Brian Hopper with Beggars Farm - Brian Hopper with Beggars Farm (1969-70 uk, solid heavy psych rock with jazz and prog elements)

Here's one of the latest of the Canterbury music resurrections. Brian Hopper, brother of former Soft Machine bassist Hugh, was a key member of the "original" Canterbury band, The Wilde Flowers. His rhythm guitar, winds, occasional vocals, and R'n'B sensibility had a lot to do with The Wilde Flowers' embryonic Canterbury rock sound. So, as an encore to the successful reissue of old Wilde Flowers material, Voiceprint has released this, ostensibly a Brian Hopper project. Do not be misled, however. There is very little Hopper, Brian or otherwise, to be found on this disc. The liner notes credit Hopper for flute, saxophone, electronics, and "growler" (?), but in reality, there are only a couple of tracks on this album which contain any of the above. Hopper receives no songwriting credits, either.

What we do have is a pretty basic rock band playing heavy prog-inspired music that relies more on crunchy riffs than on instrumental color. At their best ("Story"), they sound a bit like early Jade Warrior at their hardest. At other times, they even sound like the Yardbirds, as on the standout track "You're Not My Girl at All". Overall, it's an entertaining album, provided you're not expecting A) that it qualify as progressive rock, or B) that it actually feature Brian Hopper — which are, ironically, two of the main reasons you're reading this review in the first place! Not at all bad, but be careful before you shell out for this one.

by Steve Robey, 01/02/1998

Tracks

1. Long Time (John Lawrence) - 3:21

2. Story (John Lawrence) - 3:12

3. Tomorrow Won't Be Long (John Lawrence) - 3:17

4. Astral Plane (John Lawrence) - 3:59

5. Sea (Dave Holman) - 5:06

6. You're Not My Girl At All (John Lawrence) - 2:28

7. Living In A Building (John Lawrence, John Tilley) - 2:26

8. Looking Back (Dave Holman, John Tilley) - 3:16

9. Thinking Of Me (Dave Holman, John Tilley) - 3:00

10.Your Lovin' Man (Dave Holman, Dave Smith, John Lawrence, John Tilley) - 5:53 

11.You Forever (John Lawrence) - 8:00

Personnel

*John Tilley - Lead Vocals, Flute 

*John Lawrence - Guitar, Backing Vocals

*Brian Hopper - Soprano, Tenor Saxophones, Flute

*Dave Holman - Bass, Backing Vocals

*Dave Smith - Drums

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Stonehouse - Stonehouse Creek (1971 uk, remarkable bluesy hard rock, 2007 digi pak remaster)

The band was a short-lived and unlucky brainchild of Peter Spearing, amazing guitarist and composer. Before founding "Stonehouse" he toured Germany in 66-67, recorded few sigles for Deutsche Vogue, and even appeared on Bremen TV. After returning to UK, he released some singles on Decca and Columbia.

"Stonehouse" emerged in 1970 with James (Jimmy) Smith on vocals - powerful high-pitched voice, which goes almost hysterical on "Hobo" and screaming like lost soul on "Cheater"; and Ian Snow ("Snowy") on drums, while Terry Parker provided solid bass.

The band soon was offered a contract by RCA, and within only 3 (!) days in Advision Studios in London they've recorded "Stonehouse Creek 1971" named after a small locality in Plymouth, knowns as Tinkies and "Deadlake" - in the days of Queen Victoria.

Tracks

1. Stonehouse Cree - 1:24

2. Hobo - 3:33

3. Cheater - 4:16

4. Nightmare - 4:54

5. Crazy White Folk - 5:03

6. Down, Down - 4:31

7. Ain't No Game - 3:53

8. Don't Push Me - 3:49

9. Topaz - 3:44

10.Four Letter Word - 3:29

11.Stonehouse Creek - 1:22 

All songs by Peter Spearing

Stonehouse

*Ian Snow - Drums, Percussion

*Peter Spearing - Lead guitar, Vocals

*Terry Parker - Bass

*James Smith - Vocals

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Exmagma - Three (1975 germany, excellent avant garde jazz prog rock, 2006 remaster)

The famous lost Exmagma album finally on the loose! What a long strange trip it has been... As one of the hand-selected chosen few who own a tape copy for a couple of years, it’s as much a great joy as it is a relief to live to see a proper (though 3 decades delayed) release of the masterpiece of one of the most inventive Krautbands and one of Konrad Plank’s best ever production jobs.

If you’ve ever seen the band on stage you knew that the problem with the two Exmagma releases always was double trouble. The time limitations of an lp prevented them from showing the full spectrum of their potential and both their albums were rare as hen’s teeth, as the first one wasn’t much more than a private pressing on the tiny Neusi label and the second an equally limited French-only release on the obscure Urus label more or less unavailable in their homeland.

