Rockasteria

1977 The Stanky Brown Group - If The Lights Don't Get You The Helots Will (2010 edition)

Friday, October 11, 2024

Stanky Brown - Stanky Brown (1978 us, fine melodic rock with funky vibes, 2010 reissue)

On their third and final album, which hit the record stores in 1978, Stanky Brown offer a sound here that matches their cover appearance very well -- confident and sassy 70s cats who can put out a record that's tight, yet loose -- on a set that's very close to the genre that got all the right funding and attention in the studio, but that never fully got its due in the mainstream! The songs are all well-written -- catchy, but never too sappy -- and the style is slightly sharper than the smoothness of the AOR generation -- on tracks that include "Falling Fast," "Chains," "Chance On Love," "She's A Taker," "Please Don't Be The One," "Master Of Disguise," and "Back In Your Arms Again"

Tracks

1. Tell Me What You Want (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 3:33

2. Master Of Disguise (Jim Brown) - 3:34

3. You Make It Happen For Me (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 2:55

4. Around Town (Jeffrey Leynor) - 2:21

5. She's A Taker (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 3:41

6. Falling Fast (Jeffrey Leynor) - 2:34

7. Please Don't Be The One (Frank Greene, Jim Brown) - 3:11

8. (I Wish I Was) Back In Your Arms Again (Jeffrey Leynor, Ken Shane) - 4:04

9. Chance Of Love (Bobby Messano, Jerry M. Cordasco, Ken Shane) - 3:32

10.Chains (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 3:51

Stanky Brown

*James Brown - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Jeffrey Leynor - Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Vocals

*Richard Bunkiewicz - Bass

*Jerry M. Cordasco - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

*John Zangrando - Woodwind

*Bob Messano - Lead Guitar, Vocals

With

*Sonny Dey Horn Section - Horns (Track 9)

1978 Buckacre - Buckacre (2018 korean remaster)

Sunday, October 6, 2024

The Game - It's Shocking What They Call Us (1965-68/1995 uk, rough freakbeat, 2024 edition)

The Game were a rock & roll unit formed out of the remnants of an earlier Surrey-based band, the Secrets, in which lead guitarist Terry Spencer and bassist Allen Janaway had previously played. Tony Bird, who was 14 at the time, played rhythm guitar. Their big problem was the fact that they went through several changes in sound. Their rock & roll debut, "Gotta Keep Movin' Baby" (co-authored by Kenny Lynch, who was their manager for a time) on Pye Records in 1965 didn't sell, and the band changed labels and image, jumping to Decca and transforming themselves to a mod look and sound, on "Gonna Get Me Someone." That single appeared a year after their Pye debut, and the delay and the change in sound led to another stiff on the charts.

The group then moved to Parlophone, which decided to withdraw their next single, "The Addicted Man" (co-authored by Alan Gowing), following a negative reaction on the program Juke Box Jury. At the company's behest, they cut a psychedelic number, "It's ShockingWhat They Call Me" -- the constant change of sound and image put the group into an impossible situation, what public they had developed being unable to keep up with these shifts. Their real sound featured flashy guitar with lots of power chords, strongly reminiscent of the Creation, best represented on their final single B-side, "Help Me Mummy's Gone," from 1967.

The Game broke apart in 1967-1968, guitarist Tony Bird later joining Kind Hearts & English, while Terry Spencer and Stan Decker formed Lavender Grove, and then a group called Grail. The original band appears to have retained a core of fandom, however, based on the fact that they reunited in the '90s with the original core members all present.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks

1. But I Do (Clive Westlake, Kenny Lynch) - 2:14

2. Gotta Keep On Moving Baby (Clive Westlake, Kenny Lynch) - 2:43

3. Gonna Get Me Someone (Bob Wackett) - 2:49

4. Gotta Wait (Terry Spencer) - 2:17

5. The Addicted Man (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 2:24

6. Help Me Mummy's Gone (Terry Spencer) - 2:44

7. It's Shocking What They Call Me (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 2:43

8. The Addicted Man (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 2:15

9. Lavender Grove (Terry Spencer) - 2:36

10.When I Was Young (Terry Spencer) - 2:54

11.Unfair (Terry Spencer) - 5:13

12.Still On The Game (Tony Bird, Terry Spencer, Alan Janaway, Terry Goodsell) - 5:29

