Steel was a US rock group with members (keyboardist/vocalist Duane Hitchings, guitarist Steve Busfield, bassist Roland Robinson, drummer Jerry Norris and singer/backing vocalist Carl Sims). . Some of them are well known on the rock and blues circuit. Duane Hitchings was a member of the Buddy Miles Express and Roland Robinson, in addition to working for the Stax label, had the opportunity to jam with Jimi Hendrix (he is credited on the title "Jimi/Jimmy Jam" in the posthumous album, “Nine To The Universe” published in 1980). In 1971 the quintet released their self-titled LP on behalf of Epic with Hendrix's sound engineer, Eddie Kramer, at the helm.
10 tracks for an LP totaling 33 minutes, this album offers excellent hard rock rich in melodies which flirts with prog but especially with soul music. Vocals are shared between Duane Hitchings and Carl Sims, the latter providing backing vocals on all of the songs. The leaden biker riffs of many of the tracks (“Eye To Eye” in the opening, “Road Runner”, “Rosie Lee”) recall those of Leslie West from Mountain. The quintet offers celestial heavy ballads (“Never On A Monday”, “Merry Go Round”). The musicians focus on boogie (“Maybe” and the instrumental “Loving You”) but also rhythm ‘n’ blues (“Can’t Watch One Hand”). The vinyl ends in a hard blues register with “Driving Wheel” and “To You Who Are Watching” more funky for the latter.
A promising, endearing, well-made record, very pleasant to listen to but which unfortunately did not meet with success, leading to the separation of Steel. Carl Sims will attempt a solo career in the funk style. Steve Busfield joined the Buddy Miles Express in 1973. Duane Hitchings, Roland Robinson and Jerry Norris will join guitarist Mike Pinera in The New Cactus for the short-lived album, Son Of Cactus released in 1973. Subsequently Roland Robinson and Duane Hitchings will write the hit “Infatuation” for Rod Stewart.
UK band released only this album in Belgium, combines the feel-good groovy instrumental organ rock of Eden Rose with the more measured introspective UK scene like Cressida or Still Life. Sounds a bit dated for 1971, more like 1969 - probably due to the ‚"carnival‚" sound of the organ, which is the dominant instrument. Flute is put to good use as well. No guitars, which is unusual for the era. Also pick up some Julian Jay Savarin in places. Yet another creative version of ‚"Eleanor Rigby‚". A good one.
Tracks
1. Return Of A Stranger (Barry Kirsch) - 2:40
2. Little Victim (Julian Kirsch) - 3:30
3. Clog I (Barry Kirsch, Pinder Paul) - 2:30
4. Clog II (Pinder Paul) - 2:35
5. Only A Sad Thing (Barry Kirsch, Ashford Jon, Wilson Robert) - 4:35
6. Steamer (Barry Kirsch) - 2:10
7. Island (Barry Kirsch) - 4:00
8. Freeway (Barry Kirsch, Wilson Robert) - 4:40
9. Eleanor Rigby (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:25
10.Suite For Selena (Barry Kirsch) - 8:40
.a) You Are My.../ b) Motivation / c) Thursday 32nd / d) Make Me / e) Malachi
Black Merda were a funky rock combo with a significant debt to Jimi Hendrix, mixing fuzz-toned, psychedelic blues-rock with folky acoustic passages and contemporary late-'60s soul. Featuring guitarists Anthony and Charles Hawkins, bassist VC Veasey (aka Veesee L. Veasey), and drummer Tyrone Hite, the group got its start in the late '60s after Veasey, Hite, and Anthony Hawkins had spent time in a band called the Soul Agents, backing Edwin Starr and Gene Chandler. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced?, they added Anthony's younger brother Charles on second guitar and christened themselves Black Merda. Despite some interest around their Detroit base -- including Norman Whitfield and Eddie Kendricks -- Black Merda signed to Chess, thanks in part to the psychedelic soul eccentric Fugi (aka Ellington Jordan), who they also backed on his Mary, Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip LP for Chess.
Black Merda's self-titled album sounded revolutionary enough, although the bandmembers were disappointed that it didn't reflect their heavy live shows. They then moved to the West Coast to continue playing with Fugi, but returned to Chicago to record a second album. Shortening their name to Mer-Da, the group returned in 1971 with Long Burn the Fire, a funkier outing that bore a likeness to early Funkadelic. The band quickly fizzled out, but over the next three decades, continued record-collector interest in the group eventually resulted in a reunion with Veasey, both Hawkins brothers, and Fugi, although Hite had died in 2004.
by Steve Huey
Usually linked in with the brief explosion of "black rock" bands that followed Jimi Hendrix in the late '60s and early '70s, Black Merda's formula was a good bit more complicated than most, and their debut album blends elements of hard rock, blues, soul, folk, and embryonic funk with a tough and uncompromising political consciousness that makes the disc at once a product of its time and not quite like anything else around back in the day.
