After releasing three classic garage blue-eyed soul records, the Rascals felt a need to expand their sound, become a bit more ornate, and take in the influence of psychedelia. In early 1968 they released Once Upon A Dream, a vague concept lp inspired by recent albums Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper’s. The concept is a bit unclear to me but I believe each track is supposed to represent a different dream. The group’s vocal arrangements were some of their most ambitious to date and where the previous three albums had been excellent collections of album tracks and singles, Once Upon A Dream hangs together quite well as an album – a finished product if you will.
Once Upon A Dream opens up with a fairly well known track, Easy Rollin’. Easy Rollin’ is one of the mini classics on this album and stands out from previous Rascal outings in that it’s more roots influenced with edgy acoustic guitars, harmonica, and B-3. The production on this song is remarkable: one can hear birds chirping in the background and the band itself seems to have more space and breathing room. Other tracks like the dreamy Silly Girl and zany Rainy Day are psychedelic pop songs that have strings and horns in the mix.
These sweet, confectionery treats give way to harder edged psych rockers Please Love Me and It’s Wonderful. Please Love Me harks back to the band’s mid 60s garage soul period but has wonderful flute and swirling fuzz guitar effects. Other great songs are the soul-blues of Singin’ The Blues Too Long which has a clear Ray Charles influence, and the great, overlooked blue-eyed soul classic, My World. My World is notable for including female backup singers as well as the Rascals’ own excellent vocal arrangement.
The Rascals would release other good albums after Once Upon A Dream but few pop records from the time are as instantly memorable and sophisticated as this. At the time, the album’s production and sound were considered a triumph. This is a true classic and should be part of any serious rock n roll collection.
by Jason Nardelli
Tracks
1. Intro: Easy Rollin' – 3:14
2. Rainy Day – 3:39
3. Please Love Me – 2:03
4. Sound Effect / It's Wonderful – 3:24
5. I'm Gonna Love You (Gene Cornish) – 2:33
6. Dave & Eddie / My Hawaii – 4:13
7. My World – 2:54
8. Silly Girl – 2:42
9. Singin' The Blues Too Long – 5:10
10.Bells / Sattva – 4:23
11.(Finale): Once Upon A Dream – 3:53
12.Intro: Easy Rollin' – 3:14
13.Rainy Day – 3:39
14.Please Love Me – 2:03
15.Sound Effect / It's Wonderful – 3:24
16.I'm Gonna Love You (Gene Cornish) – 2:33
17.Dave & Eddie / My Hawaii – 4:13
18.My World – 2:54
19.Silly Girl – 2:42
20.Singin' The Blues Too Long – 5:10
21.Bells / Sattva – 4:23
22.(Finale): Once Upon A Dream – 3:53
All songs by Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati except where noted.
Tracks 1-11 Stereo, Tracks 12-22 Mono.
While at College Chris formed a folk band called "Hunter Muskett" with songwriter Terry Hiscock (writer of "Silver Coin" - voted as one of the best folk songs of 1973) and guitarist Doug Morter (later with Magna Carta, Richard Digance, Maddy Prior, Jerry Donahue etc.).
The trio gigged the folk clubs and released an album on the Decca label called "Every Time You Move" in 1970. Muskett then gained a bass player, Rog Trevitt, (later to gig with Doug Morter in the pub rock band Peco Orange and numerous country and western bands, most noticeably with pedal steel player Gordon Huntley of Matthew's Southern Comfort fame).
The now four piece, played George acoustics and electrics, toured at home and abroad for about four years and released a second album, produced by Keith Relf of the Yardbirds fame, simply titled "Hunter Muskett" on the newly formed "Bradleys" label.
This debut from little-known, but highly regarded folk trio Hunter Muskett is an underground gem. Packed full of earthy, original songs, it masterly skirts the boundaries of baroque pop and folk-rock. The opening title track lays out their stall perfectly: layers of acoustic guitars, a delicate beat and some lush vocal harmonising.
The songs are purposely poetic but it never sounds forced, even on the darker tracks, such as Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the melancholy just about hangs together without sounding passe. It’s a delicious balance.
Dreams existed between 1969 and 1972. They originally consisted of singer, guitarist and keyboards player Jeff Kent, bassist Doug Lubahn and drummer Mark Whittaker. Soon the trio became a septet with percussionist Angel Allende, John Abercrombie on guitar, trombonist Barry Rogers, Michael Brecker on tenor sax and Randy Brecker on trumpet joining them. Mark Whittaker departed and Billy Cobham took up the drum stool, and with the addition of Edward Vernon as singer and the departure of Angel Allende, the Dreams line up was complete.
