La De Da's - La De Da's (1965-67 new zealand, strong garage beat psych)

Rutherford High School in Te Atatu Auckland was the origins of what was to become the La De Da's. Schoolmates Kevin Borich, Brett Neilsen and Trevor Wilson got together in late 1963 and formed a band, calling themselves the Mergers. They were inspired, like so many other groups around Auckland at the time, by the sounds of the Shadows. They managed to play at a number of local dances and socials. They very soon became such hot property on the Auckland school / football club circuit that the occasional weekend work became a regular occupation and mid-week engagements began to roll in as well.

Kevin Borich had already had a taste of studio experience when in 1961 at the age of 12 he made a private recording for Astor, with two young sisters who lived on a neighbouring poultry farm in Huapai. Sue, aged 9, and Judy Donaldson, aged 11, were later to become major New Zealand recording artists, the Chicks.

The Beatles visit to New Zealand in June 1964 changed the musical direction of almost all the current groups who were playing. They realised at that point that they needed to drop the instrumentals and get into the new 'beat' music. A good vocalist was required. Trevor Wilson knew a guy at Mt Albert Grammar School who could sing. His name was Phil Key and he was recruited as vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Although initially inspired by the Shadows and the Beatles, it was the Rolling Stones that they now modeled themselves on.

Phil Key's sister was an avid record collector whose taste took in lesser known British groups, as well as hard-line American R&B. Through her brother she provided the Mergers with the bulk of their early repertoire. Despite their early popularity, they weren't happy with their name. A promoter even changed their name to the Gonks for an early 1965 gig at a summer carnival. Trevor wanted to call the band the Criminals, but it wasn't until after rehearsals one night at the Wilson household where they were suggesting names that Trevor's mother came up with the suggestion, the La De Da's.

Playing the gamut of high school and church hall dances, the band was gaining the attention of Auckland's hip inner city teen mod set. When not performing, the teenagers would venture into the city to frequent the Durham Lane Clubs, the Top Twenty and the Platterack.

In April 1965, NZBC producer Robert Handlin heard the group and offered them a strange deal. He wanted someone to sing the title to a new movie that was being released that he was featuring on his show. In return he would finance, produce and release a one-off single for the group. The song they had to sing was "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines". They went through with it because of the deal and also for the television exposure. They dressed in black suits, white shirts, bow ties and bowler hats and mimed the song in prime time on national network television. Handlin liked their performance enough to offer them a recording session to release one single.

Kevin was only seventeen at the time and he wrote "Ever Since That Night" and co-wrote the other song "Little Girl" with Trevor. The single was released on the Talent City Label in June 1965 and although both songs were originals in the Rolling Stones R&B style, the single went absolutely nowhere and these days is extremely rare.

By the second half of 1965, New Zealand's local pop industry was enjoying a buoyant boom, new bands were forming every week, record companies were snapping up as many acts as they could find, the public was buying local hits and gigs were plentiful. The most popular acts were the mass-appeal soloists, but pop groups were also making great strides. The groups were springing up from all over the North Island. Even the traditional Maori Showbands were making a strong impact. Nightspots were also thriving, in Auckland one could rage to good young R&B bands at dives like the Oriental Ballroom, 1480 Village, Galaxie and Monaco.

For the younger kids, the progressive Radio Hauraki and the staid NZBC ran Sounds Spectaculars and Popalong Spectaculars at the Auckland Town Hall and the YMCA. In all it was a vibrant healthy atmosphere for the development of good rock music.

