Various Artists - Wednesday Morning Dew Realistic Patterns, Vol. 2 (60's us, pleasing psychedelic trip out )

Psychic Circle's second collection of rare "Orchestrated Psychedelia from the USA" manages to be more satisfying than the first; like Realistic Patterns, Wednesday Morning Dew has precious little to do with genuine psychedelic rock, but as a collection of pop tunes which revel in the lysergic influences of the late '60s, it's fun and engaging stuff. Jeff Monn, who as a member of the Third Bardo sang one of the great garage-psych tunes of all time ("Five Years Ahead of My Time"), shows off a more ambitious side on the more polished but similarly intense "She Is There for Me." New York City rockers the Majik Ship are represented by one of the stellar moments from their self-titled album, the moody and tastefully arranged "Sunday Morning Dew."

Secret Agents of the Vice Squad not only had a great name, they managed to twist "Hang on Sloopy" into an homage to the Left Banke, with the likeably odd "I Saw Sloopy." The Shambles' "World War II in Cincinnati" boasts what must be one of the most cryptic drug references of the era, but the Baroque pop arrangement is unmistakably pleasurable; "Follow Us" by Summerhill is an even more impressive and ambitious Baroque pop rarity, and a real stunner.

Silk from Cleveland deliver a solid bit of horn-infused blue-eyed soul on "Not a Whole Lot I Can Do," which features future heartland rock cult hero Michael Stanley on guitar. And though the contributions from the Second Time and the Peppermint Rainbow aren't especially obscure, they're fine tunes that sound great in this context. Fans of heavy psych will find this too diluted for their taste, but if you have an ear for pleasantly off-kilter '60s pop, Wednesday Morning Dew will make you feel very good indeed.
by Mark Deming

Artists - Tracks
1. Bloomsbury People - Have You Seen Them Cry - 3:32
2. Erik - Child of the Sea - 2:22
3. Majic Ship - Wednesday Morning Dew - 2:55
4. Fallen Angels - Room at the Top - 2:41
5. Shambles - World War II in Cincinatti - 2:52
6. Wayne Stewart - If You Could Be Him Instead - 2:16
7. Summerhill - Follow Us - 3:47
8. Stony Brook People - There's Tomorrow - 2:43
9. The Bag - Nickels & Dimes - 2:31
10.Secret Agents of the Vice Squad - I Saw Sloopy - 1:58
11.Peter Courtney - Dr. David's Private Papers - 2:23
12.Green Lyte Sunday - If You Want to Be Free - 2:41
13.Hearts And Flowers - Tin Angel - 4:23
14.Five By Five - Too Much Tomorrow - 2:35
15.Jeff Monn - She Is There for Me - 2:02
16.The Second Time - Listen to the Music - 2:48
17.Nova Local - If You Only Had the Time - 2:19
18.Silk - Not a Whole Lot I Can Do - 3:06
19.Hook - There's Magic in the Air - 2:19
20.Peppermint Rainbow - Pink Lemonade - 2:08

More from the Artists
Erik Heller - Look Where I Am 1968 
Majic Ship 1970

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The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band - Flowers Never Cry (1967-68 us, marvellous psychedelic rock)

Normally when someone is asked to write something about a recording group, they  find little or no difficulty in doing so. However,  this is not the case with The Mystic  Astrologic, Crystal Band!!! I say this as  the group truly is a paradox and yet everything  the name implies! Still, the group also  is Steve Hoffman due to the fact that it was  wholly conceived in his own mind originally,  (in fact one of his compositions contained  herein, "Geometry Alley" makes reference  to just such a band) and then brought to fruition  after many months of auditioning, rehearsing  and recording!!

Steve Hoffman, (the only band member I will dwell on for this, their first album)  was discovered by his Manager and Producer,  Clancy B. Grass III, in a little known  teen-age club in West Covina round 1966. At that time he simply walked up to Mr. Grass and said. "I write great songs and you have got to listen to them!  It only took one song to prove that here was  a potential "giant" as far as the recording  industry was concerned, and from that point  on the two of them have worked together to  create this album!!

It has been a long time in  the making, and yet when you listen to the  variety of songs and instruments...the approach  given to each composition individually,  etc.; you will see that it has without a  doubt been time well spent!!!  During the course of recording this album,  many people associated with the entertainment  industry, including disk-jockeys, record  company executives, motion picture producers  and so on have heard one or more of  the selections in various stages of completion  and the consensus of opinion has been that  this group has all the qualifications necessary  to become the largest, most successful  group ever to come from the U.S.A.

In fact, it  has been suggested that The Mystic  Astrologic, Crystal Band could be the "heir apparent"  to the throne currently held by The  Beatles!!! A very big statement, but listen  to Steve’s songs, hear what he has to say  and how the band says it. pay attention to  the musicianship of the group and then you  too will be saying "Why couldn't they?"...  with no reply as there is no reason why they  couldn't!!! I have been associated with the  recording industry for some time now and  having had several Top 10 hits in this country  I feel I can say to you that contained  herein are the greatest sounds ever to be put  together by an American group for more  than five or six years!!!
by Albeth Paris 

Tracks
1. Factory Endeavor - 2:30
2. Early Dawn - 2:05
3. Antagonizing Friend - 2:27
4. Barnyard Philosophy - 2:06
5. Flowers Never Cry - 2:18
6. Geometry Alley - 2:29
7. October Sunshine - 2:00
8. La Vent - 3:04
9. Publicly Inclined (To Blow Her Mind) - 2:42
10.Yesterday's Girl - 2:40
11.The M.A.C.B. Theme - 2:17
12.Sunbeams and Rainbows - 2:55
13.I Think I'll Just Lie Here and Die - 2:22
14.Gaberdene Square - 3:32
15.Ah Ha Ha Ha - 2:33
16.Krystalize - 2:35
17.Today - 1:58
18.Yellow Room - 2:45
19.Authors - 3:20
20.It's Strange - 2:40
21.Only Time - 2:46
22.Oatmeal Quicksand - 1:01
All songs by Steve Hoffman

The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band
*Steve Hoffman - Vocals, Sitar, Bass, Keyboards
*John Leighton - Vocals, Bass, Guitar
*John Moreland - Lead Guitar
*Bob Phillips - Drums, Percussion
*Ron Roman - Vocals, Percussion

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The Moon - Without Earth And The Moon (1968-69 us, outstanding orchestrated psychedelia)

The music recorded was an effort to contribute an augmented level of warm, meaningful, and enjoyable listening fare for all of the creatures that hear. The beginnings were mainly generated by the songs being written by Matthew Moore. Matthew's brother, 'Daniel Moore', was an independent record producer in Los Angeles and had produced several singles with Matthew as the artist.

Daniel had arranged a meeting with  'Mike Curb' at Sidewalk Productions, in an effort to find a recording contract, and Mike was very helpful in providing the producer, and engineer, and drummer, and keyboardist: (Larry Brown), and in encouraging Matthew to seek out musicians that would form a group to record his compositions. Larry Brown introduced "Drew" Bennett to the proposed gathering, and Matthew had been running into David Marks around town, so he approached David with the idea of recording a few trial tracks. Within a few weeks the project was under way.

The Studio was to be, "Continental Studio", in Hollywood, and the four young adventurers set up camp and locked the doors. These young men were still not yet 21 years of age. The tremendous technical and organizational task had began. All were single, all were very accomplished musicians, all were ridiculously fearless as to the huge undertaking they had embarked upon. It was agreed upon from the beginning that the fewest possible distractions and interruptions during the recording process must be the rule.

The doors were locked and only food deliveries and an occasional visit from Mike Curb was allowed during the basic track recording phase. Sleeping, eating and playing music....that was all. The quest for perfection was the standard, many re-takes, many 'start all overs', and many heated discussions concerning choices of parts to be played or parts, not to be played. Matthew: " I remember waking up ..having slept on the floor near the piano. A dim light was on in the booth, so I tried to walk to the door out of the studio.

