Elvin Bishop - Party Till The Cows Come Home (1969-70/72 us, magnificent blues rock with funky soul shades, 2004 double disc edition)

This double CD combines Elvin Bishop's first three albums (variously credited to the Elvin Bishop Group and the Elvin Bishop Band) on to two discs. Containing 1969's Elvin Bishop Group, 1970s Feel It!, and 1972's Rock My Soul, it has virtually everything he recorded for Fillmore and Epic in the late 1960s and early 1970s, serving as an overview of his entire early career as a bandleader. 

Also included are three bonus tracks: one, "Stealin' Watermelons," from a non-LP single, and two other live performances from the various-artists compilation album Last Days of the Fillmore. Although they have their merits, these are erratic albums in which Bishop didn't stick solely to the electric blues-rock he'd made his name with in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Instead, these also dig into soul and R'n'B, as well as what can only be called (on some of his vocal numbers) comedy. He relinquished most of the lead vocal duties to Jo Baker starting with the second album, and this saw an improvement in the sound and material. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

Disc 1

1. The Things That I Used To Do (E. Jones) - 4:02

2. Tulsa Shuffle (E. Bishop) - 5:21  

3. Sweet Potato (E. Bishop) - 5:42  

4. How Much More (J. B. Lenoir) - 3:03  

5. Dad Gum Ya Hide, Boy (G. Bromley Jr.) - 2:55  

6. Honey Bee (E. Bishop) - 3:28  

7. Prisoner Of Love (P. Mayfield) - 5:22 

8. Don't Fight It (Feel It) (W. Pickett, S. Cropper) - 3:11 

9. I Just Can't Go On (J. Baker) - 3:38 

10.So Good (E. Bishop, S. Miller) - 7:38 

11.Crazy 'Bout You Baby (W Williamson) - 3:15 

12.So Fine (J. Otis) - 2:40 

13.Party Till The Cows Come Home (E. Bishop, S. Miller) - 3:22 

14.Hogbottom (E. Bishop, S. Miller) - 6:47 

15.Be With Me (E. Bishop, S. Miller) - 4:08 

16.As The Years Go Passing By (D. Malone) - 4:05 

Tracks 1 To 7 From "Elvin Bishop Group" 1969

Tracks 8 To 16 From "Feel It!"  1970

Disc 2
1. Rock My Soul (E. Bishop) - 2:46
2. Holler And Shout (E. Bishop) - 2:38
3. Let It Shine (E. Bishop) - 3:18
4. Don't Mind If I Do (E. Bishop) - 2:00
5. Rock Bottom (E. Bishop, J. Baker) - 2:58
6. Last Mile (Instrumental) (E. Bishop) - 2:50
7. Have A Good Time (E. Bishop) - 2:47
8. Wings Of A Bird (E. Bishop) - 3:36
9. Old Man Trouble (E. Bishop) - 3:47
10.Out Behind The Barn (E. Bishop) - 2:51
11.Stomp (Instrumental) (E. Bishop) - 3:12
12.Stealin' Watermelons  (E. Bishop) - 2:56
13.So Fine (Live) (J. Otis) - 3:58
14.Party Till The Cows Come Home (Live) (E. Bishop, S. Miller) - 3:07

Musicians
The Elvin Bishop Group On Tracks 1 To 7 (The Elvin Bishop Group)
*Elvin Bishop - Guitar, Vocals
*Stephen Miller - Organ
*John Chambers - Drums
*Art Stavro - Bass
*Applejack - Harp
*Alberto Gianquinto - Piano

The Elvin Bishop Group On Tracks 8 To 16 (Feel It!)
*Elvin Bishop - Guitar, Vocals
*Stephen Miller - Vocals, Piano, Organ
*John Chambers - Drums
*Jo Baker - Vocals, Percussion
*Kip Maercklein - Bass
*The Pointer Sisters (Patricia, June And Anita) - Vocals
*Chepito Areas And Mike Carabello - Timbales, Congason
*Perry Welsh - Vocals

The Elvin Bishop Band On CD 2. Tracks 1 To 11
*Elvin Bishop - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Slide Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Jo Baker - Lead Vocals
*Stephen Miller - Organ Piano
*Kip Maercklein - Bass
*Bill Meeker - Drums
*John Chambers - Drums On Track 11 Only
*Dennis Marcellino, Mel Ellison - Tenor Sax
*Ron Stallings - Vocal And Tenor Sax On Track 2
*Milt Holland - Percussion
*Delaney Bramlett - Rhythm, Slide Guitar
*Perry Welsh - Harmonica
*Bobby Bruce - Fiddle Solo
*Jim Gordon - Clarinet
*Delaney And Bonnie (Courtesy Of Columbia Records) -  Backing Vocals
*Jo Baker, Clydie King, Vanetta Fields, Gloria Jones -  Backing Vocals
*Perry Welsh & Shirley Matthews -  Backing Vocals
Strings Arranged And Conducted By Jim Gordon

1977  Live! Raisin' Hell (2012 remaster edition)
Related Acts
1966-68  The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Strawberry Jam
1968 Linn County - Proud Flesh Soothseer
1969 Linn County - Fever Shot 
1970  Linn County - 'Till The Break Of Dawn

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Bosom Blues Band - The Overgone Sounds of the Bosom Blues Band (1968 us, fantastic blues rock psych, 2008 Arcania Vinyl issue)

An obscure late 60s band out of Richmond, VA that evolved from an R'n'B ensemble called the Soothsayers. In 1967 the Bosom Blues Band entered a local studio and recorded several demos and finally an album's worth of material,  including the outstanding blues rocker 'Hippie Queen'. 

The song was inspired by the true story about a girl named Joan from Richmond, VA who traveled to England in an attempt to meet The Beatles. She ended up sneaking onto the grounds of John Lennon's estate and knocked on the door of his house, which was answered by Lennon himself who invited her in. She ended up getting pictures taken of herself with the Fab Four, including one of George Harrison kissing her on the cheek. This made her a local legend and "hippie queen" throughout the Richmond area.

The following year the band auditioned for Vanguard Records, but the deal came to naught. And by 1969 the Bosom Blues band were no more, with their sole LP unheard until Arcania International included their song Hippie Queen on Aliens, Psychos and Wild Things, Vol. 3. Now the entire ouvre of this remarkable group is available once again -- in the format it was meant to be heard in, glorious vinyl.

