Senor Soul - What It Is, Y'All (1967-70 us, excellent latin soul psychedelic funky garage beats)

Most fans' first taste of War was with their 1970 collaboration with ex-Animal Eric Burdon, 'Spill the Wine'. But these long-lived denizens of Los Angeles multi-racial funk and soul have their brotherly roots in a hip instrumental combo by the name of Senor Soul. Decked out in ponchos and sombreros, the Senors' label promoted the band with a superficial novelty image, but the sounds they produced were anything but novelty: a hip synthesis of Latin-flavoured jazz and dead-on-the-one psychedelic funk. 

The man in charge of Senor Soul throughout their brief two-year career was Chuck Miller, a Kansas native and multi-talented horn and keyboard player who had been performing as far back as 1962 in the Creators, a suburban Long Beach, California band that actually included the core members of the future War: Howard Scott on guitar. Lonnie Jordan on organ, Morris "BB" Dickerson on bass, and Howard Brown on drums. The Creators broke up when Scott was drafted, but Miller continued to play in other outfits. 

The way their bio tells it. Senor Soul was formed by Miller in early 1967, though they were probably first known as the Romeos, under which name they made two singles for Warner Brothers' R&B subsidiary Loma in 1967 judging by titles like 'Mucho Soul' and 'Calypso Chili', the outfit already had a Latin soul shtick down. By that time Miller's cohorts were guitarist Howard Talley, Edwin Stevenson on vibes and piano, bassist Willie Briggs, and James Tillman Crump on drums. 

Later in 1967 the group signed to happening LA indie Double Shot Label co-owner Hal Winn recalls that Chuck Miller had come into the company's Sunset Boulevard office touting the band, but it is also possible that Winn knew of the Romeos already, as he had produced the Invincibles for Loma. 'There was always a great feeling when you could deal with somebody like Chuck," notes Winn, "someone who was in control of his own group. Because if not, it was like five arguments instead of one. He directed everything. Later on it wasn't that way, and he eventually lost control of the band when they became War." 

Senor Soul's first record was an infectious vibes and flute-filled take of Miriam Makeba's 'Pata Pata' that immediately received airplay, thanks to the experienced efforts of Double Shot's Irwin Zucker, famous for his Promotion In Motion publicity stamp.'"Pata Pata' sold pretty well in some parts of the country," recalls Zucker "Basically it was not a hit record but it sold about 30,000 copies just in a place like Detroit." 

The group made their official live debut in January 1968. And that same month completed an album."Plays Funky Favorites". Cut live at Sunset Sound Studios, the record featured jazzy interpretations of recent chart hits such as 'Get On Up', 'Spooky', 'Sunshine Superman', 'l Heard It Through The  Grapevine' and 'Uptight', all laden with chugging guitar, sparkling vibes and the occasional vocal aside grunted in a charming ersatz Chicano. 

Producers Winn and Joe Hooven made sure the Senors also covered a handful of Double Shot copyrights including Brenton Wood's 'Lovey Dovey Kinda Lovin" and Count Five's 'Psychotic Reaction', the latter transformed into a whacked-out acid jazz masterpiece. Miller contributed two originals, one of which. 'Poquito Soul', would later be successfully covered by One G Plus Three in 1972. Senor Soul quickly became a popular live draw in the Los Angeles area, appealing to both the Hispanic community of East LA, and general R&B clubgoers from Ventura to San Diego. 

There were two further singles on Double Shot during 1968, including a version of the novelty Tip Toe Through The Tulips', before Winn and Hooven moved the group to the label's new subsidiary Whiz in early 1969. However, it appears that the combo had suffered a personnel change, with only Miller remaining from the original line-up. 

The first Whiz single was a strong take on the oft-covered 'It's Your Thing' that eschewed the vibes and flute of the old Seniors for a basic, Hammond-dominated funk feel. It's uncertain who exactly was on the session but it was supervised by Maurice Rodgers, organ player for Double Shot outfit Kent and the Candidates, and subsequently the label's principal A and R staffer. The single got action on R and B charts around the nation but once again fell short of becoming a hit. 

A second album named for the single was prepared in June 1969, and offered further evidence that the original Senor Soul was in disarray. Some cuts were outtakes from the first LP sessions, while others were actually recycled backing tracks from other Double Shot/Whiz releases. Specifically, 'Hypnotizer' had originally been released with a vocal as 'Mesmeriser' by the Fantastics, while'Make The Funk Jump' used the same track as the Recitations' vocal version on Whiz, which itself had cannibalized an earlier Kent & the Candidates single The Neck'. 

But nevertheless, "It's Your Thing" was as listenable as its predecessor and it has since become a highly regarded item amongst funk connoisseurs, not least for The Mouse1, two and half minutes of pounding fatback groove penned by Kodgers, and issued as a single in July 1969. From the same session comes an equally appealing outtake. The Sneak', featuring a spiraling, spluttering organ and a splash of wah-wah. When quizzed on the status of the band at this point, Hal Winn offers the following observation:"! don't remember a split, but they were becoming War while we still had them." What seems probable is that Miller reconnected with his old cohorts from the Creators around this period. 

The standard history of War mentions their evolution from a rand called the Nightshift that Eric Burdon ran across in a Long Beach club called the Rag Doll in the summer of 1969.The combo were providing accompaniment to ex-football player Deacon Jones, who had a novelty act that consisted of doing one-arm push ups while singing R & B ballads. They may have been working live with Jones as the Nightshift, but on vinyl at least the group were still Senor Soul. 

Burden's epiphany at discovering the band coincided with his formation of Far Out Productions with Jerry Goldstein, who was quick to contact Winn about taking over the group's contract But interestingly enough, the final session that the band recorded for Double Shot was in February 1970, some time later. It produced two vocal tracks that are unmistakably War in everything but name, with a communal writing credit that confirmed the line-up: Miller, Dickerson, Brown, Scott, Jordan and newcomer Lee Oscar, introduced to the band by Burdon. 

The latter's plaintive harmonica is to the fore on both the ballad 'I Ain't Got No Soul Today (What It Is,Y'All)' and the impossibly catchy 'Don't Lay Your Funky Trip On Me', solid tunes chat could slot effortlessly onto "All Day Music". War's two year hence debut. The tracks became the Senors' last two A-sides, and 'I Ain't Got No Soul Today' in particular got decent airplay. But they were overshadowed, however, by 'Spill The Wine’  #3 chart placing in July 1970, which made the newly christened War, with the addition of Papa Dee Allen on keyboards, national stars. 

In the years since, the group have rarely referred to their roots in Senor Soul, but there is no doubt the band had much to do with informing War's complex and unique blend of funk, R & B, rock and Latin jazz. And the Senors made some great records on their own right.

by Alec Palao

Tracks
1. The Mouse (Maurice Rodgers) - 2:31
2. Don't Lay Your Funky Trip On Me (H. Brown, H. Scott, M. Dickerson, L. Jordan, L. Oskar, C.Miller, T. S. Allen) - 3:32
3. Psychotic Reaction (Kenn Ellner, Roy Chaney, Sean Byrne, John Michalski, Craig Atkinson) - 2:06
4. It's Your Thing (Ronald Isley, O'kelly Isley. Rudolph Isley) - 2:26
5. Pata Pata (Miriam Makeba, Jerry Ragovoy) - 2:22
6. Get On Up (Gilbert Moorer, Bill Sheppard, Johnny Taylor) - 2:43
7. Poquitosoul (Charles Miller) - 2:49
8. The Sneak (Maurice Rodgers) - 3:03
9. I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Norman Whitfield. Barrett Strong) - 2:44
10.Hypnotizer (Maurice Rodgers) - 2:04
11.I Ain't Got No Soul Today (What It Is, Y'all) (H. Brown, H. Scott, M. Dickerson, L. Jordan, L. Oskar, Ch. Miller) - 3:58
12.Spooky (Mike Shapiro, Harry Middlebrooks, Buddy Buie, Jr Cobb) - 2:33
13.Uptight (Everything's Alright) - (Henry Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy) - 4:40
14.Soul Fiesta (Charles Miller) - 2:26
15.Lovey Dovey Kinda Lovin' (Alfred Smith, Joe Hooven, Hal Winn) - 3:15
16.Some Got It, Some Don't (Alfred Smith, Joe Hooven, Hal Winn) - 2:16
17.Sunshine Superman (Donovan Leitch) - 3:08
18.Make The Funk Jump (Maurice Rodgers) - 2:54
19.El Loco (Maurice Rodgers) - 2:38
20.I Dig Rock & Roll Music (David Dixon, James Mason, Paul Stookey) – 2:24

