Jefferson Airplane’s concerts were wildly erratic affairs that typically ranged from the cluttered and chaotic to the poignant and powerful — often within the span of just a few minutes. Such was the nature of the group’s democratic approach to music and the tenuous order that often resulted from six strong-willed and opinionated artists, all of whom were trying to outdo one another while traveling down the road to collective enlightenment. In essence, its concerts were a form of performance art, and therefore, plucking tunes out of context in an effort to craft a live album ordinarily was an utter waste of time simply because the magical thread that bound an entire show together would be lost in the process.
This theory held true, at least in part, on Jefferson Airplane’s first concert recording Bless Its Pointed Little Head, but from within the jumbled mayhem crept something greater. Recorded over the course of six nights, split evenly among appearances at the Fillmore East and the Fillmore West in the Fall of 1968, the collection sparkles in its recently remastered state, adding further emphasis to the manner in which the original vinyl rendition ever so carefully highlighted Jefferson Airplane in all its resplendent glory. It’s No Secret and 3/5’s of a Mile in 10 Seconds were unleashed at an intensely supersonic speed, and even the hit single Somebody to Love became a ragged and raw blast of punchy funk-rock. Elsewhere, Rock Me Baby was a scorching slice of blues heaven; Fat Angel — the tune by the Scottish-born bard Donovan that paid tribute to the Bay Area ensemble — unraveled at a more relaxed pace, twisting and turning around Jorma Kaukonen’s mind-bending lead guitar; and Bear Melt was a strangely alluring concoction of churning improvisational fury.
The trio of tracks that serve as bonus material on the restored rendition of Bless Its Pointed Little Head were all intended for release on the original album, but due to the time limitations of vinyl, the songs were left on the cutting room floor. Each — from the soft and sweet progressive folk of Today to the hard-charging Watch Her Ride to the hippie anthem Won’t You Try/Saturday Afternoon — is stellar and augments an already well-rounded collection that concisely capture the precipitous high-wire act that took place at each and every concert that Jefferson Airplane performed.
by John Metzger, October 2004
Tracks
1. Clergy - 1:32
2. 3/5's Of A Mile In 10 Seconds (Marty Balin) - 4:37
3. Somebody To Love (Darby Slick) - 3:46
4. Fat Angel (Donovan Leitch) - 7:29
5. Rock Me Baby (Traditional) - 7:40
6. The Other Side Of This Life (Fred Neil) - 6:35
7. It's No Secret (Marty Balin) - 3:22
8. Plastic Fantastic Lover (Marty Balin) - 3:40
9. Turn Out The Lights (Grace Slick, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Spencer Dryden) - 0:58
10.Bear Melt (Grace Slick, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Spencer Dryden) - 11:06
Tracks 1, 4, 9 and 10 Recorded November 28-30, 1968 at Fillmore East, New York.
Tracks 2, 3 and 5 to 8 Recorded October 24-26, 1968 at Fillmore West, San Francisco.
Bonus Tracks 11-13 on 2004 edition
11.Today (Marty Balin, Paul Kantner) - 3:45
12.Watch Her Ride (Paul Kantner) - 3:19
13.Won't You Try (Paul Kantner) - 5:29
Tracks 11-13 Recorded November 5, 1968 at Fillmore West, San Francisco
Jefferson Airplane
*Marty Balin - Vocals, Bass (Track 4)
*Jack Casady - Bass, Rhythm Guitar (Track 4)
*Spencer Dryden - Drums
*Paul Kantner - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Second Lead Guitar (Track 4)
This double CD from Rhino offers a re-mastered version of Zevon’s classic 1976 album together with a bonus CD of demos and alternate versions. The latter stand up surprisingly well in their own right but we’ll come to those later.
To all intents and purposes “Warren Zevon” was the singer/songwriter/pianist’s debut album. A little known 1969 recording “Wanted; Dead Or Alive” had long since been deleted and when “Warren Zevon” finally emerged the critics fell over themselves praising the “new discovery”. And rightly so. Zevon mixed memorable melodies with barbed, often autobiographical lyrics that displayed intelligence, a sharp observational eye and a black sense of humour. Zevon was significantly different to the regular cast of California singer/songwriters that he was often associated with, due in part to his recording for the Asylum label, home of The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt etc.
