St. Thomas Pepper Smelter was formed by Gerardo Manuel Rojas on vocals and tambourine, Beto Tataje on rhythm guitar and lead guitar, Juan Carlos Barreda on bass and vocals, Carlos Manuel Barreda on drums and backing vocals (all from the famous group Los Shains), and Freddy Macedo on keyboards. Their first single was a cover of ‘Purple Haze’ b/w one of their own compositions, ‘A New Summer.’ The band then began to record their only LP. That album contains twelve tracks—six written by the band, and the other half cover versions.
The band’s music could be described as freak beat; in many ways, it is a preview of the garage /surf style of Los Shain’s, heading towards the heavy psychedelic rock of Gerardo Manuel & El Humo. At the time, St. Thomas Pepper Smelter simply called it “underground music.” Gerardo’s voice is soft in the band’s own songs, and aggressive on the cover tunes; his guitar style oozes fuzz. The foundation of bass and drums by the brothers Barreda is very powerful and strong; and the songs benefit from the layers of keyboard played by Freddy Macedo.
Tracks
1. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Doug Ingle) - 5:16
2. Pepper's Boogaloo (Gerardo Manuel Rojas, Beto Tataje) - 3:10
3. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce) - 2:44
4. Words Of Pain (Gerardo Manuel Rojas, Beto Tataje) - 2:53
5. People In Me (Sean Bomniwell) - 2:57
6. Heart Teaser (Tim O' Brian, S. English, Gary St Clair) - 3:55
7. Can You See Me? (Jimi Hendrix) - 2:38
8. Answer (Gerardo Manuel Rojas) - 3:26
9. Betty Boom-Little Monster-Doggie And Peggie At The Witches Castle (Gerardo Manuel Rojas, Beto Tataje) - 3:39
10.Hey, Joe (Billy Roberts) - 3:50
11.Is My Guitar (Carlos Martinez) - 2:36
12.Raga Gag (Instrumental) - 5:21
The St. Thomas Pepper Smelter
*Gerardo Manuel Rojas - Vocals, Percussion
*Beto Tataje - Guitar, Vocals
*Juan Carlos Barreda - Bass, Vocals
*Freddy Macedo - Organ
*Carlos Manuel Barreda - Drums
Holy Mackerel were formed in 1970 from the ashes of Kent-based psychedelic band Jason Crest. Three members of that highly regarded outfit - singer and chief songwriter Terry Clark, drummer Roger Siggery and guitarist Derek Smallcombe joined forces with local musicians Tony Wood and Chris Ware in an attempt to move towards a more contemporary rock sound. After a brief flirtation with the name Highway, the band settled for the more distinctive soubriquet of Holy Mackerel. They gigged incessantly, occasionally as headliners but often as support act to bands as diverse as Three Dog Night and the Sweet. As a result of their punishing live schedule, Holy Mackerel slowly established a considerable reputation on the thriving college and university circuit; indeed, the sheer volume of live work undertaken by the band ensured that they were financially secure enough to survive without the aid of a recording contract.
By 1972 Holy Mackerel were attracting capacity crowds in their own right, an achievement that did not go unnoticed within the music industry. The band finally accepted an offer from management agency General Artistes, who also handled unabashed pop acts like Vanity Fayre and Chicory Tip. Fronted by high profile entrepreneur Roger Easterby, General Artistes succeeded in obtaining a recording contract for Holy Mackerel from CBS Records.
The first of Holy Mackerel's four singles appeared on 27 October 1972 ('Rock-A-Bye' c/w 'New Black Shoes', CBS 8447). However, this was merely a taster for the band's eponymously-titled debut album which emerged three weeks later. 'Holy Mackerel' (CBS 65297) was a slightly tentative first step that bore the familiar hallmarks of a popular live band struggling to adapt to the differing demands of the recording studio environment. Nevertheless there were sufficient glimpses of quality to suggest that a second album might prove to be an altogether more substantial affair.
Shortly after the release of the Holy Mackerel album, Roger Easterby formed a new label entitled Santa Ponsa. Naturally enough Holy Mackerel were enticed away from CBS to become one of Santa Ponsa's first signings: the perils of a joint management and recording contract would only become evident at a later date. At the time a brave new world beckoned, particularly when Santa Ponsa quickly hit paydirt with the chart success of Guy Darrell's 'I've Been Hurt' (a mid-1960's recording leased with delicious irony from CBS).
Flushed with this early success, Easterby instructed Holy Mackerel to record a version of an old Bruce Channel song called 'We Got It Nailed Down' (Santa Ponsa PNS6). This track failed to register commercially when issued as a single in September 1973, as did the country chestnut 'Tennessee Waltz' (Santa Ponsa PNSI1) a few months later.
