Havenstreet - The End Of The Line / Perspectives (1974-77 uk, brilliant progressive folk rock, 2014 two disc set)

The genesis of Havenstreet goes back to 1969, when Phil Ridgway and Jeff Vinter played in The Gas, an experimental psychedelic band heavily influenced by Barrett-era Pink Floyd. The two friends started to write songs their own songs, ending up as a folk duo. With the offer to record some of their material at a friend's studio, they recruited more musical friends…so Havenstreet was born.

The influences had expanded now to bands and artists such as Peter Hammill, Strawbs, Traffic, Procol Harum, Stackridge, Keith Tippett, Bert Jansch…In the early-mid 70s they recorded a couple of albums which circulated as private cassettes among friends and relatives. In 1977, Havenstreet released "The End Of The Line", a self-released album in a private edition of 250 copies. It was collection of very English songs with evocative, literate lyrics and a stunning progressive folk-rock sound. It featured one of the earliest known tributes to Syd Barrett on the song "When the madcap meets the world".

This expanded double set reissue of Havenstreet's sought after album includes, the original "The End of the Line" album from 1977, a new album called "Perspectives" which presents the best tracks from the privately pressed cassettes The Autumn Wind (1974) and Transition (1976) plus rehearsal recordings for The End of the Line (1975/1976) and previously unreleased recordings for the group's projected fourth album (1979), which was never completed. These amazing tracks range from electric acid-folk to Barrett-esque psych-pop, pastoral folk and Caravan styled prog-rock.

Guerssen  

Combining the back-to-basics acoustic feel of the nu-folk generation with a swirly, psychedelic vibe, "The End of the Line" could actually be an album that was made in 2014. But this album was privately released in 1977. Now finally remastered and brought into the present, the retrospective feeling is amplified and should appeal greatly to fans of 70s folk and progressive music. This reissue is a must have even for the lucky few who own an original copy of the album as it comes with a bonus disc, "Perspectives", that compiles non-LP tracks from 1974-79. The quality of the extra material shines through.

by Michael Bjorn (Strange Days Magazine) 

Tracks

Disc 1 The End Of The Line

1. German Castles - 3:52

2. When The Madcap Meets The World (Francis Bassett) - 4:30

3. Old Ways And Schooldays - 2:51

4. Music In The Night - 2:45

5. Suspended Animation (Phil Ridgway) - 2:31

6. The H S B Song (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter) - 2:08

7. Yesterday Was Summer - 3:20

8. Rain - 3:14

9. The Castle - 3:15

10.Out Of The Fireglow - 4:14

11.The Keeper Of The Tower (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter, Phil Ridgway) - 3:16

12.The Photograph - 4:57

15.After Time (Francis Bassett) - 2:57

All compositions by Phil Ridgway, Jeff Vinter except where stated

Disc 2 Perspectites
1. Aftermath (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter, Phil Ridgway) - 5:00
2. Falling Leaves In Autumn - 4:19
3. Pat Old Engine - 2:21
4. Family Laughter - 2:38
5. Just An Illusion - 2:49
6. Kick - 4:46
7. Damascus - 4:14
8. Grasshopper - 2:44
9. Your Not Being There - 3:06
10.The Ballroom Of Despair (Francis Bassett, Jeff Vinter) - 4:59
11.Aftersong (Chris Summerfield, Jeff Vinter) - 2:35
12.Village Vespers - 4:27
All song by Phil Ridgway, Jeff Vinter except where noted

Personnel
*Richard Allan - Violin
*Francis Bassett - Piano, Clavinet, Organ
*Phil Ridgway - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Andrew Russell - Flute
*Helen Russell - Vocals
*Robin Smith - Bass, Alto, Tenor Saxophone
*Jenny Tillyer - Rhythm Guitar
*Jeff Vinter - Vocals
*Pete Wills - Drums

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Wet Willie - Manorisms / Which One's Willie? (1977/79 us, awesome soulful boogie funk rock, 2013 remaster)

Barely forty minutes long, Manorisms has some killer tracks such as the opening 'Rainman' composed by Mike Duke and the melodic 'Street Corner Serenade', which had some minor success as a single reaching Number 30 in the Billboard Hot 100, Fifteen positions higher than the album's second and final single, the aforementioned 'Make You Feel Love Again', Other wonderfully harmonic songs include 'Let It Shine', 'How 'Bout You' and 'One Track Mind'.

Though Manorisms did not yield any major radio hits and all but disappeared without a trace, peaking at a disappointing Number 118 in the US, it remains a forgotten gem and this CD reissue calls for a rediscovery of Wet Willie's majestic yet often sadly overlooked and underappreciated back catalogue.

The band followed Manorisms with their final studio opus, Which One's Willie? which was unleashed to the public in 1979. Recorded in January through to February of 79 at the Record Plant in NYC and LA, the album shows a distinct departure from their Southern rock roots with a more polished approach to soul as it contains some Wilson Pickett ('Stop And Take A Look (At What You've Been Doing)/Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You') and Eddie Floyd ('You Don't Know What You Mean To Me') covers as well as original songs composed by Mike Duke. 

The nine track album has some beautifully sung numbers such as the opening 'Ramona' and the dulcet The Hard Way'. Other songs of note include Tired Dreams' and 'Mr. Streamline', which both show the band's knack for creating efficient melodies.

Which One's Willie? peaked at Number 172 in the US and spawned two singles: 'Weekend' which hit Number 29 and 'Ramona' which failed to chart. Though the album was a commercial failure it has enough strong songs to warrant cult status amongst fans of Southern rock.

Wet Willie folded in 1980 after the release of Which One's Willie? though a new incarnation of the band was formed in the 1990s featuring John Anthony (keyboards), Ricky Hirsch (guitars), Jimmy Hall (vocals) and a revolving line-up of musicians, including the late Marshall Smith (he died in 2006 after suffering from heart problems), Mike Duke andTheophilus Lively.

