C’mon, regardless of what you think of the music, you’ve got to admit the band name and the cover art (courtesy of William Mahood) were pretty hysterical. Besides, if it featured Freddy Fender, it had to have something going for it.
I can’t tell you much about this outfit. They apparently started out as a New Orleans bar band and recorded at least one single as Satan & Satan’s Roses (‘I'm a Devil’ b/w ‘We Recommend’ Sable catalog number # 404), before mutating into Satin & the Desciples (sic). The goofy cover shows them to have been a quintet, while the liner notes provide a Lake Charles, Louisiana address for Goldband Records, providing some additional support for the notion they were Louisiana-based. There are no production, or performance credits, though Bates, Childs and Denson were credited as writing the material.
1969’s “Underground” is one of those album’s most folks will find thoroughly appalling. Lyrically, musically, thematically, and sonically it’s hard to argue the point. To be honest, a bunch of 5th graders could have probably come up with something at least as good. That said, there’s going to be a select group of folks who think the album is so bad as to actually have merit. Call it a character flaw, but I guess I lean towards the latter category. Overlooking the obvious characteristics, this is one strange effort. About half of the collection recalled Sam the Sham and Pharohs-styled garage rock (had they been forced to play with one arm behind their backs). With his sing/song vocals on tracks like the crazed ‘Devil Time‘ and ‘Satan On Universe’ the anonymous lead singer sounded like Sam Samudio, or Root Boy Slim after soaking in warm Budweiser for a week.
Exemplified by material like ‘Satan’s First Theme’, ‘Ensane’ (sic) and the seemingly endless ‘Book of Alpha’ (and you thought high school science class dragged on), the predominant satanic theme was about as ominous and threatening as a teletubby. Maybe it was just me, but backing vocals that included the phrase ‘he’s the booger man’ didn’t really serve to frighten the listener. The other half of the album was given over to strange folk and country material. ‘Why the Seas’ Are Salty’ and ‘Black Sheep’ (the latter including an accordion solo) were hysterically inept – imagine your drunk uncle deciding to sing the next time he showed at the local pub.
This is an underrated record by US progressive band Smoke Rise. In 1970 they created the first American rock opera and Paramount Records allowed them to release a double concept album. As a consequence the vinyl edition (with a gatefold sleeve and an accompanying booklet that explained the elaborate story) was released in 1971. It was backed by strong, progressive elements, tight rhythm section, smooth four parts vocal harmonies and enthusiastic performances. This very melodic album was actually quite heavy, with some tracks standing up well against far better known competitors like Grand Funk and Bloodrock. Unfortunately, commercially the set went nowhere. This reissue is simply too good to be ignored!
Liner-Notes
Tracks
The Prison
1. Survival - 3:42
2. Someone Is Dying - 2:40
3. Run, Run - 0:47
4. Back In The World - 2:30
5. I'm Here - 2:33
6. Love Me - 1:02
The Farm
7. Stonefire - 3:35
8. Love Me - 2:47
9. Lady Of Light - 2:14
10.Country Life - 1:41
11.Run, Run - 1:33
12.Precious Mommy - 1:52
The Encounters
13.Medley - 2:14
Survival/Run, Run/Back In The World
14.Lonely Neighbors - 2:37
15.Cornbread - 1:44
16.This Is How It Is - 1:24
17.Cannonfire - 3:40
The Submission
18.It's Over - 2:22
19.Darkwoods Lullabye - 1:42
20.You Don't Know Why - 2:46
21.Propitious - 1:04
22.Burning A Witch - 4:09
23.Love Me - 3:58
Tracks 1,9-11,15-20 written by Hank Ruffin, James Lineberger
Tracks 2-8,12,14,22,23 written by Gary Ruffin, James Lineberger
Track 13 written by Hank Ruffin, Gary Ruffin, James Lineberger
This is a delightfully weird record, and one that grows on the listener with repeated plays. Rebecca & the Sunnybrook Farmers were a sextet from Pittsburgh, PA, who didn't seem to have any fear of where to tread musically. The songs here range from breezy lyrical pop ( "Ma-Ma" ) that breaks into waltz time signatures -- picture a cousin to "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" with a lead vocal somewhere midway between Laura Nyro and Joanie Sommers -- to topical political statements ("What Do You Think of the War?"), the latter highlighted by extended instrumental freakouts (the latter broken up by lush choruses and an intermittent lead vocal, all supplemented by a sitar). And in between those two extremes are Janis Joplin-style blues workouts, upbeat mid-'60s folk-rock ballads, and spacy psychedelic excursions, highlighted by Mickey Kapner's guitar and organ and Ilene Novog's viola; the latter even gets into sonic and textural reaches that weren't explored much more heavily until Jerry Goodman joined the Flock. And coupled with debts also owed to the Byrds, the early/middle Jefferson Airplane ("Endless Trip"), the Doors ("What Do You Think of the War"), and even the We Five, this is one eclectic album, covering lots of territory, and most of it surprisingly well. The ballads hold up best of all, but even the anti-war material is highly effective musically.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. Oh Gosh (Running Through The Forest) (Ilene Rappaport, Mickey Kapner) - 3:11
