Painted Faces - Anxious Color (1967-68 us, significant garage psych rock)

The original band consisted of Jack O'Neill (vocals), Jerry Turano (lead guitar), Harry Bragg (drums), John McKinney (rhythm guitar) and Craig Guild (bass). This line-up recorded some demos in late ±966 at Qualicon Studios in Naples, Florida which consisted of a Crown 2- track recorder in a garage. Before their first single was released, Craig Guild left and John McKinney switched to bass. "Things We See" / "I Want You" was released April '67 on Qualicon Records which was owned by producer Walter Fredrickson who had connections with Mike Curb of Sidewalk Productions.

Through the Curb/Sidewalk connection, the group signed with Manhattan Records which was run by Curb's publishing company Mirby Music. Their first -45 on Manhattan, "Anxious Color" was a big hit in Florida for ±4 weeks in a row, reaching #± on some local stations. After this single was released, George Schule was brought in as the new bass player and John McKinney switched back to rhythm guitar. With this line-up the band recorded an even better follow-up single, "I Lost You In My Mind" / "I Think I'm Going Mad".

Unfortunately, the record company was getting negative feedback from DJ's complaining of the drug-like references from the two singles . Therefore, "I Lost You In My Mind" and their last single "Don't Say She's Gone" never got off the ground except in Florida where the group was based. Painted Faces began getting better gigs and were often traveling to New York City which didn't go over well with the parents of Jerry Turano and John McKinney who were pressured to leave the band to pursue careers outside of music.

They were replaced by numerous musicians but the nucleus of the band remained Jack O'Neill, George Schule and Harry Bragg. The group became very popular in Greenwich Village area clubs such as Cafe Wha? whose manager sent them to a club called The Jet Set in Puerto Rico for ±2 weeks. From here they got a gig in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands at a club on Creque Alley where The Mamas & Papas used to perform.

Upon returning to playing gigs in NYC, local New Jersey band The Critters wanted to record a new Painted Faces song, "Girl, You're Growing Up" but they decided to record it themselves for their new single on Sidewalk which never came out. It was around this time that the group recorded an entire LP to be released as a budget LP on Sidewalk. With cover tunes like "The Letter", "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Incense & Peppermints", this LP never got beyond the acetate stage.

However, this album may have come out as part of the masses of unknown Sidewalk or Tower albums undiscovered to this day! By 1968 the Painted Faces recorded some of their finest originals such as "Hard Life", "Lady", "Black Hearted Susan" and their own arrangement of "Play With Fire" done in 7/4 time. They even recorded a few Bee Gees tunes including "Birdie Told Me" which was supposed to be released as a single in the summer of '68.

Like countless other American 60's bands, the Vietnam War led to the ultimate demise of the group as the drummer Harry Bragg was drafted and had to fight for Uncle Sam. Without their long time drummer, the group faded into obscurity until some of their songs began to appear on various garage compilations in the early 80's.

This led to an entire new generation of Painted Faces fans who were captivated by their originality and superior songwriting ability. Thankfully, for fans old and new, their music has been preserved on this much deserved disc. Though there is some noticeable surface noise due to old acetates and lack of master tapes, the music itself has survived the test of time which is all that matters.... 

David L. Brown

Tracks
1. Anxious Color  (O'Neill, Turano) - 2:32
2. Want You  (Ron Elliot) - 3:03
3. Things We See  (O'Neill, Turano) - 2:07
4. She Don't Care About Time  (Gene Clark) - 2:21
5.1 Can't Wait  (O'Neill, Turano) - 2:12
6. Can't Stop Lovin' You  (Lombardo, Byrnes) -  2:25
7.1 Lost You In My Mind  (Schule, Turano) - 2:18
8.1 Think I'm Going Mad  (O'Neill, Turano) - 2:13
9. Don't Say She's Gone  (O'Neill, Turano) - 2:08
10. Girl, You're Growing Up  (O'Neill, Schule) - 2:15
11. Hard Life  (O'Neill, Schule) - 2:22
12. Incense & Peppermints  (Carter, Gilbert) - 2:26
13. Play With Fire  (Jagger, Jones, Richards, Watts, Wyman) - 2:59
14. Lady  (O'Neill, Schule) - 2:46
15. Black Hearted Susan  (O'Neill, Schule) - 3:42
16. Birdie told Me  (B. Gibb, R. Gibb, M. Gibb) - 2:33
17.1 Can't See Nobody  (B.Gibb, R. Gibb) - 3:41
18. Lonely People  (George Schule) - 2:20
19.1 Think Of You  (Schule, Turano) - 2:54
20. If You Go Away  (George Schule) - 1:57
21. And Now She Knows  (Schule, Turano) - 2:42
22. Close Your Mind  (George Schule) - 3:03
23. To Love Somebody (Bee Gees) - 3:09
24. Look Away (Spencer Davis) - 2:37
25. Good Day Sunshine (Beatles) - 2:08
26. Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore (Rascals) - 2:42
27. One Minute Woman (Bee Gees) - 2:17
28. A Day In The Life (Lennon) - 5:10
Tracks 23-28 Live recordings

Painted Faces
*Jack O'Neill - Vocals
*Craig Guild - Bass
*John McKinney - Bass
*Bruce Morford - Bass
*George Schule - Bass
*Jerry Turano - Guitar
*Harry Bragg - Drums
*George Ayers - Guitar
*Jack Ross - Guitar
*Tony Yadouga - Guitar
* Danny Toriello - Organ

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The New Race - The First And The Last (1981 us/aussie, total energy raw rock 'n roll, with Stooges, MC5 and Radio Birdman members, bonus tracks edition)

This album earned credibility for documenting a unique, one-off event. In 1981, ex-Radio Birdman bassist Warwick Gilbert, guitarist Deniz Tek, and vocalist Rob Younger saluted their influences by joining the Stooges' lead guitarist Ron Asheton and MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson for a six-week blitzkrieg of Australia. 

The notion made sense, since Radio Birdman had been acclaimed on their Australian home turf yet relegated to cult fodder elsewhere, while the MC5 and the Stooges had never been commercial propositions either. Still, once listeners pass the "punk summit" angle used in promoting the album, they'll find the fruits of this alliance impressive enough to warrant further exploration. 

Not surprisingly, there's strangled, slash-and-burn guitar playing aplenty on burners like "November 22, 1963," a conspiratorial recall of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. This track, by Asheton's major post-Stooges outlet, Destroy All Monsters, would undoubtedly win filmmaker Oliver Stone's approval. Tek's "Descent into the Maelstrom" and "Haunted Road" open similar forays into the fretboard jungle, while the Gilbert-Thompson axis never lets up, especially on the drummer's MC5 standard "Gotta Keep Movin'." 

