The sister duo of Wendy Flower and Bonnie Flower (their real names, not aliases), Wendy & Bonnie recorded one album in the late '60s. Genesis is pleasant, if naïve, harmonized light rock with psychedelic, jazz, and folk influences. It is impressive given their tender ages -- Wendy Flower was just 17, and Bonnie Flower only 13, when it was recorded in late 1968, and the pair wrote all of the material on the LP.
The Flowers grew up in a musical family in the San Francisco Bay Area, and prior to recording on their own, did a couple of garage-psychedelic singles as part of Crystal Fountain; Wendy sang lead, and Bonnie played drums. Jazz star Cal Tjader put them to the attention of a jazz label he recorded for, Skye, which made the Wendy & Bonnie LP its lone venture into rock. Genesis was pretty sparsely produced, the arrangements highlighting their harmonies and pensive paisley tunes, but did benefit from backing by some top Los Angeles session musicians, including drummer Jim Keltner and guitarist Larry Carlton.
The album was released in 1969, but stalled when Skye Records folded the following year. The death of producer Gary McFarland in 1971 further discouraged the duo. Although they did sing backup vocals on a couple of Tjader albums and some jingles and background vocals at Fantasy Records, they never recorded their own material again, and broke up in the early '70s. They did perform music separately in the subsequent decades, Wendy Flower issuing a children's music cassette, and Bonnie Flower once rejecting an invitation to join the Bangles.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Let Yourself Go Another Time - 2:36
2. The Paisley Windowpane - 3:01
3. I Realized You - 3:43
4. By the Sea - 4:01
5. You Keep Hanging Up on My Mind - 2:54
6. It's What's Really Happening - 2:15
7. Five O'Clock in the Morning - 2:43
8. Endless Pathway - 3:37
9. Children Laughing - 2:46
10.Winter Is Cold - 2:36
11.Let Yourself Go Another Time (Instrumental Version) - 2:46
You can hear their influence in the contemporary likes of King Khan 'n' the Shrines and Reigning Sound, not to mention such rock legends as Los Lobos and the Plimsouls. From vintage R&B and psychedelic soul to raveup garage and multi-culti Latino rock: Thee Midniters, a little ol' band from East L.A., had it all down and then some, and though they never really broke nationally, to crate diggers and ‘60s aficionados they remain legendary and among the toppermost. Thanks to the smartly-packaged four-CD boxed set Complete: Songs of Love, Rhythm & Psychedelia! (Micro Werks) the group's recorded legacy now gets a shot at a larger appraisal beyond the admiration of collectors.
Who were Thee Midniters? As outlined in archivist Richie Unterberger's incisive liner notes (Unterberger previously did an in-depth profile of the band in his 2000 book Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of ‘60s Rock), the Chicano band formed in East Los Angeles while most of the members were still in high school, playing the covers of the day at the usual teen dance parties, eventually graduating to the recording studio where they cut their first album, 1965's Whittier Blvd., which contained a pair of regional hits, the title track - "a warped mutation of the Rolling Stones' ‘2120 South Michigan Avenue'," is how Unterberger describes it - and a rousing cover of "Land Of A Thousand Dances."
Armed with the killer instinct and soulful lead vocals of Willie Garcia (a/k/a Little Willie G, who'd go on to work with Los Lobos, Ry Cooder, Los Straitjackets and others) and possessing an uncanny ability to both channel and transcend their influences, Thee Midniters served up a heady stew, one that was primarily rock and soul-based but occasionally spiced up with touches of their Mexican-American musical heritage (although to this day the surviving musicians will insist that they were not playing Latin rock per se; they just happened to be Latinos who rocked).Observes Lobos' Louie Perez in Unterberger's liners, "Thee Midniters didn't stay in one predictable place. They were willing to push the envelope of what was expected by a band that was from East Los Angeles... [They] were the best band around at the time.
They became our Beatles; all the stuff that was going on in Beatlemania, we translated into Midniter mania. It gave young kids who would eventually become musicians like myself inspiration to pursue a career in music."It's not hard to hear why, based on the four complete LPs and assorted B-sides and rarities represented on Complete. The first album primarily comprises cover tunes, standouts ranging from the swaggering R&B of Marvin Gaye's "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" and street-corner group the Concords' smooth "Come Back Baby" to the aforementioned "1000 Dances" and signs-of-the-times rockers "Slow Down," "Money" and "Johnny B. Goode"; anyone who grew up on this material can picture him- or herself crowding down front at the local high school hop, freed for an hour or two from parental constraints and cutting loose while going through the rituals of teenage courtship.
The bonus material (seven songs) yields its own trove of gold, including a swinging "Heat Wave" and a two-part live version of "1000 Dances." 1966's Thee Midniters Bring You Love Special Delivery, though, is where things start to heat up. Still dominating the setlist are covers, notably smoking takes of "Do You Love Me," "Good Lovin'" and "Gloria" (the latter has a punkish vocal snarl and angular guitar attack that very nearly tops the Van Morrison/Them original) plus the obligatory soul outings ("When A Man Loves A Woman" passes the audition) and at least one stab at pure schmaltz ("Strangers In The Night," which no doubt was strategically deployed at those dance hops to melt the hearts and part the thighs of sweet young things).
Casual consumers might call this much ado about nothing, but Complete: Songs of Love, Rhythm & Psychedelia! ain't aimed at casual consumers. My guess is that anyone who's read this far is already frothing at the mouth - or at least experiencing a mild case of Pavlovian drip. So with the above caveat duly noted, l will still advise, and wholeheartedly, to run, don't walk, to your nearest record emporium, and purchase on sight. Those already in the know will cheer, and newcomers will find a whole new universe opening up to them. Senoras y senores, start your low riders...
