rep>>> July - The Complete Recordings (1968-2020 uk, awesome psych rock, 2020 six disc box)

They might not be a household name, but July is a band you ought to know.  The U.K. psych-rockers have garnered a cult following since the release of their self-titled 1968 record.  Original mono copies sell for more than three grand online, but its not just the scarcity and desirability of the album that raises eyebrows; it's the high quality of the music.  Though their singles may not have charted back in the day, the five-piece Ealing-based group is still considered by psych-rock enthusiasts to be one of the unsung heroes of the genre. 

Well, listeners no longer have to shell out big bucks to hear this or any other July album.  The Grapefruit label recently released a career-spanning box set - July: The Complete Recordings - that tells the whole story of the band, from 1968 to the present.

July formed from the ashes of The Dreamers, one of many smaller groups that emerged during the British Invasion.  After another British band, Freddie and The Dreamers, made it big, they rechristened themselves The Tomcats.  The original Tomcats featured vocalist-guitarist Tom Newman, lead guitarist Peter Cook, bassist Alan James, and drummer Chris Jackson.  A lineup change found them joining forces with members of another rock group, Second Thoughts.  That group featured Jon Field on flute, keyboards, and percussion, Tony Duhig on guitar, Patrick Cambell-Lyons on vocals, and others.  When Second Thoughts split, Duhig and Field joined up with Newman, James, and Jackson to form a new iteration of The Tomcats.  This would later become the first lineup of July.

The Tomcats enjoyed some success in Spain with a blend of R&B and rock, but Newman and Cook eventually made their way back to London and wrote new material that embraced the psych-rock sound.  They recorded demos and found a new label in Major-Minor and a new manager in Spencer Davis.  July was recorded with the label's staff producer Tommy Scott and engineer Mike Ross overseeing.  The 12-song effort was released in 1968 and the rest, as they say, was history.

The 6-CD box set July: The Complete Recordings tracks the band's entire six-decade history, bringing together all their releases in one package for the first time ever, newly remastered and presented in a deluxe clamshell package with an impressive 36-page booklet.  The historic photos and new liner notes by David Wells, including new interviews with band members, provide unprecedented insight into the history of July.  And that's before we get to the impressive selection of music!

CD 1 features that cult classic in its original mono mix along with single edits of album cuts "My Clown," "Dandelion Seeds,"  plus the non-album A-side "Hello, Who's There" and its B-side, a longer, looser re-recording of the album cut "The Way."  CD 2 features the 12-track album in stereo.  This mix is a bit of an anomaly as it was originally only available in the U.S. on the Epic label.  Epic had re-EQ'd the mono mix to build a faux-stereo version that to this day sparks controversy among fans.  It's been enhanced for this set to a much better result.  The songs are often heavier than most psych-pop that made it to the charts, Indian-inspired, and full of reverb and tape trickery that would make more well-known bands jealous.

As Tom Newman remembers in the liner notes, "We used two four-track machines and bounced tracks from one to another, the same way that Sgt. Pepper was made.  I was already making tape loops by then fifty-foot long going right 'round the room, so I got very interested in multi-track facilities.  Tommy and the engineer [Mike Ross] were also into making their own Sgt. Pepper with freaky recordings techniques."  Alan James recalled one such incident during the recording of "You Missed It All": "Mike Ross was...trying to show us how to get white noise by hanging a microphone out of the window.  It was fairly early in the morning on a Sunday, and so the back streets were fairly quiet.  Suddenly, though, someone got out of his car and slammed the door very loudly.  Mike told us we'd have to take it out, but we just said, "No, leave it in."  It's this sense of adventure - not to mention the quality of the songwriting - that makes it an enduring album that's worthy of all the accolades it's received in the decades since.

Many sets would stop there with the first album but, typical of the label, Grapefruit has gone several steps further to present proves there's more to the story than their eponymous effort.  The third CD presents all the tracks from a 1995 compilation called The Second of July.  The fourteen tracks are made up of those historic demos by Newman and Cook which have been augmented slightly, mainly with drums.  Here, we witness the duo trying out wild psychedelic ideas from inside various flats in Ealing.  Though it's obviously a do-it-yourself affair, these songs display a certain confidence in their material which is all the more intriguing considering the era in which they were created.

As David Wells points out in his liner notes, in 1967 many British bands were exploring improvisational forms.  July, meanwhile, had tighter sets with constructed songs.  "We played at The Roundhouse...with another up-and-coming band," reflected bassist Alan James.  When they were packing up to leave, the MC implored them to return to the stage for another set.  "He said, 'The audience don't like the band that's out there at the moment.'  That happened to be Pink Floyd."

While their live sets alongside Jethro Tull, Spooky Tooth, and Roy Harper were well-received, some of the band members grew tired of the requirements of studio recording. "The whole recording session [for July] was an absolute nightmare," Jon Field said, quoted in the notes.  "Nobody was relaxed, and the whole thing was done in such a rush.  The producer, Tommy Scott, couldn't contribute to the music because he didn't understand it - there was no empathy at all."  "We weren't allowed into the control room to listen to the takes," Newman stated.  "It was the old Peter Sellers thing: 'Where the carpet starts, you stop.'"

Differences in artistic direction between the band and producer Scott came to a head during the recording of the Small Faces-esque "Hello, Who's There?" "They turned it into a joke recording," offered songwriter Peter Cook, recalling the put-on accents and production choices that certainly date the song.  Worse, Tommy Scott's send-up that he'd so hoped would bring the band surefire chart action ended up stalling completely.  July called it quits, with Field and Duhig forming Jade Warrior, as Newman, Jackson, and Cook reformed The Tomcats.  Cook would go on to become a top luthier, while Newman would eventually convince his friend Richard Branson to start up the Virgin record label and also produce a number of Mike Oldfield albums.

It wasn't until decades later, as crate-digging psych fans rediscovered the album that they would begin to re-evaluate their legacy as July.  Newman, James, Jackson, and Cook reconvened in 2009.  After four decades, Cook professed that "the chemistry was still there, and everything kind of gelled... At that time I thought, well, I wasn't actually in July, so I've got to bring something to the party."  He penned new tracks and recorded the material with Newman for an album that would be called Temporal Anomaly.  Those previously unreleased 10 tracks mark the first inkling of July's return - though they were recorded under the Tomcats moniker - and are included on CD 4.

The whole band would eventually revisit the Temporal Anomaly material on a new fully-fledged July project aptly called Resurrection, which also featured material prepared by all four members.  Finally released in 2013, and featured on this set on CD 5, the album was hailed as a triumphant return that blends classic psychedelic traits with a contemporary feel.  A new version of the album's tongue-in-cheek, Beatles lyric-inspired "Can I Go Back Again" was released in 2016 as a non-album single.  It's presented as a bonus track alongside Cook's original demo.