Senor Soul
*B.B. Dickerson - Bass
*Charles Miller - Saxophone, Flute, Keyboards
*Harold Brown - Drums
*Howard Scott - Guitar
*Lee Oskar - Harmonica
*Lonnie Jordan - Piano, Organ
*Papa Dee Allen - Vocals, Percussion, Keyboards

Free Text
Text Host

Belfast Gypsies (Them) - Belfast Gypsies (1967 uk, mighty garage psychedelic rock, 2003 rev ola release with bonus tracks)

The Belfast Gypsies' sole album was a very credible blast of British Invasion-styled R&B-rock. Released a year about after it was recorded and the produce by  Kim Fowley gives this rough-hewn R&B a manic, freaky edge on cuts like "People, Let's Freak Out," "Suicide Song," and "Secret Police." 

The Them-like atmosphere is heightened by singer Jackie McAuley, who's very much a Van Morrison-style vocalist ("Gloria's Dream" is a blatant cop of "Gloria"), though not in Morrison's league. Still, it's quite a solid effort, McAuley's organ pacing the band's brittle rock-R&B, with some decent originals and a diverse assortment of imaginative covers, ranging from Donovan to traditional folk to a tongue-in-cheek classical instrumental. 

Their tense version of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is one of the greatest obscure Dylan covers, and the magnificent harmonica on "Midnight Train" is a highlight. [In 2003, it was reissued on CD by Rev-Ola with six bonus tracks, five of them barely different EP and 45 mixes of songs from the original LP (though the French EP mix of "Midnight Train" seems to straighten out a varispeed flaw that had afflicted previous pressings). 

The other bonus track (and sole cut not to have appeared on the original LP), "The Gorilla," is a generic soul-rock instrumental with prominent organ that appeared on a French EP. Note, though, that while that recording did originally appear on a Belfast Gypsies release, it's not actually the Belfast Gypsies performing on the track, which was likely done by some or all members of Shotgun Express (particularly as two of them, including keyboardist Peter Bardens, shared in the songwriting credits).

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Gloria's Dream (K. McLeod, M. Scott, J.J. McAuley, P.J. McAuley, R. Henderson, K. Fowley) - 2:13
2. The Crazy World Inside Me (McAuley, McLeod) -  3:02
3. Midnight Train (Traditional) -  3:31
4. Aria Of The Fallen Angels (K. McLeod, M. Scott, J.J. McAuley, P.J. McAuley) - 3:50
5. (It's All Over Now) Baby Blue (Bob Dylan) - 3:48
6. People, Let's Freak Out (K. McLeod, M. Scott, J.J. McAuley, P.J. McAuley) - 2:30
7. Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker) - 2:27
8. The Last Will And Testament (K. McLeod, M. Scott, J.J. McAuley, P.J. McAuley) - 4:51
9. Portland Town (Daryl Adams) - 3:19
10.Hey Gyp, Dig The Slowness (Donovan) - 2:05
11.Suicide Song (K. McLeod, M. Scott, J.J. McAuley, P.J. McAuley) - 4:13
12.Secret Police (K. Fowley, Hardesty, Walther) - 2:32
13.Portland Town (French EP Mix) (Daryl Adams) - 3:40
14.(It's All Over Now) Baby Blue (French EP Mix) (Bob Dylan) - 3:48
15.Midnight Train (French EP Mix) (Traditional) - 3:30
16.The Gorilla (French EP Mix) (P. Bardens, R. Henderson, J. Mooreshead) - 1:59
17.Secret Police (45 Mix) (K. Fowley, Hardesty, Walther) - 2:38
18.Gloria's Dream (45 Mix) (K. McLeod, M. Scott, J.J. McAuley, P.J. McAuley, R. Henderson, K. Fowley) - 2:14

Them
*Jackie Mcauley  - Vocals, Keyboards
*Pat Mcauley - Drums
*Ken Mccleod - Guitar
*Mark Scott - Bass

Related Acts
1970  Trader Horne - Morning Way....Plus
1971  Jackie McAuley...Plus

Free Text
Text Host

Silk - Smooth As Raw (1969 us, amazing psychedelic rock with baroque shades, 2008 Bull's Eye digi-pack edition)

In 1965 the teenager Michael Gee, started his career playing in a number of local groups including The Scepters.  By 1968 Gee was attending Hiram University and joined a late-inning version of Clevelabd's Beatles-inspired The Tree Stumps showcasing the talents of Gee, guitarist Chris Johns, drummer Courtney Johns and keyboardist Randy Sabo.  

Playing dances and local clubs won the band a cult following and released a couple of singles, but met with little financial reward and by 1969 the Stumps had morphed into Silk.  Silk did little and o the verge of calling it quits, a performance at a Cleveland club attracted the attention of producer Bill Szymczyk who'd been sent on the road by ABC Records to look for talent.  (The same trip saw him sign Joe Walsh and the James Gang to a contract.) 

Signed to ABC, the band were teamed with producer Szymczyk (who also co-wrote several tracks).  The group's 1969 debut "Smooth As Raw Silk" served to showcase the band's broad and versatile repertoire.   Gee and Sabo split vocal duties and while both were professional, neither was overwhelming (Sabo actually struck me as the better of the two).  

With all four members contributed the writing chores (a cover of Tim Rose's 'Long Haired Boy' was the lone non-original), the results found the band touching base on a wide array of genres ranging from country ('Custody'), to sensitive singer/songwriter moves, and even horn rock ('Not a Whole Lot I Can Do').  

The results were never less than professional.  The collection got off to a nice start with the effects laden 'Introduction' (dedicated to airline pilots everywhere) and the psych-rocker 'Foreign Trip'.  Sporting some nice twin lead guitar work from Johns and guest Harry Porter 'Skito Blues' was an excellent rocker.  Almost as good was the raucous 'Come On Down Girl'.  At the other end of the spectrum taking on the then-taboo issue of divorce and children the C&W-flavored 'Custody' was easily the strangest song.  

Coming in a close second, 'Scottish Thing' somehow managing to meld a trance feel with bagpipes.  The song was also interesting in that it was dedicated to Elektra's Jac Holtzman (even though the band was signed to ABC)  The album actually managed to hit the top-200 charts (peaking at # 191) but the quartet subsequently called it quits.

