competition.

He was signed to Decca Records that same year; his first two singles, "People Gotta Talk" and "Jellied Eels," issued in 1959 and 1960, respectively, failed to chart. But his third, "The Darktown Strutters Ball," reached number 34 on the U.K. charts in 1960. The group by this time was rechristened the Bruvvers, owing to the fact that they weren't using the Spacemen name anymore, and had no official name, but were, as Brown put it -- in his uniquely Cockney-styled way -- "like bruvvers." Brown left Decca for Pye Records in 1961, the latter company using his single "Crazy Mixed Up Kid" to launch its Piccadilly imprint. Only two of his next four singles even reached the Top 40, but Brown was making musical headway (and history) nonetheless. At just about that same time, he appeared as the lead guitarist on Billy Fury's landmark 10" long-player The Sound of Fury, his playing among the highlights of what is generally regarded as one of the best albums to come out of the early English rock & roll boom. His work from that period and on that album has received high praise across the decades from musicians of succeeding generations including Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.

Brown's own career didn't fully take off until 1962, when he hit the number two spot on the singles charts with "A Picture of You." He was voted the "Top U.K. Vocal Personality" of 1962 in the pages of New Musical Express, and toured that year on a bill that included the Beatles, who were just about to record their debut single, "Love Me Do"; "A Picture of You" was also a personal favorite of both Harrison and Paul McCartney, later even turning up on the "Let It Be" sessions. Brown's next two records, "It Only Took a Minute" and "That's What Love Will Do" also made the Top Ten in 1962 and 1963, but his subsequent recordings were much more modest sellers, only making the Top 30.

Brown was still sufficiently prominent in 1963 to get a film debut late that year, in What a Crazy World, which co-starred Marty Wilde. By that time, however, Brown's hold on the listening public was fading in the face of the Merseybeat boom and the next wave of British rock & roll. He turned increasingly to work in movies, pantomime, and theater musicals, and scored a big success in Charlie Girl on London's West End. Ironically, his occasional penchant for novelty tunes -- which included a recording of "I'm Henry the Eighth" -- anticipated the strategy of such successful mid-'60s pop/rock acts as Herman's Hermits, who parlayed their recording of the latter song into a huge American hit; that same use of novelty tunes in his repertory, however, also made it difficult for listeners of subsequent generations, having heard of Brown's reputation as a first-rate guitarist, to fully absorb some of his recordings, especially the early concert documents, which were weighted heavily toward his Cockney/novelty repertory.

Brown's last chart success of the '60s was a low Top 40 placement for his rendition of "With a Little Help from My Friends" in 1967. He later worked on television in children's programming and game shows, but in 1972, Brown was back in music with a new band, Brown's Home Brew, whose repertory embraced not only rock & roll but also country and gospel music and featured his first wife, Vicki, on vocals. Brown has remained active in music ever since, and crossed paths on record with his old friend Harrison several times in the '70s and '80s; Harrison was also the best man at Brown's wedding to his second wife in 2000. He has continued performing in the 21st century and is also seen frequently on British television in connection with rock & roll-related programming. Brown's 50th year in music, in 2008, saw him receive a U.K. gold award for sales over 100,000 copies of a new best-of collection, as well as complete a 37-date tour, and a Royal Albert Hall concert with Mark Knopfler, Jools Holland, Dave Edmunds, and Chas & Dave. Brown has also received Mojo magazine's lifetime award for outstanding contribution to music after 51 years of recording. In 2009, Brown was given an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth.

The next decade was bookended by documents of his relentless touring ethic -- 2011's Live in Liverpool and 2019's In Concert -- while in 2012 he issued The Ukulele Album, on which he tackled material associated with acts such as the Who, ELO, and Mötorhead. In 2019, Brown celebrated his 60th year in the music business with the release of a lavish, multi-disc box set that traced the course of his career and featured numerous unreleased recordings.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks

1. Billy Come Down (Joe Brown, Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway) - 3:24

2. Home Brew - 3:24

3. I Wrote A Song - 4:03

4. Poor John - 3:57

5. Marching Season - 3:07

6. Hossannah - 5:16

7. Big Lucy - 3:06

8. Work Song - 3:22

9. Mumbles - 2:24

10.Rabbit Man - 5:03

Words and Music by Joe Brown except track #1

Brown's Home Brew

*Joe Brown - Vocals

*Vicki Brown - Vocals

*Peter Oakman - Vocals, Bass Fiddle

*Dave Hynes - Drums, Vocals

*Geoff Peters - Bass

*Ray Mynott - Lead, Slide Guitar, Banjo

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Thursday, October 28, 2021

Smith - A Group Called Smith / Minus Plus (1969-70 us, marvelous rhythm 'n' blues psych rock, 2014 remaster)