But while that track looks back, July has continued to move forward and their latest studio effort, The Wight Album, comprises the sixth and final disc of this career-spanning box set.  Here, Newman and Cook pay tribute to their past, featuring songs by Jackson and James along with a clever use of guitar parts from 1968.  Once again, July combines heavy guitars and familiar psych-rockisms with a decidedly contemporary production style.  The world of recording has changed dramatically since 1968; for one, the band can be their own auteurs, and phasing and looping can be done in a click.  July makes full use of a range of recording techniques, and they include one song that brings the effort full-circle.

In Cook's words: "Just when we thought [the album] was done and dusted...[Tom] called to ask if I remembered writing a song in 1967 called 'The Game'...It kind of rang a bell, but it was only when he sang it to me that it slowly came back.  Tom couldn't remember the last verse or the tune for the middle-eight, but he thought we had to include it on the album in the spirit of '67.  So, one new last verse and middle-eight later, we laid it down."  It's a poetic way to tie the bow around July's history so far, bringing together songs and sounds from across their 50-year history. 

by Sam Stone, September 14, 2020

Tracks

Disc 1  July (Mono) 1968

1. My Clown - 3:27

2. Dandelion Seeds - 4:32

3. Jolly Mary - 2:22

4. Hallo To Me - 3:01

5. You Missed It All - 2:53

6. The Way - 3:30

7. To Be Free - 2:51

8. Move On Sweet Flower - 3:28

9. Crying Is For Writers - 2:37

10.I See - 2:43

11.Friendly Man - 3:12

12.A Bird Lived - 2:40

13.My Clown - 3:17

14.Dandelion Seeds - 3:21

15.Hello, Who's There? - 3:12

16.The Way - 4:14

Tracks 1,3,7,10,11,12,13,15 written by Peter Cook

Tracks 2,4,5,6,8,14,16 written by Tom Newman

Track 9 written by Chris Jackson

Disc 2  July 1968 (Stereo)

1. My Clown - 3:28

2. Dandelion Seeds - 4:32

3. Jolly Mary - 2:23

4. Hallo To Me - 3:00

5. You Missed It All - 2:51

6. The Way - 3:21

7. To Be Free - 2:50

8. Move On Sweet Flower - 3:26

9. Crying Is For Writers - 2:36

10.I See - 2:43

11.Friendly Man - 3:12

12.A Bird Lived - 2:38

Tracks 1,3,7,10,11,12 written by Peter Cook

Tracks 2,4,5,6,8 written by Tom Newman

Track 9 written by Chris Jackson

Disc 3  The Second Of July 1969

1. You Missed It All - 1:57

2. My Clown - 2:30

3. Dandelion Seeds - 2:41

4. The Stamping Machine - 1:41

5. A Bird Lived - 1:52

6. Look At Her - 2:18

7. The Way - 2:02

8. Friendly Man - 2:02

9. I See - 2:24

10.The Girl In The Café - 1:57

11.You See Me I See You - 2:12

12.Man Outside - 3:29

13.Move On Sweet Flower - 2:11

14.Hallo To Me - 1:55

Tracks 1,3,4,6,7,10,11,12,13,14 written by Tom Newman

Tracks 2,5,8,9 written by Peter Cook

Disc 4  Temporal Anomaly 2010

1. I Like It - 4:38

2. If - 5:08

3. A Day To Remember - 4:28

4. All The Hours There Are - 3:07

5. Don't Let Me Down - 5:07

6. Magical Days - 3:02

7. Regeneration - 5:01

8. Dreams - 3:14

9. I'm Talking To You - 3:34

10.Lights - 5:27

All songs by Peter Cook except tracks 4,6 by Tom Newman

Disc 5  Resurrection 2013

1. Dreams - 5:02

2. I Like It - 4:35

3. Can I Go Back Again - 5:30

4. Counting The Minutes - 4:20

5. A Day To Remember - 3:44

6. King Bee - 4:24

7. All The Hours There Are - 3:08

8. I'm Talkin' To You - 3:42

9. Linear Thinking - 2:52

10.Heaven Or Hell - 4:06

11.Magical Days - 3:59

12.Regeneration - 4:20

13.Can I Go Back Again - 6:18

14.Can I Go Back Again - 5:42

All songs by Peter Cook except tracks 7,11 by Tom Newman

Disc 6  The Wight Album 2020

1. The Devil Inside - 3:11

2. Special Guy - 3:13

3. Sophie - 6:28

4. Animals - 4:16

5. We Are The Masters - 3:26

6. Love 'N' Love - 1:39

7. Protest Song - 4:03

8. Henry's Squirrel - 3:39

9. It's Up To Me - 3:11

10.Seeking The Hacksaw Blades - 4:40

11.Let Me - 5:01

12.Catchin' Up - 3:03

13.Mods Of Ryde - 2:26

14.The Game - 1:54

15.What's Gonna Be - 3:46

16.Disco Klingon - 3:00

17.It's A Fine Line - 2:05

18.Dancing - 0:26

19.Truth - 4:35

20.The Traveller - 3:29

21.Home - 5:58

22.Once When We Was Free - 3:37

23.Right Place, Wrong Time - 2:43

Tracks 1,2,4,5,9,11,14,15,18,19,21,23 written by Peter Cook

Tracks 6,7,8,12,16,17,22 written by Tom Newman

Track 3 written by Chris Jackson

Track 10 written by Jim Newman, Tom Newman

Track 13 written by Peter Cook, Tom Newman

Track 20 written by Alan James

July

*Peter Cook - Vocals, Guitar

*Tony Duhig - Lead Guitar, Organ

*Jon Field - Flute, Keyboards

*Chris Jackson - Drums, Organ

*Alan James - Bass

*Tom Newman - Vocals, Guitars

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rep>>> The Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine (1968 us, wonderful sunny psych, first Repertoire issue)

In 1968, for one brief, DayGlo moment, a Tristate band was the biggest thing in rock 'n' roll.The Lemon Pipers - singer Ivan Browne, guitarist Bill Bartlett, keyboardist Bob Nave, bassist Steve Walmsley and drummer Bill Albaugh - were top of the pops with the sunny psychedelia of "Green Tambourine."

The band had evolved from two local groups - Ivan & the Sabres and Tony & the Bandits - when the Bandits (which included Bartlett, Nave and Albaugh) fired Tony and stole Ivan.

The newly christened Lemon Pipers were a fixture in Oxford clubs and Cincinnati's underground rock palace, the Ludlow Garage, owned by young hippie entrepreneur Jim Tarbell. Fame beckoned in a major-label contract with Buddah Records. Firing their bassist, the group hired Walmsley and headed for New York.

