Timbercreek - Hellbound Highway (1975 us, great west coast country rock with some funky rural vibes)

This Santa Cruz-based outfit formed in the mid-1970s, featuring Frank Gummersal, bassist Jon Hicks, drummer Carl Holland, Larry Ross, and pedal steel guitarist Doug Osburn. Looking like your standard early-1970s stoner band hey enjoyed some success on San Francisco's club circuit, even opening for nationally known outfits such as Kingfish and The Sons of Champlin. They also managed to score a contract with the small California-based Renegade label and released "Hellbound Highway"  in 1975, a rural rock album in the style of Dead meets the Eagles variety.

The opening title track has a beautiful psychy lead guitar hook and great melody throughout.This is mellow country rock with great steel guitars and the appropriate tuneful vocals,with the occasional fuzz guitar putting in a welcome appearance. Back in 1975, a bunch of dudes from Boulder Creek, California, found themselves in a recording studio and decided to make a rural rock album of a sort of Dead-meets-Eagles variety. The result, Hellbound Highway, an obscure private pressing made its appearance on Renegade Records the same year, but as only about 100 copies were pressed, very few have experienced the delights of this laidback recording.

Some of the songs are terrific, particularly the opener and title track, with its psychy lead guitar hook, a clever twist in the chorus and a great melody, and the side-closers are both outstanding. In between, we're treated to some mellow country rock of the Outlaws variety, with some excellent steel guitar and some highly appropriate and surprisingly tuneful vocals, and the occasional fuzz guitar putting in a welcome appearance."

Tracks
1. Hellbound Highway - 4.42
2. Tantra Queen - 3.42
3. Pass The Bottle' - 3.46
4. Just One Quart - 3.58
5. Nobody On The Streets - 4.39
6. Stoned Cold Turkey - 3.58
7. Fallen Angel - 4.05
8. Tom Haley - 2.48
9. If I Had The Trength - 3.23
10.Hell In The Hills - 6.19
All Song by Larry Ross, Jon Hicks, Carl Holland, Doug Osburn, Frank Gummersal, Frank Andrick

 Timbercreek
*Larry Ross - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
*Frank Gummersal - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
*Doug Osburn - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Carl Holland - Vocals, Drums, Clarinet
*Jon Hicks - Vocals, Bass

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Tymepiece - Sweet Release (1971 australia, outstanding fuzz-out garage blues with psych folk touches, remaster with bonus tracks)

The story of Tymepiece encompasses a musical transition that commenced with mid-60's garage punk and ended seven years later in the realms of full blown progressive rock. Tymepiece's collectable 1971 album 'Sweet Release' is a prime example of where psychedelic pop, folk and country elements combined with a progressive edge to create a unique blend. The album is a fine example of early seventies 'head' music. Tymepiece originated in the Blue Mountains area around Lithgow (NSW), and comprised an incredibly accomplished bunch of musicians.

They began life in 1965 as The Black Diamonds, one of the most ferocious garage/punk outfits Australia ever produced. Witness the bands 'I Want, Need, Love You' on the Ugly Things 60's punk compilation. The Black Diamonds line-up featured Glenn Bland (vocals, harmonica), Allan 'Olly' Oloman (guitar, vocals), Brian 'Felix' Wilkinson (organ, piano), Alan Keogh (bass) and Colin McAuley (Drums). They issued two singles on Festival during 1967 and were equally adept at producing both jubilant pop and tough punk on either side of the one disc. In 1968 Darcy Rosser replaced Keogh on bass, the band changed its name to Tymepiece and made the permanent move to Sydney.

At that point producer Pat Aulton approached the musicians to record under the name of Love Machine. Their version of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' was a hit, but the band members soon tired of playing under two different names doing entirely divergent sets. Tymepiece moved on, issuing two flower-pop singles. The third Festival single was a taster for the forthcoming album. Issued on Festival's progressive subsidiary label Infinity, 'Sweet Release' (February 1971) was an ambitious album of contrasting moods and styles, ranging from hard-psych 'Why?', 'Nuts' , folk 'Reflections', 'Home Song' , wild R'n'B 'I Love, You Love' and country flavoured 'Sweet Release' , 'Take Me Back' to the heavy progressive-blues sound of 'Shake Off'.

As the albums centrepiece, 'Shake Off' is an incredible eight minutes of rumbling bass, pounding drums, wildly demented fuzzed-out blues riffing, wailing harp and heavy, pulsating organ soloing. It's all quite left field, but impeccably played nonetheless. After such an astonishing debut album Tymepiece should have progressed to the next level, but inexplicably broke up before the year was out. All that remains are a few choice tracks, an albums worth of listening pleasure and the memory of a great band.

Tracks

1. Why - 2:20

2. I Love, You Love (Alan "Olly" Oloman, Chris Kristopher, Colin McAuley, Darcy Rosser, Felix Wilkinson) - 5:04

3. Sweet Release - 2:57

4. Nuts - 3:18

5. Won't you Try (Alan "Olly" Oloman, Chris Kristopher) - 2:40

6. Reflections - 2:59

7. Shake Off  - 8:11

8. Take Me Back (Alan "Olly" Oloman, Chris Kristopher, Darcy Rosser) - 4:34

9. Joseph Straite (Alan "Olly" Oloman, Chris Kristopher) - 1:49

10.Home Song - 3:36

11.Bird In The Tree - 3:18

12.I Gotta Know What You're Like (Tymepiece) - 3:16

13.Become Like You (Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane)- 3:05

14.Give A Little More - 2:23

15.Down And Out  -  3:29

All songs by Alan "Olly" Oloman except where stated

Tymepiece
*Glenn Bland (aka Chris Kristopher) - Vocals, Harmonica
*Colin McAuley - Drums
*Alan "Olly" Oloman - Vocals, Guitar
*Darcy Rosser - Bass
*Felix Wilkinson (aka Brian Williamson) - Keyboards, Accordion

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Ashes - Ashes (1965-71 us, marvellous psychedelic folk rock with essential female vocals)

The Ashes were a folk-rock group formed in 1965 that included John Merrill (guitar/ vocals), Alan Brackett (bass/ vocals), Barbara Robison (vocals), Spencer Dryden (drums) and Jim Cherniss (guitar/ vocals). Before they were known as the Ashes, the group called themselves the Young Swingers and released two long lost 45s under that name: "Love Her Every Day" b/w "Or Else You'll Cry" (Courtney 746) and "Let's Take Our Love" b/w "The Winds Up High" (Portafino 901) .