The guitar work from Anthony Hawkins and Charles Hawkins is tough and organic, whether they're stretching out on extended blues jams such as "Over and Over" and "Windsong" or cutting some hard R&B-accented rock on "Cynthy-Ruth" and "Prophet." Bassist Vessee L. Veasy (who also contributes most of the lead vocals) and percussionist Tyrone Hite generate a lean but effective groove throughout as they jump from the streetwise soul of "Reality" to the acoustic meditation of "Think of Me." But as good as the music is on this album (and despite bland production from someone named Swan, most of it is very good indeed), what really sets it apart is the dark vibe reflected in the minor-key tenor of the melodies and the bitter realities of the lyrics.
Grinding poverty, racism, political and social inequality, the ongoing nightmare of Vietnam, the growing schism between youth culture and the establishment, and the absence of any easy answers to the dilemmas of a nation spinning out of control dominate songs such as "Reality," "Ashamed," and "That's the Way It Goes," and the grim but wholly appropriate fable of "I Don't Want to Die" ends this album as if a lid were being slammed shut on a coffin.
Black Merda anticipates the grim consciousness-raising session of Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, which wouldn't arrive in stores until a year after this album, and if it isn't the stark masterpiece that Sly's album was, it's good enough that this group deserves to be regarded as much more than a footnote in the black music scene of the early '70s.
by Mark Deming
Tracks
1. Prophet (Anthony Hawkins) - 2:54
2. Think of Me (Anthony Hawkins, Charles Hawkins, Tyrone Hite) - 2:33
3. Cynthy-Ruth (Roosevelt Veasey) - 3:06
4. Over and Over (Anthony Hawkins, Charles Hawkins, Tyrone Hite) - 5:33
5. Ashamed (Anthony Hawkins) - 3:52
6. Reality (Roosevelt Veasey) - 2:01
7. Windsong (Anthony Hawkins, Charles Hawkins, Tyrone Hite) - 4:14
8. Good Luck (Anthony Hawkins) - 3:46
9. That's the Way It Goes (Roosevelt Veasey) - 3:16
10.I Don't Want to Die (Anthony Hawkins, Charles Hawkins, Tyrone Hite) - 3:52
11.Set Me Free (Anthony Hawkins) - 0:43
12.For You - 4:43
13.The Folks From Mother's Mixer - 4:13
14.My Mistake - 5:30
15.Lying - 3:30
16.Long Burn The Fire - 3:21
17.Sometimes I Wish - 3:45
18.I Got A Woman - 5:01
19.We Made Up - 3:45
Songs from 12 to 19 were written by Anthony Hawkins, Charles Hawkins, Roosevelt Veasey
In late 70’s Grinderswitch’s record sales suffered and they finally broke up in 1982 after releasing 5 albums between 1974 and 1982. There is also 1977 recorded unreleased album under the name “Chasing Wild Desires”, that hopefully sees release in the future.
After Grinderswitch, Dru Lombar formed Dr. Hector and The Groove Injectors in 1986 and released five albums. Larry Howard has also recorded several albums under his own name.
In 2004 Dru Lombar put Grinderswitch back together with new members Wally Condon on drums, Eddie Stone (from Doc Holliday fame) on keyboards , Jack Corcaran on guitar and Steve Miller on bass. They released new album “Ghost Train From Georgia” in 2005, but Dru Lombar’s death in September 2005 put Grinderswitch back to rest for good.
Tracks
1. One Hour Into Sunday (June Black) - 3:10
2. Real Good Sign (Dru Lombar) - 3:11
3. The Warm Kind (Stephen Miller) - 3:46
4. Ashes And Stone (David Anderson, Owen Davis) - 4:42
5. Golden Minutes (Stephen Miller) - 3:49
6. Lady Luck (Dru Lombar) - 3:25
7. Open Road (Dru Lombar, Joe Dan Petty, Larry Howard, Rick Burnett, Stephen Miller) - 3:12
8. The Fever (Dru Lombar) - 4:08
9. Bound And Determined (Dru Lombar, Stephen Miller) - 3:17
Early seventies New York based horn-band, previous known as The Blue Jays. Their "Out Of The Darkness" LP released in 1973 produced by Vini Poncia.
