rep>>> Beckett - Beckett (1974 uk, fine prog rock with some hard traces, 2008 digipak)

Beckett Vocalist Terry Wilson-Slesser, a native of Newcastle upon Tyne, was to figure in ex-Free guitarist Paul Kossoff's solo outfit Back Street Crawler and was later hook up with Charlie. The vocalist was also known to be in contention during 1980 for the AC/DC frontman vacancy following Bon Scott's death.

Wilson-Slesser had replaced original Beckett singer Rob Turner, the previous frontman having been killed in an auto accident. Soon after this appointment guitarist Les Tones quit. The group's first major performance was supporting UFO at Newcastle's City Hall. Beckett carved out a live reputation by performing residencies at the infamous Star Club in Hamburg, Germany. Beckett, having scored the financial backing of Island Publishing, then underwent a major line-up change.

The band's 'My Lady' single was a clear flexi-disc given away free at gigs in 1974, the same year the band released their eponymously titled album, produced by Family's Roger Chapman, on the Raft label subsidiary of Warner Bros. On the live front Beckett supported the likes of Wizzard, Slade, Free, Ten Years After, Thin Lizzy and The Faces. The band performed at the 1974 Reading Festival, after which they switched labels to CBS Records. For a period Wilson-Slesser was rehearsing with Mott The Hoople musicians following Ian Hunter's exit.

The Beckett concerts with Free would ultimately lead to an eventual union between Terry Wilson-Slesser and guitarist Paul Kossoff in Back Street Crawler. Slesser was known to be in contention for the AC/DC frontman position during 1980 after Bon Scott's death. The singer also acted as backing vocalist on Def Leppard's 'Pyromania' album. The Beckett song 'A Rainbow's Gold' was covered by Iron Maiden as a B side on their 1984 hit single '2 Minutes To Midnight'. That same year Wilson-Slesser acted as an offstage singer for the Michael Schenker Group, performing on a European and Japanese tour.

The Rock Detector

Tracks

1. Once Upon a Time... The End (Robert Barton) - 0:55

2. Rolling Thunder - 5:23

3. Rainclouds - 5:10

4. Life's Shadow (Brian Quinn, Robert Barton) - 6:51

5. New Dawn Chorus - 1:02

6. A Rainbow's Gold (Kenny Mountain, Terry Wilson-Slesser) - 4:40

7. Don't Tell Me I Wasn't Listening - 5:30

8. Green Grass Green - 4:35

9. My Lady (Kenny Mountain, Robert Barton) - 3:26

10.True Life Story - 5:36

Compositions written by Kenny Mountain except where indicated

Beckett
*Robert Barton - Guitar, Vocals
*Keith Fisher - Drums
*Terry Wilson-Slesser - Vocals
*Ian Murray - Bass
*Kenny Mountain - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Tim Hinkley - Keyboards

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rep>>> The Savage Resurrection - The Savage Resurrection (1968 us, superb rough bluesy psych rock, 2002 reissue)

Originating out of Richmond California, a tough shipyard town across the bay from San Francisco, influenced by British bands such as Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Yardbirds, it's not surprising the Savage Resurrection have a nice hard edged sound. They have played on both sides of the Bay, including The Fillmore, The Avalon, The Red Devil Lounge with Blue Cheer, and 19 Broadway, in Fairfax.

The Savage Resurrection was one of the youngest bands to be signed to a major record deal, signing with Mercury Records in 1967. They soon released their self-titled record 'The Savage Resurrection' which is widely considered to be one of the best albums of 1968 and is played all around the world today. The single also released at that time, "Thing in 'E", is on the recent Grammy nominated 'Love Is The Song We Sing SF Nuggets '65-'70'.  

The Savage Resurrection

On their only album, the Savage Resurrection mined a psychedelic sound that was not as heavy and metallic as Blue Cheer (also produced by Abe "Voco" Kesh), but at the same time more garagey in feel than that of the average Bay Area psychedelic band. Sometimes it's pedestrian blues-rock with overlong riffing, as on the accurately titled "Jammin.'" At its best, it has the spacier, folkier, and more melodic feel that was characteristic of much '60s Californian psychedelic music, as on "Someone's Changing." 

