Souls Of Inspyration - The Souls Of Inspyration (1970 canada, a melodic bridge between late psych and early prog)

Red Lake, Ontario soft-psych rockers the Souls of Inspyration made the requisite bar slog across Central Canada before setting up shop in Sherbrooke, Quebec in late 1968. There, they recruited keyboardist Raymond Cloutier, morphed their sound into a murkier psychedelic mix and toured Quebec with the likes of Vanilla Fudge and Tommy James and the Shondells, thus solidifying their fan base across the belle province. A battle-of-the-bands competition at Montreal's Man and His World exposition in July 1970 won the band a fortnight slot at the Canada pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. 

by Michael Panontin

Their sole LP released, for the Canadian branch of Columbia Records. As with labelmates Jarvis Street Revue and It's All Meat, press runs for these LP's numbered in the four-digit range at best, nowhere near the quantities US counterparts The Byrds or Mitch Miller (or heck, even Hampton Grease Band) commanded, and all have become sought-after psychedelic arty-facts. So, what about the music you ask? A melodic bridge betwixt late psych and early prog, with a solid foundation of organ and driving rhythm, well-placed stinging guitar leads, and forceful vocals saying everything and nothing simultaneously. 33 minutes, seven tracks and not a loser in the bunch. From the mastertape, original cover artwork and liner notes preserved for the ages."

Forced-Exp

Tracks
1. Pursuit (Marc Paradis) -  2:40
2. Stranger (John Maciejewski) - 2:59
3. Sunshines In Winter - 3:10
4. Dil Kusha (Hearts Happiness) - 6:42
5. Of Lambs And Wolves - 6:10
6. Eyes Of Nature - 3:29
7. Seasons Of Change -  5:18
8. Brand New Day - 1:58
All song by Marc Paradis, John Maciejewski except where indicated

The Souls Of Inspyration
John Maciejewski  - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
Raymond Cloutier  - Hammond Organ, Piano, Vocals
Marc Paradis  - Drums, Vocals
Don Wilson  - Bass

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The Herd - The Complete Herd (1965-71 uk, multi blend psychedelia with young P. Frampton, 2005 remaster, digi pack two disc set)

The Herd were formed at the height of the Mod boom in 1965, joining the scores of groups playing rock and R&B around the London clubs. They quickly made a name for themselves as a tight and exciting on-stage unit, and particular note was taken of both the photogenic good looks and guitar prowess of Frampton. His previous band, The Preachers, had made a single for EMI's Columbia label.

The Herd signed to EMI in the spring of 1965, and a single, "Goodbye Baby", was released on Parlophone in June of that year. It made very little impact however, and neither did two follow-up releases, and EMI dropped the band.

They were still popular on stage and soon came to the notice of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, the songwriting team who were riding high with the successes of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Howard and Blaikley became the Herd's managers, got them signed to Fontana and took over the writing of their material.

The first single under this new arrangement, the catchy "I Can Fly", failed to enter the charts, but of their other efforts, "From The Underworld" made No. 6 in '67, while "Paradise Lost" and "I Don't Want Our Loving To Die" reached Nos 15 and 5 respectively in 1968.

The group's teen appeal was largely attributable to Peter Frampton, voted 'the face of 1968' in the music journals. But after the failure of the "Sunshine Cottage" Frampton left the group. He resurfaced later in the decade alongside Steve Marriott (ex Small Faces) in the hard-rocking "supergroup" Humble Pie.

This superb double disc set has a wealth of tracks that coverstheir career, featuring early single releases from 1965 as well as hits from 1967-68, tracks from their ‘Paradise Lost’ album and other earlyrecordings. Peter Frampton recalls the story of The Herd in an exclusive interview for liner notes and discusses the origins of the songs and the band’s distinctive style.

