Is it a duck ? … is it a train? No, it's the Magic Band after they left Beefheart in 1974. Bill Harkleroad (aka Zoot Horn Rollo) and bassist Mark Boston (aka Rockette Morton) decided to form their own band. John French joined on vocals and drums and John Thomas, who'd been with French in Rattlesnake & Eggs, played keyboards.
Unfortunately only six demo songs were recorded with this line-up before French got the call to rejoin the Magic Band. Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, a Magic Band fan and friend of Mark Boston, financed their first album which resulted in their signing with Virgin Records UK. The album was recorded in the UK with just Bill and Mark from the original line-up. Art Tripp (aka Ed Marimba) had agreed to play drums (only if he had money upfront), and the vocals were handled by country/lounge bar circuit singer Sam Galpin who had no idea about the history of his fellow band mates. John 'Rabbit' Bundrick was brought in on keyboards.
Denounced by Beefheart as 'a bunch of quacks' they nevertheless included a version of 'Peon' because they'd heard he was in financial difficulties. However the track is credited to DONALD van Vliet! The band went on to record another album, In A Different Climate. On this one George Draggota takes over on drums and John Thomas gets to play keyboards.
These two with Bill Harkleroad, Mark Boston and Sam Galpin were the band that toured Europe in 1976, appearing at the Reading Festival, the Roundhouse in London and on the German TV show 'Rockpalast' amongst other venues.
Poor distribution and the subsequent lack of financial success led to the band deciding not to continue. The two albums have been released on CD although it is now deleted and fairly difficult to find.
Fraternity Of Man is the band that forms the link between Frank Zappa and The Mothers, Lowell George & The Factory, Little Feat, and Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. In its short period of existence between these ancestors, relatives and descendants, the band managed to record two albums, 'Fraternity Of Man' in 1968, and 'Get It On' in 1969, before fragmenting.
Elliott Ingber had joined the fifth lineup of The Mothers in time to participate in the recording of their first album 'Freak Out' in August 1966, the landmark double album produced by Tom Wilson. According to Zappa, he had to fire Ingber at the end of 1966, and in the course of 1967 the guitarist linked up with Warren Klein, Martin Kibbee and Richard Hayward, who had been three quarters of The Factory. Along with fourth member Lowell George, The Factory had been recording (with Zappa producing) in the latter half of 1966 and early 1967. (See the Edsel Records CD by Lowell George and The Factory 'Lightning Rod Man'
With the inclusion of Lawrence 'Stash' Wagner (rather than George) on lead vocals, Fraternity Of Man set about their first album with Tom Wilson in the producer's chair. 'Fraternity Of Man' was released on ABC Records in 1968 and featured a cover of 'Oh No I Don't Believe It' by Zappa (which he had yet to release himself), and 'Don't Bogart Me' which was subsequently featured in the film 'Easy Rider' and its huge-selling soundtrack album, issued in 1969.
The second album, again with Tom Wilson producing, was released on Dot Records in 1969, and featured credited session help from Lowell George and pianist Bill Pavne. By the end of 1969, however, Fraternity Of Man were no more. Richard Hayward found himself in a studio with Lowell George again, and with Bill Payne and bassist Roy Estrada (another ex-Mother), the first Little Feat line-up was complete. Elliott Ingber joined Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, appearing first on 'The Spotlight Kid' album in 1972, now with the monicker of 'Winged Eel Fingerling'.
CD-Liner notes
Tracks
1. Boo Man - 3:14
2. Don't Start Me Talkin' (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 2:37
3. Pool Of Tears - 2:48
4. The Throbber - 3:40
5. Cat's Squirrel (Adapted By Fraternity Of Man) - 3:18
6. Too High To Eat - 3:37
7. Forget Her - 3:32
8. Coco Lollipop - 3:03
9. Trick Bag (P. Weedon) - 2:40
10.Mellow Token - 3:28
All songs by The Fraternity of Man except where indicated
The Fraternity Of Man
*Lawrence "Stash" Wagner - Guitar, Vocals
*Elliot Ingber - Guitar
*Warren Klein - Guitar, Sitar
*Martin Kibbee - Bass
*Richard Hayward - Drums With
*Lowell George - Guitar
*Bill Payne - Piano
Mayo Thompson's first album was produced in Houston, Texas in 1970 by Thompson, Frank Davis and Roger 'Rocket' Romano for the short-lived but nonetheless legendary Texas Revolution label of Walt Andrus.