There's no question that Wet Willie has made an impact on the American rock 'n' roll scene having been inducted into the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame in 1996 and the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame in 2001. Though they may not have achieved the mainstream success that some of their peers achieved, they have a small yet devoted fanbase.

by Neil Daniels, 2013

Tracks
Manorisms 1977
1. Rainman (M. Duke) - 3:21
2. Make You Feel Love Again (G. Jackson, T. Jones III) - 3:28
3. So Blue (M. Duke) - 3:17
4. We Got Lovin' (J. Hall, J. Hall, M. Duke) - 3:32
5. Don't Turn Me Away (M. Duke) - 4:49
6. Street Corner Serenade (M. Smith, M. Duke) - 4:54
7. One Track Mind (J. Hall, M. Duke) - 3:48
8. How 'Bout You (M. Duke) - 1:14
9. Doin' All The Right Things (The Wrong Way) (M. Duke) - 4:12
10.Let It Shine (J. Hall, J. Hall, M. Smith, M. Duke) - 4:20
Which One's Willie? 1979
11.Ramona (Joe Droukas, Peter Solomon) - 4:36
12.Stop And Take A Look (At What You've Been Doing)/Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You (Jerry Akines, Johnny Belmon, Reginald Turner, Robert Peckman, Victor Drayton) - 4:25
14.Weekend (Mick Jackson, Tommy Mayer) - 6:01
15.Smoke (Michael Duke) - 5:05
16.The Hard Way (Michael Duke) - 4:22
17.Tired Dreams (Michael Duke) - 4:13
18.This Time (Michael Duke) - 4:00
19.Mr. Streamline (Jack Hall, Jimmy Hall, Marshall Smith) - 4:01
20.You Don't Know What You Mean To Me (Eddie Floyd, Steve Carpenter) - 4:11

The Wet Willie
1977 Manorisms
*Jimmy Hall - Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Saxes, Percussion
*Jack Hall-Vocals, Bass
*Mike Duke - Lead Vocals, Keyboards
*Theophilus Lively - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Marshall Smith - Vocals, Guitars
*Larry Berwald - Guitars
1979 Which One's Willie?
*Larry Berwald - Guitars
*Mike Duke - Keyboards, Vocals
*Jack Hall - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Jimmy Hall - Vocals, Harmonica, Saxophone
*Theophilus K. Lively - Drums, Percussion
*Marshall Smith - Guitars, Vocals
With
*Paulette Brown, Venetta Fields, Angelle Trosclair, Mighty Clouds Of Joy - Vocals


1973  Wet Willie - Drippin' Wet Live
1974  Wet Willie - Keep On Smilin
1975  Wet Willie - Dixie Rock
1976  Wet Willie - The Wetter The Better
1977  Wet Willie - Left Coast Live

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Jimmy Campbell - Son Of Anastasia (1969 uk, brilliant folk psych rock, 2009 remaster bonus track issue)

Jimmy Campbell was born on January 4th, 1944, three years after the Liverpool Blitz, to William and Anastasia Campbell. Only very essential rebuilding had occurred and Liverpool had still not been restored back to normal living conditions. England's vital port city was consumed by the war effort transporting munitions and American soldiers for the invasion of Europe. It is hard to imagine that out of such devastation would arise some of the most creative popular music performers and composers the world has ever known and one that deserves to be known. Jimmy, like most boys teenage boys in Liverpool during this period, became immersed in Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, Elvis, Buddy Holly and Everly Brothers records.

On March 11th, 1961 he would go to see The Beatles play a farewell dance at Aintree Institute and his life would be changed forever. "They were God," recalled Jimmy later. After that event, he began playing guitar like his idols and putting a band together (the Tuxedos) with his mates from Brookfield Comprehensive School in Kirkby. The Tuxedos changed their name to the Pulsating Panthers in 1962 and supported The Beatles at Hambleton Hall in Huyton on January 13th. Soon the Panthers would be playing the famous Cavern and in March of 1964 Cavern compere Bob Wooler would unintentionally change their name to The Kirkbys after the area in Liverpool where most of the band members resided.

The Kirkbys would go on to tour Germany and Finland. A 1964 tour of Finland found the band supporting Herman's Hermits, playing live on Finnish TV and releasing their first single, penned by Jimmy, 'Don't You Want Me No More' b/w 'Bless You' for RCA Finland. The Kirkbys' sole UK single, 'It's a Crime' b/w 'I've Never Been So Much in Love', would be released in 1966 before the band would change their name to the more psychedelic 23rd Turn Off and release the single 'Michelangelo' b/w 'Leave Me Here' for Deram in 1967.

After the 23rd Turn Off fizzled out at the end of 1967, Jimmy would continue to write his very personal songs while working as a toolmaker in a factory to help earn money. Jimmy was very much influenced at this time in his life by musicians Tim Hardin, Bob Dylan, Lennon and McCartney, The Band, and master painters Michelangelo and Van Gogh.

Meanwhile, Merseys' bassist Billy Kinsley had developed a deep friendship with Campbell when the 23rd Turn Off supported the Merseys on a UK Who tour. Billy would spend time at Campbell's flat listening to all of the amazing songs that Jimmy had composed.  Although the two Merseys' singles failed to attract much attention, Fontana A&R man Dick Leahy was a confirmed believer in Campbell's songwriting abilities and managed to sign him to a three album recording contract with Phillips.

A Fontana press release from 1969 describes Campbell as: "A 1969 song-writer minstrel like King Richard the Lionheart's Blondel." A Scouse Jack Kerouac beat who, "Rides in trains, boats, planes and hitches rides on giant lorries and jumps into the back of vans to get to his next destination." Campbell did enjoy the beat lifestyle and he often kipped on London benches out of the enjoyment of the experience and not out of need.

A 25-year-old Jimmy was rushed into the Phillips studio complex at Stanhope Place and Bayswater Road in London during the summer of 1968 to record enough material to complete two albums, Jimmy never possessed the self confidence as a solo artist and he would have preferred bringing a band to back him  during the sessions. Leahy felt differently and envisioned Campbell as a singer/songwriter like Cat Stevens. Jimmy's nervousness shows on all of the Son ofAnastasia recordings and he described his own voice, years later, as sounding "weedy" on all of the recordings. 

Most of the songs were run ' through in just one or two live takes with Jimmy on a borrowed acoustic guitar from Billy Kinsley and his kazoo. So naive was Jimmy about the recording process that he actually backed away from the microphone on the autobiographical 'Tremendous Commercial Potential' when he wastold that they would be doing a 'fade' to end the song!

Jimmy did manage a trip back into the studio in late 1969 to record 'Frankie Joe' with a backing band consisting of Billy Kinsley on bass and Dave Harrison on drums for the B-side of the delayed second single 'Lyanna'. However, by the time 'Lvanna' was released on February 12th 1970, the Fontana publicity machine had already spent its dime promoting Son ofAnastasia. Interesting enough, Jimmy's manager, Hal Carter, had been successful in promoting Jimmy's songs around to other artists. 

In 1970, Sgt. Will Scruffham (aka Don Charles) would release covers of 'And They All Came Marching Home' and 'Salvation Army Citadel' (which Jimmy recorded during the Son of Anastasia sessions and would later be released by Campbell himself on his final album, Jimmy Campbell's Album.  Rolf Harris also covered 'Salvation Army Citadel' in the same year. Jimmy would only hnd out about the cover version when he happened to see Harris performing the song on BBC TV!

