rep>>> The Griffin - The World's Filled With Love (1968 us, fabulous colorful beat psychedelia)

Griffin was an obscure flower power pop psych band  with their 1968 ABC label album, optimistically titled “The World’s Filled With Love.” And anyone with a sweet tooth for the first two Strawberry Alarm Clock long players, or the mystical but still pop-centrific later Monkees albums, or anyone who still believes the world is filled with bunnies and pink cotton candy clouds, will find Griffin ’s naïve but surprisingly trippy outlook on life pretty reassuring.  

Griffin summoning up their inner Kahlil Gibrans when they sing “Know thyself is just a phrase, till some have passed through the haze. I’ve figured out the maze, in my other life.” As Ravi Shankar’s dad, I’m guessing, since they surround it with the same kind of floaty, mystical sitar and tabla head zones that George did on his passages to India , all bellydancing rhythms, snakey sitar lines and om-like chanting background vocals. I’ll take a thousand of these ambitious, “Within You Without You” electric sitar headswirlers over another bad bar band boogie track, and that’s in this life and any of my past lives. 

Elsewhere, the excellent “Magic Carpet Ride” is not a cover of the Steppenwolf karaoke bar perennial, but a tremendous popsike original, with upbeat tempo, moody minor keys and groovy hip lounge bar vocals – definitely a close musical cousin to anything off the first Strawberry Alarm Clock albums. Not quite soft pop, since the frenetic fast-paced rhythm could power any Nuggets band’s next garage single, and not quite garage either, since the lush and trippy vocal harmonies sound positively Beatlesque – this one straddles the genres like some tougher flower power anthem, and features a super groovy electric piano solo that beats the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” by three full years. They’re still straddling genres on the killer “I’m Movin’ On”, a great organ-led pop punker with the kind of wild freakout break that lifted the Count Five’s “Psychotic Reaction” to legendary garage punk status. But again, the melody’s more pop-savvy than your average Nuggets nugget, so this comes off sounding more like a harder, trippier Monkees – think “Circle Sky” from the soundtrack to Head . 

So if Griffin ’s album straddles the grey area between soft pop and garage punk, it’s only natural. Because the world is filled with love and anger, youthful innocence and teenage aggression. And since every song on “The World’s Filled With Love” is connected to the next by some faint calliope organ music, maybe the world really is filled with pink cotton candy clouds too. 

Worthpoint

Tracks
1. The World's Filled With Love (Vince Morton) - 0:25  
2. Baby, Won't You Come With Me? (Bruce Bentley) - 2:03
3. Give All Your Loving To That Man (Bruce Bentley) - 2:32
4. Small Talk (Vince Morton) - 2:50
5. I'm Takin' The Freeway (Bruce Bentley) - 2:30
6. I'm Movin' On (Bruce Bentley) -  2:50
7. Magic Carpet Ride (Vince Morton) - 3:45
8. The World's Filled With Love (Vince Morton) -  0:25
9. I Could Never Leave You (Bruse Bentley, Jerry Brown, Vince Morton) - 1:50
10.In My Other Life (Jerry Brown) - 3:25                
11.Who Wants A Girl Like You? (Vince Morton) - 2:15
12.Lovely Blossom (Vince Morton, Jerry Brown) - 3:27
13.Murder In The Cathedral (Vince Morton) - 2:32
14.The World's Filled With Love (Vince Morton) - 2:55

The Griffin
*Vince Morton - Keyboards
*Jerry Brown - Percussion And Drums
*Bruce Bentley - Guitars

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rep>>> Tudor Lodge - Tudor Lodge (1971 uk, wonderful hippie baroque folk rock harmonies, 2011 remaster with bonus track)

Tudor Lodge was originally formed in 1968, featuring John Stannard and Roger Strevens. The group started playing at the White Horse in Reading, England and later made appearances at other clubs on the folk circuit. In 1969 Lyndon Green replaced Roger. Lyndon had just returned to England after treading the hippy trail to Turkey and within a year they were joined by American singer and flautist, Ann Steuart. Tudor Lodge then toured the English folk circuit for over two years, teaming up with manager Karl Blore in March 1970, and releasing their first album in 1971: “Tudor Lodge” (Vertigo 6360043). Later that year, the group appeared at the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival and also at Weeley Festival in Essex.

Annie left the group in 1972 and was briefly replaced by Linda Peters, who became better known through her work with husband Richard Thompson. That year saw Tudor Lodge touring Holland where they featured on Dutch Radio after which the group disbanded with their various careers diverging.

Tudor Lodge

The eponymous debut album by Tudor Lodge taps into both the perpetual collectibility of the early-'70s Vertigo label catalog and the mid-2000s' growing fascination with British folk-prog of the same era. The trio of Lyndon Green, John Stannard, and Ann Steuart, backed by a heavyweight band of folk and classical legends (the redoubtable rhythm section of Danny Thompson and Terry Cox included), Tudor Lodge were unashamedly pastoral -- their music is the sound of a summer's day in centuries past, where "grey-backed squirrels run to safety," ("Forest"), ladies "disappear into the sunset, shrouded in organdie and wine" ("Willow Tree"), and even bloody battlefields become a place for quiet contemplation ("Help Me Find Myself"). 

