Penny Nichols - Penny's Arcade (1968 us, dazzling folk sunny psych with clear crisp vocals, 2006 edition)

Like many musicians in the Sixties, Penny started her career as a folk singer in coffeehouses around Orange County, CA. She shared stages with many legendary artists such as Jackson Browne, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Ponies,Jennifer Warnes, Mary McCaslin and others. In 1964 & 65 she sang in a bluegrass band with John, Bill & Alice McEuen (John then took Jackson Browne's place in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the rest is history) and then formed a duo with Kathy Smith called the Greasy Mountain Butterballs which toured Vietnam in the fall of 1966. Upon returning, she opened the show for numerous artists at the Troubadour and Ash Grove in Hollywood.

In the spring of 1967, Penny rode up to San Francisco on the back of a Harley motorcycle and decided to stay in the bay area for a while. She performed in concerts and clubs all over the bay area including: the Fillmore, the Avalon, the Matrix and opened for bands such as Big Brother and the Holding Co. (Janis Joplin), Steve Miller, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 13th Floor Elevator, Chocolate Watchband, Jefferson Airplane and others. During the "Summer of Love", Penny played at the Big Sur Folk Festival and recorded her first album, "Penny's Arcade", for Buddha Records. (It eventually sold over 50,000 copies) After touring the U.S. promoting her album in the fall, she toured Europe in the winter of 1968, staying with George & Patty Harrison and recording at Apple Studios while in London. An enjoyable fusion of folk, pop, jazz and psychedelia. Features support from Bob Dylan sidemen Bruce Langhorne and Al Gorgoni as well as members of psychedelic favourites the Peanut Butter Conspiracy.

On her return to the U.S., she decided to devote her time exclusively to songwriting for a number of years and studied voice with noted vocal coach, Florence Riggs. In 1975, she began to perform around Los Angeles with her jazz band, the Black Imp, and opened the show for Little Feat in concert. She wrote and performed commercials for Toyota's campaign to plant a tree for every car bought, Carnation Dairies, and produced a public service announcement for the Navajo Nation called "Black Mesa" to protest the misuse of the land around the Four Corners power stations in Arizona.

In 1977, while working with Emitt Rhodes on a record for Elektra, Penny joined Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefers. She appeared in the movie FM with the band toured...the U.S. and earned a Platinum Record for her singing on Son of a Son of a Sailor.

In the late 70's & 80's, Penny went back to school and earned degrees in Music & Psychology from Antioch University, and then went on to Harvard University to do research in music & psychology eventually earning a doctorate in Education there. During the same time, she recorded and toured with many performers including: Art Garfunkle (Fate for Breakfast) Suzi Quatro, Danny O'Keefe,Yvonne Elliman, Jennifer Warnes, Albert Brooks, The Credibility Gap, Steve Gillette and earned a Grammy nomination for her work on Arlo Guthrie's album The Power of Love.

In 1990, Penny co-produced her second album, All Life is One. In 1993, she released another record, an album of songs based on the 1000-year-old Buddhist stories, the Jataka Tales. In 1997, Penny and Molly Mason collaborated on the song "The Unbroken Thread" which is included on the CD, the Catskill Collection. She currently lives and teaches in Morro Bay, CA and was awarded the FAR-West Folk Alliance's Best of the West Lifetime Achievement award.   Her most recent ventures include a new album of songs called Golden State; a recollection of growing up in Southern California. She has also recorded a CD of Jackson Browne's early songs; Colors of the Sun, a Harmony and Background Vocal arranging CD's, a book and CD called the 8 Voyages of Nep, songs of grieving and healing through cancer treatments, teaching at SAMW, Colorado Roots, Lamb's Retreat and Moab Music camps, one of the best music camps in the country, and directing four camps per year for songwriters: SummerSongs: A Songwriters Summer Camp and Retrea. Sadly Penny Nichols passed away Oct 29, 2017.

Text from Penny Nichols official

Tracks
1. Wash Day - 2:38
2. Moon Song - 2:26
3. Color Of Love - 1:27
4. Games - 1:40
5. Salton Sea Song - 2:10
6. Sunshine Blues - 2:27
7. Rainy Days - 2:52
8. Summer Rain - 3:03
9. Yellow Chimes - 2:19
10.Look Around Rock - 3:43
11.Mountain Song - 3:05
12.Holy Holy - 2:25
13.Farina - 2:01
All songs composed by Penny Nichols

Musicians
*Penny Nichols - Guitar, Vocals
*Bruce Langhorne - Guitar
*Artie Butler - Piano
*Sal DiTroia - Guitar
*John Merrill - Guitar
*Al Gorgoni - Guitar
*Grant Johnson - Piano
*Joe Grimm - Flute
*Richard Romoff - Bass
*Julio Ruggiero - Bass
*Alan Brackett - Bass
*Joseph Macho Jr. - Bass
*Kerry Magness - Bass
*Alvin Rogers - Drums
*Jimmie Smith - Drums
*Sanford Konikoff - Drums

