Michele - Saturn Rings (1969 us, west coast folk psych gem, 2006 release)

Saturn Rings by Michele O'Malley, issued on ABC in 1969, is truly one of the lost psychedelic pop masterpieces. O'Malley was a member of the Ballroom, and was a session vocalist in Los Angeles, singing backup on Tommy Roe's It's Now Winters Day and Sagittarius' Present Tense. West Coast popster and legendary crazy man Curt Boettcher (leader of the Ballroom) was heavily involved, with arrangements by Michael Melvoin and session players including Lowell George (pre-Little Feat), Bobby Notkoff (pre-Rockets), Elliot Ingber, Gordon Alexander, and Bobby Jameson (aka songwriter Chris Lucey). Boettcher either wrote or co-wrote seven of the album's 11 cuts, and sings backup on the sessions as well. To say the album bombed is an understatement. It disappeared almost upon release, and O'Malley never made another one.

Τhere are some truly amazing moments such as "Fallen Angel," with its beautiful sawing electric violin floating through the mix above the acoustic guitars, tabla drums, and electric bass. O'Malley's voice just soars and glides between Western melody and Eastern modalism effortlessly. Some of the psychedelic pop arrangements have the feeling of some stranger than strange nostalgia -- like a sound that is familiar, but its textures are strange and alien, such as on "Spinning, Spinning, Spinning," with a harpsichord and either an oboe or soprano saxophone and strings. O'Malley wrote "Song to a Magic Frog" for Sagittarius, and the arrangement on this version is lush, full of elegant textures and richly layered instrumentation. 

Her voice is where the real "magic" lies, however. She moves through the melody with a meld of passion and restraint and creates hooks where there are none. The truth of the matter is, that with bands like Belle & Sebastian out there, if Saturn Rings were released today it would be regarded as a quirky masterpiece. Its production and arrangement excesses for the time -- which made it inaccessible to the masses -- would now be heard as the work of genius. Three cheers for Fallout for making this little-known classic available again. 

by Thom Jurek

Tracks

1. Would You Like To Go (Bobby Jameson) - 2:33

2. Blind As You Are (Michele O'Malley) - 2:54

3. Song To Magic Frog (Michele O'Malley) - 3:43

4. Fallen Angel (Michele O'Malley) - 3:32

5. Spinning, Spinning, Spinning (Curt Boettcher, Lee Mallory) - 3:24

6. Know Yourself (Bobby Jameson) - 4:39

7. Musty Dusty (Curt Boettcher, Tandyn Almer) - 5:08

8. Lament Of The Astro Cowboy (Curt Boettcher) - 8:09

9. White Linen (Bobby Jameson, Michele O'Malley) - 2:31

10.Misty Mirage (Curt Boettcher) - 3:51

11.Believe You (Curt Boettcher) - 4:00

Personnel

*Michele O'Malley - Vocals

*Lowell George - Flute, Harmonica

*Elliot Ingber - Electric Guitar

*Bobby Notkoff - Electric Viola, Electric Violin

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Roger McGuinn - Peace On You (1974 us, amazing folk classic rock, 2008 japan remaster)

When Roger McGuinn released his second solo album, Columbia promoted it by playing up McGuinn’s status as a rock & roll legend. It was a point that needed making after several mediocre Byrds albums and a solo record that somehow managed to fly under the radar of rock fans and radio stations. Peace on You isn’t a markedly better record than his first, again suffering from an identity crisis as McGuinn brings in material from other writers, although the production value has more oomph this time. It’s not a bad record and, in fact, grows on me the more I listen to it, but at no point do I have the sense that I’m listening to a rock & roll legend.

Of course, McGuinn wasn’t the only rock star to flounder in the mid Seventies: Neil Young rejected his rock-star status, John Lennon retired, Joni Mitchell was making jazz records. And Peace on You isn’t any worse than those Stephen Stills albums. Individually, the songs are interesting enough. In fact, the songwriting partnership with Jacques Levy was proving almost as fruitful as the Hunter-Garcia team. The Lady, Gate of Horn and Without You are all solid songs with good lyrics. Two songs from James “Donnie” Dacus, who would join Stills in the studio the following year, are also very good: Going to the Country and Do What You Want To.

The remaining songs come from very different quarters. Better Change from Dan Fogelberg is a nice match for McGuinn’s voice; (Please Not) One More Time, featuring Al Kooper, not so much. But the oddest choice is the decision to make a fairly straight cover of Charlie Rich’s Peace on You (from his award-winning Behind Closed Doors album of the previous year) the centerpiece of the album. It gets the album off to unsteady start from which it never really recovers.

