A California hard rock band with a sound somewhat reminiscent of vintage Cream, Kingdom released a single album (also called Kingdom) on Specialty Records in 1970, and the rarity of that original release has given the band a kind of cache among record collectors.
Kingdom was a solid rock band sporting impressive dual lead guitars, deep organ washes, a solid sense of dynamics, and appropriately gruff, John Kay-like lead vocals from frontman Jim Potkey. All the group really lacked was a set of striking songs, and while the opener, "Waiting, Hesitating," the hard-rocking and bucolic "Back to the Farm," and the ambitious, endlessly shifting eight-minute closing track, "Morning Swallow," all show promise, little else here lingers in the mind after the last note fades.
Still, the playing is impressive, particularly the dual lead guitar sound, which was still somewhat innovative in hard rock circles at the time. It would have been interesting to hear what this outfit might have come up with for a second album, but alas, a second go-round in the studio was not to be.
by Steve Leggett
Tracks
1. Waiting, Hesitating - 2:22
2. Everybody's Had The Blues - 3:28
3. Back To The Farm - 3:06
4. Seven Fathoms Deep - 3:49
5. If I Never Was To See Her Again - 4:06
6. Seasons (Ed Nelson) - 2:28
7. Prelude - 3:09
8. No Time Spent - 3:25
9. Have You Seen The Lady - 2:51
10.Morning Swallow - 8:08
All songs by Jim Potkey except where stated
The Kingdom
*Ed Nelson - Bass, Vocals
*Gary Varga - Drums
*John Toyne - Guitar, Vocals
*Jim Potkey - Lead Vocals, Organ, Guitar
When Jim Cregan, Richard Mc Cracken and John Wilson got together in the fall of 1970 to form Stud, British music magazines ought to have hailed the advent of a super group. After all, bassist Mc Cracken and drummer Wilson were the rhythm group of Rory Gallagher’s first class band Taste, and Jim Cregan was one of two guitarists of Blossom Toes, a band generally esteemed for its high musical potential. But the band’s take off was scarcely noticed by British music magazines, as was the release of their first album in April 1971, in spite of the many positive reviews they received. This is why the band never made it beyond the status of an insider’s tip in Great Britain. However, in Germany Stud was a very popular live act; they played on many large festivals and toured the German clubs, which helped spur the sales of their first album and made for a reasonable living. Stud, and particularly manager and producer Eddie Kennedy, blamed the local record company Decca for the lack of success in the UK and demanded a better marketing. The dispute left Stud without a record company.
The band saw their chance in Germany, where they were successful and had many fans due to their frequent gigs. In 1970, BASF, originally known as a label for classic and jazz and as manufacturer of audio and cassette tapes, had established a rock label of the same name ( as well as the sub label Pilz), and gave Stud a contract. After the release of their first album, John Weider (guitar, violin, piano, vocals) joined Stud as a permanent member. He had already played as guest musician on the first album. The albums “September”, released in early 1972, and “Goodbye, Live at Command” were recorded with the participation of Weider. When “Goodbye..” was released in the summer of 1973 – the recordings had been done live during a session in London’s Command Studios in May 1972 – Stud had ceased to exist. Cracken had been the first to leave the band to join the newly formed Spencer Davis Group. John Weider had formed Moonrider, together with Keith West, and Jim Cregan had joined Family and played on their last album “It’s only a movie”.
