Graphite were formed at Reading University in the late sixties. They gigged professionally on the rock circuit from 1970 to 1973 supporting many big names of that era such as Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come, Mott The Hoople and evenT-Rex. Amazingly, Graphite got a billing above Queen at a festival in Truro, Cornwall in 1971.
The band's musical approach dwelt on the imaginative use of sleepy mellotron, drifting vocals and spacey guitar effects laced with melancholic overtones, establishing them as exponents of downbeat, hedonistic prog-rock.
Ever present in the line-up were the band's three songwriters, Keith Allen (vocals), Chris Gore (keyboards) and David Hook (guitar) but the rhythm section underwent a succession of changes.
The group recorded a considerable amount of material using a selection of top studios including Rockfield, Command, CBS and Nova Sound but only two singles were ever released.
The first "Gimmie Your Number"/"Chestnut Loke" came out on the BEACON label in 1972 and was followed by "Come Back"/" Good Time Women" issued by EMI in 1974 (the year the band split up) under the curious pseudonym of Sinbad. Much of the previously unreleased material is featured on this release.
by Pete Sarfas
Tracks
1. Starlight Over The Skies - 4:51
2. Chestnut Loke - 4:20
3. Tide - 10:04
4. Freedom - 3:13
5. A Dragon's Tale - 4:11
6. Dawn - 4:40
7. Set It Free - 3:27
8. Out In The Rain - 3:18
9. Don't You Think It's Kinda Sad - 3:50
10.In Our Country Home - 3:40
11.Evil Arms - 4:51
12.Spring - 8:16
13.Autumn - 5:15
14.She's Gone Away - 4:26
15.I'm Feelin' Low - 3:46
16.Freedom (Reprise) - 2:12
All songs composed by Chris Gore, Dave Hook, Keith Allen
Graphite
*Chris Gore - Mellotron, Organ, Piano
*Dave Hook - Guitar
*Keith Allen - Vocals
*John Jackman - Bass
*Peter Dry - Drums
*Dave Anderson - Bass
*Billy Rankin - Drums (Track 4)
Canada's Crowbar is not to be confused with an American grunge band during the 90s of the same name. While in a local Toronto band called The Ascots, Roly Greenway and Rheal Lanthier decided a change was in order,so they packed up their bags and headed to Nevada, and for the next couple of years on a nightly basis they played various Vegas clubs, opening for the likes of Zsa Zsa Gabor and even Liberace. After growing tired of the scene, the group split up, returning to Canada and going their seperate ways. Greenway then hooked up with Bobby Curtola's touring band.
Heavy Duty, recorded in Toronto, was released in late '72 amid much angst among the loyal following the band had already established. Two singles were released "Hey Baby" and "Dreams", though neither achieved the success expected. Also on the album was "The Eagle And The Beaver", a politically incorrect song about our relationship with our southern neighbours, and "Dead Head From St John's".
One of the oddest arrangements in Canadian music occurred the next year. Pierre Trudeau was running for re-election as Prime Minister. His wife was a known Crowbar fan, and she asked the band to tour the country with Lucky Pete on the campaign trail. The bid to gain the youth vote worked, except in Alberta - where he's still hated - years after his death. Trudeau was re-elected, Crowbar got some additional exposure, and Margaret moved on to The Rolling Stones. The over-whelming success of the band meant having to hire outside people to handle their affairs. Unfortunately, this meant mismanagement of their funds.
by Frank Davies
Tracks
1. Trilby - 2:48
2. Listen Sister (A Mutual Liberation Ballad) - 2:11
3. Hey Baby (Bruce Channel) - 3:01
4. Dreams (Jozef Chirowski, John Gibbard) - 2:56
5. Where Were You - 4:02
6. Dead Head Out Of St. John's - 3:53
7. The Beaver And The Eagle - 3:14
8. Cluckie's Escape (Roly Greenway) - 3:19
9. Snakes And Ladders - 2:54
10.Lay One Down (Roly Greenway, LOVE) - 4:26
Songs written by Kelly Jay except where stated
One of the more curious acts in the Bay area group scene was a band (or collective) called One, or, more specifically. 1, acquaintances of Paul Kantner and Grace Slick from Bolinas. A nine-piece ensemble including two female vocalists, they engaged in lengthy, drifting tunes that drew as much from raga as from rock, with touches of jazz and country. One member, Roger Crissinger, the only semi-known quantity, had previously enjoyed notoriety having been a member of the progressive rock group Pearls Before Swine. But the leader of the group was a mysterious man who didn't always sing so much as vocalise in his own unique way, often without words, who needed words?
This character went by the name of Reality D. Blipcrotch. A former Marine and former actor, Blipcrotch was originally from Elgin, Illinois, where he first sang professionally aged just three years old in his father's barbershop quartet. No one knew anything else about him. not even his original name, he'd had it legally changed, swears former Airplane manager, Bill Thompson.
The story behind the making of One's self-titled album for Grunt, which was released in 1972, is one that still rankles producer Pat Leraci (aka Maurice). It's a tale that both defies reality and defines the broad absurdity of the post-Aquarian times with equal measure.
Although these anecdotes shed light on the bizarre situation confronting the producer, they reveal only half the story of the musicians and their own paths that lead them to the mercy of Reality D, Blipcrotch and his herb-driven vision of exploding records and free groove-sprung hashish. Although Blipcrotch and his identity has always proved a mystery to those around him, on online source made remarks in a message that was totally un-related to the band or music as a whole and was instead more concerned with Volkswagen vans and a loose relative of his father, namely one Jerry Leroy.
