John Mayall - John Mayall Plays John Mayal (1965 uk, fascinating blues roots 'n' roll, 2008 japan SHM and 2001 with extra tracks)

John Mayall's debut album, recorded live in December 1964, is a little unjustly overlooked, as it was recorded shortly before the first of the famous guitarists schooled in the Bluesbreakers (Eric Clapton) joined the band. With Roger Dean on guitar (and the rhythm section who'd play on the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton album, bassist John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint), it has more of a rock/R&B feel, rather like the early Rolling Stones, than the purer bluesier material Mayall would usually stick to in his subsequent recordings. 

The record doesn't suffer for this, however, moving along quite powerfully, and -- unusually for a British R&B/blues band of the time -- featuring almost nothing but original material, all penned by Mayall. Nigel Stanger's saxophone adds interesting touches to a few tracks, the songs are quite good, and while Dean's guitar and Mayall's vocals aren't on the same level as the best instrumentalists and singers in the British blues-rock movement, they're satisfactory. 

The expanded CD edition added five enjoyable cuts that round up everything else recorded by the pre-Eric Clapton version of the Bluesbreakers, including the 1964 single "Crawling Up a Hill"/"Mr. James"; the early 1965 single "Crocodile Walk"/"Blues City Shakedown"; and the February 1965 outtake "My Baby Is Sweeter," which first showed up on the early-'70s British compilation Thru the Years. "Crawling Up a Hill" and "Crocodile Walk" also appear on the original John Mayall Plays John Mayall album in live performances, but the bonus track versions are entirely different studio recordings done for those non-LP singles, and are pretty good as well.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
Original Album 1965
1. Crawling Up A Hill - 2:21
2. I Wanna Teach You Everything - 3:05
3. When I'm Gone (Smokey Robinson) - 3:08
4. I Need Your Love (Walter Spriggs, Willie Spriggs) - 4:08
5. The Hoot Owl - 2:35
6. R&B Time - Consisting Of Night Train (Jimmy Forrest, Lewis C. Simpkins, Oscar Washington) / Lucille (Al Collins, Richard Penniman) - 2:15
7. Crocodile Walk - 2:26
8. What's The Matter With You - 2:34
9. Doreen - 2:46
10.Runaway- 2:25
11.Heartache - 2:57
12.Chicago Line - 4:10
Bonus Tracks Japan SHM 2008
13.Crawling Up A Hill - 2:19
14.Mr. James - 2:51
15.Crocodille Walk - 2:16
16.Blues City Shakedown - 2:24
17.My Baby Is Sweeter (Willie Dixon) - 3:02

Bonus Tracks Rock Fever 2001
13.I'm Your Witchdoctor - 2:10
14.Telephone Blues - 3:57
15.On Top Of The World - 2:49
16.Lonley Years - 3:18
17.Bernard Jenkins (Eric Clapton) - 3:48
18.Burn Out Your Blind Eyes - 2:57
19.Milkman Strut - 2:23
20.Long Night (John Mayall, Steve Anglo) - 2:01
21.Evil Woman Blues (Peter Green) - 4:02
22.Greeny (Peter Green) - 3:53
23.All My Life (Jimmie Lee Robinson) - 4:22
24.Riding On The L & M (Dan Burley, Lionel Hampton) - 2:27
25.Eagle Eye - 2:49
All songs by John Mayall except where noted

Personnel
(Original Album)
*John Mayall - Vocals, Harmonica, Cembalett, Organ, 9 String Guitar
*Roger Dean - Guitar
*John Mcvie - Bass Guitar
*Hughie Flint - Drums
*Nigel Stanger - Tenor Saxophone, Slide Saxophone

1964-71  John Mayall - Thru The Years

1966  John Mayall Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton (Japan SHM double disc set)
1967  John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers - A Hard Road (Double Disc Set)
1967  John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Crusade (2007 SHM remaster with extra tracks)
1968  John Mayall - Blues From Laurel Canyon (2007 Japan SHM remaster)
1969  John Mayall - The Turning Point (Remaster And Expanded)
1972  John Mayall - Moving On (2009 remaster)
1967  Various Artists - Raw Blues

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Randy Newman - Sail Away (1972 u, blistering musical masterpiece, 2002 remastered and expanded)

On his third studio album, Randy Newman found a middle ground between the heavily orchestrated pop of his debut and the more stripped-down, rock-oriented approach of 12 Songs, and managed to bring new strength to both sides of his musical personality in the process. The title track, which Newman has described as a sort of commercial jingle written for slave traders looking to recruit naïve Africans, and "Old Man," in which an elderly man is rejected with feigned compassion by his son, were set to Newman's most evocative arrangements to date and rank with the most intelligent and effective use of a large ensemble by anyone in pop music. 

