SEA LEVEL - S/T 1977

Fusion combo Sea Level was formed in 1976 by keyboardist Chuck Leavell, bassist Lamar Williams, and drummer Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson following their exit from the Allman Brothers Band. gGitarist Jimmy Nalls completed the original lineup, which in 1977 issued its self-titled debut LP on the Capricorn label.

Honing its distinctive marriage of rock, blues, and jazz through relentless touring, the group returned to the studio to cut 1978's Cats on the Coast, followed later that year by On the Edge. Although Jaimoe returned to the Allmans, Sea Level recorded two more albums -- 1979's Long Walk on a Short Pier and 1980's Ball Room -- before dissolving.

Leavell later emerged as a sought-after session player and producer, also touring with the Rolling Stones, and in 1998 he issued his debut solo LP, 'What's in That Bag?'.
Sea Level's debut album was originally released February 1977 as Capricorn CP-0178.

Tracks :

1. Rain In Spain
2. Shake A Leg
3. Tidal Wave
4. Country Fool
5. Nothing Matters But The Fever
6. Grand Larceny
7. Scarborough Fair
8. Just A Good Feeling

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HALLELUJAH - HALLELUJAH BABE! 1971

It was recorded in London and all the musicians who played on it, sang on it and wrote all the songs were British! Of course, Keith Forsey and Paul Vincent (who essentially WERE Hallelujah) did indeed make a living in Germany. Forsey eventually went on to become both an in-demand session drummer and hotshot producer to the stars based out of Munich.

I am actually surprised how much I like this. It’s basically sing-songy rock with slight progressive, psychedelic and folk touches, but it does it very well, with some nice vocals and very lovely melodies indeed. If you know what you’re in for, you could be in for a treat with this. I didn’t, and I was pleasantly surprised. Underrated!

(Progbear)





Tracks :

Hallelujah
Signs of Strange
Z.i.p.
The Winter Song
English Rain
Mini Funk
Waterloo
Friend
Ode to a Little Knight

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GUN - S/T 1968

Adrian and Paul Gurvitz might be better known for their travels with Ginger Baker in the Baker Gurvitz Army, but in the late '60s the brothers helmed the heavy rock trio Gun and caught a whiff of success in the U.K. with their debut single "Race with the Devil." Using the less-ethnic surname Curtis, Adrian (guitar) and Paul (bass) teamed up with drummer Louis Farrell and pounded out some distinctive psych-flavored proto-metal. Floating about in the mix along with the guitar pyrotechnics and drum workouts are brass and string sections that aren't always welcome, but "Race with the Devil" uses these potentially square instruments well, adding texture to an otherwise brutal stomp. "Yellow Cab Man" is the highlight of the set, a hard pop number with a buzzing guitar hook and frantic, heavily distorted soloing from Adrian. The obligatory freak-out comes with the finale, the 11-minute "Take Off" which begins with the sound of jet roar, then explodes into feedback, drum solos, backward guitars, and silly psychedelic exhortations to "take a deep breath and try to count to five." Elsewhere are half-baked orchestral interludes and some questionable songwriting chops, but the band is truly firing on all cylinders throughout and their interplay is solid like a fist. When Gun pours it on, the results are visceral and exciting enough to forgive the occasional wrong turn. The album artwork is impressively grotesque for the era, a flaming mass of squirming demons that wouldn't be out of place on a Slayer T-shirt today. There isn't any Satanism invoked in the grooves of Gun, but it's a lost gem for fans of the power trio format. ~ Fred Beldin, All Music Guide


Tracks :

01. Race With The Devil
02. The Sad Saga Of The Boy And The Bee
03. Rupert’s Travels
04. Yellow Cab Man
05. It Won’t Be Long (Heartbeat)
06. Sunshine
07. Rat Race
08. Take Off
09. Drives You Mad (Bonus)
10. Don’t Look Back (Bonus)
11. Runnin’ Wild (Bonus)

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AFFINITY - S/T 1970

Fronted by vocalist Linda Hoyle Affinity's one and only LP is now worth around BP60 on the collectors' market. Not bad for a band whose entire recorded output consists of just the "Affinity" LP and the single "Eli's Song"/"United States Of Mind" (Vertigo 6059 018) which is in itself worth around BP10. Ably supported by guitarist Mike Jupp, bassist Mo Foster, organist Lynton Naiff and drummer Grant Serpell, Affinity were one of several UK jazz-rock groups signed up by the influential Vertigo Records. But although the band's seven-track debut was well received by the critics, it didn't dissuade the group from splitting up soon after its release in 1970.

Linda Hoyle continued to record for Vertigo, releasing the "Pieces Of Me" LP (Vertigo 6360060) in 1971 on which she was backed by Chris Spedding and Soft Machine members John Marshall and Karl Jenkins. The LP was a much more varied one than Affinity's, ranging from ballads to hard rock, and though it wasn't a commercial success, it's now worth something like BP125 to a dedicated devotee Vertigo Records collector. Drummer Grant Serpell went on to join Sailor, playing on hits like "Girls Girls Girls" and "A Glass Of Champagne", whilst organist Lynton Naiff gigged with Toe Fat, the band led by ex-Rebel Rouser Cliff Bennett. Mo Foster later resurfaced in Ray Fenwick-led Fancy, in the mid 70s.
Taken from the 1993 reissue of "Affinity"

Tracks :

I Am And So Are You
Night Flight
I Wonder If I Care As Much
Mr. Joy
Three Sisters
Coconut Grove
All Along The Watchtower
Eli's Coming
United States Of Mind

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GANDALF - S/T 1969

With spellbinding, atmospheric songs which spin from soft dreamscapes into blistering fuzz guitar breaks, Gandalf casts a powerful spell. Led by singer/guitarist Peter Sando, the group was signed by Lovin' Spoonful producers Charlie Koppelman & Don Rubin & conjured their sole, self-titled album for Capitol in late 1967. One of the rarest major label psychedelic releases, Gandalf (not to be confused with the heavy metal outfit with the same name) features swirls of Hammond B3 organ, caressing vibraphone runs & electric sitar on Sando's originals as well as imaginative recastings of songs by Tim Hardin, Gary Bonner, Alan Gordon & Eden Ahbez.

