Post Pearls Before Swine work from Tom Rapp – a record that has him stepping out as a solo act, but with a feel that's quite similar to his recordings with the group! The mood here is laidback and slightly folksy – but also augmented more by piano than by guitar, and recorded with a watery style that works wonderfully with Rapp's sad-tinged vocals. A number of the songs appear to be remakes of versions from earlier years – and titles include "Snow Queen", "The Jeweler", "Rocket Man", "Sail Away", "Full Phantom Five & I Shall Not Care", "These Things Too", and "Grace Street".
Tracks
1. Grace Street - 3:10
2. The Jeweler - 3:28
3. Rocket Man - 3:04
4. Snow Queen - 3:45
5. If You Don't Want To (I Don't Mind) - 3:17
6. Charley And The Lady - 3:22
7. Margery - 3:12
8. Medley: Full Phantom Five / I Shall Not Care - 2:57
9. These Things Too - 3:37
10.Sail Away - 3:46
All Music and Lyrics by Tom Rapp
Except "Full Phantom Five" from a William Shakespear poem
Leigh Ashford founders Waszek and Agnello knew each other as members of G.W. And The Demons at Riverdale High School in Toronto. Fresh out of high school Agnello joined The Ambassadors and Waszek joined the Lee Ashford Blues Band. When the Lee Ashford Blues Band folded Waszek and keyboardist Newton Garwood joined Agnello and new drummer David Cairns (Tom And Ian And The Soul Set) as sidemen for The Spirit Revue. By early 1967 the four had grown tired of the suits and the restricting etiquette of the Spirit Revue and revived the name Lee Ashford as Leigh Ashford – complete with a fictitious biography that painted Ashford as a turn of the century prostitute.
After playing around the growing Toronto rock scene for two years Guess Who producer Jack Richardson signed the act to his own Nimbus Records. Studio sessions were initiated for an album but collapsed when Cairns took ill. He was replaced in the studio for the bed-tracks by Wally Cameron (A Passing Fancy) and one useable track resulted in the long forgotten single “Country Place”. An attempt to get Cairns back on track faltered and Lance Wright (Terry & The Pyrates) filled in on drums until permanent replacement, Craig Kaleal, (Witness Inc.) was enlisted. A new vocalist, Buzz Shearman (Shearman & Peabody), was brought in to give the act a harder edge.
In 1969 the band opened for the Vanilla Fudge at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto and later on that year, for the Who at the Rockpile in Toronto.With a release from their Nimbus deal, the band kept busy in the clubs, and occasional studio work, and as 1970 wore on, Garwood was replaced by Bruno Weckerle on keyboards. In 1971, Mort Ross’ Revolver Records picked up the band and took them into the RCA Studio in Toronto to produce the ‘Kinfolk’ album.While in New York, Leigh Ashford would do opening slots for The Who (at The Rockpile) and Vanilla Fudge.
The album’s first single, “Dickens”, began gaining attention and upon returning to Canada they performed at the Strawberry Fields Festival in Mosport, Ontario. But, typical creative differences broke the band up by 1972. Waszek continued to work for Mort Ross and Revolver Records as Ross’ cash cow, Motherlode, was refit for a third incarnation headed by Waszek and featuring ex-Chimo! vocalist Breen LeBoeuf, future Triumph bassist Mike Levine and former Leigh Ashford bandmates Wally Cameron and Newton Garwood. After one failed Motherlode single, Waszek revived Leigh Ashford with Buzz Shearman, Cameron, Garwood and bassist Don Elliott (ex-Mandala).
Mort Ross had another subsidiary label on the go, Hopi, and grabbed Leigh Ashford for one under-achieving single of Waszek originals – “Workin’ All Day” b/w “The Country’s Got A Soul Of Its Own”. With the departure of Elliott (with Doni Underhill taking over), the Leigh Ashford name was retired and they became Burgundy before, it too failed to chart a single. Waszek and Underhill decided to jump ship at this point and joined Fludd in 1974. Buzz Shearman kept the band and its name going for another two years before finally evolving into the hit recording act Moxy and helping future metal chanteuse Lee Aaron launch her solo career.
