Swampwater’s 1970 debut stands alongside Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Guilded Palace of Sin, Poco’s debut, the Everly Brothers’ Roots and Bradley’s Barn as one of the best country-rock records ever.
Founder, Gib Guilbeau had a strong Bakersfield resume prior to forming Swampwater. Guilbeau and Gene Parsons had released a few early country-rock singles in the late 60’s as well as an album which eventually saw light of day in 1970 (although recorded in 1968-). The two recruited Clarence White in 1968 to record the legendary Nashville West album. This album has a good live feel and is highlighted by some of Clarence White’s best playing which was always breathtaking and revolutionary.
Eventually Swampwater formed and started out as Linda Ronstadt’s backing group in the late 60’s. Eric White, Clarence’s brother was also in the band and prior to forming Swampwater had been in the excellent Kentucky Colonels. Swampwater made two distinct albums in the early 70’s without Linda Ronstadt’s involvement. The above album was different than many notable country rock acts of the time for adding cajun and swamprock elements. The album opens and closes with two certified country-rock classics, Louisiana Woman and Big Bayou. Guilbeau had recorded the classy Louisiana Woman with both Nashville West and on his 1970 album with Parsons, though the version heard on Swampwater is the best. Big Bayou is a hard rocking, white hot country song with pretty fiddle that has been covered by many popular artists inlcuding Rod Stewart. Other songs like the acoustic flavored Man From New Orleans are highlighted by beautiful harmonies and a tear in your beer ambience.
Swampwater’s musicianship is high caliber and Guilbeau’s lyrics are always first-rate and thoughtful. Great songs like Kathleen, Desperation’s Back Again (supposedly an Everly Brothers homage with great down and out lyrics) and River People are beautifully arranged and display superior craftsmanship. It’s really a wall of greatness, with each song just as good as the next.
Swampwater mastered all the rural styles from cajun to folk-rock but just never received the breaks they so justly deserved. Their members were slugging it out in bars playing this sort of music years before anyone else had thought to do so. This album is a masterpiece and recommended to any true country fan.
by Jason Nardelli
Tracks
1. Louisiana Woman - 2:20
2. Workin’ On A Tugboat - 2:11
3. Desparations Back Again - 2:05
4. It’s Your Game Mary Jane - 3:06
5. River People - 2:19
6. Man From New Orleans (John Beland) - 3:05
7. Take A City Bride - 1:53
8. Kathleen (John Beland) - 2:35
9. Nashville Lady (John Beland) - 3:32
10.Look Out Your Window - 2:56
11.Big Bayou - 2:43
All songs by Gib Guilbeau except where stated
While not exactly the house band for Phil Walden's Macon, GA-based Capricorn Records label, the members of the acoustic aggregate Cowboy -- consisting of Scott Boyer (guitars / violin / vocals), Tommy Talton (guitars / vocals), Bill Pillmore (piano / guitar / fiddle / vocals), Tomm Wynn (drums / percussion), George Clark (bass), and Pete Kowalke (guitars / vocals /d rums) -- could be found on recordings by the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman (whom they regularly supported), Alex Taylor, and Bonnie Bramlett.
Their debut Reach for the Sky (1971) amply shows off their rural whimsy and substantial acoustic capacities. While their country-rock leanings are comparable to the Hearts & Flowers, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, or Pure Prairie League, they rely on their solid original material rather than adaptations and variations on traditional works and standards from the genre. However, as the mini-hoedown "Honey Ain't Nowhere" proves, they dew drop in for some unquestionably bluegrass-inspired pickin'.
The succinct "Amelia's Earache" and "Pick Your Nose" are both off-the-wall indulgences that nicely balance out the stunning "Beautiful Friend" and the mid-tempo rocker "Stick Together," which bears all the earmarks of an early-'70s Allman Brothers side. Similarly, "Rip & Snort" features a strong repetitive rhythm that is accentuated by the guitarists in a tandem lead similar to that of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. Another recommended spin is the languid and laid-back "It's Time," as it wafts into a vibe reminiscent of Neil Young circa After the Gold Rush (1970). Reach for the Sky (1971) is full of pleasurable, if not slightly pastoral, music that is recommended for inclined ears who likewise favor Southern rock.
