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

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

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

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

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

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

by Ben Miler

Tracks

1. Iceberg - 6:56

2. Times - 3:24

3. You Went Away - 4:39

4. Melanie - 3:28

5. Beautiful Scarlet - 5:23

6. Sympathy - 2:30

7. Nature's Fruit - 2:32

8. Bird On A wing - 4:13

9. God Of War - 5:30

10.Devil's High Concern - 2:47

11.Sympathy - 2:34

All songs written by Graham Field, Dave Kaffinetti, Steve Gould, Mark Ashton 

Bonus Tracks 10,11

Rare Bird

*Mark Ashton - Drums, Vocals

*Graham Field - Organ, Keyboards

*Steve Gould - Bass Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals

*Dave Kaffinetti - Keyboards, Electric Piano

1970  Rare Bird - As Your Mind Flies By (2007 Bonus Tracks)  

1972  Rare Bird - Epic Forest (Bonus Tracks)  

1973  Rare Bird - Somebody's Watching (2008 remaster)  

1975-75  Rare Bird - Born Again (2008 bonus tracks remaster)  

1969-75  Rare Bird - Beautiful Scarlet The Recordings (2021 six disc box set)

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Hampton Grease Band - Music To Eat (1971 us, outstanding weird experimental avant garde prog rock)

When purchasing a record guide book, I have learned to look carefully. The way I have learned to go about this is to skip to something I have a very strong opinion about anyway, like for instance, Funkadelic. Yeah! Funkadelic is a great example because most guide books, the ones that use the “star” rating system seem to go by maybe the Billboard chartings, I guess. Most will tell you that Funkadelic’s greatest LP, the one to start with, is “One Nation Under A  Groove”. That’s the “5 star”. And my favorite, “America eats It’s Young” gets 1 1/2 stars or some shit. Know what I mean? Does this confuse what I already think? No. One of my biggest problems is that I tend to become a “superfan” of a group and if I like them I will end up buying them all, usually starting from the beginning and going until it washes out for me. But during a groups best years I will defend them for making their artistic statements! I will stick it out. And know that some of the best records are the ones that “grow” on you, right? There are also reasons for digging something from just a musician’s perspective, ya know. Like guitar tone, drum sounds, room reverb. Just sink in and become close to the atmosphere of the recording. Picture the scene outside the building the music was recorded in.

In 1971 it was a world of muscle cars, beer cans with pull tabs (that you could “daisy chain” together to make necklaces out of). The slang was different in 1971….the word on the street. The air smelled a little different, the sky was a little different blue. All the dudes had their cut of shorts on at the swimming hole. Rolled up American flag bandanas for headbands. Chics with their bikini’s. Joints rolled in strawberry papers. 8 tracks were as easy to come by as records. The street signs were different. Close your eyes and listen to the record and let it take you there. Because it is there, isn’t it? When the tape is rolling it is getting all that. When you hear the audiophiles talk about listening to the room. You get the word on the street, the daisy chains, the strawberry joints, the muscle cars….those are in the room too. That’s what was going on, in conversations,  just before the tape started rolling.

In 1970, Columbia records, signed the Hampton Grease Band from Atlanta, GA. A band that had been around since the mid-60’s. A band that opened for the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band. It is rumored that Hampton Grease Band’s 1971 Columbia masterpiece “Music To Eat” was the lowest selling LP that Columbia had made, at that time.

Hampton Grease Band is Bruce Hampton (later of Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarian Rescue Unit fame) on vocals and trumpet, Jerry Fields on  drums, percussion, trombone and vocals, Mike Holbrook on bass, Harold Kelling on guitar and vocals and Glenn Phillips on guitar and sax. This album, classic double album is right away much like Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band…or The Mothers or The Fugs. In fact, after this album Frank Zappa supposedly signed them to his Straight/ Bizarre labels. I can’t find that they actually recorded and released anything as this band after Music To eat. There are a few reviews out there who just hate this record. It is a very noncommercial record. But hey….

