Chad And Jeremy - Distant Shores (1966 uk, swirly baroque pop, 2000 bonus tracks remaster)

Musical styles were changing and threatening to leave Chad & Jeremy's light, pleasant folk-rock-cum-British beat pop style behind. Amazingly, in the midst of this tectonic shift in the musical landscape, they managed to put together the strongest of their Columbia albums, which isn't saying too much, but for those who care to start with their best effort, this is it. 

Distant Shores catches the duo belatedly evolving out of their old folk-style and light pop sound, with denser production and some better songs to work with. It wasn't an abrupt break from their past, however, as evidenced by the title track, a beautiful and more complex sequel to "A Summer Song," authored by producer James William Guercio (and sporting a string, horn, and reed accompaniment that sounds like it was lifted straight from the embellishment to Gerry & the Pacemakers' "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"); it might not have stood out on a Beatles album of the era, but for these two, the overall sound was a step forward, at least in ambition (and it was their final Top 40 hit). And with Guercio calling the production shots, they manage to turn Bobby Goldsboro's "When Your Love Has Gone" into a faux Burt Bacharach number that adds up to slightly more than the sum of its parts, as does the album closer, "Don't Make Me Do It," the latter one of three originals by the duo on this record.

Their version of Jonathan King's "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" benefits from the pair's harmonies, but otherwise adds little significant beyond a very busy percussion part behind them. Of the other two originals, "You Are She" stands out as a glittering piece of Baroque pop, with enough use of the harpsichord to rival the Left Banke.

On the other hand, "The Way You Look Tonight," "Early Mornin' Rain," and "Homeward Bound" (done in an arrangement identical to Simon & Garfunkel's) didn't depart at all from the duo's prior sound, suggesting that even Guercio found his limits in extending their range. Despite these caveats, and the fact that they still had their feet in several different musical camps, there are more high points to this record than anything else that Chad & Jeremy issued in their waning two years. Distant Shores had "transitional" written all over it, although it wasn't clear what Chad & Jeremy were making a transition to.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks

1.Distant Shores (James William Guercio) - 2:44

2.Ain't It Nice (Jimmy "Guitar" Smith) - 3:07

3.When Your Love Has Gone (Bobby Goldsboro) - 2:38

4.Homeward Bound (Paul Simon) - 2:33

5.The Way You Look Tonight (Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern) - 2:33

6.Morning - 2:49

7.You Are She - 2:36

8.Everyone's Gone To The Moon (Jonathan King) - 2:29

9.I Won't Cry (James William Guercio) - 2:05

10.Early Mornin' Rain (Gordon Lightfoot) - 3:41

11.Don't Make Me Do It - 2:39

12.Last Night (Jeremy Clyde) - 2:05

13.Teenage Failure (Jeremy Clyde) - 3:05

14.Anytime - 2:10

15.Your Mama's Out Of Town (Chad Stuart, Russell Alquist) - 2:06

16.You've Got Your Troubles (I've Got Mine) (Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway) - 2:54

17.Wonderful Land (Instrumental) (Jerry Lordan) - 2:43

18.Sticks And Stones (Henry Glover, Henry Glover) - 1:47

19.Sixpence (Traditional) - 2:45

20.Love Is Strange (Ethel Smith, Mickey Baker, Sylvia Robinson) - 2:40

21.If You Need Somebody (W. Irwin) - 2:39

22.When Your Love Has Gone (Early Version) (Bobby Goldsboro) - 2:35

23.Distant Shores (French Version) (James William Guercio) - 2:44

24.You Are She (French Version) - 2:33

All songs by Chad Stuart, Jeremy Clyde except where stated

Bonus Tracks 12-24

Musicians

*Chad Stuart - Vocals, Guitar, Arranger, Conductor

*Jeremy Clyde - Vocals, Guitar

1967-68  Chad Stuart Jeremy Clyde - The Ark (2006 japan bonus tracks remaster)  

1967  Chad And Jeremy - Of Cabbages And Kings (2006 japan bonus tracks remaster) 
1968  Chad And Jeremy - Three In The Attic (2013 edition) 

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The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Full House Aces High (1981 us, delicate country bluesy soft rock)

 Original relased in 1981 as a double LP, this live set by The Amazing Rhythm Aces contains recordings made in 1979 in California and Alabama. Aces' are in excellent condition playing some great tunes,  many of them even better from the studio versions. Sweet melodies sometimes melancholic haunted, sometimes nostalgic, with excellent guitar passages, sweet piano and brass sections. Just what I needed on this Sunday morning...  My only objection is the dedication about the ...King of Cowboys

Tracks

1. The End Is Not In Sight (The Cowboy Tune) - 4:30

2. Anything You Want (Russell Smith, James H. Brown Jr.) - 4:53

3. Who's Crying Now? - 4:10

4. Just Between You And Me And The Wall (You're A Fool) - 6:01

5. Lipstick Traces (Naomi Neville) - 4:42

6. Dancing The Night Away (Russell Smith, James H. Brown Jr.) - 5:33

7. Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song) - 4:01

8. These Dreams Of Losing (Russell Smith, James H. Brown Jr.) - 4:55

9. I Pity The Mother And Father (When The Kids Move Away). 2:57

10.King Of The Cowboys (Russell Smith, James H. Brown Jr.) - 6:23

11.Third Rate Romance - 4:14

12.My Tears Still Flow - 4:14

13.The "Ella B" - 4:42

14.I'll Be Gone - 3:25

15.Who Will The Next Fool Be (Charlie Rich) - 3:28

16.I'm Gonna Miss You (Like The Devil) (James Moore) -  2:42

All songs by Russell Smith unless as else indicated

Live recordings at

Great American Music Hall, San Francisco,CA,May 22,1979

Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles,CA,May 24, 1979

Roxy Theatre, San Diego,CA,May 26, 1979

Brothers' Music Hall, Birmingham,AL,Aug.5,1979

The Amazing Rhythm Aces

*Duncan Cameron - Vocals, Guitar, Steel Guitar

*Jeff Davis - Electric, Double Upright Bass, Vocals 

*Billy Earheart - Keyboards, Organ, Piano

*James Hooker - Vocals, Grand Piano, Electric Piano, Organ

*Butch McDade - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

*Russell Smith - Guitars, Harmonica, Vocals

With

*John McEuen - Banjo, Mandolin

The Rhino Horns

*Brian Savage - Saxophone

*Al Garth - Saxophone, Fiddle

1975-76  The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Stacked Deck / Too Stuffed To Jump  