Though pressed and advertised in the pages of Rolling Stone, the demise of the label meant the album went largely undistributed until the mid 1980s when Glass Records (London) gave it its first proper release. Coming as the sun set on the first psychedelic rock era, Corky's Debt evokes the early days of acoustic blues, but is already in the maelstrom from which punk rock would emerge just a few years later.
The set features innovative performances by some of Houston's finest musicians of the time playing eleven songs by Thompson -- one with Frederick Barthelme, with whom he started The Red Crayola. They represent a broad range of expressive manners and forms. Made to stand with the finest comparable work of the period, Corky's Debt shows Thompson at his most accessible.
Unique ballads, blues, rock and love songs flow one to another with style, grace and intensity, and the handling of diverse popular-music idioms and language that characterize his more widely known work in The Red Crayola are also to be found. The line between genius and madness is very thin.
The line between a million dollars and nothing is also very thin. Had Corky's Debt been heard back then, today, if someone mentioned Astral Weeks, you might say, 'It does?' The beat lives on."
Tracks
1. The Lesson 2:42
2. Oyster Thins 6:04
3. Horses 3:14
4. Dear Betty Baby 3:52
5. Venus In The Morning 2:33
6. To You 2:52
7. Fortune 2:14
8. Black Legs (Mayo Thompson, Ricky Barthelme) - 3:54
9. Good Brisk Blues 3:11
10.Around The Home 2:55
11.Worried Worried 5:02
All songs by Mayo Thompson except where noted.
Musicians
*Mayo Thompson - Vocals, Guitar, Bass
*Frank Davis - Fiddle Guitar, Timpani
*Roger Romano - Percussion
*Joe Duggan - Piano
*Mike Sumler - Slide Guitar, Bass, Tenor Saxophone
*Le Anne Romano - Baritone Sax
*Chuck Conway - Drums, Bongos, Percussion
*Jimi Newhouse - Drums
*Carson Graham - Drums
*The La Las - Backing Vocals
*The Whoaback Singers - Backing Vocals
Apple came to Larry Page's attention via their first single issued on Smash records, "Thank You Very Much"/"Your Heart Is Free Just Like The Wind" in early 1968.
As a result, Page's record label, Page One Records, released their sole LP, which is a fine mixture of psych pop and psychedelic, heavy r&b. Two singles preceded the LP's release, "Let's Take A Trip Down The Rhine" (Oct 1968) and "Doctor Rock" (Dec 1968).
However, with little to no promotion for the record or the band, despite a colour brochure extolling the virtues of apples as supplied by the British Apple & Peau Development Council, the record didn't sell.
Despite having some of the finest British psych moments (i.e. "The Otherside", "Buffalo Billycan"), only a limited number of copies were pressed. In result, it is listed as one of Record Collector's Top 20 most collectable albums of all time.
However, thanks to a 1994 reissue on CD by Repertoire Records, An Apple A Day has finally been able to reach a larger audience than when it was first released.
Tracks
1. Let's Take A Trip Down The Rhine - 2:59
2. Doctor Rock - 3:07
3. The Otherside - 3:17
4. Mr. Jones - 2:49
5. The Mayville Line - 2:54
6. Queen Of Hearts Blues - 2:28
7. Rock Me Baby - 3:28
8. Buffalo Billycan - 3:05
9. Photograph - 4:10
10.Psycho Daises - 2:22
11.Sporting Life - 5:51
12.Pretty Girl I Love You - 2:39
13.Let's Take A Trip Down The Rhine - 3:04
14.Buffalo Billycan - 3:07
15.Doctor Rock - 3:11
16.The Otherside - 3:16
Bonus tracks 13-16 Single Mix.