The third album, intended as a double-LP, is their most mature and representative release. While all the influences from Hendrix via Soft Machine to "Bitches Brew"-Miles Davis are still intact, the band had now developed a great ability in songwriting and singing, as opposed to their former strictly instrumental recordings which sometimes made it hard for the average rock customer. But it’s amazing how cleverly contrasting the whole project is puzzled together. Whenever you start thinking: "wow, Exmagma gets commercial!", they strike back with one of their experimental soundscapes and, listening to it in its entirety, it always reminds me of the idea behind "Ummagumma". But I can’t help it: it’s a lot more fun.

It’s not Kraut, it’s not Rock, it’s not Jazz, it’s not Avantgarde. It’s all of that. But the result is much bigger than the sum of the parts. Don’t miss it!

by Allen Voran

Tracks

1. Box 25 - 3:36

2. My Baby's Gone I'm Out Of Tune Blues - 2:08

3. Torpedo Tits - 3:59

4. Fred Braceful Is Talkin' To Bread Faithful - 1:14

5. It's So Nice - 6:06

6. Rock 'n' Roll - 7:46

7. Weltstar - 0:17

8. The Pope - 5:49

9. Überm Beutental - 3:19

10.Dr. Phil. S.H. - 7:34

11.Qu'est-ce Que C'est? - 1:19

12.Da Da Too - 2:28

13.Stoned Chicken - 5:25

14.In Arkansas Steht 'n Atomkraftwerk - 1:11

15.Full Moon Again - 12:06

16.Walkin' On Ice - 4:27

17.If I Could - 0:18

All compositions by Thomas Balluff, Fred Braceful, Andy Goldner

Exmagma

*Thomas Balluff - Organ, Electric Piano, Clavinett, Effects

*Fred Braceful - Sonor Drums, Percussion 

*Andy Goldner - Fretless Electric Bass, Electric Guitar, Alto Sax, Tape Recorder

1972-74  Exmagma - Exmagma / Goldball (2003 remaster)

  

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Steve Young - Renegade Picker / No Place to Fall (1976/78 us, brilliant singer songwriter, double disc remaster)

While Steve Young may be best known as "the guy who wrote that Eagles hit ("Seven Bridges Road")," he also held his own with Waylon, Willie, and the boys during the 1970s. Renegade Picker and No Place to Fall are superior mid-'70s outlaw albums, filled with splendid songs (many of them Young's), inspired performances, and, very importantly, have a real honky tonk sound. Young is a fine singer, and his resounding vocals really bite into a lyric like Willie Nelson's "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way" and Merle Haggard's "I Can't Be Myself." He also has a knack for reimagining familiar material, even material, on first glance, that may seem far afield from country. 

He transforms John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road" into slow blues, Mentor Williams' "Drift Away" into pure country-soul, and Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" into a deeply moving melodrama. Several of Young's best-known songs make an appearance across these two discs, including "Montgomery in the Rain," "Lonesome, On'ry, and Mean," and "Seven Bridges Road." As mentioned above, both albums have a superior sound and streamlined (read: non-Nashville) arrangements, allowing the guitars -- acoustic, electric, and, most importantly, steel -- to ring out cleanly in the mix. (Renegade Picker and No Place to Fall, in fact, are much closer to pure country than David Allan Coe's early Columbia albums from the same period.) It is somewhat of a cliché among Young fans to call him underrated and unsung, a lost outlaw. The availability of Renegade Picker/No Place to Fall, however, guarantees that anyone who purchases the set will soon discover just how good Young is. 

by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Issued in 1978, No Place to Fall is, regrettably, the second and last album for RCA. Like its predecessor, Renegade Picker, Young's ever-evolving music is centered in the heart of outlaw country this time out, though there are, as usual, interesting twists and turns. The band is stellar, with Buddy Emmons and Buddy Spicher, Tracy Nelson, Jerry Shook, Dale Sellers, and a bunch of guitar pickers, as well as drummer Kenny Malone, among others. The material is noteworthy on many levels, not the least of which is Young's decision to record, for the third time, "Montgomery in the Rain" and "Seven Bridges Road." Once more, he reinvents both songs, fills them out, adds different textures and stresses, and as a result, in the grain of his voice the meanings widen and deepen. The title track was written by the late Townes Van Zandt, and Young's read is damn near definitive, with layers of guitars haunting the middle of the tune and his own voice carrying the lonely edge of Van Zandt's lyric into oblivion. 

