The five original members of Wet Willie, all from Mobile, Alabama, came together in 1969 and soon realized they had something special. Jimmy was out front, a triple threat on lead vocals, sax and harmonica; as one writer said, “Jimmy Hall was who Mick Jagger wanted to be!” Ricky Hirsch played guitars and wrote or co-wrote much of the band’s material, with Jack Hall, Jimmy’s brother, on bass, Lewis Ross on drums and John Anthony on keyboards.
The band relocated to Macon, Georgia in 1970 where they were signed by Phil Walden’s Capricorn label, and got right to work on their self-titled first album. Upon its release later that year, Wet Willie began a relentless touring schedule, and soon became known as one of the hardest working bands of the Southern Rock era. As they put it, they “opened for everyone from A to Z: Allman Brothers to ZZ Top!”
Keep on Smilin' is the definitive Wet Willie studio album, bluesier than a lot of their other work, and much of it also somewhat more laid-back. Beginning with "Country Side of Life," the band sounds tight, tuned, and in top form.
Their playing is clean and crisp, and the vocals exude a bold confidence. The hit title track is a compelling reggae-country meld that's one of the more interesting and long-wearing country-rock hits of its period. It's surrounded by gospel-flavored material and also one of the neater Stax-influenced tracks ever put down by a white band, "Soul Sister," which is also a great showcase for the Williettes.
Other highlights include the acoustic country ballad "Alabama," a major change of pace for this band with some clever lyrical conceits; the ultra-funky "Soul Jones" (which manages to work in a quote from the Allman Brothers), and the soulful rocker "Lucy Was in Trouble," which became a key part of the group's concert sets. The 1998 Capricorn remastering has an especially full sound, improving significantly on the original LP.
by Bruce Eder
Tracks
1. Country Side Of Life (Maurice R. Hirsch, Ricky Hirsch) - 3:29
2. Keep On Smilin' (John Anthony, Jack Hall, Jimmy Hall, Ricky Hirsch, Lewis Ross) - 3:56
3. Trust In The Lord (Mike Duke) - 3:10
4. Soul Sister (John Anthony, Ella Avery) - 4:54
5. Alabama (Maurice R. Hirsch, Ricky Hirsch) - 3:24
6. Lucy Was In Trouble (Maurice R. Hirsch, Ricky Hirsch) - 3:38
7. Soul Jones (John Anthony, Jack Hall, Jim Hall, Ricky Hirsch, Lewis Ross) - 4:01
8. Don't Wait Too Long (John Anthony) - 3:05
9. Spanish Moss (Maurice R. Hirsch, Ricky Hirsch) - 3:43
10.In Our Hearts (John Anthony, Ricky Hirsch) - 4:24
Wet Willie
*Jimmy Hall - Harmonica, Percussion, Alto Saxophone, Vocals
*Rick Hirsch - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*John Anthony - Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
*Lewis Ross - Drums, Percussion
*Jack Hall - Banjo, Bass, Composer, Vocals With
*Ella Avery - Vocals
*Donna Hall - Vocals
*Earl Ford - Electric Trombone
*Joyce Knight - Vocals
Second self-titled album, this time for CBS, finds Tom Rush continuing to mine the fertile vein of folk-rock songwriters the likes of James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Canadian Murray McLaughlin. Standouts include David Wiffen's "Driving Wheel," McLaughlin's "Old Man's Song" and "Child's Song," and Browne's "Colors of the Sun." Also, there appears to be a hint of country sneaking into the arrangements. A very solid effort.
Adding four original compositions to the mix helped Tom Rush gather even more acclaim with Wrong End of the Rainbow. But it was his covers of "Sweet Baby James" and Jesse Winchester's "Biloxi" that made listeners sigh. More country-rock than previous efforts, nothing here should be forsaken because all cuts merit listening. Again, Tom Rush found the right mix of material and released another solid effort.
