Placebo's debut LP "Ball of Eyes" is a remarkably focused Soul Jazz record, without the experimentation or Free Jazz moments which were still in vogue during the first half of the '70s. Excellent covers of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" and Sam & Dave's "You Got Me Hummin'" as well as his own compositions make "Ball of Eyes" a perfect example of the genius of Marc Moulin and his incredible band.
Marc Moulin (1942 - 2008) was a Belgian musician and journalist. In the early '70s, he was the leader of the Jazz-Rock group Placebo. Moulin was one of Belgium's jazz legends, making jazz-influenced records for over 30 years. Marc Moulin's three Placebo albums are the 'Holy Grail' for the rare groove crowd, a sector of music fans who love that unique '70s style of cool.
"The first album of Placebo was a real shock in Belgium, and nobody was really prepared for it. All that had come about before was a few proto-prog groups such as Waterloo, Wallace Collection (actually a pop outfit) and a few others. So 1971 saw Arkham (who never released an album per se) and Placebo (Lagger Blues Machine was to follow the year after). Leader Marc Moulin was already a veteran by the time of this album, but this was his first project. The sound on this album oscillates between Bitches Brew and Nucleus's debut on one side and Chicago Transit Authority on the other.
If there are some really superb tracks on this album, it is also somewhat uneven with some rather surprising covers of Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes, but clearly the highlights are the self-penned tracks. From the superb Aria with an infectious groove greatly underlined by Moulin's electric piano, to Planes with its superb semi-free jazz intro and impeccable crescendo, and Humpty Dumpty's haunting slow pace, this album is a slap in the face to most historians not knowing of this group. Showbiz Suite being another highlight, it is clear that Moulin was a bandleader in the jazz style, providing a great platform for the other musicians - the four-man horn section is plenty of frontman - so he stays content of providing the solid base (rarely taking the spotlight to himself at this point), but he is the chief composer and pulls of some real stunts in making his role quite interesting."
by Sean Trane, Jazz Music Archives
Tracks
1. Inner City Blues (James Nyx, Marvin Gaye) - 05:08
2. Planes - 02:56
3. You Got Me Hummin (David Porter, Isaac Hayes) - 06:13
4. Humpty Dumpty - 02:32
5. Aria - 04:57
6. Showbiz Suite - 07:38
7. Ball Of Eyes - 01:58
8. Oh La La - 01:01
All compositions by Marc Moulin except where noted
Part-time farmer/musician Oliver Chaplin is the person behind one of the rarest private pressings from the UK. He self-released ‘Standing Stone’ in 1974 which is now considered a cult album. The album was recorded in early 1974 at a remote farm in Wales, using a portable 4-track Teac reel-to-reel machine.
Helped by his brother Chris Chaplin at the controls (an experienced BBC engineer who had worked on Syd Barrett sessions), surrounded by animals and “small winged creatures,” Oliver sang and played acoustic and electric guitars filtered though tape echo, distortion and multi-tracking, creating a very unique sound, a kind of DIY mutant-psychedelic-blues (think Captain Beefheart) which sounded years ahead of its time. Despite the lo-fi nature of the recording, the sound quality is amazing and timeless.
Only 250 copies of the album were pressed and it even caught the attention of the Virgin label, who were interested in distribution but Oliver finally refused their offer. Musicians like J. J. Cale expressed interest in Oliver’s music, inviting him to a jam session but in the end, Oliver decided he was not interested in the music business and left Wales to travel around Europe.
Fans of ‘Standing Stone’ will be blown away when they hear ‘Stone Unturned,’ a previously unreleased second Oliver album, recorded also in 1974 at the farm and assisted by brother Chris.
Performed by Oliver using a single mic, guitars and various effects devices, this is in the same vein as ‘Standing Stone’ but even more loose and raw. Highly recommended to any acid folk / psych blues fan. Both albums are issued with Master tape sound.
