Grape Jam is the oddity here. Of course Moby Grape's strengths and reputation on record up to this point were based on concise executions of carefully composed three-minute songs. Live, those stretched out a bit longer, but Grape certainly weren't considered a jam band in the sense of The Dead, Quicksilver, and others. Grape Jam showcased what the band could do for the most part just jamming in the studio, along with some guest players like Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield (several months before the release of Super Session), plus a slow blues vocal cut that opens the proceedings.
The jams are great fun, even if a little long-winded at times, and showcase some great playing mostly in an electric bluesy style that was so prevalent at the time. Closing the original disc was "The Lake," a bizarrely psychedelic meandering with lyrics written by somebody outside the band, and is pretty much a throwaway. Three lengthy bonus cuts are included, the last being an arrangement of "Bags' Groove" with Kooper, Randy Brecker on trombone, and part of Blood Sweat & Tears horn section.
by Peter Thelen, 2008-01-01
Tracks
1. Never (Bob Mosley) - 6:12
2. Boysenberry Jam (Skip Spence, Bob Mosley, Don Stevenson, Jerry Miller, Peter Lewis) - 6:00
3. Black Currant Jam (Skip Spence, Bob Mosley, Don Stevenson, Jerry Miller, Peter Lewis) - 7:07
4. Marmalade (Bob Mosley, Don Stevenson, Jerry Miller, Mike Bloomfield) - 14:02
5. The Lake (Skip Spence, Bob Mosley, Don Stevenson, Jerry Miller, Peter Lewis, Michael Hayworth) - 3:58
6. Grape Jam #2 (Skip Spence, Bob Mosley, Don Stevenson, Jerry Miller, Peter Lewis) - 9:18
7. Grape Jam #3 (Bob Mosley, Don Stevenson, Jerry Miller, Peter Lewis, Joe Scott) - 9:10
8. Bags' O Groove (Milt Jackson) - 13:21
Tracks 1-5 Recorded January 16 - February 13, 1968
Britain wasn’t on its own in having a thoroughly miserable 1973: O Lucky Man! and Badlands both found a great year to premiere; Watergate brought America to a new low. But America didn’t still have back-to-backs and outside bogs. Tens of thousands of Britons were still housed in wartime pre-fabs. The bright new colours of the post-war Festival of Britain and Harold Wilson's talk in the 60s of the “white heat of technology” now seemed very distant as strikes, inflation, and food and oil shortages laid Britain low. What had gone wrong? And what did pop music have to say about it?
Many of the year’s biggest acts had set out on their particular journeys in the most idealistic years of the 60s (Yes, Genesis, the Moody Blues) and still held traces of that era’s promise. For acts such as Bowie and Roxy Music who had emerged in the new decade, one way out of the British malaise was to look into the future, embracing modernism and the space age beyond, a world of electric boots and mohair suits. Another was to draw heavily on the revered 50s, retreating to rock’s unsullied roots while remaining ostensibly current – Wizzard, Mott The Hoople and even the Rubettes managed to reshape the 50s to their own ends, much as Springsteen did in the States, although beyond them lay Showaddywaddy, Shakin’ Stevens, and a sickly nosedive into nostalgic yearning.
This left a small rump of acts diligently soundtracking Britain’s present, not with a wagging finger but a fuzzy guitar, a primitive synthesiser, and a pitch-black sense of humour. Quite often these records were cut in home studios – many featured the same basic synth (just the one) that Roxy’s Eno and Hawkwind’s DikMik used; the guitarists still played blues progressions picked up from the Stones; and they sometimes touched on glam – the era’s brightest, newest noise – found inspiration in its disposability and its energy, but didn’t have the luxury of a Chinn and Chapman or a Mickie Most to sprinkle fairy dust on their final mix. And outside the studio door were the strikes, the cuts, economic chaos, teenage wasteland – these musicians created music that, intentionally or not, echoed their surroundings. It wasn’t glam, but it emerged from what Robin Carmody has called “the glamour of defeat, the glory of obliteration”.
The songs on “Three Day Week” amplified the noise of a country still unable to forget the war, even as it watched the progressive post-war consensus disintegrating. We hear shrugs and cynicism, laughter through gritted teeth. Comparing it to the richness of records made just five or six years earlier, you might think musical instruments had been rationed, and that everyone has one eye on the clock, cutting corners to get the recording finished before the next power cut. You picture engineers in donkey jackets, with a brazier by the mixing desk. You hear odd electronic explosions, quacks and squiggles. The pub piano is predominant, with its brown ale, Blitz-spirit, grin-and-bear-it jollity. And under many of these tracks is a barely concealed frustration (sexualised on the Troggs’ ‘I’m On Fire’) and even anger (how else to read ‘Urban Guerrilla’, or the howling and the hand grenade at the end of Stud Leather’s ‘Cut Loose’?). Think of “Three Day Week” as an extended, musical Play For Today.
