Short live US band, release their only album "Labyrinths" in 1972. A great example of swamp psych rock melted with spiritual folk country and classic rock tunes, with male / female stunning vocals, also need to mention the plethora of excellent guest musicians.
Tracks
1. May 16th (Dan Moore) - 3:03
2. Alice In Wonderland (Hoyt Axton) - 2:28
3. It's Alright (Alan Parker) - 2:58
4. Little Love Song (Michael Deasy) - 1:55
5. Tell Me That You Love Me (Michael Clough) - 4:16
6. Southwind (Jeff Thomas) - 3:48
7. Pass It On (Michael Clough) - 3:32
8. Can't Let You Go (Alan Parker) - 3:55
9. Puppets (Michael Deasy) - 2:45
10.Revival (Jeff Thomas) - 3:34
11.Burnin' (L. Knechtel, M. Deasy) - 3:05
Jack Grunsky was born in Austria and raised in Canada. After completing high school in Toronto in 1964, Jack moved to Austria, where he attended the Academy of Arts in Vienna. Interestingly, it was during his years as an art student that Jack's music began to flourish. For the next ten years he became popular in the European music scene as a singer-songwriter. In 1966 he formed the folk singing group, Jack's Angels, who recorded four albums for Amadeo Records of Vienna. They were hugely successful, but the group lasted only a few years.
After the group disbanded, Jack continued recording and made three more solo albums for Amadeo Records: The Way I Want To Live, My Ship and Toronto, which was produced by Alexis Korner in London, England and featured tracks with Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones on slide guitar. A number of singles reached the top of the European charts. Eckart Rahn, a music publisher took a keen interest in Jack and brought him on board the progressive German label, Kuckuck Records in Munich, where Jack produced three more albums: Buffalo Brian, Newborn Man and the self-titled, Jack Grunsky.
Tracks
1. It Takes So Long (Jordon arr Grunsky) - 1:57
2. The Early Riser - 3:41
3. Good Night Sweet Dream - 3:23
4. Purple Kangaroo - 2:47
5. The Last Thing On My Mind (Paxton arr. Grunsky) - 3:09
6. Rich Man's Spiritual (Lightfoot arr. Grunsky) - 2:51
7. Frankie And Johnny (Traditional arr. Grunsky) - 2:16
8. Fare Thee Well (Gude arr. Grunsky) - 2:39
9. Flight 4 Explore - 2:30
10.Here I Am (Oberhuber, Grunsky) - 2:41
11.Settle Down (Settle arr. Grunsky) - 2:30
12.My Fantasy's Kingdom - 4:56
All Compositions by Jack Grunsky except where stated
A peculiar package in more ways than one, Ears of Stone has 20 Nashville-issued tracks from the 1960s that cover such a wide range as to be nearly unclassifiable. At least the strange "Ears of Stone" title was chosen for a reason, as it's the name of one of the songs here (by the Network). Not much else about this compilation can be explained away as easily, since the liner notes, unbelievably, actually belong to an entirely different compilation on the T-Bird label, Early Country and Western from Bullet Records Nashville, which consists of country music from the late '40s and early '50s.
It's hard to believe this got past quality control, especially as the illustrations in the notes actually feature some of the '60s artist's and singles on the Ears of Stone compilation, but there you have it. At least it can be inferred from those illustrations that the CD contains tracks from obscure Nashville independent labels, particularly Spar and Bullet, whose releases have been spotlighted on numerous other compilations on the T-Bird label. Not one of the artists on Ears of Stone has any degree of fame, even among collectors, and without inclusion of the proper liner notes, it's hard to even cite anything specific about their origins.
Yet for all the strikes this has against it even before you've played the disc, it's a more worthwhile and listenable anthology than you might expect, even if its appeal is limited to diehards. There's pretty fair country-pop from Bobby & Bergen, and decent, rustic, underproduced folk-rock from Him & Her, whose "Too Much Too Soon" sounds like a garage Sonny & Cher. Also in an undernourished, yet charming, mid-'60s folk-rock vein, is the Mad Tea Party's "Keep It in Your Mind," which brings to mind a poppier Beau Brummels.
The Seventh Plane's "Time to Realize" is engaging, tentative sunshine pop; the Network's "Ears of Stone" seems like it could have been done by the same group, with its pleasing male-female vocal harmonies, but it takes a more psychedelic tack, with enchanting bittersweet melodies buttressed by a subdued fuzz guitar. Christopher Jordan comes off like a rawer, more folk-rock inclined Neil Diamond on his self-penned "When It's Over"; the mysterious Tres (a trio, natch) offer confident, stripped-down country-rock. Several covers of pop/rock and country hits don't in any way challenge or redefine the familiar versions, but the Now Generation's cover of the Byrds/Turtles' "You Showed Me" is nonetheless entertaining, if in a soundalike sort of way.
Truth be told, almost all of these tracks sound like underfunded demos, yet that's part of their charm and appeal. Lacking the budget and time to come up with something slicker, the artists do the best with what they've got and create some good, unaffected music unbeholden to a set formula, reflecting a modestly creative underbelly of the Nashville scene that's escaped the history books. Now if only this could be redone with the real liner notes.