As the commentator states: Jerry Leroy, aka Reality D. Blipcrotch, aka Jerry Wiley (I'm not making this up) parked his (VW) in the driveway of our home when I was about ten years old, Jerry Wiley was his birth name and the one he used as a young up-and-coming actor. The second one was his stage name when he became a hippie rock musician with a group called 1 (I saw them do a sound check at the Fillmore in San Francisco). His third name came when he was born again and moved to Hawaii and started writing Christian operas".
Aside from solving the mystery of Blipcrotch, an elementary spectacle on our part surely, the remainder of the band appear to be the threads of a social circle or to be more specific in this case, a Chicago hippie commune. The band was assembled in the Bolinas district of Chicago, ft. under the supervision and direction of Jerry Leroy In 19TO- Their most earnest recruit was Roger Crissinger who had fared better than his counterparts as a founding member of Pearls Before Swine alongside Tom Rapp. Although Crissinger would split from PBS in 1968 he would leave 1 and rejoin Rapp to assist on his solo debut album Stardancer in 1972. Grunt records itself was a vanity label formed in 1971 by Jefferson Airplane assisted by RCA records, ft helped to promote Bay area bands such as “1”, Papa John Creach, Hot Tuna and the Airplane before their transition into Jefferson Starship.
CD Liner-Notes
Tracks
1. One Of A Kind (Marc Granat, Reality D. Blipcrotch) - 4:31
2. Two Car Raga (Marc Granat, Roger Crissinger, Reality D. Blipcrotch) - 8:37
3. Free Rain (Reality D. Blipcrotch) - 5:09
4. Three Songs (Frank Trevor Fee, Marc Granat, Reality D. Blipcrotch) - 10:08
5. Old Englishhh (Marc Granat, Reality D. Blipcrotch) - 7:51
One
*Mark Baker - Drums
*Reality D. Blipcrotch - Voice, Percussion
*Roger Crissinger - Organ, Piano
*Frank Trevor Fee - Bass
*Donald Ensslin - Rhythm Guitar, Banjo
*Marc Granat - Guitar, Sitar, Dulcimer
*Sarah Oppenheim - Voice, Autoharp
*Laurie Paul - Voice, Tanpura
*Theodore Teipel - Flute, Harmonia, Piano
Duke and the Drivers had fun living out their fantasy on ABC Records but, under the aegis of the redoubtable Buddy Buie and with help from the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Boston's Swallow were very serious about their craft, and it shows on this collection of understated blues-rock. Vern Miller, Jr. of the Remains, George Leh, and New England personalties Parker Wheeler and Phil Greene (the extra "e" is missing from the legendary engineer's name on this disc) are four of the nine musicians who make up the large outfit.
On one of the all-time worst album covers -- a green martian hand holding the nose of the man in the moon (presumably, so he can swallow) -- the nine musicians are displayed above a moonscape, their names out of order with the photos. In 1973, the Atlanta Rhythm Section emerged from the remnants of the Classics IV and, with J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey of that group on this disc, along with B.J. Thomas/Friend & Lover/Billie Joe Royal producer Buie, one would think Warner Bros. would have been more serious about this outing. Most of the titles are by Miller, making the album a statement by the man Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band calls his favorite bass player. Two co-writes by Leh are included, along with two Randy Newman songs, "Illinois" and the often covered "I'll Be Home." Although Buie co-wrote all the hits of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, his magic is not added here, and perhaps that is what is missing.
The record is better than decent -- it is very good -- despite the fact there is no hit to launch it from obscurity. Greene went on to engineer Beaver Brown, New Kids on the Block, and the sessions this writer did with Buddy Guy in 1986, while blind singer Leh developed a following and great reputation performing around the Boston area. "Georgia, Pack My Bags" isn't a hit, nor is "Rockin' Shoes"; perhaps the closest thing to a potential chart climber is "Don't Tell Mama," some kind of answer, not to Etta James, but to Savoy Brown's minor hit from their 1971 Street Corner Talking album, "Tell Mama." At least they showed respect for their elders! There was much potential here; it's too bad the label and/or management mishandled the look of the album, and failed to give this large group a couple of songs their musicianship could work with to reach the masses. But, for fans of the legendary Remains, it is another chapter in the career of Vern Miller and an essential item in order for their collections to be complete.
by Joe Viglione
Tracks
1. Georgia, Pack My Bags - 3:35
2. Rockin' Shoes - 4:47
3. Illinois (R. Newman) - 2:17
4. I Get My Rocks Off Rockin' (G. Leh, V. Miller) - 2:46
5. I'll Be Home - 4:21
6. Don't Tell Mama - 3:35
7. Let It Roll (G. Leh, V. Miller) - 2:33
8. That's What My Love Is For - 2:56
9. I Was Born To Sit Back - 5:01
10.Helping Hand - 4:43
All songs by Vern Miller except where stated
Swallow
*George Leh - Lead Vocals
*Parker Wheeler - Vocals, Harp
*Vern Miller Jr - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*David Woodford - Tenor Sax
*Phil Green - Guitar
*Mick Aranda - Drums
*Bob Camacho - Keyboards
*Jay Dewald - Trumpet
*Andy Harp - Trumpet
*Kerry Blount - Sax
*Gordan Kennedy - Trombone
Signed to Epic Records on the strength of his demo songs, Fennelly would record his long-anticipated solo debut album, 1973’s Lane Changer, in England. Produced by former Zombies bassist Chris White, Fennelly was backed by a number of England’s best, tho’ admittedly underrated musicians of the era, including bassists Dave Wintour (who had played with Rick Wakeman) and Jim Rodford (Argent, and later with the Kinks); and drummers Robert Henrit (Argent, and another future alum of the Kinks) and Henry Spinetti (who would later play with both Eric Clapton and George Harrison). Argent’s Russ Ballard added backing vocals on several tracks. In-demand U.K. session horn players Mike Cotton and Alan Holmes augment a number of performances on the album with their immense sound, and Fennelly’s former Crabby Appleton bandmate Casey Foutz brought his keyboard prowess to the party.