And, all the while, clarinets twinkle, violins sigh, and cellos call to one another across the verdant fields. Recorded in a mere two weeks in early 1971, Tudor Lodge is very much a child of its times -- hopeful, gentle, and so delicately melodic that, even with harmonies hurtling like asteroids across "I See a Man," there is a Spartan simplicity to the record that surely exacted a major toll on the latter-day likes of Belle & Sebastian -- a comparison that the almost raunchy guitar and psych-soaked wah-wah of "The Lady's Changing Home" only amplifies. In its original vinyl form, Tudor Lodge was released in a grandiose six-panel die-cut sleeve, decorated with the intricate penciled sketches of artist Phil Duffy. In common with Akarma's other Vertigo reissues, this fabulous packaging has been restored in its entirety. Like the music, it's breathtaking. 

by Jo-Ann Greene

Tracks

1. It All Comes Back To Me (John Stannard) - 4:19

2. Would You Believe? (John Stannard) - 2:29

3. Recollection (Lyndon Green) - 3:18

4. Two Steps Back (Ann Steuart, Lyndon Green) - 2:53

5. Help Me Find Myself (John Stannard) - 4:19

6. Nobody's Listening (John Stannard) - 3:32

7. Willow Tree (Ann Steuart, John Stannard, Lyndon Green) - 3:21

8. Forest (Lyndon Green) - 3:36

9. I See A Man (John Stannard) - 3:01

10.The Lady's Changing Home (John Stannard, Lyndon Green) - 4:38

11.Madeline (Lyndon Green) - 4:05

12.Kew Gardens (Ralph McTell) - 2:26

13.The Good Times We Had (Noel Paul Stookey) - 3:01

Tudor Lodge

*Lyndon Green - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

*John Stannard - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

*Ann Steuart - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Flute

With

*Mike Morgan - Electric Guitar

*Graham Lyons - Bassoon, Clarinet

*G. Wareham - Oboe, Cor Anglais

*Douglas Moore - Horn

*Tony Coe - Alto Flute, Clarinet

*Sergei Bezkorvany - Violin

*David Marcou - Violin

*Fred Buxton - Viola

*Suzanne Perreault - Cello

*Danny Thompson - Bass

*Terry Cox - Drums

*Sonny Condell - African Drums

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rep>>> Eric Quincy Tate - Eric Quincy Tate (1971 us, exceptional swamp blues brass rock, 2006 remaster and expanded)

Eric Quincy Tate were not a person, they were a band -- a quartet of down-and-dirty swamp rockers, Naval reservists stationed in Quincy, MA, but based down South, playing regularly in Texas where they were discovered by Tony Joe White, who shared a similar taste for blues, R&B, and soul. White helped get them signed to Capricorn and produced their self-titled 1971 debut, which sank into collector cult status not too long after its release and remained there until Rhino Handmade reissued it in 2006. Upon that reissue, the record was revealed as a real lost gem, something that could hold its own with Tony Joe White's own classic Monument albums, of which it's very reminiscent. 

Like Tony Joe, Eric Quincy Tate is pure swamp pop, mixing up soul, blues, country, and rock & roll into a dynamite concoction of thick, funky roots rock. EQT could really play, which makes the fact that they didn't play on their debut all the stranger. When EQT entered the studio, the quartet found the Dixie Flyers -- the name of engineer Stan Kesler's studio band at the Sounds of Memphis studio -- all set up, ready to play. Only vocalist/drummer Donnie McCormack and guitarist Tommy Carlisle, EQT's two songwriters, were allowed to play on the album, with the Memphis Horns added later as overdubs. According to Bill DeYoung's liner notes to the 2006 Handmade reissue, nobody remembers who made the decision to use the Dixie Flyers as the core band -- Tony Joe White and Jerry Wexler share producing credits with Tom Dowd, who worked on the final bit of the record -- and the decision to use studio pros is a bit odd, as the three demos, alternate takes, and unreleased cuts featured on the reissue showcase a gritty Southern rock & roll band, one that was looser and funkier than the one that finished record, but all the more appealing because of it. 

The Eric Quincy Tate reissue is also graced with the presence of none other than Duane Allman, who happened to be in the studio as a guest of Wexler, so he played some impromptu slide on the demo for "Goin' Down," unveiled here for the first time. It's not just Allman who gives the demos a dirtier, bluesier feel: without the overdubs of the horns and the tight attack of the Dixie Flyers, this is lean, hard rhythmic rock instead of the punched-up soul of the finished album. Not that there's anything wrong with the original Eric Quincy Tate as an album -- far from it, really. McCormack and Carlisle were fine songwriters with an ear for blending soul, blues, and rock so there were no borders between the styles, and the Dixie Flyers helped give the music an assured momentum that made it more commercial in 1971, even if the album went nowhere on the charts. Despite its lack of success, Eric Quincy Tate has aged very well -- the songs sound like buried gems and the music itself is the kind of deeply rooted roots rock that sustains its appeal, even increases it, upon repeated plays. 

