Wedge - No One Left But Me (1974 us, stunning heavy prog rock, 2008 remaster with extra track)

Orange Wedge was established around 1968 in Baltimore, Maryland. The group evolved from Greg & the Originals. Members were Greg Coulson (lead vocals), Fred Zang (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Don Cowger (bass). In 1968 they added Craig Krixer (lead guitar), Dave Burgess (keyboards) and Tom Rizzo (drums). Krixer came up with the name Orange Wedge. The rock band began playing many teen centers, and school dances. After a brief illness and hospital stay in early 1969 Coulson rejoined the band.

They began playing on regular basis quickly becoming one of the top hard rock bands in Baltimore. Orange Wedge could be seen at all the local clubs in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia. Zang and Krixer left the group in 1969 and joined Black Foot Smoke. Zang played guitar and / or bass for a lot of other groups. He is still active in the music business. The group that created the records existed between 1971 and 1975.
Long-Hair

The 1976 follow up to Wedge was No One Left But Me. Due to the lack of offers the Orange Wedge also released their second LP as a private pressing that was to be sold at gigs and local shops, and it sold like hot bread making this one an elusive piece among hard rock collectors. Their sound here is still 100% high energy, though an evolution has been made and the band sounds a bit more sophisticated. 

It was their best selling album at the time with a pressing of 1000 copies that hardly made it out of Baltimore, so here's a very good chance to rediscover this amazing piece of pure rock power. Here at Wah Wah we have respectfully worked on its reissue to offer you a killer release in thick cardboard paste-up sleeve, and featuring an insert with the story of the band and lots of cool photos gently provided by original Orange Wedge guitarist and composer Joe Farace.

Forced-Exposure

Tracks
1. S.P. (Joe Farace, Mark O'Connor) - 4:13
2. Hungry Man (Joe Farace, Don Cowger, Greg Coulson) - 4:52
3. No One Left But Me (Joe Farace, Greg Coulson) - 5:59
4. Dream (Joe Farace) - 3:08
5. Whisky And Gin (Joe Farace, Greg Coulson) - 5:49
6. People (Joe Farace, Greg Coulson) - 5:39
7. The Date (Joe Farace, Greg Coulson) - 10:19
8. People (7" Version, Radio Edit) (Joe Farace, Greg Coulson) - 3:02

Personnel
*Joe Farace - Guitar
*Don Cowger - Bass
*Tom Rizzo - Drums
*Greg Coulson - Vocals
*Gene Ingham - Bass, Flute
*Mark O'Connor - Mellotron, Synthesizer, Clavinet
*Gene Meros - Flute

1972  Orange Wedge - Wedge

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Grootna - Grootna (1971 us, fine psych blues funk with west coast apparel)

This one caught my eye due to the colorful cover and the fact the producer was none other than The Jefferson Airplane/Starship's Marty Balin.  That said, here's another one I can't say I know much about. The line-up consisted of bassist Kelly Bryan, rhythm guitarist Slim Chance (aka Austin De Leon), former Country Joe and the Fish/Mad River drummer Greg Dewey (aka Dewey DeGrease), singer Anna Rizzo, lead guitarist Vic Smith and keyboard player Richard Sussman (who had previously played with Elephant's Memory).

The group came together in 1971, cutting their chops on Berkley, California's thriving music scene. With help from supporter Balin, the group caught the attention of Columbia Records, which signed them to a recording contract in 1971. Produced by Balin, 1971's cleverly titled "Grootna" featured a surprisingly impressive set of West Coast-styled rock. The band sported three capable lead singers in DeGrease, Rizzo and Smith. Rizzo's bluesy voice was probably the best of the lot, though on material such as 'Going To Canada' and 'Waitin' for My Ship' she bore a passing resemblance to Janis Joplin.

