Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs - Aztecs Live (1971 australia, solid loud classic rock with roots traces, 2007 digipak remaster with extra tracks)

The Aztecs were formed from the combination of the Vibratones, an instrumental band from Sydney, and vocalist Billy Thorpe. This band didn't remain together for very long, but the entrepreneurial Thorpe quickly formed a new band under the same name. The second incarnation of Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs comprised some of the best session musicians of the time, and played mainly middle-of-the-road rock and ballads. After the break up of the second band, Thorpe spent some time mastering guitar, and thinking about the musical approach for his next band. In 1968, the Aztecs rose again, this time comprising well known musicians and with a blues/R&B sound. This band endured through numerous line-up changes until finally breaking up when Thorpe left to travel to the USA. 

On Sunday June 13, 1971, the Aztecs, Chain, Daddy Cool, Wild Cherries, La De Da's, Healing Force and Lotus were the line-up for a concert at the Melbourne Town Hall. Taking advantage of such a big occasion, the Aztecs decided to record their set for a live LP and TV special -- complete with a 30 foot inflatable starfish type creature that deflated too early and had to be held up by various roadies and friends so the band could keep playing! The resultant LP Aztecs Live (also know as Live At Melbourne Town Hall) captures the band on the brink of becoming the biggest band in Australia, and a rare document of the Thorpe, Matthews, Morgan and Wheeler line-up. 

The deluxe reissue of this album is augmented by the 6 A & B sides of the Aztecs' singles for the Havoc label -- including 'The Dawn Song' and the monster hit (and all-time Aussie classic ) 'Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy.' Plus, as an additional bonus, a never before available track: 'Long Live Rock 'N Roll,' live from the Rosebud Outdoor Festival in 1972. Digitally remastered by Gil Matthews, with liner notes by Ted Lethborg. The 24-page booklet is full of great quotes and many rare images from the Live Aztecs TV special.

Tracks

1. Somebody Left Me Crying (Billy Thorpe, Warren Morgan) - 10:50

2. Time To Live (Billy Thorpe, Warren Morgan) - 17:34

3. Be Bop A Lula (Gene Vincent, Sheriff Tex Davis) - 14:39

4. Momma (Part 1) (Billy Thorpe, Warren Morgan) - 5:33

5. Drum Solo (Gil Matthews) - 6:31

6. Momma (Part 2) (Billy Thorpe, Warren Morgan) - 6:33

7. The Dawn Song (Billy Thorpe, Warren Morgan) - 14:41

8. Time To Live (Billy Thorpe, Warren Morgan) - 16:26

9. Most People I Know Think That I'm Crazy (Billy Thorpe) - 14:18

10.Regulation 3 Puff (Billy Thorpe, Gil Matthews, Paul Wheeler, Bruce Howard) - 7:44

11.Believe It Just Like Me (Billy Thorpe) - 3:06

12.Get To Hell Out Of Here (Billy Thorpe) - 4:02

13.Long Live Rock 'N Roll (Billy Thorpe) - 7:08

Tracks 1-6 Originally released in December 1971

Tracks 7-8 originally released as single in 1971

Tracks 9-12 originally released as singles in 1972

Track 13 recorded live at Rosebud outdoor festival 1972 

The Aztecs

*Billy Thorpe - Vocals, Guitar

*Gil "Rathead" Matthews - Drums, Vocals

*Paul "Sheepdog" Wheeler - Bass

*Warren Morgan - Piano, Organ, Vocals (Tracks 1-8)

*Bruce Howard - Piano (Tracks 9-13)

1972  Aztecs - Aztecs Live! At Sunbury (2005 digipack edition)  

1972  Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs - Long Live Rock And Roll (2008 digipak release)  

1973-74  Billy Thorpe And The Aztecs - More Arse Than Class (2006 remaster and expanded)

1974  Billy Thorpe - Million Dollar Bill

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White Light - White Light (1976 us, impressive experimental prog rock, 2015 edition)

White Light was a progressive-rock group originally from New Orleans, then later from Austin, Texas, USA, where the group once recorded with Sonobeat Records (Mariani, Wildfire). White Light was comprised of Mike Hobren (guitars and vocals) Rob Haeuser (bass and synthesizers) and Rusty Haeuser (percussion and flute). On White Light's self-titled album, fans of mid-'70s progressive rock will be treated to a real romp of experimental music that utilizes a host of instrumentation and special effects. The group's music is powerfully expressed on the track "Pacemaker". 

Mike Hobren employed a diverse range of styles and techniques on the guitar, including the use of a cello bow on the introduction to the track "Stargazer". Rob Haeuser's bass grounded the music perfectly, and his synthesizer work was, at times, haunting. Rusty Haeuser provided well-rounded percussion to inject a powerful rhythm line into the music. White Light was heavily influenced by progressive groups like Yes, Pink Floyd and Weather Report, to name a few but with a fresh twist of their own. 

Tracks

1. Fields - 2:45

2. Mere Drop In The Pool - 4:44

3. Solar Offering - 7:05

4. Oceans - 2:39

5. Spirits On The Wing - 4:01

6. Pacemaker - 4:03

7. Song For Leo - 6:02

8. Stargazer - 11:02

9. Fields - 3:47

10.Spirits On The Wing - 6:23

11.Pacemaker - 5:49

All compositions by Robert Neil Haeuser, Russell Michael Haeuser, Michael Alexander Hobren

Bonus Tracks 9-11

White Light

*Robert Neil Haeuser - Bass Guitar, Synthesizer

*Russell Michael Haeuser - Drums, Percussion, Flute

*Michael Alexander Hobren - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

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Endle St. Cloud - Thank You All Very Much (1969 us, fascinating freaky psych rock, 2009 hardleeve bonus tracks remaster)

Endle St Cloud’s bizarre one-off album from 1969 was the last LP released by legendary Texan label International Artists. Signed to the post-Lelan Rogers IA, towards the end of the label’s golden years of 1966-70, the decidedly oddball Endle St Cloud very much belong to the second tier of IA outfits to emerge in the wake of the label’s top-selling act, 13th Floor Elevators.

