Zephyr - Going Back To Colorado (1971 us, awesome blues jazz folk rock psych)

David Givens met Candy Ramey in Aspen, Colorado in the fall of 1967 while Candy was performing with a local jug band. Impressed by Candy’s performing abilities and charisma, David got a band together to play jobs in Aspen, and they quickly began rehearsing material with Candy while she was still in the jug band. Their paths crossed once with Tommy Bolin during a jam set up by a mutual friend, but they didn’t hook up with Tommy for real until later.

David and Candy married in 1968, then moved to Boulder and started working in a band called Brown Sugar. Tommy and John Faris arrived in the fall of 1968 with their band Ethereal Zephyr, which they had formed after Tommy’s return from a short stint away from Denver to Cincinnati. Tommy’s influences at the time were Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, and a wide range of older rock and blues. He was very fond of Wes Montgomery’s guitar work, having worked on playing octave runs as far back as A Patch of Blue. Faris was well versed in music theory, and introduced Tommy to jazz greats such as John Coltrane. Also during this period Tommy was learning more about blues playing from Denver musician Otis Taylor, whose modern take on the blues and beyond is currently enjoying a high degree of respect in critical circles.

According to David Givens, Tommy jammed with Brown Sugar at a one of their regular Wednesday night gigs in Boulder at the Buff Room, and the results were so inspiring that within a few weeks they played again with Tommy, John Faris and an unidentified drummer. They then decided to break up their current bands and reform with a new drummer. Otis Taylor recommended Robbie Chamberlin, and a jam at the Folklore Center in Denver resulted with Chamberlin welcomed to the drum chair. With the firm lineup intact, they dropped the "Ethereal" from the name of Tommy and John’s band and became Zephyr.

In September, 1970 the band went into Electric Lady Studios in New York City to start recording their second album with famous engineer/producer Eddie Kramer at the helm. They were now signed with Warner Brothers, as Probe had folded. Kramer had worked with some of the top names in rock, such as Led Zeppelin and especially Jimi Hendrix, with whom Kramer had an extremely productive relationship. The sessions for the second album, Going Back to Colorado, were marred by Kramer’s distraction due emotional fallout following the death of Hendrix as well as a climactic romance with Carly Simon. The sessions for the album wrapped in October, and the album was released in January, 1971.

Going Back to Colorado was in many ways an improvement over Zephyr, in large part due to better presentation of Candy’s vocals, but it still wasn’t the commercial breakthrough that the band was hoping for. Both are extremely valuable and engaging documents, however, to fans of Tommy and of musical power and adventure. Going Back to Colorado is more song-oriented and polished, while Zephyr offers more raw exposure to Tommy’s guitar work.

Whatever difficulties Tommy faced during the recording of the album were mitigated by the important contacts he was making with important fusion musicians such as Jeremy Steig and Jan Hammer, who would soon play major roles in Tommy’s successful move into fusion.

by John Herdt

Tracks
1. Going Back To Colorado (Tommy Bolin, J. Tesar, Candy Givens) - 4:15
2. Miss Libertine (Candy Givens, David Givens) - 3:19
3. Night Fades Softly (David Givens) - 3:20
4. The Radio Song (David Givens) - 2:30
5. See My People Come Together (Tommy Bolin) - 6:06
6. Showbizzy (Tommy Bolin) - 2:30
7. Keep Me (Tommy Bolin, J. Tesar) - 4:20
8. Take My Love (John Faris) - 4:16
9. I'll Be Right Here (Tommy Bolin) - 4:26
10.At This Very Moment (Candy Givens) - 5:55

Zephyr
*Candy Givens - Piano, Vocals, Harmonica
*Bobby Berge - Drumss
*David Givens - Bass, Vocals
*John Faris - Organ, Piano, Soprano Sax, Flute, Vocal
*Tommy Bolin - Steel, Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Vibes
Guests
*Paul Conley - Moog Synthesizer
*Eddie Kramer - Piano, Clavinet, Perscussion
*Paul Fleisher - Saxophones
*Buzzy Linhart - Vocals
*Gerard "Ginger Face" McMahon - Vocals
*Albertine Robinson, Eileen Gilbert, Tasha Thomas - Vocals

