Rockasteria

1966-72 Oxfords - Flying Up Through The Sky - Two (2007 Gear Fab)

Friday, August 15, 2025

Leslie's Motel - Dirty Sheets (1972 us, stunning blues psych jam rock, 2009 edition)

In 1971 three musicians with very different backgrounds came together to form The Leslie's Motel Band. The founding members were Richard Bush, Mike Seibold, and myself, Bill Tullis. Richard had been a long time keyboard player with the blue eyed soul band Tom Dooley and the Lovelights. Mike moved to Louisville from Baltimore to attend college, and had family connections to Felix Pappillardi, the producer of several Cream albums and bass player with Mountain. This gave him a very edgy style that landed him the job of lead guitarist in one of the first "heavy" blues bands in Louisville, Conception.

I got my start as a folk singer playing in clubs around town like The Arts of Louisville House. This club later became Changes Unlimited and then Kaleidoscope, the first psychedelic nightclubs in Louisville, Ky. I spent many exciting nights playing in these clubs with Jay Petach, the engineer of this CD, while we were members of The Oxfords. The most memorable evening was when we opened for Frank Zappa and got to spend some time talking with him about the music business. After leaving The Oxfords I formed the group Conception and that is when Mike and I first started playing together. At the urging of a friend, I went to see a band in Nashville at a club called The Briar Patch and saw, what I thought at the time, was the best live band I had ever heard. Their name was The Allman Joys, which later became The Allman Brothers Band, and I knew my musical path was going to change.

After the release of ABB's first album Mike and I disbanded Conception and sought out some new musicians to be a part of this southern rock sound. We went to a club called The Zanzibar and explained to Richard, during one of his breaks, what we had in mind. He was instantly excited and we began searching out other local musicians to complete the band. Even though over the five years Leslie's Motel was together we went through many different lineups, I believe the group on this CD was LMB at its peak. Before I get into the other three fabulous musicians here, I think the story of the naming of the band needs to be told. When we started rehearsing in a garage off of Dixie Highway in Louisville, every day we would pass by Leslie's Motel. The rumor was that it was a house of "ill repute" (mainly for the soldiers coming and going from Fort Knox) and according to how the sign was lit, meant they were open for business. The sign became a topic of conversation at rehearsals on a regular basis until one day Mike suggested we should call the band Leslie's Motel. After quite a bit of laughter we decided it was as good a name as any and the name stuck! At those first rehearsals we did several Allman Brothers covers, and it greatly influenced our writing.

Ray Barrickman and Jay and I all went to the same high school and had a band called The Specters. That group later became the second generation of The Oxfords. Ray and I once wrote a song together that we performed at a senior assembly. It was suppose to be a tribute to our "wonderful" high school experience. Instead it was a swipe at the school's principal and staff, remembrances of smoking in the boy's room, suspensions for cutting school and growing our hair too long. We almost got expelled for that song so Ray and I "had a past"!! At the time of writing these notes, Ray has been the was also the singer on The Oxfords only nationally released single, so he was an excellent addition to LMB. Paul Hoerni was the drummer for the third generation of The Oxfords with Jay when they did the majority of their recording. He had also played drums in several outstanding bands around town and had that Butch Trucks kind of feel. Jay and I had spent time with Butch at Changes Unlimited when he was playing gigs with his band, The Tiffany System, before he was with ABB. We both recognized the similarities and the talent. So Paul joined the band and we started off as a five piece.

The Windmill Club in Louisville became our home base to hammer out our ideas, and The Belle Starr Saloon in Buffalo, New York became our home away from home. We played the club circuit from as far north as Boston to as far west as St. Louis and south to Florida. Many times we also got the opportunity to open for national recording artists, that I will list in a minute, and that leads us to the last member to join LMB. One night we were opening for a reunion tour of the ground breaking Blues Project, when the drummer Roy Blumenfeld came up to us after the show and asked if he could join the group. We were all floored by his request and jumped at the opportunity. This rounded out the lineup you will hear on this CD. Leslie's Motel Band opened for guitarists Ted Nugent, Charlie Daniels, Freddie King, Harvey Mandel, Rory Gallagher, Harvey Brooks, Mike Bloomfield (where the reviewer wrote "The home town boys seemed to be more in the favor of the audience than Mr. Bloomfield"), organist Billy Preston, singer Mitch Ryder, and The MC5. But the show that stands out the most for me was the highlight of my musical life. We were opening for the legendary John Lee Hooker at The Brass Rail in Orchard Park, NY, just outside of Buffalo, when Mr. Hooker came up to me after our set and said "Son, I don't have a harp player with me tonight. Would you like to sit in?".