As these choices show, the set draws evenly from across the board, with "Looking at You" nodding again, respectively, to the MC5 and the Stooges. Tek's moodier songs, "Breaks My Heart" and "Sad TV," inject variety into the proceedings, while time constraints only permitted one new song to emerge: "Columbia," whose propulsive riff and atypical space-travel theme closes the album on a powerful, decisive note. 

Strategically overdubbed backing vocals and guitar on three songs, which offers historical value from a one-off event that never occurred again. Tek's terse yet engaging liner notes aptly sum up the exercise: "Humor beats bitterness every time." It's hard to disagree when the evidence is this powerful. 

by Ralph Heibutzki

New Race was meant from the beginning to be a one-off project since all members had other commitments. They did a national tour of Australia in 1981, and recorded a live album, The First and the Last. The music was hard, fast rock in the style of the parent bands. Everyone involved had a great time on tour. The shows were packed with crazed punters.

New Race was an exciting line-up which featured Detroit legends Ron Asheton (Stooges) on guitar, Dennis Thompson (MC5) on the drums together with 3 ex Radio Birdman players, Deniz on guitar, Rob Younger on vocals and Warwick Gilbert on bass. They played a set of songs derived from The Stooges, MC5, Radio Birdman, the members current bands and one new song written jointly for the tour, Columbia. Chris Masuak guested at some shows, creating a monstrous three guitar version of the MC5's Looking At You.

Miscommunications and financial troubles later poisoned the waters for years to come, especially between Ron Asheton and tour/album financier Michael McMartin. Asheton released cassettes of shows to French label Revenge for the First to Pay album. The irony of the name of both the company and the album was not lost on Ron. Fortunately this did not affect relations between most of the band members, most of whom remain close friends to this day.

Of course, the Revenge releases feature the original vocal, which is felt by many to be superior in feeling and intensity to the overdubbed version. Never happy with his vocals, Rob had redone these in the studio for the album though the rest of it is truly live.

Denis Tek - Home Page

Tracks

1. Crying Sun (Warwick Gilbert, Deniz Tek) - 3:02

2. Haunted Road (Deniz Tek) - 3:46

3. Gotta Keep Movin' (Dennis Thompson) - 3:18

4. Breaks My Heart (Deniz Tek) - 3:10

5. Sad TV (Deniz Tek) - 4:08

6. Loose (Iggy Pop, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Dave Alexander) - 3:09

7. November 22, 1963 (Ron Asheton, Lynn "Niagra" Rovner) - 5:20

8. Love Kills (Deniz Tek) - 3:51

9. Alone In The Endzone (Deniz Tek) - 2:09

10.Descent Into The Malestrom (Deniz Tek) - 4:19

11.Looking At You (Rob Tyner, Fred Smith, Michael Davis, Dennis Thompson, Wayne Kramer) - 7:03

12.Columbia (Ron Asheton, Warwick Gilbert, Deniz Tek, Dennis Thompson, Rob Younger) - 4:56

The New Race
*Ron Asheton - Guitar
*Warwick Gilbert - Bass
*Deniz Tek - Guitar, Vocals
*Dennis Thompson - Drums, Vocals
*Rob Younger - Lead Vocals
With
*Clyde Bramley - Vocals
*Pip Hoyle - Piano
*Chris Masuak - Guitar

Similar releases
1976-87  Various Artists - Do The Pop

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James Gang - Yer' Album (1969 us, classic rock, awesome debut album, japan SHM remaster)

The James Gang's debut LP, Yer' Album, was very much a first record and very much a record of its time. The heavy rock scene of the period was given to extensive jamming, and four tracks ran more than six minutes each. The group had written some material, but they were still something of a cover band, and the disc included their extended workouts on Buffalo Springfield's "Bluebird" and the Yardbirds' "Lost Woman," the latter a nine-minute version complete with lengthy guitar, bass, and drum solos. 

But in addition to the blues rock there were also touches of pop and progressive rock, mostly from Walsh who displayed a nascent sense of melody, not to mention some of the taste for being a cutup that he would display in his solo career. Walsh's "Take a Look Around" must have made an impression on Pete Townshend during the period before the album's release when the James Gang was opening for the Who since Townshend borrowed it for the music he was writing for the abortive Lifehouse follow-up to Tommy. 

If "Wrapcity (i.e., Rhapsody) in English," a minute-long piano and strings interlude, seems incongruous in retrospect, recall that this was an eclectic era. But the otherwise promising "Fred," which followed, broke down into a pedestrian jazz routine, suggesting that the band was trying to cram too many influences onto one record and sometimes into one song. 

Nevertheless, they were talented improvisers, as the open-ended album closer, Jerry Ragavoy and Mort Shuman's "Stop," made clear. After ten minutes, Szymczyk faded the track out, but Walsh was still going strong. Yer' Album contained much to suggest that the James Gang, in particular its guitarist, had a great future, even if it was more an album of performances than compositions. 

by William Ruhlmann

Tracks
   1. Introduction (Bert de Coteaux, Jim Fox, Bill Szymczyk) - 0:40
   2. Take a Look Around (Joe Walsh) - 6:18
   3. Funk #48 (Jim Fox, Tom Kriss, Joe Walsh) - 2:46
   4. Bluebird (Stephen Stills) - 6:02
   5. Lost Woman (Jeff Beck, Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith) - 9:06
   6. Stone Rap (Jim Fox, Tom Kriss, Bill Szymczyk, Joe Walsh) - 1:00
   7. Collage (Patrick Cullie, Joe Walsh) - 4:02
   8. I Don't Have the Time (Jim Fox, Joe Walsh) - 2:49
   9. Wrapcity in English (Joe Walsh) - 0:57
  10. Fred (Joe Walsh) - 4:09
  11. Stop (Jerry Ragovoy, Mort Shuman) - 12:04

The James Gang
* Joe Walsh - Guitars, Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
* Tom Kriss - Bass Guitar, Flute, Vibraphone, Vocals
* Jim Fox - Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals

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Keef Hartley Band - The Battle Of North West Six (1969 uk, amazing blues rock with jazzy mood, 2008 remaster)

In the late sixties, record companies such as Decca, EMI and Pye were all controlled by very old men. They had a combined age of 493 and were used to producing very unrock & roll artists like Norrie Paramor, Max Bygraves and Geoff Love (Manuel and his Music of the Mountains)! And Dick Rowe bless him, well enough said! The only one around with any great sense of vision was George Martin - he brought us the Goons – a great big breath of life in a growing schoolboy and, of course, that famous Liverpool quartet! 