1972-75  Tommy Bolin - Whirlwind (2013 two disc set) 

Free Text
Just Paste

Moxy - Moxy (1975 canada, excellent heavy rock)

Moxy was formed in 1974 by Buzz Shearman from the ashes of his previous act, Leigh Ashford. The same year the band was formed it was signed to Polydor records in Canada, mainly due to the popularity and success of Leigh Ashford and Buzz Shearman's reputation. The band's first album was recorded in California in only two weeks with co-producer Mark Smith, and as luck would have it, guitarist Tommy Bolin was recording next door. Bolin was so impressed with Moxy that he added some guitar work to the LP. After recording the album simply titled Moxy, the band headed back to Toronto and enlisted guitarist Buddy Caine to fill in the guitar parts that Bolin had added to the album. 

The debut album originally released in 1975 is a powerhouse of hard rock tunes; it was picked up by many radio stations in the U.S.A. and was a number one requested album in Texas. The success of the album lead to a contract with the Mercury Records label in the U.S. and a national distribution deal. This release by Unidisc Records is a straight reissue of the original Mercury/Polydor Records album at a budget price complete with original artwork, but unfortunately, it contains no bonus tracks.

by Keith Pettipas

Tracks
1. Fantasy (Earl Johnson) - 5:42
2. Sail On Sail Away (Earl Johnson) - 4:53
3. Can't You See I'm A Star (Earl Johnson) - 3:37
4. Moon Rider (Earl Johnson, Buzz Shearman) - 4:27
5. Time To Move On (Earl Johnson, Buzz Shearman) - 4:10
6. Still I Wonder (Earl Johnson) - 4:18
7. Train (Earl Johnson, Robert Bonnell) - 4:39
8. Out Of Darkness (Into Τhe Fire) (Earl Johnson, Buzz Shearman) - 4:57

Moxy 
*Buzz Shearman - Vocals
*Earl Johnson - Guitar
*Terry Juric - Bass
*Bill Wade - Drums
With
*Tommy Bolin - Guitar
*Tom Stephenson - Piano

Free Text
Just Paste

Steve Hillage - Green (1978 uk, extraordinary prog space rock, 2007 remaster and expanded)

On Steve Hillage's 1978 release Green, the underground prog rock fan favorite issues more of his trademark thinking-man's music. Fans of mid- to late-'70s Pink Floyd will want to check this album out, since it possesses many of the same musical qualities, due to the fact that it was produced by Floyd drummer Nick Mason, along with Hillage. Although not as consistent as some of his other albums, it certainly has its moments. Hillage's recurring sci-fi influence is still felt in his music, especially on such tracks as "Sea Nature," "UFO Over Paris," and "Unidentified (Flying Being)." 

Hillage uses the same band that appeared on his Motivation Radio album, which helps make Hillage's twisted songs even better (like his other albums, the musicianship is top-notch). Besides comparisons to Floyd, the album's music is also similar to David Bowie's late-'70s experimental electronic phase (check out the track "Crystal City," with vocals almost identical to Bowie). Hillage fans will definitely not be disappointed with Green. 

by Greg Prato

Tracks

1. Sea Nature - 6:43

2. Ether Ships - 5:02

3. Musik Of The Trees - 4:53

4. Palm Trees (Love Guitar) - 5:19

5. Unidentified (Flying Being) (Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy, Curtis Robertson Jr) - 4:30

6. U.F.O. Over Paris (Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy,  Curtis Robertson Jr, Curtis Robertson Jr Blocker, Charles Bynum) - 3:11

