Fanny - The Reprise Years 1970-1973

Born in the Phillippines to an American naval officer and a Filipina socialite, June and Jean Millington moved to Sacramento in 1961.  As a way to help them cope with being surrounded by strangers in their new country, they took up music and started working together as a duo in High School.  They then formed the all-female quartet The Svelts, playing shows along the West Coast and Nevada.  After going through various membership changes, in 1968 the band consisted of the Millingtons, guitarist Addie Clement and drummer Alice de Buhr.  Later that year Alice and Addie left the band and formed another all-female band Wild Honey, who did some touring in the midwest before coming back to California and teaming back up with the Millingtons under that name.  In 1969 they headed to LA, and on what they thought would be their last night there before moving back home, they were seen at the Troubador by producer Richard Perry’s secretary and ended up signing a multi album deal with Reprise Records.  A few months later Addie left the band and June shifted to lead guitar.  They continued recording as a three-piece and changed their name to Fanny, while still looking for a fourth member.  They eventually added Nickey Barclay on keys, and even though their first album was finished, after adding her they went back into the studio and recut six songs, resulting in their debut album.  Over the next four years they would record three more albums for Reprise Records.  These four albums, along with thirty-eight bonus tracks (eight of which have never been on CD) have now been compiled in the new four CD box set The Reprise Years 1970-1973.  

Their self-titled debut was produced by the aforementioned Perry and opens with “Come And Hold Me”, an upbeat, sunshine-y West Coast folk rocker.  They kick things into gear with the gritty, swagger filled bluesy “I Just Realized,” a track that is really enhanced by Barclay’s piano playing, as is the easygoing midtempo rocker “Candlelighter Man”.  As lyrically relevant today as it was then, “Conversation With A Cop”, about a lady walking her dog late at night and running in the cop who is suspicious of her being out, is a really nice, laid-back soulful ballad.  Next up is the first of two covers on the album, a fantastic take on Cream’s “Badge”, that’s a little more upbeat than the original and is highlighted by some great guitar work (check out June’s solo) and keys.  After opening with a slow, rambling piano, “Changing Horses” shifts into a raw, hard driving rocker.  “Bitter Wine” is a more laid-back, somewhat melancholy song that at times hearkens back to that West Coast sound.  Throwing in a hint of country, “Take A Message To The Captain” has a laid-back groove and some nice slide guitar.  The second cover is “It Takes A Lot Of Good Lovin’” (written by Booker T Jones and Al Bell), which in their hands becomes a good midtempo rocker with a strong funk and R&B undercurrent.  “Shade Me” is another funk-tinged rock tune but also adds some Latin influence to the mix.  It has a loose, jam vibe and contains a solo from each member allowing them all to showcase their talent. Closer “Seven Roads” opens with an organ solo that wouldn’t be out of place on a Deep Purple album, then the guitar riffs come in along with the powerful rhythm section for one of the heavier songs on the album.  Overall, the album is quite diverse and makes for a more than promising start.

Perry was once again in the producer chair for their sophomore release Charity Ball.  The album opens with the title track, which hit number forty on the US singles charts, and is a massively infectious song with a touch of boogie.  It's full of rollicking piano, handclaps and "oohs" that make for an incredibly fun listen.  “What Kind Of Lover” is sassy and dirty with a strong funk undercurrent, followed by the raw, high-energy, no-frills rocker “Cat Fever”, which has some great “rock star” guitar and hard pounding piano.  Walking the line between funk and country, and including some great slide guitar, “A Person Like You” is another really fun track.  With their cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “Special Care” they take what was a somewhat mellow tune and turn it into a harder edged rocker that ends with a powerful instrumental jam.  "What's Wrong With Me" is a pretty ballad that's largely acoustic guitar and organ with some great vocal harmonies, while "Soul Child" is a super funky track with a rock edge that's highlighted by some very creative organ playing.  With Barclay’s keys bringing to mind the sound of The Doors’ Ray Manzarek, “You’re The One” is a bouncy, somewhat midtempo, rocker with really strong hooks.  Following “Thinking Of You”, an easygoing, laid-back ballad that is probably the albums weakest cut, “Place In The Country” is quite possible one of their finest moments.  It’s a stellar gritty blues rocker full of intensity and aggression.  Closing the album out is “A Little While Later”, a strong rock ballad that builds and builds to a big climax before ending with a short harpsichord solo. 

