Blossom Toes - If Only For A Moment (1969 uk, remarkable heavy psych, 2007 remaster and expanded)

Beginning in 1964 on a trajectory similar to that of the Yardbirds, Blossom Toes was eventually embraced by their producer Giorgio Gomelsky, who set them up with gigs, digs and studio time, insisting that they make a hit for his newly formed Marmalade label. While their first album, 1967’s We are Ever so Clean, garnered positive critical reception and seems to embody the Toes' legacy among the public, members of the band distance themselves from it now. 

BrianGodding , the group’s chief songwriter, maintains that it really didn’t speak to the group’s sound at all, that the orchestrations and arrangements, good as they are, really detracted fromBT’s collective identity. I enjoy the album, and frankly, the arrangements are its strongest suit. A somewhat pithy track like “Look at Me, I’m You” is aided in no small part by marimba glissandi, airilyreverb'd vocal harmonies and sped-up backward guitars. The instrumental version, included as one of the many bonus tracks, demonstrates the disparity in vision all too well. Similarly, a beautiful track like “Love Is,” which would have worked quite well stripped down, is given a very convincingSpector-esque Wall of Sound treatment. The album is pleasantly diverse, and even the most insipid excursions, including “Saga of a Frozen Dog,” are treated with a heartwarming mixture of respect and whimsy.

Some personnel changes and a bit of the older-and-wiser potion, not to mention a few other substances, led to a radical transformation for the second album, 1969’s If Only for a Moment. The album is darker, more broodingly introspective but also heavier, shorn of the first disc’s contentious orchestrations. “Peace-loving Man” exemplifies the shift perfectly, and while it is certainly of its time, the constant shifts in dynamic and effect-induced environment keep things fresh and interesting almost 40 years later. 

Even their sitar-soaked cover of Richie Haven’s “Just Above My Hobby Horse’s Head” looks inward more than it smiles, symptomatic of the encroaching sobriety that was to signal the group’s demise by year’s end. A shame really, as a track like “Listen to the Silence” shows real promise, the often jazzy, egalitarian guitar lines of Brian Godding and Jim Cregan especially effective and the many meter and mood shifts proving powerful.

by Marc Medwin

Tracks
1. Peace Loving Man (Brian Godding) - 4:53
2. Kiss Of Confusion (Brian Godding) - 4:44
3. Listen To The Silence (Jim Cregan) - 4:49
4. Love Bomb (Brian Godding) - 7:38
5. Billy Boo The Gunman (Brian Godding) - 7:06
6. Indian Summer (Jim Cregan) - 5:53
7. Just Above My Hobby Horse’s Head (Richie Havens) - 2:51
8. Wait A Minute (Jim Cregan) - 5:49
9. Postcard (45 A-Side) (Brian Godding) - 2:54
10.Everyone’s Leaving Me Now (45 B-Side) (Poll Palmer) - 4:45
11.Ever Since A Memory (Demo) (Brian Godding) - 4:20
12.Nobody But (Demo) (Brian Godding) - 4:02
13.Peace Loving Man (Demo) (Brian Godding) - 6:28
14.Listen To The Silence (Live) (Jim Cregan) - 3:56
15.New Day (Demo) (Brian Godding) - 5:16

Blossom Toes
*"Big" Brian Belshaw - Bass, Vocals
*Jim Cregan - Guitars, Vocals
*Brian Godding - Guitars, Piano, Organ, Vocals
*Barry Reeves - Drums, Percussion
With
*John "Poli" Palmer - Drums, Flute, Vibes
*Shawn Phillips - 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Sitar
*Julie Dricoll - Vocals
*Reggie King - Vocals
*Giorgio Gomelsky - Backing Vocals

1968  Blossom Toes - We Are Ever So Clean (2005 Japan issue)
Related Act
1971  B.B.Blunder - Workers' Playtime

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Robert Calvert - Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters (1973-74 uk, stunning rough space psych rock with satirical attitude, 2009 remaster)

It wasn’t strictly necessary to be a musician to be a member of Hawkwind, the proto-punk space-rock commune from Notting Hill; longtime associate Stacia’s contribution consisted of stripping nude, painting herself blue and gyrating energetically to the rhythms. Robert Calvert’s efforts were a little more artistically substantial: he was an established poet and playwright who featured at intervals during the 1970s as the band’s lyricist and singer. His first “solo” album was originally conceived as a stage play, but in the pilled-out experimental spirit of the times, and with the willing assistance of most of Hawkwind’s musicians and some suitably eccentric guest vocalists, it became a studio-produced concept album alternating songs with darkly-comic sketches and Monty-Pythonesque dialogues. Though having nothing thematically in common with the Monkees’ Head album, its structure is not dissimilar and it’s just as absurd and disorienting. Bob Calvert was famously bipolar, always teetering between rationality and madness and passing occasional intervals in institutions; unsurprising, then, that he produced such an off-the-wall opus.

