I was totally enchanted the moment I heard this. Granted, I was flying blind at the time, given that I was listening to a CD sight unseen which had been lifted completely at random from the current review pile; but nevertheless Bolotin’s voice leapt out at me immediately, and the exquisitely understated guitar work sent tiny shivers up my spine. There was a slight tinge of disappointment when I unearthed the cover, read up on it and discovered that this isn’t in fact a contemporary recording - but then, I long ago gave up hoping to hear new artists with genuinely distinctive vocal phrasing and one foot planted firmly in the psych-folk camp and the other in jazz and vaudeville (the last was arguably Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel, and that was back in 1990 or so)
The story goes that Jay Bolotin’s eponymous debut album was released in 1970 on the major label subsidiary Commonwealth United Records. The collection of sad, low-key introspective ballads were written in New York city, a long way from home for the 20 year old Kentucky native; the songs are haunted by images from his family and childhood. A band was assembled for him consisting of Kenny Lyon on Bass and Mark Taber on Piano and Harpsichord, both of who were even then veterans of Providence, Rhode Island music scene; Bobby Mason (of the Fugs) on drums and percussion, and David Mowry on guitar.
You can almost taste the yearning in his voice, but unlike (say) Leonard Cohen there’s a warmth and Southern resonance to it, and it’s little surprise that at the time he was championed by keen eared artists such as Kris Kristofferson. The arrangements are sympathetic yet unfussy, with just voice and guitar when that's all that's called for, plus electric bass, keys and drums when the mood requires it - plus less common touches such as harpsichord, celeste and miscellaneous percussion.
‘It’s All in That’ is arguably the strongest song on here – very much in a similar mould to David Ackles’ ‘Road to Cairo’, and the equal of it in terms of sheer originality. The opening ‘Dear Father’ will also pull you in and hold you close, with a visceral immediacy which pervades the whole album.
Obviously here at the Terrascope we have an affinity for both Kentucky and Providence given the Terrastock festivals we have staged there, but the mental sparks and flickers that this album ignites don’t end there. Fans of Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine and in particular, the aforementioned late lamented David Ackles will want to check this out immediately.
by Phil McMullen
Tracks
1. Dear Father - 5:53
2. Jimmy's Got a Music Box - 3:41
3. It's All In That - 5:00
4. Pretty Burmah - 2:48
5. Trinketman - 2:36
6. You Are a Woman - 4:18
7. For the Love of a Summer Evening - 2:48
8. I'm Not Asking You - 4:10
9. For Kristy - 3:35
10.Winter Woman - 6:36
Words and Music by Jay Bolotin
Hoi’ Polloi’s only self-titled private press LP is a true lost gem. Record Collector Magazine referred to this album as “a buried treasure” while Acid Archives writer Aaron Milenski said of the album, “Here’s proof that great finds are still out there awaiting us.” Family Vineyard reissued this strange but engaging album on vinyl and digital download.
The group, which hailed from Richmond, Indiana, mixes various early 70s pop/rock styles (CSN&Y styled singer songwriter pop, country rock, power pop, folk rock, progressive rock, lite psychedelia) into an appealing whole. Hoi’ Polloi was recorded at Earlham College during spring break using two stereo deck tapes. Album opener “Who’s Gonna Help Me” sounds like a lost Emitt Rhodes track – this is radio friendly and highly accomplished pop for a self released disc. The folk-rock tracks such as “Stories,” “Devil Song,” and “Old Bootstrap” are the group’s greatest strength as they are tuneful and finely crafted pieces of music – how was this excellent band overlooked? Other winners are the acid soaked but brief “Last Laugh,” the progressive harpsichord instrumental “Sid Stoneman Gets Scaled,” and the catchy singer songwriter styled “15 Miles To Mexico.”
While influences are easy to spot, Hoi’ Polloi had a unique quirkiness and strong sense of musicianship that keeps this music original and fresh. They were a group that could sing, write and play better than most major label acts of their time. There are no rough spots or dull moments to be found on this very entertaining set, which is highly recommended to fans of early 70’s pop rock.
