Thursday, January 7, 2021

Ro-D-Ys - Take Her Home (1967-69 holland, fascinating nederbeat)



Before the band became widely known as Ro-d-Ys, they had been active for several years under the name Popular Pipers Boys Band . When they became professional musicians in 1966 , the name of the band was changed to Rowdies, but a number of bands already appeared to perform under that name, and they decided to rename the band Ro-d-Ys. They were discovered by Wim Zomer , who attended drama school in Arnhem and was Winschoten originated, but it didn't last, soon after they met  Hans van Hemert , who worked for Phonogram, took the group under his wing. Van Hemert, had already worked with Q65 , Zen and Groep 1850.

Their first single You Better Take Care Of Yourself / Wheels, Wheels, Wheels was released in December 1966. In 1967 a number of singles followed, mainly played by Radio Veronica . The group toured through Italy and England , and records sold well in Germany and Belgium as well. The first LP Just Fancy garnered good reviews. When drummer Bennie Groen had to join the army to fulfill his military service , Dick Beekman (ex. Cuby + Blizzards) joined the band. After his discharge from the army, however, Groen returned as a regular drummer. 

1968 was to be the big year for Ro-d-Ys . Α concept album entitled Earnest Vocation, was released and was based on the novel Little John by Frederik van Eeden. Producer Van Hemert approached Bert Paige, who took the arragements and the orchestration of the songs. The album fitted with the psychedelic era and was well received, but the singles released from the album were not very successful. When Rijnbergen temporarily left the band in September 1968, their popularity was already declining sharply. In the same period the group broke up with manager Wim Zomer. 

With a new manager Krijn Torringa the band (and with Harry Rijnbergen on board again) tried a new comeback in  1969 with Annet Hesterman  as a singer. A year earlier she had declined an offer to become a singer with Shocking Blue . However, the new single Winter Woman / Looking for Something Better did not go as much as they expected.. Rijnbergen and Groen then left the band, to join Zen. After a few unsuccessful singles, they disbanded in 1970.

Joop Hulzebos died on 27 September 1998, aged 52. On March 15, 2003, Berend Groen passed away at the age of 56. On September 23, 2006, on the initiative of the Ro-d-Ys Foundation, a monument for the band was unveiled in Oude Pekela. 
Tracks
1. You Better Take Care Of Yourself - 2:27
2. Take Her Home - 2:37
3. Just Fancy - 3:02
4. Tomorrow - 2:33
5. Just Go Go - 2:54
6. Destination - 3:03
7. I Still Got You - 2:03
8. Let's Try - 2:29
9. Nothing To Change A Mind - 2:31
10.Sleep Sleep Sleep - 3:08
11.Anytime - 3:13
12.Unforgettable Girl - 3:08
13.Earnest Vacation - 4:59
14.Let It Be Tomorrow - 2:17
15.Look For Windchild - 2:38
16.Winter Woman - 4:25
All compositions by Harry Rijnbergen
Track 1 from single You Better Take Care Of Yourself 1966
Track 2 from single Take Her Home 1967
Tracks 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 from LP Just Fancy 1967
Track 9 from single Nothing To Change A Mind 1967
Track 10 from single Sleep, Sleep, Sleep 1968
Track 11 from single Anytime 1968
Tracks 12, 13, 14, 15 from LP Earnest Vocation 1968
Track 16 from single Winter Woman 1969

Ro-D-Ys
*Harry Rijnbergen - Guitar, Vocals
*Joop Hulzebos - Guitar, Keyboards
*Wiechert Kenter - Bass, Trumpet, Vibraphone
*Bennie Groen - Drums 
*Dick Beekman - Drums
*Annet Hesterman - Vocals

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Wednesday, January 6, 2021

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Buritto Deluxe (1970 us, impressive americana country rock, 2020 SACD)



Burrito Deluxe was oringally released by A&M records in 1969.  There are some good songs onboard, most notably mellow country-rockers “Cody, Cody” and “God’s Own Singer.”  These are clearly the LP’s best numbers.  Parsons and company even cover “Wild Horses” a few years before the Rolling Stones included it on their Sticky Fingers LP.  On the surface Burrito Deluxe seems like a good enough follow-up to The Gilded Palace of Sin but further listening reveals some major flaws.  For one, the songwriting is inconsistent: Burrito Deluxe yields no true classics on par with “Christine’s Tune,”  “Hot Burrito #1,” or “Hot Burrito #2.”  Parsons at this point was losing interest in the band he and Chris Hillman co-founded.  Was Parsons spending too much time with Keith Richards or perhaps writing songs and preparing for his brief solo career?  

