The Who - Sell Out (1967 uk, superb album, double disc japan SHM expanded edition)

The Who Sell Out was originally released as Track 612 002 (mono), 613002 (stereo) on December 15th, 1967. It reached #13 in the U.K. Released in the U.S. as Decca DL 4950 (mono), DL 74950 (stereo), it reached #48.

[The concept for The Who Sell Out came from Pete and Who manager Chris Stamp. Stamp tried to interest advertisers in paying for the adverts inserted by The Who on the record but, with only 50,000 copies of the album expected to be printed, none of the companies would buy. The U.S. LP hit the Billboard charts on January 6th. It was undoubtedly released prior to that date, maybe as early as the last week of December 1967.

The stereo mix was completed at De Lane Lea Studios, London, on October 30. The mono master was completed at the same studio November 2nd. The mono "Our Love Was" track has a different guitar part from the stereo and features a "flanging" effect throughout. "Odorono" lost its guitar part, "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand," "Tattoo" and "Relax" have slightly different mixes and the bass was more prominent throughout. This mix was released on SHM-CD in Japan in 2009.

The Who Sell Out is the third album by the English rock band The Who, released in 1967. It is a concept album, formatted as a collection of unrelated songs interspersed with faux commercials and public service announcements. The album purports to be a broadcast by pirate radio station Radio London (Radio London being a famed "pirate" radio station of the era - so called because it literally transmitted from a ship floating in international waters to get around broadcasting restrictions!).

Part of the intended irony of the title was that The Who were actually making commercials during that period of their career, some of which are included as bonus tracks on the remastered CD. The album's release was reportedly followed by a bevy of lawsuits due to the mention of real-world commercial interests in the faux commercials and on the album covers, and by the makers of the real jingles (Radio London jingles), who claimed The Who used them without permission. (The jingles were produced by PAMS Productions of Dallas, Texas, which created thousands of station ID jingles in the 1960s and 1970s.) In 2003, the album was ranked number 113 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

by Adamus67

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Armenia City In The Sky (John Keen) - 3:51

2. Heinz Baked Beans (John Entwistle) - 1:00

3. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand - 2:34

4. Odorono - 2:35

5. Tattoo - 2:54

6. Our Love Was - 3:25

7. I Can See For Miles - 4:05 

8. I Cant Reach You - 3:31

9. Medac - 0:57

10.Relax - 2:38

11.Silas Stingy - 3:04

12.Sunrise - 3:03

13.Real (1 & 2) - 5:39 

14.Real Naive - 0:59

15.Someone's Coming (John Entwistle) - 2:36

16.Early Morning Cold Taxi (Roger Daltrey, Dave Langston) - 2:59 

17.Jaguar - 2:58

18.Coke After Coke - 1:05

19.Glittering Girl - 3:00

20.Summertime Blues  (Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart) - 2:35

21.John Mason Cars (Entwistle, Moon) - 0:39

22.Girls Eyes (Moon) - 2:52

23.Sodding About (Entwistle, Moon, Townshend) - 2:47

24.Premier Drums (Full Version) - 0:42

25.Odorono (Final Chorus) - 0:24

26.Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (US Mirasound Version) - 3:22

27.Things Go Better With Coke - 0:30

28.In The Hall Of The Mountain King (Grieg, arranged by the Who) - 4:23

29.Top Gear - 0:50

30.Real (1 & 2) (Remake Version) - 6:37

Disc 2
1. Armenia City In The Sky (John Keen) - 3:47
2. Heinz Baked Beans (John Entwistle) - 0:58
3. Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand - 2:34
4. Odorono - 2:30
5. Tattoo - 2:48
6. Our Love Was - 3:23
7. I Can See For Miles - 4:02
8. I Cant Reach You - 3:27
9. Medac - 0:56
10.Relax - 2:36
11.Silas Stingy - 2:58
12.Sunrise - 3:00
13.Real (1 & 2) - 5:48
14.Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand (US Single Version) - 3:16
15.Someones Coming (UK Single Mix) - 2:31
16.Relax (Early Demo Stereo) - 3:21
17.Jaguar (Original Mono Mix) - 2:51
18.Glittering Girl (Unreleased Version) - 3:17
19.Tattoo (Early Mono Mix) - 2:46
20.Our Love Was (Take 12 Unused Mono Mix) - 3:16
21.Rotosound Strings (With Final Note Stereo) - 0:12
22.I Can See For Miles (Early Mono Mix) - 4:00
23.Real (Early Mono Mix) - 10:49
All songs by Pete Townshend excpet where noted.

