Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Spring Fever - Woodstock (1970 canada, fine blues rock)



Obscure Canadian power trio playing Blues, Rock and a few Funky Hammond Gems. Has covers like David Crosby's A Long Time Coming, Taj Mahal's She Caught My Katie, Morganfield's I Just Want To Make Love To You and She Moves Me, a great Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter, J.B. Lenoir's Mama What About Your Daughter, Buddy Guy's Watch Yourself and Burnett's Oh Baby Hold Me. What makes this impressive is the great musicianship and simple and clear production. Issued on same label as Reign Ghost and Christmas, and super rare too. One of the toughest Paragon LP's to track down... Hans Pokora has it listed in his Record Collector Dreams series of books with a 3 Star Rarity Rating! Even with its inclusion in the Pokora books it's still relatively unknown. 

A limited German CD reissue surfaced some years back and it has never been reissued on vinyl. This album is mainly comprised of great covers done in a very raw garage charged blues rock fashion with slight psychedelic touches... but the real standout on this album, for me personally, is the original instrumental "Spring Fever", an incredibly tight jam action with a Slide Wah Wah Guitar combined with a heavy bottom end and hard drums.
Tracks
1. Woodstock (Joni Mitchell) - 4:00
2. A Long Time Coming (David Crosby) - 4:49
3. She Caught My Katie (Taj Mahal) - 3:15
4. I Just Want To Make Love To You (McKinley Morganfield) - 2:29
5. She's Looking Good (Rodger Collins) - 2:57
6. Oh Baby Hold Me (Chester Burnett) - 2:32
7. Watch Yourself (Buddy Guy) - 3:36
8. Gimme Shelter (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 4:00
9. She Moves Me (McKinley Morganfield) - 3:30
10.Mama, What About Your Daughter (J. B. Lenoir) - 2:39
11.Spring Fever (Paul James, Rick Law, Frank Meehan) - 4:18

Spring Fever
*Paul James - Vocals, Guitar
*Rick Law – Bass, Organ, Harmony Vocals
*Frank Meehan – Drums