Most of the traditional record companies were losing the plot; technology was going faster than their afterdinner brandies in the boardroom. I'd been working with several different producers and engineers in different studios as a session man. Regardless of what these major companies thought they were doing, it had become obvious to me that studio technology had left them behind and their pedigree, based on the fact that they had been around since the beginning of time, was not enough to convince anyone wanting more out of a recording studio than Max Bygraves! So enter the likes of Chris Blackwell and Terry Ellis and they realised, hang on a minute, we'll not only form our own label but we'll also invest in the latest studio technology. 

Between 1966 and 1970 I worked sessions in those studios and realised that their technology far outstripped that in the studios of Decca, Pye, EMI etc. Why should I bother with Decca who had no imagination - at the moment, at any rate, they couldn't see beyond Mantovani. Due to the impact of Halfbreed that contractually was only supposed to be a one off, Decca thought we'd better tie this guy up for more. I was offered an eight album deal but I said, look if you want that kind of commitment from me, I need better facilities, in other words I would like to use outside studios. George Martin had done it with Air Studios; Chrysalis had done it with their own studios so I didn't want to settle for less. 

Decca's 'new' studio was equipped with WWII surplus electronic equipment salvaged from Lancaster bombers or at-least it seemed that way to me! But, unfortunately and reluctantly I was forced to record the second album at Dacca's No.1 Studio but, as luck would have it, recording up in No.2 Studio was John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers with Mike Vernon as producer and Gus Dudgeon as engineer! We spent more time running up and down those stairs during the recording of The Battle of North West Six than we did recording the album as I had to take advice from Gus on the engineering problems we were having downstairs and he would say to our engineer Derek Varnels, "Listen Derek, throw away the book and the training manual - forget Mantovani - that way of recording doesn't exist anymore.

I couldn't get round Decca's edict regarding the studio operations but I worked around it by taking matters into my own hands and saying, "Sod the vu meters and the levels", I just wanted to use my ears to get the balance right. I was using brass players who were involved in the track just as much as drums or guitar and it was important to hear them at the appropriate times. So we got on with the work of producing the second album after the success of Halfbreed, but this time without the same restraints and the battle commenced. The all round fight was just about the lack of technology with Decca and not about the music. 

The album title was born from that fight (Decca studios being based at West Hampstead, London NW6) and "The Battle of North West Six" it was to be! Looking at the song writing credits, the name of 'Hewitson' appears on most tracks along with many others in the band. This was a Miller Anderson pseudonym, or to be more accurate, an allonym used for contractual reasons at the time, Hewitson being his wife's maiden name! The song writing was approached in several ways but ended up being by committee in most cases. 

More often than not Miller would come up with an idea or a sequence and Henry, Ian, Gary and myself would toss around ideas and fine tune them to the extent that Henry could then arrange the horn parts for the rest of the brass section. So everything was done within the band without the need to farm out the arranging to a third party. At the time of making this album I was sharing a flat with Bluesbreaker and band mate, Mick Taylor. He popped along to the studio whilst we were putting down the track 'Waiting Around' and he picked up a guitar and the track developed into a marathon as Henry Lowther and Harry Beckett went along for the ride at the end of the track; just pure inspiration. Another player on the album was Barbara Thompson, wife of Jon Hiseman; she was a great flautist (listen to Hickory). 

Lyn Dobson was a really versatile player – he could fit in to a section wonderfully and yet his soloing was just amazing - the two don't always go hand in hand in a band. In fact I was blessed with great players on all my albums and with the calibre of musicians such as Chris Mercer, Jim Jewell and Mick Weaver, how could you go wrong? Ian Cruickshank's guitar intro on the track 'Poor Mabel (You're Just Like Me)' is a great example of his inventiveness and a looped sample of this riff appears from time to time on TV programmes like 'Flog It' and adverts! As far as drums were concerned I was just the catalyst, driving the rhythm section along with Gary Thain. Gary had a great talent and died at far too young an age. 

The reason we recorded the only cover on the album, Albert King's 'Me and My Woman' was to feature Gary's bass line which drove the track along beautifully. With fourteen musicians to organise and all of the technical toing and froing it's amazing to think that the whole album was recorded in just a two-week period!

by Keef Hartley, March 2008

Tracks
1. The Dansette Kid / Hartley Jam for Bread (Fiona Hewitson, Spit James, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 3:59
2. Don't Give Up (Fiona Hewitson, Spit James, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 4:07
3. Me And My Woman (Gene Barge) - 4:24
4. Hickory (Fiona Hewitson, Spit James, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 2:45
5. Don't Be Afraid (Fiona Hewitson, Spit James, Keef Hartley, Dino Dines, Gary Thain)- 4:25
6. Not Foolish, Not Wise (Fiona Hewitson, Spit James, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 3:56
7. Waiting Around (Fiona Hewitson, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 2:29

8. Tadpole (Fiona Hewitson, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 7:00
9. Poor Mabel (You're Just Like Me) (Fiona Hewitson, Spit James, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 3:08
10.Believe In You (Fiona Hewitson, Keef Hartley, Gary Thain) - 5:23

Keef Hartley Band
*Keef Hartley - Drums, Percussion
*Miller Anderson - Vocal, Guitars
*Henry Lowther - Trumpet, Fluegelhorn, Violin
*Jim Jewell - Tenor Saxophone
*Gary Thain - Bass Guitar
Additional Musicians
*Mike Davis - Trumpet
*Harry Beckett - Trumpet, Fluegelhorn
*Lynn Dobson - Tenor Saxophone, Flute
*Chris Mercer - Tenor Saxophone
*Barbara Thompson - Baritone Saxophone, Flute
*Spit James - Guitar
*Ray Warleigh - Flute
*Mick Weaver - Organ, Piano, Percussions
*Mick Taylor - Guitar

Keef Hartley's brands
1968-72  Not Foolish Not Wis
1969  Halfbreed (2008 Esoteric)
1970  Overdog (2005 Eclectic)
1971  Little Big Band
1972  Lancashire Hustler (2008 Esoteric)

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Estes Brothers - Transitions (1971 us, stunning underground hard psych blues rock, 2002 bonus tracks remaster)

A long time in coming, but well worth the wait. This album contains the first efforts of a group that has endured all the changes of the fast changing music scene. I personally feel they have made all the necessary transitions. Not only does the album contain beautiful slow type ballads, but it moves easily into hard rock in grand fashion. 