The Who
*Roger Daltrey - Lead,  Backing Vocals, Percussion
*John Entwistle - Bass Guitar, Backing, Lead Vocals, Horns
*Pete Townshend - Guitar, Backing, Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Pennywhistle, Banjo
*Keith Moon - Drums, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Lead Vocals On "Jaguar" And "Girl's Eyes"
Additional Musicians
*Al Kooper - Keyboards, Organ
*John Keen - Lead Vocals (Shared With Daltrey) On "Armenia City In The Sky"

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - Nuthin' Fancy (1975 us, classic 3rd album, japan extra tracks issue)

With three full-time electric guitarists, a piano player and a fireplug of a lead singer who looks like Robert Blake's Baretta in a hippie disguise, Georgia's Lynyrd Skynyrd presents an unusually broad front line. And the band's live grand finale ("Our tribute to Du-ane"), the relentlessly ascending "Free Bird," is rock & roll at its most classically enveloping — a must see. On record, Skynyrd, with the aid of producer Al Kooper, approximates its hot live sound by limiting overdubbed extras (with three guitars and a keyboard, overdubbed parts are hardly necessary) and — partly through extensive room miking — by enclosing the band in a natural ambience.

Nuthin' Fancy maintains the feel, sonically and stylistically, of the first two albums but much of it seems stiff next to its direct predecessor, the tough but neighborly Second Helping. Singer Ronnie Van Zant's lyrics, so lucid and sly on the last album (especially in "Workin' for MCA" and "Sweet Home Alabama") are now sometimes hackneyed ("Railroad Song") or heavy-handed ("Saturday Night Special"). And the playing on a good half of the album sounds studiedly awkward compared to live renditions of the same songs. In particular, new drummer Artimus Pyle comes across much stronger onstage than on the record.

But there are some specific grabbers to make up for the problem areas. "On the Hunt," dominated by Gary Rossington's whip-snap guitar work, crackles with the dark eroticism of Free (Kooper cites that band as a favorite of Skynyrd's) and is as good as anything the group has put on record; "Cheatin' Woman" works, if not as a serious angry song, at least as an accurate Gregg Allman sendup, with Van Zant doing the vocal slurs and Kooper supplying the organ line; Rossington and Ed King give the second half of "Saturday Night Special" an exciting power assist; and "Am I Losin'" features Van Zant's most personal writing and singing (Van Zant's lyric writing may be erratic but his vocals are always on target).

by Bud Scoppa, “Rolling Stone” June 19, 1975

Tracks
1. Saturday Night Special (E. King, R. Van Zant) - 5:08
2. Cheatin' Woman (R. Van Zant, G. Rossington, A. Kooper) - 4:38
3. Railroad Song (E. King, R. Van Zant) - 4:14
4. I'm A Country Boy (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) - 4:24
5. On The Hunt (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) - 5:25
6. Am I Losin' (G. Rossington, R. Van Zant) - 4:32
7. Made In The Shade (R. Van Zant) - 4:40
8. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller (E. King, R. Van Zant, B. Powell) - 4:33
9. Railroad Song (Live) (E. King, R. Van Zant) - 5:27
10.On The Hunt (Live) (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) - 6:10

Lynyrd Skynyrd
*Ronnie Van Zant - Lead Vocals
*Allen Collins - Gibson Firebird Guitar
*Ed King - Fender Stratocaster And Gibson Sg Guitar
*Gary Rossington - Gibson Les Paul Guitar
*Billy Powell - Keyboards
*Leon Wilkeson - Bass Guitar
*Artimus Pyle - Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians
*Barry Harwood - Dobro, Mandolin
*Jimmy Hall - Harmonica
*David Foster - Piano
*Bobbye Hall - Percussion

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping (1974 us, classic 2nd album, 24karat Gold CD and japan expanded edition)

Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote the book on Southern rock with their first album, so it only made sense that they followed it for their second album, aptly titled Second Helping. Sticking with producer Al Kooper (who, after all, discovered them), the group turned out a record that replicated all the strengths of the original, but was a little tighter and a little more professional. 

