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John Hiatt made his first recording as a member of White Duck, a likable if unspectacular country rock band. Hiatt was on board for the band's second and final album In Season in 1972. The four band members (Hiatt, Don Kloetzke, Mario Friedel, and Paul Tabet) each contribute songs as singers and songwriters. Hiatt's two songs are the record's high points. "You Caught Me Laughin' " sounds like the type of song that would turn up on one of Hiatt's first two solo albums; the other one, "Sail Away", sounds almost like vintage Hiatt. If a John Hiatt box set ever comes to exist, "Sail Away" would be deserving of inclusion.The songs contributed by Mario Friedel are almost as good as Hiatt's. Nearly half of the songs are written and sung by Don Kloetzke (who has a white duck sitting on his lap in the back cover photo); the quality of his contributions is inconsistent. Kloetzke shines on "Thank You" and "A Girl Who", but he overindulges on "Bull Island Boogie" and "Looney Tune", two oddball novelty songs in which Hiatt is not a credited player.Overall, In Season makes for very pleasant listening, and should be regarded as more than just a curiosity piece for Hiatt's fans. The music on this record alternately resembles that of the Band and the Flying Burrito Brothers, but is more upbeat than either. Tracks :1. Carry Love (Don Kloetzke)2. Firewater (Mario Friedel, Skip Rogers)3. You Caught Me Laughin' (John Hiatt)4. Thank You (Don Kloetzke)5. Sail Away (John Hiatt)6. Bull Island Boogie (Buzz Cason, Don Kloetzke)7. Honey, You'll Be Alright (Do What Ya Gotta Do) (Paul Tabet, Mario Friedel)8. Lazy Days (Mario Friedel)9. A Girl Who (Don Kloetzke)10. Again (Mario Friedel)11. Looney Tune (Don Kloetzke)
Hamana´s debut album, recorded in 1974, was issued on the local Phoenix label, Canyon Records. To most of the 60´s psychedelic rock/folk fans this is almost an unknown album, original pressings seem to be disappeared, only a few copies are known in collectors hands. Bruce Hamana, a native American, is member of the Indian Hopi Tribe and went in 1969 to college near San Francisco to live -in the white man's world. Instead of traditional native American themes he felt like writing modern, revolutionary, contemporary music. The result you hear on this album is powerful and melodic, and expresses perfectly the sunny California peace, love & freedom feeling, but also contains a social-critical message: 'One of these days everything is gonna change, things you take for granted will be taken away from you' - The music itself is emotive with strong vocals, lots of West Coast psychedelic guitar flashes, with a touch of garage flair and a smidgin of loner folk style. This album should appeal to fans of Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Byrds, X.I.T, Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, Garrett Lund : almost unbelievably, on these recordings all instruments, bass, guitars, vocals and drums have been played by Hamana himself, to get overdubbed and to become finally a tasty and atmospheric stereo acoustic/electric mix.
Although this is not a current selection (which actually was origianlly recorded back in 1973), Tower of Power will remain one of funk/R&B's premier bands which used a massive horn section to highlight their work.On this CD, the noteworthy "What is Hip?" stands out as their rocking, syncopated, break-induced tunes. AOR lit into this one, as well as the soulful "So Very Hard To Go." Both these individual tunes are worth the price of the CD, but it doesn't stop there.AOR never quite latched onto "Soul Vaccination" but that doesn't detract from the signature sound of ToP. The horn section is what drove ToP, and to this day I cannot think of another band that accomplished what ToP was able to do, when it was able to do it.Tower of Power still receives airplay, but on a much smaller scale, considering this style of music is now considered as what ToP said in their song "What is Hip?": "What you think might really be passe'."It is unfortunate that ToP is not still riding the airwaves in it's former glory, but since times and tastes have changed with the generations, we can only hope that ToP will remain an icon to older boomers who remember hard-driving funk and R&B. By R. S. Gilbert Tracks : 1. What Is Hip? (LP Version)2. Clever Girl (LP Version)3. This Time It's Real (LP Version)4. Will I Ever Find A Love? (LP Version)5. Get Yo' Feet Back On The Ground (LP Version) 6. So Very Hard To Go (LP Version)7. Soul Vaccination (LP Version)8. Both Sorry Over Nothin' (LP Version) 9. Clean Slate (LP Version)10. Just Another Day (LP Version)
