SRC - SRC (1968 garage psychedelic from detroit, 2010 Micro Werks edition)

The sixties are remembered as a very fertile time for music, when bands were actually encouraged to take risks, be different, try something new and write their own material. With so many talented acts around, it's easy to see how some of the less-commercial bands might be forgotten. Sometimes the most interesting music is the kind you have to seek out and dig for, like a lost treasure- SRC are a perfect example of this. With musical barriers and restrictions being torn down then, it allowed bands across the country to do something original. Detroit specifically, from the mid sixties to the early seventies, had a budding scene where bands were producing harsher sounds and pushed the musical limits. This was the atmosphere in which the heavy psychedelic rock of SRC would flourish. It's important to make clear that SRC shouldn't be confused with the Nuggets bands, most of whom could only produce one or two songs of merit. SRC wrote a lot of strong material, pushed boundaries and still sounds fresh to new ears today. This is their story.

The band started when the Fugitives consisting of Gary and Glenn Quackenbush (guitar and organ) and drummer E.G. Clawson took the lead singer Scott Richardson from another local band, the Chosen Few (their past notoriety being opening up the Grande ballroom in Detroit with the MC5). Then after adding Robin Dale on bass and Steve Lyman on rhythm guitar, they formed the Scott Richard Case (later shortened to SRC so as not to have emphasis on any individuals in the group) and released their 1967 debut single (A-Square Records), a cover of Skip James “I'm So Glad." No doubt SRC first heard the song off of Cream's debut record, but they don't do a by-the-numbers retread of it. Their version has more energy and feeling to it. The guitars get a raw sound, the lyrics are sung with conviction and it has a nice fuzzed-out solo that only hints at Quackenbush's talent. The song became a hit locally that summer and with help of their future producer John Rhys, they met the V.P. of Capitol records and signed a contract with them.

SRC had their own distinct sound and unique vision- heavy psychedelic rock mixed with hard rock overtones with Quackenbush's lead guitar style really contributing to their overall sonics. Quackenbush's technique was incredible, especially the way he used feedback and incorporated it into searing solos that are so expressive and can range from melodic to chaotic in a matter of seconds in the same song. This made the band stand out, although the other band members shouldn't be underestimated since it's when they all got together that the songs took form. Their music is the kind you get lost in, you forget yourself and your surroundings just melt away. Their sound reflected influences like Cream, The Pretty Things, The Who and The Yardbirds and other British bands. They mixed that influence with the sound of peers from the local music scene (the Stooges,MC5 and the Amboy Dukes) to come up with something very unique and creative.

SRC's self-titled debut record (1968) is a classic of first rate psychedelic music and should be put alongside other classic from that era. The album is filled with great melodies and harmonies, outbreaks of raw noise and incredible ripping guitar solos that make you stretch your head back in amazement. The guitar sounds like it has a personality of its own throughout the record. The lead off track, "Black Sheep," is their best-known song and an anthem for outcasts. The song starts with a melodic organ carrying the tune along, punctured by bursts of huge sustained feedback guitar that crackle through the speakers, giving it a heavy stomp tempo to it. In the song, Richardson sings about how few black sheep they are and celebrates their fearlessness of the Unknown and their mission to do something unconventional. "Black sheep, outcast, misfit, Ishmael" the chorus goes, then seemingly out of nowhere comes a heavy intense sustained guitar lead that bends and wails. “Daystar" ups the intensity in a driving melody with responding feedback, interplaying the vocals with Quackenbush, who stretches out some fuzzy electric notes only to explode into a shredding noisy solo. “Exile" tells a spacey story set to music and ends with Quackenbush's wild guitar howling like some kind of demented animal. “Paragon Council" gets building with its melody going along with the commanding lead guitar that changes into a searing, powerful catchy riff that compliments each other and then goes completely mental. “Refugeve," a very innovative track, opens with the feeling of exhaling a deep breath. It has numerous parts that don't follow a standard song format, staring with high, atonal notes, and progressing until it evolves into a fuzzed out power chord Mudhoney-like groove. They even do a psychedelic cover version of the classical chestnut "Morning Mood" (from Grieg's "Peer Gynt") on the album. The music on this record, filled with distortion and loud manic solos, challenged mainstream listeners. Like many fresh, innovative ideas, most people couldn't grasp it- although it sold well locally, it had little impact outside of the Midwest.

Before the start of the second record, they switched bass players, with Robin Dale being replaced by Al Wilmot, and dropped their second guitarist Steve Lyman. Whether the line up change or pressure from Capitol to write something more commercial due to low sales effected them is uncertain, but their sound became different. Milestones (1969), SRC's second record, finds them mixed between expanding on their earlier heavy sound and trying out new styles that they might not be suited for, making the record inconsistent. “No Secret Destination" kicks the record off with a flurry of urgency coming from the organs and a siren-like guitar lead that give way to a rising melody that eventually goes into a scorching, cacophonic noisy solo that attacks your ears. “Eye of The Storm", another highlight, starts slow, dissonant and menacingly, erupting into a moving rhythm and distorted guitar lead.

The chorus has a great simple melody while Richardson sings “somewhere it's quiet, somewhere its warm, it's peaceful and calm in the eyes of the storm" as if he'd found tranquility within a hectic storm. Unfortunately, the album is marred with mediocre and awful attempts at easy listening pop ("Show Me," "I Remember Your Face," "Our Little Secret"). "Checkmate" balances out the bad with a throbbing, thumping bassline throughout the song, with crunchy guitar and an explorative organ solo. “Up All Night" shows them letting loose with tons of energy. There's rocking melody, bouncy bassline and Quackenbush injecting real aggressive attitude into the guitar making it growl and spit out screaming feedback notes.

It's interesting to note that the band chose to put the easy listening songs at the beginning of the record while “Up All Night" one of the best tracks is the second to last on the album. “Turn Into Love" shows the band trying to incorporate both styles in the same song as it has a fat R&B vibe to it with back up soul singers and Quackenbush giving a tearing fury guitar storm. The album ends on a good ambitious note with the lengthy and atmospheric “Angel Song" that tells a story of an angel who wishes to be able to dream while an empathetic and fuzzy lead are played over it, showing that they were still trying to stretch their neck out and try something different .

When Milestones was released in March '69 with no promotion, it still sold much more than their debut. EMI even picked it up and re-released it in Europe because of it getting airplay there. With Milestones getting them recognized, SRC were able to do a West coast tour but there was a large contrast between their sound and the hippie music there. It ended up making SRC re-evaluate their sound- ultimately, they kicked out Gary Quackenbush out of the band. Richardson stated “It got to the point where we couldn't completely carry on with Gary. It was like another plateau that we were building up to. We'd been to San Francisco and gotten it into our heads what our next level of working should be. We just had to make another step and he couldn't make it with us."

As Quackenbush no longer fit in with the band's sound, the less talented Ray Goodman took his place and SRC started recording their third album Traveler's Tale (1970), which lacks the bite and energy that gave SRC its appeal. The songs were longer with more prog rock passages and came off sounding generic and faceless with Goodman trying to match Quackenbush's abilities. One track, “The Offering," has the band playing with a large orchestra and comes out as a failure. Although a few shorter songs ("By Way of You," "Midnight Fever") redeem it from being complete garbage, you can't help but imagine how much better they'd sound if Gary could have contributed something instead of someone else doing an imitation of him. There's a reason why when they made an SRC compilation later on, this album had the fewest tracks taken from it.

