The Stooges - Fun House (1970 us, Rhino original packing remaster)

With Fun House, Iggy created the perfect rock album. Writing songs around Ron Asheton's amazing riffs, The Stooges assembled the live set that would become Fun House. Balancing their love of John Cage, Sun Ra, John Coltrane and Harry Partch with dumb rock, they fine tuned their performances with military precision. Appropriately, the label assigned Don Galluci, organist on The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" to attempt to get the live sound on tape.

At first he didn't think it could be done. But he stripped the L.A. studio of its carpet and drapes, hotwired Iggy's vocals live, and let rip a song a day, in the order they'd appear on the album. It's fascinating to hear some of the early mixes on disc two. Despite being on various substances, the band was incredibly focused. It's amazing to hear how they went from the rough takes to the perfect cuts used on the album within a single day.

The predatory bass-and-drums riff of 'Down On The Street' gives the impression of a coiled panther ready to pounce, while 'Loose' breaks the damn and lets the floods roar, reaching its first peak in the maelstrom that is 'T.V. Eye,' which is much more successful at an orgiastic money shot than 'Whole Lotta Love.' 'Dirt' slows down to roll about in gutter poetry, and damn if it isn't sensual. '1970,' a classic covered by the likes of The Damned and Mission of Burma, brings the energy level back to mayhem, while 'Fun House' is the aqueous portal to the album's heart of darkness.

It's an even more hedonistic 'Sister Ray,' pretzel-knotted with ecstatic jazz and primal screams. 'L.A. Blues' takes it to even further, ridiculous extremes. Which is what great rock 'n' roll should do ' push beyond the comfort level, astound with its audacity and insanity, leaving you exhausted and purged.

Tracks
1. Down on the Street - 3:43
2. Loose - 3:34
3. T.V. Eye - 4:17
4. Dirt - 7:03
5. 1970 - 5:15 (also known as "I Feel Alright")
6. Fun House - 7:47
7. L.A. Blues - 4:57

The Stooges
*Iggy Pop- Vocals
*Ron Asheton- Guitar
*Dave Alexander- Bass
*Scott Asheton- Drums
*Steven Mackay- Tenor Saxophone

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The Stooges - The Stooges (1969 us, double cd edition with previously unissued material, remastered for maximum impact)

Above all reviews and one of the best albums in Rock 'n' Roll history, the Stooges debut album marked all generations (past, present and future), rough, raw and sharp melodic, emerged in the dawn of a new era. Thank you mr Osterberg, mr Dave, mr Ron, mr Scott and mr John.

Disc 1
1. 1969 - 4:07
2. I Wanna Be Your Dog - 3:12
3. We Will Fall - 10:16
4. No Fun - 5:18
5. Real Cool Time - 2:32
6. Ann - 3:00
7. Not Right - 2:51
8. Little Doll - 3:23

Disc 2
1. No Fun (Original John Cale Mix) - 4:42
2. 1969 (Original John Cale Mix) - 2:44
3. I Wanna Be Your Dog (Original John Cale Mix) - 3:25
4. Little Doll (Original John Cale Mix) - 2:48
5. 1969 (Alternate Vocal) - 4:47
6. I Wanna Be Your Dog (Alternate Vocal) - 3:28
7. Not Right (Alternate Vocal) - 3:11
8. Real Cool Time (Alternate Mix) - 3:22
9. Ann (Full Version) - 7:51
10.No Fun (Full Version) - 6:49

The Stooges
* Iggy Pop - Vocals
* Ron Asheton - Guitar, Vocals
* Scott Asheton - Drums
* Dave Alexander  - Bass
* John Cale - Piano, Sleighbell on "I Wanna Be Your Dog", Viola on "We Will Fall"

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Axis - Axis (1973 greece, progressive experimental rock recorded in paris france, 2013 remaster)

The second album by this Greek band who lived in France. It's incredible diverse and features almost everything: heavy progressive, trad/free-form jazz, Crimson-like passages, experimental and atmospheric Tangerine Dream-like Mellotron-parts, Canterbury-like jazzy progressive and grandiose, symphonic parts with church-organ and choir.

The only thing that doesn't do much for me is the most far out free jazz on "Asymphonia". But the rest is GREAT! The opening track "Waiting a Long Time" is a great heavy-progressive track, and at the end the track suddenly turns into a part where it's played by a trad-jazz arrangement. And the album just continues to surprise the listener with unexcepted turns. "Sewers Down Inside" features Tangerine Dream-like flute-Mellotron and creates some great atmosphere.

"Materializing the Unlimited" sounds like a good Crimson-instrumental with great Mellotron. "Suspended Recipe", "Roads" and "The Planet Vavoura" are all more in a Canterbury progressive vein. Jazzy, but the band managed to give it a sound of their own by using the Mellotron on these passages (not very common in jazz-influenced progressive).

A great and VERY progressive album, but be aware that I've also seen this album listed as "Sewers Down Inside" and that their third (and non-progressive) album also was called "Axis".

Tracks
1. Waiting A Long Time - 4:27
2. Sewers Down Inside - 6:19
3. Materializing The Unlimited - 5:03
4. Asymphonia I - 5:06
5. Suspended Precipice - 1:49
6. Roads - 5:05
7. Asymphonia II - 2:50
8. Dancing Percussion - 2:39
9. Pa Vu Ga Di - 3:45
10.The Planet Vavoura - 4:00

Axis
*Demis Visvikis - Electric Piano, Piano, Mellotron, Organ, Percussion, Vocals
*George Hadjiathanassiou - Drums, Percussion
*Alexandros Fantis - Electric Bass, Bass, Percussion
*Chris Stassinopoulos - Drums, Percussion

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Back Door - 8th Street Nites (1973 uk, fantastic jazz blues rock)

Back when giant carnivorous bass players ruled the Earth, Back Door were the hungriest of them all. They formed in 1971 as a jazz-rock trio, with Colin Hodgkinson (bass, vocals), Ron Aspery (keyboards, sax), and Tony Hicks (drums). Later Adrian Tilbrook took over on drums. What sets Back Door apart is the bass playing. While a few bassists -- such as Chris Squire, John Entwistle, and Jack Bruce -- have tried exploiting the bass' potential as a lead instrument, they were confined by bands where the guitar or keyboards were the usual lead. Not Colin Hodgkinson; he dispenses with these instruments altogether, allowing the bass to be the sole lead instrument. He strums chords on it the way you'd expect someone to with a six-string. Later bands like Ruins and Sadhappy have taken up this challenge, but many of Back Door's achievements remain unsurpassed.

After releasing four albums on Warner between 1973 and 1976, and touring with Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- drummer Carl Palmer produced their last album, Activate (1976) -- they broke up in 1977. Hodgkinson went on to play with Jan Hammer, Alexis Korner, and the Spencer Davis Group. He even had his moment of crotch-grabbing fame as the bassist on the U.K. version of Whitesnake's massive-selling album Slide It In. After a move to Germany, he recorded for the Inakustik label, with the Electric Blues Duo and with the Spencer Davis Group.

