This album has acquired a bit of status as a minor legend over the moons, and it's not too hard on balance to hear why; besides the grandiose spirit-of-1967 group and album name, this brief but interesting record has a lot of descendants, though whether that was intentionally the case or not is up in the air. The English trio that made up Hapshash & the Coloured Coat for its original incarnation was composed of art designers and DJs by trade; this, their sole release together, is a classic situation of lightning in a bottle. The emphasis is on blunt but entrancing rhythm throughout -- pounding drums and bongos, rolling piano (sometimes practically barrelhouse), and chunky guitar parts that are proto-funk as much as steady, straightforward crunch.
Combine that with vocals that appear then disappear as needed and an air of ragged partying, and it's not too off balance to consider this album as a fine equivalent to what the Velvet Underground were starting to cook up. Certainly it sounds like the original Amon Düül had this spinning when creating their own freak-outs a couple of years later, what with the chanting and fractured acid folk guitar here and there ("The New Messiah Coming 1985" is particularly gone).
Even the shorter songs, like "A Mind Blown Is a Mind Shown" and the mostly a cappella chanting of "Aoum," sound like excerpts from much longer efforts. "H-O-P-P-Why?" kicks everything off with the right blend of things, but it's the monstrous, bell-laden "Empires of the Sun" that's the winner, with some great parts where the (at points elsewhere, orgasmic) vocalists sound like mariachi singers. Credit as well to member Guy Stevens' excellent production, which is much more lively and detailed than many recordings of the time; he went on to work as a house producer for Island Records, and it's easily clear why.
by Ned Raggett
Tracks
1. H-O-P-P-Why? - 7:36
2. A Mind Blown Is A Mind Shown - 2:26
3. The New Messiah Coning 1985 - 7:08
4. Aoum - 3:26
5. Empires Of The Sun - 15:51
All compositions by Guy Stevens, Nigel Waymouth, MIchael English Hapshash And The Coloured Coat
*Nigel Waymouth
*MIchael English
*Guy Stevens
After RC’s recent Roots Of US Progressive Rock feature, by far the most positive feedback came for Spirit, the fabled LA band who first appeared 50 years ago spearheading Columbia’s Rock Machine campaign. This definitive package built around the first five albums, confirms that, when it came to mashing diverse musical styles in a psych blender with supernatural chops, Spirit were light years ahead of 1968’s illustrious pack, even eclipsing more vaunted contemporaries like The Band for alchemical trail-blazing.
“The trouble was, our reputation as an idiosyncratic psychedelic jazz group meant we were influential rather than successful,” says bassist Mark Andes in the sleevenotes. Spirit sounded like seasoned veterans, but only 4year-old drummer Ed Cassidy, who’d played with jazz greats earlier in life, boasted that distinction. When they came together in 1967 as a rebooted version of the earlier Red Roosters, they also included Cassidy’s 16-year-old guitarist step-son Randy Wolfe, renamed Randy California by Hendrix when both were playing Greenwich Village’s Café Wha? the previous year. (Then-schoolboy Randy was famously prevented by his parents from accompanying Jimi to the UK). Spectrally soulful vocalist Jay Ferguson and mercurial keyboardist John Locke completed the band, who named themselves from shortening the title of Khalil Gibran’s story Spirits Rebellious, signed to Lou Adler’s Columbia-distributed Ode and recorded their self-titled first album.
With tracks like the Latin-flavoured Fresh Garbage and grippingly dramatic Mechanical World hot-wired by California’s serpentine guitar, Cassidy’s feather light propulsion and Locke’s mercurial keyboards, Spirit still sounds like a band out of time; maturely progressive and prone to leaping into jazzy solo stretches that get their own field on Elijah (and the gentle Taurus makes you wonder how innate magpies Led Zep ever won the 2016 court case accusing them of heisting the track for Stairway To Heaven).
December 1968’s The Family That Plays Together toughened the sound while retaining the idiosyncratic edge on tracks like Aren’t You Glad?, giving Spirit their only hit single with I’ve Got A Line On You before they were commissioned to write the soundtrack for French director Jacques Demy’s movie Model Shop. For anyone not familiar with its tracks on 1991’s Time Circle collection or Sundazed’s 2005 full release, the soundtrack’s resonant position between Spirit’s second and third albums will be a minor revelation as they push their envelope into cosmic jazz on The Moving Van and Mellow Fellow. Second album outtakes such as Fog in all its baroque, shimmering glory joined pieces soon expanded (and re-titled) on October 1969’s Clear (including its pastoral title track and glacial Ice), ultimately making Model Shop a phantasmagorical bridge between the two.
