Titled for the name under which Tractor plied their trade around the time of their earliest recordings, The Way We Live is an astonishing collection of rarities, outtakes and more, serving up a stunning snapshot of this most versatile of early-'70s duos. The main attraction, of course, is a full reissue for the band's 1971 debut LP A Candle for Judith, an eight-track masterpiece that remains as electrifyingly original today as it was upon its release.
From there, the album moves on to two early-'70s oddities, "Watching White Stars" from 1972, and an alternate version of 1972's "Marie." Another 1970 cut, "One Eyed Mule," appears later in the set. But the majority of the remainder of The Way We Live tracks Tractor through their later years -- a 1977 single, "Northern City," and a clutch of numbers recorded during 2002-2003.
What might astonish the casual listener, however, is the sheer consistency of the material, a feat that few acts, recording on either side of a 30-year hiatus, can muster. Tractor, however, pull it off, and the second half of The Way We Live emerges one of the brightest jewels in their entire catalog. The status of the first half, of course, is already assured.
by Dave Thompson
Tracks
1. King Dick II - 3:15
2. Squares - 4:41
3. Siderial - 3:51
4. Angle - 1:24
5. Storm - 5:24
6. Willow - 6:28
7. Madrigal - 2:02
8. The Way Ahead - 8:49
9. Watching White Stars - 7:04
10.Marie - 3:56
11.Stoney Glory - 2:09
12.Let Earth Be The Name - 2:11
13.Stairway To The Stars - 5:09
14.Most Had Man - 2:37
15.Northern City - 6:06
16.The Big Dinner - 1:53
17.Watching White Stars - 2:22
18.One Eyed Mule - 1:35
19.Easier To Say - 5:49 All songs written by Jim Milne, Stephen Clayton The Way We Live *Jim Milne - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano, Organ, Vocals *Stephen Clayton - Percussion
"You look like a real human being but . . ." "He got feet/ Down/ below his knees/ Hold you in his arms yeah you can feel his disease . . ."
It's all over for England. They've had their history and it's been written in books; they've fought their wars and buried their heroes. The English have owned the world and jettisoned their empire, and all that's left is — rock and roll. "England has got all the bad points of Nazi Germany, all the pompous pride of France, all the old fashioned patriotism of the old Order Of The Empire. It's got everything that's got nothing to do with music . . . the poxy little shit-stained island." So said Pete Townshend.
And the Kinks' answer, like the Band's answer to the American questions, is that a band makes its music out of whatever history has to offer. Arthur has the same guts as the Band's new album, that same reach back into the past, the same sense of age — like the Band, the Kinks can play the role of man near the end of his life when they themselves are merely in their twenties. Arthur is more fun, more cutting, and in the end simply hilarious because whatever England was, it isn't any more, and the Kinks are set free of all responsibilities. Christine Keeler died for their sins.
The Kinks are fun. Ray belts out "Victoria," and manages to sound pompous and fat — just like the girl herself — while doing so. The band drops off all restraints and finally performs like a real rock and roll band instead of like a bunch of old ladies. Dave Davies takes solos with delightful horns as a back-up, not to display virtuosity (which he has) but because the songs are too much fun to stop. On "Mr. Churchill Says" the band moves effortlessly into a three or four part number, changing the tempo, the mood, and the melody while never losing a superb dancing beat. Many of the songs display that sort of genius: "Shangri-la," "Australia," and more. The complexity of the compositions doesn't intrude because these delights are composed, not constructed, as were "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," "A Day in the Life," or the collages on Abbey Road. The music's like a verbal and instrumental jam session with divine inspiration as a rhythm section.
The music will move anyone who listens, because there is such an enormous mount of pathos in what Ray Davies has done. He's presented the last hundred years of English history through the eyes of one little man who never meant a thing to the rest of the world — as if Sinclair Lewis had followed Babbitt from birth to death and then made it into a musical comedy.