8th Street Nites is more bass-driven brilliance, produced by the late Felix Pappalardi, former producer of Cream. Though the album is less cohesive than their debut, it soars to even greater heights with its stand-out covers of Leadbelly and Robert Johnson. These blues numbers are largely played as unaccompanied bass and vocal pieces. There's something to this unadorned combination -- the inherent grittiness of the bass matched against his voice hearkens back to the raw power of Delta blues, where it's just a guy and his crappy old guitar. On "32-20 Blues," Hodgkinson sings an old Robert Johnson number while throttling away at the bass; on the opening "Laying Track," the whole band takes on Leadbelly in a sort of restrained funkiness, with the constant thrashing of a tambourine underlining the rhythm section's punches on the downbeat.

by Paul Collins

Tracks
1. Linin' Track (Huddie Ledbetter) - 4:01
2. Forget Me Daisy - 2:14
3. His Old Boots (Sein Alter Stiefel) - 3:21
4. Blue Country Blues - 2:47
5. Dancin' In The Van - 1:52
6. 32-20 Blues (Robert Johnson) - 2:25
7. Roberta (Huddie Ledbetter) - 2:50
8. It's Nice When It's Up - 2:25
9. One Day You're Down, The Next Day You're Down - 3:33
10.Walkin' Blues (Robert Johnson) - 3:15
11.The Bed Cracks Louder - 2:21
12.Adolphus Beal - 3:53
All compositions by Ron Aspery, Colin Hodgkinson except where stated

The Back Door
*Colin Hodgkinson - Vocals, Fender Bass Guitar
*Ron Aspery -  Alto Soprano Saxophones, Flute, Electric Piano
*Tony Hicks - Drums
Guest Musician
Felix Papalardi - Electric Piano, Tambourine, Percussion

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9.30 Fly - 9.30 Fly (1972 uk, wonderful psychedelic folk rock with prog aroma, 2016 bonus tracks remaster)

Uk group with the curious name recorded at the beginning in 1972 a disc folk-rock namesake of a psico-progressive packing, 9:30 Fly. All the songs are dominated from the harmony of the voices of Michael and his wife Barbara Wainwright.

In November the group act together with Velvet Underground in Malver Winter Gardens. Shortly after the Fly vanished without any trace. So this record on the highly collectable Ember label is nowadays a dificult to find rarity.

Tracks
1. Life And Times - 05:11
2. Summerdays - 05:46
3. September - 02:39
4. Unhinged - 06:29
5. Mr. 509 - 07:21
6. Brooklyn Thoughts - 03:39
7. Time of War - 08:37

8. Songs For L.A. - 4:02

9. September (First Mix) - 2:50

All works written by Michael Wainwright

Bonus Tracks 8-9

9:30 Fly
*Michael Wainwright – Lead Vocals
*Barbara Wainwright – Vocals, Electric Piano
*Lyn Oakey - Guitar
*Gary Charman - Bass
*Mike Clark - Drums

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Black Cat Bones - Barbed Wires (1969 uk, essential proggy heavy blues rock, with pre-Free/Bad Company and pre-Foghat members, 2010 remaster)

The right place at the wrong time. That could be the epitaph on the gravestone of Black Cat Bones. Having acted as unofficial house band for a number of visiting US artists during the British Blues Boom of the mid to late Sixties, and survived a potentially fatal line-up change into the bargain, they finally made it to vinyl rather late in the day. This, their first and only album, reached the racks in the last months of the Sixties, just as progressive rock was in the ascendancy.

Such imperfect timing may have adversely affected their chances of commercial success and consequently their number of column inches in the history of popular music, but in no way diminishes the excellence of this disc - now available again a full quarter-century after release.

That Black Cat Bones remains a known name is due to two musicians whose names remain stubbornly absent from the credits. Celebrated guitarist Paul Kossoff would go on to superstar status as a founder member of Free, but started his musical career in earnest in these ranks. And though neither he nor drummer Simon Kirke appear here, Koss's featured replacement is Rod Price, a player of no mean ability who would later take his axe-wielding skills to Stateside fame and fortune with Foghat.

But let's backtrack now to the events that led up to November 1969, when "Barbed Wire Sandwich", was released on Decca's 'progressive' Nova label. Though retaining semi-professional status for some time, Black Cat Bones had enough going for them to catch the eye of legendary blues producer Mike Vernon. His patronage brought them their first recording session, backing Champion Jack Dupree for a Blue Horizon album, 'When You Feel The Feeling You Was Feeling'; meanwhile, they made a reputation in their own right touring Germany and Scandinavia.

Kossoff and Kirke jumped ship, in 1968 after seeing singer Paul Rodgers fronting the similarly unrecorded Brown Sugar; hence by the time Black Cat Bones entered Tangerine and Decca Studios the following year with recording stardom in mind, the existing nucleus of brothers Derek and Stu Brooks on rhythm guitar and bass respectively and vocalist Brian Short had been augmented by Phil Lenoir (drums) and Rod Price (lead guitar).

The music kicks off with 'Chauffeur', - a dead ringer in both pace and chord sequence for Free's 'Walk In My Shadow', from their debut, released mere months before. And the well-worn blues metaphor of riding, (Free rode ponies, Black Cat Bones a car - such is progress) indicates the overtly sexual inclinations both shared. Elsewhere, there's a welcome touch of acousticity (on 'Four Women') to leaven the mixture - owners of well-worn originals will thank heavens for the non-clicky CD! - but overall, the album very much reflected the electric blues of the stage set, as you'd expect from a band that played live so often.

It was left to producer David Hitchcock, who later guided the careers of Caravan, Camel, Genesis (circa 'Foxtrot') and more, to supply the studio expertise they needed to give "Barbed Wire Sandwich", that touch of the unexpected. 'Please Tell Me Baby' stands out in this respect, the band fading in and out around the barrelhouse piano of Robin Sylvester. This would have been impossible live, since BKB's line-up didn't feature keyboards (Sylvester was the sound engineer at Tangerine), so was clearly an attempt to diversify and use the studio to greatest advantage. Steve Milliner lent further ivory-tickling skills to 'Feelin' Good'. And, don't forget, Free eventually added the keyboard talents of John 'Rabbit' Bundrick to give them a route to progress.

Talking of progression, the middle section of 'Save My Love For You', along with other dramatic mood and/or tempo changes throughout the album, suggests that the growth of progressive rock had not passed them by. Rod Price was quite different in approach to Kossoff, his fast, fluid style contrasting with the howling sustain of his predecessor - but he was clearly no slouch either, as he proved on the final track. The self-penned 'Good Lookin' Woman' is the one song on which Price tackled lead vocal. More importantly, it's a guitar tour-de-force, fading out prematurely and leaving the listener wondering exactly what would have happened next.

Leaving the audience wanting more was just one of the lessons learned on the boards, so it's hardly surprising that those who saw BKB live retain approving memories. One such spectator was Stuart Booth, now a publisher, who caught a show at London's Marquee Club as the album was readied for release. 'They were a good live band who missed the boat', he recalls. 'The album came out long after other British blues bands had sunk without a trace, so no one was interested. I was pleasantly surprised to see people still playing that sort of thing. I thought it would all come around again - and, of course, it did…!'

Many years after witnessing Black Cat Bones at the Marquee, Booth had the pleasure of publishing 'Blues - The British Connection', a definitive rundown of the scene by one Bob Brunning (to be reissued by Blandford as 'Blues In Britain: The History 1960s-1990s' in February 1995). Brunning, as blues scholars may recall, was the original bass player with Fleetwood Mac, the man who deputized for John McVie until he could secure his release from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

He enters the Black Cat Bones story, albeit tangentially, at this point - because when the album flopped and the band threatened to fall apart, it was a couple of renegades from the Brunning Sunflower Blues Band, Pete French and Mick Halls, who were drafted in to make up the numbers after Price, Short and Lenoir left the ranks. (Short, incidentally, cut a hard-to-find solo album, 'Anything For A Laugh', for Transatlantic in 1971). With a new drummer, Black Cat Bones metamorphosed into Leaf Hound, Zeppelin-esque heavy rockers who, like their predecessors, produced one excellent album before disbanding.

So there endeth the story of Black Cat Bones, a band whose mere footnote in the annals of British rock seems a mite ungenerous, given their musical legacy. Even Bob Brunning only rated them a couple of sentences - but as 'Barbed Wire Sandwich', will prove, music often speaks louder than words.
by Mick St. Michael

Tracks
1. Chauffeur (Andy Stroud) – 5:15
2. Death Valley Blues (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup) – 3:52
3. Feelin' Good (Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse) – 4:58
4. Please Tell Me Baby (Harrison D. Nelson, Jr.) – 3:10
5. Coming Back (Rod Price) – 2:32
6. Save My Love (Black Cat Bones) – 4:50
7. Four Women (Nina Simone) – 5:09
8. Sylvester's Blues (Rod Price) – 3:45
9. Good Lookin' Woman (Rod Price) – 7:16

The Black Cat Bones 
*Brian Short - Vocals
*Rod Price - Guitar
*Phil Lenoir - Drums
*Stuart Brookes - Bass Guitar
*Derek Brookes - Rhythm Guitar

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Hungry Wolf - Hungry Wolf (1970 uk, great jazz rock, with psych groovie funk flashes)

Originally released on Philips, Hungry Wolf’s sole album is a primarily instrumental pop rock affair, with some heavy Hammond organ to hold interest (courtesy of the Mohawks’ Alan Hawkshaw).