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. Opening (Bill Pillmore, Pete Kowalke) - 1:55
2. Livin' In The Country (Bill Pillmore, Scott Boyer) - 3:10
3. Song Of Love And Peace (Scott Boyer) - 2:39
4. Amelia's Earache (Tommy Talton) - 0:42
5. Pick Your Nose (Bill Pillmore) - 1:53
6. Pretty Friend (Tommy Talton) - 4:16
7. Everything Here (Tommy Talton) - 5:34
8. Stick Together (Scott Boyer) - 2:43
9. Use Your Situation (Scott Boyer) - 3:12
10.It's Time (Scott Boyer) - 4:28
11.Honey Ain't Nowhere (Scott Boyer) - 1:57
12.Rip And Snort (Scott Boyer) - 4:13
13.Josephine, Beyond Compare (Tommy Talton) - 4:27
Cowboy
*Scott Boyer - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Violin, Lead Vocals
*Tommy Talton - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Bill Pillmore - Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Fiddle, Vocals
*George Clark - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Pete Kowalke - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Guitar, Vocals, Drums
One of Southern rock's best-kept secrets during its golden age in the 1970s, Cowboy were formed by songwriters Tommy Talton and Scott Boyer in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969. Playing a kind of acoustic country-rock similar to contemporaries Pure Prairie League, Cowboy had their own twist on the formula, thanks to Talton and Boyer's sharp, focused songwriting and a distinguishable Muscle Shoals flair.
After hearing the band, Duane Allman passed the word along to Phil Walden at Macon, Georgia's Capricorn Records, who offered the group a recording contract. The band's membership was pretty fluid during this time, other than Talton and Boyer, both of whom became de facto members of the Capricorn house band, playing with the Allman Brothers, Gregg Allman, Alex Taylor, and Bonnie Bramlett, among others. In all, four albums were released under the Cowboy name on Capricorn Records, 1970's Reach for the Sky and 1971's 5'll Getcha Ten.
Talton and Boyer put Cowboy back together in 2007, recording tracks at Sandlin's Duck Tape Studio in Decatur, Alabama, although none of those tracks were released at the time. After battling peripheral artery disease, Scott Boyer died in Muscle Shoals in February 2018; he was 70 years old.
by Steve Leggett
Full of laid-back Southern charm, 5'll Getcha Ten finds Cowboy further exploring the wonders of back-porch music. Strong songwriting and beautiful harmonies abound here, and cuts like the title track, "All My Friends," "Innocence Song," and "Please Be with Me" -- the latter of which features Duane Allman on Dobro and caught the ear of Eric Clapton, who included his own rendition of the tune on 461 Ocean Boulevard -- all sport fine musicianship. A great album to kick back and relax to.
by James Chrispell
Tracks
1. She Carries A Child (Scott Boyer) - 3:40
2. Hey There Babe (Tommy Talton) - 3:18
3. 5'll Getcha Ten (Tommy Talton) - 4:55
4. The Wonder (John McKenze) - 3:52
5. Shoestrings (Scott Boyer, Bill Pillmore) - 3:20
6. Lookin' For You (Scott Boyer) - 4:06
7. Seven Four Tune (Bill Pillmore) - 2:40
8. Right On Friend (Scott Boyer) - 3:36
9. All My Friends (Scott Boyer) - 4:50
10.Innocence Song (Scott Boyer, Bill Pillmore) - 1:53
11.Please Be With Me (Scott Boyer) - 3:40
12.What I Want Is You (Peter Kowalke) - 3:25 Cowboy
*Scott Boyer - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Violin, Lead Vocals
*Tommy Talton - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
*Bill Pillmore - Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Fiddle, Vocals
*George Clark - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Pete Kowalke - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Guitar, Vocals, Drums
*Tom Wynn - Drums, Percussion With
*Chuck Leavell - Piano
*Duane Allman - Dobro
Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and native New Yorker Dave Van Ronk inspired, aided, and promoted the careers of numerous singer/songwriters who came up in the blues tradition. Most notable of the many musicians he helped over the years was Bob Dylan, whom Van Ronk got to know shortly after Dylan moved to New York in 1961 to pursue a life as a folk/blues singer. Van Ronk's recorded output was healthy, but he was never as prolific a songwriter as some of his friends from that era, like Dylan or Tom Paxton. Instead, Van Ronk's genius was derived from his flawless execution and rearranging of classic acoustic blues tunes.
Born June 30, 1936, in Brooklyn and raised there, Van Ronk never completed high school, and left home for Greenwich Village, a few miles away, in his late teens. He took his inspiration from blues and folk singer Odetta, who encouraged the then merchant seaman to play the classic jazz music that he was so keenly interested in. Often regarded as the grand uncle of the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene, the self-effacing Van Ronk, an engaging intellectual and voracious reader, would have been the first to tell you that there were others, like Odetta, who were around the Village before him. As the blues and folk boom bloomed into the '60s, Van Ronk became part of an inner circle of musicians who lived in the Village, including then up-and-coming performers like Dylan, Paxton, Phil Ochs, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and Joni Mitchell. An expert fingerpicker, Van Ronk was influenced as a vocalist by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong.
