The Moving Sidewalks - Flash (1968 us, excellent garage rock, with ZZ Top future members, akarma remastered edition, plus five bonus tracks)

The sole album by the Moving Sidewalks is as fascinating as it is unremarkable. As the birthing ground for legendary blues-rock guitarist Billy Gibbons, one would expect at least a taste of what would later make ZZ Top one of the best touring and recording bands on the planet; sadly, the album offers little in the way of revelation in its 15 tracks.

Admittedly, at the time of ZZ Top's 1970 debut, Gibbons' transformation from a journeyman bandleader into a boogie-blues demigod was still not fully realized, but his chops were miles away from what is heard here. Part of that lies in the fact that ZZ Top was less about psychedelia than straight blues; whatever psychedelic touches made their way onto the studio albums were largely an accessory. (They would eventually fully integrate on 1979's Deguello.)

The Moving Sidewalks, on the other hand, were psychedelic rockers whose songs hinted at the blues without fully diving in. The songs show little of Gibbons' future promise, and in fact are so thoroughly mediocre (both in writing and playing) that it's amazing to think he was only a few years away from international success. "Pluto-Sept. 31st" shows a clear Hendrix influence (the two guitarists openly admired each other), and as a bonus, Akarma's reissue includes five bonus singles that are some of the strongest material on the album, especially "Need Me," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and the legendary single "99th Floor."
by Jim Smith

Tracks
1. Flashback (Ames) - 4:46
2. Scoun Da Be (Moore) - 2:07
3. You Make Me Shake (Gibbons) - 3:04
4. You Don't Know the Life (Moore) - 3:56
5. Pluto - Sept 31st (Ames, Gibbons) - 5:13
6. No Good to Cry (Anderson) - 4:32
7. Crimson Witch (Gibbons) - 3:06
8. Joe Blues (Gibbons, Mitchell, Moore, Summers) - 7:37
9. Eclipse (Ames, Gibbons) - 3:37
10.Reclipse (Ames, Gibbons) - 2:30
11.99th Floor (Gibbons) - 2:17
12.What Are You Doing to Do (Gibbons) - 2:29
13.I Want to Hold Your Hand (Lennon, McCartney) - 3:20
14.Need Me (Gibbons) - 2:14
15.Every Night a New Surprise (Ames) - 2:58

The Moving Sidewalks
*Billy Gibbons - Vocals, Guitar
*Tom Moore - Keyboards
*Lanier Greig - Keyboards
*Don Summers - Bass
*Dan Mitchell - Drums

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Socrates Drank The Conium - Taste Of Conium (1972 greece, rough classic rock, blues psych)

Socrates was Yannis Spathas and Antonis Tourkoyorgis on guitar and bass respectively. During the period that they were playing in the Kitarro Club they went through several drummers including George Trantalidis, all of them terrific. In Athens during the early seventies, when the 1967 military dictatorship was still in control, there were a number of rock clubs in the area around Victoria Square and in the Plaka. Poll and Morka played at the Elaterion. Socrates and Exidaktilo played at the Kitarro. As Dorian Kokas, the founder and leader of Morka told us one night "We used to race through our set and play everything fast so we could get out early and go to the Kittaro and catch the last set of Socrates." Musicians loved Socrates.

Socrates sounded like several bands that were popular at the time, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, and Black Sabbath come to mind now when I hear their music from that early period, though the majority of their material was original. There were songs that were crowd favorites such as "Close the Door and Lay Down", "Starvation" and "Underground", but often the highlight of the evening was when they did their Hendrix songs like "Voodoo Chile", "Message of Love" and "Red House" or jammed on songs like "Kansas City" with singer Jimi Quidd (later of the NY Dots) and Greek-American blues guitarist John Kronis.

Spathas played a Fender Strat, long straight hair hanging down almost to the guitar, he was motionless except for his hands which effortlessly ripped out the most fluid, solos and riffs. He always hooked the chord to his amp over the bottom cutaway so he would not step on it and pull it out during a solo, I suppose. It was sort of his trademark in a way and we would watch him tune up and wait for him to do it which meant to us that the music was about to begin. He would play some mind-boggling riff to make sure the volume was right or the guitar was in tune and they would be off. Antonis Tourkoyorgis played bass and sang and if Spathas gave the appearance of being introverted he was the complete opposite. He was also a great bass player.

The powerful sound this little three-piece band with their stacks of Marshalls put out in the Kittaro kept us coming back night after night. In all honesty I have to say that to this day I have not heard any band, three-piece or more, fill as much musical space. Seeing the Who in 1976 I found myself comparing them to Socrates. OK, the Who is the Who. But apart from the personalities, the songs I knew and the flamboyance, were Townshend, Entwhistle and Moon as good a band as Socrates? No way. Led Zepplin? Nope. You'd have to ask someone who had seen Hendrix or Cream to make the judgement about those bands but I can't imagine anyone being better than Socrates on a good night and as far as those nights in the Kittaro went I don't think they ever had a bad night. They were too good to have a bad night.

What made them so remarkable was the guitar playing of Spathas. Even today listening to the solos he played in 1972 I still can't believe the music he was making. Brent Lambert of Kitchen Mastering, quite a guitar player himself, after hearing several Spathas solos from thirty years ago said "If this guy had come to America he would be a guitar hero and everyone would know his name." If you liked the way Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen play you will love Spathas and if you play guitar yourself you will wonder "If this was thirty years ago and he is still playing how good must he be now?"
Anazitisi-Records

This is their second effort, released 1972, and despite the poor mixing and mastering we have the opportunity (once more) to discover the ability of the members, not only as skilled musicians, but also as renowned composers, expressing a particular view even in the versions of Satisfaction as "Wild Satisfaction" and "See See Rider".
Thank you my friend Antonis, I hope you are well.

Tracks
1. Wild Satisfaction (M. Jagger, K. Richards arr. by J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis, E. Boukouvalas) - 13:00
2. Good Morning Blues (J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis, E. Boukouvalas) - 2:25
3. See See Rider (Traditional arr. by J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis, E. Boukouvalas) - 3:10
4. Door of the Dream (J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis) - 4:30
5. Waiting for the Sun (J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis) - 2:55
6. A Trip in the Sky (J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis) - 3:22
7. It's OK (J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis) - 1:45
8. Born to be Free (J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis) - 2:30
9. She's Gone Away (J. Spathas, A. Tourkogiorgis) - 4:20

Socrates Drank The Conium
*Antonis Tourkogiorgis - Bass guitar, Vocals
*Yannis Spathas - Lead guitar, Synthesizer
*Kostas "Gus" Doukakis - Guitar
*George Trantalidis - Drums

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One St. Stephen - One St. Stephen (1975 us, heavy acid psych blended with various influences)

Another private pressing, this time one that first saw the light of day on the Owl label in 1975. This is an album which is generally regarded as one of the finest heavy acid psych albums of its time.

