KANSAS - MIRACLES OUT OF NOWHERE

The story of one band’s rise from small town obscurity to touring the world with Queen and taking over the charts with some of rock’s most legendary hits, in the 2015 documentary Kansas: Miracles Out Of Nowhere.

In this preview, members Kerry Livgren, Dave Hope, Rich Williams, and Phil Ehart reflect on the recording process behind their celebrated 1976 album Leftoverture. After a string of early releases failed to reach a large audience, the band looked to Leftoverture as their last chance at success. Things got off to a rocky start when frontman Steve Walsh failed to produce any new songs in time for the band’s opening rehearsals, forcing Livgren to step in and pick up the slack. “I call Leftoverture the ‘pressure album’, and that pressure fell on me, it didn’t fall on the band,” Livgren explains. Having already written two songs for the new album, the guitarist went home that night and put his nose to the grindstone coming back with the blueprint for what would become “The Wall.”

The pressure Livgren felt ultimately produced several diamonds, and earned the respect of his fellow bandmates who marveled at the new songs coming into the studio each day. Drummer Phil Ehart recalls, “It was so exciting, because we would just go… ‘Here comes Kerry, what’s he got today?’ ‘Oh, it’s this song I have called ‘The Wall’! We’re just goin’, ‘When did you write this?’ ‘Well, I kind of threw it together last night.’ We’re like, ‘Seriously?’” By the time all was said and done, Livgren would write or co-write every song on Leftoverture—including the band’s first hit, “Carry On Wayward Son.” Leftoverture went on to become certified platinum four times, and one of Kansas’ bestselling works to date.

Preview HERE

THE SILENT STRANGERS - IT'S ALL OVER NOW 1965

"It's All Over Now" by The Silent Strangers on LP. Very hard to find, Private Press Garage Rock style LP. Somewhat recently discovered obscure Rock n Roll LP. Mix of Garage, Frat, Good ol Rock n Roll, Cool Instrumentals & maybe a touch of British Invasion. 5 tracks are Instros. It is on Brs label #391 from 1965.

Tracklist : 

Let's Go!
Splish Splash
Bluer Than Blue
Kansas City
Long Tall Texan
Jaguar
Yah!Yah!
Scepter Theme Song
Boni Maroni
It's All Over Now
Bunderbluss

Long Tall Sally

Album Preview HERE

tape on seams. Tough One!

CALVIN RUSSELL - SOUNDS FROM THE FOURTH WORLD 1991

Typical for the music of Calvin Russell was the abrupt change between no-frills, punchy, from the Electric blues -influenced roots rock and guitar -dominated, but equally expressive songs in singer-songwriter and folk style - a style that sometimes with the the US band Steppenwolf was compared. As an important intention of his musical creation Russell called the struggle for dignity, respect and acceptance. About the way to relieve the pain associated with success, he spoke against the Neue Zürcher Zeitung pessimistic: "I went through hell on earth, and this pain (...) one can never get by so great nor success." [3] Skeptical he commented in the late 1990s and the prospects of roots music in the USA: "Our sound is not applicable in the United States just as cool. Funny is that young rock groups like the Smashing Pumpkins live on the roots and we Americana -Musikern give much attention. Your CDs are not overproduced, wild and lyrical, I like that, " 

European media certified Calvin Russell especially an exceptionally high degree of authenticity. Another unique feature of Russell applies the straightforwardness and dot precision of his music. Heinz-Jürgen Rippert wrote in an obituary on the website Suite101.com : "Calvin Russell impressed itself on a fast with his face marked by life. His voice was hard, rough and his songs seemed authentic. The songs are about life away from the established strata in the United States, beyond the glossy pages that are so happy paraded in the media. They tell of life on the streets, in prisons and the longing for dignity and a little luck. It is no accident called to the singer-songwriter as Charles Bukowski of music. " The music website musik-base.de wrote on the occasion of the release of the album In Spite Of It All: "Calvin Russell is one of the most authentic songwriters America. He wears his heart on his tongue, every angle of his great soul can be clearly seen for music fans. Russell's bluesy songs tell of freedom and adventure, of longing and vulnerability, of the undying love and deep disappointments, from the prairie, of never their goal reaching overland trains and the rugged beauty of the Wild West as it also today still existent is. " 

Tracklist:

01. You're My Baby 03:46

02. Last Night 04:44

03. One Meat Ball 03:54

04. Crossroads 07:32

05. May Be Someday 05:35

06. Rockin' The Republicans 04:40

07. Baby I Love You 02:21

08. Love Stealer 04:12

09. You Don't Know 05:08

10. Down Down Down 03:41

11. One Meat Ball (Acoustic) 03:58

00:49:31

Album Preview

Recorded At – Arlyn Studios

Phonographic Copyright (p) – New Rose Records

Credits

Backing Vocals – Kimmie Rhodes

Bass – David Waddell

Design [Sleeve] – Huart / Cholley*

Drums – Leland Waddell

Guitar – Gary Craft

Photography By – Alain Duplantier

Photography By [Treatments] – Renaud Marot

Producer – Joe Gracey*

Saxophone – Tomas Ramirez*

Vocals, Guitar – Calvin Russell

Notes

Recorded at Arlyn Studios, Austin, TX. 