Less ambitious than Tommy, and far more musical — no fillers, no waste tracks, not a matter of ideas but of perceptions worked out by bass, drums, voices, horns and guitars — Arthur is by all odds the best British album of 1969. It shows that Pete Townshend still has worlds to conquer, and that the Beatles have a lot of catching up to do.
Perhaps a week or two ago, a very wise kid shuffing about in an old pawn shop was approached by an aging but slick pawnshop keeper. The old man watched with amusement as the young longhair looked through all the shiny and not so shiny instruments hanging in the yellowed window and stuffed into the backroom.
"What can I do for you, young man," the keeper said, rolling back on his heels, his hands in his pockets, the standard toothpick hanging out of the corner of his tight dry lips.
"Looking for something to play," the kid answered with nary a glance up to the sly old man. The kid's fingers were busy threading their way into the darkest recesses of all the back corners of the room, in quest of some forgotten treasure.
"Ah," the shopkeeper smiled, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "A tuba; perhaps, so you can join the high school band." He paused chuckling for a second, and then leaned forward, his sallow eyes quickly ablaze, his voice close and whispering loudly. "Or a guitar, an electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul so you can make loud noises and maybe next week be a big star? Eh?"
The kid pushed the hair out of his eyes and grimaced at the pawnshop keeper. "No," he said.
"No? That's not it?" The old man drew back askance. "You don't want to learn to play the guitar?"
"Naw," the kid answered without any apparent interest, adding what seemed mere token explanation. "A lot of guys can play the guitar, and play it real well." He was silent for a moment as his hand settled gently on an old red Les Paul Junior. The kid turned, looked up at the aging keeper, and said in a very strange and remorseful voice, "What's the use anyway? And ten years after what could I do that a million guys can't do now?" The kid smiled, obviously struck by something he had said. "Ten Years After. Ha. Isn't that funny. I'd almost forgotten." And he laughed once more.
"Ha. Do you know what I said? Do you know that last week I was really tired of listening to the guitar, no matter who was trying to get it on?" The hair settled back over his eyes, and the old man drew his hands from his pockets and cocked a thick finger under his chin. "Clapton, B.B., Page, all of them. The same old stuff. They weren't moving, ya know? Refinements, not extensions. I really thought the days of the guitar were numbered." The kid picked up the smooth red axe and plucked the metal strings lightly. "Then I heard the new album."
"New album?" the old man quizzed, puzzled by the whole thing. "What new album?"
"Sssh," the kid said with a smile, "Ten Years After."
"What?" The man looked around suspiciously. "When? Who?"
"Ten Years After," the kid said again.
"Ten Years After?" the old man asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "And whom pray tell is that?"
"Ten Years After is . . ."
There was a singularly long pause, with not so much as the blinking of an eye. The boy lowered the guitar to its resting place, and then added his last words.
"And Alvin Lee . . . I think perhaps he is God."
The boy smiled at the old man for the final time and turned toward the front entrance. Just before closing the door, he paused and looked back in, still smiling, and said, "What's left for me to do but pass the Word? Why do I have to play? Why does anyone? It's already been done."
He closed the door and slipped out, humming an Alvin Lee run. A passing freak and businessman both nodded.
"Mellow," they said in unison.
"Yeh," the kid answered. "Mellow."
And as they moved by one another, the kid hoped that they understood, and were not just talking as so many are prone to do.