By the end of the 1969, Campbell was in need of additional money and took a job replacing a pre-Badfinger Joey Molland in the Merseybeats. While on tour, Jimmy spent time composing songs for his 1970 follow up album Half Baked, but then that's another story.

by Mark A. Johnston, Dayton, OH 2009

Tracks
1. When I Sit Down To Reason - 1:22
2. Mother's Boy - 2:59
3. Another Vincent Van Gogh - 2:07
4. Penny In My Pocket - 2:35
5. Bright Side Of The Hill - 1:57
6. Dear Marge - 1:29
7. Lyanna - 2:19
8. They All Came Marching Home - 2:21
9. On A Monday - 3:26
10.Lovely Elisa Cope Is Dead - 2:41
11.You'll Break My Heart In Two - 2:18
12.Tremendous Commercial Potential - 2:04
13.Adrian Henri's Party Night (At O'Connor's) - 3:02
14.Another Springtime's Passed Me By - 1:57
15.Michelangelo - 2:57
16.Painting A Song - 1:19  
17.Frankie Joe (Bonus Track 1970 Single) - 3:14
Lyrics and Music by Jimmy Campbell

Musicians
*Jimmy Campbell - Vocals, Guitar
*Danny Thompson - Bass
*Colin Green - Guitar
*Ray Carr - Drums, Percussion
*Harold McNair - Flute
*Yvonne 'Sue' Wheatman - Vocals
*Heather 'Sunny' Wheatman - Vocals

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Dr. Music - Bedtime Story (1974 canada, elegant jazz prog rock with some blues traces)

Dr Music was the brainchild of Toronto native and Doug Riley, who first took piano lessons as a child as a means of coping through polio. Born in Toronto in 1945, he took lessons in classical piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto beginning at the age of four. Later, in Montreal, he studied pipe organ with Harry Duckworth at St. Anne de Belleville Church, and piano with Paul DeMarky, Oscar Peterson's piano teacher, and eventually developed into one of the country's most up and coming arrangers.

He went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in composition from the University of Toronto, while playing R&B with the Silhouettes, appearing at the Blue Note and the other Toronto nightclubs of the day. and turned down an offer to join Ray Charles' band after working on his 1969 album, DOING HIS THING. He was working as the Music Director for a number of TV shows, when in 1969 Ray Stevens ("Guitarzan," "Ahab The Arab") came calling. CTV had given him his own show, and Riley, dubbed 'Dr Music,' was recruited to put together a band.

Several members came and went at first, but following the cancellation of the show after the 1970 season, Riley kept the core of the group in tact and began touring the local area jazz clubs. The actual band was rounded out with Doug Mallory on vocals and guitar, bassist Don Thompson, vocalist Diane Brooks, and the Kennedy brothers - Michael on vocals and percussion and ex-Motherlode member Steve leading the horns section that also included Gary Morgan, Keith Jollimore, and Barrie Tallman.

RCA approached Riley later that year for a Coca-Cola jingle they were releasing, and so they recorded one of two versions of the new theme song, a cover of The New Seekers' "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing," with the Laurie Bower Singers doing the other. It was released internationally as a single, gaining both groups some overseas notoriety.

Riley had also just opened up Toronto Sound Recording Studio with producer and engineer Terry Brown (Klaatu, Rush, etc), where they mostly did jingle work. This connection came in handy when looking for a label, as GRT Records was fledgling, and Riley signed a deal with them the following spring, knowing studio time was obviously going to be available. During this period, he also manned the helm for some other GRT projects, including the sole album from Everyday People, and his own debut album, FOXEY LADY.

With a cast of session players including singers Laurel Ward, Brenda Gordon, Trudy Desmond, Rhonda Silver, and Terry Black (who was also featured on FOXEY LADY, Dr Music's eponymous debut album was in the stores later that year. Three singles hit the airwaves before year's end - "Try A Little Harder," Neil Sedaka's "One More Mountain To Climb," and "Gospel Rock." The last single's b-side, "Sun Goes By," was released as its own single the following spring. But following some select shows around the Toronto and Detroit regions, Riley disbanded this version of the group so he could focus on the studio.

But by the end of '72, Riley had resurrected a new version of the group that included Mallory, the Kennedys, Jollimore, and Tallman, along with new drummer Wayne Stone. After some live dates across the country, they went into the studio the first couple of months of the new year, and released their sophomore album that summer, DR MUSIC II. "Long Time Comin' Home" b/w the unreleased "Stay Real" and "Tryin' Times" were released as singles, following in Riley's tradition of finding a common ground between sophisticated jazz arrangements and a pop attitude that got decent airplay. Other noteable cuts included the Robbie Robertson-penned "Where Do We Go From Here," and Steve Kennedy's "6 - 5."

The TV bug bit Riley again, and he worked for the CBC on Keith Hampshire's new program, "Music Machine." That run lasted two seasons, but before the final curtain was dropped in '74, Riley had already reformed Dr Music, which was working as the show's house band.

By that summer, they released their third album, BEDTIME STORY. The new supporting cast had Mallory, Steve Kennedy, Jollimore, and Tallman returning, and new to the lineup were drummers Claude Ranger and Dave Brown, Don Thompson on bass, and trumpet and horns player Bruce Cassidy.

The album was generally more progressive than his previous outings, with a heavier guitar-oriented sound. The songs were longer, and more complex, and the title track (written by Herbie Hancock) b/w the lead-off "I Keep It Hid" became the only single, but didn't fare as well on the charts or in airplay that was expected. So following some dates around the Toronto area, Riley once again disbanded the group so he could concentrate on producing and engineering other artists.

Canadian-Bands

Tracks
1. I Keep It Hid (Jim Webb) - 3:19
2. Take That Rollo (Doug Riley) - 9:00
3. Tickle (Claude Ranger) - 11:38
4. She's Funny That Way (Neil Moret, Richard Whiting) - 6:13
5. Gandalf (Don Thompson) - 6:41
6. Bedtime Story (Herbie Hancock) - 8:04

The Dr. Music
*Doug Riley - Keyboards
*Doug Mallory - Lead Vocals, Guitar
*Claude Ranger - Drums
*Bruce Cassidy - Trumpet, Fluegel Horn
*Don Thompson - Bass
*Dave Brown - Second Drums
*Steve Kennedy - Vocals, Tenor, Alto Sax, Flute
*Keith Jollimore - Vocals, Baritone, Alto, Tenor Sax, Flute
*Barrie Tallman - Trombone

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Graphite - Chestnut Loke (1970-74 uk, amazing dreamy prog psych rock)

Graphite were formed at Reading University in the late sixties. They gigged professionally on the rock circuit from 1970 to 1973 supporting many big names of that era such as Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come, Mott The Hoople and evenT-Rex. Amazingly, Graphite got a billing above Queen at a festival in Truro, Cornwall in 1971.

The band's musical approach dwelt on the imaginative use of sleepy mellotron, drifting vocals and spacey guitar effects laced with melancholic overtones, establishing them as exponents of downbeat, hedonistic prog-rock.

