Plain and Fancy

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Universe - Universe (1971 uk, superb heavy blues rock, 2014 remaster with extra tracks)

Universe was a Welsh rock band formed in the late 1960s, marrying progressive and blues musical elements with a powerful sound. Guitarist Steve Finn, bassist John Healen, and drummer Rob Reynolds formed the nucleus of the band, initially playing under the name Deep Blue Centre, then Spoonfull, rehearsing a set that included covers and originals influenced by acts like Cream, John Mayall, and Jimi Hendrix. By 1970, they had become Universe, the name reflecting the expansive ambition of their evolving music.

Universe became known for their stellar live performances, playing countless gigs across Wales and well beyond. They shared stages with acts such as Jethro Tull, Yes, and Graham Bond, while also enduring a character-building but arduous tour of Hamburg and Norway.

The constant touring polished their sound and inspired original material such as "Twilight Winter" and "A Woman's Shape." In 1971, the band recorded an album and a single, both self-titled, in Norway; these recordings later became prized finds among collectors. Though Universe's time was brief, their music endures as a fascinating chapter of the underground rock scene in Wales. With Steve Finn's ongoing solo work and the reissue of their recordings, Universe holds a unique place in early '70s rock history.

These recordings later became prized finds among collectors. Though Universe's time was brief, their music endures as a fascinating chapter of the underground rock scene in Wales. With Steve Finn's ongoing solo work and the reissue of their recordings, Universe holds a unique place in early '70s rock history.

Ancient•Grease•Records

Tracks

1. Twilight Winter - 7:03

2. Cocaine (Traditional) - 6:52

3. Universe - 3:36

4. Rolling - 3:57

5. Spanish Feeling - 10:39

6. The Annexe (Mike Jones, Steve Finn, Mike Blance, John Healan, Steve Keelev) - 6:22

7. Bleak House - 2:52

8. Track Four (Mike Jones) - 1:07

9. A Woman's Shape (Steve Finn) - 3:24

10.Shadows Of The Sun - 3:29

11.Waiting For The Summer - 7:50

Songs 1,3-5,7 written by Mike Jones, Steve Finn

Bonus Tracks 9-11

Universe

*Mike Jones - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocals

*Steve Finn - Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Vocals

*Mike Blance - Keyboards, Vocals

*John Healan - Bass Guitar, Vocals

*Steve Keelev - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

Saturday, November 22, 2025

rep>>> Masters Of Deceit - Hensley's Electric Jazz Band And Synthetic Symphonette (1969 us, amazing psych jazz prog rock, 2001 hard sleeve release)

Masters of Deceit were an Indianapolis band that had its only release, “Hensley’s Electric Jazz Band & Synthetic Symphonette” on the highbrow east coast major label Vanguard Records.

Led by keyboardist Tom Hensley, who also handled most of the vocals, the band also included Steve Blum on guitar, Gary Campbell, bass and vocals, and Stan Gage on drums. I believe the record was recorded in NYC.

Soon afterwards, Hensley relocated to Los Angeles and became a successful session keyboardist, playing with many big names, including Neil Diamond, Helen Reddy, Cher, David Cassidy, The Carpenters–to name but a few.

The Masters of Deceit LP is relatively obscure today. Original LP copies can be found for less than $50 but are not common.

Musically, Masters of Deceit occupy an end of 60’s/beginning of 70’s transitional niche, drawing from psychedelia, jazz-rock and progressive rock. If you’re a fan of such genres, you’ll likely find a lot to like here.

Indiana-Vinyl

Tracks
1. Shining (Tom Hensley, Cradoc Bagshaw) - 4:31
2. Boxes - 4:52
3. The Grand Illusion (Tom Hensley, Cradoc Bagshaw) - 3:34
4. The Long Hard Journey - 7:22
5. Mirror - 4:32
6. Pieces/ Together/ Pieces - 15:09
All songs by Tom Hensley except where noted

The Masters Of Deceit
*Tom Hensley - Organ, Clavinet, Piano, Vocals
*Gary Campbell - Bass, Vocals, Tenor Saxophone
*Stan Gage - Drums
*Steve Blum - Guitar, Bass

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Friday, November 21, 2025

Rubicon - Rubicon (1978 us, nice brass funk classic rock, 2011 japan remaster)

The distinctive bass guitar sound that highlights RUBICON is supplied by Jack Blades who has been playing bass since the age of twelve . A native of Palm Springs, California, Jack's genuine enthusiasm for his music saw him join many local bands in Southern California. Jack was a pre-med student at San Diego State University when he first met Jerry who was so impressed with Jack's playing that he decided to put a band together structured around Jack's style of playing and convinced him to move to San Francisco and work there until Jerry was ready to put the group together.