In many ways, Lane Changer continues in a similar vein to Crabby Appleton’s Rotten To The Core; that is, hard-charging rock ‘n’ roll with pop and psychedelic undertones. The album-opening title track is an engaging slab o’ slippery hard rock featuring Fennelly’s lofty vocals, a busy arrangement with chaotic instrumentation, and rapidly-shifting changes in musical direction, all held together by Fennelly’s wiry fretwork which runs throughout the song. By contrast, “Touch My Soul” is a gentle, slow-paced ballad that mixes a folkish lyrical construction with touched of gospel grandeur and Fennelly’s soaring vocals. The highlight of the song, however, is Fennelly’s underrated guitar playing, which bolsters a wonderful vocal performance with both emotion and imagination.
Jumping right back into high-octane, hard rock territory, “Won’t You Please Do That” is an unabashed Zep knock-off that expands that band’s classic sound even further with Fennelly’s hypnotizing guitar, explosive rhythms, and a call-and-response chorus that includes Argent, Ballard, and an unnamed “mystery singer” that sounds suspiciously familiar. “Dark Night” is more of a stripped-down affair, with Fennelly’s haunting vocals front and center in front of a simple bass/drums rhythm and flourishes courtesy of Casey Foutz’s Mini-Moog.**** It’s a downright beautiful song, full of texture and complexity, with a lot of musical invention hiding in the grooves beneath Fennelly’s soulful vocals and Foutz’s symphonic swells and electronic sojourning.
The solo performance “Easy To Love” displays Fennelly’s talents nicely, his acoustic guitar strum nestling right nicely up against his expressive vocals, which at times hit a tone not unlike bluesman Skip James’ voice on what is otherwise an engaging folk-rock ballad. “Shine A Light” builds upon its predecessor, adding drums and bass to an unassuming, mid-tempo rocker that offers some of Fennelly’s most inspired fretwork on Lane Changer, his breathless vocals punctuated by a short but lovely solo. On the other hand, “Bad Times” offers up some good ol’ ‘70s-styled dino-stomp with bombastic rhythms and blazing guitar, the song’s lengthy intro leaping, headfirst into a raging boogie-rock with Fennelly’s sly guitar leading the charge.
A stunning, guitar-driven rocker, “Watch Yourself,” features an uncredited Jeff Beck playing lead guitar while Fennelly himself keeps pace with an intricate rhythm guitar performance, his high-flying vocals presaging the rise of the arena-rock godhead. The album ends with a classic fake-out in “Give Me Your Money,” the song starting as a sort of jazz-flecked, late-night torch-song with a dark ambiance and syncopated rhythms driven by Foutz’s tinkling keys before bursting out into a fast ‘n’ furious boogie blast that, once spent, gives way to the song’s darker tones and slower pace. It’s a truly schitzo and altogether wonderful performance to close out the unique musical experience that is Lane Changer.
by Rev. Keith A. Gordon
Tracks
1. Lane Changer - 2:28
2. Touch My Soul - 4:04
3. Won't You Please Do That - 3:15
4. Over My Dead Body - 2:38
5. Dark Night - 4:28
6. Easy To Love - 3:04
7. Shine A Light - 3:04
8. Bad Times - 5:53
9. Flyer - 2:52
10.Watch Yourself - 3:32
11.Give Me Your Money - 4:03
All compositions by Michael Fennelly
“Nador” maintains a high level of Rock’n’Roll, showing Variations were a unit in sync with their sound and themselves. Joe “O.J.” Leb has a ballistic set of pipes and he’s given to great stressing in verse and freaking out into caterwauling excess to drive the point home. Both un-operatic and hyperactive, he’s intently aware of all the musical flashpoints and underscores them all with great wail, warp and woof. Despite the fact Leb sings all but one track on “Nador” in English, the lyrics aren’t discernable 100% of the time but the constant use of bedrock’n’roll phrases that punctuate throughout communicate everything.
Guitarist Marc Tobaly is a greatly skilled quarryman of hard rock and hooks up a mighty linking vessel via his roaring Gibson SG between Leb’s vocals and the engine room that is Jacques Grande on bass and Jacky Bitton’s powerhouse drumming. Tobaly wrote practically all of the material on “Nador,” so natch the arrangements allow for ample riffage to smash through consecutive windows of opportunity over and over and over again. Hefty rhythm/lead guitar overdubs sear continuously throughout, scored as they are with Tobaly’s stockpiled riffs and solos which all are recorded and produced to be nowhere but in the forefront at all times. The end result is high definition, robust rock’n’roll played by four Gauls with a whole lotta balls with a fire lit underneath their collective derrières at all times.
“Nador” is a supremely confident debut album where Variations came, saw, then Rocked. And then Rocked some more. For “Nador” was where they let one go and it was slick, greasy, on fire and yeah: a crystallisation of Rock’n’Roll.
Tracks
1. What A Mess Again (J. Leb, M. Tobaly) - 3:14
2. Waiting For The Pope (J. Leb, M. Tobaly) - 3:37
3. Nador - 2:41
4. We Gonna Find The Way - 4:25
5. Generations - 3:07
6. Free Me - 3:41
7. Completely Free (J. Bitton, M. Tobaly) - 5:38
8. Mississipi Woman (M. Fowley) - 3:08
9. But It's Allright (J. Bitton) - 4:27
10.Come Along - 3:29
11.Promises - 2:42
12.What's Happening - 3:22
13.Magda - 3:20
14.Down The Road - 2:56
15.Love Me (J. Bitton, M. Tobaly) - 2:43
16.Come Along (Version Alternative) - 3:55
All songs written by Marc Tobaly except where stated
Bonus Tracks 10-16
The Box Tops are a ground breaking 1960s group made up of five friends from Memphis Tennessee who first charted in 1967 with a song called 'The Letter,' which like most of their other songs from the 1960s was recorded at Chips Moman's "American" recording studio and was produced by Dan Penn. In fact they were the first Memphis artists to record in Memphis and have a number one record! During 1967-69, the group released 4 albums (excluding their "Super Hits" album) and 10 singles. 'The Letter' remained at the top of Billboard's chart for four weeks in 1967; their third single, 'Cry Like A Baby,' hit the number two position for two weeks in 1968. Both records went gold at initial release, with 'The Letter' selling over four million copies and 'Cry Like A Baby' over two million.
