Jig-A-Jig is a nine-track compilation from this wonderfully enthusiastic British band, spotlighting their jovial blend of folk-rock and jazz elements. With most of the material emerging from 1970's Snafu album, East of Eden's flighty, progressive atmosphere comes to life through the mixture of flute, saxophone, and, especially, electric violin.
One of their most energetic numbers entitled "Nymphenburger" uses six violin tracks and four guitar tracks with some electric alto sax piled on top, entirely overdubbed with the result sounding beautifully clean, mainly because of the familiar "Rondo" theme, which was later made famous by the Nice. It's Ron Gaines' saxophone that gives "Ramadahn" its mesmerizing flow and tribal-like sound, while the fully instrumental "Jig-A-Jig" went to number seven on the U.K. charts in 1971, thanks to the cordial nature of the song's pop sound.
The eight-plus minutes of "Gum Arabic" contrasts the airiness of the flute with the resonant chant of bagpipes, emerging as a truly eccentric piece of music, and "Confucius" focuses mainly on the guitar, causing the rhythms to stand out with a rockier tempo. East of Eden may not have gained the attention that the band was hoping for, even within the progressive rock ranks, but some of the members did go on to greener pastures.
Drummer Geoff Britton went on to play in Paul McCartney's Wings for almost a year in 1974, and violin player Dave Arbus became a renowned session man, lending his craft to the Who's Who's Next album.
by Mike DeGagne
Tracks
1. Jig-A-Jig (Traditional) - 3:35
2. Nymphenberger (East Of Eden) - 6:12
3. Ramadhan (Unknown) In The Snow For A Blow (Medley) - 6:12
..b.Part I (East Of Eden)
..c.Better Git It In Your Soul (Mingus)
..d.Part III (East Of Eden)
4. Northern Hemisphere (East Of Eden) - 4:32
5. Gum Arabic (Caines) - 8:15
..b.Confucius (Drummond)
6. Isadora (Nicholson, Caines, York) - 4:31
7. Leaping Beauties For Rudy (East Of Eden) - 7:01
8. Jig-A-Jig (7" Version) (Traditional) - 3:42
9. Marcus Junior (Drummond) - 3:56
East Of Eden
*Dave Arbus - Violin, Wind
*Ron Caines - Saxophone, Vocals
*Dave Dufort - Drums
*Geoff Nicholson - Guitar, Vocals
*Steve York - Bass
Titus Oates was a Dallas, TX, progressive hard rock five-piece that was never well known. The group's lone 1974 LP was only issued locally on the Lips label, and until this reissue from Radioactive the only way to hear the thing was to lay down hard cash for a shoddy bootleg -- an important point because, while it may not have the bombast of a major-label recording, Jungle Lady does not suffer from the murky sonics that dog most self-released records of this sort. Because it was a local pressing, it has been nearly impossible to locate, too; as a result, Titus Oates has been at the top of many collectors' want lists for years, its legend growing every time someone added it to a personal catalog of Holy Grails.
Does it live up to the hype? Sort of. Jungle Lady is a competent curiosity that balances tough Texas-style hard rock playing -- it's not ZZ Top, but it's close -- with progressive rock keyboards and jazzy guitar licks. Those aren't things that often intersect, and so the legend is deserved. "Jungle Lady" is a heady, largely unexplored mix of rock grit and prog flourish, it's sure to find an appreciative audience.
by Wade Kergan
Tracks
1 Jungle lady - 3:16
2 Dream on a train - 4:07
3 Blanket - 3:33
4 Friend of life - 3:49
5 Jupiter mars - 3:55
6 Time is only to fear - 3:43
7 Mr. tips - 3:46
8 Don't get your honey where you make your money - 4:45
9 The cage 7/2/74 - 4:05
Titus Oates
*Rick Jackson - Bass
*Lou Tielli - Guitar
*Steve Todd - Guitar
*Bill Beaudet - Keyboards
*Lou Tielli - Lead Vocals
*Pam Jackson - Lead Vocals
*Rick Jackson - Lead Vocals, Strings Ensemble
*Chris Eigenmann - Percussion
Taking their band and album name from the titular character in the first book of Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series, Titus Groan’s eponymous 1971 album is a heavy, kingsize slab of progressive rock. The sort that rattles window frames and loosens fillings.
Even the Greek Titan Atlas would’ve struggled to support the weight of a song as extraordinarily dense as ‘Hall of Bright Carvings’, and he was known for carrying the substantial burden of the heavens upon his shoulders.