As I said, this album grows on me the more I listen to it, and the quality of the individual songs make up for its inconsistencies. Bill Halverson (credited with wife Suzanne) provides plenty of production polish and the backing band (featuring past and future Stills collaborators) is a nice change of partners.

by Dave Connolly, October 4, 2022

Tracks

1. Peace On You (Charlie Rich) - 4:01

2. Without You (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 4:07

3. Going To The Country (Donnie Dacus) - 3:17

4. (Please Not) One More Time (Al Kooper) - 3:23

5. Same Old Sound (Roger McGuinn) - 3:30

6. Do What You Want To (Donnie Dacus) - 3:00

7. Together (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 3:38

8. Better Change (Dan Fogelberg) - 3:00

9. Gate Of Horn (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 2:45

10.The Lady (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 4:16

11.Rock And Roll Time (Bob Neuwirth, Kris Kristofferson, Roger McGuinn) - 3:17

Musicians

*Roger McGuinn - Lead Vocals, 12-String Rhythm, Lead Guitar

*Donnie Dacus - 6-String Rhythm, Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals 

*Dan Fogelberg - Backing Vocals, Electric, Acoustic Guitar (Tracks 6, 8)

*Paul Harris - Keyboards 

*Russ Kunkel - Drums, Percussion

*Lee Sklar - Bass 

*Jorge Calderon - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Tish Coulter - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Gwendolyn Edwards - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Brenan Gordon - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Jordan Halverson - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Charles Higgins, Jr. - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Brooks Hunnicutt - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Howard Kaylaw (Kaylan) - Backing Vocals (Tracks 5, 8)

*Mark Kellgren - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Eddie Lee Kendrix - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Al Kooper - Sweetening,  Clavinet, Piano, Guitar, Arranger,  Conductor  

*Al Perkins - Steel Guitar  (Track 6)

*Brian Russell - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*William Smith - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Paul, Cynthia - Backing Vocals 

*Pilar Stallworth - Backing Vocals (Track 1) 

*Mark Volman - Backing Vocals (Tracks  5, 8)

*Tommy Tedesco - Flamingo Guitar  (Track 7)

1973  Roger McGuinn - Roger McGuinn (2013 Edition)
1975  Roger McGuinn And Band - Roger McGuinn And Band (2004 extra tracks remaster)
1976  Roger McGuinn - Cardiff Rose (2013 edition)
1979  McGuinn, Clark And Hillman (2014 Japan SHM Remaster)
1979-80  McGuinn Clark Hillman - The Capitol Collection (2007 double disc set)
1964  The Byrds - Preflyte (2012 Edition)

1967  The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday (2012 blu spec)
1968  The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo  (Double Disc Set)
1969  The Byrds - Ballad Of Easy Rider (2013 Blue Spec remaster and expanded)
1969  The Byrds - Live At Fillmore
1971  The Byrds - Live At Royal Albert Hall
1971  The Byrds - Farther Along (Blu Spec 2014 extra tracks release)
1971  The Byrds - Byrdmaniax (2013 Japan Blu Spec edition)
1973  Byrds - Byrds (2004 issue)

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Wilderness Road - Wilderness Road (1972 us, extraordinary outlaw folk rural rock)

Into the life of every critic, there come rare times when both heart and head simultaneously signal blast-off! and he falls happily head-over-heels in love with a rock & roll band, just like when he was seventeen. While a decade may have weeded out much of the naiveté, that warm glow definitely remains, and the qualitative difference is that both sides supposedly know something this time around. A mature appreciation, some would call it, but I prefer good old-fashioned love. To me, Wilderness Road, on this LP and (especially) in concert, sum up much of the best of American music, and such an event surely calls for at least one joyful and unabashed whoop of genuine pagan delight. After all, any philosophizing fool can prove through logic that he doesn't exist when you wish he didn't, but how (or why) do you hightone and thereby reduce a sensual and celebrative experience into mere reasonableness? 

There's this outlaw on my record player - Billy or Ishmael the Kid - and, goddamn, I'll stake my critical reputation, et cetera, that he's a real outlaw. Before formality, permit me one more voyage of sentimental reminiscence. I've seen Wilderness Road at a small club in Chicago at least a dozen times - on one occasion, so great was my enthusiasm, I paid full air fare from New York City for another writer so he, too, could enjoy the magic - and each time, when the music was over, standing on the street in what the late Jack Kerouac would call the great American night, talking with Warren Leming and Nate Herman, the guitarists, and the Haban brothers, Andy and Tom, bass and drums, respectively, I've had the mythic feeling that, during the preceding three or four hours, there was no better music to be heard anywhere in the land.

They seemed at then best like the Who crossed with the Byrds, Jerry Lee Lewis spawning the Firesign Theater (Leming and Herman are erstwhile Second City members), the J. Geils unit all mixed up with the boys in the Band, two Eric Claptons playing dual (and dueling) lead guitars with the Carter Family while everybody goes crazy.

Thematically, Wilderness Road begins with a whisper - the desert wind blows over the plains as the Rider, the "hero" of this brilliant and original aural Western movie (yes, that's what it is: a concept album) ruminates about his pursuers (himself?) and the living death of the freedom of the road - and ends with an almost literal band: the nameless protagonist being shot to pieces in the climactic, obligatory, end-of-the- "picture" gunfight. In between, there's a lot more - a flashback to a "Peaceful Life," some Wanted "Pictures in a Gallery," a professional "Bounty Man" hot on the trail, salvation through religious ("Revival") and secular ("Dr. Morpho's Revenge") means, dramatic foreshadowing ("Death Dream"), a love interest ("Don't Cry Lady"), and the strange, near-Camusian, Ahab-like soliloquy ("I Had the Right") which somehow holds things together while asking more questions than it answers.

Imagine a fusion of Ford's The Searchers, Stevens' Shane, Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, Malle's The Fire Within, throw in a passage or two from Freud, Jung, Huckleberry Finn, Moby-Dick, and play some of the gentle traditional music of Elizabeth Cotten for a soundtrack and you've got at least some of it.

