Joe South - Introspect / Don't It Made You Want To Go Home? (1968-69 us, splendid folk psych bluesy rock)

)

Atlanta native Joe Souter (a.k.a. Joe South) is one of the unsung heroes in popular music as although a few of his hits peaked in the top 40 in pop and/or country, as noted, mostly other artists had hits with his material.

This CD is an Australian twofer of his first 2 albums originally released on Capitol. Introspect, from 1968, and Don't It Make You Want To Go Home, from 1969. These 2 albums contain many of the most influential songs in all of popular music including pop hits:

#12 "Games People Play," (covered successfully by Freddy Weller, who had a #2 country hit with it), Birds of a Feather (a #96 hit for Joe that became a #23 hit for Paul Revere & The Raiders in 1971), Rose Garden (covered by Lynn Anderson who would take it to #1 on both country and pop charts), Don't It Make You Want To Go Home (which would peak at #27 on the country chart and #41 on the pop chart, which Bobby Bare and a few other artists have covered), Children (a #51 hit which Billy Joe Royal covered on his "Cherry Hill Park" album in 1970, available on a twofer with 1965's "Down In The Boondocks" which is available here at Amazon), Walk a Mile In My Shoes (a #12 pop hit, #56 country hit, which Elvis would later feature in his concerts regularly throughout the 1970s), These Are Not My People (Freddy Weller also charted with this and it peaked at #5 on the country charts), "Hole In Your Soul," a single that got included on the "Games People Play" compilation in the LP days and not on any other album is included as a bonus track.

The entire CD is classic singer-songwriter music and is essential to any collection of music from the 1960s-1970s

by Bradley Olson

Tracks
Introspect, 1968
1. All My Hard Times - 2:49
2. Rose Garden - 2:47
3. Mirror Of Your Mind - 4:36
4. Redneck - 3:15
5. Don't Throw Your Love To The Wind - 2:50
6. The Greatest Love - 2:28
7. Games People Play - 3:32
8. These Are Not My People - 2:29
9. Don't You Be Ashamed - 3:12
10.Birds Of A Feather - 2:43
11.Gabriel - 7:16
Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home? 1969
12.Clock Up On The Wall - 4:14
13.Bittersweet - 2:41
14.Shelter - 3:10
15.What Makes Lovers Hurt One Another? - 2:35
16.Before It's Too Late - 3:54
17.Children - 3:37
18.Walk A Mile In My Shoes - 3:40
19.Be A Believer - 3:01
20.A Million Miles Away - 4:35
21.Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home? - 3:10
Bonus Track
22.Hole In Your Sole - 3:37
All songs by Joe South

*Joe South - Vocals, Guitar

Free Text

Just Paste

Text Host

Pure Prairie League - Pure Prairie League / Bustin Out (1972 us, excellent country rock, 2006 remaster edition)

Despite significant personnel changes, Pure Prairie League maintained itself as a successful country-rock band during the 1970s and early '80s, releasing ten albums and enjoying hits -- including "Amie" and "Let Me Love You Tonight" -- with different configurations of the group.

Pure Prairie League was formed in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969 by singer/songwriter/guitarist Craig Fuller (born July 18, 1949, in Portsmouth, Ohio), singer/guitarist George Powell, bass player Jim Lanham, and drummer Tom McGrail, who gave the band its name, which was the name of a women's temperance group in the 1939 Errol Flynn movie Dodge City. Pure Prairie League built up a following in Ohio, playing around Cincinnati for a year before earning a record contract with RCA Victor. 

By that time, McGrail had left and been replaced by Jim Caughlin, though Billy Hinds had also drummed with the band for a time. Adding steel guitar player John David Call, the group went into the studio and recorded its self-titled debut album, which was released in March 1972 with a cover depicting a Western character named Luke, an illustration drawn by famed naturalist painter Norman Rockwell that had first appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1927. Luke would turn up on all the band's subsequent album covers, giving them a distinctive visual conception.

Pure Prairie League did not sell well enough to reach the charts, and the group fragmented. Lanham, Caughlin, and Call left, and remaining members Fuller and Powell brought back Hinds, who in turn recruited a friend, keyboard player Michael Connor, to play on the second album, Bustin' Out, and subsequently become a full-fledged bandmember. Among the other session musicians on the album was David Bowie associate Mick Ronson, who played guitar and arranged the strings.

by William Ruhlmann

The songwriting team of Craig Fuller and George Powell was one of the finest in the business, and on Bustin' Out they made an album that is unequaled in country-rock. The songs are meditative portraits of relationships that aren't running smoothly but are still alive, and they sound autobiographical rather than something contrived to sell records. These tunes are presented with grace and unusual taste, the country guitars and vocal harmonies backed with astonishingly sympathetic string arrangements by Mick Ronson. Both lyrical and musical themes carry over from song to song -- "Falling in and Out of Love" and "Amie" are really two halves of one suite, and there are echoes of that suite throughout the rest of the album. 