Calvert had nursed a boyhood yearning to become an RAF jet pilot, an ambition thwarted by a perforated eardrum. His simmering regret for this is probably reflected in his choice of theme for Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters: the German Luftwaffe’s F-104G scandal. The story is well known, but briefly the air arm of West Germany was persuaded to purchase the Lockheed Corporation’s F-104 Starfighter, conceived for the USAF as a supersonic daylight interceptor, as an all-weather strike fighter, a role for which it was totally unsuited. The story also allegedly involves ruthless hard-sell tactics by the manufacturer, bribes accepted by high-ranking German officials, a lamentable lack of training for flight and ground crews and various technical shortcomings including ejector seat failures, the end result being 292 lost aircraft and 115 dead pilots and the nicknaming of the plane as “Widowmaker”. Calvert was clearly familiar with all these factors and included them all in his hard-hitting and highly satirical libretto.

The eight songs commonly employ familiar Hawkwind motifs: driving, repetitive riffs, pounding bass and drums and howling lead guitar and sax, with Calvert’s unhinged vocals wailing over the top. “The Right Stuff”, “The Widow Maker” and “Ejection”, all of whose themes are obvious from their titles, follow this template closely. “The Song Of The Gremlin Part One” and its subsequent companion “Part Two” are more intriguing, with freeform arrangements and some fine synthesiser work. The closing “Catch A Falling Starfighter” is a blackly-humorous dirge resting on the obvious tasteless pun. The intervening spoken-word interludes follow the uniquely British late-sixties fashion of absurdist comedy, seemingly largely improvised in the studio by Calvert, Arthur Brown, Vivian Stanshall of the Bonzos and, unexpectedly, Jim Capaldi of Traffic. Stanshall’s stereotyped hysterical voicing of the German officers is desperately non-politically-correct by today’s standards but hilarious to anyone who appreciated John Cleese’s contemporary “Don’t mention the War” routine, and on “Ground Crew (Last-Minute Reassembly Before Take-Off)” Stanshall and Capaldi recall the best moments of Peter Cook’s and Dudley Moore’s witless, peerless partnership.

One reviewer subsequently described the work as “Vaudevillean rock’n’roll theatre from a time when rock was intelligent (and) dangerous”, which seems to me to sum it up admirably. Normally anything this far leftfield would have sunk without trace, but its Hawkwind associations at a time when the band was at its popularity zenith meant it enjoyed considerable appreciation among the Hawk-faithful. Resuscitated for CD in 2009 by Cherry Red, its unique, utterly offbeat nature means that it doesn’t sound at all dated today.

by Len Liechti

Tracks
1. Franz Josef Strauss, Defence Minister, Reviews The Luftwaffe In 1958 - 1:40
2. The Aerospaceage Inferno - 4:35
3. Aircraft Salesman (A Door In The Foot) - 1:41
4. The Widow Maker (Dave Brock, R. Calvert) - 2:42
5. Two Test Pilots Discuss The Starfighter's Performance - 0:41
6. The Right Stuff - 4:23
7. Board Meeting (Seen Through A Contract Lens) - 0:58
8. The Song Of The Gremlin (Part One) (Arthur Brown, R. Calvert, A. Wagner) - 3:21
9. Ground Crew (Last Minute Reassembly Before Take Off) - 3:17
10.Hero With A Wing - 3:20
11.Ground Control To Pilot - 0:52
12.Ejection - 3:35
13.Interview - 3:55
14.I Resign - 0:27
15.The Song Of The Gremlin (Part Two) (Brown, R. Calvert, A. Wagner) - 3:10
16.Bier Garten - 0:38
17.Catch A Falling Starfighter - 2:54
18.The Right Stuff (Extended Version) - 8.07
19.Ejection (Single Version) - 3.47
20.Catch A Falling Starfighter (Single Version) - 3.00
All songs by Robert Calvert except where stated.

