The Rowans - Sibling Rivalry / Jubilation (1976-77 us, marvelous country silky rock, 2004 issue)

Jerry Garcia called them the California Beatles. Rock critic Dave Marsh quipped that Garcia must have been tripping at the time. The truth about the Rowans can be found where the truth often resides: somewhere in the middle. Between Garcia's adulation and the critics' damnation with faint praise, the Rowans made an eclectic and uneven body of work for Asylum Records in the mid-'70s—a trio of albums through which disparate styles, from bluegrass and reggae to straightforward pop and rock, intersected and combined. Some of the Rowans' songs from this period continue to be sung today and, thanks to Collectors' Choice, their original albums are back in print nearly thirty years later.

Peter, Chris and Lorin Rowan recorded their self-titled Asylum debut in 1975, and that story can be found in the booklet of The Rowans, reissued on compact disc by Collectors' Choice in 2002. This disc is the second chapter in the Rowans' saga, pairing the group's second and third Asylum albums, Sibling Rivalry Wlb) and Jubilation (1977). Herein is some of the Rowans' best and most commercially successful music.

Many fans consider Sibling Rivalry to be the Rowans' finest moment, and with good reason. For starters, it has the Rowans' sole charting single, "If I Only Could," which peaked at #74 on the Billboard pop chart but fared a little better in Cash Box, where it reached #69. The Rowans were no strangers to the charts, though: Chris and Lorin, as the Rowan Brothers, made a single that "bubbled under" the Billboard Top 100 in 1972, and Peter reached the Top 100 in 1969 with the band Earth Opera. "If I Only Could," written by Chris, features the delicate sound of Peter's mandola and the brothers' three-part harmonies on a gem of California country-rock that bears a passing resemblance to America or Crosby, Stills & Nash.

The Rowans' Asylum debut was filled with sounds of, and allusions to, Eastern spirituality and music. Sibling Rivalry showed their continuing interest in the East with the Chinese dragon on its cover and song titles like "Fire Dragon" and "Mongolian Swamp." But the album veered into other exotic realms with the Spanish story-song "Joaquin Murrieta," the faux reggae of "Love Is," and "Ya Ba Da Ba," which Billboard described as a "'40s-sounding Pointer Sisters type of number," in apparent reference to the Pointer Sisters' nostalgic 1974 album That's a Plenty. Keeping with the countercultural currents that were always on or just below the surface of the Rowans' music, Sibling Rivalry was co-produced by Bill Wolf, one-time member of legendary hippie rock band the Fugs.

The progressive bluegrass group Northern Lights later recorded Sibling Rivalry's closing cut, "Soldier of the Cross," and the song showed up again as the title track of Ricky Skaggs' Grammy award-winning bluegrass gospel album in 1999. In spite of the Rowans' accomplished songwriting and musicianship, Sibling Rivalry M not chart, nor did a follow-up single release of "Ooh My Love." Billboard reviewed the album in their Recommended LPs column, but weakly praised it as "wholly acceptable" and opined that "the boys could use some more bite intheirvocals next time out."

The Rowans released Jubilation late the following year—their final album for Asylum. On the surface it seemed like an attempt to make an overtly commercial pop album, but the music is in some ways a return to the sunny pop sound first heard on Chris and Lorin's 1972 album, Rowan Brothers. When Peter joined the group for the Rowans' Asylum debut, he brought his interests in bluegrass and Eastern mysticism to the table, but on Jubilation those contributions are not in evidence, and Peter's songs are much more pop-oriented than before. In particular, there is nothing that even a charitable critic would identify as progressive bluegrass. If you listen closely, however, there are still a few unusual things happening in the grooves.

The title and cover art of Jubilation convey a youthfulness and energy that is only furthered by the bright harmonies and melodies within. The previous albums' experimentation is all but gone, replaced with a sugary pop glaze and Beatlesque melodies. Even the fiddle on "Don't Say Goodbye" adds no particular country flavor, which should not come as a surprise since the man behind the bow is famous jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli! The album, in fact, is full of jazz players, right down to the steel drummer, Andy Narell. "Best of Friends," another light, harmonydrenched pop song in the direction of Bread, was paired with "Makin' It Easy" for the album's single but didn't register on the charts. "Hoo Doo Love" is only a few steps away from the dance floor with its pulsing rhythm, high harmonies and synthesizer solo (the Sheila Escovedo on the conga drums became better known in the mid-'80s as pop star Sheila E). "Love's Secret Sighs" and "Don't Say Goodbye" are distinctly Beatlesque, and "Lovelight" features more synthesizer sounds by Bernie Krause, George Harrison's collaborator on his 1969 album Electronic Sound. In the end, one minor hit was not enough to placate the bean counters, so the Rowans and Asylum parted company.

The Rowan brothers complained that Asylum didn't know quite what to make of—or how to market— their albums, and failed to give them much of a promotional push. Listening to their music, it isn't hard to understand the label's bafflement—today the Rowans' albums are often filed under progressive bluegrass, but Billboard categorized them as pop, and—with the exception of isolated cuts like Sibling Rivals "Tired Hands"—it would take a broad and permissive definition of bluegrass to accommodate the Rowans' music. The fact is, the Rowans were and are three individuals with distinct styles and interests, and the albums they made for Asylum were melting pots overflowing with their creators' eclecticism and ideas. If their styles didn't always gel, perhaps it was because their interests were so broad. 

The Rowans went on to record other albums for other labels, separately and together, and continue to actively record and perform. The trio released a new album as the Rowan Brothers, Crazy People, on their own Rowantone Records in 2002. Stepping back in time, the two albums reissued here capture the brothers at their major label peak, going for broke in a commercial arena and striving to make, in Lorin's words, "the best successful records possible."

by Greg Adams

Tracks
Sibling Rivalry 1976
1. Ooh My Love (Chris Rowan) - 4:30
2. Love Is (Lorin Rowan, Dudley Glanz, Mark Stein) - 4:10
3. Tired Hands (Lorin Rowan, Peter Rowan) - 5:07
4. If I Only Could (Chris Rowan) - 3:52
5. No Desanimes Amor (Peter Rowan, Juanita West, Amanda Lynn, Woody West) - 3:55
6. Ya Ba Da Ba (Chris Rowan) - 2:52
7. Fire Dragon (Chris Rowan, Lorin Rowan, Peter Rowan) - 0:58
8. Mongolian Swamp/King's Men (Lorin Rowan, Peter Rowan) - 4:14
9. Joaquin Murrieta (Peter Rowan) - 8:29
10.Sword Of Faith/Soldier Of The Cross (Lorin Rowan) - 4:59
Jubilation 1977
11.Best Of Friends (Lorin Rowan) - 3:06
12.Give Ya Good Lovin' (Peter Rowan) - 3:16
13.Hoo Doo Love (Chris Rowan) - 5:20
14.Love' Secret Sighs (Chris Rowan, Peter Rowan) - 2:35
15.Don't Say Goodbye (Peter Rowan) - 3:40
16.Lovelight (Chris Rowan) - 4:17
17.New Horizons (Lorin Rowan) - 4:42
18.Makin' It Easy (Chris Rowan, Peter Rowan) - 3:41
19.Calle Music (Lorin Rowan) - 5:14

