The cover photo of Good and Dusty album was like a picture postcard from California with an updated color snapshot of old friends. Band relocated to a small town north of San Francisco, got their own label and studio - relaxed, basic and down to earth. The material shows the band's undying love for blues, country, R'n'B and good old Rock 'n' Roll.
The album is almost entirely covers of older material - blues ("Pontic Blues"), R&B ("Stagger Lee"), "Let the Good Times Roll", even the freaking hand jive song. Now with new bassist Mike Kane, the band is almost roots-rock: straight versions with guitars, occasional piano and Young's sweet tenor.
Banana avoids the electric piano, and the jazzyness of Elephant Mountain and Rock Festival only flares up in a few spots. Young has two songs, the blues of "Drifting and Drifting" and the better "Light Shine", an attempt at an uplifting anthem ("People let your light shine"). Earthquake Anderson shows up on harmonica again on a few tracks.
Banana's contribution is the "Hippie from Olema #5", a thinly-veiled retaliatory shot aimed directly at Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee" a 1969 country smash that raked San Francisco's hippies over the Coals. The title track is a minute and a half of instrumental racket). It all sounds fine, the session has a Saturday night roadhouse vibe that makes you feel like moseying out to the back porch for a smoking plate of ribs ans a brew.
by Jud Cost
Tracks
1. Stagger Lee (Al Price, Harold Logan) - 3:15
2. That's How Strong My Love Is (Roosevelt Jamison) - 4:47
3. Willie And The Hand Jive (Johnny Otis) - 3:09
4. Circus Fire (Coral Miller) - 3:01
5. Hippie From Olema #5 (Lowell Levinger) - 2:01
6. Good And Dusty (Jesse Colin Young, Lowell Levinger, Joe Bauer, Michael Kane) - 1:29
7. Let The Good Times Roll (Leonard Lee) - 3:47
8. Drifting And Drifting (Jesse Colin Young) - 4:14
9. Pontiac Blues (Willie Sonny Boy Williamson) - 3:57
10.Moonshine Is The Sunshine (Jeffrey Cain) - 3:41
11.Will The Circle Be Unbroken (Traditional) - 3:20
12.I'm A Hog For You Baby (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 3:32
13.Light Shine (Jesse Colin Young) - 3:44
The Youngbloods
*Jesse Colin Young - Solo Voice , Guitar , Tenor Saxophone
*Banana (Lowell Levinger) - Guitars, Voice, Piano , Mandolin , Banjo
*Michael Kane - Bass , French Horn , Voice, Handset
*Joe Bauer - Battery Guest
*Earthquake Anderson - Harmonica
One World followed almost exactly a year after Ecology, and yielded another hit single in a longtime classic, "I Just Want to Celebrate." The song peaked on the pop charts at number seven and the album broke the Top 50.
One World is an underrated album produced by Tom Baird with a long version of "What I'd Say" by Ray Charles, and original cuts like "If I Die", a remarkable song written by Rivera since the prospect of a soldier at war (supposedly from Vietnam) about to die ... rain is falling on my head, pretty soon I might be dead, the end is here, Lord, it's plain to see, I guess my country's made a fool of me .... which could be interpreted by Crosby, Stills & Nash.
"Any Man Can Be a Fool" rhythmic, melodic rock composition with soul influences by the bassist John Persh in which it speaks of the wise advices of his mother, or "The Seed", another great theme by Pete Rivera with funk rock, jazz rock and blues traces and a phenomenal synergy between first-rate instrumentalists and outstanding solo guitarist Ray Monette ... tell me where will it go from here .
Tracks
1. What'd I Say (Ray Charles) - 7:14
2. If I Die (Pete Rivera) - 3:30
3. Seed (Pete Rivera) - 3:32
4. I Just Want To Celebrate (Dino Fekaris, Nick Zesses) - 3:37
5. Someone To Love (Gil Bridges) - 3:47
6. Any Man Can Be A Fool (John Persh) - 3:35
7. Road (Tom Baird) - 3:36
8. Under God's Light (Eddie Guzman, Ray Monette, Mark Olson) - 4:51
When Solid Bond was issued in 1970, it was no surprise that its cover prominently billed Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, John McLaughlin, Jon Hiseman, and Dick Heckstall-Smith in addition to the man who actually led the band who recorded the material. For the leader of the Graham Bond Organisation was, in 1970, less celebrated than any of the aforementioned musicians, particularly in the United States, where Bruce and Baker (as part of Cream), Hiseman and Heckstall-Smith (as part of Colosseum), and McLaughlin were all far more widely known than keyboardist-singer Bond himself.
