Texas was put together in August 1974, with Osier, Deaton, Mace Maben and Frank Gilckin on guitars and Jerry Moore keyboards. But the roots of the band stretch back through years and much experience on the part of its members. It had its origins in a band formed in 1968 by Osier and Maben in Fort Worth named Courtship. Courtship lasted three years, culminating in an album for Capital Records, “Comment ” and a national tour with Three Dog Night in 1970. In 1971 the band had signed with Motown and was looking for a new name. At the same time, Jimmy Vaughn, whom the Courtship members had known and played with at The Cellar in Fort Worth, had dissolved his group, Texas, and so Courtship took that as their new name.
Texas recorded with Motown, before moving to LA. A lot of recording was done, but nothing released. That incarnation of the band broke up in 1973, and the members went their various ways: Deaton made an album as a singer for the Lee Pickens group, and Osier and Maben went with a group named Bang where they met Frank Gilckin. Bang did three albums for Capitol.
In 1974 Maben and Osier found themselves back in Fort Worth and without a band and decided to reform Texas. It was a seven- piece band, with a sax and two drums. This group produced the album, “Texas ” and did another tour with Three Dog Night. The band didn't last so Maben, Osier and Moore put together with Deaton and Gilckin a new band by the same name.
Tracks
1. L.A. Lights - 5:47
2. Man Oh Man - 3:44
3. Don't Love Have A Funny Way - 8:15
4. Tough Kid - 4:10
5. Rock 'N' Roll Eyes - 3:59
6. It's You My Love - 3:09
7. Burger King Blues - 7:55
All songs by Michael Maben, Gary Osier
Texas
*Michael Maben - Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Gary Miles - Bass
*Wesley Harris - Harmonica, Background Vocals
*Jerry Moore - Piano, Organ, Background Vocals
*Bob Anderson - Saxophone, Horn Arrangements, Background Vocals
Sunday afternoon at Watford’s legendary music venue, a good crowd has assembled to catch Half A Meal Ticket as they call themselves nowadays. Steve Simpson and Willy Finlayson, backed by a rotating cast of musicians regularly play pubs in south London (lucky inhabitants of TW and SW postcodes…). Willy and Steve for this occasion were backed by Malcolm Hoskins on bass, Alan Coulter (member of the last incarnation of Meal Ticket) on drums and the rather sublime Dean Barnes on guitar. Band’s catalogue (bar a CD release of their LP “Take Away” in 1989) had been unavailable since the original Vinyl releases.
1978 “Take Away” saw a major reshuffle in the band’s line-up as virtuoso guitar player Ray Flacke left and the rhythm section of Chris Hunt and Jack Brand was replaced by Alan Coulter and Rod Dennick, in an attempt to toughen up the band’s sound. It is a credit to Simpson’s talent that Flacke’s disappearance is hardly noticeable. As stated by Finlayson, the result is “a different but equally as good sound”.
The luxurious instrumentation on “Down On My Knees (After Memphis)” showcases Steve Simpson on Mandolin and Harmonica. Our two lead vocalists reach new heights with excellent performances by Rick Jones (“Lucy”) and Willy Finlayson (“Simple”). A rocking version of The Band’s “The Shape I’m In” was chosen as a single while the Bees Makes Honey songbook is ploughed again with “Get On Board”.
by Craig Chaligne, February 1, 2017
Tracks
1. Why In The World (Dave Pierce, Rick Jones, Steve Hammond) - 3:21
Daryl Braithwaite joined Sherbet in 1970, initially as a second lead vocalist. However, Laughlin left the band within a matter of months and Braithwaite then became Sherbet's sole lead singer. By early 1972, after much turnover, Sherbet's line-up had solidified to include lead vocalist Braithwaite, Shakespeare on guitar, bassist Tony Mitchell, keyboard player Garth Porter, and drummer Alan Sandow. The band released their first album ("Time Change...A Natural Progression") in 1972. The accompanying single "You've Got The Gun" (written by Shakespeare, Porter and Braithwaite) was Sherbet's first self-penned A-side, and charted at a respectable #27.
Raised by his grandparents in Reading, MA, Simon Stokes was seen by his peers as a loner or solitary child. By the age of ten he had become a sleepwalker. His grandfather would often take Stokes to see the Harry D. Stokes Orchestra, which was his introduction to music. In his teenage years, Stokes became influenced by the blues, often listening to a local DJ named Sid Symphony and attending all-night concerts.
