Plain and Fancy

rep>>> Iron Claw - Iron Claw (1970-74 uk, superb rough heavy downer rock, 2009 remaster)

A product of its time and environment in every conceivable way, Iron Claw is a now-obscure heavy rock group that was launched by a Led Zeppelin concert, which took its name from the first couplet of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man." They adopted the same earth-shaking primal stomp as Black Sabbath, but simply lacked the individuality and sheer talent common to all of those rock icons.

Hailing from the Scottish town of Dumfries, Iron Claw was founded in the summer of 1969 by bassist/vocalist Alex Wilson (he of the Led Zeppelin gig epiphany), guitarist Jimmy Ronnie, and drummer Ian McDougall, who initiated their trajectory by performing as a covers band tackling the heavy blues standards of the era, including popular numbers by Free, Taste, Ten Years After, Johnny Winter, and many others. But it was a second revelation experienced by Wilson later that year, when a nascent Black Sabbath brought their sonic solar eclipse to the band's neck of the woods (The Dumfries Youth Club, to be precise), that would set Iron Claw on the intended stylistic left-hand path which came to be known as heavy metal.

So after bidding a definitive adieu to their power trio ambitions, the threesome welcomed singer Mike Waller into the fold and, by the spring of 1970, had effectively become the world's first Black Sabbath tribute band by incorporating that group's entire first album into their set! However, during rehearsals, Iron Claw immediately began composing original material in the image of their heroes, bringing the year to a close with a couple of demo recording sessions whose fruits the band proudly presented to the members of Black Sabbath at their next Newcastle concert -- only to later receive veiled threats of legal action from the metal godfathers' management because of the glaring similarities.

Message received, Wilson took advantage of the fact that vocalist Waller had just given notice to replace him with two new members -- Wullie Davidson (vocals, harmonica, flute) and Donald McLachlan (second guitar) -- and take Iron Claw's sound in a different direction, marked by escalating art rock pretensions (think Wishbone Ash, Barclay James Harvest, Gentle Giant). Around this time, an interested label also gave Iron Claw access to a recording studio for the purpose of recording new demos, but the end results captured in the winter of 1971/1972 were often rounded out by ancillary studio musicians, became virtually impossible to reproduce in a live setting, and were ultimately unattractive to their would-be corporate suitors, in any case.

And so Iron Claw, left to its own devices once again, continued to struggle along in fits and starts, next losing drummer McDougall in mid-1972 (he was replaced by one Neil Cockayne) and then gradually expanding their jams to dangerous thresholds of indulgence over the ensuing years until finally reaching a breaking point in 1974. Absolute obscurity followed, and although the group came together for a one-off reunion show in 1993, the only reason Iron Claw's existence is even remembered is because a selection of their best 16 demos was assembled for release on CD in 2009 by Rockadrome Records.

by Eduardo Rivadavia

Tracks

1. Clawstrophobia - 5:21

2. Mist Eye - 4:16

3. Sabotage - 5:02

4. Crossrocker - 7:20

5. Skullcrusher - 6:04

6. Let It Grow - 2:52

7. Rock Band Blues - 4:21

8. Pavement Artist - 5:33

9. Strait Jacket - 5:07

10.Gonna Be Free - 3:49

11.Loving You - 2:41

12.Lightning - 3:47

13.All I Really Need - 3:23

14.Knock 'Em Dead - 3:01

15.Winter - 6:17

16.Devils - 5:34

All songs by Iron Claw

Iron Claw

*Alex Wilson - Bass

*Jimmy Ronnie - Guitar

*Ian McDougall - Drums (Tracks 1-14)

*Mike Waller - Vocals (Tracks 1-5)

*Donald McLachlan - Guitar (Track 6)

*Wullie Davidson - Vocals, Harmonica, Flute (Tracks 6-16)

*Billy Lyall - Keyboards, Saxophone (Tracks 7-14)

*Neil Cockayne - Drums (Tracks 15,16)

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

rep>>> Family - A Song For Me (1970 uk, marvelous varied prog rock, 2004 japan remaster and expanded)

This might well be the best of the early Family recordings. A combination of hard rock (bordering on metal) and wistful folk-rock (it sounds as if Chapman and Whitney were listening to a lot of Incredible String Band), A Song for Me veers toward early progressive rock, but isn't as nakedly indulgent as some early prog-rock recordings (e.g., they didn't try to sound like a jazz band, they wanted to sound like a rock band screwing around with jazz).

