Returning quickly to the studio in the summer of 1973 with his Blueprint line-up, Rory was in a prolific and confident mood. Rehearsals for the album began at a rowing club in Cork city, which allowed Rory to develop the musical arrangements of his material at a leisurely, relaxed pace.
Tattoo’d Lady describes the fairground life style that had appealed to Rory since childhood and lyrically, he draws parallels between travelling entertainers and his own profession.
Rory was born, with a touch of irony, at The Rock Hospital, Ballyshannon. Rory rocked literally all of his life and this Cradle Rock is a rockin’ R&B cut that displays his exciting bottleneck style in full flight.
20:20 Vision features Rory on acoustic and highlights his fondness for Davy Graham’s acoustic style.
They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore has a real cool jazz feel which is underscored with unison guitar and piano and some brilliant harmonics.
Livin’ Like A Trucker was written at a time when the band were increasing their touring activity in America, this number could have been a tour anthem, during his career Rory racked up over thirty long U.S. tours.
Gerry, Rod, Lou and Rory really lock in on Sleep On A Clothes Line which has shades of a riff Rory could have written for Taste.
Who’s That Coming starts with Rory playing his acoustic dobro in slide mode, the riff blends into Rory playing electric slide empahsizing Rory’s ability to play different blues styles from Delta to Chicago blues.
A Million Miles Away became one of the most loved numbers in Rory’s repertoire, it showcases the deep, introverted side of his emotions.
Admit It has a real jack hammer riff and is the perfect vehicle for a stinging Rory solo, Lou Martin lays down some great piano on this rock number.
Tuscon, Arizona by Link Wray (a then Polydor stable mate) is a colourful, laid back country track featuring some captivating lap-steel guitar.
by Donal Gallagher
Tracks
1. Tattoo'd Lady - 4:34
2. Cradle Rock - 6:15
3. 20:20 Vision - 4:02
4. They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore - 4:05
5. Livin' Like a Trucker - 4:19
6. Sleep on a Clothes Line - 5:13
7. Who's That Coming - 7:09
8. A Million Miles Away - 6:55
9. Admit It - 4:19
10.Tucson, Arizona (Bonus Track) - 3:47
All songs by Rory Gallagher except track 10 written by Doug Link Wray.
God bless Aztec Music for re-releasing this. Volcanic Rock's first official release since 1973. Aztec have dug up the 32-year-old original studio tapes and have done a fantastic job on the remastering (some other reissue labels could take a lesson from Aztec ...yes, making your cd SOUND good is important !).
Fans of 1970s pre punk high energy rock need this album pronto!..It's loud, heavy and very aggressive!..Try and imagine the energy levels of Cactus, Black Sabbath, (early) Grand Funk, MC5, and Sir Lord Baltimore etc..add to that some very sinister hard rock riffling, Dave Tice's white version of Howlin Wolf voice, Pete Wells punchy bass styling sounding not too dis-similar to the sound that John Stax got on those early Pretty Things singles plus Jimmy Economou whose drumming recalls the great hit the entire drum kit style of John Bonham and Keith Moon (legend has it that Economou could also rival the two mentioned drummers in the partying department as well)
A Lot of Australian records from this era sounded weak and empty, possibly deliberately with thoughts of radio airplay. "Volcanic Rock" is probably the toughest album to come out in Australia during the early 1970s, certainly beating Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and Lobby Loyde's Coloured Balls.
Buffalo's secret weapon was their ability to ignore the 12 bar blues/boogie that most hard rock bands of the time favoured and instead opt for creating powerful and sinister sounding hard rock riffs .
This is not to say this album is one-dimensional. For example "Freedom" is a slow heavy track which embraces the spirit of some of those pre rock 'n' roll voodoo blues records (while avoiding the standard 12-bar chord progression) and "Till My Death" is slightly psychedelic Hendrix sounding. It and "Shylock" will both blow your head off with high-energy rifforama.
In a era where Zeppelin , Deep Purple and Sabbath were having chart success it's a damn shame that the opening track on this album "Sunrise (Come My Way)" couldn't do for Buffalo what "Whole Lotta Love" , "Black Knight" or "Paranoid" did for their overseas contemporaries i.e. escalate the band to the worldwide stadiums.
As for the bonus tracks we get a 7" mix/edit of "Sunrise" plus a lo-fi but meaty live version of "Shylock" which despite lack of sound quality would still sending 99 percent of todays mall-metal kiddies running for mummy.
The packaging on this is also excellent: a great triple fold out cardboard cover with a fat 22 page booklet featuring a stack of vintage photos, posters and some informative liner notes from Ian McFarlane.
by Steve Danno-Lorkin
Tracks
1. Sunrise (Come My Way) - 4:58
2. Freedom - 9:02
3. Till My Death - 5:38
4. The Prophet - 7:24
5. Intro: Pound Of Flesh (Baxter, Peter Wells) - 4:33
6. Shylock - 5:52
7. Sunrise (Come My Way) - 3:42
8. Shylock - 6:01
All tracks written by Dave Tice and John Baxter, unless noted.
Track 7 Single Version
Track 8 Live Recording - Sydney Spring Festival 1973, Hyde Park, Sydney
Neil took the band members from Mama Lion into a studio to demo some songs.They recorded half-dozen songs and a few days later, Mama Lion went on a tour and wound up in New York City to play Central Park with Billy Preston.
The engineer in LA made an acetate of Neil’s songs and sent it to Neil in care of Famous Music. The band went to a meet and greet at Famous Music and Neil played the acetate at the party. The head of A&R loved the music and bought it from Artie Ripp.
Neil called the project “Heavy Cruiser”. When Mama Lion returned to LA, Neil took the band back into the studio and they recorded a few more tracks to complete the “Heavy Cruiser” record.
