Sorcery - Sinister Soldiers (1978 us, dark underground basement heavy rock, 2001 reissue)

Here is a long lost monster, a true classic, an underground legend, a gem among gems. Intrigued yet? Meet SORCERY, a band whose star lit briefly from 1976 to somewhere around 1980. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois - and not to be confused with the hard rock band from California, which rose to greater prominence at almost exactly the same time the five-member band put out just two albums.

Their debut is called Sinister Soldiers and was the most impressive chapter in Sorcery’s journey as a band. A respectable length of forty-nine minutes, Sinister Soldiers was issued as a double LP. In 1978, when I was a teen, this was a real attention getter. You know, one of those you’d be likely to take home for the cover art alone. 

Sinister Soldiers certainly lives up to its title. The music is indeed dark and sinister. There is quite a variety of style on the LP. From killer Sabbath vibes to dreamy progressive psychedelia and even some punky hard rock. The first thing that should grab you is the incredible guitar solos of Paul Koster, whose is grounded in the early-seventies school of acid rock shredding. They are plentiful and intense, riding the evolutionary edge between hard rock and heavy metal. Arguably, this is an example of protometal, though I consider it leaning more heavily in the direction of hard rock.

Tim Barrett’s vocals are another standout, ranging from mellow to urgent, though there’ll be no screaming found here. He was apparently in three other Midwestern bands – Aleister Crowley, Canterbury, and Sea of Monsters– though I have never happened upon recordings from these others. The singing on Sinister Soldiers is sometimes strange, twisted, sweet, and haunting.

Kieran Hoening’s aggressive drumming is what really brings us to heavy metal, even edging into NWOBHM territory. Bear in mind that this was 1978 - though some of the songs were surely recorded earlier and this time in the feel-good decade proved to be a difficult one for heavy music of all stripes. It was a transitional period where metal was still searching for its identity. Dave Maycroft’s bass playing is basically in the doom style, but a tad more laid back. If this were more widely known - and had a better transfer from the beautiful vinyl analog, it would surely be considered a classic. 

The whole album is great, leading you on a partly cloudy trip into the depths of the mind. The stand out track for me is the 12:17 minute song, “The Last Goodbye.” It is the most psychedelic and progressive of tracks. “Snowshit” is another clear winner, being the one song with true heavy metal riffs and long, searing guitar solos. It’s a memorable song and for many of you, this will be a new favorite in your playlist.

Unfortunately, because of limited distribution, Sorcery’s classic never got its just due. Since its release, it’s become one of the rarest and most sought after protometal records of the seventies. I remember scoring my copy in a trade in the late-eighties. By the nineties, the record was valued at $1000-$1500. Now that I’m out of the collect-and-trade business, I can only imagine what the value of an original copy would go for in 2016.

Sorcery did something that hardly anyone was doing at the time and would be decades before bands experimented again with the metal-rock fusion. The extreme rarity and obscurity of this album only adds to the legend that is Sorcery’s Sinister Soldiers.

by Papa Paul, Nov. 22 2016

Tracks

1. Arachnic (The Dark King) (Dave Maycroft, Kieran Hoening, Kirk Bryk, Paul Koster) - 3:58

2. Fly The Sky - 2:59

3. Sugar Sweet Lady (Debbie's Song) (Kirk Bryk) - 4:09

4. Last Good-Bye - 12:16

5. Slippin' Away (For K.E.R.) - 4:07

6. Snowshit - 9:21

7. Airborne - 4:58

8. Sorcerer - 3:22

9. Schitzoid - 4:22

All songs by Kirk Bryk, Tim Barret except where noted

Sorcery

*Tim Barret - Lead Vocals

*Kirk Bryk - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Percussion

*Paul Koster - Guitar, Vocals 

*Dave Maycroft - Bass

*Kieran Hoening - Drums

With

*Chuck Dorrinton - Bass (Track 2)

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The Sons Of Adam - Saturday's Sons The Complete Recordings (1964​-​66 us, jagged garage psych, feat Randy Holden from Blue Cheer fame, 2022 release)

Remembered as one of the most talented West Coast garage rock bands of the 1960s The Sons Of Adam began life as a surf rock group, with three of four original members actually being East Coast transplants.

Lead guitarist/vocalist Randy Holden and rhythm guitarist/lead vocalist Jac Ttanna were born in Pennsylvania, although like bass guitarist/vocalist Michael Port they called Baltimore home, the latter actually a native of the city. With the addition of drummer Bruce Miller, quickly replaced by Keith Kestler, The Fender IV were born, releasing four single sides on the Imperial label before another change in drummers, with Michael Stuart-Ware taking over, and a move toward garage rock resulted in The Sons Of Adam, so named by colorful and shadowy cult figure Kim Fowley, who issued two singles on Decca. Following more personnel changes, with Holden being replaced by Craig Tarwater and Stuart-Ware by Randy Carlisle, a final 45 appeared on the Alamo label before the band dissolved in June 1967.