A year after the Summer of Love, major labels were packaging the new psychedelic rock for pop radio. One result was a candy-colored confection called "bubblegum rock." The masterminds were K&K - producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz. Along with the Lemon Pipers, they were also responsible for the Ohio Express and 1910 Fruitgum Company.

It's what Nave, a jazz-influenced organist who became one of the Tristate's leading jazz DJs, calls "the duality of the Lemon Pipers." "We were a stand-up rock 'n' roll band, and then all of a sudden, we're in a studio, being told how to play and what to play." Live, they were a blues-rocking, jam band. On record they did fuzz-toned anthems like "Jelly Jungle (of Orange Marmalade)."

The bubblegum fad soon lost its flavor. Browne quit and moved to California, where he still lives and performs. Back in Oxford, some of the other guys formed a band called Starstruck, which got a lot of notice for its rearrangement of an old Lead Belly blues called "Black Betty."

K&K heard about it, drafted Bartlett for a new band, Ram Jam, and quickly recorded "Black Betty." One-hit-wonderhood struck Bartlett twice and the song lives on, most recently on the soundtrack to Johnny Depp's Blow.

Bartlett has stayed active, though he's been focusing on boogie-woogie piano lately. Walmsley plays bass around Oxford. Nave occasionally plays organ with Greg Schaber & High Street. Albaugh died in 1999.

By Larry Nager

Tracks

1. Rice Is Nice - 2:16

2. Shoeshine Boy - 3:19

3. Turn Around Take A Look (Bill Bartlett) - 2:42

4. Rainbow Tree (Kenny Laguna, Hy Mizrahi) - 2:16

5. Ask Me If I Care (Eric Wayne Ehrmann) - 3:03

6. Straggling Behind (Bill Albaugh, Bill Bartlett, Ivan Browne, R.G. Nave, Steve Walmsley) - 2:32

7. Green Tambourine - 2:22

8. Blueberry Blue - 2:19

9. Shoemaker Of Leatherwear Square - 2:00

10.Fifty Year Void (Bill Albaugh, Bill Bartlett, Ivan Browne, R.G. Nave, Steve Walmsley) - 5:41

11.Through With You (Bill Bartlett) - 8:31

All songs by Paul Leka, Shelley Pinz unless as else stated

The Lemon Pipers
*Bill Albaugh - Drums
*Bill Bartlett - Lead Guitar
*Ivan Browne - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals
*R. G. Nave - Organ, Tambourine, Fog Horn, Toys
*Steve Walmsley - Bass Guitar

1968-69  The Lemon Pipers - Love Beads And Meditation (2008 Rev Ola)

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Belle Gonzalez - Belle (1972 world, ethereal baroque psych folk rock, 2014 korean remaster)

Belle Gonzalez is an Italian-born jazz and folk singer of Polish, Filipino, Spanish and Chinese descent. Having grown up in Italy and Belgium she moved to the United Kingdom. Belle’s singing career really began in 1950 in the Philippines. She was successful and travelled to Okinawa, Bangkok, then Singapore, where she met the Englishman who was to become her husband and moved to the United Kingdom with him.

A talented singer known for her soulful vocals and captivating performances. With her dynamic stage presence and heartfelt delivery, she creates a memorable musical experience. Acoustic guitars, warm melodies and reflective lyrics create an intimate atmosphere, while subtle arrangements add a dreamy, almost pastoral character. The result is a deeply personal album that captures the introspective spirit of the era while maintaining a timeless melodic charm.

"Belle' was rleased in 1972 and long out of reach, Belle Gonzalez's only album is one of those rare records that feels like a secret passed from hand to hand. Her voice is gentle yet full of presence, carrying songs that drift between British folk and the soft sway of Brazilian rhythms. It's music that feels both of its time and strangely timeless, the kind of record you play once and then can't forget. After decades in obscurity, Belle finally returns to be heard the way it always should have been.

Tracks

1. Black Paper Roses - 3:22

2. Sometime Love - 2:45

3. Bottles - 3:26

4. (aughin' At The)Voodoo - 2:45

5. I Hate Sunday - 3:00

6. Might As Well Have Stayed - 3:17

7. Too Many Hang Ups - 3:40

8. Michael - 3:48

9. Motorway Gipsy - 2:24

10.Sun Dreams - 4:27

11.Old Man Cried - 3:26

12.Don't Know Where The Night Went - 3:22

Words and Music by Belle Gonzalez

Personnel

*Belle Gonzalez - Vocals, Guitar

*Jimmy Horowitz - Conductor, Arranger

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rep>>> Unicorn - Uphill All The Way (1971-73 uk, splendid harmony folk soft rock, 2009 remaster and expanded)

The Unicorn’s first album,  Uphill All the Way, sounds like a band simply ecstatic at the possibilities of this new brand of folk-rock; they cover all the greats of the genre: Neil Young, Jimmy Webb, John Stewart, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, and Gerry Rafferty. But the originals by Ken Baker show that he was just as good at evoking the sun drenched canyons of the beaches of Southern California as his influences; which is all the more impressive considering he was writing and singing from the famously overcast and rainy London. 

Still Baker’s songwriting wasn’t yet up to snuff, the best song here is their beautiful interpretation of Webb’s  P.F. Sloan,  a tribute to the American songwriter. The amazing harmonies on this track reveal Unicorn was more than just a CSN rip-off like so many bands of this breed; these guys are the real deal.

by Stephen Belden

Tracks
1. P.F. Sloan (Jimmy Webb) - 4:30
2. 115 Bar Joy (Ken Baker) - 3:51
3. I've Loved Her So Long (Neil Young) - 2:42
4. Don't Ever Give Up Trying (Ken Baker) - 5:08
5. Country Road (James Taylor) - 4:16
6. Something To Say (Joe Cocker) - 4:43
7. Ain't Got A Lot Of Future (Ken Baker) - 6:49
8. Never Going Back (John Stewart) - 3:21
9. You, You, Hate Me (Ken Baker) - 5:38
10.Please Sing A Song For Us (Gerry Rafferty) - 3:13
11.Going Back Home (Ken Baker) - 3:36
12.Cosmic Kid (Ken Baker) - 2:57
13.All We Really Want To Do (Bonnie Bramlett, Delaney Bramlett) - 3:17
14.P.F. Sloan (2006 Remix) (Jimmy Webb) - 4:40
Bonus Tracks 11-14

Unicorn
*Peter Perrier - Drums, Congas, Percussion, Vocals
*Pat Martin - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Ken Baker - Electric Guitar, Acoustic 6, 12 String Guitar, Organ, Piano, Harmonium, Electric Piano, Vocals
*Trevor Mee - 6, 12 String Electric Acoustic Guitars, Flute, Vocals
With
*Kevin Smith - Guitar, Mandolin
*Hugh Murphy - Tambourine

1967-76  Unicorn - Shed No Tear The Early Late Unicorn (2024 TLAK)

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rep>>> Game - Game (1969 us, awesome classic rock with psych and some prog shades, 2007 remaster)

Singers/guitarists Eddie Keating and Chuck Kirkpatrick, drummer Scott Kirkpatrick, keyboard player Les Luhring and singer/bassist George Terry had all been members of the Southern Florida based Proctor Amusement Company.  The band had become quite popular throughout the region, even recording a couple of singles and an unreleased LP for the New York based Faithful Virtue label before calling it quits. While Proctor Amusement Company had come to an end, by 1969 the five were playing Southern Florida clubs as Game.  

