Though this album sank without a trace when it was released, time has been kind to Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream, and it is now hailed as a work of genius. Justifiably so, since every track is proof of a band with wonderful instincts for melody and how to frame a musical idea. Mason Proffit was an ensemble that played a blend of music that was more country than rock, with occasional folk and blues influences to make things interesting. Though a few of their songs were straightforward love songs and celebrations of country virtues, many were uncommonly sophisticated for 1971.
The song "Jewel" is a pure tearjerker, a sad tale of a young black woman who is used and abandoned by a wealthy white man. The tragic story is set to a weeping steel guitar and is sung in a voice that sounds anguished, and it is a marvelously affecting track. The title track and "Eugene Pratt" are noteworthy for their gentle insistence that something is wrong with the society in which we live, and something should be done about it immediately.
Other bands were experimenting with country-rock but never achieved this subtlety and grace, and there was a whole genre of protest music which lacked those same two attributes. The fact that both were in the same package, but were ignored at the time that they were released, is just a darn shame. This band's catalog cries out for a re-evaluation and re-release, starting with this album.
by Richard Foss
Tracks
1. In The Country/Sparrow - 7:53
2. 24 Hour Sweetheart - 2:58
3. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream (Ed McCurdy) - 3:48
4. Hope - 4:19
5. Freedom - 2:53
6. 500 Men - 4:13
7. Jewel - 4:58
8. Eugene Pratt - 3:54
9. Mother - 4:43
10.My Country - 0:48
All songs written by John Talbot, Terry Talbot except track #3
Keyboard player and vocalist John Morgan was a Graham Bond afficianado who turned toward psychedelia as the 1960's wore on. Billed originally as The Spirit of John Morgan, the band was successful enough to get booked into the Marquee and other top clubs.
Spirit of John Morgan's debut self-titled is an entire album's worth of strong, shadowed, R&B numbers underlit by magnificent musicianship and powerful rhythms. The set opener, a menacing cover of Graham Bond's "I Want You," is a case in point, stalker-like in its intensity, with John Morgan's organ conjuring up a phantom of the opera from which there is no escape. However, Morgan's phenomenal finger skills are best showcased on a cover of Meade "Lux" Lewis' "Honky Tonk Train Blues," a fabulously masterful piano boogie woogie, as is his equally extraordinary adaptation of Albert Ammons' "Shout for Joy." And Morgan is just as skilled on the organ, as is evidenced on the band's take on Big John Patton's "The Yodel."
As astounding as the covers are, the quartet offered up their own numbers that are of equal quality. "Orpheus and None for Ye," is a particular standout, a dark, driving number that initially calls to mind the Spencer Davis Group before diving into the heart of the jungle, while Don Whitaker's guitar licks like flames around the piece. It is the set's final number, however, the ten-minute epic "Yorkshire Blues" that is the heart of the album. Delta blues brought to the English north, where the band convincingly make the case that life is just as tough up mill as it is down in the fields of the Deep South. In 43 minutes and with a mere eight songs, Spirit of John Morgan created an astonishing set, and this reissue appends it with the band's romp across "The Floating Opera Show," the A-side of their now impossible to find 1971 single. As if you needed another reason to own this set.
by Jo-Ann Greene
Tracks
1. I Want You (Graham Bond) - 5:28
2. Honky Tonk Train Blues (Meade "Lux" Lewis) - 2:46
3. She's Gone (Mick Walker) - 5:01
4. Orpheus And None For Ye (Don Whitaker, John Morgan, Mick Walter, Phil Shutt) - 5:19
5. The Yodel (John Patton) - 5:50
6. Shout For Joy (Albert Ammons) - 3:12
7. Ride On (Don Whitaker, Mick Walter) - 2:56
8. Yorkshire Blues (Don Whitaker) - 10:09
9. Along Came John (John Patton) - 4:28
The Spirit of John Morgan
*John Morgan - Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Mick Walter - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Don "Fagin" Whitaker - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Phil Shutt (Phil Curtis) - Bass
David Santo's Silver Currents is pretty fey, sparsely arranged late-'60s singer/songwriter material in a somewhat sub-Donovan style, perhaps with a dash of early Al Stewart and some of the more earnest and romantic East Coast American singer/songwriters of the period like Eric Andersen. However, the songs aren't too strong, and the vocals are yet weaker, often with a thin and straining quality.
