It's A Beautiful Day - It's A Beautiful Day / Marrying Maiden (1969-70 us, gorgeous psych folk prog rock)

It's a Beautiful Day were no less memorable for their unique progressive rock style that contrasted well with the Bay Area psychedelic scene. Led by David LaFlamme (flute/violin/vocals) and his wife, Linda LaFlamme (keyboards), the six-piece unit on this album vacillates between light and ethereal pieces such as the lead-off cut, "White Bird," to the heavier, prog rock-influenced "Bombay Calling." One of the most distinct characteristics of It's a Beautiful Day is their instrumentation. The prominence of David LaFlamme -- former violin soloist with the Utah Symphony and original member of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks -- adds a refinement to It's a Beautiful Day's sound. Likewise, the intricate melodies -- mostly composed by the LaFlammes -- are structured around the band's immense virtuosity, a prime example being the exquisitely haunting harpsichord-driven "Girl With No Eyes." The noir framework, as well as lyrics such as "...she's just a reflection of all of the time I've been high," point rather candidly to the hallucinogenic nature of the song's -- if not the band's -- influences. 

The same can be said of the languidly eerie "Bulgaria." The almost chant-like quality of the track slowly crescendos into an hypnotic and dreamlike sonic journey -- led by LaFlamme's brilliant violin work. By virtue of being a Bay Area fixture in the late '60s, It's a Beautiful Day could also easily double as a hippie dance band -- which they can also execute with great aplomb -- as the wildly up-tempo "Time Is" amply proves. It's a Beautiful Day remains as a timepiece and evidence of how sophisticated rock & roll had become in the fertile environs of the San Francisco music scene. 

The second long-player from It's a Beautiful Day is an exceedingly more pastoral effort than the band's self-titled debut. As many of the Bay Area groups -- most notably the Grateful Dead with Workingman's Dead and American Beauty -- had begun to do, the band realigns its sound from the dark psychedelia and proto-prog of its earlier works and into a lighter and earthier country-flavored rock. Marrying Maiden does, however, continue highlighting both the sextet's stellar instrumental proficiencies as well as vocals -- featuring the entire band -- throughout. "Don and Dewey," the album's opener, is a hot-steppin' spotlight for David LaFlamme's classically trained violin work. Presumably, the tune is an ode to the late-'50s/early-'60s R&B duo of the same name. The track has distinct hints of the concurrent contributions that LaFlamme had been making in an incipient incarnation of Dan Hick & His Hot Licks. It likewise sets the tenor for the remainder of the disc's down-home feel.

The cover of folkie Fred Neil's "The Dolphins" is notable for Fred Webb's honky tonk piano fills and LaFlamme's vocals, recalling some of the earliest New Riders of the Purple Sage sides. One of the more solidly unifying factors linking the NRPS and It's a Beautiful Day is the guest appearance by Jerry Garcia, who is featured on two numbers. As he had done on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Teach Your Children," Garcia lends a few distinct pedal steel guitar riffs to the perky "It Comes Right Down to You." The track also features former Charlatan Richard Olsen on, of all things, clarinet. Another sign of the times is the pickin' and grinnin' on the appropriately titled "Hoedown" -- on which Garcia adds some fiery banjo fretwork. 

by Lindsay Planer

Tracks
It's A Beautiful Day 1969
1. White Bird (David Laflamme, Linda Laflamme) - 6:06
2. A Hot Summer Day (David Laflamme, Linda Laflamme) - 5:46
3. Wasted Union Blues - 4:00
4. Girl With No Eyes (David Laflamme, Linda Laflamme) - 3:49
5. Bombay Calling (David Laflamme, Vince Wallace) - 4:25
6. Bulgaria - 6:10
7. Time Is - 9:42
Marrying Maiden 1970
8. Don And Dewey - 5:10
9. The Dolphins (Fred Neil) - 4:25
10.Essence Of Now (Mitchell Holman) - 3:15
11.Hoedown - 2:25
12.Soapstone Mountain - 4:15
13.Waiting For The Sun (Hal Wagenet) - 1:15
14.Let A Woman Flow (David LaFlamme, Pattie Santos) - 4:25
15.It Comes Right Down To You (Fred Webb, Robert Lewis) - 3:10
16.Good Lovin' (Fred Webb, Mitchell Holman) - 4:55
17.Galileo (Hal Wagenet) - 3:00
18.Do You Remember The Sun? (Fred Webb, Robert Lewis) - 3:05
All songs by David LaFlamme except where indicated.