1977-78  The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Toucan Do It Too / Burning The Ballroom Down (2000 edition)

1979  The Amazing Rhythm Aces - The Amazing Rhythm Aces (2001 remaster) 

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Unicorn - Laughing Up Your Sleeve (1973-74 uk, marvelous folk country soft prog rock, 2018 remaster)

Back during the early-to-mid-‘70s, England’s Unicorn was plowing a similar country rock-styled vein as pub-rockers like Brinsley Schwarz, but their American West Coast musical leanings were tempered by the inherently British folk-rock sound of primary songwriter and guitarist Ken Baker. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour became a huge Unicorn supporter, picking up on them after the 1971 release of their debut album, Uphill All the Way, and subsequently producing three wonderful albums and opening more than a few doors for them in the industry. With a trio of fine albums to tour under, and an indelible connection to (then) world-beaters Pink Floyd, Unicorn pulled down opening slots with ‘70s-era heavyweights like Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, and the Doobie Brothers.

Still, none of those Gilmour-produced records – 1974’s elegant Blue Pine Trees, 1976’s more rock-oriented Too Many Crooks, and 1977’s band swansong, One More Tomorrow – performed very well commercially in spite of their overall creativity and excellence and the band would break up. Still, those albums garnered new fans through the years and were ripe for rediscovery when U.K. archival label Esoteric Recordings reissued all three titles in 2017, expanded with bonus tracks and fresh liner notes.

Just when Unicorn fans thought that there would be no more unheard music from the band comes news from Omnivore Recordings that on October 5th, 2018 the label will release the Unicorn compilation album Laughing Up Your Sleeve. The 20-track collection will be released in CD, vinyl, and digital formats and features previously-unreleased demos by the band recorded in Gilmour’s home studio circa 1973-74, with the Floyd guitarist adding his tasty pedal steel guitar to the band’s “Sleep Song.” 

Laughing Up Your Sleeve also includes never-before-seen and recently rediscovered photos of the band that document their working in the studio with Gilmour and performing live onstage in London. Liner notes go into detail about the band’s history and the finding of these long-lost recordings with new interviews with Gilmour and original band members. The album was produced by the band’s Pat Martin from the restored original multi-track tapes and are said to feature remarkable sound quality (not surprising, as the band’s sophomore effort, Blue Pine Trees, is as sonically gorgeous an album as you’ll ever hear).

David Gilmour, quoted in the album’s new liner notes, says “one could say that Unicorn didn’t want success quite enough, or that they just weren’t prepared to compromise their music to better fit into the competitive world of popular music. Their music still gives me great pleasure.” The band’s unique blend of American influences like the Band and Crosby, Stills & Nash and homegrown favorites like Ray Davies and Syd Barrett resulted in some incredible, timeless music that is ripe for rediscovery here in the 21st century.

by Rev. Keith A. Gordon  Wednesday, August 01, 2018

Unicorn released three exquisite albums in the mid-’70s with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd in the producer’s chair. The albums and the band found a wide audience elusive, even though the band opened for many heavyweights in the day (including Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Billy Joel, Dr. Hook), played with Kate Bush on her first proper demo recordings that landed her a deal with EMI, and were even covered by their producer, David Gilmour, on his first self-titled solo album, released in 1978.

Laughing Up Your Sleeve attempts to correct what may have been a matter of wrong time, wrong place for a band whose music overflows with beautiful melodies, lush arrangements and perfect harmonies. The CD/LP/Digital release compiles twenty previously unreleased demos, recorded in Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour’s home studio in 1973–74, with Gilmour adding pedal steel guitar to “Sleep Song.”

Unicorn’s music owes as much to rustic Americana acts such as The Band, The Byrds, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, as it does to the lyrical themes of English tradition and whimsy relayed by the likes of Ray Davies and even Syd Barrett.

Although musically inspired by American acts (mostly folk and country rock), theirs is a very British sound which, unfortunately, was out of step for the time in which it was released, at least in England from where they rarely strayed.

Laughing Up Your Sleeve contains many never-before-seen, recently discovered photos of the band, including pictures of the band in the studio with Gilmour and on stage in London. In addition, extensive liner notes detail the band’s story, how these demos were found and new interviews with David Gilmour and key band members. These demos, recorded on multi-track tapes, have been lovingly restored and beautifully mixed and mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound in New Jersey with input from Pat Martin from Unicorn. The sound quality is simply stunning.

It’s hard to imagine this music managed to remain under the radar for so long, but true artists, Unicorn never played “the game” the music industry requires in order to achieve commercial success. We are fortunate then, that this music was preserved so we can give it its just reward now.

Omnivore 

Tracks

1. Sleep Song - 4:51

2. I Saw You - 4:09

3. Ooh! Mother - 3:29

4. The Farmer - 3:32

5. Autumn Wine (Kevin Smith, Roy St. John, Steve Waters) - 2:27

6. Take It Easy - 2:46

7. Electric Night - 4:59

8. All Night Long - 3:33

9. Just Wanna Hold You - 5:00

10.The Ballad Of John And Julie - 5:18

11.Disco Dancer - 3:33

12.Weekend - 4:14

13.Blue Pine Trees - 3:09

14.Bogtrotter - 5:24

15.Ferry Boat - 6:01

16.Kevin Barry (Traditional Lyrics,  Ken Baker) - 3:18

17.Holland - 3:28

18.Nightingale Crescent - 3:33

19.Drinking All Night (Kevin Smith, Roy St. John, Steve Waters) - 3:06

20.So Far Away - 3:22

All songs by Ken Baker except where stated

Bonus Tracks 12-20

1971-73  Unicorn - Uphill All The Way (2009 remaster and expanded)