Sergent-music

Tracks
1. Little Girl (Borich, Wilson) - 2:32
2. Ever Since That Night (Borich) - 2:46
3. How Is The Air Up There (Duboff, Kornfeld) - 2:38
4. Pied Piper (Duboff, Kornfeld) - 2:26
5. Don't You Stand In My Way (Howard, Wilson) - 2:24
6. I Take What I Want (Porter, Hayes, Hodges) - 3:07
7. Hey Girl (Marriot, Lane) - 2:14
8. On Top Of The World (Mayall) - 2:28
9. Little Red Book (Bacharach) - 2:21
10.Jump Back (Thomas) - 2:19
11.Bright Lights Big City (Reed) - 1:51
12.I Put A Spell On You (Hawkins) - 3:25
13.What Ya Gonna Do About It? (Samwell, Potter) - 3:12
14.Land Of 1000 Dances (Kenner) - 3:05
15.Shake (Cooke) - 2:57
16.Parchman Farm (Allison) - 2:24
17.I've Got My Mojo Working (Morganfiled) - 2:50
18.Ride Your Pony (Dorsey) - 2:32
19.Stupidity (Burke) - 2:02
20.Coming Home (Clarke, Smith) - 2:28
21.I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore (Sawyer, Burton) - 3:38
22.Respect (Redding) - 1:47
23.Find Us A Way (Howard, Wilson) - 2:45
24.All Purpose Low (Howard, Wilson) - 2:52
25.Too Many Fish In The Sea (Whitfield, Holland) - 2:19
26.Rosalie (Howard, Wilson) - 2:24
27.Thank You For The Flowers (Howard, Wilson) - 3:14
28.Hey Baby (Channel, Cobb) - 2:51

The La De Das
*Phil Key - Guitar, Vocals
*Trevor Wilson - Bass
*Kevin Borich - Guitar, Vocals
*Brett Neilsen - Drums, Vocals
*Bruce Howard - Keyboards

Related Act
1973  Band Of Light - Total Union

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Jason Crest - The Collected Works (1967-68 uk, spectacular beat psych)

Formed in Tonbridge, Kent from the ashes of 'The Good Thing Brigade', Jason Crest were signed to Philips in the latter part of 1967 after being discovered by former Four Pennies bassist Fritz Fryer, who got them a recording contract ahead of EMI. On signing their name seemed a little inapproiate so this was duly changed with a slight amendment from one of the groups tracks, 'The Collected Works of Justin Crest'. 

Within weeks from being spotted, the newly named Jason Crest were in the studio recording their first single, 'Turquoise Tandem Cycle', a wonderful debut dubbed by Philips on advertisments as "the first new group of 1968" this over the years, has often linked up with Procol Harum and Tomorrow especially with the former for it's distinctive organ sound, but despite a fair measure of airplay the single failed to click, it's a shame they never picked the flip 'Good Life', as this was the strongest of the two. 

The same fate happened with the second single 'Juliano The Bull' , nice enough but banned by radio one after some bright spark suggested it was "promoting blood sports", once again though the flip, this time, 'Two By The Sea' was the strongest of the two. After two flopped singles, Philips pulled the plug on the groups original songs and opted for a cover version, the song in question was The Move's '(Here We Go Round) -  The Lemon Tree', despite rumours though Roy Wood wasn't on the production team for this single, sadly once again, this also ended in the same fate despite considerable radio play. 

Bassist Ron Fowler quit around this time, working in a band and a full time job time didn't mix especially when the Crest were off to Germany and so he was replaced by John Selley. After three flops, Philips were desperate for a hit, Fryer got the band to record one of his numbers and a fourth single, the more commercial 'Waterloo Road' was recorded and promptly bombed, probably just as well as the single is uninteresting and uncompiled. 

With one single left on the contract, a final single 'A Place In The Sun' was released, again this met with the same fate although rather surprisingly the strange 'Black Mass' found it's way onto the flip, surprising because Philips had earlier decided that the song was unfit for public consumption!! By now the group were breaking up, the album that was promised had all but disappeared, the lack of success had caused indifferences in the band and to top it all, not surprisingly, Philips were not in the mood for re-newing contracts, the end wasn't too far away. 

Fitz Fryer had new interests in The Open Mind of whom he also produced for. Terry Clarke (the original co-founder) -  was to leave first joining up with a London based outfit called Orang Utan, whilst the remainding members continued with new vocalist Brian Prebble and ex-Mike Stuart Span ,  Leviathan guitarist Brian Bennett under the new name of High Broom. In 1971 Clark, Smallcombe and Siggery all sorted out their differences and formed Holy Mackrel. 