Their third album, Fanny Hill, was again produced by Richard Perry, but this time they recorded at Apple Studios and it was engineered by Geoff Emerick who had worked there with The Beatles on Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road.  It also featured additional instrumentation on some tracks, like strings and brass, although the band apparently weren't all that excited with them.  Their outstanding cover of “Ain’t That Peculiar” gets the album going with a bang.  They completely make it their own, turning it into a raw, bluesy rocker complete with some great slide guitar from June.  “Knock On My Door” has a string section and is a somewhat dark and mysterious rock ballad that’s really unlike anything they’d done before.  Another of their strongest and heaviest tracks is “Blind Alley”, a straight-ahead rocker that let them really just let loose.  It also contains a guitar solo that could pretty much be considered “metal”.  With lyrics detailing a single mother’s conversation with her child, “You’ve Got A Home” is a beautiful ballad, stripped down to just acoustic and slide guitar, bass and vocals.  Following the gentle, easygoing “Wonderful Feeling” and the more straight-forward rock of “Borrowed Time”, which is fleshed out with horns, is their cover of The Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog”.  Their version is a powerful, more muscular take with strings, that also includes extra lyrics.  The laid-back “Think About The Children” has some elements of the West Coast rock that was present in their earlier work, along with some psychedelia (especially with June’s wah wah).  Drummer de Buhr has her first lead vocal on “Rock Bottom Blues”, a soulful, bluesy rocker with horns, while the midtempo country tune “Sound And Fury” brings us to closing track “The First Time”, a big sounding bluesy ballad with gospel choruses, horns and more great piano work from de Buhr.  Peaking at 135 on the Billboard Album chart, it became their highest charting album on Reprise Records.  

For Mother's Pride, their last album on Reprise, they changed producers, going with Todd Rundgren, whose stipulation on producing was that he could mix the album himself with no input from the band.  Because of this some band members felt it was overproduced when they wanted a rawer, live sound. They once again went with a cover to open the album.  This time it was Randy Newman’s “Last Night I Had A Dream”, and the result is a really cool version with the music fitting the lyrics about a nightmare perfectly, especially the haunting guitar work.  The largely acoustic “Long Road Home” is a pretty, somewhat melancholy tune with a West Coast country folk vibe.  The second cover on the album is Uncle Dog’s “Old Hat,” another really laid-back ballad.  The tongue in cheek “Solid Gold” (later covered by Keith Moon) is delivered with a strong sense of humor and off kilter vocals from drummer de Buhr, supposedly recorded while she was drunk.  The unique sounding “Is It Really You?” has a lot of swagger and mixes up country, rock and ragtime into an infectious mix.  Another change of pace for the band was “All Mine”, which is more of an easygoing dance tune and includes male backing vocals and sax (Rundgren's touch is very evident here).  Just as the title says, “Summer Song” is an upbeat, bouncy tune that is perfect for the summer, while “Polecat Blues” is another completely different tune for them.  It’s a bouncy, bluesy cut with a bit of a ragtime feel featuring horns and barroom piano.  "Beside Myself" is an absolutely stunning ballad with a powerful, very emotional vocal performance from Jean, that has should've been a hit written all over it.  The strong vocal harmonies, acoustic and slide guitar really enhance the sunshiney pop of “Regular Guy.”  After opening with heavy, almost droning keys that continue to run under the music through the rest of the song, “I Need You Need Me” is a stunning track, and another highlight, that at times could be called heavy glam.  At just under two minutes, “Feelings” is a softer tune with hints of English folk enhanced with delicate piano and flute.  “I’m Satisfied” closes the album out and is a strong, no-frills rocker with a sound that is somewhat reminiscent of Joan Jett with more outstanding organ work and big thumping percussion.

