The Thunder Mugs were an obscure late-'60s band from California that recorded an album's worth of songs for Bill Holmes' All American label. Although the band never released a full album, they did manage a single: "Motion Tree" b/w "Captain Midnight." The band consisted of Dennis Bassetti (bass, vocals), Bob Jonte (drums), Jack Lutz (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), and Jerry Roy (lead guitar, vocals). Composed by Lutz, the music on this album is predominantly soft psychedelic pop with good guitar, a few effects, and a very British sound.
The material offers good period charm and features a few standout songs that, if released in Britain in 1967, could've easily become hits. This release on Akarma Records was officially licensed from All American and contains the band's entire output of 13 songs.
by Keith Pettipas
Tracks
1. Motion Tree - 2:47
2. Sweetwater Roll - 3:33
3. Muffin Man - 2:49
4. Mary Jane - 2:10
5. Figure This - 3:00
6. Captain Midnight - 2:09
7. Lucky Lady - 2:43
8. You For Me To Love - 2:09
9. Mistah Moon Risin' - 2:20
10.Marmalade Lady - 2:20
11.Mr. Z's Backyard - 2:29
12.What Is There Left - 2:29
13.Rooms Of Laughter - 2:29
All songs by Jack Lutz
Thunder Mugs
*Jack Lutz - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Drums, Keyboards
Bram Stoker was formed in the summer of 1969 by Hammond organist Tony Bronsdon, guitarist Pete Ballam, drummer Rob Haines and bass guitarist Jon Bavin, in their south coast town of Bournemouth, England, UK.
Kindred spirits Tony, Pete and Rob were in separate bands at the time but collaborated on a project with Jet Harris (ex Shadows bass player). When the project ended they recruited bass player friend Jon Bavin. The chemistry was now right and Bram Stoker became their opportunity to explore and create their own music. They were young, enthusiastic and inspired by the current progressive musical trends.
After intense rehearsals in a room above a pub in Poole, the band went on the road. That summer of 1969 was the start of a busy schedule. The band’s live performances were well received and drew enthusiastic audiences. From the vast circuit of clubs, colleges and universities throughout the UK the band developed a loyal following.
Although influenced by the Gothic image, Bram Stoker chose its own musical direction, composing its own material and experimenting with new musical styles. Inevitably the band acquired the "progressive classical rock" label but succeeded in creating its own identity. The band’s focus was on stage performance and raw, powerful sound. Each member embraced fresh ideas and encouraged originality.
Tony Bronsdon's classical training is augmented by a formidable technique, with a Hammond organ sound that is majestic, biting and haunting. His stirring ability to integrate his classical interpretation into their musical compositions - with drummer Rob Haines' driving rhythms - defined the Bram Stoker sound. Pete Ballam’s antics on stage were spontaneous and unpredictable, his legendary "Doppler" (a spinning speaker cabinet) had to be seen - and heard - to be believed. Rob Haines took an individual approach to his role in the rhythm section and created his own spinning cymbal, which - like Pete’s "Doppler" - is unique to Bram Stoker (evident on "Poltergeist"). Jon Bavin enhanced their compositions with melodic themes, ethereal vocals and dextrous bass lines.
One of their early gigs was as support act for The Who at Bournemouth Pavilion. Front man Roger Daltrey saw the potential and invited Bram Stoker to his home in Berkshire, where he made demo recordings of the band. After six tracks had been recorded The Who embarked on an extensive USA tour, so the demos were put on hold until his return. Derek Lawrence, record producer of rock band Deep Purple, showed an interest and more tracks were recorded in London’s De Lane Lea Studios with Deep Purple’s engineer, Martin Birch. A few months later Bram Stoker was signed up to an independent label owned by Rolling Stones manager Tony Calder.
The band had also developed a keen following in Holland. Bassist Tony Lowe had now replaced Jon Bavin and the new line-up enjoyed a successful tour of that country in the spring of 1971. The "Heavy Rock Spectacular" album was released that same year.
Bram Stoker enjoyed remarkable interest from the music industry during the period from 1969 to 1972 and this is shown in the wake of the "Heavy Rock Spectacular" album - from its original vinyl release by Windmill Records in 1972 through to its present CD format. The album became a collector's item; an original vinyl LP is particularly valuable. Inevitable bootlegging ensued and CD copies of "Heavy Rock Spectacular" appeared on various labels world-wide. Sales of the album continue unabated, and the band's following on the Internet grows daily with fresh blood.