Musicians
Sibling Rivalry 1976
*Peter Rowan - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
*Chris Rowan - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Lorin Rowan - Guitar, Vocals
*Joe Carroll - Bass
*Wally Drogas - Drums
*Bill Elliott - Organ, Piano
*K. Dudley Glanz - Drums
*Richard Greene - Violin
*Jim Hodder - Drums
*Mark Stein - Drums
Jubilation 1977
*Peter Rowan - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
*Chris Rowan - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Lorin Rowan - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
*Terry Adams - Cello
*Susan Bates - Viola
*Nancy Ellis - Viola
*Brad Bilhorn - Drums
*Stephne Busfield - Guitar
*Joe Carroll - Basss
*Ralph Carter - Bass
*Peter Barshay - Bass, Drums
*Brian Cooke - Piano
*Glenn Cronkhite - Percussion
*Glen Deardorff - Violin, Guitar
*Keith Glanz - Drums
*Stephane Grappelli - Violin
*Lee Carlton - Drums
*Bob Hogins - Keyboards
*Daniel Kobialka - Violin

1972  Rowan Brothers - Rowan Brothers
1975  Rowans - The Rowans
Related Act
1968  Earth Opera - Earth Opera
1969  Earth Opera - The Great American Eagle Tragedy

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The Frantics - Relax Your Mind (1968 us, magical trippy psychedelic rock, rare issue)

The Frantics were from the same era and area as The BlueThings the '60s and the Midwest. They were musicians from parts of Montana and North Dakota who formed The Frantics in Billings, Montana. All of them were in bands previously and some had released singles locally. They were fans of The BlueThings and the first Frantics1 single in 1966 was The BlueThings version of "La Do Da Da”, backed with "Route 66". Only 1,000 copies were pressed and today they are much sought-after by collectors.

Through 1966 and 1967, The Frantics progressed as artists. After becoming the top draw in Montana and most of Wyoming and 9outh Dakota, they became a "KOMA" band (along with The Tracers, The Fabulous Flippers, 9pider &• The Crabs, The Red Dogs and The BlueThings).

They headlined all over the country and were also second billed on concerts with The Who, The Young Rascals, The Everly Brothers, The 9teve Miller Band and other groups, including a week-long, three-state tour with The Yardbirds with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page ("...who were real friendly when we partied with them after the concerts back at the motel") and three tours with The McCoys, during which they became friends with Rick Derringer (Zehriger). Later when fhe Frantics were based in New York City, Rick, in his first role as producer, produced some demos tor them (including the first recorded version of "Just For A While").

The Frantics, then based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico ("The best place to be during the psychedelic days," says Kim Sherman), later moved to New York City in early 1968. They were quickly signed up with Premier Talent, one of the biggest national booking agencies then and now. The Frantics played the top East Coast circuit, including the legendary Steve Paul's "The Scene" in New York City. It was the best place for famous and upcoming groups to perform and jam after hours. Steve Paul liked The Frantics and they got to play there a lot. On off nights or after other gigs in town, they would go back to The Scene, where Steve would always let them in for free to watch other groups.

Says Kim, "Jimi Hendrix would often come down to The Scene and jam with other great musicians like B.B. King and Rick Derringer. Some of us also jammed with Jimi. One night Jim Morrison got up on stage with Jimi and literally screamed into the mike in a drunken stupor, fell down and had to be carried out."

The Frantics tired of the East Coast weather and rat race and after a tour of Florida they moved back to New Mexico. They rented two houses in the mountains around Ruidoso. They went out on weekends playing around New Mexico, Colorado and West Texas and spent the rest of the time jamming in their rehearsal house and working up more original songs.

This CD, a result of those jams, was recorded at Norman Petty’s legendary 4-track studio in Clovis, NM during a week's time. All of the songs were performed live with the exception of "She", which was too psychedelic to be played live. Some of these songs were later re-recorded and appeared on The Frantics' official 1970 album.

The Frantics then moved to Colorado Springs, CO, becoming the top local Colorado draw before relocating in 1969 to Los Angeles where they felt their psychedelic/hard rock frame of mind and stage show would be better suited to pursue their career. They shortened their name to "Frantic" and headlined at the Whiskey A Go-Go (where they were told to turn down their amps because they were so loud) and became well-known around Southern California. They signed up with manager Robert Fitzpatrick (who used to co-manage Cream and The Bee Gees) and in 1970 released their first official album which got a 4-Star pick in Billboard magazine.

Their record label, Lizard Records, was owned by Gabriel Meckler, who produced all the Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf records. Although Frantic received a $20,000 advance to sign with the label (a considerable amount at the time), the record did not sell well due to a lack of distribution. Amazingly, the album was bootlegged in Europe a few years ago and recently was also released on CD. The original album commands good money as a collectors1 item.

In 1971, after seven years, the band began to splinter and disbanded. However, half of the members stayed together and went on to create many more original songs and demo recordings, some of which got airplay on Los Angeles radio stations even though there was no record. 

Their legacy continues today as most of the members are still active in the music business performing, producing and doing session work. Kim says, "During our career we had a lot going for us. We had the musicianship, vocals, songs and  stage snow, as well as the equipment, clothes, confidence and the best light show. We were also the first group in the Midwest to have roadies to set up our equipment and were probably the best group most of our audiences had ever seen. We graduated to one-set concerts and blew away all of our backing groups, as well as some major groups when we did concerts with them. Our version of 'My Generation' was so powerful that when we played with The Who, their manager, after hearing us playing it during our sound check, wouldn't allow us to perform it that night?

Kim went to Hawaii, Dennis to London, England, and the rest of The Frantics stayed in Los Angeles. Please keep in mind that the original master tapes of this demo album were lost many years ago and all that exists of that session was a very old, fourth-generation tape from which this CD was made.

CD Liner-Notes

Tracks
1. Her and Her Mountain (Kim Sherman, Dennis Devlin) - 3:27
2. Lady of the Night (Max Byfuglin, Jim Haas) - 3:38
3. Child of the Universe (Kim Sherman, Dennis Devlin) - 5:29
4. Sweet Mary (Kim Sherman, Max Byfuglin) - 2:38
5. Think About It (Max Byfuglin, Jim Haas) - 2:59
6. Relax Your Mind (Max Byfuglin, Jim Haas) - 3:22
7. JJust for a While (Kim Sherman, Max Byfuglin) - 2:53
8. Stranger (Max Byfuglin) - 3:29
9. She (Jim Haas) - 4:24
10.Great Tomato (Dennis Devlin) - 2:42
11.Scitnarf (Kim Sherman, Dennis Devlin) - 2:36
12.Stone Goddess (Kim Sherman, Dennis Devlin) - 4:41

The Frantics
*Kim Sherman - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Max Byfuglin - Lead Vocals
*Dennis Devlin - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica
*David Day - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Jim Haas - Keyboards, Vocals I
*Phil (Gordo Head) - Drums

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Jim Sullivan - Jim Sullivan (1972 us, fascinating swamp folk rock, 2011 korean edition)

Sullivan’s second, self-titled and final essay was released in 1972 and hosted by Hugh Heffner’s record label “Playboy”. Three years after U.F.O., Sullivan began his new musical adventure exactly where he stopped.  To be precise he rerecorded and included two songs from his first album “Sandman” and “Plain to See” –each one was the final track on every LP side-. 

Rough folk blues mixed with brass jazz tunes and a hard (cry baby) guitar rockin’, named “Tom Cat”. Travelling from smoothness to sharpness, like riding a beautiful wild horse in a harsh country,  with an edged blade cutting the desert’s silence. 