This album is dedicated to Austin, Angie and Red with all my love. 

(P) New Rose Records 1991 / Made in France

CALVIN RUSSELL - SOLDIER 1992

Once heard, usually on one of the BBC radio programmes presented by Bob Harris, Calvin Russell's gravelly voice, his tales of love and loss and his protest songs, stayed with you. An ex-convict and one-time associate of Townes Van Zandt, a Texan singer-songwriter he had much in common with, Russell never rose above cult status in the US or the UK, but found success throughout continental Europe in the 1990s. Already 40 when he signed to the French independent label New Rose in 1989, he seemed determined to make up for lost time, releasing 15 albums in 20 years, and maintaining a busy touring schedule. Last seen in Europe in November 2009, he still wore one of his trademark cowboy hats cut around the brim that made him look like an undertaker straight out of a Lucky Luke cartoon, but he was the real outlaw deal.

Calvert Russell Kosler was the fourth of nine children born to a short-order cook and a waitress at the Sho'Nuff Café in Austin, Texas. His parents struggled to make ends meet and the family often did a midnight flit when they fell behind with the rent. He was a troubled teenager, keener to listen to Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry and imitate his elder sister's guitar-playing boyfriend than to study. In the early 1960s he formed The Cavemen and began playing the Chicago and Delta blues he heard Wolfman Jack play on the radio.

At the age of 15 he ran away to San Francisco but soon drifted back to his native state, where he sold marijuana and LSD. In 1968, he was arrested after trying to use someone else's credit card while high on drugs and sent to the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville. "I didn't think I was going to make it," he said. "The guards were a sorry, sadistic bunch and they'd look for any excuse to whale on you."

Encouraged by a cellmate with the colourful name Shotgun McAdams, he began writing poems and songs. However, he spent the next 15 years in and out of jail for small-time drug dealing, including 18 months in a Mexican prison. Back in Austin, he fell in with Van Zandt, another reprobate and a gifted songwriter: "He had this magical use of words. I remember he played 'Pancho and Lefty', that's when I realised just what a song could do. I shut up around Townes and listened. All my intelligence just went right to him."

Now calling himself Calvin Russell, since no one ever seemed to be able to say or spell Calvert, he honed his songwriting skills and recorded a tape containing 22 of his compositions. He intended to present the cassette to Charlie Sexton, a Texan guitar prodigy with a hit album who he heard was paying a return visit to Austin. Instead, he gave it to Patrick Mathé, the co-founder of the New Rose label, who had complimented him on his singing and guitar-playing at a party they both attended at Austin's Continent Club. "I took the tape out of my pocket, like a cowboy drawing a pistol in a Western. Patrick said, 'I want to put a record out,' and I thought, well, Warner Brothers ain't knocking my door down, so, yeah, go ahead. I didn't expect anything to happen."

Russell joined New Rose's roster of garage and psychedelic rock legends – Alex Chilton, Sky Saxon, Roky Erickson, Arthur Lee – as well as British and French alternative artists, and became one of its best acts. His critically acclaimed 1990 debut, A Crack In Time, sold 100,000 copies, and he became a fixture on television and on the touring circuit throughout continental Europe, where his blend of blues, country and rock appealed to Hell's Angels as much as to fans of what was just starting to be called Americana.

Russell made the most of the redemptive opportunities that finally came his way. He recorded two albums produced by the legendary Jim Dickinson, Soldier in 1992 and Calvin Russell in 1997, the latter featuring the Green On Red guitarist Chuck Prophet and the Muscle Shoals session stalwarts David Hood on bass and Roger Hawkins on drums. In 1993, he played 178 concerts in Europe, as documented on the Le Voyageur live album. In 1994, he appeared in a TV commercial for Motorex Oil of Switzerland, performing the evocative "Crossroads", his best-known composition. After another drugs bust back in Texas in the mid-'90s, he lived in France, Amsterdam and Switzerland, and was put on probation when he eventually returned to the States with his fourth wife, Cynthia, a Swiss citizen who was 27 years his junior.

A rootsy singer-songwriter in the vein of JJ Cale, Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams, Russell was never a prophet in his own country. "I'm not easy to pigeonhole," he said. "I don't just play the blues, or rock or country music. And my life in the US is so wrapped up with all my past misdemeanours. I blew it there, that's all."

