Babe Ruth was formed in 1970 and went on to make three impressive albums and several singles, for the Harvest record label. Their musical style was an engaging blend of hard rock, soul, and progressive and jazz rock, marked out by Alan Shacklock’s flammable guitar work, and arranging skills, and Janita ‘Jenny’ Haan’s powerful soaring vocals. They were a remarkable band in many ways, that deserved considerably more recognition, for what was a unique and expansive musical style.
First Base was their stunning 1972 debut album. Opening track Wells Fargo, is a stomping rock song, with some splendid soul aspects, supplied by Brent Carter’s saxes. The rhythm section of Dick Powell on drums and bassist Dave Hewitt adds some thumping propulsion to the song, while Gaspar Lawal adds some subtle rhythmic accents on the congas. Add into the mix, Alan Shacklock’s staccato guitar riff and Janita Haan’s superb soulful vocal, and you have the complete rock classic. The liquid guitar solo is the icing on the cake of this striking album opener.
The following track, The Runaways, begins with Dave Punshon’s gentle piano chords and Harry Mier’s undulating oboe. Janita Haan’s jazz like vocal phrases float over a haunting and elegiac cello quartet. The instrumental section melds the cello’s, with cymbal driven percussion, and Dave Punshon’s quite beautiful piano refrain, which he later punctuates with some sparkling solo playing. This is seven minutes plus of gorgeous music, with the oboe and string arrangements put together by the very talented Alan Shacklock.
Then we move onto Babe Ruth’s dazzling interpretation of the Frank Zappa classic King Kong, originally to be heard in multiple versions on The Mothers of Invention, Uncle Meat album. While respectfully retaining many of the elements in Zappa’s original, it adds in a jazz rock sheen, with the guitar and electric piano to the fore, and a driving blues backbeat. The piano and guitar solos are fast and inventive. It is a very good interpretation indeed. Black Dog is another inventive cover, this time of a Jesse Winchester song, where Janita Haan’s vocal becomes like another solo instrument in the band, spiralling upwards and driving the song forward. Dave Punshon delivers another stunning piano solo, that is full of syncopated lush melodies.
The Mexican, tells the story of The Alamo, from the Mexican soldier’s perspective, and includes an excerpt from Ennio Morricone’s For A Few Dollar’s More. It has a cool dance beat and was re-recorded in 1984 by John “Jellybean’ Benitez, with Janita Haan providing new vocals, and becoming a dancefloor hit in the process. The final track on the album, Joker, has the band returning to the hard rocking style of Wells Fargo, accompanied by Alan Shacklock’s most stinging guitar workout.
Across the tracks on this debut album, Babe Ruth demonstrated a wide range of musical reference points, strong songwriting and interpretive musical skills, aligned with great musicianship, and Janita Haan’s incredible vocal range. It is a rock classic that deserves to be heard and appreciated much more than it was on its release in 1972, and hence the space given to reflecting on its merits in this review.
The sophomore follow-up album, Amar Caballero, is of similar musical range and richness. By this time the line-up had changed a little, with Ed Spevock coming in on drums, and Chris Holmes playing keyboards on part of the album. At the core of the album is the three-part title track. The first section, El Caballero de la Reina Isabella, was written by Janita Haan and Alan Shacklock, and has a very evocative lyric by Janita Haan, which is sung with a wonderfully poetical and storytelling voice. Alan Shacklock’s Hombre de la Guitarra section, includes some very fast-paced classical guitar playing, underpinned by Ed Spevock and Gaspar Lawal’s, inspirational drums and conga shuffle. The final section, El Testament De ‘Amelia, is based on Miguel Llobet’s arrangement of this traditional song. Alan Shacklock’s playing has a gentle rising and falling, creating a meditative and open soundstage.
