In 1974 his producer said: “Daniel plays the cello like Jimi Hendrix the guitar!“ This Russian rooted Californian is for sure the wildest rock cellist of the 70/s. The history from this record goes back to 1971 when Daniel started to write the music. Classically trained he began to play instruments at age of 5 and toured a lot as a professional musician. The recordings of his 10 original cuts started in 1976, to be released in 1979 as very limited demo release to apply for a record deal (which not happened).
The music ranges from poetic dramatic “chanson-like” ballads to powerful Rock/n/Roll with awesome guitar assaults, incredibly heavy cello-sounds and Daniel/s outstanding voice
Late '70's album by this US solo artist who played Cello and worked with various artists including Cat Stevens. A diverse album mixing folk, hard rock and typical '70's singer songwriter material this is a fine album crossing various musical borders. There is some great guitar work, orchestration and evocative songs. Includes booklet with full information and lyrics.
"This album was a demo only release by Daniel in 1979 to send out to record companies. He started to write the music in 1971, recorded in 76-78 -- only a few copies are known of this great and unique record. The music ranges from fantastic acid folk to full blown psychedelic creepers with heavy cello -- and furious fuzz guitar assaults. His producer/s voice: 'Daniel plays the cello like Jimi Hendrix the guitar'! Now he is a movie actor and producer in Hollywood, known as Jason D. Holt.
Wally was an English rock band in the mid-seventies that played a mixture of prog rock and country, often labelled as progressive country. They hailed from Harrogate, Yorkshire and were led by singer-songwriter Roy Webber (lead vocals, acoustic guitar). Back then they recorded the albums Wally (1974) and Valley Gardens ((1975). After the second album they disbanded, but in 2009 they made a comeback which resulted in the re-release of those two albums and the recording of a new one. Therefore a lesson in history and an overview of their albums seem to be appropriate here.
Maybe the most important event for the band's career was the participation on the New Act competition in 1973. It was organized by Melody Maker, a well-known music magazine in those days. Wally made it to the finals at London's Roundhouse. However, they didn't win but they came to the attention of 'Whispering' Bob Harris, one of the judges of The Old Grey Whistle Test. The ultimate winner Druid recorded two fine progressive rock albums: Toward The Sun (1975) and Fluid Druid (1976). The runners-up prize for Wally was the recording of a session for Harris's BBC radio show The Monday Program. He took the band under his wings and succeeded in getting a record deal with Atlantic Records.
The eponymous debut album was co-produced by Harris and no one less than Rick Wakeman. The album shows a band that music wise had a lot to learn. The music is a fine mixture of prog rock and country. The lap steel guitar played by Paul Middleton, and the violin played by Pete Sage are responsible for the country-like sound, but the music contains elements from Irish folk music as well. They're closer to being a folk band than a symphonic band on this debut. The use of the Mellotron, Hammond organ and harmonium fooled some people since the only track that comes near to prog rock is the fourteen-minute track To The Urban Man containing some strong psych sound effects and fuzzy guitar layers. Another track that approaches prog music to a certain extent is the opening track The Martyr. It's an eight-minute, mostly instrumental flight of fancy that almost seamlessly moves between prog and pop.
After its release the band got managed by Brian Lane, best known as the manager of Yes. He organized a series of tours for them that would take them to countries like Japan and the United States. They also supported Yes and appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test.
by Peter Willemsen
Tracks
1. The Martyr (Paul Gerrett) - 8:04
2. I Just Wanna Be A Cowboy (Roy Webber) - 4:08
3. What To Do (Roy Webber) - :37
4. Sunday Walking Lady (Roy Webber) - 2:44
5. To The Urban Man (Jim Slade, Roy Webber) - 13:57
6. Your Own Way (Alan Craig, Roy Webber) - 5:38
Wally
*Roy Webber - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Pete Cosker - Lead Electric And Acoustic Guitars, Vocals, Bass Guitar
*Paul Gerrett - Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Hammond Organ, Mellotron, Harmonium, Grand Piano, Harpsichord, Vocals
*Pete Sage - Electric Violin, Bass Guitar, Mandolin
Irish singer-songwriter Jonathan Kelly’s second album “Twice around the Houses” was released on the RCA label in 1972 and was given masses of quality marketing, while Kelly played prestige gigs at all the top venues. He was a regular at major festivals - playing with just a miked up acoustic and was always easy to whip on and off between longer ensembles . Kelly always went down a storm wherever he played but somehow it just didn’t happen for him.
This album under review starts off with the sublime “Madeleine”, a mid-tempo song about un-requited love. The feeling expressed by Kelly’s voice leaves you in no doubt that this is a song of personal experience and would have made an excellent single, but, alas, time has moved on.
Next out of the traps is “Sligo Fair”, a lovely song about life in the British countryside. - Life is not always greener on the other side . Following this is “We’re All Right Till Then”, one of the most poignant protest songs this dog has ever heard. To lighten the load we then have the glorious “Ballad Of Cursed Anna”, always a concert favorite with audiences, telling the story of the folly of youth. It’s a tragi-comedy of a song that always plucks a heartstring but still leaves a smile on the lips.
Every track on the album is well constructed and the variety is quite remarkable. From acoustic sad ballads like “I Used To Know You” to the fun filled rock ‘n’ roll of “The Train Song”. Just one listen to this album will blow away all your blues.