Jack's friendship with RUBICON's drummer and lead vocalist, Greg Eckler, predates the birth of RUBICON. Greg and Jack have played together a number of years ago and were familiar with each other's musical styles prior to joining forces in RUBICON. Born in Kentucky, Greg played the trumpet in high school and college where he learned to read and write music. A great showman, his facial appearance bears a striking resemblance to Elton John, but Greg's way around his double bass drum set is uniquely his own.

Jim Pugh, keyboardist, has an intense driving passion for music. With substantial formal training, Jim is the group's most technically proficient member. Jim's enthusiasm for music is only paralleled by his passion for sports. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Jim has been a resident of the Bay Area since the early 70's. His interest in music knows no barriers and at one time in his career he was a member of a band that played only Mexican music. His wild, exuberant personality lies in perfect contrast to that of Max Haskett, the mellow introspective, pipe-smoking, trumpet player of RUBICON. Max's soaring vocal range and sensitive interpretation of material makes him the choice to handle the greatest portion of the singing. Max was born and bred in the Bay Area an has been part of its music scene for many years. Most recently he was a member of Lydia Pense and Cold Blood and recorded several albums. Together these seven musicians form RUBICON, a new direction and innovative expression of what they care about music.

Twanna•Turner

Tracks

1. And The Moon's Out Tonight (Gerald Martini) - 3:18

2. Far Away (Max Haskett) - 4:49

3. Closely (Dennis Marcellino) - 5:23

4. Vanilla Gorilla (Gerald Martini, Max Haskett) - 4:45

5. I'm Gonna Take Care Of Everything (Max Haskett) - 3:28

6. I Want To Love You (Jack Blades) - 3:02

7. Cheatin' (Gregory Eckler, James Pugh) - 3:44

8. It's All For The Show (Gregory Eckler) - 3:39

9. That's The Way Things Are (Gerald Martini, Lynn Medeiros) - 5:35

Rubicon

*Jerry Martini - Saxophone, Vocals

*Max Haskett - Trumpet, Vocals

*Dennis Marcellino - Saxophone, Tambourine, Flute, Vocals

*Jack Blades - Bass, Vocals

*Bradley Gillis - Guitar, Vocals

*Greg Eckler - Drums, Vocals

*Jim Pugh - Keyboards, Vocals

1968-69 Brunning Sunflower Blues Band - Bullen St. Blues • Trackside Blues (2003 remaster)

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Brunning Hall Sunflower Blues Band - I Wish You Would • Brunning Sunflower Blues Band (1970-71 uk, fine blues rock, 2003 remaster)

Bob Brunning and Bob Hall should be well known for their contributions to albums by Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac. They are less well known for their solo projects. After their adventures with Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown, the two musicians joined forces and founded the Brunning Sunflower Blues Band in 1968. In addition to Hall and Brunning, the band included Peter French on vocals, Colin Jordan on guitar, Jeff Russel on drums and Mick Hall on guitar. The result was ‘Bullen Street Blues’.

By the second album, there had already been a change in the line-up. Russel, French and Hall left the band and were replaced by Pete Banham and Peter Green. The album was called Trackside Blues. Both Bullen Street Blues and Trackside Blues, as well as the albums I have, I Wish You Would and Brunning Hall Sunflower Blues Band, have been re-released as two-fers in recent years. Peter Green, Dave and Jo-Ann Kelly, Mel Wrights, Steve Rye, Peter Green and John Altman contributed to these last two albums. Some of the songs were written by Dave Kelly for the albums.

The musicians guarantee quality, resulting in two albums that can hold their own against those by Savoy Brown or Fleetwood Mac. The style is the same: blues and blues rock from the British blues boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Nothing new to hear, but that's a very good thing.

If you like this era, you can't ignore the Brunning Hall Sunflower Blues Band.

