The classic early 70s String Driven Thing line up of Chris Adams guitar and vocals, Pauline Adams vocals and percussion, Colin Wilson bass, and Grahame Smith violin (Hamill/Van der Graaf) recorded on the Foxtrot Tour with Genesis. String Driven Thing were signed to Charisma Records 40 years ago in 1972 already having issued one album.
In fact, their second Charisma album ( and third release in historic terms) The Machine That Cried - originally released 1973- has since been acclaimed not, merely, String Driven Thing’s masterpiece, but one of the finest progressive rock albums of the entire era – its reissue a couple of years back on the British Ozit label was widely heralded as among the most intelligent re-releases of recent years. They are back again with this new CD 40 years later on the anniversary of them signing to Charisma.
On Dec 12th 1972, as Pauline Adams of String Driven Thing passed through customs at JFK Airport, in her suitcase was a full length orange dress. Nothing unusual in that, you might think, but the dress in question actually belonged to Peter Gabriel, to be worn at the climax of Genesis’ Foxtrot set which they were about to debut in New York’s Philharmonic Hall. For both bands, this was a first visit to the States, but whilst Genesis were classic Charisma Prog Rock, String Driven Thing were far harder to pigeonhole. Drummerless, and with a virtuoso lead violinist, they had just released their eponymous album to enthusiastic reviews and their first single “Circus” was already a turntable hit, so there was a real buzz in the city about both bands. On the night, the auditorium was packed and, unusually for a support band, the Thing were brought back for a rapturous encore.
Listening to this free blowing high octane set forty years on, it’s easy to see why. Fast forward six weeks, and the UK leg of the Foxtrot tour is due to start at London’s Rainbow, only in the interim, frontman Chris Adams has suffered a spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and is rushed to hospital, where Doctors recommend that he take four weeks rest to let his lung reflate. But unwilling to drop out of the impending tour, Chris elects for the alternative treatment which, in his words involved “watching a brace and bit being used to drill a hole through my chest”.
14 days later, and against doctors’ advice, the band took to the Rainbow stage and, although understandably not being quite at their best, in the following gigs, including Manchester Free Trade Hall where this recently unearthed recording was made, the band performed sets with such stunning energy that multiple encores became the norm. Just listen to the 16 minute version of Jack Diamond and Graham Smith’s incredible virtuosity as he swoops and weaves around the hypnotic groove of Chris’ guitar, Pauline’s percussion and Colin Wilson’s subtly syncopated bass, and I think you’ll agree with me that Ozit has rediscovered a lost masterpiece.
Tracks
1. Let Me Down - 6:04
2. Then I Met The Lady - 6:21
3. My Real Hero - 4:13
4. Regent St Incident - 4:27
5. Circus - 7:57
6. Hooked On The Road - 4:49
7. Jack Diamond - 14:13
Music and Lyrics by Chris Adams
Roger McGuinn's 1973 self-titled solo debut was in most respects a breath of fresh air after the final days of the Byrds, in which the group was floundering in directionless mediocrity. In a sense, it's a back-to-basics album that emphasizes much of what McGuinn does so well: his forceful reedy vocals, his guitar playing, and his skills at both writing earnest folk-rock material (usually with future Bob Dylan collaborator Jacques Levy here) and interpreting unusual traditional and contemporary songs. Never was it folkier than on the acoustic "I'm So Restless," which benefited from harmonica by Dylan himself (about whom the song was partially about).
All four of the other original Byrds play on "My New Woman," which is virtually a reunion of the original quintet, with the addition of saxophone by jazzman Charles Lloyd; David Crosby makes unobtrusive cameos on some other tracks. As likable as it is, however, the album isn't an unqualified triumph. Some of the songs aren't so hot, some of the Moog synthesizer (by McGuinn) is unnecessary, his vocals sometimes seem to have been recorded with too much brittleness, and none of this is as good as the best of the Byrds. Unexpected influences make themselves heard in the Beach Boys harmonies of "Draggin'" (with Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys on piano and backup harmonies), the Vietnam blues of "Hanoi Hannah," and the gospel-rock of "Stone."
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. I'm So Restless - 3:05
2. My New Woman - 3:10
3. Lost My Drivin' Wheel (David Wiffen) - 3:27
4. Draggin' - 3:36
5. Time Cube (McGuinn, R. J. Hippard) - 3:15
6. Bag Full Of Money - 3:19
7. Hanoi Hannah - 2:50
8. Stone (Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn) - 2:59
9. Heave Away (Trad., Arranged By McGuinn) - 3:03
10.M' Linda - 2:42
11.The Water Is Wide (Trad. Arranged by McGuinn) - 3:05
All compositions by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy except where noted.
Hookfoot were, very much a band of "musician's musicians". All of them were in great demand as session players, both individually and collectively. As well as backing Elton John on many of his early albums they also perform en masse on Mick Grabham's 'Mick The Lad' solo LP (possibly it was this which led to the misinformation that Grabham was himself a Hookfoot member) and on Steve Swindell's solo LP from 1974 (the astute amongst you may recognise Swindell's name as a former Hawkwind member). The band also backed Harry Pitch and Zack Laurence on the chart-topping one-hit wonder 'Groovin' With Mr Bloe'; and although his voice is perhaps an acquired taste, Long John Baldry's 'It Ain't Easy' LP from 1971 also featured bassist Dave Glover, drummer Roger Pope and guitarist Caleb Quaye throughout, some of the songs sounding distinctly Hoofoot-esque.