Despite the extraordinary beauty and intelligence of the music on this album, it was not immediately successful, and the already troubled band broke up after it was released. Nevertheless, the influence of Bustin' Out was profound, and one song in particular became a staple for bar bands everywhere. RCA re-released "Amie" as a single more than two years after the album came out, and it was a Top 30 hit. The revival of interest in Pure Prairie League led RCA to re-sign the group, alas without Craig Fuller. That hit status also led to a rediscovery of the merits of the rest of Bustin' Out, which is acknowledged to be one of the artistic high points in country-rock history. 

by Richard Foss

Tracks
Pure Prairie League 1972
1. Tears (Craig Fuller) - 2:41
2. Take It Before You Go (Fuller) - 4:04
3. You're Between Me (Fuller) - 5:35
4. Woman (Adam Taylor) - 3:40
5. Doc's Tune (George Powell) - 1:22
6. Country Song (T. P. Waterhouse) - 7:37
7. Harmony Song (Fuller) - 5:20
8. It's All On Me (Powell) - 2:30
Bustin' Out 1972
9. Jazzman (Ed Holstein) - 2:34
10.Angel No. 9 (Craig Fuller) - 4:55
11.Leave My Heart Alone (Powell) - 4:24
12.Early Morning Riser (Fuller) - 5:05
13.Falling In And Out Of Love (Fuller) - 2:12
14.Amie (Fuller) - 4:18
15.Boulder Skies (Fuller) - 4:01
16.Angel (Fuller) - 4:26
17.Call Me, Tell Me (Fuller) - 2:41

Pure Prairie League
*Craig Fuller - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*George Powell - Finger-Style Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
*Jim Lanham - Bass Guitar, Background Vocals (Pure Prairie League LP)
*John David Call - Steel Guitar (Pure Prairie League LP)
*Jim Caughlan - Drums (Pure Prairie League LP)
*Billy Hinds - Drums (Bustin' Out LP)
*David Huchins- Guitar (Bustin' Out LP)
Additional Personnel
Pure Prairie League LP
*Hugh Mccracken - Guitar
*Barbara Merrick - Vocals
*Starr Smith - Vocals
*James Westermyer "Westy" - Vocals
Bustin' Out LP
*Dianne Brooks - Vocals, Background Vocals
*Steven Edney - Background Vocals
*Al "Brisco" Clark - Steel Guitar
*Michael Connor - Piano, Keyboards
*Bob Ringe - Percussion, Marimba
*James Rolleston - Bass
*Mick Ronson - Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocals
*Michael Connor - Piano
*Gary Smith - Guitar

Free Text

Just Paste

Rita Coolidge - Delta Lady, The Anthology (1971-98 us, very tasty blend of after hours soft orchestrated folk country tunes, 2004 two disc set)

With the arrival of Delta Lady: The Rita Coolidge Anthology, one can only remark: what took so long? No other singer -- not Maria Muldaur, Bette Midler, Bonnie Bramlett, Carly Simon, or Linda Ronstadt -- more perfectly embodied the wide range of changes that popular music underwent from the late '60s through the mid-'80s, and continues to seek new means of expression today. 

This two-disc anthology on Hip-O offers the first complete portrait of this complex and multivalent talent on CD (though a box set would have been nice). Rita Coolidge scored her first chart hit with friend Donna Weiss' "Turn Around and Love You" in 1969. That song earned her a studio spot where she fell in with Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, and a huge cast of musicians. Being a background vocalist on Delaney & Bonnie's classic Accept No Substitute earned her a place on Russell and Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen revue and the rest is history, including a handful of chart hits and guest appearances that stagger the mind.

Coolidge's period with A&M reveals that Coolidge is a singer whose gift of empathy for a song is singular. Indeed, in virtually every song one not only hears her voice, but also feels its smoky, throaty, body-caressing languor in every verse. She wraps her entire mouth around her syllables because they come from the deep, fathomless well that holds the fire in the belly. Her great earthy depth does not rely on pyrotechnics, but on passion and expression, the wealth of which adds another dimension to even a miniscule pop song and sends it forth to the listener with the temperature of a hot spring. 

