Originally released in 1972 on Vanguard Records, Bob Frank’s self titled debut album took elements of Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Ian Tyson and filtered it through a pot-smoked haze infused with Frank’s long-time friend, Memphis guru Jim Dickinson. Dickinson and Frank shared a mutual admiration that ran so deep that on Dickinson’s own 1972 debut album Dixie Fried (released on Atlantic Records) he recorded one of Bob’s songs, “Wild Bill Jones” Despite the Dickinson/Memphis connection, Bob Frank’s only LP for Vanguard has remained a forgotten, hard to find vinyl relic.
As Dickinson once deadpanned, ÒBob went to Vietnam and Nashville. I don’t know which was worse. It was also an itinerant period, when Frank spent many a stoned evening staggering alone through the mid-south urban gothic landscape of church steps and sleaze bars, with his guitar glued to his arm, if not an actual extension of it. Songs would emerge from dreams or drunken visions. But this was not artless acid folk, but a series of picaresque, well-sketched vignettes delivered in a clearly-enunciated vernacular, and all very much in Frank’s own style.
Tracks
1. Wino - 2:21
2. She Pawned Her Diamond For Some Gold - 2:43
3. Waitsburg - 2:01
4. Cold Canadian Pines - 3:28
5. Judas Iscariot - 3:19
6. Before The Trash Truck Comes (Bob Frank, Cletus Haegert) - 1:13
Doug Fieger is best known as lead singer of The Knack. With The Knack, Fieger penned such international smash hits as My Sharona and Good Girl's Don't. However, Fieger's musical legacy started long before The Knack.
Douglas Lars Fieger was born at Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan on August 20, 1952. He grew up in nearby Oak Park, Michigan and was the middle of three children (older brother Geoffrey and younger sister Beth). His father, Bernard, was a noted labor/civil rights lawyer while his mother, June, was a teacher and union organizer for the Michigan Federation of Teachers.
Fieger was well-rounded artistically at an early age. He took piano lessons at the age of five and took trumpet lessons at 11. He was also the lead in Peter Pan at the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1964, Fieger was prompted to pick up the guitar after having seen the Beatles play live on the Ed Sullivan show. At the age of 12, Fieger's parents bought him his first guitar, a 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman, and he went on to form his first band, the Royal Jammers.
Not long after that, Fieger met a guy living across the street, Bobby Boyle, who was in a band called Spirit. Boyle offered Fieger a gig in the band as long as Fieger would switch over to bass and let this other guy named John Coury play his Country Gentleman. Fieger went out and rented a St. George bass. Spirit played a lot of bass-heavy material like Animals and Yardbirds songs, as well as Beatles songs. Sky second line up
Before they morphed into Sky, Fieger and Coury, along with drummer Robert Greenfield, had a band that played all Beatles cover songs. Pretty soon, Fieger and Coury started writing their very own songs. They went from a cover band to an original band at a very young age.
Fieger started having some success with Sky while still in high school. Although underage, they were playing regular gigs at the Grande Ballroom with local heavyweights the MC5, Bob Seger, and the Stooges, as well as national acts The Who, Traffic, Joe Cocker, Jethro Tull, and The Jeff Beck Group. Russ Gibb, the owner of the Grande, signed on as their manager. Fieger met Dave Mason, of Traffic, during a party at Russ Gibb’s house. Mason passed along the address of their producer, Jimmy Miller. Miller was becoming famous as a producer for Traffic, Blind Faith, Spencer Davis Group, and the Rolling Stones.
Fieger wrote a letter to Jimmy Miller telling him to stop by and check out his band if he were ever in Detroit. Miller called Fieger at his home, and said he would check out his band if they would set up a tour of the Motown Studios for him. Around February of 1970, the band took Miller to Motown Studios then brought him back to the Fieger house where they jammed for him in the basement. The next day, Miller signed the group to his production company and eventually inked a recording contract with RCA Records!
In July of 1970, five days after Fieger graduated high school, Miller flew the band to London where they recorded their first album, Don't Hold Back, at Olympic Studios. Miller was producing the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album in the studio directly next door. Because of this, Gary Wright and Andy Johns produced/engineered the album along with Miller as an executive producer. The lineup of musicians that came in to work on Don't Hold Back included Bobby Keys on sax, Jim Price on trumpet, Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, as well as Gary Wright (who was also producing), Chris Wood (Traffic) on woodwinds, and Ian Stewart on piano.
After recording completed on Don't Hold Back, Sky moved to Los Angeles at the suggestion of Jimmy Miller. About six months later, Miller took the band back into the studio to record their second album, Sailor's Delight. Produced by Jimmy Miller and Andy Johns, they started recording the album in Los Angeles, then completed the album using the Rolling Stones' mobile studio at Mick Jagger's mansion, Stargroves. For Sailor's Delight, 16 year-old Rob Stawinski replaced Robert Greenfield on drums. Although Stawinski did not play on Don’t Hold Back, his name and picture are on the album cover. This was the line-up that was going to promote Don’t Hold Back and record Sailor’s Delight. The record label did not want any confusion over who was in the band.
Sailor’s Delight has all the elements that Miller put into his Stones hits and Traffic classic tracks. The guitars “chugg” along with a Keith Richards swagger while the vocals and folk guitar are supplemented by the flute and piano giving the singer a worthy platform. Sailor's Delight is a solid representation of Fieger's song compositions and pre-Knack efforts. Sky was clearly ahead of their time. They made songs that had your 1970’s appropriate heavy guitars, with some great hooks, mixed with the same kind of power pop elements Fieger would carry forward into his days with The Knack. Imagine a well-balanced mix of the Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Big Star, the Raspberries, Elton John, and Traffic.
Both albums were warmly received but marketing was weak and sales were tepid. In 1973, the band broke up due to youth and management hassles. Fieger stayed in California while the other guys moved back to Michigan. The albums eventually went out-of-print. Fieger continued to play music until he solidified a solid line-up, in 1978, with The Knack. And, the rest is musical history!