More dissonant and Middle Eastern influences make themselves known on "Every Little Song" and "Tahitian Melody," and the backup vocals on "Remlap's Cave, Pt. 2" indicate that they did their share of listening to the Who's "A Quick One, While He's Away." Randy Hammon and John Palmer create an intense and thick dual-guitar sound throughout (separated so that Hammon's playing is on the left channel, and Palmer's on the right). 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

1. Thing In "E" (John Palmer) - 3:06  

2. Every Little Song (Randy Hammon) - 1:51  

3. Talking To You (John Palmer, Bill Harper) - 2:45 

4. Tahitian Melody (John Palmer) - 3:45  

5. Jammin' (John Palmer, Randy Hammon) - 8:07 

6. Fox Is Sick (John Palmer) - 2:42  

7. Someone's Changing (John Palmer, Randy Hammon) - 2:35  

8. Remlap's Cave (Part II) (John Palmer) - 2:55  

9. Appeal To The Happy (John Palmer, Bill Harper) - 4:20  

10.Expectations (John Palmer) - 4:59  

11.Thing In "E" (John Palmer) - 3:30  

12.Tahitian Melody (John Palmer) - 3:39  

13.River Deep Mountain High (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) - 3:29 

Bonus Tracks 10-13

The Savage Resurrection

*Bill Harper - Lead Vocals, Percussion 

*Randy Hammon - Lead Guitar, Vocals 

*John Palmer - Lead Guitar, Vocals 

*Steve Lage - Bass, Vocals 

*Jeff Myer - Drums

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rep>>> Wallace Collection - Wallace Collection (1970 belgium, magnificent sunny baroque pop rock, 2015 japan SHM remaster)

Wallace Collection founded from the ashes of a band called "Sylvester's Team". Three of the original members (Sylvain Vanholme, Freddy Nieuland and Marc Hérouet) went on to form the band 16th Century, together with bass-player Christian Janssens and the classical musicians Raymond Vincent and Jacques Namotte. These two were members of the Belgian National Philharmonic Orchestra, but had been flirting with popular music already in a band called Stradivarius.

The group was launched from Britain, and a new name was found in a museum next to the EMI-headquarters : The Wallace Collection. The Australian David Mckay did the production of the first record of the band "Laughing Cavalier" They had  an instant success due to the single "Daydream". It became a hit in over 20 countries and sold millions of copies.

Sylvain Vanholme recalls how this breakthrough was also responsible for the downfall of the band in "Wit-Lof from Belgium" : "There was chaos. One day we would be playing in the North of Holland, the next day in Spain. We didn't have time to rehearse or write new material. Between two concerts, they booked us a studio and said : quickly record a song like "Daydream". The quality of the singles that followed went steadily downward. "Love" and "Serenade" at least made it to the Belgian Top 30.

In 1971 the band decided to split. Freddy Nieuland however has continued to record under the name Wallace Collection. Raymond Vincent later on formed a band called Esperanto (with German and British strings, Italian keyboards, with singers from Hawaï, Papoea and Australia. After four records the band was dumped by A&M label in 1975. Marc Hérouet, the organ-player of the band, enjoyed some success with his group Salix Alba.

The most succesful career in the years to come had Sylvain Vanholme, who has had huge hits with Two Man Sound and has produced a large number of Belgian records since (e.g. Octopus, Salix Alba, The Machines, Gorky, Jo Lemaire and Flouze, The Kids ... ).

The drummer Freddy Nieuland passed away on January 10th 2008, Raymond Vincent the violinist died 5th November 2018, and cellist Jacques Namotte died 13th December 2012.

