Blackfoot Sue - Nothing To Hide (1972-73 uk, excellent hard glam rock, 2011 reissue)

Blackfoot Sue are remembered today, if at all, for their one-off UK hit, Standing In The Road, a 1972 no. 4. Helmed by twins Tom and David Farmer, their 'classic' lineup included guitarists Eddie Golga and Alan Jones, all but Jones doubling on keyboards when required. 

They released their only album to appear during their 'lifespan', Nothing to Hide, in 1973, bullishly containing no singles, while featuring a vicious put-down of the then-current glam scene, Glittery Obituary. The album's peak, though, is the ripping The Spring Of '69, a condensed heavy epic on a par with the genre's market leaders. 

"Nothing To Hide" is simply divine. With its incendiary guitar solos, clattering drums & full on anthemic choruses it’s hard to imagine that this album was first issued back in 1973. The track Glittery Obituary is a fine example. As for the bonus tracks. These are mainly the singles & tracks that were never intended as part of the album. The track Summer was decided to be a single by their label at the time due to the success of another moody instrumental track - Albatrossby the legendary Fleetwood Mac. Sadly, Summer didn’t have the same success. 

Tracks

1. Messiah - 4:59

2. Country Home - 4:19

3. Cry - 3:13

4. My Oh My - 3:05

5. Now We're Three - 2:38

6. The Spring Of '69 - 3:56

7. Glittery Obituary - 3:37

8. On His Own - 3:27

9. Too Soon - 4:40

10.Gypsy Jam - 2:15

11.Standing In The Road - 3:58

12.Celestial Plain - 3:22

13.Sing Don't Speak - 3:41

14.2 B Free - 3:15

15.Summer (From The Season Suite) - 3:13

All compositions by Alan Jones, David Farmer, Eddie Golga, Tom Farmer

Bonus Tracks 11-15 single releases

Blackfoot Sue

*Tom Farmer - Bass, Keyboards, Vocals

*Dave Farmer - Drums

*Eddie Golga - Guitar, Keyboards

*Alan Jones - Guitar, Vocals

Free Text

Just Paste

Coyote - Cast Off Your Old Tired Ethics (1974/83 us, solid rough dual guitar rock with southern shades, 2016 reissue)

The hand-drawn cover emits a homegrown vibe, and seems to be inspired by a image on the 1970 self-titled Humble Pie LP, yet is slightly different. The LP starts with a rousing cover of “Peter Gun” and you realize this was not a typical southern band. The production sound is pure 1980s, and I feel a rawer approach would have better suited the band’s style. Coyote had a tough, ass kicking attitude and at times amusing lyrics about cheap motels, getting stoned, and the doctor telling you that you are sterile as a mule while you can’t pay child support. For example “Later On Tonight” is a mandolin-led hell raising anthem that feels dark, like there is an undertone of menace in all the hard partying and liquor drinking. Most of the tunes feature simple riffs that are reverb-laden and something feels quite off kilter about them, like the band was being slicked down for FM radio in the age of AOR.

As it turns out, Coyote had actually been together for nearly a decade before Cast Off Your Old Tired Ethics was released. For example there are two 45rpm 7” singles recorded in Louisiana in 1974, and the roots of the band date as far back as the mid 1960s. A close friend introduced me to Dirk Peterson, the drummer and founding member of the band, who was more than happy to talk about his musical history and the story behind Coyote.

Dirk Peterson was born in Niagra Falls, New York in 1950. He moved to Morganton, North Carolina when he was 6. He was the son of a businessman, and his family traveled all over the world. The family moved to England and lived there for 5 years. His earliest musical influence was hearing the Beatles when living in the UK in 1962, and he fell in love with them. When he arrived back in the States in 1963, he brought back some Beatles records and was turning people on to them. Having a guitar early on, he decided to beat it like a drum instead of strumming it, and ended up drumming on cardboard boxes as well. When he moved back to England when he was 13-14, a drummer he met would let him sit in on his Ludwig kit and he was hooked. He was self taught and started drumming first on cardboard boxes. He got his first kit for Christmas, and by 1965 had joined his first band. He met up with Blackjack (who had two drummers) in New York City, and he recorded for the first time in 1966. He recorded at Electric Ladyland Studios and numerous others all by the age of 19. During the time, he worked at the navy shipyard during the day and recorded at night. Later, he moved to Lancaster California and would go down to LA to see the protesters. Local bands he used to go see included a young Captain Beefheart who played the local proms, as well as the Youngbloods. He filled in on drums with the Knickerbockers in a Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Palladium, and was scared shitless. Experiences such as these set the stage for the origins of Coyote.

During a drive in 1970 he got hit by a drunk driver and tragically, his wife was killed. He got in a lawsuit and won a lot of money, and flew back home. He briefly moved to Stockholm, Sweden (where he saw the Rolling Stones with Mick Taylor in concert and Jimi Hendrix Experience) and then came back to North Carolina. He joined a cover rock band called Cypress, who auditioned for Hit Attractions out of Charlotte, NC who thought they were too far out and laughed at them. They played songs by popular hard rock bands of the day such as Led Zeppelin and Steppenwolf. When playing a gig in New England, a band was breaking down their equipment at the venue and told them how the mafia would mess them up if they didn’t do what they said.

After they played they were getting ready to pack up and leave and Dirk was called into the office of a Mafioso sitting behind a desk with a cigar who said “you can play until we tell you to go” He said “yes, sir” and went in the other room and told the rest of the band to stop breaking the equipment down, and that they were not going anywhere. They ended up staying and playing for 6 weeks, and were all well taken care of, regardless of the shady circumstances. Cypress loved to trip and party and would end up scoring ounces of mescaline, which fueled insane all night jam sessions. In 1971, the doctor told Dirk it would take 3 months for all of the acid to get out of his system, so naturally he decided to give the psychedelics a rest. He remained sober (for the most part) thereafter.

In 1974, a few years after Cypress broke up, he formed Coyote with a singer and guitarist named David Tenery. They named Coyote after the poor old coyote on the cartoon TV show, and later titled the album after the prostitution advocate group. Coyote made 2 45rpm records at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana in 1974. The original band consisted of 5 members, and they toured up and down the East Coast and West Coast and played such places as the Troubadour in LA. From the start they were mainly a cover band, with a few originals mixed in. They were influenced by the major Southern Rock bands of the time but also the Beatles. David Tenery was influenced by bluegrass and they had a different twang and played country rock, and for a long time Coyote was considered a honky-tonk band.