 I kept stepping on boxes and kicking over cans and bottles but I made my way to the light panel to bring up the light in the room. I couldn't believe the amount of clutter and trash we had accumulated. We had to take a day off to allow the janitors to come in and clean. I still can recall the 'Warnings' we invoked,  to "be careful and not move any wires or mikes or touch any set up instruments". We had to go out into the world for a day and entertain ourselves. Dave and I went to a $.50 triple feature western movie downtown and watched the winos sleep. A few days later we resumed our quest.

No one knows for sure, how many hours or days or weeks or months it took to finish the first album, (Without Earth)  but we do remember the final moment when we all looked at each other and nodded in agreement that it was finished. The second Album (The Moon), was actually time logged by Larry Brown. He said It took 470 hours, from start to finish. The first one took much more time.

The Moon-albums

Tracks
1. Mothers and Fathers - 2:06
2. Pleasure - 3:19
3. I Should Be Dreaming - 2:33
4. Brother Lou's Love Colony (Dalton, Montgomery) - 3:57
5. Got to Be on My Way - 2:00
6. Someday Girl - 2:42
7. Papers - 0:59
8. Faces - 2:06
9. Never Mind - 1:51
10.Give Me More - 2:48
11.She's on My Mind (Dalton, Montgomery) - 2:21
12.Walking Around - 1:56
13.Pirate - 2:55
14.Lebanon (Moore, Moris) - 1:45
15.Transporting Machine - 1:40
16.Mary Jane (Klimes, Whitcraft) - 2:16
17.Softly - 3:01
18.Not to Know - 2:42
19.The Good Side - 2:59
20.Life Is a Season - 2:22
21.John Automation - 2:17
22.Come Out Tonight - 2:47
23.Mr. Duffy (Brown, Moore) - 2:56
24.Pirate (Mono 45 Mix) - 2:38
25.Not to Know (Mono 45 Mix) - 2:41
26.Face in the Crowd - 2:05
27.White Silk Glove (Clifford) - 2:15
28.Come On - 2:58
All compositions by Matthew Moore unless else stated.

Musicians
*Matthew Moore - Piano, Vocals, Guitars
*David Marks - Guitars, Background Vocals
*Larry Brown - Drums
*Dave Jackson  - Bass
*Joe Foster - Synthesizer
*Nick Robbins - Synthesizer
*Bob Klimes - String Arrangements
*Dave Roberts - Horn Arrangements

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Outlaw Blues Band - The Outlaw Blues Band (1968 us, unique blend of blues, rock, jazz, and soul, 2000 digipak release)

Chances are that you've never heard of the Outlaw Blues Band, although you may have run across the band's music a time or two. An obscure outfit with great appeal to crate-diggers and certain adventuresome club DJs, the Outlaw Blues Band's two lone 1960s-era albums have taken on a certain underground cachet since their release, and OBB songs have been sampled in tracks by such hip-hop artisans as De La Soul and Cyprus Hill, among others, and have shown up in various movie soundtracks.

Formed in Los Angeles in the early 1960s by drummer Victor Aleman, bassist Joe Francis Gonzalez, and guitarist Phillip John Diaz, the Outlaw Blues Band was as equally influenced by blues and R&B artists like Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, and Johnny "Guitar" Watson as they were by British Invasion acts like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. After building a strong reputation on the basis of their dynamic live shows, the Outlaw Blues Band was signed to ABC/Bluesway Records by legendary producer Bob Thiele, releasing The Outlaw Blues Band And The People album in 1968, and Breaking In a year later.

The Outlaw Blues Band kicks off its debut disc with a particularly funky take on the old John D. Loudermilk greasy-blues treasure "Tobacco Road." While the rhythm section cranks out a deep groove, a blaring horn riff pushes the song forward. Guitarist Diaz's solos are vibrant, rich in tone, and loud enough to joust with Joe Whiteman's tenor sax. Diaz's scattershot vocals, the band's backing harmonies, and the song's circular soundtrack blend together, making for a hypnotic listening experience.

The band sinks deep into the blues with its original "Tried To Be A Good Boy," the song a musical dichotomy that sets Whiteman's jazzy sax and flute notes against Diaz's emotional vocals and wiry leads, the band's unique arrangement taking the song into an entirely different direction.The up-tempo "How Bad Love Can Be" is a rollicking soul-blues rave-up with Diaz's raucous vocals matched by his scrappy rhythm guitar, Whiteman's icy blasts of sax, and a fluid rhythm section that brings a slippery feel to every beat. Again, Diaz's leads are dynamic, jumping right out of your speakers and demanding your attention, the energy crackling like ball lightning around your ears. Drummer Aleman smacks the cans with a fierce percussive attitude.

The blistering emotion of "Lost In The Blues" is bolstered by Diaz's tortured vocals and scorching guitarplay, while Whiteman's use of a vibraharp is interesting for the textures it brings to the otherwise period-perfect blues-rock jam. The album's highlight is "Death Dog Of Doom," a chaotic eight-minute instrumental showcase that masterfully blends blues, rock, jazz, funk, and soul with a heavy Latin influence that reminds of Santana but with a wilder edge.

While Gonzalez's throbbing bass and Aleman's subtle drumming builds a rhythmic foundation, Diaz stirs in swirling layers of psychedelic-blues guitar, Whiteman throws in scraps of flute and vibes, and several band members bang out various percussive rhythms behind Jimmy Colford's dominant Congas. The song is a welcome reminder of the kind of musical experimentation that a band could get away with during the swinging 1960s, a free-spirited jam that blows away preconceptions and breaks down barriers, opening the door for future musical ideas.

The Outlaw Blues Band comes back to earth with a smoldering cover of B.B. King's classic "Sweet Sixteen." Diaz sounds more like a traditional blues vocalist here, all silky and smoky while Leon Rubenhold's harmonica playing finally has a chance to rise and shine. Often lost in the mix of other songs, Rubenhold's harp style evokes that of Little Walter, and provides a fine counterpoint to Diaz's imaginative fretboard runs.

Larry Gentile's organ provides a bit of warmth to the performance, and Aleman's nuanced drumming reminds of the great Sam Lay. The album closes out with the cacophonic "Two 'Tranes Running," a free-form instrumental jam inspired by John Coltrane and Miles Davis, and a little too improv for my tastes, tho' jazzheads might dig it.

The band's lively and unique blend of blues, rock, jazz, and soul music was a decade or more ahead of its time, while its multi-racial make-up and deep well of influences place it on par with contemporaries like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Santana, Electric Flag, and the Allman Brothers Band. Sadly, these albums have been lost for decades, but are ripe for re-discovery by adventuresome blues and jazz fans.
by Keith A. Gordon

Tracks
1. Tobacco Road (John Loudermilk) - 5:03
2. Tried to Be a Good Boy (But I'm Worse Than a Nazi) - 6:19
3. How Bad Love Can Be - 4:02
4. I've Got to Have Peace on MyMind - 3:34
5. Lost in the Blues - 3:06
6. Death Dog of Doom - 8:10
7. Sweet Sixteen (Joe Josea, B.B. King) - 4:31
8. Two 'Tranes Running - 2:14
All songs by Victor Aleman, Joe Francis Gonzalez, Leon Rubenhold except where indicated.

Outlaw Blues Band
*Joe Francis Gonzalez - Bass, Vocals
*Joe Whiteman - Flute, Percussion, Soprano, Tenor Sax
*Phillip John Diaz - Lead, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Leon Rubenhold - Harmonica, Timbales, Vocals
*Victor Aleman - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

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Various Artists - Realistic Patterns Orchestrated Psychedelia (60's us, psychedelic gems)

Over the past several years, smaller niche markets have started to become more DIY oriented as the bigger label support crumbling beneath their feet. Among the genres most notably contributing to the niche are soul/R&B, funk, jazz, and the enormous number of psychedelic nugget compilations. With so many reissue labels and compilations floating around, it’s hard to decipher which ones are actually worth the high price tags that smaller labels are forced to charge.

It all comes down to the compiler and the staff’s passion behind these labels—we’ve all learned that Numero dig up some of the tastiest nuggets, Soul Jazz create some of the best retrospective period compilations in the business, and you can always turn to Trunk for the sounds that are from another planet. It usually only takes one release to make or break these labels, and after a solid couple dozen releases on Psychic Circle, they may have finally laid their permanent mark with Realistic Patterns: Orchestrated Psychedelia from the USA.

