Tim was raised in Virginia, from which he gets his southern roots and where he learnt to play guitar, banjo, organ and bass. He started his professional career with the Big Three, which together with Mama Cass Elliott (whom he discovered working in a drug store) went on to become one of the critically acclaimed singing groups of the mid 60's. When the group broke up, Tim decided to make a solo career, Tim considers his most formatwe years were during the period he lived in Bleeker Street, above the Bitter End, in New York's Greenwich Village working the coffee bars and folk rock clubs. His friends and musical contemporaries who were all working the same circuit read like a Who's Who in music today - Steve Stills, Dave Crosby, John Sebastian, Scott Mackenzie, Felix Pappallardi, Janis Ian, Simon & Garfunkel, Don McClean, Al Cooper. David Clayton-Thomas, Harry Chapin, Eric Wiseberg among others.
Tim was discovered by Dave Rubinson of CBS Records, singing his particular brand of electric folk rock at the Night Owl cafe. He started working with producer Bob Johnston (later of Dylan fame) in Nashville. However, CBS weren't ready for the combination of Bob and Tim and Dave Rubinson, who until then had only been producing spoken word records, was persuaded by Clive Davis and Tim to produce an album with Tim.
The initial tracks included 'Morning Dew', 'Hey Joe' and 'Come Away Melinda'. These early recordings have become the cornerstone of Tim's career and were early influences on other artists such as Jimmy Hendrix, Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck. In 1969, after several successful tours, which have included in his various bands musicians like John Bonham, Ainsley Dunbar, Eric Wiseberg, Elliot Randall and Andy Summers among others, Tim decided to live in New York, give up touring and concentrate on writing and making commercials.
He either wrote or appeared in over 200 commercials within the short period of three yea's. He later moved to Los Angeles where he continued with his writing and renewed his first love affair with airplanes and flying. In 1976 Tim moved to London, Irving off the Fulham Road close by Chelsea Football club. Here he met producer & songwriter Pierre Tubbs and they started working on this album also formed a band called Tim Rose & Fresh Air. This went well until the record company, a Dutch organization decided that they would have a change of management and chucked out all the acts the previous management had signed, including Tim. Tim hung around for a year or so but soon became fed up with waiting and sadly flew home to New York another life. This album was made with hope in the air and a great sense of fun, remember fun?
CD Liner Notes
Tracks
1. I Just Wanna Make Love To You (Tim Rose, Rob Gold) - 3:00
2. He Was Born To Be A Lady (Pierre Tubbs, Alan David) - 4:11
3. Dance On Ma Belle (Tim Rose, Rob Gold) - 4:47
4. It'll Be Alright On The Night (Pierre Tubbs, Alan David) - 3:35
5. Runaway (Tim Rose) - 3:08
6. Moving Targets (Pierre Tubbs) - 3:38
7. The Gambler (Tim Rose, Rob Gold) - 4:59
8. Blow Me Back Santa Ana (Pierre Tubbs) - 3:45
9. Is There Something 'bout The Way I Hold My Gun (Pierre Tubbs) - 2:56
By 1970 Big Brother had evolved a very distinct sound which is nonetheless a bit difficult to describe. James Gurtey had moved over to the bass and Peter and I were playing guitars, along with David Schallock who had come to the band from The Sons of Champlin, Mr. Schallock was a fine guitar player and a sterling human being, and it was a real pleasure to have him in the band.
Thus, with James, a guitar player, on the bass and then three other guitar players, the sound was very much in the treble range. Dave was a good guitar player and he mellowed out all that high end by playing very melodically in thirds with us on most of the tunes. Dave Getz was playing very cleanly at this point and he was taking risks too, propelling the band and having the courage and energy to get off into some new areas. Of course, this is my interpretation of the Big Brother sound of 1970, What the audience heard was something else.
Here are some adjectives they used to describe what we were doing: energetic, rambunctious, raucous, reckless, rowdy, rebellious, brash, confident, viscera! and aggressive. We had a cleaner sound, our technique was better, we were trying some things that we hadn't tried before, so it was a good direction for the band. The cover of the "Be A Brother" album is revealing.
All primary colors and there is that madman, limned by Bob Seideman who did that Blind Faith album cover with the girl and the hood ornament, and the madman is giving us the peace sign and grinning inanely. This is anti-Art and beyond technique, or below technique. The background is a sort of insane map of California, "Be A Brother" was the first album we did after Janis. We had learned to tune the guitars by this time and what we played in tune was more developed.
There were some complaints, even in the band, that we weren't sticking to our roots, and that we were being a little too adventurous in our songwriting/ composing, I think it is a real shame that we didn't continue on after "How Hard it Is, the next album, and do several more along just this same experimental tack. "Keep On" is the first song on the "Be A Brother album," which is fitting because the feeling in the band at the time was that we were going to persist no matter what. "Through the valley of tears, child," we were going to go on and improve and do something worthwhile.