Completing the hat trick, the backing is disappointing considering Richard Gottehrer was the producer, sometimes sounding like a mismatch of a British-styled folkie gypsy troubadour with threadbare New York-cut instrumentation. It's the kind of album that sounds more like a private pressing than an LP given wider release, its having gotten picked up by the young Sire label notwithstanding. Even for dedicated collectors of this kind of music, it's perhaps best limited to a sampling on a compilation, "Rising of Scorpio" being the track that's sometimes been selected for this purpose.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Organ Grinder's Dream - 3:38
2. Rising Of Scorpio - 3:19
3. If You Love Me, Come Beside Me - 4:28
4. The Song That's Sung For No One - 3:18
5. Fields Of Morning - 3:37
6. Carnival Man - 4:56
7. Jesus Came To Jersey - 2:27
8. Fireside Fairy Tale - 3:33
9. Chant - 1:06
10.Jingle Down A Hill - 3:49
Lyrics and Music by David Santo
Formed from the ashes of psychedelic blues legends Spirit Of John Morgan, this talented yet arguably overlooked keyboard player continued his career with the underground indie label Carnaby Records. However, the arrival of Kaleidoscope in 1971 failed to achieve the applause it deserved, leaving Morgan in the midst of progressive rock's obscured past.
As much as collectors and critics can try to approach obscure albums on their own merits without unfairly comparing them to the giants of their era, sometimes a band's inspiration is just too blatant to ignore. So let's lay it on the line here: the Group Image's sole LP would not have existed were it not for the prior existence of the early Jefferson Airplane albums and concerts. It's not just the male-female vocal blend, with Sheila Darla approaching her singing very much like Grace Slick did, or the very specific echoes of Jorma Kaukonen's wiggly guitar tone.
There are also echoes of specific Airplane songs, sometimes in passing references to the Airplane's arrangements of "The Fat Angel" or "Coming Back to Me," and sometimes in more obvious cops of "3/5 of a Mile in Ten Seconds," "It's No Secret," and (particularly in "Hiya") the Airplane's arrangement of "The Other Side of This Life." It's not all a trip in Jefferson Airplane economy class, but alas, there are also heavy imprints of the Mamas & the Papas, albeit in a more acid-folk-rock style, and a bit of the harmonies of the Association and the good-time cheer of the Lovin' Spoonful.
If you're just an absolute sucker for those sounds, the record has its pleasant qualities as a psychedelicized folk-rock album of sorts, with heavily West Coast-influenced bittersweet melodies that are broken up by some freakier passages with jazzy tempo changes and searing distorted guitar. It's not just a lack of originality that disqualifies the record as a notable obscurity, however, but the fairly unexceptional quality of the songs, though it's better than many such largely forgotten psychedelic releases.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Hiya - 5:00
2. A Way To Love You All The Time - 2:50
3. Moonlit Dip - 5:45
4. Voices Calling Me - 3:30
5. New Romancing - 2:50
6. Aunt Ida - 6:08
7. Banana Split - 6:15
8. My Man - 1:55
9. Grew Up All Wrong - 2:50
10.The Treat - 5:30
All songs by the Group Image
The Group Image
*Sheila Darla - Vocals
*Dr, Hok - Lead Guitar
*Freddy Knuckles - Rhythm Guitar
*William Guy Merrill - Rhythm Guitar
*Black Doug - Bass
*Professor Leon Luther Rix - Drums
The James Gang was originally formed by drummer Jim Fox in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though guitarist/singer Joe Walsh is most often associated with the early and highly successful James Gang, he actually was the replacement for Glenn Schwartz, who departed in January, 1968. Jim Fox relates that the gap between Schwartz leaving and Joe joining was less than 48 hours. Dale Peters, who later played in the lineup with Tommy on guitar, came in on bass after the release of Yer Album, the group’s first with Walsh. The band’s music combined both American and British rock influences. With Walsh the band toured England opening for The Who, as well as having success with album and touring sales in the United States.
Walsh left James Gang in late 1971, in part because he was envisioning music that could not be performed with a power trio. He then moved to Boulder, Colorado. His immediate replacement on guitar was Domenic Troiano, while Roy Kenner was brought in on vocals.
In Boulder Walsh took six months to study ham radio and chill out. He then began to hook up with musicians such as bassist Kenny Passarelli and keyboardist Tom Stephenson, who were playing with Tommy Bolin in the first lineup of Energy. Tommy and Walsh also met during this period, and often jammed and recorded at Joe’s garage studio. Passarelli split from Energy to join Walsh in his new band Barnstorm, which offered an immediate chance at fortune and fame. Tommy was then forced to look for a new bass player and scored with Stephenson’s cousin Stanley Sheldon.
