Fenton Robinson was heralded as one of the most progressive guitarists in Chicago as well as one of the true intellectuals on the scene–a Tolstoy and Kafka reader also known as ‘The Mellow Blues Genius.’ He was one of the first acts to be signed to Alligator Records, and his considerable talents as a singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter were well showcased on his second album for the label.
"I Hear Some Blues Downstairs", which in addition to the catchy title track also includes a remake of the classic ‘As the Years Go Passing By,’ which Robinson recorded in its original version for Duke Records in 1959. Sidemen on the album included Bill Heid, Steve Ditzell, Larry Exum, and Ashward Gates, with a horns arranged by one of Chicago’s other most advanced guitarists, Reggie Boyd.
Tracks
1. I Hear Some Blues Downstairs - 4:14
2. Just A Little Bit (Ralph Bass, Buster Brown, John Thornton, Fats Washington) - 4:34
3. West Side Baby (Dallas Bartley, Johnny Cameron) - 5:03
4. I'm So Tired - 3:53
5. I Wish For You - 3:13
6. Tell Me What's The Reason (Florence Cadrez) - 3:19
In 1970 they played the first Glastonbury Festival, after which Morley and Charles left to form Help Yourself and Steve Jolly to join Procol Harum offshoot Freedom. After several more line up changes, the band recorded their second album East 17 in 1973, with Sam Sampson and Bob Rennie from the first album supported by Andy Johnson and Denny "Pancho" Barnes on guitars, and Lee Baxter Hayes on drums.
They disbanded in 1974, but reformed the next year. During the hiatus, from mid 1974 to February 1975, the band members performed with Vincent Crane as Vincent Crane's Atomic Rooster. Further line up changes included bassist Gary Fletcher, who subsequently joined The Blues Band and drummer Martin Bell. The band continued into the late 1970s, changing its name to The Vipers, Gary Fletcher on GTA agency site Retrieved 11 November 29 (not to be confused with the new wave band of the same name) before disbanding.
Tracks
1.Good Time Music (John Sebastian) - 3:48
2.Louise (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 4:59
3.Out On The Road (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 4:28
4.Route 66 (Bobby Troup) - 2:32
5.She's The Queen (Andy Johnson, Lee Baxter Hayes) - 4:36
6. Old Tom (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 4:04
7.Flying (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 5:27
8.Call Me Boss (Andy Johnson, Lee Baxter Hayes) - 4:38
9.Another Orpheus (Andy Johnson, Denny Barnes, Bob Rennie, Lee Baxter Hayes, Sam Sampson, Eckersley) - 4:58
Formed in Walthamstow, London, where they ran their own club 'The Bottleneck Blues Club', Sam Apple Pie soon attracted a large live following, with a mix of goodtime blues and boogie, interspersed with humour. In October 1969 they played the Amougies festival, in Belgium, where Frank Zappa jammed with them. United Mutations (Zappa History) Retrieved 29 October 2009
They wrote all but one of the songs on their first album Sam Apple Pie (1969) which featured lead singer Sam "Tomcat" Sampson with Mike "Tinkerbell" Smith and Steve Jolly on guitars, bassist Bob "Dog" Rennie, Malcolm Morley on keyboards and Dave Charles on drums.
by Richie Unterberger
Tracks
1. Hawk (Dave Charles, Mick Smith, Sam Sampson) - 4:06
2. Winter Of My Love (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 7:14
3. Stranger (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 4:26
4. Swan Song (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 7:12
5. Tiger Man (King Of The Jungle) (Joe Hill Louis, Sam Burns) - 2:23
6. Something Nation (Mick Smith, Sam Sampson) - 3:59
7. Sometime Girl (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 4:00
8. Uncle Sam's Blues (Andy Johnson, Dave Charles, Doug Renny, Mick Smith, Sam Sampson) - 2:36
9. Annabelle (Andy Johnson, Doug Renny, Sam Sampson) - 5:17
10.Moonlight Man (Andy Johnson, Mick Smith, Sam Sampson) - 7:17
11.Tiger Man (Joe Hill Louis, Sam Burns) - 2:23
12.Sometime Girl (Andy Johnson, Sam Sampson) - 4:01
Fenton Robinson tirelessly strives to invent something fresh and vital whenever he's near a bandstand. The soft-spoken Mississippi native got his career going in Memphis, where he'd moved at age 16. First, Rosco Gordon used him on a 1956 session for Duke that produced "Keep on Doggin'." The next year, Fenton made his own debut as a leader for the Bihari Brothers' Meteor label with his first reading of "Tennessee Woman." His band, the Dukes, included mentor Charles McGowan on guitar. T-Bone Walker and B.B. King were Robinson's idols.