One reviewer described it thus: 'Side 1 opens and closes with extended, awesome moody psychers which will blow you away. Poe, heroin and Jim Morrison all help shape the One St. Stephen outlook, which results in one of the more distinct late autumnal moods [ever] manifested on vinyl. Good vocals, some howling fuzz and occasional use of Moog in typical '70s acidhead fashion'.

Don L. Patterson wrote the music and lyrics, was lead vocalist, played electric guitars, directed and produced the album 'One St. Stephen' in March of 1975. The music was originally intended for a film Don was developing with the working title 'The Devil's Reservation'. Due to a famous Jazz musician with the same name, Don used the alias of One St. Stephen.

The music was recorded at the legendary Owl Studios (Columbus, Ohio), using the same 8-channel analog recording deck that was used to tape the audio at Woodstock in 1969. Because everyone who heard the LP wanted a copy, Don pressed a very limited amount from Queen City Record Company (Cincinnati Ohio). He also designed the album sleeve and label. The response by regional disc jockeys was phenomenal.

The album got a lot of regional air play. A few months later, Don was offered a recording contract from two major record companies in New York City. Don was asked to tour. Don was never interested in the world of rock and walked away from a music future. Since then the album has been sought by record collectors around the world and bootlegged twice in Europe.

One St Stephen has been issued on CD before (on an unknown Austrian label in the '90s), but that particular version erroneously included 2 tracks by a completely different band (St Steven, from Boston), so this is the first time that this highly-regarded album has appeared in its original form.

Tracks
1.November Edgar - 7:32
2.November - 2:37
3.You May Be Religous - 2:19
4.Nightly Drift - 6:03
5.Old Man - 2:14
6.Junkie's Lament - 2:01
7.Twelth St. Shuffle (Don L. Patterson - Bill Blechschmid) - 3:26
8.Richer You Get - 3:01
9.Dash In The Rocks - 4:41
All songs by Don L. Patterson, except where noted.

One St. Stephen
*One St. Stephens (aka Don L. Patterson) - Vocals, Guitar
*Bill Blechschmid
*Terry Finneran
*Danny Lawson
*David Pierce
*Franklin Reynolds
*Bruce Roberts
*Charles Squires

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The Koala - The Koala (1968 us, frantic rhythms, garage and riotous psych with future members of Sir Lord Baltimore band)

This snotty proto-punk act had the misfortune to be marketed as Australian (in an era when Oz was still perceived as a mysterious land of kangaroos and convicts). In fact the truth was more prosaic: they hailed from the East New York section of Brooklyn, bordering Queens.

Gigging locally, they came to the attention of producer-managers Art Polhemus and Bob Wyld, who'd already achieved smash success with the Blues Magoos and were on the lookout for another snappy garage act to push. With a Capitol contract in the bag, the band issued their one and only 45, Don't You Know What I Mean?

I Scattered Children's Toys (Capitol 2365) in mid-1968, and though it didn't sell, proceeded with an album later that year. The majority of it is high-energy garage rock, featuring searing fuzztone and feedback (typified on Poor Discarded Baby, Poppa Duke Tyler and others), but there are some decidedly psychedelic touches too, such as the sitar on Strange Feelings and the ethereal harmonies on Elizabeth.

The album slipped out in a unipak sleeve whose design was decidedly similar to that of another contemporary Capitol release, The Inner Mystique by The Chocolate Watch Band (which actually appeared on Tower), and promptly bombed. The 'Australian' marketing concept (itself borrowed from a strategy that had safely seen another New York garage band, The Strangeloves, have a hit with I Want Candy in 1965) was apparently news to the band, who split up almost immediately after the LP's release.

Jose Mala went on to sing (as Jay Mala) with legendary glam punks the Magic Tramps, before touring with the Joe Perry Project (a side project for Aerosmith's lead guitarist). Rhythm guitarist Joey Guido also stayed in music, playing with glam act The Brats, while lead guitarist Louis Caine joined hard rock legends Sir Lord Baltimore.

The album they made together was largely forgotten until the 1990s collector's market drove the price of original copies ever upwards, and word of its energetic charm began to spread. It is to be hoped that this first CD reissue will firmly establish its claim to be one of the earliest New York punk albums ever recorded.

Tracks

1. Don't You Know What I Mean? - 2:40

2. Look At The Way She Comes - 3:28

3. Poor Discarded Baby - 3:08

4. Nothing's Changed - 4:22

5. She's A Lady - 3:21

6. Colours Of Our Rainbow - 5:29

7. Poppa Duke Tyler - 2:41

8. Strange Feelings - 2:54

9. Elizabeth - 2:37

10.You Say - 2:30

11.Yesterday's Rain - 2:33

12.Lady Dressed In White - 2:42

13.Scattered Children's Toys - 4:38

All compositions by J. Mala and J. Guido.

The Koala

*Jose Mala - Lead Vocals

*Joey Guido - Rhythm Guitar

*Joe Alexander - Drums

*Louis Caine - Lead Guitar

*Anthony Wesley - Bass

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The Magic Bubble - The Magic Bubble (1968 canada, fine psych folk blues rock, Fallout extra tracks issue)

In spite of the group name, Toronto's Magic Bubble was essentially a duo consisting of siblings Frank and Rita Rondell. For their 1969 debut "Magic Bubble", the Rondells were backed by keyboardist Paul Benton, guitarist Wade Brown (who along with one Alex McDougall penned most of the material), bassist Brian Kirkwood and drummer Sonny Milne.

Produced by John Williams, musically the album's exceptionally diverse, including stabs at pop, hard rock, blues moves and even what sounds like an attempt at a calypso rhythm). That diversity is simultaneously a strength and a weakness. To our ears Rita has an okay, if less than overwhelming voice. While she has a bluesy voice that occasionally recalls Maggie Bell, exemplified by tracks such as "I'm Alive" and the ballad "If I Should Ever Love Again" she's largely relegated to handling the group's more pop oriented material.

Those performances are okay, if slightly under whelming. Her best performance happens to be her toughest vocal - "Cry Cry". That leaves Frank to handle the more rock-oriented tracks such as "Whiskey Fire", "Changes" and "Circles (Lonely Wind)". Occasionally sounding like a more rock inclined David Clayton Thomas, to our ears his performances provide the set's highlights, including one bizarre bluesy cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime". Elsewhere, there's only one real duet between the siblings; the funny "Me & Mr. Hohner". As far as we can tell the album didn't see an American release.

