Plain and Fancy

1972 Dave Cousins - Two Weeks Last Summer (2019 remaster & expanded)

Sunday, June 14, 2026

The Strawbs - From The Witchwood (1972 uk, melodious and often magical folk prog rock)

On the whole the album has stood the cruel test of time pretty well. Perhaps one or two lyrics are a little overblown and a tad too romantic for the cynical 90s, but most lyrics stand up and the eclecticism of the instrumentation (Banjo with organ and dulcimer with clarinet) is a joy. The title track remains a true classic which evokes the enchantment of place and antiquity, a special quality for those of us who live in relatively new lands. "Glimpse of Heaven" is a great anthem (which I had played at my wedding and certainly want played at my funeral along with the live version of "Grace Darling") even if references to lambs that 'sweetly play' is a touch mawkish for someone living in a land with 45 million sheep [Tom's from Dunedin, New Zealand - DG] whose low grazing habits have caused a far bit of environmental damage.

"Hangman" and "Sheep" toughen things up a little (although I prefer the rip roaring live version of sheep) and "Canon Dale" is a Hudson Ford classic. "Thirty Days" and "Flight" are very Beatleish but still make for great listening. "The Shepherd's Song" is an amazingly exotic piece which few modern bands would ever dare to attempt. It is topped off by Rick's excellent moog-lines. "In Amongst the Roses" is still wonderful for its delicate, even fragile quality, while "I'll Carry on Beside You" and bonus track "Keep the Devil Outside" bring proceedings to a mellow and optimistic conclusion.

Overall this album is getting lots of time on the disk player but it is fun to compare it with some of the other reissues. Antiques and Curios scores better in its slight edgy quality and raw energy, while Grave New World has a little more power (Hero and Heroine and Ghosts deserve separate treatment as they are much more mainstream rock). I might be a heretic but I believe Grave New World's slight edge comes, in part, from Blue's playing which complements Dave's music better than Rick's more strictly classical approach. "Tomorrow" also has to be one of the band's best ever rock songs but I believe that "Ways and Means" (from Dave's solo album) should have been included instead of "Here It Comes" which is already on disk and fails because it is neither folk nor rock.

by Tom Brooking

Tracks

1. A Glimpse Of Heaven - 3:50

2. Witchwood - 3:23

3. Thirty Days (John Ford) - 2:52

4. Flight (Richard Hudson) - 4:24

5. The Hangman And The Papist - 4:11

6. Sheep - 4:14

7. Cannondale (Richard Hudson) - 3:46

8. The Shepherd's Song - 4:34

9. In Amongst The Roses - 3:48

10.I'll Carry On Beside You - 3:09

11.Keep The Devil Outside (John Ford) - 3:02

Songs written by David Cousins except where stated

Bonus Track 11

The Strawbs

*Dave Cousins - Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Dulcimer, Electric Guitar, Tenor Recorder

*Tony Hooper - Vocals, Autoharp, Guitar, Tambourine

*Rick Wakeman - Organ, Celeste, Clarinet, Electric Piano, Piano, Moog, Harpsichord, Mellotron

*Richard Hudson Drums, Vocals, Sitar, Snare Drum

*John Ford - Bass, Vocals, Guitar

rep>>> Hotspur - Sweet Fortune's Darling (1974 us, elegant west coast country rock)

Ted Munda was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, mid to late sixties he was member of two local bands. Round 1964 he formed The Enfields they were highly influenced by the British Invasion and folk rock. In 1967 the band split and Ted formed Friends of the Family he also joined the Blues Magoos, in 1973 together with Gene Barkin, Russ Smith and Tracy Longstreth they signed to Columbia Records under the name "Hotspur".

In 1974 this talented quartet release their debut LP titled "Sweet Fortune's Darling". Exquisite harmonies and powerful, driving rhythms highlight. "I Lost My Wings Ir Memphis" is a fabulous rocker with a steady, repeating chorus that gives it enough strength to be considered as a single. Throughout the collection, Hotspur effectively makes use of percussion, in much the same way as the Stones, using accents to bolster the feeling of the song. "I Wrote This Song," "The Best I Can Do," "Countryside Ride," "You Can't Lose (What You Never Had)," and "We Need A Captain" are all well worked pieces of music, showing promise for the band.

Tracks

1. I Wrote This Song - 4:43

2. The Best I Can Do (Gene Barkin) - 3:13

3. Wings Of A Dove (Russ Smith) - 3:59

4. No Place At All - 4:19

5. Constant Weather - 3:24

6. Countryside Ride - 3:00

7. You Can't Lose (Gene Barkin) - 4:08

8. We Need A Captain - 3:27

9. All Along The Lake - 4:20

10.I Lost My Wings In Memphis - 5:00

All songs by Ted Munda except where stated

Hotspur

*Ted Munda - Lead Vocals, Rhythm, Acoustic, Lead Guitars

*Gene Barkin - Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Russ Smith - Bass, Vocals

*Tracy Longstreth - Drums

1971 Wild Turkey - Battle Hymn (2013 remaster)

Saturday, June 13, 2026

rep>>> Wild Turkey - Turkey (1972 uk, excellent prog rock, 2013 bonus tracks remaster and 2002 xtra tracks reissue)

Wild Turkey released their second album, Turkey, in October 1972 on Chrysalis. It contains two Hopkins cuts (“Tomorrows Friend,” “Chuck Stallion and the Mustangs”) and six numbers by Cornick, including “Telephone,” “A Universal Man,” and the lengthy epics “Eternal Mother/The Return” and “See You Next Tuesday.” The opening track, “Good Old Days,” is a group-written number.