Bad-Cat

Tracks
1. Introduction (Bill Szymczyk) - 1:12
2. Foreign Trip (Chris Johns, Bill Szymczyk) - 4:07
3. Long Haired Boy (Tim Rose) - 3:38
4. Not A Whole Lot I Can Do (Michael Gee) - 3:07
5. Custody (Steve Karliski, Larry Kolber) - 2:19
6. Scottish Thing (Michael Gee, Randy Sabo) - 4:47
7. Skitzo Blues (Gee, Sabo, Johns, Szymczyk) - 4:34
8. Hours (Michael Gee, Randy Sabo) - 2:48
9. Walk In My Mind (Michael Gee) - 4:18
10.Come On Down Girl (Gee, Sabo, Szymczyk) - 3:45
11.For All Time (Michael Gee) - 4:23

Silk
*Courtney Johns - Drums
*Michael Gee - Bass, Lead Vocals
*Chris Johns - Guitars
*Randy Sabo - Keyboards, Vocals
With
*Bill Szymczyk - Voclas, Production

Free Text
Text Host

Lobby Loyde - Plays With George Guitar (1971 aussie, outstanding acid spacey guitar rock)

Australia's first guitar hero, Lobby Loyde helped shape the sound of classic local bands such as Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and Rose Tattoo, as well as have a successful solo career.

In 1963, then known as Barry Lyde, he joined the Stilettos, a Shadows-inspired outfit, and by 1964, had joined the R&B band the Impacts. A name change to the Purple Hearts saw their career take off and the band solidified a reputation as one of Australia's best R&B bands. Barry Lyde changed his name to Lobby Loyde in 1967 and joined the Wild Cherries, whom he transformed into an experimental psychedelic group. He left the Wild Cherries at the end of 1968 and joined Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Loyde's guitar work helped Billy Thorpe to become the leader of Australia's rock scene during the early '70s.

Loyde left the Aztecs in October 1970 and released the classic solo album Plays With George Guitar in September 1971. He formed a backing band called the Wild Cherries, comprised of Teddy Toi on bass and Johnny Dick on drums, which lasted until February 1972. He then formed a new band, Coloured Balls, which broke up at the end of 1974. He then released a solo single, "Do You Believe in Magic?"/"Love Lost on Dream Tides," in December 1975.

Loyde issued his second solo album, Obsecration, in May 1976, another impressive collection of heavy rock guitar work. He moved to the U.K. where Virgin showed interest in releasing the album, but with England in the throes of punk music, a deal was never sealed. He returned to Australia in 1979 and formed a new lineup with Gil Matthews (drums), Gavin Carroll (bass), and Mandu, known as Southern Electric. They recorded the album Live with Dubs, later released in October 1980.

In 1979, Loyde contributed the track "John's Song" to the various artists disc Australian Guitar Album and then joined Rose Tattoo as a bass player. They recorded an album in Los Angeles that was never released, nonetheless Loyde toured with the band from October 1979 to September 1980. Loyde then turned his attention to producing other bands, working with the Sunnyboys, Machinations, X, and Painters and Dockers. In 1990 he played bass in a short-lived band called Dirt, and in 1997 he formed a new band called Fish Tree Mother. After battling lung cancer, Lobby Loyde died in Melbourne on April 21, 2007; he was 65 years old.
by Brendan Swift

Tracks
1. Everybody Come Together - 5:05
2. Feels Good - 8:05
3. George - 7:06
4. Dream - 8:16
5. What I Want - 3:45
6. Evolution - 8:00
7. Herreni - 1:05
8. I Am The Sea - Stop Killing Me - 3:27
9. Daily Planet (J.Dick, T. Toi, L.Loyde) - 3:57
All songs by Lobby Loyde except where indicated.

Musicians
*Lobby Loyd - Guitars, Vocals
*Teddy Toi - Bass
*Johnny Dick - Drums

Related Act

1964-70  The Purple Hearts / The Coloured Balls - Benzedrine Beat! 

Free Text

Just Paste

Whichwhat - Whichwhat's First (1969-70 uk, fantastic psychedelic soulful blues rock with jazz elements, 2010 Flawed Gems bonus tracks remaster issue)

Formed in 1968,Whichwhat joined the vibrant 60's Nottingham music scene at a time when every pub and club had live music. They were soon established amongst the elite bands of that period : Sons and Lovers, Six Across, etc. and within 5 months achieved a recording contract on Beacon Records.

Between 1968 and 1971 Whichwhat released 5 singles and one LP. (whichwhat's first). They achieved chart success in Holland, Australia   and Japan with these songs :- "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin" ,  "In the year 2525", and " Why do lovers break  each  others heart". Before their eventual demise Whichwhat went through a series of personnel changes, and turned from a great cover band into a serious progressive rock outfit.

Tracks
1. Makin’ It - 4:29
2. Early Morning (Late At Night) - 3:30
3. K9P - 5:06
4. Shame And Solution - 4:22
5. Lawdy Miss Clawdy - 3:20
6. Vietnam Rose - 3:26
7. Take Love Away - 2:35
8. Odgkin Kane - 13:18
9. Parting - 3:23
10. In The Year 2525 - 3:20
11. Wonderland Of Love - 3:27
12. Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ - 2:19

Whichwhat
Album line up (Tracks 1-8)
*Eddie Young - Lead Vocals
*Wayne Ford - Guitar
*Mick Brown - Sax, Flute
*Terry Penn - Bass
*Steve Harris - Drums
Other Members
*John Bednall - Drums
*Walt Savage - Keyboards
*Kip Wilkes - Sax, Flute
*Mel Monks - Guitar
*Jim Marsden - Trumpet
*John Barlow - Drums

Free Text
Just Paste

The Blues Project - Lazarus / The Blues Project (1971-72 us, superb classic rock with blues and folk tinges)

I'm sure that no one will argue the fact that the original Blues Project which recorded the albums Live at the Cafe Au Go Go, Live at Town Hall and Projections represented this seminal band at its best but the two albums recorded by a resurrected band for Capitol in the early 70s have long been overlooked. 

They are now remastered and presented here both on one disc and certainly warrant rediscovery. In some cases time can really shed a different light on things, neither the album Lazarus, recorded by a trio line-up, or 1972's album The Blues Project by a five-piece line-up was recorded under particularly great circumstances, but they have their moments. Inner turmoil, drugs and all the other bullshit that's prevalent in the rock and roll world clouded the events surrounding the recording for both albums, but in retrospect the discs offer some solid playing and more than a few fleeting glimpses of brilliance. 

When initially approached for these sleeve notes guitarist Danny Kalb pretty much unequivocally dismissed both albums as being non-starters, but then he took the b'me to listen again and realized that part of his perspective was colored by the troubled times that he and the band were going through. "You can say Danny Kalb listened to the albums in 2004 and liked a lot of the tracks on them," said Kalb empathically although being quick to let the perfectionist aspect in him pop out, admitting they both had their faults. 

Both albums didn't particularly sell well and Danny ended up leaving the band and even though he felt he was pushed, Blumenfeld remembers, "We did a couple of shows at the Troubadour, but it just wasn't the same without Danny." A few months later the band disbanded. They did, of course, reunite with the original line-up for the memorable Live in Central Park album recorded in 1973 and again in 1996 for some live shows that were part of Al Kooper's Soul of a Man album. 

But as stated before, this compilation of the two Capitol albums deserves more than a cursory mention in the history of the Blues Project. Kalb says some of the weaker moments "Were glorious failures" but now acknowledges that some of the better moments were very good and one simply cannot argue with that as there's some fine music here. 