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Eric Quincy Tate started out in the mid-'60s as a Gulf Coast six-piece, The Kings, before Uncle Sam put four of its members on the USS Essex. After finishing their service, the quartet was back gigging in Texas, where they made a strong impression on Tony Joe. White was instrumental in getting the group an audition with Capricorn Records, and demos recorded there caught the ear of legendary Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler. The self-titled debut from Eric Quincy Tate - a marvelous mix of blues, soul, rock, and straight ahead funk -- followed in January 1971. 

For this new reissue, seven previously unreleased bonus cuts from the Capricorn sessions follow, including embryonic versions of three album tracks () - one of which, "Comin' Down," features a guest appearance from slide guitar master Duane Allman, a storming take on "Gimme Some Lovin"," and three additional Eric Quincy Tate originals.

Rhino

Tracks
1. Stonehead Blues (David Cantonwine, Donnie McCormick) - 2:19
2. I Want 'cha (Tommy Carlisle) - 2:47
3. Try A Little Harder (Tommy Carlisle) - 2:32
4. On The Loose (David Cantonwine, Donnie McCormick, Joe Rogers) - 3:02
5. Makes No Difference (Tommy Carlisle) - 3:47
6. When I'm Gone (Donnie McCormick, Tommy Carlisle) - 2:23
7. Comin' Down (Donnie McCormick, Tommy Carlisle) - 2:57
8. Hooker House (Donnie McCormick, Tommy Carlisle) - 3:01
9. The Bream Are Still Biting In Ferriday (Donnie McCormick, Tommy Carlisle) - 2:51
10.Ain't It A Bummer (Donnie McCormick) - 3:44
11.License To Love (Donnie McCormick, Tommy Carlisle) - 3:56
12.Stonehead Blues (Demo) (David Cantonwine, Donnie McCormick) - 1:54
13.Comin' Down (Demo) (Donnie McCormick, Tommy Carlisle) - 2:54
14.Ain't It A Bummer (Demo) (Donnie McCormick) - 3:17
15.Gimme Some Lovin' (Muff Winwood, Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood) - 3:34
16.Blowin' The Clouds Away (Alternate Version) (Donnie McCormick, Greg McWhorter, Ronnie Morgan, Tommy Carlisle) - 4:03
17.Get On The Road (Eric Quincy Tate) - 2:34
18.I Don't Know Much (Eric Quincy Tate) - 7:29

Eric Quincy Tate
*Donnie McCormick - Lead Vocals, Drums
*Tommy Carlisle - Guitar - Vocals
*David Cantonwine - Bass
*Joe Rogers - Keyboards - Vocals 
With 
*Duane Allman - Slide Guitar
*Jim Dickinson - Piano, Organ, Dobro
*The Memphis Horns - Brass
*Michael Utley - Electric Piano
*The Dixie Flyers - Session Work

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rep>>> West Coast Natural Gas - Two's A Pair (1966-68 us, amazing west coast psychedelia, 2012 edition)

Killer West Coast psychedelic monster that took many years to be completed!!! West Coast Natural Gas began life in 1965 in Seattle. In early 1967 they went to San Francisco to work for a local music manager named Matthew Katz.  

Katz was the original manager for Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and later It’s a Beautiful Day. He talked West Coast Natural Gas into signing a contract with him but they didn’t realize at the time, being young and stupid. That basically they signed over everything to him. They went to the studio and recorded some original tunes: A Favor, Go Run and Play, The Jumping Frog, Hashish, Water or Wine, Beyond This Place, and Two’s A Pair. 

In early 1968 the band broke up and went back to Seattle. Katz released a single – Go Run and Play / A Favor on his S.F. Sound label under the name West Coast Natural Gas. Later he released a compilation album - the first San Francisco Sound sampler - called “Fifth Pipe Dream”. The four songs mentioned before, Water or Wine, Hashish, Beyond This Place and Two’s A Pair were the ones recorded by WCNG and relabeled by Katz as Indian Puddin’ and Pipe. 

This superb release includes all the above mentioned songs, plus others from acetates. As a big surprise another four never before heard songs recorded 1966 in a local Seattle Recording Studio before they went to San Francisco are included.

