Various Artists - Peter Green Song Book, A Tribute To His Work (2000, classic blues rock, double disc edition)

In the almost thirty years since Peter Green first formed Fleetwood Mac, a lot of styles of Music and musicians have come anyone. Yet his talent, both as a guitarist and a songwriter, is such that the participants in these recordings (nearly one hundred singers and players) are drawn from a wide variety of musical backgrounds. His songs were, and remain, immense - intensely personal and widely appealing at the same time.

To have seen him play live was an experience, Rod Price, guitarist with Foghat who plays on three of the project’s tracks (“Love That Burns”, “lf You Be My Baby” and “Baby When The Sun Goes Down*), puts it’s simply yet eloquently. "The first time I saw Peter Green play I had no words for what I had heard. The  power and clarity of that evening has stayed with me through the years. The man was one with the music we know as blues - pure, raw emotion.

I heard the music but, more importantly, I felt his soul." Strong stuff – but it’s not necessary to have seen him live to have been touched by him, bassist Billy Sheehan, mainstay of Mr. Big, has been fan of Peter Green’s for many years and used to perform “Oh Well” with his first band Talas. Here he takes the same track and brings it to 1995 with passion, his feelings? Similarly, guitarist Innes Sibun, curently embarking on a solo career after permong with Robert Plant, never saw Peter Green live, but as a guitarist he didn’t have to.

Peter Green Songbook – a tribute to his work was modeled on the classic Fleetwood Mac in Chicago, completing the circle that started in 1969. All of the Musicians in this project virtually donated their time and talents just to be included, and as a label we wanted to contribute something other than merely manufacturing the CD’s. We decided that it would be most fitting to give something back to the music, therefore a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this double disc will be donated to Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation.

The Foundation provides health benefits to Blues Artists in need, contract negotiation and royalty recovery assistance, and administers numerous educational programs for the purpose of accumulating proper recognition for the Art of Blues. We felt that this Foundation would be especially appropriate, considering that when Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac went to Chicago in 1969, the person they sat down with to select the musicians from Chicago, was Willie Dixon.

So it is with this sense of completeness and a feeling of a great pride that we present the Peter Green Songbook - a tribute to his work.
by Jim Kizlowski 

Tracks
Disc - 1
1. Larry McCray / Noel Neal / Steve McCray / Tony Z - Black Magic Woman - 3:59
2. Luther Grosvenor / Jess Roden / Dave Moore / Mike Kellie / Ariel Bender / Steve Dolan / Pete Brown - Crying Won't Bring You Back - 5:17
3. Ian Anderson / Andy Giddings / John McKenzie / Pete Brown - Man Of The World - 2:57
4. Snowy White / "Rabbit" Bundrick / Kuma Harada / Jeff Allen - Looking For Somebody - 7:17
5. Dave Peverett / Rod Price / Southside Johnny / Tommy Mandel / Harvey Brooks / Mo Potts / Arno Hecht / Crispin Cioe / Bob Funk / Larry Etkin Baby - When The Sun Goes Down - 4:51
6. Rory Gallagher, John Cook, Rich Newman, Spoon - Leaving Town Blues - 6:50
7. Vince Converse / Innes Sibun / Steve Robinson / Gerry Soffe / John Baggott / "Little Joe" Frenchwood - Rattlesnake Shake - 5:30
8. Harvey Mandel, Jon Paris, Wilbur Bascomb, Damon Duewhite - Ramblin' Pony - 5:21
9. Arthur Brown / Dick Heckstall-Smith / Randall Ward / Mark Williams / Gary Scucz / Jeff Danford / Pete Brown - The Green Manalishi - 5:08
10.Luther Grosvenor / Jess Roden / Dave Moore / Steve Dolan / Mike Kellie - Merry Go Round - 4:40
11.Dave Peverett / Rod Price / Southside Johnny / Tommy Mandel / Harvey Brooks / Mo Potts / Arno Hecht / Crispin Cioe / Bob Funk / Larry Etkin - Love That Burns - 6:14
12.Kim Simmonds / Pete McMahon / Jim Heyl / Dave Olson - Stop Messin' 'Round - 3:09
13.Harvey Mandel, Jon Paris, Wilbur Bascomb, Damon Duewhite - Long Grey Mare - 4:52
14.Rory Gallagher, John Cook, Rich Newman, Spoon - Showbiz Blues - 6:53
15.Clas Yngstrom / Ulf Ivarsson / Christer Bjorklund / Frank Marstokk - The Supernatural - 3:19

Disc- 2
1. Billy Sheehan / Roy Z / Greg Bissonette / Tommy Mandel / Doug van Booven - Oh Well - 7:31
2. Larry Mitchell / Jay Aston / Wilbur Bascomb / Jonathan Mover - I Loved Another Woman - 4:57
3. Zoot Money / Bobby Tench / Max Middleton / John McKenzie / Jeff Allen - Whatcha Gonna Do - 4:01
4. Paul Jones / Bobby Tench / Max Middleton / John McKenzie / Bob Jenkins / Pete Brown - Albatros - 4:41
5. Jennifer Ferguson / Scott Smith / Mike Davis / Damon Duewhite - Closing My Eyes - 4:58
6. Ray Gomez / Troy Turner / Bobby Chouinard / "Even" Steven Levee - Lazy Poker Blues - 2:50
7. Ray Gomez / Pete McMahon / Bobby Chouinard / "Even" Steven Levee - Evil Woman Blues - 2:05
8. Stu Hamm / Larry Mitchell / Jonathan Mover - Fleetwod Mac - 2:56
9. Mick Abrahams / Dave Lennox / Jim Leverton / Graham Walker - The Same Way - 3:47
10.Wilbur Bascomb / Damon Duewhite / Jon Paris / Pete Brown - Watch Out - 4:31
11.Kim Lembo / Mark Doyle / Cathy Lamanna / Mike Doyle - A Fool No More - 4:03
12.Ken Hensley - Hellhound On My Trail - 3:15
13.Top Topham / Jim McCarty / Andy Cleveland - Drifting - 6:12
14.Dave Peverett / Rod Price / Southside Johnny / Mo Potts / Harvey Brooks - If You Be My Baby - 4:32

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Smith - A Group Called Smith (1969 us, groovy sunny psych)

They only recorded two albums, and their first hit - the top-5 Baby Ws You -was by far their biggest Yet the band that went under the name Smith continues to hold a special place in the hearts of its fans, and the group's records hold up far better today than those of many of their contemporaries. Smith featured three lead singers, and their punchy rhythm and blues-influenced sound emphasized the Hammond B-3 organ, an instrument until then largely identified with soul bands...and with Smith's label mates, Steppenwolf.

Many popular acts of the late '60s had their roots in folk and pop music. Smith's female lead singer, Gayle McCormick, though, had worked her way up through the competitive St. Louis music scene, with a repertoire of songs popularized by Etta James, Tina Turner, and other serious women vocalists, By the time Gayle Annette McCormick was am sophomore in high school, she was in a band.

Within a couple of years, that group had mutated from The Chavels into Steve Cummings and the Classmen ("Steve was the drummer” Gayle explains, "and his father, managed us at the time"). Ultimately, they were the 11-piece show band Gayle McCormick and the Classmen, recording for the local Musicland U.S.A. label — also home for local heroes Bob Kuban and the In-Men (The Cheater) Jerry Carter and James Richard "Rich" Cliburn were on their way through St. Louis from Los Angeles, promoting a single, Norr Taste the Times, although their group, the Smiths, had already effectively broken up. Says Gayle, "They were looking for musicians to back them up locally, and got together with The Classmen. In the meantime, I was trying to make a career decision: should I continue with music, or should I pursue my original goal, which was to teach physical education — I had been accepted as a RE, major by Arkansas State College, Rich and Jerry invited me to go to Florida with them; they drove in their van, and I met them in Miami. Before long, the three of us had relocated to Los Angeles' Cliburn played guitar, Carter was a bassist, and all three sang.

