Short Cross - Arising (1972 us, splendid psych blues rock)

To begin the story of Short Cross. I must go back to the day in 1965 that my father introduced me to the son of a friend who  was playing in a band in Sandston, Virginia. I was just  beginning to learn how to play guitar and they needed a bass  player so I was recruited to play bass. Since none of us had  even seen a bass guitar up dose, I played bass on my Stella  acoustic guitar, tuned down an octave, with a cheap  microphone stuck in the sound hole. I don’t remember, but I'm  sure it was a wonderful sound. The reason that I mention ail of  this is because this was the day I met Gray McCalley Gray and  I together became the nucleus of Short Cross.  That first primitive incarnation of the band didn't last very long.  I went back to playing baseball and forgot about playing music  until Gray called one Saturday about a year later and asked if I  wanted to practice. To make a long story somewhat shorter, we  went through several personnel changes and name changes.  We were, at various times, The Crusaders, The Resonators,  finally settling on The Hustlers in the spring of 1967.

The  original line-up of this band was Bob Holmes on rhythm guitar,  Kenny Roberts on bass and sax, Ben Luck on piano, Gray  McCalley on drums and myself on lead guitar. This was the  Line-up that actually started to get paying gigs on a semi-regular  basis.  Our first taste of success was winning the local Battle of the  Bands at Skateland in Sandston. There were no judges. The  contest was to be decided by votes cast by the paying  customers. We let It slip out that, if we won, we were throwing  a beer-party afterwards, and to and behold, we won I could not  attend the party, being only twelve years old at the time, but I'm  sure a rousing good time was had by all and the porcelain was  hugged by many who attended. The competition at this contest  was pretty stiff. It included The Outlaws, whose organ player,  Butch Owens, would soon join our band, and a band that we  had never heard of called The Spiders, whose guitar player,  Joe Sheets, will figure prominently in the rest of this story. The  Spiders repertoire consisted of "the first three Rolling Stones  albums", according to Joe and we were pretty worried when we  heard them. They were Rockin'. But, as it turned out, our beer  party was the key to victory.  Ben Luck, our piano player, left the band to join The  Barracudas. We knew this was a great opportunity for Ben, so  there were no hard feelings.

This Barracudas was the band  that cut the album "A Plane View of the Barracudas" for Justice  Records, recently reissued on CD. Ben played and sang on  their follow-up single, "Days of A Quiet Sun", a great  psychedelic record, if you can find it. The Barracudas were our first role models, our heroes. They had matching suits,  matching Vox equipment, a 1958 Cadillac limousine and a  trailer with their name on it. They were "big time" and they lived  right up the street in Highland Springs. We aspired to be as  cool as they were. I had known Butch Owens for years We  had played baseball together as kids. Lately he had been  playing with a band that we all respected called The Outlaws  (mentioned previously), so we recruited him and he joined up.  Butch was an organ player, so the switch from electric piano to  organ was a new sound. We liked it. It was with this new lineup  that we won our region in the statewide Battle of The Bands.  We probably won because a) we had worked in a girl singer  named Gale Scott and b) we closed with a version of  Beethoven's 'Fur Elise* that we had ripped from Vanilla Fudge.  I guess the judge a thought that was extremely hip and gave us  the win We went on to the state finals, where we finished third  behind two very good soul bands. This was May 1966.

The organ filled the sound up so nicely that we decided we  didn't really need a rhythm guitarist so we let Bob Holmes go I  felt bad about this for a very long time Bob was a great guy  and his personality contributed to the early success of the  group. Our bass guitarist, Kenny Roberts, left because our  Friday night gigs conflicted with his high school football games  This was realty OK, because we had our eye on another bass  player. Dudley "Bird" Sharp. Dudley was in a band called The  Syndicate, an excellent band. We asked him to join and after  some soul searching he said yes. All the pieces were now in place almost.  This four piece version of The Hustlers was doing very well.  We were booked every weekend for what, at the time, was very good-money. Then Dudley came to us with the news that he was going to be named and would have to leave the band to work in the family business Enter Steve Hicks. I knew Steve from school. He was a pretty good bass player and was very excited about joining. He had been playing with a band called The Reactors, ft was actually with this lineup of myself, Gray on drums, Butch on organ and Steve on bass that we would make our first recording Enter illegal substances.

OK, it was 1969 and all of those nasty things were available to us Being teenagers, we had to try them all and with this experimentation came a dramatic change in our tastes in music as well as our approach to our own music We decided that "The Hustlers" was just not a fitting name for a band playing original music. Instead of doing the obvious thing and going with "Hustler", we came up with  "Short Cross". Even now I cant tell you the origin of the name, but I'm pretty sure illegal substances were involved. Our  influences were wide ranging, but we leaned toward heavy rock. We were listening to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple. ELP, King Crimson, Grand Funk Railroad. The Band, Santana. Free, James Gang, all the biggies of the day, and a new band that had started to play around Richmond from time to time. When they first came to town they were called Child, but they soon changed their name to Steel Mill. Their guitarist  was named Bruce Springsteen. The first time we saw Child perform was at a place called Free University in Richmond. A small, second floor club that was packed shoulder to shoulder. I walked up the steps and craned my neck around the PA stack to see this skinny guy with a Les Paul slung to his knees, nearly waist length hair, naked to the waist, absolutely sweating buckets, singing a song called "I'll Be Your Jesus Christ. I’ll Be Your Savior" with an intensity that I had never felt  before I was floored!! Several years later, after seeing  Springsteen perform, Jon Landau would write, "I've seen the  future of Rock & Roll".