Tommy and Energy played through until early 1973, when Tom Stephenson left to join Walsh and Passarelli in Walsh’s band, and Tommy was again forced to replace a player. This time Max Gronenthal was then brought in on keyboards and vocals, but the end was near and Tommy left for New York City to record Spectrum with Billy Cobham in May.
The James Gang had not been doing as well as they had hoped for with Troiano on guitar, and Walsh was quick to recommend Tommy for a replacement. That recommendation was partly based on the intensely positive rush Tommy’s playing on Spectrum was generating, plus possibly an effort to pay Tommy back for Joe having nicked Passarelli and Stephenson from Energy. On meeting Tommy in August of 1973, Jim Fox and Dale Peters said they were impressed by Spectrum, but were concerned about Tommy’s ability to play rock. Fifteen minutes into the live audition Tommy was signed on.
The new lineup went to work almost immediately on the Bang album during August and September, 1973 at the Cleveland Recording Company, and was released in October. The album cover photo had already been taken while Domenic Troiano was still with the band, and the album went out using the same photo with Tommy’s face replacing Troiano’s, fairly seamlessly given the technology of the day.
Bang relied heavily on the stockpile of songs Tommy had written with Jeff Cook in Energy, with John Tesar separately, and from solo demos he had been doing on the reel-to-reel tape deck Mike Drumm had helped him buy. One interesting example is “Got No Time for Trouble,” which was a Bolin/Tesar song that had been sung by Jeff Cook on an Energy studio demo and can be heard on the Tommy Bolin Archives Energy CD. Of the album’s nine tracks, Tommy had written or co-written eight.
In the beginning Tommy got along well with singer Roy Kenner. They enjoyed singing a cappella together, and Kenner helped coach Tommy on his singing, a place where his confidence was low. Tommy’s lead vocal on “Alexis” could not have been more perfect for the track. Later their friendship would slowly deteriorate as competition for the spotlight would contribute to driving them apart.
The album turned out very well as the band transformed Tommy’s songs into well-polished studio gems. The record label’s choice for the first single, however, was not to the band’s liking:
“Must Be Love” started getting radio airplay quickly. Other songs such as “Standing In the Rain” and “Alexis” were also played by FM stations which at the time had creatively adventurous play lists. Jim Fox loved “Standing in the Rain” and fought hard for it to be the next single. Atco eventually relented and it hit in the Top 100.
Bang stands as one of the strongest rock statements of the period. Not only are the arrangements and performances crisp and catchy, but Tommy also laid down guitar that was on par with his performances on Spectrum. To many people this album contains the quintessential essence of Tommy’s guitar tone and fire. The guitar solo in “From Another Time” is a textbook example of his ability to play with grace, fire and precision even at fast tempos. The notes still raise your hair even if the track is played at half speed. “Mystery” was another standout with its stellar string arrangements by Jimmy Haskell, reminiscent of Paul Buckmaster’s work with Elton John.
Tracks
1. Standing In The Rain (Tommy Bolin) - 5:07
2. Devil Is Singing Our Song (Tommy Bolin, John Tesar) - 4:22
3. Must Be Love (Tommy Bolin, Jeff Cook) - 3:53
4. Alexis (Tommy Bolin, Jeff Cook) - 5:09
5. Ride The Wind (Tommy Bolin, Roy Kenner) - 3:46
6. Got No Time For Trouble (Tommy Bolin, John Tesar) - 3:47
7. Rather Be Alone With You (Song For Dale) (Roy Kenner) - 2:05
8. From Another Time (Tommy Bolin, John Tesar) - 4:00
9. Mystery (Tommy Bolin, John Tesar) - 6:07
The James Gang
*Tommy Bolin - Guitars, Synthethizer, Vocals
*Roy Kenner - Percussion, Vocals
*Dale Peters - Bass Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
*Jim Fox - Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
Those expecting kraut-rock must stop here. It's nothing but pure prog in the British tradition and in fact there's almost no "Germanity" on this album, it could have been easily recorded in UK around the same time (1974).
Sinto's complex prog is wonderfully diluted by some funky elements - that can probably make this album appealing for both prog- and mainstream rock fans.
Instrumentation is very rich including not only guitar (Alfred Jones produces some blistering solos throughout the album) and keyboards (funky piano of Peter Holzwig is superb!), but also violin, which plays a prominent part in the whole mix.
Plus, here is a special guy who plays on different congas, bongos and other percussive instruments and his inclusion makes the rhythm-section more versatile.