These days Blumenfeld still plays with various bands in San Francisco including the Barry Melton Band. He also does voice over work. Danny Kalb plays solo and band dates with a new trio and has released several solo albums with a new one in the works.

by Mick Skidmore, September 2004

Tracks

1. It's Alright (Big Joe Turner, Pete Johnson) - 3.15
2. Personal Mercy (Roy Blumenfeld) - 4.03
3. Black Night (Trad. Art D. Kalb) - 5.40
4. Vision Of Flowers (Danny Kalb) - 3.16
5. Yellow Cab (Tim Hardin) - 2.46
6. Lazarus (Trad. Arr. D. Kalb) - 9.00
7. Brown Eyed Handsome Man (Chuck Berry) - 3.15
8. Reachings (Danny Kalb) - 2.53
9. Midnight Rain (Roy Blumenfeld) - 2.38
10.So Far So Near (Don Kretmar) - 2.50
11.Back Door Man (Willie Dixon) - 3.34
12.Danville Dame (Tim Hardin) - 5.00
13.Railroad Boy (Trad. Arr. Blues Project) - 3.14
14.Rainbow (Tommy Flanders) - 4.25
15.Easy Lady (Gilbert Peltz) - 3.03
16.Plain And Fancy (Tommy Flanders) - 4.30
17.Little Rain (Ewart G. Abner Jr., Jimmy Reed) - 5.10
18.Crazy Girl (Danny Kalb) - 3.21
19.I'm Ready (Willie Dixon) - 4.25

The Blues Project
*Tommy Flanders - Vocals
*Danny Kalb - Guitar, Vocals
*Don Kretmar - Bass, Saxophone
*Roy Blumenfeld - Drums, Vocals
*David Bennett Cohen - Piano
*Bill Lussenden - Guitar
*Gabriel Mekler - Organ, Piano, Marimba

Other Blues Projects
1966  Live At The Cafe Au Go Go
1966  Projections
1967  Live At Town Hall
1968  Planned Obsolescence
1973  Reunion in Central Park

Just Paste
Free Text
Text Host

Little Boy Blues - In The Woodland Of Weir (1968 us, awesome acid psych with blues and folk traces, 2012 Kismet extra tracks reissue)

"When we first got started we played more in the Chicago blues bag," Ray explains. "But from there we derived our own form of blues, more electric and much heavier. Also, we would like to see more classical sounds emerge in rock. What's happened so far is that pop people have taken classical sounds and used them on the surface. 

They haven't really gotten into the actual form. In the future you might very well hear a 12-tone scale on a pop record. Although we make use of classical music on our first LP, In The Woodland Of Weir, we plan to go into it even heavier on our second." Regarding recording, Ray says: "The best efforts are not necessarily made by the best groups, but by groups with a good and thorough knowledge of how to use the recording studio and its limitations. One also has to go into the studio thinking of a writer writing a story, or of an artist painting a picture"

Original Press Release, 1968

Formed in Chicago in 1964, The Little Boy Blues soon became local heroes, opening for The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Paul Revere & The Raiders and many others. Having played innumerable live dates and appeared on top TV shows, their sound took a psychedelic turn in 1967. Their sole album – made with a revised line-up and originally released in October 1968 – incorporates jazz, classical and acid rock influences, and makes its long-overdue return to CD here, complete with all their non-album singles sides.

Tracks
1. Cathedral - 3:25
2. Is Love? - 2:58
3. I'm Hip To You - 4:04
4. Mr. Tripp Wouldn't Listen - 3:42
5. The Death of Don Quixote - 5:08
6. Jazz is Love - 0:26
7. It's Only You/Echoes of "You" - 2:42
8. Dream Weaver/Seed of Love - 8:20
9. The Fox - 5:34
10.Look At the Sun - 2:22
11.Love For a Day - 2:22
12.I'm Ready - 2:17
13.Little Boy Blues Blues - 2:37
14.I Can Only Give You Everything - 2:32
15.You Don't Love Me - 2:39
16.The Great Train Robbery - 2:39
17.Season of the Witch - 2:42
18.Ain't Too Proud To Beg - 2:32
Tracks 1-10 original album release
Tracks 11-18 bonus tracks

The Little Boy Blues
Album line up (Tracks 1-10)
*Marc Coplon - Vocals
*Ray Lewin - Piano, Organ, Bass,  Flute
*Pete Pollok – Guitar
*Bill Mooney - Drums
Other members
*Lowell Shyette - Lead Vocals, Guitar
*Paul Ostroff - Lead Guitar
*Ray Levin - Bass
*James Boyce - Drums
*Frank Binner - Vocals

Free Text
Text Host

Cozy Powell - The Bedlam Years (1968-1999 uk, great classic rock, hard rock, 2009 remaster edition, 3 disc box set)

Bedlam (originally known as Beast when it formed in 1972) was a British hard rock band featuring singer Frank Aiello (from Truth), guitarist Dave Ball (from Procol Harum), bassist Dennis Ball (formerly with Long John Baldry), and drummer Cozy Powell (formerly with Jeff Beck) They did a self-titled album produced by Felix Pappalardi (producer of Cream member of Mountain) in 1973 before breaking up in 1974

This band should have just as big as Led Zeppelin The signs were where all moody and magnificent blues rock guitarist of the highest caliber in the form of Dave Ball (from Procol Harum) a rock steady thundering bassist - Dennis Ball (formerly with Long John Baldry) - vocals from a Cockney banshee Frank Aiello (from the truth tablen) and drummer Mr. Cozy Powell from 1973 debut "Bedlam" album remains a classic

Considered one of England's best drummers and a lot of demand for rock and pop Cozy Powell was almost legendary for a heavy hit style that could be done to work with many types of rock music, whether for the thundering pop productions helmed by Mickie Most Black Sabbath Emerson Lake & Powell or even his own solo work (notably "Dance with the Devil" which was a major English hit in 1973)

Powell began his professional music career in 1965 with sorcerers eventually decommissioning work with Jeff Beck after Beck left the Yardbirds in 1971, Powell formed Bedlam, but eventually abandoned this project to produce singles such as "Dance with the Devil" He later imageas Cozy Powell's Hammer, which broke up in 1975 after a brief sabbatical, he joined Rainbow helps to give the band a section thunderous rhythm before exiting after four years and four albums in 1980, always in demand for the drum seat, he alternated between session work and working in different bands, including the Michael Schenker Group, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath never staying in one band for very long

In 1996, he worked with former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green on his long-awaited comeback tour at the time of his death on April 5, 1998 he was recovering from a foot injury which had sidelined him from touring work with guitarist Yngvie Malmsteen He was driving on the M4 towards Bristol when he apparently lost control of his car (due toto bad weather) slamming into the center divider of the highway, he died some hours later in hospital 

Tracks
Disc-1 Bedlam 1973
1. Believe In You - 4:02
2. Hot Lips - 4:37
3. Sarah - 3:48
4. Sweet Sister Mary - 2:52
5. Seven Long Years - 3:47
6. The Beast - 5:30
7. Whisky And Wine - 2:35
8. Looking Through Love's Eyes - 2:58
9. Putting On The Flesh - 3:55
10.Set Me Free - 4:22

Disc-2: The Studio CD 1968-99
1.1812 Thrashed - 1:36
2. Swlabr - 2:48
3. Hideaway - 3:11
4. For Your Love - 5:41
5. Stepping Out - 2:22
6. Funky Woman - 3:06
7. Ring Of Fire - 3:41
8. Munich City - 4:22
9. Hot Lips - 4:35
10.At The Gateway -3:15
11.Candy(Rainbow Over New York) - 4:21
12.Share With You - 3:36
13.Dave's Ditty For Cozy - 1:52

Disc-3: The Live CD  New York 5th March 1974
1. I Believe In You - 4:11
2. The Beast - 5:43
3. The Great Game - 4:06
4. Set Me Free - 6:29
5. Interview - 5:31
6. The Fool - 21:28

Bedlam
*Francesco Aiello - Vocals
*Dave Ball - Guitar
*Dennis Ball- Bass, Vocals, Guitar
*Cozy Powell - Drums
Guest Musicians
*Ace Kefford - Vocals
*David McTavish - Vocals
*Pete Ball - Organ
*Ed Welch - Mellotron
*Felix Pappalardi - Keyboards

Free Text
Free Text II

Blackwood Apology - The House of Leather (1969 us, magnificent concept psych garage rock opera, 2011 edition and 2023 remaster)

The first time I heard House Of Leather, at first I was not very impressed by it. The vocals sounded too “pop”; like something the Association would have recorded, and the recurring themes and overtures sounded like space fillers. But I could not deny even then that the electric guitar playing was arresting, and the organ playing weaved its way expertly through the various arrangements, providing a distinctive connecting strand. The Blackwood Apology definitely had their own sound. 