Apple
*Dennis Regan - Vocals
*Robbo Ingram - Lead Guitar
*Jeff Harrod - Bass Guitar
*Charlie Barber - Piano
*Dave Brassington - Drums
Although he'd been a fixture on the East Coast folk circuit for several years, Arlo Guthrie did not release his debut album until mid-1967. A majority of the attention directed at Alice's Restaurant focuses on the epic 18-plus-minute title track, which sprawled over the entire A-side of the long-player.
However, it is the other half-dozen Guthrie compositions that provide an insight into his uniformly outstanding, yet astoundingly overlooked, early sides on Warner Bros. Although arguably not 100 percent factual, "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" -- which was recorded in front of a live audience -- is rooted in a series of real incidents.
This decidedly anti-establishment saga of garbage dumps closed on Thanksgiving, good ol' Officer Obie, as well as Guthrie's experiences with the draft succeeds not only because of the unusual and outlandish situations that the hero finds himself in; it is also his underdog point of view and sardonic delivery that maximize the effect in the retelling. In terms of artistic merit, the studio side is an equally endowed effort containing six decidedly more traditional folk-rock compositions.
Among the standouts are the haunting "Chilling of the Evening," which is given an arrangement perhaps more aptly suited to a Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell collaboration. There is a somewhat dated charm in "Ring-Around-a-Rosy Rag," a sly, uptempo, and hippie-friendly bit of jug band nostalgia. "I'm Going Home" is an underrated minor-chord masterpiece that is not only reminiscent of Roger McGuinn's "Ballad of Easy Rider," but also spotlights a more sensitive and intricate nature to Guthrie's craftsmanship.
Also worth mentioning is the first installment of "The Motorcycle Song" -- which was updated and discussed further on the live self-titled follow-up release Arlo (1968) -- notable for the extended discourse on the "significance of the pickle."
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. Alice's Restaurant Massacree - 18:20
2. Chilling of the Evening - 3:01
3. Ring-Around-a-Rosy Rag - 2:10
4. Now and Then - 2:15
5. I'm Going Home - 3:12
6. The Motorcycle Song - 2:58
7. Highway in the Wind - 2:40
Words and Music by Arlo Guthrie
If ever a record by a major 1960s artist was a "transitional" album, Phil Ochs’ Pleasures of the Harbor was it. The LP was his first recording to use full band arrangements; his first to almost entirely depart from the topical protest folk songs with which he had made his reputation; his first to be recorded for a then-young A&M label; and his first to be recorded in Los Angeles, the city to which he moved from New York in the late 1960s.
It is undoubtedly his most sonically ambitious work, and if the almost ludicrously huge scope of his ambitions guaranteed an uneven album, it nevertheless contained some of his most enduring and successful songs and performances.
When Ochs began working on Pleasures of the Harbor in August 1967, he was among the last of the major American folk singer-songwriters of the early-to-mid-1960s who had yet to make the leap from folk to rock. With the exception of a (very good) electric version of "I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore" on a 1966 single, all of his prior recordings-including three full albums for Elektra-had featured plain acoustic guitar-and-voice arrangements.
In fact he had not done any recording at all since the sessions (actually a mixture of live and studio taping) in early 1966 that had been issued as Phil Ochs in Concert. In the interim (and even by early 1966), acoustic folk music had been totally overtaken by the folk-rock of his chief rival Bob Dylan and the likes of the Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Mamas & the Papas.
By the summer of 1967, even folk-rock was passing its peak as the psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper, the Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow, and the Doors’ debut album shook the top of the charts. Ochs continued to write songs at a good clip, but recording-wise sat on the sidelines during these crucial 18 months, in part due to prolonged business machinations that saw him switch both managers and record companies.
