The Outer Limits - Just One More Chance – Anthology 1965-1968

Over the course of the four years from 1965-1968, The Outer Limits, led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Christie, released three singles that showed great potential for a promising career, and also took part in a package tour in 1967 that was headlined by Pink Floyd, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move and The Amen Corner.  Over the years, those singles have become highly collectible, and now they are included in this new two-CD collection, along with thirty-one bonus tracks (fourteen of which are previously unreleased) that were also recorded during this time.  The set opens with their debut single “When The Work Is Through,” an upbeat pop tune with some soulful undertones and a horn section that was actually written by Godfrey Class, a student at Leeds University, and included on the 1965 Leeds Students Charity Rag single.  Found at the end of disc one is their second single “Just One More Chance,” a catchy, upbeat pop tune with a touch of psychedelia and some really cool twinkling organ, and the flipside “Help Me Please,” which found them shifting in more of a freakbeat direction.  Their final single was “Great Train Robbery,” a gorgeous, orchestrated chamber pop track with storytelling lyrics, that is reminiscent of early Bee Gees.  It has all the makings of a hit, but the BBC wouldn't play it due to the similarities to the real 1963 Great Train Robbery, and that coupled with some personnel changes contributed to the end of the band a short time later.  It was actually released twice a few months apart on Instant Records and then Immediate Records in a longer version that added some sound effects to the beginning (both are included here).  “Sweet Freedom” is the b-side to both versions and is a solid pop tune that’s heavy on the keyboards and has some great harmonies.  Also included on disc one are the aforementioned fourteen previously unreleased demos compiled by Christie.  The band display so much diversity here, and there are so many that had the potential to be hits.  They show a soulful side in the bouncy pop of “But Not For Me” and “Time Stands Still,” the upbeat Motown of “Keep On Dreaming,” and the horn-driven “My Baby Loves Me.”  Hints of The Beatles show up in “She Said” and the organ heavy “Anna.”  There’s a touch of The Kinks in the dark, garage rock of “Misery,” and there are two versions of “The Dream” with its organ-driven bluesy psychedelia.  “Someday Somehow” is a quirky, almost cabaret sounding, track with very lively piano, and “Chinatown” is a captivating track that is also driven with the piano.  There are also demos of “Sweet Freedom,” “Just One More Chance,” and “Great Train Robbery.”  The last two are stripped down and interestingly all three are missing the keys, organ or strings and orchestration, respectively, that really sets their single versions apart.  

The remaining sixteen bonus tracks are on disc two and were originally released on the 2008 compilation Floored Masters - Past Imperfect.  They are more proof of just what a missed opportunity this band was.  Cuts like “See It My Way,” with its Merseybeat sound, the ballad “Epitaph For A Non Entity,” and the upbeat pop of “Man In The Middle Of Nowhere” find them once again tapping into The Beatles’ influence.  The jangly guitars and vocal harmonies on “Run For Cover” bring to mind bands like The Byrds, and “Mr Magee’s Incredible Banjo Band” is another track reminiscent of early Bee Gees.  “Tomorrow Night” harkens back to the days of skiffle, and “Funny Clown” is solid Sixties pop rock with more great harmonies.  Other highlights include the bouncy upbeat pop of “Look At Me” and “Days Of Spring,” the propulsive driving rock of “Any Day Now” and the heavier “Paper Jake.”  Rounded out with a booklet containing a new interview with Christie, Just One More Chance is a fantastic deep dive into a band that deserved better.  

(Cherry Red Records)

Libby Ember - I Kill Spiders EP

I Kill Spiders, the debut EP from Montreal's Libby Ember is an outstanding collection of four songs that walk the line between atmospheric dream pop and folk-tinged indie pop.  They are full of captivating melodies and are highlighted by her warm, expressive vocals.  Her lyrics are smart, and often introspective and personal, tackling things like the little decisions we make that make up who we are (“I Kill Spiders”), dealing with a failed secret relationship (“Alibi”) and the self-doubts and mind games of young love (“Fortune Cookies”).  Lines like “Could it be true that all of this is happening cause I kill spiders in my room” and "Just tell me that I’m annoying just so I’d know for sure that I can stop looking for signs in the fortune cookies I buy at the store” really show the creativity of her lyrics.  I've had this EP on repeat quite frequently and really look forward to hearing more.  

(Libby Ember)

Alan White - Ramshackled (Remastered and Expanded)

