The Ugly Ducklings - Somewhere Outside (1966-67 canada, smashing garage rock, remastered with bonus tracks)

The Ugly Ducklings formed in the spring of 1965 as The Strolling Bones, a blatant Rolling Stones-inspired outfit featuring Brian Jones look-a-like, British-born Glyn Bell. After making its live debut at Ccdarbrac High School in Toronto's Scarborough district (the entire band minus Boers studied there), the group changed name to The Ugly Ducklings and won a residency at Charlie Brown's Place. In late 1965, the band attracted the attention of Yorktown Records, who recorded the group's debut single, the Bingham-Maync collaboration, Nothin' for a mere $300,00 on a 2-track machine at Hallmark Studios.

The record was picked by local radio and became a local smash in March of the following year. On the back of the single's success, the 'Ducks landed their dream gig - opening for the Stones at Maple Leaf Gardens in June 1966. The group's debut album Somewhere Outside, recorded in New York and Toronto was issued around this time and contained all of the group's early singles.

The opening cut, Nothin' was also their finest moment, with its snotty punk vocals and guitar assault. She Ain't No Use To Me was a punk shouter with some snappy guitar work, whilst That's Just A Thought I Had In My Mind is more restrained, veering more towards pop. Also of note on the album were Do What You Want, a mid-paced beat number; Just In Case You Wonder, which featured some good fuzz guitar; Hey Mama (Keep Your Big Mouth Shut), notable for some fine psychedelic guitar work; a snotty version of Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Any More, the only non-original and the closing cut, Windy City (Noise At The North End), an atmospheric instrumental complete with sound effects and more fuzx guitar.

However, the label's decision to bring in producer Brian Ahem against the band's wishes, and its failure to distribute the 'Ducks records properly in the US led to the first of several personnel changes in early 1967. Read dropped out (later working in the photographic retail business) and was replaced by Howie Smith. Differences in musical direction led to Mayne's departure later in the year and Bell followed him soon afterwards. In their place, the 'Ducks recruited Mike McKenna from Luke and The Apostles.

Mayne subsequently tried to form a new group but nothing happened and he later went on to work in the TV business, producing commercials for ABC. Bell meanwhile became involved with commercial art. Amid all this activity, the group enjoyed its biggest hit with the brilliant Gaslight, which had been recorded in New York with the NBC Orchestra, and only featured Bingham on the record. The new line-up made a few recordings in late 1967 and early 1968, including McKcnna's Blues Fell This Morning and Bingham's Rise To Your Calling, which were never issued at the time, but have since appeared on The Ugly Ducklings compilation Duck Tales. In the spring of 1968, Ray Novak was added on organ, but this line-up didn't gel and in June, McKenna left to form McKenna Mcndelson. Guitarist Dave Kindred was brought in to fill his shoes.

The revised band line-up made a comeback at Toronto's Flick during July 1968, but no recordings were made. In early 1969, the band split up, only to reform a few months later as GNU. Boers maintained the greatest profile working with B.B. King, Charlie Mussclwhite, Neil Merryweather and the 49th Parallel. Throughout the '70s there were several Ugly Ducklings reunions, but no official recordings appeared. In 1980 however, the original members decided to reform and an album called Off The Wall was released.

The current line-up featuring former Buffalo Springfield Revisited guitarist Stan Fndersby on bass made its debut at the Toronto Rock Revival concert, held at the Warehouse on May 2,1999. The recent CD, Too Much Too Soon includes remastered cuts from many of their 45s. plus one newly recorded track. The Ugly Ducklings are widely recognized to be one of the best garage punk bands to have come out of Canada.

Tracks
1. Nothin' - 2:27
2. Do What You Want - 2:43
3. She Ain't No Use to Me - 3:03
4. Just in Case You Wonder - 2:26
5. Not For Long - 2:57
6. I Ain't Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore - 2:48
7. Hey Mama (Keep Your Big Mouth Shut) - 2:58
8. 10-30 Train - 2:28
9. That's Just the Thought That I Had in My Mind - 2:41
10.Postman's Fancy - 2:22
11.Windy City (Noise At The North End) - 5:59
12.I Wish You World - 3:28
13.I Need Your Love - 5:49
14.I Can Tell - 3:20
15.Rimb Nugget - 3:41
16.Gaslight - 2:44
17.Postmans Fancy - 2:18
Bonus tracks 12-17

The Ugly Ducklings
*Glynn Bell - Guitar
*Dave Bingham - Vocals
*Robin Boers - Drums
*Roger Mayne - Guitar
*John Read - Bass
*Howie Smith - Bass
*Mike McKenna - Guitar
*Ray Novak - Keyboards
*Dave Kindred - Guitar

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Tractor - Original Masters (1969-80 uk, superb acid rock with folk drops, including from The Way We Live material)

Tractor were formed in Rochdale in 1971 from the remains of three-piece band The Way We Live (originally formed in 1966 at Balderstone School, Rochdale). The band comprised Jim Milne (guitarist, vocalist and songwriter) and Steve Clayton (drummer, percussionist and songwriter) who had teamed up in 1971 with their manager and sound engineer John Brierley, who built his first studios (Dandelion Studios Rochdale) in his bedroom and attic. John later recorded Factory and many other bands at his Cargo Studios in Rochdale.

As The Way We Live, Tractor made a 1971 album for Dandelion Records boss, the late John Peel. After the release of this album, "A Candle For Judith", Peel described guitarist Jim Milne as "...the man responsible for some of the most urgent flowing and logical guitar playing I've ever heard".

Their second album, "Tractor” (as Tractor) got to number 18 in the Radio Luxembourg album charts and was frequently played on the BBC by DJs like Peel, Bob Harris and Anne Nightingale. It was also in the Virgin Top 30 selling album charts in 1972.

Later that year, former Rochdale College Social Secretary Chris Hewitt became their tour manager and sound engineer and the band opened recording studios in Dawson Street in Heywood. They performed on the college and university circuit from winter 1972 onwards (one night appearing on the same bill as future AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott) and also worked on their third album which would later become the CD release, "Worst Enemies".

In 1976, Tractor helped launch the Deeply Vale Festivals and were the main Festival attraction in 1976 and 1977. As it grew in reputation, other Manchester-based and nationally known artists appeared at the Festival alongside Tractor, including Durutti Column, The Fall, The Out, The Drones, Nik Turner (of Hawkwind), Here And Now, The Ruts, Fast Cars and Steve Hillage.

During their career, Tractor have issued LPs and CDs on Dandelion Records, UK Records, Cargo Records (Indie Rochdale label), Roach Records and they now control their entire back catalogue through their own Ozit-Morpheus Records. In 1998, they released a new CD of archive material, Tractor "Before, During and After the Dandelion Years".

They played at Glastonbury Festival in 2002 and the Canterbury Festival in 2003. There is a DVD available through Ozit-Morpheus Records entitled, ‘Beyond Deeply Vale’, and like all Tractor material, it received stunning reviews.