One can almost envisage the heads-down hairiness of the band as they attack their instruments throughout the passage of Titus Groan. Thankfully, this unprovoked assault on their musical apparatus – and the listener’s eardrums – doesn’t register as some unholy and unlistenable mess that’s dribbled down the inside leg of Satan’s own purple loon pants.
Titus Groan, the band’s one and only album, sees the four members getting to grips with a variety of instrumentation, including the usual guitars etc. the ubiquitous organ and piano, and in the case of Tony Priestland, sax, oboe and the progger’s weapon of choice, the common or garden flute.
The combination of sax and oboe incorporates a jazzier influence that breezes across the sometimes impenetrable undercurrent of the guitars and drums, particularly on the opener ‘It Wasn’t For You’. ‘Hall of Bright Carvings’ remains as excellent as ever, with its 12 minute barrage of tuneful noise and occasional medieval flavour, and is easily Titus Groan’s finest moment.
The aforementioned flute comes to the forefront on ‘I Can’t Change’, rendering a more introspective track upon which the intricate melodies weave in and out of the heavy rock grumbling away in the background.
Overall, Titus Groan’s first and last album is progressive rock from the heavier end of the spectrum, free from the overly self-indulgent trappings that bogged down, and ultimately sank, many of their peers.
by Nick James
Tracks
1. It Wasn't for You (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland) - 5:32
2. Hall of Bright Carvings (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 11:39
3. I Can't Change (Titus Groan) - 5:40
4. It's All Up With Us (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 6:08
5. Fuschia (Tony Priestland) - 6:05
6. Open the Door Homer (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 3:28
7. Woman of the World (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 4:27
8. Liverpool (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 5:52
Bonus Tracks 6-8
Titus Groan
*Stuart Cowell - Guitar, Keyboards, Organ, Piano
*John Lee - Bass
*Tony Priestland - Flute, Oboe, Saxophone, Wind
*Jim Toomey - Drums, Percussion
Following the release of Sweetwater's selftitled debut album in Autumn of 1968 (produced by Dave Hassinger) for Reprise Records, the band entered the realm of virtually endless touring. The band's status was that of a "must have" act. They were so popular on the ever-increasing "Pop Festival" circuit that they shared bills with Cream, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jerry Lee Lewis, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and many other major acts of the day.
One of the reasons that the band was so compatible with so many major acts was the fact that they sounded like virtually no other act in rock. Eschewing the standard lead guitar, bass and drums rock band format, Sweetwater used cello (August Burns), flute (Albert Moore), bass (Fred Herrera) and keyboards (Alex Del Zoppo) as lead instruments. Combining classical, Latin, jazz and rock elements to their sound, they remained unique. In addition they had one of the best female voices in rock, Nancy Nevins, to handle most of the lead vocals (often blending with Del Zoppo, Herrera and/or Moore).
Touring dominated the band's life from late 1968 all the way through December of 1969. To be sure, the band's appearance at the Woodstock festival brought them some of their greatest exposure, but the band also went out on regular tours with the likes of The Doors, Frank Zappa and The Mothers and others. To some extent, all of these performances distracted the band from turning in their sophomore album. "We were so busy gigging and flying everywhere," adds Fred Herrera, "that we never really sat back and took stock of our recording situation...and a year and a half between albums was the kiss of death at that time." Another part of that "kiss of death" that Herrera mentions was Nancy Nevins' tragic automobile accident in December of 1969, which nearly crippled the band-as well as Nancy.
Nevin's near fatal head injury and accident-damaged right vocal cord had a devastating effect on her voice. "We had so many gigs lined up at the time of Nancy's accident" continues Herrera, "that we thought she'd be okay with a week or two of us gigging without her, but it just didn't come together." But the need for the band's second album was fast becoming a priority. Although patient and understanding of the band's situation. Reprise Records was waiting, and Nevins-ostensibly the band's "voice" and visual focus-was very slow in healing. The band only had one track previously recorded during sessions for the first album, with Nancy's voice as it was before her accident, "Look Out."
Most of Nancy's voice tracks on Just For You are the first professional cuts of her post-accident voice. The resulting album that you now hold, is somehow, through all of the chaos and disaster, a minor classic, and may be the band's finest hour in the studio. There is a depth and toughness to the sound that was occasionally missing from the Hassinger-produced debut. The award-winning producer Chris Huston was chosen to oversee the production of this album, and he brought Just For You a more live and exciting sound. The album's title track is a perfect example of this. Led by Del Zoppo's positively wicked Salsa piano riffing and Herrera's powerful bass runs, the track smokes, and achieves the kind of spontaneity that the band was known for. This, dear listener, is the real Sweetwater.