All the evidence one needs is found in her live reading of "Superstar" (yes, the tune that became a smash for the Carpenters), where one can hear something completely outside the hit version's sentimentality. Coolidge brings the hue of painful memory -- of lovemaking, of shared tenderness and longed-for passion -- into the grain of the song; in its place lies raw, swollen, melancholy need. In addition, her performances of Dave Mason's "Only You Know and I Know," Booker T. Jones and William Bell's "Born Under a Bad Sign," Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire," and Johnny Davenport's "Fever" are shot through with emotion that is equal parts physical and spiritual. And when it comes to expressing those intangible emotions that lie outside the margin of categorization, one need only to hear "The Lady's Not for Sale" (written by former husband Kris Kristofferson) to be moved outside the realm of one's experience and into that of the song. And Coolidge's country version of Eric Kaz's "Love Has No Pride" is nearly peerless in its white-out pathos and cavernous want (only Bonnie Raitt's comes close).

While the first disc is full of songs that represent "the Voice," with a few hits in the mix, disc two concentrates on the R&B and pop hits Coolidge garnered during the 1970s, such as her cover of "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher," "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (her biggest smash), Boz Scaggs' "We're All Alone," and "Slow Dancer." But they are all here, from "One Fine Day" to "The Closer You Get" to Tom Snow's "You," and of course the John Barry/Tim Rice-penned "All Time High" from the James Bond flick Octopussy. But in these songs, too, there is a complete lack of artifice in her interpretations; she delivers each song honestly, from the belly bone and into the ether that goes beyond the microphone. In each and every case, it's the song that matters to Coolidge, not her own voice. 

If one goes to the later material, after the hits, and into the recent past with "Cherokee" and "The Way I Love You," where this set ends, the listener is the recipient of a voice that has, if it is even possible, gone even further into the mystery of song itself. Coolidge's maturity as a vocalist comes in allowing the song to move through her, not to spin it or rework its intent, but to allow it a hearing in the full light of its own day, in its own complexity, in its own world. 

That she has been able to effortlessly move from the spirit of one song to another, regardless of genre or production, is a rare gift; that she can give listeners the wellspring of her own unclassifiable wildness in her performances -- naked, unbowed, and filled with grit, grace, and mystery -- is a small miracle. With its wonderful packaging featuring many photographs and excellent liner notes by Scott Schneider and the artist, Delta Lady goes far beyond the boundary of a "for fans only" compilation. Indeed, it demands a complete reconsideration of the wealth and necessity of Rita Coolidge's contribution as an artist and as an influence on modern popular music -- a contribution that will continue, no doubt, to mystify and delight.

by Thom Jurek

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Turn Around and Love You (Donna Weiss) - 02:22

2. Superstar (Leon Russell, Bonnie Bramlett) - 04:56

3. That Man Is My Weakness (Donna Weiss, Craig Doerge) - 03:53

4. Born Under a Bad Sign (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) - 04:16

5. Mud Island (Donna Weiss, Mary Unobsky) - 04:28

6. I Believe in You (Neil Young) - 03:11

7. Family Full of Soul (Marc Benno) - 03:06

8. Nice Feelin' (Marc Benno) - 05:28

9. Only You Know and I Know (Dave Mason) - 03:37

10.Fever (John Davenport, Eddie Cooley) - 03:27

11.Bird on the Wire (Leonard Cohen) - 05:41

12.The Lady's Not for Sale (Kris Kristofferson, Cathy Pugh) - 04:11

13.A Song I'd Like to Sing (feat. Kris Kristofferson) (Kris Kristofferson) - 04:01

