Big Lost Rainbow - Big Lost Rainbow (1973 us, delightful jazzy progressive folk rock, Gear Fab edition)

It is not hard to figure out why record labels wouldn't touch Big Lost Rainbow and why it stood no chance of gaining a widespread audience at the time of its 1973 release date. The album runs completely counter to the pompous hard rock that was plastered all over the airwaves at the time, and is far too subtle and mature for mass consumption. Although their initial gig was played before a crowd of 10,000, Big Lost Rainbow were not cut out for the arena. 

Their music requires a much more intimate setting and response, and their sole album is a surprising musical delight constructed out of elements of folk, jazz, and classical music, all of which expose gorgeous, supple melodies, mostly composed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ridley Pearson. The album brings to mind the best aspects of soft, early-'70s folk-pop, but unlike much of that genre, there is a genuine sorrow (as opposed to anger) threaded throughout the music; a sorrow, perhaps, brought about by the changing times but not the least bit cynical. It is, instead, a sort of celebratory sentimentality. 

The songs are all exceedingly strong. Big Lost Rainbow infuse the music with an uncanny emotional resonance whether they are expressing joyous or melancholy sentiments. The opening cut, "Sail" (written by Otis Read), is powered by harmonies nearly equal to those of Crosby, Stills & Nash, while "Oh! Idaho" is a lilting, upbeat tune that soars with scatty harmonies à la Seals & Crofts. Even the upbeat songs, though, are not exactly bouncy. 

The album is entirely drum-less, so acoustic guitar, piano, bass, and cello are all up front with Pearson's vocals, which sound like a gentler, more somnolent Jonathan Edwards or James Taylor. When the mood is slowed down, the songs are incredibly touching. "Slow Rider" has a hint of the Bee Gees in their most heartbreakingly fragile and evocative melodic moments. And the gorgeous "Allegiance of Apathy," the one song included from the group's 1992 reunion, offers not only evidence that the members still have the magic but also a perfect, poignant closing for the album. 

Overall there is a tender, communal hippie vibe to the album, very sunny and optimistic without descending into silliness and entirely avoiding jadedness. There is a sense of lost innocence and the process of growing wiser, as if the band is singing a lullaby to the wistfulness of youth. From beginning to end, Big Lost Rainbow is romantic and lovely. 

by Stanton Swihart

Tracks
1. Sail (Otis Read) - 3:09
2. I Go Alone - 4:20
3. Lady Love - 4:11
4. Brothers - 2:58
5. Ocean - 5:02
6. Idaho - 2:18
7. It's Over Now - 3:44
8. Morning Sunshine (Bradbury, Pearson) - 2:44
9. Lady Of Music (Pearson, Berenson) - 13:08
10.Always On The Eve - 4:24
11.Patricia Jane Moon - 3:51
12.Slow Rider - 3:31
Words and Music by Ridley Pearson except where indicated

Big Lost Rainbow
*Ridley Pearson - Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Saxophone
*Otis Read - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Robin Pfoutz - Cello
*Adam Berenson - Piano
*Tony Morse - Flute
*Jacques Bailhe - Bass, Vocals, Guitar
with
*Steve Patt - Pedal Steel Guitar
*Charlie Read - Backing Vocals

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Cream - Disraeli Gears (1967 uk, historical heavy blues psych, japan SHM two disc set)

Cream teamed up with producer Felix Pappalardi for their second album, Disraeli Gears, a move that helped push the power trio toward psychedelia and also helped give the album a thematic coherence missing from the debut. This, of course, means that Cream get further away from the pure blues improvisatory troupe they were intended to be, but it does get them to be who they truly are: a massive, innovative power trio. 

The blues still courses throughout Disraeli Gears -- the swirling kaleidoscopic "Strange Brew" is built upon a riff lifted from Albert King -- but it's filtered into saturated colors, as it is on "Sunshine of Your Love," or it's slowed down and blurred out, as it is on the ominous murk of "Tales of Brave Ulysses." It's a pure psychedelic move that's spurred along by Jack Bruce's flourishing collaboration with Pete Brown. 

