This Edmonton power trio combine some frenetic post-Cream guitar thrills with gruff, hyper-macho vocals on their one and only LP. The lads - Edmontonians Robert Edwards, Michael Richards, and Ron Lukawitski - actually trekked as a quartet to Montreal in 1966 but, after losing their drummer to personal family issues, regrouped back in Alberta. There, in a rather deft homage to their shared Eastern European heritage, they dubbed themselves Troyka though whether their namesake was a powerful triumvirate or an antiquated three-horse cliche has certainly blurred with the passage of time.
Troyka even comes speckled with Slavic elements two tack-on instrumentals, the lilting 'Introduction' and the closer 'Troyka Finale', bookend the record, but for the most part it relies on crotch-heavy amplification to counter the relative paucity of ideas here. 'Natural', for instance, sports some prime virtuosic guitar work, though the constipated vocals reek of facile sexism - as if an axe and some fine chops weren't enough to get you laid without pubescent posturing like, "Hey mama, won't you come down by the river, and give me some". 'Rolling Down the Road', with its nearly proto-speed metal, fares much better, channelling frantic hyper blues into an almost MC5-like abandon. Other tracks hint at a more delicate side, especially the wistful soft-psych instrumental 'Dear Margaret Malagosia', with its Spanish tinges and flecks of John Williams-ish guitar.
Troyka's flaws aside, the guys were often hailed for their legendary live sets - one particularly raucous set at New York's Fillmore East saw them flagged back for a triple encore. By 1970 they seemed to be hitting their stride, scoring a coveted support slot in Toronto for the mother of all troikas, Leslie West's Mountain. But alas, while poised to secure a page in history alongside the Band, the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin aboard the infamous bourbon-and-barbiturate-laced Festival Express cross-Canada train tour in the summer of 1970, guitarist Rob Edwards left to tend to family concerns and, thus, fame turned to footnote for Troyka.
by Michael Panontin
Tracks
1. Introduction - 0:34
2. Natural - 2:48
3. Early Morning - 3:54
4. Life's O.K. - 4:01
5. Burning Of The Witch - 3:03
6. Rub-A-Dub-Dub Troyka In A Tub - 2:20
7. Troyka Lament - 0:33
8. Troyka Solo - 0:37
9. Rolling Down The Back Road - 4:05
10.Berry Picking - 2:41
11.Dear Margaret Malgosia - 2:31
12.Go East Young Man Beautiful Eyes - 6:17
13.Troyka Finale - 0:31
14.The Wedding Song - 4:55
All Words and Music by Mike Richards, Robert Edwards, Ron Lukawitski
After Tony Kaye left Yes he formed Badger and in an unprecedented move of great confidence the band supported Yes at The Rainbow in London and recorded their show, playing completely unknown material to the audience and then released it as their first album. Brave on many levels and although they were surely well received with ex-Yes man Tony Kaye in the line-up, the audience reaction sounds rather too good to be true.
The band plays that kind of seventies music that no one remembers. A great band, with Roy Dyke on drums from Ashton Gardner and Dyke, (Dyke played On George Harrison’s Wonderwall) and I presume David Foster on bass, who shares lead vocals with guitarist Adrian Parrish. But what are they – not Progressive, not Pop, not Blues or anything you can put your finger on – not that it should matter. But produced by Geoffrey Haslam and Jon Anderson (whatever that means in this live setting) they were really good at a nameless style. I’m not sure if it’s the songs or the singing but the more I hear it I equally admire and dismiss it. It’s the strangest feeling to be both impressed and unmoved simultaneously. Maybe you have to get to know the songs but really, why did they not release a studio record? The answer to that is probably that they were good enough to not have to, and maybe the record is better than it would have been with studio polish. I’ve never felt as ambivalent towards a record as I am towards this one.
It obviously wasn’t working for the singers in the band either with Foster and Parrish both leaving. They hired Kim Gardner, from Ashton Gardner and Dyke on bass and then established singer Jackie Lomax (whose debut solo album was released on Apple and produced by George Harrison). Lomax took over the band and wrote most of the materal in a Soul/Blues direction releasing White Lady – a studio album in 1974, produced by New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint.