Zevon’s life story is well told by Bob Mehr in the CD booklet. Born in Chicago in 1947 he had a troubled childhood before moving to California and scrabbling around the music scene in Los Angeles. After “Dead Or Alive” sunk without trace Zevon worked as pianist and musical director for the Everly Brothers and also struck up a friendship with fellow songwriter Jackson Browne. It was Browne who helped Zevon to secure a contract with David Geffen’s Asylum label, ironically at a time when Zevon was thinking of quitting the business. Browne was to go on to produce the “Warren Zevon” album.
A self destructive character Zevon had difficulty coping with success. He had several spells in rehab for alcohol and drug abuse and died of cancer in 2003. Despite his problems he produced a series of fine albums such as “Excitable Boy” (1978) which contained probably his most famous song “Werewolves Of London”. This was followed by “Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School” and the live album “Stand In the Fire” (both 1980), “The Envoy” (1982), “Sentimental Hygiene” (1987) and “Transverse City” (1989). The nineties were less productive with “Mr Bad Example” (1991) followed by the live acoustic “Learning To Flinch” (1993), an interesting retrospective of his career to date, and “Mutineer” (1995). There was then a flurry of new releases before Zevon’s untimely demise beginning with the prophetically titled “Life’ll Kill Ya” (2000), My Ride’s Here” (2002) and “The Wind” (2003). Ironically after year of commercial decline his final album was to be his biggest seller since “Excitable Boy”. There are also several “best ofs” available including “A Quiet Normal Life” (1986) and the doubles “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” and “The Genius Of”.
Zevon left Asylum after “The Envoy” and subsequently recorded for Virgin among others. Although mainstream success largely eluded him the quality of his output was generally very high and he maintained a dedicated cult following.
“Warren Zevon” and “Excitable Boy” are generally held to be his high water marks although I must admit I’d not listened to him in years until this review copy of “Warren Zevon” dropped through my letter box. I have to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering this music and had forgotten just how good this album is.
“Warren Zevon” begins with Zevon’s paean to “Frank And Jesse James” casting the brothers as heroic Robin Hood figures in a mythic wild west. The song borrows from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo” for some of it’s structures but is none the worse for that. With sharply observational/narrative lyrics and a stirring chorus it’s something of an epic and a memorable way to kick start an album. Apparently Zevon used to perform this with the Everlys long before it was committed to vinyl. In it’s way it’s a homage to Phil and Don too.
The autobiographical “Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded” is darker in tone but no less memorable. There’s a strong tune and chorus to offset the bitterness of the lyrics. It’s not easy to make a song that is both catchy and cathartic but Zevon does it brilliantly here.
“Backs Turned Looking Down The Path” combines further autobiographical detail with a country tinged arrangement. Somewhat overlooked, Zevon considered this to be one of his finest songs.
“Hasten Down The Wind” heads further into country territory with keening pedal steel guitar and bleak lyrics. Linda Ronstadt enjoyed a hit with her version of the song but Zevon’s version brings out the essential hopelessness of the protagonist in the lyrics.
Ronstadt also covered “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” delivered here as a pounding rock ‘n’ roll stomp with some salacious lyrical content. This was an example of Zevon’s black humour at it’s best. Great, if slightly warped fun.
“The French Inhaler” is a bitter put down of a former lover with Zevon delivering the scabrous lyrics with relish. Bob Dylan was another big influence on Zevon and this is reminiscent of Dylan at his most vindictive, a cousin to “Idiot Wind”.
The enigmatic “Mohammed’s Radio” also owes something to Dylan in it’s surrealistic imagery. With it’s naggingly catchy chorus this proved to be one of Zevon’s most popular compositions. It’s strange looking back on this song post 9/11when the title and lyrics could be interpreted with a very different slant.
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” is a pounding bar room fuelled roar of defiance complete with barbed lyrics and a Spanish sub text courtesy of Jorge Calderon. Slightly throwaway by Zevon’s standards but great fun nevertheless.