by J.R. Young, November 1, 1969
Tracks Disc 1
1. Victoria - 3:36
2. Yes Sir, No Sir - 3:46
3. Some Mother's Son - 3:23
4. Drivin' - 3:18
5. Brainwashed - 2:34
6. Australia - 6:46
7. Shangri La - 5:18
8. Mr. Churchill Says - 4:43
9. She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina - 3:07
10.Young And Innocent Days - 3:21
11.Nothing To Say - 3:08
12.Arthur - 5:24
13.Plastic Man - 3:04
14.This Man He Weeps Tonight (Dave Davies) - 2:42
15.Mindless Child Of Motherhood (Dave Davies) - 3:16
16.Creeping Jean (Dave Davies) - 3:14
17.Lincoln County (Dave Davies) - 3:09
18.Hold My Hand (Dave Davies) - 3:18
19.Victoria - 3:37
20.Mr. Churchill Says - 3:31
21.Arthur - 3:19
All songs by Ray Davies except where stated
Tracks 1-12 The Original Mono Album
Tracks 13-18 Original Mono Singles
Tracks 19-21 Studio Recordings For The BBC
Disc 2
1. Victoria- 3:40
2. Yes Sir, No Sir- 3:47
3. Some Mother's Son- 3:25
4. Drivin'- 3:22
5. Brainwashed- 2:34
6. Australia- 6:46
7. Shangri La- 5:20
8. Mr. Churchill Says- 4:42
9. She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina- 3:09
10.Young And Innocent Days- 3:21
11.Nothing To Say- 3:08
12.Arthur- 5:27
13.Plastic Man- 3:02
14.This Man He Weeps Tonight (Dave Davies) - 2:39
15.Drivin' (Alternative Mix) - 3:22
16.Mindless Child Of Motherhood (Dave Davies) - 3:10
17.Hold My Hand (Alternative Take) (Dave Davies) - 3:13
18.Lincoln County (Dave Davies) - 3:21
19.Mr. Shoemaker's Daughter (Dave Davies) - 3:08
20.Mr. Reporter - 3:37
21.Shangri La - 5:29
All songs by Ray Davies except where noted
Tracks 1-12 the Original Stereo Album
The Music Emporium was a venturesomely creative quartet, comprised of Dora Wahl, their only non-vocalist, but an accomplished girl drummer - one of only a few in rock at the time (Jan Errico of the Vejtables, and later, the Mojo Men, as well as Maureen Tucker of the Velvet Underground, also come to mind); Carolyn Lee, another nimble femme, who made the bass guitar hum (also played piano and sometimes, organ); Dave Padwin, a master of both wispy and agitating chops, on guitar; and Bill "Casey" Cosby, the organ playing wizard, who could blend wedding and funeral music (psychedelia is often awash with contradictions) to evoke a new, sonic vocabulary and who also wrote or co-wrote, with Thom Wade (guitarist/vocalist from a previous group he played in), the lion's share of material for the band.
With all of the aforementioned virtuosic qualities, the Music Emporium's signature could range anywhere from grinding eeriness to luscious wistfulness, even taking one into the twilight zone, at times.
The lyricism in all of the songs on "Music Emporium" are philosophical poetry, pursuing--through apocalyptic crescendos and chanting sound bites--poignant issues that were the embodiment of the 60s: peace, love and brotherhood; ultimate knowledge and truth; the celestial; the wearisomeness of work; and fate.
This brings me to the matter of five bonus cuts on this expanded CD reissue by the Music Emporium: instrumental versions of half of the ten numbers heard previously that were on the original album.
I found that their music here, divorced from lyrics, can depict impeccable images.Yes, the incessant intensity in the mellifluous mystique they engender is like the sight and redolence of incense, wafting forever through the air of an open window on a dreamy midsummer's dusk.
All in all, this CD by the Music Emporium is a veritable masterwork. If they possessed a slightly larger oeuvre like, say, what the Left Banke or the Strawberry Alarm Clock (who they bore some resemblance to) had, they might have been a contender for the most underrated group in rock history accolade.
Indulge yourself then; go out and snap up this CD now, for in this opus by the Music Emporium the dance of hypnotic keyboards brightens whispering darkness.