It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine, January 31, 2023
Tracks
1. Clock Tick - 4:31
2. Over There - 4:15
3. Kitty - 2:40
4. Tantalize - 4:34
5. Two Guitars - 1:39
6. That's It Then - 2:59
7. Little Woman - 4:12
8. In a Hurry - 0:22
9. Noise in the Night - 5:41
10.What's Next - 2:03
11.Born Seven Years Old - 3:51
12.Down to the Woods - 2:41
13.Mesmerising Sound - 4:34
All songs by Martin Oliver Chaplin
Personnel
*Martin Oliver Chaplin - Vocals, Acoustic, Electric, Slide Guitars, Hand Percussion, Occasional Recorder, Harmonica
Previously the singer for rock bands Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne, Ferguson had gone the pop route by the time of his second solo album. Recorded in Miami with Joe Walsh guesting on many tracks, he hit a home run with the title track mega-hit. A sun-drenched summer anthem, it would be the biggest song of Ferguson's career and later turn up on '70s compilations. The rest of the album was similar in mood and feel: largely up-tempo late-'70s rock/pop. Most tracks are graced with Walsh's guitar, which keep the songs from falling too largely on the pop side of things. Though not a perfect album, it was less uneven than most of Ferguson's other solo efforts, though it definitely sounds a product of its time. Which can be good or bad, depending on your taste in music.
by Rob Caldwell
Tracks
1. Thunder Island - 4:00
2. Soulin' - 4:07
3. Happy Birthday, Baby - 4:16
4. Losing Control - 3:51
5. Cozumel (Joey Murcia) - 3:14
6. Night Shift - 3:36
7. Babylon - 4:23
8. Love Is Cold - 3:38
9. Happy Too! (Stan Kipper) - 2:32
10.Magic Moment (Jay Ferguson, Bill Szymczyk) - 4:00
Rock Love is the sixth album by the American rock band Steve Miller Band, released in 1971. All of Miller's previous backing band had left following the recording of the previous album, save bassist Bobby Winkelman. They were replaced by members of Winkelman's previous group, the psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch for this record, including Ross Valory (a future member of Journey) on bass, and Jack King on drums. Bobby Winkelman was in the band (having moved back to rhythm guitar) during the live recordings on the album's first side, but is not credited on the album cover. David Denny, who later joined the band in 1976, is a guest guitarist (again, not credited) on "Blues Without Blame." The album consists of three blues-rock tracks recorded live, including the lengthy jam-style "Love Shock" which lasts nearly 12 minutes and includes an extensive drum solo, and four studio tracks.
This is the debut solo effort from ex-Spirit/Jo Jo Gunne vocalist and occasional keyboard player Jay Ferguson. When left to his own devices, Ferguson steps away from the somewhat formulaic hard-rocking boogie of Jo Jo Gunne, developing a more concurrent 1970s California-bred sunshine pop and pre-disco vibe. Who better to corral All Alone in the End Zone (1975) than Jo Jo Gunne's former producer, Bill Szymczyk, who gathered some of the mid-'70s most sought-after session performers -- including Joe Walsh (guitar/backing vocals), Joe Vitale (drums), George "Chocolate" Perry (bass), and Joey Murcia (guitar).
As an ensemble they give the material a lift as well as provide an added bite to Ferguson's originals and the effort's sole cover of Traffic's "Medicated Goo." Both the opener, "Snakes on the Run," and the title track, "All Alone in the End Zone," are personal and seemingly liberating musical statements. The former is an uptempo four-on-the-floor groover that deals with the hassles and runaround inherent in "the biz," while the latter is a midtempo point-of-view rocker that directly refers back to Ferguson's earlier band(s) throughout the song -- most notably in the opening lines "Uncle Jack he said get on back" as well as "But I jumped the Gunne/Tried to run, run, run." "To the Island" contains definite projections of Ferguson's major hit "Thunder Island," from the prominent acoustic guitar to the tricky syncopation that propels the verses into a tropically flavored shuffle.
As he did with the James Gang, Barnstorm, and ultimately the Eagles, Walsh's trademark slide and extended guitar phrasings go a long way in enhancing the strength of the rockers as well as the ballad "Everybody Goes from Here." Although All Alone in the End Zone did not spawn a hit single, it did establish Jay Ferguson away from the name recognition of his previous associations, priming him for the follow-up smash Thunder Island (1978).
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. Snakes On The Run - 3:35
2. Turn It Up - 3:52
3. Medicated Goo (Jimmy Miller, Steve Winwood) - 3:37
4. Madam Doktor - 3:27
5. All Alone In The End Zone (Bill Szymczyk, Jay Ferguson) - 4:58
6. Cinnamon City (Bill Szymczyk, Jay Ferguson) - 5:00
In January 1973, Kevin Borich finally returned to New Zealand, bringing back the new La De Das lineup to headline at Robert Raymond's 54-act Great Ngaruawahia Festival, and they gave a triumphant performance. According to John Dix, the La De Das delivered "...a well-paced set (that) blew Black Sabbath and everything New Zealand had to offer clear off the stage." Their ecstatic reception encouraged them to organise a short major-city concert tour there in May, when they returned with four tons of equipment and made their live mastery evident to all who attended. For the rest of the year, it was a constant round of touring, either as headliners, or sharing the bill with Sherbet (who were now being managed by Roger Davies) or as support to visiting international acts such as Little Richard, Gary Glitter, Three Dog Night, The Guess Who and Lindisfarne. They also provided backing on two tracks for Richard Clapton's debut album Prussian Blue.