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Paul Davis - A Little Bit Of Paul Davis (1970-71 us, wondrous blue eyed soul, r 'n' b, soft rock, 2009 bonus tracks reissue)

The very title of Paul Davis’ 1971 debut is a nod toward Bert Berns, the founder of Bang records and author of “A Little Bit of Soap,” the 1961 Jarmels single Davis covered and brought within flirting distance of the Top 40 in 1970. Ironically enough, “A Little Bit of Soap” winds up being the song that seems out of step with the rest of the bubblegum pop-soul on A Little Bit of Paul Davis, as Davis recasts it as a bit of a sleepy groover -- nice enough, but not as appealing as the bright, snappy pop of the rest of the record.

Like a lot of Bang’s late-‘60s/early-‘70s output -- think Neil Diamond and Andy Kim -- this walks a curious line between AM bubblegum and adult contemporary soft rock, with the hooks coming from the former and the smoothness coming from the latter. Davis gives this a dash of Georgian soul in his phrasing, but that’s just flavoring on this batch of bubblegum pop. Impressively, most of the record is written by Davis himself -- only three cuts come from other writers -- and he shows a real talent for propulsive, cheerful pop, but even this has a touch of the laid-back delivery that would become his trademark…just enough to make this distinctive from other Bang LPs and other early-’70s AM pop, and just enough to make this something of an undiscovered little gem of its time. 

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Paul Davis was married to Pamela Gayle Jay Davis, who enjoyed a brief career with Bang Records/Web IV Music in Atlanta, where Davis was writing and recording his songs. When their only son Jonathan was born with special needs, Pamela retired from the music world to care for him. She died on March 20, 2017. Paul Davis died of a heart attack at the Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi, on April 22, 2008, a day after his 60th birthday.

Tracks

1. I Just Wanna Keep It Together - 2:29

2. Supernatural Power - 2:39

3. If I Wuz A Magician - 2:14

4. Pollyanna - 2:36

5. Sally's Sayin Somethin (Harry Moffitt, Howard Boggess) - 2:09

6. A Little Bit Of Soap - 2:33

7. Mississippi River - 3:05

8. Who's Gonna Love Me Tomorrow (George Soule) - 2:33

9. Rainy Sunday Mornin - 2:45

10.Three Little Words - 2:45

11.When My Little Girl Is Smiling (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 3:14

12.I Feel Better - 2:49

All songs by Paul Davis except where stated

Bonus Tracks 11-12

*Paul Davis - Vocals

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One - One (1969 uk, remarkable heavy psych bluesy rock)

In late 1969/early 1970, a motley crew of London-based musicians entered Trident Studios in the heart of Soho to record a lone, rare album for Fontana Records. Helmed by Indian-born musicians and childhood friends, singer Alan Marshall and keyboard player Bobby Sass, One had initially formed in early 1969 after a series of jam sessions at Marshall’s studio flat, located at 6 Denmark Street which he shared with manager Roger Burrow, a friend of Graham Nash’s.

Born in Lahore, Alan Marshall had quite the musical pedigree. Starting out with Bexley Heath, Kent R&B outfit The Loose Ends in the early 1960s, Marshall had cut two excellent singles on Decca before the original formation splintered in October 1966. Forming a new version with members of Croydon band The Subjects and another Bexley Heath area aggregation, Bob ‘N’ All, the new-look Loose Ends landed a short residency at the Bang Bang Club in Milan during January-February 1967.

When the musicians returned to London that March, they were spotted by Otis Redding at the Scotch of St James (or Speakeasy depending on who you speak to) and, ‘blown away’ by Marshall and co-vocalist Bob Saker’s duets, the soul legend took both singers back to the States to record two tracks at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals – “Johnny B Goode” and “Keep Pushing”. The plan was to couple the two recordings for a single on Atlantic but internal politics led to the tracks being shelved. Tragically, Redding died later that year.

Back in the UK, Alan Marshall reunited with guitarist Peter Kirtley who’d been playing with Alan Price’s band after leaving The Loose Ends the previous October. The pair decided to form a new group, Happy Magazine, and Marshall recommended his childhood friend Bobby Sass (not Bobby Tench under an alias which has often been misreported) to play keyboards. Unfortunately, after some tentative rehearsals, it was decided that Sass didn’t fit the band concept and he was dropped.

