West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Volume One (1965-67 us, raw psychedelic rock, Sundazed expanded edition)

Despite an ever-increasing following from collectors since their demise, for the past thirty years the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band have stubbornly resisted attempts to uncover the truth behind their mythology. Almost every aspect of the group seems to beg unanswered questions.

To begin with there was the name itself. Long and unwieldy, it seemed designed to defy recollection and sink the heart of poster designers everywhere. Was it a six-word manifesto of creative intent, or simply a cynical attempt to climb aboard the 'psychedelic' bandwagon? Then there were the song credits and album photos, according to which a certain Bob Markley was the band's driving force, a position seemingly confirmed by the appearance of his final 'solo' LP: 'A Group'.

Yet, somewhat confusingly, on the back of that album's sleeve there appeared - for the first time since the band's debut on the Fifo label - pictures of all four original members. Last, and definitely not least, there were the songs themselves. Along the way the music encompassed almost every musical genre - harmonic guitar pop, acoustic folk, psychedelic rock, jazz and avant-garde; and then there were those extraordinary lyrics - some starkly political, others naive and child-like; at times dark and sinister, at others simply insane.

As Brian Hogg observed in his sleeve notes to Edsel's mid-80s compilation 'Transparent Day': "(t)here are few groups as enigmatic, as mysterious or as plain contradictory..." This article does not pretend to be a definitive account of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - indeed, it now seems clear that some questions will never properly be answered - but the story which emerges is fascinating nevertheless, not least as an insight into how extraordinary music could emerge from a group driven by internal conflicts and held in the thrall of a man driven by dubious motives.

This album was originally issued in 1966 on the tiny "FIFO" label, which was a Hollywood concern specializing mainly in R&B. Probably only 100 or so were ever made!
A mint original copy of this LP was sold in '95 to a private collector for a substantial sum, who in turn reissued it (unauthorized, of course) on LP and CD. The CD featured three songs as bonus tracks that had turned up on the Raspberry Sawfly "Legendary Unreleased Album" bootleg from 1980, the excellent Sassafras and Obviously Bad (released as a single under the name California Spectrum in 1967) and a cover of the Left Banke's She May Call You Up Tonight.

It seems that much of the material was already completed by the time Markley became involved. However, the inclusion of certain tracks - 'Don't Break My Balloon' [a prime example of Bob's 'singing'] and 'If You Want This Love' - indicates that he must have had some influence over the sessions and, more to the point, their subsequent release on vinyl.

The rudimentary album included contemporary hits and original compositions and was recorded in a self-made studio in a strore-front place on San Vincente, just outside of Beverly Hills.
by Tim Forster

Tracks
1. Something You Got (Chris Kenner) - 2:53
2. Work Song (Oscar Brown, Nat Adderley) - 2:11
3. Louie, Louie (Richard Berry) - 2:46
4. Don't Break My Balloon (Bob Markley) - 3:12
5. You Really Got Me (Ray Davies) - 3:05
6. Don't Let Anything!!! Stand In Your Way (Markley, Kim Fowley) - 2:12
7. I Won't Hurt You (Michael Lloyd, Shaun Harris, Markley) - 2:10
8. If You Want This Love (Sonny Knight) - 1:33
9. Insanity (Markley, Fowley)
10.It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan) - 3:02
11.She Belongs To Me (Dylan) - 1:53
12.She Surely Must Know (Lloyd, Shaun Harris) - 1:57
13.Sassafras (Dan Harris, Lloyd, Shaun Harris) - 1:59
14.She May Call You Up Tonight (Michael Brown, Steve Martin) - 2:25
15.One Day (Lloyd) - 2:01
16.Funny How Love Can Be (John Carter, Ken Harper) - 1:38
17.Obviously Bad (Lloyd, Shaun Harris) - 1:30
18.Endless Night (Shaun Harris) - 2:15
19.Tell Me What You Want To Know (Lloyd) - 1:46
20.Just You & Me (Lloyd) - 1:54
21.Chimes Of Freedom (Dylan) - 3:03
22.Scuse Me Miss Rose (Bob Johnston) - 2:37

West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
*Bob Markley - Vocals
*Shaun Harris - Bass Guitar
*Dan Harris - Guitar, Vocals
*Michael Lloyd - Guitar, Vocals

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Alan Bown ‎– Stretching Out (1971 uk, incredible progressive jazz rock, 2010 Esoteric extra track issue)

 From the mid-'60s through the early '70s, Alan Bown's bands had played in a variety of styles that were popular in the U.K. during that period without achieving wide popularity, although they were among the more respected musicians on the scene. This wasn't entirely due to bad luck.

