Sharks - First Water (1973 uk, groovy straight ahead glam rock, feat. Chris Spedding and Andy Fraser from Free fame, 2011 remaster)

Sharks initially took shape when Andy Fraser approached Spedding in 1971 with the offer of Chris joining his post-Free band Toby. Nothing came of that but the two kept talking and jamming and Sharks took shape in 1972.

Fraser and Spedding’s Sharks partnership was to be brief: a car crash on the way back from a gig in Spedding’s Pontiac LeMans (customised with a fin on the roof and teeth on the grill – see top pic) left Fraser hospitalised and then to his departure from the band.

They were signed to Island Records, for their 1973 release "First Water", the album was highly rated by critics, especially for Chris Spedding's guitar work. This is the first of three albums recorded by the band and considered to be their best work. Andy Fraser left the band before their second album, "Jab It In Yore Eye" 

Tracks

1. World Park Junkies (Chris Spedding, Snips) - 3:18

2. Follow Me (Andy Fraser) - 4:34

3. Ol' Jelly Roll (Snips) - 2:37

4. Brown-eyed Boy (Andy Fraser) - 2:54

5. Snakes And Swallowtails (Snips) - 3:50

6. Driving Sideways (Andy Fraser) - 4:09

7. Steal Away (Snips) - 6:11

8. Doctor Love (Andy Fraser) - 3:25

9. Broke A Feeling (Andy Fraser, Marty Simon, Snips) - 4:11

Sharks

*Andy Fraser - Bass, Piano

*Marty Simon - Drums

*Steve Parsons "Snips" - Vocals

*Chris Spedding - Guitar 

Related Acts

1970  Chris Spedding - Backwood Progression (2014 remaster)  

1972  Chris Spedding - The Only Lick I Know

1977  Chris Spedding - Hurt
1975-77  Chris Spedding - Chris Spedding (2013 Audiophile edition)

1969-71  Free – Live At The BBC (2006 double disc edition)

1970  Free - Fire And Water (2008 double disc)

1970  Free - Highway (2002 remastered and expanded)

1972  Free - Free At Last (2002 remaster)

1972/73/75/76  Paul Kossoff - Kossoff Kirke Tetsu Rabbit / Back Street Crawler / The Band Plays On / 2nd Street (2005 double disc edition) 

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The Farm Band - The Farm Band (1972 us, excellent rural jam psych hippie folk rock, 2009 korean remaster)

When the Sixties came to a close, the dream of community, music, family and love continued  in the hearts of those who had lived through the cultural and psychedelic revolution.

Full of heart, passion, youth and a vision,  a handful of San Francisco seekers left in search of a new “back to the land” home.

In 1971, led by the spiritual teacher Stephen Gaskin, they eventually settled on 1750 acres in rural Tennessee to start their new lives together.

The Farm grew to 1,500 residents at its peak and included a school, book publishing company, soy dairy, solar electronics company, clinic and a revolutionary midwife services.

In addition to this there was music.  A lot of it.  There was a recording studio, band stages and a radio station.  Music was at the heart of the revolution and continues to play an important part in the community.

In the beginning what started out as a handful of musicians strumming in a barn with acoustic guitars and drums made from logs soon turned into The Farm Band. Their first album was recorded in 1971.

As a band they were committed to using music to bring people together and promote their message of peace and happiness.

From country twang to full psychedelic rock in the style of the Grateful Dead and Credence Clearwater Revival, they recorded 6 albums and performed hundreds of concerts across the US, Europe and England.

Every gig they performed was free, a fundamental tenet of their commitment to bringing music with a message to the people.