Yet as serious fans of 1960s British rock know, Bond made a hugely underrated contribution to blues-rock as leader of the group in which these musicians played before moving on to more commercially successful projects. And while Solid Bond might have at first glance seemed to be a collection of leftovers issued to exploit the fame of Bond's one-time sidemen, in fact the recordings—some from 1963, when Bond was still playing jazz, and some from 1966, when he'd fully delved into an idiosyncratic mixture of blues, rock, jazz, and soul—were not just of considerable historical interest, but also of substantial musical merit.
The three tracks on Solid Bond from 1963 were likely the most hotly anticipated by 1970 rock fans owing to the presence of Bruce, Baker, and McLaughlin, yet at the same time probably not at all like what most such listeners were expecting. Recorded live at London's Klooks Kleek club, these present the Graham Bond Quartet, as the band were then known, as a rather straightforward modern jazz outfit. Bond at this point was concentrating on alto sax rather than keyboards; there were no vocals; and, despite the inclusion of a Jack Bruce number titled "Ho Ho Country Kicking Blues," there was barely a hint of the blues and R&B that would by the following year supersede jazz as the band's main influences. Bond and McLaughlin split the composing credits for "The Grass Is Greener," while the third number, "Doxy," was a cover of an oft-interpreted tune by jazz sax great Sonny Rollins.
Still, it's a valuable document of the musicians' little-known (in 1970, at any rate) straightahead jazz roots, though Bond and his group left these behind soon after McLaughlin left and saxophonist Heckstall-Smith joined in late 1963. Over the next couple years the Graham Bond Organisation, as they billed themselves, would record a couple LPs and a few singles that saw them embrace the British R&B boom wholeheartedly, albeit with a jazzier spin than most of the bands on that scene, emphasizing Bond's demonic organ and growling vocals.
The bulk of Solid Bond, however, comes from a 1966 session recorded not long after Bruce and Baker had teamed with Eric Clapton to form Cream. With Baker replaced by young jazz veteran Jon Hiseman, the group entered the studio to cut nine tracks as a keyboards-sax-drums trio. Just as much as the mid-'60s recordings by the Bruce-Baker lineup, these reveal Bond as an originator of a highly original and invigorating blues-rock-R&B-jazz fusion, though owing to unusual circumstances they wouldn't see the light of day for several years.
As Harry Shapiro reports in his 1992 biography Graham Bond: The Mighty Shadow, the material was recorded after the group were given 500 pounds to make a record by Polydor, the session for all nine tracks taking place at London's famed Olympic Studios between midnight and 6am. "Graham and Dick were both in worlds of their own," remembers Hiseman today. "I negotiated the deal and chose the studio with Eddie Kramer." An engineer most famed for working extensively with Jimi Hendrix shortly afterward, Kramer had already worked with Jon when Hiseman drummed on British jazz pianist Peter Lemer's album Local Colour.
At the time the trio entered the studio, continues Jon, "Graham was incensed at what he saw as a betrayal when Ginger forced Jack from the band and then a few months later left it to form Cream with Jack. Partly out of pique and partly because the band was always in such financial trouble, he decided to play the bass with his left hand. This gave everybody a lot of freedom and I was able to develop my two bass drum playing without muddying up the bass parts. As I remember my goal was not to make any concessions to recording (which was very usual then) and to capture the live sound of the band; to that extent I think these tracks were very representative of the live show. I was most pleased with the sound at the time and it was a magical experience for me, and was the start of my real interest in recording and producing that led to me building my own studio in the 1982."
