Clearing - Clearing (1973 us, beautiful acoustic folk with traditional touches, 2009 korean remaster)

It's amazing, really, how often in life we do things with never a thought that someday we will be asked to explain ourselves. Case in point - "Clearing". In the 1970s, our little trio - Joan, Sarah and Jeff - performed throughout New England at a large variety of venues - often in Unitarian churches for Sunday services and other gatherings. 

We had a sense that the terrible inequities and cruelties of the world could somehow be reduced, explained and addressed at the most basic level of person-to-person relationships - how we related as individuals to the environment and world at large. That was our message, and our medium was poetry and song. It all seems rather naive and childlike in our brave new post-trauma world, and of course anything that bears the taint of "hippyness" is fair game for derision and ridicule. Recognizing ourselves in the marvelous satire "A Mighty Wind" gave even us a sense of smug satisfaction. But there is much from the 60's and 70'sthat is worth remembering and perhaps even relearning. 

For one thing, we could live very differently. In the early 70's, Joan and I were living in a large somewhat decrepit mansion outside of Boston with our large extended family of 16 who had gathered from across the country. The mortgage and expenses were tiny, and we bought food collectively, ate together and shared the household work . Our population ebbed and swelled as friends and relatives came to stay for days, weeks, or months at a time. Living was incredibly cheap. Sometimes we would have jobs, and often not. People thought we were a commune, but we knew that we were just a big messy family. 

The crusty old neighbors were particularly suspicious, since the house had previously been occupied by Timothy Leary. They expected more acid tripping and hanging out naked on the front lawn. We never did that, but we did do plenty else, particularly music. It seemed like it was music all the time. Fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, piano, drums, harmonica, jews harp, pots and pans - whatever. We were mostly musicians, and those that weren't sang harmony. Some of us played in outside groups - bluegrass, country, rock - and sometimes we just formed groups amongst ourselves. And we always just played and sang together. In the midst of all this musical activity was Clearing. 

Clearing began with a request from the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1971. Their 1964 hymnal - "Songs for the Celebration of Life" - was designed to be less solemn than usual, with quite a few beautiful poems set to less traditional music. With interest in promoting this new approach to church music, they were seeking musicians who could present the songs in an informal "folk" style. Joan and I had performed at UUA functions, so we came to mind, and they introduced us to Sara Benson who also had UUA connections. Sara was a remarkable person with a deep spiritual core and a centered focus that made her an island of calm in the midst of any turmoil. We loved her immediately. 

After years of rigid musical training on the flute, she had spent agonizing additional years freeing herself until she was a totally natural improviser with a remarkable talent. Sara brought poetry and beauty and light to everything she did. She was the soul of Clearing. The album "Who Is In My Temple" was our first collaboration. This collection of songs from the hymnal was recorded at Ace Recording Studios in Boston, a cavernous old establishment with a cold and professional atmosphere. The record was well received in UUA circles, and we immediately had offers to sing at Unitarian services and events. 

By 1973 we had expanded our interests and repertoire to the point where we wanted to make another record - of our own material - to be called simply "Clearing". We hadn't really enjoyed the "Ace Recording" experience, and besides we were low on cash, so we decided to record this one on our own. We managed to find some war-surplus recording equipment, and by this time Joan and I were living in the big house with its giant library room - perfect as an ad-hoc studio. Most of the recording took place there, with our friend Tom Rothschild at the rudimentary controls. It was an unlikely setting - with people coming and going and pauses as airplanes flew overhead - but we had the advantages of ignorance, enthusiasm and naivete. Some cuts were done at other locations - notably at a church we found in Waltham that had fantastic acoustics. 

For a very reasonable fee, we got to use it for a couple of evenings, late enough to avoid serious traffic noises. In the spirit of the times, we invited several friends and family members to participate on this record, as noted on the track list. The album had a pressing of 2000, most of which were sold at performances and through the UUA. Clearing continued on until about 1976. 

After Clearing, we pursued various interests. Joan Faber had a long career as a singer-pianist performing standards in various nightclubs in the Boston-Cambridge area. She is currently the head of the sheet music Department of Johnson String Instrument in Newton. Jeff Brewer developed an interest in rock climbing in the 1980s, and invented a treadmill-like machine for climbing called the Treadwall. He is currently partners in the company that manufacturers this device. Joan and Jeff still live on the big-house property with members of their extended family. Sara Benson moved from the Boston area to Charlemont, a western-Massachusetts town with an active alternative life-style population. She became an important and much-loved member of that community. In 2008 Sara passed away. Her loss is sorely felt by her friends and family.

by Jeff Brewer, February, 2009

Tracks
1. Morning Has Broken (Leon Maleson) - 2:28
2. Morning Light (Vici Frazer) - 4:02
3. Sunshine Man (Sara Benson) - 2:39
4. She's Leavin (Sara Benson) - 2:52
5. Greyhound Bus Song (Joan Minkoff) - 3:50
6. The First Time (Joan Minkoff) - 3:29
7. The Church Where We Got Married (Jeff Brewer) - 2:45
8. Eve (Jeff Brewer) - 2:46
9. Seth (Jeff Brewer) - 2:03
10. When I Was A Young Boy (Leeds Brewer) - 4:10
11. My Father (Sara Benson) - 3:45
12. Clearing (Joan Minkoff) - 4:43

Clearing
*Sara Benson - Vocals, Flute
*Jeff Brewer - Cocals, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin
*Joan Minkoff - Vocals, Piano, Harpsichord, Guitar, Dulcimer
Guest Musicians
*Leeds Brewer - Vocals, Guitar
*Vici Frazer - Vocals, Guitar
*David Levine - Guitar, Vocals
*Leo Maleson - Cello

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The Happenings - The Happenings / Psycle (1966-67 us, vocal harmony sunshine baroque psych folk pop, 2003 Collectable's issue)

 "The band was gifted with a flair and a half for harmony pop, especially that of the good old fashioned barbershop quartet variety."

From Paterson, New Jersey came The Happenings, who encountered a quick flash of glory in the sixties before getting bumped off the radar by the more progressive acts of the era. The band was gifted with a flair and a half for harmony pop, especially that of the good old fashioned barbershop quartet variety.

However, they updated their sound just enough so it wouldn't be too horribly quaint for the kids to digest. Such spine-tingling vocal prowess can be experienced on these two albums which have been shoehorned into one compact disc.

Released in 1966, "The Happenings" deposited a pair of rock solid hit singles with "See You in September" and a copy of Carole King and Gerry Goffin's "Go Away Little Girl." A cluster of Tokens compositions such as "Tonight I Fell In Love," "You're In a Bad Way," "What To Do" and "Tea Time" line the album as well.

And that makes complete sense because not only did the evergreen doo-wop group handle the band's affairs and produce their work, but The Happenings were also signed to their label, BT Puppy Records. Decked out in a freaky jacket cover that belied the characteristically polite music housed inside, "Psycle" was issued in 1967 and included "I Got Rhythm" and "My Mammy," both which clenched the national charts. The album suggested The Happenings were attempting to stretch boundaries a bit, as snippets of the material are trimmed with jazz and blues inclinations. But the band refused to pretend to be something they were not, and all told, "Psycle" teems with concise harmony pop configurations.