A work of session musicians including future members of Rumplestiltskin and Ugly Custard. swirling freaking organs and various wood instruments accompany guitarist Alan Parker.The album is now very rare.

It featured vocals by Peter Lee Stirling who had a couple of pop hits in the early seventies as Daniel Boone; as well as Alan Parker (Blue Mink, David Bowie, CCS, Elton John, Gerry Rafferty) and Alan Hawkshaw (Cliff Richard, Shadows, Madeline Bell, Donovan, Family Dogg).

Tracks
1. Melanie - 3:05
2. Watching And Waiting - 3:24
3. Custards Last Stand - 2:49
4. Country Wild - 4:40
5. Waiting For The Morning Sun - 3:02
6. Like Now - 2:48
7. Hole In My Shoe - 5:24
8. Sleepy - 5:11
9. The Drifter (Alan Hawkshaw, Alan Parker, John Cameron) - 3:23
10.Revolution??? (Alan Hawkshaw, Alan Parker, John Cameron) - 2:56
All songs by Alan Hawkshaw, Alan Parker except where stated

Hungrt Wolf
*Alan Hawkshaw - Keyboards
*Alan Parker - Guitar
*Clem Cattini - Drums
*Peter Lee Stirling - Vocals
*Herbie Flowers - Bass
With
*John Edwards - Trombone
*Tony Fisher - Trumpet
*Ken Gouldie - Trombone
*Cliff Hardy - Trombone
*Bobby Haughey - Trumpet
*Derek Watkins - Trumpet

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Delivery - Fools Meeting (1970 uk, canterbury masterpiece with female vocals)

First of all one must add that the sole Delivery album, Fool's Meeting was released by Cuneiform Records together with several bonus tracks. However one must also state that unfortunately much of what this band had recorded, has unfortunately been lost. Master tapes of this album have been lost as have also been the recordings of the band live at various concerts such ss the BBC Top Gear Sessions. Notwithstanding all this the label have managed to include two "bonus" tracks from the same recording session of the album, including the single release Harry Lucky that was unavailable on the vinyl edition, together with two live tracks and the track One For You from the Lol Coxhill/Steve Miller album sessions.

The album opens with the track Blind To Your Light, which with its running bass line conjures up a definite bluesy atmosphere thus confirming the record label's aspirations for Grimes' contention as a vocal ist to rival Janis Joplin and Grace Slick. However the saxophone playing of Coxhill together with Steve Miller's piano helps add spice to the atmosphere giving it a jazz touch alongside the likes of bands such as Colosseum. The live version of this track is played in an incredibly much slower pace with the guitar coming to the fore of the band's playing, something that was not too conspicuous on the studio version. The absence of Lol Coxhill on saxophone is probably the most plausible reason for this and it is up to bass and guitar to fill in his shoes. The slow bluesy touch is maintained on Miserable Man, though the pace is slowed down considerably (in comparison to the studio version of Blind To Your Light) and the overall sound of the track has its roots in the sixties psychedelic rock scene, with Jefferson Airplane a strong contender for inspiration.

On Home Made Ruin one can start to fell the progressive rock slowly creeping into the band's music. The first track that had Phil Miller as sole composer, the music sees the guitar coming to the fore to reply to the jazzy keyboard solo, though the striking factor of this track is the strong ever increasing rhythm and power with which it is played out. The alternate take of this track features a completely different overall structure with some delightful interplay between piano and guitar. With Is It Really The Same, the band start to take on the sounds that were pervading the British rock scene, namely via bands like King Crimson. Coxhill manages to infuse a raw energy into the band's performance giving them a much more raw rock sound, rather than the polished feel that many progressive and Canterbury bands would tend to follow. The live version has Phil Miller's distorted guitar carrying the load of the saxophone, though one must admit that there is a lack of broadness and harshness when the track is executed live.

Once again it takes a Phil Miller composition to bring out a more obvious progressive feel to the music of Delivery. We Were Satisfied is just one such track with a mixture of prog and psychedelia while tracks like The Wrong Time and Figuring It out sound more like a jazzed up version of The Grateful Dead with elements of R&B surfacing occasionally. The last track that was originally on the vinyl album was the title track, Fool's Meeting, which is a true bluesy number that once again re-evokes the Grace Slick/Janis Joplin comparisons with Carol Grimes' powerful vocals.

Harry Lucky was originally omitted from the vinyl version, but was released as a single to promote the release of the album. Of the tracks on the album it is probably the weakest of the lot featuring little of note, unlike the final track on this album, One For You. Written after the official demise of the band it was recorded during the Coxhill/Miller recording sessions in Autumn, 1971 ad could be considered to be more of a jam session than anything else. However it shows how the involved musicians had matured over the short period since their last official recording. The music had evolved from a broad blues style to a more improvisational jazzy approach, a sure feature of most Canterbury bands.

It is indeed a pity that both the album and the band have become mere footnotes in the history of Canterbury music. The album should prove of interest to all those who want to see (or hear!) how much of the British progressive rock scene evolved from the British blues sixties boom. This album is an important stepping stone for such bands standing somewhere in the middle of both genres.
by Nigel Camilleri

Tracks
1. Blind to Your Light 5:05
2. Miserable Man 8:28
3. Home Made Ruin 3:23
4. Is It Really the Same? 5:44
5. We Were Satisfied 4:02
6. The Wrong Time 7:50
7. Fighting It Out 5:48
8. Fools Meeting 5:27
9. Harry Lucky 3:41
10. Home Made Ruin [alternate take] 2:56
11. Is It Really the Same? [live] 5:19
12. Blind to Your Light [live] 5:29
13. One for You 7:43

Delivery
*Steve Miller - Piano
*Phil Miller - Guitar
*Roy Babbington - Bass, String Bass
*Pip Pyle - Drums
*Carol Grimes - Vocals, Percussion
Guest Musicians
*Lol Coxhill - Soprano-Tenor Saxophone
*Roddy Skeaping - Violin on "Miserable Man"
*Richard Sinclair - Bass on "One for You"

Related Act
1972  Uncle Dog - Old Hat (Japan remaster)

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Canned Heat - Livin The Blues (1968 us, blues rock masterpiece, akarma edition)

The mammoth Double-LP featuring the first release of “Going Up The Country”, The experimental “Parthenogenesis”, and the 42-minute “Refried Boogie”. Arguably this record was the most influential release of Canned Heat’s career on the pop charts.

Bob switches between about a dozen different vocal Blues style during the course of this double-record. It is experimental and volatile in nature; taking Charley Patton and Floyd Jones tunes and transmogrifying them with LSD; updating the sound for a hipper, younger audience. “Sandy’s Blues” is probably the most relevant and concisely recorded shuffle of The Summer Of Love generation, and “One Kind Favor” will show you who helped pioneer the headbang. (Thank you for your buzzing, Mr. Vestine)

A 10-point masterpiece from front to back.

