World Of Oz - The World Of Oz (1969 uk, wonderful colorful sunny baroque psych, 2006 digipak remaster and expanded)

The World of Oz were a British psychedelic pop band that enjoyed a short string of successful singles in Europe. Between those major charting records in Holland and a lot of good press at home, the release of an album was planned -- yet they managed to throw it all away with an unexplained split. All four original members -- Tony Clarkson (bass, vocals), David "Kubie" Kubinec (organ), Christopher Robin (guitar, piano, vocals), and David Reay (drums) -- hailed from Birmingham, and had been parts of that city's burgeoning pop/rock culture for varying amounts of time. Clarkson had several years' experience playing in various bands, and had also performed on the European continent. 

Kubinec had spent two years working mostly in Germany as a member of the Pieces of Mind, doing a mixture of R&B and soul. Reay and Robin (real name Christopher Evans) had played in a band called the Mayfair Set, working in Germany for a year before returning to Birmingham late in 1967, where they broke up. The pair decided to form a new band, and Kubinec and Clarkson were recruited through advertisements in musician magazines. In January of 1968 they formed the group, the "Oz" name and imagery fitting in with the trippy ambience of the late '60s.

They decided that while Birmingham's club scene could provide work, it didn't offer the kind of prospects for a recording career that they had in mind, and so they headed to London. Their songwriting ability got them snatched up by Sparta Music. And for a manager, they had no less a figure than Barry Class, who was best known for his most successful client, the Foundations (of "Build Me Up Buttercup" fame). Class lived up to his last name by setting the group up in a luxury apartment on Park Lane, in London's exclusive Mayfair district, long a fashionable locale for movie stars and theater performers seeking to put on a big front in their lives. It made for a fair amount of press access and good press, as well as impressing various record company executives, accustomed to dealing with up-and-coming bands living in near squalor. 

Between the quality of their songs, played at impromptu auditions or the gigs Class was able to get them, and the gimmick of their high-profile digs, the band received serious overtures from several record companies, including Pye. But in the spring of 1968 they signed with Deram Records, the progressive pop imprint of English Decca. Wayne Bickerton, who headed Deram, thought enough of them to personally produce this new act, and his enthusiasm was more than enough to seal the deal. He even approved and budgeted the use of a 33-piece orchestra accompanying them on one of Kubinec's songs, "Muffin Man," at their first recording session.

"Muffin Man" was issued as a single in England and on the Continent in May of 1968 (and a little later in the United States). A catchy tune with great hooks, instrumental as well as vocal, and a trippy, nursery-rhyme-like ambience, it somehow managed never to chart in England. According to Kubinec in an interview on the psychedelic site Marmalade Skies, things began coming apart when Class accompanied the Foundations on a tour of America and left the World of Oz in the hands of a deputy who immediately cut back on the promotion budget for the group and the single. In trying to save a few shillings, he cost them the momentum they'd been working for months to build up, and the single just lay there. 

The key moment, in his view, was missing a chance to do the single on Top of the Pops. However, the record did reach the Top Ten in Holland, sold reasonably well across Western Europe, and also managed to get some positive response in the form of radio play in the United States. Three months later came their second single, "King Croesus," which also made the Top Ten in Holland, and got to number 126 in the Cashbox charts late that fall in America. Additionally, despite the fact that they hadn't charted a single in England, the group's sound -- a light, harmony-based psychedelia similar to the Bee Gees and records like "Barker of the UFO" -- and Class' clout got them as much work as they could handle and more. The band lasted through two more rounds of recording sessions in 1968, through November of that year, and even got a third U.S. release, for "The Hum-Gum Tree" b/w "Mandy-Ann."

An album seemed a next easy step, but things weren't right within the band, and Kubinec and Reay were already gone -- for reasons no one has ever explained -- by that last set of recording sessions, replaced by Geoff Nicholls (guitar, organ) and Bob Moore (drums), respectively. The group soldiered on, under a rather awkward shadow -- Deram Records already had a finished album in the can and a February release date, and that record was coming out, despite the fact that it featured two key members who were already gone from the lineup. Meanwhile, the World of Oz had another modest hit in Holland, "Willow's Harp" b/w "Like a Tear," early in 1969. The new lineup made it as far as appearing on the televised rock & roll showcase Beat Club in Germany and other, similar programs in Holland, and on the cover of pop magazines in the Netherlands. Finally, another U.K. single, of "The Hum-Gum Tree," was due out, but then was canceled. That, apparently, was the final straw for the reconstituted band, which broke up in May of 1969, a year after the group's recording career had begun.

The World of Oz LP was released on schedule and disappeared without creating a ripple on the charts, on either side of the Atlantic. The album cover was a very strange one -- it featured visual representations of the last lineup of the group, which was understandable but also strange, as they were hardly heard on the record inside. The cover design was an especially ornate affair, utilizing characters from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz universe, which, according to Kubinec, also included representations of their manager, and even annotator Jonathan King, while the back cover had images of Bickerton and arranger Mike Vickers. As a psychedelic artifact, musical and visual, that LP and the cover were serious collectors' items for many years. It was bootlegged on CD sometime in the late '90s, before a legitimate re-release from Repertoire Records showed up in 2007, concurrent with a mini-LP-packaged CD in Japan.