Oddly, three of the songs ("Neighbour Neighbour," "Walkin' in the Park," and "Last Night") were re-recordings of tunes Bond had already done with the Bruce-Baker lineup on the Organisation's two mid-'60s LPs, while a fourth, "Long Legged Baby," had been cut by that band on their 1964 debut single. A fifth, "Only Sixteen" (a Bond original, not the famous Sam Cooke hit), had been in Graham's repertoire for some time, as he'd performed it on the BBC in 1965. "Contrary to popular belief there was always a shortage of material," Hiseman explains. "Graham, deep into a serious drug habit, was not very productive. Having talked up the chance to record for months he then had very little material, hence the repeats. Actually he never wrote enough to be able to weed out poor material or to give others a chance to express views. Graham was not critical at all of his own work. If he had managed to write it, it was GREAT!"
But Bond did come up with some quality new compositions that he recorded for the first time on this night. "Springtime in the City," "Can't Stand It," and especially "It's Not Goodbye" have the menacing quality unique to Graham in the British R&B/rock world, while "Green Onions" is a liberally jazzy interpretation of the classic Booker T. & the MG's instrumental. "I don't think 'copying' was part of Graham's vocabulary," observes Hiseman. "He considered himself a creative genius and tried always to surround himself with 'originals.' He was bright enough to realize that copies didn't count."
Yet while the nine tracks would have provided the foundation for a solid LP, they would stay in the vault for some time. As for the 500 pounds they'd been given by Polydor to make the record, says Hiseman, "at the time both Dick and I were convinced [Bond] spent the money on heroin. It was the band's money—not just his—and we never saw a penny from those recordings. The personnel changed at Polydor at that time, and the chap who commissioned the recording was replaced. His successor hated the whole idea of Graham's music and his flamboyant outfits. His job was to get hits for the company and Graham's was not hit music—something Graham never came to terms with."
Indeed, the Graham Bond Organisation would not release an LP while Hiseman was in the band from around mid-1966 to late 1967, when he and Heckstall-Smith departed. After playing together briefly in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, the pair soon formed a formidable blues-jazz-rock group of their own, Colosseum. Fittingly, the first track of Colosseum's debut album was a cover of Bond's "Walkin' in the Park," which Hiseman feels is Graham's best song, "his classic contribution. Colosseum nearly got it away as a single hit—nearly."
According to Harry Shapiro's biography, Solid Bond was assembled in 1970 when the 1966 tapes, together with the 1963 live recordings, were sold to Warner Brothers for 5000 pounds. "Considering they were recorded in six hours the tapes must have been raw," says Hiseman in retrospect. "But I 'produced' the sound in that I spoke to Eddie Kramer about how I wanted it to sound—very upfront—and he agreed. When we were having trouble getting an upfront sound out of Lansdowne Studios with Colosseum I remember playing these tapes to [Colosseum manager] Gerry Bron as an example of what I was looking for and he was impressed."
Sadly, Bond never found the success his celebrated sidemen enjoyed in his own post-Organisation career, ending his life by throwing himself in front of a London tube train in 1974. But Hiseman retains fond memories of his one-time bandleader, summarizing, "I had a wonderful adventure with Graham and his madness has always had a place in my heart. It was an honor that he saw something in an amateur drummer and encouraged it by persuading me to turn professional in his band. If nothing else Graham taught me how not to run a band and I've tried not to live up to his example!"
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Green Onions (Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, Al Jackson, Jr., Lewis Steinberg ) - 5:15
2. Springtime In The City – 3:11
3. Can't Stand It – 5:07
4. Only Sixteen – 5:01
5. Last Night (The Mar Keys) - 3:37
6. Long Legged Baby – 3:12
7. Walkin' In The Park – 3:03
8. It's Not Goodbye – 4:58
9. Neighbour, Neighbour – 3:13
10.Ho Ho Country Kicking Blues (Jack Bruce) – 7:55
11.The Grass Is Greener (Graham Bond, John McLaughlin) – 9:30
12.Doxy (Sonny Rollins) – 11:13
13.Waltz For The Pig (Harry Butcher) – 2:27
14. Wade In The Water (John Group, Paul Getty) – 4:0
All songs by Graham Bond except where indicated
Bonus Tracks 13-14
Track 1-9 recorded at Olympic Sound Studios, 1966
Track 10-12 recorded as The Graham Bond Quartet, live at Klook's Kleek, June 1963
Track 13 released as single as The Who Orchestra in UK and Germany, 1966
Track 14 released as US-Single, 1966
After All may have only been a band in the loosest sense of the term, but its only record is a quite wonderful -- if ultimately difficult to categorize -- one-shot relic of the transitional late-'60s. The four members of the combo were actually friends and acquaintances in different bands on the Tallahassee, FL, rock circuit before culling their skills together, along with lyrical assistance from young local poet and songwriter Linda Hargrove, when an opportunity to record an album in a Nashville studio presented itself.
