title: Seek and Find "Sweet Caroline" and "Georgia On My Mind"

text:
The QVC bonus edition of Neil Diamond's "Dreams" supplements his 2010 covers album with a piano-slowed version of "Georgia on My Mind" and an elegiac "Sweet Caroline" which would nicely round-off 2001's "Essential ND" live "Yes I Will/Lady Magdalene" medley.  Neil's covers of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and the Beatles' "Blackbird" here are also worthy additions to the canon of American popular song.

With induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Paul Simon, completists will also want to seek out the deluxe version of 2008's "Home Before Dark" in order to view Neil covering "The Boxer."  Also worth tracking down are Neil's captivating treatments of Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" and the Beatles' sequence "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End," both from 2003's "Stages."


title: Finally finding (the real!) Sue Medley.

text:
For reasons know only to internet-gremlins, those once looking for bluesy-folk-vocalist Sue Medley wound up shunted to Madonna's "Borderline" instead. The links have been repaired, apparently, and at last we can access her aching third album, "Velvet Morning."

Dawson's Creek used a number of Sue Medley's songs included on Velvet Morning on airing, including "You Won't See Me Cry." Her "Greatest Hits" includes highlights from two earlier CDs, as well as some previously unreleased numbers.

You can also hear Sue on Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert, where her vocals soar on John Mellancamp's cover of "Like a Rolling Stone."  A soulful singer with a social conscience -- very much worth seeking out!


title: Many songs not included

text: I want to comment first on a statement on the back of the booklet: "..this collection can proudly claim to contain all of Elvis' movie songs." WRONG! How about the Jailhouse Rock songs: Baby I Don't Care, Don't Leave Me Now (Loving You version is included), I Want To Be Free and Young And Beautiful? It is also missing ALL of the "bonus songs" that were issued on the original soundtrack albums and many non-LP single songs.  I have not counted, but at least 2 dozen songs Elvis released during his lifetime are not included. The sound quality is hit and miss as well, some examples quite poor. The HUGE HITS in original studio versions of Kentucky Rain, Burning Love, Always On My Mind, Suspicious Minds, I've Lost You, Don't Cry Daddy are not included either. I recommend either "The Complete Masters" if you can find a copy. It has great sound quality, with a few exceptions. (even that has a couple released masters missing ex: The single take 1 version of It's A Long Lonely Highway) or The Album Collection, which also has great sound quality with the exception of For LP Fans Only, A Date With Elvis and some of Elvis For Everyone being not up to par. It has even more missing than The Complete Masters does, but it is at least still available at the time if my review.  The Album Collection ironically uses the single version of Doncha Think It's Time on the album Elvis' Gold Records Vol 2, instead of the, ahem, album version!  I have reviewed The Album Collection as well, detailing many of the lifetime recordings NOT included.  RCA/BMG/Sony has YET to release a perfect lifetime masters collection. At this point, I doubt they ever will.  But they sure like to reissue the same "rarities" recordings on so many collections. At what point do these same "rarities" stop being "rare"?


title: Family friend since the 1950s.

text: Ben Dixon an old family friend. He and my dad were in the Air Force together and remained life long friends.  The was his only LP. He did have a recorded live 8-Track tape however.


title: Nice revisiting of a great debut album.

text:
Bic Runga's first two albums, this one and Beautiful Collision are her best. Birds and Christchurch Concert are also excellent. Her rarities collection Try To Remember Everything collects outtakes, B side and unreleased live material from throughout this period.  Bic is dynamic, delicate, gentle, sensual and witty. Her lyrics paint a daydream picture of love and life. Then she hooked up with Kody Nielson who totally obliterated her sound and wrapped her up in artifice and gimmickry.  Avoid Belle and her new album Close Your Eyes like the plague. They are a compressed, echo laden, pro-tools mess.

Drive anniversary edition includes a few outtakes that are also featured on Try To Remember Everything. The sound is clean, dynamic and tender as always.


One of a few places where you can get "That's All Right" without the added RCA reverb. Another source would be the excellent A Boy From Tupelo.


This series on the Inverse Label are needle drops from original albums, extended plays and singles. Minimal processing is applied. So you basically hear the sound like what was on the original records. Sometimes where the album version and the single version differ, such as compression or reverb etc, both examples are included. Great for those who remember what Elvis' records sounded like before the advent of digital. 35 songs from Follow That Dream, Kid Galahad, Pot Luck and Girls-Girls-Girls.


This series on the Inverse Label are needle drops from original albums, extended plays and singles. Minimal processing is applied. So you basically hear the sound like what was on the original records. Sometimes where the album version and the single version differ, such as compression or reverb etc, both examples are included. Great for those who remember what Elvis' records sounded like before the advent of digital.

Volume 4 and Volume 5 each have unique examples of different masters of Elvis Is Back. They are fun to compare.

2 CD, 51 tracks, including 1st pressing of Elvis Is Back, Something For Everybody and Blue Hawaii and more!


This series on the Inverse Label are needle drops from original albums, extended plays and singles. Minimal processing is applied. So you basically hear the sound like what was on the original records. Sometimes where the album version and the single version differ, such as compression or reverb etc, both examples are included. Great for those who remember what Elvis' records sounded like before the advent of digital.<br />4 CD set, 110 tracks. Includes all masters released in the 1950s. Does not include masters recorded in the 1950s, but not released until the 1960s. This has all the content of Volume 1-3 plus more.


title: Her First!

text: The album that started it all. This CD was sold in the lobbies of her concerts.  You get to hear the early rocker at work here. A fully developed talent is evident here.


title: NOT from the tours!!

text: Great artists, great music, but this is NOT recordings from the actual tours!  These are simply samples off the artist's studio albums. The one live song "Weather With You" is taken from Tim Finn's Together In Concert.  I was very disappointed as I already have most of the recordings from the various artist's CDs.


title: Where is KZON 8?

text: I love the KZON series, but I have been searching for volume 8 for years. Why does it never show up here or on Ebay....ever?


title: Awesome, came quickly and as described.

text: Great seller, thanks again. Item arrived quickly and as described.


title: Oh yeah

text: Yep


title: Yep

text: Added to my collection


title: My favorite Bad Company album!

text: My favorite Bad Company album of them all.  I'm praying that this album is given the reissue DELUXE treatment like the first two albums.  It would be a crime if it isn't!  This album never got the publicity that the first two got, which I never understood.  "Rock and Roll Fantasy" is still a staple of FM classic radio, but people overlook "Early in the Morning" and  "Crazy Circles" as the classics that THEY are.  Great musicians with one of the best frontmen in Rock history.  Springsteen may be The Boss, but Paul Rogers is "The Voice"!


title: Zeppelin junkie with a fix!

text: Zeppelin raw, loud, and unfiltered just the way it was meant to be!  As a lifelong Zep fan, this is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve all rolled up in one!  I have been a fan for 40 years, and I've never heard "Ten Years Gone" performed live by Zeppelin.  In addition, I received two bootlegs for the price of one...Thank you, generous seller... ROCK ON!


title: That's the way it's got to be

text: After picking this up what hits you in the face is that life really aint fair. Here's a group that should've been everybit as huge as say the Searchers but were not even a blip on the US charts. They likely saw only minor chart action in their native UK. 2 stand out tracks are "Our love is fading away" & "Thats The way its got to be". The Poets had sublime harmony & to these ears every bit as good of the Searchers & also somewhat reminisent of their sound with the prominent 12 string guitar. But even with the help of Andrew Oldham they never found the kind of stardom they richly deserved. This group was not the same ol same ol crunching vox & loud bash & trash dance music but a more subdue & moody type folk sound with a distinct energy. If you like your 60s rock on the folky & harmonic side you will enjoy the Poets. Also, they wrote most of their own tunes & they are impressive. Only 4 stars due to somewhat trashy sound & I'm sure the engineer did the best he could but 2 songs have noticable hiss or deterioration (those may be some demos).


title: Caifanes

text: well I love this Ban and there music is one of the best I wish to see more thinks of them also LP's

user_id: AFXYKLCILIKTSLPUVOUIXTNCWSIQ


title: If you love heavy metal especially vintage heavy metal this is the ...

text: One word.....EPIC! If you love heavy metal especially vintage heavy metal this is the album to get!


title: A treat

text:
I found this many years ago in a used record store.  It cost me about a dollar.  Zapped originally was a promotional record you could get by sending in a record sleeve found on Reprise releases.

This is a great introduction to the Zappa corral.  I first heard Merry Go Round here by Wild Man Fischer on Zapped.


title: Excellent Sound Quality!!

text: I've been looking for a high quality remaster of some of the best songs from Kansas for quite a while. I just happened on this particular CD offering, but I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical. It states that this CD was released by Sony (Columbia) of Australia in 2018. However, the pictures show a manufactured copyright date of 1999. However, for the price I took a chance and ordered it anyway. Boy, did I make the right decision!! This CD sounds absolutely fantastic!! I am assuming that they just reprinted the original cover art and insert with the older dates in order to save money. What you get here is a super, high-quality remaster in the same old package it originally came in. If you're like me and just want the music to sound great, then this is the CD for you!


title: Five Stars

text: Great Live Recording...


title: The Rez Band - Reach Of Love

text:
This was a great find at a awesome price under five bucks. The Rez Band at one time was the singel most importaint Christian Rock Band. Folks this band delevered and when I listen to this recording it reminded me of why I too became a believer and Christian muscian.

This record/cd is out of print as of this review. Hopefully one day the good brothers and sisters at Grrr records will re-release it along with Inocent Blood and Silent Screams. You can find these recordings but often times the price tag is high (about the $20.00 - $75.00 range.)

The Ressurection Band later Rez Band had about a 30 year run and were among the founders of Christian Rock. Over the 30 years they released some truly ground breaking records. You can check thir web site Grrr [...] or look them up on wakapedia for details. Curently they have a few of there records/cd's available for aroun $10.00 dollars. The trouble for me as a collector is the often times high price tag wanted here on amazon by way of independent vendors.

If you really want to here some truly inovative early Christian Rock this record is for you. It by far passes all the other Christian Crap Rock that's out there today.

IC - Rick Glenn


title: Music To Raise the Dead  "The Rez Band"

text:
Greetings:

I really like this collection. If you love Christian Rock,Blues as I do then this collection of 54 songs on 3 discs is for you. Plus with this Rez collection it comes with a Dvd featuring a live concert & 3 Videos plus Glenn Kaisers Rap along with his wife Wendi's rap... That's not all! It also come with a nice booklet with band information and the bands history with great photos. The folks at Grrr Records did an outstanding job with this project.

The only draw back for me was that I thoght they could have added more songs from their albums Inocent Blood, Silent Screams, Reach of Love & Lament. My favriote albums/Cd's by this band. Missing are songs like
"80,000 Underground","Child of the Blues." Also missing are some songs that the band coverd and would play in concert were The Who's "Bargain" and Blind Faith's classic "Presence of the Lord", Written by Eric Clapton.