Each member of the "Estes Brothers" puts forth fantastic energy and drive into each number and everyone gets his own style across in the last cut of side two. Lead guitarist, John Estes, and drummer, Joe Estes, have been together for as long as two brothers can be. Don Smith and Bill Marren have both paid their dues in different groups. We hope you take the album, relax, and get right into the music. 

Share it with a friend! I feel this is only the beginning of some great music that we'll be hearing from the "Estes Brothers." Anyone lucky enough to have heard the group perform will notice a definite change in their live music. This is an indication of the varied talents each member possesses. In this, their first album, each of them has one of his own original numbers included. 

This is advantageous as they do not depend solely upon one member for their material. Is it any wonder,with this type of attutide and talent, fame is predicted for the "Estes Brothers!"

by Milan R. Relic

The Estes Brothers are from a family of 7 brothers and 5 sisters. The beginning of Estes Bros, was late Bro. Bill on vocals and harmonica. Jerry keyboards, John guitar and late Bro. Joe on drums with Richard managing the band in 1966. 

From 1966 till present there has been 38 different members and numerous styles of music, but always leading back to Blues and Rock. At present, the band line up is Jerry as original member on keyboards and bass. John also original member on guitar. Jerry's son Brian, on drums and vocals, and our great friend and guitarist Dennis Caldweall. When the album was done Jerry was in the army from 1969-71, but recorded on Tomorrows Sunlight/ Yesterdays Blues. Joe was 14. Jerry 15 and John 18, Fred Hanker played bass - the recording took 3 hrs! We wrote the songs on the way to the studio. 

The album cost 500 Dollars to record and we only had 1 song written plus at that time Bill Marren had about 3 songs. It took 8 hrs of Jamming and partying. Only one song "Wooden Thoughts" was rehearsed, and 100 demo copies were made.

Tracks
1. Never Coming Down (Bill Marren) - 3:34
2. This Morning (Bill Marren) - 9:22
3. Wooden Thoughts (Don Smith) - 4:54
4. Do What Is Real (Joe Estes) - 5:19
5. Let Me Live My Own Life (Bill Marren) - 6:10
6. Gary's Thought (John Estes) - 6:02
7. Tomorrow's Sunlight (Joe Estes) - 2:14
8. On The Wings Of A Butterfly - 3:45
9. Love Is All I Need - 4:04
10.Tomorrow's Sunlight - 2:46
11.Wooden Thoughts (Don Smith) - 4:54

12.All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - 6:39
13.Blue Skies - 4:05
14.Woman - 6:22

Tracks 1-6 were recorded at Edcom Productions, Cleveland, 1971 

Tracks 8-11 were recorded live

Tracks 12-14 were recorded at home

Estes Brothers
*Don Smith - Bass Guitar
*Bill Marren - Piano, Vocals
*John Estes - Lead Guitar
*Joe Estes - Drums. Vocals

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Deep Feeling - Pretty Colours (1966-68 uk, marvelous psychedelic mod beat with Jim Capaldi, Luther Grosvenor, Poli Palmer and Gordon Jackson)

Formed from the ashes of beat band The Hellions in 1966, the short-lived Deep Feeling were one of most adventurous bands of their time.  Featuring Jim Capaldi (Traffic), Luther Grosvenor (Spooky Tooth, Mott the Hoople) Poli Palmer (Blossom Toes, Family), Gordon Jackson (later to make a classic solo LP) and Dave Meredith they wowed London audiences with their audacious brand of exotic proto-psychedelia, even backing Jimi Hendrix at his first UK gig. Tragically however, Capaldi departed to form Traffic during the sessions for their debut album (produced by former Yardbirds and Rolling Stones manager Giorgio Gomelsky) and the tapes were shelved.....until now.

The remarkable tracks make their first-ever appearance here together with demos made by Poli palmer and Gordon Jackson in 1967 and a song featuring the duo backed by The Blossom Toes.  The CD which is available from www.sunbeamrecords.com/ comes with a 12 page packed booklet with detailed reminiscences from  Jim Capaldi, Gordon Jackson and Giorgio Gomelsky amongst others together with rare photographs.

Gordon Jackson said:
“Hi, it is so nice to eventually put this album out, though it seems so long ago. I had kept copies on two track tapes of these songs in a cardboard box for 40 years. They survived a flood, storage in a shed and some had been over recorded on a quarter track machine when tape was needed for other songs. Poli Palmer did miracles getting the quality we have, which is not brilliant, but the atmosphere is preserved.

The original masters were dumped when Marmalade folded and I had taken home rough mix copies of the unfinished recordings. The originals were of course recorded by Giorgio Gomelsky. On the Sunbeam re-release Poli and I selected what was in any way useable and Poli worked on the quality. He had to deal with stretched tape, had to edit and chop to fill gaps which were faded or missing. ‘Spell on you’ was from two different recordings, one from the Hellions with Dave Mason on guitar, and the other with Deep Feeling and Luther.

The five studio tracks were all recorded in a couple of sessions at Rymuse in London with Giorgio Gomelsky producing. Listening afresh again we are pleased with them. I think the band was hot at that time, we had been in France for five weeks playing every night. The songs are good and were ground breaking then, very Gothic and progressive. Jim's vocals were great and Luther has some shining moments. Poli's love for Dubussy and jazz, together with his skill on vibes and flute is obvious. My part was in the writing. I wrote the lyrics, and Poli, Jim and I put the songs together.

We all sang harmonies. We were all devastated when Jim announced he was leaving and we decided not to go on with Deep Feeling. Luther joined the VIP's then Spooky Tooth and later Stealers Wheel, Widowmaker, and Mott the Hoople. Poli and me did some song writing for a year before going our separate ways, he to Ecclection and Family, while I did my solo album 'Thinking Back'. We have included some demo's of a few songs on this album. Also a couple of live tracks - one recorded on my dads old reel to reel off an old radio when we did a session on Radio Free Europe, the other by someone at the Elbow Room in Birmingham.UK. Goodness knows on what, probably a reel to reel domestic tape recorder. I kept close contact with Jim right up to his death. I miss him greatly.”