Fronted by the vocal and piano-playing talents of the singular Endle himself, and including members of IA stablemates Lost & Found among their line-up, there’s never any escaping the fact that this is one off-the-wall listen (the tracklisting includes Professor Black and Laughter, both originally written for the second Lost & Found LP that never was). Much of this oddball flavour comes from the fact that the album is sequenced with a series of surreal piano and vocal vignettes introducing each of the album’s eight tracks, which themselves jump around a spectrum of styles ranging from vaudeville and country to pop and rock.

This limited digibook reissue also includes both sides of them band’s memorably psyched-out 1968 debut single, Tell Me One More Time (What’s Happening To Our World), recorded as Endle St Cloud In The Rain.

by Grahame Bent, 16 October 2009

Tracks

1. Piano A Tempo - 0:21

2. Street Corner Preacher - 4:45

3. Piano Scherzo - 0:39

4. Who Would You Like To Be Today - 2:38

5. Piano Tranquillo - 0:29

6. This Is Love - 4:33

7. Piano Allegretto - 0:17

8. Professor Black (James Harrell, Pete Black, George Banks) - 2:46

9. Piano Diminuendo - 0:24

10.Piano Agitato - 0:33

11.Laughter (Pete Black) - 3:30

12.Piano Adagio - 0:36

13.Jessica - 2:54

14.Piano Con Brio - 0:12

15.Come Through (Pete Black) - 2:03

16.Piano Andante - 0:46

17.Like A Badge - 3:45

18.Piano Teneramente - 0:24

19.Tell Me One More Time (What's Happening To Our World) (Alan Melinger) - 2:50

20.Quest For Beauty (Alan Melinger) - 2:46

All compositions by David Potter, Alan Melinger, Peter Black except where stated

Endle St. Cloud

*David Potter – Drums

*Alan Melinger - Bass

*Peter Black - Vocals, Guitar

Related Act

1967-69  Lost And Found - Everybody's Here (2009 remaster)  

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Madder Lake - Butterfly Farm (1974 australia, excellent psych prog glam rock, 2008 remaster and expanded)

Here we have the second album from Melbourne prog-rockers Madder Lake, remastered to pristine clarity and assembled with some live bonus tracks for the fans. There is a particular honk to the vocals of Mick Fettes that is unmistakably Australian, and these tales of misplaced fairy-folk and rogue travellers are such an endearing postmark of 1970’s prog songwriting that it’s hard not to get a bit sentimental. 

The pub-rockier moments are perhaps the less appealing here – the unglamorous Rodney’s Birthday and the cheeky cheese of Booze Blues, perhaps don’t translate too well to the modern listener. However, witness the moog and organ-soaked tripper Mothership, daringly long at 7 minutes for the second track;  an intriguing and serene ghost ride through the bones of Pink Floyd and Jon Lord. 

Perhaps the best track is the final of the album proper – Back Seat Song, a jaunty glam rock stomp, with Grateful Dead harmonies punctuating the simian growls of Fettes. All in all, this is a difficult album to love – with little of the subtlety or majestic musicianship of their clear muses of the time, but as a piece of rock history it holds true as a glimpse into an era of Aussie music.

by Aidan Roberts, 9 June 2009

Tracks

1. Rodney's Birthday - 3:01

2. Mothership - 7:42

3. Booze Blues - 2:56

4. Ride On Fast - 4:27

5. One Star And The Moon - 5:21

6. Butterfly Farm - 3:34

7. Slack Alice - 5:10

8. Back Seat Song - 3:28

9. It's All In Your Head - 3:54

10.I Get High (Don Nix, Jimmy Hill, Tommy Adderley) - 3:28

11.Rodney's Birthday - 2:57

12.Lizards - 5:06

All songs by Mick Fettes, Jack Kreemers, Brendon Mason, Kerry McKenna, Andy Cowan except track #10 

Reacks 1-8 from "Butterfly Farm", March 1974

Track 9 Single A-Side November 1974

Track 10 Single A-Side July 1976

Track 11 From "Garrison The Final Blow Unit 1" October 1973

Track 12 From "Highlights Of Sunbury '74" May 1974

Madder Lake

*Mick Fettes - Vocals

*Jack Kreemers - Drums

*Brendon Mason - Guitar

*Kerry McKenna - Bass 

*Andy Cowan - Keyboards

With

*John McKinnon - Keyboards (Track 10)

*Ian Holding - Bass (Track 10)

1973  Madder Lake - Stillpoint (2008 Aztec)  

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Milkwood Tapestry - Milkwood Tapestry (1969 us, a journey into sea ring acid-guitar with touches of soft folky ballads, 2001 extra tracks release)

Although ostensibly a duo, Milkwood Tapestry's sole album is not, by any means, strictly or merely a folkie's record, although folk music certainly instructs its sound, particularly the British Isles strain with its flourishes of medieval instrumentation and Baroque lyricism. Roland Antonelli and Joseph Ransohoff's sound and style would have certainly been quite different had it not been for the example of the Incredible String Band. That band's influence is particularly heard in the later, quite wonderfully and idiosyncratic acoustic songs added as bonus tracks to this outstanding Gear Fab CD reissue. 