The original members (Alex Chilton, Bill Cunningham, John Evans, Danny Smythe, and Gary Talley) were members of a local band called The Devilles, but changed the group name at the time of the release of 'The Letter,' because it was discovered that other groups had released records under that name and member changes had taken the group in new musical directions. "No American group since the Righteous Brothers had looked whiter and sung blacker than the Box Tops on that sensational first single in 1967, 'The Letter.' Alex Chilton's voice had more Memphis grit than was considered entirely proper for a white gentleman. But he learned to sing in Memphis, where lots of people sing that way, and got his musicians from a town where musicians are pretty heavy whatever their color."
By January 1968 the line up had changed. John Evans and Danny Smythe returned to school and were replaced by Rick Allen (from the Gentrys) and Tom Boggs (from the Board of Directors). This line up remained the same until Bill Cunningham left to return to school in August 1969, although Jerry Riley substituted for Gary Talley at live performances in 1968 for a couple of weeks while Gary was ill. Harold Cloud replaced Bill in September of 1969. During the following months there were a number of group member changes, and in February 1970 the group disbanded.
3. Trains And Boats And Planes (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 3:45
4. Break My Mind (John D. Loudermilk) - 2:29
5. Whiter Shade Of Pale (K. Reid, G. Brooker, M. Fisher) - 4:34
6. Everything I Am (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:18
7. Neon Rainbow (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 3:03
8. People Make The World (Bobby Womack) - 2:30
9. I'm Your Puppet (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:53
10.Happy Times (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 1:45
11.Gonna Find Somebody (Bobby Womack) - 3:01
12.I Pray For Rain (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:23
Cry Like A Baby 1968
13.Cry Like A Baby (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:34
14.Deep In Kentucky (Bill Davidson) - 2:10
15.I'm The One For You (H. Thomas, L. Jones) - 3:05
16.Weeping Analeah (D. Folger, M. Newbury) - 3:04
17.Every Time (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:34
18.Fields Of Clover (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:52
19.Trouble With Sam (Daniel Pennington) - 2:16
20.Lost (Mark James, Glen D.Spreen) - 2:29
21.Good Morning Dear (Mickey Newbury) - 3:40
22.727 (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:18
23.You Keep Me Hanging On (E. Holland, L. Dozier, B. Holland) - 3:42
Bonus Tracks, Single Versions
24.The Letter (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 1:58
25.Cry Like A Baby (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:34
26.I See Only Sunshine (Alex Chilton) - 2:14
27.You Keep Tightening Up On Me (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:53
28.Come On Honey (Alex Chilton) - 3:23
Disc 2 Non Stop 1968
1. Choo Choo Train (Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton) - 2:52
2. I'm Movin' On (Clarence E. Snow) - 3:47
3. Sandman (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:57
4. She Shot A Hole In My Soul (Mac Gayden, L. Neese) - 2:43
5. People Gonna Talk (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 4:10
6. I Met Her In Church (D. Penn, S. Oldham) - 2:43
7. Rock Me Baby (Riley B. King, Joe Bihari) - 3:48
8. Rollin' In My Sleep (Paul Davis) - 3:15
9. I Can Dig It (Alex Chilton) - 2:24
10.Yesterday Where's My Mind (John Reed) - 3:27
11.If I Had Let You In (Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton) - 3:17 Dimensions 1969
12. Soul Deep (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:29
13. I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan) - 2:48
14. Midnight Angel (Mark James, Glen D. Spreen) - 3:20
15. Together (Alex Chilton) - 3:24
16. I'll Hold Out My Hand (Chip Taylor, Ai Gorgoni) - 3:25
17. I Must Be The Devil (Alex Chilton) - 3:36
18. Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March (B.Weinstein, Jon Stroll) - 2:16
19. (The) Happy Song (Alex Chilton) - 1:57
20. Ain't No Way (Neil Diamond) - 3:03
21. Rock Me Baby (Riley B. King, Joe Bihari) - 9:13 Bonus Tracks, Single Versions
22. Since I Been Gone (Alex Chilton) - 3:14
23. Lay Your Shine On Me (Curtis Arcenaux, Richard Mainegra) - 2:34
A strange netherworld filled with rattling bongos, slick strings, wall wall-infused rhythms and searing guitar solos. The original sleeve of Mandingo's fourth album, 1977's 'Savage Rite' reveals little. Other than an image of a scantily clad Afro-sporting female looking into the middle distance, there's little to go on. Track names summon up the exotic but apart from an associate producer credit for Gil King and the line "A Supertunes Production for EMI, produced by Norman Newell", there arc no details at all. The reverse sleeve image smoulders and rereading the song titles; 'Jungle Juice', 'Rebellion' and 'Requiem For A Warrior' merely adds to the intrigue. Who was this strange band and where did they come from?
