Coast Road Drive ‎- Delicious And Refreshing (1974 uk, marvelous rural southern rock, 2013 korean remaster)

A short lived British band strongly inspired by American rural southern rock bands. The album illustrates excellent examples of swamp and British rock backed up by nice electric guitar. 

Coast Road Drive s brief glimpse of success transpired with Delicious and Refreshing released on Decca s progressive arm, Deram, in 1974. The band itself boasted an impressive cast of musicians most of whom had already enjoyed a varied musical career in the late Sixties revealing a depth of musical prowess that had come together from psychedelic acts such as Methuselah, Distant Jim, Ray Owen s Moon, Quintessence and Judas Jump. Delicious and Refreshing finally receives its deserved retrospective re issue with analytical liners detailing the band s brief existence and the musical pedigree behind it. 

Tracks
1. Sail Away (L. Nicol, S. Chapman, S. Krieger) - 3:35
2. Coal Black Night - 4:38
3. It's All So Easy - 5:02
4. Take My Time - 3:20
5. Jason - 3:33
6. This Time Around (Cox) - 4:26
7. Hard To Handle (Charlie Harrison) - 3:13
8. If You Ain't Got The Key (Cox) - 4:25
9. Keep On (Les Nicol) - 3:13
10.Over The Mountain - 4:55
All songs by Steve Krieger except where stated

Coast Road Drive
Craig Austin - Vocals
Steve Chapman - Drums, Vocals
Charlie Harrison - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Les Nicol - Guitar, Vocals
Steve Krieger - Guitar, Vocals
With
Henry Lowther - Trumpet
Chris Mercer - Sax
Mick Weaver - Keyboards
Nicky Hopkins - Piano

Related Act
1970  Judas Jump - Scorch
1971  Ray Owen's Moon - Moon

This post is Dedicated to Laurent, 
I hope you're doing well, Be Strong my Friend

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The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Stories / Rock Drill (1976/78 uk, great hard rock with experimental mood, double disc issue)

Completing the two-fer reissues of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's 1970s LP catalog, this final package brings together the band's final, dying breaths. Cut less than a year after "Delilah" finally broke the band into the U.K. pop mainstream, SAHB Stories is the strongest of the pair; indeed, at its greatest, it shines alongside the very best of the band's past. The closing "Dogs of War," is a bombastically overwrought examination of the mercenary mindset, while the twisted history of "Boston Tea Party" -- quite likely the only U.K. hit to mention George Washington's wooden teeth -- is set to a pounding tomahawk guitar riff, and an extraordinarily contagious chorus. 

A positively spellbinding interpretation of Jerry Reed's "Amos Moses," meanwhile, drops the listener head first into the Louisiana bayou, hunting alligators and police chiefs alike. Rock Drill, on the other hand, was recorded almost two years later, with the band's career and momentum alike having been irreparably hamstrung first by Harvey's illness and "retirement"; then by the rise of punk rock, to file the group firmly into the box marked "has-beens." It was precisely the kind of challenge Harvey ordinarily relished, but he was tired and still unwell; the comeback came a few months too soon, and the songwriting came slowly. "Mrs Blackhouse," cut as a single during 1977. 

The odd "Water Beastie," truly hinted at the deranged variety and complexity that had hallmarked past SAHB albums and it's revealing that, 25 years on, Harvey's Considering the Situation anthology considered that song alone worth excerpting from Rock Drill. In truth, the album is not quite that dispensable. But it does come close. 

by Dave Thompson

Tracks

Disc 1 "Stories" 1976

1. Dance To Your Daddy (D. Batchelor, A. Cleminson, C. Glen, A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 5:45

2. Amos Moses (Jerry Reed) - 5:18

3. Jungle Rub Out (D. Batchelor, A. Cleminson, C. Glen, A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 4:27

4. Sirocco (Hugh McKenna) - 6:51

5. Boston Tea Party (Alistair Cleminson, Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna) - 4:36

6. Sultan's Choice (Alistair Cleminson, Alex Harvey) - 4:06

7. $25 For A Massage (Alistair Cleminson, Chris Glen, Alex Harvey) - 3:18

8. Dogs Of War (Alistair Cleminson, Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna) - 6:13

Disc 2 "Rock Drill" 1978
1. Rock Drill (Alex Harvey, Tommy Eyre) - 6:24
2. The Dolphins (A. Harvey, A. Zal Cleminson, C. Glen, H. McKenna) - 6:09
3. Rock 'N' Roll (Alex Harvey, Alistair Cleminson, Hugh McKenna) - 3:39
4. King Kong (Max Steiner) - 3:16
5. Booids (Traditional Arr. By A. Harvey, A. Cleminson, C. Glen, E. McKenna, T.Eyre) - 1:38
6. Who Murdered Sex? (A. Harvey, A. Cleminson, T. Eyre) - 5:17
7. Nightmare City (Alex Harvey) - 3:48
8. Water Beastie (Alex Harvey, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna) - 4:51
9. Mrs. Blackhouse (Alex Harvey) - 3:36