Undeterred, Easterby urged the band to proceed with the recording of their second album. They responded enthusiastically, with three members writing material of sufficient calibre to ensure that this album (given a working tide of 'Take A Deep Breath And Smile') would represent a quantum leap forward from their CBS debut. Holy Mackerel were already established as a crowd-pulling live act: with the aid of a supportive record company and some outstanding new material, surely this album would prove to be the vinyl breakthrough that they needed?
By the time that the album had been painstakingly pieced together in the studio, Santa Ponsa were floundering badly. Guy Darrell's unexpected hit had proved to be a one off rather than the start of something big: the label subsequently released a further two dozen singles without securing a second success. As a result, Easterby wasn't in a position to gamble with the release of an album without the financial safety net of a hit single. One of the more commercial tracks - Terry Clark's 'Ballad of Joe McCann', fortunately a better song than the tide would suggest - was selected as a single (Santa Ponsa PNS18) in early 1974. Its lack of success ensured that, by the time Santa Ponsa ceased trading later that same year, the second Holy Mackerel album had still not emerged.
Having lost both their management and recording company in one fell swoop. Holy Mackerel's career was plunged into a protracted state of limbo. They briefly delayed the inevitable by electing to struggle on, although drummer Roger Siggery hailed out and was replaced by Dennis Elliott, who would subsequently join Foreigner. Terry Clark recorded a handful of solo singles under a variety of ludicrous aliases, the most notable being a version of 'Best Part of Breaking Up' credited to Eddie Fontana (Santa Ponsa PNS23 in October 1974). Overwhelmed by events. Holy Mackerel had slowly disintegrated by this stage: ironically the album that may have been their salvation remained unissued.
Twenty years later, 'Closer to Heaven' (which has been digitally remastered from the sole surviving acetate copy) is a fascinating but frustrating glimpse of what might have been. Perhaps the band were too eclectic for their own good, but their consummate mastery of various musical styles enabled them to mould a wide variety of disparate elements into a distinctive and fully coherent sound. Many rock bands of the era may have laid claim to the raging dual guitar onslaught of 'Judgement Day', but few would have been equally well-equipped to tackle the delicate beauty of 'Walk Through The Valley' without stumbling into mawkishness or parody.
Had "Closer to Heaven' been released at the time, the Holy Mackerel story may have had a rather differentending. This belated issue at least provides the band with a suitably impressive epitaph.
by David Wells, September 1993
Tracks
1. Gemini (Derek Smallcombe) - 3:27
2. Ballad Of Joe McCann (Terry Clark) - 3:28
3. Burglar Man (Derek Smallcombe, Terry Clark) - 3:56
4. Blue Eyed Redeemer (Chris Ware) - 2:52
5. (Closer To Heaven On) Judgement Day (Terry Clark) - 4:11
6. Hard Times, Good Times (Terry Clark)- 2:57
7. Near You (Terry Clark) - 4:17
8. Walk Through The Valley (Derek Smallcombe, Terry Clark) - 2:51
9. Waterfall (Derek Smallcombe) - 7:46
The Holy Mackerel
*Terry Clarke - Lead Vocals
*Derek Smallcombe - Guitars, Vocals
*Chris Ware - Guitars
*Tony Wood - Bass
*Roger Siggery - Drums
Here are lengthy multi-part suites, excellent musicianship and an overall very appealing early 70's, very jazzy progressive rock sound with lots of flute, sax, keyboards and guitar. But closer inspection of the material on the album reveals that you've been cheated. All of the four tracks are made up of tiresome extended jams and solos that are built around themes and melodies.
‘Ben’ was the band’s only release on the progressive Vertigo ‘spiral’ label in 1971. It is packed with ambitious instrumental arrangements of inspired jazz-rock, performed by a talented five that represented the best of the Canterbury scene, the movement that flourished in the early 1970s.
Tracks
1.a.The Wooing Of The Child (Keith Jarret)
1.b.The Innocence Of The Child (Peter Davey)
1.c.The Interest Of The Youth (Gerry Reid, Peter Davey)
1.d.The Involvement Of The Man (Peter Davey)
1.e.The Realization (Alex Macleery)
1.f.The Wooing Of The Man (Keith Jarret)
1.g.The Conclusion (Alex Macleery, David Sheen, Gerry Reid, Len Surtees, Peter Davey) - 10:05
2. Gibbon (Peter Davey) - 9:32
3. Christmas Execution (Peter Davey) - 7:21
4. Gismo (Peter Davey) - 11:50
A legend in its own lifetime, Keep Them Freaks a Rollin' was, as its subtitle makes plain, recorded live at Abbey Road Studios in 1969, as a possible first album by the then newly signed Broughton Band. However, the tapes were shelved in favor of a more conventional studio recording, and only one excerpt ever made it out, a harshly edited 45 of the closing "Out Demons Out," already established as the band's live tour de force. The full-length version, however, remained unheard and, like the rest of the show, it eventually faded into mythology.