The Happenings excelled at this style of music so why change their image? Although the band never broke any real new ground, their contributions to the golden age of teen radio should not be underestimated. 

by Beverly Paterson

Tracks
1966  The Happenings
1. See You in September (Sherman Edwards, Donald Meyer, Sid Wayne) - 2:29
2. Tonight I Fell in Love (Mitch Margo, Phil Margo, Hank Medress) - 2:19
3. Girl on a Swing (Robert Miranda) - 2:31
4. If You Love Me (Really Love Me) (Marc Monnet, Marguerite Monnot, Geoff Parsons) - 2:43
5. What to Do (Buddy Holly, Hank Medress) - 2:42
6. You're Coming on Strong, Babe (Robert Miranda) - 2:56
7. Go Away Little Girl (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 2:21
8. The Same Old Story (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda) - 2:25
9. Sealed With a Kiss (Gary Geld, Peter Udell) - 2:25
10.You're in a Bad Way (Hank Medress) - 2:43
11.Girls on the Go (Brute Force) - 2:31
12.Tea Time (Lucky Thompson) - 2:45
1967  Psycle
13.I Got Rhythm (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 2:58
14.Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Morris Levy, Fred Lyman, Frank Lymon) - 2:49
15.That Cold Feeling (Hank Medress) - 2:29
16.Down, Down, Down (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda, Neil Young) - 2:32
17.Growing Old (Lord, I Must Be Growin' Old) (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda) - 3:23
18.I Believe in Nothing (Hank Medress) - 2:39
19.My Mammy (Walter Donaldson, Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young) - 2:58
20.When I Lock My Door (Hank Medress) - 2:38
21.I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Harry Carroll, Joseph McCarthy) - 2:37
22.When the Summer Is Through (Hank Medress) - 2:33
23.Every Year About This Time (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda) - 2:28
24.Bye Bye Blackbird (Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson) - 3:05

The Happenings
*Tommy Giullano-  Vocals, Percussion
*Mike La Neve - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Bernie Laporta - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Libert - Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
*Bob Miranda - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards

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Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart - Anthology (1962-76 us, wonderful sunshine beat psych bubble pop)

It might be cute to say that Boyce & Hart were the hand inside the Monkees' puppet head, if not for the fact that the Monkees had legitimate talent and have already caught enough grief over their prefabricated origins. Boyce & Hart had yet more talent, though, and not only plied the Monkees with hit songs but, in some cases, performed them, too. 

Tommy Boyce enjoyed minor teen idol success as a solo act with "I'll Remember Carol" in 1962 before teaming up with Bobby Hart to produce one Top Ten hit ("I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite") and a handful of lesser chart entries. This Australian anthology, simply titled The Anthology, contains two of Boyce's solo recordings (including his hit), 18 A&M recordings from Boyce & Hart's prime (including all of their hits), and five songs the duo cut with the Monkees' Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz in the '70s. The Boyce & Hart recordings are the highlights, especially the bubblegum pop of songs such as "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" and "The Countess." 

Listeners already familiar with the Monkees' albums will experience deja vu throughout as Boyce & Hart demonstrate again and again the extent to which they were the architects of the Monkees' sound. Even the Monkees' detours into pop psychedelia are matched by Boyce & Hart on a trippy rendition of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." The theme song from the 1967 spy film The Ambushers (complete with gunshot sound effects) is campy fun, as are the mid-'70s cover versions of "Teenager in Love" and the Beach Boys' "Sail on Sailor," provided one doesn't approach them with high expectations. 

For those who want only the Boyce & Hart recordings, a more recent compilation on Rev-Ola titled I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite: The Best of Boyce & Hart limits its focus to recordings from the pair's late-'60s heyday. 

by Greg Adams

Tracks
1. I'll Remember Carol (T. Boyce) - 2:27
2. Sunday, The Day Before Monday - 2:19
3. Out And About - 2:30
4. I Should Be Going Home - 3:00
5. For Baby - 3:48
6. Sometimes She's A Little Girl - 2:55
7. I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite - 2:43
8. The Ambushers (H. Monetnegro, H. Baker) - 2:15
9. I'm Digging You Digging Me - 2:37
10. I Wanna Be Free - 2:25
11. Teardrop City - 2:22
12. Love Every Day - 2:50
13. The Countless - 2:28
14. Goodbye, Baby - 3:59
15. Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (Shifrin, Boyce, Hart)- 2:06
16. Alice Long - 2:52
17. P.O. Box 9847 - 3:01
18. Abracadabra (Shelton, Lewis, Gallie) - 1:52
19. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Jagger, Richards) - 4:08
20. Standing In The Shadows Of Love (Holland, Dozier, Holland) - 4:29
21. I Love You - 3:10
22. A Teenager In Love (Pomus, Shuman) - 3:00
23. Sail On Sailor (D. Trevor) - 3:40
24. I Remember The Feeling - 3:25
25. It Always Hurts Most In The Morning - 3:28
All songs by Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart unless as else stated

*Tommy Boyce - Guitar. Vocals
*Bobby Hart - Vocals, Piano

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Lee Clayton - Lee Clayton (1973 excellent country rock with folk shades, 2006 Acadia edition)

Lee Clayton was born on October 29th, 1942 in Russellville, Alabama. He grew up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and learned to play harmonica and guitar around the age of seven. As Clayton told the UK magazine Omaha Rainbow way back when: "I've always known music was important - when my dad knew he'd got uptight, and the world got too much for him. he would break out his bourbon and play Red Foley and Jimmie Rodgers records and tell war stories and drink whisky. 

I can remember trying to figure out when I was a little boy what .-.as going on; why everybody would sit there and get drunk and cry. I figured anything could evoke that kind of emotion had to be pretty strong". At the age of nine, he was given a steel guitar, and like many of his contemporaries, turned onto Country music as heard on the many specialist radio stations in the Southern States. Apparently, Clayton had been given a choice of instruments - guitar or accordion - and, probably surmising (given his relatively tender years, maybe it was just a hunch he had) that the guitar was a better method of attracting the attention of young ladies took up the string option. However, when he professed boredom and the formal music lessons that his dad was paying for, Clayton senior promptly sold the guitar. This proved to be a temporary hiatus from Clayton's musical ventures, however; Clayton took up music again in his mid-teens. 

As time went by, Clayton got married, and acquired a Porsche sports car - he has said elsewhere that the limit of his ambitions at the time was to fly aeroplanes, play music now ambitions, and, in his own words: "One day, something went 'click' and I turned round and went back home, quit the job and started trying to get in the air force". Clayton spent several years in the US Air Force; having been drawn to the fly boys when taking a friend to undergo basic training as a pilot. Whilst in the USAF, he piloted the infamous Voodoo 101 fighter, nicknamed the 'Widowmaker' by his fellow pilots because of the plane's unfortunate propensity to become uncontrollable at high speeds. 

Having had his fill of that, Clayton left the services to pursue a potential career as a singer-songwriter. In the aforementioned interview, Clayton recalled his attempts to find a way in to the Nashville singer-songwriting circle: "I was living in Louisville, Kentucky, and I'd.... spend three or four days a week in Nashville. (When) people would say to me 'What are you doing?', I'd say Tm a poet and songwriter'. Within six months, my money started to go and they took my credit cards away from me and I was on the street. Sold my Porsche and I had an old beat-up Volkswagen. I went from then until I got some money from the record company when I signed the deal in early 73. (Before that) it was out on the street, sleeping on the floor time". 

