It's difficult to know where to begin with a release like this -- there's no much here that's new and worthwhile that it virtually blows the original vinyl release, good as that was, off the map. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band didn't go quietly into the night, as this double-CD set reminds us. Originally a two-LP set, Live was their penultimate release on Elektra Records, recorded at the L.A. Troubadour and released in 1971, and it was over 70 minutes of some of the loudest, boldest blues of its time.
Oddly enough, the released concert contained some of the more straightforward and less complex material in the band's book -- this could have been a much bolder and more challenging release at the time. One discovers listening to the second disc in this set 66 minutes of much more ambitious arrangements opening with "Gene's Tune," an on-the-spot improvisation on a tune that saxman Gene Dinwiddie delivered just before the group took the stage, and offering an ample showcase not just for the reeds but for Butterfield's harmonica (which is the lead instrument and heard in its full glory for much of the first-half of this 12-minute jam) but also for Ralph Walsh's guitar and Ted Harris' keyboards.
Similar extended excursions are built around the more raw, more purely bluesy "Losing Hand," and the band's one-off hit, "Love March." Those are juxtaposed with more traditionally structured Chicago-style blues numbers, including "You've Got to Love Her With a Feeling," and funky jazz in bassist Rod Hicks' "All in a Day."
The band comes off as a killer hybrid ensemble, somewhere midway between, say, the Count Basie band of the late 1940s and a large-scale Chicago blues band of early in the next decade, and Booker T. & the MG's paired with the Mar-Keys, all bound up in a lean, sleek package resembling the second incarnation of Blood, Sweat & Tears at their best moments. Based on what's here, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band probably deserved a hearing as much as the latter group got, if not the same sales (Butterfield was a good singer, but lacked David Clayton-Thomas' MOR appeal) -- but musically, they could have blown all competitors off the stage in their sheer eclecticism.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. Everything Going to Be Alright - 10:08
2. Love Disease - 4:01
3. The Boxer - 6:38
4. No Amount of Loving - 5:53
5. Driftin' and Driftin' - 13:43
6. Intro to Musicians - 1:45
7. Number Nine - 10:10
8. I Want to Be With You - 3:55
9. Born Under a Bad Sign - 5:44
10.Get Together Again - 6:29
11.So Far, So Good - 9:17
This is a complete previously unreleased album by a legendary British `70s UK progressive rock band Stallion who issued a now-rare single in 1975 and performed with some of the UK greats in the mid 1970s: Curved Air, T-Rex, Edgar Broughton, Stray, Stackridge, Gong, Rare Bird, Magic Muscle, Budgie, Traffic and Osibisa to name but a few.
Their sole album is a powerful mixture of classic early `70s progressive music and with renowned keyboardist Phil Thornton on board, Stallion played a remarkably tasty brand of song-based, erstwhile prog-influenced rock that was also tainted with the aggressive and charismatic energy of front man John Wilde. Typically `70s and mixing the musical textures of contemporaries such as Fantasy, Mainhorse, Stackridge & Armageddon, and with a vocalist somewhere between early Genesis and Wishbone Ash, this is a genuine missing piece of British progressive rock history.
The CD also features a detailed booklet with band history and photos and includes the band`s rare single.. Includes bonus CD-Rom of the band performing at the Reading Festival in 1976 along with rare photos of the band. Lightning Tree. Stallion were always the band who liked to break the rules and challenge the norm. Of the many obscure, trench-coated progressive rock groups that germinated in the garages, sheds and studios of England in the early `70s, Stallion are now recognised as one of the great lost bands of the first progressive era.
Tracks
1. If Life Were Death (T. Turner, T. Bridger, R. Carey, S. Demetri, P. Thornton) - 7:00
2. Arsony In The UK (P. Thornton, P. Gill, R. Carey, J. Wilde, S. Demetri) - 3:53
3. Fresh Out Of Borstal (J. Petri, P. Thornton, P. Gill, S. Demetri, J. Wilde) - 4:52
4. Hard Life (J. Petri, P. Thornton, P. Gill, S. Demetri, J. Wilde) - 4:00
5. Open Door (P. Thornton, P. Gill, J. Petri, S. Demetri, J. Wilde) - 6:12
6. Cream Genes (P. Thornton, S. Demetri, P. Gill, J. Petri, J. Wilde) - 5:41
7. Way (P. Gill, J. Petri, P. Thornton, J. Wilde, S. Demetri) - 4:07
8. Hard Life (Live At The Lyceum Sept 1976) (J. Petri, P. Thornton, P. Gill, S. Demetri, J. Wilde) - 6:13
9. You Make Me Happy (P. Gill, P. Thornton, J. Petri, S. Demetri, J. Wilde) - 3:07
10.Cobra (T. Turner, T. Bridger, R. Carey, S. Demetri, P. Thornton) - 4:52
11.Skinny Kid (M. Stringer, T. Turner, T. Bridger, R. Carey, S. Demetri, P. Thornton) - 4:43
A minor classic hopelessly lost among all the innumerable "biggies" of the year 1970, it's also absolutely different from everything Gravy Train would do later, and too bad about it: no matter how much the group's limited following gushes over (A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man or Staircase To The Day, I can easily see how Gravy Train couldn't make it to fame's top based on those albums. Their debut shows Gravy Train as a brave and daring underground band, heavily influenced by and derivative of other prog/hard acts of the time, yet actually trying to push the boundaries forward. Unfortunately, since the album bombed, the guys preferred to dump all the experimentation of these songs in favour of a smoother, more commercial sound later on, which totally destroyed their idiosyncrasy and forever nailed them as second-rate good-for-nothings.
So anyway, Gravy Train is, in many respects, a marvelous album, and the one not to be afraid to blow your cash on if you can trace it anywhere. It does take some getting used to, of course, because at first, my reaction was "what the...?", and it doesn't happen all that often, I tell ya. Regular rule number one says that if you don't get the main point of the record on first listen, you don't get it ever. And, well, that kinda bothered me, but then I realized that yes, Gravy Train actually completely lacks a main point, and maybe so much for the better. This helps the guys avoid the pretentiousness and overblown character of later releases. What this album is is a bunch of stoned British guys with a good sense of melody and rhythm trying to have some fun with their influences. That's all. But isn't that enough when you actually have talent? The world won't be saved by this band anyway.