Stokes saw Big Mama Thornton and Hank Ballard among countless others, each having an impact on him. After entering a local songwriting contest and winning the top prize, Stokes ventured to Los Angeles in his early 20s. Beginning in 1965, Stokes recorded a number of 45s under names such as the Flower Children and Heathen Angels. At the same time, Stokes became a staff writer at Elektra Records. Forming a band called the Nighthawks, Stokes and MC5 signed to Elektra on the same day.
In 1973, Stokes released his debut album, Incredible Simon Stokes, on Spindizzy Records. The album was a psychedelic blues record in the vein of Captain Beefhart. That same year, Stokes released Simon Stokes & the Black Whip Thrill Band on Spindizzy. The album's cover was reportedly the first banned album cover in the United States. Featuring S&M scenes as well as females being whipped, the controversy created a cult following for the musician, especially among biker groups. Sadly Simon Stokes passed away December 13th 2020.
by Jason MacNeil
Tracks
1. The Black Whip Thrill Band - 3:24
2. The Devil Just Called My Name - 3:26
3. Ride On Angel - 4:27
4. The Wolf Pack - 3:19
5. The Boa Constrictor Ate My Wife Last Night (Simon Stokes, Mars Keith) - 2:47
6. Good Times They Come - 0:25
7. Waltz For Jaded Lovers - 4:57
8. If I Wanted To - 3:32
9. Should I Have Married Peggy Sue - 3:06
10.She's Got The Voodoo - 2:47
11.Hot Summer Night In The City (Simon Stokes, Dale Ward) - 3:29
12.Ballad Of Lennie And George - 3:12
All compositions by Simon Stokes except where noted
Michael Gately was born on October 28, 1942 in New Jersey and died on April 12, 1982 in Los Angeles, California. A visionary singer songwriter who made his debut with Al Kooper and released two pop masterpieces! He was a member of the songwriting team with Robert John, and also sang on the chorus of Al Kooper's and Lobo's solo albums. His mellow and delicate voice, in contrast to his reportedly huge 500-pound frame, captivated Al Kooper.
Tracks
1. With You Today - 2:41
2. No Dry Change - 2:44
3. You Just Run Away (Michael Gately, Robert John) - 2:55
4. Did The Mornin’ Tell You - 3:09
5. You’re To Busy Being Free (Michael Gately, Robert John) - 3:09
6. Country Ladies - 2:12
7. I Couldn’t Of Loved You More (Michael Gately, Robert John) - 3:03
8. All Too True Blues - 2:19
9. Will You Be Here (Michael Gately, Robert John) - 2:55
10.I Don’t Know If I Should Love You (Lynn’s Song) - 2:57
11.But Then Again (Michael Gately, Robert John) - 2:25
All compositions by Michael Gately except where indicated
The Last Word combines both of Chuck & Mary Perrin's privately pressed late-'60s albums (Next of Kin and Brother & Sister) onto one single-CD reissue, adding a couple of songs that appeared on the 1970 various-artists compilation The Peoria Folk Anthology, Vol. 3. Both of these albums by the Illinois brother-sister contemporary folk duo were privately pressed LPs, with a run of a mere 500 copies each. On Next of Kin, as was common for private pressings in those days, the production was basic, with just guitar and voice (with the exception of "To a Better Life," which has a minimal folk-rock arrangement with light percussion). But the sound was clear and spacious, and the music was pretty good close-harmony folk, somewhat reminiscent of a more naive Ian & Sylvia or Stone Poneys.
Though there's no rock instrumentation, it's far more folk-rock in inclination than it is traditional folk, both in the singing and the material, whether original or covers of songs by the Lovin' Spoonful, Eric Andersen, Donovan, and Ian & Sylvia themselves. The close harmonies have a nice slightly sad, bittersweet flavor, and Chuck Perrin's songwriting (whether working alone or in collaboration with others) has that mid-to-late-'60s combination of romantic optimism and wary introspection. Though there's a slight callowness that keeps it from reaching a major-league level, it's a nice and attractive record, recommended to '60s folk-rock fans in the mood for the gentlest, most unplugged side of that genre. It's also better than their full-band, more soft rock-ish second LP, Next of Kin (recorded a year later).
