The group, with a sad history, founded in Milwaukee in Wisconsin,little known exponents of the late-1960s psychedelic-blues genre. Originally known as The New Blues, drummer Terry Andersen, guitarist Dennis Geyer, bassist Jim Marcotte and keyboard player Howard Wales had the common sense to move themselves to San Francisco.
Working in a psych-blues vein, the quartet found a ready audience and steady work on the city's club circuit. Recorded two albums, the first was called 'AB Skhy' and left in the same 1969, and the second 'Rumblin On' was born in 1970, after which the group disbanded. Signed by MGM, the quartet's 1969 self-titled debut teamed them with producer Richard Delvy. Unlike the majority of their San Francisco brethren, "A.B. Skhy" found the band focusing on a mixture of Blood, Sweat and Tears-styled horn rock.
Both of album were written in the style of blues-rock with great influence of jazz, which is reflected in the construction of tracks and sound - a large part of the track is playing a horn section. The horns are this album were arranged by Dave Roberts, and it's evident that he knows what he's doing.
From the first blast, until the last note, they hit you and hold you. Jim Marcotte's walking bass underlies some brass riffs that'll knock your socks off. Dennis Geyer's guitar makes you want to get up an dance. Terry Anderson's drum work is solid and lays a great foundation for the rest of the band. Howard Wales makes the Hammond sing, and combines with the rest of the group to make you wish every song was longer,and it belongs in the collection of every fan of good jazz, blues or rock.
Best of the lot were the bluesy "Understand" and the pseudo-jazzy "Of All Sad Words." Not bad performed a cover BB KING'a , completely jazz sounds which opens the album, 'You Upset Me Baby' . In the middle of a powerful sounds great jazz-rock instrumental "Camel Back",on the track even attended Dave Roberts with his copper pipes, as well as the beautiful ballad "Of All Sad Words" with a flute.
In the past, when I was much younger, I was prejudiced against wind instruments, believed that the more "horns" - the worse. Now, I realize that, it was the strongest wind instruments, that touches the heart of each man.
by Adamus67
Tracks
1. You Upset Me Baby - 7:10
2. Just What I Need - 3:30
3. It's Love Baby, 24 Hours A Day - 2:31
4. Camel Back - 5:05
5. Understand - 5:37
6. Love Isn't - 4:10
7. Of All Sad Words - 3:10
8. Love May Cure That - 5:10
Legendary UK psych outfit Infinity formed in 1969 from the ashes of "Chocolate Soup" psych faves the Flies and Cymbaline. The mission: to develop a heavy psychedelic/pop sound, and express it through complex original songs. Thanks to some funky Hammond organ, punchy guitars, and the band’s unique harmonies, Infinity were no run of the mill outfit.
Upon their return to mainland England from a residency in Jersey, they joined the high-profile NEMS agency, alongside heavy hitters like Pink Floyd, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Soft Machine, and Pretty Things. In late 1969 and early 1970, following support slots with The Searchers and Marmalade, Infinity recorded original material for a proposed album, which was meant to explore "time, space, matter, energy and chicken phal, said in some circles to be so hot in a culinary sense that it's temperature approached infinity," or so they have said, with tongue-in-cheek, we have to believe.
Sadly, they broke up soon after the sessions. The good news is that the band left behind the recordings presented on this disc, which can now be enjoyed in the digital format after the passage of more than four decades! Comes with a 24-page booklet which includes band history, photos, and more, printed on FSC recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.
Tracks
1. Time Keeper - 4:02
2. Venetian Glass - 1:53
3. Space Shanty - 5:41
4. Taxman (George Harrison) - 2:59
5. (I'm In Love With) A Girl Like You - 2:28
6. Same Girl - 3:02
7. Pattern People (Jim Webb) - 2:35
8. Venetian Glass (Instrumental) - 1:54
9. I've Got You Under My Skin (Instrumental) (Cole Porter) - 2:34
10.(I'm In Love With) A Girl Like You (Mono) - 2:27
11.I've Got You Under My Skin (Cole Porter) - 3:33
12.Taxman (Instrumental) (George Harrison) - 2:59
All songs written by The Infinity except where indicated.
If you recognize Terry Manning's name, its likely a result of his work as an engineer and producer, including numerous projects for the Memphis-based Ardent Records were he worked with the likes of Alex Chilton and Big Star. With the exception of true hard core collector's, most folks probably don't know that Manning actually recorded an early-1970s solo LP.
By the early 1970s Manning was a fixture at Stax having engineered many of their recording sessions. While he wasn't known for his performing talents, a one off demo of a song intended for The Box Tops caught Stax VP Al Bell's attention and served to get Manning signed to the Stax affiliated Enterprise label. Manning subsequently made his solo debut with 1970's "Home Sweet Home".
A true solo effort, Manning produced, engineered and save drums, handled most of the instrumentation (Big Star's Chris Bell provided lead guitar on a couple of tracks). In terms of the music, anyone into the Big Star/Alex Chilton scene will find this album irresistible. Besides, how can you not like an album that starts out with an extended, fuzz-filled cover of George Harrison's 'Savoy Truffle'.