by James Chrispell
Tracks Tom Rush 1970
1. Driving Wheel (David Wiffen) - 05:28
2. Rainy Day Man (James Taylor, Zachary Wiesner) - 03:15
3. Drop Down Mama (Sleepy John Estes) - 02:38
4. Old Man Song (Murray McLauchlan) - 03:28
5. Lullaby (Jesse Colin Young) - 03:53
6. These Days (Jackson Browne) - 02:46
7. Wild Child (Fred Neil) - 03:19
8. Colors Of The Sun (Jackson Browne) - 03:56
9. Livin'in The Country (Day, Winsted) - 02:38
10.Child's Song (Murray McLauchlan) - 04:17 Wrong End Of The Rainbow 1970
11.Wrong End Of The Rainbow (Tom Rush, Trevor Veitch) - 02:57
12.Biloxi (Jesse Winchester) - 04:47
13.Merrimac County (Tom Rush, Trevor Veitch) - 02:57
14.Riding On A Railroad (James Taylor) - 05:53
15.Came To See Me Yesterday In The Month Of (Ray O'Sullivan) - 02:35
16.Starlight (Tom Rush) - 04:44
17.Sweet Baby James (James Taylor) - 03:27
18.Rotunda (Tom Rush, Trevor Veitch) - 03:29
19.Jazzman (Ed Holstein) - 02:41
20.Gnostic Serenade (William Hawkins) - 04:56
Musicians
Tom Rush 1970
*Tom Rush - Vocals, Guitar
*Trevor Veich - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Mando Cello
*Duke Bardwell - Bass
*Warren Bernhardt - Piano, Organ
*Herbie Lovelle - Drums
*Dave Bromberg - Dobro
*Paul Griffin - Organ
*Red Rhodes - Steel Guitar
*Ed Freeman - 12 String Guitar
*Ron Carter - Acoustic Bass Wrong End Of The Rainbow 1970
*Tom Rush - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Trevor Veich - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Mando Cello
*Bob Boucher - Bass
*Dave Lewis - Percussion
*John Locke - Piano, Organ
*Erik Robertson - Piano, Organ
*Paul Armin - Violin, Viola
Livingston Taylor's musical career has been marked by numerous highs and lows. The younger brother of folk-pop superstar James Taylor, Taylor has had a more modest career. His best-selling single, "I Will Be in Love with You," went no higher than the 30th position on the Billboard charts, while his last Top 40 single, "First Time Love," was released in 1980. Taylor's exuberant personality and warm charm as a performer allowed him to maintain a busy concert schedule for years.
Taylor was the third of five children born to Dr. Isaac Taylor, a member of a prominent Southern family, and his wife, Trudy, a lyric soprano vocalist whose roots lay in the established families of New England. Although born in a suburb of Boston, Taylor was raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina after his father accepted a position as dean of a medical school.
As a youngster, Taylor experienced many emotional problems. While attending a private, Quaker-run high school in Westtown, Pennsylvania, he suffered from such severe depression that he hospitalized himself at McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, where James had been hospitalized earlier. Much of his therapy centered around guitar playing and singing. Upon his release in the late-'60s, Taylor remained in the Boston area and began to perform in local clubs and coffeehouses. Discovered by critic/producer Jon Landau, who later managed Bruce Springsteen, Taylor was one of the first artists signed to Capricorn Records in 1970. His self-titled debut album, produced by Landau, included the original biographical song "Carolina Day," and established Taylor's intimate and laid-back musical approach. His second album, Liv, again produced by Landau, included the minor hit "Get Out of Bed." Taylor's relationship with Capricorn concluded with his third album, Over the Rainbow, in 1973. Despite the inclusion of an original tune, "Be My New Horizon," featuring backup vocals by James Taylor and Carly Simon, the album sold disappointingly.
Taylor's next album, 3 Way Mirror, his first on Epic, wasn't released until five years later. In addition to featuring "I Will Be in Love with You," the album included a song, "Going Round One More Time," that was covered by his brother James on That's Why I'm Here in 1985. Taylor publicized the album's release as opening act for Linda Ronstadt's "Living in the USA" national tour. In 1979, Capricorn released Echoes, a greatest-hits sampling of songs from Taylor's first three albums.
The following year, Taylor released his second and last album on the Epic label, Man's Best Friend. In addition to the minor hit "First Time Love," the album included a lighthearted ditty, "Pajamas," that was later adapted into a children's book by Taylor and his wife, Maggie. In addition to hosting a nationally syndicated television show, This Week's Music, Taylor began teaching performance arts at the Berklee College of Music in 1984. He didn't release a new album, however, until four years later when he recorded Life Is Good, the first of two albums produced by Artie Traum and Scott Petito. Taylor subsequently worked with Traum and Petito on his 1993 album, Our Turn to Dance, while his 1996 album, Bicycle, was produced by Petito.