Cornick produced Turkey at Morgan Studios with engineer Robin Black, a sound tech for Red Dirt who later worked with Jethro Tull (Storm Watch, A), Mallard, and the Spanish band Ñu. The gatefold cover, designed by Alan Cracknell (Matching Mole), depicts a black Spanish turkey in wait (front) and the wooden stable cleared (back). The inner-spread, designed by Visualeyes (Traffic, Claire Hamill, Amazing Blondel, Vinegar Joe), assembles lives shots of the band in hippie regalia; Gurl sports a pinstripe tie and blazer.

Chrysalis released “Good Old Days” as a single, backed with the non-album track “Life Is a Symphony.” The a-side also appears on a Thai maxi-single with cuts by Slade, Blackfoot Sue, and Harry Nilsson.

Jazz-Rock-Soul

Tracks

1. Good Old Days (Glenn Cornick, Gary Pickford Hopkins, Tweke Lewis, Mick Dyche, Jeff Jones) - 4:13

2. Tomorrow's Friend (Gary Pickford Hopkins) - 4:08

3. A Universal Man - 3:49

4. Eternal Mother/The Return - 7:59

5. Chuck Stallion And The Mustangs (Gary Pickford Hopkins) - 3:42

6. The Street - 4:45

7. See You Next Tuesday - 6:52

8. Telephone - 3:40

9. Good Old Days - 3:02

10.Life Is A Symphony - 3:44

All songs by Glenn Cornick except where noted

Bonus Tracks 9-10

2002 Progressive line Bonus Tracks

9. Soldier Airplay (Gary Pickford-Hopkins, Glenn Cornick) - 5:44

10.Brother (Gary Pickford-Hopkins, Glenn Cornick, Mick Dyche) - 7:18

11.Social World (Gary Pickford-Hopkins, Alan Marsden) - 7:57

BBC Live in Concert, 1974

Wild Turkey

*Mick Dyche - Slide, Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Glenn Cornick - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards

*Gary Pickford Hopkins - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

*Jeff Jones - Drums, Percussion

*Alan "Tweke" Lewis - Guitar

Relates Acts

1975 Paris - Paris (2013 japan SHM remaster)

1976 Paris - Big Towne 2061 (2013 japan SHM remaster)

1966-68 Eyes Of Blue - Crossroads Of Time (2012 extra tracks remaster)

1969 Eyes Of Blue - In Fields Of Ardath (2012 remaster and expanded)

1970 Ancient Grease - Women And Children First (2003 digipak edition)

1971 Big Sleep - Bluebell Wood (2007 remastered edition)

1969 Man - Revelation (2009 remaster and expanded)

1969 Man - 2 Ozs Of Plastic With A Hole In The Middle (2009 Esoteric remaster)

1974 Fantasy - Beyond The Beyond Plus... (2015 Prog Temple)

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Friday, June 12, 2026

rep>>> Fantasy - Paint A Picture (1973 uk, essential progressive rock, full of delightful twists and turns, 2005 remaster with bonus tracks)

Many of the most obscure progressive bands of the late 60s and early 70s are included in our exhaustive appraisal of private pressings elsewhere in this issue. They took the independent route in the hope of being spotted by talent scouts from labels like Charisma, Island or Harvest, having already proved themselves on vinyl.

Others, like Gravesend-based Fantasy, were more fortunate. They were picked up by a major label, Polydor, and given a favourable recording budget and a name producer. Sadly, this arrangement didn't work out, and when it became clear that Fantasy weren't going to turn into Genesis or Van Der Graaf Generator overnight, the band were promptly dropped.

Today, many experts in the burgeoning progressive field scoff at the label's shortsightedness. For several years, Fantasy's only album, "Paint A Picture", issued in 1973, has been renowned among collectors for displaying talent that, if properly nurtured, could have given the group a massive profile in the years to come. The phenomenal BP300 price tag for a mint copy does not simply reflect the album's rarity: Fantasy's "Paint A Picture" has long been hailed as a masterpiece of classically influenced, quintessentially English progressive rock, full of delightful twists and turns and instrumental prowess, coupled with an uncanny talent for songwriting. Now, interest in the band has been heightened by the release of "Beyond The Beyond", a fascinating find dating from the summer of 1974 which, in the opinion of many collectors, simply confirms Fantasy's early promise.

The band began playing some time around 1970 as Chapel Farm, named after the Singlewell building which provided them with rehearsal space. The nucleus of Dave Metcalfe (keyboards), Paul Lawrence (guitar/vocals) and Dave Read (bass), together with drummer Brian Chatham and guitarist Bob Vann, began by performing cover versions, before focusing their attentions on their own material.

With a support slot to Argent just three weeks away, tragedy struck the band when, turning up for a 'Melody Maker' competition held at a hotel in Cliftonville, Bob Vann toppled over the cliffs edge outside. Paul Lawrence recalls that, "The rest of us had gone back inside the hotel, but we became worried because, as it was Bob's 18th birthday, he'd been drinking a lot." Bob lay on the beach below, and died in the ambulance on the way to a hospital.

It was a cruel blow, but the group eventually decided to stick together, for Bob's sake if nothing else. With Brian Chatham also having left the line-up, Chapel Farm recruited guitarist Pete James and drummer Jon Webster from local band Joy, changed their name to Firequeen, and began supporting progressive heavyweights like the Edgar Broughton Band and the Pink Fairies.