Van Ronk's recording career began in 1959 with Sings Ballads, Blues & a Spiritual on Moses Asch's Folkways label. His reputation wasn't solid, however, until he began recording for the Prestige label in the first half of the '60s. These recordings allowed him to tour throughout the U.S. and perform at major folk festivals like Newport. Although he had a short-lived folk rock band called the Hudson Dusters in the mid-'60s, the bulk of Van Ronk's recordings were solo acoustic affairs. Van Ronk's various recordings serve different purposes; to check out Van Ronk the songwriter, pick up Going Back to Brooklyn (Gazell Productions, 1985), which was his first all-original album, containing only his own songs; for students of Van Ronk's complex guitar technique, pick up Dave Van Ronk, a compact disc reissue of two earlier Prestige albums, Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger and Inside Dave Van Ronk. Another compilation, The Folkways Years (1959-1961), is available from Smithsonian Folkways. His 1967 album for Verve Forecast, Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters, is worthy of reissue on compact disc for its sound quality and for the statements it makes about American society in the '60s.
Van Ronk continued to record throughout the '90s and beyond, with the Alcazar Records label releasing From...Another Time and Place in 1995 and Justin Time issuing Sweet and Lowdown in 2001. He died unexpectedly while undergoing post-operative treatment for colon cancer on February 10, 2002.
by Richard Skelly
The sound on this album is reminiscent of the New York folk-rock band The Blues Project. It begins with a ragged rendition of The Hollywood Argyles' "Alley Oop" and ranges from that doo wop chestnut to Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning and Clouds" to "Romping Through the Swamp." More familiar Van Ronk territory is covered, also with reprise performances of "Dink's Song" and "Cocaine." Dave Van Ronk always brings his enthusiastic roar to his material and makes it his own. His rendition of "Swing on a Star" is but one example. The Hudson Dusters seem to be a combination electric jugband, folk orchestra and bubblegum band, as on "Mr. Middle." A strange collection.
by Richard Meyer
Tracks
1. Alley Oop (Dallas Frazier) - 3:38
2. Head Inspector (Van Ronk) - 2:06
3. Swing On A Star (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) - 2:37
4. Mr. Middle (Stephen Bogardus, Dave Woods) - 3:02
5. Chelsea Morning (Joni Mitchell) - 2:33
6. Clouds (From Both Sides Now) (Joni Mitchell) - 4:37
7. Keep Off The Grass (Dave Woods, Doris Woods) - 2:08
8. Dink's Song (Bess B. Lomax, John A. Lomax) - 3:34
9. New Dreams (Dave Woods, Doris Woods) - 2:22
10.Cocaine (Reverend Gary Davis) - 4:58
11.Romping Through The Swamp (Peter Stampfel) - 1:58
Merrilee Rush was among the most popular homegrown singing stars that the Northwest rock 'n' roll teen scene produced during the mid 1960s. Her trademark low voice and comely looks and an exciting stage presence helped her lead a string of teen combos -- notably the Statics and the Turnabouts -- to regional fame. But then in 1968, after scoring her first of several international radio hits, "Angel of the Morning," she was no longer Seattle's private treasure and the years of major-label record deals, television appearances, and concert touring began.
Born Merrilee Gunst to Reuben and Edith Gunst in Seattle on January 26, 1944, Rush grew up in the the city's north end. Reuben was a home-builder and the family -- eventually including Merrilee's younger siblings Cheryl, Marsha, Laura, and Clayton -- moved at least a few times into new houses he had built. Merrilee attended Lake Forest Park Elementary and began taking piano lessons, then started at Morgan Junior High. By age 13 she was volunteering as a performer in various United Service Organizations (USO) programs entertaining military troops along with a girlfriend named Lynn Vrooman. Then, while a 16-year-old student at Shoreline High School, she agreed to accompany Vrooman to a band audition in Renton. That band was the Amazing Aztecs, led by 18-year-old saxophonist and budding music-biz entrepreneur Neil Rush. As events unfolded, the young bandleader was more impressed by Merrilee and he asked if, in addition to playing piano, she could sing.
A major turning point came in 1965, during the era of Beatlemania, when Merrilee and Neil broke off from the Statics and formed a new group -- one christened with a vaguely Brit-sounding name. Merrilee and the Turnabouts hit the ground running with former Static Dave Erickson managing them and a lineup of Vern Kjellberg (guitar), Terry Gregg (bass), and Ed Leckenby (drums). Best of all, Merrilee was now roaming the stage in her famous candy-striped silk suit, working the crowds and enjoying being no longer stuck back behind her keyboards.
