Of Wondrous Legends is one of the holy grails of unknown acid folk/folk-rock. As the story goes, Stephen Titra had played in various local Chicago groups, the most popular being the Uncalled Four (traditional folk), Rhythm’s Children (garage folk-rock) and of course, the legendary jam band Mountain Bus. Titra left Mountain Bus just before the group gained serious traction, eventually releasing their great Dead-inspired rural psych LP from 1971. Of Wondrous Legends was recorded at Universal Recording Inc. in 1971. Titra tried shopping the final product around to labels such as Elektra, Fantasy, A&M, Capital and RCA but there were no takers. Many of the record label A&R reps found O.W.L’s music hard to market, claiming the music was not commercial enough and that no one song on the LP stood out as a potential single. This music is hard to categorize as it doesn’t fit into any comfortable niche. The only reason this music was reissued is because Dawson Prater found one of the few pressings (maybe the only pressing!) of O.W.L in a Chicago thift store in the mid 2000’s.
The O.W.L. project sounds nothing like Mountain Bus. Titra had been playing many of these songs live as early as 1967-1968. By the time he entered the studio many of his creations were fully developed and ready to record. Of Wondrous Legends holds a midground between the Left Banke (think “Shadows Breaking Over My Head” ) and Pearls Before Swine’s superb The Use Of Ashes LP. There are no sitars, psychedelic effects, feedback, crazed electric guitar solos or distorted vocals. Titra, vocals and guitars, is backed by a host of other musical instruments which include vibes, marimba, flute, alto, cello, drums, bass, piano, moog, mandolin and assorted horns. If anything, the album’s production gives it a psychedelic feel.
The album is very strong and highly recommended to those who are into “progressive folk.” “Upon The Wings Of Gabriel” and “A Tale Of A Crimson “Knight” are powerful slices of acid folk that have spacey production values – these tracks are not to be missed by psych fans. “Be Alive” is what the Left Banke might have sounded like had they progressed into the early 70s albeit with more of a folk-rock approach to their music. O.W.L.’s most progressive piece, the dreamy eight and a half minute “Midnight Carnival,” is another intricate piece of music whose lyrics deal with unity and chaos. Finally, “Sunsets Of Smiles,” the closing track, is a very pretty folk song that feels much less produced when compared to the numbers that precede it.
by Jason Nardelli
Tracks
1. Legends - 5:02
2. A Tale Of A Crimson Knight - 4:12
3. Be Alive - 3:53
4. Renaissance And Rococo - 4:21
5. Midnight Carnival - 8:27
6. Dawn Of Albion - 3:21
7. Upon The Wings Of Gabriel - 3:02
8. Breton Landscape - 2:52
9. Everyman And The Philosopher King - 5:37
10.Peace Of Mind - 3:49
11.Salvation Song - 3:49
12.Sunset Of Smiles - 1:56
All compositions by Stephen A. Titra
The Greatest Show on Earth were originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Garth Watt-Roy and his bass-playing brother Norman. Also featured in the original line-up were organist Mick Deacon, drummer Ron Prudence and three horn players, Dick Hanson, Tex Phillpotts and Ian Aitcheson. The band's first vocalist was black American Ozzie Lane but he returned to his native New Orleans a year later and was replaced by Colin Horton-Jennings, not only a strong gravel-voiced singer but also quite adept on the guitar, bongos and flute.
The group's mixture of R'n'B soul, jazz and prog-rock brought them to the attention of EMI's progressive label Harvest Records, who signed the band and issued, in February 1970, the single, "Real Cool World"/"Again And Again" (HAR 5012) which, though not a hit in the UK, gave the band a medium-sized hit across Europe where they were also an in-demand live attraction. Both tracks featured on their March 1970 debut LP, "Horizons" (SHVL 769) which was housed in a distinctive sleeve designed by Hipgnosis and coincided with a Radio One session for Mike Harding on which they played three new songs: "Border Line", "Mountain Song" and "Time".
Tracks
1. Sunflower Morning (Colin Horton Jennings, Mick Deacon) - 4:56
2. Angelina (Colin Horton Jennings) - 4:07
3. Skylight Man (Colin Horton Jennings, Garth Philip Watt-Roy) - 4:31
4. Day Of The Lady (Colin Horton Jennings, Roger Saunders) - 4:10
5. Real Cool World (Garth Philip Watt-Roy) - 4:49
6. I Fought For Love (Colin Horton Jennings, Garth Philip Watt-Roy) - 4:24
7. Horizons (The Greatest Show On Earth) - 13:59
8. Again And Again (Garth Philip Watt-Roy) - 4:04
The second and final set by the hot young blues band signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records back in 1969.