After they sent out demos of their homegrown material to companies like Decca, it was Polydor who took the bait, on the proviso that the group change its name. "They didn't like Firequeen", recalls Dave Metcalfe, "as it was too close to Queen, and they said that Chapel Farm suggested that we were a country band." The name Fantasy was suggested. "We had no choice in the matter," remembers Paul Lawrence, "and we hated it right the way through our whole career. But in a way, they were right, because the name is quite representative of the sound of the music."

Having signed a three-year contract in spring 1973, the group entered Chipping Norton Studios in May with producer Peter Sames (who'd recently worked on Peter Skellern's massive hit, "You're A Lady"), emerging with a ten-song album that would have delighted Genesis and Caravan fans had they heard it. Metcalfe remembers, "We just couldn't get through that barrier of recognition. I don't think Polydor understood our music, and our management appeared not to take us seriously enough."

The label, then riding high with Slade, may have also detected a slight lack of commitment in the fact that the group members still maintained their day jobs.

Originally titled "Virgin On The Ridiculous", "Paint A Picture" appeared in the autumn, containing much of the group's stage set, including "The Award", a tribute to their late guitarist Bob Vann. Also included was the commercially inclined "Politely Insane", which was written and recorded on the same day. Brass was later added, and the track provided Polydor with the single they wanted. It didn't give them the sort of sales figures they were looking for, however. "Politely Insane' was backed by the non-LP cut, "I Was Once Aware", which helps explain its current asking price of BP20.

Fantasy were disappointed but not disheartened by the poor response to "Paint A Picture". They knew that their music was the kind that needed nurturing, and that audiences would take time to warm to their classically influenced and richly textured material. But after sharing the bill with Queen at the Marquee, they failed to follow up with regular concerts and any momentum set in motion by the LP quickly subsided.

Tracks
1. Paint A Picture - 5:24
2. Circus - 6:18
3. The Award - 4:52
4. Politely Insane - 3:27
5. Widow - 2:12
6. Icy River - 5:53
7. Thank Christ - 4:06
8. Young Man's Fortune - 3:41
9. Gnome Song - 4:19
10.Silent Mine - 4:39
11. Beyond The Beyond (Bonus Track) - 5:37
12. Reality (Bonus Track) - 2:58
13. Alanderie (Bonus Track) - 9:01
14. Afterthought (Bonus Track) - 5:51
15. Worried Man (Bonus Track) - 2:56
16. Just A Dream (Bonus Track) - 3:32
17. Winter Rose (Bonus Track) - 3:27
All songs written by Paul Lawrence, David Metcalfe, David Read.

Fantasy
*Peter James - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Paul Lawrence - 12 String Guitar, Vocals
*David Read - Bass, Vocals
*David Metcalfe - Keyboards, Vocals
*Jon Webster - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

Thursday, June 11, 2026

rep>>> Donovan - Breezes Of Patchouli His Studio Recordings (1966-69 uk, outstanding folk jazzy bluesy pychedelia, 2013 four discs remaster)

Despite a title that suggests, to the uninitiated, a mocking comedy sketch by Chris Morris, this box of delights comprising Donovan Leitch’s late 60s output, is a glorious snapshot in time. No other British singer did as much to merge folk sensibilities with mainstream pop, and the results are here across 90 remastered tracks.

Ostensibly a collection of five full albums, plus a disc of period B-sides and bonus tracks (where we find the Patchouli song of the title), it represents a prolific output of material that struck a chord with traditionalists and teenyboppers alike. 1966’s Sunshine Superman was the eye-opening calling card, where leftfield psychedelia rubbed shoulders with whimsical folk. The following year’s Mellow Yellow broadened the canvas further to include sassy brass and Beat-style poetry.

1968’s The Hurdy Gurdy Man dabbled in drug references while producer Mickie Most added heavier rock hues, but 1969’s Barabajagal arguably suffered from being too scattergun. Most intriguing, though, is A Gift From A Flower To A Garden, the 1968 double set that could be the work of two artists, Donovan dividing himself between fey folkie and earthy bluesman.