14.Loving Arms (feat. Kris Kristofferson) (Tom Jans) - 03:44

15.Love Has No Pride (Tom Jans) - 03:53

16.Now Your Baby Is a Lady (Bob Morrison) - 02:39

17.Born to Love Me (Donna Weiss, Jackie DeShannon) - 03:41

18.I Wanted It All (Jackie DeShannon, John Bettis) - 03:05

19.Late Again (Kris Kristofferson) - 04:11

20.Am I Blue? (Grant Clarke, Harry Akst) - 04:39 

Disc 2
1. (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher (Paul Smith, Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner, Billy Davis) - 04:01
2. The Way You Do the Things You Do (William Robinson, Robert Rogers) - 03:37
3. We're All Alone (Boz Scaggs) - 03:39
4. You (Tom Snow) - 03:14
5. Love Me Again (David Lasley, Allee Willis) - 03:39
6. Slow Dancer (Boz Scaggs, George Daly) - 04:01
7. Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends (Kris Kristofferson) - 02:22
8. One Fine Day (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) - 04:01
9. I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love (Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen) - 03:24
10.Something 'Bout You Baby I Like (feat. Glen Campbell) (Richard Supa) - 02:43
11.Fool That I Am (Carole Bayer Sager, Bruce Roberts) - 03:08
12.Basic Lady (Allen Toussaint) - 03:06
13.The Closer You Get (James P. Pennington, Mark Gray) - 04:24
14.Only You (Vince Clarke) - 03:16
15.All Time High (Theme Song from Octopussy) (John Barry, Tim Rice) - 03:04
16.Love Came for Me (Lee Holdridge, Will Jennings) - 04:27
17.Something Said Love (Wood Newton, Jerry Michael) - 03:37
18.Survivor (Psiscilla Coolidge, Mary Unobsky, Danny Ironstone) - 03:31
19.Perfect Strangers (Love Theme from The Mystery of Edwin Drood, feat. Rupert Holmes) (Rupert Holmes) - 04:26
20.Cherokee (Rita Coolidge, Priscilla Coolidge, Laura Satterfield) - 05:58
21.The Way I Love You (Joe Lamont, Rick Chundacoff) - 03:52

Musicians
*Rita Coolidge - Vocals
*Kris Kristoffeson - Vocals
*Glen Campbell - Vocals
*Rupert Holmes - Vocals
*Charlie Freeman - Guitar
*Tommy McClure - Bass
*Mike Utley - Keyboards
*Sammy Creason - Drums
*Booker T. Jones - Keyboards, Bass

Free Text
Text Host

Crazy Horse - Scratchy, Complete Recordings (1962-73 us, exceptional country rock, 2005 double disc issue)

Crazy Horse’s 1971 self-titled debut, with Danny Whitten, Nils Lofgren and Jack Nitzsche, remains a roots-inflected, heavy-rock touchstone, boasting a uniformly strong set balancing mournful ballads and left-field rockers (notably, an ode to erectile dysfunction and a party stomper about scoring heroin). Just a year later, the follow-up Loose found Talbot and Molina fronted by an anonymous collection of minor leaguers, delivering limp country-rock several notches below the not exactly hearty CSN/Eagles standard. Rhino’s “limited edition” supplements the official releases with the usual oddments and arcana, but given the original lineup’s too-brief run, these barrel scrapings inspire a benevolent indulgence. The simulated innocence of the early-’60s close harmony and Brill Building knockoffs that close the set is sweet enough to induce tears.

by Scott Manzler

Neil Young may not ever allow his Reprise outtakes to be released, but that doesn't mean there's not a lot of equally cool stuff from an orbit near his that can't be enjoyed -- and Rhino Handmade has hit a mother lode with this double-CD set, which offers a lot more than even dedicated Crazy Horse fans may expect. Thanks to their convoluted membership history and a series of label changes, Crazy Horse had one of the stranger release histories of almost any '70s band -- their stuff and, to some extent, their sound are all over the map. Scratchy: 

The Complete Reprise Recordings makes a strong case, however, for the primacy of the first lineup and their work on Reprise, assembling all of their released work for the label plus the equivalent of an album's worth of outtakes and radio spots, and two tracks by Danny & the Memories, the group that preceded the formation of Crazy Horse by five years or so. The group's self-titled debut album has bounced in and out of print for the last 34 years, but here it's been remastered with the kind of attention that makes it sound like one is hearing it for the first time -- the close sound of the acoustic guitars on "I Don't Want to Talk About It" and the roaring electric instruments on "Gone Dead Train," "Dance, Dance, Dance," and "Downtown" are impressive to these ears, the harder-rocking numbers now displaying the raw power and impact that the group exuded on-stage; the remastering job has undone the inevitable flattening process that went into the vinyl release, so that Billy Talbot's bass, in particular, now gets a killer showcase, and Jack Nitzsche's piano on "Carolay" gets as much play as the massed acoustic guitars that carry the rhythm figure at the center of the song. 