Pleasures of the Harbor may have been the first Ochs album to use electric instruments and elaborate arrangements, but it would not be folk-rock, exactly. Influenced by rock’n’roll, jazz, soundtrack music, classical composition, and even the electronic avant-garde, Ochs sought elaborate, sometimes orchestral settings that would complement the progressively complex poetry of his lyrics.
Moreover, he wanted each song to be strikingly different from each other in mood and production, and yet wished the album to flow together well as a whole. Instrumental collaborators in this process would be producer Larry Marks, arranger Ian Freebairn-Smith (responsible for translating Ochs’ countermelodies into finished products utilizing numerous instruments), and pianist Lincoln Mayorga, who gave classical, ragtime, and lounge jazz spices when needed.
Baroque pop-rock production-and, perhaps, over-production-was fully in evidence on the opening track, "Cross My Heart," with its drums, harpsichord, flutes, strings, orchestral horns, and vocal overdubs. The song served notice that Ochs was largely abandoning explicit social comment for more abstract statements whose lyrics demanded multiple listenings to absorb all the nuances.
Ochs was beginning to write long songs at this point, and in fact Phil might have gotten carried away with "Cross My Heart," as he cut several verses from the number after the album was finished (one of those verses appears on the demo version of the tune on Rhino’s Farewells & Fantasies box set). Nothing in the six minutes of "Flower Lady" was a waste, however, the track-with strings, oboe, and piano-standing as the best of the several pseudo-chamber classical arrangements that Ochs and Marks would attempt in the late 1960s.
The moving, just-this-side-of-maudlin composition, with its almost cinematic narrative of a flower lady all but ignored amongst the bustle of numerous contrasting characters, also boasted one of Ochs’ best melodies. Even before Pleasures of the Harbor, cover versions had already appeared by British Invasion stars Peter & Gordon and folk-rock duo Jim & Jean; the Byrds, unfortunately, declined to record it although they had considered doing so.
"Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" is perhaps Ochs’ best-known song, and certainly the most celebrated track from his post-acoustic folk recording career. Inspired by the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York, during which several witnesses did nothing to stop the killing for fear of getting involved, it was also Ochs’ most imaginative arrangement.
The appalling apathy of idle bystanders doing nothing to stop a woman getting stabbed, and several other similar situations laid out by the subsequent verses, was juxtaposed with a jaunty Dixieland-style backup (with Mayorga on tack piano) and Ochs’ splendidly deadpan vocal. Where most songwriters would have let the statement boil over into self-righteous rage, Ochs shrewdly realized that the message would hit home with a far more chilling punch via understatement and gallows humor.
This should have been a hit single, and in fact did become popular in Los Angeles and Seattle. Its chart prospects, however, were scotched by a reference to marijuana. No less than three separate releases of the cut on 45-an unedited one, a version which took out the verse containing the offending word, and another that simply removed the word "marijuana"-were to no avail, as the single failed to break nationally.
"I’ve Had Her," a song of bitter romance with a devastating (and heartless) putdown line, had one of the album’s more lugubrious arrangements, highlighting Mayorga’s classical-style piano. It was back to lighthearted Dixieland jazz, however, for "Miranda," one of the few songs from this period of Ochs’ development that could be fairly characterized as fun, though it didn’t dispense with acute narrative detail. Certainly Ochs’ eye for savage yet witty character sketches reached an apex in the eight-minute "The Party," which like "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" was a perfect match of lyric and arrangement. Ochs took the (singing, not playing) role of the pianist at a party of upper-class snobs, though he didn’t exclude himself from criticism either.
Lincoln Mayorga played the role of lounge lizard to the hilt, mimicking the styles of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann, and purposefully misquoting standards such as "Stardust" to lounge jazz backing. The title cut returned to rich, somewhat overblown orchestration, however, with its bittersweet tales of sailors seeking escape on shore leave, though this was probably a metaphor for escapes of all sorts by everyone, not just sailors.