Together, this pair steers the album away from recycled blues-rock and toward its eccentric British core, for with the fuzzy freakout "Swlabr," the music hall flourishes of "Dance the Night Away," the swinging "Take It Back," and of course, the old music hall song "Mother's Lament," this is a very British record. Even so, this crossed the ocean and also became a major hit in America, because regardless of how whimsical certain segments are, Cream are still a heavy rock trio and Disraeli Gears is a quintessential heavy rock album of the '60s. Yes, its psychedelic trappings tie it forever to 1967, but the imagination of the arrangements, the strength of the compositions, and especially the force of the musicianship make this album transcend its time as well. 

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins Pappalardi) - 2:46

2. Sunshine of Your Love (Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:10

3. World of Pain (Pappalardi, Collins) - 3:03

4. Dance the Night Away (Bruce, Brown) - 3:34

5. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:29

6. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:46

7. Swlabr (Bruce, Brown) - 2:32

8. We're Going Wrong (Bruce) - 3:26

9. Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds, arr. Clapton) - 2:24

10.Take It Back (Bruce, Brown) - 3:05

11.Mother's Lament (Traditional, arr. Clapton, Bruce, Baker) - 1:47

12.Lawdy Mama  (Version 2) (Traditional, arr. Clapton) - 2:00

13.Blue Condition (Alternate Version) (Baker) - 3:13

14.We're Going Wrong (Bruce) - 3:49

15.Hey Now, Princess (Bruce, Brown) - 3:31

16.Swlabr (Bruce, Brown) - 4:30

17.Weird of Hermiston (Bruce, Brown) - 3:12

18.The Clearout (Bruce, Brown) - 3:58

Tracks 1-11 Stereo

Tracks 12-13 Outtakes

Tracks 14-18 Demos

Disc 2
1. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins Pappalardi) - 2:46
2. Sunshine of Your Love (Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:10
3. World of Pain (Pappalardi, Collins) - 3:03
4. Dance the Night Away (Bruce, Brown) - 3:34
5. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:29
6. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:46
7. Swlabr (Bruce, Brown) - 2:32
8. We're Going Wrong (Bruce) - 3:26
9. Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds, arr. Clapton) - 2:24
10.Take It Back (Bruce, Brown) - 3:05
11.Mother's Lament (Traditional, arr. Clapton, Bruce, Baker) - 1:47
12. Lawdy Mama (Version 1) (Traditional, arr. Clapton) - 2:04
13. Blue Condition (Alternate Version) (G. Baker) - 3:12
14.Strange Brew (Clapton, Pappalardi, Collins) - 3:00
15.Tales of Brave Ulysses (Clapton, Sharp) - 2:55
16.We're Going Wrong (Bruce) - 3:25
17.Born Under a Bad Sign (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) - 3:03
18.Outside Woman Blues (Reynolds) - 3:18
19.Take It Back (Bruce, Brown) - 2:17
20.Politician (Bruce, Brown) - 3:59
21.Swlabr (Bruce, Brown) - 2:32
22.Steppin' Out (James Bracken) - 3:37
Tracks 1-11 Mono
Tracks 12-13 Outtakes
Tracks 14-22 BBC recordings

Cream
*Ginger Baker - Drums, Vocals
*Jack Bruce - Bass, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
*Eric Clapton - Guitar, Vocals

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John Kongos - Lavender Popcorn (1966-69 south africa, smart psych pop)

Floribunda Rose were the group formed by John Kongos -- who scored two British Top Five hits in the early 1970s, with "He's Gonna Step on You Again" and "Tokoloshe Man" -- in 1967. Kongos had been a recording artist in South Africa since he was a teenager in the early '60s, and in 1966 moved to England, where he recorded a solo single for Piccadilly. Soon after that he was at the head of Floribunda Rose on guitar and vocals, the lineup fleshed out by singer-guitarist Pete Clifford (who at one time had been in Dusty Springfield's backing band), organist Chris Dee, drummer Nick "Doc" Doktor, and singer-bassist Jack Russell. Despite the weird group name, Floribunda Rose's sole single, the 1967 Pye release "One Way Street"/"Linda Loves Linda," wasn't out-and-out psychedelia. 