What's more, the crispness of the sound has brought the singing out in vivid detail -- if the LP could have sounded this bracing and powerful, this band might well have seen the success it deserved. The second half of the first CD is filled out with the tracks off of their second album, Loose; thanks to the ensuing lineup changes that took place, they're a bit of a letdown after the 11 gems from Crazy Horse, though not bad on their own terms -- the group plays from less melodic strength and raw inventiveness, but make up for it with a lot of enthusiasm and positive vibes in their sound, especially on the acoustic numbers such as the gorgeous "One Thing I Love" or "All Alone Now." 

The real treat, however, is the second disc, which opens with a string of extraordinary outtakes, including the title track -- the outtakes sound incredible and feature exceptional playing, and "Scratchy" by itself is worth the price of admission, 12 minutes of stunning electric interaction; and it's followed by the gorgeous acoustic piece "Dear Song Singer," plus a long version of "Downtown"; the first Danny & the Memories cut, "Can't Help Loving That Girl," was, in its own time, a throwback to early-'60s doo wop style, while the second, "Don't Go," was much more contemporary circa 1965. The set is attractively designed, with separate pockets for each disc and a beautifully designed booklet with extensive annotation, all in a very practical slipcase-style package. It's a bargain for any fan of this band or any of its members, and worth tracking down.

by Bruce Eder

Tracks

Disc 1 "Crazy Horse" 1971

1. Gone Dead Train (Russ Titelman, Jack Nitzsche) - 4:10

2. Dance, Dance, Dance (Neil Young) - 2:13

3. Look At All The Things (Danny Whitten) - 3:14

4. Beggars Day (Nils Lofgren) - 4:33

5. I Don't Want To Talk About It (Danny Whitten) - 5:20

6. Downtown (Danny Whitten, Neil Young) - 3:16

7. Carolay (Jack Nitzsche, Russ Titelman) - 2:53

8. Dirty, Dirty (Danny Whitten) - 3:33

9. Nobody (Nils Lofgren) - 2:39

10.I'll Get By (Danny Whitten) - 3:08

11.Crow Jane Lady (Jack Nitzsche) - 4:27

"Loose" 1972

12.Hit And Run (John Blanton) - 2:41

13.Try (George Whitsell) - 3:18

14.One Thing I Love (Greg Leroy) - 2:37

15.Move (George Whitsell) - 3:13

16.All Alone Now (George Whitsell) - 2:46

17.All The Little Things (Greg Leroy) - 5:01

18.Fair Weather Friend (Greg Leroy) - 2:41

19.You Won't Miss Me (George Whitsell) - 2:47

20.Going Home (Greg Leroy) - 2:50

21.Don't Believe It (George Whitsell) - 3:07

22.Kind Of Woman (John Blanton) - 4:25

23.One Sided Love (George Whitsell) - 3:12

24.And She Won't Even Blow Smoke In My Direction (George Whitsell) - 1:21

Disc 2
1. Dirty, Dirty (Alternate Version) (Danny Whitten) - 3:56
2. Scratchy (Takes 1-3) (Unknown) - 12:12
3. Dear Song Singer (Unknown) - 3:10
4. Downtown (Unedited Long Version) (Danny Whitten, Neil Young) - 10:42
5. Susie's Song (Takes 1-5) (Nils Lofgren) - 6:13
6. When You Dance You Can Really Love (Neil Young) - 2:52
7. Radio Spot - 1:07
8. Danny And The Memories - Can't Help Loveing That Girl (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) - 2:03
9. Danny And The Memories - Don't Go (Danny Whitten) - 1:59
Tracks 1-5 from "Crazy Horse" sessions
Track 6 recorded January 1973
Track 7 Reprise  1971
Tracks 8-9 Danny And The Memories Valiant single  1962

1968  The Rockets - The Rockets

Free Text
Text Host

The Leaves - The Leaves...Are Happening! Best Of (1965-66 us, stunning folk garage psych, Sundazed release)