Tracks :

1. Golden Earrings
2. Hang On To A Dream
3. Never Too Far
4. Scarlet Ribbons
5. You Upset The Grace Of Living
6. Can You Travel In The Dark Alone
7. Nature Boy
8. Tiffany Rings
9. Me About You
10. I Watch The Moon

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MIKE ABSALOM - S/T 1971

Mike Absalom was a genuine oddity on the late-'60s/early-'70s U.K. scene, a singer/songwriter with a bent sense of humor that seemed to be driven as much by a heavy load of illicit pharmaceuticals as by a skewed worldview. Unlike the contemporary Syd Barrett, however, Absalom did not become an acid casualty. He recorded one album for Saydisc in 1969, a disc that escaped under the title of Save the Last Gherkin for Me, and he set out on a career of busking and living hand to mouth. Producer/A&R man Patrick Lyons (of Nirvana [U.K.] fame) found his attention engaged by Absalom's music when the singer/songwriter was playing for small change in a London Underground station, subsequently signing him to Vertigo Records.

Absalom toured throughout the U.K., playing the college circuit and small clubs throughout the early '70s. The Vertigo contract yielded a pair of albums, of which Mike Absalom (1971) seems hardly to have been noticed, despite a Roger Dean sleeve that doubled as a poster guide to Notting Hill Gate. 1973's Hector and Other Peccadillos garnered a little more attention, but not enough to prevent Absalom from vanishing from sight for some time.

Absalom eventually resurfaced in Canada, and currently lives in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Over the years he has expanded his repertoire considerably, performing Celtic music under the name of Mike Absalom & the Squid Jiggers, as well as a variety of harp music. He has become popular in western Canada for both the variety of his music and his continuing strange humor. ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide

Tracks :

1. Saga of John the Bog
2. Don't Tell it on the Telephone
3. Let Me Give You Roses, Rose
4. Old Woman in the Moon
5. Saga of Ernie Plugg's Bust
6. Saga of Suzie Grapevine and Pusher Joe
7. Frightened of the Dark
8. Gaza Striptease
9. It Must Be Spring
10. Saga of Peaches Melba and the Hash Officer

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[By Request] EXPLOIT - CRISI 1972

One of the earliest Progressive bands from Italy (The original record is from 1972). The band plays two different kinds of music in the same record, the first part is a 20' suite close to the best trip, in the second we find very melodic songs, in a typical Italian style. Another mega rarity.

Tracks :

Speranza
Crisi
Pazzia
Anche se ho sbagliato
Un bambino un re
Il campanile della cattedrale
L'Anima nuda
Giochiamo Insieme
La tua pelle scotta

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AUM - RESURRECTION 1969

San Francisco act who were a very popular around the city's ballrooms in the late 60's. This their second album is from 1969 and it's a really diverse affair with a mixture of hard rock and psychedelic numbers. The title track is a dreamy epic affair with some great guitar work while a gospel tinge creeps in on "God is Back in Town". This is worthy of investigation. Originally on Bill Graham's Fillmore label.

Tracks :

1. God Is Back In Town
2. Resurrection
3. Only I Know
4. Bye Bye Baby
5. Today & Tomorrow
6. Little Brown Hen
7. Aum
8. Pachuko Boogie

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HARVEST FLIGHT - ONE WAY 1971

Very pro-sounding 1970s Christian hippie folkrock LP with a slicker sound than universally loved Jesus rock monsters like Kristyl et al. Impressive vocal harmonies manage to convey a wide range of emotions within the realm of an elaborate production. Other notable features include typical 70s keyboard wizardry, some good guitar, and intricate Third Estate-style arrangements that occasionally stray into the overambitious. Includes a cover of "One in spirit", rest is group originals. May be too much of a mainstream studio Steely Dan trip for some, but apart from one atypical country track I think it's pretty good. Release year seems to be 1971 but it actually sounds more like 1975-76 to me. Apart from the back cover difference, the original press has a different font on the front cover logo, and the label logo in the left corner instead of the right.



Tracks :

1 - Prologue
2 - Kingdom
3 - Change
4 - One in the Spirit
5 - Share
6 - Country Tune
7 - Joy of Salvation
8 - Truth
9 - Free
10 - Epilogue

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MAGGIE BELL - SUICIDE SAL 1970

In 1975 MAGGIE BELL’S second solo album was released to much critical acclaim having been recorded at RINGO STARR’s Studio, Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, England 'Suicide Sal' was a different sort of album to its
predecessor 'Queen Of The Night' as she had been playing live over the past year and the material had already been “road tested” and she captured on this release more of a 'rockier' live feel.
Fellow label mate JIMMY PAGE of Led Zeppelin even played on one of the tracks.
The release did particularly well in Germany and USA with one reviewer Tom Nolan stating “This LP signals Maggie Bell’s arrival as the fine, powerful singer we had been touted to expect. I have a feeling people will be playing this one for years” Enough said.




Tracks :

1. Wishing Well
2. Suicide Sal
3. I Was In Chains
4. If You Don’t Know
5. What You Got
6. In My Life
7. Comin On Strong
8. Hold On
9. I Saw Him Standing There
10. It’s Been So Long

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