No track in the Phil Ochs canon is more controversial than "Crucifixion," not so much for its lyrics-although those were plenty controversial-as its musique concrete-like arrangement. Its ten verses of martyred heroes couldn’t help but be interpreted as a comment on the still-fresh assassination of President Kennedy. In fact it did bring tears to the soon-to-be-slain Robert Kennedy when Ochs sang it to him. In keeping with the eclectic experimentalism of Pleasures of the Harbor, however, Ochs decided to set his vocal against an eerie morass of loops, electric harpsichord, and washes of electronic distortion, arranged by Joseph Byrd (leader of the excellent late-1960s experimental electronic rock group the United States of America).
This made him sound for all the world like a lone voice drowning in an avant-garde thunderstorm, which in the eyes of many fans obscured the terrible beauty of the song as heard when played solo, on acoustic guitar, in concert. The point is now moot as live acoustic versions of the song were eventually released, from 1968 (on There and Now: Live in Vancouver, 1968) and 1970 (on the Chords of Fame anthology and the Farewells & Fantasies box).
Pleasures of the Harbor, clocking in at more than 50 minutes, was an outrageously long album for 1967, with most of songs exceeding five minutes and some approaching the ten-minute mark. It was also not terribly successful, peaking at #168 in the charts. While Ochs would not retreat to acoustic folk for his subsequent A&M LPs, and would continue to write songs as unusual (and often lengthy) in construction throughout the rest of the 1960s, he would never again employ textures as recklessly varied as those heard on Pleasures of the Harbor.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Cross My Heart - 3:23
2. Flower Lady - 3:23
3. Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends - 3:37
4. I've Had Her - 8:03
5. Miranda - 5:17
6. The Party - 7:57
7. Pleasures Of The Harbor - 8:05
8. Crucifixion - 8:45
Words and Music by Phil Ochs
Musicians
*Phil Ochs – Vocals, Guitar
*Lincoln Mayorga – Piano
*Warren Zevon – Guitar On "Pleasures Of The Harbor"
*Ian Freebairn-Smith – Arrangements
*Joseph Byrd – Arrangements On "The Crucifixion"
Janus was born as a progressive rock band made up of English musicians in Krefeld in Germany in 1970, retired broke and unknown in 1973, despite being signed to the prestigious EMI "Harvest" label, alongside such bands as Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, and Edgar Broughton. Re-born in 1990, and just achieving success in 2001.
The original band, were Colin Orr (Guitar/Keyboards), Roy Yates (Classical Guitar), Bruno Lord (Vocals), Derek Hyett (Vocals), Mick Peberdy (Bass) and Keith Bonthrone (Drums). Style was truly original, and it has been said that Janus were the originators of the genre that became "acoustic rock". That probably misses the fact, that like the name, the band had two very distinct, schizophrenic, sides. Capable of soft, beautiful melodies, they also cranked out some mega-decibel material, which a few years later would have had them tagged as a punk band.
Signed to EMI Harvest in 1970, in 1971 they recorded the classic "Gravedigger" album. Remarkably, the whole album, including mixing was put together in 24 hours of studio time.
For two years, the band lived in Holland, partied on - making the "summer of love" a 36 month event - and managed very few live appearances. The second album, which should have been made in 1972/3 included some dramatic concept pieces, and a 25 minute track "Under the Shadow of the Moon", which included elements that other artists would not make popular until the 1980's. Sadly, EMI never took up the option on the contract, due to the disappointing sales of "Gravedigger", so the album never got further than the rehearsal studio. But keep reading as in 2013 something really strange happened.
At the tail of 1973 Janus came to England, and managed to perform to one or two appreciative university audiences, before becoming the only band in history to be thrown out of the Cavern Club in Liverpool (too heavy.... read loud). By 1974 it was time to call it a day, so that was the first end of Janus.
