Howl The Good's self-titled album, originally released in 1972. During the early 1970s, Detroit rock band Howl The Good signed to Motown's prog-rock offshoot, Rare Earth. Travelling to London to record their self-titled debut album at Olympic Studios, they were fortunate to work with engineer Chris Kimsey (best known for his later work with Peter Frampton and The Rolling Stones), with ex-Spooky Tooth keyboardist Gary Wright in the producer's chair; Wright was a highly-rated session player that worked with George Harrison, Elton John, Joe Cocker, and Steve Winwood, and he also enjoyed a successful solo career.
The resultant album is a competent slice of semi-commercial prog rock with an undercurrent of blues and the odd pastoral number; despite the obviously American feel of the material, Billboard assumed the group was British, due to the location of the album's recording. Despite the strength of "Just Pretend It's Another Day" and "Long Way From Home", both co-written by Wright, and a one-off rendition of Cat Stevens's "The Joke", the album flopped on release on both sides of the Atlantic, leading the band to remain in obscurity and ultimately break up.
Tracks
1. Things You Do (Allan Odom, Neil Faigenbaum) - 4:28
2. Just Pretend It's Another Day (Gary Wright) - 3:14
3. I Need A Friend (N. Adler, Neil Faigenbaum) - 3:05
4. The Joke (Cat Stevens) - 2:45
5. Harder Doing Nothing (Allan Odom, Dennis Harrison, Neil Faigenbaum) - 4:15
6. Why Do You Cry (I. Pack, Neil Faigenbaum) - 2:48
7. Long Way From Home (Gary Wright) - 3:52
8. Beginning Of The End (Aaron Nathanson, Neil Faigenbaum) - 3:03
9. This Moment In The Sun (Aaron Nathanson, Neil Faigenbaum) - 3:54
So much has already been written in an attempt to describe the music Trees play, and Trees themselves hope that they have now reached a degree of originality that defies the usual terms such as 'folk orientated rock.'
Melody Maker writes of them, 'Their depth of character causes the group concern over categories to the extent where they are cautiously rejecting the label of 'folk rock' while still clinging to the stable foundation of traditional material. Much of this is misunderstood in the hands of more staid folk figures, and it can only be hoped that Trees' visually contemporary image will encourage audiences to pay more attention to the lyrics'.
All one can do now is give a brief synopsis of Trees' past, tell you what they are doing at the moment and give you a quick glimpse of their future. Bias Boshell (bass guitar and keyboard), Unwin Brown (drums), Barry Clarke (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, dulcimer and mandolin), David Costa (Electric 12 string, acoustic guitar, dulcimer, and mandolin), and Celia Humphris (vocals) have always attracted a great deal of favourable attention from the press, in fact when they first formed, well before 'The Garden Of Jane Delawney' (their first album) was released they had a very good feature in Zigzag. Since then Trees have received a far wider press coverage, with features and interviews in all the leading music and 'underground' press, and also The Express, The Mail and The Times.
Despite all these good words being written about Trees, things haven't always been easy for them, not that they are for any new group, but they seem to have had more than their fair share of bad luck... Even when they first started playing together, their first public performance had to be cancelled because their van broke down 20 miles away from the gig, and David and Barry had to stay in the van all night to guard what little equipment they had.
However, things gradually improved, and Trees got some support bookings at the larger universities and colleges, and at the beginning of 1970 topped the bill for the first time at a folk concert put on by the St. Ives Art Festival, also receiving their first standing ovation.
The next major step forward in Trees' career was a bottom of the bill appearance at Queen Elizabeth Hall, appearing with Matthews' Southern Comfort in their first London concert. Although Trees playing time allowed them to do only four numbers, their performance brought them more acclaim than anything they had done to date, as most of the trade press were there. Karl Dallas, a leading expert on their type of music wrote of them 'Trees have a beautiful girl as lead singer, a lively lass who bends her rich voice round the complexities of folk ballads with increasing assurance, a hard rock guitarist and a folk-club-trained acoustic man, a good bass guitarist and a tasteful drummer... Trees are significant for a number of reasons. First, because in the persons of its three guitar-players it is introducing three virtually unknown artists on to the scene - artists who have an individual brilliance and collective rapport that is nothing less than phenomenal'.
