15 Good Blues-Psych-Progressive-Heavy Albums 1967-72
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Eddie Boyd and His Blues Band - Featuring Peter Green (1967)
"Five Long Years." Cut in 1951, Boyd's masterpiece has attracted faithful covers by B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Buddy Guy, and too many other bluesmen to recount here. But Boyd's discography is filled with evocative compositions, often full of after-hours ambience.
Like so many Chicago blues stalwarts, Boyd hailed from the fertile Mississippi Delta. The segregationist policies that had a stranglehold on much of the South didn't appeal to the youngster, so he migrated up to Memphis (where he began to play the piano, influenced by Roosevelt Sykes and Leroy Carr). In 1941, Boyd settled in Chicago, falling in with the "Bluebird beat" crowd that recorded for producer Lester Melrose. He backed harp legend Sonny Boy Williamson on his 1945 classic "Elevator Woman," also accompanying Bluebird stars Jazz Gillum, Tampa Red, and Jazz Gillum on wax. Melrose produced Boyd's own 1947 recording debut for RCA as well; the pianist stayed with Victor through 1949.
Boyd reportedly paid for the date that produced "Five Long Years" himself, peddling the track to JOB Records (where the stolid blues topped the R&B charts during 1952). Powerful DJ Al Benson signed Boyd to a contract with his Parrot imprint and promptly sold the pact to Chess, inaugurating a stormy few years with Chicago's top blues outlet. There he waxed "24 Hours" and "Third Degree," both huge R&B hits in 1953, and a host of other Chicago blues gems. But Boyd and Leonard Chess were often at loggerheads, so it was on to Narvel "Cadillac Baby" Eatmon's Bea & Baby imprint in 1959 for eight solid sides with Robert Lockwood Jr. on guitar, and a slew of lesser labels after that. A serious auto wreck in 1957 had stalled his career for a spell.
Sick of the discrimination he perceived toward African Americans in this country, Boyd became enamored of Europe during his tour with the 1965 American Folk Blues Festival, so he moved to Belgium. The recording opportunities long denied him in his native land were plentiful overseas; Boyd cut prolifically during the late '60s, including two LPs for producer Mike Vernon. In the early '70s, he settled in Helsinki, Finland, where he played often and lived comfortably until his death.
1 Too Bad, Pt. 1 Boyd 2:45
2 Dust My Broom James 2:37
3 Unfair Lovers Boyd 3:33
4 Key to the Highway Broonzy, Segar 2:32
5 Vacation from the Blues Boyd 2:04
6 Steakhouse Rock Boyd 4:10
7 Letter Missin' Blues Boyd 3:43
8 Ain't Doin' Too Bad Boyd 3:10
9 Blue Coat Man Boyd 2:30
10 The Train Is Coming Boyd 4:26
11 Save Her Doctor Boyd 2:49
12 Rack 'Em Back Boyd 3:30
13 Too Bad, Pt. 2 Boyd 2:47
14 The Big Bell Boyd 4:43
15 Pinetop's Boogie Woogie Smith 2:25
16 Night Time Is the Right Time Oden, Sykes 3:04
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Egg - Egg (1st Album Progressive Jazz UK 1970)
With a strong Canterbury influence implanted into their sound, Egg's first album has the band looking to establish their niche as a progressive group, with Dave Stewart's sharp, effective keyboard work outlining much of the album's overall feel. Mixing jazz and progressive rock drifts, the tracks on Egg contain rhythms and meters that are never at a standstill, with ongoing instrumental action encompassing nearly every track. Numerous classical overtones make for a familiar listen against a backdrop of loose-ended jazz fusion and an unordered yet inviting array of haphazard progressive spillages. The fragmented instrumentals sport an attractive inexperience, especially on "Bulb" and "The Song of McGillicudie the Pussilanimous," which also introduce Egg's lighthearted whimsy. Both "Blane" and "I Will Be Absorbed" represent the most colorful example of Egg's progressive rock fundamentals, with quick tempos and assertive keyboard runs. Although Egg's cohesiveness as a band is in its early stages, Dave Stewart ascertains himself as an elite keyboard player throughout the album, later moving on to play with Hatfield and the North and National Health. Egg's next album, 1971's Polite Force, has them sounding firmer and more self-contained, but their debut presents an entertaining example of different progressive genres playing off of one another.