One’s storming cover of Havens’ “Don’t Listen To Me”, which opens the LP and third track, “Stop Pulling and Pushing Me” are inspired, extended workouts full of inventive playing and powerful instrumental passages. The musicians also do justice to “Cautiously”, an atmospheric reading of the ballad written by Maurey Hayden, singer, stand-up comedian and wife of Lenny Bruce. Alan Marshall and Bobby Sass’s “Near The Bone”, the band’s lone contribution to the song-writing stakes is also noteworthy.

According to several band members, the sessions at Trident’s studios also featured Alan Marshall’s former band mate from The Loose Ends and Happy Magazine, Peter Kirtley, who provided lead guitar on several cuts.

Fontana duly released the LP in the UK in late 1969, followed by continental releases in France, Germany and Spain. The label also issued several singles but like the LP, none of the releases charted, which is perhaps not surprising considering that One undertook very little live work to promote the records. One notable gig took place on 7 October 1969 when the musicians made a rare appearance on stage at Hatchettes Playground in Piccadilly.

Notes taken from GARAGE HANGOVER

Tracks

1. Don't Listen To Me (Richie Havens) - 6:58

2. Cautiously (Maurey Hayden) - 8:41

3. Stop Pulling And Pushing Me (Richie Havens) - 7:53

4. Near The Bone (Alan Marshall, Bobby Sass) - 4:00

5. Run, Shaker Life (Richie Havens) - 17:37

One

*Alan Marshall - Vocals, Harp, Congas, Talking Drum, Tambourine, Guitar

*Kevin Fogerty - Guitar 

*Bobby Sass - Organ, Piano, Guitar 

*Conrad Isidore - Drums 

*Norman Leppard - Flute, Tenor Saxophone 

*Brent Forbes - Bass

With

*Peter Kirtley - Guitar

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The Uniques - Happening Now!! (1967 us, magnificent garage beat)

Stampley, lead singer and keyboard player, was toting a tape made with his band The Uniques. It was 1964; he and his four partners were hot; three years on the dance and college circuit in Louisiana, and the surrounding states had proven them capable of creating real excitement with teens. Stampley sought out record industry powerhouse Stan "the Record Man" Lewis with the song he had written, one called "Not Too Long Ago." Lewis, owner of a chain of record stores and a blues label, Jewel Records, told the young performer "I'm really too busy right now", Stampley remembers. "I kept bugging him until (probably trying to get us off his back) he told us to go and see a guy named Dale Hawkins."

Hawkins, who had put Shreveport on the rock 'n roll map in 1957 by co-writing and singing "Suzie Q", loved the song. Within a few months Lewis, too, got behind The Uniques. "Not Too Long Ago" became a national hit for them in 1965 and the first hit for Stan Lewis's new label, Paula Records. It's considered a classic of the Southern sound.

"Not Too Long Ago" put The Uniques, guys from the North Louisiana paper mill town of Springhill (drummer Mike Love was from Magnolia, Arkansas), on the nationally syndicated Lloyd Thaxton Show on the Paramount Theater's "Soupy Sales Easter Show" with The Hollies, Animals, and Kinks, and on the hallowed American Bandstand with host Dick Clark.

They followed it with "You Ain't Tuff Baby", a song that reflected the Rolling Stonesy- spirit of the times. They then cut a song they heard on New Orleans radio station WNOE - Art Neville's "All These Things". "We had been playing the song ever since Neville released it", said lead guitarist, Ray Mills, "and the kids just couldn't seem to get enough of it, so we decided to record it in the summer of 1966". It, too, became a national hit. Today, Lewis remembers that "it was the most requested song in the history of Dallas station KLIF. It was number one there three weeks in a row".

"All These Things" is still one of rock's sentimental favorites. In the Deep South it's considered part of the essence of the 60's.

Joe Stampley and The Uniques were much more than hit records. "We were a dance band, a party band", remembers Stampley. "We let people get involved with the show".

The quintet was a regional phenomenon in an era when people were nuts for their local rock 'n rollers. They were a guaranteed smash in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. The Uniques consist of Joe Stampley/lead vocals and keyboards, Bobby Stampley/bass guitar and vocals, Ray Mills/lead guitar, Jim Woodfield/guitar and vocals, and Mike Love/drums. \

They sold out teen dances; they ruled college campuses. On the circuit, the 60's were simple times; all that mattered was dancing, partying, and listening to thrilling bands like The Uniques, part of the American scene from 1961 to 1971. 