Their approach was interesting as well as novel, recording their albums 'live' and working on a 'traditional' method of making up horn arrangements to suit the songs while «recording instead of using formulized arrangements scored for horns and rhythm , section. Musically their style varied between soul/pop and jazz rock as if their axis swayed between FM radio respect, cult appeal and Top 40 chart success.
The principal difference between Dreams and most other brass infused bands was, according to their album sleeve notes, that they didn't work from written arrangements but rather worked them out 'Trad' or 'New Orleans style', playing whatever came into their heads and I waiting for something to gel. This was a great achievement coming from a mostly white a band - incorporating a link with traditional jazz forms in a modern setting.
Dreams soon became a popular live band in the New York and Chicago areas and headed to Los Angeles. There they played a battle of the bands between Dreams and ] Geils Band for a recording contract with Atlantic Records as the prize. The boisterous rhythm and blues-based J. Geils Band from Boston was signed to Atlantic but Dreams made their own reputation. There were eyewitness reports of Dreams knocking the audience out and changing musical perceptions. Dreams tore the place down and people's eyes opened at the compulsive Panamanian drummer Billy Cobham.
After the Atlantic battle of the bands sessions, Dreams received a contract from CBS Records who signed them in 1970. They began work on their debut album, Dreams (CBS US 30225), which was also issued in the ' UK (CBS 64203) and the band was represented on the 1971 compilation Together with New York City. For Dreams they selected Fred Weinberg as their producer, composer and sound engineer, whose work included albums for Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, La Lupe, Mongo Santamaria, Celia Cruz, Illustration (Alan Lorber's group), Little Anthony and many others. Phil Ramone, another highly respected producer and studio owner for whom Weinberg worked at the time at a studio named A & R in New York City, gave his blessings to Weinberg to record the Dreams IP at CBS Studios in New York City and complete the recordings at CBS Studios in Chicago.
Dreams was recorded mostly live in the studio and the track listing ran as follows; Devil Lady, 15 Miles To Provo, The Maryanne, Holli Be Home, Try Me, Dream Suite: Asset Stop/Jane/Crunchy Grenola and New York. All tracks were original compositions by Jeff Kent and Doug Lubahn. The album highlighted their talents for writing catchy jazz/pop/rock songs and the band's individual musical expertise. The album was recorded mostly live which added to the fresh spontaneous atmosphere of the recording.
Dreams featured a mix of catchy songs with great horn licks and impassioned vocals from Edward Vernon; while an accomplished debut album, the individual musicians were beginning to stylistically assert themselves at the time. John Abercrombie's brief but eclectic guitar breaks on Devil Lady offers a hint of what was to come in his own later recordings, and Randy Brecker's trumpet and flugelhorn fills embellish pieces like Holli Be Home and 15 Miles To Provo very nicely. While five conventional soul/jazz/ rock songs occupied side one, the second side was dominated by an extended epic composition typical of the time. The three part and fourteen minute long Dream Suite was an extended composition featuring stylistically outstanding work from Billy Cobham showing his powerful style on the drum kit and contributing an unbelievable, energetic drum solo, and with saxophonist Michael Brecker excelling on Asset Stop.
At the time Michael and Randy Brecker were barely out of their teens and had a glittering career before them. Billy Cobham's playing caught the attention of John McLaughlin and later led to his gig with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and John Abercrombie would make a considerable career as a soloist on ECM Records. While most of the players had jazz backgrounds, the music is an eclection of jazz, rock, and pop with some of the tracks harkening to folk roots as well. Recorded mostly live to recapture the band's energetic performances, Dreams was an accurate reflection of the open-minded musical attitude that existed at the time, and takes the sophisticated and more loosely structured horn charts and solos of jazz and places them over a rock oriented rhythm section. The results are always listenable, never boring, and often surprising. All of the pieces contain musical subtleties that make this recording special. Certainly, many of the ideas expressed here were well above those expressed by Chicago and BS’n’T, yet the music is just as accessible and has its own distinctive character.
