Crabby Appleton - Rotten To The Core (1971 us, exceptional classic rock)

Crabby Appleton's first album, Crabby Appleton, had established them as one of the more promising new American bands at the dawn of the 1970s. It had yielded a Top Forty single, "Go Back," and unveiled a diverse group that combined both pop-rock smarts and artier inclinations.

Lester Bangs gave the album an enthusiastic thumbs-up in Rolling Stone, and (with Andrea di Guglielmo) co-authored a lengthy profile of the band in Creem. When they opened for the Doors at the San Diego International Sports Arena Center on August 22, 1970, according to the band's principal singer-songwriter Michael Fennelly, "Go Back" stood at #3 on the local charts -- one of several on which the single soared higher than its comparatively modest #36 peak in Billboard.

Crabby Appleton would not rise any higher, commercially speaking, between the summer of 1970 and its dissolution shortly afterward. The follow-up non-LP single "Grab On," remembered by Fennelly as "probably the best thing we ever put down on tape, one of the few hard rock things that Crabby Appleton did that I can listen to and not cringe," had flopped.

There would be an opportunity, at least, to do a second album, Rotten to the Core. If Crabby Appleton had initially, as Bangs and di Guglielmo wrote in Creem, sounded "like a cross between the Everly Brothers and the Rascals, with tasty hints of off-shoots like the Troggs, and occasional interludes of soft, wistful bossa nova for balance," Rotten to the Core took the band into a decidedly harder-rocking direction, with far stronger rootsy blues and country influences.

"Most of the material for the second record was written within Crabby Appleton, whereas for the first, most of the material was crafted before that band," explains Fennelly. "I was writing for Crabby Appleton, rather than taking songs, introducing them already written, and trying to craft them to something that would work with the band. 'Smokin' in the Mornin',' the reason for that song is that the band said, 'We need a shuffle. Write a shuffle.'"

Boogie and bluesy hard rock came to the fore on both that track and others such as "You Make Me Hot" and "Lucy," sometimes garnished by accomplished blues slide guitar. Such outings were a reflection of the band's live sound. "We were playing a lot of outdoor gigs, a lot of arena gigs, and had developed into a band that could play 40 minutes of big crowd-pleasing stuff," elaborates Fennelly. "We wanted to be able to do that in a studio, or at least capture some of the impact and power of that. One of my regrets is that there were times where we really were a kick-ass band, but we never kicked ass in the studio."

With that in mind, the band, after parting ways with the producer of their debut LP (Don Gallucci), had hoped to hook up with a rock'n'roll producer who could capture that energy. In fact Michael thinks they approached Glyn Johns, "and I think he said something insulting about our music, and that was the end of that." Instead they ended up with Bob Zachary, who was more grounded in the folk-based sound for which Elektra was known, producing Paul Siebel's Jack-Knife Gypsy album around the same time. "Bob was sort of the opposite direction in which we needed to go at the time, production-wise," feels Fennelly. "He really didn't have much experience with any sort of loud or distorted sounds."

But, Michael adds, "where the country or folk stuff surfaced on the second album, I think it was realized pretty well." Byron Berline was brought in to play fiddle on "One More Time," a country-tonk hoe-down with slide guitar; David Grisman contributed mandolin to the uncharacteristic light Gram Parsons-like country-rock of "Paper to Write On." "One More Time," oddly, was covered for a small country hit by Jo Anna Neel, better known for "Daddy Was a Preacher, But Mama Was a Go-Go Girl."

The tastiest detour from Crabby Appleton's prior sound was "Make No Difference," with its effective combination of organ, slide blues guitar, and superb gospel-soul backup vocals from a trio of session singers, including Clydie King (best known for her work with Bob Dylan in the early 1980s). "We probably felt a little bit freer to stretch out in the second album," acknowledges Fennelly. "I really was determined to not be pigeonholed, as far as what sort of constraints we put on what kind of music we could make."

For all its eclecticism, some of the album's strongest tracks were "Tomorrow's a New Day" and "Love Can Change Everything," the ones most reminiscent of the buoyant pop optimism that had colored much of the group's debut album. As it turns out those were the oldest Fennelly compositions on Rotten to the Core, "Love Can Change Everything" having been written back in the late 1960s when he was with the Millennium, and "Tomorrow's a New Day" shortly after his stint with that group.

"Those were a couple that were sort of waiting in the wings, and that we pulled out to include on album two," says Michael. "I like the ballads today, because I think they stand the test of time a little bit better than the hard stuff. We were a little disappointed that the harder material on our albums didn't come across as effectively recording as they would live. The ballads [and] country, folkier stuff really is less affected by the passage of time, and the softer stuff on the second Crabby Appleton record is much more pleasing for me to listen to now."

Even in relation to the relatively modest performance of Crabby Appleton, Rotten to the Core's sales were disappointing. (Incidentally, a couple of mock one-liner joke songs in the country style of "Paper to Write On" that would have served as link tracks were excised at the last minute, though they somehow managed to sneak onto the eight-track version.) "I'm not sure there was an awful lot on that record that was marketable," Fennelly admits. "It was a little self-indulgent, and didn't have a 'Go Back' that leaped right off the tracks."

Drummer Phil Jones left the band in the middle of a tour shortly after the second album, and though a replacement drummer enabled them to finish it, Crabby Appleton disbanded soon afterward. Michael Fennelly would continue to make music as a solo act, flying to London with Crabby Appleton organist Casey Foutz to record his debut album, produced by ex-Zombie Chris White.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Smokin' In The Mornin' - 2:52
2. Tomorrow's A New Day - 2:40
3. It's So Hard - 2:22
4. Makes No Difference - 3:41
5. You Make Me Hot - 2:44
6. One More Time - 3:01
7. Lucy - 3:22
8. Paper To Write On - 2:21
9. Lookin' For Love - 2:41
10.Love Can Change Everything - 2:42
11.Gonna Save You (From That) - 6:03
Words and Music by Michael Fennelly

Crabby Appleton
*Michael Fennelly - Guitar, Vocals
*Felix "Flaco" Falcon - Conga, Timbale
*Casey Foutz - Keyboards
*Hank Harvey - Bass
*Phil Jones - Drums
Additional Musicians
*David Grisman - Mandolin
*Byron Berline - Fiddle
*The Blackberries (Clyde King, Oma Drake, Jesse Smith) - Vocals

1970  Crabby Appleton
1967-73  Michael Fennelly - Love Can Change Everything (2013 release)

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Crabby Appleton - Crabby Appleton (1970 us, fantastic classic rock)

Crabby Appleton will always be most known for their infectious single "Go Back," a brooding slice of power pop that made the Top Forty in the summer of 1970. Less celebrated was their self-titled Elektra debut album, though it found a champion in critic Lester Bangs, who called it "as satisfying a definition of the mainstream rock band as we've had this year" in his Rolling Stone review. Its material boasted the same solid pop hooks and high, winsome vocals of singer-songwriter Michael Fennelly that had graced "Go Back." But there was more to Crabby Appleton than the average AM radio pop group, and the album was a fairly diverse mix of delicate romantic tunes and harder rock statements of tolerance and brotherhood. Touches of psychedelic jamming and classical grandeur could be heard as well, though Fennelly's pop-rock instincts were never far from the foreground.