Tracks
1. Don't Let It Throw You - 3:14
2. Sonny Jim - 3:11
3. Tea Leaves 3:18
4. Biblical Boogie (True He's Gone) - 3:36
5. Lonesome Picker (John Stewart) - 3:09
6. Sandman - 2:45
7. Tom Cat - 3:10
8. You Show Me The Way To Go (Ronald Bertram Greaves, Jonathan Rowlands) - 3:32
9. Amos - 4:31
10.I'll Be Here - 2:26
11.Plain To See - 4:09
Words and Music by Jim Sullivan except where indicated

Personnel
*Jim Sullivan - Vocals, Guitar, Strings Arrangement
*David Cohen - Guitar, Banjo
*Jim Hughart - Bass
*Allen Reuss - Bouzouki
*Gene Estes - Percussion
*Colin Bailey - Percussion
*Mike Melvoin - Piano

1969  Jim Sullivan - U.F.O. (2010 issue)

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Jim Sullivan - U.F.O. (1969 us, tremendous folkish psychedelia, 2010 issue)

In March 1975, Jim Sullivan mysteriously disappeared outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His VW bug was found abandoned, his motel room untouched. Some think he got lost in the desert. Some think he fell foul of a local family with alleged mafia ties. Some think he was abducted by aliens.

By coincidence – or perhaps not – Jim’s 1969 debut album was titled U.F.O. Released in tiny numbers on a private label, it too was truly lost, until Seattle’s Light In The Attic Records begun a years-long quest to give it the full release it deserves – and to solve the mystery of Sullivan’s disappearance. Only one of those things happened.

For record collectors, some albums are considered impossible to get hold of, records so rare you could sit on eBay for years and not get a sniff of a copy. U.F.O. is one of those albums. A seventh son, Jim Sullivan was a West Coast should-have-been, an Irish-American former high school quarterback whose gift for storytelling earned him cult status in the Malibu bar where he performed nightly. Sullivan was always on the edge of fame; hanging out with movie stars like Harry Dean Stanton, performing on the Jose Feliciano show, even stealing a cameo in the ultimate hippie movie, Easy Rider.

Friend and actor Al Dobbs thought he could change all that, and founded a label – Monnie Records – to release Jim’s album, enlisting the assistance of Phil Spector’s legendary sessioneers The Wrecking Crew to do so. That’s Don Randi, Earl Palmer and Jimmy Bond you can hear, the latter also acting as producer and arranger.

U.F.O. was a different beast to the one-man-and-his-guitar stuff Jim had been doing on stage; instead, it was a fully realised album of scope and imagination, a folk-rock record with its head in the stratosphere. Sullivan’s voice is deep and expressive like Fred Neil with a weathered and worldly Americana sound like Joe South, pop songs that aren’t happy – but with filled with despair. The album is punctuated with a string section (that recalls David Axelrod), other times a Wurlitzer piano provides the driving groove (as if Memphis great Jim Dickinson was running the show). U.F.O. is a slice of American pop music filtered from the murky depths of Los Angeles, by way of the deep south.

With no music industry contacts, the record went largely unnoticed, and Jim simply moved on, releasing a further album on the Playboy label in 1972. But by 1975, his marriage breaking up, Jim left, for Nashville and the promise of a new life as a sessioneer in the home of C&W. That’s where it gets hazy.

We know he was stopped by cops for swerving on the highway in Santa Rosa, some 15 hours after setting off. We know he was taken to a local police station, found to be sober, and told to go to the local La Mesa Motel to get some rest, which he did. Some time later, his car was spotted on a ranch belonging to the local Genetti family, who confronted him about his business there. The next day his car was found 26 miles down the road, abandoned. His car and his hotel room contained, among other things, his twelve-string guitar, his wallet, his clothes and several copies of his second album, but no note, and no Jim. It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.

Jim’s family travelled out to join search parties looking for him, the local papers printed missing person stories, but the search proved fruitless. Around the same time, the local sheriff retired and the Genettis moved to Hawaii. Jim’s manager Robert “Buster” Ginter later stated that during the early morning hours of a long evening Jim and Buster were talking about what would you do if they had to disappear. Jim said he’d walk into the desert and never come back.

Tracking down the truth behind Jim’s mystery became an obsession of Light In The Attic’s Matt Sullivan (no relation) when he happened upon a copy of the album and fell in love. He took on a cross country pilgrimage in search of master tapes and truth, and came back with neither, despite hundreds of phone calls, e-mails, letters, faxes, private detectives, telepathy, palm readings and meetings with Jim’s wife, son and producer. Thanks to superb digital mastering techniques, Light In The Attic is still able to present a clean, near perfect copy of Jim’s masterpiece for general consumption for the first time. Enjoy. And remember, beyond the mystery, there’s the music.

LightInTheAttic

Tracks
1. Jerome - 2:47
2. Plain As Your Eyes Can See - 2:27
3. Roll Back The Time - 2:14
4. Whistle Stop - 2:37
5. Rosey - 3:21
6. Highways - 2:51
7. U.F.O. - 2:5
8. So Natural - 3:2
9. Johnny - 4:5
10.Sandman - 2:31
All Music and Lyrics by Jim Sullivan

Musicians
*Max Bennett - Bass
*Lyle Ritz - Bass
*Earl Palmer - Drums
*Don Randi - Keyboards
*Jimmy Bond - Double Bass
*Jim Sullivan - Vocals, Guitar

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Shawn Phillips - Furthermore (1974 us, brilliant prog folk rock with funky vibes, 2014 issue)

Shawn Phillips is one of those legends that had been swept up in mystery, disappeared under the cloak of the sixties, or stripped of acknowledgement due to dirty management and contracts. Such is the case with the twelve-string acoustic genius, Shawn Phillips, one time flat partner with Tim Hardin, who played the Indian sitar for Donovan on “Sunshine Superman” and exquisite “Three Kingfishers”. 

At the age of twenty Shawn moved to London and became known as a prolific writer, musician, and vocalist. Not only did he tutor Joni Mitchell at a very young age, but also this Texas born folk musician was a regular at the Bleecker / McDougal folk clubs of the early sixties. 

Shawn’s 1974 Furthermore release has ex Big Three / Quartermass bassist John Gustafson ploughing into the progressive intro “January First”. It is here that you realize that Shawn was far from folk, but more in the jazzy confines of intricate Progressive Rock. As if to pacify the mayhem Shawn paints his brushes through the tranquil “Starbright” with Peter Robinson etching the canvass with his rippling keyboards while ex Blue Mink Anne Odell bends the mellotron on this choral stargazer. Shawn once told me on a 10min radio interview that Furthermore was his absolute assault and creation. 

