Otis Spann - Cryin' Time (1968 us, awesome electric blues, 2005 issue)

An integral member of the nonpareil Muddy Waters band of the 1950s and '60s, pianist Otis Spann took his sweet time in launching a full-fledged solo career. But his own discography is a satisfying one nonetheless, offering ample proof as to why so many aficionados considered him then and now Chicago's leading post-war blues pianist. Spann played on most of Waters' classic Chess waxings between 1953 and 1969, his rippling 88s providing the drive on Waters' seminal 1960 live version of "Got My Mojo Working" (cut at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival, where Spann dazzled the assembled throng with some sensational storming boogies).

The Mississippi native began playing piano by age eight, influenced by local ivories stalwart Friday Ford. At 14, he was playing in bands around Jackson, finding more inspiration in the 78s of Big Maceo, who took the young pianist under his wing once Spann migrated to Chicago in 1946 or 1947.

Spann gigged on his own and with guitarist Morris Pejoe before hooking up with Waters in 1952. His first Chess date behind the Chicago icon the next year produced "Blow Wind Blow." Subsequent Waters classics sporting Spann's ivories include "Hoochie Coochie Man," "I'm Ready," and [roviLink="MC"]"Just Make Love to Me."

Strangely, Chess somehow failed to recognize Spann's vocal abilities. His own Chess output was limited to a 1954 single, "It Must Have Been the Devil," that featured B.B. King on guitar, and sessions in 1956 and 1963 that remained in the can for decades. So Spann looked elsewhere, waxing a stunning album for Candid with guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood in 1960, a largely solo outing for Storyville in 1963 that was cut in Copenhagen, a set for British Decca the following year that found him in the company of Waters and Eric Clapton, and a 1964 LP for Prestige where Spann shared vocal duties with bandmate James Cotton. Testament and Vanguard both recorded Spann as a leader in 1965. 

The Blues Is Where It's At, Spann's enduring 1966 album for ABC-Bluesway, sounded like a live recording but was actually a studio date enlivened by a gaggle of enthusiastic onlookers who applauded every song (Waters, guitarist Sammy Lawhorn, and George "Harmonica" Smith were among the support crew on the date). A Bluesway encore, The Bottom of the Blues, followed in 1967 and featured Otis' wife, Lucille Spann, helping out on vocals. 

Spann's last few years with Muddy Waters were memorable for their collaboration on the Chess set Fathers and Sons, but the pianist was clearly ready to launch a solo career, recording a set for Blue Horizon with British blues-rockers Fleetwood Mac that produced Spann's laid-back "Hungry Country Girl." He finally turned the piano chair in the Waters band over to Pinetop Perkins in 1969, but fate didn't grant Spann long to achieve solo stardom. He was stricken with cancer and died in April of 1970. 

by Bill Dahl

Tracks
1. Home to Mississippi - 3:26
2. Blues Is A Botheration - 4:02
3. You Said You'd Be On Time (Otis Spann, George Spink) - 4:46
4. Cryin' Time - 3:11
5. Blind Man (Traditional) - 3:18
6. Some Day - 4:35
7. Twisted Snake - 3:02
8. Green Flowers (McKinley Morganfield) - 3:44
9. The New Boogaloo - 2:09
10.Mule Kicking In My Stall - 3:30
All compositions by Otis Spann except where stated

Musicians
*Otis Spann - Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Lucille Spann - Vocals
*Joseph Davidson - Bass
*Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson - Guitar
*Barry Melton - Bass, Guitar
*Lonnie Taylor - Drums

Free Text

Michael Nesmith - Silver Moon (1970-73 us, wonderful country folk soft rock, Audiophile 2002 edition)

Born in Texas in 1942, Nesmith served in the U.S. Air Force before pursuing a career in music. He signed on to become a member of the Monkees, a television rock group, in the mid-1960s. The Monkees enjoyed tremendous success on the pop charts. After he left the group in 1970s, Nesmith pursued solo projects. 