It also revealed that the band, under the direction of songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, was developing a truly original voice. Of course, the band had already developed their own musical voice, but it was enhanced considerably by Van Zant's writing, which was at turns plainly poetic, surprisingly clever, and always revealing. 

Though Second Helping isn't as hard a rock record as Pronounced, it's the songs that make the record. "Sweet Home Alabama" became ubiquitous, yet it's rivaled by such terrific songs as the snide, punkish "Workin' for MCA," the Southern groove of "Don't Ask Me No Questions," the affecting "The Ballad of Curtis Loew," and "The Needle and the Spoon," a drug tale as affecting as their rival Neil Young's "Needle and the Damage Done," but much harder rocking. 

This is the part of Skynyrd that most people forget -- they were a great band, but they were indelible because that was married to great writing. And nowhere was that more evident than on Second Helping. 

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks

1. Sweet Home Alabama (Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) - 4:43

2. I Need You (King, Rossington, Van Zant) - 6:55

3. Don't Ask Me No Questions (Rossington, Van Zant) - 3:26

4. Workin' For Mca (King, Van Zant) - 4:49

5. The Ballad Of Curtis Loew (Allen Collins, Van Zant) - 4:51

6. Swamp Music (King, Van Zant) - 3:31

7. The Needle And The Spoon (Collins, Van Zant) - 3:53

8. Call Me The Breeze (J. J. Cale) - 5:09

9. Don't Ask Me No Questions (Single Version) (Rossington, Van Zant) - 3:31

10.Was I Right Or Wrong (Demo) (Rossington, Van Zant) - 5:33

11.Take Your Time (Demo) (Van Zant, King) - 7:29

Bonus tracks 9-11, appears only on the Japanese edition.

Lynyrd Skynyrd
*Ronnie Van Zant - Lead Vocals
*Gary Rossington - Rhythm,  Acoustic Guitar
*Allen Collins - Guitar
*Ed King - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Rhythm Guitar,  Bass
*Billy Powell - Keyboards, Piano On "Sweet Home Alabama"
*Leon Wilkeson - Bass
*Bob Burns - Drums Except "I Need You"
Additional Musicians
*Mike Porter - Drums On "I Need You"
*Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews - Background Vocals On "Sweet Home Alabama"
*Merry Clayton And Friends - Background Vocals On "Sweet Home Alabama"
*Bobby Keys, Trewor Lawrence ,  Steve Madiao - Horns
*Al Kooper - Backing Vocals, Piano

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973 us, classic debut album, Al Kooper production, bonus tracks remastered issue)

The Allman Brothers came first, but Lynyrd Skynyrd epitomized Southern rock. The Allmans were exceptionally gifted musicians, as much bluesmen as rockers. Skynyrd was nothing but rockers, and they were Southern rockers to the bone.

This didn't just mean that they were rednecks, but that they brought it all together -- the blues, country, garage rock, Southern poetry -- in a way that sounded more like the South than even The Allmans. And a large portion of that derives from their hard, lean edge, which was nowhere more apparent than on their debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. Produced by Al Kooper, there are few records that sound this raw and uncompromising, especially records by debut bands.

Then again, few bands sound this confident and fully formed with their first record. Perhaps the record is stronger because it's only eight songs, so there isn't a wasted moment, but that doesn't discount the sheer strength of each song. Consider the opening juxtaposition of the rollicking "I Ain't the One" with the heartbreaking "Tuesday's Gone." Two songs couldn't be more opposed, yet Skynyrd sounds equally convincing on both. If that's all the record did, it would still be fondly regarded, but it wouldn't have been influential.