Tracks

Disc 1

1. I Can Fly (Howard, Blaikley) - 3:13

2. Diary Of A Narcissist (Howard, Blaikley) - 2:11

3. From The Underworld (Howard, Blaikley) - 3:16

4. Sweet William (Bown, Frampton) - 2:19

5. Paradise Lost (Blaikley) - 3:33

6. Come On - Believe Me (Taylor) - 2:50 

7. I Don't Want Our Loving To Die (Howard, Blaikley) - 2:59

8. Our Fairy Tale (Bown, Frampton) - 2:40

9. Sunshine Cottage (Bown, Frampton) - 3:03

10.Miss Jones (Taylor) - 3:21

11.Game (Findon, Shelley) - 2:56

12.Beauty Queen (Filthy) - 1:55

13.You've Got Me Hanging From Your Lovin' Tree (Ford) - 3:06

14.I Don't Wanna Go To Sleep Again (Hammond, Hazlewood) - 2:13

15.Understand Me (Bown, Frampton) - 2:29

16.Follow The Leader (Hammond, Hazlewood) - 2:15

17.Charlie Anderson (Martin, Coulter) - 2:56

18.Bang! (Martin, Coulter) - 2:28

19.Mother's Blue Eyed Angel (Bown, Frampton) - 2:59

20.Laugh And Dance And Sing (Bown, Frampton) - 2:05

21.Sugarloaf Mountain (Taylor) - 2:23

22.Fare Thee Well, Instrumental Reprise (Half Of Me) (Steele) - 1:31

23.Sweet William (Bown, Frampton) - 2:10

24.I Don't Want Our Loving To Die (Howard, Blaikley) - 2:59

25.Game (Findon, Shelley) - 2:55

Disc 2
1. From the Underworld (Howard, Blaikley) - 3:17
2. On My Way Home (Bown, Frampton) - 2:03
3. I Can Fly (Howard, Blaikley) - 3:12
4. Goodbye Groovy (Howard, Blaikley) - 2:45
5. Mixed Up Minds (Bown, Frampton) - 2:39
6. Impressions of Oliver (Bown, Frampton) - 4:47
7. Paradise Lost (Howard, Blaikley) - 3:36
8. Sad (Howard, Blaikley) - 3:15
9. Something Strange (Howard, Blaikley) - 2:55
10.On Your Own (Frampton) - 3:18
11.She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (Bown, Frampton) - 2:59
12.Fare Thee Well (Steele) - 3:58
13.Come On - Believe Me (Taylor) - 2:51
14.Our Fairy Tale (Bown, Frampton) - 2:39
15.You've Got Me Hanging from Your Loving Tree (Ford) - 3:05
16.I Don't Wanna Go to Sleep Again (Hammond, Hazlewood) - 2:25
17.Goodbye's Baby (Baby Goodbye) (Rusell, Farell) - 3:34
18.Here Comes the Fool (Martin, Peujahn) - 3:20
19.She Was Really Saying Something (Holland, Whitefield, Stevenson) - 2:45
20.It's Been a Long Time Baby (Galf, Callier) - 2:15
21.Too Much in Love (Jagger, Richards) - 2:15
22.This Boy's Always Been True (Taylor, Bown) - 2:53
23.Good Citizen (Bown, Frampton) - 2:49

The Herd
*Peter Frampton - Guitar, Vocals (1967-68)
*Andy Bown - Keyboards, Bass, Vocals (1965-69)
*Gary Taylor - Bass, Guitar, Vocals (1965-69)
*Andrew Steele - Drums, Vocals (1966-69)
*Tony Chapman - Drums (1965-66),
*Terry Clark - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals (1965-66),
*Henry Spinetti - Drums (1969)

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Amazing Blondel - Blondel (1973 uk, marvelous progressive folk rock, with S. Winwood, P. Rodgers a.o.)

In the broad brush world of progressive rock and its many sub genres, the transitional album is a fascinating beast. Some of the best offerings in history could be so described, as the band has its feet in two eras, the one past and well documented, the other in a yet unrealized future.

In the realm of these denizens, "Blondel" is the representative from Amazing Blondel and, depending on your taste, you might regard it as their best. Because it is not quite as unique as their previous efforts, I cannot quite succumb to such platitudes, but suffice to say it is definitely up there.

Without the minstrel John Gladwin himself, AB could have easily packed it in. He really was their sound in so many ways. He wrote most of the songs and did most of the singing, but instrumentally they were group efforts, and Baird and Wincott had to be influenced in the songwriting department by Gladwin's legacy.

I would not be surprised to learn that they had actually written quite a bit in the preceding 3 years, because what is presented on "Blondel" is like what came before, except that it sounds influenced by 300 year old music rather than the real deal.

Even the subject matter has not changed that much, except that the focus is more on boy-girl romance rather than love of countryside. It's all romance anyway. The harmonies, acoustic instrumentation, heavenly melodies and earnest demeanour all remain. This version may not be as idiosyncratic, but it is just as authentic.

One other characteristic has been inherited - the tendency to front load albums. The components of Side 1 are all breathtaking, enhanced by judicious orchestral introductions and energetic and optimistic verses and choruses.

The one that holds up best is "Young Man's Fancy", with its upbeat yet soothing approach and lovely fadeout, but both "Leaving of the Country Lover" and the Paul Rodgers backed "Easy Come Easy Go" are both fluid and captivating.

The latter could have been a hit single in its day, and is the first recorded association with Free/Bad Company personnel. Side 2 does contain several gems - "Sailing" and the melodically innovative "Festival".

In retrospect, these modest fellows need not have implied that they were no longer amazing when they labelled this disk.