Eventually, they brought on board drummer Bob Evans (originally from Detroit) and keyboardist Larry Moss (from Tulsa), forming the first edition of what was by then called, simply, Smith. Enter destiny, in the form of two former teen idols, "We were playing at a dub called the Rag Doll in North Hollywood, and doing pretty well/' says McCormick. "And one night, Del Shannon and Brian Hyland stopped in. They were taken with the girl singer and the band, and said 'We must talk'. We rehearsed in the music room of Del's house, as he brought representatives of record labels by to see us.

I remember that Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records liked us, but he wanted girl backup singers, like Aretha Franklin was using at the time. Finally, Jay Lasker, Steve Barri and Joel Sill of Dunhill Records came to the club. We were especially good that night, contracts were signed, and things were rolling." Smith's first single, supervised by Sill and Barri, was a version of Baby, It's You, that Del Shannon had helped them arrange. The song has been recorded earlier by the Shirelles and the Beatles; the Shannon-Smith arrangement was something altogether different, featuring McCormick's urgent singing and Moss's B-3. "When Jerry, Rich and I were forming the band, we always wanted a B-3," says McCormick. "Jerry would bring that big church organ down to the Rag Doll, and then, when we started to tour, he had it chopped down to portable size to take with him” The group broke big almost immediately, landing spots on "American Bandstand" and prime-time variety shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Leslie Uggams and Red Skelton.

Their debut album, a group called..,Smith featured several songs from their chib act and a trio of new tunes — Jeff Thomas's I Don't Believe (I Believe), Chip Taylor and Al Gorgoni's I'll Hold Out My Hand (the hit single, by Texas group Clique, covered the Smith album cut, which had been slated as their next single release), and Mojalesky Ridge, written by Harvey Price, Dan Walsh and co-producer Sill. Lead vocals were divided among Cliburn, Carter and McCormick, though McCormick eventually ^merged (as she had in the Classmen) as the band's focal point, from a marketing standpoint, at least.

The album reached the top-20 nationally. In 1969, Smith was asked to record a version of The Weight, to appear on the soundtrack album for Easy Rider when the Band's version — used in the film — became unavailable due to licensing restrictions. The Easy Rider album reached No. 6 nationally, thanks in no small part to Smith's contribution. That record, incidentally, was the only Smith cut to use an outside musician other than horn players: Larry Knectal was brought in to overdub a piano.
by Todd Everett

Tracks
1. Let's Get Together (Dollison, Powers, Webb) - 3:30
2. I Don't Believe (I Believe) (Thomas) - 3:40
3. Tell Him No (Argent) - 3:24
4. Who Do You Love? (McDaniel) - 2:56
5. Baby It's You (Bacharach, David, David, Williams) - 3:25
6. The Last Time (Jagger, Richards) - 5:38
7. I Just Wanna Make Love to You (Dixon, Lynch, Wackett) - 2:37
8. Mojaleskey Ridge (Price, Sill, Walsh) - 2:31
9. Let's Spend the Night Together (Jagger, Richards) - 3:52
10. I'll Hold Out My Hand (Gorgoni, Taylor) - 3:04
11. Weight (Robertson) - 4:30
12. Take a Look Around (Carter, Cliburn) - 2:25
13. What Am I Gonna Do? (King, Stern) - 2:53
14. Gonna Be Alright Now (Lambert, Potter) 2:47
15. It's a Cryin' Shame (Lambert, Potter) - 2:49

Musicians
*Jerry Carter - Bass, Vocals
*Rick Cliburn - Guitar, Vocals
*Bob Evans - Drums
*Jud Huss - Bass, Vocals
*Larry Knechtel - Piano
*Gayle McCormick - Vocals
*Larry Moss - Keyboards
*Alan Parker - Guitar, Vocals

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Egg - The Polite Force (1971 uk, significant progressive experimental rock, 2008 esoteric remaster)

Egg perfected their distinctive, organ-driven prog with their second and best album. Stewart's excellent playing varied between his light organ-tone and to the more typical, heavy distorted Canterbury sound. The opening track "A Visit to Newport Hospital" demonstrates this perfect.

Light and jazzier playing in some wonderful atmospheric themes relieve VERY heavy organ in other parts. "Contrasong" is a track that features some horns and is complex in a kind of Gentle Giant way. Then comes the really tragic thing about this otherwise superb album: 9 minutes of completely pointless noise and sound effects in "Boilk". If these 9 minutes instead had been filled up with a track of the same quality as the rest of the album, then "The Polite Force" would have been one of the true keyboard-progressive rock classics of the 70's, in league with "Brain Salad Surgery" and "Spartacus".

Fortunately, the second side of the album consists of the great, 20-minute suite "Long Piece No.3" and was probably the best thing Egg ever recorded. Incredibly complex and one of the best pieces of music ever performed on just organ, drums and bass! If you forget about the idiotic "Boilk" then this IS still a great album and worth whatever you have to pay for it. Fans of organ-driven progressive rock with a perfect 70's atmosphere will eat it up.
Vintage-Prog

Tracks
1. A Visit to Newport Hospital (Campbell) - 8:28
2. Contrasong (Campbell) - 4:25
3. Boilk (Brown, Campbell, Stewart) - 9:22
4. Long Piece No. 3 - 5:08
5. Long Piece No. 3 (Continued) - 7:38
6. Long Piece No. 3 (Continued) - 5:03
7. Long Piece No. 3 (Continued) - 2:51
All songs by Brooks, Campbell, Stewart except where indicated.

Egg
*Clive Brooks - Drums, Vocals
*Dave Stewart - Organ, Piano
*Mont Campbell - Bass, Vocals
Guest Musicians
*Mike Davis - Trumpet
*Bob Downes - Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
*Henry Lowther - Trumpet
*Stephen Solloway - Flute
*Tony Roberts - Tenor Sax

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The Yellow Payges - Volume One (1969 us, fizzing garage psych rock, 2010 Relics release)

Garage rockers the Yellow Payges formed in Torrance, California in the fall of 1965 -- while attending a performance by friends the Palace Guard at the Hollywood club the Hullabaloo, vocalist Dan Hortter took the stage to sing a rendition of "I'm a Man," so impressive that club owner Gary Bookasta hired Hortter's own band to back the Newbeats two weeks later.

The problem was, Hortter's previous band, the Driftones, had dissolved months earlier, but he quickly assembled a new Driftones' lineup including guitarists John Knox and Larry Tyre, bassist Herby Ratzloff, and drummer Terry Rae, also a member of the Palace Guard. Rae resigned almost immediately after the Newbeats gig, with drummer Dan Gorman signing on in time for the group to change its name to the Yellow Payges. They were soon playing the Hullabaloo on a steady basis, with Bookasta signing on as manager -- in 1966, Knox, Tyre, and Ratzloff exited, with guitarists Bob Norsoph and Randy Carlisle, and bassist Mike Rummans signing on in their stead.

When Norsoph and Carlisle quit soon after, Rummans moved to guitar, with Jim Lanham briefly assuming bass duties prior to the addition of bassist Teddy Rooney, son of Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney. In 1967, this Yellow Payges lineup issued their debut single, the Showplace label effort "Never See the Good in Me" -- "Jezebel" followed later that year, and both records generated enough local buzz to earn the band a contract with major label UNI.

In addition to releasing their label debut "Our Time Is Running Out," in late 1967, the Yellow Payges closed out the year as part of Dick Clark's Happening '67, a package tour which traveled to 45 U.S. cities in 45 days. In mid-'68, both Rummans and Rooney exited, with Hortter and Gorman quickly recruiting guitarists Bill Ham and Bob Barnes, both products of Fort Worth, Texas (a geographic quirk resulting in some confusion as to the band's actual hometown).

On August 16, the Yellow Payges played their biggest-ever show, appearing at the Hollywood Bowl on a bill headlined by the Animals, the Rascals and Tommy James & the Shondells; they spent much of the year to follow supporting their singles "Childhood Friends" and "Crowd Pleaser" on tour with the Animals, later spending six months opening for the Beach Boys.