The Farm Band

Tracks

1. Om - 2:36

2. Loving You - 10:16

3. Lord's Work (Thomas Dotzler) - 3:06

4. Keep Your Head Up High - 3:17

5. Being Here With You (Thomas Dotzler) - 11:51

6. Let It Ride - 12:05

7. Prayer - 2:51

8. I Believe It - 17:12

All songs written by Philip Schweitzer except where stated

The Farm Band

*Philip Schweitzer - Vocals, Guitar

*Joseph Rhodes - Guitar

*Walter Rabideau - Rhythm Guitar

*Mike Sullens - Bass 

*Dave Chalmers - Drums  

*Linda Hershfield - Vocals 

*Kay Marie Schweitze - Vocals

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Bethlehem Asylum - Commit Yourself (1970-71 us, exceptional rock, folk and jazz fused with prog elements)

The Summer of love came late to the Deep South. Some say it never came at all. There were no real rednecks in The Bethlehem Asylum, it was a colorful coat to wear in order to fit in. Unless you were black or had really long hair or were a snotty college drop-out or a folk singer or a jazz musician, or a blues player or a minister of the Universal Life Church or just too freaky to pass as a redneck. Which we were.

We stood out like a sore but bright colorful thumb in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi in the late sixties, early seventies. The band traveled all over the South playing festivals, bars, concerts, antiwar rallies, love ins, art happenings and plain old rock ‘n roll bashes. We stood out because we were doing what we loved doing, which was playing great music: Our Music. We wrote it as a band even though the publishing went to certain names (mostly the record company)

When we were on stage the music was always fresh and exciting. The lyrics might be the same every time, along with the chord changes and hopefully the back-ground harmonies but the spirit was always new. As Jimm Neiman, the bass player/Captain Ego put it, “We play the soundtrack to whatever movie was going on.”

The actual experience of living as a teenager in the late sixties playing in a rock ‘n roll band was not anything like what the corporate media of today says it was. Being alive then was a question of choices. Either I could have gone to Vietnam and gotten killed like most of the other good ol’ boys I went to high school with or follow my heart and soul which meant risking my neck in more immediate places like Little Havana in Miami listening to great Salsa where they hated long hairs so much they stuck a gun in my face on a Saturday night corner on Calle Ocho. Or getting into black bars in southern ghettos where being white meant you were in big trouble. But that’s where the important music was; in the dangerous places.

The first performance was at Madam Taussand’s Wax Museum on St. Pete beach. but our home base in the beginning was the most famous coffee house in the South. The Beaux Arts. Where Jim Morrison got his start just a few summers before us. It was a page right out of Tennessee Williams’ world. Three story antibellum southern mansion run by Tommy, a retired Ballanchine dancer and his mother. Soon we were performing at Colleges around the state. Inevitably performing at antiwar rallies where the undercover CIA/FBI were taking our pictures. We were doin’ it for the music. But we were forced into politics by the events of the day. The Six O’clock News was showing body bags getting filled up with parts of good ol’ boys of every color in some god forsaken jungle in a place nobody ever heard of. The music was a voice that grew up out of the ground and found its way into the throats of the people. We could do anything. Either that, or get chopped up in the custom-made meat grinder. Things haven’t changed much. One thing that seemed different then was Hope. A sense of real Hope. Not the kind of hope where you hope you make a killing in the Stock Market, but the kind of hope where you knew that you could change the world for the better. Even in the Deep South. This seemed like a possible reality just beyond the horizon. A utopian dream of happiness, equality, and enough for everybody. It has been predicted and we were at the beginning of it. Just how much at the beginning we didn’t realize. We are also very naïve.

The Bethlehem Asylum would not have been such a success if it did not have a core group of supporters and followers. The people who drove across swamps and police blockades to see and hear the band thrash out their jazz, R ’n B Country Blues Rock ‘n Roll ol’ time religion mystical voodoo kind of music.     We wrote songs about them and sang about them on stage. We didn’t really have many songs about how some girl had done me wrong or some other safe subject. The songs were about the troublesome questions about honesty and soul. Although we certainly had our share of songs referring to the good things in life.

