Daddy Cool - Daddy Who! Daddy Cool! (1971 australia, fabulous roots 'n' roll party, 2011 bonus tracks remaster)

Ross Wilson's previous group The Party Machine had split up in early 1969, after Ross received a call from the UK from his friend Brian Peacock, bassist with the expatriate Australian band Sons of The Vegetal Mother, was an "esoteric special occasion progressive band" with a floating lineup based around the nucleus of Wilson and Hannaford. It was conceived to perform on the Melbourne concert circuit, at events and 'happenings' in 'head' venues like the TF Much Ballroom. Wilson also began exploring the music of the rock'n'roll era in earnest, and he came up with the idea of creating an informal group to perform it. In this he was aided by Young and Duncan -- who shared his love for the music of that period and had large rock'n'roll record collections - as well as by friends like David "Dr Pepper" Pepperell, Keith Glass and Gulliver Smith (Company Caine). In fact Keith and Gully were originally pencilled in as alternative/additional lead singers for the group, and it was Keith who suggested the song "Daddy Cool" as an addition to the repertoire. Numerous originals from the classic rock'n'roll era 1950s became staples of the set list, and these were combined with Wilson's more progressively-oriented originals.

In the beginning, Daddy Cool though was not the "main event" -- it was originally intended as"light relief" during Vegetals gigs, performing a short, snappy set of '50s rock'n'roll songs between the lengthier progressive explorations of the main group. Their first (impromptu) appearance was at a Vegetals gig at Glenelg Town Hall in November 1970 ,when they filled in for a support band who failed to show up. A few weeks later they made their 'official' debut at theTF Much Ballroom in Melbourne.

They combined great musical strength, honed by years of experience playing around the traps, with an irreverent and ebullient stage presence. In Wilson they had both a strong songwriter and one of the great frontmen of Australian rock. Gangly and rather goofy looking, Ross Hannaford's appearance belied the fact that he was -- and is -- one of the true legends of the guitar, and the perfect foil for Wilson. Another memorable feature was their stage outfits -- the Mickey Mouse ears, the foxtail which Wilson attached to the back of his pants, and of course Hannaford's trademark helicopter cap. Daddy Cool stood out against the prevailing serious progressive mood of the time. They rocked, they were danceable, immediate, accessible and, above all,fun.

Audiences responded immediately, and over the next few months SOVTM/Daddy Cool became one of the most popular live acts on the Melbourne dance/disco circuit, with regular gigs at the Much More Ballroom, Garrison, the Myer Music Bowl and the Melbourne Town Hall, as well as festival appearances at Launching Place (Melbourne) and Odyssey (Wallacia, NSW). By the time of their rapturous reception at the Myponga Festival in early 1971 (where they totally eclipsed the Vegetals) it was clear that Daddy Cool were far more popular than their parent band, and Sons of the Vegetal Mother was soon shelved for good.

The major turning point came on 7 May 1971, and from there things moved very fast. Daddy Cool played a gig at the Melbourne Town Hall with Tully, where they were spotted by Robie Porter. A child guitar prodigy, Porter was a teenage pop performer turned producer who had his own unusual but quite successful musical career in the late 50s and early '60s, performing guitar instrumentals under his stage name "Rob E.G". After a spell in the USA, Robie had returned to Australia and had recently become half-owner of the small independent Melbourne label, Sparmac. When Robie saw DC that night he signed them virtually on the spot. Within days he had them in the studio and the first single was out before the end of the month.

Porter produced the tracks for the first LP, and he also contributed piano and steel guitar to various tracks, with the help of Wilson's old palJeremy Noone on saxophone. It's a testament to the band's strength as a performing unit that they were able to cut all the tracks in a marathon two-night, 22 hour session. The album included two Ross Wilson originals which became instant classics -- "Come Back Again" and their legendary debut single. "Eagle Rock" was influenced by Delta blues (evident in the classic opening riff). The title of the song had come from a newspaper article which Wilson read while he was in London -- a Sunday Times story describing the juke joints of the Deep South in the 1930s, which included a photo of dancers at a juke joint, captioned "Some negroes do the eagle rock and the pigeon wing".