Fennelly had already gained some experience as a singer and songwriter as part of the Millennium, the Curt Boettcher-helmed sunshine pop project whose sole late-1960s album has since garnered enormous cult recognition, though it sold little at the time. After the Millennium ended, Fennelly was living off a stipend from his publishing company, and did a guitar-voice demo of about ten of his compositions. A copy of those fell into the hands of Elektra around the same time Michael met members of the band Stonehenge and heard them play at a Hollywood club. "At the same time I was meeting the band and talking to them about possibilities, Elektra, unbeknownst to us, was also listening to both our things and speculating about a merger of the two," he remembers. When Fennelly hooked up with some guys from Stonehenge (who had for a time included ex-Animal John Weider, who had left Stonehenge and returned to England to replace Ric Grech in Family), Crabby Appleton were born.

Fennelly wrote all of the material for Crabby Appleton, though he's keen to emphasize that the band was very much a collaborative endeavor. Stonehenge had played a far harder and bluesier style of rock than the likes of Millennium, and the Crabby Appleton records would be far gutsier than what Fennelly had cut, on material by himself and others, with his former band. But the shift wasn't solely influenced by his new cohorts.

 "What material saw the light of day with the Millennium by necessity had to fit into that heavily produced light pop genre," Michael explains. "But I was evolving as a writer, and stretching out into other things that were appealing to me." And the compositions on Crabby Appleton "reflect more my overall musical tastes than what I did with the Millennium," incorporating influences by more forceful faves of Fennelly's such as Steve Stills and Neil Young. Most of the songs had been written before the band were formed, however, and "particularly for the first Crabby Appleton record, I was just writing for myself," Fennelly adds. "So maybe that's where all that pop seeped into that rock band."

Nowhere were they more pop than on "Go Back." "We were insistent that was our hit single," says Fennelly. "It was lighter pop stuff. And Don Gallucci" -- the same fellow who produced the Stooges' Fun House around the same time -- "felt otherwise. We were absolutely very sure of ourselves that that was our shot at getting a Top Forty record." They were vindicated by the single's performance on the Billboard, where it reached #36. But the album as a whole was more sophisticated than what "Go Back" might have led some to expect. Though Fennelly, bassist Hank Harvey, and drummer Phil Jones all contributed to the energetic, tight ensemble arrangements, the classical-influenced organ of Casey Foutz was particularly sparkling. The timbales and conga of Felix "Flaco" Falcon gave the percussion uncommon depth for a straightahead rock band, at a time when the presence of more than one percussionist in the same group was just starting to become more common in rock, via bands like Santana and the Allman Brothers.

On multi-sectioned cuts like "Try" and "Hunger for Love," the band showcased their adroit interplay on semi-improvised-sounding passages that never got so lengthy and grandstanding that they crossed the line into indulgence. "We did a lot of three-to-four-minute songs with somewhat restrictive arrangements," Michael notes. "We knew that our greatest musical strengths were the accomplished keyboard work of Casey, and also the percussion of Felix. We wanted to have some songs that would be a platform for Casey or Flaco to stretch out and be able to just play, as opposed to have to stick to their parts. They had to make an adjustment as far as working with a singer-songwriter, because they hadn't done that before."

Yet it was the more concise and poppy tunes that stood out, Fennelly's relentlessly upbeat, romantic outlook shining like a beacon on both ballads and harder-charging rockers. "The Other Side" recalled the baroque-pop of late-1960s Zombies or the Left Banke in its delicacy, influenced by both the classical guitar lessons Fennelly had as a child, and a tapestry of a schooner in a stormy sea that provided some of the visual inspiration for the lyrics. "Catherine," "Some Madness," and "How Long Will It Take" were indicative of some folk-rock leanings, the latter two sounding not unlike some of the Youngbloods' sparser work.

Fennelly usually wrote about love, but on a couple of songs he extended his scope to project love toward his community rather than just one woman in particular. The dynamic "Peace By Peace," Michael elaborates, "was about going toe-to-toe with the police, which was a political sport back then. It was urging moderation in sacrificing your life for political causes of the day. Don't get so fired up that you end up being carried away on a stretcher; it may not be the most effective way to achieve change." By contrast "To All My Friends," decorated by a lilting harpsichord, was (unlike most of the album's songs) written after Crabby Appleton had formed: "That was to the band, about what great support and sustenance we gave each other. When you're in a rock and roll band and you're young, oftentimes that is your immediate family. It was celebrating that family."

It was a vibe Lester Bangs picked up on in his Rolling Stone review, enthusing that the LP was "nearly faultless and communicates the vitality of American youth and American music." Despite that and other good reviews, "our commercial success was really sporadic and schizophrenic," admits Fennelly. "We'd drive into one town where we had the #2 record on two or three radio stations. Then we'd go 60 miles in one direction to a place where they'd never heard of us. We were either playing at an arena that had 20,000 people and all knew 'Go Back,' or we'd be playing at a place called Mr. JD's on the side of the highway with five drunken, impatient people trying to figure out who the hell we were and what was coming next." There was enough of a buzz, though, to merit a second album on Elektra with greater blues, country, and hard rock influences, Rotten to the Core, also reissued by Collectors' Choice Music, where this story continues.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Go Back - 3:06
2. The Other Side - 3:12
3. Catherine - 2:38
4. Peace By Peace - 5:29
5. To All My Friends - 3:08
6. Try - 3:44
7. Can't Live My Life - 2:58
8. Some Madness - 7:07
9. Hunger For Love - 3:17
10.How Long Will It Take - 2:52
All songs by Michael Fennelly

Crabby Appleton
*Michael Fennelly - Guitars, Vocals
*Casey Foutz - Keyboards
*Hank Harvey - Bass
*Felix "Flaco" Falcon - Percussion
*Phil Jones - Drums

1967-73  Michael Fennelly - Love Can Change Everything (2013 release)

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Jade Stone And Luv ‎– Mosaics Pieces Of Stone (1977 us, awesome rough fuzzy psych with country drops, 2008 issue)

Although Ronnie Patton cut his first single in Nashville at the tender age of 17 with, no less, Elvis Presley’s guitarist Scotty Moore and the Jordanaires on backing vocals, it wasn’t until 14 years and one name change later that the singer from Austin, Texas, finally recorded his first and, as it happened, only album. 

The sole album from male-female duo Jade Stone & Luv is a lost gem from the heart of the psychedelic 1970s. Composed and self-produced in Nashville, “Mosaics; Pieces Of Stone” went unnoticed by the music industry upon release. Fortunately for us, it didn’t disappear forever, but simply went into retreat, biding its time. 

