Sutherland Brothers And Quiver - The Very Best Of (1971-79 uk, brilliant sentimental folkish rock)

It was 1971......two guitars, two voices singing songs of anqst, lust, spirit and the sea. Scottish Folk, English Beat, American Country Blues all in the pot via Stoke and W14 and Reebop played the congas Then full steam ahead with the "Lifeboat Band" - Steve Winwood, 'Rabbit' Bundrick, Dave Mattacks et al then Christmas 72 at the Marquee with Quiver - Tim's soaring guitar, Will's thundering tubs, Pete Wood's sparkling piano and Hammond. Colleges and; Faces gigs then Summer 73 round the U.S. opening for Elton - Crazy Nights, Starship Flights and You Got Me Anyway irgthe charts.

It was !974......grindinq out Euro gigs - Dreamkids on a mad trail - falling out and breaking down. Then a light shone down the valley r Summer 75 and everyone was Sailing Reach for the Skies guys! Then it was touring in the Slipstream, mixing in Miami, miming on the box and Down to Earth at Abbey Road. It was 1978..L.L.A. sessions and winter mixes in Paris.; Hoitte in 79 - one last tour - a few.ifor the road - the night comes down - Easy Come and Easy Go? the story is in the songs. 

Thanks along the way to Wayne Bardell, Paul Hartley, Colin Waters, Nick Blackburn, Pete Smith, Rici, Murray, Alex Lawrie, Mauri|e Oberstein, Muff Winwood, Dave Gilmour and all the great musicians and studio engineers we've worked with. Thanks also to Steve Chapman. Respect and good fortune to The Everly Brothers, Rod Stewart, Maggie Bell, John Travolta, Merle Haggard, Paul Young, Boyzone and all the other lovely people who did us the honour of singing our songs.

Gavin & Iain Sutherland

It's difficult to write much about the Sutherland Brothers as people. Of the fact that they were a great band, there is absolutely no doubt. They wrote some of the great songs of the seventies and their music was a soundtrack to a generation of rock fans. To hear them play live was an experience to relish. Their songwriting consisted of clever wordplays, wonderful expressions of emotion and a fusion of the folk idiom with rock music. However, the group tended to let the music speak for them; they were not self-publicists and apart from an occasional photograph on an album cover, there was little information made available about them.

Iain Sutherland (17.11.1948, Ellon) and Gavin (6.10.1951, Peterhead) enjoyed their early years in the north-east of Scotland, where their father was a musician in a dance band called The Melody Makers. Various other family members were musical too, so they were brought up to sing, play instruments and listen to American jazz and traditional Scottish folk or religious music. Then in the mid fifties the family moved down to Stoke-on-Trent, where the tastes of friends and the pop input of Radio Luxembourg added to the variety of their musical influences.

Initially, Iain, who had been writing songs while in his teens, had formed a group called the Mysteries in the early sixties, before he and Gavin teamed up to go off to London to seek their fortune in 1970. There, their manager decided they would be called A New Generation, much against the band's better judgement. The group featured Iain on guitar, Gavin on bass, Christopher Kemp on keyboards and John Wright on drums. They recorded three singles for the Spark label (one, Heartbreaker, under the name The Baby) and also did a few sessions at the Maida Vale studios for John Peel's programme. Smokey Blues Away turned into a minor hit in the UK and was released on Imperial in the United States.

 In the meantime, Quiver was a group that had produced a couple of albums for Warner Brothers, but appeared to be going nowhere, mainly because they lacked good songs and a distinctive vocalist. They had the distinction of being the first group ever to perform at the Rainbow, Finsbury Park, where they supported The Who. However, they needed to look at how they could develop their undoubted musical skills using decent material.

Thus, in 1973, was the marriage of the two groups set up. SB&Q was formed and five great albums followed. An outstanding touring band, they worked hard to produce a good live sound that had audiences on their feet. They spent a number of years on the road, both in Europe and the United States, where You Got Me Anyway was a top twenty hit.

Chart success in their own country was harder to come by and although Dream Kid got plenty of radio play, it didn't get the sales it deserved. Album sales, however, remained respectable amongst the group of fans who acknowledged the talent that was bursting to be recognised. Then along came Rod Stewart. He had followed their songwriting skills for some time and wanted to record Sailing (taken from their first LP). As with his many other (mis)interpretations of people's songs (q.v. Van Morrison's Have I Told You Lately and Tom Waits' Tom Traubert's Blues), he went for the simplistic, but the result was a massive hit. In 1975, it made number one and stayed 11 weeks in the charts. A year later, on the strength of its use over the titles of a TV documentary on the Ark Royal aircraft carrier, it re-charted, making number three and staying in the charts for 20 weeks.

In the meantime, the group were heading towards something of a dead end. Their deal with Island Records had reached an end, with their fourth album not even getting a US release and singles foundering just outside the charts. They were seriously considering winding up the group on the basis that more money could be earned from songwriting and session work than from being in a single unit. A new manager changed everything. Nick Blackburn brought both enormous encouragement and a deal with CBS. This resulted in a less intellectually inspired album, but with a major hit. The Arms of Mary reached number 5 in the UK charts and has remained a favourite for MOR audiences ever since, appearing on compilation albums and ensuring a guaranteed royalties payment that's as good as a pension fund. The song was also recorded by the Canadian group Chilliwack in 1978.

After one major tour to back up the hit single, things started to fall apart. Perhaps it was because the hit single had attracted an audience that was at odds with the spirit of the group's music or perhaps there just wasn't a genuine prospect of maintaining the impetus of further hits. Either way, the follow-up album resulted in a number of singles being released, but without success. The ascent of punk meant the death of this fine group. Two more great albums, under the Sutherland Brothers name followed, but thereafter, it was the end

Song-Singer

Tracks
1. The Pie - 5:42
2. I Was In Chains - 2:35
3. Real Love - 4:45
4. Sailing - 2:35
5. You Got Me Anyway - 3:00
6. Lifeboat (G. Sutherland) - 2:55
7. Dream Kid (G. Sutherland, I. Sutherland) - 2:47
8. Champion The Underdog - 4:75
9. Beat Of The Street (G. Sutherland) - 3:53
10.Laid Back In Anger - 3:20
11.When The Train Comes - 3:57
12.Arms Of Mary (Single Version) - 2:35
13.Dr. Dancer (G. Sutherland) - 4:45
14.Love On The Moon (G. Sutherland) - 4:17
I5.Moonlight Lady - 3:03
16.Slipstream - 2:31
17 Secrets - 3:09
I8.Something's Burning (G. Sutherland) - 3:56
19.When The Night Comes Down (G. Sutherland) - 3:53
20.Easy Come, Easy GO (Single Version) - 3:35
All songs witten by Iain Sutherland except where noted
From 9-18 with the Quiver