Exemplified by tracks such as the lead off rocker 'I'm Funky' the set was full of enthusiastic performances. Special notice to Smith who turned in a couple of nice leads on 'That's What You Get' and 'Customs (In It All Over)'. Sure, the set wasn't perfect. 'Young Woman's Blues' and 'Road Fever' were pedestrian blues and boogie numbers, but the overall package was quite impressive. In case anyone cares, Columbia pulled a pair of instantly obscure singles from the LP:
Bad Cat

 Tracks
1. I'm Funky (DeLone, O'Hara, Silverman) - 5:30
2. Road Fever (Dewey, Smith) - 5:20
3. Going to Canada (DeLone, Henry, Silverman) - 4:19
4. Waitin' for My Ship (Delone, Silverman) - 5:07
5. That's What You Get (Rizzo, Silverman, Smith) - 4:29
6. Full Time Woman (Stuart) - 4:30
7. Young Woman's Blues (Smith) - 3:47
8. Customs (Is It All Over?) (Neuwirth) - 3:47
9. Your Grandmother Loves You/IShe It (DeLone, Henry, Silverman) - 5:52

Grootna
Richard Sussman - Piano
Anna Rizzo - Vocals, Finger Snaps
Vic Smith - Lead Guitar, Bottleneck Guitar, Vocals
Gregory Leroy Dewey DaGreaze - Drums, Vocals
Kelly Bryan - Bass
Allen "Slim" Chance - Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Guest Musicians
Marty Balin - Voices
Jack Bonus - Saxophone Horn Section
Terry Adams - Strings
Carol Garnett - Strings
Michael Lafferty - Trombone
Bennett Friedman - Clarinet

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Tiger - Tiger (1976 uk, good hard prog rock, 2007 japan issue)

I have to admit both of Tigers albums are the kind of album that you have to sit down for to let them grow on you. These aren't simple albums with instant appeal, as the sound and the style are very distinctive. You first have to get used to them to experience their full impact. And they are certainly not something for everyone. Tiger is an acquired taste, but if you have ever listened to bands like 'Argus'-era Wishbone Ash, early Ambrosia, early Barclay James Harvest and 'Something Magic'-era Procol Harum, appreciating them will be lot easier than for your average Classic Rock fan. However, people who know their Progressive Rock, will nevertheless notice that Tiger bears little or no resemblance with any of these aformentioned bands. I'll come back to that later.

For the most part Tiger plays a kind of slow and soft Progressive Rock, with lots of melody and with subtle injections of Jazz and Funk. There are a few "bursts" of up tempo Jazz Fusion (for example in the very beautiful 'Waiting for the snow'), some more powerful Rock passages and there are also some compositions that were built on a foundation of classic Funk Rock (example 'Gamblin' Gambler'). But for the most part it's a rather laid back affair with lots of dreamy and melancholic passages. It's all very well performed, it's smart and artful, dramatic at times but never pompous or overdone.

The average Tiger composition is a lengthy one, clocking in at seven minutes on average, and certainly taking its time to build up. In this aspect, but also a bit in style and feel, they resemble 'Argus'-era Wishbone Ash. I'm mentioning Wishbone Ash, even though the resemblance is vague, essentially because I don't know of any other band that sounds even remotely like Tiger. And I have heard thousands of them.

Tiger has two (yes, two) very good vocalists that cooperate well together. The first one is a melodic singer with a clear voice. The other one has a bluesier feel. It's this second singer who's of note, as it's a man called Nicky Moore, who would later go on to become the singer of the NWOBHM-bands Samson and Mammoth (among others).

by Johan Wuyckens

Tracks
1. Lay Me (Sullivan, Moore, Walker) - 5:11
2. Ordinary Girl (Sullivan, Moore) - 5:25
3. Lay Back Stay Black (Moore, Sweeney) - 5:03
4. Prayer (Moore) - 5:33
5. I'm Not Crying (Walker) - 2:27
6. Long Time (Sullivan, Moore, Sweeney) - 6:27
7. Suzy Slicker (Sullivan, Moore) - 4:19
8. Tyger, Tyger (William Blake, Sullivan, Moore, Curtis, Rankin, Flacke, McCrae, Walker) - 7:42

Tiger
*Nicky Moore - Vocals
*Phil Curtis - Bass
*Billy Rankin - Drums
*Les Walker - Vocals
*Big Jim Sullivan - Guitar
*Ray Flacke - Guitar
*Dave McCrae - Keyboards
With
*Ian Wallace - Drums

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Judy Henske And Jerry Yester - Farewell Aldebaran (1969 us, elegant baroque psychedelia)

The rich, satured cover of Farewell Aldebaran, where a photo of Judy Henske and Jerry Yester, sitting with child and cat in a broken-down backyard is subjected to color solarization, suggests a carapace of psychedelia has been draped over the album. You should run with that instinct, but don’t be too reductive about it. The timing was right - Henske and Yester recorded and released the album in 1969, the former already recognized as a talented folk singer and the latter an ex-member of Lovin’ Spoonful and The Magic Ride - but ultimately Farewell Aldebaran is a stylistic index. The duo pushes bolshy, militant rock songs like “Snowblind” up against carnival tunes (“Horses on a Stick”) and melodramatic surrealism (“St Nicholas Hall”), and the arrangements gesture toward folk, Californian pop, hillbilly music and acid rock without settling into anything pro-forma.