Sought after on vinyl and commanding a heavy price if you can find it, the album is a real oddity. From the opening bars of 'Manhunter' with its filmic strings, pounding bongos and funky rhythm section, it sounds like a lost piece of Afro-beat-inspired disco, a souped-up version of 'Bongolia' with a scorching guitar rolling out around the two-minute mark. Tags on the internet mention all genres and the sleeve suggests some level of authenticity, but the sound is unique, it's not from some long lost tribe, the moves are too well rounded, the riffs too well organized, the sound just too perfect.
'Wild Man" continues the groove with a 'Shaft'-styled wah wah underpinning an almost Bond-esque sound while that guitar tears into proceedings again. Indeed it's that 007 sound that permeates this whole album that makes it so exciting. It's a larger than life drama played out over pounding drums and exotic percussion from vibraslap to maraca, all held together with a pin sharp funk rhythm. A hint of disco, for sure, but this is a big production.
Side one closer 'Requiem For A Warrior' adds tribal African drums, a fistful of electronic swirls and a brass sound that's more Chicago Transit Authority than Fela Kuti. And, side two's opener 'The Man From Takoradi” continues the sleuth-some sound, while 'Jackal' sounds like a backing track from a Motown ballad with layers of jazz funk strangeness unevenly placed on top with more than a nod to David Axelrod.
'Jungle Juice' turns up the heat in a neo-strip erotica fashion and the closing title track sounds like the chase scene from Live And Let Die. There's voodoo in those rhythms and heady funk in the finish. There's flutes, there's odd noises, it has everything.
Before I came across 'Savage Rite', I'd heard Mandingo's 'Black Rite' on the compilation 'The Sounds Of Monsterism Island' a fantasy collection by artist Pete Fowler that also included Millennium, Martin Denny, The United States Of America, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Silver Apples, Eden Ahbez and Dead Meadow among others. Heady company to be in for sure. But, who were Mandingo? I had to find out more. It seems that, at a time when Osibisa had carved a small niche for themselves in the UK with their funky African rhythms and Roots was being screened on TV, Mandingo were created in an EMI studio to cash in on the interest in African culture, some time around the early 1970s. Knowingly removed from the real thing, Mandingo possessed a contemporary orchestral sound and clever arrangements that were navigated by seasoned composer and bandleader Geoff Love.
A staple'of the easy listening circuit in the 1960s, Love had provided the music for everyone from Shirley Bassey and Mrs Mills to Max Bygraves, while taking a leaf from Mantovani's book by recording a series of albums as Manuel And The Music Of The Mountains. A gifted songwriter and seeming workaholic, Love also made a string of instrumental albums that featured great themes from TV series to movies. And, in doing so, he had the best players at his command. So, when the concept of Mandingo came along they were allowed to break free a little, to flourish on four albums that began with 'The Primeval Rhythm Of Life' in 1973.
By 1977, the concept was in closure but their final hurrah, 'Savage Rite' was to be their masterpiece. The brief had been relaxed somewhat and the juxtaposition of sounds and styles took them to a new place. Just listen to 'The Man From Takoradi' if proof were needed. As punk was exploding, Mandingo were on a wild flyer, making bongo-powered funk that was far removed from the original source idea but no less exotic.
by Dave Henderson, MOJO magazine, 2012
Tracks
1. Manhunter (Mike Vickers) - 3:17
2. Wild Man (Roger Webb) - 3:04
3. Arachnid (Brian Fahey) - 2:39
4. King Of The Jungle (Mike Vickers) - 2:56
5. Requiem For A Warrior (Roger Webb) - 4:22
6. The Man From Takoradi (Roger Webb) - 4:05
7. Jackal (Brian Fahey) - 2:49
8. Rebellion (Mike Vickers) - 2:37
9. Jungle Juice (Roger Webb) - 4:17
10.Savage Rite (Mike Vickers) - 2:39
Damon was born in Rochester, New York. His parents owned a beauty shop with living quarters atop, and they squirreled away funds enough to buy a small bowling alley. When Damon was eight, his parents sold their building and business, packed Damon and brothers Ken and Gerald and their belongings into a car, and moved to Alhambra, California. It was the beginning of what he now regards as his "predestined life as a gypsy," as his parents moved constantly within Los Angeles city limits first to the northeast, then to Westchester, then "to a city here and a town there" and finally to Inglewood, where Damon spent his high school years.
Theirs was a tight knit Italian American family: communal suppers were a must and all three boys sat dutifully at the table and focused on "family first," talking about school, community and their parents' business and property management at least until their parents began private conversations in Italian. In 1960 his high school sweetheart Katy told him she was pregnant. She was sixteen, he was nineteen. They married, and their union bore him his three girls.
Beginning in the seventh grade, when he picked up the clarinet after falling in love with the music of Benny Goodman, he had dreamt of becoming a musician. As his high school years came to a close, he tried anything that felt natural. He was an avid surfer so, in late 1960, newlywed and "bit by the recording bug," he wrote and recorded "The Lonely Surfer" (groovy, if standard surf rock) and cut to wax his first stab at "Don't Cry" (blue-eyed doo-wop).
He was backed by a group he picked up at the Hermosa Biltmore Hotel named The Crossfires but dubbed The Castaways for their Merri Records release; this band would later become SoCal mainstays The Turtles. He then moved on to the even more obscure Harmony Records for the "Twisf'-inspired "Bowling Alley Jane" and his second version of "Don't Cry," this time called "Don't Cry Davy." After a detour with Associated Artists - "Little Things Mean a Lot /The Glory of Love" feature only his backing vocals, but were inexplicably released under his name - he founded his own Del Con label and issued promotional and commercial versions of "A Face In A Crowd" and "I Lie," the latter establishing his preference for garage-rocking soul.
Damon's Song Of A Gypsy was a key album in the revisionist narrative put forth by the psychedelic record collectors who searched out the rarest of the rare privately pressed American albums in the early 1990s. In this dogmatic view, the likes of Jefferson Airplane and The Doors mattered quite less than those they influenced.