By way of contrast “Carmelita” is a tender and convincing ballad telling the tale of a junkie “all strung out on heroin on the outskirts of town”. The detail in the writing is quintessential Zevon right down to the narrator meeting his supplier by the “Pioneer Chicken stand”.Zevon manages to capture the hopelessness of the situation without ever descending into bathos. The use of Spanish guitar gives the song a distinctive flavour that helps to implant it in the listener’s consciousness. This is a great song even if it’s structure sometimes seems to borrow from Dylan’s “Desolation Row”.
“Join Me In L.A.” combines a skeletal funk beat with honeyed vocal harmonies courtesy of Bonnie Raitt and Rosemary Butler. Prominent guest artists appear throughout the album, among them Phil Everly and J.D. Souther plus Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac. Good as Mehr’s liner notes are it would have been good to have a full track by track listing detailing who did what plus a transcription of the lyrics. There may be legal reasons for this omission but I can’t help feeling that Rhino missed a trick here. There is some excellent guitar work on this record, presumably from Zevon’s ex Everlys colleague Robert “Waddy” Wachtel but it would have been nice for this to have been properly accredited.
The album closes with the epic “Desperadoes Under The Eaves” buoyed by a vocal arrangement by the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. There is a true sense of ennui and existentialist despair as California sits waiting for the big one. Lines like “Don’t the sun look angry through the trees” evoke the coming apocalypse and the hum of the air-conditioning is transformed into some kind of valedictory hymn.
There isn’t really a weak song on “Warren Zevon” and this sophisticated album wears it’s age well. Lyrically it still stands up, Zevon was a highly talented wordsmith inspired by his literary heroes from Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane to Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway and Norman Mailer, the latter name checked on “The French Inhaler”.
Bonus discs are often superfluous, with sub standard material exhumed from the vaults to fleece over enthusiastic fans. Often it’s quite apparent why the stuff wasn’t released first time around-it wasn’t fit to hear in the first place.
The second CD in this package is something of an exception. There is no “new” unreleased material but there are credible alternative versions of songs from the original album.
Several of these are for piano and voice only and it is a testimony to the strength of Zevon’s writing that songs like “Frank And Jesse James”, “The French Inhaler” and “Mohamed’s Radio” still stand up in this format. It also brings into focus Zevon’s ability as a pianist (as something of a child prodigy he was introduced to Igor Stravinsky) and although not a classically “great” singer his voice sounds pretty good in this exposed situation. As a vocalist he was capable of dispensing withering scorn on some songs and a strong degree of empathy and compassion on others.
There are interesting band versions and alternative takes of “Hasten Down The Wind”, “Carmelita”, “Join Me In L.A.” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” “Frank And Jesse James”, “Mohammed’s Radio”, “The French Inhaler”, “Desperadoes Under The Eaves”, “Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded” and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”. Pretty much the whole album in other words.
These versions stand up well enough but are probably of interest to hard core fans only as they add little to the finished album versions. The solo piano pieces are the most interesting items on the second disc as they show the songs in such a radically different light.
If you missed out on “Warren Zevon” first time round, worn out your vinyl copy or just drifted away this welcome re-issue is well worth searching out.
Fusion/prog rock band Zzebra recorded two studio albums in the mid 70s (and a 3rd in 1975 that remained unreleased for 35 years), and some wonderful music that should have been much more in the public eye. And a band I was introduced to by bassist and good friend John McCoy, who played with the band before joining Gillan in 1978.
The two studio albums, Zzebra (1974) and Panic (1975) were well received, and the band toured across the UK and Europe, and recorded a BBC live session too. This set, recorded in Germany, features tracks from both albums.
The band consisted of vocalist Alan Marshall, saxophonist/vocalist Lasisi Amao, saxophonist/flutist David Quincy, keyboard player Tommy Eyre (later of Alex Harvey, Ian Gillan), guitarist Steve Byrd, drummer Liam Genocky and bassist John McCoy. Byrd and McCoy would later play together in Neo, before (with Genocky) joining Gillan.
The set here opens with ‘Panic’, a mix of blues/prog with jazz overtones and vocal harmonies, the rhythm section providing a fine groove while the guitar and saxophones trade solos; a wonderful mix of jazz and hard rock.