On the night of April 30, 1965, the Turnabouts performed at the Seattle Center Coliseum's Spring Spectacular event organized by Pat O'Day (b. 1934), which also featured fellow Northwest bands Don and the Goodtimes and the Sonics. Headlining were such national radio stars as Johnny Rivers, the Shangri-Las, Dino, Desi and Billy, the Lovin' Spoonful, and the Mamas and the Papas. Then on June 19 the Turnabouts played O'Day's "Teen-Age Fair" at the Seattle Center Exhibition and Display Halls as part of a nine-day event that also featured Top-40 stars like: Lou Christie, Ian Whitcomb, Chubby Checker, and Chris Montez.Neil Rush soon formed a partnership with Lewiston, Idaho, radio DJ Bill Rosencranz, creating a label name based on the beginning letters of their own: RU-RO Records. The Turnabouts' next single, "Party Song"/"It's Alright" (RU-RO 0411) -- recorded by Kearney Barton (1931-2012) in his Audio Recording studios at 2227 Fifth Avenue in downtown Seattle -- made clear that the band's music had now shifted from a deep R&B thing to a post-Beatles rockin' pop focus. And that shift helped propel them into a new status as one of the Northwest's premier dance attractions.
Merrilee and the Turnabouts began a multi-year schedule of grueling one-nighters in towns like Tacoma, Olympia, Montesano, Yakima, Richland, Moses Lake, Ephrata, Walla Walla, Spokane, Corvallis, Salem, Portland, Seaside, Moscow, Lewiston, and Missoula, ad infinitum. And this took a toll, with numerous players dropping away and fresh ones rolling into the lineup. But word about the band was spreading, all the way to California evidently. When the Turnabouts were booked into the Ice House in Glendale, its owner, Bob Stane, enthused, "This is the first time that [the club] has put in a headline act without an audition or hit record" and that he'd hired them due to their "spectacular reputation in the Northwest" (The Beat).
As 1967's "Summer of Love" unfolded and the counterculture flowered, the Turnabouts began playing to a different kind of audience, at a different kind of gig that would be promoted via psychedelic art posters. Opportunities were arising to perform shows at various auditoriums replete with hippie dancers and mind-bending light shows projected on the stage. The band did one in Tacoma on August 26 at the Charles Wright Academy and in October appeared in Seattle with the Wallflowers and the Gas Company at The Happening at 1426 First Avenue.
Meanwhile the Statics' former roadie, Jimmy Johnson, had gone on to work for the Raiders. Lore maintains that it was he who kept reminding Revere about how great Merrilee Rush was. An offer to tour the deep South with the Raiders resulted -- only Merrilee would be supported by a backing band known as the Board of Directors. The musicians traveled by bus caravan playing many concerts in places like Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, finally ending in Louisville, Kentucky. It was while in North Memphis, Tennessee, that Rush was invited to attend a recording session where the Raiders were cutting their next album, Goin' to Memphis, at American Sound Studio. After meeting the studio's owner, veteran hit producer Chips Moman, she was asked to cut some demonstration tracks. Moman was pleased and invited her to return in a few weeks, when she would ultimately be paired with producer/musician Tommy Cogbill (1932-1982) and various other members of the ace house band, The Memphis Boys.
One song offered to her was "Angel of the Morning," penned by a hit-writing ace, Chip Taylor. Rush loved it. The musical hooks were great, and the lyrics -- about a woman offering a lover assurance that he need not linger around if it wasn't in his heart to do so -- were compelling and cutting-edge socially. In January 1968 Rush was back in Seattle, and soon thereafter the song was released by the New York-based Bell label. By March Seattle's KJR had jumped on the record, Spokane's KJRB followed, then Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and on and on. In May "Angel of the Morning" broke out in Billboard magazine's Hot-100 charts, climbing for 16 weeks, and finally peaking at the No. 7 slot.
"Angel of the Morning," with its beautiful melody, accessible chords, moderate tempo, light martial snare fill, intriguing lyrics, and Rush's unique harmonious vocals, rightfully became a giant hit through that hot summer of 1968. Its prime period on the charts overlapped a troubling season spanning the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy and the riotous Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Surrounded on the charts, as it was, by such heavy tunes as Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" and the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man," it felt like an aural oasis of needed calm. The right song for the right moment.
by Peter Blecha, 12/14/2015
Tracks
1. It's Worth It All (Mark James, Wayne Jackson) - 2:35
2. Sandcastles (Chips Moman, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) - 2:45
3. Billy Sunshine (Al Gorgoni, Chip Taylor) - 3:07
4. Handy (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Darryl Carter) - 2:14
5. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) (John Phillips) - 2:51
6. Angel Of The Morning (Chip Taylor) - 2:58
7. That Kind Of Woman (Donna Weiss, Mary Unobsky) - 2:40
8. Working Girl (Chip Taylor) - 3:12
9. Observation From Flight 285 (In ¾ Time) (Mark Lindsay) - 2:22
10.Hush (Joe South) - 2:03
11.Do Unto Others (Mark Lindsay) - 2:30
12.Sunshine And Roses (George Klein, Mark James) - 3:10
1970 was a busy and exciting year for The Petards consisting of Klaus and Horst Ebert, Roger Waldmann and Arno Dittrich. With 'Hitshock' they had released a successful album, they had performed in theatres of Bremen and the Ruhr area; they had performed in the legendary 'Olympia' in Paris and had played some 150 concerts.