Garnished by delicate recorder and cello (and occasionally harpsichord) accompaniment, these previously unreleased songs sound, paradoxically, as if they could only have emerged either from an Elizabethan time-warp or out of the strange, progressively antiquated milieu of the late '60s. The original album also has its fair share of dotty acoustic numbers, and as fine as many of them are, they occasionally teeter over the cliff separating the mountain of prettiness from the valley of cute. 

As often is the case with this sort of thing from this particular era, the lyrics particularly can seem exceedingly twee at times ("Wonderous [sic] Fairy Tale"), a fact that can be as much an attribute as a detriment depending on the listener's mood and perspective regarding these things, either adding a patina of delightful guilelessness, a certain childlike whimsicality, or inducing a troublesome, annoying cavity. Even if you lean toward the last evaluation, though, the music is hardly sickening or too sweet. 

In fact, at least half the original album is quite hard-hitting, even quite-yet-psychedelic, with sharp fuzz guitar solos, acidic ebbs and flows, dark turns of melody, and wildly manic vocals from Ransohoff. "Beyond the Twelve Mile Zone" and "Signs of the Invisible Chalk" are prime examples, rising to and then retreating from electric crescendos before frantically bubbling again just before dramatic halts. "Journey-Less Ride" is also, well, an excursion into exceedingly trippy territory, while "The Window Sill's Song" is positively Left Banke-caliber in its stateliness. The rest has a certain heady, swirling quality that makes consistently wonderful listening. 

by Stanton Swihart

Tracks

1. Beyond The Twelve Mile Zone - 2:34

2. Wonderous Fairy Tale - 3:35

3. Window Sill's Song - 2:22

4. Signs Of Invisible Chalk - 5:26

5. Sunday Raindrops - 3:01

6. Journey-Less Ride - 3:42

7. Seas Of Marshmellow Bees - 2:32

8. Look At The Children - 3:31

9. Tockless Time Morning - 3:21

10.Pink Painted Butterfly - 3:10

11.Sunshine Castles - 4:08

12.Purple Side Of Sunset - 3:09

13.The Jackal's Cry - 3:07

14.We Are Together Two - 1:57

15.A Moss Green Morning - 2:08

16.The Fall Of The Horses - 2:41

17.Frost At Twilight - 3:02

18.Big Blue Sky - 3:43

19.The Bell Of Juniper - 2:30

Music by Roland G. Antonelli, Lyrics by Joseph Ransohoff

Milkwood Tapestry

*Roland G. Antonelli - Guitar, Vocals

*Joseph Ransohoff - Maracas, Tambourine, Vocals 

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Woody's Truck Stop - Woody's Truck Stop (1969 us, powerful bluesy psych rock, 2013 edition)

Woody's Truck Stop came together in Philadelphia, in late May 1966. As young teens, drummer Bob Radeloff and guitarist Alan Miller had been active in a folk group that played in the local area. After high school, Miller began attending classes at the Philadelphia College of Art, while Radeloff continued teaching guitar classes. Miller and Radeloff soon were adding drummer Artie Heller and bassist Carson Van Osten (both new college classmates of Miller's) to form a group of their own, heavily inspired by electric blues acts like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the Blues Project, as well as Chess blues artists and British blues-rock groups like the Yardbirds. 

They got their name from the motorcycle repair shop below where the band rehearsed. Various other members came and went, including Bob's brother, keyboardist Ken Radeloff. During that summer of '66, after opening for the Shadows of Knight and the Byrds, Heller was replaced, first by Tim Moore, from DC & the Senators, and then, by drummer Joe DiCarlo. One day DiCarlo brought his friend 

Todd Rundgren -- to rehearsal, and after seeing Rundgren play guitar, Bob Radeloff convinced Miller that having twin stereo lead guitarists -- like Paul Butterfield's band -- would be a good thing. Rundgren joined and they continued playing gigs, mostly at low-key coffeehouses like The Second of Autumn and The Second Fret. They later relocated to the Boston area. Miller and Rundgren began arguing about the band's direction during this time. Miller wanted the band to remain more blues-oriented, while Rundgren wanted them to venture off in a more psychedelic-rock direction. 

On May 7, 1967, the band found themselves playing with the Blues Project at the Town Hall. After the audience pelted them onstage with pies, Rundgren decided to split and concentrate on his own music; he was replaced by rhythm guitarist Greg Radcliffe. Woody's Truck Stop continued on without him, and in February of 1968, the band landed on a bill with Rundgren's newly-formed band, the Nazz, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Rundgren's new band also featured bassist Van Osten, who had quit Woody's Truck Stop to concentrate on college. His replacement was bassist Ron Bogeon. Woody's Truck Stop, meanwhile, recorded their first album, the self-titled Woody's Truck Stop, at Regent Sound in New York City. It was released in 1969 on Mercury's Smash label. The album failed to bring them success, and soon after its release, the band broke up.