At last, a legitimate and well-distributed reissue of everything the Leaves released on Mira between 1965 and 1966: the entire Hey Joe album, all of the non-LP songs from their singles, the single version of "Too Many People," and three versions of "Hey Joe" (from the hit single and two previous 45s which used slightly different arrangements). This is not the complete work of the Leaves, as it doesn't include anything from their 1967 Capitol LP All the Good That's Happening, but this is no loss, as that album was pretty lousy. (Two covers of unspecified origin from the compilation 1966 are also missing.) Although the Leaves were erratic, at their best they were a fine band who drew from the Byrds' folk-rock, the Beatles' melodicism, and the hard rock of the Rolling Stones, as best heard on "Hey Joe" and the less celebrated "Too Many People," "Be With You," "Just a Memory," "Dr. Stone," "Funny Little World," and "Words." The reissue is enhanced by the detailed history in the accompanying 16-page booklet. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Dr. Stone (J. Pons, J. Beck) - 2:19
2. Just A Memory (B. Arlin) - 2:16
3. Get Out Of My Life Woman (A. Toussaint) - 2:46
4. Girl From The East (R.P. Jameson) - 2:55
5. He Was A Friend Of Mine (Traditional) - 3:22
6. Hey Joe (B. Roberts) - 2:48
7. Words (B. Hart, T. Boyce) - 2:19
8. Back On The Avenue (B. Arlin, J. Pons, J. Beck, R. Reiner, T. Ray) - 3:07
9. War Of Distortion (B. Arlin) - 2:08
10.Tobacco Road (J.D. Loudermilk) - 2:09
11.Goodbye My Love (A. Mcnally, C. Pender) - 3:05
12.Too Many People (B. Rinehart, J. Pons) - 3:15
13.Hey Joe Where You Gonna Go? (Single Version) (B. Roberts) - 2:43
14.Funny Little World (B. Arlin) - 2:07
15.You Better Move On (A. Alexander) - 2:24
16.That's A Different Story (B. Rinehart, J. Pons) - 2:38
17.Love Minus Zero (B. Dylan) - 2:26
18.Be With You (B. Rinehart, J. Pons) - 2:01
19.Too Many People (Single Version) (B. Rinehart, J. Pons) - 2:43
20.Hey Joe Where You Gonna Go? (Promo Single Version) (B. Roberts) - 2:52

The Leaves
*Jimmy Kern - Drums
*Robert Leereiner - Guitar
*Jim Pons - Bass
*Bill Rhinehart - Guitar
*John Beck - Sax, Harmonica, Vocals
*Tom Ray - Drums
*Bobby Arlin - Guitar

Free Text
Text Host

Flash - Out of Our Hands (1973 uk, smart prog rock, 2010 japan SHM remaster)

The last and least good of the Flash albums. Compared to the two first albums, the songs here are shorter and less complex. But the music is still quite progressive and with the unmistakable Flash sound dominated by Banks’ gutsy guitar playing. The best tracks here are probably “None the Wiser” and “Dead Ahead”. And the 39-second long opener “Open Sky” is a very atmospheric and beautiful piece played solo by Banks. Personally, I could probably listen to a 40-minute version of it without getting bored! But unfortunately, too many of the tracks doesn’t get better than just ok and some of them (like “Man of Honour” and “Manhattan Morning”) are simply just weak. But the album is still worth having if you enjoyed the two first Flash albums.

by Tommy Schönenberg

Tracks

1. Open Sky (Banks) - 0:35
2. None The Wiser (Bennett) - 3:17
3. Farewell Number One (Bennett) - 1:36
4. Man Of Honour (Bennett) - 4:45
5. Dead Ahead (Bennett) - 4:38
6. The Bishop (Bennett) - 4:21
7. Psychosync (Banks, Bennett) - 4:50
.I...Escape
.II..Farewell Number Two
.III.Conclusion
8. Manhattan Morning (Christmas ’72) (Carter) - 6:23
9. Shadows (It’s You)  (Carter) - 3:20

Flash 
*Peter Banks – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Moog, Arp Synthesizer, Banjo
*Ray Bennett – Bass, Backing Vocals, Mellotron, Piano, Clavinet, Acoustic Guitar, Arp Synthesizer
*Colin Carter – Lead Vocals
*Mike Hough – Drums, Congas, Tablas

1972  Flash - Flash (2010 SHM)
1972 Flash - In The Can (2010 SHM)

Free Text

Text Host

John Hammond - Source Point / I'm Satisfied (1970-72 us, excellent blues rock, 2007 remaster)

John Hammond's lifelong fascination with the country blues is well-known, and his passion for it is admirable, even if his approximation of it on his many records is at times a bit of an acquired taste. No one can doubt his fervor for the genre, though, and he has developed over the years into a much less affected vocalist, a solid slide player, and a stirring and excellent harmonica player. This set combines his two albums for Columbia Records, 1970's Source Point and 1972's I'm Satisfied, on a 21-track single disc, and while on paper the two albums wouldn't appear to be good running mates, they actually fit together pretty well. 