by Terry Staunton

Tracks

Disc 1

Sunshine Superman 1966

1. Sunshine Superman - 3:16

2. Legend Of A Girl Child Linda - 6:54

3. Three Kingfishers - 3:18

4. Ferris Wheel - 4:15

5. Bert's Blues - 4:00

6. Season Of The Witch - 4:58

7. The Trip - 4:38

8. Guinevere - 3:42

9. The Fat Angel - 4:14

10.Celeste - 4:13

Mellow Yellow 1967

11.Mellow Yellow - 3:44

12.Writer In The Snow - 4:31

13.Sand And Foam - 3:21

14.The Observation - 2:25

15.Bleak City Woman - 2:26

16.House Of Jansch - 2:46

17.Young Girl Blues - 3:48

18.Museum - 2:58

19.Hampstead Incident - 4:44

20.Sunny South Kensington - 3:50

All songs by Donovan Leitch

Disc 2

The Hurdy Gurdy Man 1968

1. Hurdy Gurdy Man - 3:18

2. Peregrine - 3:39

3. The Entertaining Of A Shy Girl - 1:43

4. As I Recall It - 2:10

5. Get Thy Bearings - 2:54

6. Hi It's Been A Long Time - 2:39

7. West Indian Lady - 2:19

8. Jennifer Juniper - 2:43

9. The River Song - 2:17

10.Tangier - 4:14

11.A Sunny Day - 1:58

12.The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow - 2:48

13.Teas - 2:41

14.Jennifer Juniper (Italian Version) - 2:43

Barabajagal 1968

15.Barabajagal - 3:26

16.Superlungs My Supergirl - 2:50

17.Where Is She - 2:49

18.Happiness Runs - 3:28

19.I Love My Shirt - 3:19

20.The Love Song - 3:16

21.To Susan On The West Coast Waiting - 3:14

22.Atlantis - 5:01

23.Trudi - 2:25

24.Pamela Jo - 4:27

25.A Poor Man's Sunshine (Nativity) - 5:17

All compositions by Donovan Leitch

Bonus Track 14

Track 25 From The Barabajagal Sessions

Disc 3

A Gift From A Flower To A Garden 1967

1. Wear Your Love Like Heaven - 2:30

2. Mad John's Escape - 2:24

3. Skip-A-Long Sam - 2:30

4. Sun - 3:21

5. There Was A Time - 2:06

6. Oh Gosh - 1:52

7. Little Boy In Corduroy - 2:38

8. Under The Greenwood Tree - 2:00

9. The Land Of Doesn't Have To Be - 2:33

10.Someone Singing - 3:09

11.Song Of The Naturalists Wife - 2:48

12.The Enchanted Gypsy - 3:23

13.Voyage Into The Golden Screen - 3:18

14.Isle Of Islay - 2:25

15.The Mandolin Man And His Secret - 3:36

16.Lay Of The Last Tinker - 1:55

17.The Tinker And The Crab - 2:56

18.Widow With Shawl (A Portrait) - 3:04

19.The Lullaby Of Spring - 3:29

20.The Magpie - 1:33

21.Starfish On-The-Toast - 2:49

22.Epistle To Derroll - 5:47

Words and Music by Donovan Leitch

Disc 4
1. Breezes Of Patchuli - 4:36
2. Museum (First Version) - 2:53
3. Superlungs (First Version) - 3:17
4. The Land Of Doesn't Have To Be - 2:43
5. Sunshine Superman (Original Longer Stereo Version) - 4:44
6. Epistle To Dippy - 3:12
7. Preachin' Love - 2:41
8. Good Time - 1:55
9. There Is A Mountain - 2:36
10.Superlungs (Second Version) - 3:17
11.Epistle To Dippy (Alternative Arrangment) - 3:13
12.Teen Angel - 2:18
13.Poor Cow - 2:58
14.Lalena - 2:55
15.Aye My Love - 2:08
16.What A Beautiful Creature You Are - 2:45
17.Colours - 4:19
18.Catch The Wind - 5:05
19.The Stromberg Twins - 4:41
20.Snakeskin - 2:41
21.Lauretta's Cousin Laurinda - 4:18
22.The Swan (Lord Of The Reedy River) - 3:10
23.New Years Resolution (Donovan's Celtic Jam) - 3:15
All titles by Donovan Leitch
Tracks 1-5 "Sunshine Superman" Associated Recordings
Tracks 6-11 "Mellow Yellow" Associated Recordings
Tracks 12-16 "Hurdy Gurdy Man" Associated Recordings
Tracks 17-21 "Barabajagal" Associated Recordings
Track 22 "Hurdy Gurdy Man" Associated Recording
Track 23 "Barabajagal" Associated Recording

Musicians
*Donovan - Vocals, Guitar, Organ, Harmonica, Whistling
*Bobby Ray - Bass Guitar
*Eddie Hoh - Drums
*Shawn Phillips - Sitar
*Jimmy Page - Electric Guitar
*Eric Ford - Electric Guitar
*John Cameron - Keyboards, Arrangement
*Spike Healey - Bass Guitar
*Bobby Orr - Drums
*Tony Carr - Percussion, Bells, Congas, Finger Cymbals
*John Paul Jones - Bass Guitar
*Danny Thompson - Bass Guitar
*Spike Heatley - Bass Guitar
*Phil Seamon - Drums
*John Mclaughlin - Rhythm Guitar
*Joe Moretti - Rhythm Guitar
*Danny Moss - Saxophone
*Ronnie Ross - Saxophone
*Big Jim Sullivan - Electric Guitar
*Eric Ford - Electric Guitar
*Shawn Phillips - Sitar
*Pat Halling - Violin
*Harold Mcnair - Flute
*Eric Leese - Electric Guitar
*Cliff Barton - Bass Guitar
*Jack Bruce - Bass Guitar
*Ken Baldock - Double Bass
*Mike O'Neill - Keyboards
*Keith Webb - Drums
*Mike Carr - Vibraphone
*"Candy" John Carr - Congas
*John Bonham - Percussion
*Clem Cattini - Drums
*Jeff Beck - Guitar
*Madeline Bell - Backing Vocals
*Ronnie Wood - Guitar
*Lesley Duncan - Backing Vocals
*Aynsley Dunbar - Drums
*Alan Hawkshaw - Piano
*Nicky Hopkins - Keyboards
*Rod Stewart - Backing Vocals
*James Kehn - Percussion, Drums
*Gabriel Mekler - Keyboards

1965 Donovan - Fairytale (2001 expanded deluxe edition)

1967 Donovan - A Gift From A Flower To A Garden (2008 remaster)
1967 Donovan - In Concert, The Complete Anaheim Show (2006 two disc set)
1973 Donovan - Cosmic Wheels

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1967 Cream - Disraeli Gears (2013 SACD SHM)

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

rep>>> Derek And The Dominos - Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970 uk/us, classic treasure, 2013 platinum SHM edition)

In 1970, the recording engineer Tom Dowd brokered one of the most auspicious meetings in rock history -- between guitarist Eric Clapton and the slide-guitar master Duane Allman. Clapton was working with Dowd at Miami's Criteria Studios, attempting to shake off the bitter demise of Blind Faith with a new group that included keyboardist and singer Bobby Whitlock. After a few days of what Dowd describes as "getting sounds and breaking ice," Allman called, curious to see the British guitar legend in person. Clapton's group went to watch the Allman Brothers play instead, and afer the concert, the musicians partied all night, eventually repairing to the studio the next afternoon. Dowd: "We turned the tapes on, and they went on for fifteen, eighteen hours like that. I went through two or three sets of engineers."