We wanted to work with Nick Gravenites because he wrote songs of real meaning. I also had had the good fortune to meet Kathi MacDonald a year or so earlier when I had been volunteered to be her birthday present one fine sunny afternoon. We wrote a song together and I was astonished at how talented she was. Kathi knew more songs than anyone ! had ever worked with, but it was her voice, that razor sharp instrument, that made me want to get her into Big Brother.
Kathi and Nick were quite a combination. Nick was a burly man who looked like a Chicago truck driver as drawn by R, Crumb in Zap Comix and Kathi was so slender she hid behind the microphone stand. We had Mike Finnegan in the band too. He had played with The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood and he also had his own band. Mike is now one of the main keyboard players in the Los Angeles recording scene and he plays with all the big guns down there but I always thought his singing was the best.
Let's see, we had other side people on this album. We had Richard Green from Seatrain who played some marvelous violin. We had Janis Joplin. As far as I know, we were the first rock band to use Tower of Power as a horn section and it was an education to see them planning out the head arrangements for the tunes. They came into the studio with no charts or written music of any kind, sat over in a corner talked for a while about who was going to take a third or a fifth and then played their parts beautifully.
The tune "Home On The Strange" features Peter Albin playing a lovely melody that reminds me a bit of his work on "Cuckoo/Sweet Mary" in the early Big Brother days. The melody is "I Wonder As 1 Wander," an ancient tune that long predated the John Jacob Niles version of it from the 1930s. I like the feel of this tune. In some ways it reminds me of "All Is Loneliness, a Moondog tune that we did on our first album. James is doing some interesting basswork and David Schailock is making everything musical. "Someday" is another song of hope.
Another song that looks forward and tries to describe a better future. Another song that begins with a pattern in the guitars, echoed in thirds, and reechoed in the bass. "Sunshine Baby" is one of those dreams of unachievement of interruption, one of those dreams where you just can't quite slip free of the bonds that are holding you to earth, where you just can't quite make it to the stage.
There's a feeling of desperation there, of being at the end of one's tether. "I've searched away the night time, Sunshine, just trying to get back to you." In April of 1970 we played at The Filtmore in San Francisco and Janis came onstage to sing a couple of numbers with us. She and Nick did a tune that became "Ego Rock. We asked Janis if she would come and sing a bit on our new album...noth ing elaborate, just some backup vocals and she came and celebrated a bit with us. She did some funny vocal work on "Mr, Natural." That's her cackling voice you hear back in the mix. Janis was amazed when I brought "Mr. Natural" into the rehearsal room, our living room, at Lagunitas, because the tune was much more worked out than the usual Big Brother tune.
I worked out the two guitar tracks for "Mr. Natural" at the Chelsea Hotel in New York on one of the new Sony tape recorders while Danny Rifkin was talking to me nonstop about the prospects for his band The Grateful Dead. I was thinking that the Dead were fortunate to have someone like Danny on their side, because he never stopped thinking about how to get them to the next step. I think he and Rock Scully had a lot more to do with the Dead's success than people realize. in May of 1970 we played at The Bermuda Palms in San Rafael, California, and Janis was there with The Full Tilt Boogie Band.
This was a very chaotic affair. Janis had too much to drink and she began a rant on the microphone that sounded like a parody of her usual self. This is the first time I felt scared for her. She seemed flabby and tired and at the end of her rope. Earlier that afternoon, she had told me, "I'm not going to die. I come from good, strong pioneer stock. I'm a survivor." This statement sent a chill down my spine. It seemed as If she were tempting the gods, and her talking like that didn't seem like a good idea at all. In July of 1970, we played at The Sports Arena in San Diego on the same bill with The Electric Flag and Janis and The Full Tilt Boogie Band. That was a strange engagement.
Janis was very keyed up and she was hanging onto James Gurley for dear life, We all flew home on the same plane and Michael Bloomfield regaled us with an incredible story of how he taped two balloons full of warm water to the bathroom mirror and masturbated to them. Well, maybe you had to be there. One thing about Michael, he never held back! I had the same eerie, unpleasant feeling watching Janis on the plane as I did at the San Rafael engagement with her. She was tense because we were all together and she was obviously indulging too much for her own good. Janis was so full of herself that you could tell she was nervous and insecure about something.
There was no hope of calming her down, but we tried anyway. This "Be A Brother" album came out in October of 1970, quite a month. I wrote a tune about James Gurley one day. James is from Detroit and he has a Detroit soul, funky, threadbare and a bit country. That funkiness is a strange admixture in the psychedelic zenmaster guru that James also can be, and I was trying to get some of this complexity into the tune that I called "Funky Jim." I brought it into the studio one day and Nick Gravenites completely appropriated it because he liked the idea so much. Nick actually knew James before I did, and he must have thought he had a prior claim, Anyway, the song came out well. Tower of Power added some horn parts, someone changed the spelling to "Funkie Jim" and we had another tune.