This album was produced by the late Guy Stevens and he suggested the unusual name, for which guitarist Micky Moody confesses he has no explanation. (Stevens had also suggested such names as Procol Harum and Mott The Hoople, and so 'Moves Of Vegetable Centuries' was just another flight of Stevens' fancy!).
The band was getting into its stride with the addition of sax player Ron Aspery and bass guitar virtuoso Colin Hodgkinson from progressive group Back Door.
They add a boost to such performances as the Tramline version of Traffic's 'Pearly Queen' and the old Yardbirds' favourite 'I Wish You Would'. Here is R'n'B Sixties' style with high energy and strong musicianship.
Micky Moody describes the evolution and ultimate fate of the band in his interview , making a splendid souvenir of a bye gone musical era.
Green-Brain
Tracks
1. Pearly Queen (J. Capaldi, S. Winwood) - 3:40
2. Sweet Satisfaction (J. McCoy, M. Moody) - 3:32
3. You Better Run (Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere) - 2:16
4. Grunt (M. Moody) - 7:12
5. Sweet Mary (Traditional) - 6:24
6. I Wish You Would (B. B. Arnold) - 5:20
7. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 2:32
8. Harriet's Underground Railway (J. McCoy, M. Moody) - 3:57
Born November 13, 1942, in New York City, the son of the famous Columbia Records talent scout John Hammond, Sr., what most people don't know is that Hammond didn't grow up with his father. His parents split when he was young, and he would see his father several times a year. He first began playing guitar while attending a private high school, and he was particularly fascinated with slide guitar technique. He saw his idol, Jimmy Reed, perform at New York's Apollo Theater, and he's never been the same since. After attending Antioch College in Ohio on a scholarship for a year, he left to pursue a career as a blues musician. By 1962, with the folk revival starting to heat up, Hammond had attracted a following in the coffeehouse circuit, performing in the tradition of the classic country blues singers he loved so much. By the time he was just 20 years old, he had been interviewed for the New York Times before one of his East Coast festival performances, and he was a certified national act.
When Hammond was living in the Village in 1966, a young Jimi Hendrix came through town, looking for work. Hammond offered to put a band together for the guitarist, and got the group work at the Cafe Au Go Go. By that point, the coffeehouses were falling out of favor, and instead the bars and electric guitars were coming in with folk-rock. Hendrix was approached there by Chas Chandler, who took him to England to record. Hammond recalls telling the young Hendrix to take Chandler up on his offer. "The next time I saw him, about a year later, he was a big star in Europe," Hammond recalled in a 1990 interview. In the late '60s and early '70s, Hammond continued his work with electric blues ensembles, recording with people like Band guitarist Robbie Robertson (and other members of the Band when they were still known as Levon Helm & the Hawks), Duane Allman, Dr. John, harmonica wiz Charlie Musselwhite, Michael Bloomfield, and David Bromberg.
Slang-Music
I Can Tell boasts an all-star backing band of rock & roll stars, featuring everyone from Bill Wyman to Robbie Robertson. John Hammond leads the band through a set of Chicago blues standards, reaching deep into the catalogs of Willie Dixon, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf, and many others. Although the performances can occasionally sound too studied, the album is by and large an unadulterated delight -- the affection Hammond and his band have for the material is quite clear. The CD reissue includes four cuts from his 1970 album, Southern Fried, which feature Duane Allman on slide guitar.
by Thom Owens
Tracks
1. I Wish You Would (Billy Arnold) - 3:00
2. I'm In The Mood (Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker) - 3:19
3. I Can Tell (Samuel Smith) - 3:24
4. Spoonful (Willie Dixon) - 2:54
5. Coming Home (Elmore James) - 2:26
6. My Baby Is Sweeter (Willie Dixon) - 3:04
7. Brown Eyed Handsome Man (Chuck Berry) - 2:19
8. Smokestack Lightning (Chester Burnett) - 2:48
9. Five Long Years (John Lee Hooker) - 3:58
10.You're So Fine (Walter Jacobs) - 2:39
11.Going To New York (Mary Lee Reed) - 1:57
12.Forty Days And Forty Nights (Bernard Roth) - 4:39
13.Shake For Me (Bonus Track) (Willie Dixon) - 2:44
14.Cryin' For My Baby (Bonus Track) (Harold Burrage) - 2:42
15.I'm Leavin' You (Bonus Track) (Chester Burnett) - 3:23
16.You'll Be Mine (Bonus Track) (Willie Dixon) - 2:39
Jack O’Brien was born on November 9th, 1952 in Astoria, Queens. Christened John Anthony O’Brien, he was first nicknamed Jackie, later Jack. From the age of three, he lived in Elmhurst, Queens, with his mother’s family. From a very young age, he showed a natural musical talent, no doubt inherited from his grandfather, “Happy” O’Brien, who was an orchestra conductor in the 1940s. Family members recall Jack, at the age of four or five, picking out tunes on a tiny toy piano.