Marián Varga and Fedor Frešo had previously played in Bratislava's premier flower-power pop band Prúdy, along with Pavol Hammel.Marián Varga's musical concept for Collegium Musicum had some common ground with the classical rock of Procol Harum, Moody Blues, The Nice and Deep Purple's Concerto For Group & Orchestra. An EP named "Hommage a J. S. Bach" (on Panton) became their 1970 recordingdebut. Their first album (recorded in October 1970) also incorporated elements of jazz, blues and beat in a manner similar to Colosseum circa 1969 (and also had some brass arrangements). Marián Varga's organ was the principal instrument, playing motifs mostly derived from classical music. In addition to two of Varga's compositions (both more than 13 minutes in length) they also included a version of Haydn's "Concerto In D" with a string orchestra.Konvergencie was released before the end of 1971, a double album with only one track each side. "P. F. 1972" showcased Marián Varga's distinctive organ style, sometimes in dialogue with ace guitarist František Griglák, soon to form Fermáta, the Slovakian equivalent of Mahavishnu Orchestra or Iceberg. The track was divided into several interrelated sections, including one sung by a children's choir. "Suita Po Tisíc A Jednej Noci" (The Thousand And One Night Suite) was a free interpretation of themes from Rimsky-Korsakov's famous "Scheher-azade" performed live with a lot of extended organ and guitar solos. "Piesne Z Kolovratu" was a suite of small songs inspired by Czechoslovakian folk music and with lyrics written by the poet Kamil Peteraj. They have a soft and romantic feel and are blended together by elegant musical ornaments. Those who enjoy this track should check out the first Prúdy-album (from 1969) and the later collaborations with Pavol Hammel. "Eufónia" was a more experimental track with Varga squeezing out even stranger noises from his organ than Mike Ratledge had done before him.When Griglák left Collegium Musicum, the others made an album with Pavol Hammel. He had been singer and guitarist of the beat-pop group Prúdy of which Marián Varga had also been a member. Zelená Pošta (1972) was credited only to Hammel and Varga, but was very much a group effort with Fedor Frešo handling production. This is another collection of short songs connected to a suite, and again with lyrics by Kamil Peteraj.Collegium Musicum's next move was a superb live album recorded by the powerhouse trio of Varga, Freso and Hájek. The 1975 album was also partly recorded live, this time adding a guitar player again. These two albums display the group closest to the classical rock idiom with free interpretations of themes by Bartok and Prokofiev, but mostly original compositions and crafty improvisations. Within this field, few others have done it better!For the next two years, Varga and company made two more albums with with Pavol Hammel, Kamil Peteraj and others. Na Druhom Programe Sna (1976) featured noted guitarist Radim Hladík and is an excellent cycle of 13 songs, interspersed with the characteristic Collegium Musicum instrumental framework. This is just as good as their "own" albums. Cyrano Z Predmesta (1978) was a kind of pop opera with two female and two male singers, strings and brass. Some instrumental segments are good but the vocals are too close to pop music.1978 also saw the release of a new album credited to Collegium Musicum (with long time member Fedor Frešo returning from Modrý Kfekt). Continuo was an attempt to renew their old formula using the latest synthesizer technology. Varga played long, experimental solo parts (trustworthy old themes but played in strangely bended keys), alternating with more steady rock rhythms and vocals. Two tracks went beyond 16 minutes but are in many ways overshadowed by their previous attempts. Still this is quite a good album.On A Ona (1979) had a much stronger orientation towards conventional rock than its predecessor and lacked a bit of distinction. It contained nine tracks in all and a couple of them are still quite good.Ten years after Konvergencie, Varga concluded the Collegium Musicum years with another double album named Divergencie (1981). This was, similarly, a work in four main parts (the separation created by old vinyl albums could be an advantage). While this skeleton was very much the same, the musical fleshing was more indicative of Varga's recent efforts. The eminent guitar player Luboš Andršt graced the jazz-rock side "Refrény". Old partner Pavol Hammel was once again the featured vocalist on this and "P. F. (1982. 