Perhaps their most experimental record, it seems as though the credo in making this disc was that anything went. And on tracks like "Drowned in Wine," it works quite well. Again, Chapman offers more proof of his vocal greatness, and again the record sells large quantities in England and nearly nothing in America.

by John Dougan

Tracks
1. Drowned In Wine - 4:09
2. Some Poor Soul - 2:44
3. Love Is A Sleeper - 4:01
4. Stop For The Traffic - Through The Heart Of Me - 2:12
5. Wheels (John "Charlie" Whitney, Rick Grech, Roger Chapman) - 4:37
6. Song For Sinking Lovers - 4:06
7. Hey - Let It Rock - 0:59
8. The Cat And The Rat - 2:30
9. 93's OK J (John "Charlie" Whitney, John Weider) - 3:58
10.A Song For Me (John "Charlie" Whitney, John Weider, Rob Townsend, Roger Chapman) - 9:22
11.No Mule's Fool - 3:12
12.Good Friend Of Mine - 3:31
13.Drowned In Wine - 4:10
14.The Cat And The Rat - 2:48
15.Wheels (John "Charlie" Whitney, Rick Grech, Roger Chapman) - 6:46
16.A Song For Me (John "Charlie" Whitney, John Weider, Rob Townsend, Roger Chapman) - 8:01
All songs written by John "Charlie" Whitney, Roger Chapman, except where noted
Bonus Tracks 11-15

Family
*Roger Chapman - Vocals, Percussion
*Charlie Whitney - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Bass
*John Weider - Acoustic Guitar, Bass,
*Poli Palmer - Percussion, Keyboards,, Vibes
*Rob Townsend - Drums, Percussion
With
*George Bruno - Organ
*Jim King - Saxophone

rep>>> Margo Guryan - Take A Picture (1968 us, divine ethereal baroque jazzy psych, 2009 HDCD digipak remaster)

Routinely selling for huge sums of money on the vinyl market and making its way into the collections of pop fanatics as far afield as Japan, Take a Picture has taken on a dynamic life of its own since its 1968 release, especially for an album that went relatively unheard at the time. It is not difficult to figure out what all the retroactive acclaim is about once you hear the sweet, delicate strain of gently kaleidoscopic music on the sole album from Margo Guryan.

It is the soft pop of which gauzy dreams are made, full of the hazy changes and transitory variations of autumn, an album that you invariably want to wrap up in. Better than most similar efforts from the time, the album maintains a vibrant resonance outside the milieu in which it was created because the songcraft is not only infectious but also highly intelligent, and because Guryan's performance is so delicious. Perhaps a bit too thin and breathy for mass consumption, her voice is an acquired taste in an era loaded with wispy pop princesses, not to mention brassy belters such as Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, and Mama Cass. Once you accept its whispery invitation, though, Guryan's singing, equal parts girl group innocence and seductive torch, envelops you.

The thing that really elevates her above many of her contemporaries and competitors for the soft rock tiara, though, is her wonderfully idiosyncratic songwriting capabilities. A classically trained pianist and jazz composer by education and trade, her songs are much more than your standard pop fare. Although the song structures are simplistic on a superficial level (which should have made them perfect nuggets for commercial radio play in 1968), the arrangements beneath them are anything but. There are all kinds of intriguing things going on with or underneath the melody, either instrumentally (hammy trombones, old-tavern piano, touches of sitar) or via affect. Just when you think a chorus or hook is as ethereal as it could possibly be, Guryan tweaks it just slightly enough that it rises even higher and takes you to an even more elevated emotional plane. She manages the difficult trick of cajoling something already beautiful to something truly sublime. There is also an expert, fluid balance of juxtapositions within the music.

