Long John Baldry - Good To Be Alive (1973 uk, magnificent blues soulful classic rock, 2012 issue)

Long John Baldry was born on January 12, 1941, as Hitler's Blitzkrieg terrorized his hometown of London. In hindsight, being born in the blitz may have been nature's way of preparing young Baldry for the volatile roLlercoaster of a life and career in music. A commanding presence on stage, the six foot seven, white, gay, Englishman deftly switched between affected, Noel Coward-like stage banter to a singing voice not unlike a Mississippi gravel road.

Could there be a more unlikely candidate for the title: "Father of the British Blues movement"? Baldry was already legendary for his sets with Cyril Davies at London's Eel Pie Island when he discovered young Rod Stewart wailing on a harmonica at Twickenham Rail Station. Later, alter shifting to pop with the chart-topping UK hit, "Let The Heartaches Begin", in 1967, he acquired Bluesology as his touring band, impressing their keyboardist Reginald Dwight enough to adopt stage name to Elton John, in tribute. But Baldry s pop success had alienated his original fan base at a time when many of the bands he'd inspired — the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Yardbirds and Savoy Brown — were beginning to establish UK Blues rock in America.

To add insult to injury, Baldry's descent into irrelevance began just as his two star proteges, Rod and Elton, were becoming international superstars. He'd strayed from his roots and needed help if his career would have a second, or third, act. Rod and Elton, feeling a debt of gratitude, agreed to not only help their mentor come back in the UK, but to introduce him to the USA in style.

The plan was to reestablish Long John Baldry as a rocking bluesman with a trilogy of return-to-roots albums. The first of these, ItAin'tEasy (1971), featured one side produced by Elton and the other produced by Rod. It Ain't Ecuty fulfilled its mission, and Stewart's manager Billy Gaff (through his own label, CM Records), arranged a deal with Warner Bros securing a major US release on Warner Bros, garnering him US FM radio airplay and his first US tours. But alter Elton & Rod teamed up again for the followup, Everything Stopj For Tea (1972), Warner Bros began to see diminishing returns and did not pursue another.

Since Elton and Rod were by now far too busy, Gaff entrusted his house producer, Jimmy Horowitz who had executive produced the Warners albums, and who had replaced Elton in Bluesology, for the third try, Good To Be Alive. Horowitz recalls the sessions at IBC Studios in London. "We had good musicians," says Horowitz, "and everybody plaved well. They were actually some of the most comfortable, and fun, sessions we ever did. Baldry concurred in a later interview with Steve Peacock; "We took it at a much easier pace than the ones 1 did with Rod and Elton, where it was bash, bash, bash for a couple of weeks, simply because they didn't have much time to spare."

Horowitz brought back his own wife, singer Lesley Duncan, and guitarist Sam Mitchell, and adding powerhouse singer Liza Strike was brought in as a powerful foil for Baldry on the Gram Parsons song, "She." In addition to two rare songs by Baldry himself, "Aiaggie Bell", and "Song For Martin Luther King", the singer and Horowitz handpicked songs like Zoot Money and Colin Allen's "Good To Be Alive", Bo Diddley's "Let Me Pass" and Rod Stewart's "Gasoline Alley". "I remember Roddy turning up one night when we were recording the backing vocals to 'Gasoline Alley'," says Horowitz, "and he was fucking blown away!" Horowitz owes much of the "communal feel" of the sessions to the fact that both he and Baldry lived quite close to IBC studios, in Muswell Hill, and notes that the album's original cover photograph, featuring the singer at home with his pet goat, summed it up perfectly. "We used to call the album 'Goat To Be Alive'" laughs Horowitz, adding that the convivial atmosphere in the studio was occasionally broken by the singer's unpredictable mood swings. Depression had returned, in private at least, if not audible on the joyous album he was making.

GM Records issued Good To Be Alive in the UK only, in 1973. Despite some initial buzz for the single "She", the record, as strong as it was, failed to close the circle that the first two blues comeback albums had begun. It would be two years before Gaff arranged for an American release, via Neil Bogart's Casablanca label, but the moment had passed. After another album, Welcome To Club Casablanca, in 1976, Baldry's career stalled, heralding the start of another period of depression for the singer that wouldn't abate until his emigration to Canada where his first album for Capitol, Baldry’s Out, was a minor hit in 1979.

But Baldry archivist Jeff Edmunds believes that, had Warner Bros issued Good To Be Alice in 1973 as planned, it might have cemented his reputation in the United States. "John often said it was his favourite," says Edmunds, "because it was really the first album where he'd truly merged his folk, blues and roots-rock sides. It would be nice if it were someday recognized for its greatness."

by Paul Myers

Tracks
1. Good To Be Alive (Zoot Money, Colin Allen) - 4:05
2. Let Me Pass (Bo Diddley) - 3:19
3. Rake and Ram Bling Boy (Traditional Arr. John Baldry) - 3:27
4. High And Low (Geoff Thomas) - 3:43
5. Gasoline Alley (Rod Stewart, Ron Wood) - 3:39
6. I Wish I Was A Rock (Derroll Adams) - 1:19
7. Up In The Trees (Neil Shepherd) - 2:51
8. Brand New Day (Al Kooper) - 3:18
9. Song For Martin Luther King (John Baldry) - 4:15
10.Maggie Bell (John Baldry) - 3:06
11.Let's Go (Chaz Jankel) - 2:39
12.She (Gram Parsons, Chris Ethridge) - 4:39

Musicians
*John Baldry - Vocals, 12 String Guitar
*David Ball - Lead Guitar
*Sam Mitchell - Slide Guitar, Dobro
*Dennis Ball - Bass Guitar
*Terry Cox - Drums
*Tony Newman - Drums
*Mike French - Fiddle
*John Field - Fiddle, Banjo, Mandolin
*Pete Stanley - Banjo
*Jimmy Horowitz - Keyboards
*Chris Hughes - Tenor Sax
*Andy Brown - Acoustic Guitar
*Bob Cohen - Lead Guitar
*Sam Mitchell - Slide Guitar
*Jimmy Horowitz - Piano
*John Mealing - Organ
*Mike Driscoll - Drums
*Andy Bown - Bass
*Lesley Duncan - Vocals
*Lisa Strike - Vocals
*Suzy Glover - Vocals
*Kay Garner - Vocals
*Neil Shepherd - Vocals

1971  John Baldry - It Ain't Easy (2005 bonus tracks remaster)
1972  John Baldry - Everything Stops For Tea (2005 extra tracks remaster)

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Morka - There Was A Time... (1971-74 greece, marvelous folk psych with acid drops, 2006 expanded Vinyl limited edition)

During the difficult years of the dictatorship in Greece (1967-1974), a band was formed which was the origin of Morka. This group, founded in late 1970 by John Jungemann and Dorian Kokas, was called Stone Deep. It set the trend of the basic characteristics of Morka, which was a four-part harmony band.

Stone Deep comprised a group of fellow-students at ACS (American Community School). They released a private-pressed single containing the mellow electric folk songs “Winter’s here” and “Judy“.