We saw it that night in 1969 We  attended every show that we could get to after that. Steel Mill  became our new role models, our heroes. They had a Hammond organ, Marshall amps and they played really loud. We aspired to rock as hard as they did. About this time I was asked to join The Barracudas who were (sorry guys) on their way down. After much gnashing of teeth and some not-so-gentle persuasion from friends and family, I turned them down. Fortunately for this CD that you are holding, Short Cross continued intact One Sunday in 1970. we forced our way onto the bill of a free concert in Monroe Park In the very heart of Richmond hippiedom, VCU When I say forced*, that's not exactly true. The way these concerts happened was that somebody would bring a PA system and bands would just show up and play for free. It's kind of amazing that it worked at all. but that was indicative of the era, I think. We had never played for this crowd before and we waited all day in hopes of sneaking on at the end. As we were going on stage I heard a member of another band say with a smirk, "Now we're gonna hear some soul music". I was 15 years old and being the cocky little SOB that I was. I realty wanted to blow ail of these older guys away. We opened with our version of "Baby Please Don't Go" and an hour later 3,000 people were on their feet screaming for an encore, which we gladly gave them. We were the talk of the town and local underground radio We had come to the point where we thought that a record was our next step We took some of our home recordings to a local booking agent in hopes of finding a way to make a record One of those 3.000 people in Monroe Park that day had been a fellow named Joe Sheets (I told you he would turn up again ) who was a guitarist and the brother-in-law of a local record producer named Nick Colleran Joe had told Nick about us and it happened that Nick was in that booking agents office that evening and heard our tapes. He told us that he could produce a 45, but we would have to go to Sigma Sound in Philadelphia to do it, because the proper facilities were not yet available in Richmond, Nick had been the leader and guitarist of the top band in Richmond, The Escorts. (These were the Escorts that recorded on TEO Records and recorded the album -Bring Down the House'.)

We were very happy to have his attention and we considered his credentials impeccable. Nick ran us through all of the pre-production and had us rehearse the songs until he thought that we could cut them very quickly. Joe Sheets was scheduled to play slide guitar on one side of the record, but fell ill and couldn't make the trip to Philly. Nick stepped in and played slide on the single version of "On My Own". The B side was "Marching Off to War" They were recorded 8-track at Sigma Sound and both are included on this CD. The 45 was released got some local air play, and disappeared, but we got to hear ourselves on the radio. That was pretty exciting. By the way. the 45 was mastered by a young engineer named George Massenburg. for those of you who are interested in such things Sometime in early 1971, Dudley Sharp let it be known to us that, if asked, he would rejoin the band. Truthfully, we all knew that Dud was a much better bass player than Steve Hicks, so we let Steve go. We were also closer friends with Dud and that was important to us. so Dud was back in. In the course of doing the 45, we teamed that Nick Colleran had plans for building his own sixteen track studio in Richmond. He moved his studio into a building at 2049 W. Broad St. in Richmond and called it Alpha Audio The Short Cross LP was the first LP recorded there in December of 1971, before the studio officially opened Nick knew that Short Cross wanted to do an LP and in the fan of 1971 a guy named Dave Herren approached Nick about possibly producing an LP on a local band Nick introduced us to Dave and preparations began for the "Arising" LP Pre-production included song selection, a lot of rehearsal and I'm not sure, but illegal substances were probably involved We went into the studio on December 26, 1971 to begin cutting tracks. All the basic tracks were done on the 261h and 27th with Joe Sheets as the tracking engineer and Dave Herren and Nick Colleran producing. We did all of the overdubs in one day,  (I had the flu that day) and the record was probably mixed in two or three days. A week's work and it was finished, I must say that the sessions were not a happy experience for us.

We constantly butted heads with the producers about sound, especially during the final mix stage, at one point we walked out. Like I said, we were a cocky bunch. This put a dark cloud over what should have been a great experience. With that said, I must add that we learned a great deal about how we sounded and how to play together we came out of the studio a much tighter band with a good basic knowledge of the technical side of recording. Since I have continued to work in the recording studio as a session musician/vocalist and now an engineer/producer, I guess you could say that these recording sessions are the foundation on which I have built my career. Our album release party was held in March, 1973 at The String Factory, formerly Free University. The very room where, three years earlier, I had first seen Bruce Springsteen with Steel Mill. It was sold out and the feeling that night was incredible!, We felt successful. All these people came to see us play our songs from our record! Incredible!. We continued to play a lot, opening shows for Black Sabbath, Trapeze, Black Oak Arkansas and others. The LP received some airplay in Virginia, but just didn't sell. I tend to think it was a combination of poor distribution and the fact that it didn’t sound like the band sounded live. Plus, we thought that it was un-cool to sell them at our gigs. (Kinda stupid, huh?) The final tally was about 300 copies sold out of a pressing of 1,000. The failure of the record did not deter us from the desire to record. We went back into Alpha Audio in late 1972 to cut two new songs. "Before it Rains" and "Bomb". Included on this CD are the basic tracks with a scratch vocal that was to be replaced at a later date. That date never came. Butch got married and quit the band.