Musicians
*Gavin Sutherland - Guitars Vocals
*Iain Sutherland - Vocals, Guitars
*Tim Renwick - Guitar
*Bruce Thomas - Bass
*John 'Willie' Wilson - Drums
*Peter Wood - Keyboards

1971  Quiver - Quiver

1972  Quiver - Gone In The Morning (2008 reissue) 

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Nick Gravenites - My Labors (1969 us, awesome blues rock, 2010 Retro edition)

Singer and songwriter, bandleader and producer, raconteur and poet of the blues; Nick Gravenites is one of those seminal sixties figures whose contributions to American music cannot be measured solely by his discography. Although often overshadowed by such famous friends as Janis Joplin and Michael Bloomfield, Gravenites' 40 year career links the folk revival of the fifties with the Chicago blues scene of the early sixties and the post- 1965 West Coast psychedelic rock explosion.

He has worked with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Janis Joplin and Big Brother and The Holding Company, Mike Bloomfield and the Electric Flag, and John Cipolina and Quicksilver Messenger Service. He has written songs and produced records for a host of Chicago blues legends including Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, James Cotton and Buddy Guy. But My Labors is the only Nick Gravenites solo album ever issued by a major label (in 1969, as US Columbia 9899).

To quote one of his best-known songs, Nick Gravenites was "Born In Chicago" in 1938. The son of Greek-American immigrants, he grew up in the city's Brighton Park section, where his father George was a candy maker. Nick described his childhood in this ethnic "white ghetto" in a fascinating memoir of his early years, first published in Blues Revue (1995-96). In addition to the pop tunes on the radio, he heard records of Greek string bands and - after the death of George Gravenites in 1949 - listened to his mother "sing and cry her pain in the sad, melismatic style we Greeks call metaloyia... music I will never forget."  

By early 1967, Gravenites had relocated to the Bay Area and become a vital participant in the burgeoning San Francisco scene. With Mike Bloomfield and Barry Goldberg, he co-founded a new horn-powered band called the Electric Flag. Which made its stage debut in June '67 at the Monterey Pop Festival. With Buddy Miles on drums and Harvey Brooks on bass, this group - although never effectively captured on record - was for a too brief time one of the most exciting and accomplished stage bands in American rock. As the Flag's front man, Gravenites conveyed a tough, bluecollar charisma.

A mostly-live a l b u m . My Labors had its genesis in the studio, and three songs from those sessions were included on the original LP. But in January and February 1969, Nick Gravenites participated in a series of live recordings at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, portions of which were issued the following October as Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West.

by Andy Schwartz, April 2001

Tracks
1. Killing My Love - 5:19
2. Gypsy Good Time - 4:30
3. Holy Moly - 3:55
4. Moon Tune - 8:55
5. My Labors - 2:55
6. Throw Your Dog A Bone - 2:57
7. As Good As You've Been To This World - 2:41
8. Wintry Countryside - 13:12
9. It Takes Time (Otis Rush) - 4:14
10.Blues On A Westside - 15:32
11.It's About Time - 7:02
All Songs written by Nick Gravenites except Track 9.

Musicians
*Michael Bloomfield - Lead Guitar
*Mark Naftalin - Piano
*Ira Kamin - Organ
*John Kahn - Bass
*Bob Jones - Drums
*Dino Andino Conga
*Noel Jewkis - Tenor Sax
*Gerald Oshita - Baritone Sax
*Snooky Flowers Baritone sax
*John Wilmeth – Trumpet
*Nick Gravenites – Vocals, Guitar

1967  Electric Flag - The Trip
196?-7? The Electric Flag - Live
1968-69  An American Music Band / A Long Time Comin'
1969  Michael Bloomfield with Nick Gravenites & Friends - Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West
1970-71  Big Brother And The Holding Company - Be A Brother / How Hard It Is 

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The Third Power - Believe (1970 us, detroit high energy acid rock, 2010 Relics extra tracks issue)

This three-piece hailed from Detroit, and formed as The Blewsies in 1967, with a line-up of Drew Abbott (guitar, vocals), Jem Targal (bass, vocals) and Jim Craig (drums). Living together in a rented farmhouse, they played all the local rock clubs, and issued a 45 on the tiny Baron Records in 1968 'We, You, I' / 'Snow'.

The disc received local airplay, but barely sold outside the area. Both sides are included as bonus tracks here. The band were soon supporting local heroes the MC5 and others at the legendary Grande Ballroom. By 1969 they'd signed a record deal with Vanguard, a predominantly folk label that was (largely unsuccessfully) branching out into psychedelic rock.

Produced by famed blues historian Sam Charters, the raw and heavy Believe was released in May 1970. 'A trio who manage to stay away from the Cream / Hendrix pitfalls and produce an album with some substance', wrote Circus magazine that July, while the American Record Guide commented that 'this trio has produced a record of above-average interest. The sheer volume output is staggering (as are the power and clarity of Vanguard's engineering), and there is enough musical interest in Drew Abbott's guitar-playing to hold the listener'.

Stereo Review were far less complimentary, stating that The Third Power sounds, on recordings at least, just as loud and just as overbearing as Grand Funk Railroad. Producer Sam Charters has been responsible for some of Vanguard's finest blues collections, but his powers of musical perception must have been out to lunch when he put this date together. This one is for masochists only.'

The album sold poorly, prompting the band to split. Targal went on to release a highly-rated solo LR Lucky Guy, in 1978, while Abbott joined Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band.

Tracks
1. Gettin’ Together - 4:24
2. Feel So Lonely - 4:20
3. Passed By - 3:45
4. Lost In A Daydream - 2:35
5. Persecution - 3:29
6. Comin’ Home - 3:54
7. Won’t Beg Anymore - 4:31
8. Crystalline Chandelier - 3:24
9. Like Me Love Me - 6:06
10.We, You, I (Bonus track) - 3:22
11.Snow (Bonus track) - 2:44

The Third Power
*Drew Abbott - Guitar, Vocals
*Jem Targal  - Bass, Vocals
*Jim Craig - Drums

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Electric Flag - The Trip (1967 us, cool experimental psych for a great exploitation movie, 2011 Reel Time issue)

The first studio recordings of The Electric Flag, Michael Bloomfield’s swaggering soul / jazz / rock ensemble… Fine Jung Thing and Peter Gets Off are wild, jazzy rockers, which perfectly score Fonda’s Sunset Strip / trip adventures… Also, there are a few early efforts from synthesizer pioneer Paul Beaver’  

All Music

Starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Roger Corman, The Trip practically defines the psychedelic exploito film genre. Its superb soundtrack was originally released in September 1967, and features 18 tracks by the nascent Electric Flag, with outstanding guitar from the great Mike Bloomfield, and prominent contributions from Moog maestro Paul Beaver. Showing influences from rock, blues, jazz and classical music, it is simply one of the best psychedelic albums of the period, and is reissued in its full form for the first time.