1. Bulb
2. While Growing My Hair
3. I Will Be Absorbed
4. Fugue in D Minor
5. They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano...
6. Song of McGillicudie the Pusillanimous
7. Boilk
8. Symphony No. 2: First Movement
9. Symphony No. 2: Second Movement
10. Symphony No. 2: Blane
11. Symphony No. 2: Third Movement [#]
12. Symphony No. 2: Fourth Movement
13. Seven Is a Jolly Good Time
14. You Are All Princes
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Elf - Elf (Good UK Hardrock w. Ronnie James Dio 1972)
An up and coming rock musician named Ronald Padavona (better known as Ronnie James Dio) had been making rock and roll since the fifties, but unfortunately, he hadn't found any major success. On the good side, the seventies would be the decade that would ultimately bring him the popularity he has had ever since. In the sixties he formed a band called the Electric Elves (he'd had MANY bands prior), later simply called the Elves and even later, just Elf. Even though nearly a decade and a half had passed since Padavona began making music, Elf's first full-length album would be his first truly mainstream release. Read on for my review of the group's first album.
I should probably warn all you potential listeners - if you're looking for hard rock in the vain of Dio's solo, Rainbow, or Black Sabbath material, you're not going to find it here. This isn't hard rock, it's bluesy rock. Likewise, while their first album, this is probably the weakest of the three. For one thing, this is the only album ever recorded on which Dio does vocals AND bass (the band would recruit a separate bassist for later albums so Dio could focus on his singing.) It's also the only Elf album that features Dio's cousin David Feinstein on guitar (he'd go on to form another group, called the Rods, and be replaced in Elf.) The blues rock that the band shells out on this album is very good - Mickey Lee Soule is quite the piano player, and his playing beautifully complements Feinstein's guitar and Dio's vocals. Despite being what is probably the weakest and least-polished Elf album, it's still worthy of a four out of five score in my book.
Unfortunately, all of the Elf albums are long since out of print. Don't count on finding this one in any store - it isn't too likely to happen. You're probably going to have to end up ordering it, along with the others. Accordingly, due to their limited availability, I really only suggest getting them if you're a die-hard Dio fan who wants to see how his mainstream career got started.
Elf's first album is very good blues rock, but the group's latter two albums would be considerably more well polished. The latter albums would feature a separate bass player, as well as the replacement of David Feinstein. If you like blues rock or you just want to see what Dio sounded like before he was popular, by all means check Elf out. Just be warned, their stuff is tough to find.
1. Hoochie Coochie Lady
2. First Avenue
3. Never More
4. I'm Coming Back for You
5. Sit Down Honey (Everything Will Be Alright)
6. Dixie Lee Junction
7. Love Me Like a Woman
8. Gambler, Gambler
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Elias Hulk - Unchained (Good UK Heavy Progressive 1970)
CD re-issue of this rare early 70's acid blues tinged psyche set. Very much in the UK blues boom hard rock mould this album is very seldom seen in it's original pressing. Plenty of long guitar breaks and an album comparable to Leafhound, Killing Floor, Jasper and other simlilar bands of the era.
This rare hard rock album, very much in the mould of Leaf Hound, now changes hands for considerable sums. It's full of endless riffs, tortured blues vocals and drum and bass solos. Frankly, I found this all rather tedious!
01 - Anthology Of Dreams - 3.08
02 - Nightmare - 3.11
03 - Been Around Too Long - 3.01
04 - Yesterday's Trip - 3.55
05 - We Can Fly - 6.16
06 - Free - 3.36
07 - Delphi Blues - 4.17
08 - Ain't Got You - 3.25
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Fairfield Parlour - From Home To Home (Ex UK Kaleidoscope 1970)
Originally released in 1970 on Vertigo, this is a collectable album that Kaleidoscope recorded under a different name. Pretty good '60s-influenced British pop psychedelia.
Melody Maker: Where do all these groups keep coming from? Here we have yet another band who emerge from nowhere with an album full of memorable songs, beautifully conceived and executed. Maybe it`s a measure of the wealth of their material that their minor hit, `Bordeaux Rosé` is not even included here. It`s a gentle, lyrical, happy-sad album and very English with fine harmonies floating above solid and unflashy playing on keyboards, acoustic guitars, flute and occasional touches of mellotron. At times there`s an early Fairport feel -- maybe because singer, Peter Daltrey sounds faintly similar to Ian Matthews -- but comparisons are unfair, for this is one of those happy bands who seems to have evolved their own style in a short space of time. It`s an album with a lot of character and deserves a listen from anyone who veers towards the gentler side of rock.