While almost unknown outside specialist circles, “Mosaics” has been an underground cult favorite for many years. The combination of top-level songwriting, skillful guitar/keyboard arrangements and soaring vocals is just too impressive to ignore. And beyond these obvious qualities, the album has something subtle and unique, a magnetic power that keeps drawing the listener back. One of Jade Stone & Luv’s earliest advocates was the legendary New York City musicologist Paul Major. Here’s a typical Major impression of the music on “Mosaics”:

Groovy love vibes thru a prism of jade statues in swinging singles apartment complex action... Cadillac with fuzzy dice, feather boa, lotsa cigarette burns, stale perfumed ashen air. This album in the 8-track player at 5 AM with someone you don't even know passed out in the backseat, as you head to the diner to meet up with an early-bird Lava Lite salesman who deals pills on the side. Bubbly champagne molecules become the plastic vinyl booths in dim-lit dive bars; it's crackerbox post-war suburban low-rent psychedelic…"

The album’s cinematic qualities were also highlighted in a review in the recent Acid Archives book, which deals with vintage underground music:

“…The music is notoriously hard to describe, but projects scenes of all-night cruising through Edge City... a hip which is not metropolitan hip, but dreams of stardom and glamour from the American underbelly, two renegade souls zooming down the highway between Austin and Nashville...”

Subliminal-sounds

Tracks
1. Waiting For The Rain - 3:09
2. Come Home With Me - 4:11
3. Working At The Business Of Living - 2:50
4. Backroads Of My Mind - 3:10
5. Man - 2:22
6. Grab Hold - 2:43
7. Take A Look - 2:18
8. So Close - 2:48
9. Cool Breeze - 2:47
10.Reality - 3:19
11.Waiting - 2:11
12.Wonder Why - 2:52
13.Little Teaser - 3:08
14.Ride Little Renee Ride - 3:13
15.You Can't Run Away - 4:36
16.You Can't Take Me Alive - 2:29
17.You Are My Life - 5:51
18.Man (Live) - 4:18
19.What's Done Is Done - 2:57
20.Take Me Down - 3:00
All songs written by Jade Stone

Personnel
*Jad Stone - Vocals, Guitar
*Luv - Vocals
*Dennis Burnside - Keyboards
*Paul Worley - Lead Guitar
*Eddie Bayers - Drums, Congas

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Cargoe - Live In Memphis! (1972 us, exceptional southern rock with psych shades)

The year was 1972, and Cargoe were flying high. They had migrated from Oklahoma to JL the musical confines of Memphis, and had landed a recording contract with the newly invigorated Ardent Records. Their first album was recorded, and ready for release to the waiting throngs of music fans out there in the hinterland. Their first single, Feel Alright, started gathering tremendous radio play, and instant, positive feedback wherever it was aired. 

Within weeks, it had arrived on the Top 100 national music charts. The band flew to Los Angeles, where they introduced their single on KHJ-TV, and played a sold out show at The Whiskey-A-Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard. A music video (one of the first ever!) was filmed, edited, and mailed out to TV stations across America (of course there was no MTV yet!) But a funny thing happened on the way to the Grammys. As many artists found out before them, many have discovered since, and many more will know in future, there are no guarantees in the music business. In fact, the industry is rife with "I Could'a Been a Contender" stories. And the stated reasons for lack of stardom, while as varied as the stars in the heavens, all come down to several basic principles.

Ardent, the label on which Cargoe's music lived, was small, and new, and, although distributed by the then-already-world-famous Stax Records, was not prepared to play in the big leagues dominated by the Brothers Warner, Columbia, RCA, and like others. In fact Stax, while certainly playing at a very high level in R&B music, was not prepared itself to play in the "Pop" world. Records weren't available in stores when people came to buy them.

Large city pop or rock radio stations were much more inclined to add songs by the major labels' artists to their play lists. And touring on a national scale was just too expensive to pull off. Was Cargoe's music good enough to "make it", had it been on a major label? Probably so. 

History may now make that judgement. But in 1972, on a small, independent label, distributed by another independent label best known for a very different style of music than that which Cargoe played and recorded, the odds just weren't good. The same exact fate was to befall the second group released on Ardent Records, that being Big Star. And the third, The Hot Dogs, and so on down the line.

Yet, while this "disappearing act" was pretty common with small label rock groups, there seems to have been something special in Ihe Memphis night air that the Ardent groups were breathing back then. Because another funny thing happened on the way to musical obscurity. This music just wouldn't go away. 

The people hanging around John Fry's door, we now sec in hindsight, weren't your average garage band folks. While the biggest contemporary record on the Ardent label was certainly Cargoe's "Feel Alright", the torch wound up being carried, at first single-handedly, by Big Star. Year after year, the myth, admiration, and yes, let's say it, cult of Big Star has grown. Band after band have traced their inspiration back to Big Star, and musical historians and writers have embraced them as being, in many cases, second only to The Beatles in pop music importance. And in recent years, this interest in Big Star has trickled down to the other Ardent groups. More and more, fans and critics have "discovered" Cargoe or the others. Re-issues, especially in Japan and Europe, of Cargoe and The Hot Dogs, have followed the Big Star re-issues. And Feel Alright is beginning to re-assume its place as a power pop anthem.

In the middle of all this 1972 hullabaloo with Cargoe and Big Star, the Cargoe guys, well known for their live playing prowess, performed a very special concert. The Memphis rock station of the day, WMC FM-100, had instituted a series of live concerts by many well known artists, to be broadcast over the airwaves directly from Ardent Recording Studios. These were engineered usually by Terry Manning, and sometimes by Richard Rosebrough.The artists included The Groundhogs, The Charlie Daniels Band, Stories, Martin Mull (soon to be released as Lucky Seven CD 9215) and others, including none other than Cargoe! In each case, a live audience of invited guests was brought into the studio. 

This CD is the actual recording of that concert back hi 1972! Since the original broadcast, this Cargoe concert has gone "unheard" for these last 31 years! Cargoe were made up of Bill Phillips on keyboards and rhythm guitar, Max Wisley on bass, Tommy Richard on lead and rhythm guitar, and Tim Bent on drums. Bui the magic was that all members were excellent vocalists, as well as songwriters. Good vocal harmony has certainly become a trademark of the "Power Pop" genre, and Cargoe was not to disappoint on that score! So sit back, let your mind drift to 1972, turn on your I'M radio, and enjoy this live broadcast.

by Terry Manning, 2003

Track
1. Come Down (With Radio Intro) (Bill Phillips) - 4:28
2. Things We Dream Today (Bill Phillips) - 2:46
3. Feel Alright (Tommy Richard) - 2:36
4. Horses And Silver Things (Tommy Richard, Max Wisley) - 3:34
5. Scenes (Max Wisley) - 4:30
6. Heal Me (Bill Phillips, Max Wisley) - 3:16
7. Intro/This Is Real (Max Wisley) - 1:54
8. Feelin Mighty Poorly (Tim Benton) - 3:16
9. Thousand Peoples Song (Tommy Richard) - 4:13
10.Leave Today (Bill Phillips) - 4:46
11.Time (Bill Phillips, Max Wisley) - 4:21
12.I Love You Anyway (Tommy Richard) - 3:45
13.Tokyo Love (Bill Phillips, Jim Peters) - 4:53

Cargoe
*Bill Phillips - Keyboards, Vocals
*Tommy Richard - Guitar, Vocals
*Max Wisley - Bass, Vocals
*Tim Benton - Drums, Vocals

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Paul Revere And The Raiders - Something Happening (1968 us, fantastic beat psychedelia, Repertoire digipack remaster and expanded)

Paul Revere and The Raiders became the pride of America when The Beatles took the States by storm during the 'British Invasion'. The Raiders were the first rock band signed to Columbia and they enjoyed a mass of hit albums and singles. 