Bram Stoker re-formed in 2009 and composed new material. The band is now based in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Kristyl, where a Louisville band and released their classic self-titled LP in 1974. The album is a blend of homemade psychedelia with a nice mixture of of gentle dreamy passages, heavy acid guitar and wah-wah fuzz along with charmingly vocals and spiritual influences.
W. S. "Sonny" Tongue "Country" had done some time in prison in the mid-1960s for draft resistance. After the first record was issued by the band, Sonny concluded he'd had enough as a performer and decided to become a full-time songwriter. Peter Weston, a singer/songwriter/guitarist, replaced him in the group. They recorded a song that Sonny wrote titled Anthem that was about his imprisonment. They toured nationwide and performed at major rock venues of the time. In 1969 Anthem went on the charts in Cleveland and then the song was banned from airplay. It was also banned from airplay in Memphis and Atlanta markets. The label then pulled it from production.
The group reorganized and moved to the Los Angeles area during the early 1970s. N.D. Smart became the drummer in the band. They toured on shows with comedians Richard Pryor and George Carlin. They even appeared on a show with crooner Rudy Vallee. Both Peter Weston and Michael Sagarese left the band leaving it a four-piece group for the remainder of its days.
The Hello People became part of Todd Rundgren's touring group in the '70s. During this period George Kiernan joined the group as an extra mime performer holding signs for the group.
The Hello People continued as a group through the seventies then went their separate ways.
Drummer Cel De Bauwer and singer/keyboardist Luc Smets had achieved some international recognition as members of the band Pebbles. When Pebbles called it quits in 1971 they decided to form Shampoo recruiting the talents of Mad Curry sax player Giorgio Chitschenko, lead guitarist Yves De Vriendt, sax player Francois Maes and bassist Rudy PinlŠ¹e. The band's efforts didn't do a great deal in their native Belgium, but they found a supporter in the form of Francis Dreyfus who signed them to his French Motors label, releasing their sole album in 1972. Produced by guitarist De Vriendt, the optimistically titled "Volume One" took a little bit of effort to get warmed up to, and while it wasn't a classic album by any stretch of the imagination, it had enough interesting segments to warrant the investment of time.
Whereas Pebbles had been a pop-oriented band, Shampoo shared more in common with Mad Curry's jazz-rock leanings. That said, these guys clearly had an affection for quality pop music. It was unlike anything else on the album, but the opener 'Brother' was a glistening slice of '60s pop-psych. Even their more jazz-rock moves embedded distinctive pop elements - check out 'Keep The Day Cool'. As the band's lead singer Smets was actually pretty good. He sang with an accent, but it wasn't particularly pronounced, or irritating. As musicians, the entire band were first rate with Chitschenko and Maes adding jazz-tinged solos throughout.
Bad Cat
Tracks
1. Brother (Luc Smets) - 3:12
2. Keep The Day Cool (Luc Smets) - 6:24
3. Some Reason (Giorgio Chincheko, Luc Smets) - 10:55
In 1969, the members of a rather loose session line-up joined together to found Electric Sandwich, a jazz rock band from Bonn/Germany. Instead of working on a fixed repertoire, the band preferred to stay spontaneous and as free as possible both from a personal and a musical point of view. It was only gradually that they developed a set of fixedly arranged pieces combined with a great deal of improvisation.
Guitarist Jƶrg Ohlert doubled on keys, with organ on I Want You and a short Mellotron flute solo, followed by a string part on album closer Material Darkness, so not enough to make it worth it on the Mellotron front (where have we heard this before?). Overall, Electric Sandwich is a decent enough album.
Tracks
1. China (Jƶrg Ohlert, Klaus Lormann, Wolf Fabian) - 8:03
2. Devil's Dream (Jƶrg Ohlert) - 6:15
3. Nervous Creek (Jochen Carthaus, Klaus Lormann) - 5:00
"GAGALACTYCA" is a sister album to Astral Navigations. Lightyears Away has pretty much the same line-up, though with less from Brian Wilson and Brian Calvert who had both left the country. Four songs were destined for Astral Navigations when it was to be called Windows Of Limited Time : Save The Big Jam Roll, The People Show and Woman In My Life. Aren't You Glad You Stayed? was intended to open the album, which is why it is heard at the end of A - Austr.
1970 and 1971 were prolific times for Holyground - a lot of their very best work was from this period. ASTRAL NAVIGATIONS had been released and yet there were tracks un-issued : such as Chris Coombs' THAT IS WHAT WE NEED, and several THUNDERMOTHER tracks. At one time or another several of these tracks were destined for Astral, but were left off for others. The solution was obvious: Astral Part Two!