When he was about eight, Jack began to teach himself to play guitar which very quickly became his prime interest. With a schoolfriend, Richie McBride, who played bass, he was involved with a number of amateur groups. At fourteen, he played in a “happening” in the East Village known as “The Rock Flow” and also jammed in Steve Paul’s Scene and elsewhere with musicians like B.B. King, Jeff Beck, and Jimi Hendrix.
Together with Norman Landsberg who was trained as a classical pianist, and was able to draw upon the cultural diversity of his native New York City to develop a familiarity with a wide range of musical tastes and styles. His professional career started as one of the founding members of the rock group Mountain. This led to his forming (together with O’Brien) the group Hammer in 1969, featured on Bill Graham’s then newly established label, San Francisco Records., and managed by Shelly Finkel (who would later manage Mike Tyson); and with Richie McBride on bass, John DeRoberts as vocalist, and John Guerin as sessions drummer, they recorded their first and only album, “Hammer” (San Francisco records, a division of Atlantic, 1970), produced by Dave Rubinson and engineered by Fred Catero.
Despite critical praise and an energetic and successful coast-to-coast tour, including Fillmore East and West, Hammer did not achieve commercial success, and the group disbanded. O’Brien later played in other groups in the early to mid-70s, including Wormwood Scrubs, a group that he and Richie Fontana formed, with Richie on drums, Danny Sicardi (aka Danny McGary) on bass, and Michael Harrington as lead singer. (Unfortunately, Harrington passed away from heart problems on January 31, 1984 — he was only 29.)
As Wormwood Scrubs, the four wrote a lot of material, and came very close to a record deal at the time (1973-74). Although they did not make a record, Wormwood Scrubs is remembered as an excellent band by many who heard them play live, with shared influences from British Blues and Pop, the Beatles, Jeff Beck, and others, which were reflected in their sound.
Norman Landsberg gained recognition as vocal arranger and musical director for the Pointer Sisters, touring extensively and making numerous television appearances with them. He went on to work with a variety of artists such as pop singer Lenny Williams (known for his work with Tower of Power).
Landsberg’s arranging skills and studio savvy have helped to establish him as a much sought-after independent producer in the San Francisco bay area. He and his wife, keyboardist Socorro de Castro-Landsberg, run Landsberg Music Productions, a full-service music production company providing music direction and arrangements from custom “minus-ones” to full album production, live performance, as well as scoring for commercials and films such as Ramona S. Diaz’ award-winning documentary, Spirits Rising.
After Hammer disbanded in the following years, bass player Richie McBride continued to be active in the music business, and recorded and toured as bass player with many different artists, traveling throughout the U.S., South America, and the Caribbean. Today, he lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife Frann where he is a middle-school orchestra teacher.
McBride holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education and, in addition to his teaching, he performs in the Tampa Bay area as a bass player with various artists. by Tom Kennedy
Tracks
1. Something Easy (Norman Landsberg, John DeRoberts) - 2:50
2. Hot And Cold (Jack O'Brien) - 2:57
3. Tuane (Norman Landsberg) -3:04
4. You May Never Wake Up (Apologies To Auden And Frost) (Jack O'Brien - Tom Kennedy) - 3:19
5. Hangover Horns (Jack O'Brien, Tom Kennedy, John DeRoberts) - 3:08
6. Charity Taylor (Jack O'Brien, Norman Landsberg, John DeRoberts) - 3:27
7. Sad Song, Happy Song (Jack O'Brien, Tom Kennedy) - 2:52
8. Sweet Sunday Morning (Norman Landsberg, Bill Austin) - 2:13
9. Pains And Tears (Norman Landsberg) - 3:23
10.Death To A King (Instrumental) (Norman Landsberg) - 5:30
The Hammer
*Richie McBride - Bass
*John Guerin - Drums
*Ken Janick - Drums (Only Track 6)
*Jack O'Brien - Guitar
*Norman Landsberg - Keyboards
*John De Roberts - Vocals
Chris Thompson is known for his work as the lead vocalist and guitarist on many hits with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, including “Blinded By The Light,” “For You” and “The Mighty Quinn,” as well as being a noted songwriter himself with hits across the globe. Jukebox: The Ultimate Collection is a 2015 remastered compilation of material from the man’s career, spanning Manfred Mann and beyond.