7. Leylines To Glassdom - 4:06

8. Crystal City - 3:36

9. Activation Meditation - 1:03

10.The Glorious Om Riff (C.O.I.T*, Steve Hillage) - 7:46

11.Unidentified (Flying Being) (Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy, Curtis Robertson Jr) - 4:56

12.Not Fade Away (Glid Forever) (Charles Hardin, Norman Petty) - 7:26

13.Octave Doctors - 3:41

14.Meditation Of The Snake (Steve Hillage) - 3:18

Songs written by Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy except where noted

Tracks 11 and 13 Live At Glastonbury 1979

Track 12 Live At The Rainbow Theatre 1977

*C.O.I.T (Compagnie d'Opera Invisible de Thibet) name often used to credit "Gong"

Personnel
*Steve Hillage - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer, Synthesizer, Production
*Miquette Giraudy - Synthesizer, Vocoder, Vocals
*Curtis Robertson Jr - Bass
*Joe Blocker - Drums
*Nick Mason – Drums, Production
Bonus Tracks Musicians
*Andy Anderson - Drums (Live At Glastonbury)
*Paul Francis - Bass (Live At Glastonbury)
*Dave Stewart - Rhythm Guitar And Glissando Guitar (Live At Glastonbury)
*Clive Bunker - Drums (Live At Rainbow)
*Colin Bass - Bass (Live At Rainbow)
*Christian Boule - Rhythm Guitar And Glissando Guitar (Live At Rainbow)
*Phil Hodge - Keyboards (Live At Rainbow)
*Basil Brooks - Synthesizer (Live At Rainbow)

1969  Uriel - Arzachel (2007 remaster, collectors edition)
1976  Steve Hillage - L (2007 remaster)
1979  Steve Hillage - Open (2007 remaster) 

Free Text
Just Paste

Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink (1971 uk, canterbury prog rock masterpiece, 2011 double disc deluxe edition)

There isn’t sufficient space here to give a full description of what has been collected on the three discs of this thoroughly deserved Deluxe Edition let alone explain just how good an album In The Land Of Grey And Pink is or its standing as one of the cornerstone albums of 70s prog and the Canterbury scene.

The in-a-nutshell list of ingredients is: what sounds like the 2001 remaster of the full album; Steven Wilson’s new mixes of the album in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound; a fascinating previously unreleased new version of Nine Feet Underground (completely different lead organ and sax tracks different vocal track on the second part – Dave Sinclair singing in place of Richard Sinclair); different versions and/or mixes of some album tracks and non-ITLOGAP songs including Frozen Rose and Aristocracy; five 70s radio-broadcast live sessions including Nine Feet Underground and the title track; video of Golf Girl and Winter Wine from contemporaneous German TV show Beat Club the latter previously unseen alone almost worth the price of admission given the scarcity of period footage around.

For many the jury’s still out on 5.1: clever for sure but is it what the artist intended their music to sound like? Whatever it’s here if you want it. And presumably with the right drugs you really can feel like you’re listening to the album from somewhere inside Dave Sinclair’s Hammond.

There’s nothing particularly radical in the new stereo mixes: it’s all quite subtle and unintrusive – a slight reduction in the presence of the guitars during the keyboard solo on the title track. Most noticeably the left-right dynamic has been tightened up with much less panning of individual sounds than there is on the original CD issue. On Winter Wine for example there’s less drifting of the angelic voices and the tinkling piano passage and the few seconds of wah-wah organ that used to pan back and forth rapidly is now anchored tightly in the centre; meanwhile the trombone at the beginning of Golf Girl has been moved in a touch from its original hard-right position.

Overall though there’s nothing in the new mixes that really stands out as being notably different from what fans will know and love which is what one would hope to be the case. And even though the album has been remixed rather than remastered (so no sound ‘polishing’ as such) there must have been some temptation given the studio technology voodoo available these days to ‘airbrush’ some things. But reassuringly the ‘pops’ when Dave Sinclair kicks in his wahwah pedal still pop and Richard Sinclair’s jarring bum-note (so wrong you can’t even call it jazz) 5’ 20” into Nine Feet Underground remains just as jarring – and now comes in glorious 5.1 surround sound.

