In The Land Of FREE we still Keep on Rockin'

It's Not Dark Yet

Plain and Fancy

Music gives soul to universe, wings to mind, flight to imagination, charm to sadness, and life to everything.

Plato

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Jonathan Kelly Outside - Waiting On You (1974 ireland / uk, awesome funky jazzy rock, feat. Snowy White, 2018 korean remaster)



In 1973, he formed Jonathan Kelly’s Outside, with Snowy White - guitar and Chas Jenkel - bass among the members. Snowy White went on to play with Pink Floyd, Peter Green, Thin Lizzy and Chas Jenkel was central to the wonderful British funk of Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Led by Ledingham, this line-up made one album together, which was 1974’s ...Waiting On You.

"Waiting On You" was something Jonathan had always wanted, at heart he was always a bit of a Rock & Roller.  This album cover was designed by Tim Staffell. However this album wasn't as warmly received and Jonathan was hurt by some of the criticism of it, the music press wanted him pigeonholed as a folk singer. A single was also released to coincide with this album called 'Outside' backed with 'Waiting on you'. Jonathan was particularly fond of Outside because it encompassed the musicians and styles which he enjoyed and which had influenced him and the type of music they played covered rock through to jazz and not forgetting the soul influences!

By this time Jonathan's problems with drugs were taking a real hold of him and people remember being shocked by his appearance on occasions.


Tracks
1. Misery - 6:25
2. Making It Lonely - 4:53
3. Tempest - 6:19
4. Sensation Street - 5:57
5. Great Northern Railroad - 7:53
6. I'll Never Find Another Love - 4:23
7. Yesterday's Promises - 3:54
8. Tell Me People - 8:34
All compositions by Jonathan Kelly

Personnel
*Jonathan Kelly - Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Drums, Vocals
*Snowy White - Guitars, Vocals
*Chas Jankel - Guitars, Vocals
*Trevor Williams - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Sheen - Drums, Percussion
*Peter Wood - Keyboards, Piano
*Max Middleton - Organ, Clavinet
*Ron Carthy - Trumpet
*Mick Eve - Saxophone
*Chris Mercer - Saxophone
*Smiley Dejonnes - Percussion

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Frijid Pink - Earth Omen (1972 us, impressive heavy prog rock, 2016 bonus tracks digipak remaster)



The Frijid Pink saga began in Allen Park, a suburb of Detroit located in the southern part of Wayne County. Composed of tree-lined streets and neat brick houses, the city was closely associated with the Ford Motor Company. Many of the auto company’s offices and facilities are still located within the city limits as is the Uniroyal Tire, the world’s largest sculpture of a tire. The city’s main roadside attraction was previously a Ferris wheel at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The structure, which is 80 feet tall and weighs 12 tons, was moved to Allen Park in 1966.

Round 1971 two former members Kelly Green and Gary Ray Thompson left the band, but their leaving not only derailed the tour and killed any hopes for the “Music For The People” single, but also cost the band its record label. The two remaining original members Tom Harris and Richard Stevers weathered the storm and auditioned new musicians. They eventually came up with a lineup that included Harris and Stevers along with keyboardist Larry Zelenka, Jon Wearing (formerly of the Tidal Waves) on lead vocals, and Craig Webb on guitar and vocals. Now signed to Lion Records, a subsidiary of MGM, this is the group that recorded “Earth Omen” in 1972. By this time the band’s management had also changed. The road had taken its toll on the marriage of Judy Harris and Marv Wilson and they dropped out after their divorce, leaving Clyde Stevers in charge.

The change in band personnel was reflected in the new material; and many of the songs were written during casual jam sessions while sitting on the floor of Stevers’ apartment. The album was recorded in the Osmond Brothers studio in California. “Earth Omen” was a commercial flop, however. Looking back, it may have been a little ahead of its time; and it was certainly different from the first two albums which may have confused or even disappointed Frijid Pink’s original fan base.

When it came to the all-important promotion of “Earth Omen” Stevers stated:  “Lion dropped the ball, didn’t push it, didn’t give it to the reps to push in the music stores. They didn’t do anything. It was just left to lie and rot. It was unfortunate because there were some good songs on it. The sound of the music was cleaner, easier to listen to, and more progressive than the other stuff we had done to that point”. Equally disappointing were the singles “Lazy Day” and a cover of “Go Now”, featuring the backing vocals of Hopkins and Wilson, released in the wake of “Earth Omen”.