After Fieger's death in 2010, his family decided to go about obtaining the rights to the Sky recordings. Beth Falkenstein, Fieger's sister, is a representative of the Estate of Doug Fieger and now controls the rights to the Sky recordings.
These songs were too good to have been forgotten, so long-time Knack producer Richard Bosworth was called in to digitally re-master the songs. The Estate of Doug Fieger has digitally released the Sky albums under Fieger's own moniker, Zen Records. Discovered among the recordings were some titles and mixes that did not appear on the original albums. They have been included as bonus tracks on the re-releases as a treat for those fans from long ago who never expected to hear a Sky song after all these years!
by Erik Heemsoth, 05-Feb-2014
Tracks
1. Make It Tight (Doug Fieger, John Coury) - 4:09
2. Don't Want Nobody (Doug Fieger) - 3:15
3. Let It Lie Low (Doug Fieger, John Coury) - 3:12
Headband is one of Australia’s most unique progressive blues rock bands that formed in the early 70’s. The four-piece group (comprised of; bass guitarist Chris Bailey; drummer Joff Bateman; singer-songwriter and keyboardist Peter Beagley (later known as Peter Head); and singer-songwriter and guitarist Mauri Berg) supported Elton John in 1971, and The Rolling Stones in 1973 at their Adelaide performances, and finished third in the 1972 Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds – a national performance competition between the best groups representing each state. The band then went on to releasing their debut album, A Song for Tooley, in 1973, which featured album artwork by internationally renowned Adelaide artist Vytas Šerelis. Headband disbanded a year later.
Following the band’s break up, keyboardist, Peter Head - who joined the Blue Pie family earlier this year - went on to start up Mount Lofty Rangers; an ever-changing group of notable Adelaide musicians that included Glenn Shorrock, Robyn Archer and Bon Scott, who later joined AC/DC. Peter set up his own label, Head Office Records, in 1996 alongside radio broadcaster, David Woodhall, producing 2 CDs; "Round & Round & Round" by Bon Scott, and Peter’s first solo CD recording "King of the Cross".
Headband supported The Rolling Stones in Adelaide during the band's February 1973 Australian tour. Headband broke up in 1974. Berg and Bateman later joined a couple of ex-Fraternity members in Mickey Finn. Chris Bailey issued a solo single on RCA, `Sunday Too Far Away'/`Bushranger Song' (March 1975) before joining pub rockers The Angels in January 1977. He later played with the likes of The Stetsons and the Jimmy Barnes Band. Peter Beagley (as Peter Head), formed the country rock outfit The Mount Lofty Rangers, which featured many Adelaide rock luminaries such as Bon Scott.
Head also produced the rock musical Lofty, and wrote soundtrack music for films like The Nostradamus Kid and Les Patterson Saves the World. He moved to Sydney and issued a series of cassette albums under his own name and ran his own Head Office Records. Head issued a mini-album in 1997, King of the Cross. (Note: this Headband is not to be confused with a New Zealand band from the same period with the same name.)
Tracks
1. A Song For Tooley - 5:05
2. Land Of Supercars - 5:43
3. Stay With Me - 3:32
4. My Young Friend (Mauri Berg, Peter Beagley) - 2:53
5. Headsong (Mauri Berg, Peter Beagley) - 1:20
6. Country Lady - 2:18
7. Children's Dreams - 6:25
8. Wait Until Tomorrow - 4:12
9. Brand New Morning (Mauri Berg, Peter Beagley) - 2:27
Streetheart formed in Regina Canada in 1976, the band drew on the western Canadian groups Witness Inc, Wascana and Great Canadian River Race for its early members: Kenny Shields (vocals), Daryl Gutheil (keyboards), Paul Dean (guitar), Ken 'Spider' Sinnaeve (bass) and Matt Frenette (drums). Dean was replaced in 1978 (after the first Streetheart LP) by John Hannah (from Harlequin), and Hannah in 1981 by Jeff Neill; Frenette left in 1979 to join Dean in Loverboy, his place in Streetheart taken initially by Herb Ego, who was followed by Billy Carmassi (both drums).
Streetheart's heyday as a popular club and concert attraction in Canada was during the late 1970s until the mid-1980s. They originally drew the attention of Atlantic Records and were signed in 1977. Their first LP, Meanwhile Back in Paris, sold 100 000 copies in 1977 and brought the band a Juno Award as most promising group of 1979. Seven LPs followed 1979-83: Under Heaven, Over Hell, Quicksand Shoes (WEA XWEA-92005). Action - The Best of Streetheart, Drugstore Dancer, Streetheart, Dancing with Danger, and Live after Dark. Record sales earned them six gold albums and four platinum albums; the single 'Under My Thumb' achieved gold single status.
Arguably Streetheart's most popular single, 'Under My Thumb' (1979), was a remake of a song by the Rolling Stones, who were an early Streetheart influence. At the peak of their career, Streetheart toured with several Canadian rock bands including Chilliwack, Rush, Harlequin, Max Webster (see Kim Mitchell), Aldo Nova, April Wine and with American bands including Sammy Hagar, Styx, Kansas, and Blue Oyster Cult.
Shields, Gutheil, and Sinnaeve remained as core members of the band through many changes in personnel until Streetheart filed for bankruptcy in 1984. Shields, who set the frenetic pace of Streetheart's live performances, subsequently performed in western Canada under his own name. Since the late 1990s Frenette and other Streetheart members have reunited for concerts and club performances and the release of two more albums.
Streetheart received two Ampex Golden Reel awards, a Music Express Magazine Award, and a Chimo Award (Canadian Country Music Award) and were voted the most popular Canadian act in the Peoples' Choice Awards. In 2003, Streetheart was inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Sadly on July 21st, 2017 Kenny Shields lost his battle with his heart condition and he passed away quietly and peacefully at The St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg MB.