By the time of Jonathan's last album " Two Days In Winter" in 1975 Jonathan's behavior was losing him friends and his judgment was so badly impaired that he was easy meat for those who wished to exploit him. This last album sold steadily but by no means in the number that TATH or WTTCTB did. Jonathan says, "Towards the end, my girlfriend and I were breakin' up, I was doin' loads of dope, I was canvassing for the Workers Revolutionary Party, 'n gigs were goin' crazy, I was fallin' off stages an people were laffin' on echo."
Left with no money after a series of bad business decisions Jonathan was in a bad way, in fact many people didn't expect him to live very long, but something happened which saved Jonathan's life, he recalls "A man came to my door and said "I'm looking to talk with people who'll like to see a change in the world. What I mean is, an end to war and poverty and hunger. Do those things concern you?" I said, "Come in." "And now 30 years later I'm still a very busy member of a very active Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses where I live. You see when you find the answer to all your questions, why go on searching anymore? I have a beautiful wife, two big sons, and two beautiful grandchildren."
Jonathan had at last found something more important to him than fame and fortune. He settled in the countryside and started his own small carpet cleaning business, he lived in an area where nobody knew Jonathan Kelly, he was just plain Jonathan Ledingham, local nice guy. There the story would have ended but his fans had not forgotten him and Gerald Sables who knew Jonathan from his countless appearances in Doncaster tried to find him over the years, "Nobody knew what had happened to him, it was as if he had disappeared off the planet" said Gerald. " I heard many different stories including people who could tell me in detail that he was dead and how and where he died, including a car crash in London". Gerald decided in 1996 to start looking for Jonathan via the internet, he made many friends along his journey to Jonathan, occasionally he would hear tales of people seeing Jonathan perform in folk clubs in the 1980's. One thing was for certain, Jonathan had at least survived into the late 80's and hopefully beyond.
In 2002 Gerald contacted several web chat boards and also a few record companies, but nothing much happened until BGO records decided to release two of Jonathan's albums as a double CD 'Twice Around The Houses' & 'Wait Till They Change The Backdrop' perhaps all the messages on chat boards had made somebody remember Jonathan at BGO? Gerald wrote to BGO plus several journalists hoping to track Jonathan down, the sleeve notes for the CD release said that Jonathan was alive and well.
All Gerald's enquiries came to nothing and the trail went cold and then in late 2002 Gerald received out of the blue an email from Jonathan's son Greg, saying that Jonathan was going to write to him. Several months passed without any message arriving and Gerald could only wait. Then finally Jonathan wrote and they struck up a correspondence via email.
Gerald was able to put Jonathan in touch with many of his old friends including John Leonard who used to run the Bay Horse Folk Club near Doncaster and now runs a successful TV production company, He also put Jonathan in touch with Eddie Armstrong and Ivan Hill, Jonathan's old school friends and members of his first band the 'Saracens'. He has also managed to put Jonathan in touch with Tim Staffell. As a thank you to Gerald and his other friends in Doncaster Jonathan came out of retirement to perform a one-off gig at the Rockingham Arms Folk Club near Rotherham on January 9th 2004, he was nervous as he hadn't performed in 30 years and so wouldn't let his appearance be announced. He started off nervously but soon found his confidence amongst the warm applause and it was an evening to remember for all who were fortunate to be there.
Gerald and Jonathan met up again in April 2004 at Jonathan's home and Gerald discussed the subject of Jonathan having an official website, Jonathan agreed for Gerald to do this and loaned him many items from his personal archive for the site.
What the future holds for Jonathan nobody knows, but hopefully it will be a bright future. His friends and family are trying to encourage him to perform some more concerts and Jonathan is keen to produce a new album, he says "I write as much now, if not more, than I ever wrote before. I can't help it. I've got music in my mind everywhere I go. Songs come to visit and if I'm quick and copy them down before they leave, then I can play them to someone else. Many times they just come and stay a while and then slip out the back door never to be heard of again. It don't worry me, it was just nice to have them around for a while.
Jonathan certainly wasn't the rich person you would expect him to be, you would think that after all his success and years in the music business that he would have a few bob stored away, but sadly he made little from his music career and today lives in very modest surroundings, he says "I never earned a penny from the music business. Many of those around me were crooks and I was always stoned, more fool me. See, I hated Capitalism. How could an artist do his work for monetary reward? Art is unselfish and seeks no reward save the joy of creating works of art that are honest and innocent of greed and done only to add beauty and reason to our beautiful earthly home.
by Gerald Sables
Tracks
1. Baby Child - 5:25
2. Only Your Love - 4:17
3. Is It Not A Lovely Day - 2:58
4. Living Together - 6:59
5. Reaching For A Star - 5:17
6. Now Is The Time - 2:57
7. Mary Jane - 4:03
8. Never Do That To Anyone - 3:57
9. Rush On Time - 3:20
10.Rabbit Face - 2:49
11.What Can I Do Now - 4:48
12.Minstrel Tramp - 3:14
13.One More Kiss - 3:48
All compositions by Jonathan Kelly
Musicians
*Jonathan Kelly - Guitar, Piano, Percussion, Vocals
Jonathan Kelly was born Jonathan Ledingham in Drogheda, Co. Lough in Ireland in 1947. He came from a musical family, his father played ukulele and his brother George who was a wonderful boy soprano and later a tenor, played the organ in the school chapel at the boarding school in Dublin where Jonathan was also a student, it was here that Jonathan made his first recording performing a solo part in a school production of the Messiah.