It's A Beautiful Day
*Pattie Santos - Percussion, Vocals
*Val Fuentes - Drums, Vocals
*Fred Webb - French Horn, Keyboards, Vocals
*David Laflamme - Flute, Violin, Guitar, Vocals
*Mitchell Holman - Bass, Harmonica, Vocals
*Hal Wagenet - Guitar, Vocals
Guests
*Bruce Steinberg - Harmonica (Track 2)
*Avenue Theatre - Organ (Track 12)
*Richard Olsen - Clarinet (Tracks 8-18)
*Jerry Garcia - Banjo, Pedal Steel (Tracks 8-18)

1968  It's A Beautiful Day - Live At The Fillmore (2013 release)
1971  It's A Beautiful Day - Creed Of Love

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rep>>> Jo Ann Kelly - Jo-Ann Kelly (1969 uk, spectacular delta blues rock)

The rock era saw a few white female singers, like Janis Joplin, show they could sing the blues. But one who could outshine them all -- Jo Ann Kelly -- seemed to slip through the cracks, mostly because she favored the acoustic, Delta style rather than rocking out with a heavy band behind her. But with a huge voice, and a strong guitar style influenced by Memphis Minnie and Charley Patton, she was the queen. 

Born January 5, 1944, Kelly and her older brother Dave were both taken by the blues, and born at the right time to take advantage of a young British blues scene in the early '60s. By 1964 she was playing in clubs, including the Star in Croydon, and had made her first limited-edition record with future Groundhogs guitarist Tony McPhee. She expanded to play folk and blues clubs all over Britain, generally solo, but occasionally with other artists, bringing together artists like Bessie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe into her own music. 

After the first National Blues Federation Convention in 1968 her career seemed ready to take flight. She began playing the more lucrative college circuit, followed by her well-received debut album in 1969. At the second National Blues Convention, she jammed with Canned Heat, who invited her to join them on a permanent basis. She declined, not wanting to be a part of a band -- and made the same decision when Johnny Winter offered to help her. 

Throughout the '70s, Kelly continued to work and record solo, while also gigging for fun in bands run by friends, outfits like Tramp and Chilli Willi -- essentially pub rock, as the scene was called, and in 1979 she helped found the Blues Band, along with brother Dave, and original Fleetwood Mac bassist Bob Brunning. The band backed her on an ambitious show she staged during the early '80s, Ladies and the Blues, in which she paid tribute to her female heros. In 1988, Kelly began to suffer pain. 

A brain tumor was diagnosed and removed, and she seemed to have recovered, even touring again in 1990 with her brother before collapsing and dying on October 21. Posthumously, she's become a revered blues figure, one who helped clear the path for artists like Bonnie Raitt and Rory Block. But more than a figurehead, her recorded material -- and unreleased sides have appeared often since her death -- show that Kelly truly was a remarkable blueswoman. 

by Chris Nickson

Tracks
1. Louisiana Blues (McKinley Morganfield) - 3:32
2. Fingerprints Blues (Joe McCoy) - 3:27
3. Driftin' and Driftin' (Oscar Brown, Jr.  Warren "Pete" Moore) - 2:40
4. Look Here Partner (Jo Ann Kelly) - 2:36
5. Moon Going Down (Charley Patton) - 4:04
6. Yellow Bee Blues (Joe McCoy) - 3:48
7. Whiskey Head Woman (Tommy McClennan) - 1:52
8. Sit Down on My Knee (Jo Ann Kelly) - 2:43
9. Man I'm Lovin' (Hooker, Josea) - 2:44
10.Jinx Blues (Son House) - 2:31
11.Come on in My Kitchen (Robert Johnson) - 2:49

*Jo Ann Kelly - Guitar, Vocals

Related acts
1969  Tramp - Tramp (2007 Japan remaster)  

1969  John Dummer Blues Band - Cabal / John Dummer Band (2010 BGO)

1970-71  Brunning Hall Sunflower Blues Band - I Wish You Would • Brunning Sunflower Blues Band (2003 Sanctuary)

1973  John Dummer's Oobleedooblee Band - Oobleedooblee Jubilee (2005 Walhala)

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rep>>> The John Dummer Blues Band - The Lost Album (1973 uk, exceptional classic rock with blues stains, 2008 issue)

The John Dummer Blues Band's reputation as one of those groups that hung forever on the cusp of a major step forward, but never quite made it over the top, is one of those odd little injustices with which the British blues scene forever prickles. 