Trees received more and more bookings, and luck seemed to be going their way, but they were to suffer another major setback. In the autumn of last year they had all their equipment stolen, and spent all the money they had earned, plus a lot more on some second-hand equipment, and carried on playing the best they could, for even their van was falling to bits. They have suffered the repercussions of this theft until very recently when they thought they had secured a reliable financial backer to a) expand the band, and b) buy new equipment. Unfortunately the backer pulled out in the middle of the university term, and Trees had to cancel some of their most precious gigs until the money was found to buy more instruments.
Don't think that this affected them as a group, for they have always been very close as people. Beat Instrumental sums them up very well: 'Trees are a tightly-knit group. They weren't assembled by some Svengali manager hoping to amass quick wealth, but had all been friends for some time when, all having musical experience and ambitions, they decided on becoming a band... The closeness also shows in the music. Trees songs are meticulously and precisely arranged, yet such is the sympathy between them that the whole thing seems as easy as pie. Anyone attempting to jam with them would be left helpless'.
Tracks
1. Nothing Special (Bias Boshell, Unwin Brown, Barry Clarke, David Costa, Celia Humphris) - 4:29
2. The Great Silkie (Traditional) - 5:13
3. The Garden Of Jane Delawney - 4:05
4. Lady Margaret (Traditional) - 7:11
The Influence was one of the most fascinating bands to emerge from Canada during the ‘60s. The group’s rich diversity of styles was a result of the group members’ wide range of musical backgrounds and geographical origins.
Formed in late May, the quartet, named The Influence, immediately made its presence felt and became regulars at Montreal’s Barrel during the summer of 1967. In June, Rossi and Island returned to Montreal and, after catching the band’s set, joined the line-up. The new line-up became more musically adventurous, adopting a style that was influenced by jazz musicians Sonny Murray and Archie Shepp, and with Island adding a second lead voice. After tightening up their act, The Influence moved to Toronto and became a regular sight at Boris’ Red Gas Room throughout September-December.
Tracks
1. Overture (Louis McKelvey, Rob Parkin, Walter Rossi) - 1:15
2. I Admire (Louis McKelvey) - 3:14
3. I Don't Know Why (Rob Parkin, Walter Rossi) - 4:11
4. County Fair (Rob Parkin) - 4:02
5. Pieces Of Me (Louis McKelvey) - 2:42
6. Baby That's My Bag (Rob Parkin) - 2:48
7. Sir Archibald (Louis McKelvey) - 3:23
8. We Are Here (Louis McKelvey) - 3:39
9. Natural Impulse (Andy Keiller) - 3:16
10.Dream Woman (Rob Parkin) - 3:40
11.Mad Birds Of Prey (A Mini Opera) (Louis McKelvey, Rob Parkin) - 5:53
Psychedelic band from Seattle, the driving force behind this short-lived outfit was singer/songwriter Danny O’Keefe, who later had one or two Top 20 hits (including Magdalena). They made a bit of a splash locally, but like a lot of Seattle bands, they seemed much better live than on record.
It seems that bands from Seattle during that period did not get very good support from their record companies… obviously things have changed since then! Calliope’s first album is now a very minor collectable, and the second may have remained unissued. The Steamed album includes cover versions of Hello Hello (Lee Michaels), California Dreamin’ (with a very good psychedelic guitar solo), Hound Dog, Jimmy Bell (a traditional number), Like A Rolling Stone (Dylan), Nadine (Chuck Berry) and four originals - two by Goldsmith and two by O’Keefe.
John Simpson, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1973, had previously played with Scott Strong in The Bumps and may also be the guy who played drums in Christopher. Prior to joining Calliope, Scott Strong also acted as their road manager. Paul Goldsmith had earlier been in Emergency Exit, Clyde Heaton in The Dimensions and Luther Rabb later played with Ballinjack.
by Kevin Corazza
Tracks
1. Hello Hello (Lee Michaels) - 3:01
2. California Dreaming (John Phillips, Michelle Phillips) - 3:39
Trivia buffs take note, as future Long Ryders bassist Tom Stevens played in this Northern Indiana based band. A self-released effort, Win Or Lose originally saw the light of day in 1976. Recorded at Uncle Dirty’s Sound Machine Studios in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the disc stands as Magi’s one and only album. A couple of years after Win Or Lose was issued, the band relocated to Los Angeles. But not much happened there, so they soon called it quits.