By 1979, Coyote had reformed with a different lineup, and changed to a harder southern rock sound. In 1983, their self-released record was pressed entitled Cast Off Your Old Tired Ethics. For a long time no one knew when the record was released because there was no date on the cover, and years such as 1975 and 1978 were thrown around. It was recorded in Nashville circa 1982-1983, and cost around 10,000$ to record. David Tenery’s girlfriend was an artist and drew up the cover, which looks like the same image that is featured on Humble Pie’s 1970 self-titled LP but is slightly different.

The album took close to 8 months to record, with the band bouncing back and forth between Nashville, Tennessee and Spartanburg, South Carolina. Kenny Laxton was behind the board producing, and the band fired him because he was goofing off with his feet on the mixing board drinking Jack Daniels instead of working. The band hated the production of the record and it does have a more 1980s sound that did not suit the band’s raw 1970s southern rock approach. They took the tapes to finish the record at The Marshall Tucker Band’s studio, with whom they shared the same agent. Bobby Whitlock of Derek and the Dominoes fame was hanging around the studio and guested on piano on the song “Mrs Smith.” 700 copies of the LP were pressed and were sold at shows and biker rally’s. A DJ in New York somehow found their record and brought it with him to Texas and played it on the radio. He called the band and said, “Blink Drunk and Crazy is a hit in Texas!” Unfortunately, they never were able to get any more copies of the LP down to him to spread the word. There has been interest in reissuing the Coyote record yet nothing ever came from it, and the master tapes are long gone.

Coyote was a hot club draw and opened for bands such as Artemus Pyle Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Doc Watson, and countless others. They had an agency called Showtime (owned by the band Nantucket) and labels like CBS and Epic were interested, but when they went stopped by CBS Records in NYC, they did not like the vibes and decided to sneak out before talking business. Coyote never got the record deal they wanted, yet came close many times. They made a lot of money selling merchandise (such as T-shirts) while on the road. An associate of Georgia Satellites said Elektra was looking for a rock act. One of Coyote’s band members was out of town and couldn’t get back with the band to meet with the label, so obviously they didn’t have a chance. Their live shows had pyrotechnics, and opened with their smoking cover of “Peter Gun” where crowds went berserk. They had a loyal following in North Carolina and as far north as Lamont, Massachusetts. They had their own road, PA, and production crew.

By 1987, the members of Coyote were getting older and having missed out on getting signed by 2 labels, they felt like their time was over. They were in their 30s and wanted to settle down, and Dirk had been married since 1978. After Coyote’s demise, a local Morganton, NC southern rock band called Copperhead came knocking on Dirk’s door asking for help. They wanted to know how they could make it in the music business, so being the veteran he was, Dirk had them a record deal in a year. He told them to listen to him and not do drugs, change their name and work on the stage show. They got a $1,000,000 record contract in 1991. He managed them from 1991-1993. Of course there was an issue in changing the name to Copperhead – They had to talk to John Cipollina’s wife to get the rights to use the name, as Cipollina had used the name for his band in the 1970s. The record label tried to take his position but he didn’t budge and got to keep it, because he had a signed legal partnership. Copperhead’s first single “Long Way From Home” was used as the title song for the movie “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man.” Dirk’s advice to younger musicians is as such: if you really want, it you can be somewhere in the business, but you have to be persistent – the best thing he can say is to be true to yourself.

by Josh Robertson

Tracks

1. Peter Gun (Henry Mancini) - 3:59

2. I Hope We Don't Get Caught (David Tenery) - 3:58

3. Later On Tonight (David Tenery) - 2:57

4. Final Notice (Dirk Peterson, David Tenery, Joe Long, Mike Bennett) - 3:01

5. Cheap Motel (David Tenery) - 4:06

6. Someday (Dirk Peterson, David Tenery, Randy Powell, Mike Bennett) - 2:51

7. Danger Zone (Randy Powell) - 2:51

8. Mrs. Smith (David Tenery, Randy Powell) - 3:09

9. Blind Drunk And Crazy (David Tenery, Randy Powell, Dirk Peterson, Mike Bennett) - 4:55

Coyote

*Mike Bennett - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Dirk Peterson - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

*Randy Powell - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*David Tenery - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin, Harmonica, Lead Vocals

*David Rivette - Bass

With

*Bobby Whitlock - Piano (Track 8)

*Don Jackson - Horns

*Don Sheffield - Horns

*Roger Bissel - Horns

Free Text

Just Paste

Blue Money Band - No Money Down (1978 us, tough boogie roots rock with southern feel, 2011 remaster)

Ex Woolies and Chuck Berry’s backup band doing some terrific boogie rockin’ here. Great chugging chugging music. The material presented here consists mostly of somewhat loud and fast boogie blues rock, with fairly commercial production and some use of synthesizer. 

Jeff Baldori left the Woolies in the late 70’s and formed his own band called Blue Money. Jeff Baldori’s Blue Money band released its first album, “No Money Down” in 1978. 

Tracks

1. No Money Down (Chuck Berry) - 4:28

2. Run When You Roadie - 4:14

3. Coaxial - 4:01

4. Keep On Rockin' - 3:42

5. Can't Get Stuff - 3:39

6. Have Mercy (Don Covay, Ronald Miller) - 3:07

7. Easy Baby (Samuel Maghett "Magic Sam") - 4:21

8. Watchin' The Devil Die - 5:17

9. The Answer - 4:05

All songs by Jeff Baldori except where stated

Blue Money Band

*Jeff Baldori - Guitar, Piano, Vocals

*Randy Burghoff - Bass, Vocals

*Bob Gardner - Drums

*Mike Skory - Piano

With

*Bob Baldori - Keyboards, Harmonica

*Bernie Mieslik - Saxophone

*Jack Groendal - Rhythm Guitar

*Emil DiVitri  

*Kevin Nicoloff  

*Rubin Drake 

Free Text

Just Paste

Fragile - Fragile (1976 holland, stunning melt of hard rockin' funky boogie psych prog rock, 2004 remaster)

Fragile was an obscure band that played a heavy, twin guitar rock. They choose this name as a tribute to the band Yes, who had released an album by the same name. The music of Fragile is not unlike Cargo or Wishbone Ash. The band saw the light around 1972. They recorded an album in 1974 but it was not released until 1976. After the album was released their rehearsal location, including their equipment, was burnt down. This didn't make them stop performing, but eventually they did disband the band due to lack of income. In 2004 their album was released on cd.