On the other end of the scale, "Last Night I Had a Dream" and "You Can Leave Your Hat On" are lean, potent mid-tempo rock tunes, the former featuring some slashing and ominous slide guitar from Ry Cooder, and the latter a witty and willfully perverse bit of erotic absurdity that later became a hit for Joe Cocker (who sounded as if he took the joke at face value). Elsewhere, 

Newman cynically ponders the perils of a stardom he would never achieve ("Lonely at the Top," originally written for Frank Sinatra), offers a broad and amusing bit of political satire ("Political Science"), and concludes with one of the most bitter rants against religion that anyone committed to vinyl prior to the punk era ("God's Song [That's Why I Love Mankind]"). Whether he's writing for three pieces or 30, Newman makes superb use of the sounds available to him, and his vocals are the model of making the most of a limited instrument. Overall, Sail Away is one of Newman's finest works, musically adventurous and displaying a lyrical subtlety that would begin to fade in his subsequent works.

by Mark Deming

Tracks
1. Sail Away - 2:52
2. Lonely At The Top - 2:35
3. He Gives Us All His Love - 1:56
4. Last Night I Had A Dream - 3:03
5. Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing - 2:05
6. Old Man - 2:44
7. Political Science - 2:02
8. Burn On - 2:35
9. Memo To My Son - 1:55
10.Dayton, Ohio - 1903 1:51
11.You Can Leave Your Hat On - 3:18
12.God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind) - 3:46
13.Let It Shine - 1:45
14.Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong (Studio Version) - 1:23
15.Dayton, Ohio - 1903 (Early Version) - 1:55
16.You Can Leave Your Hat On (Demo) - 2:47
17.Sail Away (Early Version) - 3:18
All compositions by Randy Newman

Musicians
*Randy Newman - Piano, Vocals
*Ry Cooder - Slide Guitar
*Russ Titelman - Guitar
*Jim Keltner - Drums
*Gene Parsons - Drums
*Earl Palmer - Drums
*Chris Ethridge - Bass Guitar
*Wilton Felder - Bass Guitar
*Jimmy Bond - Bass Guitar
*Milt Holland - Percussion
*Abe Most - Alto Saxophone
*Emil Newman - Conductor
*Larry Marks - Conductor

1970  Randy Newman - 12 Songs (2010 Audio Fidelity HDCD)
1979  Randy Newman - Born Again

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Snake Eye - The Journey (1970-72 uk, exceptional twin guitar rock with prog shades, 2006 remaster)

Having released a 1970 album and played a few shows, the band Red Dirt decided that a change of name was their passport to fame and fortune and promptly became Snake Eye, under which guise Manfred Mann described this outfit as "one of the best bands he had seen". Praise indeed and if you like Wishbone Ash, you might well have agreed, for while Snake Eye were put in the same pot as both King Crimson and The Allmans, it's hard to shake off the feeling that the opening track from which their only album, The Journey, takes its name isn't a long lost Ash track. It's a thought that runs through this entire album, the long instrumental sections of "Sweet Dream Lady" or "The Heart Of A Young Boy" utilising a similar structure. "World In A Mountain" does go some way to revealing the Crimson comparisons and yet it would have to be a watered down version of that band who would have come up with the dextrous, yet much more straight ahead themes set out here.

