rep>>> Tear Gas - Tear Gas (1971 uk, superb hard prog rock, 2019 remaster)

Tear Gas, the Scottish rock outfit, released a pair of albums in the early ’70s that vividly highlighted their talents for guitar-based rock. Though the band kept up a rigorous touring schedule, it only really paid off once a few band members joined with Alex Harvey as The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Still, Esoteric’s reissues of Piggy Go Getter (in its first-ever official CD release) and its follow up Tear Gas show the band’s early promise.

The Glasgow-based group originally formed in the tail end of the ’60s and included Eddie Campbell on keys, Zal Cleminson on guitar, Chris Glen on bas and vocals, Gilson Lavis on drums, and Andi Mulvey on vocals. By 1970, their lineup had changed.

By 1971, Tear Gas had undergone another shift in personnel as Eddie Campbell departed and Ted McKenna replaced Wullie Monroe on drums. Session keyboardist Ronnie Leahy stepped in during the sessions of what would become the band’s self-titled second album. He was a skilled player and, as Zal Cleminson recalls in the liner notes, “[Leahy] could do exactly what we needed.” The band’s goal for their next album was to create a collection of more rock-leaning material. While the debut had some Traffic-like hippie-folk, Tear Gas was inspired by some of their contemporaries to embrace a heavier sound.

To that end, Tear Gas took a stab at that Jeff Beck Group arrangement of “Jailhouse Rock/All Shook Up” and covered Jethro Tull’s “Love Story.” The latter, with its slow build and sudden dynamic shifts, was often the dramatic opener for Tear Gas’s live shows. With more than one scorching guitar solo and several intense instrumental interludes, “Love Story” was a far cry from some of the lighter fare on their debut. The medley of “Jailhouse Rock” and “All Shook Up” was equally heavy, with layers upon layers of distorted guitars consistently propelling the tunes forward, if sometimes burying the vocals along the way.

Other highlights include the rockabilly-inspired “Lay It On Me.”  Its crunchy leads, honky tonk piano, and layered slide guitar lines demonstrate their country-rock flair, which they amp up as loud as possible.  The Sabbath-like “I’m Glad” begins as a more straight-ahead heavy rocker with an array of propulsive guitar riffs.  After a lengthy solo, the band glides gently into the second part of the song – a more tender, ballad-like B-section with electric twelve strings, phasey drums, and yearning (if not particularly strong) vocals.  The band builds just as quickly into another rocking exit.

Though sales figures for Tear Gas showed much room for improvement, the album’s release brought the group attention throughout Europe.  In early 1972, Tear Gas opened for Alex Harvey at London’s Marquee Club.  By the middle of the year, faced with the fact that they weren’t going to reach the levels of their heroes, Glen, McKenna, and Cleminson signed on to be Harvey’s back-up group, eventually becoming known as The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.  Donning larger-than-life glam outfits and performing experimental-leaning music, the SAHB, as it became known, found a cult following in Europe.

by Sam Stone, July 9, 2019

Tracks
1. That's What's Real (Davey Batchelor, Zal Cleminson) - 6:03 
2. Love Story  (Ian Anderson) - 7:00 
3. Lay It On Me  (Davey Batchelor, Zal Cleminson) - 3:44 
4. Woman For Sale  (Davey Batchelor, Zal Cleminson) - 4:23 
5. I'm Glad (Davey Batchelor, Zal Cleminson) - 5:43
6. Where Is My Answer (Davey Batchelor, Zal Cleminson) - 5:54 
7. a. Jailhouse Rock (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
...b. All Shook Up  (Elvis Presley, Otis Blackwell) - 5:44
8. The First Time (Davey Batchelor, Zal Cleminson) - 4:47
9. The Temptation Of St. Anthony (Alex Harvey) - 5:06
Bonus Track 9

Tear Gas
*Davey Batchelor - Vocals, Guitar
*Zal Cleminson - Lead Guitar
*Chris Glen - Bass, Vocals
*Ted McKenna - Drums
With
*Hugh McKenna - Keyboards (Track 9)
*Alex Harvey - Vocals (Track 9)

1970   Tear Gas - Piggy Go Getter (2019 remaster)
Related Act
1972-73  The Senstational Alex Harvey Band - Framed / Next (2002 remaster and 2014 japan SHM) 
1976  The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - British Tour '76 (2004 remaster) 

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rep>>> Southwind - Southwind (1968 us, marvelous r 'n' b psych rock, 2015 korean remaster)

The 1968 self-titled debut by California based country rock group Southwind is a rather obscure little gem.  The unique combination of country, psych, soul, funk, and just good old rock & roll turns this record into a stew of great listening, and really makes this record stand out.