Tracks
1. Pretty Colours (Jim Capaldi, Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:03
2. The Ruin (Jim Capaldi, Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:31
3. Chicken George (Jim Capaldi, Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 2:36
4. The Necessitarian (Jim Capaldi, Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:14
5. Or Something (Jim Capaldi, Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:36
6. I Put A Spell On You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins) - 2:30
7. Coming Home Baby (Ben Tucker, Bob Dorough) - 3:13
8. I Don't Know Her Too Well (Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:22
9. On The Circle Of Life (Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 4:05
10.To A Lady In Black (Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:41
11.Imaginations Of Alice (Gordon Jackson, John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:22
12.Blues For Witley (John "Poli" Palmer) - 3:48

Deep Feeling
*Jim Capaldi - Vocals, Drums
*Luther Grosvenor - Guitar, Vocals
*Gordon Jackson - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals,
*Dave Meredith - Bass
*John "Poli" Palmer - Drums, Flute, Vibes

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The Rare Breed - The Super K Kollection (1966-67 us, splendid garage beat psych)

When Jeffrey Katz and Jerry Kasenetz discovered The Rare Breed in a New York City club playing cover versions of other artists' hit records under the name "The Conquests", they were impressed enough with their tightness and versatility to take the aspiring stars into a recording studio to see if they cut the mustard on tape. 

These earliest sessions yielded seven or eight tracks, including "Mickey's Monkey", a Smokey Robinson & The Miracles song, which was a popular staple in the repertoires of Brooklyn/Long Island "white soul bands" such as The Young Rascals, The Rationals and dozens of others. Many of these groups remain unknown to the public at large and are largely forgotten by record collectors in general. 

The Rare Breed, though, were given a shot at success by Kasenetz and Katz, two extremely energetic young producers who already had a relative hit with Crazy Elephant's "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin" and an acknowledged smash with The Music Explosion's "Little Bit 0' Soul". The "Super K" team, who would spend days (and nights) at Southern Music and other publishers looking for the right song and the next potential hit, presented The Rare Breed with "Beg, Borrow And Steal". 

The record was clearly and humorously a knock-off ol "Louie, Louie", but it worked as a new record and Kasenetz and Katz, who released the single on their Attack label, felt they had a hit. There was a hitch: getting airplay in New York is tough. The two producers discovered that it was far easier to break a record in the midwest and their success with The Music Explosion (from Mansfield, Ohio) bore that out. The Brooklyn-based Rare Breed were now presented as an Ohio band, at least to the radio programmers in Dayton. Jeff and Jerry were correct in assuming a predisposition of radio stations to play songs by local artists.

After Jeff ( Katz ) and Jerry ( Kasenetz ) took the master, they found other people to make the tour). As evidenced by these archival tracks, the band was a sublime amalgam of The Beatles, The Seeds, The Zombies and The Ventures. Throw in a little Tony Orlando and Duprees schmaltz and you have it. This record sounds better now than it did in '67. It's interesting to note that "Beg, Borrow And Steal" was later released in a different version by a group Super K dubbed "The Ohio Express". (No one who made the original Rare Breed "Beg Borrow and Steal" played on any Ohio Express album). 

Their version of this record received far more attention and it is that version that most people are familiar with. Locating original copies of Rare Breed recordings is almost impossible. Most discographies do not document them, and even hardcore collectors didn't realize that this album existed-indeed a Rare Breed!

by Stephen Kaplan

Tracks
1. Beg, Borrow And Steal - 2:30
2. Lightning Doesn't Strike Twice - 2:40
3. Lonely Nights - 2:24
4. I Won't Be There - 2:00
5. Where Are You Going To - 2:38
6. All Alone - 2:02
7. Bad Girl - 2:22
8. City Girl - 2:14
9. Dark Nights And Mornings - 2:05
10.Mickey's Monkey - 2:19

The Rare Breed 
*Barry Stolnick - Keyboards
*John Freno - Vocals, Lead Guitar
*Alexander (Botts) Norbett - Bass
*Joel Feigenbaum - Rhythm Guitar
*Tony Cambria - Drums
*Jim Pfayler - Organ

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rep>>> Legend - Moonshine (1972 uk, third album, superb boogie rock, 2006 extra tracks limited issue)

Legend - Moonshine 1972 (Repertoire 2006)

Rain - Live Christmas Night (1971 us, powerful classic rock with hard blues shades, 2005 Radioactive release)

Rain formed in New York City, somewhere round 1970. Guitarist Helmut Getto and singer Bard Morse where mates in a previous band called The Invisible Sideshow, together with John Castronova, and Kit Nelson who where members also for N.Y. Rochsester's band called The Quirks, between 1964 to 1967.

Rain recorded and self-released this Live album from a concert Christmas night at the Mariner Hotel. The album did well and soon after their released the single "No Money", and went on to a studio to prepare their full lenght album, but i suppose it has been forgotten and lost in some drawer. 

Their sound is classic rock mixed with smokey blues rock,  featuring  knock-out rockers like “Billy Goat” and Chuck Berry’s “Tulane.”  The band toured regionally, and opened for bigger acts at the time like Nazareth and The Amboy Dukes.

Tracks

1. Tulane (Chuck Berry) - 3:42

2. Billy Goat (Tom Bittle) - 4:31

3. Boogie With Me Mama (Helmut Getto) - 5:28

4. C. C. Rider (Gertrude "Ma" Rainey) - 8:11

5. Movin' On (Hank Snow) - 7:00

6. Tater Pie (Sonny Terry) - 4:03

7. Built For Comfort (Willie Dixon) - 7:22

Rain
*Brad Morse - Vocals
*Helmut Getto - Guitar, Hawaiian Guitar
*Ted Paris - Bass
*Mich Guerin - Drums
*Gary Culotta - Piano

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Grapes Of Wrath - Grapes Of Wrath (1964-73 us, fine garage beat psych, Gear Fab issue)

The sixties were a very exciting time in history, and musically, a very magical time. When people think of the sixties, mod clothing, protest marches, long hair (though by today's standards hair was comparably short) and the British rock and roll invasion all come to mind. 

As a result of that invasion, rock and roll groups sprang up on every corner of every city large and small across the nation, and Phoenix was no exception. I remember it fondly, as I was one of the thousands of young boys who combed his hair forward in an effort to emulate John Lennon and Paul McCartney. So were Steve and Michael Whitehurst, Stuart Wood and Brent Burns. 

Collectively, we were the Grapes of Wrath, one of about a dozen of the more popular rock groups around Phoenix between 1964 and 1973. The material on this album is a very good representation of our direction as writers and sound as a unit. The Grapes were unique because of those Phoenix bands that were lucky enough to find themselves in a recording studio, we were one of the few that recorded primarily original material. 