When Traveler's Tale came out, it didn't sell well. Goodman left and SRC asked Quackenbush to return to the band. SRC recorded a few new songs with new bass player Richard Haddad, but were dropped from Capitol in 1971 due to lack of sales. The band decided to have one more go at it by changing their name to Blue Scepter and getting a new record label. They released a single “Out in The Night" (a Pretty Things cover) featuring horns, backed with an original called “Gypsy Eyes" that reinstated Quackenbush's intense guitar playing. They recorded enough for an album but it was shelved when the single flopped.

Over the next few decades, SRC's albums went out of print until 1987, when a skimpy best-of compilation was put together by the Bam Caruso label (The Revenge of the Quackenbush Brothers). One Way Records went a step further and did a small scale re-issue of their three studio albums and compiled an album of leftovers called Lost Masters. Its first half is made up of Blue Scepter songs, sounding like a better follow-up to Milestones with a more stripped down sound but plenty of acid rock solos from Quackenbush. The second half comes from their last days at Capitol and has them doing covers and playing different genres like psychedelia, blues and R&B but this time, they match up strongly with the solos, still leaving a strong effect on the listener. A better compilation was done in 2000 by the RPM label (Black Sheep)- there were more tracks and it was made more widely available than any of their other releases, introducing a whole new generation to their music.

SRC's music has crept up as an influence to other bands over the years. Bands like Hawkind, Dinosaur Jr, Mudhoney and other heavy rock bands with insane psychedelic leads share traits with SRC's sound. Even if some of these bands never heard SRC, there's still a correlation. When SRC's music came out, they was ahead of its time and suffered for it. But by doing it their way, they broke ground. The use of jaw-dropping distortion and noise became more acceptable over the years for many musicians after numerous bands like SRC broke the mold. It's a crime their records aren't in print again, but thanks to the Internet, more people can hear them now than ever (myself included). Hopefully, this article will turn more people onto this wonderful, amazing band.
by Tim Shannon

Tracks:
1. Black Sheep
2. Daystar
3. Exile
4. Marionette
5. Onesimpletask
6. Paragon Council
7. Refugeve
8. Interval
9. Morning Mood (Bonus track)
10.Black Sheep (Bonus track)

SRC
*Steve Lyman - Second Guitar and Voice
*Glenn Quackenbush - Hammond Organ
*Scott Richardson - Lead Voice
*E.G. Clawson - Drums
*Robin Dale - Bass and Voice
*Gary Quackenbush - Lead Guitar

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksliver (1971 us - simply amazing)

One of the group's better albums, despite coming so late in their history that it was ignored by almost everyone. "Hope," "Fire Brothers," and "Don't Cry for My Lady Love" are among the best songs the group ever cut, and "I Found Love" is one of the prettiest, most upbeat songs ever to come from any classic San Francisco band. 

Some of the rest is self-indulgent, but that's what this era of music was about -- the guitar pyrotechnics of "Song for Frisco" and "Play My Guitar" make them both more entertaining than their somewhat bland melodies; the latter song, in particular, sounds like a Marty Balin/Jefferson Airplane outtake that would have been right on target about four years before the release date of this album.

The whole record feels that way, a throwback to the psychedelic era circa late 1967. It's also very much a folk-rock record, with a rich acoustic guitar texture on many of the songs. For the record, since the CD reissue has no personnel information, the band at this point was Dino Valenti (guitar, vocals), Greg Elmore (drums), Gary Duncan (vocals, guitar), Mark Ryan (bass), Mark Naftalin (keyboards), and Chuck Steaks (keyboards). 

If you ever wondered what the Airplane might have done as a follow-up to Surrealistic Pillow with Marty Balin still singing lead, this is it.
by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1. Hope – 3:01
2. I Found Love – 3:56
3. Song for Frisco - 4:58
4. Play My Guitar – 4:38
5. Rebel – 2:02
6. Fire Brothers – 3:12
7. Out of My Mind – 4:34
8. Don't Cry My Lady Love – 5:12
9. "The Truth – 6:58

Band
* Dino Valenti – vocals, guitar, flute, percussion
* Gary Duncan - vocals, guitar
* Mark Ryan – bass
* Greg Elmore – drums, percussion
* Chuck Steaks – piano, organ

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The Chambers Brothers - The Time Has Come (1967 us, classic soul psych rock masterpiece)

The Chambers Brothers started out as a gospel vocal group that eventually drifted into folk music. With their 1968 single  “Time Has Come Today” they created one of the greatest psychedelic rock songs of all time.

The album that spawned “Time Has Come Today” was called “The Time Has Come,” and it accurately depicted The Chambers Brothers’ versatility/identity crisis. People expecting the entire album to be a full-out psych/funk throw-down were met with a mix of soul, R&B and rock that was even more eclectic than the then current work of Sly & The Family Stone. 

“All Strung Out Over You” is a hard-edged soul number that was a precursor of the Temptation’s “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”. Predictable but well executed covers of “People Get Ready” and “In The Midnight Hour” are included, but an epic version of “What The World Needs Now” veered into territory that would also be inhabited by Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears.

The hidden gem of the album is the eerie “So Tired,” which is a great example of The Chamber’s Brothers uncanny harmony vocals. This slow, minor-key dirge is stark and powerful and should have been a massive commercial hit. The rest of the album is pleasant enough, but other than the big hit single, “So Tired” is unquestionably the winner of the silver medal.

As for the massive single that is “Time Has Come Today,” it’s presented here in it’s original 11 minute glory. While the edited radio version is potent (and accessible via several greatest hits collections), the full album-length version is simply awesome. Lester Chambers powerful lead vocals are front and center, joined by an effect-laden cowbell impersonating a clock and torrential drumming by Brian Keenan. 

“Time Has Come Today” was undoubtedly a product of 1960s unrest, but nearly five decades later it doesn’t sound hippy-dippy at all. Bands are still covering it, radio is still playing it, and corporations still use it to sell stuff. Unscrupulous management ended up derailing The Chambers Brothers, but what they were able to accomplish during their short spot in the sun has proven to be endlessly inspirational and influential.

by Jon Dawson

Tracks
1. All Strung Out over You (Rudy Clark) - 2:31
2. People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield) - 3:52
3. I Can't Stand It (Lester Chambers) - 2:43
4. Romeo and Juliet (Lester Chambers) - 4:32
5. In the Midnight Hour (Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett) - 5:33
6. So Tired (Andre Goodwin, Chambers Brothers) - 4:06
7. Uptown (Betty Mabry) - 2:57
8. Please Don't Leave Me (George Chambers) - 3:01
9. What the World Needs Now Is Love (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 3:20
10.Time Has Come Today (Joe Chambers, Willie Chambers) - 11:07
11.Dinah (G. Chambers, J. Chambers, L. Chambers, W. Chambers) - 2:24
12.Falling in Love (Willie Chambers) - 2:19
13.Love Me Like the Rain (Brian Keenan) - 2:51
14.Time Has Come Today (Joe Chambers, Willie Chambers) - 2:33

The Chamber Brothers
*Willie Chambers - Guitars, Vocals
*Lester Chambers - Harp, Vocals
*Joe Chambers - Guitars, Vocals
*George Chambers - Bass, Vocals
*Brian Keenan - Drums

1969  The Chambers Brothers - Love, Peace and Happiness

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Sacred Mushroom - Sacred Mushroom (1969 us, fine psych blues rock)

Sacred Mushroom -- led by future Pure Prairie League member Larry Goshorn (guitar/vocals) and featuring brother Danny Goshorn (vocals) -- were a short-lived rock/blues quintet based in Cincinnati, OH. Their efforts coalesce on this, the band's self-titled debut (and only) long-player.