Long unavailable in any format, High Moon Records has compiled the six The Sons Of Adam singles sides along with three studio outtakes, supplementing them with eight previously unreleased live recordings from the band’s August 6, 1966 performance at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco along with both sides of the two The Fender IV 45s and three additional studio recordings by the surf rockers, a total of twenty four tracks, more than sixty eight minutes of music recorded between 1964 and 1966, in deluxe CD and double LP editions. The result is one of the most highly anticipated reissues of 2022.

‘Saturday’s Son’ opens with thirty minutes from The Son of Adam’s sizzling Avalon Ballroom performance beginning with their six minute take on the Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler and Solomon Burke classic ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ a melodic number with Holden delivering stinging, stabbing bursts of lead guitar and a fiery solo. The Ttanna/Holden original ‘Mr. Sun’ features power chording by Holden, with Ttanna belting out the vocals. Another Ttanna/Holden original ‘The Long Road’ finds Holden riffing with restraint, his guitar looming, hinting at heaviness. 

The group’s cover of Graham Gouldman’s ‘Evil Hearted You’ rivals that of the Yardbirds, Holden delivering a string bending solo and Ttanna’s vocals rivaling those of Keith Relf. Side one of the first LP closes with the rocking Ttanna/Holden penned ‘It Won’t Be Long’, Holden’s guitar open to full throttle, Port’s bass line and Stuart-Ware’s drum fills putting the pedal to the metal. Side two opens with the Lou Josie composition from which the set draws its title, and showcases Holden’s heavy lead line and an extended solo which plays the tune out. Ttanna/Holden’s ‘Go Away’ is three minutes of dead ahead rock, with an insistent riff and Holden’s guitar set to stun. The last live cut is an eight minute cover of Van Morrison’s ‘Gloria’ which the band gives the rave up treatment a la Yardbirds, Ttanna screaming vocals over Holden’s soaring solo, Stuart-Ware pounding out the beat with his racing drums and Port’s thundering bass deepening the groove. The tune closes with Holden controlling the feedback as he solos the outro, the sound building to a crescendo. 

The singles and outtakes section begins with the December 1965 a-side ‘Take My Hand’ a Ttanna/Holden original showcasing the band’s British invasion influenced melody with its relaxed guitar riffs and drum fills, Holden contributing a searing solo. The b-side, a cover of Steve Venet and Tommy Boyce’s ‘Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day’ closes side two with its harmonious vocals and lead guitar line, relaxed groove and driving guitar solo. Disc two opens with Ttanna/Holden’s ‘I Told You Once Before’ an outtake, with heavily echoed guitar and vocals along with a melodic bass line courtesy of Port. A cover of The Zombies’ Chris White’s ‘You Made Me Feel Good’, also an outtake, has a chiming guitar intro, smooth lead line, gorgeous vocal harmonies and a restrained guitar solo. 

Mike Port’s ‘Without Love’, yet another outtake, is a haunting love song with its delicate mid-tempo melody. Jeff Beck’s influence on Holden is apparent on the group’s cover, and single a-side, of Brian and Mike Hogg’s ‘You’re A Better Man Than I’ popularized by the Yardbirds. Holden’s heavy guitar intro is contrasted by Ttanna’s delicate vocals, with Port and Stuart-Ware supplying the song’s heavy rhythm. Holden’s quivering lead line gives way to a solo filled with sustain that soars the tune to a close. The b-side, a studio take on ‘Saturday’s Son’ is a hot rocker, its lead line and thundering bass line driving the tale of a cursed man, “the thirteenth child, Saturday’s son”, with Holden’s solo playing the song out. 

The first tune recorded by the band with new lead guitarist Craig Tarwater and drummer Randy Carlisle was a cover of Arthur Lee’s ‘Feathered Fish’ released as the a-side of The Son Of Adams’ final, late fall 1966 single. The tune had long been part of the band’s live repertoire and was in fact released by Holden with his next band The Other Half. Regardless, the The Sons Of Adam take is a fine piece of garage rock filled with a heavy guitar riff and fuzz bass, Tarwater offering a fiery solo and Ttanna delivering the trippy lyrics with swagger. The single’s b-side, and LP side closer, is the Mike Port penned ‘Baby Show The World’ with its rumbling bass intro and snarling lead guitar line. Tarwater’s relaxed solo floats over the top, with Carlisle’s drums crashing and Port’s bass throbbing, Tarwater’s outro filled with restrained feedback. This would sadly prove to be the final recording by The Sons Of Adam as personality conflicts caused an irreparable rift in their ranks, the end result being Randy Holden joining The Other Half with whom he would record the timeless single ‘Mr. Pharmacist’, later touring with and recording one side of original tunes on Blue Cheer’s ‘New! Improved!’, then recording the classic heavy psychedelic LP ‘Population II’ with ex-Kak drummer Chris Lockheed before taking an extended break from music. 