Tracks

1. Sweet Introspect - 5:17

2. Caroline Funk - 3:56

3. Good Evening - 6:49

4. Back On My Feet Again - 5:07

5. Face To Face - 5:04

6. So Sad - 13:01

7. I Wonder - 4:45

Fragile

*Henk Limaheluw - Guitars

*Ferry Limaheluw - Guitars

*Hank Oraille - Vocals, Percussion

*Chris Limaheluw - Bass

*Ted Tahapary - Drums

Free Text

Just Paste

Influence - Influence (1968 canada, awesome psych rock, 2010 remaster)

The Influence was one of the most fascinating bands to emerge from Canada during the ‘60s. The group’s rich diversity of styles was a result of the group members’ wide range of musical backgrounds and geographical origins.

Formed in late May, the quartet, named The Influence, immediately made its presence felt and became regulars at Montreal’s Barrel during the summer of 1967. In June, Rossi and Island returned to Montreal and, after catching the band’s set, joined the line-up. The new line-up became more musically adventurous, adopting a style that was influenced by jazz musicians Sonny Murray and Archie Shepp, and with Island adding a second lead voice. After tightening up their act, The Influence moved to Toronto and became a regular sight at Boris’ Red Gas Room throughout September-December.

Tracks

1. Overture (Louis McKelvey, Rob Parkin, Walter Rossi) - 1:15

2. I Admire (Louis McKelvey) - 3:14

3. I Don't Know Why (Rob Parkin, Walter Rossi) - 4:11

4. County Fair (Rob Parkin) - 4:02

5. Pieces Of Me (Louis McKelvey) - 2:42

6. Baby That's My Bag (Rob Parkin) - 2:48

7. Sir Archibald (Louis McKelvey) - 3:23

8. We Are Here (Louis McKelvey) - 3:39

9. Natural Impulse (Andy Keiller) - 3:16

10.Dream Woman (Rob Parkin) - 3:40

11.Mad Birds Of Prey (A Mini Opera) (Louis McKelvey, Rob Parkin) - 5:53

Influence

*Louis McKelvey - Guitar, Vocals

*Andy Keiller - Vocals

*Dave Wynne - Drums

*Jack Geisinger - Bass, Vocals

*Walter Rossi - Guitar, Vocals

*Rob Parkin “Bobo Island” - Keyboards, Vocals

Related Act

1972  Charlee - Charlee  

Free Text

Just Paste

 

Various Artists - Lost Innocence Garpax (1965-68 us, splendid garage psych, 2021 release)

Top-rated West Coast garage sounds from the vaults of maverick genius Gary S Paxton. Acknowledged classics, tantalising obscurities and several previously unheard gems, all from the original master tapes. 

Vintage garage rock is only one of the many tributaries of popular music that the maverick Gary S Paxton recorded and produced in his 1960s heyday, and compared to other genres, the off-kilter genius behind ‘Alley Oop’ and ‘Monster Mash’ was hardly prolific with it. But for a producer-engineer of his repute, it was inevitable that Paxton would cross paths with the sudden surge of teenaged rock groups that emerged in the wake of the British Invasion. We’ve gathered the best of them on “Lost Innocence”, and for any aficionado of the genre, a treat is in store. As well as a brace of acknowledged Californian punk classics present and correct for the first time direct from master tape, this rockin’ little disc also shares further booty from the Garpax vaults, including some obscurities well worthy of re-appraisal, along with completely unreleased nuggets of note.

Counting among the well-known are the Avengers, Bakersfield’s top dogs in the punk bracket thanks to snot-nosed missives such as ‘I Told You So’ and the controversial ‘Be A Cave Man’. Ken And the Forth Dimension and Limey And the Yanks serve up the highly regarded items ‘See If I Care’ and ‘Guaranteed Love’ respectively, with a trio of ear-opening unissued tracks from the latter as a bonus. Riverside’s Whatt Four weigh in with the popular ear-burners ‘Our Love Should Last Forever’ and ‘You're Wishin’ I Was Someone Else’. And the Buddhas’ title cut is still the most eloquent ode to carnal knowledge in the entire 60s punk pantheon.

Most of the material on “Lost Innocence” was recorded at Paxton’s two Hollywood studios between 1965 and 1967, but some of the freakier cuts derive from facilities he ran from a converted bank in the Bakersfield suburb of Oildale in the last three years of the decade. These include the trippy ‘My Dream’ by the aforementioned Buddhas, the soul-punk of Canadian transplants the New Wing, and fantastic unreleased cuts by the Fog and Mental Institution, the latter one of the many pseudonyms Paxton acolyte Kenny Johnson used while recording at the studio.

The eccentricities that are never far from a Paxton production inform a couple of tracks that nevertheless have punk merit. In particular, the unbelievable screaming on Carl Walden And the Humans’ ‘I’ll Never Let You Go’ would put James Brown or Wilson Pickett to shame. Last but not least, the voluminous Garpax tape library revealed a tantalising mystery in the unknown group responsible for a marvellous Raiders-style pounder titled ‘This Freedom I Have Found’.

In the commercial environs of mid-1960s Hollywood, the producer remained omnipotent and Paxton would happily call on his seasoned session crew if you weren’t cutting it, musically speaking. On “Lost Innocence”, however, most of the players remained those same wide-eyed teenagers that had been ushered into his presence. Their stories also have the same ring of truth as most youthful combos in that era: hearing your record on the radio for the first time, the expanded social and career possibilities afforded by membership of a successful local band and seeing that dream rent asunder by the draft. Yet having Gary S Paxton behind the controls, with his innate expertise and guidance, not to mention a soupçon of the appropriately bizarre, helped these same “typical” groups make some truly memorable music.

by Alec Palao

Artist - Song - Composer

1. The Whatt Four - Our Love Should Last Forever (Tom Bitters) - 1:44

2. The Avengers - Be A Cave Man (Gary S Paxton, William Powell) - 1:55

3. Limey And The Yanks - Guaranteed Love (Denny Reed, Gary S Paxton) - 2:26

4. The Buddhas - Lost Innocence (Dane Nelson, Dennis Roark, Gary Lettiere, Larry Meadors, Michael McCarthy, Rick Starr) - 2:11

