Margo Guryan - Take A Picture (1968 us, divine ethereal baroque jazzy psych, 2009 HDCD digipak remaster)

Routinely selling for huge sums of money on the vinyl market and making its way into the collections of pop fanatics as far afield as Japan, Take a Picture has taken on a dynamic life of its own since its 1968 release, especially for an album that went relatively unheard at the time. It is not difficult to figure out what all the retroactive acclaim is about once you hear the sweet, delicate strain of gently kaleidoscopic music on the sole album from Margo Guryan. 

It is the soft pop of which gauzy dreams are made, full of the hazy changes and transitory variations of autumn, an album that you invariably want to wrap up in. Better than most similar efforts from the time, the album maintains a vibrant resonance outside the milieu in which it was created because the songcraft is not only infectious but also highly intelligent, and because Guryan's performance is so delicious. Perhaps a bit too thin and breathy for mass consumption, her voice is an acquired taste in an era loaded with wispy pop princesses, not to mention brassy belters such as Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, and Mama Cass. Once you accept its whispery invitation, though, Guryan's singing, equal parts girl group innocence and seductive torch, envelops you.

The thing that really elevates her above many of her contemporaries and competitors for the soft rock tiara, though, is her wonderfully idiosyncratic songwriting capabilities. A classically trained pianist and jazz composer by education and trade, her songs are much more than your standard pop fare. Although the song structures are simplistic on a superficial level (which should have made them perfect nuggets for commercial radio play in 1968), the arrangements beneath them are anything but. There are all kinds of intriguing things going on with or underneath the melody, either instrumentally (hammy trombones, old-tavern piano, touches of sitar) or via affect. Just when you think a chorus or hook is as ethereal as it could possibly be, Guryan tweaks it just slightly enough that it rises even higher and takes you to an even more elevated emotional plane. She manages the difficult trick of cajoling something already beautiful to something truly sublime. There is also an expert, fluid balance of juxtapositions within the music. 

Tempos are shifted frequently but seamlessly, and Guryan's chord progressions tend to switch from balladic choices during the slower verses to sly and unconventional jazz progressions during the quicker paced breaks and bridges, with the influence of bossa nova particularly heavy in many of the tunes. Her classical background is spliced into the mix as well, generically via the orchestral splashes of various songs, but more explicitly on "Someone I Know," where her own pop melody is superimposed over the chorale of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." The two fit perfectly, point and counterpoint, like the complex pocket symphonies of Brian Wilson, a huge influence, and far more interesting with each listen. 

Other highlights include her own version of "Sunday Morning," the breezily kittenish "Sun," and the tough go-go groove of "Don't Go Away," but really every song is a gem. The CD reissue, housed in a handsome special edition digipak with a 12-page booklet that contains a brief biography, liner notes, and lyrics, also includes three stellar bonus publisher's demos that mark a significant addition an album that was already one of the most endearing cult soft rock records from an era full of them. 

by Stanton Swihart

Tracks
1. Sunday Morning - 2:20 
2. Sun - 2:36
3. Love Songs - 2:37
4. Thoughts - 2:25
5. Don't Go Away - 2:04
6. Take A Picture - 3:08
7. What Can I Give You - 2:31 
8. Think Of Rain - 2:25 
9. Can You Tell - 2:34 
10.Someone I Know - 2:46 
11.Love - 5:26
12.I Think A Lot About You - 2:19 
13.It's Alright Now - 2:04 
14.Timothy Gone - 1:50
Music and Lyrics by Margo Guryan
Bonus Tracks 12-14

Personnel
*Margo Guryan - Vocals
*Phil Bodner - Oboe
*Paul Griffith - Keyboards
*Kirk Hamilton - Bass, Flute
*Buddy Sultzman - Drums
*John Hill - Guitar

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Ron Davies ‎– I Don't Believe It (1978 us, amazing folk country classic rock with horns section, 2010 korean remaster)

Ron Davies was a genius of rhyme and melody. He has been described by his peers as the "quintessential poet” and the "songwriter's writer." John Hadley (a music professor at the University of Oklahoma) was quoted as saying, “I separate the world into two kinds of people, the ones that get Ron Davies and the ones that don’t.”

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana (the oldest son of country singer Tex Dickerson), Ron was influenced by songwriters like Hank Williams, but he also loved the music of Blind Lemon Jefferson and classical guitarist Andrés Segovia. Ron spent his early years living in the South, until his parents separated, and he moved with his two siblings to Washington State. Ron's last name was changed when his mother remarried, and he was adopted by his kind and loving stepfather, Darby Davies, who bought him his first guitar. Ron’s songs often reflect his love of the Pacific Northwest, and yet a longing to get “Back To The South.”