Alongside Spectrum's "I'll Be Gone", Daddy Cool's debut single became one of the keystones of the 'new wave' of Australian rock in the early Seventies. Released in late May 1971, "Eagle Rock" entered the Melbourne charts at No 20; it was immediately picked up by pop stations around the country and was the national #1 within two weeks. It became one of the biggest hits of the year and its success shot the band into the national spotlight virtually overnight. They undertook a joint nationwide tour withSpectrum, and the song gained crucial TV exposure thanks to the famous promotional clip made by director Chris Lofven , a former member of Cam-Pact who also made the clip for "I'll Be Gone" only months before. The clip, which included intercut live footage of the band's performance at Myponga, is now regarded as a classic, and has been much imitated. Certainly, The Pretenders' breakthrough 1978 clip for "Brass In Pocket" bears a remarkable resemblance to it.

"Eagle Rock" rewrote the record books for Australian popular music - it was #1 nationally for 8 weeks, #1 in Melbourne for a record-breaking 17 weeks, it charted for 25 weeks in all, and became the best-selling Australian single of 1971. Daddy Cool were voted Best Group in the 1971 Go Set Pop Poll, and Best Group in the TV Week "King of Pop" awards. "Eagle Rock" has long since taken on a life of its own; it's become one of the best-known songs of the era, and a staple of commercial radio "classic rock" programming. The story goes that Elton John was so taken with the song when he heard it on his first Australian tour later that year that he immediately penned his own riposte, "Crocodile Rock", which was an massive international hit for him. Likewise, on his 1973 tour, Marc Bolan good-naturedly ribbed Wilson about "ripping off" "Eagle Rock"'s main riff from T-Rex's "Ride A White Swan"! When it was re-released as a 12" single in 1982 it was a Top 10 hit all over again.

The debut LP Daddy Who? ... Daddy Cool! was released in July 1971. It too went to #1 and smashed all previous sales records -- it went gold within the month, sold an unprecedented 60,000 copies from its initial release, and went on to become the first Australian LP to sell more than 100,000 copies locally. The album was originally issued in a textured cover, and the cover illustration -- a cartoon rendering of the band members by Melbourne artist (and Go-Set staffer) Ian McCausland -- effectively became the group's logo. McCausland created most of the band's graphics and was responsible for much of their visual image, on which he collaborated with Ross Hannaford.

The album is still as fresh and immediate as it was back in 1971, and Porter's clean, warm production has tremendous presence and fidelity, and still sounds terrific. The majority of the original songs were by Ross Wilson (except for Bom Bom, which was co-written by Hannaford) but they sit very comfortably next to the vintage R&B covers -- "Guided Missile", "Good Rockin' Daddy", "Cherry Pie", Slay & Crewe's "Daddy Cool" and Chuck Berry's "Schooldays".

As brilliant as the group was, it also has to be said that their success was partly due to good luck and good timing. A year earlier, in May 1970, Australian commercial radio had been through an unprecedented six-month period upheaval with the infamous 1970 Radio Ban, which saw commercial radio embroiled in a six-month standoff with the major record companies, who wanted to charge a new royalty payment for songs played on air. Not wanting to pony up for what they (rightly) claimed was free promotion for the majors, the commercial radio industry refused and when talks broke down the major labels placed an embargo on the supply of promotional records to radio stations, and in response radio refused to list major-label records on theor weekly Top 40 charts. Obviously though, radio still needed material, and this gave local independent labels like Fable and Sparmac a unique chance to get their foot in the door.

Miles-Ago

Tracks

1. Daddy Cool (Frank Slay, Bob Crewe) - 2:34

2. School Days (Chuck Berry) - 3:06

3. Come Back Again - 4:54

4. At The Rockhouse - 3:45

5. Guided Missile (Alfred Gaitwood) - 3:09

6. Good Rockin' Daddy (Richard Berry, Joseph Bihari) - 2:26

7. Eagle Rock - 4:13

8. Zoop Bop Gold Cadillac - 3:55

9. Blind Date - 4:21

10.Bom Bom (Ross Wilson, Ross Hannaford) - 2:38

11.Cherry Pie (Joseph Bihari, Marvin Phillips) - 03:21

12.Flip - 02:26

13.Lollipop - 01:44

14.Just As Long As We're Together - 02:35

All songs written by Ross Wilson except where indicated

Bonus tracks 11-14

Daddy Cool 

*Wayne Duncan - Bass Guitar, Vocals

*Ross Hannaford - Guitar, Vocals

*Ross Wilson - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica

*Gary Young- Drums, Vocals

With

*Robie Porter - Piano, Steel Guitar

*Jeremy Noone - Saxophone

*Dave Brown - Tenor Saxophone, Flute

1973  Mighty Kong - All I Wanna Do Is Rock (2008 digipak remaster) 

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Machiavel - Machiavel (1974-76 belgium, stunning hard prog rock, bonus tracks remaster)

