Robert Hunter's work as a solo artist with a deluxe reissue of his 1974 debut, Tales of the Great Rum Runners. While Hunter is widely revered as the primary lyricist for the Grateful Dead, this series will explore the depth of his solo work, offering a renewed appreciation for his exceptional artistry.
Originally released in spring 1974, Tales Of The Great Rum Runners marked the inaugural release on Round Records, an offshoot of the newly formed Grateful Dead Records. Among its 13 tracks were several destined to become staples of Hunter's live repertoire, like “Boys In The Barroom,” “Rum Runners,” and “It Must Have Been The Roses.”
Recorded at Mickey Hart's converted barn studio in Novato, California, the album reveals Hunter's multifaceted talents and features him singing and playing various instruments, including guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes on “Children's Lament.” He was accompanied by a revolving cast of Bay Area musicians on the album, including Jerry Garcia, Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux, and Mickey Hart of the Dead, as well as guitarist Barry Melton (Country Joe & The Fish), bassist David Freiberg (Quicksilver Messenger Service/Jefferson Starship), and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Cage (New Riders Of The Purple Sage).
Tales Of The Great Rum Runners (Deluxe Edition) comes with 16 previously unreleased bonus tracks, offering new insight into the album's evolution. Among these are alternate versions of six songs that made the album (“Keys To The Rain” and “It Must Have Been The Roses”), plus ten gems that did not (“The Word,” “Buck Dancer's Choice,” and “Elijah.”)
Tracks
Disc 1 (Original album 1974)
1. Lady Simplicity - 0:21
2. That Train - 4:37
3. Dry Dusty Road - 2:20
4. I Heard You Singing (David Freiberg, Robert Hunter) - 3:38
More than their two previous albums (also available as CD reissues on Collectors' Choice Music), Shredder captured some of the freewheeling energy of the Wackers, a band that flew in the face of early-'70s trends by taking their inspiration from the concise pop-rock of the British Invasion era. Ironically, however, it wasn't even intended to be a Wackers album when it was first conceived. Perhaps even more ironically, a subsequent attempt to capture the actual Wackers live sound on LP came to naught, helping lead to the demise of the band in 1973.
Although the Wackers had formed in Northern California, they moved to Montreal after recording most of their second album, 1972's Hot Wacks, in the city, returning to play an enthusiastically received two-month residency at the Mustache club. Shredder started out not as a Wackers album, but as a side project for Bob Segarini and Randy Bishop, who had done much of the writing and singing on the first two Wackers LPs. Calling themselves the Incredible Duck Brothers, they were joined in the recording by Wackers bassist-guitarist Bill "Kootch" Trochim. Segarini had studio time at Wally Heider's Studio in San Francisco, he explains, "and we went in and did some little acoustic things. There were three or four songs we did, sort of mellow stuff. Everybody was enjoying this." After getting a go-ahead from Elektra president and founder Jac Holzman to do a full album, he continues, "I said, 'I want to go back to Montreal and finish this.' At the end, Elektra was so knocked out by the songs they flew [Wackers drummer] Ernie [Earnshaw] up, and we finished the album as the Wackers. So, so much for the Duck Brothers. But that's why it really leans back to the acoustic days, 'cause that's how it started out."
Producing the album was Mark Abramson, who'd been working on Elektra sessions since its days as a primarily folk label in the late 1950s. "Mark was the sweetest guy I think I ever worked with," says Segarini. "He was also Judy Collins's producer, and this is when we really went into the sort of acoustic thing. Half the drums on that album are played by me on a snare drum with a hole in it, a sheet of paper on a phone book on a barstool with a wire brush, and one cymbal." There was also a change in personnel within the band, as founder-member and fellow singer-guitarist-songwriter Michael Stull "left to be a technician and get into Da Blues," Segarini told Gary Sperrazza and Lester Bangs for a Wackers feature in Shakin' St. Gazette. "I got him to play Rickenbacker 12-string funky leads and he hated to play them; he thought it restricted his blues playing and fast licks.
But I give a big fat fuck about fast licks. Gimme a Badfinger solo anytime as opposed to a Mahavishnu solo. I find that redundant and boring at the same time." J.P. Lauzon took Stull's place on the album, with Jerry Mercer helping out on drums; Mercer had been in the Montreal band Mashmakhan (who had a Top Forty hit in the US in 1970 with "As the Years Go By"), and would later join the popular Canadian group April Wine.