That was it, and it would be unfair to remember them just for the Roger Dean cover art and the pop-up badger in the gatefold of the debut album, that novelty item notwithstanding, their claim to fame is lost in the cruel mists of time.
by Marty Willson-Pipe
The early '70s marked the heyday of progressive rock -- it seemed like every time you turned around and everywhere you looked, there were top-flight bands like Yes, King Crimson, ELP, Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues, et al., all around, and their emulators and lesser rivals spreading out as far as the eye could see. Badger was part of that whole scene, a Yes offshoot group that managed to get signed by the same label. Officially, the group's origins go back to 1972 and Tony Kaye's departure from Flash, the group he'd co-founded with his fellow ex-Yes alumni, guitarist Peter Banks. Kaye was a virtuoso who favored more traditional instruments such as the Hammond organ over the more modern Moog synthesizer (not that he didn't play the latter, but he used the organ more prominently), and who had the bad fortune to have been succeeded in Yes by the much flashier Rick Wakeman. This time out, he was going to put together his own progressive rock supergroup, on a firmer footing than Flash (whose work had sometimes strayed too close to that of Yes).
The ex-Yes keyboard player called on his longtime friend David Foster, who had managed to skirt the orbit of Yes several times without ever being asked into that lineup (in part because his instrument was the bass, and Yes was incredibly well covered in that department by Chris Squire). Foster had been a member of the Warriors, Yes lead singer Jon Anderson's mid-'60s group, and had co-authored songs with Anderson on Yes' second album, Time and a Word. Kaye had ended up working with Foster on what was ultimately to be an unreleased Foster album -- when Kaye quit Yes in 1971, he initially joined Banks in founding Flash, but after his exit from the latter, Kaye and Foster decided to finally take the plunge. They recruited drummer Roy Dyke, lately a member of Family and, before that, Ashton, Gardner & Dyke -- he was a Liverpool veteran whose career went back to the early '60s and the Remo 4 and Brian Epstein protégé Tommy Quickly, and had played on one hit single, Ashton, Gardner & Dyke's "Resurrection Shuffle"; he, in turn, steered the organizers to Brian Parrish, an ex-member of Medicine Head and Three Man Army, who had played with Paul Gurvitz and Mike Kellie in an outfit called Parrish & Gurvitz, who'd cut one LP for Regal Zonophone.
The quartet, christened Badger, fit together perfectly, and after some rehearsals began building a name for itself on a European tour opening for Black Sabbath. The band was signed by Atlantic Records, which already had Yes and saw Badger as potentially offering another group of the same caliber. When it came time to record an album, however, it was decided that nothing they tried in the studio was capturing the intensity and involvement they demonstrated on-stage, and that a live album was the best way to introduce Badger. A show at the Rainbow Theatre, opening for a now well-established Yes, was recorded, produced by Jon Anderson and Geoffrey Haslam. One Live Badger did rather better in Europe than it did in America, though it got strong reviews everywhere. Perhaps if it had come out at another time -- and not in the same season that the first wave of progressive rock albums from ELP's Manticore label was being released, with lots of publicity and advertising support -- it might've done better, and a single might've been a help (even Yes had needed "Roundabout" to find a mass audience).
by Bruce Eder
One Live Badger is the easier Badger album to find, and the one worth having anyway. As the album's title indicates, the band also took the unusual step of making their first album a live recording of original songs. It has aged very well -- with all the energy of live performance, there's none of the usual studio excesses or noodling of the era. The Yes connection via Tony Kaye is abundantly evident; the album was co-produced by Yes singer Jon Anderson, uses long instrumental breaks and prominent Hammond organ solos, and features the obligatory Roger Dean cover art. Nonetheless, the brooding lyrics and soulful harmonies make comparisons to Traffic and Blind Faith a much closer musical match. The first half of the album is excellent, kicking off with the pleasingly hoarse vocals of David Foster on the full-tilt rocker "Wheel of Fortune" and the pensive "Fountain." There's an especially tight rhythm section underlying the restrained guitar work of "Wind of Change," combining to produce the album's best song.