Although planned, the album was not actually released until the early 1990's when a vinyl version was released with the help of Hugo Chavez' 'Magic Mixture' label. Only 450 of these were made, most signed by Dave Wood and Mike Levon.
shirl, slyv & jan, esme & jumping jack flash, cath & linda, anne, fuckface the eagle, super judy, sonja, arkle, norfolk jim, mitchell deaver, gifford and andrew, 'goth' caxton, jim alexander, dave wood, pete duce, kevin young, mal gill & cass yard angels
'shirl' is Shirley Levon; 'slyv' was Dave Wood's partner; 'jan' is married to Chris Coombs, and 'anne' is Kevin Young's wife. Esme was Mike and Shirley's cat, (as was Jumping Jack Flash), and her purr lives on at the start of the THUNDERMOTHER tracks. Cath and Linda were usually to be found hanging around the studio or Mike's flat. They can be seen in the video of the making of ASTRAL NAVIGATIONS too. 'Mitchell Deaver' is Mike and Shirley's electric fire
“Lightyears away: melting off the sea by the Coastroad / in the dead land. You can hear, almost hear that place, softly, naked, unknown / voices appear behind distant mountains / and now simple beauty. Time ticks by. Reality, but we’ll do what we can do. We are there but so many of us are not, how to make them understand? The Astral Navigator is here - he’ll tell them. Yesterday: Your whole mind is suddenly jerked and slowed down, only to be speeded up and thrust back / through to the new North Country Cinderella - then Coombs’ Surprise Symphony. Now the spaceship talks . . .
Thundermother: Gentle heavy chords pump the brain / take the ride again and we do. Rock Banshees. It’s a long, long way back home. But it’s really nice here / Boogie! Solid driving bass cracks the ground beneath your feet, and maybe at the end all those things they bin shakin’ about have just slipped through the cracks / Fucking good, go on sell a piece of your mind to Holyground”.
by Pete Ball, from STYNG, Yorkshire’s underground newspaper,1971
The album is divided into three - Mike's songs with Brian Calvert; Chris's songs; and on side two Thundermother. Mike labeled the SIDES of the album 'Lightyears Away' (side one Mike, Brian and Chris); and 'Heavyside Layer' (side two, Thundermother). There is thus no single artist, and like A to Austr, Astral doesn't really have one. Over time the idea that there were two groups had arisen 'Lightyears Away' and 'Thundermother'. A to Austr had a by-line: "Musics from Holyground" . Astral had a similar one on a couple of posters: "Music For The Human Mind".
To mark the split between Mike's / Brian's songs and Chris's songs Mike added the Apollo rocket launch sound effect.
Tracks
1. Fourth Coming (Mike Levon, Brian Calvert) - 5:18
2. Path Of Stone (Mike Levon, Brian Calvert) - 3:38
3. Windows Of Limited Time / The Astral Navigator (Mike Levon, Brian Calvert) - 1:50
4. Yesterday (Chris Coombs) - 3:06
5. Today (North Country Cinderella) (Chris Coombs) - 2:42
6. Tomorrow (Buffalo) (Chris Coombs) - 4:15
7. Someday (Frank Newbold, Peter Illingworth) - 13:43
8. Country Line (David John, Dave Millen, Dave Wilkinson) - 0:58
9. Boogie Music (L. T. Tateman III) - 5:40
10.Rock Me (Dave Millen, Dave Smith, Fred Kelly) - 6:02
Samuel Maghett was born February 14,1937 on a farm in central Mississippi, eight miles east of Granada. By the time he was thirteen, like most other kids his age, he was doing a full day's work, but found time to start learning how to play the guitar by stretching strings tied to nails driven into a wall in a manner similar to Big Joe Williams' primitive one-string guitar (described in the notes of Delmark's Piney Woods Blues, DL-602).
The Maghett family got its first taste of big-city life when they moved to Chicago in i960 Sam decided he never wanted to live again in the South — the relative freedom of the city life changed his mind once and for all. When he attended Drake elementary school on Chicago's South Side he often took his guitar with him. His classmates used to tease him about it but one morning Sam played before all the students at assembly, caught the fancy of the girls and "went home with a pocketful of telephone numbers."