1983...)", a sweet attempt to combine pop, folk music and progressive rock with orchestra and choir. "Musica Concertante" was a more serious and academic composition (mainly for symphony orchestra) written by Varga in collaboration with Vojtech Magyar. This was a remarkably successful fusion of classical and rock music, sounding like a revision of Martinu's symphonies. Parts of "Sadza Do Obálky" (a new song cycle by Varga and Peteraj) represented the most song-oriented and ordinary material. Overall, this was one of the best Collegium Musicum albums, totally different from the EL&P-oriented material of the mid-seventies. Varga's solo album Stále Tie Dni (1984) was certainly different too, with experimental compositions (including a 20-minute war requiem) centered around synthesizers and vocoders. Marián Varga's group was undoubtedly the leading progressive rock band from Bratislava. Tracks : 01. Domáca úloha (M. Varga)02. Z ďatelín (M. Varga - K. Peteraj)03. Tenis (M. Varga - K. Peteraj)04. Smutná ranná električka (M. Varga - M. Válek)05. Krajina bielych dievčat (P. Hammel - K. Peteraj)06. Páví ples (M. Varga, P. Hammel - B. Filan)07. Cesty bláznov (M. Varga - B. Filan)08. Nechtiac (M. Varga - B. Filan)09. Slnečnice (M. Varga - K. Peteraj)10. Pošta (M. Varga, P. Hammel - K. Peteraj)
A veteran of the New York coffee house circuit who recorded with Jimi Hendrix, Buzz Linhart recorded this classic debut in London in 1968. Featuring backing from Welsh psychedelic favourites the Eyes Of Blue, it's a superb collection of acid-influenced ... Full Descriptionfolk and pop, including the epic, sitar-tinged raga Sing Joy, and is sure to appeal to all fans of hippie singersongwriting.
Released in late 1969, Aurora was the finale of a two-album career at Capitol (Crazy Horse Roads came out earlier that year), but this San Jose trio had been a singles act on RCA as far back as 1966. This is supposed to be the better of the pair, but that recommendation is good only for 1) a few joyful minutes of fine Lennonesque disdain on “The Kibitzer,” 2) some nice phasing and reverb on “Inca Treasure” and 3) a loose-but-definite air of late-sixties punky improvisation. The band is admirably tight, but their material largely confined to Beatle-scrapings with a pellet or two of Moby Grapeshot. Jim McPherson wasn’t the worst singer a big-label sixties psych act had on offer--Mad River’s Lawrence Hammond had a voice to crisp an aardvark’s nosehairs--but he’s wildly uneven and hippie-hammy. To say the cover of Lincoln Chase’s swamp-rot standard “Jim Dandy” was ill-advised would be to detonate a twenty-megaton understatement. Stained Glass cracked up about the time this record hit the shops, but McPherson managed to retain enough of Capitol’s interest to record a solo album. In 1971, he and John Cipollina (late of Quicksilver Messenger Service) formed Copperhead, who was signed by Columbia’s Clive Davis for over one million dollars. In 1973, their eponymous lone release sank like the Empress of Ireland. (Ron Garmon)
The wonderful world of Crazy Horse Roads, released in 1968 by Stained Glass, has been unjustly forgotten with the passing of time. The band started out life covering Beatles songs in San Jose, California. Their first single, a cover of the Beatles’ If I Needed Someone was released in 1966. It was a respectable cover of the Beatle’s classic though the flip was better, being a moody folk-rock original.The single tanked, prompting the band to quickly release the self-penned My Buddy Sin later on that year. My Buddy Sin was an excellent folk rock song with wailing harmonica, soaring harmonies, sharp lyrics and an acid tinged production. This single failed to attract attention despite it’s quality, forcing the band to record a brill building classic for their next 45.In the 1960’s, artists and rock bands depended on the success of the single to grant them artistic and creative control/freedom (making albums). We Got A Long Way To Go was a huge local hit, well executed, pleasant enough and professional, though betraying the band’s roots and creative aspirations. A few other decent though commercially unsuccessful singles followed in the psychedelic pop vein. Eventually the band was granted freedom to record two albums on the Capital label.Crazy Horse Roads is a unique effort, and much different from their jam oriented Aurora album. There are some solid psych pop songs (Night Cap, Twiddle My Thumbs and Fingerpainting), soul rock (Two Make One and Fahrenheit), galloping country-rock (Horse On Me) and hard folk-rockers (Light Down Below, Doomsday, I Sing You Sing, and Soap and Turkey). Doomsday really stands out as the lost mini classic though, with some huge