One final single "Who Turned the World Around" b/w "Ohio and Sun" (Columbia catalog number C4-3030) and the band was history.Rita relocated to Italy where she made a name for herself as a backup singer. In the late 1980s she returned to Canada where she started a solo career as Rita Chiarelli.
Bad-Cat

Tracks
1. I'm Alive (Wade Brown) - 2:27
2. Whiskey Fire (Wade Brown) - 2:33
3. If I Should Ever Love Again (Alex McDougall) - 3:24
4. Changes (Alex McDougall) - 3:24
5. Cry Cry (Wade Brown) - 4:29
6. Circles (Lonely Wind) (Wade Brown) - 2:40
7. Sunshine Man (McDougall, Rondell) - 2:34
8. Back To Toronto (Robbie Robertson) - 2:29
9. Me & Mr. Hohner (Boby Darin) - 3:37
10.Summertime (George Gershwin) - 6:06
11.Ohio Sun (Bonus track) (Guy Fletcher, Doug Flett) - 2:54
12.Who Turned The World Around? (Bonus track) (Richard Kerr, Scott English) - 2:42

The Magic Bubble
*Paul Benton - Keyboards
*Wade Brown - Guitar
*Brian Kirkwood - Bass
*Sonny Milne - Drums, Percussion
*Frank Rondell - Vocals
*Rita Rondell - Vocals

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Various Artists - White Lace And Strange (1968-72 us, heavy psych and power fuzz)

By the end of the sixties psychedelia was pretty much a spent force. Bands were looking for something simpler and more earthy. Crosby, Stills & Nash had gone all acoustic and harmonious, The Band had achieved a return to classic Americana, and James Taylor was showing the world you could be laid back and hip at the same time. However, not everyone wanted to ditch their fuzzboxes.

Inspired by such outfits as Cream, Blue Cheer, Hendrix and the nascent Led Zeppelin, these American bands were moving out of psych into something less cosmic and far heavier. This mix of blooze rock and heavy riffing is loud and nasty but it pre-dates metal. It's pretty tripped out, but it's not really psychedelia. It's the sound of guitar, bass and drums (and the occasional Hammond organ) just as it was meant to be, cranked up and in your face. No frills, just power chords and stomping riffs. Stamp on that Big Muff and solo till your brain drops out.

Tracks - Artists
1. Persecution - Third Power - 3:26
2. White Lace & Strange - Thunder and Roses - 3:12
3. Dimples - Hook - 2:50
4. It Could`t Be Me - Power of Zeus - 3:49
5. John Doe - Banchee - 4:30
6. Steel Dog Man - Brother Fox & The Tar Baby - 3:44
7. Hideaway of Your Love - Lemonade Charade - 2:22
8. Angeline - Genesis - 2:50
9. Loveless Lives - Blue Mountain Eagle - 3:31
10.Someone Else`s Games - Mount Rushmore - 4:33
11.Get in the Wind - Mount Rushmore - 2:56
12.Bide My Time - Fields - 3:16
13.Spaceship Earth - Road - 3:29
14.Knocked Out - Eden`s Children - 3:12
15.I Think You`d Cry - T.I.M.E. - 4:19
16.Darkness - The Underbeats - 2:57
17.I`m a Man - Yellow Payges - 5:02
18.Time Has Come, Gonna Die - Lincoln Street Exit - 4:08
19.My Babe - The Uniques - 2:27
20.The Seventh Is Death - The Fort Mudge Memorial Dump - 5:28

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Various Artists - Up All Night (1969-73 us/uk, 20 heavy nuggets from the golden age of hard psych)

If rocking's your schtick, and you prefer an atypically sleazy form of it a la a 70s bellbottom, cocaine sniffing sort of way then boy is this for you. If not, well, go the fuck back out west and take it easy I suppose. This collection, put out by the capable hands of bin diggers over at Past & Present, pulls twenty psych greats that essentially fall somewhere in between the hypnotic stoned levels of the Doors and the dark slaying of Black Sabbath.

None of them seem to have done much, but from the evidence herein there seems little reason other than pure bad luck. Of course any questions as to their whereabouts are swiftly resolved in the extensive liner notes, which provide mini biographies of each act. So where do the highlights lie? Well it really depends on your steez I suppose—Highway Robbery's “Fifteen,” torn apart by Rolling Stone in 1972, sounds like a crossbreed between King Crimson and the Sex Pistols, sliding between styles within seconds with propulsive energy and snotty attitude.

The Damnation of Adam Blessing, who opened for the Stooges and the Faces, present the loping groove of “Driver,” a pummeling number that keeps it garage-y and epic all at once. Dragonfly's “Enjoy Yourself” presents some serious guitar twang intermixed with a proto metal violence. Wild stuff. Especially Haystacks Balboa's “The Children of Heaven", a totally schizophrenic proggy number that's like little else to my ear. Totally a certain thing, but if you're into the thing you could do worse. Especially well suited to cruises around the street on summer nights, beer in hand.
by Henry Smith

Tracks - Artists
 1. Warm Touch - Liquid Smoke - 3:36
2. Be Good and Be Kind - Tin House - 3:39
3. Journeys - The Litter - 2:15
4. Outcast - The Finchley Boys - 2:33
5. Fifteen - Highway Robbery - 2:58
6. Gimme Some Lovin' - Euclid - 3:39
7. Driver - Damnation Of Adam Blessing - 3:57
8. Up All Night - SRC - 3:07
9. The Queen - Bang - 5:24
10. Enjoy Yourself - Dragonfly - 3:20
11. You're In America - Granicus - 4:10
12. Wrought Iron Man - Steeplechase - 4:18
13. Kingdom Come - Sir Lord Baltimore - 6:35
14. All You Have Left is Me - Jamul - 2:46
15. In the Night - The Power Of Zeus - 3:52
16. The Children of Heaven - Haystacks Balboa - 3:06
17. Persecution - Third Power - 3:26
18. Providence Bummer - Yesterday's Children - 3:40
19. Road Runner - Head Over Heels - 3:19
20. Sad and Lonely - Landslide - 3:03

All artists include here, are presented on both blogs with their releases.

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Barefoot Jerry - Southern Delight/Barefoot Jerry (1971-72 us, splendid southern rock with progressive folk/blues/country rock elements)

Barefoot Jerry remains one of the unsung heroes of southern rock. They rose from the ashes of Nashville super group Area Code 615 which featured some of Nashville’s best studio musicians and released string of successful albums between 1971 and 1977 before breaking up.

Lead by guitarist Wayne Moss, Barefoot Jerry’s original line-up also included ex- Area Code 615 members Mac Gayden on guitar and vocals, Kenneth A. Buttrey on drums along with John Harris on keyboards.

In 1971 Barefoot Jerry signed to Capitol Records and released their classic debut album, Southern Delight. Following year Capitol dropped them, but Barefoot Jerry released the self-titled sophomore effort for Warner Brothers records.

Russ Hicks and Kenny Malone had replaced Gayden and Buttrey. The band then signed to Monument records and went through further lineup changes (Si Edwards on drums, Dave Doran on bass, Fred Newell on vocals) before recording 1974's Watchin' TV.