Dick Domane was born as Richard DiDomenico in Providence, subsequently a member of the New York based horn-band White Water. Dick Domane passed away February 10, 2022.
John Vastano οbituary was the lead singer/song writer of the Blue Jays and White Water RCA recording artists. He wrote the Olivia Newton John hit "Deeper Than The Night", as well as songs for Leo Sayer, Melissa Manchester, Cher, Peter Criss of Kiss, Carol Bayer Sager and many other artists. He also wrote motion picture soundtracks for "The Warriors" and "Hugo the Hippo". Johnny passed away September 21, 2018.
Tracks
1. Let Me Take You Down - 5:33
2. Storm In My Soul - 6:14
3. (Caught Up In) White Water - 5:32
4. Ain't Nothin' So Bad - 5:35
5. Reach On Out (Johnny Vastano, Vini Poncia) - 4:05
6. Long Time Ago (Johnny Vastano) - 3:36
7. Out Of The Darkness (Johnny Vastano, Vini Poncia) - 4:31
8. The People Say (Dick Domane) - 8:46
All songs by Dick Domane, Johnny Vastano, Vini Poncia except where indicated
The Two Guns album Balls Out is the first and last album of a talented band that were unfortunately getting signed when Southern Rock made its last stand. Released by Capricorn Records, the label was three releases away from getting bankrupt. How's that for a healthy future? Well, obviously, these guys never had much of a chance and this is where it ended to the public eye.
This record is a true masterpiece of Southern rock and was released at a time when the genre was already in agony. It overshadows everything that was produced at that time - the year was 1979 - by the 'first generation' of Southern rock, be it the ABB, the Henry Paul Band or .38 Special. The tragedy of Two Guns' failure and their disappearance into the endless sea of oblivion lay not only in the 'death throes' of the genre, but above all in the bankruptcy of Capricorn Records. A number of other bands were unable to cope with the collapse of this stroke of luck for Southern Rock - just think of Stillwater.
Like the latter, Two Guns were absorbed into a black hole and today hardly anything is known about the careers of the four band members.
The only thing you can find out about Bob Williams on the internet is from the authoritative mouth of his widow Joni Ann. Bob died on May 21, 1999, at the age of forty-four, as a result of a motorcycle accident near Kansas City. Previously, he had to end his musical career after losing a fingertip in an accident at work. After the four-piece from Lawton, Oklahoma, split up in 1980, he played for Chubby Checker and founded his own band under the pseudonym Greg Hockett.
According to Joni Williams, most of the songs on "Balls Out" were written by singer and bassist Mike Sconce - the rest by second shouter Kenny Baker. It is no longer possible to find out which of the two wrote and sang which songs.
The opening "Hard Times" sounds like a jammy number from the Charlie Daniels Band, and not just because of the 'shimmering' Hammond. The work of the two guitarists is outstanding, as they seem to float over a very 'fuzzy' carpet of sound. The chorus sounds very clear Point Blank, who had their heydays back then. This is a number that could easily have been twice as long. What follows is a crisp Southern Boogie in which the singer (which of the two was it?) knows how to shine.
"Slippin' Into The Night" would have been the natural single release that never happened. The song is hugely jazzed up by the background choirs and the razor-sharp horns of the Muscle Shoals Horns. A wonderful honkytonk piano by Hornsby gives the whole thing the finishing touch. The double leads and the walking bass provide the highlights in "Judgment Plea", a driving blues'n'boogie. “The Daltons” rocks smoothly and fluidly in the country style of the Outlaws. Here the double leads sparkle again, making it a real joy.
It's a shame that Two Guns has been so forgotten. They would undoubtedly have had the potential to valiantly hold up the Southern Cross after Skynyrd's tragic plane crash. Instead, the remaining bands hammered one nail after another into the final resting place of Southern rock through inconsequential LPs. At the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, it wasn't even remotely possible to imagine that he would be resurrected in the new century (and definitely not as a zombie).
