Montrose - I Got The Fire: Complete Recordings (1973-1976)

In 1973, following stints with the likes of Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs and the Edgar Winter Group, guitarist Ronnie Montrose, along with vocalist Sammy Hagar, bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi, formed Montrose.  Over the next four years, and several personnel changes, the band released four albums, all of which are included in this great new box set along with a multitude of bonus tracks, demos and two live radio sessions. 

Kicking off disc one is their classic eponymous debut album, which was produced by Ted Templeman and marked the recording debut of Hagar.  While it’s gotten it’s just due in the years after its release, for some reason it was not very successful at that time, receiving almost no radio airplay and only hitting 133 on the Billboard Top 200.  Musically they are at the top of their game here and sound like a seasoned band that has been together for years.  Montrose’s guitar work is innovative and shows why he was in demand prior to forming the band, Hagar’s vocals are as powerful and enthusiastic here as they have been throughout his career and the rhythm section of Church and Carmassi are extremely tight.  While there are tunes here that are more straight ahead hard rockers like opening track “Rock The Nation” or the Led Zeppelin-ish “Space Station #5”, they often tend to mix in a little something to maintain a sense of diversity and freshness.  Tracks like “Rock Candy” and especially “One Thing On My Mind” have a bit of a swagger, while “Bad Motor Scooter” adds a funk groove and really showcases Church’s bass work.  The fact that almost fifty years later, Hagar quite frequently still performs three of these eight tunes shows just how solid this album was and still is.  Closing out the disc are four bonus tracks consisting of mono and stereo edits of “Rock The Nation” and “Space Station #5”. 

Instead of moving on to album number two, the second disc is all bonus tracks, consisting of six demos that were recorded for the debut and a live radio session on KSAN recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California on April 21, 1973.  The demos are really good sounding versions that show that the band really had things together before going in to record the debut.  In addition to five tracks that made it to the album is “Shoot Us Down”, a good straight-ahead rocker that definitely would have fit right in.  The live set is a fascinating glimpse into the early life of the band as it was their first ever live appearance, recorded six months before the release of their debut and before they even had a name or a record contract.  Van Morrison had been scheduled to appear at that time, but told the station he felt his band wasn’t “sufficiently rehearsed”, so Montrose was a last minute substitute.  While you can hear a little nervous energy in Hagar’s between song banter, it all goes away when he starts singing and the band’s performance shows how good they were from the get-go.  Alongside playing all but one track that would be on their debut, they played a couple of non-album tracks, the aforementioned “Shoot Us Down” and “You’re Out Of Time”, a bluesier rocker with some great soloing from Montrose, plus a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven”.  Definitely a historic recording and welcome addition to this box

While sophomore effort Paper Money (here kicking off disc three) was again produced by Templeman and ended up being the band’s highest charting release (65 on the Billboard Top 200), critically it was a bit of a mixed bag.  Honestly, I don’t really understand that, because it’s a very solid release that found the band taking the rock sound of their debut and expanding it with more diversity.  They also had their first membership change with Alan Fitzgerald (later an original member of Night Ranger) replacing Church on bass.  They showcased their diversity right out the door with the first two tracks, which oddly were both covers.  “Underground”, written by Ilene Rappaport, and originally appearing on an album by the group Chunky, Novi & Ernie, which she was a member of, is a catchy rock tune with some interesting tempo shifts that is a bit on the mellower side.  The other cover is a gorgeous acoustic version of The Rolling Stones’ “Connection”.  They move back to the heavier side with “The Dreamer”, a really good track that has a bit of a Sabbath-like bottom end and some really great dynamics, and follow it with the instrumental “Starliner”, which really showcases Montrose’s guitar work and his use of some really interesting guitar effects.  “I Got The Fire” is a hard-driving, adrenaline fueled rocker, followed by “Spaceage Sacrifice” and “We’re Going Home”, a couple of darker, moodier tunes, the former more of a rocker with some solid everchanging tempos and the latter a ballad with Montrose handling the vocals.  The title track closes things out and is a good old straight up rocker that is somewhat reminiscent of Hagar’s earlier solo stuff.   There are also three more bonus tracks on this disc with stereo and mono edits of “Paper Money” and a mono edit of “Connection”.

Disc four contains another live radio session from KSAN.  Recorded on December 26, 1974, the band now had two albums under their belt, and even though their performance on the earlier show was really good, you can tell they are more experienced here.  Hagar’s nervous energy has been replaced by the relaxed confidence that we all know from him.  Along with three tracks from their debut (including a killer eleven plus minute version of “Space Station #5”) and two from Paper Money are covers of “Roll Over Beethoven” and Leiber & Stoller’s “Trouble” plus a really pretty acoustic guitar instrumental called “One And A Half”, that would show up on their next album.  It is another standout performance and another great addition to this box. 

Album number three, Warner Bros. Presents Montrose!, was considered a bit of a reset for the band.  Hagar had left the band in February of 1975, less than two months after that live radio session, so they had a new vocalist in Bob James.  They also added a fifth member, Jim Alcivar, on keyboards, and Ronnie took over as producer.  Musically they shifted things a bit too, especially thanks to now having keyboards in the band.  Opening and closing tracks, “Matriarch” and the outstanding hard-driving “Black Train” have some great organ work and a strong Deep Purple vibe.  Interestingly, “Black Train” was written and originally recorded by Kendall Kardt as more of a country tune, and Montrose played on that version too, along with Jerry Garcia.  Keyboards are also more in the forefront on the bluesy rock ballad “All I Need”, an interesting cover of Alan Price’s “O Lucky Man!” and album standout “Whaler”, an almost seven minute atmospheric track that also makes great use of viola and has a very strong prog sound that is definitely different than anything they had done before.  The other tracks here include “Dancin’ Feet”, a rocker with an infectious groove, a hint of funk and some really great guitar riffs, the gorgeous studio version of the acoustic instrumental “One And A Half”, the blues rock of “Clown Woman” and a cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock”, a decent straight-ahead rock track with a little swagger.  While it doesn’t quite stand up to it’s predecessors this is still a very solid release.  Also included here is a mono edit of “Matriarch”.

Closing out this chapter of the Montrose story and the box set is album number four Jump On It.  Bassist Alan Fitzgerald was gone from the band at this point, but instead of replacing him, the album features bassist Randy Jo Hobbs on three cuts and the rest of the bass parts were played by Alcivar on the keyboards (the subsequent tour also had no bassist).  Production this time around was handled by Jack Douglas, who had recently finished producing Aerosmith’s Toys In The Attic.  The album opens with a couple of rockers that harken back to their earlier releases.  “Let’s Go” is a driving cut with great guitar and some nice organ fills and “What Are You Waiting For?”, a high energy track, and the first of two on the album written by Dan Hartman.  Next up is “Tuft-Sedge”, an instrumental that meshes Montrose’s acoustic guitar with key and congas to create a mystical sounding, atmospheric track.  They slow things down a bit with “Music Man”, a big rock ballad with a string section and over the top guitars before stripping it back with the title track, a no frills rocker with a catchy, driving beat.  “Rich Man”, the other Hartman penned tune is a sweeping folky, country-rock flavored tune that really showcases James’ vocals and to me is a little reminiscent of some of the early Rod Stewart stuff.  Closing out the disc are “Crazy For You”, a hooky track that ventures a little more in the poppier, classic rock vein and “Merry-Go-Round”, which starts with a quiet acoustic guitar and then shifts into a bluesier rocker with a short visit to a carnival in the middle.  While it seems not to get the recognition it deserves and does have a few weak spots, Jump On It is another really strong effort from Montrose and shows a band really trying to stretch out and try new things.  Four more bonus tracks are included here with mono and stereo edits of "Music Man" and "Let's Go". 

