As lead singer of Manfred Mann during their early run of hits such as "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy," "Pretty Flamingo," and many, many others, Paul Jones was far more influential than people realize. Artists such as Arthur Lee have cited him as a primary influence, and for that fact alone, he should be recognized. After leaving Mann in 1966, Jones made one of the greatest cult films of all time, 1967's Privilege.
This, though, his solo debut, is another step altogether. Always one of the more literate rockers of his era, Jones spends most of his time on this album making fun of stardom and all that goes with it. Hotel rooms, groupies, and the general grind of it all is the subject matter here, and it's all quite a bit of fun. As far as the music goes, much of it is more laid-back than anything Jones did with Manfred Mann, with a lot of country leanings.
Thomas Jefferson Kaye's production is a bit heavy-handed -- which is not much of a suprise. But in the end, it is an interesting record, sounding very much like a roots-oriented David Bowie record, slashing the tires of a car named "stardom."
by Matthew Greenwald
Tracks
1. Life After Death (Paul Jones) - 3:21
2. Motel Blues (Loudon Wainwright III) - 4:00
3. And You Say I'm Too Dependent On My Mind (Paul Jones) - 6:01
4. Construction Worker's Song (Paul Jones) - 5:30
5. Song (For Stan Stunning And The Noodle Queen) (Paul Jones) - 3:40
6. The Pod That Came Back (Paul Jones) - 4:13
7. The Mighty Ship (Artie Resnick, Pat Poor) - 3:40
8. Who Are The Masters (Kris Resnick, Paul Jones, Rupert Holmes) - 3:32
9. Strangely Human Sound (Kris Resnick, Rupert Holmes) - 3:47
Magna Carta was founded in April, 1969, and is one of the longest running bands in the world today.
The band has seen a number of personnel changes, but the common factor has always been Chris Simpson. Song writer, poet, accoustic guitar player and vocalist, he has been largely responsible for the band's unique sound, and has had uncanny success in gathering high quality musicians around him. He founded the band with Lyell Tranter, guitarist, and Glen Stuart, vocalist extraordinaire, and their first professional gig was at the Cambridge Folk Festival. A year later the band cut the first of their 30 odd albums, six of which have gone Gold, and three Silver.
The essence of Magna Carta for the last twenty years has been Chris Simpson and Linda Simpson. Chris has been singing with Linda since 1984. They have been joined in recent years by Matt Barnhoorn, an outstanding Dutch fiddle player. In concert and on record they play with a variety of fine musicians, some of whom have been associated with Magna Carta for a long time. They continue to tour extensively.
This lavishly packaged, sprawling anthology is a fitting summary of Magna Carta’s varied discography. In the late 60s there were several approaches to folk music. Some, such as Fairport Convention, mined the traditional music of the past to reveal the rough vitality at its heart.
Others used the style and instrumentation - acoustic guitars, mandolins to create what was really soft-focus pop. This is not to denigrate the music that they created: those who took the latter course, like Magna Carta, had a lasting impact which can still be heard in the music of artists from David Gray to Badly Drawn Boy. Magna Carta’s early music was extremely pretty and indebted to Simon & Garfunkel and even Peter, Paul & Mary, but Chris Simpson’s songwriting always has a distinctive English flavour and, even when almost insufferably twee - Autumn Song, delights with its period charm and ravishingly beautiful warm sound.
The music ranges from folk-pop to rock and blues, and although the 80s pick offer some distractingly period keyboards, this carefully compiled selection provides an excellent overview of a songwriter quietly dedicated to his art.