A warm reception from the crowd before the band launch into ‘Mr J’, more funky in both rhythm and vocal structure. The mix on the set is excellent, you can pick out the drum, guitar and bass lines well, although the guitar is a little low at times. Then ‘No Point’ which has a slow build, a heavy rhythm, the lead saxophone playing what would be a guitar line in a more mainstream rock band. A distinct funky feel.
There’s a wonderful instrumental version of ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling’, adding a balladic rhythm’n’blues feel to the jazz rock. A gentler song but a chance for the guitar to shine through. It really showcases what a wonderful guitarist Steve Byrd was. A few paces faster is The Poverty Song, a more 70s rock/pop feel.
The 16 minute closing track Hungry Horse is a must-listen. At times it sounds like a jam, there’s some blistering shred, some more whimsical keyboards, and the extended percussion solo reminiscent of (Eric Burdon’s backing band) War. Sleevenotes from John McCoy add to the history and quality of the release.
A wonderful album, shows the musicians’ quality and versatility, and alongside the material previously reissued by Angel Air, there’s a fantastic if small catalogue well worth checking out.
by Joe Geesin
Tracks
1. Panic (John McCoy) - 5:42
2. Mr. J (Loughty Amao) - 4:47
3. No Point (John McCoy) - 5:41
4. You've Lost That Loving Feeling (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector) - 6:19
5. Poverty Song (Tommy Eyre) - 5:10
6. Liamo (Dave Quincy, Loughty Amao) - 6:32
7. Society (Alan Marshall) - 7:33
8. Hungry Horse (Loughty Amao, Dave Quincy, Terry Smith, Ted Yeadon) - 16:59
Many people thought Crawler were over once Paul Kossoff had sadly passed away. There was even a story of them coming off stage from one gig and finding a coffin in the dressing room.
The first Crawler album to me is a classic. The second one is rockier but it is the first one I always come back to. Geoff Whitehorn was a very different guitar player to Kossoff but still played with tremendous feel and emotion. Hie guitar solo on ‘Pasttime Dreamer is sublime. The band should have been more successful than they were especially in the USA where ‘Stone Cold Sober got a lot of airplay.
The vocals are soulful and emotive, Terry Wilson-Slesser is a brilliant vocalist. The rhythm section from Terry Wilson and Tony Braunagel is inventive and with many of the songs written by John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick, you cannot help but think this is what FREE might have sounded like if they had continued. Live they were brilliant, they basically played this whole album with a couple of Free tracks thrown in. I chatted to the band afterwards and they were really friendly.
by Phil Aston, 5th April 2019
Tracks
1. Without You Babe (Terry Wilson) - 3:30
2. You Got Money (John "Rabbit" Bundrick) - 3:31
3. Sold On Down The Line (Terry Wilson, Tony Braunagel) - 3:47
4. One Too Many Lovers (Geoff Whitehorn, Mike Rutherford) - 4:03
5. You Are My Saviour (John "Rabbit" Bundrick) - 4:50
6. Pastime Dreamer (Terry Wilson) - 4:34
7. Never Loved A Woman (Terry Wilson) - 4:15
8. You And Me (John "Rabbit" Bundrick) - 4:08
9. Stone Cold Sober (John "Rabbit" Bundrick) - 5:38
The hot new Burrito didn’t stick around for very long, leaving after one album (The Flying Burrito Bros) to strike out on his own. Rick Roberts was the best part of the Burritos’ last record and he continues to impress as an up-and-coming country-rock singer/songwriter on Windmills. Produced by David Anderle (who also produced Mother Hen’s eponymous album from the previous year) and featuring a who’s who of country-rock stars including three Eagles, two Burritos and two members of CS&N, Windmills is the kind of breezy endeavor that forecasts smooth sailing for the future.
Roberts has a good voice (sometimes reminiscent of James Taylor) and an ear for mellow country-rock. His first album arrives at more or less the same place as Chris Hillman’s debut, Slippin’ Away; not surprising, since many of the same players are involved. You have the tasteful pedal steel of Al Perkins, the occasional fiddle of Byron Berline and the percussion of Joe Lala on both records. There are also some impressive vocal cameos on Windmills, including harmony vocals from David Crosby (In a Dream), Jackson Browne (Drunk and Dirty), Jane Getz (Pick Me Up On Your Way Down) and Don Henley (Davy McVie).