by Bryan Thomas

Tracks

1. People Been Talkin' - 3:06

2. Got My Pride - 3:54

3. Everything Is Fine (Alan Miller) - 3:27

4. Color Scheme (Bobby Radeloff) - 6:23

5. Checkin' On My Baby (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 3:22

6. Tryin' So Hard (Junior Wells) - 4:00

7. Just To Be With You - 7:57

8. I'd Be A Fool - 1:33

9. Marble Reflections - 4:56

All compositions by Mark Robert Oberman except where indicated

Woody's Truck Stop

*Mark Oberman - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals

*Greg Radcliffe - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

*Alan Miller - Lead Guitar, Vocals, Vibraphone, Percussion

*Bobby Radeloff - Drums, Harmonica, Percussion, Vocals 

*Ron Bogdon - Bass

With

*Bill Fischer - Horn Arrangements

*Larry Gold - Cello

*Richard Landry - Baritone Sax

*Melvin Lastie - Trumpet

*David "Fathead" Newman - Tenor Sax

*Joe Newman - Trumpet

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Young Flowers - Take Warning The Complete Studio Recordings (1967-70 denmarks, tremendous haunting psych bluesy jam rock, 2012 double disc remaster and expanded)

Denmark’s premier hippie band, Young Flowers were formed in the immediate wake of Hendrix’s first performance in Copenhagen. Original guitarist Jens Dahl and drummer Ken Gudmann were in support band The Defenders on that epochal occasion, and summarily assembled Young Flowers with bassist Peter Ingemann. After releasing the thudding, Cream-y single Like Birds/City Of Friends, Dahl suddenly quit; the recruitment of guitarist Per Frost made for the perfect alchemy.

Take Warning collates everything the band recorded between 1968-1970: that debut single, both albums (Blomsterpistolen and No 2), three tracks recorded for a Danish film of Quiet Days In Clichy and some haywire, colossally exciting live performances drenched in wah-wah that posit them as a more personable Edgar Broughton Band. 

They ostensibly considered themselves as blues-rockers – 25 Øre is On The Road Again by any other name, while their flailing version of You Upset Me Baby sounds like they’re sweeping the floor with their own hair. And Who Should I Be is, however, proper hard psych with its heavily accented vocals and indiscriminate slathering of jet-stream phasing. Slow Down Driver is as thick-set as May Blitz until multi-tracked Arabic guitar parts niggle the track to death, while Kragerne Vender is a glowering jam with Burning Red Ivanhoe.  

by Oregano Rathbone, 13 August 2012

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Overture / Take Warning (Peter Ingemann, Jens Henrik Dahl, Ken Gudman, Walt Whitman) - 4:30

2. The Moment Life Appeared (Peter Ingemann, Ken Gudman, Peer Frost, Walt Whitman) - 2:30

3. 25 Øre (Peer Frost, Jørgen Larsen) - 8:02

4. Oppe I Træet (Peter Ingemann, Thomas Winding) - 3:31

5. To You  (Peter Ingemann, Walt Whitman) - 2:07

6. Down Along The Cove (Bob Dylan) - 4:04

7. April '68 (Peter Ingemann, Ken Gudman, Peer Frost) - 8:56

8. Like Birds (Jens Henrik Dahl, Ken Gudman, Peter Ingemann) - 3:23

9. City Of Friends (Jens Henrik Dahl, Ken Gudman, Peter Ingemann) - 3:10

10.Behind The Golden Sun (Ken Gudman, Peer Frost, Peter Ingemann) - 2:18

11.Menilmontant (Ken Gudman, Peer Frost, Peter Ingemann) - 4:09

12.Party Beat (Ken Gudman, Peer Frost, Peter Ingemann) - 4:08

Tracks 1-7 from "Blomsterpistolen" LP 1968

Tracks 8-9 from 1967

Tracks 10-12 from the film "Quiet Days In Clichy" 1970

Disc 2

1. You Upset Me Baby (B.B. King) - 3:52

2. And Who But I Should Be (Niels Ringling, Peter Ingemann, Walt Whitman) - 5:33

3. Calypso (Niels Skousen, Peter Ingemann) - 2:49

4. Won't You Take My Place In The Queue (Niels Skousen, Peter Ingemann, Ken Gudman, Peer Frost) - 5:20

5. Slow Down Driver (Niels Skousen, Peter Ingemann, Ken Gudman, Peer Frost) - 5:28

6. The Daybreak (Niels Skousen, Peter Ingemann, Ken Gudman, Peer Frost) - 6:10

7. Kragerne Vender (Free Form Jam Session with Burnin Red Ivanhoe) - 10:40

8. Hey Princess (Niels Skousen, Peter Ingemann, Ken Gudman, Peer Frost) - 4:31

9. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You (Bob Dylan) - 3:24

10.Won't You Sit Down (Niels Skousen, Peter Ingemann, Ken Gudman, Peer Frost) - 7:07

Tracks 1-7 from "No. 2" LP 1969

Bonus Tracks 8-10 Live, Århus Stadionhal, 25 Sep 1969

Young Flowers

*Peter Ingemann - Bass, Vocals 

*Peer Frost - Guitar 

*Ken Gudman - Drums 

*Jens Dahl - Guitar

Related Acts

1970-71  Rainbow Band (Midnight Sun) - Rainbow Band  

1972/74  Midnight Sun - Walking Circles / Midnight Dream  

1971  Midnight Sun - Midnight Sun  

1970-71  Peter Thorup With Friends - Wake Up Your Mind  

1969  Various Artists - Quiet Days In Clichy (2010 remaster)  

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Whistler - Ho Hum (1971 uk, soft delicate melodic folk rock with prog tinges, korean remaster)

Whistler was an English folk-rock band that released the album Ho-Hum in 1971, confident and self-assured, this Deram act's only album resides somewhere between period UK country rock (Cochise, Quicksand, Southern Comfort, Quiver) and singer-songwriterdom (Mike Maran, Pete Atkin, Tony Hazzard) with plenty of light and shade thrown. 