The tapes were finally resuscitated in 2004, to herald EMI's CD remastering of the full Edgar Broughton Band catalog. And, though 35 years had now passed, the primal energy and majesty of the Broughtons in full flight still burns through. Egged on by a studio full of friends and fans, the band recounts its entire period live show, with a churning "Smokestack Lightning" and an evil "Dropout Boogie" pinpointing the two influences that collided to create the Broughtons' own unique brew. "American Boy Soldier," still one of the most potent protest songs of the entire Vietnam era (and an equally valid component in the modern-day outfit's live show) is spellbinding and, at almost 15 minutes, spotlights the band's improvisational powers to perfection.
And then there's "Out Demons Out," restored to its full ten-minute glory once again, and still capable of swaying the stoniest heart. Would history have been different had this become the band's debut album? Probably not -- and besides, what would have become of Wasa Wasa if it had? But still, any survey of the British underground through the early '70s would be woefully incomplete without an evening spent with this album and, alongside Hawkwind's Doremi Fasol Latido, the first Pink Fairies album, and Mick Farren's Carnivorous Circus, it remains the key to what that entire movement was all about.
by Dave Thompson
Tracks
1. Smokestack Lightning (Chester Burnett) - 10:43
2. What Is A Woman For? (Edgar Broughton) - 11:02
3. Yason Blues (Arthur Grant, Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton) - 4:23
4. Refugee (Edgar Broughton) - 9:06
5. Dropout Boogie (Don Van Vliet) - 5:30
6. American Boy Soldier (Arthur Grant, Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton) - 14:52
7. Momma's Reward(Keep Them Freaks A Rollin') (Edgar Broughton) - 6:56
8. Out Demon's Out (Arthur Grant, Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton) - 9:56
The Edgar Broughton Band
*Edgar Broughton - Guitar, Vocals
*Steve Broughton - Drums
*Arthur Grant - Bass, Vocals With
*Terry Yason - Harmonica
Ultimate Spinach was one of the most well-known, and perhaps the most notorious, of the groups to be hyped as part of the "Bosstown Sound" in 1968. The name itself guaranteed attention, as one of the most ludicrous and heavy-handed "far out" monikers of the psychedelic era, even outdoing formidable competition such as the Peanut Butter Conspiracy. Although the group were competent musicians with streaks of imagination, their albums were generally poor third cousins to the West Coast psychedelic groups that served as their obvious inspirations.
Ultimate Spinach was produced by veteran arranger Alan Lorber, a main architect of the "Bosstown Sound." In September 1967, he announced a marketing plan in the top music trade papers to make Boston, in his own words (from his liner notes to Big Beat's reissue of Ultimate Spinach's first album), "a target city for the development of new artists from one geographical location." This automatically insured that Lorber and his groups would be the subject of some derision from the hip underground, since vital regional music scenes such as San Francisco psychedelia (which the Bosstown sound often seemed to be mimicking) have to happen on their own, rather than being manufactured. MGM was the label that released most of the Bosstown Sound groups, and it was through MGM that Lorber arranged to distribute two of the bands he produced, Orpheus and Ultimate Spinach.
On the first two of their three albums, Ultimate Spinach was utterly dominated by leader Ian Bruce-Douglas, who wrote all of the material, sang the majority of the lead vocals, and played a wide variety of instruments, most frequently electric keyboards. Their self-titled debut, released in 1967, was a seriously intended psychedelic stew, with inadvertent comically awkward results. Bruce-Douglas' songs tended to be either dippily, humorlessly cosmic, or colored by equally too-serious fingerpointing at mainstream society.
The music aped the songwriting forms and guitar/keyboard textures of West Coast psychedelic stars the Doors, the Jefferson Airplane, and Country Joe & the Fish, but sounded like ham-handed pastiches. Bruce-Douglas created some sleek, weedy electric keyboard lines on tracks like "Sacrifice of the Moon," but was sometimes so imitative of Country Joe & the Fish's first album that he crossed the line into plagiarism, as on "Baroque #1," with its close similarities to Country Joe's "The Masked Marauder." There were more graceful touches in the occasional vocals by guitarist Barbara Hudson and a Baroque-classical tinge to some of the arrangements, and the album did actually sell fairly well.