Yes, folks, it's the same old story, but, as is the case with most really old stories (archetypes, myths), don't (mis)understand it too quickly. Horton Barker used to claim that songs like these were easy enough to get into; the problem was trying to get back out again. Exactly. The power of the positive cliche may at times be so much romantic nonsense, but, just as often, it strikes deep to draw heavily upon the supply of rich, red, native American blood; and all of those orphans, widows, solitary strangers, hobos, gamblers, cowhands, and gunfighters who have haunted as many geniuses as they have readers of Modern Screen at last have a rock & roll record to call their own, with a critique on modern violence and the gratuitous act thrown in as a footnote. That should be worth at least one (I hope not lonesome) howl at the stars. And what may well be the best - a live LP (make that a double, please) showing the full range and power of the group - is yet to come. Why not too much, too soon? 

by Paul Nelson, August, 1971

Tracks

1. Wilderness / Queasy Rider (Nate Herman, Andy Haban) - 3:14

2. Peaceful Life (Andy Haban) - 4:25

3. Revival - Yes I Am / Testify (Nate Herman, Warren Leming) - 1:28

4. Ten Miles / Testify Reprise (Nate Herman) - 2:41

5. Lost And Lonely Navigator (Nate Herman) - 2:42

6. Sing Your Song To The Lord / Brother Are You Troubled? (Nate Herman) - 2:14

7. I Had The Right (Nate Herman) - 3:27

8. Pictures In A Gallery (Andy Haban, Nate Herman) - 4:54

9. Bounty Man / Interlude In (Nate Herman, Andy Haban)- 5:10

10.Dr. Morpho’s Revenge (Andy Haban) - 3:25

11.Death Dream (Nate Herman) - 1:01

12.Don’t Cry Lady (Nate Herman) - 1:35

13.Rider’s Return (Andy Haban, Nate Herman) - 6:00

Wilderness Road

*Warren Leming - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Banjo, Vocals 

*Nate Herman - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin, Dobro, Organ, Vocals 

*Andy Haban - Bass, Vocals 

*Tom Haban - Drums, Oboe, Vocals

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Ruby Jones - Stone Junkie (1971 us, funky blues rock vibes, 2000 edition)

It was January 14th of 1995 that the world lost a star, Ruby Starr.  After a long battle with the cancer that was ravaging her lungs and body, the   45-year-old red-haired singer sang her last song, a sad song that left many in tears.  Those who knew this young Sylvania woman and knew her talents, also knew she was too young to die, but life if not always easy.  And life doesn’t always follow the script we’d like.  It didn’t for Ruby.  

Ruby Starr joined the band Ruby Jones in 1969. In 1971 they were signed to Curtom Records and recorded their first album, Ruby Jones. Shortly after that album’s release, Black Oak Arkansas lead vocalist Jim “Dandy” Mangrum was partying after a concert in Evansville, Indiana at a club called the Golden Record, where she was performing. He asked her on the spot to join the band. At this point she assumed the stage name of Ruby Starr.

A woman who whose real name was Constance  Helen Mierzwiak and who lived her early life in the Toledo suburb of Sylvania and the last 20 years of her life in the suburbs of fame.  Constance Mierzwiak nurtured her passion for singing from the time she was in grade school, performing as Connie Little.   A little girl who could belt out songs with a big voice.  In those very early years, Toledo area audiences might have remembered her as  Connie and the Blu-Beats, or performing with country groups known as the Downtowners or the Blue Grange Ramblers.   

She also played several times atop a flat-bed truck in the parking lot of the Colony Shopping  Center, or according to her mother, she took the make-shift sages at concession stands at local drive in theaters in Toledo to entertain the movie goers.  At that time, Connie was still young, and singing the sweet ballads of Brenda Lee and Dusty Springfield,  but then as she grew into her teen years, the pretty young Connie,  with a huge crown of afro-red hair, found rock and roll, a new voice and a new adventure.

The Toledo Gazette, January 15, 2014

Tracks

1. 99,000 Times (Frank C. Smith) - 5:10

2. Looking Out At Tomorrow (David McDowell) - 5:07

3. 46th Street (Frank C. Smith) - 2:44

4. Have No Witness (Frank C. Smith) - 5:17

5. Freely Away (Frank C. Smith) - 3:14

6. Oh Boy (Frank C. Smith) - 3:00

7. Tight Rope (Genya Ravan, Leon Rix) - 3:05

8. Bicycle Built For Everyone (Frank C. Smith) - 2:06

9. Stone Junkie (Curtis Mayfield) - 3:10

10.You Better Run (Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere) - 2:37

Bonus Track 10

 

Personnel

*Ruby Jones - Vocals

*Frank C. Smith  

*Nick Mousoulias  

*Peter Mousoulias  

*Ricky 

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Sparrow - Hatching Out (1972 uk, charming varied styles pop folk rock)

Sparrow's Hatching Out is this English group's first album, filled with their very own blend of easy rock.... Sparrow's tight vocal harmonies weave in and around their music, which ranges from the hard, driving sound of "Roller Coaster" to the soft tenderness of "Dream Song" - and touches everything in between.

There's no pretense in Sparrow; the music is honest, and the music is good. Sparrow is also unlike anything you've heard before. Expect to hear a lot of them....