Adding Elpidio Cobian's nimble percussion tattoos, Albert Moore's flute solo and especially August Burns' swooping filigrees on the cello, the song stretches out in precisely the way the band were famous for in a live setting. Huston mic'ed Nancy closely for this track, protecting her still-recovering voice. Chris Huston continued to work diligently with Nancy's voice on the rest of the album. "Day Song" is a particular delight here, with Nancy performing gracefully on acoustic guitar.
There is an innocence and vulnerability to the performance that captures her spirit beautifully and accurately. Perhaps, however, the album's centerpiece is a track called "Windlace." Opening with some tasteful rain sound effects, the song slips into a funk-induced darkness that is relentless.
The vaguely psychedelic lyrics take the listener on a brief journey through consciousness. But the groove itself is what grasps and holds, and is another example of the band's core sound, mixing funk, classical and other elements effortlessly. As noted at the beginning of these notes, Sweetwater sounded like no other band of their era...but in the end, they actually captured the endless possibilities of the era perfectly. Just For You proves all of this and more.
by Matthew Greenwald and Harvey Kubernik
Tracks
1. Just For You (Fred Herrera) - 10:19
2. Day Song (Nancy Nevins) - 2:02
3. Windlace (Alex Del Zoppo) - 4:37
4. Compared To What (Gene McDaniels) - 6:50
5. Song For Romeo (Albert Moore) - 2:32
6. Without Me (Alex Del Zoppo) - 4:09
7. Look Out (Nancy Nevins) - 3:21
Gypsy's self-titled debut LP (released, confusingly, under the title English Gypsy in the U.S.) was the work of a British band extremely influenced by late-'60s Californian folk-psychedelic-rock -- more so than almost any other U.K. group you could name, in fact.
Why is that, then, that hardly anyone can name Gypsy these days? It's because the album's extremely derivative of Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and especially Moby Grape, particularly in the vocal harmonies. And it's because, while those are good influences to work from, the songs aren't nearly as good as the best work by the aforementioned acts. Some specialists would cavil that it's unfair to hold secondary bands like Gypsy up to such high standards, and that the music should be judged on its own terms. But let's be straight about it: on this particular platter, the similarities are inescapable.
The lead vocals often have the gritty tremble characteristic of numerous Moby Grape tracks; the harmonies on "I Don't Care Do You Mind?" are very much in the early CSNY style; the extended soloing on "Turning Wheel" can't fail to recall Neil Young's "Down by the River"; some of the lyrics on "Standing Alone, Feeling So Bad" sound rather like Buffalo Springfield's "Mr. Soul"; "Pony Ride" is a son (or should that be "grandson"?) of Moby Grape's "Hey Grandma"; etc.
It's well-played and well-sung, with some appealing sustained guitar effects, but more originality (and better material) were needed to make something enduring. The 2004 CD reissue adds the 1971 non-LP single "Changes Comin'"/"Don't Cry on Me," as well as six previously unreleased tracks recorded around the same time.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. What Makes a Man a Man? (Robin Pizer) - 3:07
2. Keep On Trying (Robin Pizer) - 4:35
3. I Don't Care, Do You Mind? (David McCarthy) - 3:13
4. Turning Wheel (David McCarthy) - 8:04
5. Feel About the Country Fine (David McCarthy) - 2:30
6. Standing Alone, Feel So Bad (John Knapp) - 6:04
7. I Want To Be Beside You (Robin Pizer) - 5:16
8. Please Don't Stay (John Knapp) - 5:16
9. Let Me Take You Home (Robin Pizer) - 4:50
10.Pony Ride (John Knapp) - 4:59
11.Change Coming (Robin Pizer) - 3:40
12.Don't Cry On Me (John Knapp) - 3:15
13.Listen To the Music (Robin Pizer) - 3:29
14.I Don't Wanna Lose You (Robin Pizer) - 3:12
15.I Guess She'll Have To Know (David McCarthy) - 3:34
16.There's a Party (John Knapp) - 3:46
17.It Don't Bother Me (John Knapp) - 3:30
18.What a Day (John Knapp) - 4:56
Harmony Row is the legitimate follow-up to Jack Bruce'excellent songs for a tailor, although 1971 also saw the almost-simultaneous release of 1968 jazz tapes entitled Things We Like by this artist. An elaborate gatefold package has a shadow photo of the artist from the back, overlooking a golden sun on the waters. The self-produced disc begins with the pop excursion "Can You Follow," which blends into "Escape To The Royal Wood (On Ice)."