It was rather twee period pop/rock with a whiff of psychedelic influence, "One Way Street" sounding, at times, like Monkees-influenced British freakbeat, "Linda Loves Linda" being a tamer ode for a self-absorbed flower child. The single flopped, and by 1968 the group, still recording for Pye, changed their name to Scrugg and made three more little-noticed singles, highlighted by the more convincingly psychedelic 45 "Everyone Can See"/"I Wish I Was Five." 

Both sides of the Floribunda Rose single -- as well as both sides of Kongos' 1966 Piccadilly single, everything from the three Scrugg singles, the entirety of Kongos' 1969 LP Confusions About a Goldfish, and a few unreleased songs by Kongos and Scrugg from the same era -- are here, on the anthology Lavender Popcorn which digs deep into the discography of eccentric psych-pop musician John Kongos. Prior to the period documented here, Kongos had several records under his belt as a South African artist, which were popular there but failed to translate elsewhere. Upon his 1966 relocation to England, he headed the short-lived bands Floribunda Rose (one single) and Scrugg (three singles) and then went solo. 

This anthology ties up everything from Floribunda Rose and Scrugg, while adding some unreleased material. Kongos' first solo album, 1969's Confusions About a Goldfish, is also included in its entirety. Though it doesn't include significant later singles like "Tokoloshe Man" and "He's Gonna Step on You Again," the disc is rather essential for psych-pop completists. 

by Richie Unterberger and Andy Kellman 

Tracks
1. I Love Mary - 2:57
2. Goodtime Party Companion - 2:23
3. Linda Loves Linda (with Floribunda Rose) - 3:28
4. One Way Street (with Floribunda Rose) - 2:46
5. Everyone Can See (with Scrugg) - 2:51
6. I Wish I Was Five (with Scrugg) - 3:19
7. Lavender Popcorn (with Scrugg) (Scott English, Eddie Reeves) - 2:18
8. Sandwich Board Man (with Scrugg) - 3:11
9. Will the Real Geraldine Please Stand Up and Be Counted (with Scrugg) - 2:59
10.Only George (with Scrugg) - 2:51
11.Patriotic (with Scrugg) - 2:48
12.Confusions About a Goldfish - 4:17
13.At This Moment - 1:48
14.Deserts of Mountains of Men - 3:12
15.Seat by the Window - 3:19
16.Go Home - 2:36
17.Tomorrow I'll Go - 3:57
18.Film, Flam Pharisee - 2:50
19.It Was Easy - 2:50
20.Blood - 3:55
21.The Lady Wants More - 3:18
22.Coming Back to You - 2:49
23.Amendment to Confusions About a Goldfish - 2:20
24.Elegy to Seymour - 3:05
25.All I'm Trying to Do - 3:14
26.Week Day Lady - 3:06
All songs ny John Kongos unless as else written

*John Kongos - Vocals

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East Of Eden - Jig-A-Jig (1971 uk, amazing progressive jazz rock, Repertoire reissue)

Jig-A-Jig is a nine-track compilation from this wonderfully enthusiastic British band, spotlighting their jovial blend of folk-rock and jazz elements. With most of the material emerging from 1970's Snafu album, East of Eden's flighty, progressive atmosphere comes to life through the mixture of flute, saxophone, and, especially, electric violin. 

One of their most energetic numbers entitled "Nymphenburger" uses six violin tracks and four guitar tracks with some electric alto sax piled on top, entirely overdubbed with the result sounding beautifully clean, mainly because of the familiar "Rondo" theme, which was later made famous by the Nice. It's Ron Gaines' saxophone that gives "Ramadahn" its mesmerizing flow and tribal-like sound, while the fully instrumental "Jig-A-Jig" went to number seven on the U.K. charts in 1971, thanks to the cordial nature of the song's pop sound. 

The eight-plus minutes of "Gum Arabic" contrasts the airiness of the flute with the resonant chant of bagpipes, emerging as a truly eccentric piece of music, and "Confucius" focuses mainly on the guitar, causing the rhythms to stand out with a rockier tempo. East of Eden may not have gained the attention that the band was hoping for, even within the progressive rock ranks, but some of the members did go on to greener pastures. 

