This is getting better and better, part 7 is one of the most exciting pieces from this series, and it goes much further and beyond the british psychedelic scene from the mid to late sixties.
Every song that follows makes our light brighter, and our willing to push the start button again and again, well it's true now, these diamonds are for ever, just enjoy them....
Artists - Tracks
1. Loose Ends - I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore - 2:12
2. Peter Fenton - Small Town - 2:13
3. Paul Young - No, No, No - 2:25
4. Bobcats - Let Me Get By - 2:19
5. Chris Kerry - Seven Deadly Sins - 2:40
6. Situation - Time - 2:26
7. Magic Lanterns - Time Will Tell - 2:01
8. Mud - You’re My Mother - 2:30
9. Peeps - Gotta Get A Move On - 2:25
10.Pinkerton’s Assort’ Colours - Will Ya? - 2:10
11.The Act - One Heart - 2:36
12.The Koobas - City Girl - 2:23
13.Deuce Of Hearts - The Times They Are A-Changin’ - 2:24
14.Harbour Lites - Run For Your Life - 2:26
15.Monopoly - Gone Tomorrow - 3:05
16.Dead Sea Fruit - Seeds Of Discontent - 3:24
17.Barry Fantoni - Fat Man - 1:55
18. Rising Sons - Just A Little While Longer - 2:48
19.Barley Bree - Save Your Love - 2:25
20.Paul Young - You Girl - 3:01
After Van Morrison’s departure from the group in 1966, Them relocated to Los Angeles, California and released a string of worthwhile efforts. The group completely revamped their image and sound behind Jim Armstrong’s accomplished guitar work and Ken McDowell’s vocals; the only hold over from the Van Morrison era was guitarist Alan Henderson. Now And “Them” and Time Out! Time In For are by far and away the best LPs the post Van Morrison Them ever produced. The liners from the Rev-Ola reissue written by notable British rock historian Jon Mojo Mills take it almost too far, stating “they mastered West Coast psychedelia like no other Irish band. And quite why Van Morrison gets all the credit is beyond me. Which songs are better? Gloria and Here Comes The Night or Dirty Old Man and Time Out Time In?”
Let me get this out in the open right here: the psychedelic era Them is nowhere near as good as early Them, particularly Them’s first LP and the early singles with Van Morrison (I’m sure psych fans will take issue with this!). Early Them was a hard edged British R&B group who was both innovative and revered in their day. Van Morrison is a legend, however, and Them’s early work is considered some of the best pure rock n roll from that time frame (64-66).
That being said, this album is a pretty good psychedelic record though not the masterpiece dealers and rock critics make it out to be. This is the kind of album you get after you’ve heard a few hundred or so classics and are thirsting for more UK psychedelia. The musicianship is way above average, particularly Jim Armstrong’s guitar work. Mean lean fuzz leads are painted all over this album.
The opening cut “Time Out For Time In” is very good with jazzy time signatures and effective sitar work. Some of the tracks are marred by dramatic vocal phrasing and pretentious lyrics but that’s a minor complaint. Exotic numbers like “The Moth” and the lyrically bizarre “Waltz of the Flies” work best, employing a variety of instruments (mandolin) and strange sounds. Another highlight, “Black Widow Spider,” is a classic sitar headswirler while the boys give a good blues psych reading of “I Put A Spell On You” (titled here “I Put A Hex On You”).
Once again, if you expect the unexpected and enjoy classic psychedelia, this record is for you. It’s not the original Them but not many bands are. The Alan Henderson/Jim Armstrong/Ken McDowell lineup was a very underrated group and while this LP may not be an essential purchase, the music is still very good and full of mysticism. During this era, Them also had a good live reputation throughout the LA area and released some fine singles including the excellent garage punker “Dirty Old Man.” Icing on the cake is the original vinyl album sleeve’s beautiful psychedelic collage.
Tracks
1. Time Out for Time In (Lane, Pulley) - 2:55
2. She Put a Hex on You (Lane, Pulley) - 2:24
3. Bent Over You (Henderson, Lane, Pulley)3:17
4. Waltz of the Flies (Lane) - 2:23
5. Black Widow Spider (Lane, Pulley) - 4:33
6. We've All Agreed to Help (Them) - 2:20
7. Market Place (Lane, Pulley) - 3:01
8. Just on Conception (Henderson, McDowell, Harvey, Armstrong) - 5:07
9. Young Woman (Lane, Pulley) - 2:44
10.Moth (Lane, Pulley) - 3:23
11.But It's Alright (Jackson, Tubbs) - 2:42
12.Square Room (2nd Single Version) (Henderson, McDowell, Harvey, Armstrong) - 3:18
13.Dirty Old Man (2nd Single Version) (Lane) - 1:46
14.Corinna (Single Version) (Mahal, Davis) - 2:38
15.Dark Are the Shadows (Single Version) (Monda, Budnick) - 2:39
16.Dirty Old Man (Original Single Version) (Lane) - 1:57
17.Square Room (Original Single Version) (Henderson, McDowell, Harvey, Armstrong) - 3:37
18.But It's Alright (Original Single Version) (Jackson, Tubbs) - 2:43
19.Square Room (Single Edit Remix) (Henderson, McDowell, Harvey, Armstrong) - 3:20
The only album of this forgotten Montreal band was released on tiny Gamma label in 1969 and is usually considered as one of the very best Canadian albums from late 60' s psychedelic era.
It mostly contained a trippy, instrumental music full of swirling organ and fuzz guitar parts, but there were also a space for atmospheric, dreamy ballads sung in a deep voice and for some distinctive, weird and 'jazzy' guitar solos...