by William Pinfold
Tracks Disc 1
1. Midwinter - 3:32
2. Airport Song - 3:43
3. Elizabethan - 2:38
4. Autumn Song/Epilogue - 4:14
5. Time For The Leaving - 4:09
6. Sponge (Davey Johnstone) - 2:22
7. Wayfarin' - 3:47
8. Roll On - 3:07
9. Wish It Was - 3:35
10.Two Old Friends - 3:35
11.Father John - 6:43
12.Isn't It Funny - 2:34
13.Nothing So Bad - 3:50
14.Mixed Up Sensations/Old Man - 5:38
15.I'm Gonna Take You Down - 3:22
16.You Are Only What You Are - 3:43
17.Stop Bringing Me Down - 3:48
18.One Man's Heaven - 4:30
19.You And I - 4:27
20.Forever - 2:56
Words and Music by Chris Simpson except where stated Disc 2
1. Slowbone - 3:01
2. Love On The Wire - 4:17
3. Visions In A Crowd - 5:00
4. Putting It Back Together - 3:15
5. Highway To Spain - 3:54
6. Danny - 3:05
7. Wild Geese - 4:21
8. Sting Of The Gin - 3:18
9. Wind On The Water - 5:03
10.Midnight Blue - 4:14
11.Blues For A Long Road Home - 3:50
12.For The Gypsy - 3:56
13.Pictures In My Pillow - 4:19
14.No Truth In The Rumour - 4:11
15.Winterlude/Ulysses - 7:02
16.Greenfields - 4:48
17.Columbus - 5:35
18.Seasons In The Tide - 4:52
Lyrics and Music by Chris Simpson
Panta Rei is attributed to Heraticlus thoughts about change. Panta Rei meaning everything flows in ancient Greek. And this is exactly what you get in this album. Originally issued on the Harvest label in 1973, this is a wonderful stream of trippy Heavy Swedish prog with an intensely groovy jazz-rock & fuzz oriented approach that comes close to Frank Zappa circa “Hot rats”, with some spacey-freaked-out atmospheres and an underlying Canterbury feel.
The guitar work is predominant and menacing, whereas the all English lyrics and the rich musical texture that feeds on layers of flutes, maracas, timbales, harmonica and impressive percussion, make for a truly majestic album.
Tracks
1. Five Steps (Georg Tolin, Lars Holmer) - 3:11
2. White Bells (Georg Tolin) - 6:53
3. Five O'Clock Freak (Thomas Arnesen) - 9:44
4. The Knight (Georg Tolin, Thomas Arnesen, John Hogman) - 13:44
5. The Turk (Lars Eriksson, Thomas Arnesen) - 4:10
Epsilon was founded 1970 in Marburg, Germany, by members of Orange Peel and Nosferatu (the vocalist / guitarist Michael Winzkowski), the band Epsilon published three LPs between 1971 and 1974. Their self title can be considered as their best, a nicely varied and achieved combination between heavy blues rockin' sections and coherent progressive skills.
Their second 'Move on' (1971) represents a more mainstream rock album with a few enjoyable moments. With the album 'Epsilon off' (1974) the band turn to a straight heavy rockin' trip.
Tracks
1. I've Been Moving - 4:16
2. A New Day - 3:35
3. On the Road - 5:55
4. Ode to John - 3:55
5. Behind the Boarder (Heinrich Ochs, Johan Daansen) - 1:14
6. Logo-Motive - 5:57
7. Let's Sit Down - 3:45
8. Open Your Eyes - 3:06
9. Sadness - 3:46
10.I Know How (Armin Bannach, Johan Daansen) - 3:12
All songs written by Michael Winzkowski, Johan Daansen except where noted.
Orange Peel's first single "I Got No Time" / "Searching For A Place To Hide" (not including on their full length debut release) featured Michael Winzkowski (also of Nosferatu and Epsilon), and they proved quite seminal, with Heinrich Mohn later following Winzkowski to Epsilon, Peter Bischof moving on to Emergency, and Curt Cress becoming amongst the most prolific of drummers. Orange Peel's LP was amongst the most psychedelic of heavy progressive albums, not least side one's opus "You Can't Change Them All", a veritable masterwork of heavy riffing organ rock, kind of Egg and Pink Floyd jamming Krautrock style, featuring vast guitar excursions, and Peter Bischof's gutsy blues vocals.
And then there's "We Still Try To Change" encompassing half of the second side, which trips out beyond the realms of side one's opus, The odd track out is an unusual arrangement of "Tobacco Road".