13.The Addicted Man (Alan Gowing, Lesley Blake, Terry Brown) - 3:08

Tracks 9-10 as The Lavender Grove

The Game

*Tony Bird - Guitar, Vocals

*Alan Janaway - Bass Guitar

*Terry Spencer - Lead Guitar

*Terry Goodsell - Drums

*Terry Brown - Drums

Related Act

Monday, September 30, 2024

Buckacre - Morning Comes (1976 us, excellent country rock, 2016 korean remaster)

Buckacre is a five-piece band from Illinois, USA. Their debut album, released in 1976, was recorded in London and produced by Glyn Jones. Based on a laid-back country rock sound featuring skillful vocals and refreshing choruses, it is a great album packed with the best elements of 70s-style West Coast rock, reminiscent of the early Eagles that Jones worked on. The members are Les Lockridge (guitar, mln, vo), Alan Thacker (guitar, fd, vo), Darrell Dater (guitar, vo), Dick Harry (bass, bass guitar, vo), and Dick Verruci (drums).

Tracks

1. Love Never Lasts Forever (Dick Halley) - 3:28

2. Red Wine (Skip Griparis) - 4:16

3. Dreams Of Flying (Alan Thacker, Darrell Data) - 3:01

4. Older Lovers (Les Lockridge, Richard Verucchi) - 3:27

5. Don't Let It Slip Away (Dick Halley) - 3:21

6. Out Of Touch (Skip Griparis, Robert K. Wilson) - 3:45

7. Bound To Be Blue (Alan Thacker, Darrell Data) - 2:58

8. Just Another Night (Les Lockridge) - 2:56

9. Dance Around The Campfire (Grady Smith, Carroll Quillen) - 4:23

10.Morning Comes (Dick Halley) - 4:22

Buckacre

*Alan Thacker - Acoustic, Electric, Slide Guitars

*Darrell Data - Guitars, Pedal Steel, Vocals

*Les Lockridge - Acoustic, Electric Guitars

*Dick Halley - Bass

*Dick Verucchi - Drums, Percussion

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

The Robert Coady Band - Nowhere Special (1977 us, fine southern country rock, 2023 reissue)

Country-tinged southern rock from Orlando, Florida. Oddly enough, there wasn't anyone in the band actually named Robert Coady: the group was named after Captain Robert Coady, an MIA Vietnam War-era Air Force pilot from Florida who was shot down over Laos in 1969 and was said to have been seen alive in POW photos much later in the war. Anyway, back to the music: this is decent stuff, give or take an excessive drum solo or two.

All the songs are by lead singer Lonnie Getson Brown (the "bro" in Zobro) who is backed by his pals, Andy Maksimowich (bass), Rob Echelman (drums), and Mike Lewenthal on keyboards. It's all very much in the Allman/Skynyrd/Dickey Betts style of '70s redneck twang, with well-sounding guitar leads and a distinctly rural vibe. Lonnie Brown kept the band together (with major changes in lineup) at least through the mid-1980s, later recording a song called "Flyin' Again," which was an explicit homage to Capt. Coady.

Tracks

1. Country Band - 2:48

2. You've Been On My Mind - 5:02

3. TV Cowboy - 4:06

4. Everything's Gonna Be All Right - 2:50

5. Nowhere Special - 4:27

6. Knockin' On Your Door - 2:39

7. Off Ramp Blues - 3:48

8. Way Back Home - 4:09

9. Just One More Time - 4:48

10.I'll Be Comin' Home - 5:53

All songs by Lonnie G. Brown

The Robert Coady Band

*Lonnie G Brown - Guitar, Vocals

*Andy Maksimowich - Bass

*Rob Echelman - Drums

*Mike Lewenthal - Keyboards, Vocals

Friday, September 20, 2024

Sky Dancer - Alive (1977 us, stunning live hard rock with prog shades, 2023 edition)

Sky Dancer is a group from Damon, Iowa. This is the only album released by USA All in One Records in 1977 as a Private Press self-release, and is a live recording of a concert at The Royal Grove in Lincoln, Nebraska, in July 1977. The band consists of Decky Dykman, Doc Lawson, Zeke Ziebell, and Daniel Knisley, and was co-produced by the band and Steve Monroe. The band generally has a blues-based progressive hard sound with a certain amount of mainstream pop-ness, and the heavy riffs and phrases, melodic vocal lines, progressive arrangements, and fast-paced performance are a pretty good match.