With the 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition one of prog’s pivotal must-have albums has just got even more indispensable.

by Paul Henderson

Tracks

Disc 1 The Original Album Released As Deram SDL-R 1 On 8th April 1971

1. Golf Girl - 5:01

2. Winter Time - 7:36

3. Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly) - 3:04

4. In The Land Of Grey And Pink - 5:00

5. Nine Feet Underground - 22:44

6. Frozen Rose (I Don't Know Its Name Alias The World) (New Mix By Steven Wilson) - 6:10

7. Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly) (First Version New Mix By Steven Wilson) - 3:36

8. Nine Feet Underground (New Mix By Steven Wilson) - 22:39

Bonus Tracks 7-8

Disc 2 Album Session Recordings, December 1970
1. Aristocracy - 3:15
2. It Doesn't Take A Lot - 3:14
3. Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly) (Extended Version) - 3:36
4. It's Likely To Have A Name Next Week ('Winter Wine' Instrumental Demo) - 7:48
5. Nigel Blows A Tune (First Version) - 5:55
6. Group Girl ('Golf Girl' First Version) 5:14
7. Love Song Without Flute - 3:33
8. In The Land Of Grey And Pink - 3:43
9. Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly) - 3:12
10.Nine Feet Underground - 14:27
11.Feelin', Reelin', Squealin' (Kevin Ayers) - 9:30
All songs by R. Coughlan, P. Hastings, R. Sinclair, D. Sinclair except where noted.
Tracks 7-9 Recorded For The BBC's 'Sounds Of The Seventies', 11th March 1971
Tracks 10-11 Recorded For John Peel's Sunday Concert At The Paris Theatre, 6th May 1971

Caravan
*Richard Sinclair - Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Pye Hastings - Electric. Guitars, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*David Sinclair - Organ, Piano, Mellotron, Harmony Vocals
*Richard Coughlan - Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians
*Jimmy Hastings - Flute, Tenor Saxophone, Piccolo
*David Grinsted - Cannon, Bell, Wind

the journey of Caravan
1968  Caravan (Japan SHM remaster)
1970  If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You (Japan SHM remaster)
1971  In The Land Of Grey And Pink (Japan SHM remaster)
1972  Waterloo Lily (Japan Mini LP)
1973  For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night (japan SHM remaster)
1974  Caravan And The New Symphonia (japan SHM remaster)
1975 Cunning Stunts (Japan remaster)

Free Text
Text Host

Amazing Blondel - Fantasia Lindum (1971 uk, beautiful elegant harmony baroque folk)

The concept album rears its head -- and rears back about 500 years. While other progressive rock groups were doing album-length suites dealing with apocalyptic themes, Amazing Blondel were doing 20-minute multi-part pieces ("fantasia" is the best classical music term) depicting idealized love between man and woman, man and nature, and man and God. It all plays a little like the Strawbs' work of this same era without the sardonic edge, and is all achingly beautiful.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks
1. Fantasia Lindum - 20:13
.a Prelude and Theme
.b Song: Swifts, Swains, Leafy Lanes
.c Dance: Jig Upon Jig; Theme (Lutes And Recorder)
.d Dance (Galliard): God Must Doubt
.e Song: Lincolnshire Lullaby
.f Dance: Basse Dance Theme (Lute Duet)
.g Dance: Quatre Dance Pavan
.h Song: Celestial Light (For Lincoln Cathedral)
.i Dance: Coranto; Theme (Lutes And Recorder)
.j End
2. To Ye - 3:24
3. Safety In God Alone - 4:49
4. Two Dances - 1:56
.a Almaine (Edward Baird)
.b Bransle For My Ladys' Delight
5. Three Seasons Almaine - 3:32
6. Seige of Yaddlethorpe (Terence Alan Wincott) - 2:30
Music and Lyrics by John David Gladwin unless as else stated