So, what are the influences? If I may be allowed to generalize (and who needs a review with no generalizations?), the main 'style' of this record can be reviewed as a mixture of Barrett's Pink Floyd and Canterbury bands like the Soft Machine. It's almost creepily evident even from the details: Norman Barrett is the name of the band leader, and the band themselves look eerily like the Soft Machine on the inlay photo. There's plenty of weirdass avantgarde jamming on the record, and a lot of bizarre and pseudo-psychedelic attitude as well, and one of the tracks is actually bluntly named 'Dedication To Syd', no less.
On the OTHER hand, while there are few thoroughly original ideas on the record, Gravy Train get by sticking to the immortal principle - "hey guys, let's take this thing from this band and that thing from that band and see what happens". So the main instruments on the record are Norman Barrett's guitar and J. D. Hughes' flute. The former has an unbelievably cool - if always the same - tone throughout, the thoroughly distorted analogy of Clapton's 'woman tone', rather favoured by British guitarists of the epoch, such as Alvin Lee and some others, but 'dried out' even more, so that without actually being as brutally heavy as Tony Iommi's tone, it produces almost the same effect. That said, on a few tracks, like 'Think Of Life', Norman does get almost brutally heavy, so Black Sabbath probably were an influence. As for the flute, well you know the flute can be used in two ways and two ways only - you either go the Moody Blues route and make it all gentle and smooth and loving or you go the Jethro Tull route and make it all sizzly and rough and rocking. Hughes goes the second way, so that some of the flute riffs actually are undistinguishable from prime Tull. Apart from that, he occasionally plays a nice sax part.
Now, what about the songs themselves? Much of this stuff rules. Barrett really has a knack for solid riffage; tunes like 'Think Of Life' will linger in your head for a long time - that flute/guitar interplay in the song's first part is unbeatable, truly as if Tony Iommi were meeting Ian Anderson (come to think of it, Tony Iommi did meet Ian Anderson, as any Tull expert will tell you, but at that time neither Tony nor Ian were playing in that way as of yet). The second, faster part of the song is pretty captivating as well, although the repetitiveness gets a bit stale.
On another lengthy track, 'Coast Road', the guys apply their playing techniques to a piece of generic blues improvisation, which is as marvelous as generic blues improvisations get; Barrett shines in all his might, with perfectly fluent, inflammatory guitar solos and a beautiful mastery of feedback techniques - he's cleaner and more restrained than Hendrix, but dammit if I don't enjoy his soloing on here just as much as Jimi's soloing on a random blues cover. The sax and flute work is also masterful and add further punch to the jam.
If there's anything to really get mad about on this record (and the following ones), it's the vocals. Barrett doesn't have a bad voice per se, but it's absolutely unfit for screaming your head off - it's raspy and whiny at the same time, and you have to be pretty vocally tolerant to enjoy that 'vocal feedback' pitch of his. I know I am pretty tolerant in that department, but even I had to stuff myself with tranquilizers and Alka Seltzer in order to adjust to the fella. And worse, he seems to revel in ugly vocal effects - the perfectly funny and well-written 'Dedication To Syd', for instance, is utterly spoiled by having the vocals double-tracked and one track played at high speed, so that you have Barrett's raspy vocal feedback in one channel and a stupid 'baby squeal' in the other one. All to that marvelous bassline that surely could have been used differently. And when they go 'I need you, so wonderfu-u-u-u-ul' on 'Enterprise', it nearly makes me throw up. At some points they simply get out of tune. And why the stupid whisper? Dammit.
So the saving grace of the record, I'd say, is that most of it is actually instrumental. Including the lengthy 'Earl Of Pocket Nook' composition, sixteen minutes of proggish jamming with only a little bit of vocals in the beginning. Of course, it's pretty overlong - and also displays the band's Cream influences, because the jazzy tempo changes and the way they explore the different themes almost miraculously reminds me of stuff like Cream's live version of 'Spoonful'. But some parts actually rule, and it doesn't really bother me as such.
Oh! The album was produced by Jonathan Peel, if the name of the guy tells you anything. This happens to be the band's main link to the "rockin' community" of the epoch - unlike other minor prog/rotts-rock bands of the time, Gravy Train were never really a revolving door act and stood pretty much isolated of the community. Which is of course weird considering all the influences of the album. Which I would really recommend you to track down if possible. George Starostin
Tracks 1. The New One - 5:15
2. Dedication To Sid - 7:17
3. Coast Road - 6:46
4. Enterprise - 6:20
5. Think Of Life - 5:10
6. Earl Of Pocket Nook - 16:11
Gravy Train *Les Williams - Bass, Vocals
* Barry Davenport - Drums
* J.D. Hughes - Flute (Alto, Simultaneous Alto And Tenor), Vocals
* Norman Barrett - Vocals, Guitar
The one and only album that was released by Lily has now been re-released in CD format by the excellent Garden Of Delights label together with four bonus tracks. Musically the album features a strange blend of progressive rock which may sound extremely harsh to those who are accustomed to the British or Italian bands playing this genre of music. The German progressive rock movement, sometimes referred to as the kraut-rock movement, often did without the melodic and atmospheric nature of keyboards and the mellotron relying on a much harsher and rockier sound created primarily by the guitar.
Lily further augmented their sound with the addition of the sound of the saxophone in their lengthy instrumental pieces which helped add that jazz edge to the rock. Furthermore the band possessed two stylistically different guitarists, Manfred-Josef Schmid who had a raw sound to his playing and Klaus Lehmann whose style was much more polished. These two contrasting styles allowed for the band to expand their music to a broad base.
The album kicks off with In Those Times, which immediately indicates the Canterbury blend of music that Lily tend to play, which sounds rather strange coming from a German band! Steinberg's saxophone work coupled with the great guitar work places the band almost on a par with groups such as Soft Machine, and also the more progressive works of Delivery. What makes the track, and indeed most of the album, even more endearing is the fact that the solos do not involve endless aimless doodles, but instead fit in snugly with the musical context which remains rather strict in tempo and structure.