Kris Kristofferson was approaching his mid-thirties and had been kicking around Nashville for several years when he belatedly became an overnight success in 1969-1970. The impetus was "Me and Bobby McGee," which he co-wrote with Fred Foster, who ran Monument Records. Roger Miller cut the song, and his recording peaked in the country Top 20 in August 1969. By that time, Kristofferson had performed at the Newport Folk Festival at the behest of Johnny Cash, and Foster decided to sign him to Monument as a recording artist. Before this debut album was released in 1970, Ray Stevens had scored a pop and country chart entry with Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down."
On the evidence of his first collection of songs, Kristofferson was ahead of his country music peers in realizing that, despite Nashville's conservative political tilt, there was a natural affinity between the country archetype of a hard-drinking, romantically independent loner and the rock & roll archetype of a drug-taking, romantically free hippie. (Of course, lots of rock musicians, especially in Los Angeles, had already noticed this similarity, and formed bands like Poco and the Flying Burrito Brothers to exploit it.)
He opened the album with what sounded like an answer to the criticisms of the Rolling Stones in the wake of Altamont. "Blame It on the Stones" contrasted various conservative stereotypes, starting with "Mr. Marvin Middle Class," with the supposedly evil rock group, its chorus a parody of "Bringing in the Sheaves." Needless to say, that was not a typical way to open a country album in 1970 (or any other time), but Kristofferson quickly followed with the somewhat more reverent "To Beat the Devil," which he dedicated in a spoken introduction to Johnny Cash and June Carter, and in which he established a persona he would maintain through much of the album, the character of a poor songwriter struggling against despair.
"Me and Bobby McGee," a classic on-the-road song, was next, with Kristofferson, despite the country grammar, displaying his background as an English teacher in its chorus, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose/Nothin' ain't worth nothin', but it's free." Then came "The Best of All Possible Worlds," which used a reference to Voltaire to reflect wryly on the viewpoint of a drunken vagrant. (You could see what attracted Roger Miller to Kristofferson in a song like this, which clearly was influenced by Miller's "King of the Road," though Kristofferson's treatment of the subject was grittier.) Of course, the ultimate example of the subject was the album-closing "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," which was basically a first-person description of a hangover. The romantic side of the hard-living drifter character was glimpsed in the album's two tenderest statements, "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "For the Good Times," both of which were pleas by the narrator to sleep with the object of his affection.
A sleeve note suggested that Kristofferson had been reluctant to record, but while he didn't have much range as a singer, he brought a conviction to his vocals and a complete understanding of the nuances of the lyrics. The songs were so personal that they seemed to demand a personal interpretation. Nashville, as it turned out, didn't have much use for countercultural songs like "Blame It on the Stones" and "The Law Is for Protection of the People" (which had some choice words for the police), but the country music community could recognize a good love song with an erotic edge that was on the cusp of the era's changing mores, and Ray Price quickly cut "For the Good Times," which topped the country charts.
Then, Johnny Cash covered "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" for a number one country hit, leading to its winning the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award for 1970, and Sammi Smith gave a twist to "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by recording it as a woman's song for yet another country number one. The finishing touch to Kristofferson's sudden renown was Janis Joplin's cover of "Me and Bobby McGee," released shortly after her death, which topped the pop charts.
When it was released in 1970, Kristofferson did not reach the charts. By the following year, however, its creator was on his way to becoming a major star, and after his second album, The Silver Tongued Devil and I, broke into the pop charts in July 1971, Monument re-titled the first album Me and Bobby McGee and reissued it. This time around, it made the pop and country charts and went gold. (On February 6, 2001, Monument/Legacy reissued Kristofferson as part of its American Milestones series. Featuring 24-bit remastering, the CD added four previously unreleased tracks from the same sessions that produced the album, among them an early version of "Come Sundown," later recorded for a Top Ten country hit by Bobby Bare and re-cut by Kristofferson himself for his Shake Hands With the Devil album in 1979.)