1957 also saw Fenton team up with bassist Larry Davis at the Flamingo Club in Little Rock. Bobby Bland caught the pair there and recommended them to his boss, Duke Records prexy Don Robey. Both men made waxings for Duke in 1958, Robinson playing on Davis' classic "Texas Flood" and making his own statement with "Mississippi Steamboat." Robinson cut the original version of the often-covered Peppermint Harris-penned slow blues "As the Years Go Passing By" for Duke in 1959 with New Orleans prodigy James Booker on piano.
The same date also produced a terrific "Tennessee Woman" and a marvelous blues ballad, "You've Got to Pass This Way Again." Fenton moved to Chicago in 1962, playing Southside clubs with Junior Wells, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Otis Rush and laying down the swinging "Say You're Leavin'" for USA in 1966. But it was his stunning slow blues "Somebody (Loan Me a Dime)" cut in 1967 for Palos, that insured his blues immortality. Boz Scaggs liked it so much that he covered it for his 1969 debut LP. Unfortunately, he initially also claimed he wrote the tune; much litigation followed.
John Richbourg's Sound Stage 7/Seventy 7 labels, it's safe to say, didn't really have a clue as to what Fenton Robinson's music was all about. The guitarist's 1970 Nashville waxings for the firm were mostly horrific: he wasn't even invited to play his own guitar on the majority of the horribly unsubtle rock-slanted sides. His musical mindset was growing steadily jazzier by then, not rockier.
One of the most subtly satisfying electric blues albums of the '70s. Fenton Robinson never did quite fit the "Genuine Houserocking Music" image of Alligator Records -- his deep, rich baritone sounds more like a magic carpet than a piece of barbed wire, and he speaks in jazz-inflected tongues, full of complex surprises. The title track hits with amazing power, as do the chugging "The Getaway," a hard-swinging "You Say You're Leaving," and the minor-key "You Don't Know What Love Is." In every case, Robinson had recorded them before, but thanks to Bruce Iglauer's superb production, a terrific band, and Robinson's musicianship, these versions reign supreme.
His 1974 album Somebody Loan Me a Dime remains the absolute benchmark of his career, spotlighting his rich, satisfying vocals and free-spirited, understated guitar work in front of a rock-solid horn-driven band. Alligator issued Nightflight, another challenging set, in 1984, then backed off the guitarist. His 1989 disc Special Road, first came out on the Dutch Black Magic logo and was reissued by Evidence Music. Robinson passed away on November 25, 1997 at the age of 62 due to complications from brain cancer.
by Bill Dahl
Tracks
1. Somebody Loan Me A Dime - 2:59
2. The Getaway - 3:21
3. Directly From My Heart To You (Little Richard) - 4:21
4. Going To Chicago (Traditional) - 3:50
5. You Say You're Leaving (Big Joe Williams) - 3:18
6. Checking On My Woman - 3:26
7. You Don't Know What Love Is - 3:57
8. I've Changed - 4:26
9. Country Girl (Rudy Toombs) - 4:56
10.Gotta Wake Up - 4:28
11.Texas Flood (Larry Davis, Don Robey, Joseph Wade Scott) - 4:22
The enduring and versatile voice of Bonnie Koloc has been heard in Chicago since 1968. For a decade, Bonnie was a pivotal act at the Earl of Old Town, drawing crowds that stood in lines around the block, hoping, at least, for a place to stand to catch the hottest act in town. In time her folk-oriented style merged with jazz and blues, and her versatility took her to Mr. Kelly’s, a long-time Chicago landmark. While continuing to play at the Earl, Orphans and Holstein’s, she began appearing at festivals.