CD 1 (Remaster)
1. Red Sun (Colin Orr) - 8:55
2. Bubbles (Colin Orr, Derek Hyatt) - 3:51
3. Watcha Trying To Do? (Colin Orr) - 3:50
4. I Wanna Scream (Colin Orr, Bruno Lord) - 2:43
5. Gravedigger (Janus) - 20:50
5. I'm Moving On (Rare Single A Side) (Colin Orr, Roy Yates) - 3:12
6. I Don't Believe You (Rare Single B Side) (Colin Orr, Bruno Lord) - 3:16
CD 2 (Remix)
1. Red Sun (Colin Orr) - 8:55
2. Bubbles (Colin Orr, Derek Hyatt) - 3:51
3. Watch Trying To Do? (Colin Orr) - 3:50
4. I Wanna Scream (Colin Orr, Bruno Lord) - 2:49
5. Suma Manatilly (Previously Unreleased) (Colin Orr, Keith Bonthrone) - 3:40
6. Sinful Sally (Previously Unreleased) (Colin Orr) - 2:52
7. Gravedigger (Janus) - 20:50
Originally released in 1971, Mighty Baby's second release is a deft, understated, and often magical synthesis of any number of musical strains.
Stepping further away from the group's louder roots in the Action and taking in everything from an embrace of Sufism to further explorations ranging from Gram Parsons and the Band's country-rock to jazz and obscure folk, A Jug of Love is all the more remarkable for being a rushed effort, recorded in barely a week's time. But the group's strength in performing together for years served it well, and the resultant album, while a minor classic rather than a holy grail, is still a classic as it stands.
Certainly anyone familiar with the Byrds and Spirit, to name two groups among many, won't be surprised by the end result, but the bandmembers themselves freely admitted to the influence (the cover is surely a nod to Fifth Dimension, at least), and songs like the gentle gospel-blues of the title track and the mandolin-tinged "Slipstreams" speak to it clearly.
Moments like the beautiful buried harmonies that help open "The Happiest Man in the Carnival" and the subtle interplay of the musicians during the extended instrumental break on "Virgin Spring," at over nine minutes the longest of the album's tracks, show the band's evident talent well in hand.
Even the fairly straightforward boogie of "Keep on Jugging" works well enough instead of simply killing time, thanks in part to a fantastic extended coda.
by Ned Raggett
Tracks
1. A Jug Of Love - 6:22
2. The Happiest Man In The Carnival - 7:11
3. Keep On Jugging - 8:44
4. Virgin Spring - 9:25
5. Tasting The Life - 6:47
6. Slipstreams - 5:26
7. Devil's Whisper - 3:40
8. Virgin Spring - 7:03
9. Messages - 3:46
10.Ancient Traveller - 3:50
All songs by Mighty Baby
Mighty Baby
*Martin Stone - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Mandolin
*Alan King - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Vocals
*Mike Evans - Bass
*Roger Powell - Drums, Congas
*Ian Whiteman - Piano, Harmonium, Organ, Saxophone, Flute, Vocals
When the Action broke up in the late 60s, they reformed minus Reggie King as Azoth. The Azoth name was short lived, leading the band to settle on Mighty Baby. The Action had played the club circuit for years, releasing many excellent mod singles before plunging into the world of psychedelia. This band had always worked hard, and now they were finally given the luxury to record a long player.
Mighty Baby’s album was released in 1969 off the small independent Head label. At this point, Mighty Baby could technically and instrumentally hold their own against rock’s finest: The Grateful Dead, King Crimson, Collosuem, Caravan and the Allman Brothers. The album is miles away from the soulful, sweaty mod garage of their mid 60s singles and could best be described as a melding of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young harmonies, Allman Brothers guitar improv and Notorious Byrd Brothers psychedelia.
Few debut openers are as good as the revolutionary Egyptian Tomb. It’s a sleek, powerful piece of psychedelia with strong west coast style guitar interplay. At 5:30 minutes, this great song never falls flat and is definitely one of the defining moments of British acid rock. Same Way From The Sun has a similar stoned vibe with psychedelic echo and sounds like it could have been lifted from a really good latter day Byrds album.
The spacious, pounding A Friend You Know But Never See, yet another highlight, rocks really hard with some interesting raga style guitar and has a strange mountain air aura. Other works such as the rural I’m From The Country provided a sound Mighty Baby would further explore on their next album, the equally brilliant Jug of Love from 1971.