The band was retired for good when John Wilson’s attempt to carry on Stud with former East of Eden bassist Andrew Sneddon and guitarist Snowie White failed. Even though Stud was perhaps no more than a footnote in the history of British rock music and was never as important as the bands its members had played in before, the group is still very popular with music lovers. These recordings made in the SWF studio U1 represent a cross section of all three studio albums and are an impressive prove of the band’s musical bandwidth and the band members’ excellent technical skills.
by Manfred Steinheuer, August 2009
Tracks
1. Good Things (John Weider) - 6:57
2. Samurai (Piano Version) (Jim Cregan) - 2:42
3. Horizon (Jim Cregan, John Wilson, Richard McCracken) - 12:47
4. Make Me High (Jim Cregan) - 6:38
5. Ocean Boogie (Jim Cregan) - 3:36
6. Samurai (Guitar Version) (Jim Cregan) - 3:01
The Stud
*Jim Cregan - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals
*John Weider - Guitar, Piano, Violin, Vocals
*Richard "Charlie" McCracken - Bass
*John Wilson - Drums, Percussion
The combination of poor sales and rising disagreements between Deram and manager Eddie Kennedy saw the band dropped by Deram Records. Luckily extensive touring in Germany paid off in terms of the trio finding a new sponsor with the German BASF label. In addition, prior to recording their sophomore LP the trio added former Animals and Family multi-instrumentalist John Wider to the lineup. Recorded in London's Command Studio with Billy Kennedy again producing, musically "September" was quite different from their debut.
Tracks like the mid-tempo rocker 'Good Things' and the ballads 'Corner', 'Samurai', and 'Five To Mid- Day' largely abandoned the debut's folk and jazz-rock leanings in favor of a far more commercial endeavor (though I'll admit Weider's violins were a source of irritation to my ears). As on the debut, as the band's lead singer Cregan remained a hit-or-miss proposition. His limited and fragile range was sorely tested on the ballads like 'God Knows', but he did better on the up-tempo and bluesy numbers. A big part of the difference this time out was clearly attributable to the addition of Weider who contributed five of the ten songs, including the standout bluesy rocker 'Life without Music'. Not perfect (the country number 'Red Wine' was hideous), but far better than the debut which for some reason remains the one collectors seek out and throw big money at. Go for this one since it's far better and more affordable.
Apparently under considerable pressure to fulfill a contractual obligation to BASF Records, Jim Cregan, Richard McCracken, John Weider, and John Wilson regrouped long enough to complete what was billed as a live in-the-studio set. Recorded in front of a select audience at London's Command Studio, 1973's "Goodbye Live At Command" found the band pulling together a mixture of five tracks; two pulled from each of the earlier studio sets and one new effort John Weider's solo instrumental 'Big Bill's Banjo Band'.
Supersister's unique group sound truly flourished on their second LP. Keyboardist Robert Jan Stips had taken control of all the songwriting and managed to work out the obvious influences -- for instance, exit the organ lines too reminiscent of the Canterbury scene. At this point, the group is not borrowing ideas from others, it is developing its own ideas alongside the big progressive rock acts. To the Highest Bidder doesn't sound like this or that; it is pure Supersister, namely in "A Girl Named You," the group's first true classic. Stips' composition combines elements of rock and jazz with a circular me-and-you message that brings to mind early Gong (the way he handles the melody also evokes Daevid Allen).
Everybody gets a technical workout, yet the piece unfolds gracefully, striking a balance between the melodicism of Italian progressive rock and the witty character of the Canterbury flavor of the genre. This balance is what will set apart this album and the next one. The ballad "No Tree Will Grow (On Too High a Mountain)" is a brilliant fluke -- witness the collective burst of laughter at the end if you thought the guys were serious about this progressified '60s pop pastiche. By then the group's longest composition, the 15-minute "Energy (Out of Future)" tries to do too many things at once, with very difficult passages tied together by comical vocal episodes. A bit excessive, it still has its share of fine moments that are fun and clever, but what it mostly accomplishes is to exorcise the group's interest in studio experimentation, paving the way for more focused songwriting on the next LP.