Manning's voice certainly didn't have Chilton's depth and breadth, but he used his limited talents well, turning in a uniformly impressive set that effortlessly blended blue eyed soul, R&B and garage rock moves. Simply a blast from start to finish, it was hard to pick out favorites, though 'Trashy Dog' (The B-52s could've had a hit with it), 'I Ain't Got You' and a fuzz guitar and harmonica propelled cover of The Beatles' 'I Wanna Be Your Man' were all worthy highlights. (Okay, I'll admit the Elvis-wannabe 'Wild Wild Rocker' was forgettable.) Sadly, the LP vanished without a trace, making it a sought after collectable.
When buying albums by '60s rock bands, ground zero is 1966. If I'm hesitant to spend the cash, proximity to that year makes a difference in whether I end up springing for something or not. One of the better discs I've ponied up for in the past year is Everything But ... The Kitchen Cinq, the only album by a fairly obscure band with origins in Texas. From what I can tell, it actually came out in early- to mid-1967, but I'd bet it was recorded in '66, which would place it right in the magic 8-ball of my unscientific theory. Unfortunately, the mono copy I scored online is pretty beat up, but the music more than justified the cost of finally obtaining a copy.
Information about the band is scarce, but Mike Dugo of 60sgaragebands.com has come to the rescue once again with his excellent interview of guitarist Jim Parker, the best place to learn the Kitchen Cinq's story. To summarize briefly, the band was active as early as 1961 as The Illusions. They first had their name changed to the Y'Alls by impresario Ray Ruff for a single in '66, and again modified their moniker after moving to Los Angeles and getting involved with more famous impresario Lee Hazlewood. They released an album and several non-LP singles, before a lineup change and yet another name change, to Armageddon (not to be confused with the later Keith Relf band).
The music on Everything But... is a winning blend of harmony-drenched, poppy folk-rockers with the occasional fuzztone flip-out, such as band originals "Determination" and "Please Come Back to Me." Also excellent is the stop-start "You'll Be Sorry Some Day," not written by the band but a song probably first recorded by them, judging by the publishing credits.
The band proves very adept at integrating covers into their own sound, including managing to create a somewhat different spin than usual for Buffy Sainte-Marie's oft-recorded "Codine." They also take shots at Neil Diamond, the Beau Brummels, the Hollies (brave), Gene Pitney (extremely brave) and one song by Hazlewood. Luckily, it mostly all comes out sounding like the Kitchen Cinq.
Their album ended up being the first released on Hazlewood's LHI Records, an imprint best remembered today as the original home for Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band and Hazlewood's own cult classics. Everything But... was produced by Hazlewood flame/pre-Nancy Sinatra duet partner Suzi Jane Hokom, who gave it a bright and reverb-y, typically '60s production. In fact, the mysterious Ms. Hokom can be seen in the collage of band pictures on the back cover, surrounded by the band. There's also pics of the band surrounding Bill Cosby and Dick Van Dyke, apparently included to drive home a "we're in Los Angeles" message to the record-buying public.
These days, records on LHI rarely turn up, and this one is no different. Perhaps compounding its rarity is the fact that LHI's first distribution deal, with Decca, apparently lasted less than a year. After the label's first few albums the catalog numbers were reused for new LPs under a different distribution deal!
So, the Kitchen Cinq album was likely only available for a very short time originally. Like most of the LHI catalog (aside from the ISB album and Hazlewood's own work), it's never been given a proper reissue, but it can be tracked down from fellow collectors with a bit of internet searching, if one can't turn up an original LP. Now, if I could just find the Honey Ltd. and Eve LPs... (LHI, 1967).
by Bob Koch
Tracks
1. You'll Be Sorry Some Day (Bob Corso) - 2:34
2. Solitary Man (Neil Diamond) - 2:27
3. Determination (Johnny Stark, Mark Creamer) - 2:00
4. Please Come Back To Me (Johnny Stark, Mark Creamer) - 2:26
5. Codine (Buffy St. Marie) - 2:44
6. Young Boy (Ervan James Parker) - 2:27
7. Last Chance To Turn Around (Victor Milrose, Tony Bruno, Bob Elgin) - 3:07
8. Still In Love With You Baby (Ronald Elliot) - 2:32
9. If You Think (Raul Danks, Jon Taylor) - 2:05
10.I Can't Let Go (Chip Taylor, Al Gorgoni) - 2:25
11.Need All The Help I Can Get (Lee Hazlewood) - 2:44
The Kitchen Cinq
*Mark Creamer - Guitar, Vocals
*Dale Gardner - Bass, Vocals
*Jim Parker - Guitar, Vocals
*Dallas Smith - Guitar
*Johnny Stark - Drums
Mighty Baby was the short-lived band that followed the Action, one of the finest and most unheralded outfits of the ‘60s British rock/pop explosion. Upon finding no label willing to support them while making what is now known as Rolled Gold, a seamless fusion of Sunset Strip folk-pop and Northern soul, the band imploded, with the bulk of the members finding identity in the hippie subculture.
As Mighty Baby, they came as close as England would to having its own version of the Grateful Dead, in terms of the musical journeys this group would take. Live in the Attic represents material from the two years in between their albums, and for fans, it’s a great opportunity to hear how this band developed.
The first three tracks come from a live recording in 1970, where the band was opening for Love at Lanchester University, and represent the altogether loose, free, vibrant style of on-the-spot improvisation of which these seasoned musicians were capable. The lengthy “Now You See It” builds to a satisfying peak, and is followed by three-minute rockers “Stone Unhenged” and “Sweet Mandarin.” The remainder of the disc comes from a live allnighter in Olympic Studios.