Artie Ripp stopped the band from putting their names on the record cover because he didn’t want it to interfere with his main act, Mama Lion.
The same thing happened when Neil did more of his songs with the band and produced a second “Heavy Cruiser” album called “Lucky Dog” – band members’ names were left off the cover.
Tracks
1. Everytime I Hear Your Music - 2:41
2. Mirrors In Your Eyes - 3:55
3. Where You Gonna Run To - 3:06
4. Gotta Get Away - 4:23
5. Open Your Eyes - 3:38
6. You Really Got Me (Ray Davies) - 2:49
7. Freefall Glider - 5:34
8. Concrete Jungle - 3:44
9. Supergirl - 3:52
10.I'll Receive You - 3:11
All songs by Neil Merryweather except where noted
Heavy Cruiser
*Neil Merryweather – Vocals, Bass, Acoustic Guitar
*James Newton Howard – Organ And Piano
*Coffi Hall – Drums And Percussion
*Alan Hertz - Guitar
When my brother Richard and I signed the Blue Horizon label with CBS Records we had nothing to offer them but Fleetwood Mac and the promise of a single featuring Aynsley Dunbar's band Retaliation. Derek Everett, who headed the A&R Department at that time, didn't show too much concern. "Blue Horizon is going to be a long term project for us.
When you've got something that you really believe in, we'll work with you on it". We had plenty of ideas of where to pick up product – it was just a matter of time and being in the right place at the right time. But everyone - including the veritable monkey's uncle - seemed to know what we were doing and what kind of material we were looking for. It was'nt long before those demo tapes started to appear by the sack load.
Now in the run up to our distribution deal with CBS I had been working with a band from Stourbridge - The Chicken Shack. They were first introduced to me by David Deacon- Yeats who had originally been the vocalist in the Shades of Blue along with guitarist Stan Webb. I was really impressed with the raw energy of this band and especially with Stan.
He reminded me a lot of Buddy Guy in his approach. There was another angle too – they had a girl playing piano. Christine Perfect. But prior to signing with Blue Horizon the band went through a few changes. As a trio they had spent some time working at The Star Club in Hamburg. That was with Stan, the ever present Andy Sylvester and drummer Alan Morley. It was around this time - 1965/66 - that I got involved with the band in a managerial capacity. It was an experience but I would have to say in all truthfulness not one I would wish to go through again. But a number of changes were made that proved to be for the better before I let go of the helm.
Firstly, Alan Morley was replaced by American drummer/ vocalist Alvin Sykes. I must admit I cannot recall exactly how Al came to my notice. He was living in San Francisco and was leading his own band The Sound of Sykes. He was an excellent drummer and a very fine vocalist reminding me a lot of Little Junior Parker. My one real regret is that we did not get to record with him before he was forced to return to the States when a work permit was refused. At this point, The Shack returned from Germany and immediately added Christine to the ranks once again and also took on a new drummer, Dave Bidvvell. It was this line-up that was featured on the band's first single release "It's Okay With Me Baby" (57-3135) and on their first album "Forty Blue Fingers. Freshly Packed And Ready To Serve".
It had been something of a surprise to many that the first Fleetwood Mac album had hit the charts but not many expected The Shack to emulate their stablemates with their first outing. But that's exactly what happened! The band and I chose the material for this album in an attempt to give the best balanced programme possible. Both Stan and Christine contributed two originals each and the remainder were taken from the various songbooks of Freddie King, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker. Once again, we added a small horn section featuring Dick Heckstall- Smith, Steve Gregory, Johnny Almond and Alan Ellis to add a little variation.
It's remarkable how well this album stands up after such a long time. There's a real freshness and enthusiasm here which proved hard to better in the years to come. Nevertheless, Chicken Shack were to have their real moment of glory - a top 20 Chart entry with a cover of Etta James' "I'd Rather Go Blind" - but as far as their album releases go, this is my own personal favourite. International recognition soon followed. As with The Mac, The Shack found themselves continually on the road promoting themselves and their new product. They were a considerable draw on the club and concert circuit. Stan proved to be the epitome of the true showman and it was not uncommon for him to appear on stage via the street or car park towing a 150 foot cable behind him.
He would wander off into the audience and sit himself on some young lady's lap or get himself a drink whilst still continuing to play. He knew how to hold an audience and once he's got them where he wanted then he would not let go. Meanwhile, the rhythm section would thunder on undeterred with Christine Perfect's mellow vocals and fine piano work acting as the ideal foil. Chicken Shack now had a new manager - Harry Simmonds. Ham had been working with Savoy Brown, which featured his suitar playing brother Kim and his invovement with Chicke Shack added a new impetus to the band's career. Who remembers those tours when Stan and the band backed Freddie King and Bobby Parker? I wonder how many of those who will read these lines will have been at one of those historic gigs?
Who recalls the Nag's Head Pub in Battersea - now a corner plot boasting a Council flower bed and a wooden park bench. Who was at the Digbeth Town Hall to see Bobby Parker resplendent in a pea green mohair suit and sporting a pompadour hair-do complete with James Brown quiff? Who's got a bootleg tape of either of them? Not me, more's the pity. Those were days to remember and my heart goes out to those who were not around at the time. "40 Blue Fingers" is as close as we can get to the spirit of those times.