Sunshine pop fans might well prefer Next of Kin to the far folkier debut, but this follow-up -- recorded in late 1969 a year after Brother & Sister had been cut -- was a letdown after the mild promise of its predecessor. It's a tame, at times drippy early soft rock/singer/songwriter-oriented album, slicking up the introspective, slightly melancholy close-harmony contemporary folk of their first album. Songs like "Sundance" have the escapist sentiments found throughout much sunshine pop, as well as the bordering-on-easy listening vocals and arrangements. It's not all marshmallow stuff, "Bye Bye Billy" reflecting the influence of Californian mellow rockers like Crosby, Stills & Nash (who sounded tough in comparison to the Perrins), and "Flying" affecting jazzier, more aggressive postures that nonetheless sound rather genteel. Of the two cuts from The Peoria Folk Anthology, Vol. 3, "Help Us Jesus" is dispensable, but "Saturday Morning" is a cheery acoustic number that sounds much more like their first LP than their second.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Commencement (Chris Ince, Chuck Perrin) - 3:26
2. Violets Of Dawn (Eric Andersen) - 2:57
3. Mornings - 3:26
4. You Knew All Along - 3:10
5. Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do (Chuck Perrin, Mary Perrin) - 1:54
6. Song For Canada (Ian Tyson, Peter Gzowski) - 4:13
7. Babe Can You See (Chuck Perrin, Don Connors) - 2:31
8. Circus Of Sour (Donovan Leitch, Paul Bernath) - 2:41
9. Younger Generation (John Sebastian) - 2:46
10.To A Better Life (Chris Ince, Chuck Perrin) - 2:32
11.The Beginning - 0:40
12.Here Comes The Weekend Again - 2:21
13.Run Away With Me - 0:59
14.Sundance - 3:13
15.Bye Bye Billy - 2:21
16.Fugacity (Pat Garvey, Victoria Garvey) - 2:23
17.Reprise - 1:42
18.Dedication - 3:44
19.This Is Just To Say (William Carlos Williams) - 0:20
20.Dealer - 2:41
21.Flying - 2:27
22.This Is A Happy Song - 1:38
23.Statement - 0:53
24.The Beginning Again - 0:36
25.Saturday Morning - 4:06
26.Help Us Jesus (Jim Hardin) - 3:56
All songs by Chuck Perrin except where stated
Tracks 1-10 are from 1967 LP, "Brother And Sister"
Tracks 11-24 are from 1969 LP, "The Next Of Kin"
Tracks 25, 26 are taken from Various - The Peoria Folk Anthology - Volume Three.
Personnel
*Mary Perrin - Vocals, Guitar
*Chuck Perrin - Vocals, Guitar
*Chris White - Electric Bass, Guitar (Tracks 1-10)
Dublin band with a long history dating back to 1970. Jolyon Jackson was an anglo-irish multi-instrumentalist who'd come to Dublin to study in the late '60s. Brian Masterson, the bands other mainstay, had played with Jackson and Roger Doyle in Jazz Therapy in 1969 before forming SD&C in 1970.
The 1970-75 period is largely undocumented though SD&C were very active during these years. They played the Foxrock Folk Club on at least three occasions: 29 Feb 1971, 5 December 1971 and 2 April 1972. Gigs at this club were regularly recorded on reel-to-reel by one of the organisers. It is not yet known if any of SD&C's gigs were recorded (they were listed in the announcement of the RTE radio documentary series but not actually included in the programs themselves). If anyone has these recordings, please get in touch. Supply Demand and Curve also played the pop concert organised as part of Human Need Week at the Examination Hall in TCD on 9 February 1971 with The Chosen Few, Thin Lizzie and The Junk. In the report in The Irish Times of February 10th, the band was described as "...representing the present trend towards conscious artistry within popular limits that had to emerge from the anything-will-do scene of recent years".
They appeared at the Rock in the Hollow Free Open Air Concert held at Blackrock Park, Dublin, on 8 August 1971 with Thin Lizzy, Horslips, Elmer Fudd, Gypsy Rock and Mellow Candle. This gig may also have been recorded. SD&C appeared on RTE at least twice, once as the trio pictured above with Paddy Finney (vocals, guitar, whistle) who was a member circa 1972, and once on Tangents with Roger Doyle (drums) (also in Jazz Therapy), who joined in the summer of 1972 and was with the band for at least a year, including the Canadian tour of March 1973. Jolyon Johnson subsequently appeared on Doyle's "Oizzo No" solo LP recorded in 1973.
In January 1972 the band premiered Jolyon Jackson's 20-minue rock operetta "Fred and Mary" at the American Embassy in Dublin, an event organised by An Taisce. They were subsequently invited by the Arts Society of Trinity College Dublin to perform it again at the Exam Hall a few months later. During christmas 1972 the band rehearsed at a cottage in Enniskerry over several days and many of the sessions were recorded by Brian Masterson. There are undoubtedly many other demo and live recordings spanning the band's long career which with the right treatment would make an excellent box set.
SD&C toured in Canada in March 1973 and supported Gay & Terry Woods on their Irish tour the same year. At one time or another the lineup included Rosemarie Taylor and Nigel Rolfe. By the time of their sole LP, the lineup was Jackson & Masterson with ace guitarist Greg Boland and drummer Paul McAteer.