Two tracks are represented here: “Now You Don’t,” split into four parts, and the slightly melancholy “Winter Passes.” Of these selections, the former represents a big step for Mighty Baby, as they allow free-form rock jamming to coalesce into a big, bright, groovin’ machine, particularly as it reaches the third section.
The
set comes complete with sleevenotes, rare photographs and an
introduction from their bassist, Michael Evans, making it simply
essential for all fans of the band.
It was 1971......two guitars, two voices singing songs of anqst, lust, spirit and the sea. Scottish Folk, English Beat, American Country Blues all in the pot via Stoke and W14 and Reebop played the congas Then full steam ahead with the "Lifeboat Band" - Steve Winwood, 'Rabbit' Bundrick, Dave Mattacks et al then Christmas 72 at the Marquee with Quiver - Tim's soaring guitar, Will's thundering tubs, Pete Wood's sparkling piano and Hammond. Colleges and; Faces gigs then Summer 73 round the U.S. opening for Elton - Crazy Nights, Starship Flights and You Got Me Anyway irgthe charts.
It was !974......grindinq out Euro gigs - Dreamkids on a mad trail - falling out and breaking down. Then a light shone down the valley r Summer 75 and everyone was Sailing Reach for the Skies guys! Then it was touring in the Slipstream, mixing in Miami, miming on the box and Down to Earth at Abbey Road. It was 1978..L.L.A. sessions and winter mixes in Paris.; Hoitte in 79 - one last tour - a few.ifor the road - the night comes down - Easy Come and Easy Go? the story is in the songs.
Thanks along the way to Wayne Bardell, Paul Hartley, Colin Waters, Nick Blackburn, Pete Smith, Rici, Murray, Alex Lawrie, Mauri|e Oberstein, Muff Winwood, Dave Gilmour and all the great musicians and studio engineers we've worked with. Thanks also to Steve Chapman. Respect and good fortune to The Everly Brothers, Rod Stewart, Maggie Bell, John Travolta, Merle Haggard, Paul Young, Boyzone and all the other lovely people who did us the honour of singing our songs.
Gavin & Iain Sutherland
It's difficult to write much about the Sutherland Brothers as people. Of the fact that they were a great band, there is absolutely no doubt. They wrote some of the great songs of the seventies and their music was a soundtrack to a generation of rock fans. To hear them play live was an experience to relish. Their songwriting consisted of clever wordplays, wonderful expressions of emotion and a fusion of the folk idiom with rock music. However, the group tended to let the music speak for them; they were not self-publicists and apart from an occasional photograph on an album cover, there was little information made available about them.
Iain Sutherland (17.11.1948, Ellon) and Gavin (6.10.1951, Peterhead) enjoyed their early years in the north-east of Scotland, where their father was a musician in a dance band called The Melody Makers. Various other family members were musical too, so they were brought up to sing, play instruments and listen to American jazz and traditional Scottish folk or religious music. Then in the mid fifties the family moved down to Stoke-on-Trent, where the tastes of friends and the pop input of Radio Luxembourg added to the variety of their musical influences.
Initially, Iain, who had been writing songs while in his teens, had formed a group called the Mysteries in the early sixties, before he and Gavin teamed up to go off to London to seek their fortune in 1970. There, their manager decided they would be called A New Generation, much against the band's better judgement. The group featured Iain on guitar, Gavin on bass, Christopher Kemp on keyboards and John Wright on drums. They recorded three singles for the Spark label (one, Heartbreaker, under the name The Baby) and also did a few sessions at the Maida Vale studios for John Peel's programme. Smokey Blues Away turned into a minor hit in the UK and was released on Imperial in the United States.
In the meantime, Quiver was a group that had produced a couple of albums for Warner Brothers, but appeared to be going nowhere, mainly because they lacked good songs and a distinctive vocalist. They had the distinction of being the first group ever to perform at the Rainbow, Finsbury Park, where they supported The Who. However, they needed to look at how they could develop their undoubted musical skills using decent material.
Thus, in 1973, was the marriage of the two groups set up. SB&Q was formed and five great albums followed. An outstanding touring band, they worked hard to produce a good live sound that had audiences on their feet. They spent a number of years on the road, both in Europe and the United States, where You Got Me Anyway was a top twenty hit.
Chart success in their own country was harder to come by and although Dream Kid got plenty of radio play, it didn't get the sales it deserved. Album sales, however, remained respectable amongst the group of fans who acknowledged the talent that was bursting to be recognised. Then along came Rod Stewart. He had followed their songwriting skills for some time and wanted to record Sailing (taken from their first LP). As with his many other (mis)interpretations of people's songs (q.v. Van Morrison's Have I Told You Lately and Tom Waits' Tom Traubert's Blues), he went for the simplistic, but the result was a massive hit. In 1975, it made number one and stayed 11 weeks in the charts. A year later, on the strength of its use over the titles of a TV documentary on the Ark Royal aircraft carrier, it re-charted, making number three and staying in the charts for 20 weeks.