Tracks
Disc-1
1. Pony Blues (Charley Patton) – 3:48
2. My Mistake (Alan Wilson) – 3:22
3. Sandy's Blues (Bob Hite) – 6:46
4. Going Up the Country (Wilson) – 2:50
5. Walking by Myself (Jimmy Rogers) – 2:29
6. Boogie Music (L.T. Tatman III) – 3:19
7. One Kind Favor (Tatman) – 4:43
8. Parthenogenesis (Medley) (Canned Heat) – 19:57
a) Nebulosity
b) Rollin' and Tumblin
c) Five Owls
e) Bear Wires
f) Snooky Flowers
g) Sunflower Power
h) Raga Kafi
i) Icebag
j) Childhood's End

Disc-2
1. Refried Boogie (Parts 1, 2) (Canned Heat) – 40:51

Canned Heat
*Bob Hite – vocals
*Alan Wilson – Slide Guitar, vocals, Harmonica
*Henry Vestine– Lead guitar
*Larry Taylor – Electric Bass
*Fito de la Parra – drums
Guest Musicians
*Dr. John Creaux - Horn Arrangements, Piano (Boogie Music)
*Miles Grayson - Horn Arrangements (Sandy's Blues)
*Joe Sample - Piano (Sandy's Blues)

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The Frost - Rock and Roll Music (1969 us, detroit rough rock 'n' roll)

The band was at the peak of its popularity in Michigan during 1969, and Frost served as an opening act for many major artists playing in Detroit including Blind Faith, John Mayall, and Three Dog Night. Unfortunately, when they played outside of Michigan they found that they were getting virtually no promotion from Vanguard, and that the label was not doing a very good job of getting their album into record stores.

The realization that they had made a mistake in signing with Vanguard may have contributed to Frost’s rather schizophrenic 2nd album, “Rock and Roll Music”. Following in the footsteps of the MC5, whose “Kick Out The Jams” live album had reached # 30 on Billboard’s Pop Album Chart earlier in 1969, Frost also recorded a set at the Grande Ballroom for a live album. The resulting LP, however, hedged its bet by combining some of the live performances with some new studio cuts.

The result neither captured the excitement of a Frost concert, nor did it showcase the high quality Frost songs that were the strength of their first album as well as their live show. The great title cut, “Rock And Roll Music”, did become the Frost’s only Billboard charting single, however, peaking at # 105 in December of 1969. In recent years, Vanguard has released the entire original Grande Ballroom set on a CD with the misleading title of “The Best Of The Frost”.

By the start of the new decade, some of the best Detroit-area bands including the MC5, the Rationals, SRC, and the Amboy Dukes had failed to live up to their promise as recording acts. Somewhat surprisingly, the Michigan bands that made it biggest in 1970’s were a pair of latecomers to the scene, Grand Funk Railroad and Alice Cooper.

 Tracks 
1. Rock and Roll Music - 2:46
2. Sweet Lady Love - 3:00
3. Linda - 3:03
4. Black Train - 2:40
5. Help Me Baby - 6:41
6. Donny's Blues - 7:47
7. We Got to Get Out of This Place - 12:08

The Frost
*Dick Wagner - Lead. Guitar, Vocals
*Donny Hartman - Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica
*Gordy Garris - Bass, Vocals
*Bobby Rigg - Drums, Vocals

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The Frost - Frost Music (1969 us, great detroit rock 'n roll band)

Frost was one of the most popular Michigan bands of the late 1960’s. Led by guitarist, singer, and songwriter extraordinaire, Dick Wagner, the group seemed poised to achieve national recognition with a collection of songs that were both heavy and tuneful. But they were saddled with a record company that undercut the band’s recordings with inadequate distribution and a lack of promotion that, as a result, severely hampered the band’s attempts to break big outside of Michigan.

Dick Wagner was born in the state of Iowa in 1942. After his family moved to Michigan, Dick grew up in the musical hotbed of Southeastern Michigan. Like many teens in the 50’s, he was turned on by the new sound of Rock and Roll. His love of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and other early greats inspired him to pick up the guitar.

Completely self-taught, Wagner first played guitar in a Waterford, Michigan band called the Eldorados from 1962 to 1964. The band had a sax player as well as a keyboardist named Warren Keith; and they played early Motown, Rock and Roll, and Blues covers.

1964 would turn out to be a pivotal year for Dick Wagner. First, he and Warren Keith left the Eldorados and moved to Saginaw, Michigan. There, they joined forces with drummer Pete Woodman and bassist Lanny Roenicke and formed a new band called the Playboys. Covering the hits of the day, the Playboys quickly became Saginaw’s hottest band with their regular gigs at a popular club on the Saginaw River called the Village Pump.

Secondly, Wagner first heard the Beatles early in 1964 on his car radio in Saginaw. The Playboys quickly learned the Beatles’ singles and album cuts and incorporated them into their sets. Next, inspired by the songwriting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Dick started to write some original material. His first effort was called “Lonely & Crying Over You”. According to a 2003 interview in Review Magazine, Del Shannon’s manager expressed interest in his song, and invited Wagner to New York City for a Shannon recording session. Unfortunately, Dick’s song was not released, but it did give him the impetus to continue to write for the band.

After changing the band name to the Bossmen, the group recorded and distributed their first single, “Take A Look (My Friend)” on their own record label. The catchy Beatles-inspired song was played regularly on Saginaw-area stations like WSAM and WKNX, and became a local hit.

As a result of their recording and appearances on the emerging teen club circuit, the Bossmen began to rapidly develop a fan base around the state. Dick did most of the songwriting for the Bossmen, and he produced a batch of popular radio-friendly singles including, “Here’s Congratulations”, “Help Me Baby”, “Bad Girl” “Wait And See”, and “On The Road” during the next three years on a variety of self-owned labels including Soft, Dicto and M 'n' L.

Wagner pioneered do-it-yourself techniques in other areas as well. He commonly booked the Bossmen in local Armory Halls around the state, renting the halls for an evening and then charging admission at the door. The Bossmen also became adept at promoting themselves at local radio stations by doing on-air interviews and participating in skits with the local deejays.

In the late summer of 1966, the Bossmen became a quintet with the addition of Mark Farner. Farner, who had recently left Terry Knight & The Pack, played rhythm guitar and sang backing vocals on the biggest Bossmen single, “Baby Boy”. Farner also developed his guitar-playing skills and songwriting talents in his brief stint under Wagner’s wing. Mark wrote and performed his first song, “Heartbreaker”, while in the Bossmen, and he learned some lead guitar techniques from Dick Wagner that he put to good use when he returned to the Pack in 1967, and later with Grand Funk Railroad.

According to Wagner in the Review Magazine interview, the Bossmen broke up early in 1967 over a scandal involving drummer Pete Woodman being busted for smoking marijuana. At the time it seemed like a big deal, and the band got a lot of negative publicity that resulted in Wagner dismissing the popular drummer from the band. Things fell apart quickly after that, and Wagner looked to form a new group by joining forces with a band hailing from Alpena, Michigan, called Bobby Riggs and The Chevelles.

The band, now comprised of Wagner, drummer Riggs, bassist Jack Smolinski, and guitarist Donny Hartman, was billed as the New Bossmen at an April 15, 1967, gig at Bay City’s Band Canyon. They also performed as Dick Wagner & The Bossmen and then as Dick Wagner & The Frosts at venues throughout Michigan. This rendition of the band recorded a pair of terrific singles on the Date label in 1967, “Rainy Day” and “Sunshine”. Both were good indications as to what was to come as the band evolved into the Frost.

Dick Wagner also became involved with a number of Michigan bands at this time in the dual roles of both songwriter and producer. Wagner served as both for Saginaw’s Bells Of Rhymny on the single “She’ll Be Back/Wicked Old Witch” released on Wagner’s Dicto label in 1965. After the group had changed its name to the Cherry Slush, Wagner provided the band with its only nationally charting single when “I Cannot Stop You” reached # 119 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under The Hot 100 in 1968.

He also wrote and produced singles for two more Saginaw bands, Elation Fields and the Paupers. In addition, Wagner wrote and produced “Anytime You Want Some Lovin’/Easy Way Out”, the 2nd single by Grand Ledge’s Tonto & The Renegades. A certified Rock and Roll workaholic, Dick further managed to find the time to write “I’ve Got News For You” and “Wide Trackin’” for Mark Farner’s band, the Fabulous Pack. Several of these songs had originally been recorded by the Bossmen on Hugh “Jeep” Holland’s A-Square label out of Ann Arbor but were not released.

After failing an audition as guitarist for Blood, Sweat, And Tears in 1968, Wagner refocused on the Frost. He replaced Smolinski on bass with Gordy Garris, who had been playing in a Lansing-area band called the Beaux Jens, and the band began writing new songs.