We also had the advantage of regular access to professional recording gear at live performances, which we made use of frequently. As a result, there is a considerable collection of live and studio tapes available on the Grapes, some of which are represented on this album. 

by John Hesterman

Tracks
1. If Anyone Should Ask (Steve Whitehurst, Tony Bacak) - 2:35
2. Not A Man (Steve Whitehurst , Stuart Wood) - 2:46
3. Irene (Steve Whitehurst) - 2:13
4. Life's Not For Me (Only For You) (Steve Whitehurst, Stuart Wood) - 4:06
5. Have A Good Time On Me (Steve Whitehurst) - 2:34
6. Bawm Diddy (Wipe Out) (The Safaris, S. Whitehurst, M. Whitehurst, J. Hesterman, S. Wood) - 2:44
7. Makin' It Through ’71 (Steve Whitehurst) - 2:30
8. If You Leave Me (Steve Whitehurst, Brian Allan Black) - 2:51
9. I'm In Love With You (Brian Allan Black, Steve Whitehurst, Sheldon Skinkle) - 2:14
10.The Party's Over (Steve Whitehurst, John Hesterman) - 2:49
11.For Awhile (Steve Whitehurst, Brian Allan Black, John Hesterman) - 2:32
12.Shades Of Lillian White (Steve Whitehurst) - 2:47
13.If She Leaves Me (Steve Whitehurst, John Hesterman) - 4:25
14.Suicide (Steve Whitehurst) - 3:30

Grapes Of Wrath
*Steve Whitehurst - Drums, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Michael Whitehurst - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Stuart Wood - Bass, Vocals
*John Hesterman - Organ, Drums, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Vocals
*Brent Burns - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

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rep>>> Legend - Legend • Red Boot (1971 uk , roots rock, pub rock, 2005 bonus tracks edition)

Legend - Legend • Red Boot 1971 (Repertoire 2005)

Flat Earth Society - Waleeco And The Lost / Space Kids (1967-68 us, fantastic bosstown psychedelic rock including an audio fairy tale)

It's strange how sometimes art is created when you least suspect it. Take for example two innovative Sixties rock bands from Boston, Massachusetts, namely the Lost and The Flat Earth Society. Both groups were hired by prominent New England organizations to produce original music for commercial products. Specifically candy bars and cereal.

In the winter of 1968, the Boston advertising firm Quinn and Johnson contracted a young rock group from Lynn to produce both an album and a jingle for their client, the F. B. Washburn Candy Company. Inside each Waleeco candy bar that year was a mail order coupon that advertised the Flat Earth Society's "Stereo LP Record Album"for $1.50 and six candy bar wrappers.

This premium was marketed by Fleetwood Recording Studio in Revere and was released on their own custom label. Although it's unknown how many units actually sold it's an inevitable fact that in 1974 Fleetwood threw out scores of 25-count boxes of the LP in the dumpster. Luckily the mastertapes have survived and film that the agency shot of the band during a recording session still exist. The"Waleeco" jingle that graced the radio waves back then seems to have gone the way of the pterodactyl but fans should note that it was a sixty-second adaptation of Four & Twenty Miles.

Now for the first time, the "tru-fidelity" stereo mixes can be heard as they were originally intended. When the album was mastered back in 1968, the engineer destroyed the magnificient stereo imaging by blending the two sides together into a mono sound. As you'll immediately hear in this new digital transfer taken directly from the original 1 /4-inch mastertapes, many songs have the basic instrumental tracks on the left while the right channel has the music sent through the "infamous" Fleetwood plate reverb.

A dramatic use of stereo occurs halfway through the opening track Feelin' Much Better, in which a mysterious psychedelic whoosh (actually an aerosal can sprayed into a bucket) slowly pans from right to left and then back again. For better or worse,  imperfections in the crude equipment become obvious with the digital CD format. Overmodulated piano chords show up in the loud moments of Dark Street Downtown. In Satori, the dirt in the faders becomes alarmingly apparent while it was mostly masked by the limitations of the vinyl format (being the last track on a side which is known for having less-than-perfect sound also worked in their favor).

Dated hype on the album jacket notwithstanding, the Flat Earth Society masterfully present a truly eclectic body of work nothing short of brilliant. Devoid of the pitfalls and bad  reputation that the "Bosstown Sound" earned through the passage of time, Waleeco is the perfect period piece capturing a society in transition.

While Barry and the Remains were considering New England’s answer to the Beatles the Lost followed their footsteps of The Rolling Stones. Through never quite achieving sainthood as their friendly rivals did with help of Father Time, the Lost did manage to release three excellent singles for Capitol plus some startling unreleased material that will someday hopefully see the light of day.

Similiarily in 1967, Pat Hall, founder of Children's World Productions hired WGBH-TVs  award winning director Fred Barzyk and national program director Ken Manley and commissioned the Lost to promostly to produce the theme song as well as incidental music for Space Kids, a thirty-minute audio fairy tale.  The band booked time at Triple A  Studio in Dorchester and recorded songs, stingers, mood pieces and experimental sounds which were later incorporated into the final mix.

For the first time ever, we present the entire half-hour production along with the cornplete music track composed by the Lost. Originally conceived as a full length LP, this project was created on spec and intended to be sold as a premium on the back of cereal boxes. After shopping the idea around, the agency unfortunately had no takers. Thus the project was permanently shelved. Or at least until now.

In the decades that have passed, Space Kids seems to have more in common with Buck Rogers than NASA. The story may seem a little campy, but hey, don't Star Trek space suits smack of H. G. Wells? When you get right down to it, good fairytales are basically the same old recycled plot in which good inevitably triumphs over evil. So get ready to "unlock anchor device, reset anchor locking, prime atomic fired rockets, set timing, adjust instruments, automatic navigator prime, radar and tracking cameras checked, set firing rockets, prepare for countdown, begin countdown, 10-9-8-7-6- 5-4-3-2-1-ignition, blast off..."