Rock-zirkus, 9. Juli 2018

Tracks

1. I Wish You Would (Eddy Arnold) - 2:46

2. On The Road (Bob Brunning) - 2:09

3. Checking On My Baby (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 4:28

4. I'm A Star (Bob Hall) - 2:04

5. Broken Hearted (Dave Kelly) - 3:43

6. Bob's Boogie (Bob Hall) - 2:27

7. Mean Old 57 (Bob Hall) - 2:19

8. Uranus (Bob Brunning) - 3:22

9. Bad Luck (Dave Kelly) - 4:07

10.All Right With Me (Steve Rye) - 2:33

11.C&W Blues (Bob Brunning) - 1:22

12.Good Golly Miss Kelly (Dave Kelly) - 2:23

13.Call Me (Pat Grover) - 4:30

14.Gotta Keep Running (Bob Hall, Dave Kelly, Dennis Cotton) - 3:47

15.Put A Record On (Bob Hall, Dave Kelly, Dennis Cotton) - 3:10

16.Once Upon A Time (Bob Hall) - 1:43

17.Be Satisfied (Bob Hall, Dennis Cotton) - 2:27

18.Now Your Crying (Pat Grover) - 4:35

19.Bogey Man (Bob Hall, Dennis Cotton) - 3:30

20.Feel So Bad (Chuck Willis) - 3:49

21.Rolling Down The Highway (Bob Hall, Dennis Cotton) - 4:32

22.Waiting For You (Dennis Cotton, Pat Grover) - 2:36

23.Too Poor To Die (Charles Singleton, Henry Glover, Sidney J. Wyche) - 3:35

24.Things are Getting Better (Pat Grover) - 4:09

Songs 1-12 from "I Wish You Would" LP 1970

Songs 13-24 from "Brunning Hall Sunflower Blues Band" LP 1971

Brunning Hall Sunflower Blues Band

*Bob Brunning - Bass, Vocal

*Bob Hall - Piano, Vocal

*Joann Kelly - Vocal

*Dave Kelly - Guitar, Vocal (Tracks 1-12)

*Mel Wright - Drums (Tracks 1-7, 9-12)

*Pete Banham - Drums (Track 8)

*Steve Rye - Harmonica, Lead Vocal (Track 10)

*John Altman - Alto, Tenor Sax, Flute, Clarinet (Tracks 1-12)

*Peter Blue - Lead Guitar (Track 8)

*Keith Nelson - Banjo, Acoustic Guitar (Tracks 13-24)

*Barry Guard - Drums (Tracks 13-24)

*Leo Manning - Drums (Tracks 13-24)

*Pat Grover - Guitar, Vocals (Tracks 13-24)

*John O'Leary - Harmonica (Tracks 13-24)

*Steve Rye - Harmonica (Tracks 13-24)

1969 Tramp - Tramp (Japan remaster)

1974 Tramp - Put A Record On (2007 Japan)

1968-88 Peter Green - Man Of The World Anthology (2004 double disc)

1967-68 Savoy Brown - Shake Down / Getting To The Point (2005 double disc)

1969 Savoy Brown - Blue Matter (2004 edition)

1968 Child Is Father To The Man (2014 Audio Fidelity and 2016 SACD)
1969 Blood Sweat And Tears (2014 audio fidelity and 2016 SACD)
1969 Live At Woodstock (2019 Legacy)

Monday, November 17, 2025

Blood Sweat And Tears - In Concert (1976 us, exceptional bass jazz rock, 2017 remaster)

The album under consideration here - BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS LIVE - was originally released in Europe and Japan only in 1976, with the tracks being recorded at four different shows on their 1975 tour, namely the Schaeffer Music Festival in New York City July 5th, 1975; City Hall Plaza in Boston (Recorded on the Record Plant NY Remote Truck), July 20th, 1975; National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, August 11th and 12th 1975; and at the Monterey Jazz Festival in Monterey, California, September 21st 1975. The Columbia / CBS label, which was the bands' recording home since 1967, had developed a marketing ploy for their artists by releasing live recordings outside of the US marketplace as a way of keeping an acts' fanbase supplied with new product - artists such as Donovan, for example released an overseas-only Live in Japan set, and, in one notable example, the Cheap Trick Live At The Budokan live album, initially only available as an expensive Japanese import release ended up becoming the album that would seal their domestic commercial breakthrough. The Blood Sweat and Tears album would not get a release States-side until 1991, under the title Live and Improvised.