15.Looking out a Window (Bagliazo, Dominguez, Garcia) - 2:57
16.Jump, Jive and Harmonize (Espinoza, Garcia, Marquez) - 2:29
17.Tu Despedida (Dominguez, Garcia) - 2:54
18.You're Gonna Make Me Cry (Prado, Torres) - 2:40
19.The Ballad of Cesar Chavez (English Version) (Dominguez, Garcia, Garcia) - 4:55
20.La Copla de Cesar Chavez (Spanish Version) (Dominguez, E. Garcia, Garcia, Garcia) - 4:58
CD-4 Giants
1. Whittier Blvd. (Dominguez, Figueroa, Garcia, Lopez, Marquez, Prado, Rendon, Salazar) - 2:30
2. Goin' out of My Head (Randazzo, Weinstein) - 5:32
3. Land of a Thousand Dances (Domino, Kenner) - 2:24
4. Walk on By (Bacharach, David) - 5:15
5. Sad Girl (Higgins, Smith) - 2:42
6. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love (Berns, Burke, Wexler) - 2:38
7. Brother Where Are You? (Brown, Oscar Brown Jr.) - 4:04
8. Breakfast on the Grass (Espinoza, Marquez, Torres) - 2:31
9. Strangers in the Night (Kaempfert, Singleton, Snyder) - 4:44
10.Love Special Delivery (Espinoza, Garcia) - 2:15
11.That's All (Brandt, Haymes) - 3:07
12.Chicano Power (Prado) - 3:04
13.Never Give You Up (Butler, Gamble, Huff) - 3:22
14.Balla Cinderella (Laws) - 3:17
The nine cuts on this disc have been issued under a number of different titles. The cover art is designed to conjure memories of the Electric Flag's groundbreaking full-length debut, Long Time Comin' (1968), intimating that these archival performances are documented by the first incarnation of the band. For starters, the only live tracks included in the package are the vintage "Killin' Floor" (which is erroneously titled "I Should Have Left Her"), "You Don't Realize," and "Groovin' Is Easy." While it is indeed possible that these three songs were recorded during the original band's initial run from 1967 to 1969, the fidelity intimates that they were documented during the group's even shorter revival in the mid-'70s, which spawned the LP Band Kept Playing (1974).
However, definitively sourcing the remainder of the seven sides is a bit of a mystery. One sonic giveaway that these recordings could possibly be dated even later than 1974 is the use of a multi-function keyboard in place of what should be Barry Goldberg's acoustic piano. "It's Not the Spotlight" is a slow R&B ballad with vocals reminiscent of Billy Preston or perhaps Buddy Miles. However, the upfront Chicago-style blues guitar virtuosity of the Electric Flag's top-shelf stringmen Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites seems to be present. The searing leads running through "I Was Robbed Last Night" or "My Baby Wants to Test Me" likely belong to either, or perhaps respectively, both. Additionally, the latter title stands out as one of the stronger cuts on the disc.
The three actual live tracks are good, if not somewhat rote. The best out of the pack is "Groovin' Is Easy," as the bandmembers don't overextend themselves. The horn section is quite cohesive and offers the same textural contrast as the album versions. All said, The Electric Flag: Live is a worthwhile curio rather than the unearthed musical treasure one might hope exists.
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. It's Not the Spotlight - 3:46
2. I Was Robbed Last Night - 4:40
3. I Found Out - 3:10
4. Never Be Lonely Again - 3:36
5. Losing Game - 3:19
6. My Baby Wants to Test Me - 8:18
7. I Should Have Left Her - 4:10
8. You Don't Realize - 5:13
9. Groovin' Is Easy - 4:23
Scott Walker's final British Top Ten album was the first to be dominated by his own songwriting. Ten of the 13 tunes on this 1969 LP are originals; the remaining three, naturally, were written by one of his chief inspirations, Jacques Brel. There are some interesting moments here.
"Big Louise" talks about a hefty prostitute with shocking explicitness for a pop star album of the era. "Copenhagen" (like much of Walker's '60s work) foreshadows David Bowie. "Funeral Tango" is a particularly vicious Brel song. "30 Century Man" is an uncommonly folkish and focused tune for Walker. "We Came Through" is an oddball cavalry charge featuring one of his occasional forays into Ennio Morricone spaghetti Western-like production.
The tension between Walker's dense, foreboding lyrics and orchestral production is unusual, to say the least. But too often, it's too difficult to penetrate Walker's insights through Wally Scott's string-drenched production. It shrouds the lyrics in a fog that's often too syrupy to justify the effort needed to fight through it.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. It's Raining Today - 4:02
2. Copenhagen - 2:22
3. Rosemary - 3:22
4. Big Louise - 3:10
5. We Came Through - 1:59
6. Butterfly - 1:42
7. Two Ragged Soldiers - 3:07
8. 30 Century Man - 1:29
9. Winter Night - 1:45
10. Two Weeks Since You've Gone - 2:48
11. Sons Of (Gérard Jouannest, Jacques Brel, Mort Shuman) - 3:45
12. Funeral Tango (Jouannest, Brel, Shuman) - 2:56
13. If You Go Away (Brel, Rod McKuen) - 4:57
All songs by Scott Walker except where noted.
*Scott Walker - Vocals
*Wally Stott - Arranged And Conducted all songs except "30 Century Man" and "Funeral Tango"
*Peter Knight - Arranged And Conducted "Funeral Tango"
This enigmatic duo from Marion, Indiana only made one album, which appeared in 1970 and stands as one of the most appealing underground folk-rock recordings of its time. Certain songs were used in contemporary TV and film productions, but their origins and subsequent history remains unknown.
Full of beautiful melodies and hazy harmonies, as well as poetic lyrics and psychedelic flourishes such as recorder and fuzz guitar, the LP bears more than a passing resemblance to the work of Simon & Garfunkel, and is sure to appeal to fans of fellow hippie folk heroes such as Fresh Maggots, Linda Perhacs and Lambert and Nuttycombe.