The genius of Skynyrd is that they un-self-consciously blended album-oriented hard rock, blues, country, and garage rock, turning it all into a distinctive sound that sounds familiar but thoroughly unique. On top of that, there's the highly individual voice of Ronnie Van Zant, a songwriter who isn't afraid to be nakedly sentimental, spin tales of the South, or to twist macho conventions with humor. And, lest we forget, while he does this, the band rocks like a motherf*cker. It's the birth of a great band that birthed an entire genre with this album.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks

1. I Ain't The One (Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:53
2. Tuesday's Gone (Allen Collins, Rossington, Van Zant) – 7:32
3. Gimme Three Steps (Collins, Van Zant) – 4:30
4. Simple Man (Rossington, Van Zant) – 5:57
5. Things Goin' On (Rossington, Van Zant) – 5:00
6. Mississippi Kid (Al Kooper, Van Zant, Bob Burns) – 3:56
7. Poison Whiskey (Ed King, Van Zant) – 3:13
8. Free Bird (Collins, Van Zant) – 9:18
9. Mr. Banker (Demo) (Rossington, Van Zant, King) – 5:23
10.Down South Jukin' (Demo) (Rossington, Van Zant) – 2:57
11.Tuesday's Gone (Demo) (Rossington, Collins, Van Zant) – 7:56
12.Gimme Three Steps (Demo) (Collins, Van Zant) – 5:20
13.Free Bird (Demo) (Collins, Van Zant) – 11:09

Lynyrd Skynyrd
*Ronnie Van Zant – Lead Vocals, Lyrics
*Gary Rossington – Lead Guitar , Rhythm Guitar, Slide Guitar
*Allen Collins – Lead, Rhythm Guitar
*Ed King – Bass, Lead Guitar On "Mississippi Kid”
*Billy Powell – Keyboards
*Bob Burns – Drums
*Leon Wilkeson – Bass Guitar
Additional Musicians
*Al Kooper – Bass, Mellotron, Back-Up Harmony, Mandolin, Bass Drum, Organ, Mellotron
*Robert Nix – Drums On "Tuesday's Gone"
*Bobbye Hall – Percussion On "Gimme Three Steps", "Things Goin' On"
*Steve Katz – Harmonica On "Mississippi Kid"

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The Who - My Generation (1965 uk, classic debut album, two disc japan SHM-CD remaster)

The Who's debut album "My Generation" features 48-tracks digitally remastered 2-disc SHM-CD album set - perhaps the definitive release of this landmark 1965 album. Includes the original 1965 mono mix (--1st time on CD!), B-sides, outtakes and demos from the LP sessions, plus Shel Talmy's 2002 stereo remix....An explosive debut, and the hardest mod pop recorded by anyone.

At the time of its release, it also had the most ferociously powerful guitars and drums yet captured on a rock record. Pete Townshend's exhilarating chord crunches and guitar distortions threaten to leap off the grooves on "My Generation" and "Out in the Street"; Keith Moon attacks the drums with a lightning, ruthless finesse throughout. Some "Maximum R&B" influence lingered in the two James Brown covers, but much of Townshend's original material fused Beatlesque hooks and power chords with anthemic mod lyrics, with "The Good's Gone", "Much Too Much", "La La La Lies", and especially "The Kids Are Alright" being highlights. "A Legal Matter" hinted at more ambitious lyrical concerns, and "The Ox" was instrumental mayhem that pushed the envelope of 1965 amplification with its guitar feedback and nonstop crashing drum rolls.

While the execution was sometimes crude, and the songwriting not as sophisticated as it would shortly become, the Who never surpassed the pure energy level of this record.

by Adamus67

Tracks

Disc 1 (Mono)

1.Out In The Street - 2:33

2.I Don't Mind (James Brown) - 2:37

3.The Good's Gone - 4:02

4.La-La-La Lies - 2:16

5.Much Too Much - 2:47

6.My Generation - 3:20

7.The Kids Are Alright - 3:07

8.Please, Please, Please (James Brown, John Terry) - 2:46

9.It's Not True - 2:33

10.I'm A Man (Ellis McDaniel) - 3:23

11.A Legal Matter - 2:50

12.The Ox (John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Nicky Hopkins, Pete Townshend) - 3:53

13.I Can't Explain - 2:07

14.Bald Headed Woman - 2:11

15.Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey) - 2:43

16.Daddy Rolling Stone (Otis Blackwell) - 2:49

17.Anytime You Want Me (Garnet Mimms, Jerry Ragovoy) - 2:37

18.Shout And Shimmy (James Brown) - 3:19

19.Circles - 3:14

20.Leaving Here (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland Jr.) - 2:48

