Originally released as a private pressing and on label „Contraband“ Orange Wedge´s 1st album „Wedge“ features 7 songs full of driving guitars and strong vocals. Orange Wedge hailed from Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., where they formed in 1968. They released 2 albums, both albums show a mix of long and short songs and lots of loud guitars. Exellent songwriting and remarkable hooks, too. Highlights of the album are 11-minute track „Death comes slowly“ and final song „Revenge“, which features some suberb Neil Young-influenced guitar playing.
Tracks
1. Love Me - 2:58
2. Death Comes Slowly (Joe Farace, Greg Coulson, Dave Burgess, Tom Rizzo) - 11:15
3. Comfort Of You - 5:28
4. Keep On Livin' - 6:01
5. One Night Lover - 4:01
6. Meathouse Shuffle (Joe Farace, Greg Coulson, Tom Rizzo, Don Cowger) - 2:04
7. Revenge - 6:34
Tracks 1,3,4,5,7 written by Joe Farace, Greg Coulson
Formed in Los Angeles, California, USA, in 1967 by former Leaves guitarist Bobby Arlin, Hook also consisted of Buddy Sklar (bass) and Craig Boyd (drums). Will Grab You showed little of the folk/rock style Arlin’s previous group was noted for, offering instead power-trio heavy rock.
The departure of Boyd in 1968 prompted a re-think which saw former Grass Roots keyboard player Danny Provisor and new drummer Dale Loyola drafted into the line-up. Hook offered a more polished style but, as neither release was a commercial success, Arlin folded the band the following year. He subsequently became a booking agent in Orange County, California.
Tracks
1. Go (Provisor) - 3:10
2. You’re Lookin’ Fine (Davies) - 3:50
3. There’s Magic In the Air (Arlin, Sklar) - 2:20
4. Son Of Fantasy II (Arlin, Sklar) - 6:00
5. Hook Can Cook (Arlin, Sklar) - 3:07
6. Love Theme In E Major (Arlin, Sklar) - 2:10
7. A Beautiful Tomorrow (Arlin, Sklar) - 2:21
8. You Need People (Arlin, Sklar) - 3:30
9. All Around The World (Turner) - 3:17
10. You Don’t Have To Stay (Arlin, Sklar) - 2:42
Last Straw hailed from that very un-rock'n'roll outpost, the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, renowned for being about twenty years behind the mainland at any given time. Kissing Spell have seen fit to exhume nearly an hour of the band's demos from the early '70s and give them a release as Alone on a Stone, although, unsurprisingly, the sound quality is rather inconsistent. There are some excellent moments.
Keyboards on some tracks; these were recorded at several different sessions over a course of three or four years, and I doubt if the band's lineup remained consistent. I think the strings on Life Without Rules and the title track are a string synth of some description, but it's definitely 'Tron on Terence, played by musician unknown. In conclusion, the disc does it well on his journey between space rock to progressive spin ..
Heron's self-titled debut LP was mild, drummerless British folk-rock with the rural/pastoral feel common to many early-'70s records in the style. That pastoral feel, in this particular case, might have been in part deliberate; the record was actually recorded in a field by the River Thames, and though the sound quality is very good, you can occasionally hear some birds and faint ambient outdoor noises.
The music is very friendly, acoustic guitar-based stuff that, as improbable as such a blend may seem, is a little like a combination of Simon & Garfunkel with the Incredible String Band, though there aren't many of the weirder elements of the latter. You might also cite the most acoustic and folky Paul McCartney ballads of the late '60s and early '70s (à la "Blackbird") and the harmonies of Crosby, Stills and Nash as less prominent influences. Some organ, piano, and accordion add a little depth to what's essentially an acoustic folk base.
