Reg King - Reg King (1971 uk, great classic rock with glam shades)

Reg King belonged to the Action, Mighty Baby, Blossom Toes,  B.B. Blunder family tree, leaving the Action before they became Mighty Baby and performing with (ex-Blossom Toes) B.B. Blunder after releasing this acclaimed and rare solo record.

Members from the bands above would form the backbone for this project, recorded over three years and guesting Stevie Winwood on keys. The Action had cut their teeth covering Motown soul during the mid 60s and those influences had not gone amiss for this LP, albeit through distorted guitars and stoney jams. 

The leadoff track “Must Be Something Else Around” is a blistering slice of hard English rock that probably gave Led Zep a brief jolt of anxiety. “That Ain’t Living” has the explosive impatience of certain tracks I know from The Action, but add this album’s key ingredient: raw and relentless blue-eyed soul, propelled by Reg King’s voice – probably the best of the British hard-rock-soul singers.

It’s not a grand slam on the other hand. I’m not much of a blues-hound, so “Down The Drain,” or six-minutes of predictable blues doesn’t do it for me. But “That Ain’t Living” pushes hard through a fully worthwhile six of spirited rock. There are a couple less memorable tracks, but the good hooks make this record worth a spin. Perhaps a good introduction to the Action family tree .

by Brendan (The Rising Storm)

Tracks
1. Must Be Something Else Around - 4:35
2. You Have Yourself a Good Time (Reg King, Peter Dale) - 3:10
3. That Ain't Living (Reg King, Peter Dale) - 6:41
4. In My Dreams (Reg King, Alan King) - 3:54
5. Little Boy - 2:57
6. 10,000 Miles (Reg King, Peter Dale) - 3:30
7. Down the Drain - 6:15
8. Savannah - 11:52
9. Gone Away (Reg King, Peter Dale) - 2:38
10.Must Be Something Else Around (Guide Mix) - 6:20
11.Must Be Something Else Around (Rough Mix) - 4:37
12.You Have Yourself a Good Time (Reg King, Peter Dale) - 4:23
13.Down the Drain - 3:10
14.Nobody Knows Where We Are - 5:58
15.10,000 Miles (Reg King, Peter Dale) - 4:05
16.Gone Away (Reg King, Peter Dale) - 4:21
All tracks written by Reg King unless as else stated

Musicians
*Reg King - Guitar, Vocals
*Brian Auger - Keyboards
*George Barker - Trumpet
*Brian Belshaw - Bass, Vocals
*Marc Charig - Trumpet
*Peter Dale - Vocals
*Elton Dean - Saxophone
*Michael Evans - Bass
*Frank Farrell - Bass
*Brenda French - Vocals
*Brian Godding - Guitar, Vocals
*Barry Jenkins - Drums
*Nic Jones - Percussion
*Alan "Bam" King - Guitar
*Danny McCulloch - Bass
*Paul Nieman - Trombone
*Roger Powell - Drums
*Martin Stone - Guitar
*Peter Swales - Vocals
*Mick Taylor - Guitar
*Dick Thomas - Drums
*Doris Troy - Vocals
*Kevin Westlake - Drums, Guitar
*Ian Whiteman - Bass, Flute, Keyboards
*Steve Winwood - Keyboards
*Jo Wright - Guitar

Related Act
1964-90  Action - The Ultimate Action

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The Skeptics - The Complete Early Years (1965-69 us, splendid garage beat, 2012 Gear Fab release)

The Skeptics were one of Oklahoma's most famous rock bands. They started playing as a band sometime in either 1964 or 1965 and hailed from the town of Bartlesville, about 80 miles north of Tulsa. Jerry Waugh, their lead singer, a principle songwriter , had his first known recording with  “It's A New Thing To Me” b/w “Not Another Cloudy Day” which was released in early 1965. 

“Not Another Cloudy Day” featured the female vocals of Nedra Price, who had an earlier hit “Let’s Have A Party” with the Moonglows in 1964 on the Ponca label with b/w “Sugar Booger”. Bobby Shivel  played bass for Nedra on this recording, thus the connection to The Skeptics. 

The Skeptics first release as a band came in 1965 with “For My Own” w/b “I Told Her Goodbye” on the Trush label with a great picture sleeve. Original members included Jerry Waugh on Vocals and Harp, Bobby Shivel on Bass, Gary Shivel on Organ,  Luis Biggerstaff on Lead Guitar, and Garry Mars on Drums.  

The group enlisted the songwriting service of Wayne Carson Thompson for their final two 45’s. Thompson had enjoyed some earlier success with such hits as “Always On My Mind”,  “The Letter” and “Somebody Like Me”. This line up continued on until 1969 when Jerry Waugh left the band and the group moved towards for more of the funky, horn driven sounds of the early 70’s. 

They formally disbanded in 1974. Rumor has it that their manager  released an unauthorized  LP in 1969 which contained all their 45’s but a copy of it has yet to turn up with collectors. 

by Roger Maglio, April 2012

Tracks
1. It's A New Thing To Me (Jerry Waugh) - 2:03
2. Not Another Cloudy Day (Maynard Helmuth) - 2:54
3. For My Own (Jerry Waugh) - 2:42
4. I Told Her Goodbye (Jerry Waugh) - 2:15
5. Ride Child (Jerry Waugh) - 2:15
6. Apple Candy (Original Version) (Jerry Waugh) - 2:56
7. Apple Candy (Alternate Version) (Jerry Waugh) - 3:01
8. Stripes (Jerry Waugh) - 3:09
9. Certain Kind Of Girl (Jerry Waugh) - 2:46
10.Bit O' Honey (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:14
11.East Side Tenement House (Wayne Carson Thompson) -2:39
12.Turn It On (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:24
13.She's A Gas (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:25
14.Down To the Bone (The Skeptics) - 2:53

The Skeptics
*Jerry Waugh - Vocals, Harp
*Bobby Shivel - Bass
*Gary Shivel - Organ
*Luis Biggerstaff - Lead Guitar
*Garry Mars - Drums
Guest
*Nedra Price - Vocals

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