Marmalade-skies

Tracks
1. Turquoise Tandem Cycle (Clark, Dobson) - 3:43
2. Teagarden Lane (Clark Dobson) - 4:07
3. Patricia's Dream (Sandson, Fryer) - 2:43
4. A Place In The Sun (Clark, Dobson) - 3:24
5. My House Is Burning (Clark, Dobson) - 3:23
6. King Of The Castle (Clark, Dobson) - 2:58
7. The Collected Works Of Justin Crest (Clark, Dobson) - 3:38
8. Black Mass (Clark, Dobson) - 4:46
9. Charge Of The Light Brigade (Clark, Dobson) - 3:03
10.(Here We Go Round) -  The Lemon Tree (Wood) - 3:04
11.You Really Got A Hold On Me (Robinson) - 4:04
12.Two By The Sea (Clark, Dobson) - 2:57
13.Juliano The Bull (Clark, Dobson) - 2:28
14.Education (Clark, Dobson) - 2:38
15.Waterloo Road (Deighan, Wish) - 3:12
16.Good Life (Clark, Dobson) - 2:47

Jason Crest
*Terry Clark - Lead vocals
*John Selley - Bass Guitar
*Roger Siggery - Drums
*Terry Dobson - Organ
*Derek Smallcombe - Guitar
*Ron Fowler - Bass

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Focus - Live At The Rainbow (1973 dutch, astonishing live art prog rock, japan remaster)

Focus' classic live-album recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London was released at the height of their popularity, and explains all why Focus were such a successful and respected act. The playing here is incredibly tight and energetic. The tracks are usually performed a bit harder and faster than their studio-counterparts; just check the high-octane version of "Hocus Pocus". The selections of tracks are also very carefully done, and makes sure that every side of Focus' music is represented here. 

You get the ultra-typical, melodic and classic Focus-sound in "Focus III" and "Focus II", the more jam-oriented direction in "Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers", the more commercial and catchy side in "Sylvia" and of course full progressive rock-bliss in an 8-minute excerpt of "Eruption". The sound is excellent for a live-album this old, further making this one of the essential live-albums from a progressive rock band. And try to hunt down the version with the cool gimmick-cover if you can find it, as it's really worth the money!

by Tommy Schonenberg

Tracks
1. Focus III (Thijs Van Leer) - 3:52
2. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! (Jan Akkerman, Bert Ruiter) - 11:29
3. Focus II (Van Leer) - 4:36
4. Eruption (Excerpt): (Tom Barlage, Van Leer) - 8:28
.I...Orfeus
.II..Answer
.III.Orfeus
.IV..Answer
.V...Pupilla
.VI..Tommy
.VII.Pupilla
5. Hocus Pocus (Akkerman, Van Leer) - 8:30
6. Sylvia (Van Leer) - 2:47
7. Hocus Pocus (Reprise) (Akkerman, Van Leer) - 2:46

Focus
*Thijs Van Leer - Keyboards, Flute, Vocals
*Jan Akkerman - Guitar
*Bert Ruiter - Bass Guitar
*Pierre Van Der Linden - Drums

1970  Focus - In And Out Of Focus (Japan remaster)
1971  Focus - Moving Waves (Japan remaster)
1972  Focus III  (Japan mini lp release)
1974  Focus - Hamburger Concerto  (Japan remaster)
1975  Focus - Mother Focus (Japan remaster)
Related Act
1969-70  Brainbox - Brainbox (2011 Esoteric expanded)

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Cactus - Fully Unleashed / The Live Gigs, Vol.2 (1971 us, inredible hard blues rock, 2007 limited two disc edition)

The Live Gigs, VOL 2. Offered in an individually numbered, limited edition of 5,000 copies, the 2-CD set presents a live recording of the last ever concert performed at Gilligan's in upstate New York by the legendary supergroup's original line-up - Tim Bogert (bass), Carmine Appice (drums), Jim McCarty (guitar) and Rusty Day (vocals). The concert is presented in its entirety, and twelve of the thirteen full-tilt tracks are previously unreleased. The date was June 26, 1971, "when," writes veteran music journalist Bill DeYoung in his essay, "Cactus was at its take-no-prisoners peak. He later notes, "Cactus toured incessantly, sharing bills with the top bands from both sides of the Atlantic. There was never anything 'showbiz' about them; the goal, both onstage and off, was to rock like there was no tomorrow."