Tempos are shifted frequently but seamlessly, and Guryan's chord progressions tend to switch from balladic choices during the slower verses to sly and unconventional jazz progressions during the quicker paced breaks and bridges, with the influence of bossa nova particularly heavy in many of the tunes. Her classical background is spliced into the mix as well, generically via the orchestral splashes of various songs, but more explicitly on "Someone I Know," where her own pop melody is superimposed over the chorale of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." The two fit perfectly, point and counterpoint, like the complex pocket symphonies of Brian Wilson, a huge influence, and far more interesting with each listen.

Other highlights include her own version of "Sunday Morning," the breezily kittenish "Sun," and the tough go-go groove of "Don't Go Away," but really every song is a gem. The CD reissue, housed in a handsome special edition digipak with a 12-page booklet that contains a brief biography, liner notes, and lyrics, also includes three stellar bonus publisher's demos that mark a significant addition an album that was already one of the most endearing cult soft rock records from an era full of them.

by Stanton Swihart

Tracks
1. Sunday Morning - 2:20
2. Sun - 2:36
3. Love Songs - 2:37
4. Thoughts - 2:25
5. Don't Go Away - 2:04
6. Take A Picture - 3:08
7. What Can I Give You - 2:31
8. Think Of Rain - 2:25
9. Can You Tell - 2:34
10.Someone I Know - 2:46
11.Love - 5:26
12.I Think A Lot About You - 2:19
13.It's Alright Now - 2:04
14.Timothy Gone - 1:50
Music and Lyrics by Margo Guryan
Bonus Tracks 12-14

Personnel
*Margo Guryan - Vocals
*Phil Bodner - Oboe
*Paul Griffith - Keyboards
*Kirk Hamilton - Bass, Flute
*Buddy Sultzman - Drums
*John Hill - Guitar

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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

rep>>> Jon And Robin - Do It Again! The Best Of (1965-69 us, smart sunny folk psych roots 'n' roll, 2006 remaster)

The male-female duo Jon & Robin are thought of as a one-hit wonder for their playful 1967 Top 20 hit "Do It Again a Little Bit Slower." Actually, however, they recorded quite a bit in the mid-to-late '60s, with an engaging if somewhat lightweight style craftily mixing AM radio mid-'60s pop/rock with a little psychedelia and Southern soul. "Do It Again a Little Bit Slower" was certainly the best of their discs, with its likable male-female vocal tradeoffs, a "Cool Jerk"-like soul piano riff at strategic points, and an effective fadeout that languorously stretched out the suggestive title phrase. But their two LPs and a bunch of 1965-1969 singles included some enjoyable material as well, devised with help from some fine songwriters and some of the best production and backup musician talent in their Dallas base.

The male half of the duo, Jon Abdnor, had recorded some solo singles for his millionaire father's Abnak label before hooking up with teenage singer Javonne Braga, who was billed as "Robin" on the records the pair made together. Their one national hit, "Do It Again a Little Bit Slower" came from the pen of Wayne Carson Thompson, most famous for writing the Boxtops' "The Letter." The duo also recorded several other Thompson compositions, including the fairly gritty soul-popper "Dr. Jon (The Medicine Man)," which was a big hit in Texas, although it didn't break nationally.

Jon & Robin themselves wrote little original material, although they did benefit from production by ex-rockabilly star Dale Hawkins and Mike Rabon of the Five Americans, a fellow Abnak act. Indeed, several of the Five Americans played on some Jon & Robin sessions, and another Abnak artist, soul singer Bobby Patterson, also helped out with some of their recordings. By the end of the 1960s, however, Jon & Robin had split, though Jon Abdnor did put out a 1969 solo LP, Intro to Change, billed to John Howard Abdnor & the Involvement.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

1. Do It Again A Little Bit Longer (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:32

2. Dr. Jon (The Medicine Man) (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:07

3. You Got Style (Andy Kim, Jeff Barry) - 2:06

4. Drums (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:45

5. Love Me Baby (Bobby Patterson, Bobby Rambo, Jon Abnor) - 2:38

6. I Want Some More (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:01

7. You Don't Care (Jon Abnor) - 2:35

8. Like I Know You Do (Knox Henderson, Ronnie Weiss) - 2:17

9. We Watched Each Other Fall In Love (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 1:56

10.Thursday Morning (Jerry Lynn Williams, Mike Rabon) - 2:25

11.Truly, Truly, True (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 2:16