“Dark Side” is a good opener but with a more-than- banal lyric that really can’t be forgiven. “Father of the Day,” “Hot Summer Night” and a slinky drawn-out organ-led cover of Springsteen’s “Spirits In The Night” provide some spirited live moments. The cover of “For You,” the other Springsteen song, is a magical highlight with Thompson in lockstep with an enticing piano on a more subdued studio track.
Live and expansive, Manfred Mann “Martha’s Madman” has a mostly a straight ahead beat as Thompson handles all its twists and turns. The 50s styled “Eddie Wants To Rock” has Thompson’s hoarseness actually serving the song well, while Mavis Staples duets with Thompson on “The Fire.” An organ heavy live version of “The Mighty Quinn” features a decidedly heavier punch that the enthusiastic loudly clapping and singing audience seems to respond to even over Thompson not exactly making good vocally on the choruses.
“Land Of The Long White Cloud” from the Chris Thompson and Mads Eriksen Rediscovery album is a super spirited song with a distinctive opening riff, wailing organ and Thompson rapping. An updated version of “Blinded By The Light” is here, and Thompson wails away on Marius Müller's beautiful ballad “Angel.” We also get “If You Remember Me,” Thompson’s piano ballad written for the remake of the movie The Champ.
The inclusion of “You’re The Voice,” co-written by Thompson and a huge hit for John Farnham, proves an interesting inclusion. Throughout the set, certainly in those live moments, you often hear Thompson’s voice striving to hit the note. Hearing his take on “You’re The Voice,” you are reminded of Farnham’s unreal soaring vocal. Thompson’s version, relying as it does on backing vocalists to deliver the refrain, still delivers, in maybe an even more down-to-earth soulful way simply because he does not have the pipes Farnham has. The universal solidarity message of the lyric comes across even better in a way. The remastered Jukebox: The Ultimate Collection sounds spectacular and covers a lot of Chris Thompson’s career. One spin and you won’t go away disappointed.
by Ralph Greco
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Dark Side (Chris Thompson, Inge Pans, Gunnar Bjelland, Arno Krabman) - 4:23
2. Love And Loneliness (Nick Garvey) - 4:20
3. Father Of Day (Live) (Bob Dylan) - 4:55
4. Hot Summer Night (Live) (Walter Egan) - 4:34
5. Million Dollar Wonder Hit (Chris Thompson, Inge Pans, Arno Krabman) - 4:02
6. Cold Wind Blowing Across My Heart (Tom Snow) - 4:07
7. Spirits In The Night (Live) (Bruce Springsteen) - 5:50
8. Whole Lot To Give (Chris Thompson, Mads Eriksen) - 3:37
9. For You (Bruce Springsteen) - 3:14
10.One Man Mission (Chris Thompson, Mike Slamer) - 4:15
11.Martha's Madman (Live) (Lane Teitgen) - 5:57
12.Beat Of Love (Chris Thompson, Bruce Wooley) - 4:24
13.You Angel You (Live) (Bob Dylan) - 3:25
14.A Shift In The Wind (With Brian May) (Chris Thompson, Tom King) - 4:23
15.Eddie Wants To Rock (Chris Thompson, Inge Pans, Gunnar Bjelland, Arno Krabman) - 4:14
16.Dream Away Little Girl (Chris Thompson, I.P, Arno Krabman) - 3:29
17.Don't Stop (Christine McVie) - 3:36
18.The Fire (With Mavis Staples) (Leiber, Reid) - 4:15
Disc 2
1. The Mighty Quinn (Live) (Bob Dylan) - 5:23
2. The Challenge (Chris Thompson, Inge Pans, Gunnar Bjelland, Arno Krabman) - 4:01
3. Runner (Live) (I. Thomas) - 6:01
4. Redemption Song (Bob Marley) - 3:27
5. Land Of The Long White Cloud (Chris Thompson, Mads Eriksen) - 3:10
6. Blinded By The Light (Bruce Springsteen) - 4:05
7. Angel (Chris Thompson, Marius Muller) - 4:29
8. Heart Of The Fire (Julian Litman) - 3:19
9. Don't Kill It Carol (Live) (Mike Heron) - 6:23
10.If You Remember Me (Carol Bayer Seger, Marvin Hamlish) - 3:01
11.Millie Christine (Chris Thompson, Inge Pans, Arno Krabman) - 4:33
12.You're The Voice (Chris Thompson, Andy Qunta, M.Ryder, K Reid) - 4:09
13.Davy's On The Road Again (Live) (John Simon, Robbie Robertson) - 5:56
14.Questions (Live) (M. Mann, C. Slade) - 4:46
15.Zu Leben (Chris Thompson, John van Tongeren) - 2:36
16.Thunderchild (Acoustic) (With Chris Spedding) (Jeff Wayne, Gary Osborne) - 2:48
17.What World (Chris Thompson, A.N. Other) - 3:59
18.We Are The Strong (Chris Thompson, H. Faltermeyer) - 3:21
Zoot became one the most popular Australian bands of the second 'pop wave' of the late 'Sixties when they and other acts like The Valentines, the Masters Apprentices, Russell Morris and The New Dream were scoring hits and causing riots. Like so many groups at the time, Zoot were drawn along by the rapid stylistic shifts of that uncertain period and they suffered under some ill-advised management decisions that led to them being tagged as a lightweight 'bubblegum' act — an undeserved reputation which overshadowed their fine musicianship and their genuine desire to be taken seriously. Ironically, they're probably best remembered these days for the 1970 single that they hoped would scuttle their pop image for good — their classic heavy-metal version of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" — and also for the fact that Zoot was first successful outing for two future stars -- solo performer and soapie heart-throb Rick Springfield, and Little River Band lynch pin Beeb Birtles.