Tracks

1. Bruxelles (Part One) (Marc Herouet, Sylvain VanHolmen, David Mackay) - 2:15

2. We Gotta Do Something New - 2:37

3. Serenade - 5:49

4. Hocus Pocus - 2:10

5. We Are Machines - 2:22

6. Love - 3:50

7. Let Me Love Her - 2:26

8. Since You're Gone For Evermore - 2:46

9. Dear Beloved Secretary - 3:43

10.Tic-Toc - 2:26

11.When - 2:35

12.See The Man - 3:16

12.Bruxelles (Part Two) - 2:42

Tracks 2,4,5,7,10,11 written by Sylvain VanHolmen, David Mackay

Tracks 3,6,8,9,12,13 written by Raymond Vincent, Sylvain VanHolmen, David Mackay

The Wallace Collection

*Freddy Nieuland - Drums, Vocals

*Sylvain VanHolmen - Guitar, Vocals

*Marc Herouet - Keyboards 

*Christian Janssens - Bass

*Raymond Vincent - Violin

*Jacques Namotte - Cello

1969-70  Wallace Collection - Laughing Cavalier / Serenade (2004 remaster)  

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rep>>> Amory Kane - Just To Be There (1970 us, excellent acid folk psych, 2012 korean remaster)

This was the second (and final) album recorded by the US singer songwriter who spent the sixties based in London, it's comparable to someDonovan, although slightly more psychedelic, with eerie effects and a ghostly other-wordly feel. Also includes contributions from fellow psychedelic traveller Tim Hollier with Fairport Convention's Dave Pegg on bass duties.

Tracks

1. Evolution (Amory Kane, Rick Cuff) - 6:48

2. Llanstephan Hill (Amory Kane, Rick Cuff, Tim Hollier) - 4:18

3. Four Ravens (Amory Kane) - 4:10

4. Golden Laces (Amory Kane, Rick Cuff) - 7:57

5. Get Together (Dino Valente) - 4:41

6. After Vytas Leaves (Amory Kane, Larsen, Phillippet) - 3:15

7. Childhood's End (Brian McKay) - 3:33

8. The Inbetween Man (Amory Kane) - 2:52

9. The Hitchhiker's Song (Amory Kane) - 3:18

10.Tenderly Stooping Low (Rick Cuff) - 4:12

Personnel

*Amory Kane - Guitar, Vocals

*Ned Balen - Drums, Percussion

*Dave Pegg - Bass 

*Ron Geesin - Cymbals, Bass, Piano

1968  Amory Kane - Memories Of Time Unwound (2015 korean remaster)  

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rep>>> Roger McGuinn And Band - Roger McGuinn And Band (1975 us, great classic rock, 2004 extra tracks remaster)

In the liner notes to Sundazed's reissue of Roger McGuinn & Band, the former Byrds leader says, "A band should be a benevolent dictatorship," adding, "Democracy is a great form of government, but it doesn't work in rock & roll." Whether you agree with that statement or not, Roger McGuinn & Band is one album that supports McGuinn's argument pretty well; in 1975, after his first two solo albums were greeted with lackluster commercial and critical response, Columbia Records assigned producer John Boylan to McGuinn's next project, and Boylan brought along a band. While the players turned out to be a solid rhythm section who brought a tight, energetic groove to the sessions, McGuinn decided to let them contribute songs to the album in the name of esprit de corps, and let the record show that none of these guys had ever written a great song for one of America's benchmark rock bands.

Consequently, Roger McGuinn & Band is knee-deep in filler, though not all the blame can be pointed at Roger's bandmates, since "Easy Does It" and "Lisa" don't exactly loom large in his catalog. And while Boylan's production isn't especially intrusive, the results have a bit more gloss than this music needs, and the country-rock and boogie accents don't leave much room for the folk touches that have always been McGuinn's strong suit. Still, "Born to Rock and Roll" and "Lover of the Bayou" are solid McGuinn compositions that deserve wider circulation, and while this isn't one of his better albums, at least it finds him in sharp and passionate form with a good band behind him. He just shouldn't have let them write half of the album, that's all. 

by Mark Deming

Tracks
1. Somebody Loves You (Allen Kemp, Stephen A. Love) - 3:16
2. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan) - 3:20
3. Bull Dog (Richard Bowden) - 1:59
4. Painted Lady (David Lovelace, Greg Attaway) - 3:08
5. Lover Of The Bayou (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 3:25
6. Lisa (Roger McGuinn) - 1:59
7. Circle Song (David Lovelace) - 3:04
8. So Long (Richard Bowden) - 3:13
9. Easy Does It (Roger McGuinn) - 2:41
10.Born To Rock And Roll (Roger McGuinn) - 3:21
11.Wasn't Born To Follow (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 2:02
12.Chestnut Mare (Jacques Levy, Roger McGuinn) - 5:50
Bonus Tracks Live 11-12