Shearman would die tragically in a motorcycle accident in the early ’80’s; Agnello continued on as bassist for many showcase R & B acts around Toronto including Chuck Jackson; Underhill would eventually leave Fludd to reform the band Fingers with Waszek before moving on to stint with Trooper; Elliott went on to be an audio technician and cameraman; Waszek, meanwhile, did session work with the likes of Triumph (on “Just A Game”) and would spend a good part of the late ’80’s with Bobby Dupont and in the ’90’s as alternate lead guitar with Eagles tribute band Desperado which featured former members of Refugee. He is now a fully retired postal worker living in the USA; Bruce Weckerle died July 10, 2004 of complications from a stroke in 2003; Newton Garwood died of cancer November 4, 2005. Bill Wade succumbed to cancer July 27, 2001 at the age of 53; Terry Juric passed away July 18, 2023.
These music students from the city of Bonn made forays into various musical styles. Listening to tracks as diverse as the title track, which is a psychedelic masterpiece in the Pink Floyd vein, the heavy "Rock ’n’ roll chillun", the blues "Stranger in your town" or the slightly shallow "Last night in Verona" you realize they really know their job. The tracks were recorded in 1975 in the posh London Decibel studios and planned for release on LP but nothing came of it. Twilight’s only releases were two singles on New Blood. The label’s documents, which had been acquired by a collector, were the starting point for tracking down the band as well as the master tape, which they have carefully kept safe until the late 90's, and in 2000 it was officially released on cd. Αfter leaving Twilight, guitarist and singer Volkmar Kramarz joined Arktis and later took over a WDR radio programme.
Tracks
1. Day And Night - 8:30
2. Country Waltz - 3:43
3. Leaving In The Morning - 5:50
4. Rock ‘n’ Roll Chillun - 4:42
5. Stranger In Your Town - 7:18
6. White Queen Boogie - 4:01
7. Last Night In Verona - 2:34
8. Ships Sailing On Sea - 5:27
All compositions by Volkmar Kramarz, Jürgen Bieler, Ulrich Hülder, Roland Glässer
After the artistic peak of Who Cares, it would have been tough for Goddo's singer, bassist, and chief songwriter Greg Godovitz to top himself. Wisely, he doesn't even try on his power trio's third album, An Act of Goddo. Recorded in the vacation environs of Florida and mixed at the Bee Gees Miami studio, An Act of Goddo is appropriately a looser, more relaxed outing that emphasizes meat-and-potatoes songcraft, big swaggering riffs, spacious arrangement, lengthy solos, and, oddly, a more reflective lyrical tone over the ambition and excess of its predecessor.
It still rises to the occasion at points. "So Walk On" and "Work it Out" are arena rockers with ringing, canyon-sized guitar lines from Gino Scarpelli and solid back beats from Doug Inglis. "Rosie (Just Hang On)" and "The Verdict's In" shake, rattle, and roll to grooves that gene-splice rubberlegged rockabilly to '70s guitar rock.
Godovitz indulges his continuing classical aspirations with the palindromically titled "Anacanapanacana," an overture combining melodies from several cuts. And he offers up a pair of wistful ballads in the bilingual Left Bank ode "Chantal" and the urgent guitar-strummer "Take Care." Ultimately, though, the most meaningful song on An Act of Goddo may have been "Sign on the Line." Inspired by the bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you nihilism of punk, Godovitz penned this anti-music biz screed about "record executive lies" and shipped it to his label. Surprise! Goddo was soon shopping for a new deal, and this album lapsed out of print for years before being reissued on CD in 2000 on Canadian label Bullseye.
Originally from Lawrence, Kansas, the Serfs were a soul-rock band who occasionally branched out into jazz and blues The 1969 album "The Early Bird Cafe" by the seven musicians band The Serfs, a.k.a. 'Mike Finnigan And The Serfs,' is their only work. The album features a fantastic blend of Soul, Funk, Psychedelic Rock, and Soul-Jazz in its ten tracks.
A native of Ohio, Finnigan attended the University of Kansas on a basketball scholarship. He started to perform professionally when he was 19, relocating to Wichita to perform with The Serfs, which started as a house band at a local nightclub. In 1969, he joined the Serfs in recording their only album, 1969’s “Early Bird Cafe” and toured with the group.
During a trip to New York City, Finnigan landed a gig as a session music with Jimi Hendrix as he was in the studio recording the legendary album “Electric Ladyland.” In 1972, Finnigan partnered with Jerry Wood to form Finnigan and Wood, releasing just one album “Crazed Hipsters.”