Hammond produced the spare Source Point himself, working with a rhythm section of Charles Otis on drums and Billy Nichols on bass, and manages to get a nice, natural, and slightly swampy sound going, particularly on the lead cut, a cover of Slim Harpo's "I Got Love If You Want It," the haunting "My First Plea," and a ragged, stomping version of the classic "Junco Partner." I'm Satisfied is a more complex affair. Produced by Delaney Bramlett, it features horns, gospel backing vocals, layered guitars, and stacks of keyboards, and has a distinct Southern rock feel. It manages to work much more than it doesn't, and the highlights include the fast shufflin' "Man in the Road" and the impressive "Ride Till I Die (Jockey Blues)."

At times Hammond's voice feels almost like an afterthought, but the album was by no means a train wreck. Placed together, the two sessions, although obviously quite different in their angles of approach, share a certain general atmospheric feel, and if neither alone is exactly essential, together they show Hammond willing to try different things, even as the blues stay central in all of it. 

by Steve Leggett

Tracks
1. I Got Love If You Want It (J. Moore) - 3:17
2. Hoo-Doo Blues (O. Hicks, J. West) - 3:41
3. Mellow Down Easy (W. Dixon) - 3:07
4. Takin' Care Of Business (R. Toombs) - 3:15
5. She Moves Me (M. Morganfield) - 3:11
6. Let's Go Home (R. Staples) - 2:57
7. Tell Me Mama (W. Jacobs) - 3:08
8. No Place To Go (C. Burnett) - 3:46
9. My First Plea (J. Reed, E. Abner) - 4:49
10.Junco Partner (Shad) - 2:34
11.As The Years Go Passing By (D. Malone) - 4:07
12.Outside Your Door  (D. Bramlett, D. Gilmore) - 3:41
13.If You Ever Need A Man (D. Bramlett) - 3:53
14.Man In The Road (T. Furlong) - 2:25
15.Mama Tain't Long For Day  (W. McTell) - 4:25
16.Farther Up The Road  (J. Veasey, D. Robey) - 2:45
17.I'm Satisfied (D. Bramlett) - 3:21
18.If You Got The Feelin' (D. Bramlett) - 2:33
19.Ride Till I Die (John Lee Hooker) - 2:32
20.I'm Gonna Leave (M. Morganfield) - 2:59
21.From Four Until Late  (R. Johnson) - 3:49

Musicians
*John Hammond - Vocals, Guitar
*Charles Otis - Drums
*Billy Nichols - Bass

1973  Bloomfield, Hammond, Dr.John - Triumvirate (Japan remaster)

Free Text
Just Paste

Beau Brummels - Beau Brummels (1975 us, beautiful folk country rock)

After The Beau Brummels dissolved in 1968 following their swan song, Bradley's Barn, it was doubtful that we'd ever hear from the band again, despite their individual and collective brilliance. The group did somehow reunite in 1975, however, for this fine and somewhat understated album. 

The band's weaving of folk, country,  and pop stylings hadn't really changed that much from their prime in the mid- to late '60s. Ron Elliot has several superb songs on here, notably "Tennessee Walker" and the excellent album closer, "Today by Day," which is sung by Sal Valentino in his most soulful and intense style. 

Unfortunately, the group's appeal was probably lost in the mid-'70s arena rock world, and precious few people bought the record. This, however, does not take anything away from a record that, for all intents and purposes, was one of the most successful "reunion" projects of its time. 

by Matthew Greenwald

Tracks
1. You Tell Me Why - 3:15
2. First In Line (Elliott, Engle) - 2:59
3. Wolf - 2:23
4. Down To The Bottom (Elliott, Engle) - 3:24
5. Tennessee Walker - 3:14
6. Singing Cowboy - 3:17
7. Goldrush (Elliott, Engle) - 3:20
8. The Lonely Side - 4:34
9. Gate Of Hearts - 3:00
10.Today By Day (Elliott, Engle) - 2:36
All songs by Ron Elliott except where stated.

Beau Brummels
*Sal Valentino - Vocals
*Ron Meagher - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Declan Mulligan - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*John Petersen - Drums
*Ron Elliott - Guitar, Vocals
With
*Victor Feldman - Percussion
*Mark T. Jordan - Piano
*Mark Wilson Jordan - Piano
*Dan Levitt - Banjo, Guitar
*Ronnie Montrose - Lead Guitar On "Down To The Bottom"
*Nick Decaro - String Arrangements

1965  Introducing The Beau Brummels (Sundazed edition)
1966  Beau Brummels' 66 (Japan edition)
Related Act
1970  Ron Elliott - The Candlestickmaker

Free Text
Just Paste

Flash - In The Can (1972 uk, delicate progressive rock, 2010 japan SHM double disc remaster)

While listening to the first notes of Lifetime, the opening tune from In The Can (1972) the second album of the British band Flash, I realized that this was the first time since the seventies that I listened to a Flash-album. The band made three albums altogether. They’d released their eponymous debut album earlier in 1972. The third one, Out Of Our Hands, was released in 1973. Not only the music on these albums was exceptional; the album covers caught the eye as well featuring titillating sexy body parts of women. 