The studio is the pop alchemist’s plaything, the space within which artists can unlock prodigious creativity and document it on quarter-inch tape. Accordingly, Farewell Aldebaran sounds ripe, borderline sumptuous at times and positively stuffed at others. It refuses to rest, scratching little details into the margins of each song, and the arrangements err on the polite side of overblown, full of grand sweeps of strings and arcs of pungent melody, with Henske’s voice moving from dulcet to amorous to acidic. When Yester joins her at the microphone, they twang nasally through “Raider” and feed themselves through primitive electronics on the closing title track, dislocating their physical presence. The whole thing is faintly alien in tone and psychedelic in the truest sense - opulent and temporally dislocating.

by Jon Dale

Tracks

1. Snowblind (Judy Henske, Yester, Zal Yanovsky) - 3:02

2. Horses On A Stick - 2:12

3. Lullaby - 3:00

4. St. Nicholas Hall - 3:39

5. Three Ravens - 3:29

6. Raider - 5:12

7. One More Time - 2:18

8. Rapture - 4:09

9. Charity - 3:17

10. Farewell Aldebaran - 4:07

Lyrics by Judy Henske, Music by Jerry Yester, except track #1

Musicians

*Judy Henske - Vocals

*Larry Beckett - Drums

*Ry Cooder - Mandolin

*John Forsha - 12 String Guitar

*Toxie French - Drums

*Eddie Hoh - Drums

*Bernie Krause - Moog Synthesizer Programming

*David Lindley - Bowed Banjo

*"David's Friend" (Solomon Feldthouse ?) - Hammer Dulcimer

*Joe Osborn - Bass

*Dick Rossmini - Guitar

*Jerry Scheff - Bass

*Zal Yanovsky – Bass, Guitar

*Jerry Yester - Vocals, Guitar, Piano , Harmonium, Toy Zither, Marxophone, Chamberlain Tape Organ, Orchestra , Organ, Banjo, Bass, Moog Synthesizer

Related Act 

1966  The Lovin' Spoonful - Daydream (Japan remaster)

1966  The Lovin' Spoonful - Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful (Japan remaster) 

1968  The Lovin' Spoonful - Everything Playing (2011 remaster)

1969  The Lovin' Spoonful - Revelation: Revolution '69

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Denny Gerrard - Sinister Morning (1970 south africa, outstanding folk rock with psych shades, 2008 remaster)

It wasn't long after arriving in the U.K. that South African student Denny Gerrard began making his mark on the music scene. In 1965, Jimmy Page picked him to become one half of the duo the Fifth Avenue, while Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham brought him in as arranger for his project the Variations. Gerrard then linked up with Barry Younghusband, and as Warm Sounds they promptly unleashed the Top 30 hit "Birds and Bees." Swiftly bored with pop the duo soon split, and Gerrard moved into production, overseeing High Tide's critically acclaimed 1969 debut album, Sea Shanties. No surprise then, that when the South African began work on his own debut, self-produced, full-length, High Tide were by his side. However, the resulting album, Sinister Morning, was far more a reflection of Gerrard's vision than Tide's sound. 

Much of the set has a folkie feel, accentuated by the prolific use of Gerrard's acoustic guitar and harmonica. Only on "Native Sun" is the band given a real chance to rock out, with the rest of the set given over to more midtempo numbers. These gave Gerrard the opportunity to explore his roots and showcase his arrangement skills. His epiphany is found on the final track, a haunting, seven-plus minute instrumental, whose rich "Atmosphere" is conjured up by his acoustic guitar and Simon House's delicate organ and rich violin. J.J. Mackey provides the spoken word segments that, sadly, are virtually buried in the mix. 