Tracks
1. Story Street (Jack Ross) - 2:43
2. Me Love (Jack Ross) - 2:27
3. Jean-Claude What’s-His Name (Robert Riger, Jack Ross) - 3:42
4. To Sylvia (Jack Ross) - 2:15
5. Summer Clouds (Jack Ross) - 2:17
6. My Song (Art Titus) - 2:20
7. Thing I Wrote #1 (Jack Ross) - 1:57
8. For Beauty (Jack Ross) - 2:07
9. Cycle Song (Jack Ross) - 2:42
10. Marjane (Art Titus) - 2:39
11. What’s On Your Mind? (Jack Ross) - 2:05
12. Find An Answer (Jack Ross) - 2:41 Track 3 written and performed for ABC Wide World Of Sports coverage of the slalom competitions, December 13th 1969, Val D’Isere, France (aired December 20th 1969). Track 5 written and performed for an industrial film for Eastern Airlines. Track 8 adapted from the poem by Emily Dickinson. Track 9 written and performed for ABC Wide World Of Sports coverage of the Motocross motorcycle competitions, October 26th 1969, from Pepperell, Mass., aired December 13th 1969 (first time original music ever used for an ABC sports presentation).
Musicians
*Art Titus – Bass, Recorder, Piano
*Jack Ross – Lead, Rhythm Guitar
*Tommy Wells – Percussion
No Dice return to record their second LP (with Munch Moore now firmly ensconced on keyboards) - a rock opus done on the Rolling Stones mobile on location and mixed in New York entitled ’ 2 Faced’. The music press hate it - and them. How dare they perpetuate the heresy of playing unfashionably well, writing tunes and having fun??
Everybody starts to jump ship - Chris leaves at the end of the tour and now management and record co’s are suffering from frozen feet. No Dice sail on alone picking up new hands on guitar (Frankie Hepburn) Saxophone (Jakko). Spinal Tap drummer-syndrome affliction sees TonyFernandez and John Richardson pass through the rhythm seat.
Independently released singles (‘How About You/ No conversation’ and ‘One More Night/ There goes another Girl’) and an aborted 3rd album fail to dig the Dice out of the hole of ‘nearly were’ and the band fold at a final show in the legendary Marquee Club in Wardour Street in 1982 (or was it 83?).
Tracks
1. Momma Do Stop Your Children Watching What Your Momma Do (Palmer) - 3:30
2. Shooting In The Dark (Martin) - 3:06
3. I Keep It To Myself - 3:47
4. Angel With A Dirty Face (Martin, Holmes) - 4:09
5. No Stone Unturned - 3:27
6. Come Dancing - 6:05
7. If You Had Nothing - 5:50
8. Bad Boys - 2:29
9. Upt Up 'n' Left Me - 5:35
All songs by Gary Strange except where noted
No Dice
*Roger Ferris - Vocals
*Dave Martin - Guitars
*Gary Strange - Bass
*Chris Wyles - Drums Additional Musician
*Dave Moore - Keyboards
In 1975, from the ashes of a band you’ve never heard of (March Hare) Gary Strange and Dzal Martin added Roger Ferris and Chris Wyles to themselves and formed the fledgling No Dice, a blues/rock band in Stones/Faces style but with room to manoeuvre into more adventurous musical seas if the urge took them.
Roger Ferris,(who was compared to Joe Cocker),had been in a 60s band called the Konrads who were in the news recently after the discovery of tapes which included the period David Bowie was also a member.
After some demos and one single release ‘I need someone’ on DJM records they sat out a not very beneficial contract. When finally released they signed with Pink Floyd’s management company Emka Productions whose considerable influence - and the band’s talent - nabbed them a deal with EMI/Capitol records.
After some club gigs and an opening stint for UFO, in the year Elvis succumbed to one hamburger too many, they lock themselves away in Abbey Road and Island studios ‘til all hours making ‘No Dice’ their imaginatively titled debut album
There are 2 versions of this album with different cover art and slightly different track listing. This copy is the EMI Capitol Hollywood, CA US edition.
Short-lived outfit showcased the talents of bassist Curt Jonnie, the late guitarist Tony Grasso and drummer Mike Zack (Jonnie and Zack had previously played in the band Wild Honey; while Zack was briefly a member of The Cherry People). Largely unknown, for what it's worth, Puzzle may be one of Washington D.C.'s best late-1960s rock outfits.
Signed by ABC Records, the trio's self-titled 1969 debut teamed them with producers Ed Kramer and Jay Senter. Largely written by Grasso and Jonnie, tracks like the leadoff rocker 'Hey Medusa' (which for some reason wasn't shown on the album track listing), 'Make the Children Happy' and 'Babe' offered up a first rate set of hard-rock. Complete with strong melodies, some excellent harmony vocals and occasional shots of fuzz guitar (courtesy of Grasso), "Puzzle" put lots of better known names to shame.
Mind you there wasn't anything particularly original or earth shattering to be found on the set, but these guys played with considerable enthusiasm and energy. While their predominant orientation was hard rock, tracks like 'No Complaints' and 'Golden Butterfly' demonstrated a more commercial, though no less appealing sound. To be honest, the only disappointments were the seemingly endless blues-rock workout 'Working for the Rich Man' and a heavily phased and less-than-convincing foray into psych 'Got My Head Right Yesterday' (which actually started to grow on you given a couple of beers and some time to kill).
Hammersmith was the direct descendent of Painter, a Calgary-based hard rock band that had relocated to Seattle and produced one album in '74. Once Painter had played its last note in '74, Doran Beattie on lead vocals, guitarist Dan Lowe, Royden Morice on bass and keyboards and drummer Herb Ego moved back to Calgary and reinvented themselves.
They were still under contract to Mercury Records, and Bruce Allen, manager of BTO, agreed to manage them. Keeping the same harder edge to their music as their predecessor Painter, they added Jeff Boyne as a second guitarist and began touring western Canada while making stops in Sounds West Studios in Calgary and Timbre Sound in Vancouver to put some material they'd written onto tape. The bulk of these songs were written while the band was still Painter, but in the middle of the recording sessions, Ego left and was replaced behind the drum kit by James Llewellyn.
With Lowe producing, their self-titled debut came out in the summer of '75. "Late Night Lovin' Man" was released as a single, cracking the Top 40 at home. Before long "Funky As She Goes" followed suit, and they found themselves touring Canada for the rest of the year. Other noteable tracks included the cover of Rick Derringer's "Daybreak" and "Breakin' Down," the only original song Lowe didn't have a hand in writing.