Tracks
1. Leavin' Trunk (John Estes) - 4:45
2. Milk Cow's Calf Blues (R. Johnson) - 3:25
3. Messin' With The Kid (Mel London) - 3:03
4. Divin' Duck (John Estes) - 2:48
5. You Don't Love Me Baby (Sam Maghett) - 3:25
6. Hippie Queen (Larry McCullogh) - 4:09
7. Knock On Wood (E. Floyd, S. Cropper) - 3:53
8. Walk Tall (Josef Zawinul, Esther Marrow, James Rein) -  8:48

Bosom Blues Band
*Larry McCullough - Vocals, Lead Guitar
*Allen Gay - Rhythm Guitar
*Harold Grigg - Bass
*Lynn Abbott - Drums

*Ed - Sax

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Tommy Bolin - Whirlwind (1972-75 us, superb hard fusion rock, 2013 two disc set)

The life and music of guitar legend Tommy Bolin seemed to have crashed and burned all too quickly. Prior to his drug related death in 1976, Bolin was starting to formulate solo album number three, after semi-successful stints in both The James Gang and D. Purple that saw his stock as a guitar hero in waiting rise before quickly getting snuffed out after years of heroin addiction. 

Since Bolin's death there has been a wealth of live and studio recordings to come out on the market that further prove the talents of this guitar genius. Whirlwind is the latest, a 2CD set from the folks at the Tommy Bolin Archives along with Cleopatra Records/Purple Pyramid, which contains not only some songs that were meant for that third solo record, but also rare material from Bolin's jazz-fusion band Energy as well as alternate & instrumental versions of other songs from his earlier solo albums. For fans, this is a set not to be missed.

The scorching "Cucumber Jam" from 1975 kicks things off, a sizzling number with Bolin's searing licks and solos, followed by the hard rocking "Heartlight", a tune recorded with the Energy line-up of Bolin, vocalist Jeff Cook, drummer Bobby Berge, bassist Stan Sheldon, and keyboard player Tom Stephenson. This band formed out of the ashes of Zephyr, and after you hear this tune, you'll wonder why this group didn't stick together and become huge. An excellent song, with catchy melodies and superb instrumentation, hard rock but with a jazz-fusion feel. "Hoka-Hay" is also from those same sessions, a scorching instrumental with fiery guitar & keyboard interplay that will easily appeal to all Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Tony Williams Lifetime fans. 

Tommy alone with his acoustic guitar is featured on "Don't Worry 'Bout Cash", and "San Francisco River" is a sizzling instrumental from 1975 that also features Berge & Sheldon, but it's Bolin's heavy riffs and amazing lead technique that steals the show. Another Energy tune that could have easily been a hit is "Rock-A-Bye", a Bob Seger styled rocker with great vocals from Cook and Stephenson's honky tonk piano lines.

"Dungeon" is an instrumental track that was planned for the third solo record, and it's another stellar hard rock/fusion piece with killer lead guitar work that shows just how savage Bolin could get when he wanted to. From a 1973 session comes "Alexis", a moody blues/pop rocker that was recorded just after the Billy Cobham Spectrum album and immediately prior to the guitarist joining the James Gang. In fact, most will remember that this tune actually made it to the James Gang Bang album, but it's here in its infancy, a tad more atmospheric but no less as powerful, complete with the hard rocking finale and Bolin's effects laden guitar work. "Gotta Dance" is a little tight jam that was being worked on for the third solo album in early 1976; there are some good ideas here on this funky rocker but you can tell it's mostly unfinished. "Spanish Lover" is another 1973 recording that also eventually made it to a James Gang album, the 1974 release Miami. CD 1 ends with the blistering "Sooner or Later", a melodic hard rocker that was being worked on just prior to his death, and finished up posthumously with Max Carl & Mike Finnegan trading off on lead vocals. Bolin's phased out, soul searching lead guitar work on this track is just sensational.

Over on CD2 you get an early instrumental version of "Red Skies", another tune that eventually wound up on Miami over a year later. Tommy's skills as a lead guitarist are in full force on this heavy yet atmospheric rocker, and "Way It's Always Been" is an early 1972 recording featuring Bolin on acoustic guitar & vocals doing a sort of Bob Dylan styled folk tune. Another song that eventually made it to Miami is "Sleepwalker", here once again in instrumental demo format. 

The monstrous 26-minute "Marching Bag" is performed by Bolin with other members of Energy, and this tune eventually morphed into "Marching Powder" for the Teaser solo album. To say it's a fusion lovers dream is a complete understatement, so look for all sorts of incredible jams and sizzling guitar work here on this epic. Another Teaser track, "Wild Dogs", shows up here in lovely acoustic format, and the blistering funk rocker "From Another Time" from 1973 was also recorded just prior to him joining the James Gang, and sees Max Carl delivering some powerful vocals alongside Bolin's snappy licks & riffs and groove laden rhythms courtesy of Berge and Sheldon. A real workout of a tune, and not all that different from the music Bolin would help create in his short time with Deep Purple a few years later.

The whole set comes housed in a nice looking digipack, with a booklet containing full track information, photos, and an essay from Cook who talks about the sessions and the legend that is Tommy Bolin. My only gripe is that there are plenty of mistakes on the track information, such as songs where there are vocals and no vocal listed, songs where you hear keyboards and no keyboard player listed, and some typos, but otherwise this is a must have set for any serious Tommy Bolin fan. The sound quality on most of these tracks are pretty decent, a few sounding close to a good bootleg, but the musicianship throughout is stellar as you would expect. Simply a mandatory purchase for any Bolin aficionado. 

by Pete Pardo

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Cucumber Jam - 5:27

2. Heartlight (T. Bolin, J. Tesar) - 4:24 

3. Hoka-Hay! - 6:59

4. Don’t Worry ’Bout Cash (Acoustic Version) - 3:20

5. San Francisco River - 2:45

6. Rock-A-Bye - 3:31

7. Dungeon - 7:31

8. Alexis (T. Bolin, J. Cook) - 5:02

9. Gotta Dance (Take 2) - 4:49

10.Spanish Lover (Instrumental Version) (T. Bolin, J. Cook) - 3:42

11.Sooner or Later (T. Bolin, J. Cook, G. Hampton) - 4:19

Disc 2
1. Red Skies (Instrumental Version) - 3:26
2. Way It s Always Been - 3:12
3. Sleepwalker (Instrumental Version) - 4:30
4. Leave Other People Alone - 1:57
5. Marching Bag (Original Version) - 26:22
6. Wild Dogs (Acoustic Version) - 4:46
7. From Another Time (T. Bolin, J. Tesar) - 3:26
All songs by Tommy Bolin except where noted