by Mike Vernon
Tracks
1. The Letter - 4:27
2. Lonesome Whistle Blues - 3:01
3. When The Train Comes Back (Christine Perfect) 3:31
4. San-Ho-Zay (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) 3:03
5. King Of The World - 5:00
6. See See Baby - 2:23
7. First Time I Met The Blues - 6:24
8. Webbed Feet - 2:52
9. You Ain't No Good (Christine Perfect) - 3:36
10.What You Did Last Night - 4:40
11.It's OK With Me Baby (Christine Perfect) - 2:37
12.When My Left Eye Jumps (Willie Dixon, Al Perkins) - 6:28
13.Hey Baby (Christine Perfect, Stan Webb, Mike Vernon) - 3:43
All songs by Stan Webb except as else stated
Bonus tracks 11-13
Jimmy Curtiss was born and raised in Queens, New York, the first time he appears as a member of a doo wop outfit The Enjays, who released three 7"45s around 1959/60. In the following year J.C.'s first solo single appeared on United Artists. Teen pop you'd call this innocent, clear, very melody oriented phase in US mainstream pop. Bobby Vee, Bobby Darin, Dion & The Belmonts were it's main exponents. I know of at least three singles Jimmy Curtiss released during this period of his career around 1961/62. His voice is already unmistakeable. Already then he wrote or co-wrote most of his material. "Five Smooth Stones" for example is a nice and highly original version of the Bible's tale of David and Goliath. According to Vernon Joynson (in "Fuzz, Acid & Flowers") he was a "phenomenal songwriter ... throughout", who even sold songs to Bobby Darin and Ellie Greenwich.
Between 1967 and 1969 Jimmy Curtiss worked with a group called The Hobbits in New York. This was presumably more a studio project than a performing live band. Despite the band's name, apparently taken from the universe of Middle Earth, which was very popular in hippie circles at the time, Tolkien's creatures never appear in the songs of The Hobbits, even though the first album is called "Down To Middle Earth" and the last "Back From Middle Earth". There are three LPs and two singles by the Hobbits.
In 1968 Jimmy Curtiss founded his own production company Perception. Ever since he produced bands and/or wrote songs for them. A 7"45 "Artificial Rose" by the Lost Souls from North Dakota appeared in 1968 on a tiny label called Dawn Records. The song was co-written by Mr. Curtiss and his old partner Ernie Maresca. Two examples for a pure bubblegum period in Jimmy C.'s career are the singles "Love, Anyway You Want It" by The Sweet Bippies (ca. 1969) and "Da-Da-Da-Da", The Changing Colours (ca. 1969). Can't tell you anything more about these bands. In 1968/69 J.C. also produced three singles and an album by the New York group The Bag, who self described their music as "psychedelic soul".
The band came from the same New York based blue-eyed soul scene as The (Young) Rascals or The Soul Survivors. Through his younger brother I got in touch with Dan Mahony, formerly of The Bag, in the summer of 2003. Unfortunately Dan couldn't tell anything really new. As it seems he doesn't remember things very well. After a few e-mails to and fro I didn't hear from him again. But obviously he and the other guys in The Bag were also involved in the recording of the New Hobbits album. Dan is living in Ireland now, and it seems he's still working as a musician. The Bag album "Real" contains several really well crafted soul pop and polished r&b songs with a touch of psychedelia.
Almost at the same time Jimmy Curtiss and one Steve Kanyon produced the only album by a New York psychedelic folk/rock group called Velvet Night. Besides strangely arranged cover versions of two Tim Hardin and a Donovan song, plus a Cream medley, there are songs written by Curtiss and Kanyon plus one credited to the band's organ player Vinnie Nisi. The record has a rather weird US underground psychedelic sound. Donovan's "Season Of The Witch" certainly comes less menacing than Vanilla Fudge's version, but still much heavier than the original. The Cream medley is rather strange. And Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter" sounds spherically esoteric. When Lynn Boccumini sings lead vocals, the band even sounds a bit like Jefferson Airplane. Of substantial interest are only the songs we do not know already in other and better interpretations. Again it becomes clear, that Jimmy Curtiss was able to sense atmosphere and specifics of a musical style in a unique way. As a songwriter he wasn't bad either as we do know already.
And the man always found a way to include his own compositions on the records he produced for others. So he did with The Jon Bartel Thing, a band from California, whose lone album was released by Capitol Records in 1969. A great record full of brass dominated, jazz influenced psychedelic pop. Co-producer here was Terry Philips, who worked on many projects of Mr. Curtiss. This album by The Jon Bartel Thing reminds me in some ways a lot of the first Blood, Sweat & Tears LP. An interesting fact by the way, J.C.'s partners Terry Philips and Jerry Vance used to write songs together with Lou Reed for the Pickwick company in the early sixties. "Why Don't You Smile Now" was one of these.
J.C. - LifeIn 1969 Perception Productions turned into Perception Records. Now Mr. Curtiss had his own record label. The New Hobbits LP bears the catalogue number PLP-10. But with the number PLP-1 appeared - probably a bit later - the Jimmy Curtiss solo album "Life". I'm not sure about the year of release. There's no date on the cover or record. Though most likely it came out in 1969 still. On this record J.C. is miles away from the early doo wop 7"45s but also from the Hobbits' psych pop or from "Psychedelic Situation" for that matter. Folk, singer/songwriter pop, blues in nine songs. All of them written by Jimmy Curtiss alone or in co-operation with people like Marcia Hillman, who was a co-writer for The Hobbits already.
The album's opener "Child Of Clay" had been a US TOP 40 hit for Jimmie Rodgers in 1967. This was J.C.'s biggest success as a songwriter. Unusual were the mostly critical and serious lyrics. Really thrilling sometimes. The musical arrangements with wah wah sounds, with strings set rather economically grab one's attention. Perception LogoThe album cover is really anti commercial sporting a primitive black & white photo layout. It's message rather unclear. The meaning of life? - Whatever. Jimmy Curtiss' backing band made another album for Perception under the name of Albert. Drummer Howie Wyeth worked as a session musician for Bob Dylan and others. Together with the album "Life" there appeared a J.C. single on Perception.