Tracks
1 .Action (Kenny Shields, Paul Dean, Ken Sinnaeve, Daryl Gutheil, Matthew Frenette) - 4:50
2. Pressure (Kenny Shields, Paul Dean) - 3:54
3. Can You Feel It (Daryl Gutheil) - 3:31
4. Move On Over (Daryl Gutheil, Kenny Shieldsl, Matthew Frenette, Paul Dean) - 5:19
5. Look At Me (Kenny Shields, Paul Dean, Ken Sinnaeve) - 3:55
6. Captain Rhythm (Daryl Gutheil) - 4:14
7. Street Walker (Daryl Gutheil, Kenny Shields, Paul Dean) - 3:57
8 .People (Kenny Shields, Paul Dean) - 3:40
9. Just For You (Kenny Shields, Paul Dean) - 4:19
10.Hollywood (Daryl Gutheil, John Hannah, Kenny Shields, Ken Sinnaeve) - 3:19
11.Main Street (Daryl Gutheil, John Hannah, Kenny Shields, Paul Dean, Ken Sinnaeve) - 3:47
12.Fight To Survive (Daryl Gutheil, John Hannah, Kenny Shields, Ken Sinnaeve) - 3:50
13.Baby's Got A Gun (Daryl Gutheil, John Hannah, Kenny Shields, Ken Sinnaeve) - 3:20
14.Dreeded Dotted Line (Daryl Gutheil, Kenny Shields, Paul Dean) - 4:31
15.Star (Daryl Gutheil, John Hannah, Kenny Shields, Ken Sinnaeve) - 3:54
16.Whose Turn Is It Tonight (Kenny Shields, Paul Dean) - 4:33
17.Here Comes The Night (Bert Berns) - 3:43
18.Under My Thumb (Keith Richards, Mick Jagger) - 6:40
Tracks 1-9 from "Meanwhile Back In Paris" LP 1978
Tracks 10-18 from "Under Heaven Over Hell" LP 1979
First of all, big kudos to Castle Music/Sanctuary for reissuing these two rarities, or shall we say "oddities", for mass public consumption. Longtime progressive rock fans will no doubt be aware of the only two releases from Comus, 1971's First Utterance, and 1974's To Keep From Crying, but the more casual fan are probably saying right now "who the hell is Comus?". Song to Comus-The Complete Collection brings together both albums in one volume, as well as a few bonus tracks which were originally released on their EP for the Dawn label. This band were an eclectic progressive-folk rock group, whose name came from a John Milton poem about a pagan sorceror called King Comus.
The band's music is pretty hard to describe, mainly acoustic, at times mystical sounding, at other instances almost frightening, but never boring or commercial. References can me made to King Crimson, The Strawbs, Renaissance, Family, Steeleye Span, Pentangle, and Fairport Convention, but in reality they had a sound all their own. The main instruments used were acoustic guitars, violin, bongos, electric bass, flute, oboe, percussion, and the occasional electric & slide guitar. Add in a myriad of odd male and female vocal styles, and you have, especially in the case of First Utterance, a rather unique listening experience. Just listen to one of the two epics from the debut, "Drip Drip", a manic and almost disturbing journey into violent pagan counterculture, featuring Roger Wootton's maddening vocals, plenty of frantic, almost psychedelic violin and acoustic guitar passages, reeds, and outbursts of frenzied percussion. As dissonant and disjointed as the music seems upon first listen, there's something almost telepathic that seems to be going on between the musicians after numerous listens. Check out the wild interplay between bongos, flute, violin, and guitar during "Song to Comus", with the lead vocals almost playing the solo instrument. Needless to say, this is folk music like you have never heard before.
To Keep From Crying, released a few years later after the band had split up and regrouped again, is a much more refined affair, as the band by this time had lost most of the dangerous edge from their debut and resembled a more traditional folk band. Not nearly as exciting however, but this album does have some merit, as it contains some nice melodies, inspired female vocals, and more lush instrumentation (including the use of keyboards and synthesizers), as opposed to the frantic nature of the arrangements on First Utterance.
This reissue sports improved sound, a great booklet filled with complete history of the band and photos. Honestly, it's worth picking this up for First Utterance alone, as this album is a must have for fans of avant-garde, folky-progressive rock.
by Pete Pardo, December 21st 2006
Tracks
Disc 1 First Utterance 1971
1. Diana (Colin Pearson) - 4:36
2. The Herald (Andy Hellaby, Glen Goring, Roger Wootton) - 12:11
3. Drip Drip - 10:51
4. Song To Comus - 7:30
5. The Bite - 5:29
6. Bitten (Andy Hellaby, Colin Pearson) - 2:19
7. The Prisoner - 6:18
8. Diana (Colin Pearson) - 4:24
9. In The Lost Queen's Eyes - 2:50
10.Winter Is A Coloured Bird - 8:01
11.All the Colours Of Darkness (Colin Pearson) - 7:22
Music and Lyrics by Roger Wootton except where noted
Disc 2 To Keep From Crying 1974
1. Down (Like A Movie Star) - 4:07
2. Touch Down - 4:46
3. Waves And Caves (Andy Hellaby) - 1:34
4. Figure In Your Dreams - 3:11
5. Children Of The Universe - 5:38
6. So Long Supernova - 3:22
7. Perpetual Motion - 4:07
8. Panophany (Andy Hellaby) - 0:31
9. Get Yourself A Man (Keith Hale) - 7:08
10.To Keep From Crying - 5:40
11.After Tthe Dream - 1:00
12.Fiesta Fandanco - 3:50
13.New Tide - 2:59
Words and Music by Roger Wootton except where stated
Comus
* Glen Goring - 6,12string Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitar, Slide, Hand Drums, Vocals
* Andy Hellaby - Fender Bass, Slide Bass, Vocals
* Roger Wootton - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals
* Rob Young - Flute, Oboe, Hand Drums
* Bobbie Watson - Vocals, Percussion
* Colin Pearson - Violin, Viola (Disc 1)
* Keith Hale - Keyboards, Autoharp, Tape effects (Disc 2)
Hearing this album for the first time, it's easy to see why Steeleye Span declined to tour with the Dransfields -- with all due respect to Maddy Prior and company, they'd have been shown-up and then some, based on the evidence here. From the crisp playing on acoustic and low-wattage electric guitars, and charismatic yet honest and unaffected lead and harmony singing to the diverse song selection -- all part of a defined song cycle -- the album was as perfect an example of electric British folk music as it was released in the '70s, and easily a rival for anything this side of Fairport Convention's best work.