In common with a lot of records with obvious points of comparison to famous acts, however, the songs themselves aren't nearly as distinguished as those of the artists mentioned earlier in this review. That doesn't mean it's without its pluses, however. It's a fresh and youthful, if naïve, effort, with "Upon Reflection" being both the most memorable track and the one that is most reminiscent of early Simon & Garfunkel.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Yellow Roses (R. Apps) - 4:13
2. Car Crash (T. Pook, R. Apps) - 2:57
3. Harlequin 2 (Moore) - 2:28
4. Smiling Ladies (R. Apps) - 2:31
5. Little Boy (Moore) - 3:13
6. Sally Goodin (Guthrie) - 0:43
7. Upon Reflection (R. Apps) - 2:38
8. Lord And Master (T. Pook, Collins) - 4:50
9. Little Angel (R. Apps) - 4:11
10.Goodbye (Moore) - 3:38
11.For You (R. Apps) - 2:45
12.Sally Goodin (Guthrie arr. by Moore) - 1:06
13.Carnival And Penitence (T. Pook, Moore) - 1:54
14.Bye And Bye - 2:25
15.Through Time - 3:28
16.Only A Hobo - 3:48
17.I'm Ready To Leave - 4:40 Bonus tracks 14-17
Heron
*Roy Apps - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Tony Pook - Vocals
*Steve Jones - Piano, Organ, Electric Piano, Accordion, Vocals
*Gerry Power - Guitar, Mandolin, Harmonica, Vocals, Piano
This short-lived psychedelic pop outfit was formed in the UK at the end of the 60s. Featuring Gillies Buchan (guitar/vocals), Edward Jones (bass/vocals), David McNiven (clarinet) and John Romsey (drums), the group was originally known as Skin but did not record as such. Human Beast signed to Decca Records in 1970 and made their debut with Volume One (Instinct). Though it sold poorly at the time, it has subsequently become the subject of collector’s interest. Typical of its contents were songs with expansive titles such as ‘Brush With The Midnight Butterfly’, ‘Reality Presented As An Alternative’ and ‘Appearance Is Everything Style Is A Way Of Living’. Fittingly, each featured similarly ponderous lyrics. In common with other progressive bands of the period, there was also a degree of experimentation with Eastern melodies and rhythms, resulting in the best track, ‘Maybe Someday’. However, the group never recorded again and disappeared from the music business thereafter.
All Music
Tracks
1. Mystic Man (Gillies Buchan) - 6:50
2. Appearance Is Everything, Style Is A Way Of Living (Gillies Buchan) - 4:35
3. Brush With The Midnight Butterfly (Gillies Buchan) - 5:24
4. Maybe Someday (Mike Heron) - 6:22
5. Reality Presented As An Alternative (Gillies Buchan) - 5:00
6. Naked Breakfast (Gillies Buchan) - 3:09
7. Circle Of The Night (Gillies Buchan, David McNiven) - 3:11
The Human Beast
*John Romsey - Drums, Percussion
*Ed Jones - Bass, Vocals
*Gillies Buchan - Guitar, Vocals With
*David McNiven - Clarinet
Some bands are deservedly obscure, some fall from grace into that state, and some just never really had the opportunity to be anything but; Ice fall into that latter category. This late-60s Brit band received a leg-up from the BBC, and even made the occasional TV appearance, but lack of label support brought Ice's spread to an abrupt halt.
Ice Man finally brings together on CD all of the band's recorded output, but it's not much. A few singles, a clutch of demos, and that's that, but the collection is further bulked up by the inclusion of BBC live appearances, as well as three songs from Russell's Clump, a band which also boasted Ice vocalist Glyn Jones, performing at Sussex University.
So does Ice deserve the cult status they've long enjoyed, or is it merely a matter of absence making the heart grow fonder? Ice Man proves without a doubt that it's the former, and leave you to wonder just where the band would have ended up with a bit more help from their label. And not merely in the chart stakes, but in the musical sense as well, for what strikes one immediately is just how eclectic and unique Ice were. The title track is a wonderful piece of psychedelia whimsy, but the group were also equally adept at vocal-drenched pop, delicate rock ballads delivered in a very English fashion, and more emotive R&B/soul-fired numbers.