Musicians
*Robert Calvert - Vocals
*Arthur Brown - Vocals On "The Song Of The Gremlin" Parts 1 And 2
*Paul Rudolph - Lead And Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar
*Dave Brock - Lead Guitar On "The Widow Maker"
*Lemmy - Bass Guitar
*Nik Turner - Saxophone
*Brian Eno - Synthesizer
*Del Dettmar - Synthesizer
*Adrian Wagner - Keyboards
*Simon King - Drums
*Twink Alder - Funeral Drum On "Catch A Falling Starfighter"
*The Ladbroke Grove Hermaphroditic Voice Ensemble - Back Up Vocals

Actors
*Vivian Stanshall - Most Leads (E.G. Ground Control, Bright Mechanic)
*Jim Capaldi - American Salesman, Recruiting Officer, Dim Mechanic
*Robert Calvert - Pilot
*Tom Mittledorf
*Richard Elen (Mis-Credited As "Richard Ealing")

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Mint Tattoo - Mint Tattoo (1967 us, classic rock, blues psych blended, with members of Blue Cheer and Pilot, 2004 digi pak issue)

The Mint Tattoo was born as an offshoot of the legendary 60's proto punk acid band Blue Cheer. Bruce Stephens and Ralph (Burns) Kellogg had played together in Blue Cheer on band's self titled album in 1969, but after that one album, Stevens left the band to pursue other interests. Kellogg stayed on with Blue Cheer until the demise of the band in 1971, but during his tenure with Blue Cheer he reunited with Stevens along with drummer Gregg Thomas to form the band Mint Tattoo. Produced by James William Guercio (Chicago) and recorded at A&R Studios, and engineered by Phil Ramone in New York.

An interesting oddity from 1968...With, cult group,Blue Cheer emerged two formations: Silver Metre (with Leigh Stevens), Pilot (not to be confused with the British) and the Mint Tattoo - where he played Burns Kellogg and Bruce Stevens. the only one album of this formation very nice, definitely guitar heavy album with a big dose of improvised music!

Primarily blues based rock of above average quality, this group has almost progressive ambitions at times. While they don't always measure up, they do go in some fascinating directions. Unusual song structures and lyrical ideas share space with hard rockin' blues. It's no where near the quality of Jeff Beck's Truth, but this album grows on me a little more with each listen (I have an old vinyl copy I picked up second hand). The band obviously needed a little more time to grow, but they fell apart before they really had a chance to establish their sound and direction.

Bruce Stephens' raspy vocals fit the rockers, but can wear thin on some of the other numbers. He's certainly no Steve Marriot. He and keyboardist Burns Kellog show up in Blue Cheer a year later to finish out the New! Improved!! album. Kellog would hang in for a few years and albums, but Stephens would depart before finishing B.C.'s self titled album of late '69, going on to form Pilot. I suppose the songs he did with B.C. can give you a hint at what this disc sounds like, and if you enjoy those you'll probably like this. I like this album, but it falls short of its potential. Interesting artwork and ideas.

Mint Tattoo is a mixture of blues styled original songs, a cover of classic a blues numbers and some rather uninspired, typical for the era hard rock tunes. Not an overly exciting album, compared to the early Blue Cheer material, but none the less a period piece and better than most material that was being released in the early 70's. This reissue contains one bonus track and has faithfully reproduced the original graphics in digipack Akarma CD format as it originally appeared LP Record Label Dot Records DLP25918 in 1969

by Adamus67

Tracks

1. Sister Fleu (First Movement) - 3:53

2. Leper's Epitaph (Second Movement) - 1:34

3. Policeman's Ball (Third Movement) - 2:24

4. Littal Lieu Lieu's Revenge (Fourth Movement) - 0:15

5. Faces Of Roses - 3:37

6. I'm Talking About You - 3:25

7. Scorpio Woman - 6:46

8. Mark Of The Beast - 2:37

9. Moanin' - 4:21

10.With Love - 2:30

11.I Hear The Spirits - 3:22

Mint Tattoo
*Bruce Stevens - Lead, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals, Kazoo
*Ralph (Burns) Kellogg - Bass, Keyboards
*Gregg Thomas - Drums