Looking back, I cannot remember how many songs I played or how long I was on stage. All I remember is floating out onto the stage when he called my name!! Well, I hope you enjoy reading these liner notes half as much as I have enjoyed remembering all of these GREAT times! It is an honor that Gear Fab Productions is releasing this CD over thirty years after these sessions. And my thanks to Jay Petach, Marvin Maxwell, Roger Maglio and all the past residents of Leslie's Motel for making it happen!!!

by Bill Tullis, October, 2008

Tracks

1. Step Down Baby (Mike Siebold, Bill Tullis) - 3:40.

2. Interlude (Richard Bush, Mike Siebold) - 0:32.

3. My Sweet Woman (Richard Bush, Bill Tullis) - 5:45.

4. Blister (Richard Bush) - 7:48.

5. Reason Why (Mike Siebold, Bill Tullis) - 4:19.

6. Windmills (Richard Bush) - 4:28.

7. Latino Motel (Prelude/lnterlude/Qualude) (Bill Tullis, Barrickman, Mike Seibold, Richard Bush, Paul Hoerni, Roy Blumenfeld) - 8:52.

8. Movin' Rock 'n' Roll (Bill Tullis) - 3:18.

9. Dirty Sheets (Bill Tullis, Ray Barrickman, Mike Seibold, Richard Bush, Hoerni, Roy Blumenfeld) - 5:31.

Track 9 Live At The Morefill South

Leslie's Motel

*Bill Tullis- Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Tambourine

*Mike Seibold - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Richard Bush - Hammond C3 Organ, Fender Rhodes Piano

*Ray Barrickman - Bass, Vocals

*Paul Hoerni - Drums

*Roy Blumenfeld - Drums, Congas, Hand Clapping

1969 Sea Train - SeaTrain

1966 The Blues Project - Live At The Cafe Au Go Go
1966 The Blues Project - Projections
1967 The Blues Project - Live At Town Hall
1968 The Blues Project - Planned Obsolescence

1971-72 The Blues Project - Lazarus / The Blues Project

1973 The Blues Project - Reunion in Central Park

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

The Tarney • Spencer Band - Three's A Crowd (1978 australia, nice melodic power pop, 2009 bonus tracks digipak remaster)

Tarney-Spencer Band was an Australian rock band composed of Trevor Spencer and Alan Tarney in the late 1970s. The band recorded three albums, and is notable for the song "No Time to Lose" which received substantial air-play in the USA on album- oriented rock radio stations, and charted twice on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Alan Tarney met Trever Spencer while playing in an Australian group called Johnny Broome and The Handels. In 1969, Alan and Trevor moved to the UK. They formed a band called Quartet, releasing 2 singles on Decca and an unreleased album. The two also occasionally played on on numerous sessions for artists including Olivia Newton-John, Chris Squire, Bonnie Tyler, Charlie Dore, New Seekers, The Real Thing and many others.

About the same time as Tarney and Spencer were working under the name Quartet, they were also sitting in on sessions for Cliff Richard. Alan Tarney eventually joined The Shadows on bass in 1973, staying until 1977.

Alan and Trevor began working as a duo in 1975. Their first, self titled album was released in 1976 in the UK on the Bradley's label. Shortly after, the Tarney-Spencer Band signed a deal with A&M Records for 10 albums. The band's second album (1st for A&M), was titled "Three's a Crowd" and featured cover art with rounded corners, shaped like an American style cafe menu card. The album received modest airplay on AOR radio station in the US and reached #174 on Billboard Magazine's album chart. A single from the album, "It's Really You" hit #86 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Run For Your Life" appeared in 1979. Again, with airplay at AOR radio, the album charted in the US reaching #181. One of the album's tracks, "No Time To Lose" was released as a single and rose to number #84 on the singles chart.

After the release of a non-LP single, "Cathy's Clown" in 1979, the band was released from their contract with A&M and discontinued their work together as Tarney-Spencer Band. Two years after the band broke up, the track "No Time To Lose" got the attention of MTV. In 1981, when MTV launched, the channel occasionally aired a video clip for "No Time To Lose". A&M reis- sued the track as a single. The song charted a second time on Bill- board's Hot 100, fairing slightly better that the first time around, reaching #74. Their biggest achievement, "No Time To Lose" has never officially seen mainstream release on CD, either as part of the Run For Your Life album or on a various artist compilation. Trevor Spencer left the UK and returned to Perth to help start Sh-Boom studios. Recent work with Hank Marvin's 1990's solo albums.

Alan Tarney began working as a producer and achieved nota- ble success with A-Ha. Alan produced their first three albums, including their hit single "Take On Me". Additional production work included sides for Squeeze, Bow Wow Wow, Leo Sayer, Pulp, Cliff Richard, Thomas Anders, The Hollies, Voice of the Beehive, The Bluebells, Dream Academy and others.