This story is for those who managed to survive a traumatic yet joyful and historical time and are still able to remember the real magic, love and hope that we still cherish today… Christian has disappeared, Buddy is in L.A., Jim is gone,  Charlie is playing Sax with Hall and Oates, Danny worked for Kinky Friedman and Billy Joe Shaver and has his own music as Panama Red.

by Russell Samuel, Buddy Helm

Tracks

1. Lady Author - 3:58

2. The Year's Biggest Rain - 4:39

3. Another Time Another Place - 2:12

4. I Know A Lonely Man - 2:28

5. Ring My Bell - 3:15

6. Blind Man's Bluff - 4:30

7. Tales From Citadel: Vol.1 - 14:01

8. Child Of The Mountain (Danny Finley) - 3:15

9. Sailboat Ride (Danny Finley) - 3:10

10.Earth (Robert Christian Gandhi) - 9:50

11.Sea Rider (Charles Dechant) - 6:43

12.Talkin' Bout Love (Charles Dechant) - 6:43

13.It's About (Danny Finley) - 5:13

All compositions by Charles Dechant, Christian Gandhi, Danny Finley, Jimm Neiman, Buddy Helm except wher indicated

Tracks 1-7 from "Bethlehem Asylum" 1971

Tracks 8-13 from "Commit Yourself" 1970

Bethlehem Asylum

*Charles Dechant – Tenor, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals, Flute, Piano, Synthesizer

*Christian Gandhi – Piano, Trombone, Alto flute

*Danny Finley – Lead Guitar, Vocals

*Jimm Neiman – Bass, Vocals

*Buddy Helm – Drums, Percussion, Congas

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rep> Creation Of Sunlight - Creation Of Sunlight (1968 us, elegant trippy psych)

They started off as Sunlights Seven and recorded an LP entitled Sunstroke in 1968. This recording never got beyond the acetate stage by DCT Recorders and is a monster, monster rarity that has not been reissued. The picture of it below, taken from the book 1001 Record Collector Dreams, shows that at least 5 songs were recorded, 2 of which did not show up on their eventual LP for Windi Records. These are Sevens Theme and Judy In Disguise. The other 3 songs shown in the picture, David, Light Without Heat and In The Middle Of Happy were released on their eventual LP, but probably as re-recorded versions. 

After the Sunstroke project was scrapped, the band hooked up with Windi Records and recorded a 7" under the name of Sunlight. This 7" consisted of Colors Of Love and Sometimes A Woman and was released under catalogue number W-1001 and W-1002. The versions of these songs are different than the ones that appeard on their LP. It is possible that these versions appeared on the flip side of the Sunstroke acetate. I have read that a non-LP 45 was released by Sunlights Seven, but have never heard or read anything else about that release so I suspect that this may be the item in question.

Finally settling on the name Creation Of Sunlight, they continued recording for Windi, finally releasing their self-titled LP and one 7" later in 1968. Their self-titled album on Windi WS-1001 contains 10 songs, 8 of which are original compositions with Gary Young and Jerry Griffin doing most of the songwriting duties. Interestingly, the credits for David, which was not written by the band, differ on the 7" and the LP. The entire album is absolutely great, loaded with organ and fuzz guitar just oozing with that acid and sunshine vibe. Original copies of this LP almost never turn up for sale and when they do, expect a really nice copy to reach four figures. This is one of the (too) few rarities that can musically justify their price tag. The only vinyl reissue has been a European bootleg on the "Windi" label. This is a nice sounding and nice looking job and it too seldom comes up for sale.

by John E. Midnight

Tracks
1. David (Gene Prophut) - 4:18
2. Rushhour Blues (Gary Young, Jerry Griffin) - 3:27
3. Light Without Heat (Gary Young) - 3:45
4. In The Middle Of Happy (Gary Young) - 4:31
5. Hammonds Eggs (Jerry Griffin) - 4:54
6. Sometimes A Woman (Gene Prophut) - 3:20
7. Second Thoughts (Gary Young) - 3:16
8. Seven Times Infinty (Carl Estrella, Gary Young, Jerry Griffin, Steve Montague) - 3:42
9. Colors Of Love (Gary Young) - 6:05
10.The Fun Machine (Gary Young, Jerry Griffin) - 2:32