Michael Stuart-Ware was lured by Arthur Lee to join Love at their creative peak, playing drums on the ‘Da Capo’ and ‘Forever Changes’ albums, while Jac Ttanna would form Genesis (the American, not British group), with Mike Port as bassist before the lineup was finalized with future Steppenwolf (‘For Ladies Only’) guitarist Kent Henry, the group releasing two singles and the ‘In The Beginning’ album, with Ttanna as rhythm guitarist/vocalist and chief songwriter, penning such tunes as the epic 16 minute ‘World Without You’, although Port would by then have departed the music industry and returned to Baltimore where he managed a movie theater for many years before falling into homelessness and sadly dying on the city’s streets in 2014. 

Guitarist Craig Tarwater remained active musically but never again reached the heights of The Sons Of Adam and passed in early 2018, while drummers Bruce Miller, Keith Kestler and Randy Carlisle seem to have vanished from the music industry.. As for ‘Saturday’s Son’ the release ends where the West Coast recording legacy of the transplanted East Coast trio of Holden, Ttanna and Port began back in 1964 as the The Fender IV with the bottom side of the second LP containing seven tracks, six Holden originals and one co-written with Ttanna, all four single sides and three outtakes featuring drummer Kestler. Holden’s ‘Mar Gaya’ is a surf rock instrumental propelled by Holden’s lead line and Port’s throbbing bass, with Kestler adding a mid-tune drum break. The song was released as a single on Imperial in 1964 c/w Ttanna and Holden’s ‘You Better Tell Me Now’ which hinted at the Yardbirds influence on Holden guitar work and showcased the racing drums of Kestler along with the repeated forlorn Ttanna vocal refrain “you better tell me now what you’re gonna do”. 

The Holden penned a-side ‘Malibu Run’ is a reverb drenched surf rocker in the vein of Dick Dale with the guitarist’s lead line dominating from beginning to end. The 1965 Imperial single’s b-side ‘Everybody Up’ is a danceable piece of guitar driven surf rock with Ttanna encouraging listeners with the tunes only lyrics “everybody up” as the band plays at breakneck speed, Holden’s lead guitar joined by Port’s throbbing bass and Kestler’s pounding drums. The disc closes with three outtakes, all Holden compositions. ‘Lonely Surf Guitar’ opens with Kestler riding his cymbals before Holden takes over with a slower tempoed, heavily echoed, lead line sounding very much like Jimi Hendrix vintage 1967 and showing how unique and ahead of his time Holden truly was. ‘Highway Surfer’, another outtake, is an instrumental with its relentless riff and ringing solo by Holden as he races up and down the neck of his guitar. 

The disc, and set, closer is yet another surf instrumental ‘Little Ole’ with nice tempo changes and Holden illustrating perfect usage of his reverb as his lead line glides effortlessly through the tune coaxing incredible tones along the way. The tune is an absolutely delightful end to a most impressive collection of guitar based rock music.

‘Saturday’s Sons: The Complete Recordings 1964-1966’ was produced by Alec Palao, who also contributed the liner notes based on interviews conducted between 1997 and 2021 with surviving members Randy Holden and Jack Ttanna. The deluxe CD features sound transfers edited by Palao and an immaculate mastering job by Dan Hersch. This long overdue tribute to a band far ahead of its time and deserving of a much better fate than it received will be of interest to fans of hard rock, psychedelic rock, surf rock, 1960s rock and classic rock and is highly recommended.

by Kevin Rathert

Tracks

1. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler, Solomon Burke) - 6:08

2. Mr Sun (Jac Ttanna, Randy Holden) - 2:36

3. The Long Road (Jac Ttanna, Randy Holden) - 2:52

4. Evil Hearted You (Graham Gouldman) - 2:28

5. It Won't Be Long (Jac Ttanna, Randy Holden) - 2:28

6. Saturday's Son (Lou Josie) - 2:36

7. Go Away (Jac Ttanna, Randy Holden) - 3:08

8. Gloria (Van Morrison) - 8:02

9. Take My Hand (Jac Ttanna, Randy Holden) - 2:22

10.Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day (Steve Venet, Tommy Boyce) - 2:17

11.I Told You Once Before (Jac Ttanna, Randy Holden) - 2:07

12.You Make Me Feel Good (Chris White) - 1:59

13.Without Love (Mike Port) - 2:40

14.You're A Better Man Than I (Brian Hugg, Mike Hugg) - 2:57

15.Saturday's Son (Lou Josie) - 2:13

16.Feathered Fish (Arthur Lee) - 2:32

17.Baby Show The World (Mike Port) - 2:32

18.Mar Gaya (Randy Holden) - 2:29

19.You Better Tell Me Now (Jac Ttanna, Randy Holden) - 2:11

20.Malibu Run (Randy Holden) - 2:27

21.Everybody Up (Randy Holden) - 1:55

22.Lonely Surf Guitar (Randy Holden) - 2:42

23.Highway Surfer (Randy Holden) - 2:28

24.Little Oly (Randy Holden) - 2:24

Tracks 1-8 recorded live at the Avalon Ballroom, August 6th, 1966.