The Three Day Week itself – which only lasted eight weeks, but was the nadir of a four-year-long depression – had been a result of the Tory government’s limit on pay rises in October 1973 and the miners strike that followed. Back at the start of 1972 the miners had struck for higher pay and won, averting Prime Minister Edward Heath’s threat to introduce a three day week in manufacturing and industry to hold on to energy reserves. By late 1973, though, the miners had slipped from top of the industrial wages league to 18th. Amid strikes by civil servants, medical staff, railway and dock workers, the miners went on strike again. The Three Day Week proper lasted from New Year’s Day to 7 March 1974. TV shut down at 10:30. Power cuts and blackouts in homes across Britain meant the sales of candles and torches soared. Old soldiers tutted. The Army were on standby. And, nine months later, there was a spike in the birth rate.
For the younger generation, however, the Three Day Week is not remembered as a period of woe. Power cuts were fun! Who wouldn’t like the idea of a three day week? More time to play! It was also easy for kids to confuse pop culture and politics when the Prime Minister was Ted Heath and the leader of Britain’s biggest union, the TGWU, was Jack Jones. Even the TUC’s leader Vic Feather sounded like the bassist from a RAK act. There is also the folk memory of the period being a high-water mark for the power of trade unions, who seemingly always struck for higher pay and won, a dreamtime for many on the left. The second miners strike brought down the Tory government – what a time to be alive! Margaret Thatcher was only education secretary at this point, the hated “milk snatcher”, and no one had a crystal ball to see what the Tory reaction might be several years down the line.
The records on this collection were almost all released as 45s, sent to shops in cost-cutting plain white paper bags, and – thanks to the oil shortage caused by the Arab-Israeli conflict – pressed on thinner vinyl than you’d have had ten years earlier. On every level, they felt as if they were being recorded and released under wartime restrictions. Many of these tracks were B-sides, recorded in haste, with no commercial forethought or relevance to the A-side, because, as Peter Shelley recalls, “You’d made the wild assumption that no one would ever play it”.
Why did the music end up sounding this way? There had been a general sense of decline in Britain since the turn of the decade – not only in industry but in film, art, fashion, and in people’s expectations. You could trace its roots further back to 1968, when the collapse of the Ronan Point tower block in East London sounded a death knell for modernist dreams. Or to 1967, a year for which Swinging London has prevailed in popular memory over Cathy Come Home, but which should be remembered for the devaluation of the pound and the capital's nationalistic dock strikes as much as Alexandra Palace’s 14 Hour Technicolour Dream. By 1972, everything new – be it a brick wall or a terylene suit – was a shade of brown or orange, and the smell of sweat and odour-hugging man-made fabrics (not only clothes but carpets and curtains) was dominant. The worsted mills of Bradford and cotton mills of Manchester were fast disappearing, and the mix of wet wool, chimney smoke and boiled cabbage that Shena Mackay recalled being London’s olfactory default in the 60s had been replaced by weeks-old fag smoke, BO, and something plasticky you couldn’t put your finger on.
Few of the songs on “Three Day Week” are politically direct: the Edgar Broughton Band had been Ladbroke Grove rabble rousers at the tail end of the 60s, but their ambitions sound entirely blunted on the monochrome hopelessness of ‘Homes Fit For Heroes’; Phil Cordell’s ‘Londonderry’ is diffuse, but it was an odd place to single out for a song title in 1973; Pheon Bear appears to be losing the will to live even as he shouts himself hoarse on ‘War Against War’. The ambivalence of the Strawbs on ‘Part Of The Union’ – a #2 hit – is entirely in keeping with the pub humour and shrugging cynicism of the era. So there is a little agitation here, but there is plenty of gleeful irreverence. One more drink? What have we got to lose? The government’s on its knees and we might all be out of work tomorrow. Quick, somebody, get on the piano before the lights go out again.