In 1975 Monument released You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On, and Crocery, double LP featuring reissues of their first two albums came out the following year.

Wayne Moss resurrected Barefoot Jerry one more time in 1976 and the band recorded Keys to the Country with bassist Terry Bearmore, guitarist Jim Colvard and Warren Hartman keyboards. This same line-up recorded the last Barefoot Jerry album, 1977's Barefootin'.

Barefoot Jerry has shared the stage with Wet Willie, The Charlie Daniels Band and other major players in southern rock scene, yet remain fairly unknown to this day, which might have something to do with the ever rotating members of the band. In fact, Wayne Moss was the only member who played in all of the albums and concerts.
Pure-Southern-Rock

Tracks  
Southern Delight 1971
1. Hospitality Song (Mac Gayden, John Harris) - 4:49
2. I'm Proud To Be A Redneck (Mac Gayden, Joe Gayden) - 2:35
3. Smokies (Wayne Moss) - 2:18
4. Quit While You're A Head (Song Of Sensible Compromise) (Wayne Moss, John Harris) - 3:15
5. Blood Is Not The Answer (Mac Gayden, John Harris) - 5:32
6. Come To Me Tonight (Mac Gayden, Joe Gayden) - 4:44
7. Finishing Touches (Mac Gayden) - 4:16
8. The Minstrel Is Free At Last (Mac Gayden, John Harris) - 5:17
9. Nobody Knows (PD Arr. Barefoot Jerry) - 1:22
10. That's OK, He'll Be Your Brother Someday (Kenny Buttrey, Mac Gayden, John Harris, Wayne Moss) - 4:46

Barefoot Jerry 1972
11. Castle Rock (John Harris) - 4:39
12. One Woman (Wayne Moss) - 2:48
13. In God We Trust (Bobby Thompson, Eileen Thompson) - 5:28
14. Message (Wayne Moss) - 3:12
15. Friends (Wayne Moss, John Harris) - 4:23
16. Snuff Queen (Russ Hicks) - 0:56
17. Little Maggie (Trad. Arr. Barefoot Jerry) - 3:12
18. Warm (Russ Hicks, Kenny Malone, Wayne Moss) - 3:32
19. Fish 'N' Tits (Wayne Moss) - 2:01
20. Ain't It Nice In Here (Wayne Moss) - 4:32
21. Ebenezer (John Harris) - 4:04

Barefoot Jerry
Southern Delight 1971
*Mac Gayden - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Wayne Moss - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Kenny Buttrey - Drums, Vocals
*John Harris – Keyboards

Barefoot Jerry 1972
*Wayne Moss - Bass, Guitar, Organ, Vocals,
*Russ Malone - Drums, Percussion
*John Harris - Keyboards, Vocals
*Russ Hicks - Steel Guitar, Vocals

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Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By (1970 uk, superb progressive rock, 2nd album, 2007 esoteric bonus tracks release)

Rare Bird's second album "As Your Mind Flies By" turned out to be their classic release. It's stuffed with a great 70's atmosphere and flawless songwriting. All the 5 tracks on the album are impressivly strong. "What You Want to Know" and "I'm Thinking" are melodic, organ-driven, early 70's progressive rock at its best.

The arrangements have lots of cool, twisted and varied organ-sounds and the vocals are great. The rest of side one is made up of the short, baroque-influenced "Down on the Floor" and the great, heavy-progressive "Hammerhead". The second side consists of the 20-minute "Flight". This is one of those tracks that will make any fan of 70's progressive rock cry of joy.

The first part of it is quite dramatic and classical-influenced, then it goes into a great jamming part with a choir and excellent duels between the organ playing of Graham Field and the twisted el-piano of Dave Kaffinetti. The two last parts of the track are energetic and heavy with the most perfect organ-sounds you can imagine. With no doubt one of the best progressive rock albums from 1970. By the way, the single-release of "What You Want to Know" had a very different arrangement from the album-version.
Vintage-Prog

Tracks
1. What you want to know - 5:59
2. Down on the floor - 2:41
3. Hammerhead - 3:31
4. I'm thinking - 5:40
5. Flight - 19:39
…As your mind flies by
…Vacuum
…New York
…Central Park
6. What you want to know (Bonus track, Mono single version) - 3:34
7. Hammerhead (Bonus track, Mono single version) - 3:23
8. Red man (Bonus track) - 3:29

Rare Bird
*Mark Ashton - Drums, Vocals
*Graham Field - Organ, Assorted Keyboards
*Steve Gould - Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar
*Dave Kaffinetti - Electric Piano, Assorted Keyboards

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The J. Geils Band - Blow Your Face Out (1976 us, r 'n' b blues rock, recorded loud to play loud)

Double-album live sets came into vogue in 1976 after Peter Frampton's sales went through the roof for A&M, Bob Seger found fame with Live Bullet on Capitol, and the J. Geils Band released its second in-concert document in four years, Blow Your Face Out. There is great power in these grooves recorded over two nights, November 15 and November 19, at the now deconstructed Boston Garden and in Detroit at Cobo Hall.

Here's the beautiful dilemma with the Geils band: Live: Full House, recorded in Detroit in April of 1972, contains five songs that became J. Geils standards, and none of them overlap on the 1982 EMI single live disc, Showtime, chock-full of their latter-day classics. Can you believe there is absolutely no overlap from the first or third live album on this double disc, which came in between (except for "Looking for a Love," uncredited, which they slip into the intro of "Houseparty" on side two)? The Rhino CD contains Jeff Tamarkin's liner notes, while the original Atlantic album has an exquisite gatefold chock-full of photos, and inner sleeves with priceless band memo stuff à la Grand Funk's Live Album.

Sides one and two are great, and three and four are even better. "Detroit Breakdown" rocks and grooves, with tons of audience applause...Wolfy and the polished authority of his monologues are in command as the band oozes into "Chimes" from 1973's Ladies Invited. About three and a half minutes longer than the five-minute original, it is one of many highlights on this revealing pair of discs. A precursor to 1977's title track, "Monkey Island," "Chimes" gives this enigmatic band a chance to jam out slowly and lovingly over its groove.

There is so much to this album: the Janis Joplin standard "Raise Your Hand" written by Eddie Floyd, Albert Collins' "Sno-Cone" from their first album, and "Truck Drivin' Man" beating Bachman-Turner Overdrive to the punch. B.B. King producer Bill Szymczyk does a masterful job bringing it all together, and the band photos on back look...roguish. "Must of Got Lost," "Where Did Our Love Go," and "Give It to Me" are here in all their glory, a different glory than the studio versions, on an album that should have done for Geils what Live Bullet and Frampton Comes Alive did for their respective artists.