The band was on the radio in 1970 no less than 800 times, and of course the band was on the top of the relevant annual polls of the music press everywhere!
From November to December 1970 the band was back in the studio to record their fourth album. Their label Liberty had generously given them a double album, four LP sides had to be filled. No problem for the creative Ebert brothers, Klaus and Horst, who once again were responsible for writing all the songs. This time the band wasn't accommodated in Munich's Trixi Studio where the previous albums had been recorded. Instead, they stayed with sound guru Dieter Dierks in the trendy Dierks Studio in Stommeln.
Siggi Loch was not present at the sessions, the band and Klaus Ebert in particular acted as producers themselves. The result was the band's most experimental album, a colorful kaleidoscope with strong psychedelic tracks. The songs got out longer and more unusual, the band didn't care about the radio compatibility of the earlier albums. They had fun and tested what was possible. A great album, which surely belongs to the best what at that time came out of German studios. 'Pet Arts' was released on March 31, 1971.
At this time Klaus Ebert, the brilliant driving force behind the band, had already left the Petards and had moved to Hamburg as a producer for Metronome Records. The band had achieved a tremendous success until then, they had played hundreds of gigs, had recorded great records, but despite all their endeavors they hadn't made the big breakthrough.
Klaus Ebert preferred the comfortable producer's chair to another uncertain career. A violent blow for the band, neither Ray King nor Bernd Wippich, who followed Klaus Ebert, could adequately replace him. Another album which the band recorded under Dieter Dierks at the end of 1971 was not even released by Liberty and was first issued by Bear Family Records in 1981 entitled 'Burning Rainbows'.
In 1972 that was the end, The Petards disbanded. On the 4th of March their 1,000-th performance was celebrated, on the 3rd of September 1972 the last gig of the band was held in the 'Western Saloon' in Wiesbaden. The Petards were history, unforgotten until today!
by Tom Redecker
Tracks
1. Don't You Feel Like Me - 2:50
2. Good Good Donna - 3:45
3. Rainy Day - 3:58
4. Fowling - 2:43
5. Cowboy - 2:32
6. Willie's Gun - 3:40
7. Windy Nevermore - 4:08
8. Long Way Back Home - 5:40
9. Big Boom - 5:30
10.Too Many Heavens - 5:20
11.Flame Missing Light - 8:51
12.On The Road Drinking Wine - 2:33
13.Baby Man - 4:41
14.Spectrum - 7:30
15.Hello, My Friend - 3:50
All songs by Horst Ebert, Klaus Ebert
There's apparently a modern-day Christian rock band called The Choir, but they're imposters stealing the name of a legendary legend. Which reminds me - "Backstreet Boy" is slang for "male prostitute." I don't know if the band members are aware of that, but I'm pretty sure that the mothers of every 13-year-old girl in America are going to be pretty upset when they read my review of The Choir and learn this sordid truth.
The original Choir was a one-hit wonder back in the late '60s with the hot pop Nugget "It's Cold Outside." As far as I can tell, they never had a chance to release a full album while the band was still around. However, the fine folks at Sundazed came across a bunch of old demos, outtakes and rehearsals and released it as an 18-song CD! Finally all of us old fellows local 151 behind the firehouse can get a whole big mess of great melodic guitar pop action without having to dig through hundreds and billions of scratchy old 45s in stores like Steve's Overpriced Piece Of Crap Records From The 60s.
See, ever since I was, oh let's say 5 years old, I grew up listening to my Dad's old 45s. GREAT 45s. The best that the 60s had to offer - huge piles of not just Beatles, Stones and Who, but Yardbirds, Nova Local, Count Five, Hombres, Turtles, Monkees, Hogs, Electric Prunes and -- yes -- the Choir. To be honest, it took quite some time for "It's Cold Outside" to grow on me. It's a very catchy uptempo song but was a bit melancholy for my young tastes. I preferred the awesome harmonica-driven "yeah yeah!" b-side "I'm Going Home." You must understand, now hear me, that I never really knew which sides were supposed to be side A and which were supposed to be side B, so I listened to all of them. No matter whether I liked them or hated them. I put them all in particular orders and listened to all of them in that order. And I wouldn't leave my room in the middle of a song. The record had to end before I would leave the room. And I would play with my Legos and pretend that the little men were Paul Revere and the Raiders and I was Mark Lindsay. Yes, some of this was certainly an early warning that a life of OCD was in the works, but it also helped establish a very important rule in my head -- MUSIC IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. I know it's just for fun and it shouldn't be taken seriously (lest one turn into Robert Fripp), but I ALWAYS loved to have music playing, and still do. I like music. It provides one of my five senses with very powerful stimulation.