The album's other epic track, "True Believer" takes folk to church, with House's hymnal organ juxtaposed against a rich, Americana tapestry. "Autumn Blewn," in contrast, counterpoints '60s R&B with C&W, with Gerrard's harmonica adding a folkie feel to the intricate piece. "Rough Stuff" also has an R&B bend, but a down-home, Southern rock tinge, while "Stop or Drop It" is even more rousing, as Gerrard plays his pusillanimous acoustic guitar off against Tony Hill's electric leads. Although kept on a tight leash, High Tide still bring an energy to the set, turning up the heat on virtually all the songs, particularly the poppy "Hole in My Shadow," which was probably intended for singledom. The production gives the entire album a warm sound, although on CD it comes across as a tad too pristine. 

The only flaw within is Gerrard's decision to overutilize layered vocals instead of true harmonies, and paying far less attention to his vocals than he did to the rest of the album's sound. Released on Decca's mid-price imprint Nova, the album surprisingly sank without a track, but swiftly became a much sought-after collector's item. Finally after all these years, Esoteric has now lovingly remastered and reissued this splendid album on CD. 

by Jo-Ann Greene

Tracks
1. Native Sun - 3:55
2. True Believer - 7:06
3. Hole In My Shadow - 3:22
4. Last But One - 4:05
5. Rough Stuff - 3:00
6. Stop It Or Drop It - 2:52
7. Autumn Blewn - 2:53
8. Eye For Eye - 4:33
9. Atmosphere - 7:07
All songs by Denny Gerrard

Personnel
Denny Gerrard - Guitar, Mouth Harp, Vocals
Roger Hadden - Drums
Tony Hill - Guitar, Vocals
Simon House - Keyboards, Violin
Peter Pavli - Bass
Lyn Husband, Sue Young - Vocals
J.J. Makey - Words, Reading

Related Act
1970  High Tide - Precious Cargo
1970  High Tide - High Tide (2010 Remaster)

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Joe Cocker - Stingray (1976 uk, fine jazzy soft rock)

“Stingray”  is Joe Cocker's  6th studio album, released in 1976 and ranks as a favorite among his musical peers. Joe turns in some unbelievable vocal performances on such tunes as "The Jealous Kind", "A Song For You", "She is My Lady" and "The Worrier" (which features Eric Clapton on guitar).

The soulful rhythm section is anchored by Joe's then backup band ‘Stuff’ with lead guitarist Eric Gale providing flawless guitar solo's throughout. Great backup vocals are provided by Patti Austin, Deniece Williams and Bonnie Bramlet.

Without question it ranks alongside the best rock albums ever made. Cocker's singing has enourmous emotional power and range and the song selection is exquisite.

by Anthony

Tracks
1. The Jealous Kind (Bobby Charles) - 3:52
2. I Broke Down (Matthew Moore) - 3:29
3. You Came Along (Bobby Charles) - 3:50
4. Catfish (Bob Dylan, Jacques Levy) - 5:23
5. Moon Dew (Matthew Moore) - 5:54
6. The Man In Me (Bob Dylan) - 2:43
7. She Is My Lady (George Clinton) - 4:37
8. Worrier (Matthew Moore) - 3:16
9. Born Thru Indifference (Joe Cocker, Richard Tee) - 6:15
10.A Song For You (Leon Russell) - 6:27

Musicians
*Joe Cocker - Lead Vocals, Guitar
*Eric Clapton - Guitar
*Cornell Dupree - Guitar
*Steve Gadd - Drums
*Eric Gale - Guitar, Arranger
*Albert Lee - Guitar
*Gordon Edwards - Bass
*Richard Tee - Keyboards, Organ, Arranger, Associate Producer
*Sam Rivers - Saxophone
*Felix "Flaco" Falcon - Conga, Percussion
*Patti Austin - Vocals
*Bonnie Bramlett - Vocals
*Lani Groves - Vocals
*Gwen Guthrie - Vocals
*Phyllis Lindsay - Vocals
*Brenda White - Vocals
*Maxine Willard - Vocals
*Deniece Williams - Vocals

1970  Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs And Englishmen (Deluxe Edition)

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National Head Band - Albert One (1971 uk, excellent smooth prog rock, 2008 remaster)