by Jason Nardelli
Tracks
1. Who's Gonna Help Me? (Charles Bleak) - 3:34
2. Old Bootstrap (Bruce Wallace) - 4:23
3. 7 Deviations (Charles Bleak) - 1:06
4. Last Laugh (Bruce Wallace, Dan Mack) - 1:35
5. Hoi' Polloi Peeks Out (Hoi' Polloi) - 0:45
6. Instead Boogie (Ace Corrector) - 1:38
7. Satisfaction Guaranteed (Bruce Wallace, Dan Mack) - 5:52
8. It's A Nice Day (Charles Bleak) - 2:09
9. Devils Song (Bruce Wallace, Dan Mack) - 3:18
10.Sid Stoneman Gets Scale (S. Stoneman, Vince Lash) - 2:40
11.15 Miles To Mexico (Dan Mack) - 2:45
12.Stories (Dan Mack) - 2:16
13.I Used To Think (Bruce Wallace) - 1:26
Ostensibly a Dave Mason solo album, this became one of his finest when he was coupled with Cass Elliot, a stroke of genius. Elliot's involvement is, while not suspect, somewhat limited. Although she provides excellent background vocals, she tends to get a little lost in the harmony stack. Nevertheless, this is a great moment for her too. The album, though, is propelled by Mason's awesome songwriting talents, and tracks such as "On and On," "Walk to the Point," and several others bear this out.
His guitar playing is some of his finest recorded work, especially the epic "Glittering Facade," where he layers acoustic and electric guitars with a scintillating effect. Elliot's "Here We Go Again" showcases her ability as a great lead vocalist, and Paul Harris provides some excellent keyboard and string arrangements, providing a glimpse of the fine work that was to follow in Stephen Stills' Manassas. Overall, this was a highly underrated album, but in the end, it is also one of the finest from the '70s.
by Matthew Greenwald
Tracks
1. Walk To The Point (Dave Mason) - 4:01
2. On And On (Ned Doheny) - 3:36
3. To Be Free (Dave Mason) - 3:37
4. Here We Go Again (Cass Elliot, Bryan Garo) - 2:50
5. Pleasing You (Dave Mason, M. Juster) - 3:03
6. Sit and Wonder (Dave Mason) - 3:31
7. Something To Make You Happy (Dave Mason, Cass Elliot) - 2:18
8. Too Much Truth, Too Much Love (Dave Mason) - 3:52
9. Next To You (Bryan Garo) - 2:31
10.Glittering Façade (Dave Mason) - 4:45
Critics have pigeonholed Pirana as mere Santana clones, and while comparisions are understabdlble and the influence of Santana is obvious, this arguably did the group a considerable disservice. Its dynamic and rhythmic performance at the definitive Sunbury music festival in 1972 drew inevitable comparisons to the Latin-rock champions of Woodstock, due in no small measure to their superb performance of Santana's "Soul Sacrifice". But there was much more to Pirana than that facile categorisation allows
Let's acknowledge, then set aside for a moment, the band's obvious debt to Santana as their early musical template. Beyond that, we can hear examples of fine, melodic songwriting -- mainly from keyboardist Stan White on the first album, but consummately taken over by guitarist and vocalist Tony Hamilton on the second -- that displays a diversity of influences while still keeping the band's innate individuality. It's a bit like their contemporary peers, Sebastian Hardie or Sherbet, who also had a hard time living down copious (and mostly bogus) comparisons while they tried to forge an original path.
For a start, Tony Hamilton's guitar was never less than wonderful. He sang commandingly, with soul, atop Jim Yonge's fluid drumming, supported by the anchorage of Graeme Thompson's throbbing bass. Keyboards were vital to the Pirana sound, and Stan White and his successor, Keith Greig, provided rich Hammond organ reinforcement for the overall feel of the band.
In Pirana, members came and went, but it is essentially the core band comprising Duke-Yonge, Thompson, Hamilton and Greig (who replaced Stan White after the first LP), who made the records and sustained the bulk of the band's performing tenure, and must be most remembered as the definitive entity. Hamilton, Thompson and Yonge were all ex-members of Gus & The Nomads, a 60s R&B/pop band fronted by "the wild man of Sydney rock" Gus McNeil. Gus was executive producer on Pirana's debut album, and several others including the legendary A Product Of A Broken Reality for Company Caine, Greg Quill's early solo recordings (including the Fleetwood Plain). Gus also set up his own publishing company, Cellar Music, which (besides Pirana) also handled publishing for Mike Rudd, Greg Quill, Ross Wilson and Gulliver Smith.
Pirana's first recordings were as the backing group for Greg Quill's 1970 solo album Fleetwood Plain. They signed to Harvest in 1971 and issued two singles. Here It Comes Again (May) was reputedly the first local single released in stereo, and can still be found on Raven's Golden Miles compilation CD; the same month they toured nationally as support band on the historic package tour by Deep Purple, Free and Manfred Mann's Chapter Three. Their second single was "I Hope You Don't Mind" (Nov.) Late in the year Stan White left to join pop band The Going Thing, and he was replaced by Keith Greig.