If only a legitimate release of their 1999 tour would be issued to stand next to this monster -- during that tour they combined the best elements of all three of their previous live discs. The J. Geils Band is more important and influential than the boys have been given credit for. It will be the live documents that ensure they eventually get their due, and Blow Your Face Out is a very worthy component that can still frazzle speakers.
by Joe Viglione

Tracks
1. Southside Shuffle - 4:16
2. Back To Get Ya - 4:38
3. Shoot Your Shot (A. DeWalt, L. Horn, J. Graves) - 3:56
4. Musta Got Lost - 6:34
5. Where Did Our Love Go (E. Holland. L. Dozier, B. Holland) - 4:00
6. Truck Drivin' Man (Terry Fell) - 1:52
7. Love-Itis (H. Scales, A. Vance) - 4:05
8. Intro: (Lookin' For A Love) (J. Alexander, Z. Samuels) - 2:06
9. (Ain't Nothin' But A) House Party (Del Sharh, J. Thomas) - 5:04
10. So Sharp (Arlester Christian) - 2:38
11. Detroit Breakdown - 6:25
12. Chimes - 8:56
13. Sno-Cone (Albert Collins) - 3:04
14. Wait - 3:44
15. Raise Your Hand (Eddie Floyd) - 4:08
16. Start All Over - 2:21
17. Give It To Me - 6:52
All songs by Peter Wolf and Seth Justman except where noted. 

J. Geils Band
*Peter Wolf - Vocals
*Seth Justman - Keyboards And Vocals
*Magic Dick - Harp
*J. Geils - Guitar
*Danny Klein - Bass
*Stephen Jo Bladd - Percussion And Vocals

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Rare Bird - Rare Bird (1969 uk, remarkable heavy progressive, debut album, 2007 esoteric remaster bonus tracks issue)

Rare Bird was an early British prog rock band. The band formed in October 1969, and got their debut album out the following month, which is really quite an accomplishment, since it usually takes a band a year or more after their formation to get an album out, not to mention it usually takes two or three months to get the album out after the band records it.

This was the very first album ever released on Charisma, the same label that gave us Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator/Peter Hammill, Lindisfarne, Capability Brown, and even Monty Python. Rare Bird was an odd band, for they had two keyboardists (David Kaffinetti on electric piano, Graham Field on organ), as well as bassist (Steve Gould, who also handled vocals), and drummer (Mark Ashton), but no one on guitar. It's interesting to note that Kaffinetti later appeared on the infamous 1984 movie of a mock heavy metal band, This Is Spinal Tap. By that time, his name was shortened to David Kaff. He played Vic on that film.

Rare Bird had a rather unique sound and the powerful vocals of Steve Gould helps. The album has some really great prog rock numbers like "Beautiful Scarlet", "Iceberg", and the ever sinister "God of War" (my favorite). The album also features "Sympathy" which was actually a hit for these guys in Continental Europe. Written, obviously, during the Vietnam War-era, the song features lyrics I feel are just as relevant today (if not more so): "Sympathy is what we need, my friend/'Cause there's not enough love to go around" and "Half the world hates the other half/and half the world has all the food/and half the world lies down and quietly starves/'Cause there's not enough love to go around". In this era of conservative politicians screwing us all, and threats of going to war in the Middle East, it's real easy to relate to this song.

"Times" is an odd one, because it starts off sounds like a 1950s song, sounding like how Little Richard might sound like if he played organ rather than piano, then the second half goes in to more typical prog rock territory. There are a couple of other shorter pieces like "You Went Away", "Nature's Fruit", and "Bird On a Wing" which are all great songs.

I always felt Rare Bird's debut is a bit underrated compared to their 1970 followup As Your Mind Flies By, in fact I actually prefer this album to As Your Mind Flies By (which is a fine album, by the way). More great music, particularly if you like early, organ-driven British

by Ben Miler

Tracks

1. Iceberg - 6:56

2. Times - 3:24

3. You Went Away - 4:39

4. Melanie - 3:28

5. Beautiful Scarlet - 5:23

6. Sympathy - 2:30

7. Nature's Fruit - 2:32

8. Bird On A wing - 4:13

9. God Of War - 5:30

10.Devil's High Concern (Bonus Track) - 2:47

11.Sympathy (Mono, Bonus Track) - 2:34

Rare Bird

*Mark Ashton - Drums, Vocals

*Graham Field - Organ, Keyboards

*Steve Gould - Bass Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals

*Dave Kaffinetti - Keyboards, Electric Piano

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Accolade - Accolade 2 (1971 uk, fabulous folk rock with jazzy slices)

Accolade's one of those short-lived late-1960s/early-1970s English bands that attempted to expand musical boundaries, mixing traditional English folk with some rock influences.

Following a personnel shakeup that saw singer/guitarist Gordon Giltrap strike out on his own, the band returned with 1971's cleverly titled "Accolade 2". Again produced by Don Paul, Capitol executives apparently deciding the set had no commercial potential and passed on the opportunity to release the album domestically. That was unfortunate given the band's sophomore effort was actually far stronger than the debut.

With Partridge continuing to serve as chief writer (he's credited with six of the ten songs), his contributions were far more varied than on the first LP. Musically the set was pretty entertaining, mixing acoustic folk and jazzy touches with occasional slices of more pop and rock-oriented material. Highlights included the opener 'Transworld Blues', the surprisingly taunt rocker 'The Spider To the Spy' (sporting some of the year's most inept harmony vocals) and the bizarre 'Cross Continental Pandemonium Theatre Company'.

Admittedly it wasn't something that immediately grabbed my ears, but this is one of those albums that rewards patience. The first time around it doesn't sound like anything special, but with repeated spins, it grows on you revealing considerable charms.
Bad-Cat

Tracks
1. Transworld Blues - 3:22
2. The Spider to The Spy - 2:33
3. Baby, Take Your Rags Off - 3:17
4. Cross Continental Pandemonium Theatre Company (B. Cresswell, I. Hoyle, D. Partridge, M.Poole) - 11:02
5. Snakes In a Hole (Georg Wadnius, Tommy Borgudd) - 3:25
6. The Time I've Wasted - 2:37
7. Sector Five Nine - 2:20
8. If Only I'd Known (Wizz Jones) - 2:08
9. William Taplin (Gordon Giltrap) - 4:55
10.Long Way to Go - 5:07
All songs by Don Partridge except otherwise stated.