Other key album highlights include Broken Cloud, cowritten by Alan Shacklock and Janita Haan. It is a quite beautiful ballad, orchestrated with horns and strings by Alan Shacklock. Janita Haan’s voice here is it at its very best, sometimes whispered, and understated, and at other times ascending with incredible power. A raucous cover of the Capitols classic rhythm and blues track, Cool Jerk, is led by Ed Spevock’s meticulous funk-driven drumming. Janita Haan’s delivery of the lead and backing vocals, aligned with the rolling piano accompaniment of Dave Punshon, creates a fantastic soulful performance.
by Gareth Allen, 4th July 2022
Tracks
1. Wells Fargo (Alan Shacklock) - 6:16
2. The Runaways (Alan Shacklock, David Whiting) - 7:28
3. King Kong (Frank Zappa) - 6:46
4. Black Dog (Jesse Winchester) - 8:04
5. The Mexican / For A Few Dollars More - 5:48
.a. The Mexican (Alan Shacklock)
.b. For A Few Dollars More (Ennio Morricone)
6. Joker (Alan Shacklock) - 7:43
7. Lady (Alan Shacklock, Janita Haan) - 3:37
8. Broken Cloud (Alan Shacklock) - 3:57
9. Gimme Some Leg (Alan Shacklock, Janita Haan) - 6:01
10.Baby Pride (Alan Shacklock, Janita Haan) - 3:50
11.Cool Jerk (Donald Storball) - 2:27
12.We Are Holding On (Alan Shacklock) - 3:26
13.Doctor Love (Alan Shacklock) - 3:00
14.Amar Caballero (Sin Ton Ni Son) - 9:19
.a. El Caballero De La Reina Isabella (Alan Shacklock, Janita Haan)
.b. Hombre De La Guitarra (Alan Shacklock)
.c. El Testament De N'Amelia (Traditional)
Tracks 1-6 from LP "First Base" 1972
Tracks 7-14 from LP "Amar Caballero" 1973
Babe Ruth
1972 First Base
*Janita "Jennie" Haan - Vocals, Castanets (Track 5)
*Alan Shacklock - Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Hammond Organ, Percussion, Vocals
*Dave Hewitt - Bass Guitar
*Dave Punshon - Electric Piano, Keyboards
*Dick Powell - Drums, Percussion
With
*Gasper Lawal - Conga, Bongo, Cabasa
*Brent Carter - Saxophone
*Harry Mier - Oboe
*Peter Halling - Cello
*Clive Anstee - Cello
*Manny Fox - Cello
*Boris Rickleman - Cello
*Jeff Allen - Drums (Track 2)
1973 Amar Caballero
*Janita Haan - Lead Vocals
*Alan Shacklock - Guitars, Celesta, Electric Piano, Organ, Mellotron, Percussion, Tambourine, Vocals, Orchestration, Strings Conductor
*Chris Holmes - Keyboards, Organ
*Dave Hewitt - Bass, Fuzz Bass
*Ed Spevock - Drums, Percusion, Timpani
With:
*Dave Punshon - Electric Piano (Track 1), Grand Piano (Track 5)
*Dave White - Flute (Track 1)
*Steve Gregory - Flute (Track 1)
*Brian Warren - Flute (Track 2)
*Jack Ellory - Flute (Track 2)
*Duncan Lamont - Flute (Track 6)
*Keith Christie - Trombone (Track 1)
*Ray Premru - Trombone (Track 1)
*Ray Harris - Trumpet (Track 1), Flugelhorn (Track 2)
*Bud Beadle - Baritone Sax (Track 5)
*Steve Gregory - Tenor Sax (Tracks 5,7)
*Ron Carthy - Trumpet (Tracks 5,7)
*John Georgiadis - Violin, String Section Leader (Tracks 1,2)
*Raymond Vincent - Violin (Track 6)
*Gaspar Lawal - Percussion (Tracks 1,3), Congas (Track 7), Vocals (Track 3)
*Nick Mobbs - Tambourine (Track 6)
*Angelito Perez - Congas, Cowbell, Vocals (Track 8)
*Chris Bushen - Backing Vocals (Track 4)