Sometimes you can judge a band by the way they look, and in this case such an adage sits right on the money. A photo of Magi graces the cover of Win Or Lose, which captures them in total rock star mode. The hair is long and flowing, while the threads range from a leopard print top to a leather jacket to a flowery shirt to puka shells to a scarf wrapped around the neck. Facial hair is also present.
Resembling a cross between Foghat and Aerosmith, with a touch of Steppenwolf hurled into the soup for good measure, the band’s music certainly corresponds with their image.
Crammed tight with crunching odes to sex, drugs and rock and roll, Win Or Lose (reissued in 2005 by Radioactive Records) bristles with untamed energy. The material may be riff-oriented, but there’s still stashes of catchy hooks and melodies to be savored. Combining sassy snarls with arena rock extravaganza, the vocals are perfect for the hot and sweaty songs Magi performs. Punchy jams, laced with slaving rhythms and arresting breaks additionally personify the band’s tunes.
Select gems on Win Or Lose include the title track, “Fryin’ Away Time,” “Undecided Man” and “I Didn’t Ask You.” For a brief change of pace, there’s the moody “Snow Bound,” which reveals the band to be quite competent at handling softer numbers.
Awash with prototype hard rock action, Win Or Lose sticks fast to the basics. Nothing fancy is going on here. The delivery is straight-forward, powerful and charmingly naive to a point. A cool artifact, Win Or Lose is a must have for fans of the genre, especially of the old-school stripe.
by Beverly Paterson, September 6, 2012
Tracks
1. Win Or Lose - 5:13
2. Undecided Man - 5:11
3. I Didn't Ask You - 5:51
4. Steven Jam - 4:48
5. Fryin' Away - 6:56
6. Snow Bound - 4:56
7. Runnin' Low - 5:43
8. Everytime I'm With You - 4:42
Ginhouse were a trio from Newcastle consisting of Stewart Burlison (bass, vocals), Geoff Sharkey (guitar, vocals) and David Whitaker (drums). They only recorded one album. Although Ginhouse had a strong live performance at the time - they supported bands like Yes, The Who and Fleetwood Mac - this album appeared to be their swan song; they disbanded in 1972. The first reissue on CD dates from 1993 on Green Tree Records, but it failed to reach the office of Background Magazine. Thanks to Esoteric Recordings this recently remastered reissue gave me a second chance to discover the music of this band.
When you listen to this album forty years after it has been recorded you can say that it sounds rather outdated. However, I guess that isn't a problem as long as the compositions have something to say music wise. Well, this is certainly the case and I often wondered why this band never made it to the top. Not all pieces these musicians recorded for their sole effort can be regarded as progressive rock. Mainly songs as The Journey, Portrait Picture and Fair Stood The Wind drew my attention all the way. On these tracks the keyboard parts played by producer Anders Henriksson push the music of Ginhouse towards a musical style strongly related to In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969), the debut album by King Crimson. The combination of the lead vocals, which occasionally sound like the voice of Greg Lake, the acoustic guitar, organ and Mellotron flutes reminded me of several tracks from that album.
At the time Ginhouse were also influenced by the music of The Beatles which can be heard throughout the album. Therefore I wasn't really surprised to hear that they covered And I Love Her, one of the many Lennon & McCartney songs. They made a rather heavy version of this mellow acoustic song. Apart from the already mentioned influences I also heard touches of the hard rock scene that flourished in those days. Ginhouse's music isn't as heavy and loud as the music recorded by bands as Deep Purple or Black Sabbath, although the overall sound is clearly dominated by the electric guitars. Finally I heard some elements from psychedelic rock and folk music.