Despite undergoing a liver transplant last year, he died of liver cancer.

info by Pierre Perrone

Tracklist:

-Soldier calvin russell 

-Strangers 

-Characters 

-I dreamed I saw 

-Rats & roaches 

-Down in Texas 

-Shackles and chains 

-This could be the day 

-This is your world (Memphis mix) 

-White rails (bonus track)

Album Preview

Phonographic Copyright (p) – New Rose Records

Copyright (c) – New Rose Records

Licensed From – New Rose Records

Record Company – SPV GmbH

Distributed By – SPV GmbH – 084-92652

Pressed By – BOD Berlin Optical Disc

Recorded At – Arlyn Studios

Mixed At – Three Alarm Studios

Credits

Backing Vocals – J. Dickinson*

Bass – David Waddell

Design [Sleeve] – Cloe*

Drums – Leland Waddell

Engineer – Stewart Sullivan*

Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Gary Craft

Mandolin – Luther Dickinson

Mixed By – Bob (Cruiser) Krusen* (tracks: 1 to 8), Jim Dickinson (tracks: 9)

Organ, Piano – Jim Dickinson

Photography By [Landscapes] – Huart/Cholley

Photography By [Portrait] – Alain Duplantier

Producer – Jim Dickinson

Songwriter [Songs By] – Calvin Russell (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 9)

Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Calvin Russell

Notes

Recorded at Arlyn Studios, Austin Texas, mixed at Three Alarm Studios, Memphis Tenn. Track 9 mixed in Memphis Tenn. 

℗1992 New Rose Records ©1992 New Rose Records 

Under license from New Rose Records 

1992 SPV Records a Division of SPV GmbH. 

Made in Germany

TONY JOE WHITE - TONY JOE 1970

Tony Joe White has accomplished much in the years since he emerged from his home in Louisiana’s swamp country and the hardscrabble circuit of Texas honky-tonks. His music is part of America’s soundtrack – sparse and elegant, filled with shadows, sadness and beauty. Nobody else writes songs like these – songs that evoke both the mysteries of the place were he was raised and the spirits that haunt us all in our most private, lonely moments.

Nobody sings them like White either. That dark baritone, scarred and sweet, brings these songs to life like none other. Even so, others have memorably interpreted his songs, from Brook Benton’s unforgettable take on “Rainy Night in Georgia” in 1970 to Tina Turner’s intensely soulful rendition of “Steamy Windows.” Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, Etta James – iconic artists in their own right have honored “the Swamp Fox” by cutting his tunes. Others have joined White, with Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Michael McDonald, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Shelby Lynne among those who have paid tribute as guests on recent, theme-oriented projects such as The Heroines and Uncovered.

But with The Shine, released September 28 on White’s Swamp Records imprint, this long road circles and comes back toward where it began. Before exploding onto the Top 10 with “Polk Salad Annie” in 1969, before beginning his ongoing commitment to perform regularly for fans in markets as distant as Europe and Australia, White built his vision on a bedrock of blues, backwoods country, and sounds too much his own to categorize. This foundation is simple yet seductive and strong: Within its fabric of raw guitar, hypnotic rhythm and spellbinding lyrical imagery, White’s soul pulls from its roots and reasserts itself with deep conviction.

There are no all-star cameos on The Shine – only White on guitar, harmonica and vocals, bassist George Hawkins, drummer “Swamp Man” Jack Bruno, Tyson Rogers on keyboards, John Catchings on cello, and a selection of songs that had sprouted in White’s imagination over the previous few months. “They just started stacking up on me and my wife Leann over the wintertime,” White says. “They hit me every day and every night. When I’d go to bed, they were going through my mind. It was really cool stuff, and I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to put these down, just to see what they sound like.’”

Each one told a different story, but taken together they seemed to call White back to the well that had first nourished him. From the feverish, dreamlike images that course through “Season Man” to the heartbreak that colors the romantic nostalgia of “All,” these tracks live on their own yet exist together as memories and premonitions of a single story.

“They’re all about truth and life and daily or nightly happenings,” White says. “They all came to me, the guitar parts and the words, maybe at a campfire down by the river with a few cold beers. I’ll sit there, strum a little bit, and all of a sudden a lick will come – except for the ones I wrote with Leann. She’s a real word person, so she’ll say ‘what do you think about this,’ and all of a sudden a little light goes off in my head, a guitar chord will pop up and here we go.”

“Paintings on a Mountain” is one example of this collaboration between Tony Joe and Leann White. “We have a place up in Taos, New Mexico,” he says. “Our house sits on land that backs up to an Indian village. It’s a magic spot. In the late afternoon, the sun makes so many paintings on the mountainside; they change as the sun moves on. A lot of that was written by Leann.”

The guiding principle for The Shine can be heard in one of its details, from “Tell Me Why,” which preaches “it’s all about the song, keeping it simple. Got to have passion. Got to have soul.” That was the mission when White and his musicians began cutting these tracks in the living room of his home south of Nashville. Beneath high ceilings, on original hardwood floors in a building old enough to have been used as a battlefield hospital during the Civil War, they played with minimal direction, trusting in the moment as they brought these songs to life. “Sometimes I would say ‘simplify,’ but that’s all,” White remembers. “It was almost like I was a bystander. I had this weird feeling of looking at everybody as we played, watching the song happen without really trying very hard to make it happen.”

Most songs were captured in one take. The emotions and connections were so strong that even without any rehearsal, with only the barest indication of which chord followed the next, each one seemed to draw deeper from somewhere within White. He sensed this himself, sometimes not even singing where he was supposed to because the music they were laying down was so compelling. “All of a sudden I’d remember, ‘Hey, you should have been singing right there,’” White says, chuckling. “So I’d go back later and punch it in. But we were all very aware that something was happening in the air between us. Maybe there were some spirits walking about.”