Dorian Kokas and Mike Moraitis formed Morka after the other members of Stone Deep returned to their homes in the USA. The name MORKA comes from MORaitis-KokAs and the duet continued the tradition of melody and harmonies, adding more psychedelic tinges.

In late-1971, Polydor released a 33 rpm EP containing both the Stone Deep tracks as well as two new duet’s songs : “I see” and “She shouts“. For these specific tracks german drummer Reiner Rathe participated as a session musician. All four tracks appeared under the Morka moniker.

That same year, after the departure of Moraitis, Kokas kept the Morka name alive with the participation of Michalis Orphanides, George Tambre, Antonis Bravos, Paul Papadeas and Pamela Leake. With this line up was that Morka became recognized by the public and took a turn in a more professional innovative direction. Many appearances followed in the clubs of Athens and endless gigs with other important bands of the greek underground scene.

In 1972, the single “Giati? (=Why?) / And so she flies“, also released by Polydor. The first track was the lone attempt by the American, Canadian and English members to sing in Greek.

In the first weeks of 1973, Morka recorded a demo-tape distinctively more mature, still emphasizing the importance of their mellow psychedelic folk roots but in a more progressive music style. No doubt, Morka was ahead of its time.

Shortly after this recording, the band broke-up, following the fate of the Greek rock bands of that era. The material of the demo-tape had never been released to this day.

In 1986, there was an ephemeral reformation of Morka with the basic line up of founder member Kokas and Orphanides and Leake. They recorded one more demo tape and afterwards the final split came.

2006 and Anazitisi Records, officially released all the recordings of Morka in a limited, to 400 copies, vinyl album entitled “There was a time…”.

Morka-myspace

Tracks
1. Fair Lady Of 1860 - 6:04
2. Fourteen Young Children - 2:36  
3. I See (Dorian Kokas, Mike Moraitis) - 2:17  
4. And So She Flies - 2:03  
5. Squeezing Pimples (Paul Papadeas) - 1:14
6. Winter's Here (Dorian Kokas, John Jungemann) - 3:17
7. Disassociation - 1:05
8. Judy (Dorian Kokas, John Jungemann) - 3:51
9. Avenue Winter - 5:28
10.She Shouts (Dorian Kokas, Mike Moraitis) - 2:09
11.Ann - 1:44
12.Looking For The Past - 2:08
13.Giati? (Why?) - 2:18
14.Just Like Ann - 4:14
All compositions by Dorian Kokas except where stated.
Tracks 6 and 8 as the Stone Deep

Musicians
*Dorian Kokas - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
*John Jungemann - Vocals, Guitar
*Bill Harrell - Vocals, Guitar
*Kirk Esco - Flute
*Chris Olsen - Vocals
*Randa Salameh - Vocals
*Mike Moraitis - Vocals, Organ
*Reiner Rathe - Drums
*Michalis Orphanidis - Drums, Percussion, Guitar, Keyboards
*George "Tambre" Tambakopoulos - Vocals
*Leigh Sioris - Bass
*Kostas Anadiotis - Keyboards
*Antonis Bravos - Bass
*Paul Papadeas - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Bass
*Pamela Leake - Vocals, Effects
*Antonis Manolatos - Bass

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Various Artists - Searching For Love (1964-68 us, awesome garage beat, Vinyl issue)

This is another rare compilation also released by the Greek label Action in 1999.

Tidal Wave was a US garage beat with Motown soul influence, they release few singles between 1968-1970, no connection with other bands called Tidal Wave. 

The Avengers came from Philadelphia and released a couple of singles round 1966-68.

From Miami Florida The American Beetles started as the R-Dells recorded many tracks but non made a dent in national market. During a Miami club perfomance as the prank the boys combed their hair down and jokingly christened themselves as The American Beetles.

King Charles And The Counts were from Pocatello, Idaho."King Charles" was in fact Charlie Bieker, who also played with Easy Chair, member and songwriter was Steve Eaton whose songs have earned gold and platinum records for The Carpenters and Art Garfunkel. His songs have also been recorded by many other artists, including Glen Campbell, The Righteous Brothers, Ann Murray, and Lee Greenwood. Steve has received Emmy nominations for his original music written for PBS and has written music for the Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Some consider his song Idaho I Love You to be the true state song of Idaho.

The Birdwatchers were a garage rock pop band active in the 1960s in the Miami area. The band dabbled with an Everly Brothers sound in their early career (1964), even releasing a version of "Wake Up Little Susie" on Tara, a local Florida label. During 1966-67, the band released 5 garage-pop 45s on the Mala and Laurie labels, in addition to local releases on the Tara, Marlin and Scott labels. Most of these featured the vocals of Sammy Hall. Depite national TV exposure on teen shows such as Where The Action Is, the most the band ever made it on the charts was #125 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Charts in September 1966 with "I'm Gonna Love you Anyway." As evidence of their local popularity another of their records ("Girl I Got News for You") made Billboard's Regional Breakout Charts for Miami peaking at #3 locally in April 1966. The band also appeared in the 1967 film, Wild Rebels - a local Miami, Fla., production.

The You Know Who Group 

Malcolm Hayes, Tommy Williams and Tommy Murphy joined a band called "D & The Dominoes" while still in high school in Texas City, TX.  That band soon became the "Countdown 5" joined by Steve Long and John Balzer.  The "5" was a 60's rock and roll show band that produced two Billboard Top 100 hits, "Uncle Kirby" and "Shaka Na Na".  The 5's home base was the the beach in Galveston, Tx, as the house band for the legendary Bamboo Hut and later the Grass Menagerie beach clubs that were The summer destinations for college kids from all over the U. S.  Because of the success of their records the 5 also toured throughout the Southeastern U. S. doing college shows and opening concerts for the super star acts of the era such as the Dave Clark 5, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Grass Roots, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs (Wolly Bully), B. J. Thomas, the Fifth Dimension, and others.

Del-Rays from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, members including Jimmy Ray Hunter (vocals), Jimmy Johnson (guitar), Roger Hawkins, Bill Scott (keyboards), Bill Cofield (saxophone), Larry York (bass), John Daniels (drums), Norbert Putnam.

Before joing the big success with The Guess Who, Burton Cummings, was fronting his own Winnipeg sensations The Deverons, who'd also been making huge strides releasing a handful of singles of their own. 

The Skunks from New Jersey, but they sounded English, and so were chosen to accompany the miniskirted dancers at Swinging London fashion queen Mary Quant’s Youthquake events in US department stores in 1965. The band members had black hair with a white stripe dyed down the middle. Everyone who bought an English mod design from the Puritan Fashion Corporation was given a free copy of The Skunks’ single Youth Quake.