by Paul Collins
Tracks
1. Wheel Of Fortune - 7:56
2. Fountain - 7:24
3. Wind Of Change - 7:15
4. River - 6:53
5. The Preacher (Brian Parrish) - 4:00
6. On The Way Home - 7:40
All compositions by Brian Parrish, Tony Kaye, Dave Foster, Roy Dyke, except track #5
Recorded live at The Rainbow Theatre 15th/16th December, 1972
Ray Materick is a Canadian singer-songwriter, particularly popular in the 1970s, who continues to perform and create music.
Ray Materick is the son of an evangelical preacher, who had previously played saxophone, trumpet and clarinet in his own dance band, during the 1940s and 1950s.
Originally from Brantford, Ontario, Ray Materick came from a musical household, where his father played in a dance band prior to becoming an ordained preacher in the early '60s. But although the trumpet was pushed on him as a child, he found his brother's love of Elvis, Buddy, and Chuck Berry, more appealing. As a teen he turned to the guitar (which he'd tried around age 8, but found it 'too difficult.') and became interested in the songwriters, like Gordon Lightfoot, Kris Kristofferson, and Bob Dylan.
His first group was while still a teen, in The Chevron Sextet, which only lasted doing high school dances until he moved to Toronto in 1970. Two years later, after gaining some experience on-stage on coffee house circuit, he signed a deal with Kanata Records (argued as one of Canada's first truly indie labels).
London picked up the distribution, and working with producer David Bird, he released his debut solo album, SIDESTREETS later that year. Roots-based folk with a fresh approach, it produced a pair of singles that both made the Canadian top 40 - "Season Of Plenty" b/w "Goodbye," and "Hard Life Alone." Hailed by the critics.
Ray Materick's first album was released on Kanata Records, the first indepdent label of Canada in 1972. Sidestreets received appraisal by many critics and regarded as a masterpiece. With his gritty, gravelly voiced and brilliant lyrics, it is truly deserved so. Includes 4 bonus tracks.
Tracks
1. Home From Parade - 4:48
2. Season Of Plenty - 4:02
3. One Thing I'll Never Ask Is Why - 5:06
4. Final Fire - 3:44
5. Goodbye - 3:12
6. Dear Christine - 2:38
7. Hard Life Alone - 3:58
8. Morning Song - 4:46
9. Cherylee Rose - 2:52
10.Sidestreets - 3:41
11.Sidestreets (Demo) - 3:44
12.Cherylee Rose (Demo) - 2:38
13.I Think I'll Try Tomorrow (Unreleased) - 2:36
14.It Ain't That Easy (Unreleased) - 3:14
Words and Music by Ray Materick
The Stone Angel story begins in December 1972. Guitarists Ken Saul and Paul Corrick were rehearsing for a spot at the Great Yarmouth Folk Club Christmas party, but all they could come up with was a guitar duet version of 'God rest ye Merry Gentlemen'. They invited singer Jill Child to join them, and worked on a couple of recently composed songs based on local legends, 'Sanctuary Stone' and 'The Skater'. That first performance was so well received that the trio decided to continue, the following two years seeing them perform at clubs, concerts and festivals throughout East Anglia and occasionally further afield, while still doing the resident slot at their local club.
During the summer of 1973 a demo recording of some of their songs was made, on which Midwinter were joined by Dik Cadbury (of 'Decameron' and 'Steve Hackett Band' fame) on bass, and Mick Burroughes on percussion. This was never released at the time, and in fact the master tapes remained in a box in Ken Saul's attic until they finally were issued by Kissing Spell in 1993 as the CD 'The Waters of Sweet Sorrow'.
Midwinter came to an end with Jill's departure to college, their farewell concert taking place back at the Yarmouth Folk Club on September 11th 1974. Some of their songs lived on, however, as a few months later Paul and Ken formed a new band, again including fellow musicians from the Yarmouth club. This new band had something of a rockier, more gothic, edge and a decidedly experimental approach to folk music: Stone Angel was born!