The debut LP finally emerged on Mulligan Records in 1976. It is usually described as 'Canterbury' style progressive by dealers usually asking for too much money for it. It is a good progressive rock LP with slight fusion and/or experimental touches a la Isotope. In 1977 this band appeared more or less as a unit on Midnight Well's LP (Mulligan Records), Sonny Condell's "Camouflage" LP (Mulligan Records) and Rosemarie Taylor's "Taylormaid" (ID Records). They backed Sonny Condell at Macroom '76. They split sometime in the late 70s.
Jolyon Johnson guested on Gay & Terry Woods "Tender Hooks" (Mulligan) in 1978. In 1980 he recorded the seminal "Hidden Ground" album with fiddle-player Paddy Glackin (Tara Records) on which he plays and arranges all the music and instruments which frames Paddy Glackin's solo fiddle. He also appeared on Operating Theatre's two CBS singles released in 1980-81 and Scullion's "Balance And Control". And he wrote extensively for theatre and TV. He died in 1985.
Greg Boland was later in Stagalee (1978-82), recorded four albums with Scullion (mid-80s), Bumper to Bumper (80s), Moving Hearts, the Davy Spillane Band and The Big Noise (1987-89), but he is probably best known now as a session musician. Paul McAteer also played with Stagalee.
from Irish Bands
Tracks
1. Changeling - 6:14
2. When You’re By Yourself - 6:20
3. Corea Guidance - 3:47
4. To Know To-Night - 3:04
5. Samuel - 5:25
6. Lunar Sea - 2:04
7. November The Third - 4:09
8. Ooh Gilbert! - 5:03
9. Freckle - 3:04
10.Cat On The Keys - 4:25
11.Precious Time - 4:28
All songs by Jolyon Jackson except track #6 written by Greg Boland
Supply Demand And Curve
Brian Masterson - Bass, Vocals
Jolyon Jackson - Keyboards, Cello, Vocals, Recorder, Tin Whistle, Melodica
John David Souther has been somewhat of a renaissance man since first appearing on the national scene in the 1960s. He's probably best known for his songwriting, and is a 2013 inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. That's in part thanks to co-writing a number of hits by The Eagles, including the trio of Billboard No. 1s "Best of My Love, "Heartache Tonight" and "New Kid in Town." J.D. also had one monster hit of his own, "You're Only Lonely," a retro-rock breath of fresh air in the disco-hazed air of 1979.
Since the early '70s, Souther has released a handful of solo albums as well as a pair of discs with the Souther Hillman Furay Band, done session work and co-written songs with a long list of artists, and popped up in a few movies and recurring roles on television shows such as thirtysomething and the current hit Nashville. It's a more recent development that he's returned to recording albums, starting with 2008's If the World Was You. Souther is touring now too, and will stop in Madison for an early evening show at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday, September 7.
While Souther's recent recordings have incorporated some jazz sounds into the mix, he made his name as one of the architects of the California country-rock sound, originally built in the '60s by acts like The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Rick Nelson but wildly popularized in the '70s by The Eagles. Souther's recording career goes back farther than his 1972 solo debut and Eagles work, though. There are a few singles by his teenage garage band from Amarillo, Texas, lurking in the shadows of time (check out John David and the Cinders "No Not My Heart" if you can find it). And the groundwork for his Eagles work was laid by a fairly obscure LP that quietly emerged on Amos Records in late 1969 or early 1970: Longbranch/Pennywhistle, who was the duo of Souther and future Eagles member Glenn Frey.
There are tons of lost country-rock LPs from the time period (heck, Don Henley has one of his own on Amos, with a group called Shiloh), but Longbranch/Pennywhistle is one of the more interesting examples of the genre. In addition to the lure of early songs by Souther and Frey (who wrote all but a James Taylor cover) the duo are backed by "heavy helpers" James Burton, Ry Cooder, Buddy Emmons, James Gordon, Doug Kershaw, Larry Knechtel and Joe Osborne. That's one heck of a band, folks.
The songs are mostly amiable 'tonkers with a couple ballads thrown in for good measure, and feature lots of nice Souther-Frey harmonies. One of the guitarists is also laying down some fine fuzz guitar, likely in an attempt to emulate the sound of Sneaky Pete Kleinow's pedal steel on the Burritos records. Considering the pros involved, the album was likely recorded pretty quickly -- I swear someone says "good enough" as the rocker "Run Boy Run" is fading down! -- but never comes across as lackadaisical, a trait encountered often on country rock albums from the time.