Things were changing. We jammed with a bunch of keyboard players, but nobody "felt" right. Not because they weren't good players, just because the band had grown up together, learned how to play together. We weren't missing a keyboard player, we were missing a friend, a vital piece of the equation, Our individual tastes in music were also changing. We were growing apart. We limped along as a power trio for a while, but we all knew a dead horse when we beat one. By the end of 1973, Short Cross was no more. Gray McCalley went on to play with a big swing band called The Continentals and is still playing music today in his spare time. He got interested in blues harmonica while Short Cross was still together and has become a world class blues harp player He works for the County installing and repairing electronics at schools. He still lives in Sandston. VA. and I see him now and then. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much Gray McCalley helped me through those years. In the early days, I didn't have much of an ear, so Gray would pick out guitar parts from records and teach them to me. He introduced me to so much great music that I would have otherwise overlooked. His energy and inventiveness were inspiring. His sense of humor was infectious and sustained us through many crazy situations. I sometimes think about where I might be if Gray had not called me that day in 1966 and said, "Hey man, wanna practice?" I'm pretty sure that I would be a washed up ex-minor league baseball player. Thanks Gray.

Dudley "Bird" Sharp still plays Top 40 and Country musk:. He works for a potato chip company. Even though he lives about a mile from me, I had not talked to him in over ten years when I finally contacted him about this CD release We had a nice conversation and vowed to keep in touch. Butch Owens eventually went back to playing music and spent some time in Memphis and Nashville playing for various artists. He's back in Richmond now, doing carpentry Steve Hicks continued to play music for a while after we let him go. In fact, he played with the band that opened for us at our album release party. Sadly. I must report that Steve is no longer with us He died a few years ago from chronic stomach problems. This news hit me pretty hard, I had known Steve since 5th grade. I continued to play for a living. In 1974, after the demise of Short Cross, I joined up with Steve Bassett a R’n’B singer. I played on several of his records, not including his self titled 1984 Columbia Records release, in 1977, Steve Bassett's band went on tour with Robbin Thompson in support of his self titled Atlantic Records release. I stayed with Robbin when the Robbin Thompson Band was formed in 1978. We recorded an album in 1979 called Two B's Please" that sold about 150,000 copies and had a song that topped out on the Billboard charts at #61 called "Bright Eyes". We toured until December 1983. I still record with Robbin and I am currently co-producing his new CO, in 1987, the rhythm section from the Robbin Thompson Band Joined up with singer Billy Ray Hatley to forma band called Big City. We have released two independent label CD's and have a third on the way. Throughout all of this, I have been doing session work on radio, TV and film music.

Chances are very good that you've heard me playing on some stupid commercial. Several of the people from Alpha Audio, including my old friends Joe Sheets and Robbin Thompson, formed a new company in 1990 called In Your Ear Music and Recording. I joined their staff in 1996 as assistant engineer/musician/vocalist/producer/tape  librarian/etc /etc I love it A few years ago I started getting calls from all over the country inquiring about copies of the Short Cross LP Being a record collector myself, I asked around and discovered that, not only were clean copies of the LP changing hands at S200-K but that it had been bootlegged (very badly) in Europe! i was very flattered to be on a bootleg, as silly as that might seem, it meant that suddenly, for some reason, there was a demand for this album that I hadn't listened to in at least 10 years. Weil, I politely told all of those inquiring that at toast five hundred copies had been destroyed and the other 200 were unaccounted for, but probably no longer existed. Thus were planted the seeds of this CD release. Roger Maglio of Gear Fab contacted me. we struck up a deal and the ball was rolling. I cant properly express my thanks to all the record collectors who created this interest and to you who have plunked down your hard earned money for this CD. I hope you enjoy It! I would like to express my sincere thanks to Roger Maglio at Gear Fab for making it happen. Finally, to Gray and Dud and Butch I want to say that re-mixing these old songs and helping to assemble this package has been a labor of love. With this CD, I found all those memories still alive. We spent a lifetime together in a few short years.  Jeez! We were just children....and we were the best of friends.
by Velpo Robertson

Tracks
1. Nothin' But A Woman - 5:25
2. Wastin' Time (Gray McCalley, Velpo Robertson) - 3:46
3. Suicide Blues - 7:01
4. Just Don't Care - 4:27
5. On My Own - 4:56
6. Till We Reach The Sun - 4:55
7. Ellen - 5:50
8. Hobo Love Song - 4:46
9. On My Own (Stereo mix of A-side of 45*) - 2:50
10.Marching Off to War (Stereo mix of B-side of 45') - 2:57
11.That's Her Train (Unreleased stereo mix) - 2:54
12.Bomb (Unfinished demo  mono) - 4:04
13.Before It Rains (Unfinished demo mono) - 3:28
All compositions by Velpo Robertson except where stated

Tracks 1-8 Recordings made at Alpha Audio Studios, Richmond, VA. 
Dec. 24, 25,1971. Originally Released March 1972 

Tracks 9-11 Recorded at Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, PA. on August 

Tracks 12-13 Recorded at Alpha Audio Studios, Richmond, VA. in June 1972.