Coming from a musical family, Jonathan was interested in music from his earliest memories, but it was the dawning of Rock & Roll and artists such as Little Richard, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly and Elvis, which really inspired him. He Says " There was all this music in the late fifties, such as David Whitfield etc. and then one day on the wireless I heard Rock & Roll for the first time, it just blew me away, this vibrant music, music for young people, you can't imagine the effect it had upon me and others"
At school Jonathan met Eddie Armstrong and Ivan hill, who were in the school choir alongside him, they all shared the same young enthusiasm for Rock & Roll and decided to form a band called the Saracens covering Shadows songs amongst others, Ian Ellis was brought in to play drums. At first they were just a school band but they became popular and played a few concerts and then went on to do a summer tour of Ireland in 1962. Eddie Armstrong remembers " I played Lead, Ivan played Bass and Jonathan was a very solid rhythm guitarist something that is still very evident in his recordings from the seventies"
At the end of 1962 Ivan Hill left and returned to his native Yorkshire and the Saracens disbanded. Jonathan however continued playing and there are several photographs of him around this time playing as part of other bands with Jonathan often playing drums, something he is also good at.
After school Jonathan who was already in love with the stage decided to go to Drama school, also there was Brian Trench who had known Jonathan since they were small children. They decided to form the 'Boomerangs' along with Aiden Cahill, Alan Doran and Noel Richardson and released a single called "Dream World" this marks not only Jonathan's first record release, but also his first published song.
The Boomerangs were short-lived but it had served to bring Jonathan to the attention of the music industry and he started touring the folk club circuit as a solo singer. He released another single this time under his own name titled 'Without an E'. Although the song was not a massive hit it did attract the attention of many artists who could see that Jonathan had a great latent song writing talent and he was asked to write songs for other artists, amongst them Johnny McEvoy who was popular at the time. He was also asked to write a song for the popular Irish pop band 'The Greenbeats' this song entitled "The La La Song" would have been a sure fire Eurovision winner and it's so catchy that once you hear it you can't get it out of your head.
By the time the 'La La Song' was released in 1968, Jonathan had been influenced greatly by Bob Dylan and other Us artists such as The Band, James Brown. His lyrics took on a much more mature feel, his next single 'Love is a toy' was backed with an outstanding antiwar song called 'Thank you Mrs. Gilbert' which was vastly superior to the a side and yet less commercial, but this release showed that Jonathan's song writing and singing talents were a force to be reckoned with.
Jonathan was soaking up all the musical influences in the rich musical world of the late sixties, His favorite artists included musicians as diverse as Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Eddie Kendricks, "Rogers and Hammerstein, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Sly & The Family Stone, James Brown, Jim Webb, Stevie Wonder, J.D. Salinger, Miles Davies, John Sebastian, Tim Hardin and Randy Newman and particularly Donny Hathaway and Jim Web. Jonathan says "I remember hearing 'I was made to love her' by Stevie Wonder for the first time, the bass line by James Jamerson just blew me away! there was another bassist at Motown called Carol Kay, she was amazing I loved her stuff I really loved some of those old Motown records, I remember hearing Marvin Gaye singing 'What's goin on for the first time' that definitely had a big influence on me" Amongst the other musical influences of Jonathan at this time was the Jazz scene " I thought people such as Miles Davis, Donald Bird and Herbie Hancock were just brilliant" says Jonathan.
Jonathan was assimilating all these musical influences and was broadening his range of song writing and the type of musicians and arrangements that he liked to work with.
During the following year 1971, Jonathan released no records but concentrated of playing concerts and writing, something that was to turn out to be very fruitful. In the summer of 1971 Jonathan was invited to play the Cambridge Folk Festival and he took the event by storm. At last the record buying public had recognised his immense talent. All of the music magazines of the day were knocking at his door for interviews and when in 1972 Jonathan released his much anticipated album 'Twice Around the houses' his public were not to be disappointed, the music press were enthusiastic and the album received rave reviews. A single was released to help cash in on the album's popularity, 'Madeleine' bw 'Sligo Fair'
1972 was a busy year for Jonathan, he toured with the Strawbs between January and Match completing 25 concerts and help raise his profile considerably, Jonathan also appeared at several festivals in the summer including Bickershaw, Lincoln, Reading and Chelmford. Jonathan also managed to spent much of 1972 playing in folk clubs up and down the UK and was very popular, one person remembers Jonathan turning up unannounced at the Bay horse Folk club near Doncaster. "Jonathan was in the area and turned up to meet friends and watch some music, when he was spotted he was asked to sing, he politely refused saying he was tired, but the audience wouldn't take no for an answer. Jonathan finally agreed and performed three songs in the interval, as he tried to leave the stage, the audience pushed tables up to the front in order to stop him, begging him to sing more. Jonathan pointed out that the McCallmans, a popular folk group were due back on stage, at that point one of the McCallmans shouted out from the back of the room, 'You carry on John, we're getting paid anyway!' and so carry on he did, a wonderful performance and a night to remember"
RCA decided to invest more money in Jonathan's next album due to the popularity on TATH, his next album 'Wait Till They Change The Backdrop' (1973) was warmly received by an enthusiastic music press and the public alike. This time the album had a gatefold cover and featured amongst others the Sutherland Brothers who were a short while later to have a hit themselves. A single was released to coincide with the album 'Let the people stay', backed with 'Mother Moon' a song Jonathan often featured in his performances.