by Bob Stanley
Artist - Tracks - Composer
1. The Brothers - Part Of The Union (John Ford, Richard Hudson) - 2:55
2. Small Wonder - Ordinary Boy (Mike Berry) - 2:55
3. Ricky Wilde - The Hertfordshire Rock (Peter Shelley, Ricky Wilde) - 2:47
4. The Kinks - When Work Is Over (Raymond Douglas Davies) - 2:06
5. The Sutherland Bros Band - Sailing (Gavin Sutherland) - 2:36
6. Adam Faith - In Your Life (Adam Faith, David Courtney) - 2:39
7. Phil Cordell - Londonderry (Phil Cordell) - 3:08
8. Stud Leather - Cut Loose (Roger Cook) - 3:02
9. The Troggs - I'm On Fire (Richard Moore) - 2:12
10.Mike McGear - Kill (Mike McGear) - 1:49
11.Lieutenant Pigeon - And The Fun Goes On (Nigel Fletcher, Rob Woodward) - 3:03
12.Mungo Jerry - Open Up (Ray Dorset) - 3:24
13.Matchbox - Rod (Paul Vigrass, Rod Lynton, Steve Brendell, Jack Oliver) - 2:12
14.Hawkwind - Urban Guerilla (Dave Brock, Robert Calvert) - 3:38
15.Edgar Broughton Band - Homes Fit For Heroes (Edgar Broughton) - 4:18
16.Bombadil - Breathless (Terry Bull) - 3:04
17.Robin Goodfellow - Why Am I Waiting (Robin Goodfellow) - 3:35
18.Cockney Rebel - What Ruthy Said (Steve Harley) - 2:29
19.Paul Brett - Clocks (Paul Brett) - 1:39
20.Climax Chicago - Mole On The Dole (Colin Cooper, Derek Holt, John Cuffley, Peter Haycock) - 5:01
21.Barracuda - I Feel So Down (Peter Shelley) - 2:39
22.Wigan's Ovation - Northern Soul Dancer (Alf Brooks, Jim McClusky, Pete Preston, Phil Preston) - 2:18
23.Stavely Makepeace - Don’t Ride A Paula Pillion (Nigel Fletcher, Rob Woodward) - 2:50
24.Pheon Bear - War Against War (Pheon Bear) - 3:02
At long last Rory Gallagher’s first band, Taste, in both its incarnations, gets its due in the form of the 57 track, nearly five hour long four disc box set “I’ll Remember.” The first two discs contain the band’s two LPs, 1969s “Taste” and 1970s “On The Boards” each album being supplemented by bonus tracks. Disc three contains live tracks from Sweden and London recorded just before the band called it a day in 1970. Disc four contains recordings, studio and live, performed by Taste Mk. I, with Gallagher joined by bassist Eric Kitteringham and drummer Norman D’Amery, who were replaced by Richard McCracken and John Wilson. Kudos to compiler Daniel Gallagher did a great job of representing Taste, Mk. I and Mk. II.
“I’ll Remember” opens with “Blister On The Moon” a re-recording of half of the original lineup’s unofficially released Major Minor label 1967 single. The tune was joined by the rocking “Born On The Wrong Side Of Time” on the single and was likewise re-recorded for inclusion on “Taste” which was released in April, 1969. “Blister” is a great vehicle for Gallagher’s guitar and has a hook ideal for AM radio, yet somehow was never officially released on 45. In fact either of the tunes would have been a great a-side. “Taste” is filled with blues rock tunes, a mixture of originals, covers and arrangements of traditional material with Gallagher’s guitar dominant, such as his incredible slide work on “Leavin’ Blues.” Two traditional songs arranged by Gallagher, “Sugar Mama” and “Catfish” give him a chance to stretch things out with run times of seven minutes or more each. In addition to the album’s original nine tracks the disc contains six alternate versions as bonus tracks. The LP showcases blues rock at its very best.
Disc two is built around the band’s second and final LP “On The Boards.” Released on New Year’s Day, 1970, the album reflects the group’s musical growth. The opening track “What’s Going On” is a hot little rocker, clocking in at just under three minutes and most definitely a radio friend number that would have been an ideal selection for a single. With its second album Taste showed increased versatility with jazz influences apparent throughout, and Gallagher playing alto saxophone on two of the LP’s ten tracks including the breezy “It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again” on which he begins playing guitar before switching to sax. However, it is still Rory’s guitar that dominates the album, especially on scorching numbers like “Morning Sun” and the slide guitar driven “Eat My Words.” The six minute title track showcases Taste’s versatility with Rory’s guitar quietly steering the band and the listener into the land of mellowness leading Gallagher to once again pick up the sax. The album’s ten tracks are joined by six bonus tracks, including the audio from four performances on the “Beat Club” television show.
Disc three opens with eight tracks recorded live at Konserthuset, Sweden in 1970. Dominated by Gallagher’s guitar the set includes extended takes of tunes from both of the band’s albums as well as four non-LP tracks including the slide workouts “Gamblin’ Blues” and “Sinner Boy” and the blues drenched “At The Bottom” and “She’s Nineteen Years Old.” The disc also features five tunes recorded by the BBC at the Paris Theatre in London beginning with an unbelievable take on “I’ll Remember” stretched out to double the length of the three minute studio version with Gallagher’s guitar leading the way from beginning to end. The 78 minutes on this disc are representative of Taste Mk. II’s incredible live sound.