Personnel
Roger McGuinn - Guitar, Vocals, Bass
Steve Love - Bass
David Lovelace - Keyboards
Greg Attaway - Drums
Richard Bowden - Guitar

1973  Roger McGuinn - Roger McGuinn (2013 Edition) 
1976  Roger McGuinn - Cardiff Rose (2013 edition)
1979  McGuinn, Clark And Hillman (2014 Japan SHM Remaster)

The Byrds
1964  The Byrds - Preflyte (2012 Edition)
1968  The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo  (Double Disc Set)
1969  The Byrds - Live At Fillmore
1971  The Byrds - Live At Royal Albert Hall
1971  The Byrds - Farther Along (Blu Spec 2014 extra tracks release)
1971  The Byrds - Byrdmaniax (2013 Japan Blu Spec edition)
1973  Byrds - Byrds

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rep>>> Thee Sixpence - Step By Step (1966-67 us, rough garage rock, Akarma digipak)

Thee Sixpence was a garage rock/psych band that released a few singles in 1966-7 before recording "Incense And Peppermints", changing their name to Strawberry Alarm Clock, and achieving a fluke #1 hit. Most of the key musicians in the latter band were members at least part of the time in Thee Sixpence.

Beginning with "Long Days Care" b/w "Can't Explain" in the summer of 1966, Thee Sixpence went on to release a total of ten songs in roughly as many months. The last two of these, "The Birdman Of Alkatrash" b/w "Incense And Pepermints" [sic], were re-released by Uni after the band had changed their name to Strawberry Alarm Clock; the a- and b-sides of the record were also reversed, reflecting the rapidly growing popularity of the original single's b-side. All of Thee Sixpence's 45s were released on the small All American label, though at least one, "Fortune Teller" b/w "My Flash On You", was also released on Dot.

Musically, Thee Sixpence was a rambunctious garage/punk band in the mold of the Leaves, the Standells, and early Love. In fact, the band recorded two of Arthur Lee's songs from Love's eponymous 1966 debut LP, "Can't Explain" and "My Flash On You". (Another Thee Sixpence recording, of "Hey Joe", may be seen as a de facto third Love cover.) The ten songs available by Thee Sixpence show obvious and remarkable progress over the band's short career; where their first single is exciting but just manages to hold things together, by the end Thee Sixpence was experimenting with daring arrangements, varied song structures, and much more assured playing.

Along the way, Thee Sixpence also released a real lost psychedelic classic, the haunting, horrifying "In The Building". Strawberry Alarm Clock themselves rarely exceeded the weirdness of this piece, and although the recording is somewhat crude in a late-66 kind of way, "In The Building" benefits from its earnest, untutored performance.

Thee Sixpence eventually added Mark Weitz on keyboards, and the Strawberry Alarm Clock sound proper was borne. The band brought in Randy Seol on drums, and along with long-time members Ed King, Lee Freeman, and Gary Lovetro, the Clock was set and worldwide fame, not to mention further audacious musical explorations, were continued right under the noses of listeners everywhere.

TheSixpense

Tracks

1. Long Days Care (Gale Stedge) - 2:01

2. Can't Explain (Arthur Lee, John Echols, John Fleckenstein) - 2:14

3. Fortune Teller (Neville Minute) - 2:17

4. My Flash On You (Arthur Lee) - 1:57

5. In The Building (Steven Rabe, Michael Luciano, Lee Freeman Tom Luna, Gary Lovetro, Gene Gunnels, Bill Holmes) - 2:58

6. Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) - 2:32

7. Heartfull Of Rain (Bill Holmes) - 2:15

8. First Plane Home (Ray Davies) - 1:57

9. Incense And Peppermints (Ed King, John Carter, Mark Weitz, Tim Gilbert) - 2:49

10.Birdman Of Alkatrash (Mark Weitz) - 2:11

11.The World's On Fire (Bill Holme, Ed King, Mark Weitz) - 8:25

Thee Sixpence

Lee Freeman - Lead Vocals (1,2,4,6,8), Rhythm Guitar (7,9-11), Harmonica (8)