Personnel
*John David Gladwin - Second Lute, Lead Vocals, Double Bass, Theorboe.
*Terence Alan Wincott - Recorders, Vocals, Piano, Crumhorn, Harpsichord, Harmonium, Other Woodwind
*Edward Baird - First Lute, Vocals, Glockenspiel, Dulcimer, Guitar
*Jim Capaldi - Drums

1973  Amazing Blondel - Blondel
1974  Amazing Blondel - England
Related Act
1969  Methuselah - Matthew, Mark, Luke And John

Free Text
Just Paste

Man - Be Good To Yourself At Least Once A Day (1972 uk, brilliant prog jam rock, 2007 remaster with extra tracks)

This is generally considered by Man fans to be one of the band's best works. Produced during one of Deke Leonard's periods of absence, it saw Phil Ryan and Will Youatt welcomed into the fold. There had been a huge amount of touring going on around this time, much of it on the continent, and this is the period they really established a solid reputation as a live band, and evidence to back this up was clear in the form of the many live albums (and bootlegs!) that came out of this era.

There are just four tracks, which probably reflects the serious jamming that was going on while performing live, allowing space for individual soloing. Also, it made it easier to fit in the quieter passages, such as in C'mon, where there is some especially effective organ and electric piano form Phil. Keep on Crinting further explores this laid back groove, which at times takes on an almost pastoral feel. Mellow picked guitar, steady, simple drumming, and cool synth sets this mood, before giving way to more aggressive wah wah.

Bananas became an immediate favourite and remains one to this day. The studio version is pretty much an organ driven piece and though the guitars make their presence felt later on, the organ does give this original version a sound not really reflected in the way the song developed in later years when performed live.

Life On The Road I see as the weakest song on the album. If you like shuffles, fine, but to me it's pretty nondescript. It was part of the live set for a while, but I can't work out how this studio version could have been thought to have advanced Man's cause as being a major act.

The playing throughout is excellent. As already hinted, it's very keyboard driven, and not having Leonard on board meant there was not as much of a contrast in guitar styles as in other band versions. Terry Williams... simply does not know how to play badly. The easy, relaxed style of this album never seems to stretch him though, which is a bit of a shame.

Time to own up : this actually isn't one of my favourite Man albums. It sounds like the band had got carried away with their live successes, and came out of the studio with an album which might just as well have been recorded on stage. I don't think it's a coincidence that the cover photo is a live shot (unusual in itself for a studio album). There's not much wrong with the songs, but nothing really stands out as having been crafted, and no effort seems to have been made to take advantage of the sophistication of the recording facilities. Of course, when they came to Rhinos, I think someone had noticed this tendancy, and they perhaps over compensated. Whatever. Anyway, for me this is a bit of an underachievement - the material is there, but more effort could have been put into the presentation.

Man-Band

Tracks

1. C'mon - 11:03

2. Keep On Crinting - 8:18

3. Bananas - 9:28

4. Life On The Road - 7:14

5. Bananas (Early Instrumental Version) - 7:04

6. Rockfield Jam - 3:14

All compositions by  Clive John, Micky Jones, Phil Ryan, Terry Williams 

Bonus Tracks 5-6

Man

*Micky Jones - Guitars, Vocals

*Clive John - Guitars, Vocals

*Phil Ryan - Keyboards, Vocals

*Will Youatt - Bass, Vocals

*Terry Williams - Drums, Percussion

1969  Man - Revelation (2009 Remaster)

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

Free Text
Text Host

Amazing Blondel - England (1974 uk, brilliant orchestrated traditional folk)

Boasting an immensely talented line up consisting of singers/guitarists Eddie Baird, John Gladwin and Terry Wincott, The Amazing Blondel were easily as talented as fellow English folk-rock contemporaries such as Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Unfortunately, over the course of five early-'70s American album, the band never managed to attract the attention lavished on their competition. Part of the explanation may stem from the fact the group remained devoted to acoustic English folk music, largely avoiding rock overtones, sticking almost exclusively to acoustic jigs and ballads until relatively late in their recording career. 