Which Is This is rather similar to the opening track in style, though Pinky Pigs has a much more bluesy feel. Their is also a slightly looser feel to the music giving it a much more psychedelic touch rather than the jazzier nature of the opening tracks. On Doctor Martin the band manage to fuse these elements by creating an echo-driven mystical atmosphere that occasionally breaks down into some great guitar riffs punctuated by the odd saxophone or guitar lick.
I'm Lying On My Belly (Including Tango Atonale) has a much more familiar feel to it with its rather typical late sixties bluesy stomp, though one must also make a reference to Kirchmeier's vocals. In fact, a major factor that allows Lily to be so accessible is the fact that they possessed a vocalist whose pronunciation was devoid of those normally thick German accents, whilst at the same time being able to create a rich powerful delivery.
This is further exemplified on Eyes Look From The Mount Of Flash which is distinct from the previous track in its diversity. Whereas I'm Lying On My Belly features more or less a variation on a theme, this track allows the band to broaden their psychedelic/progressive influences with the occasional space rock foray as well as some interesting time signature changes.
Thus ended the original version of V.C.U. (We See You). The remaining four tracks are bonus tracks that have been made available on CD. They must have been recorded at the same time as the album as no mention is made of any changes in line-up for these specific recordings. Possibly they were part of the original demo-tape that the band had made as admittedly the sound does suffer slightly on certain occasions.
Chemical New York is possibly the most straight forward track on the album with a well defined blues rhythm with, unlike on other tracks, a lack of a guitar solo with just Steinberg's saxophone delving into solo territory. Adlerbar further adds to the blues stomp nature of these bonus tracks and is pretty much on the same lines as Chemical New York. Hearing these Bonus Tracks over and over again leads me to think that they must have been recorded prior to the recording of the album.
The basicity of the music with little or nor variation throughout is a stark contrast to what the band's eventual album would offer. Having said that, Catch Me and The Wanderer do witness the band showing an amount of improvisation with the latter being the track to write home mostly about. This last track has solos coming from each member of the band, with the most striking being the bass solo from Kirchmeier.
Though not strictly speaking a Canterbury progressive rock band, Lily are an exciting view into the German progressive rock scene from the early seventies. Most people tend to have the notion that the scene in those years consisted only of electronic orientated bands as or else kraut rock Amon Duul clones. Lily dispel this notion with an excellent development of what is essentially a rhythm and blues foundation taken that one step further well within the context of the times the band were living.
by Nigel Camilleri
Tracks
1. In Those Times - 9:08
2. Which Is This - 4:24
3. Pinky Pigs - 6:38
4. Doctor Martin - 4:36
5. I'm Lying On My Belly (Including 'Tango Atonale') - 5:57
Atlee, where a hard-driving quartet, with powerful initial entry here, an album that really moves. Atlee Yeager and his associates overpower their material vocally and instrumentally.
Each side begins with a big one ("Rip You Up" and "Let's Make Love"), but there's much more here. "Dirty Old Man" and "Swamp Rhythm" are among the other good cuts. All the material here was written by Yeager.
Tracks
1. Rip You Up - 4:21
2. Swamp Rhythm - 3:51
3. Painted Ladies - 4:05
4. Jesus People - 5:06
5. Let's Make Love - 5:58
6. Will Get Together (Atlee Yeager, Michael Stevens) - 2:53
7. Dirty Old Man (Atlee Yeager, Michael Stevens, Bruce Schaffer, Don Francisco) - 5:19
Presence, originally released in 1976, is now being released as a CD. It is a very special album for all of us involved as it captured a particularly creative and inspirational moment in our lives. Whenever I listen to it, I am struck by the life that is conveyed through the music. It continues to move me, even after 33 years. The songs are still fresh and speak out as if they were only recorded yesterday.
The five members of the band, Veronica Towers, Kevan and Ivor Bundell, Mike Waiting and Paul Gateshill, came together through the inspiration of the Focolare Movement - an ecumenical movement which is now spread across the globe. In fact we were a very ecumenical band, representing Roman Catholic. Presence was recorded over four days during Easter 1975 at the independent Indigo Studios, in Manchester, England, on a four track tape machine.
The engineer was Dave Rohl. He was also the keyboard player of the Mandala Band and there was an immediate musical rapport with him in the studio. Much of the albums' vitality and freshness are due to his skills and encouragement. The album was mixed a few weeks later in one day, and the master disc was cut at the famous Abbey Road studios in London(of Beatles fame). So where are the band now? All five are still making music and play on one anothers' albums and in concerts together.
Veronica's vocals are even richer and more sublime and you can catch up with her song-writing on two albums: "Promises of Life" and "Light and Shade". The Bundell brothers have produced two fine albums: "Secret Lives" and "Stood on the Shore". Mike Waiting is still being wonderfully percussive and Paul Gateshill can be heard on the album "Years in the Making".
by Paul Gateshill
Tracks
1. Moment Of You (Kevan Bundell, Paul Gateshill) - 6:31
2. Break Down The Walls (Veronica Towers, Coen) - 3:50
3. Children (Ivor Bundell) - 3:15
4. All For You (Ivor Bundell) - 3:51
5. Laws Of God (Veronica Towers) - 3:14
6. Prayer (Paul Gateshill) - 3:16
7. Turning Point (Paul Gateshill) - 4:04
8. Peace (Veronica Towers) - 3:04
9. Presence (Paul Gateshill) - 2:48
10.Shepherd Song (Veronica Towers) - 3:05
11.God Is Love (Paul Gateshill) - 5:07
12.Learn To Share (Paul Gateshill) - 3:50
13.Who Would True Valour See (Ivor Bundell, Kevan Bundell) - 3:05
Previous to the Chirco Visitation sessions, the Visitation Musicians were working in Westchester County, just outside of Mew York City, as a band called "Sassafrass". with S.H, Foote on Keyboards, Ted McKenzie on drums Bruce Taylor on Bass and John Naylor on guitar, Tony Chirco approached the band to assist in completing a project he had already begun with other session musicians . "Sassafrass" joined with 'Tony and vocalist Anvil Roth and completed the sessions at Syncron Sound Studios.
The band then traveled to Denver In an attempt to promote the LP within the local Donver music scene, By chance they became entangled with J, Carlos Schidlowski, a, Chilean businessman who started his Denver Colorado, based "Crested Butte" records in 1972, Chirco was the first Ip release on Crested Butte, the second (and only other one) was a very Middle-Of-The-Road effort by Paul Hampton. The group and label were introduced at big party on a ranch near Boulder and Ips were handed out with "Crested Butte" belt buckles.