It is of typically high quality and warrants a place in your collection if you ever thought of including soft rock on your top shelf 

by Keneth Levine

Tracks
1. Prelude - 2:19
2. Leaving Of The Country Lover - 4:15
3. Young Man's Fancy - 5:18
4. Easy Come, Easy Go - 3:30
5. Solo - 2:38
6. Sailing - 4:32
7. Lesson One - 3:00
8. Festival - 4:25
9. Weaver's Market - 3:44
10.Depression - 3:25
All songs written by Eddie Baird

Amazing Blondel
*Eddie Baird - Vocals, Guitar
*Terry Wincott - Vocals , Guitar, Percussion, Flute, Crumhorn, Piano, Recorders
Guest Musicians
*Paul Rodgers - Vocal
*Steve Winwood - Bass
*Sue Glover - Vocal
*Sunny Leslie - Vocal
*Simon Kirke - Drums
*Adrian Hopkins - Harpsichord, String Arrangements

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John Dummer Blues Band - Cabal / John Dummer Band (1969 uk, stunning blues rock. 2010 double disc remaster)

The debut album “Cabal” owes more than a bit to the Kelly offspring, Dave and Jo Ann. Whose folks - affectionately known as Flo and Andy - run Dan's Cafe at Morden and serve the best soul food in South London Except Andy's superlative bread pudding is no more since a geezer started coming in who likes crusts - and it's not worth wasting the middle of the loaf on bread pudding.

Dave began playing guitar and singing blues round folk clubs after he came back from the States in 1966 He had knocked about with (well met, anyway) Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker in New York and when he got home says he couldn't face jobbing nine to five. Instead he soon built up a strong following in the clubs, and in 1967 made a big impression at the Dutch Blues Festival.

When he joined the band two years ago he hadn't played amplified blues at all, and his powerful guitar and vocal style today owe a lot to those early years of country blues playing. Dave's sister Jo Ann is undoubtedly the finest female blues artist in the country today. But along with her rare talent goes a strong fear of being manipulated and tied down. So she regularly turns down contractual offers from record companies even declined an invitation to join Canned Heat when they were over here recently.

T.S. McPhee - "Mac" to his mates sometimes conies up with staccatto monologues of disjointed words and phrases that can be as moving as his brilliant guitar playing But you'll probably only hear him on guitar Mac was the original guitarist with John Lee's Groundhogs. Has hacked lohn Lee Hooker, Little Walter, Lddie Boyd and limmy Reed during then British tours, and worked with lohn Mavall lorn time. John O'Leary  whom Champion Jack Dupree once called 'the best harp player since Sonny Boy Williamson was a founder member of Savov Brown Blues Band. And has an amazing collection of post-war blues records and old out-ol-ume harps which he doesn't use any more.

On rhythm section there's lain 'Thumper" Thomson on lender Precision hass. who just got his decree in sociology despite spending all his waking hours with the hand. And me - ot assorted multi-coloured drum kit. Backing on piano was supplied by Steve Miller, and Keith Tillman added his bass to “I Need Love” “Just A feeling” . 'Siting And Thinking. 'When You Got A Good Friend’  and “Hound Dog”.  The recording itself was patiently produced by Brian Shepherd and beautifully engineered by Dave Voyde in Mercury's London studios To all - our thanks.

by John Dummer, original "Cabal' liner notes

Tracks

Cabal 

1. I Need Love (Dave Kelly) - 2:40

2. Just A Feeling (Jacobs) - 2:53

3. No Chance With You (Kelly) - 3:13

4. Young Fashioned Ways (Dixon) - 3:12

5. Sitting And Thinking (Morganfield) - 4:02

6. Low Down Santa Fe (Kelly) - 5:39

7. When You Got A Good Friend (McPhee, Kelly) - 3:27

8. Welfare Blues (Thimpson) - 4:10

9. Hound Dog (Otis) - 3:02

10.Blue Guitar (Hooker) - 5:48

11.After Hours (Paige) - 2:36

12.Daddy Please Don’t Cry (Kirkland) - 3:37

The John Dummer Band
13.Few Short Lines (Traditional arr. Kelly) - 3:48
14.Bullfrog Blues (Traditional arr. Kelly) - 3:43
15.Try Me One More Time (Kelly) - 3:02
16.Money And Fame (Ryga) - 2:35
17.Reconsider Baby (Fulson) - 4:53
18.Riding At Midnight (Burnett) - 3:20
19.Ain’t Gonna Work No More (Kelly) - 5:31
20.Big Feeling (Kelly) - 2:30
21.Memphis Minnie (Traditional arr. Kelly) - 2:54
22.Birds And Booze Blues (Kelly) - 4:56
23.Skin Game (Traditional arr. Kelly) - 3:58

The John Dummer Blues Band 
*Dave Kelly - Bottleneck Guitar, Vocals, Kazoo
*T.S. McPhee - Guitar, Vocals (on "Cabal" Album Only)
*John O'Leary - Harmonica
*Thumper Thomson - Bass
*John Dummer - Drums
*Jo Ann Kelly – Vocals
*Adrian Pietryga – Guitar (on 2nd Album only)
*Bob Hall – Piano

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Vivian Stanshall - Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (1974 uk, inspired multi styles eccentric prog rock, feat. S. Winwood, J. Capaldi a.o.)

Four years out of the Bonzo Dog Band, Viv Stanshall's debut album arrived more than two years after he first started work on it, a long gestation that even he acknowledged was punctuated by some dark droughts of inspiration. "It's all about frustration," he continued, "It's one long squawk." The scars did not, however, show. From the moment the single, the Afro-centric "Lakonga," hit the airwaves, it was clear that Stanshall's characteristic eye for both intriguing melody and infuriating experimentation had not been diminished. 