Short Cross
*Dudley "Bird" Sharp - Electric Bass Guitar, Harmony Vocals
*Velpo Robertson - Lead, Rhythm, Bottte-Neck, Acoustic, Lead Guitar , Harmony Vocals
*Butch Owens- Organ, Piano, Moog, Vocals
*Gray McCalley - Drums, Percussion, Lead Vocal on "Wastin' Time"
*Butch Owens - Hammond Organ (Track 13)
*Steve Hicks - Bass (Tracks 9-11)
*Nick Colleran - Slide Guitar on "On My Own
Guest Musicians
*Tommy Mitchell - Trumpet
*Skeeter Glenn - Trumpet
*Tommy Anderson - Trombone
*Tommy Clarke - Tenor Sax
*Howard Awad- Trumpet
*Buzz Montsinger- Tenor Sax
*Peter Zaret - 1st Violin
*Coraiie Zaret - 2nd Violin
*Yong Sam Kim - Viola
*Gisela Depkat - Cello

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Bell And Arc - Bell + Arc (1971 uk, excellent colorful classic rock)

Bell 'n' Arc’s one and only record is a prime cut of early 1970s British rock and roll. Born out of the psychedelic ashes of Skip Bifferty, Bell 'n' Arc saw a reunion of sorts between singer Graham Bell and his former band mates, keyboardist Mick Gallagher and guitarist John Turnbull. Anyone delving into this record expecting the underground freak-beat of that earlier band, however, is in for a rude surprise. This band is an entirely different beast, and even Graham Bell’s singing has undergone some serious evolution since Skip Bifferty sank in 1969.

Heavy threads of American soul music, as well as tasteful touches of gospel and country, are what inform this record more than anything. From the insistent groove of “High Priest of Memphis” to the rollicking banjo rolls in “Keep A Wise Mind,” it is clear what musical traditions these cats are mining. Graham Bell’s vocals here are so soulful it almost hurts, with the obvious reference point being the shredded-throat testifying of fellow countryman Joe Cocker.

Turnbull’s guitar is also on fire, whether he’s indulging in tight wah-pedal workouts in “Let Your Love Run Free” or keeping things beautifully restrained in the band’s sizzling, slow-burn workout of Leonard Cohen’s “So Long, Marianne.” In the meantime, I would assert that it is Gallagher’s rhythm piano which seems to be the bedrock of the band’s sound. Each cut displays inspired playing that really seals together the spirit of the band. His concluding improvisations on “Yat Rock” are particularly enjoyable, where he compliments his driving rhythm playing with the occasional Jerry Lee Lewis run.

Side A of this record is one of those rare cases where every song is absolutely killer, and the energy just does not let up. The opening three song punch blows me away every time. By the second side, things start to lose a little steam, but only barely. In fact, “Dawn,” the one acoustic track on the album, is a pleasant, hazy respite from the high-octane rave-ups that surround it. In fact, the guitar dynamics and subdued atmosphere might actually make it a highlight. “Children of the North Prison” draws the band back, and throws out one of the catchiest hooks on the record against a great ascending piano line.

In the years since I first happened on this record, it has slowly but surely become one of my absolute mainstays. It’s hard not to be drawn in to Arc’s tight grooves and Bell’s cosmic rock and roll songs, and I dare say it makes some fantastic road music. Check out the (out-of-print, but easy to find) Rock and Groove Records reissue, or keep your eye peeled for one of the original copies. I should probably note that it looks as though the British and American copies of this one have different artwork; the British record has a bright red cover, with what looks like layered fists.
by Nik Rayne

Tracks

1. High Priest of Memphis (Graham Bell) - 3:30

2. Let Your Love Run Free (Graham Bell, Tom Duffy, Michael Gallagher, John Turnbull) - 6:00

3. Keep a Wise Mind (Colin Gibson, Graham Bell, John Turnbull) - 3:19

4. So Long Marianne (Leonard Cohen) - 3:44

5. She Belongs to Me (Bob Dylan) - 4:29

6. Yat Rock (Graham Bell) - 6:08

7. Dawn (Graham Bell) - 3:00

8. Children of the North Prison (Graham Bell) - 4:15

9. Everyday (Graham Bell, Tom Duffy, Michael Gallagher, John Turnbull) - 3:53

Bell And Arc

*Graham Bell - Vocals, Harmonica, Acoustic Guitar

*Tom Duffy - Bass

*Michael Gallagher - Piano, Organ 

*John Turnbull - Guitars

*John Woods - Percussion

With

*Rob Tait - Drums

*Ken Craddock -Guitars, Piano, Organ

*Alan White - Drums, Percussion, Vibes

*Steve Gregory - Tenor Saxophone

*Buddy Beadle - Baritone Saxophone

*Jeff Condon - Cornet

Related Acts
1966-1969 Skip Bifferty - The Story of Skip Bifferty

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Hot Poop - Does Their Own Stuff (1971 us, great experimantal acid psych)