His first major success came with the song that gave 'Outlaw1 country its name, Ladies Love Outlaws, originally recorded by The Everly Brothers on their 1972 album, Pass The Chicken And Listen, and taken into the US Billboard Country singles chart by Waylon Jennings in the same year. Ironically enough, Jennings didn't even want the song (or the album it came from) released; it ended up giving its name to a movement in which he would become one its icons. 

Indeed, it's probably by far Clayton's best known number - artists such as Tom Rush, Confederate Railroad (on the soundtrack of the movie Maverick, which starred Jodie Foster and Mr 'Hi there sugar tits' himself, Mel Gibson) and Jimmy Rabbit have tendered their own take on record over the years. Such success and notoriety saw Clayton score a record deal with the MCA label. MCA had broadened their musical horizons in the early 1970s, signing the future giants of 'Southern Rock', Lynyrd Skynyrd, and also started feeling out talent in other musical genres. The first fruit of the liaison was the album you're hopefully playing now, simply entitled Lee Clayton. From the cover on in, it's apparent that Clayton had been around a bit, done his fair share of dues paying before he set foot in a recording studio. 

The cover features a long-haired, somewhat careworn individual, in a country setting, looking more like a drifting hitch-hiker than a Nudie Cohen-suited 'hat' act from the Nashville production line. A cursory introduction to the album's musical content reveals that Clayton is possessed of a voice that is similarly rough around the edges - but a perfect vehicle for his intimate, ruminative and pleasingly melancholy songs. Indeed, melancholy is the overall mood that permeates the album in an emotive and appealing way. 

It's not, however, the kind of melancholia of a Hank Williams or a Ray Price; no, what Clayton parlays is a contemporary take on Romantic desolation. Whereas Hank would've contrasted the existential hillbilly longing of / Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You with up-tempo hee-hawing like Settin' The Woods On Fire, Clayton's songs are more urban, and negotiate a different emotive register - equally as affecting, mark you, but firmly rooted in the here and now, at least the here and now of the early 1970s. Also (and you couldn't ask for more from a debut album), Clayton's debut is a bunch of well-crafted, melodically strong and considered collection of songs that showed great promise. 

Lee Clayton was produced by Chip Young - his career has seen him provide like services on albums Billy Swan, Joe Ely, Mickey Newbury and Delbert McClinton amongst many others. The album also contains musical contributions from a talented bunch of session musicians, whose names will be familiar to fans of the music that's emanated from Nashville over the last thirty years. These include such Music Row luminaries as Tim Drummond (bass), Mickey McGee (drums), and Buddy Spicher (fiddle). Bonnie Bramlett also gets to provide some backing vocals, too. 

There's also a personal dedication from Clayton to Waylon (Jennings), Kris (Kristofferson), and Billy Joe (Shaver) - a nice acknowledgement from one talented singersongwriter to his influential contemporaries - Clayton would latterly have more reasons to thank Jennings and Kristofferson, as we shall see. The centrepiece of the album is the composite New York City Suite 409. In the space of its six minutes plus duration, Clayton skilfully elides two songs together - Lord She Don't Belong In New York City, and Don't You Think It's Time To Come Home. 

The first part finds Clayton in thoughtfully sombre mood, yearning for his lover who's in far off NYC, and his skilful description of the missing main squeeze's homespun ways paints a vivid mental picture. It's also obvious a concurrent strand running through the piece is the notion that she's not coming back, which makes the second half of the song all the more poignant, Clayton's lyrical and vocal understatement only adding considerably to the emotive sucker punch that the song ultimately delivers. 

To me, this illustrates Clayton's songwriting talents brilliantly; a complex emotional range put across simply and effectively. Your attention is drawn to the female vocal in this song that adds a pleasingly femme ying to Clayton's masculine yang - it's supplied by none other than Carly Simon, whom, one surmises, is likely the subject of Clayton's credit on the original album jacket: "Special thanks to a lovely lady from New York City". 

I'm duty bound to point out the presence on bass on this track of one Dennis Linde - often erroneously credited as the composer of the dreamy sixties folkie hit Elusive Butterfly (that was actually Bob Lind - Dennis will be best-known to you as the composer of arguably Elvis Presley's best latter-day record, Burning Love, as well as composer of songs recorded by Garth Brooks (Callin' Baton Rouge), Mark Chesnutt (Bubba Shot The Juke Box), George W Bush's favourite Country act, The Dixie Chicks (Goodbye Earl) and even our very own Dr Feelgood (No Mo Do Yakamo). 

Elsewhere, Clayton turns his attention to the Country staples of drinking (Bottles of Booze), and the wooing of women (Mama, Spend The Night With Me) - I'm not sure how successful Clayton was with the lady in the latter, but at least he achieved a modicum of artistic success in crafting a fine contemporary Country seduction song. Clayton, somewhat inevitably, perhaps, chooses to end the album with his most famous song (up until then), Ladies Love Outlaws, and his version, whilst not the definitive item, serves to illustrate the depth and range of his songwriting skills - it's not the best track herein, but would still be a standout item on most singer-songwriters' albums. 

Lee Clayton - the album, was not a huge sales success, even if its artistic success justified MCA's signing him in the first place. Interviewed a few years later, Clayton was philosophical about it's commercial failure: "I think at some point in time people will understand what I've been trying to do. At the time, it was a very well kept secret. What happened to it was... who knows what happens? It's just one of those things. I had a shot, I rolled my dice and was fortunate enough and worked to a point where I could make a record album. It didn't sell a whole bunch, but that's just part of it. It knocked me out at the time that somebody thought enough about me that I could even put it down on plastic". 

He continued with the following overview of the year in which MCA signed him: "The start of 73, I had no money; got some money; made a record; spent a lot of money; end of '73 broke; off the label; back on the streets again all in one year. I lived in a motel room in California most of 74, then went to the desert in December of '74 - out in the Mojave Desert and lived there with this woman. Didn't do a whole lot. the truth is, just sat around and looked at things. Watched a lot of sundowns and sunrises, thought a lot, climbed the mountain and one day figured it was time for me to go at it again". Lee Clayton signed to the Capitol label in the late 1970s, and cut two more albums – Border Affair (1979) and Naked Child, which were well regarded at the time, critically, if again underwhelming in the sales department. 

Border Affair contained his own versions of songs such as Silver Stallion and If You Can Touch Her At All, the former of which was a signature track by that infamous quartet of Country Gargantuans, The Highwaymen - that's Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson also recorded the latter in solo mode. Despite Clayton's apparent obscurity, it's clear that his music has exerted a palpable influence on successive generations of artists; there's a lot of Clayton in Steve Earle and Ryan Adams, to these ears, and even Bono, vocalist with U2, once said: "There's only one Country singer who has influenced me, and he's an unknown feller called Lee Clayton." Since the early 80s, Clayton has sporadically put his head over the parapet - a live album here, tour of Scandinavia there, nut nothing really sustained. 