(HNE Recordings)

Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera - Long Nights Of Summer, The Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera Anthology

After supporting Pink Floyd, the band known as The Five Proud Walkers were inspired to change their sound and became Velvet Opera and then Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera. After signing a record deal with CBS Records subsidiary Direction Records they released the single “Flames”, followed by their stellar eponymous debut, which ended up being their only album.  Interestingly “Flames”, which was also on the CBS sampler The Rock Machine Turns You On, was included in live sets from many young bands at that time including Led Zeppelin, who performed it in their first live show (Robert Plant also performed the song in 1999/2000 with his band Priory Of Brion).  While they didn’t get the recognition they deserved at that time, over the years they have become highly regarded.  Long Nights Of Summer is a great new three CD box set that gives them their just due with both the stereo and US promo-only mono versions of the album, singles, outtakes, demos and numerous tracks from BBC sessions (many never before released).  Also included is the album Ride A Hustler’s Dream, which was released by a new lineup under the name Velvet Opera after frontman Dave Terry (aka Elmer Gantry) and guitarist Colin Foster left the band.  Joining remaining members bassist John Ford and drummer Richard Hudson (also on sitar and tablas) were guitarist/vocalist Paul Brett and vocalist/guitarist Johnny Joyce.   

Disc one starts with the stereo version of their eponymous release and the track “Intro”, which is just that, a minute long ragged, funky R&B rocker with Gantry introducing the members of the band.  Exploding with fuzzed out guitars, “Mother Writes” is a catchy rocker with a hint of psychedelia reminiscent of The Who.  The psychedelia continues with “Mary Jane”, a dreamy, laid-back track that pulses with a throbbing bass and nice keys running underneath.  The next three tracks find them radically shifting direction. “I Was Cool” is a raw, jazzy blues cover of an Oscar Brown Jr tune that has a cool, almost campy, vibe, while the instrumental “Walter Sly Meets Bill Bailey” is a massively impressive instrumental that throws out everything from prog and jazz to psychedelia and freakbeat and “Air” is a hypnotic, middle eastern, psychedelic tune driven by Richard Hudson’s sitar playing.  “Looking For A Happy Life” is a bouncy pop tune that sounds like you would expect a song with that title to sound, and their aforementioned debut single “Flames” is a hard driving track with a bit of a soul groove and some blistering guitar.  Next up are a couple more gorgeous pop tunes with “What’s The Point Of Leaving”, which has a bit of a baroque pop vibe, and “Long Nights Of Summer”, a sixties melodic pop tune complemented with a string arrangement that will have you questioning how it wasn’t a huge hit.  “Dream Starts” is pure psychedelia that is at times a bit reminiscent of The Beatles as it’s spinning and swirling with Gantry’s vocals fed through a Leslie speaker and complemented with horns, piano and even some kazoo.  “Reactions Of A Young Man”, an interesting tune detailing a schoolboy’s attempt to end his relationship with a married woman, is a very musically layered track that at times is a bit reminiscent of early The Moody Blues.  Closing the album is “Now She’s Gone”, another brilliant psychedelic cut, but with a darker edge.  Disc one also contains twelve bonus tracks starting with the single version of “Flames” and it’s b-side “Salisbury Plain”, a spacey psych tune.  The single version of “Mary Jane” is missing the spritely piano of the album version and is a bit darker, while it’s b-side “Dreamy” is a more laid-back psychedelic tune with Hudson on sitar again.  Next up is the single “Volcano”, which was written by the songwriting team of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley and was recorded the way the band wanted and not the way they had written it.  It ended up being a decent raucous, straight-ahead rock tune, but still didn’t please the band and the songwriters were unhappy with it as well.  It’s lack of success was a contributing factor to Gantry eventually leaving the band. Ironically the flipside “A Quick B” was written by the band and is a bluesy rocker that really works.  “Talk of the Devil” was written by Eric Woolfson, who would later co-create The Alan Parsons Project, and was the title recording for a 1967 movie short.  Recorded under the pseudonym The Illusion Of Happiness, it’s a really strong moody rocker with a hint of blues and folk.  Next up are three studio out-takes from ’67 and ’68.  “And I Remember” was written by early band member Jimmy Horowitz when they were still the Five Proud Walkers and is a catchy pop tune with a hint of soul and psychedelia, while “To Be With You” is a high energy rocker with some really interesting guitar work.  Before he decided he didn’t like it “The Painter” was briefly a contender for an Elmer Gantry solo single.  It’s an upbeat tune with horns and strings, but I can’t say I disagree with him as it’s a bit schlocky.  Closing out the first disc are demos of “Salisbury Plain” and “Flames” that were taken from what is believed to be the sole surviving acetate and give an interesting look at the beginnings of these two cuts. 

Opening disc two is the US promo only mono version of their debut.  According to the liner notes, the stereo version that was released was a fold-up of the mono mix instead of the mono mix being a fold-down of the stereo mix which was the norm (this is explained in much greater detail in the CD booklet for those that are interested).  In my opinion these mono recordings have a little more punch and clarity than the stereo recordings.  Following the album are fifteen tracks taken from five various BBC Sessions.  Alongside great renditions of many of their songs, a few of which as to be expected show up multiple times (“Flames” and “Mary Jane” appear three times), are outstanding covers of Country Joe and the Fish’s “I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag”, which is a loose bluesy rocker with some outstanding guitar work, a ripping version of Eddie Cochran’s “Something Else” and two hard-driving takes on Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower”.