The band hailed from California whose moniker was inspired by a Zappa tune, and this was their sole output in Jan 1971, an edition of 500 copies (with orange paper lyric insert) on their own label (HPS 3072). The band had 5 members however the forces behind this project were Thomas Burke and Lawrence Praissman.

“Hot Poop Does Their Own Stuff. Why? Cause nobody else would dare! This private pressing is so brain numbingly strange that its almost impossible not to like it! Frenzied falsetto vocals, omnipresent fuzz, and deranged subject matter (with such songs as "Wing Wang", "Screamin", "I Always Play With My Food", and the eerie, slow last dance "My Babys Dead") make for an album that cannot be comprehended by a sober mind! This is what happens when hippies forsake LSD for nitrous oxide!”

This album is famous for its cover. The front shows the band in a barn, with three of them shooting up, one passed out (or dead), and another taking a dump. On the back theyre all nude, except that the woman has a dick and the guys dont. Unsurprisingly, the lyrics are mostly about sex and cars. The music is more like a combination of surf and bluesy rock. A falsetto vocal on a couple of songs sends it into novelty territory (anyone remember the Goons?).

As a result this album has, in the past, received some bad press musically, however this mainly undeserved. There are hints of the Deep and Capt. Beefheart and there is enough in here for both garage and psyche fans. Almost every track drips with fuzz guitar and despite the sometimes dodgy lyrics musically it works as a whole.

Tracks
1. Let Me Loose - 4:01
2. Cruisin Ford - 3:28
3. Hard Rock - 4:55
4. Wing Wang - 3:46
5. Fast Cars And Chicks - 2:24
6. Dance To The War - 2:58
7. Get It In - 3:56
8. A Always Play With My Food - 2:50
9. Screamin - 2:34
10.My Babys Dead - 3:58
All songs by Tom Burke, Larry Praissman

Hot Poop
*Gwendolyn Glopenstein (Lisa Hebbard) - Keyboards
*Flash Hammer (Bruce Lyson) - Drums, Percussion
*Larry Honyock (Lawrence Praissman) - Guitars, Vocals
*Gabor Kovats (Jim Anderson) - Bass, Vocals
*Johnny Rockaway (Thomas Burke) - Vocals, Guitars

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Harumi - Harumi (1968 japan, acid psych folk masterpiece produced by Tom Wilson)

Recorded by Tom Wilson (who else?) for Verve in 1967 and 1968 in New York, this set originally appeared on a double LP (which has been reissued on both vinyl and CD by Fallout). This is one of the wildest and most unbelievably ambitious recordings to come from the psychedelic era. Harumi (a mystery man who recorded one more album before vanishing into the ether) could write pop songs and sing them.

He also sounds like he did a lot of acid. Harumi (who sings and speaks in English), Wilson, arrangers Harvey Vinson and Larry Fallon, and engineer Gary Kellegren assembled a tripped-out collection of pop, Eastern folk, and experimental music and production techniques, with sounds, textures, and atmospheres that incorporated everything from strings and horns to Japanese folk instruments to vibraphones and (of course) plenty of guitars and drums and organ. Of the 13 cuts here, 11 are of conventional length and are utterly seductive in their hypnotic power and pop brilliance.

The last two, "Twice Told Tales of the Pomegranate Forest" and "Samurai Memories," are 24 minutes and 18 minutes long, respectively. These two have plenty of cosmic spoken word by Wilson (Rosko) and Harumi, and on the past by his parents and his sister. The first of these, the longer one, is a bit difficult to take with its slow pace, minimal orchestration, and nearly nonsensical story (that's what the remote is for). The second one, with its discotheque go-go boots beat and orchestration, phased sounds, and Japanese language, is an exotic masterpiece.

