Gene Clark ‎- The Lost Studio Sessions (1964-82 us, impressive folk rock 2016 SACD)

In a recent MOJO interview, Roger McGuinn hinted that it may not have been a panic attack that led to Gene Clark leaving the Byrds, but the promise of being the next Elvis. For some dumb reason that solo career never took off. But Gene Clark certainly had all the makings. He was Hollywood handsome and a total chick magnet. Not to mention, one hell of a singer-songwriter. Despite not being the next Elvis, his legacy remains groundbreaking. The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark essentially paved the way for Country Rock. His solo albums, White Light and No Other stand the test of time, defying easy categorization.

However, his catalog remains a bit of a mess. Albums and compilations often go in and out of print, on fly by night labels. At steep prices. Only a haphazard assortment of his output is available for download. All of which makes Clark’s recordings more elusive than they should be. The Lost Studio Sessions 1964-1982 is another wild card to add to this ongoing game of 52 Pickup.

While these previously unheard of studio outtakes and demos are a treasure trove for Clark fans, they by no means make for a good album. While the sound quality is superb, this is far from a cohesive listen. But is a good album the point really? Lost Sessions is essentially a vault dump the producers hope to cash in on. The people who put this together know full well who their target audience is. This collection is conspicuously unavailable for download and fetches for a pretty penny on CD and vinyl. Regardless, this release is a real eye opener for Clark enthusiasts.

The first 6 tracks are startling. Because they’re virtually unrecognizable as Gene Clark. His overwrought vibrato sounding traditionally dated. In another era, Clark could have been Perry Como. These studio demos do however, provide a clear snapshot of Clark’s artistic development from New Christie Minstrel to Byrd. The songs themselves reveal what a precocious talent Clark had for writing. There’s a lyrical complexity and emotional depth that’s way ahead of its time. A far cry from ‘Love Me Do’.  

Despite Leon Russell’s over the top orchestrations, ‘Back Street Mirror’ reveals just how much of an impact Bob Dylan had on Clark. One can hear him marry the Beatles’ melodic smarts with Dylan’s dazzling word play. His vocal delivery owes so much to Dylan, it verges on parody but one can hear flashes of originality. The song’s only release was on the 1967 David Hemmings album, Happens. But Hemmings’ version is nowhere near Clark’s in terms of passion and emotion.

 On ‘Back to The Earth Again’ one can hear Clark finally coming into his own. The ensuing six tracks are stunning. It’s criminal the likes of ‘The Lighthouse’ or ‘The Awakening Within’ never made it on any Clark release. According to the liner notes, Clark may have forgotten having even written them. Such was his level of productivity at the time. Simply put, they’re dazzling. Clark’s maze-like lyrics fraught with mystery, yearning and self-doubt. Time and place become nebulous in ‘The Lighthouse’. It’s more like Clark is writing a letter off the top of his head.  ‘Sweet Adrienne’ is a multi-faceted portrait of a woman who is beyond his grasp.  ‘Walking Through This Lifetime’ and ‘The Sparrow’ keep up the ante. I’ll be damned if ‘Only Yesterday’s Gone’ isn’t a lost classic. Beautiful.

As for the remaining cuts, we’re treated to a rousing, passionate version of ‘She Darked The Sun’. One that surpasses that off The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark.  ‘Don’t That Road Look Rough and Rocky’ was recorded for a 1972 album that ground to halt when producer Terry Melcher was injured in a motorcycle accident. Many of the tracks resurfaced on the posthumous Dutch release, Roadmaster. The Melcher version here is stunning, eight miles above the version on Roadmaster.

The rest of the collection isn’t nearly as revelatory. Gram Parsons covers and a stab at the Box Tops’ ‘The Letter’ are interesting curios but far from Clark in his prime. Most notable is his take on Roddy Crowell’s ‘No Memories Hanging’ Round’ from the 1982 Nyteflyte sessions.   