For greater atmosphere, they also throw in instruments like acoustic guitar and even pipe organ. The arrangements on the album are complex, and it is cleverly structured so that by the end of the record, the piece has returned to its starting point, meaning that you can put the album on shuffle play and listen to it as an endless loop on your MP3 player should you so choose.

I am not so dedicated as to want to do that, but I did find myself coming back to this album again and again over the 20 years that have elapsed since I bought it. In addition to the advanced musicianship, my main focus was the lyrics. Even with the full text provided on the inside cover (along with an elliptical explanatory note on the instrumental depiction that the album provides of the American Civil War), the words are perplexing. 

As someone on the Internet wondered; is the House of Leather a cathouse? The images on the cover suggest it is a house of ill-repute of some sort. And why is it the house “Of Leather”? Was it some sort of kinky B&D joint where moustachioed gents went to get their jollies in unorthodox ways?

Finally, after 20 years of scratching my head, I sat down and listened to the lyrics, and not just once but several times, in an attempt to get to the bottom of what this perplexing album is about.

The story starts “down along the Swanee River”, where we are introduced to a young lady named Sarah Jane who has “got love to send you… straight to heaven where she comes from”. We move on to a reminiscence of the House of Leather, where “the pretty young things all got together” to dance, among other things. 

We are then introduced to one Mrs Grim, who appears to be the matronly figure in charge of the House of Leather, and the narrator reminds her of Donny Brooks, a farmer who she used to know in one capacity or another, and obliquely makes mention of the town’s mayor, a man by the name of Ramsey. 

A little bit further on, we find out that the House of Leather is a school of some sort, and Sarah Jane appears to be a teacher there (teaching what exactly? – again, we don’t know), who both Donny Brooks and Ramsey have fallen in love with. The outcome of this love triangle is that Sarah Jane ends up with Donny Brooks the farmer, and they settle down on his farm, where she ends up bearing him a child.

Then along comes the US Civil War, in which her husband and child (a boy) are both killed. After the war, Sarah Jane stays on at the farm, which Ramsey, the mayor, now owns. The album concludes with the words “Sarah’s on her knees… building dreams… begging for love”, and “if you’re ever…. way down along the Swanee River… you’re not far from the House of Leather… where I was born….”

Well, that’s all perfectly clear, isn’t it? So the narrator is the offspring of Sarah Jane and Ramsey… or is he? And if he was their child, why was he born in the House of Leather and not down on the farm? Was she kicked off the farm and ended up having to work for a living? But working in what capacity? And exactly what sort of education is offered by an institution that ventures to call itself the “House of Leather”? 

by W.S. McCallum

The brainchild of 23 year-old writer / guitarist Dale Menten, The House Of Leather is a rock opera set in a bordello during the US Civil War. It was originally released in December 1968, shortly before it was staged as a sell-out rock opera in Minnesota. A fine mixture of acid-tinged pop-rock and ballads, it makes its long-overdue CD debut here – together with liner notes that tell the story of the production’s ill-fated move to New York in 1970.

Tracks
1. Medley: Swanee River Overture / House Of Leather Theme - 2:06
2. Do You Recall The House Of Leather? - 2:47
3. Recess With Mrs. Grim - 1:03
4. Graduates Of Mrs. Grim’s Learning - 3:10
5. There Is Love In The Country (On The Donny Brooks Farm) - 2:03
6. Here I Am - 4:27
7. She Lives With Me - 1:07
8. There’s Love In The Country (On The Donny Brooks Farm)  Reprise - 2:05
9. Time Marches On - 5:23
10. Dixie And The War - 3:21
11. Death And Reality - 2:52
12. Sarah’s On Her Knees - 2:46
13. Theme From House Of Leather (Epilogue In Suede) - 2:45
All compositions by Dale Menten

Blackwood Apology
*Ron Beckman - Bass,
*Dennis Caswell - Drums, Vocals
*Tom Hustin - Guitar, Vocals
*Dennis Libby - Piano, Vocals
*Greg Maland - Keyboards, Pipe Organ
*Dale Menten - Guitar, Vocals
*Bruce Pedalty - Organ, Vocals

Free Text
Just Paste

Ill Wind - Flashes (1966-68 us, west coast inspired, trippy psychedelic masterpiece, 2009 Sunbeam double disc expanded set)

In the 1960s a new era of creativity began. The post-WWII values of the 1940s and 50s had begun to show cracks and a new generation, dissatisfied with rigid social boundaries, the Vietnam war and what they perceived as shallow materialism, created a new counter-culture. This change was ripe with opportunities for young musicians, allowing them the freedom to explore new, creative possibilities. 

Ill Wind was a result of that perfect storm. The seeds of III Wind took root in 1965 at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when Ken Frankel, a biophysics graduate student, met Carey Mann, a math graduate student, and they decided to start a rock band. Multiinstrumentalist Ken, although only 23 at the time, had been playing professionally for 7 years, first in high school in L.A. (as lead guitarist in a successful rock band), and then at U.C. Berkeley on banjo, mandolin, and guitar. 

Ken had played in bluegrass and oldtime bands in the San Francisco Bay Area with people such as Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, Richard Greene, Sandy Rothman and Rick Shubb, as well as lead guitar in a college rock band that played bars and fraternity parties. Carey Mann was also a young but experienced musician. In high school in Pennsylvania he'd played piano in a Dixieland band, and at MIT he won awards as the guitarist in the school's highly respected jazz band. 

After wonderful experience  with Dick Weissman as a very hands-  on producer, the band  was shocked at Wilson's unexplained lack of focus in the studio. They were  inexperienced and wanted  a strong producer, but he  spent most of the time reading  the newspaper or talking on the  telephone. Following the hasty atmosphere of the recording, he excluded them from the mixing sessions, which were not done to the band's taste or satisfaction. 

The band had a wonderful cover proposal by a local artist, but ABC insisted that they needed a cover photo in one week, because they wanted to release the album right away. ABC arranged for an uninspired studio photo, and then didn't release the album for six months. When the first run of 10,000 discs appeared in August 1968, there was a mistake in the pressing process, meaning that 'High Flying Bird' had a skip where an ending phrase repeated three times (this was corrected on a subsequent pressing of 2000 copies). 

The photos on the back cover were accidentally printed so dark that you couldn't tell what they were, and ABC didn't print enough albums to meet demand, so many stores couldn't obtain them, despite putting in multiple orders.  Nonetheless, despite a lack of promotional activity or reviews, and the backlash caused by the 'Bosstown hype’, ‘Flashes’  was fairly well-received. Three singles were taken ('Walking and Singing' b/w 'High Flying Bird', 'Dark World' / b/w 'Walking and Singing  and / finally 'Dark World' b/w 'High "lying Bird'), though most copies were promos. 

The album was played often on the radio, especially in New England, the band was paid well for performances, albeit in amounts that (in today's dollars) would shock contemporary musicians. Ill Wind performed with many well-known acts, including The Who, Fleetwood Mac, The Byrds, Moby Grape, Van Morrison, The Rascals, The Buckingnams and Mitch Ryder. They continued to gig regularly at The Boston Tea Party and started a free music-in the-park series in Cambridge. 

