First Friday formed in South Bend in 1968 while band members were Notre Dame students, offering an appealing blues-rock sound. One album was released in 1970 on Chuck Perrin’s Webster’s Last Word label; Perrin also served as producer. With only 500 copies pressed, it has become an expensive collector’s item, especially without a proper reissue. The band’s name originated with a stack of First Friday event flyers promoting a monthly mass event in the dorm chapel; the band used the flyers instead to promote themselves.
While there are no other releases from First Friday, a second album was recorded in 1970 for King Records in Nashville, but not released. A reunion CD from 1997 was also recorded, but not released. The band reunites annually for performances. Guitarist Norm Zeller went to play with Undisputed Truth, Natalie Cole and others. Zeller and Wallace performed on Chuck and Mary Perrin’s Next of Kin LP.
Polyphony were a Virginia US band who released this concept album originally in 1972. Polyphony proved to be even more deeply rooted in the sound of the psychedelic era than their British contemporaries. Despite this foundation in the sound of the late 1960s, their energetic compositions give the impression that the band simultaneously wanted to break away from this very heritage. They had undoubtedly arrived in the present day of the symphonic variant of progressive rock music, as evidenced by the frenetic use of the Moog synthesizer and powerful bass lines. The addition of Latin-inspired percussion in the form of a permanent conga player lends the whole a special touch.
In the opener, "Juggernaut," Polyphony presents themselves as torn between eccentric, exuberant psychedelia and progressive, dynamic symphonic music. It is precisely in this "battle" between these opposing poles that the appeal of the truly unique sound of "Without Introduction" lies. After the explosive Moog interlude "40 Second Thing In 39 Seconds," all of this is taken to the extreme in "Ariel's Flight," culminating in a "symphonic trip" sound rarely heard in other bands, the climax of the entire album. The late-entry vocals, combined with the euphoric keyboard sound, evoke memories of Lee Jackson in Refugee. The rather understated "Crimson Dagger," with its vocal lines still rooted in the 1960s, concludes the album as an impressive testament to the early phase of US progressive rock.
by Horst Straske
Tracks
1. Juggernaut (Craig Massey) - 13:58
2. 40 Second Thing In 39 Seconds (Glenn Howard) - 1:09
3. Ariel's Flight (Craig Massey) - 15:10
4. Crimson Dagger (Glenn Howard) - 6:53
Polyphony
*Glenn Howard - Vocals, Lead, Slide Guitars
*Craig Massey - Vocals, Organ, Moog
*Martin Ruddy - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Christopher Spong - Drums
*Chatty Cooper - Congo Drums, Timbales, Percussion
The Final Solution was among the more intriguing of the legions of bands populating the mid-1960s San Francisco rock scene. Though they rarely recorded, Just Like Gold: Live At The Matrix showcases a legendary Bay Area folk-punk quartet that never even got to release a record, yet whose cutting-edge sound and style brims with the heady air of early psychedelia.
The Solution was formed in 1965 by bassist Bob Knickerbocker and guitarist Ernie Fosselius, friends at San Francisco State, then a melting pot of personalities which would fuel San Francisco’s young-adult bohemian scene. Rounding out the band were John Chance on drums and John Yager on guitar and vocals. The group began by playing Haight-Ashbury dives like Haight Levels, but their constant rehearsals and growing notoriety soon bagged the Solution a month-long residency at the famed Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, NV.
In July of 1966, The Final Solution stepped in to perform when The Great! Society were forced to cancel a gig at San Francisco’s famed club, The Matrix, in some ways the epicenter of the city’s incipient rock explosion. Peter Abram was running his tape deck that night and captured a dynamic set that clearly shows the band’s diversity and musical chops. From the opening raga “Tell Me Again” to the propulsive folk-rock of “Time Is Here And Now” and the Dylan-esque “Bleeding Roses,” these original songs leave unequivocal proof of The Final Solution’s untapped potential.
After Chance left the group in the fall of 1966 to return to his studies and was replaced by The Great! Society’s Jerry Slick on drums, The Final Solution moved into a more musically experimental phase. But when a hopeful recording contract remained unconsummated, the band’s members began to lose interest and eventually drifted apart. While they rose high enough to share a bill with Quicksilver Messenger Service at the Fillmore Auditorium, The Final Solution was over before the Summer of Love had even begun.