Finnigan’s other collaborations in the 1970s included performances with Dave Mason, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and Peter Frampton, as well as Jim Kreuger and Les Dudek, with whom he formed the band Dudek, Finnigan, and Krueger.,later partnered with Dudek and singer Cher to form the band Black Rose, which performed around Los Angeles as an independent act before signing with Casablanca Records.
They released only one album, the eponymously named Black Rose, which also featured Gary Ferguson, Warren Ham, Rocket Ritchotte and Trey Thompson. However, the album gained little traction with fans and the group parted ways the following year.
Through the 1980s, Finnigan was a much sought-after musician, recording on multiple albums with Crosby, Stills & Nash, including “American Dream,” and “After The Storm,” as well as with artists such as Joe Cocker (Hymn for my Soul). He also provided keyboards for the legendary blues and soul singer Etta James for more than two decades.
More recently, he recorded with Tracy Chapman, Joe Cocker, Buddy Guy, Tower of Power, Rod Stewart, Leonard Cohen, Keb ‘Mo, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Burdon, Kara Grainger, and the Zen Blues Quartet, among others. His performances with Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band earned him not one but two Blues Music Award (formerly W.C. Handy Award) and he was nominated twice more in the ‘Pinetop Perkins Piano Player’ category in 2013 and 2014. Mike Finnigan passed away at the age of 76 on August 2021.
Tracks
1. Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) - 6:30
2. Early Bird Cafe - 4:00
3. Little Man - 3:28
4. Evil Days - 4:45
5. You've Been Talking 'Bout Me Baby - 3:40
6. I'm A Man (Ellas McDaniel) - 6:02
7. Leda - 1:51
8. All Blues (Miles Davis) - 8:09
9. Time's Caught Up With You - 2:36
10.Prologue: Mechanical Man - 5:32
Music and Lyrics by Lane Tietgen and The Serfs except where indicated
A little-known unit from Detroit's late-Sixties rock and roll heyday, the Stuart Avery Assemblage was led by vocalist Avery and also included guitarist Paul Kingery, bassist Wally Stahl, keyboardist Robyn Robbins and drummer Spencer Hirsch. Although the group gained some local renown, appearing live at the famed Grande Ballroom, they apparently left behind one studio recording; other details of their existence remain scarce, although Robbins later went on to join Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band.
The legendary guitarist for Mitch Ryder, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and session man for Aerosmith, among others, creates a monumental solo disc with Kiss/Pink Floyd wizard Bob Ezrin and co-producer Brian Christian. Opening with a deluxe instrumental version of the Byrds' "Eight Miles High," for fans of '70s rock, this collection contains many revelations. "Eldorado Street" is a variation on Steve Hunter's magnificent composition simply titled "Intro" that was the opening number at Lou Reed shows starting on September 1, 1973, when the "Rock & Roll Animal Band" took stage at Lenox, MA, for the first time. The intro mutated during the tour and may have even inspired John Cougar Mellancamp's song "I Need a Lover." Reed reportedly had a band called L.A. & the Eldorados, so perhaps the title is a tip of the hat to Hunter's former lead singer.
The traditional tune "Goin' Down" is arranged by Hunter and includes his first vocal on the disc. It's a country-style folk tune reminiscent of Robert Johnson. A progressive instrumental entitled "Rubberman" sounds like the Edgar Winter Group on the verge of taking on Average White Band, anathema to Hunter's fans, but his guitars save the day and keep it from falling into the funk zone. "Of All Times to Leave" is pretty, a simple excursion into the mood set by the album cover, seagulls and seashore. An absolute gem here is a totally brilliant instrumental version of the Beach Boys' classic "Sail on Sailor." This take is innovative, creative, with background vocals coming out of nowhere.
It is a treat and seems to set up the "theme side" of the Swept Away album -- the magic of water. A well-produced title track (also instrumental) seems to be the second of a four part suite -- its melodies blending into the "Sea Sonata" -- a tour de force with guitars, a subdued but effective vocal, and classic Bob Ezrin production. "Deep Blue" concludes the album, with bending guitars, almost Hawaiian -- and conjuring up imagery from George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album. Though Harrison has a song of the same name, this is a Hunter original. A textbook for musicians who should be studying the work of this great session man, and a treasure chest for fans of Reed, Cooper, Ryder, and '70s guitar sounds.