One surmises that Clayton likes it that way. So what's Lee Clayton up to these days? Well according to EMI publishing's Bruce Burch, he is living about an hour's drive outside of Nashville, and is still writing great songs. One hopes that there's more to come from this talented individual.

by Alan Robinson, October 2006

Tracks
1. Carnival Balloon -3:23
2. Bottles Of Booze - 4:48
3. Henry McCarty - 3:29
4. New York City Suite 409 - 6:38
…a. Lord She Don't Belong In New York City
…b. Don't You Think It's Time To Come Home
5. Mama, Spend The Night With Me - 3:07
6. Red Dancing Dress - 4:77
7. Danger - 2:52
8. Lonesome Whiskey - 2:45
9. Ladies Love Outlaws - 2:42
All songs written by Lee Clayton

Musicians
*Lee Clayton - Lead Vocals, Guitar
*Bobby Woods - Piano
*Reggie Young - Electric Guitar
*Kenny Malone – Drums,  Percussion
*Johnny Christopher - Rhythm Guitar
*Lloyd Green - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Shane Kestler - Moog
*Bobby Thompson - Banjo
*Mike Leech - Bass
*Tim Drummond - Bass
*Dennis Linde - Bass
*Richard Bowden - Electric Guitar
*Ed Black - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Mickey McGee - Drums
*Bobby Ogden - Organ
*Chip Young - Rhythm Guitar
*Jerry Shook - Harmonica
*Buddy Spicher - Fiddle

1978-79/81 Border Affair/The Capitol Years

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Freeman Sounds And Friends - Heavy Trip (1970 us, fantastic heavy psych with experimental mood, World In Sound release)

Motherheast Ohio USA, is a place where the waves of media influence from the east and the west coasts seem to come crashing in and collide, the result being a splashing forth of some unique talent individuals.

It was there, in 1969 midway between the towns of Warren and Cortland, that five determined young musicians, Ray Escott - Lead Vocals, LJ Fortier - Drums, John Harrow - Lead Guitar, Vocals, "Buster" McCarthy - Bass, Vocals, and Kurt Sunderman - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, started getting together in the damp basement of LJ's parents home on Sunday mornings in aa effort to try to carry on with their dreams of being in a successful Rock band.

Having won the Starshine Productions' "Battle of the Bands" in 1970, the five-member Freeman Sound was established as the most popular of several bands (including Morly Grey), that had records released on the Starshine label. This special collection of original songs and sounds is an exciting bit of rock history that documents some of the charm, wit and depth of talent that made Freeman Sound the special local phenomenon they were. 

This release includes 12 great, quality tracks with bio and photos. You'll get stoned on some mind-bending vocals backed by instrumentation that includes some very intense, heavy fuzz and wah pedal guitar sounds, solid drums and a screaming organ, with flashes of famous British groups. Prepare to get off on cuts like the 17 minute "Heavy Trip #70", the Hendrix-like "Tomorrow Is Plastic" and what we would venture to say is the heaviest version of Merle Travis' "16 Tons" ever recorded! This band broke up before they were able to make the most of their popularity. 

LJ Fortier's,  Official Home Page

Tracks
1. Tomorrow Is Plastic - 4:13
2. Heavy Trip #70 - 17:25
3. All I Need - 4:38
4. If I Could Only - 5:17
5. Wanting To Be Free (John Harrow) - 3:57
6. All Roads Lead Home - 5:37
7. 16 Tons (M. Travis) - 3:50
8. Singing My Own Song - 3:20
9. On The Way - 3:34
10.Get It While You Can - 2:24
11.I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You Babe - 3:52
12.Christmas Card - 2:24
All songs by LJ Fortier except where indicated.

Freeman Sounds And Friends
*Ray Escott - Lead Vocals
*LJ Fortier - Drums
*John Harrow - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*"Buster" McCarthy - Bass, Vocals
*Kurt Sunderman - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

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Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper - The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper (1969 us, outstanding psych blues rock, double disc release)

One of the seminal live albums of the late '60s, Live Adventures of Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield was a natural, organic offshoot of the hugely successful Super Session album from 1968, which contained performances by both of these groundbreaking musicians, as well as Stephen Stills. 

The idea of musical spontaneity both in live performance and in the recording studio had reached a certain apex in 1968, and spontaneous excursions by musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Steve Winwood, and the Southern California musical covenant that eventually became Crosby, Stills, Nash 'n' Young, as well as a host of others, were indeed a sign of the times. But it was the union of Bloomfield and Kooper that can truly claim an origination of the phenomenon, and this album takes it to another level entirely. 

Utilizing a fine and tight rhythm section of John Kahn and Skip Prokop, the two musicians duel and embrace each other on such cuts as the accurately named "Her Holy Modal Highness" and a great, revamped rock/soul re-working of Paul Simon's "Feelin' Groovy," which is buttressed by a guest studio vocal overdub by the author himself. The album's high point may be Bloomfield's rendering of Albert King's epic "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong," which may indeed also be one of his finest career recordings. 

Like the Super Session album, history repeated itself, as Bloomfield's chronic insomnia caught up with him by the morning of the second night of the two-night gig, rendering him unavailable. Kooper enlisted the help of Steve Miller and a practically unknown Carlos Santana (himself a Bloomfield devotee) for several tracks, particularly a loose and free version of "Dear Mr. Fantasy," which sort of embodies the whole affair and era. Undoubtedly a necessity from the period, the record has been remastered for CD, and the results are truly glorious, and do this legendary album justice. 

by Matthew Greenwald

Tracks

Disc One

1. Opening Speech (Mike Bloomfield) - 1:30

2. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (Paul Simon) - 5:38

3. I Wonder Who (Ray Charles) - 6:04

4. Her Holy Modal Highness  (Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield) - 9:08

5. The Weight  (Robbie Robertson) - 4:00

6. Mary Ann (Ray Charles) - 5:19

7. Together 'Til The End Of Time  (Frank Wilson) - 4:15

8. That's All Right  (Arthur Crudup) - 3:28

9. Green Onions  (Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr., Lewie Steinberg) - 5:26

Disc Two
1. Opening Speech  (Al Kooper) - 1:28
2. Sonny Boy Williamson  (Jack Bruce, Paul Jones) - 6:04
3. No More Lonely Nights   (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 12:27
4. Dear Mr. Fantasy  (Jim Capaldi, Stevie Winwood, Chris Wood) - 8:04
5. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong  (Albert King) - 10:56
6. Finale-Refugee  (Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield) - 2:04

Musicians
*Al Kooper - Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Mike Bloomfield - Guitar, Vocals
*John Kahn - Bass Guitar
*Skip Prokop - Drums
*Carlos Santana - Guitar
*Elvin Bishop - Guitar
Steve Miller and Dave Brown had also volunteered  their services but if they performed, their contributions do not appear (at least credited) on the album

Mike Bloomfield
1966-68  Strawberry Jam (with Paul Butterfield's Blues Band)
1969  Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West
1976  Live at the Old Waldorf
1976  KGB 

Al Kooper 
1970  Easy Does It 
1973  Naked Songs
with Blues Project
1966  Live At The Cafe Au Go Go
1966  Projections
1967   Live At Town Hall
1973  Reunion In Central Park
with Blood, Sweat And Tears
1968  Child Is Father To The Man
with Shuggie Otis
1969  The Kooper Sessions

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Taos - Taos (1971 us, beautiful psychedelic pop with folk country tinges, 2012 Kismet edition)

Here’s an unusual jewel, released on Mercury Records in 1971. The band Taos was actually a quintet pieced together by a group of young men who had moved to the legendary Taos commune in the early 1970s, namely: Jeff Baker on guitar and vocals, Steve Oppenheim on keyboards and vocals, Albie Ciappa on drums, Burt Levine on guitar and banjo, and Kit Bedford on bass, with the occasional intermixing of instruments going on in between cuts. If the band’s commune connection leads you into expecting some sort of stoned, improvisational musical meanderings, however, you’re in for a surprise: their sole, self-titled record is pop music all the way.