In 2004, ITV made a documentary about Deeply Vale and Tractor, "Truly Madly Deeply Vale", which is to be released on DVD with extra bonus footage. Further recognition came in December 2004 when Tractor played at a John Peel tribute concert along with Doves and Badly Drawn Boy, Marc Riley and Andy Rourke from the Smiths. In October 2006, Tractor released a new CD, “John Peel Bought Us Studio Gear And a P.A.”

Ozit-Morpheus Recs

Tracks
1. King Dick II - 3:12
2. Squares - 5:02
3. Siderial - 5:27
4. Angle - 1:26
5. Storm - 4:52
6. Willow - 5:48
7. Madrigal - 2:08
8. The Way Ahead - 9:03
9. Lost On The Ocean (Live) - 5:59
10.Suicidal (Live) - 8:18
11.Vicious Circle - 2:28
12.Hollands Pie R - 2:50
13.As You Say - 4:16
14.Electric Witch (Live) - 7:45
All titles written by Jim Milne
Tracks 1 to 8 and 13  Recorded as The Way We Live in the late 60's/early 70's at John Brierley's home studio.
Tracks 9 and 10 Recorded as The Tractor in 1977 at Cargo Studios Mobile.
Tracks 11 and 12 Recorded as The Tractor in 1974/75 at Tractor Sound Studios, Heywood.
Track 14 Recorded as The Tractor 1980 at Cargo Studios Mobile

Tractor
*Jim Milne - Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Addison - Bass Guitar
*Dave Goldberg - Keyboards
*Steve Clayton - Percussions

Related Act
1971  The Way We Live - A Candle For Judith

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Jonathon Round - Jonathon Round (1971 us, fabulous psychedelic folk rock, 2009 korean remaster)

Jonathon was a huge man, very huge according to the people who met him, he also had a huge voice and wide open way of musical thoughts. His roaring theatrical version of "Sympathy For The Devil"  made an effect  by the time it's release, but couldn't drift the album to make the splatter that he expected and the sales stood in low numbers.

That of course means nothing at all, the rest album keeps the high stature, from the opening "In Quest Of Unicorn" to his aspect of the Bee Gees "To Love Somebody"  we are tasting some great vocal work, supplemented by musicianship which is practically beyond reproach.

Tracks
1. In Quest of the Unicorn (J. Round) - 4:56
2. Don't It Make You Want to Go Home (Joe South) - 3:10
3. Tolu (Round) - 5:13
4. Sympathy for the Devil (Jagger, Richards) - 6:01
5. To Love Somebody (Gibb, Gibb) - 3:00
6. Traveling Mama Blues (J. Round) - 4:11
7. And I Will Not Be Moved (J. Round) - 4:45
8. Train-A-Comin' (J. Round) - 2:36
9. Young Sadie (Dancing Lady) (J. Round) - 5:34

Musicians
*Thaddeus Markiewicz - Strings
*Carl Raetz - Trombone
*Felix Resnick - Strings
*Sylvester Rivers - Keyboards
*Alvin Score - Strings
*Haim Shtrum - Strings
*Beatriz Staples - Strings
*Jonathan Round - Vocals, Guitar
*John Griffith - Keyboards
*Jack Boesen - Strings
*Fred Boldt - Sax (Baritone)
*Edgar Clanton - Vocals (Background)
*Boob Coward - Flute, Oboe
*LeRoy Fenstermacher - Strings
*Sam Fozzini - Drums
*Parke Grout - Trombone
*Virginia Hoffman - Strings
*LaVerna Mason - Background Vocals
*Santo Urso - Strings
*Dave Banks - Background Vocals
*Dennis Coffey - Guitar
*Mike Theodore - Synthesizer, Guitar
*Doris Jones - Background Vocals
*Pat Webb - Background Vocals
*Jack Ashford - Percussion
*Bob Babbitt - Bass
*Barbara Fickitt - Strings
*Leo Harrison - Trombone
*George Hawkins - Trombone
*David Ireland - Strings
*Emanuel Johnson - Background Vocals

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Brigg - Brigg (1973 us, hard rock with prog folk shades)

Outstanding 1973 from a Northumberland, Pennsylvania trio with an incredibly wasted vibe. Roughly half of this is heavy rock, like a second rate Grand Funk or Frost, and these songs are just mediocre, with "If Only You Could See Me Now" being the best by way of it's off kilter timing and phased-out wah guitar. 

The other half is what we are all really here for: totally loaded, extended, spacey rural-vibe psych folk. "Universe" is the total kicker, loaded in opiate fueled cosmic ether. It's so slow and laid back that it almost moves backwards. Time has no meaning, or is lost completely. 

Above the strummed acoustic bliss there are spaced out effects that just really make this fucker out, like if Jandek was really talented on You Walk Alone and tried to make a commercial (well, uh, sorta) sounding folkpsych album. Flutes appear on other tracks, giving this a Topanga Canyon hippie vibe at times. A totally great windowpane rainy day escapist monster. 

While Willoughby and Foulke would go on to greater glory in the early 1980s with the well-known band Hybrid Ice (whose song “Magdalene” was famously covered by Boston on their album Walk On), this would be the last anyone would ever hear of Brigg.

Tracks
1. Hey Mister - 3:16
2. Universe - 5:30
3. Took It Away - 3:35
4. New Found Rain - 2:37
5. If Only You Could See Me Now - 3:21
6. The War Is Over - 2:50
7. Linda - 5:40
8. And You Know - 2:45
9. Sneaker Tongue - 0:31

Brigg
*Rusty Foulke - Guitar, Vocals
*Jeff Willoughby - Bass, Percussion, Flute, Vocals
*Rob Morse - Guitar, Vocals
With
*Rick Klinger - Percussion
*Webb Kline - Keyboard

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July - July (1968 uk, very tasty brand of psychedelia, 2008 Revola remaster and expanded edition)

For a number of years it was thought that the Band originated from a group called The Playboys. They originated in fact as The Dreamers who played much in the style of The Shadows and The Everly Brothers. With the success of R'n'B they changed their name to The Tomcats, drinking from the Sounds of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. In 1965 another Band called Second Thoughts came to an end (Their Lead-Singer Patrick Campbell-Lyons going on to form the Band Nirvana). 

From the ashes of this to Bands, The Tomcats were re-formed. With the lack of success in London the Band decided to relocate to Spain, where they performed on the best Venues the Country had to offer (In Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands). They also released a number of EP's that were quite well received there, getting to the Spanish Charts. With the return of the Band to London and the creation of new Material influenced by Psychedelia. Soon after the definitive change to the name July, they got a Recording Deal with Major Minor Records and a Management Deal with Spencer Davis. 

Their First Album came out that same year (1968) and was completely ignored by everyone except for some critics who deemed it a “complete waste of plastic”, They broke up right after the release. However many of the Songs were later used on 60's Compilations and the Album itself has been re-issued a number of Times. It is one of the most sought-after Psychedelic Albums ever.