The guitars, Hammond organ, and bass are all played with a lot of energy and bursting with timely and fast passages, and the drumming is perfectly lively, following the music with precision, making the ensemble fluent and proficient, which is honestly cool. The quality of the performance, the catchiness of the music, and the maturity of the arrangements, including the final tearful ballad, clearly exceed the level of an independent release, and if the recording quality were a little better, the result would be on par with the first-line major labels. It is a good album that lovers of hard and prog rock will enjoy. In 2008 Sky Dancer has been inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Tracks

1. Rock And Roll Sweeetheart (Jim Priefert, Randy Zirbel) - 4:07

2. Get Down - 6:35

3. Fear No Evil - 9:30

4. Goody Two Shoes - 2:24

5. Rock And Roll Circus / Hang On To Your Life (Randy Zirbel, Steve Dykmann) - 9:16

6. Hot Rocks (Randy Zirbel) - 6:09

7. Never Want To Be Tied Down - 6:31

Compositions written by Steve Dykmann except where noted

Sky Dancer

*Dickie Dykmann - Guitar, Lead Vocals

*Doc Lawson - Hammond Organ, Piano, Vocals

*Zeke Zirbel - Bass, Vocals

*Daniel Nissly - Drums, Vocals

*Steve Monroe -

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Bat McGrath And Don Potter - Introducing Bat McGrath And Don Potter (1969 us, brilliant jazzy folk rock, 2013 remaster)

Bat and Don have been singing together since their early teens. They're 23 now and a lot of rock groups, records, songs and other changes have passed over the dam by now, but they're still singing together and they're still close friends. And it shows in their music.

Back in Glens Falls, New York (their home town), they played rock. Rock because that's what kids play to make some bread; rock because it's pretty good stuff and they were good at it: rock because what else would a couple of young kids from Glens Falls, New York, be playing?

They gigged their way to Rochester and settled down there. It's not the world's greatest town, but the Eastman School of Music has stimulated a very fertile musical climate there. At least it was stimulating enough to make them try it as a non- rock duo when that occupational hazard of rock groups (i.e.. disbanding) really got to them.

Their new concept really seemed to work for them. They wrote songs; they grew popular; they opened and still run the only successful coffeehouse in the history of Rochester. Of course, the music biz types in New York said. "That's nice, kids, but you can't sell that kind of stuff," as they have said to so many unorthodox performers who now sell millions of records every year. So Bat and Don were submerged in arrangers and horns and strings and whatnot and so on. It didn't make it.

Fortunately Bat and Don found John Hammond and vice versa. For decades John has been able to see where others are blind... and in Bat and Don he saw a great deal. They asked him for the chance to make it or break it their own way. John brought them to us and the enclosed is Bat and Don... their way. The rest is in the hands of the gods.

Bat, Don and I would like to dedicate this album to Paul Clayton. That's him singing the opening of his song "Your Kind Of Man." He was a good friend.

The production of this album was incredibly smooth, largely due to that something extra our musicians and engineers gave us. Thanks guys. Most of all we gratefully, humbly, and affec- tionately thank John Hammond. John sat in on our sessions and rarely opened his mouth with a suggestion, but when he did he was always right. Having him there was like having a guardian angel keeping us from straying too far.

And, oh yes. You should know that Bat and Don are beautiful guys. That's not a hype; that's a fact. The biggest thing I've gained from this project is two good friends... and friends like them are very hard to find.

by Barry Kornfeld, August 10, 1969 New York City

Tracks

1. Jefferson Green - 2:42

2. Children And A Home - 3:12

3. Your Kind Of Man - 3:35

4. Mr. Cadillac - 2:10

5. I Chose To Lose - 3:21

6. (Interlude) La Danza De Los Niños (Stanley Watson) - 1:13

7. Someone Take Me Home - 3:03

8. Maybe It's Not Here - 2:31

9. Walking Bird - 2:31

10.Even Your Name - 2:30

11.The Parade - 3:19

12.(Interlude) Lullaby To An Unborn Child (Stanley Watson) - 1:36

All songs by Bat McGrath, Don Potter except where indicated

Musicians

*Bat McGrath - Vocals, Guitarrón, Harmonica

*Don Potter - Vocals, Guitar

*Bill LaVorgna - Drums

*Al Rogers - Drums

*Buddy Saltzman - Drums

*Chuck Israels - Bass

*Seymour Barab - Cello

*Specs Powell - Vibraphone

*Dick Hyman - Harpsichord

*Michael Chimes - Bass Harmonica

*Howard Hirsch - Tabla

*Stanley Watson - Guitars (Tracks 6,12)