Anyway, it was a pretty complex and freaky album, which can be described as a stylistic combination of Vanilla Fudge, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Aorta and C.A. Quintet. It has been carefully remastered from the original, analogue source and sounds really great!
Tracks
1. New Thing - 4:34
2. My Lady Lies Forever - 2:39
3. Give Me A Peace - 4:01
4. Two By Two - 2:35
5. The Mouse - 5:04
6. I'll Love Everyone At Last - 2:51
7. In Between - 4:41
8. Melon - 1:44
9. Stars - 5:34
All compositions by Jim Solkin
The Medium
*Robert Ellis - Vocals, Harmonica
*James Solkin - Organ, Piano
*Pierre Latrelille - Guitar
*Neil Malott - Bass
*Steve Blackwell - Percussion
Carl Oglesby was born in Ohio. After graduating from Kent State University, he worked in Michigan as a technical editor for a defense contractor.
Oglesby was radicalized by the Vietnam War. In 1965 he was elected president of the Students for a Democratic Society, a group that organized opposition to the war. Oglesby went on to teach politics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dartmouth College.
He may be the ultimate politically hyphenated American: He's an anti-interventionist-New Left-humanist-libertarian. He's also a folk singer with two albums to his credit, an author, and one of the nation's leading experts on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Oglesby's background didn't hint that he would end up, as Murray Rothbard called him in 1992, a "longtime libertarian." Born in Ohio, Oglesby attended Kent State University and then worked in Michigan as a technical editor for a defense contractor.
His world turned upside down in 1965 when he became radicalized about the United States' growing military involvement in Vietnam. Later that year, he was elected president of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a "New Left" group that organized student opposition to the Vietnam War.
As he traveled around the country, Oglesby came to realize that the United States' foreign policy wasn't just a matter of left (good) versus right (bad). In 1967, he wrote Containment and Change (with Richard Shaull), which argued that the libertarian, non-interventionist "Old Right" should be the New Left's best ally in opposing an imperialistic American foreign policy.
In 1971, Oglesby was a speaker at a "Left-Right Festival of Mind Liberation." The event, sponsored by the California Libertarian Alliance, was designed to lay the groundwork for a libertarian/New Left anti-war coalition. Oglesby made the case that "the Old Right and the New Left" were "morally and politically" united in their opposition to war, and should work together.
Oglesby also began speaking out against the alliance of big business and government -- what he called the "corporate state" -- and in favor of "radically humanist politics" that embraced decentralization and free association.
During those same years, Oglesby earned recognition for his musical talent. He released two albums, Carl Oglesby (1969) and Going to Damascus (1971), that were praised for their "psychedelic folk rock sound." The albums were re-released in CD format in 2003.
After the Vietnam War ended, Oglesby's innate suspicion of government led him down another career path -- investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He wrote three books: On the Trail of the Assassins (with Jim Garrison, 1988); Who Killed JFK? (1991); and The JFK Assassination: The Facts and the Theories (1992). All three voiced skepticism about the government's "lone-gunman" theory.
In 1991, Oglesby again bridged the gap between his libertarian/left perspective and the liberty movement in a speech to the Massachusetts Libertarian Party. In it, Oglesby discussed secret American intelligence operations, including the U.S. Army's post-World War II "Gehlen Deal" that recruited former Nazis to spy on the USSR for NATO; the CIA's 1953 Operation Ajax that overthrew the government of Iran; and the FBI's Vietnam War-era COINTELPRO campaign against anti-war activists. Such covert operations, warned Oglesby, were indicative of an out-of-control "national-security oligarchy" that constituted "a secret and invisible state within the public state."
Tracks 1969 Carl Oglesby
1. Suburbs Of Eden - 2:56
2. Le Chinois - 4:04
3. Staring At The Sunshine - 4:18
4. The Prophet - 5:19
5. Black Panther - 4:45
6. Portait Of A Lady - 5:50
7. Dragon Song - 3:03
8. Cherokee Queen - 3:28
9. Lemon Light - 6:42 1971 Going To Damascus
10. Last Night I Saw The Sailor - 3:00
11. Till The Dance Is Mine - 4:28
12. Going To Damascus - 3:44
13. Play Volleyball Like A Man - 3:18
14. The Working Class Stranger - 4:29
15. The Lowly Beggar Girl - 3:02
16. Boarder Ballad - 3:59
17. The Lady With The Red Glass Eye - 3:28
18. The Wild E. G. And C. - 3:04
19. Light The Pipe - 4:49
Words and Music by Carl Oglesby
Musicians 1969 Carl Oglesby
*Carl Oglesby - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Richard Davis - Bass
*Seymour Barab - Cello
*George Edwards - Guitar
*Robert Fritz - Woodwind
*Elmer Gordon - Keyboards
*Tim Hauser - Guitar
*Mark Puleo - Harmonica
*Peter Psarianos - Guitar
*Vinnie Bell - Electric Guitar
*Norman Grossman - Percussions
*Bill La Vorgna - Drums
*Joe Mack - Bass
1971 Going To Damascus
*Carl Oglesby - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*John Frangipane - Organ, Piano
*Bill La Vorgna - Drums
*Joe Mack - Bass
*David Spinozza - Electric Guitar
They're a group with five distinct but not disjointed personalities. This is Them as I know them.