Jack Bruce provides the voice, keyboards, bass, and some percussion, making this very much a solo project. "You Burned The Tables On Me" takes things into a progressive rock-meets-jazz arena. The only reference to blues here is Bruce's voice, but guitarist Chris Spedding's scratchy guitar, and the percussion -- either by Jack Bruce or drummer Jim Marshall (who plays on what is not specified) make the track sound almost like Cream without Clapton.
There's a rare photo of Peter Brown in the second cardboard gatefold, and one of Bruce, while all of Brown's lyrics are spread out for public consumption. A nice touch, as Peter Brown is to Jack Bruce what Keith Reid is to Procul Harum, and the cleverly obscured words are sometimes the only foundation to grasp at while one of rock & roll's most innovative bassists goes from genre to genre, combining rhythms and melodies that defy commercial categorization.
Harmony Row is the album that combines many flavors of Bruce's experimentations, making it courageous, adventurous, and hardly the product for a mass audience. "Folk Song" is barely a folk song; it is a progressive pop tune with that elegant, Procul Harum-like, sweeping, mystical statement. There's a pretty piano against church-like organ and vocals, with amazing guitar embellishments by Chris Spedding. "Folk Song" has elements Bruce would examine again, on the album Monkjack; it's a song which should have made him the darling of underground FM radio.
It's a far cry from the all-out assault of his forthcoming power trio, West, Bruce & Laing, which emerged a year after this. The delicacy of "Smiles And Grins" suggests that hard jazz is what would have given the project with Leslie West a much needed diversion. But what happened was that Bruce embraced the trail Mountain stampeded down, while a purer blending of the two would have been re-readings of this Harmony Row material.
"Post War" is a good example of how the underappreciated Leslie West could have expanded his influence -- Spedding's contributions are enormous, and like West, he is the only other musician save the drummer on Bruce's essential projects in 1971 and 1972, on the albums Harmony Row, and Why Dontcha. Drummer Jim Marshall appeared on the previous songs for a tailor, as did Spedding, though they didn't perform together on that disc. Here, Jack Bruce takes two players from that solo album, and moves them into another head-space. His use of the talents around him is impeccable, and yet another reason why fans should have embraced this quirky and intelligent troubadour.
"A Letter Of Thanks" is so complex it borders on The Mothers Of Invention-style of non-groove, while "Victoria Sage" is more in-line with the ideas set forth on songs for a tailor, and with exquisite vocals by this tremendous singer. The final track, the tasty, Spanish-influenced "The Consul At Sunset," utilizes multiple percussive ideas with piano and guitars overlapping Peter Brown's words; those words are as important as the contributions from Marshall, Spedding, and Bruce. It's actually quite an amazing transition when set against the other discs released in this four-year period, and a stunning output from a major artist without yielding a Top 40 hit.
by Joe Viglione
Tracks
1. Can You Follow? – 1:32
2. Escape To The Royal Wood (On Ice) - 3:44
3. You Burned The Tables On Me - 3:49
4. There's A Forest - 1:44
5. Morning Story - 4:55
6. Folk Song - 4:20
7. Smiles And Grins - 6:05
8. Post War - 4:20
9. A Letter Of Thanks - 2:54
10.Victoria Sage - 5:02
11.The Consul At Sunset - 4:14
12.Green Hills (Instrumental Version Of Can You Follow?) - 2:16
13.Escape To The Royal Wood (On Ice) (Instrumental Demo Version) - 4:01
14.There's A Forest (First Take) - 2:11
15.You Burned The Tables On Me (Remix Including Electric Piano) - 4:10
16.Can You Follow? (First Take) - 1:32
Lyrics by Pete Brown, Music by Jack Bruce
Whether it was more a blessing or a curse to be signed to Bob Shad’s Chicago-based Mainstream Records in the late 1960s is a matter for debate. Though the label issued numerous underground albums that are unlikely to have seen the light of day otherwise (including minor classics by the Bohemian Vendetta, the Art Of Lovin’, the Growing Concern, Ellie Pop, the Jelly Bean Bandits, the Orient Express and others), it had little in the way of national distribution or radio support, and was at best a way-station for the more talented artists on its roster, such as Big Brother & the Holding Company and Ted Nugent’s Amboy Dukes. A classic victim of its approach was Stone Circus.