On July 8, on the way to a Lindisfarne gig, their truck was involved in a head-on collision on the Hume Highway between Holbrook and Albury. Ronnie Peel and roadie John Brewster (not John Brewster of The Angels) were both hospitalised, although their injuries were not serious. The major casualty was the band's equipment, most of which was destroyed in the crash. Three weeks later the Sunrise agency organised a benefit gig in Sydney at the Green Elephant (the Doncaster Theatre) in Kensington, featuring a top lineup, including the Las De Das, Sherbet, Buffalo, Pirana, Lotus, Home, Country Radio, I'Tambu, Original Battersea Heroes and Hush, which raised almost $2000 for the group.
By mid-year, the band were being hailed as Australia's leading live act and Borich's was widely regarded as our pre-eminent guitar hero. With the new lineup firing on all cylinders, and Chugg back on board as manager, Kevin was impatient to record a new album, but EMI were less than enthusiastic. To pressure them, Borich instructed Michael Chugg to get the band out of their contract. The ploy worked, and EMI reluctantly agreed to a new record in September. But the first sessions at EMI's studios were deemed unsatisfactory by the band and all but two tracks were scrapped. (The two tracks, "She Tell Me What To Do" and "No Law Against Having Fun" later surfaced on the compilation album Legend.)
According to Glenn A. Baker, the main stumbling block was that Kevin couldn't get a guitar sound that was anywhere near his live sound, so Rod Coe again solved the problem by installing a portable 8-track recording rig and JBL monitors in the Green Elephant and recording them there. Kevin swapped his familiar Gibson for a Fender Stratocaster and, as Glenn Baker charmingly puts it " ... the whole album went down like a sinker off a pier, in just two days." Back at EMI, they overdubbed Kevin's piano parts, added some tasty backing vocals by Renee Geyer and Bobby Marchini and horns by Don Reid.
The result was the brilliant Rock'n'Roll Sandwich, which Baker rightly lauds as "one of Australia's finest rock albums, a fiery, cohesive work dominated by the superbly talented Kevin Borich and carried off by the reliable gutsiness of Peel and Barber." Touring around the new LP, released in November 1973, the La De Das enjoyed their most successful period to date, including supports for Elton John and Suzi Quatro on their Australian tours.
The solid gigging continued through 1974 and into 1975, including a well-received appearance at the final Sunbury Festival in January '75. The La De Das' appearance was one of the few high points in this ill-fated event, which was was marred by bad weather and poor attendance. Headliners Deep Purple copped strong criticism for the arrogant and aggressive conduct of their crew, with Purple's roadies provoking a fight with AC-DC and George Young after refusing to allow AC/DC to follow them on stage. There was also a lot of anger over their whopping AU$60,000 fee -- about ten times the going rate for a top-rank Aussie act of the day -- which was magnified by the fact that almost all the local groups went unpaid. Despite these altercations, the La De Das made a positive impression on Deep Purple, and lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore expressed an interest in jamming with them.
West Coast based rock band Sweet Pain, with clear sound, nice vocals, great guitar parts especially on the two long tracks "Joy" and "Start Off With You". Think a cross between Steppenwolf, C.C.R. and C.S.N.& Y, mostly for the vocal harmonies.
Tracks
1. Upside Down, Inside Out Woman (Bob Spalding, Carl Johnson, David Riordan, Frank Demme, J.C. Phillips, Marty Foltz) - 3:39
2. Chain Up The Devil (David Riordan, J.C. Phillips) - 3:29
3. Pine Canyon Stream (Carl Johnson, David Riordan) - 2:15
4. Be Myself (David Riordan, J.C. Phillips) - 3:42
5. Joy (David Riordan, J.C. Phillips) - 8:48
6. Berkeley Lady (David Riordan) - 3:29
7. Start Off With You (David Riordan, J.C. Phillips) - 7:38
8. Richard And Me (Eugene Pistilli, Tommy West) - 4:18
9. Got To Get Your Hands On It (J.C. Phillips, Ray Payne) - 4:05
British sextet released in 1971 their sole album (a live recording) only in Germany and Netherlands. A heavy psych blues rock with jazz and progressive touch, from excellent musicians like Mike Connell on guitar, Allan Spriggs on vocals and Geoff Leigh (form Henry Cow fame) on saxes and flute. A kaleidoscope of emotive vocals and masterful instrumentals, their music paints a vivid tapestry of a bygone era, where innovation meets the raw essence of rock rebellion.