Changing tastes in the late 1960s rendered the group unfashionable. On January 6, 1968, just four months after the cancellation of Where The Action Is, Revere and Lindsay returned to the air as hosts of a new Dick Clark-produced show in which the Raiders made several appearances, Happening '68 (later shortened to Happening). 

This weekly series was joined from July to September that year by a Clark-produced daily series It's Happening, also hosted by Revere and Lindsay. In August 1968, bassist Coe left the group again and was replaced by former Action heartthrob Keith Allison.

Mark Lindsay took more control of the band during this time. He produced all records beginning with Too Much Talk in 1968, and the psychedelic album Something Happening which yielded a Top Thirty hit with "Don't Take It So Hard" and bonus track "To Much Talk" was yet another U.S. smash. The B-side "Happening 68" was the name of a TV show which Paul Revere hosted.

60's-official

Tracks
1. Happening Intro / Too Much Talk - 3:50
2. Happens Every Day - 2:48
3. Burn Like A Candle - 4:40
4. Observation From Flight 285 - 3:23
5. Get Out Of My Mind -  4:59
6. Don't Take It So Hard - 2:24
7. Communication (Part 1, 2) - 5:12
8. Love Makes The World Go Round (Don't You Let It Stop) - 2:35
9. Free - 2:27
10.The Good Times - 4:01
11.Happening '68 - 2:26
12.Too Much Talk (Mono) - 2:13
13.Happening 68 (Single Mix) - 1:46
14.Don't Take It So Hard (Single Mix) - 2:24
15.Observation From Flight 285 (In 3/4 Time) - 3:23
16.Theme From It's Happening - 2:45
17.Happening 68 (TV Version) - 1:34
All songs written by Mark Lindsay

The Raiders
*Mark Lindsay - Vocals
*Charlie Coe - Bass
*Paul Revere - Keyboards
*Joe Correro - Drums
*Freddy Weller - Guitar

Paul Revere And The Raiders
1963-65  Mojo Work Out (Sundazed issue)
1965-67  Evolution to Revolution: 5 Classic Albums (2013 double disc remaster)
1967  A Christmas Present... And Past
1968  Goin' To Memphis (Sundazed remaster)
1969  Alias Pink Puzz (Sundazed remaster)
1969  Hard 'N' Heavy With Marshmallow (Sundazed issue)
Related Act
1970  Mark Lindsay - Arizona / Silverbird

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Bull - This Is Bull (1970 us, strong funky psych, 2012 Relics issue)

In late summer of 1967, my friend Earl Hooker in San Francisco introduced me to Barry at a club. At the time Earl was teaching Barry how to play guitar, and fie was amazingly competent for playing for such a short period.

In the years to follow, Barry and I would run into each other at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco and the Apollo 11 in Chicago. Then on January 2, 1970 our paths crossed again; he was using the name 'Bull' at the time. Bull came backstage and we rapped about guitar playing and how he had been playing for 3l/2 years.

He impressed me with his intense feeling for the guitar and his quick fingering. He had 'soul', and I thought his talent should be given a chance. I introduced him to my manager, Sid Seidenberg, who then listened to him. He heard not only this intense driving guitar player, but a fantastic voice to go along with it. Live performances were set up and a great overall showman was seen by us all.

I have seen many, many performers over the years and I have to say that Bull shows the potential to be one of America's greatest. As we now share the talents of my good friend and great manager, Sid Seidenberg.

by B.B. King, October 1970

Tracks
1. Don't Cry My Lady (Jerry Friedman) - 2:51
2. Let It Shine (Jerry Friedman) - 3:00
3. Freedom (Jerry Friedman, Theresa Lindsay) - 2:35
4. Feelin' Pretty Good (Barry Gordon) - 5:09
5. Lovin Man (Andy Muson, Paul Sylvan, Jerry Friedman) - 2:55
6. Groovin (Jerry Friedman, Barry Gordon) - 3:47
7. How Do Losers Say Goodbye (Jerry Friedman, Theresa Lindsay) - 3:48
8. (Do You Have) Something To Say (Joe Lala, Micheal Pinera) - 2:19
9. Everybody Wanna Do (Barry Gordon, Buddy Sklar) - 3:49

Personnel
*Barry "Bull" Gordon - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Bass
*Jerry Friedman - Guitar, Piano, Organ
*Andy Muson - Bass
*Paul Griffin - Organ, Piano
*Herb Lovelle - Drums
*Carl H. Carldwell, Hilda Harris, Eileen Gilbert, Tasha Thomas - Vocals

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Lou Reed, John Cale And Nico - Live At Bataclan Paris (1972 de / uk / us, superb pioneer rock, 2013 remaster edition)

Lou Reed and John Cale formed the Velvet Underground in late 1965, recording their influential debut with Nico the following year. She was never regarded as a full member of the band, however, and ceased to work with them in mid-1967. Cale quit in the fall of 1968, leaving Reed to lead the quartet until his own departure in August 1970..There after a version of the band led by Cale's replacement Doug Yule (with Maureen Tucker the only original member) continued to perform, though by all accounts they were a pale imitation of the band's former self.

It therefore delighted their still small coterie of loyal fans when rumors began to circulate in January 1972 that Reed, Cale and Nico were planning to perform together again. At the time all three participants were in London - Reed was there making his solo debut, Cale was recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Nico had flown in from Paris (where she was living with the filmmaker Philippe (Jarrel.) to work on an abortive fourth solo album, supposedly to be produced by Cale. 

She was also under the impression that the trio would be performing together in the city mid-month, the putative show being promoted by rock journalist Geoffrey Cannon (one of the Velvet Underground's few champions in the British press). In fact, Cale was due to play a gig at the Bataclan club in Rue Voltaire, Paris on Saturday 29th, and it was there that the former collaborators publicly reunited.

A rehearsal tape likely to date from mid-January finds Nico a little rusty on the songs she used to perform with the band - All Tomorrow's Parties, Femme Fatale and I'll Be Your Mirror - and not much better on three songs from her  own debut album, Chelsea Girl (which ended up being performed at the gig).

Another tape apparently finds Reed and Cale rehearsing for the reunion, and runs contrary to the received wisdom that they struggled to be civil to each other. On it they seem relaxed and friendly, and Reed even divulges his delight at having had an album signed for him by Jerry Lee Lewis. They run through Pale Blue Eyes and Candy Says (the originals of which post-dated Cale's tenure with the band, and which did not end up being played at Bataclan,, though they're included here as bonus tracks), as well as Heroin and Black Angel's Death Song (which were performed at Bataclan).