From the summer of 1965 up until May of 1966, the Ashes served as the house band at a club in Santa Monica called the Waleback. They released their first single under their new moniker in 1966: "Is There Anything I Can Do?" b/w "Every Little Prayer" (Vault 924). The a-side was written by Jackie DeShannon and featured a fine lead vocal from Barbara Robison. This 45, along with its follow-up "Dark on You Now" b/w "Roses Gone" (Vault 936), also appeared on the 1967 compilation WEST COAST LOVE-IN (Vault 7980). Around the time of the first Ashes single, Spencer Dryden left to replace Skip Spence in Jefferson Airplane. Jim Cherniss also exited the group at this time.

 With the addition of two new members, the band was transformed into the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, who of course recorded two albums for Columbia in 1967. John Merrill resurrected Ashes in late 1968, around the same time that Alan Brackett was working on the tracks that would ultimately constitute the PBC's FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES album. The new Ashes recorded their debut LP for Vault Records that year; it stands today as a staple of the collector's market, routinely fetching $50 or more on eBay. The album also featured singer Pat Taylor standing in for Barbara Robison (who could not appear on the record due to contractual obligations). The LP's release was delayed until 1970, while two songs from the record-- "Homeward Bound" b/w "Sleeping Serenade" (Vault 975)-- were issued as a 45 in 1971.
by Jason Penick

Tracks
1. Gone To Sorrow (Jackson Browne) - 3:07
2. Sleeping Serenade (John Merrill) - 2:48
3. Homeward Bound (Paul Simon) - 2:34
4. Sands of Love (John Merrill) - 2:18
5. My Life Has Changed (John Merrill) - 3:14
6. Return Home (Alan Brackett) - 2:23
7. Her Invention (John Merrill) - 2:14
8. Look Around Rock (Penny Nichols) - 2:34
9. The Now (John Merrill) - 2:52
10.Rainbows (John Merrill) - 2:17
11.Simple Complexities (John Merrill) - 2:06

Ashes
*Al Brackett - Bass, Vocals (1965-)
*Jim Cherniss - Guitar, Vocals (1965-66)
*Spencer Dryden - Drums (1965-66)
*John Merrill - Guitar, Vocals (1965-)
*Barbara Robison (aka Sandi Robison, aka Sandi Peanut Butter) - Vocals (1965-66)
*Pat Taylor - Vocals (1968-)
*Jim Voight - Drums (1968-)

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The Feminine Complex - Livin' Love (1969 us, excellent all girl teenagebeat, rev ola remaster with bonus tracks)

The Feminine Complex formed 1966 while the girls were attending Maplewood High School in Nashville, Tennessee. They released two singles and one album, "Livin' Love". There was even a rumour that they were a fictional band, and the material had been recorded quite recently by various American indie luminaries! This despite the original 1969 Athena Records album undoubtedly existing, and fetching astronomical figures

In fact, The Feminine Complex were an all-girl garage band, a rarity in Nashville, to be sure. They were even heavily featured on various TV shows including the nationally-syndicated "Showcase '68" and the local "Nashville Now". The Feminine Complex made one of the few genuine girls-in-the-garage albums (all original songs too!) in a time when the 45 was king (queen?), and an extraordinary album it is too, as extraordinary indeed as the story of the band.

Livin' Love is a breathtaking album of raw passion and energy. Astonishingly, it contains all original Feminine Complex songs, penned mostly by Mindy Dalton. Recorded in 1968, there is a strong sense of mind-altering musing displayed throughout Dalton's prose, which she denied carried with it any drug connotations. Even though the record is a polished outing, due mainly to the experienced backing-band brought in, there is no question that Dalton's songs demonstrated a considerable emerging talent, deserving of an "A-list" ranking in the league table of late-sixties' female rock stars. Sadly, Livin' Love came and went unnoticed; the original all-girl roster of the Feminine Complex disbanded amicably, and that was that.

Collecting valuable collector's points over the years by reaching a 'very-rare' status, Livin' Love has finally been re-released on compact disc by saviours-of-all-reissues Rev-Ola, and they have bestowed upon us a fabulous package that expertly extends the Feminine Complex appreciation.

The original album featured eleven songs, and yet this reissue contains a further eleven bonus tracks which greatly extend Livin' Love's charm. The album's opening three numbers are delicately alluring, with a brooding seductiveness that betrays Livin' Love's punch on later numbers. Now I Need You is a swirling cry of desperation, whilst the refraining Are You Lonesome Like Me? possesses a startling songwriting maturity from Dalton; the song could feature on any of Dusty Springfield's better albums and you'd believe it were penned by Lieber & Stoller.

I Won't Run powers up the tempo scales with dashing freneticism and powerful rhythm chords. Exemplary throughout the album are the backing vocals - drenched in reverb, which add a very welcome leftfield edge. Run That Through Your Mind, I Don't Want Another Man and the powerhouse I've Been Working On You signal the very best late-sixties Aretha, suggesting the band’s versatility. It's Magic has a psychedelic ambiance that is ripped apart by a delicious chorus, complete with off-kilter vocal backing. Only the Jean Williams songForgetting shows its age, with too much twee emphasis.

The Feminine Complex would have been better advised to replace Forgetting with another Williams song, Love Love Love, which was more fitting to the musical tones of the album and has thankfully been included as a bonus track on this reissue. Time Slips By is certainly the most experimental song on the original album lineup, and yet the overt panning of shimmering sound effects and the rhythmic borrowings of Love’s The Daily Planet form an especially interesting closer to Livin’ Love.

The original eleven songs on Livin’ Love do enough to justify high praise, and yet this expanded Rev-Ola package pushes the boundaries even further. The eleven bonus tracks comprise of unreleased songs by the Complex and some worthy stripped-down demos. Many of them deserve a place on the original Livin’ Love, particularly Hold My Hand. The stark two-track demos, featuring vocals on one channel and a sole electric guitar on the other, are simplistic, unrefined beauty and demonstrate a splendid raw talent that sadly was not given the chance to develop.

At least the album is “out there” again, back in the public awareness section where it undoubtably belongs. From late-sixties bands such as Jefferson Airplane to modern bands across the Atlantic such as Electrelane, there are traces of The Feminine Complex’s sound. Whilst they never were allowed to be influential, they certainly showed that they were one of the most innovative. Livin’ Love is easily one of the best reissues we have yet to see from Rev-Ola.
by Raphael Pour-Hashemi

Tracks
1. Hide And Seek - 3:46
2. Now I Need You - 3:36
3. Are You Lonesome Like Me? - 2:59
4. I Won't Run - 3:24
5. Six O'Clock In The Morning - 3:28
6. Run That Through Your Mind - 2:35
7. It's Magic - 2:40
8. I Don't Want Another Man - 2:34
9. Forgetting (Jean Williams) - 2:17
10. I've Been Workin' on You - 2:40
11. Time Slips By - 4:25
Bonus Tracks
12. Hold My Hand - 3:45
13. Love Love Love (Jean Williams) - 2:32
14. I've Been Workin' on You (Demo) - 2:52
15. Hold Me  (Demo) - 3:38
16. Now I Care - 3:06
17. Summer Morning - 2:37
18. Warmth of Your Smile - 2:02
19. Are You Lonesome Like Me?  (Demo) - 2:38
20. Time Slips By  (Demo) - 2:26
21. Is This a Dream? - 2:57
22. Movin' - 2:08
All Songs Written by Mindy Dalton, except where indicated.