Joe Stampley

Tracks

1. Every Now And Then (I Cry) (Joe Stampley) - 2:28

2. Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love) (Cyril E. Vetter, Don Smith) - 3:03

3. And I Love Her (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:14

4. Sugar Bee (Eddie Shuler) - 1:34

5. Oh, Pretty Woman (Bill Dees, Roy Orbison) - 2:45

6. 96 Tears (Rudy Martinez) - 2:16

7. Run And Hide (David Wade, Joe Stampley, Ken Freeman) - 2:15

8. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Gerry Marsden) - 2:53

9. Time Wont Let Me (Chet Kelley, Tom King) - 2:17

10.Look To Me (Jefferson) - 2:32

11.Don't Bring Me Down (Carole King, Gerry Goffin) - 3:03

12.You'll Never Walk Alone (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) - 3:09

The Uniques

*Ray Mills - Lead Guitar

*Joe Stampley - Lead Singer, Organ

*Mike Love - Drums

*Bobby Stampley - Bass

*Bob E. Sims - Rhythm Guitar

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Sugarloaf - Don't Call Us, We'll Call You (1975 us, great classic rock with prog shades, 2010 remaster and expanded)

Sugarloaf was a psychedelic rock band from Denver, Colorado that became famous during the early 1970s. The original lineup consisted of Bob MacVittie (drums), Bob Webber (guitar), bassist Bob Raymond (d. February 11, 2016, age 69), and lead singer/keyboardist Jerry Corbetta (September 23, 1947 - September 16, 2016), with a number of personnel changes and additions. Formed in 1968 and first known as Chocolate Hair, the group decided to rename itself to something less racially incendiary after signing to Liberty Records. By 1970, they became known as Sugarloaf after a nearby mountain outside of Boulder and released their eponymous debut album that same year.

Sugarloaf debuted on the Pop/Rock charts in 1970 with the evocative "Green-Eyed Lady," a psychedelic rock/jazz fusion classic co-written by Corbetta featuring a long organ instrumental interlude which became a Top 5 hit. This smash was followed in 1971 by "Tongue In Cheek" and "Mother Nature's Wine," both from the band's second album, "Spaceship Earth." Sugarloaf later had a Top 10 hit in 1974 with the blues rocker, "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," the title song to the band's fourth and final album which was also co-written by Corbetta. Sugarloaf had two final chart entries in 1975 with "Stars In My Eyes" and "I Got A Song."

After Sugarloaf disbanded in 1978, Jerry Corbetta went on to pursue a solo career. Prior to the band's split, he had a minor hit in 1976 with "You Set My Dreams To Music." From 1980-1984, Corbetta was a member of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, and he later became a part of a number of touring nostalgia shows. Sugarloaf had several reunions over the years and came together once again on September 8, 2012 to perform at the Boulder Theater for its induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

Corbetta had been diagnosed with Pick's disease in 2010. Treatment forced him to retire. He died from the disease in a hospice in Denver, Colorado on September 16, 2016, at the age of 68.

Tracks

1. I Got A Song (Bob Corso, Jerry Corbetta) - 5:11

2. Myra Myra (Jerry Corbetta) - 5:12

3. Lay Me Down (Bob Corso, Jerry Corbetta) - 6:42

4. Wild Child (Frank Slay, Jerry Corbetta) - 4:02

5. Don't Call Us, We'll Call You (Jerry Corbetta, John Carter) - 3:23

6. Lookin' For Some Fun (Jerry Corbetta, Ray Payne) - 4:09

7. Round And Round (David Riordan) - 3:37

8. Colorado Jones (J.C. Phillips, Jerry Corbetta) - 3:30

9. Easy Evil (Alan O'Day) - 4:02

10.I Got A Song, Reprise (Bob Corso, Jerry Corbetta) - 2:25

11.Boogie Man (Bob Corso, Jerry Corbetta) - 3:31

12.Texas Two Lane (Jerry Corbetta, Dick Eastman) - 4:13

13.Stars In My Eyes (Jerry Corbetta) - 3:48

14.Last Dance (Jerry Corbetta, Sky Keegan) - 3:59

15.Green Eyed Lady (David Riordan, J.C. Phillips, Jerry Corbetta) - 8:05

Bonus Tracks 11-15

Sugarloaf

*Jerry Corbetta - ARP Synthesizer, Clarinet, Organ, Piano, Vocals

*Bob Webber - Guitar 

*Bob Raymond - Bass

*Myron Pollock - Drums

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Radiator - Isn't It Strange (1975-77 uk, nice folk pub rock, feat Alan Hull, 2007 japan remaster)

A short lived British folk rock band featuring ex-Lindisfarne Alan Hull, Radiator released one album "Isn't It Strange" in 1977. Short after they disbanded and Alan and other musicians continued their solo career. They sounded more rock than folk compared to Lindisfarne.