The resulting piece of work is the type of strangely compelling hybrid album that could only have come together in the musical gumbo of the post-psychedelic era. Drummer and primary vocalist Mark Ellerbee wrote most of the music, and his songs are basically freeform, open-ended tone poems that eschew typical verse-chorus and melodic considerations (although the odd melodic hook or harmony surfaces from time to time) for music that is much more amorphous and improvisational. There are elements of rock, R&B, blues, progressive, classical, avant-garde composition, and, to an even greater degree, jazz weaving through the music, while a thick hallucinatory cloud hovers over the whole of the album, giving it an oddly surreal and even ghostly demeanor. It is a complex and ambitious mix that doesn't always come off seamlessly, but is by and large an engaging amalgam, exploring similar territory to that being investigated during the period by much higher profile bands such as Chicago, Procol Harum, and Blood, Sweat & Tears (Ellerbee's singing, in fact, is a dead ringer for David Clayton Thomas).
Each band member displays near virtuosity on his instrument, which allows After All to harness all its sonic influences and renders the music exciting to hear even when the songwriting drags the slightest bit or loses its way. But, for the most part, the songs are rather outstanding. "Intangible She" and the psychedelic "A Face That Doesn't Matter" play with the foreboding, seedy flair that frequently made the Doors' songs seem like such ominous musical prophecies, while "Blue Satin" is a bit more swirling and romantic but maintains an edgy sense of intangible mystery, represented by the flute that threads through the song's final moments.
"Let It Fly," on the other hand, is pure groove, and maybe the best example of the band's playing capabilities (if not the best song), while "And I Will Follow" builds a slow, tensive burn to match the yearning nature of the lyrics before turning more wistful. Hargrove's beautifully lustful and longing words frequently create an interesting tension with the spacier instrumental interplay, and the music is even more enigmatic as a result. After All is not easy to fully enter, but it is well worth the effort. As obscurities from the era go, it may not be one of the most fascinating, but it may have some of the most accomplished musicianship.
by Stanton Swihart
Tracks
1. Intangible She - 7:16
2. Blue Satin - 3:46
3. Nothing Left To Do - 7:07
4. And I Will Follow - 4:51
5. Let It Fly - 4:32
6. Now What Are You Looking For? (Bill Moon) - 3:05
7. A Face That Doesn't Matter - 4:31
8. Waiting - 4:23
All Music by Mark Ellerbee, all Lyrics by Linda Hargrove except where noted.
After All *Bill Moon - Vocals, Bass *Charlie Short - Guitar *Alan Gold - Keyboards *Mark Ellerbee - Drums, Vocals
Nicky Hopkins climbs on board as a full-fledged band member, and Quicksilver Messenger Service go in an unpredictable direction. Then again, how unpredictable is it, really? Many a-hippie band at the time heard The Band do marvels with roots-rock and decided to go the same way (see the Grateful Dead for example number one, and all those Airplane offshoots too); Quicksilver Messenger Service, however, were different in that they decided to rely on Hopkins' impeccable keyboard skills to lead them in this direction, and this makes up for a truly unique listen.
First and foremost let me tell you that 'Edward (The Mad Shirt Grinder)', the nine-minute instrumental "jam" that ends this record, isn't just the best tune on it. It might, for all I know, simply be the most accomplished, emotional, technically immaculate, resplendent instrumental composition to ever come out of the entire California rock movement of the Sixties. It's essentially "jazz", I guess, but the kind of jazz that prefers real intensity and melodicity to pretentious senseless noodling, with beautiful, yet powerful keyboards and sensitive, moody guitars all over the place.