By the time Ron was seventeen, he had written an album’s worth of stellar songs for a Seattle based band called The Wailers, along with a regional hit single entitled "It's You Alone." Ron's unique style of singing and writing (referred to by Joan Baez as a cross between Bob Dylan and John Lennon) caught the attention of A&M record executives in California. Ron was signed to a recording contract in 1968 and released his first solo album, which he called "Silent Song Through The Land," featuring nine of his original compositions including the blues standard "It Ain't Easy." As a side note, the angelic harmony vocals on this album were sung by Ron’s beautiful young wife, Vicki Lynn Davies, who was his singing partner from 1962 to 1974, as well as the mother of his two daughters.

Ron’s career received a major boost in 1970 when Three Dog Night recorded “It Ain’t Easy” and made it the title of their album. Although often miscredited to Ray Davies from The Kinks (Ron displayed his wry sense of humor when he asked his publisher to take some of The Kinks out of his copyright), “It Ain’t Easy” gained international fame when a British artist by the name of David Bowie recorded it on his RCA album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars."

It wasn’t long before Ron Davies’ songs were in demand and being recorded by such iconic artists as Long John Baldry, Dave Edmunds, Joe Cocker, Anne Murray, Dobie Gray, Bettye LaVette, Chris Smithers, Glenn Yarbrough, Merry Clayton, Mitch Ryder and Steppenwolf’s John Kay, to name a few. Australian born pop singer Helen Reddy recorded what would later become one of Ron’s signature songs entitled “Long Hard Climb” and made it the title of her 1973 platinum selling album. This song was also recorded by Maria Muldaur on her 1974 Reprice album "Midnight On The Oasis."

Even though Ron Davies was the author of an impressive music catalog, he only recorded five albums during his lifetime: Silent Song Through the Land, U.F.O., I Don't Believe It, Gold and Silver and Where Does The Time Go. Ron sadly passed away of a heart attack at his home in Nashville on October 30, 2003.

Ron Davies

Tracks
1. Poor Man Walks - 2:54
2. Northern Lights - 3:52
3. It's You Alone - 3:00
4. I Don't Believe It - 3:58
5. Good Old Song (Ron Davies, Mentor Williams) - 2:43
6. Nickels And Dimes (Ron Davies, Barry Goldberg) - 3:08
7. No More Crazy Tears - 2:42
8. Give A Little Bit - 3:03
9. Laughing Into Love - 3:29
10.In My Life (I Have Been Lucky) - 3:19
All songs by Ron Davies except where stated

Musicians
*Ron Davies - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*Jerry Swallow - Electric Guitar
*Michael jones - Drums
*Jack Conrad - Bass
*Elmo Peeler - Piano
*Bill Como - Piano
*John Raines - Percussion
*Jreg Smith - Horns
*Walt Johnson - Horns
*Outman Dennis - Horns
*Helen Lowe - Vocals
*Cheryl Alexander - Vocals
*Sondra Alexander - Vocals

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It's A Beautiful Day - It's A Beautiful Day / Marrying Maiden (1969-70 us, gorgeous psych folk prog rock)

It's a Beautiful Day were no less memorable for their unique progressive rock style that contrasted well with the Bay Area psychedelic scene. Led by David LaFlamme (flute/violin/vocals) and his wife, Linda LaFlamme (keyboards), the six-piece unit on this album vacillates between light and ethereal pieces such as the lead-off cut, "White Bird," to the heavier, prog rock-influenced "Bombay Calling." One of the most distinct characteristics of It's a Beautiful Day is their instrumentation. The prominence of David LaFlamme -- former violin soloist with the Utah Symphony and original member of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks -- adds a refinement to It's a Beautiful Day's sound. Likewise, the intricate melodies -- mostly composed by the LaFlammes -- are structured around the band's immense virtuosity, a prime example being the exquisitely haunting harpsichord-driven "Girl With No Eyes." The noir framework, as well as lyrics such as "...she's just a reflection of all of the time I've been high," point rather candidly to the hallucinogenic nature of the song's -- if not the band's -- influences. 

The same can be said of the languidly eerie "Bulgaria." The almost chant-like quality of the track slowly crescendos into an hypnotic and dreamlike sonic journey -- led by LaFlamme's brilliant violin work. By virtue of being a Bay Area fixture in the late '60s, It's a Beautiful Day could also easily double as a hippie dance band -- which they can also execute with great aplomb -- as the wildly up-tempo "Time Is" amply proves. It's a Beautiful Day remains as a timepiece and evidence of how sophisticated rock & roll had become in the fertile environs of the San Francisco music scene. 