The loose nature of the project spilled over to the sessions themselves, which were graced by some very famous guests who didn't make it onto the album credits. "We were there for about six weeks, and Monty Python was doing their first North American tour," remembers Segarini. "They were in town for like two weeks. Because we were a big deal in Montreal at the time, they showed up in the studio one night -- John Cleese, Eric Idle, Neil Innes [the ex-Bonzo Dog Band member who toured as part of the Python's stage show], and Michael Palin. Cleese came by a few times, he was always really fun. But Eric was there all the time. And because they're hanging out, everybody starts hanging out. Frank Marino from Mahogany Rush, whose first album I produced. Brian Greenway from Mashmakhan, who I eventually formed a band with; he's been in April Wine for the last 25 years. Frankie Hart, a singer in a well-known local band, sang the backup vocals on a couple of tunes.
"All the sessions was just a long party. I mean, what are you going to do with Eric Idle and John Cleese sitting in a room, cracking jokes? And the same thing with all the other musicians coming by. 'Cause, you know, the booze was flowing, the drugs were flowing. It was a very relaxed time. We were sort of at our peak, confidence-wise. We could have rented a real set of drums for the record, but we never bothered. Even when Jerry's there, he's playing on a stupid piece of shit drum kit."
The album did yield, at long last, a hit for the Wackers in "Day and Night," though it would be a much bigger hit north of the border than in their native country, getting only to #65 in the US. According to Segarini, the single "was huge in Canada, and broke into Billboard in the States thanks to CKLW [which broadcast into Detroit from just across the border in Windsor, Ontario] in the Midwest; a program director named Rosalie Trombley broke that record in the States. Because we didn't have representation down there and we were up here, we never pushed that record into the Top Fifty. But it was a great song. 'Day and Night' is credited to Bishop-Segarini; Randy came up with the guitar riff, but I wrote the song." Adds Bob, "The track for that was cut at Wally Heider's, during the Duck Brothers sessions. I don't even know if there's a set of drums on that track. I'm playing the packing crates that the instruments came in, and tambourine, shakers, maracas. That was just stuff we did without a click track at Wally's, with two acoustic guitars. Then we had Jack Schaeffer come in and do the 'Mr. Wacker Bilk,' brought him back for the horns in it. I always thought the coolest thing about 'Day and Night' was the fact it has a clarinet solo at the end of it." Asked if he has some other favorites on the album, Bob adds, "I love 'I'll Believe in You.' I think [it] is a tremendous piece of music. It's a little simple sort of throwback to 1965. It sounds like John Lennon and David Bowie doing a duet on an old Beatle record."
While Segarini enjoyed "the laissez-faire sort of campfire goofing around" vibe of the sessions, he wasn't sure it was right to use "Buck Duckdog Memorial Jam" on the final LP. "Mark insisted on putting 'Buck Duckdog' on there, which was just literally a jam, goofing around. Then I went and put words in places. It was just us playing in the studio, and he really liked it. I've always thought it was kind of a misstep that that was even on it. We had three or four [other] tunes in the can; they were great Wackers songs."
After its release, Shredder got some positive feedback in Rolling Stone, where reviewer Ben Edmonds observed, "With rock'n'roll commanding so much of the action on Shredder ('Hey Lawdy Lawdy,' 'It's My Life'), even their acoustic material packs a punch, and may in fact provide the album's most enjoyable moments. These are rock'n'roll ballads, not whimperings from some Marin County sickbed...On 'Last Dance' you can almost envision Ray Davies and David Bowie in starchy prom tuxedos, waltzing across the floor for the final time. Randy Bishop's vocal is overly affected, but works perfectly in context. The song is a caricature, its features consciously distorted for emphasis and effect. At the heart of the Wacker ethic is an unmovable commitment to fun, even should it take the form of mild self-parody."