1974  Unicorn - Blue Pine Trees (2006 Japan and 2017 remaster and expanded)
1976  Unicorn - Too Many Crooks (2006 Japan remaster)

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NRBQ - High Noon A 50 Year Retrospective (1966-2016 us, career-spanning 5 disc boxed set, produced and compiled to celebrate 50 years, 2016 remaster)

Once you’ve steeped yourself in the music and sensibility of NRBQ, it makes total sense that a sprawling career retrospective should start in the future, even as it recaps the band’s history. Track one of Disc One of High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective is from a forthcoming album and time travels through the cosmos to a utopia fashioned in words and music by the late Sun Ra. “Love in Outer Space” is a perfect opener for this five-CD box set: it kaleidoscopes through many of NRBQ’s signature sounds; it’s goofy, sweet, and entirely sui generis; it’s played in a characteristically loose but tight style by the latest lineup, which boasts only one—but the essential—founding member, keyboardist/singer Terry Adams; and it builds upon Adams’ answer to a question posed in 1969 about his musical inspirations, “The Sun: Sun Records and Sun Ra.”

The influence of jazz’s legendarily whimsical master of the “interstellar low ways” is evident in the new anthology, both in the presence of “Rocket Number 9,” a tune Ra gave to Adams early on, and in NRBQ’s playful tendency to sidestep from swinging, shuffling, and four-on-the-floor rhythmic precision into brief, shambling breakdowns of improvised chaos. Other jazz influences crop up in the set as well: interpretations of Claude Thornhill’s “Snowfall,” Andy Razaf and Paul Denniker’s “S’posin’,” Moondog’s “Paris,” and Thelonious Monk’s “Ruby, My Dear.”

Equally paramount is the impact of that other Sun, the studio and label that Sam Phillips established in the early 1950s, from which erupted the blues, R&B, rockabilly, and rock ’n’ roll of B.B. King, Junior Parker, Jackie Brenston, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and others. The Q’s rendition of Cash’s “Get Rhythm” is here on Disc Three, which also includes Stuart Hamblen’s “This Old House” and a live version of Big Joe Turner’s “Honey Hush.” The relatively few covers among High Noon’s 106 tracks (notable highlights include Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody,” Jimmie Lloyd’s “Rocket in My Pocket,” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Getting to Know You”) are wonderful, but they also underscore the way Adams and his songwriting band mates through the years (Steve Ferguson, Joey Spampinato, Al Anderson, Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough) seamlessly integrated the foundational influences and idioms into their own classically structured, catchy, and ultimately timeless tunes.

The timeless factor, owing in part to Adams’ perpetual youthfulness and unselfconscious wackiness, is embodied in such songs as “Green Lights,” “Ridin’ in My Car,” “RC Cola and a Moon Pie,” “Me and the Boys,” “Rain at the Drive-In,” “I Want You Bad,” “Little Floater,” and “If I Don’t Have You.” It accounts for the consistent Q identity across five decades of music making with a shifting lineup, and it made it possible to organize these five CDs, packaged in a simple, cardboard fold-out folio with a straightforward booklet of photos and notes, in the loosest of narrative structures. The first disc, Everybody Say Yeah! (2005–2016), contains the most recent material, and the subsequent discs roughly encapsulate eras in the band’s history: Ain’t It All Right (1966–1970), Do You Feel It? (1971–1978), Me and the Boys (1977–1990), and Puddin’ Truck (1989–2004). Some fans, with good reason, favor the Al Anderson period (with Spampinato on bass and Tom Ardolino on drums) that spans Discs Two and Three, and features Big Al’s terse, blazing, idiosyncratic guitar solos, memorable compositions, and sweet, reedy vocals. Others, loyalists from the start, hold unshakable affection for the earlier times with guitarist Ferguson, when a rehearsal band from Kentucky developed spontaneously into the New Rhythm and Blues Quintet and eventually migrated to the Northeast, often adding the Whole Wheat Horns (anchored by Terry Adams’ trombone-playing brother Donn). And a strong case can be made for the bands of the past 27 years, when all the experience of previous decades coalesced beautifully and the recorded sound improved dramatically.

Then, now, and at every point in between, NRBQ has simply been a great rock ’n’ roll band—singing about girls, cars, and parties; privileging charm, innocence, and madcap humor over rebellion and darkness; and negotiating sometimes silly or saccharine pop sentiments, thundering backbeats, wild solos (piano, clavinet, guitar, sax), and Spike Jones-like accents with equal aplomb. Other bands with overlapping values and sounds have had more success and celebrity, but for 50 years, Adams and his crews have endured and endeared with peerless persistence, subsuming and transcending subgenres (from jump blues and rockabilly to pub rock and power pop), all for the love and joy of music.

by Derk Richardson, Mar 15th, 2017

Tracks

Disc 1 Everybody Say Yeah! 2005-2016

1. Love in Outer Space (Sun Ra) - 3:43

2. Never Cop Out (Terry Adams) - 4:22

3. Waitin' on My Sweetie Pie (Scott Ligon) - 2:54

4. Ruby, My Dear (Thelonious Monk) - 3:59

5. I'd Like to Know (Jim Hoke) - 2:05

6. Boozoo and Leona (Terry Adams) - 5:25

7. I'm Alone (Terry Adams) - 3:02

8. Can't Wait to Kiss You (Casey McDonough) - 1:48

9. Everybody Say Yeah! (Terry Adams) - 2:12

10.In Every Dream (Terry Adams) - 2:33

11.Here I Am (Terry Adams, Scott Ligon) - 2:31

12.The Animal Life (Scott Ligon) - 4:39

13.Getting to Know You (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) - 2:04