Released by Faithful-Virtue, 1969's "Game" is an interesting debut.  Co-produced by manager/mentor Steve Goldberg and Chuck Kirkpatrick, musically the set's all over the place, including stabs at conventional pop, progressive ('Entrance'), rock ('Fat Mama') and even showing off some jazzy interludes (check out side two's 'Disturbance/We Turn To You').  Normally such a diverse album wouldn't make all that much of an impression with me, but this is one of those exceptions.  While most bands have a hard time finding one good singer, Game wasn't hurt by having three in the form of Keating, Chuck Kirkpatrick and Terry.  The fact that Keating and Luhring wrote some nifty melodies and were capable of turning in ear candy harmony vocals didn't hurt the end results either (check out Luhring's 'Discovering You'). To be honest, material such as 'Make Some Music' and 'Stop, Look & Listen' sounds a couple of years ahead of it's time.

In 1970 the band relocated to Southern California.  Original drummer Scott Kirkpatrick dropped out before the move, replaced by Dave Robinson.  Over the next two years the band recorded a considerable amount of material, but found no takers.  Forced to start playing local clubs when their long time financial benefactor threatened to cut off support, Robinson and Terry called it quits, returning to Florida.  Terry subsequently hit the big time as a member of Eric Clapton's band.  Enduring a series of personnel changes, the band continued to play through 1978.  Chuck Kirkpatrick recorded an instantly obscure solo album for Capitol before returning to Miami where he spent some time recording and touring with Firefall, eventually starting his own business.

by Scott Blackerby

Tracks
1. Entrance (Eddie Keating, Tom Quick) - 0:51
2. What's Goin' Through My Head - 3:18
3. Discovering You (Les Luhring) - 4:11
4. Fat Mama - 2:44
5. Make Some Music - 7:49
6. Stop Look And Listen (Les Luhring) - 3:30
7. Disturbance-We Turn To You (Eddie Keating, Les Luhring) - 6:20
8. Sermon - 2:09
9. Girl Next Door - 3:19
10.Exit (Chuck Kirkpatrick, Eddie Keating) - 4:03
All compositions by Eddie Keating except where indicated

The Game
*Eddie Keating - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Chuck Kirkpatrick - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Scott Kirkpatrick - Drums
*Les Lurhing - Keyboards
*George Terry - Vocals, Guitar, Bass

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rep>>> Paul Butterfield's Better Days - Live At Winterland Ballroom (1973 us, superb tight blues rock, 2014 issue)

Heady work from Paul Butterfield's second great group – his mighty Better Days ensemble, heard here in a nicely unbridled live set from the early 70s! Paul himself is mighty great on vocals and harmonica – but the group's a very cohesive unit, too – with additional vocals and guitar from Amos Garrett and Geoff Muldaur, organ and piano from Ronnie Barron, and some mighty heavy drums from Billy Rich! The music seems to have even more punch than on some of Butterfield's studio sessions – blues rock, but with a little something extra

Dusty-Groove

Tracks
1. (Stuck In The) Countryside (Paul Butterfield) - 8:10

2. Buried Alive In The Blues (Nick Gravenites) - 3:48
3. Small Town Talk (Bobby Charles, Rick Danko) - 5:21
4. New Walkin Blues (Robert Johnson) - 6:18
5. Broke My Baby's Heart (Ronnie Barron) - 7:18
6. Highway 28 (Rod Hicks) - 4:41
7. Please Send Me Someone To Love (Percy Mayfield) - 5:21
8. He's Got All The Whiskey (Bobby Charles) - 14:11
9. Nobody's Fault But Mine (Nina Simone) - 7:57

Better Days
*Paul Butterfield - Vocals, Harmonica, Keyboards
*Geoff Muldaur - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
*Amos Garrett - Electric Guitar, Vocal
*Ronnie Barron - Vocals, Piano, Organ
*Billy Rich - Bass
*Christopher Parker - Drums

Paul Butterfield's mosaic
1964  The Original Lost Elektra Sessions
1966-68  Strawberry Jam
1970  Live 
1970  Live Vol.2 

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rep>>> Various Artists - Psych Bites, Vol. 1 (1967-74 aussie, dynamic acid freak rock)

Australians have a well-deserved reputation for liking their rock & roll hard, heavy, and without a lot of gingerbread, and it should come as no surprise that a lot of their psychedelic stuff doesn't dwell much on peace, love, and flowers.

In fact, the 20 rare tunes collected on Psych Bites, Vol. 1: Australian Acid Freakrock 1967-1974 don't sound all that psychedelic, but like early hard rock with a dash of heavy blues and progressive rock added for flavoring. "Midnight Witch" by Ash bears more than a passing resemblance to Black Sabbath (though without their monolithic impact), Helium's "Don't Think Twice" is a bluesy stroll with guitar work that wins the Leigh Stephens award for being clumsy and brilliant at the same time, Freshwater's "Satan's Woman" shifts back and forth between major and minor keys as the titular succubus weaves her spell, Chook's "Tables Turn" is fast and thunderous, and the Dave Miller Set's "No Need to Cry" is a lean rocker with plenty of tough guitar soloing.