The album also boasts the ethereal cello of Paul Buckmaster, a master arranger of note. This album has dimension beyond the shifting sands of Camel or Caravan such as the spacey “Cape’ Barras” airlifting Shawn’s yodel vox. Shawn recruited phase axe innovator Caleb Quaye for the guitar inquisitions that sprouted out of “Ninety Two Years” and “Talking In The Garden”.Perhaps the most moistening deliverance saddles the infectious “Breakthrough”, a master in it’s own reflection. Each of Shawn’s albums has a dazzling gem that often blinds the listener, namely Collaborations that gave us the stirring “Moonshine” and “Spring Wind” while Furthermore, shimmered through “Talking in the Garden”, and then there was Bright White and the underrated Rumpelstiltskin Resolve.

by Shiloh Noone

Tracks
1. January First (Shawn Phillips, Peter Robinson) - 3:11
2. Starbright - 3:51
3. Breakthrough - 5:45
4. Ninety Two Years - 3:07
5. See You - 4:14
6. Planscape (Shawn Phillips, Paul Buckmaster) - 4:16
7. Troof - 4:24
8. Cape Barres - 4:01
9. Song For Northern Ireland - 2:06
10.Mr. President - 3:35
11.Talking In The Garden - 3:13
12.Furthermore - 2:32
All selections written by Shawn Phillips except where noted

Musicians
*Shawn Phillips - Vocals, Guitars
*Peter Robinson - Keyboards
*John Gustafson - Bass
*Barry De Souza - Drums
*Caleb Quaye - Guitar
*Paul Buckmaster - Cello
*Raul Mayora - Percussion
*Ann Odell - Mellotron On "Starbright"

1969-72  Shawn Phillips - Faces (2014 remaster)
1970  Shawn Phillips - Contribution / Second Contribution (2009 remaster)

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Jesse Winchester - Learn To Love It / Let The Rough Side Drag (1974-76 us / canada, elegant folk world blues silk rock, 2012 remaster)

As the title suggests, making a virtue of necessity had always been one of Jesse Winchester's goals, and by the time of the release of his third album, the American expatriate had gone ahead and assumed Canadian citizenship. This seemed to free him to comment explicitly on his antiwar exile in "Pharaoh's Army" and especially a version of the old campaign song "Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt" updated with new lyrics: "In the year of 1967, as a somewhat younger man, the call to bloody glory came, and I would not raise my hand." Elsewhere, Winchester continued to write love songs to his lost South ("L'Air de la Louisiane," "Mississippi You're on My Mind") and, to a lesser extent, to pursue the wistful philosophizing found on Third Down, 110 to Go ("Defying Gravity"). 

The sense that he was repeating himself was inescapable, however, and with one-third of the album written by others and two of the originals in French Canadian, it was also obvious that Winchester was straining to come up with material. Interestingly, the two Russell Smith songs included, "Third Rate Romance" (which Smith sang uncredited) and "The End Is Not in Sight," went on to become Top 40 country hits for Smith's group, the Amazing Rhythm Aces, in the next two years. Stoney Edwards took "Mississippi You're on My Mind" into the country Top 40 in 1975. 

At his best, Jesse Winchester is an inspired songwriter with a unique worldview. But even at less than his best, he is a craftsman, capable of turning out an album's worth of well-written songs like those here that, now and then, suggest his personal viewpoint. The title track, another of Winchester's reflections on the importance of persevering under difficult circumstances, and "Damned If You Do," which suggests that you might as well follow your heart because you're in trouble either way, are up to his usual standard. But even slight songs like "Everybody Knows But Me" are clever and enjoyable, and overall, Let the Rough Side Drag, with its accomplished mixture of country and R&B, was Winchester's most accessible album so far, even if it was his least ambitious. 

by William Ruhlmann

Tracks
Learn To Love It 1974
1. Wake Me - 2:26
2. Every Word You Say - 1:58
3. How Far To The Horizon - 2:18
4. L'air De La Louisiana - 2:20
5. Mississippi You're On My Mind - 3:29
6. Third Rate Romance (Russell Smith) - 3:39
7. Defying Garvity - 2:43
8. Tell Me Why You Look Like Roosevelt (Traditional) - 2:54
9. Pharaoh's Army - 1:18
10.Laisse Les Bons Temps Rouler - 2:36
11.The End Is Not In Sight (Russell Smith) - 2:40
12.You Can't Stand Up Alone (Martha Carson) - 2:04
Let The Rough Side Drag 1976
13.Let The Rough Side Drag - 2:40
14.Damned If You Do - 3:27
15.Step By Step - 3:02
16.Lay Down Your Burden - 4:13
17.Everybody Knows But Me - 2:58
18.Blow On Chilly Wind - 2:32
19.Working In The Vineyard - 2:48
20.How About You - 4:09
21.It Takes More Than A Hammer And Nails To Make A House A Home (Aaron Schroeder, David Hill) - 4:36
22.As Soon As I Get On My Feet - 3:16
23.The Only Show In Town - 2:31
24.The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Reprise) - 3:31
All songs by Jesse Winchester except where stated

Musicians
1974  Learn To Love It
*Jesse Winchester - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
*Amos Garrett - Guitar
*John Rigby - Strings

1976  Let The Rough Side Drag
*Jesse Winchester - Vocals, Guitar
*Keyboards, Flute
*Marty Harris - Bass, Background Vocals
*Chris Castle - Drums
*Bob Cohen - Guitar
*Christian St. Roch - Drums
*Maurice Beauchamp - Keyboards
*Ron Dann - Pedal Steel
*Carlisle Miller - Sax
*Bruce Murchison - Violin
*Ken Pearson - Piano
*Don Habib - Bass
*Bob Lucier - Pedal Steel
*Lorri Zimmerman - Background Vocals
*Sharon Ryan - Background Vocals

1970/72  Jesse Winchester - Jesse Winchester / Third Down 110 To Go (2012 remaster issue)

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Rowans - The Rowans (1975 us, beautiful folk country soft rock, 2004 remaster)

Progressive bluegrass group the Rowans consisted of harmonizing brothers Peter (guitar, most members of the mandolin family), Lorin (guitar), and Chris (guitar, flute). All three grew up in the small Massachusetts town of Weyland, near Boston, and played rock and bluegrass music together. Peter played with several folk bands in the New England area, joined Bill Monroe's band for a time, then teamed up with mandolin virtuoso David Grisman in the folk-rock outfit Earth Opera during the late '60s and early '70s. Lorin and Chris, meanwhile, teamed up as the folk/pop/country-rock duo the Rowan Brothers in the early '70s. With Grisman in tow, they relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and scored a record deal with CBS, helped in part by an endorsement from Grisman's old cohort Jerry Garcia. 

The Rowan Brothers' self-titled debut was released in 1972, with Grisman producing under the alias David Diadem, and they opened for the Grateful Dead. By 1975, brother Peter was between projects, and he joined his brothers as the renamed trio the Rowans. Their eponymous debut together was released on Asylum in 1975 and received highly positive reviews for its progressive, sometimes jazzy leanings and extended compositions. The 1976 follow-up, Sibling Rivalry, was equally acclaimed, but most critics agreed that 1977's Jubilations halted the trio's creative hot streak. They subsequently parted ways with Asylum and issued two more albums on the small Appaloosa label in 1980 before disbanding to pursue other projects. The Rowans reunited periodically for performances, particularly in the late '80s, and in 1994 (as Peter Rowan & the Rowan Brothers) recorded Tree on a Hill for the Sugar Hill roots label. 

by Steve Huey

Joined by brother Peter and Chris Lorin Rowan signed with Asylum Records for their second outing, this time as the Rowans. Peter injects a bit more substance into the material, although it follows the same folk and country-rock leanings of its predecessor. Once again, Chris and Lorin offer a collection of sincere, tuneful, albeit slight songs, while Peter delivers three of the album's best cuts, including "Beggar in Bluejeans," "Thunder on the Mountain," and the near-classic "Midnight, Moonlight" (also released that same year as part of the great bluegrass project Old & in the Way and a few years later on his solo debut). 

