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The Artwoods were every bit the rivals of such bands as the Animals and the Spencer Davis Group, but never saw the success as a recording act that either of them enjoyed. Rather, their following was confined to the clubs they played, despite releasing a half-dozen singles and an LP during their four years together.Art Wood, the older brother of Ron Wood, had been involved with the London blues scene almost from the beginning, as an original member of Blues Incorporated, the pioneering blues/R&B outfit founded by Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies. He was the backup rhythm singer in the band's early lineup, before the split between Davies and Korner (and prior to their recording their one and only album); he also had a group of his own that he fronted on the side, called the Art Woods Combo. They later became the Artwoods in 1963 and Jon Lord later joined along with guitarist Derek Griffiths, after their own earlier band, Red Bludd's Bluesicians, split up. The group's decision to turn professional in 1964 required a new drummer and Keef Hartley was recruited by way of an ad in Melody Maker magazine. For their bassist, they raided Malcolm Pool from the Roadrunners lineup. In the booming London music scene, getting a recording contract was relatively easy -- labels were signing everything in sight that could make a noise that sounded like music -- and they joined Decca Records' roster in 1964.The Artwoods' early records are some of the most fondly remembered British R&B singles, rivals to the work of the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, or, ironically enough, the Birds, the outfit of which Art Wood's younger brother Ron Wood was a member. Their sound was as steeped in soul and funk as it was in blues, which set them apart from many of their rivals. What's more, they were good at it, with a natural feel for the music and even capable of writing decent originals, which graced the B-sides of their singles. And they had a virtuoso lineup: Jon Lord's piano and organ sound was a great complement to Wood's singing, Derek Griffiths' guitar work was tastefully flashy, and Keef Hartley was animated as well as powerful, with a bigger sound on the drums than, say, Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds. All of these attributes made the Artwoods a top stage attraction. Club audiences always knew they were good for a great show and the band loved playing live. Ultimately, in fact, the group's success in touring and their love of playing live may have hurt them. They had no problem playing hundreds of gigs a year at venues like Klooks Kleek in Hampstead and dozens of lesser clubs for the sheer enjoyment of it, but they earned relatively little money doing it.At the same time, their singles never seemed to connect, despite appearances on programs like Ready, Steady, Go! and other television venues promoting them. Their failure as a recording outfit is inexplicable upon hearing the singles -- they weren't strong songwriters, to be sure, but when covering American-style R&B, their records were soulful, funky, and played not only well but inventively; close your eyes and it seems like they were the U.K. answer to Booker T. & the MG's. And the vocals -- if not as charismatic as what Eric Burdon, Mick Jagger, or Paul Jones were doing with their respective bands -- were attractive and memorable and sounded authentically American. And, in contrast to a lot of other British bands of that period, they did manage to capture something of their live sound on those records, which made them very potent. In fairness, Decca even allowed them to cut a complete LP despite their lack of chart success, but the quintet never broke through. Like the Action, another U.K. R&B outfit that made great records that never got heard, the Artwoods never did more than amaze audiences one club at a time and leave behind some great music to be found by pop culture archivists.A series of label switches in 1967 to Parlophone and then Fontana gave them some furtive success on the continent (in Denmark, of all places) and after four years of hard work, the Artwoods called it quits after a brief foray under the name the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Keef Hartley was the first to go, heading to John Mayall's band (Macolm Pool followed his lead) and then into his own group, while Jon Lord, who had dabbled in studio outfits like Santa Barbara Machinehead, took up an offer from ex-Searcher Chris Curtis to join a group called Roundabout, which evolved into Deep Purple. Art Wood himself never left music, despite the disappointment inherent in the Artwoods. Like such older contemporaries as Alexis Korner, he made the occasional recording and was one of the members of the revived Downliners Sect during the 1980s and 1990s.
The origins of the band derive from the enthusiasm for music generated by the Beatles and the idealism of the mid-Sixties. From October 15, 1967 through August 23, 1970, the five members of the band developed the music skills and indentity that enabled us to create this album in the summer of 1970. We wanted to make a record of our music to preserve and commemorate the special bonds of friendship which continue to this day. The Rubber Memory was something special and this album, with all its imperfections, is exactly what we were, and will always be.Many thanks to Scott Bubrig whose interest, enthusiasm and determined attention to detail have made the reissue of this album possible.The Rubber Memory continued as a four member band until May 1971 with Bill on drums, Ted on lead guitar/vocals, David Parker on bass guitar/vocals and Joe Montelepre on organ/vocals. In October 1971, Brian Simeon joined the band on bass guitar/vocals and the name was changed to "Oakridge."The band played its last job in late spring 1972.