Stone Angel's first public performance, again at the Yarmouth Folk Club, was on December 20th 1974. The line-up consisted of Joan Bartle on vocals, flute, recorders and crumhorn; Mick Burroughes on bass and percussion; Paul Corrick on electric guitars and harpsichord; Dave Lambert on fiddle and mandolin; Ken Saul on vocals, guitars and dulcimer. Building on the reputation of Midwinter, they began to appear at numerous clubs and festivals around the area.
For a variety of reasons a decision was made to produce a self-financed recording, and this took place in February 1975. The band was assisted in this project by Eddy Green, who from time to time had deputised for various personnel in the live performances. Only three hundred and fifty of the projected five hundred albums were ever produced, and unfortunately these suffered from rather poor sound quality. A busy schedule followed, with the album being hawked around the live gigs, until the end of the summer when both Paul and Mick departed for university and art college respectively.
The resulting trio continued, but became entirely acoustic and more traditional in their choice of material, although still including 'The Skater' and 'Black-sailed Traders' in their set. The only recording from this period was a basic tape recording of a live concert in the village church at Filby, Norfolk, where Ken and Joan now lived. This too was to later be released on CD by Kissing Spell under the title 'The Holy Rood of Bromholm'. After spells working in Botswana and Southampton, Dave Lambert emigrated to Australia, where he continues to play as a member of Adelaide-based band 'The Legends'.
Tracks
1. The Bells Of Dunwich - 6:04
2. The Skater - 3:13
3. Pastime With A Good Company - 1:12
4. Traveller's Tale - 5:41
5. Black Sailed Traders - 5:04
6. Stone Angel - 3:38
7. Galliard Merrie England's Musicke Box - 2:02
8. The Gay Goshawk (Traditional) - 7:08
9. The Black Dog (Paul Corrick, Ken Saul) - 5:42
10.The Holy Rood Of Bromholm (Ken Saul) - 4:01
All compositions by Stone Angel except where indicated
From December 1971 to April 1972, Carlos Santana and several other members of Santana toured with drummer/vocalist Buddy Miles, a former member of the Electric Flag and Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys. The resulting live album contained both Santana hits ("Evil Ways") and Buddy Miles hits ("Changes"), plus a 25-minute, side-long jam titled "Free Form Funkafide Filth." It was not, perhaps, the live album Santana fans had been waiting for, but at this point in its career, the band could do no wrong. The album went into the Top Ten and sold a million copies.
by William Ruhlmann
Tracks
1. Marbles (John McLaughlin) - 4:19
2. Lava (Buddy Miles) - 2:14
3. Evil Ways (Clarence A. Henry) - 6:35
4. Faith Interlude (Buddy Miles, Carlos Santana) - 2:13
5. Them Changes (Buddy Miles) - 5:52
6. Free Form Funkafide Filth (Leon Thomas, Buddy Miles, Carlos Santana, Greg Errico, Ron Johnson) - 24:51
Recorded in Diamond Head Crater January 1, 1972
Musicians
*Buddy Miles - Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Congas
*Carlos Santana - Guitar, Vocals
*Neal Schon - Guitar
*Bob Hogins - Organ, Electric Piano
*Ron Johnson - Bass Guitar
*Greg Errico - Drums
*Richard Clark - Drums, Percussion, Congas
*Coke Escovedo - Drums, Percussion, Timbales
*Mike Carabello - Percussion, Congas
*Mingo Lewis - Percussion
*Victor Pantoja - Percussion, Congas
*Hadley Caliman - Flute, Saxophone
*Luis Gasca - Trumpet
Though it was released on a major label (Columbia's Epic subsidiary) in the late '60s, Leonda's sole album, Woman in the Sun, is extremely rare, and little known even among fans of singer/songwriters of the era. Because Leonda is Native American, and sometimes uses prominent vibrato in her vocal phrasing, she might generate comparisons to the most well-known Native American singer/songwriter of that era, Buffy Sainte-Marie. Actually, however, she's almost as similar to Annisette of Savage Rose or (more distantly) Melanie, or perhaps some of the gutsier woman singers from late-'60s West Coast rock bands.