Tracks
1. Peter's Trip - 2:32
2. Joint Passing - 1:04
3. Psyche Soap - 0:52
4. M-23 - 1:12
5. Synesthesia - 1:45
6. A Little Head - 1:44
7. Hobbit - 1:08
8. Inner Pocket - 3:35
9. Fewghh - 0:58
10.Green And Gold - 2:45
11.The Other Ed Norton - 2:51
12.Flash, Bam, Pow - 1:26
13.Home Room - 0:52
14.Peter Gets Off - 2:23
15.Practive Music - 1:25
16.Fine Jung Thing - 7:25
17.Senior Citizen - 2:56
18.Gettin' Hard - 4:02
All compositions by The Electric Flag

Musicians
*Harvey Brooks - Bass
*Mark Doubleday - Flugelhorn
*Nick Gravenites - Guitar, Vocals
*Barry Goldberg - Harpsichord, Organ, Piano
*Mike Bloomfield - Lead Guitar
*Buddy Miles -  Percussion
*Peter Strazza - Tenor Saxophone
*Paul Beaver - Moog Synthesizer
*Mark Doubleday - Trumpet
*Bob Notkoff - Violin

196?-7? The Electric Flag - Live
1968-69  An American Music Band / A Long Time Comin'
1966-68  The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Strawberry Jam
1969  Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper - The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper
1969  Michael Bloomfield with Nick Gravenites & Friends - Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West
1970-71  Big Brother And The Holding Company - Be A Brother / How Hard It Is 

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Smack - Smack (1968 us, fuzzed heavy psych blaster, 2012 Shadoks release)

Recorded in late July early August 1968 in Lawrence, Kansas USA. The four of us were all summer scholarship music and arts students attending Kansas University (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas. 

There was a producer from the University that kept us all focused on the recording along with the engineer manning the board and 4 track recording machine. All music tracks were cut 'Live' - We overdubed lead vocals and background vocals. I can't remember the name of the studio - It may have been called Lawrence Recorders - a small 4 track commercial recording facility - radio adverts, TV over dubs etc and serving bands like ours for demos. 

Lawrence is a small college town - some 86,000 students during the regular School  year. That year there were some 2800 summer students attending a 6 week summer arts scholarship session -1800 females and 900 males. Students Dram all over the US attended on a scholarship program. We all met in the beginning of the summer session and became fast friends - and started our band literally overnight. We'd seen a band perform from Lawrence at a welcome dance the night before. 

That was how it all started. The next day Smack was born. We played a gig several weeks later and the next thing you know we were all 'stars' of the campus. Someone from the university arranged for us to go in and record an album. What a magical time - We all loved the main bands of the era Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Moby Grape, The Kinks, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Buffalo Springfield, The Yardbirds, anything Motown and the like. 

Imagine being 17, connected and playing and singing in a band with three other cats - It was cool and we were swinging …..

It was the Summer of Love ...

Phil Brown, August 2011

Tracks
1. Purple Haze (Hendrix) - 3:49
3, Fire (Hendrix) - 2:48
3. Sunshine Of Your Love (Clapton, Bruce, Brown) - 4:22
4. I'm So Glad (James) - 4:06
5. Swlabr (Brown, Bruce) - 2:32
6. Manic Depression  (Hendrix) - 3:00
7. Set Me Free (Davies) -  2:05
8. For Whiat It's Worth (Stills) - 2:36
9. Foxey Lady  (Hendrix) - 3:17

Smack
*Jim Uhl – Guitar,  Lead Vocals
*Alvin Heywood – Bass, Lead Vocals
*Phil Brown – Bass,  Lead Vocals
*Lee Overstreet - Drums

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A Bolha - Um Passo A Frente (1973 brazil, sensational heavy psych with progressive and jazz drops, bonus tracks edtion)

Brazilian band The Bubbles became the toast of the underground Rio de Janeiro scene, backing Tropicalist singer Gal Costa's residence at the Sucata night club in 1970. They won the "Best Band of the Festival" award at the VII FIC of 1971 (International Festival of Songs), the same year they appeared on Leno's "Vida y obra de Johnny McCartney" album. 

After venturing to England to attend the Isle of Wight Festival, they decided to experiment with a heavier sound, more akin to UK bands of that era (Deep Purple, Cream, King Crimson, Humble Pie, with a little Beatles' "White Album" in for good measure) than that of their Brazilian cohorts. At this point they changed their name to A Bolha. 

Still loaded with verve, swagger, and fueled by drugs, they recorded their first album, which has secured a permanent place as one of the best hard psych rock albums to ever emerge from South America. The LP, "Um Passo a frente" (A step forward), was released in 1973 by the Continental label, in a gatefold cover which was quite luxurious for the era. 

This masterpiece, now impossibly hard to find as an original, certainly made a name for A Bolha in the pantheon of 1970's Brazilian rock. But success in the early 1970's was not like it had once been in the old Jovem Guarda or Tropicalist days, when bands had weekly TV shows to help them become well-known nationwide—and eventually, worldwide. 

In other words, the meager abilities of Continental to promote the album made it a collector's item, not the fate a band would actively seek for their recordings. Luckily, we at Lion Productions are able to present these recordings to the world all over again, with the additional benefit of a 20-page booklet with band history, photos, and comments on the songs by band leader Renato Ledeira. Includes both sides of the band's infamous hard-rocking 1971 single as bonus tracks.