Dreams' second album Imagine my Surprise was issued in 1971 in the US (CBS US 30960). A British and European release came in early 1972 with the catalogue number of CBS 64597. Tracks featured mostly original material by Jeff Kent and Doug Lubahn including Calico Baby, Why Can't I Find A Home, Child Of Wisdom, Just Be Ourselves, I Can't Hear You, Here She Comes Now, Don't Cry and My Lady, plus a cover of Traffic's Medicated Goo as featured on their live album Welcome to the Canteen. The song was composed by Steve Winwood and producer Jimmy Miller, who would later work with The Rolling Stones. Calico Baby was featured on The Music People sampler issued by CBS in April 1972 on the American and European markets. Imagine My Surprise retained the Brecker brothers, Billy Cobham, Barry Rogers and Edward Vernon from the line up that recorded Dreams. Bob Mann on guitars, flugelhorn and vocals replaced John Abercrombie. Jeff Kent (keyboards] was replaced by Don Grolnick, and Will Lee [bass) replaced Doug Lubahn, who left the band to tour with the reformed Doors.
Album producer Steve Cropper contributed additional guitar on Calico Baby and superb background vocals on Don't Cry My Lady and Child Of Wisdom. Original percussionist Angel Allende played conga drums on Calico Baby and Toni Torrence featured on background vocals on Find A Home. Imagine My Surprise featured musicianship of incomparable beauty and a master class in jazz composition. Just Be Ourselves had a vocal by bassist Will Lee, and suggested a haunting tribute to the memory of its composer Don Grolnick. Imagine My Surprise was recorded in Memphis and produced by Steve Cropper who, according to The Music People, was "a man who had some previous experience working with horn bands. Steve was there when the 'Memphis Sound' was born -and he's still there". With the fluidity of the line up, the album moves easily from soul to jazz rock and back again.
According to Bob Palmer's review of Imagine My Surprise: "Every note is in place, every phrase means something, the flashes and energy are all directed and channelled. Yet the band retains both its fire and sophistication... music people can't avoid dancing to." While Imagine My Surprise got some favourable reviews and advanced Dreams' cause somewhat, the writing was on the wall for horn-based rock bands with the horn driven style of jazz-rock rapidly turning in on its axis and losing commercial popularity.
Record companies were losing patience as the pretenders to the BS’n’T and Chicago thrones weren't returning interest. After the release of their second album, Imagine My
Surprise, Dreams disbanded. In 1972 when Dreams bit the dust, jazz fusion was taking a new route away from horns to smaller, tighter groupings with individual virtuosos such as John McLaughlin and Chick Corea heading new bands made up of gifted soloists in Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever respectively. Here the focus was on instrumental flash and rock-inclined pyrotechnics within a jazz framework, combined with strong spiritual inclinations as practiced by McLaughlin and Corea with their individual commitments to Eastern philosophy and the Church of Scientology.
In conclusion, Dreams' ambitious and highly vibrant style of Jazz Rock Fusion neatly contrasts the ethereal nature of their name. Dreams and Imagine My Surprise capture an exciting time when new elements of jazz, soul, rock and funk were equally handled and produced music unique in its originality. Dreams deserve to be more than a footnote to beginning the careers of Billy Cobham, John Abercrombie and the Brecker Brothers among others. With their distinctive jazz/rock/funk crossovers encompassing commerciality and musical dexterity, for a brief while they added some spice of their own to the jazz rock recipe book.
by John O'Regan, March 2010
Tracks Disc 1 Dreams 1970
1. Devil Lady (Doug Lubahn, Jeff Kent) - 3:36
2. 15 Miles To Provo (Doug Lubahn) - 3:03
3. The Maryanne (Doug Lubahn) - 2:26
4. Holli Be Home (Jeff Kent) - 5:43
5. Try Me (Jeff Kent) - 5:10
6. Dream Suite (Jeff Kent, Doug Lubahn, Barry Rogers, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker) - 15:21
7. New York (Jeff Kent) - 4:57
Disc 2 Imagine My Surprise 1971
1. Calico Baby (Doug Lubahn, Jeff Kent) - 3:21
2. Why Can't I Find A Home (Randy Brecker) - 3:44
3. Child Of Wisdom (Jerry Friedman) - 5:23
4. Just Be Ourselves (Don Grolnick) - 4:36
5. I Can't Hear You (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 3:50
6. Here She Comes Now (Lou Rogers) - 4:06
7. Don't Cry My Lady (Jerry Friedman) - 3:44
8. Medicated Goo (Steve Winwood) - 4:05
9. Imagine My Suprise (Randy Brecker) - 7:58
Dreams 1970 Dreams
*Michael Brecker - Tenor Sax, Flute
*Randy Brecker - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
*Bill Cobham Jr. - Drums, Percussion
*Jeff Kent - Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals
*Doug Lubahn - Bass, Vocals
*Barry Rogers - Trombone, Wagner Tuba
*Edward Vernon - Lead Vocals With
*John Abercrombie - Lead Guitar
In the liner notes to cd reissue Sounds of Our Time Nick Lowe describes Jim Ford: “Jim Ford’s reputation was not the best. He told a lot of terrible stories and he used to bend the truth a bit. I think deep down he was no rock star, but he noticed people provided him with money when he pretended to be one. Many people who financed his career probably got disappointed when Ford didn’t care to live up to their expectations. He took a lot of people for a ride….I’d never seen anyone use cocaine before I met Ford. Wherever he went there were also illegal substances around. Ford was unreliable and from time to time he disappeared. We were surprised to find what kind of people he seemed to know in England. One time when he got back he had stayed with the blonde bombshell Diana Dors and her gangster-type husband Alan Lake!”