The band's debut LP, Vol. 1, appeared on UNI in mid-'69, generating the singles "Never Put Away My Love for You," and "Vanilla on My Mind"; "Follow the Bouncing Ball" appeared in 1970, and their cover of the warhorse "I'm a Man" (a nod to Hortter's big break) fell just two slots shy of cracking the Billboard Hot 100. Somewhat ironically, it was a campaign with AT&T that spelled the Yellow Payges' demise: hired by Wall Street advertising firm Cunningham & Walsh as part of a phone company-sponsored campaign designed to appeal to young audiences, the band was forced to appear in commercials in yellow satin ruffled shirts, effectively destroying their credibility and their momentum. After one final single, "Moonfire," the Yellow

Payges dissolved in late 1970 -- Barnes later backed Kinky Friedman under the alias Roscoe West, and also collaborated with T-Bone Burnett.
by Jason Ankeny

Tracks
1. The Two of Us - 2:58
2. Little Woman - 2:43
3. Friends - 3:31
4. Boogie Woogie Baby - 2:13
5. Crowd Pleaser - 2:24
6. Moonfire - 1:52
7. Devil Woman - 3:00
8. Never Put Away My Love For You - 2:24
9. I'm a Man/Here Tis - 8:42

Musicians
*Dan Hortter - Vocals, Harmonica
*Terry Rae - Drums
*Larry Tyre - Rhythm Guitar
*John Knox - Lead Guitar
*Herby Ratzloff - Bass
*Danny Gorman - Drums
*Bob Norsoph - Lead Guitar
*Mike Rummans - Bass, Lead Guitar
*Jim Lanham - Bass
*Randy Carlisle - Rhythm Guitar
*Teddy Rooney - Bass
*Bob Barnes - Bass
*Bill Ham - Guitar
*Donnie Dacus - Guitar

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The Poor - The Poor (1967 us, fine beat psych with pre Eagles Randy Meisner, Rev Ola release)

The Poor are just another chapter in the amazing unfolding story of LA mid to late 60s pop, folk and fuzz, and thanks to the fine fellows at Rev-Ola, this lovingly compiled disc has been assembled from their singles and unreleased demo recordings. Named The Poor (previously known as The Soul Survivors when they lived in Colorado) because they really were poor, they were hired by people like Curt Boettcher (thanks to fellow Millennium pal Joey Stec) to play on sessions by the likes of Tommy Roe and The Association. They also were swallowed up by a scam which kept them poor by getting mixed up with a manager who got them to record for various label one-offs so the manager could then get the advances from each label.

Jim Bell (of the pre-Millennium group, The Ballroom), Randy Meisner (who went onto the Stone Canyon Band, Poco, and The Eagles, respectively and who also played on The Millennium demos), and Randy Naylor (he co-wrote the Sagittarius tune Love's Fatal Way with Curt B. which was originally demo'd by The Poor but is sadly not included herein; assumedly lost - Randy also went on the record an album produced by Joey Stec called Twin Engine) were all in The Poor. They rocked the Sunset Strip with a vital folk rock sound which is an amazing mix of Mamas and Papas, Monkees, The Sunshine Company, and Bobby Jameson (another Boettcher boy) along with certain country rock outfits which were stewing at the time like Cashman, Pistilli, and West and Brewer & Shipley.

A crack band, captured precisely and perfectly in the studio, these 13 tracks are all stellar lost gems. There's a great fuzz rock vibe throughout which helps even some of the more mellow tunes rock, with amazing harmonies rising throughout. Even when they get really mellow, there's lounge pop feel and harmony vocals which add to the mix reminiscent of The Ballroom and Sagittarius.

The Poor recorded two songs written by Brewer & Shipley (before they worked together as a duo), and She's Got The Time (She's Got The Changes) (penned by Tom Shipley) is by far the best tune on the disc. It's got a pounding folk rock song about "a young thing" which reminds me of Cashman, Pistilli, and West or The Monkees. The second best song is Study In Motion #1, the psych pop piece which rounds out the disc and was used in the Stu Phillips produced soundtrack to the 1967 Jack Nicholson movie Hell's Angels On Wheels. This song reminds me of the oft overlooked psych pop gem The Smoke (the Michael Lloyd project and not the British group); it's just a shame the song is a mere minute and thirty eight seconds.

Other great tunes are the first track on the disc, Can't Stand To Be In Love With You, a sentiment I'm sure we've all felt at one time or another. This is a driving fuzzed out harmony rocker. Once Again is a dreamy folk rock tune which'll make you melt with it's slow Stones-like melody and swaying build-up style. A fun tune is the vaudeville sounding tune Love Is Real which reminds me of The Monkees' tune Tapioca Tundra.

Rev-Ola have a way of delving into the vaults and digging out these treasures of immeasurable wealth. The Poor have apparently been a best kept secret because I had not heard about them until this cd dropped from the sky. The Poor disc is another in a long line of jaw-dropping gems to grace the cd shelves of lost rock, folk and harmony pop that Rev-Ola have been re-releasing at a blinding speed, and is so sorely needed in this age of a mechanical loss.
by Patrick

Tracks
1. (Soul Survivors) - Can't Stand to Be in Love With You - 2:13
2. (Soul Survivors) - Look at Me - 2:49
3. (Soul Survivors) - Hung Up on Losin' - 2:26
4. (Soul Survivors) - Snow Man - 2:19
5. Once Again - 2:53
6. How Many Tears - 2:24
7. She's Got the Time (She's Got the Changes) - 1:51
8. Love Is Real - 2:21
9. My Mind Goes High - 2:46
10.Knowing You, Loving You - 1:56
11.Feelin' Down - 3:04
12.Come Back Baby - 2:32
13.Study in Motion No. 1 - 1:38

The Poor
*Randy Meisner - Bass, Vocals
*Allen Kemp - Guitar, Vocals
*Pat Shanahan - Drums
*John Day - Keyboards (-1966)
*Gene Chalk - Guitar, Vocals (-1966)
*Randy Naylor - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals(1966-1967)
*Veeder van Dorn - Guitar, Banjo, Harmonic, Vocals (1967-1968)

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Mason Proffit - Come And Gone (1974 us, remarkable country, protest folk, psych rock)

Mason Proffit is widely considered by obscure rock aficionados to be one of the best bands who never made it to the big time. Although they are mostly overlooked today, along with the Byrds, Michael Nesmith, and others, they helped to invent country-rock.

The band was formed in 1969 by members of the recently disbanded Sounds Unlimited, a tough Chicago garage band with a well-developed melodic sense. John and Terry Talbot were the main movers behind Sounds Unlimited and in Mason Proffit they took the vocal harmonies they had developed in Sounds Unlimited and went in a folk and country direction. They were among the first to combine the energy and instrumentation of rock with the subject matter and twang of country.

Perhaps the reason they were not hailed as visionaries at the time is that their first three records came out on small labels and didn't sell many copies. 1969's Wanted! Mason Proffit and 1971's Movin' Toward Happiness were released by Happy Tiger and 1971's Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream was released by Ampex. The band's fortunes took a positive turn in 1972 when they were signed by Warner Bros. and released Rockfish Crossing. They used their Warner Bros. connection to tour with the Grateful Dead but it didn't help them with the record buying public.

In 1973 they released one last album, Bareback Rider, and then broke up. In 1974 Warner Bros. released a two-record set of Mason Proffit's Happy Tiger recordings. This has been reissued on CD by One Way and is a great place to start if you want to discover the roots of country rock.
by Tim Sendra

After Mason Proffit signed to Warner Bros. Records, the label reissued the band's first two albums, Wanted! Mason Proffit and Movin' Toward Happiness, as a double-LP set under the title Come & Gone. "Hear the voice of change," commanded the Talbot brothers at the opening, and the song, "Voice of Change," was both a political statement calling out to President Nixon's "silent majority" and a statement of purpose from the band.