Taylor also released two albums -- Good Friends in 1993 and the R&B-flavored covers album Ink in 1997 -- for David Chesky's Chesky label. Unsolicited Material, released in 1994, captured the warm-hearted fun of Taylor's concerts and ranged from humorous tunes including Andy Breckman's "Railroad Bill" and "The Dollar Bill Song," a medley of "Songs That Should Never Be Played on the Banjo," and the originals "Jacques Cousteau" and "I Hate Country Music" to heartfelt renditions of Hoagy Carmichael's "Heart and Soul" and Earl Scruggs' "Earl's Breakdown." In 1998, Razor & Tie released Carolina Day: The Livingston Taylor Collection, an 18-track retrospective of Taylor's career. Taylor continued recording after the turn of the millennium, issuing There You Are Again in 2006 and the highly regarded Last Alaska Moon in 2010, both on the Chesky-affiliated Coconut Bay imprint.
by Craig Harris
Carolina Day: Collection (1970-1980) is an excellent single-disc collection spotlighting the singer-songwriter's prime years -- the '70s. Drawing highlights from his albums for Capricorn and Epic, the collection hits almost all the high points, including the hit singles "I Will Be In Love with You," "I'll Come Running" and "First Time Love," hereby offering a fine summary of Livingston Taylor's best work.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. Get Out Of Bed - 2:51
2. Carolina Day - 3:07
3. Can't Get Back Home - 2:24
4. Good Friends - 2:59
5. Lost In The Love Of You - 2:58
6. Packet Of Good Times - 3:03
7. Caroline - 2:17
8. On Broadway (Barry Mann, Cynthia Well, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 3:38
9. I Just Can't Be Lonesome No More - 2:45
10.Loving Be My New Horizon - 1:49
11.Lady Tomorrow - 2:39
12.Over The Rainbow (E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen) - 2:42
13.Going Round One More Time - 2:52
14.I'll Come Running - 3:24
15.I Will Be In Love With You - 3:32
16.First Time Love (Pat Alger, Peter Kaminsky) - 2:43
17.Pajamas (Margaret Taylor) - 1:55
18.Hush A Bye - 2:35
All compositions by Livingston Taylor except where noted
Thirty Days Out were formed New York in 1971 by John Micaleff (pronouced "McCullough"), a folksinger from Michigan and Jack Malken, who had previously been with The Outcasts. After teaming up with Melnick and Lowe, they found a place to practice but had to relocate in Greenfield, Massachussets when their neigbours complained! They soon managed to get a recording contract with Reprise and their first album was released in the summer of '71.
Produced by Larry Marks (previously in charge of Lee Michaels and Phil Ochs) their debut was recorded in New York and L.A. On offer are eight tracks penned by Micaleff and Malken, which mix competent guitars with early seventies style vocals. Influenced by Free on some tracks (Doing The Best That I Can and Survival, a rip-off of Clover's Shotgun). The most interesting element is probably the keyboard parts played by two ace sessionmen, Larry Knechtel and Jim Dickinson. The lyrics have often a Christian content and the overall result is rather undistinguished. In fact the album is maybe mainly notable for a weird packaging idea, as it came wrapped in a poster of a steamliner. Once the shrink was opened, the hidden black and white sleeve with pictures of the group would appear.
Tracks
1. Everybody's Looking For Someone – 4:28
2. Mama Come See Me Tonight – 2:56
3. Home On The Road – 4:09
4. Living Like One (Jack Malken) - 3:10
5. Hoy Hannah – 2:37
6. Survival (Jack Malken, John Micallef) - 4:55
7. Taking The Chance (Jack Malken, John Micallef) - 3:32
8. Forever – 3:57
9. Doing The Best That I Can (Jack Malken, John Micallef) - 5:28
All songs by John Micallef except where indicated
Thirty Days Out
*Phil Lowe - Drums, Vocals
*Jack Malken - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Monte Melnick - Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
*John Micaleff - Vocals, Guitar With
*Jim Dickinson - Keyboards
*Larry Knechtel - Keyboards
British Tour '76 is not an expanded version of the original Live album, despite the similarity in track listings, but a remarkable document of the band's next major tour, in support of the newly released SAHB Stories album. History relates that the group was on the way out now, and certainly its subsequent decline was precipitous. Here, however, Alex and the lads aren't simply firing on all cylinders -- they're enacting one of the finest shows any British stage had ever seen.