A simple yet cheerful rocker warms the hearts of listeners with “Seems Like Thunder”. Once again the choirs and the casually strumming piano provide the highlights. "Look In Your Eyes" is initially (at the beginning of the verse) somewhat reminiscent of Skynyrd's "Every Mothers Son" and then escalates into a grooving jam-rocker that sounds like the finest CDB moments - but the same applies here again: doubly so that long would have been perfect! With "There's A Battle Goin' On", a wonderful half-ballad closes a perfect record - but the obligatory guitar battle is ended by a final chorus.
by Steve Braun, 19.12.2011
Tracks
1. Hard Time (Kenny Barker) - 5:05
2. I Just Dropped On By To Tell You (Mike Sconce) - 3:51
3. Slippin' Into The Night (Randy Richards) - 2:57
A singular force of nature, Cold Chisel concocted a sound that merged blues, soul, rockabilly and – of course – pub rock into something quintessentially Australian. Their sound was unvarnished and unfiltered, forged in the country’s thriving but unforgiving live music circuit of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Cold Chisel came together in Adelaide in 1973, featuring Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums, Les Kaczmarek on bass, and Don Walker on piano. Jimmy Barnes – still just a teenager – soon arrived as lead singer, joined by Phil Small as Kaczmarek’s replacement as bassist in 1975.
They would disband just eight years later, but not before leaving behind a strong five-album run that started with their self-titled debut album in 1978 and culminated in 1984 with Twentieth Century. Before myriad reunions, before their ARIA Hall of Fame induction, before they even had a street named after them in Adelaide, that flawed first album set them on their way to national stardom.
Back to 1978: perhaps a retrospective success, more than an immediate one, Cold Chisel’s debut album has nevertheless earned its place in the country’s music history. What do two of its makers recall of that time, though? For Barnes, making the album was all “a bit of a blur.”
In terms of its structure, the band was firmly committed to not being a singles band, according to Barnes.
“We thought we’d just release albums and keep away from the singles chart,” he explains, reflecting an attitude that feels more and more rare in today’s musical landscape.
That was until one certain song changed things. When Cold Chisel came out with “Khe Sanh” – a single that told the story of the Vietnam vets, in a style that epitomises what was so popular at the time – it’s little wonder it became such a resonant sound in Australian pop culture.
Smokey John Bull were a communal gospelblues group from the Hartford Connecticut area. The album was produced by Lewis Merenstein, producer of Van Morrisons Astral Weeks and is a mix of gospel, rock, blues, and funk. The album features two Bob Dylan covers, He Was A Friend Of Mine and The Mighty Quinn plus Tom Cosgroves Hitchin To Memphis. Also included is the albums highlight, Jeff Gordons E-Z Rider Jack Dominilla.
Tracks
1. He Was A Friend Of Mine / Worried Man Blues / Shorty George (Bob Dylan / Woody Guthrie / Traditional) - 2:58
2. The Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan) - 3:10
3. Looking For America (Mark Lipson, Ben Mochan) - 3:35
4. Gotta Get Away Man (Mark Lipson, Ben Mochan) - 3:31
5. E-Z Rider (Jeff Gordon) - 7:20
6. The Gospel Song (Mark Lipson, Ben Mochan) - 4:24
7. I'll Try To Make It Up To You (Mark Lipson, Ben Mochan) - 3:36
8. Georgia Home (Mark Lipson, Steve Loeb, Ben Mochan) - 3:05
9. Chances Are Better (Steve Loeb) - 2:50
10.Hitchin' To Memphis (Tom Cosgrove) - 2:39
Smokey John Bull
*Shelly Rosen - Bass
*Gary Linke - Drums, Percussion
*Bob Mintzer - Flute, Saxophone
*Lenny Nelson - Lead Guitar, Bass
*Alex Brierly - Lead Vocals
*Bob King - Lead Vocals
*Steve Loeb - Piano, Organ, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Electric Piano
Blue Condition were an American psych-pop band that released the album Beyond the Sun on self-press Low Rider Records in 1976. An eponymous second album with a half-changed lineup was self-issued by the band in 1984.
There are some good guitar parts, funky tunes mixed with jazzy feeling, think of some lighter version of Steely Dan, in conclusion a nice hard to find record.
Tracks
1. Birds In Flight (West Goewey) - 4:25
2. Lord I'm Blue (West Goewey) - 5:02
3. Love Me Right (West Goewey, A. Marshall) - 4:16
4. Hourglass (West Goewey, A. Marshall) - 4:39
5. Synthesizer Prelude: Beyond The Sun (West Goewey, A. Marshall) - 6:09
6. My Girl (West Goewey) - 3:21
7. Piscean Lady (West Goewey) - 4:16
8. You're The One (West Goewey, Greg Carter) - 4:25
The Esoteric eye for an item of musical buried treasure turns its attention on this occasion to the world of early-’70s folk-rock. However, before you go away thinking that this was another bunch of fly-by-night nobodies, coming in from nowhere and going back there as quickly as possible, think again. Because The Woods Band were historically extremely significant in the fast-blossoming world of British and Irish electric folk music when this album was released in 1971. The first, and most significant, reason for this is because the ‘Woods’ part of the band name refers to Irish husband and wife team Terry and Gay Woods who, as anyone with an interest in that scene will surely recognise, were founder members of Steeleye Span in 1969.