In the meantime, the group were heading towards something of a dead end. Their deal with Island Records had reached an end, with their fourth album not even getting a US release and singles foundering just outside the charts. They were seriously considering winding up the group on the basis that more money could be earned from songwriting and session work than from being in a single unit. A new manager changed everything. Nick Blackburn brought both enormous encouragement and a deal with CBS. This resulted in a less intellectually inspired album, but with a major hit. The Arms of Mary reached number 5 in the UK charts and has remained a favourite for MOR audiences ever since, appearing on compilation albums and ensuring a guaranteed royalties payment that's as good as a pension fund. The song was also recorded by the Canadian group Chilliwack in 1978.
After one major tour to back up the hit single, things started to fall apart. Perhaps it was because the hit single had attracted an audience that was at odds with the spirit of the group's music or perhaps there just wasn't a genuine prospect of maintaining the impetus of further hits. Either way, the follow-up album resulted in a number of singles being released, but without success. The ascent of punk meant the death of this fine group. Two more great albums, under the Sutherland Brothers name followed, but thereafter, it was the end
Tracks
1. The Pie - 5:42
2. I Was In Chains - 2:35
3. Real Love - 4:45
4. Sailing - 2:35
5. You Got Me Anyway - 3:00
6. Lifeboat (G. Sutherland) - 2:55
7. Dream Kid (G. Sutherland, I. Sutherland) - 2:47
8. Champion The Underdog - 4:75
9. Beat Of The Street (G. Sutherland) - 3:53
10.Laid Back In Anger - 3:20
11.When The Train Comes - 3:57
12.Arms Of Mary (Single Version) - 2:35
13.Dr. Dancer (G. Sutherland) - 4:45
14.Love On The Moon (G. Sutherland) - 4:17
I5.Moonlight Lady - 3:03
16.Slipstream - 2:31
17 Secrets - 3:09
I8.Something's Burning (G. Sutherland) - 3:56
19.When The Night Comes Down (G. Sutherland) - 3:53
20.Easy Come, Easy GO (Single Version) - 3:35
All songs witten by Iain Sutherland except where noted
From 9-18 with the Quiver
Singer and songwriter, bandleader and producer, raconteur and poet of the blues; Nick Gravenites is one of those seminal sixties figures whose contributions to American music cannot be measured solely by his discography. Although often overshadowed by such famous friends as Janis Joplin and Michael Bloomfield, Gravenites' 40 year career links the folk revival of the fifties with the Chicago blues scene of the early sixties and the post- 1965 West Coast psychedelic rock explosion.
He has worked with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Janis Joplin and Big Brother and The Holding Company, Mike Bloomfield and the Electric Flag, and John Cipolina and Quicksilver Messenger Service. He has written songs and produced records for a host of Chicago blues legends including Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, James Cotton and Buddy Guy. But My Labors is the only Nick Gravenites solo album ever issued by a major label (in 1969, as US Columbia 9899).
To quote one of his best-known songs, Nick Gravenites was "Born In Chicago" in 1938. The son of Greek-American immigrants, he grew up in the city's Brighton Park section, where his father George was a candy maker. Nick described his childhood in this ethnic "white ghetto" in a fascinating memoir of his early years, first published in Blues Revue (1995-96). In addition to the pop tunes on the radio, he heard records of Greek string bands and - after the death of George Gravenites in 1949 - listened to his mother "sing and cry her pain in the sad, melismatic style we Greeks call metaloyia... music I will never forget."
By early 1967, Gravenites had relocated to the Bay Area and become a vital participant in the burgeoning San Francisco scene. With Mike Bloomfield and Barry Goldberg, he co-founded a new horn-powered band called the Electric Flag. Which made its stage debut in June '67 at the Monterey Pop Festival. With Buddy Miles on drums and Harvey Brooks on bass, this group - although never effectively captured on record - was for a too brief time one of the most exciting and accomplished stage bands in American rock. As the Flag's front man, Gravenites conveyed a tough, bluecollar charisma.
A mostly-live a l b u m . My Labors had its genesis in the studio, and three songs from those sessions were included on the original LP. But in January and February 1969, Nick Gravenites participated in a series of live recordings at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, portions of which were issued the following October as Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West.
by Andy Schwartz, April 2001
Tracks
1. Killing My Love - 5:19
2. Gypsy Good Time - 4:30
3. Holy Moly - 3:55
4. Moon Tune - 8:55
5. My Labors - 2:55
6. Throw Your Dog A Bone - 2:57
7. As Good As You've Been To This World - 2:41
8. Wintry Countryside - 13:12
9. It Takes Time (Otis Rush) - 4:14
10.Blues On A Westside - 15:32
11.It's About Time - 7:02
All Songs written by Nick Gravenites except Track 9.
This three-piece hailed from Detroit, and formed as The Blewsies in 1967, with a line-up of Drew Abbott (guitar, vocals), Jem Targal (bass, vocals) and Jim Craig (drums). Living together in a rented farmhouse, they played all the local rock clubs, and issued a 45 on the tiny Baron Records in 1968 'We, You, I' / 'Snow'.
The disc received local airplay, but barely sold outside the area. Both sides are included as bonus tracks here. The band were soon supporting local heroes the MC5 and others at the legendary Grande Ballroom. By 1969 they'd signed a record deal with Vanguard, a predominantly folk label that was (largely unsuccessfully) branching out into psychedelic rock.
Produced by famed blues historian Sam Charters, the raw and heavy Believe was released in May 1970. 'A trio who manage to stay away from the Cream / Hendrix pitfalls and produce an album with some substance', wrote Circus magazine that July, while the American Record Guide commented that 'this trio has produced a record of above-average interest. The sheer volume output is staggering (as are the power and clarity of Vanguard's engineering), and there is enough musical interest in Drew Abbott's guitar-playing to hold the listener'.