Those jams -- furious marathons based loosely on blues songs (Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor") and simple riffs -- set the stage for Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, a multidimensional rock landmark. Clapton was, according to legend, at loose ends durng this time: He'd fallen in love with Patti Boyd, the wife of his best friend George Harrison, and was deeply troubled -- a pain evident not just on the celebrated title track he wrote with Jim Gordon, but also such apt covers as Freddie King's sorrowful blues about messing with a friend's wife, "Have You Ever Loved a Woman."

Fueled by cocaine, heroin, and Johnny Walker ("It was scary," Whitlock recalls, because "we didn't have little bits of anything....We had these big bags laying out everywhere"), the group went from open jamming to developing actual songs, among them the beseeching "Bell Bottom Blues." The basic concept was rock, pitched at the whiplash frequency of Memphis soul. The band worked up nontraditional approaches to old blues (this "Key to the Highway" has a searing energy that far outstrips Clapton's more scholarly later blues), and then recorded the masterpiece "Layla" as a suite, in stages.

Inspired by the Persian poet Nizami's romantic fable The Story of Layla and Majnun, Clapton wrote lyrics that expressed a worshipful devotion, and surrounded the verses with a guitar phrase, authored by Allman, that endures as a rock and roll anthem. Then, when things can go no higher, comes the postcoital cigarette -- in the form of a reflective elegy, written on piano by Gordon, that allows Allman and Clapton to have a more leisurely discussion. Their combined mojo takes everyone to church, where the impassioned whirling-dervish embrace of two swooning, imploring guitars leads to a state of illuminated bliss. Transcendence-wise, this is as close as rock gets to Coltrane's quartet collectively hitting the rafters at the Village Vanguard, or Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing in an unshakable trance, or...

by Tom Moon

Tracks
1. I Looked Away (Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock) - 3:05
2. Bell Bottom Blues (Clapton) - 5:02
3. Keep On Growing (Clapton, Whitlock) - 6:21
4. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out (Jimmy Cox) - 4:57
5. I Am Yours (Clapton, Nizami) - 3:34
6. Anyday (Clapton, Whitlock) - 6:35
7. Key To The Highway (Charles Segar, Willie Broonzy) - 9:40
8. Tell The Truth (Clapton, Whitlock) - 6:39
9. Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? (Clapton, Whitlock) - 4:41
10.Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Billy Myles) - 6:52
11.Little Wing (Jimi Hendrix) - 5:33
12.It's Too Late (Chuck Willis) - 3:47
13.Layla (Clapton, Jim Gordon) - 7:05
14.Thorn Tree In The Garden (Whitlock) - 2:53

Derek And The Dominos
*Eric Clapton - Lead, Rhythm, Slide, Acoustic Guitars, Lead Vocals
*Duane Allman - Slide, Acoustic Guitars
*Jim Gordon - Drums, Percussion, Piano
*Carl Radle - Bass Guitar, Percussion
*Bobby Whitlock - Organ, Piano, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

Related Acts

1967-68 Cream - Live Cream (2010 Japan SHM)

1972 Cream - Live II (2010 Japan SHM-CD)

1968-89 Allman Brothers - Dreams (4 disc box set)

1970 The Allman Brothers Band - Live At The Atlanta International Pop Festival
1971 The Allman Brothers Band - S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook NY

1972 Bobby Whitlock - Where There's a Will There's a Way (2013 remaster)
1975 Bobby Whitlock - One Of A Kind (2016 japan SHM remaster)
1976 Bobby Whitlock - Rock Your Sox Off (2016 SHM remaster)

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Tuesday, June 9, 2026

rep>>> Thunderduk - Thunderduk (1972-74 us, fine heavy guitar jamming psych with jazz elements, 2007 Footprint issue)

Spawned from the fertile musical grounds of Cleveland, Ohio, Thunderduk was part of a local scene that included the likes of The James Gang, Glass Harp, Bang and Dragonwyck. Their desire to play original music and their on stage antics made them one of the top draws on the club circuit in the early 70's. The combination of Phil Hilow's folk background and the versatility of Jeff Ulmicher produced a sound that included intricate rock ballads and long complicated concert pieces.

The foundation of their sound lied within the Bass work of Gary Wallis who spend many hours working on the band's equipment and developing new sound techniques to enhance the band's overall presentation. Rounding out the band was Bob Turchek on Drums who was later replaced by ex-Catscradle drummer Rick Fischer. Most of the material heard on this album was played by the band on two Agency Studio live broadcasts carried by local radio station WNCR.