Tracks
1. Um Passo A Frente (Lima, Schroeter, Ladeira, Bittencourt) - 9:08
2. Razão De Existir (P. Lima) - 4:37
3. Bye My Friend (P. Lima) - 2:57
4. Epitáfio (Lima, Schroeter, Ladeira, Bittencourt) - 6:04
5. Tempos Constantes (P. Lima) - 5:36
6. A Esfera (P. Lima) - 3:40
7. Neste Rock Forever (C. Marciel, Wolf, Lima) - 10:02
8. Sem Nada (P. Lima) - 3:46
9. 18:30 Parte 1/ Os Hemadecons Cantavam Em Coro Choooo (P. Lima) - 5:31

A Bolha
*Pedro Lima - Acoustic Guitar , Lead Guitar, Overtones, Voice
*Lincoln Bittencourt - Bass, Voice
*Gustavo Schroeter - Drums, Voice
*Renato Ladeira - Hammond Organ, Farfisa, Guitar, Voice
Guest Musicians
*Luiz Eca - Piano
*Ion Muniz - Flute, Sax
*Tomas Improta - Piano

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The Amboy Dukes - Migration (1969 us, hard psych, korean remaster)

The most prominent feature of Migration (the Amboy Dukes' third recording, originally released on Mainstream records) is the lack of a spaced-out follow-up to the group's biggest hit, "Journey to the Center of Your Mind." Perhaps "terrible" Ted Nugent was starting to win the drug war that was beginning to wage within the band, a war that would ultimately claim more than a few key lineup casualties. 

No matter the reason, Migration -- with it's less opaque drug references and general grooviness -- was given a cool reception at record stores as listeners perhaps became slightly confused about the Michigan band's intentions while pondering Nugent's relatively eclectic musical approach. Case in point: the spot-on version of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent." 

Besides this bizarre but affective cover, other highlights include the instrumental opener "Migration" and one of Nugent's all-time favorite songs, "Good Natured Emma." More ambitious than the group's huge-selling effort from the year before, "Migration" might be the better of the two discs, if not the best of the Amboy Dukes' career. 

by Jason Anderson

Tracks
1. Migration (Nugent) - 6:06
2. Prodigal Man (Nugent) - 5:48
3. For His Namesake (Farmer) - 4:26
4. I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent (Levy) - 1:53
5. Good Natured Emma (Nugent) - 4:37
6. Inside The Outside (Farmer) - 3:22
7. Shades Of Green And Grey (Farmer) - 3:05
8. Curb Your Elephant (Solomon) - 3:49
9. Loaded For Bear (Nugent) - 3:05
10. J.B. Special (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:32
11. Sobbin' In My Mug Of Beer (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:21

The Amboy Dukes
*Ted Nugent - Lead Guitar, Percussion
*Rusty Day - Lead Vocals, Percussion
*Greg Arama - Bass, Bass Vocals, Percussion
*Dave Palmer - Drums, Percussion
*Andy Solomon - Keyboards, Vocals, Horns, Percussion, Strings
*Steve Farmer - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Strings

1967  The Amboy Dukes

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Rain - Norsk Suite (1969 norway, elegant art psych with early prog touches, 2012 Shadoks issue)

Norway's most well kept secret has been betrayed and solved! This great band has only released a very rare 45rpm EP, which was the soundtrack for the Norwegian movie 'Rivalen'. 

Very much like Frank Zappa and The Mothers, RAIN's complex compositions were based on the skills of modern classic composers such as Varèse and Strawinsky. As a strong influence they've mentioned Vanilla Fudge. The album features 10 excellent tracks with horns and orchestral arrangement, great fuzz guitar, Hammond organ and amazing vocals. 

This Norwegian rock band had the strong urge to exceed limits, both musically and technically. Rain's members were Carl Jurgen Kionig (drums), Knut Heljar Hagen (organ, piano, vocals, bass) and Asmund Feidje (guitar, violin, vocals, bass). 

Album was recorded in 1969-'70. Besides 7 own compositions they played mind blowing versions of 'A Day In The Life', 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Isolation'. Their very complex and difficult arrangements required a lot of practice, but the band managed to turn their concerts into a total experience with a spectacular psychedelic light-show and experiments with "surround" sound. 

Tracks
1. A Day In The Life (Lennon, McCartney) - 4:51
2. Whine And Wail (Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 5:25
3. Strawberry Fields Forever (Lennon, McCartney) - 5:17
4. Norsk Suite (Kionig) - 6:08
5. Join The City War (Kl. Hagerup, Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 4:07
6. Ikke Vær Redd Far (Hagerup, Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 4:38
7. Have You Seen Your Father's Face (Hagerup, Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 3:59
8. Svein's Vise (Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 8:26
9. Isolation (Lennon) - 2:49
10.Siste Ordre (D. Hare, T. Bical, N. Bical, Kionig) - 5:54
11.Tapha (Bonus Track) (Hagen, Feidje, Kionig) - 21:03

Rain
*Åsmund Feidje - Vocals, Guitar, Violin
*Knut Heljar Hagen - Vocals, Piano, Organ
*Carl Jorgen Kionig - Drums

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The Amboy Dukes - The Amboy Dukes (1967 us, superb garage psych, 2007 Sunrise remaster)

The Amboy Dukes were Ted Nugent’s first band (or one of). They came from the same Detroit scene as SRC, The Stooges, Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger, The Frost, The Rationals, MC5 and so forth. They began playing the clubs and ballrooms of Detroit in the mid 1960′s. In 1967 they released their self-titled debut. It was a legendary mix of psychedelia, blues, garage rock, and folk.

The album/music above is also a far cry from Ted Nugent’s mid to late 70′s prime cock rock anthems. At the time, Nugent was content playing his guitar in a rock n roll band. The reality shows, money, politics, redneck concerns and overproduced rock to come had not yet inflated his ego.

The five and a half minute version of Baby Please Don’t Go is an absolute acid garage classic with some fantastic feedback and great guitar sustain. Nugent creates some serious guitar noise on this number and shows off his brilliant chops. 

The album closes with another garage classic, Gimme Love. This song has some laser fuzz guitar riffs and angry Mike Drake vocals. In between these two garage monsters are many other great compositions. There are a few covers, two work really well (the splendidly bluesy Let’s Go Get Stoned and the gritty Who cover It’s Not True) while the Cream song I Feel Free is ill-advised (it’s the album’s only weak spot). The Amboy Dukes hit real hard with Colors, a furious acid rock song with some sinister soloing. 

Other psych songs like The Lovely Lady are excellent, recalling the Velvet Underground at their trippiest with spiraling guitar pyrotechnics. Phillip’s Escalator is very Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd with brit vocals, clanging chords and first class guitar scrape. It’s a true classic on this exceptional outing. Night Time and Young Love show the band effectively sticking to their garage band roots.