by Joe Viglione
Tracks
1. Eight Miles High (Gene Clark, James McGuinn, David Crosby) - 5:00
2. Eldorado Street - 5:01
3. Goin' Down (Traditional, Don Nix) - 2:37
4. Rubber Man - 2:54
5. Of All The Times To Leave - 1:45
6. Jasper St. Viaduct Gitar Rag - 1:47
7. Sail On Sailor (Jack Riely, Van Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson) - 4:27
Under Open Skies is a very strong album by the Island recording artist who left Spooky Tooth and joined Mott the Hoople after that group left Island for CBS. "Ride On" begins the festivities with Grosvenor playing both bass and lead guitar; Spooky Tooth's Mick Kellie provides the drums; John Hawken is on piano; and harmonies are by Jim Capaldi of Traffic and the man Luther Grosvenor replaced in Mott the Hoople, Mick Ralphs.
Here is the oddity of Under Open Skies, where Verden Allen's "Soft Ground" really disrupted the flow of the All the Young Dudes album, a tune like "Here Comes the Queen" would have been dynamite for Ian Hunter and the boys. (After writing this review, Justin Purington of the Mott the Hoople website, Justabuzz.com, noted they did perform the song live in 1974, and that it rocked.) While that band was being over-extended was the time to lean heavily on Grosvenor. He came off like a hired gun rather than Mick Ralphs' true replacement, and this highly creative work shows just what he could have truly brought to the Mott table if he was given the chance. "When I Met You" has the Move's Trevor Burton on bass, inspired guitar playing by Grosvenor, and a vocal by the artist leaning toward Steve Winwood. The title track is just amazing,
Trevor Burton and Mick Kellie making up two-thirds of the three- piece band which pulls of this brilliant Githa Grosvenor/Luther Grosvenor pre-Ariel Bender composition. That the reconstituted Mott or British Lions failed to pick up on this individual to continue their work is just a shame. They went in a failed heavy metal direction while the possible key to their success was in this spirited and very complete work. The title track is mystical and amazing, while the inside cover has a tremendous photo of Grosvenor dressed up like Ozzy Osbourne in white cape, immersed by beautiful green trees, and a small pig to the far left. With Jim Capaldi's Oh, How We Danced and John "Rabbit" Bundrick's Broken Arrow, Under Open Skies by Luther Grosvenor is part of a unique trilogy of discs on Island records by sidemen who crafted records more complete than some of the discs by the groups they played in -- Traffic, Free, and Spooky Tooth -- respectively.
Musicians overlap on all three of these recordings. Nice, touching liner notes by Jim Capaldi are included as well. "Waiting" would have been a nice moment for Spooky Tooth, while "Rocket" recalls Denny Laine's "Say You Don't Mind." If Grosvenor submitted this as a term paper, the teacher would have to give it an A+.
by Joe Viglione
Tracks
1. Ride On - 6:27
2. Here Comes the Queen (Luther Grosvenor, Githa Grosvenor) - 3:48
3. When I Met You - 5:17
4. Love This Way (Luther Grosvenor, Githa Grosvenor) - 3:20
5. Waiting - 4:12
6. Rocket - 4:35
7. Under Open Skies (Luther Grosvenor, Githa Grosvenor) - 5:40
Quincy Conserve decided to break up before the release of group’s most consistent album "Epitaph" (1971), which featured Hayman, Mason, Orams, Rehu and McCormick from Mk1 with the addition of drummer Richard Burgess (who would later, improbably, move to England and work with New Romantic groups Visage and Spandau Ballet) and trumpeter Barry Browne-Sharpe. Sadly, the album’s hugely enjoyable blend of jazzy funk (and brilliant tracks like ‘Aire Of Good Feeling’ and ‘Alright In The City’)
Hayman quickly changed his mind on the band’s demise, and reformed the group in 1972, and in 1973 the rock oriented Tasteful album was released. An attempt to capture the group live in the studio. "Tasteful" is a very smart clean album with the bonus 7".