Their songs weren't as impressive as their chops, and their shifting stylistic identity probably also worked against them with the record-buying public. This record found Bown very much in a progressive phase, favoring long, shifting compositions (all written by Alan Bown and Jeff Bannister save for John Anthony Helliwell's "Turning Point" and a cover of Richie Havens' "Up Above My Hobby Horse's Head") that must have been hell in some respects to play by memory.

As the liner notes to the 2010 CD reissue rightly point out, there were some similarities to British progressive rock groups like Traffic and Procol Harum, though these were on the slight side and tended to be found on the more reflective compositions. Some of Frank Zappa's influence could also be heard on the lengthy "Turning Point," particularly in the horn sections.

The horn parts are generally the most distinctive aspects the record, which otherwise is a little on the unmemorable early-'70s progressive rock side, though with a jazzier flavor than usual owing to the horns. The 2010 CD reissue on Esoteric adds a bonus track, "Thru the Night," that appeared on the 1971 Island sampler El Pea; it's punchier and more soul-influenced than the songs on the LP, and was written by Helliwell, who would join Supertramp.

by Richie Unterberger



Tracks
1. The Messenger - 7:56
2. Find a Melody - 5:18
3. Up Above My Hobby Horse's Head (R. Havens) - 4:23
4. Turning Point (The Alan Bown, Antony) -  7:12
5. Build Me a Stage 3:31
6. Stretching out 8:27
7. Through The Night (J. Anthony) - 4:16
All compositions by Alan Bown, Jeff Bannister except where stated.

Musicians
*Vic Sweeney - Drums, Percussion
*Andy Brown - Bass, Vocals
*Tony Catchpole - Electric,  Acoustic Guitar
*Jeff Bannister - Piano, Organ, Flute
*John Anthony - Alto, Tenor Saxophone, Recorder, Clarinet
*John Hemmings - Trombone
*Alan Bown – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
*Gordon Neville - Vocals

1970  The Alan Bown!
1970  Listen

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Alan Bown - Listen (1970 uk, trailblazing progressive jazz rock exploits, 2010 Esoteric reissue)

With Jess Roden on vocals and a couple of Toytown psych excursions, in ‘Mr. Job’ and ‘Toyland’, under the belt they released Outward Bown and a self-titled album before Roden quit. The vocals for the latter were re-recorded by the late Robert Palmer, he of ‘Addicted to Love’ success, who went on to pull exactly the same stroke as Roden for the next album, quitting the band just prior to its release.

Gordon Neville was recruited to overdub Palmer’s vocals and, now simply calling themselves Alan Bown, 1970′s Listen was the result.

Listen indeed, a demand upon the record-buyer enforced by Neville’s full-blooded R&B-style vocal. Despite the restriction of having to remain in the key of Palmer’s original interpretation of the nine songs Listen has to offer, the replacement vocalist remains convincing throughout and marshals the proceedings like he arrived at the studio on day one.

That’s not to say that this album is the best thing since sliced bread, far from it, although I’ve always found sliced bread to be overrated. Is dispensing with a knife to placate the idle, really the greatest achievement man has to offer for his 200,000 or so years on this rock? No wonder intelligent alien life has thus far passed us by, probably in favour of another civilisation whose idea of “great” isn’t the discovery that somebody’s already cut their bread for them.

But I digress. Alan Bown’s Listen is an assured, if risk-free, trawl across the seabed of early progressive rock. Drawing upon his early days as a jazz man, Bown’s album is laced with jazz elements, though not, as in the case of ‘Igginbottom’s Wrench, to the point where they ruin it (hence there’ll be no anti-jazz rant this week, though that, a Phil Collins, and an Incredible String Band one are long overdue). Throw in some blues riffs, the ever-present horns, and some fine, if subdued, keyboards and what you have is Listen, an undemanding 40 minutes upon your time.