A few singles followed by local acts but Schidlowski's label basically was doomed to start with….and perhaps that's what Carlos may have had in mind, since some seemed to believe he was better at spending the money of others than taking in revenue for the label, The Chirco sessions were produced by the now-famous Michaei Cuscuna and have a polish that few independent Projects of the early seventies have, Barry Tashian {Remains} assisted the group when they ware taping in New England, A disc of all original material, "Visitation" is a rock Ip with a jazz feel and subtle spiritual message that did not find a commercial audience In Colorado.
The group and album met with failure in the Denver area (although we heard they played in Boulder) and most of the records ended up in the trash or in the case of one shop, wore given away with a purchase., The financial slight of hand of the label's founder, however, did not escape the federal authorities and they pursued Mr. Schidlowski and brought him to Denver from Chile around 1974 to serve two years in a local correctional facility. In the eighties he would be returned to Chile after 23 of fraud were uncovered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tracks Older Than Ancient - Parable
1. Sound Of The Cross (Chirco,R.Burnley) - 2:15
2. 33 Years (B. Taylor, B. Chanaca) - 3:51
3. 'Cause I Love You(B. Taylor, L. Rickards) - 3:43
4. Golden Image (Chirco, A. Roth) - 7:00 Younger Than New
5. Dear Friends (R. Calabrese, Chirco) - 7:46
6. Mister Sunshine Parable (B. Tashian, Chirco) - 5:08
7. Minutes (R. Calabrese, Chirco) - 2:51
8. Child Of Peace (R. Calabrese, Chirco) - 4:49
Before Bruce Kulick became a fixture on the speed dial of legendary rockers like KISS (who proudly called him their lead guitarist for 12 years), Meat Loaf (he was a member of the Bat Out Of Hell touring troupe), or Grand Funk Railroad (with whom he has toured the country for most of the last decade); before he became one of the most sought after guest musicians in the world; before he garnered praise from press the world over as a Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp counselor to be both respected and feared; before all of that, Bruce Kulick was a fan of great rock music. Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Yes, The Who... you name it, Kulick knew it.
"When people ask me how to get better at their instrument, I always tell them to find other players in your area and learn to make music," says Kulick. "To that end, after I'd been playing a while, I found a guy who lived in the next building over from me, in the Jackson Heights area of Queens, New York. His name was Mike Katz, and he was a bass player who loved all of the same bands I did. We started jamming, and, because we already spoke the same language musically, it was just magical. We found a drummer named Guy Bois who rounded out the picture, and we formed a group that we envisioned as a cross between Cream and Yes."
After months of rehearsal in the Bois family basement, the band (though called "KKB" today, never had an official name) entered New York's Sudden Rush recording studio in September of 1974 armed with a handful of songs. As with many young bands, things didn't progress for the three musicians. Eventually Kulick, Katz and Bois went their separate ways. The reel-to-reel tape of those sessions sat gathering dust until Kulick found a TEAC reel-to-reel player for $35.00 at garage sale in 2006, and thus he also rediscovered the "KKB" sessions.
"I put that tape on, and was blown away," smiles Kulick. "It was like a time capsule, and there was such passion and fury in the music. It was funny, too, how I recognized so many elements in that tape recording from almost 35 years ago that are still in my guitar playing today."
As enjoyable as it was for Bruce to journey down memory lane, it was playing the tape for friends and other musicians that lead him to consider releasing it to the public at large. "Everyone I played it for said the same thing, that I needed to put this music out as it sounds so current, no matter how many years ago it was created. So I began the process of getting this old tape transferred into a digital format."
While there was some repair work and extensive mastering (by Kulick and producer/engineer Jeremy Rubolino) done to the tape to get it up to digital standards, no overdubs or new music were recorded. The "KKB" sessions appear on the CD exactly as they were recorded.
"Oddly enough, even though this music was created in 1974, the vibe is right in line with some of the music that has come out in the last few years. Bands like Wolfmother and The White Stripes go for that vintage analog sound and KKB has that powerful punch that analog is known for," marvels Kulick. But beyond all of that, this music has relevance, is extremely catchy and musical, and will stand on its own no matter how many years ago it was created. Turn on the black lights and rock out to KKB!" from The Official Bruce Kulick website
Tracks
1. I'll Never Take You Back - 4:01
2. My Baby - 4:33
3. You've Got A Hold On Me - 4:07
4. Tryin' To Find A Way - 4:32
5. Someday - 2:08
6. You Won't Be There - 5:45
7. To Be Free - 3:01
8. You Won't Be There (Alternate Jam Take) - 6:24
All songs by Mike Katz, except (4-Tryin' To Find A Way) by Mike Katz and Bruce Kulick
Leslie West imposed himself on the national music scene with a blistering performance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. The rotund musician had made a name for himself on the East Coast as the lead guitarist for the Vagrants. He went solo in 1969 with an album titled Mountain, which featured bass playing and production by Felix Pappalardi, the multi-faceted individual who oversaw production of Cream's psychedelic blues masterpiece Disraeli Gears. Pappalardi applied the same studio mastery to Mountain, and netted a gig as West's studio and touring band bass player.
The partnership eventually evolved into the heavy metal group Mountain, after drummer Corky Laing and keyboardist Steve Knight enlisted. Mountain enjoyed modest success as a critically panned Cream-wannabe band, but thrilled live audiences with such raucous fare as the single "Mississippi Queen." After Mountain broke up, West enjoyed a stint as leader of the power trio West, Bruce & Laing, featuring his Mountain drummer and former Cream bassist, singer, and composer Jack Bruce. Amazingly, the group met with little success, and West once again went solo. Since his professional heyday of the 1970s, West has released several critically well-received albums in between semi-regular re-formations of Mountain.
West was born Leslie Weinstein in Forest Hills, New York. West's uncle, Will Glickman, worked as a writer for the Jackie Gleason Show. West's grandmother took him to a filming of the show, only to find out that the scheduled filming had been canceled. Instead, he wound up sitting in the studio audience of Elvis Presley's inaugural television appearance on The Stage Show. Mesmerized, the young Weinstein took up the guitar. His first band, the Vagrants, initially began playing rhythm-and-blues cover songs, much like other Long Island, New York, bands such as the Young Rascals and Jay and the Americans.