Behold and See, also released in 1968, was similar to the debut album but a little more even-keeled. That wasn't all good news: there weren't any keyboard-dominated instrumentals to rival "Sacrifice of the Moon," Barbara Hudson didn't have any lead vocals (although guest vocalist Carol Lee Britt took some), and Bruce-Douglas' songwriting was still embarrassingly high-minded and pretentious. The mysterious Bruce-Douglas disbanded Ultimate Spinach after the second LP was recorded, leaving Lorber holding the bag, as a third Ultimate Spinach album had already been scheduled for release.
An entirely different lineup was assembled for their third and last album, with only Barbara Hudson remaining from the one heard on the first LP. Also including Ted Myers (ex-Lost and Chamaeleon Church) and guitarist Jeff Baxter (later to play with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers), this version of Ultimate Spinach recorded III. The record was an undistinguished jumble of psychedelic, hard rock, and pop styles that sounded like the work of several different bands.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks Disc 1 Ultimate Spinach 1967
1. Ego Trip - 3:12
2. Sacrifice Of The Moon (In Four Parts) - 3:45
3. Plastic Raincoats/Hung-Up Minds - 2:55
4. (Ballad Of The) Hip Death Goddess - 8:12
5. Your Head Is Reeling - 3:39
6. Dove In Hawk's Clothing - 3:53
7. Baroque #1 - 4:47
8. Funny Freak Parade - 2:34
9. Pamela - 3:10
10.Your Head Is Reeling (Mono Version) - 3:38
11.(Ballad Of The) Hip Death Goddess (Mono Version) - 8:18
All compositions by Ian Bruce Douglas
Disc 2 Behold And See 1968
1. Gilded Lamp Of The Universe - 3:04
2. Visions Of Your Reality - 5:50
3. Jazz Thing - 6:40
4. Mind Flowers - 9:38
5. Where You're At - 3:12
6. Suite: Genesis Of Beauty (In Four Parts) - 9:45
7. Fifth Horseman Of The Apocalypse - 5:58
8. Fragmentary March Of Green - 6:38
9. Mind Flowers (Mono Version) - 9:38
10.Fragmentry March Of Green (Mono Version) - 6:38
All selections by Ian Bruce Douglas
Disc 3 Ultimate Spinach III 1969
1. (Just Like) Romeo And Juliet (Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, Thelma Williams) - 2:34
2. Somedays You Just Can't Win (Ted Myers, Tony Scheuren) - 3:23
3. Daisy (Jeff Baxter) - 2:21
4. Sincere (Ted Myers) - 3:32
5. Eddie's Rush (Ultimate Spinach) - 6:52
6. Strange Life Tragicomedy (Ted Myers, Tony Scheuren) - 4:13
7. Reasons (Tony Scheuren) - 3:52
8. Happiness Child (Ted Myers) - 4:42
9. Back Door Blues (Ted Myers) - 2:56
10.The World Has Just Begun (Ted Myers, Tony Scheuren) - 3:20
The Ultimate Spinach
*Ian Bruce-Douglas - Vocals, Acoustic, Electric Guitars, 12-String Bass, Electric Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Sitar, Vibraphone (Disc 1 And 2)
*Barbara Jean Hudson - Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Vocals
*Keith Lahteinen - Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Disc 1)
*Richard Nese - Acoustic, Electric Bass, Feedback (Disc 1 And 2)
*Geoffrey Winthrop - Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Feedback, Acoustic, Electric Sitar, Vocals
*Ted Myers - Guitar, Vocals (Disc 1 And 3)
*Russell Levine - Drums, Percussion (Disc 2 And 3)
*Carol Lee Brit - Vocals (Disc 2)
*Mike Levine - Bass (Disc 3)
*Jeff Baxter – Lead, Bowed, Steel Guitars, Vibraphone, Vocals (Disc 3)
*Tony Scheuren - Organ, Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals (Disc 3)
The debut album by British free-festival favorites the Edgar Broughton Band almost literally re-created the spirit of their natural territory -- a muddy field full of sunbaked hippies -- with eight more or less epic tracks that, though their inspiration has long become the stuff of ancient history, remain essential listening to all but the most jaded ears. All maniacal cackle and frenzied riffing, the band's first single, "Evil," and the brutal bellowing of "Love in the Rain" are the most conventional numbers in that they were certainly written as crowd-pleasing stompers in the days before "Out Demons Out" established itself as the Edgar Broughton Band's all-consuming anthem.