In addition to the four albums, the box set also contains an incredible thirty-six bonus tracks (eight of which are on CD for the first time) including single versions of album tracks, B-sides, demos and live tracks.  When their debut was released in Canada they used the wrong set of master recordings.  With the exception of two that are not included (“Changes" and an early version of “Charity Ball), six of these songs and mixes are among the bonus tracks.  These include covers of Martha and the Vandellas “Nowhere To Run”, which is really kind of so so, and a soulful version of “One Step At A Time” (originally by Maxine Brown) with really strong vocals and harmonies.  There are a couple of originals, “Lady’s Choice”, a laid-back track with a jazzy funk vibe, and the breezy “New Day”, which has some jazz drumming and even some harmonica.  Lastly, there are alternate takes of “Seven Roads”, missing the organ intro and with the organ also a little more under the mix, and “Place In The Country”, which is slower and a little funkier than the version that would be on the next album.  As for the demos, “Queen Aretha” goes all the way back to the Wild Honey days and has that sunshiney West Coast sound.  It also shows how well they already had their great harmonies down.  There are also three demos from the Mother’s Pride Sessions.  “Lonesome Pine” and “Old Milwaukee” didn’t make the album and are respectively a raw, bluesy tune with a very passionate and soulful vocal, and “Old Milwaukee” (written by Tret Fure), a fun, kind of lazy funky blues song.  Then there is a demo of “All Mine” that shows a different side of the of the track before Rundgren added all his flourishes.  Although not listed as a demo, there is “The Kitchen Tapes” version of “Candlelighter Man” that is a stunning take, stripped down to just acoustic guitar and vocal.  Their cover of Ike Turner’s “Young And Dumb” was released as a non-album single and is somewhat reminiscent of a heavy, bluesy Cream.  It shows all the pieces coming together perfectly with raw, soulful vocals, killer guitars, great bass playing and inventive keys.  Another cover, their take on the Holland-Dozier-Holland song “Back In My Arms Again” (a hit for The Supremes) is rooted in the R&B sound of the original but adds a rock edge.  “Tomorrow” is a pretty acoustic tune with a somewhat classical influenced guitar that sounds like it may have been influenced by The Beatles, and “No Deposit, No Return” is a fun track that shows them pulling out a little honky tonk country.  The live tracks, five from Philadelphia and four from Cleveland, show what a tight band they were and just how incredible they were live with performances that were high energy and raw and also displaying top notch musicianship.  Lastly, there’s the original version of “Rock Bottom Blues”, as well as a recording of the backing track and ten tracks that are single versions of album tracks.   

Not long after the release of Mother's Pride, Alice and June left the group and 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 incarnation recorded one more album, Rock And Roll Survivors, released on Casablance Records, so not included here.  That album contained the single "Butter Boy", which hit number twenty-nine on the Billboard Singles Chart, but the band had already broken up by then.  Jean and June have remained active in the music world and have even released a few albums together as well as a 2018 album under the name Fanny Walked the Earth with former drummer Brie returning along with a who's who of special guests including Alice De Buhr.  Unfortunately, one week before they were supposed to play their first live show to support the album, Jean had a severe stroke that paralyzed the right side of her body.  The band was also profiled in the fantastic 2021 documentary Fanny : The Right To Rock, which is highly recommended.  It's unfathomable to me that a band this good isn't a household name.  The musicianship, vocals and songwriting found on this box set is incredible.  

