Despite further changes, album number 3 from Atlantis was not long in coming. “Ooh, Baby” was recorded in the summer of 1974 and produced by Dieter Dierks . One drastic change was certainly the departure of old comrade Jean-Jacques Kravetz , who only appears as a guest on piano. Adrian Askew has now taken over the keyboards and the guitar position has also been reassigned, this time with Alex Conti . The songs are short and concise and are a mix of rock, blues, soul, funk and gospel. The following year they achieved one major goal: an extensive tour of the USA. They opened for acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Muddy Waters . But they also experienced the downside in the form of their American record company, who offered absolutely no support.
After the aforementioned US tour, Conti left the band again, and with returning guitarist Diez and newcomer Rainer Marz, they had two guitarists on board, producing "Get on Board" in 1975, their last album on Vertigo. Here, too, they start right away with the title track, a catchy number with good vocal arrangements, with all the musicians contributing background vocals. Overall, this album is a bit more rock-oriented, with the guitars clearly dominating.
Eventually, the band's spirits ran out, and in early 1976, the band's end was announced. An album called "Top of the Bill" was supposed to be released, but it contained material from '76, on which Inga Rumpf was not present (!), as well as songs from the '75 lineup. The live album recorded in 1975 will also be re-released soon.
by Juergen Meurer, January 26, 2025
Tracks
1. Brother - 3:09
2. Son Of A Bitch's Son - 3:51
3. Waiting And Longing - 3:15
4. Mr. Bigshot - 5:31
5. The Way I Choose - 3:52
6. Ooh, Baby - 2:53
7. Smiling People (Inga Rumpf, Jean-Jacques Kravetz) - 3:31
8. New York City - 4:38
9. Godfather - 3:43
10.Leave It To The Devil - 3:12
11.Good Friends - 3:34
12.Mainline Florida (George Terry) - 2:55
13.He's Got A Gun In His Hand (Frank Diez) - 4:14
14.Hot Rocks (Mary S. Applegate, Rainer Marz, Robert A. Smith-Diesel) - 2:54
15.Out Of Tune - 3:23
16.Don't Put The Lady Down (Frank Diez, Richard Palmer-James) - 3:19
17.Northern Bounty (Mary S. Applegate, Rainer Marz, Robert A. Smith-Diesel) - 4:00
18.Haven't You Heard - 5:30
19.Just Blues (Adrian Askew, Inga Rumpf, Karl-Heinz Schott, Ringo Funk, Rainer Marz, Frank Diez) - 11:28
Tracks 1,3,6,11,15,18 written by Inga Rumpf
Tracks 2,4,5,8,9,10 written by Adrian Askew
Tracks 1-10 are taken from the LP "Ooh Baby".
Track 11 is taken from the single "Good Friends"
Track 12 is taken from the single "Mainline Florida".
Tracks 13-19 are taken from the LP 'Top of the Bill'.
Shine On Brightly, released in 1968, was Procol Harum’s second studio album. It followed on from their iconic single, A Whiter Shade of Pale, which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and their 1967 debut studio album, Procol Harum.
Shine On Brightly highlights the progressive path the band were trailblazing in 1968, with a unique mix of rock, blues, classical, and psychedelic influences. Quite Rightly So, the opening track, showcases all these elements. Matthew Fisher’s Hammond organ mixes classical and psychedelic influences, over which Gary Brooker’s expressive voice, and urgent piano playing, give flight to Keith Reid’s figurative lyrics. Robin Trower part way through the song adds a trademark squall of bluesy guitar. The very capable rhythm section of Dave Knights on bass and B. J. Wilson on drums, propel the song forward with some very funky playing. A really striking opening to the album.
Shine On Brightly, the title track, features B. J. Wilson’s imaginative drumming built on subtle fills and splashing cymbals, and Robin Trower’s atmospheric and wailing guitar phrases. Gary Brooker’s vocal has a lament quality, as he gives an eloquent reading of Keith Reid’s lyrics which convey bewilderment and questioning. The opening couplet is quite intriguing
Matthew Fisher’s organ solo at the midpoint in the song is quite exquisite, and the song is undoubtedly one of the album highlights.
Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) is possibly the most psychedelic track on the album. It has a playful musical feel, with what sounds like a tuba in the mix. The song then evolves and offers up an impressionistic instrumental section, that begins softly with just organ and piano, before Dave Knights’s bass brings back in the drums and guitar, with a marvellous solo from Robin Trower, full of ringing reverb. Wish Me Well, offers another side of the band, and has an expansive blues base, where Gary Brooker’s rolling piano chords and soaring voice prove irresistible. Complementing this is Robin Trower’s sublime sustain laden guitar fills and solo.
Rambling On has a classic progressive rock flavour, with its slow build, anthemic middle section, and slight return coda. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone), in contrast, is a slow paced ballad, that shines the spotlight back on Gary Brooker’s very fine voice. Both these tracks set the scene nicely, for the lengthy five section suite that follows, In Held Twas in I. It is a hugely ambitious piece with varying musical colours and lyrical concepts, and evidences the innovative and creative drive that was at the heart of the band.
Part One, Glimpses Of Nirvana, has two mystical spoken word passages, that appear to muse on philosophical questions about being. A central musical theme is played, which at different points involves piano, organ, guitar, sitar, and choral voices. Part Two, Twas Tea Time At The Circus, begins with tubular bells, and has a freewheeling and jaunty mood, which somewhat contrasts with the lyrical content which asks the listener to look below the surface of what we think we see. Part Three, In The Autumn Of My Madness, mixes a lilting organ harmony, and syncopated rhythm, with random sounds that fly in and out of the mix, including an old-fashioned car horn and sirens. Part Four, Look To Your Soul, has an initial instrumental section, with some wondrous hard rock guitar effects and an organ motif, that are complemented by some precision ensemble playing. When the vocal enters, Gary Brooker’s voice weaves around the tumbling drums and then soars over the music. The very best vocal performance on the album and a perfect complement to the words that pose the process of learning and seeking as the key to being. Part five, Grand Finale, is a majestic instrumental piece that has the choral vocals returning and provides the setting for Robin Trower’s stand out guitar solo, full of melodic runs. It just has to be heard
by Gareth Allen on 23rd May 2024
Tracks
1. Quite Rightly So (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:38
2. Shine On Brightly - 3:30
3. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) - 3:43
4. Wish Me Well - 3:20
5. Rambling On - 4:28
6. Magdalene - 2:47
7. Glimpses Of Nirvana (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 4:20
8. Twas Teatime At The Circus (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 1:15
9. In The Autumn Of My Madness (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:02
10.Look To Your Soul (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 4:49
11.Grande Finale (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:39
12.Quite Rightly So (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:42
13.In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence - 3:02
14.Monsieur Armand - 2:39
15.Seem To Have The Blues - 2:48
16.McGreggor - 2:47
17.The Gospel According To... - 3:28
18.Shine On Brightly - 3:23
19.Magdalene - 2:25
20.A Robe Of Silk (Gary Brooker) - 1:59
21.Monsieur Armand (Gary Brooker) - 2:42
22.In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence (Gary Brooker) - 3:00
All Music by Gary Brooker, Lyrics by Keith Reid except where indicated
Bonus Tracks 12-22
Same tracklist as above
Disc 1
1. Quite Rightly So (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:40
2. Shine On Brightly - 3:31
3. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) - 3:45
4. Wish Me Well - 3:18
5. Rambling On - 4:29
6. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) - 2:48
"In Held 'Twas In I"
7. Glimpses Of Nirvana (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 4:29
8. Twas Tea Time At The Circus (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 1:19
9. In The Autumn Of My Madness (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:08
10.Look To Your Soul (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 4:58
11.Grand Finale (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:36
12.Il Tuo Diamante - 3:27
13.Quite Rightly So - 3:41