14.Talk (Terry Adams) - 2:20

15.Snowfall (Claude Thornhill) - 4:45

16.Keep This Love Goin' (Terry Adams, Pete Donnelly, Scott Ligon) - 3:44

17.Fightin' Back (Casey McDonough) - 3:31

18.Let Go (Terry Adams, Pete Donnelly) - 4:15

19.Dutchess County Jail (Traditional) - 2:41

Tracks 2, 6, 15, 18 Live Recordings

Disc 2 Ain't It All Right 1966-1970

1. Ain't It All Right (Terry Adams, Steve Ferguson) - 2:22

2. Rocket Number 9 (Sun Ra) - 2:08

3. Tina (Joey Spampinato) - 1:22

4. I Say Gooday Goodnite (Steve Ferguson) - 1:29

5. Down in My Heart (Traditional) - 2:33

6. Have You Heard (Terry Adams) - 1:42

7. Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard (Terry Adams) - 1:38

8. Get on the Right Track Baby (Ray Charles, Joe Turner) - 2:21

9. You Move So Fast (Terry Adams) - 1:21

10.Flat Foot Flewzy (Steve Ferguson) - 4:43

11.You Got Me Goin' (James Dale Spence) - 2:33

12.On the Farm (Terry Adams) - 2:32

13.You Can't Hide (Joey Spampinato) - 1:53

14.Step Aside (Steve Ferguson) - 1:22

15.Benellie (Steve Ferguson) - 1:27

16.I Feel Good (John Lee Hooker) - 2:43

17.Fergie's Prayer (Steve Ferguson) - 2:37

18.C'mon Everybody (Jerry Capehart, Eddie Cochran) - 3:06

19.Stomp (Steve Ferguson) - 1:58

20.Stay with We (Terry Adams) - 3:50

21.Heartbreaker (Ahmet Nugetre) - 4:24

22.The Waiting Song (Steve Ferguson) - 2:32

23.We Are Brothers (Traditional) - 1:03

Tracks 8, 9, 14, 16, 13 Live Recordings

Disc 3 Do You Feel It 1971-78

1. That's Neat, That's Nice (Terry Adams) - 3:11

2. Green Lights (Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato) - 3:00

3. Help Me Somebody (Al Anderson) - 3:52

4. Only You (Joey Spampinato) - 2:46

5. This Old House (Stuart Hamblen) - 2:51

6. Ridin' in My Car (Al Anderson) - 2:53

7. Things to You (Terry Adams) - 3:27

8. Do You Feel It? (Terry Adams) - 2:49

9. Howard Johnson's Got His Ho-Jo Workin' (Terry Adams) - 3:21

10.Electric Train (Terry Adams) - 1:07

11.Magnet (Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato) - 3:31

12.Honey Hush (Joe Turner) - 3:05

13.Get That Gasoline Blues (Terry Adams, Charlie Craig) - 2:55

14.It's Not Too Late (Terry Adams) - 3:39

15.It Feels Good (Terry Adams) - 2:35

16.Still in School (Joey Spampinato) - 2:26

17.Be My Woman Tonight (Al Anderson) - 2:39

18.RC Cola and a Moon Pie (Terry Adams) - 3:37

19.Get Rhythm (Johnny Cash) - 3:00

20.You and I and George (Red Kelly) - 2:04

21.It's Not So Hard (Joey Spampinato) - 2:45

Tracks 12, 20 Live Recordings

Tracks 13, 18 single Versions

Disc 4 Me And The Boys 1977-1990

1. Captain Lou (Terry Adams, Al Anderson) - 2:31

2. Me and the Boys (Terry Adams) - 3:30

3. Talk to Me (Terry Adams) - 2:42

4. I Love Her, She Loves Me (Joey Spampinato) - 2:31

5. Smackaroo (Instrumental) (Terry Adams) - 2:04

6. This Love Is True (Terry Adams, Jake Jacobs, Joey Spampinato) - 2:46

7. Feel You Around Me (Al Anderson) - 3:31

8. Crazy Like a Fox (Al Anderson) - 4:01

9. Rain at the Drive-In (Terry Adams) - 3:11

10.S'posin' (Paul Denniker, Andy Razaf) - 4:09

11.Wacky Tobacky (Terry Adams, Keith Spring) - 2:44

12.The One and Only (Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato) - 3:43

13.How Can I Make You Love Me (Joey Spampinato) - 2:52

14.I Got a Rocket in My Pocket (Jimmie Logsdon, Vic McAlpin) - 4:34

15.Boy's Life (Al Anderson) - 2:57

16.Never Take the Place of You (Al Anderson) - 3:24

17.Want You to Feel Good Too (Terry Adams) - 3:39

18.I Want You Bad (Terry Adams, Phil Crandon) - 2:33

19.She Got the House (Terry Adams, The Wailer) - 5:04

20.12 Bar Blues (Jack Butwell) - 2:49

21.My Girlfriend's Pretty (Terry Adams) - 2:46

22.Christmas Wish (Joey Spampinato) - 2:51

Tracks 8, 10, 14, 19 Live Recordings

Disc 5 Puddin' Truck 1989-2004

1. Little Floater (Terry Adams) - 3:08

2. Sail on Sail On (Joey Spampinato) - 3:11

3. Next Stop Brattleboro (Terry Adams) - 2:44

4. What You Mean to Me (Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato) - 3:17

5. If I Don't Have You (Stephanie Davis, Joey Spampinato) - 2:12

6. One Big Parking Lot (Terry Adams) - 3:54

7. Love Came to Me (Joey Spampinato) - 3:07

8. Dummy (Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato) - 3:11

9. Terry Got a Muffin (Terry Adams) - 2:17

10.It's St. Patrick's Day (Joey Spampinato) - 2:37

11.21-50 to Headquarters (Terry Adams) - 1:27

12.Do the Primal Thing (Terry Adams) - 2:10

13.Goodbye (Joey Spampinato) - 3:09

14.Puddin' Truck (Terry Adams) - 3:16

15.Ain't No Horse (Terry Adams) - 3:49

16.Blame It on the World (Joey Spampinato) - 3:04

17.Imaginary Radio (Terry Adams) - 2:39

18.Always Safety First (Joey Spampinato) - 2:50

19.Advice for Teenagers (Terry Adams, Joey Spampinato) - 3:08

20.Paris (Louis Hardin) - 3:15

21.See You Soon (Terry Adams) - 1:57

Track 20  Live Recording

NRBQ 

*Terry Adams - Clavinet, Harmonica, Keyboards, Hammond Organ, Piano, Trumpet, Vocals