Indeed, the band itself is surprisingly together, tempering mildly eccentric diversions into psychedelia and country music with a solid foundation in 1960s rock and roll. If there’s one band to which Taos owes its biggest debt, I’d say it would have to be The Beatles. Kit Bedford’s warm, melodic bass work channels Paul McCartney all the way, while the group’s vocal harmonies show a tendency to lean more towards the ragged schoolboy charm of the Four than the choirboy constructions of American groups such as the Byrds, or the Mamas and Papas. This influence is not to say that Taos lacks an identity of its own, however. On the contrary, they manage to take this influence in surprising directions, whether it’s the lonesome cosmic cowboy pastiche “After So Long” or the phased psychedelic boogie of “Twenty Thousand Miles In the Air Again”.

Despite the general cohesiveness of the album, however, there are the occasional faults, such as the unnecessary, repeating theme “The Day Begins,” which should have simply been turned into a full-fledged song rather than left as fragmentary interruptions in the tracklist. Every now and again the musicians also reveal a slight weakness in the vocal department, as the slightly squirrely lead on “Morning Sun” illustrates. Lastly, the song lyrics aren’t really worth shedding too much ink over – there’s certainly no metaphysical contemplation or social commentary going on here, whatever other Sixties sensibilities the record may boast. 

These latter complaints border on quibbling, though, because the music here is almost too much fun to criticize. Again, this is pop music, and should be enjoyed for what it is. I think that Taos is certainly consistent enough that, if you’re digging the tracks below, you’re gonna like what you hear the rest of the way through.

by Nik (The Rising Storm)

Tracks
1. Space Bird - 2:44
2. Think I'll Wait - 3:53
3. Morning Sun - 2:17
4. 20,000 Miles In The Air (Again) - 2:51
5. All My Life - 2:42
6. Everybody's Movin' (In The Sunshine) - 3:21
7. Love's Face - 2:46
8. Putting My Faith In You - 4:59
9. On The Way Down - 0:42
10.Climbing Up The Mountain - 3:22
11.Take Good Care - 1:55
12.After So Long (So Long) - 3:21

Taos
*Jeff Baker - Guitar, Vocals,
*Steve Oppenheim - Keyboards, Vocals
*Albie Ciappa - Drums
*Burt Levine - Guitar, Banjo
*Kit Bedford - Bass

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Cold Sun - Dark Shadows (1970/72 us, amazing texas psych with prog traces, World In Sound 2008 release)

Cold Sun from Austin, Texas was recorded in 1970 in the legendary Sonobeat studios, where the Mariani and Johnny Winter first LPs were produced. The Cold Sun band are considered contemporaries of Velvet Underground and The Fugs, often listed as being in a similar vein but inspirations for this unique piece actually go back to the desperated, haunted Joe Meek. 

All songs lyrically express dark, mystic poetry with the true 60s psychedelic floating/distorted fuzz spirit presented in short compact mini-epics along with several mind blowing long tunes, such as "Ra-Ma" (11 min), "Here In The Year" (9 min) and "Fall" (7 min). Discovered by Rockadelic Records of Dallas, Texas in 1991, the Dark Shadows album saw the light of day the next year as a limited LP version, to become today one of the most important and revered US psychedelic underground albums from the early 70s. 

(Rockadelic heard it in the form of an old scratchy acetate that one of the Cold Sun band members had made in order to be able to play the recording at friends` parties on their turntables. The acetate only contained 2/3 of the songs but so greatly impressed them that Rockadelic managed together with bandleader Bill Miller to release the complete sessions from mastertape.)--- Autoharp wizard Miller eventually spearheaded Roky Erickson`s international debut as the Cold Sun band joined forces with Roky in 1974 and became BliebAlien, later evolved into The Aliens and backed Roky on his famous albums and historical concerts. 

Carefully remastered from the mastertapes, this album will bring new rewarding listening experiences in expanded fidelity, plus 2 unreleased non-album songs, authentic Live/Concert recordings of "Live Again"(10 min) and "Mind Aura"(7 min). The fidelity of these reel to reel Live recordings is also remarkable. The CD and Vinyl issues will both have an extended booklet with liner notes by Jello Biafra plus rare photos and other surprises. The Vinyl issue is packaged in a luxury foldout cardboard cover as Dragonwyck, Phantasia or Mystic Siva and contains an extra 10" bonus record. 

World In Sound

 Tracks
1. South Texas - 5:17
2. Twisted Flower - 3:04
3. Here In The Year - 8:50
4. For Ever - 4:35
5. See What You Cause - 3:40
6. Fall (Billy Miller, Herman M. Nelson, Winston Taylor) - 7:20
7. Ra-Ma (Billy Miller, Tom McGarrigle) - 11:20
8. Live Again - 10:20
9. Mind Aura (Tom McGarrigle) - 7:38
Music and Lyrics by Billy Miller except ehere noted.

Cold Sun
*Billy Miller - Autoharp, Voices
*Mike Waugh - Bass
*Tom McGarrigle - Guitar
*Hugh Patton - Drums
*Mike Ritchey - Bass

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Strawberry Window - Strawberry Window (1967 us, awesome west coast garage psych, World In Sound 2009 issue)

Strawberry Window hailed from the San Francisco Bay Areas East Bay music scene in the mid 60’s and were truly one of the “early birds” and innovators who made their own distinct brand of Rock ‘n’ Roll. 

They played in a heavypsychedelic- garage style, sounding somewhat reminiscent of the Jefferson Airplane, (early) Mad River, Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Frumious Bandersnatch. These previously unreleased recordings have survived for the last four decades in a box on a shelf in a band member’s closet. Meticulous care and detail has been taken to master these recordings with a fresh, open approach, while ensuring that the sound and integrity of the vintage songs remained intact. 

The amazing music of this guitar based quartet ranges from catchy electric folk tunes and “West Coast” garage rock to raw energetic acid jams lasting over 10 minutes. You’ll be impressed by the great stereo sound quality throughout their ten original cuts not to mention their freaky cover version of J D Loudermilk’s Tobacco Road. It’s an out right shame that this talented bunch were not signed to a record deal back then. 

Then again, that’s okay with us because it has allowed World In Sound the opportunity to proudly present for the first time ever, the music of and the history behind this talented group of songwriters and wild performers known as the Strawberry Window. The Strawberry Window CD and LP releases contains 65 minutes of intense but melodic performances and also comes with a 16 page color booklet that will take you on a trip back to the halcyon days of the Summer of Love. 

In 1968 they switched guitar players, added a girl singer and changed their name to the Dandelion Wine. They recorded several songs and also released a private pressing of a 4 song 7 inch EP. Truly a masterpiece!!!