The album contains a blend of proficient originals as well as a pair of well-chosen cover tunes, such as the blues standard "Mean Old World" and the Kinks' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." While their name conjures images of late-'60s psychedelic or acid rock, Sacred Mushroom's roots were decidedly more bluesy than trippy.

Likewise, their harder-edged performance style is well served by the tight and somewhat pop-driven arrangements, resembling artists such as the Allman Joys, Kak, or the pre-Blue Oyster Cult Stalk-Forrest Group. A few of the Larry Goshorn-penned tunes are certifiably lost classics. These include the up-tempo rocker "Catatonic Lover," which features some lyrical chord changes reminiscent of "3/5's of a Mile in 10 Seconds" by Jefferson Airplane, and the Chicago blues-style waltz "All Good Things Must End." The latter is highlighted by some inspired harp playing from Rusty Work.

The opening track, "I Don't Like You," is a funky rocker spotlighting the Goshorn Brothers' tight harmonies as well as Larry's distinctive lead electric guitar licks. Another standout is their reworking of "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." The track retains a timeless pop sensibility that incorporates interweaving acoustic and electric guitar lines.

"Lifeline," the most extended track on the disc, recalls the electric blues of seminal Fleetwood Mac or Stan Webb's Chicken Shack. Along the same lines is the blues boogie rendering of "Mean Old World," which might easily be mistaken for an obscure version by a mid-'60s lineup of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

Tracks
1. I Don't Like You (Larry Goshorn, Doug Hamilton) - 2:53
2. You Won't Be Sorry (Larry Goshorn) - 2:19
3. Catatonic Lover (Larry Goshorn) - 3:03
4. All Good Things Must Have An End (Larry Goshorn) - 4:41
5. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (Ray Davies) - 4:35
6. I Take Care (Larry Goshorn) - 4:59
7. Mean Old World (Otis Rush) - 4:38
8. Lifeline (Larry Goshorn) - 6:35

The Sacred Mushroom
*Rusty York - Harp
*Larry Goshorn - Guitar, Vocals
*Danny Goshorn - Vocals
*Joe Stewart - Bass

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Clouds - Scrapbook / Watercolour Days (1968/1971 uk, sensational psychedelia with prog tinges)

Clouds were a promising psychedelic-cum-prog-rock band who never found the commercial success to match their critical raves. In contrast to most of their contemporaries and rivals who hailed from England, the trio's roots were in Scotland and trailed back to the mid-'60s. Ian Ellis (vocals) and Harry Hughes (drums) originally teamed up as part of a Brit-beat band called the Premiers, formed in Edinburg in 1964. They were a conventionally configured quintet with bass, two guitars, and drums behind Ellis' vocals. Sometime later, they added Billy Ritchie on the organ, and they were good enough. 

It was decided that an organ would help the sound of the band, and Billy Ritchie joined. Bandleader/producer Cyril Stapleton recorded a few sides with the group in London but was unable to interest any record companies in their work, and it was at that point that the band disintegrated, leaving Ellis, Ritchie, and Hughes, who decided to go it alone as a trio, with Ellis taking over on bass in addition to his singing. They also took on a new name, 1-2-3, and began writing their own material, all in a decidedly psychedelic mode -- coupled with their new sound, they soon found themselves lacking an audience in Edinburg, and headed for London, believing (correctly) that they'd get a better hearing there. 

They began building a cult audience among general listeners and a respectful following among their fellow musicians after a series of shows at the Marquee Club. At the time, there weren't too many organ-based trios around -- even the Nice still had a lead guitarist when they started out, but Ritchie's playing and their overall sound began to attract serious critical attention. And they were signed up by Brian Epstein's NEMS management company in the spring of 1967, an event that got them as much exposure as their music. The NEMS connection died with Epstein that summer, however, and it was back to the London clubs for the trio.

Lightning struck a second time when Terry Ellis, a young, aspiring manager and producer, saw them at a gig and signed them up. Ellis and his partner Chris Wright had a management company called Chrysalis, which would eventually turn into a record label as well (subsequently sold to EMI), but at that time they didn't have a label. As a result, the group -- now rechristened Clouds -- was signed to Island Records. They also got to tour America, where the critical reception was more than enthusiastic, coming off of shows in Chicago and New York (the latter at the Fillmore East). Their debut album on Island, entitled Scrapbook, was a quasi-concept album, with beginning and end pieces and an array of songs that ranged from psychedelic pop to spaced-out, highly progressive and experimental art rock. Island put their work out in front of the British public throughout 1969, on singles and sampler albums, and heavily promoted their debut, and the critical response was highly favorable, as were their concert reviews.

All wasn't well between the trio and its management, however -- Chrysalis had made a decision to devote its efforts and promotional budget to a rival act, Jethro Tull. Gradually, Clouds got lost in the shuffle and their recording activity was somewhat confused, between England and America -- in the U.S., an album called Up Above Our Heads appeared on the Deram label, while in England a second LP, Watercolour Days, was issued, showing up in 1971. Clouds called it quits late that year, their moment having past. Their albums lingered in cut-out bins well into the 1970s, however, and based on the CD reissue activity of the 1990s and beyond, including a collection from Universal Music in 2007, indications are that someone out there is still interested in their work, 30 years after their debut release. ~
by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1. Introduction - Scrapbook (Billy Ritchie) - 1:08
2. The Carpenter (Billy Ritchie, Harry Hughes, Ian Ellis) - 3:29
3. The Colours Have Run (Billy Ritchie, Valdemar Ellis) - 3:00
4. I'll Go Girl (Billy Ritchie) - 3:21
5. Grandad (Billy Ritchie) - 2:10
6. Ladies And Gentlemen (Billy Ritchie) - 3:09
7. Humdrum (Billy Ritchie, Harry Hughes, Ian Ellis) - 1:07
8. Union Jack (Billy Ritchie) - 1:31
9. Old Man (Ian Ellis) - 3:25
10.Waiter There's Something In My Soup (Billy Ritchie) - 7:01
11.Scrapbook (Billy Ritchie) - 2:51
12.Watercolour Days (Billy Ritchie) - 5:28
13.Cold Sweat (Billy Ritchie, Ian Ellis) - 3:36
14.Lighthouse (Ian Ellis) - 5:03
15.Long Time (Billy Ritchie, Ian Ellis) - 4:38
16.Mind Of A Child (Billy Ritchie, Harry Hughes, Ian Ellis) - 2:51
17.I Know Better Than You (Billy Ritchie, Harry Hughes, Ian Ellis) - 4:53
18.Leavin' (Billy Ritchie) - 3:25
19.Get Off My Farm (Billy Ritchie) - 3:27
20.I Am The Melody (Billy Ritchie) - 2:44

The Clouds
*Ian Ellis - Organ, Guitar Acoustic, Bass, Vocals
*Harry Hughes  - Drums, Vocals
*Billy Ritchie - Organ, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Harp, Organ  Hammond, Vocals

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Corporal Gander's Fire Dog Brigade - On The Rocks (1970 germany, great hard psych rock)

Corporal Gander’s Fire Dog Brigade were a German outfit who recorded one album ‘On The Rocks’ in 1970 which featured a mixture of cover versions and originals. They then changed their name to Wind and released two further albums for the budget label Plus Records. Both Wind albums are now hugely sought-after and highly-prized artefacts. 