By next spring Craig Blair had replaced Boyne on guitars and Llewellyn was gone and Cold Lake native Dale Buchner was the new drummer. They travelled to Sundown Recorders in Edmonton for their 1976 follow-up, IT'S FOR YOU. This time they relied on Jim Gaines, who'd worked with them when they were Painter to co-produce the album with Lowe. "Dancin' Fools" was released as a single, which failed to crack the Top 40. With the record failing to make much of an impression, Mercury had grown impatient with the band and they found themselves without a label.
Once they were off the road, Beattie quit, though the band carried on without him while searching for a new singer and a new deal. Among the people trying out for the singer position was future Moxy and Loverboy frontman Mike Reno (still going by his real name Mike Rynoski), though he didn't last long. By the end of '77 Lowe pulled the plug and everyone went on to do their own thing.
Lowe started up a new project, 451 Degrees a couple of years later, and then Prototype. In addition to becoming a successful producer, he also invented a stereo enhancement process involving multiple microphones called Q Sound, which has been used by such artists as Madonna, Sting, and Pink Floyd, as well as in cell phone technology. Beattie did some session work and became a respected country artist.
1. Late Night Lovin' Man (J. Boyne, D. Beattie, D. Lowe) - 3:21
2. I've Got A Right To Know (D. Beattie, D. Lowe) - 2:32
3. Money Rock (D. Beattie, D. Lowe, R. Morice) - 3:52
4. Breakin' Down (D. Beattie, R. Morice) - 2:52
5. Daybreak (R. Derringer) - 4:42
6. Feelin' Better (D. Beattie, D. Lowe, R. Morice) - 3:18
7. Nobody Really Knows (Why The Sun Goes Down) (J. Boyne, D. Lowe) - 3:39
8. Low Ridin' Ladies (D. Beattie, J. Boyne) - 2:31
9. Funky As She Goes (D. Beattie, D. Lowe, R. Morice) - 2:39
10.Open Up The Sky (D. Beattie, D. Lowe, R. Morice) - 6:32
Tracks
1. Be A Star (R. Morice, D. Lowe, D. Beattie, C. Blair) - 3:58
2. Barre's Bizarre (D. Lowe, C. Blair) - 2:35
3. Good-Bye, Good-Bye (C. Blair, D. Lowe, D. Beattie) - 3:50
4. When I Was Young (D. Beattie, C. Blair, D. Lowe, R. Morice, D. Buchner) - 5:57
5. Breakaway (C. Blair, D. Lowe, D. Beattie) - 4:19
6. Dancin' Fools (D. Beattie, D. Lowe) - 2:58
7. Kickin' Back (C. Blair, D. Lowe, D. Beattie, D. Buchner) - 3:37
8. Hello, It's for You (D. Beattie, R. Morice, D. Lowe) - 2:57
9. Under the Sea (D. Beattie, C. Blair, D. Lowe, R. Morice, D. Buchner) - 6:11
10.Mr. Las Vegas (R. Morice) - 4:03
Hammersmith 1975 Hammersmith
*Doran Beattie - Lead Vocals
*Dan Lowe - Lead Guitar
*Royden Morice - Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
*Bob Ego - Drums
*Jeff Boyne - Rhythm Guitar
*Jim Llewellyn - Drums 1976 It's For You
*Dan Lowe - Lead Guitar
*Doran Beattie - Lead Vocals
*Craig Blair - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Royden Morice - Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
*Dale Buchner - Drums
A really good Hard Rock album this is boasting high production values throughout and apart from its rocking 12-bar opener, features some of the best hard rock psych you're likely to hear, with some outstanding flute in the Ian Anderson style and some fine synth work augmented by some strong piano and accompanying strings. Many tracks feature some decidedly jazzy interludes.
Tracks
1. Early Riser - 4:17
2. The Sailor Song - 6:14
3. Evil and Cruel - 5:31
4. Day of Doom - 4:54
5. Andrea - 2:21
6. Earth - 4:06
7. Me and My Momma - 2:37
8. The Brighter Side - 3:08
Crack
*Andrea Borega - Lead Vocals, Synthesizer, Percussion,
*Darryl Kaye - Backing Vocals, Flute, Guitar, Bass, Harp
The politically charged David Peel & the Lower East Side directly contrasted their 1968 acoustic live debut, Have a Marijuana (recorded in New York City's Washington Square Park), with 1970's American Revolution, an amplified studio outing. The real similarity between the two remains Peel's no-holds-barred, in-your-face attitude and staunchly liberal espousing. Once again joining in the festivities are Peel (guitar/vocals), Billy Joe White (guitar/vocals), and Harold C. Black (tambourine/vocals), as well as new instrumentally intensive recruits Tony Bartoli (drums), Herb Bushler (bass), David Horowitz (organ), and Richard Grando (soprano sax).
Although Peel's earlier effort hinted at the band's proto-punk and garage rock leanings, the aggressive electric bashing that accompanies "Lower East Side," "Hey, Mr. Draft Board," and "Girls, Girls, Girls" allows them to bring that restless spirit to complete fruition. While Peel's work has been considered as little more than a hippie novelty, the sheer range of his topical lyrics is often a direct reflection of the then-current anti-establishment movement.
His music deals candidly with their attitudes regarding Vietnam ("I Want to Kill You"), the repression of local law enforcement ("Oink, Oink, Oink"), hypocritical drug laws ("Legalize Marijuana"), sex ("Girls, Girls, Girls"), and even more contemplative esoteric concepts ("God"). Peel also takes on other sacred cows; "Pledge of Allegiance" is a parody that not only reaffirms his pro-pot perspective, but could likewise be interpreted as expressing anti-American sentiments. But that would be missing the point entirely, as Peel's anger and sarcasm are both well-founded and rooted in his love for the freedoms that the United States has stood for.