In 1975 the decision was made for the five members of Yes to each release a solo album, and although the albums released by Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Patrick Moraz and Steve Howe were largely well-received, drummer Alan White's Ramshackled wasn't quite the same story.  While the others stuck close to the prog rock that fans were expecting, White’s release had minimal focus on that genre and was quite diverse stylewise, which for the most part didn’t appeal to their fans.  Another interesting aspect of the album was the fact that while it was released as his solo album, he only played drums and percussion.  This meant that everything else, including the songwriting and vocals, was handled by a group of musicians he had worked with before, primarily consisting of guitarist Pete Kirtley, bassist Colin Gibson, keyboard player Kenny Craddock and flute/saxophone player Bud Beadle (the five of them were in a short-lived band called Simpson's Pure Oxygen right before White joined Yes).  Now, fifty years after it was first released, the album has been remastered and reissued, and while it’s not without its weak spots, it is actually pretty good.  The album opens strongly with the catchy "Ooh Baby (Goin' To Pieces)," an upbeat soulful rock track with a great vocal performance from Alan Marshall, and “One Way Rag,” a seventies era midtempo classic rock cut with a touch of R&B (this could almost be classified as Yacht Rock).  Next up is "Avakak," the first of two instrumentals.  It's a jazzy rock track (more on the jazz side) with shifting tempos that again brings to mind prog a little, starting off slower and then kicking into more of a jaunty tune with horns.  With Jon Anderson and Steve Howe guesting on vocals and guitar, and lyrics taken from a William Blake poem, “Spring - Song Of Innocence” is a beautiful, laid-back and dreamy track that is very atmospheric and the most Yes-like song on the album.  Yacht Rock once again comes to mind at moments on “Giddy”, a fun, upbeat tune with a bit of a rock edge.  On “Silly Woman” he delves into reggae, but it really doesn’t work and is one of the album’s low points.  The second instrumental is “Marching Into A Bottle,” a stripped down, baroque folk tune consisting of acoustic guitar, flute and woodwinds with some very basic percussion.  While White’s percussion, which includes a little steel drum,  really stands out on “Everybody,” the upbeat soul tune is another of the weaker cuts here.   Closing the album out is “Darkness Parts 1-3,” a three-part song and another of the the more prog tracks.  It starts off soulful and bluesy and then shifts into more of an orchestrated jazz-rock sound before wrapping up with a quieter, bluesy section that is accompanied by orchestration, keys and some trumpet.  There are also two bonus tracks included here that are just single versions of “Ooh Baby (Goin’ To Pieces” and “One Way Rag.”  If you are a Yes fan looking for another Yes album then keep looking, but if you are looking for a fun and diverse Seventies era album do yourself a favor and check out Ramshackled.  

(Spirit Of Unicorn Music)

Forester - Young Guns EP

Meshing punk energy with a piano-driven alt rock groove, “You Were Born,” the opening cut on Young Guns, the new EP from Edmonton’s Forester is the perfect combination of hooks and angst.  Largely stripped down to acoustic guitar and vocals with some strings and keyboard / piano accompaniment, that sense of taut, intensity continues on “Sons Of Dirt,” and while still raw and high energy, there is a playfulness to “Daredevil Youth,” which is a nostalgic look back at the freedom of their younger days.  It should be noted that Keenan Gregory’s piano really gives the songs here an added element that really sets them apart.  While they've been around for around fifteen years, somehow Forester have flown under my radar, but that has definitely changed after listening to this EP. 

(Forester - Facebook)

Fanny - Rock and Roll Survivors & Rock and Roll Survivors Live Opera 1974

In 1973, shortly after the release of their fourth album, Mother’s Pride, two of Fanny’s four members left the group.  They were replaced by Patti Quatro (big sister of Suzi) on guitars and vocals and Brie Brandt (originally Berry), who had been a member of the pre-Fanny band The Svelts, on drums.  This new lineup, rounded out by original members Jean Millington on bass and vocals and Nickey Barclay on keyboards and vocals, released one more album Rock and Roll Survivors before calling it a day.  Newly remixed and remastered, the album has now been reissued in a deluxe version containing three live bonus covers and a previously unreleased live recording of their Rock And Roll Survivors Live Opera.  While it’s definitely not their strongest record and has a few weaker cuts, Rock and Roll Survivors is still quite a good album and even contained what would end up being their highest charting track with “Butter Boy, which hit number twenty-nine on the US charts.  It is a catchy, somewhat poppier song, with doo wop vocals and even fingersnaps that was written by Jean Millington and was inspired by her relationship with David Bowie.  Another high point is the title track, which opens the album, and is a solid pop-tinged rocker with some slower interludes that has a touch of soul and strings.  “Rockin’ (All Nite Long)” is a hard rocker driven by fuzzy guitars, driving drums and Deep Purple-ish organ, and “Get Out Of The Jungle” is a solid rock tune with a bit of a bluesy side.  Opening with a funky bass and then kicking in with a sultry vocal from Quatro, “Beggar Man” continues with a slow burning funk groove.  As they had done with all their preceding albums, this one includes several covers.  Their completely rearranged take on “Let’s Spend The Night Together” is a funkier version with some great honky tonk piano, but at the end of the day is one of their weaker covers.  As for “Sally Go ‘Round The Roses,” an often-covered song that was originally a 1963 one-hit wonder for the Jaynetts, they give their version their own stamp, but it still has a bouncy pop sound that isn’t too far removed from the original.  Lastly is “I’ve Had It, which was the album’s first single and hit number seventy-nine on the charts.  Originally a doo wop song released by The Bell Notes in 1958, in their hands it becomes more of a glam rock song.  Disc one closes out with three covers recorded live by the new lineup at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go on New Year's Eve in 1974.  Although it’s unfortunate that these recordings are a little rough, they show just how strong the band was when they played live. All three songs (“Back In My Arms Again,” “Young and Dumb” and “Oh Darling) have a raw, muscular sound that honestly would’ve been nice to hear more of on the studio album.  

As for the second disc in this set, it contains a previously unreleased recording of the Rock and Roll Survivors Live Opera.  It was recorded on an in-venue cassette machine during their 1974 US tour and is the only surviving copy from that tour.  They wanted their performances to have more substance, so the show was a combination of songs (many that were never released) and scripted sections with full staging and costumes.  As with the live covers on disc one, it once again shows the band firing on all cylinders live, and the songs come across heavier and muscular (a handful of the songs are from Rock and Roll Survivors and they are far less pop than the album versions).  It would have been interesting to see where they went from here and to hear studio versions of the new tracks, but luckily they were at least preserved on these live tracks.  It should be said that the recordings are again a little rough, but are very listenable, sounding like a good bootleg.  

(Cherry Red Records)