Merle Haggard, who has a face to match his name, and who has a deep grained country soul, wrote a song called "Okie From Muskogee" that was intended to celebrate the downhome virtues and the American cleanliness of that city. Conservative elements on the American political scene fastened onto this song as a sort of anthem which became a kind of "Ballad of the Green Berets" for the home front. Ah, if we could only get back to Muskogee, all would be peace and light again.
The problem was that in reality Muskogee, Oklahoma, not only had hippies down by the courthouse, it had a lot of them. In fact, people from Oklahoma, such as Mike Finnegan who was playing with us at the time told us that Muskogee was the center for countercultural activity at the time. Nick wrote 'Til Change Your Flat Tire, Merle," as a kind of riposte to the specious patriotism that Okie From Muskogee represented. Big Brother played in London recently and as I was coming off stage someone handed me a CD that had a hiphop/rave version of "I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle" on it, so the song lives on as a bow to the opposition.
I have a tape of Big Brother playing most of the tunes on this album at the Terrace Ballroom in Salt Lake City June 1970 and it's good to hear that we actually did the parts live on stage with Nick, Kathi and Mike Finnegan. I say "actually did the parts" because often with the recording process there are vocal and instrumental overdubs that are impossible to play live. I was not sure if we could do the songs the way we recorded them, but we did do them that way in Salt Lake, Be a brother. Be a sister, Be the one who tries harder, to get it together, Thank you for listening.
by Sam Andrew, May 2002
Tracks 1971 How Hard It Is
1. How Hard It Is (Sam Andrew, Dave Getz) - 4:21
2. You've Been Talkin' Bout Me, Baby (Ray Rhrera, Walter Hirsch, Gale Garnet) - 3:25
3. House On Fire (Dave Getz, Louis Rappaport) - 3:55
4. Black Widow Spider (Sam Andrew) - 3:32
5. Last Band On Side One (Sam Andrew, Rosco Segel) - 1:56
6. Nu Boogaloo Jam (Sam Andrew, Dan Nudelman) - 3:23
7. Maui (Sam Andrew, Rosco Segel) - 3:25
8. Shine On (Peter Albin, Sam Andrew, Dave Getz) - 5:24
9. Buried Alive In The Blues (Nick Gravenites) - 3:57
10.Promise Her Anything But Give Her Arpeggio (David Shallock) - 3:55 1970 Be A Brother
11. Keep On (Sam Andrew, Peter Albin, Dave Getz, James Gurley, David Shallock) - 4:19
12. Joseph's Coat (Nick Gravenites, John Clpollina) - 3:08
13. Home On The Strange (Arranged/Adapted by Peter Albin, Sam Andrew) - 2:12
14. Someday (Sam Andrew) - 2:15
15. Heartache People (Nick Gravenites) - 6:34
16. Sunshine Baby (Sam Andrew, Peter Albin, Dave Getz, James Gurley, David Shallock) - 3:28
17. Mr. Natural (Sam Andrew) - 3:31
18. Funkie Jim (Sam Andrew, Peter Albin, Dave Getz, James Gurley) - 3:45
19. I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle (Nick Gravenites) - 3:11
20. Be A Brother (Nick Gravenites) - 3:03
Big Brother and the Holding Company
*Nick Gravenites - Lead Vocals
*Kathi Mcdonald - Lead Vocals (Tracks 1-10)
*Sam Andrew - Guitar, Vocals
*James Gurley - Guitar
*Dave Schallock - Guitar
*Peter Albin - Bass
*Dave Getz - Drums
*Mike Finnegan - Vocals, Keyboards (Tracks 1-10)
Musical siblings George Chambers (bass/vocals), Willie Chambers (guitar/vocals), Lester Chambers (harmonica/vocals), and Joe Chambers (guitar/vocals) were raised on rural gospel in their native Mississippi before switching over to folk and then soulful blues and R'n';B-fueled rock. The Chambers Brothers' recordings issued by the Los Angeles-based Vault label were nearly four years old when Feelin' the Blues hit the streets in 1970.
The band's style had changed quite drastically from old-school blues, soul, and pop to the longer psychedelic jams heard on their international hit "Time Has Come Today." Although the mixture of live and studio selections gives the collection an odds-and-sods vibe, several of the performances are among the best of the Vault Records-era material. Somewhat contrasting with the album's title, the Chambers actually cover a wide spectrum of music on Feelin' the Blues. Their roots can be heard throughout the flawless interpretation of the sacred standards "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and the excellent "Travel on My Way." Similarly, the midtempo reading of Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" offers the Chambers an opportunity to subtly return to their gospel origins with call-and-response backing harmonies.
The proceedings are far from being pious, however, as the quartet harmonizes the chorus of "Too Fat Polka" during one of the instrumental breaks. Perhaps wishing to remove some of the sting from the real storyline, the reworking of "House of the Rising Sun" -- according to the spoken introduction -- is told from the point of view of the receptionist (huh?) at the infamous bordello. Had The Chambers Brothers decided on a more straightforward translation, the song could easily have been one of the album's best. Other tunes worth spinning include a version of Bobby Parker's "Blues Get Off My Shoulder" -- in a longer form than on 1968's The Chambers Brothers Shout! -- and the comparatively brief but effective update of the jazzy "Undecided."