by William Ruhlmann
Tracks
1. Blame It On The Stones (Kris Kristofferson, John Wilkin) - 2:46
2. To Beat The Devil - 4:43
3. Me And Bobby Mcgee (Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster) - 4:23
4. Best Of All Possible Worlds - 3:01
5. Help Me Make It Through The Night - 2:24
6. The Law Is For Protection Of The People - 2:40
7. Casey's Last Ride - 3:37
8. Just The Other Side Of Nowhere - 3:39
9. Darby's Castle - 3:19
10.For The Good Times - 3:25
11.Duvalier's Dream - 2:58
12.Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down - 4:34
13.The Junkie And The Juicehead, Minus Me - 3:24
14.Shadows Of Her Mind - 3:13
15.The Lady's Not For Sale (Kris Kristofferson, Carol Pugh) - 3:27
16.Come Sundown - 2:36
All songs by Kris Kristofferson except as noted
The August 2000 reissue of Live at the Paramount on the Buddha label has 13 songs, the whole 75 minutes of music from the first of two shows, and provides the best explanation of how the Guess Who endured as a major concert draw years after their biggest hits were behind them; when they were spot-on, as they were that night, they gave an exciting show.
Remixed and remastered properly, this is now a killer concert album, showing off the double lead guitar attack that was a hallmark of their live sound in blazing glory, energizing even familiar songs like "New Mother Nature," and Burton Cummings near the peak of his form with the band as a singer. Surprisingly, the songs that were left off of the original LP included several hits, both vintage ("These Eyes," "No Time") and relatively recent ("Rain Dance," "Share the Land"), though the highlight is "Sour Suite," which is a dazzling showcase for Cummings as a singer and pianist.
The remixing also helps the material that was on this album originally, pumping up the volume on the bluesy jam that opens "American Woman," which also sounds a lot better (and is worth hearing in the 15 minute jam version featured here). "Share the Land" comes off better here than its official version, set ablaze by Kurt Winter's and Don McDougal's guitars and a spirited vocal performance.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. Pain Train (Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter) - 7:00
2. Albert Flasher (Burton Cummings) - 2:59
3. New Mother Nature (Burton Cummings) - 4:26
4. Runnin' Back to Saskatoon (Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter) - 6:52
5. Rain Dance (Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter) - 2:53
6. These Eyes (Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings) - 4:29
7. Glace Bay Blues (Don McDougal, Blair MacLean, Gary MacLean) - 3:19
8. Sour Suite (Burton Cummings) - 3:58
9. Hand Me Down World (Kurt Winter) - 3:53
10.American Woman (Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Randy Bachman) - 16:53
11.Truckin' Off Across the Sky (Burton Cummings, Kurt Winter, Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Don McDougal) - 7:21
12.Share the Land (Burton Cummings) - 4:46
13.No Time (Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings) - 6:06
The Guess Who
*Burton Cummings - Lead Vocals, Piano, Flute, Harmonica
*Kurt Winter - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Don McDougal - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Jim Kale - Bass, Vocals
*Garry Peterson - Drums, Vocals
In a career packed with varying types of compositions, Galt MacDermot is still best-known for the music he wrote in the late-'60s Aquarian musical Hair. Born and raised in Montreal, MacDermot was the son of a Canadian diplomat. He studied at Bishop's University, then at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, before moving to New York in 1964. Three years later, MacDermot's music for Hair, combined with lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, made the show first an off-Broadway success, then a Broadway smash, and later a major motion picture. Of the several pop standards are "Let the Sunshine In," "Aquarius," "What a Piece of Work Is Man," "Good Morning Starshine," and the title song. In addition to the musicals, Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Human Comedy, MacDermot composed ballet and film scores, chamber music, band repertory, and drama accompaniments. Also, he formed the New Pulse Jazz Band in 1979.
by John Bush
This CD brings together two of MacDermot's original LPs, both of them released in the '60s -- one pre- and one post-Hair, one a session album and one a soundtrack, and both greasy in the future funk with cats like Idris Muhammad and Bernard Purdie laying down the beats behind the band. MacDermot is a driven pianist and organ grinder who sought one thing on these records: funky grooves. And he got them. Here's what's scary though: "Coffee Cold" (from Shapes of Rhythm) was recorded in 1966 -- prefiguring the rhythmic changes of James Brown's "Cold Sweat" in sequence and in key a full two years before Brown laid down his track.