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
*Alex Harvey - Lead Vocals, Guitar
*Zal Cleminson - Guitar
*Chris Glen - Bass Guitar
*Hugh McKenna - Keyboards, Synthesizer
*Ted McKenna - Drums

The Senstational Alex Harvey Band
1972-73  Framed / Next 
1974-75  The Impossible Dream / Tomorrow Belongs to Me
1975-76  Live / The Penthouse Tapes
Related Act
1970  Tear Gas - Piggy Go Getter (Vinyl edition)
1971  Tear Gas - Tear Gas

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Agnes Strange - Strange Flavour (1976 uk, fantastic hard rockin' boogie, 2007 Rev Ola remaster edition)

Sometimes, albums become far more interesting because of their back story. Case in point: Agnes Strange. This heavy trio from Southampton, England, led by singer-guitarist John Westwood, somehow didn't make a splash on the early '70s boogie circuit despite their obvious similarities to beloved acts like the Groundhogs, Budgie and Status Quo. 

Despite some heavy names in their corner, including management company DJM (led by Dick James, who had made a mint off the Beatles' publishing) and A&R folks at Pye Records, some bad luck and inexplicable business decisions led them off course. Foremost among these was a fundamental misunderstanding of the term "pub rock," which led Pye to release Strange Flavour on a one-off label called Birdsnest, which was affiliated with a chain of theme pubs of the same name, owned by the beer manufacturer Watney's. 

The existing heavy rock audience at the time reacted much as straight-edge punks would if McDonald's and Sony BMG joined forced to release a hardcore album available only at fast food restaurants, and Strange Flavour disappeared without trace, as did Agnes Strange.Funny thing, though: it turns out that Strange Flavour is actually pretty good. Produced by Dave Travis, whose remarkably cheesy country albums from the '60s are much beloved by Anglo-kitsch collectors, and engineered by Colin Thurston, who was about a half decade away from his heyday as a name post-punk and new romantic producer, Strange Flavour is comfortably pitched between the old and the new, or at least the new iterations of the old.

 "Clever Fool" is a basic bluesy shuffle that would sound right at home on one of Dave Edmunds' Rockpile-era albums, while "Motorway Rebel" is tailor-made for the Foghat crowd, with its faux bluesy riffage and a hackneyed opening line "Well, I been to New York City/You know I been to L.A." delivered in a voice that screams that its owner has never been further west than Liverpool. On side two, things get a lot spacier, culminating in the epic freak-out "Children of the Absurd," complete with Pink Floyd-style sonar guitar pings and rampant wah-wah abuse. 

Westwood and his compatriots, bassist Alan Green and drummer Dave Rodwell, may not have been able to solidify a trademark Agnes Strange sound, but the "see if it works" variety and generally tasteful playing makes Strange Flavour an interesting listen for rock obscurantists and old boogie fans alike. This reissue features remastered sound, full liner notes of the whole odd story and four bonus tracks including the punchier 45 single mix of the anthemic opening track "Give Yourself a Chance." 

by Stewart Mason

Tracks
1. Give Yourself A Chance (J. Westwood, A. Green) - 3:30
2. Clever Fool (J. Westwood) - 3:23
3. Travelling (J. Westwood) - 2:53
4. Alberta (D. Travis) - 5:44
5. Loved One (A. Green) - 6:00
6. Failure (D. Rodwell) - 5:19
7. Children Of The Absurd (D. Rodwell, A. Green, D. Barber) - 7:47
8. Odd Man Out (J. Westwood) - 3:53
9. Highway Blues (J. Westwood) - 5:31
10.Granny Don't Like Rock 'N' Roll (J. Westwood) - 5:21
11.Interference (D. Travis) - 1:44
12.Give Yourself A Chance (J. Westwood, A. Green) - 3:28
13.Motorway Rebel (J. Westwood) - 4:04
14.Strange Flavour (J. Westwood, A. Green, D. Rodwell) - 3:56
Track 12 Single Version
Tracks 13-14 Album Outtakes
   
Agnes Strange
*Dave Rodwell - Vocals, Drums
*Alan Green - Vocals, Bass
*John Westwood - Vocals, Guitar