5. The Fog - Grey Zone (Gary S Paxton, JD Wilson) - 3:32

6. New Wing - I Need Love (Al Wilson, Len LaLiberte) - 2:03

7. Ken And The Fourth Dimension - See If I Care (Kenneth Johnson) - 2:16

8. Mental Institution - In The Heat Of The Night (Kenneth Johnson) - 2:19

9. The Avengers - When It's Over (Gerry Blake, Henry Gonzales) - 1:51

10.The Whatt Four - You're Wishin' I Was Someone Else (Greg Sanders, Kenneth Johnson) - 2:21

11.Limey And The Yanks - Flight Of The Dead Bird  (Unknown) - 2:57

12.The Buddhas - My Dream (Dane Nelson, Dennis Roark, Gary Lettiere, Larry Meadors, Michael McCarthy, Rick Starr) - 2:26

13.The Avengers - I Told You So (Kenneth Johnson) - 1:56

14.Don Hinson - Peddlers Of Hate (Don Hinson, Kenneth Johnson) - 2:05

15.New Wing - Melodyland Loser (Al Wilson, Doug Policha) - 2:03

16.Chocolate Tunnel - The Highly Successful Young Rupert White (Kenneth Johnson) - 2:20

17.Limey And The Yanks - Tomorrow Never Comes (Kenneth Johnson) - 2:26

18.The Whatt Four - You Better Stop Your Messin' Around (Greg Sanders) - 2:28

19.The Avengers - Shipwrecked (William Powell) - 1:48

20.Unknown Artist - This Freedom I Have Found (Unknown) - 2:38

21.Limey And The Yanks - Leather Coated Cottage (Unknown) - 2:25

22.New Wing - Brown Eyed Woman (Al Wilson, Doug Policha, Len LaLiberte) - 2:31

23.The Avengers - My True True Love (Buddy Wayne) - 2:58

24.Carl Walden And The Humans - I'll Never Let You Go (Carl Walden) - 2:17

The Whatt Four

*Greg Sanders - Bass

*Tom Ference - Drums

*John Langdon - Lead Guitar

*Tom Bitters - Rhythm Guitar  

The Avengers

*Ken Zigoures - Bass 

*Gary Bernard Drums

*Greg Likins - Lead Guitar 

*Henry Gonzales - Rhythm Guitar

*Gerry Blake - Vocals, Electric, Farfisa Organ

Limey And The Yanks

*Bob Batman - Bass

*Wes Hunsinger - Drums

*Tim Dunne, Wally Downing - Guitar

*Steve Cook - Lead Vocals

The New Wing

*Doug Policha - Bass

*Len Saidman - Drums

*Henry LaLiberte - Guitar

*Al Wilson - Organ

*Davey Peters - Vocals

Ken And The Forth Dimension

*Don Johnson - Bass

*Eddie Hilton - Drums

*Kenny Johnson - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Mike Valdez - Organ

*Bob Hopps - Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals

Free Text

Just Paste

rep> The Mourning Dayze - Lost Recordings (1967 us, rough garage psych, 2007 Gear Fab issue)

Mourning Dayze was born on August 9,1965 in Whitewater, Wisconsin. The band's original name was "The Coachmen," but later when they discovered there was another band with the same name, the guys decided to change It, The band traveled to and from gigs in a hearse pulling a trailer. One morning while driving back to Whitewater, after another late-night gig, the sun was coming up and it was hazy; thus; Mourning Dayze.

Mourning Dayze was extremely popular in the Midwest especially in the teen bars that were popular in Wisconsin during the late 1960's and early 1970.'$. The band was popular on many college campuses, not only for its music, but also for their light show. It’s believed that Mourning Dayze was the first rock and roll band in the state of Wisconsin to include a traveling strobe light. The band became known throughout the Midwest because of its props, including a large banner with the name. Mourning Dayze on it; an umbrella on a mike stand; a siren; an old fashioned pole lamp with a yellow light, and the familiar Taj Mahal on the kick drum, In addition to Midwestern states, Mourning Dayze played in states as far east as New York and New Jersey, as far south as Florida and as far west as Idaho, The band also played numerous gigs in Canada. 

During the first five years prominent musicians passed through the band leaving a long lasting impression, Curly Cook, an early guitarist with the Steve Miller Band introduced Mourning Dayze to the power of the blues and the power and soul of the guitar Berry Oakley played bass guitar with Mourning Dayze shortly before the formation of the Allman Brothers Band. Mike Warner joined in the fall of 1969, after his summer drumming with Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. During the firs! five years, Mourning Dayze opened for many well-known bands, including The Music Explosion, Ohio Express, The Lemon Pipers, The Trashmen, and The New Colony SIX.

From the summer of 1972 to the spring of 2000, Mourning Dayze played a portion of every year at Alpine Valley Resort in East Troy, Wisconsin. It began performing as a house band for the winter ski season and on weekends during the summer, in the mid-70's Alpine Valley became a major stop on the national tour for rock, pop and contemporary styles of music. Mourning Dayze was in the perfect setting to meet jam, and listen backstage, to national touring acts every weekend, week after week, year in and year out. Some of the bands Mourning Dayze jammed with include Los Crusades, RE XX Billy Swan and Hank Williams Jr. in the fall and spring of each year, Mourning Oayze would hit the road with a special love for touring the western United States. After 41 years Mourning Dayze is still gigging.

Tracks
1. Fly My Paper Airplane - 2:40
2. Sad Man's Madness - 2:37
3. Man with the Thin Mind (R. Pfeifer, John Valentine) - 3:32
4. Moon That Gives No Sunlight - 2:12
5. Rain Time - 2:01
6. The Mourning Dayze - 2:28
7. Are We Going to Say Goodbye? (R. Pfeifer, Doug Henry) - 2:24
8. Fly My Paper Airplane - 3:04
All song by Rick Pfeifer unless else written.