by François Couture
Tracks
1. A Girl Named You (Robert Jan Stips) - 10:06
2. No Tree Will Grow (On Too High A Mountain (Robert Jan Stips) - 7:40
3. Energy (Out Of Future) (Robert Jan Stips) - 14:56
4. Higher (Robert Jan Stips) - 2:52
5. A Girl Named You (Single Version) (Robert Jan Stips) - 3:19
6. Missing Link (Supersister) - 2:57
7. No Tree Will Grow (On Too High A Mountain) (Single Version) (Robert Jan Stips) - 4:27
8. The Groupies Of The Band (Supersister) - 4:34
The Supersister
*Robert Jan Stips - Keyboards, Vocals, Vibraphone
*Sacha van Geest - Flute, Vocals
*Ron van Eck - Bass Guitar, Fuzz Bass
*Marco Vrolijk - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
There are few bands who have managed to record such a strong, fully developed first album after only two years of existence. Supersister's debut effort remains one of Holland's best progressive rock albums and a classic of the genre worldwide, even though the group garnered only fringe interest outside of Europe. All the elements of the group's sound are already firmly in place: Sacha VanGeest's soothing flute lines, Robert Jan Stips' far-out keyboard sounds, and the group's wacky humor.
The recipe has yet to reach its full, unique potential -- one too easily detects specific influences, mostly that of Soft Machine (the fuzz bass in "Metamorphosis"), Caravan ("Memories Are New" and the multi-part, suite-like structure of some songs), and the Mothers of Invention (the comic relief 90 seconds of "Corporation Combo Boys," concluding with the following lyric sung in four-part harmony: "We listen with attention to the Mothers of Invention").
The title track is the jazziest song of the set and features one of VanGeest's most memorable flute lines. "Memories Are New" and "Metamorphosis" are both Canterbury-esque prog rockers, with Dave Sinclair-like organ sounds, complex rhythms, and dry English humor. One thinks of Egg's first album or Caravan circa If I Could Do It All Over Again.... With its choral organ/vibes theme, "Dona Nobis Pacem" illustrates a more classically inclined side of the band. After the raucous experiments and craziness of the previous tracks, this delicate, carefully built piece can seem slightly out of character -- at least until Stips breaks out into a circus-like calliope motive, reaffirming one last time that Supersister shall be known for their serious lack of seriousness.
by François Couture
Tracks
1. Introduction (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 2:56
2. Present from Nancy (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 5:13
3. Memories Are New (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 3:46
4. 11/8 (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 3:15
5. Dreaming Wheelwhile (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 2:52
6. Corporaton Combo Boys (Robert Jan Stips) - 1:21
7. Mexico (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 4:20
8. Metamorphosis (Robert Jan Stips) - 3:26
9. Eight Miles High (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 0:22
10.Dona Nobis Pacem (Hans Van Oosterhout, Supersister) - 8:34
11.She Was Naked (Robert Jan Stips) - 3:45
12.Spiral Staircase (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 3:06
13.Fancy Nancy (Hans Van Oosterhout, Supersister) - 1:48
14.Gonna Take Easy (Ron Van Eck, Robert Jan Stips) - 2:42
The Supersister
*Robert Jan Stips - Keyboards, Vocals, Vibraphone
*Sacha van Geest - Flute, Vocals
*Ron van Eck - Bass Guitar, Fuzz Bass
*Marco Vrolijk - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Anybody familiar with L.A. canyon-rock circa 1970 should be familiar with the name Chris Ethridge. Having more or less made his debut as the R&B-minded bass player with the Flying Burrito Brothers, the man soon went on to become one of Americana’s most in-demand session players, serving with everyone from Phil Ochs to Ry Cooder to Judy Collins. There’s a good chance that you can find him on more than one of your favorite records. A less recognized part of Ethridge’s career, however, is his time served as a member of Hill, Barbata & Ethridge, a tight congregation of musicians who had until the band’s formation only really been seen working the sidelines of the nascent country rock movement. John Barbata probably had the highest profile of any of them, having spent several years manning the kit for sardonic folk rockers The Turtles, while singer Joel Scott Hill had only cut a couple of solo sides for small independent labels out of the west coast.