You want highlights? Oh well, the opener ‘Wanted Man’ is a nice slice of Allman Brothers-style outlaw music, and ‘Loosen Up’ continues with that Southern Rock vibe. Things get heavier with ‘Pyramid’ and the closing track ‘Get Myself Straight’ is a mellower lament to a friend of keyboardist and writer, Jeff Bannister, who was in the throes of life derailment.

by Nick James

Tracks
1. Wanted Man (Bown, Bannister, Catchpole) - 3:30
2. Crash Landing (Bown, Bannister, Catchpole) - 5:55
3. Loosen Up (The Alan Bown) - 3:25
4. Pyramid (Bannister) - 4:27
5. Forever (The Alan Bown) - 2:54
6. Curfew (The Alan Bown, Bannister) - 4:01
7. Make Us All Believe (Bown, Bannister, Catchpole) - 4:33
8. Make Up Your Mind (The Alan Bown) - 7:59
9. Get Myself Straight (Bown, Bannister, Palmer) - 4:01

Musicians
*Vic Sweeney - Drums, Percussion
*Stan Haldane - Bass
*Tony Catchpole - Electric,  Acoustic Guitar
*Jeff Bannister - Piano, Organ, Flute
*John Anthony - Alto, Tenor Saxophone, Recorder, Clarinet
*John Hemmings - Trombone
*Alan Bown – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
*Gordon Neville - Vocals
*Robert Palmer - Vocals

1970  The Alan Bown!

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The Alan Bown! - The Alan Bown! (1969 uk, vibranting psych rhythm 'n' beat, 2010 Esoteric remaster)



 Alan Bown made an improbable rock star -- though it could be argued that he was never really a "star." With the trumpet as his instrument, he wasn't even a terribly likely rock & roll bandleader, but he definitely was that, and for a lot of years. And if his bands' recordings had been as successful as their live shows, he'd likely have been a star and then some.

Any musical aspirations that he harbored were invisible until he completed a stint in the Royal Air Force at the outset of the 1960s. He found a music scene that was booming throughout England with an important extension to Germany, and which encompassed not only rock 'n' roll but also blues, R&B, and jazz.

The latter two areas were where Bown's interest lay, and he was soon a member of a group called the Embers that was booked into the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, working on the same bills as such Liverpool-based artists as Tony Sheridan, the Beatles, the Undertakers, et al. He returned to England after the extended engagement and joined the John Barry Seven, led by the trumpeter/arranger John Barry. He was actually more involved with the group than Barry, whose burgeoning careers as a record producer and film music composer were taking off in a big way and keeping him busy outside of performing.

When Barry disbanded the group in 1964, Bown picked up the pieces and formed an outfit of his own -- his proposed name was ABC, standing for Alan Bown Community, but at the behest of his manager he chose the Alan Bown Set instead. The sextet was an immediate success as a live act, and it became an audience and critical favorite in London.

A contract with Deram Records, the progressive rock imprint of English Decca, followed, along with a pair of singles and a self-titled LP, and there was also a lineup shift that, for a time, brought Robert Palmer into the group as its lead singer. But despite a lot of touring and television exposure, and the reconstituting of its sound and image in a much more progressive rock vein, the group's moment had clearly passed by the start of the new decade.

Even a signing to the Island label failed to re-ignite their commercial prospects, though Bown did keep a version of the band -- including Mel Collins on saxophone -- together for touring purposes as late as 1972. After that last tour, Bown himself -- following a short stay in a band called Jonesy -- moved on to a producer's spot with British CBS Records, where he was one of those involved with the signing of Mott the Hoople and Sailor. By the 1980s, he had long since abandoned performing in favor of the business side of the music business, and started his own production and publishing company.