Featuring crème de la crème of Britain's studio scene and aided by a sympathetic and lush production, this band manages to produce twelve superbly orchestrated tracks full of energy, effervescence, vigour, character, rich flavour and originality. It also features no less than three lead vocalists and - count them! - five guitarists, including none other than Southern Comfort's Gordon Huntley. Cover painted by Grout Smith.

Tracks

1. Help Me - 2:27

2. Hello Lady - 2:47

3. I Can't Believe My Eyes (Carl Davis, George Howe) - 2:49

4. City Boy (Carl Davis, George Howe) - 2:01

5. Blind Leading The Blind (Carl Davis, George Howe) - 2:33

6. Machine Side (George Howe) - 2:58

7. See The Wheels Are Turning - 3:33

8. Whenever (Carl Davis, George Howe) - 2:51

9. Do It For Mother (Carl Davis, George Howe) - 2:47

10.Blind Man - 3:50

11.Nothing At All - 3:04

12.See What The Future Brings - 3:58

All songs by John Chuter except where noted

Whistler

*George Howe - Vocals , Guitar, Keyboards 

*John Chuter - Vocals, Guitar, Bass

*Ant Grouth-Smith - Guitar, Bass, Sax, Vocals

With

*Eric Bell - Guitar

*Tony Carr - Percussion

*Clem Cattini - Drums

*Jimmy Hastings - Flute

*Gordon Huntley - Steel Guitar

*Barry Morgan - Drums

*Douglas Wright - Drums

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Tim Williams - Blues Full Circle (1969 us, elegant electric acoustic blues roots rock)

American born, long time Canadian blues and roots artist Tim Williams began his career in the coffee houses of Southern California as a teenager, coming to the notice of Epic Records for whom he recorded his first LP in 1968 (Blues Full Circle, featuring Pee Wee Crayton and George “Harmonica” Smith in the backing band, and produced by Chris Strachwitz). After two years of touring behind the disc and doing studio work Tim moved north to Canada, where he discovered both a lively folk music community and a flourishing studio scene. Doubling on dobro, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica he was soon a busy session musician with a full schedule of coffee house and college concert dates.

Having been inspired by the great country guitarists on shows like Town Hall Party (Merle Travis, Joe Maphis, and Larry Collins to name a few), the blues of Lightning Hopkins and T-Bone Walker, the Hawaiian music of folks like King Benny Navahi, and the Mexican music that was everywhere in Los Angeles at the time, Tim learned to slip easily from one style to another. Moving to Santa Barbara to put some distance between himself and the LA music scene, he gigged with country and folk musicians, mariachi ensembles and Hawaiian groups, thrown together for specific gigs…a roots music professional before the term was even coined.

Tim’s arrival in Vancouver in 1970 coincided with the passage of the Canadian Content regulations of the day, and recording studios were being built everywhere to satisfy the need. Also the coffee house scene in Gastown was in full flower, leading to plentiful work opportunities.  Tim opened for folks like Taj Mahal, Albert Collins, Mose Allison,  Lightning Hopking, and comic Steve Martin, gaining a steadily increasing following.

In 1974, after recording several country-folk singles for Vancouver labels, Tim left the city and the business for life as a horse wrangler and all-around ranch hand for several years, emerging long enough to record the LPs Writin’ This Song and It’s Enough To Be Remembered for the Dyna West label, and touring coast-to-coast in Canada.

His return to full-time performing began with his appearance at the 1988 Edmonton Folk Festival, where he wowed every audience he played to, won praise from folks like Jimmy Dale Gilmore, and was re-united with old pal Tom Russell.  Since then it’s been a steady stream of tours, recordings, and interesting side projects. A producer/performer on four JUNO-nominated projects (Triple Threat, Little Miss Higgins, Ray Bonneville, and Williams, Wayne & Isaak) and perhaps forty others, plus over a dozen solo and side group cds, Tim remains an active session musician and occasional producer. 

Tim Williams bio

Tracks

1. Tin Pan Alley (Bob Geddins, Curtis Jones) - 5:32

2. Rip It Up (Robert Blackwell, John Marascalco) - 2:10

3. Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley, Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden) - 1:40

4. Sad, Sad Sound (Juke Boy Bonner) - 2:53

5. Medley: Wee Wee Hours / I Got A Booking (Chuck Berry) - 4:33

6. Mojo Hand (Lightnin' Hopkins) - 3:10

7. Sugar Babe (Mance Lipscomb) - 2:05

8. Alabama Woman Blues (Leroy Carr) - 3:00

9. Snow Blind Friend (Hoyt Axton) - 3:45

10.Straight Shooter (Tim Williams) - 2:00

11.Corrina  (Traditional) - 2:45

Personnel

*Tim Williams - Guitar, Vocals 

*Pee Wee Crayton - Guitar

*George "Harmonica" Smith - Harmonica

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Midnight Sun - Midnight Sun (1971 denmark, spectacular jazz prog rock)

Midnight Sun is a group based on the Rainbow Band, which was formed by former Young Flowers member Peer Frost with musicians in the jazz field. The band name was changed to Midnight Sun. This is their first album released from Danish Sonnet in 1971.

As mentioned above, the members are Frost, Bo Stief, Niels Bronstead, Bent Hasselmann, Kirsten Smedegaard's Rainbow Band. A 6-member formation with Alan Mortensen newly added to the 5 members, co-produced by Freddie Hanson and the band, sleeve design by Roger Dean. Most of the songs are first recorded as the Rainbow Band, but even though they are remakes, the arrangements are somewhat different, giving the impression that the whole is more sophisticated and jazzy. 