So it was really only with L.A. Getaway that these three really got a chance to shine on their own. Hill, perhaps the largest unknown quantity here, turns up positively mind-blowing on cuts like “Old Man Trouble,” where he takes Otis Redding’s classic heart breaker and wrenches out one of the most satisfying blue-eyed soul performances I’ve ever heard. Ethridge, whose bass work has always lain somewhere between Stax and McCartney, finally gets a chance to work out his R&B tendencies, having heretofore been confined mostly to country and folk-rock music. I should also mention the cast of supporting players here, if only to emphasize the weight these cats held in the world of Los Angeles rock and roll. Hammering the piano and Hammond organ are none other than the holy quadrumvirate of Leon Russell, Spooner Oldham, Booker T. Jones, and Mac Rebennack. Clarence White throws down some trademark guitar solos.
If there is any part of this record which disappoints, it is in the fact that the band here relies so much on other people’s material. Though songs like Dr. John’s swampy “Craney Crow” and Allen Toussaint’s woozy closer “So Long” are given strong and inspired readings, the most memorable moments come with Ethridge’s numbers, such as the barnstorming “It’s Your Love,” which could have been a radio staple had fortune only dealt more cards in their favor. His laconic vocal drawl on the twangy title track, a wry kiss-off to the smoggy city, makes one wish he had gotten a chance to record more of his own material in this way. Otherwise, the band’s treatment of rock and roll standards like Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” and Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Eyesight To the Blind” are fun, but not remarkable.
It’s a shame that L.A. Getaway didn’t get the chance to develop further than this one album. All three musicians would go on to other high-profile ventures, though I would argue that their sum was greater than their parts. John Barbata would serve time in many different bands through the seventies, from Jefferson Airplane to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, while Hill joined up with Canned Heat for a couple of years. Eventually, him and Ethridge were reunited in a latter-day incarnation of the Flying Burrito Brothers, though the recordings they made under that name, including 1975’s Flying Again, are a solid disappointment, especially in regards to Hill’s vocal performances.
L.A. Getaway did in fact see a compact disc reissue, but also you can track down an original vinyl copy, though if the word gets around one hopes that this long-neglected classic.
by Nik Rayne
Tracks
1. Bring It To Jerome (Jerome Green) - 2:52
2. It's Your Love (Chris Ethridge, Dave Mason, Joel Scott Hill) - 3:19
3. Long Ago (Dan Penn, Buddy Killen) - 5:13
4. Craney Crow (Mac Rebennack) - 4:52
5. The Promised Land (Chuck Berry) - 3:15
6. Ole Man Trouble (Booker T. Jones) - 5:35
7. Eyesight (Joel Scott Hill) - 4:53
8. L.A. Gateway (Chris Ethridge, Greg Dempsey, Leon Russell) - 3:31
9. Big City (Chris Ethridge, Joel Scott Hill) - 3:19
10.So Long (Allan Touissant) - 3:05
Musicians
*John Barbata - Drums
*Chris Ethridge - Bass, Vocals
*Joel Scott Hill - Guitar, Vocals
*Robert Guseus - Percussion
*Booker T. Jones - Organ
*Clydie King - Vocals
*Sneaky Pete Kleinow - Pedal Steel
*Larry Knechtel - Organ
*Spooner Oldham - Piano
*Leon Russell - Piano
*John Sebastian - Harmonica
*The Blackberries - Vocals
*Dr. John - Piano
*Clarence White - Guitar
The inexplicably named Troyes were a short-lived, Battle Creek, Michigan-based garage band that was quite active locally in the mid-sixties, led by lead vocalist, songwriter and farfisa organist Lee Koteles along with four of his high school buddies. Performing an enervating mix of covers and originals at local teen hangouts and dance halls like Eddy’s and Teens Inc. they were soon signed to bandleader Ray Anthony’s just launched rock label, Space Records (a Capitol Records subsidiary), and scored a regional smash right out of the box with their rousing “Rainbow Chaser,” that rose to number three on the Top 40 in September of 1966—just ahead of the Four Tops with “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and the Supremes with “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Anthony (of Peter Gunn and Dragnet-theme fame) had big plans for the combo and insisted they record enough material for an album—nearly two deck’s worth were recorded at Detroit’s United Sound studios in late 1966 and early 1967. But, unluckily, only two singles were ever issued, with the remainder in limbo.