(Cherry Red Records)

Snafu - You Know It Ain't Easy: The Anthology

The roots of Snafu go back to the early days of Procol Harum, when Bobby Harrison and Ray Royer were kicked out of that band.  They then formed Freedom, who released five albums from 1967 to 1972.  When that band didn’t take off and broke up, Harrison’s management suggested he do a solo album.  He had songs he had written for Freedom, but he wanted to shift directions and add some funk to his sound and recorded a solo album called Funkist.  The album featured the likes of Tommy Iommi, Ian Paice, former Procol Harum bandmate Matthew Fisher, former Freedom bandmate Walt Monaghan and Juicy Lucy guitarist Micky Moody, who also co-wrote the album track “Long Gone”.  After working together on the album, Harrison and Moody decided to form a band resulting in Snafu.  Unfortunately for Morrison, when his management got wind of their plan, they decided to shelve his solo album and focus on the band (that album did get a US only release in 1975).  While he was in Freedom, Harrison was initially just the drummer and then also took over lead vocals, but in Snafu he was able to focus on just the vocals with the drumming handled by Moody’s former Tramline bandmate Terry Popple.  Rounding out the band was Colin Gibson (Skip Bifferty and Ginger Baker’s Airforce) and keyboardist Pete Solley, who had played with the likes of Chris Farlowe, Terry Reid, Arthur Brown and Paladin.  From 1973 to 1976 the band released three albums, all of which are included in the new four CD box Set You Know It Ain’t Easy: The Anthology, along with non-album singles, BBC sessions and a live show recorded in Nottingham.  

Their eponymous debut was produced by Vic Smith (Vic Coppersmith-Heaven), who had worked with Gibson producing Skip Bifferty, and a few years after producing the Snafu album, would become best known for producing the first five albums from The Jam.  The album opens with "Long Gone" a super funky, down and dirty rocker that Harrison originally co-wrote with Moody for his solo album.  Along with some elements of Little Feat and some rootsier parts that are reminiscent of The Band, “Said He The Judge” has a lot in common with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s southern rock and has great guitar work from Moody.  “Monday Morning” and “Funky Friend” are a couple of upbeat, fiddle heavy tunes that sound like a bluesy hoedown.  In addition to the originals, the album contains a cover of the Gamble/Huff song “Drowning In The Sea Of Love”, which had been a US Top Twenty hit for Joe Simon in 1971.  Their take has a really strong Santana vibe, but interestingly you can also hear a bit of a soulful funk groove mixed in that’s reminiscent of Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft”.  The laid-back rootsy sound of “Country Nest” brings to mind The Band and has some really nice honky tonk piano.  Taking inspiration from Steely Dan, “Goodbye U.S.A.” is completely different than anything else on the album.  It’s a laid-back jazzy tune that is quite infectious, with really interesting synth playing from Solley and some hints of Chicago.  It could be considered similar to early yacht rock.  The album closes on a high note with the powerful, gospel rocker “That’s The Song.”  Disc one also contains four bonus tracks starting with the non-album single “Dixie Queen”, a funky boogie woogie tune.  At almost six and a half minutes, “Sad Sunday”, is an organ-driven hard rocker that is heavier than anything else they had released (there aren’t a lot of details about this track except that it was a bonus track when the album was reissued in 1993).  The final two bonus tracks on disc one are live versions of “Said He The Judge” and “Goodbye U.S.A.” taken from BBC Sessions recorded on January 9, 1974.  