Steve Rabe - Lead Guitar (1-6, 8)

Ed King - Rhythm Guitar (1-6,8), Lead Guitar (7,9-11)

Mike Luciano - Lead Vocals (3,5), Tambourine (1,6)

Gary Loverto - Bass

Gene Gunnels - Drums (1-9)

Greg Munford - Organ (7,9-11), Lead Vocals (9)

Mark Weitz - Lead Vocals (7, 10), Tambourine (10)

Randy Seol - Drums (10-11), Lead Vocals (11)

George Bunnell – Flute (11)

Randy Seol - Vibraphone (11)

George Bunnell – Bass (11)

Related Acts

1967  The Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense And Peppermints (2011 sundazed issue)

1968  Strawberry Alarm Clock - Wake Up...It's Tomorrow
1968-69  Strawberry Alarm Clock - The World In A Sea Shell / Good Morning Starshine
1969  Strawberry Alarm Clock - Good Morning Starshine

1969  Hunger - Strictly From Hunger And The Lost Album (akarma edition)

1969  Hunger - Strictly From Hunger (2018 three discs digi pak remaster)

1973  Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (bonus tracks remastered issue) 
1974  Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping (24karat Gold CD and japan expanded edition) 
1975  Lynyrd Skynyrd - Nuthin' Fancy (japan extra tracks issue) 

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rep>>> H.P. Lovecraft - Dreams In The Witch House (1967-68 us, worderful folk psych rock with baroque tinges, 2005 remastered and expanded)

Nearly 40 years after H.P. Lovecraft's brief heyday, its two albums, H.P. Lovecraft and H.P. Lovecraft II, are combined on this release, with British reissue label Rev-Ola licensing the contents of the original LPs and some singles tracks from the Universal Music Group, which controls the catalog of Philips Records, the Mercury Records subsidiary that issued them initially. The Chicago-based psychedelic rock group was formed in the spring of 1967, releasing H.P. Lovecraft that November, and broke up around the time that H.P. Lovecraft II appeared in September 1968. The band is remembered fondly by many as a "could have been" success that just didn't happen. As heard on these discs, its music is very much in the style of the San Francisco rock of the period, particularly the exploratory folk-rock of Jefferson Airplane, and the double-vocal style of guitarist George Edwards and organist Dave Michaels is particularly suggestive of the combination of Marty Balin and Grace Slick, while the two groups even share some repertoire "Let's Get Together," "High Flying Bird". 

But H.P. Lovecraft also sounds a bit like Quicksilver Messenger Service and It's a Beautiful Day, San Francisco rock groups that, to be fair, it preceded into record stores. A big influence is folk-blues performer Fred Neil, two of whose songs appeared on H.P. Lovecraft, with other songs, notably "Mobius Strip" on H.P. Lovecraft II, sounding like his languid style. The first album remains the keeper, especially because of "The White Ship," the six-and-a-half-minute tribute to the horror writer whose name the band adopted for its own. (Among the bonus tracks is a three-minute single edit of the song.) The rushed second album is, if anything, a bit more psychedelic, but certainly more padded than its predecessor, with even new bassist Jeff Boyan (who replaced the first album's Jerry McGeorge) getting to contribute a song, "Blue Jack of Diamonds." And then Michaels quit and the group broke up, though the name resurfaced for later projects featuring different members. 