There is simply no way of judging why one band made it while another failed to crackle, but Dummer and company were unluckier than most and, by 1973, their fortunes had reached rock bottom. Vertigo, their home for two albums, was about to let them go as part of the company-wide purge that so devastated what had once been one of Britain's most visionary record labels -- and when the bandmembers returned to the studio, it was in the knowledge that they had one last chance to convince the bigwigs to keep them on board. They should have succeeded, too. The result is a pièce de résistance, a sparkling album that not only packs some of the band's best ever recordings, but also boasts one of their strongest ever lineups: organist Colin Earl and guitarists Dave Kelly and Pete Emery, a rhythm section of Ian Thompson and Pick Withers, and, on saxophone, the legendary Graham Bond. But somehow it all slipped through the cracks. 

Within a year, Bond was dead; this may well have been his last ever recording session, a manic four-day span that saw no less than 11 tracks kicked out, and then abandoned. Before that, though, Vertigo did indeed pass on the album, and attempts to land a U.S. deal via the Foghat connection (Colin Earl, of course) were doomed to failure. The tapes were shelved, the band broke up, and it would be 35 years before anybody ever thought to give them another listen. Now, however, they are where they belong, on the streets and still sparkling as brilliantly as the best of the Dummer band ever did. 

by Dave Thompson

Tracks
1. LA Lady - 2:39
2. Sunny Wine Song - 3:17
3. Short Haul Line - 3:15
4. Reach For Me - 4:29
5. Goin' Home - 3:51
6. Bad Dream - 6:19
7. Good Rockin' Man - 4:01
8. Undying Love - 5:15
9. Who's Foolin' Who - 5:40
10.Stealin' - 2:31
11.Keep It In My Mind - 7:19

The John Dummer Blues Band
*Pick Withers - Drums
*Ian Thompson - Bass
*Dave Kelly - Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Pete Emery - Guitar
*Colin Earl - Keyboards
*Graham Bond - Saxophone
*John Dummer - Percussion, Vocals

1969  John Dummer Blues Band - Cabal / John Dummer Band (2010 remaster)
1970  John Dummer - John Dummer's Famous Music Band / Blue (2011 BGO)
1973  John Dummer's Oobleedooblee Band - Oobleedooblee Jubilee (2005 Walhala)

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rep>>> Various Artists - Three O'Clock Merrian Webster Time (1966-68 us, great texas psychedelic brands)

By the time 1966 ended, many of the groups in Texas that started out playing British Invasion and folk-rock music, were now immersing themselves in the newly emerging psychedelic music. The five groups that comprise this album reflect the changes that occurred during this period and four of them even changed their names to sound more psychedelic.  The Nomads became Smoke, Carrols Mood became The Sights And Sounds, The New Imperials became The Front Page News, and The Boys became The Remaining Few.

Represented by twelve tracks on this album, The Nomads/Smoke, started out playing folk-rock music, but by 1967 went psychedelic-as witnessed by their “freak-out” version of “My Little Red Book” replete with backwards tapes. “Carrols Mood” went from singing ballads to surreal songs such as “Mystical Bells”. 

The Front Page News went from the soul of “Baby Let Me Bang Your Box” to the fuzz drenched “Thoughts and Afterthoughts”.  If the 13th Floor Elevators were the epitome of what a Texas psychedelic band was, then the groups on this album were not far behind in trying to emulate that state of existence. Here then are twenty-two tracks compiling the changes that occurred from late 1966 to 1968, when the Texas bands went metaphorically speaking from “Kool-Aid” to “Electric Kool-Aid Acid”.  

Cicadelic

Tracks - Artists
1. What You're Doing to Me (Previously Unreleased Mix) - Carrols Mood - 3:47
2. Out She Goes (Previously Unreleased Mix) - Carrols Mood - 2:30
3. I'll Be There (Single Master) - The Nomads - 2:39
4. I Walk Alone (Single Master) - The Nomads - 2:26
5. Thoughts (Previously Unreleased Mix) - The Front Page News - 3:09
6. My Little Red Book (Unreleased Master) - The Nomads - 1:58
7. Situations - The Nomads - 2:45
8. Three O'Clock Merrian Webster Time (Single Master) - The Nomads - 3:22
9. The New Generation (Previously Unreleased Mix) - The Rebellers - 2:45
10.Mainstream (Single Master) - The Smoke - 2:35
11.Church House Blues (Single Master) - The Smoke - 3:28
12.Painted Air - The Remaining Few - 3:37
13.In the Morning - The Remaining Few - 2:40
14.Mystical Bells (Unreleased Master) - The Sights And Sounds - 3:28
15.You Keep Me Hangin' On (Unreleased Master) - The Sights And Sounds - 2:49
16.I Walk Alone (Previously Unreleased Mix) - Carrols Mood - 3:02
17.Three O'Clock Merrian Webster Time (Take 1) - The Nomads - 2:33
18.Three O'Clock Merrian Webster Time (Take 2) - The Nomads - 2:50
19.Three O'Clock Merrian Webster Time (Take 3) - The Nomads - 3:26
20.Three O'Clock Merrian Webster Time (Take 4) - The Nomads - 3:23
21.My Little Red Book (Previously Unreleased Alternate Mix) - The Nomads - 1:56
22.Out She Goes (Alternate Version) - The Sights And Sounds - 2:29