This record is wild happy craziness! It is basically just 5 songs. Like I said, sort of like Capt. Beefheart’s Magic Band. Two absolutely excellent guitar players. An absolutely fantastic drummer and bass player, crazy spurts of horns, not a lot, just a little and not often. The guitar playing is so matched to each other. Not very distorted, just over driven a little, no effects. There are 4 songs reaching to 19 minutes plus and one song just over 5 minutes. The band plays together in that telepathic way on these long passages, it’s easy to just get lost in the jamming. And it’s not just one long “same” rambling jam either it goes from this to that in different, well arranged parts. The lyrics are, well….let’s just start from the beginning… the first tune is called “Halifax” and he sings it as if he is reading descriptions from the World Book encyclopedia about Halifax (Canada?) or Halifax travel bureau or something. “wouldn’t you like to come to Halifax?…air mass is moving eastwardly….” Maria is the only tune under 6 minutes. It speaks of a 13 year old boy named Sancho lusting after Maria who is 5 years older. They tell the story well with crazy laughter and all. At one point he is reading from a spray paint can (or that’s what it sounds like to me) “keep out of reach of children”….”contents are under pressure”. The last song “Hey Old lady and Bert’s Song…” they get into a southern rock jam that is right up there with early Allman Brothers with the dual guitars weaving together like snakes dancing. It is, to me, as focused as it is experimental. 

Yep put this one on and listen to THIS sound of 1971. Hot summertime in Atlanta 1971. It is a light hearted beautiful trip….I love it.

by Phillip R. Eubanks, June 19, 2013

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Halifax (Bruce Hampton, Glenn Phillips) - 19:42

2. Maria (Glenn Phillips) - 5:33

3. Six (Bruce Hampton, Harold Kelling) - 19:31

4. Evans Egyptian Beaver - 5:20   

5. Evans Evans - 7:11

All songs by Bruce Hampton, Glenn Phillips, Harold Kelling, Jerry Fields, Mike Holbrook except where noted

Disc 2

1. Lawton (Glenn Phillips, Jerry Fields) - 7:51

2. Hey Old Lady And Bert's Song (Bruce Hampton, Harold Kelling) - 3:22

3. Spray Paint - 1:17

4. Major Bones - 2:04

5. Sewell Park - 5:17

6. Improvisation - 11:31

All songs by Bruce Hampton, Glenn Phillips, Harold Kelling, Jerry Fields, Mike Holbrook except where stated

Hampton Grease Band

*Bruce Hampton - Vocals, Trumpet

*Glenn Phillips - Guitar, Saxophone

*Harold Kelling - Guitar, Vocals

*Mike Holbrook - Bass

*Jerry Fields - Percussion, Vocals

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rep>>> Fargo - I See It Now (1969 us, charming sunny flower baroque psyhedelia, 2017 remaster and Vinyl issue)

Dean Wilden and Tony Decker are Fargo. Their home is Salt Lake City, Utah. People who meet them or hear their music find that fact incongruous, for thinking of Salt Lake City brings to mind the Tabernacle with its mysteries and its majesty and the descendents of Brigham Young quietly living their lives by that oddly isolated sea in the heartland of America. Somehow it's hard to imagine young contemporary singers-composers at work against this backdrop. 

Twenty-one years of living in and around Utah and Colorado have been etched into their memories and have made the personalities of Tony and Dean. A mother plays the violin to entertain her children; a father softly strums his guitar in the evening; Sundays echo the magnificent music of the church. 

There is always music—choir practice, school concerts and the radio bringing in the sounds of New York, Nashville and Hollywood. Two distinct musical personalities evolve, and upon meeting they merge, and the halfthought- out melodies of childhood can no longer wait to become songs.

I See it Now by Tony and Cross with No Name by Dean are new songs about Jesus. A Castle in Wales is about a castle in Wales, unless you want to search for hidden meanings. Lady Goodbye is a timeless morality ballad.

Here are Tony Decker and Dean Wilden with their songs and music. Not New York, Nashville or Hollywood – not even pure Salt Lake City - just FARGO.

Original Liner-notes

Tracks

1. 'Round About Way Of Describing Our Situation - 2:31

2. Lady Goodbye (Dean Wilden, Marty Cooper) - 1:50

3. The Sound Of It - 2:40

4. Places Everyone - 2:27

5. A Castle In Wales - 2:21

6. Talks We Used To Have - 2:30

7. When The Dew Drops Change To Teardrops (Dean Wilden) - 2:14

8. Promises Of Love - 2:16

9. You Need Me - 1:24

10.Cross With No Name - 2:48

11.I See It Now (Dean Wilden, Marty Cooper) - 2:26

All songs by Tony Decker except where noted

Fargo
*Dean Wilden - Vocals Guitar
*Tony Decker - Vocals Guitar
With
*Terry Paul - Bass
*Rick Cunha - Guitar

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