The voices and the playing strike a perfect balance between the old traditionalist school out of which the Dransfields came and the newer folk-rock school that they'd only begun to embrace a couple of years earlier, and the album itself also gives a nod to the burgeoning progressive folk-rock genre of the era (best embodied by acts such as Gryphon). The Fiddler's Dream is a folk concept album (though the Dransfields themselves would likely have called it a "song cycle" rather than anything that pretentious). The material all deals with a fiddler's relationship to and effect on an English village -- and not coincidentally; Barry Dransfield was one of the great fiddle players in England during this period, and he has ample room on this album to show a little of what he's made of, though there's also lots of space for great singing by the two brothers and superb dual guitar work by Barry and older brother Robin.
The songs all have a relationship to each other that enhances their impact, and they fit together perfectly in their juxtapositioning, with regard to tempo and mood changes as well as subjects. But the playing and singing, and the music, are all so beautiful, on "The Handsome Meadow Boy," "The Fool's Song," or "The Ballad of Dickie Lubber" -- or pretty much everything here -- that one needn't ever have been within 10,000 miles of an English village to appreciate them. Forget Steeleye Span -- based on this album, these guys could easily have rated a spot touring with Jethro Tull when the latter were playing to 30,000 people at a time. The album has aged exceptionally well, and any of the various reissues out there is worth picking up.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. Up to Now - 4:21
2. The Blacksmith 1 - 2:38
3. The Alchemist and the Peddlar - 7:32
4. It's Dark in Here - 4:09
5. The Handsome Meadow Boy - 6:15
6. The Fool's Song - 3:45
7. The Ballad of Dickie Lubber - 4:34
8. The Blacksmith 2 - 2:23
9. What Will We Tell Them - 2:31
10.Violin - 6:38
All compositions by Barry Dransfield except Track #4 written by Robin Dransfield
Back in 1977, Moxy had already released their second album, had toured all over Canada, and had had a relative success in faraway Texas (mainly because the most famous radio producer in San Antonio loved them). So they recorded Ridin’ High. As expected it’s a hell of an album. Maybe it’s all about Buzz Shearman’s tremendous voice (Rod Steward on hard rock steroids), or even guitars’ hobo attitude likewise Southern bands’ from Canada. Could be as well the perfect rhythm section; as a result of their pure rock n roll origins, with ooo that smell (referring of course to cigarette and whiskey).
The first two songs follow this exact pattern (“Nothin’ comes easy”, “Rock Baby”). “Sweet Reputation” though it’s rougher, being totally on verge of metal (okay just kidding, still heavier though that lots of this exact period). The first side ends with the hit “I’ll set you on fire”. Come on guys … there is no way a fan of Roth’s hard era, or even Scorpions’ and Thin Lizzy’s, not being fond of this one! Second side and the hard rock n’ roll is on fire, “Ridin’ High” and “Young Legs”, with guitars’ orgasm in the later. Getting to “Another Time, Another Place” crossed the borders heading to another dimension. There is no way Southerners do not like these power ballads, they are exactly what they’re seeking for. And then there’s the rhythmic and sexy “Are you ready”, you know, these old-fashioned rock and phallocratic songs that we – the warhorses – still enjoy listening to.
The album ends with a reprise of “Nothing comes easy”. Well … let me see… Is it a top notch album? Is it a very good record? Is it even worthwhile? I don’t have one and only answer to give. Like I said, every listener is also a critic. I’m not quite sure what would the reaction of a new Moxy’s listener be nowadays. Bloody hell, I don’t even know if Point Blank would affect people, especially younger audience. All I know is that bands like this (of this era I mean) have to be listened carefully, without skipping mode on. Although older releases have had also fillers, their work was approached in detail, more professionally in a way. Every single time you listen to their work, you grasp something extra, like whispers that you may have not noticed right from the start, bass lines from bassists who wrote even melodic lines of the tracks, and singers’ performances who give their souls, not relaying to nowadays’ mentality “okay we’ll fix it on PC”. “Ok, boomer”… right ?
Recording of Home's eponymous second LP began a mere month after their first album had been released. Despite, by modern standards, this obscenely short interval, the album saw the band make considerable advances both stylistically and compositionally. Upon release it was hailed by Melody Maker as one of the best efforts of the year, sold over 10,000 copies in the UK alone and missed making the top 40 in the album charts by one place. Part of the credit for the album's success lies with the more coherent and consistent sound and the excellent production of John Anthony, who had achieved critical and commercial success with the likes of Genesis, Van Der Graaf Generator and Lindisfarne.
Although many comparisons can be made between Home and other bands, the group that comes to my mind when listening to this album is Badfinger. This is rather odd as ostensibly they are not that similar, it is more in the approach taken and the willingness to explore different musical aspects to produce compositions encompassing a variety of styles but maintaining an overall sound that is distinctively their own. For example, Rise Up is a happy acoustic number with a jaunty bass line, xylophone and plenty of vocal harmonies, while the opening and closing tracks of the album are out and out rockers. The biggest step forward in terms of arrangement is a much greater use of harmony vocals which are provide a smoothness to the delivery.