*Scott Ligon - Guitar, Organ, Vocals

*Casey McDonough - Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

*John Perrin - Drums

*Pete Donnelly - Bass, Vocals

*Conrad Choucroun - Drums

*Bobby Lloyd Hicks - Drums

*Steve Ferguson - Guitar, Vocals

*Frank Gadler - Cowbell, Percussion, Vocals

*Tom Staley - Drums, Vocals

*Ken Sheehan - Rhythm Guitar

*Al Anderson - Guitar, Vocals

*Tom Ardolino - Drums, Vocals

*Johnny Spampinato - Guitar, Vocals

With

*Klem Klimek - Harmonica

*Jim Hoke - Flute, Harmonica, Alto, Tenor Saxophones

*Pete Toigo - Bass

*Quentin Sharpenstein - Bass

*Danny Thompson - Flute

*P.J. O'Connell - Vocals

*Norm DeMoura - Vocals

*Donn Adams - Trombone, Vocals

*Lou Albano - Vocals

*King Curtis - Tenor Saxophone

*Charlie Craig - Drums

*Brian Darby - Drums

*Lee Tiger - Guitar

*Keith Spring - Bells, Tenor Saxophone

*Roswell Rudd - Trombone

*Kami Lyle - Trumpet

*John Sebastian - Autoharp

*T-Bone Wolk - Accordion, Banjo

1968  NRBQ - NRBQ (2018 remaster)  

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Roger Nichols And The Small Circle Of Friends - Roger Nichols And The Small Circle Of Friends (1964-68 us, soft pop, a smattering of rock, heavy dose of easy listening with great vocal blend, 2005 remaster and xpanded)

It’s 1967.  You record a debut album for an upstart record label.  It doesn’t sell in fantastic numbers when first issued, but it gains a very strong following.  The logical thing to do is to record a follow-up.  This is exactly what Roger Nichols has done–he has recorded a follow-up to his excellent and highly-regarded Roger Nichols & The Small Circle of Friends album on A&M, called Full Circle…

Roger Nichols’ catalog as a recording artist is woefully small, especially given how there is such a loyal following of fans for his original A&M album, long considered a prime example of sunny, California pop.  As a composer, though, Nichols’ compositions have appeared on many other artists’ albums.  Teamed up with lyricist Paul Williams, Nichols was half of the creative duo that created classics such as “Let Me Be The One,” “I Kept On Loving You,” and a song that nearly everyone knows: “We’ve Only Just Begun.”  He has written other memorable tunes with other lyricists.  After a lengthy hiatus spanning decades, the “Circle” is back!

Full Circle, recorded in 2007 but re-released in 2008, reassembles the the original trio of Nichols, Murray McLeod and Melinda McLeod Patterson (Murray’s sister).  The minute your laser hits the first track, “Talk It Over In The Morning,” and the trio of vocalists breezes its way out of your speakers, it’s like an instant wave of familiarity.  Those silky smooth harmonies haven’t lost a thing in 40 years!  It’s like those middle 38 years never happened.

The album is a pleasant surprise.  The five bonus tracks aren’t really essential, as they are demo versions of the main body of twelve tracks that comprise the newer recordings.  But those twelve tracks are gold.  The shuffling leadoff track, “Talk It Over In The Morning,” was recorded by Anne Murray many years ago and may be familiar to many music fans. The next track should have you break into an instant smile: “The Drifter”, a bonus track on the Complete Small Circle of Friends CD and long-lost A&M single, is given an update, and aside from some modern production hints, it’s like 1967 all over again.

Two pleasant surprises are songs from the Carpenters songbook, both co-written with Paul Williams.  “Let Me Be The One” is given a silky three-part vocal treatment here, as is the album staple “I Kept On Loving You”.  The Nichols-penned “Out In The Country,” a Three Dog Night track, is given the SCOF treatment as well.  Chuck Findley and the Toto rhythm section lend their talents to the instrumental track “The Winner”.

And on that note I, too, declare this album a winner.  Those great harmonies are back, many of the tracks are familiar, and the others are hidden gems as well.  Highly recommended if you like sunny “California pop” and, especially, if you want to hear the long-awaited follow-up to this group’s first album.  Enjoy!

Rudy's Corner, February 27, 2010

Tracks

1. Don't Take Your Time (Roger Nichols, Tony Asher) - 2:29

2. With A Little Help From My Friends (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:48

3. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 2:45

4. I Can See Only You (Roger Nichols, Smokey Roberds, Stuart Margolin) - 2:55

5. Snow Queen (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 3:24

6. Love So Fine (Roger Nichols, Tony Asher) - 2:01

7. Kinda Wasted Without You (Jerry Riopelle, Smokey Roberds, Murray MacLeod) - 2:23

8. Just Beyond Your Smile (Roger Nichols, Tony Asher) - 2:18

9. I'll Be Back (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:35

10.Cocoanut Grove (John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky) - 2:34

11.Didn't Want To Have To Do It (John Sebastian) - 2:37

12.Can I Go (Roger Nichols, Tony Asher) - 2:11

13.Our Day Will Come (Bob Hilliard, Mort Garson) - 2:24

14.Love Song, Love Song (Doug Tibbles, Larry Marks) - 2:03

15.Just Beyond Your Smile (Mono 45) (Roger Nichols, Tony Asher) - 2:20

16.I'll Be Back (Mono 45) (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:42

17.Let's Ride (Paul Williams, Roger Nichols) - 2:53

18.The Drifter (Paul Williams, Roger Nichols) - 2:31

19.Trust (Paul Williams, Roger Nichols) - 2:25

20.St. Bernie The Sno-Dog (Gian Cassarino) - 2:30

Bonus Tracks 13-20

Tracks 13-16 as Roger Nichols Trio

Personnel

*Melinda MacLeod - Vocal Harmony, Vocals

*Murray MacLeod - Guitar

*Roger Nichols - Bass, Guitar, Piano, Vocals 

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Chris Bell - Looking Forward The Roots Of Big Star (1969-71 us, rough energy, fractured guitar heroics, and splendid lead vocals, 2017 remaster)

Perhaps 2017 will finally right the cosmic wrong that keeps Chris Bell a cult figure, relegating his memory to being “the guy that left after Big Star’s first record” or as a lesser-heralded member of “the 27 club”. Before the year is out, the first comprehensive biography of his life, Rich Tupica’s There Was a Light: The Cosmic History of Big Star Founder Chris Bell, will be released. We’re also told to expect a comprehensive, six-LP box set, The Complete Chris Bell, which alleges to make good on the promise of its title.