Tracks

1. Spittin' In The Wind (Colin Gibson, Kenny Craddock) - 3:22

2. I Wish You Well - 3:33

3. A Walk In The Sea - 3:11

4. Madmen And Loonies - 3:12

5. Corporation Rock - 4:54

6. Isn't It Strange - 3:42

7. Lay Back And Dream  (Peter Kirtley) - 4:26

8. Something Got The Better Of You (Colin Gibson, Kenny Craddock) - 4:46

9. Love Is The Alibi - 2:25

10.Love Is The Answer - 3:47

11.Raw Bacon - 4:02

12.Evening - 4:23

All songs by Alan Hull except where indicated

Bonus Tracks 11-12

Radiator

*Ken Craddock - Keyboards

*Colin Gibson - Bass

*Alan Hull - Guitar, Vocals

*Pete Kirtley - Guitar

*Ray Laidlaw - Drums

*Terry Popple - Drums

Related Acts

1966-68  Skip Bifferty - The Story of Skip Bifferty (double disc edition)  
1970-73  Lindisfarne - The Charisma Years (2010 four disc set edition)  

1974  Lindisfarne - Happy Daze (2008 remaster with bonus tracks)

1978  Lindisfarne - Back And Fourth (2007 japan with extra)

1973  Alan Hull - Pipedream (2005 remaster and expanded)

1973  Alan Hull - Squire (2013 bonus tracks remaster)

1975  Alan Hull - Phantoms (2007 remaster and expanded)  

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The Stillroven - Too Many Spaces (1968-69 us, stunning garage psych, 2003 remaster)

The band known as the Stillroven began in the Minneapolis suburb of Robbinsdale, MN. It was 1965, and their original name was "the Syndicate," a name they thought should be changed when original guitarist Mark Moorhead left the band in 1966. The original lineup also consisted of bassist Rock Peterson, guitarist John Howarth, keyboardist Dave Dean, and drummer Phil Berdahl. When Moorhead left, they recruited Dan Kane to take his spot and changed their name, eventually recording "She's My Woman"/"(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" for Falcoln that year. There were only 50 copies printed for radio stations, but their next single was the first one that the public had access to. "Hey Joe"/"Sunny Day" was a hit in their hometown, but that was not enough for Peterson and Kane, who departed the same year. 

The band found a new bassist and guitarist in Dave Berget and Jim Larkin respectively, and soon was recording their next singles. "Little Picture Playhouse"/"Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stone" was hailed as a hallucinogenic masterpiece by garage rock enthusiasts, but the average music fan did not catch on to the regional popularity they enjoyed in Minneapolis. Their manager moved to Tucson, AZ, where he continued to guide their career from a distance. Larkin and Berget left the band as quickly as they came, being replaced by bassist Mike Flaherty and guitarist Mike O'Gara. 

They recorded a fourth single under this lineup, "Come in the Morning"/"Necessary Person," but after the first 100 copies printed there was enough internal dissension to have "Come in the Morning" pulled from the single and replaced with a cover of the Small Faces' "Tell Me Have You Ever Seen Me." This would be the last release from the band, as they quietly broke up toward the end of 1968. A career retrospective, Cast Thy Burden Upon the Stillroven, was released in 1996 to appease garage band enthusiasts who had been waiting for more material from the group. The album included many unreleased songs, as well as a few tracks that were originally on compilations. Rumor has it that the band has an entire album recorded from 1968 that has never seen the light of day, and Sundazed Records has even promised a release of the album. 

by Bradley Torreano

Tracks

1. Sundance (David Rivkin) - 2:31

2. The Green (Dave Berget, Dave Dean, Dave Rivkin, Mike O'Gara, Phil Berdahl) - 2:22

3. Girl In Blonde (David Rivkin) - 3:33

4. Tin Soldier (Ronnie Lane, Steve Marriott) - 3:02

5. Can You Dig It? (David Rivkin) - 2:57

6. Get Ready (Smokey Robinson) - 3:21

7. Too Many Spaces (Dave Rivkin, Mike O'Gara, Phil Berdahl) - 2:43

8. Happiness Is (Mike O'Gara) - 2:31

9. Country Tune (David Rivkin) - 2:07

10.Would You Believe (Dave Berget, Dave Dean, Dave Rivkin, Mike O'Gara, Phil Berdahl) - 1:57

11.Lighten Up (David Rivkin) - 3:53

12.Sundance (David Rivkin) - 2:30

13.Girl In Blonde (David Rivkin) - 3:17

14.Can You Dig It? (David Rivkin) - 2:53

Bonus Tracks 12-14

The Stillroven

*David Rivkin - Vocals, Guitar

*Dave Dean - Keyboard 

*Phil Berdahl - Drums 

*Dave Berget - Bass, Vocals

*Mike O'Gara - Guitar, Vocals

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The Yellow Balloon - The Yellow Balloon (1967 us, beautiful sunny baroque psych)

The Yellow Balloon is basically the story of one producer & songwriter Gary Zekley who, disappointed with the results after having Jan and Dean record one of his songs, decided to record it again himself. Then, with an unexpected smash hit song on his hands, quickly recorded a full album of material with studio musicians, then contacted his friend, multi-instrumentalist & singer Don Grady (better known as Robbie Douglas from the TV show My Three Sons) to assemble a “real” five-piece band to work up a live set and make a bunch of TV appearances in the wake of the hit. 