by Brett Hartenbach

Tracks
1. Take It As It Comes (Lorin Rowan) - 3:22
2. Midnight-Moonlight (Peter Rowan) - 4:19
3. Me Loving You (Chris Rowan) - 4:04
4. Old Silver (Peter Rowan) - 3:02
5. Thunder On The Mountain (Peter Rowan) - 8:25
6. Beggar In Blue Jeans (Chris Rowan) - 4:56
7. Do Right (Lorin Rowan) - 4:15
8. Man-Woman (Chris Rowan) - 5:44
9. Pieces On The Ground (Lorin Rowan) - 3:54
10.Here Today Gone Tomorrow (Peter Rowan) - 3:42

Musicians
*Peter Rowan - Electric, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Mandola, Mandocello, Tabla, Tamboura, Vocals
*Chris Rowan - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Flute, Keyboards, Vocals
*Lorin Rowan - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Piano, Sound Effects, Vocals
*David Hayes - Bass
*Russ Kunkel - Drums
*Jack Bonus - Flute, Saxophone

1972  Rowan Brothers - Rowan Brothers
Related Act
1968  Earth Opera - Earth Opera
1969  Earth Opera - The Great American Eagle Tragedy

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The End - From Beginning To End..(1964-70 uk, brilliant sparkling bright psychedelia, 2015 four discs box set)

One thing you learn, sleuthing for obscure psychedelic music from the sixties, is that for every “White Rabbit” there is a “Night Sounds Loud.” And a “Crystal Forms.” And God knows how many other brilliant songs grown out of the same protoplasm, but forgotten to history. There is just no shortage of mind-exploding songs that have long ago slipped away into The Nothing – standout songs from bands less consistent, or just less lucky than Jefferson Airplane.

Even knowing that so much great overlooked music is out there, buried deep in record stacks and on YouTube, I was unprepared for “Introspection” by The End. Ironically, seeing that it was produced by Bill Wyman and engineered by Glyn Johns actually lowered my expectations. Let me explain. For an album with such a pedigree – produced by a Rolling Stone in 1968 – to have completely fallen between the cracks, it couldn’t actually be any good, or surely I’d have heard about it before now. Even the album cover is great – is that Charlie Watts’ eye?? It was just too good to be true, so it had to be lousy.

But it’s not lousy. In fact, it’s incredibly not lousy. Not just one or two of the songs, either – the whole album is a full-bodied technicolor blowout. Exquisite production, hooks galore and whiplash transitions. The album was set to come out on Decca (the Rolling Stones’ label) in 1968, and by all rights conquer the world. But, bafflingly, it was shelved for about a year. Which, in the music scene in the late sixties, might as well have been twenty. When Decca did finally release it, they put nothing behind it, and it sunk like a stone.

by Benjamin Wheelock

Although The End actually formed in 1965 some early groundwork was laid down beforehand. As 1964 progressed and Colin Giffin and Dave Brown became increasingly aware that song-writing had a future indeed, was possibly the future, they used their free time between The Innocents' touring and gig date; to start developing their own writing, often demoing their songs at the now-legendary R.G. Jones recording studio in Morden. The studio was something of a magnet for artists and groups all around south London and surrounding areas, such as The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, PP Arnold and many others (Bill Wyman would later use the studio for sessions with The End). 

Mr R.G. Jones himself was an avuncular figure endlessly enthusiastic and encouraging to the many young musicians and singers passing through on their way to who-knew-where. Many of the tracks recorded by Giffin and Brown have disappeared 'Another Time, Another Place', 'She's The One' for example, but may, hopefully, be hidden away in some dusty cupboard or attic somewhere but two titles are included in this compilation; 'I Want You Around and 'I Can't Believe It'. This writing partnership continued through The End years, augmented by productive collaborations with Nicky Graham and Terry Taylor.

CD Liner Notes

Tracks

Disc 1 In The Begining 1964-67

1. I Can't Get Any Joy (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) -  2.17 

2. Hey Little Girl (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 2.22

3. I Want You Around (Dave Brown, Lawrie Williams) - 2.21

4. I Can't Believe It (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Lawrie Williams) - 2.19

5. Lost Without You (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Lawrie Williams) - 1.52

6. Baby Stay Like You Are (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 2.35

7. It Won't Be Long (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 2.09

8. She Believed Me (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Lawrie Williams) - 1.44

9. I Got Wise (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 3.27

10.You're So Right (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 2.21

11.You Better Believe It Baby (Joe Tex) - 3.06

12.Please Do Something (Don Covay, Ron Miller) - 2.11

13.Why (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 2.41

14.Yo-Yo (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 2.40

15.Searching For My Baby (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin) - 2.11

16.Daddy Loves Baby (Don Covay) - 2.30

17.We've Got It Made (July 1967 Mix) (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 2.34

18.Shades Of Orange (November 1967 Mix) (Bill Wyman, Peter Gosling) - 2.37

Disc 2 Introspection 1968-69
1. Dreamworld (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 4:16
2. Under The Rainbow (Colin Giffin) - 3:47
3. Shades Of Orange (Album Version) (Bill Wyman, Peter Gosling) - 2:39
4. Bromley Common (Talk) (George Kenset) -  0:49
5. Cardboard Watch (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor) - 2:53
6. Introspection (Part 1) (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 4:03
7. What Does It Feel Like (Colin Giffin, Terry Taylor) - 2:47
8. Linen Draper (Talk) (George Kenset) - 0:13
9. Don't Take Me (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 3:24
10.Loving, Sacred Loving (Album Version) (Bill Wyman, Peter Gosling) - 2:58
11.She Said Yeah (George Jackson, S. Christy) - 2:50
12.Jacobs Bladder (Talk) (George Kenset) - 0:53
13.Introspection (Part 2) (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 2:43
14.Shades Of Orange (Mono Single Version) (Bill Wyman, Peter Gosling) - 2:39
15.Loving, Sacred Loving (Mono Single Version) (Bill Wyman, Peter Gosling) - 3:02

Disc 3 Retrospection 1968-69
1. Loving Sacred Loving (February 1968 remix) (Bill Wyman, Peter Gosling) - 2:48
2. Building Up A Dream (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor) - 2:41
3. Little Annie (Colin Giffin) - 2:58
4. Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson, Tim Rose) - 3:34
5. Tears Will Be The Only Answer (Colin Giffin, Dave Brown) - 2:25
6. Today Tomorrow (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham) - 2:47
7. Lady Under The Lamp (Colin Giffin) - 2:33
8. Black Is Black (Michelle Grainger, Steve Wadey, Anthony Hayes) - 4:46
9. Mister Man (Colin Giffin) - 2:39
10.Call Me (Colin Giffin, Dave Brown) - 2:28
11.Shades Of Orange (June 1968 remix) (Bill Wyman, Peter Gosling) - 2:41
12.Mirror (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham) - 2:53
13.We've Got It Made (Mellotron Mix) (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 2:25
14.Bypass The By-Pass (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor) - 2:43
15.Mister Man (Instrumental Version) (Colin Giffin) - 3:47
16.The Fly (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 1:29
17.Sometimes I Wish I Were Dead (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 3:41
18.Stones In My Banana (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Nicky Graham) - 2:59

Disc 4 The Last Word 1969-70
1. Son Of Lightning (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor, Paul Francis) - 5.02
2. Second Glance (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor, Paul Francis) - 4.53
3. Mistress Bean (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor) - 3.14
4. For Eleanor (Terry Taylor) - 1.58
5. So Free (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor) - 3.53
6. North Thames Gas Board (Dave Brown, Colin Giffin, Terry Taylor, Nicky Graham) - 4.03
7. Do Right Woman Do Right Man (Dan Penn, Chips Moman) - 3.10
8. Turn On Waterstone (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor, Paul Francis) - 3.06
9. Smartypants (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor, Paul Francis) - 3.56
10.My Friend (Dave Brown, Nicky Graham, Terry Taylor, Paul Francis) - 4.01