Track Listings:
1. Aries
2. In My Box
3. By Your Bedside
4. Soldier Of The Flesh
5. I Will Always Feel The Same
6. Free
7. Emily
8. Chalk On The Wall
9. Glorious House Of Arthur
10. Monkey
11. Sunny Side Circus
12. Drummer Boy Of Shiloh
13. Bordeaux Rose (Bonus Track)
14. Chalk On The Wall (Mono Single Version) (Bonus Track)
15. Just Another Day (Bonus Track)
16. Caraminda (Bonus Track)
17. I Am All The Animals (Bonus Track)
18. Song For You (Bonus Track)
19. Bordeaux Rose (Alternate Version) (Bonus Track)
20. Baby Stay For Tonight (Bonus Track)
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Felt - Felt (US Psychedelic Rock From Alabama 1971)
Superb turn of the decade psych rock from Alabama USA. Melodic Floyd-like progressive flourishes but with blistering acid guitar, soulful vocals and shimmering keyboards. Crashing riffs and peaceful waves abound. Originally on the same label as Electric Toilet. A good un'.
In 1971 a young man by the name of Myke Jackson (name sound familiar?) composed music, played guitar, and sang his way through this solid recording session of rock music excellence. The self titled "Felt" offered up some progressive rock sounds influenced by the blues. That strong combination gave this LP more than one leg to stand on in a musical sense of the word.
In the year 2000 Akarma Records reissued the forgotten classic to remind us all of the talent of Jackson and his group. As far as I know, this is the only release the group ever had. They made their mark, and impressively, then walked away from it all. Some of the members showed up in different groups over the years to continue their careers (Guitarist Lee would later go on to become a member of the punk band the Dickies in the late '70s).
Progressive rock fans will enjoy the heavy-duty guitar passages and whirling keyboards, while blues fans will hear the emotions and sounds of the blues soaked in every song. For me that was enough to impress, and it kept my attention from beginning to end. If you can feel the music, then consider yourself Felt.
Side One
1. Look At The Sun-3:18
2. Now She's Gone-5:29
3. Weepin' Mama Blues-4:40
4. World-5:36
Side Two
1. The Change-10:00
2. Destination-6:43
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Five Day Rain - Selftitled (UK Psych Monster 1969)
Factory/Fleur de Lys connected early '70s UK psych monster with all the right moves. Sounds like the aforementioned bands with dash of Ogden's period Small Faces. Great guitar work particularly on the long trippy instumental "Rough Cut Marmalade".... Ace album.
One of the rarest UK albums; just 15 copies of this album were put out but soon after someone circulated 'white label' copies of it so beware of these.
Graham Maitland had earlier been in Scots Of St James and Hopscotch. He was also in The Fleur de Lys in their final days. The album contained some adventurous pop compositions often with a taint of psychedelia but it was eventually put out as a private pressing in a plain white cover because no label was interested in it. Notable cuts are the 11-minute instrumental Rough Cut Marmalade, which is the album's most psychedelic offering; the catchy Sea Song and keyboard driven Leave It At That.
The CD reissue omitted Too Much Of Nothing and tampered with Marie's A Woman. Graham Maitland was later in Glencoe but the other members quit the music business.
Tracklist:
1. Marie's a Woman 2-46
2. Leave It At That 4-30
3. Don't Be Misled 2-18
4. Rough Cut Marmalade 11-04
5. Goodyear 4-01
6. Sea Song 4-12
7. Lay Me Down 1-16
8. Reason Why 4-42
9. Fall Out 4-12
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Fraction - Moon Blood (US Heavy Psychedelia 1971)
"This 1971 release on the Angelus label (Angelus 571) was limited to only 200 copies, so originals are worth a small fortune. Fraction, with vocalist Jim Beach bearing an uncanny vocal resemblance to Jim Morrision (although he was singing on Sunset Strip long before Morrison took to the stage), were often compared favourably with the Doors, although their quasi-religious message would probably not have found favour with the recently-departed Morrison. Indeed, this rather fine album was once famously described as the album the Doors probably wished they had made! Underpinned by guitarist Don Swanson's superb Ritchie Blackmorestyle guitar work, this is an album full of beautiful psychedelia, acid and hard rock, at once emblematic of the era but not dated by its association. The five original compositions are all of the highest quality and the contribution of Beach's Morrison-esque vocals place a stamp of originality on the recording that endures from beginning to end."
01 - Sanc-Divided
02 - Come Out Of Her
03 - Eye Of The Hurricane
04 - Sons Come To Birth
05 - This Bird
06 - Sky High
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Freedom´s Children - Galactic Vibes (South African Heavy Progressive 1972)
Biography:
Extracts from The Story of Freedom's Children by Tom Jasiukowicz (sleeve notes from Astra re-issue in 1997)
If ever there was a rock band around which a legend was created, then Freedom's Children were that band. Were they simply a broken-hearted horde writing psychedelic love songs? Were they galactic flyers in tune with astral days? Or were Freedom's Children just one of the best rock bands the world ever heard, or is it appropriate to say categorically that Freedom's Children were the best band the world never heard.