Machiavel is one of the most famous Belgian rock bands. The band has collected 4 golden records and performed a lot of shows.Machiavel has played twice sold-out at Forest National and four times even successfully at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.The power of an original music, a mix between rock and melodious songs together with a well-balanced contrast between soft and hard sounds contribute to the ever growing success of the band.

In the middle of the seventies two music freaks, Roland Degreef and Marc Ysaye, created a group called Moby Dick . Shortly later, they met Albert Letecheur - a meeting that would prove important at a time when the musical style of European groups such as Yes, Supertramp, Genesis and Emerson, Lake & Palmer was becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe in general (and Belgium in particular). At the time, the style was called "Eurock" .

Once the style was established, most countries had their own "Eurock" bands, except Belgium - much to the frustration of the public and press. In the small world of Belgian music in 1975-76, a place was up for grabs. Four French-speaking musicians thought they would give it a try. With Roland Degreef on bass, Marc Ysaye on drums and vocals, Jack Roskam on guitar, Albert Letecheur on keyboards; Machiavel was born, and about to become one of the country's most successful bands.

In April 1976, they released their first album called Machiavel , which was hailed by the press but even more by the public. In retrospect, it is clear that this album had tracks of varying quality. But the level of artistic potential and skill were impressive for a first album.

For the second album, the group's line-up changed. Jack Roskam was replaced Jean Paul Devaux on guitar and Mario Guccio was brought in as singer and showman to boost the live impact. Released in 1977, the second album, Jester , revealed surprising musical maturity. Machiavel acquired their style, and additional fans. 

by Christian Lejeune

Tracks 

1. Johan's Brother Told Me (Albert Letecheur, Marc Ysaye) - 7:32

2. Cheerlesness (Albert Letecheur, Marc Ysaye) - 6:46

3. Cry No More (Jean Jacques Roskam, Marc Ysaye) - 5:24

4. When Johan Died, Sirens Were Singing (Albert Letecheur, Marc Ysaye) - 9:22

5. I Am (Jean Jacques Roskam) - 1:26

6. Leave It Where It Can Stay (Albert Letecheur, Marc Ysaye, Una Faravel) - 8:37

7. To Be Free (Roland De Greef) - 3:02

8. Don't Remember (Roland De Greef) - 3:36

9. When You Turn Green (Marc Ysaye) - 2:44

10.Cheerlesness (Albert Letecheur, Marc Ysaye) - 7:30

Tracks 7-9 recorded 1974 in Brussels

Track 10 Live at the Cirque Royal

Machiavel

*Mario Guccio - Vocals, Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet

*Christophe Pons - Guitars

*Roland De Greef - Vocals, Bass

*Marc Ysaye - Drums,Vocals, Tambourine, Maracas, Gong, Percussion

*Herv Borbe - Keyboards

1977  Machiavel - Jester (2010 remaster)  

1978  Machiavel - Mechanical Moonbeams (2010 xtra tracks remaster)

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Rainbird - Maiden Flight (1971 uk, complex mysterious with flutes mystical lyrics, meandering melodies, 2021 release)

Monsterously obscure Prog from 1971, 200 lps were privately made but most were destroyed, and no copies have ever been openly sold. Complex and mysterious music with flutes and mystical lyrics, meandering melodies, like the most introverted moments from the Moody Blues classic Threshold of a Dream era, Rainbird is an lp some rate as a masterpiece. The original had the wrong cover added by a printer, here the original Rainbird picture is restored to the sleeve.

Seelie court is a new archival record label with a repertoire of over 50 lps already lined up for release, most are sourced from a private collection of super rare and often completely unknown british acetate and private pressing lps dating from 1965-1978, the most valuable lps that exist. lps like anaconda (post Arcadium) and Barney James (technically a 3rd Warhorse lp) are undocumented and have been kept in a black box for decades the label will issue progressive rock and folk rock 1965-1978 and post punk/new wave 1976-1982 on a sub label.