12.My Heart Beats Faster (Bobby Patterson) - 2:06

13.How Come (William Goodson) - 2:30

14.Can't Make It With You (Jon Abnor) - 2:57

15.Lucille (Albert Collins, Richard Penniman) - 2:14

16.Gift Of Love (Delaney Bramlett, Mac Davis) - 2:36

17.If You've Got It, Flaunt It (Errol Sober) - 2:47

18.Walking In Different Circles (Larry Weiss, Scott English) - 2:36

Musicians

*Javonne "Robin" Braga - Vocals

*Jon Abnor - Vocals

*Jim Glaves - Keyboards

*Bobby Rambo - Guitar

*Pete Molino - Guitar

*James Anderson - Bass

*Rex Ludwick - Drums

Monday, July 27, 2026

rep>>> Blackwood Apology - The House of Leather (1969 us, magnificent concept psych garage rock opera, 2023 remaster)

The first time I heard House Of Leather, at first I was not very impressed by it. The vocals sounded too “pop”; like something the Association would have recorded, and the recurring themes and overtures sounded like space fillers. But I could not deny even then that the electric guitar playing was arresting, and the organ playing weaved its way expertly through the various arrangements, providing a distinctive connecting strand. The Blackwood Apology definitely had their own sound.

For greater atmosphere, they also throw in instruments like acoustic guitar and even pipe organ. The arrangements on the album are complex, and it is cleverly structured so that by the end of the record, the piece has returned to its starting point, meaning that you can put the album on shuffle play and listen to it as an endless loop on your MP3 player should you so choose.

I am not so dedicated as to want to do that, but I did find myself coming back to this album again and again over the 20 years that have elapsed since I bought it. In addition to the advanced musicianship, my main focus was the lyrics. Even with the full text provided on the inside cover (along with an elliptical explanatory note on the instrumental depiction that the album provides of the American Civil War), the words are perplexing.

As someone on the Internet wondered; is the House of Leather a cathouse? The images on the cover suggest it is a house of ill-repute of some sort. And why is it the house “Of Leather”? Was it some sort of kinky B&D joint where moustachioed gents went to get their jollies in unorthodox ways?

Finally, after 20 years of scratching my head, I sat down and listened to the lyrics, and not just once but several times, in an attempt to get to the bottom of what this perplexing album is about.

The story starts “down along the Swanee River”, where we are introduced to a young lady named Sarah Jane who has “got love to send you… straight to heaven where she comes from”. We move on to a reminiscence of the House of Leather, where “the pretty young things all got together” to dance, among other things.

We are then introduced to one Mrs Grim, who appears to be the matronly figure in charge of the House of Leather, and the narrator reminds her of Donny Brooks, a farmer who she used to know in one capacity or another, and obliquely makes mention of the town’s mayor, a man by the name of Ramsey.

A little bit further on, we find out that the House of Leather is a school of some sort, and Sarah Jane appears to be a teacher there (teaching what exactly? – again, we don’t know), who both Donny Brooks and Ramsey have fallen in love with. The outcome of this love triangle is that Sarah Jane ends up with Donny Brooks the farmer, and they settle down on his farm, where she ends up bearing him a child.

Then along comes the US Civil War, in which her husband and child (a boy) are both killed. After the war, Sarah Jane stays on at the farm, which Ramsey, the mayor, now owns. The album concludes with the words “Sarah’s on her knees… building dreams… begging for love”, and “if you’re ever…. way down along the Swanee River… you’re not far from the House of Leather… where I was born….”

Well, that’s all perfectly clear, isn’t it? So the narrator is the offspring of Sarah Jane and Ramsey… or is he? And if he was their child, why was he born in the House of Leather and not down on the farm? Was she kicked off the farm and ended up having to work for a living? But working in what capacity? And exactly what sort of education is offered by an institution that ventures to call itself the “House of Leather”?

by W.S. McCallum

The brainchild of 23 year-old writer / guitarist Dale Menten, The House Of Leather is a rock opera set in a bordello during the US Civil War. It was originally released in December 1968, shortly before it was staged as a sell-out rock opera in Minnesota. A fine mixture of acid-tinged pop-rock and ballads.