The band’s origins can be traced back to Norman, Oklahoma, while members were attending the University of Oklahoma.  Coming together first as a rockabilly-flavored band known as “The Disciples,” the group comprised John “Moon” Martin (guitar, vocals), Jim Pulte (bass, vocals), Phil Hope (organ), and Eric Dalton (drums).  Soon after forming, the band scored an opportunity to play at several venues in Wisconsin to delighted audiences.  In 1967, the band headed out for the musical promised land of Los Angeles, with The Disciples changing their name to the more contemporary-sounding “Southwind.” 

The newly-named band started incorporating psychedelic rock, country, blues, soul, and funk into their sound.  After playing gigs in and around L.A. for a while, in 1968, Southwind were signed to the tiny MGM subsidiary Venture records, which was a label known for giving lesser-known soul/R'n'B acts a shot.  Nevertheless, the band headed into the studio and laid down tracks for their debut.

The opening tune, the outstanding cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Been On My Mind,” is a blend of country-tinged pop with lush strings.  The song features wonderfully beautiful and expressive vocals, and doesn’t sound too far from something an early Nitty Gritty Dirt Band may have cut.  Next up is the rave-up soul flavored number “Get On Board The Train,” which asks the listener to get on board of the soul (love?) train before it takes off, undoubtedly leaving them behind in the dust.  Track three is the rather dark “I’m Proud To Be,” and is a bit of a psychedelic mini-masterwork, containing very creepy sounding vocals and guitar playing.  

The last track on side one is also another stand-out, “Got To Get Myself Together,” a plaintive tune of love gone bad and the choice of finally moving on.  To my ears, the best track on the album is on side two.  “New Orleans (Mardi Gras)” is a song that was deserving of hit status, and was also recorded by Del Shannon for his “The Further Adventures Of Charles Westover” album.  The song had the typical late ’60’s flower power sound, complete with very hallucinatory and vivid lyrics, and eerie and dissonant harpsichord and guitar work.  The song gives off a definite “loss of glory and happiness of days gone by” vibe.  This whole album is full of great tracks.

Southwind released this and a handful of singles before replacing organist Phil Hope with longtime pal Dugg (Fontaine) Brown as a full time member.  The group left Venture records for the eccentric and now-legendary Blue Thumb label, releasing their second album “Ready To Ride” in 1970.  Southwind’s final effort was the more blues-influenced “What A Strange Place To Land” album in 1971, and not long after the release, the group disbanded.  

John Martin (now going by his newly-adopted first name of “Moon”) went on to back artists such as Linda Ronstadt and later recorded several solo albums, all of which received little attention.  Martin is probably best remembered for writing Robert Palmer’s huge hit “Bad Case Of Lovin’ You (Doctor, Doctor).”  Jim Pulte made a couple of solo albums for United Artists, and virtually dropped out of radar.  Little is known of the whereabouts of original organist Phil Hope or drummer Eric Dalton.  Dugg (Fontaine) Brown has been in the music scene for years, and was at one time connected to music legends Del Shannon and Bob Seger.  Brown still writes and records music today.

by Katie Kanitz

Tracks
1. You Been On My Mind (Bob Dylan) - 2:47
2. Get On Board The Train (Doug Brown, Vicki Basemore) - 2:36
3. I'm Proud To Be (Leon Ware, Vicki Basemore) - 3:18
4. Highway One (Jim Pulte, John Martin, Phil Hope) - 2:46
5. I'm Moving On (Willie Hutch) - 3:02
6. Got To Get Myself Together (Doug Brown, Jim Pulte, John Martin, Phil Hope) - 2:42
7. Hollywood Honeys (Jim Pulte, John Martin) - 2:19
8. Tryin' To Fly My Kite (In Rainy Weather) (Calvin Arnold, Willie Hutch) - 3:27
9. You're Gonna Blow My Mind (Willie Hutch) - 3:04
10.New Orleans (Mardi Gras) (Jim Pulte) - 3:10
11.Fresh As A Daisy (Leon Ware, Vicki Basemore) - 2:44
12.My Baby Was Never Lonely (Doug Brown) - 2:54

The Southwind
*Phil Hope - Keyboards, Harpsichord
*Jim Pulte - Bass, Vocals
*Eric Dalton - Drums
*John "Moon" Martin - Lead Guitar, Vocals

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rep>>> Alan Trajan - Firm Roots (1969 uk, remarkable organ driving psych folk rock)

Frustratingly little is known about Alan Trajan, whose sole LP has become one of the rarest singer-songwriter recordings of the late 1960s. Born Alan Robertson in Livingston, outside Edinburgh, he became an accomplished barrelhouse / boogie-woogie pianist in his teens and was part of Edinburgh’s fertile music scene in the late 1960s, where he made friends with David McNiven, leader of the much-loved folk trio (later duo) Bread, Love & Dreams. 