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Priscilla - Gypsy Queen (1970 us, amazing r 'n' b phychedelia, 2013 korean remaster)

Booker T. Jones exited Stax Records before it came to a complete crash and married singer Priscilla Coolidge, Rita's sister, and the two hooked-up musically as well. Great things were expected from this project. Jones led his namesake, Booker T. & the MG's, to some success at Stax. The four-pieces also served as the label's most prominent house band, and, in addition, Jones shared co-writer credit on some great songs. Coolidge, like her sister, sang with an abundance of soul. Rita recorded for A&M, and the label had issued a solo album on Priscilla, which originally came out on Sussex Records. Few people will tell you this is a bad album, cause it's not. The lovebirds are all over the place theme-wise -- love, social problems, ethnic issues, and other twists and spins on a multitude of subjects.

by Andrew Hamilton

Tracks
1. On The Road - 3:55
2. Let It Shine - 3:08
3. Gypsy King - 3:39
4. Come On Sweet - 2:59
5. Salty Haze 2:58
6. T My T - 2:07
7. Good Morning Freedom (Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Albert Hammond) - 4:02
8. Now The Children Remind You (Weiss, Unobsky) - 2:48
9. Long Rivers Flow (Ray Stinnett) - 3:18
10.Spring Rain (Ray Stinnett) - 2:26
11.Hummingbird (Leon Russell) - 6:00
All songs by Priscilla Coolidge except where stated.

Musicians
*Priscilla Coolidge - Vocals
*Booker T. Jones - Organ, Piano, Harmonica
*Joel Scott Hill - Guitar
*Herb Ellis - Guitar
*Ray Stinnett - Guitar
*Ray Brown - Bass
*Chris Ethridge - Bass
*Earl Palmer - Drums
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*Sam Watson - Drums
*Rita Coolidge - Vocals
*Donna Weiss - Vocals

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Barry McGuire - The World's Last Privat Citizen / Barry And The Doctor (1968/70 us, astonishing protest folk psych rock with blues tinges)

Along with Bob Dylan's emergence came countless other folk-based "protest singers" in the early to mid-'60s, including Barry McGuire. Born in Oklahoma City during 1937, McGuire had relocated to New York City and joined up with folk revivalists the New Christy Minstrels by the early '60s.

He was anointed the band's lead singer and appeared on several albums and their first hit single, "Green, Green" (which was co-penned by McGuire). Soon after, however, McGuire caught the attention of both record producer Lou Adler and singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan, resulting in the guitarist/singer leaving the New Christy Minstrels and launching a solo career, signing on with Adler's Dunhill Records.

McGuire's solo debut, The Barry McGuire Album, was released in 1963, but it wasn't until two years later that McGuire scored a massive hit with the Sloan-penned track "Eve of Destruction," which topped the U.S. charts (peaking at number three in the U.K.) and was taken from his sophomore full-length, Barry McGuire Featuring Eve of Destruction.

McGuire became good friends with another Adler-guided outfit, the Mamas & the Papas (who mentioned him in some of their song lyrics), while further solo albums were issued, including This Precious Time and The World's Last Private Citizen, but none spawned any singles as successful as "Eve."

By the early '70s, McGuire had turned his back on folk music and he re-appeared as a Christian/gospel artist, signing on with the Myrrh label and issuing such standout albums as 1973's Seeds, 1975's Lighten Up, and a live recording, 1982's To the Bride, among countless others.

McGuire put his music career on hold and moved to New Zealand in the mid-'80s with his wife, where they remained until 1990, working with the poverty organization World Vision.

Upon his return, McGuire began issuing albums once more, including such titles as El Dorado, Let's Tend God's Earth, Adventures on Son Mountain, and Journey to Bible Times, before teaming up with another gospel singer/guitarist, Terry Talbot, to form an outfit called Talbot McGuire. 

by Greg Prato

"The World's Last Private Citizen" album is Barry's 1967 release, and his final on the Dunhill label. The album contains many good tracks. The production is no longer the potentially annoying voice on one channel, music on the other. The songs are from a variety of songwriters, from Barry and an ex-New Christy minstrel, to members of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Highlights include, "Top of the Hill," "Cloudy Summer Afternoon" and the ultra cool "Grasshopper Song." Included is a song from the movie The President's Analyst, "Inner Manipulations." Barry's career is slowing down here. There are a few repeats from earlier albums, such as "This Precious Time," and "Hang on Sloopy."

