torsdag 13 november 2014

Quicksilver Messenger Service - What About Me (Classic Album US 1970)


290:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Editon. Klassiskt album från 1970. Gavs ut 2005 och är nu svårt att hitta.)

What About Me is the fifth album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. Released in December 1970 and recorded partly at the same sessions that produced Just for Love, the album is the last to feature pianist Nicky Hopkins and the last pre-reunion effort to feature founding members David Freiberg and John Cipollina.


Musically, there is little to delineate the fifth long-player from Quicksilver Messenger Service, What About Me, from their previous effort, Just for Love. Not surprisingly, material for both was initiated during a prolific two-month retreat to the Opaelua Lodge in Haleiwa, HI, during May and June of 1970. The quartet version of Quicksilver Messenger Service -- which had yielded the band's first two LPs -- expanded once again to include Dino Valenti (aka Chester A. Powers, Chet Powers, and most notably on this album, Jesse Oris Farrow) as well as British session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins. 

The additional talents of Mark Naftalin (keyboards) were incorporated when Hopkins was unavailable. This began his short stint with Quicksilver Messenger Service, which lasted through their sixth LP, Quicksilver (1972). The most apparent change in Quicksilver Messenger Service's sound can be directly attributed to the return of Valenti. 

The group has departed the long, free-flowing improvisations that prevailed on both their self-titled debut and follow-up, Happy Trails. The songs are now shorter and more notably structured, with an added emphasis on Valenti's compositions. 

The title track, "What About Me," became an ethical and sociological anthem with challenging and direct lyrical references to the political and social instability of the early '70s. Valenti, whose songwriting credits on this disc are both numerous and attributed to his Farrow persona, also comes up with some passable introspective love songs, such as "Baby Baby" and "Long Haired Lady," as well as a couple of interesting collaborations with Gary Duncan (bass/vocals). 

The psychedelic samba "All in My Mind" also highlights the often overlooked percussive contributions from Jose Reyes. Two of the more distinguished entries on What About Me are John Cipollina's raunchy blues instrumental "Local Color" -- replete with a driving backbeat reminiscent of their take on the Robert Johnson standard "Walkin' Blues" -- as well as Nicky Hopkins' emotive "Spindrifter."

(Release Date December, 1970)

Personnel:
Dino Valenti – vocals, guitar, flute, percussion
 Gary Duncan – vocals, guitar, bass, percussion, organ
 John Cipollina – guitar, percussion
 David Freiberg – vocals, bass, guitar
 Greg Elmore – drums, percussion
 Nicky Hopkins – piano, keyboards

01. "What About Me" (Jesse Oris Farrow) – 6:43
02. "Local Color" (John Cipollina) – 3:00
03. "Baby Baby" (Farrow) – 4:44
04. "Won't Kill Me" (David Freiberg) – 2:32
05. "Long Haired Lady" (Farrow) – 5:55
06. "Subway" (Gary Duncan-Farrow) – 4:29
07. "Spindrifter" (Nicky Hopkins) – 4:38
08. "Good Old Rock and Roll" (Farrow) – 2:30
09. "All in My Mind" (Duncan-Farrow) – 3:48
10. "Call on Me" (Farrow) – 7:36
.

Linda Scott - Starlight Starbright (Mycket Bra R&B US 1961)


260:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Superb R&B US 1961. Liten upplaga från "Oldays Records" och lär ta slut snabbt. 200 exemplar totalt är släppta.)

Linda Scott (born Linda Joy Sampson, June 1, 1945, Queens, New York) is a former pop singer who was active from the late 50s to the early 70s. Her biggest hit was the 1961 million-selling single, "I've Told Every Little Star". She went on to place twelve songs on the charts over the next four years, the last being "Who’s Been Sleeping In My Bed," inspired by the film and written by the songwriting team of Hal David and Burt Bacharach.