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. Lower East Side (White) - 3:14
2. Pledge Of Allegiance - 0:35
3. Legalize Marijuana - 2:52
4. Oink, Oink - 4:30
5. I Want To Get High - 2:27
6. I Want To Kill You - 4:18
7. Girls, Girls, Girls - 3:55
8. Hey, Mr. Draft Board - 3:42
9. God - 2:23
10.Here Comes The Cops (Bonus Track) - 3:15
11.Have A Marijuana (Bonus Track) - 2:27
All songs written and composed by David Peel, except where noted. Extra tracks 10-11 taken from their 1968 "Have a Marijuana" LP
Musicians
*Tony Bartoli – Drums
*Harold C. Black – Vocals, Tambourine
*Herb Bushler – Bass Guitar
*Richard Grando – Soprano Saxophone
*David Horowitz – Organ
*David Peel – Vocals, Guitar
*Billy Joe White – Vocals, Guitar Free Text Just Paste
By 1972, Gene Clark had settled into a new life in Mendocino far from the intrusive media glare and fan adulation that still surrounded someone of his stature as a former member of the Byrds. However, he still owed A&M Records one more album. Gathering together the cream of the Los Angeles country-rock fraternity—innovative guitarist Clarence White, Chris Ethridge on bass, ex-Byrd and Burrito Brother Michael Clarke on drums, pedal steel guitarist extraordinaire Sneaky Pete, Byron Berline on fiddle and pianist Spooner Oldham—Gene set about recording an album of pure country rock unfettered by any commercial dictates.
Although the spring 1972 recording sessions were ultimately abandoned, Gene left eight precious songs in the vaults. “Full Circle Song” (later recorded by the reunited Byrds and a bona fide country-rock classic) and “Shooting Star” reveal a deep, introspective soul-searching. “I Remember the Railroad” and “In a Misty Morning” reflect a longing for the simpler days of his youth. The sessions also produced spirited versions of Flatt & Scruggs’ “Rough and Rocky,” the country standard “I Really Don’t Want to Know,” Freddie Weller’s rollicking “Roadmaster” and a reinterpretation of his standout Byrds song, “She Don’t Care About Time.”
Gene’s manager Jim Dickson took these eight tracks and paired them with three additional unreleased recordings to assemble Roadmaster. The unreleased tracks chronicled two previous attempts at a Byrds reunion (“One in a Hundred” and “She’s the Kind of Girl”) as well as the stunning “Here Tonight,” with Gene backed by The Flying Burrito Brothers.
Originally a 1973 European-only release, imported copies of Roadmaster soon found their way to North America as fans came to recognize the brilliance in the ill-fated sessions. “The album itself I was proud of,” acknowledged Gene years later. “I was proud of the writing and proud of the bunch of people who played on it.” This legendary recording makes its Sundazed debut on compact disc and wondrous vinyl. It has been painstakingly mastered from the original A&M session tapes and is packaged in new album artwork. CD includes extra photos and new liner notes by Gene Clark biographer John Einarson. Add this recording to your collection and bear full witness to Gene Clark’s panoramic musical vision.
Tracks
1. She's The Kind Of Girl (Clark) - 2:59
2. One In A Hundred (Clark) - 2:45
3. Here Tonight (Clark) - 3:29
4. Full Circle Song (Clark) - 2:44
5. In A Misty Morning (Clark) - 4:56
6. Rough And Rocky (Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs) - 3:14
7. Roadmaster (Clark) - 4:12
8. I Really Don't Want To Know (Howard Barnes, Don Robertson) - 4:35
9. I Remember The Railroad (Clark) - 2:31
10.She Don't Care About Time (Clark) - 3:37
11.Shooting Star (Clark) - 4:38
Musicians
*Gene Clark - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Clarence White - Electric Guitar, Vocals
*Spooner Oldham - Keyboards, Vocals
*Byron Berline - Fiddle
*Sneaky Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Michael Clarke - Drums
*David Crosby - Electric Guitar, Vocals
*Roger Mcguinn - Electric Guitar, Vocals
*Chris Hillman - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Rick Roberts - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Bud Shank - Flute
By 1967 manager of The Crusaders Barry Kaye, who was a real Hollywood creep, took every penny they made off of some real big gigs, persuaded The Crusaders to change their name to The Love Exchange, and moved to San Francisco, California.
By late November 1967 The Love Effect released a single "Swallow the Sun" (written by John Merrill) (backed by "Meadow Memory"), which is described as the band's "chief claim to fame", and "a nice folk-rock-psychedelic tune that's emblematic of the time with its trippily optimistic lyrics, garage-like Mamas & the Papas female-male harmonies, and swirling organ". "Swallow the Sun" was "a re-titled cover of 'Dark On You Now' (with some different lyrics) by the Peanut Butter Conspiracy", which had previously been recorded by Merrill's previous band, The Ashes. The song was anthologized on the Los Angeles portion of the Highs in the Mid-Sixties series, and also on the folk-rock volume of the vinyl Nuggets series on Rhino in the 1980s.
The Love Exchange's eponymous 1968 album Love Exchange was recorded in one day at Leo de Gar Kulka's Golden State Recorders Studios at Harrison Street, San Francisco, produced by Number One Productions of Larry Goldberg, who "put his name on our songs", and was credited with writing most of the songs, with the exception of "the appropriately melancholy and ghostly 'Ballad of a Sad Man' (written by bassist Mike Joyce)".
In an act of "psychsploitation", Goldberg took some of the LP's backing tracks and used them on a soundtrack album for a musical titled How Now, Dow Jones, credited there to the Floor Traders". These songs were "Step to the Rear" and "Live a Little", both with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and music by Elmer Bernstein. The original soundtrack album "How Now, Dow Jones" was released by RCA Victor by January 1968.
In April 1968 Love Exchange was released without the two Broadway songs, and received a favorable rating by Billboard magazine The Love Exchange played often in Los Angeles, including gigs at the Pandora's Box and other Sunset Strip clubs, the Los Angeles Sports Arena, and at some festivals, but broke up after appearing at the Newport '69 Pop Festival in June 1969.