Like their peers on the West Coast, the Midwestern Talbots attempted to merge the musical and social concerns of the folk-rock movement with elements of traditional country. But they were a bit more Western-styled than the Flying Burrito Brothers and less of a good-time outfit than Poco. The music took off from folk and country sources into progressive rock, the pedal steel guitar and fiddle augmented here and there by strings, while the brothers' tenor harmonies gave the group a distinctive vocal sound.

Mason Proffit wanted to change musical tastes and political beliefs at the same time. They lamented the plight of Native Americans in "Flying Arrow," and while they could pick a mean hoedown on "Old Joe Clark," their version somehow managed to express antiwar sentiments. They recognized the connection between the cowboy myth and the independent spirit of truck drivers, and they mixed it all in with a sort of primitive Christianity. In this, they were very much of their time.

Mike Cameron's "Good Friend of Mary's" fit into the Jesus cult that identified the Christian savior as a proto-hippie, preaching peace and love while wandering the country in long hair and sandals, and the Talbots sang it with their warm tenor harmony in complete sincerity. Such music wasn't going to make it far out of the early '70s, but in 1973 it remained appealing.
by William Ruhlmann

Tracks
1. Voice Of Change - 2:54
2. A Rectangle Picture - 2:22
3. You Finally Found Your Love - 4:23
4. Sweet Lady Love - 3:53
5. Stewball (Traditional) - 3:31
6. Two Hangmen - 5:00
7. Buffalo - 2:50
8. Walk On Down The Road - 2:58
9. It's All Right - 2:34
10.Till The Sun's Gone - 3:25
11.Johnny's Tune - 1:15
12.Michael Dodge - 2:59
13.Hard Luck Woman - 2:57
14.Children - 2:52
15.Hokey Joe Pony - 2:24
16.Flying Arrow - 3:30
17.Old Joe Clark (Traditional) - 4:10
18.Good Friend Of Mary's (Mike Cameron) - 2:46
19.He Loves Them - 3:32
20.Melinda - 3:40
21.Let Me Know Where You're Going - 2:29
22.Everybody Was Wrong - 5:20
All songs by John and Terry Talbot except where indicated.

Mason Proffit
*Tim Ayers - Bass
*Johnny Frigo - Fiddle
*Art Nash - Drums, Percussion
*Ron Schuetter - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*John Michael Talbot - Banjo, Dobro, Electric Acoustic Guitar, Pedal Steel, Vocals
*Johnny Talbot - Banjo, Dobro, Acoustic Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel, Vocals
*Terry Talbot - Fiddle, 12 String, Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Jew's-Harp, Percussion, Piano, Vocals

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The Common People - Of The People/By The People/For The People From (1969 us, awesome garage psychedelic rock, fallout extra tracks edition)

The Common People are perhaps the greatest remaining enigma in 1960s US rock music.

Their sole album has belatedly been acclaimed as one of the most distinctive recordings of its time, but - despite the best efforts of fans and journalists- none of the musicians involved has yet been found.

Led by Denny Robinett, who is remembered as a deeply charismatic figure, they are known to have originated in California (some say in Baldwin Park, others Fontana), where they are thought to have been bikers.

Having recorded two ultra-rare garage singles for the local Flodavieur label (which indicate the morose, brooding direction their music would take, and make their CD debut here), they fetched up on LA's famed Sunset Strip at the end of the decade.

By then they'd taken to wearing white robes and carrying Biblical staffs, and soon attracted the attention of legendary rock opportunist 'Sir' Tim Hudson, manager of garage heroes the Seeds and the Lollipop Shoppe.

Hudson had the prescience to recognise the uniqueness of Robinett's moody songwriting, and in 1969 he landed them an album deal with Capitol.

With a considerable budget to play with, he hired the legendary David Axelrod to score the material, and set about planning an ambitious fusion of the experimental pop of the Beach Boys, Love and The Velvet Underground with modern classical strings.

To this end he hired some of LA's top session musicians, several of whom were longtime Axel rod collaborators.

Cellist Jesse Ehrlich and violinist William Kurasch were both members of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, and had recently contributed to albums including Love's Forever Changes and Frank Zappa's Lumpy Gravy, amongst others, while viola player Philip Goldberg was a veteran of sessions for Zappa, the Monkees, Van Dyke Parks and others.

Double bassist and tuba virtuoso Red Callender had played with jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Charlie Parker, while prolific trumpeter Tony Terran had contributed to recordings by Lou Rawls, Randy Newman and Linda Ronstadt, and went on to work with Tim Buckley, Tom Waits, Madonna and others. Rounding off the credits were engineers Rex Updegraft, Doc Siegel and Joe Polito, fresh from working with the Band, Buffalo Springfield and Glen Campbell respectively.

The stage seemed set for a masterpiece - but then disaster struck. With stunning work completed on just three songs, Axelrod's wife was badly injured in an accident and he had to pull out, effectively killing the project in the process.

Today those shimmering, ethereal masterpieces (Soon There'// Be Thunder, / Hove Been Alone and Those Who Love) are not only regarded as pinnacles of Axelrod's career, but of orchestrated pop in general - all the more remarkable given that they are said to have been recorded without charts.

Certainly their conductor, Sid Sharp (perhaps best-known for his work on the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds), regarded them as astonishing achievements.

One can only conjecture how magical the album would be had every track been thus treated, but Axelrod's departure gave Capitol cold feet, and they cut off their support, meaning that the remaining songs had to be rushed.

Though they're at odds with the opening trio, most are treasures too. Go Every Way, Why Must I Be?, Take From You, Feeling and Land Of A Day are all impeccable pop songs, delivered in Robinett's unique growl and imbued with the same wistful, suggestive atmosphere of the album's openers.

The record is only compromised by one or two less distinguished hornrock tracks, and Hudson's sole contribution, the wonderfully-titled but woefully-misbegotten novelty number They Didn't Even Go To The Funeral, a strong contender for the worst song ever to appear on a fine album.

When it crept out in late 1969, Of The People, By The People, For The People flopped, and it is assumed that the band folded soon afterwards.

The record, however, stands as a small masterpiece of brooding, late-night psychedelia, and it is to be hoped that Denny Robinett will surface one day, and tell the full story of his glorious, one-shot contribution to rock and roll.
Liner-Notes

Tracks
1. Soon There'll Be Thunder (D. Robinett, J. Robinett) - 2:21
2. I Have Been Alone - 3:09
3. Those Who Love - 3:14
4. Go Every Way - 2:22
5. Why Must I Be? - 2:20
6. Take From You - 2:51
7. They Didn't Even Go To The Funeral (Hudson, Hill) - 2:47
8. Feeling - 2:18
9. Girl Said (Know) - 1:36
10. Land Of A Day - 3:51
11. This Life She Is Mine (D. Robinett, J. Robinett) - 2:09
12. Oh My My (Bonus Track) - 1:57
13. Days On My Mind (Bonus Track) - 2:53
14. Look Around (Bonus Track) - 2:28
15. Dawn Of My Life (Bonus Track) - 2:44
All compositions by Denny Robinett except otherwise written.

The Common People
*Denny Robinett - Lead Vocals And Guitar
*John Bartley III - Guitar
*Michael Mccarthy - Bass Guitar
*William Fausto - Keyboards
*Jerrald Robinett - Drums

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John Phillips - Phillips 66 (2001 us, country folk rock)

"Phillips 66" is the third and final solo album from John Phillips and the last recordings of his entire musical career. John passed away just days after completing the sessions for this album. After The Mamas And The Papas split up at the end of the Sixties, John recorded his first solo album, "The Wolfking Of LA".

Produced by Lou Adler, the original producer of The Mamas And The Papas, this album featured a stellar studio line-up, including drummer Hal Blaine, Elvis Presley and Rick Nelson guitarist James Burton, bassist Joe Osborn, pianist Larry Knechtel, Buddy Emmons and Red Rhodes on pedal steel, Dartene Love singing back up and fiddle player Gordon Terry. Although begun in the 70's, John's second solo album, "Pay Pack & Follow", was not released until just after his passing. ("Pay Pack & Follow"is also available on Eagle Records) John, as a solo artist was the first artist signed to the newly-formed Rolling Stones Records in 1976 and the album was co-produced by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, with musical contributions by Mick and Keith, Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood and Michelle and Mackenzie Phillips.