These recordings span a period from 1972-74 and we think you will agree that some forty years later they stand strong amongst the tradition of Cleveland Kick Ass Rock and Roll!!

by Rockadelic-recs

Tracks
1. Why Don't You Love Me? (Jeff Ulmicher) - 3:56
2. Mountain By The Moon (Phil Silow) - 3:28
3. Something To Look At (Phil Silow) - 3:35
4. Time And Again (Jeff Ulmicher) - 6:17
5. The Collector (Jeff Ulmicher) - 3:12
6. Keep On Comin (Phil Silow) - 2:58
7. Number One (Phil Silow) - 3:23
8. Once Again Darkness (Jeff Ulmicher) - 9:23
9. Take 26 (Jeff Ulmicher) - 2:36

Thunderduk
*Gary Wallis - Bass, Vocals
*Bob Turcheck - Drums, Congas
*Rick Fischer - Drums, Percussion
*Jeff Ulmicher - Guitar, Vocals
*Phil Silow - Guitar, Vocals

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1969 Santana - Santana (2004 Double Disc)

Monday, June 8, 2026

rep>>> Santana - Welcome (1973 us, fusion rock masterpiece, 2023 SACD)

The choice of “Welcome,” a John Coltrane composition from Kulu Se Mama, as the title tune of the new Santana album is a natural follow-up to Carlos’ album with Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. Coltrane pioneered the direct rendering of spirituality through music in performances like “A Love Supreme” and “Welcome,” and the recent resurgence of interest in his work by spiritually inclined rock musicians is scarcely surprising.

But Welcome covers more territory than Love Devotion Surrender, which was simply a series of ecstatic jams on Coltrane and Coltrane-influenced material. Unlike the latter album, it refers explicitly to its various inspirations. Carlos has apparently been impressed by Airto’s Fingers, Chick Corea’s Light as a Feather and recent recordings by Leon Thomas, Alice Coltrane and Lonnie Liston Smith. In fact, Welcome begins with an Alice Coltrane arrangement, and both Leon Thomas and Airto’s vocalist, Flora Purim, make brief appearances. None of these is integral to the album, suggesting an intended tribute to sources of musical enlightenment rather than an all-star session or a round of hip name-dropping.

The two outstanding qualities which have separated Santana’s music from that of its competitors—Carlos’ expressive abilities as a guitarist and the talents of the band’s various percussionists—are much in evidence throughout Welcome. The qualities which characterize the “new” Santana are the keyboard work of Tom Coster and Richard Kermode and the broad range of the material. As examples of the latter, “Yours Is the Light” is similar in both design and execution to Airto’s current style of hot, neo-samba percussion with jazz keyboard solos, while “Mother Africa” departs considerably from Herbie Mann’s original with a kalimba introduction, thundering Afro-percussion, and a boiling, post-Trane soprano saxophone solo by Jules Broussard. “Going Home,” the Alice Coltrane arrangement, is a sea of organ sounds: “Samba De Sausalito” is a meeting of Brazilian and Puerto Rican rhythmic thrusts with an extended electric piano solo by Coster riding over the top, and “Love, Devotion and Surrender” sets words to the theme of the Santana/Mahavishnu album and builds to an impassioned, gospel-inflected chorus by Leon Thomas.

Carlos himself has never played better. On “Flame” and “Welcome,” he displays a resourceful guitar adaptation of the flutter-tonguing techniques introduced by Coltrane on the soprano sax; there is now more content and less effect in his solos, without the slightest diminution of the delicate touch and bell-like tone which make his work so unmistakable. The rhythm section is at its loosest and best; veteran Afro-Cuban powerhouse Armando Peraza and the much younger Jose Areas interact beautifully, and Michael Shrieve is developing a bag of his own out of directions laid down by Airto and Elvin Jones. There is more use of suspended time, different rhythmic structures and percussive colorations, making Welcome the most rhythmically satisfying rock recording since Professor Longhair’s.

Conceptually, the album sprawls somewhat, due to the occasionally divergent pulls of its various inspirations. But Carlos’ devotion to the musical substance of the Coltrane legacy is admirable, and he seems less inclined toward the superficial treatments which marred Love Devotion Surrender. There may not be another “Black Magic Woman” here, but there is enough of the old Latin fire to satisfy the fans, as well as a promising expansion of sources and resources.

by Bob Palmer, January 3, 1974

Tracks

1. Going Home - 4:11

2. Love Devotion And Surrender (Carlos Santana, Richard Kermode) - 3:38

3. Samba De Sausalito (Jose "Chepito" Areas) - 3:11

4. When I Look Into Your Eyes (Maitreya Michael Shrieve, Tom Coster) - 5:52

5. Yours Is The Light (Maitreya Michael Shrieve, Richard Kermode) - 5:47

6. Mother Africa (Carlos Santana, Tom Coster, Herbie Mann) - 5:55

7. Light Of Life (Carlos Santana, Richard Kermode, Tom Coster) - 3:52

8. Flame-Sky (Doug Rauch, Carlos Santana, Mahavishnu John McLaughlin) - 11:33

9. Welcome (John Coltrane) - 6:35

Santana

*Carlos Santana - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Kalimba, Percussion, Vocals

*Tom Coster - Yamaha Organ, Hammond Organ, Electric, Acoustic Piano, Organ, Marimba, Percussion, Strings Arrangements

*Richard Kermode - Hammond Organ, Mellotron, Electric, Acoustic PianoMarimba, Shekere, Percussion

*Douglas Rauch - Bass

*Michael Shrieve - Drums

*José "Chepito" Areas - Percussion, Congas, Timbales

*Armando Peraza – Percussion, Congas, Bongos, Cabasa

*Leon Thomas - Lead Vocals, Whistling

With

*Alice Coltrane - Piano, Organ, Farfisa

*Wendy Haas - Vocals

*Flora Purim - Vocals

*John McLaughlin - Guitar

*Joe Farrell - Solo Flute

*Bob Yance - Flute

*Mel Martin - Flute

*Douglas Rodriguez - Rhythm Guitar

*Tony Smith - Drums

*Jules Broussard - Soprano Saxophone

*Greg Adams - Strings Arrangements

1970 Santana - Abraxas (2020 SACD Hybrid and 2001 bonus tracks)

1971 Santana - Santana III (2016 mobile fidelity and 2006 double disc edition)

1972 Santana - Caravanserai (2011 MFSL Ultradisc)

1972 Carlos Santana And Buddy Miles - Live! (2005 japan remaster)

1976 The (Blues) Creation With Felix Pappalardi - Live At Budokan (rare double disc japan issue)

Sunday, June 7, 2026

rep>>> Kensington Market - Aardvark (1969 canada, great psych fusing folk with baroque, prog and jazz elements, 2008 remaster)