This 24 track compilation contains them all—including three versions of “Rainbow” and two of its also catchy flip side, the moody ballad “Why.” The rest of the hook-laden efforts range from way-out psychedelia to totally manic fuzz and farfisa garage to irascibly haunting sonancy. Favorites, mostly in a downbeat romantic, Seeds-ian vein, encompass the likes of “Someday You’ll See My Side,” “I Know Different,” both sides of that second Space single (“Love Comes, Love Dies” and “Help Me Find Myself”) and the band’s final recording, an arresting commentary on their hometown, Battle Creek, where the Kellogg’s cereal corporation was headquartered. An enclosed booklet of rare photos, newspaper articles and Troyes ephemera rounds things out nicely. Well worth tracking down.
by Gary von Tersch
Tracks
1. Rainbow Chaser (Unedited Version) (Lee Koteles) - 3:03
2. The Good Night (Lee Koteles) - 3:50
3. Morning Of The Rain (Lee Koteles) - 2:54
4. Tomorrow (Fred Dummer) - 2:10
5. I Don't Need You (Fred Dummer) - 2:07
6. Someday You'll See My Side (Gary Linke, Lee Koteles) - 2:45
7. Love Comes Love Dies (Lee Koteles) - 2:54
8. Blanket Of My Love (Lee Koteles) - 3:55
9. Mari (Lee Koteles) - 2:14
10.I'm Gone (Lee Koteles) - 3:02
11.Turn Around (Lee Koteles) - 4:01
12.Jezebel (Wayne Shanklin) - 3:12
13.Help Me Find Myself (Lee Koteles) - 2:08
14.Rainbow Chaser (Alternate Version) (Lee Koteles) - 2:13
15.Why (45 Version) (Fred Dummer) - 2:30
16.I Don't Need You (Backing Track) (Fred Dummer) - 2:04
17.You Mind Is Showing (Lee Koteles) - 2:14
18.Tomorrow (Demo Version) (Fred Dummer) - 2:18
19.Change About (Fred Dummer, Lee Koteles) - 2:36
20.I Know Different (Fred Dummer) - 2:33
21.She Said To Me (Lee Koteles) - 2:47
22.Why (Alternate Version) (Fred Dummer) - 2:33
23.Rainbow Chaser (45 Version) (Lee Koteles) - 2:34
24.Corn Flake (Lee Koteles) - 4:52
The Toyes
*Lee Koteles - Organ, Lead Vocals
*Gary Linke - Rhythm Guitar
*Bill Hirakis - Drums
*Brent Flathou - Lead Guitar (Track 24)
*Fred Dummer - Lead Guitar (Tracks 1-23)
*Jerry Younglove - Bass (Tracks 1-23)
*John Stange - Bass (Track 24) Free Text Text Host
If you ever wondered what the New York Dolls would have sounded like if they were sun-stroked So-Cal surfers, The Clap would have been the answer to that query. Self-deception is a vital skill, especially if your itch is collecting dead wax by guys who never sold a damn. Yes sir, failure-rock fixation leads us all to some pretty wide suspensions of disbelief. …like the Flamin Groovies’ should’ve outsold Bad Company or that Elliot Murphy (or Garland Jeffreys) run circles around Springsteen (and in better wheels to boot). Yup, speculation shore is the most – most of all when it comes to a record you feel you’ve got the curtain closed on: a rotating, black vinyl Sutter’s Mill - your own private tip-for-the-top! …and, of course, it helps if the record and artistes in question are any good. In Clap’s case, they’re practically Nietzschean (good-bad, no evil).