There's Kenny McDowell, who worried about stepping into Van Morrison's place as the group's vocalist. He's a worker on stage, shouting and whispering everything from blues to Indian ragas. Blues is his game and he plays it well. Off stage he's shy, but getting over it. Charming in that delightful Irish way, he blushes when complimented and calls every girl "Luv." You just can't help but love Kenny.
Towering over him on stage is Kim Armstrong, lead guitar player extraordinaire. A year ago Jim looked like a cross between Chad Stuart and Peter Asher; now he just looks tall. New Shankar albums to blow his mind, but then so do songs like "They're Coming To Take Me Away," so how can you win? He's basically an uncomplicated guy who likes to like and is easy to like. Keep your eye on this man; he's going to develop himself into one of our top guitarists. But it won't hang him up, 'cause things just don't hang Jim up.
And there's Alan, who resembles an iceberg in that only about ten percent of him is above the surface. He keeps a lot of him inside. What's on the outside looks a lot like Omar Sharif. It's a little difficult to earn Alan's respect, as it is with all of Them, but once you get it you have a loyal friend. But cross him once and you'll never have a chance to do it again. He's one heck of a bass player, but if you ask him he'll tell you Jim is the group's best guitarist. He can seem a bit rough at times, but he's learning the meaning of gentleness. Just don't let Alan frighten you.
Ray Elliott plays sax, organ, flute, etc., and is the world's largest living leprechaun, not necessarily in captivity. He's easy to love but impossible to understand. He calls his sax a typewriter and is capable of talking for hours without making sense to anyone other than himself, but that's Ray. And you'll just have to take him as he is, 'cause there's no way he's ever going to change. But why should he; he's enjoying himself. Ray doesn't trust people, but maybe he has a reason. We'll probably never know.
Move slowly around Dave Harvey and he may be able to keep up with you. Them's drummer, he's a low keyed Englishman who looks Spanish when his moustache gets too long. He once wore a watch that said five o'clock for three months, but in Dave's world it might have been five o'clock for three months. Jazz is his bag, photography his latest interest and girls his full time interest. He doesn't stand out in a crowd, but he's glad of that since crowds bother him. Dave's simply quiet, easy going and slow, at everything.
These are Them now and now is Them. They've been through some changes, bad times and good times and learned from all of it. It's going to happen for Them now. I think you'll like Them.
by Carol Deck
Tracks
1. I'm Your Witch Doctor (John Mayall) - 2:39
2. What's The Matter Baby (Joy Byers, Clyde Otis) - 2:46
3. Truth Machine (Jim Armstrong, Dave Harvey, Ray Elliott, Kenny McDowell) - 2:10
4. Square Room - 9:59
5. You're Just What I Was Looking For Today (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 2:57
6. Dirty Ol' Man (At The Age Of 16) (Tom Hale) - 1:48
7. Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out (Jimmie Cox) - 3:35
8. Walking In The Queen's Garden - 3:06
9. I Happen To Love You (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 2:48
10. Come To Me - 2:24
11. Walking In The Queen's Garden (mono single mix) - 3:04
12. I Happen To Love You (mono single mix) (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 2:54
Songs 4,8,10,11 by Alan Henderson, Jim Armstrong, Dave Harvey, Ray Elliott, Kenny McDowell
The exotic, mindbending sounds of Gandalf have long been one of the great lost treasures of the first great psychedelic era. Featuring the breathy vocals and lysergic guitar of Peter Sando, the band's only official album Gandalf—a delight from start to finish—has been a best-selling Sundazed psychedelic release that has generated a fervent demand for more of the same.
The release of Gandalf 2, is a return trip to the band's garden of earthly delights. A thorough search of Sando's tape vault revealed a fabulous stash of spellbinding demos and acetates, unheard for decades. Sando has penned the liner notes for Gandalf 2, which also features another visit to the band's dusty book of memorabilia.
Released with Peter Sando's active cooperation, technically this wasn't really a Gandalf album since it included a number of non-Gandalf tracks; notably three selections from guitarist Peter Sandolf's post-Gandalf Barracuda project. That said, the collection included a mixture Gandalf acetates and demos that may have been intended for a shelved sophomore album.
Tracks
1. Bird In The Hand (Sando) - 3:55
2. Days Are Only Here And Gone (Sando) - 3:31
3. Smokey Topaz (Sando) - 3:03
4. Ladyfingers (Bonner, Gordon) (As The Barracuda) - 2:28
5. No Earth Can Be Won (Sando) - 4:16
6. Bad Dream (Demo) (Sando) - 2:58
7. I Won’t Cry No More (Sando) - 3:10
8. The Dance At St. Francis (Bonner, Gordon) (As The Barracuda) - 2:18
9. Julie (The Song I Sing Is You) (Bonner, Gordon) (As The Barracuda) - 2:52
10.Over This Table (Sando) - 3:18
11.Golden Earrings (Demo) (Evans, Livingston, Young) - 6:09
12.Tears Of Ages (Live) (Sando) - 2:59
13.Downbound Train (Live) (Berry, Arr. By Peter Sando) - 6:43
Our flight to sixth cloud from this heavenly piccadilly compilations, is getting brighter with the melt of psych pop flavored with early progressive rock, giving a different shade to these sunny tunes.
From Still Life to Shulman brothers (pre Gentle Giant) and from Philamore Lincoln's melodic pop to the Merseys merseybeat.
Many gems that have eluded the grasp of compilers before will grace
deserved ears and should serve to establish Piccadilly Sunshine as the
stalwart series in the inflated contemporary maze of re-issues.