Tracks
Flat Earth Society "Waleeco"
1 Feelin' Much Better (Kerivan, Dubuque) - 2:27
2 Midnight Hour (Picketty, Cropper) - 3:38
3 I'm So Happy (Kerivan, Dubuque) - 1:57
4 When You're There (Kerivan, Dubuque) - 1:58
5 Four & Twenty Miles (Kerivan, Dubuque) - 1:56
6 Prelude For The Town Monk (Kerivan) - 3:10
7 Shadows (Kerivan) - 1:54
8 Dark Street Downtown (Kerivan) - 3:45
9 Portrait In Grey (Kerivan, Doyle) - 5:05
10 In My Window (Kerivan, Doyle) - 2:11
11 Satori (Kerivan, Doyle) - 3:30
Space Kids
12 Space Kids - Part 1 – 15:06
13 Space Kids - Part 2 - 15:19
The Lost
14-29 The Lost-Incidental Music To'Space Kids - 15.00

The Flat Earth Society
*Jack Kerivan - Piano, Organ, Vocal
*Phil Dubuque - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocal
*Rick Doyle - Lead Guitar, Tambourine, Vocal
*Curt Girard - Drums
*Paul Carter - Bass, Vocal

The Lost
*Ted Myers - Guitar, Vocal
*Kyle Garrahan - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Willie Alexander - Keyboards, Vocals
*Walter Powers - Bass, Organ, Vocals
*Lee Mason - Drums, Percussion

Space Kids Voices
*Fred Barzyk - Zem
*Ken Manley - Captain Brown
*Pat Hall - Ground Base Control
*Two Unknown Child Actors - Chris/Tim

Space Kids
*Produced By Pat Hall For Children's World Productions
*Directed By Fred Barzyk
*Written By Michael Leech
Recorded At Triole A Studio, Dorchester, Ma

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Alex Chilton - Free Again: The 1970 Sessions (1970 us, remarkable guitar rock, enriched with the finest flavors, 2012 Big Beat release)

As a fan of The Box Tops and Big Star, I know a decent amount about Alex Chilton's history with the two bands. But what about the period in between?

Free Again: The 1970 Sessions (Omnivore Recordings) explores a time when the singer/songwriter had grown tired of the, well, box The Box Tops had placed him in. Within a year the group had released three albums and a handful of Top 40 singles. The one they're best known for is the first song Chilton ever recorded, The Letter.

What always astounds me is that Chilton was just 16 when he sang that tune. By 18, he was ready to move beyond the soulful singles that had made him famous. The result serves as a bridge between his two acclaimed bands. On The 1970 Sessions, you can hear Chilton experimenting with his vocal range and offering more personal lyrics. One of the best tunes on it, Free Again, could even be referring to his reclaimed independence from The Box Tops.

It's a pleasure to hear Chilton sounding so happy and at ease on this album, which also includes demos and the original mono mixes. The singer even tests the waters with a couple covers: an enjoyable interpretation of the Stones' Jumpin' Jack Flash and a free-wheeling/possibly drunken take on The Archies' Sugar, Sugar and James Brown's I Got the Feelin'. (It may seem cliche to mention this, but I can't help but liken some of these to boisterous Replacements outtakes recorded almost 20 years later.)

Chilton was a big fan of the Beatles and Brian Wilson, and I do enjoy him most on well-crafted pop tunes. Another favorite of mine, the catchy and country-tinged I Wish I Could Meet Elvis, expresses a desire that would've been awesome had it come to fruition:

Chilton released a few solo albums after Big Star dissolved, but I find this one particularly fascinating because of its time period and emotional range. Few 18-year-olds had experienced the rock 'n' roll lifestyle Chilton had by that age, and even fewer possessed the skill to transform it into a lifelong career.

While the release is a welcome one, it also reminds us of the talent lost in 2010, when Chilton died at 59. Listening to The 1970 Sessions, I can't help but wish a few more "hidden" recordings are tucked away somewhere for our future enjoyment.

by Whitney Matheson

Tracks
1. Free Again (Original Mono Mix) - 2:38
2. Come On Honey - 3:34
3. Something Deep Inside - 2:41
4. I Can Dig It - 3:49
5. The EMI Song (Smile for Me) (Chilton, Manning) - 4:02
6. All I Really Want Is Money - 4:56
7. The Happy Song - 2:05
8. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Jagger, Richards) - 4:07
9. Every Day as We Grow Closer/Funky National (Chilton, Manning, Rosebrough) - 3:16
10.I Wish I Could Meet Elvis - 3:16
11.Just to See You - 3:50
12.All We Ever Got from Them Was Pain - 3:23
13.Sugar, Sugar/I Got the Feelin' (Barry, Brown, Kim) - 6:20
14.Free Again (Stereo Remix withAlternate Vocal) - 2:58
15.Every Day as We Grow Closer (Original Mono Mix) - 2:27
16.Come On Honey (Original MonoMix) - 3:34
17.The EMI Song (Smile for Me) (Original Mono Mix) - 3:58
18.All I Really Want Is Money (Original Mono Mix) - 4:44
19.If You Would Marry Me Babe (Demo) - 1:49
20.It Isn't Always That Easy (Demo) (Chilton, Talley) - 2:32
All compositions by Alex Chilton except where noted.

Musicians
*Alex Chilton - Lead, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
*Terry Manning - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards,  Synthesizer, Vocals
*Jeff Newman - Banjo, Steel Guitar
*Richard Rosebrough - Drums
*Paul Cannon - Guitar

Related Act
1967-70  The Best Of Box Tops

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Keef Hartley Band - Halfbreed (1969 uk, classic blues rock, 2008 esoteric remaster with bonus track)

Keef Hartley is a British-born musician from Preston, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. Hartley's career started when he was a replacement for Ringo Starr as a drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, which was a very popular Liverpool band at the time. Hartley then played and recorded with The Artwoods and various configurations of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers before forming his own band, The Keef Hartley Band.

With Hartley's own band he released a total of nine albums, the most famous of all being the first album, Halfbreed, hence the title of this book. Hartley studied Native American culture and that was reflected in his album artwork and for his wardrobe on his albums, as well as in this newly published book. Amazingly Hartley's group played at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969, which was just one of the interesting facts I learned from this fine book. So the story goes that Keef's manager did not want to sign the necessary paperwork for his band performance to be part of the Woodstock movie and the multipleWoodstock recordings, which is truly a shame. Interestingly, Hartley's biggest influence was the legendary drummer Buddy Rich, which probably accounts for why Hartley was such a good fit for Mayall's Jazz Blues Fusion and Moving On, albums, which featured outstanding Jazz players like Blue Mitchell, Red Holloway, Clifford Solomon, and the magnificent Soul/Blues/Jazz guitarist Freddy Robinson.

Halfbreed is Hartley's autobiography, which sheds light on the star-studded first decade of his career and the walk down the U.K.'s historical Blues scene that fascinates the reader with stories about fabled musicians like Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor(who was Hartley's roommate), the Beatles, John Mayall, Graham Bond, Jimmy Page, Brian Auger, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Champion Jack Dupree, and Willie Dixon, plus brief encounters with actor Peter O'Toole and actress-turned-Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly.