Although the cover art might suggest that this compiles, features, or in some way includes material from Michael Nesmith's four-year (1966-1970) tenure as a Monkee, this isn't the case at all. Additionally confusing matters is that the same 25 tracks on this collection are replicated -- right down to the exact running order -- on the unimaginatively titled Best Of: Original Hits. Regardless, the contents of both have been culled from Nesmith's first half-dozen post-Monkees long-players. The tune stack is well represented by the First National Band LPs Magnetic South (1970), Loose Salute (1970), and Nevada Fighter (1971) -- plus, to a much lesser extent, Tantamount to Treason (1972), And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' (1972), as well as Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash (1973). 

Nesmith's penchant for penning quirky country & western-flavored pop songs can be directly traced back to his Monkees material, such as "St. Matthew," "Good Clean Fun," and "Magnolia Simms." During this period he was also woodshedding material for future endeavors. Although never issued, he recorded a significant backlog of original compositions while still a Monkee. Of the tracks included on this collection, "Cripple Lion," "Some of Shelly's Blues," "Calico Girlfriend," "Nine Times Blue," "Hollywood," "Little Red Rider," and "Conversations," originally titled "Carlisle Wheeling" are among the titles first recorded by Nez prior to gaining artistic independence from his decidedly manufactured image. 

Ultimately, autonomy as a solo artist allowed him to further develop a singular voice rooted in folk and country, yet remaining ever unique. Stylistically, his range became more eclectic -- encompassing both driving rockers, such as "Mama Nantucket," and lilting, heartsick ballads, such as "Joanne." This compilation not only visits those extremes, it also hits upon many of the more subtle facets from Nesmith's prolific early-'70s recordings. 

by Lindsay Planer

Tracks
1. Silver Moon - 3:12
2. Listen To The Band - 2:33
3. Different Drum - 3:02
4. Some Of Shelly's Blues - 3:18
5. Mama Nantucket - 2:40
6. Harmony Constant - 3:47
7. Grand Ennui - 2:08
8. Bonaparte's Retreat (Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart) - 4:36
9. Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care) - 2:57
10.Lady Of The Valley - 2:56
11.First National Rag (Red Rhodes) - 0:22
12.The Keys To The Car - 2:55
13.Two Diffrerent Roads - 2:39
14.Nevada Fighter - 3:06
15.I Fall To Pieces (Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard) - 2:55
16.Rainmaker (Bill Martin, Harry Nilsson) - 3:18
17.Calico Girlfriend - 2:35
18.Nine Times Blue - 1:40
19.Little Red Rider - 2:33
20.Conversations - 3:31
21.Joanne - 3:12
22.Beyond The Blue Horizon (Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard) - 5:49
23.Hollywood - 5:07
24.Bye, Bye, Bye - 3:23
25.The Crippled Lion - 3:12
All songs by Michael Nesmith except where noted

Musicians
*Michael Nesmith - Vocals, Guitar
*Earl P. Hall - Keyboards, Piano
*John London - Bass
*Red Rhodes - Steel Guitar
*John Ware - Drums
*Glen D. Hardin - Keyboards, Piano
*Max Bennet - Bass
*James Burton - Guitar
*Al Casey - Guitar
*Michael Cohen - Keyboards
*Joe Osborn - Bass
*Ron Tutt - Drums

Free Text

Text Host

The Stills Young Band - Long May You Run (1976 us, beautiful folk country classic rock)

Long May You Run is not a Neil Young solo album. It is credited to "The Stills-Young Band," which is to say, Stephen Stills and his band with Young added, and the two divide up the songwriting and lead vocals, five for Young, four for Stills. The pairing, though it proved short-lived and had, in fact, ended before this album was released, must have seemed commercially logical. Like Young, Stills had seen his record sales decline after a successful period following the 1970 breakup of CSNY. So had erstwhile partners David Crosby and Graham Nash, but they had returned to Top Ten, gold-selling status in the fall of 1975 with their Wind on the Water duo album. 