In addition, Young delves deep into Okie blues with a barbed-wire-and-whiskey cover of J.J. Cale's "Same Old Blues," with stunning slide guitar work. But it is in the cover of Mentor Williams' composition "Drift Away" -- the multi-million-seller recorded by Dobie Gray -- that Young offers his greatest surprise. This is a soul song, performed by a soul singer originally, and here Young, while keeping the song's intent essentially the same, transforms it into a country prayer. The same can be said for his loose cover of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's Alright"; Young reworks the melody slightly while emphasizing different parts of the lyric as the band fills in the cracks to bring an entirely new light to the song. No Place to Fall failed ultimately to sell, but it did a great deal to bolster his confidence as both a bandleader and as a producer. Young is a survivor, albeit on the fringes; he is one of the few whose records are so consistent as to be essential listening for anyone interested in late 20th century country music and rock 'n' roll. 

by Thom Jurek

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Renegade Picker - 3:13

2. I Can't Be Myself (Merle Haggard) - 3:19

3. Old Memories (Mean Nothing To Me) - 3:18

4. It's Not Supposed To Be That Way (Willie Nelson) - 3:44

5. Tobacco Road (John D. Loudermilk) - 3:45

6. Light Of My Life - 4:08

7. Lonesome, On'ry And Mean - 3:18

8. All Her Lovers Want To Be The Hero - 3:30

9. Broken Hearted People (Take Me To A Barroom) (Guy Clark) - 4:11

10.Sweet Thing (Buddy Starcher) - 2:56

11.Home Sweet Home (Revisited) (Rodney Crowell) - 5:58

Disc 2

1. No Place To Fall (Townes Van Zandt) - 4:02

2. Montgomery In The Rain - 4:28

3. Dreamer - 3:44

4. Always Loving You - 4:54

5. Drift Away (Mentor Williams) - 4:33

6. Seven Bridges Road - 4:53

7. I Closed My Heart's Door (Ralph Jones, Stoney Cooper) - 4:56

8. Don't Think Twice It's All Right (Bob Dylan) - 4:09

9. I Can't Sleep (Steve Goodman) - 3:45

10.I've Got The Same Old Blues (J.J. Cale) - 2:26

Personnel

1976  Renegade Picker

*Steve Young - Guitar, Vocals

*Johnny Gimble - Mandolin, Violin

*Buddy Emmons - Steel Guitar

*Jerry Shook - Guitar, Harmonica

*Mike Leech - Bass

*Bobby Wood - Keyboards

*Dale Sellars - Guitar

*Terry Mcmillan - Harmonica

*Mac Gayden - Guitar

*Karl Himmel - Drums

*Tracy Nelson - Vocals

*Kim Young - Vocals

*Kimberly Morrison-Cole - Vocals

*Anita Ball - Vocals

1978  No Place To Fall

*Steve Young - Guitar, Vocals

*Buddy Spicher - Violin

*Buddy Emmons - Steel Guitar

*Lloyd Green - Steel Guitar

*Jerry Shook - Guitar, Harmonica

*Joseph Allen - Bass

*Mike Leech - Bass

*Charles Cochran - Keyboards

*Kristin Wilkinson - Viola

*Larry Byrom - Guitar

*Jimmy Colvard - Guitar

*David Kirby - Guitar

*Dale Sellers - Guitar

*Charlie McCoy - Harmonica

*Mac Gayden - Guitar

*Karl Himmel - Drums

*Kenny Malone - Drums

*Tracy Nelson - Vocals

*Kim Young - Vocals

1968  Stone Country - Stone Country
1969  Steve Young - Rock Salt And Nails (2010 korean remaster)

1968-79  Steve Young - Lonesome On'ry And Mean
1970-81  Steve Young - Seven Bridges Road (2005 remaster and expanded)

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The Peanut Butter Conspiracy - Is Spreading / The Great Conspiracy (1967-68 us, wonderful psych rock)

If you want to know why producer Gary Usher is revered in some circles, play The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading next to the pretty much self-produced For Children of All Ages. A name as trendy as the Jefferson Airplane -- and a sound that is absolutely the Airplane -- meets the Mamas & the Papas; the '60s guitars sound smart; the 1967 liner notes by Lawrence Dietz tell you nothing about the group; and the front cover looks like something Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper encountered during Easy Rider. "It's a Happening Thing," like much of this record, tries too hard. 

Decades after it was recorded, there is charm in a band like the PBC (which rhymes with PCP) being such an authentic figment of someone's countercultural imagination. Sandi Robison is stunning on "Then Came Love," and the production by Gary Usher really is impressive -- it makes the record something special. But if the intro to "Twice Is Life" sounds like the Monkees (and it does), The Peanut Butter Conspiracy ends up sounding like an FM version of Spanky & Our Gang. Spanky McFarlane's hits are what made her so hip, and the PBC's lack of hits makes for an interesting trip back to the days of flower power, and not much else. "You Took Too Much" has gorgeous harmonies, a sing-songy guitar riff, and lyrics bogged down by blatant references to the hippy-dippy mindset of a record company trying to cash in. "Second Hand Man" could be Peter, Paul & Mary on mescaline. That's not a knock; the song actually works in its audacity. 