Zoot was one of several significant Aussie bands that emerged from the fertile musical hothouse of Adelaide in the mid-1960s -- the same scene that produced The Masters Apprentices and The Twilights. Zoot started out as one among scores of hopeful young beat groups who that formed in and around the migrant settlement suburbs around the South Australian capital of Adelaide. New satellite suburbs such as Elizabeth and Port Noarlunga were established in the 1950s to receive the huge influx of "New Australians", and many of the young British kids who settled there with their families had actually seen the leading British beat groups in person before leaving for Australia.
In this respect the scene was similar to Sydney, where the Villawood Migrant Hostel and its surrounding areas spawned The Easybeats. Australia's greatest beat group. The Twilights, another band comprised of migrant lads, were the first Adelaide group to break nationally in late 1965, and they were quickly followed by The Masters Apprentices, who had honed their chops playing for the young migrant audiences at the same clubs and local dances before shooting to national prominence in 1966........
Chris Thompson's debut album was a little-seen obscurity, it's been estimated that only about 1,000 copies of the 1973 recording were made, and that all but 100 were destroyed as part of some kind of tax scam. This was unfortunate both for Thompson, a New Zealander whose guitar talents had made him a favorite on the London folk scene, and for fans of the music. Fortunately, the album was subsequently reissued on CD on the U.S. label Scenescof, but the later repackaging on Sunbeam went a step further by pairing the original album with a whole extra disc of bonus material.
Early-‘70s London was not exactly lacking for phenomenal folk guitarists, but even amid the likes of Bert Jansch, Nick Drake, et al, Thompson must have stood out. His fretboard expertise is the most immediately striking aspect of the album: his fingerpicking technique rivals that of anyone on the scene at the time, and on stand-out tracks like "Her Hair Was Long" (which was wisely repurposed a couple of years later on Thompson's major-label debut), the New Zealander achieves an intensity of tone that only an artist like Jansch could match.
Thompson is sometimes tossed under the psych-folk umbrella, and the striking opening cut, the instrumental "Hugo Spellman," certainly falls into that category, taking on a raga feel with help from members of Magic Carpet on Indian instruments. But for the most part, this is a relatively straightforward outing typical of the Village Thing catalog, incorporating some traditional blues and folk influences but mostly striking a distinctly ‘70s singer/songwriter tone. And despite the focus on Thompson's fleet-fingered instrumental capabilities, he comes off as a skilled songwriter as well, with more lyrically oriented tunes like "Don't Be Afraid" and "Dream" comparing favorably with the work of any of his aforementioned peers.
by James Allen
Tracks
Disc One
1. Hugo Spellman - 4:13
2. The Song Of Wandering Aengus (Words By W. B. Yeats) - 4:31
3. De Debil Take De Blue-Tail Fly! - 3:38
4. The River Song - 2:40
5. London Blues - 3:48
6. Her Hair Was Long - 6:46
7. Young Lust - 3:04
8. Love - 1:52
9. The River Song (Alt. Take 1) - 3:51
10.The River Song (Alt. Take 2) - 6:29
11.Love (Alt. Take) - 3:46
12.Dream - 2:51
13.Don’t Be Afraid - 2:09
Disc Two
1. As I Walked Out - 1:40
2. Back In The City - 2:48
3. Where Is My Wild Rose? - 2:48
4. Hamilton - 3:09
5. Vox Populi (Words By H. W. Longfellow) - 3:24
6. Heart Attack Blues - 2:18
7. Barcelona - 5:11
8. Sunday Lunch - 2:56
9. The Terror Of The Spanish Main - 2:17
10.When I Am Dead (Words By Christina Rossetti) - 3:03
11.Chop Suey Blues (The Opium Song) - 1:58
12.Little Ballerina - 2:22
13.We Need Oil - 2:02
Music and Words by Chris Thompson except where indicated
The story of Moonkyte could well be described as an acid-fuelled accident just waiting to happen or even a short career of ill-repute for those with affliction.