But Shredder, like their previous two albums, failed to make the charts. As Segarini tells it, "After that, we wanted to do the album we always wanted to do. We wanted to rock harder, three-part harmony, kick some ass. And we went in with Mark to do an album called Wack and Roll." A press release from June 1973 disclosed that five tracks for the projected LP had already been recorded live in Westport, Connecticut, and that students from high schools in the Montreal area had been invited to take part in the cover photo, the tentative concept being a picture in which the Wackers would be "surrounded by hundreds of teenagers in a school playground." According to another press release from May of the same year, the album would have included live-in-Westport versions of "Queenie," "I Started to Rock," and "Teenage Love," and was scheduled to come out in July 1973. Mark Abramson was quoted in that press release hailing the live material as "some of the finest pieces of recording I have ever heard." And Bob Segarini told Shakin' St. Gazette, "When we originally came up here to do Wack and Roll, we had already recorded the demo right after Hot Wacks, consisting of 'Rock and Roll Circus,' 'Teenage Love,' 'She Loves You,' Randy's 'Old Mr. Hard Times' -- all uptempo, rock'n'roll songs. And we played them for Elektra promotion head John Davis, who was jumping up and down shouting 'I've finally got a rock'n'roll band.'"
For all the effort and planning, however, as Bob sadly recounts, "Elektra rejected the record. They rejected the monitor mixes; it never even got mixed. We finished the album just as Jac [Holzman] left, sold Elektra, and we were running out of steam. So the Wackers broke up. You can find a cassette of the Wack and Roll album from collectors now for $700-$1000." Segarini and Trochim did do one additional Wackers single with three new members for Canadian Polydor, but soon they had formed a new band, All the Young Dudes, who put out an album for CBS. Now based in Toronto, Segarini's kept busy performing, recording, and producing with various bands over the last three decades, as well as working as a radio DJ, TV producer, actor, and voiceover artist. Randy Bishop went on to a solo career and is now based in Nashville, enjoying success as the co-writer of Toby Keith's huge 2001 country hit "My List."
"I think our timing was five years too early, or five years too late," Segarini remarks when asked why the Wackers never made a big commercial splash, despite gaining fans among some of the day's leading rock critics, and despite making music with a very commercial pop-rock approach. "I think the Wackers albums are full of hits. But it's really not important. It wasn't even important at the time. I don't remember ever hearing anybody say, we don't have a #1 record, so we suck. We were always working, we always saw full houses, we always were in the studio, pretty much. It felt good to us. Had Elektra understood what the Wackers were, I think we would have broken ten times bigger than the Raspberries ever did. But they didn't."
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Day And Night - 3:04
2. Hey Lawdy Lawdy - 3:48
3. I'll Believe In You - 3:13
4. Put Myself To Sleep - 2:20
5. Eventually, Even You Even Me - 3:35
6. Coming Apart - 3:58
7. It's My Life - 3:32
8. Beach Song - 2:43
9. Buck Duckdog Memorial Jam - 10:13
.a. Our Ship's Comin' In (William "Kootch" Trochim, Jean-Pierre Lauzon, Bob Segarini, Randy Bishop)
.b. My Old Lady (William "Kootch" Trochim, Jean-Pierre Lauzon, Bob Segarini, Randy Bishop)
.c. You Really Got Me (Ray Davies)
10.Last Dance - 3:34
All songs written by Jean-Pierre Lauzon, Bob Segarini, Randy Bishop except where noted
Ah, The Mighty Man band. Without them the history of Welsh rock music would be a lot poorer if only for the sheer number of albums that the various band members through the ages have been involved in. It would also be a difficult task to draw a timeline for the group as the frequent comings and goings and offshoots would leave the brain spinning, much as the music of the group in their heyday was wont to do. And it is with the band at the peak of their powers of creativity that these first three re-releases are concerned with. The beginning of the 1970s saw Man living in Germany where their first two albums, released by Pye Records, had sold well compared with the poor sales in the UK. In Germany the band attracted regular audience of around 2,000 paying punters, compared with a handful of curious people in their home nation. So financially it made good sense for the bad to up sticks, particularly as their royalty rate for what albums they did sell was practically non-existent.
In early 1972 a lot had changed in the Man camp. Firstly they had played a concert in Berlin bottom of the bill to Soft Machine, Yes and Family and managed to upstage the cream of the high profile British acts. This was duly reported in the music press giving the band some much needed exposure in their homelands. Then keyboard player Clive John left the band meaning the band had to rely more on the twin guitar approach and finally they were included in the line-up for The Greasy Truckers Party along with fellow United Artists acts Brinsley Schwartz and Hawkwind. The resulting live album sold out of its initial run almost immediately and increased the profile of the band immeasurably. The success of The Greasy Truckers album prompted the band's label to suggest that Man recorded their own live album and came up with the idea that is should be limited to 8000 copies and released at mid price.