Tracks
1. Paranoid (Ward, Butler, Osbourne, Iommi) - 2:40
2. I Hear You Knocking (Bartholomew, King) - 2:54
3. Come Back Here (Scott, Talby) - 3:48
4. On The Rocks (Scott) - 3:28
5. Hey You (Talby) - 3:57
6. Stealer (Fraser, Kossoff, Rodgers) - 2:45
7. Run For Your Life (Talby) - 5:48
8. Do You Think It's Right (Talby) - 2:08
9. Love Song (Talby) - 3:17
10.Don't Tell Me (Talby) - 3:36

Corporal Gander's Fire Dog Brigade
*Andreas Bueler - Bass, Vocals
*Lucky Schmidt - Drums, Percussion, Piano, Vibraphone
*Thomas Leidenberger - Guitar, Vocals
*Lucian Bueler  - Keyboards, Vocals

Related Act
1971  Wind - Seasons

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Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis (1970 us, classic heavy psych, 2010 japan SHM edition)

The quietly intense "Soldier In Our Town" (on Metamorphosis), addresses the hypocrisy of war heroism with the lines: 'There's a statue in the square / But the things they're hiding, it ain't fair / ...'Cause beneath the stone / The greatest man is all alone' - a potent shift from the image of the monument to the gravestone. With its soul wrenching vocal (Ingle's best ever performance) and a rare use of earthy acoustic guitar, Iron Butterfly delivers one of the most heart-felt antiwar statements of the early '70's.

In the 1993 liner notes to the Rhino compilation Light and Heavy, Ingle said the composition concerns 'war in general and our culture's inbred thought that people have to fight. And it's about the few elite at the top that control the masses.' This particular recording (essentially an Ingle solo session) exemplifies the internal dissension that befell Iron Butterfly after scoring their mega-success.

Erik Brann, stressed out from the endless touring, departed the year prior. In an 1988 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he recalled the grueling tours with Iron Butterfly, saying 'My first vacation I bought a car, a Jaguar, and parked it outside the hospital where I spent two weeks for ulcers and gastroenteritis.' It required two guitarists to fill his shoes. These new members (Mike Pinera, of "Ride Captain Ride" fame, and Larry 'Rhino' Reinhardt) quickly asserted themselves and, refusing to follow Ingle in search of a mellow (yet idiosyncratic) muse for the band, shifted the sound towards mainstream rock (along with bassist Lee Dorman, they refused to perform on "Soldier In Our Town").

After another tour, Ingle quit the band. Presaging this development, the LP cover for what would be the last (authentic) Iron Butterfly album, Metamorphosis (1970), prominently displays a coffin on a barren mountaintop (who, save Donovan, could have kept the Butterfly alive?).
by Barry Stoller

Tracks
1. Free Flight - 0:40
2. New Day - 3:08
3. Shady Lady (Robert Woods Edmonson, Iron Butterfly) - 3:50
4. Best Years of Our Life - 3:55
5. Slower Than Guns (R. W. Edmonson, Iron Butterfly) - 3:37
6. Stone Believer - 5:20
7. Soldier in Our Town (R. W. Edmonson, Iron Butterfly) - 3:10
8. Easy Rider (Let the Wind Paythe Way) (R. W. Edmonson, Iron Butterfly) - 3:06
9. Butterfly Bleu - 14:03
All song by Iron Butterfly unless otherwise written.

Iron Butterfly
* Doug Ingle - Lead Vocals, Organ
* Mike Pinera - Lead Vocals, Guitar
* Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt - Guitar
* Lee Dorman - Bass
* Ron Bushy - Drums
* Richard Podolor - Sitar, Twelve String Guitar
* Bill Cooper - Twelve String Guitar

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Quiver - Quiver (1971 uk, fine psych folk rock)

 

Quiver was formed round 1970 in Ladbroke Grove, London by Tim Renwick and Honk (bass) who'd formerly been with Junior's Eyes, together with Cal Batchelor. Honk soon departed and the line-up was completed by Pete Thomas (ex-Village) and John Wilson (formerly with Cochise) They were the first group to play at Rainbow Theatre in London (supporting The Who). 

Their first album, Quiver, was completed with help from great sax player Dick Parry. An excellent album, it contains killer guitar duels (as in the great 'Killer man'), outstanding bass playing, and tight ryhthm on drums.  

After their second release, in late 1973,  the whole band decided merging  with Sutherland Brothers, forming Sutherland Brothers and Quiver, but Cal Batchelor decided to leave. 

Tracks
1. Glad I Came Around - 5:06
2. Down Your Way - 3:44
3. Killer Man - 8:00
4. Take A Train - 5:15
5. Cool Evening - 4:07
6. Barnes County - 4:25
7. Back On The Road - 3:07
8. Just Loving You - 1:56
9. Reason For Staying - 7:00

Quiver 
*Tim Renwick - Guitar
*Cal Batchelor - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Bruce Thomas - Bass
*John 'Willie' Wilson - Drums
With
*Dick Parry - Sax

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Blood, Sweat And Tears - Child Is Father To The Man (1968 us, jazz blues brass rock masterpiece, 2000 bonus tracks edition, 2014 audio fidelity and 2016 SACD)

This album is unique. More precisely, it is the first of its kind — a music that takes elements of rock, jazz, straight blues, R&B, classical music and almost anything else you could mention and combines them into a sound of its own that is "popular" without being the least bit wattered down.

That Blood, Sweat and Tears is a band and not merely a melange whose diverse constituents (a trumpet player from Maynard Ferguson's college-dance-and-concert big band, a drummer who has gigged with Eric Anderson and whose elder brother is Thelonious Monk's personal manager, several young white New York jazz horn men who were technologically unemployed by the New Thing revolution and physically unemployed by the shrinkage of available nightclub and record jobs, an L.A. bass player out of the Mothers of Invention and a pair of old Blues Project-ers) are at war with each other is greatly to the credit of Al Kooper, its organist, pianist, vocalist, arranger and general head honcho Child is even more complex than that, what with the addition of a string section, a "soul chorus" and asorted sound effects on several of the cuts. But Kooper and the other musicians involved knew the sound they were after, and having achieved it, they kept the effects strictly secondary.

Two of the songs, "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" and "Somethin' Goin' On" are very nearly perfect, self-contained masterpieces. Both written by the leader, they are extremely bluesy, but without the credibility gap that afflicts almost all white blues performances. This is because these are Al Kooper's blues, Blood, Sweat and Tears' blues and not anyone else's, not Robert Johnson's or B. B. King's or Wilson Pickett's blues or, on the other side, Hank Miller's blues — just as "She Belong to Me" is Bob Dylan's blues and Gerry Mulligan playing "Blueport" is the blues, and those are two pale cats. They are big city blues, New York blues, too much happening blues, they are the blues used as a frame for deeply felt experiences and that's what the form, any form, is all about anyway. If you use it your way.