Thanks to the continued reissue of his '60s-era recordings, however, he remains a much-loved and fondly remembered figure as a performer, from the British beat era into the psychedelic period.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1. My Friend - 3:05
2. Strange Little Friend - 2:45
3. Elope - 3:22
4. Perfect Day - 3:06
5. All I Can Do - 2:46
6. Friends In St. Louis - 2:31
7. The Prisoner - 10:16
8. Kick Me Out - 2:42  
9. Children Of The Night - 2:41
10.Gypsy Girl - 2:32
11.Still As Stone - 2:45
12.Wrong Idea - 2:31
Bonus Tracks 11-12
In the UK release featured Robert Palmer’s vocals, recorded after Jess left the band; the US release was issued with Jess’ vocals

Musicians
*Vic Sweeney - Drums, Percussion
*Stan Haldane - Bass
*Tony Catchpole - Electric,  Acoustic Guitar
*Robert Palmer - Lead Vocals, Percussion
*Jeff Bannister - Piano, Organ
*John Anthony - Alto, Tenor Saxophone, Recorder, Clarinet
*John Hemmings - Trombone
*Alan Bown – Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Maracas
*Jess Roden - Vocals

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Reign Ghost - Reign Ghost (1969 canada, tight psych rock with bluesy mood, Akarma edition)

 

Drummer Bob Bryden and singer Lynda Squires were members of The Christopher Columbus Discovery of New Lands Band in Oshawa, Ontario during 1967.

 

As is the fate with most bands, the unit split up in 1968. Columbus' direct competition in town was an act called Reign Ghost and with an eye to find something new to do, Bryden and Squires infiltrated the rival band as guitarist and singer respectively. Soon the bassist left and Bryden snuck in former Columbus bassist Joe Gallant. Following the usual 'creative differences' excuse, Gallant quit and then came Columbus' Jerry Dufek. This line-up hooked up with Jack Boswell's Allied Records who threw them into a recording studio for the self-titled 'Reign Ghost' album in late 1968.

 

The album was released in January 1969. However, the band fraught with internal conflicts once more and destroyed the band. Bryden and Squires moved on once again and hooked up with drummer Rich Richter and bassist Russ Erman who reclaimed the name Reign Ghost with the new comrades more than willing to become the New Reign Ghost. Allied was happy to have their name band back and offered to release the follow-up album 'Reign Ghost Featuring Lynda Squires', but before the album could be released, the band split up again.

 

Bryden went on to join Christmas (aka Spirit of Christmas) and their first album, coincidentally was released by Paragon in July 1970 on the exact same day as they decided to release the 2nd Reign Ghost album. Lynda Squires went on to join the Canadian cast of 'Hair' and married Francis W. Davies (president of Daffodil Records and The Music Publisher).

Jam-canoe

Tracks
1. Travels Of Blue Paradox - 4:55
2. Long Day Journey - 3:08
3. Standing Room Only, Mr. Mars - 3:45
4. Eyes Knows, So Does Ears And Carolina - 9:01
5. Curio Shop - 3:22
6. Black Ode (Dave Hare) - 3:28
7. Gum Wrapper Song (Jim Stright) - 1:50
8. Southern Hemisphere Blues Legacy - 4:10
9. Reaching (Bob Bryden, Jerry Dufek) - 9:02
All songs by Bob Bryden except where noted.

Reign Ghost
*Lynda Squires - Vocals
*Bob Bryden - Vocals, Guitar
*Dave Hare - Keyboards
*Jim Stright - Lead Guitar
*Jerry Dufek - Bass
*Bob Stright - Percussion

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Freedom Highway - Made In '68 (1968-69 us, interesting west coast psych folk)

Although Freedom Highway played a lot of live shows in the late '60s around the San Francisco area, the band never put out any recordings while it was active, like many groups from the region.

They did record sessions in 1968 and 1969 that surfaced on the 2002 archival release Made in '68, which shows Freedom Highway to be a competent if non-trailblazing band in the main current of San Francisco psychedelic rock, perhaps most akin to Moby Grape of the well-known groups in the genre.