The Amboy Dukes would go on to release two or three other great albums throughout the late 60′s and early 70′s. None of them have that vintage, exciting 66/67 sound like this debut. The guitar freakouts, Who-like energy and great songs make this debut a prime slice of early Detroit rock.

by Jason Nardelli

Tracks
1. Baby, Please Don't Go (Big Joe Williams) - 5:29
2. I Feel Free (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:45
3. Young Love (Ted Nugent, Steve Farmer) - 2:49
4. Psalms Of Aftermath (Nugent, Farmer) - 3:24
5. Colors (Nugent, Farmer, Rick Lober, Bill White) - 3:27
6. Let's Go Get Stoned (Valerie Simpson, Nick Ashford, Jo Armstead) - 4:29
7. Down On Philips Escalator (Nugent, Farmer) - 3:05
8. The Lovely Lady (Farmer) - 3:03
9. Night Time (Nugent, Farmer) - 3:16
10.It's Not True (Pete Townshend) - 2:44
11.Gimme Love (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:51
12.J.B. Special (Nugent, Farmer) - 2:23

The Amboy Dukes
*John Drake – Vocals
*Ted Nugent – Guitar
*Steve Farmer – Guitar
*Rick Lober – Piano, Organ
*Dave Palmer – Drums
*Bill White – Bass

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Various Artists - Beserkley Chartbusters / Beserk "Alive Over Germany" (1976-2000 us, power fun rock double disc compilation)

Out of nowhere, it seems, along came Beserkley Records - and the Beserkley Chartbusters in particular. The original album featured the label's first four signings namely, Earth Quake, Greg Kihn, The Rubinoos and Jonathan Richman & The Modem Lovers. 

One Matthew 'King' Kaufman and Steve Levine had formed the label in collusion with Berkeley based hard rock outfit Earth Quake. Released in the UK initially under license to the United Artists label, under the auspices of Andrew Lauder (the man who signed Brinsley Schwarz, the Flamin' Groovies and ultimately, the Stranglers), the album quickly became a firm favourite amongst disaffected pop kids, and in it's own way, became a kind of Stateside mirror of what Stiff Records would become. 

Label boss Matthew 'King' Kaufman, in association with experienced CBS studio engineer Glen Kolotkin quickly developed a distinctive sound and feel to Beserkley recordings. Most of the Beserkley label albums were cut at the CBS Studios on Folsom Street, San Francisco, which aided in the undoubted sense of continuity in sound from album to album. 

This sound tended to feature drums with a slight amount of presence echo, a very upfront vocal, and (with the exception of Earth Quake!) relatively distortion-free. Guitars were played at low volume in the studio, but a combo feel was preserved, the sound dean without being clinical. This compilation features all of the tracks from the original Beserkley Chartbusters album, plus choice cuts from the subsequent 'Beserkley's Back' compendium, and a live double album, “Bezerk times”, taken from a German TV recording.

Artists - Tracks

Disc 1 Berserkley Chartbusters

1. Earth Quake - Friday On My Mind (Young, Vanda) - 3:34

2. Greg Kihn - All The Right Reasons (Kihn, Bimler) - 3:15

3. The Rubinoos - Gorilla (Tracey) - 2:57

4. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - The New Teller (Richman) - 1:40

5. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Once) (Richman) - 4:43

6. Earth Quake - Tall Order For A Short Guy (King) - 2:19

7. The Rubinoos - I Think We're Alone Now (Cordell, Gentry) - 2:52

8. Earth Quake - Hit The Floor (Dunbar, Doukas, Miller) - 3:42

9. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Government Center (Richman) - 2:16

10.Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - It Will Stand (Hohnson) - 2:35

11.Greg Kihn - Mood Mood Number -  (Kihn, Bimlar, Dunbar) - 2:13

12.Earth Quake - (Sitting In The Middle Of) Madness (Doukas, Dunbar) - 3:30

13.The Rubinoos - I Want To Be Your Boyfriend (Dunbar, Gangwer) - 3:17

14.Spitballs - Let Her Dance (Fuller) - 2:27

15.Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers -  Egyptian Reggae (Johnson, Richman) - 2:35

Disc 2 Beserk Times (Alive Over Germany)
1. Greg Kihn - Future Girl (Kihn) - 3:22
2. Greg Kihn - Madison Avenue Man (Kihn, Bimler) - 4:50
3. Greg Kihn - Cold Hard Cash (Kihn) - 2:02
4. Greg Kihn - Secret Meetings (Kihn) - 6:17
5. The Rubinoos - Rocking In The Jungle (Girona) - 2:27
6. The Rubinoos - Falling In Love (Dunbar, Gangwer) - 2:13
7. The Rubinoos - Hard To Get (Dunbar, Gangwer) - 3:01
8. The Rubinoos - Red Light Green Light (Dunbar, Gangwer) - 3:33
9. The Rubinoos - Promise Me (Dunbar, Gangwer) - 3:48
10.The Rubinoos – Ronnie (Dunbar, Gangwer) - 2:36
11.Earth Quake - Street Fever (Phillips, Bilmer) - 4:38
12.Earth Quake - Mr Security (Doukas, Dunbar, Eartti) - 7:25
13.Earth Quake - A) From Here To Eternity Bj Trainride  (Noroder, Bellotte, Doukas, Dumbar, Earth) - 7:24
14.Tyla Gang - Young Lords (Tyla) - 3:30
15.Tyla Gang – Styrofoam (De Vore) - 2:03
16.Tyla Gang – Fireball (Tyla) - 3:57
17.Tyla Gang - A) Hurricane B) Whizz Kids  (Tyla, Irvine) - 9:35

1975-93  Beserkley's Best

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Fresh Air - A Breath Of Fresh Air (1969 us, delicate hard psych)

Copies of Fresh Air's only album, 1970's A Breath of Fresh Air - one of the very first albums released on the Amaret label, who issued recordings by the Minneapolis blues-rock quintet Crow -- are highly sought-after and treasured by collectors. 

Featuring dramatic organ flourishes and flamboyant guitar leads throughout, A Breath of Fresh Air is similar to other organ-driven hard pop groups of the era, including Sugarloaf, Blues Image, and Three Dog Night. 

The highlight here is the leadoff track, a fast-paced, histrionic discotheque take on Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" -- by then already a few years old -- which features heavy distorted guitar and Marc Piscitelli's intense lead vocals. Six of the remaining tracks were written by the group's "sixth member," Louie Caridi, including "Somewhere a Mountain Is Moving" (taking its title from a line in the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina"). 