Musically these cuts are tight where they should be tight, loose etc. What they do is swing, a term or honorable antecedents (see Duke Ellington) that is too little heard these days. For a working definition Fred Lipsius's alto solos are more than just adequate; they are, quite frankly, better saxophone playing or just plain better anything playing than one would expect to hear on a rock and roll record. Lipsius blows right up to the limits of the form and even makes them bulge a little, but he neither pierces nor transcends them. He doesn't need to and it is doubtful that he wants to. What he sets out to do is play the blues, and a booting, exciting pair of blues solos they are.

It would have been a minor miracle if the entire album had maintained that level. Most of it is merely very good. Steve Katz's vocals, and his choice of material does nothing to minimize the dull graininess of his voice: Tim Buckley's "Morning Glory" and Katz's own "Meagan's Gypsy Eyes" are the two folkiest songs on the record. They make pretty limp vehicles for the horn section — and why did Kooper and Lipsius chose to frame "Morning Glory" with the corniest kind of Ferguson over-arranged opening and closing riffs? Probably this, like the animal sound effects, will be forgotten by the time they record again.

by Rolling Stone,  April 27, 1968

Tracks
1. Overture (Kooper) - 1:32
2. I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (Kooper) - 5:57
3. Morning Glory (Larry Beckett, Tim Buckley) - 4:16
4. My Days Are Numbered (Kooper) - 3:19
5. Without Her (Harry Nilsson) - 2:41
6. Just One Smile (Randy Newman) - 4:38
7. I Can't Quit Her (Kooper, Levine) - 3:38
8. Meagan's Gypsy Eyes (Steve Katz) - 3:24
9. Somethin' Goin' On (Kooper) - 8:00
10.House In The Country (Kooper) - 3:04
11.The Modern Adventures Of Plato, Diogenes And Freud (Kooper) - 4:12
12.So Much Love/Underture (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 4:47
13.Refugee From Yuhupitz (Instrumental) (Al Kooper) - 3:45
14.I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (Album Version) (Al Kooper) - 5:54
15.The Modern Adventures Of Plato, Diogenes And Freud (Album Version) (Al Kooper) - 4:48
Bonus Tracks 13-15

Blood, Sweat And Tears
 * Randy Brecker - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
 * Bobby Colomby - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
 * Jim Fielder - Bass Guitar, Fretless Bass Guitar
 * Dick Halligan - Trombone
 * Steve Katz - Guitar, Lute, Vocals
 * Al Kooper - Organ, Piano, Ondioline, Vocals
 * Fred Lipsius - Piano, Alto Saxophone
 * Jerry Weiss - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals
Guest Musicians
 * Anahid Ajemian - Violin
 * Fred Catero - Sound Effects
 * Harold Coletta - Viola
 * Paul Gershman - Violin
 * Al Gorgoni - Organ, Guitar, Vocals
 * Manny Green - Violin
 * Julie Held - Violin
 * Doug James - Shaker
 * Harry Katzman - Violin
 * Leo Kruczek - Violin
 * Harry Lookofsky - Violin
 * Charles Mccracken - Cello
 * Melba Moorman - Choir, Chorus
 * Gene Orloff - Violin
 * Valerie Simpson - Choir, Chorus
 * Alan Schulman - Cello
 * John Simon - Organ, Piano, Conductor, Cowbell
 * The Manny Vardi Strings

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Iron Butterfly - Ball (1969 us, great 3rd album, 2006 japan SHM remastered)

During the progressive music revolution in the late 60s, one of the most surprising successes was that of Iron Butterfly. The band was formed by Doug Ingle, who added Ron Bushy, Lee Dorman and briefly, Danny Weiss. Together, they were arguably the first to amalgamate the terms 'heavy' and 'rock', following the release of their debut album called "Heavy" in 1968.

Later that same year, Weis left the band and guitarist Erik Braunn stepped in. When Iron Butterfly relocated from San Diego to Los Angeles, the band started to gain a live following and soon was gigging with the likes of The Doors and Jefferson Airplane.

Ball, - which surpassed "Vida", was less of a success, despite being a better collection of songs, notably the invigorating 'It Must Be Love' and the more subtle 'Soul Experience',  turning "Gold" record, climbed to No. 1 and remained on the charts for 44 weeks.
Classic-Bands

Tracks
1. In the Time of Our Lives (Ingle, Bushy) - 4:46
2. Soul Experience (Ingle, Bushy, Brann, Dorman) - 2:50
3. Lonely Boy (Ingle) - 5:05
4. Real Fright  (Ingle, Bushy, Brann) - 2:40
5. In the Crowds (Ingle, Dorman) - 2:12
6. It Must Be Love (Ingle) - 4:23
7. Her Favorite Style  (Ingle) - 3:11
8. Filled With Fear (Ingle) - 3:23
9. Belda-Beast  (Brann) - 5:46

Iron Butterfly
* Doug Ingle - Organs, Lead Vocals
* Erik Brann - Lead Guitar, Vocals
* Lee Dorman - Bass, Vocals
* Ron Bushy - Drums

More Iron Butterflies
1968 Iron Butterfly - Heavy (Japan SHM)
1968 Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (2009 japan SHM remaster)
1970 Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis (Japan SHM) 
1974-75 Iron Butterfly - Scorching Beauty / Sun and Steel

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Comin` Thru (1972 us, superb classic rock with psych drops, 2012 Audiophile mini LP replica)

A band known for their formation during the sixties with helping the onset of the psychedelic scene, Quicksilver Messenger Service’s seventh album (first with keyboard player Chuck Steaks), Comin’ Thru is brain child of guitarists Dino Valente and Gary Duncan. Although the band’s most notable albums such as their self-titled album (1968) and Happy Trails (1969) show progressive notions of San Francisco’s psychedelic scene, Comin’ Thru shows more of the band’s musical influences of blues, jazz and folk. This album doesn’t follow a typical Quicksilver song montage of jamming then losing your mind for an allotted amount of time, but don’t get me wrong, it holds true to the psychedelic rock ideas of say the Dead or Jefferson Airplane.

The album’s front runner, Doing Time in the U.S.A., a song chronicling different themes regarding the law being broken has an almost Dicky Betts southern rock feel to it. Doing Time in the U.S.A. has somewhat of an ode to the Rolling Stones when Dino Valente recites in his most Jagger-esque voice, “…I can’t get no, satisfaction;” this being ironic seeing as how the band’s former organist, Nicky Hopkins, was doing work with the Rolling Stones at the time. Whether or not this is an actual response to the Stones classic is unknown, but in a genre where underlying song connections run wild, one can only imagine. 

Quicksilver’s jazz influences are recognizable within moments of the first horn solos found on Chicken. Sonny Lewis (saxophone) and Pat O’hara lay down a dueling solo of lows and highs that make this soulful jam extremely tight. As always twang blues guitar riffs are found throughout, most present on Mojo and Changes. Mojo, a song about what else than a man’s swagger, libido, has that psychedelic song formation found in their earlier albums. Ending the song via a line-up of solo’s starting from guitar to trumpet to bass then on to keyboard the band obtains a type of “jam feeling” usually only found in live performances. Stressing the difference between this album and their popular titles is the production of keyboard player Chuck Steaks. His approach to keyboard is much more up tempo and “wild” compared to a more classically trained Mark Naftalin. 

The albums organ solo’s reflect this greatly with a Bernie Worell style to them, most recognizable on Doing Time in the U.S.A and Don’t Lose It. Many regard Comin’ Thru as a lesser work of Quicksilver Messenger Service since the band would fall apart near the end of the decade and many of the original members were not part of the album’s production (John Cippollina, David Friedberg & Jim Murray). 