Following the release of their debut, they appeared on the British TV show, The Old Grey Whistle Test, recorded sessions for Radio 1 and performed with bands like The Kinks, ELP, The Doobie Brothers and The Eagles.  There was a lot of positive media coverage, but unfortunately the album didn’t do much in the sales department.  To make matters worse, when it was time to release their second album, Situation Normal, in October 1974, their management/record company WWA were on the brink of collapse.  The album ended up being the label's last release and the promotion was pretty much non-existent.  It opens with “No More”, which at first starts out laid-back and funky with a jazzy undercurrent, highlighted by Moody’s guitar solo, but about halfway through shifts to a sound reminiscent of Santana with Latin percussion and rhythms.  “No Bitter Taste” is the first of two strong ballads on the album with a soulful blues vibe and some nice slide guitar from Moody.  Following the fun and lighthearted bluegrass of “Brown Eyed Beauty And The Blue Assed Fly” is “Lock And Key”, an absolute killer track propelled by Moody’s stellar slide guitar.  It’s a dirty, foot stomping bluesy rocker that in a perfect world would still be blasting out on classic rock stations today.  The super infectious and fun “Big Dog Lusty” is a funky boogie track with an ever-present thumping bass, synths and harmonica.  At over eight and a half minutes, “Playboy Blues” is laid-back with a super slow funk groove and a hit of that Steely Dan jazz influence highlighting Solley’s synth work with an extended solo.  Another album highlight is the second ballad “Jessie Lee”.  It’s a gorgeous, laid-back rootsy track with some really strong synth work and vocal harmonies.  Unfortunately, the album closes with what to me is the weakest track.  With a sax section featuring Mel Collins (King Crimson, Camel), Steve Gregory and Bud Beadle, “Ragtime Roll” has a fifties rock and roll sound that comes across a bit generic.  Disc two also contains five more bonus tracks consisting of a thirty-minute BBC In Concert session from March 25, 1974, with two songs taken from the debut and three more from the sophomore effort.  Both the band and recording sound great on this session.  

Following the release of Situation Normal, Pete Solley left the band, and while he was initially replaced by Brian Chatton, they ended up adding a second keyboardist, Tim Hinkley, on the third album, All Funked Up.  Solley’s departure also contributed to a shift away from the country influence towards a more straightforward funk.  There was also less emphasis on original songs, with four of the ten songs being covers.  Opening the album is a cover of The Allman Brothers’ “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’”, which is a slightly funked up version with some powerful vocals and prominent bass.  Next up is the slow, laid-back greasy funk of “Bloodhound”.  This one has tons of great solos and really lets everyone in the band shine.  “Lock and Key”, the standout track from the sophomore album, is back here with a new arrangement.  It’s harder with more of a rock edge and has a little more drive.  Their cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” gives the song a little more grit but seems a bit of a misstep.  On the other hand, “Every Little Bit Hurts”, which was a hit for Brenda Holloway, is a really nice soulful cover with strong, emotional vocals from Harrison and female backing vocals from Liza Strike and Viola Wills. Driven by some absolutely killer bass playing, "Turn Around" is a super funky tune with a soulful undercurrent. Featuring more really nice sax from Mel Collins, “Deep Water”, is reminiscent of the soulful rock of The Doobie Brothers.  The final cover is Stevie Wonder’s “Keep On Running”.  Their take is a faster paced, more rocking version that hearkens back to the sound of their first two albums, and also has more of Collins’ sax and some really fun synths.  “Bar Room Tan” is a hard driving, bluesy rocker where all the pieces really come together with killer slide guitar, harmonica, keys, great vocals and a driving rhythm section.  It also brings to mind their earlier releases and is another album standout.  The final track on the album is “Dancing Feet”, a nice mid-tempo soul / funk tune.  They recorded another single before calling it a day, which is also included on disc three as one of three more bonus tracks.  That single “Are You Sure” is a nice, laid-back soulful cover of a track that had originally been recorded by The Staple Singles.  The other two are recordings of “Jessie Lee” and “Playboy Blues” that were recorded Sept 25, 1974 for the BBC.

The final disc consists of two sets of live recordings from late 1975 and early 1976 that were initially released on CD in 2017.  First up is a John Peel session, featuring four tracks from All Funked Up, that was recorded on August 28, 1975.  The remaining six track are a live set recorded in Nottingham at Trent Polytechnic on January 23, 1976.  The recording is a little rough, but is very listenable, and as has been proven on the earlier bonus tracks, shows they were a band to be reckoned with when playing live.  It is also notable for the only recorded versions of three songs.  The first one is their impressive cover of Jimmy Reed’s funky blues tune “Big Legged Woman”.  The originals "Unsettled Dust" and the raw "Highway", with some great guitar work from Moody, both give off a strong Allman Brothers vibe (Harrison's band Nobody's Business ended up releasing both these tracks).  Shortly after the album's release, Moody left the band to work with David Coverdale on his solo album and what would later become Whitesnake. Harrison approached Clem Clempson (Colosseum / Humble Pie) about joining the band, but when that didn't happen, the band called it a day.  This is a fantastic box set from a band that deserved to be much bigger than they were.  it is rounded out with a well-detailed CD booklet covering the history of the band, along with tons of pics of the band and memorabilia.