They became important leaders of the New England rock scene, and were even recognized on the street. In mid-1968, III Wind was poised to take the next step (whatever that might have been), when Carey announced he was leaving. This was quite a blow, since he was one of the band's founders. They replaced him with bass player / vocalist Michael Walsh. At the same time, Ken put together a 4-track recording studio in the basement of one of the dormitories where the band was living, consisting of two cheap Sony 2-track reel-to-reel recorders with heads switched around, and some $10 Radio Shack stereo mixers. 

The purpose was to make demos of new songs without having to pay for studio time, and perhaps regain control of the band's destiny from ABC records and Tom Wilson. In 1968, with Michael on bass and vocals, III Wind recorded 5 songs on this makeshift equipment ('the Wel Tesley Basement Recordings'), but no further record contract resulted. The band broke up following year, when Ken Frankel (who'd married the band's original singer, Judy Bradbury) moved to Marin County in Northern California, which his friend Jerry Garcia had convinced him was 'the place to be' for musicians. 

In 1970 the band reformed with all original members except Ken, with Carey rejoining on lead guitar and organ in place of Ken, Conny on vocals, Richard on rhythm guitar, Dave on drums, Michael on bass, and Berred acting as road manager for larger venues. After a few months, Carey quit again and was eventually replaced by Walter Bjorkman. In this form the band carried on doing mostly covers for nearly a year. Richard left in 1971, to be replaced eventually with Bryant Thayer on piano. 

In this configuration, with Conny and Dave as the only remaining members from the ABC album, and with Michael still on bass, the band probably played more performances than ever before, but finally dissolved for good in 1973. The surviving members of III Wind remain in touch with each other, and all but Ken still live in New England. He became a successful real estate entrepreneur in Northern California, and owned and ran a major music venue, The Cotati Cabaret, in the 1980s, when he also formed the classical group The Electric Guitar Quartet. Ken received his Ph.D in Psychology, and is currently undertaking psychology research. He continues to perform professionally in Marin County, California.  

Carey Mann recorded an album with Dirty Johns Hot Dog Stand in 1970, and played in a variety of bands on the club circuit through 1975. He had always modified his instruments, but is most proud of completely rebuilding his Hammond organ into a different configuration, even adding semi synthesizer stops. After he quit playing music full-time, he developed a successful career in computer technology and still lives in Massachusetts, where ne continues to play rock professionally. 

Conny Devanney owned and ran the well known booking agency CoCo (for 'Conny Company') for many years. She has never stopped singing professionally, and has been the lead singer with a Dixieland band and  in various bands doing jazz standards, including an 18-piece big band, and her own 7-piece band, with whom she still performs. 

After the final version of III Wind broke up, David Kinsman played with John Lincoln Wright & The Sourmash Boys in 1974, but left the music business in 1975 and moved to Maine. There he raised a family and started the successful bicycle parts company Downeast Bicycle, which he ran for 20 years, before selling the company and retiring^ Richard (Zvonar) Griggs received his Ph.D. in composition and music technology in 1982, and worked extensively both as a musician and intermedia artist, before his death in 2005. 

He created the III Wind website, www.lll-Wind.com, and was the driving force behind the creation of this CD. Michael Walsh continued to be involved in music for over 30 years, working mostly out of Boston, but also Nashville and California. He played with many notable performers, including Jonathan Edwards, Tom Rush, Livingston Taylor, Vassar Clements, James Montgomery, John Pousette-Dart, Andy Pratt, Robin Lane, Mark Spoelstra, Bill Stains and David Mallet. He currently lives in Vermont. 

Judy (Bradbury) Frankel embarked on  a successful solo singing career after an amicable divorce from Ken in 1989. She was internationally known as a singer and collector of Jewish Sephardic music. Judy lived in San Francisco for 30 years prior to her death in 2008. To learn more, visit www.JudyFrankel.org. 

Berred Ouellette became a successful recording engineer. He has worked on productions in England, France, Venezuela, and 49 of the 50 United States. He has toured with and / or recorded many famous performers, including Livingston Taylor, Tony Williams, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Aerosmith, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, The J. Geils Sana, JethroTull, The Beach Bovs, Linda Ronstadt, America and dozens of national jazz acts, and continues to do so. He currently lives in Massachusetts.

by Susan Nielsen, June 2009

Tracks
Disc One
1. Walkin' And Singin' (Tom Frankel) - 3:11
2. People Of The Night (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 7:44
3. Little Man (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 4:31
4. Dark World (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 3:45
5. L.A.P.D. (Richard Criggs) - 5:05
6. High Flying Bird (Billy Ed Wheeler) - 4:58
7. Hung Up Chick (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 5:52
8. Sleep (Ken Frankel) - 2:38
9. Full Cycle (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 6:10
All Tracks Recorded In New York, 1968 Produced By Tom Wilson

Disc Two
1. Ill Wind (Ken Frankel) - 2:56
2. All Over Love Is One (Ken Frankel) - 2:26
3. I Can See You (Carey Mann) - 2:55
4. I Tell You I Know (Ken Franke) - 2:51
5. Tomorrow You'll Come Back (Ken Frankel) - 2:39
6. You're All I See Now (Carey Mann,  Sandy Darlington) - 2:19
7. Are You Right? (Ken Frankel) - 2:25
8. People Of The Night (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 2:25
9. It's Your Life (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 2:20
10. Flashes (Richard Griggs) - 3:28
11. The Water Is Wide (Traditional) - 3:35
12. Mauti (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 5:30
13. Waking In The Water (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 3:11
14. 1 And 100 (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 4:31
15. Frosted Summer Drink (Ken, Tom Frankel) - 3:21
Tracks 1-4 are demos made in Terry Hanley's Studio, Boston, in 1966
Tracks 5-9 are demos made at Capitol Records, NY, in 1967, produced by Dick Weissman
Track 10 is a live recording made at Westborough High School, MA, in 1967
Tracks 11-15 are basement recordings made in Wellesley, Massachusetts in 1968 

Ill Wind
*Conny Devanney - Vocals
*Ken Frankel - Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica
*Richard (Zvonar) Criggs - Guitar, Vocals
*Carey Mann - Bass, Vocals
*David Kinsman - Drums
With 
*Michael Walsh – Bass, Vocal (Disc 2, Tracks 11-15)

Free Text
Text Host

Sundance - Sundance (1971 us, excellent west coast rural psych, Fallout release)

This classy slice of  Northern Californian (Chico) rural psych was originally released in 1971 and makes its CD debut with this release. A winning combination of melodic pop and heavier jamming that will appeal to fans of the Grateful Dead and the Allman Bros., it features strong songs and memorable guitar interplay, but had the misfortune to appear just as its label was going under and thus undeservedly sank without trace.

Tracks
1. Train Time (Reaves) - 6:25
2. Jeweled Scene Stealer (Reaves) - 4:49
3. Strange New Time (Reaves) - 3:55
4. Chico Women (Cooley) - 3:20
5. Changes (Campbell) - 1:35
6. People Changin’ (Reaves, Webb) - 5:23
7. Blue Water (Reaves, Riggs) - 3:36
8. Movie (Reaves) 0 3:10
9. Hollywood Dancers (Reaves) - 4:57

Sundance
*Randy Reaves - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar
*Tom Webb - Vocals
*Fred Campbell - Guitar, Acoustic, Electric, Classical Guitar, Flute
*Steve Cooley - Acoustic, Electric Guitar
*Loren Fauchier - Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals
Guest Musician
*Eddy Abner – Steel Guitar

Free Text
Text Host

Sum Pear - Sum Pear (1971 us, extremely psychedelic rock with progressive extension leads)

A Long Island New York-based (?) duo consisting of guitarist/keyboard player Sonny Hahn and singer/keyboard player Doug Miller, this is an outfit I don't know much about, nor have I ever been able to dig up much on the pair. 