Gladwin and Wyncott actually started their musical collaboration in the rock band Methuselah (see separate entry). Following its break up the duo decided to continue their partnership as an acoustic duo. Subsequently joined by Baird, as The Amazing Blondel (the name drawn from Richard the Lionheart's favorite minstrel), the group was quickly signed by Bell Records (Chris Blackwell's Island Records acquiring American distribution rights). 

Co-produced by Phil Brown and the band, 1973's "England" saw the trio retaining their interest in English folk, though the set saw a shift to a more commercial sound. That said, with all three members contributing material (Gladwin credited with the majority of six selections) the results were frequently stunning. For us the highlights included Gladwin's beautiful side-long suite "The Paintings" and the group's stunning harmony vocals (check out "Seascapes"). Acoustic material such as "Landscape" and "Cantus Firmus to Counterpoint" was soft, warm and highly melodic. While you couldn't exactly call it rock and roll (thoughts of an evening in an Irish pub quickly come to mind), it made for a great choice to play on a cold winter night, or an early Sunday morning.

Bad-Cat

Tracks
1. The Paintings (Three Pastoral Settings for Voices, Flute, Guitars and Orchestra) (John David Gladwin) - 17:31
...a) Seascape
...b) Landscape
...c) Afterglow
2. A Spring Air (John David Gladwin) - 3:41
3. Cantus Firmus to Counterpoint (John David Gladwin, Edward Baird, Terence Alan Wincott) - 3:21
4. Sinfonia for Guitar and Strings (From the Suite For My Ladys Delight) (Edward Baird) - 3:11
5. Dolor Dulcis (Sweet Sorrow) (John David Gladwin, Edward Baird) - 3:25
6. Lament to the Earl of Bottesford Beck (Terence Alan Wincott) - 3:11

Personnel
*John David Gladwin - Vocals, Guitar
*Edward Baird - Vocals, Guitar, Dulcimer
*Terence Alan Wincott -  Vocals, Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards, Mellotron, Bongos
*Adrian Hopkins - Clavinet. Orchestra Conductor

1973  Amazing Blondel - Blondel 

Free Text
Just Paste

Flood - The Rise Of Flood (1970 us, awesome fuzz psych rock, digipak issue)

Flood were an act based in New York City, their sole album issued only as a promo on a private label in 1970. This garage flavoured psych album contains some killer fuzz guitars. This edition is transfert from a vinyl copy.

Tracks
1. Vacumn - 4:11
2. Idle Time - 4:28
3. Blessed Be The Young Children - 4:31
4. Pain - 3:58
5. Songbird Of Time - 3:30
6. Mr. Wickett - 6:18
7. Don't Take Me - 3:27
8. Hurting Time - 4:01
All songs by John T. Magazino, Fred Covino, George Cabating

The Flood
*John T. Magazino - Vocals, Conga, Tamborine
*Fred Covino - Bass, 2nd Guitar
*George Cabating - Acoustic, Electric Guitars
*Billy Carroll - Drums, Conga

Just Paste
Free Text

Text Host

Czar - Czar (1970 uk, super heavy prog psych rock, 2007 remaster with bonus tracks)

The story of the making of the Czap lp started in 1969 when Tuesday's Children were asked by Philips Records to make an album. The line up of the band was then Mick Ware on guitar, Paul Kendrick on bass guitar, Bob Hodges on Hammond organ and Derrick Gough on drums. Tuesdays Children had already recorded a single for Philips which had been released on the Mercury label and staff producer Brian Shepherd was designated to work with the band.

The recording sessions started on the 17th January 1969, there were 12 in total, the final session being on the 27th February 1970. All the sessions took place at the Philips headquarters studio at Stanhope Place, near Marble Arch London.