Aspects that made the Burrito’s debut so great, the fuzz guitars, those strong soul and country influences (what Parsons referred to as Cosmic American Music) and the unity in performance are missing.  Instead the Burritos go for a harder rocking bar band sound as heard on tracks like Bob Dylan’s “If You Gotta Go” and the Sweetheart era outtake “Lazy Days.”  “Lazy Days” is professional songcraft, a decent enough number but the Dylan cover along with “Man In The Fog” is rather sloppy – this is not the Flying Burrito Brothers I know.  Other tracks like “Image of Me”, “Farther Along” and “Older Guys” are respectable, gutsy country-rock efforts but again, nothing groundbreaking or classic.

So on a whole, this is a solid album for the country-rock genre, definitely better than what the average band was releasing back in the late 60s/early 70s.  I’d go out on a limb and say that the Burrito’s self titled 3rd album and Last of the Red Hot Burritos (live) may be more consistent records – these records are without Gram Parsons too!  Listening to Burrito Deluxe reminds us that Parsons’ head was elsewhere at the time.  It feels as though the band is rushing through each number without any heart or true committment and because of this, Burrito Deluxe suffers from an unfocused sound.  All complaints aside, Burrito Deluxe is still well worth a spin and an essential albeit baffling country-rock/Americana LP.
by Jason Nardelli
Tracks
1. Lazy Days (Gram Parsons) - 3:14
2. Image Of Me (Harlan Howard, Wayne Kemp) - 3:20
3. High Fashion Queen (Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons) - 2:08
4. If You Gotta Go (Bob Dylan) - 1:51
5. Man In The Fog (Bernie Leadon, Gram Parsons) - 2:32
6. Farther Along (J.R. Baxter, W.B. Stevens) - 4:02
7. Older Guys (Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon, Gram Parsons) - 2:30
8. Cody, Cody (Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons) - 2:47
9. God's Own Singer (Bernie Leadon) - 2:07
10.Down In The Churchyard (Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons) - 2:22
11.Wild Horses (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 6:26

The Flying Burrito Brothers
*Gram Parsons - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards
*Chris Hillman - Vocals, Bass, Mandolin
*Sneaky Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Bernie Leadon - Vocals, Guitar, Dobro
*Michael Clarke - Drums
With
*Leon Russell - Piano 
*Byron Berline - Fiddle
*Tommy Johnson - Tuba
*Buddy Childers - Cornet, Flugelhorn
*Leopoldo C. Carbajal - Accordion
*Frank Blanco - Percussion

Related Acts
1968  The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo  (Double Disc Set)

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Monday, January 4, 2021

The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace Of Sin (1969 us, iconic hugely influential country rock statement, 2017 SACD)



By 1969, Gram Parsons had already built the foundation of the country-rock movement through his work with the International Submarine Band and the Byrds, but his first album with the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin, was where he revealed the full extent of his talents, and it ranks among the finest and most influential albums the genre would ever produce. As a songwriter, Parsons delivered some of his finest work on this set; "Hot Burrito No. 1" and "Hot Burrito No. 2" both blend the hurt of classic country weepers with a contemporary sense of anger, jealousy, and confusion, and "Sin City" can either be seen as a parody or a sincere meditation on a city gone mad, and it hits home in both contexts.

Parsons was rarely as strong as a vocalist as he was here, and his covers of "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman" prove just how much he had been learning from R&B as well as C&W. And Parsons was fortunate enough to be working with a band who truly added to his vision, rather than simply backing him up; the distorted swoops of Sneaky Pete Kleinow's fuzztone steel guitar provides a perfect bridge between country and psychedelic rock, and Chris Hillman's strong and supportive harmony vocals blend flawlessly with Parsons' (and he also proved to be a valuable songwriting partner, collaborating on a number of great tunes with Gram). While The Gilded Palace of Sin barely registered on the pop culture radar in 1969, literally dozens of bands (the Eagles most notable among them) would find inspiration in this music and enjoy far greater success. But no one ever brought rock and country together quite like the Flying Burrito Brothers, and this album remains their greatest accomplishment. 
by Mark Deming
Tracks
1. Christine's Tune (Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman) - 3:05
2. Sin City (Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman) - 4:12
3. Do Right Woman (Chips Moman, Dan Penn) - 3:57
4. Dark End Of The Street (Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn) - 3:59
5. My Uncle (Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman) - 2:41
6. Wheels (Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons) - 3:05
7. Juanita (Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons) - 2:32
8. Hot Burrito #1 (Chris Ethridge, Gram Parsons) - 3:41
9. Hot Burrito #2 (Chris Ethridge, Gram Parsons) - 3:20
10.Do You Know How It Feels (Gram Parsons, Barry Goldberg) - 2:10
11.Hippie Boy (Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons) - 5:00