by Richie Unterberger
Artists - Tracks
1. Bertha, Buddy, Woody - Don't Think Twice (Bob Dylan) - 2:35
2. Bergen, Bobby - The Way You Treated Me for Years (White) - 2:27
3. Bergen, Bobby - It's Another World (Statler) - 1:58
4. Freda Burrell - There Goes My Everything (Frazier) - 3:07
5. Freda Burrell - A Woman Who Has Love (Burrell) - 2:15
6. Him And Her - Every Day I Have to Cry (Alexander) - 2:15
7. Him And Her - Too Much Too Soon (Wood) - 1:59
8. Unky, Phoebe And Fatty Ann - Big Windy City (Russell, White) - 2:51
9. Ricky Page - Ode to Billie Joe (Gentry) - 4:11
10.The Now Generation - You Showed Me (Clark, Hillman) - 2:37
11.Johnny Elgin - My Hometown (Elgin) - 2:35
12.The Mad Tea Party - Keep It in Your Mind (Godknecht) - 3:11
13.The Seventh Plane - Time to Realize (Romans) - 2:18
14.The Network - Ears of Stone (Romans, Sullivan) - 2:47
15.Christopher Jordan - When It's Over (Jordan) - 2:52
16.Christopher Jordan - Don't Ever Tell Me (Jordan) - 2:54
17.Aardvark - The Kiss That Touches Me (Cohen, Cohen) - 2:26
18.Jim Hsieh - I Need a Ride (Rutherford) - 2:21
19.Tres - Bittersweet Tears (Montgomery) - 3:29
20.Tres - I Can't Hold On (Montgomery) - 1:45
In their first three years or so as recording artists, the Rascals had achieved almost as much success as was humanly possible for any rock band not named the Beatles in the mid-to-late 1960s. There had been about a dozen hit singles, three of them #1 smashes. There were major television shows, tours across the US and Europe, and Top Ten albums. There was relentless musical originality and invention, which found them expanding from the blue-eyed soul base that had made "Good Lovin'" a 1966 #1 single to psychedelia that brought in horn and string arrangements, as well as lyrics that incorporated both spiritual growth and social commentary. It all peaked with the liberation anthem "People Got to Be Free," which took over the #1 position for five weeks in the summer of 1968, and was part of their ambitious 1969 double album Freedom Suite (also issued on CD by Collectors' Choice Music).
With so little left to prove, the Rascals turned increasing attention toward business and social agendas that were not strictly tied to songwriting and recordmaking. Even as far back as 1967, organist and singer Felix Cavaliere had told Melody Maker, "We'd really like to go on a world tour in Japan, Turkey, Europe and even the USSR to spread a message of peace. It would be a world peace tour. The message won't be simple pacifism, it'll go deeper than that. It's lack of communication that leads to ignorance and war. On our travels we have found already that young people are really groovy all over the world. Although we're not fighters or anything, we would like to do our bit to get them together."
Though the Rascals didn't pull off such a global venture, they did something about as significant by announcing that their shows would feature half white acts, and half black acts—an important statement in a decade in which campaigning for civil rights was so vital, and all the more so coming from one of the few white acts with a sizable following among black audiences. "All our major concerts will be half black, half white, or we stay home," Cavaliere told Rolling Stone in 1969. "We can't control the audience, guaranteeing it will be integrated—and you better believe they're still segregated, if only by psychological forces that exist. But we can control the show. So from now on, half the performers will be black, half will be white. It was this way at the Martin Luther King Memorial we did recently at Madison Square Garden, and it was great." The group would also do benefits for UNICEF, Cesar Chavez, and the Long Island Tenant Farmers' Union.
While the Rascals' stage presentations had became more musically ambitious as well—including a performance with the American Symphony Orchestra at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey—they'd also be more selective in those. "We're limiting our engagements starting the first of January," Cavaliere informed Rolling Stone, shortly after the group had canceled an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. "We got tired of seeing producers approach good groups and say, 'Give us a fast three minutes, then split.' We figured we were at the end of the road. Television has let the musician down. The last strike showed that. So we aren't going to them any more.
There are things more important than money. We've turned down or canceled other shows, too." In the same Rolling Stone article, Cavaliere announced plans to start a label for ghetto youth, Ki Records, adding, "I was asked once on a black radio station what a young Harlem kid could do to make it. I couldn't answer that question. Now I'm going to try. There must be dozens of brilliant young musicians in Harlem, in Watts, but how do they get out? Who is going to give them a chance?" On top of all this, Cavaliere was studying Eastern mysticism with Swami Satchinanda, described in Billboard as "a non-profit prophet who is helping the singer-songwriter by tranquilizing his lyrics."
Yet around the same time, the Rascals, or at least their management, were entertaining ever-widening commercial and business ambitions as well. In September 1968, Variety reported that manager Sid Bernstein had "agreements with two major filmeries for a picture in which the combo would act and perform pending his finding the right script. He has nixed three to date." Observed Bernstein in the same piece, "Sound of film can reach millions of people. If we did a soundtrack, we could double our annual gross, and if we appeared in the film, the figure would triple." Summarized Variety, "Bernstein is priming his act for everybody's ultimate goal, to be the 'American Beatles'...Bernstein feels that all that is preventing his act from reaching the summit of success is the attitude of the important 'underground' press who, according to Bernstein, regard 'the Rascals as teenyboppers.'"
Of course, to be the American Beatles—or to carry off such ambitious business/social plans, as the Beatles were themselves trying to do with Apple at the same time—has to be funded by the capital generated by hit records. And sadly, in 1969, those were in shorter supply in the Rascals camp than big ideas. None of their three singles that year made the Top Twenty, though the final pair, "See" and "Carry Me Back," came close. Both were included on the album released at the end of the year, See, but that likewise was a disappointment, peaking at #45. Nor did it expand the group's musical vision as markedly as each of the band's albums had since their 1966 debut The Young Rascals, retreating from the sprawling experimentalism of Freedom Suite to songs of mostly fairly conventional length and structure.
Guitarist Gene Cornish had told Melody Maker in the late 1960s that "it seems to be a new direction each time we do a record," but on See, it seems the band, like so many of their peers at the end of the 1960s, were embracing a simpler sound more in touch with their roots. It was also apparent that Eddie Brigati's role in the group was diminishing; though he'd written most of the band's material with Cavaliere at their peak, and taken almost as many lead vocals as Felix, on See he doesn't have any leads at all, and his songwriting contributions are limited to just one co-write ("I'm Blue") with Cavaliere.