Why couldn't Stills and Young do the same thing? Maybe they could have (and, actually, this was the first gold album for either in two years) if they had made a better record together. Young's songs were pleasant newly written throwaways with the exception of the title track, a trunk song he had written as a tribute to an old car, it’s a brilliant performance and would have fit any of his solo albums at the time. “Fontainebleau” is just a cut below and features some creative guitar work and an odd beat. His other three songs are okay which is faint praise. “Let It Shine” is amusing if nothing else, “Midnight On The Bay” does have some nice guitar work from Stephen Stills. In the other hand, Stills' compositions seemed more seriously intended, but still were not substantial. The playing, largely handled by the professional sessionman types in Stills' band, was far smoother than what one was accustomed to in a Young album.

by William Ruhlmann and David Bowling 

Tracks
1. Long May You Run (Neil Young) - 3:52
2. Make Love To You (Stephen Stills) - 5:09
3. Midnight On The Bay (Neil Young) - 4:00
4. Black Coral (Stephen Stills) - 4:41
5. Ocean Girl (Neil Young) - 3:18
6. Let It Shine (Neil Young) - 4:41
7. 12/8 Blues (Stephen Stills) - 3:43
8. Fontainebleau (Neil Young) - 3:59
9. Guardian Angel (Stephen Stills) - 5:47

Musicians
*Neil Young - Guitars, Piano, Harmonica, String Synthesizer, Vocals
*Stephen Stills - Guitars, Pianos, Vocals
*Joe Lala - Percussion, Background Vocals
*Jerry Aiello - Organ, Piano
*George "Chocolate" Perry - Bass, Background Vocals
*Joe Vitale - Drums, Flute, Background Vocals

1970  Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills (debut album, 2008 japan SHM remaster)
1972  Stephen Stills - Manassas (2006 HDCD)
1971-73  Manassas - Pieces (2009 release)
1975-76/78  Stephen Stills - Stills / Illegal Stills / Thoroughfare Gap

Free Text
the Free Text

Bryan Ferry - Let's Stick Together (1976 uk, fabulous glam rock with jazz r 'n' b traces, japan remaster)

As Roxy approached its mid- to late-'70s hibernation, Ferry came up with another fine solo album, though one of his most curious. With Thompson and Wetton joined by U.K. journeyman guitarist Chris Spedding, Ferry recorded an effort that seemed as much of a bit of creative therapy as it was music for its own sake. On the one hand, he followed the initial formula established for his solo work, looking back to earlier rock, pop, and soul classics with gentle gusto. The title track itself, a cover of the fluke Wilbert Harrison '60s hit, scored Ferry a deserved British hit single, with great sax work from Chris Mercer and Mel Collins and a driving, full band performance. Ferry's delivery is one of his best, right down to the yelps, and the whole thing chugs with post-glam power. 

Other winners include the Everly Brothers' "The Price of Love" and the Beatles' "It's Only Love," delivered with lead keyboards from Ferry and a nice, full arrangement. On the other hand, half of the album consisted of Ferry originals -- but, bizarrely, instead of creating wholly new songs, he re-recorded a slew of earlier Roxy classics. Fanciful fun or exorcising of past demons? It's worth noting that most of the songs come from the Eno period of the band, and consequently the new versions stear clear of the sheer chaos he brought to the original Roxy lineup. As it is, the end results are still interesting treats -- "Casanova" exchanges the blasting stomp of the original for a slow, snaky delivery that suggests threat without sounding too worried about it. "Re-Make/Re-Model," meanwhile, turns downright funky without losing any of its weird lyrical edge. Others have subtler differences, as when the stark, stiff midsection of "Sea Breezes" becomes a looser, slow jam. 

by Ned Raggett

Tracks
1. Let's Stick Together (Wilbert Harrison) - 3:00
2. Casanova (Bryan Ferry) - 2:45
3. Sea Breezes (Bryan Ferry) -:10
4. Shame, Shame, Shame (Jimmy Reed) - 3:15
5. 2HB (Bryan Ferry) - 3:50
6. The Price Of Love (Don, Phil Everly) - 3:25
7. Chance Meeting (Bryan Ferry) - 3:35
8. It's Only Love (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:45
9. You Go To My Head (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) - 2:50
10.Re-Make/Re-Model (Bryan Ferry) - 2:40
11.Heart On My Sleeve (Benny Gallagher, Graham Lyle) - 3:30