Tracks 9-17 Singles and Outtakes

Tracks 18-24 as The Fender IV 

The Sons Of Adam

*Randy Holden - Guitar, Vocals (1965-1966)

*Joe Kooken (Aka Jac Ttanna) - Guitar (1965-1967)

*Mike Port - Bass (1965-1967)

*Michael Stuart - Drums (1965-1967)

*Craig Tarwater - Guitar, Vocals (1966-1967)

*Randy Carlisle - Drums (1967)

Related Acts

1968  The Other Half - The Other Half (2006 bonus tracks)  

1968  Genesis - In The Beginning (2012 edition)  

1969  Blue Cheer - New Improved! (2016 SHM)  

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Ramatam - In April Came The Dawning Of The Red Suns (1973 us, good mixture of brass, roots, folk, classic rock, 2005 edition)

April Lawton's short rock & roll moment in the sun takes a better turn on Ramatam's second attempt, In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns. Acoustic ramblings like "Excerpt From Guitar Concerto #1," where she plays solo for 44 seconds, are more inviting than much of what was on the group's self titled debut. Since her prowess was a big part of the hype, why those introspective glimpses weren't extended is the mystery. There's also a pretty interlude, "Rainy Sunday Evening," which comes between two awful moments on side one, "Betty Lou" and "I Can Only Love You," proving the previous point. A '50s-type vocal sound slips into this morass, and these two titles display the worst elements found when "experiencing" the band's first effort, despite the fact that only lead guitarist Lawton and Tommy Sullivan remain. 

With another Atlantic producer, Geoffrey Haslam, taking over from Tom Dowd and heavy string sections replacing the marquee talent former bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Mike Pinera brought to the table, the album has sparks that just never take off. Instrumental portions of "I Can Only Love You" have merit decimated by a god awful vocal from Sullivan, who sings much better on "The Land" and "Autumn Now," two songs that sound like Robbie Robertson and the Band jamming with America after some gig. The heavy orchestration -- 11 strings and eight horns -- conducted by Charles Gouse, brings a certain refinement to this rock band that live and in its earlier incarnation was an all-out assault. Haslam worked with artists and projects as diverse as the Velvet Underground's Loaded, the J. Geils Band, Bette Midler's The Divine Miss M, Delbert McClinton, and others, and he brings his polish to smooth out the rough edges -- but as the late Jimmy Miller used to say (paraphrased), "a big part of it is the talent you're given to work with." When a singer doesn't have that ability to get it across, you can end up with the dilemma facing Ramatam. 

The strength Haslam brought to the first J. Geils album, bringing it all together and letting it play out, is less-efficient here, though this is a vast improvement over Dowd's work on Ramatam's debut. If the first edition of this ensemble was a poor-man's supergroup, this version finds good production impeded in parts by Tommy Sullivan morphing into that poor-man's Jim Dandy from Black Oak Arkansas. Imagine Dandy attempting to sing to a boogie-woogie version of Cream's music and you'll understand the dilemma. "Stars and Stripes Forever" is a pointless exercise opening side two, but it leads into the shining moment, Lawton's pretty vocal supplemented by Bruce Morgenheim's violin on a song called "Bounty on My Table." That respite is knocked off the table with "Downrange Party," where the group seems to have their Jim Dandy persona clashing with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and some horns to boot -- dreadful. 

The one-minute "Free Fall" by Sullivan is as enticing as some of Lawton's creative spurts, and the fact that there is some magic that escaped this project is obvious. What was needed was the removal of the grating, pointless pseudo-Southern rock, replacing it with a psychedelic jam à la Iron Butterfly -- a band a former member belonged to. A good digital editor could actually cut and paste and come up with something very special if those involved were so inclined. Then a really special moment, like the '50s send-off "Rhinoceros," would have more punch.

by Joe Viglione

Tracks

1. The Land/Rainy Sunday Evening - 6:21

2. Betty Lou - 4:00

3. I Can Only Love You - 5:44

4. Except From Guitar Concerto - 0:43

5. Autumn Now (April Lawton) - 3:58

6. Stars And Stripes Forever - 2:33

7. Bounty On My Table (John Philip Sousa) - 3:56

8. Downrange Party - 5:22

9. Free Fall - 0:52

10.Push A Little - 5:16

11.Rhinoceros (April Lawton, Tommy Sullivan, Jimmy Walker) - 3:30 

All compositions by April Lawton, Tommy Sullivan except where indicated

The Ramatam

*April Lawton - Bass, Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals

*Jimmy Walker - Drums, Vocals

*Tommy Sullivan - Bass, , Guitar, Keyboards, Mini Moog, Orchestration, Piano, Saxophone, Vocals, Wind