Well to be pedantic...This is the first album of later well-known progressive band "Jade Warrior" which is also highly recommended to listen to , while two founder members of Jade Warrior do indeed contribute a great deal to this album in terms of playing and arranging the music, the real creative force behind July was vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Tom Newman. He later moved into engineering and production, overseeing the construction of The Manor studios, and went on to engineer and co-produce Tubular Bells. 

July were one of the many British Psych bands that came, saw, yet failed to conquer and fizzled out with less than a year notched up on their collective belts. In this short time they did manage to put out two albums, its rarity ensuring original pressings have gone on to attain near-Grail status amongst psych collectors.

The self-titled July was released in 1968, and really is a must-hear for anybody with a passing interest in psychedelic obscurities.

Although heavily influenced by the Californian psych sound, July manage to retain the quirkiness associated more so with the British acid-rock scene, throughout. This is ably demonstrated on the infectiously jaunty ‘Jolly Mary’, which successfully straddles the light-hearted wing of both camps, coming across Beatles-esque, Toytown, and West Coast, all in one eclectic nautical package.

Openers ‘My Clown’ and ‘Dandelion Seeds’ are eerily trippy, while elsewhere ‘Move on Sweet Flower’ is distinctly reminiscent of Gandalf. ‘Friendly Man’ alludes to some decidedly dark subject matter, although that could just be me misreading it, ‘The Way’ covers the eastern-mysticism angle with its energetic sitar-infusion, and ‘Crying is for Writers’ benefits from a scorching psychedelic guitar blitzkrieg slap bang in the middle.

July’s time on the music scene may have been but a slight ripple on an otherwise vast ocean of sound – though the constituent members would go on to enjoy success in various areas of the music industry – but the psychedelic gem they left behind deserves the status it enjoys today as one of the most sought after rarities of the acid era.

by Adamus67

Tracks
1. My Clown (Peter Cook) - 3:25
2. Dandelion Seeds (Tom Newman) - 3:20
3. Jolly Mary (Peter Cook)  - 2:22
4. Hallo To Me (Tom Newman)  - 3:00
5. You Missed It All (Tom Newman)  - 2:52
6. The Way (Tom Newman)  - 3:29
7. To Be Free (Peter Cook)  - 2:51
8. Move On Sweet Flower (Tom Newman)  - 3:28
9. Crying Is for Writers (Chris Jackson)  - 2:36
10.I See See (Peter Cook)  - 2:42
11.Friendly Man (Peter Cook)  - 3:11
12.Bird Lived (Peter Cook)  - 2:37
13.My Clown (Single Version)  (Peter Cook) - 3:25
14.Dandelion Seeds (Single Version) (Tom Newman) - 3:20
15.Hello, Who's There? (Peter Cook) - 3:11
16.Way See (Single Version) (Tom Newman) - 3:29

July
*Peter Cook - Vocals, Guitar

*Tony Duhig - Lead Guitar, Organ
*Jon Field - Flute, Keyboards
*Chris Jackson - Drums, Organ
*Alan James - Bass
*Tom Newman - Vocals, Guitars

1967-68  The Second Of July

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Denny King - Evil Wind Is Blowing (1972 us, sharp acid blues rock with experimental vibes, Captain Beefheart's sideman, 2010 edition)

Born Dennis Gordon Ottenbacher in Wisconsin in 1942, singer / guitarist Denny King started out on the Milwaukee local music scene in the early 60s. By the early 70s he was based in the small town of Lancaster I (in California's Mojave  desert) at the time his sole album was made. 

A bluesman, he quickly became a lynchpin of the local scene, playing with numerous local musicians. Two of those were Alex St. Claire (guitar, trumpet) and Doug Moon (harmonica), who had played in the early incarnation of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, and accompanied King on his sole LR which appeared on Little Richard's Specialty label (as SPS 5003) in the summer of 1972. 

A good-humored set of odd electric blues, St Claire produced it, and also takes a co-writing credit on Desert Sand, making it a considerable curio for Beefheart completists. Famed critic Barry Hansen (better known as Dr. Demento) wrote the enthusiastic sleevenotes, HR which promise that "you'll soon know why they call that place the high desert!", but sales were predictably small, and the extracted 45 (Bessie Mae / Go Down Moses) was also a slow seller. 

King later set up a booking agency, with the aim of helping bands getting a start playing in bars, and later specialised in opening music venues in Asia, and organizing entertainment for US forces in Korea. By all accounts a humble and religious man, King died in April 2000. At that time he had been playing in a band called The Watchmen, with members of his church.

Tracks
1. Evil Wind Is Blowing - 3:00
2. Bottle Blues - 3:00
3. Desert Sand - 3:48
4. Sunday Driver - 2:57
5. Boogie Man - 5:18
6. Bessie Mae - 3:12
7. Lucille - 3:11
8. Home Cooking - 4:05
9. Go Down Moses - 2:28
10. Putting Away The Blues - 2:24

Musicians
*Denny King - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Alex St. Claire - Guitar, Trumpet, Bass, Slide Guitar
*Jesse Briones - Bass
*Greg Hampton - Drums
*Al Carr - Congas
*Douglas Moon - Harmonica
*Peter Dolan - Flute

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The Happenings - Piece Of Mind (1969 us, wonderful psychedelic sunshine pop, original vinyl release)

1969's self-produced "Piece of Mind" is simply unlike anything else in their catalog.  Like many of their contemporaries (The Four Seasons and The Tokens readily come to mind), this album was apparently a last ditch effort to modernize the group's sound in the hopes of expanding their rapidly dwindling audience. 

Anyone who knew these guys for hits such as 'See You In September' and 'Go Away Little Girl' would be amazed to hear original material such as 'Heartbeat', 'Living In Darkness' and 'Be My Brother' .  With bassist Dave Libert and guitarist Bob Miranda responsible for the majority of the twelve tracks, the band turned in surprisingly impressive slices of lite-psych and conventional rock.  

An impressive blend of their patented harmony vocals and some interesting studio effects, the set's high points were probably the rocking 'Don't You Think It's Time' and the six minute plus 'Imagine'.  In addition to an interesting song structure the latter even sported a cool Eastern-flavored Bernie LaPorta guitar solo.  

One more song like that and the LP would've warranted four stars. Besides, ever imagine you'd hear these guys singing a song entitled 'Where Do I Go / Be In (Hare Krishna)'?  Mind you, old habits die hard and it was probably too much to expect the group to totally abandon their old ways.  'Cold Water', 'New Day Comin'' and the country-flavored 'Piece of Mind' were sufficiently schmaltzy to appeal to their older fans - provided the other stuff hadn't killed them.  The bizarre but way cool cover art was almost worth an additional half star.  