The first big splash for the Frost in the Detroit area came at an outdoor concert in front of a crowd of over 10,000 at the Meadowbrook Theatre. The concert also featured the MC5 and the Stooges but the Frost stole the show with their combination of heavy guitars, melodic songs, and great vocals.

The Frost quickly became the talk of the Motor City and became regular performers at Detroit’s most prestigious rock venues, the Grande Ballroom and the Eastown Theater.

In the late 60’s, Michigan was a hotbed for Rock and Roll bands, and there were opportunities for the best of these groups to be signed by major recording companies. The Frost was being pursued by both Clive Davis of Columbia Records and Sam Charters at Vanguard Records. According to Wagner, Charters paid a great deal of attention to the Frost, flying in each week and wining and dining the group. Although Vanguard was mainly a Folk label, they spent the most time and effort in wooing the band, and Charters signed the Frost to his label in 1969.

The Frost went immediately into the studio and recorded the original songs they had been playing live for the last year. The resulting album was called “Frost Music” and it quickly became the # 1 LP in Michigan, selling over 50,000 units in a matter of months. Although it suffered from Sam Charters’ thin production, “Frost Music” was chock full of great guitar-driven songs and was listed among the Top 3 LPs for five consecutive weeks on Detroit’s powerful AM station WKNR. The album’s centerpiece, a combination of “Take My Hand/Mystery Man”, was a staple on Detroit’s FM stations for months.

Tracks
1. Jennie Lee - 3:02
2. The Family - 3:00
3. A Long Way Down from Mobile - 3:05
4. Take My Hand - 4:22
5. Mystery Man - 4:24
6. Baby Once You Got It (Bob Rigg, Don Hartman, Gordy Garris) - 2:36
7. Stand in the Shadows - 8:00
8. Little Susie Singer (Music to Chew Gum By) - 2:42
9. First Day of May - 3:27
10.Who Are You? - 5:18
All songs by Dick Wagner except track #6

The Frost
*Dick Wagner - Lead. Guitar, Vocals
*Donny Hartman - Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica
*Gordy Garris - Bass, Vocals
*Bobby Rigg - Drums, Vocals

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Rare Earth - Fill Your Head (1969-1974 us, amazing classic rock r 'n' b, three cds box set, five studio albums plus outtakes and alternative versions)

This 2008 compilation puts Rare Earth's early Motown catalog back into print in one fell swoop with a three-disc package featuring remastered sound, new liner notes with full credits, and exact reproductions of the album's original art. Unfortunately, that means you have to spring for the whole set to get access to any one of the five for a physical copy, but there is always selective downloading.

While Rare Earth was never an A-list contender even during its salad days, the group, led by singing drummer Pete Rivera (nee Hoorelbeke) had many fine moments, not all of them collected on the various best-of sets already in print. As Motown's first foray into white rock, Rare Earth also became the name of the company's subsidiary label that they, along with a handful of mostly forgotten other acts (Toe Fat anyone?), recorded for.

Notes writer Scott Schinder's five-page recap of the Earth's 1969-1974 run, which also includes an interview with Rivera, provides excellent background information along with anecdotes and reminiscences from its founding member and featured voice. Nine difficult-to-find bonus tracks (edited singles, non-album A- and B-sides) are somewhat incongruously tacked onto the end of disc one (which also includes the Get Ready debut) instead of being sequenced next to the album they are associated with. Otherwise, this set, with its rounded tombstone packaging that mimics the unique shape of many of the first Rare Earth label releases, is a straightforward presentation of the five records, along with liner notes and even inner record sleeve reproductions.

These records established Rare Earth as rugged, working semi-stars. They persevered through hard touring, a few top-notch songs such as One World's "I Just Want to Celebrate" (written for them by Nick Zesses and Dino Fekaris), and imaginatively rearranged rock and R&B covers, to attain at least a footnote in pop music history. At its best, generally on the Norman Whitfield productions of his own compositions such as Ecology's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and the Ma album, Rare Earth personified a style of blue-eyed, jammy psychedelic soul that, while dated, still holds up as unique enough to have resulted in more hits than the group actually achieved. Since its most recognizable music is well represented on Motown's impressive two-disc Anthology:

The Best of Rare Earth and other discs, this is for collectors who need everything from Rare Earth's most commercially and artistically successful years. As such it is a classy presentation of a band whose finest moments remain impressive, even occasionally innovative, but just short of influential.
by Hal Horowitz

Tracks
CD-1
Get Ready 1969
1. Magic Key 4:01
2. Tobacco Road 7:17
3. Feelin' Alright 5:10
4. In Bed 3:08
5. Train To Nowhere 3:27
6. Get Ready 21:35
Bonus Tracks Rare (Earth) Singles
7. Generation (Light Up The Sky) 2:47
8. Get Ready (Single Version) 2:50
9. (I Know) I'm Losing You (Single Version) 3:42
10.When Joanie Smiles 2:57
11.Here Comes The Night 3:29
12.Hey Big Brother 4:47
13.Love Shines Down 3:41
14.Chained 3:36
15.Fresh From The Can 5:18

CD-2
Ecology 1970
1. Born To Wander 3:24
2. Long Time Leavin' 4:54
3. (I Know) I'm Losing You 10:58
4. Satisfaction Guaranteed 4:38
5. Nice Place To Visit 4:01
6. No. 1 Man 4:55
7. Eleanor Rigby 6:44
One World 1971
8. What'd I Say 7:17
9. If I Die 3:33
10.The Seed 3:35
11.I Just Want To Celebrate 3:44
12.Someone To Love 3:49
13.Any Man Can Be A Fool 3:38
14.The Road 3:38
15.Under God's Light 4:51

CD-3
Willie Remembers 1972
1. Good Time Sally 2:55
2. Every Now And Then We Get To Go On Down To Miami 3:14
3. Think Of The Children 5:39
4. Gotta Get Myself Back Home 3:03
5. Come With Your Lady 5:49
6. Would You Like To Come Along 2:51
7. We're Gonna Have A Good Time 3:28
8. I Couldn't Believe What Happened Last Night 12:38
Ma 1973
9. Ma 17:22
10.Big John Is My Name 4:25
11.Smiling Faces Sometimes 6:03
12.Hum Along And Dance 5:18
13.Come With Me 4:46

Rare Earth
Get Ready 1969
* John Parrish - Trombone, Bass Guitar, Vocals
* Gil Bridges - Sax, Tambourine, Vocals
* Kenny James - Organ, Electric Piano, Vocals
* Rod Richards - Guitar, Vocals
* Pete Rivera - Drums, Vocals

Ecology 1970
* Gil Bridges - Flute, Saxophone, Tabla, Vocals
* Eddie Guzman - Conga
* Kenny James - Organ, Keyboards
* John Persh - Bass, Tambourine, Vocals
* Rod Richards - Guitar, Vocals
* Pete Rivera - Drums, Vocals

One World 1971
* Pete Rivera - Drums, Lead Vocal, Percussion
* John Parsh - Bass, Vocal
* Gil Bridges - Woodwinds, Vocal, Percussion, Flute
* Ray Monette - Guitars, Vocal
* Mark Olson - Keyboards, Vocal
* Ed Guzman - Conga, Percussion

Willie Remembers 1972
* Pete Hoorelbeke - Drums, Percussion, Lead Vocal
* Gil Bridges - Woodwinds, Percussion, Vocal
* Mike Urso - Bass Guitar, Vocal
* Ray Monette - Lead Guitar
* Mark Olson - Keyboard, Vocal
* Ed Guzman - Congas, Percussion

Ma 1973
* Gil Bridges - Flute, Saxophone, Vocals
* Peter Hoorelbeke - Drums, Percussion, Lead Vocals
* Ray Monette - Lead Guitar, Vocals
* Mark Olson - Keyboards, Vocals
* Mike Urso - Bass, Vocals
* Edwin Guzman - Congas, Timbales

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Pacific Drift - Feelin' Free (1970 uk, exceptional post psych prog rock, 2006 edition)

Released to widespread indifference back in January 1970, Manchester band Pacific Drift’s album Feelin’ Free surely deserved a better fate. A sparkling, West Coast-influenced amalgam of post-psychedelic pop and early progressive rock, skilfully weaving wistful hippie laments and riff-laden rockers into a fully cohesive whole, it didn’t really attract any kind of attention until the Great Prog Rock Stampede of the late Eighties, when albums that couldn’t be given away when first released suddenly began to change hands for significant sums of money.