Wisefield is again the star of the show, laying down tasteful guitar licks and thoughtful solos over the rhythms provided by Stubbs, even expanding his repertoire to include steel guitar. Stubbs himself takes on all the keyboard duties which although not extensive do provide clarity and variation, such as on Western Front. As on the first album, he also writes most of the material, the only exceptions being the aforementioned first and last tracks on the original album, Dreamer and Lady Of The Birds, which were written by the whole band. The first of these is a fantastic opening number and it is not surprising that it was used to start live shows. With an initial cry of "Pay Attention!" things immediately set off with Wisefield's and Stubbs' Fender Telecasters fighting it out for dominance with speedy licks battling it out before cohering into harmony. Wah Wah effects are put to great use in the solo which although lasting for about 70 seconds could go on for a lot longer without becoming in the slightest bit boring. It is no wonder that Wishbone Ash were so eager to recruit Wisefield after Home split in 1973.
However, it is Lady Of The Birds that is the real triumph. Having been extensively road tested, when it came time to recording the song the band knew exactly where to take the number and what could be obtained. The opening couple of minutes sets the scene and builds tension before acoustic guitars come to the fore and Cliff Williams coaxes some unusual sounds from his bass guitar by playing it with a violin bow (undoubtedly a technique copied from Jimmy Page!) Eventually, harmony vocals echo the bowed bass riff, guitar flourishes ramp up the tempo, the bow is land down, the drummer starts hitting more than just his cymbals and the soloing begins. Wonderful! As a bonus the b-side Shady Lady has been appended to the running order. Much more in style with the music on the first album it comes as a bit of a shock after the delights of the previous track. Although somewhat of a fun, joke song (and in that respect a typical b-side) it is not a long-lost classic but nice to have for the completists amongst us. The importance of this song lies with the fact that it was the first time that Dave Skillen provided lyrics for the band, a collaboration that continued when he wrote all the lyrics for Home's definitive prog album, The Alchemist.
Although as different from the album that preceded it to the album that followed, Home is nevertheless a wonderful album from a band who deserve to be rescued from obscurity and given a higher profile than they have enjoyed since their untimely demise.
Home are best remembered as being the band that featured future Wishbone Ash guitarist Laurie Wisefield and AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams, although all three of their albums sold in reasonable quantities on their release in the early 1970s. Indeed, vinyl copies of The Alchemist seemed to be in abundance when I started seriously collecting music back in the 1980s and I was embarking on a scientific career I was naturally attracted to the album due to its cover! Ever since first hearing, I have loved the album with its prog credentials to the fore: from the gatefold sleeve to the conceptual tale of the alchemist who prevents disaster befalling the town he lives in but is ultimately killed by the people he originally saved. That Home should come up with a progressive album following the release of their first two albums, Pause For A Hoarse Horse and the eponymous Home, both released in 1972, is somewhat surprising as although both were thoroughly decent albums, neither really suggested that the group was anything other than a very good mainstream rock act. I supposed it is testimony to the record labels at the time (in this case CBS) that they were prepared to invest in groups and let them develop at their own pace over several albums. How many major-label bands get such an opportunity these days?
In addition to Wisefield and Williams, Home also featured Mick Stubbs (guitar, piano, lead vocals) and Mick Cook (drums) with, on this album, David Skillin providing the lyrics and Jimmy Anderson adding synths and Mellotrons. Throughout the album it is the playing of Wiseman that shines through, blending marvellously in the complex arrangements that incorporate numerous shifts in time signatures and arrangements that make best use of the variety of instruments available to the band. There is also plenty of harmony singing, something that features on all three Home albums given that three of the four members (Cook being the exception) were fine singers contributing their vocals throughout. For a progressive album The Alchemist starts somewhat incongruously with a delicate, almost folky, number, Schooldays. Undoubtedly this is deliberate as it is the origins of the story where the two main protagonists first meet at the very beginning of the 20th century. The folkier style is therefore representative of older days and differentiates this element of the tale from the main narrative which is based in the 1950s. It is not appropriate to provide a track-by-track coverage of the album because, as a concept, the music has been arranged to help tell the story and not, necessarily as standalone tracks. However, there are plenty of highlights that are worth noting. For instance, Wisefield's restrained playing on the instrumental Time Passes is in complete contrast to his more direct and angry lead on The Disaster. The sublime vocal melody on The Old Man Calling [Save The People] clearly demonstrates the thought that has gone into matching the lyrics not only to the story but also to the music, with the music itself displaying a breadth of imagination lacking from so many progressive albums - take, for example, the great ending to The Sun's Revenge with its piano and acoustic guitar sections.
The original second side of the LP started with three short numbers, the second of which The Brass Band Played could have eaily provided the inspiration for Camel's The Homecoming on Nude. But it is with The Disaster Returns that everything comes together with the dual guitars of Wisefield and Stubbs providing energetic backing but never dipping into self-indulgence, although the group do bring out the big progressive guns at the end of the song and on the following The Death Of The Alchemist. In classic concept album style, the final song, The Alchemist, reprises elements of the opening Schooldays bringing the music full circle and the album to a fine close. Three rare tracks have been added to this reissue, both sides of a 1974 single Green Eyed Fairy b/w Sister Rosalie which was the final release before the band called it a day. Stylistically the single, particularly the b-side, was more akin to the material on the group's first album and showed less of the progressive influences. Hayward Town is a previously unreleased number which, based on the lyrics, is not an out-take from The Alchemist. The finished nature of the song suggests it was not a demo; possibly recorded at the same time as the last single, it may have been that the band were contemplating a new album that was abandoned when sales of The Alchemist failed to elevate Home to the next level and the group split.