by Henri Strik
Tracks
1. Tyne God - 5:33
2. I Cannot Understand - 4:19
3. The Journey - 5:57
4. Portrait Picture - 5:46
5. Fair Stood The Wind - 2:51
6. And I Love Her (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:12
7. Life - 4:30
8. The Morning After - 5:13
9. The House - 3:33
10.Sun In The Bottle - 5:16
All compositions by Geoff Sharkey except track #6
The Ginhouse
*Stewart Burlison - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Whitaker - Drums
*Geoff Sharkey - Lead Guitar, Vocals
The credits on Taylor’s album reveal one heck of an all-star cast assembled to help him get his first set of songs recorded. Backing vocals are by Bonnie Bramlett and Joni Mitchell; guitarists include Ry Cooder, Jesse Ed Davis and Andrew Gold; bassists Lee Sklar and former Stone Poney Kenny Edwards; drums by Jim Keltner and Russ Kunkel; pedal steel by Red Rhodes; organ by Little Feat’s Bill Payne; and that’s probably only half the familiar names here.
Happily, Taylor’s songs measure up to his backing cast. It’s a set of mostly laid-back country rock, led by Taylor’s bluesy, lived-in sounding vocals, but also dressed up with the occasional horn chart or psyched-out fiddling by folks such as David LaFlamme. And on a label unafraid to release records by distinctive and/or non-“pop” singing voices (at this point Asylum had already issued albums by Tom Waits and David Blue, along with Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill and J.D. Souther), Taylor is right at home.
It’s well worth it for fans of early ’70s singer-songwriters folk or country rock.
by Bob Koch, May 17, 2016
Tracks
1. I Ought To Know - 3:11
2. Crossroads Of The World - 3:40
3. Railroad Blood - 2:46
4. Double Life - 2:14
5. Making A Way - 2:42
6. Sweet Inspiration - 3:45
7. Livin' Dangerous Blues - 2:43
8. Something Old - 4:03
9. Man Who Made It Fall - 2:23
10.Lost Iron Man - 4:25
11.For Me - 2:45
12.The Last Song - 3:26
All songs written by Rod Taylor
If you go by the liner notes, this late-1960s quartet was a multi-national affair, the four members coming from Australia (James O'Connor), England (Paul Muggleton), Portugal (Glen Mello) and the States (Andy Newmark). In spite of the accents, one got the feeling this was little more than a goofball studio project, probably masterminded by Bob Crewe, whose DynoVoice label released their sole LP.
Produced by Andy Denno, 1969's "The Bermuda Jam" was one weird affair. Complete with sound effects and spoken word snippets, musically the set found the quartet all over the spectrum. "Hold Me" and "Who Put the Sun In Your Eyes (Who Put the Fly In Your Soup)" offered up harmony rich top-40 pop; "Up Down, Turn Around" found the band turning in a decent blue-eyed soul effort, while "Forever Young" had a C'n'W feel. Nothing here was terribly wrong, nor with the exception of the meltdown "Good Trip Lollipop" was there anything particularly right.
Back to "Lollipop" - complete with meltdown keyboards, LSD drenched vocals (the hysterical laughter and nursery rhyme fragments were a sweet touch) and crunching guitar, it was easily the most psych-oriented effort and the standout track, it's too bad the rest of the LP wasn't as memorable. As you'd expect, the set vanished without a trace, followed in short order by the band. (Nice pajamas guys ...)
Tracks
1. Hold Me (Paul Muggleton) - 2:37
2. Forever (Paul Muggleton) - 2:56
3. Good Trip Lollipop (An Antihystathmn) (Paul Muggleton) - 4:48
4. Who Put the Sun In Your Eyes (Who Put the Fly In Your Soup) (Paul Muggleton) - 4:08
5. Forever Young (Andy Denno) - 3:53
6. Up Down, Turn Around (Andy Denno, Bob Campagnola) - 2:22
7. I Want To Love You (Andy Denno, Glenn Mello) - 3:03
8. Easy To Say (But So Hard To Do) (Andy Denno) - 2:32
9. Medley - 10:24
.a.Down In the Valley (Andy Denno, Glenn Mello, Paul Muggleton, James O'Connor)
.b.Getting Ready for the Heartbreaks (Larry Weiss, Lockie Edwards)
.c.Don't Fight It (Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper)
.d.I Who Have Nothing (James Bryant)
With Kim Simmonds and Chris Youlden combining their talents in Savoy Brown's strongest configuration, 1969's A Step Further kept the band in the blues-rock spotlight after the release of their successful Blue Matter album. While A Step Further may not be as strong as the band's former release, all five tracks do a good job at maintaining their spirited blues shuffle. Plenty of horn work snuggles up to Simmonds' guitar playing and Youlden's singing is especially hearty on "Made up My Mind" and "I'm Tired."