Artists - Tracks
1. Still Life - What Did We Miss - 3:11
2. Ross Hannaman - 1969 - 3:02
3. Disciple - Cherie Alamayonaika - 2:36
4. Simon Dupree And The Big Sound - Sleep - 2:36
5. Mike Sedgewick - The Good Guys In The White Hats - 3:02
6. Happy Confusion - Hereditary Impediment - 2:55
7. Philamore Lincoln - Rainy Day - 2:38
8. Katch 22 - Out Of My Life - 2:24
9. The Merseys - I Hope You're Happy - 2:23
10.The High - Beggar Man Dan - 3:10
11.The Mariane - Like A See Saw - 2:26
12.Selwyn And John - Bogey Man - 2:05
13.Little Brother Grant And Zapatta Schmidt - Let's Do It Together - 2:23
14.Chuckles - Painting The Day - 2:03
15.Zion De Gallier - Winter Will Be Cold - 2:30
16.Tate Gallery - Newspaper Man - 2:28
17.Malcolm Rabbitt - Why Won't The Sun Shine On Me - 3:13
18.Kaplan - I Like - 3:27
19.The Epics - Travelling Circus - 2:33
20.Hayden Wood - The Last One To Know - 2:32
The late sixties and early seventies were incredibly productive times for rock music with more scenes than you could shake a stick. There seemed almost to be three distinct breeds of Progressive rock – the folk and classical based movement typified by the Canterbury set, the Blues based bands like Taste or The Groundhogs and the crossover bands like Colosseum or, in this case Trifle.
Trifle only ever made one album and it has been a collectors item for years and I think that this is the first CD issue of the album and it really is a bit more than just a curio. The songs like ‘Alibi Annie’ are fairly typical of the time, the lyrics are less than deep but they serve to create a baseboard for the musicians and the quality there is really something. Because the horn section of Barry Martin (saxes), John Protchard (Trumpet) and Dick Cuthell (Trumpet) are an integral part of the band the music is written with horns in mind and this creates a more powerful and subtle sound. Not that George Bean’s guitar or vocals are weak, they aren’t and Speedy King works well with Rod Coombes to anchor the rhythm section.
The best numbers are those where they try to create something unique and they hit the spot on ‘Is It Loud?’ with the horns in a very jazzy space and the keyboards meandering beautifully all creating a mesmerising sound that is a combination of Nucleus and ELP if you can imagine such a thing. ‘Old Fashioned Prayer Meeting’ has a gospelly and funky feel to it and ‘New Religion’ is very dark and moody and there is a touch of menace about the number but the standout track on the album is undoubtedly ‘Devil Comin’ – which has more than a touch of voodoo about it and a beaten rhythm that chills the listener..
As a bonus we get ‘Dirty Old Town’ which was the b-side to their single ‘Prayer Meeting’ and probably could have been a hit in its own right. Overall a good album with more than a few touches of real brilliance and about time it was re-issued.
by Andy Snipper
Tracks
1. Alibi Annie (George Bean, Dick Cuthell, Chico Greenwood, Patrick King) - 4:55
2. Home Again (R.Berkowitz) - 4:05
3. One Way Glass (Mann, Thomas) - 4:34
4. But I Might Die Tonight (Stevens) - 3:51
5. Is It Loud? (Alan Fealdman) - 8:10
6. Old Fashioned Prayer Meeting (George Bean, Patrick King) - 4:39
7. New Religion (George Bean, Dick Cuthell) - 5:43
8. Devil Comin '(George Bean, Patrick King) - 7:45
9. Candle Light (George Bean, John Hitchen) - 1:48
10.Dirty Old Town (George Bean, Dick Cuthell, Barry Martin) - 3:48
11.Old Fashioned Prayer Meeting (Single Version) (George Bean, Patrick King) - 4:38
Although revisionist historians will claim that any Shadows of Knight best-of that includes "Gloria" will cover just about everything you'll ever need on this Chicago punk band (and usually acting as if Van Morrison's and Them's original was the actual hit -- wrong), true believers have long championed their two original albums for the Dunwich label, especially their debut long-player named after their big hit.
Why? Simply because it positively rocks with a raw energy of a band straight out of the teen clubs, playing with a total abandon and an energy level that seems to explode out of the speakers.
Equal parts Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Who, and snotty little Chicago-suburb bad boys, the Shadows of Knight could easily put the torch to Chess blues classics, which make up the majority of the songs included here.
Their wild takes on "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "Oh Yeah," and "I Got My Mojo Working" rank right up there with any British Invasion band's version from the same time period.
Original material was never plentiful on either SOK long-player, but worth checking out are "Light Bulb Blues," the blues ballad "Dark Side," and the why-me? rocker "It Always Happens That Way."
Completing the package is the inclusion of three bonus tracks, the single-only "Someone Like Me" and an alternate version, and "I Got My Mojo Working," which is vastly superior to the take on the original album.