Band
*Tommy Bolin - Guitar, Vocals
*Bobby Berge - Drums
*Stan Sheldon - Bass
*Tom Stephenson - Keyboards
*Mike Finnigan - Vocals, Organ
*Max Carl - Vocals

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The Music Machine - The Ultimate Turn On (1966-67 us, enormous garage punkadelic, 2006 two disc set with unissued material)

Some years ago, Sean Bonniwell, the charismatic leader of the Music Machine, penned an evocative memoir of his life and music days, "Beyond The Garage". The book's title was no doubt in deference to the Machine's posthumous definition in rock histories as a 'garage band', a classification the singer/songwriter admits took him some time to comprehend. But the truth is, the Music Machine were nothing of the sort. They could only be considered a garage band because they happened to rehearse in one, and that garage was, equally, a sonic foundry, psychoanalyst's couch, philosopher's salon and boot camp. 

The Machine certainly articulated the frustration central to the restless spirit of mid-1960s grass  roots Rock 'n' Roll, both musically and lyrically, but their expression of it came as much from the mind as the heart. The truth is, the Music Machine defy categorisation, because they simply did not sound like anyone else, before or since. Similarly, the fleeting chart status of Talk Talk', the group's ode to lack of selfesteem, has relegated the Music Machine in the minds of the myopic to that of one-hit wonders; for those who understand, however, the record was the brilliant opening salvo in a catalogue that has yet to be surpassed. 

More than anything, the sheer quality of the group's songs, arrangements and performances, speaks for itself. Each member was necessary to making the whole thing work, and together they shared a purpose and a drive that made the group unbeatable, and should have made them superstars. 'Ahead of their time' is a cliche but with hindsight their individuality is clearer than ever. The Machine's time was one of tremendous upheaval in pop music, particularly on the west coast. When flower power was raging the Music Machine was the weed killer. 

The saga of the Machine has been told before, not least by Sean Bonniwell in his autobiography, but it is hoped that what follows present a fresh perspective on the incandescent fourteen month lifespan of the initial Music Machine. That is the purpose of "The Ultimate Turn On": to celebrate the original, definitive line-up of this once-in-a-lifetime combo. Ninety per cent of what they decanted to tape is present and, in its monophonic state, correct - mono being the best way to appreciate the Machine, and preferably at a loud volume. 

Disc One, comprising their entire Original Sound output, is the essential Music Machine. The rehearsals, demos and alternate mixes on Disc Two are offered as an illuminating adjunct, an insight into the workings of this incredible band. They also approximate how a second album for Original Sound might have shaped up, had they stayed together. These offcuts are gems that any other combo of that era would gladly trade their fuzzbox for. 

Finally, the footage of a black-clad Machine on the rarely-glimpsed "Boss City" TV show, pounding through Talk Talk', gives the neophytes amongst us an inkling uf what all the fuss was - and is - about. To be sure, Bonniwell and producer Brian Ross went on to create further fine records, such as 'Dark White'. 'Me, Myself & I' and 'You'll Love Me Again', under the Bonniwell Music Machine imprimatur, but in many ways these were still variations on the theme wrought in iron by the first line-up. 

The experience of being a cog in the Machine left some a spent force; for others, it provided a platform to go on to bigger things. But to a man, the original line-up is completely aware of the serendipitous chemistry they had together. They were the ultimate.

by Alec Palao

Tracks

Disc One 

1. Talk Talk - 2:00

2. Trouble - 2:14

3. Cherry Cherry (Neil Diamond) - 3:17 

4. Taxman (George Harrison) - 2:38 

5. Some Other Drum - 2:34

6. Masculine Intuition - 2:11 

7. The People In Me - 2:53 

8. CC Rider (Ma Rainey) - 2:33  

9. Wrong - 2:18

10.96 Tears (Rudy Martinez) - 2:19

11.Come On In - 2:58

12.Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) - 4:18 

13.Double Yellow Line - 2:34

14.Absolotely Positively - 2:28

15.The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly - 2:50 

16.I've Loved - 2:48 

17.Talk Talk - 1:58

18.Trouble - 2:14

19.Cherry Cherry (Neil Diamond) - 3:13

20.Taxman (George Harrison) - 2:36 

21.Some Other Drum - 2:34

22.Masculine Intuition - 2:08

23.The People In Me - 3:00 

24.CC Rider (Ma Rainey) - 2:33 

25.Wrong - 2:18

26.96 Tears (Rudy Martinez) - 2:20 

27.Come On In - 2:56

28.Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) - 4:18

All Songs written by Sean Bomniwell except where noted. 

Tracks 1-16 Mono, 17-28 Stereo

Disc Two 
1 The People In Me  (Rehearsal) - 3:09
2 Trouble (Rehearsal) - 2:30
3. Masculine Intuition  (Rehearsal) - 2:39
4. The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly  (Demo) - 4:19
5. Sufferin Succotash  (Demo) - 2:40
6. Worry  (Demo) - 2:10
7. No Girl Gonna Cry  (Demo) - 2:05
8. Smoke & Water  (Demo) - 3:30
9. I've Loved You  (Alternate Version) - 2:34
10.Discrepancy  (Alternate Version) - 2:01
11.Bottom Of The Soul  (Alternate Version) - 2:04
12.The Trap  (Alternate Version) - 2:28
13.Absolutely Positively  (Alternate Version) - 2:09
14.Somethin' Hurtin' Un Me  (Alternate Version) -  2:55
15.Affirmative No  (Alternate Version) -  2:32
16.Talk Me Down  (Original Mix) - 1:51
17 Astrologically  (Original Mix) - 2:24
18.Worry  (Original Mix) -  2:15
19.No Girl Gonna Cry  (Original Mix) - 2:25
20.Smoke & Water  (Original Mix) - 3:17
All Songs written by Sean Bomniwell.