With Clear also nodding at blues-rock and 1984 released as a foreboding 45, Spirit forged their masterpiece with 1970’s The Twelve Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus, a psychedelic social comment concept work named after William Castle’s 1961 horror film. Produced by David Bryant (at Neil Young’s suggestion) and elevated by the band’s stellar telepathic progression, Spirit up the passion and precision on the cutting Animal Zoo, heartbreaking Soldier and vertiginous TFTPT outtake Space Child, along with showcasing Randy’s blossoming song-writing on Nature’s Way and Why Can’t I Be Free?
Sadly, Spirit’s original line-up soon dispersed, leaving Cassidy and Locke joined by brothers Al and John Staehely to record 1972’s Feedback, which saw jazz impulses replaced by Southern rock flavours. By 1973, California was back leading Spirit with his step-dad until drowning near Hawaii in 1997 (Cassidy died in 2012, aged 89).
It Shall Be will remain the definitive monument for this vital band, bolstered by outtakes, singles, alternative Time Circle mixes and first album’s original mono mix making its CD debut; much of it still sounding as evocatively beautiful and astonishingly ground-breaking as it did half a century ago. We should be glad indeed for such marvels.
by Kris Needs
Tracks Disc 1 Spirit 1968
1. Fresh Garbage (Jay Ferguson) - 3:11
2. Uncle Jack (Jay Ferguson) - 2:43
3. Mechanical World (Jay Ferguson, Mark Andes) - 5:15
4. Taurus (Randy California) - 2:37
5. Girl In Your Eye (Jay Ferguson) - 3:15
6. Straight Arrow (Jay Ferguson) - 2:50
7. Topanga Windows (Jay Ferguson) - 3:36
8. Gramophone Man (Ed Cassidy, Jay Ferguson) - 3:49
9. Water Woman (Jay Ferguson) - 2:11
10.The Great Canyon Fire In General (Jay Ferguson) - 2:46
11.Elijah (John Locke) - 10:42 The Family That Plays Together 1968
12.I Got A Line On You (Randy California) - 2:35
13.It Shall Be (John Locke, Randy California) - 3:02
14.Poor Richard (Jay Ferguson) - 2:28
15.Silky Sam (Jay Ferguson) - 3:48
16.Drunkard (Jay Ferguson) - 2:26
17.Darlin' If (Randy California) - 3:38
18.All The Same (Ed Cassidy, Randy California) - 4:46
19.Jewish (Randy California) - 2:46
20.Dream Within A Dream (Jay Ferguson) - 3:00
21.She Smiled (Jay Ferguson) - 2:22
22.Aren't You Glad (Jay Ferguson) - 5:34
Disc 2 The Model Shop 1968-69
1. The Moving Van (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 1:56
2. Mellow Fellow (Ed Cassidy, John Locke) - 2:50
3. Now Or Anywhere (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 4:39
4. Fog (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 2:24
5. Green Gorilla (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 2:13
6. Model Shop I (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 2:02
7. Model Shop II (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 4:07
8. The Rehearsal Theme (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 1:11
9. Song For Lola (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 5:47
10.Eventide (John Locke) - 3:56
11.Coral (John Locke) - 4:22
12.Aren't You Glad (Demo) (Jay Ferguson) - 5:26 Clear 1969
13.Dark Eyed Woman (Randy California, Jay Ferguson) - 3:06
14.Apple Orchard (Mark Andes, Randy California, Ed Cassidy) - 4:03
15.So Little Time To Fly (Randy California, John Locke) - 2:47
16.Ground Hog (Jay Ferguson) - 3:02
17.Cold Wind (Jay Ferguson) - 3:23
18.Policeman's Ball (Jay Ferguson) - 2:21
19.Ice (John Locke) - 5:47
20.Give A Life, Take A Life (Lou Adler, Randy California) - 3:20
21.I'm Truckin' (Jay Ferguson) - 2:24
22.Clear (Randy California, Jay Ferguson) - 4:07
23.Caught (John Locke) - 3:11
24.New Dope In Town (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 4:23
Disc 3 Twelve Dreams Of Doctor Sardonicus 1970
01. Prelude – Nothing To Hide (Randy California) - 3:43
02. Nature's Way (Randy California) - 2:40
03. Animal Zoo (Jay Ferguson) - 3:10
04. Love Has Found A Way (Randy California, Jay Ferguson) - 2:42
05. Why Can't I Be Free? (Randy California) - 1:05