Related release

19667-69  The Lemon Fog - The Psychedelic Sound Of Summer (2011 Cicadelic)

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rep>>> The Stroke Band - Green And Yellow (1978 us, exciting art punk power rock, 2014 edition)

Green And Yellow is the collected recordings of legendary lost 1970s Deep South freaksters, THE STROKE BAND. Seen and heard, until now, by only a few South Georgia pot heads, rednecks, sheriffs, strippers, and intoxicated U.S. Marines. Fronted by Bruce Joyner – a swamp rat synthesis of Buddy Holly, Bryan Ferry and Jerry Lee Lewis – The Stroke Band were an art-punk aberration to anything else happening in South Georgia in 1978 – 79. This Anthology Recordings re-release of the Green and Yellow album is the first in any form since the private press LP came out in 1978. The Green And Yellow digital and CD releases include the original Green And Yellow album; plus the band’s only live performance at Joe’s Cellar – a notorious strip club in Albany, Georgia; and a set of demos and psychotic improvs from their Cork House headquarters in Valdosta.

Singer and band leader Bruce Joyner, who signed to Sire Records with The Unknowns in 1981 and has released several acclaimed solo albums since 1983; Don Fleming, guitarist for the Stroke Band, who went on to front his own bands Velvet Monkeys and Gumball, and produced albums for Sonic Youth, Teenage Fanclub, Hole, Screaming Trees, Andrew W.K.; Mark Neill, guitarist for The Stroke Band and The Unknowns, who is a renowned recording producer and engineer, in 2011 he won a Grammy for his production of the Black Keys Brothers album; and Green And Yellow album producer Robert Lester Folsom, whose own album Music and Dreams from 1976.

Mexican-Summer

Tracks

1. Don't Get Angry (Bruce Joyner) - 2:51

2. Green And Yellow (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Sikes, Rusty Jones) - 2:42

3. Fiction/Non-Fiction (Don Fleming) - 2:54

4. Spaced (Bruce Joyner) - 2:49

5. Gun Fighting Man (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Sikes, Rusty Jones) - 3:40

6. Rat Race (Bruce Joyner, Rusty Jones) - 2:53

7. Janie's Linving In A Cell (Don Fleming) - 2:29

8. Son Of Sam (Bruce Joyner, Rusty Jones) - 2:32

9. Latin Melodies (Bruce Joyner) - 2:47

10.The Waves Rush In (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Sikes, Rusty Jones) - 5:32

11.Jesus In A Trenchcoat - 5:39

12.Don't Get Angry (Bruce Joyner) - 2:44

13.Green And Yellow (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Sikes, Rusty Jones) - 2:42

14.Damn! Bam! (Don Fleming) - 2:05

15.Rock Star (Brian Crawford, Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Max Sikes) - 3:59

16.Spaced (Bruce Joyner) - 2:52

17.At The Hop (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Max Sikes) - 1:10

18.White Trash Girls (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Max Sikes) - 2:19

19.Screamin' In The Middle Of A Dark Room (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Max Sikes) - 4:35

20.The Songsters (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Max Sikes) - 3:14

21.Rhodesian Love Song (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Max Sikes) - 5:42

22.The Law Is Watching You (Bruce Joyner, Don Fleming, Max Sikes) - 5:32

Personnel
*Bruce Joyner - Vocals, Synthesizers, Percussion
*Don Fleming - Guitar, Bass, Synthesizers, Percussion
*Rusty Jones - Guitar, Bass
*Robert Folsom - Acoustic Guitar, Moog, Percussion
*Max Sikes - Drums
*Alva Dickerson - Guitar
*Danny Heitzhausen - Bass
*Jerry Williams - Moog

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rep>>> Hot Tuna - Yellow Fever (1975 us, essential hard bluesy rock with noisy guitar, 2012 Audiophile Vinyl replica remaster)

Yellow Fever is about as good as Hot Tuna gets, an LP that lies schematically somewhere between their earlier acoustic work, which was folk-influenced, good-time music, and the live-wired, guitar/bass dialogues of later albums. 

Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do" and a delightful reworking of another folk blues classic, "Hot Jelly Roll Blues", are covers, the rest of the tracks are originals, the best of which ("Song for the Fire Maiden," "Bar Room Crystal Ball") neatly combine Hot Tuna's greatest strengths: Jorma Kakounen's unselfconscious, entertaining vocals and his knife-edged guitar work, and Jack Casady's sensitive, expertly woven bass lines.

As an entity unto itself, Hot Tuna is a relaxing little group. But when I hear the breath-taking finale to "Somebody to Love" or the solo in "Volunteers," I realize that each successive Hot Tuna album simply marks time for two gifted musicians who said it a lot more interestingly the first time around.

by Billy Altman

Tracks

1. Baby What You Want Me to Do (Jimmy Reed) - 6:42

2. Hot Jelly Roll Blues (George Carter) - 4:21

3. Free Rein (Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Ziegler) - 4:14

4. Sunrise Dance with the Devil (Jorma Kaukonen) - 4:28

5. Song for the Fire Maiden (Jorma Kaukonen, Greg Douglass) - 4:16

6. Bar Room Crystal Ball (Jorma Kaukonen) -6:52

7. Half/Time Saturation (Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Bob Steeler) - 4:45

8. Surphase Tension (Jorma Kaukonen) - 3:58

Hot Tuna 

*Jorma Kaukonen – Vocals, Guitars

*Jack Casady – Bass

*Bob Steeler – Drums

1972  Hot Tuna - Burgers (2012 audiophile Vinyl replica) 

1976  Hot Tuna - Hoppkorv (2012 audiophile Vinyl replica)
Related Act

1966  Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off (2014 audiophile remaster and 2003 expanded edition)

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Aura - Aura (1971 us, stunning brass funk rock)

Aura formed in 1971 in Los Angeles with roots in Chicago’s late-1960s soul and club circuit. Guitarist Bill Waidner had co-founded garage R&B act the Bots, later renamed Boston Tea Party* for a 1968 tour with Archie Bell & the Drells and the Fona Records single “Is It Love” (b/w “Don’t Leave Me Alone”). Bassist Jerry Smith was a former member of The Flock, and both keyboardist Sam Alessi and drummer Dennis Horan played in the Mauds. Alessi also spent time with the Five Stairsteps. Vocalist Al Lathan fronted the soul-rock band For Days & A Night, an integrated Chicago group managed by Nick Vitullo and active throughout the teen club circuit under varying lineups from 1966 onward.

For Days & A Night developed a horn-driven soul sound under Vitullo’s direction. The group added saxophonist Fred Entesari and trombonist Andy Foertsch in 1967 after the departure of two original brass players to the Flock. Over the next three years, the band cycled through numerous members—reportedly as many as fifty—while maintaining a steady regional booking schedule under Vitullo’s management. In 1969, the band adopted the name Giant City, inspired by an Illinois state park near Carbondale where they frequently performed.

By late 1970, Giant City’s lineup included Lathan, Alessi, Foertsch, Horan, and Smith. Trumpeter and vocalist George Barr joined around this time, completing the brass section with Entesari and Foertsch. With Vitullo departing for a career in talent booking, management passed to Scott Doneen of American Tribal Productions. Under Doneen, the band secured a deal with Mercury Records. The label requested a name change; during sessions, Lathan reportedly suggested “Aura” after observing a halo around the moon, and the name was adopted. Aura released their self-titled album in December 1971 on Mercury.

The eight tracks showcase a tightly arranged brass-rock sound centered on sharp horn voicings and rhythmic shifts.