An album that holds two sides of the love, hate spectrum: Some feel the horn work is used to compensate for a less talented band, then others feel it was innovative thinking (the band looking for a new sound). Some feel as though the use of a less classically trained pianist was by default (due to the band is disarray), while others feel it adds an element unknown style (coming from the school of thought that, the less classically trained you are, the more unique your style is). Let’s not hang signs, just listen.

Tracks
1. Doin' Time in the U.S.A.  (Gary Duncan) 4:15
2. Chicken (Traditional, Arrangement by Dino Valenti) 4:03
3. Changes (Dino Valenti) 4:15
4. California State Correctional Facility Blues  (Dino Valenti, Gary Duncan, Greg Elmore, Chuck Steaks) 6:10
5. Forty Days  (ino Valenti, Gary Duncan, Greg Elmore) 5:31
6. Mojo  (Dino Valenti) 5:34
7. Don't Lose It  (Dino Valenti, Gary Duncan) 5:57

QMS
* Dino Valenti – Vocals, Guitar, Congas
* Gary Duncan – Guitar, Vocals
* Greg Elmore – Drums
* Chuck Steaks – Organ
* Mark Ryan – Bass
Guest Musicians
* Ken Balzell – Trumpet
* Dalton Smith – Trumpet
* Bud Brisbois – Trumpet
* Pat O'Hara – Trombone
* Charles C. Loper – Trombone
* Sonny Lewis – Saxophone
* Donald Menza – Saxophone

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Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968 us, classic album, 2009 japan SHM remastered)

Iron Butterfly are a fluke in the music world. Their sound is one thing and another all at once. Basically, they're psychedelic, with creepy classical Vox organ by Doug Ingle, Middle Eastern influenced guitar by Erik Brann, a nd tribal drums by Ron Bushy. But there's also a hard edge to it, which explains why the album has been cited as a big influence on heavy metal.

Their winding instrumental breaks also inspired Black Sabbath and the like as well. There's also a slight pop feel, close to bubblegum on "Flowers And Beads," sort of a hippie take on those classic '60s Dion/Righteous Brothers sort of thing. Mainly, it's all mystique and trippy soundscapes.  Sound quality is pretty good. Except for "Termination," the songs were written by vocalist/organist Doug Ingle.

For this album, he crafted love songs, and dreamy tales of exploration. "Mirage," a tribute to a friend just passed, is one of the best. "Termination," inspired by Greek myths, is by far the most colorful, though. All in all, not bad.  In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was Iron Butterfly's second album. Vocalist/organist Doug Ingle and drummer Ron Buhsy are joined by newcomers Lee Dorman and guitarist Erik Brann, the latter adding great depth to their sound. "Most Anything You Want" is a great fun opener, "Termination" is a psychedelic classic, and "Mirage" is just dreamy.

But as we all know, the best song is the title track, that great 17-minute finale with wild solos and all kinds of metal-prophesying arrangements. It made them famous and remains one of the best moments of the late 1960s. This is Iron Butterfly's most important album, and includes their most important song. It's a gas.
by Avram Fawcett

Tracks
1. Most Anything You Want - 3:44
2. Flowers and Beads - 3:09
3. My Mirage - 4:55
4. Termination (Brann, Dorman) - 2:53
5. Are You Happy - 4:31
6. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" - 17:05
All songs written by Doug Ingle, except where noted

Iron Butterfly
*Doug Ingle - Organ, Vocals.
*Erik Brann - Guitars, Vocals
*Lee Dorman - Bass Guitar, Background Vocals
*Ron Bushy - Drums, Percussion

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Humble Pie - Rock On (1971 uk, superb classic hard blues rock, 2000 Rebound and 2007 japan remaster)

Everybody agrees that Rock On is one of the Pie's better moments, if not the best one. On this album the band really proves why in the early Seventies it was considered one of Britain's greatest R'n'B outfits. They are becoming thoroughly Americanized by this time, much more so than their principal concurrents, the Faces: country, blues and bluegrass influences are all over this album, but Steve Marriott adds to everything his impeccable vocal stylizations, really bothering to sing and, okay, maybe 'articulate' instead of just barking and shouting his way through all the songs. And the band shows itself a tight and compact unit; not as tight as the Stones, but I don't blame them for that. I mean, none of the songs ever really fall apart or degenerate into noisy bummers; Shirley's drumming is tight enough to prevent them from doing that, but loose enough to give the band some opportunities for improvised jamming. Meanwhile, Marriott tosses out crunchy, awesome riffs, Frampton blasts the house to pieces with magnificent leads, and occasional guests, like Bobby Keyes on sax, provide great embellishments as well.

The heavy tracks should be played really loud in order to feel their power, especially the monstruous jam 'Stone Cold Fever' - a track after listening to which I hardly understand the need for Aerosmith's existence on the planet. Marriott howls out the 'paleolithic' lyrics like a prime caveman while beating the shit out of his guitar, Frampton gives out an impressive impersonation of Santana, and the track ends with a little guitar heaven as both play that generic, but unbeatable riff in unison. There's also a terrific cover of Howlin' Wolf's 'Rollin' Stone', heavily recommended for all heavy lovers of heavy blues; Steve's singing on that one is magnificent, a prime example of 'putting the soul and spirit into the blues', and Frampton really intrigues me with his playing on that one. The solo part is awesome once you listen to it in headphones; Wilson & Alroy were right in comparing Frampton with Page on that one - he plays the same barrages of echoey, flashing licks that distinguish Page's work on Led Zep's best album (the first one), and that's a fantastic listening experience.

However, the album is diverse enough, and it's not just the heaviest numbers that make the grade. Many subgenres of roots-rock are tackled in many interesting ways, some of which are quite unique. Okay, maybe 'A Song For Jenny' isn't too unique, but you can't get away from the fact that the main acoustic melody of it is just as memorable as it is gorgeous, which is only proved for the fact that McCartney later nicked that same acoustic riff for his pretty ballad 'Mama's Little Girl' - be it intentionally or subconsciously, it really doesn't matter.

But what about '79th And Sunset'? I love that song, and, shame on me, I even like the misogynistic lyrics. They rank among the most interesting misogynistic lyrics I've ever witnessed, by the way. How about this: 'Well this yellow haired snake sits snug as a bug/Got more angle than a toby jug/Star lock hair pins, honey has faults/Shows her legs when opportunity knocks/Underneath her red sweater/She's a big-deal go-getter/There'll be some dramas inside your pajamas tonight'. And I could go on, too, but I won't, because I'm not here to give away the lyrics. Instead, I'll just say that the saloon piano is tremendously tasty, Marriott's tongue-in cheek intonations are hilarious, and the doo-woppy backing vocals and Frampton's simplistic, but enthralling licks are absolutely endearing.

Frampton's main highlight on the record, a Bo Diddley stylization entitled 'The Light', is quite catchy as well; bassist Greg Ridley breaks in with an overtly stupid country rocker ('Big George'), highlighted by its own stupidity and Bobby Keyes' beautiful sax solo. And the magnum opus of the record is a really strange number appropriately called 'Strange Days' which begins its life as a piano-guitar fast jam before turning into an eerie chant about an FBI employee - three years before Mick Jagger took the theme and perfected it on 'Fingerprint File'. Again, Steve is the main hero, turning this into a real theatrical performance: his singing ranges from a shaky, trembly murmur to all-out screaming, and the song can get really scary at times.