Their seething reinvention of "Amos Moses," the bicentennial gift "Boston Tea Party," and the so-compulsive "Dance to Your Daddy" are the new album's contributions to the show; elsewhere, it's business as usual, as the SAHB dig back into their earliest fare for a mighty "Isabel Goudie" and the inevitable thunder of "Faith Healer"; "Tomahawk Kid," "Vambo," and the encore hit "Delilah" are all present and deliriously correct, but the highlight has to be "Framed," with Alex in full comic Hitler mode, and delivering a routine that you simply couldn't get away with today. That doesn't stop it from being hysterically funny, though, as well as serving as a potent reminder that good taste and great rock & roll have rarely been comfortable bedfellows.
by Dave Thompson
Tracks
1. Fanfare (D. Wadsworth) - 1:17
2. The Faith Healer (A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 6:42
3. Tomahawk Kid (A. Harvey, H. McKenna, D.Batchelor) - 5:38
4. Isobel Goudie (Alex Harvey) - 9:40
5. Amos Moses (Jerry Reed) - 6:12
6. Vambo (A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 6:43
7. Boston Tea Party (A. Cleminson, A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 7:50
8. Dance To Your Daddy (D. Batchelor, A. Cleminson, C. Glen, A. Harvey, H. McKenna) - 8:42
9. Framed (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 7:39
10.Delilah (Les Reed, Barry Mason) - 5:12
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
*Ted McKenna - Drums, Percussion
*Alex Harvey - Vocals
*Tommy Eyre - Keyboards, Synthesizer
*Chris Glen - Bass
*Zal Cleminson - Guitar
Hamilton, Ontario is a steel town. I guess you could compare it to Pittsburgh, although I've never been to Pittsburgh -- but the skyline is marked by foundries, their chimneys belching black smoke and the odd flame. A rust colored haze hangs in the sky, stratifying the horizon -- earth, air (somewhat breathable), smog and heaven. The Hamilton mountain provides the backdrop. Really it is an escarpment, but we call it the mountain, because we need to. It provides a layer of oxygen-producing trees needed in the overall picture. This is the kind of place that a hardy breed calls home. It is the perfect place for the blues. Blue collar blues, we know what that means. The city is a little bluer today--our own King of the Blues died last week. Not BB, or Albert, or Freddie--but a local boy. Richard Newell's blues ran as deep as his soul--his body finally couldn't take any more abuse, and gave up the ghost. King Biscuit Boy is gone. But his music will never die!
I've been listening to a lot of Biscuit over the past few days. The first album I turned to was Badly Bent, his Best of collection which contains a perfect selection from his first three albums; but really you should listen to the original albums in their entirety to fully appreciate Newell's gifts. So when Stony Plain sent me the original albums on CD I quickly put on Official Music, the album he made with Crowbar in 1972. Crowbar had been the rag-tag bunch of musicians Ronnie Hawkins hired to replace his last band, the one that backed up Bob Dylan, and moved to the Big Pink house in Woodstock. These guys were raw, tough and raunchy, they could really play. Newell adopted the King Biscuit Boy name-tag because he could play the harp to sound like Sonny Boy Williamson. He could blow that harp like anything. He made those reeds quiver. He made 'em sound like a saxophone, an orchestra, it was amazing. The music this raw band -- and the young blues shouter made, was "official" all right!
The album begins with a screamer, "Highway 61." Twin guitars of Rheal Lanthier and John "the Ghetto" Gibbard and then Biscuit's high voice, a blend of Robert Johnson howl and Muddy Waters growl. This one rocks. There is no let up, though, as the second track; "Don't Go No Further," steams ahead, slower but still potent. Kelly Jay Fordham, Doug Riley and Rick Bell provide keyboards and the amazing Larry Atamanuik keeps the solid beat! Jazz musicians Moe Kauffman, Steve Riley and Greg Mudry form a powerful horn section. This is good stuff. "Key to the Highway," "Corinna," "Hoy Hoy Hoy," "Shout Bama Lama," the covers are brilliantly chosen and well done. Newell also writes a couple...the long and humorous "Biscuit's Boogie," "Badly Bent," and "Cookin' Little Baby" show his understanding of the blues form. If this was his only album it would be a classic, but he would soon leave Crowbar and produce one of the greatest blues albums ever made.