A not-too-vastly-different alternate mix of "Oh Yeah" completes the bonus tracks, although the original album version is curiously missing from this otherwise excellent package.If you're only going to own one Shadows of Knight package, you could, and should, start right here
by Cub Koda
Tracks
1. Gloria (V. Morrison) - 2:34
2. Light Bulb Blues (J. kelley, J. Sohns, J. McGeorge) - 2:32
3. I Got My Mojo Working (M. Morganfield) - 3:28
4. Darkside (W.Rogers, J. Sohns) - 2:00
5. Boom Boom (J. L. Hooker) - 2:28
6. Let It Rock (C. Berry) - 1:52
7. Oh Yeah (E. McDaniel) - 2:45
8. It Always Happens That Way (W.Rogers, J. Sohns) - 1:52
9. You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover (W. Dixon) - 2:37
10.(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (W. Dixon) - 3:52
11.I Just Want to Make Love to You (W. Dixon) - 3:49
12.Oh Yeah (E. McDaniel) - 2:45
13.I Got My Mojo Working (M. Morganfield) - 3:14
14.Someone Like Me (Novak, McDowell) - 2:18
"Here We Are Again" is the fourth--and next to last--album by the original lineup of Country Joe and the Fish. While the group would reunite every so often over the next few decades, this is one of the highlights of their career. The group's multi-songwriter democracy had displayed an admirable eclecticism on the first three albums, but the results often sounded scattershot. While that wide-ranging spirit is all over HERE WE ARE AGAIN, the individual songs somehow cohere into a more satisfying whole.
The addition of a horn section recruited from Count Basie's orchestra adds a jazz/R&B edge to the folk-rock-based songs, a conceit that works better than it might sound. Country Joe McDonald and Barry "The Fish" Melton largely avoid topical material in favor of witty tunes about love and life, making HERE WE ARE AGAIN the least dated of Country Joe and the Fish's original albums.
Recorded at Vanguard's 23rd Street Studio, New York, New York.
Tracks
1. Here I Go Again - 3:24
2. Donovan's Reef - 4:18
3. It's So Nice To Have Love - 3:25
4. Baby, You're Driving Me Crazy (Barry Melton) - 2:43
5. Crystal Blues - 6:18
6. For No Reason - 3:55
7. I'll Survive - 2:28
8. Maria - 3:30
9. My Girl (Barry Melton) - 2:16
10.Doctor Of Electricity (Barry Melton) - 3:58
All songs by Country Joe McDonald except where noted.
Country Joe And The Fish
*Country Joe McDonald - Vocals, Guitar
*Barry Melton - Vocals, Electric Guitar
*David Cohen - Guitar, Keyboards
*Gary "Chicken" Hirsch - Drums, Percussion Additional personnel
*Mark Kapner - Piano
*Mark Ryan - Bass
*Jack Casady - Bass
*Peter Albin - Bass
*David Getz - Drums
"The band was gifted with a flair and a half for harmony pop, especially that of the good old fashioned barbershop quartet variety."
From Paterson, New Jersey came The Happenings, who encountered a quick flash of glory in the sixties before getting bumped off the radar by the more progressive acts of the era. The band was gifted with a flair and a half for harmony pop, especially that of the good old fashioned barbershop quartet variety.
However, they updated their sound just enough so it wouldn't be too horribly quaint for the kids to digest. Such spine-tingling vocal prowess can be experienced on these two albums which have been shoehorned into one compact disc.
Released in 1966, "The Happenings" deposited a pair of rock solid hit singles with "See You in September" and a copy of Carole King and Gerry Goffin's "Go Away Little Girl." A cluster of Tokens compositions such as "Tonight I Fell In Love," "You're In a Bad Way," "What To Do" and "Tea Time" line the album as well.
And that makes complete sense because not only did the evergreen doo-wop group handle the band's affairs and produce their work, but The Happenings were also signed to their label, BT Puppy Records. Decked out in a freaky jacket cover that belied the characteristically polite music housed inside, "Psycle" was issued in 1967 and included "I Got Rhythm" and "My Mammy," both which clenched the national charts. The album suggested The Happenings were attempting to stretch boundaries a bit, as snippets of the material are trimmed with jazz and blues inclinations. But the band refused to pretend to be something they were not, and all told, "Psycle" teems with concise harmony pop configurations.
The Happenings excelled at this style of music so why change their image? Although the band never broke any real new ground, their contributions to the golden age of teen radio should not be underestimated.
by Beverly Paterson
Tracks 1966 The Happenings
1. See You in September (Sherman Edwards, Donald Meyer, Sid Wayne) - 2:29
2. Tonight I Fell in Love (Mitch Margo, Phil Margo, Hank Medress) - 2:19
3. Girl on a Swing (Robert Miranda) - 2:31
4. If You Love Me (Really Love Me) (Marc Monnet, Marguerite Monnot, Geoff Parsons) - 2:43
5. What to Do (Buddy Holly, Hank Medress) - 2:42
6. You're Coming on Strong, Babe (Robert Miranda) - 2:56
7. Go Away Little Girl (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 2:21
8. The Same Old Story (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda) - 2:25
9. Sealed With a Kiss (Gary Geld, Peter Udell) - 2:25
10.You're in a Bad Way (Hank Medress) - 2:43
11.Girls on the Go (Brute Force) - 2:31
12.Tea Time (Lucky Thompson) - 2:45 1967 Psycle
13.I Got Rhythm (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 2:58
14.Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Morris Levy, Fred Lyman, Frank Lymon) - 2:49
15.That Cold Feeling (Hank Medress) - 2:29
16.Down, Down, Down (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda, Neil Young) - 2:32
17.Growing Old (Lord, I Must Be Growin' Old) (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda) - 3:23
18.I Believe in Nothing (Hank Medress) - 2:39
19.My Mammy (Walter Donaldson, Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young) - 2:58
20.When I Lock My Door (Hank Medress) - 2:38
21.I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Harry Carroll, Joseph McCarthy) - 2:37
22.When the Summer Is Through (Hank Medress) - 2:33
23.Every Year About This Time (Dave Libert, Robert Miranda) - 2:28
24.Bye Bye Blackbird (Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson) - 3:05
The Happenings
*Tommy Giullano- Vocals, Percussion
*Mike La Neve - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Bernie Laporta - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Libert - Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
*Bob Miranda - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
It might be cute to say that Boyce & Hart were the hand inside the Monkees' puppet head, if not for the fact that the Monkees had legitimate talent and have already caught enough grief over their prefabricated origins. Boyce & Hart had yet more talent, though, and not only plied the Monkees with hit songs but, in some cases, performed them, too.