"Barry McGuire and the Doctor"  is Barry's final secular album, on the Ode label. For this album Barry teamed up with Eric Hord ("The Doctor"), as well as members of the Byrds (Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke), Flying Burrito Bros (Sneaky Pete Kleinow), Dillard and Clark (Byron Berline), and the Eagles (Bernie Leadon). The album has a very different feel to it than his earlier Dunhill material. The songs are longer and have a more bluegrass feel to them at times, which means they are quite good. This is perhaps his most critically acclaimed album he has ever made, although sales were weak. Highlights include "Too Much City" and "South of the Border" where drug references abound. Barry noted that he doesn't remember much about the album, except the mounds of cocaine he and others consumed while recording it. Barry would soon undergo a powerful change in his life.

Church-year

Tracks
1. Top O' The Hill (M. Smith) - 2:22
2. Cloudy Summer Afternoon (T. Edmonson) - 2:55
3. Secret Saucer Man (P. Potash, B. McGuire) - 2:43
4. There's Nothin' Else On My Mind (E. Pistilli, P. Cashman) - 2:52
5. Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (N. Tanega) - 2:07
6. Hang On Sloopy (B. Russell, W. Farrell) - 4:02
7. Masters Of War (Bob Dylan) - 2:33
8. Inner-Manipulations (P. Potash, B. McGuire) - 3:40
9. The Grasshopper Song (D. Levin) - 3:18
10.This Precious Time (S. Barri, P.F. Sloan) - 2:48
11.Why Not Stop And Dig It While You Can (B. McGuire) - 2:16
12.Eve Of Destruction (P.F. Sloan) - 3:35
13.South Of The Border (B. McGuire, Riley Wildflower) - 5:45
14.Old Farm (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 5:33
15.Too Much City (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 8:50
16.Train (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 6:40
17.Electric Train (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 6:50
18.Meet Me At The Bottom (B. McGuire, Howlin' Wolf) - 6:06
19.Lollipop Train (Single Version) (S. Barri, P.F. Sloan) - 2:47

Musicians
*Barry McGuire - Vocals, Harp, Bells, Wind
*Dr. Eric Hord - Twelve String Guitar, Vocals
*Chris Hillman, Riley Wildflower - Bass
*Bill Mundi, Merle Boatman, Michael Clarke - Drums
*Bernie Leadon, Rocky Hilton - Electric Guitar
*Byron Berline - Fiddle
*Sneaky Pete - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Nicky Woods - Percussion

1963  Barry McGuire & The New Christy Minstrels - Star Folk (2007 RPM remaster)

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Toni Vescoli - Information (1971 swiss, fascinating progressive folk psych rock, 2012 korean remaster)

Toni Vescoli is a pioneering Swiss singer/songwriter/guitarist of the classic rock era who over the course of his long career performed a variety of styles, from English-language pop/rock to Dylanesque folk music. Born on July 18, 1942, in Zürich, Switzerland, Vescoli formed the trailblazing rock band Les Sauterelles in 1962. Comprised of Vescoli (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Rolf Antener (lead guitar, vocals), Heinz Ernst (bass guitar, vocals), and Düde Dürst (drums, vocals), Les Sauterelles were sometimes referred to as the "Swiss Beatles" and recorded on Columbia Records during the mid-'60s. 

The band's first hit was "Hong Kong" (1965), written by Vescoli; also in 1965, the band was featured on the compilation album Swiss Beat Live! alongside fellow Swiss bands the Counte and the Dynamite. Les Sauterelles released several singles during the latter half of the '60s, including the number one hit "Heavenly Club," and they released a couple albums, too. Vescoli broke up the band in 1970.

by Jason Birchmeier

When Les Sauterelles split, Toni Vescoli, decided to start a solo career. At first, inspired by Dylan, he thought of going strictly acoustic, but he soon changed his mind and started incorporating psychedelic and electric elements to his sound, such as feedback, primitive drum machines, guitars and vocals filtered through Leslie speakers etc., as he was also influenced by bands like Pink Floyd and King Crimson. He also incorporated to his repertoire some of the songs he had written for the never recorded Sauterelles concept album, “Seven Deadly Sins”.

In 1971, Toni released his debut solo album, “Information”. A folk-rock / psychedelic gem which reflected his influences at the time: folk, rock, psychedelia, progressive-rock, from fragile acoustic numbers to dark, wigged-out psychedelic tracks.