I was lucky enough to catch King Biscuit Boy and Crowbar in a bar one night. One of those places where the girls dance with the girls, and the guys order a pitcher of beer and sit there with their buddies listening to the band. They rocked the joint out. The walls were sweating! They had played together behind Hawkins, and they knew each other intimately, they played as one--Biscuit just came out to do a featured spot and then went back to the bar.
Crowbar wanted to move away from the strict blues--they were a good time rock'n'roll band. They lived in a big house on the escarpment, and prepared their first album which they named after the house, Bad Manors. It's another classic. Richard Newell went into the studio using the Crowbar musicians individually, hand-picked for their talents, hand-matched to the songs he'd selected and created the masterpiece that is Gooduns. Gooduns came packaged in a cloth bag, a flour sack, just like King Biscuit Flour from whence he derived his name. I still have that original release, I treasure it. I played that record to death, it rocked so hard I could hardly believe it was made by a Canadian. We were used to the folksongs of Gord Lightfoot, the MOR top 40 sound of the Poppy Family, but this blues this was something else. At the time, I worked in a local department store, and one Saturday I saw Richard Newell browsing in the store. I went on my break and followed him around in awe. Wow, that's KING BISCUIT BOY!
by David Kidney
Tracks
1. Highway 61 (A. Luandrew) - 2:52
2. Don't Go No Further (Willie Dixon) - 3:43
3. Unseen Eye (Sonny Williamson) - 2:57
4. I'm Just A Lonely Guy (R. Blackwell, D. La Bostrie) - 2:32
5. Key To The Highway (W. Broonzy, C. Segar) - 3:14
6. Corrina, Corrina (Public Domain) - 4:28
7. Biscuit's Boogie (R. Newell) - 9:30
8. Hoy Hoy Hoy (J. Jones) - 5:16
9. Badly Bent (R. Newell) - 2:08
10.Cookin' Little Baby (R. Newell) - 2:36
11.Shout Bama Lama (Otis Redding) - 2:29
Crowbar. Rock band, formed in the summer of 1969 as And Many Others to accompany Ronnie Hawkins. Taking the name Crowbar, and making its base in Ancaster, near Hamilton, Ont, it left Hawkins early in 1970 after one LP and several US appearances, then backed individual members Blake 'Kelly Jay' Fordham, John Rutter and King Biscuit Boy on record. King Biscuit Boy's album Official Music and single 'Corrina, Corrina' were the most successful releases.
Personnel changes left Crowbar in 1971 with 'Kelly Jay' (vocals, keyboards, harmonica), Rheal Lanthier (lead guitar), John Gibbard (slide guitar), Josef Chirowski (replacing Richard Bell, keyboards), Roly Greenaway (bass guitar) and Sonnie Bernardi (replacing Larry Atamuniuk, drums). King Biscuit Boy continued as a frequent guest performer through 1971.
The most popular of Crowbar's singles were 'Oh What a Feeling' (1971) and 'Million Dollar Weekend' (1974). The band made three LPs 1970-2 for Daffodil - Bad Manors (SBA-16004), Larger than Life (And Liver than You'll Ever Be) (2-SBA-16007, recorded in concert at Massey Hall) and Heavy Duty (SBA-16013) - and one in 1973 for Epic, KE32746 (KE-32746). The compilation Crowbar Classics: Memories Are Made of This (SBA-16030) followed.
Crowbar's rousing rock, blues and boogie made it one of Canada's most popular touring bands of the early 1970s. It appeared in Great Britain but otherwise made little impact outside of Canada, perhaps the result of the strong nationalistic fervour that characterized its performances. Disbanded in 1975, it was revived in 1977 for a tour of eastern Canada and again by Kelly Jay and others intermittently during the 1980s for club work in southern Ontario.