Drummer Geoff Britton went on to play in Paul McCartney's Wings for almost a year in 1974, and violin player Dave Arbus became a renowned session man, lending his craft to the Who's Who's Next album. 

by Mike DeGagne

Tracks
1. Jig-A-Jig (Traditional) - 3:35
2. Nymphenberger (East Of Eden) - 6:12
3. Ramadhan (Unknown) In The Snow For A Blow (Medley) - 6:12
..b.Part I (East Of Eden)
..c.Better Git It In Your Soul (Mingus)
..d.Part III (East Of Eden)
4. Northern Hemisphere (East Of Eden) - 4:32
5. Gum Arabic (Caines) - 8:15
..b.Confucius (Drummond)
6. Isadora (Nicholson, Caines, York) - 4:31
7. Leaping Beauties For Rudy (East Of Eden) - 7:01
8. Jig-A-Jig (7" Version) (Traditional) - 3:42
9. Marcus Junior (Drummond) - 3:56

East Of Eden
*Dave Arbus - Violin, Wind
*Ron Caines - Saxophone, Vocals
*Dave Dufort - Drums
*Geoff Nicholson - Guitar, Vocals
*Steve York - Bass

East Of Eden mosaic

1969  Mercator Projected (Eclectic bonus tracks issue)
1970  Snafu (Eclectic bonus tracks issue)
1971  East Of Eden - East Of Eden (Repertoire remaster)
1971  New Leaf  (Progressive Line remaster)
1975  Another Eden (Flawed Gems 2012 remaster)

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Titus Oates - Jungle Lady (1974 us, excellent dual guitar interludes and heavy bass riff focused power tunes, Radioactive edition)

Titus Oates was a Dallas, TX, progressive hard rock five-piece that was never well known. The group's lone 1974 LP was only issued locally on the Lips label, and until this reissue from Radioactive the only way to hear the thing was to lay down hard cash for a shoddy bootleg -- an important point because, while it may not have the bombast of a major-label recording, Jungle Lady does not suffer from the murky sonics that dog most self-released records of this sort. Because it was a local pressing, it has been nearly impossible to locate, too; as a result, Titus Oates has been at the top of many collectors' want lists for years, its legend growing every time someone added it to a personal catalog of Holy Grails. 

Does it live up to the hype? Sort of. Jungle Lady is a competent curiosity that balances tough Texas-style hard rock playing -- it's not ZZ Top, but it's close -- with progressive rock keyboards and jazzy guitar licks. Those aren't things that often intersect, and so the legend is deserved. "Jungle Lady" is a heady, largely unexplored mix of rock grit and prog flourish, it's sure to find an appreciative audience. 

by Wade Kergan 

Tracks
1 Jungle lady - 3:16
2 Dream on a train - 4:07
3 Blanket - 3:33
4 Friend of life - 3:49
5 Jupiter mars - 3:55
6 Time is only to fear - 3:43
7 Mr. tips - 3:46
8 Don't get your honey where you make your money - 4:45
9 The cage 7/2/74 - 4:05

Titus Oates
*Rick Jackson - Bass
*Lou Tielli - Guitar
*Steve Todd - Guitar
*Bill Beaudet - Keyboards
*Lou Tielli - Lead Vocals
*Pam Jackson - Lead Vocals
*Rick Jackson - Lead Vocals, Strings Ensemble
*Chris Eigenmann - Percussion

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Titus Groan - Titus Groan (1970 uk, magnificent psych prog jazz rock, 2005 Breathless expanded digi pack edition)

Taking their band and album name from the titular character in the first book of Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series, Titus Groan’s eponymous 1971 album is a heavy, kingsize slab of progressive rock. The sort that rattles window frames and loosens fillings.

Even the Greek Titan Atlas would’ve struggled to support the weight of a song as extraordinarily dense as ‘Hall of Bright Carvings’, and he was known for carrying the substantial burden of the heavens upon his shoulders.

One can almost envisage the heads-down hairiness of the band as they attack their instruments throughout the passage of Titus Groan. Thankfully, this unprovoked assault on their musical apparatus – and the listener’s eardrums – doesn’t register as some unholy and unlistenable mess that’s dribbled down the inside leg of Satan’s own purple loon pants.