With

*Raymond Beckenstein - Horn

*Garnett Brown - Horn

*Harold Coletta - Strings 

*Dominick Gravine - Horn

*Emanuel Green - Strings 

*Arthur Kaplan - Horn

*Harold Kohon - Strings 

*Joseph Malignaggi - Strings

*Richard Maximoff - Strings

*Kermit Moore - Strings

*Bruce Morgenheim - Guitar, Violin, Vocals

*David Nadien - Strings

*Joe Newman - Horn

*Gene Orloff - Strings

*Max Polikoff - Strings

*Seldon Powell - Horn 

*George Ricci - Strings

*Russ Savakus - Strings

*Joseph J. Shepley - Horn 

1972  Ramatam - Ramatam (2004 edition)  

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Poobah - Steamroller (1979 us, solid underground heavy rock, 2005 remaster with xtra tracks)

The story of guitarist/vocalist Jim Gustafson is a long one. Poobah is his most famous band and this record was originally released on a small label in 1979. The band at this time was very hard working and dedicated and not only do we get the full record but also some extra live tracks from 1979. The booklet has some great pictures and a very nice long interview with Jim to compliment the music. Poobah was at this time one, if not the best underground US hard rock acts. 

Great guitar work and cool hard rocking songs….Jump thru the Golden Ring is a killer track with a great guitar riff and Jim’s high pitched vocals at times. He plays a ripping solo on this long 7½ minute track, which you also are treated to a more psychedelic live version as one of the bonus tracks. Integrated Circuit is a short instrumental work out that leads into You don’t Love me, which features a heavy bass line and some blasting guitar! No shortage of guitar solos in Poobah! I would not say that Jim is really into writing deep lyrics, just rock and roll ones about women, like the next number, She’s that kind of Lover, which features a long guitar workout. 

The title track is next and later is included a live well extended version that is even better. This is a slow paced track with heavy riff and nasty solo! Atom Bomb is an unreleased track from the 1979 recording session that made this record and it features the drummer on the piano. I can see why they left this one off the record as it is something really different and did not really fit with the rock tracks but it is still a pretty cool laid back track to start before it takes off into a jam with Jim playing that mean ass guitar. Frustration is a short 2 minute rock track and sung by the bass player Phil Jones. Don’t Change features 12 string guitar and is a quite cool special track. 

The regular album ends with Rock and Roll, a cover of the Led Zeppelin song. The 4 live tracks are also great with the band really jamming it out and it is more psychedelic than the actual record. Cool band…

by Scott Heller

Tracks

1. Jump Thru The Golden Ring (Jim Gustafson) - 7:36

2. Integrated Circuit (Jim Gustafson, Judd Gaylord) - 1:43

3. You Don't Love Me (Jim Gustafson, Judd Gaylord, Phil Jones) - 3:53

4. She's The Kind Of Lover (Jim Gustafson, Phil Jones) - 5:31

5. Steamroller (Jim Gustafson) - 4:40

6. Atom Bomb (Jim Gustafson, Judd Gaylord) - 6:21

7. Frustration (Jim Gustafson, Phil Jones) - 2:17

8. Don't Change (Jim Gustafson, Phil Jones) - 6:29

9. Rock And Roll (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant) - 4:20

10.Mr. Destroyer (Jim Gustafson) - 9:33

11.You Don't Love Me (Jim Gustafson, Judd Gaylord, Phil Jones) - 4:29

12.Jump Thru The Golden Ring (Jim Gustafson) - 7:13

13.Steamroller (Jim Gustafson) - 8:44

Tracks 10-13 recorded Live at Biggy's, June 30th 1979

Poobah

*Jim Gustafson - Lead, Acoustic, 12 String Guitars, Organ, Vocals

*Phil Jones - Bass, Vocals

*Judd Gaylord - Drums, Percussion, Piano

1972  Poobah - Let Me In (2010 remaster and expanded)  

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Johnny Fuller And The Phillip Walker Band - Fullers Blues (1974 us, stunning electric blues, 2015 remaster)

Johnny Fuller was a West Coast bluesman who left behind a spate of 1950s recordings that jumped all kinds of genre fences with seemingly no trace of his Mississippi born roots. He was equally at home with low down blues, gospel, R&B, and rock & roll, all of it imbued with strong vocals and a driving guitar style. Although his Mississippi roots were never far below the surface of his best work, Johnny is usually categorized as a West Coast bluesman. 

