In The Land Of FREE we still Keep on Rockin'

It's Not Dark Yet

Plain and Fancy

Music gives soul to universe, wings to mind, flight to imagination, charm to sadness, and life to everything.

Plato

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Alkana - Welcome To My Paradise (1978 us, tough 'n' heavy rock dynamite, 2016 edition)



Formed in the biker hotspot of San Bernadino, east of Los Angeles, Alkana centred on the voice and lyrics of  Jack Rucker (who would also become known by the nickname Damien King I, the lead singer for the heavy metal band Warlord), the guitar pyrotechnics of Danny Alkana, who drew heavily from the style of Boston’s Tom Scholz and Deep Purple’s Richie Blackmore, bassist Craig Williams and drummer Donny McLaughlin keeping the rhythms fast and furious.

‘California Rock n Roll Queen’ and psych epic ‘The Tower’ have the kind of Golden State rock majesty of Van Halen or Journey, and there are shades of Granmax, Asia and Judas Priest too. Hard rock? 70s metal; Epic; Progressive? Innovative? Paleolithic? Nostalgic? All of these together? Yes, but one more thing: Good music as a whole. At least the outrageous prices for which vinyl (originally issued on the Baby Bird label in 1978), was changing hands were commensurate with the quality of its content. this is a long lost hard rock gem.
  

Tracks
1. California Rock 'n' Roll Queen - 5:44
2. Montezuma's Sweet Revenge - 3:17
3. On Our Own - 6:30
4. Freedom Lady - 4:45
5. Paradise (Graig Williams, Jack Rucker) - 5:29
6. The Tower - 11:22
7. Head Games - 3:31
All songs by Danney Alkana, Jack Rucker except track #5

Alkana
*Graig Williams - Bass, Vocals
*Donny McLaughlin - Drums, Vocals
*Jack Rucker - Lead Vocals, Piano, Guitar
*Danney Alkana - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar

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Saturday, October 19, 2024

Blind Faith - Blind Faith (1969 uk, supergroup, 2001 double disc remaster)



Blind Faith were the band that introduced the world to the notion of a rock "supergroup," a combo featuring several musicians who had already achieved popularity and critical acclaim before joining forces to make music. Blind Faith also unwittingly established one of the most common features of supergroups -- most featured enough performers with strong resumes and egos to match that internal conflicts were all but inevitable, and as a consequence, they usually fell apart rather quickly. Despite a hit album and a financially successful international concert tour, Blind Faith managed to rise and fall in the space of less than a year, and ultimately proved to be a large but curious footnote in the careers of four giants of British rock: Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Rick Grech.

Blind Faith were born of discord within two noted British acts of the late '60s. Cream were at the peak of their fame when the band broke up in 1969, in part because guitarist Eric Clapton was uncertain about the group's creative direction, but mainly because bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker found it all but impossible to see eye to eye. Meanwhile, vocalist and keyboard player Steve Winwood had founded Traffic after leaving the Spencer Davis Group to explore an adventurous brand of rootsy but instrumentally adept psychedelia informed by jazz and blues. After initial success, however, they had trouble negotiating egos as well as working out the balance of songwriting and instrumental work within the band, and in 1969, Traffic shut down.

Clapton and Winwood were friends and mutual admirers who had jammed together on several occasions, so when both found themselves at liberty following the breakup of their respective groups, they investigated the idea of forming a band together. One day, Ginger Baker stopped by while Clapton and Winwood were working out material, and he sat in on drums. Musically, Clapton and Winwood were happy with the way Baker's ambitious percussion melded with their new songs, which explored a more subtle blend of blues and R&B than Cream. While Clapton was wary of reuniting with Baker so soon after closing the book on Cream, Winwood's enthusiasm won out, and Baker joined the band. The group became a quartet with the addition of bassist Rick Grech, who had been playing with the celebrated U.K. band Family.

By May 1969, the quartet was recording an album with Jimmy Miller serving as producer. Given the massive commercial success of Cream and widespread curiosity about Clapton's next project, the new band -- dubbed Blind Faith by the tongue-in-cheek Clapton -- signed a lucrative record deal with Atlantic in the United States as well as Polydor in the U.K. Promoters were clamoring for a tour, and the band scheduled dates in Europe, the United States, and Canada. Blind Faith made their public debut with a show at London's Hyde Park on June 7, 1969. An estimated 100,000 people were on hand for the show, and while most in attendance seemed thrilled with the concert, Clapton in particular was not pleased with how loose and informal Blind Faith sounded on-stage. 