The concert itself, played in front of about 1000 people (with, according to Melody Maker at the time, twice that number unable to get in), was a triumph. Performed acoustically, unlike the vast majority of the Velvet Underground's material, the trio conjured a sparse yet warm sound, well captured by the soundboard recording. Cale played viola and piano over Reed's acoustic guitar, while Nico contributed harmonium. The bulk of the material dates from the VU days, but Reed also contributed his lesser-known gem Wild Child and an unusually lugubrious rendition of Berlin, which he later described as "a real nightclub torch thing... kind of a Billie Holliday trip." 

Cale, meanwhile, offered Ghost Story from his Vintage Violence album, as well as a strange tune called The Biggest, Loudest, Hairiest Group Of All (no studio version of which was ever released). Most surprisingly, he also played Empty Bottles/which he'd written for Jennifer Warnes (whose solo debut he produced soon afterwards).

Nico's harmonium is prominent on three tracks from her albums The Marble Index and Desert shore (No One Is There, Janitor Of Lunacy and Frozen Warnings), but inevitably it's the Velvet Underground material on which all three originally appeared that received the most enthusiastic response – Femme Fatale/I'll Be Your Mirror and the encore. of All Tomorrow's Parties. Clearly all three musicians enjoyed the experience, but a report in Melody Mater that a further performance by them was to take place in London in February was sadly mistaken, and the closest most people came to seeing them was via a partial film of the Bataclan show (offering Berlin, I'm Waiting For The Man, Heroin, Ghost Story and Femme Fatale that was screened on the French TV show Pop Deux on June 10th 1972.

CD Liner-notes

Tracks
1.I'm Waiting For The Man - 5:46
2.Berlin - 5:33
3.Black Angel's Death Song (L. Reed, J. Cale) - 4:42
4.Wild Child - 5:43
5.Heroin - 7:38
6.Ghost Story (J. Cale) - 3:24
7.The Biggest, Loudest, Hairiest Group Of All (J. Cale) - 4:09
8.Empty Bottles (J. Cale) - 3:18
9.Femme Fatale - 3:23
10.No One Is There (Nico) - 6:24
11.Frozen Warnings (Nico) - 5:25
12.Janitor Of Lunacy (Nico) - 5:12
13.I'll Be Your Mirror - 4:06
14.All Tomorrow's Parties - 3:12
15.Pale Blue Eyes - 2:06
16.Candy Says - 1:44
All songs by Lou Reed except where noted.
Bonus Tracks 15-16

Musicians
*Nico - Harmonium, Vocals
*John Cale - Viola, Violin, Piano, Vocals, Guitar
*Lou Reed - Vocals, Guitar

The Velvet Underground
1967-69  Another View (Japan SHM remaster)
1968-69  VU (Japan SHM remaster)
Lou
1978  Lou Reed - Street Hassle (Japan remaster)
John
1971  John Cale And Terry Riley - Church Of Anthrax
1973  Paris 1919 (2006 Remaster and Expanded)
1974  Fear (Remaster and Expanded)
1975  Helen of Troy
1975  Slow Dazzle

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Michael Fennelly - Love Can Change Everything (1967-72 us, remarkable psych folk rock, 2013 release)

Recently, though, the handful of labels specializing in reissues have taken to if not letting the artists compile their music, allowing people who know the music intimately put albums together. The result? Compilations both historically and musically viable, meaning if you like the music (and you should, in the case of Fennelly), you're more than likely going to love the history. 

If you have never heard Fennelly, well, perhaps you have and don't realize it. Fennelly was one of seven artists who formed The Millennium, a band in the late sixties who, in retrospect, have become somewhat of a musical legend. There is more than a little of the Pop infusion which made The Left Banke and The Merry-Go-Round successes, melody and harmony and a step into a little folk/psych keeping things light and airy and oh, so pretty. 

When it came time to exit The Millennium, Fennelly seamlessly slid into Crabby Appleton and immediately scored with Go Back, a tune which made it all the way to #36 on the Billboard charts but which got airplay in my home state of Oregon way beyond that. Not only was I surprised that it topped out at #36 in Billboard Nation, I was a bit miffed. According to radio here, Go Back was Top Ten, easily. I never gave a shit about Billboard, anyway.

While Go Back gave Crabby air beneath their wings, there was no real followup (at least, as far as radio was concerned), more than likely due to AM radio's fall into the grasp of the devil (that would be Drake-Chenault, sports fans, which single-handedly disarmed radio by instituting the Top Forty format and turning it into the pariah of real music lovers everywhere). Fennelly would go on, but that pretty much covers the years covered in Love Can Change Everything, an album strictly dedicated to that period.

So what do you get, you ask? Outtakes from The Millennium? Crabby Appleton's cutting room floor leftovers? Not at all. What you get is a collection of Fennelly-penned demos which, while recorded during the lives of those two bands, are pure Fennelly. True, many of the tracks utilize members of those two bands and probably more than one was recorded in hopes of being included in band releases, but none are, in essence, completed. Not in terms of release by those musical entities. And yet they are.

I find myself shaking my head over the quality of these recordings, which have spent decades in solitary confinement waiting just for this moment. Songs excluded from The Millennium recordings only due to the number of songs available (there were many songwriters, and damn good ones, in that venerable band). Songs which might have made the cut for either of the Crabby Appleton albums had it not been for the progress of the band and their music. Just because a song gets left behind does not mean it is unworthy. Sometimes there is just not enough space. This album proves it in spades. The more I hear this, the more I love it.

by Frank O. Gutch Jr.

Tracks
1. I've Been Found Out - 3:20
2. I Don't Think That I'll See That Time Again - 1:56
3. I Couldn't Find The Words - 3:10
4. Try To Understand - 2:28
5. Dancing Dandelions (Michael Fennelly, Craig Steffanides) - 2:12
6. Breakdown - 2:23
7. Iris Please - 3:38
8. Love Can Change Everything - 2:48
9. Leanna - 3:45
10.I Don't Need A Map - 2:13
11.Under The Trees And Moonlight - 2:13
12.Hunger For Love - 3:45
13.The Other Side - 2:45
14.Some Madness - 2:26
15.Peace By Peace - 3:31
16.How Long Will It Take - 2:16
17.Can't Live My Life Without You - 2:23
18.Never Met A Girl - 2:27
19.Go Back - 3:23
20.Try - 2:20
21.Over My Dead Body - 2:33
22.You're A Good Girl - 2:40
23.Dark Night - 2:49
24.Flyer - 2:47
All songs by Michael Fennelly except as else stated

Personnel
*Michael Fennelly - Vocals, 12 String Guitar
*Doug Rhodes - Keyboards
*Lee Malory - Guitar
*Keith Olsen - Bass
*Ron Edgar - Drums
*Flaco Falcon - Percussio
*Murray Planta - Guitar
*Casey Foutz - Moog

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Sleepy Hollow - Sleepy Hollow (1972 us, lovely pop harmonies, 2011 edition)

Slapping an album with a Beatles comparison is usually the equivalent of an artistic and commercial kiss of death.  Luckily, this was one of those rare cases where the comparison actually had some basis.