Bad-cat

Tracks
1. Where Do I Go / Be In (Hare Krishna)  (Rado, Raginia, MacDermott) - 2:35
2. Heartbeat  (Bernie LaPorta, Bob Miranda) - 3:22
3. Living In Darkness - 3:06
4. Cold Water  - 2:27
5. Be My Brother - 3:31
6. New Day Comin' - 2:42
7. Imagine - 6:58
8. Let's Do Something - 2:53
9. Piece Of Mind - 2:31
10.Don't You Think It's Time - 3:57
11.We're Gonna Make Them Care - 3:20
All songs by Dave Libert, Bob Miranda except where noted.

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

The Happenings / Psycle

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Blue Sun And Jytte Pilloni - It's All Money Johnny (1975-76 denmark, amazing hard blues funky rock with jazzy mood)

Jytte Pilloni was born in 1951 in Denmark. Blue Sun formed in Copenhagen circa 1969. When Jytte joined the Blue Sun, the old, hardened jazz went the way, replaced by roots psychedelic blues funky rock with hard guitars and her superb voice.

Jytte Pilloni and  Blue Sun appeared in Slotsgade Jazz Club for few shows, but when it happened, there was magic in the air.  When Jyttie left Blue Sun she travelled around with  other rock bands. Jytte Pilloni was really one of the 'Big female voices' in Denmark. Not known as deserved, but loved by many. 

This record, which she did with the folks from a new version of ol' Blue Sun, shows her big talent. A near-hit was On A Creamy Candy Cloud, which I also like a lot. Great attention has been paid on the remastering  from original tapes gives a great sound.

Tracks
1. Come On Children (Eriksen, Greenwood) - 3:45
2. Gollum (Eriksen, Greenwood) - 4:47
3. Cream Candy Cloud (Eriksen, Greenwood) - 4:37
4. Blue Pyramid (Eriksen, Greenwood) - 3:57
5. Lad Mig Dele Dine Drömme (Berggreen, Turell) - 3:48
6. Gong-Gong (Eriksen) - 5:15
7. Lucky Jack (Eriksen, Greenwood) - 3:23
8. Afraid (Eriksen, Greenwood) - 2:24
9. It's All Money Johnny (Eriksen, Turell) - 3:36
10. Blue Sun (Andersen, Falck) - 4:37
11. Jonnie The Junkie (Eriksen, Turell) - 3:37

Blue Sun
*Jytte Pilloni - Vocals
*Poul "Hvem Ellers" Ehlers - Bass
*Bo Thrige Andersen - Drums
*Stefan Borum - Keyboards
*Torben Bruun - Guitar
*Preben Eriksen - Guitar
*Richard Greenwood - Vocals, Violin
Additional Musicians
*Niels Barfod - Alto Sax
*Ole Kuhl - Tenor Sax
*Verner Work - Trumpet
*Kjeld Meller - Trombone

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Steel River - Weighin' Heavy (1970 canada, hard psych groovy rock, 2008 second harvest issue)

Starting in 1965 originally as a part-time Toronto R 'n' B club band called The Toronto Shotgun, Steel River decided to become full-time musicians in 1969 and hired Greg Hambleton to produce their first demo.

He liked the band so much he signed them to his Tuesday Record label. Their first single release was the Jay Telfer (A Passing Fancy) song "Ten Pound Note". The song afforded them international success, although they only managed the 'bubbling under' section of the US Billboard charts. Regardless, they found themselves in demand as a touring act in the States.

The record did go Top-10 in Canada and subsequent successful singles followed as were international releases in England, Germany and Australia. Their two full-length LPs managed to do well in 15 countries.

They continued as a hot live attraction until 1974 at which time they called it quits. A reunion with 4 out of the 5 original members happened in the early '80's.

John Dudgeon went on to release a solo single record in 1983 called "Put My Arms Around you" which received extensive airplay on CKFM {99.9) and numerous other stations in Canada and U.S. IN 2004, he hooked up with Mojo Grande, a funk/blues band from Markham, Ontario. (via jam.canoe.ca)

Tracks
1. Dream Is Country (Dudgeon, Forrester, Dunning) - 5:07
2. Walk By The River (Forrester) - 3:33
3. What Have I To Lose (Dudgeon, Forrester, Angrove, Dunning, Cockell) - 2:51
4. Losing Friends (Dudgeon, Dunning) - 2:18
5. What It Feels Like (To Sing A Song) (Dudgeon, Forrester, Angrove, Dunning, Cockell) - 5:51
6. Ten Pound Note (Jay Telfer) - 2:57
7. When You're Down, Out, In (She's A Friend) (Dudgeon, Angrove) - 5:47
8. Seems They're Out To Get Yo (Dudgeon, Forrester, Angrove, Dunning, Cockell) - 4:33
9. Song With A Chorus (For Mary) (Bob Forrester) - 6:57
10.If You Let Her Know (Bob Forrester) - 3:35

Steel River
*John Dudgeon - Lead Vocals
*Bob Forrester - Organ, Piano
*Rob Cockell - Bass
*Tony Dunning - Guitar
*Ray Angrove - Drums

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Cruciférius – A Nice Way Of Life (1969-70 france, fine fusion jazz prog rock, 2012 O-Music release)

Extremely rare French funky prog early 70's LP on the little, but famous French "Egg" label. A mix of dark feel, psych progressive action, jazz, funk music with acidy guitar,swirling organ, vibraphone ...Vocals are in English. There is only one Cruciferius LP. Real collectors piece. The LP is produced by Franz Auffray "Original Popcorn" . 

Members where Francois Breant who was born in Rouen, France, and  his musical inclinations were strongly encouraged by his father, himself a pianist and painter. He learned to play the piano and the organ at a young age. In his lycee (high school) years he took a shine to the music of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, and played in a number of local jazz units. After studies at Rouen's Ecole des Beaux-Arts he joined Cruciferius Lobonz, formed along  with Christian Vander and Bernard Paganotti. 

Bernard Paganotti will subsequently become a member of Magma. Marc Perru latter worked on together with Francois Breant's solo album and with the French band called Ergo Sum.

Tracks
1. Big Bird (E. Floyd, S. Crooper) - 7:18
2. What Did You Do (M. Perru, B. Paganotti) - 5:18
3. Let’s Try (M. Perru) - 3:34
4. A Nice Way Of Life (M. Perru, F. Bréant) - 2:39
5. Gimme Some Lovin’ (S. Winwood) - 3:32
6. It’s Got To Be A Rule (M. Perru) - 4:21
7. Jungle Child (M. Perru, F. Bréant) - 4:47
8. Annabel Lee (E. A. Poe, B. Paganotti) - 5:33

Cruciferius
*François Bréant -  Keyboards, Vibes, Vocals
*Bernard Paganotti -  Bass, Vocals
*Marc Perru -  Guitar, Vocals
*Patrick Jean -  Drums

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Danny Kalb And Stefan Grossman - Crosscurrents (1969 us, spectacular blues folk rock, 2005 reissue)

Danny Kalb called and said, "You write the liner notes and you'd better do them with love." "O.K. I'll write them and I'll try to inject the feeling that the people involved with this album felt." Stefan Grossman smiles easy, lives in Europe (Rome) and once trod the Greenwich Village streets, playing and learning about folk music. 