When Decca producer Ray Horricks (perhaps best known for his seminal work with guitarist Davy Graham) spotted the latter at the Edinburgh Festival in 1968, he signed them up, and McNiven introduced him to Robertson. Much taken by his distinctive keyboard style and soulful voice, Horricks offered him the chance to record too.

Featuring heavy organ and searing electric guitar parts on tracks like Speak To Me, Clarissa (addressed to a girl who has OD’d) and the propulsive One Tends To Get Bitter Now And Again, mellower numbers such as the beautiful Thoughts (featuring Graham) and a heartfelt cover of David Ackles’ Down River, as well as three good-timey Dylan covers, which reflected his long apprenticeship playing in pubs, it’s a varied and unusual collection whose surreal lyrics and frequently despairing atmosphere ensured poor sales when it appeared on MCA in 1969. 

Robertson was prevailed upon by his manager to change his name to Trajan for the LP’s release (he believed Robertson sounded too Scottish, and decided that the expansionist Roman Emperor’s name was more distinctive), but neither it nor the extracted 45 (Speak To Me, Clarissa / This Might Be My Last Number) sold, and he soon reverted to his real name.

Having contributed memorable organ parts to Bread, Love and Dreams’s classic Amaryllis LP in 1970, he went on to forge a partnership with Scottish blues singer Tam White, with whom he made a musical TV series for Grampian in the early 70s, before relocating to London. 

There he played in innumerable pubs and became part of legendary jazzer George Melly’s band for many years, but his hard-drinking landed him in prison and he died of liver disease at the start of this century. It is to be hoped, however, that this first CD issue of Firm Roots will focus attention on his overlooked gift as a musician and singer-songwriter, one whose idiosyncratic compositions straddled soul, folk, pop, psychedelia and progressive rock at a time when few were daring to be as diverse.

Tracks
1. Speak To Me, Clarissa - 4:09
2. One Tends To Get Bitter Now And Again - 2:18
3. Thoughts - 2:36
4. Highway 51 Blues (Bob Dylan) - 1:57
5. This’ll Drive You Off Your Head - 2:16
6. Mental Destruction - 2:35
7. Time - 3:08
8. Down River (David Ackles) - 3:43
9. Corinna, Corinna (Bob Dylan)  - 2:40
10.This Might Be My Last Number - 2:30
11.Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)  - 2:19
12.Charles Russell, Gtr., Vcl. & Harmonica - 4:00
All songs by Alan Trajan except where noted.

Musicians
*Alan Trajan - Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, Organ
*Davy Graham - Guitars
*David McNiven - Guitars, Keyboards

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rep>>> MC5 - Kick Out The Jams (1969 us, superb classic rawk 'n' roll, 2009 japan SHM remaster)

There is no way to get at the music without taking the whole context of the music too - there is no separation. We say the MC5 is the solution to the problem of separation, because they are so together. The MC5 is totally committed to the revolution, as the revolution is totally committed to driving people out of their separate shells and into each other's arms.

I'm talking about unity, brothers and sisters, because we have to get it together. We are the solution to the problem, if we will be just that. If we can feel it, LeRoi Jones said, 'feeling predicts intelligence." The MC5 will make you feel it, or leave the room. The MC5 will drive you crazy out of your head into your body. The MC5 is rock and roll. Rock and roll is the music of our bodies, or our whole lives - the resensifier, Rob Tyner calls it. We have to come together people, "Build to a gathering," or else. Or else you are dead, and gone.

The MC5 will bring you back to your senses from wherever you have been taken to hide. They are bad. Their whole lives are totally given to this music. They are a whole thing. They are a working model of the new paleocybernetic culture in action. There is no separation. They love together to work together, they eat together, fuck together, get high together, walk down the street and through the world together. There is no separation. Just as their music will bring you together like that, if you hear it. If you will live it. And we will make sure you hear it; because we know you need it as bad as we do. We have to have it.