By the end of the 1960s, the psychedelic-rock revolution was peaking. Dream-laced lyrics and trippy effects, including distortion, tape-loops, echoes, delays and phase shifting, were rampant. Adventurous musicians were busy employing a new array of instruments to conjure up kaleidoscopic sounds. The Beatles, leaders in the new music, had already introduced the sitar on Sgt. Pepper’s and the Mellotron on “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The year 1969 saw numerous bands tripping out with delightfully freaky albums, including Skip Spence’s Oar, Jefferson Airplane’s Volunteers and The Moody Blues’ On the Threshold of a Dream.

During the winter of ’68, the members of Toronto’s Kensington Market were dreaming up their next psych-rock move. The band had already garnered praise for its debut album, Avenue Road, both at home and in America and Japan, where a picture sleeve of “I Would Be the One” had been issued. And several of its songs featured sitar. But now the group was looking to expand its horizons with new songs by singer-guitarists Keith McKie and Luke Gibson and guitarist-keyboardist Gene Martynec. Help would come from a close encounter with a Moog Synthesizer, a futuristic piece of equipment that had made its debut appearance that year on a classical album called Switched-On Bach, by electronic composer Wendy Carlos.

The Market’s members were introduced to the land of Moog and its strange and wondrous sounds by their road manager, Bart Schoales, who was an enthusiastic fan of Intersystems. An experimental, mixed-media Toronto group, Intersystems was comprised of sculptor Michael Hayden, architect Dick Zander, poet Blake Parker and musician John Mills-Cockell, whose instrument of choice was the Moog. Excited by the prospect of adding a synthesizer to its next album, the Market—including bassist Alex Darou and drummer Jimmy Watson—invited Mills-Cockell to join them in the studio. The marriage of the Moog’s alien sounds with the group’s latest songs would prove to be a freakishly fruitful partnership.

Avenue Road had been recorded in New York’s Century Studio, which suited producer Felix Pappalardi at the time. The New York-based Pappalardi had just finished recording Cream’s best-selling Disraeli Gears and had quickly become one of America’s hottest producers. But for the Market’s next album, Pappalardi liked the idea of setting up shop at Toronto’s Eastern Sound studio, right in the heart of the Yorkville hippie district. “For Felix, it was a real adventure,” recalls Bernie Finkelstein, the Market’s manager. “Everyone in the band was living around the village, just a few hundred yards from the studio. And we could record a little, walk down the street, drop in at a coffee house, have a drink, talk to friends and just hang out. Felix loved the whole neighborhood vibe of it.”

Sessions for the new album at Eastern began in earnest. All three of the Market’s principal songwriters brought forward strong new material. McKie had several fully formed songs, including “Is It Love,” “Think About the Times” and “Half Closed Eyes,” a Renaissance-style ballad with imagistic lyrics about a winter’s day. McKie, Martynec and Gibson all co-wrote songs, either with each other or with Pappalardi, who was bringing his skills as an arranger and multi-instrumentalist to the sessions. And even Finkelstein got in on the act, co-writing the technicolor feel-good number “Cartoon” with Martynec. Experimentalism—not to mention the group’s hallucinogenic diet—fuelled everything. “It may sound arrogant today,” says Martynec, “but at the time we felt we were pursuing art rather than trying to fixate on making hits. The music world was a bit more experimental then and you really could try new things.”

A distinctive Sgt. Pepper influence showed up on several tracks, including the psychedelically-enhanced “Side I Am.” For the song, an epiphany about a stoned-out chess game, Pappalardi added some distinctly Pepper–ish trumpets to Martynec’s piercing guitar and the mellifluous harmonies of Gibson and McKie. Martynec, meanwhile, created a medieval mood on “If It is Love,” by conjuring up a harpsichord-like sound on his keyboard. And “Said I Could Be Happy,” with its skipping, ? beat, is a gentle daytime reverie with Beatle-esque lyrics: “She’s all free fall lately on the moon,” sings McKie, “Sunshine on my mind above the afternoon.”

The recording sessions took their most adventurous turns on tracks featuring the Moog. Mills-Cockell extracted a slow, unearthly groan from the instrument to compliment Gibson’s plaintive cry on “Help Me.” The oscillating synthesizer creates an almost vertigo-inducing thrum on the track, as Gibson sings about climbing and slipping and needing a helping hand. And it added a haunting swirl of sound on “Half Closed Eyes.” Some of its most other-worldly sounds showed up on “Cartoon,” where Mills-Cockell crafted a mind-boggling assortment of spacey effects.

Having the analog Moog in Eastern Sound Studios was like having a proverbial elephant in the room. “It’s not like today, where equipment is digitized and small and you just have to push a button and there’s sound automatically,” explains McKie. “The Moog was this huge monstrosity, with large, modular components and all kinds of plug-ins. It looked like one of those old telephone switchboards. And John would plug in various jacks and eventually he’d draw out the most extraordinary sounds.” Added McKie: “Sometimes the sounds were absolutely gorgeous and almost impossible to describe—like angels dancing on a skating rink.”