Stefan wrote some tunes. He asked me to listen. I liked them. We talked. We talked about recordings, ideas, musicians and Danny Kalb's name came up. Guitars used to be played without electricity. We thought, why not try an album with a tough rhythm section and acoustic guitars? Another meeting. This time with Kalb and Grossman. The more we talked the more excited we got about the project. Now we needed some weeks to rehearse, to book studio time, to hire the right rhythm section and keep Stefan's return trip to Europe in mind. Well, we got it all done and down and it sounds good to me. 

I suppose it's not fair for me to hype this album, after all, I helped produce it. But I can't help it. I dig it. As a bit of an afterthought—I'd like to relate to everyone the fun we had recording. Yes. I said fun. Studios can be boring, frightening. Paranoia can reign. Ego trips and just plain up-tightness is very often the norm. On "Crosscurrents" everyone tried to help, to improve, to create. 

Opinions were listened to and no put-downs. I hear the sound of relaxed playing. Today's music business is so volatile, things move so fast. This album is released and everybody hopes. Stefan Grossman is back in Italy looking for a house. Danny Kalb is playing better than ever and putting together a band. Where will you be?

by Jerry Schoenbaum, 1969

Tracks

1. Devil Round The Moon - 4:45

2. Singing Songs Unsung - 2:24

3. Louise Louise (Brownie McGhee) - 3:09

4. Harvest Of Your Days - 3:54

5. Requiem For Patrick Kilroy - 6:08

6. Eagles On The Half - 3:16

7. Death Letter Blues (Traditional) - 4:40

8. Crow Black Squall - 3:28

9. Woman Dear - 3:11

10.Danish Drone - 2:19

All songs written by Stefan Grossman excpet where noted

Musicians
*Danny Kalb - Guitars, Vocals
*Stefan Grossman - Guitars, Vocals
*Arthur Koenig - Bass
*Joe Hunt - Drums
*Don Brooks - Harmonica
*Robert Moses - Drums

1975  Stefan Grossman - Bottleneck Serenade
Danny Kalb's long road
1966  The Blues Project - Projections
1967  The Blues Project - Live At Town Hall
1968  The Blues Project - Planned Obsolescence
1971-72  The Blues Project - Lazarus / The Blues Project
1973  The Blues Project - Reunion in Central Park

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Lightning - Lightning (1968-71 us, power stoner blues psych rock )

Lightning was an offshoot of Minneapolis ’60s legends Litter that featured guitar wizard Tom “Zippy” Caplan. After recording the Litter’s 1966 garage classic Distortions and 1968 psych masterpiece $100 Fine, Caplan split from the Litter and formed Lightning. 

The band started out as a power trio and cut one fierce Cream-inspired single “William” b/w “Of Paupers And Poets” in 1968 under the White Lightning moniker with Twin Cities record producer Warren Kendrick. The band regrouped into a quintet and scored a record deal with P.I.P. which issued their eight-song album. That album has since become a highly collectable LP. 

Lightning became one of the Midwest’s hardest working rock acts and toured extensively throughout the region during their three-year tenure. This authorized CD reissue includes their entire LP, the aforementioned 45, plus six additional bonus tracks (including edited 45 mixes of two album tracks) all wrapped in an archival 12-page booklet with lots of photos and liner notes by Litter-scribe Doug Sheppard. 

Between this package and Arf Arf’s White Lightning Strikes Twice [1968-1969] release, the band’s entire musical legacy has been properly archived. Fans of Blue Cheer, Cream, Hendrix, and Arf Arf’s four psychedelic Dose comps will really dig this new disc.

“Zippy Caplan’s post-Litter [band] made music close enough to Cream to fool you if you weren’t listening hard enough…a hidden treasure that deserves a wider listen.” 

by Cub Koda

Tracks
1. Prelude to Opus IV (Woodrich, Caplan, Stanhope) - 4:05
2. Hideaway (Woodrich, Stanhope) - 4:00
3. When a Man Could Be Free (Stanhope, Caplan, Woodrich) - 4:27
4. Madame Sunrise (Stanhope, Caplan, Woodrich) - 6:00
5. 1930 (Roberts, Stanhope, Caplan) - 4:12
6. Freedom (Is Life with Living) (Stanhope, Caplan, Woodrich) - 5:46
7. They've Got the Time (Woodrich, Stanhope) - 5:51
8. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky (Stan Jones) - 5:32
9. William (Caplan, Woodrich, Struthers) - 2:06
10.Of Paupers and Poets (Kendrick) - 2:33
11.(Under the Screaming Double) Eagle (Caplan, Waite, Woodrich) - 3:56
12.What Have I Now (Lindlay, Caplan) - 3:21
13.Rat (Caplan, Woodrich, Stanhope, Roberts, Pershey) - 4:18
14.Hideaway (single mix) (Woodrich, Stanhope) - 3:13
15.Freedom (single mix) (Stanhope, Caplan, Woodrich) - 3:40
16.William Tell Overture (The Lone Ranger Theme) (Rosini) - 2:40

Lightning
*Ronn Roberts - Vocals, Guitar
*Tom "Zippy" Caplan - Guitar
*Bernie Pershey - Drums
*Woody Woodrich - Bass
*Mickey Stanhope - Vocals, Drums

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Susan Christie - Paint A Lady (1969 us, brilliant trippy acid psych folk rock)

The late ‘60s, early ‘70s were such a creative period, it is sad to realize how many albums got shelved and passed unnoticed and given no chance. This album had a press of only three copies.

When Keith Darcy from Finderskeepers, had discovered the progfunky group Wool, he also checked out other things on which John Hill participated, he was amazed to find out how one movie track from ‘Riders of the Mark’ (1967) sounded like an exact sonic blueprint for Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”, or how beautifully he arranged this private album from Susan Christie.

When I first heard this album, I was firstly reminded of the delicate arrangements of some of The Mamas and The Papas, as imagined as some solo release from a similar group. Not only the arrangements are tight and effective, well thought over and well produced with band arrangements and orchestral touches, but the songs are well chosen and attractive, Susan Christie has also great vocal qualities, a strong combination that deserves to be heard, and that makes repeated listens a real pleasure. “Rainy Day” has some beautiful dark melancholy in the voice and lyrics, while through the music this is uplifted to the acceptable human sweetness of what makes such feeling an ‘experience’ (so not bringing things down, but lifting it into musical pleasantness). 

Everywhere the arrangements are perfect, with the right emotionality made stronger by drums or rock added to the more lush orchestrations, (mixed with acoustic guitars,..)… Just now and then associations with a theatrical/filmic emotionality are made possible, as if highlighting a Morricone accompanied movie…and there’s also one real western song, “Ghost Riders in the Sky”, again into the folk-poprock context.  