World In Sound

Tracks
1. Her Eyes  (Steve Bloom, Eskridge) - 3:25
2. Wind Blowing Past Me (Eskridge) - 5:11
3. Poverty Hill (John Stewart) - 4:12
4. Steve's Thing (Rich, Wilson) - 10:07
5. Purple Orange (Wilson, Kennedy) - 2:42
6. You Jre Not The Only One (Wilson, Kennedy) - 3:54
7. Mercury (Rich) - 3:48
8. Strawberry Jam (Eskridge) - 13:40
9. Raindrops (Kennedy, Wilson) - 4:00
10.If I Say (Eskridge, Wilson) – 3:4l
11.Tobacco Road (J. D. Loudermilk) - 6:37
12.Her Eyes (Steve Bloom, Eskridge) - 3:41

Strawberry Window
*Marc Rich - Guitar, Vocals
*Jack Eskridge – Guitar, Vocals
*Steve Wilson - Bass, Vocals
*Andy Kennedy - Drums, Vocals

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Michael Bloomfield with Nick Gravenites & Friends - Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West (1969 us, classic psych/blues rock, 2009 remastered with extra track)

Let's see if I have this straight---Sony/Columbia Legacy saw fit to let two of these performances ("It Takes Time" and the incandescent "Carmelita Skiffle") turn up to round off their excellent Michael Bloomfield overview ("Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man," in 1998) but not to let the entire original album (released in 1969), plus the performances that were saved for Nick Gravenites' "My Labours," see the light of day once more.

Leaving it to Australia's Raven label to do what should have been done long enough ago. Considering Legacy's diligence in its "Roots 'n' Blues" series and with much of the Bloomfield canon from his Columbia years, that omission should be considered a crime. That said, thank Raven for its own diligence and for producing a set that presents everything Columbia recorded (save "Winter Country Blues," omitted for space reasons but still alive and well on the reissued "My Labours") the 1969 weekend Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites, and a few of their regular musical partners (including Bloomfield's former Butterfield Blues Band teammate Mark Naftalin on piano, his "Live Adventures" bassist John Kahn, his soon-to-be-frequent drummer Bob Jones, and erstwhile Electric Flag baritone saxophonist Snooky Flowers) commandeered the Fillmore West for some freewheeling blues and soul jamming.

Concede the point that this isn't exactly "Super Session Mk III" (and not just because organist Ira Kamin is no Al Kooper, though he's quite tasteful and sinuous in his own right), and you have one of the most powerful documents in the Bloomfield catalog. The horns and the Gravenites voice may deceive you into thinking this was a kind of projection of what Bloomfield ultimately wished the Electric Flag to have been, but this music is far more tightly grounded in blues and soul than the eclectic (and ill-fated) Flag, and these musicians, whatever their individual inclinations, are most at home in those two neighbourhoods.

Gravenites has rarely been heard in better or more soulful voice, even when it cracks now and then; Kahn, Jones, and conga player Dino Andino play as though they'd been welded together for years; Naftalin and Kamin are as supple a keyboard team as you could ask without stepping on each other's corns; and the horns---Flowers, Gerald Oshita (baritone sax), Noel Jewkis (tenor sax), and John Wilmeth (trumpet)---sound as buttery and exuberant as the tightest sessions of the Memphis Horns.

And Bloomfield? He gives more than enough evidence of what Al Kooper hoped to isolate with "Super Session" in the first place: catching him when he could just forget everything except playing his heart out, from the kickoff lick to "It Takes Time" (boy, did he never forget what Otis Rush among the other Chicago masters taught him as a teenager hanging around the classic southside blues clubs) to the last notes of "Moon Tune." And just about all points in between. If you missed out hearing it on "Don't Say I Ain't Your Man: Essential Blues, 1964-69" (it's since gone out of print), here's "Carmelita Skiffle"---the original vinyl release closer---and Bloomfield plain rollicking, practically squeezing everything he'd learned about and felt about the blues into one incendiarily melodious solo, before handing it off to Jewkis for a smooth saxophone break and Kamin for a soaring organ solo, before returning with an exclamation point of a coda.

In between? "Oh, Mama" is a Bloomfield composition, the kind of soul he'd begun exploring in the Electric Flag, and while the music is exquisite Bloomfield as a singer was a virtuoso guitarist. With Gravenites extending his breather, Jones takes a surprisingly solid vocal on the Arthur Conley chestnut "Love Got Me" (and you thought all Conley was good for was "Sweet Soul Music"). With Gravenites returning, "Blues on a Westside" lives up to its mini-legend as a wrenching jam, with Bloomfield absolutely soaring. Taj Mahal joins up for a throbbing "One More Mile," and Gravenites' "It's About Time" could be said to live up to its title, working blues into a James Brown-like groove in a more freewheeling style, guitar and piano wrestling each other's chords deftly and riding the rhythm smoothly, Bloomfield firing off a few horn-like bursts to set up his solo statement.

And the "My Labours" additions? All of them Gravenites compositions, the one that's most likely to stick in your head is "Gypsy Good Time," what they used to call funky blues, punctuated sweatily by Willmeth's trumpet phrases and Andino's rolling secondary rhythm, with the full band cutting a deep and wide groove over which Gravenites sings exuberantly and Bloomfield peels off a fiery, melodious solo.

It's a shame the compilers found no room for "Winter Country Blues" but chose to fill out the available space with "Mary Ann," a quartet performance (and a good one) from "The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper," which is actually a good introduction to that set if you don't have it yet. Just why the new compilers saw fit to include that as a bonus track isn't made clear. But it shouldn't distract you from the power of the main attraction.
Blues-Duke

Tracks
1. It Takes Time - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Otis Rush, Willie Oixon) - 4:27
2. Oh Mama - Vocals: Michael Bloomfield (Michael Bloomfield) - 2:59
3. Love Got Me - Vocals: Bob Jones (Arthur Conley) - 2:37
4. Blues On West Side - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 15:18
5. One More Mile To Go - Vocals: Taj Mahal (Joseph Cotton) - 10:35
6. It's About Time - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 7:00
7. Carmelita Skiffle - Instrumental (M. Bloomfield, N. Gravenites, B. T. Jones, M. Naftalin) - 5:11
8. Killing My Love - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 5:18
9. Gypsy Good Time - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 4:30
10. Holy Moly - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 3:54
11. Moon Tune - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 8:32
12. Mary Ann - Vocals: Michael Bloomfield (Ray Charles) - 5:28
Tracks 1-7 from the Columbia album Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West
Tracks 8-11 from the Nick Gravenites Columbia album My Labors (featuring Mike Bloomfield)
Track 12 from the Columbia album The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield andAI Kooper

Musicians
*Michael Bloomfield - Guitar, vocals
*Nick Gravenites - Vocals, guitar
*Mark Naftalin - Piano
*Ira Kamin - Organ
*John Kahn - Bass
*Bob Jones - Drums, vocals
*Dino Andino - Conga
*Noel Jewkis - Tenor sax
*Gerald Oshita - Baritone sax
*Snooky Flowers - Baritone sax
*John Wilmeth - Trumpet
*Taj Mahal - Vocals
Bonus Track
*Michael Bloomfield - Guitar, vocals
*Al Kooper - Organ, vocals
*John Kahn - Bass
*Skip Prokop - Drums

Mike Bloomfield's tapestry
1966-68  Strawberry Jam (with Paul Butterfield's Blues Band)
1976 Live at the Old Waldorf
1976 KGB 