The second long-player from It's a Beautiful Day is an exceedingly more pastoral effort than the band's self-titled debut. As many of the Bay Area groups -- most notably the Grateful Dead with Workingman's Dead and American Beauty -- had begun to do, the band realigns its sound from the dark psychedelia and proto-prog of its earlier works and into a lighter and earthier country-flavored rock. Marrying Maiden does, however, continue highlighting both the sextet's stellar instrumental proficiencies as well as vocals -- featuring the entire band -- throughout. "Don and Dewey," the album's opener, is a hot-steppin' spotlight for David LaFlamme's classically trained violin work. Presumably, the tune is an ode to the late-'50s/early-'60s R&B duo of the same name. The track has distinct hints of the concurrent contributions that LaFlamme had been making in an incipient incarnation of Dan Hick & His Hot Licks. It likewise sets the tenor for the remainder of the disc's down-home feel.

The cover of folkie Fred Neil's "The Dolphins" is notable for Fred Webb's honky tonk piano fills and LaFlamme's vocals, recalling some of the earliest New Riders of the Purple Sage sides. One of the more solidly unifying factors linking the NRPS and It's a Beautiful Day is the guest appearance by Jerry Garcia, who is featured on two numbers. As he had done on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Teach Your Children," Garcia lends a few distinct pedal steel guitar riffs to the perky "It Comes Right Down to You." The track also features former Charlatan Richard Olsen on, of all things, clarinet. Another sign of the times is the pickin' and grinnin' on the appropriately titled "Hoedown" -- on which Garcia adds some fiery banjo fretwork. 

by Lindsay Planer

Tracks
It's A Beautiful Day 1969
1. White Bird (David Laflamme, Linda Laflamme) - 6:06
2. A Hot Summer Day (David Laflamme, Linda Laflamme) - 5:46
3. Wasted Union Blues - 4:00
4. Girl With No Eyes (David Laflamme, Linda Laflamme) - 3:49
5. Bombay Calling (David Laflamme, Vince Wallace) - 4:25
6. Bulgaria - 6:10
7. Time Is - 9:42
Marrying Maiden 1970
8. Don And Dewey - 5:10
9. The Dolphins (Fred Neil) - 4:25
10.Essence Of Now (Mitchell Holman) - 3:15
11.Hoedown - 2:25
12.Soapstone Mountain - 4:15
13.Waiting For The Sun (Hal Wagenet) - 1:15
14.Let A Woman Flow (David LaFlamme, Pattie Santos) - 4:25
15.It Comes Right Down To You (Fred Webb, Robert Lewis) - 3:10
16.Good Lovin' (Fred Webb, Mitchell Holman) - 4:55
17.Galileo (Hal Wagenet) - 3:00
18.Do You Remember The Sun? (Fred Webb, Robert Lewis) - 3:05
All songs by David LaFlamme except where indicated.

It's A Beautiful Day
*Pattie Santos - Percussion, Vocals
*Val Fuentes - Drums, Vocals
*Fred Webb - French Horn, Keyboards, Vocals
*David Laflamme - Flute, Violin, Guitar, Vocals
*Mitchell Holman - Bass, Harmonica, Vocals
*Hal Wagenet - Guitar, Vocals
Guests
*Bruce Steinberg - Harmonica (Track 2)
*Avenue Theatre - Organ (Track 12)
*Richard Olsen - Clarinet (Tracks 8-18)
*Jerry Garcia - Banjo, Pedal Steel (Tracks 8-18)

1968  It's A Beautiful Day - Live At The Fillmore (2013 release)
1971  It's A Beautiful Day - Creed Of Love

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It's A Beautiful Day - Live At The Fillmore (1968 us, outstanding psych prog rock, 2013 release)

When looking back at all the San Francisco bands who toiled the psychedelic scene of the late '60s/early '70s, It's a Beautiful Day seems to have taken a backseat to other more popular acts like the Grateful Dead, Santana, and Jefferson Airplane. Listening to their music here in 2013, it's kind of hard to imagine why this band didn't achieve superstar status. Led by the powerful vocals & soaring electric violin of David LaFlamme, It's a Beautiful Day combined pop, psychedelia, jazz, prog, folk, rock, and classical into a unique sound that peaked with their hit single "White Bird" in 1969, but by 1974 the band had all but split up, reforming in various incarnations from time to time before fully reuniting in 2000 with LaFlamme, his current wife Linda Baker LaFlamme, original drummer Val Fuentes, Gary Thomas on keyboards, guitarist Rob Espinosa, bassist Toby Gray, and percussionist Michael Prichard.