Released by the small Euphoria label (apparently a short lived Jubilee offshoot), their sole release 1971's "Sum Pear" was well worth looking for (though it's relative rare and increasingly costly - I've seen two original copies in twenty years). Produced by Bob Gallo, the set offered up a great mix of psych-influenced rockers ('Better Get Down'), straight ahead rock ('Bring Me Home America'), and more conventional folk rock ('I Can See').  

Miller had a nifty voice and Hahn's penchant for feedback drenched guitar (check out the blazing 'Got Me Tragedy'), were both strong selling points.  Some interesting lyrics (yes I actually occasionally actually listen to the words) and the presence of a full backing band with a kick ass rhythm section in the form of bass player Bob Dorsa and drummer John Scaduto certainly didn't hurt the proceedings.  

With the pair writing virtually all of the material (a killer cover of Mickey Newbury's 'Down On Saturday' being the lone non-original), highlights included 'Hey Sun', the wah-wah guitar propelled 'What's So Bad About Feelin' Good', the hyper-speed 'I Need Lovin'"' and the horn-propelled 'Thoughts of Slumber'. 

Bad-Cat 

Tracks
1. What's So Bad About Feelin' Good - 4:56
2. Better Get Down - 3:10
3. Save the Children - 3:31
4. Hey Sun - 3:35
5. Thoughts of Slumber  (Doug Miller) - 3:31
6. Bring Me Home America - 3:18
7. I Need Lovin' - 2:17
8. Down On Saturday   (Mickey Newbury) - 4:17
9. I Can See - 3:32
10.Got Me Tragedy - 3:08
11.On My Way/Forget Yesterday Medley - 6:46
All songs by Doug Miller and Sonny Hahn except where indicated

Sum Pear
*Sonny Hahn - Guitar, Keyboards
*Doug Miller - Vocals, Keyboards
Backing Musicians
*Kathy Alison - Backing Vocals
*Tommy Castagnaro - Drums
*John Cavalea - Trombone
*Richie Cruz - Trumpet
*Bob Dorsa - Bass
*Steve Harber - Sax
*Randy Ragano - Guitar
*Billy Resvanis - Drums
*John Scaduto - Drums
*Mike Segall - Backing Vocals
*Barry Taylor - Keyboards

Free Text
Just Paste

P.J. Proby - Three Weeks Hero (1969 us, quadrophrenic orchestrated psychedelic sunshine country folk blues rock)

It was a cruel joke. P.J.Proby had his run of hits and had wrecked his career by ripping his velvet trousers, perhaps deliberately, on stage. By 1969, he was reaching the end of his fiveyear contract with Liberty Records and the new album was called 'Three Week Hero'. It opens with a blues riff, rather like Chris Smither now, and then P.J. in a cod country voice sings, "I'm a three week hero, I started with a zero, And I sold a million records on my own." Surprisingly, no-one has written a book on P.J.Proby although his colourful life could make a best-selling book, a play and a film. 

He was born James Marcus Smith in Houston, Texas on 6th November 1938 and he attributes his wild behaviour as a reaction to the discipline he endured in a military school. He moved to Hollywood and hung out with Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and Eddie Cochran. He cut scores of demos and wrote 'Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya', which was the lead track on a hit EP by the Searchers, and 'Clown Shoes' for Johnny Burnette. He had had problems with the police and the Revenue in the US and he was gratified when Jack Good offered him a guest spot in his UK TV spectacular, 'Around The Beatles', which was screened in May 1964. Eddie Cochran's fiancee, Sharon Sheeley, gave him a new name for the show - P.J.Proby, but apart from that, "I created P.J.Proby totally alone. 

The  ponytail, the buckle shoes, the big-sleeved shirts were all me and if I'd had good management, I'd have taken out copyright on them." The TV special drew 8 millions viewers and “Hold Me” wich Proby had cut in the UK with noted sessionman Jimmy Page on lead Guitar , soared to N.3. Page played a distinctive Guitar solo on his follow-up hit, “Together” and he can be heard on several other Proby recordings – “Zing!  Went The Strings Of My Heart', 'Stagger Lee’, 'Linda Lu', 'Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu', 'Let The Water Run Down' and 'Hanging From Your Loving Tree'. 

Proby's Billy Eckstine-inspired but mickey-taking 'Somewhere' was another Top 10 hit and then came the problems with his skin-tight trousers. Proby says that the campaign against him was spearheaded by Mary Whitehouse and that showbusiness moguls _ wanted him deported as he was an American earning good English money. P.J.Proby's conspiracy theories are second only to those following Kennedy's assassination. 

Whatever, he continued to have hits and what could be more appropriate than 'I Apologise'? 'Maria', from Back Side Story (?), made the Top 10 but his sales tailed off because he recorded a tuneless Ben E.King B side, 'Let The Water Run Down', a lacklustre Lennon and McCartney song 'That Means A Lot' and some middle-of-the-road schlock, 'It's Your Day Today'. 'Niki Hoeky', a fabulous slice of cajun rock'n'roll, was too strange for the UK market. It became his only Top 30 hit in America. Tom Jones, who took much from Proby, was becoming a millionaire superstar and Proby was drinking hard to alleviate the boredom of performing on the chicken-in-a-basket circuit. 

In 1967 he was declared a bankrupt in America and in February 1968 he was a UK bankrupt with liabilities of £84,309 against assets of 12 shillings. Jimmy Page cut down on his session work to become a Yardbird and he befriended bassist John Paul Jones. By October 1968, the Yardbirds were in disarray but Page and Jones wanted to continue together and invited vocalist Terry Reid to join them. 

He couldn't escape from a contract but he recommended Robert Plant who was singing with Alexis Korner's blues band. B.J.Wilson wanted to continue as a drummer with Procol Harum and so they accepted Plant's recommendation of John Bonham. This was the personnel of Led Zeppelin: the name came when Keith Moon joked they would go down like a lead Zeppelin. Steve Rowland was an actor, singer and producer, having hits with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick And Tich and the Herd. He formed a group with session singers and musicians including Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood and called them the Family Dogg. 

They had a Top 10 hit in 1969 with 'A Way Of Life'. Rowland, an American in England like Proby, became friendly with him and agreed to produce his next album, a daunting task as his albums had veered from straight rock'n'roll to standards. He asked the Family Dogg to be backing vocalists (excellent on the gospel-slanted 'Won't Be Long' and 'I Have A Dream') and two members of the group, Hammond and Hazelwood, wrote 'Empty Bottles' and 'New Directions'. Steve Rowland recruited Jimmy Page (lead guitar), John Paul Jones (bass, piano, organ) and their new friends, Robert Plant (harmonica) and John Bonham (drums, congas) to accompany him. 

Sometimes though the drums are played by Clem Cattini of the Tornados. John Paul Jones wrote most of the arrangements. Although the album is now regarded as P.J.Proby backed by Led Zeppelin, the only track on which they really sound like that is 'Jim's Blues'.  'Three Week Hero' is a schizophrenic, even quadrophrenic, album. It has no idea of its market, which is what makes it so interesting. One minute Jim is singing about a dead dog ('Little Friend'), the next he's lamenting the death of a soldier (Today I Killed A Man') and what did anyone in 1969 make of 'It's So Hard To Be A Nigger'? (Proby has since recorded 'I Was Born A Poor White Boy In Niggertown' and 'Elvis Was Not The White Nigger - I Was', but I don't know whether he is intending to shock or whether this is a product of his Southern upbringing.) 