"Phillips 66" completes the album trilogy, named thusly by John because he would have been turning 66 years old around the time planned for release of this album. It consists of many songs John never got around to recording until now. While some of them are famous through their connections with different artists, others are more recent and yet as important. In total they form a valuable addition to the formidable body of work of one of America's most influential and unsung singer/songwriters.

Tracks
1. California Dreamin' - 3:13
2. Me And My Uncle - 3:28
3. Babies - 4:01
4. Slow Starter - 3:10
5. Average Man - 4:11
6. She Got She - 3:51
7. Boys From The South - 3:07
8. There Is A Place - 3:06
9. Campy California - 3:21
10.Gram's Song - 3:43
11.Whiskey, Wine & Champagne - 4:21
12.If - 3:37
All songs by John and Michelle Phillips.

Musicians
*David Baxter - 12 String Electric, Acoustic Guitar
*Edwin Benachowski - String Contractor
*Bill Cleary - Vocals
*Ariel A. De La Rosa - Vocals
*Debra Dobkin - Percussion
*Jonathan Dysart - Violin
*Davey Faragher - Vocals
*Anton Fig - Drums
*Paul Gilman - Guitar Arrangements
*Fernando Gonzalez - Vocals
*Gilbert Hansen - Harmonica
*Mary Horoshevsky - Cello
*John Kito - Farfisa Organ
*Will Lee - Bass
*Joel Lish - Viola
*Steve Madaio - Trumpet
*Sid McGinnis - Acoustic Guitar
*Dillon O'Brian - Vocals (Background)
*Leon Pendarvis - Hammond Organ, Electric Piano, String Arrangements
*Herb Peterson - Guitar
*John Phillips - Vocals
*Vladimir Polimatidi - Violin
*John Regan - Bass
*Paul Shaffer - Harmonium, Hammond Organ, Piano
*Chris Spedding - Electric Guitar

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John Phillips - John The Wolfking Of L.A. (1970 us, psych sunny country folk rock, 2006 bonus tracks edition)

‎

Whilst best known for being lead "Papa" at The Mamas And the Papas, John Phillips has a recording career rijat stretches either side of .their commercial breakthrough. Beginning in I960, Phillips progressed from The Smoothies to The Journeymen (with Scott McKenzie) to The New Journeymen (with Michelle Philiips), all the while honing his songwriting skills to the point where The Kingston Trio were recording his songs.

He formed The Mamas And The Papas in 1965 to record his most pop-oriented compositions “California Dreamin;”, ''Monday Monday", and "Creeque Alley" were all huge hits; and he gave his fellow Journeyman -Scott McKenzie the 1967 anthem "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)". The same year he helped organise the “Monterey Pop Festival” , but in 1968 The Mamas And Papas came to a halt. Phillips resurfaced in May 1970 with this album on Dunhill records, which combines echoes of his hit group with country and western influences, utilising the skills of renowned country pickers like James Burton and Mike Nesmith's pedal steel player O.J. “Red” Rhodes.

However the album only reached 181 on the Billboard charts, and Phillips returned to The Mamas And The Papas for a "reunion" album, though their contributions were taped separately. Through the seventies Phillips became immersed in drug addiction, involving himself only in an album by his third wife Genevieve Waite, a single of his own, “Revolution On Vacation", and some tracks by Michelle Phillips.

Plans were made for a solo album, with contributions by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard, but came to nothing, and in 1981 he was convicted of drug trafficking. After rehabilitation he formed a new Mamas And The Papas to tour the old songs and while no new albums have emerged, Phillips co-wrote the Beach Boys' hit “Kokorno'” in 1989 with Scott McKenzie, Mike Love and Terry Melcher.

Tracks
1. April Anne - 3:22
2. Topanga Canyon - 3:53
3. Malibu People - 3:41
4. Someone's Sleeping - 2:46
5. Drum - 3:36
6. Captain - 3:25
7. Let It Bleed, Genevieve - 2:53
8. Down the Beach - 2:52
9. Mississippi - 3:36
10.Holland Tunnel - 3:41
11.Shady - 3:48
12.Lonely Children - 3:44
13.Lady Genevieve - 4:30
14.Black Girl (Traditional) - 3:29
15.The Frenchman - 4:03
16.16mm Baby (Reich) - 2:41
17.Larry, Joe, Hal and Me - 2:25
18.Mississippi (Single Version) - 3:07
All songs by John Phillips except where noted.

Musicians
*Hal Blaine - Drums
*Larry Knechtel - Keyboard
*Joe Osborn - Bass
*John Phillips - Guitar And Harmonica
*David Cohen - Guitar
*Dr.Hord - Guitar
*Darlene Love - Voice
*Jean King, Voice
*Fan Ha James Voice
*James Burton - Dohro And Lead Guitar
*Buddy Emmons - Steel Guitar
*Red Rhodes - Steel Guitar
*Gordon Terry - Fiddle

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Earthen Vessel - Hard Rock Everlasting Life (1971 us, spiritual psych folk rock, Gear Fab release)

Earthen Vessel was, for a period of about 18 months during 1971-71, one of the major "Jesus Rock" bands in the Midwest. The group was put together in the fall of 10790 in Lansing, Michigan, by Leon Morton, who had been a gospel quartet tenor, and his partner Walter Ballard. Together, they formed Balton Enterprises, Inc., which managed Earthen Vessel and its warm-up act, The Folk Singer Lillie Crozier.

The original name of the band was "The Rare Ones", but it was soon changed to Earthen Vessel, a biblical reference. The band traveled in a gutted-out tour bus, with a bedroom in the back for Sharon, the lead singer, four bunks in the middle for the guys, and a sitting room at the front. Amplifiers were provided by West Laboratories, which also sponsored Grand Funk Railroad at the time, because bassist John Sprunger worked for West.

Balton Enterprises also operated a Christian coffee house called the Catacombs in Lansing, where Earthen Vessel played whenever in town. In late 1970, I returned to Michigan State University (as a sophomore) from California, where I had been working for Campus Crusade for Christ at its San Bernadino headquarters. I was a folk singer, having been in a trio sponsored by Youth for Christ during high school.

The so-called Jesus Movement, a sort of counter-culture meets church youth group, was in full swing in California in 1970 and I saw and heard numerous Christian folk and rock groups. On my return to Michigan, I performed solo for a youth group in a Nazarene church, where Leon Morton was working. He took me out the next day for coffee, and said he was looking for a lead guitarist- he already had a superb drummer, Eddie Johnson, who spent some time at Juliard; John, the bassist, who had done some trumpet on a Buckingham's album and had played bass for Commonwealth in Northern Illinois; and Sharon Keel and Ken Fitch (who later played organ), vocalists from a Nazarene college in Illinois.

We started practicing together that fall (1970), writing our own music, and playing in the Catacombs. Our goal was to be both an evangelistic ministry and the hardest, loudest, acid-rock band that was not actually using acid. We were clean, and we often did high school anti-drug rallies during school hours in towns where we would be playing that night. By the next summer, we were playing outdoor rock festivals in the Midwest and also in Christian music festivals We went to Sweden for a nine days tour, but on the first night in a park in Stockholm, we were banned for being too loud and I ended up finishing the tour as a folk singer.

By the summer of 1971, we had enough material to do an album, and Leon arranged with Dave Mathes at NRS Records in Nashville to produce it, using Monument Studios If the album would have been more successful, we probably would have stayed together, but our impatience made us think about doing other things, going back to school, and so forth. Being on the road was grueling, and I now understand why professional musicians can feel as though life is passing them by- play at night, go out to eat afterwards, fall asleep on the bus, wake up somewhere else the next afternoon, eat, set up equipment, play at night, etc. By the summer of 1972, most of us left.