What’s missing on Windmills is a standout single. Honestly, Roberts’ material on the last Burritos album (“Colorado,” “Why Are You Crying”) was better. Deliver Me isn’t a bad song, but in a crowded market and with a name like Rick Roberts, it would take more than a middle-of-the-road country-rock song to make him a star. And, so, what you’re left with is a pleasant album with some pretty songs from a fresh face and some familiar faces behind it. Windmills isn’t the breakthrough debut I would have predicted after hearing The Flying Burrito Bros. Still, it’s solid enough.
While Mount Airy is best known as the hometown of American actor Andy Griffith - and the prototype for the fictional town, Mayberry, it has always had an underground. Founded in 1948, hometown station WPAQ served as a sanctuary and tributary for the early bluegrass pickers that emerged from the surrounding hills and hollers. By the mid-1960’s, Mount Airy had a handful of record labels to circulate the sounds of regional artists. One such label, Tornado Records, holds the distinction of issuing “Thoughts of a Madman” by the Nomads, which became canon in the genre of garage rock.
Founded in the late 1960’s, the Brotherhood of Peace began as a rhythm section for the New Americans—a faith-based assemblage of vocally inclined Surry County high schoolers. Traveling through the Southeast with a repertoire of religious and patriotic standards, guitarist Dennis Tolbert would be encouraged by musical director and county sheriff Jim Taylor to contribute an original to the collective’s songbook. With its message of unity, Tolbert’s uplifting “Brotherhood of Peace” would give the power trio its enduring handle.
After striking out on their own in 1974, the Brotherhood of Peace started trafficking in heavier fare, finding a lane in the emerging Southern Rock movement being pioneered by breakout acts like Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, and ZZ Top. After playing at Winston-Salem’s Rittenhouse Square in 1974, club owner Bobby Locke suggested the group meet with Don Dixon, bassist for the prominent Chapel Hill rock combo Arrogance and freelance engineer at Charlotte’s Reflection Sound. With Dixon at the controls, Brotherhood of Peace entered Reflection in October to assemble Cuttin’ Loose, a progressive mélange of power pop and Southern rock that put the Mount Airy group in a league of their own.
Lead singer and songwriter Dennis Tolbert still performs regularly throughout Western North Carolina.
by Jonathan Kirby, December 15, 2019
Tracks
1. Since You've Been Mine - 2:38
2. Holiday - 2:19
3. Mistreater - 4:23
4. Red Sun - 3:42
5. Candyland - 4:47
6. Little Sweet Kiss - 3:39
7. Ready To Go - 4:16
8. Before The Dawn - 5:21
9. Keep On Getting It On - 4:02
All songs written by Dennis Tolbert, track #8 co-written with Ronnie Smith
Discovered by Black Oak Arkansas frontman Jim Dandy working in a bar in Evansville, Indiana, Ruby Starr not only shared the same manager as Black Oak Arkansas (Butch Stone), but actually wound up joining the band. She duly appeared on the 'Jim Dandy' single in 1974. A top 30 hit in the States, the song was mysteriously banned by the BBC in Britain. The strikingly sultry singer nevertheless had made an impact on the Rock media in an unexpected way when an enterprising photographer published an on stage up close and personal shot of Miss Starr minus knickers.
Starr (real name Constance Henrietta Mierzwiac), a native of Toledo, Ohio, had started her singer career aged just nine billed as Connie Little before fronting local Toledo acts such as Connie And The Bluebeats and The Downtowners. Later known as Ruby Jones, she released an eponymous album under that name in 1971 for Curtom Records.
During the summer of 1974 erstwhile Target members drummer Joel Williams and keyboard player Marius Peczner were recruited into Starr's backing band. Other Target personell guitarist Buddy Davis and bassist Tommy Cathey had also rehearsed with Starr but negotiations between them and Butch Stone failed and this pair persevered with Target. Making up the band were guitarists Ronnie Mason and Gary Levin with bassist David Mayo. This band became Ruby Starr & Grey Ghost. The grey ghost in question being a referance to Confederate Civil war hero General Mosby. Heavy touring ensued as support to Black Oak Arkansas, Mountain and Heartsfield.