Tracks
1. Get Out Of My Life, Woman (Alain Toussaint) - 2:28
2. Swallow The Sun (Jack Merrill) - 2:46
3. Flying High (Larry Goldberg) - 2:40
4. Meadow Memory (Larry Goldberg, M. Andrews) - 2:00
5. Saturday Night Flight 505 (Larry Goldberg, M. Andrews) - 2:25
6. Give Up On Love (Kenny Smith) - 3:00
7. Two-O-Tango (Walter Flannery) - 3:02
8. Ballad Of A Sad Man (Mike Joyce) - 2:48
9. Nothing At All (Danny Hutton, Larry Goldberg) - 2:35
10. Mrs. Ansel Griffith (M. Cooper) - 2:37
11. Boston (Fred Barnett,Walter Flannery) - 4:11
12. Live A Little (Elmer Berstein, Carolyn Leigh) - 2:12
13. Step To The Rear (Elmer Berstein, Carolyn Leigh) - 1:54
14. Get Out Of My Life, Woman - 2:26
15. Meadow Memory - 2:00
16. Swallow The Sun - 2:32
Bonus tracks 11-16 previously unissued.
The Love Exchange
*Dan Altchuler - 12 String Guitar
*Jeff Barnett - Drums
*Fred Barnett - Six String Guitar
*Walter Flannery - Organ
*Mike Joyce - Bass
*Bonnie Blunt - Vocals, Tambourine
Cykle produced one album's worth of solid garage rock, and it certainly proves that the band was an enthusiastic bunch of musicians. Despite claims to the contrary, Cykle's music cannot be called psychedelia; instead, it's closer in sound to the garage punk that started to come out a couple years before the album was released, in 1969.
Jimmy Sossamon came up with decent songs, and the band played the hell out of them. Cykle may have been somewhat derivative, but they could occasionally be thrilling, too, and their playing sometimes bursts with a teenage energy that makes the songs fun to listen to. Rave-ups like "If You Can," "Walkout," "Walkin' Through My Mind," and "It's Her" are exciting punkers full of scorching guitar along the lines of the Chocolate Watchband and the great, final raga-fied incarnation of the Vejtables.
This Gear Fab reissue adds some recordings from Sossamon's pre-Cykle band, the Young Ones, who were certainly of their day, combining hints of the Beatles, instrumental party music, soul, and beach music. The album is filled out with a couple of songs Sossamon wrote for and helped record with the Rhodes Scholars. A distinct departure from Cykle, the Rhodes Scholars played straight pop/rock with full brass arrangements -- much closer to the sound of bands like Chicago and the Buckinghams -- and their songs were actually pretty solid, with quite a bit of commercial potential.
by Stanton Swihart
Tracks
1. Too Much Lovin' - The Young Ones (The Young Ones) - 2:12
2. Harbor Melon - The Young Ones (Trad. Arr. The Young Ones) - 2:49
3. Big Teaser - The Young Ones (Sossamon, Hayes, Warwick) - 1:55
4. It's You - The Young Ones (Warwick) - 2:14
5. If You Can - Cykle (Sossamon) - 2:40
6. Walkout (Of My Mind) - Cykle (Sossamon) - 2:13
7. Maiden Girl - Cykle (Sossamon) - 3:06
8. Walkin' Through My Mind - Cykle(Sossamon) - 2:30
9. A Little Faith - Cykle (Sossamon) - 2:49
10.It's Her - Cykle (Sossamon) - 2:01
11.Lesson To Learn - Cykle (Sossamon) - 3:14
12.In Love My Friend - Cykle (Sossamon) - 3:38
13.Do My Thing - Cykle (Sossamon) - 4:03
14.What You Do To Me - Cykle (Sossamon) - 7:26
15.In My Dreams - Jimmy Sossamon (Sossamon) - 2:45
16.In My Dreams - The Rhodes Scholars (Sossamon) - 3:49
17.What's On Your Mind - The Rhodes Scholars (Sossamon) - 2:17
The Young Ones
*Carlton Warwick - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Johnny Hayes - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Ronnie Baxley - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
*Jimmy Sossamon - Drums
*Dicky Britt - Organ
Cykle
*Ralph Stephens - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Backup Vocals
*Ken Allen - Lead Vocals
*Jeff Hardin - Rhythm Guitar, Backup Vocals
*Grady Pope - Bass Guitar, Backup Vocals
*Rick Wilson - Organ, Backup Vocals , Lead Vocals ("It's Her")
*Jimmy Sossamon - Drums, Piano, Harpsichord, Vibraphone
Vibist Lynn Blessing is best known for his membership in the jazz-rock band Advancement, who recorded a single, self-titled album in 1969, and as a member of Bill Plummer's Cosmic Brotherhood and Gabor Szabo's studio band. Previously, however, he and Plummer were also an integral part of cornet master Tommy Peltier's Jazz Corps, one of the house bands at the famed Lighthouse between 1963 and 1967.
Born Cicero, Indiana, 12/4/38, started playing drums at age 10, vibes at age 17, Blessing met Freddie Hubbard in high school and formed his first jazz group with him at that time (Blessing played drums). He also worked with Paul Horn, Martin Denny, Tony Bennett, and Fred Katz. Sunset Painter is Blessing's only date as a leader and was originally issued on Epic in 1969. Produced by Paul Horn, the LP also features pedal steel guitar whiz Sneaky Pete Kleinow, bassist Wolfgang Melz, drummer Mel Telford, and guitarists John Beck and Robert Hirth. Sunset Painter is deeply influenced by sounds coming from Los Angels and San Francisco at the time, particularly those of Laurel Canyon.
As such, this is not a "jazz" record per se. It is a collection of almost entirely instrumental pop tunes, four of which were written by the rock icons of the day: "Mother Nature's Son," by Lennon and McCartney; "Pinball Wizard," by Pete Townshend; "Country Pie," by Bob Dylan; and "Child of the Universe," by Roger McGuinn. The rest were either self-penned or by the sidemen on the date; Melz and Hirth wrote one apiece.