The album is not only one of the earlier heavy krautrocks efforts, but also of great historical interest. It´s one of the first albums to be made in the legendary Dierks Studio in Cologne and also marked the start of then 17 years old drummer Curt Cress. The music on the album belongs to the category of vintage progressive rock with a lot of extended instrumental solos, not leased on "You can´t change them all" covered the whole side one of the original album (now completed with the 7" track "I Got No Time").
Orange Peel offers everything an album from this genre should... crazy frenzied guitar work , heavy organ whisps and tons of nice heavy keys, mind altering music and instrumentation, with great drum and bass interplay all creating a true heavy psychedelic monster. Four long exploratory tracks with tons of vintage keyboards creating a wonderful wall of sound. This is a classic album of the early krautrock era.
Tracks
1 You Can't Change Them All (Hänf, Ralph Wiltheiß) - 18:16
2 Faces That I Used to Know (Heinrich Mohn, Curt Cress, Leslie Link, Ralph Wiltheiß, Peter Bischof) - 3:13
3 Tobacco Road (John D. Loudermilk) - 7:17
4 We Still Try to Change (Heinrich Mohn, Curt Cress, Leslie Link, Ralph Wiltheiß, Peter Bischof) - 10:05
The Orange Peel
*Peter Bischof - Vocals, Percussion
*Curt Cress - Drums, Percussion
*Leslie Link - Guitar
*Heinrich "Heini" Mohn - Bass
*Ralph Wiltheiß - Organ
Peter Kaukonen is the younger brother of Jefferson Airplane’s Jorma Kaukonen. He was born in September 1945, Topeka, Kansas, USA. and began his career playing blues and folk prior to forming a bluegrass group in 1964 while studying at the University of Stockholm in Sweden. Having moved to California, Kaukonen became member of Petrus. The group recorded an unissued album for A&M Records before folding after which Kaukonen moved to San Francisco.
He enjoyed close ties with Jefferson Airplane, playing on spin-off releases Blows Against The Empire and Sunfighter, before recording for the group’s Grunt label. Kaukonen’s group, Black Kangaroo, formed in 1971, initially comprised of Mario Cipollina (bass) and Bill Gibson (drums), both later of Huey Lewis And The News. However, Peter Kaukonen: Black Kangaroo featured Larry Knight (b. Larry Weissberg; bass) and Joey Covington (drums; ex-Hot Tuna /Jefferson Airplane). Their only album is a hard-edged collection, showing the influence of Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter, with whom Kaukonen worked briefly when Black Kangaroo split up in 1972.
Kaukonen was offered the role of bass player in Jefferson Starship but opted to work as a solo artist. He recorded Traveller, an all-instrumental set, between 1980 and 1984. It did not secure a commercial release, although Kaukonen sold cassette copies at his live appearances. He also revived Black Kangaroo on two occasions. In 1977 he fronted a line-up completed by Stable Brown (bass) and a drummer dubbed ‘Stavros’. A third version, featuring Keith Ferguson (bass) and Jimmy Gillen (drums) was active at the end of the 70s, but it folded when Ferguson left. He later helped form the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
by James Chrispell
Tracks
1. Up Or Down - 3:50
2. Postcard - 5:20
3. What We All Know And Love - 4:48
4. Billy's Tune - 4:58
5. Barking Dog Blues - 4:05
6. Dynamo Snackbar - 3:57
7. Prisoner - 4:57
8. That's A Good Question - 5:12
9. Solid To The Ground - 3:34
10.Solitary Confinement - 2:33
11.Unsatisfactory Sex - 3:48
12.Up Or Down - 4:41
13.Kangaroo Kommercial - 0:34
All songs by Peter Kaukonen
In the onslaught of innovative San Francisco Bay Area psychedelic bands that recorded in the late 1960s, it was inevitable that some would get unfairly overlooked. Foremost among them were Mad River, whose two Capitol albums made barely a ripple saleswise. Overexposure of the San Francisco scene, however, was likely only part of the reason for their commercial failure. For Mad River were one of the hardest psychedelic bands to get a handle on, their eclecticism, oblique lyrics, and tortuous multi-segmented songs defying quick summarization. It may not have helped that Mad River's brand of psychedelia was decidedly dark, often venturing into distraught visions in stark opposition to the feel-good stereotype of the San Francisco Sound.