Recorded on their home soil in Penarth, the resulting album hit number one in the mid price chart and prompted speculation that Man were the 'next big thing'. Originally the album was three tracks, Many Are Called... and Daughter Of The Fireplace on side one and the H Samuel jam on side two. The latter two tracks are rather obscure in live format as Daughter Of The Fireplace was not kept in the set for long and the Jam is quite a chaotic and loose amalgam of odd bits and pieces including fragments of Alchemy and Would The Christians Wait Five Minutes? The Lions Are Having A Draw. Although the three track album is not the best representation of Man live, the reissued album, featuring the whole set, makes up for the limitations of the original album with an extra 52 minutes of first rate live Man. Spunk Rock and Angel Easy are both storming versions and probably better performance wise than on The Greasy Truckers album (hence the reason they were left off the original vinyl release). Romain also rocks solidly being altogether more focused on the guitar interplay now that there were no keyboards included.
by Mark Hughes
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Spunk Rock (Clive John, Micky Jones) - 24:49
2. Many Are Called, But Few Get Up (Clive John, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Michael Jones, Terry Williams) - 10:42
3. Angel Easy (Martin Ace, Clive John, Michael Jones, Deke Leonard, Terry Williams) - 5:16
Disc 2
1. H. Samuel (Jam) (Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Michael Jones, Terry Williams) - 19:27
2. Romain (Martin Ace, Clive John, Michael Jones, Deke Leonard, Terry Williams) - 20:36
3. Daughter Of The Fireplace (Deke Leonard) - 7:57
Recorded Live at the Padget Rooms, Penarth on 8th April 1972.
Prog was, and continues to be, a worldwide musical force. We think about bands from the UK, Holland, Germany, Italy – even Argentina but there was a burgeoning Prog scene as far away as Denmark and Ache were one of the prime exponents of the form over there.
The line up of the Olafsson brothers (Torsten, Bass & Finn, guitar) along with Peter Mellin on keys and Glen Fisher on drums created, as Proggists tend to do, the world’s first Rock Ballet in ‘De Homine Urbano’ (About Urban Man) and if you strip away the pretentiousness of that concept the album is a real cracker. Mellin’s Hammond work is superb and Finn Olafsson demonstrates real dexterity in his guitar playing. – a lovely fluid sound full of soul and miles away from the Blues riffery of many of his contemporaries.
The vocals are fine, albeit a bit of an afterthought but it is the orchestral feel to the rock music that makes the band – they claim The Nice as influences and you can definitely hear that band’s sound signatures here although there is also the feel of The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown and some of the darkness of Atomic Rooster in the music.
The debut album consists of two tracks, each an album side in length but you do not feel that they are stretching to try and fill it out – the length of the songs is justified.
‘Green Man’ is – to quote Torsten Olafssson – “Ache Rock Theatre – a dramatical art form based upon the coordination of heavy rock music, psychedelic light, dancing and acting” and it most definitely has the feel of a stage inspired series of tracks – be nice to see a DVD of the whole show at some time – and has moved into a heavier and more dramatic place. The music is more powerful and you really can sense the development of the band as musicians although there is a little less of the sweet naivety of the first album.
These guys were – and are – musicians of real quality and they produced two albums that are never less than interesting. Of the two I would probably go for ‘De Homine Urbano’ but they both have a place on my decks.
by Andy Snipper, 02 December 2012
Ache, a Danish band formed in 1968 that recorded two progressive rock albums in the seventies. Denmark isn't a well-known country as far as progressive rock is concerned. They first releases were "De Homine Urbano" (1970) and "Green Man" (1971). At the time, the band's line-up consisted of Torsten Olafsson (bass, vocals), Finn Olafsson (guitar, vocals), Peter Mellin (organ, piano) and Glen Fisher (drums, percussion). Ache first came to the attention of the public in Denmark with their debut De Homine Urbano, meaning 'about urban man'. This piece of music was the first rock ballet ever, performed in 1969 by the Royal Danish Ballet Company in Copenhagen. The original vinyl album contained two pieces of music, on each side one. The A-side featured the title track divided into ten parts. The track on the B-side was called Little Things. Both pieces contain approximately nineteen minutes of music mostly inspired by bands as The Nice and Iron Butterfly. I guess that Dutch band Ekseption could have been an inspiration as well. I even heard touches of The Zombies with Rod Argent behind the Hammond.