Disc three starts off with the Velvet Opera disc Ride A Hustler’s Dream, which opens with the minute long acoustic title track that has a bit of a Dylan vibe.  Next up is a killer raw blues cover of Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues” that really showcases Paul Brett’s guitar work, followed by “Money By”, a nice laid-back tune with a psychedelic groove and a hint of The Byrds, and another cover with their foot-stomping, acoustic take on the traditional folk song “Black Jack Davy”.  “Raise The Light” is an interesting sounding track with a laid-back psychedelic vibe that alternates Brett’s wah wah guitar with some really nice acoustic guitar.  Over the next three tracks the band really shows some diversity.  Hudson once again showcases his impressive sitar and tabla playing on the mellow middle eastern sounds of “Raga”, while “Anna Dance Square” sounds like something from a funky square dance, and “Depression” is a quirky, almost Country and Western track.  “Don’t You Realise” is a bluesy freakbeat rocker with more of Brett’s outstanding guitar work that is at times reminiscent of Hendrix, and starting with a child’s spoken word intro, “Warm Day In July” is a beautiful folk tune comprised primarily of vocals, acoustic guitar and flute.  Closing track is a blistering slightly proggy instrumental cover of “Eleanor Rigby” that’s expanded with solos that really allow everyone to show their virtuosity.  Rounding out disc three are seven more bonus tracks starting off with single versions of “Anna Dance Square” and “Don’t You Realise”.  In early 1970 the band called it a day and Ford and Hudson joined The Strawbs.  Later that year, original guitarist Colin Forster started Velvet Opera back up with a new band consisting of vocalist Dave MacTavish (Tintern Abbey), bassist Colin Bass drummer Mike Fincher, who recorded one single before breaking up.   While the a-side, “She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings” has a really strong vocal performance and some nice acoustic guitar, the song itself is a fairly generic pop song.  The flipside “There’s A Hole In My Pocket” is a bluesy rocker that’s a little bit better, but still misses the mark.  Closing out the disc are three more BBC Sessions recordings.  First up are two from the Ride A Hustler’s Dream lineup with “Statesboro Blues” and “Water Wheel”, a really pretty acoustic folk tune that was never recorded.  The sound quality here isn’t the best, but they are definitely nice additions to the collection.  Lastly is “She Keeps Giving Me These Feelings” from the MacTavish fronted version of the band.  Rounded out with a very comprehensive thirty-two page booklet detailing the band’s history, I highly recommended this great sounding, very comprehensive look into Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera.

(Grapefruit)

Interview with Hvnted

I recently had the chance to talk to LA band Hvnted about their really solid eponymous debut EP, and along the way we also discussed the LA Rock Collective, a recent membership change, Nirvana covers, the pandemic and more.  

I know the band has existed in one form or another for six or seven years.  Can you give me a little band history? 

The band was formed by Will Swanson who later found the other members via shows, social media, friends, etc.  Jack was actually a middle school/high school friend of Will’s.  He was a grade below him and learned to play bass just for the band. Seamus was found when he was playing the same show as one of Will’s other bands. Will had run out into the audience for some crowd interaction but didn't have enough time to get back to the stage so he actually used Seamus as a mic stand. 

 

You have recorded with American Hi-Fi frontman Stacy Jones and former Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson, and then you also recorded with producer Bruce Robb at his legendary Cherokee Studios.  How have you managed to end up working with such big names? (on a side note, I stumbled across a box set of music from The Robbs a few years ago, and they were a sadly underappreciated band)

 

Yeah!! The Robbs! That's so cool. Bruce used to tell us stories all the time about his time in The Robbs. We think these opportunities start just like how we did. Music pulls all kinds of people together. Meeting Keith, Bruce, and Stacy was seriously a blessing to us. We wouldn't be who we are today without them. We remember grinding out the perfect take over and over again with these guys in their studios and it made us better musicians overall because of it. 

How does your songwriting process tend to work?

 

The songwriting process is actually pretty open. Typically, one of us comes in with a song idea or some half-written song.  Normally it tends to be Will who brings in songs and we all end up working on them that way. As for how the songs are written from a technical standpoint, usually, the chords of the song come first followed by a melody. Lyrics don't happen until the very end. 

I saw pop punk come up a few times in reference to you, and while there are definitely times where that could apply, overall I don’t think that really fits.  Opener “Killing Me” is a great example.  That’s just a good straight-ahead, hard driving rock song.  What are your thoughts on that?

 

Yeah! Y’know it's one if those things where we almost wanna say listeners can call us whatever genre they want. We do a lot of different stuff and our sound tends to change quite a bit in the sense of our songs but not our overall style. Typically we like to generally categorize ourselves as just “rock.” That's what we really are at our core.  We just want to make music that we love playing and people love hearing.  

Another favorite of mine is “Otherside”.  I hear a little MCR and to me there’s something about the sound of it that really sets it apart from the others.  Can you tell me a little about that song?

 

"Otherside" has always held a special place in the band's heart. We think it's just because of how different the sound and overall vibe of the song is. That song is really our “chaotic break before the storm.” "Otherside" tends to be a fan favorite! People ask for it a lot. 

I noticed that Declan is no longer listed as a member of the band and in a recent live video on YouTube you had a guitarist named Chris playing with you.  What the story with that? 

 

Ah yes! Ok so, Declan O’Raidy was the original guitarist of Hvnted. He's a great guy and a great guitarist.  It's very rare to find a guitarist who plays to the song with such natural instinct as he does. He wanted to pursue another career opportunity and decided to depart from Hvnted. We are all on good terms though! He's a great guy and has always been a great friend to us.  The guitarist who's been playing with us for our recent shows is Chris Marshall. Somehow Hvnted ends up finding the nicest yet most rock kinda people for the band. Chris is really nice, really polite, super kind. But he looks like he could break me in half by just flexing his bicep. He's got the whole tattooed guitarist thing with the muscles going on and he's pretty insane when it comes to guitar playing.  Will actually found him off an Instagram hashtag and he has just seemed to be the right fit so far. 

In the video I saw it seems like his guitar work brings a different energy to the songs.  Would you agree?

 

This is something that we've all been thinking and have been really excited about. Will always says “It's kinda crazy how one guitarist brings such an energy and new sound that it makes this feel like a completely new band.” Chris just makes the songs feel heavier and almost pushes us towards a more “Nu Metal” direction.

You are involved in the LA Rock Collective. Can you tell me about that?

The LA Rock Collective is something that has been such a huge help to us and many other bands. What LARC does for bands is really something that we've been asking for for a long time. LARC gets all these local bands or bands who are touring in town and throws us all together for a show with the commitment of bringing out as many people as you can and sticking around for everyone's set even if you aren't even playing that night. I'd say the feeling I get from LARC is “Stronger Together.” Really helpful people.  We are actually playing a LARC pretty soon. If you wanna come just check us out on Instagram for the date and see what its all about @hvntedband. 

 

What kind of effect did the pandemic have on the band?

The pandemic basically slowed everything wayyy down.  It's crazy that when we write songs, we're typically alone inside our room or lockout. Which is right where the pandemic wanted us to be. But this pandemic killed all motivation. It just kind of put us into this state of looking around and saying “whoa.” I don't think something else like this will happen again in our lifetimes.  I mean we're still feeling the effects of it. 

 

From what I’ve read the band does a lot of work supporting mental health and depression.  Can you tell me a little about that?

 

Mental Health is something the band takes pretty seriously. It's something everyone has to keep track of.  No matter how someone appears to be feeling you have to be kind to each other.  You have to make sure you're checking on everyone.  You never know what someone could be holding in. Our EP that we just put out us actually based all around Mental health. It talks about everything from depression to addiction. Mental health has just been a big part of our lives and we want to make sure everyone's doing okay. 

Do you have any plans for a physical release of the EP?