At its best, Clark’s talent was completely intuitive, not intellectual. As dreamy as his songs are, they’re undeniably visceral. And instinctively, he knew what all great songwriters know: Great songwriting isn’t about being cool and clever but being emotionally vulnerable. Something Clark delivered in spades. The man could sing the phone book and bring a tear to your eye. Truth of the matter is, Gene Clark fanatics simply cannot afford to pass this one up. A priceless trove of too well kept secrets. Also, an unflinching chronicle of a great artist’s rise and eventual fall. 

by Kevin Orton 

Tracks
1. The Way I Am - 2:39
2. I'd Feel Better - 1:53
3. That Girl - 3:06
4. A Worried Heart - 3:43
5. If There's No Love - 2:33
6. Back Street Mirror - 3:20
7. Don't Let It Fall Through - 3:01
8. Back To The Earth Again - 3:11
9. The Lighthouse - 3:01
10.The Awakening Within - 2:55
11.Sweet Adrienne - 2:23
12.Walking Through This Lifetime - 3:17
13.The Sparrow - 3:35
14.Only Yesterday's Gone - 1:53
15.She Darked The Sun (Bernie Leadon, Gene Clark) - 3:06
16.Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms (Traditional) - 3:16
17.She Don't Care About Time - 3:06
18.Don't That Road Look Rough And Rocky (Traditional) - 4:30
19.Bars Have Made A Prisoner Out Of Me (Freddy Weller, Michael Hardin, Spooner Oldham) - 3:10
20.One Hundred Years From Now (Gram Parsons) - 2:40
21(The) Letter (Wayne C. Thompson) - 2:45
22.Still Feeling Blue (Gram Parsons) - 2:13
23.No Memories Hangin' Round (Rodney Crowell) - 4:00
24.I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better - 2:38
All songs by Gene Clark except where indicated

Musicians
*Gene Clark - Vocals, Guitars, Harmonica
*Leon Russell - Arranger
*Hugh Masekela - Horn Section
*Chris Hillman - Bass, Vocals
*Gram Parsons - Piano, Vocals
*Bermnie Leadon - Lead Electric Guitar, Vocals
*Sneaky Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Michael Clarke - Drums, Vocals
*Clarence White - Electric String Bender Guitar
*Eric White Sr - Harmonica
*Spooner Oldham - Piano
*Byron Berline - Fiddle
*Chris Ethridge - Bass
*Claudia Lennear - Vocals
*Merry Clayton - Vocals
*Herb Peterson - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Al Perkins - Electric, Pedal Steel Guitar

1967  Gene Clark - Sings For You (2018 DigiPak)

1979  McGuinn, Clark And Hillman (2014 Japan SHM Remaster)
1967  Gene Clark - Echoes
1968-69  Dillard And Clark - Fantastic Expedition / Through The Morning, Through The Night
1971  Gene Clark - White Light
1972  Gene Clark - Roadmaster  (2011 Edition)
With The Byrds
1964  The Byrds - Preflyte (2012 Edition)
1973  Byrds - Byrds (2004 issue)

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rep>>> Dulcimer - And I Turned As I Had Turned As A Boy (1970 uk, beautiful ethereal raga folk rock, 2011 remaster)

Lyrical, poetic, mystical are just a few of the words used to describe the music of Dulcimer who first appeared on the Progressive-Folk scene in late '60's. Discovered by the award-winning British actor, Richard Todd, playing in a Cotswold restaurant, they were signed by legendary manager, Larry Page, to launch his new Nepentha label. Upon release their debut album picked up encouraging reviews, notably in Melody Maker, who compared them favourably with Simon & Garfunkel. They were particularly well-received in the United States, Holland, Austria and even Japan, where they acquired something of a cult following. A second album was recorded but remained unreleased until years later when it appeared as a collectors’ item.

It was 1970 and we tumbled into a dream. One minute we were playing to bored diners in a Cotswold restaurant, the next we had been ‘discovered’ by actor Richard Todd and whisked off to London to be signed up by the legendary producer and impresario Larry Page, who at the time was also managing ‘The Troggs’ and ‘The Kinks’, Strange that three ‘wet-behind-the-ears’ country lads writing whimsical songs and poetry should now, albeit briefly, become stable mates with two of the biggest rock bands of that era. We drove to London in my beaten up A35 van with Jem at the wheel and instruments crammed in all around us - a motley crew. Dave and I played two of the cheapest six and twelve string guitars on the market, the dulcimer was held together by tape and will power, the mandolin had been glued back together by Dave after an unfortunate car park incident (I had reversed the van over it), while Jem seemed to be constantly wrestling with faulty leads, his temper and an under-powered treble amp for his bass guitar. 