Nick also added this, “When Jim walked off the plane he wore a big Stetson, rose-tinted shades and jeans with creases and round-toe cowboy boots. I’d never met anyone like him before. Ford was the real thing, he was other-worldly and very charismatic. He turned up with a $3,000 guitar, an astronomical sum for 1970, but it seemed he could barely play it, and yet it was so mean, the way he hit that thing. He was totally unimpressed by us (Brinsley Schwarz), but he was making the best out of a bad job.”
Jim Ford meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. Sly Stone claimed Ford was his best friend, Nick Lowe name checks him as a major inspiration, and British mod band the Koobas recorded an entire album of Harlan County songs (The Koobas even went as far as to change their name to Harlan County). His unique brand of country-rock-soul-funk has proven to be original and very influential.
The Harlan County LP was released by White Whale in 1969 and is evenly divided between covers and Jim Ford originals. Most people single out the title track and “I’m Gonna Make Her Love Me” as highlights, and they are great slices of hard country funk. “Harlan County,” the title track, has a nice horn arrangement, crisp, driving acoustic guitars, female backup vocalists and a great beat – it’s another lost gem. But for me Ford’s fuzz guitar arrangement of “Spoonful” is really stellar and the superb country soul ballads “Changing Colors” and “Love On My Brain” make the album what it is today – a unique record in the country-rock canon. Ford’s main strength was his songwriting ability but he’s also an underrated vocalist with real southern grit and soul. There is nothing like Harlan County, the LP is mandatory listening for fans of 60s American rock n roll and country-rock.
You wanna hear his music? The best reissue to get a hold of is Sounds of Our Time by Bear Family Records (2007). This disc has the Harlan County LP in its entirety, rare pre-lp singles, and excellent outtakes that are in more of a country-rock vein. For an example of this, check out the slow version of “Big Mouth USA” and the title track. Both tracks are outstanding pieces of Americana that sound very similar to the Band’s best songs on Music From Big Pink.
by Jason Nardelli
Tracks
1. Harlan County - 3:27
2. I'm Gonna Make Her Love Me (Henry Cosby, Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder, Sylvia Moy) - 3:06
3. Changing Colors (Suzanna Jordan) - 3:18
4. Dr. Handy's Dandy Candy - 2:34
5. Love On My Brain - 3:15
6. Long Road Ahead (Bonnie Bramlett, Carl Radle, Delaney Bramlett) - 2:53
7. Under Construction - 1:42
8. Working My Way To L.A. (James Ford, Lolly Vegas) - 2:44
9. Spoonful (Willie Dixon) - 2:44
10.To Make My Life Beautiful (Alex Harvey) - 2:57
11.Big Mouth U.S.A - 3:11
12.36 Inches High - 1:53
13.Sounds Of Our Time (Bobby Womack, James Ford) - 3:47
14.Chain Gang (Sam Cooke) - 4:21
15.I Wonder What They'll Do With Today (James Ford, Pat Vegas) - 3:45
16.Go Through Sunday - 4:27
17.She Turns My Radio On - 3:20
18.Mixed Green - 3:26
19.Happy Songs Sell Records, Sad Songs Sell Beer - 2:53
20.It Takes Two - To Make One - 2:07
21.Big Mouth U.S.A - 2:32
22.Rising Sign - 3:40
23.Linda Comes Running (James Ford, Pat Vegas) - 2:23
24.Ramona - 2:29
25.Hanging From Your Lovin' Tree - 2:57
All compositions by James Ford except where stated.