Tracks
1. Go Run And Play (Kris Larsen) - 2:33
2. A Favor (Steve Mack) - 3:41
3. A Favor Version 2 (Steve Mack) - 3:44
4. The Jumping Frog (Pat Craig) - 3:33
5. Two's A Pair (Steve Mack) - 4:15
6. Beyond This Place (Pat Craig) - 2:32
7. Hashish (Kris Larsen) - 3:03
8. Water Or Wine (Steve Mack) - 3:40
9. The West Coast Natural Gas White Levis Commercial 'Never Break' (Pat Craig) - 0:46
10.Radio Promo from the Galaxy Club ca. 1968 - 0:37
11.Mr. You're A Better Man Than I (Mike Hugg, Brian Hugg) - 2:56
12.Younger Girl (John Sebastian) - 2:11
13.You Make Me Feel So Good (Chris White) - 2:12
14.He Was A Friend Of Mine (Traditional, lyrics by Roger McGuinn) - 2:38

West Coast Natural Gas
*Pat Craig - Vocals, Piano, Organ, Autoharp, Guitar
*Kris Larsen - Vocals, Guitar
*Steve Mack - Vocals, Lead Guitar
*Dave Burke - Bass
*Jeff Labrache- Drums, Vocals

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rep>>> Bosom Blues Band - The Overgone Sounds of the Bosom Blues Band (1968 us, fantastic blues rock psych, 2008 Arcania Vinyl issue)

An obscure late 60s band out of Richmond, VA that evolved from an R'n'B ensemble called the Soothsayers. In 1967 the Bosom Blues Band entered a local studio and recorded several demos and finally an album's worth of material,  including the outstanding blues rocker 'Hippie Queen'. 

The song was inspired by the true story about a girl named Joan from Richmond, VA who traveled to England in an attempt to meet The Beatles. She ended up sneaking onto the grounds of John Lennon's estate and knocked on the door of his house, which was answered by Lennon himself who invited her in. She ended up getting pictures taken of herself with the Fab Four, including one of George Harrison kissing her on the cheek. This made her a local legend and "hippie queen" throughout the Richmond area.

The following year the band auditioned for Vanguard Records, but the deal came to naught. And by 1969 the Bosom Blues band were no more, with their sole LP unheard until Arcania International included their song Hippie Queen on Aliens, Psychos and Wild Things, Vol. 3. Now the entire ouvre of this remarkable group is available once again -- in the format it was meant to be heard in, glorious vinyl.

Tracks
1. Leavin' Trunk (John Estes) - 4:45
2. Milk Cow's Calf Blues (Robert Johnson) - 3:25
3. Messin' With The Kid (Mel London) - 3:03
4. Divin' Duck (John Estes) - 2:48
5. You Don't Love Me Baby (Sam Maghett) - 3:25
6. Hippie Queen (Larry McCullogh) - 4:09
7. Knock On Wood (Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper) - 3:53
8. Walk Tall (Josef Zawinul, Esther Marrow, James Rein) -  8:48

Bosom Blues Band
*Larry McCullough - Vocals, Lead Guitar
*Allen Gay - Rhythm Guitar
*Harold Grigg - Bass
*Lynn Abbott - Drums

*Ed - Sax

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rep>>> Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man • The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology (1964-2006 us, magnificent roots 'n' roll, folkish psych beat, 2006 double disc set)

In January of 1964, Rivers opened the historic Whisky A Go-Go to a packed crowd of Hollywood stars and music fans, kicking off what would come to be known as the Go Go Generation. For the next year, a crowd of fans and celebrities flocked to the club to listen and dance to Rivers’ high energy live performances. Even the Beatles and Bob Dylan graced the club to see Rivers’ show.

Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology,  begins with his first hit single, Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” from his debut album Johnny Rivers Live At The Whisky A Go- Go. The single was a smash hit, climbing its way to the top of the charts. Like his first album, Rivers recorded his second, Here We A Go-Go Again!, live at the club. This album also spawned a major national hit with another Chuck Berry song “Maybelline.” Rivers continued to have great success with gems such as “Mountain Of Love,” “Seventh Son,” and one of his best known songs, “Secret Agent Man,” originally the opening theme for the hit TV series Secret Agent starring Patrick McGoohan.

After six “live” albums, Rivers changed direction; he began using more of his own compositions and expanding his arrangements in the recording studio. The centerpiece of his aptly titled Changes album was “Poor Side Of Town,” a lush, soulful ballad, which topped the singles charts in 1966. Rivers was the first artist outside the Motown camp to have hits with the Motown classics “Baby, I Need Your Lovin’” and “The Tracks Of My Tears.” In 1967 Rivers produced his best selling album to date, Realization, which featured his classic hit “Summer Rain.”

In the 1970’s Rivers came back with several classics including “Help Me Rhonda” with Brian Wilson singing harmony (the success of which inspired Brian to go back in the studio with the Beach Boys) and the New Orleans-style piano classic, “Rockin’ Pneumonia - Boogie Woogie Flu.” In 1977 Rivers scored again with the beautiful Jack Tempchin penned ballad “Slow Dancin’.” Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology: 1964-2006 features the above mentioned tracks as well as songs recorded later, including Elvis Presley’s “That’s Alright Mama,” and the Carl Perkins songs “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox,” recorded in 1991 at Sun Studios and latter two featuring Perkins on guitar. A beautiful version of the Beatles “I’ll Be Back” (from the 2004 Reinvention Highway Soul City release) and crowd-favorite “China” from the 2001 live album Back At The Whisky are also featured on the package.