1968  Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (2007 Japan remaster)
1968  Blue Cheer - OutsideInside (2012 edition)
1969  Blue Cheer - Blue Cheer (Japan 2007 remaster and expanded)
1969  Blue Cheer - New Improved! (2007 japan remaster)

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Orphan Egg - Orphan Egg (1968 us, groovy fuzzed psych)

Orphan Egg album originally released on gnp subsidiary carole in 1968 - formed in 1967 in San Jose Orphan Egg was one of the lengthy list of bay area groups inspired by the psych movement spreading its tentacles from the sounds spiritual home in San Francisco. The album which also boasts some strong uk beat psych influences features lashings of incredible heavy fuzz guitar psych on a number of tracks. Aside from a handful of covers the self-penned tunes really are the stand-outs here with the feisty fuzz guitar bass drums a little recorder & a smattering of harpsichord combining along with beautiful trippy vocals to produce an ethereal floating psych sound.

Tracks
1. Falling - 3:40
2. That's The Way Love Is - 2:30
3. Mourning Electra - 2:16
4. Bird Dog (Boudleaux Bryant) - 2:45
5. It's Wrong - 2:30
6. Ain't That Lovin You Baby - 2:55
7. Look At Me - 2:50
8. Deep In The Heart Of Nebraska - 2:15
9. Don't Go To Him (Dratleaf, Guy Hemric, Mirby, Jerry Styner) - 2:05
10.Circumstance - 2:50
11.Unusual State Of Mind - 1:40
12.Rock Me Baby (Joe Josea) - 5:50
All songs by Dratleaf, Orphan Egg, Mirby except where noted.

The Orphan Egg
*Jim Bate - Vocals
*George Brix - Drums
*Pat Gallagher - Guitar, Vocals
*Dave Monley - Guitar, Harpsichord
*Barry Smith - Bass

Related Release
1969  Various Artists - The Cycle Savages / O.S.T. (2012 edition)

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The Pretty Things - Emotions (1967 uk, brilliant psychedelia, Japan remaster)

In accordance with their label's (and not the band's) wishes, the Pretties were teamed with a middle-aged orchestra directed by Reg Tilsley on this album, which saw the Phil May-Dick Taylor songwriting team making an effort to move beyond R&B knockoffs into more sophisticated territory. Sometimes the arrangements (dubbed onto tracks without much involvement from the group) worked; more often, they were an unnecessary hindrance. An interesting failure, it contained some genuinely top-rank originals that saw the group expanding their vision into social observation and tentative psychedelia, including "My Time," "The Sun," and especially the moody, folk-rock-ish "Death of a Socialite." 

by Richie Unterberger

And here is this enchanted garden of psychedelia. The Pretty Things' third album has its admirers - but The Pretty Things are not among them. Released in May of 1967, "Emotions" saw this stubborn band embarking, just for once, on a path that was not of their choosing. Doubtful of the Pretty Things' place in a changing music scene, Fontana's hierarchy thought the beat group formula was fading and needed dressing up with mainstream pop arrangements. So they summoned new producer Steve Rowland. But the most radical colouring of the Pretties' sound was done by another outsider, one Reg Tilsey, who overdubbed the elaborate arrangements, much to the bands disgust.

But thanks to the helping of bonus tracks, you can  hear some of the "Emotions" sessions as nature intended them - free of the poppy brass and string embellishments imposed upon the music. However to neutral ears, the record sounds rather charming - a period of transition from the bands blistering R&B roots to full flowering of psychedelia. It's surely true the songs themselves were softer than before. The "Emotions" material has, at least, a definite leaning towards the wistful. As May says "we were using personal incidents to make the songs out of. Normally someone would get a musical idea and the lyrics would be made to fit that, but these were lyric-led songs. It was a completely different way of writing".