Strangely for an album where they are buried deep within lengthy twin guitar interplay and booming rhythms, the vocals from Dave Ritchie offer a dreamy change of mood that fits the music well. Although there's little doubt that it's the fret work of Ritchie and Ron Hales, and how that melds keenly with Ken Giles' bass, that is the key to what makes The Journey as engaging as it is. Drummer Steve Jackson holds up his end of the deal, eagerly adding emphasis and style as does Gary Boroughs who appears behind the kit on two tracks to Jackson's four. Although it's also Jackson who plays on two additional bonus cuts, "Tolly Cobold" and "Hoe Down", neither of which seem connected in any way to the main album, both being a strange and unconvincing folk rock hybrid that neither shows the band in a great light, or add anything to The Journey other than length.

The six main album cuts however are worth the price of entry alone, the easy mannered but pinpoint sharp and hugely memorable melodies this outfit were capable of weaving, really quite impressive. Personally I'd never heard of Snake Eye before this welcome Angel Air release, something explained by the fact that these recordings have never actually seen the light of day before. The debut Snake Eye album coming some 44 years too late for them to hit the big time. Which when you consider just how good their music was, is nothing short of a travesty. Fans of Wishbone Ash will lap up The Journey and wonder at what could have been for an undiscovered band that deserved so much more. 

by Steven Reid

Tracks
1. The Journey - 3:48
2. World In A Mountain - 9:39
3. Sweet Dream Lady - 9:50
4. The Heart Of A Young Boy - 6:34
5. Don't Be A Fool (Dave Richardson, Ron Hales) - 6:25
6. The Journey's End - 13:16
7. Tolly Cobbold (Dave Richardson, Ken Giles, Steve Jackson, Ron Hales) - 2:40
8. Hoe Down (Live 1972) - 2:01
All compositions by Dave Richardson except where stated
Bonus Tracks 7,8

Snake Eye
*Steve Jackson - Drums
*Ken Giles - Bass
*Dave Richardson - Steel Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica, Lead Vocals
*Gary Boroghous- Drums
*Ron Hales - Lead Guitar

Related Act
1970  Red Dirt - Red Dirt (2010 expanded issue) 

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Public Nuisance - Gotta Survive (1966-69 us, impressive garage rock, 2002 double disc remaster)

Gotta Survive is an essential reissue from Jack White’s Third Man Records label. If Public Nuisance is remembered today at all it’s due to their appearance on many of the day’s psychedelic ballroom posters.  This group never released a single or LP in their lifetime but recorded two albums worth of material that sat on the shelf for over 30 years. Frantic Records first released a fine double disc anthology of Public Nuisance’s material which was followed up by this vinyl only reissue in 2012.

The bulk of Gotta Survive was recorded in 1967-1968. A precursor group called Moss & the Rocks released a mediocre garage folk-rock 45 in 1966 but the music on this record is much more experimental and exciting – garage psych with detours into folk-rock, hard rock and sunshine pop. Listening to Gotta Survive makes me think of a band caught between the primitive garage rock era (the Seeds, Music Machine, etc.) and the heavier, hard rock sounds that emerged in 1968 (think Blue Cheer or the underrated Yesterday’s Children). Public Nuisance also had a knack for catchy melodies and pop hooks as heard on the atmospheric “Sabor Thing.”  They were a versatile group whose songs have inventive arrangements and pop friendly melodies.

Tracks like the churning “Thoughts,” “Strawberry Man,” and “Magical Music Box” show the group wasn’t afraid to take a chance in the studio.  “Magical Music Box,” a punchy rocker with Who/Move-like energy (without sounding like either of these groups) and fuzz propelled guitar work is a particular standout.  “Small Faces,” a track Jack White has often covered live, is the album’s true classic – a powerful guitar heavy monster that has to rank as one of the best songs in the garage psych bag.  “Ecstasy”, another gem, is the group at their most psychedelic and complex, featuring flutes, harpsichord and morose vocals.