Stereo Review were far less complimentary, stating that The Third Power sounds, on recordings at least, just as loud and just as overbearing as Grand Funk Railroad. Producer Sam Charters has been responsible for some of Vanguard's finest blues collections, but his powers of musical perception must have been out to lunch when he put this date together. This one is for masochists only.'
The album sold poorly, prompting the band to split. Targal went on to release a highly-rated solo LR Lucky Guy, in 1978, while Abbott joined Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band.
Tracks
1. Gettin’ Together - 4:24
2. Feel So Lonely - 4:20
3. Passed By - 3:45
4. Lost In A Daydream - 2:35
5. Persecution - 3:29
6. Comin’ Home - 3:54
7. Won’t Beg Anymore - 4:31
8. Crystalline Chandelier - 3:24
9. Like Me Love Me - 6:06
10.We, You, I (Bonus track) - 3:22
11.Snow (Bonus track) - 2:44
The Third Power
*Drew Abbott - Guitar, Vocals
*Jem Targal - Bass, Vocals
*Jim Craig - Drums
The first studio recordings of The Electric Flag, Michael Bloomfield’s swaggering soul / jazz / rock ensemble… Fine Jung Thing and Peter Gets Off are wild, jazzy rockers, which perfectly score Fonda’s Sunset Strip / trip adventures… Also, there are a few early efforts from synthesizer pioneer Paul Beaver’
All Music
Starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Roger Corman, The Trip practically defines the psychedelic exploito film genre. Its superb soundtrack was originally released in September 1967, and features 18 tracks by the nascent Electric Flag, with outstanding guitar from the great Mike Bloomfield, and prominent contributions from Moog maestro Paul Beaver. Showing influences from rock, blues, jazz and classical music, it is simply one of the best psychedelic albums of the period, and is reissued in its full form for the first time.
Tracks
1. Peter's Trip - 2:32
2. Joint Passing - 1:04
3. Psyche Soap - 0:52
4. M-23 - 1:12
5. Synesthesia - 1:45
6. A Little Head - 1:44
7. Hobbit - 1:08
8. Inner Pocket - 3:35
9. Fewghh - 0:58
10.Green And Gold - 2:45
11.The Other Ed Norton - 2:51
12.Flash, Bam, Pow - 1:26
13.Home Room - 0:52
14.Peter Gets Off - 2:23
15.Practive Music - 1:25
16.Fine Jung Thing - 7:25
17.Senior Citizen - 2:56
18.Gettin' Hard - 4:02
All compositions by The Electric Flag
Recorded in late July early August 1968 in Lawrence, Kansas USA. The four of us were all summer scholarship music and arts students attending Kansas University (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas.
There was a producer from the University that kept us all focused on the recording along with the engineer manning the board and 4 track recording machine. All music tracks were cut 'Live' - We overdubed lead vocals and background vocals. I can't remember the name of the studio - It may have been called Lawrence Recorders - a small 4 track commercial recording facility - radio adverts, TV over dubs etc and serving bands like ours for demos.
Lawrence is a small college town - some 86,000 students during the regular School year. That year there were some 2800 summer students attending a 6 week summer arts scholarship session -1800 females and 900 males. Students Dram all over the US attended on a scholarship program. We all met in the beginning of the summer session and became fast friends - and started our band literally overnight. We'd seen a band perform from Lawrence at a welcome dance the night before.
That was how it all started. The next day Smack was born. We played a gig several weeks later and the next thing you know we were all 'stars' of the campus. Someone from the university arranged for us to go in and record an album. What a magical time - We all loved the main bands of the era Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Moby Grape, The Kinks, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Buffalo Springfield, The Yardbirds, anything Motown and the like.
Imagine being 17, connected and playing and singing in a band with three other cats - It was cool and we were swinging …..
It was the Summer of Love ...
Phil Brown, August 2011
Tracks
1. Purple Haze (Hendrix) - 3:49
3, Fire (Hendrix) - 2:48
3. Sunshine Of Your Love (Clapton, Bruce, Brown) - 4:22
4. I'm So Glad (James) - 4:06
5. Swlabr (Brown, Bruce) - 2:32
6. Manic Depression (Hendrix) - 3:00
7. Set Me Free (Davies) - 2:05
8. For Whiat It's Worth (Stills) - 2:36
9. Foxey Lady (Hendrix) - 3:17
Smack
*Jim Uhl – Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Alvin Heywood – Bass, Lead Vocals
*Phil Brown – Bass, Lead Vocals
*Lee Overstreet - Drums
Brazilian band The Bubbles became the toast of the underground Rio de Janeiro scene, backing Tropicalist singer Gal Costa's residence at the Sucata night club in 1970. They won the "Best Band of the Festival" award at the VII FIC of 1971 (International Festival of Songs), the same year they appeared on Leno's "Vida y obra de Johnny McCartney" album.
After venturing to England to attend the Isle of Wight Festival, they decided to experiment with a heavier sound, more akin to UK bands of that era (Deep Purple, Cream, King Crimson, Humble Pie, with a little Beatles' "White Album" in for good measure) than that of their Brazilian cohorts. At this point they changed their name to A Bolha.