The psychedelic experience, went the argument, was stronger on the periphery, and the outsiders who populated the rim created quirky masterpieces that deserved space in an already overflowing canon. Song of a Gypsy was quickly included, the scant original copies that existed were suddenly very in demand, and, even then, in the days before eBay, exchanging hands for thousands of dollars.
But these were pontificating record collectors after all, conversing with each other. So Damon's musings on love, longing, questing and sorrow became spiritual fodder for a few; those fortunate enough to hear of Song of a Gypsy's existence but not quite fortunate enough to own a copy of the album had to imagine the music contained within the original Ankh Records' textured, gatefold sleeve. Confounding descriptions such as "tranced out gypsy Arabian acid fuzz crooner psych with deep mysterious vocals, an amazing soundscape and excellent songwriting" (from Acid Archives' - the Lonely Planet of psychedelic record collecting review of the album) didn't help matters. And the shoddy bootlegs that came about in the early '90s only spread Damon's music - none of the backstory that afforded this singular album came into view.
Thus, those looking for connections found many, as anything was plausible. Was there a kinship with John Arcesi and his Johnny Greek produced Reachin' Arcesia album on the tiny Los Angeles imprint Alpha? Was there a connection between this album and fellow Southern Californian psychedelic hero Darius's self-titled 1968 album? Over the years, however, Song of a Gypsy remained high on its own plateau: out of reach and indescribable. It seemed that this homespun, funky psychedelic monument borrowed from nothing and sprung from nowhere. To follow our previous examples: Darius's album is a bit too polished, and sounds as if it could have emerged from Capitol's Studio A; Arcesi's album, as intriguing as it is, is a psychedelic novelty, and Arcesi's performance borrows a bit too much from the over-the-top vocal style of the black-tied '40s and '50s crooners that he'd once considered peers.
To the contrary, Damon's album leapt from the tortured mind of its curious creator at the perfect time. Damon's unique, introspective songwriting and nuanced voice, the interplay between he and lead guitarist Charlie Carey and an atmosphere that so perfectly captured the last bloom of the flower power era as it decayed into the dark haze of the '70s underground could only have arisen from a spark of auspicious genius.
by Eothen Alapatt, Los Angeles, April 2013
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Song Of A Gypsy - 2:18
2. Poor Poor Genie - 2:54
3. Don't You Feel Me - 2:34
4. Did You Ever - 3:01
5. Funky Funky Blues - 2:59
6. Do You - 3:10
7. The Night - 2:05
8. I Feel Your Love - 2:16
9. Birds Fly So High - 3:03
10.The Road Of Life - 2:47
11.Oh What A Good Boy Am I - 2:27
12.Song Of A Gypsy (45 Version) - 2:18
13.Song Of A Gypsy (Demo Version) - 2:12
14.Poor Poor Genie (Demo Version) - 2:51
Disc 2
1. The Lonely Surfer - 1:47
2. Don't Cry - 2:00
3. Bowlin' Alley Jane - 2:23
4. Don't Cry Davy - 2:10
5. A Face In The Crowd - 2:27
6. I Lie - 2:31
7. Cry - 2:36
8. I've Got My Pride - 2:34
9. Lovin' Man - 2:15
10.They Call Me A Fool - 2:05
11.The Battle Hymn (Of The Republic) - 2:17
12.Everything Is Alright - 2:01
13.The Little White Cloud That Cried - 2:00
14.I Wonder Why - 2:10
15.Seems Like I Traveled - 3:13
16.Dirty Daddy Blues - 3:06
All songs by David Del Conte
Originally released in 1974. First band album without John Gladwin and along a more commercial line. Long sought after.
With the departure of John Gladwin in 1973, Eddie Baird and Terry Wincott decided to continue The Amazing Blondel. Eddie took up writing most of the material and whilst it was still of an acoustic-folk base it now had a slightly more commercial bent.
'Mulgrave Street' came out to critical acclaim and set up the band for a further three albums. Certain tracks within the album became standards like "Mulgrave Street", "Love must be the best time of your life" and "Sad to see you go".
Continuing to tour extensively the new brand of Amazing Blondel soon became established with a large fan-base to which this album will appeal. And since it has never had a CD release all Folk/Amazing Blondel fans will be sure to seek out this album.
Eddie and Terry are looking to do some gigs later in the year to help promote the release of the long missing Amazing Blondel albums.
Proper-Music
Tracks
1. Mulgrave Street - 2:28
2. Iron And Steel - 4:55
3. Leader Of The Band (Terry Wincott) - 4:19
4. Light Your Light - 3:00
5. Hole In The Head - 2:16
6. Help Us Get Along - 3:45
7. See Em Shining - 2:35
8. Love Must Be The Best Time Of Your Life - 2:34
9. All I Can Do - 2:41
10.Goodbye Our Friends (Terry Wincott) - 3:16
11.Sad To See You Go - 3:29
12.Runaway - 3:24
13.Little Darling - 3:13
Lyrics and Music by Eddie Baird unless as else stated
Back in the mid '60s there were lots of garage/psychedelic bands, that only released one or two singles and among them there were kids that apparently found out about psilocybin very soon. Children Of The Mushroom formed in Thousand Oaks, California, which is a small town near Los Angeles. First they were called The Captives and around the summer of love they became Children Of The Mushroom.
The band consisted of Jerry McMillen (guitar, vocals, flute), Bob Holland (organ), Al Pisciotta (bass), Dennis Christensen (drums) and Paul Gabrinetti (guitar, vocals). The band was inspired by The Doors, Iron Butterfly and similar groups, which appeared around the L.A area. In 1968 the Soho label out of Hollywood released their incredible single.