2. Two Blind Sisters (Ilene Rappaport, Mickey Kapner) - 2:34
3. David And Sally (Ilene Novog, Mickey Kapner) - 3:18
4. Love (Ilene Rappaport) - 3:15
5. Endless Trip (Ilene Rappaport) - 2:41
6. Better Dead Than Red (Ilene Rappaport, Mickey Kapner) - 5:46
7. All These Ties (Mickey Kapner) - 2:21
8. What Do You Think Of The War ? (Ilene Rappaport,Mickey Kapner) - 5:18
9. Ma Ma (Ilene Rappaport) - 2:49
10.Ghost (Mickey Kapner) - 1:42
Rebecca And The Sunny Brook Farmers
*Ilene Novog - Backing Vocals, Harpsichord, Viola
*Ilene Rappaport - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Recorder
In his book Sweet Soul Music, Peter Guralnick described Eddie Hinton as "the last of the great white soul singers," and his debut album, 1978's Very Extremely Dangerous, sounds like a glorious throwback to the salad days of the Muscle Shoals, AL, R&B hit factory of the 1960s, where Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin cut some of their most memorable songs. Hinton had already earned an estimable reputation as a session guitarist by the time he finally got to step up to the mic as a solo artist, and Very Extremely Dangerous features him backed up by the always-expert Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and Hinton's strong and wiry guitar runs fit the group's emphatic support like a glove. (Hinton and his friends also knew how to bring a solid rock drive to these songs without losing their soulful groove in the process.)
As a singer, Hinton was never afraid to step on the gas, and if his vocals are sometimes a bit over the top, they're also consumed with a raw and sweaty joy; like Wilson Pickett, Hinton is able to bring a surprising musicality to a shouting style that can express the pleasures of a hard-partying Saturday night ("Shout Bamalama") as well as the tender agony of love ("I Got the Feeling"). It was Eddie Hinton's poor fortune to cut a great blue-eyed soul album just as disco and funk had bumped deep soul off the charts, but Very Extremely Dangerous still stands as a fine example of latter-day soul at its most accomplished.
by Mark Deming
Tracks
1. You Got Me Singing (Eddie Hinton) - 2:59
2. Concept World (Alvin Howard, Eddie Hinton) - 4:04
3. I Got The Feeling (Eddie Hinton) - 5:06
4. Shout Bamalama (Otis Redding) - 4:13
5. Get Off In It (Alvin Howard, Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton) - 3:17
6. Brand New Man (Alvin Howard, Eddie Hinton) - 3:39
7. Shoot The Moon (Dan Penn, Eddie Hinton) - 4:57
8. We Got It (Eddie Hinton) - 5:19
9. Yeah Man (Eddie Hinton) - 3:46
10.I Want It All (Alvin Howard, Eddie Hinton, Sandra Hinton) - 4:34
Recorded live in 1968 with a backing band comprised primarily of jazz musicians. the support crew is a bit tentative; it's evident that they hadn't played much with hardin, and in places the tempo comes close to breaking down. it's still a good, effective performance; hardin is in good voice (a condition which apparently couldn't be readily counted on, even in his early days), and on the songs that had already been released on his first two albums, the arrangements vary from the recorded versions in interesting fashions. 'live in concert' includes renditions of most of his best early compositions ('if i were a carpenter,' 'red balloon,' 'reason to believe,' 'misty roses,' 'lady came from baltimore,' 'black sheep boy') and half a dozen hardin originals that didn't make it onto his first pair of albums. the best of these is the lenny bruce tribute, 'lenny's tune,' which nico covered on her first solo album (where it was retitled 'eulogy to lenny bruce').
Tracks
1. The Lady Came From Baltimore - 2:00
2. Reason To Believe - 2:30
3. You Upset The Grace Of Living When You Lie - 4:05
4. Misty Roses - 4:35
5. Black Sheep Boy - 2:05
6. Lenny's Tune - 6:45
7. Don't Make Promises - 4:02
8. Danville Dame - 6:15
9. If I Were A Carpenter - 3:20
10.Red Balloon - 3:21
11.Tribute To Hank Williams - 3:55
12.Smugglin' Man - 3:30
Music and Lyrics by Tim Hardin
Personnel
*Tim Hardin - Vocals, Guitar, Piano On "Lenny's Tune"
Aorta was a highly talented rock band from Rockford, IL that released two albums throughout 1969 and 1970. The band was originally known as the Exceptions, a popular soul rock group that played around the Chicago area and released a handful of singles. It’s interesting to note that the Exceptions had at one time included future members of H.P. Lovecraft (another great Chicago psych band), the New Colony Six, Chicago, The Buckinghams, and Illinois Speed Press. The Exceptions eventually morphed into Aorta when band members felt a more progressive direction was needed.