The Coachmen  

The Outcasts  

Artists - Tracks
1. The Tidal Wave - Searching for Love (Elliot Chiprut) - 2:12
2. The Avengers - No Wonder (The Avengers) - 3:02
3. The American Beetles - Hey, Hey Girl (Bob Yorey) - 1:51
4. King Charles And The Counts - It's True It's You (Steve Eaton) - 2:45
5. The Birdwatchers - Girl I Got News for You (Brad Shapiro, Robert Pucetti) - 2:29
6. The Avengers - Crying All Alone  (The Avengers) - 1:46
7. The "You Know Who" Group - Playboy (Robert Esposito) - 2:50
8. The Countdown 5 - Money Man (Malcolm Hayes) - 2:12
9. The Badd Boys - Never Going Back to Georgia (Arr. by Dick Monda) - 2:12
10.The Del-Rays - Like I Do (Larry Hamby, Jimmy Johnson) - 1:59
11.The Deverons - Blue Is the Night (Al Esposito) - 3:08
12.The Skunks - A Girl Like You (B. Leigh, A. Dee) - 2:04
13.The Coachmen - Mr. Moon (George A. Freeman) - 3:06
14.The Outcasts - Loving You Sometimes (Dick Hall-Hawkins, Al Collinsworth) - 1:51

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Various Artists - Tymes Gone By (1964-67 us, spectacular garage beat psych, vinyl edition)

Rare compilation by Greek label Action, with US Artists and songs recorded between 1964-67. Below I have links with informations from most of the Bands included here.

The Weeds 

The Rumbles  

The Cobras 

The Soothsayers  

Little John and the Monks  

The Front Page News 

The Todds  

Blue Boys or Sound Of Excitement

Richie's Renegades  

Jerry Waugh and The Skeptics  

The Specktrum  

Brym-Stonz Ltd.  

The Impacts  

Artists - Tracks 
1. The Weads - Don't Call My Name (Allan Varela, Dick Turano) - 02:16
2. The Rumbles - Fourteen Years (Rich Clayton) - 02:18
3. The Cobras - Goodbye (Eric Welsch) - 02:07
4. The Soothsayers - Please Don't Be Mad (Dave Van Omen, John Gibson) - 02:14
5. Little John and the Monks - Black Winds (Tom Davis) - 02:06
6. The Front Page News - You Better Behave (Wadley, Baldwin, Smith, Routh, Popejoy) - 01:43
7. The Todds - Things Will Change (Wallace Lyle Todd, Richard Lee Gluth) - 02:19
8. Blue Boys - Why Did You Go (Jerry Ciccone, Whisler) - 02:43
9. Richie's Renegades - Don't Cry (William H. Dunn, Jr., Robert J. Leger) - 02:00
10.Jerry Waugh and The Skeptics - I Told Her Goodbye (Jerry Waugh) - 02:11
11.The Specktrum - I Was A Fool (R. Schmeisser, K. Jeremiah) - 02:17
12.The Maltees Four - All Of The Time (Egan, Greenberg, Johnson, Saylor) - 02:16
13.Brym-Stonz Ltd. - Times Gone By (Leslie Roberts, Curtis Kirk) - 02:34
14.The Impacts - Don't You Dare (The Impacts) - 02:21

The Skeptics 

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Mick Greenwood - ...To Friends (1972 uk, superb folk prog rock, 2006 japan remaster)

Michael Vernon Greenwood was born under the sign of Aquarius in the front room of the family home in Potters Bar, England. His father was a Yorkshire engineer and the son of a textile baron, and his mother a Cumbrian farmer’s daughter.

His parents were restless souls, and much of Mick’s early childhood was spent on the move. A month before his 12th birthday, he emigrated with his family from the leafy London suburb of Thames Ditton to the small rural town of Halifax, Pennsylvania, situated twenty miles up the Susquehannah River from Harrisburg.

He found the transition from his regimented life at a boys English prep school to American high school liberating in more ways than one. “The culture shock was my saving grace at the time,” he says. “I remember a junior asking me to a high school dance, and making the discovery that girls had these wonderful entities called breasts, and that put a whole new tangible perspective on things.”

Predominately self-taught, Mick found an affinity with the piano at around 4 years old, and at 14 got what he wanted for his birthday, a Kent electric guitar with a Sears Roebuck amp. After an initial disappointing cacophony, the guitar stayed in its case until Mick broke his right wrist on the wrestling mat at school. Wearing a cast, but still able to hold a pick between his thumb and index finger, he decided it was time to pick up the guitar and teach himself a few basics, and with practice he then started writing songs, and later formed his first high school band, The DearSirs.

After graduating from Halifax High, Mick went to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, ostensibly to pursue a career in law. Approaching 18, he was now becoming more prolific as a songwriter, and playing with several bands including Charlotte’s Web. His solo performances took him further afield to clubs like New York’s Bitter End, where he was to meet the legendary John Hammond of Columbia Records who became instrumental in launching Mick’s recording career.

Greenwood returned to England in 1970 and made his first highly-acclaimed album, Living Game, which became Cashbox’s import of the week and was released throughout the world. Recorded at CBS London and Sound Techniques, Chelsea, this was the first time Mick had entered a recording studio. The sessions went so well that the musicians involved became his backing band on the road. The album features ex-Fotheringay’s Jerry Donahue, Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway, along with keyboards/arranger Tony Cox, and Fairport’s Dave Pegg. Plus contributions by top jazz musicians–Lynn Dobson, Karl Jenkins, Bud Parkes, Derek Wadsworth and Dudu Pakwana.

After appearing with the band on programs like The Old Grey Whistle Test, and performing solo at venues such as the Cambridge Festival, there were some personnel changes, and The Cockington All-Stars emerged. Named after the farmhouse in Devon where Mick wrote new material and the band rehearsed, the lineup included Barry de Souza, Dave Peacock, Jerry Donahue and Tony Cox. With this collection, he returned to Sound Techniques to make his second album, To Friends, which was again highly-acclaimed and acknowledged Mick’s change in direction. The record also features excellent backing vocals by Barrie St. John, Doris Troy and Jimmy Helms.

Mick and the band toured the States, playing Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Palladium with Hot Tuna, and Atlanta’s Coliseum with The Byrds, as well as clubs like The Earl Of Old Town in Chicago. His recollections of a crazy life on the road, “I drove this old black Lincoln down from New York City to Carlisle, Pa. Running late, we all poured out of the limo and went straight on stage, following a set by John McLaughlin. I was returning with my band to play my graduating class at Dickinson, and the reception was blinding.”

Mick Greenwood-com

Tracks
1. To Friends - 3:53
2. Spooked - 4:06
3. See Yourself - 4:42
4. Mother Earth - 3:35
5. All Aboard The Train - 4:57
6. Share The Load - 3:07
7. Show Your Colours - 3:27
8. Charlie - 4:18
9. Berzerk - 4:20
10.Space Captain - 3:45
11.How Do You Feel In Your Bones - 2:45
Words and Music by Mick Greenwood except song #10 written by Mathew Moore

Musicians
*Mick Greenwood  -  Guitars, Harmony, Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
*Tony Cox - Accordion, Keyboards, Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals
*Barry DeSouza - Drums, Fiddle, Percussion, Trumpet
*Jerry Donahue - Electric, Spanish Guitar, Vocals
*Jimmy Helms - Vocals
*Dave Peacock - Banjo, Bass, Fiddle, Violin, Vocals)
*Barry St. John - Vocals
*Doris Troy - Vocals

1971  Mick Greenwood - Living Game

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John Ussery - Ussery (1973 us, stunning groovy guitar psych rock, 2013 issue)

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Ussery, began playing guitar in the mid-fifties. By the age of 14 and protected by Arizona's right-to-work law, he was jamming in the honkytonks and bars while growing up in the southwest. At age 19, and out of the Army, Ussery moved to Phoenix to play in a pop and R&B band with his older brother Ron, a singer/saxophone player.