This was a different Fresh Air from the group of the same name that featured keyboardist Don Randi (they recorded a self-titled Fresh Air album around the same time, but for Columbia Records). Piscitelli later became an engineer and backing vocalist, working with a varied group of artists during his career, including Glen Campbell, Juice Newton, Spirit, and John Travolta.

by Bryan Thomas

Tracks

1. For What It's Worth (Stephen Stills) - 2:40

2. Faces In The Fire - 3:50

3. December (Marc Piscitelli) - 4:50

4. Somewhere A Mountain Is Moving - 2:30

5. Get Away Car Car - 2:39

6. I've Lost My Faith - 3:10

7. Baby Lady (R. Kutner) - 3:20

8. Sleeping In Sunshine - 3:20

9. Sailor Man (Marc Piscitelli, Louie Caridi) - 2:30

10.I Finally Found A Friend - 2:45

All songs by Louie Caridi except where noted

Fresh Air
*Allen Carey -
*Louie Caridi -
*Mick Jones -
*Marc Piscitelli - Lead Vocals
*Peter Plumeri - Drums
*Tim Whitcanack - Bass, Keyboards

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Family - In Their Own Time (1969-73 uk, brilliant progressive art rock, two disc set)

Like so many other British bands that achieved recognition in the progressive era, Family's origins lay in the R’n’B boom of the early Sixties. The initial line-up included guitarist Charlie Whitney, sax-player Jim King and bassist/violinist Ric Grech, all of •whom had earlier been in the Farinas, a Leicester-based group formed by Whitney and King back in 1962. 

When vocalist Roger Chapman joined the band in 1966, he brought with him not only a wealth of experience gained in local outfits such as the Rockin' Rs and the X-citers, but also one of rock's most distinctive voices. When Rob Townsend replaced original Farinas drummer Harry Overall, the first Family line-up was complete. Whitney and Chapman quickly formed the songwriting partnership that provided the majority of Family's material throughout their history and, after moving down to London, the group quickly built a reputation as an original live act, centred around Chapman's manic on-stage presence. 

Between 1967 and 1969, they released two highly-regarded albums, 'Music In A Doll's House' and 'Family Entertainment', along with a clutch of worthy but largely ignored singles. Ail seemed to be going well until, midway through their debut US tour, they suffered the first of many personnel changes as Ric Grech unexpectedly left to join Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton in Blind Faith. John Welder, formerly of Eric Burden and the Animals, stepped into the breach, but the remainder of the tour was effectively damage limitation and they returned home without making the hoped-for US breakthrough. 

Late in 1969, Family finally made it into the UK singles charts when 'No Mule's Fool' fleetingly entered the Top 30, This, and its B-side, 'Good Friend Of Mine', were the first recordings to feature new-boy Welder and the last to include Jim King. His replacement was multi-instrumentalist Poli Palmer who brought vibes, flute, piano and later synths to the group's already eclectic instrumental mix. The revised line-up recorded 'A Song For Me', released in January 1970. 

Harder and leaner than their two previous efforts, it opened in spectacular style with the raw intensity of' Drowned In Wine', while 'Love Is A Sleeper', featuring guest pianist Zoot Money, the frantic rockabilly of 'The Cat And The Rat' and the epic title track emphasised their ability to work in a variety of styles. August saw the release of 'Strange Band', a three-track EP that textured re-recorded versions of two numbers from 'A Song For Me', plus the newly-written title track. The song had already been played in concert, and a live version of it was included on the next LP, Anyway...', which appeared in November. 

The new album matched three more live tracks and four new studio cuts, none of which had been issued in any form. All four live songs from Anyway...' are included here, demonstrating the band's mastery of mood and texture. 

by Alan Kinsman

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Drowned in Wine - 4:10

2. Cat & The Rat, The - 2:32

3. A Song For Me (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, J. Weider, R. Townsend) - 9:17

4. Love Is a Sleeper - 4:02

5. Between Blue And Me - 5:02

6. Spanish Tide - 4:02

7. Children - 2:19

8. Saturday Barfly - 3:58

9. Larf And Sing (P. Palmer) - 2:45

10. Take Your Partners (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, P. Palmer) - 6:23

11. Good News Bad News - 7:23

12. Strange Band (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, Williamson) - 3:21

13. Part of the Load - 4:40

14. Lives & Ladies - 6:33

15. Holding the Compass - 3:48 

16. Willow Tree - 4:22

All compositions by Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman except as else stated.

Disc 2
1. Burlesque - 4:05
2. Broken Nose - 4:09
3. Glove - 4:50
4. My Friend the Sun - 4:20
5. Coronation (C. Whitney, R. Chapman, J. Wetton) - 3:50
6. Ready to Go - 4:37
7. It's Only a Movie - 5:08
8. Buffet Tea For Two - 5:21
9. Sweet Desiree - 3:40
10. Check Out - 4:30
11. Boom Bang - 3:02
12. Boots 'N' Roots - 5:01
13. In My Own Time - 3:34
14. Seasons - 2:22
15. No Mules Fool - 3:10
16. Good Friend of Mine - 3:30
All compositions by Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman except as else stated.

Family
*Roger Chapman - Vocals, Percussion
*Charlie Whitney - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Bass
*John Weider - Acoustic Guitar, Bass,
*Poli Palmer - Percussion, Keyboards, Vibes
*Rob Townsend - Drums, Percussion
*John Wetton - Bass, Vocals
*Tony Ashton - Vocals, Piano
*Ric Grech - Bass

1967-69  Music in a Doll's House / Family Entertainment
1970  Anyway

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Various Artists - Beserkley's Best (1975-93 us, incredible power rock 'n' wave compilation)

Beserkley Records was an independent label founded by Matthew King Kaufman in Berkeley, California, about 1975. It anticipated the "alternative rock" genre by providing a label for music that didn't interest the majors, but was exciting to college age music fans.

Kaufman was manager of the group Earth Quake, who had done a couple of albums for A&M in 1971- 72, but had no real success and were not picked up by any of the existing labels when their contract with A&M was up. Kaufman started his own label "to have fun and make some interesting recordings." In addition to Earth Quake, Kaufman signed Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn, and the Rubinoos. The first single issued was Earth Quake's "Friday On My Mind" coupled with "Roadrunner" by Jonathan Richman.

In fact, Beserkley had only a handful of artists on the label at any given time throughout their history. The biggest name artist was the Greg Kihn Band, who had a number of national hits. Both Earth Quake and the Rubinoos also placed records on the national charts. And although Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers didn't chart nationally, they still had, and have, a strong following.

Matthew King Kaufman recently wrote to us and gave us some insight on the label. Kaufman noted, "Really, Earth Quake turned down offers and formed a record company with me, and then had five successful LPs. They were the band for Jonathan Richman's 'Roadrunner' and Little Roger's 'Stairway to Gilligan's Island.' As for charting, Jonathan Richman's 'Roadrunner' was top ten everywhere but here, and 'Egyptian Reggae' was #1 worldwide. Kihn's 'Break-up Song' made #9 and 'Jeopardy' was #1 everywhere but here, where it spent 8 weeks at #2."