In 1969 Columbia released this startling record which was a mix of psychedelia, soul, jazz, folk, and rock. The album was housed in a beautiful, graphic sleeve that has always overshadowed the great music from within. Musically speaking, Aorta’s sound comes close to Boston band Listening or even the more psychedelic aspects of early Blood, Sweat and Tears during its Al Kooper phase. There seems to be some kind of concept that reoccurs under the Mein Vein theme. Aorta is solid throughout though, featuring strong musicianship, inventive studio wizardry, superb songs with a healthy dose of fuzz guitar and wonderful string and horn arrangements.
Some songs like Heart Attack and Ode To Missy Mxyzosptlk have lots of organ and are very early stabs at what would later be coined progressive rock. Ode to Missy has some intense guitar solos and a great studio psych out ending that will put your stereo speakers on overdrive. A personal favorite is the more restrained Sprinkle Road to Cork Street, which is a dramatic folk-rock track with horns and a beautiful medieval-like intro. Trippier tracks like the spooky Catalyptic with its ethereal, acid church organ work extremely well too and make it clear that these guys could play any style of music well. What’s In My Mind’s Eye is a great lost piece of psychedelic pop that has really cool disembodied vocals and a prominent horn arrangement.
Aorta may seem grandiose and even downright indulgent at times but make no mistake this really is a great lost record. Conclusion: definitely pick this great album up if you’re looking for some far out, wild psychedelia with a hint of early progressive rock.
by Jason Nardelli
Tracks
1. Main Vein I (Jim Donlinger) - 2:17
2. Heart Attack (Jim Donlinger, Jim Nyeholt) - 2:30
3. What's In My Mind's Eye (Ginna Donlinger) - 2:47
4. Magic Bed (Dan Hoagland, Jim Donlinger) - 2:37
5. Main Vein II (Jim Donlinger, Jim Nyeholt) - 1:25
6. Sleep Tight (Lowell George, Russ Titelman) - 4:38
7. Catalyptic (Gary Montgomery, Jack Dalton) - 3:32
8. Main Vein III (Jim Donlinger) - 0:42
9. Sprinkle Road To Cork Street (Dan Hoagland, Jim Nyeholt) - 3:06
10.Ode To Missy Mxyzosptlk (Jim Donlinger) - 3:08
11.Strange (Dan Hoagland) - 4:18
12.A Thousand Thoughts (Billy Herman, Jim Donlinger) - 3:48
13.Thoughts And Feelings / Main Vein IV (Jim Donlinger) - 4:07
Aorta
*Jim Nyeholt - Bass
*Billy Herman - Drums
*Bobby Jones - Guitar, Vocals
*Jim Donlinger - Keyboards, Vocals
The third "Redbone" album contains their second hit: "The Witch Queen of New-Orleans". Another great song, maybe one of the best in the whole Rock History. But the album is much more then that. Wonderful guitar parts, swirling around, overwhelming, taking you far ("Emotions").
James Flemming Rasmussen remembers : “It was Pat and Lolly Vegas, who hired me to produce the string session. Pat and Lolly were friends of mine, I had known them, since I first came to Hollywood, in 1965. Pat and Lolly were at that time, playing on a Club in Hollywood, and in the daytime, we went in the studio, trying to make some music together. Later in 1969, I produced a hit record “Echo Park”, with an artist called Keith Barbour. On that production, I hired the string session from LA symphony orchestra, and that way Pat and Lolly knew my work with strings. So a few years later, they recorded Witch Queen, then Pat they contacted me, to help them work with a string arrangement on that song.”
RedBone
Tracks
1. Message From A Drum (Pat Vegas) - 3:07
2. Niji Trance (Lolly Vegas, Pat Vegas, Tony Bellamy) - 3:26
3. The Sun Never Shines On The Lonely - 2:32
4. Maxsplivitz - 0:14
5. Emotions - 4:10
6. Jerico (Lolly Vegas, Pat Vegas) - 3:49
7. The Witch Queen Of New Orleans (Lolly Vegas, Pat Vegas) - 2:45
8. When You Got Trouble (Lolly Vegas, Pat Vegas) - 3:24
With all the praise accorded every other artist anointed with the "new Dylan" tag, Elliott Murphy burst onto the scene in 1973 wearing the mantle proudly. His debut, Aquashow, came on like the son of Blonde on Blonde, but with the streetwise poetic bent of Lou Reed. And, as is the case with most 24-year-olds armed with pen, paper, guitar, and harmonica, he has plenty to say. There is the tendency to wield a heavy hand when it comes to his takes on love, fame, growing up, and the underbelly of middle-class life, but Murphy, whose insights cut deeper than the majority of writers his age, is successful more often than not. If the irony of "How's the Family" or the overstated "Marilyn Monroe died for our sins" are a bit much, tracks such as "Hangin' Out," "Scrapbook Graveyard," and "Last of the Rock Stars" more than make up for it, painting a vivid picture of disenfranchised youth -- searching yet self-destructive.