As 1975 dawned the band gained a major label deal with Capitol Records immediately after a television appearance on the 'Midnight Special' show. The band recorded their debut album at the legendary Muscle Shoals studios produced by former Hombres bassist Jerry Masters with later sessions taking place in Memphis. Throughout 1975 the band was rarely off the road opening frequently for Black Oak Arkansas as well as Todd Rundgren, Oblivion Express, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and conducted US East Coast support dates in July 1975 with Black Sabbath and Peter Frampton. Later shows had the band guesting for Ten Years After, Robin Trower and Fleetwood Mac. Quite famously, Starr conducted these dates despite having just had an operation to remove her gall bladder.
As the album was released it entered the Billboard charts at number 172. Much in demand Starr and her cohorts were straight back on the road guesting for The Faces, Steppenwolf, Rare Earth, Mahogany Rush and Black Sabbath once again including venues as large as the Long Beach arena. A headline club tour followed before more supports to Peter Frampton, Edgar Winter Group, Bachman Turner Overdrive and reuniting with Black Sabbath
In February 1976 Mike Neff took over the drum stool. Later the same year Penczner and Mayo quit to create the short lived Triple Cross with Williams. RUBY STARR's 1976 'Scene Stealer' album, with the bulk of the songs penned by Penczner, saw Black Oak Arkansas guitarist Jimmy Henderson contributing. Williams, Mayo and Henderson rejoined Starr for her third album 'Smokey Places' before the drummer joined the ranks of Black Oak Arkansas. Starr made her live debut singing with Black Oak Arkansas at the California Jam that year.
During 1977 the singer united with Florida Rockers Blackfoot touring America billed as Ruby Starr And Blackfoot. Starr left Blackfoot after falling in love with the guitarist Fred Hodnik from support band Lucy Grey. Starr wound up joining this band sharing lead vocals with Mike Finding. The other band members were guitarist Pooh (real name Steve Godfriarx), bassist John Kerr and the enigmatically titled Mudslide on drums. The band adopted a new name of Grey Star in 1980 adding ex-Captain Beyond and Iron Butterfly man Robb Hanshaw and would go on to release two albums 'Grey Star' and 1983' 'Telephone Sex'. Finding would quit renaming himself Mike Grey. A further name change was adopted to Chainsaw Caine, a guize in which he fronted Metal band Slave Raider for two albums.
Grey Star split and Ruby put together the Ruby Star Band with Hodnik, Mudslide and new members keyboard player Steve Marino and bassist Cary Kaylan. This unit toured the Mid-West supporting Gregg Allman, Cheap Trick, Van Halen and Robin Trower and recorded a couple of singles. In 1988 the band folded and Kaylan wound up working with Warp Drive at the turn of the decade.
Ruby Starr was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 1994 and sadly passed away on 14th January the following year. She was 44.
Originally released in 1972 on Vanguard Records, Bob Frank’s self titled debut album took elements of Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Ian Tyson and filtered it through a pot-smoked haze infused with Frank’s long-time friend, Memphis guru Jim Dickinson. Dickinson and Frank shared a mutual admiration that ran so deep that on Dickinson’s own 1972 debut album Dixie Fried (released on Atlantic Records) he recorded one of Bob’s songs, “Wild Bill Jones” Despite the Dickinson/Memphis connection, Bob Frank’s only LP for Vanguard has remained a forgotten, hard to find vinyl relic.
As Dickinson once deadpanned, ÒBob went to Vietnam and Nashville. I don’t know which was worse. It was also an itinerant period, when Frank spent many a stoned evening staggering alone through the mid-south urban gothic landscape of church steps and sleaze bars, with his guitar glued to his arm, if not an actual extension of it. Songs would emerge from dreams or drunken visions. But this was not artless acid folk, but a series of picaresque, well-sketched vignettes delivered in a clearly-enunciated vernacular, and all very much in Frank’s own style.