Audio restoration is by Reynolds Mastering, England. engineered and restored by an industry genius who specialises in complex restoration techniques utilising pure craftsmanship acquired from decades of experience, Reynolds projects range from restoring delicate decca classical recordings to 30 cd wishbone ash box sets, using a treasure trove of invaluable ex BBC studios analogue equipment and the latest digital to work sonic miracles.

Tracks

1. Maiden Flight (Nigel Prenter, John Leighton Dyson, Ian Lamont Muir, William Johnson, Clive Birch) - 8:08

2. Star Of Ishtar (Nigel Prenter) - 4:06

3. Sailboat (Clive Birch, Nigel Prenter) - 2:13

4. My Lady Know No Other (Nigel Prenter) - 5:58

5. Za Da Phase Three (Ian Lamont Muir) - 1:19

6. Za Da Phase Seven (Ian Lamont Muir) - 0:46

7. Broken Ladder (Clive Birch, Drayton Steve Razz) - 4:38 

8. Man On The Mountain (William Johnson) - 2:41

9. Where The Hell Is Home (Nigel Prenter) - 2:42

10.Stormdance Part One (Nigel Prenter) - 2:51

11.Stormdance Part Two (Nigel Prenter) - 3:28

12.Calender (Nigel Prenter) - 1:01

Rainbird

*Nigel Prenter - Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Vocals

*John Leighton Dyson - Congas, Drums

*Ian Lamont Muir - Electric Guitar

*William Johnson - Flute, Backing Vocals, Organ, Piano, Xylophone

*Clive Birch - Lead Vocals, Keyboards

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Machiavel - Mechanical Moonbeams (1978 belgium, magnifique experimental prog rock, 2010 xtra tracks remaster)

Machiavel can be considered as one of the best Belgian progressive rock bands ever. Concerning prog rock you could say that Machiavel had the same significance for Belgium as PFM had for Italy. Nowadays, they're still active and occasionally they perform their music live on stage. Machiavel were formed in 1976 by Roland De Greef (bass) and Marc Ysaye (drums, vocals) who at the time played in a group called Moby Dick with Jack Roskam (guitar) and Albert Letecheur (keyboards). Their first eponymous album released in 1976 draw some attention with the song Cheerlessness. In those days the band's trademarks were the high-pitched voice of Marc Ysaye and the upfront keyboard sound of Albert Letecheur. Their debut was rather promising so expectations ran high for the next recordings.

Shortly after the debut Jack Roskam was replaced by Jean-Paul Devaux and Mario Guccio joined the group as their lead singer. It seemed as if all things had fallen in place now which was confirmed by the second release Jester (1977). The music on Jester contained strong influences of bands like Genesis, Supertramp and Yes. With the next album Mechanical Moonbeams (1978), they showed that they belonged to the top of the European progressive rock; they even became rock stars in their homeland.

Mechanical Moonbeams contains two bonus tracks as well, but they fit much better to the rest of the music. Wind Of Life is a great ballad with fine Mellotron-choirs. It was derived from a compilation called Sprouts (1981). I'm Not A Loser is a demo recorded at home in 1978. The song is strongly related to the rest of the recorded material. You can hear that it's a demo, because the keyboards don't dominate the song that much as on most of the album tracks. The seven tracks on Mechanical Moonbeams are in the same musical style as the songs on Jester : strong keyboard parts and great emotional vocals. Some people considered this album to be better than its predecessor, maybe due to the presence of the hit single Rope Dancer. This is a great ballad with superb Mellotron-choirs; it's difficult to believe that such a piece of progressive rock could become a hit in Belgium. Both albums by Machiavel prove that great progressive rock music in those days wasn't created only in Great Britain or the USA. European bands as Grobschnitt, PFM, Ange, Focus and Machiavel showed they also could throw devotees of prog rock into ecstasies.