In the middle there’s also one longer track of over 9 minutes called “Yesterday, where’s my mind?”, with a more experimental introduction, in an ESP-LP LSD fashion, with trance spoken word, at first just rhythmically accompanied, with a bit of organ, before the narrator/singer and the organ goes a little bit crazy, as a free-er introduction that still leads to another real song.

Psych-Folk

Tracks
1. Rainy Day  - 3:09
2. Paint A Lady - 3:22
3. For The Love Of A Soldier (John M. Hill) - 3:55
4. Ghost Riders In The Sky (Stan Jones) - 3:26
5. Yesterday, Where's My Mind? (John Reid) - 9:04
6. Echo In Your Mind - 3:17
7. When Love Comes (J. Hill, Beatrice Hill, Susan Hill) - 2:18
8. No One Can Hear You Cry (B. Hill, J. Hill) - 2:21
Songs written by Billy Soden except where else stated.

Musicians
*Kirk Hamilton - Bass
*Jim Valerio - Drums
*Susan Christie - Performer

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Skydog – Just Want To Make You Happy (1974 us, sublime rural jamming rock with southern scent)

All the music created by the band for this album took place in and around the Skydog house in Sandy Springs, Georgia between the summer 1973 and the winter 1974. I think it was not the playing but the living with the band that tells the best story.  Michael Sweat and I met at Dekalb Junior College in the fall of 1972. Michael introduced me to Gary and the three of us got together at my parent’s house for some jam sessions with my brother Johnny who was still going to high school at that time. Jimi came along later. It did not take long for us to get moved out of the neighborhoods. 

Michael’s parents put up with us for as while too.  Leasing that spooky 50-year old house, which was comfortably away from traffic on about 4 acres of property, was the catalyst for some great music and crazy times. And without the Skydog house there could not have been a band.  We were all coming of age in the ‘70’s and the house gave us a common bond. Michael was our carpenter. It was his idea to build a stage out in the garage. 

I remember the clean up, and discovering the swarm of termites which threatened to eat the entire house. I sat there with a plumber’s torch at the steps from the garage to the screened in breezeway that connected the main house and incinerated them as they made their way out to the pile of garage and junk.  That great room turned out to be the room where all this music was created and recorded. Everyone labored pretty hard to get the house livable. And I don’t think anyone worked harder than Gary, Michael and Jimi. Gary he was the skyman, I would say he was the spirit of the group, it was Gary who would come up with some cool phrases like innocent  eyed-lady or too much man, let’s call it a night.  

When Gary started the groove it was easy to follow. I think of Jimi as the peacemaker, he was rock solid as a player and person, when creative differences polarized Michael and me, it was Jimi that would get us into focus, but the hardest thing for us to do was get thing on tape, we just were not disciplined enough to finish what we started before moving onto something else, it use to drive the recording engineers bonkers.  

Johnny was always mister enthusiasm. When Johnny was in, the party was on, and his drumming was great, man those chops still stand up with the best, Johnny made the music really move and he played so hard, he is a true Wildman. To this day I don’t think I have ever played with a better drummer, I don’t think the guys would mind me talking credits for the words and melodies, just about all of them. I was pouring out the music in those days, but what made the band’s music interesting to a lot of folks were the changes and 2 meter changes in the middle eight.  

All of that experimentation with the music and partying to attract a lot of friends and visitors. One of our frequent friends was a DJ from WRAS College Radio, I think his name was Clay, or CT as he was called later. He brought in students and semi pros with sound gear and recording equipment and within a few months the living room had more recording equipment than furniture. But nothing in the kitchen, the girls and Jimi would see to that, we had audio snakes and cables hung from the ceilings from the breezeway, through the kitchen and even back to bedrooms.  

So thing got a little crowed, it was all great fun unless you were trying to sleep, we got a few more residents in a short time which when we were being pushed by Clay to get it on tape, made it even harder to work. And we had a few run-ins with the local police. We were even subject to a full-scale swat team raid, they came in with machine guns drawn and gas mask while we were recording, we freaked out for a while about that, but they did not find any drugs or guns or anything like that so nothing really came of it.  Except for two of the swat team members started coming by to listen, a positive effect of this was it scared off some of our temporary residents and we were able to get things on tape.  

In the winter of ’74 the band was basically over, several things brought this about, first the quality of the sound of the album was very poor, we were so discouraged. The tapes were so much better. To this day I still don’t understand what happened, also we lost our lease. The landlord had enough which was too bad really, we made a lot of improvements to the house and property, we had cleaned up, planed a flower garden, a veggie garden painted repaired, fixed plumbing and electrical. So no house no Skydog. 

by Tommy Gordon Landsahw

Tracks
1. Luck In Your Life - 10:40
2. North Georgia Carnival Blues - 5:37
3. Ali Sahd (T. Landsahw, M. Sweat) - 7:02
4. Just Want To Make You Happy (T. Landsahw) - 9:46
5. Innocent-Eyed Lady - 12:37
6. Israeli-Arabic Sun - 5:55
7. Ali Sahd (Alt. Version) (T. Landsahw) - 6:32
8. Just Want To Make You Happy (Alt. Version) (T. Landsahw, M. Sweat) - 8:58
9. The Mood Is On (Bonus Track) - 6:03
All songs written by Skydog except where indicated.

Skydog
*Michael Sweat - Guitar, Vocals
*Tommy Gordon Landsahw - Vocals, Rythm Guitar
*Gary Elmore - Bass
*Jimi Hughes - Organ Hammond
*Johnny Parish Landshaw - Drums

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Sweet Marie - Stuck in Paradise (1971 us, groovy funky hard psych, Gear Fab release)

Sweet Marie was formed in late 1969 amidst the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the wild music scene of Hollywood. Twentyeight year old Prince Teddy, a producer at Capitol Records and a songwnter.'musician. had a vision tor a rock-n-roll trio with rich harmonies and psychedelic undertones 

He approached Sonny Lathrop, a 25 year ok) guitarist and recording musician who was known around the hip Hollywood night dubs, about his idea and together they recruited Willy Bims on drums Bims. 32, had been the drummer for the songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and played on the recordings of many of their hits from the 1 960s and 70s including most of the recordings by the Monkees. 

The group began performing after-hours gigs in Hollywood and soon got a multi-month contract to be the house band at the famous Studio City nightclub The Point After Their stay at The Point After was so successful that the owners of the nightclub ottered Sweet Marie a contract to perform at The Point After club in Waikiki. Hawaii on the island of Oahu. 

Sweet Mane began recording their first album Sweet Marie 1 not long after arriving in Hawaii With the release of this debut album on Yardbird Records in mid 1970 came their number 1 hit "Remember Mary" which topped the charts in Hawaii and made waves across the charts in the mainland states Quickly the group signed a bigger deal with Liberty Records - one of the biggest labels of the period owned by United Artists – and left Hawaii to go on the road. 