The first four tracks are bona fide Brown movers, but they can't compete with the 20-plus minutes of "Savoy Brown Boogie," one of the group's best examples of their guitar playing prowess and a wonderful finale to the album. This lineup saw the release of Raw Sienna before Lonesome Dave Peverett stepped up to the microphone for Looking In upon the departure of Youlden, but the new arrangement was short lived, as not long after three other members exited to form Foghat. As part of Savoy Brown's Chris Youlden days, A Step Further should be heard alongside Getting to the Point, Blue Matter, and Raw Sienna, as it's an integral part of the band's formative boogie blues years.
by Mike DeGagne
Tracks
1. Made Up My Mind (Chris Youlden) - 2:57
2. Waiting In The Bamboo Grove (Kim Simmonds) - 3:38
3. Life's One Act Play (Chris Youlden) - 6:31
4. I'm Tired-Where Am I (Chris Youlden, Harry Simmonds) - 5:05
5. Savoy Brown Boogie (Kim Simmonds, Chris Youlden) - 22:06
`Feel So Good (Chuck Willis)
`Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (David Williams)
`Little Queenie (Chuck Berry)
`Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix)
`Hernando’s Hideaway (Richard Adler, Jerry Ross)
Savoy Brown
*Chris Youlden - Vocals
*Kim Simmonds - Guitar
*Bob Hall - Piano
*Lonesome Dave Peverett - Guitar
*Roger Earl - Drums
*Tone Stevens - Bass
The same month Capitol Records released "Brave New World," the third album by the Steve Miller Band, the musicians started to record the band's next album in June 1969 at San Francisco's Wally Heider Studios, where groups such as Jefferson Airplane and Creedence Clearwater Revival also recorded. Keyboardist Nicky Hopkins flew in from London. Hopkins had fallen for the charms of the San Francisco Bay Area on US tours with Jeff Beck and was staying as houseguest at Miller's Marin County home.
He had been British rock's premiere session player - Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who.The Kinks wrote a song about him, "Session Man," and hired him to play on it. Miller met Hopkins in London when he overdubbed piano and organ on "Kow Kow" from his last album. Hopkins was a tall, quiet, sickly man with a brilliant touch on the keyboards who was forsaking England for California sunshine.
The Steve Miller Band had been touring ceaselessly for more than a year. There were concerts with the Moody Blues and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Mick Taylor at the Boston Gardens, a tour with Country Joe and the Fish, shows at the Fillmore West with Eric Burdon and the Animals and many more.
The first three albums had sold more than 400,000 copies combined. Between radio airplay on the growing network of FM underground rock stations and steady touring, the band had established itself. Johns came to San Francisco fresh from final mixes of the next Beatles album, "Get Back," a record that would never be released (eventually the album "Let It Be" was culled from the sessions by producer Phil Spector).
Miller drew from his days as a Freedom Rider for the old gospel song, "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around." Tim Davis and Lonnie Turner came up with a funky blues,"The Last Wombat in Mecca," and Davis' song "Your Saving Grace," which was the highlight of his career in the Steve Miller Band. Former bandmate Curley Cook contributed rhythm guitar on the track, back with the Steve Miller Band for the first time since he left in July 1967.
Miller and Nicky Hopkins combined forces on "Baby's House," a Miller original Hopkins exploded into a near symphonic, nine-minute epic. The 25 year-old musician was juggling many roles, battling his record company for any kind of support, operating without a manager, and spending close to 300 days a year on the road, recording three albums in the past eighteen months.The record company wanted to release another album before the end of the year and, in October, Miller went to London to finish mixing the record with Johns.