Viewed several decades later without the sky-high expectations listeners might have brought to a new Rascals LP in 1969, however, See reveals itself to have its share of solid tunes that play to the group's basic soul-rock strengths. "See" has a bubbling organ, pummeling rhythm, and train-whistle harmonies that would do the Five Americans proud; "I'm Blue" taps their skill at delivering a credibly Ray Charles-like number, something at which Cavaliere was especially adept at singing; "Carry Me Back" combined the gospel feel heard in several late-period Rascals singles with what was, for the group, an unusually country tinge; and "Real Thing" was a fine gospel-rock tune that perhaps would have made a better choice as a 45. And while the group had placed just one cover on their three previous albums, they dipped back into their most blue-eyed soul-soaked past with a cover of the Knight Brothers' 1965 hit ballad "Temptation's 'Bout to Get Me," with a dual Cavaliere/Brigati lead vocal.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. See - 5:04
2. I'd Like To Take You Home - 2:38
3. Remember Me (Gene Cornish) - 2:12
4. I'm Blue (Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati) - 3:52
5. Stop And Think - 4:10
6. Temptation's 'Bout To Get Me (Jeff Diggs) - 3:31
7. Nubia - 3:44
8. Carry Me Back - 2:54
9. Away Away (G. Cornish) - 3:26
10.Real Thing - 2:45
11.Death's Reply - 4:20
12.Hold On - 3:36
All songs are written by Felix Cavaliere unless as else indicated.
The Rascals
*Felix Cavaliere - Organ, Piano, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
*Eddie Brigati - Percussion, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
*Gene Cornish - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
*Dino Danelli - Drums Additional Musicians
*Chuck Rainey - Bass
*Ron Carter - Bass
*Hubert Laws - Flute
*Danny Labbate - Soprano Sax
*Joe Bushkin - Piano
Electromagnetic Steamboat: The Reprise Recordings gathers "every unique master recording of the Fugs that was delivered to and survives in the Reprise [Records] archives." This includes not only the four long-players: Tenderness Junction, It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest, The Belle of Avenue A, and Golden Filth, but also an additional 40 minutes of material that never made it onto a standard commercial release.
The Fugs first gained notoriety with their cerebral marriage of Lower East Side beatnik philosophies to electric folk music in 1964. This culminated in a series of definitive underground recordings on the New York City based ESP label. It was after a somewhat acrimonious split that the Fugs signed with the decidedly West Coast Reprise Records. The band's revolving door personnel features a few familiar session musicians during this era.
Among the more notable names are Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Charles Larkey (bass), Bob Mason (drums), Richard Tee (organ), jazz legend Julius Watkins (French horn), and Ken Pine (guitar). Remaining at the inventive center of the Fugs are Tuli Kupferberg (vocals), Ed Saunders (vocals), and Ken Weaver (vocals/drums). Even with the lack of stability in the lineup, the nature of the band remained pure. In light of the political and social situations that the world faced in the late '60s, The Fugs' single-minded resonance of a Dionysian reality seemed practically surreal.
The multi-dimensional "War Song" -- originally issued on Tenderness Junction -- acknowledges the duality of base gratification during wartime. Golden Filth is conspicuous as the only live album in the lot. Recorded at Bill Graham's Fillmore East, the set includes "I Want to Know," in addition to tracks from their ESP days -- including "Coca Cola Douche," which is titled "CCD" for obvious legal reasons. The original album art from Cal Schenkel is also reproduced within the memorabilia-laden liner notes.
The bonus material includes a monophonic mix of "Tenderness Junction," as well as a unique edit of the "Divine Toe" medley, which was previously available on The 1969 Warner/Reprise Songbook -- a mail order-only promotional album offered from the record label. Additionally there is the "promo album version" of "Crystal Liaison" that was issued exclusively on the Some of Our Best Friends Are disc. Finally, the infamous five-track demo reel delivered -- but never issued -- to Atlantic Records is released here for the first time in its entirety. Electromagnetic Steamboat: The Reprise Recordings is limited to an edition of 5,000 and available exclusively through the Rhino HandMade.
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
Disc 1
Tenderness Junction 1967
1. Turn On / Tune In / Drop Out (T. Leary, K. Weaver) - 4:39
2. Knock Knock - 4:15
3. The Garden Is Open (Tuli Kupferberg) - 6:02
4. Wet Dream - 3:16
5. Hare Krishna (Zeus, A. Ginsberg) - 3:19
6. Exorcising The Evil Spirits From The Pentagon October 21, 1967 - 3:13
7. War Song (K. Pine, K. Weaver) - 5:18
8. Dover Beach (T. Kupferberg, M. Arnold) - 3:56
9. Fingers Of The Sun (Warren Smith) - 2:18
10.Aphrodite Mass (In 5 Sections) (Gary Elton, Sapho) - 8:20
.I...Litany Of The Street Grope
.II..Genuflection At The Temple Of Squack
.III.Petals In The Sea
.IV..Sappho's Hymn To Aphrodite
.V...Homage To Throb Thrills
It Crawled into My Hand, Honest 1968
11.Crystal Liaison (E. Sanders, K. Pine, K. Weaver) - 3:07
12.Ramses II Is Dead, My Love - 2:45
13.Burial Waltz (E. Sanders, Warren Smith) - 2:24
14.Wide Wide River (T. Kupferberg, Lionel Lewis Goldbart) - 2:47
15.Life Is Strange (T. Kupferberg) - 2:32
16.Johnny Pissoff Meets The Red Angel - 4:32
17.Marijuana (Bob Dorough, E. Sanders, T. Kupferberg) - 1:38
18.Leprechaun (K. Weaver) - 0:10
19.When The Mode Of Music Changes (T. Kupferberg) - 3:51
20.Whimpers From The Jello - 0:20
21.The Divine Toe (Part I) - 0:38
22.We're Both Dead Now, Alice (E. Sanders, K. Weaver) - 0:16
23.Life Is Funny (T. Kupferberg) - 0:14
24.Grope Need (Part I) - 0:18
25.Tuli, Visited By The Ghost Of Plontinus / More Grope Need (Grope Need-Part II) - 0:18
26.Robinson Crusoe (K. Weaver) - 0:17
27.Claude Pelieu And J.J. Lebel Discuss The Early Verlaine Bread Crust Fragments - 4:30
28.The National Haiku Contest (E. Sanders, K. Weaver) - 0:25
29.The Divine Toe (Part II) - 0:46
30.Irene - 1:10
All songs written by Ed Sanders except where indicated.