Beginning with album opener “How Can I Be Down?” the material has an unapologetically positive and uplifting vibe, heavily influenced by the “Good Vibrations”-era Beach Boys sound and the sunshine pop of the period (think Millenium, The Association, Sunshine Company, etc.) full of melody, simple happy-go-lucky rhythms, fun lyrics that intentionally eschew the social consciousness of the times, and meticulously arranged elaborate multi-part vocal harmonies. 

All songs are all short, no-nonsense pieces that concisely showcase and support the songwriting, and although musicianship is top notch throughout, there’s not a lot of room here for solos. Songs like “Follow the Sunshine,” “Stained Glass Window,” “Baby Baby It’s You,” and “Springtime Girl” are all as strong as the better known title track. Eight bonus tracks include singles, demos, and four cuts by Don Grady and his pre-YB Windupwatchband. All taken, an important, if somewhat obscure slice of 60s pop history. 

by Peter Thelen, Published 2005-03-01

A songwriting assignment from Dean Torrence led to a rich musical career for Los Angeles pop- genius Gary Zekley. Zekley - a man whose body of work stands up to any of the precocious Brill Building bunch from five years earlier - originally penned the song "Yellow Balloon" for Jan and Dean, but also recorded the tune himself. When Zekley's version went Top Thirty in April of 1967, he assembled a band, called the Yellow Balloon (natch), with the likes of lead singer Alex Valdez and multi-talented drummer/vocalist Don Grady, already a TV superstar as Robbie, Fred MacMurray's oldest kid on My Three Sons.

The Yellow Balloon album itself, is a day-glo gem- a wispy bridge spanning the lush yet trippy studio wizardry of Sagittarius and the mindbending delights of The Beach Boys' Smile-era recordings. Sundazed's Yellow Balloon disc contains 20 tracks, including the complete original stereo album, vintage single-only sides, a Zekley demo, both ultra-rare Don Grady singles, and a 20 page booklet stuffed with striking color outtakes of the group's photo sessions, acquired from the original band members-all of whom were interviewed by West Coast studio-expert Domenic Priore for the liner notes-and a penetrating on-disc interview with the late Gary Zekley, himself. Lush, plush and gorgeous!!!

Sundazed

Tracks

1. How Can I Be Down (Don Altfeld, Gary Zekley, Jill Gibson) - 2:14

2. Stained Glass Window (Don Agrati, Gary Zekley) - 2:03

3. Baby Baby It's You (Dick St. John, Gary Zekley) - 1:57

4. Panama Red (Gary Zekley, Jay Lee) - 1:34

5. I've Got A Feeling For Love (Don Altfeld, Gary Zekley, Jay Lee, Jill Gibson) - 2:18

6. Yellow Balloon (Dick St. John, Gary Zekley, Jay Lee) - 2:16

7. Good Feelin' Time (Don Agrati, Gary Zekley) - 2:12

8. Follow The Sunshine (Patrick Ferrell, Paul Byrne) - 2:35

9. Springtime Girl (Patrick Ferrell, Paul Byrne) - 2:06

10.Can't Get Enough Of Your Love (Dick St. John, Gary Zekley, Mariene Anthony) - 2:16

11.Junk Maker Shoppe (Don Agrati) - 2:37

12.Noollab Wolley (Dick St. John, Gary Zekley, Jay Lee) - 2:16

13.The Children Of St. Monica (Don Grady) - 3:10

14.A Good Man To Have Around The House (Don Grady) - 2:34

15.Impressions With Syvonne (Don Grady) - 2:50

16.Leaving It Up To You (Don Grady) - 2:10

17.Can't Get Enough Of Your Love  (Dick St. John, Gary Zekley, Mariene Anthony) - 1:32

18.Follow The Sunshine (Patrick Ferrell, Paul Byrne) - 2:34

19.How Can I Be Down (Don Altfeld, Gary Zekley, Jill Gibson) - 2:04

20.Gary Zekley Interview - 7:09

Tracks 13-14 as Don Grady With The Windupwatchband

Tracks 15-16 as Don Grady

Tracks 19-20 as Gary Zekley

Musicians

*Gary Zekley - Vocals

*Don Braucht - Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Tambourine, Percussion, Backing Vocals