The Feminine Complex
*Mindy Dalton - Guitar, Vocals
*Judi Griffith - Tambourine, Vocals
*Lana Napier - Drums, Vocals
*Pame Stephens - Organ, Vocals
*Jean Williams - Bass, Vocals
 
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Sugar Bear - Sugar Bear (1970 us, rural rock with blues, country and folk psych blinks)

Another private pressing from the 70s, this time a charming chunk of rural rock from the sunshine state. Originally released on No Label Recordings, this four-piece from Florida (named after the hip American 70s singin'n'guitar-playin' cartoon character, Sugar Bear) have managed to produce an album of high originality which defies categorization.

In terms of musical styles, the ''rural rock'' probably covers just about everything, from rock'n'roll to the blues and plain ol' country rock in the style of The Outlaws or Pure Prairie League, of course there are some psychedelic touches, think a cross line betwwen Jefferson Airplain and Byrds with drops of Santana.

Today’s “Sugarbear” consists of Ivan Bailey on bass, John McLaughlin on lead guitar, and Eric Chick on drums. Ivan and John have been together about 44 years. Started out in Miami as “The Goldtones”, later changed to “The Roustabouts”. Moved to the Ocala area and became “The Merger” and in 1972 changed the name to “Sugarbear”.

Tracks
1. Playing Music (John McLaughlin) - 2:14
2. Honey Love (Ivan Bailey) - 4:34
3. Moccasin Mona (H.C. Perryman) - 5:03
4. Sweetest One Around (H.C. Perryman) - 3:31
5. Play Me a Song (John McLaughlin) - 3:18
6. Let It Roll (John McLaughlin) - 3:12
7. Seasons for Love (John McLaughlin) - 4:39
8. Garden (John McLaughlin) - 3:19
9. Move out in the Country (John McLaughlin) - 4:06
10. Hip! Hip! Hooray for Today (John McLaughlin) - 1:58

Sugar Bear
*John McLaughlin - Vocals, Lead, Rhythm, 12 String Guitars, Harmonica
*Ivan Bailey - Vocals, Fender Bass, Harmonica
*H.C. Perryman - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica
*Trent Slemmer - Drums, Percussion

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Jacksons Garden - How Do I Get Into Jacksons Garden (1968 denmark, standout beat psych blues rock, 2002 remastered with bonus tracks)

The Jacksons Garden formed as The Candy Boys in Odense Denmark round 1965, September 1967 changed their name to Jackson's Garden. Their style was a mix of Soul, R & B, Beat & Roll, they had also many of self-composed songs. Jacksons Garden quickly became very popular with the burgeoning on underground audience that had enjoyed their share of the traditional 60's music and was hungry for something new.

Jacksons Garden played in the beginning mainly on Funen and Jutland, but in October 1967 the band took part in Hit House Beat Grand Ppix won the competition (1st from 41 bands - primarily from Copenhagen and Zealand) and got away with the prize £ 1750 in cash and a record contract. A Copenhagen journalist wrote: " Jacksons Garden is so great that without blushing can place them in the same class as their American same act bands." The victory sparked - in addition to a cash prize - including a recording contract with the Jutland record label "STOA". The resulting was a LP "How do I get into Jacksons Garden?".

Jacksons Garden also got the pleasure to play as support band for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown "in Hit House. They where also the opening band in Fyens Forum, for many foreign top names. Until February 1969 - when Jacksons Garden disbanded- they were full speed and always on the highways for gigs.

Tracks
1. Jump The Fence (Eric Werner) - 0:20
2. Turn On Your Lovelight (Deadric Malone, Joseph Wade Scott) - 3:34
3. Coloured Birds (Eric Werner) - 2:28
4. Close To The Earth, But .. (Jacksons Garden) - 7:53
5. Paddington Station (Eric Werner) - 4:05
6. Morning After (Per Stan) - 2:33
7. Nobody (Eric Werner) - 4:06
8. Work Song (Nat Adderley, Oscar Brown Jr) - 4:13
9. Tales From A Nervous Wreck (Eric Werner) - 4:14
10.Goodmorning Blues (Bent Hangaard, Eric Werner, Per Stan, Erling Andersen, H.P. Sondergard) - 6:02
11.Fever (John Davenport, Eddie Cooley) - 4:38
12.Harlem City Blues (Eric Werner) - 3:07
13.Pretty Woman (A.C. "Moolah" Williams) - 2:32
14.Love Me Two Times (Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger) - 3:22
15.John Wesley Harding (Bob Dylan) - 2:50
16.Help Me Baby (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 3:19
17.Bummer In The Summer (Arthur Lee) - 3:44
18.All Night Long (Eric Werner, Per Stan) - 5:09
19.Butterfly Fly (Eric Werner, Per Stan) - 10:35
Tracks 1-12 from the original 1968 album "How do I get into Jacksons Garden"
Tracks 13-19 Bonus Live recordings at "Blomsterpistolen" 1968

The Jacksons Garden
*Bent Hangaard - Lead Guitar
*Eric Werner - Vocals Harmonica
*Per Stan - Drums
*Erling Andersen - Bass, Vocals
*H.P. Sondergard - Piano, Organ, Flute
 

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Blood Sweat And Tears - Mirror Image (1974 us, lovely jazzy funky rhythm and blues tunes, 2005 edition)

In March and April 1974 the band spend most of the time in the studio for their forthcoming album and in July, "Mirror Image" is released. A song called,"Tell Me That I'm Wrong" is released as a single but only reaches #83. The album flops at #149. Jerry LaCroix didn't feel comfortable within the band, and he couldn't' handle Bobby Colomby.

Basically he didn't care for Blood, Sweat and Tears style and he did not like to share lead vocal duties. He was more interested in his solo album "The Second Coming", that he recently had recorded. He once said that one of the reasons for him to join was that they ware going on a world tour and he hadn't seen the world. While they were in Australia he decided to quit.

When they came back, he left the group after a gig in Central Park. Luther Kent, a blues singer from New Orleans was recruited as a new leadsinger, together with Jerry Fisher. Luther Kent had been singing with The Greek Fountains, a busy, popular band in demand regionally, then criss-crossed America with his own, 9-piece r&b band, "Blues, Inc". His voice could be described as powerful, rough and whiskey-drenched. Blood, Sweat and Tears never did any recordings with Luther Kent, who eventually quit to form "Trick Bag" with guitarist Charlie Brent.