Disc 2
1. The Divine Toe (Parts I-II) - 3:02
Golden Filth 1970
2. Bum's Song (T. Kupferberg) - 3:02
3. Dust Devil - 3:15
4. Chicago - 2:11
5. Four Minutes To Twelve - 5:37
6. Mr. Mack - 3:49
7. The Belle Of Avenue A - 5:40
8. Queen Of The Nile - 2:44
9. Flower Children (T. Kupferberg) - 4:22
10.Yodeling Yippie - 2:16
11.Children Of The Dream (T. Kupferberg) - 5:55
12.Slum Goddess (Ken Weaver) - 3:11
13.CCD (T. Kupferberg) - 2:53
14.How Sweet I Roamed (Lyrics William Blake) - 3:24
15.I Couldn't Get High (Ken Weaver) - 4:09
16.Saran Wrap - 3:46
17.I Want To Know (Olson, Ed Sanders) - 2:37
18.Homemade - 5:18
19.Nothing (T. Kupferberg) - 4:55
20.Supergirl (T. Kupferberg) - 2:43
All songs written by Ed Sanders except where noted.
Disc 3
1. Knock Knock - 4:41
2. Wet Dream - 15:06
3. Carpe Diem (T. Kupferberg) - 4:00
4. Nameless Voices Crying For Kindness - 2:58
10.Aphrodite Mass (In 5 Sections, Mono Version) (Gary Elton, Sapho) - 9:52
.I...Litany Of The Street Grope
.II..Genuflection At The Temple Of Squack
.III.Petals In The Sea
.IV..Sappho's Hymn To Aphrodite
.V...Homage To Throb Thrills
6. Turn On / Tune In / Drop Out (Mono Album Version) (T. Leary, K. Weaver) - 4:39
7. Knock Knock (Mono Album Version) - 4:15
8. The Garden Is Open (Mono Album Version) (T. Kupferberg) - 6:02
9. Wet Dream (Mono Album Version) - 3:16
10.Hare Krishna (Mono Album Version) (Zeus, A. Ginsberg) - 3:19
11.Exorcising The Evil Spirits From The Pentagon October 21, 1967 - 3:13
12.War Song (Mono Album Version) (K. Pine, K. Weaver) - 5:18
13.Dover Beach (Mono Album Version) (T. Kupferberg, M. Arnold) - 3:56
14.Fingers Of The Sun (Mono Album Version) (Warren Smith) - 2:18
15.Crystal Liaison (Promo Album Version) (E. Sanders, K. Pine, K. Weaver) - 3:34
All songs written by Ed Sanders except where stated
Damned if this isn’t the story that rock ’n’ roll dreams are almost made of. In 1973, Wilson, an unknown 26-year-old Indiana native, had a batch of songs he’d written and wanted to record. Being a Dylan fan, he decided to knock on the door of Bob Johnston, producer of several Dylan albums as well as seminal Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash albums, and ask him to make a record.
Although having no idea who Wilson was, Johnston put common sense aside and asked Wilson to play one of his songs on the spot; that same evening, Bill Wilson was in Ray Stevens Sound Lab Studio in Nashville, and Johnston producing his first album! There with him was a selection of Johnston’s “go to” Nashville session players – Kenny Buttrey (drums), Charlie Daniels and Jerry Reed (guitars), Charlie McCoy (harmonica), Mac Gayden (slide), Pete Drake (pedal steel), singer Cissy Houston, and Bob Wilson on piano. It has the makings of a fairy tale of Disney proportions.
What is beyond argument is that Bill Wilson was an extraordinarily gifted songwriter and recording artist just waiting for the “big break.” Although recorded in Nashville, the 11 songs are more steeped in the influences of Austin’s outlaw country with a faint Southern tinge; there are echoes of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Mickey Newbury, and even Mike Nesmith’s 1st National Band (check out the exhilarating opener ‘Rainy Day Resolution’).
As is usual, the lyrics are about the themes that generally run through the genre – heartbreak, social commentary, tales of drifters and lost love (the abject pain in ‘Long Gone Lady’ is palpable). There’s even some country gospel thrown in for good measure, Cissy Houston harmonising gloriously on ‘Following My Lord’ and ‘Father Let Your Light Shine Down’. Gayden’s slide playing is sublime throughout, particularly on ‘Ballad Of Cody’ and ‘Pay Day Give Away’; neither would be out of place on an Allman Brothers album. All that’s needed is the “happily ever after” flashing neon and the fairy tale is complete.
Sadly, that never transpired. Wilson took his album to Columbia where it sank almost without trace; Wilson himself struggled to actually find a copy of his own album. As he somewhat prophetically sings in the title track: “another crazy dream had come undone.” Josh Rosenthal (Tompkins Square founder) stumbled across the album in a vinyl bargain bin at a San Francisco record fair in January and bought it for 25 cents, purely on the strength of the producer’s name.
When contacted by Rosenthal, Johnston recalled that he never saw or spoke with Wilson again after the recording session, but “the fucker could really write.” Bill Wilson died from a heart attack in 1993, aged 46, having made less than $100 from his record and never seeing its resurrection. Not all fairy tales have happy endings.
by Trevor J. Leeden
Tracks
1. Rainy Day Resolution - 3:33
2. Pay Day Give Away - 4:00
3. To Rebecca - 5:54
4. Black Cat Blues - 5:13
5. Father Let Your Light Shine Down - 2:58
6. Long Gone Lady - 3:33
7. Following My Lord - 4:13
8. Ballad Of Cody - 4:27
9. The Good Ship Society - 2:59
10.Ever Changing Minstrel - 3:06
11.Monday Morning Strangers - 3:50
Words and Music by Bill Wilson
A short lived British band strongly inspired by American rural southern rock bands. The album illustrates excellent examples of swamp and British rock backed up by nice electric guitar.
Coast Road Drive s brief glimpse of success transpired with Delicious and Refreshing released on Decca s progressive arm, Deram, in 1974. The band itself boasted an impressive cast of musicians most of whom had already enjoyed a varied musical career in the late Sixties revealing a depth of musical prowess that had come together from psychedelic acts such as Methuselah, Distant Jim, Ray Owen s Moon, Quintessence and Judas Jump. Delicious and Refreshing finally receives its deserved retrospective re issue with analytical liners detailing the band s brief existence and the musical pedigree behind it.