Along the way she received a Governor’s Award in 1973 for Best Singer, recorded ten albums, two of them with Epic. In 1984 her career took another turn when she starred in the Public Theater’s production of The Human Comedy, first earning her the theatre World Bronze Award for Outstanding New Talent on Broadway and a Drama Critics Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
She had a minor hit with "Roll Me On the Water" from the 1974 album "You're Gonna Love Yourself in the Morning," but never achieved the national recognition many predicted for her.
Tracks
1. You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning (Donnie Fritts) - 2:21
2. Colors Of The Sun (Jackson Browne) - 3:09
3. Crazy Mary (Mike Smith) - 3:10
4. Children's Blues (Bonnie Koloc) - 3:55
5. Guilty Of Rock And Roll (Neil Goldberg) - 3:18
6. Roll Me On The Water (Bonnie Koloc) - 3:48
7. I Have To Say I Love You In A Song (Jim Croce) - 2:50
8. 25th Of December (Bonnie Koloc) - 2:32
9. The Lion Tamer (Bonnie Koloc) - 2:59
10.Mother Country (Jack Smith, Jerry Liliedahl) - 3:35
Bonnie moved to Chicago at the age of 24 and was recognized for her talent as a folk singer. Then she moved to New York with great ambition, but soon returned to Chicago with disappointment and released her debut LP, "After All This Time." Her first three albums, have been widely recognized for their musicality not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Her singing ability is very good and she is overflowing with charm. Nine guest musicians support her playing skills, but her cool voice boasts a terrifying power that suppresses all instruments. For a moment, her voice reaches its peak when all the instruments stop playing and listen to her. Her voice sounds very familiar, very similar to the British folk rock singers like Linda Hoyle.
Tracks
1. Sailing Ship (Bob Carpenter) - 3:02
2. Burgundy Wine (Bob Carpenter) - 2:36
3. The Lover In Winter Plaineth For The Spring - 0:50
4. Hold On To Me (Jim Glover) - 5:57
5. Sweet Mama (Bonnie Koloc, Ron Scroggin) - 3:12
6. We Are Ships (Bonnie Koloc, Norm Christian) - 3:41
7. Angel From Montgomery (John Prine) - 2:38
8. Jamaica (Jackson Browne) - 3:35
9. Diamond Lil (David Bromberg) - 5:32
10.Every Day II (Bonnie Koloc, Ron Scroggin) - 4:14
Bonnie Koloc came from a working-class background; her father worked in the local John Deere factory in Waterloo, Iowa. She had a difficult childhood, her parents divorcing when she was 12, but nevertheless became the first member of her family to go to university where she studied art and drama whilst singing to help pay the bills. Over time she became disillusioned with her studies and dropped out, moving to Chicago to pursue a musical career. She quickly established herself as a mainstay of the Chicago folk scene, playing regularly at the legendary Earl of Old Town and other folk venues. Her soft sweet voice was reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, although her music had a more jazzy-blues feel to it.
Bonnie Koloc’s debut LP ‘After All This Time’ was released in 1971, the same year as John Prine and Steve Goodman released their debuts. While her contemporaries were signed by established labels (Atlantic and Buddah respectively), Koloc’s record came out on Ovation Records, a local Chicago label. It therefore never gained the traction to launch her career to the heights that many had predicted. However, her brand of psych-folk now sounds ahead of its time. There followed three more albums on Ovation. ‘Hold on to Me’ (1972), ‘Bonnie Koloc’ (1973), and ‘You’re Gonna Love Yourself in the Morning’ (1974) that contain much of her best work. What is perhaps most striking about them is the consistent level of performance that makes it difficult to recommend any one single release ahead of the others.
The quality of the four Ovation releases won her a major label deal with Epic, which produced the equally excellent ‘Close Up’ (1976), one reviewer describing it as her “most consistent and enjoyable album”. However, whilst the album was being made Koloc lost her long time partner Curt Cole Burkhart to a heart problem. In memory of him she then made ‘Wild and Recluse’ (1978) which was partly based around the monologues of a Chicago street guy called Lucky, that her late partner had recorded. Following her well-received Epic debut with such an album was commercial suicide and Epic promptly dropped her.