Given relatively easy availability at last, the album reveals a prodigiously talented pop/rock band, nothing earth-shattering given what they and Class and Bickerton were aiming at, but with a lot of unrealized potential residing in those songs. And the singles "Muffin Man" and, better still, "Like a Tear" reflect a tuneful, trippy psychedelic pop sensibility, somewhat similar to the early Bee Gees -- in addition to appearing on The World of Oz, they have been anthologized on various psychedelic collections. 

In the years following the World of Oz's demise, David Kubinec did a solo album on A&M Records about a decade after the original group's signing, while Reay became a recording executive. Both Kubinec and Clarkson have since enjoyed long careers in music, right up to the present day. Nicholls, though a later member of the group, did rather better in music than any of the others in the band, however; after a stint with Quartz, he joined Black Sabbath for a long stint as their keyboard player.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1. The Muffin Man - 2:39
2. Bring The Ring - 3:05
3. Jackie - 2:49
4. Beside The Fire - 3:08
5. The Hum-Gum Tree - 2:21
6. With A Little Help - 3:18
7. We've All Seen The Queen - 2:33
8. King Croesus - 3:10
9. Mandy-Ann - 2:59
10.Jack - 2:28
11.Like A Tear - 3:11
12.Willow's Harp - 2:08
13.The Muffin Man (Single Version) - 2:31
14.Peter's Birthday (Single Version) - 2:55
15.King Croesus (Single Version) - 3:11
16.Jack (Single Version) - 2:28
17.The Hum-Gum Tree (Single Version) - 2:20
18.Beside The Fire (Single Version) - 3:08
19.Willow's Harp (Single Version) - 2:08
20.Like A Tear (Single Version) - 3:10
Music and Lyrics by World Of Oz

The World Of Oz
*Christopher Robin - Vocals, Guitar
*Tony Clarkson - Bass
*David 'Kubie' Kubinec - Guitar, Organ
*David Reay - Drums
*Geoff Nicholls - Organ
*Rob Moore - Drums

Related Act

1969-70  David Kubinec's Mainhorse Airline - The Geneva Tapes (2007 remaster)   

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Frumpy - All Will Be Changed (1970 germany, remarkable heavy psych prog rock, 2008 remaster with extra tracks)

No other artist has had as lasting an influence on German rock music as Inga Rumpf, daughter of a sailor and a tailoress from East Prussia. The vocalist grew up in Hamburg's St. Georg district with the music of Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. Her smoky, bluesy voice, influenced by icons such as Mahalia Jackson and Nina Simone. fills fans all over the world with enthusiasm to this day. Her seemingly limitless stylistic range has rightfulty earned Inga Rumpf a reputation as Germany's no.1 rock vocalist.

Inga Rumpf's career began in 1965 with a folk act called City Preachers, who soon had a considerable following thanks to their mix of folk, blues, country, gospel and jazz. She recorded three albums with the group and continued to use the name after a disagreement with founder O'Brien Docker and a subsequent fundamental line-up change. Along with bassist Karf-Heinz Schott and organist Jean-Jacques Kravetz, she was supported by the young drummer. Udo Lindenberg. In spring 1969, Lindenberg was replaced by Carsten Bonn, who insisted on a tougher direction. This led to the foundation of Frumpy m 1970, the name having been discovered by the musicians in a CBS record catalogue. 

Frumpy soon sparked Phonogram's interest, and Rumpf and Co. were sent to the label's own studios in Hamburg and Hilversum to record their debut album. All Will Be Changed. "The record company had been impressed by our live shows and wanted us to record the LP in the same style. That's why we recorded everything live," Inga Rumpf recalls. "We didn't have much time anyway, that's why one week between two shows had to be enough for the whole production."

All We Be Changed saw the band gear their music to established international sounds, but they immediately found their own style thanks to the ever-present drone of a Hammond organ and Rurnpf's unique voice. They initially worked without a guitarist, allowing keyboardist Joan-Jacques Kravetz to rotate the powerful Leslie rotor. In the beginning we were happy enough as a quartet. I played and composed exclusively on an acoustic guitar," explains Rumpf. "It was only later that we began to write songs that called for a guitar."

The national press initially eyed Frumpy with the typical skepticism of that time towards anybody who made rock music on German shores. *"Long live boredom. We can only hope that Frumpy are serious about the whispered promise, 'all will be changed*, toward the end of the record, because a total musical change would definitely be called for," Sounds magazine concluded in 1970, unable to acquire a taste even for Inga Rumpf's soulful, husky voice. Hardly one year later.  Rumpf was voted best German female voice in the same magazine.

Unimpressed by such ambiguities Frumpy continued lo work on their career, appearing. among other venues, at the legendary Pans Olympia and the Lyceum in London, one of Hie most important British clubs, and embarked on a 50-show German tour. Rumpf: "To start off with, we played every club, disco, cultural event and festival where people still knew us from our City Preachers era. This changed as soon as the audience felt our musical identity.