Born in Queens, New York, Linda Sampson was 11 years old when she moved with her family to Teaneck, New Jersey. She was still in school (Teaneck High School) when she auditioned to appear on Arthur Godfrey's hit CBS Radio show in 1959. After having won a place on the show, Scott and other young performers became regular guests on the show. During the show's run, the young singer came to the attention of Epic Records, and Scott made her recording debut (singing as Linda Sampson) with the single, "In-Between Teen".

Though still in high school, in 1961 she signed with Canadian-American Records, which had struck gold with the Santo & Johnny's "Sleep Walk". The label changed her performing name to Linda Scott, producing and releasing the hit "I've Told Every Little Star," a standard written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern for their 1932 production Music In The Air. The track sold over one million copies, earning Scott a gold disc.

Scott's three biggest hits came in that first year, with "I've Told Every Little Star" (U.S. #3), "I Don't Know Why" (U.S. #12), and "Don't Bet Money, Honey" (U.S. #9). The first two were standards, while the third was one of Scott's own compositions.

Scott was the showcase artist when Canadian-American started a subsidiary label, Congress Records, in 1962, and in fact both labels released new material of hers simultaneously. The following year, she sang her hit "Yessirree" in the Chubby Checker vehicle, Don't Knock the Twist. Scott's final U.S. chart appearance was "Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed," released in January 1964, the same month that The Beatles made their first chart appearance. In 1965, she became a cast member of the TV rock show Where the Action Is, which she co-hosted with singer Steve Alaimo. Her last U.S. recording, "They Don't Know You", was released in 1967 on RCA Records. She continued to record as a backing vocalist (most notably on Lou Christie's 1969 hit, "I'm Gonna Make You Mine") before finally quitting show business in the early 1970s to pursue studies in theology.

01. Starlight Starbright 2:18
02. Stars Fell On Alabama 2:13
03. You Are My Lucky Star 2:16
04. Stardust 3:11
05. Little Star 2:44
06. I've Told Every Little Star 2:12
07. Count Every Star
08. Blue Star 1:42
09. Catch A Falling Star 2:19
10. When You Wish Upon A Star
11. A Thousand Stars 1:59
12. Land Of Stars 2:41

onsdag 12 november 2014

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Just For Love (US 1970)


290:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Original utvikomslag och svår att hitta nu.)

Just for Love is the fourth album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. Released in August 1970, it marks the culmination of a transition from the extended, blues- and jazz-inspired improvisations of their first two albums to a more traditional rock sound.


Founding member Dino Valenti, who returned to the band after a stint in prison on drug charges, was largely responsible for the new sound. Valenti's influence is readily apparent throughout; he composed eight of the album's nine tracks under the pen name Jesse Oris Farrow. Despite the marked change in the band's sound, it was their third straight album to reach the Top 30 on the Billboard charts, peaking at #27. The only single culled from the album, "Fresh Air," became the band's biggest hit, reaching #49.

With the return of Gary Duncan and the recording debut of founder Dino Valenti, Just for Love, Quicksilver's fourth album, marked their debut as the band they were intended to be. The ironic thing about that is that, led by singer/songwriter Valenti, they were a much more pop-oriented band than their fans had come to expect. On Just for Love, Quicksilver finally was Valenti's backup group (he wrote all but one of the songs), and while this gave them greater coherence and accessibility, as well as their only Top 50 single in "Fresh Air," it also made them less the boogie band they had been. And it meant the band's days were numbered.

01. "Wolf Run (Part 1)" (Jesse Oris Farrow) – 1:12
02. "Just for Love (Part 1)" (Farrow) – 3:00
03. "Cobra" (John Cipollina) – 4:23
04. "The Hat" (Farrow) – 10:36
05. Side two[edit]
06. "Freeway Flyer" (Farrow) – 3:49
07. "Gone Again" (Farrow) – 7:17
08. "Fresh Air" (Farrow) – 5:21
09. "Just for Love (Part 2)" (Farrow) – 1:38
10  "Wolf Run (Part 2)" (Farrow) – 2:10
.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Billboard Review August 1970

måndag 29 september 2014

The Angels - My Boyfriend's Back (Klassisk R&B US 1963)


250:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Litet japanskt bolag "Olday Records" som släpper främst tidig R&B och blues i mycket små upplagor.)