Glenn Kaiser is a great blues and rock singer who should not be icnored. This band has many musical styles that they have used over the year very well, The songs sometimes catchy are done very well. I would recmend this collection to anyone who is just now getting into this band. It's music with truth and honesty. I do not conseder this band at all religious. Just great in your face Jesus Rock & Roll with no compramize. Another thing appeling is that they are not your tipical dove award winning Christian rock band. They hail from Chicago IL, Live at JPUSA (Jesus People USA) on Welson Street. Why I highly recomend them because I once lived at JPUSA too. They are real people who are not at all interested in getting cought up in the Rockstar stuff that normaly comes with the teratory. This Cd/Dvd collection rates a 10 on my scale of 1 - 10...

In His Service
Rick Glenn Fort Valley Georgia.


title: Pearl

text: For me I am Beatlemaníaco, this vinyl is a pearl.


title: I am very satisfied

text:
As a lover of the fab four, is a rare example.
I am very pleased with the sales and product.
I'm always panning Beatlemaniac and used records.


title: 65

text: I am Beatlemaniac and this product besides being the history of rock n roll was the soundtrack of my life.


title: SMOOTH AS SILK

text: I'm listening to this cd as I type and must say that since I bought this cd it has been played on a very regular basis at my place and usually at a high volume level. It has some very infectious dance tracks along with some of the best love ballads going (hey girl, who needs tomorrow are perfect examples). CDB do an  excellent version of Earth, Wind and Fire's Let's Groove and you cannot sit still when this track fires up.<br />I don't really like comparing groups though these guys give Boys II Men a good run for their money, they are the closest comparison I can think of right now. The music of CDB is of the highest quality R&B Funk'n'Groove. The lead vocals are effortless and the groove is deep,thick and smooth as silk. The production on this cd is also excellent. I can highly recommend this cd. Treat yourself, you won't be disappointed... and put on your dancing shoes.


title: Beautiful playing and compositions

text: I had the pleasure of meeting Russell at a local fair recently.  I heard him playing and was totally awestruck so I puchased two of his CD's.  After listening to them I went back the next day and purchased two more (this being one of them) and I have to say that I think this is my favorite.  His playing is incredible but his composing is excellent as well (all of the songs are original compositions).  The songs are of varying influences (blues, jazz, classical, Latin, Middle Eastern, Asian, etc.) but flow incredibly well as an album (Antaratma Sadhana in particular is phenomenal).  A must have for any fan of acoustic guitar. If you prefer more traditional songs, check out another album of his, "Standard Time".


title: Five Stars

text: Love The CDs They Are Great.


title: Five Stars

text: Love The CD. Like The Time It Took To Get My CD.


Five Stars


title: Wonderful music from Stevie

text: Every song amazing


title: This is a beautiful concert.

text: Like everything


title: Like the songs. Sound could be better.

text: I was at this show. So I got it for that reason especially. It's too short, not enough Bo , And that is not Plynth. It's a medley of solos Ronnie did with the faces. But I like it for the most part. The sound quality isn't anything to rave about, but it's good enough. Like I said for me it's a memento of a good night.


title: Great music , so so recording.

text: I only have the 2 CD set and I bought the 2nd box set which musically in every way the 2nd box set is a beautiful thing. However I can only judge the first box set by the 2 cd sampler So Glad You Made It . I really like the group of songs they selected for that. Lots of different songs of which I have no prior Dead version. Some reviewers who bought the 1st box have correctly critiqued the sound. At first listen it's not bad. Vocals, keys and guitars are right there. However, hearing the pulse Phil brings to Dead music is not palpable nor are the drums in all their beautiful thunder. The sound is too bright and not warm. Leaving the constant feeling something is missing. It's really too bad, because it looks like some great shows from what turned out to be a magnificent Spring, didn't get their proper attention. I fail to see where any qualified sound man familiar with Dead music could be so remiss as to practically omit Phil's all important deep bass and the full sound of Bill and Mickey's thunder. Too bad Bob doesn't have this set of work re-done to put it on equal footing with the beauty of which the 2nd box brings to the ears of Dead fans. I just don't get it!


title: Water From The Well

text: This is the Chieftains at there purist. Wonderful traditional music.  Great music that lifts the spirit.  I recommend this recording.


title: warm and lovely

text: A very pleasant surprise.  Not another mundane American Idol wanna-be, Sherman Pore has succeeded in interpreting classic love songs in a warm, dreamy style that makes the listener forget that this is his first recording.  Backed by excellent musical arrangements, Mr. Pore holds his own on chestnuts like "The Way You Look Tonight", "Dream A Little Dream of Me", "Unforgettable", "Autumn Leaves", and "Someone To Watch Over Me". He adds a nice swingy touch to "Sway", "Fly Me to the Moon", and "You Belong To Me".  The remaining two songs - "The Very Thought Of You" and "When I Fall In Love"- are tender and quite perfect for an endless slow waltz. I hope that this CD received a warm welcome, because I would like to hear more of Sherman Pore.  He certainly knows how to find his way around the American Classic Song catalogue.


title: Excellent.

text: CD collection.


title: A Pleasant Surprise.

text: I'm a big fan of his & was really happy & surprised to find this.<br />Other fans will know & if you're not a fan but like good guitar playing, check him out.


title: Excellent!

text: Great New Age type music, not a weak track on here, from Jenn's Gad of Enigma.


title: ANOTHER GREAT ALBUM

text: I bought this cd at one of his concerts he even signed it for me and gave me one of his picks. This cd is excellent, great songs selection and the band is excellent. There are some nice long jams and there is a few new songs, most of it is wooden music, a must have for Betts fans. I love his version of (Bob Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue), plus the harp player, he plays a harp to kill for. This album is very well done and getting hard to find.


title: is great. The sounds of eigthies is not better then ...

text: The Beach Boys, is great. The sounds of eigthies is not better then the sixties, but remains the sounds of summer alive.


title: An important addition.

text: No need to expand much on the great reviews above......This collection sounds great. But to me, this is so worthwhile because the stripped-down presentation allows so much more light and transparency into Karla's voice - and songs. As beautiful as the old recordings, arrangements and performances are, this is such a breath of fresh air. The original recordings always left me a little on the blue side. Nina Gerber is awesome. Solos in places, color and support throughout. Karla's on acoustic on 4 of the songs - Steinway on the rest. Nobody should sing this well after all these years.


title: Great Album.

text: It's The Crusaders, with a bunch of my favorite artists to boot. Bill Withers, Joe Cocker, Bobby Womack, B.B. King, Nancy Wilson. Top-flight musicianship, and flawless execution. This is what music is supposed to be about.


title: Five Stars

text: Genius!


title: Musicians Unite To Benefit Free Speech

text:
This unique and now rare CD captures a two-night performance at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville to benefit the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University.  The CD was originally offered to the public for free (with only a nominal mailing charge), with the hope that the recipient would recognize the importance of the cause and make an additional monetary donation to the Center, which battles censorship and other infringements on First Amendment rights.

The concept behind the choice of songs was simple; every song on this disc was banned or surpressed in some manner at the time it was originally released. They dealt with a variety of subjects: sex, integration, and the Vietnam-era anti-war movement among them. Some of the tunes are very familiar, such as Good Rockin' Tonight (best known through Elvis Presley's recording), Ohio (Crosby Stills Nash & Young)  Blowin' In the Wind (Bob Dylan) and In the Ghetto (also Elvis), while others were more obscure, then and now.  In some cases, it seems almost laughable that the song prompted such an uproar.  But almost all of them had an important message about society at the time they first recorded.

The list of performers is diverse and impressive.  Steve Earle performs one of his own recent compositions, and Rodney Crowell, Radney Foster, Bill Lloyd (who also serves as musical director), Dan Baird, Kim Richey, Kevin Welch, and Greg Trooper also appear.  The best performance is turned in by Tommy Womack, whose version of Eve of Destruction has an honesty, passion and energy that Barry McGuire's hit version (1965) sorely lacked. Another highlight is a straightfaced trio rendition of Where Have All the Flowers Gone, a song I never again expected to enjoy, having lived through too many saccharine versions during the Sixties folk boom.  Sadly, its powerful anti-war message is relevant again in our times.

The purpose for these performances is found in the songs themselves; there are no heavy-handed speeches or politicizing.  But these sensitive and intelligent renditions serve to remind us how precious is the right of free speech, and that artistic expression should not be crushed by political or social agendas.

Even if you remain unpersuaded by the politics, this recording is a lot of fun, with a lot of terrific songs, and it stands up to repeated listening.  Good luck finding this CD, but if you do, grab it.  You won't be disappointed.


title: Three Stars

text: Thank you


title: Beautiful, moving, and very elegant

text:
Marc’s third CD, released April 27 2015. Created in tribute to his late wife, Marina.

Two key events happened in late April 2010 that gave shape to this future CD. First, Marc did a Cursillo weekend, the themesong for which was  “All Who Are Thirsty” by Brenton Brown.  The other more consequential event in April 2010 came within a week of the Cursillo weekend, namely the death of his wife, Marina. In the months following her death he composed several new original songs, including one with words by his late wife. Expectedly, grieving is a theme in a fair number of the compositions for this project.

Features nine originals plus six cover tunes composed by John Michael Talbot, Brenton Brown & Glenn Roberson/Tim Manion, Dan Schutte, Bob Dufford/David Haas, Terry Talbot, Rolf Lovland & Brendan Graham.

“Beautiful, moving, and very elegant”


title: review

text:
An eleven track compilation, 1972's "The Best of Crow" pulled together five out of the band's seven 1969-71 era singles.  Missing in action were 1970's 'Slow Down' and 'Watching Can Waste Up Time'.  Given the band's limited catalog (they'd only recorded three studio sets up to that point), a "best of" collection struck me as a bit premature, but with lead singer David Wagner having quit the previous year, I'm guessing Amaret wanted to capitalize on the band's audience while they still had a chance.  And here's the really funny thing about this album - since the labelt got to "cherry pick" from the first three albums, on a song-for-song basis the results were surprisingly impressive.  Yeah, Wagner's voice was an acquire taste (he frequently reminded me of a rock-oriented David Clayton-Thomas), and there wasn't a great deal of originality in these grooves, but looking back I find nine of the tracks score high with my ears (and that includes a couple with horn arrangements).