We even moved the crowds opening for Spooky Tooth and other British groups and soon developed into a top act ourselves." Yet the musicians did not gain riches, which Inga Rumpf takes in her stride; "Occasionally we went homo without being paid or with an IOU because the promoter had run off with the cash. But I didn't need a lot in those days. I was only interested in singing, songwriting and composing,"

by Matthias Mineur

Tracks
1. Life Without Pain (Inga Rumpf, Robert Coules) - 3:48
2. Rosalie Part I - 6:03
3. Otium (Jean Jacques Kravetz) - 4:22
4. Rosalie Part II - 4:12
5. Indian Rope Man (Richie Havens, Joe Price, Mark Roth) - 3:20
6. Morning - 3:23
7. Floating Part I (Inga Rumpf, Robert Coules) - 7:41
8. Baroque (Jean Jacques Kravetz) - 7:36
9. Floating Part II (Inga Rumpf, Robert Coules) - 1:23
10.Roadriding - 4:023
11.Time Makes Wise - 2:52
All compositions by Inga Rumpf except where indicated
Bonustracks 10-11

Frumpy
*Inga Rumpf - Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
*Rainer Baumann - Guitar
*Carsten Bohn Bandstand - Bass, Drums, Percussion
*Jean Jacques Kravetz - Keyboards, Mellotron, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Spinet
*Karl Heinz Schott - Bass

1971  Frumpy - Frumpy II 

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Frumpy - Frumpy II (1971 germany, tremendous heavy prog rock)

Inga Rumpf's Frumpy was among the most startling bands on the entire German rock scene of the early '70s, an act so diametrically opposed to the Krautrock boom beloved by critics elsewhere that first impressions of their music always leave listeners scratching their heads. 

If Frumpy has any role models, it is a collision between Meddle-era Pink Floyd and a less-precocious Uriah Heep. Frumpy 2, unsurprisingly their second album, features just four tracks, but all are soaring slabs of emotive guitar and keyboards, deeply progressive of course, but unquestionably pop as well. Even at a shade over ten minutes, "How the Gypsy Was Born" sounds like a hit single, while the churning Hammond organ brings Deep Purple to mind in full on "Black Night"/"Woman From Tokyo" mode. Rumpf herself, meanwhile, has a range and depth comparable to Curved Air's Sonja Kristina, with an emotive strength which seems all the more remarkable when you remember that English is not her native language. 

The shifting, complex "Take Care of Illusion" brings the best out of her in every way imaginable, while the lengthy instrumental break during the closing "Duty" allows her bandmates to shine with equal aplomb. The guitar and keyboard solos and duels which take place above the tumultuous rhythms are as spectacular as anything else in the genre. But even while you're sitting slack-jawed in awe, it is very difficult to play favorites. 

Frumpy, like Rumpf's Atlantis after them, has antecedents aplenty, and their influences peep out behind every corner. But the manner in which they've been sewn together owes little to any Anglo-American role models and little to any Krautrock basics, too. Quite simply, Frumpy 2 is the prog album you'll be returning to long after the others have all dulled into wallpaper.

by Dave Thompson

Tracks
1. Good Winds (I. Rumpf) - 10:08
2. How the Gypsy Was Born (J. J. Kravetz, I. Rumpf) - 8:49
3. Take Care of Illusion (J. J. Kravetz, I. Rumpf) - 7:35
4. Duty (J. J. Kravetz, I. Rumpf) - 12:14

Frumpy
*Inga Rumpf - Guitar, Vocals
*Rainer Baumann - Guitar
*Carsten Bohn Bandstand - Bass, Percussion
*Jean Jacques Kravetz - Keyboards
*Karl Heinz Schott - Bass

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Catfish - Get Down (1970 us, magnificent raw folk blues rock)

Catfish has been called an “American folk blues hero” and has been a mainstay on the American Blues music scene for three decades now! He has twenty four albums to his credit, comprised almost totally of original material. “Catfish Blues” and “Like A Big Dog Barkin’” on the Wildcat label.

Catfish found his calling early on. While growing up in Detroit, he was sneaking into Motown Records Hitsville studio to catch the Four tops and the Supremes and grooving to R&B and Blues while his contemporaries gravitated to the Beatles. In the late 1960’s he formed the Catfish Band and led them out of Detroit into national prominence.

Tracks
1. Catfish (Bob Hodge, Mark Manko, T. Carson) - 3:49
2. The Hawk - 4:31
3. No Place To Hide (Bob Hodge, Mark Manko) - 4:42
4. 300 Pound Fat Mama - 7:56
5. Love Lights - 5:33
6. Coffee Song - 1:35
7. Tradition (Bob Hodge, Mark Manko) - 3:26
8. Sundown Man - 3:32
9. Reprise: Catfish/Get High, Get Naked, Get Down (B. Hodge, M. Manko, T. Carson) - 9:43
All selections written by Bob Hodge unless otherwise indicated

Personnel
*Bob "Catfish" Hodge - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Mark Manko - Guitar
*Harry Phillips - Keyboards
*W.R. Cooke - Bass
*Jimmy Optner - Drums

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Canned Heat - Hallelujah (1969 us, stunning hard delta blues rock, remaster and expanded)

Canned Heat was one of the most remarkable Blues Bands in the 60's era. Basically an electrified Country Blues and Boogie band, they created two pop hits that were arguably a direct descendent of the old Skip James vocal style. Now don't get me wrong, when I say "pop" hits, I don't mean they made any commercial concessions like strings or anything. Both of the songs, "On The Road Again", and "Goin' Up The Country" were both compelling and progressive blues arrangements.

Like many great bands, Canned Heat could be two different bands depending on who was singing and leading the arrangement, and when the lead guitarist, Henry Vestine played a solo, sometimes a third one that flew off into an abstract psychedelic Delta. The two singers were Bob Hite and Alan Wilson. When Bob was on, the band was a hard rocking Blues band that often did rock and roll. With Alan, an electric country blues band that featured his great falsetto (similiar to Skip James) and often mysterious sounding slide (one could say Faheyesque). He was also probably one of the most underrated harp players of all time.