Omnivore Records offers a stunning first salvo in the re-appraisal of Bell’s work with Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star. Though it will be filed as such for practical purposes, this is not a “Chris Bell” record in the traditional sense of an artist-in-charge and at the front-and-center of things. It could even be argued that there is no such thing in Bell’s case, for this talented and tragic artist did not release a full-length collection of his own music during his lifetime. The highly regarded I Am the Cosmos collection released in 1992 by Rykodisc made available Bell’s post-Big Star recordings, which had failed to find a sympathetic record label before his death in a car accident in 1978. 

Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star collects material from when Bell was working at Ardent Studios between 1969 and 1971, leading up to the months immediately before Big Star’s formation. The album is credited as “featuring” Bell with a list of collaborators. Both Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens, Bell’s colleagues along with Alex Chilton in Big Star, appear among the many collectives credited here. Other significant contributors include Tom Eubanks, Terry Manning, Alan Palmore, and Steve Rhea, who also contribute to the excellent oral history in the liner notes. This loose group of musicians hanging around during the off-hours of the studio recorded under an assortment of names including the Wallabys, Icewater, and Rock City. That last group’s recordings were previously released by Manning’s own Lucky Seven Records in 2003 and comprise 11 of the tracks here.

Bell appears throughout these tracks as a trusted collaborator and guiding force. Only two of the cuts are credited solely to him, while he shares composition duties on another seven. He sings lead vocals on only four of the tracks and doesn’t even appear on “The Wind Will Cry for Me”. It is his defining guitar work and support vocals that form the most consistent thread throughout the collection and point the way to what will become the Big Star sound. In the group of musicians hanging around Ardent, Bell found a collection of kindred spirits, fellow pop-rebels who looked to England for inspiration while finding themselves growing up at ground-zero of Southern soul. They found joy not in grooving smoothly but rather lurching spastically.

The influence of the British mod and psychedelic music flows through these cuts in a way that distinguishes them from the sounds that Bell would develop with Chilton in Big Star, but the twisted pop sheen is already forming. Palmore’s “Feeling High” shows a clear Beatles influence, while Bell’s own “Psychedelic Stuff” evokes the Pretty Things, and “A Chance to Live” could be a lost track by the Move. Bell’s singing on the version of “My Life Is Right” first recorded with Rock City sounds more confident here, even, than on the version he recorded with Big Star. And the guitar tone on the collection’s opener “Think It’s Time to Say Goodbye” evokes “In the Street” from #1 Record. 

Bell’s collaborators demonstrate themselves a talented bunch. There was something in the water or amidst the smoke floating in the air at Ardent Studios during the decade’s turn into the ‘70s. Eubanks, in particular, proves himself a versatile vocalist equally comfortable with a hard rocker’s rasp or a lazy psychedelic croon. Manning’s keyboards and synthesizers color the songs in a way that differentiates them from Big Star, offering more psychedelic flourishes, as in the backward masking on Bell’s “Looking Forward” or the pseudo-mandolin in “The Wind Will Cry For Me”, and his “Sunday Organ” is a standout instrumental contribution. 

Listening to Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star it becomes apparent that, without Chris Bell, there would have been no Big Star. The anthology makes it plain that Bell was one of the great collaborators in rock and roll history and adds further emphasis to just how cruelly the fates have treated him. Compiler Alec Palao makes all the right decisions in his selection and sequencing of these songs, presenting as complete a portrait of an artist still in formation as is possible, offering all sides of Bell: singer, songwriter, lead guitarist, accompanist, and, ultimately, catalyst. 

Pop Matters, 30 June 2017 

Tracks

1. Rock City - Think It's Time To Say Goodbye (Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 3:56

2. Icewater - All I See Is You (Chris Bell, Steve Rhea) - 3:33

3. Rock City - My Life Is Right (Chris Bell, Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 3:06

4. The Wallabies - Feeling High (Alan Palmore) - 3:21

5. Icewater - Looking Forward (Chris Bell) - 3:39

6. Rock City - The Wind Will Cry For Me (Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 3:07

7. Chris Bell - Psychedelic Stuff (Chris Bell) - 2:48

8. The Wallabies - The Reason (Alan Palmore) - 2:33

9. Rock City - I Lost A Love (Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 3:16

10.Icewater - A Chance To Live - 2:07

11.Rock City - The Answer (Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 3:34

12.Rock City - Lovely Lady (Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 3:09

13.Icewater - Sunshine (Steve Rhea) - 1:40

14.Rock City - Introduction (Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, Terry Manning, Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 1:50

15.Rock City - Sunday Organ (Terry Manning) - 3:16

16.Rock City - The Preacher (Chris Bell, Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 3:41

17.Rock City - Shine On Me (Thomas Dean Eubanks) - 2:33

18.Rock City - Try Again (Chris Bell, Alex Chilton) - 3:37

19.Icewater - Germany - 3:34

20.Icewater - Oh My Sou (Alex Chilton) - 3:20

21.Icewater - All I See Is You (Chris Bell, Steve Rhea) - 3:21

22.The Wallabies - Feeling High (Alan Palmore) - 4:50

Musicians

*Chris Bell - Guitar, Vocals

*Terry Manning - Piano, Organ, Ardotron, Moog Iiic, Backing Vocals

*Thomas Dean Eubanks - Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

*Jody Stephens - Drums

*Steve Rhea - Drums

*Alan Palmore - Vocals 

*Bobby Maxwell - Guitar

*Alex Majors - Bass

*Glen Wilson - Drums

1972-76  Chris Bell - I'm The Cosmos (two disc set) 
Related Acts
1968-75  Big Star - Keep An Eye On The Sky (2009 four discs box set)