The self-titled debut album of this unfairly neglected psychedelic band is an odd mix of slick studio work laced with surprising moments of eclecticism, from soundtrack references to hard rock worthy of the best bands of the time. They open up with a pretty good piece of musical prestidigitation, melding Johann Sebastian Bach and Ennio Morricone into the album's first track, which segues neatly into a hard rock style that's their own on the spaced-out, Ravel-laced "Where Do You Go," which sounds like the Doors and the Jimi Hendrix Experience jamming together. They also roll over "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out," squeezed into a two-song medley, like a proto-metal steamroller while quoting "Norwegian Wood" and "Eleanor Rigby"; then switch gears into a beautifully elegant, gently orchestrated pop/rock rendition of Neil Young's "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" that's worth the price of admission by itself.
The harder rocking numbers (especially "San Francisco Girls") are highly diverting artifacts of their time, while the last two songs, "Unlock My Door" and "Come with Me (Rainsong)," show off a totally unexpected and beautifully reflective folk-rock side to their sound that's strongly reminiscent of Phil Ochs' work on Pleasures of the Harbor and Tape from California. The variations in sound and content, plus the fact that the only keyboard player, Rob Landes, made any large contribution to the in-house songwriting (mostly the work of their producers, Scott & Vivian Holtzman), makes it difficult to pin down precisely what Fever Tree was about, beyond the evidence at hand; but taken on its own terms, the album ought to be better known than it is, which is probably also true of the band itself.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. Imitation Situation 1 (Toccata and Fugue) (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, Rob Landes, J.S. Bach) - 1:36
....Where Do You Go? (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, Michael Knust) - 2:28
2. San Franciscan Girls (Return of the Native) (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, , Michael Knust) - 4:04
3. Ninety-Nine and One-Half (Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd) - 2:47
4. Man Who Paints the Pictures (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, Michael Knust) - 2:35
5. Filligree and Shadow (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, Michael Knust) - 3:57
6. The Sun Also Rises (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, Rob Landes) - 2:43
7. Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:31
8. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (Neil Young) - 3:05
9. Unlock My Door (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, Rob Landes) - 3:49
10. Come with Me (Rainsong) (Scott Holtzman, Vivian Holtzman, Rob Landes) - 3:50
The never-released 1969 live effort from Fever Tree! Gulf Coast punk phenoms the Bostwick Vines see Cream and Hendrix and bring their tough interpretation of that combination to Hollywood, California. With three unique studio albums to their name, Fever Tree splinters after this live gig in Texas, but not before laying down one final testament to their evermore worth as swooning psychedelic rockers.
Sharpening their chops on the Gulf Coast circuit, followed by a high-profile opening night gig at Hollywood’s legendary Kaleidoscope, Fever Tree developed a keen sense of musical drama and dynamics. This versatility is in sharp display on the concert’s rendition of their underground radio hit “San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native).” For the rest, Live 1969 focuses on groovers, a perfect set-up for the gliding fuzztones of lead guitarist Michael Knust, the sonic organ of Rob Landes, the thick rhythms provided by E.E. “Bud” Wolfe III on bass and John Tuttle on drumsand the dynamic, driving lead vocals of Dennis Keller.
“Don’t Come Crying to Me Girl,” a song originally found on the band’s second album, levitates the band beyond any earthly confines. Elsewhere, the set moves between a soaring cover of Donovan’s “Hey Gyp,” their own power pop “Grand Candy Young Sweet” and a whirlng psych take on Wilson Pickett’s “Ninety-Nine and One Half (Won’t Do).” Playing as if their lives depended on it, Live 1969 captures a band at the height of its powers, forever preserved on this final audio testament.
Sundazed
Tracks
1. Grand Candy Young Sweet (F. Davis) - 8:37
2. Ninety-Nine and One Half (Won’t Do) (E. Floyd, S. Cropper, W. Pickett) - 11:06
1. Don’t Come Crying to Me Girl ( R. Landes, S. Holzman, V. Holzman) - 8:15
4. Hey Gyp (D. Leitch) - 8:19
5. San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native) (Michael Knust, S. Holzman, V. Holzman) - 4:14
Whitlock’s story is a remarkable one. Born to a hardscrabble existence, raised in abject poverty, abused by his preacher father and was sent out to pick cotton in the fields. Moving from one railroad town to another, Whitlock was quite literally from the wrong side of the tracks.