“I’ll Remember” closes with a disc of recordings by Taste Mk. I. The first nine tracks on disc four, recorded in Belfast, are the oldest surviving studio recordings of the band. Among the tracks are the original takes of “Blister On The Moon” and “Born On The Wrong Side Of Time” which, as previously mentioned, were released and then immediately withdrawn as a single on the Major Minor label. The material is much more traditional blues oriented than that of Mk. II. Standout tracks include the guitar workouts “Norman Invasion” and “How Many More Years.” The final five tracks were recorded live at the Wobum Abbey Festival in 1968 and are evidence that Taste Mk. I could rock like hell live! The band was so fresh that following their performance of Gershwin’s “Summertime” Gallagher is heard saying “thank you” more than a dozen times! This is followed by a stunning take on “Blister On The Moon” featuring Rory at his heaviest. Also included is an obviously Muddy Waters influenced version of “I Got My Brand On You.” The set closes, quite appropriately, with a spirited medley of blues classics, “Rock Me Baby/Bye Bye Bird/Baby Please Don’t Go.”
The book style box set, designed by Phil Smee at Waldo’s Design and Dream Emporium, is rounded out by a 40 page full color booklet. Complete track annotations are joined by a Nigel Williamson essay and tons of gorgeous photos. Aside from the Isle Of Wight concert, issued separately, “I’ll Remember” is the last word on Rory Gallagher’s earliest work. The sound, mastered by Paschal Byrne at the Audio Archives in London, is impeccable, even the early live recordings.
The bottom line is that “I’ll Remember” was one of the very best reissue compilations of 2015 and is an absolute must for blues rock enthusiasts and serves as a wonderful document of Rory Gallagher’s first recordings. I cannot recommend this set highly enough. There is not a weak link among the collection’s 50-plus tracks. Make sure you grab a copy of this incredible box set before it goes out of print. It is absolutely essential!
by Kevin Rathert, 2016
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Blister On The Moon - 3:26
2. Leavin’ Blues (Huddie Ledbetter) - 4:15
3. Sugar Mama (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 7:14
4. Hail - 2:35
5. Born On The Wrong Side Of Time - 4:00
6. Dual Carriageway Pain - 3:13
7. Same Old Story - 3:32
8. Catfish (Traditional) - 8:04
9. I’m Moving On (Hank Snow) - 2:29
10.Blister On The Moon - 3:21
11.Leavin’ Blues (Huddie Ledbetter) - 4:31
12.Hail - 2:35
13.Dual Carriageway Pain - 3:13
14.Same Old Story - 3:26
15.Catfish (Traditional) - 6:55
All tracks by Rory Gallagher except as else written
Tracks 1-9 original "Taste" Lp released April 1969
Bonus Tracks 10-15 Alternate Versions
Disc 2
1. What’s Going On - 2:44
2. Railway And Gun - 3:33
3. It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again - 6:32
4. If The Day Was Any Longer - 2:07
5. Morning Sun - 2:38
6. Eat My Words - 3:45
7. On The Boards - 6:01
8. If I Don’t Sing I’ll Cry - 2:38
9. See Here - 3:04
10.I’ll Remember - 3:01
11.Railway And Gun - 4:26
12.See Here - 3:13
13.It’s Happened Before, It’ll Hapen Again - 10:52
14.If The Day Was Any Longer - 2:35
15.Morning Sun - 3:31
16.It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again - 9:48
Music and Lyrics by Rory Gallagher except where stated
Tracks 1-10 original "On The Boards" LP released January 1970
Bonus tracks 11-016
Disc 3
1. What’s Going On - 6:14
2. Sugar Mama (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 6:48
3. Gamblin’ Blues (Melvin Jackson) - 6:41
4. Sinner Boy - 6:23
5. At The Bottom - 3:19
6. She’s Nineteen Years Old (Muddy Waters) - 3:57
7. Morning Sun - 4:18
8. Catfish (Traditional) - 6:33
9. I’ll Remember - 6:14
10.Railway And Gun - 4:58
11.Sugar Mama (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 7:19
12.Eat My Words - 9:21
13.Catfish (Traditional) - 5:27
All songs by Rory Gallagher except where indicated
Tracks 1-8 Live In Konserthuset Stockholm, Sweden 1970
Tarcks 9-13 BBC Live In Concert Paris Theatre, London 1970
Disc 4
1. Wee Wee Baby (Joe Turner) - 2:45
2. How Many More Years (Chester Burnett) - 3:24
3. Take It Easy Baby (Traditional) - 7:08
4. Pardon Me Mister - 2:44
5. You’ve Got To Pay - 3:55
6. Norman Invasion - 3:01
7. Worried Man - 2:30
8. Blister On The Moon - 3:25
9. Born On The Wrong Side Of Time - 3:15
10.Summertime (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) - 1:31
11.Blister On The Moon - 3:36
12.I Got My Brand On You - 7:23
13.Medley: Rock Me Baby / Bye Bye Bird / Baby Please Don’t Go / You Shook Me Baby (Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Joe Williams) - 10:59
All compostitions by Rory Gallagher except where noted
Tracks 1-9 the early Belfast sessions
Tracks 10-13 Live At Woburn Abbey Festival, UK 1968
The late Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher released a few classic live albums in his career, and Stage Struck is certainly one of them. This one originally came out in 1980 and featured the definitive trio of Gallagher on guitar & vocals, Gerry McAvoy on bass, and drummer Ted McKenna. Eagle Rock has now unleashed this powerhouse live album to the masses once again, so if you missed any of the previous editions, don't hesitate to get your hands on it now.