Liner-Notes

Tracks

1. Bye Bye Now My Sweet Love - 3:21

2. Takin' Me Back (Alan Tarney, Trevor Spencer) - 3:01

3. It's Really You (Alan Tarney, Tom Snow, Trevor Spencer) - 3:53

4. We Believe In Love - 3:49

5. Maybe I'm Right (Robert Wachtel) - 3:34

6. I Can Hear Love - 3:26

7. Set The Minstrel Free (Alan Tarney, David Kershenbaum, Trevor Spencer) - 4:00

8. Magic Still Runs Through Your Head - 3:02

9. Capital Shame - 5:08

10.Easier For You - 3:13

11.Making A Bad Boy Good - 3:17

12.Can't Get By Without You - 3:06

Songs written by Alan Tarney except where stated

Personnel

*Trevor Spencer - Drums, Syndrums, Percussion

*Alan Tarney - Guitars, Keyboards, Synthesizers, Vocals

*Lynton Naiff - Strings Arrangements

1968 40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed And Ready To Serve (2013 reissue)

Thursday, August 7, 2025

Chicken Shack - O.K. Ken? (1969 uk, remarkable blues rock, 2014 remaster)

The exact source of the phrase "O.K. Ken ?" is somewhat obscured by time. Stan Webb was well known for being something of a comedian and was a keen follower of many of the professionals of the day. Many of those top line performers had their own little catch phrases and also very distinctive vocal styles. Names such as Max Wall, Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Kenneth Williams and Tommy Cooper immediately spring to mind. Stan was always alert to the possibility of a "quick one liner" as they were known.

They were rarely at the expense of anyone's feelings but almost always raised a giggle or two. Stan also had the gift of making just the right facial expression to go with the lines being delivered. Had he not been such a good guitarist and strong vocalist he might have made a career of impersonating others. Anyway, now armed with some inside information as it were, you can judge for yourself his capabilities. Sandwiched in between the musical elements you will hear the various voices of John Peel, Hughie "and I mean this most sincerely, folks" Green. Max Wall, Kenneth Williams and the former Prime Minister, Harold Wilson - amongst others. The Stan Webb Appreciation Society is to be heard in support. The results have their appeal although there are those who have said they found the spoken introductions irritating and annoying to the point of distraction. Well, as with most things - this is a matter of personal choice. "O.K. Ken ?"

The music contained on this, The Chicken Shack's second album, might lack some of the earthy freshness of their first effort but nonetheless represents the band just the way they were in a club situation - few frills, plenty of thrills and lots of honest, good rockin' blues! The song-writing chores are once again shared between Stan and Christine Perfect (soon to be McVie) with Stan taking the lion's share. There are a handful of non-originals amongst which are renditions of Howlin' Wolf's "Tell Me" and B.B. King's "Sweet Sixteen". Both these songs had become very popular in the band's "live" show. Once again the horn section is in evidence and there is also a guest appearance of Walter "Shakey" Horton who plays harmonica behind Christine's plaintive vocal on "Little Walter's "Mean Old World". As with "40 Blue Fingers" This album saw some chart success but did not achieve all that could have been wished for. Of course, the release of the single "I'd Rather Go Blind" was only months away which would give the band their biggest chart success to date but which would also result in the parting of the waves for Christine and the remaining members of The Shack.

Once again, a great deal of care was taken in the final selection of material. the actual recording sessions were spread over a period of three days - one in June of 1968 and the other two back to back in October of the same year. As always Mike Ross was in charge of engineering matters whilst the off-beat photographic work of Terence Ibbott is again in evidence. I well remember the skeleton "hanging" around (with and without shower cap) but to this day I do not know where Terry got it from. The cover photograph was taken in front of the National Gallery in London's West End (I think) but who is the young boy also featured? Where did Terry find this little chap and how in God's name did he persuade him to sit next to a skeleton of all things! He looks, to say the least, somewhat perplexed. Well, wouldn't you ?.

by Mike Vernon, August 1993

Tracks

1. Baby's Got Me Crying (Stan Webb) - 2:34

2. The Right Way Is My Way (Stan Webb) - 2:33

3. Get Like You Used To Be (Christine Perfect, Stan Webb) - 3:48

4. Pony And Trap (Stan Webb) - 3:20

5. Tell Me (Chester Burnett) - 4:49

6. A Woman Is The Blues (Christine Perfect, Stan Webb) - 3:27

7. I Wanna See My Baby (T-Bone Walker) - 3:52

8. Remington Ride (Hank Penny, Herb Remington) - 3:02

9. Fishing In Your River (Stan Webb) - 4:40

10.Mean Old World (Walter Jacobs) - 3:46

11.Sweet Sixteen (B.B. King, Joe Josea) - 6:22

12.Tears In The Wind (Stan Webb) - 2:42

13.I'd Rather Go Blind (Billy Foster, Ellington Jordan) - 3:16

Chicken Shack

*Dave Bidwell - Drums

*Stan Webb - Vocals, Guitar

*Christine Perfect - Vocals, Piano

*Andy Sylvester - Bass

With

*Roderick Lee - Trumpet

*Steve Gregory - Tenor

*Buddy Beadle - Alto, Baritone

*Johnny Almond - Tenor (Tracks 3,6)

*Walter "Shakey" Horton - Harmionica (Track 10)

*Terry Noonan - Trumpet (Track 6)

*Don Fey - Tenor (Track 6)

1969 Chicken Shack - 100 Ton Chicken (2013 xpanded)
1970 Accept (japan remaster and expanded)
1973 Unlucky Boy (2013 reissue)
1974 Go Live "Goodbye Chicken Shack"
1978 Stan Webb's Chicken Shack - That's The Way We Are (2015 edition)

1981 Chicken Shack - Roadies Concerto (2015 release)