As mentioned, one of the most important elements in reissue labels are the compilers and the heads of the labels themselves, and Psychic Circle has one of the better teams behind the drawing board. The label is owned by Steven Carr (one owner of Radioactive) and the compiler is Nick Saloman, lead man of ‘60s psych-revivalists the Bevis Frond. Finding a topic to keep an audience interested in buying a compilation from a semi-obscure label is the true test—and orchestrated psychedelia is by and large the cleverest release from Pyschic Circle yet.

Ochestrated psychedelic cuts were usually those in the ‘60s that got thrown to the wayside as cheap b-sides or corny off-shoots from respectable bands. Saloman proves that something other than fuzzy guitars and pummeling drums can fit within the pallet of psychedelia, and he does it with the help of 20 bands that understood quality arrangements. Featuring artists ranging from the unknown to the obscure collector all the way to deep cuts by bands like the Moon—which featured Matthew Moore (who worked with Leon Russell and Joe Cocker) and former Beach Boy David Marks—the attention to detail in the compiling of tracks for Realistic Patterns is imposing and laudable.

While some cuts, such as Burned’s “All Those Who Enter Here”, which was released on a temporary subsidiary of Mercury, and Bubble’s “I Call Her Lady” on Dot Records (both released as one-off 45s only), are nearly unknown to any normal record collector, there are cuts that will prove to familiar to the everyday psych-collector. Present is one of the best examples of orchestrated psychedelia, the 31st of February’s classic baroque-style cut “Pedestals”, which features future Allman Butch Trucks behind the kit (Greg and Duane were also known to sit in with the band), while Tim Widle’s “Popcorn Double Feature” provides the original of the Searchers’ smash hit, written by Larry Weiss (also responsible for “Rhinestone Cowboy”—quite the change of pace).

Realistic Patterns does follow suit to a nagging trend in obscure compilations, and that is a lack of research. While folks like Numero have gained their recognition for the deep research put into the tracks they compile (the backstories contained in the liner notes are often just as interesting as the tracks), Psychic Circle is willing to put out a track they can find little to no information on. It can only make one wonder if they really put the time into doing deep research to find the info. For example, the liner notes behind the track “I Had the Notion” by the Sound Solution claims, “Well, here’s a great track from a clearly excellent band, and I could find absolutely nothing about them.”

But if these backstories and discoveries are part of the reason people buy these compilations, then how are they clearly excellent? This isn’t to shortchange the effort put into Psychic Circle’s compilations, but more extensive research for the liner notes would be a definite encouragement for purchasing these comps in the future. While Realistic Patterns: Orchestrated Psychedelia from the USA has its commonplace flaws, it’s strength of track selections and precise compiling should leave Psychic Circle as a go to label for tracks that are obscure, but also full of substance.

Steven Carr and Nick Saloman have built the right foundations for a fantastic adventure into the world of compilations, and if they continue to grow, there is no doubt they will find themselves a place in the niche of ever-growing DIY compilation labels.
by John Bohannon

Artists - Tracks
1. Burned - All Those Who Enter Here -  3:03
2. Subterranean Monastery - Realistic Patterns -  2:40
3. Moon - Brother Lou's Love Colony -  3:57
4. Bubble - I Call Her Lady -  3:19
5. Compass - Her Sadness Primer -  2:17
6. Tim Wilde - Popcorn Double Feature -  3:03
7. Sound Solution - I Had The Notion -  2:29
8. Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band -Yesterday Girl -  2:43
9. Byzantine Empire -Snowqueen -  2:24
10.A Handful - Dying Daffodil Incident -  2:35
11.Douglas Fir - Jersey Thursday -  2:19
12.Gregg Shively - Dominique Is Gone -  3:15
13.Nobody's Children - Don'tcha Feel Like Cryin' -  2:09
14.Balloon Farm - Hurry Up Sundown -  2:53
15.Dunn And McCashen - Lydia Purple -  3:22
16.The Visions - Small Town Commotion -  2:29
17.Drake - Glory Train -  2:25
18.31st Of February - Pedestals -  2:28
19.Natty Bumpo - Theme From Valley Of The Dolls -  2:13
20.Little Boy Blues - Mr. Tripp Wouldn't Listen -  3:45

For DanP and all of my FRIENDS who supporting our effort for more than three years....

More from the Artists here:
Douglas Fir - Hard Heartsingin' 1970
The Moon - Without Earth And The Moon 1968-69
The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band - Flowers Never Cry 1967-68

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Iron Butterfly - Scorching Beauty / Sun and Steel (1974-75 us, classic rock with some glam dives)

Several things occur to me as I keep listening to Scorching Beauty. First, I wonder at the careful and loving craftsmanship of the record. Just nine songs on here, and none are that long: a couple do develop into feeble jams, but for the most part, the length is adequate. The production is not brilliant, but decent: the sound is very cozy and homely, as if the band is playing right here in your living-room. No arena connotations here, and no 'band-from-Hell' connotations either: just good old plain rock'n'roll with loud, but not overloud guitars and nice touches of organs and synths throughout.

Second, Erik Braunn suddenly displays an amazing singing voice - on the more loud rockers he tries a bit too hard to scream his head off, but on the ballads and the 'quieter' numbers in general he sings in a weird croon, almost reminding me of Bryan Ferry. No, no, 'tis not a joke: I could have sworn that Braunn drew a lot of inspiration from none other than Roxy Music. If you don't believe me, grab this album and start it from track number six, 'Searchin' Circles': a terrific moody rocker driven by Erik's powerful riffage and Reitzes' majestic organ riff, and above it comes Mr Braunn's passionate, trebley vocal delivery that manages to encompass a lonely man's desperate feelings almost perfectly. And the bleating on the chorus - 'In circll-l-l-l-es! In circ-l-l-l-l-l-es!' - is great fun, too.

Third, it has often been said that Scorching Beauty has nothing to do with the former Ingle-led Iron Butterfly, but it ain't right. Some of the songs on here are, in fact, quite hippiesque: '1975 Overture' and 'People Of The World' are just the kind of universalist idealistic anthems you'd expect from a late Sixties record. Here, though, they are 'updated' for the Seventies, and in a nice way, too: 'Overture' opens with an Eastern-flavoured lovely synth melody and Bushy's martial drum rhythms, and 'People Of The World' starts as a typical Seventies grumbly rocker before subsiding into a groovy sing-along anthem with the silly, but charmingly naive refrain ('making each day a little bit better - all together, all together') that keeps repeating over and over a la 'Hey Jude' coda.

Fourth, these guys really know how to rock: 'Hard Miseree' rolls along like a shiny roller coaster, with Erik playing as fast as he can (which isn't really that fast, but it totally suits me, at least) and blazing his way through with some impressive off-the-wall solos. And 'Am I Down' has perhaps the catchiest vocal melody on the record, with Erik once again delivering that weird croon of his. The only misstep is the fake 'hysteria' at the end of the track, but nothing offensive about that, either; it's just that Mr Braunn is not a very convincing nor gifted screamer.

Erik's second and last try. Historically speaking, Sun And Steel is nowhere near as interesting as Beauty. The hippie elements are growing more and more feeble (no sing-along anthems on here), and Erik's Roxy Music influences are also on the way out, only peaking towards the very end of the record. On the other hand, the songwriting is clearly improved - every single one of the tracks on here has at least something to offer to you. The guitars are louder and brawnier, the solos are more 'cathartic', and the riffage is more evident. Oh, and the ballads are more heartfelt. Have I missed anything?

The main bulk of the songs on here are gritty rockers (with a couple ballads to soften the impression), sandwiched in between two 'soulful epics' - the title track and 'Scorching Beauty', which for some unclear reason didn't make it onto the previous album itself. These 'soulful epics' don't seem to have any significant or memorable melody, but hey, that's a usual thing with soulful epics. Soulful epics should grab you not with their structure or melody, but with the energy level and the passion and the heat. And believe me, there's enough passion and heat in both. 'Sun And Steel' builds up towards a pretty impressive climax, with Eric giving his best David Bowie (Bryan Ferry? James Brown? Who cares?) impersonation and playing lots of delicious licks, while the stately organ rules in the background.