The music is the source and effect of our spirit flesh. The MC5 is the source and effect of the music, just as you are. Just as I am. Just to hear the music and have it be our selves, is what we want. What we need. We are a lonely desperate people, pulled apart be the killer forces of capitalism and competition, and we need the music to hold us together. Separation is doom. We are free men, and we demand a free music, a free high energy source that will drive us wild into the streets of America yelling and screaming and tearing down everything that would keep people slaves.

The MC5 is that force. The MC5 is the revolution, in all its applications. There is no separation. Everything is everything. There is no thing to fear. The music will make you strong, as it is strong, and there is no way it can be stopped now. All power to the people! The MC5 is here now for you to hear and see and feel now! Give it up - come together - get down, brothers and sisters, it's time to testify, and what you have here in your hands is a living testimonial to the absolute power and strength of these men. Go wild! The word is yours! Take it now, and be one with it! Kick out the jams, motherfucker!

And stay alive with the MC5!

by John Sinclair, from original album notes, Friday, December 13th 1968. 

Tracks
1. Ramblin' Rose (Fred Burch, Marijohn Wilkin) - 4:15
2. Kick Out The Jams - 2:52
3. Come Together - 4:29
4. Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa) - 5:41
5. Borderline - 2:45
6. Motor City Is Burning  (Al Smith) - 6:04
7. I Want You Right Now (Colin Frechter, Larry Page) - 5:31
8. Starship (MC5, Sun Ra) - 8:15
All songs written and composed by MC5 except as stated.

MC5
*Rob Tyner – Lead Vocals
*Wayne Kramer – Lead, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals (Ramblin' Rose)
*Fred "Sonic" Smith – Rhythm,  Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Michael Davis – Bass, Backing Vocals
*Dennis Thompson – Drums

1970  Back In The USA (Japan SHM)
1971  High Time (2013 Japan SHM)

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rep>>> Focal Point - First Bite Of The Apple (1967-68 uk, fantastic psych rock with folk and baroque traces, 2005 release)

Keen Followers of the 1960s Rock scene have become used to tales of long lost tapes and unissued recordings that have seemingly disappeared forever. Every so often, however, a cache of "lost" recordings does surface.

In subsequent years, the finally crafted pop-psych of "Sycamore Sid" helped earn the group a reputation for being one of the more intriguing- and most elusive- UK bands of the sixties. Yet nothing more was heard from Focal Point until 2002, when two previously unreleased tracks recorded at the same session as their Deram single appeared on the compilation CD 94 BAKER STREET which features artists who were signed to The Beatles' Apple Music Publishing company. Both, "Never Never" and "Girl on the corner" confirmed that "Sycamore Sid" was no fluke and that FOcal Point were perharps one of the great lost English pop groups of the 60's.

Since then, Paul Tennant, Dave Slater and Tim Wells of Focal Point have scoured lofts and basements across England in an effort to uncover tracks that were recorded during Focal Point's 1967-1968 heyday but were misplaced during ensuing decades. FIRST BITE OR THE APPLE represents the fruit of their labours. In addition to the four songs recorded for Deram in early 1968, FIRST BITE OF THE APPLE includes a number of tracks that were recorded independently at an 8-track studio in Manchester in late 1968.

by Stefan Granados

Tracks
1. Miss Sinclair - 2:29
2. Sycamore Sid  - 2:39
3. Hassle Castle  - 3:39
4. Never Never  - 3:27
5. Lonely Woman  - 3:31
6. Far Away From Forever - 3:42
7. Love You Forever - 2:56
8. Tales From The GPO Files - 2:19
9. McKinnley Morgan The Deep Sea Diver - 3:10
10.Falling Out Of Friends (Paul Tennant, Dave Slater, Tim Wells) - 3:29
11.Girl On The Corner - 2:22
12.Goodbye Forever (Dave Slater, Paul Tennant, Tim Wells) - 2:29
13.This Time She's Leaving (Dave Slater, Paul Tennant, Tim Wells) - 3:22
14.'Cept Me - 2:28
15.Miss Sinclair - 2:38
16.Miss Sinclair - 2:57
17.Hassle Castle - 3:02
18.Never Never - 3:04
19.Reflections - 2:54
20.Reflections - 2:59
All songs by  Paul Tennant, Dave Rhodes except where noted.