After they disbanded, several members continued to tour the Bay Area minor leagues, with bassist-singer David Schallock playing with the post-Janis Joplin Big Brother and the Holding Company, David Bromberg, and the Sons of Champlin; guitarist/singer Gary Philippet playing with Copperhead, Earthquake, and Greg Kihn; and drummer/singer Bruce Brymer playing with Melton, Levy and the Dey Bros. and the Ducks.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Chico (Smoke El Ropo) - 5:33
2. Give - 7:56
3. Don't Look Back - 4:55
4. The Waltz For Prime Tunas - 4:45
5. New Connections - 6:33
6. Heaven Train - 2:32
7. Loretta - 5:54
8. Real Eyes - 5:04
9. Head In The Fire - 4:29
10.Be My Friend - 4:46
11.Lack And White - 3:34
12.Reese Returns - 3:41
13.Spirit Passing 'Round - 2:30

The Freedom Highway
*Bruce Drymer - Drums, Vocals
*Richi Ray Harris - Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Schallock - Bass, Vocals
*Gary Philippet - Guitar, Vocals
*Scott Inglis - Bass, Vocals

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The Vejtables - Feel...The Vejtables (1965-66 us, great folkish psych beat, Sundazed release)

 The Vejtables were one such great band from the San Francisco area, and had their discs received more promotion, they surely would have attained widespread commercial success. "Feel . . . The Vejtables" features every inch of material this mighty fine band ever recorded, including previously unreleased tracks.

People talk about how influential and innovative San Francisco acts like the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead were, but here's a band that deserves just as much acclaim. Each song on the anthology possesses its own unique twist, augmented by generous samplings of hallucinogenic handiwork.

Right from the start, the Vejtables attracted attention and were signed to the local Autumn label, which also employed the Beau Brummels. The band's debut single, "I Still Love You," favorably paired bouncy Merseybeat curves with crisp and crackling folk rock overtones. A regional hit, the catchy tune resembled a razor sharp hybrid of the Beatles and the Beau Brummels, fronted by a top-dollar female vocalist, Jan Errico. Chiming twelve-string guitars and billowy harmonies were indeed an integral part of the band's repertoire. However, the flipside of this single showed a completely different side of the band. Somewhat dark and disturbing, "Anything," contained a haunting refrain and an unusual arrangement, bleached with an embryonic psychedelic complexion.

The band's second effort, an enthused cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing On My Mind" resonants with cool and confident folk pop moves, while "Mansion Of Tears" provides an absolutely emotive vocal performance and air-tight musicianship.

1966 was a transitional year for the Vejtables. To begin with, Autumn Records ceased to be and Jan left the fold to join the Mojo Men, another red hot San Francisco band. Upon losing Jan and their contract with the Autumn label, the Vejtables basically deserted their folk pop roots and simply got better and better. Imagination reigned and trippy raga rock aspirations pierced a good deal of their ensuing ventures. Pressed on Uptown Records, the powerful "Hide Yourself" explodes to a rush of rattlesnake sitar sensations and the comparably energetic "Feel The Music" cleverly blends wiggy Lovin' Spoonful styled jugband beats with a dollop of wicked acid-salted guitar atomics. Both these numbers are undeniably phenomenal and are best described as the missing link between snarling garage punk and jamming hippy rock.

In 1967, the Vejtables switched their handle to the Book of Changes and gifted with the Tower label with a groovy single. Shaped of a snappy bubblegum pitch and goofy lyrics, "I Stole The Goodyear Blimp" echoed a tougher version of the Royal Guardsmen and was backed by "Suddenly I'm Desperately In Love," which was packaged in bluesy country rock wear and was similar to the kind of stuff the Grateful Dead and Moby Grape were linked with. As far as the previously unissued cuts go, "Smile, Smile, Smile" sits as a gorgeously melodic slice of lightly battered psychedelic folk rock, while "Rearrange Yourself" and "Time and A Place" sizzle to the core with hard driving rhythms and bold hooks you won't soon forget.

In view of "Feel . . . The Vejtables," the band was equally as capable of playing underground rock as they were mainstream pop music. A pity they didn't stick around longer and realize their full potential. The musicians in the Vejtables may not be as immediately recognizable as Jerry Garcia or Grace Slick, but it is important to mention that a few of them performed in other worthy bands. For instance, Rick Dey was a member of the Wilde Knights from the Pacific Northwest. He also wrote "Just Like Me," which was of course a hit single for Paul Revere and the Raiders.