A year later, while playing his guitar under a tree in his backyard at 27th and Calumet. Sam attracted the attention of a gambler named Cadillac Jake who happened to be walking by Jake encouraged Sam and they were to meet again years later when the gambler had himself become a blues-singer and harmonicaplayer By that time Sam had already formed his first band with Syl Johnson (most recently noted for his recording of Sock It To Me) and Mack Thompson who still plays with Sam on a lot of jobs It was Thompson who nicknamed Magic Sam by rhyming his last name.
Even when still a gambler. Shakey Jake "followed Muddy Waters around" and when he again met Magic Sam in 1954, encouraged him to sing as well as play Up to that time Sam was more interested in playing guitar but, after he overcame the usual initial shyness, he was good enough to make it as an R’n’B-singer in the commercial music world. However, he took great pride in the blues heritage and "decided to stick to the blues." He continued to practice with Shakey Jake and another harp-blower named Blues King and developed his vocal style by singing with a family gospel group, the Morning View Special.
By 1955 Sam was ready to play the blues clubs. One night Jake took him to the 708 Club on East 47th Street where Muddy Waters was playing Jake persuaded Muddy to let Sam sit in for a set after which the owner of the club hired him to follow Muddy's engagement In 1957 he made his first recordings for the Cobra label. Sam recalls that Eli Toscano, the label's owner, had a way of sending the sound through some pipes in a back room and back again to gel just the right amount of reverberation.
After a hitch in the army Sam again recorded for the Chief label in 1960 and 1961, playing clubs on the West and Near North sides. His guitar-playing matured and his voice steadily improved in depth as he concentrated on his singing. He later moved to the Club Alex on West Roosevelt Road where he sometimes doubled with Muddy Waters band He also broadcast frequently on Big Bill Hill's shows on WOPA from the Copacabana. At the time of this recording he was working more frequently opposite Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf at Sylvio's famous blues club at Lake and Kedzie and doing off nights occasionally at Mother Blues on Wells Street His most recent 45's were Al Benson's Crash label in 1966.
by Bill Lindemann
To call West Side Soul one of the great blues albums, one of the key albums (if not the key album) of modern electric blues is all true, but it tends to diminish and academicize Magic Sam's debut album. This is the inevitable side effect of time, when an album that is decades old enters the history books, but this isn't an album that should be preserved in amber, seen only as an important record. Because this is a record that is exploding with life, a record with so much energy, it doesn't sound old.
Of course, part of the reason it sounds so modern is because this is the template for most modern blues, whether it comes from Chicago or elsewhere. Magic Sam may not have been the first to blend uptown soul and urban blues, but he was the first to capture not just the passion of soul, but also its subtle elegance, while retaining the firepower of an after-hours blues joint. Listen to how the album begins, with "That's All I Need," a swinging tune that has as much in common with Curtis Mayfield as it does Muddy Waters, but it doesn't sound like either -- it's a synthesis masterminded by Magic Sam, rolling along on the magnificent, delayed cadence of his guitar and powered by his impassioned vocals.
West Side Soul would be remarkable if it only had this kind of soul-blues, but it also is filled with blistering, charged electric blues, fueled by wild playing by Magic Sam and Mighty Joe Young -- not just on the solos, either, but in the rhythm (witness how "I Feel So Good [I Wanna Boogie]" feels unhinged as it barrels along). Similarly, Magic Sam's vocals are sensitive or forceful, depending on what the song calls for. Some of these elements might have been heard before, but never in a setting so bristling with energy and inventiveness; it doesn't sound like it was recorded in a studio, it sounds like the best night in a packed club.