The key to the album was the opening "Afoju Ti Ole Riran (Dead Eyes)," a painfully personal tirade directed against the music business. Despite his fame and reputation, Stanshall continued to be marginalized by the industry at large, at the same time as he himself hated the demands that it made upon him. "Truck Track," an ode to the weary life on the road, and "Red-Eye," sketching some of the less pleasant characteristics of his own industry associates, make that very plain. 

More traditional territory is stalked by the blues "Yelp Bellow Rasp Et Cetera," with its helpful lexicon of bluesy language, but still a wary eye focuses cynically on his audience -- "don't fade me out, you b-b-b-beasts. I intended to mention disappearing tigers and commitment" -- while the lackadaisically Caribbean "How the Zebra Got It Spots" would probably have made an excellent novelty hit, but for Stanshall's decision to rhyme "let-it-be-ness" with "a certain penis." "Dwarf Succulents," too, cannot resist lunging for the ribald jugular, with its easy listening analysis of the post-coital afterglow; the punch line comes from the breathy girl chorus with whom Stanshall has been trading back and forth throughout the song. "How was it for you?" he asks, once he's finished elucidating his own satisfaction. "Oh," they trill. "So-so." 

The album closes with the booze-soaked "Bout of Sobriety" and a final song that, were one to feel especially portentous, could be described as Stanshall's own "Jugband Blues," the merciless self-analysis of "Strange Tongues" ("Fear follows in the wake of sleepless days, foul yellow fright as thick as mayonnaise"). It's a haunting song, and a slightly frightening one, all the more so since Stanshall's delivery, as always, is poised so close to the edge of parody that it's easy to believe that he's telling a joke. Unfortunately, he isn't. 

For all its darkness, though, Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead is an easy album to love, all the more so since Stanshall made so few attempts to follow it up. Of the three solo albums that he subsequently cut, only Teddy Boys Don't Knit ventured into the same musical waters as Umbrellas. Pair them together, and you would truly have an album for the ages. 

by Dave Thompson

Tracks
1. Afoju Ti Ole Riran (Dead Eyes) (V. Stanshall, Caspar Lawal) - 3:51
2. Truck-Track - 4:48
3. Yelp, Bellow, Rasp Et Cetera - 1:01
4. Prong - 5:08
5. Redeye - 4:50
6. How The Zebra Got His Spots - 2:09
7. Dwarf Succulents - 2:49
8. Bout Of Sobriety - 1:42
9. Prong & Toots Go Steady - 6:57
10.Strange Tongues - 3:42
11.Baba Tunde (Single B-Side) (V. Stanshall, Caspar Lawal) - 5:08
12.Lakonga (Single A-Side) (V. Stanshall, Caspar Lawal) - 3:25
All muck written by Vivian Stanshall except where noted.

Musicians
*Vivian Stanshall - Vocals, Recorder, Euphonium, Ukulele, Chelonian Pipes
*Anthony "Bubs" White - Electric Guitar
*Steve Winwood - Bass Guitar, Organ
*Caspar Lawal - Talking Drums, Congas, Xylophone, Drum
*Neil Innes - Piano, Slide Guitar,
*Jim Capaldi - Drum Kit, Lesser Log
*Deryk Quinn - Cabassa, Nigerian Coffee Tables, Greater Log
*Ric Grech - Violin
*Reebop Kwaku Baah - Congas
*Doris Troy, Madeline Bell, Barry St. John - Backing Vocals
*Ayus Ape, Gani, Caspar Lawal - Male Yoruba Chorus
*Winwood's West Indian Taxi Driver - Bass Guitar (tracks 11, 12)
*Winwood's West Indian Taxi Driver's Friend - Drum Kit (tracks 11, 12)

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Key Largo - Key Largo (1970 uk, fine blues rock with jazzy mood, 2004 remaster)

"Key Largo may best be described as a group of musicians seeking to create something fresh and unique within the supposed musical boundaries of what most people would simply term blues" state the sleeve notes to their album. In fact what's on offer is pretty British blues rock produced by Mike Vernon, and released through the Blue Horizon label. with lots of harmonica, percussion and brass arrangements in places. The album includes cover versions of Willie Dixon, Alain Toussaint, B.B.King and P. Mayfield songs. 

Tracks include the soul/funk orientated “Give It Up” with a brass arrangement; the slow number “As The Years Go Passing By”, which features some good blues guitar work, and “Come On And Get It Baby”, written by thirties English pianist Stanley Black - an instrumental with jazzy electric piano, sharp guitar chords and percussion by Kenny Lamb who later went on to Jellybread.

by Costas Arvanitis

Tracks
1. Big Chief - 1:27
2. Axe And The Wind - 1:38
3. Give It Up - 2:42
4. What Do I Do With It - 1:54
5. Stranger In My Own Home Town - 2:54
6. That Did It - 5:01
7. Big Chief (Part 2) - 2:21
8. Come On And Get It Baby (If You Want It) Bit One - 3:03
9. Get In It - 2:08
10.Come On And Get It Baby (If You Want It) Bit Two - 1:03
11.O. S. Blues (Otis Spann) - 3:17
12.Wrapped Up In Love Again - 2:15
13.Biscayne Bay - 1:54
14.As The Years Go Passing By - 5:31