Tommy Boyce enjoyed minor teen idol success as a solo act with "I'll Remember Carol" in 1962 before teaming up with Bobby Hart to produce one Top Ten hit ("I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite") and a handful of lesser chart entries. This Australian anthology, simply titled The Anthology, contains two of Boyce's solo recordings (including his hit), 18 A&M recordings from Boyce & Hart's prime (including all of their hits), and five songs the duo cut with the Monkees' Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz in the '70s. The Boyce & Hart recordings are the highlights, especially the bubblegum pop of songs such as "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" and "The Countess."
Listeners already familiar with the Monkees' albums will experience deja vu throughout as Boyce & Hart demonstrate again and again the extent to which they were the architects of the Monkees' sound. Even the Monkees' detours into pop psychedelia are matched by Boyce & Hart on a trippy rendition of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." The theme song from the 1967 spy film The Ambushers (complete with gunshot sound effects) is campy fun, as are the mid-'70s cover versions of "Teenager in Love" and the Beach Boys' "Sail on Sailor," provided one doesn't approach them with high expectations.
For those who want only the Boyce & Hart recordings, a more recent compilation on Rev-Ola titled I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite: The Best of Boyce & Hart limits its focus to recordings from the pair's late-'60s heyday.
by Greg Adams
Tracks
1. I'll Remember Carol (T. Boyce) - 2:27
2. Sunday, The Day Before Monday - 2:19
3. Out And About - 2:30
4. I Should Be Going Home - 3:00
5. For Baby - 3:48
6. Sometimes She's A Little Girl - 2:55
7. I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite - 2:43
8. The Ambushers (H. Monetnegro, H. Baker) - 2:15
9. I'm Digging You Digging Me - 2:37
10. I Wanna Be Free - 2:25
11. Teardrop City - 2:22
12. Love Every Day - 2:50
13. The Countless - 2:28
14. Goodbye, Baby - 3:59
15. Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (Shifrin, Boyce, Hart)- 2:06
16. Alice Long - 2:52
17. P.O. Box 9847 - 3:01
18. Abracadabra (Shelton, Lewis, Gallie) - 1:52
19. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Jagger, Richards) - 4:08
20. Standing In The Shadows Of Love (Holland, Dozier, Holland) - 4:29
21. I Love You - 3:10
22. A Teenager In Love (Pomus, Shuman) - 3:00
23. Sail On Sailor (D. Trevor) - 3:40
24. I Remember The Feeling - 3:25
25. It Always Hurts Most In The Morning - 3:28
All songs by Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart unless as else stated
*Tommy Boyce - Guitar. Vocals
*Bobby Hart - Vocals, Piano
One of the seminal live albums of the late '60s, Live Adventures of Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield was a natural, organic offshoot of the hugely successful Super Session album from 1968, which contained performances by both of these groundbreaking musicians, as well as Stephen Stills.
The idea of musical spontaneity both in live performance and in the recording studio had reached a certain apex in 1968, and spontaneous excursions by musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Steve Winwood, and the Southern California musical covenant that eventually became Crosby, Stills, Nash 'n' Young, as well as a host of others, were indeed a sign of the times. But it was the union of Bloomfield and Kooper that can truly claim an origination of the phenomenon, and this album takes it to another level entirely.
Utilizing a fine and tight rhythm section of John Kahn and Skip Prokop, the two musicians duel and embrace each other on such cuts as the accurately named "Her Holy Modal Highness" and a great, revamped rock/soul re-working of Paul Simon's "Feelin' Groovy," which is buttressed by a guest studio vocal overdub by the author himself. The album's high point may be Bloomfield's rendering of Albert King's epic "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong," which may indeed also be one of his finest career recordings.
Like the Super Session album, history repeated itself, as Bloomfield's chronic insomnia caught up with him by the morning of the second night of the two-night gig, rendering him unavailable. Kooper enlisted the help of Steve Miller and a practically unknown Carlos Santana (himself a Bloomfield devotee) for several tracks, particularly a loose and free version of "Dear Mr. Fantasy," which sort of embodies the whole affair and era. Undoubtedly a necessity from the period, the record has been remastered for CD, and the results are truly glorious, and do this legendary album justice.
by Matthew Greenwald
Tracks
Disc One
1. Opening Speech (Mike Bloomfield) - 1:30
2. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (Paul Simon) - 5:38
3. I Wonder Who (Ray Charles) - 6:04
4. Her Holy Modal Highness (Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield) - 9:08
5. The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - 4:00
6. Mary Ann (Ray Charles) - 5:19
7. Together 'Til The End Of Time (Frank Wilson) - 4:15
8. That's All Right (Arthur Crudup) - 3:28
9. Green Onions (Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr., Lewie Steinberg) - 5:26
Disc Two
1. Opening Speech (Al Kooper) - 1:28
2. Sonny Boy Williamson (Jack Bruce, Paul Jones) - 6:04
3. No More Lonely Nights (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 12:27
4. Dear Mr. Fantasy (Jim Capaldi, Stevie Winwood, Chris Wood) - 8:04
5. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong (Albert King) - 10:56
6. Finale-Refugee (Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield) - 2:04
Musicians
*Al Kooper - Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Mike Bloomfield - Guitar, Vocals
*John Kahn - Bass Guitar
*Skip Prokop - Drums
*Carlos Santana - Guitar
*Elvin Bishop - Guitar
Steve Miller and Dave Brown had also volunteered their services but if they performed, their contributions do not appear (at least credited) on the album
Cold Sun from Austin, Texas was recorded in 1970 in the legendary Sonobeat studios, where the Mariani and Johnny Winter first LPs were produced. The Cold Sun band are considered contemporaries of Velvet Underground and The Fugs, often listed as being in a similar vein but inspirations for this unique piece actually go back to the desperated, haunted Joe Meek.