The tale begins in Bradford, West Yorkshire, where Dave Stansfield managed a host of local bands. A favourite was blues band The Broomdusters. Local venues were loathe to embrace the blues in 1967 so, with his dear wife Chris, he opened a pub-based blues club just so the band could get a hearing.
The club, Bluesville, grew into a nationally renowned venue attracting artists such as Alexis Korner, Keef Hartley, Duster Bennett, Curtis Jones, Champion Jack Dupree, Jo-Anne Kelly, Chicken Shack, Black Cat Bones, Stefan Grossman, Aynsley Dunbar and Fleetwood Mac.
In late '68 and early '69 Chris and Dave started to book 'progressive' groups like Edgar Broughton Band, Juniors Eyes and Jethro Tull. They also staged large concerts at St. Georges Hall, Bradford booking bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Family and Free.
It was then that Dave Foster strutted into the picture. He was younger than Stansfield but was sharp and had a natural wit. He was a guitarist and harp player who'd been in a band with Richard Treece. Treece later found fame (or infamy) with Help Yourself, Deke Leonard and Man. Foster was a blues kid who developed into a blues man and an acknowledged expert in the genre. Stansfield offered him a job at £1.50 a week plus a percentage of takings at two new clubs in Leeds and Ilkley.
Stansfield had been a full-time singer in bands in the early 1960s' and had always loved to write. He suggested that he and Foster should write some songs together. Their writing laboratory was Druid's Alter, a large rock that overlooked Yorkshire's Aire Valley. it was there that they began to indulge in regular un-holy communion with the celestial deities of sacramental substances.
Mischief then appeared in the form of Dave Ambler, a whistle, banjo and sitar player, who had access to copious amounts of pure microdot mayhem. Wholesome doses were devoured with great gusto and relish. They were on a mission. They believed that they were serious spiritual space explorers probing and travelling far. They didn't even fasten their safety harnesses. Perhaps they should have.
The three then transferred their ideas to tape at a small, local two track studio. The owner was somewhat apprehensive but persevered with an admirable sense of grace and dignity. With some tracks recorded that was it; or so they thought.
Fresh Garbage, a band that Stansfield was managing, won a competition for studio time in London's Regent's Sound Studios with eventual Moonkyte 'producer' James Spencely. He thought they were utterly useless but Stansfield slipped him a tape of the songs recorded by the "three musketeers" and suggested he get in touch if he liked it.
A couple of weeks later Spencely called Stansfield and asked if his band was gigging. "Our band", thought Stansfield. "What band?" With a smooth, slippery and silver tongue he lied to Spencely that they could hardly keep up with the demand for gigs and were going down a storm wherever they played. Lo and behold James invited the (non-existent) band to record some songs in his Denmark Street studio.
Budding space cadet Mick Humphreys was quickly drafted in on drums as well as seasoned musician Trevor Craven on bass. They honed a bunch of songs with a blunt knife and tripped off to London where they laid down all the tracks for 'Count Me Out' in a couple of days. It was pure psychedelic fun. An assortment of wizards, witches and total strangers turned up to contribute to an atmosphere of serene madness.
James Spencely was bemused and sometimes a little frightened. Stansfield, with the help of Foster, had worked out all the arrangements and effects but they were not involved in the final mix or editing. When listening to the finished product it became obvious that James had become somewhat unhinged by the whole excperience. He'd even drafted in the lead singer of The Fortunes to try to give some sense of earthly structure to a few harmonies.
'Count Me Out' was released in 1971 on the Mother label and was distributed by EMI. Unknown to the band BBC radio DJ Emperor Rosko was the label owner. Some have said that he was trying to jump on a John Peel bandwagon but if he was he failed miserably. John Peel, however, did write the extensive sleevenotes. He had a love of the North of England, particularly as his wife came from Shipley in West Yorkshire. The lovely, and sadly missed, man played the occasional Moonkyte track on radio. He even played tracks by other bands for Stansfield's daughter Emma.
Moonkyte didn't gig much following the release of Count Me Out. They sullied a few stages at open air festivals with their acoustic debauchery and headlined a few other indoor gigs. Not a good idea. Holding it all together onstage was not their speciality.