Cursed by birth, too late for the garage scene and too early for the punk revolution, were the band from Manhattan Beach, California known as Clap. While it would have been easy and cool in the early seventies (which is as close as we can determine for the original LP release date) to turn up the amps and blast out "Aimless Lady", "Iron Man" or some variation thereof, Clap followed a different muse, fully embracing the snot and swagger of Exile-era Glimmer Twins with amateur enthusiasm - ten originals of chicks, attitude, and chicks with attitudes. Although there’s a certain lo-fi malaise that permeates the album’s ten tracks, it doesn’t interfere with the quality of the tunes, and can likely be chalked up to a shitty studio and even shittier engineer. Slow strutters like, “Middle Of The Road”, carry a snotty Stones charm, while darker rockers such as the opening, “Out Of The Shadows”, and later, “Get It While You Can” are smoky puffs of Alice Cooper pageantry with a healthy dose of juvenile delinquency to up the ante.
A prime example of proto-punk, this LP nods towards the eventual change in underground rock n’ roll. (singer Steve Morrison’s vocals are uncannily similar to a Born Innocent-era Jeff McDonald – or should I say that the other way around?) It’s the perfect addition to the completist’s library, not to mention several hundred dollars cheaper than scarcer-than-hens’-pubes original.
Tracks
1. Out of The Shadows (Keith Till, Steve Morrison) - 3:39
2. My Imagination (Steve Morrison) - 4:01
3. Middle of the Road (Dave Aurit, Steve Morrison) - 3:27
4. Get It While You Can (Dave Aurit) - 3:25
5. Have You Reached Yet? (Keith Till, Steve Morrison) - 3:55
6. Sweet Smell of Success (Steve Morrison) - 4:01
7. Stop Torturing Me (Steve Morrison) - 2:53
8. Bluff 'em All (Steve Morrison) - 2:55
9. Only Just An Act (Steve Morrison) - 3:08
10.Mornin' Thought (Keith Till) - 3:08
Clap
*Les Hurst - Drums
*Scott Mercier - Drums
*Keith Till - Guitar, Vocals
*Steve Morrison - Lead Vocals, Harp
*Dave Aurit - Lead Guitar, Saxophone
*Jim Morrison - Bass, Vocals
Chicago-born John LiVigni (aka John Valenti) started to play drums and sings with Larry Klimas at clubs in Chicago and Detroit as "The Outfit", when he was a teen-ager. They scudded to be signed with Motown and released 2 albums under the name of "Puzzle" in early 70's.
Puzzle's same titled debut album is an amalgam of brass jazz funk rock and a bit of British prog bands from the same era. Most songs written by John LiVigni, great guitar parts from Robert Villalobos with psychedelic splashes. Excellent also the rest of the band.
Tracks
1. On With The Show (John Livigni) - 2:44
2. Lady (John Livigni) - 3:37
3. You Make Me Happy (John Livigni) - 3:22
4. Never Gonna Leave Again (John Livigni, Joseph Spinazola) - 5:00
5. The Grosso (John Livigni, Larry Klimas) - 5:46
6. Brand New World (John Livigni) - 4:08
7. Suite Delirium (Anthony Siciliano, Bobby Villalobos, John Livigni, Joseph Spinazola, Larry Klimas, Ralf Richert) - 7:02
8. It's Not The Last Time (John Livigni, Larry Klimas) - 4:52
9. Don't Know Where I'm Gonna Be Today (John Livigni) - 2:38
Puzzle
*John Livigni "John Valenti" - Vocals, Drums, Percussion
*Anthony Siciliano - Bass
*Bobby Villalobos - Guitar
*Ralf Richert - Guitar, Trumpet
*Joseph Spinazola - Organ, Piano
*Larry Klimas - Saxophone, Flute
*Bob Williams - Trumpet 1974 Puzzle - The Second Album (2018 korean remaster)
Little is known about the reclusive folksinger Ed Askew. During the late ‘60s he recorded the psychedelic folk masterpiece “Ask the Unicorn” – his only album which has been released commercially until recent reissues – with only his ten stringed tiple accompanying himself. Little happened when it was released in 1968 by ultra-noncommercial ESP-Disk, the label which was best known for its free jazz releases and which is considered to be one of the most legendary independent labels of the ‘60s. Receiving barely any attention at all the record soon descended into obscurity even among the best informed enthusiasts of the in-crowd.