The feel of "Coffee Cold" is a bit whiter and smoother, but the jam is still an anthem, even with its cheese factor. MacDermot was a prophet of the groove that would overtake the late '60s and early '70s, and, were he a proud man, could have argued that more young musicians heard and took to heart the grooves he laid down in Hair than heard Allen Toussaint and Red Allen or Eddie Bo. The true feel of Shapes of Rhythm is like Vince Guaraldi's Schroeder laying out the piano funk, seeking the groove inside the rhythm section and laying it out there. It's tough if ornate and it shimmers with real heat. The other disc, a soundtrack for Martine Barrat's movie Woman Is Sweeter, is a much dirtier, rawer affair altogether, and would have been worth the price of the CD alone.
Here guitars chunk up in the cut with the bass, and the piano floats in the accents as drums and bass reign supreme. This was recorded immediately after Hair, and MacDermot wasn't in the mood to simply lay out some incidental music to a hippie flick. He took it down to its essence: rhythm, polyrhythm, drums, bass, and filthy nasty funk at insanely fast -- for the time -- tempos that were in fact symbolic of the orgiastic nature of his compositions. This wasn't just sex music, this was group sex symphonic music made with only a handful of instruments. These two albums comprise 26 tracks of pure groove-driven genius, with a bonus vocal version of "Coffee Cold" that the producers go hog-wild over in their notes, but it pretty much sucks compared to the rest of this -- thank the gods they left it until the end. Yeah, you need this if you care about the influence of '60s groove at all. After all, Busta Rhymes did -- check out the sample of MacDermot's "Space" on the rapper's "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check."
by Thom Jurek
Tracks Shapes Of Rhythm 1966
1. Lady, You Look Good To Me - 3:03
2. Farmland - 2:57
3. Coffee Cold - 3:25
4. Marsh Gas - 2:26
5. If Our Love Is Real - 3:02
6. Mouse Roared - 2:25
7. Tender Meeting - 2:43
8. M'Babam - 1:59
9. Field Of Sorrow - 3:55
10.Alive In Dar-Es-Salaam - 2:19
11.Spanish Nights - 2:26
12.I'm Through With You - 2:36
I remember when I first bought this album. It would have been around 1974 or '75 on my first visit to Sydney's famous Ashwoods Records in Pitt Street (RIP). Being a poor high school student, the idea of cheap second-hand albums was cool beyond words! For about $2-3 each I scored Slade "Slayed", "Black Sabbath Vol 4" and, of course, Buffalo’s debut LP "Dead Forever".
I remember thinking the cover was very evil ..and that these guys were proberly worshippers of some sick Satanic cult! There's even a photo on the inside gate- fold of the band (complete with Amps and P.A) playing a gig in a graveyard. Having said that, I'm sure the boys had good religious beliefs (while still enjoying the indulgences of non-prescription medications and having “relations" with young ladies to whom they were not married)
Now, over 30 years later, Aztec Music has reissued this proto-stoner gem. This is a great crunching 1972 heavy rock album which still wipes the floor with its contemporaries. The interesting thing about this line-up of Buffalo is that the band had two lead vocalists, however this was not uncommon for the time (think the Mamas and the Pappas, Blood Sweat and Tears and the aura of the Beatles, which was still lurking around).
The opening track “Leader” kicks off very doomily, with a droning acoustic guitar and vocals before building into a frantic heavy metal ending! “You...yes YOU are the Leader”. Very way out (man).
"Suzi Sunshine" was an early hit single for the band is a great piece of heavy melodic rock with some neat slide guitar from John Baxter. Two cover versions follow, Blues Images’ "Pay My Dues" (which shows the band's early progressive hippy roots) and a 10-minute version of Free's "I’m a Mover" which starts off faithful to the original but quickly builds into some manic jamming rivalling the Stooges and The MC5 ! I can imagine this track hitting the 30 minute mark in a live setting.