The Music Machine
*Sean Bonniwell - Vocals, Guitars
*Ron Edgar -  Drums
*Mark Landon - Guitar
*Keith Olsen - Bass
*Doug Rhodes - Organ

1969  T.S. Bonniwell - Close  (2012 digi pack edition)

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Humble Pie - Performance, Rockin’ The Fillmore, The Complete Recordings’ (1971 uk, superb classic rock, 2013 remaster four disc box set)

In 1971, the concept of a hard-rock band achieving its big commercial breakthrough with a double live album was nothing new. But the experience had to be a particularly satisfying one for Humble Pie.

In a way, they were one of the era’s supergroups. Three of the band’s four members — guitarist Peter Frampton, singer-guitarist Steve Marriott and bassist Greg Ridley — had already tasted success with the Herd, Small Faces and Spooky Tooth, respectively. At a mere 17, Jerry Shirley was less well known but was gaining a reputation as a formidable power drummer in the John Bonham mold.

Still, in spite of their lineup and reputation for explosive live shows, Humble Pie weren’t able to duplicate their onstage energy in the studio. Their four studio albums aren’t bad, but they sold only moderately well.

On 1971′s ‘Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore,’ Humble Pie finally captured lightning in a bottle. Recorded over a four-show, two-night stand at the legendary Fillmore East — home to some of the most storied concert recordings ever made, from Aretha to the Allmans — the live double album showcased the band blowing the roof off the grand old joint. Marriott is a pint-sized powerhouse of a blues-rock singer, and his thunderous riffs perfectly complemented Frampton’s more fluid, precise approach. The rhythm section of Ridley and Shirley held the foundation up from the bottom, driving it home with all the nuance of a Molotov cocktail.

‘Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore’ became Humble Pie’s breakthrough hit, cracking the Top 25 and going gold. But the success was short-lived: Frampton left not long afterward, and repeated the formula a few years later by releasing a string of modestly successful solo albums before hitting the mother lode with the 1976 blockbuster ‘Frampton Comes Alive.’ Humble Pie scored a few more hits with replacement guitarist Clem Clempson on the albums ‘Smokin” and ‘Eat It,’ before finally petering out for good.

The four-disc box ‘Performance — Rockin’ The Fillmore: The Complete Recordings,’ collects all four of the band’s Fillmore concerts from May 28 and 29, 1971, in their entirety and in the correct sequence for the first time. In addition to the seven songs that made the original album, the set includes 15 additional, previously unreleased performances.

There’s little variation among the same five or six songs played at all four shows, with the only major difference being the single version of ‘Stone Cold Fever,’ which also made the original album. It’s also the only original song by the band in the entire set list, since they either reworked blues standards by Muddy Waters (‘Rollin’ Stone’) and Willie Dixon (‘I’m Ready’) or gave songs like Ashford & Simpson’s ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’ their distinctive heavy stamp.

Despite the repetition of the box, purists and longtime fans will appreciate the little things — like Marriott changing his stage raps each night, particularly on ‘I’m Ready.’ Plus, you can hear Marriott’s influence on everyone from AC/DC‘s Bon Scott to the Black Crowes‘ Chris Robinson in his primal blues shouts and screams. The set’s sound is also remarkably crisp and sharp, never losing any of the frenetic immediacy of the original live recording.

Sadly, with the exception of ‘Thirty Days in the Hole’ and the live version of ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’ included here, Humble Pie’s songs are often ignored by classic-rock radio. Fans who remember the original ‘Rockin’ the Fillmore’ as one of the era’s best live albums will no doubt appreciate the trip down memory lane. For those who missed it the first time, ‘The Complete Recordings’ is an explosive introduction.

by Glen Boyd, October 29, 2013

Tracks 

Disc 1

5/28/71 Friday, First Show

1. Four Day Creep (Ida Cox) - 4:36

2. I’m Ready (Humble Pie, Words By Willie Dixon) - 8:31

3. I Walk On Gilded Splinters (Mac Rebbenack) - 26:57

4. Hallelujah (I Love Her So) (Ray Charles) - 6:27

5. I Don’t Need No Doctor (Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Jo Armstead) - 8:49

Disc 2

5/28/71 Friday, Second Show

1. Four Day Creep (Ida Cox) - 4:27

2. I’m Ready (Humble Pie, Words By Willie Dixon) - 8:56

3. I Walk On Gilded Splinters (Mac Rebbenack) - 26:59

4. Hallelujah (I Love Her So) (Ray Charles) - 5:42 

5. Rollin’ Stone (MacKinley Morganfield) - 16:47

6. I Don’t Need No Doctor (Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Jo Armstead) - 9:12

Disc 3

5/29/71 Saturday, First Show

1. Four Day Creep (Ida Cox) - 3:54

2. I’m Ready (Humble Pie, Words By Willie Dixon) - 8:50

3. I Walk On Gilded Splinters (Mac Rebbenack) - 26:05

4. Hallelujah (I Love Her So) (Ray Charles) - 5:58

5. Stone Cold Fever (Humble Pie) - 6:05 

Disc 4
5/29/71 Saturday, Second Show
1. Four Day Creep (Ida Cox) - 3:47
2. I’m Ready (Humble Pie, Words By Willie Dixon) - 8:59
3. I Walk On Gilded Splinters (Mac Rebbenack) - 27:33
4. Hallelujah (I Love Her So) (Ray Charles) - 5:43
5. Rollin’ Stone (MacKinley Morganfield) - 12:20
6. I Don’t Need No Doctor (Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Jo Armstead) - 7:33

Humble Pie 
*Steve Marriott - Vocals, Guitar, Harp
*Peter Frampton - Vocals, Guitrar
*Greg Ridley - Bass, Vocals
*Jerry Shirley - Drums

1969  As Safe As Yesterday Is (Japan edition)
1969  Town and Country (2007 remaster and expanded)
1970  Humble Pie (Japan edition)
1971  Rock On
1972  Smoikin' (Japan edition)
1973  Eat It (Japan edition)
1973  In Concert / King Biscuit Flower Hour

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If - Double Diamond (1973 uk, exceptional progressive brass rock, 2010 remaster edition)

The genesis of If occurred on London's late 60s jazz scene, when guitar ace Terry Smith, saxophonists Dick Morrissey and Dave Quincy joined US soul singer J.J. Jackson's “Greatest Soul Band In The Land” Jackson was managed by the American Lew Futterman, who saw the possibility of forming a UK version of Chicago or Blood, Sweat and Tears. 