Original LP Liner Notes

Elaine Paige made a career as singer actress and radio producer, she played roles in various musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Nuts, Grease (she played the lead role of Sandy from 1973 to 1974). Diane Langton began her career as a dancer, also as a popular theatre actress and singer.

Mickey Keen singer songwriter guitarist, who first appears in music, sometime in mid sixties "In Ministry Of Sound", he was part of "Division Two", a band with superb musicians such as Clem Cattini, Mike O'Neill, they became the backing band for The Ivy League. Keen also worked as additional musician for Hudson and Ford releases "Nickelodeon" and "Free spirit" also for Alex Harvey, Ashman-Reynolds, Larry Norman and Maggie Bell among others.

Tracks

1. I'm Coming Back - 2:36

2. Well I Can Tell You - 4:02

3. Don't Ask Me - 3:33

4. Nightmare - 3:42

5. Many Things Are Clear - 3:03

6. Roller Coaster - 5:56

7. Dream Song - 2:47

8. Round And Round - 5:13

9. Break My Heart Again - 3:15

10.Rainsun Song - 3:31

11.Hiawatha - 2:55

12.Hello, Goodbye - 2:51

All songs by Elaine Paige, Diane Langton, Johathan Bergman, Mickey Keen except tracks 5 and 10, co-ritten with Rodney Wyatt.

Sparrow

*Elaine Paige - Vocals 

*Diane Langton - Vocals 

*Johathan Bergman - Percussion, Vocals 

*Mickey Keen - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Vocals

With

*Pete Kelly - Keyboards

*Larry Steele - Bass

*Pete Woolf - Drums, Percussion

*Liz White - Back Up Vocals

*Ken Lewis - Back Up Vocals 

*Helen Chappel - Back Up Vocals

*Bill Shepherd - String Arrangements

*Derek Wadsworth - Brass Arrangements

Related Act

1966/68  Ministry Of Sound - Men From The Ministry / Midsummer Nights Dreaming (2005 double disc set)  

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The Savage Resurrection - The Savage Resurrection (1968 us, superb rough bluesy psych rock, 2002 reissue)

Originating out of Richmond California, a tough shipyard town across the bay from San Francisco, influenced by British bands such as Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Yardbirds, it's not surprising the Savage Resurrection have a nice hard edged sound. They have played on both sides of the Bay, including The Fillmore, The Avalon, The Red Devil Lounge with Blue Cheer, and 19 Broadway, in Fairfax.

The Savage Resurrection was one of the youngest bands to be signed to a major record deal, signing with Mercury Records in 1967. They soon released their self-titled record 'The Savage Resurrection' which is widely considered to be one of the best albums of 1968 and is played all around the world today. The single also released at that time, "Thing in 'E", is on the recent Grammy nominated 'Love Is The Song We Sing SF Nuggets '65-'70'.  

The Savage Resurrection

On their only album, the Savage Resurrection mined a psychedelic sound that was not as heavy and metallic as Blue Cheer (also produced by Abe "Voco" Kesh), but at the same time more garagey in feel than that of the average Bay Area psychedelic band. Sometimes it's pedestrian blues-rock with overlong riffing, as on the accurately titled "Jammin.'" At its best, it has the spacier, folkier, and more melodic feel that was characteristic of much '60s Californian psychedelic music, as on "Someone's Changing." 

More dissonant and Middle Eastern influences make themselves known on "Every Little Song" and "Tahitian Melody," and the backup vocals on "Remlap's Cave, Pt. 2" indicate that they did their share of listening to the Who's "A Quick One, While He's Away." Randy Hammon and John Palmer create an intense and thick dual-guitar sound throughout (separated so that Hammon's playing is on the left channel, and Palmer's on the right). 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

1. Thing In "E" (John Palmer) - 3:06  

2. Every Little Song (Randy Hammon) - 1:51  

3. Talking To You (John Palmer, Bill Harper) - 2:45 

4. Tahitian Melody (John Palmer) - 3:45  

5. Jammin' (John Palmer, Randy Hammon) - 8:07 

6. Fox Is Sick (John Palmer) - 2:42  

7. Someone's Changing (John Palmer, Randy Hammon) - 2:35  

8. Remlap's Cave (Part II) (John Palmer) - 2:55  

9. Appeal To The Happy (John Palmer, Bill Harper) - 4:20  

10.Expectations (John Palmer) - 4:59  

11.Thing In "E" (John Palmer) - 3:30  

12.Tahitian Melody (John Palmer) - 3:39  

13.River Deep Mountain High (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) - 3:29 

Bonus Tracks 10-13

The Savage Resurrection

*Bill Harper - Lead Vocals, Percussion 

*Randy Hammon - Lead Guitar, Vocals 

*John Palmer - Lead Guitar, Vocals 

*Steve Lage - Bass, Vocals 

*Jeff Myer - Drums

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Neon Rose - A Dream Of Glory And Pride (1974 sweden, epic hard rockin' with strong guitar parts, 2005 bonus tracks digi pak remaster)

Neon Rose was formed in 1969 by bandmembers Roger, Piero and Benno under the name Spider; when Stanley Larsson joined the group in 1973 they took the name Neon Rose. Signing with Vertigo Records, their debut album was released in 1974, and was quickly followed with a sophomore effort early in 1975. 

