American country rock quartet Fools Gold were originally the backing band for Dan Fogelberg and made this one, for Arista Records in 1976. Half the album was produced by Glyn Johns (Rolling Stones) and the other half by Glenn Frey (The Eagles)
Playing on this long lost country rock classic are Joe Walsh, Glen Frey, and Don Felder and has a distinct California/Eagles sound.
Guitarist Tom Kelly would go on to enjoy success as a songwriter co writing with Billy Steinberg hits for the likes of Madonna, The Bangles, The Pretenders and Whitney Houston. A gem of the California Sound which still sounds fresh some forty years on.
Tracks
1. Coming Out Of Hiding (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson, Doug Livingston) - 3:59
2. Rain, Oh, Rain (Denny Henson) - 4:42
3. Choices (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson, Dan Fogelberg) - 2:52
In the 70s, Krautrock was not only played in the big cities, not only in Berlin, Munich and Düsseldorf, but also in the provinces. Krautrock wasn't just Tangerine Dream, Amon Düül or Kraftwerk, it was also Dom, Electric Sandwich, Join In, Kalacacra, Mammut, Morpheus and whatever they were all called... There were young musicians all over Germany who were infected by the spirit of Krautrock and dared to create their more or less own version of progressive rock music.
Even though there was a Krautrock boom at the record companies in the early 70s, not every band was signed. This didn't necessarily have anything to do with musical quality. There were just a lot of bands. And some are still being unearthed...
One of these bands that simply didn't make it back then was Aqua from the provincial metropolis of Kassel in northern Hesse. The roots of Aqua go back to 1968. In 1972, musicians from the bands Inaction and Praeludium Magnum came together to form Aqua. In the 70s, Aqua were one of the most popular live acts in Kassel, alongside such illustrious names as Rattengift and Hugo's Rockhoppser. It wasn't enough to get a record deal, but Aqua recorded a demo tape with four songs on a 4-track tape recorder in their founding year. These form the core of this Garden of Delights release. In addition, the only single from 1978 is also included, although single does not mean that Aqua were represented in the charts with it, but that they sold it at their concerts. Finally, the CD also contains two tracks from the 1981 LP Sexy Boy. The band broke up in 1984.
However, these two songs from their 1981 LP are the least interesting for Krautrock fans. When the LP was released, the disappointment among Aqua fans was also quite big, as the sound - as with many other bands of those years - had become much flatter in comparison to the 70s and the jazz-rock, herbaceous, psychedelic elements of the Aqua sound had given way to a more pleasing, slightly proggy soft rock. However, the two tracks on the album represent the best of this “musical misstep”.
The single (released 1976) reflects the band's previous phase, which was characterized by organ-heavy hard rock and may bring to mind Uriah Heep. The band certainly gave this impression in their live performances towards the end of the 70s.
The real jewel of this CD, however, are the first four tracks, which are the complete demo from 1972! The sound quality here is a little muffled, but still easy to hear. And what you hear here is also musically convincing, not inferior to the more successful bands of the early 70s: a krautrock sound, sometimes dominated by organ, sometimes by guitar, with elements of jazz rock and psychedelic. Klaus Borucki's vocals come across as somewhat whiny.
Due to the different years of origin of the collected material, it is difficult to give a unanimous verdict. This CD colors another blank spot on the map of 70s Krautrock. For me personally, however, this release was a particular pleasure, as I had previously only known the LP Sexy Boy. Unfortunately, it presented a rather sterile picture of the band, which I personally got to know as a rousing live act at a few concerts at the end of the 70s. So it's all the more pleasing that Aqua's story has finally been edited in a way that is convincing both musically and in terms of the design of the booklet. Here, too, Garden of Delights remain true to their standard and provide detailed background information on the band's history, illustrate record covers and offer a successful selection of band photos. A recommendation for the collector!
by Christian Rode, 30-8-2008
Tracks
1. Bolero (Martin Ulrich, Martin Großkurth) - 5:24
2. Soul Of My Soul (Martin Ulrich, Martin Großkurth) - 7:09
3. Tempest (Martin Ulrich, Martin Großkurth) - 5:53
4. There Is A Place (Martin Ulrich, Martin Großkurth) - 9:37
5. Going My Way (Martin Ulrich, Klaus Borucki, Jörg Wiesner) - 3:20
This is a Hamburg hard rock trio that presented their debut album in the spring of 1972. The cover of the LP is impressive: a white mouse on a blue cactus. However, the album was hardly noticed at the time, so it soon became hard to find. As a result, aficionados were paying a little more than usual. This German trio was an equally loud and aggressive band, eager to surpass the blues based guitar rock of Cream and Hendrix.