Mighty Baby along with the Action and various band member’s solo careers are one of rock’s great lost family trees. During their peak they were innovative and unstoppable, thus the “English Grateful Dead” label really doesn’t do them any justice.
Tracks
1. Egyptian Tomb - 5:28
2. A Friend You Know but Never See - 4:24
3. I've Been Down So Long - 5:05
4. Same Way From the Sun - 5:37
5. House Without Windows - 6:10
6. Trials of a City - 5:58
7. I'm From the Country - 4:49
8. At a Point Between Fate and Destiny - 4:44
9. Only Dreaming - 3:16
10. Dustbin Full of Rubbish - 2:47
11. Understanding Love - 3:50
12. Favourite Days - 3:54
13. A Saying for Today - 3:27
Compositions from 1-8 by Mighty Î’aby
Songs 9-13 written by Ian Whiteman and perfomed by The Action
Born in Widener, Arkansas in 1939, Luther Allison (the 14th of 15 musically gifted children) first connected to the blues at age ten, when he began playing the diddley bow (a wire attached by nails to a wall with rocks for bridges and a bottle to fret the wire).
His family migrated to Chicago in 1951, and Luther began soaking in the sounds of Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Robert Nighthawk. He was classmates with Muddy Waters’ son and occasionally stopped in the Waters’ house to watch the master rehearse. It wasn’t until he was 18 already in Chicago for seven years that Luther began playing blues on a real guitar and jamming with his brother Ollie’s band.
By 1957, Allison had dropped out of school and formed a band called The Rolling Stones. Unhappy with the name, they became The Four Jivers, gigging all over the West Side of Chicago. Before long, Luther was jamming with the West Side’s best, including Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and Freddie King, who encouraged Allison to sing. “That,” said Allison, “was my school.” When King began to tour nationally in the early 1960s, Allison took over King’s band as well as his weekly gigs at Walton’s Corner and became one of the hottest acts on the West Side.
For five years, Allison honed his craft. He moved to California for a year and cut sides with fellow Chicagoans Shakey Jake Harris and Sunnyland Slim. He cut his first two songs as a leader on the now-classic Delmark anthology Sweet Home Chicago before releasing his first solo album (also on Delmark), Love Me Mama , a record of hard-hitting blues that spoke to the growing rock audience. But even before his debut album came out, Luther landed a headlining spot at the influential Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1969, and went from relative unknown to major blues-rock attraction. “His guitar riffs seemed to defy the possible,” raved John Fishel, the program director of the festival, who brought Allison back to perform at the following two festivals.
Allison signed with Motown Records in 1972 as the label’s only blues act. His three records for the Gordy subsidiary led to numerous concert dates and both national and international festival appearances, but domestically, interest in the blues was fading. After finding instant acceptance in Europe, he was convinced that Paris was the place to be. While he gained superstar status in Europe and released a dozen European records, his presence in the American music scene diminished.
by Chip Eagle
Tracks
1. Luther's Blues (L. Allison, Traditional) - 6:18
2. SomeDay Pretty Baby (Berry Gordy Jr., James Wookley) - 2:40
3. Easy Baby (Willie Dixon) - 5:17
4. Part Time Love (Janie Bradford, Clay Hammond, Richard Wylie) - 2:43
5. Now You Got It (L. Allison, Gary Beam, Walter Block, Kenneth George Mills) - 3:38 6. Kt (L. Allison) - 3:07
7. Let's Have A Little Talk (L. Allison) - 7:04
8. Driving Wheel (Roosevelt Sykes) - 5:34
9. Into My Life (L. Allison) - 3:30
10.San-Ho-Zay (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) - 5:20
11.Bloomington Closing (Early Version) (L. Allison) - 5:27
12.Medly: I'm Gonna Miss My Baby/Bad News Is Coming?The Thrill Is Gone (L. Allison, J. Peraino, P. White, R. Hawkins, R. Darnell) - 19:10