I think, people who listen to Jester and Mechanical Moonbeams for the first time will agree that both albums belong to the cream of the crop of progressive rock music. The albums equal the same musical level as Photos Of Ghosts (1973) and The World Became The World (1974) recorded by PFM in the seventies. Although both albums are still hidden treasures for many people I have always considered them to be true masterpieces and thus - after all these years - they still deserve the full five-star rating. 

by Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen)

Tracks

1. Beyond The Silence (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Roland De Greef) - 6:10

2. Summon Up Your Strength (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Mario Guccio) - 5:03

3. Rope Dancer (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Roland De Greef) - 3:40

4. Rebirth (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Mario Guccio) - 7:10

5. After The Crop (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Mario Guccio, Roland De Greef) - 7:55

6. Mary (Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Mario Guccio, Roland De Greef)- 4:10

7. The Fifth Season (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Roland De Greef) - 7:25

8. Wind Of Life (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Roland De Greef, Mario Guccio) - 6:12

9. I'm Not A Loser (Albert Letecheur, Jean Paul Devaux, Marc Ysaye, Roland De Greef, Mario Guccio)- 5:42

Track 8 from compilation "Sprouts" recorded 1981

Track 9 recorded at home in September 1978

Machiavel

*Mario Guccio - Vocals, Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet

*Roland De Greef - Vocals, Bass

*Marc Ysaye - Drums,Vocals, Tambourine, Maracas, Gong, Percussion

*Albert Letecheur - Electric Piano, Piano, Synthesizer, String Ensemble, Mellotron

*Jean Paul Devaux - Electric, Acoustic, 12 String Guitars, Vocals

1977  Machiavel - Jester (2010 remaster)  

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Sweathog - Sweathog (1971 us, awesome west coast rhythm 'n' blues psych rock, 2014 remaster)

Lenny Lee Goldsmith and David Leonard Johnson met in 1967 when Lenny sat in with David's band, The Persuaders. David tried to track down Lenny for years in order to start another band...but to no avail. While David was working with Dr. John, Lenny called David out of the clear blue sky and asked David if he rememberd him. Lenny conviced David to fly to San Jose, CA where Lenny's band was playing. Lenny's band featured drummer Barry "Frosty" Frost. David convinced both Lenny and Frosty to move to Los Angeles to work together. David was working with Joe Hicks and the All White Band and heard that Lee Michaels was looking for a drummer. 

David encourged Frosty to take the gig and everything was put on hold. Frosty called Dave in 1970 and said Lee Michaels was going to a 4-piece band and wanted Dave to play bass. Dave moved to San Francisco and worked a couple of gigs with Lee and Frosty and guitar player Johnny Glaze. Lee decided that he would rather go back to a duo and Frosty declined. Insted, Dave and Frosty moved back to L.A. and put together Sweathog with Lenny on vocals and keyboards and Bob "B.J." Jones on guitar and vocals. After rehearsing the band for three weeks, Dave met Ed Jordan from the Chronicle in the San Fernando Valley, and the struck a deal to have Sweathog become the "house band". The Chronicle quickly became the hot night club in the "Valley". You could find a number of top-name musicians in the audience on any given night. Dr. John, Leon Russell, Don Preston, Daniel More, David Jackson, Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier, Dennis Provisor, Bobby Burns, Rex Ludwick along with top disc jockey, Jimmy Rabbitt. 

Some of the actors that were in the audience on a reqular basis were Edward James Olmos, Gary Busey and more! The Chronicle was truly the place to be in the Roaring Fork Valley. Lenny Sogel became Sweathog's manager and quickly signed the band to Columbia Records. The first LP, Sweathog was released and did very little. Joel Sill then worked and arrangement out with Clive Davis and Lenny Stogel to take Sweathog into the studio to cut the song Hallelujah. A acetate disc of Hallelujah was taken to L.A. top radio station, KHJ and they played the song immediatly. David Johnson was on vacation in Hawaii and was called by Lenny Stogel to come back to L.A. because the song was the "Pick of the Week" on KHJ and was starting to take off nationally.