Shout Factory, June 27, 2006

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Memphis (Chuck Berry) - 2:30

2. Maybelline (Chuck Berry) - 2:15

3. Mountain of Love (Harold Dorman) - 2:39

4. Midnight Special (Traditional) - 2:28 

5. Seventh Son (Willie Dixon) - 2:45

6. Where Have All the Flowers Gone (Pete Seeger) - 3:15

7. Secret Agent Man (P.F. Sloan, Steve Barri) - 3:05

8. (I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water (Joe Babcock) - 2:58

9. Poor Side of Town (Johnny Rivers, Lou Adler) - 3:28

10.Baby, I Need Your Lovin' (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 3:07

11.The Tracks of My Tears (Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin) - 2:56

12.Summer Rain (James Hendricks) - 3:36

13.Positively 4th Street (Bob Dylan) - 5:02

14.Muddy River (James Hendricks) - 3:27

15.Into the Mystic (Van Morrison) - 4:41

16.Sea Cruise (Huey Smith, John Vincent) - 2:50

17.Rockin' Pneumonia / Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey Smith, John Vincent) - 3:12

18.Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Perkins) - 2:47

Disc 2

1. Help Me Rhonda (Brian Wilson, Mike Love) - 2:54

2. Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancin') (Jack Tempchin) - 4:00

3. Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um) (Curtis Mayfield) - 3:03

4. That's Alright Mama (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup) - 2:51

5. Honey Don't (Carl Perkins) - 3:21

6. Big River (Johnny Cash) - 3:04

7. Matchbox (Carl Perkins) - 2:12

8. Down at the House of Blues (Johnny Rivers) - 4:40

9. Closer to You (Johnny Rivers, Jack Tempchin) - 4:55

10.Blue Suede Shoes [Tribute to Carl Perkins] (Carl Perkins) - 3:48

11.Last Train to Memphis (Johnny Rivers, Jack Tempchin) - 3:41

12.China (Live) (Michael Georgiades, Jeffrey Monday) - 5:49

13.Midnight Special (2004 Version) (Traditional) - 4:41

14.I'll Be Back (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:27

15.Going Back to Big Sur (Johnny Rivers) - 3:32

16.Feel a Whole Lot Better (Gene Clark) - 2:50

17.Rollin' Stone (Muddy Waters) -  3:04

18.Let It Rock (Chuck Berry) - 2:31

*Johnny Rivers - Vocals, Guitar

1967-68   Johnny Rivers - Rewind • Realization

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rep>>> Unicorn - Blue Pine Trees (1974 uk, beautiful country rock feat. David Gilmour, 2017 extra tracks remaster)

Blue Pine Trees was the sound of Unicorn at the peak of their musical and songwriting abilities. An album that puts you in mind of Lindisfarne before they got desperate, or the Beatles if Ashley Hutchings had produced them, this is British folk-rock at one of its most idiosyncratic extremes. On the one hand, Unicorn's roots in the sounds of the American west coast are unmistakable. But, on the other, they never forget their English roots and, mindful too of their familial links to Pink Floyd (Dave Gilmour produced the best of their albums), Blue Pine Trees soars with melancholy subtlety above all of its influences, to remind us just how unique Unicorn were.

Key cuts like "Electric Night," "Autumn Wine," and the spectral beauty of "Ooh! Mother" are subjective; like a great Al Stewart album, with the Flying Burrito Brothers behind him, Blue Pine Trees might lure you in with its overall sheen, but it can continue surprising your ears for weeks. And, according to the fan club, it's not even the best record they ever made! 

by Dave Thompson

Tracks

1. Electric Night - 4:52

2. Sleep Song - 4:58

3. Autumn Wine (Kevin Smith, Roy St. John, Stephen Waters) - 3:04

4. Rat Race (Kevin Smith, Roy St. John, Stephen Waters) - 4:22

5. Just Wanna Hold You - 5:04

6. Holland - 3:26

7. Nightingale Crescent - 3:36

8. The Farmer - 3:32

9. In The Gym - 5:28

10.Blue Pine Trees - 3:46

11.Ooh Mother! - 3:52

12.Volcano - 2:45

13.The Ballad Of John And Julie - 4:52

14.Bog Trotter - 4:52

15.Ooh Mother - 2:45

16.I'll Believe In You - 3:35

17.Take It Easy - 2:42

All compositions by Ken Baker except where indicated

Bonus Tracks 11-17

The Unicorn
*Ken Baker - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Pat Martin - Bass, Mandolin, Vocals
*Peter Perrier - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Kevin Smith - Guitar, Slide Guitar
With

*David Gilmour - Electric Guitar (Tracks 1,2,3,5,8,16)

1967-76  Unicorn - Shed No Tear The Early Late Unicorn (2024 TLAK)

1971-73  Unicorn - Uphill All The Way (2009 Cherry Tree)

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rep>>> Taste - I'll Remember (1969-71 ireland, spectacular blues rock, early recordings and unreleased material, 2015 four dic box set remaster)