A very hip oldies station could play this and attract listeners. It's just hard to take songs like "Why Did I Get So High" seriously when artists like Marty Balin and Grace Slick were freaking out their record label and doing this for real. 

by Joe Viglione

The Great Conspiracy, the second long-player from the Los Angeles-based Peanut Butter Conspiracy, was much more a reflection of their live sound than their debut effort, the pop-driven Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading (1967). Around 1964, the quintet was literally born from the Ashes (another burgeoning L.A. rock combo whose personnel featured soon-to-be Jefferson Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden). After solidifying their lineup, they inked a deal with Columbia Records, which assigned staff producer Gary Usher to work with them. His well-meaning but over-the-top production style diffused the band, which came off sounding more like the Mamas & the Papas than the Jefferson Airplane or It's a Beautiful Day -- both of whom also sported female lead singers. 

However, by the time of this release the Conspiracy were sonically asserting themselves with a decidedly hipper approach. This is especially evident on the stretched-out and psychedelic "Too Many Do" and the deliciously trippy "Ecstasy" -- which sports frenzied and wiry fretwork similar to that of Quicksilver Messenger Service string man John Cipollina. Equally inspired are "Lonely Leaf" and the somewhat paranoid and darkly guilded "Time Is After You." These contrast with the somewhat ersatz hippie fodder "Turn on a Friend (To the Good Life)," the 38-second throwaway "Invasion of the Poppy People," or the simply wretched "Captain Sandwich." [In 2000 the Collectables reissue label coupled both The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading and The Great Conspiracy on a single CD. Also included were the 45-rpm sides "I'm a Fool" and "It's So Hard" as well as the previously unissued track "Peter Pan."

by Lindsay Planer

Tracks

1. It's A Happening Thing (Alan Brackett) - 2:24

2. Then Came Love (John Merrill) - 3:41

3. Twice Is Life (John Merrill) - 2:47

4. Second Hand Man (Daniel Walter Dalton) - 3:23

5. You Can't Be Found (Alan Brackett) - 2:45

6. Why Did I Get So High (Alan Brackett) - 2:07

7. Dark On You Now (John Merrill) - 2:19

8. The Market Place (Lance Fent) - 4:02

9. You Should Know (John Merrill) - 2:10

10.The Most Up Till Now (Alan Brackett) - 2:33

11.You Took Too Much (John Merrill) - 2:06

12.Turn On A Friend (To The Good Life) (Alan Brackett) - 2:20

13.Lonely Leaf (John Merrill) - 3:52

14.Pleasure (John Merrill) - 3:24

15.Too Many Do (Alan Brackett) - 6:30

16.Living, Loving Life (Alan Brackett) - 3:18

17.Invasion Of The Poppy People (John Merrill) - 0:38

18.Captain Sandwich (John Merrill) - 2:09

19.Living Dream (Alan Brackett) - 4:18

20.Ecstacy (John Merrill) - 6:17

21.Time Is After You (Alan Brackett) - 3:02

22.Wonderment (John Merrill) - 4:09

23.I'm A Fool (Alan Brackett) - 2:35

24.It's So Hard (Alan Brackett) - 2:31

25.Peter Pan (Alan Brackett) - 3:18

Tracks 1-11 from "The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading " 1967 LP 

Tracks 12-22 from "The Great Conspiracy" 1967 LP 

Tracks 23,24 1968 single  

Track 25 previously unreleased

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy

*Barbara "Sandy" Ronbinson - Vocals

*Alan Brackett - Bass, Vocals

*Jim Voigt - Drums

*John Merrill - Vocals, Lead Guitar

*Lance Fent - Lead Guitar (Tracks 1-11)

*Bill Wolff - Guitar, Harmonica (Tracks 12-22)

With

*James Burton – Guitar (Tracks 1-11)

*Glen Campbell – Guitar (Tracks 1-11)

1966-70  Barbara 'Sandy' Robison With The Peanut Butter Conspiracy - Barbara (2014 release)  

1965-71  Ashes - Ashes

1967-68  The Peanut Butter Conspiracy - Living Dream
1969  Peanut Butter Conspiracy - For Children Of All Ages (2008 bonus tracks remaster) 

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The Count Bishops - The Best Of (1975-79 multinational, strong garage boogie pub rock)

This 27 track compilation assembles the very best of The Bishops studio recordings and the complete "Live At The Roundhouse" LP from 1978. The CD plots the various line-up changes from their formation in 1975 to their demise after the death of guitarist Zenon de Fleur in 1978. Sleevenotes are by long-time fan Charles Shaar Murray and track-by-track commentary by band member Johnny Guitar. Look out soon for the Count Bishops "Speedball EP" with extra tracks.A rowdy, high-energy R'n'B outfit, The Count Bishops were magic on a good night. 