That latter styling came to the fore at the BBC across their Yardbirds-esque attack on the Beatles "Day Tripper," reinforced by their own number "Wide Blue Yonder Boy." Move into the demos and even more unexpected styles emerge. "Silver Lady," with its picked guitar, sidles up to C&W before flirting with Motown during the harmony laced chorus, while "Wait" gives its heart, but not its musical arrangement to Stax.
And finally, you begin to see their label's problem, for how do you package a psychedelic pop/rock-R&B-soul band for the mass market, even if the group did boast a superb singer, phenomenally intricate arrangements, and a totally unique musical vision? They couldn't. Easier to just let them melt away, until all that's left is a pool of fond memories. But how wonderful that Ice Man has been excavated and brought forth on CD in all their glory.
by Jo-Ann Greene
Tracks
1. Ice Man (Steve Turner, Chris Simpson) - 2:59
2. Whisper Her Name (Steve Turner, Chris Simpson) - 3:38
3. Anniversary (Of Love) (Steve Turner, Chris Simpson) - 3:14
4. So Many Times (Steve Turner, Chris Simpson) - 2:11
5. Walk on the Water (Steve Turner, Chris Simpson) - 2:09
6. Time's Fading Fast (Steve Turner, Chris Simpson) - 3:23
7. Day Tripper (John Lennon, P. McCartney) - 2:07
8. Ice Man (Steve Turner, Chris Simpson) - 2:56
9. Wide Blue Yonder Boy (Glyn James) - 1:58
10.Open the Door to Your Heart (N/K) - 3:22
11.Like a Woman (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 2:18
12.Skyline (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 3:03
13.Wait (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 2:48
14.Monday (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 2:38
15.Tell Me (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 3:22
16.Silver Lady (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 3:10
17.Burning Burning (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 2:57
18.Two Hearts (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 2:43
19.Little Girl in Wonderland (Kris Johnson, Chris Simpson) - 2:37
Ice
*Glyn James - Vocals
*John Carter - Bass,Back Vocals
*Lynton Naiff - Hammond Organ ,Piano
*Grant Serpel - Drums
*Steve Turner - Guitars Additional Musicians
*Kris Johnson - Guitars
*Mo Foster - Bass
*Linda Hoyle - Back Vocals
The green suburb of Great Neck Long Island, was the ideal environment to nurture a young band, in 1970 Some time that year, drummer, Mark Rosengarden invited us to rehearse in the guest house at his parents' home. Mark's dad. Bobby, a network TV bandleader, who later would play on the album, had created a great place for musicians.
The "Little House' became the scene of AIR rehearsals almost every day for a year. Googie and I would drive out from the Bronx, in the afternoons, packing playpen and baby stuff, bringing our then two-year-old daughter, Eva. Our rehearsals were customarily open-attendance for young musicians in the neighborhood. We had a few "satellite" band members. Most of the material was composed by Googie, but everyone created parts. It felt as if we were creating mini epics.
Visitors included guitarists Rick Derringer (Steely Dan. Johnny Winter), and Robbie Kogel (Todd Rundgren). Sometimes Mark's younger brother. Neal, would play flugelhorn. drums, bass, or guitar. There were candle-lit summer evening lawn parties at nearby places on the North Shore. Plenty of refreshments of all kinds were present. The band would set up on a tarp; and we'd get to test out our whole repertoire. The steady rehearsal routine ended when we became the touring band for flutist, Herbie Mann, traveling to Mexico, Scandinavia, and the Middle East.
We had changed our rehearsal space first to a loft on Second Avenue, near the Fillmore East, and then to one on Mercer Street, in Soho. We recorded some early tracks at the old Atlantic Studios on 60th Street. The engineer was Gene Paul, nephew of guitarist Les Paul.