The Flying Burrito Brothers
*Gram Parsons -Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Organ
*Chris Hillman - Electric And Acoustic Guitar, Harmony, Vocals, Mandolin
*"Sneaky" Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Chris Ethridge - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Piano
With
*Jon Corneal - Drums
*Thomas "Popeye" Phillips - Drums 
*Eddie Hoh - Drums 
*Sam Goldstein - Drums 
*David Crosby - Backing Vocals 
*Hot Burrito Chorus - Backing Vocals 

Related Acts
1968  The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo  (Double Disc Set)

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Sunday, January 3, 2021

Meic Stevens ‎- Outlander (1970 uk, essential diverse mix of folk, psych and rock with a distinct Welsh flavor, 2003 remaster and xpanded)



For Meic Stevens, Outlander marked the point where the Welsh folk legend tried to get inland – or, rather, to mainstreamland. Released by Warner Bros in 1970, it featured him singing in English on record for the first time and was, in many ways, a moment of consolidation for Stevens, who had spent the years immediately prior to recording the album travelling Europe, raising a family and recording for small independent Welsh labels.

Picking up on European folk one moment and hanging out with British 60s psych luminaries Mighty Baby the next, Stevens approaches Outlander doing two things at once. He’s rooted in the “Welsh Bob Dylan” mould on some acoustic songs (though really Stevens was simply drawing on his own Celtic folk knowledge, as opposed to Dylan’s), and then going very Eastern psych with the likes of Yorric, something of a tribute to that most famous of skulls.

Stevens’ 10-piece band help to keep the flow going, picking up where their leader’s rough edges fray. Not just for the English language is this the most accessible of Stevens’ early works on CD, though Stevens turned his back on Warners, and thus this part of his career, almost immediately, travelling back to Wales to feel more at home back on the indies.
by Jason Draper 
Tracklist
1. Rowena (Full Version) - 4:41
2. Love Owed - 3:22
3. Left Over Time - 4:35
4. Lying To Myself - 2:47
5. The Sailor And Madonna - 5:34
6. Ox Blood - 1:15
7. Yorric - 8:49
8. Midnight Comes - 3:08
9. Ghost Town - 5:49
10.Dau Rhosyn Coch - 2:43
11.Ballad Of Old Joe Blind - 2:31
12.Great Houdini - 3:27
13.All About A Dream - 3:20
14.Evening Comes Up - 4:48
15.Upon The Mountain - 2:21
16.Where Have All My People Gone - 2:27
17.Yorric - 5:38
18.The Sailor And The Madonna - 4:09
19.Blue Sleep - 3:57
20.Ballad Of Old Joe Blind - 2:29
All compositions by Meic Stevens

Musicians
*Meic Stevens - Vocals, Guitar
*Dennis Elliott - Drums
*Bernie Holland - Electric Guitar
*Wally "Sospan" Jones - Banjo
*Dewan Motihar - Sitar
*Ian Samwell - Harp
*Keshav Sathe - Tabla
*Michael Snow - Organ, Piano
*George Sweetnam - Bass
*Chris Taylor - Flute
*Chris "Box" Taylor - Flute
*John Vanderyck - Violin 

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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Michael Chapman - The Man Who Hated Mornings (1977 uk, crispy clean sharp jazz inflected folk rock, 2015 remaster with bonus tracks)



On an evident high after the previous year’s Savage Amusement had brought him to Memphis, The Man Who Hated Mornings brings it back home with sessions in Cornwall and Hull. Chapman’s sour, bleak and funny observations, shot through with moments of pure musical transcendence, are heavy on the ground.