Tracks
1. Medley: Swanee River Overture / House Of Leather Theme - 2:06
2. Do You Recall The House Of Leather? - 2:47
3. Recess With Mrs. Grim - 1:03
4. Graduates Of Mrs. Grim’s Learning - 3:10
5. There Is Love In The Country (On The Donny Brooks Farm) - 2:03
6. Here I Am - 4:27
7. She Lives With Me - 1:07
8. There’s Love In The Country (On The Donny Brooks Farm) Reprise - 2:05
9. Time Marches On - 5:23
10. Dixie And The War - 3:21
11. Death And Reality - 2:52
12. Sarah’s On Her Knees - 2:46
13. Theme From House Of Leather (Epilogue In Suede) - 2:45
All compositions by Dale Menten

Blackwood Apology
*Ron Beckman - Bass,
*Dennis Caswell - Drums, Vocals
*Tom Hustin - Guitar, Vocals
*Dennis Libby - Piano, Vocals
*Greg Maland - Keyboards, Pipe Organ
*Dale Menten - Guitar, Vocals
*Bruce Pedalty - Organ, Vocals

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Sunday, July 26, 2026

rep>>> Sandy Salisbury - Do Unto Others (1969 us, magnificent sunshine folkish psych, 2012 Blu Spec, seventh part of eight discs box set)

At no other time in our history could Salisbury resurrect his musical career like he has in the new millennium. First gaining notice as a member of the band the Ballroom with producer extraordinaire Curt Boettcher, when Boettcher notcied he and Salisbury’s voices blended so well together one of the best sunshine pop partnerships of all time was born. Eventually the Ballroom was shut down and the two formed The Millennium. Luckily for Boettcher, Salisbury was as good a songwriter as he was a singer and was able to contribute heavily to both The Millennium and Boettcher’s next band, Sagitarrius.

Though Sagitarrius only released one album, the excellent Present Tense, the duo continued to work together on a myriad bunch of other sunshine-pop projects and one-off’s. Usually set in a group context, Salisbury had a rare shot at solo fame when iconic producer Gary Usher offered Salisbury a solo deal with his Tomorrow label. An album was recorded and readied for release (entitled Sandy, the album was rumored to feature most of the Millennium) when the label was inexplicably shuttered, scuttling the album and souring Salisbury on the music business.

Flash forward about thirty years. Music of the ’60’s from soul to brit-pop to freakbeat to psychedelic rock to sunshine-pop is all being searched out by any of the hungry consumers still willing to buy CDs. Seems the boomers want it because they want to re-live the sounds of their youth and the youth want it because they’ve heard time and time again how groundbreaking music from that era was and how little their music matters in today’s society. So, you’ve got everybody from age 18 to 55 looking to buy both the well-known classics from the era plus any obscurities labels are able to dig up. Though the charts don’t necessarily show these reissues tallying up any groundbreaking sales numbers (not that any new releases are tallying up any groundbreaking sales numbers) it’s no secret these comps and obscurities are doing huge business.

It’s not for nothing labels big and small pushing new music are going under by the droves while a ton of reissue labels have sprung up and are thriving. Nor that mid-level artists are losing their record label contracts while reissue labels take the less confrontational road of buying masters from some accountant who used to be in a semi-popular psyche band and hyping their re-release like some recently dug-up Holy Grail.

Sure, I’m dumbing the whole thing down. In most cases what’s happening is beautiful and well-deserved. (And believe me, there is plenty of great new music coming out, so don’t harp at me about that. Always been and always will be. You just have to dig a little deeper to find it, that’s all.Sometimes too deep, but it’s still out there.) Suddenly, a true artist who did excellent but much-overlooked work like Salisbury has a chance to re-connect to his fanbase and get some attention for his efforts both long ago and recent. This album and three others released in the past five years or so (along with a ton of Millennium tracks and outtakes) have been released by the excellent Sonic Past Records in hopes of turning on sunshine-pop fans both young and old to the glorious voice and songwriting skills of Salisbury.