Had Gotta Survive been released in 1968 it would have ranked as one of the better psych albums of it’s day.  Hopefully Third Man Records will offer up the group’s remaining material on a second vinyl installment.  Public Nuisance may have been one of the era’s best kept secrets (hard luck acts) but it’s good to know that people still appreciate this music 45 years on.
by Jason Nardelli,  January 16th, 2013

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Magical Music Box - 2:49

2. Strawberry Man - 2:42

3. Ecstasy (Pat Minter) - 4:44

4. Love Is A Feeling - 3:19

5. Holy Man - 2:39

6. Gotta Survive (Pat Minter) - 5:37

7. Small Faces - 2:56

8. Sabor Thing (Pat Minter) - 3:25

9. I Am Going - 5:59

10.Evolution Revolution - 3:47

11.7 Or 10 - 2:35

12.Thoughts - 3:27

13.There She Goes - 4:47

14.Please Come Back (David Houston, Pat Minter) - 3:20

All songs by David Houston except where noted

Disc 2
1. America (Pat Minter) - 3:22
2. Time Can't Wait - 2:40
3. Darlin' (Pat Minter) - 4:36
4. Now I Think - 3:02
5. Daddy's Comin' Home (Pat Minter) - 2:55
6. Pencraft Transcender - 3:20
7. Katie Shiner (Pat Minter) - 4:59
8. Man From The Backwoods - 2:10
9. One Man's Story (Pat Minter) - 5:55
10.I'm Only Sleeping (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:30
11.Hold On - 2:29
12.Going Nowhere - 8:24
13.There She Goes - 2:54
14.Please Come Back - 3:06
All songs by David Houston except where indicated
Tracks 13,14 from Disc 1 recorded early 1966 as Moss And The Rocks
Tracks 13,14 from Disc 2 recorded mid 1966 as Moss And The Rocks
Tracks 1 - 12 from Disc 1 recorded December 1968 to January 1969. 2 track stereo master. Remastered at Capitol Mastering Hollywood.
Tracks 1 - 12 from Disc 2 recorded September & October 1968. 8 track master.

The Public Nuisance
*Ron McMaster - Drums, Percussion, Vocals
*Jim Mathews - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
*Pat Minter - Bass, Vocals
*David Houston - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica

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Blue Ash - No More, No Less (1973 us, fascinating power pop glam rock, 2008 remaster)

Hailing from Youngstown, Ohio, Blue Ash are the great, forgotten power pop band of the early '70s. Actually, "forgotten" may be too strong a word, for any power pop fan worth their salt knows of Blue Ash even if they've never been able to score either of their two LPs.

Blue Ash were a rock band first and foremost, placing the sheer rush of sound over hooks, something that a lot of their progeny never did. That's what gives their debut No More No Less …such a punch: they are one of the few groups that truly put some power in their pop.

This much is evident by the raucous album-opener "Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her)," a song with all the melodic rush of "Go All the Way" but leaner and meaner. Not all of the album keeps up at this same furious pace, as the guitars jangle as much as they roar and the group occasionally dips into a loping country-rock groove…and they do get sunbleached and mellow on "What More Can I Do." But most of No More No Less filters old-time rock & roll (the big-time boogie "Let There Be Rock") and '60s guitar pop ("Plain to See" evokes the Searchers, "I Remember a Time" the Byrds, and "Anytime at All" is a Beatles cover) through the outsized amplification of '70s hard rock. It's an addictive sound -- and one that hinted at the power pop that was to come even if it didn't directly influence it and it still carries a mighty punch all these years later. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic

No More No Less is an astonishingly explosive debut, and with apparently limitless potential, Blue Ash should by all rights become a major phenomenon.” 

by Ken Barnes, Rolling Stone (07/19/73)

Tracks
1. Abracadabra (Have You Seen Her?) - 3:06
2. Dusty Old Fairgrounds (Bob Dylan) - 2:49
3. Plain To See - 2:42
4. Just Another Game - 2:57
5. I Remember A Time - 2:57
6. Smash My Guitar - 3:18
7. Anytime At All (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 2:21
8. Here We Go Again - 3:26
9. What Can I Do For You? (Jim Kendzor) - 3:49
10. All I Want - 2:58
11. Wasting My Time - 2:54
12. Let There Be Rock - 2:31
All songs by Bill Bartolin, Frank Secich except where stated

Blue Ash
*Frank Secich - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*David Evans - Drums, Vocals
*Bill "Cupid" Bartolin - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Jim Kendzor - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

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Tayles - Whoaretheseguys (1972 us, remarkable rural acid psych rock)

"Who are these guys?" may be a legitimate question when it comes to the quasi-psychedelic obscurity Tayles, but their one slice of rock, aptly enough titled Who Are These Guys?, is freewheeling and fun while maintaining some of the underlying menace that characterized the genre. That is not to say that the album necessarily belongs to the highest level of early-'70s psych -- it is, in fact, much closer to straight pop -- but the band's music was singular enough to deserve its regional popularity and its album good enough to have deserved a more widespread audience than it gained upon its release in 1972.