So as a child of the sixties through my father's old 45s, Choir Practice came as kind of a disappointment. It's not that the band was a talentless one-hit wonder; that's not the case at all. There are lots of gorgeous 60s-style guitar pop songs on here, as good as anything by the Beau Brummels and even up to Byrds and Beatles standards at points -- however, the singer guy had quite a bit of trouble on a good quarter of these releases, warbling way out of tune in a mix that puts him in the front of a huge, huge room at the back of which plays the band very quietly so as not to disturb the cat.
Don't let this complaint dissuade you from take a spin the CD if you're a big fan of 60s garage rock/pop though. It's not just a hit single and a bunch of covers or generic filler. Songs like "I'd Rather You Leave Me," "When You Were With Me" and "I Only Did It 'Cause I Felt So Lonely" show the Choir to be a band of gifted melody craftsmen and awesome harmony vocalists, and the late-period stuff from '69 is really cool organ-heavy dark Iron Butterfly-type vibeage. When you consider that these are mere demos and STILL sound pretty darned impressive, it serves as just yet further pity that this band never got the chance to create a full-length album of their own.
As opposed to the Eagles - a thought that makes the whole situation just that much more depressing and tragic.
by Mark Pindle
Tracks
1. I'd Rather You Leave Me (Wally Bryson) - 2:06
2. It's Cold Outside (Dann Klawon) - 2:49
3. When You Were With Me (Unissued Version) (Wally Bryson) - 2:32
4. Don't Change Your Mind (Unissued Reherseal) (Dave Smalley, Wally Bryson) - 1:51
5. Dream Of One's Life (Unissued) (Jim "Snake" Skeen) - 3:27
6. In Love's Shadow (Unissued Demo) (Dann Klawon) - 2:41
7. I'm Slippin' (Unissued Demo) (Dann Klawon) - 2:52
8. Leave Me Be (Unissued Demo) (Chris White) - 3:43
9. I'd Rather You Leave Me (Unissued Reherseal) (Wally Bryson) - 2:32
10.Treeberry (Unissued Reherseal) (Jim "Snake" Skeen) - 2:22
11.Smile (Unissued Demo) (Dann Klawon) - 2:45
12.A To F (I Don't Want Nobody) (Unissued Demo) (Dann Klawon) - 4:48
13.I Only Did It 'Cause I Felt So Lonely (Wally Bryson) - 2:16
14.Don't Change Your Mind (Dave Smalley, Wally Bryson) - 2:05
15.Anyway I Can (Unissued) (Phil Giallombardo) - 3:50
16.Boris' Lament (Unissued) (Phil Giallombardo) - 2:51
17.David Watts (Unissued) (Ray Davies) - 2:34
18.If These Are Men (Unissued) (Denny Carleton) - 3:00
Tracks 6-8 as The Mods
Chris "Ace" Kefford played a major part in forming the Move in 1966 and was their bass guitarist until 1968. He shared lead vocals on some of the Move's records including the hit singles 'Night Of Fear' and 'I Can Hear The Grass Grow' while his on-stage presence and charisma contributed much to the band's early success.
Ace Kefford's career in music began in the early 1960s when he played in various bands like 'The Jesters' who backed influential Birmingham vocalist Danny King and Ace later joined Carl Wayne and The Vikings. Ace Kefford was 19 years old when he formed The Move along with Trevor Burton, Roy Wood, Carl Wayne and Bev Bevan. Despite the band's success, Ace Kefford became a casualty of those crazy times and was forced to leave The Move after having a nervous breakdown in the wake of a package tour alongside The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Pink Floyd.
Since his departure from The Move, Ace Kefford has become easily the most enigmatic of the Brum Beat performers from that era. If the Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett was placed at one end of the scale and the Rolling Stone's Brian Jones at the other, then Ace Kefford was at the center - successfully traversing the tightrope that divides madness from extinction - although at a price that would devastate his mental health for years to come.
Despite getting involved in various projects after leaving The Move such as recording tracks for a solo album and forming his own line-up called 'The Ace Kefford Stand' that included legendary drummer Cozy Powell, Ace could not escape the demons that almost destroyed his life and alienated him from friends and family. Alcohol, drugs, suicide attempts and time spent in mental institutions were for many years, just "a day in the life" of Ace Kefford. Fortunately, Ace eventually came to grips with his illness and today leads a much calmer life while finally getting the recognition his talent deserves.
Prior to the release of Sanctuary Record's 'Ace The Face' CD, the only chance to hear any of Ace Kefford's post-Move recordings was the rare 'Ace Kefford Stand' or 'Big Bertha' singles from 1969 if you were lucky enough to find a copy. Electric Light Orchestra archivist Rob Caiger recently discovered the master tapes for Ace Kefford's unreleased 1968 solo album while compiling material for future Move/ELO re-issues. The tapes - long thought lost or destroyed - now form a major part of this Ace Kefford compilation.