Oh, by the way, they've replaced the keyboardist with a certain Bill DeMartines, but that didn't make a lot of difference. As for 'Scorching Beauty', it's arguably the best song off both of the albums. Erik manages to squeeze out a soothing, attractive and at the same time heavily distorted tone out of his guitar and pairs it with the Ferry-ish croon; to this, add thick layers of organ, orchestration and occasional tinkling pianos, and a furious, heartfelt vocal delivery, and here's a recipee for a minor masterpiece. As much as I'm not a fan of the 'heavy soul' genre, I have to admit the band worked some mini-wonders on here. Funny how they didn't bother to release the song immediately, on Beauty itself; did they really deem it inferior to dreck like 'Before You Go'?

And that's just two songs. Then there's the rockers. This stuff I likes. "Lightnin'" sounds a little corny when it comes to the refrain ('She was a lightning in my eyes...'; don't remember what it reminds me of, but maybe so much the better), but the main 'body' of the song, with its heavy funk and spooky little synth 'barkings' everywhere, is impressive. 'Free' takes off on a rather generic riff but transforms it into, well, something not entirely generic; I mean, the first notes are the usual stuff - a riff that's been used by thousands of heavy rock performers, but the last notes are an unexpected twist. Ah, if only I knew how to write down music... then again, not everybody knows how to read music, right? I wouldn't want to pass for a careless nonchalant snob, either.

'Scion', on the other hand, doesn't offer us anything far removed from generic, but I just like the way it flows by - powerfully and raunchily, and same goes for the Mellotron-drenched 'I'm Right I'm Wrong'. I tell you, these rockers aren't bad at all: they are just not very interesting as compared to 'Hard Miseree' or something like that. Still tons of times better than your usual Aerosmith, as the band pulls out all its tricks in desperation, with witty sound effects, synth solos, distorted violins, and loads of other things in the background which I'm just not able to notice. One could write an entire term paper around these numbers.

One could also write an entire term paper around the ballads on here. 'Beyond The Milky Way' begins as a corny bublegum piano pop ditty, then suddenly transforms into a powerful sappy ballad that lies somewhere in between Elton John and Paul McCartney. Gee, now that's clever. Maybe I just fell for the bubblegum once in my life, but I can't resist the song. Oh yeah, David Bowie also had a lot of similar stuff in his early days, so if you're going to condemn the song for 'sugarness', better think twice and at least remember that the melody is very pretty. And 'Watch The World Going By' is even better... definitely better, as nobody is going to accuse me of falling for bubblegum pop this time. In other words, it's another take on Bryan Ferry, with a tear-inducing acoustic guitar/piano melody that reminds me both of Phil Collins' 'More Fool Me' and - yep - 'Stairway To Heaven'... man, I feel like an idiot. But I can't help it.

Okay, I think I really overdid the references part in this particular review; what a downside to rock'n'roll education. It's all true, of course: there's a lot of Bowie and Ferry and Lennon and McCartney and Collins and Elton John and God knows who else here, but is there enough Iron Butterfly? Probably not. Mayhaps they just shouldn't have called the band 'Iron Butterfly', seeing as the records didn't sell anyway. On the other hand, if they hadn't dubbed themselves 'Iron Butterfly', no way I would have bought these albums or even learned of their existence. In the immortal words of George Ade, 'there is everything in a name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but would not cost as much during the winter months'.
Just listen to these albums, please.
by George Starostin

Tracks
1.1975 Overture (Iron Butterfly) - 4:15
2.Hard Miseree (Braunn) - 3:41
3.High on a Mountain Top (Kramer) - 3:58
4.Am I Down (Braunn) - 5:19
5.People of the World (Braunn) - 3:22
6.Searchin' Circles (Braunn) - 4:35
7.Pearly Gates (Anderson, Bushy) - 3:26
8.Lonely Hearts (Braunn) - 3:12
9.Before You Go (Braunn, Reitzes) - 5:33
10.Sun and Steel (Braunn) - 4:01
11.Lightnin'  (DeMartines, Kramer) - 3:02
12.Beyond the Milky Way  (Bushy, DeMartines) - 3:38
13.Free (Braunn) - 2:40
14.Scion (Braunn) - 5:02
15.Get It Out (Braunn) - 2:53
16.I'm Right, I'm Wrong  (DeMartines, Kramer) - 5:25
17.Watch the World Goin' By (Braunn) - 2:58
18.Scorching Beauty (Braunn) - 6:45

Iron Butterfly
*Erik Braunn - Guitar, Vocals
*Ron Bushy - Drums, Vocals
*Bill DeMartines - Keyboards, Vocals
*Phil Kramer - Bass, Vocals
*Howard Reitzes - Keyboards, Vocals
Guest Musicians
*Jerry Jumonville - Horn Arrangements, Soloist
*Julia Tillman - Vocals
*Maxine Willard Waters - Vocals
*June Deniece Williams - Vocals

More Iron Butterflies
1968  Heavy (Japan SHM-CD)
1968  In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Japan SHM-CD)
1969  Ball (Japan SHM-CD)
1970  Metamorphosis (Japan SHM-CD)

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Fantasy - Fantasy (1969-70 us, brilliant psychedelic rock with west coast aura and prog traces)

It was a time of peace signs, protests and tie-dye. It was 1967, the Summer of Love. Psychedelia was sweeping the globe and bands like the Vanilla Fudge, the Doors and the Jimi Hendrix Experience were on top of the world. Every major city had its own scene and in Miami the band on the rise was Fantasy.

Fantasy was formed in 1967 and was comprised of 5 teenagers, Billy Robbins (Lead Vocals). Bob Robbins (Bass). Jim DeMeo (Guitar), Mario Russo (Keyboards), and Greg Kimple (Drums). Fantasy started out playing at teen dances and graduated to performing at The Experience, a Miami underground hippie hangout. From 1967 through 1970 the band, led by its charismatic young singer Billy Robbins, was developing a following.

In 1968 The Experience closed its doors and morphed into Thee Image, a large converted bowling alley which featured the biggest artists of the day. Fantasy was chosen as the house band and every weekend they found themselves on the bill with the likes of Cream, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Frank Zappa and Led Zeppelin to name a few. The bands regional popularity was soaring when tragedy struck. In the Summer of 1970, Fantasy's lead singer Billy Robbins disappeared.

Dates were postponed and then thirty days later, their worst fears were realized when Billy Robbins was found dead. Several months later the band began its search for a new singer, settling on a 16 year old female vocalist Jamene Miller. Where Billy Robbins was all charisma, Jamene was all talent. She got on board and the Fantasy train kept a rollin'. It was only a matter of months before the band signed a manager and hooked up with the Liberty/United Artists record label This album/CD, is the first and only true Fantasy album.

It is a pure and honest testimonial to its time. Unfortunately for Fantasy, egos, immaturity and questionable management fragmented the band. Where are they now? Fantasy lives on only in the music on this record.
by Greg Kimple

Tracks

1. Happy (Vincent James DeMeo, Jr.) - 5.24

2. Come (Mario Anthony Russo) - 6.11

3. Wages Of Sin (Gregory Scott Kimple) - 3.37

4. Circus Of Invisible Men (Gregory Scott Kimple, Vincent James DeMeo, Jr.) - 5.32

5. Stoned Cowboy (David Robert Robbins, Gregory Scott Kimple, Mario Anthony Russo, Vincent James DeMeo, Jr.) - 5.55

6. Understand (Lydia Janene Miller) - 4.42

7. What's Next (Mario Anthony Russo) - 9.42

8. Painted Horse (Vincent James DeMeo, Jr.) - 4.35

9. I Got The Fever (H. B. Barnes) - 2.07

10.Stoned Cowboy (David Robert Robbins, Gregory Scott Kimple, Mario Anthony Russo, Vincent James DeMeo, Jr.) - 2.41

11.Understand (Lydia Janene Miller) - 3.20

Fantasy
*David Robert Robbins - Bass Guitar
*Lydia Jamene Miller - Lead Vocals
*Vincent James Demeo - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Mario Anthony Russo - Piano, Organ
*Gregory Scott Kimple - Drums

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Iron Butterfly - Heavy (1968 us, great heavy psych, debut album, japan SHM release)

The members of Iron Butterfly were still finding their footing as heard on these songs from their 1968 debut. The main reason they sounded so different on all following albums is because they lost three members shortly after the album was released.