They roamed especially free on the one track where White recorded solo, “Roll Train Roll.” “I think that one was a matter of being taken back,” he reflects. “That’s what made it sound like I was going back to listening to Lightnin’ Hopkins, when I lived on the Boeuf River in Goodwill, Louisiana, first learning the guitar. That’s the kind of stuff I’d play out on the porch at night.”

One doesn’t have to have been a Tony Joe White fan to appreciate that there is something elusive and hard to define in this music. But these depths surface in The Shine. More than a return to an artist’s seminal references, this project seeks the seed from which his work took form. White finds it on The Shine; from here, all that he produced before and all that will follow come into a revealing and enduring light.

Tracks :

01 - Tony Joe White - Stud Spider
02 - Tony Joe White - High Sheriff of Calhoun Parrish
03 - Tony Joe White - Widow Wimberly
04 - Tony Joe White - Groupy Girl
05 - Tony Joe White - Conjure Woman
06 - Tony Joe White - Save Your Sugar For Me
07 - Tony Joe White - Hard To Handle
08 - Tony Joe White - What Does It Take
09 - Tony Joe White - My Friend
10 - Tony Joe White - Stockholm Blues
11 - Tony Joe White - Boom Boom

12 - Tony Joe White - I protest

Artwork Included

EAGLES - HELL FREEZES OVER 1994 (concert)

Hell Freezes Over is a live album by the Eagles, released in 1994. It contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live for an MTV special. The album went to #1 on the Billboard album chart upon its release where it stayed for two weeks. It is the band's second live album behind their live album in 1980. The Eagles had reformed after a fourteen-year-long break up. Their resumption tour would be given that title after the statement Don Henley once gave when asked when the band would get back together. The album proved to be as successful as the tour, selling over six million copies and releasing two Top 40 singles in "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive". The band's lineup consisted of the Long Run era: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Don Felder, and Timothy B. Schmit. The tour would last from 1994-96 and became one of the most successful tours in music history. The album also features an acoustic version of "Hotel California". Hell Freezes Over was also released in video form on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD.

    "Get Over It"* (Don Henley, Glenn Frey) - 3:31
    "Love Will Keep Us Alive"* (Pete Vale, Jim Capaldi, Paul Carrack) - 4:03
    "The Girl from Yesterday"* (Frey, Jack Tempchin) - 3:23
    "Learn to Be Still"* (Henley, Stan Lynch) - 4:28
    "Tequila Sunrise" (Henley, Frey) - 3:28
    "Hotel California" (Don Felder, Henley, Frey) - 7:12
    "Wasted Time" (Henley, Frey) - 5:19
    "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (Joe Walsh, Joe Vitale) - 4:26
    "I Can't Tell You Why" (Henley, Frey, Timothy B. Schmit) - 5:11
    "New York Minute" (Henley, Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, Jai Winding) - 6:37
    "The Last Resort" (Henley, Frey) - 7:24
    "Take It Easy" (Jackson Browne, Frey) - 4:36
    "In the City" (Walsh, Barry De Vorzon) - 4:07
    "Life in the Fast Lane" (Henley, Frey, Walsh) - 6:01
    "Desperado" (Henley, Frey) - 4:17

DENNY GERRARD - SINISTER MORNING 1970

It wasn't long after arriving in the U.K. that South African student Denny Gerrard began making his mark on the music scene. In 1965, Jimmy Page picked him to become one half of the duo the Fifth Avenue, while Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham brought him in as arranger for his projectthe Variations. Gerrard then linked up with Barry Younghusband, and as Warm Sounds they promptly unleashed the Top 30 hit "Birds and Bees." Swiftly bored with pop the duo soon split, and Gerrard moved into production, overseeing High Tide's critically acclaimed 1969 debut album, Sea Shanties. No surprise then, that when the South African began work on his own debut, self-produced, full-length, High Tidewere by his side. However, the resulting album, Sinister Morning, was far more a reflection of Gerrard's vision than Tide's sound. Much of the set has a folkie feel, accentuated by the prolific use of Gerrard's acoustic guitar and harmonica. Only on "Native Sun" is the band given a real chance to rock out, with the rest of the set given over to more midtempo numbers. These gave Gerrard the opportunity to explore his roots and showcase his arrangement skills. His epiphany is found on the final track, a haunting, seven-plus minute instrumental, whose rich "Atmosphere" is conjured up by his acoustic guitar andSimon House's delicate organ and rich violin. J.J. Mackey provides the spoken word segments that, sadly, are virtually buried in the mix. The album's other epic track, "True Believer" takes folk to church, withHouse's hymnal organ juxtaposed against a rich, Americana tapestry. "Autumn Blewn," in contrast, counterpoints '60s R&B with C&W, with Gerrard's harmonica adding a folkie feel to the intricate piece. "Rough Stuff" also has an R&B bend, but a down-home, Southern rock tinge, while "Stop or Drop It" is even more rousing, as Gerrard plays his pusillanimous acoustic guitar off against Tony Hill's electric leads. Although kept on a tight leash, High Tide still bring an energy to the set, turning up the heat on virtually all the songs, particularly the poppy "Hole in My Shadow," which was probably intended for singledom. The production gives the entire album a warm sound, although on CD it comes across as a tad too pristine. The only flaw within is Gerrard's decision to overutilize layered vocals instead of true harmonies, and paying far less attention to his vocals than he did to the rest of the album's sound. Released on Decca's mid-price imprint Nova, the album surprisingly sank without a track, but swiftly became a much sought-after collector's item. Finally after all these years, Esoteric has now lovingly remastered and reissued this splendid album on CD. 