While some of the tracks sound unfinished, Rob rightly decided they should be issued "as-is" so with the assistance of Ace Kefford himself - who oversaw all aspects of the CD's production - the original multitracks were re-mixed and digitally mastered to high quality audio for inclusion on this new compilation.
The "lost" Ace Kefford album was originally recorded with future T-Rex and David Bowie producer Tony Visconti who had previously worked with The Move as orchestral arranger on their 'Flowers In The Rain' hit single. While Visconti chose most of the songs to be recorded including the excellent 'Oh Girl' (an obvious choice for a single) and Simon & Garfunkel's 'Save The Life Of My Child' (which features guitar by Jimmy Page), Ace also recorded some of his own compositions.
Some of these such as 'Trouble In The Air' and 'Step Out In The Night' sound like Move demos and would have made worthy additions to the group's recorded catalogue at that time. Regrettably, Ace Kefford's song-writing efforts while in The Move were apparently not encouraged which gave Roy Wood almost a total monopoly as the group's composer until the later arrival of Jeff Lynne.
Other Ace Kefford compositions from his abandoned solo album, like the acoustically-inclined 'White Mask' and 'Holiday In Reality' convey a sense of intimacy reminiscent of Cat Stevens records. Ace Kefford's high-range vocal style has been compared favorably to the Spencer Davis Group's Steve Winwood who Ace claims was a major influence. Sadly, Ace suffered a breakdown during the recording sessions and walked out, thus forcing the album's cancellation. The inclusion of the improvised 'Happy Hour' - a light-hearted track likely never intended for release - gives the impression that at least some of the sessions were a good time for those involved.
As well as the lost Ace Kefford album, the new CD has recordings by the Ace Kefford Stand - a band put together by Ace and the brothers Dave and Dennis "Denny" Ball along with drummer Colin "Cozy" Powell from Young Blood. Dave Ball was lead guitarist with a West Midlands band called 'The Madding Crowd' and later joined and recorded with Procol Harum. Denny was previously bass guitarist for Danny King's Mayfair Set which had future Move member Trevor Burton in the line-up.
Cozy Powell fans will no doubt want to hear these tracks which feature excellent performances combined with Ace Kefford's distinctive vocals. Rob Caiger included their inventive and powerful arrangement of the Yardbirds 'For Your Love' as a stereo mix but perhaps the most telling track is the group's self-composed 'Gravy Booby Jamm' in which Ace's harrowing vocal proclaims "I lost my head again..." - stark contrast to when he sang "Get a hold of yourself now..." on the Move's I Can Hear The Grass Grow.
In addition to the inclusion of their hard-to-find Big Bertha single 'This World's An Apple', Denny Ball contributed previously unreleased recordings from his private collection including a fantastic cover of Steppenwolf's 'Born To Be Wild'. The tracks all feature brilliant musicianship from Dave and Denny Ball which combined with Cozy Powell's powerful drumming, is reminiscent of Eric Clapton's 'Cream' at their best while also pointing towards an instrumental powerhouse which indeed they later became.
Another great addition to the CD are two ultra-rare tracks from Ace Kefford's aborted 'Rock Star' project from 1976. If any further proof was required regarding Ace Kefford's song-writing ability then this is it. The deeply personal 'Mummy' and 'Over The Hill' (turn the volume up to 11 for this one!) bring to mind classic-era Mott The Hoople or David Bowie - ironically the man who suggested to Ace Kefford and Trevor Burton back in 1965 that they should consider forming their own band.
The collection is completed by the addition of the Ace Kefford composition 'William Chalker's Time Machine' as recorded by the Brum band The Lemon Tree from early 1968. This track is considered by some to be the finest record The Move never recorded, although it was at least produced by Trevor Burton with the assistance of Amen Corner's Andy Fairweather-Low. Despite the publicity surrounding the release of the Lemon Tree record, the group were unable to manage a chart placing, although drummer Keith Smart later joined Roy Wood as a member of Wizzard.
Sanctuary Records' Ace The Face CD comes with a 10 page booklet filled with extensive notes and rare photos. The text also has Ace's own recollections about the songs he recorded for the lost 1968 solo album. To find out more about this great collection or to order a copy of the CD on-line, go to Ace Kefford's official website at www.acekefford.com which is maintained by Lynn Hoskins and has all the latest news about Ace as well as rare photos and music samples.