While Leonda has an appealing, somewhat raspy voice, her folk-bluesy material (with backup help from members of the Canadian rock band the Paupers) is less impressive. The songs are fairly meandering and not all that tuneful, if good-natured with a vaguely hippie uplifting vibe. Things are better when she moves away from a blues base to a folkier one, as she does with the orchestrated "When I Lived in My Grandmother's House" and the acoustic "Zono My Bird."
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Mist In The Sky - 3:39
2. Somebody´S Gonna Ask Me Who I Was (Leonda, Mike Baish) - 4:59
3. When I Lived In My Grandmothers House (Michael Peter Smith) - 4:34
4. Blue Diamond In Platinim Setting - 3:26
5. Mother In Love - 3:48
6. Come Take A Waltz Through My Heart - 3:38
7. Peace And Pipes - 6:46
8. Zono My Bird - 3:39
9. Head Country (Tothe Lost City OF Zoozoo) - 3:39
10.Make It All Right - 4:06
All songs by Leonda unles as else stated
Personnel
*Leonda - Vocals
*Brad Campbell - Bass
*Teddy Irwin - Guitar
*Sammy Lawhorn - Guitar
*Adam Mitchell - Organ
*Kermit Moore - Cello
*John Ord - Organ, Piano
*Skip Prokop - Drums
Already a familiar face on Yorkville, Toronto's thriving folk scene, Cathy Young came to wider prominence when she performed in front of 5000 people at the Queen's Park Love-in in May 1967, still aged only 16, on a bill that also included Leonard Cohen and Buffy Sainte-Marie. As she later commented: "It was my graduation from the streets of Yorkville... The only song I was able to play was Buffy Sainte-Marie's Codeine." Though she was scheduled right after Sainte-Marie on the bill, she went ahead with the song anyway, and cemented her reputation.
Before long she'd been offered a recording contract by Mainstream's entrepreneurial Bob Shad, who specialized in signing up young artists and swiftly taping whatever they had to offer (the most prominent example having been Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company). With musical backing from Dylan sideman Eric Weissberg (soon to become renowned for Duelling Banjos) and other session notables including Buddy Saltzman and Michael Abene, the album appeared in April 1969, prompting Billboard to write 'Cathy Young is the best female singer-songwriter to come along in a long time. The subtlety of her lyrics is a strong point, but her singing and Eric- Weissberg's musical arrangements also help to make this 'spoonful' an impressive debut album. Some of her best songs are Everyone's A Dealer, Circus, and Melody Plot.
With much deserved airplay of these and other cuts, such as her unique rendition of the blues standard Spoonful, this album could become an underground smash. This one 'spoonful' should be all that's required to transform Cathy Young into a chart regular.' Unfortunately these predictions did not come to pass, but Young did go on to receive a prestigious Juno Award as Most Promising Female Vocalist in March 1974, following the release of her second album, Travel Stained, the previous year.
Thereafter she has toured the world, as well as performing in stage musicals (including a stint as Mary Magdalene in the Canadian touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar), and becoming a popular performer on cruise ships and in luxury hotels.
CD Liner Notes
Tracks
1. Spoonful (Willie Dixon) - 6:46
2. Misfit Matilda - 2:02
3. This Life - 3:07
4. Everyone's A Dealer - 4:17
5. Circus - 2:59
6. Mr. Moth - 1:51
7. Colour That Lightning - 4:00
8. 3 Billion Lovers - 2:01
9. Understanding Changes Misunderstood - 3:38
10.Following In Front - 2:49
11.Melody Plot - 3:37
All compositions by Cathy Young except track #1
Personnel
*Cathy Young - Vocal, Guitar
*Eric Weissberg - Banjo, Guitar
*Don Payne - Bass
*Buddy Saltzman - Drums
*Ronnie Zito - Drums
*Michael Joseph Abene - Piano, Organ
*Patrick Rebillot - Piano, Organ
The Queen's Nectarine Machine released one LP during their career, The Mystical Powers of Roving Tarot Gamble, which was recorded in 1968.