Tracks
1. Intro Talking - Crazy Mabel - 3:20
2. Keep On Rolling - 3:40
3. Driving Song (Ian Anderson) - 3:58
4. Beat Goes On (Sonny Bono) - 6:40
5. Rag And Bone Man - 4:55
6. It´s Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft (Tyger Hutchings, Richard Thompson) - 4:51
7. You´ve Never Had It - 4:39
8. Sleepy Feeling - 4:27
9. Tea Time - 3:57
10.Splitting - 4:48
All compositions by Mick Connell except where noted.
Though African-American and raised in the predominantly Black 105th Superior area of Cleveland, Purple Image played rock -- psychedelic, mind-bending, pass-the-bong, strobe-light, posters-on-the-wall head music.
This obscure album recorded on Map Records has risen to the status of cult because of its scarcity and the musical orientation of Warren Adams (vocals, piano, organ), Kenneth Roberts (vocals, rhythm), William Adams (vocals, conga), Frank Smith (lead guitar), Del Moran (bass), Richard Payne (drums), and lone female Diane Dunlap (vocals); Edward Snodgrass, a non-member, augmented P.I. on sax.
Purple Image wrote everything except the LP's masterpiece, the 15-minute, 24-second rendition of Bob Craig's "Marching to a Different Drummer." As with all six selections, Purple Image sounds better when the volume is cranked. "Drummer" is an energetic, powerful blend of acid rock and fusion; Snodgrass blows a frantic Coltrane-ish sax, and Dunlap wails like she slammed her hand in a door.
"We Got to Pull Together" is an airy, charming, socially significant ballad that urges us to become color-blind, forget the past, and get along. Snodgrass plays a tender horn while a male does a convincing lead wallpapered by some arresting, swooping harmonies. On "Living In the Ghetto," they sing about the woes of poverty; if you like heavy metal, this and "Why" will tickle your fancy. "Lady" features Dunlap and a male on an upbeat rock-blues number.
The back cover pictures P.I. posing under the now-defunct Liberty Theater marquee in mod-type clothing. The front cover features a slim, pretty, Afro-wearing Black woman with three arms holding three globes surrounded by clouds.
by Andrew Hamilton
Tracks
1. Living In The Ghetto - 6:32
2. Why - 4:37
3. Lady - 3:37
4. We Got To Pull Together (Frank Smith) - 3:35
5. Whey You Do To Me - 3:32
6. Marching To A Different Drummer - 15:24
All songs by Purple Image unless as else written.
If I was to construct one of those music-journo referential polygons, I’d pull together The Band, CSNY, Cream and most anything off Classic Hits FM to hint at the sound of this hairy British outfit calling themselves Coulsen, Dean, McGuinness, Flint. All Music Guide gives this album high praise, calling it the best Dylan cover album ever. What do I think? After playing it a lot over the past few weeks, then yes, I’m close behind, although some qualifications have to be made. Firstly, as a ‘Dylan covers album’ it’s not entirely true—at the time of release none of these songs had been officially made available to the public, so for those who hadn’t heard the Basement Tapes bootlegs where half of this material comes from, these were less ‘covers’ than new songs. Neither ‘Get Your Rocks Off’ nor ‘Sign On The Cross’ were even recorded by Dylan from what I can gather. Secondly, this is only ‘greatest’ in the sense that these songs are played in the rock and roll mode. If anything, this is only the second time a whole album of Dylan covers had been made and sung in English by a male rock band (both British bands, The Hollies being the other one). There was the Byrds Play Dylan of course, but they’d recorded Dylan songs intermittently throughout the sixties, only releasing their collection of Dylan covers as a stand-alone album in 1979.
The upshot is that for anyone who was a fan of Dylan and rock music in 1972, there really wasn’t much competition. All Dennis Coulsen et al had to do was put in a decent effort. Fortunately they went beyond decent and recorded a bona fide rock album that still sounds great in 2011. Yet until I researched Dylan cover albums I’d never heard of this group. Tom McGuinness had been a member of Manfred Mann while Hughie Flint was from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Coulson is the lead singer here, though from what I can tell, the other members add backing vocals too and there’s several other musicians roped in to play sax, clarinet, trombone, euphonium and even flugelhorn.