The National Head Band evolved from a group called The Business a quartet featuring Neil Ford (guitar, vocals), Dave Paull (bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals), Jan Schelhaas (keyboards) and John Skorsky (drums). After signing a management deal and changing their name they got a deal with Warner Brothers who, for some unfathomable reason, insisted that the group should have two drummers. Enter Lee Kerslake (drums, keyboards, vocals), fresh from recording the first Toe Fat album. However, no sooner had the band entered the studios than drummer Skorsky decided to quit! The remaining quartet had quite divisive musical tastes: Schelhaas was a soul fan, Ford was a bluesman, Paull was ostensibly a folkie and Kerslake was more into rock. Given the task of melding all these influences into a coherent album was Eddie Offord who had just completed work on The Yes Album. Offord was more than up to the task in hand and the results he achieved are admirable as elements of all of the individual members musical interests can be heard on the album, which fits neatly in with other albums released in the early seventies that are recognised as classics of the blooming progressive scene. Label incompetency, a mistimed and misplaced tour of Top Rank venues, and a whole batch of faulty album pressings did the band no favours who, unheralded, split later the same year.

Opening number Got No Time starts off with a riff that is vaguely similar to Day Tripper by The Beatles but the piano adds a bit of rhythm and blues to the proceedings. A nice heavier ending courtesy of a couple of electric guitars gives way to their acoustic counterparts in You which displays the groups talent for harmonising. The mixture of the acoustic six strings with the bold keyboard and the soulful vocals provides an interesting blend. The excellent Too Much Country Water is up next and again the harmony vocals add a lot to the number. Schelhaas provides jaunty piano and different guitar solos emanate from each speaker, before things ramp up for the ending. Lead Me Back is certainly a Beatles influenced number with the Moog being tapped for a wide range of brass band sounds. However, the song doesn't really evolve into anything that special and would have benefited from having an earlier fade out. Another Apple band, Badfinger, can be heard within the grooves of Listen To The Music and is almost up to the same standard as that masterful but ill-fated group.

Unusual for even progressive bands, the harmonium takes centre stage for Islington Farm, a more melancholy number. The guitar has a ton of echo applied to it which contrasts brightly with the layered vocals. Overall a strange little song that I'm not entirely convinced by but holds up well against other experimental numbers of the era. Paull's folk leanings are more on display during Try To Reach You with Ford's bottle neck guitar solo proves a standout moment. Leaving the country twang behind, Brand New World mixes bits of everything that has gone before. The abilities of Offord come to the fore as the blend of different voices, a fluid bass line, the organ, acoustic and electric guitars is absolutely perfect, a great song. The grand finale is provided by Mister Jesus which sets off at a blistering pace - like a distant cousin to Flight Of The Rat by Deep Purple. However, this only serves as an intro, for after two minutes the rock is replaced by the acoustic guitars, organ and harmony vocals. The ending of the song is quite masterful with initially a Beatles-type section and then a bit more up-tempo with wahwah guitar pulling things to a close. 

The National Head Band showed more than enough promise that they could have achieved far greater things. Instead Kerslake went off to join Uriah Heep, Schelhaas had stints in both Camel and Caravan (whom he rejoined a couple of years ago for their excellent The Unauthorised Breakfast Item album) and Paull joined the also excellent Jonesy. 

by Mark Hughes

Tracks
1. Got No Time - 5:02          
2. You - 3:59                    
3. Too Much Country Water - 4:12
4. Lead Me Back - 4:02          
5. Listen To The Music - 6:30    
6. Islington Farm - 3:12          
7. Try To Reach You - 4:21      
8. Brand New World - 6:24        
9. Mister Jesus - 8:09
All compositions by National Head Band        

The National Head Band
*Neil Ford - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
*Lee Kerslake - Drums, Keyboards, Vocals
*David "Dave" Paull - Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals
*Jan Schelhaas - Keyboards

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Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs And Englishmen (1970 uk, classic blues soul jazz rock, Deluxe 2005 two disc set)

The 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour was a late-in-the- day, hastily organized appendage to a longer tour Cocker was due to complete early in the year in support of his With A Little Help From My Friends and Joe Cocker! albums. Since late 1969, Cocker and his Grease Band, anchored by Chris Stainton, had been engaged in grueling promotional road work for the albums. At the end of the tour, Cocker and the Grease band parted on amiable terms, each to pursue other creative avenues.

Cocker arrived in Los Angeles on March 11th, 1970 for some rest and relaxation after the stressful and decadently excessive tour. While in LA, Cocker intended to spend his time hanging out and assembling a new band.