Accolade
*Don Partridge - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Vibraphone
*Malcolm Poole - Contrabass, Fiddle
*Ian Hoyle - Drums
*Brian Cresswell - Flute, Alto Saxophone
*Wizz Jones - Vocals
*Mike Moran - Piano

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Sunforest - Sound Of Sunforest (1969 us, beautiful folk, sunshine pop with traditional and baroque glances, japan remaster)

The Sun - the beginning Of life in out solar system The Symbol, therefore, of creation Representing joy and love The finest attributes of life The Sun is giving, we receive As inhabitants of this earth The Forest, which contains all Wherein dwell sheltering trees Rising to worship the lifegiving sun All animals, plants and finally Man Inhabit the vast forest of the earth Desert, mountain, green valley and sea The Earth, from which spring all creatures Nature's art - informed to live Inspired to create and understand In the light of the giving sun At night we rest by the gentle lamp The moon, the jeweled starts Then by the soft brightness of dawn Persuaded, we rise again - Once more light and life Reign silent, strong and pure In the Forest of the Sun
by Freya Lynn Houge

A mellowness of cool sound Vibrations of personality in song A gentle harmony of tempered soul A rose colored glass filled to capacity With love for music and out neighbors. Welcome to Sunforest!
by Vic Smith

Terry Tucker went to London with two girlfriends, Erika Eigen and Freya Houge, to become pop singers and were discovered almost right away in a working class cafe drinking tea. A man came in a fur coat from Decca Records, wanted to hear their songs and they went to the studio that night and recorded a demo. Two weeks later they wanted to record an album and he became their manager. They were his American girls. The recorded their one and only album Sound of Sunforest in 1969.

Kubrick wanted her to record Overture for the Sun for the soundtrack. It got recorded again, Terry wrote some changes in the arrangement for the film. It was exciting. It just fell into their lap. In those days they never tried to make anything happen, just follow their nose and it happened. Overture is instrumental, like a little renaissance piece. Terry wrote and arranged it, played harpsichord on it. Lighthouse Keeper is a song that Erica wrote and Terry sang backup on it and played the piano. Terry stayed in England about 12 years and came home to the US after the band broke up.
by Malcolm McDowell

Tracks
1. Overture to the Sun (Terry Tucker) - 1:40
2. Where Are You (Eigen, Hogue, Harry Smith) - 2:42
3. Bonny River (Freya Lynn Hoguer) - 2:41
4. Be Like Me (Freya Lynn Hoguer, Terry Tucker) - 2:10
5. Mr. Bumble (Terry Tucker) - 1:50
6. And I Was Blue (Freya Lynn Hoguer, Terry Tucker) - 2:50
7. Lighthouse Keeper (Erika Eigen) - 2:04
8. Old Cluck (Freya Lynn Hoguer) - 2:41
9. Lady Next Door (Erika Eigen, Freya Lynn Hoguer, Terry Tucker) - 2:26
10.Peppermint Store (Freya Lynn Hoguer) - 2:00
11.Magician in the Mountain (Harry Smith) - 4:09
12.Lovely Day (Freya Lynn Hoguer) - 2:45
13.Give Me All Your Loving (Erika Eigen, Freya Lynn Hoguer, Terry Tucker) - 2:38
14.Garden Rug (Terry Tucker) - 2:13
15.All in Good Time (Freya Lynn Hoguer, Terry Tucker) - 3:45

Sunforest
*Terry Tucker - Piano, Harmonium, Harpsichord, Organ Hammond
*Freya Lynn Hogue – Spanish Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
*Erika Eigen - Latin American Percussion, Bells
Guest Musicians
*Herbie Flowers, Joe Mudele - Bass Guitar
*Cecil James - Bassoon
*Malca Cossak - Cello
*Dougie Wright, Ronnie Verrel - Drums
*Jim Sullivan - Electric Guitar
*Andy McGavin - French Horn
* John Burden - French Horn
*Les Baldwin, S. Sutcliffe - Oboe
*Jim Lawles, John Blanchard, Reg Weller - Percussion
*Harry Smith - Piccolo Flute, Flute, Clarinet
*Cliff Haines, Les London, Ralph Eizen - Trumpet
*Alfie Reece - Tuba
*F. Riddle - Viola
*D. Wolfstal, R. Mosley - Violin
*Erika Eigen, Freya Hogue, Terry Tucker - Vocals

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Spriguns - Time Will Pass (1977 uk, magnificent progressive electric folk, 2004 japan remaster)

England has incredibly good folk music items. Some groups are more leaning towards traditional folk, some are more folkrock (of which Trees is one of my favourites). Some of the more original/progressive folkrock will be listed on these pages more easily (The Pentangle, Gryphon, Spirogyra, Fotheringay are some of my own favourites). And also The Spriguns are also one of the more original bands who were rooted in folkrock, but Mandy Morton thoroughly conceptualized her own visions, with the help of the band, comparable to what Sandy Denny tried. Sandy Denny was heavily admired by Mandy Morton, who dedicated the titletrack of her 1978 album to her, “Magic Lady”.

Even when albums like that and “Time Will Pass”, which are the strongest starters of all Mandy Morton & Spriguns related albums, we had to wait for reissues of these albums for a very long time. The band had started off as Spriguns Of Tolgus with more traditional folk inspirations with their own visions. Both albums are also very much worth tracing. Most of these albums were only very limited available mostly only through Japanese and Korean reissues.

Mandy Morton led much more the band away from the limitations in creativity of folk and even folkrock visions, but kept the whole typical linear heritage of England’s culture, with references to Renaissance and medieval times that brings an idea of magic, giving that way more colour and depth in background to the inspirations. Sandy Roberton did the production. He produced before the early folk/folkrock albums of Steeleye Span. Especially on the opener “Dead Man’s Eyes” we can hear a comparable approach of an influence of folk mixed with a straight rock rhythm.

The lush orchestrations on “All Before” by Robert Kirby* are comparable to some Sandy Denny tracks, while especially on the closing track, “Letter to a lady” the arrangements that confirm the old England blossoming days with bassoon and such, are most impressive. Most arrangements are definitely making the best of a singer-songwriting vision, with tracks that have rather progressive or often crafted even at times with its own subtleness, heavy rocking arrangements.

I must also mention how Mandy also has a beautiful coloured voice and singing and a personality and vision that give this album a masterly musically conceptual vision, which made this album an essential classic.

Tracks
1. Dead Man's Eyes - 3:46
2. All Before - 2:44
3. For You - 3:37
4. Time Will Pass - 2:28
5. White Witch - 3:04
6. Blackwaterside (Traditional) - 5:13
7. You're Not There - 2:51
8. Devil's Night - 2:52
9. Letter To A Lady - 5:11

All songs by Mandy Morton except track #6

Spriguns
*Mandy Morton - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Wayne Morrison - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin, Vocals
*Dick Powell - Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Mike Morton - Bass, Vocals
*Dennis Dunstan - Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians 
*Robert Kirby - Orchestral Arrangements
*Lea Nicholson - Concertina
*Tom Ling - Electric Violin

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Peter Bardens - The Answer (1970 uk, psychedelic/progressive rock, 2010 esoteric remaster with extra tracks)

Reading the liner notes of this recent reissue of Peter Bardens’ 1970 debut The Answer, reveals a prolific artist kept busy prior to his finding fame as the keyboardist with progressive rock group Camel. Aside from the psychedelic Ladbroke Grove act, The Village, he played in a whole host of bands during the British “Blues Boom” of the mid-sixties, alongside future household names such as Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green and Premier League rogerer, Sir Rodney of Stewart.