The Final Solution—Just Like Gold: Live At the Matrix 1966 marks the first in a planned series from High Moon Records of authentic location recordings from The Matrix. From 1965 to 1971, this tiny club hosted not only the top movers and shakers of San Francisco rock such as Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and the Grateful Dead, but also a host of lesser-known yet no less worthy acts in the rock, blues, jazz, and folk fields.
High-Noon Recs
Tracks
1. Tell Me Again (Ernie Fosselius, Bob Knickerbocker, John Yager) - 6:17
2. Bleeding Roses - 3:45
3. If You Want (John Chance, John Yager) - 4:41
4. Time Is Here And Now - 4:24
5. Just Like Gold (John Yager) - 4:04
6. You Say That You Love Me/Got My Mojo Workin' (John Chance, Ernie Fosselius, Bob Knickerbocker, John Yager / Preston Foster) - 3:27
7. Misty Mind - 7:27
8. So Long, Goodbye - 3:37
9. America The Beautiful (Traditional) - 6:11
10.Truck Driving Son-Of-A-Gun (Dixie Deen, Ray King) - 1:37
11.Nothing To Fear - 4:02
12.Misty Mind - 4:51
13.If You Want (John Chance, John Yager) - 3:49
14.Just Like Gold (John Yager) - 4:33
15.Blacklash - 5:17
16.Bleeding Roses - 2:55
All songs by Ernie Fosselius. Bob Knickerbocker unless otherwise noted
Tracks 1-10 recorded by Peter Abram at The Matrix, July 1966
Tracks 11-16 recorded at Pine Street, San Francisco November 1966
Punk rock made the Streetwalkers seem like old farts, but Red Card proved (upcoming metaphor overuse intended) that they still had an ace up their sleeve. From the groove-heavy "Roll up, Roll Up" to the ferocious "Run for Cover," this is the first and last great gasp from this band. In fact, had it come a few years earlier, it could have been included along with some of the better work by Chapman and Whitney's previous band, Family. The highlight, perhaps the best reason to search out this record, is a cover of Otis Blackwell's "Daddy Rollin' Stone," which Roger Chapman absolutely sings the living sh*t out of. It's an exhilarating moment and proof positive that he has one of the great voices in rock & roll.
by John Dougan
In 1977, drummer McBain was replaced by David Dowle, who later joined Whitesnake, and keyboardist Brian Johnstone and new bassist Mickey Feat joined the band. With this lineup, the last studio album, “Vicious But Fair,” was recorded in 1977. However, the album was not successful at all in a period dominated by punk and new wave.
After the 1977 album Live, the band broke up. Bobby Tench left to join Van Morrison's band, along with Mickey Feat. Charlie Whitney formed the equally unsuccessful band Axis Point, while David Dowle joined the band Midnight Flyer. Singer Roger Chapman started a solo career and was/is particularly popular in Germany. He also scored a hit as a singer on the Mike Oldfield single Shadow On The Wall.
Tracks
1. Run For Cover - 5:47
2. Me An' Me Horse An' Me Rum (Bobby Tench, Roger Chapman) - 4:04
3. Crazy Charade (Bobby Tench, Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman) - 5:27
4. Daddy Rolling Stone (Otis Blackwell) - 3:15
5. Roll Up, Roll Up - 3:29
6. Between Us - 3:48
7. Shotgun Messiah (Bobby Tench, Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman) - 4:49
8. Decadence Code - 6:44
9. Mama Was Mad - 4:15
10.Chilli-Con-Carne - 3:55
11.Dice Man - 9:30
12.But You're Beautiful - 3:57
13.Can't Come In - 4:03
14.Belle Star (Charlie Whitney) - 3:13
15.Sam (Maybe He Can Come To Some Arrangement) (Bobby Tench, Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman) - 5:47
16.Cross Time Woman - 5:16
All Songs written by Charlie Whitney, Roger Chapman except where noted
Patto’s second album is a bit of a nugget amongst Vertigo swirl collectors, for with its elaborate sectional “Consequences” styled fold-out cover, finding one in anything better than “slightly knackered” condition – that’s “VG+” to the unscrupulous seller – is nigh on impossible, and daftly expensive should you be lucky enough to chance upon one. The cover was to feature the band’s own sketches on the delicate design, each member putting hours into their artistic noodlings, only for designer Roger Dean to either lose or throw them away! The band were, shall we say, dischuffed!