Mills-Cockell’s $18,000 Moog made its historic live debut on March 22, 1969 at Toronto’s Rockpile, where the Market premiered the newly recorded songs from its forthcoming album, Aardvark. Opening for the band was Leather, a Yorkville group that featured the Market’s roadie Schoales. More than 900 people gathered in the former Masonic Temple to hear the Market perform both familiar songs and its latest material. Unfortunately, the sound mixing at the Rockpile failed to capture the Market’s thrilling new sound with the Moog. “Much of its effect was lost in poor sound balance,” wrote Globe and Mail reviewer Ritchie Yorke, who noted that some people in the audience, baffled by the new electronics, left before the concert ended.

The Market had greater success when it returned to the Rockpile two months later, in May, to coincide with Aardvark’s release. Appearing with Edward Bear in between dates by supergroup Rhinoceros and just two days before The Who made its Rockpile debut, the Market thrilled its audience with a triumphant showcase. The band played the Rockpile once more that month, appearing with Grand Funk Railroad, along with Milkwood and Leather. Then, in June, the Market performed before the largest audience of its career in June at the city’s Varsity Stadium, in front of over 50,000 people at the Toronto Pop Festival, joining a lineup that included Steppenwolf, The Band, The Byrds, Tiny Tim and Blood Sweat & Tears.

All of these appearances with the band’s secret weapon, Mills-Cockell’s dazzling Moog, helped to promote the group’s daring new album, which featured the avant-garde work of celebrated graphic artist Bruce Meek. Why did the band choose to call it Aardvark? “We liked the fact that the word was high up in the alphabet,” chuckles Martynec. “Avenue Road got listed near the top of the Warner Bros. catalogue. We thought with Aardvark it’d be right at the pinnacle.”

Ultimately, the Market’s heavy use of hallucinogens, LSD and MDA in particular, took its toll. Another attempted tour of the U.S. ballrooms proved a disaster. “It’s all a bit of a blur now,” admits Gibson. “Everyone was pretty stoned in those days and we didn’t live anywhere. We were just in hotels and on airplanes constantly, so that was hard. But, mostly, people were just doing a lot of drugs and that causes a lot of confusion.” Finkelstein agrees. “I think the drug culture got the best of the band,” he says, “and it got the best of me to some degree as well.” Within a year of Aardvark’s release, the band was disintegrating.

Finkelstein and Gibson left Yorkville and moved out to the country to live on a commune in Killaloe, Ont., 200 kilometers north of Toronto. McKie carried on performing as a solo artist. Martynec, who’d been inspired by Pappalardi’s musicianship and studio skills, set his sights on production work. Watson and Darou disappeared from the music scene altogether, with the former going AWOL while the latter met a tragic end. Darou retreated to his Yorkville crash pad, plunged into an apparent deep depression and never came out. He was later found dead of starvation.

The Killaloe dropouts eventually returned to Toronto. Finkelstein formed True North Records and launched the recording careers of Bruce Cockburn, Murray McLauchlan and Gibson, who reunited his band Luke & the Apostles briefly, before releasing a fine solo album, 1972’s Another Perfect Day. Martynec went on to become one of Canada’s most successful record producers, working on albums by Cockburn, McLauchlan and others. Mills-Cockell formed the electronic rock band Syrinx and released two groundbreaking records on True North and scored a cult hit with “Here Come the Seventies.” Schoales, meanwhile, became an award-winning designer of True North album covers.

Kensington Market made its mark as Canada’s quintessential psych-rock group, a band of hippie musicians from Yorkville with lysergic dreams of greatness. Born during the Summer of Love in 1967, the Market released two classic albums before dissolving as the Sixties gave way to the Seventies. Aardvark, one of the first rock recordings to embrace the sonic possibilities of the Moog, is the sound of a band venturing deep into pop music’s outer limits. It’s a significant legacy to have left behind: an album that takes the listener on a journey to the far-off corners of the mind, a place as wild and wonderful as any fantasy novel or Fellini film. So sit back, slip on the headphones and roll ’em if you got ’em. The Aardvark adventure is about to begin.

by Nicholas Jennings

Tracks
1. Help Me (Gene Martynec, Felix Pappalardi) - 2:48
2. If It Is Love (Keith McKie) - 2:42
3. I Know You (Gene Martynec, Keith McKie) - 1:58
4. The Thinker (Gene Martynec, Luke Gibson) - 2:29
5. Half Closed Eyes (Keith McKie) - 2:29
6. Said I Could Be Happy (Gene Martynec, Luke Gibson) - 2:20
7. Ciao (Gene Martynec, Luke Gibson) - 1:14
8. Ow-Ing Man (Gene Martynec, Keith McKie) - 2:37
9. Side I Am (Keith McKie, Gene Martynec) - 3:18
10. Think About the Times (Keith McKie) - 2:53
11. Have You Come to See (Keith McKie, Gene Martynec) - 3:02
12. Cartoon (Gene Martynec, Bernie Finkelstein) - 2:31
13. Dorian (Luke Gibson, Felix Pappalardi) - 6:51

Kensington Market
*Keith McKie - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
*Gene Martynec - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
*Luke Gibson - Guitar, Vocals
*Jimmy Watson - Percussion, Drums
*Alex Darou - Bass
Guest Musicians
*Felix Pappalardi - Organ, Trumpet, Piano, Bass

1977-78 Laing • Hunter • Ronson • Pappalardi - The Secret Sessions (2011 Retro World)

1979 Felix Pappalardi - Don't Worry Ma (2004 edition)

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