By the end of the month, Blind Faith had set out on a club tour of Europe, and the smaller shows allowed them better control of their sound and performances. When they hit America in July, however, they were booked into large arenas often saddled with dubious acoustics and poor sound systems. Fans eager to see the new band that was the talk of the rock press often battled with police and security as they rushed the stage, and the musicians were displeased with the chaotic atmosphere. It didn't help that Blind Faith had less than an hour's worth of new music to perform before they set out on tour; the band played North America for seven weeks, and by most reports they were rarely happy with their performances or the circumstances of the tour.

In August 1969, the Blind Faith album finally hit the streets, and while "Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home" quickly became FM rock staples and the album topped the charts in Britain and the United States, reaction to the project was less enthusiastic than many had expected. The band received negative press for the LP's cover, which featured a topless schoolgirl playing with a silver airplane model. (The sleeve was rejected in America in favor of a cover featuring a portrait of the band.) After Blind Faith returned home from the North American tour at the end of August, the members went their separate ways. Clapton joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends on tour as a sideman, and next formed Derek & the Dominos, while Winwood re-formed Traffic, who became more successful than ever. Baker formed his own group, Ginger Baker's Air Force, which would feature Grech in the lineup. Grech also played briefly with Traffic, and in 1976 became involved with another ill-fated supergroup, KGB, featuring Michael Bloomfield, Carmine Appice, and Barry Goldberg.

Grech died in 1990, and Baker passed in 2019. While Clapton and Winwood would occasionally perform together, there has been no effort to revive Blind Faith; presumably their brief run in 1969 was enough for all involved. 
by Mark Deming


Tracks
Disc 1
1. Had To Cry Today (Steve Winwood) - 8:48
2. Can't Find My Way Home (Steve Winwood) - 3:16
3. Well All Right (Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Joe Mauldin, Norman Petty) - 4:27
4. Presence Of The Lord (Eric Clapton) - 4:50
5. Sea Of Joy (Steve Winwood) - 5:22
6. Do What You Like (Ginger Baker) - 15:18
7. Sleeping In The Ground (Sam Myers) - 2:49
8. Can't Find My Way Home (Steve Winwood) - 5:40
9. Acoustic Jam (Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Rick Grech, Steve Winwood) - 15:50
10.Time Winds (Steve Winwood) - 3:15
11.Sleeping In The Ground (Sam Myers) - 4:44


Disc 2
1.Jam No.1: Very Long And Good Jam - 14:01
2.Jam No.2: Slow Jam #1 - 15:06
3.Jam No.3: Change Of Address Jam - 12:06
4.Jam No.4: Slow Jam #2 - 16:06
All compositions by Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Rick Grech, Steve Winwood

Blind Faith
*Steve Winwood - Organ, Keyboards, Piano, Guitar, Bass, Lead Vocals
*Eric Clapton - Guitar, Vocals
*Rick Grech - Bass Guitar, Violin, Vocals
*Ginger Baker - Drums, Percussion

Related Acts
1964  The Yardbirds - Five Live Yardbirds (2007 Repertoire digi pack with extra tracks)
1965  The Yardbirds - For Your Love (japan 2018 mono edition)
1965  The Spencer Davis Group - Their First LP 
1966  The Spencer Davis Group - The Second Album

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Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Traffic - Mr.Fantasy (1967 uk, iconic folk psych rock, 2007 remaster)



Traffic are rightly remembered as titans of jazz-rock and soul. But on their debut album, released in December 1967, Steve Winwood and company were busy riding the psychedelic coattails of Sgt. Pepper.

Mr. Fantasy is a fascinating outlier in the Traffic discography: They never made another collection like it, and "collection" is the most fitting descriptor for this project, since the songs have been re-assembled and re-bundled in so many configurations throughout the years that calling it a legitimate album almost feels inaccurate.