21.Lubie (Come Back Home) (Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere) - 3:36

22.(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave (Brian Holland-Lamont Dozier-Edward Holland Jr.) - 2:41

23.Motoring (Ivy Hunter, Phil Jones, William "Mickey" Stevenson) - 2:49

24.Circles (Alternate Mix) - 3:12

All songs written by  Pete Townshend except where noted

Disc 2 (Stereo)
1.Out In The Street - 2:34
2.I Don't Mind (Full Length Version) (James Brown) - 3:44
3.The Good's Gone (Full Length Version) - 4:30
4.La-La-La Lies - 2:18
5.Much Too Much - 2:45
6.My Generation - 3:21
7.The Kids Are Alright - 3:10
8.Please, Please, Please (James Brown, John Terry) - 2:46
9.It's Not True - 2:34
10.I'm A Man (Ellis McDaniel) - 3:23
11.A Legal Matter - 2:54
12.The Ox (John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Nicky Hopkins, Pete Townshend) - 3:58
13.I Can't Explain - 2:04
14.Bald Headed Woman - 2:32
15.Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (Alternate Version) (Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey) - 2:43
16.Daddy Rolling Stone (Otis Blackwell) - 2:56
17.Anytime You Want Me (Garnet Mimms, Jerry Ragovoy) - 2:38
18.Shout And Shimmy (James Brown) - 3:20
19.Circles - 3:13
20.Instant Party Mixture - 3:24
21.Leaving Here (Alternate Version)  (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland Jr.) - 2:51 

22.Lubie (Come Back Home)  (Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere) - 3:40
23.(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland Jr.) - 2:41 24.Motoring (Ivy Hunter, Phil Jones, William "Mickey" Stevenson) - 2:49
All songs written by  Pete Townshend except where noted

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Taste - On The Boards (1970 ireland, classic blues rock, second album, japan SHM-CD)

"On The Boards" the Taste's second LP was issued in 1970 and was a much more satisfying affair than their debut. In fact this record was a favorite of mine as a stoned teenager in the 70's, I've recently revisited "On The Boards" and it still sounds pretty damn good. The record opens with the Taste show stopper "What's Going On" a powerful electric blues raveup with some stinging Gallagher guitar work. "Railway and Gun" is a folkish blues not too far removed from early Thin Lizzy. "It Happened Before, It'll Happen Again" is a remarkable number that really stretches out, Rory plays some really thoughtful runs on guitar and even plays some useful Alto Sax in the mid section.

"If The Day Was Any Longer" is a pretty laid back song that's almost folk-rock, Rory plays some nice Mel Lyman style harp on this one. "Morning Sun" is a full out rocker again recalling fellow Irishmen Thin Lizzy.

Side two opens with another blistering raver called "Eat My Words" the group is really clicking on this one Richard McCracken's plays lead bass right in your face ala Andy Fraser, Rory plays some razor sharp bottleneck lines while John Wilson plays the Ginger Baker part on drums. The title track "On The Boards" is a very interesting one that uses space to great effect, Rory's guitar sounds very San Francisco-ish like he just got done jamming with Barry Melton.

"If I Don't Sing I'll Cry" is a blues rock stomper in the Savoy Brown mold and may be seen as a throwaway but nothing too bad. "See Here" is a beautiful solo acoustic song by Rory, kinda like Danny Kirwan's contributions to Fleetwood Mac's classic "Then Play On" album.

"On The Boards" finishes with "I'll Remember" which is the best song on the album, the arrangement is great, the band are totally in sync and they rock like there is no tomorrow. "On The Boards" is a tight well played album that is filled with great songs with no frills just the way Rory liked it.