Great songwriters, great musicians, with their tastes strayed too far towards bluesy country funk for the heads to ever fully embrace them. A bit like Steve Stills, in some ways: you kinda dug the way he did it, but not always what he actually did. Thing is though, Caleb Quaye was undeniably one of THE finest guitar players the UK has ever produced - not for nothing did Eric Clapton surprise David Letterman a lttle while ago by informing him "I'm not the world's best guitar player. Caleb Quaye is." - and I can't help wondering, if Hookfoot had played hard rock and psychedelia, whether their albums might not today be held in the same kind of reverential, big-dollar high esteem by collectors as, say, Little Free Rock, Ashkan, Aunt Mary, Blonde on Blonde and especially I suppose Black Cat Bones (who likewise featured a stellar guitar player in the shape of a young Paul Kossoff). I still challenge any fan of the above not to go into a toe-curling trance of guitar-fuelled ecstasy on hearing Hookfoot blister through 'Nature Changes' on the 'Live in Memphis' album though, or to goggle in awe at the pyrotechnics on display on all twelve minutes of 'Shoe Shine Boy', one of the otherwise unreleased songs on the 'Headlines' compilation album.
Headlines', the double LP compilation put out by DJM 1975,a year or so after Hookfoot's demise. Interestingly, it includes 4 non-album cuts, but no live material and none of the band's singles!
by Phil McMullen, April 2010
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Don't Let It Bring You Down (Neil Young) - 3:07
2. Movies (Ian Duck) - 4:53
3. S.B.W. (Ian Duck, Caleb Quaye) - 2:36
4. Shoe Shine Boy (Caleb Quaye) - 12:05
5. Nature Changes (Caleb Quaye, Ian Duck) - 5:25
6. Bluebird Revisited (Stephen Stills) - 4:03
7. Coombe Gallows (Caleb Quaye) - 3:09
8. Gimme Shelter (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 4:19
9. Fire And Rain (James Taylor) - 3:38
Disc 2
1. Sweet Sweet Funky Music (Caleb Quaye) - 3:18
2. Living in the City (Caleb Quaye) - 4:57
3. If I Had the Words (Ian Duck, Roger Pope, Caleb Quaye, David Glover) - 3:31
4. Good Times a Comin' (Ian Duck, Fred Gandy, Roger Pope, Caleb Quaye) - 6:18
5. Cruisin' (Ian Duck, Fred Gandy, Roger Pope, Caleb Quaye) - 5:32
6. Just a Little Communication (Caleb Quaye) - 5:38
7. Nothin' Changes (Caleb Quaye) - 4:44
8. Tradin' Riffs (Caleb Quaye) - 4:45
9. Rockin' on the Good (Ian Duck) - 5:09
10.So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star (Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn) - 3:18
The genesis of Havenstreet goes back to 1969, when Phil Ridgway and Jeff Vinter played in The Gas, an experimental psychedelic band heavily influenced by Barrett-era Pink Floyd. The two friends started to write songs their own songs, ending up as a folk duo. With the offer to record some of their material at a friend's studio, they recruited more musical friends…so Havenstreet was born.
The influences had expanded now to bands and artists such as Peter Hammill, Strawbs, Traffic, Procol Harum, Stackridge, Keith Tippett, Bert Jansch…In the early-mid 70s they recorded a couple of albums which circulated as private cassettes among friends and relatives. In 1977, Havenstreet released "The End Of The Line", a self-released album in a private edition of 250 copies. It was collection of very English songs with evocative, literate lyrics and a stunning progressive folk-rock sound. It featured one of the earliest known tributes to Syd Barrett on the song "When the madcap meets the world".
This expanded double set reissue of Havenstreet's sought after album includes, the original "The End of the Line" album from 1977, a new album called "Perspectives" which presents the best tracks from the privately pressed cassettes The Autumn Wind (1974) and Transition (1976) plus rehearsal recordings for The End of the Line (1975/1976) and previously unreleased recordings for the group's projected fourth album (1979), which was never completed. These amazing tracks range from electric acid-folk to Barrett-esque psych-pop, pastoral folk and Caravan styled prog-rock.
Combining the back-to-basics acoustic feel of the nu-folk generation with a swirly, psychedelic vibe, "The End of the Line" could actually be an album that was made in 2014. But this album was privately released in 1977. Now finally remastered and brought into the present, the retrospective feeling is amplified and should appeal greatly to fans of 70s folk and progressive music. This reissue is a must have even for the lucky few who own an original copy of the album as it comes with a bonus disc, "Perspectives", that compiles non-LP tracks from 1974-79. The quality of the extra material shines through.