Musicians
*Bryan Ferry - Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica
*Chris Spedding - Guitar
*Paul Thompson - Drums
*John Wetton - Bass
*Chris Mercer - Tenor Saxophone
*Mel Collins - Saxophone
*Martin Drover - Trumpet
*Eddie Jobson - Violin, Synthesizer
*Morris Pert - Percussion
*John Gustafson - Bass
*Rick Wills - Bass
*John Porter - Bass
*Phil Manzanera - Guitar
*David O'List - Guitar
*Neil Hubbard - Guitar
*Ann O'Dell - String Arrangement
*Jacqui Sullivan, Helen Chappell, Paddie Mchugh, Doreen Chanter, Vicki Brown, Martha Walker - Chorus

Free Text

Text Host

Chris Spedding - Hurt (1977 uk, fantastic punk tinged roots 'n' roll)

In 1977 backing by Roy Harper's band Trigger, Chris Spedding recorded "Hurt" which showcased his guitar work in various styles. "Hurt" features an array of nine Spedding original compositions -don't you just love that title "Get Out Of My Pagoda"?- 

He also tries his hand at the rock guitarist's favourite riff, Bo Diddley's immortal "Road Runner", while there's a glimpse of the punk era Spedding, with the inclusion of the 1976 classic "Pogo Dancing" among the four bonus tracks.

Chris Spedding remains unique among the guitarists for the sheer breadth of his musical vision and the fact that so many people relied on him to deliver the goods. Whether he ever got "hurt" in the process is amatter for debate, but "Hurt" shows just what his fellow musicians and fans found so attractive about the Spedding experience.

by Chris Welch, London 2000. 

Tracks
1. Wild In The Streets - 3:10
2. Silver Bullet - 3:57
3. Lone Rider - 3:25
4. Woman Trouble - 5:19
5. Ain't Superstitious (Snips, Chris Spedding) - 4:44
6. Wild Wild Women - 3:51
7. Road Runner (Ellas McDaniel) - 2:46
8. Stay Dumb - 2:49
9. Get Outa My Pagoda - 2:40
10.Hurt By Love - 3:30
11.Pogo Dancing - 3:06
12.The Pose - 2:23
13.Gunfight - 2:31
14.Evil (Snips) - 2:57
All songs by Chris Spedding except where stated.

Personnel
*John Carter - Vocals
*Clem Cattini - Drums
*Ray Cooper - Percussion
*Jack Emblow - Musette
*Harold Fisher - Drums
*Herbie Flowers - Bass
*Chrissie Hynde - Vocals
*Neil Lancaster - Vocals
*Charles Mills - Vocals
*Chris Spedding - Guitar, Vocals

1972  Chris Spedding - The Only Lick I Know

Free Text
Text Host

Twin Engine - Twin Engine (1971 us, smart country folk soft rock, 2004 release)

These 12 songs were recorded by Twin Engine in 1971 with the intention of getting an album together for release on United Artists, but they weren't issued until more than 30 years later. The music has very much of a 1970 aura, mightily influenced at different points by the Let It Be-era Beatles (particularly in the guitar sound of "Give My Love a Chance," "The Time Is Now," and "Mistress of the Morning"), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (a riff in "The Time Is Now" seems airlifted directly from Neil Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand"), American Beauty-era Grateful Dead, and the country-rock being laid down by the Flying Burrito Brothers/Byrds axis in Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (That last influence may not have been entirely due to chance, as Byrds and/or Burritos members Chris Hillman, Clarence White, and Sneaky Pete Kleinow are all referred to in the packaging as having played on the sessions, though it's not specified who played on what track). 

It's very accomplished, and Twin Engine's duo harmonies are quite cheerful and invigorating. What it lacks is a sound of its own, and it's easy to see that a label of the time might have passed on it due to its similarity to some other bands of the era, or at least encouraged the pair to keep working up material until something more distinctive evolved. Now that competing in the marketplace isn't a concern, it's actually a pretty pleasant listen -- derivative, yes, but considerably stronger and more polished than most albums that are heavily derivative of their surrounding times and styles. There are the makings of a solid country-rock band here, albeit one more pop-influenced than most, like a less-slick Eagles. While it's too bad they didn't get any further, this relic of their abortive flight isn't at all bad. 