The mid-sixties found him noodling with Riley "B.B." King and opening up for John Lee Hooker at the 310 supper club just out of old downtown Seattle, and hanging out with Delaney Bramlett and the Shindog's (who had a very popular TV show called Shindig).

In 1973, Delaney produced Ussery's first solo album, "Ussery," on Mercury Records. It was shortly after the release of this album that the Texas slinger decided to leave the music business, and did so for the better part of 17 years.

He and his guitars returned to the music scene in 1991, and last year's Fifth Annual "Real Blues Award" nominated CD, "Getting' Lucky" and his latest "Cryin' and Screamin" are filled with contemporary original blues and some fine horn playing. 

by Matt Alcott

Tracks
1. Smile - 2:26
2. Low Rider - 4:01
3. Must Have Been The season - 2:50
4. Dance - 2:36
5. Gangster - 3:31
6. Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins) - 3:03
7. Through The Fire - 4:11
8. Jail House Rock (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 4:53
9. Just Want To Be Your Friend - 3:19
10.Listen To The Melody - 2:58
11.Sweet Seventeen - 2:56
All selections by John Ussery except where stated

Personnel
*John Ussery - Vocals, Guitars
*Delaneu Bramlett - Slide Guitar, Percussion
*Joe Townend - Bass
*Tom Henderson - Drums
*Ron Grayson - Drums (Tracks 8-9)

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1969  Locomotive - Locomotive (2013 reissue)

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Game - Game (1969 us, awesome classic rock with psych and some prog shades, 2007 remaster)

Singers/guitarists Eddie Keating and Chuck Kirkpatrick, drummer Scott Kirkpatrick, keyboard player Les Luhring and singer/bassist George Terry had all been members of the Southern Florida based Proctor Amusement Company.  The band had become quite popular throughout the region, even recording a couple of singles and an unreleased LP for the New York based Faithful Virtue label before calling it quits. While Proctor Amusement Company had come to an end, by 1969 the five were playing Southern Florida clubs as Game.  

Released by Faithful-Virtue, 1969's "Game" is an interesting debut.  Co-produced by manager/mentor Steve Goldberg and Chuck Kirkpatrick, musically the set's all over the place, including stabs at conventional pop, progressive ('Entrance'), rock ('Fat Mama') and even showing off some jazzy interludes (check out side two's 'Disturbance/We Turn To You').  Normally such a diverse album wouldn't make all that much of an impression with me, but this is one of those exceptions.  While most bands have a hard time finding one good singer, Game wasn't hurt by having three in the form of Keating, Chuck Kirkpatrick and Terry.  The fact that Keating and Luhring wrote some nifty melodies and were capable of turning in ear candy harmony vocals didn't hurt the end results either (check out Luhring's 'Discovering You'). To be honest, material such as 'Make Some Music' and 'Stop, Look & Listen' sounds a couple of years ahead of it's time.

In 1970 the band relocated to Southern California.  Original drummer Scott Kirkpatrick dropped out before the move, replaced by Dave Robinson.  Over the next two years the band recorded a considerable amount of material, but found no takers.  Forced to start playing local clubs when their long time financial benefactor threatened to cut off support, Robinson and Terry called it quits, returning to Florida.  Terry subsequently hit the big time as a member of Eric Clapton's band.  Enduring a series of personnel changes, the band continued to play through 1978.  Chuck Kirkpatrick recorded an instantly obscure solo album for Capitol before returning to Miami where he spent some time recording and touring with Firefall, eventually starting his own business.

Bad-Cat

Tracks
1. Entrance (Eddie Keating, Tom Quick) - 0:51
2. What's Goin' Through My Head - 3:18
3. Discovering You (Les Luhring) - 4:11
4. Fat Mama - 2:44
5. Make Some Music - 7:49
6. Stop Look And Listen (Les Luhring) - 3:30
7. Disturbance-We Turn To You (Eddie Keating, Les Luhring) - 6:20
8. Sermon - 2:09
9. Girl Next Door - 3:19
10.Exit (Chuck Kirkpatrick, Eddie Keating) - 4:03
All compositions by Eddie Keating except where indicated

The Game
*Eddie Keating - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Chuck Kirkpatrick - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Scott Kirkpatrick - Drums
*Les Lurhing - Keyboards
*George Terry - Vocals, Guitar, Bass

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The Crystal Mansion - The Crystal Mansion (1972 us, beautiful mix of country folk funky psych soft prog rock, korean 2016 remaster)

Formed in the early-1960s' The Secrets were a Mount Laurel, New Jersey, based R'n'B cover band.  By 1968 the line up consisted of  singer Johnny Caswell, guitarist Ronnie Gentile, drummer Ricky Morley and keyboardist Sal Rota. Having adopted the name 'The Crystal Mansion',  the band was signed by Capitol where they enjoyed a modest national hit with the single 'The Though tof Loving You' b/w 'Hallelujah' (Capitol catalog number 2275 ). The single's success led Capitol to finance an LP, 1969's "The Crystal Mansion". 

Dropped by Capitol, in 1972 the band reappeared on Motown's rock-oriented Rare Earth label.  Co-produced by the band, the cleverly titled "The Crystal Mansion" found the band largely abandoning their early pop sound in favor of a  into a myriad of styles, including country, psych and even progressive moves.    

Even though it takes awhile to get organized, material such as 'There Always Will Be More', the funky 'Somebody Oughta' Turn Your Head Around' (imagine Rare Earth having spent a weekend in Miami) and the blazing 'Let Me Get Straight Again' (one of two group-penned originals) is actually pretty good.

Bad Cat

Tracks
1. There Always Will Be More (Johnny Caswell, Sam Owlens) - 6:00
2. Bad City Ways (Bob Barnayrd, Sal Rota) - 4:19
3. I Love You (Johnny Caswell, Sal Rota) - 3:06
4. Satisfied (David Tricker, Johnny Caswell, Sal Rota) - 3:39
5. A Song Is Born (David Tricker, Johnny Caswell, Sal Rota) - 3:39
6. Somebody Oughta Turn Your Head Around (Rick Morley,Sal Rota, Ronnie Gentile, Mario Sanchez, Bill Crawford, Johnny Caswell) - 3:27
7. Boogieman (Johnny Caswell) - 5:17
8. Let Me Get Straight Again (Rick Morley,Sal Rota, Ronnie Gentile, Mario Sanchez, Bill Crawford, Johnny Caswell) - 5:59
9. Peace For A Change (Johnny Caswell, Sal Rota) - 5:10
10.Earth People (David Tricker, Johnny Caswell, Ronnie Gentile, Sal Rota) - 4:02

The Crystal Mansion
*Rick Morley - Percussion
*Sal Rota - Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Ronnie Gentile - Guitar
*Mario Sanchez - Congas, Vocals
*Bill Crawford - Bass
*Johnny Caswell - Vocals, Piano

1969  Crystal Mansion - Crystal Mansion feat Johnny Caswell (Vinyl edition)  

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Jubal - Jubal (1972 us, good country soft rock, 2008 edition)

Jubal was a country rock group from the early 1970s on Elektra Records. It features Dennis Linde who wrote "Burning Love" for Elvis Presley and "Goodbye Earl" for the Dixie Chicks. 