Jonathan was now fully embroiled in the hippy lifestyle and culture, believing in peace and love, indeed he signed autographs, 'Peace and love, Jonathan Kelly' unfortunately there was one side of this coin, which wasn't admirable, namely drugs! Jonathan was now an active drug-taker and the more he was embroiled in that scene the more his behavior changed and along with it his judgment. Jon Ledingham stopped performing towards the end of the 1970s. He returned to the stage from 2004 to 2007, doing solo acoustic shows and released a number of albums, including Live 2005 and Some Demos. His death comes after a lengthy battle with illness on May 2nd 2020 at the age of 73.
Underrated and overdue, Nine Below Zero get the re-issue treatment, complete with live set that captures their scorching heyday. Joe Whyte celebrates a criminally undervalued and influential band.
They were a hard one to pin down all those years ago. The obvious Feelgoods influence was there, late 70s, but they were way too cocksure and sharp to fit in with the decaying pub rock scene. Sure, they were energetic enough to be tied in with punk but they had the musical chops and grounding in R&B and the blues that kept them separate. The mod revival toddled along and toddled off again pretty quickly and despite Nine Below Zero having the monochromatic razor-creased suits and the proper influences, they weren’t pretty boy enough for most of the fledgling modsters. In fact, let’s be honest, Nine Below Zero looked like they’d be more likely spotted running out of a bank holding sawn-off shotguns and wearing balaclavas than admiring each others scooters and three-button suits.
Building a fiery live reputation in the capital and signing rapidly with A&M they released, in the style of the Feelgoods and Eddie And the Hot Rods, a debut record that was recorded live, showcasing the sweaty, feverish shows they were renowned for. Live At The Marquee scorched their reputation large in the consciousness and the band seemed set for great things.
Their sophomore release in 1981 only served to enhance the band’s reputation. The Glyn Johns produced Don’t Point Your Finger (remastered and packaged here with a live 1981 Bristol set) is a thing of real wonder. If this was released today by a band like The Strypes we’d be worshipping at the altar of the new best thing. No doubt due to the quality of the competition at the time and despite entering the charts twice, the album wasn’t the massive hit it deserved to be. At the time, 9BZ toured with The Who and The Kinks and made a legendary appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test which is still pretty staggering today.
Don’t Point Your Finger delivers on all counts; One Way Street is all chopping guitar growl and Mark Feltham’s swooping blues harp with the don’t-mess-with-me snarl and pleading croon of Dennis Greaves’ vocal delivery. Doghouse takes the band’s Sonny Boy Williamson/Son House/BB King influences and drags them kicking and screaming into some dank London boozer and kicks the shit out of them. It’s all short, sharp and very good fun. Yeah, it’s the blues, but without the angst and Clapton-style ham-fisted attempts at middle-class white-boy-wishing-he-was-from-the-delta that infects the genre. Nine Below Zero don’t pretend to be anything other than fans who love playing this stuff. The energy and verve they bring to these songs is palpable and as infectious as rabies. Helen takes their typical Rhythm and Blues template and adds the kitchen sink drama that made Costello and Squeeze such big successes.
The live set from 1981 (The Granary in Bristol, recorded for BBC 1 In Concert) is pretty irresistible. Opening with Don’t Point Your Finger At The Guitar Man it sets out its stall quickly and succinctly. The crowd goes ape shit and the group are a finely tuned and aggressive sounding bunch. It’s no surprise to learn that 9BZ barely had a day off the road in their early years as this sounds like a group at the top of their game with the bass/drums combo of Brian Bethel and Mickey Burkey in swaggering form. Greaves, of course, is a guitar slinger of some repute; his searing chords and biting leads would have given a certain Mr. Weller a run for his money.
The live set includes a few songs from the next album and it’s interesting to hear their gestation and evolution, particularly 11+11 and True Love Is A Crime which are staples of the band’s set to this day.
Third Degree was again recorded at Glyn Johns’ studio in 1982 with Simon Boswell helming and they made another epochal TV appearance as the first guests on new (and at the time, anarchic, although it doesn’t date very well!) comedy The Young Ones with a scorching run through of the aforementioned 11+11.
Third Degree is still considered to be something of an under-rated album and this re-issue certainly backs that theory. The production is crisper and slightly more polished but little of the group’s edge is lost. The songwriting is a step up from the previous release with a more mature and classicist slant – how Wipe Away Your Kiss wasn’t a huge hit is a mystery to this day. They were just one of those unlucky bands, Nine Below Zero, never there at the right time. A couple of tracks don’t really work on Third Degree; Sugarbeat is a little trying-too-hard to be clever and as an attempt at a disco pastiche it’s a little weak. Egg On My Face in contrast is an acoustic-led song with some calypso-style flourishes which please.