Key Largo  
*Pat McAuliffe - Vocals
*Laurence 'Laurie' Garman - Harmonica
*Laurie Sanford - Guitar
*Bob Savage - Keyboards
*Tom Stead - Bass
*Kenny Lamb - Drums

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Foghat - Fool For The City (1975 uk, classic hard boogie 'n' roll, 2008 ultradisc MFSL)

After building a solid core audience through relentless touring and a string of hard-rocking albums, Foghat finally hit the big time in 1975 with Fool for the City. It still stands out as the best album in the group's catalog because it matched their road-tested abilities as hard rockers to a consistent set of tunes that were both well-crafted and ambitious.

The tone for the album is set by its title track: This hard-rocking gem not only pairs riff-driven verses with an effective shout-along chorus, but also throws in a few surprising moments where the guitars are taken out of the mix completely and Nick Jameson's bass is allowed to take the lead in a funky breakdown. Fool for the City also produced an enduring rock radio favorite in "Slow Ride," a stomping rock tune that transcends the inherent cliches of its "love is like a car ride" lyrics with a furious performance from the band and a clever arrangement that works in well-timed automotive sound effects during the verses and plays up the band's ability to work an R&B-styled groove into their hard-rocking sound (again, note the thumping bassline from Jameson).

Further radio play was earned with "Take It or Leave It," an acoustic-based ballad that worked synthesizers into its subtle yet carefully layered arrangement to become one of the group's finest slow numbers. The album's other songs don't stand like the aforementioned selections, but they all flow together nicely thanks to a consistently inspired performance from the band and clever little arrangement frills that keep the group's boogie-oriented rock fresh (example: the witty spoken word bit at the end of "Drive Me Home"). All in all, Fool for the City is both Foghat's finest achievement in the studio and one of the high points of 1970s hard rock.

by Donald A. Guarisco

Tracks

1. Fool for the City (Peverett) – 4:31

2. My Babe (Hatfield) – 4:34

3. Slow Ride (Peverett) – 8:07

4. Terraplane Blues (Robert Johnson) – 5:40

5. Save Your Loving (For Me) (Price, Peverett) – 3:31

6. Drive Me Home (Peverett) – 3:52

7. Take It or Leave It (Jameson, Peverett) - 4:54

Foghat

*Lonesome Dave Peverett - Lead Vocals, Guitar

*Rod "The Bottle" Price - Guitar, Slide, Steel Guitar , Vocals

*Roger Earl - Drums, Percussion

*Nick Jameson -Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals

Foghat

1972  Foghat (1st Album, Japan remaster)

1973  Rock And Roll (Japan remaster)

1974  Energized (Japan remaster)

1974  Rock And Roll Outlaws (Japan remaster)

Related Acts

1967-68  Savoy Brown - Shake Down / Getting To The Point

1969-70  Savoy Brown - Raw Sienna / Looking In

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The Charlatans - San Francisco 1969 (1969 us, essential west coast psych blues jazz folk rock)

San Francisco, 1969. Speed, smack Altamont. The bloom was off the rose and morning glory that had burst forth with such intense color lust three years before. Jams. Sly. Santana. the Dead and Airplane were nationally known, but locally, on a street level, a scene had soured Moby Grape disbanded.

Tom Donahue resigned as head of Fmundergrounder KSAN. and Bill Graham announced he'd leave the Fillmore West by year's end. A few months earlier, Rolling Stone had run what read like an obit: "The Charlatans. Start of It All, Now in the Dark Hole of Hip."

The Charlatans! The name alone conjures magic to devotees of West Coast 60s rock San Francisco's first long-haired psychedelic band, from Nevada's Red Dog Saloon, in Edwardian, western and Roaring '20s togs, who raided the Cash and Carter Family songbooks to invent "Americana" in '65 (one critic dubbed their sound "Stephen Foster on speed"), who signed a recording contract before anyone else (with Lovm' Spoonful producer Erik Jacobsen and Kama Sutra Records), then negotiated their way out of it with a shotgun and a mindfuck session Those guys.

By 1969. the Charlatans had just about disappeared down the rabbit hole Founding members Dan Hicks and Mike Ferguson had quit, replaced by drummer Terry Wilson and pianist Darrell DeVore. respectively, and, through mutual agree- or disagreement, founder George Hunter was out That left original members Richard Olsen (bass, vocals, woodwinds) and Mike Wilhelm (guitar, vocals) and the two new recruits.

"Mike and I were still trying to hold down the vision of the Charlatans." says Olsen. We still thought we could do something with it. And we'd already put in a lot of time. After the Kama Sutra deal, we had gotten lots of recording offers. George always turned them down because he felt they were never right, never good enough Mike and I were like, 'We should have taken that deal1' Olsen. Wilhelm and the 'new' Charlatans took the offer from Mercury subsidiary Philips Records in 1969 though it paid the quartet a paltry 510,000 advance (a year earlier, Quicksilver Messenger Service and the Steve Miller Band had each made news with S50,000-plus signings). 