vibrating fuzz riffs, hard strumming accoustic guitars, tight harmonies and a psychedelic production. Night Cap is also a really good bouncy, twisted psych pop song with a British influence. You never know whats coming next throughout the album and the band’s sound resembles Moby Grape, HMS Bounty and Buffalo Springfield.Aurora, released the following year (1969), is only half a good album finding the band indulging in a guitar based San Fransisco ballroom style. Jim McPherson, the founding member of Stained Glass, went on to form Copperhead with Quicksilver’s John Cippolina. Together they made one expensive (for the time), quality album that was overlooked in it’s day. Oh, and by the way, this album is housed in arguably the greatest cover of the 60’s.By Jason (http://therisingstorm.net/stained-glass-crazy-horse-roads/)Tracks : 1. I Sing You Sing2. Finger Painting3. Soap and Turkey4. Twiddle My Thumbs5. Fahrenheit6. Nightcap7. Horse on Me8. Two Make One9. Light Down Below10. Piggy Back Ride and the Camel11. Doomsday12. If I Needed Someone - (Bonus Track)13. How Do You Expect Me to Trust You? - (Bonus Track)14. My Buddy Sin - (Bonus Track)15. Vanity Fair - (Bonus Track)16. We Got a Long Way to Go - (Bonus Track)17. Corduroy Joy - (Bonus Track)18. Scene in Between, A - (Bonus Track)19. Mediocre Me - (Bonus Track)20. Lady in Lace - (Bonus Track)
Number nine bread street is a pub, an obscure little building found down a narrow once-cobble street, A collection coin flip from Wakefield cathedral, almost hidden in the shadows. Number nine bread street and it's five thirty, late afternoon the five door bolts are drawn. A yellow block of light falls on the pavement. Inside the glass globes blaze, the coal fire crackle is the only sound to break this early silence. Soon the news boy will enter over the pale dunes of deal sawdust lying on the flagged floor. This is an old pub clinging to an old tradition.The setting is peacful, nothing until six o'clock, six thirty when the door again opens and number nine bread street gradually shrugs to life. Pearls of drizzle on cropped hair and a guitar. The one long bar with its elbow-rubbed sheen stands the press of customers, more talk and blue curls of tobacco smoke haze drifts over all.A banjo glints next to the guitar, a whistle of music, the regular voices tune up with a burst of laughter. The singing begins, a crowd of likely and unlikely characters range their voices through the rafters.Number nine bread street, this is another night here, the place resounds with song and local talk while strangers are bearing lovely ideas away in odd cornersNumber nine bread street is a record
Jim Capaldi struck out on his own following the break-up of Traffic and the result is the upbeat Short Cut Draw Blood. This album produced hit singles in the form of such tracks as "It's All Up to You," "Love Hurts" and the FM staple "Johnny Too Bad." Aided by a wide variety of musician friends and dipping into a wide range of musical styles, there is something for everyone on Short Cut Draw Blood. While some cuts still have a thrown together sound to them, this album holds together even better than his first release. A fine look at the mid-'70s in terms of just how wide a variety of music could be contained on one album by one personality. ~ James Chrispell, All Music Guide
The Web are perhaps best known for their progressive rock classic I Spider (available on Esoteric Recordings), an album of innovation that continues to draw comparisons with the work of Van Der Graaf Generator at that time. The Web began life as a jazz and soul influenced outfit, fronted by singer John L. Watson, enjoying Top Ten hit singles throughout Europe.By the time of Theraphosa Blondi the band underwent a metamorphosis, with their music taking on more Jazz and Progressive influences, resulting in an excellent album that is rightly seen as a precursor to both the album I Spider and the band'sevolution into the group Samurai.
John Hiatt made his first recording as a member of White Duck, a likable if unspectacular country rock band. Hiatt was on board for the band's second and final album In Season in 1972. The four band members (Hiatt, Don Kloetzke, Mario Friedel, and Paul Tabet) each contribute songs as singers and songwriters. Hiatt's two songs are the record's high points. "You Caught Me Laughin' " sounds like the type of song that would turn up on one of Hiatt's first two solo albums; the other one, "Sail Away", sounds almost like vintage Hiatt. If a John Hiatt box set ever comes to exist, "Sail Away" would be deserving of inclusion.
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