Upon first listen to psyche-rock obscurity ORANGE WEDGE, one would think they came from the darkest depths of Deutschland. In actuality, these folks come from the Pooch’s neck of the woods in Baltimore, MD. Information on the band is scarce at best, but here’s the skinny: they released two albums, this being the first. It was limited to only 500 pressings; so yes, “obscure classic” would be the appropriate term here. They’ve since gained a little exposure from the track “From the Womb to the Tomb” (not featured here) which can be found on a few psyche-rock rarity collections. Now while this is all well and good, the important thing is obviously the music itself. Thankfully, we’re talking high quality, well crafted stuff that still sounds good 35 years after the fact.Album opener “Love Me” is a catchy little folk rock number, with a crisp, clean blend of electric and acoustic strumming. The band’s singer has a powerful voice that’s versatile enough to work with the musical changes that occur throughout the album. Good thing, too, because the next track, “Death Comes Slowly”, is where these guys really get adventurous. It’s an 11+ minute jam with a totally unexpected jazzy breakdown in (I believe?) 11/8 time. Song three, “The Comfort of You”, is a tender semi-ballad that would have probably been better served with a higher key (the singer sounds like he’s struggling with the low register), but the acoustic to electric build-up is done quite nicely. Following that, we have a straight-forward, upbeat anthem in “Keep on Livin’”, and then a bit of a darker, minor-keyed rocker in “One Night Lover”. Still not satisfied with the musical exploration they’ve done so far, these guys completely switch gears on the classic rock & roll boogie of “Meat House Shuffle” before shoving the listener head-first into a sea of psychedelic with album closer “Revenge”, a 6 ½ minute jam full of solos and flanger drum effects that also proves to be the album’s darkest and heaviest moment.If there’s any major criticism to be offered here, it’s that the 11+ minute jazzy jam “Death Comes Slowly” probably should have been quite a bit further down in the track listing – y’know, let the listener get their feet a little wet first. Other than that, “Wedge” is a solid album that has stood the test of time rather well. I’d be interested to see what sort of stories the either the Pooch or Ray have on these guys. In the meantime, I’ve all of a sudden become intrigued as to what Detroit obscurities are out there that I’m missing out on…
Megarare, sometimes Eastern sounding Westcoast?Psychedelic with a fantastic songwriting and massive fuzz guitar assaults. Their roots are in the sixties punk movement starting ´64 in San Bernardino CA as the Torquays, with a few 45´s. The only album Corduroy Roads was recorded in 1970, there were only 100 copies made! Their music is sneaky, loner, killer, desert sound that creeps down your back and leaves you asking for more.
A fantastic all WHITE-BLUES album with fantastic guitar work from MICK HUTCHINGSON.The album was recorded at year 1968, but it was first released by German Little Wing of Refugees label (1994) on limited vinyl pressing, and later on CD (1997).Mick Hutchinson says .Due to the odd circumstances that the album was recorded in .Like....I didn't own an amplifier or have anywhere to live.I used to go into guitar shops and drool over Marshalls .And a man with a broken nose [Ballif ] came and took my Gibson 345 away .Actually the band didn't own any of it's own equipment .All sorts of mad things kept happening !!We weren't altogether happy with the way it turned out ,and they were crazy times anyway !!!.That's why it didn't get realeased in the 1960s.We wished that we could have re recorded lots of it !!
Harsh Reality are a little-known, proto-prog band born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire out of the remnants of the Freightliner Blues Band (formerly the Revolution) in the early sixties. The band consisted of Mark Griffiths and Dave Jenkins on guitars, Alan Greed on lead vocals and organ, Roger Swallow on drums, and Steve Miller on bass and backing vocals. They released a single for Phillips in 1968 ("Tobacco Ash Sunday"/"How Do You Feel") before releasing their only LP, Heaven and Hell, on Phillips in 1969. A final single followed soon after, before the band split in 1969.Their Heaven and Hell LP is now a highly-sought rarity, going for hundreds of pounds between eager collectors. For this reason, Harsh Reality is somewhat famous/infamous in collecting circles.Though technically proto-prog, their work represented a marriage between the sounds of Procol Harum and early Deep Purple.Following the band's demise, Roger Swallow has lent his talent variously to Principle Edwards Magic Theatre, Matthews Southern Comfort, Plainsong, Albion Country Band, and Al Stewart before moving to California and establishing himself as an electronic musician, songwriter and entrepreneur. Alan Greed went on to work with Ray Russell[1] on the Rock Workshop albums and as a session singer. Mark Griffiths has worked with Matthews Southern Comfort, Jonathan Kelly, Al Stewart, David Essex, The Everly Brothers, and Cliff Richard & The Shadows. The rest of the band also went into session work.