Also, stereo had become 'good'. Listening to the album with headphones will drive you insane in no time. Whereas common sense is used to create a stereo sound nowadays, at the end of the sixties the preference was to pull everything apart as much as possible. After the setback of "Emotions" the band moved to EMI, and found themselves at work in the Abbey Road studios alongside The Beatles and Pink Floyd. They went down on to make the classic record "S.F. Sorrow". 

by Henri Bos

Tracks
1. Death Of A Socialite (P. May, D. Taylor, I. Stirling) - 2:44
2. Children (P. May, D. Taylor, W. Waller) - 3:01
3. The Sun (P. May, W. Waller) - 3:05
4. There Will Never Be Another Day (P. May, D. Taylor, W. Waller) - 2:20
5. House Of Ten (P. May, D. Taylor, W. Waller) - 2:50
6. Out In The Night (D. Taylor, Stirling) - 2:40
7. One Long Glance (P. May, D. Taylor, W. Waller) - 2:54
8. Growing In My Mind (P. May, D. Taylor) - 2:19
9. Photographer (P. May, D. Taylor, I. Stirling) - 2:07
10.Bright Lights Of The City (P. May, W. Waller) - 3:02
11.Tripping (P. May, D. Taylor) - 3:23
12.My Time (P. May, D. Taylor, W. Waller) - 3:05
13.A House In The Country (R. Davies) - 2:58
14.Progress (B. Halley, C. Spencer) - 2:40
15.Photographer (Alternate Mix) (P. May, D. Taylor, I. Stirling) - 2:15
16.There Will Never Be Another Day (Alternate Mix) (P. May, D. Taylor, W. Waller) - 2:25
17.My Time (Alternate Mix) (P. May, D. Taylor, W. Waller) - 3:10
18.The Sun (Alternate Mix) (P. May, W. Waller) - 3:09
19.Progress (Alternate Mix) (B. Halley, C. Spencer) - 2:55
20.Children (Alternate Version) (P. May, D. Taylor, W.  Waller) - 3:00

The Pretty Things
*Phil May - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Dick Taylor - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*John Povey - Percussion, Vocals
*Wally Allen Waller - Bass, Vocals
*Skip Alan - Drums, Vocals

1964-66  The Pretty Things - The EP Collection...Plus 

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The Pretty Things - The EP Collection...Plus (1964-66 uk, excellent freak beat)

Of all the original British Invasion groups, perhaps none were as underappreciated in the United States as the Pretty Things. Featuring the hoarse vocals of Mick Jagger-lookalike Phil May and the stinging leads of guitarist Dick Taylor (who actually played in early versions of the Rolling Stones with Jagger and Keith Richards), the Pretties recorded a clutch of raunchy R&B rockers in the mid-'60s that offered a punkier, rawer version of the early Stones sound.

Their first two albums, 1965's The Pretty Things and the same year's Get the Picture, as well as a brace of fine major and minor British hits (of which "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Honey I Need" were the biggest), featured first-rate original material and covers, and remain the group's most exciting and influential recordings. Unfortunately, the band remained virtually unknown to American audiences, most of whom would first hear "Don't Bring Me Down" on David Bowie's Pin Ups album (which also included a version of the Pretties' "Rosalyn"). 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Roadrunner (E. McDaniel) - 03:13
2. Don't Bring Me Down (J. Dee) - 02:12
3. Big Boss Man (Smith, Dixon) - 02:40
4. Buzz The Jerk (May, Taylor) - 01:56
5. Sittin' All Alone (Taylor, Sterling, May) - 02:49
6. Come See Me (P. Tubbs, J.J. Jackson, S. Barnes) - 02:40
7. London Town (Taylor) - 02:28
8. Judgement Day (Arr. J. Stax, P. May, D. Taylor, V. Prince, B. Pendleton, B. Morrison) - 02:47
9. Progress (B. Halley, C. Spencer) - 02:42
10.We'll Play House (Aldo, Gandy, May, Taylor) - 02:34
11.Can't Stand The Pain (P. May, D. Taylor, B. Graham) - 02:42
12.Midnight To Six Man (P. May, D. Taylor) - 02:21
13.Big City (J. Duncan, A. Klein) - 02:03
14.Get The Picture (May, Taylor, Graham) - 01:56
15.We'll Be Together (B. Taylor, P. May, J. Stax) - 02:12
16.Rainin' In My Heart (J. West, J. Moore) - 02:32
17.I Can Never Say (Pretty Things) - 02:37
18.Gonna Find A Substitute (M. Turner) - 02:58
19.Get A Buzz (Pretty Things) - 04:01
20.Me Needing You (D. Taylor, P. May) - 01:58
21.Honey I Need (Smithiling, Taylor, Button) - 02:00
22.Cry To Me (Russell) - 02:52
23.Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut (E. McDaniel) - 03:00
24.LSD (D. Taylor, P. May) - 02:27
25.A House In The Country (R. Davies) - 03:00
26.Rosalyn (J. Duncan, W. Farley) - 02:20