Titus Groan, the band’s one and only album, sees the four members getting to grips with a variety of instrumentation, including the usual guitars etc. the ubiquitous organ and piano, and in the case of Tony Priestland, sax, oboe and the progger’s weapon of choice, the common or garden flute.

The combination of sax and oboe incorporates a jazzier influence that breezes across the sometimes impenetrable undercurrent of the guitars and drums, particularly on the opener ‘It Wasn’t For You’. ‘Hall of Bright Carvings’ remains as excellent as ever, with its 12 minute barrage of tuneful noise and occasional medieval flavour, and is easily Titus Groan’s finest moment.

The aforementioned flute comes to the forefront on ‘I Can’t Change’, rendering a more introspective track upon which the intricate melodies weave in and out of the heavy rock grumbling away in the background.

Overall, Titus Groan’s first and last album is progressive rock from the heavier end of the spectrum, free from the overly self-indulgent trappings that bogged down, and ultimately sank, many of their peers.

by Nick James

Tracks
1. It Wasn't for You (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland) - 5:32
2. Hall of Bright Carvings (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 11:39
3. I Can't Change (Titus Groan) - 5:40
4. It's All Up With Us (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 6:08
5. Fuschia (Tony Priestland) - 6:05
6. Open the Door Homer (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 3:28
7. Woman of the World (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 4:27
8. Liverpool (Stuart Cowell, Tony Priestland, Jim Toomey) - 5:52
Bonus Tracks 6-8

Titus Groan
*Stuart Cowell - Guitar, Keyboards, Organ, Piano
*John Lee - Bass
*Tony Priestland - Flute, Oboe, Saxophone, Wind
*Jim Toomey - Drums, Percussion

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Sweetwater - Just For You (1970 us, wonderful west coast psych with latin jazz drops)

Following the release of Sweetwater's selftitled debut album in Autumn of 1968 (produced by Dave Hassinger) for Reprise Records, the band entered the realm of virtually endless touring. The band's status was that of a "must have" act. They were so popular on the ever-increasing "Pop Festival" circuit that they shared bills with Cream, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jerry Lee Lewis, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and many other major acts of the day. 

One of the reasons that the band was so compatible with so many major acts was the fact that they sounded like virtually no other act in rock. Eschewing the standard lead guitar, bass and drums rock band format, Sweetwater used cello (August Burns), flute (Albert Moore), bass (Fred Herrera) and keyboards (Alex Del Zoppo) as lead instruments. Combining classical, Latin, jazz and rock elements to their sound, they remained unique. In addition they had one of the best female voices in rock, Nancy Nevins, to handle most of the lead vocals (often blending with Del Zoppo, Herrera and/or Moore). 

Touring dominated the band's life from late 1968 all the way through December of 1969. To be sure, the band's appearance at the Woodstock festival brought them some of their greatest exposure, but the band also went out on regular tours with the likes of The Doors, Frank Zappa and The Mothers and others. To some extent, all of these performances distracted the band from turning in their sophomore album. "We were so busy gigging and flying everywhere," adds Fred Herrera, "that we never really sat back and took stock of our recording situation...and a year and a half between albums was the kiss of death at that time." Another part of that "kiss of death" that Herrera mentions was Nancy Nevins' tragic automobile accident in December of 1969, which nearly crippled the band-as well as Nancy. 

Nevin's near fatal head injury and accident-damaged right vocal cord had a devastating effect on her voice. "We had so many gigs lined up at the time of Nancy's accident" continues Herrera, "that we thought she'd be okay with a week or two of us gigging without her, but it just didn't come together." But the need for the band's second album was fast becoming a priority. Although patient and understanding of the band's situation. Reprise Records was waiting, and Nevins-ostensibly the band's "voice" and visual focus-was very slow in healing. The band only had one track previously recorded during sessions for the first album, with Nancy's voice as it was before her accident, "Look Out." 

Most of Nancy's voice tracks on Just For You are the first professional cuts of her post-accident voice. The resulting album that you now hold, is somehow, through all of the chaos and disaster, a minor classic, and may be the band's finest hour in the studio. There is a depth and toughness to the sound that was occasionally missing from the Hassinger-produced debut. The award-winning producer Chris Huston was chosen to oversee the production of this album, and he brought Just For You a more live and exciting sound. The album's title track is a perfect example of this. Led by Del Zoppo's positively wicked Salsa piano riffing and Herrera's powerful bass runs, the track smokes, and achieves the kind of spontaneity that the band was known for. This, dear listener, is the real Sweetwater. 