Mad River formed in late 1965 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, arriving in Berkeley in early 1967 after a detour to Washington, DC. In some ways they were a natural fit for the Bay Area rock community, with their affinity for winding, Eastern-influenced minor-key melodies, somewhat in the manner of Country Joe & the Fish (with whom Mad River often shared bills). Their knack for glistening, wavering interlocking guitars -- particularly those of lead axeman David Robinson and second lead guitarist Rick Bockner -- was somewhat reminiscent of those heard in Quicksilver Messenger Service, though Mad River played with more frenetic angularity. What set them aside most, however, was lead singer and primary songwriter Lawrence Hammond's nervous quaver of a voice.
These qualities were already in place on their rare 1967 debut EP, released on the small local Wee label. All three of its tracks -- "Wind Chimes" (to be re-recorded on their debut album), "A Gazelle" (to be redone as "Amphetamine Gazelle" on the first LP), and the outstanding anti-war song "Orange Fire" (never to be recorded by the band on their albums) -- can be heard on the Ace compilation The Berkeley EPs. Through the EP and live performances, Mad River drew strong grass-roots support in the Bay Area, partly through playing events associated with San Francisco radicals the Diggers. They also had a renowned fan in author and poet Richard Brautigan, who gave the band food to tide them over in rough times.
Capitol Records, as part of a big push to sign San Francisco bands that saw them net Quicksilver and Steve Miller, landed Mad River in 1968. With Nik Venet -- producer of some of Capitol's more adventurous acts, like Fred Neil, Hearts & Flowers, and the Stone Poneys -- they recorded the self-titled debut LP that stands as their best work. The don't-you-dare relax mood was immediately set by the opening cut, "Merciful Monks," Hammond singing (as he does throughout the album) as though someone's just given him the hot foot. The band charged through ominous ever-shifting jagged chords, snaky guitar sustain leads, and almost improvisational-sounding shifts among dissonant melodies and variegated rhythms. Mad River were blending elements of avant-garde jazz, Indian music, blues, and folk into acid rock, sometimes sounding more aligned with the Mothers of Invention's odder instrumental passages than with the typical Bay Area act.
Even when easing into more placid realms, as on "High All the Time," Hammond's pained high-pitched vocals gave the music a vaguely sinister, disquieting air, as though the record had caught the band at the very moment when a blissful psychedelic trip was turning sour and nightmarish. Certainly the manic "Amphetamine Gazelle," in both its speed-freak spoken opening and crazed stop-start rhythms, came across as the jittery rumination of someone who'd ingested one too many of a volatile substance. "Eastern Light," which closed side one of the LP, was psychedelic love song as
funereal march, the exotic vibe embellished by Hammond's recorder.
Hammond also added recorder to "Wind Chimes," a nifty illustration of the group's facility for haunting minor-keyed soloing. "War Goes On" did perhaps itself go on too long, maybe reflecting the hopeless endlessness of the Vietnam quagmire in 1968. Mad River concluded with a too-short, wary grace note on the beautiful folk ballad "Hush Julian," although Hammond's as-ever spooked-out singing made this children's lullaby sound as ghostly as the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust.
Mad River was a critical and commercial flop, not conventionally melodic enough to gain oodles of airplay, its obtuse adventurousness requiring several listenings to even begin to absorb. Their second and final album, 1969's Paradise Bar and Grill , was for the most part an abrupt about-face from the debut. Produced by Jerry Corbitt of the Youngbloods (both Corbitt and fellow Youngblood Lowell "Banana" Levinger add some steel guitar), the tracks largely retreated into calm country-rock, spurred by ex-folkie Hammond's love of country artists such as Merle Haggard. At the same time, the band's propensity for inscrutable acidic tunes with hard rock guitar and impossible-to-hum melodies did rear its head occasionally, making for an extremely diffuse record that seemed torn between several artistic paths.