The title track’s clangour reminds us of the bandleader’s skill on guitar, and from there, his playing cuts an elegant, purposeful swathe through mordant blues, cabaret jazz and a screaming early cut of Dogs Got More Sense. A supremely sullen recast of Bob Dylan’s Ballad In Plain D is another highlight.

The excellently recorded band features guitar from Mick Ronson, BJ Cole and Andy Latimer, but Chapman’s ruggedly defined, inimitably detailed voice and individuality (which continues to endure and multiply) shines throughout.
by Gavin Martin, December 01, 2015

Michael Chapman's The Man Who Hated Mornings might be seen as comparable to Eric Clapton's Slowhand release of the same year, and the presence of guitarist Mick Ronson (reunited with Chapman after six years spent elsewhere) does ensure that the frets get a fair workout as the album goes on. The comparison, however, has more in common with the mood of the record than any virtuoso concerns -- it is Chapman at his most laid-back, and only occasionally stirring himself into first gear.

A cover of Dylan's "Ballad in Plain D" is a triumphant highlight, seguing into Chapmans own "Steel Bonnets" instrumental to emerge a shoo-in for any "best-of" Chapman anthology. Elsewhere, there's much to be said for the wryly salacious "Why Do You Bob Your Hair, Girls," and a title track that completely eschews Chapman's folk-rock reputation for a taste of nightclub jazz. "Dogs Got More Sense," meanwhile, is a joyous slice of pop melody that could be compared to Phillip Goodhand-Tait's "Jewel," but the song that most sums up this album is a delightfully disdainful take on Danny O'Keefe's "I'm Sober Now." That may or may not be true, but Chapman has a wonderful time keeping listeners guessing. 
by Dave Thompson
Tracks
1. Northern Lights - 7:23
2. I'm Sober Now (Danny O'Keefe) - 3:44
3. The Man Who Hated Mornings - 4:07
4. Ballad in Plain D (Bob Dylan) - 4:42
5. Steel Bonnets - 2:58
6. Dogs Got More Sense - 4:03
7. Falling Apart - 3:34
8. While Dancing the Pride of Erin - 2:55
9. Dreams Are Dangerous Things - 4:46
10.Why Do You Bob Your Hair Girls? (Blind Alfred Reed) - 2:50
11.Dogs Got More Sense - 3:43 
Lyrics and Music by Michael Chapman except where stated

Personnel
*Michael Chapman - Guitar, Vocals
*Rod Clements - Bass
*B.J. Cole - Guitar Steel Guitar
*Keef Hartley - Drums
*Andy Latimer - Electric Guitar
*Vivienne McAuliffe - Vocals 
*John McBurnie - Vocals 
*Mick Ronson - Guitar
*Johnny Van Derek - Violin
*Pete Wingfield - Organ, Piano, Synthesizer 

1968  Michael Chapman - Rainmaker
1970  Michael Chapman - Fully Qualified Survivor
1970-71  Michael Chapman - Window / Wrecked Again
1973  Michael Chapman - Millstone Grit (2006 remaster)
1974  Michael Chapman - Deal Gone Down (2015 bonus tracks edition)
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Thursday, December 31, 2020

Marsha Hunt ‎– Walk On Gilded Splinters (1969-71 us, gorgeous soul funk blues psychedelia)



Born 1946, Philadelphia, USA. Singer Hunt arrived in the UK during the mid-60s and emerged as a solo act following a spell in the chorus of the London production of Hair. A series of powerful live performances ensued, including the 1969 Isle Of Wight Festival, on which she was backed by Scottish group (White) Trash.  

Her subsequent career included a period hosting a chat show on Capital Radio, and Hunt later drew publicity during a successful paternity suit against Mick Jagger. The artist’s thespian ambitions were furthered as a member of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre and in 1985 she published her autobiography, Real Life. Hunt’s first novel, Joy, followed in 1990 and she has subsequently become established as a writer. 

The term ‘multi-talented’ can’t be thrown around lightly, but for Marsha Hunt, it’s worth mentioning the fact. Aside from being a singer, she’s acted in a few known cult and horror flicks plus theatre, modelled, written novels, been an activist and at one point dated Mick Jagger. I know the latter isn’t a talent, but unfortunately that factor crops up way too much in any articles about her so let’s get it out of the way.