While playing a residency at the Rolling Stone Club in New York City, the band earned recording contracts with Vanguard Records and Atco. The latter was the American label for the British Rock power trio Cream, which featured Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce. The group's breakout single was supposed to be a cover of Otis Redding's "Respect," but Atco overshadowed the release by issuing Aretha Franklin's version.
After several other singles failed to receive national attention, West recorded Mountain with production and bass playing by Pappalardi and drumming from N.D. Smart. Pappalardi, as noted previously, had produced Cream's Disraeli Gears, and the sound he captured for West's solo effort was a combination of Cream and fellow power trio the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Gail Collins, Pappalardi's future wife, contributed lyrics to the Cream single "Strange Brew." All Music Guide critic William Rhulmann characterized the Mountain outing as "dominated by West's throaty roar of a voice and inventive blues-rock guitar playing."
In order to tour behind the Mountain album, West recruited Pappalardi, Smart, and keyboardist Steve Knight. Dubbing the band Mountain, West debuted the group at impresario Bill Graham's Fillmore West in San Francisco. The group's fourth live performance occurred at the 1969 Woodstock Festival in upstate New York...
Tracks
1. Blood of the Sun (L. West, F. Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 2:37
2. Long Red (L. West, F. Pappalardi, John Ventura, Norman Landsberg) - 3:18
3. Better Watch Out (F. Pappalardi, G. Collins) - 2:51
4. Blind Man (G. Collins, F. Pappalardi, L. West, John Ventura) - 3:56
5. Baby, I'm Down (F. Pappalardi, G. Collins) - 4:05
6. Dreams of Milk and Honey (L. West, F. Pappalardi, J. Ventura, Norman Landsberg) - 3:36
7. Storyteller Man (L. West, F. Pappalardi, J. Ventura, N. Landsberg) - 3:08
8. This Wheel's on Fire (Bob Dylan, Rick Danko) - 3:21
9. Look to the Wind (L. West, F. Pappalardi, J. Ventura) - 2:45
10.Southbound Train (L. West, J. Ventura, N. Landsberg) - 3:02
Headstone consisted of three Fiynn brothers and a friend Torn Applegate who recorded this, their sole album at the Rome Recording Studios in Columbus Ohio in 1974. Interestingly the Rome Studios, which still exist today, was run by jack Casey and provided studio facilities to primarily Christian bands at the time although there is no evidence that Headstone were a Xian band. Ohio was full of obscure hard rock bands in the 70s and many of their self-released albums have stood the test of time.
This album is of a consistent high quality throughout and has been described as psychedelic and there are certainly some psych tinges but what we are talking about here is good old-fashioned hard rock of the BOC, Steppenwolf or ZZ Top variety mixed with a couple of potentially commercial and catchy hard rock pop tracks like "Peace of Mind*" and "Springtime" with vocals that would compete for the AOR FM plays if it weren't for the roughness of the production.
But this is a good thing in the same way as say the Morgan album. OK Morgen is more psychedelic hue that's more to do with the time gap of 1969 to this album’s 1974 and the Headstone vocals are more Styx than the punky snarl of Morgan but both albums have the same raw energy and pounding drumming high up in the mix making it part of the music rather than simply a rhythm section.
This album is full of fuzz and extended guitar solos and most of the tracks are well constructed with lots of tempo changes and well played with super swirling Hammond, hard drumming, hard riffing and lots of guitar effects. Headstones sole album is presented here with 4 extra tracks consisting of both sides of their 2 non-album 45s.
Tracks
1. Still Looking (David Flynn, Bruce Flynn, Barry Flynn, Tom Applegate) - 8:29
2. I Like It (David Flynn) - 7:47
3. Misery (David Flynn, Barry Flynn) - 4:09
4. Those Days - 5:45
5. Peace Of Mind (Barry Flynn) - 5:01
6. Springtime (Barry Flynn, Tom Applegate) - 4:08
7. I Love You - 5:03
8. Buying Time (Barry Flynn) - 2:34
9. Snake Dance (David Flynn, Bruce Flynn, Barry Flynn, Tom Applegate) - 2:20
10.What People Say (Bruce Flynn) - 3:14
11.Carry Me On - 3:20
12.Hey Boy - 3:15
13.Ragin' River - 4:42
All tracks by David Flynn, Bruce Flynn, Barry Flynn except where noted
Bassist Nick Greenwood is best-known today for his fiery work with Arthur Brown in his own 1968-69 heyday. Moving on, in 1972, Greenwood chose to record a solo album, and to that end brought together a crack band of sessionmen. Even for its time the resulting Cold Cuts set was way out there, a mighty slab of psychedelia-laced prog rock that soared into musical recesses seldom explored.
Besides showcasing Greenwood's superb bass skills, fans are also surprisingly treated to his vocals -- surprising, because Greenwood was not previously known as a singer. He acquits himself quite spectacularly here, his delivery as powerful on the rockier numbers as it is nuanced and introspective on the proggier songs. Yet, what really captures one's attention is the interplay between keyboardist Dick Henningham, guitarist Bryn Howarth, and Bunk Gardner's woodwinds.
Henningham easily reaches the majestic peaks of the showier Keith Emerson, but without the pomposity, however what he mostly brings to the table is a funky style that shimmers into blues and jazz and plays havoc with one's preconceptions of psych or prog. Overhead, Gardner's various woodwinds dip and soar, while Howarth's lead guitar strikes and sears the air and the string section sounds out.
But it's how arranger Charles Lamont fits together these myriad musical pieces that is so fascinating. Moods flicker and shift, atmospheres thicken then dissipate, instruments come to the fore then disappear, yet somehow the numbers all hold together, as does the set as a whole. The playing is phenomenal -- arguably this set features Howarth's best work, while Henningham, who co-wrote the album, is absolutely stupendous.
Greenwood virtually disappeared from view after the release of this album, perhaps because there was nowhere to go from it. Having wrung every ounce of creativity from himself, then brought out the very best in all his sessionmen, what was possibly left to do? Even so, poor sales, possibly due to the album's strikingly revolting cover, resigned Cold Cuts to cult collector's status, but this masterpiece deserved better, and with its reissue perhaps it will finally get its due.