Tracks
1. Wino - 2:21
2. She Pawned Her Diamond For Some Gold - 2:43
3. Waitsburg - 2:01
4. Cold Canadian Pines - 3:28
5. Judas Iscariot - 3:19
6. Before The Trash Truck Comes (Bob Frank, Cletus Haegert) - 1:13
Doug Fieger is best known as lead singer of The Knack. With The Knack, Fieger penned such international smash hits as My Sharona and Good Girl's Don't. However, Fieger's musical legacy started long before The Knack.
Douglas Lars Fieger was born at Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan on August 20, 1952. He grew up in nearby Oak Park, Michigan and was the middle of three children (older brother Geoffrey and younger sister Beth). His father, Bernard, was a noted labor/civil rights lawyer while his mother, June, was a teacher and union organizer for the Michigan Federation of Teachers.
Fieger was well-rounded artistically at an early age. He took piano lessons at the age of five and took trumpet lessons at 11. He was also the lead in Peter Pan at the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1964, Fieger was prompted to pick up the guitar after having seen the Beatles play live on the Ed Sullivan show. At the age of 12, Fieger's parents bought him his first guitar, a 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman, and he went on to form his first band, the Royal Jammers.
Not long after that, Fieger met a guy living across the street, Bobby Boyle, who was in a band called Spirit. Boyle offered Fieger a gig in the band as long as Fieger would switch over to bass and let this other guy named John Coury play his Country Gentleman. Fieger went out and rented a St. George bass. Spirit played a lot of bass-heavy material like Animals and Yardbirds songs, as well as Beatles songs. Sky second line up
Before they morphed into Sky, Fieger and Coury, along with drummer Robert Greenfield, had a band that played all Beatles cover songs. Pretty soon, Fieger and Coury started writing their very own songs. They went from a cover band to an original band at a very young age.
Fieger started having some success with Sky while still in high school. Although underage, they were playing regular gigs at the Grande Ballroom with local heavyweights the MC5, Bob Seger, and the Stooges, as well as national acts The Who, Traffic, Joe Cocker, Jethro Tull, and The Jeff Beck Group. Russ Gibb, the owner of the Grande, signed on as their manager. Fieger met Dave Mason, of Traffic, during a party at Russ Gibb’s house. Mason passed along the address of their producer, Jimmy Miller. Miller was becoming famous as a producer for Traffic, Blind Faith, Spencer Davis Group, and the Rolling Stones.
Fieger wrote a letter to Jimmy Miller telling him to stop by and check out his band if he were ever in Detroit. Miller called Fieger at his home, and said he would check out his band if they would set up a tour of the Motown Studios for him. Around February of 1970, the band took Miller to Motown Studios then brought him back to the Fieger house where they jammed for him in the basement. The next day, Miller signed the group to his production company and eventually inked a recording contract with RCA Records!
In July of 1970, five days after Fieger graduated high school, Miller flew the band to London where they recorded their first album, Don't Hold Back, at Olympic Studios. Miller was producing the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album in the studio directly next door. Because of this, Gary Wright and Andy Johns produced/engineered the album along with Miller as an executive producer. The lineup of musicians that came in to work on Don't Hold Back included Bobby Keys on sax, Jim Price on trumpet, Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, as well as Gary Wright (who was also producing), Chris Wood (Traffic) on woodwinds, and Ian Stewart on piano.
After recording completed on Don't Hold Back, Sky moved to Los Angeles at the suggestion of Jimmy Miller. About six months later, Miller took the band back into the studio to record their second album, Sailor's Delight. Produced by Jimmy Miller and Andy Johns, they started recording the album in Los Angeles, then completed the album using the Rolling Stones' mobile studio at Mick Jagger's mansion, Stargroves. For Sailor's Delight, 16 year-old Rob Stawinski replaced Robert Greenfield on drums. Although Stawinski did not play on Don’t Hold Back, his name and picture are on the album cover. This was the line-up that was going to promote Don’t Hold Back and record Sailor’s Delight. The record label did not want any confusion over who was in the band.