This first-ever authorised reissue of what has become a highly sought-after album adds three tracks from the variant US release as well as the band’s version of the Spirit song ‘Water Woman’, only released at the time as a UK single. With rare photos, new band quotes and master-tape sound quality, this long-overdue release is unquestionably the definitive Pacific Drift anthology.

Though their sole album wouldn’t emerge until the dawn of the Seventies, Pacific Drift had been around for some while by that point. A product of the highly incestuous Manchester group scene of the mid-to-late Sixties, they had first come together in 1967 as the Sponge - essentially an updated, psychedelic-era version of the Tony Merrick Scene, with singer Merrick and guitarist Graham Harrop involved alongside other musicians, including an Asian drummer. But there were several early personnel changes, culminating with Merrick leaving in early 1968 to form a new Manchester ‘supergroup’, Sweet Marriage.

Barry Reynolds (who, in addition to releasing a 1982 solo album, I Scare Myself, would act as Marianne Faithfull’s musical director for many years as well as working with the likes of Grace Jones, Joe Cocker and John Martyn) quit in late September to link up again with Jack Lancaster in Blodwyn Pig, Pacific Drift duly imploded. Brian Chapman hooked up with Chicken Shack, Graham Harrap reunited with a couple of his old Toggery Five colleagues in Young & Renshaw, and Larry Arends left the full-time music scene to move into photography. It was a low-key end to a band that, as can be heard on this definitive Pacific Drift anthology, had briefly promised so much. “I always felt the band had great potential”, claims Larry. “We would have gone on to produce much more focused and specialised material, as all the members were full of creative and original ideas. Unfortunately, these ideas weren’t allowed to come to fruition. We had hoped to follow up Feelin’ Free, but Decca never gave us the chance to do so…”
by David Wells

Tracks
1. Plaster Casters Usa - 2:56
2. Tomorrow Morning Brings (G. Harrop, B. Chapman, B. Reynolds) - 2:35
3. Feelin' Free - 2:31
4. Just Another Girl (Matus) - 3:05
5. Garden Of Love (Lancaster, B. Reynolds) - 1:43
6. Norman (G. Harrop, B. Chapman, L. Arends, Neale, B. Reynolds) - 3:09
7. Grain Of Sand (Lancaster, B. Reynolds) - 2:16
8. Greta The Legend (B. Reynolds) - 5:04
9. Going Slow - 2:56
10.God Had Given Me - 2:56
11.Happy Days - 7:23
All song by B. Reynolds and L. Arends except where noted.

Pacific Drift
*Lawrence Arendes - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Graham Harrop - Buitar, Bass
*Barry Reynolds - Guitar, Vocals
*Brian Shapman - Keyboards, Vocals

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Bacon Fat - Grease One For Me (1970 us, remarkable blues psych rock)

Bacon Fat, originally the Southside Blues Band, was a Los Angeles, California blues band noted for a dual-harmonica-driven, Chicago blues sound.

Following the breakup of the Dirty Blues Band in 1968, Rod Piazza and George “Harmonica” Smith, whom Piazza credits with putting him “straight on the chromatic harp,” formed the Southside Blues Band. The band toured with Big Mama Thornton and, in 1969, released “George Smith of the Blues” (or, “… Of The Blues”, as it appeared on the album cover) as ‘George “Harmonica” Smith & His Blues Band.’ Originally released on World Pacific, the album was reissued in 1974 by ABC/Bluesway (BLS 6029), and in Germany in 1987 on Crosscut (CCR 1015). Smith’s “Juicy Harmonica” from this album is regarded as a chromatic harmonica classic; indeed, Piazza covered “Juicy Harmonica” on “Grease One for Me.”

Recorded on February 27 and 28, 1969 in Hollywood, personnel on “… Of The Blues” are listed as Smith and “Lightnin’ Rod” (Piazza) on harmonicas; Richard Davis, trumpet ; Jim Wynn and Ed Davis, saxes; Robert Schedel, piano; Marshall Hooks and Arthur Adams, guitars; and Curtis Tillman, bass. The drummer is not listed.

Shortly after the release of “…Of The Blues”, British producer Mike Vernon persuaded the band to move to Blue Horizon and to change their name. The band renamed themselves Bacon Fat, the title of an Andre Williams recording. The lineup of the band at this time, in addition to Smith and Piazza, were Buddy Reed, guitar; Gregg Schaefer, guitar; JERRY SMITH, bass; Dick Innes, drums; and J. D. Nicholson, piano.

Vernon decided to first record an already-scheduled gig opening for, and backing up Pee Wee Crayton, November 16, 1969, at the “Bar Paradise A Go Go” (widely known as “Small’s”), a club at E53rd St and Avalon Blvd in South-Central LA. These tracks were subsequently released in 1986 by Blue Moon as “Live at Small’s Paradise” (BMLP 1.029).

The following day, November 17, 1969, was spent at the Eldorado Recording Studio in Hollywood, recording tracks for Bacon Fat’s first album, “Grease One for Me”. On the 18th, Bacon Fat, plus guitarists Pee Wee Crayton and Marshall Hooks recorded 8 tracks that were released as “No Time For Jive” under “George Smith.” Smith appears on only one track of “Grease One for Me”; Piazza does not appear at all on “No Time For Jive”. Mike Vernon, the producer of both albums, maintains that the segregation of Smith and Piazza on these releases was coincidence and, in hindsight, it was probably a mistake to lose the dual-harp format that had made Southside/Bacon Fat successful in the first place.

A tour of Europe to promote both “Grease One for Me” and “No Time For Jive”, originally planned for May, was delayed until November, 1970. While in the UK, Bacon Fat recorded the tracks for their second album. The sale of the Blue Horizon label to Polydor by CBS delayed the release of “Tough Dude” until March, 1971, allowing the excitement generated by the tour to fade. Bacon Fat broke up sometime in 1971.

Tracks
1. Up the Line (Walter Jacobs, Willie Dixon) - 4:13
2. Boom Boom (Out Goes the Lights) (Stanley Lewis) - 3:46
3. Small's on 53rd (Rod "Gingerman" Piazza) - 3:45
4. She's a Wrong Woman (Rod "Gingerman" Piazza) - 5:22
5. I Need Your Love (J.D. Nicholson) - 3:45
6. Juicy Harmonica (Jerry Smith) - 3:53
7. Nobody but You (Walter Spriggs) - 2:12
8. Telephone Blues (Jerry Smith) - 5:57
9. You're So Fine (Walter Jacobs) - 3:08
10.Too Late (Willie Dixon) - 5:58

The Bacon Fat
*Rod "Gingerman" Piazza - Harp, Vocals
*George "Harmonica" Smith - Harp, Vocals
*Buddy Reed - Guitar, Vocals
*Gregg Schaefer - Guitar
*J.D. Nicholson - Vocals, Piano
*Jerry Smith - Bass
*Dick Innes, Jr. - Drums

Related Act
1967-68  Dirty Blues Band - Dirty Blues Band / Stone Dirt (2007 remaster)

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The Animals - The Complete French EP (1964-67 uk, all time classic blues psych rock, ten disc edition)

This may seem like a strange way to listen to a group's legacy, 42 songs on 11 CD platters in a box. It is a bit pricey, as well, but going up four songs at a time with the Animals sort of makes sense, at least as far as distilling down their most successful and interesting work. The group never quite got the hang of making successful albums; that doesn't mean that they didn't do some very good ones, including their two for EMI, but their 12" platter sales never remotely matched the popularity of their nine hit singles from 1964 through 1966.

Their EPs were a different matter -- while the group strained in the studio to assemble 40 minutes of attractive listening, their songs made great four-track platters. In England, they issued five extended-play singles, while in France the group saw twice that many issued in their name, both by EMI Records and the Barclay label. The 11 discs in this box (counting the bonus CD single of "San Franciscan Nights" b/w "Good Times") make up their French EP output across three years, each song remastered in state-of-the-art, 24-bit digital audio and sounding most impressive.