- Off their debut LP "Crow Music", 'Evil Woman' was their biggest and best hit (really their only hit).  Driven by Larry Wiegand's pounding bass and some very daring lyrics (remember this was 1969), the song probably deserved to be a bigger hit than it was.  Interestingly, the horns were added without the band's knowledge, or approval, giving the tune a Blood, Sweat & Tears-edge.  rating: **** stars
- Their fifth single, 'Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On the (King of Rock and Roll)' was as horrendous as the title.  A mindless slice of anonymous bar band moves, the song found lead singer Wagner trotting out his bluesiest voice to little effect.  rating: ** stars
- Off of their second album, 1970's "Crow By Crow", 'Colors' opening with some Kink Middlemist church organ before unexpectedly exploding into one of the band's better rockers.  Dick Wiegand acquitted himself with honors on the track and even Wagner's David Clayton-Thomas wannabe vocals were enjoyable on this one.  rating: **** stars
- 'Gonna Leave a Mark' was another track off the debut LP.  Driven by a crunching Dick Wiegand guitar riff, the song was actually pretty good and would have been even better had producer Bob Monaco restrained himself and  dropped the needless horns which gave the song a dreaded BS&T feel.  rating: *** stars
- Showcasing one of their better melodies and some of Dick Wiegand's best playing, 'I Stand To Blame" was a likeable country-rocker with a nifty nod to Elvis Presley.  The song was also interesting for showcasing the band's seldom displayed harmony vocal skills and for Wagner's breezy delivery.  Shame he did sing like this more often.  rating: **** stars
-  The band's debut single, 'Time To Make a Turn' has always reminded me of a Gary Puckett and the Union Gap song.  Complete with punch horns, this one sounded like it had been penned for maximum radio play - hard to understand why it vanished without a trace.  Elsewhere, Dick Wiegand turned in a tasty lead guitar solo.  rating: **** stars
- A strange choice for a single (gawd only knows how it hit the top-100 charts), 'Cottage Cheese' was apparently written to spotlight drummer Dennis Craswell.  Musically the song was little more than a brief jam session with each member, including Craswell), given a crack at a short solo.  The song title was basically a place holder, but the band never came up with a better title.  rating: ** stars
- Penned by bassist Larry Weigand, 'Busy Day' was built on a great rock riff (if I ever wanted to write a song, I'd steal it in a heartbeat).  The only downside to this one was producer Monaco's needless studio effects.  rating: **** stars
- Lifted from the band's third studio set (1971's "Mosaic"), 'Satisfied' was a bit different from the bulk of the group's standard bar band repertoire.  Opening up with some attractive orchestration, including Craswell pounding away on kettle drums, the track didn't drift all that far from hardrock, but sounded considerably more self-assured than much of their earlier work.  rating: **** stars
- Larry seemed to be the band's most commercial writer and that knack was aptly displayed on 'Keeps Me Runnin''.  Nice pop-rock tune that again showcased the band's overlooked harmony vocals.  rating: **** stars
- Three things save 'Yellow Dawg' from oblivion:  1.) Dick Wiegand's fuzz guitar (he also turned in a blazing solo), 2.) the title track chorus, and 3.) Middlemist's jumpy keyboard pattern which Dick and Larry follow a couple of times throughout the song.  rating: **** stars

Darn, I guess I'm gonna have to go back and re-exam the studio albums.

"The Best of Crow" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Evil Woman  (Larry Wiegand - Richard Wiegand - David Waggoner) - 3:10
2.) Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On the (King of Rock and Roll)  (Jeff Thomas) - 2:00
3.) Colors  (Larry Wiegand) - 3:36
4.) Gonna Leave a Mark  (Larry Wiegand) - 2:53
5.) I Stand To Blame  (Richard Wiegand - David Waggoner) - 2:38
6.) Time To Make a Turn  (Larry Wiegand) - 2:47

(side 2)
1.) Cottage Cheese (Richard Wiegand - David Waggoner - Dennis Craswell) - 3:20
2.) Busy Day  (Larry Wiegand) - 3:03
3.) Satisfied  (R Middlemist - Larry Wiegand) - 5:03
4.) Keeps Me Runnin'  (Larry Wiegand) - 3:00
5.) Yellow Dawg  (Larry Wiegand) - 3:01

Under the Crow banner the Weigand brothers and Middlemist are still active in the Minneapolis area and have a web presence at: [...]


title: review

text:
Call them daring musical innovators, or a group of musical comedians.  Whatever.  The Portsmouth Sinfonia are likely to bring back wonderful memories for folks who happened to attend college during the mid-70s.

Most folks mistakenly think Roxy Music keyboardist/composer Brian Eno was the brains behind this outfit.  Wrong.  It was actually composer Gavin Bryars who started the ensemble in 1969 while attending the Portsmouth College of Art (hence the name).  (Eno was a member of the group during the 1970 - 74 period and helped produce the group's first two LPs.)

In creating The Portsmouth Sinfonia Bryars' notion was the ultimate in musical democracy - namely anyone could join the group; no matter what skill level or musical proficiency they might have.  The commitment was that you attended the rehearsals and made an effort to actually learn the material, which was initially limited to the most commonly known parts of well known classical pieces.  By 1973 the group had grown to roughly 80 members, spanning the range from accomplished performers to totally incompetent.

Signed by the small UK folk-oriented Traditional label, the group debuted with 1974's "The Portsmouth Sinfonia Plays the Popular Classics".  Amazingly this is a great album.  Sure, the thought of folks trying to butcher music may not have much appeal to the rank and file listener, but that's not the case here.  These folks were apparently really trying to make good music.  That's what makes this so much fun.  The clash of will, desire and talent makes for an intriguing blend of blown melodies, happenstance and hysterically funny ineptitude.  Imagine a room full of folks trying to guess where the melody is ... or just imagine attending your child's first school band performance.  Highlights include something resembling "Nutcracker Suite", "William Tell Overture", a root canal-painful "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and drunken stupor stab at "Blue Danube Waltz".  Probably as a result of Eno's participation (he produced the set), Columbia Records picked up American distribution.  Clearly unsure what to do with the group, Columbia tried to market the set as a comedy album ("Indisputably, the worst orchestra in the world.").  Needless to say, their efforts fell on deaf ears ...

Plays the Popular Classics" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) From Peer Gynt Suite No. 1  (Grieg) - 3:23
2.) From The Nutcracker Suite  (Tschikovsky) - 3:00
3.) 5th Sinfony in C Minor, Op. 67  (Beethoven)
4.) William Tell Overture  (Rossini)

(side 2)
1.) Also Sprach Zarathustra Op. 31 (Excerp)  (Richard Strauss)
2.) Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 314  (Johann Strauss)
3.) Air from Suite No. 3 in D Minor  (J. S. Bach)
4.) Farandole from L`Arlesienne Suite No. 2  (Bizet)
5.) Jupiter from The Planets, Op. 32 (Excerpt)  (Holst)


title: Goodbye progressive, hello AOR ...

text:
Judging by the cover art, liner notes and some of the song titles I initially wondered if I'd purchase a secular album (of course I didn't immediately notice the guy on the cover holding a copy of Rolling Stone).  I owned a couple of the earlier Gypsy LPs and they weren't religiously-themed, but people change all the time ...
Co-produced by Jack Richardson and Jim Mason, 1973's "Unlock the Gates" was easily the band's most conventional set.  Largely written by lead singer/guitarist Enrico Rosenbaum (singer/guitarist James Johnson and keyboardist James Walsh also contributing material), selections like `Is That News?', the title track and 'Bad Whore (The Machine)' would have sounded perfect slotted into mid-1970s top-40 radio (okay the latter title might have been a problem for commercial radio).  Unfortunately while highly commercial, material like `One Step Away' and `Need You Baby' came at the expense of the band's identity.  Anyone expecting to hear more of the pseudo-progressive moves found on earlier sets was going to be thoroughly disappointed.  To be honest, much of the set could have easily been mistaken for Ambrosia (`Bad Whore'), The Doobie Brothers (`Make Peace with Jesus'), etc.  That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, especially if you were into commercial 1970s rock.  `Bad Whore (The Machine)' and the funky (yes, funky) `Don't Get Mad (Get Even)' were particularly impressive.  Perhaps not good news to some folks, but the core of Chicago's horn section (Lee Loughname, James Pankow, and Walter Pazaider) provided supported on a number of tracks.

- Opening up with some tasty guitar and a keyboard figure that drilled into your head, 'Is That News?' found the band trying to get funky. The chorus was great, bur It probably would have worked better without the blaring Chicago horns and the irritating female backing vocals.  rating: ** stars
- 'As mentioned above, ;Make Peace with Jesus' sounded like an early Doobie Brothers tune.  Know idea if they were being sincere with the song, but it gets a nod as one of the LP's  standout performances.  rating: **** stars
- Penned by James Walsh,, 'One Step Away' was a smooth AOR ballad that sounded like it had been stolen out of the Ambrosia songbook.  Very commercial, this one sounded like it had been written specifically for radio airplay.  Sadly I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff ...  rating: **** stars
- It sounded strange, but the band's white-boys funk-meets-jazz-rock mash-up 'Bad Whore (The Machine)' somehow worked.  Yeah, the discordant horn section at the end of the song was a waste of time, but the rest of the sound actually had a decent groove.  Imagine a more commercial track off of Steely Dan's "Aja" and you'd be in the right aural neighborhood.  rating: **** stars
- 'Unlock the Gates' was a heavily orchestrated ballad with some inspirational lyrics.  Pretty, but one of their more anonymous offerings.  rating: ** stars
- Anyone who missed the band's progressive moves was going to have to make do with 'Torn It' which actually sounded like a bad mid-career Chicago song.  Once again, having the Chicago horns on the song didn't help.  rating: ** stars
- Another stab at Ambrosia-styled AOR, 'Need You Baby ' was certainly commercial and catchy (and showcased the band's overlooked harmony vocals), but ...  well it sounded like Ambrosia-meets-Chicago.  rating: ** stars
- No, it wasn't a cover of the Sade hit ... That said, this 'Smooth Operator' was equally vapid.  A perfect example of how soulless mid-1970s rock could be, the only thing this one had going for it was the slightly Latin flavored guitar solo that jumped out in the middle of the song.  Other than that, this one sounded like it had been written for a rental car commercial.  rating: ** stars
- 'Bless 'Don't Get Mad (Get Even)' for at least giving drummer Bill Lordan five seconds of spotlight time ...  The album's best performance, this one had everything going for it - catchy, funky melody, more of those silky smooth group harmonies, and even a short taste of James Walsh's keyboards.  rating: **** stars
- Another very mainstream track, 'Precious One' had some interesting lyrics, a nice melody, a wonderful guitar-and-keyboards mid-section jam, and more of those Ambrosia-styled harmony vocals.  A very nice way to close out the album.  rating: *** stars

RCA tapped the album for a couple of instantly forgotten singles:
1973's `Don't Bother Me' b/w `Make Peace with Jesus' (RCA catalog number 74-0933) 1973's `Need You Baby' b/w `Precious One' (RCA catalog number APBO-0036)

Scorned by most Gypsy fans, I'll grudgingly admit this one has grown on me over the years.