This in itself is not a unique story. It happens all the time. What makes this story worthwhile telling however is the fact that during all those years after its release its fire was kept alive solely by its unmatched and overwhelming urgency. His music proved so powerful that even time could not take it down. Slowly but surely more and more people started discovering the album. Word got around very gradually. It stole the hearts of listeners one by one. Something within this record made people fall for it like nothing before.
These are the kind of stories that should be told. Songwriters who are largely unknown to the public but have managed to find their place in the history of music, changing its landscape indefinitely and inspiring other artists for many decades without ever getting the deserved recognition. This small series of posts is dedicated to my favourite songwriters who were undeservedly forgotten.
Ed Askew grew up in Stanford, Connecticut after which he moved to nearby New Haven to attend Yale University in the early 60s. After having earned his art degree as a painter he briefly taught art at a high school in New York. It was then when he sent a demo tape to Bernard Stollman of ESP-Disk who quickly invited him to record his first record which would become known as “Ask the Unicorn”. The album received practically no promotion from the label – which was already plagued by financial difficulties – and quickly disappeared from circulation. The second album which Ed Askew recorded for ESP-Disk was never released – due to the eventual bankruptcy of ESP-Disk in 1974 – until the limited vinyl-only release on De Stijl in 2003.
When you talk about independent record labels you automatically talk about ESP-Disk. A New York-based record label, founded in 1966 by Bernard Stollman who was known for his almost spartanesque production methods and a strict no-retakes policy. With the motto: “The artists alone decide what you will hear on their ESP-Disk”; the label opened the door to a wide range of wildly creative sounds including Albert Ayler’s “Spiritual Unity” and is considered to be the most important exponent of free jazz. It is probably no coincidence that it took such a label to discover Ed Askew’s talents. And with our current discussion about independent music and its role in our musical landscape there could be no better example than Ed Askew’s “Ask the Unicorn”.
“Ask the Unicorn” contains a certain urgency. Like the recording of it was an act of desperation. The moment he starts singing and you hear his uniquely strained voice you immediately feel that he is frantically trying to tell you something extremely important. Part of this comes from a less romantic and more practical situation. The instrument which he is using, the ten stringed tiple, is notoriously difficult to master and takes so much pressure to keep it under control that you can actually hear his continuing struggles in his singing. The tiple – which he describes as an instrument shaped like a baritone ukulele – offers stunning arrangements to his harrowing psychedelic folk songs and challenges conventional structure.
“Little Eyes” was recorded immediately following the poorly selling debut. The record shares a similarity with “Ask the Unicorn” when it comes to his strained vocals and his use of the tiple but it also shows his newfound interest in the piano. And again all the songs were recorded in one continuous take.
Lyrically, Ed Askew manages to create emotionally engaging images with tripped out, dreamlike lyrics which effortlessly seem to flow from him. Often abstract and abruptly shifting, his lyrics possess a certain timelessness. He addresses still difficult topics in a way that was well ahead of its time, managing to strip down his songs to the pure and beautiful essence with poetic elegance.
After more than 40 years Ed Askew’s music is more relevant than ever, still able to mesmerize its audience. As David Shirley once truthfully wrote: “This is music that will endure.”
Tracks
1. Fancy Than - 4:52
2. Peter And David - 5:05
3. Marigolds - 2:47
4. Mr. Dream - 4:42
5. Red Woman / Letter To England - 3:32
6. The Garden - 3:30
7. May Blossoms Be Praised - 7:04
8. 9-Song - 4:49
9. Love Is Everyone - 3:54
10.Ask The Unicorn - 2:52
All compositions by Ed Askew.