Tracks
1. Sail Away (L. Nicol, S. Chapman, S. Krieger) - 3:35
2. Coal Black Night - 4:38
3. It's All So Easy - 5:02
4. Take My Time - 3:20
5. Jason - 3:33
6. This Time Around (Cox) - 4:26
7. Hard To Handle (Charlie Harrison) - 3:13
8. If You Ain't Got The Key (Cox) - 4:25
9. Keep On (Les Nicol) - 3:13
10.Over The Mountain - 4:55
All songs by Steve Krieger except where stated
Coast Road Drive
Craig Austin - Vocals
Steve Chapman - Drums, Vocals
Charlie Harrison - Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Les Nicol - Guitar, Vocals
Steve Krieger - Guitar, Vocals With
Henry Lowther - Trumpet
Chris Mercer - Sax
Mick Weaver - Keyboards
Nicky Hopkins - Piano
Completing the two-fer reissues of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's 1970s LP catalog, this final package brings together the band's final, dying breaths. Cut less than a year after "Delilah" finally broke the band into the U.K. pop mainstream, SAHB Stories is the strongest of the pair; indeed, at its greatest, it shines alongside the very best of the band's past. The closing "Dogs of War," is a bombastically overwrought examination of the mercenary mindset, while the twisted history of "Boston Tea Party" -- quite likely the only U.K. hit to mention George Washington's wooden teeth -- is set to a pounding tomahawk guitar riff, and an extraordinarily contagious chorus.
A positively spellbinding interpretation of Jerry Reed's "Amos Moses," meanwhile, drops the listener head first into the Louisiana bayou, hunting alligators and police chiefs alike. Rock Drill, on the other hand, was recorded almost two years later, with the band's career and momentum alike having been irreparably hamstrung first by Harvey's illness and "retirement"; then by the rise of punk rock, to file the group firmly into the box marked "has-beens." It was precisely the kind of challenge Harvey ordinarily relished, but he was tired and still unwell; the comeback came a few months too soon, and the songwriting came slowly. "Mrs Blackhouse," cut as a single during 1977.
The odd "Water Beastie," truly hinted at the deranged variety and complexity that had hallmarked past SAHB albums and it's revealing that, 25 years on, Harvey's Considering the Situation anthology considered that song alone worth excerpting from Rock Drill. In truth, the album is not quite that dispensable. But it does come close.
by Dave Thompson
Tracks
Disc 1 "Stories" 1976
1. Dance To Your Daddy (D. Batchelor, A. Cleminson, C. Glen, A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 5:45
2. Amos Moses (Jerry Reed) - 5:18
3. Jungle Rub Out (D. Batchelor, A. Cleminson, C. Glen, A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 4:27
4. Sirocco (Hugh McKenna) - 6:51
5. Boston Tea Party (Alistair Cleminson, Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna) - 4:36
6. Sultan's Choice (Alistair Cleminson, Alex Harvey) - 4:06
7. $25 For A Massage (Alistair Cleminson, Chris Glen, Alex Harvey) - 3:18
8. Dogs Of War (Alistair Cleminson, Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna) - 6:13
Disc 2 "Rock Drill" 1978
1. Rock Drill (Alex Harvey, Tommy Eyre) - 6:24
2. The Dolphins (A. Harvey, A. Zal Cleminson, C. Glen, H. McKenna) - 6:09
3. Rock 'N' Roll (Alex Harvey, Alistair Cleminson, Hugh McKenna) - 3:39
4. King Kong (Max Steiner) - 3:16
5. Booids (Traditional Arr. By A. Harvey, A. Cleminson, C. Glen, E. McKenna, T.Eyre) - 1:38
6. Who Murdered Sex? (A. Harvey, A. Cleminson, T. Eyre) - 5:17
7. Nightmare City (Alex Harvey) - 3:48
8. Water Beastie (Alex Harvey, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna) - 4:51
9. Mrs. Blackhouse (Alex Harvey) - 3:36
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
*Alex Harvey - Lead Vocals, Guitar
*Zal Cleminson - Guitar
*Chris Glen - Bass Guitar
*Hugh McKenna - Keyboards, Synthesizer
*Ted McKenna - Drums
Sometimes, albums become far more interesting because of their back story. Case in point: Agnes Strange. This heavy trio from Southampton, England, led by singer-guitarist John Westwood, somehow didn't make a splash on the early '70s boogie circuit despite their obvious similarities to beloved acts like the Groundhogs, Budgie and Status Quo.
Despite some heavy names in their corner, including management company DJM (led by Dick James, who had made a mint off the Beatles' publishing) and A&R folks at Pye Records, some bad luck and inexplicable business decisions led them off course. Foremost among these was a fundamental misunderstanding of the term "pub rock," which led Pye to release Strange Flavour on a one-off label called Birdsnest, which was affiliated with a chain of theme pubs of the same name, owned by the beer manufacturer Watney's.
The existing heavy rock audience at the time reacted much as straight-edge punks would if McDonald's and Sony BMG joined forced to release a hardcore album available only at fast food restaurants, and Strange Flavour disappeared without trace, as did Agnes Strange.Funny thing, though: it turns out that Strange Flavour is actually pretty good. Produced by Dave Travis, whose remarkably cheesy country albums from the '60s are much beloved by Anglo-kitsch collectors, and engineered by Colin Thurston, who was about a half decade away from his heyday as a name post-punk and new romantic producer, Strange Flavour is comfortably pitched between the old and the new, or at least the new iterations of the old.
"Clever Fool" is a basic bluesy shuffle that would sound right at home on one of Dave Edmunds' Rockpile-era albums, while "Motorway Rebel" is tailor-made for the Foghat crowd, with its faux bluesy riffage and a hackneyed opening line "Well, I been to New York City/You know I been to L.A." delivered in a voice that screams that its owner has never been further west than Liverpool. On side two, things get a lot spacier, culminating in the epic freak-out "Children of the Absurd," complete with Pink Floyd-style sonar guitar pings and rampant wah-wah abuse.