Adding Elpidio Cobian's nimble percussion tattoos, Albert Moore's flute solo and especially August Burns' swooping filigrees on the cello, the song stretches out in precisely the way the band were famous for in a live setting. Huston mic'ed Nancy closely for this track, protecting her still-recovering voice. Chris Huston continued to work diligently with Nancy's voice on the rest of the album. "Day  Song" is a particular delight here, with Nancy performing gracefully on acoustic guitar. 

There is an innocence and vulnerability to the performance that captures her spirit beautifully and accurately. Perhaps, however, the album's centerpiece is a track called "Windlace." Opening with some tasteful rain sound effects, the song slips into a funk-induced darkness that is relentless. 

The vaguely psychedelic lyrics take the listener on a brief journey through consciousness. But the groove itself is what grasps and holds, and is another example of the band's core sound, mixing funk, classical and other elements effortlessly. As noted at the beginning of these notes, Sweetwater sounded like no other band of their era...but in the end, they actually captured the endless possibilities of the era perfectly. Just For You proves all of this and more.

by Matthew Greenwald and Harvey Kubernik

Tracks
1. Just For You (Fred Herrera) - 10:19
2. Day Song (Nancy Nevins) - 2:02
3. Windlace (Alex Del Zoppo) - 4:37
4. Compared To What (Gene McDaniels) - 6:50
5. Song For Romeo (Albert Moore) - 2:32
6. Without Me (Alex Del Zoppo) - 4:09
7. Look Out (Nancy Nevins) - 3:21

Sweetwater
*Nanci Nevins - Lead Vocals
*August Burns - Cello
*Alex Del Zoppo - Keyboards, Vocals
*R.G. Carlyle - Bongos, Guitar, Vocals
*Elpido "Pete" Cobian - Congas, Percussion
*Albert B. Moore - Flute, Vocals
*Fred Herrera - Bass, Vocals
*Alan Malarowitz - Drums

1969  Sweetwater

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Gypsy - Gypsy (1971 uk, tremendous west coast influenced psych folk rock, japan remaster with extra tracks)

Gypsy's self-titled debut LP (released, confusingly, under the title English Gypsy in the U.S.) was the work of a British band extremely influenced by late-'60s Californian folk-psychedelic-rock -- more so than almost any other U.K. group you could name, in fact. 

Why is that, then, that hardly anyone can name Gypsy these days? It's because the album's extremely derivative of Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and especially Moby Grape, particularly in the vocal harmonies. And it's because, while those are good influences to work from, the songs aren't nearly as good as the best work by the aforementioned acts. Some specialists would cavil that it's unfair to hold secondary bands like Gypsy up to such high standards, and that the music should be judged on its own terms. But let's be straight about it: on this particular platter, the similarities are inescapable. 

The lead vocals often have the gritty tremble characteristic of numerous Moby Grape tracks; the harmonies on "I Don't Care Do You Mind?" are very much in the early CSNY style; the extended soloing on "Turning Wheel" can't fail to recall Neil Young's "Down by the River"; some of the lyrics on "Standing Alone, Feeling So Bad" sound rather like Buffalo Springfield's "Mr. Soul"; "Pony Ride" is a son (or should that be "grandson"?) of Moby Grape's "Hey Grandma"; etc. 