Yeah, she’s the huge-haired lady in Dracula A.D. 1972 (see review of Dracula A.D. 1972 here) as well as having roles in Britannia Hospital (the last of the If… trilogy), The Sender, and The Howling II. Balanced well into the mix is her debut LP, Woman Child. So late ‘60s and early ‘70s in sound, it is perfect and quite diverse in musical styles for that period. It deserves a listen because many of the sassy hot rock tunes will be the ideal backing for a smoke-filled living room sway with you and your friends in low light.

There’s a mish mash of remakes and Marc Bolan material (according to her autobiography he actually contributed musically to the album as well), all given a funked-up tempo with Marsha’s sexual vocals probably exciting a lot of young listeners at the time (her performances were supposed to be very erotic, showing breasts as lifting her arms, that kind of thing).

Starting with an Indian vibe spliced remake of Dr. John’s, Walk on Guilded Splinters off his Gris-Gris album. Martha does it proud adding more eerie magic to proceedings. She yells out some lyrics sounding like Tina Turner and makes it her own. After a brief and quickie interlude kind of spoofing her time in the infamous stage production of Hair, Hot Rod Pappa is up-tempo head-nodding and written by Marc Bolan, as is the following mellow almost late Beatles sounding, Stacey Grove.

One of the stronger moments on the album comes as No Face, No Name, No Number, a remake of a Traffic classic, and gives Martha time to really hit some strong notes, showing she can throw out a ballad and give you goosebumps. We just go pure big sound on, My World is Empty Without You. This one could have been a lead soundtrack tune, so of its time and filled with random choices of screams and instruments.

The album has blues, funk, a bit of psychedelic, ballads, country, and overall is a satisfying album. Her acting comes into her voice, she changes her delivery along with the ever-changing styles of music presented here.
by Jay Creepy, September 24 2020
Tracks
1. Walk On Gilded Splinters (Dr. John) - 3:30
2. Facing A Dying Nation (Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, James Rado) - 0:27
3. Hot Rod Pappa (Marc Bolan) - 3:18
4. Stacey Grove (Marc Bolan) - 2:19
5. No Face, No Name, No Number (Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood) - 3:42
6. My World Is Empty Without You (Brian Holland, Edward Holland Jr, Lamont Dozier) - 3:01 
7. Moan You Moaners (Spencer Williams) - 3:00
8. Keep The Customer Satisfied (Paul Simon) - 3:01
9. Long Black Veil (Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin) - 2:37
10.You Ain't Going Nowhere (Bob Dylan) - 3:06 
11.Woman Child (Bobby Goldsboro) - 3:56
12.Desdemona (Marc Bolan) - 3:13 
13.Wild Thing (Chip Taylor) - 4:47 
14.Hippy Gumbo (Marc Bolan) - 2:57

Musicians
*Marsha Hunt - Vocals
*Ian McLagan - Keyboards
*Kenny Jones - Drums
*Marc Bolan - Guitar, Vocals
*Pete Townshend - Guitar
*Ron Wood - Bass

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Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Mountain - Twin Peaks (1974 us, powerful hard rock, 2005 digi pak remaster)



Now this is more like it! Recorded in Osaka, Japan, in 1973, Twin Peaks was Mountain's second consecutive live album (with The Best of Mountain compilation between them), albeit featuring the re-formed, somewhat reconfigured version of the group, consisting of Leslie West (guitar, vocals), Felix Pappalardi (bass, vocals), Bob Mann (guitar, keyboards), and Allan Schwartzberg (drums). It overlaps with its predecessor, Mountain Live (The Road Goes Ever On) on only two cuts, "Crossroader" and "Nantucket Sleighride," and the latter is stretched out even further here than it was on the earlier album, to 32 minutes. 