Ever present in the line-up were the band's three songwriters, Keith Allen (vocals), Chris Gore (keyboards) and David Hook (guitar) but the rhythm section underwent a succession of changes.

The group recorded a considerable amount of material using a selection of top studios including Rockfield, Command, CBS and Nova Sound but only two singles were ever released. 

The first "Gimmie Your Number"/"Chestnut Loke" came out on the BEACON label in 1972 and was followed by "Come Back"/" Good Time Women" issued by EMI in 1974 (the year the band split up) under the curious pseudonym of Sinbad. Much of the previously unreleased material is featured on this release. 

by Pete Sarfas

Tracks
1. Starlight Over The Skies - 4:51
2. Chestnut Loke - 4:20
3. Tide - 10:04
4. Freedom - 3:13
5. A Dragon's Tale - 4:11
6. Dawn - 4:40
7. Set It Free - 3:27
8. Out In The Rain - 3:18
9. Don't You Think It's Kinda Sad - 3:50
10.In Our Country Home - 3:40
11.Evil Arms - 4:51
12.Spring - 8:16
13.Autumn - 5:15
14.She's Gone Away - 4:26
15.I'm Feelin' Low - 3:46
16.Freedom (Reprise) - 2:12
All songs composed by Chris Gore, Dave Hook, Keith Allen

Graphite
*Chris Gore - Mellotron, Organ, Piano
*Dave Hook - Guitar
*Keith Allen - Vocals
*John Jackman - Bass
*Peter Dry - Drums
*Dave Anderson - Bass
*Billy Rankin - Drums (Track 4)

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Crowbar - Heavy Duty (1972 canada, great rough blues rock)

Canada's Crowbar is not to be confused with an American grunge band during the 90s of the same name. While in a local Toronto band called The Ascots, Roly Greenway and Rheal Lanthier decided a change was in order,so they packed up their bags and headed to Nevada, and for the next couple of years on a nightly basis they played various Vegas clubs, opening for the likes of Zsa Zsa Gabor and even Liberace. After growing tired of the scene, the group split up, returning to Canada and going their seperate ways. Greenway then hooked up with Bobby Curtola's touring band.

Heavy Duty, recorded in Toronto, was released in late '72 amid much angst among the loyal following the band had already established. Two singles were released "Hey Baby" and "Dreams", though neither achieved the success expected. Also on the album was "The Eagle And The Beaver", a politically incorrect song about our relationship with our southern neighbours, and "Dead Head From St John's".

One of the oddest arrangements in Canadian music occurred the next year. Pierre Trudeau was running for re-election as Prime Minister. His wife was a known Crowbar fan, and she asked the band to tour the country with Lucky Pete on the campaign trail. The bid to gain the youth vote worked, except in Alberta - where he's still hated - years after his death. Trudeau was re-elected, Crowbar got some additional exposure, and Margaret moved on to The Rolling Stones. The over-whelming success of the band meant having to hire outside people to handle their affairs. Unfortunately, this meant mismanagement of their funds.  

by Frank Davies

Tracks
1. Trilby - 2:48
2. Listen Sister (A Mutual Liberation Ballad) - 2:11
3. Hey Baby (Bruce Channel) - 3:01
4. Dreams (Jozef Chirowski, John Gibbard) - 2:56
5. Where Were You - 4:02
6. Dead Head Out Of St. John's - 3:53
7. The Beaver And The Eagle - 3:14
8. Cluckie's Escape (Roly Greenway) - 3:19
9. Snakes And Ladders - 2:54
10.Lay One Down (Roly Greenway, LOVE) - 4:26
Songs written by Kelly Jay except where stated

Crowbar
*Sonnie Bernardi - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Jozef Chirowski - Piano, Organ, , Vibes, Flute, Vocals
*John Gibbard - Lead, Rhythm, Slide Guitar, Vocals
*Roly Greenway - Bass, Tambourine, Cowbell, Vocals
*Kelly Jay "Blake Fordham" - Vocals, Piano
*Rheal Lanthier - Lead Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

1970  King Biscuit Boy With Crowbar - Official Music 
1970-72  Crowbar - Memories Are Made Of This

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Swallow - Swallow (1973 us, awesome brass blues roots rock, 2010 issue)

Duke and the Drivers had fun living out their fantasy on ABC Records but, under the aegis of the redoubtable Buddy Buie and with help from the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Boston's Swallow were very serious about their craft, and it shows on this collection of understated blues-rock. Vern Miller, Jr. of the Remains, George Leh, and New England personalties Parker Wheeler and Phil Greene (the extra "e" is missing from the legendary engineer's name on this disc) are four of the nine musicians who make up the large outfit. 

On one of the all-time worst album covers -- a green martian hand holding the nose of the man in the moon (presumably, so he can swallow) -- the nine musicians are displayed above a moonscape, their names out of order with the photos. In 1973, the Atlanta Rhythm Section emerged from the remnants of the Classics IV and, with J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey of that group on this disc, along with B.J. Thomas/Friend & Lover/Billie Joe Royal producer Buie, one would think Warner Bros. would have been more serious about this outing. Most of the titles are by Miller, making the album a statement by the man Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band calls his favorite bass player. Two co-writes by Leh are included, along with two Randy Newman songs, "Illinois" and the often covered "I'll Be Home." Although Buie co-wrote all the hits of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, his magic is not added here, and perhaps that is what is missing.

The record is better than decent -- it is very good -- despite the fact there is no hit to launch it from obscurity. Greene went on to engineer Beaver Brown, New Kids on the Block, and the sessions this writer did with Buddy Guy in 1986, while blind singer Leh developed a following and great reputation performing around the Boston area. "Georgia, Pack My Bags" isn't a hit, nor is "Rockin' Shoes"; perhaps the closest thing to a potential chart climber is "Don't Tell Mama," some kind of answer, not to Etta James, but to Savoy Brown's minor hit from their 1971 Street Corner Talking album, "Tell Mama." At least they showed respect for their elders! There was much potential here; it's too bad the label and/or management mishandled the look of the album, and failed to give this large group a couple of songs their musicianship could work with to reach the masses. But, for fans of the legendary Remains, it is another chapter in the career of Vern Miller and an essential item in order for their collections to be complete.

by Joe Viglione

Tracks
1. Georgia, Pack My Bags - 3:35
2. Rockin' Shoes - 4:47
3. Illinois (R. Newman) - 2:17
4. I Get My Rocks Off Rockin' (G. Leh, V. Miller) - 2:46
5. I'll Be Home - 4:21
6. Don't Tell Mama - 3:35
7. Let It Roll (G. Leh, V. Miller) - 2:33
8. That's What My Love Is For - 2:56
9. I Was Born To Sit Back - 5:01
10.Helping Hand - 4:43
All songs by Vern Miller except where stated