Most of these tracks were cut for independent Aussie labels, and with rare exceptions, the material is well-produced and musically solid; the music speaks of the early '70s rather than the late '60s (which makes sense, since only one song was cut before 1970), and while there's a vague counterculture sensibility in this music, the unspoken message is to rock out and boogie, not to explore the avenues of the mind, and taken at face value, this music succeeds admirably.

by Mark Deming

Artists - Title - Composer

1. Flake - Under The Silent Tree (Ray Cane) - 3:53

2. Doug Parkinson In Focus - Then I Run (Billy Green) - 2:59

3. Barry McCaskell And Levi Smith Clefs - Love Like A Man (Alvin Lee) - 3:20

4. Pirana - Here It Comes Again (Tony Hamilton) - 2:48

5. Long Grass - Anywhere You Wanna Go (Peter Guster, Steve Adorian) - 2:21

6. Freshwater - Satan's Woman (Murry Partridge) - 3:00

7. Ash - Midnight Witch (Richard John Cottle, Doug Ford) - 4:03

8. Chook - Cold Feet (Alex O'Hara) - 3:07

9. Michael Turner In Session - Patterns Of My Life (Gil Matthews) - 2:57

10.Dave Miller Set - No Need To Cry (Dave Miller) - 6:12

11.Ticket - Awake (Paul Woolright, Trevor Tombleson, Eddie Hansen, Ricky Ball) - 5:19

12.Rashamra - Antelope (John Haffert, Peter Jesser) - 3:15

13.Flake - Breadalbane (Neale Johns, John Russell) - 5:19

14.Helium - Don't Think Twice (Reed, Painter, Dyer, Rowe) - 3:49

15.Isherwood - Willy The Weeper (Gleeson, Hayson, Racial) - 2:10

16.Healing Force - The Gully (Lindsay Wells) - 3:53

17.Headband - Stay With Me (Mauri Berg) - 3:30

18.Ash - Warrant (Criston Barker, Ron Hood) - 2:58

19.Chook - Tables Turn (Alex O'Hara) - 3:13

20.Doug Parkinson In Focus - Purple Curtains (Billy Green) - 2:24

1968-74  Various Artists - Psych Bites, Vol. 2 (Past & Present 2010)

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rep>>> The O Band - Within Reach (1976 uk, magnificent classic rock blended with glam prog and funky vibes, 2019 korean remaster)

A wonderfully melodic very tight musicianship led by Pix on lead guitar; West Coast US inspired, but nevertheless 'English sounding'.  The band used to be obsessed about getting the sound-engineering just right on stage and would keep us waiting for 10 to 15 minutes, playing to an empty, locked auditorium while the engineer made fine adjustments on the desk. You could watch through the windows in the doors. The wait was always worth it. The band were fine vocalists as well as great players. 

When I saw them they were first called Oasis! I do not know why they changed name. I remember Pix played with a slightly distracted look of concentration and absorption by the music. He used to look above the heads of the audience, apparantly studying the wall behind us, but seeing nothing I guess. He took his picking really seriously.

So to the album. Each track has a complimentary momentum and feel so that the overall effect is very coherent. The last track is a kind of gentle 'goodbye'. Smile is a Diamond seems to be the most highly regarded track, but I find them all equally good.

Within Reach by The O Band is World Class and an essential album for any blissed-out soft rocker. I love it.

by Dr. S. L. Smith 

Tracks

1. A Smile Is Diamond (Mark Anders, Jonathan Pickford) - 6:04

2. Feel Alright (Mark Anders, Jonathan Pickford) - 3:33

3. Lucia Loser (Jonathan Pickford) - 4:09

4. Dontcha Wanna (Mark Anders, Jonathan Pickford) - 4:59

5. Money Talk (Mark Anders, Jonathan Pickford) - 3:29

6. Still Burning (Mark Anders, Jonathan Pickford) - 6:00

7. Paradise Blue (Jeff Bannister) - 3:47

8. Long, Long Way (Jeff Bannister) - 5:52

9. Within Reach (Mark Anders, Jonathan Pickford) - 3:21

10.A Smile Is Diamond (Mark Anders, Jonathan Pickford) - 3:55

11.Coasting (Jeff Bannister) - 5:02

12.Love Ain't A Keeper (Jeff Bannister) - 5:01

The O Band

*Jonathan Pix Pickford - Lead Vocals, Guitar

*Mark Anders - Bass

*Derek Ballard - Drums, Percussion  

*Craig Anders - Vocals, Peddle Steel Guitar, Slide Guitar 

*Jeff Bannister - Vocals, Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Synthesizer

1974  A Band Called O - "O" (2019 korean remaster)  

1975  A Band Called O - Oasis (2019 korean remaster)

1977  The O Band - The Knife (2019 Big Pink Korea)  

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1972   The Parlour Band - Is A Friend (2010 Esoteric)

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rep>>> Edwards Hand - Rainshine (1971 uk, marvelous smart soft rock, 2015 issue)

Rainshine was recorded in April 1971 at AIR Studios under the aegis of George Martin. His vocal and orchestral arrangements were, of course, peerless, the rhythm section of Les Brown and Harry Reynolds knitted together seamlessly, while David Dowd's guitar work provided the sympathetic, laid-back feel that was required.  Apart from the odd overdubbed line from the new Moog synthesizer, everything was performed live with an absolute minimum of overdubs, with Rod on piano and Roger on acoustic guitar. The duo's harmonies were sumptuous, while the addition of Harry Reynolds, Aliki Ashman and Charlene to the vocal mix brought something new to the table. 

Most importantly of all, however, the new songs were superb. The likes of' ‘Going Down', 'Race Against The Sun' and 'Beam Me Aboard' were mellow, radio-friendly soft rock creations, 'New York City Rain' extended the earlier Simon & Garfunkel comparisons but added an understated country rock feel, while 'Lullaby' and 'Just Friends’ wore tender laments that reflected the influence of James Taylor during the early 1970s. 'If You Were Here and 'Pacific Coast Highway' were drowsy, winsome ballads that anticipated the sound of America (who, of course, would also be produced by George Martin), while 'Let It Shine' and 'Real Slow' were arresting slices of post-Beatles psychedelic pop/rock.  With its strings arrangement and prominent female backing vocals, the epic 'Its My Time' was a putative anthem, and the catchy 'Smile LA, You're The Centre Of The World' {complete with a sly reference to old sparring partner Al Stewarts song 'Electric Los Angeles Sunset') would surely have made a great single. Sadly, though, it wasn't to be. 

The album was completed in less than three weeks and duly dispatched to the American branch of RCA. Lcnnie Poncher was standing by to set up a US tour, secure in the knowledge that, whereas Rod and Roger had previously requested an orchestra, they were now a tight, self contained five-piece unit. Their future seemed rosy, but a hard rain was about to fall. RCA were extremely unhappy about the change in style from the hard rock approach of Stranded; they didn't hear a potential hit single, and refused to release the album. "When we gave them Stranded, we were concerned that they wouldn't like it as it was essentially a progressive rock album", recalls John Miller. "Instead they loved it. When it came to the next album, they wanted another prog rock set – but instead we gave them Raimhine. They were horrified. They told us that America had plenty of Simon & Garfunkel-style soft rock acts of their own, and that there was no market for an English band doing the same thing. Lennie Poncher unexpectedly announced his retirement, so we had nobody in our corner, and RCA turned down the LP. George (Martin) was really shocked - he'd never had an album rejected before!"