Sailor’s Delight has all the elements that Miller put into his Stones hits and Traffic classic tracks. The guitars “chugg” along with a Keith Richards swagger while the vocals and folk guitar are supplemented by the flute and piano giving the singer a worthy platform. Sailor's Delight is a solid representation of Fieger's song compositions and pre-Knack efforts. Sky was clearly ahead of their time. They made songs that had your 1970’s appropriate heavy guitars, with some great hooks, mixed with the same kind of power pop elements Fieger would carry forward into his days with The Knack. Imagine a well-balanced mix of the Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Big Star, the Raspberries, Elton John, and Traffic.
Both albums were warmly received but marketing was weak and sales were tepid. In 1973, the band broke up due to youth and management hassles. Fieger stayed in California while the other guys moved back to Michigan. The albums eventually went out-of-print. Fieger continued to play music until he solidified a solid line-up, in 1978, with The Knack. And, the rest is musical history!
After Fieger's death in 2010, his family decided to go about obtaining the rights to the Sky recordings. Beth Falkenstein, Fieger's sister, is a representative of the Estate of Doug Fieger and now controls the rights to the Sky recordings.
These songs were too good to have been forgotten, so long-time Knack producer Richard Bosworth was called in to digitally re-master the songs. The Estate of Doug Fieger has digitally released the Sky albums under Fieger's own moniker, Zen Records. Discovered among the recordings were some titles and mixes that did not appear on the original albums. They have been included as bonus tracks on the re-releases as a treat for those fans from long ago who never expected to hear a Sky song after all these years!
by Erik Heemsoth, 05-Feb-2014
Tracks
1. Make It Tight (Doug Fieger, John Coury) - 4:09
2. Don't Want Nobody (Doug Fieger) - 3:15
3. Let It Lie Low (Doug Fieger, John Coury) - 3:12
Headband is one of Australia’s most unique progressive blues rock bands that formed in the early 70’s. The four-piece group (comprised of; bass guitarist Chris Bailey; drummer Joff Bateman; singer-songwriter and keyboardist Peter Beagley (later known as Peter Head); and singer-songwriter and guitarist Mauri Berg) supported Elton John in 1971, and The Rolling Stones in 1973 at their Adelaide performances, and finished third in the 1972 Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds – a national performance competition between the best groups representing each state. The band then went on to releasing their debut album, A Song for Tooley, in 1973, which featured album artwork by internationally renowned Adelaide artist Vytas Šerelis. Headband disbanded a year later.
Following the band’s break up, keyboardist, Peter Head - who joined the Blue Pie family earlier this year - went on to start up Mount Lofty Rangers; an ever-changing group of notable Adelaide musicians that included Glenn Shorrock, Robyn Archer and Bon Scott, who later joined AC/DC. Peter set up his own label, Head Office Records, in 1996 alongside radio broadcaster, David Woodhall, producing 2 CDs; "Round & Round & Round" by Bon Scott, and Peter’s first solo CD recording "King of the Cross".
Headband supported The Rolling Stones in Adelaide during the band's February 1973 Australian tour. Headband broke up in 1974. Berg and Bateman later joined a couple of ex-Fraternity members in Mickey Finn. Chris Bailey issued a solo single on RCA, `Sunday Too Far Away'/`Bushranger Song' (March 1975) before joining pub rockers The Angels in January 1977. He later played with the likes of The Stetsons and the Jimmy Barnes Band. Peter Beagley (as Peter Head), formed the country rock outfit The Mount Lofty Rangers, which featured many Adelaide rock luminaries such as Bon Scott.
Head also produced the rock musical Lofty, and wrote soundtrack music for films like The Nostradamus Kid and Les Patterson Saves the World. He moved to Sydney and issued a series of cassette albums under his own name and ran his own Head Office Records. Head issued a mini-album in 1997, King of the Cross. (Note: this Headband is not to be confused with a New Zealand band from the same period with the same name.)
Tracks
1. A Song For Tooley - 5:05
2. Land Of Supercars - 5:43
3. Stay With Me - 3:32
4. My Young Friend (Mauri Berg, Peter Beagley) - 2:53
5. Headsong (Mauri Berg, Peter Beagley) - 1:20
6. Country Lady - 2:18
7. Children's Dreams - 6:25
8. Wait Until Tomorrow - 4:12
9. Brand New Morning (Mauri Berg, Peter Beagley) - 2:27
Bonus Tracks 11-13 on 2004 edition