Focal Point
*Paul Tennant - Vocals, Guitar
*Dave Rhodes - Guitar, Vocals
*Neil MacDonald - Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Dave Slater - Bass
*Ray Gobin - Drums
*Dave Hardbattle - Drums, Backing Vocals
*Tim Wells - Keyboards
*Lionel Morton - Vocals
*Cosmo - Guitar
*Ted Hesketh - Drums

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rep>>> Tucker Zimmerman - Ten Songs (1969 us, outstanding folk psych rock, 2015 bonus tracks remaster)

When David Bowie placed Tucker Zimmerman’s 1969 album Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman on a list of his 25 favorite albums – alongside acknowledged classics by The Velvet Underground, James Brown, Little Richard and even Steve Reich – readers of the 2003 list could have been forgiven for wondering, “Who is Tucker Zimmerman?”  It’s taken some time, but the RPM label has finally unearthed Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman – in an expanded edition that could now be titled Seventeen Songs.

Zimmerman’s collection of self-penned, forceful folk-rock was produced by Bowie’s frequent collaborator Tony Visconti, who also played on the album.  But the superstar artist’s connections to Zimmerman didn’t end there.  The future Spiders from Mars – then known as Ronno after lead guitarist Mick Ronson – released Zimmerman’s “Fourth Hour of My Sleep” on a Visconti-produced single.  And Zimmerman had actually played Bowie’s Beckenham Arts Lab, jokingly billed as cousin to Robert Zimmerman, a.k.a. Bob Dylan!  (All kidding aside, Bob’s influence on Tucker can be detected in the harmonica and guitar work throughout the album.)

Zimmerman came to Britain from America in 1968 with a degree in music theory and composition under his belt as well as a songwriting credit on a Butterfield Blues Band album.  Gigging throughout Europe under various names, he attracted the attention of EMI’s Regal Zonophone imprint.  Regal Zonophone paired him with Visconti, who had been producing for the label, and the pair recorded a reported 80 demos.  A single was initially released, “The Red Wind,” featuring Zimmerman supported by future Beach Boy Ricky Fataar on drums, Visconti on bass and Rick Wakeman, later of Yes, on organ and piano.  Though the single didn’t make waves, the label proceeded with an album.  Wakeman and Visconti joined another impressive cast of musicians including drummer Aynsley Dunbar and guitarist/sitar player Shawn Phillips for Ten Songs.

The atmospheric, haunting and edgy folk-rock of Ten Songs, like “The Red Wind,” failed to catch on with the public.  Tucker Zimmerman would make five more albums through 1983 even as Ten Songs gained collectable cachet.  RPM’s reissue adds seven bonus tracks including the mono and stereo versions of “The Red Wind,” non-album B-side “Moondog,” and four previously unreleased recordings from the period.  Kieron Tyler has provided the excellent new liner notes and Simon Murphy has remastered from Rob Keyloch’s transfers from the original analogue tapes.

by Joe Marchese 

Tracks
1. Bird Lives - 3:56
2. October Mornings - 3:37
3. A Face That Hasn't Sold Out - 4:33
4. The Roadrunner - 5:42
5. Children Of Fear - 4:55
6. The Wind Returns Into The Night - 5:35
7. Running, Running From Moment To Moment - 2:55
8. Upsidedown Circus World - 3:26
9. Blue Goose - 6:28
10.Alpha Centauri - 5:44
11.The Red Wind - 3:35
12.Moondog - 5:17
13.La Rinascente  - 2:50
14.Non C'e Niente Mai - 3:33
15.En Memoire De Jean Genet - 3:45
16.Les Visions De Rimbaud - 3:43
17.The Red Wind - 3:38
All songs written by Tucker Zimmerman
Bonus Tracks 11-17

Musicians
*Tucker Zimmerman - Vocals, 12 String Guitar, Harmonica, Organ, Mellotron, Harpsichord
*Tony Visconti - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Aynsley Dunbar - Drums
*Shawn Phillips - Guitar, Sitar
*Rick Wakeman - Organ, Piano
*Rick Fataar - Drums, Percussion
*Terry Cox - Drums, Congas
*Marie Claire - Vocals

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rep>>> Argent - Circus (1975 uk, melodic art prog jazz rock, 2008 japan remaster)

In 1975 Argent made his most progressive and balanced album entitled "Circus". The Hammond organ (omnipresent on earlier records) has almost disappeared in favour of the electric piano (Fender Rhodes and Hohner), Mellotron, Grand piano and the famous Moog synthesizer. 