The BST personnel on this album is close to that of their 1975 studio release, New City, and comprises David Clayton- Thomas (lead vocals), Bobby Colomby (drums, backing vocals), David Bargeron (trombone, tuba, percussion, backing vocals), Larry Willis (keyboards, backing vocals), Bill Tillman (saxophone, flute, backing vocals), Anthony Klatka (trumpet, backing vocals), Joe Giorgianni (trumpet, backing vocals), Steve Khan (Guitar, backing vocals - at Schaeffer Music Festival and City Hall Plaza recordings), George Wadenius (guitar, backing vocals at National Arts Centre recordings), Mike Stern (guitar, backing vocals at Monterrey Jazz festival recordings), Ron McClure (bass), and Don Alias (Percussion, backing vocals). The album was produced by Colomby and executive producer Jimmy lenner. lenner had made something of a reputation for himself as a producer for Capitol Records acts such as The Raspberries, Grand Funk Railroad, and later The Bay City Rollers, Air Supply and others, as well as the multi- million selling soundtrack to the global smash Dirty Dancing, in 1987.

Opening with 'Spinning Wheel', which includes a typically impassioned lead vocal from Clayton-Thomas, the band also work into the song arrangement a fine instrumental interlude, with walking bass, trumpet, trombone and tenor sax solos, which really shows the kind of high-quality musical chops that this variant of BST had at their disposal.

'I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know' is an Al Kooper opus, and it's blessed here with a vocal of real subtle soulfulness and commendable restraint by Clayton Thomas, that vocal complemented by a fine horn arrangement. Again, though, its inclusion serves to illustrate that, eight years and seven albums since their debut, the band were still mining material from the Al Kooper era in their live shows.

'And When I Die' another one of the bands' excursions into the songbook of Laura Nyro, is dusted off and rendered in sprightly fashion here, even giving Bill Bargeron an extended tuba solo (which is not something a sleeve note writer often gets to mention), and it segues into 'One Room Country Shack', an opus from the pen of John Lee Hooker. From the just-released New City album, it opens with a blast of fruity, under-the-floor tuba from Bargeron, with an appropriately raw-throated vocal from Clayton-Thomas, a bluesy interlude that morphs seamlessly back into 'And When I Die'. Clayton-Thomas takes a break whilst the band breeze though the Chick Corea penned instrumental, '(I Can Recall) Spain', which has the BST ensemble inhabit Jazz- Fusion terrain with genuine instrumental virtuosity.

'Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)', penned by Carole King and Jerry Goffin, is a Gospel-coloured workout that is tailor- made for Clayton-Thomas' soulful pipes, but the band also turn in Yeoman service with a steady-rolling backup throughout. Clayton-Thomas also gets the audience to indulge in a bit of call-and response to great effect, the song having been a hit single culled from their third album. Another lengthy instrumental excursion, the eleven-minute 'Unit Seven', is introduced as a tribute to the-then recently deceased Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley (he passed away on August 8th, 1975). 'Life', which was also taken from the New City album, was written by Allen Toussaint, and its strutting funk and massed backing vocals make for a neat shifting of musical gears. 'Mean Ole World', (penned by Jerry LaCroix, who had replaced vocalist Clayton-Thomas when he left (albeit temporarily) the band in 1972), is another tough funk offering, with an enviably tight rhythm section providing some great bedrock for the band to do their stuff on top.

'Ride Captain Ride'was also from the freshly-released New City, and is a cover of a 1970 hit by the band Blues Image. Perhaps at six-minutes plus, it overstays its welcome, but there's no doubting its fine, punchy arrangement and gutsy vocal. Closing proceedings is another BST smash, their incisive take of 'You've Made Me So Very Happy', penned by Berry Gordy and Brenda Holloway, it rounds off a satisfying and varied set neatly.

Blood, Sweat & Tears would record one more album for the Columbia CBS label, More Than Ever, released in July, 1976, but their commercial moment had long since passed, as Disco came to the fore, rendering BST's take on old School Blue Eyed Soul and Funk redundant, sales-wise.