All the tracks are song-oriented, but this shouldn't repulse you. Vocalist is no Demetrio Stratos, but he does a nice job and it seems that there is no accent in his pronunciation (which is characteristic of many German vocalists daring to sing in English).
Despite the simple structure of most of the tracks (the closing "Another Voice" is the only exception), they are quite unusual harmonically so that they can be labeled progressive rock by all means.
The musicianship is of the highest class and the interplays between guitar and violin are simply great.
Here are some up-tempo rocking songs with obvious funky stylings (opening title-track, "In My Times", 'Don't Wait") and some sad and extremely beautiful ballads ("Rome").
Closing "Another Voice" reminds me of Sinto's compatriots from Pell Mell - the same dark piano riff and violin extravaganza on the top.
Overall, this is a wonderful album. Due to the skillful combination of catchy funky parts and complex instrumental showoffs it can surely please both prog bigots and mainstream rock lovers.
To be honest, I'm pretty surprised this album is fairly obscure, since it seems consciously made for satisfying the wide audience.
Anyway, I highly recommend everyone to check it out.
ProgressiveEars
Tracks
1.Right On Brother (Santos, Hannes Beckmann) - 7:37
2.Rome (Ralph Fischer) - 6:02
3.Things I See (Hannes Beckmann) - 3:29
4.In My Times (Hannes Beckmann) - 3:30
5.Don't Wait (Peter Holzwig, Hannes Beckmann) - 5:13
6.Everytime (Hannes Beckmann) - 5:20
7.Another Voice (Hannes Beckmann) - 3:20
This is quite a nice collection of tunes (rehearsals and demos, mainly) from '60s British psyche group Shape of the Rain, though the term "psychedelic" should be considered in a more generic '60s context that mirrors the bluesy, folk/country tack of the American West Coast groups from the same period as opposed to anything overtly acid-oriented. Having never heard their original-album counterparts, I can't give any comparisons, but this should be very useful for completists as well as an introduction to the group, though the recording quality of the tunes are adequate, so I don't feel that compelled to seek out all the alternate takes.
"Broken Man" kicks off the disc from a '67 session, a great blues-rock stomp perhaps comparable to something early from Welsh group Man; less quirky, but catchy and with an interesting change-up at the chorus. Jumping right ahead to '73, "I Don't Need Nobody" is solid white-boy blues, but no one could have ever convinced me that this was recorded in the '70s. Strangely, the group must have never changed their gear or recording equipment, because all the '70s material on this disc could easily fool the listener as being '60s recordings, and certainly their style never deviated from the original course.
"We're Not Their Boys" is again from a '73 session, but retains a freewheeling folksy '60s naivete that is whistful and endearing. "Hello 503" freaks out a bit more toward the end with appropriately fx'd vocals complimenting the theme of the roboticisation of human beings in the technological age. The next bunch of tunes are from the earliest sessions ('66), reflected in the hissy tape quality - something I've actually grown to enjoy, as the tunes are still perfectly coherent, while giving their sound a more obscure dimension.
This session is definitely a high point, at times reminiscent of the Stalk-Forrest Group recordings (precursor to the brilliant '70s phenomenon Blue Oyster Cult), though the latter came later. Especially cool is "Whillowing Trees", dreamy '60s "garden-psyche" at its best. From the same session, "Spring" has classic wah-guitar, a lovely folky vocal melody and that wonderful '60s bulbous bass sound. From here, the quality of tunes seems to drop off a bit, though "Big Black Bird" and "Everyone the Fool" are stand-out tunes.
From Aural Innovations #19 (April 2002)
Tracks
1. Broken Man - 3:40
2. I Don't Need Nobody - 2:57
3. I'll Be There - 4:15
4. We're Not Their Boys - 4:20
5. Hallelujah - 2:43
6. Hello - 3:15
7. I Doubt If I Ever Will - 2:58
8. Willowing Trees - 3:35
9. Canyons - 4:33
10.Spring - 3:31
11.Words - 5:20
12.Look Around - 3:05
13.Advertising Man - 2:45
14.Go Around And See It - 2:55
15.It's So Good Here - 3:27
16.Big Black Bird - 3:41
17.Everyone The Fool - 4:08
18.You Just Call - 1:45
19.It's My Life - 3:12
All compositions by Keith Riley and Shape Of The Rain.