The best song on the album is Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway's Today I Killed A Man'. Although it is ostensibly about the Civil War, the implication is that it is really about Vietnam. It was issued as a single with 'It's Too Good To Last'. 'Empty Bottles' was used as B-side of another single, while 'The Day That Lorraine Came Down' was tried as a single. The B-side of that single was an informal studio jam, 'Mery Hopkins Never Had Days Like This', which parodied the Bonzo Dog Band's 'The Intro And The Outro' and included namechecks for Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. 

Three Week Hero' was released in October 1969 and sold miserably. So much so that original copies now pass hands at £60. Led Zeppelin became the heavy metal band of the 70s, which Proby takes credit for: "I told them to go to the hippies in America and that's what they did." In 1970 P.J.Proby was featured in Jack Good's West End production of 'Othello', now called 'Catch My Soul', but it wasn't long before the gremlins got to work and he was sacked from the production. 

The 70s and 80s are a long, drunken haze with occasional highlights, such as another West End show, 'Elvis', in 1977. In recent years, he has given up drinking, had success in further West End musicals and recorded with Marc Almond. When I met P.J.Proby in 1994. I asked him to sign a copy of Three Week Hero'. He looked at the title and wrote across it, 'Wanta bet'. There's still a place for Jim somewhere.

by Spencer Leigh, Presenter, BBC Radio Merseyside

Tracks
1. Three Week Hero (John Stewart) - 2:56
2. The Day That Lorraine Came Down (Young) - 3:15
3. Little Friend (Robin Gair, Peter Mason) - 4:01
4. Empty Bottles (Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood) - 2:53
5. Reflections (Of Your Face) (Amory Kane) - 5:14
6. Won't Be Long (J. Leslie McFarland) - 3:41
7. Sugar Mama (Woodley, Young) - 2:50
8. I Have A Dream (Terry Hensley, Alec Wilder) - 4:45
9. It's Too Good To Last (Baker, Stephens) - 3:14
10.New Directions (Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood) - 3:46
11.Today I Killed A Man (Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway) - 3:24
12.Medley: It's So Hard To Be A Nigger/Jim's Blues/George Wallace Is Rollin' In This Mornin' (Hillery/Traditional) - 7:38

Musicians
*P.J. Proby - Vocals
*John Paul Jones - Bass, Piano, Organ
*Jimmy Page - Electric Guitar
*Clem Cattini - Drums
*Alan  'The Hawk' Hawkshaw - Piano, Organ
*Alan Parker - Guitars
*Robert Plant - Harmonica
*Dennis Lopez,  Stan Barrett - Various Percussion
*John Bonham - Drums, Congas
*Amory Kane - Acoustic Guitar, Strings
*The Family Dogg & Bob Henry Alias The Jericho - Backing Vocal

Free Text
Text Host

The Id - Inner Sounds Of The Id (1967 us, acid garage psych, 2005 issue)

Οn hand for the Pet Sounds sessions was Jerry Cole, an exceptional guitar talent who paid the rent working for Phil Spector and did his own thing as the leader of Jerry Cole and His Spacemen. Between 1963 and 1964, Cole abused his whammy bar throughout several surf albums on Capitol that merged hot-rod abandon with ultrapro chops. One of the best players in this genre, Cole punched in solos for Carl Wilson on early Beach Boys’ records.

A quick study, Cole also scored a prominent place in the development of rock, performing on The Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man” when the band proved too inexperienced to make their own rock and roll history. Shortly after, Cole was playing on Pet Sounds. An ambitious man with a sixth sense for pop music trends, he pulled together some L.A. session colleagues and cut his own album: the result was The Inner Sounds of the Id, by The Id.

Recorded between 1965 and ‘66 (according to drummer Don Dexter), a massive collection of tracks was paired down to ten cuts and released by RCA in January 1967, the same month as that other Oedipal manifesto, The Doors. The album is a cornucopia of posthypnotic poetry, sitar obliggatos and, best of all, Yardbirds guitar flash blasting across a Booker T and the MGs groove with a dash of the visionary in its unexpected, deftly executed key and time changes. Cole sings in a murmuring drawl, and his riffs and solos are ear candy a go-go.

The Inner Sounds of the Id features fret board excursions that are too sweaty for sit-ins or be-ins. Freaky as Cole’s runs are, the album never strays far from the spirit of tube amps and last calls from which it was spawned. From Syd Barrett’s “Bike” to Grace Slick’s “Lather,” psychedelic is pampered and inorganic; to Cole’s credit, the Id trips in real time.

by Barry Stoller

Tracks
1. The Rake - 2:01
2. Wild Times - 3:06
3. Don't Think Twice - 2:46
4. Stone And Steel - 3:40
5. Baby Eyes - 2:51
6. Boil The Kettle, Mother - 3:01
7. Butterfly Kiss - 2:34
8. Short Circut - 3:01
9. Just Who - 2:44
10.The Inner Sound Of The Id - 10:29
11.Wild Times - 2:17
12.Don't Think Twice - 2:52
13.Kimeaa - 2:50
14.Our Man Hendrix - 3:10
15.Tune Out Of That Place - 2:26
16.Give Me Some Lovin' (S. Winwood, S. Davies) - 2:33
17.Boil The Kettle (Instr.) - 3:08
18.What Else? - 2:18
19.Uh Uh Uh - 3:16
20.I Can't Stand It Baby - 2:24
All songs by The Id except where noted.

The Id
*Jerry Cole - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals, Sitar
*Glenn Cass - Bass
*Don Dexter - Drums
*Norman Cass - Rhythm Guitar

Other Jerry Cole Releases
1967-68  With The Animated Egg - Guitar Freakout

1970  Them - Them

Free Text
Just Paste

Salem Mass - Witch Burning (1971 us, heavy prog rock, Gear Fab edition)

Salem Mass spanned the 70's from 71 till 77 playing mainly in the Northwest and Canada. During this time the band went through numerous members and techs. All of which I shall remember as "The Kind" or the best of the best. One of our first breaks was meeting Doug Brown, now of GMA, in Sun Valley Idaho. He later booked us into the best cljbs the Big Sky country had to offer. 

On three occasions Salem Mass, sometimes a five piece, lived in Portland. The first time was because we had just signed an exclusive contract with Headwater Rooking Agency, which promptly went beily up like a rotting carp in Lake Lowell. Fortunately we landed in the capable hands of Andy Gilbert with a new booking agency in the Pacific Northwest called Pacific Talent. Thanks to Andy, Salem Mass played everything that was happening in Portland and surrounding area clubs and grand openings. 

The Treasure Valley, in southwest Idaho was where we paid our dues It was where most of us grew up, where we wrote, played, partied and evolved, and it was worth every cent. Thanks Freddy, Can I have a draw? The album was recorded in a beer bar in Caldwell Idaho called The Red Barn, under the watchful eye of it's owner Steve Moore and was engineered by Lance Parker a mutual friend and Caldwell High alumni of Steve, Mike, and myself. And of course there was the special kind of help that could only be offered by the Big Three. 

Original band member Steve Towcry, stiil resides in Caidwell, Idaho and can be found at the family business Printcraft. Matt Wilson is teaching and producing from his home studio in Nampa, Idaho. Mike Snead is in Brookings Oregon playing with various lounge lizards and doing some studio work with me at Madfingers Music.

by Jim Klahr

Tracks

1 Witch Burning - 10:26
2 My Sweet Jane - 4:35
3 Why - 2:44
4 You Can't Run My Life - 3:50
5 You're Just a Dream - 3:42
6 Bare Tree - 6:53
7 The Drifter - 3:14
All compositions by Jim Klahr, Mike Snead, Steve Towery and Matt Wilson.

Salem Mass
*Jim Klahr - Keyboards
*Mike Snead - Guitar, Vocals
*Steve Towery - Drums, Vocals
*Matt Wilson - Bass, Vocals

Just Paste
Free Text

Text Host