Still, as good as Murphy can be lyrically, it's the music that first draws you in. From his own electric guitar, and a rhythm section made up of brother Matthew Murphy and Byrd Gene Parsons, to Highway 61 Revisited pianist Frank Owens' organ and piano, Murphy creates some of the most convincing Dylan-esque folk-rock to come along since 1966. In and out of print over the years, Aquashow remains a minor classic, thanks to a keen eye, intelligence, and a sparse, straightforward sound that stays clear of trends.
by Brett Hartenbach
Tracks
1. Last Of The Rock Stars - 3:43
2. How's The Family - 4:23
3. Hangin' Out - 4:18
4. Hometown - 4:34
5. Graveyard Scrapbook - 2:58
6. Poise 'N Pen - 2:39
7. Marilyn - 4:18
8. White Middle Class Blues - 3:00
9. Like A Crystal Microphone - 3:13
10.Don't Go Away - 4:03
All songs by Elliott Murphy
Musicians
*Elliott Murphy - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Piano
*Matthew Murphy - Bass
*Gene Parsons - Drums
*Rick Marotta - Drums (Track 2)
*Teddy Irwin - Acoustic Guitar
*Frank Owens - Piano, Organ
*Pat Rebillot - Piano, Organ (Track 4) Electric Piano (Tracks 7,9)
*Matthew Murphy, Gene Parsons, Dennis Ferrante, Maeretha Stewart - Background Vocals
*Jim Mason, Tasha Thomas, Eddie Mottau, Dick Wagner - Background Vocals
1969 album by the American blues psych rock band Raven that's similar to the Band, B.B. King and John Mayall. Features the epic composition Bad News and the superb blues rocker opener Feelin' Good. Drummer Gary Mallaber worked as session musician with artists like Van Morrison, Steve Miller, Gene Clark, Jackson Browne, America among others. Keyboardist James Frank Calire joined America from 1976 to 1980.
Tracks
1. Feelin' Good (James Frank Calire, Thomas J. Calandra) - 2:55
2. Neighbor Neighbor (Alton Joseph Valier) - 4:31
3. Green Mountain Dream (James Frank Calire) - 4:39
4. No Turnin' Back (Thomas J. Calandra) - 3:38
5. Let's Eat (James Frank Calire, John Weitz, Thomas J. Calandra, Gary Mallaber, Tony Galla) - 5:51
6. Howlin' For My Baby (Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon) - 4:39
7. Frumpy (James Frank Calire) - 3:09
8. None Of Your Jive (James Frank Calire) - 3:35
9. Bad News (John Weitz) - 10:04
10.Children At Our Feet (Thomas J. Calandra) - 2:47
Long Long Way includes three of Thomas' strongest tunes with the anti-violence-themed title track, the rocksteady "Makin' It Hard," and "Mother Earth," which is an obvious ode to the environment. All of these songs were played on Canadian radio, but none of them managed to keep Thomas in the spotlight or put his name back on the American charts. What they did do was expose the fact that Thomas was writing for himself and expressing his opinions on matters that he felt were important, and all that was needed was some punchy music to accompany his pop/rock sentiments.
by Mike DeGagne
In 1974 Ian Thomas released his second album, Long Long Way. The title track from the album climbed to #17 in Vancouver. However, unlike his previous Top 40 success in the USA, “Long Long Way” became the first of twenty-five single releases to fail to crack the Billboard Hot 100. While “Long Long Way” was on the charts in August and September 1974, America was going through a political crisis. Richard M. Nixon had resigned from the presidency on August 9, 1974, due to the Watergate scandal. The introspective tune questioning the notion of progress was out of synch with sentiment given the political crisis south of the border.
Ian Campbell Thomas, singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, actor (born 23 July 1950 in Hamilton, ON). A Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter, Ian Thomas is best known for the hit single "Painted Ladies" (1973), and for his role as Dougie Franklin in the first six seasons of Steve Smith's cult TV program The Red Green Show (1991–2006).
Thomas began his career as a member 1969–71 of the rock band Tranquility Base (the pop group-in-residence 1970–71 with the Hamilton Philharmonic). As a CBC producer 1972–74 in Toronto, Thomas was responsible for the radio program National Rock Works and for CBC LM-series recordings by more than 20 performers, including Bearfoot, Bim (Roy Forbes) and Cal Dodd. He produced commercially released recordings by James Leroy, D'Arcy Wickham and others. Throughout his career he has also written, produced and performed many jingles.