by Tom Cody
Tracks
1. Mistreated - 3:53
2. What's Going On Around - 3:14
3. Time - 3:29
4. The Mask - 2:40
5. Funeral March Of A Marionette - 3:11
6. My Father's Son - 2:40
7. Live Is A Wheel - 6:21
8. Keep On Trying - 3:45
9. On The Highway - 4:18
All songs by Luigi De Luca, Holger Tempel, Peter Braun
Although the Raik's Progress only released one single in their brief career -both sides of which are included here-, Sundazed magically conjured the Sewer Rat Love Chant album out of their legacy by tacking on ten songs from a live 1966 performance at the Rainbow Ballroom in Fresno. It's the studio single, though, that's the highlight of this disc, as "Sewer Rat Love Chant" is an above average piece of early minor-keyed raga-rock () - and not as lyrically weird as its title indicates, with its flip side, "Why Did You Rob Us, Tank?," showing a more pronounced Byrds influence, particularly in the vocal harmonies.
The live material actually boasts pretty good sound quality for a 1966 concert recording, and is comprised mostly of original material that's more in the standard raw garage mold than their sole 45. Although the performances and vocals are a mite unrefined, most of the tunes aren't bad at all. "Don't Need You" is soaked in the morose Farfisa organ swirl common to much 1966 garage, punctuated by what sounds like clanks of a rusty anvil, and several of the other group originals are overheated, semi-incoherent punk blues. There are also live versions of both songs from the single, as well as covers of songs by Them, the Byrds, and the Animals that testify to their good taste, though enjoyment of the version of the Byrds' "It's No Use" is compromised by the group's apparent unfamiliarity with all of the words and chord changes. On the other hand, there must have been few other American groups indeed who covered the non-LP Animals B-side "I'm Going to Change the World," done here with considerable guts.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Sewer Rat Love Chant (Duane Scott, John Kates, Steve Krikorian) - 2:39
2. Why Did You Rob Us Tank? (Alan Shapazian, Duane Scott, Nick Van Maarth, Steve Krikorian, Steve Olson) - 2:23
3. 'F' In 'A' (Alan Shapazian, Duane Scott, Nick Van Maarth, Steve Krikorian, Steve Olson) - 2:43
4. Baby Please Don't Go (Big Joe Williams) - 4:05
5. Don't Need You (John Kates) - 3:14
6. It's No Use (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn) - 3:12
7. Call My Name (Tommy Scott) - 3:43
8. All Night Long (Alan Shapazian, Duane Scott, Nick Van Maarth, Steve Krikorian, Steve Olson) - 5:12
9. Prisoner Of Chillon (Alan Shapazian, Nick Van Maarth, Steve Krikorian, Steve Olson) - 2:44
10.Sewer Rat Love Chant (Duane Scott, John Kates, Steve Krikorian) - 2:29
11.Why Did You Rob Us Tank? (Alan Shapazian, Duane Scott, Nick Van Maarth, Steve Krikorian, Steve Olson) - 2:31
12.I'm Going To Change The World (Eric Burdon) - 4:26
Badfinger (originally to be entitled For Love or Money) was the band’s first release on Warner Brothers. Due largely to internal troubles at the band’s former label, the album shipped a mere three months following Apple Records’ release of Ass. Overlapping promotional efforts floundered, and both albums suffered. The band’s deal at WB demanded a heavy workload, and development of Wish You Were Here was begun a mere two months following Badfinger’s debut. When Badfinger manager Stan Polley absconded with $100,000 of WB’s money, the label sued the band members and scuttled Wish You Were Here by pulling it from shelves. Worst of all, ace songwriter Pete Ham took his own life roughly six months later due to despair over the band’s problems.
Aside from the staggering cost of a life, it’s a terrible shame that these albums aren’t better known. Badfinger is brimming with melodies, tight harmonies, meaty rhythm guitar and world-class pop hooks. Badfinger were often slighted by critics due to their close association with the Beatles, though Ham had long ago proven his chops with hits like “No Matter What” and “Baby Blue.”
Two songs reach the heights of brilliance we’ve come to expect from the band: the gorgeous ballad “Lonely You” and the dynamic “Give it Up.” There are some decent songs, such as “Shine On,” “Love Is Easy,” and “Why Don’t We Talk,” but the Badfinger magic is missing.