As legend has it, however, on March 12th, Cocker's manager Dee Anthony revealed other plans. Anthony announced that he had booked a seven-week (48 nights in 52 cities) tour set to commence in eight days. Anthony further explained that should Cocker not agree to the tour, the Musicians' Union, immigration authorities and concert promoters involved would be disinclined to allow him back into the States to tour in the future. Needless to say, Cocker was caught flat-footed, exhausted, and perhaps a bit burned out.

Seeing an opportunity to help his friend and promote his own growing front-man status, musician- composer- producer Leon Russell assembled a band comprised of Grease Band members and a group of talented studio wonks known to Russell through his already lengthy career.

In the bargain, Russell became the tour's musical director, lead guitarist, pianist and overall Svengali. After several 10-plus hour rehearsals with his new band (whose numbers were to increase over the life of the tour), Cocker and company hit the studio, recorded and released the single "The Letter"/"Space Captain and then took to the road, kicking off in Detroit, Michigan and finally ending up in San Bernardino, California two months later.

The importance of the releases from this tour cannot be overestimated. The essence of rock & roll music, warts and all, was captured in both audio and video formats. The tour was one of the principle catalysts in the tempering of the golden age of popular music that began in the mid-1950s and ultimately ended with the advent of disco. 

Deluxe editions may be one of the devices labels use to extract ever more money from a shrinking population ageing hippies, but they do have an upside. Previously unreleased music sees the light of day in a form more acceptable to the general listening public than complete documents like The Complete Fillmore East Concerts. Mad Dogs & Englishmen—The Deluxe Edition certainly fills the bill.

The set contains the entire original Mad Dogs & Englishmen album plus performances never before released. Added to this release and not on The Complete Fillmore East Concerts is a spurious jam containing a ragged "Under My Thumb that doubtlessly demonstrates how material was selected and practiced before the tour. Also included is the single release of "The Letter"/"Space Captain.

The sonics of the original are well scrubbed. This improvement in sound, coupled with the previously unreleased material, make this an acceptable set. In any event Mad Dogs & Englishmen— The Deluxe Edition is light years better than the original LP and CD releases. For the average Cocker fan, this deluxe edition will more than do. 

by C. Michael Bailey 

Tracks

Disc 

1. Honky Tonk Women (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 4:57

2. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:17

3. The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - 5:57

4. Sticks And Stones (Titus Turner, Henry Glover) - 2:46

5. Bird On A Wire (Leonard Cohen) - 6:31

6. Cry Me A River (Arthur Hamilton) - 4:05

7. Superstar (Leon Russell, Bonnie Bramlett) - 4:59

8. Feelin' Alright (Dave Mason) - 5:47

9. Something (George Harrison) - 5:33

10.Darling Be Home Soon (John Sebastian) - 5:47

11.Let It Be (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:40

12.Further On Up The Road (Joe Medwick, Don Robey) - 4:00

Disc 2
1. Let's Go Get Stoned (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Josephine Armstead) - 8:05
2. Space Captain (Matthew Moore) - 5:20
3. Hummingbird (Leon Russell) - 4:08
4. Dixie Lullaby (Leon Russell, Chris Stainton) - 2:58
5. The Letter (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 4:32
6. Delta Lady (Leon Russell) - 7:03
7. Give Peace A Chance (Leon Russell, Bonnie Bramlett) - 4:46
8. Blue Medley: I'll Drown In My Own Tears/ When Something Is Wrong With My Baby/ I've Been Loving You Too Long (Henry Glover, Isaac Hayes, David Porter, Otis Redding, Jerry Butler) - 12:37
9. With A Little Help From My Friends (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 8:40
10.Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan) - 2:44
11.Warm-Up Jam Including Under My Thumb (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 5:45
12.The Letter (Studio Single Version) (Wayne Carson Thompson) - 4:13
13.Space Captain (Studio Single Version) (Matthew Moore) - 4:32
14.The Ballad Of Mad Dogs And Englishmen (Studio Version) (Leon Russell) - 3:59

Musicians
*Joe Cocker - Vocals
*Leon Russell - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Don Preston - Guitar, Vocals,
*Bobby Keys - Tenor Saxophone
*Jim Price - Trumpet
*Chris Stainton - Piano, Organ
*Carl Radle - Bass Instrument
*Chuck Blackwell - Drums, Percussion
*Jim Keltner - Drums
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*Bobby Torres - Congas
*Sanford Konikoff - Percussion
*Rita Coolidge, Donna Washburn, Claudia Lennear, Denny Cordell, Daniel Moore, Pamela Polland, Matthew Moore, Nicole Barclay - Vocals

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Stained Glass - Aurora (1969 us, great psyc folk rock, 2007 reissue)

Second, and generally regarded as the better of the band’s 2 albumsrecorded for Capitol in the late ‘60s.Formed in 1966, Stained Glass began life as a Beatles cover bandperforming live in and around their native San Jose until an A&Rman from RCA signed them to the label later that year.