14 In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence (Gary Brooker) - 3:00
All Music by Gary Brooker, Lyrics by Keith Reid except where noted
Tracks 1-11 Stereo Mix Released as Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1004 in December 1968
Bonus Tracks 12-14
Disc 2
1. Quite Rightly So (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:34
2. Shine On Brightly - 3:27
3. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) - 3:41
4. Wish Me Well - 3:12
5. Rambling On - 4:25
6. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) - 2:46
'In Held 'Twas In I'
7. Glimpses Of Nirvana (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 4:25
8. Twas Tea Time At The Circus (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 1:18
9. In The Autumn Of My Madness (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:05
10.Look To You Soul (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 4:53
11.Grand Finale (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:33
All Music by Gary Brooker, Lyrics by Keith Reid except where stated
Mono Mix Released As Regal Zonophone LRZ 1004 in December 1968
Disc 3
1. Monsieur Armand (Gary Brooker) - 2:29
2. Seem To Have The Blues (Most All The Time) - 2:46
3. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) - 2:24
4. Shine On Brightly - 3:19
5. In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence (Gary Brooker) - 3:02
6. Monsieur Armand - 2:45
7. A Robe Of Silk (Gary Brooker) - 1:56
8. McGreggor - 2:45
9. The Gospel According To... (Wish Me Well) - 3:32
10.Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) - 3:28
11.Quite Rightly So (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) - 3:38
12.Ramblin' On - 4:12
13.Shine On Brightly - 3:41
14.Skip Softly (My Moonbeams) - 3:27
15.Wish Me Well - 2:31
16.Long Gone Geek - 2:32
17.In Held 'Twas In I (Look To Your Soul / Grand Finale) - 3:59
All Music by Gary Brooker, Lyrics by Keith Reid unless as else written
Tracks 1-9 from "Top Gear" BBC Radio One Session - 14 February 1968
Tracks 10-13 from "Top Gear" BBC Radio One Session - 19 August 1968
Tracks 14-16 from "Top Gear" BBC Radio One Session - 6 October 1968
Originally released in 1980 on private press vinyl, "Diggin' in' is the only album by the US trio Claw. Probably hailed from Illinois, the recordings took place, round 1978 at the GDS studio in Morton. Seven songs are original penned by the band, in the vein of hard boogie southern rock, and three covers one Beatles song, and the other two from the blues legends Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon.
Tracks
1. Diggin' In - 2:14
2. Mannish Boy (Muddy Waters, Mel London, Bo Diddley) - 2:55
3. Cathouse Stomp - 4:25
4. Eleanor Rigby (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 4:47
5. Bred To Rock And Roll - 3:58
6. Captain Feelgood - 4:31
7. Love Pit - 2:18
8. Coke Call Rock - 6:17
9. Voltage Man - 2:47
10.Spoonful - An Abstract Jam (Willie Dixon) - 8:07
All songs by Danny Meyers, Jack Reginald, Moe Baker except where indicated
Steve Miller had a real ace up his sleeve and delivered it to an unsuspecting public in 1972. Miller retreated to the studio with a brace of crack studio vets and issued “Recall The Beginning…A Jounery From Eden” to critical raves.
The record begins with a soul/funk instrumental called “Welcome” which slides effortlessly into a groovy 50’s Doo-Wop number called “Enter Maurice” this one is greasy as hell and a whole lot of fun. “High On You Mama” is a seductive down-home blues piece that features some pretty slide guitar and underwater bass guitar runs. “Heal Your Heart” goes back to the soul strut of early Miller albums such as “Sailor” and “Your Saving Grace.” The next track “The Sun Is Going Down” is a bit of fluff but nothing that offensive. Side one ends with a real winner called “Somebody Somewhere Help Me” this one re-visits the record’s opening theme then turns into a classic dose of blue-eyed soul (this would have been a bitchin’ 45 but Capitol wasn’t having it, what a bunch of squares man!!!)
In truth side one is fine uptempo groovin’ stuff but it simply does not prepare you for the brilliance of side 2, in my opinion this is one of the greatest album sides in pop history and probably the pinnacle of Miller’s career. It’s like Miller was magically transported back to the glory days of 1967–68. Side 2 begins with a gorgeous acoustic piece called “Love’s Riddle” which features dreamy strings and Miller’s eerie whispered vocals, then it’s right into another mellow down easy number called “Fandango” which explodes into technicolor during the song’s mid-section.