Swallow
*George Leh - Lead Vocals  
*Parker Wheeler - Vocals, Harp
*Vern Miller Jr - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*David Woodford - Tenor Sax
*Phil Green - Guitar  
*Mick Aranda - Drums
*Bob Camacho - Keyboards  
*Jay Dewald - Trumpet
*Andy Harp - Trumpet
*Kerry Blount - Sax
*Gordan Kennedy - Trombone

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Michael Fennelly - Lane Changer (1973 us, superb individual rockin' heart 'n' soul, 2015 issue)

Signed to Epic Records on the strength of his demo songs, Fennelly would record his long-anticipated solo debut album, 1973’s Lane Changer, in England. Produced by former Zombies bassist Chris White, Fennelly was backed by a number of England’s best, tho’ admittedly underrated musicians of the era, including bassists Dave Wintour (who had played with Rick Wakeman) and Jim Rodford (Argent, and later with the Kinks); and drummers Robert Henrit (Argent, and another future alum of the Kinks) and Henry Spinetti (who would later play with both Eric Clapton and George Harrison). Argent’s Russ Ballard added backing vocals on several tracks. In-demand U.K. session horn players Mike Cotton and Alan Holmes augment a number of performances on the album with their immense sound, and Fennelly’s former Crabby Appleton bandmate Casey Foutz brought his keyboard prowess to the party.

In many ways, Lane Changer continues in a similar vein to Crabby Appleton’s Rotten To The Core; that is, hard-charging rock ‘n’ roll with pop and psychedelic undertones. The album-opening title track is an engaging slab o’ slippery hard rock featuring Fennelly’s lofty vocals, a busy arrangement with chaotic instrumentation, and rapidly-shifting changes in musical direction, all held together by Fennelly’s wiry fretwork which runs throughout the song. By contrast, “Touch My Soul” is a gentle, slow-paced ballad that mixes a folkish lyrical construction with touched of gospel grandeur and Fennelly’s soaring vocals. The highlight of the song, however, is Fennelly’s underrated guitar playing, which bolsters a wonderful vocal performance with both emotion and imagination.

Jumping right back into high-octane, hard rock territory, “Won’t You Please Do That” is an unabashed Zep knock-off that expands that band’s classic sound even further with Fennelly’s hypnotizing guitar, explosive rhythms, and a call-and-response chorus that includes Argent, Ballard, and an unnamed “mystery singer” that sounds suspiciously familiar. “Dark Night” is more of a stripped-down affair, with Fennelly’s haunting vocals front and center in front of a simple bass/drums rhythm and flourishes courtesy of Casey Foutz’s Mini-Moog.**** It’s a downright beautiful song, full of texture and complexity, with a lot of musical invention hiding in the grooves beneath Fennelly’s soulful vocals and Foutz’s symphonic swells and electronic sojourning.

The solo performance “Easy To Love” displays Fennelly’s talents nicely, his acoustic guitar strum nestling right nicely up against his expressive vocals, which at times hit a tone not unlike bluesman Skip James’ voice on what is otherwise an engaging folk-rock ballad. “Shine A Light” builds upon its predecessor, adding drums and bass to an unassuming, mid-tempo rocker that offers some of Fennelly’s most inspired fretwork on Lane Changer, his breathless vocals punctuated by a short but lovely solo. On the other hand, “Bad Times” offers up some good ol’ ‘70s-styled dino-stomp with bombastic rhythms and blazing guitar, the song’s lengthy intro leaping, headfirst into a raging boogie-rock with Fennelly’s sly guitar leading the charge.

A stunning, guitar-driven rocker, “Watch Yourself,” features an uncredited Jeff Beck playing lead guitar while Fennelly himself keeps pace with an intricate rhythm guitar performance, his high-flying vocals presaging the rise of the arena-rock godhead. The album ends with a classic fake-out in “Give Me Your Money,” the song starting as a sort of jazz-flecked, late-night torch-song with a dark ambiance and syncopated rhythms driven by Foutz’s tinkling keys before bursting out into a fast ‘n’ furious boogie blast that, once spent, gives way to the song’s darker tones and slower pace. It’s a truly schitzo and altogether wonderful performance to close out the unique musical experience that is Lane Changer.

by Rev. Keith A. Gordon 

Tracks
1. Lane Changer - 2:28
2. Touch My Soul - 4:04
3. Won't You Please Do That - 3:15
4. Over My Dead Body - 2:38
5. Dark Night - 4:28
6. Easy To Love - 3:04
7. Shine A Light - 3:04
8. Bad Times - 5:53
9. Flyer - 2:52
10.Watch Yourself - 3:32
11.Give Me Your Money - 4:03
All compositions by Michael Fennelly

Personnel
*Michael Fennelly - Guitar, Vocals
*Russ Ballard - Vocals
*John Beachman - Trombone
*Michael Cotton - Trumpet
*Casey Foutz - Keyboards
*Michael Giles - Drums
*Robert Henrit - Drums
*Alan Holmes - Clarinet, Saxophone
*Gasper Lewel - Percussion
*Nick Newell - Soprano Sax
*Jim Rodford - Vocals
*Henry Spinetti - Drums
*Dave Wintour - Bass

1967-72  Michael Fennelly - Love Can Change Everything (2013 Release)
1970  Crabby Appleton - Crabby Appleton
1971  Crabby Appleton - Rotten To The Core

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Les Variations - Nador (1968-71 france, fantastic rough hard rock, 2010 remaster and expanded)

“Nador” maintains a high level of Rock’n’Roll, showing Variations were a unit in sync with their sound and themselves. Joe “O.J.” Leb has a ballistic set of pipes and he’s given to great stressing in verse and freaking out into caterwauling excess to drive the point home. Both un-operatic and hyperactive, he’s intently aware of all the musical flashpoints and underscores them all with great wail, warp and woof. Despite the fact Leb sings all but one track on “Nador” in English, the lyrics aren’t discernable 100% of the time but the constant use of bedrock’n’roll phrases that punctuate throughout communicate everything. 

Guitarist Marc Tobaly is a greatly skilled quarryman of hard rock and hooks up a mighty linking vessel via his roaring Gibson SG between Leb’s vocals and the engine room that is Jacques Grande on bass and Jacky Bitton’s powerhouse drumming. Tobaly wrote practically all of the material on “Nador,” so natch the arrangements allow for ample riffage to smash through consecutive windows of opportunity over and over and over again. Hefty rhythm/lead guitar overdubs sear continuously throughout, scored as they are with Tobaly’s stockpiled riffs and solos which all are recorded and produced to be nowhere but in the forefront at all times. The end result is high definition, robust rock’n’roll played by four Gauls with a whole lotta balls with a fire lit underneath their collective derrières at all times. 

“Nador” is a supremely confident debut album where Variations came, saw, then Rocked. And then Rocked some more. For “Nador” was where they let one go and it was slick, greasy, on fire and yeah: a crystallisation of Rock’n’Roll. 