Making the Bay Area his home throughout his career, Fuller turned in classic sides for Heritage, Aladdin, Specialty, Flair, Checker, and Hollywood; all but one of them West Coast-based concerns. His two biggest hits, "All Night Long" and the original version of "The Haunted House," improbably found him in the late '50s on rock & roll package shows, touring with the likes of Paul Anka and Frankie Avalon! By and large retiring from the music scene in the '60s (with the exception of one excellent album in 1974), Fuller worked as a garage mechanic until his passing in 1985.

by Cub Koda

Recorded in 1974, Fuller's Blues was Johnny Fuller's much-belated full-length debut, and it also turned out to be his last record. That's too bad, because it certainly illustrates what he was capable of achieving. He runs the gauntlet here, pulling out jumping R&B numbers and acoustic blues with equal aplomb. It's an exhilarating listen -- it's just too bad there weren't more like it.

by Thom Owens

Tracks

1. Tin Pan Alley (Bob Geddins) - 3:26

2. Fools Paradise (Bob Geddins, Johnny Fuller) - 3:06

3. Strange Land (Bob Geddins) - 4:35

4. 1009 Blues - 4:13

5. You Got Me Whistling - 2:49

6. But Bruce (David Ii) - 3:03

7. Bad Luck Overtook Me - 3:02

8. Hard Luck Blues - 3:15

9. Crying Won't Make Me Stay - 3:02

10.Miss You So (Larry Chatman) - 2:55

11.A Good Letting Alone - 4:01

12.Mercy, Mercy - 3:01

All songs by Johnny Fuller except where indicated

Personnel

*Johnny Fuller - Guitar, Organ, Piano, Vocals 

*Phillip Walker - Guitar

*Tony Matthews - Guitar

*Dennis Walker - Bass

*Zaven 'Big John' Jambezian - Harmonica

*Johnny Tucker - Drums

*Arthur Woods - Piano 

*David Ii - Tenor, Baritone Saxophone 

*Mike O'Connel - Trumpet 

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rep> Killing Floor - Killing Floor (1969 uk, effective hard blues rock, 2007 limited edition)

Killing Floor came together in 1968 when singer Bill Thorndycraft and guitarist Mick Clarke met up in a South London blues band. After one unsatisfactory gig with the band the two decided to form a new unit together..Bill suggested the name Killing Floor.

Bill had already met drummer Bazz Smith while touring in Germany, and ads in the "Melody Maker" music paper brought responses from bass player Stuart (Mac) McDonald and pianist Lou Martin.

The band rehearsed hard in various South London pubs and rehearsal rooms, learning a repertoire of Chicago blues standards, but adding their own rock influences. Their first live performance was at London's "Middle Earth" with Captain Beefheart, and soon the band was playing at all the blues clubs of the time, including appearances at London's Marquee club with The Nice and Yes. Favourite venues included the Blues Loft in High Wycombe where they literally brought the house down..the footstomping of the crowd bringing down the ceiling in the room below! 

The first album was released in 1969 on the Spark Label, a subsidiary of the Southern Music publishing group, and licensed in the USA by Sire Records. It got good reviews and airplay, and the band played sessions for John Peel, Johnny Walker, Alexis Korner and other national radio shows. 

The band was very much a part of the developing "blues boom" of the '60's which created many great bands. Free's Paul Kossof and Simon Kirke jammed with the band while waiting for their own tour to begin, and Robert Plant witnessed their version of "You Need Love" sometime before Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was recorded. The band played concerts with Jethro Tull, Ten Years After and many other names of the time. 

In May 1969 the band was offered the chance of backing Texas blues legend Freddie King on his next U.K. tour. The package toured for three weeks, including concerts with Howlin' Wolf and Otis Spann. A further tour with Freddie followed a few weeks later, and a third tour was only called off after Freddie failed to receive his advance payment from the tour promoter. The band also backed up Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, the writer of some of Elvis Presley's early hits.

Towards the end of 1969 the frustrations of the music business proved too much and the band split, with various members finding new projects to follow. But after a while a four-piece Killing Floor came together again. Blues music at this time, having been the "in" thing for the last year was now moving out of fashion, and it was hard for Killing Floor to find work in the U.K. The answer was to go abroad, with frequent trips to Germany and Switzerland.

Tracks
1. Woman You Need Love (Willie Dixon) - 4:47
2. Nobody By My Side (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke) - 4:51
3. Come Home Baby (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke) - 4:03
4. Bedtime Blues (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke) - 7:27
5. Sunday Morning (Martin) - 1:00
6. Try To Understand (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke) - 2:35
7. My Mind Can Ride Easy (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke) - 2:26
8. Wet (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke, Martin, Smith) - 0:39
9. Keep On Walking (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke) - 4:56
10. Forget It (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke) - 5:30
11. Lou's Blues (Martin) - 2:37
12. People Change Your Mind (McDonald, Thorndycraft, Clarke, Smith) - 8:20

Killing Floor
*Bill Thorndycraft - Vocals, Harp
*Mick Clarke - Lead Guitar
*Lou Martin - Keyboards
*Bazz Smith - Drums
*Stuart McDonald - Bass

1971  Out Of Uranus (Japan remaster)

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rep> Lumbee - Overdose (1970 us, hard acid psych blues funky r 'n' b, Gear Fab edition)

The group Lumbee concentrated on excellent harmonies, which they practiced for weeks before adding the music. It paid off and their single release Streets of Gold went to No.1 in various parts of the states The album was called Overdose and the cover of the album as well as the title was very controversial . At the time, three greats in the music industry had succumbed to drug overdoses: Janis Joplin. Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison. 