It has a good sound as a jazz rock with bluesy vocals, which is similar to the IF style, and the slightly husky and smoky English vocals are more addictive than Rainbow Band, which may be too bright. Especially the highlight is "Living on the Hill", which lasts for 15 minutes and shows a solid prog-like development, where Frost plays bluesy and hard guitar, and the hard explosion is relatively cool. good. The guitar playing rhythm and the keyboard are both fluent and skillful, and I think it's a good record that crosses the sticky heaviness of Northern Europe and the feeling of British jazz-rock.

Tracks

1. Talkin' (Allan Mortensen, Niels Bronsted) - 5:11

2. King Of The Sun (Allan Mortensen, Andy Levy, Bent Hesselmann) - 4:35

3. Nobody (Niels Bronsted) - 5:06

4. Where You Going To Be? (Andy Levy, Bent Hesselmann) - 5:38

5. B.M. (Bo Stief) - 2:34

6. Sippin' Wine (Allan Mortensen) - 3:06

7. Living On The Hill (Lars Bisgaard, Peer Frost Johansson) - 15:02

8. Rainbow Song (Bent Hesselmann) - 3:47

Midnight Sun

*Peer Frost Johansson - Guitars

*Niels Bronsted - Piano

*Bent Hesselmann - Tenor, Soprano Saxophones, Flute

*Bo Stief - Bass

*Carsten Smedegaard - Drums

*Allan Mortensen - Vocals

1970-71  Rainbow Band (Midnight Sun) - Rainbow Band  

1972/74  Midnight Sun - Walking Circles / Midnight Dream  

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The Nighthawks - Ten Years Live (1982 us, solid blues bar rock)

In the late '70s, The Bayou became home club for The Nighthawks. We alternated full week runs with C-Smash and Sinbad, with each of us challenging and breaking each other's house attendance records. On otherwise quiet Mondays, we teamed with Mike Tramonte to produce the Blue Monday at The Bayou series, hosting Chicago blues legends like J.B, Hutto, Otis Rush, Louis Meyers, Big Walter Norton, Carey Bell, as well as Blue Wave brother bands such as Roomful of Blues, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, George Thorogood and The Destroyers, and Billy Price. 

The '80s brought the Cellar Door folks from M Street into The Bayou and they enlarged the balcony and stage, turning the club into a showcase room on a par with New York's Bottom Line and L.A.'s Roxy. What better place to record a live album—three sets a night for four nights, the home town crowd, and the holiday season, topped off with two shows New Year's Eve and a live radio broadcast.

People in D.C. refer to all this as tradition—and, in the normally short-lived scene of rock music, anything that occurs annually for several years seems to be designated as such. But the end of 1981 meant the end of the first ten years for The Nighthawks, and this recording is our celebration—an anniversary, a birthday party with so many people who made it all possible. They are the stars of this LP. And you can hear them—stomping, whistling, hollering and generally have a ball!

This set of tunes was performed nightly for months in advance to make sure it had the feel and flow of a typical Nighthawks' show. The middle set of three, it captures the peak of an evening. It is dedicated to you for your drinking and dancing, listening and partying pleasure.

by Mark Wenner, 1982

Tracks

1. Introduction - 0:39

2. Metropolitan Avenue - 5:30

3. Guard Your Heart - 3:04

4. Push and Shove - 4:13

5. Jenny Lou - 2:46

6. Moving Up In Class - 7:10

7. If You Go - 7:44

8. Back Stabbing Woman - 2:51

9. Destination - 3:29

10.No Secrets - 3:29

All songs by Mark Wenner, Jimmy Thackery, Jan Zukowski, Pete Ragusa except track #4 co-written with Mitch Collins

The Nighthawks

*Mark Wenner - Vocals, Harp

*Jimmy Thackery - Guitar

*Jan Zukowski - Bass

*Pete Ragusa - Drums

1974  The Nighthawks - Rock 'n' Roll 

1976  The Nighthawks - Open All Nite  

1977  The Nighthawks - Side Pocket Shot

1979  John Hammond And The Nighthawks - Hot Tracks

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The Nighthawks - Side Pocket Shot (1977 us, stunning blues rock, roots 'n' roll)

The Nighthawks are the quintessential bar band, loud and gritty with occasional flashes of grace. This third effort for locally distributed Adelphi Records showcases the band's talent as well as its limitations.

Having gained a sizeable following in Atlanta, Boston, and New YorK. At the core, though, the Nighthawks still have juke joint moxie and this album is in that vein.

"Are You Ready (For Me Baby)" is a reworking of the old rhythm-and-blues tune which the group adapts to its chew-'em-up-spit-'em-out delivery. Jim Thackery immediately establishes his credentials as one of this area's top guitarists, and vocals are raw and effective. All that is immediately neutralized in the next track, a poor interpretation of Larry Williams's "Slow Down". This one may suffer by comparison since a lot of bands - including the Beatles - have recorded it. Still, the sluggish rhythm and thin singing make this version expendable.

by Mark Kernis, October 9, 1977

Tracks

1. Are You Lonely (For Me Baby) (Bert Berns) - 4:36

2. Slow Down (Larry Williams) - 2:52

3. I Keep Cryin' - 4:20

4. James' Hawaiian Punch - 1:54

5. Honkey Tonk Queen - 2:58

6. I'll Get the News - 3:53

7. Tramp on the Highway - 4:12

8. Love's so Hard (To Understand) - 4:30

9. Vaseline Machine No. 2 (Leo Kottke) - 1:53

10.Fatback Mama - 3:30

11.Bring It on Home (Willie Dixon) - 3:02

All songs by Mark Wenner, Jimmy Thackery, Jan Zukowski, Pete Ragusa except where stated