The Seth Man 

Tracks
1. What A Mess Again (J. Leb, M. Tobaly) - 3:14
2. Waiting For The Pope (J. Leb, M. Tobaly) - 3:37
3. Nador - 2:41
4. We Gonna Find The Way - 4:25
5. Generations - 3:07
6. Free Me - 3:41
7. Completely Free (J. Bitton, M. Tobaly) - 5:38
8. Mississipi Woman (M. Fowley) - 3:08
9. But It's Allright (J. Bitton) - 4:27
10.Come Along - 3:29
11.Promises - 2:42
12.What's Happening - 3:22
13.Magda - 3:20
14.Down The Road - 2:56
15.Love Me (J. Bitton, M. Tobaly) - 2:43
16.Come Along (Version Alternative) - 3:55
All songs written by Marc Tobaly except where stated
Bonus Tracks 10-16

Les Variations
*Marc Tobaly - Guitars
*Jacques Grande - Bass
*Jo Leb - Vocals
*Isaac "Jacky" Bitton - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

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The Box Tops - The Original Albums (1967-69 us, superb classic heavenly soulful jazzy folk baroque psych, four albums two disc set, 2015 issue)

The Box Tops are a ground breaking 1960s group made up of five friends from Memphis Tennessee who first charted in 1967 with a song called 'The Letter,' which like most of their other songs from the 1960s was recorded at Chips Moman's "American" recording studio and was produced by Dan Penn. In fact they were the first Memphis artists to record in Memphis and have a number one record! During 1967-69, the group released 4 albums (excluding their "Super Hits" album) and 10 singles. 'The Letter' remained at the top of Billboard's chart for four weeks in 1967; their third single, 'Cry Like A Baby,' hit the number two position for two weeks in 1968. Both records went gold at initial release, with 'The Letter' selling over four million copies and 'Cry Like A Baby' over two million.

The original members (Alex Chilton, Bill Cunningham, John Evans, Danny Smythe, and Gary Talley) were members of a local band called The Devilles, but changed the group name at the time of the release of 'The Letter,' because it was discovered that other groups had released records under that name and member changes had taken the group in new musical directions. "No American group since the Righteous Brothers had looked whiter and sung blacker than the Box Tops on that sensational first single in 1967, 'The Letter.' Alex Chilton's voice had more Memphis grit than was considered entirely proper for a white gentleman. But he learned to sing in Memphis, where lots of people sing that way, and got his musicians from a town where musicians are pretty heavy whatever their color."

By January 1968 the line up had changed. John Evans and Danny Smythe returned to school and were replaced by Rick Allen (from the Gentrys) and Tom Boggs (from the Board of Directors). This line up remained the same until Bill Cunningham left to return to school in August 1969, although Jerry Riley substituted for Gary Talley at live performances in 1968 for a couple of weeks while Gary was ill. Harold Cloud replaced Bill in September of 1969. During the following months there were a number of group member changes, and in February 1970 the group disbanded.

The Box Tops

Tracks

Disc 1

The Letter/Neon Rainbow 1967

1. The Letter (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 1:54

2. She Knows How (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 3:07

3. Trains And Boats And Planes (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 3:45

4. Break My Mind (John D. Loudermilk) - 2:29

5. Whiter Shade Of Pale (K. Reid, G. Brooker, M. Fisher) - 4:34

6. Everything I Am (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:18

7. Neon Rainbow (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 3:03

8. People Make The World (Bobby Womack) - 2:30

9. I'm Your Puppet (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:53

10.Happy Times (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 1:45

11.Gonna Find Somebody (Bobby Womack) - 3:01

12.I Pray For Rain (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:23

Cry Like A Baby 1968

13.Cry Like A Baby (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:34 

14.Deep In Kentucky (Bill Davidson) - 2:10

15.I'm The One For You (H. Thomas, L. Jones) - 3:05

16.Weeping Analeah (D. Folger, M. Newbury) - 3:04

17.Every Time (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:34

18.Fields Of Clover (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:52

19.Trouble With Sam (Daniel Pennington) - 2:16

20.Lost (Mark James, Glen D.Spreen) - 2:29

21.Good Morning Dear (Mickey Newbury) - 3:40

22.727 (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:18

23.You Keep Me Hanging On (E. Holland, L. Dozier, B. Holland) - 3:42 

Bonus Tracks, Single Versions

24.The Letter (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 1:58

25.Cry Like A Baby (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:34 

26.I See Only Sunshine (Alex Chilton) - 2:14

27.You Keep Tightening Up On Me (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:53

28.Come On Honey (Alex Chilton) - 3:23

Disc 2
Non Stop 1968
1. Choo Choo Train (Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton) - 2:52
2. I'm Movin' On (Clarence E. Snow) - 3:47
3. Sandman (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:57
4. She Shot A Hole In My Soul (Mac Gayden, L. Neese) - 2:43
5. People Gonna Talk (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 4:10
6. I Met Her In Church (D. Penn, S. Oldham) - 2:43
7. Rock Me Baby (Riley B. King, Joe Bihari) - 3:48
8. Rollin' In My Sleep (Paul Davis) - 3:15
9. I Can Dig It (Alex Chilton) - 2:24
10.Yesterday Where's My Mind (John Reed) - 3:27
11.If I Had Let You In (Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton) - 3:17
Dimensions 1969
12. Soul Deep (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:29
13. I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan) - 2:48
14. Midnight Angel (Mark James, Glen D. Spreen) - 3:20
15. Together (Alex Chilton) - 3:24
16. I'll Hold Out My Hand (Chip Taylor, Ai Gorgoni) - 3:25
17. I Must Be The Devil (Alex Chilton) - 3:36
18. Sweet Cream Ladies, Forward March (B.Weinstein, Jon Stroll) - 2:16
19. (The) Happy Song (Alex Chilton) - 1:57
20. Ain't No Way (Neil Diamond) - 3:03
21. Rock Me Baby (Riley B. King, Joe Bihari) - 9:13
Bonus Tracks, Single Versions
22. Since I Been Gone (Alex Chilton) - 3:14
23. Lay Your Shine On Me (Curtis Arcenaux, Richard Mainegra) - 2:34

The Box Tops
*Alex Chilton - Lead Vocals, Guitar
*Gary Talley - Lead Guitar,  Vocals
*Bill Cunningham - Bass, Keyboards,  Vocals (1967-68)
*John Evans - Guitar, Keyboards,  Vocals (1967-68)
*Danny Smythe - Drums (1967-68)
*Larry Spillman - Drums (1967-68)
*Thomas Boggs - Drums, Vocals (1968-69)
*Rick Allen - Keyboards, Vocals (1968-69)
*Harold Cloud - Bass (1969)

1967-70  The Box Tops - The Best Of Box Tops
1970  Alex Chilton - Free Again: The 1970 Sessions (2012 release)

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Mandingo - Savage Rite (1975-77 uk, exotic instrumental funk jazz rock oddity, 2012 issue)

A strange netherworld filled with rattling bongos, slick strings, wall wall-infused rhythms and searing guitar solos. The original sleeve of Mandingo's fourth album, 1977's 'Savage Rite' reveals little. Other than an image of a scantily clad Afro-sporting female looking into the middle distance, there's little to go on. Track names summon up the exotic but apart from an associate producer credit for Gil King and the line "A Supertunes Production for EMI, produced by Norman Newell", there arc no details at all. The reverse sleeve image smoulders and rereading the song titles; 'Jungle Juice', 'Rebellion' and 'Requiem For A Warrior' merely adds to the intrigue. Who was this strange band and where did they come from?