An ironic suggestion, perhaps, but one with a lot of truth in it. That the circumstances surrounding their existence played against them does not detract from the fact that the original group formed in the year and in the world of music, the ground was breaking.
In contrast to the hit parade sounds of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Monkees, groups like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd were producing albums marked by their experimental creativity and music styles termed acid rock or astral music.
In 1966, Ramsay Mackay and Colin Pratley had teamed up in Durban to experiment with their music ideas. In Cape Town they met Kenny Henson, who had been playing blues with Leeman Ltd., and together with Jimmy Thompson, of the same band, they began to perform as Freedom's Children. Their sound was acid-astral rock.
South Africans had not been prepared for this group. The group created controversy and newspaper headlines, in every small South African town they performed at. Some towns banned them. But to those who understood quality rock, Freedom's Children provided their break with conventional thinking and music ideas.
Julian Laxton replaced Kenny Henson on guitar in 1968 and Harry Poulus joined on keyboards. The group travelled to England but, perhaps for the reason that the group was from South Africa, and the politics of apartheid swayed opinion, the musicians were refused work permits and so their dream of attracting world acclaim faded. While the group returned to South Africa disillusioned, began work on the recording of the 'Astra' album.
The album provided the magic of a classic rock album. There were dramatic climaxes, socio-philosophical lyrics, hard, pulsating rhythms, blistering lead guitar solos, sense-riveting sound-effects and soaring vocals.
Ramsay Mackay left the group after the recording of 'Astra' and it was Julian Laxton who drove the band on their last album, 'Galactic Vibes', and where the music on it was still devastatingly good, the aura of 'Astra' had dissipated.
Ramsay Mackay, Colin Pratley, Kenny Henson, Julian Laxton and Brian Davidson all carried on producing music in their respective forms and styles, through the Seventies and Eighties. But if the world of South Africa had been perfect, and had Freedom's Children achieved their breakthrough in England, one can only speculate how difficult the success of this group would have been. The world would have heard some good creative music.
Long live Freedom's Children!
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Freedoms Children
(taken for the Afterglow website with kind permission of Matthias Bock, 2001)
Picture the late 1960s, South Africa. A country isolated from the rest of the world because of their racist government, shunned by almost everybody. The last place you would expect to be hit by the late 60s teenage rebellion, drugs & music scene. And a trade ban that makes it difficult for anything to leave this country except for gold and diamonds so much "needed" by the West (OK, no treatise on business and ethics today).
...difficult for anything to leave... and be heard of about in the world...
This was the sad fate of a rock band who evidently were musical genuises of their time, but had the misfortune to live and perform in a place shunned and ignored by the world, which explains why their recordings are so rare and expensive while still being known only to a handful of record collectors.
However, they were no neighbourhood rock band somewhere in Durban, South Africa. They were a band approaching superstar status after their second LP "Astra", playing live on New Year's Day (probably 1971) to an attendance of 10,000 people, as the sleeve notes to their last album "Galactic Vibes" tell us.
They left behind a legacy of three full-length albums. Remember, this was thirty years ago, when most promising bands did not record more than two or three 45s before vanishing into oblivion! I know little of the details like exactly when their LPs were released and under which catalogue numbers - until about two years ago, I did not even know that they made an album before "Astra". So, although it is a little wanting, here is their discography:
Battle Hymn for the Broken Hearted Horde (196
Astra (1970) Galactic Vibes (1972) They also released a number 45s, but I know nothing about them.
There are no legit reissues of these recordings that I have heard of. "Battle Hymn" so far has only made it to a vinyl repro in 1995 (with a print run of 300), "Astra" was reissued on CD twice (In England in 1993, and on the German label TRC in the same year), whereas "Galactic Vibes" has been reissued both on vinyl (300 copies only) and on CD in recent years. If you entertain thoughts of trying to locate one of the "Astra" CDs, get the TRC reissue. The other release has been carelessly remastered from a very deteriorated LP, resulting in a rather distorted sound throughout the whole album.
Both "Battle Hymn" and "Astra" are concept albums, telling a story, or sharing a common theme between all of the songs. As I still have to lend a careful ear to "Battle Hymn", I will not elaborate on it. "Astra" revolves around the life of Jesus, although I have heard of a few people misinterpreting it as a very bad experience of the Vietnam war... "Galactic Vibes" looks and sounds like a kind of good-bye album for the stalwart fans, containing a 16-minute live version of their song "The Homecoming" which also is on the "Astra" LP, and a number of odds and ends that do not sound as if they were intended to be on the same album.