The A-side, 'August Mademoiselle', was written by Holland while the B-side, 'You Can't Erase A Mirror', was written by McMillen and Holland. 'August Mademoiselle' is one of the best garage/psych singles of all time in our opinion and consists of wicked Vox organ playing, huge amount of fuzz and the haunting atmosphere with crazy fast tempo that really blows your brains out.
'You Can't Erase A Mirror' is just the opposite; slow but again a very haunting number from the band. It's easy to say that the band represents the true garage spirit of the late '60s when there were tons of bands with one or two singles out. Some of them were good, some of them just OK, but the Mushroom people released one the most celebrated ones, which is a must to any psych/garage collector.
by Klemen Brezinkar
Tracks
1. August Mademoiselle (Bob Holland) - 2:27
2. You Can't Erase Α Mirror (Bob Holland, Jerry McMillen) - 3:02
3. Blade - 6:11
4. It Won't Be Enough - 4:08
5. Vortex - 5:05
6. Care for Me - 4:09
7. Exordium (The Mushroom Theme) (Bob Holland, Jerry McMillen) - 7:17
Music by Children Of The Mushroom, Lyrics by Jerry McMillen except where stated
The Children Of The Mushroom
*Jerry McMillen - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Dennis Christensen Swanson - Ludwig Drums
*Al Pisciotta - Fender Bass
*Paul Gabrinetti - Fender Guitar, Vocals
*Bob Holland - Vox Organ, Vocals
Musical siblings George Chambers (bass/vocals), Willie Chambers (guitar/vocals), Lester Chambers (harmonica/vocals), and Joe Chambers (guitar/vocals) were raised on rural gospel in their native Mississippi before switching over to folk and then soulful blues and R'n';B-fueled rock. The Chambers Brothers' recordings issued by the Los Angeles-based Vault label were nearly four years old when Feelin' the Blues hit the streets in 1970.
The band's style had changed quite drastically from old-school blues, soul, and pop to the longer psychedelic jams heard on their international hit "Time Has Come Today." Although the mixture of live and studio selections gives the collection an odds-and-sods vibe, several of the performances are among the best of the Vault Records-era material. Somewhat contrasting with the album's title, the Chambers actually cover a wide spectrum of music on Feelin' the Blues. Their roots can be heard throughout the flawless interpretation of the sacred standards "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and the excellent "Travel on My Way." Similarly, the midtempo reading of Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" offers the Chambers an opportunity to subtly return to their gospel origins with call-and-response backing harmonies.
The proceedings are far from being pious, however, as the quartet harmonizes the chorus of "Too Fat Polka" during one of the instrumental breaks. Perhaps wishing to remove some of the sting from the real storyline, the reworking of "House of the Rising Sun" -- according to the spoken introduction -- is told from the point of view of the receptionist (huh?) at the infamous bordello. Had The Chambers Brothers decided on a more straightforward translation, the song could easily have been one of the album's best. Other tunes worth spinning include a version of Bobby Parker's "Blues Get Off My Shoulder" -- in a longer form than on 1968's The Chambers Brothers Shout! -- and the comparatively brief but effective update of the jazzy "Undecided."
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. Girls, We Love You (Lester Chambers) - 3:25
2. I Got A Woman (Ray Charles) - 6:35
3. House Of The Rising Sun (Traditional) - 6:05
4. Don't Lose Your Cool (Joe Chambers) - 1:48
5. Just A Closer Walk With Thee (P.D.) - 5:230
6. Blues Get Off My Shoulder (B. Parker) - 3:18
7. Travel On My Way - 4:05
8. Undecided (C. Shavers, S. Robin) - 3:06
Circus was originally formed in 1969 as "Sound Street" in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. They played bars and college dances in Central Wisconsin, specializing in their own particular variety ot blues and rock. Sound Street included Fred Omernik on keyboards. Wayne Kostroski on bass, Gary Konkol on guitar. Randy Glodowski on guitar, and Al Crowe on drums.
Their blend of four-part vocal harmonies and double guitar leads were a featured attraction of the band In 1970. Circus signed with North Central Productions, later known as McMillan and Clary Talent. Circus hired Ray Cyr to replace Al Crowe on drums and moved to Madison. Wisconsin to expand their territory and investigate a recording career.
Soon the band was playing regularly at Madison bars such as Snoopy's Dewey's, and the Church Key. at times opening for regional and national acts such as The James Gang, Rotary Connection, Ben Sidran, the Siegel- Schwall Band, Ted Nugent, and Muddy Waters Circus played at the lola Rock Fest in 1971. which was Wisconsin's version of Woodstock, also referred to as "Woodtick Nation." Circus shared the stage at the lola Rock Fest with such national and international acts as: Ravi Shankar, Buddy Rich, Iggy Pop. Terry Reid, and Siegel Schwall Circus was also one of the first bands to consistently play at Milwaukee's Summerfest.
As their popularity grew. Circus began traveling to such locales as Florida, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Georgia,. Tennessee and the entire Midwest. Their venues included bars, colleges, military academies, band shells, a river boat, and auditoriums. In 1972 disaster struck when guitar player/singer Gary Konkol was diagnosed with a rare form of terminal cancer, and Circus reluctantly had to replace him His death in 1973 left both an emotional and musical hole in the group Respected Wisconsin blues man Mike Richson joined the group in 1973, and Circus once again began their almost constant travels.
Rocker Gunnar Antell replaced Mike Richson for a short period of time, as the band searched for the perfect musical combination Circus hired versatile Brett Peterson on guitar and recorded an album in 1973 at American Music Studios in Sauk City with Corky Siegel as a producer. The album was mixed down at Paragon Studios in Chicago, and was released in 1974. The band toured the country in support of the album, where it was well received in the South, West, and Northeast Jim Ash replaced Ray Cyr on drums in 1974, and Terry Knoll replaced Brett Peterson on guitar in 1975.