In concert they were always regarded as a top-drawer act; they went down a storm at the inaugural Sunbury rock festival, and their live version of Santana's "Soul Sacrifice" earned them a track on the Sunbury '72 album. EMI issued their second LP Pirana II in November 1972, by which time Richard McEwan had replaced Hamilton on guitar. Andrew James replaced Greig in 1973 and Phil Hitchcock replaced Graeme Thompson on bass in 1974. The band continued to work on the dance and pub circuit, but they didn't record again, and they eventually broke up in late 1974.
Duke-Yonge (aka Jimmy Tonge) went on to work with Corroborree, the Anne Kirkpatrick Band and Bullamakanka and in the late 1970s Keith Greig was a founding member of The Brucelanders, who went on to considerable acclaim in their later incarnation as The Reels (minus Keith).
by Paul Culnane
Tracks
1. Elation (Stan White) - 9:27
2. Sermonette (Stan White) - 5:54
3. Time Is Now (Tony Hamilton) - 6:28
4. Find Yourself A New Girl (Stan White) - 3:58
5. The River (Stan White) - 4:32
6. Easy Ride (Stan White) - 3:45
7. Stand Back (Tony Hamilton, Stan White) - 10:10
8. Pirana (Tony Hamilton) - 6:33
9. Then Came The Light (Tony Hamilton) - 3:57
10.I've Seen Sad Days (Tony Hamilton) - 6:11
11.Persuasive Percussion (Tony Hamilton, Jim Duke-Yonge, Graeme Thompson, Phil Hitchcock, Keith Greig) - 0:55
12.I've Got To Learn To Love More Today (Tony Hamilton) - 2:18
13.Jimbo's Blow (Tony Hamilton, Jim Duke-Yonge, Graeme Thompson, Phil Hitchcock, Keith Greig) - 1:01
14.Thinking Of You (Tony Hamilton) - 8:00
15.Here It Comes Again (Tony Hamilton) - 2:52
16.Move To The Country (Tony Hamilton) - 2:58
For most intents and purposes, Graham Parker emerged fully formed on his debut album, Howlin' Wind. Sounding like the bastard offspring of Mick Jagger and Van Morrison, Parker sneers his way through a set of stunningly literate pub rockers. Instead of blindly sticking to the traditions of rock & roll, Parker invigorates them with cynicism and anger, turning his songs into distinctively original works. "Back to Schooldays" may be reconstituted rockabilly, "White Honey" may recall Morrison's white R&B bounce, and "Howlin' Wind" is a cross of Van's more mystical moments and the Band, but the songs themselves are original and terrific.
Similarly, producer Nick Lowe gives the album a tough, spare feeling, which makes Parker and the Rumour sound like one of the best bar bands you've ever heard. Howlin' Wind remains a thoroughly invigorating fusion of rock tradition, singer/songwriter skill, and punk spirit, making it one of the classic debuts of all time.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. White Honey - 3:32
2. Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart - 3:20
3. Silly Thing - 2:53
4. Gypsy Blood - 4:36
5. Between You And Me - 2:24
6. Back To Schooldays - 2:53
7. Soul Shoes - 3:13
8. Lady Doctor - 2:50
9. You've Got To Be Kidding - 3:28
10.Howlin' Wind - 3:56
11.Not If It Pleases Me - 3:11
12.Don't Ask Me Questions - 5:38
13.I'm Gonna Use It Now - 3:11
All songs written by Graham Parker
It's not as if Albert King hadn't tasted success in his first decade and a half as a performer, but his late-'60s/early-'70s recordings for Stax did win him a substantially larger audience. During those years, the label began earning significant clout amongst rock fans through events like Otis Redding's appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival and a seemingly endless string of classic singles. When King signed to the label in 1966, he was immediately paired with the Stax session team Booker T. & the MG's. The results were impressive: "Crosscut Saw," "Laundromat Blues," and the singles collection Born Under a Bad Sign were all hits.
Though 1972's I'll Play the Blues for You followed a slightly different formula, the combination of King, members of the legendary Bar-Kays, the Isaac Hayes Movement, and the sparkling Memphis Horns was hardly a risky endeavor. The result was a trim, funk-infused blues sound that provided ample space for King's oft-imitated guitar playing. King has always been more impressive as a soloist than a singer, and some of his vocal performances on I'll Play the Blues for You lack the intensity one might hope for. As usual, he more than compensates with a series of exquisite six-string workouts. The title track and "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" both stretch past seven minutes, while "I'll Be Doggone" and "Don't Burn Down the Bridge" (where King coaxes a crowd to "take it to the bridge," James Brown-style) break the five-minute barrier.