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Haslop's Hitstory
(as heard on The Bruce Millar Show on SAfm, 28 August 2002)
FREEDOM'S CHILDREN
by Richard Haslop
A few years ago I was at the Austin Record Convention in Texas. While drifting around the vast Palmer Auditorium, listening to thousands of people speaking American, I suddenly heard a South African accent. It came from a guy - who told me he had moved some years before from Johannesburg to Houston - who ran a stall that specialized in psychedelic and prog-rock albums on vinyl. But occupying pride of place, propped up right at the front of his table, was a CD copy of Astra by Freedom's Children. I thought it must be a bootleg, as the album had not yet been released on CD in South Africa.
I have subsequently learned - courtesy of the excellent SA Rock Digest website, which was extraordinarily useful in the compilation of this Hitstory - that there were 1993 CD reissues in Germany and the UK, so I guess he might have had some of those. Anyway, he was asking a fairly fearsome price, and seemed satisfied that he'd sell all of his copies quite soon.
Now, I imagine that the majority of listeners, even in South Africa, don't know who Freedom's Children were, so I can do no better than quote, as their web page does, a couple of lines from ex-Radio Rat Jonathan Handley's Yeoville Canticle, which is featured (twice) on the Glee Club album, Lexicon For A Lunatic: "What say you Ramsay Mackay? What ever happened to Freedom's Children? In your time you had the best band in the land."
There are still those, in fact, who believe that Freedom's Children was South Africa's greatest ever rock group.
Freedom's Children was formed in Durban in 1966 by Scottish-born bass player Ramsay Mackay, guitarist Kenny Henson, who had been playing in Leemen Limited, and drummer Colin Pratley, who had come down from Springs. Mackay, from Eshowe, had been playing in a group called Seven Faces.
Oddly, according to Nic Martens, who would go on to play keyboards in Freedom's Children, another group, also calling itself Lehman Limited (spelling its name differently), and including himself, Mackay and Pratley, had existed in Pretoria the previous year. Martens says that he was unaware of Henson's band of almost the same name, and Kenny Henson has told me that he was unaware of the other band.
Anyway, Freedom's Children - Martens says the name was his idea - was formed, but without Martens. The original keyboard player was Jimmy Thompson. Martens joined the Noel McDermott Band, and then John E. Sharpe's Blues Band, where he played with Julian Laxton, who had been one third of folk trio Mel, Mel & Julian.
The original version of Freedom's Children recorded two singles, The Coffee Song backed with a cover of the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction, and a cover of the Yardbirds' You're A Better Man Than I, backed with Mud In Your Eye. The next Freedom's Children line-up would also feature a Yardbirds song, Little Games, on a single.
Henson left the band in 1968, going on to form the semi-legendary Abstract Truth with Mike Dickman and Pete Measroch, and was replaced on guitar by Julian Laxton. Among others who spent a short time with - if perhaps not in - the band at this stage were keyboard players Craig Ross and Harry Poulus, who had been with Four Jacks & A Jill, and saxman Mike Faure.
The group's first album came out that year, though it seems that the release of Battle Hymn Of The Broken Hearted Horde caused concern among the band members, at least one of whom was upset that it had been released at all. Bizarrely, it included a Pepsi Cola advert among the late psychedelia/early prog-rock of the rest of the record.
Martens plays on the album, along with Mackay, Pratley, Laxton and a few guests, among whom, though not yet a member of the band, was vocalist Brian Davidson.
South Africa has always been a small and relatively insignificant rock 'n' roll country, so Freedom's Children, like so many others, went to the UK. But the group could not get work permits to play over there, so they came back and went into the studio to prepare for the recording of their next - and best known - album, Astra.
Martens had gone to the UK himself in early 1970 in search of studio engineering work. He had encountered similar work permit problems, but had spent a few months hanging out at EMI's Abbey Road studios soaking in the atmosphere and learning a huge amount about recording. On his return he went looking for work at EMI studios in South Africa, and encountered Mackay and Pratley, who persuaded him to play keyboards on and engineer the new Freedom's Children album.
He had exactly one week to learn the songs, which were then recorded, on fairly rudimentary equipment, between a Friday night and the following Monday morning. Since Martens had two jobs to do, he got no sleep at all.
Astra was released in 1970 and has become one of SA rock's best-loved albums. By this time Brian Davidson was doing all the singing - though Mackay performs the recitation at the end - and Gerard Nel also played keyboards. It is apparently the only South African album to have been released in all possible formats, including 8-track tape and CD.