Still loaded with verve, swagger, and fueled by drugs, they recorded their first album, which has secured a permanent place as one of the best hard psych rock albums to ever emerge from South America. The LP, "Um Passo a frente" (A step forward), was released in 1973 by the Continental label, in a gatefold cover which was quite luxurious for the era.
This masterpiece, now impossibly hard to find as an original, certainly made a name for A Bolha in the pantheon of 1970's Brazilian rock. But success in the early 1970's was not like it had once been in the old Jovem Guarda or Tropicalist days, when bands had weekly TV shows to help them become well-known nationwide—and eventually, worldwide.
In other words, the meager abilities of Continental to promote the album made it a collector's item, not the fate a band would actively seek for their recordings. Luckily, we at Lion Productions are able to present these recordings to the world all over again, with the additional benefit of a 20-page booklet with band history, photos, and comments on the songs by band leader Renato Ledeira. Includes both sides of the band's infamous hard-rocking 1971 single as bonus tracks.
Tracks
1. Um Passo A Frente (Lima, Schroeter, Ladeira, Bittencourt) - 9:08
2. Razão De Existir (P. Lima) - 4:37
3. Bye My Friend (P. Lima) - 2:57
4. Epitáfio (Lima, Schroeter, Ladeira, Bittencourt) - 6:04
5. Tempos Constantes (P. Lima) - 5:36
6. A Esfera (P. Lima) - 3:40
7. Neste Rock Forever (C. Marciel, Wolf, Lima) - 10:02
8. Sem Nada (P. Lima) - 3:46
9. 18:30 Parte 1/ Os Hemadecons Cantavam Em Coro Choooo (P. Lima) - 5:31
A Bolha
*Pedro Lima - Acoustic Guitar , Lead Guitar, Overtones, Voice
*Lincoln Bittencourt - Bass, Voice
*Gustavo Schroeter - Drums, Voice
*Renato Ladeira - Hammond Organ, Farfisa, Guitar, Voice Guest Musicians
*Luiz Eca - Piano
*Ion Muniz - Flute, Sax
*Tomas Improta - Piano
The most prominent feature of Migration (the Amboy Dukes' third recording, originally released on Mainstream records) is the lack of a spaced-out follow-up to the group's biggest hit, "Journey to the Center of Your Mind." Perhaps "terrible" Ted Nugent was starting to win the drug war that was beginning to wage within the band, a war that would ultimately claim more than a few key lineup casualties.
No matter the reason, Migration -- with it's less opaque drug references and general grooviness -- was given a cool reception at record stores as listeners perhaps became slightly confused about the Michigan band's intentions while pondering Nugent's relatively eclectic musical approach. Case in point: the spot-on version of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent."
Besides this bizarre but affective cover, other highlights include the instrumental opener "Migration" and one of Nugent's all-time favorite songs, "Good Natured Emma." More ambitious than the group's huge-selling effort from the year before, "Migration" might be the better of the two discs, if not the best of the Amboy Dukes' career.
by Jason Anderson
Tracks
1. Migration (Nugent) - 6:06
2. Prodigal Man (Nugent) - 5:48
3. For His Namesake (Farmer) - 4:26
4. I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent (Levy) - 1:53
5. Good Natured Emma (Nugent) - 4:37
6. Inside The Outside (Farmer) - 3:22
7. Shades Of Green And Grey (Farmer) - 3:05
8. Curb Your Elephant (Solomon) - 3:49
9. Loaded For Bear (Nugent) - 3:05
10. J.B. Special (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:32
11. Sobbin' In My Mug Of Beer (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:21
Norway's most well kept secret has been betrayed and solved! This great band has only released a very rare 45rpm EP, which was the soundtrack for the Norwegian movie 'Rivalen'.
Very much like Frank Zappa and The Mothers, RAIN's complex compositions were based on the skills of modern classic composers such as Varèse and Strawinsky. As a strong influence they've mentioned Vanilla Fudge. The album features 10 excellent tracks with horns and orchestral arrangement, great fuzz guitar, Hammond organ and amazing vocals.
This Norwegian rock band had the strong urge to exceed limits, both musically and technically. Rain's members were Carl Jurgen Kionig (drums), Knut Heljar Hagen (organ, piano, vocals, bass) and Asmund Feidje (guitar, violin, vocals, bass).
Album was recorded in 1969-'70. Besides 7 own compositions they played mind blowing versions of 'A Day In The Life', 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Isolation'. Their very complex and difficult arrangements required a lot of practice, but the band managed to turn their concerts into a total experience with a spectacular psychedelic light-show and experiments with "surround" sound.
Tracks
1. A Day In The Life (Lennon, McCartney) - 4:51
2. Whine And Wail (Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 5:25
3. Strawberry Fields Forever (Lennon, McCartney) - 5:17
4. Norsk Suite (Kionig) - 6:08
5. Join The City War (Kl. Hagerup, Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 4:07
6. Ikke Vær Redd Far (Hagerup, Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 4:38
7. Have You Seen Your Father's Face (Hagerup, Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 3:59
8. Svein's Vise (Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 8:26
9. Isolation (Lennon) - 2:49
10.Siste Ordre (D. Hare, T. Bical, N. Bical, Kionig) - 5:54
11.Tapha (Bonus Track) (Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 21:03
The Amboy Dukes were Ted Nugent’s first band (or one of). They came from the same Detroit scene as SRC, The Stooges, Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger, The Frost, The Rationals, MC5 and so forth. They began playing the clubs and ballrooms of Detroit in the mid 1960′s. In 1967 they released their self-titled debut. It was a legendary mix of psychedelia, blues, garage rock, and folk.