It's well-played and well-sung, with some appealing sustained guitar effects, but more originality (and better material) were needed to make something enduring. The 2004 CD reissue adds the 1971 non-LP single "Changes Comin'"/"Don't Cry on Me," as well as six previously unreleased tracks recorded around the same time. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. What Makes a Man a Man? (Robin Pizer) - 3:07
2. Keep On Trying (Robin Pizer) - 4:35
3. I Don't Care, Do You Mind? (David McCarthy) - 3:13
4. Turning Wheel (David McCarthy) - 8:04
5. Feel About the Country Fine (David McCarthy) - 2:30
6. Standing Alone, Feel So Bad (John Knapp) - 6:04
7. I Want To Be Beside You (Robin Pizer) - 5:16
8. Please Don't Stay (John Knapp) - 5:16
9. Let Me Take You Home (Robin Pizer) - 4:50
10.Pony Ride (John Knapp) - 4:59
11.Change Coming (Robin Pizer) - 3:40
12.Don't Cry On Me (John Knapp) - 3:15
13.Listen To the Music (Robin Pizer) - 3:29
14.I Don't Wanna Lose You (Robin Pizer) - 3:12
15.I Guess She'll Have To Know (David McCarthy) - 3:34
16.There's a Party (John Knapp) - 3:46
17.It Don't Bother Me (John Knapp) - 3:30
18.What a Day (John Knapp) - 4:56

Gypsy
*John Knapp - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
*David Mccarthy - Bass, Vocals
*Robin Pizer - Guitar, Vocals
*Rod Read - Guitar, Vocals
*Moth Smith - Drums
*Ray Martinez - Guitar, Vocals

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Jack Bruce - Harmony Row (1971 uk, fascinating classic rock melted with prog and jazz elements, bonus tracks edition)

Harmony Row is the legitimate follow-up to Jack Bruce'excellent songs for a tailor, although 1971 also saw the almost-simultaneous release of 1968 jazz tapes entitled Things We Like by this artist. An elaborate gatefold package has a shadow photo of the artist from the back, overlooking a golden sun on the waters. The self-produced disc begins with the pop excursion "Can You Follow," which blends into "Escape To The Royal Wood (On Ice)." 

Jack Bruce provides the voice, keyboards, bass, and some percussion, making this very much a solo project. "You Burned The Tables On Me" takes things into a progressive rock-meets-jazz arena. The only reference to blues here is Bruce's voice, but guitarist Chris Spedding's scratchy guitar, and the percussion -- either by Jack Bruce or drummer Jim Marshall (who plays on what is not specified) make the track sound almost like Cream without Clapton. 

There's a rare photo of Peter Brown in the second cardboard gatefold, and one of Bruce, while all of Brown's lyrics are spread out for public consumption. A nice touch, as Peter Brown is to Jack Bruce what Keith Reid is to Procul Harum, and the cleverly obscured words are sometimes the only foundation to grasp at while one of rock & roll's most innovative bassists goes from genre to genre, combining rhythms and melodies that defy commercial categorization. 

Harmony Row is the album that combines many flavors of Bruce's experimentations, making it courageous, adventurous, and hardly the product for a mass audience. "Folk Song" is barely a folk song; it is a progressive pop tune with that elegant, Procul Harum-like, sweeping, mystical statement. There's a pretty piano against church-like organ and vocals, with amazing guitar embellishments by Chris Spedding. "Folk Song" has elements Bruce would examine again, on the album Monkjack; it's a song which should have made him the darling of underground FM radio. 

It's a far cry from the all-out assault of his forthcoming power trio, West, Bruce & Laing, which emerged a year after this. The delicacy of "Smiles And Grins" suggests that hard jazz is what would have given the project with Leslie West a much needed diversion. But what happened was that Bruce embraced the trail Mountain stampeded down, while a purer blending of the two would have been re-readings of this Harmony Row material. 

"Post War" is a good example of how the underappreciated Leslie West could have expanded his influence -- Spedding's contributions are enormous, and like West, he is the only other musician save the drummer on Bruce's essential projects in 1971 and 1972, on the albums Harmony Row, and Why Dontcha. Drummer Jim Marshall appeared on the previous songs for a tailor, as did Spedding, though they didn't perform together on that disc. Here, Jack Bruce takes two players from that solo album, and moves them into another head-space. His use of the talents around him is impeccable, and yet another reason why fans should have embraced this quirky and intelligent troubadour.