The main tracks were recorded at Mediasound (a converted church on 57th Street, in the building where Bela Bartok once lived) with engineer, Gerry Block. We augmented the band with percussionist, Dave Johnson; trumpeter, Randy Brecker; saxophonist, Mike Brecker. and trombonist. Barry Rogers. We are most favorably compared to Soft Machine, or early Genesis. Our greatest asset has always been Googie's uniquely beautiful voice.
by Tom Coppola, April 2008
Tracks
1. Realize - 3:48
2. Mr. Man - 3:14
3. Baby, I Don't Know Where Love - 4:32
4. Martin - 2:38
5. In Our Time - 5:10
6. Man Is Free - 4:26
7. Sister Bessie (Mark Klingman) - 2:34
8. Lipstick - 4:38
9. Jail Cell - 5:00
10.I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free (Billy Taylor, Dick Dallas) - 3:35
All songs by Carolyn Brooks except where noted.
Turn on the CD ... greets us whine ... wolf ... ? ... and sound the
bells ... guitar riff on the canvas of the "shouted" are the words of
the song. Sometimes there is a little strange laugh. Macabre atmosphere
with a very specific topic, close to work Black Widow. I do not really
like this kind of subject matter, but nevertheless it is a fact that at
that time a rock band quite often reached to this topic. Next songs are
attractive to the typical conventions seek early hard rock.
Admittedly,
sometimes the whole is a bit "archaic" ("Gypsy Queen", "Journey") to
some of the songs are worth special attention: "It's great the sun",
"See the people creeping round "and" Sacrifice ". Plate for a specific
audience? Certainly yes, but (in my opinion) far behind "the great
forgotten," such as the Andromeda group. The more that connects the two
teams a few biographical facts. Menu Links Horse ~ in englishJednym of
them was a record deal with RCA, which was known for its publications
so. music center.
In addition to Andromeda and Skip Bifferty,
Horse was one of the first groups Rock,, promoted by the label. It is
worth mentioning that R. Roach guitarist played before the creation of a
group called London. London group bass player was Mick Hawksworth, who
later became a member of the final composition of the Attack and The
Five Day Week Straw People, which later evolved into Andromeda. Roach
was briefly hired to concerts to the last, when her guitarist J.DuCann
hurt his arm (Sweet Floral Albion -23). However, the early group Horse,
by Roach'a, you should look for in 1967-1968. That's when, together with
A.Hawkins' em founded the group, which later recorded as Horse
discussed on this page LP. It included also, with 15 years Drummer -
Steve Holley (in SFA-23 is given the wrong name-Holly), who played
earlier in his own group called The Formula.
The fourth member of the
Horse was Colin Standring, who plays bass guitar. He previously worked
with groups: Kit and the Saracens & Jimmy Brown Sound (also worth
mentioning that in both groups of piano playing ... Ken Hensley, who
later became a member of The Gods and Uriah Heep). In the composition
group, performed by the second half of 1969. After signing with RCA /
Victor, during Christmas 1969, Horse proceed to burn. However, the
drummer sits a new member of the team - Rick Parnell. The record appears
in the spring of 1970 years'
At that time, the group toured a
lot. In summer 1970, at a period of 2 months, Ric Parnell is admitted to
the group Atomic Rooster, after the departure of her R.Palmera. In late
August, Parnell returns to the Horse (in Atomic Rooster P.Hammonda
replaced it). Group still performs, but mainly in Germany. In the spring
of 1971 (probably in April) re moving away from the group Ric Parnell.
In the years 1971-1973 once again becomes a member of Atomic Rooster and
later Italian Ibis, Nova and the legendary Spinal Tap. In the 90's
there in the hard-rock group Brown Ring.
To know in detail his future
career, the current activity (2004) as well as his hobby suggest visit
his official website. But let us return to the group Horse. In 1971,
Colin Standring, who at that time also studied at Surrey University, it
is expelled. Also leaves the group Horse. To 1977 has performed
throughout Europe with various teams have met accidentally. In the years
1977-1981 he lived in Munich and from 1982 to today in Zurich.