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. Girls, We Love You (Lester Chambers) - 3:25
2. I Got A Woman (Ray Charles) - 6:35
3. House Of The Rising Sun (Traditional) - 6:05
4. Don't Lose Your Cool (Joe Chambers) - 1:48
5. Just A Closer Walk With Thee (P.D.) - 5:230
6. Blues Get Off My Shoulder (B. Parker) - 3:18
7. Travel On My Way - 4:05
8. Undecided (C. Shavers, S. Robin) - 3:06
Ned four young men who chance brought together in a Harvard dorm in 1969. Rokko Jans and Jeffrey Parsons were attending Harvard while Nick Talantis and Norman Reim were just passing through Boston on their way to Greece. They ended up many-a-night jamming till dawn and as quickly as that plans were changed: Rokko and Jeff forsook the scholarly life and Nick and Norman have yet to make it to Greece. The four have been making music together, off and on, ever sinc
Capricorn
Work in a mellow, pickin', strummin' and grinnin' style more reminiscent of Poco, the Eagles and CSN&Y. Most endearing for their very casualness, whether up tempo pieces or down-to-earth ballads... It is almost impossible to dislike Ned, four smiling long-haired geeks, each holding in his arms an absolutely massive looking dog, in the picture on the back of their first album."
Rolling Stone
Ned has performed throughout the US and Canada since 1969. Very active in concert halls and on college campuses in the early seventies, they opened for a wide variety of acts, including: Sly and the Family Stone, The James Gang, B.B. King, The Supremes, Ramsey Lewis, Rare Earth, B.J. Thomas, Richie Havens, Wilson Pickett, The Dells, The Kinks, Wishbone Ash–-and many more.
Nedband
Tracks
1. Feelings To Hide (Jeff Parsons, Nick Talantis, Norman Reim) - 3:43
2. Above The Storm (Alaric Jans, Nick Talantis) - 2:00
3. Rosemary May (And Little Baby Blue Jeans) (Nick Talantis) - 3:38
4. Time (Alaric Jans) - 2:29
5. I Got A Conflict (Nick Talantis, Norman Reim) - 6:45
6. Matinee Movie (Alaric Jans, Nick Talantis, Norman Reim) - 3:17
7. Mississippi Streams (Alaric Jans, Nick Talantis, Norman Reim) - 6:29
8. My Heart Song (Alaric Jans, Nick Talantis) - 3:40
9. I Seen The Glory (Nick Talantis, Norman Reim) - 3:01
10 Home (Alaric Jans, Nick Talantis, Norman Reim) - 3:45
By the mid-'70s, Lou Reed had been through a lifetime of rock 'n' roll experiences in just a little more than a decade. From early-'60s session work to the Velvet Underground to the unexpected chart success in the early '70s with the solo hit "Walk On the Wild Side," Reed was never one to stay in limbo. He followed his hit Transformer album with the dark and haunting Berlin, the live album Rock and Roll Animal and the back-to-basics Sally Can't Dance.
His next move remains one of the most famous middle fingers in the history of music: the 1975 release of Metal Machine Music, a double album of guitar feedback and other noise effects. Was it a joke, a bold artistic statement, a contractual obligation or all of these? In early 1976, Reed told an interviewer, "I committed a number of blasphemous acts that I can back myself up on, only in saying that it got me the chance to make Metal Machine Music, and it gave me the power to make Coney Island Baby my way, from top to bottom. That's why I did Metal Machine Music. It was supposed to clear the air. Most people, even if you are into electronic music, aren't going to listen to that."
Reed was back on a more conventional path with Coney Island Baby in early 1976, and by October, he returned with the self-produced Rock and Roll Heart, his seventh solo album. It's another of Reed's more conventional records, opening with the soul-injected "I Believe in Love," which surges along with R&B horns. Its refrain of "Good time music, good time rock 'n' roll" is a 180-degree turn from the barrage of noise found on Metal Machine Music.
Reed sticks to traditional music here: "Banging on My Drum" is a straightforward rocker, "Follow the Leader" is funky and "You Wear It So Well" is a soulful ballad. On "Ladies Pay," he even sounds like he's imitating Patti Smith imitating Lou Reed.