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Various Artists - Piccadilly Sunshine Part 5 (1966-69 uk, many more pop psych and other flavours)

If the 20 tracks collected on this, the fourth installment, are anything to go by, the splendid Piccadilly Sunshine series is still in its zenith. As the gray streets of late-‘60s Britain magically blossomed into a lysergic Edwardian wonderland of the imagination, Jago Simms tells his toy town tale about a “Conventional Fella” who liked to get nude after a hard day’s accounting so he could become “just as free as any bird or bee”, while lazy trumpets, tinkling harpsichords, shimmying Mod-psych organ and glorious guitar fuzz herald such forgotten classics as The Laurels’ “Rainmaker”, Keith Field’s “Stop! Thief” and the Now’s foray into early prog on “The Hands On my Clock Stand Still”.  Simply amazing stuff! 

by Alan Brown 22 March 2011

Artists - Tracks 
1. Samurai - Temple Of Gold - 2:15
2. The Running Jumping Standing Still Band - Ayeo - 2:18
3. Sight And Sound - Alley Alley - 2:45
4. Washington Dc’s-  32nd Floor - 2:29
5. Laurels  Sunshine - Thursday - 2:40
6. Jago Simms - In Too Deep - 2:25
7. Oedipus Complex - Empty Highway - 3:02
8. Wayne Fontana - In My World  - 3:01
9. Nocturnes - Look At Me - 3:15
10.John Bryant  - Columbine - 2:36
11.Sweet Thursday - Cobwebs - 3:22
12.Seymour Kelly - Indian Scene - 2:32
13.Tony Rivers And The Castaways - Pantomime - 3:46
14.Watch Committee - Now I Think The Other Way - 2:02
15.Merlin Q - The Secret  - 2:45
16.Roger Denison - Running Out Of Time - 2:10
17.Ian Whitcomb - Groovy Day - 2:23
18.Roulettes  - Airport People - 2:38
19.Sounds Bob Rogers - Dream With Me - 2:06
20.Toyshop - Say Goodbye To Yesterday - 3:21

The Piccadilly Sunshine flavours 
1968-70  Piccadilly Sunshine Part 1
1966-71  Piccadilly Sunshine Part 2
1967-70  Piccadilly Sunshine Part 3
1967-69  Piccadilly Sunshine Part 4

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Atomic Rooster - Devil's Answer / Rare Live Recordings (1970-72/81 uk, classic hard prog rock, rare material)

It was during the American Tour of "Crazy World of Arthur Brown" that Vincent's latent psychiatric problems first manifested themselves, in the form of manic escapades .  followed by long periods of depression in hospital. However, by 1969 he had recovered enough confidence to form Atomic Rooster, initially with drummer Carl Palmer. 

Over the next fourteen years there were seven albums, two Top Ten Hits, American and European Tours, and a succession of drummers, guitarists and vocalists. But the themes of dread, paranoia and satanic angst recurred throughout like Vincent's own relentless left. hand bass. lines in songs like "Death Walks Behind You", "Time Take My Life", "Dance of Death" or Devil's Answer". 

The ominous freneticism of Atomic Rooster virtually defined the epithet heavy.... Meanwhile the breakdowns continued, bedevilling his working relationships, his first marriage, (which ended in 1976) and his attempt to form his own record company.Yet so many of his colleagues who shared the pressures of the studio, the road or the gig, recall his charm, his quickfire wit, his zest, the good fellowship, the cheerfulness that so often sustained others. They also emphasise his versality outside the Atomic Rooster format. 

There was another excellent album with Arthur Brown and a fine blues collaboration with Peter Green. Since the sixties he had worked with writer Paul Green; their jazz/poetry duo reappeared at arts festivals during the eighties, and Vincent directed music for two of Green's radio plays. He aslo worked in The Red Buddha Theatre, the Rocky Horror Show, numerous cabaret and club bands, making many new friends. His last major professional engagement was between 1984-86 as a member of Dexy's Midnight Runners. He toured with them in Europe and made an important contribution to their last album "Don't Stand Me Down.

 The turbulence of his life caused great pain, both for the man himself and those closest to him, especially Jean, his second wife; and Tom and Renee, his parents. They gave him all they had. And he gave all he could. We do not know how his talents might have developed without the spectre of mental illness. We can only be certain that he is greatly missed.

by Paul A. Green, February 1989

Tracks
1. Friday The 13th - 4:28
2. Seven Lonely Streets - 6:15
3. Tomorrow Night - 5:27
4. Shabooloo - 6:10
5. Death Walks Behind You (John DuCann) - 6:04
6. Stand By Me - 3:23
7. Breakthrough - 3:06
8. Save Me - 3:40
9. Close Your Eyes - 2:48
10.Play It Again (John DuCann) - 4:04
11.In The Shadows (John DuCann) - 10:01
12.Devil's Answer (John DuCann) - 3:46
13.People You Can't Trust - 4:41
14.A Spoonful Of Bromide Helps The Pulse Rate Go Down - 4:46
15.All In Satan's Name (Ric Parnell) - 4:03
All songs by Vincent Crane except where noted.

Atomic Rooster
*Vincent Crane - Keyboards, Organ, Hammond
*John DuCann - Guitar, Vocals (1-5, 10-12)
*Carl Palmer - Drums (1, 2)
*Paul Hammond - Drums (3-5, 10-12)
*Chris Farlowe - Vocals, Tambourine (6-9, 13-15)
*Steve Bolton - Guitar (6-9, 13-15)
*Ric Parnell - Drums (6-9, 13-15)

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Fred - Live At The Bitter End (1974 us, significant progressive jazz rock, 2004 World In Sound release)

"The group as a whole Is to these ears more enjoyable than either the Mahavlshnu Orchestra or the new Billy Cobham band. In fact they are providing the kind of solid rhythmic electric music that I didn't think existed In pop circles anymore. Even the Bitter End, under Interim management, seemed more congenial than usual. Any band that can do that must be all right,"

by Peter Occhiogrosso, August 1.1974

Ironically, the legendary music club in New York City called "The Bitter End" Fred played in summer 1974, for six consecutive weeks, twice a day. The bitter end of the band came a few months later. Some of the concerts at the Bitter End were recorded clearly what it World In Sound enabled at its third Fred CD to present a part of it.

"This album contains the best performances from that summer" is because in the booklet to "Live at the Bitter End" to read. Apparently, the makers of the disc have proceeded extremely critical in the selection of numbers. Only a good forty-five minutes of material they deemed good enough to be published. For all I could have the CD still can fill a half-hour with a few inferior pieces. Perhaps, however, was also the sound quality of the other shots clearly worse or the redundancy is too high (at the frequency of occurrence have Fred sure every night pretty much played the same), who knows?

The sound of "Live at The Bitter End" is very good, maybe a little bit dull, and the mix is ​​not always perfect, but for a not for publication recording from the 70s the whole thing sounds all in all, excellent. Sun right live atmosphere is going to give up. Audience and applause is not heard (maybe played fred largely empty stands) and the pieces are separated by showing and hiding from each other. So the whole thing is more like a live studio session.

In musical terms, Fred arrived here quite the jazz-rock. Dominated by David Rose on violin, the band rocks very punchy and varied meaning carried by the doubly occupied key department (Farfisa organ and electric piano), Joe DeChristopher on the electric guitar and the driving rhythm section. Of necessity, simply because of the almost identical cast, you have to think of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but the music of Fred was somewhat simpler and more relaxed. 