Removed from the critical milieu of the time, BST can be enjoyed as purveyors of superior adult-orientated pop. Back in the mid-1990s, the music industry indulged in a brief nostalgic flirtation with middle-of-the-road pop sounds, 'Easy' listening, and then morphed into the 'Guilty Pleasures' scene, where appreciation for light pop sounds as purveyed by the likes of Andy Williams and other caramel-voiced crooners saw a renewed appreciation for the likes of BST. Back in the early seventies, the likes of 'Spinning Wheel', 'And When I Die' and 'You've Made Me So Very Happy' became staples of popular Light Entertainment shows, and the cheesy appeal fed into the kitsch values of the 'Easy' 1990s scene.

In the end, the best of Blood, Sweat and Tears music, removed from the febrile atmosphere of its initial creation, easily stands up to contemporary scrutiny. This live double set celebrates both their commercial and musical innovation, and its reappearance is both enjoyable and welcome.

by Alan Robinson, September 2017

Tracks

Disc 1

1.Spinning Wheel (David Clayton-Thomas) - 5:57

2.I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (Al Kooper) - 8:56

3.Lucretia MacEvil (David Clayton-Thomas) - 7:11

4.And When I Die (Laura Nyro) - 6:28

5.One Room Country Shack (John Lee Hooker) - 2:42

6.And When I Die (Reprise) (Laura Nyro) - 3:06

7.(I Can Recall) Spain (Al Jarreau, Chick Corea, Joaquín Rodrigo) - 9:01

Disc 2

1.Hi-De-Ho "That Old Sweet Roll" (Carole King, Gerald Goffin) - 6:33

2.Unit Seven (Sam Jones) - 11:03

3.Life (Allen Toussaint) - 5:19

4.Mean Ole World (Jerry Lacroix) - 9:44

5.Ride Captain Ride (Frank Konte, Carlos Pinera) - 6:29

6.You've Made Me So Very Happy (Berry Gordy, Jr., Brenda Holloway, Frank Wilson, Patrice Holloway) - 6:42

Blood Sweat And Tears

*David Clayton-Thomas - Lead Vocals

*Bobby Colomby - Drum, Background Vocals

*Dave Bargeron - Trombone, Tuba, Percussion, Background Vocals

*Larry Willis - Keyboards, Background Vocals

*Bill Tillman - Saxophone, Flute, Background Vocals

*Anthony Klatka - Trumpet, Background Vocals

*Joe Giorgianni - Trumpet, Background Vocals

*Steve Khan - Guitar, Background Vocals (At Schaeffer Music Festival; City Hall Plaza)

*Georg Wadenius - Guitar, Background Vocals (At The National Arts Centre)

*Mike Stern - Guitar, Background Vocals (At Monterey Jazz Festival)

*Ron McClure - Bass

*Don Alias - Percussion, Background Vocals

1970 Blood Sweat And Tears - 3 (2016 SACD)
1971 Blood Sweat and Tears - 4 (2016 SACD)
1972 New Blood (2009 edition)
1973 No Sweat (2005 issue)
1974 Mirror Image (2005 issue)
1975 New City (Bonus Tracks)
1976 More Than Ever (Bonus Tracks)
1968-76 The Complete Singles (2014 two disc set)

Related Act
1972 David Clayton Thomas

David Clayton-Thomas - David Clayton-Thomas / Tequila Sunrise (2002 edition)

Sunday, November 16, 2025

Mood Jga Jga - Mood Jga Jga (1974 canada, splendid funky brass rock, 2024 korean remaster)

Mood Jga Jga formed in 1971 in Winnipeg, Manitoba just after Greg Leskiw had left The Guess Who. Greg and Gord Osland signed Hermann Fruhm after just six days of starting the band. The name Mood Jga Jga came from Gord Osland's son Sam, who mumbled the words while Osland and Leskiw were under the influence. Sam Osland went onto play with Vancouver indie band Imbrue Huzza, who released a cassette in 1993.

Mood Jga Jga features the fine writing of Greg Leskiw and is the finest funky jazz country blues rock album ever released in the province of Manitoba. The music is timeless. It could have been released last year, or 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, and you wouldn't know it. The song "Turn Around" was on the Canada Gold LP compilation in the mid-seventies.