The music they composed was mainly based on Peter Mellin's powerful Hammond organ sound and the fluent guitar playing of Finn Olafsson. He both played the electric and the acoustic guitars. The two pieces on De Homine Urbano mainly contain large instrumental parts on which both musicians could show off. However, the band also used their vocal capabilities rather well. The voices of the Olafsson brothers are both worthwhile listening to. The band also had the talent to write good songs for the album features rather melodic compositions.
This also applies to their second album Green Man released in June 1971. It continued the musical style of their debut. The album contains seven shorter compositions including the Lennon-McCartney song We Can Work It Out. They covered this song a bit like Deep Purple did on The Book Of Taliesyn (1968). This version has more organ parts than the original one. The other tracks are more song orientated than the material on their first offering, but again, as I said before, all worthwhile listening to.
by Henri Strik
Tracks
1. De Homine Urbano (Torsten Olafsson, Peter Mellin arr. Ache) - 18:44
a) Overture
b) Soldier Theme
c) Ballerina Theme
d) Pas de Deux
e) Ogre Theme
f) Awakening
g) The Dance Of The Demons
h) Pas de Trojs
i) The Last Attempt
j) Finale
2. Little Things (Torsten Olafsson, Peter Metlin arr. Ache) - 19:11
3. Equatorial Rain (Torsten Olafsson) - 7:03
4. Sweet Jolly Joyce (Finn Olafsson) - 3:50
5. The Invasion - 6:01
a) Faniatonade (Peter Mellin)
b) Invasion (Torsten Olafsson)
c) Monologue (Torsten Olafsson)
d) Break Down (Glen Fischer)
6. Shadow Of A Gipsy (Peter Mellin) - 4:40
7. Green Man (Torsten Olafsson, Finn Olafsson) - 4:41
8. Acheron (Peter Mellin) - 4:49
9. We Can Work It Out/Workin' (John Lennon, Paul McCartney arr.Ache) - 8:42
While not exactly a commercial success in their heyday, cult hard rock band Montrose has been hugely influential on a number of artists; their debut album from 1973 took thirteen years to go platinum and in the interim, it seems they have been all but forgotten again. The people at Audio Fidelity Discs are doing their best to rectify that situation as they have given the svelte gold disc treatment to this somewhat neglected classic.
Listening to the album today, I come away amazed that it didn't sell like a typical outing from AC/DC, Kiss or Aerosmith. As cheerfully brainless as any of those bands, but just as much fun, Montrose deserved stadium rock band status. From the first note to the last, the music is as punch drunk energetic as a high school keg party.
"Rock the Nation", "Bad Motor Scooter", "Good Rockin' Tonight" and "One Thing on My Mind" are rock and roll simplicity personified, very American, very loud and brutish. You can't listen to these songs without wanting to crank the volume! "Space Station #5" is a bona fide classic, Ronnie Montrose's spacey introductory guitar effects giving way to the best song Led Zeppelin never wrote. "Rock Candy" is arguably Sammy Hagar's crowning achievement, delivering lyrics such as "'Cos you're rock candy baby/You're hot, sweet and sticky" with just the kind of swagger they deserve. Denny Carmassi's drums cut through this track with unbelievable groove and power.
While Van Halen certainly deserve credit for creating a number of exciting albums, there are several eerie coincidences served up just five years later on that band's legendary debut: Van Halen recruited Montrose's producer, engineer and many elements of the Montrose sound (not to mention their singer in later years!), albeit with far more emphasis on the histrionics and took that formula all the way to the bank.