More impressive, however, are the numbers which see the band stretching both their capabilities and their audience's expectations -- the lengthy opus "Dawn Crept Away," the evocatively titled "Death of an Electric Citizen," and, best of all, "American Boy Soldier." Ranking alongside Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" as British rock's finest contribution to the Vietnam War, it is a Mothers of Invention-esque piece that blends sneering spoken word with a delightfully doo wop-ish invocation of all that war really has to offer and all that its servants leave behind. "Shot down from my plane/Never be the same again/I was just 16 years old." As jaggedly metallic as it is theatrically ambitious, Wasa Wasa (an Eskimo phrase meaning "from far, far away") stands alongside early albums by the Fairies, the Deviants, and Hawkwind as a dramatic snapshot of a very special moment in time, as the whimsical hopefulness of the late '60s gave way to the chilled cynicism of the early '70s. And, while the band would certainly produce better songs over the next three years, they never again unleashed such a potent mood.
by Dave Thompson
Sing Brother Sing almost equals the psychedelic cohesiveness and insouciant air of the Edgar Broughton Band's debut album, but, even without doing so, it still stands as their second strongest release. All the songs on Sing Brother Sing wallow in a hippie-ish, kick-backed experimental blues-rock style, extenuated to perfection by Broughton's resonant grumble and vocal staunchness, and surrounded by chem lab mixtures of guitar and bass. The group's peculiar instrumental outputs give odd tracks such as "There's No Vibrations but Wait," "Momma's Reward," and the two parts of "Psychopath" progressive rock-type tendencies with a homemade wit, which would be the band's most daunting characteristic outside of Edgar Broughton's singing.
Although the Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa comparisons are unavoidable, the rest of Sing Brother Sing's facets and odd instrumental avenues emit a distinctness that remains the whole album through. The quaint but humorous English air that encircles "Officer Dan" and "Old Gopher" reflects Broughton's adept satirical approach, maybe without him even knowing it. Held together with elements of jazz, rock, and blues, the music on Sing Brother Sing is captivating because of its raw integrity, and in its refusal to adhere to structure, formula, or to travel a beaten path.
by Mike DeGagne
The most conventional of the Edgar Broughton Band's first (and best) three albums, 1971's Edgar Broughton Band finds the group dispensing with the no-holds-barred mania and theatricality responsible for such classics as "Out Demons Out," "Up Yours," and "Apache Drop Out" and concentrating instead on more musical endeavors. It's an approach that arguably captures the band at their very best at the same time as revealing them at their ugliest. The two-part epic "For Dr. Spock" conjures images of Gong, as it drifts closer to space rock than the Edgar Broughton Band had hitherto ventured, while "House of Turnabout" certainly restates the group's free-freak credentials with its rumbling percussion and scything guitars, a second cousin to the roars that punctuated Wasa Wasa and Sing Brother Sing.
The heart of Edgar Broughton Band, however, lies elsewhere. The lilting chant "Thinking About You," with its spectral reminders of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero," is certainly one of their most rancorous concoctions, while "Evening Over Rooftops" rides an acoustic guitar as pretty as its flowery lyric, but you know there's something rotten squirming just below the surface, even if you can never quite put your finger on it. The pure pop backing vocals, all "sha-la-la" and "doo-be-doo-be-doo," of course, only add to your unease. And, as that is merely the opening number, you can guess what you're in for over the rest of the album long before you actually get it.
The Broughtons' fifth album has never been as well-regarded as its predecessors, although that has more to do with timing than with the record itself -- by 1973, after all, the Broughtons' brand of post-hippie revolution was feeling just a little tired, particularly in the face of the glam scene that had emerged all around, and no matter how strong the songwriting and performances remained, there was still a sense of too little, too late. Which was colossally unfair. No, Oora isn't a patch on either Wasa Wasa or Sing Brother Sing. But it was an improvement on the previous year's Inside Out, and a handful of its contents -- notably "Exhibits from a New Museum/Green Lights" and "Roccococooler" -- could rub shoulders alongside any of the band's earlier, better-feted material. Indeed, the sheer diversity of Oora flies defiantly in the face of anybody hoping to pigeonhole the band with its past reputation, as Oora reveals a tight, concise, and extraordinarily melodic band whose members had clearly been listening to Neil Young as much as the Mothers of Invention, and weren't afraid to prove it.