~ Jo-Ann Greene

Tracks : 


Native Sun
True Believer
Hole In My Shadow
Last But One
Rough Stuff
Stop Or Drop It
Autum Blewn
Eye For Eye
Atmosphere



Artwork Included

SAVOY BROWN - LION'S SHARE 1972

Lion's Share CD music "Shot in the Head," the slide guitar showcase that opens this solid set, became a staple of this veteran English band's live act. Lion's Share music CDs In his only full-time stint as singer for demanding bandleader Kim Simmonds, Dave Walker proves a serviceable, if unremarkable, successor to Chris Youlden. Besides their own tunes, the lads cover Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter. ~ Mark Allan

Tracks : 

Shot In The Head
Second Try
The Saddest Feeling
I Can't Find You
Howling For My Darling
So Tired
Denim Demon
Love Me Please
I Hate To See You Go



Artwork Included

CHARLIE DANIELS BAND - UNEASY RIDER 1973

Originally titled HONEY IN THE ROCK and later renamed for its hit song (Daniels's first chart entry), UNEASY RIDER is the third Charlie Daniels album, but the first to put his name on the map. In addition to his previous southern-rock-meets-Western-swing sound, the album includes a significant R&B influence, making for an intriguing country-funk style. The title track's talking blues is particularly significant for espousing a hippie/counterculture perspective on the part of a man who'd later become known for championing more conservative values.

Tracks : 

01. Funky Junky (03:14)
02. Big Man (06:16)
03. Why Can't People (05:47)
04. Revelations (07:34)
05. Uneasy Rider (05:18)
06. Midnight Lady (04:39)
07. Somebody Love You (03:44)
08. No Place To Go (10:08)

BIG HOUSE - BIG HOUSE 1997

Big House is a self-labeled "blues" band from Nashville via Bakersfield, California.
Lead vocalist/guitarist Monty Byron and keyboardist/slide guitarist Dave Neuhauser comprise the core of Big House; they've been writing and playing music together for fifteen years. Bassist Steve Vines and drummer Bernie Rappa complete the current manifestation of the band. Together they form a tight ensemble, at times reminiscent of a fine jazz quartet. There are no "stars" here, no ego-tripping showmanship. These musicians clearly respect the part each contributes to the whole.
Byron's voice is, to my ear, more country than bluesy, although I suspect such distinctions are more useful to marketers and promoters than to listeners. I find his strong voice warm and soulful, even a bit raspy where the music requires.

CDBaby's definition:
Big House is somewhere between the west coast country of the Eagles and the Memphis Stax /Volt sound of Otis Redding and the M.G.'s Soul Country.

Tracks :

01. You Ain't Lonely Yet
02. Cold Outside
03. Amarillo
04. Love Ain't Easy
05. Walkin' On Me
06. Sunday In Memphis
07. Blue Train
08. Soul Country
09. Cryin' Town
10. Whose Baby Will You Be Tonight
11. Road Man

JOE COCKER - WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS 1969

Joe Cocker's debut album holds up extraordinarily well across four decades, the singer's performance bolstered by some very sharp playing, not only by his established sideman/collaborator Chris Stainton, but also some top-notch session musicians, among them drummer Clem Cattini, Steve Winwood on organ, and guitarists Jimmy Page and Albert Lee, all sitting in. It's Cocker's voice, a soulful rasp of an instrument backed up by Madeline Bell, Sunny Weetman and Rossetta Hightower that carries this album and makes "Change in Louise," "Feeling Alright," "Just Like a Woman," "I Shall Be Released," and even "Bye Bye Blackbird" into profound listening experiences. But the surprises in the arrangements, tempo, and approaches taken help make this an exceptional album. Tracks like "Just Like a Woman," with its soaring gospel organ above a lean textured acoustic and light electric accompaniment, and the guitar-dominated rendition of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" -- the formal debut of the Grease Band on record -- all help make this an exceptional listening experience. The 1999 A&M reissue not only includes new notes and audiophile-quality sound, but also a pair of bonus tracks, the previously unanthologized B-sides "The New Age of Lily" and "Something Coming On," deserved better than the obscurity in which they previously dwelt. 

http://www.allmusic.com/album/r4235/review

Tracks : 

Side one

1. "Feeling Alright" (Dave Mason) – 4:10
2. "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Ray Henderson, Mort Dixon) – 3:27
3. "Change in Louise" (Joe Cocker, Chris Stainton) – 3:22
4. "Marjorine" (Joe Cocker, Chris Stainton) – 2:38
5. "Just Like a Woman" (Bob Dylan) – 5:17