Westwood and his compatriots, bassist Alan Green and drummer Dave Rodwell, may not have been able to solidify a trademark Agnes Strange sound, but the "see if it works" variety and generally tasteful playing makes Strange Flavour an interesting listen for rock obscurantists and old boogie fans alike. This reissue features remastered sound, full liner notes of the whole odd story and four bonus tracks including the punchier 45 single mix of the anthemic opening track "Give Yourself a Chance."
by Stewart Mason
Tracks
1. Give Yourself A Chance (J. Westwood, A. Green) - 3:30
2. Clever Fool (J. Westwood) - 3:23
3. Travelling (J. Westwood) - 2:53
4. Alberta (D. Travis) - 5:44
5. Loved One (A. Green) - 6:00
6. Failure (D. Rodwell) - 5:19
7. Children Of The Absurd (D. Rodwell, A. Green, D. Barber) - 7:47
8. Odd Man Out (J. Westwood) - 3:53
9. Highway Blues (J. Westwood) - 5:31
10.Granny Don't Like Rock 'N' Roll (J. Westwood) - 5:21
11.Interference (D. Travis) - 1:44
12.Give Yourself A Chance (J. Westwood, A. Green) - 3:28
13.Motorway Rebel (J. Westwood) - 4:04
14.Strange Flavour (J. Westwood, A. Green, D. Rodwell) - 3:56
Track 12 Single Version
Tracks 13-14 Album Outtakes
Booker T. Jones exited Stax Records before it came to a complete crash and married singer Priscilla Coolidge, Rita's sister, and the two hooked-up musically as well. Great things were expected from this project. Jones led his namesake, Booker T. & the MG's, to some success at Stax. The four-pieces also served as the label's most prominent house band, and, in addition, Jones shared co-writer credit on some great songs. Coolidge, like her sister, sang with an abundance of soul. Rita recorded for A&M, and the label had issued a solo album on Priscilla, which originally came out on Sussex Records. Few people will tell you this is a bad album, cause it's not. The lovebirds are all over the place theme-wise -- love, social problems, ethnic issues, and other twists and spins on a multitude of subjects.
by Andrew Hamilton
Tracks
1. On The Road - 3:55
2. Let It Shine - 3:08
3. Gypsy King - 3:39
4. Come On Sweet - 2:59
5. Salty Haze 2:58
6. T My T - 2:07
7. Good Morning Freedom (Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Albert Hammond) - 4:02
8. Now The Children Remind You (Weiss, Unobsky) - 2:48
9. Long Rivers Flow (Ray Stinnett) - 3:18
10.Spring Rain (Ray Stinnett) - 2:26
11.Hummingbird (Leon Russell) - 6:00
All songs by Priscilla Coolidge except where stated.
Musicians
*Priscilla Coolidge - Vocals
*Booker T. Jones - Organ, Piano, Harmonica
*Joel Scott Hill - Guitar
*Herb Ellis - Guitar
*Ray Stinnett - Guitar
*Ray Brown - Bass
*Chris Ethridge - Bass
*Earl Palmer - Drums
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*Sam Watson - Drums
*Rita Coolidge - Vocals
*Donna Weiss - Vocals
Along with Bob Dylan's emergence came countless other folk-based "protest singers" in the early to mid-'60s, including Barry McGuire. Born in Oklahoma City during 1937, McGuire had relocated to New York City and joined up with folk revivalists the New Christy Minstrels by the early '60s.
He was anointed the band's lead singer and appeared on several albums and their first hit single, "Green, Green" (which was co-penned by McGuire). Soon after, however, McGuire caught the attention of both record producer Lou Adler and singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan, resulting in the guitarist/singer leaving the New Christy Minstrels and launching a solo career, signing on with Adler's Dunhill Records.
McGuire's solo debut, The Barry McGuire Album, was released in 1963, but it wasn't until two years later that McGuire scored a massive hit with the Sloan-penned track "Eve of Destruction," which topped the U.S. charts (peaking at number three in the U.K.) and was taken from his sophomore full-length, Barry McGuire Featuring Eve of Destruction.
McGuire became good friends with another Adler-guided outfit, the Mamas & the Papas (who mentioned him in some of their song lyrics), while further solo albums were issued, including This Precious Time and The World's Last Private Citizen, but none spawned any singles as successful as "Eve."
By the early '70s, McGuire had turned his back on folk music and he re-appeared as a Christian/gospel artist, signing on with the Myrrh label and issuing such standout albums as 1973's Seeds, 1975's Lighten Up, and a live recording, 1982's To the Bride, among countless others.
McGuire put his music career on hold and moved to New Zealand in the mid-'80s with his wife, where they remained until 1990, working with the poverty organization World Vision.
Upon his return, McGuire began issuing albums once more, including such titles as El Dorado, Let's Tend God's Earth, Adventures on Son Mountain, and Journey to Bible Times, before teaming up with another gospel singer/guitarist, Terry Talbot, to form an outfit called Talbot McGuire.
by Greg Prato
"The World's Last Private Citizen" album is Barry's 1967 release, and his final on the Dunhill label. The album contains many good tracks. The production is no longer the potentially annoying voice on one channel, music on the other. The songs are from a variety of songwriters, from Barry and an ex-New Christy minstrel, to members of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Highlights include, "Top of the Hill," "Cloudy Summer Afternoon" and the ultra cool "Grasshopper Song." Included is a song from the movie The President's Analyst, "Inner Manipulations." Barry's career is slowing down here. There are a few repeats from earlier albums, such as "This Precious Time," and "Hang on Sloopy."
"Barry McGuire and the Doctor" is Barry's final secular album, on the Ode label. For this album Barry teamed up with Eric Hord ("The Doctor"), as well as members of the Byrds (Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke), Flying Burrito Bros (Sneaky Pete Kleinow), Dillard and Clark (Byron Berline), and the Eagles (Bernie Leadon). The album has a very different feel to it than his earlier Dunhill material. The songs are longer and have a more bluegrass feel to them at times, which means they are quite good. This is perhaps his most critically acclaimed album he has ever made, although sales were weak. Highlights include "Too Much City" and "South of the Border" where drug references abound. Barry noted that he doesn't remember much about the album, except the mounds of cocaine he and others consumed while recording it. Barry would soon undergo a powerful change in his life.