Riding strutting lines by bassist James Alexander, King runs the gamut from tough, muscular playing to impassioned cries on his instrument, making I'll Play the Blues for You one of a handful of his great Stax sets.
by Nathan Bush
Tracks
1. I'll Play The Blues For You (Jerry Beach) - 7:19
2. Little Brother (Henry Bush, J. Jones, Clifton William Smith) - 2:49
3. Breaking Up Somebody's Home (Raymond Jackson, Al Jackson, Jr., Timothy Matthews) - 7:19
4. High Cost Of Loving (Jones, Hamlett) - 2:56
5. I'll Be Doggone (Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin) - 5:41
6. Answer To The Laundromat Blues (Albert King) - 4:37
7. Don't Burn Down The Bridge ('Cause You Might Wanna Come Back Across) (Jones, Wells) - 5:07
8. Angel Of Mercy (Homer Banksm, Raymond Jackson) - 4:23
9. I'll Play The Blues For You (Alternate Version) (Jerry Beach) - 8:44
10.Don't Burn Down The Bridge ('Cause You Might Wanna Come Back Across) (Alternate Version) (Jones, Wells) - 5:13
11.I Need A Love - 4:29
12.Albert's Stomp (Albert King) - 2:18
Bonus Tracks 9-12
Musicians
*Albert King - Guitar, Vocals
*The Bar Keys And The Movement - Rhythm Section
*The Memphis Horns - Horns
Completely Well was B.B. King's breakthrough album in 1969, which finally got him the long-deserved acclaim that was no less than his due. It contained his signature number, "The Thrill Is Gone," and eight other tunes, six of them emanating from King's pen, usually in a co-writing situation. Hardliners point to the horn charts and the overdubbed strings as the beginning of the end of King's old style that so identifiably earmarked his early sides for the Bihari Brothers and his later tracks for ABC, but this is truly the album that made the world sit up and take notice of B.B. King.
The plus points include loose arrangements and a small combo behind him that never dwarfs the proceedings or gets in the way. King, for his part, sounds like he's having a ball, playing and singing at peak power. This is certainly not the place to start your B.B. King collection, but it's a nice stop along the way before you finish it.
by Cub Koda
Tracks
1. So Excited (B.B. King, Gerald Jemmott) - 5:35
2. No Good (Ferdinand Washington, B.B. King) - 4:37
3. You're Losin' Me (Ferdinand Washington, B.B. King) - 4:55
4. What Happened (B.B. King) - 4:43
5. Confessin' The Blues (Jay Mcshann, Walter Brown) - 4:57
6. Key To My Kingdom (Maxwell Davis, Joe Josea, Claude Baum) - 3:20
7. Cryin' Won't Help You Now (Sam Ling, Jules Taub, B.B. King) - 6:25
8. You're Mean (B.B. King, Gerald Jemmott, Hugh Mccracken, Paul Harris, Herbie Lovelle) - 10:01
9. The Thrill Is Gone (Rick Darnell, Roy Hawkins, Arthur H ."Art" Benson, Dale Pettite) - 5:27
10.Fools Get Wise (Live 1969 NYC) (B.B.King) - 2:40
Personnel
*B. B. King - Guitar, Vocals
*Hugh McCracken - Guitar
*Paul Harris - Piano, Electric Piano, Organ
*Gerald "Fingers" Jemmott - Bass
*Herbie Lovelle - Drums
*Bill Szymczyk - Producer
*Bert "Super Charts" Decoteaux - String And Horn Arrangements
Having previously played in Noah's Ark, The Outsiders and The Soul Trippers, lead guitarist Buddy Richardson pulled White Witch together in the early 1970s. A series of auditions saw the band gel around the talents of Richardson, bassist Beau Fisher, singer Ronn Goedert, keyboardist Buddy Pendergrass and drummer Bobby Shea. A steady stream of tours attracted a small cult following and the attraction of Capricorn Records which signed the band even though they lacked any type of management agreement.
Bass player Charlie Souza and keyboard player Buddy Pendergrass were both veterans of The Fabulous Tropics, a band that scored an American number 1 with 'Take The Time'. Souza had also performed as part of the Gregg Allman band on his 'Laid Back' album, Florida's Bacchus and With Cactus. White Witch also inducted drummer Bill Peterson, another ex-Bacchus man, for 1973's 'Spiritual Greetings'.