Following the demise of FJ & The Impressions at the end of the ’60s, Galt, Ontario natives keyboardist Ron Baumtrog and bassist Mike Gingrich were looking to head down a different musical path. Their old band was a covers band doing R&B, but when frontman Doug Stagg and drummer Jack Byrne came on board, Amish was born. They added guitarist Jack Botts, a draft dodger up from Michigan, and started out playing covers of more blues-based psych-driven rock, including McKenna Mendelson Mainline, The Doors, and James Gang.
They became fixtures on the Toronto circuit and with manager Bill Gefross, got them an audience at Detroit based Sussex Records. Dennis Coffey and Mike Theodore were both not only staff producers, but also had experience producing some of Motown’s hottest acts. Because of his boycott of the Viet Nam War, Botts had to stay behind, and session guitarist Joe Gutz was brought in to GM Studios.
The band was being courted with US tour offers, and so after returning home, replaced Botts with new guitarist Bob Norris, ex of Oasis. Distribution was picked up by Buddah Records, but by the time their self-titled debut album was in the stores in the summer of ’72, Kim Neil (also ex of Oasis) had replaced Byrne on drums.
A mix of organ-driven fuzzy guitar-laden songs that crossed the psychadelic fence over to greener pastures of ‘mature melodies.’ Although “Down The Road” was intended to be released as a single, none were. Still, with a cover of Traffic’s “Dear Mr Fantasy” and a good blend of production and tight writing was evident in other tracks like the lead-off “Sad Girl,” “Help Me” and the Uriah Heepish “The Sea.”
A handful of American dates complimented some more touring around southern Ontario, and the band recorded some sessions around the Toronto area. But when Buddah folded, they were left with an album in the can, and no one to pick it up. By mid ’73, Baumtrog left and Gerry Mertz was brought in as the new keyboardist. They carried on the road for a couple of years while trying to find a new label. Mertz’s departure dropped the band to a foursome, and by the end of ’75, everyone went their separate ways.
Everyone got out of the business all together, except for Gingrich. After finishing out the ’70s with a brief stint in Nightwinds, he toured with Klaatu for a year, then re-surfaced on the West Coast in the early ’80s. There, he stayed busy for the rest of the decade touring with the likes of Headpins and Holly Woods and Toronto, among others. Doug Stagg passed away in 1999.
by James Bedard, Clark Faville, Chris Gerbig, Vernon Joynson
Tracks
1.Sad Girl (Doug Stagg, Jack Byrne, Mike Gingrich) - 2:54
2.Black Lace Woman (Doug Stagg, Jack Byrne, Mike Gingrich, Ron Baumtrog) - 4:06
3.Wise Man (Doug Stagg, Ron Baumtrog) - 5:44
4.Help Me (Doug Stagg, Ron Baumtrog) - 2:40
5.I Don't Need Nobody (Doug Stagg, Ron Baumtrog) - 2:53
6.Dear Mr. Fantasy (Chris Wood, James Capaldi, Steve Winwood) - 2:46
Third album, titled simply Babe Ruth, is an altogether more straightforward rocky affair, but does have some strong material. Dancer gives Jenny Haan an opportunity to show her range and versatility, and Somebody’s Nobody manages to rhyme ‘guitar’ with ‘Hedy Lamarr’ – genius! There’s another nod to Morricone with a cover of A Fistful of Dollars which romps along engagingly, and this is followed by a slightly risky cover of Curtis Mayfield’s protest song We People Darker Than Blue. They get away with it, largely down to Haan’s sincere and passionate interpretation, and it ends up a triumph. Jack O’Lantern is an energetic rocker about a peeping tom, but it’s followed by a rather pedestrian cover of Booker T’s Private Number. Apparently the record label wanted them to do it to provide a single, but it really doesn’t suit them. Turquoise is a much better song, again highlighting Shacklock’s excellent Spanish guitar skills. Sad But Rich is quite a heavy rocking tune, with great electric guitar flourishes and another theatrical workout for Haan. The album closer is probably the best track, The Duchess of Orleans, and it’s quite a touching break up song. The yearning melody is enhanced by Mellotron, and Janita Haan gives another spirited vocal display.