Mirror Image is a  pleasant album with catchy jazzy tunes, a late night friend who will give you generously, few moments to escape...

Tracks
1. Tell Me That I'm Wrong (Patricia Crosby) - 2:27
2. Look Up To The Sky (Anthony Klatka, Jerry LaCroix, Julian LaCroix) - 4:39
3. Love Looks Good On You (You're Candy Sweet) (Sharon Brown, Patricia Cosby) - 3:19
4. Hold On To Me (Dave Bargeron) - 4:10
5. Thinking Of You (Anthony Klatka, Jerry LaCroix) - 4:25
6. Are You Satisfied (Dave Bargeron, Jerry Fisher, Jerry Lacroix, George Wadenius) - 4:01
7. Mirror Image (Larry Willis, Ron McClure, Anthony Klatka, Dave Bargeron, Jerry Lacroix, George Wadenius)- 11:14
8. She's Coming Home (Jerry Fisher, George Wadenius) - 3:11

Blood Sweat and Tears
*Jerry Fisher -Vocals
*Jerry LaCroix - Vocals, Tenor Sax
*Bobby Colomby - Drums, Percussion
*Dave Bargeron - Trombone, Tuba
*Larry Willis - Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Organ
*Geroge Wadenius - Guitar, Vocals
*Tony Klatka - Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet, Fleugelhorn
*Bill Tillman - Alto, Tenor, and Bari-Sax, flute
*Ron McClure - Fender Bass, Acoustic Bass
*Arnold Lawrence - Alto Sax on "She's Coming Home", Soprano Sax on "Thinking of You."

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rep>>> Kensington Market - Aardvark (1969 canada, great psych fusing folk with baroque, prog and jazz elements, 2008 remaster)

Kensington Market - Aardvark 1969

Mel Brown - Chicken Fat (1967 us, great electric guitar blues funk, remastered edition)

Mississippi-born, West Coast-based guitarist Mel Brown flexed his slinky fingers with blues god T-Bone Walker before going out on his own for this seriously funky 1967 session. The hot studio band here also includes versatile L.A. pianist Gerald Wiggins and none other than six-string legend Herb Ellis, who dishes up fiery exchanges with Brown on the backbone-slipping “Greasy Spoon” and the Down-South, down-home title cut. In addition to handling arrangements on the date, composer supreme Oliver Nelson (“Stolen Moments”) contributed two tunes; the tricky, frenetic “Anacrusis” and the wah-wah-covered “Hobo Flats.”

But it’s the blues that form the rich and juicy marrow of Brown’s soulful style, and Chicken Fat’s pair of late-night, down-tempo workouts—the sultry original “Home James” and the Ellis-composed “I’m Goin’ to Jackson”—will have you licking your lips with deep delight. Guitar chops meet pork chops on this gorgeous gatefold repress of the original Impulse! LP, one that’s sure to water the mouths of not only jazz and blues fans but of anyone who can’t get enough of that good ol’ raw, funky, Booker T.-style soul. Pass the sauce!

Tracks
1. Chicken Fat (Brown) - 4:16
2. Greasy Spoon (Brown, Ellis, Humphrey) - 5:53
3. Home James (Brown) - 6:34
4. Slalom (Chaikin) - 2:31
5. Hobo Flats (Nelson) - 2:18
6. Shanty (Brown, Wright) - 4:40
7. Sad But True (Ellis) - 5:01
8. I'm Goin' to Jackson (Ellis) - 4:24
9. Blues for Big Bob (Brown) - 4:25

Personnel
*Mel Brown - Guitars
*Ronald Brown - Bass
*Paul Humphrey - Drums
*Gerald Wiggins - Organ
*Herb Ellis - Guitar (on Tracks 1, 2, 3, 7 ,8)
*Arthur Wright - Guitar (on Tracks 4, 5, 6, 9)

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rep>>> Trees - On the Shore (1970 uk, beautiful progressive folk, 2nd album 2008 double disc remaster)

Trees - On the Shore 1970 (Sony 2008)

rep>>> Fantasy - Paint A Picture (1973 uk, essential progressive rock, full of delightful twists and turns, 2005 remaster with bonus tracks)

  Fantasy - Paint A Picture 1973

The Primitives - Maladjusted (1964-67 uk, excellent mod freak beat, 2001 release)

Like most of their equally obscure mid-60s R&B/freakbeat brethren, THE PRIMITIVES are principally namechecked these days for the value - both in fiscal and artistic terms - of their vinyl legacy. Their trio of singles for the Pye label, the Italian-only album Blow Up and a unique-to-France EP currently have a combined value on the collectors circuit of over £1000, an accurate representation of their standing amongst freakbeat connoisseurs.  But while their records have long been coveted by 60s collectors, the story of the Primitives has remained shrouded in mystery, with only vague rumours ci rc u lati ng about the relationship between the band's early UK career and their subsequent exploits in Italy.

Maladjusted rounds up their work during this 1964-67 period, featuring everything from those previously-mentioned releases plus an alternate version of the French EP's lead track, 'Oh Mary', the entire Blow Up album and a couple of related solo 45s from the group's long-term frontman Mal Ryder who, along with early fan John Taylor, has provided invaluable help in piecing together the legend of the band.

The Primitives evolved in 1964 out of British beat boom hopefuls The Cornflakes (previously known as The Rising Sons), whose typically cheesy post-Beatles handle didn't prevent them building up a sizeable fan base on the Oxford live circuit. As the Cornflakes, they won the Plaza Cinema beat group contest in Northampton, a competition that proved to be of twofold importance in their embryonic career: the contest's first prize was a two-year contract with the Pye label, while Cyd Cipin, who ran the local Plaza, was so impressed by the group that, in conjunction with his brother Mayer and their associate Leslie Jaffa, he became their manager.

While The Primitives were experiencing the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, a teenage rock'n'roll fan by the name of Paul Bradley Couling had been invited to rehearse with The Meteors, who also worked the Oxford iive circuit. Accepting their invitation, Couling quickly began to attract attention as The Meteors' frontman, and he was duly approached by prominent local band The Beatniks, whose lead singer Peter Cox had just been called up for National Service. Couling didn't need to think twice about accepting their offer: he left The Meteors, his job at the Southern Electricity Board, Oxford and his old identity behind. Adopting the stage name of Mal Ryder, he and his new colleagues - by now rechristened the Spirits moved north to Doncaster, appointing Martin Yale (who also handled Hull R&B band The Rats and Sheffield's Joe Cocker) as their manager.