n retrospect perhaps it was these perceived instrument deficiencies which helped to give the album its unique gentle and rather fragile sound; that plus the fact that we were seriously under-rehearsed on several of the new songs which included Caravan (specially written to feature Richard Todd), Fruit of the Musical Tree and While it Lasted — fresh from Dave’s fretboard. In addition our music and ideas had developed independently, in tranquility away from the ‘London Scene’.  Landsdown Studio seemed to us to be an exotic grotto of mystery and intrigue. We tuned up, while Larry and Engineer David Baker thrust microphones under our noses and twiddled knobs and dials in the Control Room. We then started to run through a few songs for, what we thought, was a sound check. This seemed to go on for some time until Larry called us in to listen to a play-back of Lisa’s Song. This was the first and only time we heard a track played back and we were amazed when Larry told us that it was ‘a wrap’ ~ but it sounded good so we didn’t argue. 

In retrospect this was a very perceptive and clever ruse on Larry’s part to coax a relaxed performance out of us and it gave us confidence for the rest of the recording session. In fact Lisa’s Song was released as the US single. Thereafter Larry’s role as producer mainly consisted of the command ‘Next’ or the request ‘Anything else lads?’ We just kept going and must have put down fifteen or sixteen songs in that one marathon session. Twelve of them ended up going onto the album but the rest are gathering dust somewhere on the shelves of ‘not-to-be’. The majority of the songs were completed in one take and there were no over dubs - just a frenetic swapping of instruments. We were keen to experiment in this new environment but Larry insisted that we kept things simple and natural — he was right again.

Throughout the 1970s Dave and I continued writing, gigging and recording, including several projects at Muff Murfin’s ‘Old Smithy Studios’ in Worcestershire. We tried our hand at more commercial (or so we thought) big production numbers and even a ‘concept’ album with local author Fred Archer entitled A Land Fit for Heroes. Unfortunately, by the time the album was ready for release Fred had moved South and Dave and I had gone our separate ways, so the possibilities for promoting it were, to say the least, somewhat limited!

Late in the decade, and into the 1980s, Dave I and would still get together spasmodically for some recording projects with our old friend Dave Hazelwood at a studio in Leicester. Then in the early 1990s, after being ‘re-discovered’ by President Records, we re-grouped and produced three CDs with Rob Savage at his ‘Ghosts and Nightingales’ Studio in Droitwich, where we were joined by Andrea Blythe and multi-instrumentalist Mike Hooper. Dave and I even collaborated on a musical, “Seeds on the Wind”, based on the short life of Anne Frank. Sadly, although a single recording exists, we never had Andrew Lloyd-Webber worried. 

by Peter Hodge

Tracks

1. Sonnet To The Fall (Pete Hodge) - 3:49

2. Pilgrim From The City (Dave Eaves) - 3:08

3. Morman's Casket - 4:27

4. Ghost Of The Wandering Minstrel Boy (Pete Hodge) - 3:09

5. Gloucester City (Pete Hodge) - 2:52

6. Starlight (Dave Eaves) - 2:56

7. Caravan - 8:19

8. Lisa's Song (Dave Eaves) - 2:59

9. Time In My Life - 2:54

10.Fruit Of The Musical Tree - 2:37

11.While It Lasted (Dave Eaves) - 4:19

12.Suzanne - 3:36

All songs by Dave Eaves, Pete Hodge except where noted

Dulcimer

*Dave Eaves - Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Acoustic, Twelve-String Guitar

*Pete Hodge - Vocals, Harmonica, Mandolin, Dulcimer, Twelve-String, Acoustic Guitar

*Jem North - Bass, Glockenspiel, Percussion, Coconuts, Wind, Vocals

With

*Richard Todd - Poetry Spoken

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rep>>> Matthews Southern Comfort - Later That Same Year (1970 uk, marvelous folk country rock, 2008 remaster)

Ian Matthews left Fairport Convention in 1969, and while the U.K.'s greatest folk-rock band was beginning to reinvent itself in a more traditional and very British direction, Matthews began digging deeper into the American influences that had marked his old band's first era. Later That Same Year, the second album from Ian's new group Matthews Southern Comfort (it was released in late 1970, a mere six months after their debut, hence the title), is a beautiful set of songs that splits the difference between West Coast folk-rock and early country-rock, with Gordon Huntley's pedal steel and Roger Coulam's lending an air of sunny sadness that dovetails beautifully with Matthews' silky tenor. 