Although Brian Shepherd was the nominal producer of the album, he did not attend many of the sessions and the two engineers, Dave Voyde and Roger Wake did the production in conjunction with the band. They are credited as 'Production Engineers' on the LP sleeve and whilst they looked after the technical side of the recording, it was left up to the band themselves to arrange the music in the way that they wanted.

The first songs that were recorded were covers, which included long version of the Byrds '8 Miles High'. After a couple of verses this went into a long improvisation section that included Mars from the Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. This had been a highlight of the live set but although this song was finished it was not included on the album, there are probably two reasons for this: the estate of Holst wouldn't let anyone release different versions of his music, and secondly, Philips wanted an album of original material.

One day in the spring of 1969 the band were round at Paul Kendrick's parents house in Leyton when Paul mentioned that he had written and recorded some songs. Both Paul and Mick Ware had bought stereo reel to reel tape recorders on which it was possible to bounce tracks which meant that you could multitrack, although there was significant loss of quality if you did it more than 4 or 5 times.

Anyway we sat and listened to Paul's songs and liking what we heard we decided to rehearse and record some of them. Armed with this original material we then went back into the studio and continued to record.

As 1969 progressed Paul wrote more songs which we recorded, Mick Ware was also busy and we recorded his song 'Today' later in the year. The band was also performing a lot, still as Tuesdays Children, and although some of the sessions were 3 hour mixing or vocal sessions, some of them were all nighters when the studio was not being used by anyone else, which gave us the freedom to experiment and also for me to use any of the hired instruments that were in the studio at the time ie. Mellotron, harpsichord, celeste.

We did perform all the songs on the album live, although I had to make do with just Hammond organ and electric piano on stage. One of our specialities was 3 part harmony vocals (we all sung except Derrick Gough), and we spent a lot of time in the studio on the vocals. Most of the vocals are double tracked, in those days you would lay down one vocal track and then sing another over the top of it which thickened up the vocal sound as the second track would be slightly out of synch. with the first.

Eventually we got to the end of 1969 and the band had completed most of the album, we had also decided to change the name and relaunch the band as 'Czar'. We felt that 'Tuesday’s Children' was too 'poppy' and as we were heading in a new direction, a new name was needed to go with the new music and image. the first gig as 'Czar' was at Londons' Marquee Club in Wardour Street on 17th January 1970, and although we still had a couple of gigs booked as Tuesday’s Children, after that we became known as Czar.

Unfortunately in January 1970 Derrick Gough decided to quit the band and we held auditions for a new drummer on 15th February 1970 at Bells Studios in Ilford, Essex.

by Bob Hodges

Tracks

1. Tread Softly On My Dreams - 6:42

2. Cecelia - 8:18

3. Follow Me - 3:23

4. Dawning Of A New Day - 6:12

5. Beyond The Moon - 3:47

6. Today (Mick Ware) - 8:01

7. Day In September - 7:39

8. Ritual Fire Dance (Manuel De Falla) - 7:39

9. Oh Lord I'm Getting Heavy- 4:03

10.Why Don't We Be A Rock and Roll Band - 3:38

11.(She's A) Lady Of Love - 3:21

12.I'll Try Hard - 4:15

13.Good Morning Sunshine - 2:56

14.Oh Darlin' - 2:41

15.I Laid It On The Line - 3:28

All compositions by Paul Kendrick except where stated

Czar
*Bob Hodges - Keyboards, Vocals
*Paul Kendrick - Bass, Vocals
*Mick Ware - Guitar, Vocals
*Del Gough - Drums (1, 3-7)
With
*Alan From Hampstead - Drums (2, 8)
*Tony Mac - Drums (9, 10)
*Johnny Parker - Drums (11-15)

Text Host

Just Paste

Free Text

Space Opera - Safe At Home (1970-78 us, spectacular psych prog rock. 2010 issue)

It’s quite a challenge for me to write a good, subjective review on these guys.  I’ve been a big fan of their music for some time now, probably since the first time I heard the opening chords of “The Viper” from Whistler, Chaucer, Detroit and Greenhill’s 1968 album, The Unwritten Works of Geoffrey, Etc - I was hooked.  That album was more of a collection of studio experimentation/tracks whereas Space Opera (1973) was conceived as an actual album – the band played lots of live festivals/gigs during the Space Opera years.  