It was a sad end to Edwards Hand, who, in Roger's words, "went out with a whimper". John Miller was already producing in his own right, and he suggested that they form a production company together, Triumvirate. This led to the three of them opening their own recording studio, Redan Recorders, and a new career as arrangers and record producers. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that Rod and Roger did make one more album together: The Butterfly Ball And Jlie Grasshopper's Feast, released by the Argo label in 1975. This featured poems from Alan Aldridge's illustrated book of the same title, with readings by Judi Dcnch and Michael Hordern, and music and vocals by Edwards Hand. However, it is the long-lost Rainshine that effectively constitutes the duo's final work together: throughout their four albums that they recorded under the banners of either the Picadilly Line or Edwards Hand, Rod and Roger were always searching for their own style. They believe that, on Rainshine, they finally found it.

by David Wells, November 2014

With thanks to John Miller

Tracks
1. Pacific Coast Highway - 3:58
2. Going Down - 4:16
3. Let It Shine On Me - 5:23
4. If You Were Here - 3:05
5. Race Against The Sun - 4:34
6. New York City Rain - 3:33
7. Lullaby - 2:55
8. Real Slow - 3:11
9. Beam Me Aboard - 5:55
10.Smile LA, You're The Centre Of The World - 3:46
11.Just Friends - Episodes, Being The Second Part - 4:35
12.It's My Time - 5:26
13.Slippin' 'n' Slidin' - 2:30
14.They're Only Gonna Take My Life - 3:37
15.I Love You - 2:40
16.Early Days - 2:43
17.Turn Round Love - 3:56
18.Goodbye Gypsy Flyer - 3:17
19.Hard Road - 2:12
20.Sail Away - 3:09
21.All Long Gone - 3:53
22.Introduction - 0:46
All songs written by Rod Edward, Roger Hand
Bonus Tracks 13-22 recorded during the 1970s. Mostly they are demos, a couple were possible tracks for the Rainshine album.
They were recorded at AIR Studios, Morgan Studios and Redan, Recorders, and engineered by Bill Price, Robin Black, Johnnie Schinas and Roger Wake.

Edwards Hand
*Rod Edwards - Vocals, Keyboards
*Roger Hand - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
With
*Les Brown Jr - Drums
*David Dowd - Guitars
*Clem Cattini - Drums
*Clive Bunker - Drums
*Ian Mosley - Drums
*Harry Reynolds - Bass
*John Wetton - Bass
*John G Perry - Bass
*James Litherland – Guitar
*Harry Reynolds, Aliki Ashman, Charlene, Shirlie Roden - Backing Vocals

Further Releases
1967  Picadilly Line - The Huge World Of Emily Small
1968  The Edwards Hand - Edwards Hand
1970  Edwards Hand - Stranded (Japan remaster edition)

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rep>>> T. Rex - Great Hits The A Sides (1972-77 uk, fabulous glam rock)

"If there is going to be any revolution in pop, it must come from the young people and if you ignore them, you are cutting yourself off from the life-supply of the rock music force."

(Marc Bolan, November 1970)

By the end of 1970, it was clear that the apparent revolutionary power of the rock underground was going nowhere. Its stars, increasingly enslaved by the chemical favours that came their way, had begun to die off; their riches and fame set them apart from the movement they were meant to represent; and their fashions and music had been assimilated into the wider culture.

They'd become another brick in the wall they once wished to tear down. Marc Bolan, although very much a part of the British underground, never fully bought into the politics of the counter-culture. As the driving force of Tyrannosaurus Rex, a duo which played — cross-legged on Indian rugs — at UFO, Middle Earth and as many outdoor festivals as they could possibly manage, Bolan massaged the underground's escapist wing. He looked like an elfin rag-doll, spoke in a precious whisper, wrote reams of fanciful poetry and sang like a quavering priest from an alien land.

And, unlike many of his contemporaries, he rarely ventured far from the simple songwriting that had inspired him as a youth: three chords were usually enough. Much has been made of Bolan's transition from underground folkie to teen idol, but through his eyes, it was all part of the mosaic of fantasy. In fact, he was fond of saying that his post-1,970 pop career was far more honest than the days when he spun Tolkienesque tales to the hippie hordes, and perhaps he was right.

After 1970, Marc Bolan no longer fed the addled heads of wayward undergraduates; instead, he activated an entire generation of teenagers, setting the controls for as far as they could think. Like the Beatles fans a decade earlier, they screamed, but they also dreamed. Through his image, he encouraged a symbolic refusal of ordinariness, just as his own heroes Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix had done.

 He once said, "I don't lead an everyday life, but that's nothing to do with being a rock star. I've always been like that." A generation of pop fans took him at his word, and began to create their own personae. It was particularly gratifying, then, to later discover that dozens of gaily-attired punk musicians were inducted into a pop way of life by his example.

The songs on this CD document every single released by T. Rex between January 1972 and August 1977, a period which began with a string of surefire chart-toppers, and ended with his death in a car crash on 16th September 1977. By that time, his successes were hard-earned, but his knack for conjuring irresistible three minute epics out of a clutch of simple chord shapes and a few choice phrases never left him.

Tracks
1. Telegram Sam - 3:44
2. Metal Gum - 2:.26
3. Children Of The Revolution - 2:27
4. Solid Gold Easy Action - 2:20
5. 20th Century Boy - 3:38
6. The Groover - 3:21
7. Truck On (Tyke) - 3:06
8 Teenage Dream - 4:56
9. Light 0f Love - 3:14
10.Zip Gun Boogie - 3:18
11.New York City - 3:55
12.Dreamy Lady - 2:52
13.London Boys - 2:19
14.I Love To Boogie - 2:14
15.Laser Love - 3:35
16.To Know You Is To Love You (To Know Him Is To Love Him) (Phil Spector) - 2:43
17.The Soul 01 My Suit - 2:37
18.Dandy In The Underworld - 3:49
19.Celebrate Summer - 2:36
All Songs Written By Marc Bolan, except wher noted.

Musicians
*Marc Bolan -  Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Mickey Finn -  Percussion (1969 - 1974)
*Steve Currie -  Bass (1970 - 1976)
*Bill Legend -  Drums (1971 - 1973)
*Gloria Jones -  Keyboards, Vocals (1973 - 1976)
*Jack Green -  Guitar (1973 - 1973)
*Dino Dines -  Keyboards (1973 - 1977)
*Davy Lutton -  Drums (1973 - 1976)
*Miller Anderson -  Guitar (1976 - 1977)
*Herbie Flowers -  Bass (1976 - 1977)
*Tony Newman -  Drums (1976 - 1977)

1970  Tyrannosaurus Rex - A Beard Of Stars (2014 Double Disc)

1970  T. Rex - T. Rex (2014 Double Disc)
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1965-70  John's Children - A Strange Affair (2013 Double Disc)

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rep>>> Terry Dolan - Terry Dolan (1972 us, amazing classic rock with psych country and blues flavours, 2016 remaster and expanded)

On April 24, 1971, the San Francisco Examiner ran a piece titled “The Hit That Isn't a Record.” It was about an unsigned local musician named Terry Dolan who was “doing the impossible – having a hit without making a record.” A demo tape Dolan had cut with Rolling Stones' piano man Nicky Hopkins had found its way into heavy rotation on two FM underground stations, and one of the songs, Inlaws and Outlaws, was lighting up the phones. The article would prove strangely prescient, because after the demo helped land him a deal with Warner Brothers, Dolan made a record that never became a record. At least not until forty-four years later.