Heavily influenced by early 70s like Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult, this is one of the Scandinavian hard rock gems that features growling vocals, lots of hard riffing guitars and pounding rhythm section. A must for 70's hardrockers, with 4 bonus tracks; "C'mon everybody (B side), "War song (Unreleased studio track), "Julia's Dream (Live)" and 'Love Rock (Live)". 

Tracks

1. Sensation - 3:58

2. A Picture Of Me - 7:29

3. Love Rock - 4:45

4. Primo - 6:37

5. Let's Go And Get That Boy - 5:40

6. Julia's Dream - 6:24

7. A Dream Of Glory And Pride - 9:52

8. C'Mon Everybody (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) - 4:58

9. War Song (Lyrics by Dorothy Parker) - 5:41

10.Julia's Dream - 6:24

11.Love Rock - 4:57

All songs by Roger Holegård, Benno Mengarelli, Piero Mengarelli, Stanley Larsson except where indicated

Bonus Tracks 8-11 (Live recordings 10-11)

Neon Rose

*Roger Holegård - Guitar, Lead Vocals

*Benno Mengarelli - Bass, Vocals 

*Piero Mengarelli - Guitar (Tracks 1-9)

*Stanley Larsson - Drums

*Gunnar Hallin - Guitar (Tracks 10,11)

*Nalle Påhlsson - Vocals (Track 9)

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Stampeders - Hit The Road (1976 canada, mainstream rock with latin tunes and horns section, 2006 remaster)

"Hit the Road" is the eighth full length album from Canadian rockers The Stampeders. Following the release of their classic 1975 album "Steamin'", which featured another Canadian hit with "Hit The Road Jack", featuring Wolfman Jack, they recorded an entire album by the same name. This album brought them back into top 15 territory on Canadian charts and featured charting singles such as "Playing in the Band" and "Sweet Love Bandit".

Tracks

1. Playin' In The Band (Ronnie King) - 3:45

2. Sweet Love Bandit (Ronnie King) - 2:24

3. Things Are Getting Better (Ronnie King) - 3:20

4. Let It Begin (Kim Berly) - 3:37

5. Sally Ann (Ronnie King) - 2:36

6. Hit The Road Jack (Percy Mayfield) - 2:56

7. San Diego (Rich Dodson) - 2:56

8. C'est La Vie (Rich Dodson) - 4:33

9. New Orleans (Frank Guida, Joseph Royster) - 2:54

10.Rock N' Roll Line (Rich Dodson) - 3:09

The Stampeders

*Kim Berly - Drums, Vocals

*Ronnie King - Bass

*Rich Dodson - Guitar, Vocals

With

*Gibby Lacasse - Percussion

*Bob Adduono - Horns 

*Guy Marchi - Horns 

*Randy Marchi - Horns

1971  The Stampeders - Against the Grain (2006 bonus tracks)  

1971  The Stampeders - Carryin On (2003 edition) 

1973  The Stampeders - From The Fire (2006 remaster)

1973  Stampeders - Rubes Dudes And Rowdies (2006 remaster)

1974  Stampeders - Backstage Pass (2006 reissue)

1975  Stampeders - Steamin (2006 remaster)

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Quintessence - Move Into The Light The Complete Island Recordings (1969-71 uk, brilliant multicolored raga psych rock, 2017 double disc remaster)

After only a handful of gigs, Eastern-influenced UK psychedelic rock band, Quintessence received two recording contract offers. In the end, the band rejected Ian Samwell’s offer from Reprise Records (despite it being more lucrative) in favor of one from Chris Blackwell of Island Records, the decision based on the amount of artistic control granted to the band. The agreement resulted in the three LPs and one single that comprise Move into the Light.

Quintessence took its name from a suggestion by Australian flutist Ron “Raja Ram” Rothfield, despite the band having six members rather than five. The Eastern influence on the band is reflected in the names such as “Shiva Shankar” and “Maha Dev” as well as the previously mentioned “Raja Ram,” which the band members were christened with by Swami Ambikamanda, the band’s spiritual guide.

The band’s debut LP In Blissful Company was produced by John Barham who had worked with George Harrison on “Wonderwall Music” and would later help with “All Things Must Pass,” rather than by Andy Johns as originally scheduled. It may not have been Island’s best selling album, but it was the most expensive package the label had released to that point.

In Blissful Company was a collection of eight tunes and shows that the band were rockers at heart with cuts like “Giants” which features a huge, wah wah powered solo by lead guitarist Allan Mostert. At the same time, the band’s Eastern influences are quite apparent on “Gange Man” a hot rocking little number featuring sitar by a guest musician credited only as “Mike.” The album’s standout track, however, is the four and a half minute heavy rocking “Notting Hill Gate” whose gentle, swirling flute stands in stark contrast to the heaviness of Richard “Shambhu Babaji” Vaughan’s bass and Jeremy “Jake” Milton’s drums. The band entered the studio in January, 1970, to record a new, punchier “Notting Hill Gate” for release as a single. The single version achieved its goal musically, with Mostert contributing a fuzzed out lead line and fiery solo. The 45s b-side, the title track for this collection, is an up-tempo number with a gorgeous melody, nice lead guitar line and trippy, chant like lyrics such as “its love that created you.” Unfortunately, sales of the 45 were disappointing. 