Mood Jga Jga gathered again in 1991 and made a recording for a CBC compilation Variety Recordings 6 on CBC VRCD 1006 (Gimme My Money/ Fine Time/ If You Ever Leave Me/ Sensible Lover/ Better Place, Better Time/ Why? Why? Why?). They re-isssued their album privately on CD, with the help of k.d. lang's manager Larry Wanagas, in 1994 in a limited pressing of 1000 copies. They re-formed a few times afterwards, appearing at The Winnipeg Folk and Jazz Festivals. They also got together again in 1997 and released "Boys Will be Boys", pressed privately on MJJ 0001 (Sensible Lover - Krautsuppe Song/ Better Place Better Time/ Dancing With Comrade I/ Boys Will Be Boys/ It's Gonna Get Better/ Desert Rain/ Herm's Toon/ Ma Cherie/ Forgive Him/ Dancing With Comrade II/ Be My Champion/ Interlude/ Universal Blues). That album was dedicated to the late and great Dianne Heatherington.

by Robert Williston

Tracks

1. Queen Jealousy - 2:48

2. Only A Fool In Love (Greg Leskiw, Herman Fruhm) - 3:11

3. River Bank (Bill Merritt, Greg Leskiw) - 3:42

4. Daybreak - 3:26

5. Kill The Hangman - 4:38

6. Come And See Me Here My Friend - 4:14

7. Nowhere To Go - 3:02

8. Gimme My Money - 3:55

9. I Am What I Am What I Am - 4:44

All songs written by Greg Leskiw except where stated

Mood Jga Jga

*Greg Leskiw - Guitar And Vocals

*Herman Fruhm - Guitar

*Bill Merritt - Bass

*Gord Osland - Drums

1969 Tramp - Tramp (Japan remaster)

Thursday, November 13, 2025

Brunning Sunflower Blues Band - Bullen St. Blues • Trackside Blues (1968-69 UK, vibrant blues rock, 2003 remaster)

The Brunning Sunflower Blues Band was the part-time British blues-rock outfit led by former Fleetwood Mac bassist Bob Brunning and blues pianist Bob Hall. A founding member of Fleetwood Mac, Brunning kept a low profile after having been let go by Peter Green once John McVie was free of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. He worked briefly with Savoy Brown and became a schoolteacher, but still found time -- with Hall and their Sunflower Blues Band -- to release four albums: 1968's Bullen Street Blues, 1969's Trackside Blues (featuring Green), 1970's I Wish You Would, and 1971's The Brunning/Hall Sunflower Blues Band. The group reconvened in the '80s as the Deluxe Blues Band, and the bandmembers often served as backup players for stateside blues musicians touring England. Trackside Blues and I Wish You Would were re-released on Appaloosa in 2000. Brunning continues to be involved in blues music and study, delivering lectures on the topic from time to time.

by Chris True

Tracks

1.Gone Back Home (Peter French) - 4:06

2.Hit That Wine - 2:33

3.Bullen Street Blues - 4:03

4.No Idea - 2:36

5.Shout Your Name And Call It - 2:07

6.Take Your Hands Off Me - 2:32

7.'Fore Time Began (Peter French) - 5:29

8.Something Tells Me - 3:09

9.Big Belly Blues - Gone Back Home - 4:06

10.Sunflower Boogie - 3:29

11.Rockin' Chair - 2:26

12.Ride With Your Daddy Tonight (Scotty Moore) - 3:32

13.Tube Train Blues - 3:19

14.Sunflower Shuffle - 3:14

15.Simple Simon - 2:15

16.I Met This Bird In Playboy - 2:33

17.(Ah! Soul) Uranus Part 1 - 2:35

18.It Takes Time (Otis Rush) - 3:33

19.Baby You're The Real Thing (Colin Jordan) - 3:02

20.If You Let Me Love You (B.B. King, Sam Ling) - 7:00

21.North Star (Colin Jordan) - 2:57

22.Closing Hours - 3:10

23.Uranus Part 2 - 3:25

Songs 2,3,6,9,11,13,15,16,22,23 written by Bob Brunning

Songs 4,5,8,10,14, written by Bob Hall

Brunning Sunflower Blues Band

*Bob Brunning - Bass, Vocals

*Bob Hall - Piano

*Colin Jordan - Guitar, Vocals

*Peter Fench - Vocals (Tracks 1-11)