Collector’s obsessing and cover art niceties aside, Patto managed to up the ante from their blistering debut to record an album that shows a bunch of musicians at the top of their game, with the intimate understanding of each other’s playing that can only come from years on the road together. Ollie Halsall turns in a staggering display of dexterity, adaptability, and an instinctive melodic and harmonic nous that at the time had his contemporaries stooping to pick up their mandibles from the floor whenever they witnessed the shy genius at work. Alvin Lee in particular, whose band Ten Years After the boys supported on tour, was a big fan.
The band has honed its chops considerably, and a track like Give It All Away sums them up neatly. Starting as an R’n’B belter replete with honky-tonk piano, it doesn’t take long before time signature changes that your standard blues-based rock band would not imagine incorporating give the song a careening quality as it charges along. Ollie answers Mike’s storytelling lyrics with some fine curtailed lyrical fills. Then, not long after two minutes in, the tune leaves the orbit of The Faces playing with jazz rhythms to fly off at an oblique angle on the back of Ollie’s short but mesmerising solo before returning to Earth with a maniacal grin plastered across its fizzog.
Air Raid Shelter is this album’s Money Bag, taken up a level or two. Ollie’s stellar “free jazz” playing is a given, but Admiral John Halsey’s drums in chattering conversation with Clive Griffiths’ highly expressive bass is worthy of a concentrated listen on their own. Fabulous stuff!
Having eulogised the rest of the band it would be remiss of me not to mention Mike Patto, who was a soulful and gravel-throated beaut who must have wowed the ladies in much the same way as Rod Stewart. He could write a good lyric too, often slightly world weary and including a healthy dose of cynicism. The coruscating and emotive The Man (from the first album), You, You Point Your Finger and Magic Door are slow R’n’B numbers easily as good as anything Rod The Mod or Paul Rodgers came up with in a similar tempo, and in addition Mike’s voice bears healthy comparison to those two.
Curiously, the mix used for track seven, Tell Me Where You’ve Been is not the final mix that ended up on the LP, and on subsequent reissues, including the superb Sense Of The Absurd collection from 1995. Sadly, no explanation is given as to why the original mix was not used. Perhaps it was no longer in a fit state, or had gone missing, but it would have been nice to know. The alternate take sees the second guitar track omitted, the vocals are more upfront, and it entirely omits Mike Patto’s cough at the start of the track. You may think that last omission a minor point, but it is little things like this that highlight the band’s sense of humour which was always on show. Fans, eh? They’ll notice any damn little thing!
While Hold Your Fire is a triumph of confident musicianship and would turn out to be Patto’s best album, for purely sentimental reasons the debut will always hold pride of place in my heart.
Once the fans have got over the “wrong” mix being used for track seven, I’m sure all will be forgiven by the presence of an entire disc of bonus cuts from BBC radio concerts and sessions. Here, those of us who would have been way too young, or not even born when Patto were a live fixture in sticky-floored fleapits the length and breadth of Britain get some sense of what a thrilling proposition Patto were live on stage.
The addition of Bernie Holland’s understated second guitar allows Ollie Halsall the freedom to extemporise to his heart’s content. On the other side of the coin, on a thrilling version of Government Man from an In Concert broadcast, the precise melody lines and unobvious chord sequences of the enmeshed dual guitars and the tight as a nut rhythm section, concluding with Ollie delivering the soulful vibes lines that bring the song to an end serves to underline what consummate players they all were.