The content ends up showing off the best attributes of Mountain such as "Theme from an Imaginary Western," "Mississippi Queen," "Never in My Life," "Roll Over Beethoven" and a long version of  "Nantucket Sleighride." But even the latter, at over half-an-hour, was precisely what audiences of the period were paying to see and hear, and captures the band's music in all of its excessive glory. Additionally, "Nantucket Sleighride" doesn't seem that long in the actual listening, mostly because it's difficult not to be impressed with the playing, especially the guitar dialogue between West and Mann. A worthy document of a Mountain concert at their summit.
by James Chrispell 
Tracks
1. Never In My Life (Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins, Corky Laing) - 4:15
2. Theme For An Imaginary Western (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 5:01
3. Blood On The Sun (Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 3:07
4. Guitar Solo (Leslie West) - 5:34
5. Crossroader (Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 5:57
6. Mississippi Queen (Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, Corky Laing, David Rea) - 4:16
7. Silver Paper (Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins, George Gardos, Steve Knight, Corky Laing) - 6:15
8. Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) - 2:23
9. Nantucket Sleigh Ride (Part I) (Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 15:51
10.Nantucket Sleigh Ride (Conclusion) (Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 16:01
Recorded Live on August 30th 1973 at Koseinenkin Hall in Osaka Japan

Mountain
*Leslie West - Guitar, Vocals
*Felix Pappalardi - Bass, Vocals, Production
*Bob Mann - Guitar, Keyboards
*Allan Schwartzberg - Drums

1970  Mountain - Climbing! (2013 blu spec edition) 
1971  Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride (2013 japan blu spec remaster)
Related Acts
1965-68  Vagrants - I Can't Make a Friend (2011 remaster)
1969  Leslie West - Mountain (Japanese edition)
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Tuesday, December 29, 2020

The Leslie West Band - The Leslie West Band (1975 us, exceptional hard blues rock, 2008 reissue)



Where Leslie West's The Great Fatsby touched upon different themes and showed the guitar hero able to handle Free-style blues-pop, Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones comes to the party to bring a different focus. Outside of a couple of covers and Mick Jones' composition "Singapore Sling," all the material is by West, Jones, and Laing -- a progression from West, Bruce & Laing, which was a progression from Cream producer Felix Pappalardi's work with the guitarist/drummer combo in the original Mountain. Not as heavy as those other two groups, 

The Leslie West Band on record has more bite than The Great Fatsby, and as with the previous project, some big name players. John Lennon/Buzzy Linhart/Jim Croce keyboardist Ken Ascher is onboard, as is bassist Don Kretmer from the Blues Project. Leslie is in good company, and makes the most of it. Where he performed Rolling Stones material on Fatsby, here we have a dark and lovely rendition of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" -- Ascher getting a chance to work on Lennon material again as he did on Mind Games. And as Fatsby had "The House of the Rising Sun," Mann and Weil's "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" gets revised by the Leslie West Band. 

It's a methodical version, Led Zeppelin lite, and is a decent album track, though the music without vocals seems to be the key to this album's real magic. "Singapore Sling" has beautiful Leslie West guitarwork on the Mick Jones set of riffs, while "Sea of Heartache" is a real gem that just stuns. It's a three-minute-33-second sort of ode to Black Sabbath where the musicians bring it up another notch. "By the River" and "Get It Up" aren't bad; it's just that they don't offer much new to the Leslie West repertoire. "By the River" ends much too fast as well, like someone just decided to turn down the sound as the side concludes prematurely. The Leslie West Band has our hero slugging it out in the trenches, and he gets a "B" for effort, which isn't a bad thing. One just would've hoped he kept from sliding back to the tried and true. It's the experimenting here that really shows what could have been, and this was the perfect time for the artist to reinvent himself. 

Leslie West, died on Tuesday December 23rd 2020 at the age of 75, following a cardiac arrest, according to his brother.
by Joe Viglione
Tracks
1. Money (Whatcha Gonna Do) - 3:37
2. Dear Prudence (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 4:47
3. Get It Up (No Bass - Whatsoever) - 2:59
4. Singapore Sling (Mick Jones) - 1:44
5. By The River - 2:53
6. The Twister - 2:27
7. Setting Sun - 3:41
8. Sea Of Heartache - 3:35
9. We'll Find A Way - 3:14
10.We Gotta Get out Of This Place (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) - 4:42
All songs by Leslie West, Corky Laing, Mick Jones, except where indicated

Musicians
*Leslie West - Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Mick Jones - Guitar
*Corky Laing - Drums
*Ken Ascher - Piano
*Sredni Vollmer - Harp
*Frank Vicari - Horns
*Don Kretmar - Bass
*Bill Gelber - Bass
*Carl Hall - Background Vocals
*Hilda Harris - Background Vocals
*Sharon Redd - Background Vocals
*Tasha Thomas - Background Vocals