As expected from Esoteric releases the sound of this reissue is exemplary. I have a prior reissue of the CD which pails into complete insignificance compared with this version. Add to that the comprehensive booklet and the three rare tracks (even as a fan of the band I was unaware of the final single!) and you have an excellent reissue of an excellent album that deserves rediscovery by a large audience. Let's hope so as the band performed the whole album for a BBC In Concert performance that was issued a while back on a double CD but is now practically impossible to find. Hopefully, if this new release attracts a large enough following there will be the incentive for Esoteric to reissue the BBC sessions once more.
"I had known Herbie Armstrong for several years. He used to be in a duo with Rod Demick, called, surprisingly, Demick and Armstrong. Herbie and his wife Susannah were great friends with Tony Brainsby the publicist. I would occasionally hang out at the Brain’s office, and so would Herbie. Incidentally I hired Tony to work on The Great Stampede album and he did a great job. Only problem was that EMI didn’t!
Anyway I met Kenny Young much later on. (Kenny Young wrote Under The Boardwalk when he was 16). I think it was around the time I did the Robert Calvert sessions in April 1975, which became Lucky Leif and the Longships. Kenny hired me to play a session in the main Island studio at Basing Street. I don’t recall if it was an early Yellow Dog track. More likely it was for Fox which was the main, pop-orientated band he had.
We settled into a pattern where I would go out to his place in Brailes, near Banbury, and record in his home studio, which was small but pretty good. I introduced him to Gerry Conway, who became drummer for Yellow Dog; Herbie and Kenny were there too of course, and the bass player was Gary Taylor, with whom I later worked for 3 years with the Hank Wangford Band. Occasionally Jim Gannon the Fox guitarist was involved.
I would mainly go back to London the same day. On odd occasions I was billeted for an overnight stay in a small hotel down the road. It was a very good arrangement. Kenny’s pad was extremely comfortable, the money was handy, and he had a greenhouse full of marijuana plants. Can’t fault it, really.
The sessions carried on for some months. We worked on many tracks, some of which became Fox tracks, and some for Yellow Dog. We never knew at the time which project they were bound for and neither did Kenny and Herbie. The songs were all written by Kenny or Herbie or both of them.
I think my involvement was all done by the end of summer 1975. They did tour with Yellow Dog, but I wasn’t involved. I haven’t seen Kenny from that day to this. Herbie and Susannah moved to Portugal to raise horses, which they were always mad keen on.
That’s the whole story in a nutshell. Herbie did end up for a time as rhythm guitarist in Van Morrison’s band. Good gig for him. My personal favourite is My Lady on side 2 of Yellow Dog, one of Herbie’s songs. I have nothing but the happiest memories about the whole period."
Andy Roberts
Tracks
1. Stood Up - 3:10
2. Gypsy Soul - 4:13
3. The Green Lizard (Kenny Young) - 4:32
4. Flash Gordon (Kenny Young) - 5:36
5. Indian Summer Rain - 3:28
6. My Lady - 4:08
7. City Bird - 5:04
8. Nobody Got So Much Soul (Kenny Young) - 3:21
9. For Whatever It's Worth (Kenny Young) - 3:27
All songs by Kenny Young, Herbie Armstrong except where noted
So Long, Bannatyne came in the wake of a huge international success that was American Woman, an album that blew up a band that had previously only had a few extraneous hits here and there. Randy Bachman, once perceived as the creative muscle behind songs like 'Undun', took his leave following his bout of Mormon fever that infected his view of the band's then unruly lifestyle. This left The Guess Who to pick up two guitarists from their home city of Winnipeg, Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw, to take his place. Bachman's departure had not left the group quite in dire straits, as not only was Share the Land with this new lineup. Released in the same year of 1970, it itself spawned more singles that kept The Guess Who in a continued state of success.
As the year winded down however so did this success. The group began to evolve slightly but quickly in to a much less commercially palatable sound with progressive touches here and there. The band went from scoring number ones on the Billboard charts to barely scraping into the top 20 in a year alone. Thus enter So Long, Bannatyne, what came out of this madness. To be blunt, this record has no right to be good considering the circumstances in which it was released. However it'd be foolish to judge a book, or in this case a large plastic disk by its cover.
If a word alone were given to describe this particular record, it would likely be "ambitious". It certainly embodies post-Bachman Guess Who better than anything that followed it- this has a much looser, experimental tone than the harder edged stuff on American Woman. It generally wanders the line between archaic, earthy rock 'n' roll and warm hints of progressive rock. When it comes down to specifics it's all over the place, with each song sounding relatively different and reflecting off of one another. For instance the second track 'She Might Have Been a Nice Girl', a bittersweet, regretful ballad is immediately contrasted by the elaborate and maniacal 'Goin' a Little Crazy'. It's quite hard to get over this seemingly halfbaked nature upon first listen, but after a few spins you begin to see how all of the songs are tied by a vague theme of retrospection and introspection.
Though it's fairly known in the band's fan circle that this album's title track is written in relation to Kurt Winter's upheaval from Manitoba, the entire album tends to follow a train of thought that delves into sentimentality quite often. 'Sour Suite', a stunning piano rock ballad (and one of if not the best ballads I've heard) tells of a "runaway dad that took away the only thing that I never had". The more straightforward, floaty rocker 'Pain Train' has the lyric "We love the dollar more than the collar that Daddy used to wear". This whole lyrical theme the album uses not only, as aforementioned, ties everything in, but it also makes it thematically intriguing and keeps your intention extremely well. It doesn't hurt that songs like the jazz-rock of 'Grey Day' keep you on your toes with extremely impressive musicianship. Seriously, this song absolutely stunning. One of both Cummings' and Peterson's best work, as well as the song by the band that likely has impressed me the most to date.
So Long, Bannatyne is a comfort record, for sure. On the other hand, it's also a rocker. On the third hand, it also makes you think. You can take it however way you please. Or you can simply take all three in at once and listen to what a surprisingly beautiful and awesome show that this record is.