*Jeff Russell - Drums (Tracks 1-11)

*Pete Banham - Drums (Tracks 12-23)

With

*Peter Green - Guitar, Vocals (Tracks 12,15,17,18,20)

1974 Tramp - Put A Record On (2007 Japan)

1968-88 Peter Green - Man Of The World Anthology (2004 double disc)

1967-68 Savoy Brown - Shake Down / Getting To The Point (2005 double disc)

1969 Savoy Brown - Blue Matter (2004 edition)

1976 Steve Hillage - L (2007 remaster)
1977 Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio
1978 Steve Hillage - Green (2007 remaster and expanded)
1979 Steve Hillage - Open (2007 remaster)

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Steve Hillage - Fish Rising (1975 uk, fascinating canterbury prog space rock, 2007 remaster and expanded)

After departing Gong in 1975, Steve Hillage followed the same route as everyone else, by making a solo album. He enlisted some Gong colleagues -- bassist Mike Howlett, saxophonist Didier Malherbe, and drummer Pierre Moerlen -- and augmented them with others from his Canterbury scene past, keyboard player Dave Stewart (the two had played together at the beginning of the decade) and Henry Cow's Lindsay Cooper. The result, apart from revealing a slightly unhealthy obsession with fish (at least a change from Gong's pot head pixies) is a Canterbury musical delight, even if the lyrics are chock-full of hippie-dippy sentiment.

There are plenty of complex time changes, easily and smoothly handled by the musicians, and while Hillage doesn't contribute as many solos as admirers of his style might wish, he does use layers of guitar to create some wonderful textures and harmonies. This is, in fact, a very sophisticated record, with interesting arrangements and some innovative production -- a harbinger of Hillage's future career behind the boards. On the few occasions he does unleash the fretwork, it's quite glorious, with his trademark echo letting the notes trail like a comet's tail. He doesn't need to prove he's the fast gun in town, simply one with plenty of invention. The real emphasis is on band arrangements and those multi-part compositions that were an indelible part of the prog '70s (as in the pretentiously titled "Solar Musick Suite"). However, pomposity is carefully avoided, and the musicians bring enough of their own personalities to the party, especially Malherbe. As a solo debut it's a success, taking the qualities of Hillage's previous gigs on board, but making the final product his own. It might be fishy, but it certainly doesn't stink.

bt Chris Nickson

Tracks

1. Solar Musick Suite: - 16:55

- A Sun Song I Love Its Holy Mystery - 6:15

- B Canterbury Sunrise - 3:25

- C Hiram Afterglid Meets The Dervish - 4:05

- D Sun Song - 3:10

2. Fish - 1:23

3. Meditation Of The Snake - 3:10

4. The Salmon Song: - 8:45

- A Salmon Pool - 1:17

- B Solomon's Atlantis Salmon - 2:08

- C Swimming With The Salmon - 1:37

- D King Of The Fishes - 3:43

5. Aftaglid: - 14:46

- A Sun Moon Surfing - 1:36

- B The Great Wave And The Boat Of Hermes - 1:51

- C The Silver Ladder - 0:40

- D Astral Meadows - 2:01

- E The Lafta Yoga Song - 2:42

- F Glidding - 2:23

- G The Golden Vibe/Outglib - 3:33

6. Pentagrammaspin - 7:46

7. Aftaglid - 13:00

All compositions by Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy

Bonus Tracks 6,7

Personnel

*Steve Hillage - Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar

*Tim Blake - Synthesizers, Tamboura

*Christian Boule - Electric Guitar

*Lindsay Cooper - Bassoon

*Miquette Giraudy - Keyboards, Synths

*Mike Howlett - Bass

*Didier Malherbe - Sax, Flute

*Pierre Moerlen - Drums, Marimba, Darbuka

*Gilli Smyth - Vocals, Bells

*Dave Stewart - Organ, Piano

1969 Uriel - Arzachel (2007 remaster, collectors edition)
1969-72 Egg - The Metronomical Society
1971 Egg - The Polite Force (2008 Esoteric remaster)
1969-70 Egg (2008 Esoteric remaster)
1974 Egg - The Civil Surface (2007 remaster)

1972 Khan - Space Shanty (2010 Japan SHM-CD)