by Michael Bjorn (Strange Days Magazine)
Tracks
Disc 1 The End Of The Line
1. German Castles - 3:52
2. When The Madcap Meets The World (Francis Bassett) - 4:30
3. Old Ways And Schooldays - 2:51
4. Music In The Night - 2:45
5. Suspended Animation (Phil Ridgway) - 2:31
6. The H S B Song (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter) - 2:08
7. Yesterday Was Summer - 3:20
8. Rain - 3:14
9. The Castle - 3:15
10.Out Of The Fireglow - 4:14
11.The Keeper Of The Tower (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter, Phil Ridgway) - 3:16
12.The Photograph - 4:57
13.After Time (Francis Bassett) - 2:57
All compositions by Phil Ridgway, Jeff Vinter except where stated
Disc 2 Perspectites
1. Aftermath (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter, Phil Ridgway) - 5:00
2. Falling Leaves In Autumn - 4:19
3. Pat Old Engine - 2:21
4. Family Laughter - 2:38
5. Just An Illusion - 2:49
6. Kick - 4:46
7. Damascus - 4:14
8. Grasshopper - 2:44
9. Your Not Being There - 3:06
10.The Ballroom Of Despair (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter) - 4:59
11.Aftersong (Chris Summerfield, Jeff Vinter) - 2:35
12.Village Vespers - 4:27
All song by Phil Ridgway, Jeff Vinter except where noted
Personnel
*Richard Allan - Violin
*Francis Bassett - Piano, Clavinet, Organ
*Phil Ridgway - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Andrew Russell - Flute
*Helen Russell - Vocals
*Robin Smith - Bass, Alto, Tenor Saxophone
*Jenny Tillyer - Rhythm Guitar
*Jeff Vinter - Vocals
*Pete Wills - Drums
Marian Henderson was the queen of the Australian folk revival during the 1960s. With her distinctive, pure alto voice, beautiful face and long hair, she was the epitome of the new folk style. She gave life to old songs such as the convict ballad Van Diemen's Land, and The Streets of Forbes, about bushranger Ben Hall, which she recorded for the Australian cultural history series The Restless Years in 1967.
Alongside jazz and folk club gigs, she toured extensively. Red Cross tours took her island-hopping in light planes around remote New Guinea and Fiji, and to the Cork festival where she "cajoled old Irish tunes into the present". She later featured on ABC television in Jazz Meets Folk, and hosted the music show Sit Yourself Down.
Henderson's looks and talent attracted much attention from promoters, who invariably wanted to change her music and image but she was always her own woman, and turned down an offer from Harry M. Miller to take over her career: she had no desire to become a pop princess. Integrity to herself and to the music was everything: anything else is degrading to the songwriter and the audience, she said.
Largely self-taught, Henderson would speak lyrics to pull out the drama of a song, and then give it her musical interpretation. Her enunciation was always precise: she hated sloppy lyrics, from be-bop to opera.
Marian Grossman was born in Melbourne on April 16, 1937, the only child of Flight Lieutenant Ernest Grossman and his wife, Amelia (nee Martin). Amelia was a country girl from Porepunkah near Bright, and Ernest also had a rural background. He grew up on a farm at Bowser, near Wangaratta. He learnt the piano and cornet, and often played accompaniment for silent pictures at theatres in the town.
Like many entertainers, Marian had a peripatetic childhood as the air force moved Ernest from place to place. She went to 13 schools, from city to country and back again, before finishing her education at Essendon High School. Tall and athletic, she excelled at running, high jump, swimming and tennis. Then, in her early teens, Henderson found music – or perhaps music found her. Ernest played cornet in the military band, and she would accompany him at home on the piano, playing by ear as she never learnt to read music. Throughout her subsequent career most of the arrangements she made were committed to memory and rarely written down, unless by someone else.
Essendon High was significant for another reason: fellow student Don Henderson, whom Marian would later marry. At first she "couldn't stand him" but they became an item after a school dance, where he was the only boy who asked her to dance who was taller than her. "So I said yes." Like many girls at that time, Marian left school at 15 to learn shorthand, typing and "how to be elegant no matter what the situation" at business college.
Although her parents did not particularly approve of boyfriend Don, Ernest did make him a present of an Hawaiian guitar, which he adapted for rock 'n' roll. Don and Marian formed a band, The Thunderbirds, but Marian soon lost interest and turned to jazz. She was playing piano with a band, and one evening the vocalist failed to appear. Marian stepped up to the microphone, and at 18 her career as a singer began. She was hired as a rock 'n' roll singer for big bands playing dances at suburban town halls, but would persuade them to also incorporate jazz standards, sung her way.
The '60s was a fertile time for musicians of many styles, and Henderson soon came across some folkies. Although she had never heard of folk music, she quickly learnt five-string banjo, adapted some to guitar and began singing the style for which she was best known.
She and Don had a white wedding "under sufferance" when she was 21 and, gathering their courage, moved to Sydney to escape her parents, whom she described as tyrannical. Don encouraged Marian, writing her poetry and songs, however they divorced, regretfully but amicably, in 1962.
Some time before, Marian and Don had met Tom Baker on Glebe Bridge. Driving across it one day they saw a Bugatti, which was a rare sight, so they turned around and chased it and met its owner. They all became very good friends; after the divorce she and Baker were married, but Marian kept the surname Henderson for performing as she was already known by it. Their only child, Ben, was born in 1967. However, in 1970 Baker fell ill and died, and Marian's life changed.
She told fellow musician and historian Alex Hood, in recordings he made in 2002, now archived at the NLA, "working as a single mother to put shoes on my son, pay off mortgage, [I] put up with a lot." Sexual discrimination, and advancement via the casting couch, were rife in the industry (Now, she told Hood, "I could sue the bastards.")