Rainbow Rider is the only album released by Brothers (Danny Guy and Tom Guy), an early 70's rock duo with some occasional prog baroque styled and melodic vocals, Album recorded in California and was released in 1973 (Windfall Records).
Robert Hunter's work as a solo artist with a deluxe reissue of his 1974 debut, Tales of the Great Rum Runners. While Hunter is widely revered as the primary lyricist for the Grateful Dead, this series will explore the depth of his solo work, offering a renewed appreciation for his exceptional artistry.
Originally released in spring 1974, Tales Of The Great Rum Runners marked the inaugural release on Round Records, an offshoot of the newly formed Grateful Dead Records. Among its 13 tracks were several destined to become staples of Hunter's live repertoire, like “Boys In The Barroom,” “Rum Runners,” and “It Must Have Been The Roses.”
Recorded at Mickey Hart's converted barn studio in Novato, California, the album reveals Hunter's multifaceted talents and features him singing and playing various instruments, including guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes on “Children's Lament.” He was accompanied by a revolving cast of Bay Area musicians on the album, including Jerry Garcia, Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux, and Mickey Hart of the Dead, as well as guitarist Barry Melton (Country Joe & The Fish), bassist David Freiberg (Quicksilver Messenger Service/Jefferson Starship), and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Cage (New Riders Of The Purple Sage).
Tales Of The Great Rum Runners (Deluxe Edition) comes with 16 previously unreleased bonus tracks, offering new insight into the album's evolution. Among these are alternate versions of six songs that made the album (“Keys To The Rain” and “It Must Have Been The Roses”), plus ten gems that did not (“The Word,” “Buck Dancer's Choice,” and “Elijah.”)
Tracks
Disc 1 (Original album 1974)
1. Lady Simplicity - 0:21
2. That Train - 4:37
3. Dry Dusty Road - 2:20
4. I Heard You Singing (David Freiberg, Robert Hunter) - 3:38
More than their two previous albums (also available as CD reissues on Collectors' Choice Music), Shredder captured some of the freewheeling energy of the Wackers, a band that flew in the face of early-'70s trends by taking their inspiration from the concise pop-rock of the British Invasion era. Ironically, however, it wasn't even intended to be a Wackers album when it was first conceived. Perhaps even more ironically, a subsequent attempt to capture the actual Wackers live sound on LP came to naught, helping lead to the demise of the band in 1973.
Although the Wackers had formed in Northern California, they moved to Montreal after recording most of their second album, 1972's Hot Wacks, in the city, returning to play an enthusiastically received two-month residency at the Mustache club. Shredder started out not as a Wackers album, but as a side project for Bob Segarini and Randy Bishop, who had done much of the writing and singing on the first two Wackers LPs. Calling themselves the Incredible Duck Brothers, they were joined in the recording by Wackers bassist-guitarist Bill "Kootch" Trochim. Segarini had studio time at Wally Heider's Studio in San Francisco, he explains, "and we went in and did some little acoustic things. There were three or four songs we did, sort of mellow stuff. Everybody was enjoying this." After getting a go-ahead from Elektra president and founder Jac Holzman to do a full album, he continues, "I said, 'I want to go back to Montreal and finish this.' At the end, Elektra was so knocked out by the songs they flew [Wackers drummer] Ernie [Earnshaw] up, and we finished the album as the Wackers. So, so much for the Duck Brothers. But that's why it really leans back to the acoustic days, 'cause that's how it started out."
Producing the album was Mark Abramson, who'd been working on Elektra sessions since its days as a primarily folk label in the late 1950s. "Mark was the sweetest guy I think I ever worked with," says Segarini. "He was also Judy Collins's producer, and this is when we really went into the sort of acoustic thing. Half the drums on that album are played by me on a snare drum with a hole in it, a sheet of paper on a phone book on a barstool with a wire brush, and one cymbal." There was also a change in personnel within the band, as founder-member and fellow singer-guitarist-songwriter Michael Stull "left to be a technician and get into Da Blues," Segarini told Gary Sperrazza and Lester Bangs for a Wackers feature in Shakin' St. Gazette. "I got him to play Rickenbacker 12-string funky leads and he hated to play them; he thought it restricted his blues playing and fast licks.
But I give a big fat fuck about fast licks. Gimme a Badfinger solo anytime as opposed to a Mahavishnu solo. I find that redundant and boring at the same time." J.P. Lauzon took Stull's place on the album, with Jerry Mercer helping out on drums; Mercer had been in the Montreal band Mashmakhan (who had a Top Forty hit in the US in 1970 with "As the Years Go By"), and would later join the popular Canadian group April Wine.
The loose nature of the project spilled over to the sessions themselves, which were graced by some very famous guests who didn't make it onto the album credits. "We were there for about six weeks, and Monty Python was doing their first North American tour," remembers Segarini. "They were in town for like two weeks. Because we were a big deal in Montreal at the time, they showed up in the studio one night -- John Cleese, Eric Idle, Neil Innes [the ex-Bonzo Dog Band member who toured as part of the Python's stage show], and Michael Palin. Cleese came by a few times, he was always really fun. But Eric was there all the time. And because they're hanging out, everybody starts hanging out. Frank Marino from Mahogany Rush, whose first album I produced. Brian Greenway from Mashmakhan, who I eventually formed a band with; he's been in April Wine for the last 25 years. Frankie Hart, a singer in a well-known local band, sang the backup vocals on a couple of tunes.
"All the sessions was just a long party. I mean, what are you going to do with Eric Idle and John Cleese sitting in a room, cracking jokes? And the same thing with all the other musicians coming by. 'Cause, you know, the booze was flowing, the drugs were flowing. It was a very relaxed time. We were sort of at our peak, confidence-wise. We could have rented a real set of drums for the record, but we never bothered. Even when Jerry's there, he's playing on a stupid piece of shit drum kit."