The Pretty Things
*Phil May - Vocals
*Dick Taylor - Guitar
*Skip Alan - Drums, Vocals
*Brian Pendleton - Rhythm Guitar
*John Stax - Bass
*Viv Prince - Drums

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The Byrds - Live At Fillmore (1969 us, shiny straight ahead folk country rock)

In 1969, after their definition of the folk-rock sound and their brief dip into country & western, the Byrds were ready to begin a new stage of their career. By this time, the only remaining original member was Roger McGuinn, whose 12-string guitar sound has been remembered as the canonical "jangle" so important to the evolution of classic rock. Gram Parsons may have ushered in the epic country dalliance of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, but the dominant sound of Byrds by this time was something else: the jarring post-Nashville electricity of Clarence White.

Live, the stripped-down two guitars, bass & drum format turned the Byrds away from the formula they perfected on their pre-Sweetheart records. Their recently recorded "Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde" LP showed the Byrds shift from the already cliched folk-rock sound towards a fuzzier, riskier Jefferson Airplane-like drum & distortion sonic zone. For material however, even as McGuinn was stretching his writing chops, their reliance on Dylan songs and the post-Harry Smith Anthology/Woody Guthrie folk canon to fill out their set list showed their inability to escape their beginnings. As documented in this fascinating live recording, the 1969 Byrds were heading into an area where the virtuosity of White and the pop/folk craftsmanship and experimentation of McGuinn could coexist.

cd cover While McGuinn clung to the songs and approaches which made him famous, the band as a live entity had changed. White's guitar could kick the energy to another level at any moment. On this record, McGuinn's playing lurks in the background holding down the chords while White reels off baffling fills and solos. Though not part of the guitar pantheon of the sixties, White deserves a reassessment for his singular synthesis of country and psychedelic lead guitar stylings. His adaptation of pedal steel technique for the electric guitar was a true technical innovation and his solos snake through the acid honky-tonk terrain with an acuity Jerry Garcia never attained. Though they play a perfunctory medley of their big hits, the band sounds relieved to get "Turn! Turn! Turn!" out of the way so they can let White loose.

The Byrds post-Sweetheart records are justly well-loved by rock connoisseurs for their framing of classic folk-rock material and McGuinn's own increasingly forward-looking songs in a surprisingly modern sonic space. Though frequently linked to Rickenbacker-slinging sixties worshippers like Tom Petty and REM, the band that comes to mind in relation to the late Byrds is actually Pavement, who also walk the particularly Californian line between pop song-craft and hazy sonic sprawl. Live at the Fillmore is a link in understanding the Byrds' various transformations, and maybe even more importantly, a rare showcase for the artistry of Clarence White. 

by Ted Reichman 

Tracks
1. Nashville West (Gene Parsons, Clarence White) - 1:57
2. You're Still On My Mind (Luke McDaniel) - 1:57
3. Pretty Boy Floyd (Woody Guthrie) - 3:13
4. Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man (Roger McGuinn, Gram Parsons) - 2:28
5. Medley: Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)/Mr. Tambourine Man/Eight Miles High (Book Of Ecclesiastes (Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby) - 9:47
6. Close Up The Honky Tonks (Red Simpson) - 2:59
7. Buckaroo (Bob Morris) - 2:02
8. The Christian Life (Ira Louvin, Charlie Louvin) - 2:10
9. Time Between (Chris Hillman) - 2:09
10.King Apathy Iii (Roger McGuinn) - 3:14
11.Bad Night At The Whiskey (Roger McGuinn, Joseph Richards) - 3:50
12.This Wheel's On Fire (Bob Dylan, Rick Danko) - 4:17
13.Sing Me Back Home (Merle Haggard) - 3:08
14.So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) - 2:36
15.He Was A Friend Of Mine (Traditional Arr. Roger McGuinn) - 2:32
16.Chimes Of Freedom (Bob Dylan) - 3:23