With the new lineup Circus recorded a single at a studio in Schaumburg Illinois with the plan that the two original songs would form the basis for a second album The band continued writing originals and toured extensively A demo was recorded with an eye towards a second album At that same time. Circus continued opening for such groups as Styxx. B.B. King. Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, Eric Carmen and the Raspberries. Hot Tuna. John Sebastian. Firefall. Bonnie Bramlett, and the Amazing Rhythm Aces
By 1976, Circus had been touring almost constantly for seven years. By this time, the band was managing and booking itself. Although some contacts were made, no one appeared immediately interested in backing a second album tor the band In November of 1976, the band decided to call it quits and played their last gigs at the University of Wisconsin and the Bronco Bar in Chanhassen. Minnesota.
Although the early lineup of Circus used guitar/organ based instrumentation, they began to experiment with synthesized sound in the early 1970's. They were one of the first Madison bands to add strings and brass to their arrangements, and their distinctive sound is still fondly remembered by many of their fans. From the sounds of the B3. Circus moved on to the Clavinet and the Moog. Their excellent vocals, high quality guitar and keyboards, ability to write both love songs and songs with humor and insight, and great stage presence ensured crowds wherever they played Virtually all of the songs you hear on this album were performed live by the band between 1973 through 1976.
It is difficult to comprehend a twenty-minute version of "Old Age" unless one is standing in the crowd. Nevertheless, it was an experience, to say the least! "Fat Boogie Mama" was another crowd favorite, and served as an excellent counterpoint to Ray Davies' "Skin and Bones." Circus was a force to be reckoned with in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The national music scene didn't extend all the way to Madison, Wisconsin, however. But Circus played to enough audiences during their 300 gig/year, seven year career to touch many fans. Whether it was a bar full of 250 revelers or an auditorium with several thousand fans. Circus got their message across.
by Randy Glowdowski,Oregon, Wisconsin, December, 2000
Tracks
1. Fat Boogie Mama (Fred Omernik) - 4:09
2. You to Me (Wayne Kostroski) - 4:21
3. Let Me Tell You (Randy Glodowksi) - 4:12
4. Skin and Bones (Ray Davies) - 3:53
5. Arrow (Randy Glodowksi) - 3:31
6. Travlin' Blues (Randy Glodowksi) - 2:45
7. Old Age (Larry Leishman, Duke Edwards) - 12:58
8. C'mon If You're Comin' (Brownie McGhee)
9. I'm Walkin' (Fred Omernik) - 3:19
10.Bar Room Wiggy (Randy Glodowksi) - 3:39
Of all the band's on Phil Walden's Capricorn label during the heyday of Southern rock in the 1970s, The Marshall Tucker Band came closest to The Allman Brothers in its ability to write memorable material and improvise with a real sense of adventure. Way Out West: Live in San Francisco 1973, forcefully illustrates the band's virtues.
MTB distinguished itself even further from its forebears by its eclectic mix of influences. Blues was no more or less important than country music, as evinced in the opening "Hillbilly Band," or traditional jazz, motifs of which become most apparent when Jerry Eubanks is playing flute or saxophone, as he does on "24 Hours at a Time." Vocalist/songwriter Toy Caldwell's lead guitar style mixed all those elements when he takes the spotlight as on "Every Day I Have the Blues" or when the group jams as a unit.
And it's these latter moments, here best exemplified by the way the sextet stretches out on "Take the Highway" and "Can't You See," that Marshall Tucker truly excels. Granted the group's interplay isn't as sophisticated as The Allmans—holding, as it does, too closely to chord change repetition—but its grasp of dynamics, grounded in the splendid rhythm section comprised of drummer Paul Riddle and bassist Tommy Caldwell (sibling of Toy), is impeccable. And the drive of MTB's collective motion never flags, thanks as well to George McCorkle's insistent rhythm guitar work.
As demonstrated on "Another Cruel Love," vocalist Doug Gray's voice is as much an attraction in the MTB sound as the songs and the jams. He not only adds a gospel element to this heady mix, as on "Ramblin,'" but his full-throated singing is no mere precursor or mere afterthought to the improvisational interludes; instead, it's a bona fide attention-getter on its own terms.
Recorded at famed rock impresario Bill Graham's Winterland, Way Out West was compiled and produced by Gray, who leads a realigned ensemble under the Marshall Tucker name today. It contains the bulk of MTB's debut album plus the highlights of the second album, A New Life (Capricorn, 1974), yet to be released at the time of this concert and, bereft of the sometimes superfluous production touches, presenting the group with an aggressive edge in its playing that's missing from its more relaxed studio work. The sleek sound production features just enough definition to highlight the distinctive instrumental lineup individually and collectively.
The Marshall Tucker Band never descended into the generic Dixie rock, even later in its career after the death of bassist Caldwell, when its approach became more conventionally structured. Live in San Francisco 1973 is a brilliant document of the group's glory days that will gratify fans and may even alter the preconceptions about Southern rock for those not inclined to hear the genre with open ears.
by Doug Collette
Tracks
1. Hillbilly Band - 4:05
2. Another Cruel Love - 4:33
3. Take The Highway - 8:11
4. Can't You See - 6:29
5. See You Later, I'm Gone - 3:30
6. Ramblin' - 5:50
7. Everyday (I Have The Blues) (Peter Chatman) - 13:59
8. 24 Hours At A Time - 8:28
All compositions by Toy Caldwell except where stated
The Marshall Tucker Band
*Tommy Caldwell - Bass
*Toy Caldwell - Lead Guitar
*George McCorkle - Rhythm Guitar
*Paul Riddle - Drums
*Jerry Eubanks - Flute
*Doug Gray - Vocals