The album did yield, at long last, a hit for the Wackers in "Day and Night," though it would be a much bigger hit north of the border than in their native country, getting only to #65 in the US. According to Segarini, the single "was huge in Canada, and broke into Billboard in the States thanks to CKLW [which broadcast into Detroit from just across the border in Windsor, Ontario] in the Midwest; a program director named Rosalie Trombley broke that record in the States. Because we didn't have representation down there and we were up here, we never pushed that record into the Top Fifty. But it was a great song. 'Day and Night' is credited to Bishop-Segarini; Randy came up with the guitar riff, but I wrote the song."
Adds Bob, "The track for that was cut at Wally Heider's, during the Duck Brothers sessions. I don't even know if there's a set of drums on that track. I'm playing the packing crates that the instruments came in, and tambourine, shakers, maracas. That was just stuff we did without a click track at Wally's, with two acoustic guitars. Then we had Jack Schaeffer come in and do the 'Mr. Wacker Bilk,' brought him back for the horns in it. I always thought the coolest thing about 'Day and Night' was the fact it has a clarinet solo at the end of it." Asked if he has some other favorites on the album, Bob adds, "I love 'I'll Believe in You.' I think [it] is a tremendous piece of music. It's a little simple sort of throwback to 1965. It sounds like John Lennon and David Bowie doing a duet on an old Beatle record."
While Segarini enjoyed "the laissez-faire sort of campfire goofing around" vibe of the sessions, he wasn't sure it was right to use "Buck Duckdog Memorial Jam" on the final LP. "Mark insisted on putting 'Buck Duckdog' on there, which was just literally a jam, goofing around. Then I went and put words in places. It was just us playing in the studio, and he really liked it. I've always thought it was kind of a misstep that that was even on it. We had three or four [other] tunes in the can; they were great Wackers songs."
After its release, Shredder got some positive feedback in Rolling Stone, where reviewer Ben Edmonds observed, "With rock'n'roll commanding so much of the action on Shredder ('Hey Lawdy Lawdy,' 'It's My Life'), even their acoustic material packs a punch, and may in fact provide the album's most enjoyable moments. These are rock'n'roll ballads, not whimperings from some Marin County sickbed...On 'Last Dance' you can almost envision Ray Davies and David Bowie in starchy prom tuxedos, waltzing across the floor for the final time. Randy Bishop's vocal is overly affected, but works perfectly in context. The song is a caricature, its features consciously distorted for emphasis and effect. At the heart of the Wacker ethic is an unmovable commitment to fun, even should it take the form of mild self-parody."
But Shredder, like their previous two albums, failed to make the charts. As Segarini tells it, "After that, we wanted to do the album we always wanted to do. We wanted to rock harder, three-part harmony, kick some ass. And we went in with Mark to do an album called Wack and Roll." A press release from June 1973 disclosed that five tracks for the projected LP had already been recorded live in Westport, Connecticut, and that students from high schools in the Montreal area had been invited to take part in the cover photo, the tentative concept being a picture in which the Wackers would be "surrounded by hundreds of teenagers in a school playground." According to another press release from May of the same year, the album would have included live-in-Westport versions of "Queenie," "I Started to Rock," and "Teenage Love," and was scheduled to come out in July 1973. Mark Abramson was quoted in that press release hailing the live material as "some of the finest pieces of recording I have ever heard." And Bob Segarini told Shakin' St. Gazette, "When we originally came up here to do Wack and Roll, we had already recorded the demo right after Hot Wacks, consisting of 'Rock and Roll Circus,' 'Teenage Love,' 'She Loves You,' Randy's 'Old Mr. Hard Times' -- all uptempo, rock'n'roll songs. And we played them for Elektra promotion head John Davis, who was jumping up and down shouting 'I've finally got a rock'n'roll band.'"
For all the effort and planning, however, as Bob sadly recounts, "Elektra rejected the record. They rejected the monitor mixes; it never even got mixed. We finished the album just as Jac [Holzman] left, sold Elektra, and we were running out of steam. So the Wackers broke up. You can find a cassette of the Wack and Roll album from collectors now for $700-$1000." Segarini and Trochim did do one additional Wackers single with three new members for Canadian Polydor, but soon they had formed a new band, All the Young Dudes, who put out an album for CBS. Now based in Toronto, Segarini's kept busy performing, recording, and producing with various bands over the last three decades, as well as working as a radio DJ, TV producer, actor, and voiceover artist. Randy Bishop went on to a solo career and is now based in Nashville, enjoying success as the co-writer of Toby Keith's huge 2001 country hit "My List."
"I think our timing was five years too early, or five years too late," Segarini remarks when asked why the Wackers never made a big commercial splash, despite gaining fans among some of the day's leading rock critics, and despite making music with a very commercial pop-rock approach. "I think the Wackers albums are full of hits. But it's really not important. It wasn't even important at the time. I don't remember ever hearing anybody say, we don't have a #1 record, so we suck. We were always working, we always saw full houses, we always were in the studio, pretty much. It felt good to us. Had Elektra understood what the Wackers were, I think we would have broken ten times bigger than the Raspberries ever did. But they didn't."
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Day And Night - 3:04
2. Hey Lawdy Lawdy - 3:48
3. I'll Believe In You - 3:13
4. Put Myself To Sleep - 2:20
5. Eventually, Even You Even Me - 3:35
6. Coming Apart - 3:58
7. It's My Life - 3:32
8. Beach Song - 2:43
9. Buck Duckdog Memorial Jam - 10:13
.a. Our Ship's Comin' In (William "Kootch" Trochim, Jean-Pierre Lauzon, Bob Segarini, Randy Bishop)
.b. My Old Lady (William "Kootch" Trochim, Jean-Pierre Lauzon, Bob Segarini, Randy Bishop)
.c. You Really Got Me (Ray Davies)
10.Last Dance - 3:34
All songs written by Jean-Pierre Lauzon, Bob Segarini, Randy Bishop except where noted