 

It's definitely something we've thought about... Normally we take a lot of polls on our social media accounts to see what people would want as well as asking people at our shows. What we've seemed to gather is.... 1. Will’s grandmother wants a Hvnted CD.  2. Our fans love vinyl.... vinyls get pretty expensive....

I heard the song “Kaitlyn Delaine” in one of your live videos and read that you have a studio version recorded.  Is there any reason it’s not on the EP and should we expect to hear it at some point?

 

So what's kinda crazy about this EP is these are songs from like 2 years ago. We rounded up these songs together and thought about which songs belonged together and which needed to be saved for a later date.  "Katelyn Dillane" is definitely one that in fact, will be released at a later date.  It's a newer song and it's one of our favorites.  We have so much material that we're working on every day to get out to you guys. 

You have a couple Nirvana covers up on YouTube and Spotify.  Is there a story behind those?

 

It was the Anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death a little while ago and we decided to do some of our favorite songs by Nirvana. That's really all that was about. Just wanted to do a little tribute. 

I also read something about a possible covers EP.  Can you elaborate on that?

Ahhh yes... We've talked about this quite a bit. We've thought about covering some 2000’s hits for fun or even just some covers that seem in our genre and putting them together as a collective.  Haven't done it yet though. Haven't even started.  However... I know there's a Hvnted cover of a Neon Trees song laying around somewhere. 

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

 

Well we just put out our self-titled EP so now really it's just tour around and play a ton of shows with all of our friends/fans. As we stated previously though... always stay tuned for new music.  

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

We just wanted to thank you guys for all the support you've given us so far. Be sure to stream Hvnted and show us to all your friends, parents, grandparents, etc. We hope to see you guys soon! PEACE.

(Hvnted)

 

The Swinging Blue Jeans - Feelin’ Better: Anthology (1963-1969)

Initially formed as a skiffle band in 1957, The Swinging Blue Jeans went through numerous personnel changes before shifting their sound in 1962 to become a Merseybeat band.  At that point they signed a deal with HMV and over the next few years released several hit singles including the original “It’s Too Late Now” (UK #30) and their takes on “Hippy Hippy Shake” (UK #2, US #24), “Good Golly Miss Molly” (UK #11, US #43) and “You’re No Good” (UK #3, US #97).  In addition to sounding a lot like the early Merseybeat days of The Beatles, the band followed a similar path early on also having a residency at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club (The Beatles once appeared their as their guests) and playing The Star-Club in Germany.  Feelin’ Better : Anthology (1963-1969) is a great new three CD box set compiling everything the band recorded from 1963 to 1969 and includes a massive 103 tracks.  Along with their only UK album “Blue Jeans A’ Swinging”, which is here in both mono and stereo versions, you will find everything from their Canadian only LP “Don’t Make Me Over”, single and EP tracks, commercial test versions of a few songs and German versions of some of their hits.  Even though they weren’t necessarily breaking any ground, the performances and song selection are top notch (don't miss the cover of Louis Armstrong's "Ol' Man Mose") and the whole collection makes for a really enjoyable listen.  Also included is a great booklet with a new interview with original vocalist and lead guitarist Ray Ennis.  

(Strawberry)

Chicken Shack - Crying Won’t Help You Now – The Deram Years 1971-1974

Following the release of their first four albums on the Blue Horizon label, including two with Christine McVie (Christine Perfect at that time), Chicken Shack signed with Decca’s Deram label, which is where Crying Won’t Help You Now - The Deram Years picks up.  Covering the years 1971 to 1974, this box set includes their three CD’s with that label along with three single tracks. 

Imagination Lady, the first of these albums, not only found them with a new label, but frontman and guitarist Stan Webb had formed a completely new band.  Now a trio, the band was rounded out by bassist John Glascock, who would later go on to play with Jethro Tull, and drummer Paul Hancox.  There was also a shift in their sound as they moved from the more straight-ahead blues of their earlier releases to heavier blues rock.  Opening the release is the first of three covers, a solid rocking version of BB King’s “Crying Won’t Help You Now”, a track that still maintains their bluesy vibe, but explodes with Webb’s outstanding wah-wah heavy guitar work and a very prominent throbbing bass.  “Daughter Of The Hillside” is an absolute blistering straight-on rocker that at times is very reminiscent of Cream’s “White Room”.  Next up are covers of Tim Hardin’s “If I Were A Carpenter” and Don Nix’s “Going Down”.  While the former starts really simple and quiet, it evolves into a powerful slowburning rocker and the latter is an all out, down and dirty track with more great guitar work and a thick, heavy groove.  “Poor Boy" is another heavy blues rock track with some insane guitar playing and tons of wah wah that is often reminiscent of both Zeppelin and Hendrix and is to me the standout cut here. Unfortunately, it’s followed by the album’s only real misstep “Telling Your Fortune”.  This eleven minute track starts off promising enough with a slower paced bluesy groove, but then a little past the one minute mark it becomes an almost six minute long drum solo before closing out with what is pretty much a bluesy jam.  Even though Hancox’s drum solo shows how talented he is, it really doesn’t work as an album track.  Ironically one of the bonus tracks is the single version of this song, which is just over two minutes long and works much better by completely removing the drum solo and stripping it down.  Closing things out is “The Loser”, a catchy upbeat tune with a bit of a psychedelic pop sound that is a nice change of pace from the rest of the album.  Disc one has one additional bonus track with the single version of “Poor Boy”. 

Follow-up Unlucky Boy found the band once again switching up some members with Bob Daisley (Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Uriah Heep) replacing Glascock and the addition of Tony Ashton on keyboards and Chris Mercer on saxophone.  Webb once again shifted the band’s sound here, largely moving away from the heavier rock of its predecessor back to the blues and with the addition of horns even a bit more R&B.  Having said that, opener “You Know Could Be Right” is a strong midtempo blues tune that does dip it’s toes a bit in the rock end of things.  “Revelation” is a laid-back bluesy tune that with the addition of sax takes on a bit of an R&B vibe, while “Prudence’s Party” is a quirky upbeat instrumental showcasing the great interplay between Webb’s slinky guitar work and Ashton on piano.  The band once again mixes in a handful of covers here, starting with Lonnie Johnson’s “Too Late To Cry”, a delicate, stripped down tune with a really nice old school folk blues sound.  Next up is “Stan the Man”, a killer electric blues jam with some blistering guitar work followed by a rocking blues cover of Big Mama Thornton and William Dupree’s “Unlucky Boy” (their version is “Unlucky Girl”) featuring more great sax from Mercer.  Complemented with a string section, “As Time Goes Passing By” is a mellow blues ballad that really stands out from the rest of the album.  “Jammin’ With The Ash” is a seven plus minute blues rock jam that really showcases Webb’s guitar, Ashton’s honky tonk flavored piano and Hancox’s drumming.  Closing things out is an upbeat Chuck Berry styled boogie woogie cover of Jimmy McCracklin’s “He Knows The Rules”.  The single version of “As Time Goes By” is also included here as another bonus track.