by Dave Thompson
Tracks Disc 1 Wasa Wasa 1969
1. Death Of An Electric Citizen (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant) - 6:09
2. American Boy Soldier (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant) - 4:22
3. Why Can't Somebody Love Me? (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant) - 5:05
4. Neptune (Steve Broughton) - 4:20
5. Evil (Edgar Broughton) - 2:36
6. Crying Band (Edgar Broughton) - 5:13
7. Love In The Rain (Edgar Broughton) - 3:47
8. Dawn Crept Away (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton) - 13:59
Disc 2 Sing Brother Sing 1970
1. There's No Vibrations, But Wait! (Edgar Broughton) - 4:13
2. The Moth (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant) - 5:14
3. Momma's Reward (Keep Them Freaks A-Rollin) (Edgar Broughton) - 3:05
4. Refugee (Edgar Broughton) - 3:39
5. Officer Dan (Steve Broughton) - 1:38
6. Old Gopher (Steve Broughton) - 3:53
7. Aphrodite (Edgar Broughton) - 4:05
8. Granma (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant) - 2:27
9. Psychopath (Edgar Broughton) - 6:51
10.It's Falling Away (Edgar Broughton) - 5:30
Disc 3 Edgar Broughton Band 1971
1. Evening Over Rooftops (Edgar Broughton, Victor Unitt) - 5:02
2. The Birth (Edgar Broughton) - 3:43
3. Piece Of My Own (Edgar Broughton) - 2:48
4. Poppy (Edgar Broughton) - 2:14
5. Don't Even Know Which Day It Is (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Victor Unitt) - 4:21
6. House Of Turnabout (Edgar Broughton) - 3:08
7. Madhatter (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Victor Unitt) - 6:16
8. GettingHard / What Is A Woman For? (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant, Victor Unitt) - 7:31
9. Thinking Of You (Steve Broughton, Victor Unitt) - 2:08
10.For Dr. Spock (Parts 1, 2) (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant, Victor Unitt) - 3:50
Disc 4 In Side Out 1972
1. Get Out Of Bed / There's Nobody There / Side By Side (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton) - 3:42
2. Sister Angela (Edgar Broughton) - 0:42
3. I Got Mad (Edgar Broughton, Victor Unitt) - 3:46
4. They Took It Away (Steve Broughton) - 2:27
5. Homes Fit For Heroes (Edgar Broughton) - 4:19
6. Gone Blue (Edgar Broughton, Arthur Grant) - 3:14
7. Chilly Morning Mama (Edgar Broughton) - 4:33
8. The Rake (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton) - 2:43
9. Totin' This Guitar (Edgar Broughton) - 1:47
10.Double Agent (Edgar Broughton) - 2:55
11.It's Not You (Edgar Broughton, Arthur Grant, Victor Unitt) - 11:13
12.Rock 'N' Roll (Edgar Broughton, Victor Unitt) - 2:56
Disc 5 Oora 1973
1. Hurricane Man / Rock 'N' Roller (Edgar Broughton) - 6:15
2. Roccococooler (Edgar Broughton) - 3:11
3. Eviction (Steve Broughton) - 3:01
4. Oh You Crazy Boy! (Victor Unitt) - 2:44
5. Things On My Mind (Steve Broughton) - 3:41
6. Exhibits From A New Museum / Green Lights (Edgar Broughton) - 8:01
7. Face From A Window / Pretty / Hi-Jack Boogie / Slow Down (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant, Victor Unitt) - 10:29
8. Capers (Edgar Broughton, Steve Broughton, Arthur Grant, Victor Unitt) - 1:37
The Edgar Broughton Band
*Edgar Broughton - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*Arthur Grant - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Steve Broughton - Drums, Vocals
*Victor Unitt - Guitars, Vocals (On Discs 1, 3, 4 And 5) Guest Personnel (Only on Disc 5 "Oora" 1973)
*Madeline Bell – Backing Vocals
*Doris Troy – Backing Vocals
*Lisa Strike – Backing Vocals
*Maggie Thomas – Backing Vocals
*David Bedford – Piano
Bump 2 was recorded in 1971, just a year later after the debut album, also on Pioneer Records and produced by Gary A. Rubin. Paul Lupien - organ / George Runyan - bass, vocals / Alan Goldman - guitar / Jerome Charles Greenburg - drums, recorded 8 great tracks which never came out so far. We could even use the original artwork. This is a fantastic prog / psychedelic monster LP, a mixture of dreamy organ psych with heavy fuzz bluster, very much like CA Quintet. Ghostly swirly organs, burning rough guitars, sound effects, fuzz/wahwah guitars, trippy lysergic vocals and great melodies. A killer album from start to end.'