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Thomas F. Browne - Wednesday's Child (1971 uk, elegant jazzy folk soft rock, 2016 korean remaster)

It's one of the unwritten laws of record collecting that some labels guaranteed quality simply by existing -- and, if a record bears that sainted logo, then it's worth any investment you care to make. Of course, it doesn't always work that way, as collectors of the legendary U.K. prog label Vertigo will ruefully inform you. But anybody taking a chance on one of the final albums to be released beneath the label's spiral logo, the one-and-only album by singer/songwriter Thomas F. Browne, might well find themselves wondering why the company wasted so much wax on half-hearted jazz-rock, and so little exploring the further reaches of the folk-rock hybrid.

Browne himself was drummer with the '60s beat band Nero & the Gladiators, a heavily classics-influenced band that also featured future Spooky Tooth/Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones for a time. Indeed, Jones and Browne alone later worked together as the State of Mickey & Tommy, and Wednesday's Child continued the partnership, with additional (and supremely characteristic) help from fellow Spooky Gary Wright, and the Sandy Denny-less Fotheringay. Such heavyweight backing, of course, dictates much of the ensuing mood, a gently rolling collection of ballads that fall into much the same bag as the period Strawbs and Mike Heron. Browne's voice is not always at its best, lacking the depth of expression that his lyrics generally demand. But the power of the arrangements and some wonderfully atmospheric backing vocals from Doris Troy and Sue & Sunny readily salvage things, and songs like "Carry My Load" (with a breathtaking Jones guitar solo) and "Dark Eyed Lady"'s cheeky approximation of "Pinball Wizard"'s acoustic guitar hook are both supremely contagious, while "The Alamo" is as epic as the land it immortalizes.

by Dave Thompson

Tracks

1. Gentle Sarah - 4:23

2. Carry My Load - 4:25

3. Bowm, Bowm, Bomm - 4:31

4. Dark Eyed Lady - 4:23

5. It's Coming - 2:30

6. Hold On - 4:50

7. Tomorrow Is Another Day - 3:56

8. Poor Mans Smile - 3:30

9. The Alamo - 6:00

All songs by Thomas F. Browne, Mick Jones

Musicians

*Thomas F. Browne - Drums, Guitar, Vocals

*Doris Troy - Vocals

*Gary Wright - Organ, Piano

*Jerry Donahue - Guitar

*Mick Jones - Guitar, Vocals

*Pat Donaldson - Bass

*Raymond Donnez - Organ, Piano

Thursday, September 5, 2024

rep> Little Big Horn - Little Big Horn (1970-71 uk, great classic rock with glam and prog traces, 2012 Flawed Gems bonus track)

The eponymous, German-only album from this long forgotten British hard progressive quintet was released in 1971 by Bellaphon - the record label responsible for the collectable (and now very expensive) vinyl editions of other, stylistically similar but also little known UK bands like Diabolus, Steel Mill, Crazy Mabel and Sunday.

This difficult to describe album contained an eclectic mix of styles, going between straight rock, tasteful rock ballads and hard progressive rock. That varied, well-arranged and in most parts simply stunning record will certainly appeal to the fans of Procol Harum, Skin Alley and Jody Grind. As a bonus we have added a very rare, non-LP UK single (from 1970) - with a terrific and insanely hypnotic Just A Game being one of the very best heavy rock tracks from early 70's.