Despite the very Southern-sounding band name and the Nashville studio connections, bandmembers Rob Galbraith and Dennis Linde, were sort of on the far edges of the country-rock scene.

One of the more interesting tracks is Terry Dearmore's uptempo tune, "Not Really A Rocker," which is a slightly twangy power-pop rock song, worthy of consideration by the Nuggets brigade. 

Tracks
1. Lay Me Down (Dennis Linde) - 3:31
2. Friendly Goodbye (Lee Clayton, Rob Galbraith) - 2:42
3. Yesterday (I Threw My Life Away) (Alan Rush, Randy Cullers) - 3:06
4. Really Not A Rocker (Terry Dearmore) - 2:54
5. Morning Of My Life (Rob Galbraith) - 2:27
6. For Becky (Lee Clayton, Rob Galbraith) - 3:16
7. Talk To Me Tonight (Alan Rush, Randy Cullers) - 3:48
8. I'd Hate To Be A Blackman (Rob Galbraith) - 3:08
9. Courage Of Your Convictions (Alan Rush, Randy Cullers) - 3:46
10.Ridin' (Dennis Linde) - 2:36
11.Castles In The Sand (Alan Rush, Randy Cullers) - 3:46

The Jubal
*Rob Galbraith - Organ, Guitar, Piano
*Dennis Linde - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
*Randy Cullers - Percussion, Drums, Tambourine
*Terry Dearmore - Guitar, Vocals
*Alan Rush - Guitar, Harmonica, Bass, Vocals

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Rare Earth - Dreams/Answers (1968 us, fine psych funky soulful rock, 2017 remaster)

It is fairly common knowledge now but many Rare Earth fans had no idea that they were previously known as The Sunliners! It’s a complicated path that appears to start around 1960. Gil Bridges, Pete Rivera, John Persh, Ralph Terrana, Russ Terrana, Fred Saxon and Steve Fisher were all early members who played hundreds of club dates and record five singles for three different labels, Hercules, Golden World and MGM. In the middle of all this action, Fred Saxon, Ralph and Russ Terrana and Steve Fisher made way for Rod Richards and Kenny James, this line up would take them through to the MGM 45 Land Of Nod and the transistion to the name Rare Earth. 

Many later biographies claim that they became Rare Earth when they signed to Motown.....this is not fact as they stayed with MGM/Verve to record their very first album called Dreams Answers as Rare Earth in 1968. The land Of Nod track was re - recorded for inclusion on the LP and as a complete album it proved to be a masterpiece debut which combined rock, soul and physedelia. 

Their 1968 debut Dreams/Answers was recorded in the band’s hometown of Detroit and arranged, conducted and mostly written by Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey. This early in their career, Rare Earth hadn’t perfected the sound that they would become famous for, but you can already see the early mix of influences. 

Tracks
1. Stop/Where Did Our Love Go (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 3:05
2. 6-4-5-5 (Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) - 2:37
3. King of a Rainy Country (Paul Parrish) - 3:46
4. New Rochelle (Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore) - 3:10
5. Land of Nod (Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore, Peter Hoorelbeke) - 3:09
6. Mother's Oats (Dennis Coffey, Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore) - 2:40
7. Red Apple (Dennis Coffey, Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore) - 2:49
8. Get Ready (William Robinson, Jr.) - 2:55
9. Morning (Ron Koss) - 2:26
10.Searchin' (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 2:29
11.Yesterday on Third Avenue (Paul Parrish) - 3:17
12.Sidewalk Cafe (Paul Parrish) - 2:57

Rare Earth
*John Parrish - Vocals, Bass, Trombone
*Rod Richards - Guitar, Vocals
*Kenny James - Organ, Piano
*Gil Bridges - Saxophone, Vocals
*Pete Rivera - Drums, Vocals

1969-74  Rare Earth - Fill Your Head (three cds box set, five studio albums plus outtakes and alternative versions)

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Don Preston And The South - Hot Air Through A Straw From (1969 us, spectacular country folk bluesy psych rock, 2017 korean remaster)

Preston was born in Denver, Colorado, and moved to Whittier, California at age 8. He started playing guitar and sang in the Sewart-Barber Boys Choir. By age 11, he was performing with a traveling youth troupe, the Cactus Kids, that performed at store openings, company parties, and USO clubs throughout Southern California.

In the 1950s, he performed with The Penguins, The Coasters, The Olympics, The Jaguars, Ritchie Valens, The Righteous Brothers, Gene Vincent, Don Julian and the Meadowlarks, and Jessie Hill, among others.

In the 1960s, his band, Don and the Deacons, played at the Cinnamon Cinder, a North Hollywood club owned by Bob Eubanks. From there, he joined The Shindogs with Joey Cooper, Chuck Blackwell, Leon Russell, and Delaney Bramlett.

He performed and recorded in the 1970s with Leon Russell (including Carney and Leon Live), Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs & Englishmen (album), and on the The Concert for Bangladesh. He also recorded and performed with Freddie King, Ricky Nelson and JJ Cale.

Preston recorded two albums on A&M Records, both produced by Gordon Shryock. The first was Bluse (1968), and the second was Hot Air Through A Straw (1968) by Don Preston & The South with Bob Young, Casey Van Beek, and Bobby Cochran. He also recorded an album on Stax Records titled Still Rock (1969), as well as solo albums on Shelter Records Been Here All The Time (1974) and Sacre Blues (1997) on DJM Records.

Not to  been confused with another rock musician named Don Preston, a keyboardist for Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. 

Tracks
1. American Gothic - 2:04
2. Here's To You Baby - 2:41
3. Daybreaks - 2:50
4. Sunshine Line - 2:21
5. You Won't Let Me Be (Don Preston, Joey Cooper) - 2:15
6. She Feels Like Sunshine - 1:57
7. End Of The Play - 2:16
8. Blues Break - 0:37
9. Circle For A Landing - 2:31
10.Love Season - 2:13
11.Medley: Nite Of The Fool-Sweetest Girl - 4:13
12.Got Me In The Middle (Joey Cooper, Red West) - 2:28
13.He's Waiting Now - 1:52
14.Spend My Time - 2:23
All compositions by Don Preston except where stated

The South
*Bobby Cochran - Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Don Preston - Vocals, Guitar
*Casey Van Beek - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Bob Young - Drums, Backing Vocals
With
*Carl Radle - Bass
*Jim Keltner - Drums
*Charles Blackwell - Drums
*Bill Boatman - Guitar, Fiddle
*Peter Pilafian - Violin
*Richard Torres - Flute, Saxophone

Related Act
1969  Stillrock - Stillrock (2014 korean remaster)

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Seatrain - Seatrain / Marblehead Messenger (1970-71 us, splendid blend of country folk blues and classic rock, double disc set)

Seatrain is the second album by the band Seatrain, recorded in 1970 and adding Peter Rowan on guitar and lead vocals. It was the first record produced by George Martin after his work with The Beatles. The most successful song on this album is "13 Questions", which reached #49 in the Billboard charts.

