Titus Oates was a Dallas, TX, progressive hard rock five-piece that was never well known. The group's lone 1974 LP was only issued locally on the Lips label, and until this reissue from Radioactive the only way to hear the thing was to lay down hard cash for a shoddy bootleg -- an important point because, while it may not have the bombast of a major-label recording, Jungle Lady does not suffer from the murky sonics that dog most self-released records of this sort. Because it was a local pressing, it has been nearly impossible to locate, too; as a result, Titus Oates has been at the top of many collectors' want lists for years, its legend growing every time someone added it to a personal catalog of Holy Grails.
Does it live up to the hype? Sort of. Jungle Lady is a competent curiosity that balances tough Texas-style hard rock playing -- it's not ZZ Top, but it's close -- with progressive rock keyboards and jazzy guitar licks. Those aren't things that often intersect, and so the legend is deserved. "Jungle Lady" is a heady, largely unexplored mix of rock grit and prog flourish, it's sure to find an appreciative audience.
by Wade Kergan
1 Jungle lady - 3:16
2 Dream on a train - 4:07
3 Blanket - 3:33
4 Friend of life - 3:49
5 Jupiter mars - 3:55
6 Time is only to fear - 3:43
7 Mr. tips - 3:46
8 Don't get your honey where you make your money - 4:45
9 The cage 7/2/74 - 4:05
Titus Oates
*Rick Jackson - Bass
*Lou Tielli - Guitar
*Steve Todd - Guitar
*Bill Beaudet - Keyboards
*Lou Tielli - Lead Vocals
*Pam Jackson - Lead Vocals
*Rick Jackson - Lead Vocals, Strings Ensemble
*Chris Eigenmann - Percussion
Free Text
Originally privately released on the Lips label in 1974 (USA).
ReplyDeleteThe reissue CD Radioactive is worth obtaining,originals of this album are extremely rare and still change hands for a lot of bucks.
(Worth noting is the existence of a reissue on vinyl of 1988 Hab label HBL 11006)
Titus Oates Dallas-based rock combo very good,American band playing a combination of hard rock guitar (somewhat in the style of Wishbone Ash and UFOs) with elements of progressive rock (saxophone, organ, synthesizer) as well as the folk-rock from the West Coast of the United States. Although their Southern roots do occasionally come to the surface in the form of some excellent Allman Brothers-style dual-guitar interludes and a couple of heavy bass riff-focused power tunes. Rick Jackson wrote all the material on the album on which the keyboards and vocals blend nicely with some melodic guitar work dual-guitar interludes and a couple of heavy bass riff focused power tunes material ranges from ‘60s flower-power pop soul metropolitan, very smooth in the sound of keyboards and wah-wah guitars to hard, roadhouse psychedelia.
Those who fear attacks from diabetes to stay away from the mellotron Bill Beaudet 'Dream on a Train', resounding soft-rock for teenagers in love which sparkle eyes and honeyed melody which is likely to stick in your ears; same stuff in the country 'Time Is Only to Fear' (just more dreamy, complete with female vocals) and 'Friends of Life', proto AOR, after all quite well produced and with a good dose of suspense left. Bill solved the rock-pop (the British mold) for hammond happy ending of 'Jupiter, Mars' and at the end there is also room for a riff actually hardrock in 'Mr. Tips', debased just the keyboard, but definitely not bad. It turns out that one of the best tracks is the atmospheric funk Listen Now! 'Do not Get Your Honey Where You Make Your Money', sound very urban (in the area of Climax Blus Band Stamp Album) illuminated by neon blue and pink and soft guitar liquidity cocktail lounge well alternate arrangements doors. But in reality the riff faux-Celtic-Irish of 'Jungle Lady' leaves a nice taste in your mouth, as well as the heroic bucking low on 'Blanket' piece as effective as in the verse and the chorus in the beautiful duet for guitars opposing that could last more than ten minutes and instead is mortified by a dull fade-out. Then 'The Cage 7/2/74', a self-cover of 'Jungle Lady', which ends to close the circle with the opening track, with a new duel between Bill Beaudet and the couple Tielli-Todd.
Overall, this is a very cool album.
Thx Maeios.
Trying to get some RA releases. Thank you. Does anyone have a working DL link as this one is broken.
ReplyDeleteSreve, "Titus Oates - Jungle Lady", ReNew...
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