Though the album is made up of all old tracks rescued from someone’s archive, they show Salisbury at the height of his vocal power, singing as sweetly and genuinely as he’s ever sung, even besting most of The Millennium’s material as far as I am concerned. Salisbury’s songwriting is also formidable and while one listens to this album the question of why he isn’t a household name becomes inevitable as these great sunshiney songs fill your head with melodies a surgeon would have a hard time removing. Just sublime bubble-gummy pop. Since recording these songs, Salisbury has been a much-published children’s book author and has recently stated he plans an album of all-new material to be released very soon. Personally, I cannot wait.

Fans of ’60’s music, especially sunshine pop, will love this album. Full of catchy melodies and spectacular vocal work, this album is sure to bring a smile to your face and leave you hummin’. Does it get any better than that?

by Scott Homewood

Tracks
1. Just Don't Know How To Say Goodbye (Sandy Salisbury, Joey Stec) - 3:01
2. Spell On Me - 2:55
3. The Hills Of Vermont (Sandy Salisbury, Lee Mallory, Michael Fennelly) - 3:33
4. The Good Ol' Good Times (Michael Fennelly) - 2:03
5. Come Softly (Barbara Ellis, Gary Troxel, Gretchen Christopher) - 3:30
6. On And On She Goes (With Me Tonight) (Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson) - 2:56
7. Cecily (Sandy Salisbury, Curt Boettcher) - 2:54
8. Do Unto Others (Sandy Salisbury, Curt Boettcher) - 2:59
9. Once I Knew A Little Dog (Sandy Salisbury, Keith Colley) - 1:50
10.Baby Listen - 2:45
11.Goody Goodbye - 2:26
12.Sweet Sweet Cinnamon - 2:25
13.Every Minute Of My Life (Sandy Salisbury, Randy McNeill) - 2:18
14.I'll Do The Cryin' (Sandy Salisbury, Jill Jones) - 2:08
15.Super Day - 2:08
All songs written by Sandy Salisbury except where stated

Personnel
*Sandy Salisbury - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Curt Boettcher - Guitars, Vocals
*Lee Mallory - Guitars, Vocals
*Waddy Wachtel - Guitar
*Toxie French - Percussion, Marimba, Vibes
*Ron Edgar - Drums
*Doug Rhodes - Keyboards, Bass, Piano
*Ben Benay - Electric Guitar, Harmonica
*Jerry Scheff - Bass
*Orville "Red" Rhodes - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Gary Usher - Moog

1972 The Rascals - Island Of Real

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Saturday, July 25, 2026

rep>>> The Rascals - Peaceful World (1971 us, exceptional funk jazz r 'n' b, japan remaster)

Eddie Brigati and Gene Cornish both left the Rascals by 1971. The remaining members -- chief songwriter, vocalist, and keyboardist Felix Cavaliere and drummer Dino Danelli -- kept the name and left Atco for Columbia. Before disbanding permanently in 1972, they released two albums for the label -- 1971's Peaceful World and 1972's The Island of Real -- that have been unjustifiably discounted and forgotten for years.

Cavaliere had become deeply interested in the writings and teachings of the great Sufi master musician Hazrat Inayat Khan, who -- through his own tradition -- looked at music holistically, as an integral part of earthly and spiritual life. He also came under the sway of the emerging sounds of jazz, gospel, and the emerging uptownfunk and soul of the period. Peaceful World is a sprawling yet very focused collection of songs. With Danelli on drums and Ralph MacDonald on percussion, he filled out the rest of the band with the cream of the New York studio scene: saxophonists Joe Farrell, Pepper Adams, and Ernie Wilkins; bassists Gerald Jemmott and Chuck Rainey; guitarists Link Chamberlain and Buzz Feiten; trumpeters Ernie Royal and Joe Newman; trombonist Garnett Brown; flutist Hubert Laws; and backing vocalists Ann Sutton and Cynthia Webb. In other words, he put together a smoking studio band.

The remarkable aspect of this gorgeous record is that it sounds vintage but not dated. The production is clean, the funk is in the cut, and the communication between musicians in the charts is tight. The LP's last side is taken up by the title cut, a 21-minute complete bliss-out of a spiritual jazz jam. But there are some excellent gospel and sophisticated soul tunes as well -- check out "Mother Nature Land,""Bit of Heaven," the funky Rhodes in "Sky Trane," and the rave-up soul-rocker "Love Letter." The ballad "Little Dove" includes stunning harp work by Alice Coltrane!