The two LPs remain tantalizing evidence of a potentially important psychedelic act of the ‘60s that couldn't hold together. They have been reissued before, but this version is notable for the thorough liner notes by Nick Warburton and for the inclusion of the non-LP single "Anyway That You Want Me"/"It's All Over for You," which actually preceded the formation of the group proper, featuring Edwards, Michaels, and members of the local Chicago band the Rovin' Kind. The single is reminiscent of the Dylan-ish sound of 1965 folk-rock even though it was recorded in February 1967. 

by William Ruhlmann

Tracks
1. Wayfaring Stranger (Traditional) - 2:39
2. Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) - 4:38
3. I've Been Wrong Before (Randy Newman) - 2:47
4. Drifter (Travis Edmonson) - 4:14
5. That's The Bag I'm In (Fred Neil) - 1:46
6. White Ship (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) - 6:35
7. Country Boy And Bleeker Street (Fred Neil) - 2:38
8. Time Machine (George Edwards, Dave Michaels) - 2:08
9. That's How Much I Love You Baby (More Or Less) (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) - 3:57
10.Gloria Patria (Traditional) - 0:30
11.Spin, Spin, Spin (Kent Foreman) - 3:23
12.It's About Time (Kent Foreman, Lydia Wood) - 5:19
13.Blue Jack Of Diamonds (Jeff Boyan) - 3:08
14.Electrollentando (George Edwards) - 6:36
15.At The Mountains Of Madness (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) - 4:59
16.Mobius Trip (George Edwards) - 2:44
17.High Flying Bird (Billy Ed Wheeler) - 3:24
18.Nothing's Boy (Ken Nordine) - 0:42
19.Keeper Of The Keys (Mike Brewer, Tom Shipley) - 3:08
20.Anyway That You Want Me (Chip Taylor) - 2:40
21.It's All Over For You (George Edwards) - 2:37
22.White Ship (Single Edit) (George Edwards, Dave Michaels, Tony Cavallari) - 2:55
23.Keeper Of The Keys (Single Mix) (Mike Brewer, Tom Shipley) - 2:56
Tracks 1-10 from LP "H.P. Lovecraft" 1967
Tracks 11-19 from LP "H.P. Lovecraft II" 1968
Bonus Tracks 20-23

H. P. Lovecraft
*George Edwards – Vocals, Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Guitarrón, Bass
*Dave Michaels – Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, Clarinet, Recorder
*Tony Cavallari – Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Michael Tegza – Drums, Percussion, Timpani, Vocals
*Jerry McGeorge – Bass, Vocals (Tracks 1-10)
*Jeff Boyan – Bass, Vocals (Tracks 11-19)
Additional Musicians (Tracks 1-10)
*Bill Traut – Bells, Percussion
*Len Druss – Piccolo Flute, English Horn, Saxophones
*Jack Henningbaum, Paul Tervelt – French Horn
*Bill Traub – Reeds
*Herb Weiss, Ralph Craig – Trombone
*Clyde Bachand – Tuba
*Eddie Higgins – Vibraphone, Horn Arrangements

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rep>>> Socrates Drank The Conium - Taste Of Conium (1972 greece, rough classic rock, blues psych)

Socrates was Yannis Spathas and Antonis Tourkoyorgis on guitar and bass respectively. During the period that they were playing in the Kitarro Club they went through several drummers including George Trantalidis, all of them terrific. In Athens during the early seventies, when the 1967 military dictatorship was still in control, there were a number of rock clubs in the area around Victoria Square and in the Plaka. Poll and Morka played at the Elaterion. Socrates and Exidaktilo played at the Kitarro. As Dorian Kokas, the founder and leader of Morka told us one night "We used to race through our set and play everything fast so we could get out early and go to the Kittaro and catch the last set of Socrates." Musicians loved Socrates.

Socrates sounded like several bands that were popular at the time, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, and Black Sabbath come to mind now when I hear their music from that early period, though the majority of their material was original. There were songs that were crowd favorites such as "Close the Door and Lay Down", "Starvation" and "Underground", but often the highlight of the evening was when they did their Hendrix songs like "Voodoo Chile", "Message of Love" and "Red House" or jammed on songs like "Kansas City" with singer Jimi Quidd (later of the NY Dots) and Greek-American blues guitarist John Kronis.

Spathas played a Fender Strat, long straight hair hanging down almost to the guitar, he was motionless except for his hands which effortlessly ripped out the most fluid, solos and riffs. He always hooked the chord to his amp over the bottom cutaway so he would not step on it and pull it out during a solo, I suppose. It was sort of his trademark in a way and we would watch him tune up and wait for him to do it which meant to us that the music was about to begin. He would play some mind-boggling riff to make sure the volume was right or the guitar was in tune and they would be off. Antonis Tourkoyorgis played bass and sang and if Spathas gave the appearance of being introverted he was the complete opposite. He was also a great bass player.