This particular concert was recorded at the famous Fillmore West in San Francisco in 1968, and captured them at the peak of their powers. Along with LaFlamme & Fuentes were vocalist Patti Santos, Linda Neska LaFlamme on keyboards (David's first wife...apparently he likes the name Linda), and bassist Mitchell Holman. As there was no guitar player in the band at this time, their music is rich with the dual female/male vocal attack, LaFlamme's energetic violin, and Linda's insistent organ textures. Psychedelic pop tracks like "Love For You" and "White Bird" contain some really great melodies and vocal harmonies, but here in the live setting all these songs are pushed to epic length and feature some spectacular violin & organ passages.

"Wasted Union Blues" is like a meeting of Vanilla Fudge and Jefferson Airplane, while "Bombay Calling" is a moody anti-war piece whose main musical theme was borrowed by Deep Purple for their legendary song "Child in Time" which appeared on their In Rock album less than 2 years later. The epic, near 10-minute "Time Is" is littered with sizzling guitar & organ lines, a real treat for all the prog lovers in the house, and has a bass lick like the classic Animals track "We Gotta Get Out of This Place". Other highlights include the mysterious, gypsy/blues of "Changes" and the atmospheric rocker "Hot Summer Day", another song with addicting organ from Linda and soaring vocal interplay between David and Patti.

The sound quality on this vintage concert is quite good, and the informative DVD documentary contains plenty of interview segments with David LaFlamme & Fuentes, as well as some notable journalists, who talk about the history of the band and the San Francisco music scene back at the end of the '60s. Filled with some vintage live clips as well as more recent footage of the band, it's a nice little companion piece to the live CD. It's a shame that the booklet is somewhat bare bones other than two short essays and three photos, but overall this is a nice package documenting a fascinating band who never got the attention they deserved. 

by Pete Pardo

Tracks
1. Love For You. 6:44
2. Bulgaria (With Love For You Reprise). 6:51
3. White Bird. 8:02
4. Wasted Union Blues. 10:28
5. Time Is. 9:30
6. Countryside (David LaFlamme, Linda LaFlamme) - 5:19
7. Bombay Calling. 7:38
8. Changes. 8:26
9. Girl With No Eyes. 5:40
10.Hot Summer Day. 11:03
All songs written by David LaFlamme except where noted.

It's A Beautiful Day
*David LaFlamme - Violin, Vocals
*Linda Neska LaFlamme - Keyboards
*Patti Santos - Vocals, Percussion
*Mitchell Holman - Bass
*Val Fuentes - Drums

1971  It's A Beautiful Day - Creed Of Love

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Groundshaker - Groundshaker (1971-72 us, fine rough hard rock)

Groundshaker was an American hard rock band from the early 1970s. They played many times in the cafe "The Continental Hyatt House" and in some other places of Hollywood. One of their managers was Charlie Green from the management company Brian Stone & Charlie Green, which represented some well-known collectives of the 60's as Iron Butterfly, Sonny ‘n’ Cher and Buffalo Springfield. 

They had many offers from record labels, but they drop them down, and ofcourse without any contract the group disbanded in 1973. More than three decades later,  Morgana Welch and Terry C. Corbett produced their only self-titled album, collecting records from old tapes. 

This never before released hard ‘n’ heavy psych opus, contains eight long tracks (plus three bonus alternate versions) with a frenzied attacking guitar and jams, a powerful loud vocals, and heavy rhythm section.

Tracks
1. On My Way (Dave Pike) - 3:30
2. World That's Tight (John Sanchez) - 4:58
3. Things (John Sanchez, Ron Barron) - 4:21
4. Leavin' (Traditional) - 3:52
5. Got Those Blues (Skip Gillette, Dave Pike, Steve Schweizer) - 3:59
6. Fly (John Sanchez) - 3:16
7. Abaseal (John Sanchez, Skip Gillette, John Sanchez, Ron Barron) - 6:02
8. Hearts And Flowers (Skip Gillette, John Sanchez, Ron Barron) - 5:50
9. Hearts And Flowers (Slight Different Mix) (Skip Gillette, John Sanchez, Ron Barron) - 5:51
10.Abaseal (Slight Different Mix 1) (John Sanchez, Skip Gillette, John Sanchez, Ron Barron) - 6:02
11.Abaseal (Slight Different Mix 2) (John Sanchez, Skip Gillette, John Sanchez, Ron Barron) - 5:58

The Groundshaker
*Skip Gillette - Drums
*Steve Schweizer - Bass
*John Sanchez - Guitar
*Ron Barron - Vocals