Smith, who had experienced larger audiences as guitar for teen idol Scott Walker, was ready for a new challenge after years on the smaller jazz scene, so If was launched.  Focusing on sax instead of brass, with soloing from every member, the initial line-up consisted of Smith (guitar), Morrissey (tenor/ soprano sax and flute), Dave Quincy (alto and tenor, sax), J.W. Hodkinson (vocals), John Mealing (keyboards), Jim Richardson (bass) and Dennis Elliot (drums). 

They were well-received by critics in the U.K. and U.S. (where they toured extensively and soon found themselves sharing bills with Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Cream, Traffic, Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others, playing famed venues such as the Marquee and the Fillmores East and West, as well as festivals such as Reading and Newport. 

They signed to Island in the UK and Capitol in the US, and issued numerous albums, despite live acclaim and frequent TV appearances, their records never sold in huge quantities (perhaps because they were too jazzy for rock audiences and vice versa). 

By 1972 the pressures of touring and Morrissey's ill health led to a hiatus in their activities. Hodkinson joined Darryl Way's Wolf, Smith and Quincy formed the short-lived ZZebra. Mealing joined Klaus Doldinger's Passport and the Strawbs, Richardson undertook session work, and Elliott joined Foreigner. 

If wasn't away for long, though, and Futterman soon assembled new line-ups, including musicians such as former Colosseum keyboard player Dave Greenslade. By 1973 the band consisted of Morrissey, Fi Trench and Pete Arnesen (keyboards), Steve Rosenthal (vocals / guitar), Kurt Palomacki (bass) and Cliff Davies (drums). 

This sextet soon entered Virgin's Manor studio in Oxfordshire (then riding high from its success with Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells) to record Double Diamond. The resulting LP was issued (as Brain 1035) only in Germany, where they had always been popular. Following its release there were further line-up changes, and two more LPs before they finally called it quits.

CD Liner-notes

Tracks
1. Play, Play, Play (D. Morrissey, K. Palomacki) - 3:49
2. Peebles On The Beach (D. Morrissey, B. Morrissey) - 4:36
3. Pick Me Up (And Put Me Back On The Road) (C. Davies) - 5:05
4. Another Time Around (Is Not For Me) (C. Davies) - 6:58
5. Groupie Blue (Everyday She's Got The Blues) (D. Morrissey, T. Preston) - 4:10
6. Fly, Fly, The Route, Shoot (K. Palomacki) - 4:29
7. Feel Thing-Part 1 (P. Arnesen) - 4:19
8. Feel Thing-Part 2 (P. Arnesen) - 4:55
9. Feel Thing-Part 3 (P. Arnesen) - 3:16

If
*Dick Morrissey - Flute, Tenor And Soprano Sax, Backing Vocals
*Cliff Davies - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
*Kurt Palomacki - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Fi Trench - Piano, Backing Vocals
*Steve Rosenthal - Guitar, Lead And Backing Vocals
*Pete Arnesen - Piano, Organ, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals

1970  If - If  (Repertoire remaster)
1970  If - If 2 (Repertoire remaster)
1971  If - If 3 (Repertoire remaster)
1972  If - If 4 (Repertoire remaster)
1972  Waterfall (Repertoire remaster)
1972  If - Europe '72 (Repertoire remaster)
Related Acts
1968  Terry Smith - Fall Out
1974  Zzebra - Zzebra

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The Yardbirds - Glimpses (1963-68 uk, classic influental blues garage 'n' roll, five disc box set, 2011 release)

Easy Action deserves an award for perseverance in the face of impossible odds, taking three years to realise the DVD of 2008’s historic MC5/Primal Scream Meltdown double-header, spending two years longer putting together this ultimate collection of aural Yardbirds documentation; they’ve used microsurgery where necessary to graft sections together and spice up ancient recordings.

This inestimably influential group was only active for five years, but gave the world three of its all-time stellar guitarists in Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, while creating a unique mystique through their string of evocative, groundbreaking singles between 1965’s For Your Love and 1968’s Goodnight Sweet Josephine swansong.

First of all, the packaging is gorgeous: a 45-shaped box accommodating 32-page booklet (boasting remarkably candid photos), gig postcards, 7” single coupling 1963’s Baby, What’s Wrong with I Wish You Would, and five CDs. With the aid of numerous radio interviews conducted in the US or Europe at the time, these effectively tell the band’s story, from the previously-unheard alternate take of 1963’s Honey In Your Hips to March 1968’s landmark Peel session, on which Dazed And Confused pointed to where Page’s creative seeds were soon to blow and change the world.

Disc One presents the bluesy 1963-64 Clapton days, with standards such as Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, Smokestack Lightnin’ and I’m A Man, captured at the Marquee, Crawdaddy or 1964’s National Jazz And Blues Festival (where they indulged in rarely-played Chuck Berry covers as Authentics singer Mick O’Neill stood in for Keith Relf, hospitalised with a punctured lung). That the set also boasts the only remaining previously unheard Yardbirds tracks with Clapton (cut from the acetate of an EMI demo session) perfectly illustrates the seriousness of a project which can also contain 1968’s MacLean‘s toothpaste advert.

By Disc Two and 1965, when Clapton departed for purer blues outlets, to be replaced by Jeff Beck, The Yardbirds are playing the songs which made their name: strikingly-original outings including Evil Hearted You, Heart Full Of Soul, You’re A Better Man Than I, Shapes Of Things and For Your Love, along with their motoring take on Johnny Burnette’s Train Kept A-Rollin’. Tracks are drawn from BBC sessions (some previously though lost), Dutch TV and that year’s Richmond Jazz And Blues Festival.

Disc Three covers the major changes of 1965-66, The Yardbirds’ ongoing rapid progression kicking off with the psych-charged Happenings Ten Years Time Ago, Psycho Daisies and Over Under Sideways Down, plus further versions from the previous disc’s tracklist. This material was culled from assorted London studios, French gigs, the NME Pollwinners Concert and further unearthed radio sessions.

By now, The Yardbirds were possibly the most cutting-edge pop group next to the Stones – and more experimental. Disc Four’s 1967-68 selection roars in with Shapes Of Things and other singles mainly drawn from European gigs, plus an August 1967 US Army broadcast. Disc Five consists entirely of BBC recordings, including March 1967’s overlooked mini-masterpiece Little Games and the aforementioned Peel session, which also included the West Coast-influenced Think About It and Page’s acoustic excursion, White Summer.