“Earth Omen” album has gained respect over the years. One of the most polished rock albums of 1972-73, and definitely one of the most overlooked”. 
by Gary Johnson, 26 June 2013


Tracks
1. Miss Evil - 6:26
2. Sailor - 4:25
3. Earth Omen - 3:37
4. Lazy Day - 4:37
5. Train Woman - 4:02
6. Eternal Dream - 4:22
7. New Horizon - 4:24
8. Rainbow Rider - 2:59
9. Mr. Blood - 4:40
10.Lazy Day - 3:07
11.Go Now (Larry Banks, Milton Bennett) - 2:56
All songs by Jon Wearing, Richard Stevers, Larry Zelanka, Craig Webb, Tom Harris except track #11
Bonus Tracks 10-11

Frijid Pink
*Jon Wearing - Lead Vocals
*Richard Stevers - Drums
*Tom Harris - Bass
*Craig Webb - Guitars
*Larry Zelanka - Keyboards

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Ro Ro - Meet At The Water (1972 uk, refined rural prog rock, 2009 korean remaster)



Warwick Rose started out as a bass player in early 1966 for the British Soul Survivors (no connection with the Philly US band with the same name) and he left the band before they changed their name to "Love Affair", he collaborated with Alan Ross (as the Ro Ro) for the 1972 "Meet At The Water", and later became a seller for medical insurance in Los Angeles.

Guitarist Alan Ross played on 2 of John Entwistle's solo albums in the early 70's, "Whistle Rhymes" and "Rigor Mortis Sets In". He was also part of Entwistle's touring band during that period. In 1973, he played guitar on Tim Hardin's album "Painted Head". That same year, he formed a band called Ro-Ro with bass player Warwick Rose and they released an album called "Meet At The Water" on the Regal Zonophone label. The album is now extremely hard to find and goes on ebay for anything between GBP 200 and GBP 300. By 1974, he formed the group "Ross" with former Indian Summer keyboard player Bob Jackson. The band's career seemed to take off when they landed themselves a contract with RSO Records.

They recorded 2 brilliant albums for the label, "Ross" and "The Pit And The Pendulum", released in 1974 and 1975. Eric Clapton, who was also an RSO artist toured the USA in 1974 and the Ross band was on the same bill. The band disbanded after two albums. In 1976, he appeared on the band Stars' self titled album. He released another 2 albums in 1977 and 1978, "Are You Free On Saturday" and "Restless Nights", this time for a small British label, Ebony Records under the name Alan Ross Band. In 1980, he appeared on an album by Wilson-Gale called "Gift Wrapped Set". In 1983, he played on Alexis Korner's album "Juvenile Delinquent". 

Alan's first album as a leader Ro-Ro: Meet At The Water has been issued on CD on the Big Pink/Beatball label in the form of a mini replica of the original gatefold album. The disc itself looks like the original vinyl record with what looks like actual grooves and the Regal/Zonophone label in the center. The style of the music is acoustic folk for the most part and contains little soloing on the electric guitar. 
by Walid Itayim, May 27 2010 


Tracks
1. Goin' Round My Head - 5:08
2. Beautiful Lady (Neil Sheppard, John Weider) - 5:02
3. Something About Her - 4:45
4. Down On The Road - 2:31
5. Meet At The Water - 4:56
6. Mandala - 2:13
7. Give Me The Benefit - 6:00
8. June - 5:04
9. Wild Wild Woman - 4:08
10.Whole Fire Burning - 5:39
All songs by Warwick Rose, Alan Ross except where noted

Ro Ro
*Alan Ross - Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Recorder 
*Warwick Rose - Bass Guitar 
With
*Neil Sheppard - Backing Vocals, Keyboards 
*Rod Coombes - Backing Vocals, Drums, Percussion 
*John Weider - Guitar, Violin 
*Brian Rogers - Orchestration

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Tim Rose - The Gambler (1976 us, great classic rock with blues folk and country shades)



Tim was raised in Virginia, from which he gets his southern roots and where he learnt to play guitar, banjo, organ and bass. He started his professional career with the Big Three, which together with Mama Cass Elliott (whom he discovered working in a drug store) went on to become one of the critically acclaimed singing groups of the mid 60's. When the group broke up, Tim decided to make a solo career, Tim considers his most formatwe years were during the period he lived in Bleeker Street, above the Bitter End, in New York's Greenwich Village working the coffee bars and folk rock clubs. His friends and musical contemporaries who were all working the same circuit read like a Who's Who in music today - Steve Stills, Dave Crosby, John Sebastian, Scott Mackenzie, Felix Pappallardi, Janis Ian, Simon & Garfunkel, Don McClean, Al Cooper. David Clayton-Thomas, Harry Chapin, Eric Wiseberg among others.

Tim was discovered by Dave Rubinson of CBS Records, singing his particular brand of electric folk rock at the Night Owl cafe. He started working with producer Bob Johnston (later of Dylan fame) in Nashville. However, CBS weren't ready for the combination of Bob and Tim and Dave Rubinson, who until then had only been producing spoken word records, was persuaded by Clive Davis and Tim to produce an album with Tim.