Recorded at Philadelphia International's Philly-based Sigma Studios, 1972's "Sleepy Hollow" was co-produced by John Madara and the late Tom Sellers (of Assembled Multitude fame).  The limited liner notes indicated Sleepy Hollow was a trio featuring the talents of singer/guitarist Richard Billay, bass player Richie Bremen and drummer Joe Zucca.  

With Billay responsible for all nine tracks, material like 'One Time' and 'Lay It On the Line' did have a late-inning Beatles flavor, though to my ears a better overall comparison would be Badfinger ('Take Me Back'), Emmit Rhodes ('Love Minus You'), or perhaps even a mid-1970s Lennon solo album ('Lady'). The trio's sound wasn't particularly original, but Billay had an impressive chameleon-like voice that managed to recall both Lennon's tougher sound ('Sincerely Yours' would not have been out of place on "Walls and Bridges") and McCartney's more pop-oriented material ('One Time' complete with great backing vocals).  Artistically this may not have been a major statement, but made for one fun album and was simply miles ahead of most of the Beatlesque competition.  

Bad-cat

Tracks
1. Sincerely Yours - 3:01
2. One Time - 2:05
3. Take Me Back - 3:53
4. Talking Out Of Turn - 2:48
5. Lay It On The Line - 2:43
6. Love Minus You - 2:30
7. Lady - 2:40
8. Roller Coaster Man - 2:58
9. Hades - 6:16
All songs by Richard Billay

Sleepy Hollow
*Richard Billay - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Richie Bremen - Bass
*Joe Zucca - Drums

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Mantis - Turn On To Music (1973 fiji, pleasant hard funky boogie, 2013 edition)

This psychedelic funk classic is firmly established as one of the most collectable albums of all time. Recorded by a quartet from Fiji, it was only released in New Zealand, where it appeared in tiny quantities on the legendary Vertigo label in 1973. An irresistible blend of originals (notably the epic “Island Suite”) and covers (including material by Mountain, The Wackers, and Jo Jo Gunne), original copies have sold for well into four figures.

Tracks
1. Day And Night (Segarini, Bishop, Lanzon) - 3:10
2. In The Midnight Hour (Cropper, Pickett) - 3:14
3. You Don’t Love Me - 3:22
4. Mississippi Queen (West, Laing, Papalardi, Rea) - 2:56
5. Shake That Fat (Ferguson, Andes) - 4:04
6. Turn Onto Music (James, King) - 2:33
7. Island Suite (Mantis) - 22:31
.a.Firewalker
.b.Back At The Village
.c.Hurricane Bebe

Mantis
*Joe Heritage – Bass, Vocals
*Ronnie Sammuel - Keyboards
*Paul Stephen - Drums
*Waisea Vatuwaga – Guitar, Vocals
*Reuben Davui – Guitar, Vocals

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Ernie Graham - Ernie Graham (1971 ireland, remarkable folk pub rock, 2014 japan remaster)

Singer Guitarist Ernie Graham was an active part of the British pub rock scene during the first half of the '70s, shuffling between several bands and also recording solo. Graham started out in Belfast during the mid-'60s in professional music when he joined Tony & the Telstars, a local band, as their rhythm guitarist, working as an apprentice auto mechanic during the day. Eventually, Graham and two other members of the band decided to leave Belfast for England, and potentially bigger rewards. It was there that he met guitarist Henry McCullough and the two, on returning to Ireland, began putting together their own band, which was initially known as the People. They saw some serious success in the swinging London music scene of the second half of the 1960s, enough that they were persuaded to change their name to Eire Apparent in a bid for major stardom. That didn't quite happen, but they came close, the psychedelic-flavored band touring with Jimi Hendrix, who also played on their only album, Sunrise (1969).

McCullough left the group -- to form the Grease Band -- and Eire Apparent later dissolved, Graham signed with UA/Liberty as a solo artist, just at the time that the British arm of the label had begun building a new, bold roster of acts representing a new generation of performers. It was all a happy coincidence that brought Graham into the studio backed by no less an act than Brinsley Schwarz, and the result, coupled with Graham's exceptional singing and songs, was one of the finest albums of the entire decade. Ernie Graham failed to sell, however, and soon after, he joined Help Yourself as a guitarist, entering the studio for their second album, Strange Affair, but departing the group before the record was completed. 

This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful solo albums to come out of the whole English pub rock scene, and references to Bob Dylan and the Band are appropriate because the rootsy/folk-like intersections with their work are here. It's also a rival to the best work of Brinsley Schwarz, Ducks Deluxe, Eggs Over Easy, et al. (and no surprise -- the Brinsleys played on this album). Opening with the gorgeous, Dylanesque "Sebastian," built on a lyrical acoustic guitar part, Graham reveals himself a songwriter and player of extraordinary sensitivity -- he might easily have been another Alan Hull, or even bigger than that, had he been able to join a band with legs or hold his own career together. 

As it is, from that Dylan-like start, he and the Brinsleys deliver a brace of full electric numbers that rival the classic sound of the Band, starting with "So Lonely" -- the roots rock sound here is so authentically American that it will fool lots of listeners about its origins and source. For this album, "The Girl That Turned the Lever" and "For a Little While" are two of the finest working-class/folk-style compositions this side of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and "Blues to Snowy" takes Graham into Lynyrd Skynyrd territory. "Belfast" finally takes listeners to Graham's real roots, in a bracing, fiddle-driven folk-based piece from that side of the Atlantic. 

by Bruce Eder 

Tracks
1. Sebastian - 5:34
2. So Lonely - 3:30
3. Sea Fever - 4:54
4. The Girl That Turned The Lever - 6:16
5. For A Little While 6:36
6. Blues To Snowy - 4:01
7. Don´t Want Me Round You - 4:32
8. Belfast - 5:13
Words and Music by Ernie Graham

Musicians
*Ernie Graham - Guitar, Vocals
*Bob Andrews - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Dave Charles - Drums, Vocals
*C. Cunningham - Fiddle, Violin
*J. Eichler - Vocals
*Ian Gomm - Guitar, Vocals
*Nick Lowe - Bass, Vocals
*Malcolm Morley - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Billy Rankin - Drums
*Brinsley Schwarz - Guitar
*Richard Treece - Guitar
*Ken Whaley - Bass

Related Act
1969  Eire Apparent - Sunrise (Flawed Gems remaster)

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The Legend - The Legend (1969 us, splendid beat psych, Fallout issue)

The Legend, also loosely later known as Dragonfly, was originally from Colorado, but bounced back and forth between there and L.A. to record and issue records. Members included Jack Duncan (bass), Barry Davis (drums, background vocals), Gerry Jimerfield (guitar, lead vocals), Randy Russ (guitar, background vocals) and Erni McElwaine (keyboards).