The End (In The Begining 1964-67)
*Dave Brown - Bass, Vocals
*Colin Giffin - Guitar, Sax, Vocals
*Nicky Graham - Organ, Vocals
*Chris Winters – Drums
*Hugh Attwooll – Drums
With
*John Horton - Sax
*Charlie Watts – Tabla

The End (Introspection/Retrospection 1968-69)
*Dave Brown - Bass, Vocals
*Nicky Graham - Keyboards, Vocals
*Colin Giffin - Guitar, Vocals
*Terry Taylor - Guitar
*Hugh Attwooll - Drums
With
*John Horton – Saxophone
*George Kenset – Voice
*Nicky Hopkins – Harpsichord
*Ken Leeman – Sax
*Jim Henderson - Additional Harmony
*Charlie Watts - Tabla
*Chris Winters - Drums
*Lennie Neldrett - Guitat
*Tefry Taylor - Guitar

The End (The Last Word 1969-70)
*Dave Brown - Bass, Vocals
*Nicky Graham - Keyboards, Vocals
*Terry Taylor - Guitar
*Paul Francis - Drums
*Jim Henderson - Vocals
With
*Chris Spedding - Guitar
*Ian Stewart - Piano

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Rock Shop - Mr Lee's Swingin Affair Presents (1968 us, amazing folk psych garage rock)

Hailing from California, they became one of the most popular bands in the area, playing regularly at Mr Lee's Swingin' Affair nightclub in West Covina to packed houses. The band's one and only album, featured 12 self-penned tracks of fuzz-led blues and psych.

Despite enjoying a minor level of success including supporting both the Shirelles and Big Joe Turner, the band called it a day in 1969, leaving this lone recording as their epitaph.

This extremely rare album has a strong mix of psychedelia, garage and folk sounds mid to late sixties, given the high musical standard and excellent recording quality, still stand up amazingly well today. 

Tracks
1. Soap Suds And Cream - 5:44
2. Stop (Pat Edwards) - 1:57
3. Leaving Just Isn't Fair (John Dalbeck) - 2:29
4. Yes I Love You - 3:39
5. Bad Case of Booze (Pete's Theme) - 4:46
6. Goodbye Sunshine - 3:19
7. Why Not Three Or Four (John Dalbeck) - 2:35
8. Lay It On The Line - 2:46
9. Mediocre Blues (John Dalbeck) - 2:50
10.It's Hurting Me - 2:33
11.Look Looky Look (John Dalbeck) - 2:19
12.I Can't Go on - 3:38
All songs by Alan Clark except where stated

The Rock Shop
*Alan Clark - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Bass, Organ
*John Dalbeck - Guitar
*Pat Edwards - Bass
*Pete Stevens - Drums

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Scott Fagan - South Atlantic Blues (1968 us, brilliant mystical, mythical and deeply soulful folk psych with blues and jazz tinges, 2015 remaster)

Contemporary music documentaries are saturated with exasperating stories just like Scott Fagan’s. Recent cultural excavations have yielded new knowledge about artists like Rodriguez, as examined in the release of Searching for Sugar Man. An entire generation of Cambodian psych-pop music eradicated by Pol Pot’s regime was exposed to audiences far and wide thanks in part to the documentary Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten. The examples go on and on, but the necessity of unearthing undiscovered gems from the past is as much an art form as the gems themselves. In fact, that’s pretty much the storyline for how Scott Fagan’s overlooked debut was introduced to the world.

Upon its release in 1968, South Atlantic Blues, for whatever confounding reasons, dropped like a brick commercially, despite Fagan’s uncanny pedigree. Upon arriving in New York from the Virgin Islands at 21, Fagan landed a successful audition with legendary producer Doc Pomus, gigged with some guy named Jimmy James (later known as Jimi Hendrix), unwittingly sired a literary indie-pop genius in Stephin Merritt (they did not meet in person until 2013), and almost became the first non-Beatle to be signed to the Fab Four’s revered Apple Records label (touche, James Taylor).

Suffice it to say that despite these forces of chaos, they did nothing to lift South Atlantic Blues to the masses, and the LP was pretty much forgotten about very soon after its release. Enter pop artist Jasper Johns, who came upon Fagan’s album in a cutout bin some years later and, bewitched by the strength and wonder of the songs etched into the groove of this discarded unknown, set to creating the pieces for the series “Scott Fagan Record,” which hang in the MET and MoMA today.

There’s a bit of a good luck that set Fagan’s record in the hands of the folks at Saint Cecilia Knows and Light in the Attic—both arbiters of high standard in the art of the reissue. The story of how Fagan’s debut was ignored and rediscovered at random by a respected and popular artist is incredible, no doubt. In a bit of cruel irony, it’s the record itself that’s more incredible, by far.

Beginning with “In My Head,” Fagan’s conscious vocals command attention, ruminating on the hazy inner dialogue of someone coming into his own not just as an artist, but as a man. Fagan sings, “The city street show cracks like a star so I wonder/why is it so strange to rearrange the clouds over and under myself?/and I have always seen the sea as secret lover/but does she want the sky instead?/Oh no; it’s something in my head.” String flourishes and tasteful guitars accentuate the propulsion of what sounds more Motown than sacred psych-folk (as this release is widely incorrectly ballyhooed as), which is one of the first indicators of the album’s otherness. Fagan’s powerful vocal takes are the next.

Belting high in the mix, Fagan’s raw vibrato warbles like Bowie’s but rambles like Reed’s, painting pictures in words not unlike those his son would excel at much later. And while not all Fagan’s lyrical musings can be described as entirely legible in addition to being literarily strong, his striking ability to have injected vignettes of angst into Bacharach-like horn-heavy groovers like “Crying” ought to have endeared him to an entire generation of Van Morrison-worshipping peaceniks.

Interestingly, “Nickels and Dimes” predates Morrison’s “Moondance” by two years, at least in terms of release, and pulses on the same Pink Panther-esque menagerie of sultry horns and suspicious melodies inspired by Caribbean sensibilities and R&B swagger. South Atlantic Blues utilized plunky keys, warm bass and barely-there percussion to guide songs to emerge both as ethereal aural maps as well as perfectly unobtrusive melodic foundations for Fagan’s fanciful crooning. “Nickels and Dimes” is the opus of a confused spirit, bemused by the calling of his talent even at age 21, when so much of the world had still yet to be discovered. Whether those discoveries were made in quite the way Fagan imagined is a question this record, sadly, probably never prophesied.

If it’s possible to listen to this album with the context of when it was released in mind, when the Donovans of the world were sipping champagne from velvet slippers and The Beatles were still together, try your hardest. The story is great, but it wouldn’t mean shit if this was a work of garbage, despite its rescue from such a fate at the hands of Johns.