Currently there with a dozen or so Big Band Sound. However, the other
two members of the group Horse, R.Roach and A.Hawkins formed a new group
called the Saturnalia.
by Adamus67
Tracks
1. The Sacrifice (Roach, Hawkins) - 6:13
2. See The People Creeping Round (Roach, Hawkins) - 4:21
3. And I Have Love You (Roach, Hawkins) - 3:09
4. Freedom Rider (Roach, Hawkins) - 3:18
5. Lost Control (Roach, Hawkins) - 2:22
6. To Great The Sun (Roach, Hawkins) - 4:04
7. The Journey (Trad.) - 3:54
8. Heat Of The Summer (Roach, Hawkins) - 3:59
9. Gypsy Queen (Roach, Hawkins) - 2:48
10. Step Out Of Line (Roach, Hawkins)- 4:20
Brothers Dave and Herman Zerfas started their professional recording career as members of the Indiana-based band Jubal. By 1973 the band had morphed into Zerfas, in the process recording an album that I'd easily categorize as a true lost classic. Released by Moe Whittemore, Jr.'s 700 West label, 1973's "Zerfas" stood as one of those rarities - an album that came close to living up to the collector hype surrounding it and probably one of a handful of albums that I'd consider paying the asking price in order to own an original copy.
Produced by Whittemore, Jr. with four of the five members contributing material, the album's gained a Beatlesque reputation over the years. That's normally a mixed blessing and while not entirely accurate in this case, the Zefras brothers had clearly listened to their share of mid and late-era Fab Four. The album's also regularly slapped with a psych label which I find somewhat misleading.
I've listened to the album dozens of times over the years and while 'The Piper' is psychedelic and there are occasional psych studio effects including the opener 'You Never Win' which started with an interesting bit of backward tape manipulation before kicking into the tuneful organ propelled garage rocker, the bulk of the set has always struck me as being surprisingly commercial. So what were the highlights? Six of the eight tracks were exceptionally good. With a dazzling fuzz guitar and inspired lead vocal from bassist Mark Tribby (who was supposedly reluctant to sing lead) 'The Sweetest Part' demonstrated the band were equally comfortable working in a country-rock arena.
Apparently written during their Jabul days, 'I Don't Understand' started out with a slice of studio insanity before switching over to a pretty, if stark Badfinger/Emmitt Rhodes/McCartney-styled ballad. The song was also worth hearing for what may have been the album's best guitar solo. With a killer melody, glistening group harmonies and a touch of studio experimentation (I've always loved the way the cheesy synthesizer snuck in) the side one closer 'I Need It Higher' found the band taking a stab at a more commercial sound. You had to scratch your head and wonder how this one wasn't a major radio hit.
Best of all was 'The Piper' which actually managed to mix pop, rock, psych, and progressive moves into a wonderful slice of music. That left one track up in the air (the experimental 'Fool's Parade' - complete with 'mushroom soup' belches) and two tracks that were marginal - 'Stoney Wellitz' which sported a bouncy melody, but was plagued by a cheesy synthesizer and an irritatingly whiny lead vocal. Complete with ocean waves sound effects, 'Hope' was a mid-tempo piece that simply didn't make much of an impression on me one way or the other. Those minor criticisms apart, as I said earlier, a lost treasure and one of the few LPs I'd even think about awarding 5 stars on my lame grading scale.
Tracks
1. You Never Win (David Zerfas, Herman Zerfas) - 5:14
2. The Sweetest Part / I Don't Understand (David Zerfas, Mark Tribby) - 8:39
3. I Need It Higher (David Zerfas) - 4:48
4. Stoney Wellitz (David Zerfas, Herman Zerfas) - 6:30
5. Hope (Bill Rice, Herman Zerfas) - 7:44
6. Fool's Parade / The Piper(David Zerfas, Herman Zerfas, Steve Newbold) - 8:39
The Left Banke started at the top, launching its recording career with the 1966 debut single "Walk Away Renée," which became both a Top Five smash and an iconic pop classic. They followed it with the equally memorable hit "Pretty Ballerina" and the beloved LP Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina. Less well known, but no less noteworthy, is the band's underappreciated second act.