Matthews wrote three of the songs on Later That Same Year, and they rank with the album's finest moments, especially the ethereal harmonies of "And Me" and the graceful simplicity of "My Lady," but Matthews also borrows some excellent material from American writers, including a cover of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why" that remains faithful while creating a languid mood of its own, a fine, poignant take on Jesse Winchester's "Brand New Tennessee Waltz," and two by Al Anderson, which date from the latter days of the Wildweeds before he joined up with NRBQ (and "Mare Take Me Home" and "And When She Smiles" show Big Al was already a songwriter of no small talent and Matthews handles both tunes beautifully). 

While country influences run all through the album, Matthews had the smarts not to try to emulate a Nashville production or arrangement style, and instead the album suggests the shadows of Tim Buckley or early Crosby, Stills & Nash while adding an English pastoral subtext all their own. After Later That Same Year, Matthews parted ways with Southern Comfort to record solo and later form Plainsong, but you'd never guess that this album was recorded by a band on its last legs -- this is subtle but confident music that comes from a handful of artists working at the height of their skills. [Before the release of Later That Same Year, Matthews Southern Comfort released a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" as a single, and it became a sizable hit in both America and Europe; it was added to the American edition of the album when it was released in the States in 1971.

by Mark Deming

Tracks
1. To Love (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 4:42
2. And Me (Ian Matthews) - 4:37
3. Tell Me Why (Neil Young) - 2:03
4. Jonah (Carl Barnwell) - 4:13
5. My Lady (Ian Matthews) - 1:37
6. And When She Smiles (She Makes The Sun Shine) (Alan Anderson) - 2:16
7. Mare, Take Me Home (Alan Anderson) - 3:44
8. Sylvie (Carl Barnwell) - 5:40
9. The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (Jesse Winchester) - 2:59
10.For Melanie (Carl Barnwell) - 6:45
11.Road To Ronderlin (Ian Matthews) - 2:21
12.Woodstock (Joni Mitchell) - 4:30
13.The Struggle (Ian Matthews) - 3:50
14.Parting (Ian Matthews) - 2:54
15.Scion (Howard Blaikley, Ian Matthews) - 3:28
Bonus Tracks 12-15

The Matthews Southern Comfort
*Ian Matthews - Guitar, Vocals
*Carl Barnwell - Guitar
*Gordon Huntley - Steel Guitar
*Keith Nelson - Banjo
*Mark Griffiths - Bass
*Andy Leigh - Bass
*Roger Coulam - Piano
*Ray Duffy - Drums
*Tristan Fry - Vibraphone

Related Act

1971  Southern Comfort - Southern Comfort (2017 reissue)

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rep>>> Pearls Before Swine - Balaklava (1968 us, psych folk gem, 2010 japan remaster)

A record that virtually defies categorization, Pearls Before Swine's 1968 epic Balaklava is the near-brilliant follow-up to One Nation Underground. Intended as a defiant condemnation of the Vietnam War, it doesn't offer anthemic, fist-pounding protest songs. Instead, Rapp vented his anger through surrealist poetry, irony, and historical reference: Balaklava was the 1854 Crimean War battle that inspired Alfred, Lord Tennyson to write his epic The Charge of the Light Brigade; in reality, the "Charge" was a senseless military action that killed scores of British soldiers.

Balaklava begins with "Trumpeter Landfrey," an 1880's recording of the actual voice and bugle charge of the man who sounded the charge at Balaklava. It makes the transition into "Translucent Carriages," a mix of acoustic guitars, a basic vocal, and ghostly narration ("Jesus raised the dead...but who will raise the living?"), all the more stunning. "Images of April" continues the mystical feel, combining flutes, cricket chirps, and frog croaks for a nether-worldly effect. Rapp virtually cries "I Saw the World," backed by a powerful string arrangement that makes the song even more impassioned.