Despite backing from John Peel in particular, and from other radio DJs with taste, both albums sold poorly. Being on Vertigo can’t have helped, as the Philips hip subsidiary was a label notorious for its promotion budget, which varied from minuscule to non-existent, unless you were Black Sabbath. Subsequently signing with Island, Patto released one more album, recorded another that was released posthumously some 20 years later, incidentally both due for imminent re-release on Esoteric. The band eventually folded in 1973, criminally ignored by the record buying public. Let’s hope these re-releases bring this wonderful music to a few new ears.
by Roger Trenwith, 21 May 2017
Tracks
1. Hold Your Fire - 6:45
2. You, You Point Your Finger - 4:30
3. How's Your Father (Ollie Halsall) - 4:45
4. See You At The Dance Tonight (Ollie Halsall) - 5:50
5. Give It All Away - 4:10
6. Air-Raid Shelter (Ollie Halsall) - 7:05
7. Tell Me Where You've Been - 3:15
8. Magic Door - 4:30
9. Beat The Drum (Mike Patto, Ollie Halsall, Clive Griffiths, John Halsey) - 5:07
Considering that Patto are named after their lead vocalist, Mike Patto, one would be inclined to think initially that this four-piece band was essentially a vehicle for his vocal talents. Not so! in fact, if anyone is to the fore it is Olly Halsall, who plays lead guitar, acoustic, piano and vibraphone on the band’s debut album, and is outstandingly good. It is beyond my comprehension that he has not been heard before, seeing that he has been on the music scene for quite some time, most notably with Timebox, from the ashes of which and Patto has arisen. Clive Griffiths, on bass, achieves a high degree of empathy with Halsall -- very subtle and understated -- and drummer John Halsey is the spur for much of the music, although occasionally he is a hit too busy and fond of flashy rolls, which threaten at times to disturb the delicate balance which the others are maintaining.
Patto, who is one of the four vocalists with Keith Tippett’s Centipede, has a lovely funky soul voice, with traces of both Stevie Winwood and Long John Baldry. The music moves from rock to jazz and back again, but they are hardly a jazz-rock band in the popular concept; there is certainly a very free-form approach on "Money Bag," on which Halsall's hard-edged guitar work solos over a loose backdrop of bass and drums, with Patto’s voice dropping in at the end in an almost detached fashion. Producer Muff Winwood has produced the album with great restraint and simplicity. I’m very impressed by it.
by Michael Watts, December, 12 1970
Tracks
1. The Man - 6:15
2. Hold Me Back - 4:42
3. Time To Die - 2:57
4. Red Glow - 5:19
5. San Antone - 3:09
6. Government Man - 4:22
7. Money Bag - 10:08
8. Sittin' Back Easy - 3:45
9. Hanging Rope - 14:46
All compositions by Mike Patto, Ollie Halsall, Clive Griffiths, John Halsey
Cool name for a band, eh? Just like Horslips and Pussy, band names which allude to the all-encompassing sphere of sex & sexuality, or some aspect thereof, will never go away. The five band members are depicted as no taller than rodents on the album cover, amidst a throng of high heels, smooth legs, and see-through skirts (on the street, natch). Downtown Flyers is good ol' sleazy, earthy hard rock, with songs called "Toenail Draggin'," "Crawfish," and "Ace O' Spades" (this was before the song and album of the same name by Motorhead).
Streetwalkers was the post-Family project of vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist Charlie Whitney. Also onboard was ex-Jeff Beck vocalist Bob Tench, who could play guitar, Casablanca's bass player, Jon Plotel, and (drum roll, please) Nicko...as in McBrain, future drummer for Iron Maiden. Three guest keyboardists play on five of the nine cuts, usually piano, but I hear the exalted Clavinet in at least one song, and synth on three, perhaps the strutting of a Minimoog and Solina String Ensemble. Did I mention Nicko? I didn't know the man had a career before Maiden! (I guess he's older than I figured.)
It turns out there is indeed more milk than meat in this serving: this is some darn good music! This is why I like 70s recordings: everything is so raw, so honest. The title track is a rousing, ballsy number, with echo-effected guitars and talk-boxes cheese or not, I don't hear enough of those on 70s recordings, for my taste. "Toenail Draggin'" is serious fun, and I don't just mean the playing, have a gander at some lyrics: Take me to the bottom/Roll me in my hearse/Take me to the bottom/Life's bin a doggone curse. Ha! I toldja! A cover of an old, uncredited blues ode, "Crawfish" may go down not as the best track, but the most memorable. Once you hear it, you'll have no urge other than to cherish it and lie awake at night wondering who originally wrote it.