Side two

1. "Do I Still Figure in Your Life?" (Pete Dello) – 3:59
2. "Sandpaper Cadillac" (Joe Cocker, Chris Stainton) – 3:16
3. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (Gloria Caldwell, Sol Marcus, Bennie Benjamin) – 4:41
4. "With a Little Help from My Friends" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 5:11
5. "I Shall Be Released" (Bob Dylan) – 4:35

Artwork Included

PHOENIX - CANTAFABULE 1975

Still not sure whether this album is called Cantofabule (fabulous song) or Cant Of A Bule (as the disc label being called so) or as my Romanian stepsister said Cantafabule, but the track listing is correct. The artwork being similar but monochromic red and carrying the cat # Fanny 100, it is most likely a bootleg, but this was the only way to get to listen (outside the PA's samples) to a full album. This sextet's third album is maybe the best appreciated by progheads, but apparently the last one before the fled the Ceaucescu regime.

The original double album was a concept based on some traditional Romanian themes based on adaptation of poets Seban Foarta and Andrei Ujica and inspired on a Dimitri Bolintineanu book called Istoria Ieroglifa (speaking of a "bestiaire" of fantastic mythical creatures), this almost 70 min-long piece is indeed one of the best thing to come from the old Dacian province. If I speak of Dacia (relating it to the Roman Empire times instead of Valachia or Moldavia-Bessarabia), it is because the general feel relates a bit to Italian prog (this is greatly due to the similarity of both languages), but the Timisoara (in Transylvania where the revolt started) group developed a very ambitious project that mixed some medieval folk with hard rock fronted by a fuzzed-out guitar.

The two-parts lengthy opening track Invocatie gives out right away the main dimension of their music, a fairly hard prog dominated by a fuzz-guitar, where all musicians hold their own. Surprising how modern for the day they sounded apparently having a moog synth. During this track, the group moves to different moods and passages including a "folk" one and there is a harpsichord thrown in there too and the track is a very captivating intro. Moving from the Harpsichord/flute piece Unicorn (sung in Old French) to the mediocre beat-rock of the sacred beetle (Scarabeului), the albums moves quickly to another highlight about dolphins (Delfinul), where the group shows the extent of their considerable talent in this folky ballad. Going through the dragon (semi-hard rocking), the snake (with a terrible sounding violin), a special kind of bird (Calandrinon) that's supposed to accompany you into the underworld (another highlight in my book with superb bass work), the moose and the mongoose, the siren and a few other mythical creatures, the group continues tirelessly (even if you do, partly due to the length and the repetition of tracks that hammer on the same nail and the Romanian singing) until another pure psych-beat-RnR (track 11, a bit of a filler really) breaks the cycle of prog/folk tracks alternating.

The album gets back on track with the splendid Cintic-Lu (hawk) track which definitely seals the fate of the concept as excellent (just short of brilliant), followed by another fabulous Zoomahia (starting with the same electronic sounds that you found on the start of the album, but much longer and sounding like Gong) and the album closing on their fetish Phoenix, rising from the ashes.

Overall this album holds very few flaws (given its communist era background), few fillers and a bunch of superb if inhabitual prog folk tracks, which makes this album a masterpiece of its own. Clearly this album should get the honours from a full remastering and mini-Lp treatment, as it stands in the top 10 of the ex-soviet block.

Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folker

Tracks:

01. Invocatie
02. Norocul Inorogului
03. Scara Scarabeului
04. Delfinul, Dulce Dulful Nostru
05. Uciderea Balaurului
06. Stima Casei
07. Pasarea Calandrinon
08. Filip Si Cerbul
09. Vasiliscul Si Aspida
10. Sirena
11. Pasarea Roc...K and Roll
12. Cintic-Lu a Cucuveaua-Lliei
13. Zoomahia
14. Phoenix



Artwork Inc.

ROY HARPER - BULLINAMINGVASE 1977

Roy Harper followed HQ with another superb rock-oriented classic, 1977's interestingly titled Bullinamingvase. The album will forever be remembered for its controversial track "Watford Gap," with lyrics that supposedly defamed the service station of Watford Gap. Harper ran into legal problems when the station owners voiced their extreme distaste of the song, resulting in the record company's removal of the composition from the album. It was replaced with the light but solid "Breakfast with You." Both songs are included in the 1996 CD re-release, remastered with 20-bit supermapping. But the album's strengths lie elsewhere. The compositions are laced with beautiful passages, both musically and lyrically, and the vibrant acoustic guitar work on tracks like "Cherishing the Lonesome," "Naked Flame," and the epic "One of Those Days in England (Pts. 2-10)" are likely to never be surpassed. The powerful, energetic passion, brilliant lyrics, and driving force of "Cherishing the Lonesome" make for one of Harper's greatest accomplishments. "Naked Flame" impresses equally with its clean, country-tinged guitar work. The jewel in the crown, though, is "One of Those Days in England (Pts. 2-10)." The lyrical content, a collection of reminiscences, is striking, being at once trenchant/biting and beautiful. The piece is comprised of many movements, opening (with guitar) like a looming cloud foreshadowing the storm and darkness that lie ahead. Suddenly, after the introductory verses, the guitar picks up and the clouds begin breaking apart, allowing the sun to shine through. The song becomes hopeful before changing moods once again, with Harper's voice at its peak. The song benefits from wonderful use of lap steel guitar with strings fleshing out several movements. Bullinamingvase also contains the radio-friendly pop tune "One of Those Days in England," the closest Harper ever came to having a hit single. This is also the alternate title of the album. It is interesting to note that, even though most of the lyrical content is presented in the CD booklet, several lines/verses have been purposefully omitted from the printing, such as much of "Watford Gap" and the opening of "One of Those Days in England (Pts. 2-10)." Upon listening to the tunes, the reason becomes quite clear. Listen for uncredited vocal contributions from Paul and Linda McCartney.