There's much use of horns on Rock and Roll Heart, bearing the influence of early rock 'n' roll and jazz that often hangs out in Reed's work. The closing "Temporary Thing," one of the album's best tracks, creates a tension that never breaks over five intense minutes as it borrows from the Velvets, jazz and soul music. "Rock 'n' Roll Heart" didn't get much love. But give it a chance. It's a fresh and intriguing listen, hardly the throwaway its critics claim.
by Dave Swanson, October 28, 2016
Tracks
1. I Believe In Love - 2:46
2. Banging On My Drum - 2:11
3. Follow the Leader - 2:13
4. You Wear It So Well - 4:52
5. Ladies Pay - 4:22
6. Rock & Roll Heart - 3:05
7. Chooser and the Chosen One - 2:47
8. Senselessly Cruel - 2:08
9. Claim to Fame - 2:51
10.Vicious Circle - 2:53
11.A Sheltered Life - 2:20
12.Temporary Thing - 5:13
All Songs by Lou Reed
The second and last album from Catapilla was even weirder adventurous and more experimental than the debut, but actually also better. Robert Calvert delivers some of the best and most beautiful sax-playing I've ever heard on an album. Listen to the instrumental "It Could Only Happen to Me" and you'll hear what I'm talking about. You can hear the same on the last minutes of the 12-minute opener "Reflections" and "Thank Christ for George". The music seems often to be based on jams, and always dominated by Calvert`s saxophone and Meek's voice. Unusual, original, atmospheric and always very beautiful in the more quiet parts. If you're tired of Genesis and Yes clones and want to hear something far more original progressive rock, then you definitively should try Catapilla.
Vintage-Prog
Tracks
1. Reflection - 12:06
2. Charing Cross - 6:45
3. Thank Christ For George - 12:07
4. It Could Only Happen To Me (Graham Wilson, Robert Calvert) - 6:45
All songs written by Graham Wilson, Robert Calvert, Anna Meek unless as else stated.
In mid 72, bassist Gerry McAvoy's flat-mate, drummer Rod deAth, deputised for the late Wilgar Campbell and following Wilgar's ultimate departure Rod became a permanent replacement. After six years of working with the trio format, Rory looked to embellish his sound by introducing keyboards into the line-up. Rod who had been a member of blues band Killing Floor', recommended to Rory their piano player Lou' Martin - who ironically hailed from Belfast.
The line-up clicked and remained together for some five years this recording being the blueprint. Originally released in early 73, the cover features the circuit board of a Stramp power-baby' amplifier which was custom designed for Rory in Hamburg. It was specifically designed to be compact enough to fit into the small luggage compartment of a VW "beetle" car a particular Rory favourite.
Opening with Walk On Hot Coals which went on to became a Callager classic, allowed the musicians o really stretch out, particularly the ambicextrous Rod who wove drum patterns for Rory to overlay his blistering guitar work. Daughter Of The Everglades was inspired by a book that Rory had been reading and is amongst the more melodic compositions of his repertoire and highlights Lou's contribution to the band. Banker's Blues : over a barrelhouse style piano, Rory switches to acoustic twelve string guitar and rack mounted harmonica and demonstrates his ability to put a fresh-coat on a Big Bill Broonzy number.
The opening "rocker-style" finger-clicking sets the tone for the demanding Hands Off. Buoyed by his own saxophone section, this shows Rory at his menacing best. Like many writers, Rory drew inspiration from old trains, and his slick playing on Race The Breeze gives a sense of frictionfree rolling freight. When asking hfc promoters what their next venture might Ire after his Irish tour, Rory was bemused to find that the promoter had booked the faith healer Finbar Nolan. Blues music being rich with lyrics of various supernatural powers inspired Rory to write Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son.
Unmilitary Two-Step : a brilliant, whimsical acoustic instrumental which is set to a Scott Joplin type tempo and is full of musical humour. If I Had A Reason: a soul-searching song with a waltz time country feel, features Rory on lap steel guitar and Lou on honky tonk piano. Stompin' Ground : a driving slide track of a prodigal's return. Following his rigorous touring Rory was much pleased to arrive home in Cork and lay back until the road would call him again. Treat Her Right: this track, like the former came to light in an unmarked box. Rory had always enjoyed performing this Roy Head favourite with the Impact Showband of ‘65 and had fun with his new band by treating this song to his blistering guitar style.
by Donal Gallagher
'Blueprint' originally released in early '73, and contains "Daughter Of The Everglades" one of the most beautiful songs he ever wrote, the cover features the circuit board of a Stramp "power-baby" amplifier which was custom designed for Rory in Hamburg. It was specifically designed to be compact enough to fit into the small luggage compartment of a VW "beetle" car, a particular Rory favorite.
Tracks
1. Walk On Hot Coals - 6:59
2. Daughter Of The Everglades - 6:09
3. Banker's Blues (Big Bill Broonzy) - 4:42
4. Hands Off - 4:27
5. Race The Breeze - 6:51
6. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - 8:22
7. Unmilitary Two-Step - 2:45
8. If I Had A Reason - 4:27
9. Stompin' Ground - 3:27
10.Treat Her Right (Roy Head) - 4:00
All titles Composed by Rory Gallagher except where stated.