Tracks
1. Volcano (Robbie Robertson) - 2:35
2. Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield) - 4:00
3. First (David Pomeranz) - 3:15
4. Keep On Pushing (Revised Version) (Dave "Smokey" Smelko, Mike "The Frist" Geraci, Tony Corrao) - 3:11
5. Live Today (G.Foster) - 4:00
6. Keep On Playing That Rock And Roll (Edgar Winter, Jerry La Croix) - 3:46
7. My Brother Jake (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers) - 2:52
8. Lulu Belle (Gary Coleman) - 3:03
9. I Saw The Light (Todd Rundgren) - 2:58
10. Lazy Kind Of Day (Dave "Smokey" Smelko, George Sopuch, Rastus) - 3:25
11. Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Domenic Troiano, Roy Kenner) - 2:50
12. Slut (Todd Rundgren) - 4:15
13. All Right In The City (Donald Lewis Dunn, Tony McCashen) - 2:42
14. Ride The Rain (Bruno Lawrence) - 2:56
15. Aire Of Good Feeling (Jim Peterik) - 4:17
The Quincy Conserve
*Malcolm Hayman - Vocals, Percussion
*Kevin Furey - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Tom Swainson - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
*Graeme Thompson - Bass, Vocals (Tracks 1,7)
*Rufus Rehu - Electric Piano, Hammond Organ, Piano
Ely's second-ever album, released in 1978, “Honky Tonk Masquerade”. What a superb album this is and it shows exactly why Ely is such a giant of the Texas scene. Dallas Morning News writer, Mario Tarradell, once noted that “There’s no mistaking a Joe Ely album. His stinging, road-hued voice commands lyrics about life, love and the wandering spirit. When you listen to his music, you’re enjoying the essence of Joe Ely. That’s the essence of Texas music.” I can’t sum it up any better than that. Ely’s music is all about his home state and that comes through loud and clear on this album.
Many artists struggle with their second album because they’ve used all their good material on their debut recording, and Ely’s eponymously titled debut had been critically acclaimed and well-received by all, so many critics were braced for a dip in quality with this second album; Ely confounded all the critics and delivered a second album even stronger than the first and, when you listen to it, it’s not hard to see why it was so well received. It has Ely’s trademark musical muscularity, with his voice well to the fore and backed by a really solid band, honed from their long time on the road. It’s got that Texas sound he does so well, a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, a touch of Tejano flavouring and a lot of attitude. It’s got five Ely original songs, including the great title track and his infectious piano boogie, ‘Fingernails’, it’s got three top-drawer Butch Hancock tracks, and after Butch himself, nobody does his songs as well as Ely. There’s one song from his other Flatlanders bandmate, Jimmie Dale Gilmour, and an excellent cover of Hank Williams’ ‘Honky Tonkin”. Then, on top of all that, you’ve got the great Lloyd Maines on pedal steel and all over everything, plus Tex-Mex accordion wizard, Ponty Bone, who plays superbly throughout.
While I originally thought of featuring one of Ely’s live recordings in this article, “Honky Tonk Masquerade” reminds you why Ely and his band are so good live. They were touring solidly at the time they made this so came into the studio totally focused on their playing and many of the tracks on the album were recorded in a single take. You can hear how tight they are as a band on this recording. It’s simply one of the great country-rock recordings of the 70s and an album to die for.
In Rolling Stone magazine, Steve Pond made it number 40 on the list of their “50 Essential Albums of the 70s” and it’s also included in Robert Dimery’s excellent 2005 book, ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’. Joe Ely has made 19 studio albums and has released a further 6 live recordings. Many of them are great records, but none of them is better than “Honky Tonk Masquerade”. A true ‘Classic Americana Album’.
by Rick Bayles, July 6, 2022
Tracks
1. Cornbread Moon - 3:29
2. Because of the Wind - 4:02
3. Boxcars (Butch Hancock) - 4:03
4. Jericho (Your Walls Must Come Tumbling Down) (Butch Hancock) - 2:54
5. Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown (Jimmie Dale Gilmore, John Reed) - 2:12
6. Honky Tonk Masquerade - 3:46
7. I'll Be Your Fool - 2:52
8. Fingernails - 2:13
9. West Texas Waltz (Butch Hancock) - 5:03
10.Honky Tonkin' (Hank Williams) - 3:27
Music and Lyrics by Joe Ely unless as else written
Personnel
*Joe Ely - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Lloyd Maines - Steel Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Steve Keeton - Drums
*Gregg Wright - Bass, Backing Vocals
*Ponty Bone - Accordion, Piano
*Jesse Taylor - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Chip Young - Acoustic, Electric Guitar
*John Goldthwaite - Electric Guitar
*Shane Keister - Moog Synthesizer, Acoustic Piano
*Farrell Morris - Percussion
*Lea Jane Berinati, Ginger Holloday, Lisa Silver - Backing Vocals