I'm sure the record will keep on growing on me yet, like most prime R'n'B recordings do. There's probably nothing particularly great about it if one just disassembles it to individual pieces, but when all the elements of the band's 1971 style are taken together, this makes up for some truly great R'n'B and a style you certainly couldn't find anywhere else. Like I said, this is the vibe that Aerosmith were probably feeding on in the beginning of their career - they just made everything a wee bit heavier and faster and swapped the funny and interesting lyrics for idiotic ones. If you're a big Stones or Faces fan, try it, you'll like it.
by George Starostin

Tracks
   1. Shine On (Frampton) – 3:00
   2. Sour Grain (Frampton, Marriott) – 2:40
   3. 79th and Sunset (Marriott) – 3:01
   4. Stone Cold Fever (Ridley, Marriott, Shirley, Frampton) – 4:09
   5. Rollin' Stone (Muddy Waters) – 5:59
   6. A Song for Jenny (Marriott) – 2:35
   7. The Light (Frampton) – 3:15
   8. Big George (Ridley) – 4:08
   9. Strange Days (Humble Pie, words Marriott) – 6:36
  10.Red Neck Jump (Marriott) – 3:06

Humble Pie
*Steve Marriott - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica
*Peter Frampton - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
*Greg Ridley - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Jerry Shirley - Drums, Keyboards
Guest Musicians
*Alexis Korner - Vocals
*Bobby Keyes - Saxophone
*B.J. Cole - Pedal Steel Guitar
*P.P. Arnold - Backing Vocals
*Claudia Lennear - backing vocals
*Doris Troy - backing vocals

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Humble Pie - Town and Country (1969 uk, 2nd album, 2007 remastered with extra bonus tracks)

Anyone who thinks of Humble Pie solely in terms of their latter-day boogie rock will be greatly surprised with this, the band's second release, for it is almost entirely acoustic. There is a gently rocking cover of Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat," and a couple of electrified Steve Marriott numbers, but the overall feel is definitely more of the country than the town or city.

"The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake" is a typical Marriott country ditty, similar to those he would include almost as a token on each of the subsequent studio albums, and "Every Mother's Son" is structured as a folk tale. On "The Light of Love," Marriott even plays sitar. Peter Frampton's contributions here foreshadow the acoustic-based music he would make as a solo artist a few years later.

 As a whole, this is a crisp, cleanly recorded, attractive-sounding album, totally atypical of the Humble Pie catalog, but well worth a listen.
by Jim Newsom

Tracks
1. Take Me Back (Frampton) - 4:52
2. The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake (Marriott) - 2:59
3. The Light of Love (Ridley) - 3:00
4. Cold Lady (Shirley) - 3:22
5. Down Home Again (Marriott) - 2:56
6. Ollie Ollie (Frampton, Jones, Marriott, Ridley, Shirley) - 0:50
7. Every Mother's Son (Marriott) - 5:42
8. Heartbeat (Montgomery, Petty) - 2:32
9. Only You Can See (Frampton) - 3:37
10.Silver Tongue (Marriott) - 3:20
11.Home and Away (Frampton, Ridley) - 5:54
12.Desperation (Kay) - 6:26
13.Stick Shift (Frampton) - 2:22
14.Buttermilk Boy (Marriott) - 4:21
15.As Safe as Yesterday Is (Frampton, Marriott) - 6:06
16.Bang! (Marriott) - 3:26
17.Alabama '69 (Marriott) - 6:59
18.Wrist Job (Marriott) - 4:16
19.Natural Born Bugie (Marriott) - 4:11

Humble Pie
* Greg Ridley - Bass, Vocals, Guitar, Tambourine
* Peter Frampton - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Spanish Guitar, Drums, Wurlitzer Piano
* Steve Marriott - Guitar, Vocals, Percussion, Piano, Marracaas, Drums
* Jerry Shirley - Drums, Percussion, Tambourine, Tablas, Marracaas, Piano

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - What About Me (1970 us, awesome west coast psych, 2012 audiophile Vinyl replica)

A suitable follow-up to the group's seminal (fourth) album, "Just For Love", the album, "What About Me", produced soon after its release with its title song a widely-played anthem of sorts for the early 1970's. The title song was aired repeatedly over the radio on numerous progressive-rock FM stations from coast to coast. It was written by Dino Valente; the song's lyrics reflected the songwriter's concern for the environment as well as his strong distaste for certain laws of the land at that time, specifically, laws prohibiting the use of some recreational drugs. The song, "What About Me", was a forceful, and yet a typical, protest song of the late 1960's and early 1970's, played over the airwaves during a period of time when the country was engulfed in numerous protests that took on a wide range of issues, including protests against our nation's involvement in faraway Vietnam, an unjust war that, for a good number of years, had no visible end in sight. Fortunately, with the eventual passage of time, positive change did come!!

Certain tracks on this particular album were recorded during the same sessions in Hawaii that produced its predecessor. As a result, the lineup of the band, in essence, remained unchanged on this album with the heart of the group's driving force consisting of two(2) competent lead guitarists in John Cipollina and Gary Duncan, and the infamous piano player, Nicky Hopkins. The rest of the band consisted of David Freiberg on bass, Greg Elmore on drums, and the late Dino Valente as singer and songwriter.

Soon after the recording of these "twin" albums, namely, "Just For Love" and "What About Me", the band's lineup began gradually to change. With the arrival of Dino Valente at this particular time during the group's history, and just in time to inject some much-needed energy, there appeared to be a sudden shift in power within the group and thereupon, a slight change in its musical direction, too. Mr. Valente's immediate background, prior to rejoining the band, had been as a solo artist in New York City. Consequently, the band now began to record an occasional ballad or two sung by Mr. Valente, in contrast to the band's other tracks that reflected San Francisco's brand of harder (and at times, psychedelic) rock. Having had rejoined the band as lead singer, Dino Valente became the group's frontman on stage and, for better or worse, the band's de facto leader, as oftentimes was the case within a rock band at that time when the lead singer and writer of most of a band's songs took the helm.

The title song of this album, "What About Me", was similar in its intensity and stance (critical of society's ills) to another song that Dino Valente had recorded during his days in New York City while he sang as a lone troubadour. The song, "Children of the Sun", likewise became popular, and with time, it grew to become another anthem of sorts for its day. As such, it received its share of airplay on the radio, too, but predominantly in California and on the West Coast. (The song can still be heard on Dino Valente's only solo album, "Dino Valente.") 

by  Sharpphoto "Sharp" 

Tracks
1. What About Me (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 6:40
2. Local Color (John Cipollina) - 2:56
3. Baby Baby (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 4:40
4. Won't Kill Me (David Freiberg) - 2:30
5. Long Haired Lady (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 5:52
6. Subway (Gary Duncan, Jesse Oris Farrow) - 4:25
7. Spindrifter (Nicky Hopkins) - 4:33
8. Good Old Rock and Roll (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 2:29
9. All in My Mind (Gary Duncan, Jesse Oris Farrow) - 3:44
10.Call On Me (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 7:35

QMS
*Dino Valenti - Vocals, Guitar, Flute, Percussion
*Gary Duncan - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Organ
*John Cipollina - Guitar, Percussion
*David Freiberg - Vocals, Bass, Guitar
*Greg Elmore - Drums, Percussion
*Nicky Hopkins - Piano, Keyboards
Guest Musicians
*Martin Fierro - Flute, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Winds
*Frank Morin - Saxophone, Tenor Sax
*Mark Naftalin - Piano
*Pat O'Hara - Trombone
*Jose Reyes - Percussion, Conga, Vocals
*Ron Taormina - Saxophone, Baritone Sax, Soprano Sax

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Humble Pie - As Safe As Yesterday Is (1969 uk, stunning classic rock, 1st album, japan edition)

When Humble Pie was formed in 1969, the act immediately garnered attention as one of the first "supergroups," as its leading members, Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton, had already attained stardom in other rock bands. Marriott had played guitar and sang with the Small Faces, a successful rock act that had achieved a string of hits around the world, and Frampton had played guitar with the Herd, a pop-rock group that was popular in England. Dissatisfied with the direction their respective bands were taking, Marriott and Frampton decided to form Humble Pie as a rock band with a blues-oriented sound.