"Unlock the Gates" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Is That News?  Enrico Rosenbaum - James Johnson) - 3:15
2.) Make Peace with Jesus  Enrico Rosenbaum - James Walsh) - 3:15 3.) One Step Away  James Walsh)
4.) Bad Whore (The Machine  Enrico Rosenbaum) - 2:48 5.) Unlock the Gates  Enrico Rosenbaum) - 3:42

(side 2)
1.) Torn It  Enrico Rosenbaum) - 2:46
2.) Need You Baby  Enrico Rosenbaum) - 3:05
3.) Smooth Operator  Enrico Rosenbaum) -3:20
4.) Don't Get Mad (Get Even  Enrico Rosenbaum) - 3:14
5.) Precious One  James Johnson) - 4:19

Apparently recognizing they'd lost their direction (and audience), the band subsequently called it quits.

There was a one-shot 1977 reunion concert in St. Louis (Super Jam '77).
- Sadly, Rosenbaum died of a drug overdose in September 1979.
- Walsh subsequently appropriated the band name, reappearing with a 1978 album credited to The James Walsh Gypsy Band.  In 1996 Walsh reformed Gypsy (he remained the only original member), releasing "20 Years Ago Today".
- Lordan went on to become a longtime member of Robin Trower's recording and touring band.


title: Their second and grossly overlooked LP

text:
The Independents' sophomore album 1973's "Chuck, Helen, Eric, Maurice" featured a personnel change - original member Marvin Yancy replaced by Eric Thomas.  While Yancy dropped out of active performing, he continued his working relationship with the group, but this time around in the role of songwriter and producer.  Co-produced by Jackson and Yancy, the album seemingly sought to find a balance between past successes and some new directions.  While the heavy reliance on ballads certainly served the group well on the debut album (wracking up a series of radio hits), Jackson and Yancy were smart enough to avoid falling into an aural trap with this album.  There were still plenty of old school ballads showcasing Chuck Jackson's lead vocals (though Curry was notably absent throughout the set).  'The First Time We Met' and the breezy 'Lucky Fellow' were first rate ballads, easily as good as anything on the debut  Less impressive were the single 'It's All Over' and the closer 'Sara Lee'.  That said, this time around the highlights came in the form of the group's atypical offerings; among them the bluesy The Same Old Way'' and the up tempo numbers 'No Wind, No Rain' and 'Show Me How'.

- Tapped as the album's only single, 'It's All Over' has always struck me as one of the set's weakest numbers.  A hyper-sensitive, heavily orchestrated, Gospel-tinged ballad, to my ears this one almost sounded like a parody of mid-1970s soul groups with Jackson screeching in pain, begging forgiveness for a multitude of sins ...  rating: ** stars
- One of their rare up-tempo numbers, 'No Wind, No Rain' was easily one of the album's standout performance.  I'm not sure who handled the lead on this one, but sporting one of those melodies that climbed into your head and wouldn't leave, this one has always reminded me of one of those fantastic Gladys Knight and the Pips hits.  Classic backing vocals to boot !  rating: **** stars
- Another one of the album's standout performances, 'The Same Old Way' deserved attention simply for the fact it was so different from their normal work.  Kicked along by a barebones bass pattern and some of Yancy's churchy keyboards, the song offered up a tough, pounding, blues-tinged performance.  If you thought Jackson could only handle light ballads, then this was a revelation.  rating: **** stars
- One of two non-originals, 'I Found Love On a Rainy Day' was probably the album's most blatantly commercial offering.  Showcasing a nice melody and some beautiful backing harmony vocals, it's always reminded me of something Thom Bell might have penned for The Spinners.  This was the track Wand should have tapped as a single.  rating: *** stars
- A pretty and precious ballad, 'The First Time We Met' was a much more typical Jackson-Yancy offering.  It was the perfect example of what the pair did well (showcasing another gorgeous melody and Jackson's heart wrenching lead vocals) and their artistic shortcomings (there wasn't a single original note over the three minutes).  rating: *** stars
- Opening up with some nice Yancy keyboards, 'In the Valley of My World' took awhile to get into gear, but was ultimately another winning ballad with Jackson and Thomas (?) sharing the lead vocals.  Actually Curry stole the show when her vocal came in at the end of the track.  rating: *** stars
- Another personal favorite, 'One Woman Do Right Man' had another catchy melody, more first-rate bass, some punchy horn charts, and some great call-and-response harmonies that served to showcase the group's sterling backing vocals.  rating: **** stars
- The pounding bass opening on 'Show Me How' recalled something Norman Whitefield might have written for The Temptations.  Anyone who thought these guys could only handle light ballads needs to check this one out.  Simply a killer tune.  rating: **** stars
- The album's best ballad, 'Lucky Fellow' managed to avoid their usual hyper-sensitivity in favor of a charming melody and a breezy, carefree vocal.  Boy they sure knew how to churn out some wonderful harmony vocals ...  rating: **** stars
- On the heels of their best ballad, came their worst performance - the sappy and forgettable 'Sara Lee'.

Unlike the first album, their second release only spun off one single:

- 1973's 'It's All Over' b/w 'Sara Lee' (Wand catalog number WND-11263-A/B) # 65 pop; # 13 R&B

It's always struck me as kind of funny that critics favor the first album while my tastes tilt to this one.  I've always been a sucker for a great ballad, but this one had much greater variety.  A couple more up tempo numbers and some promotion from Wand and this would have been a classic rather than an also-ran.

"Chuck, Helen, Eric. Maurice" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) It's All Over  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 3:40
2.) No Wind, No Rain  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 2:54
3.) The Same Old Way  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 3:25
4.) I Found Love On a Rainy Day  M. Barge - J. Jiles) - 2:35
5.) The First Time We Met  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 4:11

(side 2)
1.) In the Valley of My World  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 4:25
2.) One Woman Do Right Man  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 3:19
3.) Show Me How  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 3:07
4.) Lucky Fellow  G. Dickerson - C. Boyd) - 3:37
5.) Sara Lee  Chuck Jackson - Marvin Yancy) - 3:29

And with the exception of a couple of non-LP singles and a posthumous 'best of'' collection (1974' "Discs of Gold" Wand catalog number WDS-699), that was it for The Independents.  Reportedly increasingly unhappy with Sceptor/Wand management's booking keeping and the lack of royalties, Jackson and Yancy subsequently turned their attentions to writing and production, scoring their biggest successes working with Natalie Cole.  Yancy was even briefly married to Cole.  Both Jackson and Yancy recorded solo albums.  Sadly, Yancy suffered a fatal heart attack in 1985.


title: review

text:
Ah, The Sons of Champlin ...  talk about a talented band cursed with years of poor choices, personnel hiccups, at least one mental meltdown, mismanagement, corporate indifference, and more than their share of simple bad luck.  Most folks don't have a clue these guys are, and if there's name recognition they tend to get lumped in with the rest of the San Francisco psych mafia - The Airplane, The Dead, Quicksilver, etc.  While they share the same geographic roots and played many of the same clubs and ballrooms, The Sons were on a totally different wavelength.  Yeah probably just as stoned, but on a different musical path.

The band's roots trace back to The Opposite Six (one of at least three bands with the same name) which singer/keyboardist Bill Champlin formed while in high school.  Drawn by the lure of music Chaplin quit school to pursue music on a professional basis.  The band (sax players Ron Arnsmeyer and Tim Cain, Champlin, guitarist Don Irving, bassist Rob Moitoza, and drummer Dick Rogers) actually scored a contract with Dot releasing a lone 1965 single ('All Night Long' b/w 'Come Straight Home' (Dot catalog number 16700) before Moitoza and Rogers fell victim to the draft effectively, killing the group.  Champlin and Cain continued their partnership bringing in guitarist Terry Haggerty, drummer Jim Meyers, and former Warlocks/Grateful Dead bassist John Prosser.  Originally known as The Masterbeats (great name for a bunch of young guys), the group quickly adopted the name The Sons of Champlin (apparently a nod to namesake Champlin who'd become a father rather early in life).  Over the next two years the band line up expanded to include trumpet player Jim Beem and keyboard player Geoff Palmer.  They also went through a series of personnel changes.  Original drummer Meyers joined the Army as a medic (and later became a physician) and  was replaced by ex-Electric Train member Bill Bowen.  Bass player Prosser was replaced by Al Strong.  In spite of the personnel turnovers, by 1967 their unique hybrid of psych, horns and jazz moves had made them a popular staple on the local club, college, and festival scenes.

The Sons' initial break came when they were signed to Frank Werber's Trident Records.  Distributed nationally by Verve, they made their debut with the 1967 single 'Sing Me a Rainbow' b/w 'Fat City (Verve catalog number VX 10500).

The single did well regionally peaking at # 124 nationally, leading to plans for a follow-on single - a cover of the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil song 'Shades of Grey'.  Those plans fell apart when The Monkees beat them to the punch with their version of the song.  It also scuttled plans to release a Sons album.  (Under the title "Fat City" Big Beat label issued the collection in CD format in 1999 (Big Beat catalog number CDWIKD 188).

Things looked promising when manager Fred Roth convinced Mercury Records to sign the band, but nothing came of the partnership and in 1968 they moved over to Capitol which having signed The Steve Miller Band and Quicksilver Messenger Service was desperate to sign any San Francisco/Marin County-based outfit.  In fact the company was so anxious to sign San Francisco talent that they allowed the band to record a freebee 45 - the Cain penned 'Jesus Is Coming, Part 1' b/w 'Jesus Is Coming, Part 2' (Capitol catalog number SPRO 4667).  Capitol reportedly pressed 8,000 copies allowing the band to distribute them to friends and acquaintances.  In fact I think fans were encouraged to send in and request a copy ...  Anyone know for sure?

Co-produced by David Shallock (misspelled Shelleck) and Bruce Walford, 1969's "Loosen Up Naturally" was an eleven track, double album set.  For a band without a proven sales track record, agreeing to finance a double album set was a surprisingly brave, or perhaps fool hearted decision by Capitol executives.  'Course the late-1960s were an era when anything was possible ...  As was then standard operating procedure for San Francisco bands, the group apparently went into Golden Star Studios planning to capture what was the live repertoire they'd been working on for the last two years.  Unfortunately, having suffered what may have been a drug induced mental episode, trumpet player Beem was sidelined for the recording session.  That forced the rest of the band to quickly rearrange some of the material to eliminate the horn arrangements and in some cases cover the horn arrangements themselves.  As a result much of the sprawling four sides had a spur-of-the-moment feel that stumbled all over the musical spectrum.  I'll be the first to admit the set was somewhat chaotic, but it's unique charm has certainly grown on me over the years.  Credited to the pseudonym B.B Heavy out of concern he might have signed away songwriting rights to Trident Records, nine of the eleven tracks were actually Champlin compositions. Curiously for a band with a reputation for playing it fast and loose, Champlin came off as a surprisingly focused composer.  While most of the songs clocked in at over four minutes, with the exception of 'Get High' and 'Freedom' most were devoid of pointless jams that marred much of the era's output.  The four side one tracks were probably the most focused selections. '1982-A' (named after a number on the tape reel) opened the album with a nice rocker.  'The Thing To Do' and 'Misery Isn't Free' were also impressive numbers displaying the band's soul influences.  Side three's 'Black and Blue Rainbow' found the group showcasing their jazzy influences, while 'Hello Sunshine' was a rather commercial offering with some nice Association-styled group vocals and killer performances from guitarist Haggerty and bassist Strong.  'Things Are Gettin' Better' was another nice soul-influenced effort.  Side four was taken up by a 14 minute jam entitled 'Freedom'.  The track started out as a fairly focused blues/jazz hybrid, but stretched over a side eventually wore out it's welcome - particularly when Champlin started to scat about halfway through.  Anyone under the illusion that everything from the late-1960s was magical need only listen to the second half of this song.  Yech !