Like One Nation Underground, Balaklava is somewhat unfocused: "There Was a Man" is a little too Dylan-esque, and Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" detracts from Rapp's compositions. Unfortunately, the record closes with "Ring Thing," a morbid piece that refers to Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. Still, this is superb psychedelic music, successfully merging exotic instruments like marimba, clavinet, French horn, and swinehorn with Rapp's unique lisping vocals.

But Balaklava isn't just acid-trip background music. It's probably the best example of what Rapp calls "constructive melancholy" (also the name of a recent CD collection of Pearls songs), a combination of the real with the surreal, and it's indispensable to any serious '60s rock collection.

by Peter Kurtz

Tracks

1. Trumpeter Landfrey - 0:35

2. Translucent Carriages (Herodotus, Harley, Rapp) - 4:00

3. Images of April - 2:44

4. There Was a Man - 2:59

5. I Saw the World - 3:28

6. Guardian Angels - 3:02

7. Suzanne (Cohen) - 5:01

8. Lepers And Roses - 5:23

9. Florence Nightingale - 0:17

10.Ring Thing (Tolkien, Rapp) - 2:20

All songs by Tom Rapp except otherwise stated.

Pearls Before Swine

*Tom Rapp - Guitar, Vocals, Breathing

*Jim Bohannon - Organ, Piano, Clavinette, Marimba

*Wayne Harley - Banjo, Harmony

*Lane Lederer - Bass, Guitar, Swinehorn

With

*Joe Farrell - Flute, English Horn 

*Lee Crabtree - Piano, Organ, 

*Bill Salter - Bass

*Al Shackman - Guitar

*Warren Smith - String Arrangements

*Selwart Clarke - String Arrangements

1967  Pearls Before Swine - One Nation Underground (2010 Japan)

1971  Pearls Before Swine - City of Gold (2003 Water)

1971  Pearls Before Swine - Beautiful Lies You Could Live In (2003 Water)
1972  Tom Rapp - Familiar Songs (2003 Water)

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rep>>> Pearls Before Swine - One Nation Underground (1967 us, great psychedelic folk rock, 2010 japan remaster)

Tom Rapp, an 18 year-old draft resistor and college dropout living in Eaugallie, Florida, sent a small unsolicited reel of tape to ESP. Bernard Stollman invited him to bring his musicians to New York, where they recorded their acclaimed debut, One Nation Underground in 1967.

This is still a stunning piece of work, from the nightmarish sleeve art -- the "Hell Panel" from Hieronymus Bosch's 15th century painting "Garden of Delights" -- to the strange yet powerful songs.

by Peter Kurtz

Tracks
1. Another Time - 3:05
2. Playmate (Saxie Dowell) - 2:17
3. Ballad To An Amber Lady (Roger Crissinger, Tom Rapp) - 5:13
4. (Oh Dear) Miss Morse - 1:52  
5. Drop Out! - 4:07  
6. Morning Song - 4:05  
7. Regions Of May - 3:25  
8. Uncle John - 2:52  
9. I Shall Not Care (Sara Teasdale, Roman Tombs, Tom Rapp) - 5:10
10.The Surrealist Waltz (Lane Lederer, Roger Crissinger) - 3:27
All compositions by Tom Rapp except where indicated

Pearls Before Swine
*Tom Rapp - Vocals, Guitar
*Wayne Harley - Autoharp, Banjo, Mandoline, Vibraphone, Audio Oscillator, Harmony
*Lane Lederer - Bass, Guitar, English Horn, Swinehorn, Sarangi, Celeste, Finger Cymbals, Vocals
*Roger Crissinger - Organ, Harpsichord, Clavioline
*Warren Smith - Drums, Percussion

1971  Pearls Before Swine - City of Gold (2003 Water)

1971  Pearls Before Swine - Beautiful Lies You Could Live In (2003 Water)
1972  Tom Rapp - Familiar Songs (2003 Water)

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rep>>> Asterix - Asterix (1970 germany / uk, excellent heavy progressive rock)

Asterix was a direct predecessor of Lucifer's Friend; released one (eponymous) album in 1970. Technically, this was the first Lucifer's Friend album, only under a different name. Also, one single was released featuring a slightly altered line-up, without John's involvement.