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Ford Theatre - Time Changes (1969 us, spectacular bosstown acid psych, 2011 remaster)

The origins of Ford Theatre lie in a popular Boston-based group called Joyful Noise, which played the college circuit. The four members of the band were James Altieri (bass), Arthur Webster (guitar), Robert Tamagni (drums) and John Mazzarelli (keyboards, vocals). All of them were childhood friends from Milford, Massachusetts. The group attracted the attention of New Yorker Harry Palmer who first came across the band when attending college in Boston. Palmer was a composer by nature and was looking for that band that could play the musical ideas he had, and on his return to Boston, a few years later, contacted Joyful Noise to do just that. The link between the band and Palmer was their eventual manager Fred Cenedella who used to book bands for dances to pay off his tuition fees and who had met Palmer on a visit in 1965. There exist acetate recordings from 1967 of the quartet Joyful Noise as they made two demo recordings in the hope of acquiring a record deal. The tracks included are Known the World Over, Something Of A Change, Good Thing and Stop.

The group were impressed by Palmer's material and slowly he became a fully fledged member of the band. However a few changes were made to the band. First a vocalist, Joe Scott, was drafted in (also from Milford, Massachusetts), and secondly the name of the band had to be changed. The reason for this was that Palmer's music was dark and ominous, a reflection of the times as America was still reeling from the assassination of President Kennedy and was in the midst of the Vietnam war. Thus Joyful Noise became Ford Theatre, the place where President Lincoln was shot. (Actually the name of that place is Ford's Theater, but the group dropped the 's and changed Theater to Theatre.) On the other hand an interview with the band at the time of the release of their first album has them dismissing the link and instead stressing that the name was actually a combination of two factors. The Ford was used as a sign that the group would one day make money doing auto commercials while on the other hand the Theatre gives the group a dramatic and serious slant. The first concert that the band played under the moniker of Ford Theatre came in the summer of 1967 at the Unicorn Theatre in Boston.

Following the release of the first album, the band went on tour of seven cities including Chicago, New York and Philadelphia performing with bands such as Big Brother And The Holding Company, Iron Butterflyand Procol Harum as well as playing local television shows. However poor promotional backing from ABC did not help the band. A classic example was the summer of 1968 when the band played in front of 10,000 people at the Kiel Auditorium, sharing the bill with Big Brother and Iron Butterfly. The album was being played in heavy rotation in its entirety on the local radio (KSHE), thus achieving a large amount of publicity. However there was one snag. The area of St Louis was not supplied with records of the band and thus all the publicity that was achieved was all useless! 

September of 1969 saw the release of the band's second album, Time Changes (ABC ABCS 681/Stateside SSL 10288; Value BS15:00). Though dubbed a concept album, it is in fact a loose collection of songs, most of which were new songs composed by Harry Palmer. Recordings took place at the original Hit Factory in New York while production was entrusted to Bill Scymczyck. Time Changes was the first piece of production work for Szymczyck, who would go on to achieve fame for his production work with James Gang, Joe Walsh, Edgar Winter and The Eagles. Also there was a change in line-up for the recordings of the album as James Altieri had left the band and was replaced by Johnny Pate.

Two singles were released from the album Time Changes/Wake Up In The Morning (ABC 11192) and I've Got The Fever/Jefferson Airplane (ABC 11227).

Jim Altieri continued to play with various bands in the Boston area while Bob Tamagni teaches at the Berklee School Of Music in Boston. Harry Palmer went back to New York, producing other bands and artists before moving towards the business side of the musical worlds and becoming an executive for various record companies such as Polygram, Atlantic, BMG and Sony. 

by Nigel Camilleri

Tracks
1. Introduction - 1:00
2. Time Changes - 3:12
3. Interlude One - 1:10
4. That's My Girl - 2:10
5. Wake Up In The Morning - 3:06
6. I've Got The Fever - 5:13
7. Crash - 1:05
8. At The Station - 3:44
9. Back To Philadelphia - 3:56
10.Clifford's Dilemma - 1:52
11.Jefferson Airplane - 3:02
12.I Feel Uncertain - 2:25
13.Interlude Two - 1:15
14.Good Thing - 2:20
15.Outroduction - 0:57
All songs by Harry Edward Palmer

The Ford Theatre
*Harry Palmer - Guitar, Percussion
*Jimmy Altieri - Bass, Vocals
*Joey Scott - Bass, Vocals
*John Mazzarelli - Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Robert Tamagni - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Arthur "Butch" Webster - Lead Guitar, Sleigh Bells

1968  Ford Theatre - Trilogy For The Masses

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The Flock - Truth / The Columbia Recordings (1969-70 us, brilliant jazz prog avant garde rock, 2017 double disc remaster)

After starting its The Rock Machine Turns You On campaign in 1968, CBS continued releasing bargain compilations that consolidated its position at the forefront of contemporary US music. The striking cover of 1970’s Fill Your Head With Rock featured electric violinist Jerry Goodman in full curtain-haired reverie while the comp featured his band The Flock’s version of The Kinks’ Tired Of Waiting; hardly representative of an album that pushed the jazz-rock envelope further out than fellow Chicagoan label-mates Blood, Sweat & Tears and CTA.