A few of the tracks following this have a distinctively heavy, progressive "San Francisco-meets-Quicksilver-Messenger-Service" vibe before returning with some powerful riff-o-mania rockin' on the five-minute title track, which again shows Buffalo's ability to do some great jamming (no doubt picked up from playing countless shows around the Sydney Town hall dances and nightclub scene)
Bonus tracks include some early 7" inch cover version B-sides which more than anything display the bands early high energy rhythm and blues/rock 'n' roll roots. Also included is an ultra rare early pre–Buffalo 1971 single by the band Head (featuring three members of Buffalo in Tice, Baxter and Wells) which reminds me of Eric Burdon and The Animals or early Cream
As with all Aztec releases this re-release comes a great 22 page colour booklet featuring some jaw-dropping early photos, gig posters and magazine adverts. The early photo of Dave Tice and Pete Wells in 1967 looking very Carnaby Street is worth the cost of the album alone.
by Steve Danno-Lorkin
Tracks
1. Leader (Dave Tice, John Baxter, Peter Wells) - 6:03
2. Suzie Sunshine (Peter Brett, John Baxter) - 2:53
3. Pay My Dues (Joe Lala, Mike Pinera) - 5:34
4. I'm A Mover (Paul Rodgers, Andy Fraser) - 10:46
5. Ballad Of Irving Fink (Alan Milano, John Baxter) - 4:30
6. Bean Stew (Dave Tice, John Baxter) - 7:05
7. Forest Rain (Dave Tice, John Baxter) - 6:30
8. Dead Forever (Dave Tice, John Baxter) - 5:39
9. Hobo (Dave Tice, John Baxter) - 2:48
10.Sad Song, Then (John Baxter) - 2:37
11.No Particular Place To Go (Chuck Berry) - 4:53
12.Just A Little Rock And Roll (A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues) (Terry Thompson) - 2:24
13.Barbershop Rock (John Baxter) - 5:07
Bonus Tracks 9-13
Tracks 9,10 recorded as The Head
Buffalo
*Dave Tice - Lead Vocals
*Alan Milano - Lead Vocals
*Peter Wells - Bass
*John Baxter - Guitar
*Paul Balbi - Drums
Aztec Music once again have done a brilliant job with great remastering, a massive booklet with liner notes, band interviews and tons of photos. Plus 2 rare bonus tracks (a 7” edit/mix of "What’s Going On" and a live GTK recording of "United Nations"). Aztec have done such a good job that the bootleggers have actually had the nerve and audacity to cry unfair...Ha! Maybe the bootleggers should pay the band some royalties first, before complaining too much.
This the band's third album and is a big leap forward in terms of songwriting and production. Where, on Buffalo's previous albums, the vibe on songwriting seemed to be "smoke a bunch of pot, turn the amps up full blast and see what happens", there's a different approach on "Only Want You for Your Body". The tunes are still riff-heavy, loud and dynamic, but the song arrangements are more traditional i.e. they actually have verses and choruses (shock!) Production-wise, it’s also a progression with double tracked guitars and vocals, backing vocals (more shock horror!), percussive and sound effects, which add up to make this probabl0y Buffalo's best album.
The band's endless touring prior to this albums recording sessions had tightened the musicianship considerably.Pete Wells (who sadly passed away on 27 March 2006, was slide guitarist with Rose Tattoo, Lucy De Soto + the Handsome Devils and The Pete Wells Band) can take a bow: His bass playing was incredible! All budding bassists should check out his playing on this album. Guitarist John Baxter proves to be the heaviest and wildest guitarist in the country at the time, drummer Jimmy Economou is aggressive and hard-hitting but never self-indulgent. Frontman Dave Tice‘s vocals alone are more powerful then most bands at the time.