John Crosby remembers one such occasion: "It was a balmy summer night in 1978. I had bought a ticket to The Mekons at Hull University Union hall and was not having fun. The local police (in the heavy-handed manner of the punk era) were trying to eject two under-eighteen year olds from the event and had repeatedly emptied the whole venue of everybody in order to achieve their goal (the targeted kids, of course, resourcefully climbed back in through an open toilet window after each expulsion). Somebody said The Bishops were playing the adjacent Higher Education College hall and half of the crowd decided to go check it out. Great band that The Mekons are, those who made the switch were not disappointed.The music The Bishops made just sucked you in and the couple of hours of blissful, hard-drivin' R&B and rock 'n' roll they created live was always among the finer rock experiences of those crazy late 1970s nights. The band had the slightly shambolic air of a new group playing their second high school gig, but the music - oh, the music was as tight and heady as it comes. Most of the material you will hear on this new Best Of was given an airing that night, including the singles Train, Train and I Want Candy plus most of what constituted their (then) recent "Live At The Roundhouse" set. We all left very late and very elated. By the end of the year, the band was sadly no more but the records they made bear testimony to a very special kind of fire and passion."

Tracks

1. Train, Train (Zenon De Fleur) - 3:17

2. Baby You're Wrong (Zenon De Fleur) - 2:39

3. Stay Free (Zenon De Fleur) - 3:07

4. I Want Candy (Bert Berns, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer) - 2:25

5. I Take What I Want (David Porter, Isaac Hayes, Teenie Hodges) - 2:36

6. Mr. Jones (John D. Loudermilk) - 2:02

7. I Need You (Ray Davies) - 2:22

8. Down In The Bottom (Willie Dixon) - 2:50

9. You're In My Way (Steve Lewins) - 3:09

10.Talk To You (Steve Lewins) - 3:45

11.Taste And Try (Chris Youlden) - 2:32

12.Someone's Got My Number (Steve Lewins) - 2:32

13.Good Time Tonight (George Young, Harry Vanda ) - 3:21

14.Your Daddy Won't Mind (Dave Tice, Zenon De Fleur) - 2:16

15.What's Your Number (Dave Tice) - 2:20

16.Till The End Of The Day (Ray Davies) - 2:02

17.These Arms Of Mine (Otis Redding) - 3:19

18.Rolling Man (Zenon De Fleur) - 2:54

19.Paul's Blues (Paul Balbi, Dave Tice) - 2:31

20.No Lies (Dave Tice, Zenon De Fleur) - 2:35

21.Too Much, Too Soon (Paul Balbi, Dave Tice) - 2:39

22.Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White (Ed Cobb) - 2:37

23.Don't Start Me Talking (Sonny Boy Williamson II) - 2:27

24.Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight (Jeremy Spencer) - 2:43

25.I Don't Like It (Zenon De Fleur) - 2:05

26.Route 66 (Bobby Troup) - 2:31

27.Train, Train (Zenon De Fleur) - 3:22

Tracks 21-27 recorded Live At The Roundhouse 18/02/78

The Count Bishops

*Johnny Guitar - Guitar, Vocals

*Paul Balbi - Drums

*Steve Lewins - Bass

*Zenon De Fleur - Guitar Vocals

*Dave Tice - Vocals

With

*Pat McMullan - Bass, Vocals

*Noel Norris - Horns

*Ruan O'Lochlainn - Horns

1975  The Count Bishops - Speedball Plus 11  

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Exmagma - Exmagma / Goldball (1972-74 germany, eccentric jazzy space krautrock, 2003 remaster)

Exmagma was a jazzy Krautrock trio that released its eponymous debut in 1973. With a side of studio tracks and a side of live recordings, the album offers psychedelic jazz-rock with some avant-garde moves thrown in. The band falls somewhere between earlier Krautrock psychedelic jazz-rock groups like Xhol Caravan and Thirsty Moon and Canterbury groups like Soft Machine. The Soft Machine comparison is even more apt because Andy Goldner's fuzz bass style owes a debt to Hugh Hopper. "The First Tune" begins with a tripped-out jam with bass, drums, and keyboard locked into a relaxed groove, and then suddenly that trails off and is replaced by a far more free-form section, with schizophrenic organ chords over choppy drums and a very fat fuzzy bass rift. 