Tracks
1. The Frenchman's Cherokee Boogie Incident (M. Mullican, W. Chief Redbird) - 0:27
2. Let The Four Winds Blow (D. Bartholomew, A. Domino) - 2:23
3. Cane On The Brazos (Roly Greenway, Kelly Jay) - 5:15
4. In The Dancing Hold (Kelly Jay) - 3:52
5. Where Were You? (Kelly Jay) - 3:56
6. Lay One Down (Roly Greenway, LOVE) - 4:28
7. Oh Never Be A Dodo (Kelly Jay) - 0:19
8. Murder In The First Degree (Sonnie Bernardi, Kelly Jay) - 5:15
9. Trilby (Kelly Jay) - 2:41
10.Dead Head Out Of St. John's (Kelly Jay) - 3:45
11.Tits Up On The Pavement (Kelly Jay) - 7:47
12.Happy People (Jozef Chirowski) - 2:58
13.Oh What A Feeling (Roly Greenway, Kelly Jay) - 4:20
Tracks 1,2,4,7,8,13 from 1970 LP "Bad mannors"
Tracks 3,11 from 1971 LP "Larger Than Life"
Tracks 5,6,9,10 from 1972 LP "Heavy Duty"
Track 12 Previously Unreleased, original recorded 1970
When Charlie Daniels released his eponymous debut in 1970, Southern rock was in its nascent stages. It had been a year since the Allman Brothers Band released their debut and Lynyrd Skynyrd wouldn't unleash its first record for another three years, so the genre was in the process of being born, and Charlie Daniels' debut plays a pivotal role in the genre -- not so much because it was directly influential, but because it points the way to how the genre could and would sound, and how country music could retain its hillbilly spirit and rock like a mother.
Where the Allmans were firmly grounded in the blues, especially on the first two records, Daniels was a redneck from the start, and all ten songs on his debut were country at their foundation, even if some of it is country via the Band, as Rich Kienzle points out in his brief liner notes to Koch's 2001 reissue of the album. The Band connections derive from Daniels' time as a session musician for Columbia in Nashville, where he played on many country-rock albums, including Dylan's Nashville Skyline, but there's a heavy dose of hard rock, often via the Allmans' extended jams, on this record. Daniels simply wails on his guitar here, most notably on the six-minute closer "Thirty Nine Miles from Mobile," but, apart from the ballads, he doesn't miss a chance to solo.
The heavy guitars give Charlie Daniels a real rock feel, and that vibe is continued through the loose rhythm section and a strong dose of counterculture humor, heard strongest on "The Pope and the Dope." That song also shows signs of Daniels' redneck sensibilities, which also surface in unpredictable ways throughout this wild, woolly album. He makes crude jokes, celebrates the South (particularly his home, "Georgia"), spits out bluesy leads, exaggerates his vocals, croons sweetly, and steals women. He's a redneck rebel, not fitting into either the country or the rock 'n' roll of 1970 with this record, but, in retrospect, he sounds like a visionary, pointing the way to the future when southern rockers saw no dividing lines between rock, country, and blues, and only saw it all as sons of the south. That's what he achieves with Charlie Daniels -- a unique Southern sound that's quintessentially American, sounding at once new and timeless.
Once he formed the Charlie Daniels Band, he became a star and with Fire on the Mountain, he had another classic, but he would never sound as wild, unpredictable, or as much like a maverick as he does on this superb album.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. Great Big Bunches Of Love - 3:23
2. Little Boy Blue - 4:10
3. Ain't No Way - 3:25
4. Don't Let Your Man Find Out - 3:00
5. Trudy - 3:50
6. Long Long Way (Back Home) - 4:00
7. Georgia - 4:15
8. The Pope And The Dope - 2:15
9. Life Goes On (Jerry Corbitt) - 2:00
10.Thirty Nine Miles From Mobile - 6:00
All songs by Charlie Daniels except where stated
"The Red Day Album" was recorded and mixed from a Friday night to a Sunday evening, sometime on a week-end after the release of "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" (June 1,1967). But, after considerable research and effort, no one can quite remember nor agree on just when or where it was all recorded. It is known that the first rough demo for their first single "No One's Been Here For Weeks," b/w "Common Attitude" (Tamm T-2024), was first recorded in a large studio named La Lou in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was subsequently re-recorded in Tyler, Texas sometime afterwards.
It was engineered and produced with the band by notable producer Robinhood Brians at Robin Hood Studios. Brians had already recorded hits with "The Five Americans" ("Western Union"), "John Fred and The Playboys" ("Judy In Disguise"), "The Uniques," featuring Johnny Norton, and would eventually cut the first four platinum albums by, "ZZ Top". The remaining tracks of "The Red Day Album" was essentially recorded and mixed in a single weekend.