Stage Struck basically showcases the trio in all their hard rock fury, celebrating such releases as Calling Card, Photo-Finish, and Top Priority. From top to bottom, it's nothing but scorching versions of classic tunes such as "Wayward Child", "Shinkicker", "Brute Force and Ignorance", "Moonchild", "Shadow Play", and many more. Rory's guitar is fed through a distorted Marshall stack for plenty of monstrous rock & blues licks, and he's just oozing emotion on the dramatic "Bad Penny" and bluesy "Keychain". Let's not forget what a great singer he was too, which you can hear perfectly on the upbeat rocker "Follow Me", a song that featured not only great guitar playing, but also a catchy hook as well.
Perfect through and through, Stage Struck is the perfect companion to Irish Tour and Live in Europe, three of the best guitar-led live albums you'll ever hear. If you are a longtime Rory Gallagher fan, you already know how great this album is, and if you are new to the late guitarist, then what are you waiting for, get your hands on this pronto!
It was Rory Gallagher’s then label, Chrysalis Records, who inadvertently named his tenth album. Top Priority, the brisk follow-up to 1978’s well-received Photo-Finish, arrived on the back of a hugely successful US tour which resulted in positive press at home and abroad, provoking Chrysalis into revealing that their “top priority” was the release and promotion of the prolific Irish star’s next album.
Though Gallagher chose the phrase as the record’s title to remind the company executives of their promise, Chrysalis had good reason to support him every inch of the way. They saw he was in fine shape creatively and, as Photo-Finish had already demonstrated, he had the resilience required to sidestep the post-punk era’s revolving door of fads and fashions.
Gallagher had, however, made a few changes of his own. He reshuffled his band’s personnel prior to Photo-Finish, retaining longtime bass lieutenant Gerry McAvoy, but stripping the line-up back to a muscular power trio completed by ex-Sensational Alex Harvey Band drummer Ted McKenna. As he told North America’s Record Review in April 1980, he’d found this process reinvigorating.
“There’s something about a three-piece,” he mused. “You’re really back to the essentials, it’s very rhythmic and aggressive, and I like that. With keyboards, you’ve got extra texture and all that, but it cuts down the free-form style. I’m happier in a three-piece band.”
Gallagher’s team had recorded Photo-Finish at Dieter Dierks’ studio outside Cologne in Germany. They decided to return there for the Top Priority sessions as they enjoyed the complex’s relaxed, yet creative vibe. The record they emerged with, however, was every bit as urgent and compelling as its immediate predecessor.
Top Priority opened with the anthemic, shape-throwing “Follow Me” and the tracklist was again long on exuberant rockers such as “Wayward Child,” the atmospheric, Southern rock-styled “Bad Penny” and the thrilling “At The Depot,” with the latter number affording Gallagher the opportunity to let rip with some truly imperious slide guitar.
Except for “Keychain” and the smoldering “Off The Handle,” the Cork man’s blues influences were less evident than usual, but several significant stylistic departures more than redressed the balance. To this end, the whole band performed with swagger to spare on the atypically funky, Hendrix-ian “Public Enemy No.1,” while the evocative, noir-flavored “Philby” found Gallagher drawing unlikely comparisons between the notorious double agent Kim Philby and his own restless rock’n’roll lifestyle.
It was Rory Gallagher’s then label, Chrysalis Records, who inadvertently named his tenth album. Top Priority, the brisk follow-up to 1978’s well-received Photo-Finish, arrived on the back of a hugely successful US tour which resulted in positive press at home and abroad, provoking Chrysalis into revealing that their “top priority” was the release and promotion of the prolific Irish star’s next album.
Though Gallagher chose the phrase as the record’s title to remind the company executives of their promise, Chrysalis had good reason to support him every inch of the way. They saw he was in fine shape creatively and, as Photo-Finish had already demonstrated, he had the resilience required to sidestep the post-punk era’s revolving door of fads and fashions.