Although it largely escaped the public's notice upon its release in November 1968, The Left Banke Too is an unsung gem that remains close to the hearts of a dedicated cadre of fans. Recorded after the departure of keyboardist/songwriter Michael Brown, the sophomore disc finds his former bandmates—frontman Steve Martin, bassist/guitarist Tom Finn and drummer George Cameron—rising to the occasion to produce music whose ambition and expressiveness matches, and in some cases surpasses, that of the band's more prominent prior work.
The Left Banke's original lineup had combusted shortly after Walk Away Renée/Pretty Ballerina's release, and the group split into two factions, with singers Martin, Finn and Cameron on one side, and Brown and his father, manager/producer Harry Lookofsky, on the other. The schism led to Brown (with help from songwriter Tom Feher, who had contributed to the first album, and singer Bert Sommer) releasing his own single, "Ivy, Ivy" b/w "And Suddenly," under the Left Banke name, and releasing it in April 1967 on the band's label, the Mercury Records subsidiary Smash. After Finn, Martin and Cameron hired lawyers and won back control of the band name, Smash withdrew support from Brown's single. But the resulting confusion over the competing Left Bankes resulted in a loss of commercial momentum from which the band would never recover.
The two factions temporarily reconciled in the spring of 1967 to record a pair of Brown/Feher compositions, "Desirée" and "In the Morning Light." Brown produced those sessions, with John Abbott (who played and arranged on the first album) as arranger and various New York session musicians playing most of the instruments.
Although The Left Banke Too showed their creative batteries to be fully charged, it wasn't long before the group's morale was sagging. The album was lost amidst a flood of new hippie acts, and the band—which toured with Tom Feher on keyboards and new guitarist Tim Hayden—experienced a new set of frustrations with its new management team, which Finn says kept them on the road, with little financial reward and no discernable career benefit to the group.
Although the trio disbanded, Steve Martin and Michael Brown reunited in the studio shortly thereafter to record one more single, "Myrah" b/w "Pedestal," which was released under the Left Banke's name in November 1969. In 1971, Martin, Finn, Cameron and Brown came together to record Brown's songs "Love Songs in the Night" and "Two by Two." The results were released under Martin's name, both as a single and on the soundtrack LP of the little-seen film Hot Parts, both on the Buddah label.
In the 1970s, Brown would record with Montage, Stories and the Beckies, while a 1978 Finn solo project would evolve into an abortive Left Banke reunion with Martin and Cameron; a set of demos from that project would see release in 1986, as Strangers on a Train in the U.S. and Voices Calling in Britain. In the years since, various combinations of Left Banke members, including Brown, have periodically reunited in the studio to work on new material, but the fruits of those efforts have remained unheard by the public.
Years of speculation regarding a Left Banke reunion came to an end in March 2011, when Finn and Cameron teamed with a group of New York musicians for a pair of shows in New York, marking the first Left Banke gigs in more than four decades and the first time many of the band's songs had ever been performed live. The reunion shows' rapturous reception underlines the ongoing fan interest in the Left Banke, and the fact that the songs from The Left Banke Too were as well-received as the more familiar hits demonstrates the high esteem in which this album is held by the band's admirers.
by Scott Schinder
Tracks
1. Goodbye Holly (T. Feher) - 2:55
2. There's Gonna Be A Storm (T. Finn) - 4:16
3. Sing Little Bird Sing (T. Feher) - 3:07
4. Nice To See You (T. Finn) - 2:40
5. Give The Man A Hand (M. Potocki) - 2:54
6. Bryant Hotel (T. Feher) - 3:24
7. Desirée (M. Brown, T. Feher) - 2:40
8. Dark Is The Bark (T. Finn, S. Martin, Caro, G. Cameron) - 3:27
9. In The Morning Light (T. Feher, M. Brown) - 2:49
10.My Friend Today (T. Finn) - 3:05