But Henderson was a fighter, determined to carry on, and do things her way. For the next decade she worked in television, made recordings, including the Cameo album (which disappointed her – it was in at lunchtime and out by dinner, she remembered, with no time for revision) and many hundreds of live performances.
The second act of Henderson's life began in the late 1970s, with a move away from Sydney to laid-back Lismore. Her son was nine, and she effectively retired from music. Her final big tour was for the (then) Arts Council, driving the length and breadth of NSW by herself in her Ford Escort.
Mother and son settled into a quieter way of life, but Henderson was deeply artistic and soon was studying visual arts, costume design, and then teaching painting and music. After eight years she moved to Nimbin, to have more space. The little town's art scene was an attraction, and she knew many people there.
Henderson remained a modest and very private person, with some inherent contradictions. According to Ben she didn't really enjoy the company of large numbers of people at the same time … but she came alive on stage: "If she could have got away with just being a recording star she may have done that, although I also know she enjoyed revving up a crowd."
In her later years Henderson lived independently, and had a great circle of friends. She loved camping, the beach, and her gardens were renowned. Music remained her passion, and she would "try out" all types of contemporary music, even if it was not to her taste.
Three years before she died, Marian Henderson was diagnosed with cancer. She declined surgery, in order to live the best life she could for as long as possible. In her final six months she lived with Ben and his wife Madonna at Mt Mee, inland from Caboolture.
After her death, a large group of friends gathered at her beloved Brunswick Heads, to celebrate her life and music, and to scatter her ashes onto the sea.
The Stone Garden's journey began in Lewiston, Idaho in the early 1960's when my brothers and I developed a strong interest in playing music. This interest was fueled in great part to our parent's existing talent for playing organ and piano. Little did they realize the Pandora's Box that was to open shortly after starting our music lessons in grade school. Gary and I took up guitar and Neal, drums and piano.
Dad built us dreadful sounding amplifiers from old stereo gear, but they were large and after all, we were little kids and not exactly child prodigies. Christened "The Three Dimensions," we began our years of vibrating the house and irritating the neighbors with our band practices. Our first paid gig was a major event in my life and set its course from that day forward. A neighbor kid who knew we had a band convinced the local Am radio station, KRLC, to hire us to play at a "Swim and Dance Party" at the city pool. It was a huge success and besides looking cool in front of our friends and all the girls, we came home with $65.00; serious money for kids that were not quite teenagers.
Dan Merrell, a classmate from junior high school, joined the band as our full time bass player. Now a quartet, a new name was necessary. Complete with English style ruffled shirts, we became the "Knights of Sound. " Our first studio recording, "The World is Coming to an End," was made in 1965 in Doug Smith's basement facility in Clarkston, Washington. We were starting to play regularly around Lewiston and attracted the interest of Don Tunnell, a former bass player and now aspiring manager.
Since no one else was offering to make us stars, we thought that was a great opportunity to climb another rung on the ladder of success. Besides that, he lived only a block away and was old enough to buy beer. Don gets the credit for renaming us "Stone Garden" in 1967 when flower power made its impact on the world. He got the idea from a psychedelic poster of the same name and to make sure we weren't infringing on anyone, I secured permission from the publisher for us to use the name. Our hair started getting longer and the ruffled shirts were traded in for Nehru jackets. Yeah, we were hip now.
Besides always doing a few tunes of our own creation, our repertoire consisted of music from the greats of the time: Doors, Hendrix. Cream, Beatles, Creedence. We became a well-known group in the Pacific Northwest and often traveled to play teen dances in Seattle, Portland, Northern California, British Columbia, and Montana. John Purviance, a talented multi-instrumentalist, joined us in 1969 and brought new colors to our sound for the next year. By this time, Doug Smith had a new basement studio with lots more cool gear and convinced us to record a 45. He recorded the two songs, had 300 singles pressed, and only charged us $300.00! It actually received a fair amount of air play and did a lot for the band's notoriety.
Chris Adams, a disc jockey at KRLC, was a big supporter of the band and felt we could make improvements to the music by re-recording "Oceans," so we booked time at Ripcord Studios in Vancouver, Washington, a professional 8-track facility. We didn't end up releasing the material recorded there but it was an important experience for us and I am glad to see the music from those sessions included on this compact disc. In the fall of 1969, Gary left Lewiston and the band to attend college. Russ Pratt was the organ player and lead singer/songwriter of a group from a small town near Lewiston and we persuaded him to replace Gary.
That incarnation lasted only a little more than a year but Russ's vocals and organ textures took the band in an inspiring creative direction. Russ, Dan, and I graduated from high school in 1970 and with that event, major changes occurred. Russ and Dan left the group so Neal and I recruited Charles Weisgerber from another local band to play bass and Rand Harrison, a student at the University of Idaho, to sing lead and play keyboards.
The chemistry with Rand never jelled and Gary rejoined the band in 1971. Feeling that we were limited by remaining in Lewiston, we moved to Seattle and brought into fold fellow Lewistonian David Lee on electric piano and vocals. Charles returned home after awhile and was replaced by John Helton of Moscow, Idaho to complete the lineup of the last incarnation. The group broke up in early 1972 and in those last days we were known as the Speer Brothers Band, but it really was the continuing legacy of the Stone Garden.