The band was always better live, according to Jones, because it was at heart a jam band, in the vein of The Grateful Dead, who shared the stage with Quintessence, as well as Black Sabbath and Traffic, on their first ever UK concert, 24 May 1970. The jam band element is obvious on extended tracks such as the nine minute plus “Midnight Mode” with its a cappella intro before settling into its hypnotic groove filled with Mostert’s lead lines and solos reminiscent of Jerry Garcia’s work with The Dead. As with the single, “In Blissful Company” did not chart, despite the quality of material and musicianship found on the long player.

Quintessence’s second, self-titled LP was released in June, 1970 and in sharp contrast to its predecessor, hit a quite respectable #22 on the UK album charts. “Quintessence” opens with the spiritual tune “Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Gauranga” a mid-tempo number featuring chant like vocals, entrancing flute, an outstanding keyboard (piano and organ) performance by Jones, and even more inspired wah wah fueled guitar. “Sea Of Immortality” opens with hints of a Hare Krishna chant, before flute, guitar and vocals become one, in a luscious melody. Midway through, the tempo quickens, with smoking, swirling guitar, Mostert’s solo pushing the song to its conclusion. The members of Quintessence had aspirations to compose an opera, in the vein of Tommy and S.F. Sorrow. Unfortunately, “High On Mount Kailash” is all that remains from those efforts. A sign of what could have been, the tune has a lovely melody spiced with sitar as well as delicate guitar and piano performances. “Burning Bush” serves as evidence of just how good the band was live. Mostert’s heavy guitar intro flows into a smoking wah wah laden solo, joined by Jones’ machine gun drums and Vaughan’s incredibly heavy bass. 

The performance rocks hard and Mostert shows his ability to use and control feedback. “Prisms” is an breezy, trippy number with Rothfield’s flute swirling round and round. A couple of other highlights from Quintessence are “Twilight Zones” a Jethro Tull like track with Rothfield’s flute floating about, while the tempo builds until mid-tune when Mostert unleashes a killer riff and is off to the races in a jazzy solo, before he turns up the volume bringing the song to a roaring finish. “St. Pancras,” a live recording, features guitar, bass and drums coming out rocking. This up-tempo number features fuzzed out guitar with great lead lines, while the bass roars and rumbles. Even more wah wah guitar and feedback give this tune plenty of punch. Mostert wrings every note out of his guitar, his solo swirling into feedback, making this the hottest rocking number on the set.

A live version of “Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Guaranga” taken from an Island compilation Bumpers serves as yet another example of how good this band was live. This hot rocking little number has Mostert’s guitar probing to and fro, swirling over the pounding rhythm section, before yet another wah wah fueled solo leading to controlled waves of feedback.

Quintessence’s final Island LP Dive Deep was intended to contain one side of live recordings from the London School of Economics, the other side studio tracks. Unfortunately, the live material was not of usable quality, so the album as released contains only studio takes. The album opens with its title track, a delicate, mid-tempo mixture of flute and vocals, until Mostert’s guitar once again pushes the beat and drives the song home. Dive Deep contains the band’s longest cut, the nearly eleven minute “Dance For The One” which begins as a jazzy number, complete with a false stop two minutes in, before the band settles into a groove, flutes floating, growing ever heavier, before the lead guitar line explodes into even more feedback. “Brahman” slows things down with its gentle keyboards and flute, and features gorgeous plaintive vocals by Phil “Shiva Shankar” Jones.

 “The Seer” has a gorgeous melody and is a fine example of folk psych, with acoustic guitar and flute accompanying the song’s introspective lyrics (what you seek) “is deep within your mind.” The eight minute “Epitaph For Tomorrow” has more Eastern influences, fuzzed out guitars and comes on with a roar before slowing and proclaiming hopefully “this will be the end of all our sorrows.” More tasteful lead guitar lines, solos and feedback are on display accompanied by pounding drums and thundering bass. The album and set close with “Sri Ram Chant” showcasing more Eastern influence, sitar and flute accompanying chanted vocals, before the band settles into a final groove and jams its way to the record’s end.

Chris Blackwell had a record deal set up for Quintessence in the US with Bell Records, with the band receiving an 85,000 pound sterling advance. However, with Island receiving 250,000 pounds from the contract, some members of the band felt they deserved a larger share and balked at the deal. In return, Blackwell lost interest in promoting the band and they signed with RCA Victor Records, home of the Jefferson Airplane and Elvis Presley among others. But that is a story for another day.

Thanks to the kind folks at Cherry Red Records’ Esoteric Recordings imprint Move into the Light contains all 28 tracks, over 2 hours, 15 minutes of classic UK psych spread across the 2 discs. The 24-page full color booklet, contains complete track listings and annotations, loads of previously seen photos and an informative essay by Malcome Dome. The set, compiled by Mark Powell, has been remastered in the 24 bit domain by Paschal Byrne, making this unquestionably the definitive documentation of Quintessence’s Island Record years.

by Kevin Rathert, May 2, 2017

Tracks

Disc 1  

1. Giants (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Stanley Barr) - 4:38

2. Manco Capac (Ron Rothfield, Richard Vaughan, Phil Jones) - 5:18

3. Body (Allan Mostert, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Phil Jones) - 3:34

4. Gange Mai (Ron Rothfield, Richard Vaughan, Phil Jones) - 4:01

5. Chant (Phil Jones) - 2:59

6. Pearl And Bird (Allan Mostert, Ron Rothfield, Richard Vaughan) - 3:58

7. Notting Hill Gate (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Stanley Barr) - 4:40

8. Midnight Mode (Allan Mostert, John Barham, Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones) - 9:13

9. Move Into The Light (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 3:32

10.Notting Hill Gate (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Stanley Barr) - 2:56