All songs lyrically express dark, mystic poetry with the true 60s psychedelic floating/distorted fuzz spirit presented in short compact mini-epics along with several mind blowing long tunes, such as "Ra-Ma" (11 min), "Here In The Year" (9 min) and "Fall" (7 min). Discovered by Rockadelic Records of Dallas, Texas in 1991, the Dark Shadows album saw the light of day the next year as a limited LP version, to become today one of the most important and revered US psychedelic underground albums from the early 70s.
(Rockadelic heard it in the form of an old scratchy acetate that one of the Cold Sun band members had made in order to be able to play the recording at friends` parties on their turntables. The acetate only contained 2/3 of the songs but so greatly impressed them that Rockadelic managed together with bandleader Bill Miller to release the complete sessions from mastertape.)--- Autoharp wizard Miller eventually spearheaded Roky Erickson`s international debut as the Cold Sun band joined forces with Roky in 1974 and became BliebAlien, later evolved into The Aliens and backed Roky on his famous albums and historical concerts.
Carefully remastered from the mastertapes, this album will bring new rewarding listening experiences in expanded fidelity, plus 2 unreleased non-album songs, authentic Live/Concert recordings of "Live Again"(10 min) and "Mind Aura"(7 min). The fidelity of these reel to reel Live recordings is also remarkable. The CD and Vinyl issues will both have an extended booklet with liner notes by Jello Biafra plus rare photos and other surprises. The Vinyl issue is packaged in a luxury foldout cardboard cover as Dragonwyck, Phantasia or Mystic Siva and contains an extra 10" bonus record.
Tracks
1. South Texas - 5:17
2. Twisted Flower - 3:04
3. Here In The Year - 8:50
4. For Ever - 4:35
5. See What You Cause - 3:40
6. Fall (Billy Miller, Herman M. Nelson, Winston Taylor) - 7:20
7. Ra-Ma (Billy Miller, Tom McGarrigle) - 11:20
8. Live Again - 10:20
9. Mind Aura (Tom McGarrigle) - 7:38
Music and Lyrics by Billy Miller except ehere noted.
Let's see if I have this straight---Sony/Columbia Legacy saw fit to let two of these performances ("It Takes Time" and the incandescent "Carmelita Skiffle") turn up to round off their excellent Michael Bloomfield overview ("Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man," in 1998) but not to let the entire original album (released in 1969), plus the performances that were saved for Nick Gravenites' "My Labours," see the light of day once more.
Leaving it to Australia's Raven label to do what should have been done long enough ago. Considering Legacy's diligence in its "Roots 'n' Blues" series and with much of the Bloomfield canon from his Columbia years, that omission should be considered a crime. That said, thank Raven for its own diligence and for producing a set that presents everything Columbia recorded (save "Winter Country Blues," omitted for space reasons but still alive and well on the reissued "My Labours") the 1969 weekend Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites, and a few of their regular musical partners (including Bloomfield's former Butterfield Blues Band teammate Mark Naftalin on piano, his "Live Adventures" bassist John Kahn, his soon-to-be-frequent drummer Bob Jones, and erstwhile Electric Flag baritone saxophonist Snooky Flowers) commandeered the Fillmore West for some freewheeling blues and soul jamming.
Concede the point that this isn't exactly "Super Session Mk III" (and not just because organist Ira Kamin is no Al Kooper, though he's quite tasteful and sinuous in his own right), and you have one of the most powerful documents in the Bloomfield catalog. The horns and the Gravenites voice may deceive you into thinking this was a kind of projection of what Bloomfield ultimately wished the Electric Flag to have been, but this music is far more tightly grounded in blues and soul than the eclectic (and ill-fated) Flag, and these musicians, whatever their individual inclinations, are most at home in those two neighbourhoods.
Gravenites has rarely been heard in better or more soulful voice, even when it cracks now and then; Kahn, Jones, and conga player Dino Andino play as though they'd been welded together for years; Naftalin and Kamin are as supple a keyboard team as you could ask without stepping on each other's corns; and the horns---Flowers, Gerald Oshita (baritone sax), Noel Jewkis (tenor sax), and John Wilmeth (trumpet)---sound as buttery and exuberant as the tightest sessions of the Memphis Horns.
And Bloomfield? He gives more than enough evidence of what Al Kooper hoped to isolate with "Super Session" in the first place: catching him when he could just forget everything except playing his heart out, from the kickoff lick to "It Takes Time" (boy, did he never forget what Otis Rush among the other Chicago masters taught him as a teenager hanging around the classic southside blues clubs) to the last notes of "Moon Tune." And just about all points in between. If you missed out hearing it on "Don't Say I Ain't Your Man: Essential Blues, 1964-69" (it's since gone out of print), here's "Carmelita Skiffle"---the original vinyl release closer---and Bloomfield plain rollicking, practically squeezing everything he'd learned about and felt about the blues into one incendiarily melodious solo, before handing it off to Jewkis for a smooth saxophone break and Kamin for a soaring organ solo, before returning with an exclamation point of a coda.