In suburban Buffalo, New York, the now defunct Gilligan's - once upstate NY's hottest rock venue - may have been a non-descript, cavernous club, but the incendiary Cactus date captured here is nothing short of extraordinary. Behind the mixing board of the Electric Ladyland Mobile Unit that night was the venerable Eddie Kramer, who, in addition to Cactus, engineered and produced for a who's who of rock and roll greats including The Faces, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, whose Electric Lady studios he helped establish. "When I first listened to tapes of this show," Appice says, "I thought, 'Man, what a great band.' I was just really proud of the fact that the band kicked such major ass. In those days, we blew everybody we played with off the stage." 

The music backs up the recollection. Always cranked to 11 for a Gilligan's gig, Cactus' breakneck blues-rock boogie and sheer decibel force blasts the senses on stand-outs including an epic version of Mose Allison's "Parchman Farm" - one of the band's signature songs - the originals "Down Easy," "Walkin'" and "Bro. Bill" and the classic "Long Tall Sally." One can only imagine that just as Cactus blew other bands away night after night, the capacity crowed must have been fit to be wiped off the beer-soaked floor at show's end. The seminal quartet incarnation of Cactus formed in 1969. Originally, Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice - Vanilla Fudge's former rhythm section - conceived it as a supergroup that would include guitar-slinger Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart on vocals. 

As things happened, though, Stewart went off to join the Faces and Beck was sidelined by a serious auto accident. They then enlisted ex-Buddy Miles and Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty and former Amboy Dukes singer Rusty Day. Often called "the American Led Zeppelin," this powerhouse line-up delivered three albums - Cactus, One Way...Or Another and Restrictions - before McCarty and Day departed in '72. Appice and Bogert recorded one more album, 'Ot 'N' Sweaty, with a different line-up before leaving to form Beck, Bogert and Appice. Appice and Bogert have continued to collaborate over the years, and in 2006, reformed Cactus with Jim McCarty and singer Jimmy Kunes (Savoy Brown). 

Rhno

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Intro / Tuning - 1:00

2. Long Tall Sally (R.Bumps Blackwell, E. Johnson, R. Penniman) - 7:51

3. Parchman Farm (Mose Allison) - 6:04

4. Mellow Down Easy - 5:25

5. Feel So Bad (Willis) - 7:00

6. Walkin' Blues - 8:52

7. Scrambler / One Way...Or Another - 8:28

8. Oleo - 12:50

Disc 2
1. Bro. Bill - 8:32
2. Token Chokin' - 3:32
3. Slow Blues (Medley) - 20:10
4. Heebie Jeebies / What'd I Say (Jackson, Marascalico) (R. Charles) - 12:17
5. Evil (C. Burnett) - 4:46
All song by Cactus except where noted

Cactus
*Tim Bogert - Bass, Vocals
*Carmine Appice - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Jim McCarty - Guitar
*Rusty Day - Vocals, Harmonica

Cactus
1970  Cactus (Japan SHM remaster)
1971  One Way...Or Another (Japan SHM remaster)
1971  Ultra Sonic Boogie (2010 issue)
1970-72  Fully Unleashed / The Live Gigs, Vol. 1

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Cactus - Fully Unleashed / The Live Gigs, Vol. 1 (1970-72 us, amazing hard rockin' boogie, 2004 digipack two disc set)

Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs (2004) is the companion volume to the similarly thorough Barely Contained: The Studio Sessions (2004). Each double-disc package is filled with not only the combo's respective four long-players, but also plenty of remarkable and previously vaulted sides. That is an understatement when considering the two-plus hours of vintage concert material from three distinct incarnations of Cactus, centering on the first lineup's final show on December 19, 1971 at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, TN. Jim McCarty's wailing lead electric guitar introduction to "Long Tall Sally" is a precursor to the hard-and-heavy onslaught that alternately pulverizes and soars on other classic covers, such as their (dare say) definitive workout of Mose Allison's "Parchment Farm" or the 17-plus-minute oldies medley containing "Heeby Jeebies" and "Money," plus the Memphis-apropos "Hound Dog" and "What'd I Say." 