The second track makes a similar abrupt tangent, as a drum and bass workout with tweaky electro bleats suddenly slows into an electric guitar-driven space rock piece that comes off both dirgy and pastoral. The live side offers a trio of cuts on one long track, and finds the group further along in improvisational free form. It begins even more amorphously, with loose clatters of drums, the squall of an alto sax, bubbles of electronic noise, and high chirp twitters, the whole thing very apt for the title, "Trippin With Birds." Suddenly the drums launch out into rapid rhythms to raise the rest of the music into a loud racket that soon dies down again. Whereas the studio side skewered different sound spaces every few minutes, the live side has a more sustained effect. Eventually the group locks again on another wild groove jam to finish the record near where it began. 

Though not quite as avant-garde as the earlier eponymous debut, Goldball can hardly be called commercial or compromising. Though the music is less eccentric and unpredictable, they make up for it with tighter playing, and there are plenty of tweaked guitar and keyboard solos, funky drum and bass grooves, and lots of creative improvisation. "Marylin Kennedy" opens up the proceedings with a propulsive jazz-funk rhythm and swirls of keyboard tones. "Dada" tones down the energy just a little bit, as it locks into a repetitive riff for a couple minutes, before it gets hyper toward the end. 

"Jam Factory for People Insane" adds some whacked-out vocals, though most of the song is still instrumental. "Greetings to the Moroccan Farmers" is an amorphous free-form piece with piano tinkles, odd bits of drum clatter, and even the sound of a cow at one point, and it comes closest to the avant-gardism of their earlier effort. With most of the tracks being quite short, and only two over six minutes long, the group never gets into any excessively long jams, which may or may not be a good thing. Otherwise, the record is an interesting Krautrock mix of jazz and psychedelic rock. 

by Rolf Semprebon

Tracks

1. The First Tune - 7:37

2. Tönjès Dream Interruption - 4:17

3. Interessante Olè - 2:50

4. Two Times - 2:26

5. Trippin With Birds / Kudu / Horny - 18:48

6. Marilyn F. Kennedy - 2:31

7. Dada - 3:37

8. Adventures With Long S. Tea 25 Two Seconds Before Sunrise - 2:53

8. Groove - 4:53

10.Tango Wolperaiso - 2:36

11.Jam Factory For People Insane - 4:05

12.Habits - 5:57

13.Dance Of The Crabs - 0:53

14.Greetings To The Maroccan Farmers - 6:36

15.Last But One Train To Amsterdam - 0:57

All compositions by Thomas Balluff, Fred Braceful, Andy Goldner

Exmagma

*Thomas Balluff - Organ, Electric Piano, Clavinett, Effects

*Fred Braceful - Sonor Drums, Percussion 

*Andy Goldner - Fretless Electric Bass, Electric Guitar, Alto Sax, Tape Recorder

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Excalibur - The First Album (1972 germany, fine bluesy hard rock, 2007 remaster)

Excalibur was a rock group, from Germany. The three members came from Mönchengladbach area. Werner Odenkirchen (guitar and vocals), Hartmut Scholgens (organ, bass and vocals), Charlie Terstappen (drums).They first and only album is musically somewhere between Tiger B. Smith and Black Sabbath, so on the one hand it is very influenced by the British hard rock of the time, but it also has nice krautrock elements.

Excalibur is a legendary sword. Who owns it is unbeatable. Just like King Arthur of England once received it from Merlin's hand. After the king's death, it was smashed into a mountain. From former Rattles and Wonderland drummer Dickie Tarrach. Excalibur is still sharp and invincible today. Hear it for yourself, Excalibur is unbeatable.

Tracks

1. Light In The Dark - 6:05

2. Get Me, If You Want - 2:54

3. Zamuno (Hartmut Schölgens, Werner Odenkirchen) - 2:56

4. Run Through The Past - 3:58

5. Sure You Win - 4:27

6. Hollywood Dreams - 3:27

7. Questions (Hartmut Schölgens, Werner Odenkirchen) - 5:03

8. Don't Look Backwards - 5:02

9. Feelin's - 6:32

All songs by Werner Odenkirchen except where noted

Excalibur

*Werner Odenkirchen - Vocals, Lead Guitar 

*Hartmut Schölgens - Organ, Bass, Vocals 

*Manfred Terstappen - Drums 

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The Pirates - Shakin' With The Devil / The Best Of The Pirates (1977-79 uk, powerful tough boogie roots 'n' roll pub rock, 2011 double disc digi pak)

Legendary UK music scribe Mick Farren once defied anyone to name two guitarists who could out-cut Mick Green and his battered Fender Telecaster, having just witnessed his band The Pirates in full throttle at the height of punk. The trio, also comprising bassist/singer Johnny Spence and brick shithouse drummer Frank Farley, had brazenly reunited during tumultuous 1977 having first played together behind cutlass-brandishing Brit-rock’n’roller Johnny Kidd. That early 70s incarnation laid down the acknowledged template for any power trio line-up that followed, with Dr Feelgood’s Wilko Johnson unashamedly homaging Green’s jaw-dropping lead-rhythm combination.