11.Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Guaranga (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 5:00

12.Sea Of Immortality (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 5:20

13.High On Mount Kailash (Excerpt From Opera) (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling, Stanley Barr) - 5:51

14.Burning Bush (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 2:36

15.Shiva’s Chant (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 2:14

Tracks 1-8 from "In Blissful Company" 1969

Tracks 9-10 Single versions

Tracks 11-15 from "Quintessence" 1970

Track 14 Live recording

Disc 2

1. Prisms (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 3:12

2. Twilight Zones (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling, Stanley Barr) - 5:18

3. Maha Mantra (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 1:37

4. Only Love (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 3:54

5. St. Pancras (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 6:19

6. Infinitum (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 1:45

7. Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Guaranga (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 5:09

8. Dive Deep (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 4:45

9. Dance For The One (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 10:46

10.Brahman (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 4:17

11.The Seer (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling, Stanley Barr) - 6:01

12.Epitaph For Tomorrow (Ron Rothfield, Phil Jones, Jeremy Milton, Richard Vaughan, Allan Mostert, Dave Codling) - 8:21

13.Sri Ram Chant (Swami Ambikananda) - 7:58

Tracks 1-6 from "Quintessence" 1970

Track 5, 7 Live recordings

Tracks 8-13 from "Dive Deep" 1971

Quintessence

*Phil ‘Shiva Shankar’ Jones - Vocals, Keyboards, Hand Drums

*Ron ‘Raja Ram’ Rothfield - Flutes, Bells, Percussion, Raspers, Chimes

*Allan Mostert - Lead Guitar

*Dave ‘Maha Dev’ Codling - Rhythm Guitar

*Richard ‘Shambu Babaji’ Vaughan - Bass Guitar

*Jeremy ‘Jake’ Milton - Drums

With

*Mike - Sitar

*Surya - Tamboura

*Vidya Bahen Jee - Vocals (Sri Ram Chant)

*Sita Devi Jee - Tamboura, Violin

*Musetta - Tamboura

*Ned Balen - Tablas, Shenai

1969-71  Quintessence - Spirits From Another Time (2016 double disc set)  

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The Ballroom - Preparing For The Millennium (1966-70 us, gorgeous mix of psych pop, folk rock and pure joyous harmony)

Mention the name Curt Boettcher to fans of late 60s soft pop, and you'll get nods of reverence. Over the years, Boettcher has had a growing mystique, in large part because the wonderful bands he led didn't achieve even a modicum of popularity during their tenure, but also because he was such a talented writer and musician. His bands Sagittarius and The Millennium have been written about quite often in recent years, as their albums have been reissued on CD. Even though he passed away more than 10 years ago, Boettcher's name is constantly on the lips of many fans, and perhaps because of the intrigue surrounding his musical life everyone wants to fill in the missing pieces. One of those pieces has long been discussed in rather hushed tones although few knew much about it, and that was the unreleased album by The Ballroom, the band that Boettcher had circa 1966, before Sagittarius and The Millennium. 

Most collectors had given up on the possibility that this album would ever see the light of day, but fortunately people like Joe Foster of Revola Records was persistent in his quest to make it happen, and Revola has now released a disc called Preparing For The Millennium, which contains not only the Ballroom album, but outtakes from Ballroom and Millennium sessions as well as solo projects by Ballroom members. The end result was more than worth the wait, as the music within is beautiful, harmony filled pop that will easily satiate the appetite of any fan of late 60s pop music.

Curt Boettcher had many strengths as a musician and songwriter, but perhaps his greatest was his voice, which not only soared to the heavens but contained a childlike innocence not unlike that of Peter Pan. However, while his music was certainly pretty, whimsical and melodic, it was often tinged with enough psychedelic flourishes to conjure the image that perhaps our Peter was ingesting some funny, mind altering substances (which indeed Boettcher was at the time). Upon listening to The Ballroom CD, one can hear the germination of a fruitful period for Boettcher, and his bandmates Sandy Salisbury, Michelle O'Malley, and Jim Bell were able assistants, contributing tight musicianship, beautiful Association/Cowsills like harmonies, and sophisticated songwriting in the case of Salisbury. 

The album (actually, the tapes of 11 of the original 13 songs could be found) could almost serve as a soundtrack to a fairytale, albeit a slightly askew one, and Boettcher's Peter Pan persona is easily communicated on tracks like the delightful "Spinning, Spinning, Spinning," "Love's Fatal Way", and the Salisbury penned "Magic Time". The band could emerge from that mold as well, as the American Indian flavored "You Turn Me Around," (co-written by "Along Comes Mary" writer Tandyn Almer-Boettcher had produced the first Association album) the slow, intense, and mystical "It's A Sad World," the goofy, Vaudevillian, pot induced "Crazy Dreams," and the pop/psych workout of the traditional R&B "Baby Please Don't Go" would attest. The Ballroom album also has nascent renderings of "Would You Like To Go" and "Musty Dusty", which would appear in more ornate versions on Sagittarius' Present Tense and The Millennium's Begin albums, respectively. The Ballroom versions are slightly slower and sparer, and in that form perhaps more cogently illustrates the beauty of these songs. Although The Ballroom is considered to be a Boettcher-led project, perhaps the highlight of the album is the Salisbury penned "I'll Grow Stronger," which contains an amazing melody line, complimentary whispery lead vocals and exquisite harmonies. Truly an amazing aural experience!