Gallagher had, however, made a few changes of his own. He reshuffled his band’s personnel prior to Photo-Finish, retaining longtime bass lieutenant Gerry McAvoy, but stripping the line-up back to a muscular power trio completed by ex-Sensational Alex Harvey Band drummer Ted McKenna. As he told North America’s Record Review in April 1980, he’d found this process reinvigorating.
“There’s something about a three-piece,” he mused. “You’re really back to the essentials, it’s very rhythmic and aggressive, and I like that. With keyboards, you’ve got extra texture and all that, but it cuts down the free-form style. I’m happier in a three-piece band.”
Gallagher’s team had recorded Photo-Finish at Dieter Dierks’ studio outside Cologne in Germany. They decided to return there for the Top Priority sessions as they enjoyed the complex’s relaxed, yet creative vibe. The record they emerged with, however, was every bit as urgent and compelling as its immediate predecessor.
“I just do my own thing, whatever it is”
Top Priority opened with the anthemic, shape-throwing “Follow Me” and the tracklist was again long on exuberant rockers such as “Wayward Child,” the atmospheric, Southern rock-styled “Bad Penny” and the thrilling “At The Depot,” with the latter number affording Gallagher the opportunity to let rip with some truly imperious slide guitar.
Except for “Keychain” and the smoldering “Off The Handle,” the Cork man’s blues influences were less evident than usual, but several significant stylistic departures more than redressed the balance. To this end, the whole band performed with swagger to spare on the atypically funky, Hendrix-ian “Public Enemy No.1,” while the evocative, noir-flavored “Philby” found Gallagher drawing unlikely comparisons between the notorious double agent Kim Philby and his own restless rock’n’roll lifestyle.
“I love that whole espionage thing,” he told Record Review. “I thought there were some parallels to the rock world. It’s a spy song and he’s the ultimate spy. I added the electric sitar to give it a slightly exotic feel and there’s some mandolin on it also. I hope to do more songs like that, using more unusual themes.”
First released on September 16, 1979, Top Priority was quickly embraced by Rory Gallagher’s fiercely loyal fanbase and it soon found favor among the era’s more tuned-in critics, such as Creem’s Michael Davis, whose review sagely noted that “after a decade on the boards, he can still make blues-based material come alive”. Four decades on, that observation still holds true: the exhilarating Top Priority has barely aged a day. Indeed, its inherent freshness shows exactly why this singular performer was always right to follow his heart and eschew the industry’s continual turnover of trends.
“Well, I just go doing my own thing, whatever it is,” Gallagher said in 1980, illustrating this point. “I think it’s modern and valid and moves in its own way. The next thing you get is new wave and that’s not that different, it’s back to basics, which is where I’ve been all along. I think good rock’n’roll and blues are timeless – it’s not a fad.”
'Photo Finish' was so titled because the album was originally delivered to Chrysalis at the eleventh hour, just (and only just) making the deadline.Rory began recording the material for the album in San Francisco but on completion of those sessions he was unhappy with the results and decided to move the project to Germany. Meantime, Rory had written more songs and returned to the band line-up to a three piece, Ted McKenna on drums and Gerry McAvoy on bass.
Some of Rory's best work came from 'Photo Finish'. His "Fuel To The Fire" has some of the tightest harmonising guitars and echos of his earlier classic " A Million Miles Away". "Shadow Play" starts with a pile-driving classic Gallagher guitar riff, this self doubting song gives us an insight to Rory's double life, on and off stage, poetically described in the line -'A little bit of Jekyll, a little bit of Hyde'.
In 1972 a group of American musicians united by friendship and a common passion for good music (blues, in particular), came together in Mill Valley to give life to these amazing jam sessions, which after more than 30 years have finally been made available again. The original LP was released with 7 tracks from the session, but now, thanks to the extended playing time available on CD, the complete session (16 tracks) has finally been restored to its entirety. Following Bloomfied's and Nick Gravenites' lead, the musicians alternate on the various tracks, bringing their unique style to each song and the relaxed studio atmosphere shines through in the music's natural flow. Musicians include: Barry Goldberg on piano, Michael Shrieve (ex-Santana) on drums, Spencer Dryden (ex-Jefferson Airplaine) on drums, Lee Michaels on piano, Mark Ryan (ex-Quicksilver Messenger Service) on bass, and more!