The powerful sound this little three-piece band with their stacks of Marshalls put out in the Kittaro kept us coming back night after night. In all honesty I have to say that to this day I have not heard any band, three-piece or more, fill as much musical space. Seeing the Who in 1976 I found myself comparing them to Socrates. OK, the Who is the Who. But apart from the personalities, the songs I knew and the flamboyance, were Townshend, Entwhistle and Moon as good a band as Socrates? No way. Led Zepplin? Nope. You'd have to ask someone who had seen Hendrix or Cream to make the judgement about those bands but I can't imagine anyone being better than Socrates on a good night and as far as those nights in the Kittaro went I don't think they ever had a bad night. They were too good to have a bad night.

What made them so remarkable was the guitar playing of Spathas. Even today listening to the solos he played in 1972 I still can't believe the music he was making. Brent Lambert of Kitchen Mastering, quite a guitar player himself, after hearing several Spathas solos from thirty years ago said "If this guy had come to America he would be a guitar hero and everyone would know his name." If you liked the way Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen play you will love Spathas and if you play guitar yourself you will wonder "If this was thirty years ago and he is still playing how good must he be now?"

Anazitisi-Records

This is their second effort, released 1972, and despite the poor mixing and mastering we have the opportunity (once more) to discover the ability of the members, not only as skilled musicians, but also as renowned composers, expressing a particular view even in the versions of Satisfaction as "Wild Satisfaction" and "See See Rider".

Tracks

1. Wild Satisfaction (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 13:00

2. Good Morning Blues (Yannis Spathas, Antonis Tourkogiorgis, Elias Boukouvalas) - 2:25

3. See See Rider (Traditional) - 3:10

4. Door of the Dream (Yannis Spathas, Antonis Tourkogiorgis) - 4:30

5. Waiting for the Sun (Yannis Spathas, Antonis Tourkogiorgis) - 2:55

6. A Trip in the Sky (Yannis Spathas, Antonis Tourkogiorgis) - 3:22

7. It's OK (Yannis Spathas, Antonis Tourkogiorgis) - 1:45

8. Born to be Free (Yannis Spathas, Antonis Tourkogiorgis) - 2:30

9. She's Gone Away (Yannis Spathas, Antonis Tourkogiorgis) - 4:20

Socrates Drank The Conium
*Antonis Tourkogiorgis - Bass guitar, Vocals
*Yannis Spathas - Lead guitar, Synthesizer
*Kostas "Gus" Doukakis - Guitar
*George Trantalidis - Drums

1972  Socrates Drank The Conium - Socrates Drank The Conium

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rep>>> Propinquity - Propinquity (1973 us, divine ethereal folk rock)

Issued in 1973 on Colorado’s Folkways-shaped Owl imprint, Propinquity is the only album this Boulder group ever recorded. Steeped in the CSNY tradition of strong solo pieces knotted together by friendship, the album is a dreamy blend of folk and rock—rural, but with an urbane public school sensibility. The original 10-track album has been expanded to 16, with four unreleased tracks, and two others previously featured only on Owl’s 1971 Sing-In Boulder compilation. 