Starting with The Animals, containing "House of the Rising Sun," "Talkin' About You" (the official "short" edit), "Gonna Send You Back to Walker," and "Baby Let Me Take You Home," there's a good cross-section of the best work out of just about every group of recording sessions the band ever had -- they never knew how to program an album for mass appeal (especially as they couldn't include any singles on them). The EMI sides are a match in fidelity to the sound on the 24-bit Japanese remasters of the two EMI albums, but the box continues on up past that point to their brief stay with England's Decca Records and Burdon's closing out of the Animals name and eventual formation of Eric Burdon & the Animals.

All of the EMI material, and even a major chunk of the Decca-recorded sides (now owned by B&C Recordings), was upgraded elsewhere by 2003, but not the MCA-owned sides such as "Hey Gyp," "When I Was Young," the mastering of which here makes the quality on Polygram's Best of Eric Burdon & the Animals, 1966-1968 sound like it's mastered off of 45s.

There is one genuine obscurity, "Ain't That So," from their early psychedelic period. The artwork on the individual sleeves is also more interesting than the images on the jackets of either of their EMI LPs, at least until 1966, when the group's lineup became very fluid and Burdon became the focus of the graphics -- and one also gets a good picture of the 1967-vintage group on the bonus disc sleeve.
by Bruce Eder

CDE1 The Animals - 1er EP
1. The House Of The Rising Sun - 4:29
2. Talkin’ About You (French EP version) - 1:51
3. Donna Send You Back To Walker - 2:29
4. Baby, Let Me Take You Home - 2:20

CDE2 The Animals - 2eme EP
1. I’m Crying - 2:46
2. Take It Easy - 2:51
3. She Said Yeah - 2:18
4. I’m In Love Again - 2:59

CDE3 The Animals - 3eme EP
1. Boom Boom - 3:17
2. Club-A-Gogo - 2:19]
3. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood - 2:27
4. Roadrunner - 2:48

CDE4 The Animals - 4eme EP
1. Bring It On Home To Me - 2:41
2. Hallelujah! I Love Her So - 2:45
3. For Miss Caulker - 3:56
4. Mess Around - 2:19

CDE5 The Animals - 5eme EP
1. We’ve Gotta Out Of This Place - 3:12
2. I Can’t Believe It - 3:32
3. I Ain’t Got You - 2:27
4. How You’ve Changed - 3:12

CDE6 The Animals - 6eme EP
1. It’s My Life - 3:04
2. Believe To My Soul - 3:22
3. I’m Going To Change The World - 3:33
4. Let The Good Times Roll - 1:55

CDE7 The Animals - 7eme EP
1. Inside Looking Out - 3:43
2. That’s All I Am To You - 2:23
3. She’ll Return It - 2:41
4. Outcast - 3:03

CDE8 The Animals - 8eme EP
1. Don’t Bring Me Down - 3:15
2. Cheating - 2:24
3. What Am I Living For - 3:12
4. I Put A Spell On You - 2:55

CDE9 Eric Burdon and The Animals - 9eme EP
1. See see rider - 4:00
2. Mama told me not to come - 2:14
3. Help me girl - 2:36
4. That ain’t where it’s at - 3:00

CDE10 Eric Burdon and The Animals - 10eme EP
1. Hey Gyp - 3:47
2. In The Night - 2:29
3. When I Was Young - 2:59
4. Ain’t That So - 3:18

CDS Bonus Eric Burdon and The Animals - Bonus CD Single
1. San Francisco Nights - 3:19
2. Good Times - 2:58

The Animals (1962–1965)
* Eric Burdon - Vocals
* Hilton Valentine - Guitar
* Alan Price - Keyboards
* Chas Chandler - Bass
* John Steel - Drums

The Animals (1965)
* Eric Burdon - Vocals
* Hilton Valentine - Guitar
* Mick Gallagher - Keyboards
* Chas Chandler - Bass
* John Steel - Drums

The Animals (1965–1966)
* Eric Burdon - Vocals
* Hilton Valentine - Guitar
* Dave Rowberry - Keyboards
* Chas Chandler - Bass
* John Steel - Drums

The Animals (1966)
* Eric Burdon - Vocals
* Hilton Valentine - Guitar
* Dave Rowberry - Keyboards
* Chas Chandler - Bass
* Barry Jenkins - Drums

Eric Burdon And The Animals (December 1966-1968)
* Eric Burdon - Vocals
* Vic Briggs - Guitar, Piano
* Danny McCulloch - Bass
* John Weider - Bass, Guitar, Violin
* Barry Jenkins - Drums

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Skip Bifferty - The Story of Skip Bifferty (1966-69 uk, fascinating psychedelic beat pop, double disc edition)

The origins of Skip Bifferty can be traced back to the mid-60s and the North of England's Newcastle beat scene. The Chosen Few were one of the leading unsigned bands and featured founder members Alan Hull (guitar/vocals, later in Lindisfarne) and Mickey Gallagher (keyboards). Both had played together in local outfits previously, starting with The High Five in 1962. Gallagher was playing in another local group, The Unknowns when Alan Price announced his departure from The Animals. Mickey Gallagher was drafted into the famous Geordie outfit for a short tour of Scandinavia and the UK, playing keyboards for Eric and the boys.

On his return to Newcastle, Gallagher and drummer Alan Jackman from The Unknowns recruited old pal Alan Hull and singer Rod Hood together with bassist Alan "Bumper" Brown to form The Chosen Few. They rehearsed at the Key Club in Newcastle, which was owned by their manager, Bill Keith, who managed to get them a 15-minute slot on Radio Luxemburg performing live, and, from that broadcast, the group was signed to Pye Records.

By the Summer of 1966, with a year of successful gigs and two singles under their belts, the band lost Alan Hull and "Bumper" Brown, but found replacements in Colin Gibson (bass) and John Turnbull (guitar). The young duo had been friends since the age of five, and were both former members of The Primitive Sect, a group which also featured Bob Sergeant on organ (later in Junco Partners).

A few months later, Graham Bell returned to his home town of Newcastle after his group, The Graham Bell Trend, had broken up due to lack of interest down south. Bell had met up with Mickey Gallagher during his stint in The Animals, and The Chosen Few offered him the vocalist spot. Although he'd released one 45 on Polydor, which was in an MOR direction, he saw The Chosen Few as where it was happening.

The group secured some London gigs, and it was during a particularly scorching set at the Marquee that Don Arden approached them with an offer that they couldn't refuse: "In 9 months you'll be as big as the Stones", he said.With that, the band signed, and Arden immediately put them up in a house in Beckenham to "get it together", which they did, pouring out new songs with intricate arrangements that showcased their many talents. To further highlight their artistic talents, they also painted the lawn red!

Arden secured a deal with RCA in the Summer of 1967, and the first fruits of that deal was the bands' first 45, "On Love"/"Cover Girl". The A-side featured a blistering killer fuzz guitar riff underpinning Graham Bell's superb soulful Spencer Davis-like vocals. The pirates, Radio Caroline and Radio London, loved it and gave it heavy rotation, but due to the BBC's playlist policy at that time, the latter failed to pick up on a classic single. The track was later recorded as "Our Love" by The Sons Of Man on their hideously rare "Oak" EP from the same year. Meanwhile, work flooded in, including appearing in the cult 60s film "Smashing Time", featuring Rita Tushingham. Sadly, their music doesn't appear on the LP soundtrack.

A follow-up single was required, and with more than a little influence from Don Arden, the band wrote the flower-power pop ballad, "Happy Land", which was recorded at Decca's West Hampstead studios during the first session for a projected album.The band began to do regular sessions on John Peel's "Perfumed Garden" and became firm underground favourites. "Happy Land"/"Reason to Live", their second 45, was issued in the late Autumn of 1967. Sadly, it, too, failed to ignite record buyers' interest, and RCA sat on their album.