"A Letter Of Thanks" is so complex it borders on The Mothers Of Invention-style of non-groove, while "Victoria Sage" is more in-line with the ideas set forth on songs for a tailor, and with exquisite vocals by this tremendous singer. The final track, the tasty, Spanish-influenced "The Consul At Sunset," utilizes multiple percussive ideas with piano and guitars overlapping Peter Brown's words; those words are as important as the contributions from Marshall, Spedding, and Bruce. It's actually quite an amazing transition when set against the other discs released in this four-year period, and a stunning output from a major artist without yielding a Top 40 hit. 

by Joe Viglione

Tracks
1. Can You Follow? – 1:32
2. Escape To The Royal Wood (On Ice) - 3:44
3. You Burned The Tables On Me - 3:49
4. There's A Forest - 1:44
5. Morning Story - 4:55
6. Folk Song - 4:20
7. Smiles And Grins - 6:05
8. Post War - 4:20
9. A Letter Of Thanks - 2:54
10.Victoria Sage - 5:02
11.The Consul At Sunset - 4:14
12.Green Hills (Instrumental Version Of Can You Follow?) - 2:16
13.Escape To The Royal Wood (On Ice) (Instrumental Demo Version) - 4:01
14.There's A Forest (First Take) - 2:11
15.You Burned The Tables On Me (Remix Including Electric Piano) - 4:10
16.Can You Follow? (First Take) - 1:32
Lyrics by Pete Brown, Music by Jack Bruce

Musicians
*Jack Bruce - Bass Guitar, Guitar, Piano, Cello, Keyboards, Vocals
*John Marshall - Drums
*Chris Spedding - Guitar

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Stone Circus - The Stone Circus (1969 us, superb blend of psych pop and experimental acid rock, Fallout edition)

Whether it was more a blessing or a curse to be signed to Bob Shad’s Chicago-based Mainstream Records in the late 1960s is a matter for debate. Though the label issued numerous underground albums that are unlikely to have seen the light of day otherwise (including minor classics by the Bohemian Vendetta, the Art Of Lovin’, the Growing Concern, Ellie Pop, the Jelly Bean Bandits, the Orient Express and others), it had little in the way of national distribution or radio support, and was at best a way-station for the more talented artists on its roster, such as Big Brother & the Holding Company and Ted Nugent’s Amboy Dukes. A classic victim of its approach was Stone Circus.

The band’s leader and chief songwriter was Jonathan Caine (real name Larry Cohen). Born in Montreal in 1948, by the age of 14 he was a guest soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and upon graduation from the Quebec Conservatory in 1968, he gravitated towards America’s East Coast. There he hooked up with fellow Montreal natives Ronnie Paige, David Keeler and Mike Burns, as well as guitarist Sonny Haines (a New Yorker who had played with Joey Dee and the Starlighters before recording a few 45s with Canadian act the Footprints). 

The band based themselves in New York, named themselves the Funky Farm and were soon offered the chance to record an album by Shad. The result was a superb blend of melodic psych-pop and experimental acid rock, spanning mellow, catchy pop (What Went Wrong? and Sara Wells), harder-edged rock (Mr. Grey and Inside-Out Man) and out-and-out weirdness (the long closing track, People I One Knew, which opens and closes with unsettling spoken word sections), and bore similarity to contemporary acts such as the Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Blues Magoos.

When the LP was released, however, the band was astonished to find their name changed to Stone Circus – and when it failed to sell, they split. Cohen went on to collaborate with Footprints singer Yank Barry on an odd, lavishly packaged double LP entitled Diary Of Mr. Gray (boasting a very close cover of Stone Circus’s Mr. Gray) in the early 70s, before embarking on a career composing music for B-movies. The other members of Stone Circus remain in obscurity, though one hopes they’re aware of the standing their music has belatedly acquired amongst connoisseurs of psychedelia.

Tracks
1. What Went Wrong (Caine) - 2:27
2. Adam’s Lament (Caine) - 2:36
3. Mr. Grey (Caine) - 3:07
4. Blue Funk (Murphy) - 2:36
5. Carnival Of Love (Caine) - 3:01
6. Sara Wells (Murphy) - 3:08
7. Inside-Out Man (Caine, Murphy) - 5:11
8. Camino Real (Caine, Murphy) - 3:33
9. People I Once Knew (Caine) - 7:00

Stone Circus
*Sonny Haines - Lead Guitar
*Ronnie Paige - Lead Vocals
*Jonathan Caine - Organ
*David Keeler - Bass
*Mike Burns - Drums

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