Taste split after this album but Rory put together another trio very much in the same mold as Taste. He made many worthwhile records in the 70's, "Deuce" being my favorite. Before punk happened his records were the only thing that got me through the wasteland of the mid 1970's. I had a chance to meet him after a concert in the 70's and he was a true gentleman. A great man who will be sorely missed. 

by Dave Furgess

Tracks
1. What's Going On - 2:48
2. Railway and Gun - 3:38
3. It's Happened Before, It'll Happen Again - 6:33
4. If the Day Was Any Longer - 2:10
5. Morning Sun - 2:39
6. Eat My Words - 3:47
7. On the Boards - 6:02
8. If I Don't Sing I'll Cry - 2:40
9. See Here - 3:05
10. I'll Remember - 3:02
All compositions by Rory Gallagher

Taste
* Rory Gallagher - Guitars, Vocals, Saxophone, Harmonica
* Richard "Charlie" McCracken - Bass Guitar
* John Wilson - Drums

More from Taste
1971  Live Taste
1971  Live at Isle of Wight

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Sugar Creek - Please Tell A Friend (1969 us, superb melt of psych, rural rock and acid-tinged folk, 2001 Akarma digipak)

In 1965  John Edwards was studying art at Ohio University when he met fellow student/guitarist Malcolm McKinney.  The pair quickly decided to form a band recruiting McKinney's brother Todd.  As St. James Doorknob the group became quite popular playing dances, parties and clubs around Athens, Ohio.  At the same time fellow students Joe Dolce and Gary Gans were playing in The Finite Minds.  

When the Finite Minds lost their lead singer, Dolce and Gans were invited to join St. James Doorknob, which quickly mutated into The Infinite Doorknob and then The Headstone Circus.  In June 1967 the band decided to take a shot at the big time. With the rest of America decamping for San Francisco, Edwards sold the car his father had lent him for school, bought a breaktruck/van and headed for Boston.  

The band began touring throughout New York and New England, writing material at a farm owned by McKinney's parents. By the time the Sugar Creek finished recording their sole 1969 album Dolce had quit (though he's represented by two of the standout selections), leaving a line-up featured Edwards, Gary Gans, and brothers Malcolm and Todd McKinney.  

Recorded in New York City with Peter Casperson producing, "Please Tell a Friend" will come as a major shock to anyone familiar with Edwards' sensitive singer/songwriter solo career.  With Edwards and Malcolm McKinney responsible for the majority of the ten tracks, the album featured a mixture of driving blues-rock ('Old House' and the feedback propelled 'Where Do You Find The Answer') and excellent psych outings ('A Million Years').  

Anyone familiar with Edwards solo career will find that his voice sounded surprisingly impressive belting out tougher material, though numbers such as 'Who Do You Think You Are', 'Lady Linda' and the Gospel-influenced 'Heavenly Road' wouldn't have been out of place on one of his early-1970s solo albums.  Personal favorites include the band's psych efforts including 'Memory Tree' and 'Night Flash'.  Killer tunes. Blessed with excellent sound quality, this one sounds great on an upscale stereo system.

Bad-cat

Tracks
1. A Million Years   (John Edwards,  Joe Dolce) - 2:31
2. Old House   (Joe Dolce) - 2:36
3. Who Do You Think You Are   (Malcolm McKinney) - 2:48
4. Where Do You Find The Answer   (Malcolm McKinney) - 6:43
5. Woman  (Malcolm McKinney) - 2:38
6. Heavenly Road   (Malcolm McKinney) - 2:50
7. Memory Tree   (Malcolm McKinney) - 5:20
8. Miss You  (John Edwards) - 4:24
9. Lady Linda  (John Edwards) - 2:02
10.Night Flash   (Malcolm McKinney) - 3:17

Sugar Creek
*John Edwards - Vocals, Guitar
*Gary Gans - Bass
*Malcolm Mckinney - Lead Guitar
*Todd McKinney - Guitar
*Joe Dolce - Guitar, Vocals, harmonica
*John Beatty - Drums

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Wizards From Kansas - Wizards From Kansas (1970 us, splendid rural psych folk rock with west coast breeze, 2007 digi pak remaster and 2012 expanded edition)

Truly The Wizards From Kansas are America’s finest horseman to gallop the spirited clouds of the Cherokee.The Wizards started their journey as Pig Newton launching their 1968 debut album Still In Kansas that pushed out a wah wah sapped version of Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” and the speckled “Exchange Of Clouds”. Wizards From Kansas blew Bill Graham’s mind during their enduring gifted sets at the Fillmore East in the summer of 1970. These convincing live performances gave the group a recording break which put out their self titled masterpiece.