The album/music above is also a far cry from Ted Nugent’s mid to late 70′s prime cock rock anthems. At the time, Nugent was content playing his guitar in a rock n roll band. The reality shows, money, politics, redneck concerns and overproduced rock to come had not yet inflated his ego.
The five and a half minute version of Baby Please Don’t Go is an absolute acid garage classic with some fantastic feedback and great guitar sustain. Nugent creates some serious guitar noise on this number and shows off his brilliant chops.
The album closes with another garage classic, Gimme Love. This song has some laser fuzz guitar riffs and angry Mike Drake vocals. In between these two garage monsters are many other great compositions. There are a few covers, two work really well (the splendidly bluesy Let’s Go Get Stoned and the gritty Who cover It’s Not True) while the Cream song I Feel Free is ill-advised (it’s the album’s only weak spot). The Amboy Dukes hit real hard with Colors, a furious acid rock song with some sinister soloing.
Other psych songs like The Lovely Lady are excellent, recalling the Velvet Underground at their trippiest with spiraling guitar pyrotechnics. Phillip’s Escalator is very Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd with brit vocals, clanging chords and first class guitar scrape. It’s a true classic on this exceptional outing. Night Time and Young Love show the band effectively sticking to their garage band roots.
The Amboy Dukes would go on to release two or three other great albums throughout the late 60′s and early 70′s. None of them have that vintage, exciting 66/67 sound like this debut. The guitar freakouts, Who-like energy and great songs make this debut a prime slice of early Detroit rock.
Tracks
1. Baby, Please Don't Go (Big Joe Williams) - 5:29
2. I Feel Free (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:45
3. Young Love (Ted Nugent, Steve Farmer) - 2:49
4. Psalms Of Aftermath (Nugent, Farmer) - 3:24
5. Colors (Nugent, Farmer, Rick Lober, Bill White) - 3:27
6. Let's Go Get Stoned (Valerie Simpson, Nick Ashford, Jo Armstead) - 4:29
7. Down On Philips Escalator (Nugent, Farmer) - 3:05
8. The Lovely Lady (Farmer) - 3:03
9. Night Time (Nugent, Farmer) - 3:16
10.It's Not True (Pete Townshend) - 2:44
11.Gimme Love (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:51
12.J.B. Special (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:23
The Amboy Dukes
*John Drake – Vocals
*Ted Nugent – Guitar
*Steve Farmer – Guitar
*Rick Lober – Piano, Organ
*Dave Palmer – Drums
*Bill White – Bass
Out of nowhere, it seems, along came Beserkley Records - and the Beserkley Chartbusters in particular. The original album featured the label's first four signings namely, Earth Quake, Greg Kihn, The Rubinoos and Jonathan Richman & The Modem Lovers.
One Matthew 'King' Kaufman and Steve Levine had formed the label in collusion with Berkeley based hard rock outfit Earth Quake. Released in the UK initially under license to the United Artists label, under the auspices of Andrew Lauder (the man who signed Brinsley Schwarz, the Flamin' Groovies and ultimately, the Stranglers), the album quickly became a firm favourite amongst disaffected pop kids, and in it's own way, became a kind of Stateside mirror of what Stiff Records would become.
Label boss Matthew 'King' Kaufman, in association with experienced CBS studio engineer Glen Kolotkin quickly developed a distinctive sound and feel to Beserkley recordings. Most of the Beserkley label albums were cut at the CBS Studios on Folsom Street, San Francisco, which aided in the undoubted sense of continuity in sound from album to album.
This sound tended to feature drums with a slight amount of presence echo, a very upfront vocal, and (with the exception of Earth Quake!) relatively distortion-free. Guitars were played at low volume in the studio, but a combo feel was preserved, the sound dean without being clinical. This compilation features all of the tracks from the original Beserkley Chartbusters album, plus choice cuts from the subsequent 'Beserkley's Back' compendium, and a live double album, “Bezerk times”, taken from a German TV recording.
Artists - Tracks
Disc 1 Berserkley Chartbusters
1. Earth Quake - Friday On My Mind (Young, Vanda) - 3:34
2. Greg Kihn - All The Right Reasons (Kihn, Bimler) - 3:15
3. The Rubinoos - Gorilla (Tracey) - 2:57
4. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - The New Teller (Richman) - 1:40
5. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Once) (Richman) - 4:43
6. Earth Quake - Tall Order For A Short Guy (King) - 2:19
7. The Rubinoos - I Think We're Alone Now (Cordell, Gentry) - 2:52
8. Earth Quake - Hit The Floor (Dunbar, Doukas, Miller) - 3:42
9. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Government Center (Richman) - 2:16
10.Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - It Will Stand (Hohnson) - 2:35
Copies of Fresh Air's only album, 1970's A Breath of Fresh Air - one of the very first albums released on the Amaret label, who issued recordings by the Minneapolis blues-rock quintet Crow -- are highly sought-after and treasured by collectors.
Featuring dramatic organ flourishes and flamboyant guitar leads throughout, A Breath of Fresh Air is similar to other organ-driven hard pop groups of the era, including Sugarloaf, Blues Image, and Three Dog Night.