“Nothing Lasts” is just plain incredible, it opens with a dramatic wash of strings and Miller’s elegant acoustic fingerpicking. The piece then takes flight in exhilirating fashion with Steve singing a majestic duet with himself, this number could be the greatest thing Miller ever recorded. But wait it gets even better, the closing track “Journey From Eden” (aka “Blackbird”) is a mind-numbing psychedelic trip ballad straight off the grooves of the group’s debut 1968 “Children Of The Future.” Wow! what a finish to a briiliant side of music. You might think I’m mad but the stuff on the second side of this record is right up there with Big Star #3, Forever Changes by Love and Starsailor by Tim Buckley and other heavies.
Released in a 3-sided digi-sleeve from Seely Court in the UK. Limited pressing of 320 copies. Jean Turk is an American singer-songwriter (SSW) from Norfolk, Virginia, and is said to be the daughter of a Native American Iroquois/Cherokee chief. In 1976, while searching for a musical career in Europe, she met the UK band Mad Dogs at the US military camp circuit in Germany, and was invited to go to England and start her activities based in Liverpool. This work is an unreleased studio recording from 1976, and has been made into a CD from the master tape kept by Steve Giles (ex. Dark, etc.), who was the studio engineer at the time. The members are centered around vocalist Gene, with the aforementioned Mad Dogs (Andrew Kightly, Steve Musgrove, Chris Bunny, etc.) providing backing for tracks 1-5, and Axe (Tony Burford, Mick Knight, Martin Winning, etc.) providing backing for tracks 6-11. Both Mad Dogs and Axe are thought to be bands related to the Northampton-based band Windroad. Tracks 1-5 are fairly simple and straightforward blues rock, with Gene's amber singing and free-style ensemble converging into a muffled atmosphere, giving a sense of nostalgia that will make you want to drink more. Tracks 6-11 have a slightly soul-like taste, giving them a somewhat sophisticated impression, but they still have that underground feel that can't be brought out.
Meet Brevity, the '70s Chicago band that took their name seriously. Rick
Vittenson and Mark Breyer mashed up their surnames faster than you can
say "power pop pioneers." Imagine the Byrds and Everly Brothers had a
love child raised by the British Invasion – that's Brevity's sound in a
nutshell. They were so good, they drew comparisons to Badfinger and
Harry Nilsson. Not too shabby for a band you've probably never heard
of... until now! Island Records and Frank Zappa's Bizarre/Straight
label were sniffing around, but Brevity's tunes remained locked in a
vault. Talk about a tease! Fast forward to now, and Think Like A Key is
playing musical archaeologist, unearthing Home Is Where Your Dog Is.
It's not just an album; it's a time capsule of proto-power pop goodness.
But wait, there's more! Vittenson and Breyer (with drummer David
Winogrond) weren't done. They went on to shape the Chicago/LA scene with
Athanor and Skooshny. Because when you're this talented, one band just
isn't enough. Brevity: They may have been short-lived, but their
impact? Anything but brief. Proof that sometimes, the best things in
music come in small packages!
Rough-Trade
Tracks
1. Oleoleo - 2:17
2. Aslan And You - 2:51
3. Very Truly Yours - 3:18
4. Snow Joke - 3:09
5. Better Dead Than In The Red - 4:09
6. For Lack Of A Smile - 3:10
7. Come See Paris (In The Fall) - 4:33
8. Lullaby - On Vacant Eve - 3:12
9. Cakewalk - 3:07
10.A Niche In Time - 4:05
11.Home Alone - 2:25
12.Everybody's Very Nice - 2:02
13.Friends Of Mine - 4:26
14.Little Fawn - 2:33
15.So And So Equals Zero - 2:36
16.Soaring So High - 2:52
17.Pets - 2:32
18.Pussycat, Pussycat - 3:01
19.Try To Forget - 3:58
20.Cakewalk (Secret Tape) - 1:37
Tracks 1,3,5,7,9,11-13,15,20 written by Mark Breyer
Tracks 4,6,8,10,14,16-19 written by Rick Vittenson