A new band was formed with the same name and Sharon Keel out front, but it didn't last long. Even while our music was distinctly Christian, it was also distinctly psychedelic, and we were very offensive in the eyes of many church leaders, who thought we must be doing drugs and sleeping with groupies. We were happy to be offensive, and we were proud to provide a counter-cultural image of religious life. Nowadays, there's an entire industry of Christian rock music but in 1971, we never saw another Jesus Rock band that was louder, dressed more outrageously, or jumped around on stage more than Earthen Vessel. After the break up of the band, I went on to join the Air Force, studied in Amsterdam, and went on to Law School.

I worked at several Law Firms in San Diego and Austin, finally settling in today as a full professor of law at an Eastern University. As far as the other band members go, I only know that John Sprunger joined a Swiss Ministry that provided helicopter services to missionaires in Africa, later moving to West Cameroon. Oddly enough, I know nothing about what ever happened to Sharon, Ken, and Eddie.
by Dave Caudill

Tracks
1. Life Everlasting (Sharon Keel, John Sprunger) - 6:00
2. You Can (Dave Caudill) - 4:37
3. Let Jesus Bring You Back (Ken Fitch, Sharon Keel, Dave Caudill, John Sprunger) - 4:55
4. I've Been Walkin' (Sharon Keel, John Sprunger) - 8:57
5. Coming Home (Arr: Ken Fitch, Sharon Keel, Dave Caudill, John Sprunger) - 2:58
6. Get High (U.S. Apple Corps) - 4:40

Earthen Vessel
*John Sprunger - Bass, Vocals, Trumpet
*Sharon Keel - Lead Vocal, Keyboard, Percussion
*Dave Caudill - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Blues Harp
*Ken Fitch - Keyboards, Lead Vocal, Percussion
*Ed Johnson - Drums

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String Driven Thing - Keep Yer 'And On It (1975 uk, pleasant progressive folk rock, 2010 remastered edition)

Classic 70's album with rare bonus tracks. "Keep Yer 'And On It" was the second album by the radically transformed line-up of String Driven Thing led by the only member left from the earlier line-up - violinist Grahame Smith; it also proved to be their last.

After "Please Mind Your Head", the band came back with a fine collection of rock-based songs featuring strong compositions and excellent performances all round. Both sides of the album open with similar up-tempo numbers with strong hooks and a rich sound. "Starving In The Tropics" has a pragmatic but sensitive message, while "But I Do" is a nicely twisted love song. Kim Beacon, who was the principal vocalist on Tony Bank's first album, "A Curious Feeling" (but sadly is no longer with us), is on fine form throughout. His voice may be something of an acquired taste, being somewhere between John Wetton and Tom Jones (!), but for me he was one of the best in the business.

The songs are generally straightforward, the exception being the superb interpretation of the Beatles' "Things We Said Today". Here the band allow themselves a little more latitude, developing the instrumental aspects, and briefly exploring psychedelic territories. The ballad "Ways Of A Woman" may be schmaltzy, with weeping violin, but it is performed tenderly and Beacon offers his most soulful performance of the album. The melancholy mood continues on the reflective "Part Of It", a song which would have suited the previous line-up well. The subtitle of "Chains (I Wanna Be Just Like Stan Bowles)" will mean little to younger listeners, but think early 70s British football. "Stand Back In Amazement" and "Call Out For Mercy" are excellent pop-rock songs.

Tracks
1. Starving In The Tropics (J. Exell, C. Fairley) - 5:14
2. Call Out For Mercy (K. Beacon, A. Roberts) - 3:00
3. Chains I Wanna Be Just Like Bowles (J. Exell, A. Roberts) - 5:00
4. Things We Said Today (J. Lennon, P. McCartney) - 6:52
5. But I Do (J. Exell) - 3:45
6. Old Friends (K. Beacon) - 3:45
7. Ways Of A Woman (J. Exell) - 4:07
8. Part Of It (J. Exell, A. Roberts) - 3:40
9. Stand Back In Amazement (J. Exell, A. Roberts) - 3:13
10. Black Eyed Queen (Bonus Track, Live Version) (J. Exell) - 5:05
11. Overdrive (Bonus Track, Live Version) (J. Exell) - 2:51
12. Keep On Moving (Bonus Track, Live Version) (J. Exell) - 5:01
13. Jardarfarardagur (Bonus Track) (G. Smith) - 4:11
14. Surdurnesjamenn (Bonus Track) (G. Smith) - 4:16

String Driven Thing
*James Exell - Bass, Vocals
*Colin Fairley - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Alun Roberts - Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
*Cuddly Juddley - Harmonica
*Peter Wood - Piano
*Grahame Smith - Violin, Viola
*Kimberley Beacon - Vocals

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Ilmo Smokehouse - Ilmo Smokehouse...Plus (1970-71 us, amazing heavy rock with blues, psych and jazz influences, akarma edition)

While it's not unusual for a new band to form from the ashes of other collapsing, simpatico groups, it's rare for one to emerge from the funeral pyres of two distinctly different musical units, but thus was begotten Ilmo Smokehouse. Freddie Tieken and the Rockers was the more established of Ilmo's parents, a smoking R'n'B band that had been burning up Midwestern stages since the late '50s.

With an obvious penchant for bluesy rock and soul, the band boasted one of the best horn sections in the region. In contrast, Gonn came on the scene in 1966, dragging behind them their British beat influences, following the herd into psychedelia and even space rock a few years later. Smokehouse had a ferocious live reputation, but this set did that little justice, with only "Johnny B. Good" and "Pine Needle Bed" hinting at their stage potential.

What the record does do, however, is showcase precisely why this band was born to die. The nearly seven-minute long "Have You Ever Had the Blues" is a flawless example of talking blues, a sound Freddie Tieken had perfected years before. Elsewhere, jazz and prog rock collide on "Are You Happy," while jazz, soul, and rock smack straight into each other on "Movement 1 and 13," while "Pine Needle Bed" pulls in so many directions, you expect the whole tree to splinter apart. And splinter the band quickly did, in the end, becoming three different bands. There was just too much experience and quality musicianship in the ranks, all pushing too hard for their own preferred style. For some bands, eclecticism is a badge of honor, for Ilmo it sounds more like a bone of contention.

by Jo-Ann Greene

Authors of only one album produced in 1971, Ilmo Smokehouse made a name for themselves during the early seventies thanks to their incessant gigging, often sharing the stage with names like MC5, Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Amboy Dukes.

Tracks
1. Devil Take My Grandma (K. Rand, R. Weghoff) - 3:30
2. Are You Happy (C. Parker, F. Tieken, K. Rand) - 5:40
3. Movement 1 And 13 (R. Philips, C. Moore, K. Rand, F. Tieken) - 9:50
4. Johnny B. Good (C. Berry) - 3:31
5. Meyer Gold (K. Rand, F. Tieken) - 4:55
6. Have You Ever Had The Blues (F. Tieken) - 6:59
7. Pine Needle Bed (C. Moore, K. Rand, F. Tieken) - 2:53
8. Watch Jimmy Crash (Ilmo Smokehouse) - 2:36
9. Key To The Highway (Bonus Track) (Big Bill Bronzy) - 2:45
10.Pine Needle Bed (Bonus Track) (C. Moore, K. Rand, F. Tieken) - 3:33
11.Ozone (Bonus Track, Instrumental) (Gerry Gabel) - 3:24
12.Outskirts Of Town (Bonus Track) (Andy Razxaf, Fats Waller) - 2:58
13.Calm Myself Down (Bonus Track) (Craig Moore) - 4:32
14.Every Day (Bonus Track, Instrumental) (Memphis Slim) - 5:01
15.Columbia Jam (Bonus Track) (Ilmo Smokehouse) - 5:37

Musicians
*Keith "Slink" Rand - Lead Guitar, Percussions
*Freddie Tieken - Vocals, Rap Vocals, Tenor Saxophone
*Gerry Gabel - Vocals, Flute, Harmonica, Piano
*Dennis Tieken - Vocals, Drums
*Craig Moore - Bass, Vocals

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String Driven Thing - String Driven Thing / Please Mind Your Head (1972/1974 uk, fabulous progressive folk rock, 2006 issue)

One of the finest bands signed to the Charisma label during its early-'70s heyday, Scotland's String Driven Thing originally formed as a trio in 1969, led by the husband-and-wife team of Chris and Pauline Adams, plus percussionist John Mannion. Locally popular at the tail end of the 1960s, the band faded from view shortly after releasing a self-titled debut album in 1970. They continued playing, however, with the lineup expanding to include bassist Colin Wilson

In early 1972, Chris Adams journeyed to London, hoping to interest the Strawbs' management with a three-song demo. Finding himself with some free time, he was flicking through the record labels section of the Yellow Pages when he spotted Stratton Smith Enterprises. He called and found himself in conversation with the head of Charisma chief Tony Stratton Smith's publishing company, Mooncrest Music. Within a week, Stratton Smith himself was in Glasgow, for a String Driven Thing showcase at the Burns' Howff pub; a week after that, the band signed with his label.