Tracks
1. Winston Built The Bridge - 3:08
2. Such Pretty Scenery - 6:33
3. The Song - 3:18
4. Sea Of Tranquility - 2:52
5. Concerning Your Invitation - 2:23
6. Promises To You - 3:30
7. Let Me Lie - 2:10
8. Boris The Black - 10:52
The Bump
*Paul Lupien - Organ
*George Runyan - Bass, Vocals
*Alan Goldman - Guitar
*Jerome Charles Greenburg - Drums
The Bump emerged in the spring of 1969 out of Detroit's psychedelic pop scene. The band's founding members, bassist/vocalist George Runyan and keyboardist Paul Lupien, held open auditions to fill the open guitar and drum positions, finally settling on Alan Goldman and Jerome Charles Greenberg, respectively, who had themselves been a team of several years going back to their high school friendship. Runyan came up with the band name after seeing a roadside sign. Lupien was the band's primary songwriter; he already had a backlog of songs coming into the band. Runyan and Greenberg were, although less prodigious, also writers, so the band instantly had original material to practice and perform. By the late summer of 1969, the Bump had sufficiently worked up their material and were signed by a local 8-track recording studio, Pioneer, which also provided the band with management, equipment, booking, rehearsal space, recording facilities, even its own label.
They recorded two singles and two LPs for the label. The first, self-titled album received favorable reviews in publications such as Billboard and Record World magazines, but was not enough promoted to chart nationally. The second album was never released. Still, the Bump made its name with a dramatic live show that included theatrical stage costumes and make-up. They also made several local television appearances, and had a local hit with their second single, "Sing Into the Wind/State of Affairs." In 1971, Runyan and Lupien dissolved the band, yet remained a writing and performing team with numerous other bands, none of which experienced any measure of success, over the next couple years.
by Stanton Swihart
Tracks
1. Sing Into The Wind (Jerome Charles Greenberg) - 2:26
2. State Of Affairs - 3:11
3. Daydream Song - 3:26
4. Holly Thorndike - 0:56
5. Got To Get You Back (Jerome Charles Greenberg) - 2:37
6. Spider's Eyes - 5:29
7. Clean Myself - 5:08
8. From My Slot (George Runyan) - 2:27
9. Lifelines, Decisions, You Can't Even Think - 10:48
10.Winston Built The Bridge (Bonus Track) - 3:06
11.Sing Into The Wind (Bonus Track) (Jerome Charles Greenberg) - 2:26
Somewhere in Bournemouth 1968, the green giant emerged largely through vibrant concert performances. The Hulk started with the thunderous vox of Pete Thorpe who fronted the Harvey Wells Soul Band that become legendary through the ballrooms of the ‘Boscombe Hippodrome’ warming up for Status Quo, Small Faces and Pretty Things. The stirring grit of "In The Midnight Hour" could only hold them for long and by 1969 Thorpe recruited ex Free Love rhythm guitarist Pete Granville Frazer, ex Big Idea vocalist / guitarist Phil Clough, ex Push drummer Bernard James and Free Love bassist James Haines as Elias Hulk, with the latter recruitment of guitarist Neil Tatum.
The groups stomping ground was the South West of England where rural hippy communities were loyal and astute enough to enjoy lengthy solos. Eric referred them to ‘Youngblood Records’ who handled the likes of Dando Shaft and Python Lee Jackson. Far from green the Hulk launched Unchained in 1970 with zealous bass and drum solo in the opening "We Can Fly". Elias Hulk were not a typical rock band but more wrapped in the entrails of psyche with extreme tempo changes and sensitive mood swings, stamped by Granville’s innovative raga spillage through the Coltrane influenced "Delhi Blues". Tatum’s urgent axe reaches severing angst through the compelling "Nightmare", while the free harmonies of "Been Around Too Long" evolve into latent jazz snare by Bernard James. Granville dazzled with a touch of guitar phasing (Caleb Quaye style) in the middle bridge of "Yesterday's Trip".