Ok, you ask: Why wasn’t this album a multi-million selling album it deserved to be? Well, at the time Australian radio was extremely conservativeand it was almost impossible to sell a lot of records without airplay. Buffalo probably weren’t doing themselves any favours by having a front cover featuring a semi-naked young girl tied up on a torture rack. Songs like "I'm a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser" and "Kings Cross Ladies" were unlikely to be played on Catholic church-owned radio station 2SM. However, the band probably took a perverse delight in all this.So folks - have a listen to this and see what all of the fuss is about.
It should be noted that since the band split back in the mid '70s, Buffalo have picked up a fairly impressive world wide following. Members of Soundgarden were fans , a European stoner rock band Colour Scheme covered a Buffalo song on one of their albums and the Hoodoo Gurus use to play Buffalo over the P.A before going on stage. Sheek The Shayk (ED: Who?) paid tribute to the band on their debut CD. Murray Shepherd (Monarchs , Ride Ons , Funthings etc) is a huge fan, and Cosmic Psychos released a version of "Sunrise". Hey...maybe we should petition the Homebake organisers and try and get a reunion show happening (although realistically this is unlikely to happen).
by Steve Danno-Lorkin
Tracks
1. I'm A Skirt Lifter, Not A Shirt Raiser - 4:53
2. I'm Coming On (Alvin Lee) - 3:39
3. Dune Messiah - 4:32
4. Stay With Me - 3:37
5. What's Going On - 3:58
6. Kings Cross Ladies - 7:27
7. United Nations - 6:18
8. What's Going On (Single Version) - 3:25
9. United Nations (Live At Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, April 1974) - 7:51
All tracks written by Dave Tice and John Baxter except track #2
Bonus tracks 8-9
Karen Beth's wide range voice and fragile songs on her second LP "Harvest", focused on the effect of words and music as sound as often as on meaning and the result is most pleasing to ear.
Tracks
1. Like Wine To Me - 4:00
2. Last Time - 2:39
3. Sometimes True - 4:10
4. The Way Back - 4:02
5. Hard Luck Mama - 2:10
6. Hold Tight - 2:21
7. Gentle Place - 4:22
8. I'm No Good For You - 2:47
9. No Apologies - 2:56
10.Ribbon - 1:22
11.Up To My Neck In High Muddy W - 2:48
Music and Lyrics by Karen Beth
Musicians
*Karen Beth - Voclas, Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Piano, Autoharp
The Joys of Life is Karen Beth’s best early album which was released off Decca in 1969. Beth was not a popular artist so it was strange when this underground record peaked at #171 in Billboard’s Top 200 in 1969. The good thing about The Joys of Life is that it’s a strong record without a steep price tag and easy to find on vinyl – just check your local record dealer or better yet, ebay.
Beth’s vocals are a mixture of Karen Dalton and Buffy Sainte-Marie and the album is a beautiful blend of rural folk, lite psychedelia, and the more downer elements of the singer-songwriter genre. The album opener It’s All Over Now has one too many horns and is by far the lp’s weakest track. After this, there are no false starts or wasted notes; this album is completely solid all the way thru. The title track is an unsettling acid folk masterpiece that begins to rock about mid way thru and is highlighted by organ and vibes. Song to a Shepard is an impressive, stark vocal that sounds centuries behind, similar to what the English folk-rock groups were doing from around the same time. Other tracks reach into deeper, darker moods, just listen to Something to Believe In and the excellent Nothing Lasts. The former is a disturbing slice of spooky folk-jazz paranoia while the latter is a majestic, melancholy folk-rocker. White Dakota Hill, another great track, is wistful with a slight C&W feel that gives this album variety and substance.
Anyone into Margo Guryan or Linda Perhacs is strongly urged to track this record down. The Joys of Life really deserves a first time cd or vinyl reissue as it’s a pretty unique record that needs to be heard by more people.