It grooves throughout, especially when the electric guitars and strings play counterpoint to one another. Simply put, there is nothing at all like this record in the known universe. It has been compared to the adventurousness of the Mothers of Invention, but only insofar as its wide range. The music here, while a huge compendium of sources, is unlike anything you have ever heard when it is put together. Harumi's self-titled album is simply a classic from the underground brought back into the light.
by Thom Jurek

Tracks
1. Talk About It - 4:10
2. First Impressions - 3:10
3. Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do - 3:09
4. Hello - 4:02
5. Sugar In Your Tea - 3:22
6. Caravan - 3:05
7. Hunters Of Heaven - 2:52
8. Hurry Up Now - 3:51
9. What A Day For Me - 2:47
10.We Love - 2:17
11.Fire By The River - 3:35
12.Twice Told Tales Of The Pomegranate Forest - 24:00
13.Samurai Memories - 19:15
All songs written by Harumi

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Fifth Order - Bonfire! The Return Of (1966-67 us, awesome garage psych)

Their 1966 garage classic Goin' Too Far b/w Walkin' Away was a tremendous regional success, at the time becoming the biggest selling seven-incher from Columbus, Ohio. Their second local hit, A Thousand Devils (Are Chasing Me) b/w Today I Got A Letter, was picked up by Laurie for national release. These two records have long been recognized as sterling examples of Ohio's vibrant mid-60s garage rock scene. But the story of the Fifth Order has remained untold, until now. Digging into the band's history, a few welcome surprises emerged: a third 45 that collectors were not aware of, and - even better - a cache of unreleased recordings of exceptional quality.

"I'm truly amazed and flattered that anybody is still interested in the Fifth Order after all these years," says Bill Carroll, lead singer of the band from its beginning to the end. Bill now lives in California, as a regular, anonymous middle-aged guy and enjoys his life as a husband and father. He reminisces about the old days: "I had the greatest adolescence that a guy could have. My own car, money in my pockets, everybody knew who I was and I had more girls than any guy should have in a lifetime. It was a major blast!"

Jim Hilditch, the Fifth Order's lead guitarist, describes the heyday of the band in a similar way. "Life at that point was great. What a way to go through high school! Needless to say we had more girls than we could handle and it was surprising to figure out that you can make money too." As with most local '60s bands, the Fifth Order got started mostly for kicks. Billy Carrol, an aspiring drummer, met guitar player Jim Hilditch in 1963. Both were 14 or 15 years old and went to the same junior high. There was no real talk about putting a band together until February 7th, 1964, when the two saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. "After that, all hell broke loose," says Bill of this defining moment for a generation of teens. "We knew we wanted to do what those guys were doing."

Bill and Jim found two guys from another junior high with similar ideas, and the first incarnation of the band was in place: Jim Hilditch (lead guitar), Mike Berand (bass guitar/vocals), Gary Steger (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Billy Carroll (drums/lead vocals). They named themselves the Electras, after the popular Buick sedan of the period.

The four started practising, alternately in Billy's living room or Jim's basement, where they quickly graduated from no-frills instrumental workouts to British Invasion-style vocal tunes. They improved rapidly, and in short order were ready to play out. The young band appeared at school events, weekend dances and private parties. The kids dug their sound, so the band kept rehearsing, and played as many gigs as they could. It wasn't long before they cultivated a loyal following.

It got to the point where they found themselves performing weekend engagements all over the state - "Much to the consternation of our parents", laughs Bill. Word about the new group spread, popularity grew and the first manager, Mike Leonard, came - and went. But before getting fired, Leonard introduced the band to Dick Murgatroyd and Jack Sender.

Dick was the producer and director of the popular local TV show Dance Party; Jack, a 22-year-old college student and songwriter, worked for the same program as a floor director. "I met the band at WLW-C TV4 in Columbus for the first time," he remembers. "Mike and Dick Murgatroyd got me involved. Dick was always trying to help everyone." While Dick became the Electra's manager, Jack Sender turned out to be the perfect songwriter for the band, coming up with a number of tailor-made songs for the boys.

Around this time the Electras had to reorganize themselves into a new band. "I always felt a little restricted being behind the drums and trying to do almost all of the singing. So we decided to bring me out front full time," says Bill. Mike Berand left, because his parents felt the band was taking too much time away from his schoolwork.

Jeff Johnson, another school chum, came in to play bass and Mike "Muff" Comfort replaced Billy on the drums. Jack Sender has another reason why Billy should have been featured more as a vocalist, "On stage Billy was an animal that the girls loved - the crowds went nuts for him and the band." It was also Jack who suggested the name Fifth Order to the band - car names like "the Electras" were considered old hat.

The Fifth Order became regulars on the Saturday afternoon TV show Dance Party, hosted by Jerry Rasor. This led to more popularity, more gigs - and the first record. In late 1966, the band travelled to a studio in Louisville, Kentucky and recorded two Jack Sender compositions: Goin' Too Far and Walkin' Away. Dick Murgatroyd placed the master tapes with a Cincinnati label named Counterpart, run by Shad O'Shay. Upon release, the record exceeded all expectations - it made it to No. 1 in Columbus where it sat for about four weeks, and charted all over Ohio and the Midwest. Bob Harrington, the top DJ for local radio station WCOL, told Jack that the 18,000 copies the band sold on Goin' Too Far made it the biggest selling local single ever in Columbus.

Diamond Records licensed it for national release, giving the band airplay in other states, but they turned out to be the wrong partner for a national break. Another problem was the lack of promotional effort the band could provide. "We were all still in high school at that time," explains Bill. "There was no way our upper-middle-class parents were going to let us quit school at 16 and 17 to wander around on the road all the time. This made it difficult to go out and push a record. So we really banged it only during the vacation breaks."