11.David (Gene Prophut) - 4:18

12.Judy In Disguise (Andrew Bernard, John Fred) - 2:35

The Creation Of Sunlight
*Gary Young - Lead Vocals
*Carl Estrella - Lead Guitar
*Don Sain - Rhythm Guitar
*Steve Montague - Bass Guitar
*Jerry Griffin - Keyboards, Vocals
*Bob Morgan - Drums
*Ron Clark - Percussion, Flute, Saxophone

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Aragorn - The Suite (1973 australia, prog rock masterpiece, 2022 korean remaster)

In 1975, a strange album that pressed only 50 copies without even an outer sleeve was released quietly. It was the only album by Snakes Alive, a band with a unique combination of guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, woodwinds and trumpet. About 25 years later, when its pirated CD was released, people were amazed at the high level of performance by unknown musicians and the complex, well-designed structure of a mix of Progressive Rock and Jazz. There are countless minor bands that have disappeared leaving only one album in the form of a private pressing, but Snakes Alive’s album was on a different level from those of mediocre minor ones. Despite this high level of musical quality, due to the very small amount of pressings, their music did not reach a larger audience and the band disappeared into history.

Snakes Alive had only been active for about a year, but if you look at their history, you can see that the group Aragorn, formed in 1972, was the starting point of their musical career. They also didn’t release an official album, but fortunately they left an album-length recording, and that’s the album you’re listening to right now called “The Suite.” This magnificent 43-minute grand piece, mainly composed by the keyboardist Oleg Ditrich was originally inspired by none other than, J.R.R Tolkien’s novel, “The Lord of the Rings.”

Oleg Dietrich, who studied classical music from an early age, began composing “The Suite” in 1967 under the influence of his friend John Simpson, who was obsessed with The Lord of the Rings. Oleg was only 14 years old at the time. After completing most of the composition, he formed the band Aragorn, named after the main character in the novel. In September 1973, after completing additional work on the composition and arrangement with the help of other band members, “The Suite” was recorded, but did not reach an album release and remained only as master tapes.

This album is a 43-minute suite consisting of 16 short pieces. As it is a song that has been refined over a period of 6 years, it shows a fairly elaborate level of completion.

The first thing that stands out in terms of performance is Oleg’s classical piano, which reveals his musical roots, and Peter Nykyruj’s drums, which give rich variation to the flow of the song’s structure. Also, what’s interesting is the glimpse of Jethro Tull throughout the aggressive appearance of flute and minstrel melody in the vocal by Jonas Sayewell. A fabulous flute solo flaring out on the solid rhythm , a medieval vibe using rippling guitar ensemble – Those excellent elements and ideas in a series of short pieces are proving how fluent they are in a variety of musical style.

Overall, Aragorn’s music style is a profound Progressive Rock that directly feels the influence of British Rock in the early 70’s. By taking various style from Medieval Folk to Symphonic Rock with a Jazzy flavor, they are fully expressing the dramatic and grandiose storyline of the original novel with delicacy. In order to compress situations and emotions such as mystery, magnificence, confusion and intensity contained in the original story, the composition becomes more complex and dense toward the latter part of the music.