by Graham Thomas, 27 September 2022
Haan's last album fronting for Babe Ruth still shows her in top form, and this album both kicks off and ends with a pair of fine rockers, "It'll Happen in Time" and "Tomorrow." The latter is the best tune on the album, featuring some burning guitar leads over an orchestral backing. "Fascination," based over a percussion loop and crunching guitar, shows the band stomping the same ground as female-fronted bands like Empire and Cold Blood, though none of them quite achieved the success of slicker contemporaries like, say, Heart. It doesn't help that the album is weighted down with some stultifying keyboard ballads and instrumentals like "Caught at the Plate," but when they stick to tightly structured and overdriven guitar rock, Babe Ruth sound very good indeed.
by Paul Collins
Tracks
1. Dancer (Alan Shacklock) - 6:05
2. Somebody's Nobody (Alan Shacklock) - 3:10
3. A Fistful Of Dollars (Ennio Morricone) - 2:42
4. We People Darker Than Blue (Curtis Mayfield) - 4:48
5. Jack O'Lantern (Alan Shacklock) - 3:20
6. Private Number (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) - 3:45
7. Turquoise (Dave Hewitt, Janita Haan) - 3:12
8. Sad But Rich (Ed Spevock) - 3:54
9. The Duchess Of Orleans (Alan Shacklock) - 5:03
10.It'll Happen In Time (Dave Hewitt, Janita Haan) - 5:35
11.Winner Takes All (Bernie Marsden) - 4:01
12.Fascination (Ed Spevock) - 6:07
13.2000 Sunsets (Janita Haan) - 3:47
14.Elusive (Ed Spevock, Steve Gurl) - 6:45
15.Can You Feel It (Dan Seals, John Bettis, Troy Seals) - 4:19
16.Say No More (Alan Shacklock) - 2:41
17.Caught At The Plate (Steve Gurl) - 2:57
18.Tomorrow (Joining Of The Day) (Janita Haan) - 5:05
With an issue of only 99 copies, this is one of the rarest records to emerge from the UK that contains some interesting music. The elaborate packaging and the general care which went into the record betray, if nothing else, at least a heartfelt love of recorded music as a means of self-expression. Being a low-budget enterprise, a fact which is never really masked throughout the production, A-Austr went for diversity rather than sales figures. The music is strongly eclectic, with more influences than can be listed. No less than 15 tracks within a broad spectrum of styles can hardly be unanimously satisfying.
In general the music is gentle and even folky, without drawing upon traditional material. At its best it's nothing less than brilliant, though in an unobtrusive sort of way. These highlights include almost all the songs which do not try to be "progressive" or severely emotional, but which instead opt for a simpler approach, thereby succeeding to convey a subtle and almost mythical atmosphere. As soon as the instrumentation gets denser, the sound tends to clog up or even becomes chaotic, being charming still, but nothing more than that. Definitely a very interesting record, though it's near to impossible to dig up an original. A few years ago a limited repro was manufactured, which now sells for a collector's price itself and is worth picking up.
by Marcel Koopman
Tracks
1. Bird (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 2:45
2. Judy (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 2:16
3. Mini (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 2:51
4. Prelude To Change For Arthur (Chris Coombs) - 0:10
5. Thumbquake And Earthscrew (Chris Coombs) - 2:47
6. Change For Arthur (Chris Coombs) - 0:39
7. Between The Road (Chris Coombs) - 2:30
8. Hawaiian War Chant (Brian Calvert) - 1:12
9. It's Alright (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 6:45
10.Reprise Of Bird (Excerpt) (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 0:20
11.Essex Queen (She Dances) (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 3:08
12.D Minor Minuet (Brian Calvert) - 1:00
13.A Curse On You (Brian Calvert) - 3:18
14.What Did You Go? (Chris Coombs) - 7:56
15.Grail Search (Chris Coombs) - 4:36
16.Essex Queen (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 2:48
17.Grail Search (Chris Coombs) - 3:34
18.Judy (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 0:46
19.It's Alright (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 6:46
20.Aren't You Glad You Stayed? (Brian Calvert, Mike Levon) - 4:01
For their second album Valley Gardens, Nick Glennie-Smith replaced Paul Gerrett on keyboards. This line-up change led to a far more progressive rock sound, although the country and folk influences are still present. The impact of touring with Yes can be noticed as well on the entire album. The bass sounds a lot like Chris Squire's and Rick Wakeman-like synthesizer parts can often be enjoyed like on the strong title track and the epic piece The Reason Why which filled the entire B-side of the original LP. Due to the strong guitar parts and the female backing vocals the influences of the music of Pink Floyd can be heard as well on many compositions. There's even a link with Kansas caused by the use of an electric violin. All in all Valley Gardens is an enjoyable album for devotees of progressive rock. This remastered version contains two bonus tracks as well: strong live versions of the unknown piece Green Room Smiles and from the album track Nez Perce.