Although these didn’t resonate in the same way as the music from their sophomore album, Heavy makes good on its title with unapologetically psychedelic rock played at loud volumes. Their trademark organ sets the tone on “Possession” before plodding riffs and rhythms cast spooky tones under Doug Ingle’s haunted-sounding vocals.

 “Unconscious Power” puts a little of the era’s go-go charms into the mix making for something that girls in paisley mini-dresses could groove to under a liquid light show, while the darker “You Can’t Win” lets loose some of that good old-fashioned acid-rock with heavier guitar riffs, foreboding lyrics and menacing keyboards that all come together to sound like a sibling song of a Doors tune. They saved the best for last with the instrumental “Iron Butterfly Theme.”
from Eye-Tune

Tracks
1. Possession (Ingle) - 2:46
2. Unconscious Power (Bushy, Ingle, Weis) - 2:32
3. Get out of My Life, Woman (Toussaint) - 3:58
4. Gentle as It May Seem (DeLoach, Weis) - 2:28
5. You Can't Win (DeLoach, Smalls, Weis) - 2:41
6. So-Lo (DeLoach, Ingle) - 4:05
7. Look for the Sun (DeLoach, Ingle, Weis) - 2:14
8. Fields of Sun (DeLoach, Ingle) - 3:12
9. Stamped Ideas (DeLoach, Ingle) - 2:08
10.Iron Butterfly Theme (Ingle) - 4:34

Iron Butterfly
*Ron Bushy  - Drums
*Darryl DeLoach  - Guitar, Percussion, Tambourine, Vocals
*Doug Ingle  - Keyboards, Organ, Vocals
*Jerry Penrod  - Bass, Vocals
*Danny Weis  - Guitar

More Iron Butterflies
1968  In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Japan SHM-CD)
1969  Ball (Japan SHM-CD)
1970  Metamorphosis (Japan SHM-CD)

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Essra Mohawk - Primordial Lovers (1970 us, wondrous avant jazz painted with psych colors)

Essra Mohawk's 1970 album Primordial Lovers was the first of the singer-songwriter's recordings to properly reflect the scope of her talents. Although she had already released one LP, Sandy's Album Is Here At Last! (originally issued billed to Sandy Hurvitz and now also available as a CD reissue on Collectors' Choice Music), the production of that recording had not come out as she originally intended. More sympathetically produced by her husband of the time, Frazier Mohawk, Primordial Lovers showcases her eclectic blend of rock, soul, and jazz elements in a variety of arrangements. The result isn't easily comparable to fellow singer-songwriters of that or any other era.

Primordial Lovers was recorded for Reprise Records, home to numerous singer-songwriters as the label evolved into a more contemporary and rock-oriented company in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Initially signed to Frank Zappa's production company Bizarre, Essra moved to Reprise after label head Mo Ostin heard her perform with flute player Jeremy Steig at Steve Paul's Scene Club in New York. While her previous album had been recorded at New York's Apostolic Studios, Primordial Lovers would be cut in October and November of 1969 in California (primarily in Los Angeles, with some sessions taking place in San Francisco).

Frazier Mohawk had a good deal of production experience under his belt before Primordial Lovers. Originally known as Barry Friedman before changing his name in the late 1960s, he'd worked on notable recordings by Los Angeles psychedelic folk-rockers Kaleidoscope, blues-rock pioneers the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, goth goddess Nico, and acid-folkies the Holy Modal Rounders. "Primordial Lovers was a finished album, whereas the first album was released unfinished," points out Essra today. "For the first album, I was up against people who were keeping me from doing my art, who found pleasure in actually erasing great takes just for the hell of it." In contrast, "Frazier totally respected the artist and their art, and his function as a producer was to facilitate that. We pretty much agreed on everything and put on the best of what we had."

Though Essra's intention with her debut album had been to use backing musicians throughout the LP, most of the tracks on that release featured only her own piano accompaniment. On Primordial Lovers, she was able to play with an assortment of talented instrumentalists, the lineup varying from song to song. Among the notable contributors were guitarist Lee Underwood, who played on numerous Tim Buckley albums; Dallas Taylor, original drummer with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and guitarist Doug Hastings, who'd been in Rhinoceros and done a brief stint with Buffalo Springfield. Passages such as the bridge to "I'll Give It to You Anyway" gave her the opportunity to use vocal arrangements she terms "vocal collages," one of the things she enjoys most about recording.

Essra was especially pleased to cut a few of the tracks with the band of guitarist Jerry Hahn, whom she'd come across while the group were playing at the famed Whisky A Go Go club in Hollywood. "They had that same quality that I have and enjoy in others, which is the ability to go anywhere musically, and not be pigeonholed, not be stuck in a single way of sounding," she observes. "I heard their fluidity and flexibility and therefore, [they were] more than capable to handle my music. So much so that we wanted to be a band. That would have been a great thing for music. But unfortunately my manager and their manager didn't see eye to eye, and didn't let us get together. Whereas Frazier Mohawk had the mindset to always follow the heart of the artist—'If they want to get together, put 'em together!' It's a shame."

Essra retains fond memories of the songs, several of which she continues to perform to this day. "My favorite was 'I'll Give It to You Anyway.' I still play that. 'I Am the Breeze' is one of my favorites. I enjoy the progression and how the music takes you, where the lyrics take you. Music is more about flowing than trying." In addition, "I still perform 'Spiral.' In fact I've recently been contacted by the Wilhelm Reich Foundation in San Francisco, and have written music to Wilhelm Reich lyrics because of that song. Because it was inspired by Wilhelm Reich, they gathered whatever few handful of music artists were influenced in any which way by Wilhelm Reich, and we're all writing music for this project."

In retrospect, Mohawk feels it might been wise to release "Thunder in the Morning," written on Lowell George's baby grand piano, as a single. "I guess it became a turntable hit. [That's] what they called it when an album cut got a lot of airplay. If they had been really on the case and wanted me to succeed, or wanted this project to succeed, they would have jumped on it and made a single out of it."

Essra sees similarities between another of the LP's tracks, "I Have Been Here Before," and a composition credited to David Crosby on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Déjà Vu album. "He did make me play it for him every time he saw me over at Stephen Stills's house," she says. "He had me play it for him a total of three times, three different occasions. Each time I implored him to let me play him something else. I said, 'I have lots of songs, David, let me play some.' 'No, I want to hear that one.' He always insisted that I just play that one. When I heard "Déjà Vu," it was real 'déjà vu' for me. 'Think I've heard that song before'...and since then, I hooked up for a while with Tim Drummond, who played bass with them, and played that song a lot. He said, 'Oh wow, it's even a lot of the same chord progression to the chorus.' I did think he should have not just given me some kind of credit, but probably a percentage of the song."

For this CD, a piano/vocal demo of "I Have Been Here Before" is one of five bonus tracks that have been added to the songs that appeared on the original release. Three of these—the aforementioned demo version of "I Have Been Here Before," "Someone Has Captured Me," and "Could You Lift Your Heart"—are piano/vocal demos done before the Primordial Lovers sessions, though the final two of those songs did not end up making the LP in any form. Essra did begin work on a subsequent recording of "Could You Lift Your Heart" at the album's sessions, but it wasn't finished, though she'd still like to complete a produced version of the song. She never attempted a fully produced track of "Someone Who's Captured Me," written about a relationship with someone she was living with in Mendocino in 1968.

Though done at the Primordial Lovers sessions, "Question," featuring Jerry Hahn on electric guitar, was another song that didn't make the album. "Drifter," the last of the bonus tracks, is so titled as it's inspired by the time in the late 1960s when Essra was going back and forth between her native Philadelphia and New York when she was playing with the Mothers of Invention. Though written between her first and second albums, she's not sure when she recorded it, and thinks it might been cut in the period between Primordial Lovers and her third album, Essra Mohawk.