by Japie Marais

Tracks

1. Nobleliever (J. Reznik, Lenny Lee Goldsmith, Victor Phillips) - 3:37

2. All I Ever Do (Lenny Lee Goldsmith) - 3:33

3. Still On The Road (Jerry McDonald, Rex Ludwig) - 2:16

4. Burned (Dr. John) - 5:48

5. Things Yet To Come (Lenny Lee Goldsmith, Victor Phillips) - 4:01

6. Runneth Over (Lenny Lee Goldsmith) - 3:15

7. You Just Took The Ride (Lenny Lee Goldsmith) - 4:43

8. Lock Up My Body (Bob Caloca, Lenny Lee Goldsmith, Victor Phillips) - 2:57

9. Layed Back By The River (Bob Caloca, Fred Schwartz, Lenny Lee Goldsmith, Victor Phillips) - 3:07

Sweathog

*Barry "Frosty" Smith - Percussion, Bells, Celesta

*Lenny Lee Goldsmith - Keyboards, Vocals

*Dave Johnson - Bass, Vocals

*Bob Jones - Guitar, Vocals

With

*Charlie Schoning - Keyboards

*Richard "Didymus" Washington - Percussion

1972  Sweathog - Hallelujah  

Related Act

1970  Blue Mountain Eagle - Blue Mountain Eagle (2012 remaster)  

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Beggar's Opera - Sagittary (1974 uk, fine multiblended rock, 2007 digipak remaster)

After moving to Germany, they began collaborating with Jupiter, producing “Sagittary” in 1974. Ricky gathered together Pete Scott on vocals, Virginia Scott on keyboards and drummer Mike Travis, ex of Gilgamesh. As in the previous one the pieces are of short duration, and the compositional verve of the first works seems to have faded. The rhapsodies listened to in the first albums leave room for some good tracks, developed in a simpler form and close to the “song.”

The Operatic-ones romp through a selection of ten melodic and stimulating songs, such as ‘Something To Lose’, ‘World Crisis Blues’ and the sweetly titled ‘Smiling In A Summer Dress’. Here is a band that built up a loyal audience for its adventurous blend of rock and the classics, and has long since retained its cult following.

Tracks

1. Sagittary - 4:50

2. Love Of My Own - 2:37

3. Smiling In A Summer Dress - 3:54

4. World Crisis Blues - 2:36

5. Just 21 - 4:03

6. Simplicity - 2:52

7. Freedom Song - 3:19

8. Something To Lose - 2:58

9. I'm The Music Man - 4:23

10.Jack The Ripper - 2:52

All compositions by Ricky Gardiner, Colin MacFarlane, Virginia Scott 

Beggar's Opera

*Pete Scott - Lead Vocals

*Ricky Gardiner - Guitars, Bass, Vocals

*Virginia Scott - Keyboards

*Mike Travis - Drums 

1970-73  Beggars Opera - Nimbus The Vertigo Years Anthology (2012 double disc remaster)  

1971  Beggars Opera - Waters Of Change (2006 digi pack edition)  

1973  Beggars Opera - Get Your Dog Off Me! (2003 digipak remaster)

Related Act

1975  Gilgamesh - Gilgamesh (2011 remaster)

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Beggars Opera - Get Your Dog Off Me! (1973 uk, excellent prog mainstream rock, 2003 digipak remaster)

Beggar's Opera had turned into a much more mainstream pop/rock band on this album, with the excellent instrumental "Classical Gas" as the only real progressive track here. Ricky Gardiner's distinctive and atmospheric playing style can still be heard.  

"Get Your Dog Off Me!" was the last Beggars Opera album to have any Mellotronic input and then, again, on only one track. The most notable tracks are probably Requiem, a Brian-May-(just)-before-Brian-May multi-guitar extravaganza and their excellent multiple-keyboard take on Mason Williams' Classical Gas, including some innovative Moog work and a few Mellotron string chords here and there, which would certainly have worked well elsewhere on the album, not least on the slow-burn of Open Letter, although it clearly wasn't to be.

Tracks

1. Get Your Dog Off Me (Alan Park, Barry Ainsworth) - 3:40

2. Freestyle Ladies (Virginia Scott) - 4:20

3. Open Letter (Robert Smith) - 4:32

4. Morning Day (Virginia Scott) - 4:32

5. Requiem (Ricky Gardiner) - 2:18

6. Classical Gas (Mason Williams) - 4:28

7. Sweet Blossom Woman (Mick Grabham) - 4:08

8. Turn Your Money Green (Alan Park, Barry Ainsworth) - 4:08

9. La Di-Da (Alan Park, Colin Fairlie, Gordon Sellar, Linnie Paterson, Ricky Gardiner) - 2:53

10.Working Man (Barry Ainsworth, Gordon Sellar) - 4:33

11.Two Timing Woman (Colin Fairlie) - 3:44

12.Lady Of Hell Fire (Martin Griffiths, Alan Park, Ricky Gardiner, Gordon Sellar, Raymond Wilson) - 3:43