Eternal Circle… was first heard here, otherwise not released by Dylan until the Bootleg Series 1-3 collection. Dylan’s version is as good as anything off Freewheelin’ but this version turns it into classic rock. Great lyrics too, all about how there’s a young woman in the audience watching the singer very intently but it’s such a long song that by the time he’s finished, he’s taken his eyes away, and she’s gone, like Batman. And now he’s singing a song about that experience, which makes this a meta-song, hence the title “Eternal Circle.” The instrumentation is rich and strong, hefty beat and bass, beautifully clear strummed guitars, piercing electric notes, and the singer is fantastic. “But the song it was long and it was far to the end / So I glanced at my guitar / And played it pretendin’ / That of all the eyes on me / I could see none.” There’s something almost Indian about the instrumentation here, sweeping strums across a Jews harp, a fairly fast tempo offset by those slow electric notes. They stuck this on first because it’s awesome, and it has that perfect pathos about it, a song of unfulfilled desire, grasping for something that’s not really there.
Lo And Behold… has a classic blues rock feel. Singer does a fantastic falsetto on the chorus part that goes “Get me outta here, my dear man!” These Basement Tapes lyrics are sort of brilliantly absurdist: “Going down to Tennessee / Get me a truck or somethin’ / Gonna save my money and rip it up.” The basic riff, beat and bass all sound like something you’ve heard a thousand times before, my idea of what George Thorogood and the Destroyers sound like, even though I’ve probably not heard them since the eighties. But the tune here is pure rock/pop and on one level it’s almost like they blow the Band out of the water, this is so good. But what it lacks I guess is that beautiful ramshackle carefree feel of the Basement Tapes versions.
Let Me Die In My Footsteps… is another only released on Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3. This has a similarly forlorn vocal to Dylan’s version. But it’s a nice dynamic shift from the previous song, with this tabla, and low submerged bass sound, tom tom type drums and mantra-esque quality about the melody. It doesn’t sound a million miles away from the Beatles’ ‘Within You Without You’ or ‘Love You To.’ The chorus: “Let me die in my footsteps / Before I go under the ground.” There’s two or three of them singing in semi-falsetto unison here too which also adds to that Hindi effect. Yet again, they’ve got the sound aesthetic exactly right. The recording is lavish, full, opulent. Crystal clear guitar parts, everything balanced just beautifully. Love that tabla.
Open The Door Homer… is another absurdist Dylanesque tale which plays on rhyming words. “Open the door Richard / I’ve heard it said before,” they sing here. This has a mid-tempo rock beat, a strong baroque-metal rock vocal. “‘Take care of all your memories,’ said my friend Mick / ‘For you cannot relive them / And remember when you’re out there / Trying’ to heal the sick / That you must always / First forgive them.’” Then we get a banjo solo, an electric guitar solo, some drum fills. A good time feel.
Lay Down Your Weary Tune… Dylan’s version wouldn’t see light of day until Biograph in 1985. Again, they really mix it up. Here we get Coulson’s appealing, emotive voice: “Lay down your weary tune, lay down / Lay down the song you strum / And rest yourself ‘neath the strength of strings / No voice can hope to hum.” While he sings this without any instrumentation the other three provide loud ‘aahs’ and ‘oohs’ like a barbershop quartet, then the song kicks in proper. The lyrics here are great too. It’s all about comparing various instruments and the sounds they make to aspects of nature. So for example “the morning breeze like a bugle blew / Against the drums of dawn,” “the ocean wild like an organ played,” “the crashin’ waves like cymbals clashed,” “the cryin’ like a trumpet sang,” “the branches bare like a banjo,” and “the water smooth ran like a hymn / And like a harp did hum.” All the backing musicians join in, the volume rises, everything builds in tune with these ideas spilling out of the lyrics which exhort the musician to take time out. Exhilarating stuff.
Don’t You Tell Henry… has the coolest opening ever on various brass instruments playing all whacky whoopy, bent notes. Then the song kicks in and sounds like some great lost Beatles classic along the lines of ‘Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite’ with one of those fairground tubas keeping time. When the chorus comes on each member joins in one by one, “Don’t you tell Henry / Don’t you tell Henry / Don’t you tell Henry / Don’t you tell Henry” until all four of them are singing in unison, “Apple’s got your fly.” It’s over quickly, but it bounces around resonantly. Wonderful.