Tracks
1. Honky-Tonk Blues (Hank Williams) - 2:03
2. Betty And Dupree - 3:40
3. Ooh-Ooh-Ooh,La,La,La - 3:23
4. Run For Cover - 3:36
5. What Would I Do Without My Baby - 5:23
6. Mellow Mountain Wine - 4:48
7. Let Me Down Easy - 6:31
8. Jimmy's Blues - 2:58
9. Young Girl's Blues (Jani's Blues) - 3:46
10.Letting Go Ain't Easy (Richard Dey) - 4:23
11.Bye Bye I'm Goin' - 2:20
12.Bells Are Going To Ring - 3:58
13.I've Had It (Ray Ceroni, Carl Boruna) - 3:33
14.Bedroom Blues (Nick Gravenites) - 7:14
15.Your Hollywood Blues (Nick Gravenites) - 4:29
16.Go Home Blues (Nick Gravenites) - 5:05
All songs by Michael Bloomfield except where indicated
Tampa, FL-based band the Outlaws released their third album, Hurry Sundown, in 1977, and it's a fine work marked by strong songwriting and their unique country-based brand of Southern rock. All five members wrote material for Hurry Sundown: vocalist/lead guitarist Billy Jones, vocalist/guitarist Henry Paul, vocalist/lead guitarist Hughie Thomasson, new vocalist/bass guitarist Harvey Dalton Arnold, and drummer Monte Yoho. One significant influence on the album is producer Bill Szymczyk. It's obvious his work with the Eagles sharpened the Outlaws' harmony vocals on Hurry Sundown. "Gunsmoke" is a vibrant rocker with lots of guitar soloing; the Outlaws didn't feature three guitarists for nothing.
The bright country-rock chorus is the foundation of "Hearin' My Heart Talkin'." Arnold's "So Afraid" is a strangely compelling country song with two distinctly different parts: emotionally fragile lyrics supported by happy-go-lucky music driven by Thomasson's cheerful banjo playing. Thomasson's excellent "Hurry Sundown," an edgy story song with piercing guitar lines, was a minor hit single. "Cold and Lonesome" is a relaxed, swaying tune contributed by Arnold. The major discovery on Hurry Sundown is Jones' startling "Night Wines."
This mournful, haunting song features a regret-filled protagonist drinking at night while lamenting the sad inevitability of aging. "Night Wines" must be at least partly autobiographical, because Jones, an obviously tortured soul, battled alcoholism before leaving the band by 1982 and, ultimately, took his own life in 1995 at age 45. About the first half of "Man of the Hour" is slow country with twangy electric guitars and Thomasson's pedal steel guitar, but then the tempo shifts to a mid-tempo jam; along the way, guest Joe Vitale adds simple, effective synthesizer/strings fills.
by Bret Adams
"In The Eye Of The Storm" kicks off with the rollicking 'Lights Are On (But Nobody's Home)' which combines a driving rock feel with the bands trademark harmony work. Salem would chip in with 'Long Gone', a driving rocker he would revisit on his first solo effort 'Cat Dance'.
'It's All Right' shows the band deliver one of their catchiest efforts yet with some soaring vocals from Hughie Thomasson while the album's left turn comes in the form of a cover of Elvis Costello's 'Miracle Man'. While not an obvious choice on paper, The Outlaws guitar-heavy take works brilliantly and proves to be an inspired choice.
'Comin' Home' has a real swing about it while the brooding 'Blueswater' is another real standout. '(Come On) Dance With Me' waves the southern rock flag high and 'Too Long Without Her' tips it's hat to the earlier Outlaws sound, with Thomasson channeling the vibe found on the first three albums. Also of real importance is the phenomenal 'I'll Be Leaving Soon' which rocks hard and boasts a great guitar solo.
'In The Eye Of The Storm' is one of the most underrated efforts by The Outlaws in my book and it's presence here is worthy of the reissue price alone. However, the first half of the disc is made up of not the 1980 follow up 'Ghost Riders In The Sky' (which was reissued alongside 'Playin' To Win') but 1982's 'Los Hombres Malo'. It's fair to say The Outlaws were running out of steam at this point. Billy Jones had departed and, unlike Henry Paul, was not replaced, with Salem and Thomasson deciding their guitars and lead vocalists were enough. They did bring in keyboard player Gary Lyons however, and the album starts off well enough. Salem's hard hitting 'Don't Stop' sets the bar high, and the brilliant 'Foxtail Lily' benefits greatly on the infectious chorus from some female backing vocals, which help bolster the diminished harmony sound that was such a distinctive part of the band.