In between? "Oh, Mama" is a Bloomfield composition, the kind of soul he'd begun exploring in the Electric Flag, and while the music is exquisite Bloomfield as a singer was a virtuoso guitarist. With Gravenites extending his breather, Jones takes a surprisingly solid vocal on the Arthur Conley chestnut "Love Got Me" (and you thought all Conley was good for was "Sweet Soul Music"). With Gravenites returning, "Blues on a Westside" lives up to its mini-legend as a wrenching jam, with Bloomfield absolutely soaring. Taj Mahal joins up for a throbbing "One More Mile," and Gravenites' "It's About Time" could be said to live up to its title, working blues into a James Brown-like groove in a more freewheeling style, guitar and piano wrestling each other's chords deftly and riding the rhythm smoothly, Bloomfield firing off a few horn-like bursts to set up his solo statement.
And the "My Labours" additions? All of them Gravenites compositions, the one that's most likely to stick in your head is "Gypsy Good Time," what they used to call funky blues, punctuated sweatily by Willmeth's trumpet phrases and Andino's rolling secondary rhythm, with the full band cutting a deep and wide groove over which Gravenites sings exuberantly and Bloomfield peels off a fiery, melodious solo.
It's a shame the compilers found no room for "Winter Country Blues" but chose to fill out the available space with "Mary Ann," a quartet performance (and a good one) from "The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper," which is actually a good introduction to that set if you don't have it yet. Just why the new compilers saw fit to include that as a bonus track isn't made clear. But it shouldn't distract you from the power of the main attraction.
Blues-Duke
Tracks
1. It Takes Time - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Otis Rush, Willie Oixon) - 4:27
2. Oh Mama - Vocals: Michael Bloomfield (Michael Bloomfield) - 2:59
3. Love Got Me - Vocals: Bob Jones (Arthur Conley) - 2:37
4. Blues On West Side - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 15:18
5. One More Mile To Go - Vocals: Taj Mahal (Joseph Cotton) - 10:35
6. It's About Time - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 7:00
7. Carmelita Skiffle - Instrumental (M. Bloomfield, N. Gravenites, B. T. Jones, M. Naftalin) - 5:11
8. Killing My Love - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 5:18
9. Gypsy Good Time - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 4:30
10. Holy Moly - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 3:54
11. Moon Tune - Vocals: Nick Gravenites (Nick Gravenites) - 8:32
12. Mary Ann - Vocals: Michael Bloomfield (Ray Charles) - 5:28 Tracks 1-7 from the Columbia album Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West
Tracks 8-11 from the Nick Gravenites Columbia album My Labors (featuring Mike Bloomfield)
Track 12 from the Columbia album The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield andAI Kooper Musicians
*Michael Bloomfield - Guitar, vocals
*Nick Gravenites - Vocals, guitar
*Mark Naftalin - Piano
*Ira Kamin - Organ
*John Kahn - Bass
*Bob Jones - Drums, vocals
*Dino Andino - Conga
*Noel Jewkis - Tenor sax
*Gerald Oshita - Baritone sax
*Snooky Flowers - Baritone sax
*John Wilmeth - Trumpet
*Taj Mahal - Vocals Bonus Track
*Michael Bloomfield - Guitar, vocals
*Al Kooper - Organ, vocals
*John Kahn - Bass
*Skip Prokop - Drums Mike Bloomfield's tapestry 1966-68 Strawberry Jam (with Paul Butterfield's Blues Band) 1976 Live at the Old Waldorf 1976 KGB
If the 20 tracks collected on this, the fourth installment, are anything to go by, the splendid Piccadilly Sunshine series is still in its zenith. As the gray streets of late-‘60s Britain magically blossomed into a lysergic Edwardian wonderland of the imagination, Jago Simms tells his toy town tale about a “Conventional Fella” who liked to get nude after a hard day’s accounting so he could become “just as free as any bird or bee”, while lazy trumpets, tinkling harpsichords, shimmying Mod-psych organ and glorious guitar fuzz herald such forgotten classics as The Laurels’ “Rainmaker”, Keith Field’s “Stop! Thief” and the Now’s foray into early prog on “The Hands On my Clock Stand Still”. Simply amazing stuff!
by Alan Brown 22 March 2011
Artists - Tracks
1. Samurai - Temple Of Gold - 2:15
2. The Running Jumping Standing Still Band - Ayeo - 2:18
3. Sight And Sound - Alley Alley - 2:45
4. Washington Dc’s- 32nd Floor - 2:29
5. Laurels Sunshine - Thursday - 2:40
6. Jago Simms - In Too Deep - 2:25
7. Oedipus Complex - Empty Highway - 3:02
8. Wayne Fontana - In My World - 3:01
9. Nocturnes - Look At Me - 3:15
10.John Bryant - Columbine - 2:36
11.Sweet Thursday - Cobwebs - 3:22
12.Seymour Kelly - Indian Scene - 2:32
13.Tony Rivers And The Castaways - Pantomime - 3:46
14.Watch Committee - Now I Think The Other Way - 2:02
15.Merlin Q - The Secret - 2:45
16.Roger Denison - Running Out Of Time - 2:10
17.Ian Whitcomb - Groovy Day - 2:23
18.Roulettes - Airport People - 2:38
19.Sounds Bob Rogers - Dream With Me - 2:06
20.Toyshop - Say Goodbye To Yesterday - 3:21