The presence of album “The Suite” was discovered in the process of reissuing Snakes Alive, and it is the very first release brought out to the world in nearly 50 years. “The Suite,” a vigorous performance full of energy by the young bloods who were in their 20s back then, must be the hidden masterpiece to rewrite the history of Australian Progressive Rock.

by Jacopo Vigezzi, February 5, 2023

Tracks

1. Creatures Of The Night (Oleg Ditrich, Jonas Sayewell) - 3:05

2. Rivendell - 3:52

3. Wonder (Jonas Sayewell) - 4:48

4. Rivendell South - 0:48

5. Land Of A Mordor - 3:49

6. Trees And Grass - 2:04

7. East Of Greyhaven - 4:17

8. A History Book (Jonas Sayewell) - 3:32

9. Thuner - 2:59

10.Grove - 2:01

11.Sky - 1:20

12.Dark Lord (Oleg Ditrich, Jonas Sayewell) - 2:33

13.Rivendell East - 1:39

14.Aragorn - 2:52

15.Ends Of Time - 1:52

16.Dance Of The Ring (Oleg Ditrich, Jonas Sayewell) - 1:32

17.And The People And The Night - 7:50

All compositions by Oleg Ditrich except where indicated

Aragorn

*Michael Vidale - Bass

*Peter Nykyruj - Drums, Percussion

*John Simpson - Electric Guitar

*Jonas Sayewell - Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

*Oleg Ditrich - Piano, Keyboards, Vocals

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Bullfrog - High In Spirits (1977 germany, strong hard rock with hammond organ and prog touches, 2009 remaster and expanded)

Bullfrog played classic seventies hard rock, which in terms of sound is reminiscent of big names like Deep Purple , Rainbow or Uriah Heep , but nevertheless has its own note and independence. Starting with the raspy, rough voice of Gerd Hoch , through the superb, fresh and rousing guitar work of Sebastian Leitner , the cool grooving and equally explosive substructure of Vincent Trost (bass) and Bruno Perosa (drums) to the first-class keyboard work of Harald Kaltenecker, here were exceptionally good musicians at the start, who made "High In Spirits" the high-class album that it finally became.

The rocking title track opens the dance with small funky sprinklings and the keyboard (mostly on this track) reminiscent of Jon Lord . The following "Feelin' Allright" is a great grooving mid-tempo rocker, with a running time of more than six minutes, especially the guitar and the keys provide exclamation marks. "Be Yourself" was released as a single and is a killer ballad with a very successful vocal melody and a Gerd Hoch , who was able to fully show off his whiskey-soaked vocal cords here. A strong song that not only goes straight to the ear, but also gets stuck there.

But with "Rollin' Again" and "Free Spirit" the gas pedal is pushed harder again! Especially the boogie rocker "Free Spirit" gets you in a good mood, while in "Rollin' Again" the creaking bass carries everything away and the keyboard once again sets the tone. It's half time now and my bad memories of the band have long since faded, or rather been swept off the table completely! At just under nine minutes, "A Housepainter's Song" is the longest track on the disc. After a guitar/keyboard intro lasting about two minutes, the band once again slides into a melodic verse of highsThen vote the necessary dirt, i.e. the corners and edges are missed. Fat guitar melodies make the title downright epic, but they always find their way back to the verses in good time. My personal highlight on "High In Spirits"!

After the straight forward rocking "Live" follows the last piece with "LA Police #55". And this is where it gets down to business with such a relaxed, swinging, rocking energy that you are inevitably carried away. A worthy conclusion to a great disc!

The mix of the record, released in 1977, was done by Krautrock producer legend Conny Planck . On the new edition of "High In Spirits" to be discussed here, all eight tracks were added a second time as a bonus. And this in the original mix completed by the band in the recording studio. The biggest difference is that the bonus tracks sound a bit rougher.

Ultimately, it remains to be said that "High In Spirits" is a very strong rock album by this band, which rightly claims its special place in German rock history and was therefore also highly deservedly re-released. So, I'll see if I can get Bullfrog 's Rockpalast performance again. It seems to me that I was fundamentally wrong in my opinion at the time! 