Vocalist Ron Goedert later cut a solo album. Souza later joined Tom Petty, Galeforce and Fortress. He has also been a member of Sly And The Family Stone and worked with ex-Santana man Leon Patillo.
Souza and Pendergrass reactivated The Fabulous Tropics in 1999. Ron Goedert passed away on 16th July 2000.
Tracks
1. Parabrahm Greeting/ Dwellers Of The Threshold (Beau Fisher, Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass, Buddy Richardson, Bobby Shea) - 3:04
2. Help Me Lord (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:07
3. Don't Close Your Mind (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 6:45
4. You're The One (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:03
5. Sleepwalk (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 4:27
6. Home Grown Girl (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:05
7. And I'm Leaving (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:00
8. Illusion (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 5:11
9. It's So Nice To Be Stoned (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:54
10.Have You Ever Thought Of Changing?/ Jackson Slade (Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass) - 3:55
11.The Gift (Beau Fisher, Ronn Goedert, Buddy Pendergrass, Buddy Richardson, Bobby Shea) - 1:45
Released in 1971 on the Dawn label, this is the only known album from the British progressive group. Barry Ford was a member of Clancy in the mid-seventies, and Merger in the late seventies. It's a low-key release with above average guitar work. A melt of soul / r'n'b / rock / blues rock formula, with minor incursions into jazz and hints of proto-prog.
Tracks
1.Rain - 9:27
2.Hard Labour - 5:24
3.Beggar Man - 5:06
4.In Memory Of Lady X - 6:57
5.How Long - 6:27
6.The System - 7:19
7.Indian Rope Man - 3:36
8.Ju Ju Man - 3:56
Noir
*Tony Cole - Keyboards
*Barry Ford - Drums, Vocals
*Gordon Hunte - Guitar, Vocals
*Roy Williams - Bass
The World of Oz were a British psychedelic pop band that enjoyed a short string of successful singles in Europe. Between those major charting records in Holland and a lot of good press at home, the release of an album was planned -- yet they managed to throw it all away with an unexplained split. All four original members -- Tony Clarkson (bass, vocals), David "Kubie" Kubinec (organ), Christopher Robin (guitar, piano, vocals), and David Reay (drums) -- hailed from Birmingham, and had been parts of that city's burgeoning pop/rock culture for varying amounts of time. Clarkson had several years' experience playing in various bands, and had also performed on the European continent.
Kubinec had spent two years working mostly in Germany as a member of the Pieces of Mind, doing a mixture of R&B and soul. Reay and Robin (real name Christopher Evans) had played in a band called the Mayfair Set, working in Germany for a year before returning to Birmingham late in 1967, where they broke up. The pair decided to form a new band, and Kubinec and Clarkson were recruited through advertisements in musician magazines. In January of 1968 they formed the group, the "Oz" name and imagery fitting in with the trippy ambience of the late '60s.
They decided that while Birmingham's club scene could provide work, it didn't offer the kind of prospects for a recording career that they had in mind, and so they headed to London. Their songwriting ability got them snatched up by Sparta Music. And for a manager, they had no less a figure than Barry Class, who was best known for his most successful client, the Foundations (of "Build Me Up Buttercup" fame). Class lived up to his last name by setting the group up in a luxury apartment on Park Lane, in London's exclusive Mayfair district, long a fashionable locale for movie stars and theater performers seeking to put on a big front in their lives. It made for a fair amount of press access and good press, as well as impressing various record company executives, accustomed to dealing with up-and-coming bands living in near squalor.
Between the quality of their songs, played at impromptu auditions or the gigs Class was able to get them, and the gimmick of their high-profile digs, the band received serious overtures from several record companies, including Pye. But in the spring of 1968 they signed with Deram Records, the progressive pop imprint of English Decca. Wayne Bickerton, who headed Deram, thought enough of them to personally produce this new act, and his enthusiasm was more than enough to seal the deal. He even approved and budgeted the use of a 33-piece orchestra accompanying them on one of Kubinec's songs, "Muffin Man," at their first recording session.
"Muffin Man" was issued as a single in England and on the Continent in May of 1968 (and a little later in the United States). A catchy tune with great hooks, instrumental as well as vocal, and a trippy, nursery-rhyme-like ambience, it somehow managed never to chart in England. According to Kubinec in an interview on the psychedelic site Marmalade Skies, things began coming apart when Class accompanied the Foundations on a tour of America and left the World of Oz in the hands of a deputy who immediately cut back on the promotion budget for the group and the single. In trying to save a few shillings, he cost them the momentum they'd been working for months to build up, and the single just lay there.