Tracks
1. Dying Land - 3:22
2. Idleness - 2:50
3. Happy Family - 1:13
4. Hatred And Love - 5:21
5. Information - 4:43
6. Beautiful Morning - 4:35
7. There's A Bird - 3:36
8. Hypocrites - 3:17
9. Intermezzo - 0:28
10.Do Hurry - 5:37
Words and Music by Toni Vescoli

*Toni Vescoli - Vocals, Guitars, Various Instruments

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The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Live / The Penthouse Tapes (1975-76 uk, solid glam rock melted with varied tunes, double disc set)

Although the Sensational Alex Harvey Band showed off plenty of sonic firepower on studio outings like Next and Tomorrow Belongs To Me, they were always at their most ferocious in the concert arena. As a result, Live is an especially rousing and engaging addition to the group's catalog. Since the set list is almost entirely composed of time-tested favorites, it also one of their most consistent albums. The album's contents are taken from a single night's performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, and this gives it a sonic coherence that other live albums rarely capture. 

A totally committed performance from the band seals the album's appeal with its thrilling combination of heavy metal bombast and tight arrangements that carefully deploy keyboard shadings to flesh out the guitar-heavy sound. The proceedings start powerfully with "Faith Healer," an ominous rocker whose thunderous riffs take on a new level of muscle in the live arena. Other highlights include "Give My Compliments to the Chef," a sci-fi-influenced tale of societal breakdown that slowly but surely builds into a hard-rocking frenzy, and the group's cover of "Framed," which transforms the classic Leiber-Stoller tune into a twisted psychodrama where Harvey debates with the audience over his innocence. 

However, the finest track on the album is a cover: the group's surprisingly subtle version of the Tom Jones hit "Delilah" tones down the original's fevered psychodrama to create a waltz-like tune with a tongue in cheek circus atmosphere. This track is also notable because it was released as a single and became one of the group's biggest hit singles in Europe. To sum up, Live is a double-triumph for the Sensational Alex Harvey Band because it functions both as a strong live souvenir for the group's fans and also as a solid introduction to the group's highlights for the novice. 

Their 1976 "Penthouse Tapes" allowed the group to give full vent to this obsession: three of the tracks are band originals, but the rest are a series of covers that hit everything from Irving Berlin to the Osmonds to Alice Cooper.  The highlight of the band originals is"Jungle Jenny," a gender-switched Tarzan tale that sets lyrics about a lusty white goddess who drives the apes mad over a tune that mixes glam rock guitar with tribal drums. 

In terms of covers, the standout tracks include a moody mid-tempo take on Jethro Tull's "Love Story" and "Crazy Horses," which utilizes Harvey's larynx-shredding wail to bring out the apocalyptic overtones in this surprisingly hard-rocking Osmonds tune.The band also takes some surprisingly effective stabs at country rock with their boozy sing-along cover of "Gamblin' Bar Room Blues" and "Say You're Mine (Every Cowboy Song)," a Harvey original.

by Donald A. Guarisco

Tracks
Disc 1 Live 1975
1. Fanfare (Justly, Skillfully, Magnanimously) (D. Wadsworth) - 1:24
2. Faith Healer (A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 6:50
3. Tomahawk Kid (A. Harvey, H. McKenna, D. Batchelor) - 5:50
4. Vambo (A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 9:29
5. Give My Compliments To The Chef (A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 6:37
6. Delilah (Les Reed, Barry Mason) - 5:17
7. Framed (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 11:08

Disc 2 The Penthouse Tapes 1976
1. I Wanna Have You Back (S.A.H.B.) - 2:39
2. Jungle Jenny (S.A.H.B., D. Batchelor) - 3:59
3. Runaway (Del Shannon, Max Crook) - 2:44
4. Love Story (Ian Anderson) - 5:03
5. School's Out (Alice Cooper) - 4:55
6. Goodnight Irene (Lead Belly) - 4:32
7. Say You're Mine (Every Cowboy Song) - 3:21
8. Gamblin' Bar Room Blues (Jimmie Rodgers, Shelly Lee Alley) - 4:06
9. Crazy Horses (Alan Osmond, Wayne Osmond, Merrill Osmond) - 2:50
10.Cheek To Cheek (Irving Berlin) - 3:32

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
*Alex Harvey - Lead Vocals
*Zal Cleminson - Guitars
*Chris Glen - Bass Guitar
*Hugh McKenna - Keyboards, Synthesizer
*Ted McKenna - Drums, Percussion
*B.J. Cole - Pedal Steel Guitar

The Senstational Alex Harvey Band
1972-73  Framed / Next 
1974-75  The Impossible Dream / Tomorrow Belongs to Me  
Related Act
1970  Tear Gas - Piggy Go Getter (Vinyl edition)
1971  Tear Gas - Tear Gas
     
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