The disc's real gem is "Burn It Down"; did Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy secretly perform on this? Whitney's solo embodies everything a good guitar solo should be. Smokin' blues piano by Pete Wingfield, too! Chapman's gruff vox remind me of Paul Rodgers', but I much prefer Chapman's. One can't have it all: Chapman's harmonica solo is woefully undermixed. Not every song oozes bitterness or unrefinement: "Gypsy Moon" is a gentler, understated ballad with more smooth slide guitar work courtesy of Charlie W. Oh yes, that "Ace O' Spades" tune turns out it's a slice of authentic blues. I can even picture Chapman with dark shades and a blue jacket, singing the lines I've bin a gambler all my life/When I go, this is what I crave/You send me poker players to the graveyard.
Equally funky, bluesy, and rockin,' Downtown Flyers will carve its initials right onto the surfaces of your eardrums. Hatred will build for this album as the songs and melodies aren't easily displaced, but consider it a love/hate relationship.
by Elias Granillo, February 3rd 2003
Tracks
1. Downtown Flyers (Robert Tench, Roger Chapman) - 3:58
2. Toenail Draggin' - 4:17
3. Raingame - 3:03
4. Miller - 3:55
5. Crawfish (Ben Weisman, Fred Wise) - 4:34
6. Walking on Waters - 5:56
7. Gypsy Moon - 4:42
8. Burn It Down - 7:59
9. Ace O'Spades - 2;33
All songs by John “Charlie” Whitney, Roger Chapman except where noted.
The Streetwalkers
*Roger Chapman - Lead Vocals, Percussion, Harmonica
Many British musicians have been influenced by American soul music, and today we'd like to introduce Jess Roden, a white soul singer who, despite being white, provides a funky beat and a sound that makes use of fakery and shouting.
He originally debuted in 1967 with the Alan Brown Set and was a member of the Bats Band, which featured members of Bronco and The Doors + Gonzales, but made his solo debut in 1974 with ``Jess Roden,'' produced by Allen Toussaint.
This is his second album, released in 1977, and arranged by Leon Pendarvis (well known for his work with Quincy Jones and Roberta Flack). Jess Roden is an extraordinary singer who effortlessly sings a wide range of genres including ballads, jazz and R&B. Since his music is based on R&B and soul, his singing is better than that of most AOR singers.
The soft and mellow intro to Misty Roses, and Jess Roden's vocals backed by electric piano, are enough to make you expect this to be a great album. The solo is also sophisticated, as it is played by saxophone rather than guitar. The next track, Sensation, is a jazzy ballad with a pleasant electric piano and resonating vibraphone.
Roden gives us a George Benson-esque scatting performance, intertwined with virtuoso John Tropea's impressive solo. The funky mid-tempo track 3Lonely Avenue, sung by Ray Charles, is truly dark with its punchy vocals and gospel-style chorus work.
The Quiet Sound of You and I, which features a magnificent string arrangement, and The Hardest Blow, which also features strings, electric piano, and saxophone, are also great songs to listen to. These are the perfect songs to enjoy Roden's vocals.
The last song is the funky up tune In Me Tonight, which has a great percussion beat. Thanks to the use of top New York musicians such as Anthony Jackson, Francisco Centeno, John Tropea, and Arnold McCuller, the album has a sophisticated sound.
Tracks
1. Misty Roses (Tim Hardin) - 4:00
2. Sensation (Jess Roden, Stephen Vincent) - 4:43
3. Lonely Avenue (Doc Pomus) - 3:38
4. The Quiet Sound Of You And I (Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Bruce Roberts) - 4:27
5. The Hardest Blow (John Cartwright) - 3:04
6. Drinking Again (Johnny Mercer, Doris Tauber) - 6:35
After the release of The Good Book in early 1971, Melanie Safka and her producer (and then husband) Peter Schekeryk left Buddah Records to form their own label, Neighborhood Records, and the new freedom seemed to do her a world of good -- Gather Me, released later the same year, is one of her most accomplished and confident albums, a set that allowed Melanie the room to indulge her lyrical obsessions while Schekeryk created superb musical accompaniment from her simple but forceful melodies. The epochal "Ring the Living Bell" is a pocket suite that takes a skeletal lyrical conceit and gives it flight through sheer belief while Schekeryk's arrangement, reinforced with gospel style vocal backing, makes this accomplishment all the more impressive.