Peter Hesslein began his musical career way back in 1963 with a band called the Giants. Peter Hecht and Dieter Horns were both members of a group known as the German Bonds, from 1965 onwards. Peter Hesslein joined the Bonds in 1968 which survived until 1970. At this point the various members took up the study of graphic design in an attempt to forge more sensible careers.

But the call of rock'n'roll was too strong and in late 1970, the ex-Bonds men, together with Joachim Reitenbach , decided to record a new album. They needed a lead singer and eventually found John Lawton who had been with the group Stonewall. The new band released their first album 'Asterix' in 1970 under the same name before they change to Lucifer's Friend.

by Christer Andersson

Tracks

1. Everybody (Tommy Roe) - 3:04

2. If I Could Fly (Dieter Horns, Peter Hecht, Peter Hesslein, George Monroe) - 3:02

3. Look Out (Herbert Hildebrandt-Winhauer) - 3:09

4. Gone from My Life (Tony Cavanna, Peter Hesslein, John Lawton) - 3:30

5. Broken Home (Tony Cavanna, Peter Hesslein, John Lawton) - 4:26

6. Time Again (Tony Cavanna, Peter Hecht, John Lawton) - 3:08

7. Jump into My Action (Dieter Horns, Tony Cavanna, John Lawton) - 3:28

8. Open Up Your Mind (Tony Cavanna, Peter Hesslein, John Lawton) - 3:16

9. Corner Street Girl (Tony Cavanna, Peter Hesslein, John Lawton) - 4:06

10.Change in You (Dieter Horns, Tony Cavanna, John Lawton) - 4:08

11.Morning at My Dawn (Tony Cavanna, Peter Hesslein, John Lawton) - 6:54

Bonus Tracks 1,2

Asterix
*John Lawton - Vocals
*Peter Hecht - Keyboards
*Dieter Horns - Bass
*Peter Hesslein - Guitar
*Joachim Rietenbach - Drums

*Tony Cavanna - Vocals

*George Monroe - Vocals (Tracks 1,2)

Related Act

1970  Lucifer's Friend - Lucifer's Friend (DTS remaster) 

1974  Lucifer's Friend - Banquet (2015 remaster)

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rep>>> Dark - Anonymous Days (1974-95 uk, cool guitar hard prog psych blend)

Anonymous Days is the second studio album from Dark recorded 23 years after the first, the famous and highly collectable 'Round the Edges' LP. The band's line-up remains the same, Steve Giles, Ron Johnson, Martin Weaver and Clive Thorneycroft. Anonymous Days contains songs written between 1974 and 1995 and is the album we always wanted to make, combining the Dark progressive rock style with the latest recording techniques.

The first album was recorded in about 24 hours, this one took an awful lot longer: that's modern studios for you. The tracks are pure Dark combining complicated twin harmony guitar work with thought provoking lyrics and wide ranging musical structures.

We thoroughly enjoyed getting back together again to write and rehearse after all those years, we even played a live gig in our home town of Northampton. At the start of the project Ron's bass guitar was taken from the dust in his loft where it had lain undisturbed for over 20 years. After the album was finished he put it back in exactly the same place ready for the next one?

Anonymous Days was recorded between 1994-1996 at Outrider Studios Northampton, all tracks were composed between 1974-1995

by Martin Weaver, Northampton, England. June 2001

Tracks

1. All The Loving I Need (Steve Giles) - 5:12

2. Madame La Guilloline (Clive Thorneycroft, Martin Weaver, Ron Johnson, Steve Giles) - 6:55

3. Miles And Miles Away (Clive Thorneycroft, Martin Weaver, Ron Johnson, Steve Giles) - 5:38

4. Shadow Of The Rain (Martin Weaver) - 3:20

5. A Hope Full Of Holes (Clive Thorneycroft, Martin Weaver, Ron Johnson, Steve Giles)  - 8:44

6. On Came The Midnight (Ron Johnson) - 6:28

7. Don't Worry About That (Steve Giles) - 5:04

8. Killing My Friends (Martin Weaver) - 5:49

9. Journey's End (Ron Johnson) - 6:30

Dark
*Steve Giles - Guitars, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Ron Johnson - Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
*Martin Weaver - Guitars, Vocals
*Clive Thorneycroft - Drums, Percussion

1969-71  Teenage Angst The Early Sessions

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Homer - Grown In U.S.A. (1970 us, remarkable mixture of classic guitar rock psych and country, 2009 remaster and 2002 bonus tracks hard sleeve)

Born from the alchemical cauldron of ’60s Texas garage mischief—courtesy of The Outcasts and The Stoics—Homer emerged as a psychedelic phoenix soaring into rock’s kaleidoscopic renaissance.