Shortly after the release of the record another line-up change occurred. Gary Steger left and Jeff Fenholt came in. "Billy and I saw Jeff play at a gig one night and flipped over his voice", recollects Jim Hilditch. "We approached Jeff and asked him to join the Fifth Order and, after a couple of days, he agreed. Jeff played guitar better than Gary and had a killer voice." Bill confirms this point of view. "Gary was a good guy, but Jeff really took the band to another level. He and I harmonized really well." The band now played the Dance Party show every three weeks and was busy working the local and regional live circuit with other local groups like the Dantes or the Grayps.

In the spring of 1967, it was time to release another 45. The group went again to Ray Allen's studio in Louisville and recorded a total of five Jack Sender songs: Bonfire, I Was A Fool, The Moment I Saw You, Today I Got A Letter and A Thousand Devils. The latter two were chosen as having the most hit-potential for the second single - although it has to be said that they are all terrific examples of mid-60s folk-rock, and any of the others would probably have served just as well.

Upon hearing the final product, Jack found that the recordings had been… "tweaked" somewhat. "The original version of Today I Got A Letter we recorded is 2:17 in length, the 45 version instead runs 2:30, and begins with a chorus instead of a guitar opener." How's that? Jack believes that it was done by Ray Allen in conjunction with the label. Something similar happened to The Moment I Saw You, which features a mysterious harmonica that wasn't part of the

In any event, the 45 did extremely well throughout the region as before, hitting the top spot on most of the local charts. While Bill says that it sold as strongly as the first 45 locally, Jim Hilditch thinks it sold even more; but no one's really sure. "There was so much about the business dealings that I was not privy to or wouldn't have understood if I was," explains Bill, "You have to remember that this whole thing started as a group of young guys just looking for fun and girls. All that arcane stuff and minutiae I never paid real attention to. It might have gotten in the way of my good time!"

This time, the influential Laurie label picked up the single for national release. Unluckily, it only managed to reach "bubbling under" status. Bill believes that Laurie didn't put much promotional effort into the release. "I think their attitude was 'it's a regional hit, let's pick it up cheap and see what happens. If it hits, it hits. If it doesn't, we're not out much. No harm, no foul'". The record's success certainly did boost the band's local reputation and bankability.

As Jim reflects, "We didn't play with any national acts until after the second record. Then we played with the Four Tops, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Neil Diamond and Question Mark & The Mysterians. We played gigs as far as Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Maryland. Also TV shows in Chicago and Baltimore. Later we appeared on Upbeat in Cleveland, a nationally broadcasted show."

There was talk about doing another single for Laurie Records, but by then it seemed the band had pretty much run its course. Bill puts it this way: "The less serious of us wanted to chuck it in and go off to college. I was pretty hardcore and wanted to keep going. Anyway, the band kinda faded away in late '67, early '68". Jim agrees. "At one point we simply let it go. I wanted to have people remember the band the way it had been, instead of trying to keep it going with different players. There was a certain chemistry with all the guys in the Fifth Order. We clicked; we had our own style and sound. By changing one person, that would have changed the band."

In 1968 Counterpart Records came out with a third, now very rare and virtually unknown 45 of two earlier recordings: I Was A Fool b/w The Moment I Saw You. This happened after the Fifth Order had already split and without anybody's knowledge. Very few copies were pressed. And like the band, they quietly disappeared.

The ex-members went their separate ways. Billy and Jeff Fenholt were the only ones to continue in the rock business as musicians. Due to serious vocal chord problems that didn't clear up, Billy returned to the drums. He moved to California where he played in a number of rock bands until the '80s. Today he lives with his family in Los Angeles. Jeff Fenholt moved to Broadway and performed in the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar; he subsequently joined a later incarnation of Black Sabbath.

Today he runs a Christian TV show on TBS. Jim Hilditch went to college and returned to the music business as a manufacturers' representative, first for Gibson Guitar Co., then for Akai Musical Instruments. He's currently with the Fender Guitar Co. The traces of all other members are lost in the ether. But the Fifth Order were never entirely forgotten, and today we celebrate them for their brilliant songs and superb performances - gathered together for the first time!

CD Liner-Notes

Tracks

1. Goin? Too Far - 2:44

2. Walkin? Away - 2:48

3. A Thousand Devils (Are Chasin` Me) - 2:15

4. Today (I Got A Letter) - 2:33

5. I Was A Fool - 2:30

6. The Moment I Saw You - 2:16

7. Today I Got A Letter - 2:18

8. Bon Fire - 2:12

9. Follow Like The Wind - 2:37

10.Little Black Egg (Chuck Conlon) - 2:43

11.Walkin? Away (Demo version) - 3:01

12.I Was A Fool (Demo version) - 2:35

13.Medley: Hit The Road Jack/Sixteen Tons (Merle Travis, Percy Mayfield) - 6:56

All songs written by Jack Sender except where indicated

The Fifth Order

*Jim Hilditch - Lead Guitar 

*Jeff Johnson - Bass Guitar, Vocals 

*Gary Steger - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals (Tracks 1-2)

*Billy Carroll - Lead Vocals 

*Jeff Fenholt - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals (Tracks 3-13)

*Mike "Muff" Comfort - Drums

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The Barbarians - Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl (1965 us, cool garage rock with one-handed drummer!)