In fact, the interplay between Hopkins' piano, Cipollina's guitars, and those tricky little organ patterns that can be heard in the background if you're attentive (more Hopkins overdubs?) is simply stunning, and any art-rock lover who'd want to dismiss the Frisco scene offhand would have no choice but to seriously reevaluate his position after hearing this track. Yeah, I suppose that the slow middle part of the number can get a little tedious at times, but it's essentially needed for contrast with the fast part - the one that really gets the blood flowing, with Hopkins unleashing all those unbelievable piano riffs upon us. Of course, the track is hardly typical for the Frisco scene: it's credited to Hopkins, and it's Hopkins that makes all the difference, and with all respect to Nicky, he's a very alien element to the SF/LA spirit of the times. But it takes some real gall and adventurousness for a bunch of stoned-out hippie-guitar playing kids to get Britain's most required piano session man to join and provide them with his ideas, doesn't it?
In any case, Hopkins plays a crucial role on the other eight songs as well - much too often, his inspired playing is able to bring even the weakest material to life. I wouldn't want to say, though, that the album is awash in weaker material: Happy Trails it's not. In fact, it's all pleasant and endearing as hell, if hell can ever be endearing, that is. Starting from the album cover, dammit. Isn't that album cover simply beautiful? That velvet green, mmm... And the carriage with the horse on the back sleeve, too, don't forget 'bout the horse. I love green. The songs are... well, the songs are kinda green, too, in that they're a) relaxative, b) inspired, c) very raw, sometimes to better, sometimes to worse effect. Seems like Nicky was the most hard-workin' guy at the sessions, and I don't blame him.
A lot of those numbers are essentially R'n'B pastiches, rambling, introspective numbers that take a long time to develop and sometimes don't develop at all. Like Freiberg's 'Too Far', for instance, which sounds - don't laugh - exactly like all those early Mott The Hoople introspective tunes with Ian Hunter doodling away at the piano and mumbling something exceedingly clever and vaguely self-pitying. Hunter, however, simply can't touch Hopkins, which means that throughout most of the songs I pay little attention to lyrics or vocals and mostly just enjoy the magnificent organ swirls and piano tinkles. 'Holy Moly' is even better - a swirling R'n'B anthem replete with celeste, harpsichord and God knows what else, Nicky really revels in his multi-instrumentalism and virtuosity. And then the song quickens up the pace and the guitars go frenetic and it's a marvelous rave-up in the best tradition of British blues-rock bands. Like Ten Years After.
Other highlights include the title track, that starts with a majestic pseudo-classical keyboard intro and then incorporates an oddly arranged Diddley beat where the lead singer sounds like a particularly revved-up Eric Burdon; Cipollina's generic, but extra-weird in its "muddy" production blues number '3 Or 4 Feet From Home', complete with dog noises in the beginning (impersonated by Nicky, if we are to believe the liner notes); and the medievally-influenced 'Joseph's Coat', with somber backing chorale vocals and more of those catchy piano riffs. In other words, creativity abounds: you may like or dislike the record, but you'll have to admit that SF bands were rarely that inventive, either before or after this album. And I blame it on Nicky - there's no way the band could have made such a giant step up from Happy Trails without his participation.
by George Starostin
Tracks
1. Shady Grove (P. O. Wands) - 3:00
2. Flute Song (Denise Jewkes) - 5:23
3. Three or Four Feet from Home (John Cipollina) - 3:05
4. Too Far (David Freiberg) - 4:30
5. Holy Moly (Nick Gravenites) - 4:25
6. Joseph's Coat (John Cipollina, Nick Gravenites) - 4:49
7. Flashing Lonesome (David Freiberg, Nick Gravenites) - 5:28
8. Words Can't Say (David Freiberg, Denise Jewkes) - 3:22
9. Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder (Nicky Hopkins) - 9:22
Easy Chair’s 1968 one-sided album with a running time of 20 min. is one of the most sought-after Northwest psych-underground records of all time. Original copies have been sold for over 1,000 US$. Correctly remembered as psychedelic rock pioneers, they crammed an amazing career into only one year of activity. Easy Chair performed with the Yardbirds, Cream and the Mothers of Invention. Their epic Westcoast blues features a unique guitar chemistry of Larson’s psychedelic leads and Kirby’s fluid lines and hypnotic chording. Their jam-excursions were always satisfying. They played lots of original material and it is known that a complete live-gig was recorded when EC opened for The Mothers at the Shrine Auditorium, L.A. - but the tape seems to be lost (forever).