The instrumental opener, "Harfy Magnum," indicated the band may have been listening to John Fahey, with its similar avant-garde-tinged folk guitar. Hammond got to stretch his sorrowful pipes to the max on the country-rock title track, and Richard Brautigan provided the words and spoken narration for "Love's Not the Way to Treat a Friend," backed by mellow folk picking. (Mad River, mindful of Brautigan's kindness when they were starving, had used some of their Capitol advance to pay for the printing of Brautigan's collection of poems, Please Plant This Book.) Having prepared the listener for an easygoing country-rock record, on "Leave Me/Stay" the band then veered back into the agonized hard rock that had typified the previous LP. This was an extremely downcast romantic lament, as if the desperation of Mad River's "Eastern Light" had been followed by the desertion Hammond seemed to have feared all along. The jarring roller coaster ride continued with the good-time uptempo honky-tonker "Copper Plates" (chosen as the single, which stiffed, of course) and the quasi-classical guitar-and-recorder instrumental "Equinox."
The second side of the LP was no more predictable, "They Brought Sadness" being yet another discombobulated lyric punctuated by twisting, occasionally atonal guitar. "Revolution in My Pocket" broke up strutting funk-rock verses with odd stretches of serene folk guitar and wordless humming, segueing into "Academy Cemetery," an instrumental showcase for squiggly electric guitar leads backed by Latinesque drumming. And what could follow that, of course, but another homespun slice of rustic country-rock, "Cherokee Queen"? It is hard to imagine exactly how Capitol planned to market such an all-over-the-place effort, yet the album did peek into the charts, although it only reached #192.
Frustrated by their lack of recognition, Mad River broke up by the end of the 1960s, most likely victims of the daring recklessness of their musical experimentation. Yet this disc, combining both of their Capitol albums, testifies to their place among the most durable and intriguing San Francisco bands of their era.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks Mad River 1968
1. Merciful Monks - 3:39
2. High All The Time - 4:07
3. Amphetamine Gazelle - 2:57
4. Eastern Ligh (Lawrence Hammond, Greg Dewey) - 7:58
5. Wind Chimes (Mad River) - 7:16
6. War Goes On - 12:26
7. Hush Julian - 1:12 Paradise Bar And Grill 1969
8. Harfy Magnum (David Robinson) - 2:41
9. Paradise Bar And Grill - 3:39
10.Love's Not The Way To Treat A Friend (Richard Brautigan, David Robinson) - 2:02
11.Leave Me Stay - 7:12
12.Copper Plates - 2:33
13.Equinox (Rick Bockner) - 1:51
14.They Brought Sadness (Greg Dewey, Lawrence Hammond) - 4:54
15.Revolution's In My Pockets - 6:07
16.Academy Cemetery (Mad River) - 3:13
17.Cherokee Queen (Carl Oglesby) - 4:08
All compositions by Lawrence Hammond except where stated
Wabash Resurrection sound like a garage Lynyrd Skynyrd after a heavy night with Crazy Horse. The best tracks are definitive shit-kicking-rural-mullet-toting pick-up-truck-drivin’ rawk. Naturally they look the part on the cover. Launches with “Pigsty Blues” which seems to be about “keeping yer sheeet good and your feet flat on the ground”, essential for one’s health and well being don’t you know.