The Mourning Dayze
*John Valentine -
*Doug Henry -
*Steve Ellmann -
*Rick Pfeifer -

Free Text
Just Paste

Boogie - In Freak Town (1968-69 us, tough raw bluesy psych rock, 2020 release)

Power trio from San Francisco, modeled after Cream, Blue Cheer or The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Includes all their fantastic studio demos from 1968 plus raw and wild live tracks from 1969. Boogie (or The Boogie) was probably the first hard-blues/proto-metal group that emerged from the San Francisco scene. This power-trio was formed by Barry "The Bee" Bastian (Canned Heat, Lee Michaels...) on guitar/vocals, John Barrett (The Rhythm Dukes) on bass, and Fuzzy John Oxendine (Roky Erickson & The Aliens, Jerry Miller Band...) on drums. 

Comrades of Moby Grape (who even let Boogie use their rehearsal space) and The Sons Of Champlin, they played at all the legendary venues (The Ark, Avalon, Fillmore...) sharing stage with bands like Buffalo Springfield, Quicksilver, Ace Of Cups, Flamin' Groovies or Country Joe & The Fish. Their explosive show at the Sky River Rock Festival (August 1968, the first outdoor multi-band rock festival held in the United States) to an audience of 150,000 people, is still remembered today.

Tracks

1. In Freak Town - 4:41

2. To Me - 5:34

3. Wade In The Water (Traditional) - 7:05

4. Merchant Of Dreams - 2:09

5. Prelude To Boogie - 13:33

6. Chico Smoke El Ropo - 3:04

7. I'd Hate To Lose You  - 6:26

8. Barrett's Buddy's Boogie  - 7:47

All songs by Barry Bastian except track #3

Boogie

*Barry Bastian - Guitar, Lead Vocals

*John "JB" Barrett - Bass

*John "Fuzzy Furioso" Oxendine - Drums

Related Act

1970  The Rhythm Dukes - Flashback (2005 release)  

Free Text

Just Paste

Diamondback - Diamondback (1974 canada, fantastic blues brass rock, 2008 remaster)

In the midst of the uncertainty in the future of McKenna-Mendelson Mainline, band members McKenna and Nolasco put together this side project supergroup which also featured Scott “Professor Piano” Cushnie (Robbie Lane & The Disciples), Endersby (The Tripp, Maple Oak), and Smith (Ugly Ducklings). The band would record an entire album for Atlantic Records but the label only released on single before scrapping the full LP. Pacemaker Entertainment managed to salvage the record and finally issued it in 2008; Cushnie died in August 2018. 

Tracks

1. How Many More Years (Chester Burnett) - 6:42

2. Good Old Days - 2:39

3. One Track Open - 4:26

4. Just My Way Of Loving You (Mike McKenna) - 4:14

5. Wait My Time (Mike McKenna) - 2:36

6. Better Days (Howard Smith) - 3:31

7. Ramblin' Man (Mike McKenna) - 3:45

8. Boogie The Night Away - 3:07

9. Save Yourself - 2:32

10.This Old Train - 2:56

All songs by Scott Cushnie except where stated

Diamondback

*Scott Cushnie - Keyboards

*Stan Endersby - Guitar

*Mike McKenna - Vocals, Guitar

*Tony Nolasco - Drums

*Howie Smith - Bass

With

*Jack Zaza - Saxophone

*Donnie Walsh - Blues Harp

*Danny McBride - Guitars

*Mickey McCallum - Congas

*Stan Endersby - Rhythm Guitar, Backup Vocals

Related Acts

1966-67  The Ugly Ducklings - Somewhere Outside  

1969  McKenna Mendelson Mainline - Stink  

1971  McKenna Mendelson Mainline - Canada Our Home And Native Land (2006 remaster)  

1972  Mainline Bump 'N' Grind Revue – Live At The Victory Theatre (2006 edition)  

1975/78  Downchild Blues Band - It's Been So Long / Ready To Go

1970-71  Mapleoak - Mapleoak  

Free Text

Just Paste 

The 21st Century Sound Movement - 21st Century Sound Movement (1969 us, fine garage folk psych rock, 2012 bonus tracks edition)

The 21st Century Sound Movement where four youngsters from Missouri, consisting of two brothers Terry and Jack Viles, together with Bill O'Malley and Ray Bahr. In late 1968 (short after the recording of the album), guitarist Jack Viles left the band and was replaced by Jerry Lemberger.

In their sole album featuring mostly cover songs, has a youth ful exuberance and energy that’s how much they admired the music of their day.Their lack of keyboards was more than made up for with their fuzzed-outtakes on “House Of The Rising Sun” and “Light My Fire”. Their own musical limitations resulted in some disarmingly crude interpretations and clearly they set their mark in garage music history!

The album was recorded at Damon Studios in Kansas City, Missouri and the cover photo was taken at nearby Volker Fountain.

Tracks

1. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Fred Marsden, Gerry Marsden, Les Chadwick, Leslie Maguire) - 2:23

2. The House Of The Rising Sun (Traditional) - 4:09

3. The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - 3:59

4. Fire (Jimi Hendrix) - 2:12

5. Hey Jude (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 5:11

6. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (Joe Zawinul) - 2:28

7. Susie Q (Dale Hawkins, Eleanor Broadwater, Stanley Lewis) - 3:29

8. Light My Fire (Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek) - 2:30

9. For The Rest Of My Life (Bill O'Malley, Terry Viles, Ray Bahr, Jack Viles) - 3:03

10.In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Doug Ingle) - 7:32

11.Feelin' Down (Bill O'Malley, Terry Viles, Ray Bahr, Jerry Lemberger) - 2:35

12.First Day (Bill O'Malley, Terry Viles, Ray Bahr, Jerry Lemberger) - 2:21

The 21st Century Sound Movement

*Bill O'Malley - Drums

*Terry Viles - Bass

*Jack Viles - Lead Guitar (1963-68) 

*Ray Bahr - Guitar

*Jerry Lemberger - Lead Guitar (1968-71)

Free Text

Just Paste 

Burnt Suite - Burnt Suite (1972 us, misty rural stoner psych acid rock, 2023 digipak reissue)

Growing up in Canton, Connecticut was an ideal out in the country type of town. Like a lot of kids during that period, Isaw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, heard all the girls screaming, and decided to make music my life! In seventh grade I had a trio with some friends, they were older than me. And then in 8th grade a quartet called the Hellions. And then in 10th grade Woody Andrews, Jym Cifaldi, and I started performing  and writing songs together. We were all about the same age, very creative! We originally named the band, Strange Brew, after the song by Cream. But the principal of the high school didn't want the word 'brew', relating to beer, advertised on the walls of the high school for dances. So we changed the name Burnt Suite meant...hot music.