The Byrds
*Roger McGuinn - 12 String Guitar
*Clarence White-  Lead Guitar
*John York  - Bass
*Gene Parsons - Drums

1964  The Byrds - Preflyte (2012 Edition)
1968  The Byrds - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (2 Disc Remaster Expanded)
1971  The Byrds - Live At Royal Albert Hall
1973  Byrds - Byrds
1973  Roger McGuinn - Roger McGuinn (2013 Edition) 

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Gothic Horizon - Tomorrow's Another Day (1972 uk, bright, breezy folk psych prog, 2004 issue)

Gothic Horizon's second and final album, like many a sophomore effort, was essentially similar to their debut (The Jason Lodge Poetry Book), except for being somewhat more elaborately produced. Gentle, occasionally somewhat frail British acoustic-based folk-rock remained at the center of their sound. Standard rock instrumentation, however, was employed with considerably greater frequency, though not to the point of overuse. The group's material, too, sounded more serious and less innocent, though it still retained a light, easygoing quality (and, on numbers like "Jefferson James" and "Sydney's Wharf," a definite Simon & Garfunkel influence, especially in the vocal harmonies). 

While the tracks are almost always pleasing on the ear to some degree, they're not too penetrating, and the more they veer from the group's folky core to more ordinary early-'70s rock, the closer they come to losing the plot. The aforementioned "Sydney's Wharf" is probably the highlight, the nostalgic musings accented by some haunting backup female vocals and strange electronic buzzing tones. Like so many slightly-above-average rarities in its genre, the record will please serious enthusiasts of the style, but might be better appreciated by the average collector by hearing the best one or two cuts on various-artists compilations. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Thyme And Tied - 3:21
2. Sydney’s Wharf - 4:19
3. Beverley’s Song (Song For Beverley) - 3:36
4. Baby, You Make The Sunshine (Andy Desmond) -2:53
5. Lament (For Two Voices) - 2:58
6. Sunny Day Parable (Andy Desmond) - 4:30
7. Song No.1 - 4:41
8. Girl With Guitar - 3:25
9. If You Can Smile (Andy Desmond) - 3:33
10.Jefferson James - 3:39
11.Thoughts (Andy Desmond) - 2:49
12.Tomorrow’s Another Day (Andy Desmond) - 6:45
All songs by Mike Simmons except where stated

Musicians
*Andy Desmond - Six, Twelve String Guitars, Harmonica, Vocals
*Richard Garrett - Vocals
*Paul Cartwright - Drums, Percussion
*Barrie Evans - Electric Guitar
*Mike Simmons - Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, String, Brass Arrangements
*John Gosling - Organ, Piano, Moog Synthesizer

1970  Gothic Horizon - The Jason Lodge Poetry Book

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Tin Tin - Astral Taxi (1971 aussie, smart soft orchestrated harmonies, 2009 remaster)

Astral Taxi is an excellent second album from keyboard player Steve Kipner, guitarist Steve Groves, and their group, Tin Tin, whose 1971 Top 20 hit "Toast and Marmalade for Tea" actually sounded like a sequel to Marmalade's 1970 Top Ten hit "Reflections of My Life." They were often confused with the Bee Gees, though Tin Tin had more reason to be -- not only did they really sound like the brothers Gibb, they shared the same manager in Robert Stigwood, the same record label in Atco, and Maurice Gibb was executive producer on this follow-up to their debut, Gibb having more hands-on involvement with the first disc. Both the title track, "Astral Taxi," and the second song, "Ships on the Starboard," would have been perfect on a Paul Kantner solo disc. 

Consider Aztec Two-Step in outer space. Steve Grove's "Our Destiny," on the other hand, is an orchestrated progressive rock instrumental. A heady philosophical essay accompanies the song credit, though the bandmembers don't get the same courtesy. Gerry Shury did the orchestral arrangements, Geoff Bridgeford is most likely on drums, and Johnny Vallins is probably part of the ensemble as well, but the lack of information on who is playing what is distressing for such a great recording and eventual historical artifact. Vallins contributes his songwriting skills to "Ships on the Starboard," "The Cavalry's Coming," and "Benny the Wonderdog." The songwriter also wrote the 1978 number one hit for Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late," along with Kipner's father, Nat Kipner. Steve Kipner and Steve Groves craft a poppy Moody Blues-type number in "Tomorrow Today" along with their producer, Billy Lawrie. Lawrie also co-wrote the final track, "Is That the Way," with the duo, its very Beatlesque elegance being one of the LP's many highlights. 