 

At long last Rory Gallagher’s first band, Taste, in both its incarnations, gets its due in the form of the 57 track, nearly five hour long four disc box set “I’ll Remember.”  The first two discs contain the band’s two LPs, 1969s “Taste” and 1970s “On The Boards” each album being supplemented by bonus tracks.  Disc three contains live tracks from Sweden and London recorded just before the band called it a day in 1970.  Disc four contains recordings, studio and live, performed by Taste Mk. I, with Gallagher joined by bassist Eric Kitteringham and drummer Norman D’Amery, who were replaced by Richard McCracken and John Wilson.  Kudos to compiler Daniel Gallagher did a great job of representing Taste, Mk. I and Mk. II.

“I’ll Remember” opens with “Blister On The Moon” a re-recording of half of the original lineup’s unofficially released Major Minor label 1967 single.  The tune was joined by the rocking “Born On The Wrong Side Of Time” on the single and was likewise re-recorded for inclusion on “Taste” which was released in April, 1969.  “Blister” is a great vehicle for Gallagher’s guitar and has a hook ideal for AM radio, yet somehow was never officially released on 45.  In fact either of the tunes would have been a great a-side.  “Taste” is filled with blues rock tunes, a mixture of originals, covers and arrangements of traditional material with  Gallagher’s guitar dominant, such as his incredible slide work on “Leavin’ Blues.”  Two traditional songs arranged by Gallagher, “Sugar Mama” and “Catfish” give him a chance to stretch things out with run times of seven minutes or more each.  In addition to the album’s original nine tracks the disc contains six alternate versions as bonus tracks.  The LP showcases blues rock at its very best.

Disc two is built around the band’s second and final LP “On The Boards.”  Released on New Year’s Day, 1970, the album reflects the group’s musical growth.  The opening track “What’s Going On” is a hot little rocker, clocking in at just under three minutes and most definitely a radio friend number that would have been an ideal selection for a single.  With its second album Taste showed increased versatility with jazz influences apparent throughout, and Gallagher playing alto saxophone on two of the LP’s ten tracks including the breezy “It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again” on which he begins playing guitar before switching to sax.  However, it is still Rory’s guitar that dominates the album, especially on scorching numbers like “Morning Sun” and the slide guitar driven “Eat My Words.”  The six minute title track showcases Taste’s versatility with Rory’s guitar quietly steering the band and the listener into the land of mellowness leading Gallagher to once again pick up the sax.  The album’s ten tracks are joined by six bonus tracks, including the audio from four performances on the “Beat Club” television show.  

Disc three opens with eight tracks recorded live at Konserthuset, Sweden in 1970.  Dominated by Gallagher’s guitar the set includes extended takes of tunes from both of the band’s albums as well as four non-LP tracks including the slide workouts “Gamblin’ Blues” and “Sinner Boy” and the blues drenched “At The Bottom” and “She’s Nineteen Years Old.”   The disc also features five tunes recorded by the BBC at the Paris Theatre in London beginning with an unbelievable take on “I’ll Remember” stretched out to double the length of the three minute studio version with Gallagher’s guitar leading the way from beginning to end. The 78 minutes on this disc are representative of Taste Mk. II’s incredible live sound. 

“I’ll Remember” closes with a disc of recordings by Taste Mk. I.  The first nine tracks on disc four, recorded in Belfast, are the oldest surviving studio recordings of the band.  Among the tracks are the original takes of “Blister On The Moon” and “Born On The Wrong Side Of Time” which, as previously mentioned, were released and then immediately withdrawn as a single on the Major Minor label.  The material is much more traditional blues oriented than that of Mk. II.  Standout tracks include the guitar workouts “Norman Invasion” and “How Many More Years.”  The final five tracks were recorded live at the Wobum Abbey Festival in 1968 and are evidence that Taste Mk. I could rock like hell live!  The band was so fresh that following their performance of Gershwin’s “Summertime” Gallagher is heard saying “thank you” more than a dozen times!  This is followed by a stunning take on “Blister On The Moon” featuring Rory at his heaviest.  Also included is an obviously Muddy Waters influenced version of “I Got My Brand On You.”  The set closes, quite appropriately, with a spirited medley of blues classics, “Rock Me Baby/Bye Bye Bird/Baby Please Don’t Go.”

The book style box set, designed by Phil Smee at Waldo’s Design and Dream Emporium, is rounded out by a 40 page full color booklet.  Complete track annotations are joined by a Nigel Williamson essay and tons of gorgeous photos.  Aside from the Isle Of Wight concert, issued separately, “I’ll Remember” is the last word on Rory Gallagher’s earliest work.  The sound, mastered by Paschal Byrne at the Audio Archives in London, is impeccable, even the early live recordings.  