Nowadays, not so many prog heads know that Peter Banks, the original guitarist of Yes, was one of the founding members of Flash and he was predominantly responsible for the band’s sound. After two albums with Yes: Yes (1969) and Time And A Word (1970), he was forced to leave the band to make room for Steve Howe whom the band thought to be a better musician. Besides, on the eponymous debut album of Flash we discover another ex-member of Yes. Tony Kaye played the keyboards, but left the band to tour with David Bowie, whereupon he started his own band Badger.

If you listen to Lifetime, the first track of In The Can, you can without doubt hear the typical Yes-sound. This song even features guitar parts that might have been taken from Yours Is No Disgrace, a song from The Yes Album (1971) that Yes made after Banks had left and Howe had joined. On this second Flash-album Ray Bennett plays the Rickenbacker-bass just like Chris Squire did in Yes. And just like Chris he also had a leading role in the music performed. The high-pitched vocals of Jon Anderson have been imitated by lead singer Colin Carter in a way. 

Together with Ray Bennett he also sang the harmony vocals similarly as we can hear on the many albums released by Yes. On this album the keyboards don’t have a prominent role; occasionally we hear some synthesizers played by Mr. Banks. It has to be said that I didn’t miss the keyboards that much; the songs are strong enough to enjoy without them. Even the short drum solo by Michael Hough at the beginning of Stop The Banging gets my approval although, in general, I don’t like drum solos. The A- and B-side of a single released in 1973 add some extra time compared to the original release. The single is a shorter version of Lifetime plus the song Watch Your Step on the flip side. The latter has a nice and poppy tune and sounds in fact radio-friendlier than the A-side.

by Henri Strik 

Tracks
1. Lifetime (Colin Carter) - 10:07
2. Monday Morning Eyes (Ray Bennett) - 5:11
3. Black And White (Peter Banks, Ray Bennett) - 12:03
4. Stop That Banging (Mike Hough) - 1:58
5. There No More (Ray Bennett) - 11:30
6. Watch Your Step (Ray Bennett) - 2:47
7. Lifetime (Single Version) (Colin Carter) - 2:59

Flash
*Peter Banks - Lead Guitar, ARP Synth, Vocals
*Ray Bennett - Bass, Vocals
*Colin Carter - Lead Vocals
*Mike Hough - Drums, Percussion

1972  Flash - Flash (2010 Japan SHM)

Free Text

Just Paste

Flash - Flash (1972 uk, elegant progressive rock, 2010 japan SHM double disc remaster)

After Peter Banks found himself replaced in Yes by Steve Howe, he set his sights on creating a new band. That band was Flash. The group formed in 1971 when Banks recruited longtime associate Ray Bennett (Gun) along with Colin Carter (Pete Bardens' Camel) and Mike Hough. Original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye rounded out the group. 

Flash had a sound that felt a lot like that of Yes on its first two albums, but perhaps with a more pop-oriented texture. The group also had a more free-form approach to its virtuosic jamming, seeming to prefer improvisation to well-charted music. Flash's first album, a self-titled one, was released the following year. Kaye did not stay around very long past that release. Rather than replace him, the group carried on as a four-piece. They released two more albums, In the Can and Out of Our Hands in 1973. 

by Gary Hill

Tracks
1. Small Beginnings - 9:21
2. Morning Haze - 4:36
3. Children Of The Universe - 8:57
4. Dreams Of Heaven - 12:54

5. The Time It Takes - 5:45
6. Small Beginnings (Single Version) - 3:11

All songs by Flash

Flash
*Peter Banks - Acoustic, Electric, Spanish Guitars, Hooter, ARP Synth, Backing Vocals
*Ray Bennett - Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Colin Carter - Vocals, Percussion
*Mike Hough - Drums, Percussion, Cymbals, Badinage
*Tony Kaye - Organ, Piano, ARP Synthesizer

Free Text
Text Host