Their singular offering, ‘Grown In U.S.A.’ is an enigmatic private press treasure that pirouettes between dusty backroad psych and the embryonic stirrings of prog, with guitars so vivid they practically narrate the story themselves. Mellotrons pop in like eccentric guests at a cosmic hoedown, while vocals gently nudge you toward nirvana. This rare Texas trinket is now reborn with remastered sound, a tough-as-boots cardboard sleeve, and an obi to make it extra posh. An insert stuffed with tales and snapshots adds to the lore.

by Klemen Breznikar

Tracks

1. Circles In The North (Frank Coy, Galen Niles) - 4:03

2. Taking Me Home (Frank Coy, Galen Niles) - 3:50

3. Dawson Creek (Starkey) - 3:21

4. Survivor (Howard Gloor, Galen Niles, Phil Bepko) - 5:00

5. In The Beginning (Frank Coy, Galen Niles, Howard Gloor) - 3:35

6. Love's Coming (Chet Himes, Frank Coy, Phil Bepko, Galen Niles, Howard Gloor) - 4:04

7. Four Days And Nights 'Without You' (Phil Bepko) - 4:17

8. Cyrano In The Park (Frank Coy, Galen Niles) - 6:35

9. Lonely Woman (Phil Bepko) - 3:38

Bonus Tracks Akarma 2002 edition

10.Sunrise (Galen Niles) - 3:05

11.Dandelion Wine (Frank Coy) - 3:33

Homer

*Phil Bepko - Vocals 

*Frank Coy - Vocals 

*Galen Niles - Lead Guitar 

*Howard Gloor - Steel, Lead Guitar 

*Chet Himes - Bass

*Gene Coleman - Drums

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rep>>> Aorta - Aorta 2 (1970 us, excellent classic rock tunes with psychedelic touches)

During the mid-'60s, the members of Aorta -- originally hailing from Rockford, IL -- had previously been in a group called the Exceptions. Early members of this group included Kal David (later of Illinois Speed Press and H.P. Lovecraft), Marty Grebb (the Buckinghams), and Peter Cetera (Chicago). The Exceptions were a soulful, if unremarkable, Top 40s cover group who were nevertheless acclaimed for their "exceptional" musicianship.

They were one of the more popular acts on the greater Chicago local scene, and released a handful of singles on numerous Midwest labels -- Tollie, Cameo, Quill -- and for L.A.-based Capitol. For the last of these releases, the band dropped the "s" from their name and began calling themselves the Exception (a compilation for the Collectables label, The Quill Records Story, collects two of their singles).

They also recorded an EP called "A Rock & Roll Mass for the Flair label; it featured six different rock songs with words taken from various religious prayers. As each member of the group -- with the exception of bassist Peter Cetera -- already had an eye toward expanding their original material to include a more "psychedelic" sound, they soon reconfigured themselves as Aorta, and, in late 1968, recorded a single for Atlantic.

Eventually, producer Bill Traut (American Breed) approached them on behalf of Dunwich Productions, Inc., and -- with Bobby Jones taking over on bass after Cetera's departure -- they accepted his offer to record their debut album for Columbia in 1969. They recorded two albums under the name Aorta. The first of these, the self-titled Aorta, is today highly acclaimed as a lite-psych album of some minor renown, and though it managed to chart on Billboard's album charts, it failed to do what was expected.

A revised version of the group -- still led by Jim Donlinger and now featuring Michael Been on bass/guitar/vocals -- recorded the drastically different second album, Aorta 2, for the Happy Tiger label. Jim Donlinger -- who along with his brother and Jim Nyeholt (during a brief period between the two albums), had all played in the Rotary Connection -- later left Aorta to join Lovecraft (formerly H.P. Lovecraft, who were signed to Reprise at the time), while Billy Herman would eventually move on to join New Colony Six.