After listening to South Atlantic Blues, the likely thought-route is to ponder the whereabouts of the thousands of staggeringly great pieces of music, art, literature just gathering dust in a bin somewhere, and who might be paying attention enough to pick them up. Luckily, this one was given a new life, and with it, a new testament to the staying power of rebellious, mischievous, talented songwriters.

by Ryan J. Prado

Tracks

1. In My Head - 4:09
2. Nickels And Dimes - 2:18
3. Crying (Joe Kookoolis, Scott Fagan) - 4:27
4. The Carnival Is Ended - 4:07
5. South Atlantic Blues - 4:48
6. Nothing But Love (Joe Kookoolis, Scott Fagan) - 2:40
7. Tenement Hall (Joe Kookoolis, Scott Fagan) - 4:47
8. In Your Hands - 3:20
9. Crystal Ball (Mort Shuman, Scott Fagan) - 3:52
10.Madam Moiselle - 4:42

Bonus Tracks
1. They Think She’s Crying Cause She’s Happy - 3:41
2. When You’re Lonely And You’re Blue - 3:53
3. Bonua (Traditional) - 2:30
4. I’ve Been So Lonely For So Long - 3:31
5. All For The Sake Of Love (Doc Pomus, Joe Kookoolis) - 2:46

Bonus tracks not including on CD or LP editions, only as lossy format via label's download page.
All Words and Music by Scott Fagan unless as else stated

*Scott Fagan - Vocals, Guitar

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The Climax Blues Band - Plays On (1969 uk, outstanding blues rock with experimental mood. 2013 remaster and expanded)

Britain's Climax Blues Band didn't waste any time following up their self-titled debut in 1969 (dropping the moniker The Climax Chicago Blues Band), as they once again entered EMI's Abbey Road studios and put together Plays On, a highly adventurous and varied affair that saw plenty of new elements starting to creep into their once straight Chicago styled blues sound. The band had then slimmed down to a five-piece, consisting of Colin Cooper (vocals, sax, harmonica, bamboo whistle), Peter Haycock (guitars, vocals), Arthur Wood (keyboards), Derek Holt (bass, Mellotron), and George Newsome (drums). It was at this juncture that the band started to experiment with rock and jazz, and mixed with their already formidable blues chops the results on Plays On are quite spectacular. Esoteric Recordings continues on with the CBB reissues, giving this one stellar, crystal clear sound and another info packed booklet.

The album opens up with the lengthy jazz-fusion instrumental "Flight", a scorching piece highlighted by tasty interplay between all the players, especially Cooper's collection of reeds and Haycock's guitar. It must have been quite puzzling for fans of their blues soaked debut to pop on Plays On and hear this blast of awesome jazz to kick off the record. "Hey Baby, Everything's Gonna Be Alright, Yeh Yeh Yeh" sees the band returning to gritty blues, complete with scalding guitar solos from Haycock, but they go right back to jazz with a Latin flavor on the engaging "Cubano Chant", featuring some tight grooves, nimble piano, and some wild bamboo whistle lines from Cooper (who needs a flute, right?). On "Little Girl" the band add in some meaty rock riffs & organ to their blues base, another killer instrumental that also sees Cooper deliver some great sax melodies. 

Wood tosses in the theme from '2001: A Space Odyssey" using organ, Moog, & Mellotron on the spooky, psychedelic piece ""Mum's the Word", a track for all the prog lovers to seek out, before the slide guitars from Haycock lead in the raunchy ragtime blues of "Twenty Past Two/Temptation Rag". Emotional, slow blues with yearning vocals can be heard on "So Many Roads", while the upbeat organ/guitar vehicle "City Ways" has plenty of swing and groove to it. The final tune on the album, "Crazy Bout My Baby" reminds of the material from the debut, and has a certain 'Peter Green era-Fleetwood Mac' feel to it.

Once again, Esoteric has unearthed some scorching bonus tracks here on this reissue; "Like Uncle Charlie" is a bluesy hard rocker complete with red-hot guitar licks from Haycock and an almost proggy middle section filled with sumptuous organ and layers of psychedelic vocals, and "Loving Machine" also sees the band rocking harder, driven by Haycock's stinging lead guitar."Dance of the Mountain King's Daughter" is another stab at jazz for the band, and has an almost Frank Zappa feel to it, but it's a shame the song isn't longer. There's also another mix of the Allman Brothers Band influenced "Flight" for good measure.

Though the band would go on to even greater heights with albums like Gold Plated, Flying the Flag, Sense of DIrection and others, Plays On is Climax Blues Band at their 'risk taking' best, as they basically said 'to hell with anything remotely commercial' and just went for it here. As such it's their most complex offering from a musical perspective, easily appealing to jazz-fusion, rock, prog rock, and blues fans alike. Incredible stuff! 

by Pete Pardo

Tracks
1. Flight - 7:52
2. Hey Baby, Everything's Gonna Be Alright, Yeh Yeh Yeh - 4:24
3. Cubano Chant (Ray Bryant) - 5:35
4. Little Girl (Graham Bond) - 3:00
5. Mum's The Word - 3:45
6. Twenty Past Two, Temptation Rag (Cooper, Haycock, Holt, Wood, Newsome, Henry Lodge) - 3:20
7. So Many Roads (Marshall Paul) - 6:34
8. City Ways - 3:21
9. Crazy 'Bout My Baby (Haycock, Cooper, Holt, Newsome, Wood, Richard Jones) - 6:13
10.Like Uncle Charlie - 4:14
11.Loving Machine - 2:26
12.Dance Of The Mountain King's Daughter - 2:35
13.Flight (First Mix) - 7:28
All songs by Peter Haycock, Colin Cooper, Derek Holt, George Newsome, Arthur Wood except where stated.

The Climax Blues Band
*Colin Cooper - Vocals, Saxes, Harmonica And Bamboo Whistle
*Peter Haycock - Vocals, Guitars
*Arthur Wood - Keyboards
*Derek Holt - Bass Guitar, Mellotron
*Richard Jones - Bass Guitar
*George Newsome - Drums

The Climax Long Hard Road
1969  The Climax Chicago Blues Band (2013 remaster and expanded)
1970  A Lot Of Bottle (2013 remaster and expanded)
1971  Tightly Knit (2013 remastered with bonus tracks)
1972  Climax Chicago - Rich Man (2013 bonus track remaster) 
1973  Climax Blues Band - FM Live (2013 remaster)
1973-79  Climax Blues Band - Live Rare And Raw (2014 Release)
1974  Climax Blues Band - Sense Of Direction (2013 remaster and expanded)
1976 Gold Plated (2013 bonus tracks remaster) 

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Various Artists - Brown Acid / The First Trip (1969-79 us, impressive hard 'n' heavy rock, 2015 digipak release)

After Flower Power and before punk, heavy, hard rock bands dominated the American music scene. In towns across the country, garage bands that had grown up taking drugs, flashing peace signs, and listening to the Beatles had witnessed the atrocities of Vietnam and Altamont, gaining a new perspective in a darker, crunchier, and more bombastic sound in their music. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Grand Funk Railroad, and Deep Purple were blasting out of muscle car windows, influencing a new generation of jaded musical amateurs.

Some of these ambitious groups earnestly composed some pretty far out jams. Playing hard and heavy just like the pros, these bands were on par with their heroes, albeit with a much smaller budget and inferior gear. The 45s these bands produced, mostly independently, were glorified demos given to record executives or sold for gas money. Generally speaking, a few hundred copies were sold direct to fans at local gigs outside of any kind of distribution. These pressings have since become highly sought after rarities and fetch serious coin when they are offered up for sale. Hence, the need to compile some of this material in a series we're calling Brown Acid.

The tunes compiled here come from a time that's been neglected in the compilation realm. The purgatory that lies between garage and punk has caused these gems to go overlooked by closed-minded collectors for far too long. Expand your mind, embrace the bad trip, and follow us down a two-lane highway into the abyss that is the American Rock'n'Roll Underground circa 1968-1979.