06. Mr. Skin (Jay Ferguson) - 4:00
07. Space Child (John Locke) - 3:25
08. When I Touch You (Jay Ferguson) - 5:37
09. Street Worm (Jay Ferguson) - 3:42
10.Life Has Just Begun (Randy California) - 3:29
11.Morning Will Come (Randy California) - 2:50
12.Soldier (Randy California) - 2:43 Recorded In 1970 During Sessions For "Twelve Dreams Of Doctor Sardonicus"
13.Rougher Road (Randy California) - 3:16 Feedback 1972
14.Chelsea Girls (Al Staehely) - 3:28
15.Cadillac Cowboys (Al Staehely) - 3:37
16.Puesta Del Scam (John Locke) - 2:02
17.Ripe And Ready (Al Staehely) - 3:50
18.Darkness (John Locke) - 4:46
19.Earth Shaker (Al Staehely) - 3:53
20.Mellow Morning (Al Staehely, Mark Andes) - 2:21
21.Right On Time (Al Staehely) - 2:46
22.Trancas Fog-Out (John Locke) - 2:37
23.Witch (Al Staehely) - 5:20
Disc 4
Spirit (Mono) 1968
1. Fresh Garbage (Jay Ferguson) - 3:12
2. Uncle Jack (Jay Ferguson) - 2:44
3. Mechanical World (Jay Ferguson, Mark Andes) - 5:13
4. Taurus (Randy California) - 2:35
5. Girl In Your Eye (Jay Ferguson) - 3:06
6. Straight Arrow (Jay Ferguson) - 2:46
7. Topanga Windows (Jay Ferguson) - 3:31
8. Gramophone Man (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 3:51
9. Water Woman (Jay Ferguson) - 2:09
10.The Great Canyon Fire In General (Jay Ferguson) - 2:47
11.Elijah (John Locke) - 10:39
Recorded In 1968 During Sessions For "Spirit"
12.Veruska (Randy California) - 2:50
13.Free Spirit (John Locke) - 4:26
14.If I Had A Woman (Randy California) - 3:11
15.Elijah (Alternate Take 2) (John Locke) - 9:41
Taken From The 1991 Compilation "Time Circle"
16.I Got A Line On You (Randy California) - 2:47
17.It Shall Be (Randy California, John Locke) - 3:28
18.Poor Richard (Jay Ferguson) - 2:29
19.Silky Sam (Jay Ferguson) - 4:12
Disc 5 Taken From The 1991 Compilation "Time Circle"
1. Scherozode (John Locke) - 2:12
2. All The Same (Marty Paich, Randy California, Ed Cassidy, Helmut Bredigkeit, Angela Poethig, Richard Gramer) - 4:40
3. A Dream Within A Dream (Marty Paich, Jay Ferguson) - 3:01
4. Aren't You Glad (Jay Ferguson) - 5:34
5. Eventide (John Locke) - 4:21
6. Model Shop Theme (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 2:57
7. Green Gorilla (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 2:18
8. Rehearsal Theme (Jay Ferguson, John Locke, Randy California, Mark Andes, Ed Cassidy) - 1:12 Recorded In 1968 During Sessions For "The Family That Plays Together"
9. Fog (Randy California, John Locke) - 2:25
10.So Little To Say (Jay Ferguson) - 2:59
11.Mellow Fellow (John Locke) - 3:48
12.Now Or Anywhere (Jay Ferguson) - 4:21
13.Space Chile (John Locke) - 6:24 Recorded In 1969 During Sessions For "Clear"
14.Fuller Brush Man (Jay Ferguson) - 3:19
15.Coral (Ed Cassidy, John Locke) - 2:02 A And B-Sides Of Single (Released In 1970)
16.1984 (Randy California) - 3:37
17.Sweet Stella Baby (Jay Ferguson) - 2:56 A And B-Sides Of Single (Released In 1970)
18.Animal Zoo (Mono Single Version) (Randy California) - 3:03
19.Red Light Roll On (Randy California) - 5:42 Recorded And Mixed In 1970
20.Morning Will Come (Randy California) - 2:50
Using his touring band, which included keyboard player Mike Finnigan and guitarist Jim Krueger, Dave Mason turned in a strong pop/rock collection on his second, self-titled Columbia album. "Show Me Some Affection" was one of those songs that should have been a hit single, Mason recut a fuller version of "Every Woman," originally heard on It's Like You Never Left, and the album also included Mason's version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," in an arrangement patterned after the one by Jimi Hendrix, on which Mason had played six years earlier.
by William Ruhlmann
Split Coconut is Mason's first successful attempt to diversify that style; the result is a mixed bag of fine, listenable rock.While Mason's singing hasn't changed much over the years, remaining pleasantly untrained and unaffected, he demonstrates here that his is continuing to experiment and grow as a guitarist.