Yet thanks to his singing and piano playing, music was Whitlock’s escape. Winding up in Memphis, Whitlock hooked up with Stax Records, who signed him as the first white artist to their new pop label HIP. But it was soul music, not pop, that was in Whitlock’s heart – and his break came when Delaney & Bonnie asked him to join their band, The Friends.
Following Delaney & Bonnie from Stax to Elektra Records, Whitlock found his life starting to intertwine with ‘60s rock royalty. Delaney & Bonnie took him on tour with Blind Faith, where Eric Clapton was impressed with Whitlock’s playing and the camaraderie he saw in The Friends. Soon, Whitlock joined Clapton, Jim Gordon and Carl Radle in Derek & The Dominos, the crack unit that backed George Harrison on much of the seminal All Things Must Pass and recorded the classic rock album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs.
During the recording of those albums, Whitlock tentatively made his first steps as a solo artist. Though drugs were already beginning to tear Derek & The Dominoes apart, Whitlock was able to call on some high profile friends (and “Friends”) to play on his album, including Clapton, Harrison, session bassist Klaus Voorman (John Lennon, Carly Simon, et al), drummer Jim Gordon, Chris Wood (of Traffic) and others. “I really loved my first record and everything that was behind it,” says Whitlock now. “And for the love that was brought to the room by everyone each time we recorded. I know that you can hear it in Eric’s solo on "The Scenery Has Slowly Changed.”
When Bobby presented his album to Atlantic Records they rejected it, citing a different vision for his debut record. So Bobby bought himself out of his contract. Soon after, The Dominos split up following troubled second album sessions. Bobby just kept moving: first back to his rural home in England, then to France, where the Rolling Stones were recording Exile On Main Street. He found a deal for his debut album (via producer Jimmy Miller) and a follow-up too.
That second album, Raw Velvet, featured the Edwin Hawkins Singers, the L.A. Symphony, Eric Clapton, Jim Gordon and Bobby’s new band members: Rick Vito on guitar, Keith Ellis on bass and Don Poncher on drums. Andy Johns co-produced the self-titled debut (with Whitlock) and Jimmy Miller produced the Raw Velvet LP. Andy was the recording engineer of Exile on Main Street and later produced Television’s Marquee Moon. Miller, of course, produced Exile On Main Street!
Tracks
1. Where There's a Will (Bonnie Bramlett, Bobby Whitlock) - 3:44
2, Song for Paula - 3:16
3. A Game Called Life - 4:15
4. Country Life - 3:06
5. A Day Without Jesus (Don Nix, Bobby Whitlock) - 3:24
6. Back in My Life Again - 3:31
7. The Scenery Has Slowly Changed - 3:52
8. I'd Rather Live the Straight Life - 2:29
9. The Dreams of a Hobo - 3:23
10.Back Home in England - 2:51
11.Tell the Truth (Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock) - 3:50
12.Bustin' My Ass - 3:31
13.Write You a Letter - 2:29
14.Ease Your Pain (Hoyt Axton) - 3:03
15.If You Ever - 3:18
16.Hello L.A., Bye Birmingham (Delaney Bramlett, Mac Davis) - 3:56
17.You Came Along - 3:04
18.Think About It - 3:09
19.Satisfied - 2:56
20.Dearest I Wonder - 3:49
21.Start All Over - 3:24
All songs by Bobby Whitlock except where indicated
It is fairly common knowledge now but many Rare Earth fans had no idea that they were previously known as The Sunliners! It’s a complicated path that appears to start around 1960. Gil Bridges, Pete Rivera, John Persh, Ralph Terrana, Russ Terrana, Fred Saxon and Steve Fisher were all early members who played hundreds of club dates and record five singles for three different labels, Hercules, Golden World and MGM. In the middle of all this action, Fred Saxon, Ralph and Russ Terrana and Steve Fisher made way for Rod Richards and Kenny James, this line up would take them through to the MGM 45 Land Of Nod and the transistion to the name Rare Earth.
Many later biographies claim that they became Rare Earth when they signed to Motown.....this is not fact as they stayed with MGM/Verve to record their very first album called Dreams Answers as Rare Earth in 1968. The land Of Nod track was re - recorded for inclusion on the LP and as a complete album it proved to be a masterpiece debut which combined rock, soul and physedelia.
Their 1968 debut Dreams/Answers was recorded in the band’s hometown of Detroit and arranged, conducted and mostly written by Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey. This early in their career, Rare Earth hadn’t perfected the sound that they would become famous for, but you can already see the early mix of influences.