Tracks

1. Good Time Music (John Sebastian) - 3:38

2. Getting It Together (John Mark) - 3:31

3. I Wish I Had The Words - 4:27

4. Anything That Turns You On - 3:02

5. Right Road (Alan Davis) - 3:31

6. Name Of The Game - 3:07

7. Something Good - 2:56

8. Ain't No Harm - 3:39

9. Isn't It Strange - 3:22

10.Just Ain't Fair - 5:28

11.Another Man's Song - 3:57

12.Just A Game - 4:16

All songs by Jim Turner except where noted

Bonus Track 12

Little Big Horn
*Jim Turner - Vocals, Piano, Organ
*Barry Beasley - Vocals, Bass
*Billy Slaney - Drums, Percussion
*Alan Davis - Lead Vocals
*Danny Maidment - Vocals, Guitar

1966-68 The Choir - Choir Practice

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

The Lost Souls - The Lost Souls (1964-1976 us, splendid garage folk psych rock, 2018 release)

The Lost Souls never released any records, yet the meager recorded evidence that survives indicates that they were one of the finest unknown American groups of the mid-’60s, able to write both catchy British Invasion-type rockers and, in their latter days, experimental psychedelic pieces with unusual tempo changes and song structures. The band were also unusual in their occasional embellishment of the typical period guitar-bass-drums lineup with flute, sax, and mandolin. Although popular in their Cleveland hometown, they broke up in 1968 to attend college. Rhythm guitarist Denny Carleton, who wrote and sang some of their best material, went on to briefly join The Choir, their chief and more successful rivals.”

by Richie Unterberger

The music scene in Cleveland in the mid to late 1960’s was ripe with talent: the James Gang with Joe Walsh and Glenn Schwartz, The Choir, Eric Carmen () - pre-Raspberries, Glass Harp with Phil Keaggy, the Damnation of Adam Blessing… and the Lost Souls. Of all those bands, only the Lost Souls never released a record. Then again, they were in high school, trying to navigate dress codes and bullies—and playing in front of a couple thousand fans when not suspended. Sure, they lost a battle of the bands at Teen Fair 1968, but it was to the James Gang with Joe Walsh. And somehow it is the Lost Souls who emerge from that time and place with the greatest mystique and some of the most adventurous music, music which few have heard. Lost Souls main songwriter Denny Carleton released a cassette of the band’s original recordings in 1984. It received airplay on hundreds of college and public radio stations in the USA and around the world, and garnered glowing reviews… and that was it, until now.

Not only is this the first time the music of the Lost Souls has been available since that cassette, our Lion Productions edition is the first release for many additional Lost Souls cuts, including alternate versions of key tracks like the insightful ‘Things That Are Important’ and ‘I’m Falling’ the closest to a hit the band ever had, all taken from the original tapes and carefully mastered. Seven bonus tracks highlight the work of Lost Soul’s main songwriter Denny Carleton, one-time member of The Choir, and more surprisingly, punk legends the Pagans; selections by The Choir, Moses, Milk and Carleton, many in all possible low-fi glory, recorded on various 4-Track devices, ranging from power-pop to grimy garage.

Tracks

1. Love I Won't Admit - 2:57

2. Look At Me (Unknown) - 2:08

3. Walking Out On Me (Unknown) - 2:19

4. Things That Are Important - 2:24

5. Let's Get Away (Chuck McKinley) - 3:26

6. Dare To Surmise (Denny Marek) - 4:14

7. If These Are Men - 2:26

8. Josephine - 3:32

9. Trashcan Throne (Denny Marek) - 2:16

10.Livin' The Way I Want To (Chuck McKinley) - 3:31

11.Pre-Break Song (Denny Marek) - 0:57

12.I'm Falling - 3:49

13.I Want You - 3:30

14.Whatcha Gonna Do - 2:38

15.Things That Are - 2:31

16.I'm Falling - 3:33

17.Diamond Head - 2:06

18.I Can See Beyond Your Lies - 2:46

19.Oh Yes - 3:50

20.If These Are Men - 3:02

21.Mummer Band - 2:24

22.Middle Of An Island - 2:20

23.Alice - 2:07

24.I'm Not Busy, It's Just The Phone - 2:41

25.Could She Love Me - 3:28

26.Moonlight Rebellion (Key One) - 2:37

All songs by Denny Carleton except where indicated

Trracks 20,21 by The Choir

Track 22 by Moses

Track 23 by Milk

Track 25 by Cleveland Cuties

Tracks 24,26 by Denny Carleton

The Lost Souls

*Denny Carleton - Rhythm Guitar

*Chuck McKinley - Bass (Tracks 1-19)

*Denny Marek - Lead Guitar (Tracks 1-19)

*Larry Tomczak - Drums

*Rich Schonauer - Saxophone

Related Act

1969 The Choir - Artifact The Unreleased Album (2018 remaster)