But it's more than that, because there's a diversity in the sound here, an originality so fearless, he not only makes "Sweet Home Chicago" his own (no version before or since is as definitive as this), he creates the soul-injected, high-voltage modern blues sound that everybody has emulated and nobody has topped in the years since. And, again, that makes it sound like a history lesson, but it's not. This music is alive, vibrant, and vital -- nothing sounds as tortured as "I Need You So Bad," no boogie is as infectious as "Mama, Mama Talk to Your Daughter," no blues as haunting as "All of Your Love." No matter what year you listen to it, you'll never hear a better, more exciting record that year.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. That's All I Need (Magic Sam) - 3:14
2. I Need You So Bad (B.B. King, Sam Ling) - 4:53
3. I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie) - 4:43
4. All Of Your Love (Magic Sam, Otis Rush) - 3:47
5. I Don't Want No Woman (Don Robey) - 3:34
6. Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson) - 4:13
7. I Found A New Love (Little Milton, Bob Lyons) - 4:03
8. Every Night and Every Day (Jimmy McCracklin) - 3:07
9. Lookin' Good (Instrumental) (Magic Sam) - 3:13
10.My Love Will Never Die (Willie Dixon) - 4:07
11.Mama Talk To Your Daughter (J.B. Lenoir) - 2:42
12.I Don't Want No Woman (Alternate Take) (Don Robey) - 3:30
Musicians
*Magic Sam - Vocals, Guitar
*Mighty Joe Young - Guitar
*Stockholm Slim - Piano
*Earnest Johnson - Bass
*Odie Payne - Drums
*Mack Thompson - Bass (only on Tracks 1, 3, 8)
*Odie Payne III – Drums (only on Tracks 1, 3, 8)
This album's color cover photo is an action shot, showing Magic Sam in the process of choking and bending his strings, a good hike up the fretboard. It isn't clear exactly what he is playing from the picture, although that certainly didn't stop dozens of pimply hippie guitar players from trying to figure it out. In the meantime, the record goes on and the first soloist out of the gate is Eddie Shaw, playing tenor sax. He is blowing over the top of an R&B riff that, although not out of the syntax of Chicago blues, would also have been quite fitting on a Wilson Pickett record.
It is unfortunate that Magic Sam's recording career came to such an abrupt end, as he was one of the best artists working in the musical area between the urban blues tradition and newly developing soul music forms. This fusion was on the minds of many blues artists during the late '60s, and not just because it was aesthetically conceivable. It was also a matter of commerce, as audiences -- particularly black audiences -- didn't want to hear any blues that sounded too much like something their parents might have listened to. The harmonica player Junior Wells was another one who decided to get a bit of James Brown into his act, not always with great results.
What listeners have here, on the other hand, is frankly delicious, the results of the surplus of talent Magic Sam possessed, a triple threat as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Yet with all this talent, the label should also get some credit. This period of the Delmark discography set a high standard for blues recordings, the sound quality and tight interplay among the musicians every bit the equal of the classic jazz recordings on labels such as Blue Note and Prestige. There is nothing fancy about the production, and no gimmicks. It is just a great band, allowed to play the music exactly the way it wanted to. The musicians have obviously worked together a great deal and either had these arrangements down cold from live gigs or had plenty of time to get things tight. This doesn't mean that the music doesn't breathe, as there are plenty of little touches such as drum fills and turnarounds that show the presence of musicians thinking on their feet.
The passage of time also increases the musical value of this music, as the eventual popularity of commercial projects such as the Blues Brothers has only served to dilute the power of urban blues. Labels big and small have forsaken this type of honest and straightforward production, preferring to try concocting a higher level of funkiness through extravagent over-production, boring superstar guest appearances, and insipid studio practices such as prerecorded rhythm tracks and dipstick guitar solos punched in a note at the time. Forget all this jive and check out a track such as "You Belong to Me," where the guitarist cuts loose with a restrained solo that sometimes dances ahead of the beat like a country fiddler while the band pumps away on a superb riff.
The players here, including the fine guitarist Mighty Joe Young, pianist Lafayette Leake, and a muscular rhythm section, are the best of the best. No information is provided on the songwriting, so the assumption is that these tunes are all originals by Magic Sam. None are too obviously adopted from standards, but the opening "I Just Want a Little Bit" was much copied by other blues artists. "I Have the Same Old Blues" has a medium, loping blues tempo that swings so perfectly it should be used as an instruction course for lame blues bar bands.
by Eugene Chadbourne
Tracks
1. I Just Want A Little Bit (Roscoe Gordon) - 3:00
9. You Better Stop (Andrew Brown, Al Perkins) - 4:48
10.Keep Loving Me Baby (Otis Rush) - 3:54
11.What Have I Done Wrong (Samuel Maghett) - 3:20
12.I Just Want A Little Bit (Roscoe Gordon) - 3:12
13.Everything's Gonna Be All Right (Samuel Maghett) - 4:04
14.Keep On Doin' What You're Doin' (George Butler) - 2:54
15.Blues For Odie Payne (Samuel Maghett) - 4:44
16.Same Old Blues (Don Nix) - 3:41
17.What Have I Done Wrong (Samuel Maghett) - 2:51
18.Keep On Loving Me, Baby (Otis Rush) - 3:23
Bonus tracks 11-18
Band
*Magic Sam - Vocals, Guitar
*Eddie Shaw - Saxophone
*Odie Payne, Jr. - Drums
*Mack Thompson - Bass
*Mighty Joe Young - Guitar
*Lafayette Leake - Piano