"Railroad," "Little Bit of Me," and "Steppin'" display a lyrical maturity and subtle strength that marked a real step forward for Melanie as a songwriter, and "Some Say (I Got Devil)" is an emotionally devastating tale of a pregnant teenager who clearly has no idea what she should do. Melanie's habit of overplaying her hand as a vocalist is thankfully in retreat on Gather Me, which finds her in full control of her instrument and communicating a wide palette of emotions without becoming melodramatic. And if "Brand New Key" comes across like a silly novelty tune in this context, it's a playful and engaging one, and Melanie sounds like she's having fun putting Freudian symbolism within the grasp of AM radio. Gather Me may well be Melanie's finest album, capturing her at the height of her skills as a writer and singer, and it has stood the test of time better than the majority of her work.
by Mark Deming
Tracks
1. Little Bit Of Me - 4:12
2. Some Day I'll Be A Farmer - 2:52
3. Steppin' - 3:28
4. Brand New Key - 2:27
5. Ring Around The Moon - 0:41
6. Ring The Living Bell / Shine The Living Light - 5:04
I’ll make no bones about it – Family (1968 – 1973) was and still is my favourite rock band. A bold thing to admit, perhaps, but there it is. No other band in all of my rock listening years does it for me like these guys. They incorporated all sorts of musical styles, from delta blues to psychedelic excursions, from Jazz to symphonic, from hard rock to folk; the members of Family never ceased to challenge you with their very unique brand of rock music. Roger Chapman (vocals, saxes) and John “Charlie” Whitney (lead and steel guitars) led a bunch of incredible British musicians (who changed regularly) into what became an underground cult favourite on both sides of the Atlantic.
Another thing I will say is that Roger Chapman is also my favourite Rock vocalist. Sounding like a mix of Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker (but in my opinion better than both), he roars and soars with a unique range and bleating vibrato that shakes the roof – you have to experience this voice! Composing nearly all the songs for the span of their existence, Roger and Charlie were at the top echelon of writing duos, alongside Jagger and Richards. Another bold claim, but a listen through the Family catalogue at the unique and varied compositions might convince you. At any rate, in 1973 management issues among other things resulted in the dissolving of Family, leaving Roger and Charlie to pursue life as a duo. So here’s where the Streetwalkers saga begins.
As prolific songwriters, they had enough material to record a new album, and so they did. Originally titled Chapman-Whitney Streetwalkers, they called in some friends to augment them and here’s who they got: John Wetton – bass and vocals (Family, King Crimson Roxy Music, etc.); Rick Grech – bass (Family, Blind Faith); Ian Wallace and Michael Giles – drums (King Crimson); Neil Hubbard – guitar (Joe Cocker, etc.); Max Middleton – Keyboards (Jeff Beck Group); Tim Hinkley – keyboards, vocals (Vinegar Joe, Al Stewart); Jim Creegan – vocals (Family, Steve Harley); Linda Lewis – vocals (David Bowie, Cat Stevens, etc.); Mel Collins – woodwinds, brass and arrangements (King Crimson, Camel and a huge etc.); Boz Burrell – vocals (King Crimson), Poli Palmer – vibes (Family); Del Newman – string arrangements (Family); and Godfrey McLean – congas (Graham Bond). What an amazing lineup, no? It speaks to the respect and acknowledgement that Chapman and Whitney garnered at the time.
With this first CD release, Roger Chapman changed the running order back to what they had originally intended it to be, which is an interesting move. You can always reprogram your player to go back to the original order if you are curious or prefer it, but I personally think it is ok. The good news is all the songs are included here and there is more info available in the liner notes, which include an interview with Roger Chapman interspersed with an overview and history by Pete Feenstra.
Now to the album: First Cut is the bridge between later Family albums, especially Bandstand and It’s Only a Movie, and the first true Streetwalkers album, Downtown Flyers. What makes the album great for me is that it can stand alongside the Family discs and really could have been the next one in the Family canon. In much the same way that the Stones shed their Brit/Pop/Mystical songs of the late 60s and moved back to their rhythm and blues routes, Chapman and Whitney had the same idea with First Cut and then moved to hard rock blues that followed with the rest of the Streetwalkers’ catalogue. First cut has the boys standing over the line between rock and blues, and the push and pull from one side and the other makes this such an enjoyable album.