Bonus Tracks 11-12

Beggars Opera

*Linnie Paterson - Lead Vocals

*Ricky Gardiner - Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Vocals

*Alan Park - Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, Mellotron, Moog

*Gordon Sellar - Bass, Vocals

*Colin Fairley - Drums, Percussion, Vocals

With

*Raymond Wilson - Drums (1,2,4,7,8,10)

1970-73  Beggars Opera - Nimbus The Vertigo Years Anthology (2012 double disc remaster)  

1971  Beggars Opera - Waters Of Change (2006 digi pack edition)  

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Daniel - Phoenix (1976-78 us, fine mix of folk prog and classic rock, 2001 remaster)

In 1974 his producer said: “Daniel plays the cello like Jimi Hendrix the guitar!“ This Russian rooted Californian is for sure the wildest rock cellist of the 70/s. The history from this record goes back to 1971 when Daniel started to write the music. Classically trained he began to play instruments at age of 5 and toured a lot as a professional musician. The recordings of his 10 original cuts started in 1976, to be released in 1979 as very limited demo release to apply for a record deal (which not happened).

The music ranges from poetic dramatic “chanson-like” ballads to powerful Rock/n/Roll with awesome guitar assaults, incredibly heavy cello-sounds and Daniel/s outstanding voice

Late '70's album by this US solo artist who played Cello and worked with various artists including Cat Stevens. A diverse album mixing folk, hard rock and typical '70's singer songwriter material this is a fine album crossing various musical borders. There is some great guitar work, orchestration and evocative songs. Includes booklet with full information and lyrics.

"This album was a demo only release by Daniel in 1979 to send out to record companies. He started to write the music in 1971, recorded in 76-78 -- only a few copies are known of this great and unique record. The music ranges from fantastic acid folk to full blown psychedelic creepers with heavy cello -- and furious fuzz guitar assaults. His producer/s voice: 'Daniel plays the cello like Jimi Hendrix the guitar'! Now he is a movie actor and producer in Hollywood, known as Jason D. Holt. 

Tracks

1. Get Ready To Rip - 3:18

2. On A Mountain - 4:24

3. Debra - 3:58

4. Real Fine Woman - 4:21

5. Saddened And Alone Again - 5:22

6. Have You Walked In The Sun - 3:38

7. Love Balloons - 2:58

8. Member Of My Tribe - 4:20

9. Sooner Or Later - 2:57

10.It's You Babe - 5:01

11.Sooner Or Later - 3:06

12.Debra - 3:20

Words and Music by Jason D. Holt

Musicians

*Daniel - Vocals, Cello

*Ed Van Fleet - Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Piano

*John Wilson - Percussion

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Wally - Wally (1974 uk, insightful psych prog folk rock, 2015 japan SHM remaster)

Wally was an English rock band in the mid-seventies that played a mixture of prog rock and country, often labelled as progressive country. They hailed from Harrogate, Yorkshire and were led by singer-songwriter Roy Webber (lead vocals, acoustic guitar). Back then they recorded the albums Wally (1974) and Valley Gardens ((1975). After the second album they disbanded, but in 2009 they made a comeback which resulted in the re-release of those two albums and the recording of a new one. Therefore a lesson in history and an overview of their albums seem to be appropriate here.

Maybe the most important event for the band's career was the participation on the New Act competition in 1973. It was organized by Melody Maker, a well-known music magazine in those days. Wally made it to the finals at London's Roundhouse. However, they didn't win but they came to the attention of 'Whispering' Bob Harris, one of the judges of The Old Grey Whistle Test. The ultimate winner Druid recorded two fine progressive rock albums: Toward The Sun (1975) and Fluid Druid (1976). The runners-up prize for Wally was the recording of a session for Harris's BBC radio show The Monday Program. He took the band under his wings and succeeded in getting a record deal with Atlantic Records.