Add to that the fact that the album was recorded entirely live and Who Are These Guys? shows the band to be talented, inventive musicians who were capable of writing solid, commercially ready songs that, nevertheless, passed by unheard outside the local area in their heyday. The Gear Fab reissue opens with each side of the 1971 double-gatefold Tayles single. Two of the songs, "Funny Paper Sam" and "It's High Time" were deemed too risqué for the AM radio censors but are actually a lulling pop song and a demented, slightly off-kilter rave-up, respectively, while the other two songs are also strong, including the good-time rock of "Bizarro Ben," somewhat of a signature song for the band and the only tune that shows up as part of the live set. From the beginning of the live album, Tayles displays its proficiency. The short, beautiful, flute-led "Introduction" segues into a "Bizarro Ben" that is more raucous than the studio version. From there, the band tears into an assortment of bassist Jeremy Wilson and guitarist Bob Schmidtke originals. 

There are recognizable influences in the music, but, for the most part, the band does not betray too significant of a debt to any of their more well-known contemporaries. They also have no problem investing their music with humorous, poppy, soulful, even schmaltzy elements, and all with interesting results. They can keep it short and sweet, as on "Did It," rip through quick, idiosyncratic blues ("Life on Other Planets Shuffle" and "Apocalypse Blues"), or let loose with some extended instrumental sections, as in "Black Widow Spider" and "Guitar." None of it will make a listener re-evaluate the state of rock music, but it offers at least a couple fun listens. 

by Stanton Swihart 

Tracks
1. Bizarro Ben - 4:54
2. She Made Me That Way - 3:24
3. Funny Paper Sam - 5:22
4. It's High Time (Bob Schmidtke) - 2:24
5. Introduction - 1:01
6. Bizarro Ben - 6:25
7. Did It - 3:13
8. Baby Doughdough (Jeremy Wilson, Bob Schmidtke) - 3:28
9. Black Widow Spider (Jeremy Wilson, Bob Schmidtke) - 4:59
10.Life On Other Planets Shuffle (Bob Schmidtke) - 1:30
11.Angry With My Friend - 6:26
12.Master Of The Arts - 3:29
13.Apocalypse Blues - 3:01
14.Guitar (Bob Schmidtke) - 7:27
All songs by Jeremy Wilson except where indicated
Tracks 1-4 from 45 EP singles 1972
Tracks 5-14 Originally released as LP " Whoaretheseguys " in 1972 and recorded live at The Nitty Gritty, Madison (USA), March 18th, 1972.

Tayles
*Scott Eakin - Flute, Vocals
*Rick Markstrom - Drums, Vocals
*Paul Petzold - Organ
*Bob Schmidtke - Guitar, Vocals
*Jeremy Wilson - Bass, Vocals

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Chris Lucey - Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest (1965 us, amazing baroque folk psychedelia, 2002 mono edition)

This sought after psychedelic pop gem from obscure Californian songwriter is often compared to Love's Forever Changes, in that it is an intricate exploration of sophisticated arrangements and bleak and twisted lyricism. Calling to mind Tim Buckley and Scott Walker's series of solo albums, that might get fans of such scouring the LP bins in search of this fantastic obscurity. However, it may be difficult to come by, as it is one of the most sort after albums in its genre. Released in 1966 to unanimous indifference, Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest may have been a little too courageous for it's time, tackling blues, exotic -- almost lounge arrangements and pure pop psychedelia. It's beauty is in its absolute fracture and collage of a million and one ideas.