Audio Fidelity's recent remaster is an absolute must for Montrose fans. It's a vast improvement over the more readily available CD version on Warner Brothers. No, you don't get bonus tracks or fancy packaging. Yes, you'll have to pay a little more for the gold disc. So scoop one up fast before you have to pay top dollar on Ebay for these collectible limited editions.
by Steve Pettengill, February 12th 2006
The 2017 Deluxe edition with remastered sound, includes liner notes and a bonus disc made up of demos and a live radio recording made before the band even had a name. It was taped in April of 1973 for radio station KSAN when the group were last minute fill-ins for Van Morrison. They rip through a ten song set of originals and covers, with Ronnie Montrose sounding like a beast on guitar. Also on the disc are six demos cut in 1973, with a speeded up early version of "Rock Candy" and one song, "Shoot Us Down," that didn't make the final cut. These extras help make a classic album even more of one.
by Eduardo Rivadavia
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Rock The Nation (Ronnie Montrose) - 3:03
2. Bad Motor Scooter (Sammy Hagar) - 3:43
3. Space Station #5 (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 5:17
4. I Don't Want It (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 2:59
5. Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown) - 2:59
6. Rock Candy (Denny Carmassi, Bill Church, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 5:05
7. One Thing On My Mind (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose, J. Sanchez) - 3:41
8. Make It Last (Sammy Hagar) - 5:33
Disc 2
1. One Thing On My Mind (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose, J. Sanchez) - 3:40
2. Shoot Us Down (Ronnie Montrose) - 4:32
3. Rock Candy (Denny Carmassi, Bill Church, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 3:55
4. Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown) - 3:20
5. I Don't Want It (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 3:07
6. Make It Last (Sammy Hagar) - 4:06
7. Intro 0:54
8. Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown) - 3:55
9. Rock Candy (Denny Carmassi, Bill Church, Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 4:46
10.Bad Motor Scooter (Sammy Hagar) - 5:01
11.Shoot Us Down (Ronnie Montrose) - 4:54
12.One Thing On My Mind (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose, J. Sanchez) - 3:27
13.Rock The Nation (Ronnie Montrose) - 4:55
14.Make It Last (Sammy Hagar) - 6:04
15.You're Out Of Time (Ronnie Montrose) - 3:35
16.Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) - 4:53
17.I Don't Want It (Sammy Hagar, Ronnie Montrose) - 3:55
Tracks 1-6 Demo Recordings
Tracks 7-17 KSAN Radio Sessions at Record Plant, Sausalito, CA - April 21, 1973
In 1974 and 1975, Back Jack laid down tracks that, decades later, would finally surface thanks to RidingEasy Records, capturing the raw energy of a band at its creative apex. These recordings, with standouts like ‘She’s Been Down So Long’ and ‘California,’ reveal their knack for blending bluesy grit with progressive rock elements, underpinned by tight, powerful rhythms and soulful, unpolished vocals. While they never cracked into the mainstream, their standout performance at the KSHE Kite Fly Contest—where they played alongside heavyweights like Charlie Daniels and Rush—solidified their status as underground legends in the local rock scene.
Though the group disbanded shortly after, Back Jack’s recordings remain a time capsule of the region’s vibrant rock scene, preserved through reel-to-reel and cassette tapes tracked down over the last 15 years. Today, they are celebrated as a hidden gem of the Midwest, reflecting the rawness and rebellious spirit of rock in the 1970s.
In 1974 Barefoot Jerry moved to Monument label, and to additional lineup replacements (Si Edwards on drums, Dave Doran on bass, Fred Newell on vocals) characterized 1974's Watchin' TV, which featured Moss' friend Charlie McCoy. Barefoot Jerry returned the favor on McCoy's country hits "Boogie Woogie" and "Summit Ridge Drive." The following year, after Barefoot Jerry recorded You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On.
Both are excellent albums. However, being a band made up of jobbing musicians with other commitments, Barefoot Jerry hardly ever played live outside of their Nashville base. This almost certainly, restricted their ability to build a fanbase. Ironic then, that the only footage of them during their peak comes from French TV, when they did for once, venture out to promote their fourth LP ‘You Can’t Get Off With Your Shoes On’. The album was perhaps a bit patchy compared to its predecessors, but nevertheless contains some great music, not least the splendid title track.
Other band members included Terry Dearmore, Kenny Buttrey, Jim Colvard, Dave Doran, Si Edwards, John Harris, Warren Hartman, Russ Hicks, Kenny Malone, Charlie McCoy, and Fred Newell. Wayne Moss was honoured by his home state of West Virginia, being inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in November 2013.