This lovingly-compiled, feverishly hyperactive set might include five different versions of some songs, but it’s fascinating to hear the band’s rampant evolution as musical trends catch up with them and they strive for the next phase. It’s to Easy Action’s credit that none of the 150 or so components sound superfluous or barrel-scraping while, even held against that exalted trio of axeman, the late Keith Relf emerges with his enigmatic charisma further boosted.

by Kris Needs

Tracks

Disc One 1963-64

1. Honey In Your Hips (Alternate Studio Take) - 2:24 

2. Baby What's Wrong - 2:41 

3. Eric Clapton-Interview - 0:43 

4. I Wish You Would - 3:32  

5. You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover (Studio Demo) - 2:41 

6. Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:26 

7. Louise - 2:54 

8. Eric Clapton-Interview - 0:23 

9. Someone To Love - 2:15 

10.Too Much Monkey Monkey Business - 3:07 

11.I Got Love If You Want It - 4:16 

12.Smokestack Lightning - 5:52 

13.Good Morning Little Schoolgirl - 3:37 

14.Respectable - 5:30 

15.The Sky Is Crying - 6:40 

16.Eric Clapton-Interview - 0:40  

17.I Wish You Would - 2:52  

18.Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:22  

19.I'm A Man - 3:26 

20.Someone To Love - 1:56 

21.Boom Boom - 3:36 

22.I'm A Man - 3:12  

23.Little Queenie - 3:27 

24.Too Much Monkey Monkey Business - 2:53  

25.Respectable - 3:46  

26.Carol - 2:33  

27.Here 'Tis - 3:44 

28.Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:26

Tracks 1,2,4,5. Recorded R.G. Jones Studios, Morden, Surrey England, December 1963, January 1964.

Tracks 9-15. Recorded 7th August 1964 at the Marquee London. 

Tracks 7 and 17. Recorded 5Th April 1964 UK. 

Track 19. Recorded 26 July 1964, Live Crawdaddy, Richmond, Surrey. 

Tracks 21-27. Recorded 9th August 1964, Fourth National Jazz & Blues Festival, Richmond. 

Track 20. Re-Edit 7th August 1964, Marquee, London.

Disc Two 1965 

1. Evil Hearted You, Keith Relf-Introduction (27th Sept.) - 2:26

2. Keith Relf-Interview - 0:25

3. Heart Full Of Soul - Paul Samwell-Smith-Interview (1st June) - 3:15

4. Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:38

5. I Ain't Done Wrong (3rd July) - 2:27

6. Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:36

7. Smokestack Lightning (Full Version) (16th Nov.) - 4:56

8. You're Better Man Than I - Interview (16th Nov.) - 3:56

9. The Train Kept A-Rollin' (16th Nov.) - 2:39

10.Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:44

11.I'm Not Talking (16th March) - 2:33

12.Keith Relf-Interview - 0:15

13.I'm A Man (9th April) - 3:55

14.Keith Relf-Interview - 0:25

15.Jeff's Boogie (9th June) - 2:31

16.Keith Relf-Interview - 0:46

17.Steeled Blues (1st June) - 2:36

18.Louise (4th June) - 2:56

19.Keith Relf-Interview - 0:21

20.I Wish You Would (6th Aug.) - 2:31

21.Love Me Like I Love You (9th Aug.) - 2:46

22.The Stumble (27th Sept.) - 1:53

23.Paul Samwell-Smith-Interview - 1:26

24.You're Better Man Than I - 2:23

25.The Train Kept A-Rollin' - 2:41

26.Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:41

27.I've Been Trying (9th June) - 3:02

28.Shapes Of Things-Interview - 5:02

29.Paul Samwell-Smith-Interview - 2:40

30.For Your Love (Long Version) - 2:07

31.My Girl Sloopy (Long Version) - 5:49

32.I'm A Man (Live) - 3:35

33.I Wish You Would (Live) - 1:02

34."McLeans" Advert - 0:30 

Tracks 1,3,5,7,8,9. Recorded at Maida Vale Studios London for the BBC during 1965. 

Tracks 11,13,15,17,18,20,21,22,27. Unreleased lost UK Radio sessions from 1965, 

Tracks 24, 25 Live England November 1965, Track 28. U.S Broadcast 10th January 1966. 

Tracks 30-32. 6th August 1965, Fifth National Jazz & Blues Festival, Richmond Athletic Association Grounds, Richmond. 

Track 33. 23rd September 1965, Dutch TV

Disc Three 65-66

1. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (26th July '66, 20th Sept. '66 - 2nd Oct. '66) - 2:55

2. Keith Relf-Interview - 0:39

3. Psycho Daisies - 1:48

4. Stroll On (With Soundtrack Coda) - 3:31

5. Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:11

6. "Great Shakes" Advert - 1:02

7. I Wish You Would - 3:18

8. I'm A Man - 2:37

9. The Train Kept A-Rollin' (Live) - 2:21

10.Over Under Sideways Down (Live) - 2:13

11.Shapes Of Things (Live) - 2:21

12.He's Always There (Alternate Version) - 2:29

13.Turn Into Earth (Alternate Version) - 3:09

14.I Can't Make Your Way (Alternate Version) - 2:23

15.I'm A Man - 3:12

16.For Your Love - 2:12

17.Heart Full Of Soul 2:23

18.I Wish You Would (Live) - 2:27

19.Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:12

20.Questa Volta (Live) - 4:05

21.Pafff... Bum (Live) - 2:52

22.Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:19

23.The Train Kept A-Rollin' (Live) - 2:30

24.Shapes Of Things (Live) - 2:15

25.Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:15

26.Jimmy Page-Interview - 1:09

27.Jeff's Boogie (6th May '66) - 2:15

28.You're Better Man Than I (Live) - 3:07

29.Keith Relf & Jeff Beck Interview Ravi Shankar (8th June '66) - 0:56

30.Shapes Of Things (Live) - 2:18

31.Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:30

32.Jim McCarty-Interview - 0:27

33.Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:17

34.I'm Not Talking (4th June '65) - 2:26

35.Heart Full Of Soul (9th June '65) - 2:22

36.Spoonful (9th April '65) - 3:10

37.Bottle Up And Go (9th April '65) - 1:57

38.All The Pretty Little Horses (Hushabye) (9th April '65) - 1:56

39.Jeff Beck-Interview - 0:08

Tracks 1 & 3. Recorded at De Lane Lea Studios, London. Track 4. Recorded 3rd -5th October 1966, Sound Techniques Studios, Chelsea, London

Track 5. Radio Commercial (12th July 1966, Marquee Studios, London) 

Track 7 & 8. 10-11th August 1965, US Broadcast. Tracks 9-11. 27th June 1966, Music Hall De France. Tracks 12, 13. 31st May – 4th June 1966, Advision Sound Studios, London. 