Richard Orange was only around 15 years of age when he was spotted oh guitar and vocals by keyboardist Clay Smith whilst doing a "fill in", one-off gig wish another young band at a private party. Sometime later, Richard met Gary Simon Bertrand. Gary Simon's mother, "Gisele Carrinton", was also a cabaret owner from Paris, who had settled in Louisiana to continue her nightclub and cabaret ventures. "Edisun", as they came to be called, continued honing their craft in several of Gisele's nightclubs and cabarets.
Clay Smith had previously been with the band The Lost Cause". Kim Jarad Foreman was unique in that he was the only classically trained member of the band. "Thomas Edisun" would go on to win multiple "battle of the band" competitions and commanded larger and more adoring crowds.
Before Richard Orange had reached his 18th birthday, "Edisun would release a self-promoted single on the Tamm label that received considerable radio airplay and attention while opening for acts like “The Vanilla Fudge", "John Fred and The Playboys", "Bubble Puppy", and "Peter Green and The Great Socioly".
Richard Orange would carry on his talent in “Zuider Zee”. He would write his first international hit song fro Cyndi Lauper, which would then also be featured in a Columbia Pictures release film. A year later Orange would sign with Barry Gordy's Jobete/Motown in New York where he continued to write as staff-writer for groups and artists varied as "Starship" To Jane Wiedlin of "The Gogo’s” and Brazilian Pop Star Deborah Blando and "Missing persons” Dale Bozzio. Richard released his latest album, "Big Orange Sun" which was recorded and mixed in its entirety at legendary, Sun Records in Memphis.
"Thomas Edisun's Electric Light Bulb Band" were a band :ahead of the pack", if not perfectly aligned with the future with their own intimate brand of "Ectodelic", "Beatlesque", pure, power-pop. They were a post “Sgt Pepper's" vision of rock-n-roll born of the psychotropic, anti-establishment."
by Mars Russell
Tracks
1. (Intro) I'm Here (Richard Orange, Gary Simon Bertrand, Clay Smith, Kim Foreman) - 0:43
2. Red Day (Richard Orange) - 3:36
3. Have You Been To The Light (Clay Smith, Richard Orange) – 3:43
4. Common Attitude (Richard Orange) - 2:56
5. Hope (Richard Orange) - 6:43
6. No One's Been Here For Weeks (Richard Orange, Clay Smith) - 2:28
7. Walk Out With Your Heart (Clay Smith, Richard Orange) - 3:54
8. Champion (Richard Orange) - 2:31
9. I'm Here Right Here (Richard Orange, Gary Simon Bertrand) - 2:53
10.I'll Join The Army (Richard Orange) - 2:34
11.Merlin (Richard Orange) - 4:14
12.Breathe (Richard Orange, Gary Simon Bertrand) - 2:00
13.Alexander Graham Bell (Richard Orange, Gary Simon Bertrand, Kim Foreman,Clay Smith) - 3:26
14.Concord World (Richard Orange) - 2:10
15.Marigold (Richard Orange) - 2:19
16.Send Me Your Picture (Richard Orange) - 2:35
17.(Outro) Dream Me Up Snotty (Richard Orange, Gary Simon Bertrand, Clay Smith, Kim Foreman) - 0:43
Thomas Edisun's Electric Light Bulb Band
*Gary Simon Bertrand - Drums, Vocals, Percussion, Kazoo, Timpani, Gong, Chimes
*Clay Dunham Smith - Electric Piano, Bass, Vocals, Harpsichord, Organ, Grand Piano
*Richard Orange - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Acoustic Guitar
*Kim Foreman - Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Organ, Electric Piano, Synthesizer
*Robert Sonnier - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Maracas, Tambourine (Tracks 4, 6)
Significant music from a band's long career The 20 songs on this album are significant parts of Downchild's long history as a group that's often described as 'Canada's blues band*—an ongoing institution that still brings rockin' good times to stages across Canada, and, more frequently these days, in the United States as well.
The two albums from which these songs have been taken—neither of them previously released on CD—were recorded 12 years apart, but demonstrate the remarkable consistency that has marked the band's work since its foundation in the late '60s.
“It's Been So Long”, from which the first nine tunes are taken, was the band's return to the studio in 1987 after a five-year absence from recording—caused in part by the healing process necessary following the death of pianist Jane Vasey in 1982. Vasey had been with Downchild for nine years before she died, and her successors included Gene Taylor (who later left to join The Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Mike Fonfara, heard here as a hired session man (on organ) and later to join the band on piano.