It jumps open with an unequivocal derangement of ol' Kansas City Joe Turner's "Honey Hush," in a marvelously shameless send-up of the Yardbirds. A rare cut that makes you discover how loud your equipment can go, it sets the album's tone. Ten Years After comes in for the same treatment with "Wild Cherry." Throw in a thankfully tasteless "That'll Be the Day" for an album than wins full points on irreverence alone.
In addition, Energized has a great "Step Outside" that reminds me of Three Dog Night, and an original "Home in My Hand" that's almost as good as the oldie of the same title everyone else is doing. It's a rude, raving riot of an album, from a group that's doing a bang-up job of closing the gap between where rock & roll has been and where it ought to be going.
by Greg Shaw, Rolling Stone, 1974
Tracks
1. Honey Hush (Turner) - 4:21
2. Step Outside (Peverett, Price, Earl, Stevens) - 6:18
3. Golden Arrow (Peverett, Price) - 4:03
4. Home in My Hand (Peverett, Price) - 5:13
5. Wild Cherry (Peverett, Price, Earl, Stevens) - 5:27
6. That'll Be the Day (Allison, Holly, Petty) - 2:53
7. Fly by Night (Stevens) - 4:47
8. Nothin' I Won't Do (Peverett, Price) - 6:57
This set captures some of the most influential 60s blues-rock ever recorded. Mike Bloomfield's guitar work and Paul Butterfield's harmonica and vocals on the first two albums are historic. As the band transitions into Discs 3, 4, and 5, the sound leans into jazz, soul, and horn-heavy experimentation. While critics and fans widely agree that the band peaks with the first two records, the latter three still offer a fascinating look at their evolution, even if they split fan opinions.
Tracks 1. Born in Chicago (Nick Gravenites) – 2:55 2. Shake Your Moneymaker (Elmore James) – 2:27 3. Blues With a Feeling (Walter Jacobs) – 4:20 4. Thank You Mr. Poobah (Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, Mark Naftalin) – 4:05 5. I Got My Mojo Working (Muddy Waters) – 3:30 6. Mellow Down Easy (Willie Dixon) – 2:48 7. Screamin' (Bloomfield) – 4:30 8. Our Love Is Drifting (Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop) – 3:25 9. Mystery Train (Junior Parker, Sam Phillips) – 2:45 10.Last Night (Jacobs) – 4:15 11.Look Over Yonders Wall (James Clark) – 2:23
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band *Paul Butterfield – Harmonica, Vocals *Mike Bloomfield – Guitar *Elvin Bishop – Guitar *Mark Naftalin – Organ *Jerome Arnold – Bass *Sam Lay – Drums, Lead Vocal on "I Got My Mojo Working"
Tracks 1. Walkin' Blues (Robert Johnson) - 3:15 2. Get Out Of My Life, Woman (Allen Toussaint) - 3:13 3. I Got A Mind To Give Up Living (Traditional) - 4:57 4. All These Blues (Traditional) - 2:18 5. Work Song (Nat Adderley, Oscar Brown) - 7:53 6. Mary, Mary (Michael Nesmith) - 2:48 7. Two Trains Running (Muddy Waters) - 3:50 8. Never Say No (Traditional) - 2:57 9. East-West (Mike Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites) - 13:10
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band *Paul Butterfield - Harmonica, Vocals *Mike Bloomfield – Guitar *Elvin Bishop – Guitar, Vocals *Mark Naftalin – Keyboards *Jerome Arnold – Bass *Billy Davenport - Drums
Tracks 1. One More Heartache (Smokey Robinson, The Miracles) – 3:20 2. Driftin' And Driftin' (Charles Brown, Johnny Moore, Eddie Williams) – 9:09 3. I Pity The Fool (Deadric Malone) – 6:00 4. Born Under A Bad Sign (William Bell, Booker T. Jones) – 4:10 5. Run Out Of Time (Paul Butterfield, Brother Gene Dinwiddie, Peterson) – 2:59 6. Double Trouble (Otis Rush) – 5:38 7. Drivin' Wheel (Roosevelt Sykes) – 5:34 8. Droppin' Out (Paul Butterfield, Tucker Zimmerman) – 2:16 9. Tollin' Bells (Traditional, Arr. Butterfield Blues Band) – 5:23
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band *Paul Butterfield - Harmonica, Vocals *Elvin Bishop - Guitar, Vocals *David Sanborn - Alto Saxophone *Brother Gene Dinwiddie - Tenor Saxophone *Bugsy Maugh - Bass, Vocals *Mark Naftalin - Keyboards *Phillip Wilson - Drums *Keith Johnson - Trumpet
Tracks 1. Last Hope's Gone (David Sanborn, Paul Butterfield, Jim Hayne) - 4:52 2. Mine To Love (Bugsy Maugh) - 4:21 3. Get Yourself Together (Bugsy Maugh) - 4:10 4. Just To Be With You (Bernie Roth) - 6:12 5. Morning Blues (Bugsy Maugh) - 4:58 6. Drunk Again (Elvin Bishop) - 6:08 7. In My Own Dream (Paul Butterfield) - 5:48
Tracks 1. Love March (Gene Dinwiddie, Phil Wilson) - 2:58 2. No Amount Of Loving (Paul Butterfield) - 3:14 3. Moring Sunrise (Paul Butterfield, Phil Wilson) - 2:41 4. Losing Hand (C. Calhoun) - 3:35 5. Walking By Myself (James A. Lane) - 4:31 6. Except You (Jerry Ragovoy) - 3:53 7. Love Disease (Gene Dinwiddie) - 3:29 8. Where Did My Baby Go (Jerry Ragovoy) - 4:23 9. All In A Day (Rod Hicks) - 2:28 10.So Far So Good (Rod Hicks) - 2:28 11.Buddy's Advice (Howard Feiten) - 3:21 12.Keep On Moving (Paul Butterfield) - 5:02
Here’s an unusual jewel, released on Mercury Records in 1971. The band Taos was actually a quintet pieced together by a group of young men who had moved to the legendary Taos commune in the early 1970s, namely: Jeff Baker on guitar and vocals, Steve Oppenheim on keyboards and vocals, Albie Ciappa on drums, Burt Levine on guitar and banjo, and Kit Bedford on bass, with the occasional intermixing of instruments going on in between cuts. If the band’s commune connection leads you into expecting some sort of stoned, improvisational musical meanderings, however, you’re in for a surprise: their sole, self-titled record is pop music all the way.