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Give My Love A Chance - 2:30
2. My Life Gets Better Every Day - 3:08
3. Secrets - 2:32
4. Mistress Of The Morning (Randy Naylor) - 2:22
5. No Time Is Better Than Now - 2:48
6. Darlin' (Randy Naylor) - 3:06
7. Flowered Wall - 3:06
8. Can't Keep My Mind Off Of You (Randy Naylor) - 3:12
9. Gold Mine - 2:22
10.When Will I Be Loved (Phil Everly) - 1:50
11.The Time Is Now (Randy Naylor) - 2:50
12.Same Train (Randy Naylor) - 3:00
Words and Music by Constantine Gusias except where noted

Musicians
*Constantine Gusias - Vocals, Guitar
*Randy Naylor - Guitar, Keyboard, Vocals
*Joe Foster - Synthesizer
*Randy Fuller - Bass
*DeWayne Quirico - Drums
*Nick Robbins - Synthesizer
*Ralph Scala - Organ
*Joey Stec - Guitar
*Clarence White - Guitar

Free Text

Chris Spedding - The Only Lick I Know (1972 uk, marvelous multiblended guitar rock)

Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944, Staveley, Derbyshire, England. An underestimated talent, this inventive guitarist began his career in a beat group, the Vulcans, prior to following a haphazard path touring in country bands and supporting cabaret attractions on the cruise ship Himalaya. Spells backing Alan Price and Paul Jones preceded Spedding’s involvement in the Battered Ornaments where he established a reputation for technique and imagination. The guitarist was subsequently heard on Jack Bruce’s 1969 debut Songs For A Tailor, and on early releases by Nucleus, a leading jazz rock ensemble. Session work for Lulu, Roxy Music, John Cale, Dusty Springfield and others was interspersed by two low-key solo albums, Backwood Progression (1970) and The Only Lick I Know (1972). Spedding also formed the much-touted Sharks with former Free bass player Andy Fraser, but internal ructions undermined the group’s potential. The guitarist resumed studio work in 1975, but also joined UK artist Roy Harper in Trigger, the singer’s short-lived backing band. The following year he produced the Sex Pistols’ first demos.

Spedding’s clinical approach resulted in several career-based anomalies during the 70s. He donned the requisite costume to perform with the Wombles and contrived an ill-fitting leather-boy image for a series of pop punk singles under the guidance of producer Mickie Most. ‘Motor-Biking’, in 1975, provided the UK Top 20 single the guitarist doubtlessly deserved, but these unusual interludes provided a distorted perception of his other work. Spedding has since balanced studio and live work for artists such as Elton John, Tom Waits, Bryan Ferry, Marc Almond and Katie Melua with occasional solo releases. His albums have maintained an impressive consistency while ranging over a diverse stylistic range.

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin

"Only Lick I Know" a very unusual second album from Chris Spedding – one that came out quite a few years after his first solo set, and definitely shows the result of Spedding's countless work on other rock, jazz, and soul sessions! There's still a rootsy, personal feel to the music – but there's also a much more tuneful approach, too – not one that's trying to be commercial, just a quality that clearly comes from all of Chris' work with top-shelf artists and producers as one of the most in-demand guitarists of his generation. Spedding handled a good amount of the instrumentation himself – save for the drums – and the album's got a relaxed feeling that really reflects the time that Chris took to get things right during the recording process. Tracks include "White Lady", "London Town", "A Hard Woman Is Good To Find", "The Only Lick I Know", and "Saw You Yesterday" – plus a surprising cover of "The Dark End Of The Street"

Tracks
1. White Lady - 3:55
2. A Hard Woman Is Good To Find - 2:41
3. London Town - 5:14
4. Don't Leave Me - 5:27
5. Honky Tonk Blues (Hank Williams) - 2:43
6. Saw You Yesterday - 3:28
7. The Dark End of the Street (Chips Moman, Dan Penn) - 3:26
8. The Only Lick I Know - 3:02
9. Listen While I Sing My Song - 3:21
All songs by Chris Spedding except where noted.

Musicians
*Chris Spedding  - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
*Linda Lewis - Baiking Vocals
*Laurie Allan - Drums
*Harold Fisher - Drums
*Alan Hawkshaw - Piano
*Paul Francis - Drums
*Phil Dennys  - Keyboards
*Tony Campo  - Bass

Free Text
Text Host

Stephen Stills - Stills / Illegal Stills / Thoroughfare Gap (1975-76/78 us, groovy funky smooth rock, 2007 double disc issue)

Born in Dallas, Texas, on January 3, 1945, Stephen Stills is an American folk musician, best known as a member of the bands Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. In the 1970s, Stills re-emerged as a solo artist, producing several successful albums. In 1997, he made history as the first person inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice in one night—with both Buffalo Springfield as well as Crosby, Stills and Nash.