Tracks
1. Stop/Where Did Our Love Go (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 3:05
2. 6-4-5-5 (Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) - 2:37
3. King of a Rainy Country (Paul Parrish) - 3:46
4. New Rochelle (Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore) - 3:10
5. Land of Nod (Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore, Peter Hoorelbeke) - 3:09
6. Mother's Oats (Dennis Coffey, Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore) - 2:40
7. Red Apple (Dennis Coffey, Gary Harvey, Mike Theodore) - 2:49
8. Get Ready (William Robinson, Jr.) - 2:55
9. Morning (Ron Koss) - 2:26
10.Searchin' (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 2:29
11.Yesterday on Third Avenue (Paul Parrish) - 3:17
12.Sidewalk Cafe (Paul Parrish) - 2:57
The singer-songwriter known as Huckle (ne Kelly Cavanagh) was raised in Montreal and Toronto, but by 1973 the self-described freak ("...we didn't call ourselves hippies then - we were freaks") had shifted west to B.C.'s Gabriola Island, helping to organize two western tours by Perth County Conspiracy and performing as the warm-up act for some of the shows. The 19-year-old Huckle took to B.C. granola culture immediately. "I arrived in Nanaimo on bathtub weekend. They were pretty excited about my hair. We lived at the stump farm on Gabriola, a little log cabin way out in the woods - no electricity, running water, or car."
In the spring of 1974 on the first of the Perth County tours, a live recording was made of eleven Huckle originals with Gary McKeehan engineering. After the soundcheck for a gig at Vancouver's Pender Auditorium in March, Huckle recorded nine songs live with a backing band (which included three Perth County members). Those tracks, as well as a couple more taped the following night at Gabriola Hall, would become the insanely obscure roots/folk debut Upon a Once Time.
The record's home-spun quality is evident even in the primitive hand-written paste-on cover ("I did it with Tommy (Agostino) and Kjell, the photographer"). And with only 500 copies pressed up and hawked at shows for three bucks a pop, Upon a Once Time was destined to become a bit of a holy grail for Canadian folkies. Several tours and a second equally obscure LP followed, 1976's Wild Blue Yonder, as well as a spot on the national CBC radio show Touch the Earth with Sylvia Tyson and Bill Garrett. Huckle finally settled on nearby Salt Spring Island, where he lives as "a lapsed hippie", performing sporadically as KC Kelly over in Victoria, B.C.
by Robert Williston
Tracks
1. April - 2:11
2. Flowers - 3:09
3. Get Down - 4:12
4. Beyonder (The Hymn) - 4:25
5. Sunshine Shuffle - 3:32
6. Hello Sunshine - 2:27
7. Good Morning - 2:54
8. Lady Goldberry - 2:31
9. Gabriola Day - 5:24
10.The Minstrel Song - 3:26
11.Ocean - 3:43
All songs written by Huckle
When Gene Clark died in 1991 after years of substance abuse, obit writers cited his brief period as a founding member of the Byrds. Clark was actually much more. He infused the original band with much of its soul and vision, establishing himself as a pivotal folk-rock innovator, a fact known to the band and hardcore fans but never comprehensively chronicled until John Einarson’s 2005 Clark biography, Mr. Tambourine Man.
Like bandmates Jim (now Roger) McGuinn and David Crosby, Clark was a former folkie captivated by the Beatles. His baritone vocals were as integral to the Byrds’ sound as McGuinn’s jangly Rickenbacker twelve-string electric. So were Clark originals such as “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better”, “I Knew I’d Want You” and “She Don’t Care About Time”. McGuinn and Crosby may have shared co-writer credit on “Eight Miles High”, but they essentially embellished a song that Clark had created. Overwhelmed by demands of fame and tired of clashing with the contentious Crosby, Clark left the band in 1966; Byrds manager Jim Dickson landed him the Columbia contract that spawned this album.
Recorded with the Byrds’ rhythm section of Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke, plus A-list Los Angeles studio musicians Glen Campbell and Leon Russell, Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers has justifiably gained stature over the past 40 years, not only as a glorious brew of ’60s folk-rock, proto-country-rock and complex, Beatlesque pop, but as an expository effort that defined and clarified Clark’s importance to the band he left behind (and briefly rejoined).
Given the fact the vocal harmonies from the Gosdins (future Nashville star Vern and his brother Rex) were of marginal importance, their overblown billing can only by explained by the fact that Dickson also managed them. Clark invoked the Byrds sound several times, on “The Same One” (with guitar from Clarence White, then just beginning to plug in), “Couldn’t Believe Her”, and “So You Say You Lost Your Baby”. The painfully emotional “Echoes”, a bit of baroque ’60s art-rock framed by Russell’s string arrangement, showcases Clark’s stunning lyrical impressionism.