The band's origins can be traced to El Paso, TX where in 1965 Duncan and Davis met each other and became fast friends while playing in a group called the Pawns. Getting word that the Pawns were going to be playing a gig in Farmington, NM, Coloradoans Jimerfield and McElwaine took a road trip down south to check them out and were very impressed. At 26, Jimerfield was a bit more seasoned and had already played the L.A. scene, appearing on the show 'Hullabaloo' as well as more recently fronting his own band called the Lords Of London back in Colorado. Citing his L.A. connections, Jimerfield soon convinced Duncan and Davis to quit the Pawns and relocate to Durango, CO where they could stay at his parents' motel and form a new ensemble. The band rehearsed there for a couple of months and soon decided they needed to add a second guitar player. Duncan and Davis suggested Russ, who they knew from their El Paso days. The group was completed when Russ agreed to move up to Durango and join up.

In early 1967, the band, now calling themselves the Lords Of London, moved to the Denver area where they played a lot of clubs and eventually became a frequent opening act at Chet Helms' Family Dog theatre. Getting restless in Colorado, they then bounced out to L.A. for a brief stint where they changed their name to the Jimerfield Legend, but soon moved back to good old Colorado in time for the 1967 Summer of Love.

By 1968, they had moved back to L.A., shortened their name to the Legend and signed with the local label Megaphone, releasing three 45s and a full length, self-titled LP. The album contains mostly pre-psychedelic covers, and according to Duncan, the instrumentation was mostly played by non-group session musicians. However, the second 45 released as the Legend, contains two excellent non-LP originals ('Portrait Of Youth' b/w 'Enjoy Yourself'), which were later significantly redone and appear again on the 'Dragonfly' LP. Unfortunately all of the records fell flat in sales and the band again moved back to Colorado, where they continued to remain a well received live act. At around this time, McElwaine left the group and was not replaced.

In 1969, the same executives who represented the Legend recordings, saw the band playing at their old haunt, the Denver Family Dog, and were now further amazed by their originality and musicianship. This time, the record execs promised to allow the band to cut an LP of original material, so they packed up again for L.A. and recorded what was to become the 'Dragonfly' LP at Amigo and I.D. Studios in North Hollywood. This album is absolutely amazing and includes several outstanding, harder psychedelic originals, most of which are played on TWOS and credited to the Dragonfly moniker. At the time of release, the record did get some modest airplay on L.A. radio, but unfortunately it didn't sell well and the group broke up soon after its release. Jimerfield has since passed away, but Duncan, Davis and Russ are still active musicians to this day.

Tech-web-sound

Tracks
1. With A Girl Like You (R. Presley) - 2:22
2. The Sky That Is Blue (B. Corso) - 3:03
3. Zeppelin's Good Friday (E. Brooks, S. Romans) - 2:48
4. Where On Where Is Mother? (B. Corso) - 3:08
5. Yesterdays Child (B. Corso) - 2:37
6. Eyes Of The World (D. Mcginnis) - 2:30
7. The Kids Are Alright (P. Townshend) - 2:58
8. Cold Wind In August (B. Page) - 2:34
9. Sunny Day (E. Brooks, S. Romans) - 2:13
10.You'll Be Sorry Someday (B. Corso) - 2:13
11.Gigi (Lerner, Loewe) - 2:20
12.Baby Blue (B. Dylan) - 6:11
13.Portrait Of Youth (G. Jimerfield) - 2:44
14.Enjoy Yourself (R. Russ, B. Davis) - 2:51
15.I Love The Little Girls (M. Kelly, G. Jimmerfield, Radcliff) - 2:15
16.I Know (B. George) - 2:11
Bonus tracks 13-16

The Legend
*Jack Duncan - Bass
*Barry Davis - Drums, Backing Vocals
*Gerry Jimerfield - Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Randy Russ - Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Erni McElwaine - Keyboards

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Wayne Talbert - Houston Nickel Kicks (1970 us, magnificent funky r 'n' b, 2013 korean remaster)

Wayne Talbert's Houston Nickel Kicks (Mercury) was released in 1970. Before cutting this record, Talbert, who looks like a fat, freaky ex-Marine, played piano for Mother Earth and the Sir Douglas Quintet, worked with Dr. John the Night Tripper, did the arrangements for Jimmy Cotton's best album ( Cut You Loose ), made two mediocre solo albums, and wrote a song entitled "Schizophrenic Susan Minnick," all of which should entitle him to some small fame, surely. This, his latest album, was a blatant attempt to get Talbert a hit single, which attempt, unfortunately, failed.

The record was produced by the great Huey P. Meaux, who is responsible for the Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson hits, "Lover's Holiday," "Soulshake," and "Pickin Wild Mountain Berries." Meaux kept almost all the cuts simple, melodic, and less than three minutes long. The best of them are the amazingly pompous and melodramatic "I Can't Take Another Heartache" and "Put It On Me." Talbert pulls off with his fantastic voice, which falls just a little short of Screaming Jay Hawkins.

In addition to this, Houston Nickel Kicks is also worth owning for the truly tough cover picture of Talbert leaning against a Williams' Apollo pinball machine, which pinball connoisseurs will recognize as a classic. 

by Andy Klein

Tracks
1. I Can't Take Another Heartache (Thomas, McRee, Thomas) - 2:32
2. Wish You Were Here (Huey P. Meaux) - 2:01
3. Summertime Love (R. Thibodeaux) - 2:39
4. Lonely Weekends (Charlie Rich) - 2:12
5. Put It On Me (Leo Louviere, R. Thibodeaux) - 2:56
6. Sufferin City (McRee, Thomas, Thomas) - 2:08
7. Your Tears Leave Me Cold (Mark Sherman) - 3:32
8. Hello Maryanne (Ray Charles) - 2:40
9. Lover To A Friend (McRee, Thomas, Thomas) - 1:57
10.Nobody Loves Me (Nobody Cares) (Z. Clements) - 2:28

*Wayne Talbert - Vocals, Keyboards

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Spider - Labyrinths (1972 us, incredible swamp psych folk rock, 2013 korean remaster)

Short live US band, release their only album "Labyrinths" in 1972. A great example of swamp psych rock melted with spiritual folk country and classic rock tunes, with male / female stunning vocals, also need to mention the plethora of excellent guest musicians.  