The album shows great sense of dynamics and splendid shifting moods: lush symphonic in "Circus" (swirling piano and flowing, a bit fiery electric guitar) and "Highwire" (great guitarsolo, culminating in a duel with Rod's Moog), slow and dreamy in "Clown" and "Shine On Sunshine" and fluent and powerful in the swinging "The Trapeze" (great skills on the Fender Rhodes piano) and "The Jester" (biting guitar and a funny piece of boogie woogie piano). Despite good critics the sales were poor but nowadays this fine album deserves renewed attention. 

by Erik Neuteboom

Tracks
1. Circus - 3:45
2. Highwire - 9:05
3. Clown - 5:50
4. Trapeze (Jim Rodford) - 8:48
5. Shine On Sunshine - 4:02
6. The Ring - 1:20
7. The Jester - 3:35
All compositions by Rod Argent except where noted

Argent
*Rod Argent - Keyboards, Vocals
*John Grimaldi - Lead Guitar, Cello, Mandolin, Violin
*Bob Henrit - Drums
*Jim Rodford - Bass
*John Verity - Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Vocals

1970  Argent - Argent (Japan remaster)
1971  Argent - Ring Of Hands (Japan remaster)
1972  Argent - All Together Now (Japan remaster)
1973  Argent - In Deep (Japan remaster)
1974  Argent - Encore Live in Concert  (Japan remaster)
1974  Argent - Nexus (Japan remaster)
Related Act
1973  John Verity Band (Digipack issue)

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rep>>> Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs - The MGM Singles (1965-73 us, awesome garage roots 'n' roll, 2011 digi pack release)

These days, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs are best remembered for such infectious ’60s hits as “Wooly Bully” and “Lil’ Red Riding Hood,” and for the sartorial splendor of turbaned frontman/organist Sam the Sham (née Domingo Samudio) and his bandmates. But the one-of-a-kind Memphis-by-way-of-Texas quintet produced a large and highly original body of R&B/blues/Tex-Mex/garage tunes that established them as one of the greatest singles bands of the 1960s. While the band’s wacky humor and flamboyant visual image may have threatened to brand them as a novelty act, their raw exuberance, rootsy grit and playfully subversive streak made it clear that Sam and his Pharaohs were the genuine article.

Throughout the second half of the ’60s, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs turned out a lengthy string of killer seven-inchers. Many of those singles boasted non-album B-sides that were as memorable as their better-known A-sides. Now, for the first time ever, Sundazed Music has gathered both sides of every one of the band’s original MGM Records singles on these lovingly packaged compact disc collection. The sizzling set includes such immortal Pharaohs classics as “Wooly Bully,” “Lil’ Red Riding Hood,” “Ju Ju Hand,” “Ring Dang Doo,” “Red Hot,” “The Hair on My Chinny Chin Chin,” “How Do You Catch a Girl” and “(I’m in With) The Out Crowd,” along with an amazing assortment of rare non-album B-sides, solo efforts and side projects. These long-out-of-print gems have been sourced from the original MGM masters and sound better than ever!!! 

Sundazed  

Formed in Dallas and led by a dynamic turban-wearing lead singer and organist named Domingo Samudio, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs were a garage bar band gone huge (it has been long rumored that they could play six hours straight without repeating a tune), and by mixing blues, R&B, and Tex-Mex together with a loopy sense of humor and sly lyrics, they stomped into pop history with the iconic party anthem “Wooly Bully,” which hit the number two spot on the pop charts right in the middle of the British Invasion in 1965. 

Aside from that record, though, and “Li’l Red Riding Hood” a year later in 1966, the group wouldn’t have that kind of chart success again, and Samudio and his band went down into most people’s annals as a one-hit wonder. This irresistible set, which collects all of the Pharaohs’ singles and B-sides for MGM Records between 1965 and 1968, plus Samudio's 1973 comeback single for the label (he had left MGM for Atlantic in 1970, only to return for that one release), proves there was a lot more to the story. 

Tracks like “Ju Ju Hand” (from 1965), “(I’m in With) The Out Crowd” (also 1966), “Banned in Boston” (1967), and “Old MacDonald Had a Boogaloo Farm” (1968) all display a delightfully subversive joy in being wryly silly, and they don’t get in the way of dancing, either. Oh, and then there's the wonderful kiss-off single "I Couldn't Spell !!*@!" from 1968 -- no, Sam the Sham was far from being a one-hit wonder and the romping, stomping proof of that is collected here. 