(Grapefruit)

Gene Champagne - Let's Jet

While he’s known as the drummer of The Killjoys and Teenage Head, as well as guitarist and vocalist for The Un-Teens, Gene Champagne can now add solo artist to his resume.  He recently released Let’s Jet, his debut solo EP, and in addition to arranging, recording and mixing it all himself in his home studio, he also he also wrote and played everything.  The album kicks off with the title track, an extremely catchy cut that walks the line between garage rock and power pop.  The hooks continue with the Ramones-ish poppy punk of “Back In My Arms”, and to a lesser degree “Rock’n’roll Boy” (originally released by his band The Un-Teens) which also has a bit of a Tom Petty roots rock sound.  Closing the EP is “Shake Some More”, a track that takes Fifties Rock ‘n’ Roll and gives it an angsty modern day edge.  With only four cuts, the EP is a quick twelve minutes, but thankfully one that will have you listening on repeat.   

(Gene Champagne - Facebook)

Howard Jones - Live At The O2

On March 24, 2024, forty years after he opened for OMD in Cardiff and Liverpool, Howard Jones played the O2 Arena in London as their special guest.  Live At The O2 documents his performance that night, with vocals that are as strong as ever and the band consisting of Nick Beggs (bass), Robin Boult (guitar), Dan Clarke (keyboards) and Robbie Bronnimann (keyboards and tech) sounding great (sadly, this would be the last performance featuring the 31-year-old Clarke, who passed away from cardiac arrest on July 28).  Jones has had numerous hits during his career (these include nine UK top 20 singles and five US top 20 singles), and they are well represented here.  Some, like “New Song” and “What Is Love”, stick pretty close to their original sound with the ever-present infectious bounce, as does “Pearl In Shell”, which is a little fuller and meatier here, and “Like To Get To Know You Well”, with its soulful groove and a great guitar solo.  Jones mentions bringing back the electronic element on “Hide & Seek” after playing it on piano for years, and to me it’s a highlight of the set.  It opens with a really nice piano intro and is a dark and haunting tune that’s a nice change of pace.  In addition to the hits, Jones also touches on his more recent albums with “The One To Love You”, from 2019’s Transform, which hearkens back to his earlier synth-based work, but with a modern-day edge, and "The Human Touch" from 2015's Engage that finds him embracing EDM.  The EDM vibe also carries over on one of his early hits, “You Know I Love You … Don’t You?”, giving the 1986 tune a completely new sound.  Also included is a solid cover of Kajagoogoo’s “Too Shy”, featuring some really great bass work from Beggs, who was an original member of that band.  The set closes with a strong version of “Things Can Only Get Better” and a high, energy raved up version of the song labeled Remix.  Live At The O2 shows without a doubt that Jones still has it.  

(Cherry Red Records)

The Vanrays - Hey! Alright Now

Following last year's full-length release Put It Out, Vancouver's The Vanrays are back with their new EP Hey! Alright Now.   It is an insanely infectious collection of tunes that mesh soulful R&B with gritty garage rock, a sound that is in full effect in both the horn-driven title track that opens the EP and “Another Man”.  “Survivors” has a slower, slinky R&B groove full of garage rock organ and fuzzed out guitar, while “Queen of Breaking Hearts” adds a touch of doo wop and some Shangri-Las styled spoken word vocals.  The bouncy R&B of "Lightning" has a bit of a dark and dirty soul groove and brings us to the closing cut and highlight of the EP, “Ghosts”, a gorgeous, slow burning soul tune with a powerhouse vocal performance from Spencer McKinnon.  Fans of old school soul and R&B and garage rock alike will find plenty here to entertain them and get them on the dance floor.    