by Markus Kerren, November 8th, 2009

Tracks

1. High In Spirits - 3:19

2. Feelin' Allright - 6:05

3. Be Yourself - 3:21

4. Rollin' Again - 3:32

5. Free Spirit - 2:54

6. A Housepainter's Song - 8:53

7. Live - 3:46

8. L.A. Police No. 55. - 5:09 

9. High In Spirits - 3:19

10.Feelin' Allright - 6:04

11.Be Yourself - 3:19

12.Rollin' Again - 3:41

13.Free Spirit - 2:54

14.A Housepainter' Song - 8:30

15.Live - 3:46

16.L.A. Police No. 55 - 5:08

All compositions by Sebastian Leitner, Gerd Hoch

Tracks 1-8 from "High In Spirits" 1977

Bonus Tracks 9-16 The Unreleased Hiltpoltstein Mix

Bullfrog

*Gerd Hoch - Vocals

*Sebastian Leitner - Guitars

*Harald Kaltenecker - Keyboards

*Vincent Trost - Bass

*Bruno Perosa - Drums, Percussion

With

*Günter Kaup- Backing Vocals

*Uwe Hillmer - Backing Vocals

*William Candler - Backing Vocals

1976  Bullfrog - Bullfrog (2013 remaster)

  

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Sky - Don't Hold Back (1970 us, fantastic power pop classic rock, 2010 bonus tracks remaster)

As part of an ongoing commemorative series of releases, the family of Doug Fieger is making available two albums by Fieger’s first band, Sky. Forty years after their original release on vinyl, Don’t Hold Back and Sailor’s Delight are being released digitally to a new generation. Better known as the lead singer of The Knack and co-writer of the #1 song of 1979, My Sharona, Fieger’s place in rock history might never have happened had it not been for the Cinderella story of Sky, nearly ten years earlier.

In 1970, Sky, whose members included Fieger, John Coury and Robert Greenfield, was achieving local success in Detroit. Although underage, the band was frequently booked at the concert venue, The Grande Ballroom, as the opening act for a powerhouse succession of groups including The Who, Joe Cocker and Jeff Beck. In a display of youthful bravado Fieger and Coury sent a letter to legendary producer, Jimmy Miller - Rolling Stones, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, saying that if he ever found himself in Detroit he should come by and listen to their band, and to everyone’s surprise, Miller took them up on the offer.

“On his way to LA he made a pit-stop in Detroit,” recalls Greenfield. “He came to Doug's parents’ house and we played for him in their basement. The next day Jimmy Miller told us he would like us to come to London to produce us. That was the goal we had worked so hard for.”

Within weeks of graduating from high school, a seventeen year-old Fieger and his bandmates were on a plane to London and Olympic Studios with a recording contract on RCA records.

With Miller on board, the lineup of musicians that came in to work with Sky reads like a Who’s Who of 60s rock and roll: Bobby Keys on sax, Jim Price on trumpet, Nicky Hopkins on keyboards as well as Gary Wright - who also produced, Chris Wood - Traffic on woodwinds, and Ian Stewart on piano. Andy Johns - Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., Goat's Head Soup and Led Zeppelin IV engineered and shared producer credit.

Don’t Hold Back was released that year and work on the second album Sailor’s Delight began almost immediately - in LA and at the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio at Mick Jagger’s mansion, Stargroves; this time with a new drummer, 16 year-old Rob Stawinski. Sky returned to LA for the 1971 release of the album, but marketing was weak and sales were tepid. The band broke up and went their separate ways. Fieger went on to co-found The Knack, but he remained close friends with Coury, who also found success in the music business, recording with Don Henley and co-writing the hit “Last Worthless Evening.” In 1994 he played on The Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over and continued to tour with them until 2000. Stawinski toured with Badfinger before returning to his hometown near Detroit. Of his time with Sky Stawinski comments, “I am proud, to this day, of what we accomplished.”

After Fieger’s death in 2010 his family decided to go about obtaining the rights from RCA. However, this project was not purely sentimental. Not only did they believe in the quality of the material - all written by Fieger and Coury, but having seen that Sky was frequently referenced on Knack message boards, the family concluded that there was also general interest in the music and wanted to make it available to fans.