By end of 1968 they caught the attention of Zappa´s crew and signed a record contract with Bizarre Records to be promoted together with Alice Cooper. Too soon then Easy Chair broke up, but together with EC´s drummer Al Malosky, multi-instrumentalist Simmons recorded the “Naked Angels“ Soundtrack (re-released by WIS in 2008). After releasing his solo album “Lucille Has Messed my Mind up“ in 1969, Jeff joined The Mothers. Carefully remastered from the original mastertape - you´ll get definitive 1968 psychedelia with three haunting and unforgettable long songs.
With their roots as ex-Thrice Mice members, Altona wisely chose this new name (Altona is a town on the edge of Hamburg) when dropping the former band's classical edge in preference for a jazzier front.
On their debut Altona played a lively fusion that crossed many boundaries, but kept the Blodwyn Pig feel that dominated the early Thrice Mice recordings.
Notably, they sounded almost like a hybrid of Birth Control and Creative Rock, occasionally hinting at Eiliff, with songs and instrumentals that were full of surprises!
A few Altona members later reappeared in the obscure band Dirty Dogs.
from The Crack In The Cosmic Egg
Tracks
1. Can't Live Without You - 4:09
2. Cocopus - 5:39]
3. Uberlandfahrt - 4:06
4. 7/4 - 4:17
5. Boulevard - 5:01
6. Frustration - 6:47
7. Hide Yourself - 5:50
All Music and Lyrics by Altona
Formed in 1967, The Rustix showcased the talents of drummer Bobby Bladino (replaced by former Invictas drummer David Colon Jr.), singer Chuck Brucato,, lead guitarist Bob D'Andrea, singer Albin Galich, bassist Kit Nelson, and keyboardist Vince Strenk, the group became quite popular throughout New York state, eventually scoring a one-shot contract with Chess' Cadet subsidiary resulting in the release of a cover of Eddie Holland's 'Leaving Here' as their debut single.
While the single did little commercially outside of upper New York, manager/Rochester DJ Ferndinand Jay Smith III was responsible for getting the band signed by Motown's newly formed Rare Earth subsidiary. Apparently signed as part of the label's attempt to dip it's corporate toe in rock and roll, the band was teamed with Motown artist R. Dean Taylor in the producers role.
Like the band's debut album, fellow Motown artist R. Dean Taylor produced their sophomore release - 1970's "Come On People". This time out the creative spotlight was clearly focused on the band with Brucato responsible for penning seven of the ten tracks. That said, musically the album featured a modest change in direction compared to their debut. Gone was most of the blue-eyed soul that characterized the debut. In its place the band could be heard pursuing a more blues-rock oriented sound.
In the history of Nederpop, only a few Dutch bands could rival the Shoes’ (formed as The White Shoes, in 1963, in Zoeterwoude) consistency of releasing top hit material.
In the period between 1966 and 1970, all of their singles entered the hit parade. And afterall, it is not surprising at all, considering how hard they were working at the time, and how consistent their output was – truly one of the Netherlands’ top hitmakers in the late 60s.
The group specialised in good, commercial rock and pop, and was constantly promoted at the time by Radio Veronica (the station which specialised in Dutch bands – Nederbeat and Nederpop); thus consistently dominating the airwaves all around the country! Besides, the band members were able to turn their hits into good, solid live performances thanks to a wealth of stage experience they’d possessed from their previous tours of Germany. The "black"-like, soul voice of Van Es was the most remarkable aspect of the band’s sound. It was this special voice (resembling that of Steve Winwood in some ways) that's responsible for the emergence of a staggering string of the hits between 1966 and 1970, including "Standing and Staring" (66), "Na Na Na", "Farewell in the Rain" (67), "No Money for the Roses", "Don't You Cry For a Girl" (68) and "Osaka" (70).
No wonder it was hugely disappointing news when Van Es announced his departure from the group, but the band soldiered on, and within the next couple of years, the rest of the band members tried their luck at retaining the popularity without him in the fold.Van Es subsequently went on to some moderate success with his own formation, Teddy Lane.