His debut album, Ian Thomas (1973, GRT 9230-1037), included the song "Painted Ladies," which was popular in Canada and the Unites States.
by Andrew Mcintosh, March 22, 2009
Tracks
1. Painted Ladies - 3:32
2. Another - 3:12
3. One Of Those Days - 3:08
4. Will You Still Love Me - 3:58
5. Coming For My Life - 3:55
6. Come The Son - 3:44
7. When You Have Love - 3:49
8. Evil In Your Eyes - 3:37
9. Insecurity - 3:58
10.White Clouds - 4:55
Lyrics and Music by Ian Thomas
Personnel
*Ian Thomas - Bass, Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Joyfull Noise were an early hippie rock crew with a melodious double guitars & keyboard line up, not unlike others from the "Bosstown Sound" sector which was a spin off of the West Coast rock scene of the era...
Their self-titled 1968 album was recorded in RCA's New York Studio. Featuring all original material (largely penned by the group), a couple of tracks like 'People Get Together', 'Animals, Flowers and Children' and 'Mirrors' had a light Beatlesque psych flavor, but for the most part the album was better described as being rock oriented. While their psych moves are successful (check out "Onyx Green Glass"), those numbers are stronger than their pop/rock moves. Highlights include the tougher sound like 'Yes She Did' and the catchy 'What Me Worry?' showing that the band certainly had the talent to do well ..
Tracks
1. People Get Together (John C. Rowe) - 2:03
2. Make A Joyfull Noise Tonight - 2:53
3. Onyx Green Glass - 2:32
4. Puppets And Pearls - 2:45
5. Adam And Eve - 2:05
6, Yes She Did (John C. Rowe) - 2:00
7. Animals, Flowers And Children - 2:40
8. Mirrors - 3:20
9. Wrapped In The Hide Of A Yellow Cow - 4:13
10.What, Me Worry? (David W. Hanni) - 2:48
11.Bundle Of Joy (John C. Rowe) - 2:58
All songs by John C. Rowe, David W. Hanni except where indicated
Despite the familiar cover artwork, this is allahtogether a different animal than the Dead’s last album, featuring a mix of country, soft rock and a few tunes with Bob Weir on vocals that, yes, inevitably draw comparisons to the Dead and New Riders. In fact, the opening “Lazy Lightnin’/Supplication” actually made its way into the Dead’s live set for a short time. For my money, Weir’s contributions to Kingfish form the highlights of their first album. “Lazy Lightnin’” and “Home To Dixie” blow by like a cool breeze, and his reading of Marty Robbins’ “Big Iron” is country at its best. Even the closing “Bye And Bye,” which gets a reggae reading reminiscent of Jerry Garcia, is likely to please Deadheads.
The rest of the record, sung and written mostly by Matthew Kelly, Dave Torbert and Tim Hovey (plus a couple of John Carter/Tim Gilbert songs held over from their old Horses days), is occasionally interesting but generally uneven. “Wild Northland” and “Good-Bye Yer Honor” feel like holdovers from the old NRPS days, while songs like “This Time,” “Hypnotize” and “Jump For Joy” are unremarkable in an era that produced Poco, Firefall and, of course, Eagles.
Although it’s tempting to see Kingfish as New Riders Mk. II, the Riders had a raison d’être outside of Jerry Garcia and the Dead. Kingfish lacks the strong presence of a John Dawson or the sterling performance of a Buddy Cage (lead guitarist Robby Hoddinott seems like a fish out of water most of the time). Although it’s not on a par with the first NRPS album, Deadheads fishing for something Weir’d should be happy enough with the net results, especially given their dearth of options after Ace, but the first NRPS album is the better of the ancillary Dead adventures.
by Dave Connolly, August 2, 2013
Tracks
1. Lazy Lightnin' (John Perry Barlow, Bob Weir) - 3:02
2. Supplication (John Perry Barlow, Bob Weir) - 2:56
3. Wild Northland (Tom Hovey, Dave Torbert) - 2:24
4. Asia Minor (John Carter, Tim Gilbert, Tom Hovey, Scott Quigley) - 3:32
5. Home To Dixie (John Perry Barlow, John Cutler, Matt Kelly, Weir) - 3:52
6. Jump For Joy (John Carter, Tim Gilbert) - 3:49
7. Good-Bye Yer Honor (Tom Hovey, Matt Kelly, Dave Torbert) - 2:56
8. Big Iron (Marty Robbins) - 4:30
9. This Time (Matt Kelly, Dave Torbert) - 4:23
10.Hypnotize (Matt Kelly, Dave Torbert) - 4:35
11.Bye And Bye (Trad., Arr. John Perry Barlow, Bob Weir) - 4:03
Kingfish
*Bob Weir - Guitar, Vocals, Lead Vocals (Tracks 1,2,5,8,11)
Jefferson Airplane’s concerts were wildly erratic affairs that typically ranged from the cluttered and chaotic to the poignant and powerful — often within the span of just a few minutes. Such was the nature of the group’s democratic approach to music and the tenuous order that often resulted from six strong-willed and opinionated artists, all of whom were trying to outdo one another while traveling down the road to collective enlightenment. In essence, its concerts were a form of performance art, and therefore, plucking tunes out of context in an effort to craft a live album ordinarily was an utter waste of time simply because the magical thread that bound an entire show together would be lost in the process.