Track 14. 14th June 1966, IBC Studios, London. 

Tracks 15 - 17. Recorded 10-11th August 1965, US Broadcast. 

Track 18. 20th June 1965, Palais Des Sports, Paris, France. Tracks 

20 & 21. Recorded 28th & 29th January 1966, "The 16th Festival of Italian Songs 

Tracks 23 & 24. 1st May 1966, "Poll Winners Concert," Empire Pool, Wembley. 

Tracks 27, 34-38. Unreleased UK Radio Broadcast. 

Track 28 Recorded Live May 1966, England. 

Track 30. 1st April 1966, La Locomotive Club, Paris, France

Disc Four 1967-68

1. Shapes Of Things - 2:55

2. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago - 4:25

3. Over Under Sideways Down - 2:14  

4. I'm A Man - 6:24 

5. Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:39 

6. Shapes Of Things - 2:31 

7. Heart Full Of Soul - 2:16 

8. You're Better Man Than I - 3:52 

9. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) - 3:15  

10.Over Under Sideways Down - 2:32  

11.Little Games - 2:40 

12.My Baby - 2:43 

13.I'm A Man - 7:07  

14.Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:49 

15.The Train Kept A-Rollin' - 3:18 

16.Dazed And Confused - 5:46 

17.Goodnight Sweet Josephine - 2:33 

18.Glimpses (Sound Effects) - 1:22  

19."The In Sound" - 1:36  

20.Chris Dreja-Interview - 0:37  

21.Think About It (Work-In-Progress) - 5:33  

22.Jimmy Page-Interview - 0:22  

23.Dazed And Confused (Live) - 9:09

Track 4. Recorded on 15th March at the Stadthalle Offenbach. 

Tracks 6 - 13. Recorded 7th April 1967 Stockholm. 

Tracks 15-17. Recorded 9th March in France. 

Track 18. Recorded early 1967 in New York. 

Track 19. August 1967 US Army Radio Program. 

Track 21. Recorded January 1968 London. 

Track 23. Unknown Venue in England January 1968

Disc 5 BBC Radio One
1. I Ain't Got You (22nd March '65) - 2:00
2. For Your Love - Keith Relf-Interview (22nd March '65) - 3:17
3. I'm Not Talking (22nd March '65) - 1:46
4. I Wish You Would (1st June '65) - 2:36
5. Too Much Monkey Business (6th August '65) - 2:29
6. Love Me Like I Love You (6th August '65) - 2:50
7. I'm A Man (6th August '65) - 2:27
8. Still I'm Sad - Paul Samwell-Smith-Interview (27th Sept '65) - 3:44
9. My Girl Sloopy (Full Version) (27th Sept '65) - 3:40
10.Keith Relf Interview (28th Feb' 66) - 1:19
11.Shapes Of Things (28th Feb' 66) - 2:17
12.You're A Better Man Than I (28th Feb' 66) - 3:03
13.Dust My Broom (28th Feb' 66) - 2:30
14.Baby, Scratch My Back - Keith Relf-Interview (6th May '66) - 4:01
15.Over Under Sideways Down (6th May '66) - 2:11
16.The Sun Is Shining (Full Version) (6th May '66) - 3:32
17.Shapes Of Things (6th May '66) - 2:24
18.Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)(17th March '67) - 2:49
19.Little Games (17th March '67) - 2:21
20.Drinking Muddy Water (17th March '67) - 2:40
21.Think About It (16th March '68) - 3:09
22.Jimmy Page-Interview-Goodnight Sweet Josephine (16th March '68) - 4:19
23.My Baby (16th March '68) - 2:50
24.White Summer (6th March '68) - 4:24
25.Dazed And Confused (6th March '68) - 5:47
26.Think About It (6th March '68) - 3:15

The Yardbirds
*Keith Relf - Lead Vocals, Harmonica
*Eric Clapton - Lead Guitar
*Chris Dreja - Rhythm Guitar
*Paul Samwell-Smith - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Jim Mccarty - Drums, Backing Vocals
*Jeff Beck - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Jimmy Page - Bass, Guitar

1964  Five Live Yardbirds (Repertoire remaster and expanded)

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Bob Lind - Since There Were Circles (1971 us, splendid passionate folk, 2006 bonus tracks issue)

Bob Lind has enjoyed a sizable cult following based on a rather small body of work; he released just four albums between 1966 and 1971 (one a collection of demos never intended for commercial release), and landed just one single in the Top 40, but he's acknowledged as one of the key artists in the '60s folk-rock boom, and over 200 different artists have recorded his songs. 

Robert Neale Lind was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 25, 1944. His family moved a great deal when he was young, but as a teenager he settled in Denver, Colorado, and began singing rock & roll and rhythm & blues when he was in eighth grade. In high school, Lind formed a band called the Moonlighters, and while attending Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado, he led a rock group, Bob Lind & the Misfits, specializing in early rock covers. 

As a new breed of songwriters emerged on the folk music scene in the early '60s, Lind took up songwriting and started playing occasional shows at local coffee houses. He relocated to San Francisco, where he continued writing songs and playing small venues, and in 1965, he headed south to Los Angeles, where he scored an audition with World Pacific Records, a subsidiary of Liberty Records. World Pacific signed Lind to a record contract, and after he landed a publishing deal with Metric Music, he was introduced to producer and arranger Jack Nitzsche, who liked Lind's songs and agreed to work with him. 