The original roster is additionally featured on "No Need to Worry" and another incendiary reading of "Parchment Farm" from the 1970 Isle of Wight performance. Although both were initially available on the First Great Rock Festivals of the Seventies (1971) anthology, neither has been on CD before. A short-lived lineup with Ron Leejack (guitar) was captured on the title track to One Way...Or Another and "Bro. Bill" from June 27, 1971 at Gillian's in Buffalo, New York, and the remaining cuts are from the group's April 1972 appearance at the Mar y Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico with Werner Fritzsching (guitar) and former Atomic Rooster member Peter French (vocals). While "Swim," "Bad Mother Boogie" and "Out L'il Rock-N-Roll Thing" were incorporated into 'Ot 'N' Sweaty, "Bedroom Mazurka" can be found on the out-of-print Mar y Sol (1972) compilation. 

by Lindsay Planer

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Into / Long Tall Sally (Robert Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman) - 12:16

2. Bad Drag (Jim McCarty, Rusty Day) - 3:10

3. Evil (Chester Burnett) - 16:11

4. Parchman Farm (Mose Allison) - 6:21

5. Alaska (Jim McCarty, Tim Bogert, Rusty Day) - 3:56

6. Oleo - 11:20

7. No Need To Worry - 20:18

8. Let Me Swim - 5:06

Disc 2
1. Big Mama Boogie - Parts 1 & 2 - 15:31
2. Medley - 17:04
.a.Heeby Jeebies (Maybelle Jackson, John Marascalico)
.b.Money (Berry Gordy, Janie Bradford)
.c.Hound Dog (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
.d.What'd I Say (Ray Charles)
3. No Need To Worry - 5:08
4. Parchman Farm (Mose Allison) - 4:30
5. One Way... Or Another - 9:14
6. Bro. Bill - 6:12
7. Swim - 4:44
8. Bad Mother Boogie (Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Peter French, Werner Fritzchings, Duane Hitchings) - 5:25
9. Our Lil Rock-N-Roll Thing (Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Peter French, Werner Fritzchings, Duane Hitchings) - 7:00
10.Bedroom Mazurka (Duane Hitchings, Peter French) - 4:58

All songs by Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Jim McCarty, Rusty Day unless as stated

Cactus
*Tim Bogert - Bass, Vocals
*Carmine Appice - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Jim McCarty - Guitar
*Rusty Day - Vocals, Harmonica

With

*Ron Leejack - Guitar

*Duane Hitchings - Organ, Piano, Electric Piano

*Werner Fritzchings - Guitar

Cactus
1970  Cactus (Japan SHM remaster)
1971  One Way...Or Another (Japan SHM remaster)
1971  Ultra Sonic Boogie (2010 issue)

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Cactus - One Way...Or Another (1971 us, solid hard boogie 'n' roll, japan SHM remaster)

One Way... Or Another (1971) was the second studio outing to feature the incipient incarnation of supergroup Cactus, comprised of Vanilla Fudge rhythm section Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass), as well as former Amboy Dukes lead vocalist Rusty Day (vocals/mouth harp), and Jim McCarty (guitar) from Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels and the Buddy Miles Express. Even as their debut was ostensibly rawer, they retained the same amp'ed-up electric blues reminiscent of early Grand Funk Railroad and Foghat. 

The more polished outcome heard on their sophomore effort is undoubtedly the direct result of assistance from recording engineer extraordinaire Eddie Kramer and their upgraded digs at the recently completed Electric Lady Studios, which they inhabited shortly after the passing of the facilities' owner, Jimi Hendrix. Immediately, the proceedings are thrust into high gear with a languorous and seething interpretation of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." While not the extended barnburner it became in concert, it gets things off to a rousing start. The lightweight up-tempo "Rockout, Whatever You Feel Like" could easily be mistaken for Jo Jo Gunne, especially in Day's vocal asides, strongly recalling Jay Ferguson and company. 

"Rock 'N' Roll Children" is a heavier number with McCarty unleashing rounds of impressive and impellent fretwork churning atop the simmering backbeat. Cactus do what they do best, returning to their boogie rock roots on the suitably named "Big Mama Boogie - Parts 1 & 2." McCarty's pumping acoustic opening is perfectly augmented by some organic mouth harp courtesy of Day before launching into an explosive assault of pure, unadulterated proto- metal. The cover of Chuck Willis' "Feel So Bad" is given a sizable shakedown, yet doesn't quite seem to live up to its potential. The opposite can be said of the understated "Song for Aries." Although clocking in at just under three minutes, the instrumental is a showcase for McCarty's immorally underrated lead guitar. 