The Charlatans was recorded over a six-month period at San Francisco’s Pacific High Recorders Olsen recalls the label suggesting an outside producer for the project (one name mentioned was Mac "Dr John" Rebennack). but the group opted for the DIY approach, self-producing with engineer Dan Healy.

While the original lineup had recorded an entire album's worth of material for Kama Sutra, it remained unissued until recently, making The Charlatans the band's official, if late, debut. It's a charmer whose appeal has only improved with age If a bit busy in spots (We overdid the arranging, admits Olsen "There are too many layers of everything"), it carries the feel of a band earnestly trying to put its best foot forward- and it surely captures some of the blue-steel, spur-jangling Wild West rock & roll of the band that captivated crowds from the Avalon and Fillmore stages.

Five songs date from the original Charlatans' set list. Wilhelm's big rustic baritone powers "Folsom Prison Blues" (his voice sounds older than its years and thus plenty credible reading Cash's mean-loser lyrics) and "Wabash Cannonball." Dig the blistering Berry-esque solos Wilhelm tears off as the latter rolls down the track. Olsen wrote and sings the carefree 'When I Go Sailin' By," one of those newmown homages to the music of the 'teens and '20s that made the Charlatans so stylishly unique. 

Twirl your straw boater Wilhelm's "Blues Ain't Nothm'" may be busy, but it burns. Rumbling drums gallop up to a blast of brass la sort of double-timed "Hold On I'm Comin'" riff), piano and sax tumble in an agitated spin cycle around the vocal, and Wilhelms guitar hacks through it all like a poleaxe Chaotic climaxes also figure in "Alabama Bound." the Charlatans signature tune and "long song" (every Frisco band had to have one). 

This seven-minute version, a group vocal, with Olsen on sax and clarinet, largely resembles the way they played it live from '66 onward: antique and dusty-sounding, frenzied and ominous. ("This next tune." Wilhelm sometimes introduced it, "is a Jelly Roll Morton number that we changed a little well, actually, we changed it a lot. It's in Tibetan modal tuning.")

"Ain't Got the Time" is a newer, almost jaunty folk-rocker from Wilhelm and "High Coin" of course the Van Dyke Parks classic covered by everyone from Harper's Bizarre to the West Coast Pop Art Expenmental Band. The extended coda on "Com" (12-string. sax. guitar accents) makes this one of the more distinctive versions of the tune.

The album's remaining four tracks were written by Darrell DeVore, a recently arrived jazz-trained pianist from Kansas City. (Drummer Terry Wilson had come from early S F. combo the Orkustra. Whose members included a pre-lt's A Beautiful Day David LaFlamme and a pre-Manson Bobby Beausoleil.)

While lighter in tone than the other tracks. DeVore's songs do display a certain pop-jazz flair, tending to pair infectious melodies with adventurous time signatures. The alternately lilting and boogie-woogied "Doubtful Waltz" shifts tempos to good effect, while three-quarter time is used in "When the Movies Are Over." a mock melodramatic tune that, with its oldtimey piano, could've fit snugly into the original band's repertoire.

DeVore's "Easy When I'm Dead" is something of a sleeper. Strong melodic hooks, rhythm stops and Everly harmonies on the chorus keep it interesting, and Wilhelm's guitarring flashes more than a hint of John Cipollma's tremolo-laden style. Despite its strengths. The Charlatans drew a lukewarm response from the record-buying public. 

Philips released one single. "High Coin" b/w "When I Go Sailin' By," but apparently did not vigorously promote it. But, frankly, how would a label have gone about marketing the Charlatans' concise, tuneful rockers to audiences who, by 1969. were clamoring for ever more indulgent jams and histrionic vocals, a surfeit of Creams and Lizard Kings9 (This quartet incarnation of the group did play live: Olsen remembers an especially unimpressive Fillmore gig undone by 'freeform" instrumental tendencies and a lack of professionalism.)

The Charlatans called it a day later that year. Olsen promptly embarked on to a three-year stint as general manager of Pacific High studios ("I was the liaison between the studio and the local music community"), where he assisted on Working/van's Dead and albums by Sly, Van Morrison and Quicksilver. 

Following some early- 70s traveling (two years in Africa, later some time in Francewhere he busked and tap-danced in the Pans metro), he returned to the Bay Area to form first the Powell Street Jazz Band (with respected alumni of San Francisco's '30s and '40s trad-jazz revivali and then the Richard Olsen Orchestra. He continues to perform with the latter today.