Hangman opens the album with a crunchy, hard blues, something akin to a souped-up and faster Spoonful – it really kicks out the jams. Add soaring strings to the mix (a Family trademark) and you have an original take on the blues with enough light and dark contrasts to give it an original spin.
Roxianna features a honky-tonk rhythm complete with Mel Collins’ clarinet and Dixieland piano; it really swings and Charlie’s slide guitar weaves in and out to great effect.
Sue and Betty Jean begins as a sad lament with organ but picks up the pace some with a Beatlesque melody with echoes of She’s Leaving Home. This is a perfect example of how, when Chapman and Whitney write and arrange, they incorporate all the instruments with a beautiful, intricate dance. With the guitar becoming more of a Wes Montgomery jazz style, it dominates this slow waltz of a song. A lot of their songs, like this one, also tell interesting stories and they should be noted as good lyricists as well.
Call Ya has classic Chapman vocals, scratchy but in his higher register, simply a vocal treat. The song itself has that funky blues of Little Feat but with some chords that give you that real hard rock feel. Mel Collins takes over for a great sax solo here – he really wails on this one. This could have been an additional track on Family’s Bandstand for sure. This ends with a conga-driven jam that gets you tapping.
Just 4 Men/Tokyo Rose, a two song suite (the original album also included Hangman, making it a trio but Roger felt it belonged at the start of the set – see liner notes), begins with spoken word and a dark, flute and string driven remorseful sounding theme. The song brightens a bit with the flute joined by Charlie’s expressive guitar lead and then Tokyo Rose begins with a hard rock attack, back to the Hangman approach. The track grinds it out down and dirty, complete with a chorus of shoops courtesy of John Wetton and the others, and then another deadly Mel Collins solo overlays it all until it fades away.
Creature Feature begins with thunder and rain and a cool underground boogie and Linda Lewis singing alongside Roger and showcasing Charlie’s great slide guitar work. The song chugs along then the strings come in to add further impact, extending the song to further showcase the guitars. Interestingly, the strings sound very similar to Elton John’s arrangements on Madman Across the Water.
Parisienne High Heels, another rhythm and blues powerhouse, with a Foghat-like guitar attack and an almost gospel-like vocal background, brings southern rock to the fore. Roger Chapman’s vocal here really screams, soars, teases - he is in perfect form. The track really rocks out until it fades in an odd echo.
Systematic Stealth is a quirky little song which could be totally acoustic – a pleasant summer-sounding, joyous folksy pleasure - a pleasant rest from those nasty, hard blues.
Showbiz Joe ends the album with a vaudeville-like melody and a weaving horn section. But as in all Chapman/Whitney songs, it breaks open in places to reveal layers of intricate playing underneath.
For Family fans, and I know you’re out there, this is a must have. If you loved Family, and especially Bandstand and Movie, then this will totally appeal to you. If you are new to any of this, and you like boogie and Chicago style blues, with the right mix of rock and roll and great vocals, then I think you will like this album a lot. I can say that if you are a fan of Joe Cocker’s early albums, then this is a no brainer. Beyond this, the Streetwalker albums that followed, where they had a permanent band throughout their existence, are even punchier, heavier and bluesier overall. Try Red Card and see what you think. And I guess I don’t have to say that I hope you will be curious enough to try Family out – you might find that it becomes a major favourite as well.
by Robert Metcalf
Tracks
1. Hangman - 4:51
2. Roxianna - 2:49
3. Sue And Betty Jean - 5:08
4. Call Ya - 6:37
5. Just 4 Men - 2:51
6. Tokyo Rose - 2:13
7. Creature Feature - 4:01
8. Parisienne High Heels - 4:05
9. Systematic Stealth - 2:31
10.Showbiz Show - 4:10
All songs by Roger Chapman, John Whitney
Bonus tracks 2024 50th Anniversary Edition
11. The Crack - 3:35
12. Call Ya - 6:41
13. Get Out Of My Life, Woman (Allen Toussaint) - 4:43
14. Systematic Stealth - 2:41
15. Tokyo Rose - 2:29
16. Hangman - 2:27
17. Roxianna - 4:42
All songs by Roger Chapman, John Whitney except where noted