The initial tracks included 'Morning Dew', 'Hey Joe' and 'Come Away Melinda'. These early recordings have become the cornerstone of Tim's career and were early influences on other artists such as Jimmy Hendrix, Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck. In 1969, after several successful tours, which have included in his various bands musicians like John Bonham, Ainsley Dunbar, Eric Wiseberg, Elliot Randall and Andy Summers among others, Tim decided to live in New York, give up touring and concentrate on writing and making commercials.

He either wrote or appeared in over 200 commercials within the short period of three yea's. He later moved to Los Angeles where he continued with his writing and renewed his first love affair with airplanes and flying. In 1976 Tim moved to London, Irving off the Fulham Road close by Chelsea Football club. Here he met producer & songwriter Pierre Tubbs and they started working on this album also formed a band called Tim Rose & Fresh Air. This went well until the record company, a Dutch organization decided that they would have a change of management and chucked out all the acts the previous management had signed, including Tim. Tim hung around for a year or so but soon became fed up with waiting and sadly flew home to New York another life. This album was made with hope in the air and a great sense of fun, remember fun?
CD Liner Notes

Tracks
1. I Just Wanna Make Love To You (Tim Rose, Rob Gold) - 3:00
2. He Was Born To Be A Lady (Pierre Tubbs, Alan David) - 4:11
3. Dance On Ma Belle (Tim Rose, Rob Gold) - 4:47
4. It'll Be Alright On The Night (Pierre Tubbs, Alan David) - 3:35
5. Runaway (Tim Rose) - 3:08
6. Moving Targets (Pierre Tubbs) - 3:38
7. The Gambler (Tim Rose, Rob Gold) - 4:59
8. Blow Me Back Santa Ana (Pierre Tubbs) - 3:45
9. Is There Something 'bout The Way I Hold My Gun (Pierre Tubbs) - 2:56
10.So Much To Lose (Tim Rose) - 3:14
11.Bowery Avenue (Tim Rose) - 4:16
12.Laurie (Pierre Tubbs) - 3:20

Musicians
*Tim Rose - Vocals, Guitar, Percussion
*Andy Summers - Guitar
*Snowy White - Guitar
*Pierre Tubbs - Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion, Vocals
*B.J.Cole  - Pedal Steel
*Raff Ravenscroft - Sax, Flute
*Lynton Naif - Keyboards
*Melissa Vardey - Keyboards 
*Theodore Thunder - Drums
*Stuart Francis - Drums
*Michael D' Alberquerque - Bass
*Robert C Siggins - Banjo
*Wilf Gibson - Strings
*Phillip "Peggy" Love - Percussion
*Dave - Percussion
*LIsa Strike - Vocals
*Jaqui Sullivan - Vocals
*Vicci Brown - Vocals


Thursday, January 6, 2022

Pacheco And Alexander - Pacheco And Alexander (1971 us, ecstatic party vibe folk psych country boogie rock, 2001 japan remaster)



Our story begins sixty miles South East of Boston, in the town of New Bedford, on November 4th 1946, the day Tom Pacheco was born, the eldest of a family of nine children. In the late nineteen thirties his father, Tony, a jazz musician had moved to France to work, but returned to America after World War II broke out. He soon found himself back in Europe, serving as a GI. Prior to the outbreak of war, Tony had worked in Paris with guitarist Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapellli, the violinist. When Reinhardt toured America in the early nineteen fifties, Tony met him again. In fact, that meeting is one of Tom’s earliest musical memories. It’s not unnatural because of his interests, and chosen trade, that Tony Pacheco, without using coercion, taught all of his children to play at least one musical instrument. Tom is the only sibling to have made a lifelong career of writing and performing songs, although, as we shall see, many of the Pacheco offspring possess considerable artistic talents. 

Concurrent with having his first guitar lessons at the age of ten, on classical and flamenco guitars, Tom would visit a nearby neighbour. She was originally from North Carolina, and introduced Tom to country music through the music of Patsy Cline and Hank Williams Snr. In his mid-teen years, through school friends he became acquainted with the music of Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. At the age of seventeen Tom left home to attend Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts. He subsequently moved on to Hofstra University on Long Island, New York and Greenwich Village became Tom’s base in the city. Commuting to University, come the evening Tom could be found performing in legendary Village clubs such as The Night Owl Café, The Cafe Wha, The Au Go Go and The Bitter End. A couple of years earlier, and already a confirmed fan of singer/songwriters, Tom had made occasional forays into Boston to see his heroes play at Club 47. At that time the club was managed by Jim Rooney. Performed by none other than Dylan, Tom clearly recalls hearing “Mr. Tambourine Man” for the first time at the Harvard Square venue. 