They added a choir to Hopkins' extravagant inventions on the end of "Baby's House." By that time, Nicky Hopkins had joined Quicksilver Messenger Service and was living in Marin. Capitol Records rush-released the album,"Your Saving Grace," in November 1969. The label immediately demanded another album.The band headed back into the studio after Christmas.
by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, March 2012
Tracks
1. Little Girl (Steve Miller) – 3:25
2. Just A Passin' Fancy In A Midnite Dream (Steve Miller, Ben Sidran) – 3:41
3. Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around (Steve Miller) – 2:30
4. Baby's House (Steve Miller, Nicky Hopkins) – 8:54
5. Motherless Children (Trad. Arr. Steve Miller) – 6:03
6. The Last Wombat In Mecca (Lonnie Turner) – 2:56
7. Feel So Glad (Steve Miller) – 5:20
8. Your Saving Grace (Tim Davis) – 4:47
The Band
*Steve Miller - Guitar, Harmonica, Lead Vocals
*Lonnie Turner - Bass Guitar, Guitar, Vocals
*Tim Davis - Drums, Background Vocals, Lead Vocals (Tracks 6 And 8)
*Ben Sidran - Organ, Electric Piano
*Nicky Hopkins - Grand Piano
*Glyn Johns - Guitar, Vocals, Percussion
*Minor Wilson - Guitar
Released by MCA's Uni subsidiary, 1969's "The American Blues Do Their Thing" was a major improvement. Self-produced, the collection found the band opting for a major change in direction. Written by the Hills, material such as the lead-off "You Were So Close To Me", "Captain Fire" and "Just Plain Jane" found the band attempting to capitalize on San Francisco-styled psychedelics.
Elsewhere, the collection found the group mining a more conventional rock format; "Wonder Man" and "Shady" reflecting a distinctive Cream-influence, while the blazing "Comin' Back Home" (complete with Beard and Rocky Hill meltdown solos) offered up a nice Hendrix imitation. Sure, it was largely derivative, but that didn't lessen the enjoyment factor. A commercial failure, Uni promptly dropped the band. (On a personal note, we've always wondered about the discrepancy between the front and back covers showing a trio and the liner notes listing four members.) Beard promptly left to join the newly formed ZZ Top, quickly recruiting Dusty bassist
by Scott Blackerby
Tracks
1. You Were So Close To Me - 3:32
2. Wonder Man - 2:25
3. Just Plain Jane - 2:37
4. Shady - 2:08
5. Comin' Back Home - 5:35
6. Captain Fire - 3:20
7. Chocolate Ego - 3:06
8. Nightmare Of A Wise Man - 3:26
9. Dreams - 2:58
10.Softly To The Sun - 2:34
All selections by Dusty Hill, Rocky Hill
The American Blues
*Dusty Hill - Bass, Lead Vocals
*Frank Beard - Drums, Vocals
*Rocky Hill - Guitar, Vocals
*Doug Davis - Keyboards, Vocals
The group's first live album, recorded in one night and originally released as a two record set including some studio recordings overdubbed despite the bands will. Nevertheless, it catches the band in excellent form and is a reminder of what a great live band Steppenwolf is.
After the “Monster” album, The band needed a breather from the constant studio recording activities. It was therefore decided that a live album was exactly what we needed. We recorded one of our concerts at the Santa Monica civic auditorium which was a benefit for the “Students Against The War In Cambodia Committee”.
The resulting recordings had more material that would fit on one album but not enough to fill 2 disks. Consequently we recorded additional songs such as “Hey Lawdy Mama” “Corina Corina” and “Twisted” in the studio where we then (through the addition of canned applause) tried to integrate these extra cuts into the truly live tracks. While with hindsight, I wish we would have had the chance to record multiple concerts because then we would not have had to live or die with the results of only one performance, this album.
Steppenwolf became a big-name group on the basis of their driving arrangements and John Kay’s growling vocals. So any attempt by the group to venture into areas beyond “Born to be Wild-Magic Carpet Ride” syndrome would almost inevitably receive a lukewarm reception from the critics.
With the Steppenwolf Seven album, many times the group bordered on being soft, almost pretty. For Ladies Only crosses the line and becomes mellow. With the title cut, the group employs a lengthy piano solo to bridge some fine rock ‘n’ roll. Although the solo’s six minutes may be a bit too long, the cut comes off well in spite of itself.