The highlight here is the leadoff track, a fast-paced, histrionic discotheque take on Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" -- by then already a few years old -- which features heavy distorted guitar and Marc Piscitelli's intense lead vocals. Six of the remaining tracks were written by the group's "sixth member," Louie Caridi, including "Somewhere a Mountain Is Moving" (taking its title from a line in the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina").
This was a different Fresh Air from the group of the same name that featured keyboardist Don Randi (they recorded a self-titled Fresh Air album around the same time, but for Columbia Records). Piscitelli later became an engineer and backing vocalist, working with a varied group of artists during his career, including Glen Campbell, Juice Newton, Spirit, and John Travolta.
by Bryan Thomas
Tracks
1. For What It's Worth (Stephen Stills) - 2:40
2. Faces In The Fire - 3:50
3. December (Marc Piscitelli) - 4:50
4. Somewhere A Mountain Is Moving - 2:30
5. Get Away Car Car - 2:39
6. I've Lost My Faith - 3:10
7. Baby Lady (R. Kutner) - 3:20
8. Sleeping In Sunshine - 3:20
9. Sailor Man (Marc Piscitelli, Louie Caridi) - 2:30
10.I Finally Found A Friend - 2:45
All songs by Louie Caridi except where noted
Fresh Air
*Allen Carey -
*Louie Caridi -
*Mick Jones -
*Marc Piscitelli - Lead Vocals
*Peter Plumeri - Drums
*Tim Whitcanack - Bass, Keyboards
Like so many other British bands that achieved recognition in the progressive era, Family's origins lay in the R’n’B boom of the early Sixties. The initial line-up included guitarist Charlie Whitney, sax-player Jim King and bassist/violinist Ric Grech, all of •whom had earlier been in the Farinas, a Leicester-based group formed by Whitney and King back in 1962.
When vocalist Roger Chapman joined the band in 1966, he brought with him not only a wealth of experience gained in local outfits such as the Rockin' Rs and the X-citers, but also one of rock's most distinctive voices. When Rob Townsend replaced original Farinas drummer Harry Overall, the first Family line-up was complete. Whitney and Chapman quickly formed the songwriting partnership that provided the majority of Family's material throughout their history and, after moving down to London, the group quickly built a reputation as an original live act, centred around Chapman's manic on-stage presence.
Between 1967 and 1969, they released two highly-regarded albums, 'Music In A Doll's House' and 'Family Entertainment', along with a clutch of worthy but largely ignored singles. Ail seemed to be going well until, midway through their debut US tour, they suffered the first of many personnel changes as Ric Grech unexpectedly left to join Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton in Blind Faith. John Welder, formerly of Eric Burden and the Animals, stepped into the breach, but the remainder of the tour was effectively damage limitation and they returned home without making the hoped-for US breakthrough.
Late in 1969, Family finally made it into the UK singles charts when 'No Mule's Fool' fleetingly entered the Top 30, This, and its B-side, 'Good Friend Of Mine', were the first recordings to feature new-boy Welder and the last to include Jim King. His replacement was multi-instrumentalist Poli Palmer who brought vibes, flute, piano and later synths to the group's already eclectic instrumental mix. The revised line-up recorded 'A Song For Me', released in January 1970.
Harder and leaner than their two previous efforts, it opened in spectacular style with the raw intensity of' Drowned In Wine', while 'Love Is A Sleeper', featuring guest pianist Zoot Money, the frantic rockabilly of 'The Cat And The Rat' and the epic title track emphasised their ability to work in a variety of styles. August saw the release of 'Strange Band', a three-track EP that textured re-recorded versions of two numbers from 'A Song For Me', plus the newly-written title track. The song had already been played in concert, and a live version of it was included on the next LP, Anyway...', which appeared in November.
The new album matched three more live tracks and four new studio cuts, none of which had been issued in any form. All four live songs from Anyway...' are included here, demonstrating the band's mastery of mood and texture.
by Alan Kinsman
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Drowned in Wine - 4:10
2. Cat & The Rat, The - 2:32
3. A Song For Me (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, J. Weider, R. Townsend) - 9:17
4. Love Is a Sleeper - 4:02
5. Between Blue And Me - 5:02
6. Spanish Tide - 4:02
7. Children - 2:19
8. Saturday Barfly - 3:58
9. Larf And Sing (P. Palmer) - 2:45
10. Take Your Partners (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, P. Palmer) - 6:23
11. Good News Bad News - 7:23
12. Strange Band (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, Williamson) - 3:21
13. Part of the Load - 4:40
14. Lives & Ladies - 6:33
15. Holding the Compass - 3:48
16. Willow Tree - 4:22
All compositions by Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman except as else stated.
Disc 2
1. Burlesque - 4:05
2. Broken Nose - 4:09
3. Glove - 4:50
4. My Friend the Sun - 4:20
5. Coronation (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, J. Wetton) - 3:50
6. Ready to Go - 4:37
7. It's Only a Movie - 5:08
8. Buffet Tea For Two - 5:21
9. Sweet Desiree - 3:40
10. Check Out - 4:30
11. Boom Bang - 3:02
12. Boots 'N' Roots - 5:01
13. In My Own Time - 3:34
14. Seasons - 2:22
15. No Mules Fool - 3:10
16. Good Friend of Mine - 3:30
All compositions by Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman except as else stated.