Revolver-era Beatles influence bursts forth from “Is Yours Is Mine” and “Elevator Operator”. Buck Owens is the influence on “Tried So Hard” and “Keep On Pushin'”, a harbinger of the country-rock Clark would pursue with Doug Dillard in 1968. Six bonus tracks include two alternate takes, two acoustic demos, and mono mixes of both sides of a 1967 Columbia single. This isn’t the album’s first reissue, but this edition conclusively summarizes and showcases Clark’s early genius.
Tracks
1. Echoes - 3:19
2. Think I'm Gonna Feel Better - 1:37
3. Tried So Hard - 2:22
4. Is Yours Is Mine - 2:23
5. Keep On Pushin' (Gene Clark, Bill Rinehart) - 1:47
6. I Found You - 3:02
7. So You Say You Lost Your Baby - 2:09
8. Elevator Operator (Gene Clark, Bill Rinehart, Joel Larson) - 2:28
9. The Same One - 3:30
10.Couldn't Believe Her - 1:53
11.Needing Someone - 2:04
12.So You Say You Lost Your Baby - 2:29
13.Is Yours Is Mine - 2:10
14.Tried So Hard - 2:27
15.Only Colombe - 3:02
16.The French Girl (Ian Tyson, Sylvia Fricker) - 2:33
17.Tried So Hard - 2:22
18.Keep On Pushin' (Gene Clark, Bill Rinehart) - 1:49
19.Think I'm Gonna Feel Better - 1:36
20.Is Yours Is Mine - 2:29
21.Echoes - 3:21
22.The Same One - 3:32
23.Needing Someone - 2:02
24.So You Say You Lost Your Baby - 2:10
25.Couldn't Believe Her - 1:58
26.I Found You - 2:58
27.Elevator Operator (Gene Clark, Bill Rinehart, Joel Larson) - 2:55
28.Couldn't Believe Her - 2:11
29.Tried So Hard - 2:20
30.Only Colombe - 3:09
31.The French Girl (Ian Tyson, Sylvia Fricker) - 2:37
32. So You Say You Lost Your Baby - 3:13
All songs by Gene Clark except where indicated
Tracks 12-13 Acoustic Mono Versions
Track 14 Alternate Mono Mix
Tracks 15-16 Mono Versions
Tracks 17-26 Collector's Series Early L.A. Sessions
Tracks 27,29 Alternative Stereo Version
Tracks 28,30,31 Remixed
Track 32 Acoustic Demo Version
Personnel
*Gene Clark - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*Vern Gosdin - Backing Vocals
*Rex Gosdin - Backing Vocals
*Glen Campbell - Electric Guitar
*Jerry Cole - Guitars
*Bill Rinehart - Guitars
*Clarence White - Guitar On
*Doug Dillard - Electric Banjo
*Leon Russell - Piano, Harpsichord; String Arrangements
*Van Dyke Parks - Keyboards
*Chris Hillman - Bass
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*Michael Clarke - Drums
*Joel Larson - Drums
When Blues Image launched into their 1970 chart smash, "Ride Captain Ride," the smoking lamp was always lit. But, with their subtle use of Latin Rhythms -- featuring tantalizing fretboard work by Mike Pinera and the addictive conga drums of Joe Lala -- this Tampa, Fla. combo proved themselves anything but a one hit wonder on their out of nowhere classic, Open. This 2004 reissue adds historical liner notes with quotes from guitarist Mike Pinera and percussionist Joe Lala.
Tracks
1. Love Is The Answer - 2:35
2. Running the Water - 2:37
3. Clean Love - 7:49
4. La Bamba (Traditional) - 2:26
5. Consuelate - 1:15
6. Ride Captain Ride - 3:46
7. Pay My Dues - 3:49
8. Fugue U - 0:50
9. Parchman Farm (Mose Allison) - 2:49
10.Wrath of Daisey - 1:31
11.Take Me - 7:35
All songs by Mike Pinera, Malcolm Jones, Joe Lala, Skip Konte, Manny Bertematti except where noted
Blues Image
*Mike Pinera - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
*Malcolm Jones - Bass
*Joe Lala - Percussion, Vocals
*Skip Konte - Keyboards
*Manny Bertematti - Drums With
*Kent Henry - Guitar