It would be nine years before ‘With You on My Side’ (1987) which took Koloc back to her early folk style and marked a real return to form. Unfortunately, after this, Koloc only recorded sporadically as her attention turned to a successful career in acting, art and book illustrations. She still performs in Chicago but hasn’t released a new record since 2006’s ‘Here to Sing’. Two live collections have been released, ‘Beginnings’ (2009) features early 1970s live recordings, mainly from The Earl of Old Town shows and ‘Seems Like Yesterday’ is a complete show also from the 1970s. Both are well worth your attention.
by Clint West, May 19, 2020
Tracks
1. Newport, Aug.14 (Bonnie Koloc) - 3:18
2. Charmer (Bonnie Koloc, Chuck De Meyer) - 3:54
3. Sunday Morning Movies (Bonnie Koloc) - 3:25
4. Wind On The Water (Tom Rush) - 4:14
5. On The Road (Carl Franzen) - 2:55
6. Mama's Blues (Bonnie Koloc, Chuck De Meyer) - 2:26
Split between the three vocal tracks that make up the beginning, middle and end of the album are two superb instrumentals. The shorter, more laid-back and playful “Supertwister” features a first appearance of Latimer’s abilities on the flute, introducing a new element that would play a part in Camel’s sound on many subsequent albums. The longer “Earthrise” is a free-flowing jam that features some fantastic interplay abilities between the quartet and is a perfect example of their strong chemistry.
Mirage’s most compelling moments are however its two epics. The middle track “Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider,” is once again full of signature Camel moments: Latimer’s gorgeous melodic guitar lines, relaxed vocals, Ferguson’s typical deep bass sound, and a smooth flow that makes it seem shorter than the nine minutes it actually takes. The group’s storytelling ability is most prominent here. Latimer wrote the song about the Gandalf character from The Lord of the Rings (those fantastical kind of themes were really hip among the rock bands of the era, after all), which is easily derived from the lyrics: “Once he wore grey/he fell and slipped away/From everybody’s sight/The wizard of them all/came back from his fall/This time wearing white.”
In traditional manner, the best epic is of course saved for last. Lady Fantasy, written together by the entire band (most of the band’s compositions were written by Latimer and Bardens), is one of the true highlights of Camel’s career. The lyrical content may actually be a little cheesy, but flows wonderfully with the music. Each section is extremely well though-out and Latimer’s playing, especially his highly emotional lead that recurs throughout the song, is to die for. These 12 minutes top off the accomplishment that is this record with proud determination, and are a reminder why it is held in such high regard. Mirage is a definite progressive classic, and should be owned by anyone who pronounces himself a fan of the genre.
Prog- Sphere
Tracks
1. Freefall (Peter Bardens) - 5:53
2. Supertwister (Peter Bardens) - 3:19
3. Nimrodel / The Procession / The White Rider (Andrew Latimer) - 9:17
4. Earthrise (Peter Bardens, Andrew Latimer) - 6:42
5. Lady Fantasy: Encounter / Smiles For You / Lady Fantasy (Peter Bardens, Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward, Doug Ferguson) - 12:45
6. Supertwister (Peter Bardens) - 3:15
7. Mystic Queen (Peter Bardens) - 6:7
8. Arubaluba (Peter Bardens) - 7:47
9. Lady Fantasy: Encounter / Smiles For You / Lady Fantasy (Peter Bardens, Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward, Doug Ferguson) - 12:59
Bonus Tracks 6-8 Live at the Marquee Club 30.10.1974
The group made the rounds on the Southern Ontario bar scene and in their downtime, worked on a repertoire of original material. Soon, the act was signed to Mort Ross’s new Revolver Records. The line-up changed again when McCann quit John Johnson took over duties, relinquishing his role as guitarist to Mowbray. The band also lost King on drums who was replaced by former Combine member Pat Little. With the final addition of vocalist Breen LeBoeuf and their name was changed to Chimo! (Inuit for ‘hello’) but not before one last member change with Andy Cree replacing Pat Little on drums. In the spring of 1970, Revolver released the band’s remake of the old Bossmen song “Quicksilver Woman”, followed that summer by their original song “Silken Silver Melody”. Neither single did particularly well, but Mort Ross pushed forward and managed to get the band’s self-titled debut released in the US on Epic Records. Cree left after the album’s release to be replaced by the man he had originally replaced , Pat Little. But, cracks were already beginning to show with Johnson and Raby departing at the end of 1971 around the same time as their final single, “Cross Country Man”, was released.