I was fortunate enough to get a copy of it from singer Jimmie Jersie, but it is otherwise extremely difficult to find. I spoke with Jimmie recently (listen to the interview). According to Jimmie, the trippy band name and the occult theme of the LP were the idea of their production company, Super K. The band was much more of a rock & roll band, influenced more by the Rascals, Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Still, this album is a prime example of late-1960s psych—as is the band's appearance.
Jimmie, who identified himself as "the wierdo in the flowered pants," did his part in establishing the band's look. The flowered pants? Imported from Italy. In fact, all of the shirts that the band members are wearing are Jimmie's.
Jimmie was also a member of the Del-Aires, a band with a career as interesting as the Queen's Nectarine Machine. The Del-Aires appeared in the movie The Horror of Party Beach, which aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000. The website Bad Movie Planet called the Del-Aires "The Greatest B-Movie Band Ever?" The Del-Aires also were playing in the Angel Lounge in Lodi, New Jersey, on the night of the infamous killings that left two police officers dead, chronicled in David Stout's book Night of the Devil.
Tracks
1. Where Are We Goin' (Mickey Lee Lane) - 2:18
2. 4th Dimension - 2:49
3. Gypsy Lady (Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz, John Palmes) - 2:34
4. I Got Troubles (You Got Troubles) (Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz, Jimmie Jersie, Joe Ribaudo) - 2:30
5. The Seance (Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz) - 5:21
6. Mysterious Martha Garoo - 5:22
7. The Book (Floyd Marcus) - 1:59
8. Land of Krepus - 2:34
9. Mrs. Fortune Teller - 2:09
10.Everybody's Got a Song to Sing - 2:12
Songs 2,6,8,9,10 written by Steve Dworkin, Gary Willet, Jeff Katz, Jerry Kasenetz
Dave Lewis is a singer / songwriter who moved to California from Texas in 1971. He happened go to Gazzarri’s on the Sunset Strip where he met Mike Cochrane and his band Train. They went into the studio and recorded a song Dave wrote called "Witches Brew". This is the only known recording with the original members of Train on it. After that, Dave and Mike Cochrane started recordind together for several years as a studio duo.
Lewis is a refreshing vocalist who operates in the higher ranges with a minimum of musical accompaniment on most tracks. But he can rock 'n' roll too as he shows on "You Push Too Hard," propably the best track on the album, an out-and-out rocker, with a great melody and raunchy rhythm guitar completed with a great arena-rock guitar solo. 'Daydreamer' opened the album with a glistening slice of pop, the song featured one of those power-pop melodies that climbed into your head and wouldn't leave. "Witches Brew" a nice bar rocker, the highlight on this song is actually the guitar work which more than made up for Lewis somewhat quivering vocals. "Can't Say Goodbye" a classic greasy bar rocker with a tasty talk box guitar.
Tracks
1. Daydreamer - 3:18
2. Loneliest Cowboy - 2:43
3. Jeraboa - 3:05
4. You Push Too Hard - 2:56
5. Witch`s Brew - 3:35
6. Make Me Alive - 3:51
7. Can`t Say Goodbye - 2:28
8. Horsehead Crossing - 3:04
All Songs by David Lewis
Personnel
*David Lewis - Lead Vocals, Drums, Acoustic Six String Guitar
*Mike Cochrane - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Six, Tewlve String Guitars, Bass, Vocals
*Mike Kirchner - Bass (Only Track #5)
*Bob Hopkins - Drums (Only Track #5)
His mother, Mildred "Milly" Klingman, wrote the book The Secret Lives of Fat People. Her son, Mark "Moogy" Klingman, produced Bette Midler's third album, Songs for the New Depression; co-wrote with Buzzy Linhart the song that could be considered her theme, "(You Got to Have) Friends"; co-founded Utopia with Todd Rundgren; and was a legendary figure in the music industry, having written, produced, performed, and organized for over four decades. Born on September 7, 1950, his early start enabled Moogy's career to span decades, beginning in the 1960s when producer Dick Glass signed his friends from Great Neck, New York to a demo deal. The band, the Living Few, recorded two Dylan tunes and a couple of originals, like their answer to P.F. Sloan's "Eve of Destruction" called "Let 'Em Cry."