With a catalogue that consists of two singles, Tom led a legendary Greenwich Village band called The Ragamuffins during the mid-sixties. The initial line-up consisted of Tom’s brother Paul on bass, his cousin Larry Vera on drums, plus vocalist Sharon Alexander - who Tom had first met at Dean Junior, and guitarist Kenny Pine. John Hall, who later found fame with Orleans, was a band member for a while. Signed to the Seville label, and distributed by London Records, the first single was titled "Four Days of Rain" and the second "Parade of Uncertainty." In 1969 Tom recorded a self-titled album with his next band, Euphoria. The line-up consisted of, Roger and Wendy Beckett plus Tom and Sharon. Stylistically intended to be an acoustic folk recording, the label subsequently deleted most of the instrumental contributions by the band members and added strings. Pacheco was utterly disappointed at the end result. 

When Euphoria dissolved, Sharon and Tom worked as a duo for a time, mostly around Greenwich Village. While performing at The Gaslight they were approached by an A&R man from CBS who arranged for them to audition for, the then label head, Clive Davis. A few weeks later, the pair walked out of New York’s CBS building with a record deal. Pacheco & Alexander 1971, a twelve-track collection of songs penned by Tom, was produced by John Hall. By this stage, Hall had already recorded his first solo album, which had included three of Tom’s songs. Tom and Sharon’s album was not a commercial success and the pair drifted apart.
by Arthur Wood


Tracks
1. White River Junction - 3:01
2. Anna Lee - 4:37
3. Milwaukee - 2:48
4. Morning - 4:28
5. The Night The Ice Age Came To Mobile - 3:18
6. Gather Your Children - 3:06
7. Lost On A Stormy Day - 3:38
8. White Buffalo - 2:26
9. Please Take A Stand - 2:50
10.Roll With The Flow - 2:49
11.Since I Was Born - 4:43
12.Turn Out Every Light - 2:15
All songs by Tom Pacheco

Personnel
*Tom Pacheco - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Sharon Alexander - Vocals
*John Hall - Lead Guitar, Steel, Organ, Melodica, Vocals
*Richard Bell - Piano
*Harvey Brooks - Bass
*Brad Campbell - Bass
*Jim Colegrove - Bass
*Richard Davis - String Bass
*Paul Harris - Piano, Organ, Harpsichord
*Bill Keith - Steel
*Wells Kelly - Drums
*Ken Pearson - Organ
*Clark Pierson - Drums
*Denny Seiwell - Drums
*John Simon - Piano
*N.D. Smart - Drums
*Greg Thomas - Drums

Related Acts
1977  Bermuda Triangle

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Crowfoot - Crowfoot (1970 us, fascinating psych classic rock with west coast aura, 2017 remaster)



Born in Philadelphia, DaShiell lived on Oahu between the ages of three and fifteen, and took up guitar at the age of fourteen. He moved with his family to Florida in 1963, where he formed a band that played covers in the local Sugar Shack club. He then joined Doug Killmer's band The Sonics, which after the addition of drummer Rick Jaeger became The Beau Gentry in 1965; 

Originally, they played British Invasion songs, but turned more to original material as DaShiell began to write it. They were signed by manager Ken Adamany (who later handled Cheap Trick); he took them to the Midwest for a summer tour, and they continued to be based there for the next two years. In December 1968, they moved to Marin County, CA, in hopes of getting a record deal during the renaissance of San Francisco rock bands, but they eventually found success playing with others rather than in their own band. DaShiell also began working as a session guitarist, playing on A.B. Skhy's 1969 debut album, and going on to play in Harvey Mandel's band. He also played on Norman Greenbaum's Spirit in the Sky album, including the chart-topping title track, and went on to tour with Greenbaum and play on his next two albums. 

In 1970, DaShiell secured a record contract with ABC-Paramount for Crowfoot, but by then it was essentially a solo act. Nevertheless, he recorded a self-titled Crowfoot album, with Jaeger playing drums, that was released in the fall of 1970. A year later came Find the Sun, which found DaShiell backed by Sam McCue (guitar and vocals), Bill Sutton (bass), and Don Francisco (drums and vocals). Neither album succeeded commercially, and DaShiell went on to other projects. In the early 1990s, he reunited with Killmer and Jaeger for an EP under the name Mesenger that he released on his own Aerial View label. 


Tracks
1. Winter Comes - 3:41
2. Love Is Everywhere - 2:35
3. You Won't Cry - 3:13
4. Lady Fair - 1:45
5. Maybe I Can Learn To Live - 2:50
6. California Rock'n Roll - 1:59
7. Dry Your Eyes - 3:08
8. A Falling Leaf - 3:51
9. No Don't Leave - 3:39
10.Dancing Lady - 2:43
11.Groove Along - 4:01
All compositions by Russell Da Shiell

Crowfoot
*Russell Da Shiell - Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals
*Rick Jaeger - Drums

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