The next 8 tracks on the CD are outtakes and demos from The Ballroom and The Millennium, many of which emerged on either the aforementioned Sagittarius or Millennium albums. These are all excellent, especially "Another Time", which is more acoustic based than the released version but greatly emphasizes the delicate, complex melody lines, and "I'm Not Living Here", which in this version is carried by a prominent, slightly distorted bass line (these outtakes contain some different lyrics than those versions which appeared on "Present Tense"). Some songs that had not previously seen the light of day in any form are the uptempo, slightly loungy "If You Only Knew," the slow, Indian tinged "Believe You", which could have easily fit on the Monkees' Head soundtrack, and the pretty, early Monkees-ish "Sunshine Today". The final three songs on the disc are the gypsy-ish "Milk And Honey", by a pre-Ballroom Boettcher project called Summer's Children, "All Really Have Is A Memory", a soft, romantic Salisbury solo track (credited to "Sandy" on the 45) that out Left Bankes the Left Banke in the refrain, and a delightful version of Nilsson's "Best Friend" by the Salisbury led group Puppet.

The packaging of Preparing For The Millennium is stellar as well, with cool photos, vintage press clippings, and the usual excellent liner notes and song annotations by the venerable Dawn Eden, which include insights from various members of The Ballroom and The Millennium. All in all, Preparing For The Millennium is a collection that should be considered the Holy Grail of soft pop.

by David Bash

Tracks

1. Spinning, Spinning, Spinning (Curt Boettcher, Ruthann Friedman) - 2:42

2. You Turn Me Around (Tandyn Almer) - 2:45

3. Would You Like To Go (Curt Boettcher, Jules Alexander) - 2:41

4. Forever (Curt Boettcher, Lee Mallory) - 2:25

5. Loves Fatal Way (Curt Boettcher, Randy Naylor) - 2:57

6. It's A Sad World (Gene DiNovi, Mary Ann Maurer) - 3:53

7. Crazy Dreams (Michael P. Whalen) - 2:56

8. Magic Time (Sandy Salisbury) - 2:52

9. Musty Dusty (Curt Boettcher, Tandyn Almer) - 3:19

10.I'll Grow Stronger (Sandy Salisbury) - 3:05

11.Baby Please Don't Go (Traditional) - 3:12

12.Another Time (Curt Boettcher) - 3:37

13.If You Only Knew (Curt Boettcher) - 2:45

14.Keeper Of The Games (Curt Boettcher) - 1:53

15.The Island (Curt Boettcher) - 3:34

16.Believe You (Curt Boettcher) - 2:52

17.It's A Sad World (Gene DiNovi, Mary Ann Maurer) - 3:14

18.I'm Not Living Here (Curt Boettcher) - 3:19

19.Sunshine Today (Curt Boettcher) - 2:22

20.Milk And Honey (Curt Boettcher) - 2:28

21.All I Really Have Is A Memory (Sandy Salisbury) - 2:23

22.Best Friend (Harry Nilsson) - 2:23

Tracks 1-11 as The Ballroom

Tracks 12-19 as The Ballroom / The Millennium

Track 20 Summer's Children

Track 21 Sandy Salisbury

Track 22 Puppet

Musicians

*Curt Boettcher - Guitar, Vocals, Producer 

*Mike Deasy - Guitar 

*Sandy Salisbury - Guitar, Vocals

*Ben Benay - Guitar 

*Lee Mallory - Guitar, Vocals

*Jerry Scheff - Bass

*Dottie Holmberg - Vocals

*Jim Bell - Vocals 

*Michele O'Malley - Vocals 

*Sharon Olsen - Vocals

*Butch Parker - Keyboards, Horns, Bass

*Mike Henderson - Keyboards, Horns

*Jim Bell - Oboe

*Jim Horn - Saxophone

*Jim Troxell - Drums

*Ron Edgar - Drums

*Toxie French - Drums, Vibraphone

Releated Acts

1973  Curt Boettcher - There's An Innocent Face 

1967-68  The Millennium - Pieces (2013 Blu Spec) 

1968  The Millennium - Begin (2013 Blue Spec edition)
1969  Curt Boettcher - Another Time (2013 Blu Spec) 

1970-71  Curt Boettcher - Chicken Little Was Right (2013 blu spec)

1969  Sandy Salisbury - Do Unto Others (2013 Blu Spec)

1967-69  Sandy Salisbury – Everything For You Vol.1 (2013 blu spec) 

1966-69  Sandy Salisbury - Falling To Pieces (2002 remaster)  

1966-68  Sagittarius - Present Tense (2006 japan)  

1966-69  Lee Mallory - Many Are the Times (2013 blu spec)  

1965-71  Ruthann Friedman ‎– Hurried Life / Lost Recordings  

1966-73  Ruthann Friedman - Windy - A Ruthann Friedman Songbook (2013 remaster)  

1966  Tandyn Almer - Along Comes Tandyn (2013 digipak)  

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