Though pleased with the album, Mohawk was disappointed with how the cover come out. "The cover was supposed to be one set of bodies, so it would have been mostly white instead of mostly black," she explains. "It would have wrapped around the front and the back, and then superimposed would have been the sky, like a sunset or something like that, and the earth, so that the horizon between the heaven and earth would have matched, coincided with the line between the two bodies. Thus the title Primordial Lovers. That would have sold a lot, too. You know, bright colors sell. I'm a graphic artist, I'm not just a musician; I went to college for art. Bright colors attract the eye, not black."

Essra also regrets that the album didn't reach a wider audience. "I was inaccessible because nobody promoted me," she feels. "I wasn't given any opportunity to sell. There was no promotion, there was no tours, there was nothing. I didn't get to get out and play. Total mismanagement; no agent, no gigs, no nothing. Just my music. I gave it all. But I was not given in return what my music deserved." Primordial Lovers would be her only album for Reprise, and it would be a few years before she recorded her next LP, Essra Mohawk, also reissued on CD by Collectors' Choice Music.
by  Richie Unterberger 

Tracks
1. I Am the Breeze - 3:12
2. Spiral - 4:08
3. I'll Give It To You Anyway - 3:21
4. I Have Been Here Before - 6:42
5. Looking Forward To the Dawn - 8:39
6. Thunder In the Morning - 4:34
7. Lion In the Wing - 6:43
8. It's Up To Me - 2:21
9. It's Been a Beautiful Day - 2:13
10.I Have Been Here Before (Piano Vocal) - 5:49
11.Someone Has Captured Me - 4:01
12.Could You Lift Your Heart - 3:42
13.Question - 4:48
14.Drifter - 3:20
All songs by Essra Mohawk

Musicians
*Essra Mohawk – Keyboards, Vocals
*Jerry Hahn - Guitars
*Lee Underwood - Guitar
*Doug Hastings - Guitar
*Dallas Taylor - Drums
*George Marsh - Drums
*Mel Graves - Bass
*Jerry Penrod - Bass
*Joe Keefe - Vibraphone
*George St. John - Oboe
*Ben Wilson - Tenor Sax
*Cale Robinson - French Horn
*Ken Shroyer - Trombone
*Phil Teele - Bass Trombone
*Al Aarons, Warren Gale - Trumpets
*Bruce Cale, Ken Jenkins - Bass
*Zitro - Drums

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The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Strawberry Jam (1966-68 us, blues psych, historical document)

Mark Naftalin's Winner Producing Company has released one of the most anticipated Blues releases in 1995. These live nightclub recordings, collected by Naftalin document the period from 1966 to 1968. This would cover the period from the first album to the "Pigboy" era, which was the bands's artistic peak.

The locations vary from the Whiskey A Go-Go, Golden Bear, New Penelope, and JD's. Unlike many recordings that merely have some historical significance (like those endless Hendrix jam tapes), these really capture a band in top form. The cuts are not in chronologica order.

One thing becomes apparent when you listen to this CD; Paul Butterfield is clearly the front man here. Bloomfield is present on many of the cuts, of course, but it's fairly obvious that the dynamics of the band were much different in live performance. Mark Naftalin and Elvin Bishop appear to be strong elements of the live sound, as opposed to it being the Paul and Mike show. In fact, the most progressive of the songs is a Mark Naftalin composition.

The CD opens with "Just To Be With You," recorded live at the Whiskey A Go-Go (CA) in 1967. It's a slow, brooding blues with a loose and powerful Butterfield vocal with his harp work cutting sharply over a powerful, rumbling bottom. This leads to a lively 'Mystery Train," which I must admit I liked better than the original version on record. Butterfield's harp sounds explosive, and the keyboard work by Naftalin gives the song a jazzy, yet hard edge.

"Tollin' Bells," an edgy slow one follows, and features effective tremelo-guitar effects. "Cha Cha In Blues," kicks in hard afterwards. Unlike 50's cha-cha type blues, this literally blows through the beat and becomes a manic harp bop with harp and organ. It must have been a great song to hear live.

The pace slows with a 1967 version of "Rock Me," a long cut that slowly builds towards a full band climax, with a hard-edged jazz feel that works. This band interacted with horns and incorporated jazz influences as well as any I've ever heard.

The groundbreaking "One More Heartache," follows and is familiar to those who have followed the band. The hard driving jazz flavor clearly anticipated the later "jazzy horn bands" such as Electric Flag, Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Chicago.

Naftalin's "Strawberry Jam," follows, and features a 1968 era band with David Sanborn. It's a very modern blues, that would sound contemporary even today on a jazz station. It's sort of an impressionistic piece, with a complex structure that would not have been out of place during a Miles Davis set.

One thing that becomes obvious while hearing Butterfield play harp in "Strawberry," is that he really understood how to integrate the instrument into a jazz context. "Come On In This House," comes next, and is a good slow one from the original lineup with Bloomfield.

The CD ends with the classic "Born In Chicago," and is probably closer to the way the band did the number in concert. The album version was a harp and guitar riff number with a lean, percussive feel. This live version sounds fuller, with the band surging forward on the basic riff. The organ (more prominent than the first album suggested) adds drive to the top and bottom end. Added to an already explosive rhythm section, this version is almost like a rave up.

It's been often said that a turning point in the San Francisco Rock scene was the debut gig at the Fillmore West by the Butterfield Blues Band. People like Jorma Kaukonen, of the old Jefferson Airplane, said that after seeing this band they all realized what a band that could really play was like. Especially after hearing the immortal "East West."

This CD is a glimpse of what they all saw. I've heard live tapes from time to time (festival concert stuff, to name an example), and this is definitely the best of the lot.

One reason might be that nightclubs generally are the best live atmosphere for blues, and such gigs would tend to show us a more loose and expansive band. These tapes, made on mono or stereo portable tape recorders do sound rough at times, but in this digital-era, it would be well to keep in mind that some of the most immortal recordings in the Blues were made with much less sophisticated machines.

This CD is both a historic document, and most pleasantly of all, a recording that, in my case, adds yet more great music to the blues from a band everyone should hear.
by Al (Epinions)

Tracks
1. Just to Be With You (Bernard Roth, Herman Roth) - 3:45
2. Mystery Train (Parker, Phillips) - 3:52
3. Tollin' Bells (Dixon) - 3:22
4. Cha Cha in Blues (Mel London) - 4:24
5. Rock Me (Crudup) - 9:07
6. One More Heartache (Moore, Robinson, Rogers, Tarplin, White) - 3:56
7. Strawberry Jam (Naftalin) - 10:35
8. Come on in This House (London) - 5:05
9. Born in Chicago (Gravenites) - 4:06

Musicians
*Jerome Arnold - Bass
*Elvin Bishop - Guitar
*Michael Bloomfield - Guitar
*Paul Butterfield - Harmonica, Vocals
*Billy Davenport - Drums
*Brother Gene Dinwiddie - Sax
*Keith Wonderboy Johnson - Trumpet
*Bugsy Maugh - Bass
*Mark Naftalin - Keyboards,
*David Sanborn - Alto Sax
*Phillip Wilson - Drums

Paul Butterfield's back pages
1964 -1969 Paul Butterfield's Blues Band (Their first 5 albums by request)
1970  Live 
1971  Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin' 
1973  Paul Butterfield's Better Days
1973  It All Comes Back (Japan Edition)
1976  Put It In Your Ear

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Small Faces - Green Circles / First Immediate Album (1967 uk, magnificent mod rock with trippy psychedelic flavors, rare Sequel release)

In August 1965 a group called The Small Faces released their first hit single. In August 1965 a record company called Immediate released their first hit single. During the next four years both The Small Faces and Immediate were rarely out of the charts, releasing a whole spectrum of highly individual music and achieving near legendary status, and like all good legends they both died young, but the energy and excitement that was generated during those few years left a legacy that is still making itself felt today.

The Small Faces were formed in London's East End when Ronnie Lane, guitarist with local group "The Pioneers", met Steve Marriott, a former child actor and leader of "The Moments" in an East Ham music shop where Marriott worked on Saturday's. Lane was there to buy a bass, having decided with the lack of local bass players he'd have a better chance of work if he switched instruments; a shared admiration for soul music and records by such acts as The Miracles, Bobby Bland and Booker T. resulted in them joining forces. Marriott gave up playing piano in favour of Lane's Gretsch guitar, they enlisted Pioneer's drummer Kenny Jones and organist Jimmy Winston.