By Patrice Eyries, Mike Callahan, and David Edwards

Artists - Tracks
1. Jonathan Richman - Roadrunner - 4:43
2. Earth Quake - Friday on My Mind - 3:33
3. Greg Kihn Band - The Break-Up Song - 2:50
4. Spitballs - Let Her Dance - 2:27
5. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Egyptian Reggae - 2:36
6. Greg Kihn Band - Jeopardy - 3:49
7. Ed Haynes - I Want to Kill Everybody - 3:27
8. Count Pulaski & His Five Minute Men - R.A.D.I.O. - 2:49
9. The Rubinoos - I Think We're Alone Now - 2:53
10.Tyla Gang - Tropical Love - 3:22
11.Earth Quake - Madness (Sitting in the Middle Of) - 3:28
12.The Modern Lovers - Astral Plane - 2:58
13.Hobo - Gearing Up for a Breakdown - 4:11
14.Lover's Leap - Ring on Her Finger - 3:52
15.Mrs. Green - Visions of You - 2:50
16.Linda Brady - Smell of the Newsprint - 2:27
17.Eleven Bloody Men - Backstabber - 3:22
18.Son of Pete - Silent Night - 2:05

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The Nomadds - The Nomadds (1965 us, fine roots garage teen beat, 2009 digi pak issue)

Their only album has finally been reissued by Way Back Records on vinyl and cd. The Nomadds was originally released by Radex in 1965. They enjoyed quite a local following in Freeport and were Northwestern Illinois’ most popular teenbeat group bar none. The group’s lineup is: Lee Garner (lead guitar), Tony Cannova (drums), Greg Johnson (rhythm guitar, vocals), Denny Kuhl (bass), and Dean Kuehl “Stick” (vocals, harmonica – the big guy who stands center on the album’s cover).

The Nomadds is closer in spirit to early British Invasion records like Meet The Beatles or Gerry and the Pacemakers from their giddy 1963/1964 prime. For this reason interest may be limited: there are no fuzz guitars, walls of feedback, psychedelic freakouts, or shouting punk vocals; this album was recorded in 1964! That being said, the song arrangements are articulate and take interesting detours that most teenbeat/garage groups couldn’t handle. The Nomadds cut their teeth playing the bars and teen clubs of Illinois which would explain the accomplished nature of their performances.

You’re buying the album for the five great originals but some of the covers are pretty solid too. Standout covers to these ears are a rocking version of “Roll Over Beethoven,” a rollicking “W.P.L.J.,” Jimmy Reed’s “Shame Shame Shame,” and the ultimate teenage heartbreak of “Tragedy.” Excellent originals like “There Is No More” and “You Can Fall In Love” mix minor chords, folk-like guitars and rocking rhythms while other good tracks hit more of a tender, love song vibe. My favorite tune is “Don’t Cheat On Me”, a great performance with an interesting guitar intro and a marvelous vocal arrangement – this is teenbeat at it’s finest, really.

by Jason Nardelli

Tracks
1. You Can Fall In Love (Greg Johnson) - 2:30
2. Shame Shame Shame (Jimmy Reed) - 3:19
3. I'm In Transit (Greg Johnson) - 3:26
4. Lucille (Albert Collins, Richard Wayne Penniman) - 2:47
5. Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) - 2:53
6. There is No More (Greg Johnson) - 2:43
7. Ain't That Just Like Me (Earl Carroll, Billy Guy) - 2:13
8. Don't Cheat On Me (Greg Johnson) - 2:38
9. Tragedy (Fred Burch, Gerald Nelson) - 2:45
10.Love Potion No. 9 (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 2:11
11.W.P.L.J. (R. Bryant, Willie Graham, Donald W. Woods) - 2:11
12.Enter Into My Life (Greg Johnson) - 4:08

The Nomadds
Tony Cannova - Drums
Lee Garner - Guitar
Greg Johnson - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Dean "Stick" Kuehl - Harmonica, Vocals
Denny Kuhl - Bass

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Earth Quake ‎– Leveled (1977 us, high energy hard 'n' roll, Vinyl issue)

Earthquake's 5th effort "Leveled' is one of their best, this record features some nice originals ("Lovin' Cup" and especially, "Upstairs") and a solid version of Mann & Weil's "Kicks." 

Tracks
1. Lovin' Up (K. Laguna, Earth Quake) - 2:53
2. Emma (Er. Brown, T. Wilson) - 4:10
3. Kicks (B. Mann, C. Weil) - 3:46
4. Trainride (J. Doukas, R. Dunbar, R. Bimler) - 5:58
5. Nothing Personal (J. Doukas, R. Dunbar, R. Bimler) - 3:36
6. Street Fever (G. Phillips, R. Bimler) - 4:14
7. Julie Anne (S. Miller, K. Laguna) - 2:59
8. Upstairs (J. Doukas, R. Dunbar) - 4:07

Eart Quake
*John Doukas - Lead Vocals
*Robbie Dunbar - Guitar, Vocals
*Stan Miller - Bass, Vocals
*Steve Nelson - Drums
*Gary Phillips - Guitar, Vocals

1976  Earth Quake - 8.5

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Earth Quake - 8.5 (1976 us, utter power rock, Vinyl edition)

Earth Quake started out as part of the mid-'60s band scene in San Francisco, where - originally known as Purple Earthquake -- they were more than a little bit unusual. 

Having recorded a pair of early-1970s albums for A&M, 1976's Kaufman and Glen Kolotkin produced "8.5" was the group's sophomore release for Beserkley.  The album gets off to a roaring start with the heavy metal 'Finders Keepers'. 

Powered by Doukas voice, most of the up tempo tracks are actually pretty good. "8.5" is not a bad record and the single "Hit the Floor" would have sounded good on the radio, if only it had been given a chance. Also, the Dennis Linde cover is quite nice.

Tracks
1. Finders Keepers (Johnson, Bowen) - 3:59
2. Little Cindy (Gary Phillips) - 3:15
3. And He Likes To Hurt You (D. Linde) - 3:45
4. Savin' My Love (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas, Gary Phillips) - 7:11
5. Girl Named Jesse James (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas) - 2:59
6. Motivate Me (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas, Gary Phillips, Bimier) - 3:09
7. Hit the Floor (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas, Stan Miller) - 3:47
8. Same Old Story (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas) - 4:45
9. Don't Want To Go Back (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas, Gary Phillips) - 3:31

Earth Quake
*John Doukas - Lead Vocals
*Robbie Dunbar - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Stan Miller - Bass, Vocals
*Steve Nelson - Percussion, Vocals
*Gary Phillips - Guitar, Vocals, Lead Vocals

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Food - Forever Is A Dream (1969 us, appealing melodious psychedelia with jazz and folk flashes)

Part of the legendary of most-collectible Capitol psych LPs (along with Gandalf. the Common People and Euphoria), Forever Is A Dream remains largely shrouded in mystery. 