A logical precursor to Brand X, Nova is an Italian fusion band that features the mind-numbing bass and drum interplay of Brand X, but follows through with guitar, sax and vocals as well. Vocals are in English, and unlike many Italian bands that use English vocals, the singing does not detract from the overall quality of the music. After listening a few times, I realized that Nova has four lead instruments:
The guitars, sax, bass and drums all play lead-styled lines, at the same time, for the most part. The overall product is a very complex jam with occasional vocals. Any fan of Brand X, Ossana or Area may find this interesting listening. I find it fantastic - yet another long lost Italian classic. This is their first album. They recorded three more, and I've heard that they got "rockier" as time went on. Whatever. "Blink" stands on its own. Highly recommended.
by Mike Borella
Tracks
1. Tailor Made - Part 1, Part 2 - 5:09
2. Something Inside Keeps You Down - Part 1, Part 2 - 6:11
3. Nova - Part , Part 2 - 7:10
4. Used To Be Easy - Part 1, Part 2 - 5:12
5. Toy - Part 1, Part 2 - 4:21
6. Stroll On - Part 1, Part 2 - 10:33
Nova
*Elio D'Anna - Alto, Soprano, Tenor Saxes, Flute
*Franco Loprevite - Drums
*Luciano Milanese - Bass
*Corrado Rustici - Lead Vocals, Acoustic, Electric Guitars
A French-Canadian band from Montreal, Quebec, whose lyrics are English. Both their albums are now rare. The first leans very much towards hard rock with sledgehammer drums, thundering rhythm, furious guitar leads and wasted vocals. There's some nice woodwind on 'Come, Wake Up!', some pleasant mouth harp on 'Try' and some fuzzy guitar on 'Night Symphony' and 'Love Is A Game'; but overall the menu's heavy-handed bluesy hard rock. The first 45 was culled from this album. All the material was penned by Gratton, Rousseau and Trepanier. The lyrics are very much in the spin of their name, particularly the final cut. For hard rockers only!
1971's "The End of My Life" found Sex expanded to a quartet with the addition of sax/woodwind player Pierre "Pedro" Ouellette. Produced by Joey Gallmi, the album marked a distinctive change in the band's sound. Largely abandoning the debut's blues-rock direction, this time out tracks like 'Born to Love' and '' found them trying to find a niche somewhere between progressive and jazz-rock genres.
I'm probably reading way too much into it, but the set seemed to have been put together as a concept piece - the plotline seemingly having something to do with following a man's love life from birth ('I'm Starting My Life Today') through STD-related death ('Syphilissia' - remember this was recorded in a pre-AIDS age). Hard to accurately describe, but imagine a bunch of sex addicted French Canadian musicians who suddenly decided they wanted to join the Canterbury progressive movement ... The results were actually better than that description would have you believe.
The Action hailed from Kentish Town in London. Formed in 1963, they were originally a quartet known as The Boys, and were a back-up band for singer Sandra Barry. Under this guise, they released tow 45's, one with Barry and one as The Boys - both unsuccessful - before changing their name in 1965. At that time Reggie King was the lead guitarist. Following the change of the groups' name came a change in personnel when Watson joined as lead guitarist, allowing King to concentrate on his vocal duties. (Watson would be replaced by Martin Stone in 1966).
In 1965, they were spotted and signed by the Beatles' producer, George Martin and the group built up a strong following among the mods in the clubs. In live performance they were good enough to be serious rivals to The Who and The Small Faces. But despite having this in their favour, the recordings they issued, although strong enough, mysteriously failed to reach the charts.
They were the most soul-oriented of the mod groups, favouring guitar-driven covers of Motown tunes and standard R&B dance numbers of the day such as "Land Of 1,000 Dances". Under Martin's guidance, emphasis was placed on Reggie King's blue-eyed soul voice and the group's harmonies. Their later original material shows an increased sophistication in both songwriting and production.
The Action's sound was something akin to a more soul-oriented version of the Small Faces. In 1967 Reggie King left to pursue a solo career with keyboardist Ian Whitman replacing him. This led to another change of name, this time to Azoth, before they evolved into Mighty Baby and eventually disbanded altogether in the early 1970s.
Tracks
1. I'll Keep Holding On (Ivy Jo Hunter, William Stevenson) - 3:41
2. Harlem Shuffle (Bob Relf, Earl Lee Nelson) - 3:14
3. Never Ever (Alan King, Mike Evans, Reg King, Roger Powell) - 2:22
4. Twenty Fourth Hour (Alan King, Mike Evans, Reg King, Roger Powell) - 2:38
5. Since I Lost My Baby (Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore) - 3:42
6. My Lonely Room (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 2:41
7. Hey-sah-lo-ney (Bernie Lane, John Linde, Mickey Lee Lane) - 2:28
8. Wasn't It You (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 2:51
9. Come On, Come With Me (Alan King, Mike Evans, Reg King, Roger Powell) - 2:23
10. Just Once In My Life (Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Phil Spector) - 2:56
11. Shadows And Reflections (Larry Marks, Tandyn Almer) - 2:52
12. Something Has Hit Me (Nick Jones, Reg King) - 3:28
13. The Place (Jack Hammer) - 2:33
14. The Cissy (Alan King) - 2:22
15. Baby You Got It (Maurice McAlister, Terry Vail) - 2:42
16. I Love You (Yeah) (Curtis Mayfield) - 3:19
17. Land Of 1,000 Dances (Chris Kenner, Fats Domino) - 2:51
The Action
*Reggie King - Vocals
*Peter Watson - Lead Guitar
*Alan "Bam" King - Rhythm Guitar
*Mike Evans - Bass
*Roger Powell - Drums
Spooky Tooth is a widely know entity in the States, but Americans are far less familiar with the precursor band Art (with four future Spooky Tooth members).
As members of the Carlisle, Cumberland, England-based The V.I.P.'s, singer Mike Harrison and bassist Greg Ridley generated considerable media attention with a series of three mid-'60s singles. Unfortunately, before the band could record an album, the band underwent a massive personnel upheaval that saw original members James Henshaw, Walter Johnstone and Frank Kenyon hit the road, leaving Harrison and Ridley as the only remaining members.