The re-issue is twinned with a Glyn Johns produced earlier attempt at the album (which the record company nixed) and is a worthwhile addition, highlighting the album’s first incarnation and including some unreleased songs. Johnnie Weekend is a cracker that didn’t make the finished product and it’s nice to hear it here.
by Joe Whyte, March 9, 2014
Tracks
Disc 1 Original Album Don‘t Point Your Finger 1981
1. One Way Street (Dennis Greaves) - 3:43
2. Doghouse (Dennis Greaves, Michael Turner) - 2:20
3. Liquor Lover (Dennis Greaves, Michael Turner) - 2:50
4. Helen (Dennis Greaves) - 3:45
5. Ain't Comin' Back (Dennis Greaves, Michael Turner) - 2:53
6. I Won't Lie (Dennis Greaves) - 3:40
7. Treat Her Right (Roy Head) - 2:23
8. Three Times Enough (Dennis Greaves, Stix Burkey) - 1:58
9. Sugar Mama (Chester Burnett) - 5:06
10.Don't Point Your Finger At The Guitar Man (Dennis Greaves, Michael Turner, Stix Burkey) - 2:40
11.Rockin' Robin (Jimmy Thomas) - 2:20
12.You Can't Please All The People All The Time (Dennis Greaves) - 5:15
Disc 2 Live At The Granary, Bristol 24.10.1981
1. Don‘t Point Your Finger At The Guitar Man (Dennis Greaves, Michael Turner, Stix Burkey) - 3:44
2. True Love Is A Crime (Dennis Greaves) - 3:28
3. Three Times Enough (Dennis Greaves, Stix Burkey) - 2:04
4. Ridin‘ On The L'n'N (Lionel Hampton) - 4:25
5. Treat Her Right (Roy Head) - 2:25
6. Helen (Dennis Greaves) - 3:24
7. 11+11 (Dennis Greaves) - 2:24
8. I Can‘t Quit You Baby (Willie Dixon) - 6:52
9. Rockin‘ Robin (Jimmy Thomas) - 3:17
10.Sugar Beat (Dennis Greaves) - 4:23
11.Homework (Al Perkins, Dave Clark) - 2:41
12.I Can‘t Help Myself (Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Jr., Lamont Dozier) - 3:09
13.Why Don‘t You Try Me Tonight (Billy Young) - 3:54
14.You Can‘t Please All The People All The Time (Dennis Greaves) - 7:08
15.Pack Fair And Square (Big Walter Price) - 2:18
16.One Way Street (Dennis Greaves) - 9:33
Nine Below Zero
*Peter Clark - Bass
*Stix Burkey - Drums
*Dennis (The Menace) Greaves - Lead Vocals, Guitar
'On 19th December 1972 the Man band and their friends and ladies organised a Christmas party at the Patti Pavillion in Swansea. The party started at six and came to a premature end at midnight when the Swansea Constabulary decided enough was enough...
Live had always been the way Welsh rock bands were best appreciated: much of Man's first album, 'Revelation'. had been cut at the Langland Hotel in Swansea before being enhanced in the studio, while 1972 had already seen Man's earlier fourpiece incarnation of Deke Leonard, Micky Jones, Martin Ace and Terry Williams appear on two limited edition albums, 'Greasy Truckers Party' and 'Live At The Padget Rooms Penarth'' (both recently reissued on CD by Point/Voiceprint).
Appropriately enough, the show kicked off with 'Welcome To The Party'.' an offerinf from the F lying Aces 'written on that day and recorded that night,. never to be performed again.' Sadly, the Aces founded by then- husband and wife team of Martin and George Ace -- were never to make it to vinyl again in their own right, though plenty of tapes have circulated.
The medal for the man in the most bands on the the goes to Deke Leonard who, having been sacked from Man, was filling in time before his own solo career took off. He'd bailed out Help Yourself when their mainman Malcolm Morley went into a ''Black Abyss' of selfdoubt, and the galvanising effect he had on the formerly laid-back band can be heard here in 'Eddie Waring'. This was one of several/ riffbased numbers named after TV personalities: 'Ludovic Kennedy' and 'Frank Bough'' were others.
Deke tried to make us into a 'name' had with titles like that.' explains guitarist Richard Treece. Morley eventually had a change of mind and rejoined, leaving Deke free to found Iceberg.
Next up was Ducks Deluxe, a feisty four-piece who would go on to become stalwarts of the London pub scene and record two albums for RCA -- neither of which contained their contribution here. ''Boogaloo Babe'. The link with the Welsh fraternity was Help Yourself: Sean Tyla had both roadied and played with the band, while former Helps bassist Ken Whaley had been in their very first lineup.
The Jets and Plum Crazy were two seminal, though hitherto unrecorded, Swansea outfits from 1964-65 and 1968-69 respectively whose common factor was vocalist Plum Hollis. The Eyes of Blue (1964-69), who also played, didn't make it onto the album since two of their original lineup were otherwise engaged -- Gary Pickford-Hopkins with Wild Turkey, and John 'Pugwash' Weathers. a future Man drummer, with Gentle Giant.
Festivities were concluded appropiately, by Man with two guests sitting in. One was guitarist, producer and one-man-band Dave Edmunds who, earlier in the year. had lent his talents to their album 'Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day'. The other, Stan Phifer, was, Deke Leonard later revealed, a local character who was in lots of Swansea bands. He used to come up and do...well, it was hard to keep him off really!'