During CSN&Y's early years, Stills continued to produce solo material, releasing Stephen Stills (1970) and Stephen Stills 2 (1971). In 1972, he joined the band Manassas, and released a self-titled album that same year.

In December on 1975, another album of Stephen's would be released titled "Stephen Stills Live", a collection of live in concert songs. And following this in 1976, with not only a brand new album under his belt, "Illegal Stills," he would then embark on a new venture with his fellow compadre Neil Young, an album and tour for "Long May You Run."

It would be 1977 when he would rejoin and he and friends Graham and David would make amend, to record their album "CSN", putting out such great passion envoked tunes including "Shadow Captain" and "Dark Star."

In 1978 he would take a chance and release of another solo album titled "Thoroughfare Gap"*This album was not popular among critics, but well received by many fans. From dance beats in "Can't get no booty," to the pure awesome beauty of "Thoroughfare Gap," the title song*Spacing himself, a few years later in 1982 he would continue to record more albums with CSN such as "Daylight Again", and "Allies," both inspiring the "Daylight Again" tour.

Tracks

Disc 1

Stills 1975

1. Turn Back The Pages (D. Dacus, S. Stills) - 4:04

2. My Favorite Changes - 2:50

3. My Angel (S. Stills, Dallas Taylor) - 2:25

4. In The Way - 3:35

5. Love Story - 4:11

6. To Mama From Christopher And The Old Man - 2:15

7. First Things First (Joe Schermie, Jon Smith, S. Stills) - 2:10

8. New Mama (Neil Young) - 2:21

9. As I Come Of Age - 2:33

10.Shuffle Just As Bad - 2:39

11.Cold Cold World (D. Dacus, S. Stills) - 4:38

12.Myth Of Sisyphus (Kenny Passarelli, S. Stills) - 4:28

Illegal Stills 1976

13.Buyin' Time (S. Stills) - 3:36

14.Midnight In Paris (D. Dacus, Véronique Sanson) - 4:00

15.Different Tongues (S. Stills, D. Dacus) - 3:09

16.Soldier (D. Dacus, S. Stills) - 2:59

17.The Loner (Neil Young) - 4:16

18.Stateline Blues (S. Stills) - 1:59

19.Closer To You (D. Dacus, Warner Schwebke, S. Stills) - 3:36

20.No Me Niegas (S. Stills) - 3:33

21.Ring Of Love (D. Dacus, S. Stills) - 4:02

22.Circlin' (Kenny Passarelli, S. Stills) - 4:20

All songs by Stephen Stills except where indicated

Disc 2
Thoroughfare Gap 1978
1. You Can't Dance Alone - 4:14
2. Thoroughfare Gap - 3:31
3. We Will Go On - 2:41
4. Beaucoup Yumbo (S. Stills, Joe Vitale) - 3:33
5. What's the Game - 3:32
6. Midnight Rider (Gregg Allman) - 3:39
7. Woman Lleva - 3:13
8. Lowdown - 3:46
9. Not Fade Away (Buddy Holly, Norman Petty) - 3:26
10.Can't Get No Booty (Danny Kortchmar, S. Stills) - 3:44
All songs by Stephen Stills except where indicated

Musicians

1970  Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills (debut album, 2008 japan SHM remaster)
1972  Stephen Stills - Manassas (2006 HDCD)
1971-73  Manassas - Pieces (2009 release)

Free Text
the Free Text

Giles, Giles And Fripp - The Brondesbury Tapes (1968 uk, smart experimental progressive art rock)

Though advertised as the long lost 1968 home recordings of the band that would become King Crimson, Giles, Giles and Fripp’s The Brondesbury Tapes reveal the early work of Robert Fripp and company to be a freewheeling world apart from their more celebrated work as the brooding godfathers of prog-rock.