After exiting the Vejtables in 1966, Jim Sawyers landed a job with the Syndicate of Sound, while Richard Fortunato held a role in the Los Angeles based Preachers, a band garage rock junkies certainly need no introduction to. Yes, the Vejtables were a classy lot and this record is a testimony to their genius!

by Beverly Paterson

Tracks
1. Anything - 1:58
2. I Still Love You - 2:23
3. Mansion Of Tears - 2:20
4. The Last Thing On My Mind - 2:30
5. Smile, Smile, Smile - 1:58
6. Cold Dreary Morning - 2:12
7. I Still Love You (Alternate Version) - 2:18
8. Feel The Music - 2:53
9. Shadows - 3:12
10.Better Rearrange - 2:17
11.Good Times - 3:30
12.Time And Place - 3:48
13.Suddenly I'm Desperately In Love - 2:10
14.I Stole The Goodyear Blimp - 2:20
15.Hide Yourself - 2:49
16.Good Things Are Happening - 2:49
17.Hide Yourself (Alternate Instrumental Take)  - 4:03

Musicians
*Jan Errico (Jan Ashton) - Drums, Vocals
*Bob Bailey - Tambourine, Vocals
*Bob Cole - Guitar (1965)
*Rick Dey - Bass
*Ned Hollis - Guitar, Organ
*Reese Sheets - Guitar
*Frank Smith - Bass (1966)
*Jim Sawyers - Guitar (1966)
*Richard Fortunato - Guitar, Vocals (1966)
*Roland Oeler - Bass
*Saul Lewis - Organ, Vocals
*Arthur Penthollow - Drums

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Bohemian Vendetta - Enough (1966-68 us, pure energy acid psych garage, expanded edition)

Formed in 1966, this Long Island, New York band was born right on the cusp of the burgeoning psychedelic scene, and their razzle dazzle music reflects such an environment. Everything you always wanted to know about Bohemian Vendetta can be heard here. A complete collection, Enough contains acetates, singles, and the group’s solitary self-titled full-length album that came out in 1968 on the Mainstream label.

In their infancy, the band cocked their ears towards torn and frayed white boy blues. The raw and scratchy feel of “Like Stoned” owes a growl and a grunt to the Pretty Things, and the hormone-charged bite of “Irresistible” could pass as a Shadows of Knights number. But as time marched on, Bohemian Vendetta, who were initially billed as the Bohemians, found their own niche, and what a cool niche it was.

Aside from covers of the Animals’ “House Of The Rising Sun” and the Rolling Stones’ “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” which are both performed in a slow, sleepy and crushingly heavy mode, Bohemian Vendetta wrote original material, giving them an edge over and above the competition. Teeming with color and creativity, the band’s songs were cleverly engineered and executed with gusto.

Groovy fuzz guitars, compounded by spiffy organ passages light the fire torching the tunes on Enough, while charismatic vocals, rippling with animation and excitement, nimbly rope together snotty garage rock inflections with shades of swinging of soul power and lysergic laced kookiness. Bohemian Vendetta further flaunted a forte for plunging brawny hooks and clutching choruses into their wares, with “I Wanna Touch Your Heart,” “Enough” and “Love Can Make Your Mind Go Wild” denoting what good pop sensibilities they harbored.

Basically a poetry reading set to dark and distressing music, “Deaf, Dumb & Blind” stages a swell Doors imitation, the weird and wacky “Paradox City” curls and coils to the beat of esoteric lyrics and stabbing breaks, and the carnal hunger of “(She Always Gives Me) Pleasure” pushes and grinds with slaving hard rocking rhythms. Devised of sweeping melodies and neat organ drills, “All Kinds Of Highs” is another pick to click on the record.

Quick, tight jams additionally personified the songs of Bohemian Vendetta. Had the band continued on, they probably would have pursued the progressive bent often tinting their efforts. But it was sadly not to be, as they dismantled shortly after “Bohemian Vendetta” arrived on the shelves. Throbbing and bobbing with freaky, funky and fun sounds, Enough (Distortions Records) celebrates a band whose psychedelic punk rock affairs were definitely in order.