As if to remind the listener that their style of old is not lost forever, there is the cut “Ride With Me.” Not only does it contain the familiar, “Hop-on-my-bike-and-let’s-ride-into-the-sunset,” theme, but the commercial potential of the tune is staggering. In fact, I’m still miffed at why the single didn’t go anywhere on the charts.
While musically the LP is worthwhile, lyric-wise it just doesn’t say a thing that one couldn’t hear within five minutes worth of top-forty. Although the title suggests Women’s Lib, and several tunes inaudibly discuss it, it uses that “Eric Burdon Three Minute Answer To the Problems of the Earth” technique. Steppenwolf has never concentrated on a central theme for an LP in the past, and in the future, perhaps it would be wise to apply the talent of the group to the arrangements, where they are unique.
The inside photograph is priceless. A spiffy little roadster is parked outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. A small crowd is gathered around gaping at the custom-built vehicle made to resemble a male organ. Vein and all. A cop is supposedly writing out some kind of citation. The picture alone is worth the price of the album, to coin a phrase.
For Ladies Only represents, for Steppenwolf, a branching out into new directions, which is a healthy sign for them The LP could be best described as a transitional one in which Steppenwolf wants to retain it’s roots, yet wishes to stay out of a particular mold at the same time.
by Cameron Crowe for San Diego Door, January 13, 1972 – January 27, 1972
Tracks
1. For Ladies Only (Jerry Edmonton, Kent Henry, John Kay, Goldy McJohn) – 9:13
Local band The He-Too’s (the first version of the band and formerly The Aardvarks) break up and guitar player Gene Balabon and bass player Dave Waggoner decide to put together a new band. Dave Waggoner calls Denny Johnson to see if he is interested in playing in a new band and he signs on with the two former members of The He-Too’s /Aardvarks. Dave Waggoner plays Farfisa organ and sings lead vocals, Gene Balabon plays guitar and sings lead vocals, and Denny Johnson plays bass guitar and sings backing vocals.
The band now needs to find a drummer so Dave and Denny head over to The Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, where booking agent David Anthony Wachter rents space for bands to practice in and to try out new band members in a “live” club like setting with a stage. At The Ritz, Dave and Denny meet Pete Huber, a drummer from The Gremmies, a band that had just broken up due to their singer Jim Larkin leaving the group to take over as lead singer for The Rave Ons, as the group had lost their lead singer Lonnie Knight due to his family moving from Minneapolis to Detroit. Pete Huber joins the newly forming group on drums.
After practicing for a few weeks at Denny’s house in North Minneapolis, Dave decides he no longer wants to play keyboards and wants to focus on being a front man on lead vocals. Denny recalls a guitar and keyboard player that he had worked with in the past and calls Dave “Kink” Middlemist. Dave is playing with The Cavaliers but decides to try out for the new band and leaves The Cavaliers to join on with the new band which is now up to five members. The lineup is: Dave Waggoner on lead vocals; Gene Balabon on guitar and lead vocals; Dave “Kink” Middlemist on keyboards; Denny Johnson on bass guitar and backing vocals; and Pete Huber on drums.
Jokers Wild, now signed on with David Anthony Productions, plays teen clubs, ballrooms, and armories throughout the upper 5 State Midwest area. They recorded 3 singles between 1967 and 1969 in Minnesota but the complete album LIQUID GIRAFFE was never released. Starting as a 5 man band most of the material was recorded by the 3 main members: Lonnie Knight, Denny Johnson and Pete Huber. Later Lonnie Knight became guitarist of “The Litter” for a while but he returned to “Jokers Wild”.
What a powerful band this is. Huge amp stacks guaranteed a “wall of sound” on stage. Double bass drum, cool outfits, they must have been been great on stage.
Damin Eih, A.L.K. and Brother Clark wrote: “In ’67 I saw two local bands that again amped up the juice, The Litter and Jokers Wild. Both bands played original music and had excellent psychedelic-raved guitar players, Zippy Caplan (Litter) and Lonnie Knight (Jokers Wild). That brought everything to a new level”
Heavy underground rock with great composed songs, fuzz guitars, speedy drums and tight bass lines.If you think The Litter is the one you should listen to Jokers Wild.