Disc three’s Goodbye Chicken Shack is a live album recorded on October 26, 1973 at Brunel University in Middlesex.  Even though it was recorded just a few months after the release of Unlucky Boy, Webb is once again the only remaining member and is joined this time around by Rob Hull on bass, Alan Powell (Hawkwind) on drums and Dave Wilkinson on electric piano.  Interestingly, while Unlucky Boy found them largely moving away from the heavier rock sounds of Imagination Lady, two of the tracks here were originally on that album and the live set is a good combination of songs tackling blues, rock and R&B.  Opening the set is a cover of the Peter Chatman (better known as Memphis Slim) song “Everyday I Have The Blues”, that is best known by the BB King version and has the crowd clapping and singing along right out the gate.  A cover of another King song, the classic “The Thrill Is Gone” is up next and is given an edgier, rocked up sound with some really good wah wah guitar.  The band tears through a cover of “Going Down” with some blistering guitar work and then turns it down for the slow burning blues of “You Take Me Down”.  “Webb’s Boogie” has a great boogie woogie piano opening and then evolves into a full band boogie woogie jam.  King is represented one more time with a rocking version of “You’re Mean” and then there is a stellar take on “Poor Boy”, which is fleshed out nicely with Wilkinson’s piano, an element not on the studio version.  Closing out the set is a some more boogie woogie courtesy the instrumental “Webb’s Guitar Shuffle” and an edgy take on Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti”.  Also included here is a really detailed twenty-four page booklet with an essay on this era of the band, including alot of comments from Webb, photos and reproductions of the original liner notes from Goodbye Chicken Shack.  

(Esoteric Recordings)

Speedfreak - Fast Lane Livin' 

If no frills, high adrenaline, down and dirty rock and roll is your thing then look no further than Fast Lane Livin’, the latest from Chicago’s Speedfreak. Bringing to mind bands like Motorhead and Black Label Society, the eight tunes here explode with Kevin Kelly’s thick, crunchy riffs that shift from thrash aggression to a bit of a shred, often with a sludgy, down-tuned groove.  Add on Steve Serpe’s thumping bass, some outstanding drumming courtesy Dave Hornyak, a former member of Cathedral, and top it with Tom Kucharski’s vocals and you have the perfect soundtrack for the next time you jump behind the wheel and head out flying down the road. 

(Speedfreak - Facebook)

Skids - The Saints Are Coming - Live and Acoustic 2007 - 2021

From 1977 to 1982, Scottish band the Skids, originally comprised of Richard Jobson, the late Stuart Adamson, William Simpson and Tom Kellichan, released four great albums that kind of walked the border between punk, new wave and even pop.  While they had numerous hits in the UK they never really hit it big in the States (I’ll admit I was late to the game and only discovered them in the mid-eighties scouring through the used record bin, being a Big Country fan and seeing Adamson’s name in the liner notes).  In 2006, following Hurricane Katrina, Green Day and U2 covered their 1978 single “The Saints Are Coming” to raise money for The Edge’s Music Rising charity to help replace instruments lost in the hurricane.  Inspired by their cover, band founder Richard Jobson decided to get the band together to play a few shows to commemorate their 30th Anniversary.  Rounding out the band for these shows was original bassist Simpson, Mike Baillie who was their drummer in ‘79 and ’80, and Bruce Watson and his son Jamie on guitar.  Bruce had played guitar in Big Country with Adamson, so he was a fitting replacement.  On July 1, 2007 the reformed band made their broadcast debut for DJ Billy Sloan on Radio Clyde, which is now available for the first time on disc six.  The nine-song set shows the band in fine form as they tear through eight of their best-known songs and an interesting cover of The Sensation Alex Harvey Band track “Vambo”. Their performance is high energy with a bit of an edge, but also has that radio show intimacy.  If you didn’t know better you would never believe this was their first performance in 25 years and the first performance from this incarnation. 

Shifting back to the beginning of the box set, disc one and two contain two full-length live shows, which were recorded on March 6, 2010 at Alhambra in Dunfermline and June 16, 2017 at The Roundhouse in London.  Both shows sound great with the band at the top of their game and the crowds energetically cheering and singing along.  The sets are full of songs that Skids fans know and love and while all the songs they played in the Alhambra show were also in the setlist at The Roundhouse, they also included several additional songs in London, including new track “World On Fire”, which would appear on the following year’s Burning Cities album and has some great Big Country sounding ringing guitars. 

After Richard and Bruce played a few of their songs acoustically for a charity event in Dunfermline they decided to record some acoustic versions of some of their songs, which resulted in the 2019 album Peaceful Times, found here on disc three.  A few months after that album’s release, Jobson along with Bruce and Jamie Watson went out on a ten date acoustic tour called “An Evening With Richard Jobson… “Songs and Stories’”.  Disc four was recorded on that tour at The Sage 2 in Gateshead on September 10, 2019.  Stripping the songs down like this really breathes new life into them and does a great job of showcasing Jobson’s emotional vocal performance.   Several of the tracks on Peaceful Times have been reconstructed a bit from their original versions.  “Fields” is given a bit of a Celtic sound, “Hurry On Boy” takes on an Australian vibe with the use of didgeridoo and some interesting percussion and then there’s “Animation”, now completely revamped with gorgeous harmonies reminiscent of the sounds of the West Coast in the late sixties.  On the other hand the songs on the live album stick closer to the originals and are absolutely gorgeous pared down to nothing but vocals and guitars. Surprisingly each album contains several songs not on the other including a great live version of “Castles In Spain” from Jobson’s mid-eighties band The Armoury Show.

Like so many other bands during the pandemic, the band decided to live stream a couple acoustic shows, which led to them being asked to do an electric one, that was recorded live in Livingston on March 9, 2021 and is found here on disc five.  Listening to the ten song set that comprises Lockdown Live, the band’s performance is extremely tight and you would never believe they were performing in an empty room during a pandemic as they tear through some of their best known songs with the energy of a young, upstart band.  Jobson also provides great between song banter telling jokes and giving some insight to the songs as well as providing some band history.  It should also be noted that drums for this show were handled by Mark Brzezicki, best known as the drummer for Big Country.  This is an outstanding box set and even though many of the songs here appear multiple times (a few are on almost all six discs) the diversity of the performances keeps them fresh and the band sounds as vital as ever.   