Elsewhere Capitol also tapped the album for a pair of instantly obscure singles:

- 1969's '1982-A' b/w 'Black and Blue Rainbow' (Capitol catalog number 2437)
- 1969's 'Freedom' b/w 'Hello Sunshine' (Capitol catalog number 2534)

- '1982-A' was a perfect example of the band's strengths and weaknesses.  Buried somewhere in the mix were the bones of an interesting song, but those characteristics were largely lost amidst the weird stop and start song structure, blaring horns, and the song's ever changing structure ...  where did that jazzy segment come from ?  Even though it wasn't particularly commercial Capitol tapped this one as the leadoff single.  rating: *** stars
- Surrounded by Geoffrey Palmer's stabbing organ and Terry Haggerty's guitar (he also turned in one of the album's best solos on this track), 'The Thing To Do' found the band at their heaviest, though the results would have been even better had the dropped the irritating horn arrangement.  rating: *** stars
- So, just as the opening sound effects led you to believe 'Misery Isn't Free' was going to be a slice of psychedelic meltdown, the song morphed into a bouncy, bluesy, country-rock number.  Imagine something out of the Commander Cody catalog, though this had a far stronger melody and Bill Champlin was a far better singer.  rating: *** stars
- 'Rooftop' started out as a fairly commercial slice of blue-eyed soul before devolving into an extended and occasionally almost freeform jam.  The first half of the song was quite good and the second half, not so much ...  rating: ** stars
- 'Everywhere' was one of the album's most commercial rockers and while there were horns, they were mercifully subtle.  Would have made a better single that the two songs Capitol tapped.  rating: *** stars
- Starting out as almost a novelty country number, 'Don't Fight It, Do It!' picked up steam when Haggerty's lead guitar kicked in and the song shifted directions towards a more rock oriented groove.  'Course, it quickly wandered off in yet another direction, including a strange '50s-styled segment.  rating: ** stars
- Clocking in at over seven minutes, 'Get High' started out as another slice of blue-eyed soul and then lost its way, descending into an extended horn segment, followed by a xylophone solo (always loved the hysterical inhaling sound effects - guess Bill Clinton wasn't at these recoding sessions).  rating: ** stars
- 'Black & Blue Rainbow' could have been one of the standout performances were it not for the irritating horns and the weird, pseudo-Stax riff that kept popping up ...  rating: ** stars
- Kicked along by some surprisingly nice group harmony vocals, Tim Cain's 'Hello Sunlight' was probably the album's most commercial song.  With a bit of editing it would have been a good choice as a single.  rating: *** stars
- 'Things Are Gettin' Bette' was simply one of their best blue-eyed soul compositions and offered up a track where the punchy horns actually improved the song.  rating: **** stars
- As was common for the late-1960s, side four was devoted to a side long jam entitled 'Freedom'.  The song actually started out with one of the album's strongest melodies (the horns arrangement was even half bad) and one of Champlin's most focused vocals.  An even bigger surprise, clocking in at almost 15 minutes the song remained fairly focused about 80% of the time, losing its way during an needless Champlin scat segment, but rebounding with an energetic closing segment.  The sound and picture quality aren't great, but for anyone curious, YouTube has a clip of the band playing part of the song at something called West Pole:  [...]  rating: *** stars

Given it was a double album set the collection sold well peaking at # 137.  That sales performance was even more impressive given problems with the cover art.  Much to Capitol's dismay, the band insisted on furnishing their own cover art - in this case it was a collage that various friends had put together.  Embedded in the artwork an unhappy ex-girlfriend had scrawled an obscenity that somehow escaped notice until after the album had been released.  Capitol recalled copies of the album and supposedly had employees scratch the offending word out.  Needless to say, The Sons saw a major share of expected profits disappear as Capitol charged them for all of the associated costs.

In summary this one tends to get overlooked by the critics who apparently never spent much time listening to it (wow, is a two album set so it must be pretty flaccid ...)

"Loosen Up Naturally" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) 1982-A  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 3:50
2.) The Thing To Do  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 4:45
3.) Misery Isn't Free  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 4:13
4.) Rooftop  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 3:42

(side 2)
1.) Everywhere  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 3:45
2.) Don't Fight It, Do It!  (Tim Cain - Jim Beem) - 4:15
3.) Get High  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 7:45

(side 3)
1.) Black & Blue Rainbow  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 3:18
2.) Hello Sunlight  (Tim Cain) - 4:20
3.) Things Are Gettin' Better  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 5:50

(side 4)
1.) Freedom  (B.B. Heavy - aka Bill Champlin) - 14:45

You think there's be a ton of band material out there.  Not the case.  There's an official Sons of Champlin website at:
[...]

Champlin has a website at:
[...]

Perhaps the most interesting Sons related site belongs to longtime roadie Charlie Kelly.  The site is full of Sons history and Kelly is funny as all ...
[...]


title: review

text:
Drummer Randy Reeder, bassist Alan Roberts, and lead guitarist Snuffy Walden started their musical partnership as members of the Texas-based blues-rock band Aphrodite.  Formed in 1968, the trio spent five years touring extensively throughout the mid-west without much success.  Their big break came in 1973 when Greg Lake (or Lake's manager Neville Chesters) spotted them playing in a Denver, Colorado club.  Lake (or his manager) offered the band a recording deal with ELP's newly formed Manticore label.  The deal included the provision the band immediately fly to the UK.  Roberts and Walden readily signed on leaving Reeder behind - he reappeared as a member of the band Bloodrock and Alexis.  In the UK the quickly auditioned for a new drummer, hiring former Road member Leslie Sampson and opting to change their name to Stray Dog.

Produced by benefactor Greg Lake and the band, 1973's "Stray Dog" was one of those albums that somehow managed to fall through the cracks.  Critics largely panned it as mindless heavy metal, while fans simply ignored it.  Shame.  True, musically these seven tracks didn't offer up anything particularly original, but the band's affection for conventional blues rock was obvious throughout the collection.  Walden was a spectacular Hendrix-influenced guitarist who managed to pull a unique, watery sound out of his instrument (recall he was picked to replace Paul Kossoff in Free).  There's hardly a song here that doesn't showcase a first-rate Walden lead.  He also had a surprisingly enjoyable voice.  Equally impressive, given they hadn't been playing together more than a couple of months at the time the album was recorded Roberts and Sampson provided watertight backing - Sampson's time with Noel Redding's band Road came through on a couple of tracks - check out his blistering performance on the second half of the opener 'Tramp (How It Is'.

- 'Tramp (How It Is)' opened up with some Keith Emerson-styled church organ and Carl Palmer-ish percussion giving you the impression this was going to be an ELP-styled set of bombastic pretense ...  Luckily about a minute into the track Walden announced 'fasten your seat belts' and the song spun off into a nifty slinky blues-rocker.  While Walden's lead work was amazing (the Roberts Sampson rhythm section kicked in big time during the second half of the tune), the big surprise on this one was how good his voice was.  rating: **** stars
- Even though it was listed as a Walden original, 'Crazy' was apparently an updated version of Bloodrock's 'Crazy 'Bout You Babe' (taken from the "U.S.A." album).  Regardless of the song's pedigree, the result was a slinky, Hendrix-styled rocker.  Once again, Walden's raspy voice was the big surprise here.  One of my picks for standout performance.  rating: **** stars
- Showcasing Walden's acoustic guitar chops, 'A Letter' was a pretty, slightly psych-tinged and slightly wobbly ballad.  They certainly tried their best and the backing vocals were nice, but they just didn't sound all that comfortable on this one.  rating: ** stars
- The band's sizzling cover of ZZ Top's 'Chevrolet' moved things back in the right direction.  You won't forget the original, but overlooking the screechy female backing vocals this one wasn't bad.  Would have been a blast to hear it live ...  Curiously a couple of website claim Walden took credit for co-writing this one with Billy Gibbons.  For what it's worth my copy of the album credits it solely to Gibbons.  rating: *** stars
- The lone group composition, 'Speak of the Devil' demonstrated a mix of bar boogie and commercial AOR moves.  Nice, breezy melody, though the female backing vocalists were needless.  rating: *** stars
- Penned by Roberts and showcasing Sampson on drums, 'Slave' found the band taking a somewhat tentative stab at a more progressive sound - imagine early Rush (sans the shrieky Geddy Lee vocals) and you'd have a rough idea of what this one sounded like.  Didn't do much for me at first, but it's consistently grown on me.  rating: *** stars
- 'Rocky Mountain Suite (Bad Road)' started out as an acoustic ballad, but got a lot better a couple of minutes in when it morphed into a country-blues number showcasing some excellent Walden acoustic slide guitar.  The track took another sep in the right direction when it reinvented itself as a jumpy Walden-powered rocker.  For anyone interested, this one showcased Walden's best lead guitar work.  rating: *** stars

In the UK and Germany the album was tapped for a couple of singles:

  UK release
- 1973's 'Speak of the Devil' b/w 'A Letter' (Manticore catalog number K 13502)

  German release
- 1973's 'Chevrolet' b/w 'You Know' (Manticore catalog number 12 677 AT)

The band hit the road opening for ELP throughout Europe and the US (weird musical pairing), but as you'd expect, the album did little commercially.

I won't go as far as calling it a lost masterpiece, but I will say that this was a pretty amazing debut.  Hard rock with a commercial edge ...  most bands would have killed to have released something nearly as good.

"Stray Dog" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Tramp (How It Is)  (Snuffy Walden - Alan Roberts) - 7:06
2.) Crazy  (Snuffy Walden) - 5:10
3.) A Letter  (Snuffy Walden) - 3:50
4.) Chevrolet  (Billy Gibbons) - 3:56

(side 2)
1.) Speak of the Devil  (Snuffy Walden - Alan Roberts - Leslie Sampson) - 4:15
2.) Slave  (Alan Roberts) - 6:00
3.) Rocky Mountain Suite (Bad Road)  (Snuffy Walden) - 8:24


title: review

text:
Given guitarist Emil Perry Thielhelm was still a member of the band (the only original holdover at this point), I guess this outfit had every right to bill themselves as The Blues Magoos.  That said, like the predecessor set (1969's "Never Going Back To Georgia"), anyone expecting to hear a set of garage and psych-influenced numbers was going to be in for a rude awakening when they slapped 1970's "Gulf Coast Bound" on their turntable.