Canned Heat records could be uneven, particularly their first, and that was more due to unfamiliarity to the studio. Live, they were as hot (and sloppy) as a blues band could get. Listen to their live version of "Bullfrog Blues" on the Monterrey Pop Festival soundtrack and you'll see what I mean. Their next one, "Boogie With Canned Heat", showed the needed adjustments, and also produced their first hit, "On The Road Again". It's a good blues record, and featured their first extended boogie (and still their best), "Fried Hockey Boogie".

A later release also took boogie to the utmost 60's extreme and built from an acoustic start to full tilt over two entire sides of a double record set. It's not easily found these days, but worth a listen, as it also contains their next hit, "Goin' Up The Country" which added a flute to the boogie (one wonders why it hadn't been done before, it sounds so perfect). Later on, a series of rather quick records appeared, like their "Live In Europe", a poorly recorded one that I'm not sure they wanted released. However, it's not my purpose to discuss such recordings, as they did produce more than a few good sets.

One of those was "Hallelujah" released on their own Liberty label. It didn't contain any of their hits, but as an album, it's the most consistent except for maybe the "Future Blues" release. "Hallelujah" is basically one great blues song after another, in an impressively eclectic set. It opens with a classic sing-along blues shuffle, "Same All Over", featuring one of the best Hite vocals ever. It's an opener that sticks in your mind long after listening.

Hite isn't the one the average fan associates with the band as he didn't sing on either of the two earlier hits, although later on he sang the hit cover of "Work Together". However, without him, the band wouldn't have had nearly the depth it had. Bob was the gruff, low voice, with an obvious sense of humor and plenty of grit. A perfect balance to Alan's higher pitched vocal style. It's his voice that makes "Same All Over" more than your average shuffle.

Wilson pipes in next with the uptempo, and eerie "Change My Ways", a complex boogie with a sense of dynamics one doesn't normally see in, say, a Chicago outfit. It's also a total change in mood. It opens with a great organ and drum opening, then moves into what would be a prototypical Wilson boogie, with interesting tempo changes and bridges (the hallmarks of a classic Wilson number).

These interesting arrangements were due to the diverse blues both Hite and Wilson had been exposed to. Hite was a legendary blues record collector, with one of the most extensive collections ever, and Wilson did a few projects with John Fahey, playing slide on some early Fahey releases ("Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death" being one). One can discern a Fahey influence in his slide approach.

Hite follows Alan with "Canned Heat", which is similiar to "Canned Heat" by Houston Stackhouse. It's a slower song, but with a very interesting sense of tempo. Almost atmospheric, or at least as much as an old blues song can be. "Sic 'Em Pigs" boogies in next, and it's a still hilarious boogie that perhaps sounds dated in it's anti-police message, that given the Rodney King incident, is still timely. It's a song that could have become a bit self-righteous in tone, but Hite gives it just the perfect amount of sarcasm and humor to make it work. It's a song I can't imagine anyone else doing so perfectly, actually.

The side continues with a hard charging shuffle called, "I'm Her Man", which also features piano and organ by Mark Naftalin. The Heat rhythm section, Larry Taylor on bass and Fito de la Parra, drive this arrangement hard, yet never break into rock. As a result, it's a shuffle that cooks, spiced up with some great leads by Vestine.

Alan ends the side with "Time Was", a slower number that has a good sense of movement, with some good tempo changes. Once again, a good number made great by a great band. "Do Not Enter" opens side two, and it's a viciously powerful, rocking medium tempo blues, sort of like angry Bo Diddley. Wilson's harp tone is incredibly full, and while he didn't specialize in the instrument, was always more than your average harp player. His ideas tended to stress tone and feel as opposed to speed, and one thing you could always say about a Wilson solo; it always sounded just right.

Wilson's harp opens the next cut, "Big Fat", an old Domino song. If there was one singer who could do a Fats number, it was Hite, and it's done here as a great rocking shuffle. A waltz time "Huautla" follows, opening with Wilson's harp, and moving into a group jam, done over a bongo and conga beat. It sounds much better than it reads, believe me. It then moves back into waltz time, and ends.

A strange Wilson rocker comes next, with Chuck Berry guitar being mixed with a blues shuffle, and like most Wilson numbers, comes together in a way that's always hard to describe, except that he clearly knew what he was doing and was able to reconcile the influences. The number ends with some hard rocking soloing by Vestine. I should mention a bit about Vestine at this point. He was one of the wildest guitar players in the blues, earning the tongue-in-cheek remark by Hite in "Fried Hockey Boogie", which ran "Are you really experienced?" in an obvious reference to Hendrix.

One might think that Vestine was actually a rock player who played the blues with the band as any other gig, but his blues credentials ran quite deep. He, along with John Fahey (and another whose name escapes me) were the ones who tracked down Skip James and brought him out of retirement in the 60's folk era. Also, many of his solos were extrapolations on blues tonalities, albeit loud extrapolations. Also, in the regular blues arrangements, his guitar playing was always on target. You don't hear his name very often when great blues guitar players are discussed, but in my mind, it was arguable that at a minimum, he was very underrated.

Larry Taylor went on to play bass in many sessions for other artists, the most notable being part of John Mayall's "Turning Point" era band. Also, he did work for artists as diverse as Leo Kottke and Freddie Roulette. His partner in the rhythm section, Fito, never got famous outside of the band, but then, he was already in a famous blues band, and I guess that's all anyone really needs, right? Well, I have digressed a bit, but it seemed like a good time for a band intro...