The long-player concludes with two full-blown centerpieces, revealing Cactus' strength as a formidable powerhouse combo on the autobiographically-inspired rave-up "Hometown Bust." Fittingly, this lineup and album come to an end on a high note with the title track "One Way...Or Another." The number is quite possibly the finest original to have been worked up by the band. The cut blazes from tip-to-tail and if the primary riff seems familiar, that may be because it was lifted almost verbatim from Jeff Beck's Beck-Ola-era tune "Rice Pudding." However in Cactus' care, it stomps with a bit more crunch and no-nonsense attitude.

by Lindsay Planer

Tracks
1. Long Tall Sally (R.Bumps Blackwell, E. Johnson, R. Penniman) - 5:54
2. Whatever You Feel Like - 4:00
3. Rock 'n' Roll Children - 5:44
4. Big Bad Mother Boogie - 5:29
5. It Feels So Bad (Chuck Willis) - 5:31
6. A Song For Aries - 3:05
7. Hometown Bust - 6:39
8. 1 Way Or Another - 5:06
All songs by Cactus except where indicated

Cactus
*Tim Bogert - Bass, Vocals
*Carmine Appice - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Jim McCarty - Guitar
*Rusty Day - Vocals, Harmonica

Cactus
1970  Cactus (Japan SHM remaster)
1971  Ultra Sonic Boogie (2010 issue)

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Curt Boettcher - There's An Innocent Face (1973 us, fabulous sunny melodic soft folk, Sundazed edition)

Anyone who has ever heard the amazing music of Sagittarius or the Millennium can testify to the talent and vision of musician/producer Curt Boettcher. His visionary production work with the aforementioned groups as well as other artists such as Tommy Roe, Eternity’s Children, and the Association set a new standard in sophisticated, artful pop production. 

After working as a producer with a multitude of artists and projects, Boettcher began work on a solo album. Along with musical cohort Web Burrel, Boettcher recorded There’s an Innocent Face over the course of nearly two years, taking his time because he wanted everything to be ‘perfect’. The end result was finally released in 1973 on Elektra records to little fanfare and even less sales. The album was released as by Curt Boetcher (with only one ‘t’) because an LA numerologist advised Boettcher that it would be lucky for him to alter the spelling of his last name, although clearly the move did nothing to advance the sales of the record. Resurrected some 29 years later on CD by Sundazed, Curt Boettcher’s only solo album is again available to his fans. It’s an interesting taste of Boettcher’s post-Millennium work, and it shows his growth from the primary role of producer to the primary role of musician. 

The album starts off with what is likely the best track on the disk, the lovely “I Love You More Each Day”. This song shows off Boettcher’s production skills in all their glory, with its rich layered background punctuated by Boettcher’s double-tracked vocals. “She’ll Stay With You” is a pleasant folk-pop tune which displays the country influence which is present on a few other songs on the album as well. Other tunes on the album are pure pop gems, such as the pretty “Love You Yes I Do” and the tuneful “Malachi Star”. In addition to a number of upbeat songs, several are slower, like “Lay Down” and “I’ve Been Wrong”. Overall, the style of the album is very laid back. 

The basic accompaniment for all the songs on the album is simply acoustic guitar, sometimes joined by keyboards and other instruments and effects. Although there are a few enjoyable songs, There’s an Innocent Face does not display Boettcher’s genius as readily as his work with Millennium or Sagittarius does. Boettcher’s songwriting and musicianship are fairly accomplished, but somehow the songs don’t endear. Fans of Curt Boettcher will enjoy hearing his progression from his Millennium days, but they won’t find anything nearly as engaging as “The Island”, “It’s You”, or “To Claudia on Thursday”. This reissue from Sundazed is attractively packaged and features informative liners by fellow Fufkin writer and noted Boettcher scribe Dawn Eden.