Wilhelm went on to a semi-steady late-70s gig with fellow Friscans the Flamin Groovies (he can be heard on their Now' And Jumpin' in the Night albums) and his own acclaimed band. Loose Gravel. He still occasionally performs in Northern California, where he resides. Olsen and Wilhelm have joined surviving original Charlatans Dan Hicks and George Hunter in periodic reunions, most notably in 1997 at a San Francisco rock exhibit at Cleveland s Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

The Charlatans is a welcome reissue, a document of the doings in a very special place at a very special time. Listen close and you'll catch it

by Gene Sculatti

Tracks
1. High Coin (Van Dyke Parks) – 3:07
2. Easy When I'm Dead (Darrell Devore) – 2:38
3. Ain’t Got The Time (Mike Wilhelm) – 2:47
4. Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash) – 2:47
5. The Blues Ain't Nothin' (Mike Wilhelm) – 4:44
6. Time To Get Straight (Darrell Devore) – 3:53
7. When I Go Sailin' By (Richard Olsen) – 2:46
8. Doubtful Waltz (Darrell Devore) – 3:24
9. Wabash Cannonball (Alvin Pleasant Carter) – 4:04
10.Alabama Bound (Traditional, Arranged The Charlatans) – 6:53
11.When The Movies Are Over (Darrell Devore) – 3:04
12.Radio Advert – 1:00

The Charlatans
*Mike Wilhelm - Vocals, Guitar, Fretted Instruments, Percussion
*Richard Olsen - Vocals, Bass, Woodwind Instruments, Percussion
*Darrell Devore – Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion
*Terry Wilson – Drums, Percussion

1965-68  The Amazing Charlatans

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The Deep Six - The Deep Six (1966 us, lovely vocal sunny folk)

From Southern California, this obscure five-man, one-woman pop-folk-rock group issued a self-titled album on Liberty in 1966. From the sounds of things (and the look of the group on the cover), they were a pop-oriented folk group hastily adapting to the folk-rock craze, with their white bread folk roots showing far more strongly than any newfound rock sensibilities. In this sense, as well as the all-over-the-place repertoire of the LP, they recalled the We Five, although they weren't as good and there was a glossier Los Angeles sheen to the production. 

The harmonies and their bent toward bittersweet melodies also bore some similarities to the Mamas & the Papas and the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, though they weren't even remotely the same league as the Mamas & the Papas and not nearly as rock-oriented as the Peanut Butter Conspiracy. Their best song, the original "Rising Sun," had an uncharacteristically gutsy fuzz guitar line, played as if the guitarist was afraid of burning fingers if the tone was sustained too long, and saw some regional airplay.

The Deep Six started out as a San Diego folk trio, evolving into a bigger folk-rockish band after they became the house band for the La Mesa folk club the Land of Oden, co-owned by their co-manager, Ken Mansfield. "Rising Sun," according to the liner notes to the expanded Rev-Ola CD reissue of Deep Six, included a young Jim Messina on guitar, and made number three in Los Angeles, where the group based themselves for part of their short career. 

Much of the music on their records (which, in addition to the LP, included a few non-LP singles) was played by top Hollywood session musicians, including Glen Campbell, Carol Kaye, Mike Deasy, Al Casey, Larry Knechtel, Ray Pohlman, and Barney Kessel; David Gates contributed some arranging. Neither the album nor the follow-up singles to "Rising Sun" sold well, and the group disbanded shortly afterward, with Barry Kane (who had been in the New Christy Minstrels and a duo with Barry McGuire) joining the lineup as the replacement for original member Dave Gray near the end.

After Deep Six, Ken Mansfield went on to work for Capitol Records and served as the first U.S. manager of Apple Records. Bassist Dann Lottermoser joined Stone Country, which did one album for RCA, and included noted country-rock singe/-songwriter Steve Young. The Deep Six album was reissued on CD, with all five of their non-LP songs added as bonus tracks, by Rev-Ola in 2003.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Paint it Black (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 2:42
2. When Morning Breaks (Tom Paxton) - 2:49
3. Unlock the Door (Bob Lind) - 3:13
4. What Would you Wish (Dave Gray) - 2:47
5. Somewhere, My Love (Maurice Jarre, Paul Francis Webster) - 2:07
6. A Groovy Kind of Love (Craig Bayer, Toni Wine) - 1:59
7. Solitary Man (Neil Diamond) - 2:23
8. Counting (Bob Lind) - 2:42
9. Rising Sun (Dave Gray) - 2:30
10.Winds of Morning (Dann Lottermoser, Tony McCashen) - 2:32
11.Why Say Goodbye (Dann Lottermoser) - 2:31
12.Where were you when I needed (Steve Barri, P.F. Sloan) - 3:05
13.Strollin' Blues (Richard Dehr, Terry Gilkyson, Frank Miller) - 2:56
14.Things We Say (D. Duhn, D. Lottermoser) - 2:56
15.I Wanna Shout (Dave Gray) - 2:21
16.Image of a Girl (Richard Clasky, Marvin Rosenberg) - 2:44
17.C'Mon Baby (Barry Kane) - 2:18

The Deep Six
*Dean Cannon - Vocals
*Tony McCashen - Vocals
*Dave Gray - Vocals
*Dann Lottermoser - Bass
*Jim Messina - Gguitar
*Barry Kane - Vocals

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The Charlatans - The Amazing Charlatans (1965-68 us, prime psych folk rock)

The Charlatans were, by dint of timing, effort and wardrobe, the first on the scene of the 60s San Francisco psychedelic rock bands. The folkie jug-band scene going down in the Bay Area, circa 1964, was destined to be electrified. The Charlatans achieved this on several levels.