Formed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1963, The Barbarians got their big break in 1964, when they scored a slot on the T.A.M.I. Show. The band's barbaric, nonconformist image was a big part of their appeal. They grew their hair longer than most of their contemporaries and wore leather sandals instead of Beatle boots. And then there was their drummer Moulty, who had a hook for a left hand.

Deciding to capitalize on Moulty's disability, The Barbarians' producer, Doug Morris, talked our hook handed hero into recording this "autobiographical" soliloquy in early '66 using Dylan's group, The Hawks (aka The Band), as accompanists. The song's simple message - never give up no matter what the odds - was sincere enough, and it tugged enough heart strings to become a minor hit. But the single was an embarrassment for the group. Moulty was so furious when he found out that the track had been released that he flew straight to New York and chased the president of Laurie Records around his office, breaking copies of the single over his head. Not surprisingly, the band parted company with the label soon afterwards.
--Richard Patterson

The song "Moulty" from the 1966 Barbarians single "Moulty"/"I'll Keep On Seeing You" (Laurie 3326) was added to the songs from the original LP on the CD re-release of this Barbarians album. In interviews with members of the Barbarians, they claim that the Hawks (minus the departed Levon Helm) played on the track "Moulty". This has later been confirmed by the Barbarians' one-handed drummer Victor "Moulty" Moulton, through his friend, artist and producer Joe Viglione (who in 1998 released the compilation Boston Rock and Roll Anthology #20 on his own label Varulven Records, with two previously unreleased tracks credited to Moulty & the Barbarians.)

Tracks
1. Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl - (Jeff Morris, Doug Morris) 2:17
2. Mr. Tambourine Man - (Bob Dylan) 2:12
3. House of the Rising Sun (Traditional) - 2:48
4. Maria Elena - (Russell-Barcheleta) 2:23
5. Bo Diddley - (Ellis McDaniel) 3:11
6. Memphis - (Chuck Berry) 2:31
7. What the New Breed Say - (Doug Morris) 2:13
8. Take It or Leave It - (Clark, Morris) 2:45
9. I'll Keep on Seeing You - (Marecsa, Morris) 2:29
10.Linguica - 1:34
11.Susie-Q - (Broadwater, Hawkins, Lewis) 1:47
12I've Got a Woman - (Ray Charles) 3:16
13.Moulty - (Greenberg, Morris, Baer, Schwartz) 2:33
14.Hey Little Bird - (Kaye) 2:24
15.You've Got to Understand - (Goehring, Kuntz) 2:08

The Barbarians
* Bruce Benson - Guitar, Vocals
* Jerry Causi - Lead Vocals, Bass
* Victor Moulton - Drums, Vocals
* Jeff Morris - Guitar, Vocals

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Iggy and The Stooges - Raw Power (1973 us, 2010 legacy edition, double disc with ureleased material)

To even hear the rhythm section on co-producer David Bowie's 1973 mix of Raw Power, you need to crank the volume until it feels like James Williamson's reckless guitar leads are piercing your skull. That's the vicious beauty of it. A 1997 reissue of the album experimented with a thicker, less dynamic mix; this new version reinstates Bowie's trebly, off-kilter production while adding clarity and heft the original LP lacked. Finally, the third and most brutal album from these Detroit legends gets both the rawness and the power it deserves.

Iggy Pop delivers these desperate anthems as if he's lived every self-mythologizing line. "I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb," he rants in "Search and Destroy," embodying glam rock's theatricality while dumping its affectations. New band member Williamson, along with bassist Ron Asheton and drummer brother Scott Asheton, flail in a synchronized wallop that almost single-handedly invented punk. This new deluxe edition adds an equally unhinged 1973 Atlanta performance with confrontational banter and previously unreleased spasms like "Cock in My Pocket".  Every addition adds insight to a band literally addicted to danger.
by Barry Walters

Disc One
1. Search And Destroy
2. Gimme Danger
3. Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell
4. Penetration
5. Raw Power
6. I Need Somebody
7. Shake Appeal
8. Death Trip

Disc Two
1. Introduction (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
2. Raw Power (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
3. Head On (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
4. Gimme Danger (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
5. Search And Destroy (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
6. I Need Somebody (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
7. Heavy Liquid (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
8. Cock In My Pocket (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
9. Open Up And Bleed (Live At Richards, Atlanta, GA – October 1973)
10. Doojiman (Outtake from the session for \’Raw Power\’)
11. Head On (Rehearsal Performance from CBS Studios rehearsal tape)

The Stooges
*Iggy Pop - Vocals
*James Williamson - Guitars
*Ron Asheton - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Scott Asheton - Drums

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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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