Everyone continued in music in either a full or part time capacity. I have been fortunate to have a career as a recording artist, record producer, and studio owner. Regrettably, Dan was killed by a hit and run driver in 1972 and Gary died in 1994. This compact disc is dedicated to their memories.
by Paul Speer
Tracks
1. Oceans Inside Me (Gary Speer) - 2:37
2. It's A Beautiful Day - 3:32
3. The World Is Coming To An End, - 2:34
4. Bastard - 6 :05
5. Da Da Da Da Da - 3 :35
6. Stop My Thinking - 2:25
7. Assembly Line - 3:30
8. Woodstick - 8:25
9. SF Policeman Blues - 4:29
10.Oceans Inside Me (Gary Speer) - 2:36
All songs by Dan Merrell, David Lee, Gary Speer, Neal Speer, Paul Speer, John Helton except where noted
The Stone Garden
*Gary Speer - Lead and rhythm guitar and lead vocals.
*Paul Speer - Lead guitar
*Neal Speer - Drums and vocals
*Dan Merrell - Bass guitar and vocals
*John Helton - Bass guitar
*David Lee - Keyboards and vocals
Returning quickly to the studio in the summer of 1973 with his Blueprint line-up, Rory was in a prolific and confident mood. Rehearsals for the album began at a rowing club in Cork city, which allowed Rory to develop the musical arrangements of his material at a leisurely, relaxed pace.
Tattoo’d Lady describes the fairground life style that had appealed to Rory since childhood and lyrically, he draws parallels between travelling entertainers and his own profession.
Rory was born, with a touch of irony, at The Rock Hospital, Ballyshannon. Rory rocked literally all of his life and this Cradle Rock is a rockin’ R&B cut that displays his exciting bottleneck style in full flight.
20:20 Vision features Rory on acoustic and highlights his fondness for Davy Graham’s acoustic style.
They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore has a real cool jazz feel which is underscored with unison guitar and piano and some brilliant harmonics.
Livin’ Like A Trucker was written at a time when the band were increasing their touring activity in America, this number could have been a tour anthem, during his career Rory racked up over thirty long U.S. tours.
Gerry, Rod, Lou and Rory really lock in on Sleep On A Clothes Line which has shades of a riff Rory could have written for Taste.
Who’s That Coming starts with Rory playing his acoustic dobro in slide mode, the riff blends into Rory playing electric slide empahsizing Rory’s ability to play different blues styles from Delta to Chicago blues.
A Million Miles Away became one of the most loved numbers in Rory’s repertoire, it showcases the deep, introverted side of his emotions.
Admit It has a real jack hammer riff and is the perfect vehicle for a stinging Rory solo, Lou Martin lays down some great piano on this rock number.
Tuscon, Arizona by Link Wray (a then Polydor stable mate) is a colourful, laid back country track featuring some captivating lap-steel guitar.
by Donal Gallagher
Tracks
1. Tattoo'd Lady - 4:34
2. Cradle Rock - 6:15
3. 20:20 Vision - 4:02
4. They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore - 4:05
5. Livin' Like a Trucker - 4:19
6. Sleep on a Clothes Line - 5:13
7. Who's That Coming - 7:09
8. A Million Miles Away - 6:55
9. Admit It - 4:19
10.Tucson, Arizona (Bonus Track) - 3:47
All songs by Rory Gallagher except track 10 written by Doug Link Wray.
Rare or previously unissued psychedelic gems from late 1960s San Francisco, produced at Leo Kulka’s studio, Golden State Recorders.
When it opened for business in the autumn of 1965, Golden State Recorders was the first large Hollywood-style studio inSan Francisco, with a brand new solid-state board and an expansive main room, perfect for replicating the ambience of the psychedelic ballrooms. Indeed, founder and chief engineer Leo de Gar Kulka had begun offering his services right as the Bay Area witnessed the explosion of its own well-documented rock scene, and thus during its first few years Golden State was the local independent recording venue most frequently visited by the city’s new breed of musician, along with the hordes of attendant A&R men hopeful for the next big thing.
Golden State hosted some of the most genuinely trippy and experimental rock recording sessions held in San Francisco in the late 1960s, but Kulka could not keep his large facility going on bookings alone, and so he also used the studio to attract talent that could be secured to a contract and sold on to labels. Reflecting the prevailing atmosphere in the Bay Area, much of what Golden State recorded under its own production umbrella had a frisson of psychedelic fancy, and at this juncture some 50 years hence, recordings deemed failures at the time are now collectors items, or certainly worthy of a second look, as “Golden State Psychedelia” amply demonstrates.
Some of the earliest and best-loved releases in Big Beat’s “Nuggets From The Golden State” series were based on repertoire from Golden State Recorders. This latest instalment continues to celebrate the studio’s legacy, restoring material from deleted volumes, as well as exhuming more psychedelic gems from the GSR vault. Since Ace Records acquired the catalogue in 2006, we have had the opportunity to revisit the tapes, this time with a fine-toothed comb.