Indeed, it was Terry Woods who first joined up with Asley Hutchings after the latter’s departure from Fairport Convention and decided to put together a new band. Tim Hart and Maddy Prior were brought in, and the five-piece recorded the first Steeleye album Hark! The Village Wait, in 1970, with Gay and Maddy sharing the vocal duties. The Woods left the band after this first album, but their legacy and their place in folk-rock history was secured. Terry Woods had also been with another band who helped to spearhead the nascent movement, namely Sweeney’s Men, who recorded an album in 1968.
The Woods Band was formed by Terry and Gay after their departure from Steeleye, bringing in guitarist Ed Deane (who later replaced Gary Moore in Irish band Skid Row, in rather a musical about-face) and also excellent drummer Pat Nash. Gay’s brother Austin Corcoran was also in the band for a while on bass, but departed while the album was being recorded (either owing to musical self-doubt or a disapproving wife, according to the accompanying booklet!), though he is on three tracks. Producing the album was Tony Reeves, during a break between his spells with Colosseum and Greenslade, which is a rather nice ‘prog’ connection. The folky significance is not done yet, however, as the story goes that fellow Irish folk-rock pioneers Horslips might never have existed without The Woods Band, as they turned up at a Woods show, were reportedly entranced, and elected at that point to form their own band ploughing a very similar furrow to the show they had seen which, if true, is another factor making this recording something of a defining moment in the electric folk scene.
Given all of that, the first surprising thing when putting the CD in to play, having seen the ‘Trad Arr.’ credits scattered throughout the eight tracks, is that the album is far from entirely based in the English or Celtic folk sound. Much of it is, of course, but three songs at least (opener Everytime, Promises and the extremely Sandy Denny-esque Dreams) are equally rooted in American folk, with an air of some of the material that Jefferson Airplane or even The Byrds were doing in the ’60s. This is reaffirmed by Woods in the booklet notes, as he confirms that one of the influences he had was The Band, and the work they were doing in adapting traditional Americana to a modern rock framework. This balance makes the album work very well, as it avoids any risk of sounding too samey at any point and all comes across fresh. The Horslips connection is blindingly obvious in the Woods-composed Noisey Johnny (note spelling), while the ‘jigs and reels’ selection which seemed mandatory on folk-rock albums of the time manifests itself in Lament & Jig, which as the title suggests, juxtaposes a stately piece (Valencia’s Lament) with a celebratory one (Apples In Winter). It’s very good.
Probably the best moment to these ears, however, is the traditional arrangement of the song As I Roved Out, which takes the Fairport template used on songs such as Matty Groves and creates a perfectly crafted piece of traditional electrified folk-rock. Pat Nash’s drums are exceptional on this piece, contributing lovely little rolls and fills throughout, and a slightly experimental mid-section sees the whole band jamming to great effect in a far more ‘rock’ way than elsewhere on the album. The starkly accompanied January’s Snows shows perfectly why Gay Woods was the original choice for Steeleye vocalist, and indeed why she later rejoined them in the ’90s for a further six years, as her vocal is trad folk perfection on this fragile, aching piece.
Sadly, when the album came out, the label (Greenwich Gramophone Company) almost immediately folded – a fate also befalling fellow bands Open Road and Samurai – and The Woods Band split following the album’s failure. The Woods couple continued for a while as Gay And Terry Woods, and also hooked up for a short while with Doctor Strangely Strange, but apart from a second Woods Band incarnation briefly formed by Terry in 2002, the world had seen the last of The Woods Band, which is a great shame.
Anyone with an interest in that period of folk-rock, or who is a fan of early Fairport, Steeleye or Horslips, really ought to check this out. Quite apart from its historical significance, it remains an excellent listen, and it really should be in any self-respecting folk-related collection.
by Steve Pilkington, July 4, 2021
Tracks
1. Everytime (Terry Woods) - 5:46
2. Noisey Johnny (Terry Woods) - 2:37
3. January's Snows (Edmund John Deane) - 4:24
4. Lament And Jig (Including 'Valencia Lament' And 'Apples In Winter') (Edmund John Deane) - 5:39
5. Dreams (Terry Woods) - 4:15
6. As I Roved Out (Edmund John Deane) - 5:01
7. Promises (Gay Woods, Terry Woods) - 5:18
8. Over The Bar (Including 'The Road To Athy') (Gay Woods, Terry Woods, Edmund John Deane) - 3:36