(Cherry Red Records) 

Elephant - Big Thing

A little over a year ago I was going through some new releases and threw on the debut EP from Rotterdam’s Elephant.  Unlike most releases that take a few spins to really sink in, that EP hit me from the first listen.  I immediately went down the rabbit hole watching YouTube videos (some containing songs not on the EP) and after interviewing the band discovered that they had already recorded, but not yet released, a full-length album.  Now, after getting a sneak peak here and there as they released a few singles, that album is finally out, and I can assure you it was well worth the wait.  Like the EP, Big Thing was produced by Pablo van de Poel from the Dutch band DeWolff and draws you in with their textured instrumentation and lush, rich vocals, stellar harmonies and well crafted, hook-filled songs that give them a dreamy, laid-back sound reminiscent of a cross between Americana and the West Coast sounds of the seventies, but without really being either.  Another element that really helps to set them apart is the lead guitar, which enhances the songs and really gives them a lot of character.  Some of the better examples of this are “Calling”, which has that West Coast sound with great guitar work throughout and some distortion towards the end, “Hometown”, a tune very reminiscent of Cass McCombs, with some insane harmonies and a bit of fuzz and echo on the guitar, and “Only Love” and “Medicine”, both of which throw in a little twangy guitar, along with a touch of jazz in the latter.  Even though most of the songs have a really mellow vibe, they still manage to mix things up to keep it fresh with songs like “Saturday Night” and its strong George Harrison influence (especially in the guitar), “Sunlight”, with its light, lilting vibe that sounds like a late night hanging out on the beach and “Reptile Zoo”, which has a touch of jazz in the guitars and drums.  “Happiness” is more of a straightforward mood piece with some nice guitar work and an interesting drum groove, but no normal “verse chorus verse”, and closer “Bird’s Eye View (reprise)” is just that, a short reprise of one of their EP tracks complete with some tasty slide guitar.  Lastly is their psychedelic rock take on the traditional tune “Know You Rider”, full of fuzzed out, reverb drenched guitar, which is definitely a different direction from the rest of the album and shows they can rock out too.  Even though the year is currently just half over, I have no doubt that this will end up being one of my top releases of 2022 if not sitting at the top. I would highly recommend doing yourself a favor and checking out both Big Thing and last year’s EP. 

(Excelsior Recordings)

Hemlock - Hemlock (expanded edition)

After some time in the mid to late sixties working with a pre-fame Ian Hunter, Miller Anderson joined the Keef Hartley Band on vocals and guitar in 1968, recording four studio albums and one live album.  Following that stint he signed with Deram and in 1971 recorded his debut solo album Bright City.  Since he had actually written so many songs for that album, he decided to head back into the studio to record a second solo album.  Once the recording for this album was completed, he decided that instead of releasing it under his name, he and the musicians he recorded with would form a band and thus Hemlock was formed.  While comparisons to the blues, roots and jazz sounds of the Keef Hartley Band are inevitable, Hemlock were definitely their own thing and had plenty more to offer. Tracks like the laid-back “Fool’s Gold”, which is basically Miller and an acoustic guitar, the bluesy gospel of “Broken Dreams” and the folk country of “Garden Of Life”, complete with pedal steel, are some perfect examples. Some of the other highlights include the opener “Just An Old Friend”, with its greasy soul groove and funk beat topped with blasting organ and horns, the upbeat bluesy roots rock of “Mister Horizontal”, a standout track that’s a little reminiscent of The Band, and the laid-back rootsy “Young Man’s Prayer”, a song that brings to mind Van Morrison and has a really powerful vocal from Anderson.  Then there’s “Ship To Nowhere”, a gorgeous slower tune with bit of a haunting sound.  All the pieces really come together on this track with standout musicianship and a very emotional vocal.  Also included here are four bonus tracks, three of which are previously unreleased.  First up is “Beggar Man”, the b-side to their only single “Mister Horizontal”.  In my opinion this is the strongest song here and really would have been a great addition to the album.  Starting with a Deep Purple-y organ, this bluesy rocker is an epic tune that’s almost like a suite with great dynamics and a tempo that speeds up and slows down as you make your way through it. Next up is a ragged, raucous bluesy cover of the old twelve bar blues song “Corrina, Corrina” driven by some great slide guitar and honky tonk piano.  The last two bonus tracks are early versions of album tracks.  While the take on “Ship To Nowhere” is fairly close to the version found on the album, “Garden of Life” is a completely different take on the song stripped down to just guitar, vocals and harmonica giving it a Dylan-like vibe.  Also included is a CD booklet with a well-written essay detailing the story behind the album along with Miller’s musical history.  Thanks to Esoteric for once again giving deserved recognition to a largely overlooked album. 

(Esoteric Recordings)

Babe Ruth - Darker Than Blue – The Harvest Years 1972-1975

After spending time in the mid to late sixties playing in bands with the likes of Mick Taylor, Chris Farlowe and John Glascock (Jethro Tull) guitarist Alan Shacklock formed the band Shacklock, who shortly after that became know as Babe Ruth.  In 1972 they signed a record deal with Harvest Records, who over the next four years released their first three releases.  The new box set Darker Than Blue – The Harvest Year 1972-1975 collects these three releases along with a handful of bonus tracks. 

Disc one kicks off with the band’s debut album First Base.  Over the course of these six songs the band shows an immense amount of experimentation and diversity showcasing their superb musicianship and vocalist Janita “Jenny” Haan’s strong vocals, which are often rightfully compared to Janis Joplin.  They kick things off with “Wells Fargo”, a solid rocker with a touch of a funk, a soul groove, great guitar work and horns and then turn things on their head with “The Runaways”, a cut that starts very subdued with some folk influences, showcasing Haan’s vocals over oboe, piano and strings, before leading into a classical sounding instrumental piece about halfway through.  The experimental side of the band then hits full force with a great cover of The Mothers Of Invention instrumental “King Kong” that explodes with elements of jazz, rock and blues.  They once again completely shift gears with a powerful cover of Jesse Winchester’s “Black Dog”.  Complemented throughout with some great piano work and tasty guitar work this track starts out as a slow burning bluesy rocker and then builds and builds to a hard rocking close.  “The Mexican”, which is one of the bands best known songs is an extremely catchy upbeat tune that has a nice Spanish guitar opening and then moves into a jaunty, bluesy rocker still maintaining that Spanish flavor before shifting to their interpretation of the Ennio Morricone song “Per Qualche Dollaro In Piu” from the movie For A Few Dollars More.  Interestingly, this song has been covered a few times including a disco version by the Bombers and a dance version from Jellybean Benitez that had Jenny Haan contributing on vocals.  Closing out the album is “Joker”, a straight-ahead rock tune with a touch of a bluesy, Southern Rock vibe with Shacklock and Haan trading off back and forth on vocals.  Disc one also contains three bonus tracks consisting of the single version of “Wells Fargo”, it's flipside, their cover of “Theme From A Few Dollars More” and the non-album single track “Ain’t That Livin’” a really catch high energy, foot stomping glam rocker.   