Therefore, aside from rare singles by the Tow-Away Zone and Seventh Dawn, “Golden State Psychedelia” is comprised wholly of material that did not see release at the time, and was all recorded between 1966 and 1971. Highlights include the commercial pop-psych stylings of the Bristol Boxkite, Carnival and Ticket Agents, the punkadelic Goody Box and Immediate Family, and some outrageous studio experiments by Magician and the Gants. With full details on the participants contained in the liner notes, “Golden State Psychedelia” is a package no fan of this entrancing genre will want to miss.
by Alec Palao
Artist - Track
1. The Goody Box - Blow Up (Norman Hadsell) - 2:37
2. The Carnival - Meditorium - 2:19
3. The Tow-Away Zone - Shab'd (Joan Cutting, Phil Franks, Randy Molitor) - 2:58
4. The Bristol Boxkite - Sunless Night (Bill Ellis, Sandra White) - 3:03
5. The Immediate Family - Rubaiyat (Kriss Kovacs, Omar Khayyam) - 2:38
6. The Ticket Agents - Black Diamonds (David Salk) - 2:04
7. The Short Yellow - Highway Highway (Gary Thorp) - 2:21
8. Celestial Hysteria - Speed (Harold Greer, John Allan, John Barsotti, Mark Buvelot, Mary Hazlewood) - 2:38
9. Magician - Fuck For Peace - 3:58
10.The Carnival - Infinitation - 2:16
11.The Bristol Boxkite - Mad Rush World (Bill Ellis) - 2:44
12.The Seventh Dawn - Don't Worry Me (Darius Phillips, Sue Phillips, Tom Noyer) - 2:37
13.Just Slightly Richer - My Kind Of People (Dan Talbot) - 3:01
14.The Tow-Away Zone - Daddy's Zoo (Bill deHaan, Phil Franks, Randy Molitor, Ray McCarty) - 3:45
15.The Short Yellow - Hand Full (Gary Thorp) - 2:43
16.The Goody Box - Ah Gee (Norman Hadsell) - 2:31
17.The Immediate Family - Wet Chant (Kriss Kovacs) - 5:36
18.The Bristol Boxkite - Chasing Rainbows (Frederic Chopin, Harry Carroll, Joseph McCarth) - 2:22
19.Celestial Hysteria - New Song Aka Going Home (Harold Greer, John Allan, John Barsotti, Mark Buvelot, Mary Hazlewood) - 2:57
20.The Carnival - Years Have Passed Away - 2:13
21.Just Slightly Richer - Solitude (Al Roberts, Dan Talbot, Larry Goldberg, Robert Sanders, Steve Allyn) - 2:51
22.The Bristol Boxkite - Who Are We (Bill Ellis) - 2:27
23.The Short Yellow - Start Seeing (Gary Thorp) - 2:29
24.The Royal Family - Love Is The Greatest Thing (The Royal Family) - 2:48
25.The Gants - Sunday At The Lotus Parlor (Brian Johnson, Dennis Battaglia, Kim Edwards, Tim Grand) - 2:51
Audience was formed in London in 1969 by singer/guitarist Howard Werth, saxophonist Keith Gemmell, bassist Trevor Williams, and percussionist Tony Connor. Set apart from their contemporaries thanks to their use of acoustic guitar and saxophone, the group issued their self-titled debut LP in 1969; although the album was a commercial failure.
Audience soon landed with Charisma Records, teaming with producer Gus Dudgeon to record the 1970 follow-up Friend's Friend's Friend. House on the Hill, issued a year later, yielded perhaps the band's best-known effort, "Indian Summer," and was followed by a U.S. tour in support of the Faces; however, in the wake of 1972's Lunch, Gemmel left the lineup to join Stackridge, and despite recruiting saxophonist Patrick Neubergh and keyboardist Nick Judd, Audience disbanded soon after.
Werth resurfaced as a solo artist in 1975 with a new backing band, the Moonbeams, and an LP, King Brilliant.
by Jason Ankeny
Tracks
1. Banquet - 3:47
2. Poet - 3:05
3. Waverley Stage Coach - 2:59
4. Riverboat Queen - 2:57
5. Harlequin - 2:35
6. Heaven Was an Island - 4:18
7. Too Late I'm Gone- 2:37
8. Maidens Cry - 4:47
9. Pleasant Convalescence - 2:30
10.Leave It Unsaid - 4:07
11.Man on Box - 3:02
12.House on the Hill- 4:03
13.Paper Round - 3:39
14.The Going Song - 1:39
15.Troubles - 1:22
In my own personal scheme of things, Little Free Rock are pretty doggone important. I grew up with them. They were my first grass-roots contact with the underground rock'n'roll culture. Formed in Preston, Lanes in 1966 by guitarist Pete Illingworth after he'd recovered from the demise of fabulous local legends, David John & The Mood, the band emerged in the heady climate of 1967 as the trio, Purple Haze with Pal Varley on drums and Frank Newbold on bass.
Taking their cue from Hendrix and The Cream, they built up a hardcore following in the Northwest. From humble beginnings with a live set comprising entirely cover versions - material by The love, Creation and Tomorrow amongst others - the trio soon began to write original songs. A five-track demo Bade in London in early 1969 (reproduced here), led to an eponymous debut LP on Transatlantic Records, a relocation to 'The Smoke' and a name change. Within months of their arrival they were changing musical direction.
Their manager, having been knocked out with Ginger Johnson & His African Drummers jamming with The Stones in Hyde Park this summer, suggested a similar collaboration. The experiment worked wonders and at ensuing gigs LFR would regularly be joined by as many as 25 percussionists, the lads from Preston, the only white faces on stage! Caspar Laval, Speedy Acquaye, Lofty and Mac (from Osibisa) all played with the band. They even attracted Peter Green to play a couple of gigs and were invited to play sessions for his first solo LP (which were sadly unused).