The record ends with the band, with the addition of Mark Naftalin on keyboards, playing a very low down slow blues called, "Down In The Gutter, But Free". It's a great one, and just a bit overdone, like all good lowdown slow blues should be done.

by Al Handa

Tracks
1. Same All Over (Canned Heat) - 2:51
2. Change My Ways (Alan Wilson) - 2:47
3. Canned Heat (Robert Hite,) - 4:22
4. Sic 'Em Pigs (Robert Hite, Booker T. White) - 2:41
5. I'm Her Man (A. Leigh) - 2:55
6. Time Was (Alan Wilson) - 3:21
7. Do Not Enter (Alan Wilson) - 2:50
8. Big Fat (The Fat Man) (Dave Bartholomew) - 1:57
9. Huautla (V. Wolf) - 3:33
10.Get Off My Back (Alan Wilson) - 5:10
11.Down In The Gutter, But Free (Canned Heat) - 5:37
12.Time Was (Single Version) (Alan Wilson) - 2:34
13.Low Down (Canned Heat) - 2:30
14.Poor Moon (Alan Wilson) - 2:43
15.Sic 'Em Pigs (Single Version) (Robert Hite, Bukka White) - 1:54

The Canned Heat
*Bob Hite - Vocals, Harmonica
*Alan Wilson - Slide Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, Whistling
*Henry Vestine - Lead Guitar, Bass
*Larry Taylor - Bass, Guitar
*Fito De La Parra - Drums
Additional Personnel
*Ernest Lane - Piano
*Mark Naftalin - Organ, Piano
*Javier Batiz - Group Vocals
*Skip Diamond - Group Vocals
*Elliot Ingber - Group Vocals
*Mike Pacheco - Bongos, Congas

1967-73  Canned Heat - The Very Best Of
1968  Canned Heat - Livin The Blues (Akarma edition)
1971  John Lee Hooker And Canned Heat - Hooker 'N' Heat
1970 Canned Heat - Future Blues (Remaster and Expanded)
1970-73  Memphis Slim Canned Heat Memphis Horns - Memphis Heat
1971-72  Canned Heat - Historical Figures And Ancient Heads
1973  Canned Heat - One More River To Cross

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Koko Taylor - What It Takes / The Chess Years (1964-72 us, amazing vocals, fantastic electric chicago blues, 2009 remaster and expanded)

It could be argued, without raising too much of a sweat, that Koko Taylor was the greatest female blues singer of all time. The undisputed Queen of Chicago Blues, Taylor was a big-voiced blues shouter in the vein of Big Mama Thornton. She was an even bigger presence on the modern blues scene, staying active nearly until her death in mid-2009. Taylor won more W.C. Handy/Blues Music Awards than any other female artist, and she continued to light up stages and knock out appreciate audiences, remaining vital and electric until the final days of her lengthy career.

Although much of Taylor's better-known and award-winning material was released by Alligator Records, who signed the singer in 1975 after the demise of Chess Records, Taylor's larger-than-life reputation was earned for the dozens of songs and handful of albums that she recorded for Chess over the course of the previous decade. Taylor started her career with Chess in 1964, and hit the big time a year later when she took the Willie Dixon-penned classic "Wang Dang Doodle" to #4 on the R&B charts, eventually selling over a million copies of what would become her signature song. The hit single would open doors for Taylor, who saw demand for her dynamic live performances skyrocket.

Taylor's What It Takes - The Chess Years originally appeared on CD in 1991 as an eighteen-song compilation of the singer's best work for the label, including several previously unreleased (at the time) songs. Reissued in 2009 as an exhaustive twenty-four-track history of Taylor's eight years with the label, this limited edition version adds six rare "bonus tracks" to fulfill every Koko Taylor fan's desire.

More than a retrospective of Taylor's immeasurably influential Chess Records years, What It Takes also provides a capsule history of the label itself. Taylor's recordings feature legendary musicians like harpist Big Walter Horton, pianist Lafayette Leake, guitarists Buddy Guy and Matt "Guitar" Murphy, rhythm wizards Jack Meyers (bass) and Fred Below (drums) and, of course, bassist/songwriter/producer Willie Dixon

Without discounting the talents of the musicians assembled behind her, this is Koko's story, and nobody could grab a song and spark life into it like Taylor. "I Got What It Takes," from which this collection takes its name, was Taylor's first Chess single. A bruising, slow-rolling blues shouter, it announced Taylor's arrival on the Chicago blues scene with little subtlety, powerful vocals, tasteful Buddy Guy fretwork, and Big Walter's mesmerizing harp tones. "Don't Mess With The Messer," which landed in 1965, is more of a R&B styled dance number with nimble rhythms, but Taylor's fine vocals are nearly lost in the mix.

Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" was Taylor's first smash hit for Chess, and sounds just as forceful today as it did in '65. This is one of the greatest Chicago blues songs ever, with Dixon sharing vocals, great guitar interplay between Guy and Johnny "Twist" Williams, and blastin' saxes to clean out any leftover wax from your ears. The soulful "(I Got) All You Need," from the same session, is an R&B rave-up that shows a more playful side of Taylor's voice without sacrificing any strength or bluster. The menacing "Insane Asylum" is one of the best duets between Dixon and Taylor, with stomping, screaming vox laid atop Lafayette Leake's imaginative pianowork.