This theory held true, at least in part, on Jefferson Airplane’s first concert recording Bless Its Pointed Little Head, but from within the jumbled mayhem crept something greater. Recorded over the course of six nights, split evenly among appearances at the Fillmore East and the Fillmore West in the Fall of 1968, the collection sparkles in its recently remastered state, adding further emphasis to the manner in which the original vinyl rendition ever so carefully highlighted Jefferson Airplane in all its resplendent glory. It’s No Secret and 3/5’s of a Mile in 10 Seconds were unleashed at an intensely supersonic speed, and even the hit single Somebody to Love became a ragged and raw blast of punchy funk-rock. Elsewhere, Rock Me Baby was a scorching slice of blues heaven; Fat Angel — the tune by the Scottish-born bard Donovan that paid tribute to the Bay Area ensemble — unraveled at a more relaxed pace, twisting and turning around Jorma Kaukonen’s mind-bending lead guitar; and Bear Melt was a strangely alluring concoction of churning improvisational fury.
The trio of tracks that serve as bonus material on the restored rendition of Bless Its Pointed Little Head were all intended for release on the original album, but due to the time limitations of vinyl, the songs were left on the cutting room floor. Each — from the soft and sweet progressive folk of Today to the hard-charging Watch Her Ride to the hippie anthem Won’t You Try/Saturday Afternoon — is stellar and augments an already well-rounded collection that concisely capture the precipitous high-wire act that took place at each and every concert that Jefferson Airplane performed.
by John Metzger, October 2004
Tracks
1. Clergy - 1:32
2. 3/5's Of A Mile In 10 Seconds (Marty Balin) - 4:37
3. Somebody To Love (Darby Slick) - 3:46
4. Fat Angel (Donovan Leitch) - 7:29
5. Rock Me Baby (Traditional) - 7:40
6. The Other Side Of This Life (Fred Neil) - 6:35
7. It's No Secret (Marty Balin) - 3:22
8. Plastic Fantastic Lover (Marty Balin) - 3:40
9. Turn Out The Lights (Grace Slick, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Spencer Dryden) - 0:58
10.Bear Melt (Grace Slick, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Spencer Dryden) - 11:06
Tracks 1, 4, 9 and 10 Recorded November 28-30, 1968 at Fillmore East, New York.
Tracks 2, 3 and 5 to 8 Recorded October 24-26, 1968 at Fillmore West, San Francisco.
Bonus Tracks 11-13 on 2004 edition
11.Today (Marty Balin, Paul Kantner) - 3:45
12.Watch Her Ride (Paul Kantner) - 3:19
13.Won't You Try (Paul Kantner) - 5:29
Tracks 11-13 Recorded November 5, 1968 at Fillmore West, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane
*Marty Balin - Vocals, Bass (Track 4)
*Jack Casady - Bass, Rhythm Guitar (Track 4)
*Spencer Dryden - Drums
*Paul Kantner - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Second Lead Guitar (Track 4)
This double CD from Rhino offers a re-mastered version of Zevon’s classic 1976 album together with a bonus CD of demos and alternate versions. The latter stand up surprisingly well in their own right but we’ll come to those later.
To all intents and purposes “Warren Zevon” was the singer/songwriter/pianist’s debut album. A little known 1969 recording “Wanted; Dead Or Alive” had long since been deleted and when “Warren Zevon” finally emerged the critics fell over themselves praising the “new discovery”. And rightly so. Zevon mixed memorable melodies with barbed, often autobiographical lyrics that displayed intelligence, a sharp observational eye and a black sense of humour. Zevon was significantly different to the regular cast of California singer/songwriters that he was often associated with, due in part to his recording for the Asylum label, home of The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt etc.
Zevon’s life story is well told by Bob Mehr in the CD booklet. Born in Chicago in 1947 he had a troubled childhood before moving to California and scrabbling around the music scene in Los Angeles. After “Dead Or Alive” sunk without trace Zevon worked as pianist and musical director for the Everly Brothers and also struck up a friendship with fellow songwriter Jackson Browne. It was Browne who helped Zevon to secure a contract with David Geffen’s Asylum label, ironically at a time when Zevon was thinking of quitting the business. Browne was to go on to produce the “Warren Zevon” album.