Long-time Knack producer Richard Bosworth was called in to digitally re-master the songs. The project interested him immediately; despite having worked so closely with Doug he knew of Sky, but had never heard the songs before. He was not disappointed. “I - was impressed with the quality of songs Sky composed for theses two albums,” he says. “I've become a fan.”

Discovered among the recordings were some titles and mixes that did not appear on the original albums. They have been included as bonus tracks on the re-releases as a treat for those fans from long ago who never expected to hear a “new” Sky song after all these years.

by Heather Noonan, April 12, 2011

Tracks

1. Goodie Two Shoes - 2:52

2. Take Off And Fly - 4:41

3. Rockin' Me Yet - 3:08

4. I Still Do (Doug Fieger, John Coury) - 3:25

5. Make It In Time (Doug Fieger, John Coury) - 4:14

6. One Love (Doug Fieger, John Coury) - 2:54

7. There In The Greenbriar - 4:07

8. How's That Treatin' Your Mouth, Babe? - 2:57

9. Homin' Ground - 1:59

10.Feels Like 1000 Years - 5:08

11.You Are The One - 3:59

12.Anomona Getcha (John Coury) - 2:45

13.Watcha Gonna Do - 2:20

All songs by Doug Fieger except where stated

Sky

*John Coury - Flute, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals

*Douglas Lars Fieger - Bass, Guitar, Vocals

*Rob Stawinski - Drums, Percussion

With

*Bobby Keys - Saxophone

*Jim Price - Saxophone

*Bob Greenfield - Drums

*Alan White - Drums

*Chris Wood - Flute

*Gary Wright - Keyboards

*P.P. Arnold - Vocals

*Flo Bender - Vocals 

*Doris Troy - Vocals

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The Albert - The Albert (1970 us, fascinating blues jazz brass rock, Vinyl edition)

Albert where formed late sixties in New York City by the time when Otis Smith left his band  (All Night Workers, which found national success with its 1965 recording “Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket,” a tune that was paired with “Why Don’t You Smile?,” co-written by friends Reed and John Cale), round  1968, by which point Smith had moved to New York City’s Albert Hotel, where he met musicians like Howard Wyeth, Jon Huston, Paul Dickler among others. 

The hotel was located in Greenwich Vllage in New York City and was a hangout of many musicians, such as Tim Buckley, Mike Bloomfield, Skip Spence, Mama Cass Elliot, Jonathan Richman, John Sebastian, James Taylor, Frank Zappa and many others. It was actually a shelter and several musicians had negative experiences. 

Smith and his friends created a shape which they called "The Albert" apparently after the name of the hotel. They released two albums by the same name "The Albert". Their musical horizons were quite wide, from elements of jazz, blues, psychedelic rock with lots of horns, splendid vocals and great guitar work. After achieving limited success as The Albert, some of the members joined Bob Dylan for his Rolling Thunder Revue and recordings.

Otis Smith passed away in 2008, and Howard Wyeth the keyboardist and drummer who was the one of the guys who joined Dylan’s band, died March 27, 1996.

Tracks

1. Pity The Child (John Trivers, Marcia Hillman) - 6:12

2. Things Ain't Easy (Jon Huston) - 7:13

3. Cold 'n' Hard (Louis St. Louis) - 7:33

4. Been So Good (For So Long) (Louis St. Louis) - 8:39

5. Misery (Lloyd Baskin) - 4:37

6. Let It Fall (Howard Wyeth) - 6:13

The ALbert

*Otis Smith - Vocals, Congas

*Frank Vicari - Tenor Saxophone 

*Michael Gibson - Lead Trombone 

*Jon Huston - Solo Trombone, Trumpet 

*Jay Silva - Lead Trumpet 

*Richard Meisterman - Solo Trumpet 

*Paul Dickler - Guitar 

*Howard Wyeth - Organ, Piano 

*Paul Petruccelli - Bass 

*Barry Lazarowitz - Drums

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Second Life - Second Life (1971 germany, tough stoner krautrock, digipak remaster)