BJW stood for Billy, Jimmy, Woody. We made it up. We decided to record an album of the songs we had already written. Woody's father was a singer and director of plays and helped us produce The record. We actually got $1000 loan from the local bank in Canton to record the album!! Woody's father most likely co-signed for us. Both my father and Woody's father were always extremely supportive.  We were still seniors in high school when we did that record. So it had to be 1970 or 1971 when we began recording. We actually took advance orders from other kids in high school to help finance the record.

We mostly performed locally at local events and dances. We sold the records our selves at the venues. We didn't really have somebody helping us to present our selves nationally. The band broke up because I decided I wanted to move to Massachusetts and be near the ocean and Cape Cod. I just needed to spread my wings, travel, and experience other parts of the country!

by William Florian

Tracks

1. Tonight (William Florian) - 3:49

2. Sally Salamander (Jym Cifaldi) - 2:22

3. Coming To An End (Jym Cifaldi) - 2:31

4. Finest Thing In Life (William Florian) - 2:58

5. Lightning (Jym Cifaldi) - 5:17

6. Enjoyment Of The Dawn (William Florian) - 2:59

7. Got Time (Jym Cifaldi, William Florian, Woody Andrews) - 3:35

8. Vindati Shanti (William Florian) - 6:29

9. It's What You Wanted (Jym Cifaldi, William Florian, Woody Andrews) - 4:06

Burnt Suite

*William Florian - Guitar, Piano

*Woody Andrews - Bass, Claves

*Jym Cifaldi - Percussion

Free Text

Just Paste

Help - Second Coming (1971 us, impressive hard classic rock with spirituals references, 2021 korean remaster)

Help were a Christian power trio from California that included future Doobie Brothers drummer Chet McCracken. They released an excellent self-titled album for Decca in 1970, the style of which was very melodic rural-rock. By the time of their second album, Second Coming, they had incorporated distortion, fuzz and wah-wah which made them a more incendiary hard rock outfit.

Opening track Do You Understand The Words is a stormer, spiced with acid guitar from Jack Merrill. Pounding drums, tight production, solid bass playing and strong vocal melodies throughout the album make for a pleasurable listen, although it’s the guitar playing of Merrill that makes Second Coming such a curio for hard-rock/proto-metal fans.

There’s the nine-minute epic Dear Lord, which can be something of a test for a Black Sabbath fan. he album’s second half, however, features an intense, heavy jam, showing off their accomplished talents. Oh My features a killer lead riff and is one of the heavier tracks, along with All Day and its infectious, funky wah-wah riff.

by Lee Dorrian

Tracks

1. Do You Understand The Words - 3:42

2. All Day - 2:47

3. Good Time Music - 3:32

4. Hold On Child - 4:03

5. T.C.A. - 6:50

6. Dear Lord - 9:22

7. Oh My - 4:42

8. Power - 6:12

All songs by Bob Rochan, Chet McCracken, Jack Merrill

Help

*Jack Merrill - Guitar, Vocals

*Bob Rochan - Bass, Vocals  

*Chet McCracken - Drums

1970  Help - Help (2021 korean remaster)   

Free Text

Just Paste

The Countdown 5 - Complete Recordings (1965-69 us, garage beat rock, r 'n' b, 2018 double disc release)

Members of the Galveston Bay, Texas’ rock scene of the middle to late 1960’s, The Countdown 5 were part owners of the renowned Houston recording studio Andrus Productions, where producer Walter Andrus recorded many bands, including the 13th Floor Elevators and Fever Tree. While the group never got the big break to record an LP, they did manage to release several singles on a variety of labels, and while none hit big in the US, years later the group did learn that one of their singles had actually topped the charts in Germany for a short period of time. Finally, nearly fifty years after the band called it quits, their entire recorded legacy has been compiled on a two CD collection by Gear Fab Records, and quite a treat it is.

The band consisted of Mack Hayes who possessed a wide, versatile vocal range and was quite comfortable fronting the band, while the rhythm section of bassist/vocalist Tommy Murphy and drummer Tommy Williams was indeed formidable, always solidly holding down the band’s bottom end sound, Left handed John Balzer was one of the most talented, versatile and innovative guitarists of the day as well as being a fine singer in his own right and Steve Long’s keyboards gave the band their special style of 1960’s Texas rock, while he also contributed saxophone to the group’s sound. The Countdown 5’s recorded repertoire was mostly original material, with Hayes and Balzer being especially prolific writers, mixed with tasty covers of tunes written by the likes of The Isley Brothers and Johnny Otis. 

Disc one of the set opens with a series of rhythm and blues numbers, beginning with the saxophone led “Bamboo Hut,” a Balzer composition taking its title from the Galveston Beach club that the band often played. This was the Countdown 5’s debut single backed by a faithful cover of The Isley Brothers r & b standard “Shout,” highlighted by the band’s call and response vocals. “Do What You Do Well” was the a-side of their second single, with Long’s keyboards and the group’s vocal harmonies on display. These songs also contained the group’s Texas rock foundation reminiscent of Buddy Holly and The Bobby Fuller Four. Without question one of the collection’s highlights is the hard rocking “Uncle Kirby (From Brazil)” with its heavily echoed vocals from Hayes reminiscent of The Beatles and Balzer’s fuzzed out guitar filling the air. The tune contains a ‘George of The Jungle” chant giving it a danceable quality.

Balzer also contributes a couple of hot solos to the track which unbeknownst to the band at the time found its way into European discos in the 1970’s and was a hit in London and Paris among other places. The versatility of The Countdown 5 is apparent throughout. Their cover of Johnny Otis’ “Willie And The Hand Jive” has a Bo Diddley feel while remaining rather loyal to the original. By contrast “We Are All One” features delicate, melodic vocal harmonies and harpsichord while “Shaka Shaka Na Na” is a dance number with its title becoming a repeated chant, yet Balzer’s fuzz guitar and a driving beat driven by Williams’ drums gives it lots of energy. Like “Uncle Kirby (From Brazil)” the song found its way into European discos and in fact topped the German Billboard charts for a period of time in 1968, a fact not discovered by the band until long after the fact. In “Money Man” the band exhibits Eastern influences, its gentle guitar intro emanating a raga feel. 