by Kurt Sampsel

Tracks
1. I Love You More Each Day (D. Gere, C. Boettcher, W. Burrel) - 2:36
2. Such A Lady (R. Naylor, C. Gusias) - 2:03
3. She'll Stay With You (D. Gere) - 2:19
4. Love You Yes I Do (J. Netkin, C. Boettcher, W. Burrel) - 3:14
5. Without Her (C. Gusias) - 1:23
6. Bobby California (D. Gere) - 4:34
7. The Choice Is Yours (M. Rooney, T. Rooney) - 2:08
8. Malachi Star (J. Pulver, R. Wachtel) - 2:44
9. Lay Down (D. Gere) - 3:21
10.I've Been Wrong (D. Gere) - 3:34
11.Wufferton Frog (J. Netkin, M. Schwimmer) - 4:02

Musicians
*Curt Boettcher - Vocals, All Instruments
*Web Burrel - Vocals, All Instruments
*Red Rhodes - Steel Guitar (Track 3)
*Skip Konte - Keyboards (Tracks 5, 6, 11)
*Tessie - Congas, Percussion (Track 4)
*Wayne Yentis - Arp Synthesizer (Tracks 3, 8)
*Les Thornton - Tuba (Track 1)
*Willis Masonheimer - Tuba (Tracks 1, 11)
*Ric DeLong - Bass, Vocals (Tracks Tracks 1, 2)
*Michele O'Malley, Nancy Hansen, Mary Hostvet, Lucy Sickler - Vocals
*Dottie Holmberg, Constantine Gusias, Bill Bowersock, Matt Vernon - Vocals

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Cactus - Ultra Sonic Boogie (1971 us, stunning rough hard blues rock, live document, 2010 issue)

There aren't a lot of live Cactus recordings from the early '70s, so it's quite a revelation to have a concert recorded in 1971 at radio station WLIR's Ultra Sonic Studios (Long Island, NY) released courtesy of the folks at Purple Pyramid Records. In front of a crowd of a hundred or so, the classic line-up of Cactus (Carmine Appice-drums, Tim Bogert-bass, Jim McCarty-guitar, and Rusty Day-vocals) tore through a fiery set of songs from their first few albums, including some raucous solos.

The audio quality of this set is like a very decent bootleg, so don't expect pristine sound here, but crank it up and it will indeed do the trick. The band kicks off with a scorching version of "Evil", complete with plenty of slashing guitar work from McCarty and a rumbling, unaccompanied drum solo from Appice. It's one of their heavier, most beloved songs and they do a fine job on it here, with Day's powerful vocals rough & ragged and soaring over the top. 

The catchy and quite bluesy "Bro. Bill" comes up next, always one of their more charming tunes, and the rumbling "Oleo", complete with it's heavy blues riffs, slide guitar, harmonica, and beefy bass lines from Bogert, shows that at their core, Cactus were really a blues & boogie band with plenty of volume and fuzz. McCarty lays down a variety of tasty licks on the slow blues grind of "No Need to Worry", and the band even tackled their then newly released single "Token Chokin' ", a sing-along country blues number that was rarely if ever played live, so this obviously was a very special occasion. The extended blues/boogie romps "Big Mama Boogie (Parts 1 & 2)" are a lot of fun, showing Cactus at their playful, jamming best.

Any Cactus fan will surely be thanking the lucky stars that these previously long lost tapes were discovered. It's a great set, and by the time the CD is done you'll wish there was more. If you are looking for a great snapshot of where Cactus was as a live act circa 1971, this is it folks.

by Pete Pardo

Tracks
1. Evil - 9:55
2. The Band Introductions - 0:53
3. Bro. Bill - 6:28
4. Oleo - 11:44
5. No Need To Worry - 14:48
6. Token Chokin' - 3:53
7. Big Mama Boogie (Part I) - 7:36
8. Big Mama Boogie (Part II) - 4:38
9. Outro - 0:52
All songs by Cactus

Cactus
*Carmine Appice - Drums, Guitar
*Tim Bogert - Bass
*James McCarty - Guitar
*Rusty Day - Vocals

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Three Man Army - Two (1974 uk, great hard rock with prog shades, japan SHM remaster)

Three Man Army was a British hard rock band of the early '70s, playing period guitar-slanted music that sounded like warm-up fodder for bigger stadium acts. The constants in the lineup were Adrian Gurvitz and Paul Gurvitz, both of whom had been in Gun. After Gun expired, Adrian went to America to play with Buddy Miles, while Paul formed Parrish & Gurvitz. 