Like Arthur Lee, Chris Lucey can turn a simple phrase into a magnificent innuendo. Chris Lucey would go further out there on two subsequent albums as Jameson and Bobby Jameson, which are both equally treasured items of pop exploitation -- that is the '60s phenomenon of bandwagon jumping that produced some of the most magnificent post-modernist obscurities such as this. One can picture the produces briefing to attempt an Abbey Road/Pet Sounds/Forever Changes/Highway 61 Revisited hybrid, then culminating collaged arrangements and schizophrenia that gives this record its wayward charm.

by Dean McFarlane

Tracks
1. That's the Way the World Has Got to Be (Pt. 1) - 2:11
2. I'll Remember Them - 3:59
3. Girl from Vernon Mountain - 3:09
4. I Got the Blues - 2:31
5. Saline - 1:37
6. That's the Way the World Has Got to Be (Pt. 2) - 3:02
7. With Pity, But It's Too Late - 1:55
8. You Came, You Saw, But You Didn't Conquer Me - 1:26
9. Girl from the East - 3:50
10.Don't Come Looking - 2:50
11.Metro Man - 2:48
12.There's a War Going On - 3:09
13.Insecure Little Person - 2:30
14.World War 3 - 4:02
All songs by Bobby Jameson

Personnel
*"Chris Lucey" Bobby Jameson - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
*Nick Robbins- Synthesizer

1967  Bobby Jameson - Color Him In (2007 issue) 

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John Cale - Vintage Violence (1970 uk, elegant art rock, 2001 bonus tracks remaster)

I was listening to a Paul McCartney album the other day, thinking about how when you listen to his solo work, you can then go back and hear just what his contributions were to the Beatles. More likely, you don’t even have to go back, if the Beatles albums are as ingrained into your head as they should be. We get that same opportunity with John Cale and the Velvet Underground, listening to Cale’s brilliant Vintage Violence.

Granted, John Davies Cale left the VU after finishing their second album, but you can tell they missed out on a good thing. This record, unlike the surprising cover would imply, is a perfect pop gem. You might think you’d be getting into a full LP’s worth of Sister Ray type viola droning and electric mayhem, but Cale proves he’s got mad pop song skills to match his solid, driving piano stomping.

No doubt some of these songs should have been hits. That’s what we’re here for though; I’ve got ten bucks that says a song from this album ends up in the next Wes Anderson film (editors note: fail), and if I had to pick one I’d probably go with Amsterdam, certainly a competitor to The Zombs’ The Way I Feel Inside.

If you are into Brian Eno this is going to be very essential for you. John Cale would go on to create more wonderful music and produce some seriously classic albums, so get started here.

by Brendan McGrath, March 22nd, 2007

John Cale had the strongest avant-garde credentials of anyone in the Velvet Underground, but he was also the Velvet whose solo career was the least strongly defined by his work with the band, and his first solo album, Vintage Violence, certainly bears this out. While the banshee howls of Cale's viola and the percussive stab of his keyboard parts were his signature sounds on The Velvet Underground and Nico and White Light/White Heat, Cale's first solo album, 1970's Vintage Violence, was a startlingly user-friendly piece of mature, intelligent pop whose great failing may have been being a shade too sophisticated for radio. 

Cale's work with the Velvets was purposefully rough and aurally challenging, but Vintage Violence is buffed to a smooth, satin finish, with Cale and his group sounding witty on tunes like Adelaide and Cleo, pensive on Amsterdam, and lushly orchestrated on Big White Cloud. (Cale also gets a lot of production value out of his backing group, credited as Penguin but actually members of Garland Jeffreys' band, Grinder's Switch.) And anyone expecting the fevered psychosis that Cale let loose on later albums like Fear and Sabotage/Live is in for a surprise; Cale has rarely sounded this well-adjusted on record, though his lyrical voice is usually a bit too cryptic to stand up to a literal interpretation of his words.