Yale helped Mal Ryder and The Spirits find work in working men's clubs, but his influence was most apparent in brokering a recording deal. With the aid of future Tom Jones producer Peter Sullivan, two singles were cut both for Decca and Decca's Vocalion Pop labels: 'Cry Baby' / 'Take Over' (Decca F 11669, June 1963) and 'See The Funny Little Clown' / 'Slow Down' (Vocalion V 9219, May 1964). When these failed to garner attention, the band changed managers, the London-based David Stones setting in motion a move to Pye subsidiary Piccadilly. That led to the November 1964 release, 'Forget It' b/w 'Your Friend' (a Marty Wilde song), and a follow-up single - the Carter/Lewis composition 'Lonely Room' (also recorded by Carter/Lewis's own band, The Ivy League) backed by 'Tell Your Friend'appeared as a Mal Ryder solo single in April 1965.

Stones also arranged for the group to follow the well-worn UK/Germany export route, including a stint on the Storyville Club circuit that found The Spirits playing for up to six hours a night. Exhausted by their schedule, The Spirits fulfilled their contractual commitments in Germany before returning to England in spring 1965, when they promptly split up. As stressed as the rest of his former colleagues, Mal Ryder went back to work with his father on building sites, his hopes of pop stardom apparently over.

The Primitives stayed with Mal until the early 70s, by which stage their line-up had gone through several changes. Pick Withers returned to England, playing with various low-profile progressive acts before finally hitting paydirt in the late 1970s with Dire Straits. His replacement in The Primitives, Scottish-born drummer Robbie Mcintosh, came to the group from the Brian Auger Trinity before going on to international success with the Average White Band, though he died at a tragically early age in 1974. A more pivotal Primitives member, Jay Roberts/Jeffrey Farthing, is also sadly no longer with us, having died of an overdose in the 1990s.

The late 60s line-up of the Primitives continued to contribute to Italian albums like "Sua Eccelenza" and "Mal Dei Primitives", but their musical output had become increasingly erratic. Sparkling psychedelic performances of 'Dear Mr. Fantasy', 'Race With The Devil' and the Small Faces track 'Song Of A Baker' were buried cheek-by-jowl alongside such mainstream fare as 'Love Letters In The Sand', 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' as Mal opted for the traditional showbiz route. For that reason, our anthology ends in 1967, thereby capturing both Mal and the Primitives during their mid-60s artistic apex, with fire in their teenage bellies and an unshakable commitment to the life-affirming qualities of raw, belligerent, adenoidal British R&B. Maladjusted? The Primitives?!? You'd better believe it.

by David Wells

Tracks

1. Help Me (Mort Dixon, Ralph Bass, Sonny Boy Williamson) - 3.39

2. Let Them Tell (Jeffrey Farthing, John E. Soul) - 2.14

3. You Said (Geoff Tindall) - 2.17

4. How Do You Feel? (John E. Soul) - 2.23

5. Every Minute Of Every Day  (Frank Catana) - 2.10

6. Pretty Little Face (John E. Soul) - 2.07

7. Forget It (Irving Martin, Jack Daw) - 2.01

8. Your Friend (Mal Ryder) - 2.37

9. Lonely Room (John Carter, Ken Lewis, Perry Ford) - 2.02

10.Tell Your Friend (Mal Ryder) - 2.27

11.Oh Mary (Jackie Edwards) - 2.48

12.Oh Mary (Jackie Edwards) - 2.05

13.I Don't Feel Myself (Dave Sumner) - 2.42

14.Mr. Heartache (Jay Roberts) - 2.36

15.Tears In My Eyes (Dave Sumner) - 3.47

16.Gimme Some Loving (Muff Winwood, Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood) - 4.21

17.L'Ombra De Nessuno "Standing in The Shadows Of Love" (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 2.55

18 .No Response (Anderson) - 3.08

19.Johnny No "Thunder & Lightning" (Hoyt Axton) - 3. 10

20.Cara-Lin (Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer) - 3.32

21.Yeeeeeeh! "' Ain t Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore" (Lori Burton, Pam Sawyer) - 3. 12

22.Gira, Gira "Reach Out, I'll Be There"  (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 3.07

23.Every Minute Of Every Day (Frank Catana) - 2.16

24.Mister Heartheache (Jay Roberts) - 2.19

25.Ma Beata Te (Jay Roberts) - 3.08

26.Sookie, Sookie (Don Covay, Steve Cropper) - 2.51

27.Mohair Sam (Dallas Frazier) - 2.43

28.L'lncidente "Soul Finger" (Ben Cauley, Carl Cunningham) - 2 .52

Tracks 5,6,11 as Mal And Primitives

Tracks 9,10 as Mal Ryder

Musicians
*Jay Roberts - Vocals, Bass, Organ
*Geoff Eaton (aka Geoff Tindall) - Lead Guitar,
*John E. Soul - Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica
*RogerJames - Bass
*Mike Wilding - Drums
*Mal Ryder - Vocals
*Stuart Linnell - Lead Guitar
*Mick Charleton - Drums
*Dave Sumner - Guitar
*Bruce Finley - Drums
*Pick Withers - Drums
*Robbie McIntosh - Drums

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Love Sculpture - Forms and Feelings (1969 uk, 2nd great album with early Dave Edmunds, 2008 esoteric remaster with bonus tracks)

Love Sculpture made an amazing leap forward in a relatively short space of time from their album of raw blues and soul covers (Blues Helping) to the much more advanced psychedelic pop and quasi classical structures of Forms and Feelings. It starts with two memorable singles “In The Land of the Few”, complete with Byrds like jangly guitars and an early expression of environmental concerns in their take of Paul Korda’s “Seagul”, a sensitive, somewhat dramatic ballad as it turns out.

The creative leap forward taken by the band is also demonstrated on the remarkable version of “Nobody Talking” (written by Finesilver and Ker famous for their composition “Fire” for the Crazy World of Arthur Brown) with some blistering guitar breaks seguing into a 7:43 tour de force entitled “Why (How-Now)”, also by Finesilver and Ker but to my ears a remake of George Harrison’s It’s All Too Much. Just when you think you’re moving forward it’s back in time to a cheeky Edmunds arrangement of Bizet’s “Farandole”- “sacre blue” to some but a kind of Cossack dance that might make you dance around the living room with your Dyson to others!

By the way Edmunds can’t resist a Clapton blues guitar quotation in the middle of this sounds like Fresh Cream to me! While the Chuck Berry cover (“You Can’t Catch Me”) seems out of place, there’s another Finesilver/Ker number “People, People” that restores the flow: a sardonic, psychedelic, Ray Davies type of ballad featuring some incendiary guitar. Few people familiar with the hit single “Sabre Dance“ (included as a bonus track) would realise that an interpretation of Holst’s “Mars” segues into the full album version.