1972/74  Big Star - #1 Record / Radio City (2004 SACD)
1970  Terry Manning - Home Sweet Home (2006 Sunbeam)
1967-69  The Box Tops - The Original Albums (two disc set, 2015 issue)  

1967-70  The Box Tops - The Best Of Box Tops
1970  Alex Chilton - Free Again: The 1970 Sessions (2012 release)
1985  Alex Chilton – Feudalist Tarts (Vinyl edition)

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NRBQ - NRBQ (1969 us, tossing bits and pieces of genres into the blender and then rocking it up good, 2018 remaster)

Fifty years later, NRBQ’s eponymous debut remains a remarkable feat even now. A stunningly ambitious blend of styles and sounds, it comes across as an amazingly adventurous, exploratory mix tape that was far beyond any kind of expectation in 1969 and remains so even now. A remarkable record for the time — and all times really NRBQ can still b e viewed as a dazzling achievement, an example of complete creative control taken to its most unexpected extremes.

Never before re-released, the wait was well worth it. The band seamlessly shift from one genre to another, segueing effortlessly from a loose and limber take on Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody” to the avante garde expressionism of Sun Ra and Carla Bley (as represented by “Rocket 9 and “Ida,” respectively). That’s only the beginning, as the group veer from an otherwise orthodox version of Bruce Chanel’s classic “Hey! Baby” to the abnormally indescribable closer, “Stay With Me.”

Despite this eclectic overreach, the group take their task in stride. Recorded all in one take, they opt for spontaneity and it shows. NRBQ is indeed a bold statement, one that makes any attempt at categorization wholly superfluous.  With the releases of last year’s Happy Talk EP and the sprawling five disc retrospective High Noon it’s clear that legacy continues.

by Lee Zimmerman

Tracks

1. C'mon Everybody (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) - 3:06

2. Rocket #9 (Sun Ra) - 3:05

3. Kentucky Slop Song (Terry Adams) - 5:45

4. Ida (Carla Bley, Terry Adams) - 1:56

5. C'mon If You're Comin' (Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry) - 2:34

6. You Can't Hide (Joey Spampinato) - 1:56

7. I Didn't Know Myself (Steve Ferguson) - 2:17

8. Stomp (Steve Ferguson) - 2:00

9. Fergie's Prayer (Steve Ferguson) - 2:38

10.Mama Get Down Those Rock And Roll Shoes (Terry Adams) - 2:37

11.Hymn Number 5 (Terry Adams) - 1:09

12.Hey! Baby (Bruce Channel, Margaret Cobb) - 3:23

13.Liza Jane (Traditional) - 1:02

14.Stay With We (Terry Adams) - 3:52

NRBQ

*Joseph Spampinato - Bass, Vocals

*Terry Adams - Keyboard, Harmonica, , Vocals 

*Frank Gadler - Vocals, Auxilliary Percussion 

*Steve Ferguson - Guitar, Vocals 

*Tom Staley - Drums

With

*Donn Adams - Trombone, Percussion

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Violence Fog And Jerusalem - SWF Sessions Volume Six (1971 germany, fascinating prog blues rock with echoes of west coast, 2001 remaster)

Violence Fog  founded in 1969 by members of local bands from the Baden-Baden area. After just a few rehearsals, the band was able to perform for bigger audience. In addition to their own compositions, their repertoire also included “Brother were are you” (Remo Four) and “Paint it black” (Rolling Stones). The band had a lot of fans who followd them  to their performances in southwest Germany, in youth centers and music clubs.

They also played on premieres and screenings of music films such as Easy Rider, Woodstock, Alice’s Restaurant and Let it be. There the band achieved a special effect with their elaborate Psychedelic-Light-Show projected onto the cinema screen. In mid-1970, the group had achieved national recognition. They decided to apply to the SWF to participate in this production series on the research promising groups.

 

This specific event took place on April 23, 1971 and the group recorded the songs in the radio's studio U 1 in Baden-Baden. Although the SWF recordings gave the band another boost and motivation, they broke up a few weeks later for professional reasons. Despite intensive research, no other publishable titles of this great band could be found.

 

Guitarist Enno Dernov and drummer Herbert Brandmeier left to play at Jud’s Gallery (SWF Sessions Vol. 1), but Enno Dernov decided to leave the group a few months before they started recording with the SWF. He joined Brainstorm and took over the bass on their second LP. The twin brothers Karl-Heinz and Wolfgang Höfer switched to folk music.

Jerusalem formed around 1969/1970 when Matthias Stein and Richard Ress left the group Intoxication and Hungry Love with Günther Rüffel, Wolfgang Hilgert and Bernd Lewandowski broke up. The 5 musicians, 16-20 year old schoolchildren or trainees, had already known each other as an integral part of the young music scene in and around Landau / Pfalz and wanted to set up something of their own because they tired of covering popular bands. 

The highly motivated young musicians managed to perform  their own compositions and soon were the main attraction of the Landau music scene. In addition to the skillful interaction of the two guitarists (Matthias Stein and Günther Rüffel), the fact that JERUSALEM played with 2 bassists (Richard Reß and Wolfgang Hilgert) was particularly noticeable.

The band's music, committed to the progressive zeitgeist of the time, was an expression of the creative potential of each individual member and was enthusiastically received by the fans. On the occasion of various appearances along with well-known bands such as Ihre Kinder and Frumpy as the opening act. As part of a tour with Frumpy, JERUSALEM not only played in southwest and southern Germany, but also in Austria and Switzerland. JERUSALEM also performed with Fashion Pink (SWF-Sessions Vol.3), Roland Schaeffer's band. Roland Schaeffer was hired by the SWF as a producer for the youth group competition. JERUSALEM applied to the SWF and on June 4th, 1971 they recorded these titles in the radio's studio. All titles were broadcast on SWF 3's Pop-Shop program. Unfortunately, the band could not benefit from the further increase of their popularity.