The band’s leader and chief songwriter was Jonathan Caine (real name Larry Cohen). Born in Montreal in 1948, by the age of 14 he was a guest soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and upon graduation from the Quebec Conservatory in 1968, he gravitated towards America’s East Coast. There he hooked up with fellow Montreal natives Ronnie Paige, David Keeler and Mike Burns, as well as guitarist Sonny Haines (a New Yorker who had played with Joey Dee and the Starlighters before recording a few 45s with Canadian act the Footprints).
The band based themselves in New York, named themselves the Funky Farm and were soon offered the chance to record an album by Shad. The result was a superb blend of melodic psych-pop and experimental acid rock, spanning mellow, catchy pop (What Went Wrong? and Sara Wells), harder-edged rock (Mr. Grey and Inside-Out Man) and out-and-out weirdness (the long closing track, People I One Knew, which opens and closes with unsettling spoken word sections), and bore similarity to contemporary acts such as the Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Blues Magoos.
When the LP was released, however, the band was astonished to find their name changed to Stone Circus – and when it failed to sell, they split. Cohen went on to collaborate with Footprints singer Yank Barry on an odd, lavishly packaged double LP entitled Diary Of Mr. Gray (boasting a very close cover of Stone Circus’s Mr. Gray) in the early 70s, before embarking on a career composing music for B-movies. The other members of Stone Circus remain in obscurity, though one hopes they’re aware of the standing their music has belatedly acquired amongst connoisseurs of psychedelia.
Tracks
1. What Went Wrong (Caine) - 2:27
2. Adam’s Lament (Caine) - 2:36
3. Mr. Grey (Caine) - 3:07
4. Blue Funk (Murphy) - 2:36
5. Carnival Of Love (Caine) - 3:01
6. Sara Wells (Murphy) - 3:08
7. Inside-Out Man (Caine, Murphy) - 5:11
8. Camino Real (Caine, Murphy) - 3:33
9. People I Once Knew (Caine) - 7:00
Stone Circus
*Sonny Haines - Lead Guitar
*Ronnie Paige - Lead Vocals
*Jonathan Caine - Organ
*David Keeler - Bass
*Mike Burns - Drums
Hailing from the wintry heartland of Minneapolis, the Trashmen achieved cult immortality with a passel of landlocked surf anthems and reckless garage-rock gems, best exemplified by their immortal anthem "Surfin' Bird," two and a half minutes of inspired, unhinged mayhem that's never been equaled. But "Surfin' Bird" is just the tip of the iceberg of the 1964 album that bears the song's name.
The only LP that the band released during their original lifespan, Surfin' Bird demonstrates that the Trashmen were no novelty act or one-hit wonder, but a brilliant, original outfit who filtered their R’n’B and surf influences through their own cheerfully demented sensibility to make some of their era's most reckless, uninhibited rock 'n' roll. In addition to the iconic "Surfin' Bird," the album features the surf-and-drag killers "King of the Surf," "My Woodie" and "Tube City," along with the "Bird"-themed sequels "Bird Bath" and "Bird Dance Beat." Elsewhere on the album, the Trashmen's surf-rock skills animate the instrumental standards "Misirlou," "Malagueña" and "Kuk," and the band delivers storming readings of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" and Barrett Strong's "Money (That's What I Want)."
Anyone who's ever been severely jolted by Trashmen anthems knows the unparalleled joy of flailing about helplessly to Tony Andreason's blistering guitar and the manic, rumbling vocals of drummer Steve Wahrer. If only Trashmen records had been loaded into that outward-bound rocket ship years ago, the galaxy would be a much safer place today!
Based on sheer musical ability, the Q 65 deserved to be at least as well known as the Pretty Things or the Yardbirds. Indeed, the Dutch quintet could have held their own with either of those groups or the Animals without breaking a sweat, based on the recorded evidence, and they also had room for some of the more countrified blues evident in the work of the Downliners Sect.
Yet the Q 65 have remained one of Europe's best-kept star-caliber musical secrets for more than 30 years. the Q 65 were Frank Nuyens (guitar, vocals, sax, flute, harmonica), Willem Bieler (vocals, harmonica), Peter Vink (bass), Joop Roelofs (guitar), and Jay Baar (drums), first got together in 1965, in the Hague. The city was known as "the Liverpool of the Netherlands," with a music scene that had been thriving since the end of the '50s.
Instrumental groups, patterned after the sound of the Shadows had been very big at that time. Peter Vink and Jay Baar had been playing in a blues-based band called Leadbelly's Limited before they hooked up with Wim Bieler, Frank Nuyens, and Joop Roelofs to form the Q 65 in February of 1965. The group's professed influences were American soul acts like Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding, yet somehow, when they performed, what they played came out closer in form and spirit to the likes of the Pretty Things, the Downliners Sect, and the Yardbirds than it did to any of those soul acts, at least at first. They landed a recording contract with Phonogram, a unit of Philips Records, late that year, and put on the Decca label. Their first single, "You're the Victor," was released in February of 1966.