For their second release Amar Caballero the band went through a bit of a lineup change with a new drummer and keyboardist, and really expanded on the directions of their sound.  The album was a bit hit and miss with some of their strongest and weakest songs both appearing here.  Opening cut “Lady” is an interesting track that’s not only jazzy and bluesy with some really nice jazz guitar, but also throws in a bit of funk and some horns.  “Broken Cloud” is a gorgeous ballad with horns and a string section, along with some Native American influenced percussion, that has a real cinematic quality, and makes it one of the aforementioned high points.  Depending on who you ask “Gimme Some Leg” is a really good song or it’s one of their worst.  It’s a slow bluesy track with a bit of a funk groove and a somewhat odd tempo that I personally feel goes on a little too long and just doesn’t really work. While they thankfully get back on track with “Baby Pride”, a ballad with a nice slow jazz groove, their cover of The Capitols’ “Cool Jerk” is completely out of place and doesn’t really work at all here.  The band once again hit a high point with “We Are Holding On”, a gorgeous Spanish tinged classical guitar instrumental with some violin and keyboard accompaniment.  “Doctor Love” finds them going all-out upbeat funk and while it’s not a bad track, again it seems a bit out of place.  The band closes the album out on a huge high note with the three-part suite that is also the title track.   It starts with “El Caballero de la Reina Isabella”, which has a British folk vibe with Haan giving a really pretty, more subdued vocal over Shacklock’s acoustic guitar.  The second section “Hombre de Guitarra” is a fast-paced Spanish guitar instrumental with bongos contributing to the percussion that is reminiscent of something you would hear from Santana.  That takes us to the quiet hypnotic acoustic guitar of part three “El Testament De ‘Amelia”.  Disc two closes out with another bonus track the non-album single track “If Heaven’s On Beauty’s Side”, a quirky rock tune that has some interesting tempo shifts and sounds effects.   

For the self-titled album number three the band largely came back around to where they started with their debut, sticking largely to the rock side of things as evidenced by the first two tracks.  “Dancer" is a straight-ahead rocker with a touch of prog, while “Somebody’s Nobody” is a hard rocker at it’s core (Haan’s vocals here remind me of early Heart Ann Wilson), but with a touch of funk, especially in the keys.  Next up are a couple of covers, “A Fistful Of Dollars”, a fun, high energy rock version of another Morricone track and a nice soulful version of Curtis Mayfield’s “We People Darker Than Blue” that has a really great bluesy guitar solo.  “Jack O-Lantern” is a raw, no frills rocker that at times shows a glimmer of early Meatloaf, while “Private Number”, which is the third cover here, is the album’s only real misstep, coming across too much like a generic seventies soft rock tune.   Driven by Shacklock’s acoustic Spanish guitar playing and Haan’s vocals along with some simple percussion “Turquoise” is absolutely gorgeous.  Closing the album out are the bluesy rock of “Sad But Rich” and the powerful epic ballad and album showcase “The Dutchess Of Orleans”.  The last bonus track, which is the single version of “Private Number”, can be found at the end of disc three.  Rounded out by a booklet with memorabilia and an essay on the band, this is another highly recommended box set from the folks at Esoteric Records.

As a final note, while the box set covers these first three albums it should noted that following the release of this third album Shacklock would leave the band to be replaced by Bernie Marsden for a fourth album and after that album Haan and bassist Dave Hewitt also left.  A fifth album was recorded in 1976, but with no original members.  The original band did get back together in late 2005/early 2006 and reunited to record another album titled Que Pasa.  

(Esoteric Recordings) 

Among Legends - Take Good Care

After releasing three EP’s since their formation in 2016, Ontario’s Among Legends are back with their debut full-lengther Take Good Care.  Along with producer Siegfried Meier, who has worked with the likes of Face to Face, Kittie and Chuck Ragan, the band has come up with thirteen great tracks that draw on elements of a more intelligent pop punk and earlier punk, reminiscent at times of bands like Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Bayside and the sadly underappreciated Valencia.  While quite a few of the songs here stick fairly close to a pop punk sound like “Magnolia” and “Greyhound”, they often tend to add something that sets them apart like the laid-back groove of “Days Like These” and the nostalgic feel of “On The Line”, a song that somehow sounds like a Summer day, or the faster pace of “Monochrome” and “Five Years”, the latter of which has some great double time drumming.  A lot of the other songs find them branching out and expanding their sound.  Tracks like “Come Up Swinging” and the minute long “Baywatch” are a little more aggressive and have more of a Bad Religion vibe, while closer “Highrise” is a tight more straight-ahead, gritty punk tune that really showcases the band’s musicianship and reminds me a lot of Bayside (Mitchell Buchanan’s vocals throughout the album often remind me of Bayside vocalist Anthony Raneri).  “Oceans” and “11318” stray a little from the punk, although not completely, with the former veering a little towards more of a rock tune and the latter slowing things down a tad, but picking up the intensity and heaviness.  Lastly we have “Manifesto”, a bit of an anthem, with great group vocals that should go over great live and then there’s “Rigged”, another slower song that’s very dynamic, full of shifting tempos and a spoken word section that’s quite different from the rest of the album.  It is a track that shows a lot of possibilities for where they can go with their music in the future.  I really enjoyed Take Good Care and look forward to seeing what’s next for this five-piece. 

(Little Rocket Records)

  

Chroma - Weithiau / Caru. Cyffuriau single

Having recently signed to Libertino Records, Welsh band Chroma have released this new single, their first for the label.  Recorded live, both songs are raw, ragged, high energy tunes bursting with fuzzed out guitars and a rock solid rhythm section.  Lyrically “Weithiau” deals with the end of a relationship that just isn’t working anymore and while it definitely has a punch there is a strong sense of melancholy and Katie Hall’s vocals have a real vulnerability. The band says that “Caru. Cyffuriau” is about teens experimenting with sex and drugs and is more of an all-out aggressive punk tune with some garage rock tendencies. This is a great start to their deal with their new label and I’m looking forward to hearing what’s next.  

(Libertino Records)

Girls At Our Best! - Pleasure (Deluxe Edition)

Even though they only released one album and four singles in their short, three year career, Leeds band Girls At Our Best! were one of the more influential bands coming out of the post-punk era in the late seventies and early eighties. On this outstanding new three CD reissue of that sole album, Pleasure, Cherry Red has included a plethora of bonus material including the A and B sides of their singles, two 1981 concerts, BBC sessions for Richard Skinner and John Peel (Peel was a huge supporter of the band), a previously unreleased 1977 demo from the pre GAOB band The Butterflies and demo from their final recording session.

The box set kicks off with the eleven track Pleasure, which is largely a collection of raw, quirky, upbeat, anything goes pop with an adventurous and experimental side, but almost always overflowing with hooks and topped with Judy Evans infectious high-pitched vocals.  The album opens with a one, two, three punch of pop glory with “Pleasure”, “Too Big For Your Boots”, which actually almost sounds like a fast-paced kids tune, and “I’m Beautiful Now”, with its quirky lo-fi blasts of bass guitar.  “Waterbed Babies” has them moving into a bit of a more rock direction with some great angular guitars, while “Fun-City Teenagers” is a very bouncy pop track that sounds like it could have been an inspiration for The Housemartins’ “Happy Hour” and is enhanced gloriously with clarinet.  The experimentation kicks into high gear on “£600,000”, which has a bit of a punk edge and some tribal drumming and continues with “Heaven”, a bouncy, upbeat tune that opens with a combination of angular guitars and keys and as you listen has a bit of a disco vibe buried in it. “China Blue”, “Fast Boyfriends” and “She Flipped” find them shifting back to super catchy pop, always with a little twist, be it a military beat or some short keyboard blasts, before closing things out with more angular guitars and a punkier drive with “Goodbye To That Jazz”.  Disc one also contains thirteen bonus songs starting with their four singles.  First up is their debut single comprised of “Getting Nowhere Fast”, a pure blast of punk energy full of razor sharp guitars (this was covered by Wedding Present a few years later) and “Warm Girls”, a punkier track once again, but with a darker, early Siouxsie and the Banshees vibe.  Single number two found them moving closer to the direction of the album.  “Politics!” starts off like a bubbly pop tune, but then about halfway through jabbing guitar licks come into play followed by some aggressive lyrics and vocals, while “It’s Fashion” is more of their distorted take on synth pop.  Their third and fourth singles were “Go For Gold”, a song that interestingly added a funkier groove to the mix and a fantastic cover of the traditional American gospel tune “This Train” (these were backed by album tracks “I’m Beautiful Now” and “Fast Boyfriends”). The final seven bonus tracks on disc one are their BBC sessions with Skinner and Peel, both recorded in February of 1981.  Although not too far removed from the album versions these make a nice addition to the collection, especially “Getting Beautiful Warm Gold Fast From Nowhere” from the Peel Session, which is an interesting medley of their singles. 