If Cale wanted to clear out a separate and distinct path for his solo career, he certainly did that with Vintage Violence, though it turned out to be only one of many roads he would follow in the future. [The 2001 CD reissue adds two bonus tracks: a previously unreleased alternate version of Fairweather Friend, and the previously unreleased Wall.] 

by Mark Deming

Tracks
1. Hello, There - 2:44
2. Gideon's Bible - 3:24
3. Adelaide - 2:22
4. Big White Cloud - 3:32
5. Cleo - 2:36
6. Please - 4:20
7. Charlemagne - 5:01
8. Bring It on Up - 2:26
9. Amsterdam - 3:14
10.Ghost Story - 3:48
11.Fairweather Friend (Garland Jeffreys) - 2:29
12.Fairweather Friend (Alternate Version) (Garland Jeffreys) - 2:39
13.Wall - 6:11
All songs by John Cale, except where noted

Musicians
*John Cale - Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Keyboards
*Garland Jeffreys - Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Ernie Coralla - Guitar
*Sanford Konikoff - Drums
*Harvey Brooks - Bass
*Stan Szelest - Piano

.more John Cale

1973 Paris 1919

1974 Fear

1975 Slow Dazzle

1975 Helen Of Troy

1984 John Cale Comes Alive
with Velvet Underground
1967-69 Another View (Japan SHM remaster)
1968-69 VU (Japan SHM remaster)
1972 Lou Reed, John Cale And Nico - Live At Bataclan Paris (2013 release)
with Terry Riley
1971 John Cale And Terry Riley - Church Of Anthrax

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Tom Rush - The Circle Game (1968 us, beautiful orchestrated folk, 2008 remaster and expanded)

 A candid and charming collection of songs that glisten as beautifully as a clear mountain stream. Singer/songwriter/poet Tom Rush had a wonderful idea in mind for a concept album, working with music business greats Arthur Gorson and Paul Harris to blend the best of the time period's songwriters.

The effort results in a splendid achievement of emotionally and lyrically gripping material. Taking advantage of his resonant tenor voice and the majestic talents of a stirring crew of musicians, Rush performs wistful and ethereal versions of some of his favorite songs. Material selected includes deeply lyrical tunes such as Joni Mitchell's "Tin Angel" and "Urge for Going," and romantic songs like James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves."

The album, titled The Circle Game, features Mitchell's radio hit single of the same name. Certainly during the '70s this album was marketed well and fared with great success among the listening public, inviting Rush into an elite group of solo singer/songwriters of the decade.

Just to prove to the world that he is no fluke himself when it comes to arranging and composing, Rush succeeds with two beautifully crafted works of his own, masterfully woven and spun on the acoustic guitar, along with an endearing work of lush production featuring the brilliant efforts of conductor Paul Harris and orchestra.

A must-listen for those who are sincerely curious and are seeking a good singer/songwriter talent from this period.

by Shawn M. Haney

Tracks
1. Tin Angel (Joni Mitchell) - 3:22
2. Something In The Way She Moves (James Taylor) - 3:25
3. Urge For Going (Joni Mitchell) - 5:50
4. Sunshine, Sunshine (James Taylor) - 2:55
5. The Glory Of Love (Billy Hill) - 2:22
6. Shadow Dream Song (Jackson Browne) - 3:24
7. The Circle Game (Joni Mitchell) - 5:12
8. So Long (Charlie Rich) - 2:55
9. Rockport Sunday (Tom Rush) - 4:34
10.No Regrets (Tom Rush) - 3:50
11.(Coda) (Tom Rush) - 0:48
12.Something In The Way She Moves (James Taylor) - 3:31
13.Urge For Going (Joni Mitchell) - 3:37
14.The Circle Game (Take One) (Joni Mitchell) - 5:34
Bonus Tracks 11-14

Musicians
*Tom Rush - Guitar, Vocals
*Hugh Mccracken - Electric Guitar, Keyboards
*Don Thomas - Electric Guitar, Keyboards
*Jonathan Raskin - Acoustic Guitar, Bass
*Bruce Langhorne - Acoustic Guitar
*Eric Gale - Electric Guitar
*Joe Grimm - Saxophone
*Joe Mack - Saxophone
*Bob Bushnell - Saxophone
*Paul Harris - Keyboards, Orchestra Conducted
*Buddy Lucas - Saxophone
*Herb Lovelle - Drums
*Bernard Purdie - Drums
*Richie Ritz - Drums

1965  Tom Rush - Tom Rush
1970  Tom Rush - Tom Rush / Wrong End Of The Rainbow
1972-74 Tom Rush - Merrimack County / Ladies Love Outlaws (2000 edition)

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Earth Quake - Purple The A&M Years / Earth Quake / Why Don't You Try Me (1971-72 us, good power pop rock, 2003 remaster)

Formed 1966 and initially called Purple Earth Quake, this Berkeley, California-based band was not only a permanent presence on the Bay Area music scene for more than a decade, but they gathered loyal followings throughout scattered pockets of the world and received a bit of airplay as well. During their lifespan, Earth Quake cut five studio albums, along with a live effort.