Jazz•Rock•Soul

Tracks

1. Listen To Me (The Ragg) (M. Johnson) - 5:13

2. No Opportunity Needed, No Experience Necessary (Richie Havens) - 5:49

3. Song Of Everything (Doug Sahm) - 5:25

4. Show Me The Way (Al Lathan, Jerry Smith, Bill Waidner, George Barr, Fred Entesari, Andy      Foertsch, Sam Alessi, Dennis Horan) - 4:34

5. Truckin' (Al Lathan, Bill Waidner) - 4:01

6. Life Is Free (Al Lathan) - 6:50

7. Can You Imagine (Al Lathan, Jerry Smith) - 5:11

8. Cross-Eyed Eagle (Dennis Horan) - 3:57

Aura

*Al Lathan - Vocals, Percussion, Gong

*Bill Waidner - Electric Guitar, Acoustic 12 String Guitar

*Fred Entesari – Alto Sax

*Andy Foertsch - Trombone

*Jerry Smith – Electric Bass, Backing Vocals

*George Barr - Trumpet, Backing Vocals

*Dennis Horan – Drums

*Sam Alessi - Organ, Electric Piano, Vibes

With

*Chuck Greenberg - Flute, Baritone Sax

*Terry Quaye - Congas

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rep>>> Paul Brett's Sage - Jubilation Foundry (1971 uk, exceptional folk soft rock, 2007 Japan reissue)

Paul Brett is widely regarded as one of the finest 12-string acoustic guitarists in the world and also has an amazing collection of guitars, something that he is probably better known for these days than his recorded output. Having been performing since the early 1960s he has contributed his skills to many records including those by Arthur Brown, Velvet Opera, Tintern Abbey, The Strawbs and Fire to name but a few. However, he also released a trio of albums with his band Sage between 1970 and 1972. Long out of print, Esoteric have done their usual expert job in re-mastering and reissuing the albums complete with bonus tracks and rare photographs. All three albums were initially released by Pye Records, either on the main label, or in the case of the latter two albums, on their Dawn imprint label. 

By the time of the second album, Jubilation Foundry, the band's name had changed to the more grammatically correct Paul Brett's Sage and Nicky Higginbottom had been replaced by Stuart Cowell, a second guitarist. Although Higginbottom had gone, some flute playing persists, particularly on the opening track Cottage Made For Two. In other changes, there is more harmony singing and a greater use of orchestrations (by Mike Gibbs) plus an overall rockier feel, although both Brett and Cowell still provide plenty of acoustic in-put throughout the album, such as on their guitar playing on Pasadena Days and piano playing on Keeper Of My Heart, both written by Steve Voice, the younger brother of conga, bongo and anvil (!) player Bob Voice. The simplicity of this latter song, along with the gorgeous arrangement blending strings, wind and brass, make this a killer love song. 

There was also an expansion in the styles of music covered, with both sides of the single from the album Goodbye Forever and Good Old Fashioned Funky Kind Of Music being somewhat atypical and although interesting, not the strongest tracks on the album to my mind. (As an aside, the marketing prowess of Pye Records is exemplified by the single being wrapped in a sleeve featuring a photograph which included Higginbottom!). Tuesday Evening features some great harmony singing from the whole band, as does Help Me Jesus during which Voice gets the most out of his bongos. 

However, it is the title track, featuring the aforementioned anvil, that takes the credits with some fine playing by the ensemble, haunting lyrics and a great dirge-like quality. The three additional tracks are from an EP that was released between the first and second album which featured Reason For Your Asking from the debut album as lead track. Stylistically, the tracks are more akin to those on the first album, acoustic with added orchestrations on the first two tracks, with Everlasting Butterfly being the standout number, and a more upbeat chant on To Everyman [Freedom]. 

by Mark Huges

Tracks
1. Cottage Made For Two (Richard Dufall) - 2:35
2. Hold My Hand Mother (John Hutcheson) - 3:00
3. Pasadena Days (Steve Voice) - 3:17
4. Keeper O F My Heart (Barry Myers, Paul Brett) - 3:45
5. Goodbye Forever (John Hutcheson) - 3:03
6. Good Old Fashioned Funky Kind Of Music (John Hutcheson) - 4:23
7. Bits (Paul Brett, Stuart Cowell) - 0:34
8. I Fell So Far (Richard Dufall) - 3:08
9. Written In Winter (Paul Brett) - 2:56
10.Tuesday Evening (Paul Brett) - 2:27
11.Help Me Jesus (John Hutcheson) - 4:16
12.Jubilation Foundry (Paul Brett) - 4:51
13.Bits (Paul Brett, Stuart Cowell) - 0:59
14.Everlasting Butterfly (Paul Brett) - 3:37
15.Savannah Ladies (Paul Brett) - 3:16
16.To Everyman (Freedom) (Paul Brett) - 4:17
Bonus-Tracks 14-16

Paul Brett's Sage
*Paul Brett - Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Electric Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Stuart Cowell - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Dick Dufall - Bass, Vocals
*Bob Voice - Bongoes, Congas, Vocals, Anvil
*Paul King - Harmonica