*Luke R. Yoo - Vocals, Drums, Electric Piano, Keyboards, Vibraphone

*Alex Valdez - Vocals, Drums, Tambourine, Washboard 

*Mike Deasy - Guitar 

*Paul Cannella - Lead Guitar, Glockenspiel, Percussion, Backing Vocals

*Frosty Green - Vocals, Organ, Harpsichord, Tambourine, Piano, Clavinet

*Stan Farber - Vocals

*Bob West - Acoustic Bass, Piano

*Joe Saxon - Cello

*Eddie Rubin - French Horn, Percussion

*Mike Post - Guitar

*Carole Kaye - Bass

*Jack Schulman - Violin

*Gary Nuttycombe - Viola

*John DeVoogdt - Violin

*Jim Gordon - Drums

*Dennis Buddimir - Guitar

*Don Peake - Guitar

*Mike Rubini - Harpsichord, Keyboards

*Don Randi - Piano, Organ

*Ron Benson - Bass

*Al Casey - Guitar 

*Jerry Cole - Guitar

*Bill Hinshaw - French Horn

*Jim Horn - Saxophone

*Lou Blackburn - Trombone

Related Act

1967-70  The Clique - Sugar On Sunday The Definitive Collection (2006 remaster) 

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The Amazing Rhythm Aces - How The Hell Do You Spell Rhythum (1980 us, excellent southern classic rock, 2004 remaster)

A record that really works  drives all errant thoughts out of your mind and makes you listen. The Amazing Rhythm Aces '"How the Hell Do You Spell Rythum?" does that for me. Many of the reasons are subjective, of course, but not all. The objective ones relate to how well this band –surely one of the best around– has mastered what are, for me, the fundamentals. You might think any band good enough to be recorded several times must have the fundamentals down- but then you might think the same of any team competing in the National Football League, where the Pittsburgh Steelers, like the Green Bay Packers before them, beat up everyone for years simply by being better at the basics. 

In the case of "How Do You Spell…..," your body notes the difference between merely  good timing and excellent timing even if you don't form conscious thoughts about it, and timing is the most fundamental of the fundamentals.   Studying Van Morrison's Wild Night, in which timing is virtually everything, will show you the Aces were on top of  it during these sessions. 

Their whole approach is fundamental to start with, in the sense of sticking close to the main sources of rock: basic black and basic white, commonly called blues or  r-&-b and country, the two kinds of music that Elvis Presley started with. A Muscle Shoals product, this album  never strays far from either and ends with a probe back into each with gospel overtones: I Got the Feeling, written by Eddie Hinton and Dan Penn, is r-&-b with black-gospel feel ings tugging at it, and Give Me Flowers While I'm Living, by Louise Certain, Elvin Bigger, and Gladys Stacey, is both bluegrass and white gospel. 

The Aces get a soaring slide solo from Duncan Cameron on Taj Mahal's Farther On Down the Road and some high-profile moments from sax player Al Garth, guesting from the Dirt Band, but generally they feature a modest sneakiness among   the instrumentalists  rather than big showy displays. If any- one is spotlighted, it is-as it should be- vocalist Russell Smith, who just keeps getting better and better. He has grown by leaps and bounds technically, but he hasn't lost anything of the odd combination of boyish and worldly attitudes he brings to a song.

Behind him the band leaves the optimal amount of air and plays some fills that will roll your socks up and down while generally making everything seem simple and easy. It may be simple, but albums of this stature are rare enough to prove it isn't easy. 

by Noel Coppag

Tracks

1. What Kind Of Love Is This? (Duncan Cameron) - 4:20

2. Object Of My Affection (Delbert McClinton) - 2:41

3. You Left The Water Running (Rick Hall, Dan Penn, Oscar Frank) - 3:20

4. I Musta Died And Gone To Texas (Russell Smith) - 3:06

5. Living On Borrowed Time (David H. McDade) - 3:45

6. Wild Night (Van Morrison) - 3:42

7. Big Ole Brew (Russell Smith) - 2:43

8. Farther On Down The Road (Taj Mahal, Jesse Ed Davis) - 4:41

9. I Got The Feeling (Eddie Hinton) - 5:46

10.Give Me The Flowers While I'm Living (Louise Certain, Elvin Bigger, Gladys Stacey Flatt) - 2:29

The Amazing Rhythm Aces

*James Hooker - Clavinet, Keyboards, Piano, Electric Piano, Vocal Harmony, Vocals