The original U.K. version was an album in the traditional '60s sense, following the Beatles' blueprint of leaving off hit singles (like the groovy, sitar-driven "Paper Sun" and Dave Mason's irresistibly goofy psych-pop sing-along "Hole in My Show"). The U.S. version rectified that problem, re-packing the album as "Heaven is in Your Mind" with those classic tracks included – not to mention a drastically re-tooled track order.

Even without the hits, Mr. Fantasy is a revealing collection, showcasing a band in transition. Some of the material feels a bit dated: Mason's sitar-led "Utterly Simple," clearly influenced by George Harrison's recent experiments with the instrument, devolves into a corny Moody Blues-esque spoken word bit. The material also occasionally feels inextricably tied to its era, in particular the stereo-panned vocals and explosions of reverb on "Heaven Is In Your Mind." Still, every inch of these songs is expertly arranged, exploding with raw creativity and instrumental power.

"No Face, No Name, No Number" is a psych-folk gem, laced with Chris Wood's haunting flute and Mason's exotic tambura lines but driven to ecstasy by Winwood's soulful belting. "Coloured Rain" blends Wood's honky sax and Jim Capaldi's driving percussion into an early blues-rock gem, bested only by the semi-title-track "Dear Mr. Fantasy," an expansive masterpiece built on Winwood's aching vocal (not to mention his mesmerizing skills on guitar and organ).

Traffic, of course, was never a traditional rock band. Capaldi was a singing-writing drummer; Wood's reed instruments gave the band a unique flexibility; Dave Mason, the band's short-lived wild card, loved odd instrumentation and wrote firmly with tongue-in-cheek; and Winwood, a young, white Englishman, sang with the husky, hard-lived soul of an early Delta bluesman. It was a strange combination on paper, but the effect was unmistakably vibrant.

Mason didn't stick around long. In fact, he left before Mr. Fantasy was even officially released. (He isn't even featured on the 'Heaven Is In Your Mind' album cover.) Mason later re-joined for Traffic's self-titled album in 1968 (at which point they'd more or less ditched the psychedelic approach altogether in favor of tight, soulful rock) and an expansive 1971 tour that produced the live album, Welcome to the Cantine. Ultimately, though, Mason's style never fully gelled with the others': Winwood, Wood, and Capaldi ended p serving as Traffic's core trio throughout their fruitful classic '70s period.
by Ryan Reed, December 2, 2013


Tracks
1. Heaven Is In Your Mind (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 4:20
2. Bershire Poppies (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 2:58
3. House For Everyone (Dave Mason) - 2:06
4. No Face No Name No Number (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) - 3:34
5. Dear Mr Fantasy (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 5:42
6. Dealer  (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) - 3:12
7. Utterly Simple (Dave Mason) - 3:19
8. Coloured Rain (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 2:43
9. Hope I Never Find Me Ther (Dave Mason) - 2:09
10.Giving To You (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Dave Mason) - 4:24
11.Paper Sun (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) - 3:26
12.Dealer  (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) - 3:34
13.Coloured Rain (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 2:43
14.Hole In My Shoe (Dave Mason) - 2:56
15.No Face No Name No Number (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) - 3:35
16.Heaven Is In Your Mind (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 4:15
17.House For Everyone (Dave Mason) - 2:05
18.Berkshire Poppies (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 2:55
19.Giving To You (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Dave Mason) - 4:14
20.Smiling Phases (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 2:43
21.Dear Mr Fantasy (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) - 5:34
22.We're A Fade You Missed This (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi) - 0:53
Tracks 1-10 original UK album Stereo
Tracks 11-11 original US album Mono

Traffic
*Jim Capaldi - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Dave Mason - Guitar, Mellotron, Sitar, Tambura, Shakkai, Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Steve Winwood - Organ, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano, Harpsichord, Percussion, Vocals, Arrangements
*Chris Wood - Flute, Saxophone, Organ, Percussion, Vocals 

1965  The Spencer Davis Group - Their First LP 
1966  The Spencer Davis Group - The Second Album
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Friday, October 11, 2024

Stanky Brown - Stanky Brown (1978 us, fine melodic rock with funky vibes, 2010 reissue)