The covers of their two albums Plant and See and Lumbee had children, which now almost seems a prediction of the future now that the children from the marriage of Willie Lowery and Carol Fitzgerald Lowery are quite successful in their music endeavors. Lumpee played with such greats as the Allman Brothers The late Duane AIlman even asked to play Willie Lowery is American Hag panted guitar at what v/as probably one of his last concerts before his fatal motorcycle accident. 

While the band hit the road and played lo sold out clubs and arenas management and company bickered amongst themselves, leaving the group to carry on without the proper guidance Lumbee is music comes from a diverse creation, and its members melted those diversities into a powerful sound that to this day is unique and hill of compassion that few groups ever acquire. When they played in Willie’s hometown Pembroke, North Carolina, a thousand Native Americans and older fans flooded the arena and it is a shame to this day that videos were not in place because it was truly history being made. 

They played with Iron Butterfly The Brooklyn Bridge, and Linda Ronstadt. just to mention a few While they remained team players, their management and company failed them and eventually the band fell into the hands of that disillusionment that grips bands even to this day A true celebration is that the music is still here on the scene and can now become a part of the legendary Woodstock era that will never come again as we Knew it. 

Once while the group was in New York recording Crimson and Roses, after being disappointed about not continuing their work with Joe Wizart in Los Angeles, they went to a dub called the Cellar That night they watched Van Morrison perform with a guy named Terry Reed from Canada. In the audience with them were Jams Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company Jimi Hendrix. Grace Slick and the Jefferson Airplane, and The Turtles. Those are just the groups the band met personally. Had this group been able to continue on with the support it needed well the rest would have been history, as they say But, thank goodness, their sound has been revived tor you all to hear. 

Today the members of Lumbee are all still living and their whereabouts, at last check are:

Foris Fulford lives with his family in Long Island. NY after spending time in the military service, i met him in 1970 at Fort Bragg NC while playing with another band. He was the hottest drummer in the area at the time.

Ricky Vannoy now lives in Dunn, NC with his family and is the owner and operator of a coffee house. He also has a tattoo parlor. Ricky was always a good artist as well. He was the only guitar player I thought needed little or no practice to get rhythm or leads down.

Bobby Paul, last I heard, was living either Zebulon or Greensboro. NC. 

Carol Fitzgerald resides where it ail began, in Fayetteville NC. Carol came to the band while a student at Methodist College m the late 60's. Floating from band to band she was noticed for her theatrics and showmanship on stage. She contributed to the song writing and wrote many of her own. Carol and Willie were married in 1970. They divorced some years later but not before they had two talented sons that now flourish as musicians Carol and Willie are proud of the boysi achievements.

I am still, and will always be a music man I am in the studio everyday and continue my song writing and guitarist skills. Nowadays I am more into producing and arranging as well, and I am still very active in recording the music for a diversity of acts. My most memorable achievement since my Lumbee days is when I wrote the entire musical score for an outdoor drama for my native people Please enjoy the music of Lumbee!!

by Willie French Lowery

Tracks
1. Tone Deaf - 3:44
2. Veronica High - 5:21
3. People Get Ready - 7:35
4. You Gotta Be Stoned - 2:56
5. Tone Deaf Jam - 3:50
6. Streets Of Gold - 6:56
7. Whole World Is Down On Me - 3:10
Words and Music by Willie French Lowery

Lumbee
*Willie French Lowery - Guitar, Vocals
*Forris Fulford - Drums
*Carol Fitzgerald - Vocals
*Bobby Paul - Bass
*Rickey Vannoy - Rhythm Guitar

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rep> Ram - Where? In Conclusion (1972 us, heavy prog with fuzz guitars and flute interplay, korean edition)

Ram is a  group that was based in New York City in the United States and was active in the early 1970s. Band members included brothers John and Ralph DeMartino as well as Bob Steeler who later played with Hot Tuna. 

Many reports state that a mellotron was the instrument used for the spacial and elecronic effects of Ram's music. Actually, they were the result of electronic flute and in some cases, tenor alto and soprano saxophones (sometimes played 2 at a time) by John DeMartino. The band produced one album on Polydor in 1972 entitled Where? (In Conclusion). The original vinyl is a sought-after collector item.

Tracks
1. The Want In You - 4:23
2. Stoned Silence - 5:29
3. Odyssey - 3:43
4. The Mothers Day Song - 6:19
5. Aza - 20:57
.a.Spiral Paths
.b.Bound
.c.Peril And Fearer
.d.Where? (In Conclusion)

Ram
*Dennis Carbone - Piano, Vocals
*John Demartino - Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
*Ralph Demartino - Guitar, Vocals
*Michael Rodriguez - Bass, Vocals
*Steeler - Drums

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Melton Levy And The Dey Brothers - Melton Levy And The Dey Brothers (1972 us, strong blues country rock, Mike Bloomfield production, 2001 remaster)

Melton, Levy and the Dey Brothers' sole album has a bit of a come-down-from-the-reckless-heights-of-Haight-Ashbury vibe, but is a reasonably accomplished and pleasing record. It's got the characteristic San Francisco Bay Area blend of blues, country, rock, and good counterculture cheer, with a more laid-back, soul-influenced approach than Barry Melton had taken with his first band, Country Joe & the Fish. Everyone from the quartet contributes original material, with Melton, Rick Dey, and Jay Levy taking roughly equal shares of the writing credits.