*Butch McDade - Drums, Percussion, Tambourine, Vocal Harmony, Vocals

*Russell Smith - Composer, Guitar, Vocals

*Duncan Cameron - Dobro, Guitar, Steel Guitar, Mandolin, Vocal Harmony, Vocals

*Jeff "Stick" Davis - Bass

*Billy Earheart - Accordion, Keyboards, Organ

With

*Ronnie Eades - Baritone Saxophone

*Harrison Galloway - Trumpet

*Al Garth - Horn Arrangements, Alto Saxophone

*Mickey Buckins - Percussion

*Harrison Calloway, Jr. - Trumpet

*Jimmy Johnson - Rhythm Guitar

1975-76  The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Stacked Deck / Too Stuffed To Jump  

1977-78  The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Toucan Do It Too / Burning The Ballroom Down (2000 edition)

1979  The Amazing Rhythm Aces - The Amazing Rhythm Aces (2001 remaster) 

1981  The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Full House Aces High  

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The Clique - Sugar On Sunday The Definitive Collection (1967-70 us, gorgeous baroque sunny beat psychedelia, 2006 remaster)

The sole album by the Clique is in reality the last full album cult hero Gary Zekley would produce. (Though the Austin-based band, also renowned in garage-psych circles for the first known cover of a Roky Erickson song, had recorded several previous singles, they did not play on the album; only singer Randy Shaw appears, with backing vocalists and musicians pulled from Zekley's usual stable of L.A. session pros.) 

Although the album spawned a Top 40 hit in the Tommy James-penned "Sugar on Sunday" and is best known for containing the original "Superman," an underground garage rock classic given a new commercial life when R.E.M. covered it on Lifes Rich Pageant, it's not really Zekley's best work. By 1969, Zekley's brand of sunshine pop was out of commercial favor, and too much of The Clique is taken up with blatant copies of the current AM chart favorites. "Hallelujah!" is a blatant Blood, Sweat & Tears rip-off, and "Judy Judy Judy" is pure Three Dog Night (with the "Sock it to me!" chorus shamelessly added to tie into Laugh-In star Judy Carne's popularity). For all the shameless hucksterism, though, Zekley still manages a few gems, particularly the Tommy James-like "Little Miss Lucy" and the hyper-dramatic "My Darkest Hour." (The cover of the Bee Gees' "Holiday" is nice, too, though it adds little to the original.) And, true, "Superman" deserves every bit of its acclaim; it's by far the best song on the album. 

The Clique is perfectly listenable and occasionally terrific, but this is not Zekley at the peak of his powers; try the Yellow Balloon's self-titled disc or the Fun and Games' Elephant Candy for that. The Varese Sarabande reissue adds seven tracks from demos and singles, including two songs produced by Tommy James and featuring the Shondells as Shaw's backing group. 

by Stewart Mason

Tracks

1. Sugar On Sunday (Mike Vale, Tommy James, William Stevenson Jr) - 3:09

2. My Darkest Hour (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler) - 2:47

3. Holiday (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) - 3:11

4. Hallelujah! (Gary Zekley, Lucylle Manns, Mitchell Bottler) - 2:22

5. I'll Hold Out My Hand (Al Gorgoni, Chip Taylor) - 2:36

6. Judy, Judy, Judy (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler) - 2:32

7. Little Miss Lucy (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler) - 3:17

8. Soul Mates (Sam Weatherly, Fred Allen Roberts) - 2:11

9. (There Ain't) No Such Thing As Love (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler, Twain Baskin) - 2:31

10.Superman (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler) - 2:33

11.Shadow Of Your Love (Diane Colby) - 2:54

12.Sparkle And Shine (Robert King, Ritchie Cordell, Tommy James) - 2:30

13.I'm Alive (Peter Lucia, Tommy James) - 1:58

14.Memphis (Chuck Berry) - 3:31

15.Southbound Wind (Kerry Magness, Steve Lalor) - 2:31

16.Superman  (Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler) - 2:33

17.Shadow Of Your Love  (Diane Colby) - 2:47

18.Splash 1 (Roky Erickson, Tommy Hall) - 2:37

19.Stand By Me (Larry Lawson) - 1:56

20.Love Ain't Easy (George Klein, Mark James) - 2:38

21.Gotta Get Away (Bob Brogan) - 1:51

Bonus Tracks 12-21

The Clique

*Larry Lawson - Vocals, Keyboards, Saxophone, Trumpet 

*Cooper Hawthorne - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals 

*David Dunham - Saxophone 

*Bruce Tinch - Bass 

*John Kanesaw - Drums 

*Randy Shaw - Vocals 

*Sid Templeton - Guitar (1969) 

*Oscar Houchins - Keyboards (1969)

*Jerry Cope - Drums (1969)

*Tommy Pena - Bass (1969)

With

*Hal Blaine - Drums

*Ben Benay - Guitar, Harmonica

*Ray Pohlman - Bass

*Leon Russell - Keyboards, Piano

*Don Randi - Keyboards, Organ, Harpsichord

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