Tracks

1. People Come (Jason Potter) -  - 4:21

2. And I A Fairy Tale Lady (Carla Sciaky) - 3:23

3. Tappan Square (Pat Hubbard) - 2:54

4. You don't Have To Hurry (Jason Potter) - 3:29 

5. Standing In The Doorway (Pat Hubbard) - 2:15

6. Dorian: 240 Lament (Mel Stonebraker) - 2:55

7. Window (Pat Hubbard) - 3:38

8. Binghamton (Jason Potter) - 3:30

9. I'll Be Here In The Morning (Townes Van Zandt) - 3:27

10.Ohio (Pat Hubbard) - 3:42

11.Miles Before Sleeping (Carla Sciaky) - 2:34

12.Sea Song (Jason Potter) - 2:42

13.Suite For Windy Spring (Pat Hubbard) - 4:45

14.Child (Carla Sciaky) - 3:13

15.Where I'm Bound (Tom Paxton) - 2:03

16.Chermaine (Pat Hubbard) - 1:22

Propinquity

*Jeff Harper - Drums, Percussion

*Mel Stonebraker - Guitar, Bass Guitar

*Jason Potter - Guitar, Piano

*Pat Hubbard - Guitar, Piano

*Carla Sciaky - Guitar, Violin, Bass Guitar

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rep>>> Michael Moorcock And Deep Fix - The New Worlds Fair (1975 uk, superb concept album with various influences, 2008 remaster extra tracks edition)

The Esoteric label finally gives the highly sought-after The New World's Fair album a proper remastering for this splendid reissue. The brainchild of science-fiction author Michael Moorcock, bassist Steve Gilmore, and guitarist Graham Charnock, Fair featured a host of guest players, among them members of Hawkwind and guitar hero Snowy White.

It was a concept album, of course, a trek through a dystopian fun fair, a metaphor for society itself. It's a set that promised much, but delivers surprisingly little, with the lyrics and themes nowhere near as profound as Moorcock's reputation would dictate or fans' memories might suggest. Sure the "Fair Dealer" peddles dreams and illusions, drugs and rides, the "Candy Floss Cowboy" swaggers across the fairground, a precedent setter for President Bush, a hollow idol headed for the Valhalla of the ironic "You're a Hero."

The teen-aged temptresses that haunt the fair are also headed for disaster on "Sixteen Year Old Doom," a rather heavy-handed retort to every rocker that ever celebrated a young girl's charms in song. Even more derivative is "In the Name of Rock and Roll," which lifted its downbeat theme from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Finally the fairground begins careening towards destruction on "The Last Merry Go Round," reaching its demise on "Dude's Dream (Rolling in the Ruins)."

However, the musicianship far surpasses the lyrical content, the album's saving grace. Musically, it's a heady concoction that stirs in a bit of glam, a few swirls of folk, a good dousing of R&B, and a dollop of metal. It's nowhere near as musically adventurous as one would expect from the cast, but surprisingly accessible and easily digestible. More of a fun fair then, than a rock your world exhibition.

Esoteric sweetens the pot with seven bonus tracks, including a pair of previously unreleased demos. "Dodgem Dude"'s demo also appears here for the first time, the song, while intended for the Fair, finally hit the shops as a 1980 limited-edition 45. That too is included, alongside "Starcruiser" and "The Brothel in Rossenstrasse," which inspired Moorcock's book of the same title.

by Jo-Ann Greene

Tracks

1. Candy Floss Cowboy - 1:20

2. Fair Dealer - 5:05

3. Octopus (Steve Gilmore) - 2:15

4. Sixteen Year Old Doom - 4:15

5. You're A Hero (Graham Charnock) - 3:10

6. Song For Marlene (Sam Shepard, Steve Gilmore) - 5:11

7. Come To The Fair (Graham Charnock) - 1:20

8. In The Name Of Rock And Roll (Graham Charnock) - 4:15

9. Ferris Wheel (Steve Gilmore) - 5:40

10.Last Merry Go Round - 2:11

11.Dude's Dream (Rolling In The Ruins) - 4:40

12.Dodgem Dude - 2:47

13.The Brothel In Rossenstrasse (Michael Moorcock, Peter Pavli) - 3:44

14.Starcruiser - 3:17

15.Candy Floss Cowboy - 4:27

16.Kings Of Speed - 2:52

17.You're A Hero - 4:09

18.Dodgem Dude - 2:59

All compositions by Michael Moorcock except where indicated

Musicians

*Michael Moorcock - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals

*Graham Charnock - Guitar, Vocals

*Steve Gilmore - Guitar, Vocals

*Kuma Harada - Bass

*Peter Pavli - Cello

*Snowy White - Guitar

*Herbert North - Guitar

*Nik Turner - Saxophone

*Dave Brock - Guitar

*Simon House - Violin, Keyboards

*Simon King - Drums

*Alan Powell - Drums

*Shirley Roden - Vocals

*Debi Ross - Vocals

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