Tracks
1. May 16th (Dan Moore) - 3:03
2. Alice In Wonderland (Hoyt Axton) - 2:28
3. It's Alright (Alan Parker) - 2:58
4. Little Love Song (Michael Deasy) - 1:55
5. Tell Me That You Love Me (Michael Clough) - 4:16
6. Southwind (Jeff Thomas) - 3:48
7. Pass It On (Michael Clough) - 3:32
8. Can't Let You Go (Alan Parker) - 3:55
9. Puppets (Michael Deasy) - 2:45
10.Revival (Jeff Thomas) - 3:34
11.Burnin' (L. Knechtel, M. Deasy) - 3:05

Spider
*Karen Brian - Vocals
*Michael Clough - Vocals
*Rusty Cope - Bass
*Michael Crowley - Piano, Vocals
Additional Musicians
*Jim Keltner - Drums
*Lee Sklar - Bass
*Max Bennett - Bass
*Carl Radle - Bass
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*Mike Deasy - Guitar
*Alan Parker - Guitar
*Red Rhodes - Steel Guitar
*Larry Knechtel - Keyboards
*Allan Beutler - Sax
*Jim Horn - Sax, Horn Arrangements
*Jack Kelson - Sax
*Chuck Findley - Trumpet
*Ollie Mitchell - Trumpet
*Dick “Slyde” Hyde - Trombone
*Gary Coleman - Percussion
*King Errisson - Congas
*Rita Jean Bodine - Background Vocals
*Kathy Deasy - Background Vocals
*Venetta Fields - Background Vocals
*Gwen Johnson - Background Vocals
*Clydie King - Background Vocals
*Dee Barton - String Arrangements

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Jack's Angels - Our Fantasy's Kingdom (1967 austria / canada, sensational folk rock, Vinyl issue)

Jack  Grunsky was born in Austria and raised in Canada. After completing high school in Toronto in 1964, Jack moved to Austria, where he attended the Academy of Arts in Vienna. Interestingly, it was during his years as an art student that Jack's music began to flourish. For the next ten years he became popular in the European music scene as a singer-songwriter. In 1966 he formed the folk singing group, Jack's Angels, who recorded four albums for Amadeo Records of Vienna. They were hugely successful, but the group lasted only a few years.

After the group disbanded, Jack continued recording and made three more solo albums for Amadeo Records: The Way I Want To Live, My Ship and Toronto, which was produced by Alexis Korner in London, England and featured tracks with Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones on slide guitar. A number of singles reached the top of the European charts. Eckart Rahn, a music publisher took a keen interest in Jack and brought him on board the progressive German label, Kuckuck Records in Munich, where Jack produced three more albums: Buffalo Brian, Newborn Man and the self-titled, Jack Grunsky. 

Jack Grunsky - Bio

Tracks
1. It Takes So Long (Jordon arr Grunsky) - 1:57
2. The Early Riser - 3:41
3. Good Night Sweet Dream - 3:23
4. Purple Kangaroo - 2:47
5. The Last Thing On My Mind (Paxton arr. Grunsky) - 3:09
6. Rich Man's Spiritual (Lightfoot arr. Grunsky) - 2:51
7. Frankie And Johnny (Traditional arr. Grunsky) - 2:16
8. Fare Thee Well (Gude arr. Grunsky) - 2:39
9. Flight 4 Explore - 2:30
10.Here I Am (Oberhuber, Grunsky) - 2:41
11.Settle Down (Settle arr. Grunsky) - 2:30
12.My Fantasy's Kingdom - 4:56
All Compositions by Jack Grunsky except where stated

Personnel
*Claudia Pohl - Vocals
*Jack Grunsky - Vocals, Guitar
*Berni Prock - Drums
*Christopher Oberhuber - Banjo, Bass

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Various Artists - Ears Of Stone (60's us, wondrous weave of folk country and ochestrated psych, 2010 release)

A peculiar package in more ways than one, Ears of Stone has 20 Nashville-issued tracks from the 1960s that cover such a wide range as to be nearly unclassifiable. At least the strange "Ears of Stone" title was chosen for a reason, as it's the name of one of the songs here (by the Network). Not much else about this compilation can be explained away as easily, since the liner notes, unbelievably, actually belong to an entirely different compilation on the T-Bird label, Early Country and Western from Bullet Records Nashville, which consists of country music from the late '40s and early '50s. 

It's hard to believe this got past quality control, especially as the illustrations in the notes actually feature some of the '60s artist's and singles on the Ears of Stone compilation, but there you have it. At least it can be inferred from those illustrations that the CD contains tracks from obscure Nashville independent labels, particularly Spar and Bullet, whose releases have been spotlighted on numerous other compilations on the T-Bird label. Not one of the artists on Ears of Stone has any degree of fame, even among collectors, and without inclusion of the proper liner notes, it's hard to even cite anything specific about their origins.

Yet for all the strikes this has against it even before you've played the disc, it's a more worthwhile and listenable anthology than you might expect, even if its appeal is limited to diehards. There's pretty fair country-pop from Bobby & Bergen, and decent, rustic, underproduced folk-rock from Him & Her, whose "Too Much Too Soon" sounds like a garage Sonny & Cher. Also in an undernourished, yet charming, mid-'60s folk-rock vein, is the Mad Tea Party's "Keep It in Your Mind," which brings to mind a poppier Beau Brummels. 

The Seventh Plane's "Time to Realize" is engaging, tentative sunshine pop; the Network's "Ears of Stone" seems like it could have been done by the same group, with its pleasing male-female vocal harmonies, but it takes a more psychedelic tack, with enchanting bittersweet melodies buttressed by a subdued fuzz guitar. Christopher Jordan comes off like a rawer, more folk-rock inclined Neil Diamond on his self-penned "When It's Over"; the mysterious Tres (a trio, natch) offer confident, stripped-down country-rock. Several covers of pop/rock and country hits don't in any way challenge or redefine the familiar versions, but the Now Generation's cover of the Byrds/Turtles' "You Showed Me" is nonetheless entertaining, if in a soundalike sort of way. 

Truth be told, almost all of these tracks sound like underfunded demos, yet that's part of their charm and appeal. Lacking the budget and time to come up with something slicker, the artists do the best with what they've got and create some good, unaffected music unbeholden to a set formula, reflecting a modestly creative underbelly of the Nashville scene that's escaped the history books. Now if only this could be redone with the real liner notes.

by Richie Unterberger

Artists - Tracks 
1. Bertha, Buddy, Woody - Don't Think Twice (Bob Dylan) - 2:35
2. Bergen, Bobby - The Way You Treated Me for Years (White) - 2:27
3. Bergen, Bobby - It's Another World (Statler) - 1:58
4. Freda Burrell - There Goes My Everything (Frazier) - 3:07
5. Freda Burrell - A Woman Who Has Love (Burrell) - 2:15
6. Him And Her - Every Day I Have to Cry (Alexander) - 2:15
7. Him And Her - Too Much Too Soon (Wood) - 1:59
8. Unky, Phoebe And Fatty Ann - Big Windy City (Russell, White) - 2:51
9. Ricky Page  - Ode to Billie Joe (Gentry) - 4:11
10.The Now Generation - You Showed Me (Clark, Hillman) - 2:37
11.Johnny Elgin - My Hometown (Elgin) - 2:35
12.The Mad Tea Party - Keep It in Your Mind (Godknecht) - 3:11
13.The Seventh Plane - Time to Realize (Romans) - 2:18
14.The Network - Ears of Stone (Romans, Sullivan) - 2:47
15.Christopher Jordan - When It's Over (Jordan) - 2:52
16.Christopher Jordan - Don't Ever Tell Me (Jordan) - 2:54
17.Aardvark - The Kiss That Touches Me (Cohen, Cohen) - 2:26
18.Jim Hsieh - I Need a Ride (Rutherford) - 2:21
19.Tres - Bittersweet Tears (Montgomery) - 3:29
20.Tres - I Can't Hold On (Montgomery) - 1:45

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