There are other worthwhile bonus tracks like the b-side of “Sabre Dance”, a rare Edmunds solo composition (“Think of Love”) mixing blues with psychedelic but mostly an “I Hear you Knocking” trying to get in with a bit of “River Deep, Mountain High” as well! The single version of “Seagull” with a truncated “Farnadole” is also included along with “In The Land of the Few” and its b-side “People People”. There’s a lot to enjoy on Forms and Feelings, a quantum leap from Love Sculpture’s tentative debut and one of the most enduring and exciting releases of the period.
by Phil Jackson

Tracks
1. In The Land of the Few (Dave Edmunds, Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker)
2. Seagull (Paul Korda)
3. Nobody's Talking (Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker)
4. Why (How-Now) (Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker)
5. Farandole (Georges Bizet, arranged by Dave Edmunds)
6. You Can't Catch Me (Chuck Berry)
7. People, People (Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker)
8. Mars (Gustav Holst)
9. Sabre Dance (Aram Khatchaturian, arranged by Dave Edmunds)
10.Think of Love (Dave Edmunds, Bonus Track)
11.Seagull (Paul Korda, Single Version, Bonus Track)
12.Farnadole (Georges Bizet, arranged by Dave Edmunds, Single Version, Bonus Track)
13.In The Land of the Few (Dave Edmunds, Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker, Mono Single Version, Bonus Track)
14.People, People (Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker, Single Version, Bonus Track)
15.Sabre Dance (Aram Khatchaturian, arranged by Dave Edmunds, Single Version, Bonus Track)

Love Sculpture
*Dave Edmunds - Guitar, Vocals
*John Williams - Bass
*Bob 'Congo' Jones - Drums
*Terry Williams - Drums (arrived late 1969 and replaced Bob )
*Mickey Gee - Guitar (arrived late 1969)

1968  Love Sculpture - Blues Helping (2008 remaster)

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Love Sculpture - Blues Helping (1968, fine blues rock with early Dave Edmunds, 2008 esoteric remaster)

Long before he produced legendary albums by artists like Brinsley Schwarz and the Flamin' Groovies; before he had formed a musical partnership with pop/rock singer/songwriter Nick Lowe; even before he enjoyed a brief - albeit moderately successful - career as a solo artist during the 1980s, guitarist Dave Edmunds was a bluesman.

Yup. You read that correctly...singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer Dave Edmunds, who has worked with such artistically disparate artists as k.d. lang and the Stray Cats, Rockpile and Johnny Cash, and whose solo work was a maddening mish-mash of 1950s-styled rockabilly, vintage '60s British rock, and the 1980s-era infatuation with synths and keyboards and slick production...that Dave Edmunds was a blues-rock guitarist the equal of contemporaries like Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Rory Gallagher. And you wondered why the Fabulous Thunderbirds chose Edmunds to produce their breakthrough 1986 album Tuff Enuff?

Before he wore any and all of the abovementioned musical hats, Edmunds cut his teeth with the long-lost British blues-rock outfit Love Sculpture. Formed in 1966 in response to England's ongoing love affair with the blues, and inspired by the popularity of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Love Sculpture was an early power trio consisting of Edmunds on vocals and guitar, John Williams on bass, and drummer Bob "Congo" Jones.

All three members of Love Sculpture had played together for years in bands such as the rockabilly-oriented trio the Raiders, and the blues-influenced Human Beans (who recorded one single for Columbia and shouldn't be confused with the Youngstown, Ohio frat-rock band the Human Beinz).

Signed to EMI's Parlophone label, the band released its 1968 debut album into a thriving British blues-rock scene that included Cream and Savoy Brown, among many other bands. A collection of blues and R&B standards, with a lone original song in the title track, Blues Helping was designed as a showcase for Edmund's underrated six-string pyrotechnics.

Although Edmunds has since stated that he knew little about the blues when recording Blues Helping, you couldn't tell it from the results. With his instrument slung low, Edmunds leads the band through a breakneck cover of Freddie King's "The Stumble," the sped-up instrumental proving the guitarist's mettle and fretboard dexterity. The set includes a smoky cover of Ray Charles' "I Believe To My Soul" that features bassist Williams belting out the vocals, accompanied by Edmunds' stinging leads. Elmore James' raucous "So Unkind" is provided a Chicago blues-styled rhythm and Edmunds' spry guitarwork.

An odd cover of the George Gershwin song "Summertime" provides one of those hippy-dippy 1960s flashback psych-pop moments, with lush instrumentation, echoed vocals, and delicate, tho' decidedly un-bluesy guitarplay. The old blues chestnut "On The Road Again" was based on Canned Heat's cover of the song earlier in the year, and it even sounds like Bob Hite, Al Wilson, and crew save for Edmunds' distinctive guitar tone and blistering solos. Otherwise, from the vocals down to the potent, driving rhythm, you'd swear that you were listening to the boogie kings from California.

An inspired cover of Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" lopes along at an acceptable tempo, Williams' sly vocals peppered by shards of swaggering fretwork and supported by a hearty bassline as sticky and wide as two lanes of freshly-paved blacktop. Going back to the deep well that is Ray Charles' song catalog, "Come Back Baby" is a smoldering R&B bonfire with Jones' subtle brush-and-cymbal work and one of Edmunds' most dynamic solos. The album's title track, the instrumental "Blues Helping," features heaps of six-string notes that fly by with the speed and power of a tornado.

Four bonus tracks were tacked onto the end of Blues Helping, including an engaging cover of Tim Rose's folk-rock classic "Morning Dew (Take Me For A Walk)" by the pre-Love Sculpture line-up of the Human Beans, the 'A' side to their lone 7" single release. It's a fine cover, too, more in a psychedelic vein than blues-rock, but an impressive and original performance nonetheless. The 'B' side of the long-lost Human Beans single is a somewhat strained reading of the Isaac Hayes/Dave Porter gem "It's A Wonder" that offers inspired instrumentation but weak vocals. Another pair of tracks, from an obscure pre-Love Sculpture single, are interesting, but unremarkable pastiches of Beatlesque psych-pop.

More of a measure of Dave Edmunds' chameleon-like musical talents than a true artistic statement, Love Sculpture's Blues Helping is an obscure relic of an era past. The band would release a second, less bluesy and far less energetic album in 1969, and they would even score a hit in the U.K. with a speed-demon cover of the classical composition "Sabre Dance." Although he'd slap a bluesy lick into a song now and then throughout his lengthy solo career, Edmunds never quite walked the blues-rock path the same way again.
Still, Blues Helping is a rockin' collection of spirited blues covers with plenty of verve and more than enough guitar-wrangling to please even the most diehard Stevie Ray fan.