The Shape Of The Rain
*Keith Riley - Vocals, Guitar
*Len Riley - Bass
*Ian 'Tag' Waggett - Drums, Percussion
*Brian Wood - Vocals, Guitar, Pedal Steel
*Pete Dolan - Bass (1973)
Love Affair was one of the great, all-too-unheralded pop bands of the late '60s in Britain, not a million miles in approach from the Small Faces -- and in Steve Ellis they had a soulful belter who was close to the genius of Steve Marriott. "Everlasting Love" was the big hit, a wonderful slice of music that crossed and recrossed the line between soul and pop, and which still stands proudly after all these years. But it's far from being the only excellent work here. The covers of "Hush," "Tobacco Road," "Handbags and Gladrags," and "The First Cut Is the Deepest" positively steam, while "Rainbow Valley," although a formulaic retread of the big hit, still has plenty going for it. Perhaps the big problem for the band was that they were tagged simply as a pop band, so when they attempted to break that mold, they weren't taken seriously.
That's a shame, as "The Tree," which veers into both psychedelia and prog rock (close neighbors in those days) is an excellent piece of work, and "Once Upon a Season" offers a few echoes of Traffic. That's not to say everything is wonderful: "Could I Be Dreaming?" and "The Tale of Two Bitters" are readily dispensable, and a couple of other tracks are simply nondescript. But the ratio of good to bad is extremely high, and Steve Ellis is convincing throughout.
by Chris Nickson
Tracks
1. Everlasting Love (Buzz Cason, Mac Gayden) - 3:00
2. Hush (Joe South) - 3:38
3. 60 Minutes (Of Your Love) (David Porter, Isaac Hayes) - 3:36
4. Could I Be Dreaming (Steve Ellis, Morgan Fisher) - 3:17
5. First Cut Is The Deepest (Cat Stevens) - 3:21
6. So Sorry (D. Gerard) - 3:09
7. Once Upon A Season (Mick Jackson) - 3:59
8. Rainbow Valley (Buzz Cason, Mac Gayden) - 3:48
9. A Day Without Love (Phillip Goodhand Tait) - 3:11
10.Tobacco Road (J. D. Loudermilk) - 3:52
11.The Tree (Steve Ellis, Morgan Fisher) - 2:45
12.Handbags And Gladrags (Mike d'Abo) - 3:49
13.Build On Love (Phillip Goodhand Tait) - 2:27
14.Please Stay (Bob Hilliard, Burt F. Bacharach) - 4:13
15.Tale Of Two Bitters (Steve Ellis, Morgan Fisher, John Cokell, Mike Smith) - 2:33
16.Gone Are The Songs Of Yesterday (Phillip Goodhand Tait) - 2:54
17.Some Like Me (Steve Ellis, Maurice Bacon, Rex Brayley, Mick Jackson, Lynton Guest) - 3:21
18.I'm Happy (Love Affair) - 2:16
19.One Road (Phillip Goodhand Tait) - 3:08
20.Let Me Know (Love Affair) - 2:29
21.Bringing On Back The Good Times (Phillip Goodhand Tait, John Cokell) - 3:22
22.Another Day (Rex Brayley) - 4:11
23.Un Giorno Senza Amore (Italian Version From 'A Day Without Love') (Phillip Goodhand Tait, Mogol) - 3:11
January Tyme was a New York band formed around the in-your-face vocal work of Janis Joplin-wannabe January Tyme. The band consisted of Tyme on lead vocals, keyboards, and percussion; Anthony Izzo on vocals and lead guitar; William Brancaccio on rhythm guitar, vocals, and keyboards; Steve Ciantro on bass; and Allen Cooley on drums and vocals. In 1969 the band released their only album for the Enterprise label, titled First Time from Memphis.
by Keith Pettipas
"First Time From Memphis" (the ‘Memphis’ reference in the title might imply deep soul or similar), it’s thoroughly enjoyable and should satisfy anyone with a penchant for the more rocking side of the Airplane.
by Richard Falk
Tracks
1. Rainy Day Feeling (Steve Ciantro, Valerie Cuccia) - 3:11
2. The Music (Bill Broncachio, Steve Ciantro, Valerie Cuccia) - 3:33
3. Sleepy TIme Baby (Steve Ciantro) - 3:16
4. Ancient Babylon (Anthony Izzo) - 3:50
5. Hold Me Up To The Light (Billy Fox, January Tyme, Justin Tyme) - 4:53
6. Love Is Blind (Bill Broncachio, Billy Fox, January Tyme) - 2:50
7. Are You Laughing (Steve Ciantro) - 2:58
8. Down To The River (Steve Ciantro) - 4:09
9. I Could Never Love You (Anthony Izzo) - 3:32
10.Take This Time (Bill Broncachio, January Tyme) - 2:58
11.Love Surrounds Me (Billy Fox, January Tyme) - 3:23