Indeed, the band itself is surprisingly together, tempering mildly eccentric diversions into psychedelia and country music with a solid foundation in 1960s rock and roll. If there’s one band to which Taos owes its biggest debt, I’d say it would have to be The Beatles. Kit Bedford’s warm, melodic bass work channels Paul McCartney all the way, while the group’s vocal harmonies show a tendency to lean more towards the ragged schoolboy charm of the Four than the choirboy constructions of American groups such as the Byrds, or the Mamas and Papas. This influence is not to say that Taos lacks an identity of its own, however. On the contrary, they manage to take this influence in surprising directions, whether it’s the lonesome cosmic cowboy pastiche “After So Long” or the phased psychedelic boogie of “Twenty Thousand Miles In the Air Again”.
Despite the general cohesiveness of the album, however, there are the occasional faults, such as the unnecessary, repeating theme “The Day Begins,” which should have simply been turned into a full-fledged song rather than left as fragmentary interruptions in the tracklist. Every now and again the musicians also reveal a slight weakness in the vocal department, as the slightly squirrely lead on “Morning Sun” illustrates. Lastly, the song lyrics aren’t really worth shedding too much ink over – there’s certainly no metaphysical contemplation or social commentary going on here, whatever other Sixties sensibilities the record may boast.
These latter complaints border on quibbling, though, because the music here is almost too much fun to criticize. Again, this is pop music, and should be enjoyed for what it is. I think that Taos is certainly consistent enough that, if you’re digging the tracks below, you’re gonna like what you hear the rest of the way through.
Tracks
1. Space Bird - 2:44
2. Think I'll Wait - 3:53
3. Morning Sun - 2:17
4. 20,000 Miles In The Air (Again) - 2:51
5. All My Life - 2:42
6. Everybody's Movin' (In The Sunshine) - 3:21
7. Love's Face - 2:46
8. Putting My Faith In You - 4:59
9. On The Way Down - 0:42
10.Climbing Up The Mountain - 3:22
11.Take Good Care - 1:55
12.After So Long (So Long) - 3:21
All songs written by Albie Ciappa, Burt Levine, Jeff Baker, Kit Bedford, Steve Oppenheim
After 1970's Live and the following year's studio effort Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin', Butterfield broke up his band and parted ways with Elektra. Tired of all the touring and personnel turnover, he retreated to the communal atmosphere of Woodstock, still a musicians' haven in the early '70s, and in 1971 formed a new group eventually dubbed Better Days. Guitarist Amos Garrett and drummer Chris Parker were the first to join, and with folk duo Geoff and Maria Muldaur in tow, the band was initially fleshed out by organist Merl Saunders and bassist John Kahn, both from San Francisco.
Sans Geoff Muldaur, this aggregation worked on the soundtrack of the film Steelyard Blues, but Saunders and Kahn soon returned to the Bay Area, and were replaced by New Orleans pianist Ronnie Barron and Taj Mahal bassist Billy Rich. This lineup -- with Geoff Muldaur back, plus contributions from singer/songwriter Bobby Charles -- released the group's first album, Better Days, in 1972 on Butterfield manager Albert Grossman's new Bearsville label. While it didn't quite match up to Butterfield's earliest efforts, it did return him to critical favor.
A follow-up, It All Comes Back, was released in 1973 to positive response Paul Butterfield's post-Blues Band outfit's second album is a bit more laid back than its predecessor, but it definitely has its moments, and as before the musicianship is stellar. The opening "Too Many Drivers," for example, is a churning Chicago blues, with Butterfield's horn impressions figuring as intensely as ever, that would have fit in perfectly with anything on his old band's debut.