Shedding Mannion around the same time, the group returned to Glasgow with a princely retainer of 20 pounds per week, to rehearse. A month later, they went back south for their first ever live shows as a "signed" band: a community hall in the town of Tunbridge Wells, where Strat had his country retreat, and the 1972 Reading Festival. It was an audacious entry, but it worked and the group quickly set to work on its first Charisma album, to be titled — like its independent predecessor — String Driven Thing.

Recorded in two weeks in August 1972 with producer Shel Talmy, the album landed rave reviews across the music press, with Melody Maker in particular leaping onto the group's side. (Amusingly, it later transpired that the album's distinctive gatefold sleeve, designed by Po of Hipgnosis, cost more than the actual recording sessions!)

The band continued pushing forward. Visiting France, they stopped by the renowned Chateau D'Heuroville studios (the Honky Chateau of Elton John fame), where they were filmed recording some songs with a French producer, who later claimed he'd done a better job than Shel Talmy ("he had a point," mused Adams); December 1972, meanwhile, saw the band fly to New York to support Genesis at that band's first ever American show, at the Philharmonic Hall.

When Chris and Pauline Adams left String Driven Thing after the release of "The Machine that cried", the heart of the band essentially went with them. To his credit, Grahame Smith rebuilt String Driven Thing from scratch, but the truth was that this was a completely different band using the same name (per Fleetwood Mac). The new line up recorded two albums together;this is the first of the two.

Vocal duties were taken on by Kim Beacon (here referred to as Kimberley) who was the principal vocalist on Tony Banks' first solo album. Beacon's vocals represented a fundamental change from those of Chris and Pauline Adams, implying an immediately apparent change of sound for the band. This, combined with a general move towards a more orthodox pop rock direction alienated many of SDT's original fans. Things start off brightly enough with "Overdrive" a mid-paced pop song with a fine harmonic chorus.. Songs such as "Without you" try to be more adventurous, with Smith's violin and viola contributions moving the songs on. Vocalist the late Kim Beacon was one of the finest rock singers of his day, his voice being a cross between Paul Rogers and Rod Stewart. Standout tracks are "Overdrive", and the instrumental "Timpani for the devil" .

This instrumental piece draws in brief classical influences as Grahame Smith gets loose on his violin while drummer Colin Fairley expresses himself...
SpaceRitual

Tracks
1974 Please Mind your Head
1. Overdrive - 3:10
2. Without You - 4:00
3. Josephine - 4:10
4. Mrs. O'Reilly - 3:40
5. Man of Means - 2:46
6. Black Eyed Queen - 4:43
7. Keep on Moving - 3:38
8. Timpani for the Devil - 4:15
9. To Know You Is to Love You - 6:25
1972 String Driven Thing
10.Circus - 4:48
11.Fairground - 3:22
12.Hooked on the Road - 2:56
13.Easy to Be Free - 3:06
14.Jack Diamond - 5:20
15.Let Me Down - 4:03
16.Very Last Blue - 3:56
17.Yodell - 3:56
18.My Real Hero - 3:56
19.Regent St. Incident - 3:54

Musicians
1972 String Driven Thing
*Grahame Smith - Violin
*Pauline Adams - Vocals, Percussion
*Colin Wilson - Bass, Guitar, Banjo
*Chris Adams - Vocals, Guitar

1974 Please Mind your Head
*Grahame Smith - Violin, Viola
*Kim Beacon - Vocals
*James Exell - Bass, High Vocals
*Colin Fairly - Drums, Perc, Low Vocals
*Alun Roberts - Guitar, Banjo, Bass Vocals
*Pete Wood -- Keyboards

Additional Musicians
*Harry McDonald - Keyboard
*Alan Skidmore - Sax
*Cuddley Juddley - Flute, Bagpipes

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Procol Harum - Procol Harum (1967 uk, groundbreaking debut album, psych early prog rock, three different [2001, 2012, 2015] japan and eu remaster editions with bonus tracks)

The self-titled Procol Harum marked the album debut of the band then consisting of Gary Brooker (vocals/piano), Robin Trower (guitar), Matthew Fisher (organ), David Knights (bass) and B.J. Wilson (drums).  (Brooker, Trower and Wilson had all previously played in The Paramounts, the group that scored a minor U.K. hit in 1964 with Leiber and Stoller’s “Poison Ivy.”)  With all but the closing track, Fisher’s “Repent Walpurgis,” penned by the team of composer Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid, Procol Harum heralded bold new voices in the British rock scene with its progressive blend of psychedelia, classical and blues idioms.  

The LP, produced by Denny Cordell and released on Regal Zonophone, had been preceded by two single releases.  May 1967’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” reached No. 1 in the U.K. in June and stayed in that position for six weeks.  (Guitarist Ray Royer, whose tenure in the group was short-lived, played on “Whiter Shade.”)  “Homburg” then followed in October, making No. 6 on the pop chart.  Surprisingly by today’s standards, neither song was included on Procol Harum in the U.K., but “Whiter Shade” was added to the LP for its U.S. release.  It replaced “Good Captain Clack” in a reshuffled sequence.  “Whiter Shade” would make No. 5 in the U.S., with “Homburg” performing less impressively at No. 34.

Esoteric has Procol Harum, remastered from the original mono tapes (no stereo version exists), available in both 1-CD and 2-CD iterations.  The single disc has the original 10-track U.K. album plus four bonus tracks – the singles “A Whiter Shade of Pale” b/w “Lime Street Blues,” and “Homburg” b/w “Good Captain Clack.”  This edition is seven tracks short of Salvo’s 2009 version of this LP.  However, Esoteric also has the album in a 2-CD deluxe edition with 15 bonus tracks – seven of which are previously unreleased and two of which are making their CD debuts.  

The seven previously unreleased cuts encompass the band’s 1967 BBC performances for Top Gear and Easybeat.  The other bonuses include B-sides, alternate takes and stereo mixes.  Henry Scott-Irvine provides the new liner notes, and the 2-CD set also includes a facsimile promotional shop poster made for the release of the album in January 1968.

by Joe Marchese

You might make the mistake of thinking 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' is the only good song on the album, just because it's that notorious. Don't. Contrary to rumour, the album isn't packed with filler at all - even if they did have to rush to the studio and record it as quickly as possible on the heels of their sudden success. Of course, the song is outstanding: the way they intertwine Bach's 'Air On A G String' with blues patterns and Reid's mystical lyrics is simply incredible. Perhaps the tune doesn't sound as terrific now as it did way back in the summer of 1967 - after all, it was probably the first major venture into the world of art rock. But I still hold a soft spot in my heart for it as one of the best representatives of the magnificent sound of Procol Harum. The only thing it lacks is a guitar - Robin Trower hadn't yet joined at this point; but even without the guitar it still manages to convey that feeling of measured majesty which makes Procol captivating.

Yeah, but this is not the only high point. They might have recorded individual songs of higher quality in the future, but it's on here that they really burst out with an innovative, totally groundbreaking set of numbers. I'm perfectly aware that most of them are built on the same musical principle - that is, combining classical elements, primarily Bach, with slow, moody Ray Charles-ish soul and Brooker's high, unrestrained vocals; but that doesn't make the music less fascinating, because they didn't forget to provide most of their material with clever, catchy hooks. Not to mention the lyrics - some of the best rock poetry on here, no doubt.