At 16, he was a member of Jimmy James & the Blue Flames, the original Jimi Hendrix Group along with Spirit co-founder Randy California. A year later, Klingman caught a break when one of the hottest producers in the industry, Bob Crewe, produced his first signed band, Glitterhouse (formerly the Justice League),which included drummer Joel O'Brien, later with James Taylor and Carole King. "I got a real education in making records with Bob Crewe," Klingman told the All Media Guide in May of 2002. Glitterhouse also recorded the soundtrack to the hip Roger Vadim science-fiction film starring Jane Fonda, Barbarella, though they may be credited as the Bob Crewe Generation. You can hear the singer's distinctive voice and harp playing.
Klingman was in a jug band with Andy Kaufman, one of his best friends from Great Neck, performing in a civil rights concert that got Klingman expelled from high school. He met Todd Rundgren at the Cafe Au Go Go circa 1969 and played on many Rundgren-produced discs by artists such as Ian & Sylvia, co- producing some like the James Cotton Blues Band and Klingman's own two albums for Capitol/EMI. When Family producer Earl Dowd got recording time at The Record Plant and Todd Rundgren walked away from a proposed project, Klingman got to produce and direct sessions that came to be known as Music from Free Creek. These included recordings with Keith Emerson, Buzzy Fenton, Mitch Mitchell, and Chris Wood; a second set taped over a two-day period with Jeff Beck; and one night of the sessions with Beck and Eric Clapton. At Moogy Klingman's loft, Todd Rundgren built a studio and they became co-owners of Secret Sound, "where Todd recorded all of the albums he did for the next few years. In the front half was the studio, the back half I lived in. I was there for all the sessions...starting with A Wizard, a True Star, Todd, Utopia the first album, and then he mixed Utopia Live there." Klingman appeared on about ten to 12 Rundgren albums, he brought in the players for the classic Something/Anything?, and performed on various sessions including another Rundgren find, the Hello People.
With a sound much like another Capitol recording artist from the day, the Band, the self-titled album debut from underrated songwriter Mark "Moogy" Klingman came shortly after he appeared on releases by Al Kooper, James Cotton Blues Band, and Shuggie Otis, as well as discs by his friend Buzzy Linhart. "I Can Love" has that Band sound with a strong Klingman vocal; the mood comes right down for "Liz, When You Waltz," which is merely Klingman's piano and voice coupled with Joel Bishop O'Brien's mandolin. It's a great pairing, and the album would have had just as much heart and life had all the tracks received this treatment. Instead the 12 songs were recorded in six different facilities, with a full band kicking in for "Kindness" -- and not just any bunch of cats, the musicians were as legendary as this strong material would turn out to be. Todd Rundgren, engineer and co-producer, lends his talents on guitar and backing vocals, with Amos Garrett adding the intentionally brittle lead guitar, Stu Woods playing the bass, and N.D. Smart providing the beat.
What is stunning about this album is the amount of cover versions of these songs that it spawned. Johnny Winter recorded "Kindness"; Carly Simon included "Just a Sinner" on her first album; the song here that Todd Rundgren and Klingman co-wrote, "Tonight I Want to Love Me a Stranger," found its way onto a James Cotton album; while a Klingman original which had Rundgren dueting on with him, "Crying in the Sunshine," got further validation when Thelma Houston tracked it on one of her sessions. Rundgren doesn't sound like Houston, but it's a neat female vocal from the wizard and true star. The inner sleeve has a photo of young Mark Klingman and all the lyrics, with the band receiving the moniker of the Rhythm Kings, a line from the last tune, "The Man at Ease." The cover photo has the singer/songwriter seated at a piano in a burned-out shell of an apartment or living room; a painting of the artist on the back cover has the him looking like a bearded Bob Dylan.