Tracks
1. Child Of Clay (Curtiss, Matesca)- 5:57
2. Where Can I Hide (Curtiss, Green, Hillman) - 4:21
3. Franscesca (Curtiss, Wexler, Hillman) - 4:05
4. San Francisco Do You Remember Me? (Pollock, Curtiss) - 4:30
5. Lack 'O' Testicle Blues (Sell, Curtiss) - 6:33
6. Sunday Soon (Curtiss) - 4:57
7. You Can't Tell A Man By The Songs He Sings (Curtiss, Hillman) - 5:25
8. Johnny Get Your Gun (Curtiss, Pollock) - 3:35
9. He Was My Father (Curtiss, Hillman) - 4:45
The band was formed in 1968. The first self-titled jazz-rock album the band released in 1969: starting work in the studio on April 16, 2 days recorded 8 songs included in the album. In November of the same year, the band took part in the festival in Amougies (a place in the Belgian Walloon region), along with Pink Floyd, Colosseum, The Nice, East of Eden, Frank Zappa, etc. In 1970, before the release of their second album due to musical differences Joël Daydé left the band and Pierre Fanen, singer comes to the place of Englishman Ian Bellamy.
The second album is recorded from June 12 to September 9, 1970, and later getting an opportunity to unwind in the two largest radio stations in New York - WOR-FM and WABC-FM. After the release of quite a successful Review third album, distributed in the UK and the U.S., because of the lack of international success of the group ceased all activity in October 1972.
Andre and Michel Herve later started the band ZOU (Zon Orchestra Unlimited) with their brothers Joel and Stephan. The violinist trombone player, Michel Ripoche, later issued two solo albums. In 2009, Michel Hervé, along with the first staff member Joël Daydé and several new musicians reformed the band played a concert that was recorded as Live Tour Épisode 1: album live du groupe Zoo Tribute Original.
by Adamus67
Tracks
1. City Breakdown (Iain Ballamy, Andre Herve) - 3:50
2. New Violins (Michel Bonnecarrere) - 3:35
3. Benjamin Sacramouse's Dream (Iain Ballamy, Andre Herve) - 3:28
4. Runaround Lucy (Iain Ballamy, Michel Bonnecarrere) - 3:49
5. Plaistown Place (Iain Ballamy, Michel Bonnecarrere) - 3:15
6. I Go Out Of My Mind (Iain Ballamy, Michel Bonnecarrere) - 4:00
7. I Shall Be Free (Iain Ballamy, Andre Herve) - 3:44
8. Luckie (Laura Nyro) - 2:37
9. Endless Words (Iain Ballamy, Andre Herve) - 4:41
10.Maggie Mae's Daughter (Iain Ballamy, Daniel Carlet) - 2:42
The Zoo
Iain Ballamy - Vocals
Michel Bonnecarrere - Guitar
Daniel Carlet - Saxophone, Violin
Christian Devaux - Drums
Andre Herve - Keyboards
Michel Herve - Bass
Michel Ripoche - Saxophone, Violin
Led by German keyboard player Thomas Karrenbach's conservative playing style, Lava's first and only album failed to make it beyond the underground progressive scene, but its ingredients included many elements that were just as solid as the music coming from the more prominent groups at the time. The crux of Tears Are Goin' Home is built on a blues-rock sound, with instruments like the harmonica, conga, and bongo drums attaching themselves to the mainframe.
What results is some straightforward progressive rock with fuzzy, distorted guitar tones pulling in Jurgen Kraaz's flute and organ accompaniment. With the opening track's blues sound resembling the Groundhogs in many places, the following cut, entitled "Crimes of Love," embarks on a kinder, gentler melody that mirrors the average rock ballad. Beyond the first two songs, the music begins to cultivate a distinct feel, with the mouth harp's cordial twang creating a countrified sound on "Would Be Better You Run" and the acoustic guitar dominating the momentum of "Holy Fool."
The full ten minutes of "Piece of Peace" is an excellent coda, as the band spills prominent examples of each of their talents into one long finale. While there are minimal amounts of organ and piano interplay, Lava's sound is located mainly in the string work and in the singing, making this lone release a meritorious effort despite the band's unpromising future.
by Mike DeGagne
Tracks
1. Tears Are Goin' Home - 4:23
2. Crimes Of Love - 6:48
3. Would Be Better You Run - 5:19
4. All My Love To You - 4:20
5. I'm Just A Mad Dog - 6:00
6. Holy Fool - 5:17
7. Piece Of Peace - 10:08
All compositions by Thomas Karrenbach and Stefan Ostertag
The recording sessions for "At Your Birthday Party" started to show the wear and tear of the road on all of us. In addition, some band members for the first time, tried their hand at songwriting and I had run out of tunes to contribute.
This album nevertheless includes some of my favorite Steppenwolf tracks such as "Happy Birthday", "Jupiter's Child" and "Rock Me". Nick St. Nicholas (who had replaced our original bassist Rushton Moreve) had an idea for a song titled "It's Never Too Late", which triggered me to work out the rest of the song. That one is an all time favorite of mine. Gabriel Mekler (our Producer) had his hands full trying to be fair to all band members and stay neutral to allow us to work out the difficulties on our own.
The fact that the song "Rock Me" (which had been written for the soundtrack of the motion picture "Candy") had already been a hit single before it was included in the "Birthday album" may have reduced the impact of the album because the initial sales of the LP were not what we had hoped for, although over the years, it became quite popular with many of our fans.