A self destructive character Zevon had difficulty coping with success. He had several spells in rehab for alcohol and drug abuse and died of cancer in 2003. Despite his problems he produced a series of fine albums such as “Excitable Boy” (1978) which contained probably his most famous song “Werewolves Of London”. This was followed by “Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School” and the live album “Stand In the Fire” (both 1980), “The Envoy” (1982), “Sentimental Hygiene” (1987) and “Transverse City” (1989). The nineties were less productive with “Mr Bad Example” (1991) followed by the live acoustic “Learning To Flinch” (1993), an interesting retrospective of his career to date, and “Mutineer” (1995). There was then a flurry of new releases before Zevon’s untimely demise beginning with the prophetically titled “Life’ll Kill Ya” (2000), My Ride’s Here” (2002) and “The Wind” (2003). Ironically after year of commercial decline his final album was to be his biggest seller since “Excitable Boy”. There are also several “best ofs” available including “A Quiet Normal Life” (1986) and the doubles “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” and “The Genius Of”.
Zevon left Asylum after “The Envoy” and subsequently recorded for Virgin among others. Although mainstream success largely eluded him the quality of his output was generally very high and he maintained a dedicated cult following.
“Warren Zevon” and “Excitable Boy” are generally held to be his high water marks although I must admit I’d not listened to him in years until this review copy of “Warren Zevon” dropped through my letter box. I have to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering this music and had forgotten just how good this album is.
“Warren Zevon” begins with Zevon’s paean to “Frank And Jesse James” casting the brothers as heroic Robin Hood figures in a mythic wild west. The song borrows from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo” for some of it’s structures but is none the worse for that. With sharply observational/narrative lyrics and a stirring chorus it’s something of an epic and a memorable way to kick start an album. Apparently Zevon used to perform this with the Everlys long before it was committed to vinyl. In it’s way it’s a homage to Phil and Don too.
The autobiographical “Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded” is darker in tone but no less memorable. There’s a strong tune and chorus to offset the bitterness of the lyrics. It’s not easy to make a song that is both catchy and cathartic but Zevon does it brilliantly here.
“Backs Turned Looking Down The Path” combines further autobiographical detail with a country tinged arrangement. Somewhat overlooked, Zevon considered this to be one of his finest songs.
“Hasten Down The Wind” heads further into country territory with keening pedal steel guitar and bleak lyrics. Linda Ronstadt enjoyed a hit with her version of the song but Zevon’s version brings out the essential hopelessness of the protagonist in the lyrics.
Ronstadt also covered “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” delivered here as a pounding rock ‘n’ roll stomp with some salacious lyrical content. This was an example of Zevon’s black humour at it’s best. Great, if slightly warped fun.
“The French Inhaler” is a bitter put down of a former lover with Zevon delivering the scabrous lyrics with relish. Bob Dylan was another big influence on Zevon and this is reminiscent of Dylan at his most vindictive, a cousin to “Idiot Wind”.
The enigmatic “Mohammed’s Radio” also owes something to Dylan in it’s surrealistic imagery. With it’s naggingly catchy chorus this proved to be one of Zevon’s most popular compositions. It’s strange looking back on this song post 9/11when the title and lyrics could be interpreted with a very different slant.
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” is a pounding bar room fuelled roar of defiance complete with barbed lyrics and a Spanish sub text courtesy of Jorge Calderon. Slightly throwaway by Zevon’s standards but great fun nevertheless.
By way of contrast “Carmelita” is a tender and convincing ballad telling the tale of a junkie “all strung out on heroin on the outskirts of town”. The detail in the writing is quintessential Zevon right down to the narrator meeting his supplier by the “Pioneer Chicken stand”.Zevon manages to capture the hopelessness of the situation without ever descending into bathos. The use of Spanish guitar gives the song a distinctive flavour that helps to implant it in the listener’s consciousness. This is a great song even if it’s structure sometimes seems to borrow from Dylan’s “Desolation Row”.
“Join Me In L.A.” combines a skeletal funk beat with honeyed vocal harmonies courtesy of Bonnie Raitt and Rosemary Butler. Prominent guest artists appear throughout the album, among them Phil Everly and J.D. Souther plus Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac. Good as Mehr’s liner notes are it would have been good to have a full track by track listing detailing who did what plus a transcription of the lyrics. There may be legal reasons for this omission but I can’t help feeling that Rhino missed a trick here. There is some excellent guitar work on this record, presumably from Zevon’s ex Everlys colleague Robert “Waddy” Wachtel but it would have been nice for this to have been properly accredited.