And there’s an element of blues rock bubbling away beneath the psychedelic/progressive mix that forms The Answer, particularly with regards to Bardens’ vocal delivery, which is a full-bodied blues drawl and, on occasion, remarkably similar in sound to another royal lady-roisterer, a certain Michael Jagger.

The title-track, first up on the album, is awash with energetic blues guitar licks, in this case provided by an uncredited Peter Green, which is bolstered throughout by Bardens’ elaborate organ artistry and pseudo-philosophical lyricism, popular in progressive and underground rock circles of this era.

The blues guitar continues through the eerie mire that is ‘Don’t Goof With a Spook’, where the Jaggerisms are possibly at their strongest, and the excellent acid-soaked freak-rock of ‘I Can’t Remember’, with its hedonistic tribal undercurrent in addition to the masterclass of swirling keyboard extravagance.

‘I Don’t Want to Go Home’ and ‘Let’s Get It On’, both of which also feature an uncredited Peter Green on lead guitar, are more in the standard blues-rock vein and as such a little more formulaic, but following on from something as undeniably strong as the three aforementioned tracks that open The Answer, is always going to be a thankless task.

Which brings us nicely to the B-side spanning closing track of the original album. Running just shy of 14 minutes, ‘Homage to the God of Light’ is a spectacular journey into the outer reaches of psychedelic-prog, bringing to mind the early instrumental excursions of Pink Floyd and the exalted voyagers of space rock, Hawkwind. Bardens really gives the organ a punishing workout on this captivating, and lengthy, illustration of finest, ye olde underground gallivanting. A worthy highlight to an all round worthy album.

The reissue also throws in The Village’s excellent psychedelic single ‘The Man in the Moon’ and its instrumental B-side, ‘Long Time Coming’.
by Nick James

Tracks
1. The Answer - 5:25
2. Don’t Goof With A Spook - 7:21
3. I Can’t Remember - 10:41
4. I Don’t Want To Go Home - 5:13
5. Let’s Get It On - 6:36
6. Homage to the God of Light - 13:32
7. Man In The Moon (Bonus Tracks as Village) - 4:13
8. Long Time Coming (Bonus Tracks as Village) - 2:33
All compositions written by Peter Bardens.

Musicians
*Peter Bardens - Keyboards, Vocals
*Steve Ellis - Vocal
*Andy Gee - Guitar
*Reg Isadore - Drums
*Linda Lewis - Vocal
*Alan Marshall - Vocal, Percussion
*Bruce Thomas - Bass
*David Wooley - Vocal
*Rocky - Congas
*Bruce Thomas - Bass Guitar (Village)
*Bill Porter - Drums (Village)

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Peter Bardens - Write My Name In The Dust (1971 uk, brilliant post psychedelic early progressive rock, pre-Camel release, japan remaster)

As 1971 came around Bardens reconvened to the studio to record his second solo album with a fresh line-up although he retained the services of Andy Gee and Reg Isadore. Released in July of that year it was probably more varied in style than its predecessor with Bardens assuming much of the vocal duties. After the silliness of the opening instrumental North End Road (complete with bar room piano) the album gets down to serious business with the brooding and Bob Dylan influenced Write My Name In The Dust.

Bardens organ playing is tastefully understated here allowing the soulful vocal delivery to take centre stage. The superb massed female chorus is equally soulful. Down So Long is a stop-start affair with a tediously repetitive choral line but the engaging instrumental interplay that occupies the mid section does at least justify its existence.

In terms of melody Sweet Honey Wine is one of the stronger songs here sounding not unlike The Rolling Stones in playful mode. Similarly the vocals during the manic Tear Down The Wall have more than a hint of Mick Jagger about them. Bardens’ frenzied organ work here is some of the most inspired to feature on either of these two albums. In contracts the aptly titled Simple Song is a sunny little country style ditty that could have come from the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.

The mellow instrumental My House is for me the albums best track that would have not sounded out of place on a Camel album with Vic Linton’s tasteful guitar lines pre-empting the Latimer/Bardens partnership that would come later. Feeling High however returns to the unimaginative stoner blues-rock of the previous album leaving another aptly titled affair Blueser to bring things to a less than inspired conclusion.
by Geoff Feakes

Tracks
1. North End Road - 1:25
2. Write My Name In The Dust - 6:34
3. Down So Long (P. Bardens,V. Linton, R. Isadore, J. Owen) - 7:00
4. Sweet Honey Wine - 4:26
5. Tear Down The Wall - 7:21
6. Simple Song - 2:20
7. My House - 6:17
8. Feeling Hugh - 5:08
9. Blueser - 2:15
All songs by Pete Bardens except where noted.

Musicians
*Peter Bardens - Keyboards, Vocals
*Victor Brox - Violin, Vocals
*Andy Gee - Guitar
*Reg Isadore - Drums
*John Owen - Bass
*Maxine Offla - Vocal
*Linda Lewis - Vocal
*Judy Powell - Vocal
*Liza Strike - Vocal
*Anita Pollinger - Vocal

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Solid Silver (1975 us, classic west coast psych, last official album)

A rejuvenated Quicksilver reconvened in '75, after a well-received compilation album, 'Anthology', seemed to revive interest in the band. The line-up that cut 'Solid Silver' featured long-serving QMS alumni Gary Duncan (guitar, vocals), Dino Valenti (vocals, guitar), John Cipollina (guitar), David Freiberg (backing vocals, bass), and Greg Elmore (drums). Various keyboard assists from the likes of Nicky Hopkins and Michael Lewis helped flesh out the band's sound.

Although hopes were high that 'Solid Silver' might kick start the band's career, the reality was otherwise. Whilst the musicianship is excellent, the big problem with 'Solid Silver' is the lack of particularly inspired material. The songs struggle to reach a head of steam, and, although John Cipollina's distinctive lead guitar style is much in evidence, even he can't get overly worked up about it. 'Worryin' Shoes' is a blues shuffle by numbers, but its taken at quite a clip,which pushes the energy level up a few notches. 'Cowboy on the Run' isn't bad, a plaintive rock ballad with a heartfelt Valenti vocal. Other tracks such as 'The Letter' and 'They Don't Know' have their moments, but there's little of the old QMS frictional guitar sparks to lift the thing above the lightweight at best, or mundane at worst.

QMS toured to support the album, but neither the tour nor the album were a great success ('Solid Silver' made number eighty-nine on the Billboard album chart), and the band ground to a halt. Freiberg enjoyed rather more success as a member of Jefferson Starship. Cipollina died on 29th May 1989, from complications assocaiated with emphysema, aged forty-two. Dino Valenti sloughed off this mortal coil on November 16th 1994, aged fifty-seven.