It's easy to imagine this as suitable rustic rock to play on your escape from the big city of San Francisco to a more laid-back locale with similar progressive hippie ethos, but more space and less angst. A little bit of Melton's more radical past sneaks through on "Taxpayer's Lament," with its opening bursts of reverb guitar and anguished anti-war lyrics, in a vocal that falls between John Fogerty and Burton Cummings.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks

1. Ooh, Ooh, Ooh (Rick Dey) - 2:23

2. She Dances Through (Barry Melton) - 3:41

3. Closer (Barry Melton) - 3:32

4. Been So Fine (Jay Levy) - 3:30

5. Sweeter The Peaches (Barry Melton) - 2:40

6. S.O.S. (Barry Melton, Rick Dey) - 3:45

7. Highway 1 (Blair Hardman) - 3:06

8. Hold On To The Good Times (Barry Melton) - 2:58

9. Play Little Children (Jay Levy, Tony Dey, Barry Melton) - 3:06

10.Be With The One (Jay Levy) - 2:46

11.Newsboy (Traditional) - 2:30

12.Taxpayer's Lament (Barry Melton) - 3:33

13.Bye Bye Sequence (Rick Dey) - 0:39

Musicians

*Barry Melton - Guitar, Trombone, Vocals

*Jay Levy - Keyboards, Vocals

*Rick Dey - Bass, Vocals

*Tony Dey - Drums, Vocals

*Rick Jagger - Percussion

*King Errisson - Congas

*Michael Bloomfield - Guitar, Producer, Slide Guitar

*Bruce Brymer - Drums, Vocals

*Carol Davis - Horn

*Ginette Melton - Vocals 

Related Acts

1965-71  The First Three E.P's
1967  Country Joe And The Fish - I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die (2013 digi pack double disc set)
1967  Electric Music For The Mind And Body (2013 double disc remaster)
1968  Together  (2005 remaster)
1969  Live! Fillmore West
1969  Here We Are Again
1970  CJ Fish

1965-66  The Vejtables - Feel...The Vejtables (Sundazed release)

1972  Various Artists - Mill Valley Bunch Casting Pearls

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Light - Light (1978 ireland, excellent guitar rock)

These guys are an Irish band from the late 70's. The vocals remind of Rory Gallagher and the songs have a Thin Lizzy-ish quality with some nice dual harmony guitars.

Songwriting is in the same mold as Lizzy as well as is the pace of the album. Nice guitars on this one supplied by Jim Armstrong who was in Them and also Truth (the Chicago-based one).

Anyone who remembers THEM (with Van Morrison) between 1967 and 1968, and (without Van Morrison) between 1969 and 1971, or a Chicago-based band called TRUTH, cannot fail to recall the playing of one of the world's great rock guitarists JIM ARMSTRONG.

Following the demise of TRUTH in 1971, Armstrong retreated from the international scene to gig at a more relaxed pace in his native Belfast. There was some writing and recording work with Brian Scott and bertie MacDonald in 1973, to be followed by concert performances with an occasional band called LIGHT, which, also included George O'Hara and Albert Mills. 

The breakthrough came in March 1977 when the band came together to play regular sessions at Ireland's premiere rock venue, the POUND, at the invitation of Dermont Moffatt. The last fifteen months have seen LIGHT established as Ireland's finest rock band, possibly the best ever.

Liner Notes

Tracks

1. The Break (Albert Mills, Jim Armstrong) 4:14

2. Harland The Wolf (Jim Armstrong, Bertie MacDonald) 6:47

3. Beatification Of A Sad Pussycat (Brian Scott) 4:59

4. The Hooker (Albert Mills, Jim Armstrong) 4:35

5. Lonely One (George O'Hara, Jim Armstrong) 3:06

6. Castles In The Sand (Jim Armstrong, Bertie MacDonald) 3:57

7. Summertime (George Gershwin) 4:58

8. Ray's Song (The Dance) (George O'Hara) 3:39

Light

*Jim Armstrong - Lead Guitar

*Albert Mills - Bass, Lead Vocals

*Brian Scott - Keyboards, Flute, Backing Vocals

*George O'Hara - Guitar, Vocals, Lead Vocals (Tracks 2,5)

*Bertie MacDonald - Drums  

With

*Artie Thompson - Additional Percussion (Track 1)

Related Acts

1967  Them - Now And Them (2003 edition) 

1968-69  Them - Time Out Time In (2003 edition)  

1969-70  Truth - Of Them And Other Tales   

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