The band was an immediate hit with critics and started to build solid sales when Frampton left the band in 1970. Humble Pie subsequently released its most successful album, Smokin’, in 1972; following this commercial peak, the group disbanded in 1974. Marriott re-formed the band for a couple of years in the early 1980s, but it again broke up after releasing two more albums. In 1991 Marriott and Frampton decided to work together again. Although their collaboration was not officially called a reunion, Humble Pie fans eagerly awaited the outcome of the duo’s recording sessions. Tragically, after recording a handful of tracks, Marriott died in a house fire in April of 1991 at the age of 44.

Humble Pie started out with one of the most distinguished pedigrees among rock bands of the late 1960s. London native Steve Marriott started his entertainment career as a child actor and singer and appeared in the musical Oliver! in the early 1960s. After a short-lived stint as a pop singer, Marriott worked in a music instrument shop, where he met bassist Ronnie Lane.

Bonded by a love of R&B and rock ‘n’ roll, the two formed the Small Faces with Marriott as its lead singer. The band was immediately popular in England and, with the release of the top-20 single "Itchycoo Park," in the United States as well. Despite the band’s success, Marriott was increasingly unhappy with its musical direction and in 1969 decided that he wanted to leave the group. Intent on forming his own band, one of the first people he contacted was guitarist Peter Frampton.

Frampton had just left the lineup of the Herd, another London-based band. Although the group was not quite as successful as the Small Faces, it had made Frampton into something of a teen idol in England, a status that made the guitarist and singer uncomfortable. Frampton was also unhappy with the Herd’s increasingly pop-oriented direction. After leaving the Herd in early 1969, he was determined to pursue a harder-edged sound with another band. Marriott and Frampton thus had a common goal in mind when they announced that they were looking for some bandmates to round out the lineup of the group that Marriott christened Humble Pie. They recruited teenage drummer Jerry Shirley and bassist Greg Ridley and moved to Essex, England, to start rehearsing.

After making some preview concert appearances, the group was acclaimed by critics even before it entered the recording studio. The single "Natural Bom Boogie" hit the British top five in September of 1969, and the band’s first album, As Safe As Yesterday Is, was released later that year on the Immediate label, owned by Andrew Oldham.

As Safe as Yesterday Is, is a visionary blend of hard blues, crushing rock, pastoral folk, and post-mod pop. It would be even more impressive if the group had written songs to support its sound, but it seemed to have overlooked that element of the equation. Still, there's no denying that the sound of the band isn't just good, it's quite engaging, as the band bring disparate elements together, letting them bump up against each other, forming a wildly rich blend of hippie folk and deeply sexy blues.

Musically, this set a template for a lot of bands that followed later -- Led Zeppelin seemed to directly lift parts of this, and Paul Weller  would later rely heavily on this for his '90s comeback -- and it's very intriguing, even rewarding, on that level. But it falls short of a genuine classic, even with its originality and influence, because the songwriting is rarely more than a structure for the playing and the album often sounds more like a period piece than an album that defined its times.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks
1. Desperation (Kay) - 6:27
2. Stick Shift (Frampton) - 2:25
3. Buttermilk Boy (Marriott) - 4:21
4. Growing Closer (McLagan) - 3:12
5. As Safe as Yesterday Is (Frampton, Marriott) - 6:07
6. Bang! (Marriott) - 3:25
7. Alabama 69 (Marriott) - 6:57
8. I'll Go Alone (Frampton) - 3:55
9. A Nifty Little Number Like You (Marriott) - 6:13
10. What You Will (Marriott) - 4:22
11. Natural Boy Boogie (Marriott) - 4:14
12. Wrist Job (Marriott) - 4:15

Humble Pie
* Steve Marriott  - Vocals, Guitar , Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Organ, Tablas, Piano
* Peter Frampton - Vocals, Guitar, Slide Guitar, Organ, Tablas, Piano
* Greg Ridley - Bass, Vocals, Percussion
* Jerry Shirley - Drums, Percussion, Tablas, Harpsichord, Piano,
* Lyn Dobson - Flute, Sitar

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Just For Love (1970 us, 4th album, classic west coast psych, 2012 audiphile remaster)

This is one of the few best produced albums in the history of Rock music, and way more. When I first heard this on vinyl back in the early 70s, I was mesmerized by the amazing quality of the materials, their performance, and the recording. I've liked the first two albums of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, but this album really cemented my love for their music. Someone mentioned in his/her review that you had to listen to them perform live to really know their music, but for me who lived in the other part of the world, this album really did it.

While Dino Valenti's materials are quite different from what the band has been playing prior to this album, the way many of his tunes are arranged and the overall tone and the feel of the entire album, are so sublime. Every member of the band sounds very well-integrated to the music as well.

Particularly the way the lead guitarist Gary Duncan plays on this album is out of this world; way above and beyond the realm of the typical Rock guitar playing. From the powerful thrilling boogie glides on "Freeway Flyer" to the intoxicatingly beautiful and sensual melodic whispers and caresses on "Gone Again," his guitar consistently and spontaneously delivers what seems to be just the right sound for the moment and the context, but never a dull moment. Because of his masterful use of the instruments and sound effects, the sounds coming out of his guitars always provide the most interesting dynamics, rich tones, and colorful textures to the music. His fantastic solo on "Fresh Air" sends anyone to that far-out heaven each time he hits that first note. Duncan's extremely evolved, uniquely compositional, and unparalleled melody sense contributes so much to the excellence of this album as does to the music of the band in its entirety.

If I had to pick only one Rock CD to listen to the rest of my life, this would be the one. 

by Mic Murdoch

Tracks
1. Wolf Run, Pt. 1 (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 1:12
2. Just for Love, Pt. 1 (Farrow) - 3:00
3. Cobra (John Cipollina) - 4:23
4. The Hat (Farrow) - 10:36
5. Freeway Flyer (Farrow) - 3:49
6. Gone Again (Farrow) - 7:17
7. Fresh Air (Farrow) - 5:21
8. Just for Love, Pt. 2 (Farrow) - 1:38
9. Wolf Run, Pt. 2 (Farrow) - 2:10

Quicksilver Messenger Service
*Dino Valenti - Vocals, Guitar, Flute, Congas
*David Freiberg - vocals, Viola, Bass Guitar
*John Cipollina - Guitar
*Gary Duncan - Guitars, Electric Bass, Percussion
*Nicky Hopkins - Piano, Harpsichord, Organ
*Greg Elmore - Drums, Percussion

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