In 71 the group returned to Hawaii, this time a nationally known band with a hit. and became the house band at Captain Nemo's -a club built on the movie set of 20 Thousand Leagues Under The Sea Soon after, the band began recording their follow-up album Stuck In Paradise and in early 1972 purchased The Point After night club and reopened it as Sweet Marie's Their nightclub - situated in the heart of the International Market Place on Oahu - became the most popular and successful club in Hawaii with packed houses every night of the week all wanting to get a glimpse of the band that had made the place a hit. 

The sophomore album Stuck In Paradise soon shot straight up the charts with the song "Stella s Candy Store" and became the biggest hit for the band, but this time internationally. The band couldn't leaves their homes on Hawaii without being mobbed by crowds wanting pictures and asking for autographs while their songs played constantly on the radio. 

They were making appearances or TV and writing songs for commercials and played the Crater Festival in Hawaii with Carlos Santana and did shows with other famous groups such as the Rascals In early 1973. Sweet Marie finished recording its 3rd album - which would never be released - and in late 1973 the band split up over personal and professional differences. 

After a year and a half of owning the most successful nightclub Oahu had ever seen, they closed the doors and parted ways. Since the break-up, each of the members has continued performing and writing music till this day.

Tracks
1. Stuck In Paradise (S. Lathrop, B Lewis, D. Bennett) - 3:50
2. It Ain't Easy (D. Bennett) - 3:01
3. My Little Angel (S. Lathrop, D. Bennett) - 2:11
4. Hortense The Hippie (D. Bennett) - 538
5. Do Do (Find Me A Way) (D. Bennett) - 3:41
6. Stella's Candy Store (D. Bennett) - 4:01
7. I Got That Feelin (S. Lathrop) - 2:54
8. Another Feelin' (S. Lathrop, B. Lewis, D.. Bennett) - 2:53
9. I Want Your Woman (D. Bennett) - 3:17
10.Drum Solo (Willy Bims) - 2:28
11.Changes (Phil Ochs) - 3:55

Sweet Marie
*Prince Teddy - Vocals, Bass
*Sonny Lathrop - Vocals, Guitar
*Willy Bims - Drums
with
*Augie Colon - Congas

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Crow - Music (1969 us, hard 'n' heavy psych blues rock, 2010 Flawed Gems remaster)

 Crow formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. in August, 1967. Originally known as the "South 40", they were former members of the Rave-Ons and the Jokers Wild. The original band members were Dave Wagner (vocals), Larry Wiegand (bass/vocals), Dick Wiegand (guitar), Dave (Kink) Middlemist (Hammond organ/vocals)  and Harry Nehls (drums/vocals). They released the "South 40 Live at Someplace Else" LP in 1968.

In 1969 they added Denny Craswell (Castaways) on drums/vocals, changed their band name to Crow, and released the album "Crow Music" on the Amaret label. They had a number of Top-40 hits from 1969 to 1972, including "Evil Woman", "Slow Down", "(Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie) On the King of Rock n' Roll" and "Cottage Cheese" among others.

They disbanded in 1972 but reformed again in 1988. They continue to play select concerts all over the United States and have released numerous CD's. All the members have won Minnesota Music Awards for their own individual instruments. In 2005 they were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame and in 2009, the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Hall of Fame. 

The Crow

Tracks
1. Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me) (L. Wiegand, R. Weigand, D. Waggoner) - 3:10
2. White Eyes (L. Wiegand, R. Weigand) - 4:13
3. Thoughts (D. Waggoner) - 4:48
4. Da Da Song (D. Middlemist) - 3:19
5. Busy Day (L. Wiegand) - 2:30
6. Time To Make A Turn (L. Wiegand) - 2:47
7. Rollin' (R. Weigand, D. Waggoner) - 3:20
8. Listen To The Bop (L. Wiegand, R. Weigand, D. Waggoner) - 3:07
9. Gonna Leave A Mark (L. Wiegand) - 2:53
10.Sleepy Woman (L. Wiegand) - 9:53

The Crow
*David Wagner - Lead Vocals
*Dick Wiegand - Lead Guitars
*L. Wiegand - Bass
*Kink Middlemist - Keyboards
*Denny Craswell - Drums

The Crow
1970  By Crow
1971  Mosaic

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Crow - By Crow (1970 us, superb heavy psych blues rock, 2011 ARF edition)

With an album and a hit single both selling well, the band changed its base of operations temporarily, moving part and parcel to Chicago in the summer of 1969. There the guys accepted every job they could find. Monaco and Brantseg soon obliged the five by sending them on a major concert circuit to plug their released material. The band headlined the fourth annual Denver Teenage Fair ("Pop Expo '69"), a major outdoor festival in Olympia, Washington called Sky River, and hit a certain peak for itself by appearing in concert with Janis Joplin in November. Spirits ran high and national fame seemed assured.

Crow continued to soar throughout 1970, a year in which the band grossed in excess of $200,000- a far cry from the $3000 a man it made in its days as South 40. By May 1970, their second album Crow by Crow (Amaret ST 5006) had been released and included superb songs, particularly "Cottage Cheese," which included some of the old interplay between bass and drums the group had found so successful in the past. "Slow Down," and "Gone Gone Gone" were also included which were a couple of old tunes penned by Larry Williams and the Everly Brothers, respectively. We were told the second album basically paid for itself, but not much more than that," said Larry, "Traut and Golden put up all the money for the records, putting themselves on the hook. Once they got that back, they were supposed to give us what was left over. Funny-there never seemed to be anything left over. I don't know how much money was ever made or lost, to this day. Maybe they didn't recoup their money. I highly doubt it though, with sales in excess of a million-and-a-half records on both 45s and albums."

Following the success of "Evil Woman," two singles were released in 1970: "Cottage Cheese" and "Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King OF Rock And Roll," both of which managed to get no higher than the 50s on Billboard's magic monitor of single hits (#56 and #52 respectively). By the dawn of 1971, things had changed for Crow. The singles were still coming out, but they weren't making the charts, despite the release of their third album Mosaic (Amaret ST 5009) which included some interesting material. It contained the group's recent single, "King Of Rock And Roll," another old rock & roll number as well as "Easy Street," a jazz flavored song, and "I Need Love" which featured Middlemist and L. Wiegand's weird vocal harmonies, in a call and response format.

Between late 1969 and early 1971, the list of performers that Crow either opened for, or actually headlined with, read like a who's who list of rock stars of the day. Crow shared the bill with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jefferson Airplane, Three Dog Night, Steve Miller Band, Bo Diddley, Steppenwolf, Eric Burdon & War, Janis Joplin (three separate times) and Iron Butterfly to name a few. They also played at some of the most prestigious clubs and concert halls around, including the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, both Fillmore's East and West, Ungano's, et al.