It was a solid debut, and the label must have done at least a bit of promotion. Mine's a radio station copy, and Amos did release a pair of singles from the album to no avail. So far, despite the fact that there's certainly lots of Eagles fans who would purchase it, Longbranch/Pennywhistle has never been reissued.
by Bob Koch, September 1, 2013
Tracks
1. Jubilee Anne (John David Souther) - 3:00
2. Run Boy, Run (Glenn Frey) - 2:58
3. Rebecca (Glenn Frey) - 2:45
4. Lucky Love (John David Souther) - 2:26
5. Kite Woman (John David Souther) - 2:30
6. Bring Back Funky Women (Glenn Frey, John David Souther) - 2:21
What was quintessential can quickly fade. It then becomes the gift of those who decide where relevance exists, and there lies a problem. History is largely a composite, a construct by those who were not present. Much of what is deemed to be wholly representative of an era was largely ignored at the time: the poetry of Rimbaud, the paintings of Van Gogh or the songs of Nick Drake. Messages can take a long time to get through to receptive ears, and one such missive that remains in transit is Tarantula's sole album, from 1969.
It mattered little then, and matters little now, but it is a perfect freeze-frame of the dissolution and ideals of the Sixties. Wigged-out but flawlessly played, this much-ignored, authentic slab of pure psych-prog has a loose-limbed cohesion and is wonderfully weird. In terms of curio and masterpiece, this one exists as an authentic souvenir of the times: California, circa '68-69, just as the flowers start to wilt upon the heads they'd once adorned, and the string pops on the cheap strands of love beads. Unruly, crackers, and out to lunch, this was the soundtrack of uncertain lives. The times seemed to be blessed with optimism, but reality shatters every dream.
This is the last gasp of peace and love, but one whose final breath is imbued with the knowledge of impending darkness. Formed by ex-Spanky and Our Gang member Oz Bach, and produced by Chad Stuart of Chad and Jeremy fame, the album slithers all over the place like a divinely mad snake on the trip of a lifetime. Eastern influences, military drumming and pieces of pastoral delight combine to intoxicate and alienate in equal measure. This spider has been out in the sun too long, is both scary and mad, but wishes to infiltrate the eardrums and share the madness. Joining Bach on bass, were Steve Zwirm, drums, Tom Grasso, organ, Thad Maxwell, electric guitar, and Mike Edelman on vocals, flute and sax.
Inspired perversity stripped much of Tarantula's efforts of its obvious commerciality. The opening track "You" has successful single a la "Spirit in the Sky" written all over it, whilst "Electric Guru" is an adept exercise in bottling the mysticism and ideals of the era. "T.V. Repairman" sounds like Zappa auditioning for Hair. His diversity is referenced on much of the proceedings, but a bunch of also-ran Franks these boys were not. They possessed a strangely spiritual inclination, as betrayed in "Love Is for Peace," their only single. It's a mantra-like chant for space cadets of any era, right down to the Scottish reel they mange to rope into this diligent tapestry of insanity before abandoning it a few seconds later.
Perhaps the beautifully melancholic "Thoughts for Anne" betrayed too much of "Eleanor Rigby" to impress the purists of the day, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a finer song. Rarely have Americans managed to sound so chamber-gloomily English and haunted. The divinely titled and terribly louche "Peach Fuzz and Peppermints" sounds like something a stripper might have shaken her moneymaker to, in a 1930s sin bin, before descending into the kind of fuzzed-out intensity only Patti Smith now seems capable of generating.
"Red Herring," as the name suggests, goes all over the shops, but somehow manages to never topple into the abyss it so perilously skirts, whilst "Billie the Birdman" begins as pure Beatles in "Strawberry Fields" mode, but ends as a whimsical Blur at their most Parklife. The brief, sad smattering of applause at the track's demise, and that of the album, portended the meager portion of appreciation shown Tarantula. Things didn't translate into wider recognition and success, and they didn't cross the line from 1969 to '70. It is easy to see why they never hit anything resembling the big time. They probably weren't even attempting to, and may not have managed the consequences of success too well. Albums like this don't get made because of good sense and rational behavior, but they do betray impeccable timing and taste.
As Mr. Wilde once opined, "All things in moderation, especially moderation."
Tarantula thankfully gave free rein to their notions, albeit briefly, and left us a box of tricks worthy of Pandora. More Peach Fuzz everyone?
British band from early seventies The Isolation, with singing reminds partly more of American CSNY-influenced bands.
The improvisations of acoustic guitars with piano and flute are good, sometimes a bit jazzy psych-folk styled. The whole idea reminds me more of the first reissue of Oberon. The music is fine, but the “remastering” could have been better.