Astral Taxi is an enigmatic album for sure, but it works on every level. The more rocking "Jenny B." has horns and guitar battling it out toward the end, a departure from the rest of the music. This 1971 album has three of the guys on the cover photo (as well as on the inside gatefold) , but none of their names accompany the faces. They weren't the Bee Gees just yet, nor were they going to be that visible, but when you add up Steve Kipner's Australian hit along with his smash songs for Olivia Newton-John and Chicago in the mid-'80s and include the Tin Tin composition written by Steve Groves, this band -- who was pretty much written off as a one-hit wonder/Bee Gees clone -- turns out to have had immense depth. "I Took a Holiday" will delight fans of the Bee Gees' song "Holiday"; it has their vocal style, charm, and string arrangements. Astral Taxi is a very pleasant album which should be a collectors' item within pop circles. 

by Joe Viglione

Tracks
1. Astral Taxi (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves) - 3:31
2. Ships On The Starboard  (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves, Johnny Vallins) - 3:22
3. Our Destiny (Steve Groves) - 3:16
4. Tomorrow Today (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves, Billy Lawrie) - 3:54
5. Jenny B. (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves) - 4:06
6. I Took A Holiday (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves) - 3:28
7. Tag Around (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves) - 2:25
8. Set Sail For England (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves) - 2:55
9. The Cavalary's Coming (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves, Johnny Vallins) - 2:44
10.Benny The Wonder Dog (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves, Johnny Vallins) - 3:54
11.Is That The Way (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves, Billy Lawrie) - 2:33
12.Talking Turkey (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves, Geoff Bridgford) - 3:30
13.Strange One (Grozmann) - 3:44
14.I'm Afraid (Pete Beckett) - 3:39
15.Love Her That Way (From Tin Tin First UK Album) (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves) - 2:19
16.Back To Winona (B-Side UK Single “Come On Over Again”) (Steve Kipner, Steve Groves) - 2:45

Tin Tin
*Steve Kipner - Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
*Steve Groves - Guitars, Percussion, Vocals
*Johnny Vallins - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Geoff Bridgford - Drums

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The Grodeck Whipperjenny - The Grodeck Whipperjenny (1970 us, splendid hard fuzz acid funk rock)

The Grodeck Whipperjenny were wolves in sheep attire: a Cincinnati-based group of jazz musicians flexing their rock chops under the auspices of future CTI artist and Grodeck leader David Matthews, who at the time was serving as arranger and writer for the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. The band's lone 1970 release exists in the sonic hinterland between Funkadelic-style psychedelic soul and a distinctly soulful prog rock that shares some territory with Brian Auger and Norman Whitfield's Motown productions. 

The soupy results are truly sublime with funky tracks like "Sitting Here on a Tongue" coasting on Kenny Poole's fuzz guitar and Jimmy Madison's insistent drums that surely made Brown, who gets his requisite "A James Brown Production" credit, proud. The proceedings get even harder and heavier with the lysergic caveman stomp of "Put Your Thing on Me" and "Why Can't I Go Back." Matthews gets to strut his arranging stuff on the string-heavy "Conclusions" and takes his Hammond for a ride on the trippy "Evidence for the Existence of the Unconscious." A few dated speed bumps, "I Wonder" and "You're Too Young," prevent this from being a through and through classic, but it's a wild ride otherwise and not to be missed. 

by Wade Kergan 

Tracks
1. Sitting Here On A Tongue - 2:50
2. Wonder If - 2:55
3. Why Can't I Go Back - 3:40
4. Conclusions - 4:33
5. You're Too Young (Michael Moore) - 1:48
6. Put Your Thing On Me (Kenny Poole) - 4:40
7. Inside Or Outside - 1:00
8. Evidence For The Existance Of The Unconscious (Tom Banta) - 10:28
All songs by David Matthews except where stated

The Grodeck Whipperjenny
*Mary Ellen Bell - Vocals
*Jimmy Madison - Drums
*David Matthews - Organ, Piano, Trombone
*Michael Moore - Bass
*Kenny Poole - Guitar, Vocals

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