You wanna some proof? Okay, here we go. 'Conquistador' might be the second best song on here, based on Reid's brilliant allegory of the vanity of victory. And, as much as I'm not a fan of the Brooker tone, I must confess that he pulls off the song just fine, clearly getting Reid's message. The best moment, of course, comes in the chorus, with the scary descending guitar riff over the confused lines 'And though I hoped for something to find/I could see no maze to unwind'! BOO! Sounds almost like 'Boris The Spider' to me, only the dark humour vibe is replaced by the really frightening one.

Yet another spooky tune is 'Outside The Gates Of Cerdes' (what's Cerdes, may I ask, and what's its relations with Hades?) Ever seen a painting of the Final Judgement by Bosch? That's what the lyrics seem to be all about, and the keyboards and the dark bass line create a mood that's simply perfect. Finally, if you're not yet scared out of your pants, you get a gloomy account of Brooker always running into his own tombstone in 'Something Following Me'. Need I add that both songs are highlighted by Trower's vicious Hendrix-inspired solos and Fisher's beautiful organ?

There's also some romantic ballads on here - like the silly 'She Wandered Through The Garden Fence', or the groovy 'Salad Days (Are Here Again)', and a couple of songs might seem throwaways, like the repetitive 'Kaleidoscope' or the short good-time ditty 'Good Captain Clack'. But even then, they're still listenable, and you won't regret buying the album while listening to such monsters as their greatest Ray Charles rip-off ('A Christmas Camel', with maybe the funniest lyrics on the entire album), or the closing instrumental 'Repent Walpurgis' which sounds close to 'Shade Of Pale', yet is different. IMHO, it's one of the most gorgeous classical-style rock compositions ever, standing right there, together with Jethro Tull's 'Bouree'.

Funny how all the gorgeous classical-style rock compositions are based on Bach, isn't it? In fact, if I might allow myself a little digression, it's interesting that Bach seems to be the primary influence for all 'serious' bands, and not only art rock ones: even Jack Bruce admitted Bach's influence in his work. I still have no idea why. Sure, Bach is a great composer, but there are so many more... why does nobody ever quote Mozart as an influence? Too lightweight? Too bad, I say!

All right, I was talking about 'Repent Walpurgis'. It's a great instrumental, with the pounding organ and Trower's guitar building up to shattering climaxes. Hell, I caught myself on using as many 'greatest', 'shattering' and 'gorgeous' epithets in this here review as I'd probably never use on a whole page devoted to lots of other bands. Well, you gotta excuse me: this record is truly like nothing else (except for later Procol Harum records, of course). I'd bet its primary uniqueness of course, lies in a definite differentiation between the piano (courtesy of Brooker) and the organ (courtesy of Fisher).

This results in a very rich layer of keyboard sound which neither Yes nor ELP, the two greatest keyboard prog rock bands of all time, could afford. Another distinction is that it manages to sound intelligent and serious without sounding at all pretentious - courtesy of Keith Reid and the goaty singing of Mr Brooker. And even if you think that it's pretentious, just listen to the ridiculous fun on 'Mabel', the track that should really and truly belong to a drunken cabaret party... nah. It's as great as everything else on here.

Oh! And don't forget the bonus tracks! The B-side of 'Shade Of Pale' is actually a jumpy R'n'B number ('Lime Street Blues') that denotes their Paramounts past. Then there's 'Homburg', their classic second single which is a carbon, but certainly not a dull, copy of 'Shade Of Pale', except that the piano is featured more prominently than the organ, giving the song a complaintive rather than majestic feel.

'Monseigneur Armand' is a throwaway, but 'Seem To Have The Blues All Of The Time' is top-notch, built on a grumbling, almost heavy metal riff (I wonder how much innovatory the song was for its time? There were no Led Zeppelin back then, remember that!) In all, the record is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful... geez, I'm gonna go put it on one more time now. Go get it.

by George Starostin

Tracks

1. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - 4:06

2. Conquistador - 2:38

3. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence - 3:24

4. Something Following Me - 3:37

5. Mabel - 1:53

6. Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) - 5:03

7. A Christmas Camel - 4:49

8. Kaleidoscope - 2:53

9. Salad Days (Are Here Again) - 3:38

10.Good Captain Clack - 1:30

11.Repent Walpurgis - 5:02

12.Lime Street Blues - 2:59

13.Homburg - 3:55

14.Monseigneur Armand - 2:23

15.Seem To Have The Blues All The Time - 2:46

All Songs by Keith Reid, Gary Brooker except track 11 by Matthew Fisher

Esoteric (2015 Double Disc)

Disc One - Original Album Released as Regal Zonophone LRZ 1001 in January 1968

1. Conquistador - 2:33

2. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence - 3:21

3. Something Following Me - 3:33

4. Mabel - 1:50

5. Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) - 4:59

6. A Christmas Camel - 4:42

7. Kaleidoscope - 2:49

8. Salad Days (Are Here Again) - 3:33

9. Good Captain Clack - 1:25

10.Repent Walpurgis (Matthew Fisher) - 4:04

11.A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, Keith Reid) - 4:04

12.Lime Street Blues - 2:50

13.Homburg - 3:52

14.Good Captain Clack - 1:28

15.Alpha - 3:50

16.Salad Days (Are Here Again) - 4:12

17.Understandably Blue - 3:29

18.Pandora's Box - 3:05

19.Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) - 4:45

20.Something Following Me - 3:38

All Songs by Keith Reid, Gary Brooker except where noted

Bonus Tracks 11-20

Disc Two

1. A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, Keith Reid) - 6:04

2. Homburg - 5:33

3. Repent Walpurgis (Matthew Fisher) - 7:27

4. Conquistador - 2:39

5. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence - 3:27

6. Something Following Me - 3:47

7. Mabel - 1:55

8. Kaleidoscope - 3:08

9. Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) - 5:23

10.Homburg - 3:56

11.Morning Dew (Bonnie Dobson) - 3:11

12.A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, Keith Reid) - 5:12

13.Mabel - 1:37

14.Homburg - 3:50

15.Good Captain Clack - 1:17

16.She Wandered Through The Garden Fence - 3:12

17.Kaleidoscope - 2:27

All Songs by Keith Reid, Gary Brooker except where stated

Tracks 11-13 BBC "Easybeat" Session, June 1967

Tracks 14-17 BBC "Top Gear" Session, September 1967

Victor Japan Hqcd 2012 Edition

1. Conquistador - 2:35

2. She Wandered Through The Garden Fence - 3:22

3. Something Polliwog Me - 3:34

4. Mabel - 1:51

5. Cerdes (Outside The Gates Of) - 5:00

6. A Christmas Camel - 4:43

7. Kaleidoscope – 2:49

8. Salad Days (Are Here Again) - 3:34

9. Good Captain Clack - 1:26

10.Repent Walpurgis (Matthew Fisher) - 4:55

11.A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, Keith Reid) - 4:06

12.Lime Street Blues - 2:51

13.Homburg - 3:53

14.Good Captain Clack - 1:29

15.Il Tuo Diamante - 3:23

16.Understandably Blue - 3:30

17.Pandora's Box - 3:43

18.Alpha - 3:48

19.Conquistador - 2:38

20.She Wandered Through The Garden Fence - 3:25

21.Homburg - 3:54

All Songs by Keith Reid, Gary Brooker except where indicated

Procol Harum
*Matthew Fisher - Organ
*Dave Knights - Bass
*B.J. Wilson - Drums
*Robin Trower - Guitar
*Gary Brooker - Piano and Vocals
*Keith Reid - Lyrics
On "A Whiter Shade of Pale" only
*Ray Royer (in place of Trower) - Guitar
*Bill Eyden (in place of Wilson) - Drums

Related Act
1973-76  Robin Trower - Tale Untold, Chrysalis Years (3 disc box-set, 2010 remaster bonus tracks issue)

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