Working with original Blues Magoos producer Bob Wyld, these six tracks featured most of the line up found on the first ABC album.  Added to the lineup this time out were sax player Alfred Ellis and bassist Cooker LoPrestit replacing Roger Eaton and second drummer Jim Payne.  As a result the collection featured the same general sound as the earlier LP, leading to speculation at least some of these tracks were recorded during the earlier sessions and left off that album because they were longer and less 'commercial'.

Regardless of their history, I've always been a big Blues Magoos fan, but their final two albums have always reminded me of the way The Rascals got away from their creative strengths.  Like that other band, this collection found Thielhelm and company throwing their artistic careers at the feet of a strange mixture of jazz and soul influences.  With three percussionists in the mix, tracks like 'Slow Down Sundown', 'Can't Get Enough of You', and the instrumental 'Magoos Blues''' were simply buried in layers of Latin-flavored percussion and soul-jazz ramblings leading much of the collection to suffer from dreaded 'sounds-the-same disease'.  The combination of Latin percussion and pseudo-jazzy moves (flatulent horns and aimless vibes), may have sounded good on paper, but I dare anyone to try sitting through the 12 minute 'Can't Get Enough of You'.  Simply horrible ...  Adding to their problems, neither Kas (shown as Kaz on the writing credits), nor Theilhelm had a particularly good voice.  They may have sounded okay in a live setting, but in the studio the results proved harsh and irritating to the point where the instrumental breaks provided some of the album highlights.
- Propelled by Alfred Ellis on sax, the title track found the band taking a stab at a blues number.  In the positive column, this was the album's shortest and most focused performance.  In the negative column, the song was a mess.  Sporting a forgettable melody, crappy vocals, and an overabundance of mindless Latin percussion, Ellis' endless sax solo just made things worse.  rating: * stars
- 'Slow Down Sundown' could have actually been a pretty good performance.  The song had kind of a nifty adult contemporary groove, but the harsh, strained lead vocal, the jazzy touches (discordance sax solos (apparently meant to sound like jungle animals), vibes and heavy percussion) ultimately killed it.  Okay, the fart sound at the end of the song always makes me smile ...  rating: ** stars
- And then there was the 12 plus minute epic 'Can't Get Enough of You'.  The song actually started out sounding pretty good - nice, funky groove and some tasty Thielman fuzz guitar ...  and then things turned horribly wrong.  Hideous group vocals (I think Kaz had the lead on this one), a meandering melody, and endless and pointless solos.  Imagine a crappy song out of the Lee Oskar and War catalog and you'll know what this one sounded like.  rating: ** stars
- Penned by newcomer Ellis, the instrumental 'Magoo's Blues' showcased an okay adult contemporary jazz vibe (think about mid-1990s elevator music and you'll get a feel for this one).  Technically it was quite impressive with lots of space for individual solos, but it was also sort of soulless.  rating: ** stars
- 'Tonight the Sky's About To Cry' was a bland, vocally painful, and instantly forgettable ballad.  rating: * star
- The lone group composition, the instrumental 'Sea Breeze Express' was best describe as a meandering piece of jazz-rock fusion.  Their are some folks that go bonkers for this kind of free form stuff, but to my ears it's basically noise.  rating: * star

The album was also tapped for a single (their last 45):

- 1970's 'Gulf Coast Bound' b/w 'Sea Breeze Express' (ABC catalog 11238)

Sporting one of the year's ugliest covers (blame designer Ron Lieberman) certainly didn't help sales.  All told, a sad footnote to their recording legacy.

"Gulf Coast Bound" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Gulf Coast Bound  (Eric Kaz - Emil Thielhelm) - 3:51
2.) Slow Down Sundown  (Eric Kaz - J. Andreolli -  Emil Thielhelm) - 6:09
3.) Can't Get Enough of You  (Eric Kaz) - 12:21

(side 2)
1.) Magoo's Blues (instrumental)  (Alfred Ellis) - 7:54
2.) Tonight the Sky's About To Cry  (Eric Kaz - J. Andreolli) - 5:14
3.) Sea Breeze Express (instrumental)  (Eric Kaz - J. Andreolli -  Emil Thielhelm - Alfred Ellis - Richie Dickon - Jim Payne - John Liello - J. LoPresti - 4:13

For anyone interested, The Blues Magoos are still active and have a web presence at:

[...]

attachment_type: IMAGE


title: review

text:
Wow - here's a strange one even for the tax scam Tiger Lily label.  Richard Grasso's roots were in early-1960s Philadelphia doo wop.  The few on-line references I've stumbled across include groups such as Billy & the Essentials, and The Styles, but I've never been able to verify such.  That said, Grasso's biggest claim to fame probably stems from having co-written 'Sweet Cherry Wine' with Tommy James (of Tommy James and the Shondells fame).

To be honest, I don't have a clue how Grasso ended up recording an album for Tiger Lily. I know Grasso had at least some sort of relationship with Morris Levy and Roulette Records - along with Danny Cohen and Gary Illingworth the pair were listed as co-writers on the Brenda Jo Harris song 'Play With Fire (And You'll Get Burned)'.  Regardless, the fact 1976's "Season of Grace" was devoted to Scientology founder Ron Hubbard and featured support from jazz all star and fellow Scientologist Chick Corea  just made the plotline even stranger.

So, before going on, here's the lone review I've ever seen on this mid-1970s obscurity:  "Scientologist jazz-folk ..."

Musically the collection bounced all over the genre map with a heavy emphasis on sensitive singer/songwriter faire ('This Is My Universe', 'Waiting To See the Sails', and 'You've Got Me Loving You').  Elsewhere 'I'm So Happy You're Here' and 'Sweet Cherry Wine' showcased Grasso's pop side, while 'Down Past the End of the World' was a nice nod to his doo wop roots.  Grasso certainly had a nice enough voice, especially when he stuck to his middle range.  It made you wonder what he could have done in other circumstances, given the tools and resources to craft a more commercially oriented set of songs.  He was also credited with penning all eight selections, but that seemed questionable give that at least one of the performances sounded like it was a different group ('Waiting To See the Sails').

- 'Opening up with some pretty Corea keyboards, 'This Is My Universe' was an odd, spacey little ballad.  Grasso seemed to be doing his best to sound like Donovan and the bubbling synthesizer sound effects gave the song a somewhat dated vibe.  rating: ** stars
- Musically 'Season of Grace' was a heavily orchestrated ballad.  The melody was actually quite pretty, with a nice un-credited guitar solo.  On the other hand, lyrically the song's mixture of sci-fi moves and navel gazing platitudes ("starting by finding that you are, etc.") left something to be desired.  rating: ** stars
- Buoyed by some cheesy synthesizer moves, 'I'm So Happy You're Here' was a bubbly, upbeat pop number.  For better or worse I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff ...  rating: **** stars
- Too my ears 'You Bet Your Life' didn't sound anything like the rest of the album making me wonder if it was a Grasso song, or merely filler added by Tiger Lily to pad the album out.  The song featured anonymous female lead singers babbling on over a throw-away pop structure that sounded like a mouthwash commercial ...  rating: * star
- 'Waiting To See the Sails' started side two with a pretty, keyboard propelled ballad that was unfortunately again burdened by some sophomoric self-help lyrics ... "standing on the shores of your mind waiting to see the sales of our relation -- ship ..."  Grasso's multi-tracked vocals were among his best performances.  Wonder who the un-credited female singer was ...  rating: ** stars
- 'Down Past the End of the World' was an obvious nod to his doo wop roots.  The falsetto seemed a bit strained, but it was still a nice change of pace. rating: *** stars
- Showcasing Grasso and piano with a cheesy synthesizer touches, 'You've Got Me Loving You' came awfully close to lounge act moves ...  The song became a bit more invigorated towards the end, but that change of pace came too late to salvage the track.  rating: ** stars
- Grasso's version of 'Sweet Cherry Wine' should be interesting for anyone who's heard the Tommy James and the Shondells hit.  In spite of the song's pop structure and sound, it was actually one of the 1960s best slices of pop social commentary.  Grasso's version was quite good (the song featured his best vocal performance), standing as the album's highpoint, though it won't make you forget the hit version.

All and all, not a bad entry in the Tiger Lily catalog, though it is one of the rarer releases.

"Season of Grace" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) This Is My Universe  (Richard Grasso) -
2.) Season of Grace  (Richard Grasso) -
3.) I'm So Happy You're Here  (Richard Grasso) -
4.) You Bet Your Life  (Richard Grasso) -

(side 2)
1.) Waiting To See the Sails  (Richard Grasso) -
2.) Down Past the End of the World  (Richard Grasso - M.A. Bennett) -
3.) You've Got Me Loving You  (Richard Grasso - Balwin Mills) -
4.) Sweet Cherry Wine  (Richard Grasso - Tommy James) -


title: review

text:
As far as Baby Grand releases go, this one had even less going for it than your normal tax scam release.  Produced by R.G. Brown, 1977's "Pop Top" appeared to be nothing more than an anonymous collection of studio pros who'd slapped together a haphazard collection of  top-40 hits, quickly re-recording them in near rote fashion.  Geez, for all it mattered this could have been one of those K-Tel sets.  To be perfectly honest, the best thing about his set was the cool pop art cover courtesy of artist Jeanette Adams.

- I hate to admit it, but I can remember buying this Wild Cherry single.  Give me a break, I was a teenager and it was the 1970s ...  To be honest, this version was just as good as the original and the guitar solo may have been even better.  Crazy times !!!  rating: ** stars
- Why would anyone even try to cover this Stevie Wonder classic?  Needless to say even a rote cover of 'Sir Duke' pales compared to the original.  That said, while the musical arrangement was a note-for-note recreation of the original song, there was something fascinating listening to the anonymous singer trying to nail Wonder's unique vocal stylings.  Whoever he was, kudos for giving it his all.  rating: * star
- Wow, Commodores - another one I can remember dancing to in high school.  Again, though the arrangement was a note-for-note copy, this version wasn't going to make you forget the original.  Funny, but this one actually sounded like Wild Cherry trying to cover The Commodores ...  rating: ** stars
- Is it just me or was the Bill Conti hit an pseudo-instrumental ?  For the life of me I don't remember it having vocals ...  This may be the lone surprise on the set.  Yeah, the basic melody remained instantly recognizable and MOR-ish, but give these guys credit for trying to toughen it up a tad and the anonymous singer was actually pretty good.  rating: *** stars
- Ah more high school memories ...  One of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' biggest hits ...  This version stayed true to the original arrangement, though it sounds like it may have been speeded up a notch.  Great song, but here it sounded like something you might hear on a Friday night at a local club.  rating: ** stars
- Funny, I always thought George Benson had written 'This Masquerade'.  Never realized it was a Leon Russell composition.  That fact didn't do anything to make me appreciate this sappy ballad any more though  ...  nor did the cheesy synthesizers and the equally cheesy lead vocal.  Yech !  rating: * 1 star
- One of Boz Scaggs biggest hits and one of his lamest efforts.  Yeah, this is a carbon copy of the original, right down to the sleazy vocals.  rating: * star
- Award for the funniest cover goes to 'You Should Be Dancing'.  There was absolutely nothing memorable about this cover but listening to the anonymous vocalist stretch to hit The Bee Gees falsetto ranges was worth a giggle.  rating: * star
- I'll readily admit a soft spot for Hall and Oates' 'She's Gone' and as far as covers go, this one wasn't bad.  Like the other performances this one stayed pretty true to the original arrangement, though the closing vocal flourish was actually quite good.  rating: *** stars

This had to be a tax scam effort - why else would anyone have bothered with an artistically bankrupt endeavor like this.