Smith were discovered in an L.A. nightclub by none other than Del Shannon, who got them signed to ABC-Dunhill and arranged their smash hit cover of “Baby, It’s You.” They also boasted one of the best albeit largely unknown female singers of the ‘60s in the person of Gayle McCormick, who, with her blonde good looks and powerful, bluesy voice, seemed destined to lead Smith to big things (she did go on to record a series of solo albums for Dunhill).

Featuring three lead singers and a B-3 Hammond organ, their strongest asset was their most frequent vocalist, Gayle McCormick, an accomplished female blue-eyed soul belter. Most of their material consisted of covers of popular rock and R&B tunes, and they broke up after a couple of albums, though the singles "What Am I Gonna Do" (co-written by Carole King) and "Take a Look Around" made the middle of the charts. McCormick had a couple of small hits in 1971 and made a few albums in the early '70s as a soloist.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

1. Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) - 3:31

2. I Don't Believe (Jeffrey Thomas) - 3:41

3. Tell Him No (Rod Argent) - 3:26

4. Who Do You Love? (Ellas McDaniel) - 2:57

5. Baby It's You (Barney Williams, Burt Bacharach, Mack David) - 3:27

6. Last Time (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 5:35

7. I Just Wanna Make Love To You (Bob Wackett, Kenny Lynch) - 2:38

8. Mojaleskey Ridge (Dan Walsh, Kenny Lynch) - 2:33

9. Let's Spend The Night Together (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 3:53

10.I'll Hold Out My Hand (Al Gorgoni, Chip Taylor) - 3:03

11.You Don't Love Me (Yes I Know) (Willie Cobbs) - 3:21

12.Born In Boston (Alan Parker, Judd Huss, Larry Moss) - 2:42

13.Comin' Back To Me (Alan Parker) - 2:58

14.Feel The Magic (Alan Parker) - 2:38

15.Jason (Jud Huss) - 3:28

16.What Am I Gonna Do (Carole King, Toni Stern) - 2:52

17.Take A Look Around (Rick Cliburn, Jerry Carter) - 2:54

18.Since You've Been Gone (Alan Parker) - 3:34

19.Circle Man (Jud Huss) - 2:29

20.Minus-Plus (Larry Moss) - 4:18

Tracks 1-10 from A Group Called Smith 1969

Tracks 11-20 from Minus-Plus 1970

Smith

A Group Called Smith 1969

*Jerry Carter - Bass, Vocals

*Rick Cliburn - Guitar, Vocals

*Bob Evans - Drums

*Gayle McCormick - Vocals

*Larry Moss - Keyboards

With

*Alan Parker - Guitar, Vocals

*Larry Knechtel - Piano

Minus-Plus 1970

*Gayle McCormick - Vocals

*Alan Parker - Guitars, Vocals

*Jud Huss - Bass, Vocals

*Larry Moss - Keyboards

*Bob Evans - Drums

1969 Smith - A Group Called Smith (with bonus tracks)

1970 Smith - Minus-Plus (2007 digipak)

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Saturday, October 23, 2021

Blue Jug - Blue Jug Band (1978 us, fine southern country rock, 2012 korean remaster)

Three years after their debut, Blue Jug released their second album titled Blue Jug Band. Harsh reality stories, common people's ordinary days.

The first song on the album is "Memories Are Hard To Come By". Intro with good acoustic guitar, following by vocals and electric guitars, "Like A Fool" a piano ballad, with twin-guitar increasing the beat which is built around Southern Rock, applying some great feeling.

"Kentucky Man" with earthy feeling and the rhythm section bringing comfortable passages. "Cajun Lady" with the addition of Rufus Thibodeaux 's fiddle. "Shotgun Rider" has a nice sticky guitar, scaggs are a stone's throw. "Tequila Waltz" is a wailling ballad.