More horn-driven than previous Downchild albums, “It's Been So Long” marked the final appearance on record of Tony Flaim, who left shortly afterward, following a lengthy period as the band's singer. It also marked the first appearances with the group of Pat Carey on tenor sax; both he and Mike Fonfara, a decade later, are still proud to be Downchild members. Other participants on the sessions that produced the first nine songs on this album include Mike McKenna, the one-time co-leader of McKenna Mendelson Mainline, and currently leading his own band, Sidewinder, and drummer Sonny Bernard!, a veteran of the classic lineup of Crowbar.
The centre of the music that comprised It's Been So Long is, of course, Donnie Walsh himself; not only did he write almost all the tunes he plays solid guitar throughout. He also offers some spectacular harp solos, particularly on Bop 'Til I Drop (for which there was a video featuring, among others, Ronnie Hawkins) and on Off the Cuff, a roaring instrumental that still has its place in Downchild's live performances. Speculation about the autobiographical content of both Bop 'Til I Drop and Don't Mind Dyin' is probably pointless, but there is little doubt that when the album was released on Stony Plain, it signaled an upturn in the band's fortunes—and was a welcome return after five years away from the studios.
“Ready To Go” was originally recorded in the summer of 1975 and released by CRT of Canada, a label under the direction of Ross Reynolds (now president of Universal Music in Canada) that had seen considerable success with the upfront marketing of music by the likes of Lighthouse and a variety of other Canadian artists. The tracks were recorded in RCA's Mutual Street studios in Toronto, the same space in which Moe Koffman had recorded Swinging Shepherd Blues and Stomping Tom Connors had cut such gems as Sudbury Saturday Night and Bud the Spud The band at the time was at the height of its popularity, touring across Canada playing for major crowds in clubs from Halifax to Vancouver.
Walsh was playing savage slide guitar (check The Slide for a sample), followed by the sort of harp instrumental that drove dancers into a frenzy (as on Do the Parrott, named after the studio's chief engineer). The band also had another star in Jane Vasey, the diminutive blonde pianist who romped her way through set after set with aplomb and a smile that melted hearts from coast to coast. Dave Woodward, later to move to the west coast to join the Powder Blues Band, was the horn player, while Jim Milne, one of the original members
when the band started in 1969, teamed with drummer Bill Bryans to form a solid rhythm section.
Bryans, of course, was later to go on to fame as the co-leader, co-writer and drummer of The Parachute Club, whose anthemic song Rise Up was one of the biggest Canadian hits of the '80s. Here, then, are two snapshots of Canada's best blues band, taken a decade apart—both illustrating perfectly Downchild's commitment to the music, their warm sense of humor, and the optimistic spirit the band still brings to its work.
by Richard Flohil
Tracks It's Been So Long 1987
1. Bop'til I Drop - 3:17
2. Where Have You Gone - 3:37
3. It's Been So Long - 3:25
4. Who'll Do The Leavin' (Tony Flaim) - 4:05
5. My Baby, She's Alright (Tony Flaim) - 3:40
6. Don't Mind Dyin' - 4:22
7. Not This Time - 3:07
8. Bring It On Back - 3:07
9. Off The Cuff – 5:35 Beady To Go 1975
10. One More Chance - 2:21
11. Rock Me Baby (B.B.King) - 3:39
12. The Slide - 2:54
13. Do The Parrott - 2:41
14. Lazy Woman - 3:12
15. My Baby - 3:24
16. Caldonia (Fleecie Moore) - 3:10
17. My Aching Heart - 3:24
18. Downchild Snuffle - 3:50
19. Heart Fixing Business (H. Banks, A. Jones) - 3:52
20. Old Ma Bell – 3:11
All songs by Don Walsh except where stated
Downchild Blues Band It's Been So Long 1987
*Don Walsh - Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
*Tony Flaim - Vocals
*Mike Mckema - Guitar
*Dennis Pinhorn - Bass, Vocals
*Paul Nixon - Drums, Vocals
*Sonny Bernardi - Drums, Vocals
*Pal Carey - Saxophones
*Bob Heslin - Trumpet
*Ray Harrison, Gene Taylor - Piano
*Mike Fonfara - Organ Beady To Go 1975
*Don Walsh - Harmonica, Guitar, Slide Guitar
*Tony Flaim - Vocals
*David Woodward - Tenor Sax
*Jane Vasey - Piano
*Jim Milne - Bass
*Bill Bryans - Drums