The pair reunited, however, to record the debut Three Man Army album, A Third of a Lifetime, using several different drummers (including Miles, Carmine Appice from Vanilla Fudge, and Mike Kellie from Spooky Tooth). Tony Newman, formerly of Sounds Incorporated and the Rod Stewart Group, joined for the next (and final) two Three Man Army albums. While there were rehearsals for a fourth LP, it was never started, as Newman left to join David Bowie's band and the Gurvitz brothers teamed up with Ginger Baker to record three albums as the Baker Gurvitz Army.  "Two" was their third and final studio album released in 1974. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Polecat Woman (Baxter, Adrian Curtis, Hayes) - 3:52
2. Today (Adrian Curtis) - 6:18
3. Flying (Adrian Curtis) - 3:08
4. Space Is the Place (Adrian Curtis) - 6:20
5. Irving (Adrian Curtis, Paul Gurvitz, Tony Newman) - 4:17
6. I Can't Make the Blind See (Baxter, Adrian Curtis, Hayes) - 4:03
7. Burning Angel (Adrian Curtis, Paul Gurvitz, Tony Newman) - 3:32
8. In My Eyes (Baxter, Adrian Curtis, Hayes) - 5:07

Three Man Army
*Paul Gurvitz - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Adrian Gurvitz - Vocals, Guitar, Slide Guitar, Organ
*Tony Newman - Drums, Percussion.
With
*Ruby James - Vocals, Bells
*Doris Troy - Vocals, Background Vocals
*Madeline Bell - Vocals
*Peter Robinson - Piano

Related Act
1968  Gun - Gun
1969  Gun - Gunsight (Japan 2008 remaster)

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Glass Harp - Live! At Carnegie Hall (1971 us, awesome jam psych rock)

More than four decades ago, a teenaged guitar phenom named Phil Keaggy burst onto the music scene. Keaggy and childhood friend and drummer/guitarist John Sferra were joined by bassist Dan Pecchio in Glass Harp, recording three albums for Decca before dissolving the band in 1972 when Keaggy was only 21. The band has reunited briefly for several concerts over the years, but rumor has it that the final Glass Harp concert will be July 27, 2002 at the Creation West festival in George, WA. (Note: Happily, that turned out not to be the case, and Glass Harp has continued playing and recording.) To commemorate Glass Harp's legacy, we're looking at a special album in the band's history.

A major highlight for Glass Harp was opening for The Kinks at Carnegie Hall in November 21 of 1971. The concert was recorded, but for some reason remained buried until 1997, when Live! At Carnegie Hall was finally released. It could be disappointing to see that this recording has only five songs, but when you realize that Look in the Sky is over 10 minutes and Can You See Me checks in at just under 29 minutes, it should be time to rejoice.

This is a great CD for all Keaggy/Glass Harp fans, or anyone else who loves vintage early 70s extended jam sessions. The recording quality is excellent, and the band is amazingly good when you consider how young they were--Sferra was 19 and Keaggy just 20, but his patented volume swells and lightning licks are already evident.

The final song, Can You See Me, features solos by all three band members (Pecchio's is a flute solo) and incorporates the song One Day At A Time before ending up the set with Keaggy's uncompromising lyrics: "Jesus died for you and me/that we may live eternally/through Him there is a peace we can share."

Consider that Keaggy wrote those lyrics in 1970 as a brand-new Christian, a teenaged rising rock star about to record his first album, and you realize just how bold and uncompromising he was. He wasn't about to water down the message when he had the opportunity to play Carnegie Hall.

by Randy Brandt

Tracks
1. Look In The Sky (Keaggy, Sferra, Pecchio) - 10:16
2. Never Is A Long Time (D. Pecchio) - 3:33
3. Do Lord (Keaggy, Sferra, Pecchio) - 3:59
4. Changes (J. Sferra) - 6:27
5. Can You See Me (D. Pecchio, P. Keaggy) - 28:56

Glass Harp
Phil Keaggy - Guitar, Vocals
Dan Pecchio - Bass, Flute, Vocals
John Sferra - Drums, Vocals

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