While a couple of the songs display the fluid, comfortable style he's mastered over the years ("Sweet Music," "You Can Lose It"), others are more innovative. "Split Coconut" is an irrepressible disco stomp and "Save Your Love" has a funky Lee Michaels flavor with some effective use of the wah-wah pedal. Other novelties include "Crying, Waiting, Hoping," which omits the guitars altogether and substitutes marimbas, a guest appearance by Manhattan Transfer and the use of organ on a light calypso number, and "Two Guitar Lovers," in which Mason and second guitarist Jim Krueger swap effective leads.
Split Coconut also boasts David Crosby and Graham Nash on backing vocals, but unfortunately they're so lost in the mix as to be almost inaudible. Still, this is for the most part a very entertaining LP.
by Alan Niester, Rolling Stone, 12/4/75
Tracks
1. Show Me Some Affection (Dave Mason) - 4:23
2. Get Ahold On Love (Dave Mason) - 2:47
3. Every Woman (Dave Mason) - 3:04
4. It Can't Make Any Difference To Me (Lane Tietgen) - 2:19
5. All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - 4:06
6. Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke) - 2:58
7. Harmony & Melody (Dave Mason) - 3:39
8. Relation Ships (Dave Mason) - 5:06
9. You Can't Take It When You Go (Dave Mason) - 4:10
10.Split Coconut (Dave Mason) - 3:41
11.Crying, Waiting, Hoping (Buddy Holly) - 2:46
12.You Can Lose It (Dave Mason, Jim Kreuger) - 3:07
13.She's A Friend (Dave Mason) - 2:57
14.Save Your Love (Dave Mason) - 4:19
15.Give Me A Reason Why (Dave Mason) - 5:03
16.Two Guitar Lovers (Maureen Grey) - 3:35
17.Sweet Music (Dave Mason) - 3:22
18.Long Lost Friend (Dave Mason) - 4:28
Born in Germany, but raised in the Bronx by a pair of Holocaust survivors, Lily Fishman studied theater in her teens. By the mid-1960s she was performing on Off Broadway where, together with friend Marie Neumann, the pair somehow attracted the attention of Columbia Records. Signed to a recording contract, 1968's the cleverly titled "Lily & Marie" teamed the pair with producers Garry Sherman and Stanley Kahan. In terms of credits, Neumann wrote most of the material and seems to have handled most of vocals.
'Subway Thoughts' bounced all over the map. It started out with some wayward, pseudo-jazzy moves before morphing into a stark, pained ballad featuring Neumann and acoustic guitar. About a minute into the track it exploded into a more conventional rock segment (complete with keyboard and fuzz guitar) that was actually pretty good. It then moved back and forth between the softer passages and the up-tempo rock segments. I missed it the first time around, but the song had two things going for it; the women were actually surprisingly good harmony singers and the song had a very tasty acoustic guitar solo.
A stark, acoustic ballad, 'Everybody Knows' was pretty much a downer through and through. I'm sure it was very profound, but stuff like 'I knew the shape of thirsty flowers' simply didn't cut it for me. That said, the song's pathos and literary images should appeal to English majors everywhere.
'Aftermath' started out another hyper-sensitive, fragile ballad, but improved when the first chorus kicked in and the song began to pick up some speed and a full band arrangement. Not great, but at least there was a recognizable melody to this one and I'll admit their harmony vocals weren't bad.
Opening with a nice bass pattern and some cool acoustic guitar, 'Melt Me' was actually the album's most commercial and mainstream performance. Framed by a full band arrangement, on this one Fishman and Neuman turned in a performance that was actually memorable and enjoyable - imagine a precursor to something Kate Bush might have recorded.
Fourteen After One' found the pair pulling a page from the 'Eleanor Rigby' catalog. Lyrically it didn't have a great deal to say - how many times can you point out that getting old sucks? That said, driven along by a nice organ, this one had a pretty melody and on this one they showcased some very nice harmony vocals.
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