Record company wrangles and personnel disputes - ex-Killing Floor bassist, John Taylor permanently replacing Newbold, Lord Eric coming in on hand-drums - meant that another LP was not forthcoming. Fortunately managerial involvement with Robert Stigwood saw them record six songs in their new style, all of which appear here and ooze with an excitement sorely lacking on the Transatlantic release.
LFR eventually split in 1974 with no original members still here - a disastrous period as back-up S4I queen Sarah Gordon was followed by Varley leaving for fame and fortune with teen stars The Arrows and the sacking of Illingworth! It's good to finally have all this stuff available and it's a fitting tribute to a band who really did deserve better.
by Nigel Cross
Tracks
1. Money On Your Mind - 4:19
2. Evil Woman (Frank Newbold, Peter Illingworth) - 4:33
3. Time Is Of No Consequence - 5:08
4. Tiego - 4:13
5. Talking To The Trees - 3:45
6. Big Bird - 4:00
7. Money On Your Mind - 4:37
8. Evil Woman (Frank Newbold, Peter Illingworth) - 4:33
9. Time Is Of No Consequence (No Vocals) - 5:07
10.Roman Sumer Nights (Frank Newbold) - 2:32
11.Wait A While - 2:17
12.Blud - 3:50
13,Dream (Frank Newbold) - 2:24
14.Evil Woman (Frank Newbold, Peter Illingworth) - 2:47
Songs 1,3,4,5,6,7,9,11,12 written by Peter Illingworth
Tracks 10-14 as The Purple Haze
Little Free Rock
*Frank Newbold - Bass (The Purple Haze)
*John Taylor - Bass
*Paul Varley - Drums
*Peter Illingworth - Guitar
*Eric Carboo - Percussion
We have heard about Fusion Farm for the first time from a well-known French collector who sent us the music. It took many years to locate the band and by coincidence the daughter of one of the band members found us via social media. So we could set up a deal. The album was originally released very limited on the S.R.T label (Grannie) with a hand-sprayed cover (very much like the original Tony Caro & John). Originals are very very rare and fetching high prices on the collectors market. This reissue also includes the tracks from the rare single "Fat Judy/Gypsy Mountain Woman".
They got radio plays and played a lot of shows in London and the surrounding cities before heading off to Europe and gigging constantly - Germany became a second home, in particular Frankfurt and Munich and they found favor playing at many US Army air bases.
They also played the 15000 capacity Frankfurt Festhalle supporting Bad Company and Black Oak Arkansas, who never showed up and a riot ensued and the venue was trashed! The band changed personnel several times but the core of the band and song writing team of Bob Bett and Normal Ley remained constant. The band split in 1979 to pursue other projects.
Great Psych tracks with snotty "Stooges" like songs, great guitars, drums, cool vocals and bass, some tracks are dreamy and some are very powerful British Underground tunes.
Psych-Music
Tracks
1. Loona Doona - 2:33
2. Mrs Speed - 3:27
3. Thursday 6th January (Norman Ley) - 2:58
4. Mean Moody Mable - 4:20
5. Fat Judy (Robert Bett, Norman Ley) - 3:08
6. Winter Sun - 3:51
7. Brick Shapes In The Sky - 4:07
8. Hollis Brown (Bob Dylan) - 7:28
9. Gypsy Mountain Woman (Robert Bett, Norman Ley) - 2:53
Songs 1,2,4,6,7 written by Robert Bett, Nigel Hall
Very few Minnesota rock 'n' roll bands, in the days before Prince and Grammy-winning producers Jimmy "Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis made the scene, managed to successfully steal even a slight serving of the nation's auditory attention. Among such acts were the Trashmen, the Gestures, the Castaways and Crow. Before their precarious perching on the charts, Crow was known as South 40: Dave Wagner (vocals), Dave "Kink" Middlemist (organ), Harry Nehls (drums) and the brothers Dick Wiegand (guitar) and Larry Wiegand (bass), a twin cities bar band known for playing hard edged R 'n' B.
The formation of South 40 can be credited to the merging of two of Minneapolis' favorite mid-sixties rock bands: the Rave-Ons and Jokers Wild. The album, South 40 Live At Someplace Else! (Metrobeat MBS-1000) contained such rock standards as "Fire," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," "Get Out Of My Life Woman" and "99 ½" as well as several excellent originals such as "I Want Sunshine," "If No Love," "What's Happenin'?" and "Goin' Someplace Else." Even then the group exhibited a very original style, combining the best of soul music, R 'n' B, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll. South 40 never received a lot of local airplay, so to speak, but did garner a bit of recognition in the outlying areas like Fargo, North Dakota and Duluth Minnesota.
The band's big break came when it took first place in a "contest for rock bands" sponsored by the National Ballroom Operators Association in Des Moines, Iowa on September 29th, 1968. The prize - a recording session with Columbia Records. Three judges presided over N.B.O.A. contest that night, one was Timothy Kehr, former booking agent of the Rave-Ons. It came down to South 40 and the Fabulous Flippers, split even, until Kehr cast the deciding vote.