Deciding to continue the nameplate, the pair quickly recruited a new line up, consisting of keyboardist Keith Emerson, guitarist Luther Grosvenor, drummer Mike Kellie and bassist Greg Ridley. The new line up managed to record one single, before Emerson left to join The Nice. Within a matter of months the remaining quartet had decided to drop the V.I.P nameplate in favor of Art.
Signed by Chris Blackwell's Island Records, the band's first exposure came via the single "What's That Sound" b/w "Rome Take Away Three" (Island catalog number WIP 6019). Interestingly, the "A" side was a unimaginative cover of The Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" - albeit writing credits mistakenly credited the track to Stephen Mills.
For an LP that's frequently marketed as a major psychedelic artifact, 1967's Guy Stevens produced "Supernatural Fairy Tales" proved surprising diverse and accomplished. There's certainly a psych influence here, witness tracks such as the lead off selection "I Think I'm Going Weird" and the wispy title track. That said, propelled by Harrison raw voice and Grosvenor's thick guitar chords, group penned originals such as "Room with a View" and "Flying Anchors" offered up a far harder brand of rock, serving as a good indication of what was about to happen with the forthcoming Spooky Tooth.
Elsewhere, recalling their V.I.P. catalog, "Come On Up" and "Brothers, Dads and Mothers" offered up R&B/soul influenced numbers. Among the weird offerings, propelled by Kellie's drumming, "African Thing" reflected some interesting African polyrhythms. Meant very much as a compliment, to our ears the set bares a strong resemblance to Traffic's early catalog. (The eye catching cover was designed Hapsash and the Coloured Coat members Michael English and Nigel Weymouth.)
by Bad Cat
Tracks
1. I Think I'm Going Weird - 3:19
2. What's that Sound (For What It's Worth) (Stills) - 2:47
3. African Thing - 4:04
4. Room With a View - 3:38
5. Flying Anchors - 2:40
6. Supernatural Fairy Tale - 3:34
7. Love Is Real - 3:19
8. Come on Up (Cavaliere) - 3:01
9. Brothers, Dads and Mothers - 3:27
10.Talkin' to Myself - 1:39
11.Alive Not Dead - 2:12
12.Rome Take Away Three - 3:00
(All songs written by Grosvenor, Harrison, Ridley, Kellie except where indicated.)
The Art
*Mike Harrison - Piano, Vocals
*Luther Grosvenor - Guitar, Vocals
*Greg Ridley - Bass
*Mike Kellie - Drums
This mid-sixties four-piece from Carlisle, England, also included Keith Emerson for a few weeks before he formed The Nice. Initially an R 'n' B outfit, they formed in 1963 and recorded the first two of three reputedly fine singles. In addition to the tracks included here, they also recorded a one-sided acetate for the Surrey-based Oak label, How Many, and a couple of other acetates on EMI-Disc.
In December 1966 Kenyon (later of Junkyard Angels, Mike Harrison’s band after Spooky Tooth’s first breakup), Johnstone and Henshaw all left and a new line-up recorded the final 45 for Island and a US-only 45, Mercy, Mercy, before Emerson departed to form The Nice. By the time of the final single, Straight Down To The Bottom, both Mike Kelly (Kellie) and Luther Grosvenor had joined, it is Luther’s guitar work that can be heard on this track.
They changed their name to Art in 1967, recording one album for Island Records, and later became Spooky Tooth with the addition of Gary Wright on keyboards. They never released an album, but this collection gathers most of their recordings in a very economical package. Greg Ridley later joined up with Steve Marriot and Peter Frampton in Humble Pie.
This Australian edition issued in 2004. A previously issued vinyl release included the first 14 tracks, this edition adds seven tracks from The Twen Radio Show from 1966.
Tracks
1. Don't Keep Shouting at Me - 2:20
2. She's So Good - 2:17
3. Wintertime - 2:07
4. Anyone - 2:15
5. Straight Down to the Earth - 2:07
6. In a Dream - 2:21
7. Back Intro My Life Again - 2:36
8. Every Girl I See - 2:57
9. Don't Let It Go - 2:35
10.Stagger Lee - 3:18
11.Rosemarie - 3:23
12.Late Night Blues - 5:43
13.I Wanna Be Free - 3:13
14.Smokestack Lightning - 6:42
15. You Don't Know Like I Know (live) - 2:32
16. Stagger Lee (live) - 3:27
17. I Wanna B e Free (live) - 3:12
18. Fannie Mae (live) - 3:36
19. Talk About Me , Babe (live) - 3:41
20. Grapes and Wrath (live) - 3:11
21. I Got a Woman (live) - 6:36 Tracks 15-21 bonus live recordings from the Twen Radio Show 1966
The V.I.P's *James Henshaw - Lead Guitar *Mike Harrison - Lead Vocals *Walter Johnstone - Drums *Greg Ridley - Bass Guitar *Frank Kenyan - Rhythm Guitar *Luther Grosvenor - Lead Guitar (1967) *Mike Kelly - Drums (1967) *Keith Emerson - Electric Organ (1966-1967)
The sole album by Fresh Maggots came and went very quickly at the tail-end of 1971, but in another sense it has never really gone away. Collectors have nudged the price of originals ever upwards, it has been bootlegged repeatedly and is now established as an 'acid folk' classic - facts that amaze its co-creators, Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin. They'd known each other "since we were babies in pushchairs on the same housing estate in Nuneaton," as Leigh puts it today, but only really became friends when they met again as teenagers on the town's small live circuit in the late 60s. By then Mick was playing electric guitar, glockenspiel, violin and tin whistle, while Leigh had become a superb acoustic guitarist.
They promptly teamed up and started to write songs that combined their love of both rock and folk. "We were into Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Taste as well as Pentangle and so on," Leigh explains, and as a result they decided to beef up their sound with heavy doses of fuzz guitar. "A fuller sound was important in clubs, and the fuzz gave us sustain. Without a band behind us, we needed that boost."
Their unusual and not entirely serious name was gleaned from an ad on the front of the local paper, for 'Riley's Sports Shop -fresh maggots always available'. "We never thought we'd get anywhere, so it didn't matter what we were called," Mick says. "Maybe Always Available should have been the album title!" But an unexpected break came their way in September 1970, when Mike Berry -a music publishing hotshot who'd handled the Beatles' catalogue at Apple -came to watch another act playing in a local Church Hall.