The blues slides superbly into "Free" with a nourishing Peter Green delta feel. Often likened to Geronimo they were closer to Hookfoot or Capability Brown. "Delhi Blues" is really their opus riff that quells all the way from Brighton to Bombay. The Hulk epitaph "Ain't Got You" sizzles with creative bass from Haines and squelching Tatum wah wah. By 1971 the great Hulk had fallen with Granville writing material for The Ckreed which included future Babe Ruth bassist Dave Hewitt. Thorpe sang for Magic Muscle, one part of the Hawkwind / Pink Faeries acid garden that evolved into The Rat Bites From Hell. Bernard James went on to Pro-Eyes and Flyer while Frazer entered Jenny Haan’s Lion. Clough joined Pinkerton’s Colours and Flying Machine.These days Hulk’s influence lies with Dr Brown and Bevis Frond.
by Shiloh Noone
Tracks
1. We Can Fly (Granville Frazer, Peter Thorpe) - 6:16
2. Nightmare (Bernard James, Granville Frazer, James Haines, Neil Tatum, Peter Thorpe) - 3:11
3. Been Around Too Long (James Haines, Neil Tatum, Peter Thorpe) - 3:01
4. Yesterday's Trip (Granville Frazer, Neil Tatum, Peter Thorpe) - 3:56
5. Anthology Of Dreams (Granville Frazer, Peter Thorpe) - 3:08
6. Free (Granville Frazer, Neil Tatum, Peter Thorpe) - 3:37
7. Delhi Blues (Bernard James, Granville Frazer, James Haines) - 4:18
8. Ain't Got You (Granville Frazer, Peter Thorpe) - 3:29
Elias Hulk
*Peter Thorpe "Big Pete Thorpe" - Lead Vocals
*Neil Tatum - Lead Guitar
*Granville Frazer - Rhythm Guitar
*James Haines - Bass Guitar
*Bernard James - Drums Free Text the Free Text
Tidal Wave are probably best known for their bubblegum pop hits ‘Spider Spider’ and ‘Mango Mango’ in 1969 and 1970 respectively, but they were so much more than that.
Yes, they did play pop and they had a few hits, which were featured on the top radio stations at the time, Springbok Radio and LM Radio. Both stations are long gone, but sadly missed and fondly remembered by many South Africans who grew up without TV. However Tidal Wave also played some very interesting psychedelic pop rock enhanced by the fuzz guitar sounds of Mike Pilot, who formed the hard rock band Stingray in the late 70s. They also played backing for various musicians.
It all started with a man named Terry Dempsey, songwriter and record producer. Dempsey was born in England and came to South Africa in 1968. He wrote and produced The Staccatos first song, ‘Butchers And Bakers’ in 1968. This song had originally been recorded by UK freakbeat band Les Fleur De Lys in 1967, though they called themselves Chocolate Frog at the time.
In August 1970, an album titled simply ‘Tidal Wave’ was released and included ‘Spider Spider’, ‘Green Mamba’ and their next big hit ‘Mango Mango’. This song, with its nonsensical lyrics and repeated phrase of ‘sixty-nine, sixty-nine’, hit number seven on Springbok in late 1970 and achieved top five on LM Radio in January 1971.
In 1971, according to the History Of Contemporary Music Of South Africa by Garth Chilvers and Tom Jasiukowicz, Tidal Wave supplied the music for the soundtrack of the movie, ‘Lindi’, composed and produced by Terry Dempsey.
Mike Koch and Roy Naturman left Tidal Wave and a last single was released in 1971 titled ‘Money Baby’ (b/w ‘I’ve Got To Get Away’) that featured drummer Kevin Kruger and keyboardist Aidan ‘Dooley’ Mason. This song went to number 15 on the Springbok charts and did even better on LM Radio going to number nine. After a couple more line-up changes, sadly, Tidal Wave was no more.
There is a wide variety of music styles covered on this Tidal Wave retrospective release. Lovers of end-of-the-sixties psychedelic pop and rock will discover many hidden gems here including the progressive rock sounds of ‘Get It Out Of Your System’ which would not have been out of place on an Abstract Truth album. This Disc also includes the funky soul sounds of ‘Town Girl’, featuring Peter Vee’s lead vocal, which was previously unreleased.
Tidal Wave is fondly remembered by many and now all their music; the hits, misses and rarities can be found in one place.
by Brian Currin, April 2007
Tracks
1. Put It All Together - 3:07
2. I've Got To Get Away (Aidan Mason) - 2:30
3. With Tears In My Eyes - 3:14
4. Green Mamba - 2:43
5. Town Girl - 3:01
6. Spider Spider - 2:41
7. Morning Light - 3:32
8. Mango Mango - 4:03
9. Give Ma An A - 3:13
10.Money Baby (Aidan Mason) - 3:13
11.We Wanna Know - 2:35
12.Colonel Mustard - 2:41
13.Get It Out Of Your System (Aidan Mason) - 2:49
14.All In A Dream - 2:56
15.Man On A String - 2:46
16.That's Why The Girl Is Crying - 4:09
17.Crazy Horse - 2:25
All songs by Terry Dempsey except where stated