Four days after making the acquaintance of five rather withdrawn young men, I went to see them perform at the Greyhound, Fulham Palace Road. Gone were their shy, bashful, diffident exteriors, and in their place were five extrovert performers playing their music as though nothing else in the world mattered. But perhaps nothing else did. I don't believe Renia are just another band - they're something a little bit special. The reason for this?
They are one of the very few bands who play 1973 music which produces the kind of nostalgia and excitement we have come to associate with the mid-sixties R&B bands. For me the whole indispensable quality of Renia's album was summed up by a leading music journalist who turned to me, after hearing an advance copy and said: "this is one of the very few albums that I would actually go out and buy." I hope once you have heard it you will feel the same way.
by Laurence Marks May, 1973.
This quite rare and totally forgotten album was released in 1973 by Transatlantic Records - the label known mainly from Folk Progressive rock releases but it certainly wasn't a good place for the heavy music.
The sole Renia LP should be described as a solid, energetic and rather straightforward hard rock album with strong vocals, fine melodies and some progressive influences (almost omnipresent Hammond organ and the mighty mellotron on amazing & truly beautiful 'Shelter' track) similar to Stray, Strider and early Nutz. Unfortunately, this badly promoted tide went completely unnoticed and the band broke up.
In 1975 vocalist Kenny Stewart formed Dirty Tricks which released three fine hard rock records.
Tracks
1. You'd Best Believe It - 3:48
2. Friend Out On The Road - 4:42
3. Breakneck - 5:05
4. Shelter - 4:45
5. Cowboy's Dream - 3:45
6. Slow Down - 3:47
7. Drive Me Wild - 4:38
8. I Suppose It's For The Best - 3:23
9. Mighty Queen - 5:32
1971's "Asylum Choir II" was originally intended as a follow-up to 1968's "Looking Inside the Asylum Choir". Unfortunately Smash Records executives shelved the set where it sat for the next three years. The collection was ultimately rescued in 1971 when Leon Russell (enjoying stardom as a solo act), bought the tapes and released the collection on his newly formed Shelter imprint. Ironically, by the time the sophomore album saw the light of day, Russell and singer/multi-instrumentalist Marc Benno had dissolved their musical partnership.
Musically the set wasn't a major change from the debut, though there were a couple of marked differences. While the debut was very much a collaboration, this time around the focus was clearly on Russell. That may have something to do with the fact Russell was responsible for the collection's release. As on the debut, Benno was credited with co-writing most of the material (there were three tracks credited to Russell alone), but Benno's other contributions were far and few between. He handled backing vocals on a couple of tracks, but elsewhere was largely absent.
While full of engaging melodies, lyrically the album was a topical timepiece - though I've always found it an engaging reflection of the times. There were a couple of nifty anti-war tracks ('Down On the Base' and 'Ballad for a Soldier') and some dated social/political commentary ('Sweet Home Chicago' with it's not-to-subtle commentary on 1968's Democratic National Convention and 'Straight Brother').
Speaking of dated, amazing how time impacts language ... "when you're bass player's flat and your drummer drags, don't you wish you had a fag" Anyone under 30 probably doesn't realize he was talking about cigarettes, not lifestyles. Bottom line is that it was a good effort, though largely a Russell solo effort and simply not on a par with the debut.
by Scott Blackerby
Tracks
1. Sweet Home Chicago - 3:22
2. Down On The Base - 2:17)
3. Hello Little Friend (Leon Russell) - 2:52
4. Salty Candy - 2:27
5. Tryin' To Stay 'Live - 2:50
6. ...Intro To Rita... - 2:07
7. Straight Brother - 3:07
8. Learn How To Boogie - 2:45
9. Ballad For A Soldier (Leon Russell) - 4:25
10.When You Wish Upon A Fag (Leon Russell) - 4:09
11.Lady In Waiting (Leon Russell) - 3:38
All songs by Leon Russell, Marc Benno except where stated.
Musicians
*Marc Benno - Guitars, Vocals
*Leon Russell - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Vocals
*Jesse Ed Davis - Guitars
*Chuck Blackwell - Drums
*Carl Radle - Bass
*"Donald Duck" Dunn - Bass