This was a strange record for a band professing an admiration of Sam & Dave or Wilson Pickett, a frantically paced piece of punk-style blues-rock with an infectious Bo Diddley beat, screaming, raspy vocals, and a savage attack on their instruments. The single made number 11 on the charts in Holland, and rode the bestseller lists for 13 weeks. The B-side, another original called "And Your Kind," was a more low-key, relaxed piece of blues-rock with slightly more of a soulful feel, but also some crunchy punk guitar.
In May of 1966, with the group now primed for success (with a full-time manager working for them), they released their second single, "The Life I Live." This was a more soulful record that built almost bolero-like in intensity. It was a good enough record to get Phonogram's management interested in promoting the group in England, which led to a publicity stunt that was not only a waste of time, but utterly foolish, sending the group to England by boat and having them come ashore in a rubber lifeboat, as though they'd come across the ocean that way.
They were then supposed to play a gig, but as nobody had secured work permits, the group was only able to pose for photographs and press interviews before returning to the Netherlands. the Q 65 were greeted at the shore in Schevenning when they landed (again manning the lifeboat to land) by 30,000 fans, and ended up playing a gig right there at the pier. The band may not have done much for themselves in England, but they garnered a Top Ten hit in the Netherlands.
With two successful singles under their belt, the group's debut album, Revolution, followed in 1966. Revolution was a powerful blues-rock album that included a snarling rendition of Willie Dixon's "Down in the Bottom," a rendition of Dixon's "Spoonful" that boasted gloriously crunchy acoustic guitars behind a raspy vocal worthy of Howlin' Wolf himself, and a funky version of Allen Toussaint's "Get Out of My Life, Woman," and a handful of originals that were fully competitive with the covers. The highlight, however, was a riveting 14-minute version of Sonny Boy Williamson II's "Bring It on Home." The album sold 3,5000 copies, a respectable number in the Netherlands, and established the group sufficiently to rate a spot playing with the Small Faces, the Spencer Davis Group, the Kinks, and the Pretty Things when they toured Holland.
During 1967, they didn't release any LPs, but did get a solid extended-play single out called Q Blues, which did well at home. Their music during this period reached what was arguably its peak -- "Ain't That Lovin' You Babe" is a garage punk classic worthy of the best American bands of the period, while their version of "Ramblin' on My Mind" thunders and surges with ferocious energy. They were unique in their approach, mixing the sounds of saxes and even an ocarina -- an instrument virtually unknown in rock away from the Troggs -- into country and Chicago-style blues.
The group continued trying to make it as a blues-rock band for most of 1967. Their sound began to change late in the year, just as music was turning psychedelic, and around the time just before Wim Bieler was drafted into the army. His exit heralded the end of the Q 65's classic period. Nuyens, Baar, and Roelofs hooked up with Herman Brood (piano, vocals) and Henk Smitskamp (vocals, bass) to form a new, more psychedelic-oriented outfit, which eventually evolved into a group called Circus, which lasted, in varying lineups, for the year of 1968.
Peter Vink, meanwhile, joined a group called Big Wheel, whose lineup included future Focus member Cyril Havermanns. In 1969, a second Q 65 album was released, entitled Revival and made up of singles and latter-day tracks. The music was still powerful and very intense -- perhaps too much so -- if not as accessible. Had the lineup stayed intact, the group might even have found an audience. They still played well, even if it was experimental in nature (and what blues they played was more psychedelic than classic style). They might've given bands like the Creation a run for their money, but the Q 65 split up at just about this point.