The man behind the Charlatans was architecture student George Hunter, who couldn't play a musical instrument, but wanted to be in a rock 'n' roll band. His concept and ambition were joined by Haight-Ashbury musician and entrepreneur Michael Ferguson's artistic and theatrical bent.

During 1964, the nascent group - which included Richie Olsen and Sam Linde - not only rehearsed, but also filmed and photographed themselves, as Hunter thought a successful band should. Some of that early footage may be seen in the film "The Life And Times of the Red Dog Saloon". The only thing missing was a paying gig, which the band was yet to have.

Drummer Linde eventually left the band, and Dan soon took his place, allegedly when he happened by the band's pad to score pot.

In the summer of 1965, The Charlatans were recruited by Chandler Laughlin to audition as the house band for the newly-opened Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. Dan was skeptical and somewhat reluctant to go, but the other members prevailed upon him, and their LSD-fueled audition at the Red Dog was a success.

The Charlatans' groundbreaking summer engagement at the Red Dog inspired musicians and promoters from San Francisco to begin what was to become a "golden era" of psychedelic music at the various SF dancehalls.

The Charlatans had several recording sessions from 1965 to 1968, and released a single on Kapp Records – "The Shadow Knows" b/w "32-20". The band wanted "Codine" to be the A-side, but the label deemed the subject matter to be too controversial.

Dan left the band in 1968 to concentrate on developing His Hot Licks, which had become an opening act for the Charlatans. After Dan's departure, a Charlatans album was released on Phillips.

Most of Dan's songs from this era are well-known to his fans today: "How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away", "By Hook Or By Crook", and "'Long Come A Viper". But his classic anthem of hippie relationship ennui, "We're Not On The Same Trip", should have had the success he envisioned for it. As Dan put it, "That could have been a fuckin' hit. man."

The tracks on the CD are from several sessions; The Autumn Demos (Coast Recorders, SF CA, 8/65), The Kama Sutra Sessions (Coast Recorders, early '66), The Golden State Demo (Golden State Recorders, SF CA, 7/67) and The Pacific High Sessions (Pacific High Recorders, Sausalito CA, early '68).

The Charlatans were not fated to get swept up in the massive SF Band Signings by major labels in the 60s. As Dan says in the liner notes, "We were just cast to be local, just doomed, that was it. Whatever the circumstances were."

by Dan Hicks

Tracks

1. Codine (Buffy Sainte Marie) – 2:22

2. Alabama Bound (Traditional, Arr. M. Ferguson, D. Hicks, G. Hunter, R. Olsen, M. Wilhelm) – 6:24

3. I Always Wanted A Girl Like You (G. Hunter, R. Olsen) – 1:31

4. I Saw Her (Traditional, Arr. M. Ferguson, D. Hicks, G. Hunter, R. Olsen, M. Wilhelm) – 2:06

5. How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away (D. Hicks) – 2:22

6. 32–20 (Robert Johnson) – 2:27

7. We're Not On The Same Trip (D. Hicks) – 3:12

8. Walkin' (G. Hunter, R. Olsen) – 3:08

9. Sweet Sue, Just You (Will Harris, Victor Young) – 3:40

10.East Virginia (Traditional, Arr. P. Gogerty, D. Hicks, G. Hunter, R. Olsen, M. Wilhelm, T. Wilson) – 1:40

11.The Shadow Knows (Jerry Leiber, M. Stoller) – 2:14

12.I Got Mine (D. Hicks) – 2:27

13.Steppin' In Society (Alex Gerber, Harry Akst) – 1:14

14.Devil Got My Man (Skip James) – 2:46

15.By Hook Or By Crook (D. Hicks) – 2:24

16.'Long Come A Viper (D. Hicks) – 2:41

17.Sidetrack (Traditional, Arr. M. Ferguson, D. Hicks, L. Hughes, G. Hunter, R. Olsen, M. Wilhelm) – 2:26

18.Alabama Bound (Traditional, Arr. M. Ferguson, D. Hicks, G. Hunter, R. Olsen, M. Wilhelm) – 2:45

19.Number One (M. Wilhelm) – 4:15

20.Baby Won't You Tell Me (John Hammond) – 3:41

21.Jack Of Diamonds (Traditional, Arr. M. Ferguson, D. Hicks, G. Hunter, R. Olsen, M. Wilhelm) – 4:49

22.The Blues Ain't Nothin' (M. Wilhelm) – 4:58

23.Groom N' Clean Ad (Traditional, Arr. M. Ferguson, D. Hicks, G. Hunter, R. Olsen, M. Wilhelm) – 0:40

The Charlatans

*George Hunter – Autoharp, Percussion, Vocals

*Michael Ferguson – Piano, Vocals

*Mike Wilhelm – Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Richard Olsen – Bass Guitar, Clarinet, Vocals

*Dan Hicks – Drums, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

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