The spirit of 'Christmas At The Patti' has since been consciously evoked in the 1990's at three Welsh Conventions, organised by Man's information service, when various bygone groups have come to life for just one day. Yet the magic of the evening exists when any South Wales group sets foot on the boards, be it Man -- now about to celebrate their 30th Birthday -- the Archers. Featuring ex-Helps Richard Treece and Ken Whaley, or Clive John's Trembling Knees at any number of hostelries in and around Swansea.
Let's leave the last word though, to Treecey. 'Christmas At The Patti', he recalls, 'was an hilariously enjoyable day. Deke had helped to save a sinking ship.
Artist - Tracks - Composer
1. The Flying Aces - Welcome To The Party (George Ace, Martin Ace) - 2:57
3. The Jets - My Way (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) - 4:08
4. The Jets - Jambalaya (Hank Williams) - 4:34
5. Plum Crazy With Dave Edmunds - Jingle Bells (Traditional) - 0:33
6. Plum Crazy With Dave Edmunds - Run Rudolph Run (Johnny Marks, Marvin Brodie) - 2:19
7. Help Yourself With Deke Leonard And Bj Cole - Mona (Ellas McDaniel) - 11:42
8. Help Yourself With Deke Leonard And Bj Cole - Eddie Waring (Deke Leonard) - 14:06
9. Man With Dave Edmunds And Stan Phifer - Life On The Road / Shuffle (Improvisation) (Clive John, Mickey Jones, Phil Ryan, Terry Williams, Will Youatt) - 11:41
Musicians
*Deke Leonard - Guitar (Tracks 1,3,4,7,8), Vocals (7,8)
After the “Merryweather ‘n’ Carey” days, Neil put together a new band, took them into Paramount Studios and cut some demos featuring Lynn Carey on lead vocals. Neil saw a restaurant called “Mama Lion’s” while driving in downtown LA and took the name for the new band. He played the demos for manager Ken Mansfield, ex A’n’R for Verve Records (later became Waylon Jennings manager). Ken signed the band to a management deal and played the tapes for Artie Ripp who signed them to his new label called “Family Productions” (Famous Music).
When the organ player severely injured his arm, Neil found a new keyboard player named Jim Howard (James Newton Howard) and, Mama Lion recorded their first album at the Record Plant with Artie Ripp called “Preserve Wildlife”. Preserve Wildlife is the debut album the ten song blues rock recording, which opens with a three-minute remake of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine", showcases curvaceous Carey competently backed by bassist Neil Merryweather, guitarist Rick Gaxiola and drummer Coffi Hall. Has to be one of the best album covers of all time.
Neil produced Mama Lion’s second album “Give It Everything I Got”.Friend and fellow label mate Billy Joel played on some of Neil’s new songs. At one of the sessions, Neil records a demo for Billy of his song “Piano Man”. Neil leaves Mama Lion, Mama Lion breaks up shortly thereafter in Paris, France.
Tracks
1. Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers) - 3:08
2. Be Bad With Me (Artie Ripp, Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 2:45
3. Ain't Too Proud To Beg (Edward Holland, Jr., Norman Whitfield) - 4:35
4. Wildcat (Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather, Rick Gaxiola) - 2:58
5. Candy Man (Beverly Ross, Fred Neil) - 3:30
6. Mr. Invitation (Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 4:39
7. Sister, Sister (She Better Than A Man) (Artie Ripp, Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather, Rick Gaxiola) - 2:32
8. Can't Find My Way Home (Stevie Winwood) - 3:58
9. It's Only A Dream (Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 2:48
10.Cry (Churchill Kohlman) - 3:42
11.Give It Everything I've Got (Lynn Carey) - 2:49
12.I Wanna Be Your Woman (James Newton Howard, Neil Merryweather) - 2:30
13.Life Is Just A Four Letter Word (Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 2:39
14.Mama Never Told Me (Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 3:18
15.Crazy Place (Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 5:42
16.Dark Garden (Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 4:14
17.From Bad To Worse (Neil Merryweather) - 4:30
18.I'm Tired (Chris Youlden) - 3:01
19.Griffins (James Newton Howard, Lynn Carey, Neil Merryweather) - 2:59
20.Saved (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 3:05
Track 1-10 from LP "Preserve Wildlife: 1972
Tracks 11-20 from LP "Give It Everything I've Got" 1973
Mama Lion
*Lynn Carey - Vocals
*Neil Merryweather - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Coffi Hall - Drums, Percussion
*James Newton Howard - Organ, Piano, Ionic Synthesizer
The Larsen-Feiten Band would only ever technically release one album under that name, a 1980 self-titled outing, but its members were in such hot demand as sessionmen that it’s questionable if the band could have remained a full-time project. Keyboardist Neil Larsen had played on records for everyone from Don McLean and Dan Fogelberg to Richard Thompson and George Harrison, even penning several album cuts for the likes of George Benson (“Windsong,” “Stand Up”), Rickie Lee Jones (“So Long”), and even Miles Davis (“Carnival.”) Guitarist Buzz Feiten, meanwhile, had made a name for himself as a member of both the Paul Butterfield Blues Band – where he first linked up with Larsen – and as Gene Cornish’s replacement in the last several years of the Rascals.
In 1973, Larsen and Feiten – alongside several fellow Paul Butterfield Blues Band alums – formed the short-lived Full Moon (whose Larsen-penned instrumental “Midnight Pass” would later be covered by Sea Level on Cats on the Coast), but the two men would continue to work with each other, both playing on a lot of the same sessions and Feiten playing guitar behind Larsen on the latter man’s solo albums for the A&M jazz subsidiary Horizon, before forming a second band together. The newly-formed Larsen-Feiten band was rounded out by three more in-demand sessionmen: bassist Willie Weeks, percussionist Lenny Castro, and drummer Art Rodriguez.