It's hard to define Moonkyte music. It's often described as Acid-Folk or Psychedelic Folk but their influences were many. As Dave Foster comments. "At the time of the first LP all our influences were in place and jumbled up. They were packed away in our subconscious. A Pandora's Box was opened up with our pscychedelic experiences in a two track studio in Shipley. Both Stansfield and I were influenced by Black music and it shows on Count Me Out. There's a Delta slide on Blues For Boadicea for example and a lot of vocal links were cry and holler.The harmonium was also very churchy."
by Sturton Herbsmann
This album, as a whole, is pretty damn good, and contains extraordinary moments. It's actually much better than many of the more recent rare-folk 'discoveries' that I have heard. It is, undoubtedly, tripped out. It was recorded and released in 1971 and even caught the attention of John Peel, who penned the original liner notes. Count Me Out is no exercise in mediocrity. It is heavily steeped in the gloriously drugged psychedelic folk scene of the time, along with some mild doses of rock awareness. There are dreamy backing vocals, occasionally devilish beats and rollicking, almost swanky, electric bass lines throughout.
The album is, all in all, a strong effort, one much deserving of attention. Case in point: 'Girl Who Came Out of My Head', a song so good that I am amazed it has not popped up elsewhere (to my knowledge). This cut is the finest cohesion of what Moonkyte offers. All of the elements that are present over the course of the entire album are fully realized here. Between the swaying harmonium, rich, multi-tracked backing vocals and a striking, ethereal sounding female vocal making a brief appearance, we have a diamond here. Worth the price of admission alone. Luckily, you get more.
The opening track, 'Search' gets the whole album off to a jumpstart. The harmonium and the backing vocals and the swinging bass line announce the tweaked-out trip you are in for. The album is, all in all, a strong effort, one much deserving of attention. The wider discovery and availability of this Moonkyte album stands as a prime example of what good may still exist hidden out there, and reason enough to cautiously continue down the road with further psych-folk re-issues.
by Adam Richards
Tracks
1. Search - 2:39
2. It's The Same Thing (D. Foster, D. Stansfield) - 3:01
3. Way Out Hermit - 4:20
4. Girl Who Came Out Of My Head - 2:53
5. Tapestry Girl - 2:03
6. Bridge Song - 2:39
7. Lead This Sinner On - 2:35
8. Where Will The Grass Grow - 3:58
9. Lost weekend - 3:11
10.Blues For Boadicea - 4:22
11. Happy Minstrel (D. Foster, D. Stansfield) - 1:56
12. Jelly Man (D. Foster) - 2:46
All songs by Dave Stansfield except where indicated.
I’ll make no bones about it – Family (1968 – 1973) was and still is my favourite rock band. A bold thing to admit, perhaps, but there it is. No other band in all of my rock listening years does it for me like these guys. They incorporated all sorts of musical styles, from delta blues to psychedelic excursions, from Jazz to symphonic, from hard rock to folk; the members of Family never ceased to challenge you with their very unique brand of rock music. Roger Chapman (vocals, saxes) and John “Charlie” Whitney (lead and steel guitars) led a bunch of incredible British musicians (who changed regularly) into what became an underground cult favourite on both sides of the Atlantic.
Another thing I will say is that Roger Chapman is also my favourite Rock vocalist. Sounding like a mix of Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker (but in my opinion better than both), he roars and soars with a unique range and bleating vibrato that shakes the roof – you have to experience this voice! Composing nearly all the songs for the span of their existence, Roger and Charlie were at the top echelon of writing duos, alongside Jagger and Richards. Another bold claim, but a listen through the Family catalogue at the unique and varied compositions might convince you. At any rate, in 1973 management issues among other things resulted in the dissolving of Family, leaving Roger and Charlie to pursue life as a duo. So here’s where the Streetwalkers saga begins.
As prolific songwriters, they had enough material to record a new album, and so they did. Originally titled Chapman-Whitney Streetwalkers, they called in some friends to augment them and here’s who they got: John Wetton – bass and vocals (Family, King Crimson Roxy Music, etc.); Rick Grech – bass (Family, Blind Faith); Ian Wallace and Michael Giles – drums (King Crimson); Neil Hubbard – guitar (Joe Cocker, etc.); Max Middleton – Keyboards (Jeff Beck Group); Tim Hinkley – keyboards, vocals (Vinegar Joe, Al Stewart); Jim Creegan – vocals (Family, Steve Harley); Linda Lewis – vocals (David Bowie, Cat Stevens, etc.); Mel Collins – woodwinds, brass and arrangements (King Crimson, Camel and a huge etc.); Boz Burrell – vocals (King Crimson), Poli Palmer – vibes (Family); Del Newman – string arrangements (Family); and Godfrey McLean – congas (Graham Bond). What an amazing lineup, no? It speaks to the respect and acknowledgement that Chapman and Whitney garnered at the time.