It featured a song called The Kid He Came From Hazareth. This was originally The Kid He Came From Nazareth, but the old SABC called it blasphemous, and refused to playlist it. However, they would do so, they said, if the necessary changes were made, both to the song's title and lyrics. So they were, with the band actually re-recording the song to include the word "Hazareth". The song was later recorded by the group Wildebeest as Russian And Chips. Mackay once said about their gigs, that, "Some guys from the Dutch Reformed Church, the mayor & police came to see us, they said we were deranging the minds of our audiences."
During 1970 Freedom's Children also played on three tracks of a Dickie Loader album in one of South African music's most unlikely collaborations.
Ramsay Mackay then left the band, to be replaced on bass by Barry Irwin, which caused a new set of problems. According to Pratley, "What I can remember about those days vividly was being sent on a nation wide tour in a VW Kombi. EMI paid us R1 a day each ... Barry Irwin was never allowed into hotels and had to sleep in the Kombi and, at some concerts in really politically sensitive towns, had to wear a T-shirt over his head. Barry wasn't white like us."
This line-up recorded the third and last Freedom's Children album, Galactic Vibes, which included strings and a long Colin Pratley drum solo, recorded live from a time when Mackay was still with the band. The last two albums were produced by Clive Calder, who has just caused an enormous stir in the music industry worldwide by selling the remainder of his Zomba record company to BMG for an astonishing three billion dollars. He has said that, "In my opinion Freedom's Children was then and probably still is today the only SA rock group that, given the right circumstances in the right geographical location, could have become an internationally successful rock band just by being themselves and doing what they did."
There have been some attempts at resurrecting the band over the years, one of which, in 1973, featured Trevor Rabin and Ronnie Robot; and a Kenny Henson/Colin Pratley Christian album entitled A New Day was released in 1990 under the Freedom's Children name. In 1996 Henson, Davidson, Mackay and three others recorded Mummies (Back From The Dead), but it remains unreleased.
Let's give Julian Laxton the last word. "I felt that we were doing something different," he said recently. "I still do."
Track Listings
1. Sea Horses
2. Homecoming
3. That Did It
4. Fields & Me
5. Crazy World Of Pod
6. 1999
7. About The Dove & His King
8. Season (Bonus)
9. Judas Queen (Bonus)
10. Mrs Browning (Bonus)
11. Country Boy (Bonus)
12. Your Father's Eye (Bonus)
13. Ten Years Ago (Bonus)
14. Kafkasque (Bonus)
15. Boundsgreen Fair(Bonus)
16. Miss Wendy's Dancing Eyes (Bonus)
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Fuzzy Duck - Fuzzy Duck (Good UK Hardrock 1971)
This is one of the many harder-edged and organ dominated progressive bands that emerged in the early Seventies. Unfortunately very little is known about FUZZY DUCK?s history. The musicians were Paul Francis (drums, percussion), Mick (Doc) Hawksworth (bass, vocals, acoustic 12-string, electric cello), Roy (Daze) Sharland (organ, electric piano) and Grahame White (guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar). The eponymous album from 1971 was released on CD by both the German Repertoire Records and the UK Aftermath Records. It has obvious hints from mainly ATOMIC ROOSTER but also VANILLA FUDGE.
FUZZY DUCK?s music is simple but it touches me very much: pleasant vocals, a tight rhythm-section, strong guitarwork and, the most delightful element, floods of Hammond organ. This reminds me of Ken Hensley from early URIAH HEEP and Manfred Wieczorke from German heavy progressive band JANE. The guitarplay is also a good point, featuring fiery solos and catchy riffs. The final song ?A word from bid D? includes the so called ?ducking vocals? from keyboardplayer Roy (Daze) Sharland, very funny to hear. FUZZY DUCK's music has echoes from ATOMIC ROOSTER, SPENCER DAVIES GROUP, VANILLA FUDGE and QUATERMASS. If you like the Hammond organ, don?t miss this CD! By the way, I own the Aftermath CD version, it contains 11 tracks, including the previously unreleased ?No name face?.