The sound is loose, breezy, laid-back, and full of Eastern tinges (acoustic guitars played like sitars with open droning lead and rhythm parts as on the title track with its shimmering 12-string, and Blessing's single-note melodies). Then there is "Mother Nature's Son" done country-raga style -- no kidding. The warm feel of the set offers the same feel as many of Gary McFarland's sides on Skye but is less pop-oriented and more psychedelic in texture. The opener, "Cosmic Cowboy," features Blessing on a pair of harmonicas playing one just behind the other, a popping electric bassline, and breakbeats skittering around the middle before Blessing's vibes enter, resembling something cut out of the hoedown section of Aaron Copland's Billy the Kid.
The lithe openness on most of this recording is caught perfectly in "Anacalyspsis," where the pedal steel -- playing more like a slide guitar -- engages with Blessing's vibes, and the drums widen out in a slippery country stroll given dimension, texture, and depth by Blessing's solo and sophisticated melodic improvisation. And while it's true that the album is relatively brief, clocking in at exactly 38 minutes, it is a minor masterpiece.
It's very much of its time and stands in stark contrast to so much of the jazz that was being recorded on the American side of the pond at the time. In some sense, it's not a jazz record, but neither is it a pop, or psych or folk or rock record either. It is all things at once and none of them, but its sense of order, focus, and attention to melody, atmosphere, and brevity make it a wonderfully focused listen.
While Charles Lloyd was messing about trying out his singing in trying to bring the rock and blues sensibilities to his records, he might have tried hanging out with Blessing, who had the boundaries down and was interested in integration more than extrapolation. Fallout Records in the U.K. reissued this gentle treasure in 2007, and it is well worth seeking out as an experiment that succeeded aesthetically, even if it failed commercially.
by Thom Jurek
Tracks
1. Cosmic Cowboy (Lynn Blessing) - 3:27
2. Sunset Painter (Lynn Blessing) - 2:39
3. Mother Nature’s Son (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:24
4. Anacalypsis (Lynn Blessing) - 3:32
5. From Deep Within For Lynn (Wolfgang Melz) - 2:13
6. An Awakening (Robert Hirth) - 5:14
7. Country Pie (Bob Dylan) - 3:21
8. Pinball Wizard (Pete Townshend) - 3:14
9. Emerald River (Judee Sill) - 2:37
10. Child Of The Universe (Dave Grusin, Roger McGuinn) - 1:49
11. “Monk 136” (Robert Hirth) - 4:22
12. Where There Is Grass (Wolfgang Melz) - 3:09
Glass Prism's first album, 1969's Poe Through the Glass Prism, was one of the most unusual early concept albums of the psychedelic era. Despite some initial encouraging promotional push from RCA however, it and a single drawn from the LP, The Raven TEl Dorado," didn't make the national impact for which the band and their management had hoped.
Glass Prism did get to put out another album on RCA, On Joy and Sorrow, but not under ideal circumstances, the group's momentum having been curtailed by business complications. Explains Glass Prism guitarist Tom Varano, 'We're pretty sure (our managers) Mort Lewis and Gene Weiss made a deal with RCA that when they released the album, if RCA would do everything possible, they would do everything possible on their end. Which means, they were gonna put us on tour with Blood, Sweat & Tears. That was gonna be a major tour."
The tour was canceled, however, "and as soon as that broke off, RCA shut down their promotional campaign. It killed the whole thing. Because we were gonna be punished, along with Mort Lewis, for losing what was gonna help RCA to sell more records." Complicating the situation was Lewis's withdrawal from the music business, which to some degree is a mystery that's persisted to this day "He managed Dave Brubeck, the Four Freshmen, Simon & Garfunkel and Blood, Sweat & Tears, and we were his fifth act," says Varano. 'That was it. I met Paul Simon at his office, and Paul had listened to our stuff.
I remember Paul saying, 'Hey, why don't you guys write your own words?'" he laughs, Poe Through the Glass Prism having been devoted to the band's adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe works to music. The following year Simon, continues Varano, "married Mori's wife. I'm pretty sure Mort probably had a breakdown. He never, ever again managed anybody. He went down to Florida. I could never reach him again by phone, ever. Gene Weiss went down to Florida, and could not get in touch with him; he was out on his yacht and wouldn't come in. And he never spoke to Gene Weiss again, according to Gene's wife, in all those years." In the meantime, however, "we were still performing.
We still had to make a living, but it was really somewhat depressing because of what happened. We were still trying to communicate '••.in Lewis; It wasn't happening. I didn't know whether something was gonna still happen, whether we were gonna end up still having another shot. Gene called up one day and said, 'Oh, your record contract calls for a second album.' I said, 'Well, are we supposed to do something?1 He said, 'Yeah, you're supposed to record it. And you got eleven days to get ready.'" Taken aback, the band would have to get enough original material together almost on the fly. 'We were writing just a little bit, a few songs," notes Tom. 'We weren t doing any more Edgar Allan Poe stuff.
That whole thing became depressing to us. We would still play 'The Raven' and maybe a couple of songs, 'cause people would ask for them. But we were sick and tired of it. Because of the way things worked out, it wasn't of interest. We were just playing copy music, and there were just a couple of original songs." Nonetheless, "Gene said, 'You have to record an album.' I said, 'We don't even have an album. We don't have songs.' So I went home and just wrote a bunch of songs, and we got together in rehearsals. Augie wrote a couple songs, and we just worked those out within a few days.
When we got to the studio, we weren't ready; we didn't even have enough songs. We had to pull some stuff together in the studio. So you're hearing songs that were all written within a few days for the most part. There may have been one or two songs written on that album that were written before, but not many. We practiced for a few days, and went into the studio and recorded the songs. I don't even remember being in there for the mix." With RCA's diminishing interest in the band, giving Glass Prism more time to prepare and record their second LP did not seem to be a priority, "'cause we didn't have any notice.
I just figured they could care less about the contract, 'cause they shut everything down. They stopped all the ads, they stopped doing everything. We had a great distribution situation; the first album went everywhere, that's why there were so many of those albums around. The second album, it was just part of their contract" - which likely accounts in part for why original copies of On Joy and Sorrow are so much more difficult to find than original copies of Poe Through the Glass Prism. Like Poe Through the Glass Prism, On Joy and Sorrow was recorded in just three days, though this time Glass Prism would use RCA's Studio A in New York, rather than guitar legend Les Paul's studio in Nyack.