It was only a matter of time before Collacutt also skipped out leaving Mowbray, Little and LeBoeuf to carry on briefly. Little went on to become a respected session drummer and a member of such Canadian acts as the Modern Rock Quartet, Fludd and Diamondback; LeBoeuf would move on to a brief reformation of Motherlode, then Southcote, and finally, Offenbach; Mowbray formed a lounge act with his wife and then finally retired from the industry; Stewart McCann left the music business and is now a Professor of Psychology at an east coast University.
by Stewart McCann and Breen LeBeou
Tracks
1. Cross Country Man (Jack Mowbray, Breen LeBoeuf) - 5:23
2. In The Sea (Pat Little) - 2:56
3. Love Lady (Tony Collacott, Ross Raby) - 2:43
4. Pattie Love (Tony Collacott, Ross Raby) - 3:09
5. Silken Silver Melody (Jack Mowbray, Ross Raby) - 3:11
6. Day After Day (Tony Collacott, Ross Raby) - 6:31
7. Lonely Girl (Tony Collacott, David Clayton-Thomas, Ross Raby) - 2:326
I am not sure when I first came across this album, but it wasn’t when it was first released in 1973 but some time in the Eighties. I was immediately blown away by the concept of having two keyboard players, and no guitar, and while some likened them to ELP I never really saw (or heard) the link. Yes, there are long instrumentals, but singer (and second keyboard player) Dave Lawson had a very different voice to Greg Lake. I know he is often castigated for his vocals, but I personally never felt there was an issue and actually enjoy his singing, especially on the opening title cut.
This was the second album by Greenslade, who were formed by Dave Greenslade after the break-up of Colosseum. He brought on board fellow Colosseum founder member bassist Tony Reeves, who had left after contributing to just one song on ‘Daughter of Time’, along with Lawson (Samurai, and had also been a member of The Alan Bown Set and Web) along with drummer Andrew McCulloch (King Crimson, Fields). Many fans say the debut Greenslade album is the best, while the third ‘Spyglass Guest’ was the commercially most successful, but this is always the album to which I turn. It captures a time when anything was possible, and the band certainly felt they weren’t restricted on what they were doing. At this point within the British music scene there was the feeling that boundaries were there to be broken and pushed aside, and while Greenslade never really managed to capture the fan base of their contemporaries, to my ears it was never due to lack of songs or ability. Listening to this album on headphones, some 35 years on from its original release, still fills me with a great deal of pleasure and I know that many progheads who have overlooked this in the past will also feel the same way.
But wait, there’s more! I have been fortunate enough to have in front of me the reissue on Esoteric, and as always, they never feel just making an album available again is enough. So, firstly we have three additional songs which were recorded for the Radio One ‘Sounds of the Seventies’ series, from October 1973. This is a superb set, which has been making its way repeatedly back to my player, and deservedly so.
by Kev Rowland
Tracks
1. Bedside Manners Are Extra (Dave Greenslade, Dave Lawson) - 6:24
2. Pilgrim's Progress (Dave Greenslade) - 7:05
3. Time To Dream (Dave Greenslade, Dave Lawson) - 4:51
4. Drum Folk (Dave Greenslade, Andy McCulloch) - 8:53
5. Sunkissed You're Not (Dave Lawson) - 6:35
6. Chalk Hill (Dave Lawson, Tony Reeves) - 5:32
7. Time To Dream (Dave Greenslade, Dave Lawson) - 3:46
8. Bedside Manners Are Extra (Dave Greenslade, Dave Lawson) - 5:30
9. Pilgrims Progress (Dave Greenslade) - 6:40
Bonus tracks 7-9 BBC Radio 1 "Sounds Of The Seventies" Session, only on Esoteric edition