Four singles for RCA duly followed, but success stubbornly refused to dolikewise, although We Got A Long Way To Go (RCA 47-9166) , adriving rock song far removed from their more usual Merseybeatstyle, did provide the band with a small degree of fame when thesingle became a big hit in Southern California in 1967.

Disillusioned with life at RCA, the band decamped to Capitol in early1968, where they were to record three singles and two highlyacclaimedalbums which, despite attracting the critic’s plaudits,failed to make an impact causing the group to disband in November1969 with vocalist/bass player Jim McPherson going on to joinCopperhead.

While the band’s first album, Crazy Horse Roads (Capitol ST154) wasan eccentric amalgam of commercial tunes, fuzz guitar and psychtouches, their second effort, Aurora (Capitol ST242), with its looser,more jammy feel, is the one that the general consensus rates as thebetter of the two.

Tracks
1. Gettin’ On’s Gettin’ Rough - 3:00
2. Jim Dandy (Lincoln Chase) - 3:15
3. A Common Thief - 5:21
4. The Kibitzer - 5:02
5. Inca Treasure - 3:37
6. Daddy’s Claim - 3:40
7. Sweetest Thing - 3:27
8. Mad Lynn Ball - 3:44
9. The Necromancer - 3:46
All songs by Jim McPherson, except where indicated.

Stained Glass
*Jim McPherson - Bass Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
*Dennis Carriasco - Drums
*Bob Rominger - Lead Guitar

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Stained Glass - Crazy Horse Roads (1969 us, blazing fuzz guitars and psych touches, 2007 xpanded edition)

Produced by John Gross and Max Hoch, 1968's "Crazy Horse Roads" is absolutely wonderful. Largely written by McPherson, at least to my ears, material such as 'Sing Your Song', 'Finger Painting' and 'Soap and Turkey' offers up a near perfect blend of instantly memorable melodies with great group harmonies and a wicked mix of blazing fuzz guitars and psych touches.

The material's highly commercial, but with more than enough muscle to appeal to folks who shun top-40 with a passion. The heavily orchestrated 'Twiddle My Thumbs' and ' 'Nightcap' were among the few missteps. The two songs were certainly pretty, but McPherson's atypical quivering falsetto delivery makes them sound like Bee Gees outtake (though both could've been hits had the latter released them).

Personal favorites - the blazing fuzz rocker 'Light Down Below' and the disconcerting last track 'Doomsday'. Elsewhere Capitol tapped the rocker 'Fahrenheit' b/w 'Twiddle My Thumbs' as a single (Capitol catalog number 2372). Well worth the investment if you can find a copy and the LP's rapidly gaining a following in collecting circles.

Tracks
1. Sing Your Song - 2:05
2. Finger Painting (Jim McPherson, Bob Rominger) - 2:11
3. Soap and Turkey - 2:39
4. Twiddle My Thumbs - 2:40
5. Fahrenheit (Jim McPherson, Bob Rominger, Dennis Carriacsco) - 3:43
6. Nightcap - 2:55
7. Horse On Me - 2:18
8. Two Make One - 3:10
9. Light Down Below - 3:22
10.Piggy Back Ride and the Camel (Jim McPherson, Bob Rominger, Dennis Carriacsco)- 2:10
11.Doomsday - 4:23
12.If I Needed Someone - 2:06
13.How Do You Expect Me To Trust You? - 2:09
14.My Buddy Sin - 2:33
15.Vanity Fair - 2:50
16.We Got A Long Way To Go - 2:57
17.Corduroy Joy - 2:31
18.A Scene In Between - 2:28
19.Mediocre Me - 2:34
20.Lady In Lace - 2:41
All songs by Jim McPherson except where stated

Bonus Tracks 12-20

Stained Glass
*Jim McPherson - Bass Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
*Dennis Carriasco - Drums
*Bob Rominger -- Lead Guitar (1966-68)
*Tom Bryant - Lead Guitar (replaced Bob Rominger)

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