More of the same, in this case, doesn't mean more hits. Marblehead Messenger, while better played and sung, didn't have the appeal that their previous effort seemed to. But it is much more of a band effort, and the tunes are well worth seeking out and enjoying. A forgotten jewel of its time. 

by James Chrispell

Tracks

Disc 1 Seatrain 1970

1. I'm Willin' (Lowell George) - 3:41

2. Song Of Job (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 6:15

3. Broken Morning (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 3:11

4. Home To You (Peter Rowan) - 3:31

5. Out Where The Hills (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 5:59

6. Waiting For Elijah (Peter Rowan) - 3:47

7. 13 Questions (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 3:05

8. Oh My Love (Peter Rowan) - 2:48

9. Sally Goodin' (Richard Greene) - 2:19

10.Creepin' Midnight (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 5:32

11.Orange Blossom Special (Ervin T. Rouse) - 5:17

Disc 2 Marblehead Messenger 1971
1. Gramercy (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 3:01
2. The State Of Georgia's Mind (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 4:03
3. Protestant Preacher (Peter Rowan) - 5:25
4. Lonely's Not The Only Way To Go (Lloyd Baskin) - 2:27
5. How Sweet Thy Song (Peter Rowan) - 5:00
6. Marblehead Messenger (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 2:40
7. London Song (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 4:24
8. Mississippi Moon (Peter Rowan) - 3:16
9. Losing All The Years (Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 4:38
10.Despair Tire (Richard Greene, Andy Kulberg, Jim Roberts) - 5:31

The Seatrain
*Larry Atamanuik - Percussion, Drums
*Lloyd Baskin - Keyboards, Lead Vocals
*Richard Greene - Violin, Viola, Keyboards, Vocals
*Andy Kulberg - Bass, Flute, Vocals
*Peter Rowan - Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Jim Roberts - Lyricist, Vocals

1969  Sea Train - SeaTrain 

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

1972  Rowan Brothers - Rowan Brothers
1975  Rowans - The Rowans
1976-77  The Rowans - Sibling Rivalry / Jubilation  

1968  Earth Opera - Earth Opera
1969  Earth Opera - The Great American Eagle Tragedy

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Zalman Yanovsky - Alive And Well In Argentina (1968 canada / us, bright genius colorful psychedelia, 2010 remaster and expanded)

I know at least one of his fellow supposedly-lovin' Spoonfuls resents the situation to this day, but whenever Zal Yanovsky appeared on stage alongside John Sebastian, Joe Butler, and Steve Boone during their halcyon daze in the mid-swinging Sixties, some poor girl in the audience would inevitably capsize the entire proceedings by screeching out a heartfelt, lung-felt, 16-year-old cry of "ZALLY!" at precisely the most inopportune of moments (i.e.; just as Sebastian would sensually lean into his mic to softly croon how he didn't want to have to do it). And then, like some completely-wound-up playtoy suddenly let free to dash across the nursery floor, Zally would take this as his cue to mug wildly into the nearest camera, bouncing up and down on one or more legs, before capping it all with a toss of his trademark ten-gallon sheriff's hat high up into the lighting rig, with often quite disastrous results.

All such strategically-enacted cartoon antics aside however, those who weren't lucky enough to be a part of a Lovin' Spoonful audience circa 1966, nor even care to obsess today over video footage of the band easily rivaling the circus atmosphere of a typical Ed Sullivan Show, can still marvel at the cockamamie genius that was Yanovsky by listening to the guitar breaks illuminating any of the four-dozen-or-so Spoonful songs Zal contributed his peculiar, fleet-fingered artistry to. Personally speaking, five notes into that "Do You Believe In Magic" solo made ME a disciple for life, yet an absolute wealth of such four-bar flashes of quicksilver, Music City grit exist throughout the Spoonful's loving canon of good-time rock. Mr. Sebastian has frequently gone on record over how his trusty right-hand guitarist could sound like Elmore James one moment, Floyd Cramer the next, then play just like Chuck Berry a-ringin' a bell -- sometimes all simultaneously! -- and all at the drop of a single ten-gallon hat. In fact, the deliciously crazed six-string acrobatics Zally laid all over the "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" score was only one of many reasons that very first Woody Allen movie remains, at least to these eyes and ears, the myopic li'l director's absolute best.

More magnificent still was the equally cinematic vision Zal brought to his first and sorrowfully lone solo album, "Alive And Well In Argentina." This thoroughly bent 1968 concoction kicked off with a decaying rendition of the Canadian National Anthem superimposed over a chorus of croaking tree frogs (oh, Canada indeed!) then dove headfirst into a near hour's worth of true, Yanovskized dementia (classic maul-overs of "Little Bitty Pretty One" and "You Talk Too Much," plus a six-minute-plus tone poem entitled " Lt. Schtinckhausen" complete with, true to the album's theme, stereophonic storm-troopers). A 1971 re-release of this monumental long-player also included Zal's non-hit single from the Summer of Love, "As Long As You're Here," written by that ace songwriting duo hot off a couple of Turtles chart-toppers, Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon. One of the era's sillier seven-inch single slices of surrealism, the original vinyl disc included the entire A-side re-spooled BACKWARDS on the flip (sure, Napoleon XIV might've done it first with "!Aaah-ah Yawa Em Ekat Ot Gnimoc Er'Yeht," but Zally always was the living, strumming embodiment of any Top Forty funny-farm you'd care to inhabit). "Is it a hiiiiiit, or a misssssss?" a chorus-from-hell wailed over and over as the song faded but, well, both single and album WERE unmitigated misses it's tragic to recall. Still smarting over his recent drug-bust-induced departure from the Spoonful (both Zal and Steve were popped holding the goods, the Feds threatened to deport the former if he didn't identify his dealer, Zally snitched but was sent packin' straight back to the Great Wide North irregardless, and a Rolling Stone Magazine-sanctioned boycott of all things S-ful ensued) our hero was obliged to pen his very OWN review of "--Argentina" for the Toronto Daily Star newspaper. But alas, despite Sebastian swathing himself head-to-toe in tie-dye at the Woodstock fest, the band's hip(py) factor was irrevocably doomed and Yanovsky's name especially remained Bay Area mud for the remainder of that flowered era.