Line-up
- Paul Francis / drums
- Mick Hawksworth / bass
- Roy Sharland / organ
- Graham White / lead vocals, guitar
Track listing
1. Time wil be your doctor (5:11)
2. Mrs Prouts (6:4
3. Just look around you (4:24)
4. Afternoon out (4:59)
5. More than I am (5:33)
6. Country boy (6:04)
7. In out time (6:41)
8. A word from bid D (1:41)
Bonus tracks on Repertoire:
9. Double time woman (3:00)
10. Big brass band (2:5
11. One more hour (3:59)
12. No name face (3:03)
Total Time: 54:21
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Geronimo - Cosmic Blues (1st Album German Hardrock 1970)
Jeronimo was a straight hard rock group that even enjoyed a bit of chart success in their time with "Heya" coupled with "So Nice To Know", their 1969 debut single for Admiral (AD 1105), "Na-na-hey-hey" coupled with "The Light Life Needs" (AD 1110, 1969) and "Never Coin' Back" coupled with "The Key" (AD 1133, 1970). By then they had already been together since the mid-sixties (?). Among the members from 1967 to 1968 were Walter Ortel, co-founder of Epsilon in 1970 with Michael Winzkowski and Michael Ertl. Jeronimo's first appearance on album was on the strange split LP with Creedence Clearwater Revival: Spiritus Orgaszmus, with an "orgasm cover", poster and pink vinyl (Bellaphon BI 1527). All six Jeronimo songs were featured on their subsequent album for Bellaphon: Cosmic Blues. This was hardly cosmic blues, but a confusing collection of their three first singles and six other tracks that presumably were recorded as potential singles in 1969, presenting soul-beat pop, rock'n'roll, pop, folk-rock and vintage hard-rock. At the time of release, Hajo Born had quit. The trio of Marz, Schafer and Funk were pictured on the cover, which contained very little information. Soon after, also Rainer Marz quit, to be replaced by Michael Koch. The trio of Schafer, Koch and Funk went on to record what since has become one of the most hunted German albums among collectors: the self-titled Jeronimo with the "Indian cover", in many respects their first album. They had now developed a common direction - heavy guitar-based boogie blues and rock'n'roll, much like a cross between Creedence Clearwater Revival and Groundhogs at their best! This was by far Jeronimo's best album, presenting much vitality and hard rock dexterity in straight-forward songs like "Understanding", "Shades" (A & B sides of a single lifted from the album) and "Sunday Child". However, the long drums solo on "Hagudila" was, as is so often the case, superfluous! For some unknown reason, only a small number of copies were pressed. Still stranger the album never has been re-released, as their two other albums have, several times! It's open to question if the album is worth the 500 DEM dealers are now claiming for an original copy.
For Time Ride (1972), Jeronimo came under the guiding hands of Peter Hauke and his Bacillus label. This was also a good album, hut some of the enthusiasm of the previous album seemed to have been lost. It was a half-successful attempt to perform more "progressive" hard rock. When Jeronimo broke up, Ringo Funk became the drummer of Atlantis.
1. NEWS 3:00
2. THE KEY 2:58
3. HANDS 2:39
4. SO NICE TO KNOW 2:02
5. NA NA HEY HEY 3:38
6. HIGHJACK 2:57
7. NUMBER 5 5:18
8. NO NO NO 3:51
9. NEVER GOIN' BACK 2:37
10. THE LIGHT LIFE NEEDS 2:14
11. HEYA 2:29
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Goliath - Hot Rock and Thunder (US Psych Rock 1972)
Another fabulous private pressing, this time from Goliath, a supremely talented 5-piece progressive hard rock outfit from Kentucky.
Released in 1972 on the Bridges label, Goliath?s guitar, bass, drums keyboards and vocal style owes much to the influence of Deep Purple, although vocalist Jim Kitchen can sound very much like Robert Plant at times.
The band, always tight and composed, storms through 7 finely-crafted self-penned songs with flair and originality.
Hot Rock And Thunder, with it?s stunning artwork, is Goliath?s only known release (confusingly, another band of the same name had already released an album on CBS in 1970) and an album that would not have been disgraced by comparison with many of the hard rock offerings of the time and still stands up extremely well today.
01 - We´re Not Afraid
02 - Ordinary Guy
03 - Tell Me You´re Satisfied
04 - Silver Girl
05 - Dead Drunk Screamin´
06 - Hot Rock and Thunder
07 - The Apocalypse
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Gravy Train - (A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man (UK Heavy Progressive)
' Ballad...' was the most amenable album from GT for their small fan base. It kind of entered into a more structured melodic style with shorter songs. Most of them well delivered and the flute from JD Hughes on this album probably his best out of all their albums. It's when you play this quality type album from 33 odd years previiously you realize what a creative force GT were. The title track is stirring with flute interwoven with subtle vocals. ' Alone in georgia' the opening number equally memorable.' Jule's Delight' and ' Mesenger' perhaps the other best tracks. I think this album struck a chord with the educated listener of those times and will always stand testimony to that wonderful era where prog rock truly was in the NOW. Don't pass this album by,
1. Alone in Georgia (4:35)
2. (A Ballad of) A Peaceful Man (7:06)
3. Jule's Delight (6:5
4. Messenger (5:5
5. Can anybody hear me (2:59)
6. Old time Box (4:45)
7. Won't talk about it (3:00)
8. Home again (3:25)
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Hourglass - Southbound (The Rare Liberty Recordings 1969)
In the beginning of 1967, Greg and Duane Allman, then with the Allman Joys, gigged at a Pensacola club. The other resident band was the Five Minutes whose members included Sandlin, McKinney and Hornsby. These five musicians shared a love for hard-rocking English acts (mainly 'Stones and Yardbirds) and for R&B. They relocated to Decatur, Alabama and, after trying out different names, settled on the Allman-Act.