Continuously touring finally took its toll and led eventually to a split after which Atlantic decided to cut their losses and pulled the plug. However, only few people know that they kept playing as the backing band of the popular French singer Michel Polnareff during a tour in Japan in 1975. Maybe it's interesting to know what became of the members after they broke up. Well, Roy Webber set up a graphic design company primarily working for Yorkshire Television, but also with the Royal Armouries Museum. Pete Sage went to Germany to work as a sound engineer for the pop group Boney M. Nick Glennie-Smith was proposed to be the potential replacement for Wakeman in Yes, but he went on to be a leading session musician and soundtrack composer. Guitarist Pete Cosker died in 1990 as a consequence of an overdose of heroin. Drummer Roger Narraway metamorphosed into a talented lead guitarist and Paul Middleton retreated to the North Yorkshire Dales, becoming a carpenter and occasionally venturing out to play with Roy Webber in the country rock band Freddie Alva And The Men From Delmonte. He now gigs on a regular basis with his own band The Angst Band, featuring fellow band member Frank Mizen on pedal steel guitar and banjo. Paul Gerrett died of a heart attack in 2008.
After a thirty year hiatus, the surviving members of the original line-up − complemented by Frank Mizen on pedal steel and Will Jackson on guitar − performed to a full house in April 2009 in their home town of Harrogate. A DVD of the concert called That Was Then was released later that year. In February 2010 the band released Montpellier comprising new recordings of demos from the band's earlier incarnation, along with new material by both Webber and Middleton. I was very curious to know how this new album would sound because I liked Wally's second album. However, as soon as I got a copy of the album it turned out that the sound of Montpellier was quite similar to that of their debut album. In a way the overall sound of the new album strongly tends to progressive folk rock, even more than on their debut. The music is still rather strong as you can especially hear on the opening tune Sailor. Even bands like Iona and Clannad crossed my mind while listening to the album, but as one of the song titles already indicates: the Thrill Is Gone.
A second 'reunion' concert took place in April 2010. Funds from ticket sales were used to erect a permanent memorial for Cosker and Gerrett. A recording of the 2010 reunion was released as a live album called To The Urban Man. A third reunion concert was scheduled for 2011 again in Wally's home town. What the future will bring to this British band is still unknown, but I'm glad that they returned and hopefully, someday, they will release another stunning album like Valley Gardens. Until that moment I'll play their back catalogue on a regular basis.
by Peter Willemsen
Tracks
1. Valley Gardens (Pete Cosker, Paul Gerrett) - 9:50
2. Nez Perce (Roy Webber) - 5:03
3. The Mood I'm In (Roy Webber) - 7:07
4. The Reason Why - 18:28
.a. Nolan (Roy Webber, Pete Sage)
.b. The Charge (Pete Sage, Nick Glennie-Smith)
.c. Disillusion (Roy Webber)
Wally
*Roy Webber - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Pete Cosker - Lead Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Vocals, Bass Guitar
*Paul Gerrett - Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Hammond Organ, Mellotron, Harmonium, Grand Piano, Harpsichord, Vocals
*Pete Sage - Electric Violin, Bass Guitar, Mandolin
CWT were an English band who recorded their only album in Hamburg, which was then released on Kuckuck.
They were one of the heaviest acts on the label, which was also known to be the home of Out Of Focus, Armageddon, Murphy Blend and Ihre Kinder.
The band was actually a hard rock trio, but for the album Hundredweight they had reinforcements in the form of Cy Payne, who was responsible for the brass arrangements. This is exactly what gives the band its unique sound.
In addition to the fantastic guitar and vocal work of Graham Jones, the brass section lends the heavy
rock with a touch of Motown soul and a heavy groove.
Tracks
1. Widow Woman - 3:17
2. Take It Slow - 3:49
3. Roly Poly - 4:12
4. Signed D.C (Arthur Lee) - 4:11
5. Steam Roller - 3:57
6. Simon's Effort - 3:03
7. Mind Cage - 3:36
8. Mephistophales - 5:15
All songs by Graham Jones, Peter Kirk, Collin White except where stated