With enthusiastic sleevenotes by John Mayall, 1969’s self-titled debut started with Goodman’s keening Introduction ushering in The Flock’s hefty blend of densely textured jazz-rock charged with classical and avant jazz flavours, climaxing with the epic blues of Truth. Also helmed by veteran jazz-classical producer John McClure, 1970’s LSD-inspired Dinosaur Swamps – here dubbed their Sgt Pepper’s by guitarist Fred Glickstein – saw The Flock flying further into exotic experimental areas to forge an American prog milestone. Perhaps inevitably, all these directions were already pulling the band apart when Goodman was poached for the Mahavishnu Orchestra, sealing their fate.

This collection corrals both albums, along with edits and out-takes, making for a compelling account of this overlooked gaggle.

by Kris Needs

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Introduction - 4:53

2. Clown - 7:45

3. I Am the Tall Tree - 5:34

4. Tired of Waiting (Ray Davies) - 4:39

5. Store Bought - Store Thought - 7:00

6. Truth - 0:15:24.

7. What Would You Do If the Sun Died? - 2:48

8. Lollipops And Rainbows - 4:05

9. Tired of Waiting (Single Version) - 2:42

10.Store Bought - Store Thought (Single Version) - 2:44

11.Clown (Part One) - 3:12

12.Clown (Part Two) - 4:38

All songs by The Flock except where noted

Disc 2
1. Green Slice - 2:03
2. Big Bird - 5:50
3. Hornschmeyer's Island - 7:25
4. Lighthouse (Rick Canoff, Fred Glickstein, James Taylor, Tom Webb) - 5:18
5. Crabfoot - 8:14
6. Mermaid - 4:53
7. Uranian Sircus - 7:13
8. Chanja - 2:38
9. Atlantians Truckin’ Home - 4:50.62]
10.Afrika - 4:34
11.Just Do It - 6:35
12.Mermaid (Single Version) - 2:49
13.Crabfoot (Single Version) - 2:49
All songs by  Rick Canoff, Fred Glickstein, Tom Webb except where indicated

The Flock
*Rick Canoff - Tenor Saxophone, Vocals
*Fred Glickstein - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Hammond Organ
*Jerry Goodman - Violin, Guitar, Vocals
*Ron Karpman - Drums
*Frank Posa - Trumpet
*Jerry Smith - Bass, Vocals
*Tom Webb - Sax (Disc 1)
*John Gerber - Alto, Tenor Saxophones, Flute, Banjo, Vocals (Disc 2)

1969  The Flock - The Flock
1970  The Flock - Dinosaur Swamps 
1975  The Flock - Inside Out (Vinyl issue)

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Ars Nova - Ars Nova (1968 us, magnificent psychedelia with baroque and some latin tinges, 2004 remaster)

If you name your band “Ars Nova” you have to be: a) Serious Artists; b) Sarcastic reactionaries; c) Into psychedelic drugs; or d) Japanese. It’s Latin, for goodness sake, and means “New Art.” This particular manifestation, hailing from New England in the late 60s, is probably type a and possibly a bit of c. But in 1968, it was okay to be a Serious Artist, so Ars Nova ended up on Elektra with support to record an ambitious album of psychedelic rock.

Prominent use of trombone and trumpet set the band apart from the run of rock bands of their (or any) era. They also borrowed liberally from Classical music, either directly by adaptation or stylistically, using of guitar and organ parts reminiscent of eras from Baroque to Romantic. Badly done, such things could be disastrous, but in this case the result is almost universally successful. The Beatles had used trumpet (think “Penny Lane”) and here was a band with two trained brass players as members, and no need to hire outside musicians. In additional to the Classical shadings, there are elements of West Coast country rock and vaudevillian swagger, which makes for a unique whole. It holds together amazingly well due to the sophistication of the writing and imagination in the arrangements. Management and label difficulties left this outstanding album without the backing it deserved, and the band only recorded one other (with different personnel for a different label) before dispersing. Lovers of elaborate psych, don’t miss this one. 

by Jon Davis

Ars Nova's first album was intermittently intriguing eclectic psychedelic rock with a slight classical influence, as well as some unusual instrumentation in the bass trombone of lead singer Jon Pierson and the trumpet and string bass of Bill Folwell. The songs --often linked by brief interludes -- are a mixed bag, though, that seem to indicate a confusion over direction, or a bit of a psychedelic throw-in-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. There are haunting tunes with a folk-rock base and a faint Renaissance ballad melodic influence; jaunty narratives with a vaudevillian air that bear the mark of then-recent albums such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; and harder-rocking period psychedelic tracks with a bent for unpredictable bittersweet progressions and vocal harmonies. 