It's also a lot of fun, the band loose-limbed and brash in their musical aggression, playing off the power trio aesthetic with a recklessness and joy that they'd never find again. Edmunds' fretwork is a thing of amazement, and it makes one wonder what might have been if he'd followed Clapton down that lost highway towards the crossroads.
By Keith A. Gordon

Tracks
1. The Stumble (Freddy King, Sonny Thompson) - 3:03
2. Three O' Clock Blues (B.B. King, Jules Taub) - 5:08
3. I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles) - 3:47
4. So Unkind (Elmore James, Marshall Sehorn) - 2:56
5. Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin) - 4:02
6. On The Road Again (Floyd Jones, Will Shade) - 3:35
7. Don't Answer The Door (Jimmy Johnson) - 6:02
8. Wang Dang Doodle (Willie Dixon) - 3:31
9. Come Back Baby (Ray Charles) - 2:45
10.Shake Your Hips (James Moore) - 3:19
11.Blues Helping: Instrumental (Bob Jones, Dave Edmunds, John Williams) - 3:46
12.Morning Dew: Take Me For A Walk (Bonnie Dobson, Tim Rose, 1967 Single Release as Human Beans) - 2:52
13.It's A Wonder (Isaac Hayes, David Porter, 1967 Single Release as Human Beans) - 2:41
14.River To Another Day (Charles & Kingsley Ward, 1968 Single Release) - 2:36
15.Brand New Woman (Crick Feather, 1968 Single Release) - 2:21

Love Sculpture
*Dave Edmunds - Guitar, Organ, Piano, Lead Vocals
*John Williams - Bass, Piano, Vocals
*Bob 'Congo' Jones - Drums, Vocals

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Flower Pot Men - Let's Go To San Francisco (1967 uk, sunny flower power psych with bonus tracks)

The Flowerpot Men were a studio construct created by British songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis, who had previously been in the Ivy League, notable for providing background vocals on the early Who albums and for first recording the cult song "My World Fell Down," later a famous non-hit by Sagittarius.

Carter and Lewis (as the Flowerpot Men) crafted the Beach Boys-influenced "Let's Go to San Francisco," which was a minor hit at the close of the Summer of Love, as well as a couple of albums' worth of psychedelic-tinged sunshine pop, the highlights of which are included here.

Aside from the two-part single "Let's Go to San Francisco" (and its reprise, "Let's Go Back to San Francisco"), this release from C 5 also includes the very Byrds-ish "Blow Away" and the epic Mellotron-laced "Mythological Sunday." None of this is major stuff, but some of the recordings are gorgeously produced, and fans of 1960s sunshine pop and psychedelia should definitely give the Flowerpot Men a try.
by Steve Leggett

Tracks
1. Let's Go To San Francisco, Part 1 & 2 (John Carter,  Ken Lewis) - 6:17
2. A Walk In The Sky (John Carter,  Ken Lewis, Russell Alquist) - 3:51
3. Am I Losing You (John Carter) - 2:00
4. Man Without A Woman (John Carter, Russell Alquist) - 4:00
5. You Can Never Be Wrong (John Carter,  Ken Lewis, Russell Alquist) - 2:35
6. Piccolo Man (John Carter,  Ken Lewis, Russell Alquist) - 2:17
7. Mythological Sunday (Russell Alquist) - 5:18
8. In A Moment Of Madness (Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway) - 2:59
9. Young Birds Fly (Bill Swofford) - 2:27
10.Sweet Baby Jane (Gillian Shakespeare, John Carter) - 3:35
11.Journey's End (Gillian Shakespeare, John Carter) - 4:22
12.Silicon City (Gillian Shakespeare, John Carter) - 4:05
13.Busy Doin' Nothing (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) - 2:54
14.White Dove (John Carter,  Ken Lewis) - 4:09
15.Let's Go Back To San Francisco, Part 1 (John Carter,  Ken Lewis) - 2:35
16.Let's Go Back To San Francisco, Part 2 (John Carter,  Ken Lewis) - 2:46
17.Cooks Of Cake And Kindness (John Carter, Russell Alquist) - 2:56
18.Gotta Be Free (Peter Barnfather, John Carter) - 3:29
19.Heaven Knows When (Peter Barnfather, John Carter) - 3:39
20.Brave New World (Gillian Shakespeare, John Carter, Russell Alquist)  - 3:13
21.Children Of Tomorrow (Gillian Shakespeare, John Carter, Russell Alquist)  - 7:57

The Flower Pot Men
*Tony Burrows - Vocals
*Neil Landon - Vocals
*Robin Shaw - Vocals
*Pete Nelson - Vocals
*Ged Peck - Guitar
*Carlo Little - Drums
*Nick Simper - Bass
*Jon Lord - Organ

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Blues Wire - Take My Hand To The Sky (1983-2007 greece, superb blues rock, unreleased, demos, lives and outtakes)

In the words of blues prodigy Katie Webster, "Blues Wire are the best blues band in Europe and deserve to be heard by a wider audience".

According to everybody who has ever witnessed a Blues Wire gig this band is one of Europe 's best kept blues secrets and they should finally get the chance to be known to blues lovers around the world. The Blues Wire story began in 1983 when Sotiris Zisis (bass) and Elias Zaikos formed Blues Gang (who renamed themselves as Blues Wire in 1985), the very first blues band in Greece that tried to capture the original sounds of blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and T-Bone Walker.

They recorded the first blues album ever to be made by Greek musicians, at a time when it was really difficult to play music without obvious roots in Greek culture, let alone get a record deal for it. Back then, playing the blues not only could make someone almost an outcast, but it also meant dealing with shady characters and going through hard times. The only ways for a blues band to go through these times was to be tough, determined and stay true to the spirit that moved them in the first place.

It was these qualities that saw Blues Wire rise from a struggling blues band to full-grown, seasoned artists with their own distinctive sound. Thousands of gigs in every kind of venue imaginable, scores of TV and radio show appearances in Greece as well as abroad and an enviable recording expertise have helped define their tight and recognizable sound, a mix of passion and maturity that only comes with experience. Playing festivals and clubs in countries like France , Italy , Austria and Hungary (among others) not only consolidated their reputation but also proved that they are long past the novelty aspect of being a blues band coming from Greece .