Tracks :

1. One of Those Days in England
2. These Last Days
3. Cherishing the Lonesome
4. Naked Flame
5. Watford Gap
6. One of Those Days in England, Pts. 2-10
7. Breakfast With You


Artwork Inc.

CHARLES MANSON - LIE: THE LOVE AND TERROR CULT 1970

It is quite surreal to handle a copy of Lie: The Love and Terror Cult, and certainly a very bizarre feeling to know that someone so twisted as Charles Manson and his cult, The Family, were the artists behind it all. Still, no matter how outrageous it appears, artists they are—albeit questionable ones. Or are they...? The reaction to Manson's music here is determined by the bias (rightfully and justifiably so) resulting from being guilty of the horrific Tate-LaBianca murders. This is probably what tainted the sales of the record when it first was released, with just three hundred of the two thousand copies sold. But that was the sixties. America was at the height of its reactionary politics, and the hippie movement had adopted Manson as an icon, but the tragic events associated with The Family's involvement in the Tate-LaBianca murders put paid to not only the popular, hippie counterculture, but also to the future of Manson's music career

At first blush, and this is exactly what this record will be to many listeners today, the record may not be path breaking, musically or otherwise. But it is, nevertheless, a significant musical document, considering it is a reflection of the popular counterculture. As a musical event it does have several moments, however. Significantly, most of folksy tracks have stood up to the test of time. "Look at Your Game Girl" and "Eyes of a Dreamer" are iconic, as is "Cease to Exist" and "The More You Learn to Love." "Cease To Exist" was, in fact, co-written by the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson and was also recorded by the group, but as "Never Learn To Love"—first as a single and then on 20/20 (Capitol, 1968). Other tracks have since been covered, hidden in or just blatantly swiped by various artists who show varying degrees of admiration for Manson's musicality.

If it is possible to put aside the cynicism or angst towards Charles Manson then it is possible to enjoy this record. Although the music does, at times, come across as being a tad simple—even simplistic—it also has its moments of freshness. What effectively destroys any pleasure that may be derived from listening to the music are the events that Manson helped unfold. Still, while he is no Dylan or John Sebastian, Manson was indeed driven by the same existentialism that drove many of his generation. He was cruelly distracted by the hidden impulses contained in his songs, and the rest is a sordid history. But it is hoped that that fact will not diminish the experience of listening to this music for what is hoped to be. The booklet accompanying the music includes liners by Bernard Stollman of ESP-Disk and liners by Phil Kaufman, the record's original producer. Those, together with Steve Alexander's "Charles Manson Interview" make the 2008 release quite historic.

Track Listing: Look At Your Game, Girl; Ego; Mechanical Man; People Say I'm No Good; Home Is Where You're Happy; Arkansas; I'll Never Say Never To Always; Garbage Dump; Don't Do Anything Illegal; Sick City; Cease To Exist; Big Iron Door; I Once Knew A Man; Eyes Of A Dreamer; Devil Man; The More You Love; Two Pair Of Shoes; Maiden With Green Eyes (Remember Me); Swamp Girl; Bet You Think I Care; Look At Your Game, Girl (alternate version); Interview; Who To Blame; True Love You Will Find; My World; Invisible Tears.

Personnel: Charles Manson: guitar and vocals; The Family: other instruments and background vocals.




Artwork Included

AN EVENING WITH MIKE McCLELLAN - LIVE 1977

When Song and Danceman was released in 1974 Mike McClellan was already an established performer on the acoustic music scene. That song topped the charts bringing him national recognition and a following that has remained loyal to his highly personal brand of music for almost 40 years. For those who had already experienced his talent his first hit single did no more than reinforce what they already knew: that he was one of the best songwriters to emerge from this country in many years and among its most talented singer/guitarists.

He had began performing in the late 60’s and released his first album, titled simply Mike McClellan in 1972. It was regarded as one of the most auspicious debut albums from any writer/singer of his era. He toured extensively for the next 2 years playing the songs and previewing the material that would make up his breakthrough record.

His second album, Ask Any Dancer went Gold and Song and Danceman was voted Song of the Year at the Annual Music Industry Awards in February 1975. He hit the cover of every magazine in the country and played concerts from Darwin to Tasmania. It hardly needs repeating that Song and Danceman has become an Australian classic having been recorded many times, both here and overseas.