This two-CD set is as good as it gets: a 35-song compilation of every single, B-side, EP track, and LP track left behind by the Q 65 during their three years with Decca/ Phonogram. There's hardly a weak track here -- at least until the group abandons blues as the basis for their sound late in 1967. Yet even those songs are well-played, with great attack on the instruments, and the set is rounded out by the presence of four bonus tracks by the Q 65 offshoot band Circus. The music is excellent and the only drawback for most of us is that the notes are printed only in Dutch, but even the booklet is worthwhile for the cool photos of the band.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
Disc 1
1. You're The Victor (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:26
2. And Your Kind (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 3:09
3. The Life I Live (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, J. Roelofs, P. Vink, W. Bieler) - 3:19
4. Cry In The Night (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:15
5. I Got Nightmares (J.W. Baar, J. Roelofs, P. Vink, W. Bieler) - 2:27
6. Just Who's In Sight (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 3:08
7. Mr. Pitiful (O. Redding, S. Cropper) - 2:19
8. I'm A Man (B. Diddley) - 4:36
9. Middel-Age Talk (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:28
10.Summerthoughts In A Field Of Weed (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:24
11.Down At The Bottom (W. Dixon) - 1:42
12.Get Out Of My Life, Woman (Allen Toussaint) - 2:24
13.Spoonful (W. Dixon) - 3:28
14.Sour Wine (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:56
15.Bring It On Home (W. Dixon) - 13:44
16.I Despice You (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:25
17.Ann (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:49
Disc 2
1. From Above (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:54
2. I Was Young (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, J. Roelofs, P. Vink, W. Bieler) - 2:35
3. World Of Birds (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 3:25
4. It Came To Me (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, W. Bieler) - 2:33
5. Ain't That Loving You Babe (J. Reed) - 2:17
6. Ramblin' On My Mind (R. Johnson) - 4:47
7. No Place To Go (C. Burnett) - 3:08
8. 80% O (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, J. Roelofs) - 2:45
9. Where Is The Key (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, J. Roelofs, W. Bieler) - 2:19
10.So High I've Been, So Down I Must Fall (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, J. Roelofs, P. Vink, W. Bieler) - 3:08 11.Sundance (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar) - 4:34
12.Voluntary Peacemaker (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar) - 4:59
13.Ridin' On A Slow Train (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar) - 4:10
14.Fairy Tales Of Truth (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar) - 5:47
15.I Was Young (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar, J. Roelofs, P. Vink, W. Bieler) - 2:34
16.Medusa (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar) - 3:28
17.Mother Mutha's Great Sundance (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar) - 4:34
18.Mother Mutha's Great Sundance + Circles/Cymbals And Backgrounds (F. Nuyens, J.W. Baar) - 5:26 Bonus tracks 15-18 Circus 16-18
Q65
*Jay Baar - Drums
*Willem Bieler- Harmonica, Vocals
*Frank Nuyens- Guitar
*Joop Roelofs- Guitar
*Peter Vink- Bass
*Ian Kew- Keyboards
The story of these two albums is equally troubled as the story and career of Eric Burdon, maybe the most important voice of the British Invasion of the 60s. Either with the Alan Price Combo (later to be renamed to Animals) in 1962 or with the Animals until their MkIII disband in 1968 and either with WAR or the New Animals that follow him with various forms until today, Eric Burdon is probably the only musician of the 60s that lived through all the versions of success and failure, on both sides of the ocean, working together but more importantly living together with the biggest personalities of the music scene of the era.
In any case, he differs a lot compared to the other big stars of the time, for two particular reasons. First, he was never a star. He was there prior to all of the others (except everybody’s teacher Alexis Korner) and he was there to see the Silver Beatles moving to Germany and he was there to see them return as the Beatles. He was also there to see the Rolling Stones release their first hit and project into a stardom that he would never experience. Second, because instead of just get inspired by the same idols that he shared with the others, he made that music his own, he lived with those idols and worked with them without expecting profit or glory. He served his childhood heroes and along with them he served the music that he loved so much and that he remained faithful to, against the weather, until today.
Eric Burdon experienced the dark side of stardom as no other and sucked to it to the bone, carrying his experiences along with his music. He engrafted his art with what he managed to gain from his relationship with Jimmy Hendrix but also his death, from the blues lessons he received from an old blind, poor road bluesman in Los Angeles. He learned by heart and accumulated the most he could from working with Howling Wolf and Jimmy Witherspoon and so many blues greats. He travelled around the world and he is still the most charismatic bluesman, even if he is white, even if he can no longer stand singing in rooms full of smoke and sweat.
After the Animals finally broke up and Burdon going bankrupt because of bad management from their agent and the dubius part that Price and Chandler had in it, Eric almost quit and he was just ready to return to Newcastle and the coalmines that his father worked, if lady luck had not brought him to a show by a band named Nightwish, early in 1969. Eric took the opportunity, he named himself singer of the band, added up the Dane youngster Oscar Lee to the lineup and changed the band’s name to WAR, just soon enough to present them to the world with the album “Eric Burdon Declares WAR” with several more highly successful works to follow.