Mick and Leigh were the support, and though it was only their second gig, it was them that Berry promptly signed to a management contract. "After that, things started to happen very quickly," continues Mick. "He got us straight down to London to make a live studio demo, which he hawked around various record companies. We then did a gig in his office in Oxford Street for anyone who was interested and, on the strength of that, RCA sent some people to a gig in Coventry. Halfway through there was a powercut, but we just carried on. They were so impressed that they signed us on the spot."
In their original press release, Mick described the extent of their ambitions as being "just to walk on stage with our gear, say hello and try to make as many people as possible a little more cheerful," so the swiftness with which they found themselves in Radio Luxembourg's studio at the end of 1970 was a little overwhelming. "We had no autonomy or real input into the album," Leigh reflects. "We were still teenagers - just a pair of naive kids, really." Despite that, the record they made was varied and powerful - and certainly belies their youth.
Dole Song, for example, is one of the most intense songs of the entire period. A sardonic celebration of unemployment, its blend of violent acoustic and fiery fuzz guitars makes for a stunning opening gambit. Leigh describes it as "a bit of a piss-take, really. I was signing on at the time and had to explain to the officials that just because I was making an album didn't mean I had a penny to my name." Rosemary Hill, by contrast, is delicate and melodic. "We used to take Mick's old van down to Devon to visit friends and write songs. We'd drive past this hill in Kenilworth, and agreed it would make a lovely name for a song, though the song's not actually about the hill." Quickie is a brief romantic tune, followed by Everyone's Gone To War, a fuzz-laden anti-war polemic. "That subject was close to a lot of hearts at the time," he says.
By contrast And When She Laughs is a cheery pastoral, led by Mick's tin whistle and showcasing the duo's more carefree side. Spring, a complex, carefully-structured number featuring powerful Eastern-style strings, precedes Balloon Song, a spirited piece of whimsy that is perhaps the most redolent of its era, albeit propelled by fuzz guitar.
The gentle Guzz Up owes its odd title to "a parody of the Nuneaton accent, as in 'what goes up must come down'," explains Leigh, while Who's To Die? is a meditation on mortality, inspired by an unsettling accident the duo witnessed. "We were on our way to a Magna Carta gig in Coventry," he says, "and we saw a little boy run out in front of a car and get knocked over. We never knew whether or not he was killed, but it was shocking and got us thinking." The instrumental Elizabeth R is light relief by comparison - "we meant it to sound Elizabethan, but I'm not sure we succeeded. Its name was taken from a TV series on at the time." An immediate contrast is provided by Frustration, which closes proceedings in epic style, alternating mellow passages with further storms of guitar.
It was an unquestionably unusual collection, but - despite their initial enthusiasm - RCA had grown sluggish. "Throughout 1971, things moved pretty slowly," Mick says. "Everything was being done in London, but we were from the Midlands and had day jobs, so it all had to be recorded at weekends. Then there were delays with the string arrangements, and even the cover - they rejected the original artwork, which featured an old water mill." Fresh Maggots was originally scheduled for release on RCA's Neon subsidiary (with the working title Hatched), but finally emerged on the parent label in September 1971, fully a year after the sessions had commenced. It received extravagant praise in the music press ('an extraordinary duo, their range is incredible and their sound is incredibly full,' said Disc), but the label undertook no promotion and the launch party had to be cancelled due to lack of response.
This embarrassment prompted an enterprising RCA press officer to fabricate a tissue of lies about a poolside orgy involving the band, but it did no good. The LP resoundingly failed to sell, and - adding injury to insult - a pressing fault meant many copies had blisters on the playing surface. The duo remained optimistic, however, and played gigs alongside Van Der Graaf Generator, Medicine Head, Wild Turkey and others. They also undertook various radio sessions, and a surviving tape of one (made for Kid Jensen's show on Radio Luxembourg, and included as bonus tracks here) shows what a formidable act they were.
RCA was fast losing interest, though. "They got a strop on, basically," states Mick. "Mike Berry was the sort of bloke who changed with the wind, and he'd soon switched his attention onto the next big thing. We were out playing the college circuit and it all just faded away." Before splitting, however, they released a single (also included here), the sing-along Car Song, backed with the laid-back What Would You Do?, which appeared in December 1971. "RCA didn't really want it out, so they didn't support it either," he says. "And when it didn't sell, that was the end of the road for us, as far as they were concerned."
They returned to Nuneaton and, though they continued to play locally, no more material ever appeared. "We were the young innocents in the big bad music business, and became disillusioned, really," he concludes. Certainly neither anticipated the following they've developed since. "As far as we were concerned, the album was deleted, dead and gone forever," says Leigh. "So we were surprised and delighted when we found out about all the interest around the world." Even more astonishing are the sums collectors are willing to pay for original copies. "I can't believe it," laughs Mick. "I can remember seeing it in Woolworth's bargain bins!" Leigh is also surprised that they are now categorised as 'acid folk'. "To us the album was just a collection of songs," he says. "We only heard of 'acid folk' very recently."
In summary, he remarks that "not a lot of local bands like us ever get to make records on major labels, so it was a great opportunity. But deep down I think we both knew it was never going to be a huge seller." More than thirty years on, Mick has mixed feelings about the album. "Some of it makes me proud, some of it makes me cringe," he says. "I tend to hear all the bits we should have done better, and some of the words are a bit naive. But lots of people tell me they like it just the way it is."
by Richard Morton Jack
Tracks
1. Dole Song - 3:27
2. Rosemary Hill - 3:34
3. Quickie - 1:21
4. Everyone's Gone To War - 3:55
5. And When She Laughs - 2:49
6. Spring - 3:22
7. Balloon Song - 3:56
8. Guzz Up - 1:37
9. Who's To Die? - 3:55
10.Elizabeth R - 2:53
11.Frustration - 5:59
12.Car Song - 4:05
13.What Would You Do? - 2:47
14.Frustration - 5:54
15.Rosemary Hill - 3:49
16.Quickie - 1:29
17.And When She Laughs - 3:06
18.Spring - 3:06
All songs by Mick Burgoyne, Leigh Dolphin
Tracks 12-13 non album single