(The Vanrays)

Frank Sidebottom - Little Box of Bobbins - Frank's Fantastic Anthology 1985-1993  

The original idea for Frank Sidebottom, alter ego of the late Chris Sievey, was for him to be a superfan of the Freshies, Chris’ band at that time.  His first appearance was a spoken-word track on their 1984 EP.  He then started using the character in videos that promoted the band and Frank started gaining a cult following.  Over the ensuing years he released numerous EP’s, albums and singles and also appeared regularly on TV and radio, including his own Frank Sidebottom’s Proper Tell Show in B/W.  Little Box of Bobbins is the new three CD box set containing 109 cuts, compiled from the two out of print compilations ABC & D… The Best Of… from 1999, and E, F, G & H. The Best Of… Volume Two from 2009, along with a third disc containing 36 tracks that have previously never been released on CD.  Those songs are comprised of 16 taken from the EP’s he released in 1985 and 1986 on the EMI sub-label Regal Zonophone, and 20 previously unreleased live performances taken from the Sievey audio archive that were recorded between 1985 and 1988.

I have to admit that I knew very little about Sidebottom, largely from pictures I have seen online and on social media, and also having recently seen the excellent 2018 documentary Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story, but I completely missed out on him when he was out there doing his thing (it also seems like he really didn’t make much of an impression in the US).  While his quirky, offbeat, at times a bit experimental, music is definitely not for everyone, the box set is a fun collection of his unique covers (Sex Pistols, Madonna, Queen, Beatles, The Smiths, Kylie Minogue, Beastie Boys and so many more), originals and comedy bits, and it’s obvious from the audience reactions and singalongs on the live tracks that those who did get it absolutely loved him.  Sadly, Sievey passed away in 2010, but now thanks to Cherry Red a new generation has a chance to discover the unique world of Frank Sidebottom.  

(Cherry Red Records)

Jesse Johnson - Jesse Johnson Revue / Shockadelica / Every Shade Of Love

After teaching himself to play guitar at the age of fifteen, Jesse Johnson played in various funk and rock bands in his home state of Illinois.  In 1981, following the encouragement of a singer and a drummer from another local band, Midnight Express, at twenty-one he moved to Minneapolis.  On his second day in town he met Morris Day, who was playing drums in the band Enterprise and invited him to join them.  Day was friends with Prince, who was planning on featuring him in one of his side projects and introduced the two of them.  The side project was part of Prince's desire to write and produce for a diverse range of acts he created.  He asked Johnson to join this band and along with Day, Jimmy “Jam” Harris, Monty Moir, Terry Lewis, and Jellybean Johnson, they became The Time.  From 1981 to 1984 they released three albums, but those years were fraught with conflicts between the band and Prince, which eventually resulted in the band breaking up in 1984 after recording their third album, Ice Cream Castle.  Johnson was also frustrated with his time in the band, and didn't even play on any of their songs until "Gigolos Get Lonely Too" on the second album.  Having said that, he did do some writing and producing for some of the other bands around Prince, including Vanity 6 and Sheila E. With aspirations to have a solo career, he signed a deal with A&M Records and ended up releasing three albums for the label.  This new two-CD release combines those three releases along with a handful of bonus tracks.