A few symphonic-progressive, easy-affected Canterbury rudiments round out the music and give it a personal touch. The above referenced by Christian King Crimson but I can not really find in this music. All in all, Fred here a playful, very colorful, ultimately, very typical of the middle 70's jazz-rock with which they were moving, but certainly in the top class of comparable bands of the time,the sound is fresh, dynamic, punchy and clear. It dominates a nervous electric violin, but also electric guitar and Farfisa organ, giving the sound a psychedelic accent yet come to bear. Bass and drumming are impulsive, groovy and nuanced. This is also true for the sound of instrumental rehearsed, brimming with power plays overall.

Of the three Fred-albums "Live at The Bitter End" is the least original, although the group is the most professional and the most perfect to swing here. You can hear in the music that it is well-oiled live improvisations.

by Adamus67

Tracks
1. Variations - 3:46
2. Nocturnal - 12:06
3. Freefall - 2:11
4. Morose Code - 4:39
5. Pachanga - 7:44
6. Cathode Ray Fantasy - 2:51
7. Immersions - 6:59
8. Mucous Music - 6:38

Fred
*Joe DeCristopher - Electric Guitar
*Mike Robison - Fretless Bass
*Bo Fox - Drums, Percussion
*Peter Eggers - Fender Rhodes
*Ken Price - Farfisa Organ
*David Rose - Electric Violin

1971  Fred - Fred
1974  Fred - Notes On A Picnic

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Fred - Fred (1971 us, brilliant progressive folk rock, World In Sound 2001 release)

The experience that what was Fred, goes beyond what will be said here, as the music made by the band in the years 1970-1974 goes beyond the tracks of this album. The hope in these words is to give a little historical context to the music being published here, for the first time in a collection more than thirty years after it was first recorded.

Ken Price and Joe DeChristopher began playing together while students at Bucknell University in Lewisburg Pennsylvania in 1967. Ken played keyboards, mainly a beat-up electric Wurlitzer Piano. Joe fancied himself a guitar player, but took up Bass to play in Ken’s Band “Still at Large”. When the lead Guitar player dropped out late in 1968, Ken and Joe stayed together, adding John, a young Bass player. Unfortunately, John’s freshman roommate, Bo Fox, had been snatch up by another popular fraternity dance hall band, “The Gross National Product” a trio of Bo on the Drums and two upperclassmen on Guitar and Keyboards.

While the drumming set was not well filled, Joe and Ken thought they could also use a vocalist to help out. Their classmate Gary Rosenberg self-styled poet and disc jockey at the college radio station, steered the to David Rose recently back at Bucknell after a tour of service as a conscientious objector (running a Quaker related home of disadvantaged youth in a tough part of Paris). David made a great contribution as a stager and frontman, keeping quiet the fact about that he’d been trained to play the Violin, which he started doing at the age of six.

The band known occasionally as “David Rose and his Orchid” or “Mustang Turfbinder and the Swelltones” was improving but still need help on the Drums. Help came in the autumn of 1969, when Bo’s GNP band-mates had graduated and left town, leaving him available. Again with an assist from Gary, Ken, Joe, John and David, now willing to try the Violin in the context of improvisational Rock ‘n’ Roll, matched up with Bo. Amidst the belated arrival in small-town, rural America of blossoming counterculture of Peace, Love and drugs, a wonderful musical experience was born.

Gary continued part of our experience, as a friend an source for new music from the likes of The Band, Procol Harum, Traffic, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Frank Zappa to name a few. We spent the month of January 1970 intending to write a hundred original tunes, a task at which we failed miserably. Even so, we knew that there was something special happening, and as young and as inexperienced as we were, there was a growing will among us to keep with it.

School ended for most of us either by choice or by graduation in May 1970, but we stayed together most of us living in either of two small harm houses about 4 miles west of town. John transferred to a school in Boston, and we accepted into our ranks of ex-collegians, the outsider Michael “Bones” Robinson, self made bass player and song-writer.

We spend the summer smelling honeysuckle along the banks of the Susquehanna, on those trips back from high schools and bars to the south, near Harrisburg and York, we later spent our time building a house out of a barn for David’s family to live in (after his apartment was ruined by flood of 1972), learning to play, to write and manage on our shared income from playing music.

We attracted diverse collection of friends and well-wishers along the way, including artist/photographer L.J. Kopf roaches Roger Brown and Pat Biggs, sound engineer Charlie Bozenhard (who put together the components of a system to amplify David), Folk musicians Tom Patten and Ira Packman (who opened for some of our concerts), a group of ex-students who became carpenters working as “Grassy Flats” and many others, too numerous to mention.

By late 1971, we'd worked up several original tunes (most of them included on this album.) We managed to produce a 45 rpm single, containing "Salvation Lady" and "a love song", both with lyrics from Gary. David preached the vision of a self-sufficient community of artists, self supporting and true to itself. Gary continued to write poetry, much of which was never put to music. LJ took pictures, designed posters, and showed slides at our concerts.

Everyone took a role in the life of the band, on and off the' stage. We covered Procol Harum, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull and Mahavishnu Orchestra, enlisting the talenls of wunderkind Peter Eggets on piano, drums when Bo took a break, horn arrangements, and a work ethic we’d never found on our own. Up into 1973, we were existing on the outside of a society in generational turmoil, enjoying our role as outsiders, defiant that hired us, and the booking agents who tried to make a dollar in marketing us.

Even so in those early years especially, we were more than the music, and bigger than the sum of our parts. With the eventual addition of Peter as a full time member of the band, came the departure of Gary, and ultimately later on the dissolution of the band, but alas, that is not the story of the music on this album.

Enjoy what is here, know there is more recorded Fred music to come, and that what is recorded here, while standing on its own merit, was also a part of the seasoning process which led to the music made later under the influence of the formidable composing and arranging skills of Peter Eggers. Welcome to the first recorded music of Fred.
By Joe DeChristopher (Lewisburg Pennsylvania)

Tracks
1. Four Evenings (Mike Robison, Gary Rosenberg) - 6:39
2. Soft Fisherman (David Rose, Gary Rosenberg) - 6:31
3. Salvation Lady (Ken Price, David Rose, Gary Rosenberg) - 6:01
4. By The Way (Joe DeChristopher, David Rose, Gary Rosenberg) - 6:45
5. I'll Go On (J. DeChristopher, K. Price, D. Rose, G. Rosenberg) - 4:26
6. For Fearless Few (Mike Robison) - 3:47
7. A Love Song (Joe DeChristopher, Gary Rosenberg) - 4:40
8. Booking Agent Blues (Joe DeChristopher) - 4:33
9. Windwords (Joe DeChristopher, Gary Rosenberg) - 6:51
10.A Love Song (45rpm version) (Joe DeChristopher, Gary Rosenberg) - 3:58

Fred
*Gary Rosenberg - Lyrics, Percussion
*Joe DeChristopher - Guitar
*David Rose - Keyboards, Violin, Guitar, Vocals
*Bo Fox - Drums
*Ken Price - Keyboards
*Mike Robison - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Peter Eggers - Drums, Piano

1974  Fred - Notes On A Picnic 

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