by Steve Leggett

Tracks
1. Wooly Bully (Domingo Samudio) - 2:22
2. Ain’t Gonna Move (Stacy Davidson, Stan Kesler) - 2:05
3. Jujuhand (Domingo Samudio) - 2:06
4. Big City Lights (Stacy Davidson, Stan Kesler) - 2:39
5. Ring Dang Doo (Bob Tubert, Joy Byers) - 2:22
6. Don't Try It (Domingo Samudio) - 2:21
7. Red Hot (William Emerson) - 2:16
8. A Long Long Way (Paul Gibson) - 1:58
9. Li'l Red Riding Hood (Ronald Blackwell) - 2:41
10.Love Me Like Before (Domingo Samudio) - 2:44
11.The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin (Ronald Blackwell) - 2:35
12.(I'm In With) The Out Crowd (Domingo Samudio) - 2:15
13.How Do You Catch A Girl (Ronald Blackwell) - 2:19
14.The Love You Left Behind (Domingo Samudio) - 2:30
15.Oh That's Good, No That's Bad (Dewayne Blackwell) - 2:18
16.Take What You Can Get (Domingo Samudio) - 2:16
17.Black Sheep (Bob McDill) - 2:48
18.My Day's Gonna Come (Stacy Davidson, Stan Kesler) - 1:59
19.Banned In Boston (John Morier) - 2:56
20.Money's My Problem (Frank Carabetta, Anthony Gerace) - 2:23
21.Yakety Yak (Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller) - 2.02
22.Let Our Love Light Shine (Domingo Samudio) - 2:36
23.Old MacDonald Had A Boogaloo Farm (Dallas Frazier) - 2:44
24.I Never Had No One (Domingo Samudio) - 2:42
25.I Couldn't Spell !!*@* (Wayne Thompson) - 2:22
26.The Down Home Strut (Frank Carabetta, Domingo Samudio) - 2:14
27.Fate (Domingo Samudio) - 3:34
28.Oh Lo (Domingo Samudio) - 2:57

Musicians
Tracks 1-8
*Samuel Domingo - Vocals, Keyboard
*Ray Stinnet - Guitar
*Dave Martin - Bass
*Butch Gibson - Saxophone
*Jerry Patterson - Drums
Tracks 9-26
*Samuel Domingo - Vocals, Keyboard
*Tony "Butch" Gerace - Bass, Vocals
*Billy Bennett - Drums, Percussion
*Andy Kuha - Guitar, Vocals
Tracks 27,28
*Lorraine Gennaro
*Jane Anderson
*Fran Curcio

Related Acts
1971  Domingo "Sam" Samudio - Hard And Heavy (2013 remaster)

1971  Ray Stinnett - A Fire Somewhere (2012 Digipak) 

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Domingo "Sam" Samudio - Hard And Heavy (1971 us, exciting classic rock melted with r 'n' b vibes, 2013 Real Gone issue)

Sam the Sham pulled the plug on the Pharoahs toward the end of the '60s and set out playing blues on his own, grinding away to little notice until Atlantic head honcho Ahmet Ertegun decided to give him a shot in 1971. 

Unlike many of the acts Ertegun signed at the time, Sam the Sham had a reputation as a novelty singer -- and rightly so, given the silliness that fueled "Wooly Bully" and "Ju Ju Hand" -- so he might not have seemed an easy fit for Atlantic, but Sam, who began using his last name Samudio at the time of the 1971 release of Hard and Heavy, possessed a forceful, bluesy growl, and the garage stomp of the Pharoahs wasn't too far removed from the Tex-Mex rock & roll of the Sir Douglas Quintet. 

Clearly, Ertegun heard the promise that lay within Samudio and he poured a lot of energy into Hard and Heavy, hiring producer Tom Dowd -- who was riding high on the success of his work with the Allman Brothers and Derek & the Dominos -- and bringing in the Dixie Flyers (featuring Jim Dickinson) and the Memphis Horns, while finding a guest spot for Duane Allman. Half the record consisted of originals, half of covers of classic blues, rock & roll, and Randy Newman, all comprising a wide-ranging vision of American music. 

At times, the Memphis Horns are a bit too splashy -- their refrains on "Homework" recall Blood, Sweat & Tears -- and sometimes the grooves are a little too densely packed, leaving very little room for anybody to breathe, but there's also an appeal in how Hard and Heavy is overstuffed. The ridiculous number of musicians does indeed give the album a hard, heavy feel, something that gives such driving workouts as "Relativity" or Tex-Mex two-steps as "Don't Put Me On" some real grit. 