Sought after on vinyl and commanding a heavy price if you can find it, the album is a real oddity. From the opening bars of 'Manhunter' with its filmic strings, pounding bongos and funky rhythm section, it sounds like a lost piece of Afro-beat-inspired disco, a souped-up version of 'Bongolia' with a scorching guitar rolling out around the two-minute mark. Tags on the internet mention all genres and the sleeve suggests some level of authenticity, but the sound is unique, it's not from some long lost tribe, the moves are too well rounded, the riffs too well organized, the sound just too perfect.

'Wild Man" continues the groove with a 'Shaft'-styled wah wah underpinning an almost Bond-esque sound while that guitar tears into proceedings again. Indeed it's that 007 sound that permeates this whole album that makes it so exciting. It's a larger than life drama played out over pounding drums and exotic percussion from vibraslap to maraca, all held together with a pin sharp funk rhythm. A hint of disco, for sure, but this is a big production.

Side one closer 'Requiem For A Warrior' adds tribal African drums, a fistful of electronic swirls and a brass sound that's more Chicago Transit Authority than Fela Kuti. And, side two's opener 'The Man From Takoradi” continues the sleuth-some sound, while 'Jackal' sounds like a backing track from a Motown ballad with layers of jazz funk strangeness unevenly placed on top with more than a nod to David Axelrod.

'Jungle Juice' turns up the heat in a neo-strip erotica fashion and the closing title track sounds like the chase scene from Live And Let Die. There's voodoo in those rhythms and heady funk in the finish. There's flutes, there's odd noises, it has everything.

Before I came across 'Savage Rite', I'd heard Mandingo's 'Black Rite' on the compilation 'The Sounds Of Monsterism Island' a fantasy collection by artist Pete Fowler that also included Millennium, Martin Denny, The United States Of America, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Silver Apples, Eden Ahbez and Dead Meadow among others. Heady company to be in for sure. But, who were Mandingo? I had to find out more. It seems that, at a time when Osibisa had carved a small niche for themselves in the UK with their funky African rhythms and Roots was being screened on TV, Mandingo were created in an EMI studio to cash in on the interest in African culture, some time around the early 1970s. Knowingly removed from the real thing, Mandingo possessed a contemporary orchestral sound and clever arrangements that were navigated by seasoned composer and bandleader Geoff Love.

A staple'of the easy listening circuit in the 1960s, Love had provided the music for everyone from Shirley Bassey and Mrs Mills to Max Bygraves, while taking a leaf from Mantovani's book by recording a series of albums as Manuel And The Music Of The Mountains. A gifted songwriter and seeming workaholic, Love also made a string of instrumental albums that featured great themes from TV series to movies. And, in doing so, he had the best players at his command. So, when the concept of Mandingo came along they were allowed to break free a little, to flourish on four albums that began with 'The Primeval Rhythm Of Life' in 1973.

By 1977, the concept was in closure but their final hurrah, 'Savage Rite' was to be their masterpiece. The brief had been relaxed somewhat and the juxtaposition of sounds and styles took them to a new place. Just listen to 'The Man From Takoradi' if proof were needed. As punk was exploding, Mandingo were on a wild flyer, making bongo-powered funk that was far removed from the original source idea but no less exotic.

by Dave Henderson, MOJO magazine, 2012

Tracks
1. Manhunter (Mike Vickers) - 3:17
2. Wild Man (Roger Webb) - 3:04
3. Arachnid (Brian Fahey) - 2:39
4. King Of The Jungle (Mike Vickers) - 2:56
5. Requiem For A Warrior (Roger Webb) - 4:22
6. The Man From Takoradi (Roger Webb) - 4:05
7. Jackal (Brian Fahey) - 2:49
8. Rebellion (Mike Vickers) - 2:37
9. Jungle Juice (Roger Webb) - 4:17
10.Savage Rite (Mike Vickers) - 2:39

1972-73  Mandingo - The Primeval Rhythm Of Life / Sacrifice

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Damon - Song Of A Gypsy (1959-68 us, gorgeous acid folk psychedelia, surf beat roots 'n' roll, 2013 hard sleeve double disc edition)

Damon was born in Rochester, New York. His parents owned a beauty shop with living quarters atop, and they squirreled away funds enough to buy a small bowling alley. When Damon was eight, his parents sold their building and business, packed Damon and brothers Ken and Gerald and their belongings into a car, and moved to Alhambra, California. It was the beginning of what he now regards as his "predestined life as a gypsy," as his parents moved constantly within Los Angeles city limits first to the northeast, then to Westchester, then "to a city here and a town there" and finally to Inglewood, where Damon spent his high school years.

Theirs was a tight knit Italian American family: communal suppers were a must and all three boys sat dutifully at the table and focused on "family first," talking about school, community and their parents' business and property management at least until their parents began private conversations in Italian. In 1960 his high school sweetheart Katy told him she was pregnant. She was sixteen, he was nineteen. They married, and their union bore him his three girls.

Beginning in the seventh grade, when he picked up the clarinet after falling in love with the music of Benny Goodman, he had dreamt of becoming a musician. As his high school years came to a close, he tried anything that felt natural. He was an avid surfer so, in late 1960, newlywed and "bit by the recording bug," he wrote and recorded "The Lonely Surfer" (groovy, if standard surf rock) and cut to wax his first stab at "Don't Cry" (blue-eyed doo-wop). 

He was backed by a group he picked up at the Hermosa Biltmore Hotel named The Crossfires but dubbed The Castaways for their Merri Records release; this band would later become SoCal mainstays The Turtles. He then moved on to the even more obscure Harmony Records for the "Twisf'-inspired "Bowling Alley Jane" and his second version of "Don't Cry," this time called "Don't Cry Davy." After a detour with Associated Artists - "Little Things Mean a Lot /The Glory of Love" feature only his backing vocals, but were inexplicably released under his name - he founded his own Del Con label and issued promotional and commercial versions of "A Face In A Crowd" and "I Lie," the latter establishing his preference for garage-rocking soul.