The lineup now slightly changed has John Paul Coffin playing some of the most exact lead breaks ever to slit the Stars & Stripes particularly on the galloping “Ride With The Witches” where the vox command of Robert Joseph Menadier and his fortified bass takes full charge and authority.The obvious strength of the group was ex Little Boy Blues drummer Marc Evan Caplan who rolls with an incredibly deliberate shuttle, often in jazz restrain. The songsmith behind the Wizards was twelve- string guitarist Robert Manson Crain who wrote six tracks while guitarist Harold Earl Pierce often helped out on vox when Caplan took percussion.

The Wizards were in the same esoteric drift as Clear Light or Emitt Rhodes without Coffin’s fiery breaks.The acoustic tranquility is crystalline as it flows through “Misty Mountainside” and even more meditated upon is the spaced version of Bill Wheeler’s “High Flying Bird” far more voluptuous than We Five or Judy Henske. A stimulating edge spits through Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Codine” influenced by the Quicksilver jam session with Blood Sweat & Butterfield Mark Naftalin on keyboards.
by Shiloh Noone

Tracks

1. High Flying Bird (Billy Edd Wheeler) - 5:07 

2. High Mister (Harold Earl Pierce, M.A. Heiman) - 2:36

3. 912 1/2 Mass (Robert Joseph Menadier, Robert Manson Crain, T. Crain) - 5:00

4. Codine (Buffy Sainte Marie) - 5:56

5. Freedom Speech (Robert Manson Crain) - 3:42

6. Flyaway Days (Ronald Sandhauss) - 4:07

7. Misty Mountainside (Robert Manson Crain) - 3:38 

8. Country Drawn (Robert Manson Crain) - 2:22

9. She Rides With Witches (Robert Manson Crain) - 4:06

10.All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - 4:04

11.Codeine (Buffy Sainte Marie) - 5:44

12.Clouds Of Exchange (Ronald Sandhauss) - 5:16

13.High Flying Bird (Billy Edd Wheeler) - 5:18

14.Country Dawn (Robert Manson Crain) - 2:36

15.Flyaway Daze (Ronald Sandhauss) - 4:34

16.She Rides With Witches (Robert Manson Crain) - 3:36

17.Misty Mountainside (Robert Manson Crain) - 3:23

18.River Road (Robert Manson Crain) - 3:35

Bonus Tracks 10-18 only on 2012 edition

Track 18 from reunion on 2010

The Wizards From Kansas
*Robert Joseph Menadier - Bass, Vocal
*Marc Evan Caplan - Drums, Percussion
*John Paul Coffin - Lead Guitar
*Robert Manson Crain - Guitar, Vocals
*Harold Earl Pierce - Guitar, Vocals

With 

*Mark Naftalin - Keyboards

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Velvet Underground - Another View (1967-69 us, unique demos and unreleased material, SHM Japan release)

One objective part of me knows that these barrel scrapings are for fanatics and archivists. But another objective part of me knows that the barrel scrapings of a seminal, protean, conceptually accomplished band are their own reward. From the raw power of the instrumental Guess I'm Falling in Love to the dry lyricism of the instrumental I'm Gonna Move Right In, from the tight studio We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together to the intense early Rock and Roll, you don't have to know jackshit about the band to enjoy the music--on the contrary, you have to put aside your preconceptions. Because nobody experimented more successfully than these folks.
by Robert Christgau

Tracks
1. We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together (Reed) - 2:56
2. I'm Gonna Move Right In - 6:30
3. Hey Mr. Rain - 4:56
4. Ride into the Sun - 3:20
5. Coney Island Steeplechase - 2:20
6. Guess I'm Falling in Love (Instrumental version) - 3:35
7. Hey Mr. Rain  - 5:16
8. Ferryboat Bill (Reed, Morrison, Yule, Tucker) - 2:10
9. Rock and Roll (Reed) - 5:18
All songs written and composed by Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker, except where noted.