A few months after the SWF recordings, guitarist and singer Matthias Stein died in a tragic motorcycle accident. Richard Ress, long-time friend of Matthias Stein's, was so shocked that he stopped his music activities and withdrew. These events marked the end of JERUSALEM. Despite intensive research, no further titles - unfortunately also no photos - of the band couldn't be found. The remaining musicians joined other local groups. Günther Rüffel currently plays in a cover band in his spare time. Bernd Lewandowski works as a freelance musician.

by Manfred Steinheuer, March 2001

Tracks

1. New one - 05:00

2. Rolii Zink - 06:40

3. Brother where are you (Tony Ashton) - 07:15

4. Leisure - 04:25

5. Town child baby - 06:35

6. Metamorphosis (Wolfgang Hilgert, Matthias Stein) - 13:30

7. Moon's new way (Wolfgang Bauer, Günther Rüffel) - 06:00

8. Rainy day (Matthias Stein) - 12:10

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5 written by Enno Dernov, Herbert Brandmeier, Hilmar Beine, Karl-Heinz Höfer, Wolfgang Höfer

Tracks 1-5 by Violence Fog

Tracks 6-8 by Jerusalem 

Violence Fog

*Enno Dernov - Guitar

*Herbert Brandmeier - Drums 

*Hilmar Beine - Bass

*Karl-Heinz Höfer - Guitar, Flute, Vocals

*Wolfgang Höfer - Vocals, Flute

Jerusalem

*Günther Rüffel - Guitar

*Matthias Stein - Guitar, Vocals

*Wolfgang Hilgert - Bass

*Bernd Lewandowski - Drums

*Richard Ress - Bass

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Various Artists - The Electric Asylum Volume 6 Rare British Acid Freakrock (1971-76 uk, multicolored tunes, 2014 release)

Somewhere in between the psychedelic dream and the three-day week lies the curious remains of a bygone age. Electric Asylum 6 unveils an unforgiving world of melodic absurdity with psychotic, at times erotic, and neurotic sounds to arouse the senses one more time. Rocksteady Trojan stalwarts get into their platform boots as Marsha Hunt and her 22 turn the senses inside-out with a venomous rocker for Vertigo. An intrepid Time Lord prescribes a dose of infectious electronica rivaled only by a neurotic blast of Rococo before Buster break into the nearest Moog retailer, triumphant. Prizes go to the first one to spot the leprechaun! Includes a 16-page booklet with comprehensive liner notes and rare color photographs.

Artists - Tracks - Composer

1. The Pioneers - Honey Bee (Anna Crooks, Sidney Crooks) - 4:19

2. Danta - Mau Mau (Kenny George, Val McDonald, Vernon Cummings) - 3:23

3. Bambi - Lady Of Lies (Carol Barratt, Karl Jenkins) - 3:07

4. Smoke - Shagalagalu (Geoff Gill) - 3:20

5. John Pertwee - Who Is The Doctor (David MacIver, Ron Grainer) - 2:20

6. Marsha Hunt's 22 - Medusa (Hugh Burns, Marsha Hunt) - 3:30

7. Frog - Living Dead (John Cameron) - 2:16

8. The Barron Knights - Turning My Back On You (Peter Langford) - 2:41

9. Colin Young - You're No Good (Colin Young) - 3:49

10.JSD Band - Cuckoo (Traditional) - 3:50

11.Jeff Smith - Going To A Party (Jeff Smith) - 2:10

12.Rococo - Ultrastar (Geoff Ward, Roy Shipston) - 2:40

13.Jigsaw - And I Like You (Clive Scott, Des Dyer) - 2:49

14.Buster - Ring Around (Adrian Baker, Roy Morgan) - 2:30

15.The Dawn Chorus - Little Green Men (Gerry Morris) - 2:30

16.C Starr - Bad Boy (Barry Stoller) - 2:58

17.Winston - Mona (Barry Green, Lynsey De Paul) - 2:59

18.Chris Garret And Sweet Poison - Family Man (Chris Garrett) - 2:57

19.Memories - Lay It On Me (Daire Doyle, Mick Swan) - 3:16

20.Henry Turtle - Come Over Here (Henry Turtle) - 2:49

The Electric Asylum series
1970-74  Volume One
1969-73  Volume Two
1970-74  Volume Three
1970-75  Volume Four
1969-75 Volume Five 
other Past and Present compilations
60-70's  Floor Filler Killers / New Directions Vol. 3
60-70's  Mind Expanders Vol.2
1967-74  Psych Bites Vol.1
1968-74  Psych Bites Vol.2
1969-73  Up All Night

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Haboob - Haboob (1971 us, freaky acid funky psych proto prog, 2009 remaster)

Mysterious one-off project, co-led by 3 US expatriots living in Munich, Germany: Keyboardist Jimmy Jackson, drummer George Green and Guitarist William Powell. Major point of interest for most progressive and psychedelic rockfans is Haboobs very significant connection with Amon Düül II. Bandleader Jimmy Jackson plays organ on Amon Düüls Albums "Dance of The Lemmings" and "Wolf City". He also played organ on many LPs of Embryo (Embryos Rache, Steig aus, Rock Session) and has further numerous studio credits (for example: Doldinger's Passport, Tangerine Dream "Electronic Meditation"). On Haboob Jackson effects-laden organ and mellotron (here called "choir-organ) are quite prominent. LP is comprised of a free improvisation, a very Hendrix-inspired Blues and some pretty straight forward funk-rock pieces. The end result is a collaboration between Amon Düül II and early Funkedelic. The music has a lot of appeal and those who are interested in a fusion of Euro-psychedelic rock with hints of funk should definitely seek this one out.

Tracks

1. Israfil - 9:45

2. Blues For Willi Pee - 3:52

3. Sooloo - 5:11

4. Morning Prayer - 5:11

5. Keep On Pushing - 4:42

6. Soldier Boy (Florence Green, Florenz Dixon) - 3:44

7. Time To Be - 3:46

All compositions by James Jackson except where stated.

Haboob

*George Green - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

*Jimmy Jackson - Organs, Piano, Vocals

*William Powell - Guitar, Vocals

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