This project was not meant to last for long, though. Constant quarrels with Record Companies and Eric’s continuous abuse of drugs and alcohol made him break up with WAR and decide to get on with a solo career. This turn brought him in touch with guitarist Aalon Butler with whom he recorded and released “Sun Secrets” in 1974 when Burdon decided to add up guitarist John Sterling and record with him “Stop” in 1975. “Stop” finally, hit the selves just after the Eric Burdon Band was already history and as :Sun Secrets” before it, failed to make an impact.
On the other hand, Eric, continuing his endless fight with the Record Companies, decided to block the releases and withdraw the albums since the company refused to pay him his rights. The two albums were released anew in 1993, both on one CD, again meeting the resistance of Burdon. This and the two original releases of the two albums, are, now, quite hard to find.
As hard as it was with these two albums, so similar they looked to each other, as they were recorded and composed during one of Burdon’s most troubled periods.
Sun Secrets relies more in the Animals and WAR era, albeit with a twist. In this album, Eric buries his blues roots as deep as he can and performs, among others, classic Animals hits like It’s my life (opening cut), Don’t let Me Be Misunderstood and When I was Young, although in a unique, angry and aggressive way, with a rock energy that startles.
He seems to denunciate his own past, twisting it in purpose, trying, maybe, to change the way things flow, already knowing that he cannot. Johnny Cash’s hit Ring Of Fire arrangement in this album is given in such a way that it proves beyond any doubt what Eric was like at those times and the way that he looked upon himself as an artist. The Real Me and Letter from The Country Farm show the most heavy, melancholic and isolated Eric ever, while the instrumental Sun Secrets is just there to fit with the mood of the rest of the album.
Stop, equally angry if you look at it through Burdon’s perspective, has a distinctly different compositional aspect playing games between rock, jazz and soul/funk shades, colouring Eric melancholic mood with a deliberately lighter mood, however it fails to hide his desire to cut off. It is quite characteristic that in the songs that Burdon has a part in the composition, the blues feeling is more than evident, even id none of the songs resembles his earlier style.
Indeed, City Boy, Rainbow and All I Do really make a change amongst the album’s ambience and make a turn back to Eric’s roots, while in the rest (with the exception of the excellent Stop) Eric sounds detached and alienated while his performance and his voice sound different and estranged. In any case, the great performer is there, even if he “pretends”, successfully though, to be someone else, until the albums grand finale where he bursts out screaming Stop to the end of his voice in one of the best cuts the 70s ever produced.
Two of the less known albums that Eric Burdon recorded, they are still classics in their own way. They are classics because they picture the life and the artistic journey of a 60s legend after the lights are gone. They are classics because they prove beyond doubt, that these great performers do not need a light beam to show, because at the end of their prime they just lend some of their light to others, only to deterministically take it back in the end.
Eric Burdon is simply one of these great performers. He lived through the revolutions of music and youth in a way and extent that no one else did and he is still alive to remember. And while some others just live or have already passed away, he, at sixty six years old, he continues to be fully active, releasing one album after another, just doing the same thing he started in Newcastle by mistake, back in 1960. Singing the blues better than anyone.
by Alex Politis
Tracks
1. It's My Life (Atkins, D'Errico) - 4:43
2. Ring Of Fire (Carter, Kilgore) - 6:11
3.. Medley - 8:30
..a.When I Was Young (Burdon)
..b.War Child (Burdon, Butler)
4. The Real Me (Butler) - 3:34
5.. Medley - 8:25
..a Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Benjamin, Marcus)
..b Nina's School (Burdon, Butler)
6. Letter From The County Farm (Burdon, Gordon) - 13:05
7. Sun Secrets (Butler) - 3:02
8.City Boy (Burdon, Sterling) 3:50
9. Gotta Get It On (Sterling, Hodgson) - 2:57
10.The Man (Sterling, Mitthauer, Ryan) - 2:56
11 I'm Lookin' Up (Sterling, Kesterson) - 2:15
12.Rainbow (Burdon, Morris, Kesterson) - 2:39
13.All I Do (Burdon, Kesterson, Sterling) - 2:08
14.Funky Fever (Ryan, Sterling) - 2:48
15.The Way It Should Be (Sterling) - 3:13
16.Stop (Sterling, Kesterson, Haney) - 5:45
The Eric Burdon Band Sun Secrets
*Aalon - Guitar
*Alvin Taylor - Drums
*Randy Rice - Bass Guitar
*Eric Burdon - Vocals Stop
*Eric Burdon - Lead Vocal
*John Sterling, Aalon - Guitars
*Alvin Taylor, George Suranovich - Drums
*Kim Kesterson, Randy Rice - Bass
*Terry Ryan - Keyboards
*Moses Wheelock, Alvin Taylor - Percussion