The spry, up-tempo "Fire" is a fast-paced bluesy rocker with raucous vocals, mid-1960s period saxplay courtesy of Gene Barge, and a rollicking soundtrack with robust rhythms from an unknown bassist and drummer. A live recording dating from 1972 has the great Muddy Waters joining Taylor onstage for an electrifying performance of "I Got What It Takes," the two charismatic singers swapping verses, both turning in smoldering performances. The six additional "bonus tracks," comprised largely of forgotten singles and B-sides, do a great job of fleshing out an already impressive set.

Taylor's original "What Kind Of Man Is That?" shows some songwriting skills, but it's her vocal performance - sultry and growling at the same time - that knocks the song out of the ballpark. Throw in Horton's wailing harp and downplayed guitarwork by Guy and Robert Nighthawk, and it’s a wonder that this one wasn't a hit. A cover of J.B. Lenoir's "Good Advice," with well-timed horns framing the vocals, and a shuffling beat, sounds like the best R&B music you've ever heard coming out of your car radio while "Tease Your Man," from 1971, is an underrated gem. A great performance that stands where blues and soul music intersect, Taylor has great control over her vocals, which range from a quiet storm to a raging hurricane. Louis Satterfield's fat bass lines drive the rhythm, while Joe Young and Dennis Miller swap some jazzy guitar licks.

Koko Taylor was a one of a kind, old-school blueswoman who infused every performance with style, emotion, and power, and it's safe to say that there won't be another one like her to come along anytime soon. What It Takes - The Chess Years should be a required addition to every blues fan's listening library, representing not only some of Taylor's best work, but the sound of Chicago blues during the often-overlooked era of the 1960s. More than a mere collection of two-dozen ear-pleasing songs, this is also Taylor's musical legacy. 

by Reverend Keith A. Gordon

Tracks
1. I Got What It Takes - 3:08
2. Don't Mess with the Messer - 2:45
3. Whatever I Am, You Made Me - 2:28
4. I'm a Little Mixed Up (Betty James, Edward Johnson) - 2:42
5. Wang Dang Doodle - 3:01
6. (I Got) All You Need - 2:18
7. Love Me - 2:48
8. What Came First the Egg or the Hen - 2:28
9. Insane Asylum - 4:22
10.Fire - 2:35
11.I Don't Care Who Knows - 2:13
12.Twenty-Nine Ways to My Baby's Door - 3:13
13.Blue Prelude (Joe Bishop, Gordon Jenkins) - 3:32
14.I Need More and More - 2:44
15.Um Huh My Baby (Harold Barrage, Willie Dixon) - 3:52
16.Bills, Bills and More Bills - 2:52
17.Let Me Love You Baby (Willie Dixon, James Ingram) - 2:48
18.I Got What It Takes (feat: Muddy Waters) - 6:24
19.What Kind Of Man Is That? (Koko Taylor) - 3:02
20.Blues Heaven (Willie Dixon, Dick LaPalm) - 2:21
21.Tell Me The Truth (Johnnie Mae Dunson) - 2:03
22.Good Advice (J. B. Lenoir) - 2:27
23.Separate Of Integrate - 3:06
24.Tease Your Man - 4:20
All songs by Willie Dixon except whre indicated

Personnel
*Koko Taylor - Vocals
*Willie Dixon - Bass, Vocals
*Muddy Waters - Vocals
*Gene Barge - Tenor Sax
*Fred Below - Drums
*Bob Crowder - Drums
*Dillard Crume - Bass
*Al Duncan - Drums
*Rufus Grume - Guitar
*Buddy Guy - Guitar
*Donald Hankins - Saxophone
*Big Walter Horton - Harmonica
*Clifton James - Drums
*Lafayette Leake - Keyboards, Piano
*Jack Meyers - Bass
*Dennis Miller - Guitar
*Matt "Guitar" Murphy - Guitar
*Dave Myers - Bass
*Louis Myers - Guitar
*Robert Nighthawk - Guitar
*Louis Satterfield - Bass
*Sunnyland Slim - Piano
*John Williams - Guitar

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John Mayall - Moving On (1972 uk, awesome jazz blues rock. 2009 remaster)

Following the U.S. tour, Mayall took the band on a tour of Australia. Selico and Larry Taylor dropped out and were replaced by Hartley and Putter Smith,respectively. Following that tour, Mayall brought in string bassist VictorGaskin, who toured with them in Britain in April 1972. Gaskin had worked with many of the jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderley and ChicoHamilton. Mayall then took the band on a European tour.

For his next release, Mayall recorded another live album in July 1972 at the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles. He again reshuffled personnel, now choosing Mitchell, Solomon, Larry Taylor, Victor Gaskin, Hartley, Robinson, Watts,flautist Charles Owen and baritone and tenor saxophonist Fred Jackson. Thealbum, Moving On, was released in January 1973.