Their name was derived from their diminutive size and the archetypal mod word "Face". Their first record was a blatant steal from Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love", and it was a hit. Ironically, because "Whatch Gonna Do About It" used feedback to disguise Marriott's recently acquired skill as a guitarist and because they looked like Mods, they were accused of jumping on the bandwagon which was proving so successful for The Who, but unlike The Who, a West London group who merely dressed like Mods and were obsessed with the lifestyle, with The Small Faces there was no image making, they were Mods.

Jimmy Winston didn't last long in the line-up, he was neither small nor a particularly good organist and as soon as the group met Ian McLagen they felt they'd really arrived, he already looked like them and as an added bonus - he could reallv play. For the next eighteen months they gigged constantly, whether on their own or part of a package tour their schedule was gruelling and endless, their short set grew as venue managers wanted them off stage before the hysterical audience completely wrecked the place.

There was little incentive to play well as the people they were playing for were making as much noise as the band and they only wanted to hear the hits anyway. During this time they released five top ten singles and were given a couple of days off to record an album, a project not considered too important by Decca, who thought of them as a singles act.

Exhausted, frustrated and faced with the possibility that they were destined to become just another teenybopper group, churning out hit singles until the next trend appeared, it was hardly surprising that early in 1967 their admiration for Rolling Stones's manager Andrew Loog Oldham led them to his Immediate label. He was only signing artists who had the talent to succeed the dedication to survive and the ability to progress, he saw all the necessary qualities in the Small Faces and offered them the time and freedom to realize and develop their full potential.

For the first time in their career the pressure was off, live performances were kept to a minimum - confirmation of laryngitis etc., (necessary for gig cancellations) was readily available from the Harley Street doctor immortalized by The Beatles in "Doctor Roberts" - leaving them free to write and record at a comparatively leisurely pace, and with the assistance of engineer Glyn Johns at Olympic Studios in Barnes they produced their first Immediate album "Small Faces" Their early songwriting efforts had displayed their skill for ripping off old R 'n' B numbers or speeding up hymns and injecting enough energy to make them sound like their own, now they began to add a combination of cockney humour and originality to become one of the few groups to bridge the gap between pop and rock.

The use of catch phrases and local jargon blended with a more textured musical approach introduced a string of tracks that were to establish a new and distinctive sound for the group, they experimented with instrumentation, adding brass, woodwind, shouts and party noises as well as applying new recording techniques. The result was an LP that began their transformation from being a live band that got screamed at, to becoming a band that deserved to be heard, The Beatles had already proved that by largely abandoning live work for recording it was possible to make enormous musical progress without losing popularity.

 They didn't want to release any of the album tracks as singles although a couple would have been obvious choices, instead Marriott and Lawe produced a version of "My Way of Giving" for Chris Farlowe, giving him his fourth Top Fifty hit. Another song from the LP "(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me" was recorded with a local group "Apostolic Intervention", and although not a particularly successful collaboration it did introduce Steve Marriott to drummer Jerry Shirley who was eventually invited to join Humble Pie.

Two years after the release of this album Steve Marriott left the group to form Humble Pie with ex-herd guitard Peter Frampton, bassist Greg Ridley from Spooky Tooth and Jerry Shirley. The remaining members left stranded without a guitarist or vocalist eventually teamed up with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood to become The Faces and continued the flamboyant style and carefree stance that began with the Small Faces. Both groups were to enjoy enormous popularity, particularly in the States where until the early seventies they had been virtually ignored.

The inclusion of the alternate takes on this album is due to the archive searching of Sequel, neither The Small Faces or Immediate remember what lots of them were or where they came from. Some tracks were given new titles twice nightly, others were titled by a tape operator anxious to keep the record and records straight, told by The Small Faces as they exited the studio at dawn, totally wrecked to "Call It Something Nice Like Collibosher Or Piccanniny", a few titles stuck, some where lost and some have been found....
by Ken Mewis, 1990

Tracks
1. Become Like You - 1.55
2. Get Yourself Together - 2.17
3. All Our Yesterdays - 1.47
4. Talk To You - 2.05
5. Show Me The Way - - 2.00
6. Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire (McLagan) - 2.05
7. Eddie's Dreaming (Marriott, Lane, McLagan) - 2.50
8. (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me - 2.15
9. Something I Want To Tell You - 2.06
10.Feeling Lonely - 1.30
11.Happy Boys Happy - 1.35
12.Things Are Going To Get Better - 2.36
13.My Way Of Giving - 1.38
14.Green Circles (Marriott, Lane, O’Sullivan) - 2.34
15.Donkey Rides, A Penny A Glass (Marriott, Lane, McLagan) - 2.44
16.Green Circles (Alternate Take) (Marriott, Lane, O’Sullivan) - 2.34
17.(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me (Alternate Take) - 2.15
All songs by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane except where noted.

Small Faces
*Steve Marriott - Guitar, Vocals
*Ronnie Lane - Bass
*Ian McLagen - Keyboards
*Ken Jones - Drums

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The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin' (1971 us, superior blues rock with jazz shades, 6th album, 2015 release)

The Butterfield Blues Band has been critically acclaimed as one the greatest electric blues bands ever! Lead by singer & harmonica player Paul Butterfield, their albums have stood the test of time as classics of the 60's and early 70's. Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin', was their fourth album, originally released in 1971. It features saxophonist David Sanborn. It was the last album the band recorded for Elektra Records.

Paul Butterfield does not over burden the album by constantly hammering on his harmonica. He sprinkles the right amount and lets the rhythm, the horns, the vocals round out the entire album. It strikes a very, very balanced approached in the instrumentation. I think this is one of his best, this one is a fuller rounded album.

I think Paul was a genius in not over doing it on the harp. Some harp players just blast away on an entire album. Not here. Just look at the liner notes and who is on this album. Empressive list and the talent jumps out when you listen. This is a perfect album it is a winner.

by Jimi Z

Tracks

1. Play On (Butterfield, Elefante, Livgren) - 3:34

2. 1000 Ways (Hicks) - 4:48

3. Pretty Woman (Sondheim) - 3:48

4. Little Piece of Dying (Butterfield) - 3:30

5. Song for Lee (Butterfield) - 3:46

6. Trainman (Dinwiddie) - 5:47

7. Night Child (Butterfield, Dinwiddie, Harris, Hicks, Peterson) - 4:26

8. Drowned in My Own Tears (Glover) - 5:18

9. Blind Leading the Blind (Butterfield) - 4:02

Musicians

*Big Black - Conga, Percussion, Vocals

*Paul Butterfield - Harmonica, Piano, Vocals

*Merry Clayton - Vocals

*George Davidson - Drums

*Brother Gene Dinwiddie - Flute, Saxophones, Tambourine, Vocals

*Oma Drake - Vocals

*Venetta Fields - Vocals,

*Bobbye Hall - Bongos, Conga, Percussion

*Ted Harris - Composer, Piano

*Rod Hicks - Bass, Vocals

*Clydie King - Vocals

*Trevor Lawrence - Saxophone

*Steve Madaio - Trumpet

*David Sanborn - Alto Saxophone

*Ralph Wash - Guitar, Vocals

*Dennis Whitted - Drums, Vocals

Paul Butterfield's back pages

1964 -1969 Paul Butterfield's Blues Band (Their first 5 albums by request)

1970  Live 

1973  Paul Butterfield's Better Days

1973  It All Comes Back (Japan Edition)

1976  Put It In Your Ear

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Velvet Opera - Ride A Hustler's Dream (1969 uk, fascinating psych blended with exotic folk bluesy rock, Akarma reissue)

Are you a sleeve-thumbing album snob? Are you at this very instant, hurtling through all the LPs in the rack marked "Groups'7 pausing only to gloat over American imports,  and rejecting lesser-known British efforts with an oath? Velvet Opera are a lesser-known British group.

Nobody would hail them as a "super group" yet, and they aren't releasing a double album in a platinum sleeve designed to reap them a billion dollars and are the praise of the Underground scene-whoever they are. Velvet Opera are the kind of group that make up the backbone of the British band scene. They maintain the high standards of a singularly competitive field, which, in recent years has produced some of the most exciting and rewarding music this side of 1900.