The second track, “A Soldier’s Lament” is perhaps the best, and could be straight off the Rayne LP, thudding drumming and really groovy Crazy Horse style guitar with perfectly subdued, downer vocals. On the amazing “In Heat” they really nail it on the head with the lines: “I dig those Rhythm and Blues/Don’t try to tell me ‘bout no astral projections/I got horse shit on my shoes". You can just picture the lead singer in his cowboy hat peering skeptically at the hippie chick as she warbles on about the Age of Aquarius.
from "Acid Archives"
Tracks
1. Pigsty Blues (Larry Lemons) - 3:43
2. A Soldier's Lament (Doug Oakley) - 4:41
3. Feelin' Good (Bud Bailey, Doug Oakley) - 5:17
4. Country Heartache (Larry Lemons) - 4:41
5. In Heat (Doug Oakley) - 4:47
6. The Angel Came And Went (Bud Bailey) - 2:58
7. Society Woman (Bud Bailey, Doug Oakley) - 4:13
8. You Need Someone (Bud Bailey, Doug Oakley) - 6:53
The Wabash Resurrection
*Bud Bailey - Vocals, Guitar
*Larry "Pipes" Lemons - Bass
*Doug Oakley - Drums, Vocals Free Text the Free Text
Weight consisted of Brian Cassidy (vocals-bass), Peter Masi (vocals-keyboards-guitar-harmonica), Toni Christmas (guitar-vocals), and Noel Cassidy (drums-washboard-vocals).
The album described in some circles as “progressive psych” starts off with “The Night The Pig Got Loose”, featuring a hilarious account of a drug bust told in an Arlo Guthrie sort of way, and then shifts to a ballad musically similar to Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” with the weird title of “Mr.M, Mr.N, and Mr.C (With Help From Mr.D)” (maybe the Mr.D is Dylan they’re referring to).
As the album progresses, it has some nice guitar/organ interplay similar in style to the Allman Brothers, so it leans to Southern Rock as much as it does to a progressive style.
by Max Collodie
Tracks
1. The Night The Pig Got Loose - 4:37
2. Mr. M, Mr. N. And Mr. C (With Help From Mr. D) - 4:27
3. I'm Sure We're Gonna Die - 8:53
4. Overhead Ego - 3:47
5. Disillusion # 1 - 3:00
6. Open Up Your Gate - 3:38
7. The Reason Why We're Here - 5:23
All songs by Peter Masi
The Weight
*Brian Cassidy - Vocals, Bass
*Noel Cassidy - Drums, Washboard, Vocals
*Toni Christmas - Guitar, Vocals
*Peter Masi - Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Harmonica Free Text the Free Text
Who was the mysterious Juicy Lucy? Glenn 'Fernando' Campbell was always meaning to tell me. The cheerful dude in the big hat who played the steel guitar loved to keep everyone guessing and he never revealed his secret. At least - not to me. But Lucy was doubtless one of those ladies of the road, who lubricated the wheels of rock, if you'll pardon the phrase. Musically speaking Juicy Lucy, the band that bore her name, was one of the most respected outfits to come howlin' and wailin' out of the Sixties' blues boom. They had style and class. They also had some of the finest musicians of the day, ready to rock and eager to tour. Their debut album 'Juicy Lucy' (Vertigo), released in 1969 became famous for its notorious gatefold album sleeve, depicting a plump, naked lady covered in grapes, bananas and a half consumed melon. Not a pretty sight, but once seen, never forgotten.
Despite their dramatic launch and excellent credentials, the band never quite made it into the international super league. They had a Top Twenty hit in 1970 with their version of Bo Diddley’s ‘Who Do You Love’ and a subsequent hit with ‘Pretty Woman’. Glenn was filmed in action with the band for the rock movie 'Supersession' and Juicy Lucy went on to record several more albums for Vertigo, Polydor and Island, including 'Lie Back And Enjoy It', 'Pieces' and 'Get A Whiff Of This', before they finally broke up in 1972. Juicy Lucy underwent considerable line up changes during this turbulent period. The band featured on 'Pieces' provides revealing aspects of a fascinating saga which began when Glenn Campbell first arrived in Britain from the States, and ended with the final version of Juicy Lucy, fronted by guitar legend Micky Moody.