Embraced by both musicians and punk crowds, The Pirates laid waste to the nation’s gig circuit. In between times, they managed to capture their live mix of punk-shot compositions such as All In It Together and their own rock’n’roll classics on three albums (Out Of Their Skulls, Skull Wars and Happy Birthday Rock’n’Roll), catalysed by renowned back-to-basics producer Vic Maille.

The trio split after record company disinterest and Green’s elevation to session royalty, before his sad death in 2010. This rampant double-disc set of album highlights, plus outtakes, jingles and incendiary live workouts, pays suitable tribute, with added annotation by veteran journalist Roy Carr.

by Kris Needs, 07 September 2011

When Mick Green died in January 2010 a month short of his 66th birthday after a long illness, British music lost one of its best known session musicians.

Green spent the 1980s and 1990s touring the world and recording with Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry and Van Morrison, but will always perhaps be best known as the guitarist in the early 60’s rock ‘n’ roll group Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.

By the time Green joined the Pirates in early 1962, shortly after Johnny Spence (bass guitar) and Frank Farley (drums), both of whom he had grown up with him in Wimbledon in South London, Kidd, another Londoner, had already had his biggest hit with a previous incarnation of the group and the 1960 number one hit, ‘Shakin’ All Over’.  

The Green-Spence-Farley line-up of the Pirates, however, remains the definitive version of the band.  Green’s fiery guitar work and ability to play the lead guitar and rhythm guitar simultaneously was an influence on both the Who’s Pete Townshend and Wilko Johnson, the guitarist with Dr Feelgood. They also became a very visual act, having an effect on both Alice Cooper and Adam and the Ants. Kidd, who wore an eye patch over his eye, would wave about a cutlass on stage, and he and his band, all of whom wore nineteenth century pirate costumes, would perform in front of a huge backdrop of a pirate galleon.

Green left Johnny Kidd and the Pirates in 1964 to join Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, while Spence and Farley stayed on with Kidd until in early 1966. In 1976, ten years after Kidd was tragically killed in a car accident later on in 1966 and shortly after forming another incarnation of his band, the New Pirates, Mick Green, Johnny Spence and Frank Farley reformed, calling themselves the Pirates. 

The Pirates’ swaggering and raucous brand of rock ‘n’ roll made them an instant success on their native London live circuit and was embraced by the punk movement. The trio, who continued to wear pirate attire on stage, signed a deal with Warner Brothers with whom they released two albums, their half live, half studio-recorded debut ‘Out of Their Skulls’ (1977) and its follow-up, ‘Skull Wars’ (1978), before moving to independent label Cube Records to release their third album, ‘Happy Birthday Rock ‘n’ Roll’ (1979).

They broke up in 1982, but Green and Spence from 1999 continued to play together sporadically as the Pirates, eventually without Farley who retired from live work due to ill health in 2005, and recorded a last studio album, ‘Skullduggery’, together in 2006.

2011 has seen a release of two disc, fifty two track box set, ‘Shakin with the Devil-the Best of the Pirates 1977-1979’, which has come out on the reissue label Salvo Music, and, beautifully packaged, contains the first three studio albums and also rare and unreleased tracks.

by John Clarkson, 27/10/2011

Tracks

Disc 1

1. 'Out Of Their Skulls' LP radio promo spot - 0:34

2. Please Don't Touch (Frederick Heath, Guy Robinson) - 2:22

3. I Can Tell (Ellis McDaniels, Samuel Smith) - 2:28

4. Linda Lu (Intro) - 0:20

5. Peter Gunn (Henry Mancini) - 2:18

6. Lonesome Train (Glen Moore, Milton Subotsky) - 3:07

7. Shakin' All Over (Frederick Heath) - 2:33

8. Honey Hush (Willie Turner) - 2:09

9. Milk Cow Blues (Kokomo Arnold) - 3:31

10.Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee ("Stick" McGhee, J. Mayo Williams) - 2:58