"Conchita" has a nice intro acoustic guitar, a pop tune, but the entanglement of the guitar leaves a good taste. The guitar intro of "Taste Of The Country" is cool, but when vocals is added, immediately becomes a rustic flavor, the fiddle is also effective. "Child Abuse" has a nice slide guitar . The last track is a ballad called “The Sun Is Gonna Shine Again”.

Blue Jug were successful and toured with most of the big names in the Southern Rock scene of the time, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers and Charlie Daniels Band. In Ed Raetzloff 1980 released a Christian solo album "It took a long time to get to you". One can confidently classify the album under Southern Rock. A year later his second album "Drivin Wheels" was released for the CCM market. Then Ed Raetzloff went into hiding and left nothing to be heard, but left two great albums for the Christian market.

Tracks

1. Memories Are Hard To Come By - 4:04

2. Like A Fool - 3:39

3. Lodi - 3:15

4. Kentucky Man - 2:29

5. Cajun Lady - 3:34

6. Shotgun Rider - 4:04

7. Tequila Waltz - 2:56

8. Conchita - 3:10

9. Taste Of The Country - 3:09

10.Child Abuse - 2:40

11.The Sun Is Gonna Shine Again - 3:21

Blue Jug

*Ed Raetzloff - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

*Clint Delong - Guitar, Vocals

*Bill Little - Keyboards, Vocals

*Bill Burnett - Bass

*Lanny Boles - Drums

*Randy Scruggs - Guitar

*Rufus Thibodeaux - Violin

1975 Blue Jug - Blue Jug (2006 japan remaster)

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Friday, October 15, 2021

Atlanta Rhythm Section - Atlanta Rhythm Section (1972 us, fantastic southern rock, debut album, 2018 japan SHM remaster)

The story of the Atlanta Rhythm Section began in Doraville, GA, a small town northeast of Atlanta, in 1970. Local Atlanta engineer Rodney Mills built a new studio in Doraville with the support of music publisher Bill Lowery, producer/songwriter/manager Buddy Buie, and songwriter/guitarist J.R. Cobb. The studio was dubbed Studio One and would become one of the preeminent studios in the Atlanta area. Over the years, artists who recorded there included Al Kooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe South, Bonnie Bramlett, Dickey Betts, B.J. Thomas and Billy Joe Royal.

The Atlanta Rhythm Section originally came together as the house band at Studio One. Buie and Cobb had been part of the group the Classics IV - remembered for hits including "Spooky," "Stormy" and "Traces." Buie recruited three musicians he had worked with previously in the Candymen, a group that backed Roy Orbison-singer Rodney Justo, keyboardist Dean Daughtry and drummer Robert Nix. Two talented local session players also joined in-guitarist Barry Bailey and bassist Paul Goddard. These musicians played on a number of other artist's records and the decision was made to make an album on their own.

Buie wanted the best players doing his songs as a guitar based band, and he wrote, produced and managed ARS from the start. Buie, Daughtry and Nix did a lot of the songwriting together. The Rhythm Section would play on other's albums 3-4 days a week and then work on their own material. They recorded a demo featuring instrumentals and over a couple of years pulled together material for an album. The demo got them a two record deal with MCA/Decca, and so ARS officially began.

The ten songs that make up ARS' self-titled debut album were recorded at Studio One in Doraville, GA in Nov. 1971. Producer/songwriter Buddy Buie wrote nine of the songs in partnership with others in the band. While the sound of the album may have become a little dated over time, what still comes through today are two traits that ARS was starting to refine and would prove to be their strong points over the years-great songwriting and excellent musicianship.

The album was released in 1972 and generated some critical interest for the quality of the songs and musicianship. But there was also some questioning of the idea of a rock band made up of a group of studio musicians who hadn't paid their dues on the road. The album didn't produce any hit songs, so the group continued to play on other artist's records at Studio One.

It was during the recording of the first album that Ronnie Hammond came to Studio One as an assistant engineer for Rodney Mills. He was skilled on multiple instruments and most importantly had a great singing voice. When singer Rodney Justo decided to leave the group to pursue a solo career, Hammond became the new lead singer. This group of musicians would go on to make the next six ARS albums together. In 1972, the group tried to broaden their approach as they worked on their second album for MCA/Decca.