Michael Been later played with Moby Grape members Jerry Millerand Bob Mosley in Fine Wine, and ultimately achieved his biggest success with the Call. Been is also the father of Robert Turner of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The original Aorta later re-formed (joining another great Chicago-area group, the Cryan' Shames) to do promo spots for the U.S. Armed Forces on a very rare promotional LP. They've appeared on numerous compilations over the years.

Garage Bands

Tracks
1. Willie Jean (Traditional, Arranged By – J. Donlinger, M. Been) - 3:03
2. Little Bonnie - 4:18
3. Blythe Spirit - 2:49
4. Beg For His Forgiveness - 4:55
5. Egypt (Jim Donlinger) - 4:06
6. His Faith In Men - 5:09
7. Devil, Maggot & Son - 2:48
8. Sandcastles - 2:55
9. Pickin' Blues - 3:12
10.Fallin' Behind - 3:25
All songs by J. Donlinger and M. Been except where noted.

Aorta
*Michael Been - Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Tom Donlinger - Drums, Bongos, Marimba, Congas, Percussion
*Jim Donlinger - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Jim Nyeholt - Piano, Organ
Guest Musicians
*Howard Levy - Congas
*Michael Ayre - Congas
*Kenneth Elliot - Cowbell
*George Edwards - Vocals (on track 1)

1969  Aorta - Aorta (2011 Remaster)

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rep>>> Andrew Leigh - Magician (1970 uk, wonderful psychedelic folk rock, 2011 remaster edition including extra track)

Some albums are classic journeyman's efforts, the work of someone who might have gained notice with other bands but was never quite a name in his own right -- thus Andrew Leigh's one-off solo effort Magician, recorded between his stint in Spooky Tooth's final months and becoming part of Matthews Southern Comfort soon afterward.

Despite the cover art and swirl of flutes helping kick things off, Magician is less acid folk/prog whimsy and more an overview of a lot of things in the year of its release, with a little electric bite here and there but otherwise aiming for gentler twang and rough-and-ready acoustic chug. There's stately late-Beatles pop via "Get Myself Together" (one of two songs from friend and fellow pro Kevin Westlake), a bit of moody folk-rock with "Windy Baker Street," easygoing country-tinged rambles like "Solitaire" and "Leaving Song," and more besides.

Throughout, the echoes of people like Bob Dylan, the Band, the Byrds, Free, and many others can be heard, all slotting into what would be Leigh's own career path well and showing that if his work wasn't deathless it was pleasant listening with a bit of flair. Leigh's liner notes are a fun read, the voice of someone who explored a path, then decided on a new one in later years, before returning to music on a casual for-the-heck-of-it basis -- not a bad place to be.

by Ned Raggett

Tracks
1. Magician - 3:22
2. Get Myself Together (Kevin Westlake) - 4:03
3. Goin’ Out To The West (Kevin Westlake) - 4:36
4. Solitaire - 3:57
5. Windy Baker Street - 4:55
6. Take Me Back - 4:50
7. Leaving Song - 2:58
8. Fresh Brown Eggs - 2:29
9. Up The USA - 9:19
10. The Passing (Bonus Track) - 5:01
All titles by Andrew Leigh except where noted.

Musicians
*Andrew Leigh - Vocals, Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Banjo, Recorder, Piano, Mellotron, Claves, Maracas
*Kevin Westlake - Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Drums, Background Vocals
*Bryan Hayward - Electric, Acoustic Guitars
*Reggie King - Piano, Vocals
*Gordon Jackson - Electric Sitar
*Gary Farr - Harmonica, Acoustic Guitar
*Mike Kellie - Tambourine
*Brian Godding - Electric Guitars
*Tony Priestland - Tenor Sax, Flute, Oboe
*Gary Wright - Electric Piano
*Sam Duboff, George Pastel, Philip Lusher, Mutzi Horvath - Hand Clapping

Related Acts

1971  Southern Comfort - Southern Comfort (2017 reissue)

1971  Southern Comfort - Frog City (2013 remaster)

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