"Pop Tart" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Play That Funky Music White Boy  (R. Parissi) - 4:22
2.) Sir Duke  (Stevie Wonder) - 3:32
3.) Fancy Dancer  (R. Lapread - Lionel Ritchie) - 5:19
4.) Gonna Fly Now  (Bill Coni - C. Connors - A. Robbins) - 3:52
5.) Bad Luck  (Victor Carstarphen - Gene McFadden - John Whitehead) - 4:33

(side 2)
1.) This Masquerade  (Leon Russell) - 5:35
2.) Lido Shuffle  (Boz Scaggs - D. Patch) - 4:10
3.) You Should Be Dancing  (Bee Gees) - 4:10
4.) She's Gone  (Darryl Hall - John Oates) - 5:14


title: review

text:
Ah, the mysterious Johnny Kitchen reappears on another tax scam release ...

The Album World conglomerate is one of the most intriguing, if least known members of the tax scam family.  It certainly has the most eclectic roster of acts ranging from childrens albums to more pop/rock oriented projects like 1977's "Knight In Blue Armour".  Similarly, Johnny Kitchen is one of those names that keeps appearing on tax scam releases and other rock obscurities, but there's precious little information to be found on the man., let alone anything that ranks much above speculation.

Released by the Nashville-based Arnold label under Album World distribution, this collection was credited to The Tarots.  The credits indicated Kitchen was responsible for penning eight of the ten tracks (the other two credited to 'L. Priessman') and though the liner notes provided no information on performers or production, there's a good chance he also produced the set. That said, given the production sound and feel, it seems highly unlikely that Kitchen penned any of these tracks.  Exemplified by material like 'Love Work Shop' and Snow Job'' a disproportionate number of songs on side one had a distinctive '1960s Chicago blues flavor. while side two flopped over to 1960s'styled cocktail jazz and soul.  Rounding out this short collection were a couple of true oddball numbers including a bizarre Elvis-styled rocker ('Found Me a Love') and the unexpected psychedelic rocker ('So Much Time'').  The poor sound quality and abrupt editing made the album sound very much like a bunch of outtakes and studio demos that had been haphazardly stitched together.

- 'Love Work Shop' was a harmonica-powered, double time blues workout.  Very Butterfield Blues Band or James Cotton-ish which means you'll either like it, or find it dull and ponderous.  For what it's worth, this one sure wasn't recorded in 1977 ...  at least to my uninformed ears it had a distinctive '60s feel.  rating: ** stars
- Another blues instrumental, the highlight on 'Stay Away came in the form of the acoustic slide guitar that kicked the song along.  The playing was extremely crude and low tech, but was actually very impressive generating quite a bit of energy.  Not sure what the abrupt cutoff was about ...  rating: *** stars
- 'Found Me a Love' was an anonymous Elvis-styled rocker.  This oene also ahd a mid-1960s feel to it and I bet there's someone out there who'd be able to place it.  rating: *** stars
- Once again featuring harmonica as lead instrument, the instrumental 'Snow Job' was a return to pedestrian Chicago styled blues.  This one didn't do a great deal for me, though genre fans will probably get something out of it.  rating: *** stars
- The jazz-soul instrumental 'Soft Lips' sounded like something out of the Young Holt Trio's catalog.  Definitely more soul than jazz and probably the best song on the first side.  rating: *** stars
- 'So Much Time'  started side two with a totally unexpected slice of classic 1960s psychedelic rock ...  Complete with freak-out guitar and suitably trippy lyrics, this one could have been mistaken for prime Electric Prunes.  rating: **** stars
- Showcasing a jazzy electric keyboard, the instrumental 'Repunzel' sounded like a continuation of Deodato's '2001 a Space Odyssey'.  rating: ** stars
- 'Open Up Your Eyes' was a big, 1950s-styled easy-listening instrumental  Instantly forgettable.  The only good thing about this one was the acoustic guitar solo that suddenly appeared near the end.  Otherwise, total yech.  rating: * star
- The instrumental 'Love Sy-Ko-Sis' offered up another slice of jazz-soul.  It was actually kind of commercial in a laxative commercial fashion.  rating: * star
- 'Beautiful Trip'  closed the album out with a Ventures-styled instrumental guitar rocker.  Very period and also one of my favorite performances on the set (I'm a big Ventures fan).

Totally bizarre even by tax scam label standards which means it'll appeal to a small group of hardcore collectors.  And 'So Much Time' was actually a great slice of 1960s psychedelia ...  wonder who actually did this song.

"Knight In Blue Armour" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Love Work Shop  (instrumental)  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:22
2.) Stay Away  (instrumental)  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:43
2.) Found Me a Love  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:13
4.) Snow Job (instrumental)  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:10
5.) Soft Lips (instrumental)  (L. Priessman) - 2:34

(side 2)
1.) So Much Time  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:24
2.) Repunzel (instrumental)  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:54
3.) Open Up Your Eyes (instrumental)  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:31
4.) Love Sy-Ko-Sis (instrumental)  (Johnny Kitchen) - 2:34
5.) Beautiful Trip  (instrumental)  (J. Priessman) - 2:16


title: review

text:
Candi Staton's early career reads like a screenplay for one of those Hallmark Hall of Fame inspirational movies so I'm going to avoid the details ...  She was born and raised in Hanceville, Alabama.  Her family was extremely poor, but devote leading to an early introduction to Gospel music.  In the early 1950s her parents divorced.  With her mother relocating to Cleveland, Candi and her sister Maggie were sent to Nashville where they attended the Jewell Christian Academy.  Impressed with their vocal talents, the school paired the sisters with friend/schoolmate Naomi Harrison and as The Jewell Gospel Trio, the group began performing on the Southern Gospel circuit, recording occasional singles for a series of smaller labels.

By the late-1960s Staton was frustrated with her personal and professional lives.  She divorced her husband and quit the Jewell Gospel Trio, deciding to pursue a career in secular music.  Her big break came in 1969 when singer/songwriter Clarence Carter heard her performing in a small club.  Impressed with Staton's chops, Carter helped her get sign with Rick Hall's newly formed Capitol-affiliated Fame label.

Produced by Hall and recorded in Muscle Shoals with support from the cream of local sessions players, 1969's "I'm Just a Prisoner of Love" was simply a classic soul album.  With mentor and future husband Carter pulling together a top-rate collection of material (Staton co-wrote two of the songs with Carter), you'd be hard pressed to find a better debut.  For her part Staton had a killer voice that was instantly recognizable and simply tailor made for the southern soul genre. Tough, gritty, and in-your-face, add to that, she seemed more than willing to tap into her own frustrations and personal life for inspiration.  On tracks like ''I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart' and '' this was definitely one ticked-off woman ...  Imagine the spunk of Millie Jackson, but without the abject crassness.

- Curiously, penned by Carter, 'Someone You Use' was one of the less impressive numbers.  Staton's performance was fine, but the song itself was kind of a bland country-soul number.  rating: ** stars
- 'I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than a Young Man's Fool)' kicked the album into high gear.  A classic Carter tune, this one had it all; great tune, fantastic rhythm section, and Staton's take-no-prisoners vocal.  Easy to see why Fame tapped this one as a single.  It should have been an even bigger hit.  rating: ***** stars
- 'You Don't Love Me No More' was a simmering ballad that brought out the aching edge in Staton's voice.  Beautiful song with some killer horn charts.  My only criticism is that the song faded out just as the horns were hitting the hook.  rating: **** stars
- Kicked along by a great Roger Hawkins drum beat, 'Evidence' was easily the album's toughest performance.  Staton sang this one with such conviction you just knew that the poor guy didn't stand a chance.  Whoever he was, he was looking at a long stretch in the slammer.  rating: ***** stars
- Tapped as the album's third single, 'Sweet Feeling' effortlessly blended a breezy groove with a bluesy, deep-soul delivery.  Another standout performance.  rating: **** stars
- One of those double entendre lyrics that make you snicker, 'Do Your Duty' sported one of the album's best hooks and would have made a dandy fouth single.  rating: **** stars
- In spite of her extensive background in Gospel, Staton seemed to go out of her way to avoid the influence on this album.  The exception was her cover of Roosevelt Jamison's 'That's How Strong My Love Is'.  Built on a '50s influenced arrangement, a song like this usually wouldn't do much for me, but this was one of those rare exceptions.  Killer performance.  rating: **** stars
- 'I'm Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')' started out with a distinctive blues feel, but quickly exploded into one of the album's toughest funk numbers and possibly Staton's best performance.  Try sitting still while this one's playing.  Fame tapped this as the second single.  rating: ***** stars
- A '50s-styled ballad with an arrangement that sounded like something Atlantic's Jerry Wexler  might have done for Aretha Franklin,, 'Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man' was pretty, but never really kicked into gear.  rating: ** stars
- With a driving rhythm, 'Get It When I Want It' was easily the hardest rocking song on the album.  A lot of soul singers opt to go shrill when singing more-rock oriented numbers (think Tina Turner), but Staton avoided that mistake, in the process turning in one of her most enjoyable performances.  Great track.  rating: ***** stars

Fame also tapped the album for a number of singles:

 1969's 'I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart' b/w 'Never in Public' (Fame catalog number P-1456) # 9 R&B; # 46 pop- 1969's 'I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart' b/w 'For You' (Fame catalog number P-1456)  # 9 R&B; # 46 pop
- 1970's 'I'm Just a Prisoner' b/w 'Heart on a String' (Fame catalog number P-1460)# 13 R&B; # 56 pop
- 1970's 'Sweet Feeling' b/w 'Evidence' (Fame catalog number P-1466) # 5 R&B; # 60 pop

Eight out of ten fantastic slices of late-1960s soul.  One of those rarities where the hype is well deserved !