Tracks
1. Don't Cry (Gabriel Mekler) – 3:11
2. Chicken Wolf (John Kay, Michael Monarch) – 2:58
3. Lovely Meter (Gabriel Mekler) – 3:10
4. Round And Down (Michael Monarch) – 3:19
5. It's Never Too Late (John Kay, Nick St. Nicholas) – 4:07
6. Sleeping Dreaming (Nick St.Nicholas) – 1:07
7. Jupiter's Child (Jerry Edmonton, John Kay, Michael Monarch) – 3:28
8. She'll Be Better (Jerry Edmonton, Gabriel Mekler) – 5:32
9. Cat Killer (John Goadsby) – 1:37
10.Rock Me (John Kay) – 3:45
11.God Fearing Man (Michael Monarch) – 3:55
12.Mango Juice (Jerry Edmonton, John Goadsby, Michael Monarch) – 3:01
13.Happy Birthday (Gabriel Mekler) – 2:16
14.Rock Me (J. Kay) - 3:41
15.Jupiter Child (J. Edmonton, J. Kay, M. Monarch) – 3:15
16.It's Never Too Late (J. Kay, N. St. Nicholas) - 3:10
17.Happy BirthdayIt's Never Too Late (G. Mekler) – 2:23
Tracks 14-17 Mono Single Versions
Steppenwolf
*John Kay - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*Michael Monarch - Lead Guitar
*Goldy Mcjohn - Organ, Piano
*Nick St. Nicholas - Bass
*Jerry Edmonton - Drums, Vocals
A long time ago I had a CD Lyd (they formed in Los Angeles sometime in the late 60’s) issued by private publishing house, the disk instead of the titles were printed only track numbers (I thought that it would be a rarity for a long time) Just three or four copies of this band's acetate were cut originally, recorded at Pat Boone's studio in Hollywood in 1970,but it has been "reissued" several times since. Some surprisingly druggy stuff came out of SunWest! I wonder if there was a velvet painting of Jesus on the studio wall? These guys sound like a cross between Ladies W.C. and Betty... how to find inspiration for such music and album art?
The legend said that the band was massively using LSD and other psychedelic substances, to create a psycho garage...guitar psych with intense basement atmosphere, long fuzz excursions, and wasted junkie lyrics...opening track is unbelievably killer..lots of crunchy, fuzzy guitars.
The music on this release is a psychedelic "little garage" rock with fantastic guitar playing! Quite a surprise was the information that the by Akarma released album,LP delivered by the analogue of titles, lyrics and composition (I recommend this edition despite the fact that crackles is better than the private press). CD -21 minutes a very brief, but it is two brilliant track. ''The Time Of Hate And Struggle "(the best song on the album sensational composition, the essence of psychedelia), and' Need You" (not far behind for first track,especially a sensational commencement) plate short, it is not a milestone in the history of music, but w/g me deserves attention (especially the first two tracks) that you can't miss!!!
by Adamus67
Tracks
1. The Time Of Hate And Struggle (Desmark, Weisenberg) - 3:09
2. Need You (Desmark, Linerly) - 2:37
3. Stay High / Fly Away Is Still Ok - 3:57
4. Double Dare - 1:56
5. Think It Over Twice (Desmark, Linerly, Weisenberg) - 7:23
6. Trash Pad - 2:13
All compositions by Lyd except where noted.
Psychedelic band from Seattle, the driving force behind this short-lived outfit was singer/songwriter Danny O’Keefe, who later had one or two Top 20 hits (including Magdalena). They made a bit of a splash locally, but like a lot of Seattle bands, they seemed much better live than on record.
It seems that bands from Seattle during that period did not get very good support from their record companies… obviously things have changed since then! Calliope’s first album is now a very minor collectable, and the second may have remained unissued. The Steamed album includes cover versions of Hello Hello (Lee Michaels), California Dreamin’ (with a very good psychedelic guitar solo), Hound Dog, Jimmy Bell (a traditional number), Like A Rolling Stone (Dylan), Nadine (Chuck Berry) and four originals - two by Goldsmith and two by O’Keefe.
John Simpson, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1973, had previously played with Scott Strong in The Bumps and may also be the guy who played drums in Christopher. Prior to joining Calliope, Scott Strong also acted as their road manager. Paul Goldsmith had earlier been in Emergency Exit, Clyde Heaton in The Dimensions and Luther Rabb later played with Ballinjack.
by Kevin Corazza
Tracks
1. Hello Hello (Lee Michaels) - 3:01
2. California Dreaming (J. Phillips) - 3:39
3. Rainmaker's Dreaming (D. O'Keefe) - 3:44
4. Hound Dog (J. Leiber, M. Stoller) - 3:05
5. Like A Rolling Stone (B. Dylan) - 5:48
6. Jimmy Bell (P.D.) - 6:45
7. I wanna thank you (P. Goldsmith) - 3:48
8. Nadine (C. Berry) - 3:58
9. How About You (P. Goldsmith) - 2:29
10.Atlas (D. O'Keefe) - 5:28
In mid 72, bassist Gerry McAvoy's flat-mate, drummer Rod deAth, deputised for the late Wilgar Campbell and following Wilgar's ultimate departure Rod became a permanent replacement. After six years of working with the trio format, Rory looked to embellish his sound by introducing keyboards into the line-up. Rod who had been a member of blues band Killing Floor', recommended to Rory their piano player Lou' Martin - who ironically hailed from Belfast.
The line-up clicked and remained together for some five years this recording being the blueprint. Originally released in early 73, the cover features the circuit board of a Stramp power-baby' amplifier which was custom designed for Rory in Hamburg. It was specifically designed to be compact enough to fit into the small luggage compartment of a VW "beetle" car a particular Rory favourite.