On April 22, 2002, he organized a benefit for musical collaborator Buzzy Linhart featuring Dave Amram, Eric Andersen, John Hammond, John Sebastian, Phoebe Snow, and others. Even his former engineer/producer Eddie Kramer made an appearance. It brought things full circle and became a focal point for the artist to re-launch much of his music on the Internet at www.moogymusic.com. In 2010, Klingman was diagnosed with cancer, which prompted Rundgren to re-form Utopia for a 2011 benefit concert in New York City to help defray the mounting medical bills of his friend and former bandmate. Moogy Klingman lost his battle with cancer later that year, passing away on November 15 at the age of 61.
by Joe Viglione
Tracks
1. I Can Love - 3:57
2. Liz, When You Waltz - 2:09
3. Kindness - 3:34
4. Crying In The Sunshine - 2:57
5. Kilpatrick's Defeat (Mark "Moogy" Klingman, Mike Gayle) - 3:05
6. Just A Sinner - 3:26
7. Making The Rounds At Midnight - 3:05
8. On Your Own - 2:59
9. Tonight I Want To Love Me A Stranger (Mark "Moogy" Klingman, Todd Rundgren) - 3:20
10.The Sun And The Moon - 3:12
11.Me And Richard - 1:34
12.The Man At Ease - 3:41
All songs by Mark "Moogy" Klingman except where indicated
Gene Clark’s musical legacy is most certainly assured as a singer, songwriter and member of some exclusive company as an inductee to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a founder of The Byrds, and collaborator in groups such as Dillard & Clark, Gene Clark and the Gosdin Brothers, McGuinn Clark & Hillman and later as the duet partner of Carla Olson (The Textones).
His songs have been covered by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Iain Matthews, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, The Rose Garden, and Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes among many others. As well documented as Clark’s career has been, there have been remarkable discoveries over the years (see Omnivore’s Here Tonight: The White Light Demos for example), but now the Holy Grail of Clark’s post-Byrds career is finally about to see the light of day:
“For longtime Gene Clark fans and aficionados, the tracks on this remarkable archival CD are the stuff of legend. Since word first spread in the 1980s about the discovery of these 1967 recordings on a rare acetate in Liberty Records’ vaults, fans have come to regard Gene Clark Sings For You as nothing less than the Holy Grail of the singer/songwriter’s extraordinary body of work. Shrouded in mystery and the subject of much speculation and conjecture, few have ever had the opportunity to hear these forgotten gems from one of Gene Clark’s most prolifically creative periods. Until now.”
by John Einarson author of Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life And Legacy Of The Byrds’ Gene Clark (Backbeat Books)
In addition to the 8 tracks from the Gene Clark Sings For You acetate, recorded in 1967 after he famously left The Byrds, there are an additional 5 previously unknown tracks from a further 1967 acetate given to the band, The Rose Garden, for recording consideration. This new compilation also includes a previously unissued demo rescued from a tape in the collection of John Noreen, member of The Rose Garden. This demo of the song “Till Today” is Clark running through the song for the band who would cut it on their only album, the 1968 self-titled effort on Atco Records (also being reissued and expanded at the same time as Gene Clark Sings For You).
Released with the full approval and cooperation with both the Estate of Gene Clark and the band, The Rose Garden, Gene Clark Sings For You is produced for release by Grammy®-winner, Cheryl Pawelski with restoration and mastering by Grammy-winner, Michael Graves. Liner notes by John Einarson, author of Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life And Legacy Of The Byrds’ Gene Clark (Backbeat Books) and previously unseen photos.
Tracks
1. On Her Own - 4:19
2. Past Tense - 3:41
3. Yesterday, Am I Right - 2:56
4. Past My Door - 4:26
5. That's Alright By Me - 5:48
6. One Way Road - 2:34
7. Down On The Pier - 4:18
8. 7:30 Mode - 5:59
9. On Tenth Street - 3:50
10.Understand Me - 2:36
11.A Long Time - 2:03
12.Big City Girl - 3:56
13.Doctor Doctor - 2:59
14.Till Today (Demo) - 3:44
All compositions by Gene Clark
Musicians
*Gene Clark - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*Alex De Zoppo - Piano
Other Musicians Unknown