ARS

Tracks

1. Love Me Just A Little (Robert Nix, Dean Daughtry, Buddy Buie) - 6:08

2. Baby No Lie (Robert Nix, Dean Daughtry, Buddy Buie, Barry Bailey) - 3:56

3. All In Your Mind (Buddy Buie, James Cobb) - 3:21

4. Ernestine (Robert Nix, Dean Daughtry, Paul Goddard, Barry Bailey) - 2:37

5. 40 Days And 40 Nights (Randall Bramblett, Davis Causey, Bob Jones) - 4:24

6. Another Man's Woman (Barry Bailey, Buddy Buie, Dean Daughtry, Robert Nix) - 4:41

7. Days Of Our Lives (Buddy Buie, James Cobb, Rodney Justo) - 3:14

8. Yours And Mine (Buddy Buie, Robert Nix) - 2:44

9. Can't Stand It No More (Buddy Buie, James Cobb, Rodney Justo) - 4:12

10.One More Problem (Barry Bailey, Dean Daughtry, Rodney Justo, Robert Nix) - 3:16

Atlanta Rhythm Section

*Rodney Justo - Vocals

*Barry Bailey - Acoustic, Electric Guitars

*Dean Daughtry - Keyboards

*Paul Goddard - Bass

*Robert Nix - Drums, Percussion

*James Cobb - Guitars, Vocals

1973 Atlanta Rhythm Section - Back Up Against The Wall (2018 japan SHM)

1974-80 Atlanta Rhythm Section - The Polydor Years (2019 remaster and expanded 8 discs box set)

1975-76 Atlanta Rhythm Section - Dog Days / Red Tape (2005 remaster)

1979 Atlanta Rhythm Section - Are You Ready! (2012 remaster)

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Friday, October 8, 2021

Chilliwack - Riding High (1974 canada, excellent classic rock, 2009 remaster)

After a year on the road, "Riding High" hit the stores in the spring of '74. The record was released on Terry Jacks' Goldfish Records label. Jacks also brought his experience in the business, (co-founder of The Poppy Family and his solo hit "Seasons In The Sun" that same year among others) to the studio and served as co-producer with Mike Flicker. By the end of the year Chilliwack practically owned the airwaves, with the title-track, "Come On Over" the absolute classic "Crazy Talk" and the raucous and rowdy "There's Something I Like About That".

“Crazy Talk” is a song about a woman whose serial lying is crazy making for the man in her life. The singer warns that this woman can “make a man a ruin.” The origins of the word ruin have to do with the remains of a building or a city that has fallen into decay or been destroyed in war, fire, flood or earthquake. Over time the word, ruin, also referred to the downfall, decay, or destruction of anything. Sometimes one’s ruin is brought on by recklessness and carelessness. In the case of this song, there have been men who haven’t been alert to the nefarious qualities of this particular woman. The ruin of a human being suggests the complete loss of health, means, position, hope, or capacity to be restored.

Music critic, Richard Skelly, provides some background information about the album and the singles from Riding High. “Terry Jacks produced “Crazy Talk” at Can-Base Studios just before that operation changed hands and became Mushroom Studios. Both on “Crazy Talk” and “There’s Something I Like About That,” Terry used Mike Flicker and Rolf Hennemann for engineering the sessions. The pair had also helmed the boards for Terry’s megahit Seasons In The Sun. Flicker—who later produced Heart for Mushroom Records and then Portrait/CBS—produced the remaining Chilliwack tracks for the Riding High album. Sire Records picked up US distribution, but didn’t manage to hype “Crazy Talk” past the very lowest rungs (#98) of Billboard.

Sire did commit to having Chilliwack fly to New York to record sessions with Richard Gottehrer, a Garage-rock guru famous for recording ‘60s rockers like The McCoys. Riding High was the first Chilliwack recording to feature new member Howard Froese. Brother of future Vancouver tv news anchor Russ Froese, Howard hailed from Terrace where he and fellow high schooler Jim Vallance formed a band in the summer of 1969. Vallance reportedly wove memories of those idyllic teen times when he later co-wrote Summer Of ‘69 with Bryan Adams! A gifted guitarist, Howard also played keyboards and sang harmonies.” Skelly adds that Froese co-write one of the tracks on Riding High titled “Far Side Of The Sun”. This was “a mini suite inspired by a sci-fi movie all four Chilliwack members watched on tv late one night after a gig.”

by Ray McGinnis, December 20, 2017