Opening with Walk On Hot Coals which went on to became a Callager classic, allowed the musicians o really stretch out, particularly the ambicextrous Rod who wove drum patterns for Rory to overlay his blistering guitar work. Daughter Of The Everglades was inspired by a book that Rory had been reading and is amongst the more melodic compositions of his repertoire and highlights Lou's contribution to the band. Banker's Blues : over a barrelhouse style piano, Rory switches to acoustic twelve string guitar and rack mounted harmonica and demonstrates his ability to put a fresh-coat on a Big Bill Broonzy number.
The opening "rocker-style" finger-clicking sets the tone for the demanding Hands Off. Buoyed by his own saxophone section, this shows Rory at his menacing best. Like many writers, Rory drew inspiration from old trains, and his slick playing on Race The Breeze gives a sense of frictionfree rolling freight. When asking hfc promoters what their next venture might Ire after his Irish tour, Rory was bemused to find that the promoter had booked the faith healer Finbar Nolan. Blues music being rich with lyrics of various supernatural powers inspired Rory to write Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son.
Unmilitary Two-Step : a brilliant, whimsical acoustic instrumental which is set to a Scott Joplin type tempo and is full of musical humour. If I Had A Reason: a soul-searching song with a waltz time country feel, features Rory on lap steel guitar and Lou on honky tonk piano. Stompin' Ground : a driving slide track of a prodigal's return. Following his rigorous touring Rory was much pleased to arrive home in Cork and lay back until the road would call him again. Treat Her Right: this track, like the former came to light in an unmarked box. Rory had always enjoyed performing this Roy Head favourite with the Impact Showband of ‘65 and had fun with his new band by treating this song to his blistering guitar style.
by Donal Gallagher
'Blueprint' originally released in early '73, and contains "Daughter Of The Everglades" one of the most beautiful songs he ever wrote, the cover features the circuit board of a Stramp "power-baby" amplifier which was custom designed for Rory in Hamburg. It was specifically designed to be compact enough to fit into the small luggage compartment of a VW "beetle" car, a particular Rory favorite.
Tracks
1. Walk On Hot Coals - 6:59
2. Daughter Of The Everglades - 6:09
3. Banker's Blues (Big Bill Broonzy) - 4:42
4. Hands Off - 4:27
5. Race The Breeze - 6:51
6. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - 8:22
7. Unmilitary Two-Step - 2:45
8. If I Had A Reason - 4:27
9. Stompin' Ground - 3:27
10.Treat Her Right (Roy Head) - 4:00
All titles Composed by Rory Gallagher except where stated.
Perhaps it has something to do with their Latin heritage, but this one simply doesn't get enthusiastic reviews from the critics ... That's unfortunate since 1969's "A Very Strange Brew" stands as a pretty impressive late-1960s garage/light-psych offering.
In terms of bibliographical information I can't tell you much about this five piece. Lead guitarist Ronny Reyes apparently cut his musical chops playing in a number of East L.A. bands including The Impalas. Piecing together the liner notes and writing credits, the line up apparently consisted of lead singer Tommy Lozano, drummer Mark (no last name). keyboardist John Mekenian, lead guitarist Reyes, and bass player Art Sanchez. Their debut LP was recorded at California's American Recording Studio, with Jimmy King producing.
So what's it actually sound like? Ignoring the lounge act group cover photo, propelled by Lazano's likeable voice and Makenian's Farfisa organ the album featured a largely original mix of commercial pop ('Three's a Crowd'), blue-eyed soul ('Yesterday's Coming'), Latin rockers ('(Such a) Foggy Day) and an occasional nod to lite-psych ('It Takes a Fool').
Interestingly, while it didn't make for the most original collection you've ever heard, every one of the ten tracks had something going for it, making for one of those albums that became better each time you listened to it. The other highlight was guitarist Reyes. His isolated solos were always entertaining and impressive. Personal favorites included the acid-y lead off rocker rock 'It Takes a Fool', 'What Do You See In My Mind' and the nifty rocker 'I Can Hardly Wait To Live'. (Over the years I've only seen a couple of copies of the album, each with a promo sticker on the cover.
Reyes seems to be the only member to have remained active in music. In the early-1970s he recorded an album for Playboy Records as part of the band Yaqui and has toured with a number of bands, including a 1980s version of Cannibal and the Headhunters.
While playing the coffee houses in Greenwich Village, I ran into a fellow who was a member of a group known as Sparrow, They were a large Canadian group who at that time had failed to follow up their number one record with anything worth mentioning. On occasions thereafter I sat in with them, jammed, played harmonica, sang a few standard songs and threw suggestions back and forth with them. It became apparent that it might be a good combination if I were to join Sparrow. At that time we decided to break away from the hit parade top 4O band image.
All of us in the band were more interested in the blues- At about this time their former pianist left and was replaced by a very funny Kangaroo-style organ player by the name of Goldie McJohn. He had a very strange way of using his hands in a choppy percussive manner resembling a Kangaroo.
The Sparrow developed into a very self-sufficient band which, unlike most bands, was free of management and was doing fairly well financially. The one important thing which developed early, and has carried through all this time into Steppenwolf, was the burning feeling to make this the most important part of our lives. During this time a lot of rehearsing was done, a lot of experimenting, arranging and writing. This was a difficult period because it was hard to do your own thing when everybody in the clubs were asking for Wooly Bully, but this is the sort of thing ail bands go through We then proceeded to took for a manager and stumbled upon a man who was successful in bringing us to New York.
There we played Sybil Burton's Arthur's Club for some months. At Arthur's we were able to do our own thing and were still accepted, even without playing hit parade songs. We finally made it through that summer of sweat and toil In New York. We lived at the Hotel Albert with various other groups, such as the Blues Magoos, The Lovin' Spoonful, John Hammond and countless others.