Tracks
1. Watchin' TV (With The Radio On) (Wayne Moss) - 3:38
2. Funny Lookin' Eyes (Bobby Thompson, Wayne Moss) - 3:43
3. Pig Snoots And Nehi Red (Buddy Skipper, Fred Newell) - 3:11
4. Hay Queen (Russ Hicks) - 3:23
5. Two Mile Pike (Buddy Skipper, Russ Hicks) - 4:03
6. Faded Love (Bob Wills, John Wills) - 4:14
7. There Must Be A Better Way (Dave Doran, Wayne Moss) - 3:20
8. If There Were Only Time For Love (Wayne Moss) - 3:47
9. Violets And Daffodils (Bobby Thompson, Wayne Moss) - 2:59
10.Mother Nature's Way Of Saying High (Bobby Thompson, Wayne Moss) - 5:39
11.Ali Baba (I. Dearmore, Terry Dearmore) - 4:22
12.Boogie Woogie (C. "Pine Top" Smith) - 2:31
13.Slowin' Down (Wayne Moss) - 3:43
14.You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On (Wayne Moss) - 2:45
15.West Side Of Mississippi (Russ Hicks, John Wills) - 4:03
16.Measure Of Your Worth (Terry Dearmore, Warren Hartman) - 3:52
17.Lucille (Albert Collins, Richard Penniman) - 3:11
18.Hero Frodo (Russ Hicks, Wayne Manning) - 3:24
19.Sinkin' In The Sea (Warren Hartman) - 4:08
20.Cades Cove (Russ Hicks, Wayne Moss) - 4:42
Tracks 1-10 from "Watchin' TV" 1974
Tracks 11-20 from "You Can't Get Off With Your Shoes On" 1975
Rare Aussie prog Lizard – Bad Companions LP release date on August 1973. Lizard progressive rock band from Sydney Australia. An interesting progressive blues-rock album, with elements of jazz-fusion thrown in for good measure. A couple of standout tracks are “Page Missing From My Book”, appealing blues-based boogie performed in an exploratory manner, and “Rehabilitation Boogie”, one of the finest bluesy jazz fusion tracks ever committed to vinyl by an Aussie combo! Lizard split up in early 1973 after having laid down several tracks at EMI Studios (Sydney) during December 1972. These tracks eventually appeared on the band’s “Rosalyn” b/w “Cecil” single (released 7 June 1973), and “Bad Companions” LP.
Initially, the album was slated to appear as “Starve the Lizards”, but this was replaced by the “Bad Companions” title. Michael (Mick) Tulk had previously played guitar with British freak-beat band The Untamed during the mid-1960s. Greg Hill, Dave Conners and Rob Souter had previously been members of the Sydney-based White Wine, although none of them actually played on the band’s “Overflow” LP (Festival 1970). Mick Tulk and Dave Conners also appeared on Gulliver Smith’s “The Band is Alright But the Singer Is…” LP (Reprise 1973). Dave Conners obviously spent some time in the UK—he also performed on the following LPs: Jade Warrior “Released” (Vertigo 1971) and Graham Parker & The Rumour’s “Howlin’ Wind” (1976). Here’s another little known fact: Rob Souter was drummer for the Dynamic Hepnotics (1980-86). Quite an impressive musical heritage!
Tracks
1. Intro - 0:58
2. Page Missing From My Book (Mick Tulk, Gulliver Smith) - 7:33
3. Tarot Cards - 6:06
4. Rosalyn - 3:25
5. People People - 3:28
6. Cecil - 4:58
7. Rehabilitation Boogie - 6:37
All music by Mick Tulk, John Wheelerm, Greg Hill, Dave Conners, Rob Souter except where stated, Lyrics by Gulliver Smith
I look forward to a time when labels will once again release hard-driving soul albums that play out like one long, campy musical. I guess R. Kelly’s episodic soap opera “Trapped in the Closet Pts. 1-whatever” is sort of in the ballpark, but while Kels offers his own Serge Gainsbourgian lecherousness, Lotti Golden leads us into the bizarre excursions of the late-’60s underground freaks. So fertile was the music scene of that period that an album of restlessly epic roadhouse suites could be released on a major label.
Golden gets help on Motor-Cycle from an impeccably arranged Atlantic Records session band. They give the album a wall-of-sound heft when called for and lay the foundation, in the midst of all that brass, with a flawless, swinging rhythm team. Then, at key moments, the curtain goes up and they’ve got rows of saxes, trumpets, vibes, and churchfuckingbells behind them, and you begin to realize that this is not the same song and dance. Furthermore, everyone is committed never to repeat the same progression for more than, say, 30 seconds, but also knows that at some point the song will return to each segment, just to remind you how great it was the first time around.