Tracks
1. Worried Mind - 8:45
2. Keep Your Country Green - 3:25
3. Christmas 71 - 4:54
4. Things Go Wrong - 6:11
5. Do It - 4:56
6. Moving On - 4:22
7. Red Sky - 3:47
8. Reasons - 3:10
9. High Pressure Living - 6:59
All songs by John Mayall

Musicians
*Freddy Robinson - Guitar
*Larry Taylor - Bass
*John Mayall - Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica
*Victor Gaskin - Bass
*Keef Hartley - Drums
*Blue Mitchell - Trumpet
*Fred Jackson - Baritone, Tenor Saxophone
*Ernie Watts - Tenor Saxophone
*Clifford Solomon - Alto, Tenor Saxophone
*Charles Owens - Flute

1966  John Mayall Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton (Japan SHM double disc set)
1967  John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers - A Hard Road (Double Disc Set)
1969  John Mayall - The Turning Point (Remaster And Expanded)
1967  Various Artists - Raw Blues

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Josefus - Dead Man / Get Off My Case (1969-70 us, superb texas heavy psych rock)

Having played together in the Houston, Texas-based United Gas, in the wake of the band's collapse, singer Pete Bailey and guitarist Dave Mitchell decided to continue their musical collaboration. Adding drummer Doug Tull and bassist Ray Turner the the line up, the band initially attracted the attention of producer Jim Musil. Musil trucked the band to Arizona where he financed a series of demos under the name Come. Unable to interest a major label in the results (Frank Zappa's Straight label was reportedly briefly interested), the tapes were shelved; the band returning to Houston.

As Josefus, the quartet began playing Houston's local club scene. Unable to attract the attention of a label, the decided to record and release an album on their own Hookah label (the label symbol was a Turkish water pipe). Reportedly recorded in a single eight hour period, with a second day to mix, 1970's self-produced "Dead Man" proved surprisingly accomplished. With the exception of a manic cover of The Stones Gimmie Shelter", the collection featured all original, group-penned material. Propelled by Bailey's screeching vocals (gee, shades of Robert Plant ...) and Mitchell's equally shrill guitar, the set found the quartet blasting their way through a mix of bluesy ("I Need a Woman") and hard rock ("Crazy Man"). 

Highlights included their manic cover of The Stones' "Gimmie Shelter" and the 17 minute meltdown title track. Widely sought after by collectors (it's listed in Hans Pokora's "1001 Record Collector Dreams" as a "very rare" item), we'll be honest and tell you the set won't change your life. On the other hand, it rocks with considerable confidence and we've heard plenty of less talented outfits signed by major labels. Besides, we've always liked Howard Tucker's skull cover.

Bad-Cat

Tracks
1. Crazy Man - 3:39
2. I Need A Woman - 4:21
3. Gimmie Shelter (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 4:06
4. Country Boy - 3:13
5. Proposition - 4:45
6. Situation - 1:55
7. Dead Man - 17:26
8. Crazy Man - 3:39
9. Country Boy - 3:15
10.Get Off My Case - 3:57
11.A Social Song  - 2:33
12.Feelin' Good - 6:18
13.Situation - 2:14
14.Dead Man - 15:52
All songs by Pete Bailey, Dave Mitchell, Doug Tull, Ray Turner except where stated.
Tracks 8-14 are from the original 1969 "Dead Man" Recordings

Josefus
*Pete Bailey - Vocals, Harmonica
*Dave Mitchell - Guitar
*Doug Tull - Drums, Percussion
*Ray Turner - Bass

1969-70  Josefus - Josefus...Plus

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John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers - A Hard Road (1967 uk, amazing blues psych rock. 2003 double disc set remaster)

More an acquired taste than a mainstream sensation, John Mayall nonetheless merits mention in the annals of pop music’s most important artists. By dedicating his efforts to the pursuit of everything blues, Mayall eschewed the trappings of British Invasion era rock and single handedly crafted a genre all for himself. A gifted multi instrumentalist and experimenter as well as a demanding taskmaster, Mayall looked to American blues for inspiration while forging an eclectic brand of music, taking the blues explorations of the Yardbirds, Animals, and early Rolling Stones to far greater heights.

Throughout his most creative period of the ‘60s, Mayall fronted an ever-changing roster of skilled players known as the Bluesbreakers. A veritable who’s who of budding English artists, Mayall’s band served as a formidable training ground for the likes of Eric Clapton among others. After Clapton’s departure in 1966, Mayall recruited the gifted Peter Green to fill the spot and recorded the album A Hard Road. Some would argue that Green, not Clapton, was the premier young guitarist of the day; with an additional 22 bonus tracks to enjoy, the newly remastered twin disc package lends ample support to that premise.

Mayall’s ability to attract and challenge talented musicians was legendary, as A Hard Road’s lineup can attest. Backing Mayall and Green are pre-Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. Interestingly, as Green was often less heralded than his contemporaries in British music circles, so too was Dunbar, frequently overshadowed by the likes of Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, and Mitch Mitchell. Popular opinion aside, this incarnation of the Bluesbreakers was an impressive lot.

The 14 tracks from the original album blend Mayall’s original compositions with several noteworthy covers, (from Freddie King, Elmore James, and Willie Cobb), and a pair of Green’s own songs which allow the guitarist to shine.

As strong as this material is, the true value of the remastered A Hard Road comes by way of the second disc. Ranging from several Mayall-less recordings by Green, McVie and Dunbar, to a series of songs featuring Paul Butterfield, the 17 tracks are a vividly painted canvas of blues innovation. Also included is a pair of 1967 offerings with Mick Fleetwood on drums, and a single 1968 effort highlighted by Green trading guitar licks with future Rolling Stone Mick Taylor. As with the first disc, original numbers sit comfortably alongside assorted blues covers, as Mayall alternates between vocals, guitar and organ, while Green displays his understated fret board style.

Despite his extensive resume, Mayall’s A Hard Road serves as a crowning moment in a lengthy career, as it was recorded at the peak of his British Blues creative sensibilities. Additionally, it puts a definitive face on the enigmatic Green, whose potential was never fully realized as a premier guitarist. While their respective levels of greatness can be argued, there is no denying that Mayall and Green came together for a brief time and created some powerful material in each other’s company.