"I'm Just a Prisoner" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Someone You Use  (Mann - Clarence Carter - Inglese - Stough) - 2:32
2.) I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than a Young Man's Fool)  (Clarence Carter - George Jackson - Raymond Moore) - 2:05
3.) You Don't Love Me No More  (Clarence Carter - Candi Staton) - 2:19
4.) Evidence  (Raymond Moore - George Jackson) - 2:35
5.) Sweet Feeling  (Clarence Carter - Candi Staton) - 2:45

(side 2)
1.) Do Your Duty  (Ronnie Shannon) - 2:32
2.) That's How Strong My Love Is  (Roosevelt Jamison) - 3:25
3.) I'm Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')  (George Jackson - Eddie Harris) - 3:09
4.) Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man  (Greene - Penn - George Jackson) - 2:30
5.) Get It When I Want It  (Raymond Moore - George Jackson) - 2:25


title: review

text:
Co-produced by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri (who also co-wrote several of the songs),1966''s "12 More Times" didn't knock me out the first couple of times I heard it.  This time out tracks like 'From a Distance' and 'The Precious Time' reflected a fuller, more 'produced' sound, but overall the sonic differences were minimal.  You could also hear Sloan struggling to carve out a unique identify.  Unfortunately, on first brush about half of the set sounded like Sloan was suffering from a severe case of Dylan wannabe.  Tracks like 'The Man Behind the Red Balloon', 'Here's Where You Belong' and 'Upon a Painted Ocean' not only borrowed Dylan's mid-1960s sound, but appropriated his lyrically dense, socially relevant palate. Luckily Sloan's voice was way better than Dylan's, croak but that didn't do anything to make this stuff sound more original.  All of those comments might explain the reason these songs didn't strike me as being as fresh and energetic as the first album.  Luckily I set the album aside and a couple of years later gave it another chance.  The second time around the set's charms started to reveal themselves to me.  True, it wasn't the most original collection you've ever heard, but it's probably one of the best mid-1960s folk-rock albums, though few folks have actually heard it.

- 'From a Distance' was one of those period electric folk-rock songs that should have been a massive hit for Sloan (it was tapped as a single), and probably would have been a massive hit had The Byrds, The Grass Roots, The Turtles, or some other band tapped it as a cover.  One of those lost mid-1960s classics that collectors dream about stumbling across.  rating: **** stars
- A driving blues numbers, 'The Man Behind the Red Balloon' found Sloan doing his best Dylan impression ...  well it sounded like Dylan had Dylan been gifted with a decent singing voice.  rating: *** stars
- Basically just Sloan and acoustic guitar, 'Let Me Be' had a likeable raw sound which actually sounded a but like an unfinished demo.  Naturally The Turtles covered it an had a hit.  rating: ** stars
- Co-written with Barri, 'Here's Where You Belong' was another song with a Dylan influence, as channeled through The Byrds.  Nice driving rocker ...
- Once 'The Precious Time' got rolling it reflected a distinctive Byrds influence than jangle rock feel.  This might also be about as close to recording a grunge song as Sloan ever came.  One of the best performances on the album.  rating: **** stars
- Complete with lyrically dense structure (with all those words this one would have been a bitch to play live), a bouncy melody, and harmonica solo, 'Halloween Mary' sported one of the album's best Dylan-esque melodies.  Yeah the goofy title was a mystery to me, but who cared when the song was so catchy, which explains why it was released as a single ...  rating: **** stars
- Another stripped down acoustic performance (just Sloan, acoustic guitar, and harmonica), 'I Found a Girl' was interesting for simplicity and for being one of the few tracks that didn't try to make sine sort of 'big' statement.  Yeah it was amazingly sappy, but Sloan sounded very happy on this one so it stands as my choice for the album's best performance ...  rating: **** stars
- 'On Top of a Fence' found Sloan returning to scathing social  commentary.  If heard in isolation this one probably would have been okay, but when packaged alongside the rest of these tracks, this one just kind of blurred in with the rest.  rating: ** stars
- With strumming electric guitar 'Lollipop Train (You Never Had It So Good)' started out sounding like a sappy 1950s love song, but quickly opened up into what sounded like a biting stab at a former girlfriend.  He's seldom sounded as pissed off ...  rating: **** stars
- 'Upon a Painted Ocean'  offered up more Dylan, but this time out it sounded tired and obvious ...  rating: ** stars
- 'When the Wind Changes' was an acoustic folk number that actually sounded like Donovan trying to channel Dylan.  With it's overt political manifesto, this one was simply pompous and plodding.  Imagine a bad night at your local Irish bar ...  rating: ** stars
- Bless his soul, the notorious serious Sloan saved one of his best performances for the closer.  Atypically goofy, 'Patterns Seg. 4' had a great rockabilly melody coupled with some of the funniest lyrics he'd ever penned.  Nice to hear a throwaway like this ...  rating: **** stars

Elsewhere the album was tapped for a pair of singles:

- 1966's 'Halloween Mary' b/w ' I'd Have To Be Out of My Mind' (Dunhill catalog number D-4016)
- 1966's 'From a Distance' b/w ' Patterns Seg, 4' (Dunhill catalog number D-4024)

Curiously Dunhill didn't do a great deal to promote the singles, or the parent album which merely increased Sloan's unhappiness with the label.

"Twelve More Times" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) From a Distance  (P.F. Sloan) - 2:59
2.) The Man Behind the Red Balloon  (P.F. Sloan) - 2:19
3.) Let Me Be  (P.F. Sloan) - 2:49
4.) Here's Where You Belong  (P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri) - 3:00
5.) The Precious Time  (P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri) - 2:40
6.) Halloween Mary  (P.F. Sloan) - 2:30

(side 2)
1.) I Found a Girl  (P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri) - 2:30
2.) On Top of a Fence  (P.F. Sloan) - 4:28
3.) Lollipop Train (You Never Had It So Good)  (P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri) - 3:-05 4.) Upon a Painted Ocean  (P.F. Sloan) - 3:10
5.) When the Wind Changes  (P.F. Sloan) - 4:27
6.) Patterns Seg. 4  (P.F. Sloan) - 3:10

For anyone interested, Sloan's got a small myspace presence at:
[...]


title: review

text:
In spite of the psychedelic title, The Mystic Number National Band were one of Kansas City's contributions to late-1960s blues rock ...  Formed in 1967, the band featured the talents of bassist Russ Booth, guitarists Dave Lorenz and Bob Sebbo, and singer/drummer Glenn Walters.

Lead by Sebbo (who played lead guitar with a clubbed right hand) and Walters they were apparently quite an impressive live act becoming staples around Kansas City Westport district club circuit, collecting a cult following with performances at The Art Institute, The Place, etc.  The band made their recording debut with the 1968 single 'Good Time Music' b/w 'I Put A Spell On You' (Brass catalog number 421).

The following year saw them attract the attention of ABC's newly formed progressive Probe subsidiary.  Co-produced by Dick Weissman and John Turner, 1969's "The Mystic Number National Bank"

- The appropriately titled 'Blues Jam' was exactly that - a routine Chicago electric blues instrumental number.  Imagine a Paul Butterfield Blues Band outtake ...  Absolutely nothing special going on here and 30 second later you wouldn't remember a thing about it.  rating: * star
- 'Good Love' introduced Glenn Walters' raspy voice on an okay blues-rocker.  The horns didn't really add a great deal to this one, but there was some nice fuzz guitar that offset the other shortcomings.  rating: *** stars
- One of two songs penned by guitarist Bob Sebbo, 'It Will Break Your Heart' was a weird country-rocker.  I don't know if Sebbo handled the vocals, but whoever it was turned in one of the most mannered deliveries I've ever heard.  The way he drags out the title track simply has to be heard ...  rating: *** stars
- The group penned instrumental 'AC/DC' basically served as a platform for guitarists Dave Lorenz and Bob Sebbo to wonk off for two minutes.  The result was some of the least impressive soloing you've ever heard on a major label  rating: * star
- The traditional blues number 'St. James Infirmary' has to be one of the dullest songs ever written and these guys added to that tradition with their extended, eight minute cover of the track.  rating: ** stars
- Side two started out with the album's most mainstream rocker 'Beautician Blues' which is probably why it was tapped as a single.  rating: *** stars
- Unlike anything else on the album. 'Umbrellas' found the band taking a stab at a sensitive ballad ...  Um, nice try, but not a good genre for them to have pursued.  The song itself had a gentle and pretty melody, but Walters gruff voice just wasn't a good match for the track.  Perhaps they should have left it as an instrumental.  rating: ** stars
- For what it's worth, I'd pick their cover of Geoff Mulduar's 'Ginger Man' as the album highlight.  They gave the tune a surprisingly commercial spin and it would have actually been a better choice for a single than 'Beautician Blues'.  rating: *** stars
- Penned by Sebbo, 'Big Boy' found the band taking on cocktail jazz ...  Seriously, this one sounded like something they might have played at a local Marriott hotel.  rating: ** stars
- And for the closer, back to Chicago-styled electric blues via 'Blues So Bad'.  Giving credit where due, this group composition actually sported a little bit on energy.  Hearing it in a small club after a couple of beers probably would have made it quite entertaining.  rating: ** stars

Probe also tapped the album for an instantly forgotten single:

- 1969's 'Beautician Blues' b/w 'St James Infirmary' (Probe catalog number 457)

Sure, these guys had some talent and from what I've read, they were actually a fairly impressive live act.  That said, you've got to wonder what Probe was thinking when they decided to release this one.
"The Mystic Number National Bank" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Blues Jam (instrumental)  (Russ Booth - Dave Lorenz - Bob Sebbo - Glenn Walters) - 2:20
2.) Good Love  (Bob Sebbo - Glenn Walters) - 2:37
3.) It Will Break Your Heart  (Bob Sebbo) - 2:50
4.) AC/DC (instrumental)  (Russ Booth - Dave Lorenz - Bob Sebbo - Glenn Walters - Richard Weissman) -1:45
5.) St. James Infirmary (traditional) - 8:00
(side 2)
1.) Beautician Blues  (J. Taub - R. King) - 2:20
2.) Umbrellas  (Bob Sebbo - Glenn Walters) - 3:35
3.) Ginger Man  (Geoff Mulduar) - 3:00
4.) Big Boy  (Bob Sebbo) - 3:30
5.) Blues So Bad  (Russ Booth - Dave Lorenz - Bob Sebbo - Glenn Walters) - 3:42

And that was it for these guys.

Booth died of a brain aneurysm.

No idea what happened to Lorenz.

Sebbo apparently still plays guitar, though he's retired and living in Wisconsin.  He has some entertaining YouTube clips (check out Bob Sebbo and the Naughty Combo).

Walters briefly reappeared as a member of Stoneface, before recording with  The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils.  He then moved to San Francisco where he remains active in music having recorded a couple of solo albums and playing local events with The Glenn Walters Band (yes, they're available for weddings).