The songs repeated chorus of “Don’t Try To Impress Me” is accentuated by Balzer’s lead guitar slashing in and out, and the tune features not only another hot solo by Balzer but also a tasty organ interlude by Long. Two tracks from disc one come from compilation appearances, namely, “Candy” and “Sweet Talk” both feature Balzer’s guitar, snarling lead on the former, and hot dashes of stinging fuzz on the power pop latter. Also included on disc one are stereo versions of four of the single sides, with the bouncing beat, organ led “Time To Spare” and the previously mentioned “Uncle Kirby (From Brazil)” and “Money Man” in particular standing out. The track is rounded out by the acetate of “Something On Her Mind” a mid tempo keyboard driven tune spotlighting the band’s vocal harmonies.

The second disc of the set features eighteen unreleased tracks recorded at Walter Andrus Studio and two radio spots for a New Year’s Eve show. The first track, the interestingly titled “Don’t Buy Meat From The Milkman” sounds like Crosby, Stills and Nash, well before their existence, with its gorgeous vocal harmonies, tasty guitar and delicate keyboards added for texture. “Big Big Man” is folk rock melody with banjo and keyboards complementing luscious vocals. “Unfair To Me” is a snappy rocker featuring numerous tempo changes and the group’s ever present vocal harmonies. “Good Woman” is a mid-tempo song with a fuzz intro by Balzer and Farfisa organ by Long leading up to a fuzz filled solo that plays the song out. “I Gotta Keep What I Take” shows more Eastern influence with its insistent guitar riff, another fine lead guitar line, more Farfisa and a restrained guitar solo. Long’s harpsichord, Balzer’s understated guitar and vocal harmonies give “So Pass Me By” a Beatlesque feel. 

Just as quickly the band switches gears to the upbeat rocker “What Can You Do When You’re Down” with Balzer’s lead guitar pushing the beat as he throws the tempo into overdrive. The tune’s tempo slows, but only long enough for Balzer to fire it up, his lead guitar stabbing to and fro. The group’s mellower side shows through on “When I’m Gone Away” a ballad with handclaps and percussion taking charge. “Legs” is a real head shaker, and a nice dance tune, complete with an a capella section, yet filled with pumping Farfisa organ and fuzz guitar. “Sallazar” spotlights Balzer’s acoustic guitar and more Crosby, Stills and Nash style vocal harmonies. Despite its title “Stone Fire Garden” has a gentle acoustic intro which gives way to delicate vocal harmonies with horns added for accent. “One Way Traffic” brings Joe South to mind, as its vocals harmonies accompany pounding drums and driving guitar with a twist of organ added for good measure. 

The disc closes with three gentle numbers, “These Few Things” with its delicate vocals and “I Gotta Leave You” with swirling organ, gentle rolling guitar and sensitive lead vocals, set the stage for the final song, a cover of the theme from the musical “Hair” another melodic tune with horns added for accentuation. The set closes with two radio spots for a New Year’s Eve gig by The Countdown 5, indicative of the group’s versatility and a most fitting end to the complete works of a sadly overlooked and underappreciated works of this talented, versatile Galveston Beach quintet.

 “Complete Recordings 1965-1969” comes in a double slimline jewel case and is accompanied by an 8 page full color booklet containing a forward by Gear Fab owner Roger Maglio, an essay by Mack Hayes, wonderful photos of the band and artwork from the band’s singles released on the Toucan, Pic, Cinema, Hansa, Cobblestone, Polar, Saint Martin and Audiodisc labels, and other band memorabilia. This collection will be of interest to garage bands, especially the Texas variety, as well of fans of mid to late 1960’s rock in general and comes most highly recommended. 

by Kevin Rathert

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Bamboo Hut (John Balzer) - 2:18

2. Shout (O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley) - 3:45

3. Do What You Do Well (Ned Miller) - 2:00

4. My Own Style Of Living (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long) - 1:43

5. Uncle Kirby (From Brazil) (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Tommy Murphy) - 2:41

6. Speculation (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Tommy Murphy) - 2:18

7. Time To Spare (Mack Hayes) - 2:16

8. Elevator (Mack Hayes) - 2:32

9. Maybe I'll Love You (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Tommy Murphy) - 2:25

10.Willie And The Hand Jive (Johnny Otis) - 2:40

11.We Are All One (David Mitchell, Gary Lum) - 3:29

12.Shaka Shaka Na Na (Mack Hayes, Steve Long) - 2:40

13.Money Man (Mack Hayes) - 3:10

14.Uncle Kirby (From Brazil) (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Tommy Murphy) - 2:58

15.Time To Spare (Mack Hayes) - 2:22

16.We Are All One (David Mitchell, Gary Lum) - 3:31

17.Money Man (Mack Hayes) - 3:09

18.Something On Her Mind (John Balzer, Tommy Murphy) - 2:19

19.Candy (Steve Long) - 3:18

20.Sweet Talk (John Balzer, Tommy Murphy) - 2:31

Disc 2

1. Don't Buy Meat From The Milkman (John Balzer, Mack Hayes) - 3:03

2. Big Big Man (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 2:32

3. Unfair To Me (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 2:18

4. Good Woman (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 3:24

5. Beneath My Rug (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 4:07

6. We're Just People (John Balzer, Mack Hayes) - 2:42

7. I Gotta Keep What I Take (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 2:32

8. So Pass Me By (John Balzer, Mack Hayes) - 2:44

9. What Can You Do When You're Down (John Balzer, J. Permemter) - 2:30

10.When I'm Gone Away (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 2:14

11.Legs (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 3:03

12.Sallazar (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 2:42

13.Sally Greene (Steve Long) - 2:21

14.Stone Fire Garden (Tommy Murphy) - 3:46

15.One Way Traffic (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 2:54

16.These Few Things (John Balzer, Mack Hayes, Steve Long, Tommy Murphy, Tommy Williams) - 2:26

17.I Gotta Leave You (Traditional) - 4:14

18.Hair (Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, James Rado) - 2:09

19.Countdown's Radio Commercial - 0:34

20.New Years Eve Greeting - 0:36

The Countdown 5

*John Balzer - Guitar

*Mack Hayes - Lead Vocals

*Tommy Murphy - Bass, Vocals

*Tommy Williams - Drums

*Steve Long - Saxophone

Free Text

Just Paste

Thomas Jefferson Kaye - Thomas Jefferson Kaye (1973 us, marvelous blend of folk country gospel classic rock, 2016 korean remaster)

Thomas Jefferson Kaye was a bit of a prodigy. Born in North Dakota, by the age of 18 he was already in New York working for the record label Scepter as an A&R man. In next to no time he was producing and writing material for their acts The Shirelles, Judy Clay, Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson and The Kingsmen. But it was when he produced Loudon Wainwright III first release for Columbia in 1972 that his stock really rose. He then followed that up with work on the country funk fuelled Be What You Want to by Link Wray and it was around this time that Kaye moved to the sunnier climbs of California and started recording the self-titled solo album we're looking at here. He passed over the production duties to Gary Katz dedicating himself to the writing and performing of this collection of music. 