The bottom line is that “I’ll Remember” was one of the very best reissue compilations of 2015 and is an absolute must for blues rock enthusiasts and serves as a wonderful document of Rory Gallagher’s first recordings.  I cannot recommend this set highly enough.  There is not a weak link among the collection’s 50-plus tracks.  Make sure you grab a copy of this incredible box set before it goes out of print.  It is absolutely essential!

by Kevin Rathert, 2016

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Blister On The Moon - 3:26

2. Leavin’ Blues (Huddie Ledbetter) - 4:15

3. Sugar Mama (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 7:14

4. Hail - 2:35

5. Born On The Wrong Side Of Time - 4:00

6. Dual Carriageway Pain - 3:13

7. Same Old Story - 3:32

8. Catfish (Traditional) - 8:04

9. I’m Moving On (Hank Snow) - 2:29

10.Blister On The Moon - 3:21

11.Leavin’ Blues (Huddie Ledbetter) - 4:31

12.Hail - 2:35

13.Dual Carriageway Pain - 3:13

14.Same Old Story - 3:26

15.Catfish (Traditional) - 6:55

All tracks by Rory Gallagher except as else written

Tracks 1-9 original "Taste" Lp released April 1969

Bonus Tracks 10-15 Alternate Versions 

Disc 2

1. What’s Going On - 2:44

2. Railway And Gun - 3:33

3. It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again - 6:32

4. If The Day Was Any Longer - 2:07

5. Morning Sun - 2:38

6. Eat My Words - 3:45

7. On The Boards - 6:01

8. If I Don’t Sing I’ll Cry - 2:38

9. See Here - 3:04

10.I’ll Remember - 3:01

11.Railway And Gun - 4:26

12.See Here - 3:13

13.It’s Happened Before, It’ll Hapen Again - 10:52

14.If The Day Was Any Longer - 2:35

15.Morning Sun - 3:31

16.It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again - 9:48

Music and Lyrics by Rory Gallagher except where stated

Tracks 1-10 original "On The Boards" LP released January 1970

Bonus tracks 11-016

Disc 3

1. What’s Going On - 6:14

2. Sugar Mama (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 6:48

3. Gamblin’ Blues (Melvin Jackson) - 6:41

4. Sinner Boy - 6:23

5. At The Bottom - 3:19

6. She’s Nineteen Years Old (Muddy Waters) - 3:57

7. Morning Sun - 4:18

8. Catfish (Traditional) - 6:33

9. I’ll Remember - 6:14

10.Railway And Gun - 4:58

11.Sugar Mama (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 7:19

12.Eat My Words - 9:21

13.Catfish (Traditional) - 5:27

All songs by Rory Gallagher except where indicated

Tracks 1-8 Live In Konserthuset Stockholm, Sweden 1970

Tarcks 9-13 BBC Live In Concert Paris Theatre, London 1970

Disc 4

1. Wee Wee Baby (Joe Turner) - 2:45

2. How Many More Years (Chester Burnett) - 3:24

3. Take It Easy Baby (Traditional) - 7:08

4. Pardon Me Mister - 2:44

5. You’ve Got To Pay - 3:55

6. Norman Invasion - 3:01

7. Worried Man - 2:30

8. Blister On The Moon - 3:25

9. Born On The Wrong Side Of Time - 3:15

10.Summertime (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) - 1:31

11.Blister On The Moon - 3:36

12.I Got My Brand On You - 7:23

13.Medley: Rock Me Baby / Bye Bye Bird / Baby Please Don’t Go / You Shook Me Baby (Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Joe Williams) - 10:59

All compostitions by Rory Gallagher except where noted

Tracks 1-9 the early Belfast sessions

Tracks 10-13 Live At Woburn Abbey Festival, UK 1968

The Taste

*Rory Gallagher - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Alto Saxophone

*Eric Kitteringham - Bass

*Richard McCracken - Bass

*John Wilson - Drums

*Norman Damery - Drums

1969  Taste - Taste

1970  Taste - What's Going On Isle Of Wight Festival (2015 extra tracks remaster)

1970  Taste - On The Boards (Japan SHM edition)

1971  Rory Gallagher (Japan Mini Lp replica)

1972  Rory Gallagher  - Live In Europe (2018 remaster)

1973  Rory Gallagher  - Tattoo (2012 promo copy)
1974  Rory Gallagher  - Irish Tour (2018 remaster)
1975  Rory Gallagher  -  Against The Grain (2018 remaster)

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rep>>> The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin' (1971 us, superior blues rock with jazz shades, 2015 release)

The Butterfield Blues Band has been critically acclaimed as one the greatest electric blues bands ever! Lead by singer & harmonica player Paul Butterfield, their albums have stood the test of time as classics of the 60's and early 70's. Sometimes I Just Feel Like Smilin', was their fourth album, originally released in 1971. It features saxophonist David Sanborn. It was the last album the band recorded for Elektra Records.

Paul Butterfield does not over burden the album by constantly hammering on his harmonica. He sprinkles the right amount and lets the rhythm, the horns, the vocals round out the entire album. It strikes a very, very balanced approached in the instrumentation. I think this is one of his best, this one is a fuller rounded album.