The band’s sound was adult-contemporary-oriented with an obvious R&B influence, but the blues and jazz backgrounds of Larsen and Feiten meant that their sound had a bit more grit to it than, say, the Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers, and the band was more easily comparable to more jazz-fusion-inspired acts like Sea Level or Time Loves a Hero-era Little Feat, bands that still had their feet firmly planted in the world of R&B-influenced pop yet weren’t adverse to indulge their inner jazz musicians and embark on long instrumental jams. Not surprisingly, two of the eight cuts on Larsen-Feiten Band (produced by the legendary Tommy LiPuma, best known for his work with George Benson, Natalie Cole, and Diana Krall) are instrumentals, both Larsen-penned; “Further Notice” is the more jazz-oriented of the two, but the album-closing “Aztec Legend” is perhaps even more adventurous and intricate, boasting just a slight hint of prog, and the title of the latter fits the music quite well.
The percussive grooves of the slow-burning “Midnight Star” and the danceable “Make It” (which makes great use of the famed horn section from the jazz-pop outfit Seawind) make great use of the rhythmic sense of Castro and Rodriguez both, while the sunny and soulful “She’s Not in Love,” penned by Feiten with future ‘80s pop star Michael Sembello (“Maniac,” “Automatic Man”), boasts the disc’s most unforgettable chorus. Larsen’s slinky “Over” (penned with lyricist Allee Willis) vaguely recalls the great, overlooked early Toto single “Georgy Porgy” and has a sensational pre-chorus that in and of itself is enough to make you give the cut a second listen.
The disc’s most famous track, though, is the opener, “Who’ll Be the Fool Tonight,” which was released as a single and gave the band their first and only Top 40 hit, peaking at #29. The chorus isn’t nearly as catchy upon first listen as that of “She’s Not in Love,” but it’s easy to see why the track was still chosen as the lead-off single: it’s just got that winning sound to it. The five men ride the song’s R&B groove with an expert precision and smoothness that would make Michael McDonald envious, but it never quite sounds entirely like yacht-rock, either; imagine Al Jarreau’s “We’re in This Love Together” with a harder and more pronounced bop to it, with just a hint of the Doobies’ “Takin’ It to the Streets” thrown in for good measure, and you’ve got a good idea of the sound of the single. There’s pop there, to be sure, as well as elements of soul and smooth-jazz, but it’s played with an attitude that gives the cut just a hint of rock and makes it both surprisingly punchy and a bit too genre-defying to fit neatly into any one category.
For some reason, the Larsen-Feiten Band name was retired, and the same exact lineup would record one more album together, 1982’s Full Moon, under the name Full Moon featuring Neil Larsen & Buzz Feiten and featuring an equal mix of instrumentals and songs with vocals, but the album didn’t perform nearly as well as the previous outing. (Both this disc and Larsen-Feiten Band would eventually emerge on CD as a two-fer package in 2005 on the Wounded Bird label.) Nearly the entire band – with the sole exception of Weeks – would also show up on Rickie Lee Jones’ Pirates.
Larsen and Feiten would continue to make music together as sessionmen, the two men most notably serving as the keyboardist and guitarist, respectively, on Kenny Loggins’ iconic title theme for the film Footloose. Feiten would also temporarily return to band work in the late ‘80s as the replacement for Steve Farris in – fittingly enough – Mr. Mister.
by Jeff Fiedler, December 15, 2016
Tracks
1. Who'll Be The Fool Tonight (Buzz Feiten) - 4:12
2. Danger Zone (Buzz Feiten, William D. Smith) - 5:04
3. Further Notice (Neil Larsen) - 3:34
4. Over (Allee Willis, Neil Larsen) - 5:08
5. She's Not In Love (Buzz Feiten, Mike Sembello) - 4:41
6. Morning Star (Buzz Feiten) - 5:21
7. Make It (Allee Willis, Neil Larsen) - 4:28
8. Aztec Legend (Neil Larsen) - 4:39
9. Phantom Of The Footlights (Buzz Feiten, Sal Bernardi) - 4:28
10.The Visitor (Neil Larsen) - 4:39
11.Twilight Moon (Buzz Feiten) - 3:57
12.Sierra (Neil Larsen) - 4:35
13.Brown Eyes (Buzz Feiten, Mark Vieha, Sal Bernardi) - 4:19
14.Hero's Welcome (Neil Larsen) - 4:30
15.Standing In Line (Buzz Feiten, Mark Vieha) - 4:12
16.Little Cowboys (Lenny Castro, Neil Larsen) - 3:58
G. Wayne Thomas was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and spent his early years from a very young age boarding at Timaru Boys High in the South Island. Due to his mother’s poor health, the family later moved to Christchurch, where he attended Cashmere High. Here he joined the school band and played First 15 rugby, subsequently being selected to play for Canterbury in several divisions up to under 19s, and for the schoolboy side that toured Fiji.
His first job was as a Production Assistant with CHTV 3, and he later moved to Australia on a scholarship to study Theatre Production at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). During this time he worked as Stage Manager for Frank Strain’s Theatre Restaurants at night, before taking a full time position with the then Elizabethan Theatre Trust Company, now Opera Australia.