They are concerned with music and with getting ahead of the competition. They have worked extremelyhard on producing an album that entertains and allows them full rein to play the kind of things THEY enjoy. It is my opinion they achieve both aims. Originally the band were featured as Elmer Gantry and the Velvet Opera, and released a successful album under this name last year.

Now Elmer has left them over a disagreement on musical policy and this is the group's first recorded indication of the direction they wish to take on their own. Between Johnny Joyce (lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars), Paul Brett (lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars), John Ford (bass) and Richard Hudson (drums, sitar and tabla), they have a tremendous store of musical ammunition.They manage to cover an enormous amoun of territory, from country style/to blues rock and ragas.

Yet strangely, each trad flows into the other without too mucf adjustment of ear drums being necessaryIt shows how much our appreciation o different styles has been widened over the years by the efforts of band like the OperaListening to the high humour and energy o "Raga (And Lime)" it is obvious they mear everything they play. "Eleanor Rigby" is thei major tour de force.

I thought it was c number relatively played out over the years but the Opera work up a new excitemen over those dramatic, mood chordsParticularly impressive here is the speed drumming of Richard Hudson and the powerful guitars of John and Paul. Much of the material is self-written however and thi is always vital to establishing a truly origina sound and making a real contribution to modern group music.

"Supergroup... underground"? Perhaps not, but how man of those people are REALLY together when you analyse a lot of the product under this banner? Velvet Opera are more together than most. This album contains lots of good things. So don't be an album snob and point this one at the deck.
by Chris Welch

Tracks
1. Ride A Hustler's Dream (Brett) - 0:57
2. Statesboro Blues (Mctell, Arr. Velvet Opera) - 3:39
3. Money By (Brett, Hudson, Ford, Joyce) - 3:56
4. Black Jack Davy (Ford) - 3:35
5. Raise The Light (Hudson, Brett) - 4:09
6. Raga (Hudson) - 5:29
7. Anna Dance Square (Brett, Ford) - 3:01
8. Depression (Ford) - 4:01
9. Don't You Realize (Brett, Hudson, Ford, Joyce) - 3:37
10. Warm Day In July (Brett) - 5:06
11. Eleanor Rig by (Lennon, McCartney) - 5:54
12. She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings (McTavish) - 2:39
13. There's A Hole In My Pocket (McTavish) - 3:45

Velvet Opera
* Paul Brett - Lead Guitar, Vocals
* Richard Hudson - Drums
* John Joyce - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
* John Ford - Bass

Related Acts
Paul Brett's Sage 1970 (Japan Remaster)

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Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera - Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera (1967 uk outsanding psych freakbeat, japan extra tracks edition)

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera picked up on the British psychedelic movement after supporting The Pink Floyd as a soul/blues band called 'The Five Proud Walkers', the lineup was Richard Hudson (Hud) on drums, Colin Forster on lead guitar, Jimmy Horrocks (Horovitz) on organ and flute, John ????? (bass) and Dave Terry on vocals and harmonica. The boys took inspiration from the experience and it wasn't long before the change of both music and image.

They gigged for a while playing blues based material,but gradually got interested in more free-form stuff. John ???? was replaced by John Ford and the band searched for a new name. Velvet Opera was chosen initially, which was amended to Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera within days after Dave turned up to a session wearing a long black cape and a preachers hat and had to endure some piss-taking from the rest of the band (Elmer Gantry was the fictional hero of a Sinclair Lewis novel and 1960 film about a preacher). The name stuck and Dave became Elmer. By this time Elmer, influenced by the music of John Cage, was making experimental taped backing sounds and using signal generators on stage in the act.

The band began to get quite a following and played clubs and university gigs all over the country and at London venues like the Marquee and 100 club and Electric garden. They would also occasionally play at the Speakeasy where Jimi Hendrix would jam with them, also people like Jeff beck and Eric Burdon. The band had been recorded independantly for a while by Southern Music Publishing, who had their own, four -track, studio in Denmark Street, and it wasn't long before they had secured a record deal with CBS's "Direction" label. The problem was that Southern Music had originally signed them as a bluesy/jazzy band and they were not very keen on trying to get new, more riotous stage act on disc.

The group were persuaded to do more "regular" material. The first recording was the song, written by Elmer, that the band were best known for, 'Flames'. The record was on jukeboxes all over the country and was covered live by bands as diverse as "The Joe Loss Orchestra" and "Led Zeppelin", in fact Jimmy Page recently told Elmer that Flames was the only non-Zep number that they included in their early stage-act (Robert Plant also included it in his 2001-2002 tour). However, for the average radio listener the song was too far ahead of its time and despite live popularity and numerous radio plays the song only managed to achieve number 30 in the charts. Direction did however, take faith in the band to record second and third singles and more importantly a self-titled album.

The group's second single, "Mary Jane" was taken off the BBC playlist after they realised that the song was the slang term for Marijuana. The third single, Volcano, was written by Howard & Blakely, who had written hits for Dave Dee etc. After three singles and the album, major success had still not been achieved. The agent at the time, Terry King, had booked the group a lot of shows, they were regularly appearing on the BBC on John Peel's show, among others, they were playing, touring and promoting hard, but recording success was still elusive. Colin Forster was then replaced by Paul Brett but this still didn't acheive the desired result.

Disagreements erupted within the band, which lead to a split from Elmer and so the Velvet Opera was formed. Elmer Gantry remembers : "eventually, EGVO broke up due to a change of direction within the band. Paul Brett, (who incidentally I had worked with previously and had brought into the band following our initial success) although a brilliant guitarist, had a strong interest in more folkish music and, with Hud's increasing interest in playing instruments other than drums, the band started to change direction. I did not welcome this change, and whilst I had great admiration for all the other members as musicians, was not interested. There followed a coup in which the other members of the band attempted to just replace me and keep the name.

This would clearly have been ridiculous as I was already known as Elmer Gantry and the band was largely know for its riotous, envelope-pushing stage presence, not for electro-folk. The result was that they brought twelve string guitarist folk-blues guitarist Johnny Joyce in, and continued as The Velvet Opera and eventually The Strawbs and The Monks producing the novelty hits "Union Man" and "Nice legs, shame about the face" and I continued with a new line-up, formed from the Downliners sect, as the Elmer Gantry band. I also later had a lead role in "Hair" in the west end, recorded on two Alan Parsons Project albums, did the lead vocals on Cozy powell's album, sang and wrote with Jon Lord on his solo album.
Marmalade-Skies

Tracks
1. Intro (Gantry) - 1:00
2. Mother Writes (Ford) - 2:07
3. Mary Jane (Ford, Gantry) - 2:26
4. I Was Cool (Brown Jr.) - 2:59
5. Walter Sly Meets Bill Bailey (Cannon, Ford, Forster) - 3:10
6. Air (Forster, Hudson) - 3:12
7. Lookin' for a Happy Life (Forster, Hudson) - 3:01
8. Flames (Terry) - 3:11
9. What's the Point of Leaving (Ford, Gantry) - 2:11
10.Long Nights of Summer (Gantry) - 2:35
11.Dream Starts (Ford, Forster, Hudson) - 3:00
12.Reactions of a Young Man (Ford, Gantry) - 2:38
13.Now She's Gone (Ford, Gantry) - 2:26
14.Flames (Single Version) (Terry) - 3:15
15.Salisbury Plain (Single Version) (Ford, Forster, Horrocks, Hudson, Terry) - 2:38
16.Mary Jane (Single Version) (Ford, Gantry) - 2:34
17.Dreamy (Single Version) (Ford, Gantry) - 2:33
18.To Be With You (Ford, Terry) - 3:24
19.And I Remember (Ford, Terry) - 2:46
20.Talk Of The Devil (E. Woolfson) - 3:02
21.The Painter (D. Terry) - 2:59

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera
*Dave Terry ("Elmer Gantry") – Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*Colin Forster - Lead Guitar
*Jimmy Horrocks (Horovitz) – Organ, Flute
*John Ford – Vocals, Bass Guitar
*Richard Hudson – Vocals, Drums, Sitar

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