I think Paul was a genius in not over doing it on the harp. Some harp players just blast away on an entire album. Not here. Just look at the liner notes and who is on this album. Empressive list and the talent jumps out when you listen. This is a perfect album it is a winner.

by Jimi Z

Tracks

1. Play On (Paul Butterfield, John Elefante, Kerry Livgren) - 3:34

2. 1000 Ways (Rod Hicks) - 4:48

3. Pretty Woman (Andrew Charles Williams) - 3:48

4. Little Piece of Dying (Paul Butterfield) - 3:30

5. Song For Lee (Paul Butterfield) - 3:46

6. Trainman (Brother Gene Dinwiddie) - 5:47

7. Night Child (Paul Butterfield, Brother Gene Dinwiddie, Ted Harris, Rod Hicks, Oscar Peterson) - 4:26

8. Drowned In My Own Tears (Henry Glover) - 5:18

9. Blind Leading The Blind (Paul Butterfield) - 4:02

Musicians

*Big Black - Conga, Percussion, Vocals

*Paul Butterfield - Harmonica, Piano, Vocals

*Merry Clayton - Vocals

*George Davidson - Drums

*Brother Gene Dinwiddie - Flute, Saxophones, Tambourine, Vocals

*Oma Drake - Vocals

*Venetta Fields - Vocals,

*Bobbye Hall - Bongos, Conga, Percussion

*Ted Harris - Composer, Piano

*Rod Hicks - Bass, Vocals

*Clydie King - Vocals

*Trevor Lawrence - Saxophone

*Steve Madaio - Trumpet

*David Sanborn - Alto Saxophone

*Ralph Wash - Guitar, Vocals

*Dennis Whitted - Drums, Vocals

Paul Butterfield's mosaic
1964  The Original Lost Elektra Sessions
1966-68  Strawberry Jam

1970  Live
1970  Live Vol. 2

1973  Live At Winterland Ballroom (2014 Wounded Bird)

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rep>>> The Butterfield Blues Band - Live (1970 us, great blues rock with funky vibes, 2005 issue)

It's difficult to know where to begin with a release like this -- there's no much here that's new and worthwhile that it virtually blows the original vinyl release, good as that was, off the map. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band didn't go quietly into the night, as this double-CD set reminds us. Originally a two-LP set, Live was their penultimate release on Elektra Records, recorded at the L.A. Troubadour and released in 1971, and it was over 70 minutes of some of the loudest, boldest blues of its time.

Oddly enough, the released concert contained some of the more straightforward and less complex material in the band's book -- this could have been a much bolder and more challenging release at the time. One discovers listening to the second disc in this set 66 minutes of much more ambitious arrangements opening with "Gene's Tune," an on-the-spot improvisation on a tune that saxman Gene Dinwiddie delivered just before the group took the stage, and offering an ample showcase not just for the reeds but for Butterfield's harmonica (which is the lead instrument and heard in its full glory for much of the first-half of this 12-minute jam) but also for Ralph Walsh's guitar and Ted Harris' keyboards.

Similar extended excursions are built around the more raw, more purely bluesy "Losing Hand," and the band's one-off hit, "Love March." Those are juxtaposed with more traditionally structured Chicago-style blues numbers, including "You've Got to Love Her With a Feeling," and funky jazz in bassist Rod Hicks' "All in a Day."

The band comes off as a killer hybrid ensemble, somewhere midway between, say, the Count Basie band of the late 1940s and a large-scale Chicago blues band of early in the next decade, and Booker T. & the MG's paired with the Mar-Keys, all bound up in a lean, sleek package resembling the second incarnation of Blood, Sweat & Tears at their best moments. Based on what's here, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band probably deserved a hearing as much as the latter group got, if not the same sales (Butterfield was a good singer, but lacked David Clayton-Thomas' MOR appeal) -- but musically, they could have blown all competitors off the stage in their sheer eclecticism.

by Bruce Eder

 Tracks
1. Everything Going to Be Alright - 10:08
2. Love Disease - 4:01
3. The Boxer - 6:38
4. No Amount of Loving - 5:53
5. Driftin' and Driftin' - 13:43
6. Intro to Musicians - 1:45
7. Number Nine - 10:10
8. I Want to Be With You - 3:55
9. Born Under a Bad Sign - 5:44
10.Get Together Again - 6:29
11.So Far, So Good - 9:17

Musicians
*Paul Butterfield - Vocals, Harmonica, Piano
*Ralph Wash - Vocals, Guitar
*Brother Gene Dinwiddie - Vocals, Saxophone, Tenor, Soprano Saxophone
*Rod Hicks - Vocals, Fretless Bass
*Trevor Lawrence - Baritone Saxophone, Background Vocals
*Steve Madaio - Trumpet, Background Vocals
*Ted Harris - Piano, Keyboards
*George Davidson - Drums

Paul Butterfield's mosaic
1964  The Original Lost Elektra Sessions
1966-68  Strawberry Jam
1970  Live Vol. 2

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