It's unusual, and in some senses attractive. But to be less charitable, there's a sense of listening to a generic psychedelic band that sounds better than many such acts mostly by virtue of benefiting from Elektra's high-class production, here handled by Paul Rothchild of Doors fame. Put another way, the songs themselves aren't as good as their arrangements. "Fields of People," about the best of those songs, might be the most famous one here due to getting covered in an elongated treatment by the Move, who did a better job with it than Ars Nova. The 2004 CD reissue on Sundazed adds historical liner notes by Jon Pierson.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
1. Pavan For My Lady (Wyatt Day) - 2:45
2. Genral Clover Ends A War (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 2:44
3. And How Am I To Know (Wyatt Day) - 5:07
4. Album In Your Mind (Wyatt Day, Jon Pierson) - 3:02
5. Zarathustra (Maury Baker) - 3:32
6. Fields Of People (Wyatt Day, Jon Pierson) - 3:39
7. Automatic Love (Wyatt Day) - 4:52
8. I Wrapped Her In Ribbons (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 2:37
9. Song To The City (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 3:04
10.March Of The Mad Duke's Circus (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 3:19

Ars Nova
*Maury Baker - Keyboards, Organ, Percussion
*Wyatt Day - Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Bill Folwell - Bass, String Bass, Trumpet, Vocals
*Jon Pierson - Trombone, Vocals
*Jonathan Raskin - Bass, Guitar, Vocals

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Froggie Beaver - From The Pond (1971-73 us, beautiful melodic prog rock with psych touches)

Froggie Beaver were in fact from Nebraska. Guitarist John Fischer, drummer Tom Jackson (replaced by Rick Brown), keyboardist Ed Stasko, and lead vocalist John Troia were in fact cornhuskers who played music on a part time basis.  Originally determined to showcase their own material, their efforts were met with indifference which led them to focus on top-40 tunes.  They were apparently a pretty good cover band since their performance saw a loyal regional following when they played local clubs such as Omaha's Aquarius Lounge and The Club at Westroads Mall.  That in turn gave them an opportunity to incorporate original material in their repertoire and by 1973 they'd made enough money to record this surprisingly impressive album at Omaha's Sound Recorders Studios.  

Produced by David Sandler, 1972's "From the Pond" was apparently a self-financed vanity project released on the band's own Froggie Beaver label.  Interestingly various references I've seen categorize the album as progressive.  Technically I guess that's correct since 'Lovely Lady and 'Road To Tomorrow' embed fairly complex musical structures, including some swirling ELP-styled keyboards. That said, be forewarned that if you're looking for hard core progressive moves this probably won't punch your ticket.  

With Fischer responsible for the majority of the seven tracks (Stasko and Troia co-wrote 'Lovely Lady'), most of the album sported a highly commercial sheen.  In fact songs such as 'Buy Back My Life' and the pretty ballads 'Come To Believe' and 'Just for You' would have sounded great on top-40 radio.  To be honest the entire album was pretty catchy.  Fischer was quite an accomplished guitarist (check out the atypical slice of Pink Floyd-influenced psych 'Away from Home'), while Troia had a likeable voice that could have made a car dealership jingle entertaining.  Fisher was also a decent singer.

Adding guitarist Steve Beedle to the lineup, the band toured in support of the album; but couldn't generate much interest in the collection (they even camped in front of a local radio station until the station agreed to add the album to their playlist).  By 1974 they were history.

There's also an earlier non-LP 45 which I've never heard, but is suppose to be quite impressive: 'Movin' On' b/w 'Nothing for Me Here' (Million catalog number 34).

The collection has been reissued a couple of times.  The Italian Arkama label released it on vinyl and CD with the single added as bonus material.  Gear Fab released it on CD. 