1970  Paul Brett's Sage - Paul Brett's Sage (2007 japan edition)
Related Acts
1969  Velvet Opera - Ride A Hustler's Dream 
1968-70  Fire - The Magic Shoemaker (2009 bonus tracks remaster) 

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rep>>> Paul Brett's Sage - Paul Brett's Sage (1970 uk, fabulous psychedelic rock, 2007 japan edition)

The colour of Sage , most likely purple with streaks of blue, well that’s if you’ve ever listened to Paul Brett’s Sage. The multi-colored juggled history of Paul Brett most likely started with the group SW4 headed by future Blonde On Blonde Ralph Denyar. Paul would also replace Jimmy Page in Neil Christian & The Crusaders. A brief entry into the Arthur Brown Union yielded their first single, the Pete Townshend produced “Devil’s Grip” with Ronnie Wood on bass.

After brief excursions in 1967 with the Overlanders and Warren Davis Monday Band, Paul would enjoy sessions with the Dave Terry Band which later evolved into Elmer Gantry Band. The age of psychedelia had provided enriched pathways for the gifted Brett as he took his riffs to Tintern Abbey and springboarded from their into the melting pot of Elmer Gantry’s second album Ride A Hustler’s Dream which pushed out an urgent version of Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues”.

The roads were many and the options countless but a distinct destiny drew Paul into the Soulmates where he met the gifted twelve string guitarist, ex Levee Breakers Johnny Joyce who at that stage had just left Velvet Opera. The group Friday’s Chylde had just metamorphosed into Fire and churned out a surging psyche single called “Father’s Name Was Dad” with future Strawb Dave Lambert on lead. Paul would enter for the 1970 conceptual Magic Shoemaker, acknowledged as a masterpiece in the same spirit as the Small Faces’ Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake.

The Brett sessions Paul’s sessions were scattered and endless as he persued the majestic chord that David once held in his Solomon wisdom. Amongst the chosen and frozen were poet Roy Harper’s unforgettable Sophisticated Beggar, Al Stewart’s Zero She Flies alongside Jimmy Page ..the “Volcano” and “Mary Jane” singles honed from Elmar Gantry’s debut which did not include Paul as an official member.

Paul would further his sessions with Strawbs on Dragonfly (lead guitar on "The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake") and various singles included on Classic Strawbs. To add to this magnificent database Paul Brett also filled in the gaps with The Ivy League, The Flower Pot Men, Status Quo, the prolific Barclay James Harvest, ex Strawbs - Hudson & Ford, Max Bygraves, The Cyril Stapleton Orchestra, Lonnie Donegan and folk stalwart Ralph McTell, known for his hit “Streets Of London”.

The first coming of Sage ignited when ex Fire lighters Dick Dufall and percussionist ,vocalist Bob Voice joined lead guitarist Paul Brett to form Paul Brett's Sage with added employment of Nicky Higginbottom on flute and sax. The 1970 self titled ‘Hourglass’ debut was celebrated by the superb seven inch “Three D Mona Lisa” / “Mediterranean Lazy Heat” riddled with superb time signatures. The album was a shivering fusion of bongos , astounding acoustic and pulsing rhythms superbly enhanced by Jethro Tull arranger David Palmer.The percussive rhythms of “The Sun Died” and bass ambling “Little Aztec Prince” are the core style of this story tell album. Often not told are the superb lyrics ..”Reason For Your Asking” - .’You asked me why a flower died and why the Eastern horsemen rides, Why the silver lash of rain hides footprints in the dusty lane’ . Tolkienistic dimensions and apocalyptic visions cradle “Trophies Of War” and the severing “Warlock”. The 1971Jubilation Foundry, more of an acoustic affair and in hindsight Sage’s most established creation with it’s mature fusion of acoustic and harmonies now included ex Titus Groan Stuart Cowell as lead guitarist who later did some amazing things with Al Stewart.

Paul King who later played with Lambert in the King Earl Boogie Band played the harmonica on Jubilation. The album yielded the single “Dahlia” / “Cottage Made for Two”. A strong country element threads the album with elements of Strawbs, Magna Carta but a more definitive pick can be found in the heart sagging “I Fell So Far” and harmony filled “Tuesday Evening”. A cry from the gutter to the utter spills out of “Help Me Jesus” an eerie bluesy ballad that carries it’s message into the follow up holler “Jubilation Foundry”.