Music history is peppered with lost albums, those vinyl equivalents of Atlantis – from The Beach Boys' Smile to Prince's Black Album. But what if not only a landmark album went missing in time, but along with it an artist and the potential of an entire career?

“Who knows what would've happened with Terry's career had it come out in 1972?” says Mike Somavilla. “Who knows what his next album for Warner Brothers would've sounded like?”

Somavilla, a resident San Francisco music expert and fan, spent twenty-seven years, on and off, considering these questions as he worked to get Dolan's lost album released. “I made it my life's ambition,” he says. “A long time ago, Terry gave me a cassette of it, then when I moved out to the Bay Area in 1987, he gave me one of the original test pressings. It was like getting one of the lost pieces of San Francisco's music scene, the holy grail.”

That holy grail, co-produced by Nicky Hopkins and Pete Sears (a multi-instrumentalist featured on Rod Stewart's early work), included a stellar cast of 70s-era west coast musicians including Greg Douglass, Prairie Prince, John Cipollina and Neal Schon. Heard today, the album brings to mind classics from that year like Leon Russell's Carney and Elton John's Honky Chateau - a soulful singer-songwriter collection given rock and gospel muscle through energetic arrangements and Dolan's powerful tenor voice.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Terry Dolan picked up a guitar at age 14, soaking up songs by Hank Williams and Leadbelly. Inspired by the burgeoning folk scene of the early '60s, he dropped out of college to pursue a career. In 1965, he moved to San Francisco, quickly finding a place strumming in the city's Haight-Ashbury and North Beach coffee houses. As he sang in Inlaws and Outlaws: “When I came, I came along for the ride / yeah, we were coming into ‘Frisco, I believe so good to be alive…”

In the mid-1960s, San Francisco was briefly nicknamed “Liverpool of the West” because of the burgeoning music scene. KSOL radio disc jockey Sylvester “Sly” Stone was moonlighting as a producer for bands like The Mojo Men and The Beau Brummels. Experimental author Ken Kesey was throwing the first of his infamous “acid tests” at the Fillmore, with psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane supplying the fuzzed-out soundtrack. And at the hippie church known as the The Avalon, the first trippy light show projected pulsing liquid blobs across the laid-back country rock epics of the Grateful Dead.

London-born Pete Sears, who'd end being a co-producer on Dolan's record, and moved to San Francisco in 1968, says, “It felt like a new frontier. The scene was like folk music plugged in. There was a freedom, a character. Being next to the bay, having all these clubs that were open late at night, a community of musicians. It was an anything goes atmosphere, with bands everywhere.”

Dolan sometimes joked that he was “too hard for folk, too soft for hard rock,” but by 1970, he'd found his niche in clubs like Matrix and Keystone Korner, mixing his east coast coffee house ballad sensibility with a more energetic, jam-friendly west coast sound.

Greg Douglass, guitarist for psych-rock band Country Weather, (and later Steve Miller Band) says of Dolan, “He had balls for days, getting up in front of our audience, armed with only his voice, guitar, and a fiery, Irish inner-flame goading him.”

Douglass was a key player in the demo session with Hopkins that led to the record deal with Warners. But he recalls that there were problems right out of the gate. “Things became bogged down due to Nicky's schedule,” he says. “Everybody wanted his time and talent, and the Rolling Stones were a tad higher on the food chain than Terry. Finally, Terry tearfully appealed to Nicky, and time was scheduled.”

With a band that included John Cipollina, Prairie Prince, Lonnie Turner, and The Pointer Sisters, the first side of Dolan's album went to tape at Wally Heider's studio in January 1972. Expectations were high. But the momentum was soon halted, as Hopkins was called away for overdubs on the Stones' Exile on Main Street, then a US tour. Warner Brothers hedged on the budget to finish. “Terry had lost not only his producer, but also one of the chief bargaining chips that got him his deal in the first place,” says Douglass. “Terry's album was the first thing Nicky had ever produced, and Terry became a victim of the fact that Mr. Hopkins was now the hottest keyboard player in rock. Terry was beyond distraught. The label was pissed.”

Enter Pete Sears. “There'd been a really long gap,” he says. “It was August when I came in to do side two. The label was running out of money, and there something going on with Warners. I think Terry's A & R guy had left the label, and the relationship had deteriorated.”

Sears called in favours to get a good deal at Pacific Recorders and recruited guitarists Greg Douglass and Neal Schon, and David Weber on drums. “I played bass, piano and organ,” he says. “It's hard to remember the details. We did the entire side in three and a half days. It was just another session, in some regards. But it was good fun, and Terry was a great singer.”

With the master tapes, artwork and photos by Herb Greene in hand, Warner Brothers slated the record for February 1973. But two months before, they canceled the release and dropped Dolan from the label.

Sears says, “It's a very common story in the music business. An artist gets signed, everyone's excited, then the champion at the label gets fired or leaves, and it's like turning off a tap.”

Douglass adds, “Without Nicky's complete participation, Warners deemed the album not commercially viable and decided not to release it. Terry was inconsolable and I didn't hear from him for a very long time.”

Somavilla says, “He eventually moved on and got over the disappointment, and kept making music.” His band Terry and The Pirates, including Greg Douglass and John Cipollina, were beloved mainstays of the San Francisco scene through the 1980s, releasing several indie albums. By 1989, Somavilla had befriended Dolan and told him he intended to get the rights back to his lost album.

“Terry said, 'Good luck, have fun,'” Somavilla says. “When I contacted Warners the first time, they ignored me. As time went by, I couldn't live with no answer, so I tried again, and was told that the master belonged to them in perpetuity. I still didn't like that answer. More time went by. Then George Wallace from High Noon Records was out here looking for lost music, and I played him the test pressing. From the first notes, he fell in love. We got a lawyer down in LA. The pieces finally came together, and my dream came true. And Terry's too.”

Unfortunately, Dolan didn't live to see the release (he died of heart failure in 2012). But his wife Angie and several of the session musicians have joined Somavilla in celebrating the lost album, which came out in November 2016.

Sears says, “Terry's record really captures the Marin County scene that was going on in the early 1970s. It was a moment in time. There's a rawness about it. All this collision of folk and rock and gospel, this interplay between the musicians. We did what we felt like doing. There wasn't much thought about whether it was commercial, but there are some songs on there that could've been radio hits.”