Second Life is a hard rock power-trio from Frankfurt, which should appeal to Jimi Hendrix fans. Their self-titled debut LP relies heavily on the Hendrix power-trio approach as the overall feel of the music and especially the vocals has Hendrix written all over it. The album kicks off with the twenty-minute epic ‘Second Life’. A collage of explosions introduces the track before giving way to some rather downbeat acoustic guitar and vocals. Slowly the track builds into a heavy guitar jam (the second life) containing heavy blues rock riffs and Hendrix-styled guitar solos before giving way to a six-minute drum solo. 

Following this solo the track returns to the heavy riff motifs that were featured earlier before ending with another collage of explosions. ‘I’m Going’ follows a similar path in that it starts off slow before building up steam. The guitar on this track sounds a bit psychedelic and the vocals sound like Hendrix. ‘Raiders Of Night’ is a heavy anthem containing a heavy riff and a catchy chorus. ‘Sunshine Is Dying’ and ‘Hate’ close out the album in similar fashion with ‘Hate’ being the stronger of the two tracks. Overall this album is a good first outing. Soon after its release the band changed their name to Tiger B. Smith

Tracks

1. Second Life - 20:55

2. I'm Going - 5:37

3. Raiders Of Night - 4:58

4. Sunshine Is Dying - 5:27

5. Hate - 5:02

All compositions by Holger Schmidt, Claus Meinhardt, Karl-Heinz Trauth

Second Life

*Holger Schmidt - Guitar, Vocals

*Claus Meinhardt - Bass, Vocals

*Karl-Heinz Trauth - Drums

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Overland Stage - Overland Stage (1972 us, wonderful prog folk rock harmonies with spiritual references)

Although it was released in 1972 by the major label Columbia, it disappeared without a trace.

Overland Stage was six-piece from Fargo, North Dakota. They moved to West Coast to record their self titled album.. Except for "To The Park" (recorded in Chicago), the album was all recorded at Columbia Studio in San Francisco, but the members must have felt something very different from the desolate atmosphere of their hometowns.

The back of the album has a brief band introduction beginning with "Six Jesus freaks playing rock and roll". Therefore, although it is classified as Christian music, the sound is more progressive folk rock with a light swamp color that reflects from  the lightness of the guitar and the coolness of the vocals and chorus. It also has a quirky feel, with effective use of conga and flute, and the occasional use of unique rhythms.　

I think songs like Stephen Stills' "Cherokee", which has a dry chorus and flute is like a desert drive, "It's Just Life", has an acoustic vibe  that fits with the flute, are their signature style. Ballads like "Will Leave Me" have a healing taste to Christians. "Don't You Believe", has a pleasant mellow repetition, and the groovy cover of Trilogy's "I'm Beginning To Feel It" is fab. In conclusion the feel is a warm minor wind blowing through the desolate land.

Tracks

1. Salvation (Dave Hanson) - 3:24

2. Cherokee (Stephen Stills) - 3:53

3. She Will Leave Me (Julian Elofson) - 3:11

4. I'm Beginning To Feel It (Kevin McCann) - 2:58

5. Brother Moses (Dave Hanson, Julian Elofson) - 5:30

6. To The Park (Rick Johnsgard) - 3:08

7. After You Leave Me (George Clinton) - 3:15

8. Don't You Believe It (Dave Hanson) - 3:11

9. It's Just Life (Rick Johnsgard) - 3:55

10.Indian (Dave Hanson, Julian Elofson) - 4:49

Overland Stage

*Julian "Al" Elofson - Vocals, Congas 

*Don "Milker" Miller - Guitar 

*Rick "Banch" Johnsgard - Guitar, Flute, Vocals 

*Jim "Bink" Flint - Organ, Piano 

*Steve "Boobs" Babbs - Bass 

*Dave "Mort" Hanson - Drums, Vocals

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