The Nighthawks

*Jimmy Thackery - Guitar, Vocals

*Mark Wenner - Harmonica, Vocals

*Jan Zukowski - Bass 

*Pete Ragusa - Drums

With

*Rick Anderson - Percussion

*Tommy Hannum - Pedal Steel Guitar 

*David Maxwell - Piano

*The Rhythm Kings - Horns

*Lucile Schoettle - Vocals 

1974  The Nighthawks - Rock 'n' Roll 

1976  The Nighthawks - Open All Nite  

1979  John Hammond And The Nighthawks - Hot Tracks

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Tibet - Tibet (1978 germany, marvelous prog krautrock, 2013 japan SHM remaster)

Jürgen Krutzsch formed German band Tibet in 1972, having been inspired by the Eastern experimentation of groups such as the Beatles and Third Ear Band. Krutszch had spent the latter part of the sixties in cover bands (Fine Art, Nostradamus), and was interested in putting together a group that played native Tibetan instruments such as the tabla, violin, zither, and flute. He quickly abandoned this idea after recruiting former band mates Karl-Heinz Hamann (Fine Art, Teske) and Dieter Kumpakischkis (Nostradamus), as well as drummer Fred Teske and vocalist Kalus Werthmann, but the band did retain a certain pseudo-mystic feel to their music during their nine year existence.

The band toured extensively throughout the seventies, opening occasionally for fellow countrymen and friends of the band Kraan, but managed to release only a single album, their self-titled 1979 studio release. The tracks for the debut album were recorded in three separate sessions dating from December 1976 to September 1978. The band’s sound was a complex fusion of astral rock, jazz, classical music and Tibetan sounds, heavily keyboard-driven (Hammond, mellotron) and compared to the likes of  Eloy, Amenophis, and even Uriah Heep although most of their studio release consists of tracks that are similar in style but more reserved than any of those bands.

Tibet deserves recognition for having been a small part of the progressive music scene with their extensive live performance history throughout the seventies, and for the eclectic and ambitious style of music for which they were known by their small but persistent fan base.

Tracks

1. Fight Back (Dieter Kumpakischkis, Fred Teske, Jürgen Krutzsch, Karl Heinz Hamann, Allan Borel) - 4:59

2. City By The Sea (Kalus Werthmann, Deff Ballin) - 4:24

3. White Ships And Icebergs (Deff Ballin) - 6:15

4. Seaside Evening (Kalus Werthmann) - 4:13

5. Take What's Yours (Dieter Kumpakischkis, Fred Teske, Jürgen Krutzsch, Karl Heinz Hamann, Allan Borel) - 7:23

6. Eagles (Deff Ballin, Fred Teske, Jürgen Krutzsch, Karl Heinz Hamann) - 6:05

7. No More Time (Kalus Werthmann) - 5:30

Tibet

*Kalus Werthmann - Lead Vocals

*Jürgen Krutzsch - Guitar, Percussion

*Deff Ballin - Keyboards, Percussion

*Dieter Kumpakischkis - Keyboards

*Karl Heinz Hamann - Bass, Percussion

*Fred Teske - Drums

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Mike Bloomfield - Try It Before You Buy It (1973 us, wonderful gospel folkish bluesy rock)

This was Mike Bloomfield's second solo album for Columbia Records recorded in 1973. By that time Mike's popularity had faded so they did not release it then but put it out briefly on the CBS Special Products label in 1975.

The cover shows Mike Bloomfield with his mother. The album didn’t leave a trace and the reason could be that it probably never even got a release! (1973 or 1975 promo copies are known to exist). Even the CBS special product CD is hard to find. It’s a good album with fine playing from a great band. The lead singing is split between 4 people. There are some great tracks like “Your Friends”, which is what Mike Bloomfield and his friends do best: music that’s bluesy, slow and with a feeling. A great track. Also a great vocal performance on  from Mike Bloomfield.

It’s not exactly a blues album, but it’s rooted in the blues for certain. It’s not a Rock ’n’ Roll album either (well, the Dr. John song “Lights Out” certainly is a rocker!). Mike Bloomfield penned  even has a Caribbean feel to it due to Mark Naftalin playing the marimba. Nice bottleneck on “Baby Come On”, a track any guitarist would be proud of. 

The highlights on this record are Roger Troy’s contributions. He sings lead on three gospel-like songs: “Shine On Love”, “When I Get Home” and “Let Them Talk”. It’s understandable that all three were used again when “Living in the Fast Lane” was released in 1980.

Tracks

1. Been Treated Wrong (Robert Brown) - 5:10

2. When It All Comes Down - 3:07

3. Lights Out (Mac Rebennack) - 1:48

4. Baby Come On - 3:48

5. Shine On Love (Roger Troy) - 4:57

6. When I Get Home - 4:27

7. Try It Before You Buy It - 3:48

8. Midnight On The Radio - 2:58

9. Your Friends (Deadric Malone) – 6:54

10.Tomorrow Night - 2:10

11.Let Them Talk (Sonny Thompson) - 5:22

All songs by Mike Bloomfield except where indicated

Personnel

*Michael Bloomfield - Guitar, Lead Vocals

*Mark Naftalin - Keyboards, Vibes, Marimba, Accordion, Trombone

*Barry Goldberg - Keyboards 

*Roger Troy - Bass, Lead Vocals 

*George Rains - Drums 

*Nick Gravenites - Lead Vocals 

*Ron Stallings - Lead Vocals, Tenor Sax 

*Jimmy Vincent - Rhythm Guitar 

*Howard Wales - Keyboards 

*John Wilmeth - Trumpet

*Mel Graves - Tenor Sax

*Harry Mann - Alto Sax

*Hart McNee - Baritone Sax 

*Chuck Bennett - Trombone 

*Joe Bullock, Ollie Griffin, Tommy Tony (From The Church Of God In Christ) - Background Vocals