Get Your Rocks Off… is not even listed as a Dylan song on his quite comprehensive website. It has this slow blues feel, again very much of the George Thorogood or John Mayall camp. Bass and drums playing together slowly, bumping and grinding out that bluesy rhythm, meanwhile, the phrase ‘Get your rocks off’ as it’s used here seems to have little or nothing to do with the usual meaning of the phrase as far as I can tell. Here we have a maid lying on a bed, a man up on Blueberry Hill, another man laying down around Mink Muscle Creek and finally some children in the side road, all of ‘em hollering “Get your rocks off / Get your rocks off-a-me!” The four short verses end, and we get some fiddly solo work, all plucked and skewered guitar notes, as the tempo begins to pick up pace, the electric guitar soloist starts showing off his Thorogood/Satriani chops, and even the drummer joins in with some hot little fills. Good stuff.
The Death Of Emmett Till… another great little number from 1962 which finally saw the light of day on the Witmark Demos boxset in 2010. “It was down in Mississippi / A few short years ago / When a young man from a Chicago town / Stepped through a southern door / Now this young man’s tragedy / I can remember well / For the colour of his skin was black / And his name was Emmett Till.” One of Dylan’s best race protest songs. Coulson takes care of the first verse solo before the drum and bass start up with a rhythmic rock beat. A word about the singer – he has the perfect ‘classic rock’ kind of voice. A little bit Glenn Frey/Don Henley, a little bit John Lennon, a little bit Jack Bruce, a little bit Ozzy Osbourne. His voice practically reeks of the dust you smell in any old second hand vinyl shop. Great protest anthem. Brilliantly performed.
Odds And Ends… sounds the most like The Basement Tapes version. Lead singer here is Hughie Flint who sounds a lot like Dylan, and he certainly gets the affectations exactly right, but it’s totally natural, not like he’s putting it on. What a pity these guys didn’t stay together and record a few more albums. Maybe they couldn’t write tunes as great as these, I don’t know, but this is like some long lost classic right up there with those Big Star records. About the only criticism I could level at this is that it sounds almost too much like the Basement Tapes version. “Odds and ends / Odds and ends / Lost time is not found again.” Indeed.
Sign On The Cross… was never released by Dylan in any official form. It’s a slow piano ballad, “Now I try, oh, for so awfully long / And I just try to be / And now, oh it’s a gold mine / But it’s so fine / Yes but I know in my head / That we’re all so misled, / And it’s that ol’ sign on the cross that worries me.” The pace is laidback, the vocal forlorn, serious, tender, gospel-like. The drum, bass, guitar all join in and pick up the pace, the piano drops out. This is the longest song here clocking in at well over five minutes. When the chorus comes on, Coulson lets loose on his baroque falsetto, what I like to think of as his heavy metal voice, but done in gospel style. He’s a brilliant singer as was Flint on the previous song. Here we get several female gospel singers doing backup on the chorus: “Sign on the cross / Sign on the cross / Sign on the cross.” Coulson actually manages to sound African-American! How are they doing this!? Piano bouncing away, all singers joining in, musicians pick up the pace, everyone hollerin’ and hootin’ in the background as the song does a long slow fade out. Truly inspiring stuff. One almost wonders if this isn’t one of those secret supergroups made of members using aliases. Look at those hairy bastards on the cover! Surely they can’t be the chaps producing this incredible sound? Here’s what so perfect about this album – they have a distinct sound, but they keep the dynamic continually on the move from song to song, so that they never sound like they’re repeating themselves. This should get the reissue treatment big time.
by Alan Bumstead, December 6, 2011
Tracks
1. Eternal Circle - 2:58
2. Lo And Behold - 4:14
3. Let Me Die In My Footsteps - 4:15
4. Open The Door, Homer - 4:25
5. Lay Down Your Weary Tune - 4:05
6. Don't You Tell Henry - 2:00
7. Get Your Rocks Off - 4:50
8. The Death Of Emmett Till - 3:35
9. Odds And Ends - 2:33
10.Tiny Montgomery - 3:37
11.I Wanna Be Your Lover - 3:35
12.Sign On The Cross - 7:25.
13.Eternal Circle (alternate mix) - 2:58
Music and Lyrics by Bob Dylan
Bonus Track 13
Personnel
*Dennis Coulson - Lead Vocals
*Dixie Dean - Bass Guitar, Harmonica, Cornet, Jew's Harp, Vocals