Following a great deal of friction and internal disagreements within the Shoes, they finally split up some time in 1973.
by Adri Verhoef
Tracks
1. After All (Jan D. Versteegen, Jerry Voisin) - 3:13
2. I'm On My Way (Jan D. Versteegen, Jerry Voisin) - 3:08
3. That Tender Looking Angel (Jan D. Versteegen, Hendrikus Theo Van Es) - 2:54
4. Highways And Byways (Jan D. Versteegen, Jerry Voisin) - 3:26
5. Young Lovers (Jan D. Versteegen, Hendrikus Theo Van Es) - 4:20
6. Happiness Is In This Beat (Hendrikus Theo Van Es, Jan D. Versteegen) - 3:22
7. Osaka (Jan D. Versteegen, Jerry Voisin) - 3:51
8. Time Is What I Need (Jan D. Versteegen, Hendrikus Theo Van Es) - 3:51
9. Adios Corazon (Jan D. Versteegen, Jerry Voisin) - 3:47
10.Flutes, Horns, Strings And Drums (Jan D. Versteegen, Jerry Voisin) - 3:36
11.Trip Around The World (Jan D. Versteegen, Hendrikus Theo Van Es) - 3:42
12.Daylight (Hendrikus Theo Van Es, Jan D. Versteegen) - 3:32
The Shoes
*Hendrikus Theo Van Es - Vocals
*Wim Van Huis - Guitar
*Jan D. Versteegen - Bass
*Henk Versteegen - Drums
Don’t expect Velvet Night to comfort you to sleep. This ain’t your father’s flower power. This is deep, dark stuff, recorded at the very end of psychedelia, when things got serious, and yesterday’s flower children suddenly realized that the world wasn’t gonna change. Velvet Night is dark. Spooky even. Eerie, doom-laden, brooding tracks that take their cue from the darker Steppenwolf stuff (Monster).
Recorded in 1969, these White Plains NY kids created a horror show of late psych, which they fully admitted to on “Freak Show,” a slow bluesy creeper with spirally spiderweb organ and the fantastic and sexy sorceress vocals of Lynn Boccumini. The title track could be the theme to a biker gang horror film, like Werewolves on Wheels say, with an instantly catchy big guitar riff set to a spooky rhythm.
“Edge Of The Woods” is another creepy psych crawler, with frantic stutterstep fuzz riff, sweeping Hammond and wailing banshee backing vocals, like some dark Wagnerian opera on brown acid. There’s also a ten-minute Cream medley, where they mash-up crude Vanilla Fudge-like versions of “I Feel Free,” “Sunshine Of Your Love” and “White Room” with one of the weirdest ambient tribal percussion takes on “I’m So Glad” I’ve ever heard.
If Ginger Baker were ever trying to raise ancient spirits from the dead, this is probably how he would’ve played it. No doubt about it – the smoky purple reverse image cover tells you all you need to know. This is music from the other side of the mirror. Tales from the dark side. This is one Wonderland Alice won’t be coming back from.
Unknown Soldier
Tracks
1. Season Of The Witch (Donovan Leitch) - 7:02
2. Velvet Night (Jimmy Curtiss, Steve Kanyon) - 2:58
3. Freak Show (Jimmy Curtiss, Hillman, Phillips) - 3:45
4. Tribute - 9:16
.a.I Feel Free (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown)
.b.Sunshine Of Your Love (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown)
.c.White Room (Jack Bruce)
.d.I’m So Glad (Skip James)
5. The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - 5:06
6. Edge Of The Woods (Jimmy Curtiss, Steve Kanyon) - 3:24
7. Don’t Let Them Stand In Your Way (Vinnie Nisi) - 2:57
8. If I Were A Carpenter (Tim Hardin) - 5:05
9. I'm Sure He'll Come Most Anytime (Jimmy Curtiss, B. Strickland) - 2:37
The Velvet Night
*Lynn Boccumini - Vocals
*Doug Catuogno - Percussion
*Frank Chiaro - Bass
*Tony Faranda - Guitar
*Peter Fuino - Sax,Flute,Vocals
*Vinnie Nisi - Keyboards,Vocals