Food are known to have come from the East Coast, and though their album was recorded in Chicago, they are thought to have originated in Gurnee, Illinois. Singer Steve White had already sung in a couple of garage bands when he joined, though in this case 'garage' may not be the correct term, as he once recalled Food rehearsing in a refurbished chicken coop. 

No sooner had they got a set together than a local producer named Ted Ashford (not a band member, despite being listed on the back cover) got involved. He hawked their three song demo around numerous labels, and eventually Capitol took the bait (they are said to have been signed by the A&R man who discovered Grand Funk Railroad at the same time, which perhaps explains Food's subsequent lack of exposure). 

Comfortably installed in Chicago's fashionable Chestnut Street neighbourhood, they set about making an album. White has said that he didn't rate them highly, but their songwriting and musicianship was demonstrably of an unusually high standard, and the label must have invested a considerable amount of money in the sessions, as it features complex orchestral arrangements by Ashford. The album perhaps suffered commercially as a result of its sheer variety - compare, for example, the fragile opening cut with the storming Naive Prayers, or the tender Lady Miss Ann with the experimental Fountains Of My Mind, or the soulful What It Seems To Be with the furious Here We Go Again, which closes proceedings. 

Certainly Capitol extracted no 45, and the band splintered soon after the LP's late-1969 release, though they did briefly appear in a party scene in a B-movie that year entitled The Babysitter (directed by cash-in supremo Tom Laughlin and featuring the credit 'Introducing the music of the Food'). The song playing in their sequence is not on the album, though, and the fact that it's sung by a woman suggests it's not them at all. 

White went on to a career acting in Bmovies (with the help of Ted Ashford), working with directors including legendary schlock merchant Herschel Gordon Lewis. Ashford, meanwhile, worked with the Grateful Dead and Country Joe McDonald, as well as composing for TV and film and playing in mid-70s country- rockers Heartsfield. 

The only other member who sustained a showbiz career was Barry Mraz, who became a leading producer and engineer, working with million- selling acts such as the Ohio Players, Styx and Bachman Turner Overdrive. None of them, however, can have anticipated the cult status their early collaboration now enjoys, and it is to be hoped that as its reputation spreads, their full story will one day emerge.

Tracks
1. Forever Is A Dream (Ashford, White, Wukovich) - 6:51
2. Naive Prayers (Wukovich) - 3:47
3. No (Ashford) - 2:48
4. Lady Miss Ann (White, Wukovich) - 3:09
5. Fountains Of My Mind (Ashford, White) - 3:09
6. Coming Back (White, Wukovich) - 3:03
7. What It Seems To Be (White) - 6:03
8. Inside The Mirror (Wukovich) -
9. Marbled Wings (Wukovich) - 2:22
10.Traveling Light / Leaves (Ashford, White, Wukovich) - 6:23
11.Here We Go Again (White) - 3:23

Food
*Steve White - Lead Vocals
*Bill Wukovich - Guitars, Vocals
*Ted Ashford - Keyboards
*Erick Scott Filipowitz - Bass
*Barry Mraz - Drums, Percussion

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Rising Sons - Rising Sons (1965-66/92 us, astounding blues folk rock garage tinged with Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, Kevin Kelly and J.L. Kincaid)

No one knew quite what to make of this L.A. band in the mid-'60s, who unbelievably included Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Kevin Kelley (later in the Byrds), and even Ed Cassidy (briefly) in the same lineup. 

They only managed one single on Columbia before breaking up in 1966, but they also got to lay down an album's worth of unreleased material, which was finally issued over 25 years later. 

Their languid, bluesy, folksy sort of sound anticipated future recordings by outfits like Moby Grape, Buffalo Springfield, the Grateful Dead, and even the country-rock Byrds. 

Their lone single and unreleased album form the core of this 22-track reissue, which features imaginative rearrangements of standards like "Corrine, Corrina," an obscure Dylan cover ("Walkin' Down the Line"), rocking originals, a confident performance of Goffin/King's "Take a Giant Step" (later Mahal's signature tune), and nifty guitar interplay between Mahal and Cooder throughout.

Overall, it sounds a lot more like it belongs in 1967-1968 than 1965-1966. This archival release has value above and beyond historical interest. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1.Statesboro Blues (W. McTell) - 2:23
2.If The River Was Whiskey (Divin' Duck Blues) (Sleepy John Estes) - 2:41
3.By And By (Poor Me) (C. Patton) - 3:31
4.Candy Man (Rev. G. Davis) - 2:04
5.2:10 Train (L. Albertano) - 4:09
6.Let The Good Times Roll (S. Goodman, L. Lee) - 2:43
7..44 Blues (Willie Dixon) - 3:22
8.11th Street Overcrossing (Jesse Lee Kincaid) - 2:12
9.Corrin, Corrina (Traditional) - 2:55
10.Tulsa County (P. Polland) - 2:42
11.Walkin' Down The Line (B. Dylan) - 2:13
12.The Girl With Green Eyes (Jesse Lee Kincaid) - 2:14
13.Sunny's Dream (Jesse Lee Kincaid) - 3:01
14.Spanish Lace Blues (Jesse Lee Kincaid) - 2:12
15.The Devil's Got My Woman (S. James) - 3:05
16.Take A Giant Step (G. Goffin, C. King) - 2:54
17.Flyin' So High (Jesse Lee Kincaid) - 3:05
18.Dust My Broom (R. Johnson) - 3:03
19.Last Fair Deal Gone Down (R. Johnson) - 2:38
20.Baby, What You Want Me To Do? (J. Reed) - 2:54
21.Statesboro Blues (Version 2) (W. McTell) - 2:24
22.I Got A Little (Jesse Lee Kincaid) - 2:07

Rising Sons
*Taj Mahal - Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar, Piano
*Ry Cooder - Vocals, 6-string, 12-string, Slide, Bottleneck Guitars, Mandolin
*Jesse Lee Kincaid - Vocals, Guitar
*Gary Marker - Bass
*Kevin Kelley - Drums, Percussion

Releated releases
1968  Taj Mahal - The Natch'l Blues
1969  Fusion - Border Town

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