The album closes with the epic “Desperadoes Under The Eaves” buoyed by a vocal arrangement by the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. There is a true sense of ennui and existentialist despair as California sits waiting for the big one. Lines like “Don’t the sun look angry through the trees” evoke the coming apocalypse and the hum of the air-conditioning is transformed into some kind of valedictory hymn.
There isn’t really a weak song on “Warren Zevon” and this sophisticated album wears it’s age well. Lyrically it still stands up, Zevon was a highly talented wordsmith inspired by his literary heroes from Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane to Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway and Norman Mailer, the latter name checked on “The French Inhaler”.
Bonus discs are often superfluous, with sub standard material exhumed from the vaults to fleece over enthusiastic fans. Often it’s quite apparent why the stuff wasn’t released first time around-it wasn’t fit to hear in the first place.
The second CD in this package is something of an exception. There is no “new” unreleased material but there are credible alternative versions of songs from the original album.
Several of these are for piano and voice only and it is a testimony to the strength of Zevon’s writing that songs like “Frank And Jesse James”, “The French Inhaler” and “Mohamed’s Radio” still stand up in this format. It also brings into focus Zevon’s ability as a pianist (as something of a child prodigy he was introduced to Igor Stravinsky) and although not a classically “great” singer his voice sounds pretty good in this exposed situation. As a vocalist he was capable of dispensing withering scorn on some songs and a strong degree of empathy and compassion on others.
There are interesting band versions and alternative takes of “Hasten Down The Wind”, “Carmelita”, “Join Me In L.A.” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” “Frank And Jesse James”, “Mohammed’s Radio”, “The French Inhaler”, “Desperadoes Under The Eaves”, “Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded” and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”. Pretty much the whole album in other words.
These versions stand up well enough but are probably of interest to hard core fans only as they add little to the finished album versions. The solo piano pieces are the most interesting items on the second disc as they show the songs in such a radically different light.
If you missed out on “Warren Zevon” first time round, worn out your vinyl copy or just drifted away this welcome re-issue is well worth searching out.
Fusion/prog rock band Zzebra recorded two studio albums in the mid 70s (and a 3rd in 1975 that remained unreleased for 35 years), and some wonderful music that should have been much more in the public eye. And a band I was introduced to by bassist and good friend John McCoy, who played with the band before joining Gillan in 1978.
The two studio albums, Zzebra (1974) and Panic (1975) were well received, and the band toured across the UK and Europe, and recorded a BBC live session too. This set, recorded in Germany, features tracks from both albums.
The band consisted of vocalist Alan Marshall, saxophonist/vocalist Lasisi Amao, saxophonist/flutist David Quincy, keyboard player Tommy Eyre (later of Alex Harvey, Ian Gillan), guitarist Steve Byrd, drummer Liam Genocky and bassist John McCoy. Byrd and McCoy would later play together in Neo, before (with Genocky) joining Gillan.
The set here opens with ‘Panic’, a mix of blues/prog with jazz overtones and vocal harmonies, the rhythm section providing a fine groove while the guitar and saxophones trade solos; a wonderful mix of jazz and hard rock.
A warm reception from the crowd before the band launch into ‘Mr J’, more funky in both rhythm and vocal structure. The mix on the set is excellent, you can pick out the drum, guitar and bass lines well, although the guitar is a little low at times. Then ‘No Point’ which has a slow build, a heavy rhythm, the lead saxophone playing what would be a guitar line in a more mainstream rock band. A distinct funky feel.
There’s a wonderful instrumental version of ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling’, adding a balladic rhythm’n’blues feel to the jazz rock. A gentler song but a chance for the guitar to shine through. It really showcases what a wonderful guitarist Steve Byrd was. A few paces faster is The Poverty Song, a more 70s rock/pop feel.
The 16 minute closing track Hungry Horse is a must-listen. At times it sounds like a jam, there’s some blistering shred, some more whimsical keyboards, and the extended percussion solo reminiscent of (Eric Burdon’s backing band) War. Sleevenotes from John McCoy add to the history and quality of the release.
A wonderful album, shows the musicians’ quality and versatility, and alongside the material previously reissued by Angel Air, there’s a fantastic if small catalogue well worth checking out.
by Joe Geesin
Tracks
1. Panic (John McCoy) - 5:42
2. Mr. J (Loughty Amao) - 4:47
3. No Point (John McCoy) - 5:41
4. You've Lost That Loving Feeling (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector) - 6:19
5. Poverty Song (Tommy Eyre) - 5:10
6. Liamo (Dave Quincy, Loughty Amao) - 6:32
7. Society (Alan Marshall) - 7:33
8. Hungry Horse (Loughty Amao, Dave Quincy, Terry Smith, Ted Yeadon) - 16:59