We finally broke out of New York and went west to Los Angeles, We had a fairly successful "gig" at the Whiskey A Go Go, but we were unable to go from there due to the Sunset Strip riots. More or less thrown out of Los Angeles due to the riots we landed up in San Francisco. This was the time the Haight-Ashbury scene was just beginning to develop and the first of the San Francisco bands were starting to get national recognition.
During this time we were immediately confronted with a new freedom of musical format where digging the new musical freedoms as long as it was done with enthusiasm and belief enabling us to kind of cut a lot of ties loose and to readily get into our own thing. We were being urged on from within the group by Nicholas (Nick St. Nicholas) who was the born showman and charmer of the group. One evening at the Matrix, Nicholas proceeded to experiment, he got up on stage, picked up his bass, plugged it into an amplifier and Echo lite unit and proceeded to just play whatever came into his head. Urged on by him everyone else proceeded to get up on the stage one by one, picking their instruments.
Before we knew it we were more or less improvising, jamming, squeezing and shaping a musical thing which lasted for 2O minutes and broke finally into the PUSHER which astounded us and the audience at how well it came off. From that time on we continued to experiment with The Pusher as well as other songs.
While in San Francisco, we played the Avalon, the Matrix, and the Fillmore Ballrooms and constantly rehearsed in our house in Mill Valley. Things were not going too good for us and it looked as if we weren't going to make it. Some of us wanted to follow the current trend and, in other words, leave the musical integrity behind, but this belief was not shared by the majority. After we had our station wagon reprocessed and our finances became worse and worse we disbanded.
What happened after this is more or less well known. We got ourselves back together with the four original members of the Sparrow within a new group named Steppenwolf. Also with the addition of our fiery passionate guitar player, Michael Monarch, and our former temperamental Scorpio guitar player's (Dennis Edmonton, known as Mars Bonfire) brother Jerry Edmonton on drums. We were able to achieve the first rung on the ladder of success.
Reflecting back on the days before success, I find that the collective, passionate, almost total unjustified belief that we were going to make It some day managed to keep us together. Despite audiences who insisted on Wooly-Bully, Henry VIII and other top 40 hits of the day we made it by simply leaning against one another and hyping one another that we were going to make it. We had goals to achieve such as someday playing the Maple Leaf Gardens fn the old home town of Toronto, and to someday headline at the Whiskey.
These plateaus of success have now been realized and all of us seemed to be well prepared to accept them. Success is pleasant but perhaps, due to the fact, that most of us weren't knocked on our back by it, is the reason we are still together and not off on our own believing that we are now super-stars.
There was a unity of purpose and dedication to the music. A feeling of togetherness and support for each other, not only musically taut in dedication to each other, which made the whole thing similar to the Three Musketeers and D'Artagnian, at! for one and one for all and at! of us against the world.
If it wasn't for this 'esprit de corps' t don't think we would have made it by playing those five sets a night in clubs for weeks and weeks. Even though it may be rather trite and common to thank people on albums, I do feel that we owe a few people thanks for their continued moral support which kept the Sparrow and, later, Steppenwolf living and breathing fire to continue to play and go on.
First of all the kids at Arthur's in New York. The people at the Whiskey who gave us such a warm reception and Chet Helm of the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco and all of the kids that came to those clubs and other clubs that we were playing. These young people have earned our thanks and gratitude as they were the ones who let us know that it was all right to do your own thing and to find a musical freedom. They did not sit there with paper and pencil ready to criticize but rather encouraged us to pursue whatever our trip was. These people, most of all, were responsible for the final stage of musical development in the Sparrow.
In closing we would like to thank very much the management of the Matrix where this album was recorded and tell you a little about it. The Matrix is a nitery in San Francisco which has supported for years the local and out-of-town talent. We played there several nights, and several recordings were made purely for fun sometimes without us knowing it, by the management who became our very good friends.
There are no parts en any of the songs that were not recorded live by the band. Many a cut may have been influenced by the fact that the majority of us were quite whacked and the vocal would drift into a mumble. But there were many inspiring moments, especially when we would improvise instrumentally like on the Pusher you will notice a mixture of musical influences ranging from the early Edgar Varese French semi-electronic symphonic School of music in the Pusher to the classical piano training of Goldie’s sort of churchy organ.
One more very important thing which ! almost have forgotten and which is close to the heart of all of us, is the Village in Toronto with all its inhabitants and up and coming musicians and people in other creative fields- It was this environment which made us feet secure and gave us a feeling of home. It was their continued support which has left a sort of warm memory of Toronto and Yorkville in particular, with all of us.
by John Kay
Tracks
1. Power Play (John Kay) - 2:55
2. Howlin' For My Darlin' (WillieDixon, Howlin' Wolf) - 4:53
3. I'm Going Upstairs (John lee Hooker) - 7:14
4. Corina, Corina (Arranged by Kay) - 3:54
5. Tighten Up Your Wig (Kay) - 3:14
6. The Pusher (Hoyt Axton) - 21:27
Steppenwolf
*John Kay - Guitar, Vocals
*Goldie McJohn - Organ
*Mars Bonfire - Guitar
*Jerry Edmonton - Drums
*Nick St. Nicholas - Bass
I remember when I first bought this album. It would have been around 1974 or '75 on my first visit to Sydney's famous Ashwoods Records in Pitt Street (RIP). Being a poor high school student, the idea of cheap second-hand albums was cool beyond words! For about $2-3 each I scored Slade "Slayed", "Black Sabbath Vol 4" and, of course, Buffalo’s debut LP "Dead Forever".