Damon's Song Of A Gypsy was a key album in the revisionist narrative put forth by the psychedelic record collectors who searched out the rarest of the rare privately pressed American albums in the early 1990s. In this dogmatic view, the likes of Jefferson Airplane and The Doors mattered quite less than those they influenced. 

The psychedelic experience, went the argument, was stronger on the periphery, and the outsiders who populated the rim created quirky masterpieces that deserved space in an already overflowing canon. Song of a Gypsy was quickly included, the scant original copies that existed were suddenly very in demand, and, even then, in the days before eBay, exchanging hands for thousands of dollars.

But these were pontificating record collectors after all, conversing with each other. So Damon's musings on love, longing, questing and sorrow became spiritual fodder for a few; those fortunate enough to hear of Song of a Gypsy's existence but not quite fortunate enough to own a copy of the album had to imagine the music contained within the original Ankh Records' textured, gatefold sleeve. Confounding descriptions such as "tranced out gypsy Arabian acid fuzz crooner psych with deep mysterious vocals, an amazing soundscape and excellent songwriting" (from Acid Archives' - the Lonely Planet of psychedelic record collecting review of the album) didn't help matters. And the shoddy bootlegs that came about in the early '90s only spread Damon's music - none of the backstory that afforded this singular album came into view.

Thus, those looking for connections found many, as anything was plausible. Was there a kinship with John Arcesi and his Johnny Greek produced Reachin' Arcesia album on the tiny Los Angeles imprint Alpha? Was there a connection between this album and fellow Southern Californian psychedelic hero Darius's self-titled 1968 album? Over the years, however, Song of a Gypsy remained high on its own plateau: out of reach and indescribable. It seemed that this homespun, funky psychedelic monument borrowed from nothing and sprung from nowhere. To follow our previous examples: Darius's album is a bit too polished, and sounds as if it could have emerged from Capitol's Studio A; Arcesi's album, as intriguing as it is, is a psychedelic novelty, and Arcesi's performance borrows a bit too much from the over-the-top vocal style of the black-tied '40s and '50s crooners that he'd once considered peers.

To the contrary, Damon's album leapt from the tortured mind of its curious creator at the perfect time. Damon's unique, introspective songwriting and nuanced voice, the interplay between he and lead guitarist Charlie Carey and an atmosphere that so perfectly captured the last bloom of the flower power era as it decayed into the dark haze of the '70s underground could only have arisen from a spark of auspicious genius.

by Eothen Alapatt, Los Angeles, April 2013

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Song Of A Gypsy - 2:18 

2. Poor Poor Genie - 2:54

3. Don't You Feel Me - 2:34 

4. Did You Ever - 3:01 

5. Funky Funky Blues - 2:59 

6. Do You - 3:10

7. The Night - 2:05 

8. I Feel Your Love - 2:16

9. Birds Fly So High - 3:03  

10.The Road Of Life - 2:47 

11.Oh What A Good Boy Am I - 2:27 

12.Song Of A Gypsy (45 Version) - 2:18

13.Song Of A Gypsy (Demo Version) - 2:12 

14.Poor Poor Genie (Demo Version) - 2:51 

Disc 2 
1. The Lonely Surfer - 1:47
2. Don't Cry - 2:00
3. Bowlin' Alley Jane - 2:23
4. Don't Cry Davy - 2:10
5. A Face In The Crowd - 2:27
6. I Lie - 2:31
7. Cry - 2:36
8. I've Got My Pride - 2:34
9. Lovin' Man - 2:15
10.They Call Me A Fool - 2:05
11.The Battle Hymn (Of The Republic) - 2:17
12.Everything Is Alright - 2:01
13.The Little White Cloud That Cried - 2:00
14.I Wonder Why - 2:10
15.Seems Like I Traveled - 3:13
16.Dirty Daddy Blues - 3:06
All songs by David Del Conte

Pesronnel
*Damon - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
*John "Mac" Rebennack - Keyboards, Guitar
*John Johnson - Saxophone
*Earl Palmer - Drums
*Mike Deasy - Guitar
*Atley Yeager - Bass, Vocals
*Charlie Carey - Lead Guitar
*Mike Pastora - Drums
*Helena Vlachos - Finger Cymbals
*Carl Zarcone - Drums
*Richard Barham - Durbeki
*Lee Pastora - Percussion

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Amazing Blondel - Mulgrave Street (1974 uk, wonderful folk silk rock with special guests musicians, 2009 japan remaster)

Originally released in 1974. First band album without John Gladwin and along a more commercial line. Long sought after.

With the departure of John Gladwin in 1973, Eddie Baird and Terry Wincott decided to continue The Amazing Blondel. Eddie took up writing most of the material and whilst it was still of an acoustic-folk base it now had a slightly more commercial bent.

'Mulgrave Street' came out to critical acclaim and set up the band for a further three albums. Certain tracks within the album became standards like "Mulgrave Street", "Love must be the best time of your life" and "Sad to see you go".

Continuing to tour extensively the new brand of Amazing Blondel soon became established with a large fan-base to which this album will appeal. And since it has never had a CD release all Folk/Amazing Blondel fans will be sure to seek out this album.

Eddie and Terry are looking to do some gigs later in the year to help promote the release of the long missing Amazing Blondel albums.

Proper-Music

Tracks
1. Mulgrave Street - 2:28
2. Iron And Steel - 4:55
3. Leader Of The Band (Terry Wincott) - 4:19
4. Light Your Light - 3:00
5. Hole In The Head - 2:16
6. Help Us Get Along - 3:45
7. See Em Shining - 2:35
8. Love Must Be The Best Time Of Your Life - 2:34
9. All I Can Do - 2:41
10.Goodbye Our Friends (Terry Wincott) - 3:16
11.Sad To See You Go - 3:29
12.Runaway - 3:24
13.Little Darling - 3:13
Lyrics and Music by Eddie Baird unless as else stated

Personnel
*Edward Baird - Guitars, Vocals
*Terence Wincott - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal
*Sue Glover - Vocal
*Eddie Jobson - Violin, Keyboards
*Paul Kossoff - Guitar
*Sunny Leslie - Vocal
*John Bundrick - Keyboards
*Boz Burrell - Bass
*Pat Donaldson - Bass
*Mickey Feat - Guitar
*Simon Kirke - Drums
*William Murray - Drums
*Mick Ralphs - Guitar
*Alan Spenner - Bass

1971  Amazing Blondel - Fantasia Lindum
1973  Amazing Blondel - Blondel
1974  Amazing Blondel - England 

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rep>>> Jack Bruce Band - Live At Manchester Free Trade Hall (1975 uk, magnificent blend of jazz blues prog and classic rock, 2003 edition)

Jack Bruce Band - Live At Manchester Free Trade Hall  1975