The key moment, in his view, was missing a chance to do the single on Top of the Pops. However, the record did reach the Top Ten in Holland, sold reasonably well across Western Europe, and also managed to get some positive response in the form of radio play in the United States. Three months later came their second single, "King Croesus," which also made the Top Ten in Holland, and got to number 126 in the Cashbox charts late that fall in America. Additionally, despite the fact that they hadn't charted a single in England, the group's sound -- a light, harmony-based psychedelia similar to the Bee Gees and records like "Barker of the UFO" -- and Class' clout got them as much work as they could handle and more. The band lasted through two more rounds of recording sessions in 1968, through November of that year, and even got a third U.S. release, for "The Hum-Gum Tree" b/w "Mandy-Ann."
An album seemed a next easy step, but things weren't right within the band, and Kubinec and Reay were already gone -- for reasons no one has ever explained -- by that last set of recording sessions, replaced by Geoff Nicholls (guitar, organ) and Bob Moore (drums), respectively. The group soldiered on, under a rather awkward shadow -- Deram Records already had a finished album in the can and a February release date, and that record was coming out, despite the fact that it featured two key members who were already gone from the lineup. Meanwhile, the World of Oz had another modest hit in Holland, "Willow's Harp" b/w "Like a Tear," early in 1969. The new lineup made it as far as appearing on the televised rock & roll showcase Beat Club in Germany and other, similar programs in Holland, and on the cover of pop magazines in the Netherlands. Finally, another U.K. single, of "The Hum-Gum Tree," was due out, but then was canceled. That, apparently, was the final straw for the reconstituted band, which broke up in May of 1969, a year after the group's recording career had begun.
The World of Oz LP was released on schedule and disappeared without creating a ripple on the charts, on either side of the Atlantic. The album cover was a very strange one -- it featured visual representations of the last lineup of the group, which was understandable but also strange, as they were hardly heard on the record inside. The cover design was an especially ornate affair, utilizing characters from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz universe, which, according to Kubinec, also included representations of their manager, and even annotator Jonathan King, while the back cover had images of Bickerton and arranger Mike Vickers. As a psychedelic artifact, musical and visual, that LP and the cover were serious collectors' items for many years. It was bootlegged on CD sometime in the late '90s, before a legitimate re-release from Repertoire Records showed up in 2007, concurrent with a mini-LP-packaged CD in Japan.
Given relatively easy availability at last, the album reveals a prodigiously talented pop/rock band, nothing earth-shattering given what they and Class and Bickerton were aiming at, but with a lot of unrealized potential residing in those songs. And the singles "Muffin Man" and, better still, "Like a Tear" reflect a tuneful, trippy psychedelic pop sensibility, somewhat similar to the early Bee Gees -- in addition to appearing on The World of Oz, they have been anthologized on various psychedelic collections.
In the years following the World of Oz's demise, David Kubinec did a solo album on A&M Records about a decade after the original group's signing, while Reay became a recording executive. Both Kubinec and Clarkson have since enjoyed long careers in music, right up to the present day. Nicholls, though a later member of the group, did rather better in music than any of the others in the band, however; after a stint with Quartz, he joined Black Sabbath for a long stint as their keyboard player.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. The Muffin Man - 2:39
2. Bring The Ring - 3:05
3. Jackie - 2:49
4. Beside The Fire - 3:08
5. The Hum-Gum Tree - 2:21
6. With A Little Help - 3:18
7. We've All Seen The Queen - 2:33
8. King Croesus - 3:10
9. Mandy-Ann - 2:59
10.Jack - 2:28
11.Like A Tear - 3:11
12.Willow's Harp - 2:08
13.The Muffin Man (Single Version) - 2:31
14.Peter's Birthday (Single Version) - 2:55
15.King Croesus (Single Version) - 3:11
16.Jack (Single Version) - 2:28
17.The Hum-Gum Tree (Single Version) - 2:20
18.Beside The Fire (Single Version) - 3:08
19.Willow's Harp (Single Version) - 2:08
20.Like A Tear (Single Version) - 3:10
Music and Lyrics by World Of Oz
The World Of Oz
*Christopher Robin - Vocals, Guitar
*Tony Clarkson - Bass
*David 'Kubie' Kubinec - Guitar, Organ
*David Reay - Drums
*Geoff Nicholls - Organ
*Rob Moore - Drums