The roots of Juicy Lucy lay way back in The Misunderstood, a band championed by both the author of these notes and the lugubrious, mild mannered Radio One DJ John Peel. The reasons for this enthusiasm lay in the fact that Glenn Campbell was not just a fine musician who played a pedal steel guitar with great gusto. He was an American in London and thus seemed closer to the source. He was also very funny and entertaining, and liked a glass of English beer. His laid back sense of humour provided a welcome contrast to the attitude of many British blues practitioners, who seemed to imagine that you had to undergo some sort of private hell and spread a message of unrelenting gloom to be considered a true blues man!
The original Misunderstood was formed in 1966 and reformed for its trip to England. They made two singles for Fontana including 'Children Of The Sun,' and featured good looking young singer Steve Hoard. However the Misunderstood were eventually superseded by a more commercial Juicy Lucy. The first Lucy lineup included Ray Owen (vocals), Glenn Campbell (steel guitar, mandolin and vocals), Neil Hubbard (guitar), Chris Mercer (saxophone, and piano), Keith Ellis (bass and vocals) and Pete Dobson on drums. The band was managed by Nigel Thomas who also looked after the affairs of Joe Cocker. A controversial but energetic music biz figure, Nigel died of a heart attack a couple of years ago. Micky Moody (born August 30, 1950), who is featured on the present album, remembers seeing the first version of the band on the road. 'The band was virtually formed around Glenn and everyone remembers their first album cover with the lady covered in fruit! I think her name was Zelda Plum. It was a great album and I remember seeing the band in action at their early gigs.’
Moody is from Middlesborough. He went to school with Paul Rodgers who later came to fame with Free and Bad Company. Micky and Paul formed a band at school called The Roadrunners which became The Wild Flowers when they moved to London in 1967 and 'starved to death in our caftans!' Micky later went home to study classical guitar while Paul Rodgers met Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke and formed Free. Says Moody: 'I went back to the North East and was asked by a local club owner and singer called John McCoy to help form a blues band called Tramline.' The singer was friendly with record boss Chris Blackwell and the band released two albums on Blackwell's Island label. In March 1969 Moody auditioned for Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound, a well known soul band. He got the gig, but switched to Zoot Money's band for a few months in 1970. He'd got to know Zoot's regular singer Paul Williams, who by this time had joined Juicy Lucy. Micky was brought up to date on all the latest Juicy gossip. 'Ray Owen had been sacked after a couple of months and Paul had got the gig. He told me Neil Hubbard was leaving and asked if I'd like to join on lead guitar. I said, 'Great!' I went straight into recording the album 'Like Back And Enjoy It.' We were gigging all the time and became particularly popular in Germany where the band was very respected."
However it proved increasingly difficult to break out of the club circuit, and reach a higher level of acceptance. "We made another album 'Get A Whiff Of This' before the group finally disintegrated in 1971.' Glenn Campbell went back to America, apparently disillusioned, but during their time together the, Campbell/Moody guitar partnership had worked well. ‘It was good because we didn't get in each other's way. I liked Glenn's playing and did a bit of slide guitar myself, using the bottle neck. Yes I remember Glenn wearing his big hat. But we all used to do that, it was quite trendy at the time!’
Despite the defection of the mainman, Paul Williams wasn't ready to give up. ‘Paul said he wanted to keep the band together. He wanted me to be the lead guitarist and also play bottle neck slide and the band kind of reformed. We had the famous rhythm section of Ron Berg and Andy Pyle from Blodwyn Pig. The line-up varied from time to time and Bernie Marsden actually came down for a blow. We were looking for another player because we wanted twin guitars. I'd been promoted to lead and we needed a rhythm player to get that American funky sound, without being too heavy. Bernie came down, but he was wrong for the job, as he was more in the Clapton vein.’
The third and final version of Juicy Lucy remained functional between July 1971 and June 1972. Rhythm player Dave Tedstone worked with them for a while but the line up on 'Pieces' mainly featured Paul Williams (vocals), Micky Moody (guitar), Jean Roussel (keyboards), Ron Berg (drums) and Andy Pyle (bass). Later Paul Williams would depart to join Jon Hiseman's Tempest, Jean Roussel worked with Cat Stevens and the rhythm section defected to Savoy Brown. Juicy Lucy's style meanwhile had begun to move away from the more predictable blues sound.