11.Sweet Love On My Mind (Wayne Walker, Webb Pierce) - 3:21

12.Do The Dog (Rufus Thomas) - 2:40

13.Gibson Martin Fender (Mick Green) - 3:31

14.Don't Munchen It (Mick Green, Johnny Spencer) - 3:37

15.That's The Way You Are (Mick Green) - 2:44

16.You Don't Own Me (Alan Lancaster, Mick Green) - 2:48

17.'Skull Wars' LP radio promo spot - 0:34

18.Long Journey Home (Mick Green, Roy Carr) - 3:43

19.Dr Feelgood (Curtis Smith) - 1:58

20.All In It Together (Mick Green, Johnny Spencer) - 3:15

21.Johnny B Goode's Good (Mick Green) - 2:26

22.Johnny B Goode (Chuck Berry) - 4:05

23.I'm Talking About You (Chuck Berry) - 3:02

24.I'm In Love Again (Antoine "Fats" Domino, Dave Bartholomew) - 3:11

25.Voodoo (Mick Green) - 2:32

26.Four To The Bar (Mick Green, Johnny Spencer) - 2:51

27.Honey Hush (Willie Turner) - 2:26

28.Diggin' My Potatoes (Traditional) - 3:37

29.Shake Hands With The Devil (Johnny Spencer, Mick Green) - 3:28

Tracks 2-16 from "Out Of Their Skulls" 1977

Tracks 18-29 from "Skull Wars" 1978

Disc 2

1. Shakin' All Over (Frederick Heath) - 2:59

2. Saturday Night Shoot Out (Mick Green, Roy Carr) - 3:57

3. The Witch Queen of New Orleans (Lolly Vegas, Pat Vegas) - 3:08

4. Lonesome Train (Glen Moore, Milton Subotsky) - 3:01

5. All By Myself (Antoine "Fats" Domino, Dave Bartholomew) - 1:42

6. Sweet Love On My Mind (Wayne Walker, Webb Pierce) - 3:18

7. Gibson Martin Fender (Mick Green) - 3:39

8. Don't Munchen It (Mick Green, Johnny Spencer) - 3:34

9. Linda Lu (Ray Sharpe) - 3:38

10.Tear It Up (Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette, Paul Burlison) - 3:33

11.You Can't Sit Down (Cornell Clark, Delicta Muldrow, Kal Mann) - 3:07

12.Hey Mary (Mick Green, Johnny Spencer) - 3:33

13.Golden Oldies (Mick Green) - 3:34

14.Alarmer (Mick Green, Johnny Spencer) - 2:57

15.Lady (Put The Light On Me) (Phil Wainman, John Kenneth Goodison) - 3:47

16.Happy Birthday Rock'n'Roll (Mick Green, Pete Cage) - 4:53

17.Going Back Home (Mick Green, Wilko Johnson) - 3:14

18.Lemonade (Mick Green) - 2:52

19.1:30, 2:30, 3:35 (Neville Crozier) -2:40

20.Hard Ride (Mick Green, Alan Lancaster) - 3:20

21.Mercy Pirate (Mick Green, Johnny Spencer) - 2:33

22.Hard Sell - 4:33

23.All By Myself (Antoine "Fats" Domino, Dave Bartholomew) - 1:44 

Tracks 1-10 from "Skull Wars" 1978

Tracks 11-23 from "Happy Birthday Rock 'N' Roll" 1979

The Pirates

*Mick Green - Guitar, Vocals

*Frank Farley - Drums, Vocals 

*John Spencer Louts - Bass, Vocals 

Related Act

1965-66  Johnny Kidd And The Pirates - The Best Of (2008 two disc set)  

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Rick Hayward - Rick Hayward (1971 uk, lo-fi experimental folk psych rock, 2007 remaster)

Having played lead guitar for psychedelic legends the Accent, formed a late incarnation of the Zombies with Rod Argent, collaborated with Christine Perfect (later of Fleetwood Mac), joined boogie rockers Jellybread and recorded innumerable sessions, Rick Hayward finally recorded this solo album for the Blue Horizon label in 1971. 

Don't expect any Zombies-like songs, this is an off-beat collection of psychedelictinged folk songs and instrumentals on which he plays all instruments, it was produced by Mike Vernon (David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Ten Years After) but sank without trace on original release. Features detailed liner notes by Rick himself, as well as rare photographs and eleven bonus tracks recorded for his unreleased second album a few months later. 

Tracks

1. Lament F' Yorke - 2:11

2. Light In The Sky - 4:10

3. His Imperial Highness Prince Chicken Rag - 2:43

4. Can't See Any Sign - 2:26

5. Neptune - 3:19

6. Weasel - 3:14

7. Dance Of The Sour Grape Fairy - 2:57

8. Seeing Through - 3:05

9. Minuette - 1:02

10.Mongrel - 2:23

11.Find Yourself Sometime - 4:28

12.Wheels Within Wheels - 2:50

13.Tattered Rag - 2:42

14.Gwendolynne - 2:00

15.Morning After - 2:26

16.Fast Track - 1:49

17.Peregrination - 3:10

18.Ragtiming - 3:00

19.Greensleeves (Sort Of) - 2:26

20.Strolling Home - 3:36

21.Boogie Bill - 1:50

22.Breathing Space - 2:19

23.Bonnie Wee Fling - 2:29

All songs by Rick Hayward

Bonus Tracks 13-23

*Rick Hayward - Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Sitar, Mandolin, Bass, Bongos, Drums

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