By the time the 1972 Schizophrenia hit the shelves Sage were back into electric with some stirring lead fusion on “Custom Angel Man”. a psychedelic master of note. The album enlisted Dave Lambert on piano and organ. Schizophrenia also sprouts some very fast guitar and nifty riffs on “Song Of Life, “Song Of Death” and “Slow Down Man” with Rod Coombes on drums. In the spirit of Jubilation’s “Tuesday Evening” those S&G harmonies reel through “Tale Of A Rainy Night”. Rob Young stepped in for the flute and oboe on the exquisite “Autumn”, a Strawb template in anybody’s book. Paul brett would later team up with ex Levee Breakers Johnny Joyce from Velvet Opera as an acoustic duo and then Cyril Stapleton Orchestra (with Dave Palmer of Jethro Tull and Bob Voice of Fire.

Paul’s awesome fretwork spills through (Bradley’s Records) “Mr.Custer“ & “Summer Driftin“ singles. From 1973 Paul’s solo albums on Bradleys Records, backed by violinist/guitarist Mike Piggott first heard with John Dummer Blues Band , Bert Janch and added multi-instrumentalist Dave Griffiths rule the roost. Further albums most likely deemed Prog or Suites wash Clock’s , Phoenix Future and Earth Birth, the latter a must.

The definitive purchase must be Fretdancer by Paul and that 12-string mandarin called Johnny Joyce that even Shawn Phillips stands in awe of. Paul Brett continues to record, evolving with each recording. Sadly Johnny Joyce passed from this world to a far greater dimension.

by Shiloh Noone

Tracks
1. 3D Mona Lisa (Bob Voice) - 3:22
2. The Sun Died - 4:04
3. Little Aztec Prince (Bob Voice) - 4:25
4. Reason for Your Asking (Paul Brett, Bob Voice) - 4:13
5. Trophies of War - 3:49
6. The Tower  - 5:18
7. The Painter - 4:14
8. Mediterranean Lazy Heat Wave (Bob Voice) - 3:21
9. Warlock - 5:42
10.Wher Have All The Clowns Gone?  - 3:05
11.One Night  Stand  - 2:46
All songs by Paul Brett except where indicated.

Paul Brett Sage
*Paul Brett - Guitar, Vocals
*Dick Dufall - Bass
*Bob Voice - Drums
*Nicky Higginbottom - Saxophone, Flute

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rep>>> The Yankee Dollar - The Yankee Dollar (1968 us, excellent west coast psychedelia, 2002 edition)

According to the liner notes on their album, drummer Nick Alexander, singers Liza Gonzales and Dave Riordan, guitarist Greg Likens, keyboard player Bill Masuda and bassist Bill Reynolds met while students at San Luis Obispo's Cal Poly.

Signed by Dot, their 1968 debut teamed the band with producer Frank Slay. Musically "The Yankee Dollar" was nothing less than wonderful. Gonzales and Riordan were both gifted with nice voices and on tracks such as "Sanctuary" and "City Sidewalks" effortlessly trading lead vocals. Backed by Likens' fuzz guitar (check out the great solo on "Live and Let Live"), Masuda's stabbing organ chords and occasional sound effects, the collection sported a sound that successfully blended folk-rock with Jefferson Airplane-styled psychedelic.

Musically the set offered up a standard mix of popular covers (Donovan's "Catch the Wind", Dylan's "The Times, They Are A-Changin'" and Chet Power's "Let's Get Together") and original material. While the covers were all nicely done, group penned originals such as "Follow Your Dream's Way" and "Johann Sebastian Cheetah" were even better. Inexplicably the set failed to sell. The band apparently subsequently called it quits.

by Scott Blackerby

Tracks
1.  Sanctuary (Carter, Gilbert) - 2:16
2.  Good Old Friends (Carter, Gilbert) - 2:36
3.  Catch The Wind (Donovan) - 2:55
4.  If In Swimming (David Riordan) - 3:53
5.  Follow Your Dream's Way (Greg Likens) - 6:36
6.  Live And Let Live (Carter,Gilbert) - 2:18
7.  City Sidewalks (Carter,Gilbert) - 2:56
8.  Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) - 4:30
9.  Winter Boy (Buffy St. Marie) - 2:22
10.The Times, They Are A-Changin' (Bob Dylan) - 3:06
11. Johann Sebastian Cheetah (David Riordan, Greg Likens, Freeman) - 3:04

The Yankee Dollar
*Nick Alexander - Drums, Percussion
*Liza Gonzales - Vocals
*Greg Likens - Guitar
*Bill Masuda - Organ
*Bill Reynolds - Bass
*Dave Riordan - Vocals

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