The band on the debut album from Jesse Johnson’s Revue included Mark Cardenas on keys and Gerry Hubbard on bass, both former members of The Time, along with Michael Baker on guitar, Tim Bradley on keys and Bobby Vandell on drums.  The influence of both Prince and The Time is very strong throughout the album, which opens with the first single “Be Your Man”, a song that hit number 4 on the R&B charts (61 on the Billboard Hot 100) and is an infectious funky R&B tune enhanced with some really cool, spacey synths.  “I Want My Girl”, was another hit from the album (7 on the R&B charts and 76 on the pop charts) and is a slower ballad with an extremely catchy chorus and some short instrumental sections with some really cool “fluttery” synths.  The midtempo “She Won’t Let Go” and more upbeat “Just Too Much” are a couple of synth-driven funk tunes, the latter of which is notable for its popping bass.  The influence of The Time and Prince is especially strong on the dance tune “Let’s Have Some Fun”, while “Can You Help Me” adds a little bit of a rock edge to the funk.  The final two tracks are my favorites from the debut, largely because their sound really sets them apart.  The slower “Special Love” is a smooth, laid-back ballad with the synths taking on more of an electropop sound, while “She’s A Doll” is funky, but more on the rock side with more guitar and weird, often distorted keys.    

For his second album, Shockadelica, Johnson dropped the Revue name and released it as a solo album.  After opening with the straight-ahead Minneapolis funk of “Change Your Mind”, “Crazay”, the album’s first single and biggest hit of his career (number 2 on the R&B charts), found him teaming up with the legendary Sly Stone for a bass popping, synth driven slab of hook heavy funk.  Written by Pepe Willie for his band 94 East (a Minneapolis band that one point included a pre solo career Prince), “Do Yourself A Favor” has shown up on some early recordings by that band and was also recorded by Prince for 1999, but ended up being released as a bonus track years later.  Credited here as a co-write by Willie and Johnson, it’s a bouncy pop tune with squeaky synths that sounds almost identical to the Prince recording.  Driven by an interesting thick bass, a funky dance beat, synths and a scorching guitar solo, “She (I Can’t Resist)” was another hit, peaking on the R&B charts at 28.  With its synth blasts and more Sheila E styled percussion, “Addiction” is a taut, somewhat faster paced track followed by “Tonite”, a soulful Prince like slow jam, and the midtempo funk of singalong dance track “Burn You Up”.  With a subject matter that unfortunately still resonates very much today, “Black In America” closes the album out and is a powerful, largely acoustic guitar driven, folk tune fleshed out with some simple percussion and synth washes.        

His final album for A&M was Every Shade Of Love, and while the funk is still very present throughout, there is often more emphasis on the electronic and rock elements.  Opening track “Love Struck” was another hit for him (4 on the R&B charts and 78 on the Hot 100) and is a very catchy funk tune with that Minneapolis sound, but with the addition of more electronic elements along with a shredding guitar solo.  Starting off with another guitar solo, “So Misunderstood” is another solid funk track with a bit more of a rock edge, including more great guitar work, and some electronic elements.  “I’m The One” takes the funk sound and meshes it with electronic beats reminiscent of bands like New Order and Art Of Noise.  “Color Shock” takes a similar path, but with less emphasis on the funk and more on the electronic side along with guitar.  For a complete change of pace, “Every Shade Of Love” is a bouncy, upbeat sunshine-y dance pop tune enhanced wonderfully with chirpy female background vocals and saxophone from Eddie Mininfield, who has worked with a who’s who of artists, including Prince, Sheila E, Stevie Nicks, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and many more.  Shifting more in the direction of his earlier work, “Everybody Wants Somebody To Love” is a more straight-ahead funky dance tune, while “I’m Just Wanting You” is a nice, slow burning bluesy ballad.  “Stop-Look-Listen” closes the album out and is a high energy, bouncy pop tune with a fast-paced electronic beat.  Also included here are five bonus tracks, which include a remix of “She (I Can’t Resist)”, an extended version of “Crazay” and an eight minute dance mix of “Love Struck”.  The remaining two tracks are his contribution to The Breakfast Club soundtrack, “Heart Too Hot To Hold”, an infectious pop duet with Stephanie Spruill and “Drive Yo Cadillac”, the b-side to “Crazay” that has a bit of a Prince vibe and an insanely infectious groove that makes you wonder why it wasn’t a single itself.  While you can see, Johnson had numerous hit singles during this era, and even though he never became the household name of some of the other artists around him at that time, these three albums are quite impressive, making this a really nice collection to have.  

(Robinsongs)