Says Micky: ‘The music had a more mellow edge to it. We got a deal with Polydor to record the 'Pieces' album which was produced by Bruce Rowlands, drummer with the Grease Band.'
It was recorded at Olympic Studios, Barnes in December 1971. Most of the songs were written by Paul and a lyricist friend of his called John Edwards. There were a few guests on the album. Albert Lee and Chas Hodges were on backing vocals and Ian McLagan from the Small Faces and Mick 'Wynder K. Frogg' Weaver were on keyboards. Incidentally those two guys have been working together again on albums in Los Angeles.’ 'Pieces' is packed with good performances and kicks off with a rousing version of Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land' intended as a tribute to the master. ‘Although it was mainly a mellow album we wanted to show we could still play rock'n'roll,’ says Micky. ‘The next song, 'Cuckoo', was one we'd head on a Taj Mahal album called 'Natch'l Blues.' This showed the kind of West Coast influence on the band.
We really liked Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. 'It Ain't Easy' was a song Zoot Money wrote and passed on to Paul, and 'Suicide Pilot' was a Williams/Edwards original and a good rock'n'roller. Some of the songs have early Seventies' style lyrics, like 'Dead Flowers In The Mirror' which I recall was a bit of a country spoof! The final cut 'How Can A Poor Man Stand These Times' was taken from Ry Cooder's first album and was written by a blues singer called Alfred Reed. Did the album do very well? I don't think so I haven't been paid for it!' The band virtually split up not long afterward the album was released in the summer when Paul left to join Tempest. Yet the band struggled on with Frankie Miller for a couple more gigs and Bobby Harrison also sang for a while.
We tried to get Frankie Miller into the band but his management said 'no.' Then Bobby said he had a management deal and asked if we'd like to form a band with him. So we formed a new band called SNAFU and in 1972 we toured with Joe Cocker in Europe and did some gigs with Slade. But as Nigel Thomas, our manager, was looking after Joe Cocker, we sort of got pushed to the background. At one point I was asked to join Boxer with Mike Patto but didn't really fancy that, so I teamed up with Bobby Harrison and that was the end of Juicy Lucy.’It was a sad end to a band which had started out with such promise, and high hopes.
Amazingly, despite all the line up changes and shifts in musical direction, the band's name alone could still command strings of college and club gigs right up to the end, such was the demand for 'live' music in those days. Subsequently, Moody did three albums with SNAFU. After they disbanded in 1976, Moody returned to session work and in that role backed singers Graham Bonnett, Frankie Miller, Chris Farlowe, Sheena Easton, Eric Burdon and Roger Chapman. In the mid-seventies, David Coverdale asked him to work on a project that became the first Whitesnake album. Micky played lead guitar on the album, contributed four songs and subsequently toured the world with Whitesnake.
Moody has also recorded with Bob Young ('Young And Moody' album recently reissued on Repertoire) and worked with Bernie Marsden in the Moody Marsden Band. Recently Moody has reunited with Paul Williams to sing in a new band called Blue Thunder. No doubt, when the last punters have left and it’s time for a drink at the bar, reminisce and they swap tales of the days when Juicy Lucy was on the loose!
by Chris Welch, London 1997
Tracks
1. Promised Land (Chuck Berry) - 3:51
2. Cuckoo (Traditional Arr. Paul Williams) - 3:40
3. All My Life (Paul Williams, John Edwards) - 6:30
4. It Ain't Easy (Zoot Money, Colin Allen) - 5:54
5. Suicide Pilot (Paul Williams, John Edwards) - 4:10
6. Why Can't It Happen To Me (Paul Williams, John Edwards) - 3:51
7. Dead Flowers In The Mirror (Paul Williams, John Edwards) - 3:56
8. Prospector Dan (Paul Williams, John Edwards) - 4:50
9. How Can A Poor Man Stand These Times And Live (Alfred Reed) - 3:54