Disc two opens with the first of the two previously unreleased concerts.  Recorded at Edinburgh University on November 2, 1981 the sound here is really good quality and may be a soundboard recording.  It’s definitely interesting to hear them in a live setting and they often come across a little punkier and the bass is a little more prominent than on the studio recordings, but the vocals are at times a bit off-key and the instruments sometimes sound a little out of tune.  Also included here are two bonus tracks, the previously unreleased “Atribute” from The Butterflies, who evolved into Girls At Our Best!, and “Boys At Their Best!”, which came from their last studio session before they broke up.  The recording from The Butterflies is a little rough but doesn’t really sound too far removed from their work as GAOB!, while the other is an instrumental track that is a little chaotic and has a lot going on.  It’s a shame that the vocals were never included, because it sounds like the potential is there for another great track, but definitely sounds incomplete without them.  

The second live show, which is on disc three, was recorded at New York City’s The Peppermint Lounge on November 6, 1981, just six days after the other one.  Except for one less song, the set list here is exactly the same, but since this is a bootleg audience recording the sound quality isn’t very good.  This is really quite unfortunate, because the actual performance and vocals are much better this time around.  Closing out the disc is an entertaining radio interview the band did in New York on same day the played The Peppermint Lounge that gives a great background on the band.  The box set also contains an outstanding booklet loaded with tons of sleeve cover reproductions and pictures along with an essay on the band. Another highly recommended release from the folks at Cherry Red.

(Cherry Red Records)

Godley & Creme - Frabjous Days | The Secret World Of Godley & Creme 1967-1969

In 1969, long before Godley & Creme, 10CC and even before Hotlegs, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme recorded a previously unreleased album for Marmalade Records under the name Frabjoy And Runcible Spoon.  Now, fifty-three years later, and without a couple of still missing songs, a reconstructed version of Frabjous Days has finally seen the light.  In addition to the seven songs from the “Marmalade Sessions” that comprise that album, this outstanding new release from Grapefruit Records contains six more tracks from those sessions and six more that were recorded between 1967 and 1969.  Before we get to the music here’s a quick rundown on why the album was never released before now.  In mid-1969 Giorgio Gomelsky, manager for The Rolling Stones and Yardbirds, signed the duo to his new label Marmalade, but after they released a single and a track on a label sampler (Godley also contributed backing vocals on a sampler track from future 10CC bandmate Graham Gouldman), Gomelsky took the money and ran and therefore the album was never released. 

When Gomelsky signed the duo he wanted them to be the British version of Simon and Garfunkel, and while there are some definite hints of that as you make your way through the album, there is a lot more to their sound as well as definite signs of where they would be headed.  The duo didn’t waste any time showing what they were capable of with their single.  While “I’m Beside Myself” is a really strong, largely acoustic, country/folk track that even has some banjo and pedal steel, “Animal Song” on the flipside is a gorgeous, laid-back tune that really showcases Godley’s vocals and has an almost orchestrated sound full of great harmonies.  The last song released by the duo before Gomelsky spent all the money and disappeared was the compilation track “To Fly Away”, a gorgeous tune with stunning vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar, organ and flute (the compilation also included Gouldman’s “The Late Mr. Late”, a catchy pop tune with some flute laden psychedelic vibes that featured Godley on backing vocals). 

Kicking off the tracks that would have comprised the ill-fated album is the album version of “I’m Beside Myself”, which is pretty close to the single, but a little less raw and more polished (a slightly different version of “To Fly Away”, titled “Fly Away”, also appears as an album version and was also released by their next band Hotlegs, who evolved into 10CC).  Next up is “Chaplin House”, a gorgeous, acoustic based psychedelic track with very captivating lyrics (a version by Dave Berry and backed by Kevin and Lol was released the following year).  They pick up the pace on the next song, “Cowboys and Indians”, a rocker with a bit of a late Sixties West Coast vibe (especially in the harmonies).  “It’s The Best Seaside In The World”, a bouncy pop tune with a bit of a psychedelic Beatles influence, was originally written and recorded in 1967, but sadly that version, along with the recording of a song “Bull In A China Shop” have disappeared.   The final two tracks that were to be on the album also ended up being re-recorded by Hotlegs.  “Take Me Back” is an epic track, starting as a hypnotic folk rocker highlighted by their vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar, then about halfway in it evolves into a bluesy rock tune before winding back down at the end, and “Today” is a psychedelic tinged ballad that to me has some faint hints of early Pink Floyd. 

Rounding out the release are a variety of bonus tracks recorded between 1967 and 1969.   First up are a couple of previously unreleased songs taken from an unreleased acetate that were written by Graham Gouldman and performed by Godley and Creme for possible inclusion on the album.  “Hot Sun” is a harder edged psychedelic rocker that is a bit different from their other songs (this song ended up being reworkded by 10CC as an instrumental called “Hot Sun Rock”), while “Virgin Soldiers” is a bit of a syrupy Sixties pop tune that is one of the weaker cuts here.  In early 1968 the duo released a single on CBS that was credited to a five piece known as Yellow Bellow Boom Room.  The story is that due to the fact they were still away at art college their manager created a fake band and had a fake press photo taken.   The single didn’t sell well, but the songs (both included here), “Seeing Things Green” and “Easy Life” are a couple of psychedelic pop gems.   The next tracks are also previously unreleased songs taken from an unreleased acetate, this one recorded in mid 1968.  While they sound like they were cheaply recorded, they are two very strong cuts that find them branching out a bit.  “One and One Make Love” is a really catchy pop tune, but with some nice horn arrangements, and “Over and Above My Head” is more of a soul song.  Closing out the release are two songs taken from a single that were recorded to promote a Manchester club called Blinkers.  “Hello Blinkers” is a catchy, upbeat dancy tune perfect for getting the night started, while “Goodnight Blinkers” is a more laid-back pop tune for winding down and heading home.  Rounded out with a twenty-eight page booklet full of photos, memorabilia and a very imformative essay, this is not only an absolute must have for 10CC / Godley & Creme fans, but for anyone who just appreciates good music.   

(Grapefruit)