Geoff Muldaur turns in a haunting rendition of a delicate Rick Danko-penned R&B ballad "Small Town Talk," while "Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It," co-written and co-sung by Butterfield and R&B legend Bobby Charles, is a clavinet-driven funk workout whose instrumental sections work up a real Little Feat-style froth.
by Steve Huey
Tracks
1. Too Many Drivers (Andrew Hogg) - 3:18
2. It's Getting Harder To Survive (Ronnie Barron) - 3:51
3. If You Live (Mose Allison) - 3:27
4. Win Or Lose (Bobby Charles, Paul Butterfield) - 4:34
5. Small Town Talk (Bobby Charles, Rick Danko) - 5:33
6. Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It (Bobby Charles, Paul Butterfield) - 3:42
7. Poor Boy (Traditional Arranged by Geoff Muldaur) - 4:17
8. Louisiana Flood (Ronnie Barron, Mac Rebennack) - 3:35
9. It All Comes Back (Bobby Charles) - 6:10
10.Small Town Talk (Live) (Bobby Charles, Rick Danko) - 5:21
Paul Butterfield's Better Days
*Paul Butterfield - Vocals, Harmonica, Electric Piano
*Geoff Muldaur - Vocals, Slide Guitar
*Ronnie Barron - Vocals, Piano, Organ, Clavinet
*Christopher Parker - Drums
*Billy Rich - Bass
*Amos Garrett - Electric Guitar Additional Musicians
*Bobby Charles - Vocals
*Maria Muldaur - Vocals
*Bobby Hall - Congas
*Howard Johnson - Horns
Rory's eighth solo album, "Calling Card", was recorded during 1976 at the famed Musicland Studios in Munich. All of Rory's previous releases had been successfully self-produced. For this album he was keen to find a producer who had an affinity with traditional rock values but was open to new ideas.
On his previous release, 'Against The Grain1, Rory had started to shift away from the blues/rock style he'd made his own, creating an album with a harder sound. He was keen this progression should continue but needed to find a producer who shared his convictions and could help create the sound he wanted. During the 70's 'Deep Purple1 were one of the most successful rock bands in the world and Rory had toured the U.S. with them. Roger Glover, Deep Purple's bassist, offered his services to Rory, seeming to be the perfect candidate to produce the album. They began work on 'Calling Card' in the summer of 1976.
The band, Gerry McAvoy on bass, Lou Martin on keyboards and Rod de'Ath on drums, added the final element to the 'creative1 mix. In the three years they had been performing together they had grown into a formidable band. As Roger Glover explained, "they all seemed very dedicated to Rory, there was an allegiance, bom of years of smoky clubs and endless journeys". This was the fifth and last release featuring this classic band line-up. Setting the tone for the album Do You Read Me starts with a sharp, rocking intro. highlighting the shift in Rory's musical direction.
Country Mile - The sheer exuberance and life of this excellent 'boogie woogie' inspired rock track, with it's infectious rhythm and slide guitar solo, is palpable. Moonchild - Is a perfect example of the production Rory was aiming to achieve on this album, marrying a traditional hard rock style with the melodic values of jazz. The track is full of tricky phrasing and intricate guitar work, which Rory delivers effortlessly. Calling Card - Rory's jazz influences and wonderful lyrics again shine through on this title track. The interplay between the guitar and the piano throughout the song is particularly pleasing. When interviewed in 1995 Roger Glover nominated this as his favourite track on the album.
I'll Admit Your Gone - A hybrid, melodic track encapsulating folk/jazz in a blues fashion. Rory at his melancholy best.
Secret Agent - Rory's familiar hard rock sound of heavy beats, distorted riffs and slide guitar all come together impressively on this track. The funky rhythm and unison of guitar and vocal on Jack-knife Beat are reminiscent of 'Little Feat', a band Rory greatly admired.
Edged In Blue - Chris Wright, then head of Chrysalis Records, who originally released the 'Calling Card1 album', told Rory if this track was released as a single it would almost certainly be a number one chart hit in the US. In typical Rory style he decided not to release it as a single, leaving it as one of the outstanding tracks on 'Calling Card'.
from CD Liner-notes
Tracks
1. Do You Read Me - 5:20
2. Country Mile - 3:18
3. Moonchild - 4:48
4. Calling Card - 5:24
5. I'll Admit You're Gone - 4:25
6. Secret Agent - 5:45
7. Jacknife Beat - 7:04
8. Edged In Blue - 5:31
9. Barley And Grape Rag - 3:39
10.Rue The Day - 4:14
11.Public Enemy (B-Side Version) - 4:35
All songs composed by Rory Gallagher.
Band
*Rory Gallagher - Vocals, Guitar and Harmonica
*Gerry McAvoy - Bass Guitar
*Lou Martin - Keyboards
*Rod de'Ath - Drums