My only issues with Halfbreed is that it took a while to get going, as a fair amount of pages were scribed about his youth and lesser-known bands. Additionally I was looking forward to a segment on Keef's time with the later day versions of the aforementionedJazz Blues Fusion album band which always fascinated me. But towards the end of this book Keef makes mention that there might be a follow-up book titled Bye Bye Blues, where Hartley states, "If you pester the publisher, I'd love to tell you more." Cheers to that!

by Bob Putignano

Tracks

1.  Sacked (Introducing Hearts and Flowers) (Arranged Keef Hartley) - 0:40

.a. Confusion Theme (Ian Cruickshank, Keef Hartley) - 1:05

.b. The Halfbreed (Ian Cruickshank, Keef Hartley, Peter Dines) - 6:07

2. Born to Die (Fiona Hewitson, Gary Thain, Keef Hartley, Peter Dines) - 9:58

3. Sinnin' For You (Fiona Hewitson, Keef Hartley, Owen Finnegan, Peter Dines) - 5:51

4. Leavin' Trunk (Sleepy John Estes) - 5:55

5. Just to Cry (Henry Lowther, Owen Finnegan) - 6:20

6. Too Much Thinking (Gary Thain, Owen Finnegan, Peter Dines) - 5:30

7. Think it Over" (B.B. King) - 4:59

.a.Too Much to Take - 0:32

8. Leave It 'Till The Morning (Fiona Hewitson, Gary Thain, Keef Hartley, Spit James) - 3:27

Bonus Track 8

Keef Hartley Band
*Miller Anderson - Vocals, Guitar
*Peter Dines - Organ, Harpsichord
*Spit James - Guitar
*Gary Thain - Bass Guitar
*Keef Hartley - Drums
*Henry Lowther - Trumpet, Violin, Brass arrangements
*Harry Beckett - Trumpet
*Lynn Dobson - Tenor Sax, Flute
*Chris Mercer - Tenor Sax
*John Mayall - voice on "Sacked" and "Too Much to Take"

Keef Hartley Band
1968-72  Not Foolish Not Wise
1970  Overdog (2005 eclectic)
1971  Little Big Band
1972  Lancashire Hustler (2008 esoteric)

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The Spencer Davis Group - The Second Album (1966 uk, brilliant swinging soulful beat rock, 2006 japan bonus tracks edition)

"Get a bigger amplifier, you're not loud enough!" a famous pop star once told the Spencer Davis Group. It was a remark meant as a friendly tip on how best to combat the acoustics of a northern cinema. But it also reflects the pop situation where sheer noise is often regarded as the most important consideration, over and above the quality of the music. 

For  years this has been true of beat groups who, apart from creating a sort of token barrage of noise, seeking to amplify as loudly as possible their lack of talent, have placed most faith in the tightness of their trousers ensuring lasting popular success. it would be an insult to call the Spencer Davis Group a "beat group," unless one qualified it by calling them the "thinking man's beat group." But musicians hate to be categorised anyway. 

And if you accuse the Spencer boys of playing R ‘n’ B they will shift uncomfortably while Spencer quietly explains they prefer the term "coloured pop music". Steve Winwood is likely to grin and groan: "We: hate the word R ‘n’ B ". So what do the Spencer Davis Group play? Their music is an adult, sophisticated culmination of the mindless beatery of yesteryear and the raw emotionalism of early British R ‘n’ B. It's got jazz, it's got beat and it's got blues. 

It swings and shouts and most of all, and more than most, it's got heart. A lot of soulless people talk about soul playing, but the Spencer Davis Group don't have to talk. When they are playing on a stage or in a club, they are not thinking how easy it is to con money from the screamers. They are worrying if people are enjoying what they arc enjoying. It means much to them that an audience reacts to a slow ballad like "Georgia On My Mind," as much as a hit record like "Strong Love". But they don't need to worry, as in the few short months of forming, they have become one of the most highly regarded and respected organisations playing today. 

On this album you can hear all facets of Spencer music from country blues and folk to hard punching R ‘n’ B. Their swing is a quality stemming from their strong feeling for jazz. Drummer Peter York's favourite musician is Buddy Rich, bassist Muff Winwood digs Ray Charles, while brother Steve and Spencer love Duke Ellington's compositions. Spencer in fact veers nearer to the country blues of singers like Lead Belly and began his musical career singing folk. 

Stave Winwood has quite the most extraordinary talent on the scene. Aged 17 he has probably the most natural and convincing blues voice of all soul singers this side of the Atlantic and quite a few on the other side. Steve's Ray Charles/Horace Silver piano, gutty guitar and humming harmonica arc all featured here, with Spencer's warm vocals and tolling 12-string guitar. Driving Spencer arid Stevie along are Muff's grooving bass lines, and Pete's crisp, facile drumming. 

You will be completely satisfied with this package. New listeners will be surprised and rewarded. It's strong, loving music. Don't scream. Iisten. 

by Chris Welch

Tracks
1.Look Away (Norman Meade, Bert Russell) -  2:45
2.Keep On Running (Jackie Edwards) -  2:51
3.This Hammer (Muff Winwood, Steve Winwood, Pete York, Spencer Davis) -  2:19
4.Georgia On My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) -  4:44
5.Please Do Something (Don Covay) -  2:27
6.Let Me Down Easy (Jim Glaser, Tompall Glaser) -  3:06
7.Strong Love (Deadric Malone, Edward Silvers, Mary M. Brown) -  2:18
8.I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water (Joe Babcock) -  2:38
9.Since I Met You Baby (Ivory Joe Hunter) -  3:30
10.You Must Believe Me (Curtis Mayfield) -  2:49
11.Hey Darling (Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood) -  4:49
12.Watch Your Step (Bobby Parker) -  2:57
13.Stevie's Blues (Steve Winwood) - 3:49
14.Trampoline (Steve Winwood) - 2:28
15.Back Into My Life Again (Jimmy Miller, Jackie Edwards) - 2:26
16.Kansas City (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 3:52
17.Oh! Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison, Bill Dees) - 3:22
18.Det War In Schoneberg (Walter Kollo) - 2:42
19.Stevie's Groove (Steve Winwood) - 2:46
20.Stevie's Blues (Steve Winwood) - 3:49

Bonus Tracks 13-20

Spencer Davis Group
*Steve Winwood - Guitar, Organ, Vocals
*Muff Winwood - Bass Guitar
*Spencer Davis - Guitar
*Pete York - Percussion

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