On January 31st, 1969, Crow entered the Columbia Recording Studio in Chicago for the first time, to begin what would be a bittersweet roller coaster ride that would last the next two-and-a-half years. Several changes had occurred in the four-month interim since winning the N.B.O.A. deal. Most notably was the name change. The guys, as one, decided to make it on a national level, South 40 just wasn't going to cut it. But why Crow? "Well, a crow is a kind of funky bird," recalled Kink Middlemist. "It's a scavenger, a nasty hard-hitting kind of bird and our music is kind of that way. Also, it's a short name, one that's easy to remember." Enough said.
Along with the name change came a personnel one too. Harry Nehls had received a good offer to join the local Minneapolis group T.C. Atlantic, so he left. After searching through the Minneapolis Musician's Union entourage, Michael Malazgar was settled on. Denny Craswell (of the Castaways) had been the group's first choice, but he had to finish up a few prior commitments with Blackwood Apology, of which he was a member. He would join the other four in about a month. Mike Malasgar was on the five-song session in Chicago, however.
The five songs recorded during that cold January day were: "Time To Make A Turn," "Busy Day," "Gonna Leave A Mark," "White Eyes" and "Evil Woman." Columbia Records passed on Crow after hearing the demos. "Columbia had specked us the free time," said Larry, "but they never promised records would come of the deal. I'm sure they had visions of Dave being another Gary Puckett, who was big for them at the time. We were a little bit too funky for them though. I'm sure that's why they passed."
Mosaic produced by Bob Monaco, exemplified by material such as "Sky Is Crying" and "Keeps Me Runnin'" the album offers up another set of straight-ahead mid-western hard rock. With the exception of Larry Wiengand's atypical jazzy "Easy Street" (quite an interesting change of pace), and the weird, soul-ish "I Need Love", it's not particularly subtle or sophisticated, but then that isn't what Crow fans were looking for. Sure, the album may be somewhat limited in terms of scope, but Wagoner had a great set of pipes and the band were quite good at what they did.
Elsewhere, a remake of the oldie '(Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On the) King of Rock and Roll' b/w 'Satisfied' (Amaret catalog number 45-125) and 'Yellow Dawg' b/w 'Watching Can Waste Up Time' (Amaret catalog number 45-129) were pulled as modestly successful singles. Even though the band had begun to record material for a fourth album, by the end of 1971 the combination of growing unhappiness with their label and sheer exhaustion effectively spelled the end of the group.
Wagner was the first to give notice, but faced with a significant financial debt, the remaining members decided to soldier on, quickly replacing him with former White Lightening drummer/singer Mick Stanhope. The revamped band struggled on for roughly a year before finally calling it quits in 1972.
by Scott Blackerby
Tracks
1. (Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On the) King of Rock and Roll (Jeff Thomas) - 2:32
2. Easy Street (Larry Wiegand) - 5:03
3. Yellow Dawg (Larry Wiegand) - 3:01
4. Sky Is Crying (James, Robinson, Lewis) - 5:57
5. I Need Love (Larry Wiegand, Dick Wiedgand, Dave Middlemist) - 4:22
6. Keeps Me Runnin' (Larry Wiegand) - 3:00
7. Watching Can Waste Up Time (Larry Wiegand, Dick Wiedgand) - 3:58
8. Satisfied (Larry Wiedgand, Dave Middlemist) - 5:13
9. Watch That Cat (R. Wiegand, Dave Waggoner) - 5:30
10.Let's Not Say Goodbye (Dave Middlemist, Dave Waggoner) - 5:10
San Francisco band Winterhawk were years ahead of their time. They’re best remembered for frontman/guitarist Nik Alexander’s distinctive mashups of 70s acid rock and Cree Indian folk music. Alexander was fiercely proud of his heritage, and that connection to the land resonates potently in the band’s many politically-oriented songs. In addition to rocking out ancient folk melodies, they sometimes employed indigenous instruments like shakers and wood flute. Drummer Alfonso Kolb would frequently diverge into native rhythms as well.
On Dog Soldier, the group are tighter. Fringed leather tunics, furs, feathers, and loincloths are not the standard garb of the average rock band, and neither were many popular bands quite literally gushing with Indian blood and heritage. Likewise, few bands indeed carry high the philosophies, and traditions of their forefathers cultures as did Winterhawk. A Native American foursome that specialized in rapidfire, hard rock and roll. But the striking thing about this band is not so much the warrior beliefs, but their sincerity and genuine faith in themselves and their culture. Winterhawk appeared in the 1983 US Festival and has opened for such big names as Tina Turner, Santana, Country Joe and the Fish, Steve Miller, Van Halen and Motley Crue. The Electric Warriors LP was produced by Tom Bee of XIT, AKA Lincoln St Exit. A must have for Native American, Hard Rock, Metal music fans. Nik Alexander's song writing and guitar playing skills are the best.
We Are the People is a towering, defiantly timeless reminder of how much more civilized the North American natives were, compared to the imperialist invaders. There’s also Crazy, shifting between hammering riffage and a spare, cantering native rhythm; We’re Still Here, a surreal attempt at politically-fueled disco; Warriors Road, a subdued acoustic freedom-fighter anthem; and I Will Remember. a stark, mystical folk tune. Good to have this distinctive band back in print.
Unfortunately, Nik Alexander passed away in July 5, 2017 after battling with cancer. His memory lives on through the timeless compositions he created, that will surely be remembered and enjoyed by every serious music fan and collector unto the ages of the ages.