One day, Varano reveals, "Pat Boone was upstairs. He had a priest with him that would pray before he would go and record. He ended up leaving early that day, because he just couldn't get it right or something." Yet despite not being hatched under optimum conditions, On Joy and Sorrow did showcase the distinctive elements of Glass Prism's sound that had been introduced on the musical arrangements of their Poe adaptations. There was bassist Augie Christiano's husky soul-rock singing, balanced by songs on which drummer Rick Richards took lead vocals; B3 organ in the spirit of bands like the Spencer Davis Group (whose "I'm a Man" the band covered onstage), Procol Harum, and Vanilla Fudge; and Varano's versatile lead guitar, equally accomplished at fuzzy hard rock riffs and deft jazz-influenced picking.
Most of the material was written by Tom, with Augie contributing "Maggie Don't You Hear Me" and "Renee," and organist/guitarist Carl Siracuse coming up with "I Laugh." "There are little pieces of each song, I guess, that were kind of interesting, but it never got developed," reflects Tom. "She (On Joy and Sorrow)' and 'She's Too Much' had the theme of the album, and we tried to write songs kind of around that, so we would keep within some kind of a focus. 'Cause we thought we were supposed to; that's what the first album was. I kind of like the song 'She (On Joy and Sorrow)' that Rick sings; the way the harmonies come in, it's a little different, it has some unusual chords in it. 'She's Too Much was going to be a single.
It was kind of like a John Kay and Steppenwolf thing. But again, listening to it, it's like that really needed work to get it where it needed to be." Still, he adds, "I kind of like some of the ideas. 'Maggie Don t You Hear Me' is neat, kind of a rhythm and bluesy thing. The song that a lot of people like, which has two chords in it,'I Laugh,'was written in the studio. It was just, 'Let's fill the album.' It was also kind of a bluesy thing." The jazzy lick that kicks off "Here You Are," he says, has been sampled, as has the wah-wah guitar from Poe Through the Glass Prism's "Dream Within a Dream," and guitar from the same LP's "Hymn."
As for Christiano's two songs named after girls, Varano confirms that both "Renee" and "Maggie Don't You Hear Me" are about real people. That was the Edgar Allan Poe thing, when you write about a girl, but you change her name," he explains. "Maggie"s about one of his girlfriends." Released by RCA with minimal promotion and no accompanying 45, On Joy and Sorrow would be Glass Prism's final record for the label. In retrospect, Varano muses, "we probably should have been sticking with the Edgar Allan Poe thing. We should have been going further with it, and that's what they should have been telling us to do. Because if it was working, why would you want to change it? I know Augie, that's all he ever wanted to do - just do more and more of it, as much as possible.
He thought the second album should have been the same way. But we weren't prepared for that. Even though there were more songs [based on Poe's work] that I had written, I hadn't brought them to the group. When it was time to do the second album, nobody said, 'Do some more.' They just said, 'Come and do an album, do what you have.' All we had was a couple of songs that we were playing live - I think 'She's Too Much' was one of them - that were not even really related." But while Glass Prism's association with RCA had ended, the band continued, if not always under the Glass Prism name.
Playing not just in the northeast Pennsylvanian region that was their base, but also New York, New Jersey, and Ohio, they shared bills over the course of their career with Procol Harum, Vanilla Fudge, Three Dog Night, and Guess Who. In 1971, with Carl Siracuse departing and Louie Cossa joining on bass and keyboards, they evolved into Shenandoah. The self-titled album they recorded was, in Varano's view, "a better album than the first two. We wrote all the songs; we actually figured out how to write our own words." But "it never got released. The guy who was producing, Seth Greenkey, could not get a deal. Almost had a couple deals that never happened." Two years later, in 1976, "we quit." In October 2007, however, this lineup reunited as Glass Prism to play a concert in Philadelphia at the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, naturally featuring material from Poe Through the Glass Prism.
A reunion concert at the Scranton Cultural Center on June 7, 2008 was filmed and used for a recent 55-minute documentary on the band. On Joy and Sorrow: The Glass Prism Story. They're now working on a new studio album {details on their website, www.glassprismband.com) that will combine new material, a medley of classic rock tunes, and re-recordings of songs from Poe Through the Glass Prism. "Five of those songs are gonna be on the new album, and they're gonna be different," says Varano. "You're still gonna have the song, but you're gonna have some things that have happened.
Like we've created an introduction to The Raven' that's a piece within itself. It's just a piano and bass; it's like a mood, it brings the song in, and the song itself is much more powerful. You can't change it that much, but we did. We changed it just enough." In addition, "we have a song on the new album that is about Edgar Allan Poe, as opposed to using his words." Summarizes Tom Varano when looking back at Glass Prism's RCA albums, "I think if you listen to the two albums, they're from a long time ago, written by young guys writing their first songs. They're simple. We would have progressed.
We just did what we did, 'cause that's what we liked to do. We didn't really think that we could have done it any different at the time, although listening to it 40 years later, you say, 'oh wow, what about this, what about that, and where are the strings,' you know? You think of all these other different things. But that was the true band in 1969. "Really, it was the Poe stuff that caused the attention. Those songs were being developed based on the theme of the music. 'Can I capture what this guy's trying to say here?' As a musician, I like the fact that something doesn't sound like something else. And something happens maybe by itself."
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. She's Too Much (Lay Your Body Down) - 4:10
2. Extention 68 - 2:18
3. What Can We Do - 2:32
4. Who Loves Me - 2:13
5. Nothin's Wrong Song - 2:46
6. Maggie Don't You Hear Me (T. Varano, A. Christiano) - 3:53
7. She (On Joy And Sorrow) / I Want To Play - 4:22
8. Here You Are - 3:07
9. Renee (T. Varano, A. Christiano) - 2:01
10.I Laugh (Rick Richards) - 3:07
All songs by Tom Varano except where indicated. *Note that by mistake the Korean label merged two songs together, (She (On Joy And Sorrow) / I Want To Play), that's why we have 10 songs listed, actually all 11 original songs are included.