Tracks
1. Top O' The Hill (M. Smith) - 2:22
2. Cloudy Summer Afternoon (T. Edmonson) - 2:55
3. Secret Saucer Man (P. Potash, B. McGuire) - 2:43
4. There's Nothin' Else On My Mind (E. Pistilli, P. Cashman) - 2:52
5. Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (N. Tanega) - 2:07
6. Hang On Sloopy (B. Russell, W. Farrell) - 4:02
7. Masters Of War (Bob Dylan) - 2:33
8. Inner-Manipulations (P. Potash, B. McGuire) - 3:40
9. The Grasshopper Song (D. Levin) - 3:18
10.This Precious Time (S. Barri, P.F. Sloan) - 2:48
11.Why Not Stop And Dig It While You Can (B. McGuire) - 2:16
12.Eve Of Destruction (P.F. Sloan) - 3:35
13.South Of The Border (B. McGuire, Riley Wildflower) - 5:45
14.Old Farm (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 5:33
15.Too Much City (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 8:50
16.Train (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 6:40
17.Electric Train (Dr. Eric Hord, B. McGuire) - 6:50
18.Meet Me At The Bottom (B. McGuire, Howlin' Wolf) - 6:06
19.Lollipop Train (Single Version) (S. Barri, P.F. Sloan) - 2:47
Toni Vescoli is a pioneering Swiss singer/songwriter/guitarist of the classic rock era who over the course of his long career performed a variety of styles, from English-language pop/rock to Dylanesque folk music. Born on July 18, 1942, in Zürich, Switzerland, Vescoli formed the trailblazing rock band Les Sauterelles in 1962. Comprised of Vescoli (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Rolf Antener (lead guitar, vocals), Heinz Ernst (bass guitar, vocals), and Düde Dürst (drums, vocals), Les Sauterelles were sometimes referred to as the "Swiss Beatles" and recorded on Columbia Records during the mid-'60s.
The band's first hit was "Hong Kong" (1965), written by Vescoli; also in 1965, the band was featured on the compilation album Swiss Beat Live! alongside fellow Swiss bands the Counte and the Dynamite. Les Sauterelles released several singles during the latter half of the '60s, including the number one hit "Heavenly Club," and they released a couple albums, too. Vescoli broke up the band in 1970.
by Jason Birchmeier
When Les Sauterelles split, Toni Vescoli, decided to start a solo career. At first, inspired by Dylan, he thought of going strictly acoustic, but he soon changed his mind and started incorporating psychedelic and electric elements to his sound, such as feedback, primitive drum machines, guitars and vocals filtered through Leslie speakers etc., as he was also influenced by bands like Pink Floyd and King Crimson. He also incorporated to his repertoire some of the songs he had written for the never recorded Sauterelles concept album, “Seven Deadly Sins”.
In 1971, Toni released his debut solo album, “Information”. A folk-rock / psychedelic gem which reflected his influences at the time: folk, rock, psychedelia, progressive-rock, from fragile acoustic numbers to dark, wigged-out psychedelic tracks.
Tracks
1. Dying Land - 3:22
2. Idleness - 2:50
3. Happy Family - 1:13
4. Hatred And Love - 5:21
5. Information - 4:43
6. Beautiful Morning - 4:35
7. There's A Bird - 3:36
8. Hypocrites - 3:17
9. Intermezzo - 0:28
10.Do Hurry - 5:37
Words and Music by Toni Vescoli
*Toni Vescoli - Vocals, Guitars, Various Instruments
Although the Sensational Alex Harvey Band showed off plenty of sonic firepower on studio outings like Next and Tomorrow Belongs To Me, they were always at their most ferocious in the concert arena. As a result, Live is an especially rousing and engaging addition to the group's catalog. Since the set list is almost entirely composed of time-tested favorites, it also one of their most consistent albums. The album's contents are taken from a single night's performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, and this gives it a sonic coherence that other live albums rarely capture.
A totally committed performance from the band seals the album's appeal with its thrilling combination of heavy metal bombast and tight arrangements that carefully deploy keyboard shadings to flesh out the guitar-heavy sound. The proceedings start powerfully with "Faith Healer," an ominous rocker whose thunderous riffs take on a new level of muscle in the live arena. Other highlights include "Give My Compliments to the Chef," a sci-fi-influenced tale of societal breakdown that slowly but surely builds into a hard-rocking frenzy, and the group's cover of "Framed," which transforms the classic Leiber-Stoller tune into a twisted psychodrama where Harvey debates with the audience over his innocence.
However, the finest track on the album is a cover: the group's surprisingly subtle version of the Tom Jones hit "Delilah" tones down the original's fevered psychodrama to create a waltz-like tune with a tongue in cheek circus atmosphere. This track is also notable because it was released as a single and became one of the group's biggest hit singles in Europe. To sum up, Live is a double-triumph for the Sensational Alex Harvey Band because it functions both as a strong live souvenir for the group's fans and also as a solid introduction to the group's highlights for the novice.
Their 1976 "Penthouse Tapes" allowed the group to give full vent to this obsession: three of the tracks are band originals, but the rest are a series of covers that hit everything from Irving Berlin to the Osmonds to Alice Cooper. The highlight of the band originals is"Jungle Jenny," a gender-switched Tarzan tale that sets lyrics about a lusty white goddess who drives the apes mad over a tune that mixes glam rock guitar with tribal drums.