For those who enjoy Brit infused blues and boast a keen appreciation for musical uniqueness, Mayall and his band of merry men fill the bill quite nicely, as the remastered double disc A Hard Road collection is a worthwhile listening pleasure.

by Adam Williams

Tracks

Disc 1

1. A Hard Road - 3:08

2. It's Over - 2:48

3. You Don't Love Me (Willie Cobbs) - 2:48

4. The Stumble (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) - 2:51

5. Another Kinda Love - 3:04

6. Hit The Highway - 2:15

7. Leaping Christine - 2:22

8. Dust My Blues (Elmore James, Joe Josea) - 2:46

9. There's Always Work - 1:37

10.The Same Way (Peter Green) - 2:09

11.The Super-Natural (Peter Green) - 2:57

12.Top Of The Hill - 2:39

13.Some Day After Awhile (You'll Be Sorry) (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) - 3:00

14.Living Alone - 2:23

15.Evil Woman Blues (From Raw Blues) (Peter Green) - 4:02

16.All Of My Life (Jimmie Lee Robinson) - 4:22

17.Ridin' On The L'n'N (Lionel Hampton, Dan Burley) - 2:27

18.Little By Little (Mel London, Junior Wells) - 2:45

19.Eagle Eye - 2:52

All songs by John Mayall except as noted

Disc 2
1. Looking Back (Single A-Side) (Johnny "Guitar" Watson) - 2:34
2. So Many Roads (Single B-Side) (Marshall Paul) - 4:44
3. Sitting In The Rain (Single A-Side) - 2:56
4. Out Of Reach (Single B-Side) (Peter Green) - 4:41
5. Mama, Talk To Your Daughter (Session Outtake) (Alex Atkins, J B Lenoir) - 2:37
6. Alabama Blues (Session Outtake) (J B Lenoir) - 2:29
7. Curly (Single A-Side) - 4:49
8. Rubber Duck (Single B-Side) (Aunsley Dunbar, Peter Green) - 3:57
9. Greeny (Session Outtake) (Peter Green) - 3:54
10.Missing You (Session Outtake) (Peter Green) - 1:57
11.Please Don't Tell (Session Outtake) 2:26
12.Your Funeral And My Trial (Session Outtake) (Sonny Boy Williamson) 3:54
13.Double Trouble (Single A-Side) (Otis Rush) - 3:19
14.It Hurts Me Too (Single B-Side) (Mel London) - 2:55
15.Jenny (Single A-Side) - 4:36
16.Picture On The Wall (Single B-Side) - 3:01
17.First Time Alone (From Blues From Laurel Canyon) - 5:00
All songs by John Mayall except as stated

The Bluesbreakers
*John Mayall – Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Organ
*Peter Green – Guitar, Vocals
*John Mcvie – Bass
*Hughie Flint – Drums
*Aynsley Dunbar – Drums
*John Almond – Saxophones
*Alan Skidmore – Saxophones
*Ray Warleigh – Wind Instruments
Additional Musicians
*Colin Allen – Drums
*Paul Butterfield – Harmonica, Vocals
*Mick Fleetwood – Drums
*Henry Lowther – Trumpet
*Nick Newell – Saxophone

1966  John Mayall Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton (Japan SHM 2 Disc Set)
1969  John Mayall - The Turning Point (Remaster And Expanded)
1967  Various Artists - Raw Blues

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The Nice - Nice (1969 uk, extraordinary early prog baroque rock, 2003 bonus tracks hard sleeve remaster)

The Nice's third album was their first to break them into the star recording bracket in the U.K., where it reached number three on the charts. Though only measuring six songs in all, it covered a lot of territory, in a rich mixture of psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical that did a lot to map the format for progressive rock. The extended pretension of some of the numbers, viewed less forgivingly, might also seem like an antecedent to pop/rock. But the studio side of the LP (in its pre-CD incarnation) included one of their best tracks, a cover of Tim Hardin's "Hang on to a Dream," with grand Keith Emerson classical lines and an angelic choir. 

It also included a reworking of the B-side of their first single in "Azrael Revisited," a slight throwback to the more playful psychedelia of their roots with "Diary of an Empty Day," and the nine-minute "For Example," in which Emerson stretched out his jazz-classical mutations to a fuller length, throwing in a quote from "Norwegian Wood" along the way. More attention was given to the second side of the LP, recorded live at the Fillmore East, with a berserk workout of a number from their debut album, "Rondo" and a 12-minute overhaul of Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me." 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Azrael Revisited - 5:56
2. Hang On To A Dream (Tim Hardin) - 4:45
3. Diary Of An Empty Day - 3:59
4. For Example - 8:54
5. Rondo '69' (Brubeck, Emerson, Jackson, Davison) - 7:55
6. She Belongs To Me (Bob Dylan) - 11:51
7. Hang On To A Dream (Tim Hardin) - 4:46
8. Diary Of An Empty Day - 4:00

9. St. Thomas (Sonny Rollins) - 2:35

10.Pathetique Symphony 4th (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) - 10:34

11.Lt. Kije (The Troika)/Rondo (Sergei Prokofiev) - 8:00

All songs by Keith Emerson, Lee Jackson except where indicated
Bonus Tracks 7-11

The Nice
*Keith Emerson – Keyboards
*Lee Jackson – Bass, Vocals
*Brian Davison – Drums
*David O'List - Guitar, Vocals

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