The band’s debut disc, simply dubbed Earth Quake, set the stage and standard for subsequent collections. Punchy hard rock, occasionally escorted by soul and funk trimmings, personified the group’s sound and style. Competent yet earthy, the band remained dedicated to their roots, but were wise enough to filter fresh fragrances into their material to prevent them from coming off as slavish imitators.

Here on the group’s second album, Why Don’t You Try Me? (A&M Records), they pursue a balance of harmony and heft with positive results.

Rolling with rapid rhythms, “Train Ride,” which is perhaps the strongest song on the disc, contains a torrent of towering choruses and a run of slashing Jimmy Page influenced licks that really hammer the point home. The burly buzz of “Live And Let Live” additionally reveals a Led Zeppelin fixation before climaxing into a funky Isley Brothers-flavored jam, and “Bright Lights” clocks in as just one example of Earth Quake’s knack for laying down the kind of gritty white man blues heard on certain Small Faces and Humble Pie recordings.

Released as a single, “I Get The Sweetest Feeling” definitely does carry a sweet feeling. Busy horns, honking with happiness, carpeted with a sparkling luster guide the program on the merry Motown-inspired missive. Stationed in a somewhat similar file is “Riding High On Love,” which skips and shuffles to a big and bubbly soul pop beat.

Although Earth Quake often dipped their toes into commercial pop territory, hard rock seemed to be their primary asset. Equipped with the power of the Who, boasting the brawn of Deep Purple, and armed with a surplus of inviting hooks and breaks, the group smoked like a city on fire when cranking the heavy stuff.

by Beverly Paterson

Tracks
1. Tumbleweed (Robbie Dunbar, Stan Miller) - 2:55
2. Distance Between (Greg Boykin, Robbie Dunbar) - 2:57
3. Summer Song (Robbie Dunbar) - 3:13
4. Things (Greg Boykin, Robbie Dunbar) - 9:21
5. Guarding You (Stan Miller, Steve Nelson) - 4:07
6. Wind Keeps Blowing (Robbie Dunbar) - 2:58
7. Look Out Your Window (Robbie Dunbar, Greg Boykin, Stan Miller, John Doukas) - 3:04
8. Blurry Eyes (John Doukas, Robbie Dunbar) - 4:08
9. Tickler (Robbie Dunbar) - 4:19
10.Bright Lights (John Doukas, Robbie Dunbar) - 3:27
11.Light Before The Blindman's Eyes (Rose Bimler, Robbie Dunbar) - 3:31
12.I Get The Sweetest Feeling (Alicia Evelyn, Van McCoy) - 3:41
13.Trainride (Robbie Dunbar) - 6:28
14.See What My Love Can Do (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas) - 4:04
15.Why Don't You Try Me? (Billy Young) - 3:09
16.Riding High On Love (Edwin Starr, John W. Bristol) - 2:38
17.Live And Let Live (Robbie Dunbar, John Doukas) - 5:41
Tracks 1-9 from the 1971 album "Earth Quake"
Tracks 10-17 from the 1972 album  "Why Don't You Try Me?"

Earth Quake 
*Robbie Dunbar - Guitar, Electric Piano, Vocals
*John Doukas - Vocals
*Stan Miller - Bass, Vocals
*Steve Nelson - Drums, Vocals
With
*Pete Sears - Keyboards
*Lenny Pickette - Saxes
*Jim Horn - Saxes
*Chuck Findley - Trumpet

1976  Earth Quake - 8.5 (Vinyl) 
1977  Earth Quake ‎– Leveled (Vinyl) 
Related Acts
1975-93  Various Artists - Beserkley's Best 
1976-2000   Various Artists - Beserkley Chartbusters / Beserk "Alive Over Germany" 

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