Artwork included
After their 1971 debut album failed to register a blip in the marketplace, Chicago sextet String Cheese promptly faded away. Their failure is woeful, because with proper backing and encouragement, they could have been the next It’s A Beautiful Day. Like that San Francisco band, String Cheese’s sound was steeped in sparkling hippie subject matter, strongly delivered by chanteuse Sally Smaller and aided by the electric violin of Gregory Bloch. Unfortunately, their debut album was also their last.12-string guitarist and co-vocalist Lawrence W. Wendelken wrote most of the songs on String Cheese, and there are some truly tasteful arrangements contained within. "Soul Of Man," for example, benefits from lush, live strings over folksy acoustic guitar picking and sparse drums, while a Larry and Sally duet muses on the winding road that is the human experience. Meanwhile, the harpsichord-led intro to "Woke Up This Morning" (not the theme to The Sopranos) comes straight out of a renaissance court, progressing to a summery, psychedelic electric sitar jam with lyricism glowing in sunshine-induced optimism. There is some serious talent on display here.Sure, the electric guitar and bass on String Cheese sound more late-’70s than one would hope for, and the themes are a little vague considering America’s involvement in an unjust war propelled by a criminal president, but another album or two surely would’ve worked the kinks out. C’est la vie, I suppose, and at least we have this Fallout reissue. There is nothing in the way of inflated liner notes or bonus tracks, but the new cover art is nice, the remastering has taken quite well, and it’s the first time the album has made it to CD.by Alan Ranta
Src's final album was recorded after the departure of guitarists Gary Quackenbush and Steve Lyman, Ray Goodman assuming all the guitar chores. Despite the shakeup, the sound hardly changed at all, perhaps becoming a bit more progressive-minded. The organ-guitar duels and alternation of concise hard rock with lengthy progressive passages also remained intact. If this album came out today, you'd swear it was a satire of the progressive rock era, some of it is so prototypical. But these guys were serious about what they did, and impressive, in their own way. The CD reissue includes a non-LP B-side from the same era, "My Fortune's Coming True." ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
1970 debut from French progressive rock band Alice. Guitars, organ, flutes, saxes, violin and piano all combine to create a stunning album similar to many early UK progressive albums. One of the first wave of French groups, they have been likened to Traffic, Jethro Tull and Family.
The Dave Pike Set cd Album from 1971 (presented here as a Japanese CD reissue) is one of the albums vibist extraordinaire Dave Pike recorded while on a stint in Germany in the late 60s/early 70s on the excellant jazz label MPS.At this time Dave Pike was working with a group of Germans, featuring Volker Kriegel on guitar, J.A. Rettenbacher on bass, and Peter Baumeister on drums.For quite awhile these albums were non-existent in the US market - so much so that when Dave eventually re-joined us state-side some of his old friends had thought that he was dead.That is gladly not the case on this set of vibrant, funky tunes, mostly penned by the Set's guitarist Volker Kriegel. I've heard that Album is a little more jazz-oriented than the earlier MPS recordings - and that is definitely true to my ears: most of this album *is* straight jazz but don't let that stop you from checking this disc out - there are quite a few moments that send this beyond that basic stamp of simplicity.Track 1 Big Schlepp is a funky number with some great cowbell led stops and starts, killer bass, and joint vibes/guitar interplay. The distorted guitar solo is what sends this one over the top.Track 4 Papa Joy starts out simply enough with an extended intro (which would be great to do voice-overs btw) eventually opening up into one hell of a jam-fest with one of the best vibe solos on this disc. The melody here reminds me of the Bobby Hebb's song Sunny. Around the 3 minute mark this track gets freeform for a few seconds and when the track comes back there is a hot electric guitar solo which sends this one flying, eventually fuzzing out into more free formness.Track 5 Toys starts out freeform, with some jangling percussion, blown flute notes, and of course various toy-like noises. This track reminds me of Can at their most experimental. Eventually some voices coming in reminding me of Stockhausen. Oddly this track just ends abruptly leavin me to wonder if the entire track is on this disc - it sounds like it's just getting going when this happens.The rest of the tracks, while all being excellant performances, are more along the lines of straight forward jazz.
The Artwoods were every bit the rivals of such bands as the Animals and the Spencer Davis Group, but never saw the success as a recording act that either of them enjoyed. Rather, their following was confined to the clubs they played, despite releasing a half-dozen singles and an LP during their four years together.
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