Bad-cat

Tracks
1. Road To Tomorrow (Part 1) (John Fischer) - 0:55
2. Lovely Lady (John Fischer, Ed Stazko, John Troia) - 5:05
3. Buy Back My Life (John Fischer) - 3:18
4. Come To Believe (John Fischer) - 5:48
5. Away From Home (John Fischer, Mark Gorat) - 9:43
6. Just For You (John Fischer) - 5:28
7. Road To Tomorrow (Part 2) (John Fischer) - 2:05
8. Movin' On (John Troia) - 2:27
9. Nothing For Me Here (D. Lapsley Rotstein, John Fischer) - 2:47
10.Visions Of My Life (Ed Stazko, John Troia) - 4:17
11.Bring My Children Home (John Troia) - 4:50
12.Janine In Somewhere Land (John Fischer, Ed Stazko, John Troia) - 7:02
Tracks 1-7 recorded at Sound Recorders, Omaha, Nebraska
Track 8 single from the Million release 1972
Tracks 9-12 Previously Unreleased studio recordings from 1971

The Froggie Beaver
*John Troia - Lead Vocal
*Ed Staszko - Organ, Piano, Vocals, Key Bass
*John Fischer - Guitar, Vocal
*Rick Brown - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Chris Stovall - Vibes
*Tom Jackson - Drums
*Steve Beedle - Lead Guitar, Bass (1973)

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Front Page Review - Mystic Soldiers (1968 us, amazing bosstown acid psych rock)

Front Page Review was a Boston band. Although they signed a contract with the MGM label, their only album was produced by Alan Lorber, the legendary inventor of "Bosstown Sound", but for several reasons it never came to be released. Front Page Review made an interesting Psychedelic Rock, typical of the late 60's, with influences from California groups like The Doors or Jefferson Airplane. 

Band formed in 1965, as the typical group of Boston area, making their living playing rock 'n' roll hits in local clubs, between 1965-1967.  Their fate and direction will radically change in late 1967, with the arrival of the charismatic, guitar, singer and songwriter Steve Cataldo.

Steve carried with him, deep, serious musical and social directions to the group, which were immediately added to the Front Page Review repertoire. His social explorations and his great musical vision led the group, to even higher levels of maturity and quality, much more than could be expected of a group of young people between 17 and 19 years. 

Their sole album, "Front Page Review" is a really delightful work, lasting only 29 minutes, but intense at times, full of intelligent and original ideas, changes of unexpected times and interesting melodies, with inspirational lyrics and original musical proposals. Alan Lorber did a spectacular job, taking advantage of this unique combination of musicality and social content, characteristic of the group, he managed to integrate the magnificent themes of the band into a new sound dimension, adding sound effects that raised dramatic intensity and realism of the excellent instrumental parts, obtaining a very cinematographic effect, when transporting the listener to an almost real scene, making him visualize moving images as if it were a movie. A clear example of this we have in the subject that opens the disc, "Prophecies / Morning Blue" , where the sound of children who play, confident and unprepared, are represented in a world of sudden nuclear devastation by a frenetic change of pace 5/4 Jazz as the nuclear cloud gets closer and closer to them.

Steve Cataldo signed a new contract for the recording of a solo album with the label "ABC Records" and in 1969 under the name "Saint Steven" he released the excellent album "Over The Hills" " . In the 1970s Cars group manager Freddie Lewis and group leader Ric Ocasek helped him get a contract with "Elektra Records" in Los Angeles, in which the first work of his new group was released the Nervous Eaters . Already in the 80 edited a second album with this same group in a small independent seal. Other contributions can be heard on the albums of Wille Alexandre , for which he recorded some magnificent acoustic guitars, in several of his classic songs, among them "Mass Ave" or "Keronac" .

With their unique album, in their unusual format of musical fusion and poetic narrative , Front Page Review left an extraordinary and original contribution to the history of Rock from Boston and to what was dubbed the Boston Sound . Fortunately, the album "Front Page Review" , which remained for more than 30 years in complete oblivion and on some shelves filled with dust, was finally unearthed and edited in 1997 from the original Master Tapes. This is a little forgotten gem that deserves close attention.

Tracks
1. Prophecies / Morning Blue - 3:54
2. Prism Fawn - 3:44
3. One Eyed Minor - 1:54
4. Feels Like Love - 2:32
5. Silver Children - 6:27
6. Valley Of Eyes - 2:16
7. Without You - 3:45
8. For The Best Offer - 3:35
Lyrics and Music by Steve Cataldo

The Front Page Review
*Steve Cataldo - Voice, Guitar.
*Richard Bartlett - Guitar
*David Weber - Battery
*David Christiansen - Guitar
*Thomas Belliveau - Bass
*Joseph Santangelo - Organ, Piano

1966-69  Saint Steven - Over The Hills / The Bastich 

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