Chris Welch, staff writer at Melody Maker, discovered the group around this time and began to write about them. They played gigs and worked hard, gaining a respectable following over the country. A third and final RCA 45, "Man in Black"/"Money Man", was issued in July 1968, arranged and produced by Small Faces duo Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane (both of whom were also on Arden's books).

The label were certainly unsure of how to market the band, as a promo 45 with "Money Man" as the A-side was pressed up in limited quantities just prior to its release, before the sides were flipped! This early version is markedly different and raw-sounding. "Man in Black" was eventually pressed as the A-side with the finished studio LP version of "Money Man" on the B-side. The 45 certainly showed a return to form for the band, however, the single only sold at underground level.

With further recordings made, RCA finally issued their debut, self-titled LP, complete with sleevenotes by John Peel. Unfortunately, many of the credits were wrong, and mono pressings had stereo labels and vice-versa. To cap it all, the band were unhappy with the sound of the LP! Under pressure, the record company had the LP re-cut, and it was re-launched a month later with a better sound and with orange RCA labels (the original pressing had black labels)

For underground psych fans, this LP was a major release, and Chris Welch in Melody Maker gave it a rave review. The LP showed the band to be experimenting with different sounds, effects, tape loops, phasing, while still retaining a classic pop music sound.

The band half-heartedly began working on a follow-up LP, called "Skiptomania". Colin Gibson even completed artwork for the album, but the label decided not to extend their contract. To make matters worse, the band's relationship with Don Arden was now strained to say the least, mainly due to him not grasping the reality of the late 60s music scene. He was still treating them like a beat group whose very existence relied on their hits.

In order to shake off their restrictive management deal with Arden, the band made a shock announcement in the music press that they were disbanding in November 1968. In actual fact, the whole band nipped off to the Isle of Wight, where they rented a cottage, rehearsing and writing new material. Mickey Gallagher made several trips back to London in an effort to secure a new record deal and attracted the attention of Chris Blackwell of Island Records.

A publicity scam was cooked up, and 'Time Out" magazine ran an advertisement for a mystery group called Heavy Jelly. The result was the longest 45 released at that time."I Keep Singing That Same Old Song"/"Blue", written by bassist Colin Gibson, was released in June 1969. Apart from the length of the song, it was also issued in a picture sleeve - unheard of for Brit 45s then.

There was a lot of guesswork as to their identity, with people citing Spooky Tooth as the culprits, but "Time Out" magazine gave the biggest clue of all when they stated that the single "really skips and biffs along"! The 45 became a hit all over Europe and was included on the Island sampler, "Good Enough to Eat".

As an aside, it's worth mentioning two other enterprising companies who also got in on the act using the moniker Heavy Jelly. One was Head Records, who put together a group, later to back Jackie Lomax, and recorded a whole LP. They also released a 45, and test pressings of their LP turned up in the early 70s, later to be reissued by the Psycho label in 1984. The other outfit was created Simon Napier-Bell and only got to be issued in the States. In any case, Don Arden, worked out the identity of the real Heavy Jelly, and Chris Blackwell, not wanting any conflict, backed out of working with Skip Bifferty. The band, meanwhile, by this time with new drummer Fred Wheatley, were without a record deal, returned to Newcastle and split.

Band members quickly moved onto other projects; Graham Bell and Colin Gibson were soon to form Griffin in 1969 where they issued a 45 on Bell. Meanwhile, Mickey Gallagher and John Turnbull formed Arc in early 1970 where they signed to Decca issuing an LP in 1970 and recording tracks for the film soundtrack to "Extremes", issued in 1972 on Deram. With Graham Bell joining them in 1972, they became Bell & Arc and signed to Charisma where a further LP was released in 1972.

Gallagher & Turnbull continued working together, and in 1976 with a name change to Loving Awareness, with Charlie Charles (drums) and Norman Watt-Roy (bass, ex-Greatest Show On Earth), in total antithesis to the emerging punk scene, they attempted to re-capture the sound of the 60s, where they even recorded a version of Skip Bifferty's "Guru". However, the LP failed to sell, but, in any case, the band achieved success in the late 70s backing Ian Dury with a name change to The Blockheads.

Colin Gibson worked with various groups in the early 70s after Griffin and eventually teamed up with Mark Almond for a US tour and an LP on Harvest. In July 1973, he teamed up with ex-Procol Harum/ Freedom drummer Bobby Harrison (vocals/percussion), ex-Tramline members Mick Moody (guitar) and Terry Popple (drums) and with Pete Solley (organ) to form the heavy rock outfit Snafu where they recorded two albums for WWA and one for Capitol during 1973-75. Colin later joined late 70s outfit Radiator and worked again with Alan Hull on Alan's solo LP. Up until the present day, he is still working in blues bands.

Most of CD1 from "The Story of Skip Bifferty" is their single eponymous album recorded in the autumn of 1967, but only released nearly a year later. However, the interest for Yes fans comes later. The band officially dissolved in 1968 following (violent) disagreements with manager Don Arden. However, the line up actually continued, adopting the name Heavy Jelly (the name of a fictitious band in a spoof review in Time Out) and recording the single included here (36-7). One historical website has it that Heavy Jelly subsequently changed drummer to Dave Potts (who also auditioned for Bill Bruford's spot in Yes when he first left the band) and then to Alan White before splitting up.

White had been working with Kirtley and Craddock as Alan Price's backing band and under the name Happy Magazine. Joined by Gibson, they formed Griffin. Graham Bell soon followed and the three tracks here (38-40) were recorded. The first two are from a Sep 1969 single and the third from an Oct 1969 BBC session for Top Gear.

Tracks
Disc 1 - The Album
1. Money Man [Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher/Gibson/Jackson]
2. Jeremy Carabine [Bell/Turnbull/Gibson]
3. When She Comes to Stay [Turnbull/Bell]
4. Guru [Bell/Gallagher]
5. Come Around [Bell/Gallagher/Turnbull]
6. Time Track [Bell/Turnbull]
7. Gas Board Under Dog (Part 1) [Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
8. Inside the Secret [Bell]
9. Orange Lace [Bell/Turnbull]
10. Planting Bad Seeds [Smith/Gallagher/Turnbull/Bell]
11. Yours for at Least 24 [Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
12. Follow the Path of the Stars [Smith/Bell/Gallagher]
13. Prince of Germany the First [Gibson/Turnbull]
14. Clearway 51 [Bell/Gibson/Gallagher]
- Bonus tracks
15. Man in Black [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher; arr. Steve Marriott]
16. On Love [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
17. Cover Girl [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
18. Happy Land [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
19. Reason to Live [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
20. Round and Round [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
- Alan Hull/Skip Bifferty
21. This We Shall Explore [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
22. Schizoid Revolution [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]

Disc 2 - BBC Sessions
23. The Hobbit [Turnbull]
24. Man in Black [Gibson/Turnbull/Gallagher/Bell]
25. Once [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
26. Aged Aged Man [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
27. Higher Than the Clouds [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
28. The Lion & the Unicorn [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
29. Disappointing Day [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
30. Money Man [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
31. I Don't Understand It [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
32. Don't Let Me Be Understood [Benjamin/C/M]
33. In the Morning [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
34. Follow the Path of the Stars [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
35. When She Comes to Stay [Gibson/Bell/Turnbull/Gallagher]
- Heavy Jelly
36. I Keep Singing the Same Old Song [Gibson]
37. Blue [Bell]
 - Griffin
38. I am the Noise in Your Head [Kirtley/Gibson/Craddock]
39. Don't You Know [Kirtley]
40. Shine (BBC Session) [Bell/Gibson/Craddock]

Musicians
*Graham Bell - Vocals (all)
*Mickey Gallagher - Keyboards (1-37)
*Tommy Jackman - Drums (1-35)
*Colin Gibson - Bass (all)
*John Turnbull - Guitar, Vocals (1-37)
*Alan Hull - Vocals (21, 22)
*Paul Nicholls - Drums (36, 37)
*Pete Kirtley - Guitar (38-40)
*Kenny Craddock - Organ (38-40)
*Alan White - Drums (38-40)

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