The Space Opera LP shares many of the same characteristics that made the WCD&G album so enjoyable but in place of psychedelia (or psych pop) are the more structured, studied sounds of a good progressive rock band.  It’s a classic record too, very different from the majority of  “progressive rock” and “country-rock” albums being released at the time.   Not many unknown groups who release one album in their lifetime have this many quality tracks lying around the cutting room floor.  Therefore, I was shocked and excited to find out the release of these early demo tracks from the group’s prime years.

Space Opera are closer in sound to latter day Byrds or more distantly, Moby Grape.   They had a knack for mixing blues, rock n roll, country, folk, and psych/progressive rock into something that still sounds fresh today and uniquely American (they were from Texas).  Space Opera’s guitar sound leans towards the jazz/progressive end of the spectrum.  Also, some of the tracks like the trippy reprise of ”Singers and Sailors” feature vibes and David Bullock’s trance-like flute work.  The Exit 4 (named after Exit 4 studios) demos are the first 9 tracks (approximately 40 minutes) of this album, cut in 1970/1971, before Space Opera’s self title debut.  

While the remaining 6 tracks, cut between 1975-1978 are very solid and musical (check out folk-rock gem “Snow Is Falling”), the Exit 4 demos are the real meat of the Safe at Home project.  Exit 4 should have been Space Opera’s debut album.  Both “Country Max” (their most popular song) and a heavily phased “Over and Over” make appearances on the Exit 4 album albeit in very good, early versions.  The remaining cuts are unique to this compilation and are nearly the equal of anything on Space Opera - these cuts sound like finished tracks rather than demos.

Every track is strong and worth multiple spins.  The album leads off with ”Singers and Sailors/Father,” a tough bluesy hard rocker  with spiraling guitar leads and gutsy vocals.  This track segues into the excellent “Journey’s End.”  This cut has a country folk intro that eventually morphs into soft, tuneful rock that would have been fine radio fodder.  The guitar playing throughout is outstanding.  These guys were intelligent musicians that could have played any style well.  Space Opera also knew how to balance out their instrumental prowess with quality songwriting.  

Check out “Psychic Vampire”, another creative gem, which is similar to “Journey’s End” in it’s mixture of soft progressive sounds and fluid, expressive guitar work.  Songs like “Marlow” and “Fly Away” show off the groups country and folk origins (with interesting chord progressions) and are no less potent than the aforementioned tracks.  All in all, Exit 4 (and Safe at Home as a whole) is a superb album by one of America’s great lost bands.

by Jason Nardelli

Tracks
1. Singers And Sailors/Father (Scott Fraser, David Bullock) - 3:25
2. Journey's End (Phil White) - 5:11
3. Fly Away (David Bullock) - 5:08
4. Singers And Sailors (Scott Fraser, David Bullock) - 4:24
5. Country Max (David Bullock) - 3:15
6. Unless I'm Gone (Phil White) - 4:50
7. Marlow (Scott Fraser) - 4:00
8. Over And Over (Scott Fraser) - 6:24
9. Psychic Vampire (Phil White) - 3:54
10.Bells Within Bells (David Bullock) - 3:00
11.Still Life (David Bullock) - 4:19
12.Caledonia (Scott Fraser) - 3:37
13.Snow Is Falling (David Bullock) - 4:26
14.Play It Rough (Phil White) - 3:30
15.Squeeze Play (Scott Fraser) - 4:27

The Space Opera
*David Bullock - Flute, Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*Scott Fraser - 12 String Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Phil White - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
*Brett Wilson - Drums, Percussion

Just Paste
Free Text 
Text Host