So, there’s that, and the emcee for this aberrant cabaret is Lotti Golden, nexus of the intemperate adventure starring a cast of sex fiends, drug addicts, and other proponents of the In The Now school of living. Motor-Cycle is exactly the sort of hazy deviant party you always hoped the late-’60s was. It plays out roughly like this: Lotti’s got a thing for this kid Michael, who “lets me ride his motorcycle.” But Michael’s truth machine was starting to breakdown, so she heads to Fay’s, the meet-up spot for her coterie of malcontents. Anabell’s gonna be there, Silky’s gonna be there, Billy is gonna drop by, Celia’s gonna come by. But for Fay, whose French poodles keep her satisfied, it’s her doctor’s pills that keep her high, and she’s in trouble with the meds.
“Hey man, did you hear what happened to Fay? Yeah, it’s really a drag, what a bring-down. So where do you want to go? Rosie’s? That’s cool. Out of sight man, we’ll dig it!”
And so the whole party up and moves to Rosie’s. No pause for introspection on poor Fay’s demise, no lessons learned, none of that crap; the good times must roll on. That’s kind of the M.O. of Motor-Cycle. If something heavy happens, slow the music down for a second, give a wail, then move on. With a crowd this colorful, there’s always another story to tell. Silky “had to get married quick in her mama’s red dress in a civil courthouse in Georgia.” Her baby was baptized on a Monday, an occasion for Lotti to sip milk from a champagne glass in the rain. Problem is, Silky’s got a thing for drag queens, who have great parties but make shitty fathers. Silky wants a straight man this time, a real butch guy. A bit of soul searching ensues, but not enough to interrupt the groove. Fact is, that groove is so infectious and permeating that you really have to pay attention to pick up on all the freaky storylines. It’s much simpler and just as pleasurable to latch onto that bass-line and horn hook and just ride along.
Motor-Cycle is that rare party record that’s got a bizarre story behind it while still being a freak-show record that you can throw on at dance parties. To make a crude comparison, it’s as if The Velvet Underground recorded for Motown. In short: debauchery with a beat. Dig it.
by Path, May 29, 2008
Tracks
1. Motor-Cycle Michael - 8:14
2. Gonna Fay's - 8:31
3. A Lot Like Lucifer (Celia Said Long Time Loser) - 6:32
4. The Space Queens (Silky Is Sad) - 7:21
5. Who Are Your Friends (Lotti Golden, Bob Crewe) - 5:52
6. Get Together (With Yourself) - 5:36
7. You Can Find Him - 5:13
8. Annabelle With Bells - 4:12
9. Sock It To Me Baby - 3:29
All songs written by Lotti Golden except where stated
Not much is known about Manna. The album was recorded by Robert Paul 'Bobby' Guidotti (drums), Anthony Dean and James Daniel (guitar) and Denny Correll (vocals, RIP 2002). Correll came from the Blues Image. Guidotti was later supporting Chris Thompson. There is little information about the origin of the band Manna, the name could be due to the biblical 'manna (bread)'. On the other hand, the musicians could also have been referring to the 1971 Bread album Manna.
At no point Manna redefine music. But there's something about their idea of (then) contemporary rock music with a certain Southern heft that appeals to me immensely. It rocks in an extremely pleasant way, while at the same time the band rarely loses itself in banalities. On the contrary: Bread may have been an influence, but so were the Allman Brothers, CSNY, McCartney and so on. Many influences, but here they don't spoil the broth.
Tracks
1. Good Old Rock And Roll (Frank Konte, Dennis Correll) - 2:49
2. Tell Me Why (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 3:23
3. Save The Country (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 3:07
4. What Ya Gonna Do (Dennis Correll, Frank Konte) - 3:04
5. We Can Make It (Dennis Correll, Frank Konte) - 3:10
6. Red Man (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 4:52
7. Southern Bound (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 2:42
8. Clap Your Hands (James Daniel, Anthony Dean) - 2:58
9. Hold On (Frank Konte) - 4:48
10.New Day’s Coming (James Daniel, Anthony Dean, Bobby Guidotti) - 4:05