With this first CD release, Roger Chapman changed the running order back to what they had originally intended it to be, which is an interesting move. You can always reprogram your player to go back to the original order if you are curious or prefer it, but I personally think it is ok. The good news is all the songs are included here and there is more info available in the liner notes, which include an interview with Roger Chapman interspersed with an overview and history by Pete Feenstra.
Now to the album: First Cut is the bridge between later Family albums, especially Bandstand and It’s Only a Movie, and the first true Streetwalkers album, Downtown Flyers. What makes the album great for me is that it can stand alongside the Family discs and really could have been the next one in the Family canon. In much the same way that the Stones shed their Brit/Pop/Mystical songs of the late 60s and moved back to their rhythm and blues routes, Chapman and Whitney had the same idea with First Cut and then moved to hard rock blues that followed with the rest of the Streetwalkers’ catalogue. First cut has the boys standing over the line between rock and blues, and the push and pull from one side and the other makes this such an enjoyable album.
Hangman opens the album with a crunchy, hard blues, something akin to a souped-up and faster Spoonful – it really kicks out the jams. Add soaring strings to the mix (a Family trademark) and you have an original take on the blues with enough light and dark contrasts to give it an original spin.
Roxianna features a honky-tonk rhythm complete with Mel Collins’ clarinet and Dixieland piano; it really swings and Charlie’s slide guitar weaves in and out to great effect.
Sue and Betty Jean begins as a sad lament with organ but picks up the pace some with a Beatlesque melody with echoes of She’s Leaving Home. This is a perfect example of how, when Chapman and Whitney write and arrange, they incorporate all the instruments with a beautiful, intricate dance. With the guitar becoming more of a Wes Montgomery jazz style, it dominates this slow waltz of a song. A lot of their songs, like this one, also tell interesting stories and they should be noted as good lyricists as well.
Call Ya has classic Chapman vocals, scratchy but in his higher register, simply a vocal treat. The song itself has that funky blues of Little Feat but with some chords that give you that real hard rock feel. Mel Collins takes over for a great sax solo here – he really wails on this one. This could have been an additional track on Family’s Bandstand for sure. This ends with a conga-driven jam that gets you tapping.
Just 4 Men/Tokyo Rose, a two song suite (the original album also included Hangman, making it a trio but Roger felt it belonged at the start of the set – see liner notes), begins with spoken word and a dark, flute and string driven remorseful sounding theme. The song brightens a bit with the flute joined by Charlie’s expressive guitar lead and then Tokyo Rose begins with a hard rock attack, back to the Hangman approach. The track grinds it out down and dirty, complete with a chorus of shoops courtesy of John Wetton and the others, and then another deadly Mel Collins solo overlays it all until it fades away.
Creature Feature begins with thunder and rain and a cool underground boogie and Linda Lewis singing alongside Roger and showcasing Charlie’s great slide guitar work. The song chugs along then the strings come in to add further impact, extending the song to further showcase the guitars. Interestingly, the strings sound very similar to Elton John’s arrangements on Madman Across the Water.
Parisienne High Heels, another rhythm and blues powerhouse, with a Foghat-like guitar attack and an almost gospel-like vocal background, brings southern rock to the fore. Roger Chapman’s vocal here really screams, soars, teases - he is in perfect form. The track really rocks out until it fades in an odd echo.
Systematic Stealth is a quirky little song which could be totally acoustic – a pleasant summer-sounding, joyous folksy pleasure - a pleasant rest from those nasty, hard blues.
Showbiz Joe ends the album with a vaudeville-like melody and a weaving horn section. But as in all Chapman/Whitney songs, it breaks open in places to reveal layers of intricate playing underneath.
For Family fans, and I know you’re out there, this is a must have. If you loved Family, and especially Bandstand and Movie, then this will totally appeal to you. If you are new to any of this, and you like boogie and Chicago style blues, with the right mix of rock and roll and great vocals, then I think you will like this album a lot. I can say that if you are a fan of Joe Cocker’s early albums, then this is a no brainer. Beyond this, the Streetwalker albums that followed, where they had a permanent band throughout their existence, are even punchier, heavier and bluesier overall. Try Red Card and see what you think. And I guess I don’t have to say that I hope you will be curious enough to try Family out – you might find that it becomes a major favourite as well.
by Robert Metcalf
Tracks
1. Hangman - 4:51
2. Roxianna - 2:49
3. Sue And Betty Jean - 5:08
4. Call Ya - 6:37
5. Just 4 Men - 2:51
6. Tokyo Rose - 2:13
7. Creature Feature - 4:01
8. Parisienne High Heels - 4:05
9. Systematic Stealth - 2:31
10.Showbiz Show - 4:10
All songs by Roger Chapman, John Whitney