With Nitzsche providing artful backdrops for Lind's emotionally literate songs, the two proved to be an inspired pairing in the studio, and World Pacific had high hopes for Lind's first single, "Cheryl's Goin' Home." However, several disc jockeys began playing the flipside, "Elusive Butterfly," and the song rose to number five on the Billboard Singles charts in 1966. 

by Mark Deming

The 1971 "Since There Were Circles"  is a really interesting release, and a perfect example of how important it is to support well-designed reissues, a fine record.

City Scenes makes a perfect album opener. Introducing the modest, effective orchestra of driving acoustic guitar, piano accents, electric slide guitar, and laid-back drum kit (not to mention players The Dillards, Bernie Leadon, and Gene Clark), Lind immediately wraps his nice voice around poetic storyteller verses. It closes with an unexpected little treasure of an outro, adding a sweet, smooth french horn line. Fine songcraft.

Listening to Loser, I can’t help but imagine Lind as a roots-rock David Bowie; either by inflection of the voice or it’s the lyricism, perhaps, they are kindred spirits. Bob keeps it pretty soulful and groovy on tracks like She Can Get Along, with its vocal workout ending, and the lazy Not That I Would Want Her Back, featuring more orchestral backing on the choruses. The softer numbers are melodic gems that will stay with you. Theme From The Music Box and the title track, Since There Were Circles, are melancholy and wonderful. Five bonus tracks supplied by Bob Lind himself stand apart from the flow of the album, but stand strongly on their own.

Get yourself this beautiful 2006 reissue from the fine UK label RPM Records and give it up to Bob Lind, who certainly had much more music left in him after his 1966 #5 folk hit, Elusive Butterfly. I keep coming back to this esoteric beauty.

by Brendan McGrath

Tracks
1. I Love To Sing/Sweet Harriet - 4:19
2. City Scenes - 3:30
3. Love Came Riding - 3:09
4. Loser - 3:28
5. Not That I Would Want Her Back - 2:49
6. Theme From The Music Box - 3:24
7. Anymore - 3:32
8. Spilling Over - 3:54
9. She Can Get Along - 2:54
10.Up In The Morning Me - 2:04
11.Since There Were Circles - 5:14
12.I Found You - 2:50
13.Marlene - 2:19
14.San Francisco Woman - 4:13
15.Colorado Line - 3:20
16.We Are Children Still - 3:02
All compositions by Bob Lind

Musicians
*Bob Lind - Guitar, Vocals
*Buck Wilkings - 12 String Guitar
*MIchael A Lang - Piano
*Raplh E Grierson - Piano
*Carol Kaye - Bass
*Paul N. Humphrey - Drums
*Doug Dillard - Banjo
*Gene Clarke - Harmonica
*Bernie Leadon - Lead Guitar
*David Jackson - Bass

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Dantalian`s Chariot - Chariot Rising (1967 uk, impressive colorful psychedelia)

One of the most brilliant obscure psychedelic singles of the late '60s — indeed, one of the most brilliant obscure rock singles of any kind from the era — was Dantalian's Chariot's "Madman Running Through the Fields." This 1967 effort was British pop-psych at its zenith, strongly reminiscent of (and as good as) the classic early sides by Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd. What made it all the stranger was that it was the debut single by a group of veteran musicians who, just a few months earlier, had been playing jazz/R&B fusion as Zoot Money's Big Roll Band. Money, a journeyman keyboard player and singer, had made a few records without getting anything close to a hit; his band featured a young Andy Summers, over a decade before the guitarist would reach stardom with the Police.

Such was the impact of psychedelic music in 1967, however, that by the middle of the year, Money had decided to totally revamp his sound. R'n'B/jazz/soul had become passe; now it was important to write your own material, and reflect the mind-expanding experience. With Summers still in tow, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band became Dantalian's Chariot. The music, written primarily by Money and Summers, changed as radically as the name, with airy melodies, spacy lyrics, and guitar/organ-driven arrangements. The band hit the London underground circuit inhabited by such acts as Pink Floyd and Soft Machine, and made their debut recording as Dantalian's Chariot ("Madman") in the summer of 1967.

The single, innovative as it was, didn't make any commercial waves. Although they were a respected live act, their new direction wasn't supported by EMI, which dropped the band. A psychedelic-minded LP was worked on, but not released. Some of the material appeared on an early 1968 record, which the Direction label assembled from various tunes cut over the past year. The fact that the album was credited to Zoot Money and the Big Roll Band, rather than Dantalian's Chariot, was an indication that their psychedelic direction, again, would not find support on the industry level.

All of this was not as great a tragedy as it might appear. A collection of psychedelic-oriented Dantalian's Chariot tracks (several previously unreleased) did emerge in 1996, and while it shows them to be an interesting outfit, nothing comes close to the magnificence of "Madman Running Through the Fields."

Dantalian's Chariot came to an end in the spring of 1968, with Summers joining the Soft Machine (and subsequently Eric Burdon's Animals); Money would also join Eric Burdon's Animals around the same time. Drummer Colin Allen went on to chalk up stints in John Mayall's band. 

A close facsimile of what Dantalian's Chariot's unreleased album would have sounded like, taken from ten tracks recorded in 1967, several of which were previously unissued. "Madman Running Through the Fields" is essential listening for anyone who likes Pink Floyd, with its happy-go-mad lyrics, astral organ, Syd Barrett-esque guitar, and sudden quiet breaks into pastoral flute passages. Nothing else here is nearly as striking, but it's decent, somewhat prototypical early underground British psychedelia, though the songwriting can be kind of forced. The wistfully ebullient "Sun Came Bursting Through My Clouds" (the B-side of "Madman") is probably their best secondary effort; instrumentally oriented explorations like "Soma" and "This Island" get freakier. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Madman Running Through The Fields (Money, Somers) - 4:14
2. World War Three (Money, Somers) - 4:10
3. This Island (Money, Somers) - 3:57
4. Fourpenny Bus Ride (Money, Somers) - 3:44
5. Four Firemen (Money, Somers) - 3:31
6. Sun Came Bursting Through My Cloud (Colton, Smith) - 3:07
7. Recapture The Thrill (Colton, Smith) - 3:55
8. Soma (Colton, Somers) -  6:14
9. Coffee Song (Colton, Smith) - 2:50
10.High Flying Bird (Money, Somers) - 3:44

Dantalian`s Chariot
*Andy Summers - Guitar
*Pat Donaldson - Bass
*Colin Allen - Drums
*Zoot Money - Keyboards, Vocals

1968  Zoot Money - Transition

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