So no longer a Lovin' anything ("the band was like a marriage with four people in it," he later recalled. "As I look back, I opened the door and they kicked me out"), yet characteristically nonplussed following a couple of projects spent next with Tim Buckley and Kris Kristofferson, Zal unceremoniously hung up his guitar almost for good and by the Seventies found himself BEHIND the lens for a change, producing a Canadian afternoon court-TV (quel irony!) semi-reality series called "Magistrate's Court" before appearing as the petulantly potty-mouthed voice-of-reason alongside Alice Cooper and Mick Jagger in the scathing 1975 documentary "Rock-A-Bye" (in which, among several other things, Zally brought serial swearing to prime time a full quarter century before those Osbournes).

But if there's one thing a musician doesn't just love to do besides playing, it's eating, and of course Zal went even that vice one better by opening up his very own restaurant inside a landmark Kingston, Ontario livery stable. Chez Piggy, along with its sidekick bakery Pan Chancho, kept Zally literally cookin' throughout the final chapters of his tumultuous life, and I'm proud to claim that whilst on the road with the Dave Rave Conspiracy combo I had the pleasure of lunching within the fabled walls of Chez Piggy myself. In fact, it's rumored that our guitarist at the time had once actually dated Zal's daughter Zoe, so armed with this information -- and pledging my undying love of "Alive And Well In Argentina" -- we relayed a request for the man himself back to the kitchen as dessert was served. Unfortunately Zally never did bless our table personally, and I had to wait nearly another decade to spot the man again on late-night Canadian TV, hawking his cookbook whilst most indiscriminately dumping wine all over a shrimp platter-in-progress. I am happy to report however that this fleeting appearance demonstrated the man had not lost one single inch of his Ed Sullivision-era zaniness.

More recently, Zal rejoined his former bandmates for their 2000 induction into the so-called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ("a big media event that's over in two seconds," he so aptly put it upon arriving back home in Kingston) and then almost accompanied John Sebastian on a brief tour of England shortly thereafter. Twas not to be, however, as Zal succumbed to an attack of the heart on his farm on, wouldn't you just know it, Friday the 13th of December, 2002. It was certainly a dark, dark day for lovers of good-times AND music the world over.

"There was not any book anywhere that he followed," eulogized his fellow Canadian and fellow former Mugwump Denny Doherty, "and he is gone too soon." But in reality the magical mayhem of Zal Yanovsky will live on, wherever and whenever one might hear a lightning-brilliant burst of electric guitar in the middle of some three-minute jug-pop oldie --or see an over-sized cowboy hat flying high out of the frame at exactly the wrong moment. In his memory then, let's just let the boy Rock and Roll. 

by Gary "Pig" Gold, July 12, 2017 

Tracks
1. Raven In A Cage (Zalman Yanovsky, Jerry Yester) - 2:50
2. You Talk Too Much (Roy Smeck, Coleman Kamile) - 2:33
3. Last Date (Floyd Cramer Jr) - 3:03
4. Little Bitty Pretty One (Robert Byrd) - 2:53
5. Alive And Well In Argentina (Rappaport De Boeuf, Zalman Yanovsky) - 3:26
6. Brown To Blue (Virginia Franks, George Jones, Johnny Mathis) - 2:25
7. Priscilla Millionaira (John Sebastian) - 2:18
8. I Almost Lost My Mind (Ivory Joe Hunter) - 3:06
9. Hip Toad (Judy Henske, Jerry Yester) - 2:04
10.Lt. Schtinckhausen (Zalman Yanovsky, Jerry Yester) - 6:05
11.As Long As You're Here (Garry Bonner, Alan Gordon) - 2:21
12.Ereh Er'ouy Sa Gnol Sa (Garry Bonner, Alan Gordon) - 2:19

*Zal Yanovsky - Vocals, Guitar
*Jerry Yester - Orchestral Arrangements

 The Lovin' Spoonful
1965  Do You Believe In Magic (2016 Blu Spec Bonus Tracks Edition)
1966  Daydream  (2016 Blu Spec Bonus Tracks Edition)
1966  Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful  (2016 Blu Spec Bonus Tracks Edition)
1966 The Lovin' Spoonful - What's Up, Tiger Lily (2008 japan remaster) 
1967-68  You're A Big Boy Now / Everything Playing (2011 edition and 2016 Blu Spec Bonus Tracks Edition)
1969  Revelation: Revolution '69
Related Acts
1969-76  John Sebastian - Faithful Virtue, The Reprise Recordings 
1969  Judy Henske And Jerry Yester - Farewell Aldebaran 

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Bob Brown - The Wall I Built Myself (1970 us, beautiful tender jazzy folk poetic ruminations, Richie Havens production, 2016 remaster)

Spontaneity drifts through The Wall I Built Myself, Bob Brown’s 1970 debut album. The D.C. folk artist’s distinctive chord changes animate his music. And, although these lilting, gorgeous songs were recorded decades ago, it feels like Brown is sitting next to you playing live. Iconic Woodstock opener Richie Havens captured Brown’s intimate performance and free-flowing dreamy style when he produced the LP, which he released on his MGM label, Stormy Forest.

Brown met Havens in the summer of ’66 when he saw the ascendant folk hero at the Newport Folk Festival. It was Brown’s second trek to the illustrious musical communion. He returned after a life-changing experience the summer before when Bob Dylan beguiled thousands playing “Maggie’s Farm” atop a wooden box in a field. “The feeling in the air was mystifying,” says Brown. And after discovering the three musicians he considers his mentors—Tim Harden, Eric Anderson, and Havens—Brown was inspired to pursue his music career.

Havens would help Brown achieve that goal, and it started back at Newport in ’66. “I stood a couple feet away from Richie and had a funny feeling,” says Brown. About a month later they connected in Provincetown. Brown was hitchhiking through the Northeast to play music, and he caught Havens at the famous Blues Bag coffeehouse. “I was blown away by Richie,” says Brown. The next day, the pair sat on the beach and exchanged songs.

Years later, while at the University of Maryland, Brown called Havens for legal advice regarding a deal with Mercury Records. Havens convinced Brown to join Stormy Forest. “I got up to the Big Apple and was young and nervous,” says Brown. “We met on one of the top floors of the MGM building and ironed out my contract.” Brown signed on for two albums, The Wall and its follow-up, 1971’s Willoughby’s Lament. Although they received positive praise, Brown’s LPs eventually went out of print.

Brown grew up in Clinton, Maryland. His grandmother, Celeste, was a major musical influence. “I used to sit under her grand piano listening to Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Chopin, and Beethoven,” says Brown. “A lot of sensitivity around classical music and chord changes came from her.” Brown started on piano at age five and gravitated to folk music in junior high. He’d travel 30 minutes north to D.C. for concerts, learning from musicians like Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, and Peter, Paul & Mary. As a high school sophomore, Brown had already taken the stage at D.C.’s seminal folk coffeehouses—Through the Gates, Crow’s Toe, and the Iguana.