Tours with such performers as Roger Miller, Melanie, Dr. Hook, The Hollies and Leo Kottke expanded his audience even further and he earned rave reviews for his capacity to hold his own in the company of such internationally recognised stars. That recognition took a giant leap forward when Rick Nelson recorded one of his most acclaimed songs, Rock’n Roll Lady, in 1975 and John Farnham covered Saturday Dance.

1976 saw the release of what many regard as his finest album of the 70’s - Until the Song is Done. The Gamble topped the country charts and Lovers Never Wind up Friends and Midnight Flight were covered overseas.

It was inevitable that he would record a live album. For alone on stage with just a guitar there was a magic that couldn’t be easily captured in the studio. An Evening With Mike McClellan was released in 1978 and included some of his most requested concert tunes, among them several brilliant demonstrations of his unique guitar playing.

1979 saw him compering his first television series National Star Quest which lead to his being asked to take over the highly successful ABC program Country Road. Within a year it becameMike McClellan’s Country Music and he continued to present the show for a further 3 years, touring extensively behind the national profile it sustained for him.

1980 marked a change in direction. He parted company with EMI and, working with Harry Vanda and George Young of the Easybeats, released Laughing in the Dark on the Albert’s label. It became his second gold album on the strength of the single The One I Love. One of his most requested songs, it joined the growing list of McClellan classics and was covered many times internationally.

1982 took him overseas to the UK and America. He was away for 12 months, gathering enthusiastic reviews wherever he played and establishing valuable contact with international publishers.

His return to Australia in ‘83 marked another change in his career. Weary of the constant travelling he sought more stability for he and his family. Mojo, then regarded as the most dynamic ad agency in the country, persuaded him to write for them. For 2 years he contributed some of the most memorable advertising on television, writing the concepts, words and music for clients such as Australian Airlines, Red Rooster, Channel 9 and growing the already established XXXX and Tooheys campaigns for the agency. Invigorated by new challenges he and a partner left Mojo and set up their own agency which they called Kazoo. It grew rapidly over the period from ‘86 to ‘91. The 2 partners became 3, the staff went from 3 to 30 and the billings through the roof.

Through all the demands on his time he still managed to release a new album in 1990. The Heartland is considered by many who know his work to be as good as anything he has recorded and marked a return to the EMI label.

He subsequently sold his share holding in Kazoo to re-establish Mike McClellan Pty Ltd and take complete control of his own destiny once more. He needed the time to write for himself and take advantage of the dramatic changes that had been happening in the communications industry.

1998 marked the release of a single commissioned for Warner Music. But the three songs it contained were a little different to past McClellan discs. They were tributes to three great Australian sportsmen, Mark Taylor, the much-admired former Aussie cricket captain, the great Sir Donald Bradman, and David Campese, often called “the Bradman of Rugby.”

Late 2001 saw the release of a comprehensive retrospective of his recording career. Personally chosen and carefully remastered from the original tapes Time. And Time Again. is a double CD containing 35 of his best songs. Among them are re-recordings of two from his very first album, a studio version of California Cool that was only ever released as a B side on a single and New York City Blues, a never before released gem that was recorded during the sessions for The Heartland CD but didn’t fit comfortably with the other songs.

Late 2001 also saw the first of what were standout concerts with his old friends Kevin Johnson (who wrote Rock’n Roll I Gave You All The Best Years of My Life) and Doug Ashdown (Winter In America). A sell out crowd at Sydney’s Basement and a standing ovation said it all – “Their artistic and intelligent acoustic alchemy had a capacity house singing, stamping and tingling beyond the witching hour. A night indelibly imprinted”, said Glenn A. Baker.

In 2005, in conjunction with Andrew Pattison, who established Melbourne’s premier acoustic venue the Troubadour, he brought to Australia and shared the bill with the wonderful US singer/songwriter Danny O’Keefe. The concert crowds reinforced his belief that there was still a sizeable, enthusiastic audience in Australia for acoustic music of depth, conviction and real quality.

Since 2005 he has been a senior tutor at the CMAA Country Music Academy in Tamworth and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Australian International Conservatorium of Music where he teaches a course in song writing. Ironically, after many, many years his original training as a school teacher is being put to good use once again and his song writing workshops have become an important part of his creative life.

Now, in 2011, he’s back doing concerts, renewing old friendships and playing extensively. As a performer he just seems to get better with time and it is a tribute to his talent that many in his audiences have been coming to see him sing for well over 35 years. Reviewing one of Mike’s Troubadour performances for the Melbourne Age some years ago journalist Paul Speelman wrote, “McClellan is a national asset”. His new CD, If only for a moment… will only add to his illustrious history as one of our finest singer songwriters.

Tracks :

1. Jelly Roll Baker - traditional
2. Saturday Dance (McClellan)
3. Midnight Flight (McClellan)
4. The One I love (McClellan)
5. High Flyin' Bird (Billy Ed Wheeler)
6. Rock 'n' Roll Lady (McClellan)
7. California Cool (McClellan)
8. Hot Chilli (McClellan) (instrumental)
9. You're going to need somebody on your bond. (traditional - accompanied by Graham Lowndes)
10. Mr. Bojangles (Jerry Jeff Walker)
11. Song and Danceman (McClellan)

Artwork Included