by James Gaden
Tracks
1. The Lights Are On (But Nobody's Home) (Darryl Rhoades) - 3:30
2. Long Gone (Freddie Salem) - 3:47
3. It's All Right (Hughie Thomasson) - 3:07
4. Miracle Man (Elvis Costello) - 4:09
5. Comin' Home (Billy Jones) - 3:25
6. Blueswater (Billy Jones) - 4:55
7. (Come On) Dance With Me (Billy Jones, Harvey Dalton Arnold, Hughie Thomasson) - 3:42
8. Too Long Without Her (Hughie Thomasson) - 2:39
9. I'll Be Leaving Soon (Billy Jones) - 4:30
10.Gunsmoke (Henry Paul, Monte Yoho) - 4:18
11.Hearin' My Heart Talkin' (Timothy Martin, Walt Meskell) - 4:11
12.So Afraid (Harvey Dalton Arnold) - 3:17
13.Holiday (Billy Jones) - 4:03
14.Hurry Sundown (Hughie Thomasson) - 4:04
15.Gold And Lonesome (Harvey Dalton Arnold) - 3:19
16.Night Wines (Billy Jones) - 4:51
17.Heavenly Blues (Billy Jones) - 3:48
18.Man Of The Hour (Billy Jones, Hughie Thomasson) - 6:13
Tracks 1-9 from the album "In The Eye Of The Storm" 1979
Chicken Bones hailed from a small town at the northern end of the Ruhr area roughly 30 km northeast of Dortmund. For many year their sole album ,,Hardrock In Concert' had been characterized as obscure but not so much essential. But over the years people found out, that Chicken Bones were a lot better than the reputation that preceded them and their album became quiet a sought after obscurity. Despite the title ,,Hardrock In Concert' Chicken Bones were not at all mundane hard rock but were highly creative and often moved very close to May Blitz, early Ufo or Wishbone Ash with lots of nice moves and flowery guitar work-outs (Freeman brothers in the ,,Crack Of The Cosmic Egg').
Performed in the good old tradition of the early seventies heavy progressive scene. Most of the album is instrumental, and offers Rainer Geuecke plenty of opportunities to reveal his musical skills. The two longest tracks are the highlights: "Water" with the whisper of the sea and some beautiful acoustic guitar and "Factory Girl" which was in a more typical hard rock vein. This release comes with 6 bonus tracks by Revanche, a unit featuring Chicken Bones' leader Rainer Geuecke. The release also includes a band story, and rare photos.
One of the most popular acts of the early-'60s folk revival, Canadian duo Ian Tyson (b. 1933) and Sylvia Tyson (b. 1940) made several fine albums that spotlighted their stirring harmonies on a mixture of traditional and contemporary material. While these recordings can seem a tad earnest and dated today, they were overlooked influences upon early folk-rockers such as the Jefferson Airplane, the We Five, the Mamas and the Papas, and Fairport Convention, all of whom utilized similar blends of male/female lead/harmony vocals. They were also inspirations to fellow Canadian singer/songwriters such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Gordon Lightfoot. Like most acoustic folkies, after the mid-'60s they moved into folk-rock and country-rock, though the results were less impressive than their early work.
Tyson took up folk music in his 20s while convalescing from a rodeo injury, and teamed up with Sylvia Fricker after moving to Toronto in the late '50s. In 1960, they moved to New York, where they were signed by Albert Grossman, famous for managing Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Their self-titled debut (1962) began a successful series of recordings for Vanguard, on which they helped expand the range of folk by adding bass (sometimes played by Spike Lee's father Bill) and mandolin to Ian's guitar and Sylvia's autoharp. Just as crucially, they ranged far afield for their repertoire, which encompassed not just traditional folk ballads, but bluegrass, country, spirituals, blues, hillbilly, gospel, and French-Canadian songs.
Ian and Sylvia were among the first to cover songs by Dylan, Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Phil Ochs, and also began writing material of their own. Although original compositions were never at the forefront of their early LPs, a couple of them would become very influential indeed. Ian's "Four Strong Winds" would be covered by the Searchers and (in the '70s) Neil Young, and Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind," given a far poppier treatment by the We Five, became one of the first big folk-rock hits.
By 1966, Ian & Sylvia had started to rely primarily on original material, and begun to use electric instruments. While some of these tracks were outstanding, generally their folk-rock lacked the focus and consistency of their acoustic recordings. In the late '60s, they would take stabs at country-rock and straight country music, even hooking up with young producer Todd Rundgren for the 1970 album Great Speckled Bird. The quality of their records, and the size of their audience, declined steadily after they ended their association with Vanguard in 1967. In the '70s, they split up, professionally and personally (they had married in 1964). Both have since pursued solo careers: Ian's was far more successful, as he moved into country music, recording albums of songs with cowboy and rodeo themes that received much popular and critical acclaim in Canada.
by Richie Unterberger
This compilation (CVSD 5/6) captures much of their best work. Do not confuse it with the identically titled Vanguard album 73114, which includes only half the material found on this set.
by William Ruhlmann
Tracks
1. Early Morning Rain (Gordon Lightfoot) - 3:55
2. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Bob Dylan) - 3:15
3. Little Beggarman (Tom Makem) - 2:20
4. The Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan) - 2:46
5. Nancy Whiskey (Traditional) - 2:35
6. Catfish Blues (Traditional) - 3:33
7. Come In Stranger (Johnny Cash) - 1:52
8. The French Girl (Ian Tyson, Sylvia Fricker) - 2:40
9. The Renegade (Ian Tyson, Sylvia Fricker) - 3:34