Throughout it all, Samudio displays some impressive vocal chops -- it's not a surprise that he can belt out "Lonely Avenue," but he digs into the marrow of Newman's "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" -- and the unwieldy supergroup is always impressive, kicking out this earthy rock & roll with guts and no small amount of pizzazz. 

All in all, Hard and Heavy holds its own with its early-'70s peers -- the aforementioned Dowd-produced Allman and Clapton LPs, the pair of records Doug Sahm cut for Atlantic a few years later -- so why isn't it better known? Well, there was no promotion for it, and after it faded away, Samudio returned to novelties and then retired from active rock & roll duty. 

The 2013 Real Gone reissue -- the first time the album has appeared on CD, also includes a non-LP single of "Me and Bobby McGee" featuring Duane Allman on guitar -- allows this little-heard gem the opportunity to finally get some overdue attention. 

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks
1. Homework (Otis Rush, Al Perkins, Dave Clark) - 2:21
2. Relativity (Domingo Samudio) - 3:16
3. Lonely Avenue (Doc Pomus) - 2:50
4. I Know It's Too Late (Traditional) / Starchild (Domingo Samudio) - 6:22
5. Let's Burn Down The Cornfield (Randy Newman) - 2:48
6. Sweet Release (Boz Scaggs, Barry Beckett) - 4:51
7. Key To The Highway (Charles Segar, Willie Broonzy) - 2:10
8. Don't Put Me On (Domingo Samudio) - 2:32
9. 15 Degrees Capricorn Asc (Domingo Samudio) - 4:39
10.Goin' Upstairs (John Lee Hooker) - 5:10
11.Me and Bobby McGee (Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson) - 3:36

Musicians
*Sam Samudio - Vocals, Guitar, Mouth Harp
*Freddy Hester - Acoustic Bass
*Jim Dickinson - Piano, Guitar
*Mike Utley - Organ
*Charlie Freeman - Guitar
*Tommy McClure - Bass
*Sammy Creason - Drums
*Wayne Jackson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
*Andrew Love - Tenor Sax, Flute
*Ed Logan - Tenor Sax
*James Mitchell - Baritone Sax
*Roger Hopps - Trumpet
*Jack Hale - Trombone
*The Sweet Inspirations - Background Vocals
*Duane Allman - Dobro, Guitar

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rep>>> Kaleidoscope - Tangerine Dream (1967 uk, classy delicate psychedelia with baroque traces, 2005 japan and repertoire remastered and expanded editions)

One of the masterpieces of Britain’s early psych era, Tangerine Dream has no weaknesses: the songwriting and arrangements are terrific, the vocals are good, the balance between melody, mood and experiment is ideal, and even the recording quality is top-notch. This is the sound of 1967’ 

by Patrick Lundborg, Galactic Ramble 

‘Kaleidoscope are one of the most fondly-remembered of the more cultish UK psych-pop bands… Tangerine Dream remains an essential period piece’ 

by David Wells

‘Neatly capturing the optimism and experimentalism of the celebrated summer of 1967, Tangerine Dream is melodic, whimsical, very English and perfectly suited to the mood of the time’

by Q Magazine

Tracks
1. Kaleidoscope - 2:14
2. Please Excuse My Face - 2:11
3. Dive Into Yesterday - 4:46
4. Mr. Small, The Watch Repairer Man - 2:43
5. Flight From Ashiya - 2:40
6. The Murder Of Lewis Tollani - 2:47
7. (Further Reflections) In The Room Of Percussion - 3:19
8. Dear Nellie Goodrich - 2:46
9. Holiday Maker - 2:29
10.A Lesson Perhaps - 2:42
11.The Sky Children - 8:05
12.A Dream For Julie (Mono) - 2:47
13.Just How Much Are You (Mono) - 2:14
14.Jenny Artichoke - 2:40

Lyrics by Peter Daltrey, Music by Eddy Pumer

Repertoire 2005 Bonus Tracks

12.Flight From Ashiya - 2:38

13.Holiday Maker - 2:27

14.A Dream For Julie - 2:45

15.Please Excuse My Face - 2:08

16.Jenny Artichoke - 2:34

17.Just How Much You Are - 2:11

Music by Eddy Pumer Lyrics by Peter Daltrey

Kaleidoscope
*Eddy Pumer - Lead Guitar, Keyboards
*Steve Clark - Bass, Flute.
*Dan Bridgman - Drums, Percussions.
*Peter Daltrey - Lead Vocals, Keyboards

1967-69 Kaleidoscope - Dive Into Yesterday
1970  Fairfield Parlour - Home to Home

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