Their break came when Bill McEuen, manager of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, caught their show in St. Louis and persuaded them to move to Los Angeles. Producer Dallas Smith signed them to Liberty Records, the label who had also taken two of McEuen's other clients: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Sunshine Company. Since they were already several groups with almost similar names, the Allman-Act became the Hourglass.
The five men then realized that the fledgling Liberty label wanted to use session musicians and songwriters songs instead of the relying on the bands talent alone. They tried to fight the process but won only a few concessions. The resulting album is, unsurprisingly, not really convincing and contains mainly pleasant pop/rock, the exceptions being the more electric tracks: Got To Get Away (the only Gregg original, already recorded with the Allman Joys), Jackson Browne's Cast Off All My Fears and Ed Cobb's Heartbeat. Duane Allman's guitar can be heard from time to time only. The album and the singles were a total commercial failure and McKinley left to be replaced by another former Five Minutes, Jesse Williard (Pete) Carr.
The group then demanded artistic freedom from Liberty and Hourglass were allowed to choose its own material, and Dallas Smith remained as their producer. Released in March 1968, Power Of Love, their second album, was a vast improvement on its predecessor, being much bluesier, with seven Gregg Allman songs, a Solomon Burke song, two Eddie Hinton/Marlin Greene tracks (Down in Texas and Home For The Summer), one Penn/Oldham cover (the title track) and a really weird instrumental version of Beatles' Norwegian Wood, beginning with Duane's electric sitar before degenerating into a kind of raga rock. The sales were low once again.
Hourglass were then playing live a lot, being booked every month at the Whisky A Go-Go and sometimes at the Fillmore West, including three nights with Buffalo Springfield, indeed Neil Young and Steve Stills wrote the enthusiastic liner notes for Power Of Love. They developed a strong reputation as a solid driving blues rock outfit but they were really unhappy with their records. With $500 from a gig, they finally rented Rick Hall's Studio in Muscle Shoals and cut some tracks on their own in April 1968 (one of these tunes BB King Medley is included on Duane Allman Anthology). The group returned to California with their tapes but Al Bennett at Liberty vetoed their release. They played some Southern gigs and eventually just drifted apart.
Gregg was then forced to finish out the contract with Liberty and had to record, using session musicians, a pop oriented solo album which was shelved (the recorded tracks are the bonus on the CD reissues).
After this unsuccessful Los Angeles period, all the musicians would return to their Alabama / Georgia / Florida area and would took a central part in the creation of the Southern Rock in the early '70s. Duane would first go to the Fame, Muscle Shoals and Criteria Studios to do sessions with soul and rock acts before forming the Allman Brothers Band with Gregg in 1969. He also was in Derek and the Dominos with Eric Clapton. One of the best slide guitar players ever, he sadly died in 1971 in a motorcycle accident. His brother is still touring with a new version of the Allman Brothers Band.
Johnny Sandlin, Paul Hornsby and Pete Carr are credited as producers, session players or group members with countless bands (Charlie Daniels, Wet Willie, Marshall Tucker, Sailcat, Cowboy etc.).
01 - Southbound
02 - February 3rd
03 - God Rest His Soul
04 - Apollo 8
05 - It´s Not My Cross To Bear
06 - Down In Texas
07 - Three Time Loser
08 - Bad Dream
09 - She Is My Woman
10 - D-I-V-O-R-C-E
11 - Kind Of A Man
12 - I´ve Been Trying (Version 1)
13 - In A Time
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Irish Coffee - Irish Coffee (Superb Belgian Hardrock 1971)
Superb 1971 Belgian underground rock album sounding not unlike Deep Purple in places. Originally released on the obscure Triangle label and a favourite amongst vintage progressive heavy rock fans. Originally released as a private pressing on the Triangle label, Irish Coffee (originally known as The Voodoos) managed to sell 3,000 copies of their first and only full length album when it was released in 1971. A favorite among fans of the heavy vintage progressive sound. Eight tracks. Miniature gatefold LP sleeve. Akarma. 2002.
1. Can't Take It
2. Beginning of the End
3. When the Winter Comes
4. Show, Pt. 1
5. Show, Pt. 2
6. Hear Me
7. Day Like Today
8. I'm Lost
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ChrisGoesRock