Brown’s exquisite but tough sound took shape while studying creative writing at the University of Maryland. He lived in a dorm called Garrett Hall, where he met Orin Smith, who played guitar upside-down and left-handed. Smith’s ingenuity fascinated Brown, and they teamed up. Smith introduced Brown to Joe Clark, a Peabody and Julliard trained pianist and saxophonist, whose classical background reminded Brown of his grandmother. Brown calls Clark his musical soul mate, and their mystical chemistry pushed Brown’s music toward a blend of folk, jazz, and rock. “This approach let us play off each other so that no two performances sounded the same,” Brown says. Clark later became the founder of The Entourage Music and Theater Ensemble.  

Other influences came into Brown’s life during college. That’s when Brown met his first love and muse, Pamela. And Rudd Fleming, head of the university’s creative writing program, encouraged Brown to write both songs and poetry for class and pushed the young musician creatively. “Fleming helped me find my voice,” says Brown. The emotive work of Tim Hardin also affected Brown’s passionate singing and playing.

Davis Franks, a groundbreaking conceptual artist and poet, was another guide. Franks is well-known for his composition performed with tugboat whistles and sneaking into the Social Security Headquarters to Xerox his naked body. After meeting at Through the Gates coffeehouse, the pair collaborated on three songs for The Wall I Built Myself, including the startling opener “It Takes the World to Make a Feather Fall.” “David and I were competitive brothers,” says Brown. “He pushed me to be more hard-edged, and I pushed him to be softer.”

The Wall I Built Myself took shape against a backdrop of peace and free love of the ’60s counterculture movement. Brown’s solemn, lilting acoustic guitar and intense dynamic shifts on the album hint at the tense social and political climate of the era. Brown, Clark, and Smith recorded the album’s demo at the Cellar Door, the historic Georgetown club that elevated the careers of luminaries like Neil Young, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne. Brown, a regular, opened for some of the finest musicians who performed there—Tim Harden, Eric Anderson, and Neil Young.

After playing around the D.C. area, Brown and his collaborators perfected their musical chemistry. The interplay of Smith’s unusual electric guitar, Clark’s shape-shifting piano, and Brown’s tender acoustic guitar and mysterious, powerful vocals gelled into a compelling sound tapestry. Brown and his band mates recorded The Wall I Built Myself live, lending the album its powerful sense of immediacy. The trio brought a few other musicians into the sessions, including bass player Marshall Hawkins.

Hawkins, who has collaborated with Miles Davis, Donny Hathaway, and Roberta Flack, connected with Brown on a spiritual level. “Bob was very gentle, so we became good friends almost instantly,” says Hawkins. “Marshall’s style of playing was impressive to me and fit our musical style,” Brown says.

Brown and his collaborators recorded The Wall I Built Myself at Mira Sound Studios on West 57th Street in New York, with sessions running from noon to midnight. Amtrak carried Brown and his band back and forth between D.C. and New York, where Brown stayed at the famous Chelsea Hotel. When the sessions ended, Brown and his muse listened to the final mix in a sleeper car on a snowy train ride back to D.C.

The Wall I Built Myself offered a proper, engaging introduction to Brown. Producer Mark Greenhouse, who met Brown through the Iguana coffeehouse, says the record “nailed him.” “Bob Brown’s music is important both intellectually and artistically,” says Greenhouse. “I’m amazed by its power, beauty, and spontaneity.”

As Brown’s music career faded, he found his way into the service industry. He’s since become a consultant, trainer, and keynote speaker, which takes him around the world and led him to his wife, Judith. But Brown’s musical legacy never faded. Even though his two LPs went out of print, they are collectors’ items cherished by refined crate-diggers.

Tompkins Square has rescued The Wall I Built Myself and Willoughby’s Lament from oblivion with these official reissues. More than 40 years have passed, but the albums retain the spark that made Brown’s work so irresistible. The records also carry the spirit of Brown’s close collaborators who have passed—Joe Clark, Orin Smith, David Franks, and Richie Havens.

Together they bring the work of Bob Brown to life and let the world continue to experience his special brand of magic. “Bob is a pure and simple artist, who creates something powerful from nothing,” Greenhouse says.  

by Leor Galil

Tracks
1. It Takes The World To Make A Feather Fall (Bob Brown, David Franks) - 6:35
2. Quiet Waterfall - 3:37
3. Monday Virus (Bob Brown, David Franks) - 3:07
4. First Light - 7:31
5. Winds Of Change (Bob Brown, David Franks) - 3:30
6. Selina - 4:12
7. Seek The Sun - 5:13
8. Icarus - 6:54
Music and Lyrics by Bob Brown except where indicated

Personnel
*Bob Brown - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Joe Clark - Organ, Piano
*Marshall Hawkins - Bass
*Roland Henderson - Violin
*Bill Lavorgna - Drums
*Orin Smith - Guitar

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Bobby Whitlock - Rock Your Sox Off (1976 us, awesome southern groovy boogie rock, 2016 SHM remaster)

Featuring many of the same musicians as his previous, One Of A Kind, Rock Your Sox Off mines similar sonic landscapes. The nucleus of the project was Kenny Tibbets on bass, Jerome Thomas on drums, Bobby on keys, and to start out with Les Dudek on guitar. In the early stages of recording, Les left the project and Jimmy Nalls came aboard. That was the basic lineup for the record. Everyone else was added as guest spots, after the fact. This became common practice for the records we were doing then. Everyone's album was sort of a family reunion. All the Southern musicians enjoyed a comrade together. 

The album is a mix of bluesy rockers and gritty soul, elevated above the ordinary by Whitlock's heartfelt vocals. Sweet Mother's Fun adds a little diversity, with mexican trumpets giving it a cantina blues sound. Also of note is a song he previously did with Eric Clapton's Derek and the Dominoes, Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad, here slower and more groove-oriented. In addition, the album features the top-notch production of Paul Hornsby and the gutsy guitar of relative unknown Jimmy Nalls. 

by Rob Caldwell

Tracks
1. Why Does Love Got To Be So Bad - 6:44
2. If You Only Knew Me - 4:17
3. Sweet Mother’s Fun - 3:17
4. The Second Time Around - 5:02
5. Brand New Song - 4:21
6. Bottom Of The Bottle - 4:01
7. t’s Been a Long Long Time - 5:41
8. Make It Through The Night - 5:02
All songs written by Bobby Whitlock except track #1 co-written with Eric Clapton

Musicians
*Bobby Whitlock - Organ, Piano, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
*Kenny Tibbetts - Bass
*Jerome Thomas - Drums, Congas
*Jimmy Nalls - Guitar, Dobro
*Dru Lumbar - Guitar
*Larry Howard - Guitars
*Ricky Hirsch - Slide Guitar
*Les Dudek - Electric Guitar
*Jimmy Hall - Alto Sax
*Paul Hornsby - Tambourine
*Larry Howard - Guitar
*Leo Labranche - Trumpet
*Skip Lane - Baritone Sax
*Chuck Leavell - Piano

1972  Bobby Whitlock - Where There's a Will There's a Way (2013 remaster)
1975  Bobby Whitlock - One Of A Kind (2016 japan SHM remaster)
1970  Derek And The Dominos - Layla (2013 platinum SHM edition)
 
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