by Beverly Paterson

Tracks
1. Like Stoned -2:47
2. Irresistable - 2:53
3. All Kinds Of Lows And All Kinds Of Highs - 2:21
4. I Don't Go That Way - 2:21
5. How Does It Feel - 2:55
6. Enough - 2:45
7. Half The Time - 2:43
8. I Wanna Touch Your Heart - 2:27
9. Images - 1:55
10.Charity Killjoy - 2:33 -
11.House Of The Rising Sun (Tradtional Arr. By  B. Cooke, Tony Sarafino) - 5:45
12.Riddles And Fairytales - 2:57
13.(She Always Gives Me) Pleasure - 4:15
14.All Kinds Of Highs - 3:43
15.Satisfaction (Jagger, Richards) - 5:25 
16.Paradox City - 2:17
17.Love Can Make Your Mind Go Wild - 2:47
18.House Of The Rising Sun (Tradtional Arr. By  B. Cooke, Tony Sarafino) - 5:27
19.Images (Shadow In The Night) - 1:55
20.Deaf, Dumb And Blind - 3:33
21.I Wanna Touch Your Heart - 2:33
22.Riddles And Fairytales (45 Version) - 2:42
All compositions by Tony Camp and Brian Cooke except where noted.

Bohemian Vendetta
*Victor Muglia - Bass
*Randy Pollock - Rhythm Guitar
*Nick Manzi - Guitar
*Chuck Monica - Drums
*Brian Cooke (aka Arthur Muglia) - Keyboards, Vocals, Tambourine, Maracas
*Richard Martinez - Lead Guitar
*Richie Sorrentino - Drums

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Southern Comfort - Southern Comfort (1969 us/uk, spectacular blues rock)

 

 Recorded when legendary Chicago blues harpist Walter 'Shakey' Horton visited the UK in 1968, Southern Comfort is a superb showcase for his talents, as well as those of bassist Jerome Arnold (the Butterfield Blues Band), drummer Jessie C. Lewis (Otis Rush) and trailblazing guitarist Martin Stone (Savoy Brown and Mighty Baby).

 

Though mostly a superb blues set, however, it's best-known today for the epic closing track - one of the most mind-blowing psychedelic workouts ever recorded.

 

"Whilst still with Mighty Baby, Martin Stone recorded a rare album called Southern Comfort with American blues harmonica player Walter 'Shakey' Horton, which is principally notable for Netti Netti, the long psychedelic jam that ends proceedings"
from The Tapestry Of Delights

Tracks
1. Easy (No. 2) (Horton) - 3:20
2. If It Ain't Me Babe (Lane) - 3:20
3. Sugar Mama (Horton) - 3:22
4. Need My Baby (Horton) - 2:56
5. Somethin' Else (Horton) - 3:53
6. Walking By Myself (Lane) - 3:49
7. Train Time (Horton) - 3:31
8. Found A New Love (Lewis) - 4:01
9. Same Old Blues (Lewis) - 2:02
10.Paying Double (Arnold) - 2:26
11.Netti-Netti (Stone, Arnold) - 11:54

Musicians
*Big Walter Sharky Horton - Harmonica, Vocals
*Martin Stone - Guitars
*Jerome Arnold - Bass, Vocals
*Jessie C. Lewis - Drums, Vocals

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Gypsy - In The Garden (1971 us, incredible progressive rock with jazz elements)

 

 

This was Gypsy's second album and their  the most collectable. The song "As Far As You Can See (As Much As You Can Feel)" is a 12 minute epic which is probably their best song from all of their albums. This song also received the most radio airplay from this album.

The band has matured greatly with this album. The basic music is structured much like their first LP, but the sound is more together and the organ, played by Jimmy Walsh, seems to be the focal point of the group's maturity. "As Far As You Can See" is an enchanting education; while the second side of the LP contains one view of paradise entitled "Here in the Garden," and two other explicitly religious tunes.
Gypsy-official 

Tracks
1. Around You – 5:27
2. Reach Out Your Hand – 2:33
3. As Far As You Can See (As Much As You Can Feel) (Rosenbaum, Lordan, Walsh) – 12:09
4. Here In The Garden I – 6:43
5. Here In The Garden Ii – 3:07
6. Blind Man – 3:59
7. Time Will Make It Better (Walsh) – 2:53
All Songs By Enrico Rosenbaum except as noted

Gypsy
*Enrico Rosenbaum - Guitar, Vocals
*James Walsh - Keyboards, Vocals
*James Johnson - Guitar, Vocals
*Bill Lordan - Drums
*Willie Weeks - Bass
*Joe Lala - Percussion

1970  Gypsy (1st Album)

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