The Crow 

Tracks
1. I Stand To Blame (D. Waggoner, R. Wiegand) - 2:59
2. Colors (L. Wiegand) - 3:37
3. Smokey Joe (L. Wiegand) - 5:04
4. Medley - 8:15
.a.Death Down To Your Soul (L. Wiegand)
.b.Get Yourself A Number (L. Wiegand)
.c.Annie Fannie (L. Wiegand)
.d.The Last Prayer (L. Wiegand)
5. Slow Down (L. Williams) - 3:30
6. Heading North (L. Wiegand) - 4:52
7. Cottage Cheese (D. Waggoner, D. Craswell, L. Wiegand) - 3:21
8. Gone, Gone, Gone (Phil And Don Everly) - 7:54

The Crow
*Dave Wagner - Vocals
*"Kink" Middlemist - Organ
*Dick Wiegand - Guitar
*Denny Craswell - Drums
*Larry Wiegand - Bass

The Crow
1971  Mosaic

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Breakthrou - Adventures Highway (1967-71 uk, fascinating beat psych blues rock with baroque touches)

Breakthru were a powerful live act who never managed to "break through" into the record charts despite a talented and charismatic line-up.

Breakthru never managed to have an album released of their own which was unfortunate as their only record was a solitary single "Ice Cream Tree" that has since appeared on various 1960s compilations. The group were never happy with the single as it was not a good representation of their "sound", and particularly as the song was not composed by the band themselves. 

All the group members were actively involved in song writing with some of this backlog occasionally committed to tape whenever time and money would permit. Now, decades later, the previously un-released recordings they made have been assembled into the one and only Breakthru album titled "Adventures Highway". This collection the band members say, represents how they would like the group to be best remembered.

"Adventures Highway" was assembled from a combination of unreleased-demos, BBC sessions, and surviving recordings from the results of various excursions into the studio by the group between 1967 and 1970. Side one kicks off with the high-energy group-composed Believe It from 1970. You can just imagine the band going all out on this one with its high-energy blues-driven attack. 

Here Comes The End from 1967 is a lot more psychedelic sounding with abundant echo effects but still very powerful. The bluesy cover of Willie Dixon's Spoonful really gives an indication of what Breakthru were all about. Gary Aflalo's blues-harmonica playing on this one is exceptional against a backdrop of thundering hammond organ and distorted guitars. If you really hate your neighbours then this is the one to play loud!

Love Is Strange starts out with some crashing guitars/bass/drums highly reminiscent of The Beatles Rain. This one is supposedly based on the Everly Brother's version of the song and features both Gary Aflalo and Keith Abingdon doing a good job harmonizing on the vocals. 

This is followed by the album's title track Adventures Highway from 1968 and what a number it is too! Menacing hammond organ joined by pounding drums and guitar build into a climax of sheer volume that soon becomes a backdrop for spaced-out lyrics; Oh let's get transmitted, there's no planet that's too far. We'll see Jupiter and Mars, we'll see strange and weird sights on our space bound trip tonight... (make of it what you will).

The melodic and hypnotic I Have A Dream composed by Geoff Garratley, reaches the height of social consciousness to include actual recorded excerpts from Martin Luther King's famous speech. Interestingly, this track was left off the vinyl version of the Breakthru album. Bob Booth's Growing Older is similarly laid-back but does include some wild hammond fingering towards the end. Troubleshoot co-written by Keith Abingdon and Richard Thomas is an excellent psychedelic rampage with lyrics to match. It has some great wah-wah guitar effects similar to what Roy Wood was doing at the time on many of The Move's records. 

We then go right into The Story Of Peer Gynt with its opening riff taken directly from Hall Of The Mountain King (almost seems like a tradition amongst Brum bands to pay tribute to classical music at some time or another). This rocking track was considered for single release at the time but for some reason it never happened. A pity as it would surely have made a good follow up to Ice Cream Tree.

The remaining tracks on the album were recorded in 1970 at London's Piccadilly studios. Although the group were on the verge of splitting by this time, they recorded (ironically) what are regarded as some of their best tracks. Alice Dropped Out from these sessions, would have made a fine single. As one of several Breakthru tracks co-composed by Keith Abingdon and Richard Thomas, this one is a driving blues-rock number with guitars very much at the forefront and the trademark hammond absent. This would have been a powerful one when performed by the band live. 

It is followed on the album by Happiness which shows the band could still be tuneful in a commercial direction when they wanted to. Shake Off That Lead is another such radio-friendly track that bounces along with a catchy keyboard-driven melody.

The final track on the Breakthru album is titled Sailor Song. A wonderfully harmonious partnership of keyboard and guitar, and as the title suggests, the lyrics tell of a seafaring character who would rather spend his life out on the ocean rather than be troubled by the problems experienced by those on land. Maybe it's meant as an expression of ultimate freedom (or freedom of expression) that seems to run through the groups music from start to finish on these collected tracks that make up the Breakthru album.

The Circle Records "Breakthru" album package serves as a fine tribute to one of the West Midlands great performing groups of the late 1960s. Breakthru were one of those bands who were at the leading edge of the pop music revolution at a time when innovation and the growth of new musical ideas was reaching its peak during the 1960s. "Adventures Highway" fulfills a dream they had back then and this time you can join them on their journey. 

Brum-beat

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Believe It (Farrell, Abingdon, Aflalo, Thomas) - 3:51

2. Here Comes The End (Aflalo, Abingdon) - 3:06

3. Spoonful (Dixon) - 5:05

4. Love Is Strange (Smith, Robinson, Baker) - 2:55

5. Adventures Highway (Abingdon, Booth, Garratley, Thomas) - 4:10

6. I Have A Dream (Garratley) - 4:35

7. Growing Older (Booth) - 3:43

8. Troubleshoot (Abingdon, Thomas) - 3:01

9. The Story Of Peer Gynt (Farrell) - 2:44

10.Alice Dropped Out (Abingdon, Thomas) - 2:52

11.Happiness (Farrell) - 4:28

12.Shake Off That Lead (Abingdon, Thomas) - 3:33

13.The Sailor Song (Abingdon, Thomas) - 4:32

Disc 2
1. Ice-Cream Tree (Loach) - 2:39
2. Julius Caesar (Thomas) - 2:49
3. Yours (Abingdon, Thomas, Leyland, Booth, Garratley, Aflalo) - 2:50
4. Summertime (Gershwin, Heyward) - 3:26
5. Toyland (Roden, Catchpole) - 2:52

Breakthru 
*Keith (Smoke) Abingdon - Guitar
*Gary Aflalo - Lead Vocal
*Bobby Booth - Bass Guitar (Left in 1968)
*Geoff (Gladys) Garratley - Hammond Organ (Left in 1968)
*Jim Leyland - Drums (Left in 1969)
*Frank Farrell - Bass Guitar (Joined in 1968, Multi-talented Frank played bass for Supertramp and later worked with Leo Sayer co-writing his no1 hit ‘Moonlighting’)
*Richard (Plug) Thomas - Drums (Joined in 1968)
*Bill Hunt - Hammond Organ (Joined In 1969, later joined 1st ELO line up and later Wizzard)

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