*John Wilmeth - Horns Arranger

1964  The Original Lost Elektra Sessions
1965  The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
1966  East West
1966  The Butterfield Blues Band - East-West (2014 Hybrid SACD limited adition) 
1966-68  Strawberry Jam

1965-66  The Barry Goldberg Blues Band - Blowing My Mind ..Plus (2003 remaster and expanded)

1968  Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, Steve Stills - The Super Sessions (2014 Hybrid Multichannel SACD 24/88) 

1968  Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield - The Lost Concert Tapes, Filmore East
1969  Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper - The Live Adventures 

1967  Electric Flag - The Trip
1968-69  Electric Flag - An American Music Band / A Long Time Comin'  
196?-7?  The Electric Flag - Live 

1974  The Electric Flag - The Band Kept Playing (2002 edition)
1969  Michael Bloomfield with Nick Gravenites And Friends - Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West
1969  Nick Gravenites - My Labors 

1968  The Barry Goldberg Reunion - There's No Hole In My Soul

1969  Barry Goldberg - Two Jews Blues (vinyl edition)
1970-71  Big Brother And The Holding Company - Be A Brother / How Hard It Is 

1972  Nick Gravenites And Mike Bloomfield - Steel Yard Blues (2015 remaster)
1973  Bloomfield, Hammond, Dr.John - Triumvirate (Japan remaster)
1976  KGB - KGB
1976-77  Michael Bloomfield - Live at the Old Waldorf
1977  Prescription For The Blues
1972  Various Artists - Mill Valley Bunch Casting Pearls

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Otis Rush - Mourning In The Morning (1969 us, stunning electric chicago blues, feat Duane Allman, 2006 remaster)

Breaking into the R&B Top Ten his very first time out in 1956 with the startlingly intense slow blues "I Can't Quit You Baby," southpaw guitarist Otis Rush subsequently established himself as one of the premier bluesmen on the Chicago circuit. Rush was often credited with being one of the architects of the West Side guitar style, along with Magic Sam and Buddy Guy. It was a nebulous honor, since Rush played clubs on Chicago's South Side just as frequently during the sound's late-'50s incubation period. Nevertheless, his esteemed status as a prime Chicago innovator was eternally assured by the ringing, vibrato-enhanced guitar work that remained his stock in trade and a tortured, super-intense vocal delivery that could force the hairs on the back of your neck upwards in silent salute. If talent alone were the formula for widespread success, Rush would certainly have been Chicago's leading blues artist. But fate, luck, and the guitarist's own idiosyncrasies conspired to hold him back on several occasions when opportunity was virtually begging to be accepted.

Rush came to Chicago in 1948, met Muddy Waters, and knew instantly what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. The omnipresent Willie Dixon caught Rush's act and signed him to Eli Toscano's Cobra Records in 1956. The frighteningly intense "I Can't Quit You Baby" was the maiden effort for both artist and label, streaking to number six on Billboard's R&B chart. His 1956-1958 Cobra legacy is a magnificent one, distinguished by the Dixon-produced minor-key masterpieces "Double Trouble" and "My Love Will Never Die," the tough-as-nails "Three Times a Fool" and "Keep on Loving Me Baby," and the rhumba-rocking classic "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)." Rush apparently dashed off the latter tune in the car en route to Cobra's West Roosevelt Road studios, where he would cut it with the nucleus of Ike Turner's combo.

After Cobra closed up shop, Rush's recording fortunes mostly floundered. He followed Dixon over to Chess in 1960, cutting another classic (the stunning "So Many Roads, So Many Trains") before moving on to Duke (one solitary single, 1962's "Homework"), Vanguard, and Cotillion (there he cut the underrated Mike Bloomfield-Nick Gravenites-produced 1969 album Mourning in the Morning, with yeoman help from the house rhythm section in Muscle Shoals). The house band (including Duane Allman and drummer Roger Hawkins) picks up on Rush's harrowing vibe and runs with it on the stunning "Gambler's Blues," a chomping "Feel So Bad," and a shimmering instrumental treatment of Aretha Franklin's "Baby I Love You." 

by Bill Dahl

Tracks

1. Me (Mike Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites) - 2:55

2. Working Man (Mike Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites) - 2:25

3. You're Killing My Love (Mike Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites) - 3:00

4. Feel So Bad (Chuck Willis) - 3:39

5. Gambler's Blues (B.B. King, Jules Taub) - 5:39

6. Baby, I Love You (Ronnie Shannon) - 3:09

7. My Old Lady (Mike Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites) - 2:11

8. My Love Will Never Die (Otis Rush) - 4:33

9. Reap What You Sow (Mike Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites, Paul Butterfield) - 4:54

10.It Takes Time (Otis Rush) - 3:26

11.Can't Wait No Longer (Mike Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites) - 3:52

Musicians

*Otis Rush - Guitar, Vocals

*Duane Allman - Guitar

*Joe Arnold - Tenor Saxophone

*Barry Beckett - Keyboards

*Ronnie Eades - Baritone Saxophone

*Roger Hawkins - Drums

*Gerald Jemmott - Bass

*Jimmy Johnson - Guitar

*Gene Miller - Trumpet

*Mark Naftalin - Keyboards

*Aaron Varnell - Tenor Saxophone

*Nick Gravenites - Producer 

*Michael Bloomfield - Producer

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