Somavilla says, “I've done forty-three record deals for different artists since 1992 and I'm proud of each and every one, but this is the high bar. Terry gave me my start in the business and to bring this out for the public, with it looking so sharp and sounding so good, it's really gratifying.”

He adds with a laugh, “Now I'm just waiting it for it to go gold.”

by Bill DeMain

Tracks
1. See What Your Love Can Do - 3:20
2. Angie - 5:33
3. Rainbow - 5:01
4. Inlaws And Outlaws - 5:21
5. Purple An Blonde...? - 4:54
6. Burgundy Blues - 5:36
7. Magnolia - 7:26
8. To Be For You - 1:16
9. Inlaws and Outlaws - Take 18 - 6:08
10.See What Your Love Can Do - Take 14 - 3:21
11.Angie - Take 12 - 5:22
12.Rainbow - Take 2 - 6:13
13.See What Your Love Can Do - Take 12 - 3:24
14.Inlaws And Outlaws - Dirt Leg Mix - 6:08
All songs by Terry Dolan except Track #7 by J.J. Cale and Track #8 co-written with Pete Sears

Musicians
*Terry Dolan - Guitar, Vocals
*John Cipollina - Guitar, Slide Guitar
*Angie Dolan - Handclapping
*Greg Douglass - Guitar, Soloist
*Spencer Dryden - Percussion
*Mic Gillette - French Horn
*Nicky Hopkins - Arranger, Piano
*Kathi Mcdonald - Vocals
*The Pointer Sisters - Vocals
*Prairie Prince - Drums
*Neal Schon - Guitar, Soloist
*Pete Sears - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Piano
*Lonnie Turner - Bass, Wind Chimes
*David Weber - Drums
*Dallas Williams - Vocals

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rep>>> Elvin Bishop - Party Till The Cows Come Home (1969-70/72 us, magnificent blues rock with funky soul shades, 2004 double disc edition)

This double CD combines Elvin Bishop's first three albums (variously credited to the Elvin Bishop Group and the Elvin Bishop Band) on to two discs. Containing 1969's Elvin Bishop Group, 1970s Feel It!, and 1972's Rock My Soul, it has virtually everything he recorded for Fillmore and Epic in the late 1960s and early 1970s, serving as an overview of his entire early career as a bandleader. 

Also included are three bonus tracks: one, "Stealin' Watermelons," from a non-LP single, and two other live performances from the various-artists compilation album Last Days of the Fillmore. Although they have their merits, these are erratic albums in which Bishop didn't stick solely to the electric blues-rock he'd made his name with in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Instead, these also dig into soul and R'n'B, as well as what can only be called (on some of his vocal numbers) comedy. He relinquished most of the lead vocal duties to Jo Baker starting with the second album, and this saw an improvement in the sound and material. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

Disc 1

1. The Things That I Used To Do (Eddie Jones) - 4:02

2. Tulsa Shuffle - 5:21  

3. Sweet Potato - 5:42  

4. How Much More (J. B. Lenoir) - 3:03  

5. Dad Gum Ya Hide, Boy (Guy Brownley Jr.) - 2:55  

6. Honey Bee - 3:28  

7. Prisoner Of Love (Percy. Mayfield) - 5:22 

8. Don't Fight It (Feel It) (Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper) - 3:11 

9. I Just Can't Go On (Jo Baker) - 3:38 

10.So Good - 7:38 

11.Crazy 'Bout You Baby (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 3:15 

12.So Fine (Johnny Otis) - 2:40 

13.Party Till The Cows Come Home - 3:22 

14.Hogbottom - 6:47

15.Be With Me - 4:08 

16.As The Years Go Passing By (Deadric Malone) - 4:05 

Songs 2,3,6 written by Elvin Bishop

Songs 10,13,14,15 written by Elvin Bishop, Stephen Miller

Tracks 1-7 from "Elvin Bishop Group" released 1969

Tracks 8-16 from "Feel It" released 1970

Disc 2

1. Rock My Soul - 2:46 

2. Holler And Shout - 2:38

3. Let It Shine - 3:18

4. Don't Mind If I Do - 2:00

5. Rock Bottom (Elvin Bishop, Jo Baker) - 2:58

6. Last Mile (Instrumental) - 2:50

7. Have A Good Time - 2:47

8. Wings Of A Bird - 3:36

9. Old Man Trouble - 3:47

10.Out Behind The Barn - 2:51

11.Stomp (Instrumental) - 3:12

12.Stealin' Watermelons  - 2:56

13.So Fine (Johnny Otis) - 3:58

14.Party Till The Cows Come Home (Elvin Bishop, Stephen Miller) - 3:07

All songs by Elvin Bishop except where noted

Tracks 1-11 from "Rock My Soul" released 1972

Bonus Track 12 Single 45' release 1973

Bonus Tracks 13-14 recorde live at Fillmore West 1971

Musicians
The Elvin Bishop Group On Tracks 1 To 7 (The Elvin Bishop Group)
*Elvin Bishop - Guitar, Vocals
*Stephen Miller - Organ
*John Chambers - Drums
*Art Stavro - Bass
*Applejack - Harp
*Alberto Gianquinto - Piano

The Elvin Bishop Group On Tracks 8 To 16 (Feel It!)
*Elvin Bishop - Guitar, Vocals
*Stephen Miller - Vocals, Piano, Organ
*John Chambers - Drums
*Jo Baker - Vocals, Percussion
*Kip Maercklein - Bass
*The Pointer Sisters (Patricia, June And Anita) - Vocals
*Chepito Areas And Mike Carabello - Timbales, Congason
*Perry Welsh - Vocals

The Elvin Bishop Band On CD 2. Tracks 1 To 11
*Elvin Bishop - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Slide Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Jo Baker - Lead Vocals
*Stephen Miller - Organ Piano
*Kip Maercklein - Bass
*Bill Meeker - Drums
*John Chambers - Drums On Track 11 Only
*Dennis Marcellino, Mel Ellison - Tenor Sax
*Ron Stallings - Vocal And Tenor Sax On Track 2
*Milt Holland - Percussion
*Delaney Bramlett - Rhythm, Slide Guitar
*Perry Welsh - Harmonica
*Bobby Bruce - Fiddle Solo
*Jim Gordon - Clarinet
*Delaney And Bonnie (Courtesy Of Columbia Records) -  Backing Vocals
*Jo Baker, Clydie King, Vanetta Fields, Gloria Jones -  Backing Vocals
*Perry Welsh & Shirley Matthews -  Backing Vocals
Strings Arranged And Conducted By Jim Gordon

Related Acts

1964  The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Original Lost Elektra Sessions
1966-68  The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Strawberry Jam

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