I remember thinking the cover was very evil ..and that these guys were proberly worshippers of some sick Satanic cult! There's even a photo on the inside gate- fold of the band (complete with Amps and P.A) playing a gig in a graveyard. Having said that, I'm sure the boys had good religious beliefs (while still enjoying the indulgences of non-prescription medications and having “relations" with young ladies to whom they were not married)
Now, over 30 years later, Aztec Music has reissued this proto-stoner gem. This is a great crunching 1972 heavy rock album which still wipes the floor with its contemporaries. The interesting thing about this line-up of Buffalo is that the band had two lead vocalists, however this was not uncommon for the time (think the Mamas and the Pappas, Blood Sweat and Tears and the aura of the Beatles, which was still lurking around).
The opening track “Leader” kicks off very doomily, with a droning acoustic guitar and vocals before building into a frantic heavy metal ending! “You...yes YOU are the Leader”. Very way out (man).
"Suzi Sunshine" was an early hit single for the band is a great piece of heavy melodic rock with some neat slide guitar from John Baxter. Two cover versions follow, Blues Images’ "Pay My Dues" (which shows the band's early progressive hippy roots) and a 10-minute version of Free's "I’m a Mover" which starts off faithful to the original but quickly builds into some manic jamming rivalling the Stooges and The MC5 ! I can imagine this track hitting the 30 minute mark in a live setting.
A few of the tracks following this have a distinctively heavy, progressive "San Francisco-meets-Quicksilver-Messenger-Service" vibe before returning with some powerful riff-o-mania rockin' on the five-minute title track, which again shows Buffalo's ability to do some great jamming (no doubt picked up from playing countless shows around the Sydney Town hall dances and nightclub scene)
Bonus tracks include some early 7" inch cover version B-sides which more than anything display the bands early high energy rhythm and blues/rock 'n' roll roots. Also included is an ultra rare early pre–Buffalo 1971 single by the band Head (featuring three members of Buffalo in Tice, Baxter and Wells) which reminds me of Eric Burdon and The Animals or early Cream
As with all Aztec releases this re-release comes a great 22 page colour booklet featuring some jaw-dropping early photos, gig posters and magazine adverts. The early photo of Dave Tice and Pete Wells in 1967 looking very Carnaby Street is worth the cost of the album alone.
by Steve Danno-Lorkin
Tracks
1. Leader (Tice, Baxter, Wells) - 6:03
2. Suzie Sunshine (Brett, Baxter) - 2:53
3. Pay My Dues (Lala, Pinera) - 5:34
4. I'm A Mover (Rodgers, Fraser) - 10:46
5. Ballad Of Irving Fink (Milano, Baxter) - 4:30
6. Bean Stew (Tice, Baxter) - 7:05
7. Forest Rain (Tice, Baxter) - 6:30
8. Dead Forever (Tice, Baxter) - 5:39
9. Hobo (Recording By Head) (Tice, Baxter) - 2:48
10.Sad Song, Then (Recording By Head) (Baxter) - 2:37
11.No Particular Place To Go (Chuck Berry) - 4:53
12.Just A Little Rock And Roll (A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues) (Terry Thompson) - 2:24
13.Barbershop Rock (Baxter) - 5:07
Buffalo
*Dave Tice - Lead Vocals
*Alan Milano - Lead Vocals
*Peter Wells - Bass
*John Baxter - Guitar
*Paul Balbi - Drums
'Deuce' was the culmination of Rory's musical apprenticeship. He'd toured with an Irish showband, released acclaimed records with 'Taste' and played the Isle Of White Rock Festival, but this was the first time he'd had the necessary level of control, self belief and technical ability to record the album he'd always wanted to. His eponymously titled first album had seen Rory's transition from group member to solo artist, allowing him a degree of artistic freedom he'd so tar not encountered.
This resulted in an excellent debut album, highlighting Rory's musical development since 'Taste'. In 1971 when he began working on 'Deuce', he decided on a different approach to the recording of his second album. His first album, 'Rory Gallagher, had a precise, organised sound, Rory was keen 'Deuce' would capture the raw energy of a live performance. To achieve this, many of the sessions were recorded just before or immediately after gigs and production was kept to a minimum. The results were electric.
Rory came alive when he played in front of an audience, as he said, "I love playing to people. The audience means a lot to me. It's not the whole thing, I love recording too, hut I need regular and frequent contact with the public. 'It gives me energy". That was why capturing a 'live' feel on the album was so important to Rory.
'Deuce' was the first, but certainly not the last time, he achieved this. 'Deuce' was recorded at Tangerine Studios in Dalston, which was built by the innovative 60 s producer, Joe Meek. This North London studio was sited next to a bingo hall and any fans blessed with a keen sense of hearing may just be able to make out the distant shouts of the bingo caller.
'Deuce' saw Rory and his band reach a new musical high. Band members, Gerry McAvoy and Wilgar Campbell, played with a fresh, raw quality that complimented Rory's amazing Strat. work. They were young and talented, with a point to prove, the ingredients that have produced some of the greatest music in history. 'Deuce' would become part of that illustrious tradition.
This album has been re-mixed from the original multi-track master tapes by Colin Fairley, who worked with Rory on many of his recordings. When the recording of 'Deuce' was complete Rory was ecstatic with the results. The album had successfully captured the 'live' sound he'd wanted to replicate. After more than three decades 'Deuce' has lost none of it's youthful power and for me, and many other fans, it represents the beginning of a musical friendship that would last many years.
by Shu Tomioka, Charles Stanford
Tracks
1. Used to Be - 5:06
2. I'm Not Awake Yet - 5:24
3. Don't Know Where I'm Going - 2:42
4. Maybe I Will - 4:15
5. Whole Lot of People - 4:57
6. In Your Town - 5:47
7. Should've Learnt My Lesson - 3:36
8. There's a Light - 5:59
9. Out of My Mind - 3:05
10.Crest of a Wave - 6:00
11.Persuasion - 4:42
All songs composed by Rory Gallagher