Tracks
1. Oh Girl (Richard Henry, Ted Fraser) - 03:01
2. Lay Your Head Upon My Shoulder (Richard Henry) - 02:28
3. White Mask (Ace Kefford) - 03:08
4. Step Out In The Night (Ace Kefford) - 03:17
5. Infanta Marina (Ace Kefford) - 03:14
6. Holiday In Reality (Ace Kefford) - 02:46
7. Trouble In The Air (Ace Kefford) - 03:43
8. Save The Life Of My Child (Paul Simon) - 03:09
9. Happy Hour ... (Ace Kefford) - 01:40
10.For Your Love (Stereo Mix) (Graham Gouldman) - 05:40
11.Gravy Booby Jamm (Cozy Powell, Dave Ball, Denny Ball) - 03:25
12.This World's An Apple (John Bromley) - 03:09
13.Born To Be Wild (Mars Bonfire) - 05:15
14.Daughter Of The Sun (Brian Potter, Graham Dee) - 04:31
15.For Your Love (Demo Version) (Graham Gouldman) - 05:44
16.Mummy (Ace Kefford) - 04:33
17.Over The Hill (Ace Kefford) - 03:09
18.William Chalker's Time Machine / For Your Love (Hidden Track) (Ace Kefford, Graham Gouldman) - 13:14
Tracks 10-11, 13-15 as The Ace Kefford Stand
Track 12 as Big Bertha
Tracks 16-17 as The Rockstar
Track 18 as The Lemon Tree
Terry is one of those guitarists who have made the solo his life goal, just like Randy Holden, Jimi Hendrix, Wilburn Burnchette, but not out of narcissism or anything like it just because the instinct of guitar genius allows them, when the muse strikes to improvise and create incredibly personal and unrepeatable weaving of sounds. (Have you ever heard Jerry Garcia or Duane Allman live repeat the same solo voice? It just doesn't happen!)
Terry forms his own band, The Strange, in a classical trio with Bob Griffin on base and Don Hastle on the drums. But when the time comes to sign a record contract, given his success with the public and the critics, he turns down a profitable RCA contract (which would have forced him to denature his sound) and accepts the offer made to him by the local label, Outer Galaxy, where he has ownership interests.
The result was Translucent World (1973), an extraordinary piece of work, unique, with pieces written by Brooks. They were stupendous because of his fluid guitar, almost impalpable, sometimes having an acid atmosphere, sometimes dreamy and ethereal, constructed by a truly unique and personal style that no one else has ever been able to imitate. To fully understand what I've just written, it's enough to listen to cuts like Some People Play Music, Of all Existing Things, Other People Feel Music and the seminal Mental Escape Into the Translucent Frequencies.
Despite the success decreed by music critics, three years go by before we hear a new Terry Brooks album. Raw Power, is another masterpiece, comes out in 1976 in the name of Terry Brooks & Strange. The record is made up of new compositions by Brooks (you'll take note of Love Me, Raw Power and Life Jam which makes up the entire second side of the record, more than twenty minutes of music that will really make you dream). The two records I've cited up to now were reissued in the eighties under the English label Psycho, whereas they've just been reissued by the Italian label Comet Records with an excellent re-mix (available either in LP or CD digipack, with a bonus track, they should be easily available in stores, at a good price and in a numbered edition). After that, another long silence ensues. The two records are sought after by vinyl maniacs and Terry finds himself being turned into the classic cult figure, with his regular bevy of fans perennially waiting for word of him.
by Daniel Ghisoni
Tracks
1. Fields And Fields Of People - 4:04
2. Are You My Friend - 4:06
3. To The Far Side Of Time - 3:34
4. Raw Power - 2:37
5. Love Me (Terry Brooks. John Linde, Ted Lead) - 3:10
6. Life Jam - 19:25
All songs by Terry Brooks except track #5
Musicians
*Terry Brooks - Lead guitar, Vocals
*Bob Griffin - Bass
*Don Haste - Drums With
*Donald L. Hall - Strings
Soul singer Barbara Massey and jazz guitarist Ernie Calabria paired up for this rare 1971 album. With Calabria having worked with Nina Simone and Harry Belafonte, among others, and Massey having sung backup for artists including Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, and Herbie Hancock, the pairing was an inspired one and resulted in this superb soul-jazz outing. Massey has a dry yet passionate and evocative vocal quality that often brings to mind Grace Slick.
Fittingly, the duo takes on Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love," turning the Summer of Love anthem into a steamy and hypnotic soul-funk jam. Elsewhere, the duo touches upon such varying styles as folk, Latin, and psychedelic rock with cuts like "For You" and "Do You Know?," bringing to mind such similarly inclined acts as the Free Design and Bill Withers. Anyone who has even a passing interest in this kind of '70s cross-genre aesthetic will certainly want to seek out Prelude To....
by Matt Collar
Tracks
1. Play With Fire - 3:31
2. Somebody To Love (Darby Slick) - 4:40
3. Prelude - 3:32
4. Listen To Your Heart - 5:15
5. For You - 3:37
6. Searching The Circle - 4:31
7. My Love And I - 3:00
8. Do You Know - 3:12
9. Satisfied - 3:44
All songs by Barbara Massey, Ernie Calabria except track #2