CD Liner Notes

Tracks
1. Zekes - Box (Lenny Gayle, Kenny Gayle) - 2:28
2. Snow - Sunflower (Rob Russen) - 3:59
3. Tour - One Of The Bad Guys (Tom Sweeney) - 3:18
4. Zebra - Wasted (Timo Laine, Bruce Borden) - 3:55
5. Bob Goodsite - Faze 1 (Robert Bruce) - 2:14
6. Raw Meat - Stand By Girl (Raw Meat) - 3:10
7. Punch - Deathhead (Ray Kusnier) - 4:56
8. Bacchus - Carry My Lead (Eric Turner) - 3:28
9. Lenny Drake - Love Eyes (Cast Your Spell On Me) (Leonard Drake) - 2:53
10.The Todd - Mystifying Me (Ron "Sonny" Hrehovcik) - 2:51
11.Josefus - Hard Luck (Bailey, Mitchell, Turner, Ontiberoz) - 3:46

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John Hammond - Sooner Or Later (1968 us, classy electric blues rock)

"Sooner Or Later" is John  Hammond's second Atlantic LP originally released in 1968. The material selected did testify to his good taste. Ten songs of electric blues boogie with a rocking band featuring songs written by Chester Burnett, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson - all done the funky and electrifying. A respectably hard-hitting electric blues set, comfortably integrating piano and (on occasion) Willie Bridges' saxes into the arrangements. “Sooner Or Later” was Hammond’s final effort in the sixties.

Tracks
1. Crosscut Saw (R. G. Ford) - 2:43
2. How Many More Years (Chester Burnett) - 3:13
3. Sooner Or Later (Jimmy McCracklin) - 2:14
4. Shake Your Moneymaker (Elmore James) - 1:56
5. Sugar Mama (John Lee Hooker) - 4:13
6. Nine Below Zero (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 2:43
7. Dust My Broom (Elmore James) - 2:24
8. Evil Is Going On (Willie Dixon) - 3:38
9. That's Alright (Jimmie Rogers) - 3:20
10.Don't Start Me Talking (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 2:31

Musicians
*John Hammond - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*Willie Bridges - Tenor, Baritone Saxes
*Gordon Fleming - Piano
*George Stubbs - Piano
*Herman Pittman - Bass
*Charles Otis - Drums

1965  John Hammond - So Many Roads (2005 remaster)
1967  John Hammond - I Can Tell (with bonus tracks)
1970-72  John Hammond - Source Point / I'm Satisfied (2007 remaster)
1973  Bloomfield, Hammond, Dr.John - Triumvirate (Japan expanded edition)

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Climax Blues Band - Gold Plated (1976 uk, astonishing blues funk rock, 2013 bonus tracks remaster)

Since the last tranche of Esoteric Climax Blues Band reissues were reviewed here we have had the sad news of Pete Haycock's death, and he now joins co-founder Colin Cooper in that great 12-bar line up in the sky. This series of reissues by Esoteric Recordings has provided a fitting if unintended tribute.

Gold Plated was, until many years later, both my entry and exit point where following the career of the Climax Blues Band was concerned. This was courtesy of the band's biggest hit Couldn't Get It Right which was released in the late autumn of 1976. A few weeks later the seismic shift of punk burst on to the U.K. scene and well-crafted blues funk was consigned to the dumper by those of us who were the right age at the right time and in the right place. This was a shame, because Gold Plated, the band's ninth album, was a set of finely crafted funky moves, of the kind favoured at the time by the likes of Kokomo and the Average White Band, with some well-seasoned blues chops never far below the surface.

If you look at the chart trajectory of their previous albums, you can see a slow but steady upwards progression in the States, albeit in the foothills of the chart mountain, and unfortunately no action to speak of back home. The band decided to popularise their take on the blues by stirring in the funky ingredients, and it worked, as Gold Plated turned out to be the high point in their career charts-wise, peaking at no. 27 in the U.S.A., and even making an appearance in the charts over here.

CBB came to the funk from their blues background, where the two bands I mentioned above had soul dancin' shoes. Dem blooze are still well represented on this highly polished record, produced once again by Mike Vernon. Although the record has a very sophisticated American sound, it was actually mostly recorded in the decidedly English setting of Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. The band's U.S. label decided the record needed a hit and this turned out to be a song written in no time at all and included on the album without Vernon's participation, recorded separately in London. The off the cuff nature of "the hit" is apparent when listening to the album, but it remains irresistibly catchy to this day. 

The album opens with the radio friendly Together and Free, and already fans of the band must have been taken aback by the change in the group's sound, but the usual high quality musicianship and writing meant that this was probably only a fleeting reservation. Mighty Fire combines the blues chops with the new-found funky dance moves with some panache, and many rugs are cut to the precise and at the same time loose-limbed Chasin' Change, which exemplifies the AWB comparison.

Despite its title, Berlin Blues is more of an R&B belter in the mould of the Allman Brothers than a straight blues workout. "The hit" we've already mulled over, and it is testament to its sharps hooks that it reached the dizzy heights of no.3 in the States and no.10 over here.

We have to wait until Rollin' Home for the first out-and-out blues number, and even that is not a traditional 12-bar, adding in some Stax soul for good measure. The guitar on this is quite magnificent by the way! Sav'ry Gravy is a slow funk shuffle, and the album concludes with Extra, which rolls out some more down home boogie for our delectation. The "gold plated" of the album name also refers to Pete Haycock's Veleno guitar, and great fun was had by the guitarist reflecting the spotlight back into the audience, no doubt!

The bonus tracks include a session for the John Peel show, and without the benefit of studio production embellishments the sheer professionalism of the band stands out. It cannot have been long after that session that punk took over, ironically given its first radio exposure by Peel, and the Climax Blues Band were never as high profile again, but that does not detract from a highly crafted and fun album. 

by Roger Trenwith

Tracks
1. Together And Free - 3:52
2. Mighty Fire - 4:49
3. Chasing Chase - 4:18
4. Berlin Blues - 3:27
5. Couldn't Get It Right - 3:17
6. Rollin' Home - 3:12
7. Sav'ry Gravy - 4:52
8. Extra - 3:37
9. Fat Mabellene (Single B Side) - 3:14
10.Together And Free (Single Edit) - 3:16
11.Chasin' Change (Extended Take) - 5:16
12.Shadow Man (Previously Unreleased) - 1:24
13.Couldn't Get It Right (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 3:11
14.Chasin' Change (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 4:41
15.Together And Free (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 3:58
16.Mighty Fire (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) - 5:06
All songs written by Climax Blues Band
Bonus Tracks 9-16

The Climax Blues Band
*Colin Cooper - Vocals, Alto, Tenor Saxes, Rhythm Guitra, Clarinet
*Pete Haycock - Vocals, Lead Guitar. Slide, Acoustic Guitars
*Richard Jones - Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals
*Derek Holt - Vocals, Bass Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Electric Piano
*John Cuffley - Drums, Percussion

The Climax Long Hard Road
1969  The Climax Chicago Blues Band (2013 remaster and expanded)
1970  A Lot Of Bottle (2013 remaster and expanded)
1971  Tightly Knit (2013 remastered with bonus tracks)
1972  Climax Chicago - Rich Man (2013 bonus track remaster) 
1973  Climax Blues Band - FM Live (2013 remaster)
1973-79  Climax Blues Band - Live Rare And Raw (2014 Release)
1974  Climax Blues Band - Sense Of Direction (2013 remaster and expanded)

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