Quicksilver Messenger Service remain a fondly-recalled, if ultimately underachieving acid-rock band. There's still a version of the QMS knocking about, featuring Gary Duncan on guitar, and of course, CD reissues of the band's albums have helped add lustre to their legend. 'Solid Silver' may not be the finest Quicksilver album, but it has its moments, and Cipollina was always a guitar player worth listening to. I hope you enjoy it.
by Alan Robinson

Tracks
1. Gypsy Lights (Gary Duncan) - 3:40
2. Heebie Jeebies (John Cipollina) - 4:15
3. Cowboy on the Run (Dino Valenti) - 3:13
4. I Heard You Singing (David Freiberg, Robert Hunter) - 3:48
5. Worryin' Shoes (Valenti) - 3:25
6. The Letter (Valenti) - 4:06
7. They Don't Know (Duncan) - 3:54
8. Flames (Cipollina, Valenti) - 4:20
9. Witches Moon (Valenti) - 2:59
10.Bittersweet Love (Valenti, Duncan) - 4:23

Quicksilver Messenger Service
*Gary Duncan - Vocals, Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar
*John Cipollina - Vocals, Guitar, Hawaiian Steel Guitar
*David Freiberg - Vocals, Bass
*Greg Elmore - Drums
*Dino Valenti - Vocals, Guitar
Guest Musicians
*Nicky Hopkins - Piano
*Pete Sears - Piano
*Michael Lewis - Piano, Organ, Arp Synthesizer
*Skip Olson - Bass
*Mario Cipollina - Bass
*Kathi Mcdonald - Vocals

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Castles In The Sand (1969-70 us, west coast psych)

"One of the first studio sessions by Quicksilver’s then new line-up of Dino Valente (vocals), John Cipollina (guitar), David Freiberg (bass & vocals), Greg Elmore (drums), with the British session pianist Nicky Hopkins. Mainly acoustic, it took place in Corte Madera, California in late 1969/early 1970."

"Most of the songs, a couple of them running for nearly nine minutes each, were never to appear on album, although they featured in the group’s concerts. As well as working on new songs such as 'Subway' and the rarely-performed 'The Fool', the band run through several country, gospel and blues standards that they were familiar with, such as 'I Know You Rider', 'Walk In Jerusalem', Hank Williams' 'May You Never Be Alone' and Cindy Walker's 'Warm Red Wine'."

The booklet's sleeves notes cover the group's circumstances at the time of the recordings and the featured songs.

There's Enough Magic To Go Around. Please Remember That.

Tracks
1. Senor Blues (Silver) - 6:18
2. Subway (Farrow, Duncan) - 1:43
3. I Know You Rider #1 (Trad arr Cipollina, Valenti, Elmore, Freiberg, Hopkins) - 3:54
4. I Know You Rider #2 (Trad arr Cipollina, Valenti, Elmore, Freiberg, Hopkins) - 4:35
5. Walk In Jerusalem - 2:44
6. Castles In the Sand - 8:32
7. May You Never Be Alone (Williams) - 2:19
8. Warm Red Wine (Walker) - 3:03
9. Look Over Yonder Wall / State Farm - 3:51
10.Wake Up, Dead Man (Part 1) - 5:35
11.Wake Up, Dead Man (Part 2) - 3:31
12.The Fool - 8:51

QMS
*John Cipollina - Guitar
*Dino Valente - Vocals
*David Freiberg - Bass, Vocals
*Nicky Hopkins - Piano
*Greg Elmore - Drums

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Erik Heller - Look Where I Am (1968 us, sweet hippie psych folk rock)

Circa 1967 signed and recorded for Vanguard Records, the previously and subsequently unknown hippy folk singer, Erik, whose sole musical offering, 1968's Look Where I Am (VRS9267) remains one of the label's undiscovered gems.

The 11 tracks on Look Where I Am cover the full range of psych/acid folk, from the strong opening track, with its multi-instrumental backdrop of flute, vibes, horns and bells, to the voice-and-guitar of 'Why Come Another Day' to the heavy fuzz guitar of 'You Said/But I've Got My Way'. There's even a long, soulful Davis-esque muted trumpet passage on 'Lights Across The Field'. The album has a dreamy, almost wistful Donavan-like feel, with tons of acoustic guitar and ethereal flutes.

Tracks
1. Look Where I Am (Well It's Right Over Here) - 3:55
2. Painted On The Wall - 2:45
3. Dead Afternoon Song - 3:20
4. Be Off Man - 2:11
5. Why Come Anotherday - 3:13
6. You Said But I've Got My Way - 5:51
7. Lights Across The Field, Bright Lights Across The Field Too - 2:49
8. Sweet Eyes Of - 4:36
9. Georgeann - 3:48
10. Untitled Number 2 - 4:51
11. Trymphant Breaking Bottle - 4:33
Words and music by Erik Heller.

Erik Heller - Guitars, Vocals

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Footch Kapoot - Good Clean Fun (1977 us, exceptional progressive rock with jazz blues and post psych touches)

It's tough sometimes to write about forgotten records. You find them, you love, but there is so little info out there about them that you always feel you may not be speaking with authority about the music therein Footch Kapoot is a case in point. So in lieu of hard facts I am going to make up my own back-story.

Footch Kapoot are six people who really dig challenging progressive music, like Beefheart, King Crimson, and Gentle Giant, but have a soft spot for the pop structure as well. They are all excellent musicians with day jobs, and judging from the name of the band and they cover art they are nerds with no care or worry for commercial success.

When this came out in 1978, the cold cruel world probably scratched its head and moved on. I wish I would have been there to tell them how cool I thought it was.
by Greg Trout

Tracks
1. Don's Mom's Green Boiled Ham (M. Hecker, M. Haupt, R. Last) - 7:46
2. One Day At A Time (Sue Kwiatowski) - 2:53
3. Sleepy Time Day (R. Last, M. Haupt) - 4:28
4. Das Is Wonderful (Ray Last) - 8:32
5. Tall Tale (R. Abell, T. Turner) - 4:18
6. Thee Andes Tune (R. Last) - 8:28
7. Theme From The Pet Dome (M. Hecker, R. Last) - 2:25
8. Versality (R. Last) - 5:26
9. Dreamburst (S. Kwiatowski, M. Hecker) - 9:00

Footch Kapoot
*Paul J. Schneider - Glass Drums
*Ray Last - Electric Guitar, Alto Sax, Flute, Bells, Vocals
*Mike Haupt (Dirty Michael) - Clarinet, Precussion
*Roob (Moon) Abell - Moon Bass, Vocals
*Mark (Blind Lip) Hecker - Electic, Acoustic, Slide Guitars, Blues Harp, Vocals
*Sue Kwiatowski - Piano, Vocals

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