The Velvet Underground
*John Cale - Viola, Bass Guitar
*Sterling Morrison - Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Lou Reed - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
*Maureen Tucker - Percussion
*Doug Yule - Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals

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Velvet Underground - VU (1968-69 us, the great "lost" album, japan remaster)

Until the early 80's, the Velvet Underground story had ended with Loaded (except for posthumously issued live albums and shoddy compilations).  But the release of V.U. is a major event, because its ten previously unissued tracks – bootleg appearances not with standing – constitute the missing link between the band's late-Sixties mood swings and Loaded's commercial near-breakthrough. Except for two songs recorded with John Cale in 1968 (Doug Yule replaced him later that year), the material on V.U. is the bulk of a projected fourth Verve/MGM album that was never finished; it became known among fans as the Great Lost Velvet Underground Album.

Had it been completed and released, the Lost Album might have seriously altered the Velvets' fortunes for the better. Although Loaded included some of Reed's biggest hits in "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll," it was just too late: Reed quit shortly before its release. But V.U. captures the band at the height of its powers,
refining the edginess of the early records with a polished, accessible sound that doesn't compromise its spirit of adventure.For the first time on record, the Velvets sound like a real band, not a concept in overdrive.

"I Can't Stand It" and "Foggy Notion" are proof of this. Both songs are power-drill rockers based on the same urgent pulse as "Sister Ray," the former rolling along with a snotty glide that easily whips Reed's later rerecording on his debut solo album. There are also unexpected flashes of humor – "I live with thirteen dead cats/A purple dog that wears spats/They're livin' out in the hall/And I can't stand it anymore." The real surprise, though, is the way Reed and Sterling Morrison match up as a guitar team. Their creatively rhythmic strumming has a forceful snowball effect, and while Reed tends to take the more spectacular solos, Morrison plays effective fills with sharp, Keith Richards-style intuition.

The two songs featuring Cale slot nicely into V.U.'s cohesive tone. "Temptation inside Your Heart" combines playful R&B goofiness with a bright, busy beat and a great strangled guitar solo. The chamber-music pop of "Stephanie Says" is not too distant from that of "Sunday Morning"; still, there is a special resonance in Cale's tiptoe viola and the painful resignation in Reed's voice and lyric ("Stephanie says/That she wants to know/Why she's given half her life/To people she hates now"). The casual horror in so many of Reed's early songs sometimes made it hard to indulge his more reflective moods.  But performances like "Stephanie Says" and Reed's charming duet with Maureen Tucker, the childlike "I'm Sticking with You, " show how tender he could really be and how sensitively the Velvets could translate that feeling.

Most of the other tracks on V.U. glow with that same vigorous spirit, if not the relentless drive.  "One of These Days" is a lively parody of a cowboy drinking song, complete with sagebrush harmonies and a boozy slide-guitar break. "Ocean," a gorgeous evocation of dark ennui, dramatically showcases the Velvets' grasp of Reed's occasional romantic turns.With his thoughtful vocal and Maureen Tucker's imitation on her cymbals of rolling surf, the song anticipates Reed's later epic ballads.

A debt of thanks for resurrecting these tracks and for giving the band's first three LPs the proper reissue they've long deserved.  As for V.U., the Great Lost Velvet Underground Album is no longer lost. It is simply great.
by David Fricke

Tracks
1. I Can't Stand It - 3:21 (Recorded May 20, 1969)
2. Stephanie Says - 2:49  (February 13, 1968)
3. She's My Best Friend - 2:47  (May 14, 1969)
4. Lisa Says - 2:53 (October 1, 1969)
5. Ocean - 5:10 (June 19, 1969)
6. Foggy Notion (Reed, Morrison, Yule, Tucker, Weiss) - 6:41 (May 6, 1969)
7. Temptation Inside Your Heart - 2:30 (February 14, 1968)
8. One Of These Days - 3:50  (September 23, 1969)
9. Andy's Chest - 2:49 (May 13, 1969)
10.I'm Sticking With You - 2:26 (May 13, 1969)
All tracks written by Lou Reed except where indicated

The Velvet Underground
*John Cale – Viola, Bass Guitar, Celesta, Backing Vocals
*Sterling Morrison – Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Lou Reed – Vocals, Guitar
*Maureen Tucker – Percussion, Lead Vocal
*Doug Yule – Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals

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