The eponymous debut album was co-produced by Harris and no one less than Rick Wakeman. The album shows a band that music wise had a lot to learn. The music is a fine mixture of prog rock and country. The lap steel guitar played by Paul Middleton, and the violin played by Pete Sage are responsible for the country-like sound, but the music contains elements from Irish folk music as well. They're closer to being a folk band than a symphonic band on this debut. The use of the Mellotron, Hammond organ and harmonium fooled some people since the only track that comes near to prog rock is the fourteen-minute track To The Urban Man containing some strong psych sound effects and fuzzy guitar layers. Another track that approaches prog music to a certain extent is the opening track The Martyr. It's an eight-minute, mostly instrumental flight of fancy that almost seamlessly moves between prog and pop. 

After its release the band got managed by Brian Lane, best known as the manager of Yes. He organized a series of tours for them that would take them to countries like Japan and the United States. They also supported Yes and appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test. 

by Peter Willemsen

Tracks

1. The Martyr (Paul Gerrett) - 8:04

2. I Just Wanna Be A Cowboy (Roy Webber) - 4:08

3. What To Do (Roy Webber) - :37

4. Sunday Walking Lady (Roy Webber) - 2:44

5. To The Urban Man (Jim Slade, Roy Webber) - 13:57

6. Your Own Way (Alan Craig, Roy Webber) - 5:38

Wally

*Roy Webber - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

*Pete Cosker - Lead Electric And Acoustic Guitars, Vocals, Bass Guitar

*Paul Gerrett - Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Hammond Organ, Mellotron, Harmonium, Grand Piano, Harpsichord, Vocals

*Pete Sage - Electric Violin, Bass Guitar, Mandolin

*Paul Middleton - Lap Steel Guitar, Bass Guitar

*Roger Narraway - Drums, Percussion

With

*Bob Harris - Strings Arrangements 

*Rick Wakeman - Strings Arrangements, Producer

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Jonathan Kelly - Twice Around The Houses (1972 ireland, spectacular folk bluesy rock roots 'n' roll)

Irish singer-songwriter Jonathan Kelly’s second album “Twice around the Houses” was released on the RCA label in 1972 and was given masses of quality marketing, while Kelly played prestige gigs at all the top venues. He was a regular at major festivals - playing with just a miked up acoustic and was always easy to whip on and off between longer ensembles . Kelly always went down a storm wherever he played but somehow it just didn’t happen for him.

This album under review starts off with the sublime “Madeleine”, a mid-tempo song about un-requited love. The feeling expressed by Kelly’s voice leaves you in no doubt that this is a song of personal experience and would have made an excellent single, but, alas, time has moved on.

Next out of the traps is “Sligo Fair”, a lovely song about life in the British countryside. - Life is not always greener on the other side . Following this is “We’re All Right Till Then”, one of the most poignant protest songs this dog has ever heard. To lighten the load we then have the glorious “Ballad Of Cursed Anna”, always a concert favorite with audiences, telling the story of the folly of youth. It’s a tragi-comedy of a song that always plucks a heartstring but still leaves a smile on the lips.

Every track on the album is well constructed and the variety is quite remarkable. From acoustic sad ballads like “I Used To Know You” to the fun filled rock ‘n’ roll of “The Train Song”. Just one listen to this album will blow away all your blues.

by Pattaya Mail, May 14, 2020

Tracks

1. Madeleine - 3:29 

2. Sligo Fair - 6:20 

3. We're All Right Till Then - 3:43 

4. Ballad Of Cursed Anna - 5:18 

5. Leave Them Go - 4:09 

6. We Are The People - 3:44 

7. Rainy Town - 2:57 

8. The Train Song - 4:26 

9. I Used To Know You - 2:29 

10.Hyde Park Angels - 4:47 

11.Rock You To Sleep - 4:48 

All compositions by Jonathan Kelly 

Musicians

*Jonathan Kelly - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

*Peter Wood - Keyboards

*Tim Renwick - Electric Guitar

*Jim Toomy - Drums

*Rick Kempe - Bass

*Donal Lunny - Acoustic Guitar

*Gerry Conway - Drums

*Larry Steele - Bass

*Jerry Donahue - Acoustic Guitar

*Dave Ball - Electric Guitar

*Byron Lyefook - Drums

*Harvey Burns - Drums

1973  Jonathan Kelly - Wait Till They Change The Backdrop (2001 remaster)  

1975  Jonathan Kelly - Two Days in Winter (2004 remaster)  

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