Their infectious live act has captured the minds and the hearts of audiences everywhere and has earned them many an enthusiastic press reviews all around Europe . Through the years Blues Wire have often backed up top blues artists such as Louisiana Red, Katie Webster, John Hammond, Larry Garner, Big Time Sarah, Carey and Lurrie Bell, Angela Brown, Big Jay McNeely, Al Copley and Jeanne Carroll, to mention a few, proving they can keep up with the best of them. They have also opened for legendary musicians like Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Albert King, Otis Rush, the Yardbirds and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Their skill and musicianship led to memorable jam sessions with blues pioneers like Champion Jack Dupree, rising stars like Sherman Robertson and well-known British blues players like Dave Kelly. The band's versatility and open hearted attitude brought up spontaneous performances together with many musicians of different styles, ranging from Brit-jazzer Dick Heckstall-Smith to Australian songwriter Louis Tillett and from Canvey Island R&B masters Doctor Feelgood to members of Osibisa.

Blues Wire has provided the foundation of the Greek blues scene and the main inspiration for many younger musicians. For five years they were the house band at Pararlama, the first and most famous blues club in Greece .

After a career spanning more than twenty years, Blues Wire are now busier than ever. Spanning yet another mark in their long career, their last studio album showcases a more varied, elaborate and eclectic sound.

Blues Wire may have moved on to another level but their essence remains intact.

Tracks
1. Steady Gig - 3:58
2. Beacause Of You - 4:42
3. Meanthing - 3:16
4. Bulldog Boogie - 4:12
5. Keep Blues Alive - 4:16
6. Love Me - 3:44
7. There Is Love - 4:32
8. Circus Of Fools - 5:30
9. Fat Meets Bones - 4:06
10.Chicago Blues - 4:08
11.Blinded - 3:34
12.Life On The Road - 6:00
13.Wishbone - 6:57
14.Goodbye Now Blues - 1:35
All Songs Written by Elias Zaikos

Blues Wire
*Elias Zaikos - Guitars, Vocals
*Sotiris Zissis - Bass
*Nick "Backbone" Dounoussis - Guitar
*Alex Apostolakis - Drums
*George Bandoek - Harp, Guitars, Keyboards
*Oleg Chaly - Piano, Organ
*George Papazoglou - Drums

*John Doc Stanopoulos - Tenor Sax

*Akis Katsoupakis - Keyboards

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Grand Funk - Closer To Home (1970 us, classic heavy rock, 3rd album, japan remaster with bonus tracks)

Closer to Home, the trio's third album, was the record that really broke them through to the commercially successful level of metal masters such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Rather than rushing headlong into their typical hard, heavy, and overamplified approach, Grand Funk Railroad began expanding their production values.

Most evident is the inclusion of strings, the acoustic opening on the disc's leadoff cut, "Sins a Good Man's Brother," as well as the comparatively mellow "Mean Mistreater." But the boys had far from gone soft. The majority of Closer to Home is filled with the same straight-ahead rock & roll that had composed their previous efforts. The driving tempo of Mel Schacher's viscous lead basslines on "Aimless Lady" and "Nothing Is the Same" adds a depth when contrasted to the soul-stirring and somewhat anthem-like "Get It Together."

The laid-back and slinky "I Don't Have to Sing the Blues" also continues the trend of over-the-top decibel-shredding; however, instead of the excess force of other bands, such as MC5, Grand Funk Railroad are able to retain the often-elusive melodic element to their heavy compositions.
by Lindsay Planer

Tracks
1. Sin's A Good Man's Brother
2. Aimless Lady
3. Nothing Is The Same
4. Mean Mistreater
5. Get It Together
6. I Don't Have To Sing The Blues
7. Hooked On Love
8. I'm Your Captain
9. Mean Mistreater (Alternate Mix)
10.In Need (Live)
11.Heartbreaker (Live)
12.Mean Mistreater (Live)

Grand Funk
*Mark Farner - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Mel Schacher - Bass Guitar
*Don Brewer - Drums, Vocals

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John Lee Hooker And Canned Heat - Hooker 'N' Heat (1971 us, superb blues rock, double disc)

Canned Heat are hands down the best back-up band John Lee Hooker has recorded with since those hot shot country groups that blazed anonymously through the studios in the early Fifties. And despite the cover billing, they are very much a back-up group, for this is really a John Lee Hooker album, and one of his best in a long while.

    

Much of the credit goes to the Heat's planning and programming. They have caught Hooker in a variety of settings: soloist in his own characteristic idiom; playing a fantastic series of duets with the late Al Wilson; and fronting the entire band (minus Hite, who worked on the project, and spread his infectious good humor, from the control booth) for some righteous, raunchy boogie. Canned Heat have made no secret of the fact that their entire boogie series, spread over some three albums, draws its inspiration from Hooker's work, so the combination is a natural. The second album in this two-record set is given over to band numbers, and it's the best of the two.

    

Wilson's presence doesn't need to be overadvertised; he is very strong throughout, mostly in a very subtle way. Hooker has noted his admiration for Wilson several times, and their generation-spanning empathy is very evident here, especially on side two, which is given over mostly to Hooker with Wilson's harp and piano. Hooker remarks. "I don't know how that boy keeps up with me." It's no easy trick, keeping up with John Lee, but that's just what Alan does, laying down some amazing playing, especially on harp, in the process.

 Vestine, who had recently rejoined the band when these sides were cut, is also very strong, even though he like Wilson is subservient to Hooker's thing. Henry once told an interviewer his greatest ambition was to record with John Lee Hooker and with Albert Ayler. With the release of Ayler's Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe, and Hooker 'N Heat, Henry has fulfilled his ambitions at a very young age; there's no place for him to go but up.

 Mention should be made of the earth-moving power of Antonio de la Barreda and Adolfo de la Parra. the Heat's south-of-the-border rhythm section, and of the engineering, which may still be a little too clean for Hooker, but then, nobody records in barns anymore. Hooker fans are going to dig this record, and so are Heat fans, and that includes a lot of people. Let 'em boogie!

by Bob Palmer

Tracks

Disc-1

1. Messin' with the Hook - 3:23

2. The Feelin' Is Gone - 4:32

3. Send Me Your Pillow - 4:48

4. Sittin' Here Thinkin' - 4:07

5. Meet Me in the Bottom - 3:34

6. Alimonia Blues - 4:31

7. Driftin' Blues - 4:57

8. You Talk Too Much - 3:16

9. Burnin' Hell" (Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker) - 5:28

10.Bottle Up and Go - 2:27

Disc-2

1. The World Today - 7:47

2. I Got My Eyes on You - 4:26

3. Whiskey and Wimmen' - 4:37

4. Just You and Me - 7:42

5. Let's Make It - 4:06

6. Peavine - 5:07

7. Boogie Chillen No. 2 - 11:33

All songs written by John Lee Hooker except as noted.

Musicians

*John Lee Hooker - Vocals, Guitar, Percussion

*Bob Hite - Vocals

*Henry Vestine - Guitar

*Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson - Guitar, Piano, Harmonica

*Antonio De La Barreda - Bass

*Adolfo De La Parra - Drums

Other Canned Heat 

1968  Livin' The Blues 

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