At the time the tapes were recorded, brothers Michael and Peter Giles (drums and bass) and Robert Fripp (guitar) were on the downward trajectory of a disappointing fifteen-month existence. Unhappy with the bland production and Monty-Python-esque annoyance of their first full-length (a heavy-handed provincial-pysch concept album entitled The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & Fripp on Decca / Deram that sold less than 500 copies), Giles, Giles & Fripp hoped to flesh out their sound by enlisting the help of the ever-comely miss Judy Dyble, the ethereal pre-Sandy Denny vocalist for folk-heroes Fairport Convention, and Ian McDonald, whose piano, flute, sax, guitar, and clarinet would later feature prominently in King Crimson’s debut In The Court of The Crimson King as well as in the decidedly un-hip ‘70’s arena-rock of Foreigner, to record some new songs in the cozy confines of Peter Giles’s new home. 

The revitalized ensemble shows up suprisingly shimmery on the primitive Revox stereo reel-to-reel recordings, somehow knitting the Canterbury School of spacey prog-autumns characteristic of early Soft Machine and the more psychedelic side of Fairport Convention with 1968’s wave of cheeky British-literate-pop like The Kinks’ Village Green Preservation Society and The Zombies’ Odyssey and Oracle into a seamless and subtle whole.

Listening to the digitally re-mastered version of this charming and unassuming lo-fi gem with Dyble oozing the vocals and Fripp content to noodle and fuzz in the background, it’s hard to believe that these sessions of The Brondesbury Tapes were recorded and then scrapped just one short year before In The Court of The Crimson King, a Hell of a concept album (featuring the god-awful Greg Lake of the even God-awfuler Emerson, Lake, and Palmer on the lead vocals) with a garish, pink, and fleshy cover giving only a slight and paranoid hint to its huge and cacophonous contents: redemption through muscular instrumental passages that knot the anacondas of psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical virtuosity ((check out Fripp’s seven fret stretch!)) into a sound of fury not heard again until Neil Michael Hagerty and The Royal Trux’s decadent guitar-miasma opuses. 

The Brondesbury Tapes, in contrast and in sweet oblivian, had no idea that cheesy Frippertronics and Post-Syd Barret Pink Floyd were on their way. Lyrics like “She’s so full of the decimal stuff / I’ll fall in love if I try hard enough,” sung in four part harmonies against sprightly jazz waltzes and sunny day tremolo studies, remind us that those sweaty anacondas were once daft little garden snakes and that those guilty of prog-pomp once recorded an endearing and altogether inspiring math-rock version of The Basement Tapes.

by Daniel Dineen

Tracks
1. Hypocrite (P. Giles) - 3:41
2. Digging My Lawn (A) (P. Giles) - 1:58
3. Tremelo Study in a Major (Spanish Suite) 1:41
4. Newly Weds (P. Giles) - 1:52
5. Suite No. 1 (Fripp) - 5:34
6. Scrivens (P. Giles) - 2:15
7. Make It Today (A) (McDonald, Sinfield) - 3:26
8. Digging My Lawn (P. Giles) - 1:55
9. Why Don't You Just Drop In (I) (Fripp) - 3:40
10.I Talk to the Wind (1) (McDonald, Sinfield) - 3:17
11.Under the Sky (McDonald, Sinfield) - 3:53
12.Plastic Pennies (Fripp) - 2:18
13.Passages of Time (Fripp) - 3:32
14.Under the Sky (McDonald, Sinfield) - 2:49
15.Murder (P. Giles) - 2:41
16.I Talk to the Wind (McDonald, Sinfield) - 3:15
17.Erudite Eyes (Fripp) - 6:46
18.Make It Today (B) (McDonald, Sinfield) - 4:46
19.Wonderland (Fripp) - 6:08
20.Why Don't You Just Drop In (II) (Fripp) - 3:42
21.She Is Loaded (P. Giles) - 3:12

Musicians
*Judy Dyble - Vocals
*Robert Fripp - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Piano
*Michael Giles - Drums, Vocals
*Peter Giles - Bass, Vocals
*Ian McDonald - Clarinet, Flute, Acoustic, Electric, Rhythm Guitar, Piano, Saxophone, Soloist, Vocals

1968  Giles Giles And Fripp - The Cheerful Insanity (Japan SHM-CD)

Free Text
Text Bin

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

Free Text
Text Host