Round 1972 G. Wayne Thomas was continuously writing, producing and sometimes singing numerous television and radio commercials for Australia’s leading adverting agencies. One of these assignments required him to be overseas for an extended period of time and this eventually lead to him leaving Warner Bros.
On return to Australia he formed his own record label along with Jon English, called Warm and Genuine, the name being an antithesis of the reality of the music/recording business. He produced Jon’s first No. 1 record “Turn the Page” and became the Executive Producer of Jon’s first album “Wine Dark Sea”. These were released through Polygram, on which he also released his first solo album “G. Wayne Thomas” which included his third single “Everything in You” / “Call My Name”, as well as “Come Tomorrow Morning” and a version of Kris Kristofferson’s song “I’ve Got To Have You” made world famous shortly after by Carly Simon.
At this time Thomas was asked by David Elfick to write and produce the soundtrack for Albe and David’s new film “Crystal Voyager”. To do this Thomas formed a studio band, funnily enough, called the “The Crystal Voyager Band” whose members comprised Bobby Gibbert (keyboards), Mick Lieber (ex Python Lee Jackson, Ashton, Gardner and Dyke, guitars) Rod Coe (bass) and John Proud (drums), with Thomas on acoustic guitars and vocals.
The film “Crystal Voyager” was based on the exploits of American hippie kid, knee boarder and inside the wave Film Cameraman, George Greenough, who was also the prime mover in the invention of the “fish eye” camera lens. The film also featured the band Pink Floyd in the final scenes, where Greenough strapped a camera to his head to film inside the hollow section of the wave called “the tube”. These sequences became famous and were used by Pink Floyd for a number of years in their live performances, and captured the imagination of European audiences with the film running for over a year in London’s West End as a double feature with the film Fantastic Planet.
Tony Kosinec is a singer-songwriter born in England and raised in Canada. His second album "Bad Girl Songs", -release early 1970- has been treated like a treasure among enthusiastic singer-songwriter fans. Self-penned songs based on acoustic guitar and piano, Tony Kosinec's music was packed with the highest purity. While digesting the idioms of folk, a fresh harmony of rock and contemporary pop music, a thin and straight forward singing voice. Lyrics guided by a warm and delicate line of sight.
"Bad Girl Songs" was produced by Peter Asher (formerly Peter & Gordon) who worked also with James Taylor. Maribeth Solomon on piano and flute, Zal Yanovsky's simple acoustic sound on his guitar, and Russ Kunkel's drums. The songs and melody express Tony's unique delicate and pure sensibility and are too wonderful. A work that makes you sigh when you listen to it, especially when he's trying to express the charm of his work in words.
Tracks
1. The World Still (Tony Kosinec) - 5:10
2. I Use Her (Tony Kosinec) - 2:25
3. Bad Girls (Tony Kosinec) - 3:55
4. Come And Go (Tony Kosinec, R. James) - 3:41
5. Medley: It's Raining, Car Car, Car (Tony Kosinec, Bob Sandler, Mark Scheckter) - 3:21
6. 48 DeSoto (Tony Kosinec, Bob Sandler) - 2:58
7. Gemini At Pains (Tony Kosinec, Bob Sandler) - 3:13
8. Me And My Friends (Tony Kosinec, Bob Sandler) - 4:18
9. Dinner Time (J. Leichtling) - 3:12
10.Wheatfield (Tony Kosinec, Bob Sandler) - 5:52
11.The Sun Wants Me To Love You (Tony Kosinec) - 4:15
12.My Cat Ain't Coming Back (Tony Kosinec, Bob Sandler, Mark Scheckter) - 3:36
John "Bucky" Wilkin, the son of Marijohn Wilkin (author of the country classic "Long Black Veil"), is most noted as a session guitarist on numerous country and rock records of the 1970s, particularly outlaw country releases by Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Kinky Friedman, and Jessi Colter. He was also a songwriter and put out a little-known solo LP, In Search of Food, Clothing, Shelter & Sex, on Liberty. The record was easygoing, though sometimes moodily eccentric, country-folk-rock with frequent orchestration. Prior to his solo album, Wilkin had been in Ronny & the Daytonas, famous for their 1964 hot rod hit "Little GTO." Wilkin was also in the American Eagles (not to be confused with the much more famous Eagles), who also included keyboardist Chuck Leavell, and put out a single in 1969.
"Boy of the Country," for its dark edginess, is a standout, though even so the orchestration somewhat dilutes the overall effect. Kris Kristofferson fans might find this an interesting collector's item due to the presence of an early, pre-Janis Joplin version of "Me and Bobby McGee" as well as "Apocalypse 1969" one of the better and harder-rocking cuts.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Apartment Twenty-One - 2:52
2. Faces And Places (Jane Leichardt) - 3:11
3. My God And I - 4:10
4. Boy Of The Country - 3:46
5. Apocalypse 1969 - 4:51
6. Me And Bobby McGee (Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson) - 4:52
7. The Daydream - 5:22
8. Mary Jackson - 4:02
9. Long Black Veil / Nashville Sun (Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin, John Buck Wilkin) - 4:02
10.About Time / Nashville Sun Reprise - 2:12
Words and Music by John Buck Wilkin except where stated
