Monday, September 14, 2026

rep>>> Kingfish - Kingfish (1976 us, tuneful country jam rock, feat Bob Weir)



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)
*Matthew Kelly - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*Dave Torbert - Bass, Vocals
*Robby Hoddinott - Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar
*Chris Herold - Drums, Percussion
With
*Steve Evans - Bass
*Barry Flast - Piano, Vocals
*Pablo Green - Percussion (Track 10)
*Anna Rizzo - Vocals
*Jim Sanchez - Drums
*J.D. Sharp - String Symphonizer  (Tracks 1, 9, 10)


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rep>>> Dana Gillespie - Foolish Seasons (1968 uk, wondrous folk beat baroque psych, 2006 remaster)



Although she would eventually become most known as a blues singer, at the outset of her recording career in the mid- to late '60s, Dana Gillespie flirted with pop/rock, folk-rock, and mildly psychedelic baroque pop. All of those styles can be heard on her obscure 1968 debut album, Foolish Seasons, which was oddly issued in the U.S. but not in the U.K., despite the heavily British-European cast to the production and arrangements. The melange of approaches makes for an indecisive direction and uneven quality in certain respects. Yet at the same time, it makes the record an undeniably interesting, at times even exhilarating, slice of eclectic late-'60s Swinging London-tinged pop. 

Very roughly speaking, Gillespie echoed the material and vocals of fellow British woman pop/rock singers such as Marianne Faithfull and Dusty Springfield at points, though her voice was at once both huskier and smokier than the young Faithfull's, and gentler and more whispery than Springfield's. The styles tried on for size include the breezy psych-pop of "You Just Gotta Know My Mind," a Donovan composition that Donovan himself never recorded; the very Faithfull-esque (in the good sense) wispy folk-pop of "Tears in My Eyes" and Gillespie's own composition "Foolish Seasons"; the sunshine pop-influenced orchestral arrangements of "Life Is Short" and "London Social Degree," both penned by cult British pop/rocker Billy Nicholls; the gothic Euro-pop of "Souvenirs of Stefan," which vaguely recalls the likes of Françoise Hardy; and the downright catchy, sexy, mod pop of "No! No! No!" Further unexpected turns are taken with the almost pre-goth blues-pop death wish "Dead," and the haunting, eccentric cover of Richard Fariña's "Hard Lovin' Loser."

Sure, there are a couple of icky-sweet pop clunkers along the way (including Gillespie's sole other self-penned number on the album, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"). On the whole, though, it's an extremely likable (if somewhat stylistically confused) album, with nonstop unpredictably luscious and imaginative production. The U.K. 2006 CD reissue on Rev-Ola has thorough historical liner notes, including many quotes from Gillespie herself. 
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. You Just Gotta Know My Mind (Donovan Leitch) - 2:09
2. Tears In My Eyes (Tony Waddington, Wayne Bickerton) - 2:28
3. Life Is Short (Billy Nicholls) - 2:32
4. Souvenirs Of Stefan (Les Reed, Les Vandyke) - 3:40
5. Can't You See I'm Dreaming (Tony Waddington, Wayne Bickerton) - 2:58
6. No! No! No! (Michel Polnareff) - 2:49
7. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (Dana Gillespie) - 2:01
8. London Social Degree (Billy Nicholls) - 2:08
9. Dead (Joe Huffman, Moses Dillard) - 3:09
10.Foolish Seasons (Dana Gillespie) - 2:12
11.Where Will You Be (Andy Kim, Jeff Barry) - 2:10
12.Hard Lovin' Loser (Richard Farina) - 3:50

*Dana Gillespie - Vocals

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