The opening number Body Song creeps in unsteadily, like a drunk with his shoes in his hands, sneaking through the door before inevitably tumbling over and collapsing in a heap on the floor while the room spins round and round. The tempo lifts with Collection Box and the sound toughens up with a groove still lazy enough for the band to dig in deep and then completely out of nowhere the strings come in. Oh yeah! The Stonesy strut of The Door Is Still Open is up next, followed by some finger picking boogie on Learning How to Fly. Although I'll Be Leaving Her Tomorrow is in serious danger of veering too far into slushy country ballad territory it is saved by some excellent vocal harmonies courtesy of Donald Fagen. His Steely Dan cohort, Walter Becker, also appears on the album and his bass playing on the next track Hole in The Shoe Blues helps create the Dr John-ish spooky-funk groove that underpins the songs repeated refrain "I read in the paper this morning that you were dead". The tune Snake in The Grass sounds like it was recently exiled from Main Street for bad behaviour while the wistful air of Thanks For Nothing is complimented by the subtle interplay of Tom Salisbury's piano dancing round the steel guitar of Bobby Black. 

But if you need just one reason to track this hidden gem down then it's the albums closer Hoe Bus. Driven along by some seriously salty guitar playing from Rick Derringer, the song is a full-on embodiment of the Whiskey Preachin philosophy, all wrapped up in a five-minute mind-meld of country, soul, blues, gospel, rock and funk. There's even a middle eight detour into something akin to High Heeled Sneakers and the final few bars of the track wouldn't even sound out of place on Sly Stone's There's a Riot Goin On. It's a real renaissance song from a real renaissance man who would then arguably go on to produce Gene Clark's finest recording, No Other, to be reviewed here sometime soon. But that's a whole other story.

by Michael Hosie

Tracks

1. The Body Song - 4:17

2. Collection Box - 4:07

3. The Door Is Still Open - 3:26

4. Learning How To Fly - 3:36

5. I'll Be Leaving Her Tomorrow - 4:22

6. Hole In The Shoe Blues - 5:18

7. Snake In The Grass - 5:01

8. Thanks For Nothing - 4:29

9. Hoe Bus - 5:01

Music and Words by Thomas Jefferson Kaye

Personnel

*Thomas Jefferson Kaye - Guitars, Vocals

*Rick Derringer - Electric Guitar

*Donald Fagen - Keyboards, Piano, Vocals

*Jeff Baxter - Guitar

*Walter Becker - Bass

*Joe Frank Carollo - Bass

*Terry Adams - Cello

*Victor Feldman - Percussion

*Venetta Fields - Vocals

*Richie Furay - Vocals

*Jim Gordon - Drums

*Randy Jo Hobbs - Bass

*Clydie King - Vocals

*Jim Mason - Vocals

*Sherlie Matthews - Vocals

*Diane Morrison - Vocals

*Dorothy Morrison - Vocals

*Michael Omartian - Keyboards

*David Palmer - Vocals

*Dean Parks - Bass

*Micki St Clair - Vocals

*Tom Salisbury - Piano

*Rick Shlosser - Drums

*Mark Springer - Vocals

*Dusty Springfield - Vocals

*Chris Williamson - Vocals

Free Text

Just Paste

Valdy - Country Man (1972 canada, awesome folk country rock, 2020 korean remaster)

Valdy, was born of Danish parents, in 1946 as Valdemar Horsdal in Ottawa.  He began his career playing guitar in rock and country groups. In 1966 he made his home in British Columbia, where he farmed for several years near Sooke. Adopting a country-folk style, he performed in Victoria coffee houses and in 1972 came to national notice with his 'Rock and Roll Song' (from the LP Country Man, Haida HL-5101). Other popular singles for Haida and A & M followed 1973-6: his own songs 'A Good Song' and 'Simple Life,' and David Bradstreet's 'Renaissance (Let's Dance That Old Dance)'. Valdy has also recorded several songs by Bob Ruzicka, including 'Yes I Can (Anyway You Want Me).'

Although less prominent during the 1980s, Valdy remained a fixture on the Canadian folk circuit and also appeared for children and, on occasion, with symphony orchestras, maintaining a yearly itinerary of some 200 performances. He released three more LPs: Valdy (1980, Sloth SL-1001), Valdy's Kid's Record (1982, Sloth SL-1003), and Notes from Places (Duke Street DSR-31010, which included a version of Ron Hynes's 'Sonny's Dream,' a country hit in 1985). To his early concern as a songwriter for environmental and social causes, he added a decided political slant with such titles as 'Living Next to a Candy Store' (re the Canada-US Free Trade agreement, 1988), 'Ten Little White Men - The Ballad of Meech Lake' (1990), and 'Hey Mr. Michael Wilson' (re the Goods and Services Tax, 1990). His, however, has generally been a voice of concern and caution rather than anger, the passion of his message moderated by his sweet, relaxed tenor.

Tracks

1. Country Man - 2:38

2. Place At The Table - 2:30

3. A Good Song - 2:08

4. Mm-Mm-Mm-Mm - 2:31

5. Rainmaker - 5:40

6. Rock 'N' Roll Song - 3:00

7. Hello Mr. Record Man - 2:07

8. See How The Years Have Gone By - 3:03

9. Goin Down Slow - 3:03

10.Bruce And The Green Stock - 2:41

11.Goin To The Country - 2:35

12.Country Man - 1:43

All songs by Valdemar "Valdy" Horsdal

Personnel

*Valdy - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano

*Jim Gordon - Drums

*Max Bennett - Bass

*Brett Wade - Acoustic, Electric Guitars

*Claire Lawrence - Organ, Flute

Free Text

Just Paste