Commercially, the end may not have been pretty for the Rascals, but this album hold together as well or better than anything in their catalog and vindicate them with their timeless appeal.

by Thom Jurek

Tracks
1. Sky Trane - 5:47
2. In And Out Of Love (Buzzy Feiten) - 3:13
3. Bit Of Heaven - 3:30
4. Love Me - 3:48
5. Mother Nature Land - 3:31
6. Icy Water (Buzzy Feiten) - 4:31
7. Happy Song - 3:42
8. Love Letter - 5:27
9. Little Dove - 6:30
10.Visit To Mother Nature Land - 5:04
11.Getting Nearer - 8:57
12.Peaceful World - 21:25
All songs by Felix Cavaliere except where stated

Musicians
*Felix Cavaliere - Vocals, Keyboards, Marimba, Organ, Piano
*Dino Danelli - Drums
*Howard "Buzz" Feiten - Guitar, Bass, Background Vocals
*Annie Sutton - Vocals
*Linc Chamberland - Guitar, Horn Arrangements
*Gerald Jemmott - Bass
*Robert Popwell - Bass
*Chuck Rainey - Bass
*William Salter - Bass
*Hubert Laws - Flute
*Alice Coltrane - Harp
*Pepper Adams - Baritone Saxophone
*Garnett Brown - Horn, Trombone
*Ron Carter - Bass
*Joe Farrell - Flute, Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax
*Molly Holt - Background Vocals
*Buddy Buono - Background Vocals
*Cynthia Webb - Background Vocals
*Ralph Macdonald - Bells, Conga, Percussion, Shaker, Talking Drum
*Joe Newman - Trumpet
*Ernie Royal - Trumpet
*Jon Smith - Saxophone
*Ernie Wilking - Saxophone

rep>>> The Rascals - Island Of Real (1972 us, groovy funky jazzy blue eyed soul)

By the time the Young Rascals had become the Rascals - down to keyboard guru Felix Cavaliere and Dino Danelli on drums for these two swansong albums in 1971-72 - they'd added Sly Stone-like depth and a "one from the heart" patina of soulfulness that Mick Jagger could approach only in his dreams. Equally important to Cavaliere's heartfelt vocals in this mature version of New York's Finest were the tasty, Steve Cropper-like stylings of guitar whiz Buzzy Feiten, augmented on both albums by a stellar cast of New York jazz luminaries: Joe Farrell on tenor sax, flute player Hubert Laws, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, keyboardist Alice Coltrane and Ron Carter on bass - all of whom helped the Rascals create an exotic pair of timeless classics that became to Soul and Jazz what the recordings of the Band were to Country and Americana.

Sundazed

Tracks
1. Lucky Day - 3:09
2. Saga Of New York - 4:03
3. Be On The Real Side (Robert Popwell) - 3:37
4. Jungle Walk (Buzz Feiten) - 3:05
5. Brother Tree - 3:38
6. Island Of Real (Joe Farrell) - 4:57
7. Hummin' Song - 3:58
8. Echoes - 3:10
9. Buttercup - 5:06
10.Time Will Tell - 4:07
11.Lament - 6:10
12.Prove It-Bonus (Previously Unissued) - 3:13
13.Love Is A Woman-Bonus (Previously Unissued) - 3:11
All songs by Felix Cavaliere axcept where indicated.

Personnel
*Felix Cavaliere - ARP Synthesizer, Keyboards, Vocals
*Lois Colin - Harp
*Dino Danelli - Drums, Percussion
*Charles Dinwiddie - Horn, Sax
*Kwasi "Rocky" Dzidzornu - Congas
*Joe Farrell - Flute, Saxophone
*Howard "Buzz" Feiten - ARP Synthesizer, Guitar
*Molly Holt - Vocals
*Herbert Laws - Flute
*Ralph MacDonald - Congas
*Steve Madaio - Trumpet
*Robert "Pops" Popwell - Bass
*David Sanborn - Horn, Sax
*Jack Scarangella - Congas
*Jon Smith - Horn, Sax
*Manny Stamm - Flugelhorn
*Annie Sutton - Vocals
*Woodstock Horns - Horn
*Daniel Ben Zebulon - Congas

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