In terms of covers, the standout tracks include a moody mid-tempo take on Jethro Tull's "Love Story" and "Crazy Horses," which utilizes Harvey's larynx-shredding wail to bring out the apocalyptic overtones in this surprisingly hard-rocking Osmonds tune.The band also takes some surprisingly effective stabs at country rock with their boozy sing-along cover of "Gamblin' Bar Room Blues" and "Say You're Mine (Every Cowboy Song)," a Harvey original.
by Donald A. Guarisco
Tracks Disc 1 Live 1975
1. Fanfare (Justly, Skillfully, Magnanimously) (Derek Wadsworth) - 1:24
2. Faith Healer (Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna) - 6:50
3. Tomahawk Kid (Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna, David Batchelor) - 5:50
4. Vambo (Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna) - 9:29
5. Give My Compliments To The Chef (Alex Harvey, Hugh McKenna, Alistair Cleminson) - 6:37
6. Delilah (Les Reed, Barry Mason) - 5:17
7. Framed (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 11:08
Disc 2 The Penthouse Tapes 1976
1. I Wanna Have You Back (Alex Harvey, Zal Cleminson, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna, Ted McKenna) - 2:39
2. Jungle Jenny (Alex Harvey, Zal Cleminson, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna, Ted McKenna, David Batchelor) - 3:59
3. Runaway (Del Shannon, Max Crook) - 2:44
4. Love Story (Ian Anderson) - 5:03
5. School's Out (Alice Cooper, Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith) - 4:55
6. Goodnight Irene (Leadbelly, John A. Lomax) - 4:32
7. Say You're Mine (Every Cowboy Song) (Alex Harvey) - 3:21
8. Gamblin' Bar Room Blues (Jimmie Rodgers, Shelly Lee Alley) - 4:06
9. Crazy Horses (Alan Osmond, Wayne Osmond, Merrill Osmond) - 2:50
10.Cheek To Cheek (Irving Berlin) - 3:32
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
*Alex Harvey - Lead Vocals
*Zal Cleminson - Guitars
*Chris Glen - Bass Guitar
*Hugh McKenna - Keyboards, Synthesizer
*Ted McKenna - Drums, Percussion
*B.J. Cole - Pedal Steel Guitar
Having learnt his craft on London's jazz scene at Lichfield Street's Cottage Club and later at (he Flamingo, Auger first scored hits in France but it wasn't until he teamed with Julie Driscoll in Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity that he made his name in the UK with two albums -1967's Open and 1969's Streetnoise - plus a Top 5 single, a lysergic rock reading of Bob Dylan's 'This Wheels On Fire'.
Having parted company with Driscoll after a disastrous US tour and feeling straitjacketed by the his trio. The Trinity, who had just seen 1970s Sefouralbum commercially flop, Auger decided to disband in the summer and take a break, "I went on holiday with my wife and our son Karma. When I came back there were calls waiting at the agency, musicians asking to work with me. Wanting to fry out tor the new band- Guitarist Jim Mullen was one of those guys. He was hired. Then we auditioned a few bassists and found Barry Dean and finally discovered Robbie Mclniosh playing in a casino in Nice in a band called the Piranhas. Later when Robbie left the Express to join the Average White Band, we went straight back to the casino and nabbed his replacement in the Piranhas' Steve Ferrone I don't think I was very welcome in the casino after that."
Their 1970 eponymous debut set their manifesto. "I wanted to wipe the slate clean but continue developing the idea of jazz rock. I heard 'In A Silent Way' by Miles Davis, he'd recorded it while we were doing Streetnoise (with Julie Driscolland the Trinity) and it gave me hope and direction. Here was my idol taking basslines from rock and combining them with /azz. I knew I was on the right path musically. I looked on the Oblivion Express as a school, a place where we could learn and experiment but because we were going against the musical tide I thought it was the quickest way to oblivion hence the name."
Recorded in London's Advision Studios over a twoweek period the album revealed a group keen to find their own identity. "I realised the key to this was writing my own material. I was listening to Eddie Ham's and Les McCann but my writing took me in a more rock direction There weren't that many musicians doing what we wanted to do so we basically/list explored. I also see myself primarily as a live player so I wanted to get in the studio and get it down in a couple of takes and get the best feel to it. I hoped to preserve some live-ness' about the album."
One artist who Auger did turn to for inspiration, however, was John Mclaughlin, whose 'Dragon Song' provides the album's opening cut. "John was an old friend of mine. When I was in New York in 1970 he asked me to drop by the studio and listen to the mix of his new LP. Devotion. I heard 'Dragon Song' and thought, wow! I'd like to try a version of that and that was one of the first things we went into the studio to cut ourselves."
A tumultuous onrush of progressive rock it introduced the Express at their heaviest with an exhilarating fusillade of melodramatic, gothic organ stabs, fills and runs, revealing Auger at his most accomplished to date. Self penned cuts: 'The Sword', 'The Light' and the title cut meanwhile looked more to Miles Davis for their spirit.
"I was aware that Miles' LPs were incredibly diverse, he went from one thing to something totally different each time out. you can see the progression of the artist growing in his work. As I had a free reign and my artistic development in my own hands I decided this was the time to explore. The debut really shows this, with me being the main writer. By its follow up A Better Land I was taking a more soft approach. I began to write a lot with Jim Mullen."
'The Light', propelled by Barry Dean's driving bassline provided a platform for Auger's vocal and Hammond organ prowess, mixing pulsating rhythms with euphoric, uplifting lyricism, while 'On The Road' delivers a note perfect blueprint for fusion. 'The Sword', as its title suggests is a vitriolic slice of heavy Hammond rock and the blazing title cut is piloted by raging guitars and Auger's gravelthroated vocal. While Auger was immensely pleased with his statement, the music press weren't.
Sadly both Oblivion Express and its follow up. 1971's A Better Land while securing the group a strong fanbase both in the UK and the US, were slated. "We took a real shellacking by the press. They hated me. If you weren't making prog rock like ELP. Yes and Genesis at the time you were seen as a has been."
Auger, however, was anything but. His third LP, Second Wind (which featured singer Alex Ligertwood) charted in the US and by 1973 the Oblivion Express1 future was cemented. Their fourth album, Closer Jo It appeared simultaneously on the US Billboard rock, jazz and R'n'B charts.
by Lois Wilson, MOJO magazine
(Thanks to Jon Harrington and Brian Auger)
Tracks
1. Dragon Song (McLaughlin) - 4:27
2. Total Eclipse (Ball) - 11:35
3. The Light (Auger) - 4:24
4. On The Road (Mullen, Auger) - 5:26
5. The Sword (Auger) - 6:35
6. Oblivion Express (Auger) - 7:51
7. Dragon Song(Live, Reutling, Germany, Feb 1972) (McLaughlin) - 5:32
The Oblivion Express
*Brian Auger- Lead Vocals, Keyboards
*Jim Mullen - Guitar, Vocals
*Barry Dean - Bass, Vocals
*Robbie McIntosh - Drums