On their third and final album, which hit the record stores in 1978, Stanky Brown offer a sound here that matches their cover appearance very well -- confident and sassy 70s cats who can put out a record that's tight, yet loose -- on a set that's very close to the genre that got all the right funding and attention in the studio, but that never fully got its due in the mainstream! The songs are all well-written -- catchy, but never too sappy -- and the style is slightly sharper than the smoothness of the AOR generation -- on tracks that include "Falling Fast," "Chains," "Chance On Love," "She's A Taker," "Please Don't Be The One," "Master Of Disguise," and "Back In Your Arms Again"


Tracks
1. Tell Me What You Want (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 3:33
2. Master Of Disguise (Jim Brown) - 3:34
3. You Make It Happen For Me (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 2:55
4. Around Town (Jeffrey Leynor) - 2:21
5. She's A Taker (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 3:41
6. Falling Fast (Jeffrey Leynor) - 2:34
7. Please Don't Be The One (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 3:11
8. (I Wish I Was) Back In Your Arms Again (Jeffrey Leynor, Ken Shane) - 4:04
9. Chance Of Love (Bobby Messano, Jerry M. Cordasco, Ken Shane) - 3:32
10.Chains (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 3:51

Stanky Brown
*James Brown - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Jeffrey Leynor - Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Vocals
*Richard Bunkiewicz - Bass
*Jerry M. Cordasco - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*John Zangrando - Woodwind
*Bob Messano - Lead Guitar, Vocals
With 
*Sonny Dey Horn Section - Horns (Track 9)


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Sunday, October 6, 2024

The Game - It's Shocking What They Call Us (1965-68/1995 uk, rough freakbeat, 2024 edition)



The Game were a rock & roll unit formed out of the remnants of an earlier Surrey-based band, the Secrets, in which lead guitarist Terry Spencer and bassist Allen Janaway had previously played. Tony Bird, who was 14 at the time, played rhythm guitar. Their big problem was the fact that they went through several changes in sound. Their rock & roll debut, "Gotta Keep Movin' Baby" (co-authored by Kenny Lynch, who was their manager for a time) on Pye Records in 1965 didn't sell, and the band changed labels and image, jumping to Decca and transforming themselves to a mod look and sound, on "Gonna Get Me Someone." That single appeared a year after their Pye debut, and the delay and the change in sound led to another stiff on the charts. 

The group then moved to Parlophone, which decided to withdraw their next single, "The Addicted Man" (co-authored by Alan Gowing), following a negative reaction on the program Juke Box Jury. At the company's behest, they cut a psychedelic number, "It's ShockingWhat They Call Me" -- the constant change of sound and image put the group into an impossible situation, what public they had developed being unable to keep up with these shifts. Their real sound featured flashy guitar with lots of power chords, strongly reminiscent of the Creation, best represented on their final single B-side, "Help Me Mummy's Gone," from 1967.

The Game broke apart in 1967-1968, guitarist Tony Bird later joining Kind Hearts & English, while Terry Spencer and Stan Decker formed Lavender Grove, and then a group called Grail. The original band appears to have retained a core of fandom, however, based on the fact that they reunited in the '90s with the original core members all present. 
by Bruce Eder


Tracks
1. But I Do (Clive Westlake, Kenny Lynch) - 2:14
2. Gotta Keep On Moving Baby (Clive Westlake, Kenny Lynch) - 2:43
3. Gonna Get Me Someone (Bob Wackett) - 2:49
4. Gotta Wait (Terry Spencer) - 2:17
5. The Addicted Man (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 2:24
6. Help Me Mummy's Gone (Terry Spencer) - 2:44
7. It's Shocking What They Call Me (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 2:43
8. The Addicted Man (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 2:15
9. Lavender Grove (Terry Spencer) - 2:36
10.When I Was Young (Terry Spencer) - 2:54
11.Unfair (Terry Spencer) - 5:13
12.Still On The Game (Tony Bird, Terry Spencer, Alan Janaway, Terry Goodsell) - 5:29
13.The Addicted Man (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 3:08
Tracks 9-10 as The Lavender Grove

The Game
*Tony Bird - Guitar, Vocals 
*Alan Janaway - Bass Guitar 
*Terry Spencer - Lead Guitar 
*Terry Goodsell - Drums
*Terry Brown - Drums

Related Act

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