Related Acts
1965-68  Vagrants - I Can't Make a Friend (2011 remaster)
1969  Leslie West - Mountain (Japanese edition)
1969-73  Mountain ‎- Setlist The Very Best Of Mountain Live (2011 release)
1970  Mountain - Climbing! (2013 blu spec edition) 
1971  Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride (2013 japan blu spec remaster)

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Sunday, December 27, 2020

Faith - Faith (1973 us, excellent hard groovy rock)

 


Faith Band, like most great groups, evolved through several powerful incarnations. From The Invincibles, to The Chosen Few, with an album on RCA, to Limousine, with an album on GSF, they got strong radio airplay building a large, enthusiastic following. With 1973’s move to Terry Knight’s Brown Bag Records, Faith Band was born. In addition to the debut “Faith” album with Carl Storie, vocals and harp, Dave Bennett, guitar, Dave Barnes, drums and percussion, Johnny Cascella, keyboards, sax and vocals, and Mark Cawley on bass and vocals, they went on to release four more commanding original albums on Village/Phonogram/Mercury records and toured nonstop.

Along the way, Nigel Olsson’s cover of Faith’s “Dancin Shoes” was a Top 20 hit. Carl and Mark formed the duo Blinding Tears, releasing a CD in 1986. Mark has gone on to be an award winning songwriter whose songs have been recorded by an amazing array of artists from Tina Turner and Joe Cocker to Wynonna Judd and Chaka Kahn just to name a few. Carl released a self-titled solo CD in 1992, while Dave Bennett released the jazzy “Out of the Bleu” in 2004. John Cascella moved to John Cougar Mellencamp’s band, where he lit the fuse on “Cherry Bomb” and many more. “Boots” sparkled on accordion and keyboards with Mellencamp until his premature death in 1992. Dave Barnes joined forces with his brother and helped build one of the largest music industry service companies.

Now, the remaining members of Faith Band and John Cooper - Faith Band, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr have revisited their musical vaults and selected these 19 tunes, most never heard before, from the original sessions. Coop assembled all the tracks and with loving care and today’s vastly improved audio technology, mixed them for us as they envisioned them originally. This digital download “Boxed Set” also includes a booklet and three videos taken from live gigs. With liner notes from longtime DJ friend Mike Griffin and brand new cover art from Wille Faust who did the first two Faith Band albums, this is a labor of love and a one of a kind must have for Faith Band fans.

The lucky ones were there, and caught the band live. Most others have only heard the stories. Now, hear the legacy of music and creativity that gave voice to a generation of change. Actually their first album contains songs that already they recorded as "Limousine" renamed with new titles and different track list.
Tracks
1. Sometimes Sometimes - 5:47
2. Freedom - 3:18
3. Answer To The Master - 6:14
4. Looking For A Friend - 4:19
5. Such A Lady Such A Lover - 3:53
6. Dreamy Eyed Lady - 5:08
7. We're All Headed In The Same Way-The Last Song - 5:15
8. The Last Song - 1:05
All songs by Carl Storie, David Bennett, John Cascella, Mark Cawley, Dave Barnes

Faith
*Carl Storie - Lead Vocals, Harmonica, 
*David Bennett - Guitar
*John Cascella - Keyboards, Saxophone, Vocals
*Mark Cawley - Bass
*Dave Barnes - Drums



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Saturday, December 26, 2020

Limousine - Limousine (1970 us, awesome hard goovy funky bluesy rock, Vinyl edition)



Limousine was a band that created from the ashes of Chosen Few, with the turn of the decade they changed their name and their sound to more hard Rock influence, this time with the horns in a more discreet option and the keyboards getting imposed sometimes.

The vocals are still great, and the songs passing through funky blues and hard rock waves.
Tracks
1. A Song For Monique (David "Benny" Bennett) - 1:04
2. Sometimes (John Cascella, Carl Storie) - 5:46
3. Bitin' Grace (John Cascella, Carl Storie) - 6:13
4. Such A Lady, Such A Lover - 3:50
5. Barriers - 4:16
6. Sidewalk Siren - 5:04
7. Raise Your Voice - 3:25
8. Lighthouse - 6:18
All songs by Mark Cawley except where stated

Limousine
*David Barnes - Drums
*David "Benny" Bennett - Lead Guitar
*John Cascella - Keyboards, VocalS
*Mark Cawley - Cass, Vocal
*Carl Storie - Lead Vocal 



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