The Angels are an American girl group, best known for their 1963 No. 1 hit single, "My Boyfriend's Back".

My Boyfriend's Back is the second album issued by American girl group The Angels in 1963. It was heavily weighted upon the success of the title track "My Boyfriend's Back" which was a number one hit; composed by the team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer. Peggy Santiglia was by this time, the lead singer of The Angels but included on the album is the group's first hit "Till" which was originally recorded in 1961 with the group's previous lead singer, Linda Jansen. It is unspecified if the track was re-recorded with Santiglia on lead or not. There is also cover version of The Chiffons' "He's So Fine" as The Chiffons had covered "My Boyfriend's Back" and a reading of "Someday My Prince Will Come" from the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The album sold fairly well and charted at No. 33 US, the group's most successful effort.

The group originated in New Jersey as The Starlets which consisted of sisters, Barbara "Bibs" and Phyllis "Jiggs" Allbut, Bernadette Carroll, and Linda Malzone. They had some minor local hits and wound up doing back-up work in the studio. When Linda Malzone left, Linda Jankowski (later Jansen) became the new lead singer. Their manager, Tom DeCillis, turned his focus to Bernadette Carroll and dropped the rest of the group. Carroll would find solo success in 1963 with her Laurie single "Party Girl." After a failed attempt at record deal with producer Gerry Granahan, the Allbut sisters turned their focus to education. Phyllis Allbut was in teacher's college at the time and Barbara Allbut was accepted into the Juilliard School for her abilities as a musical arranger. Soon Granahan, who had previously rejected the group, suddenly saw hit potential in the song they had performed for him in their audition, a version of "Till," and wanted them to record it in the studio. "Til" became their first single under their new name, The Angels, and also their first hit (#14 US) released by Granahan's Caprice label in 1961. The song was followed up with a less-successful single, "Cry Baby Cry." The Angels had one album on Caprice, titled ...And The Angels Sing in 1962.



Jansen left the group in late 1962 to go solo and was replaced by Peggy Santiglia, formerly of The Delicates (with Denise Ferri and Arleen Lanzotti). Santiglia had sung jingles for WINS Radio, appeared on Broadway, and had songwriting experience. In 1963, the trio signed to Mercury Records' subsidiary label Smash Records and began working with the Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer songwriting team, who wrote "My Boyfriend's Back". The Angels' performance (with Santiglia on lead) was originally intended as a demo for The Shirelles' consideration, but the music publishers chose instead to release it as it stood. The song was a major hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but no follow-up of comparable success was released. "My Boyfriend's Back" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The follow-up was the lower-charting "I Adore Him" (#25 US). The B-side "Thank You And Goodnight" was also favorable and charted at #84 US. During their Smash career, The Angels maintained a steady string of moderately successful singles which included "Wow Wow Wee (He's The Boy For Me)" (#41 US). Their album My Boyfriend's Back made the top forty, charting at #33[4] but their next, A Halo to You, didn't chart at all. The group left Smash in 1964 and signed with Congress Records.

The group became The Halos, following a dispute over the ownership of the name "The Angels." Peggy Santiglia took a leave of absence from the group in 1965 and was replaced by Toni Mason. (Contrary to rumors, Mason says she was not a recording member of Angie & The Chicklettes). The group released several more singles, none of which charted. Mason left the group in 1967 and was replaced by Debra Swisher (previously of The Pixies Three), who had recently recorded and released her own version of "Thank You And Goodnight" on the ABC-Paramount Records subsidiary, Boom Records. This lineup resumed using the name "The Angels" and released a handful of singles on RCA Records. Former Starlet Bernadette Carroll was back in the group and became the new lead. They appeared on "The Dean Martin Show" before disbanding in 1968. Santiglia and Phyllis and Barbara Allbut regrouped in the early 1970s and released a new single on Polydor Records.

Phyllis Allbut and Santiglia still perform as The Angels, joined occasionally by Barbara Allbut.

01. "My Boyfriend's Back"
02. "Someday My Prince Will Come"
03. "Has Anybody Seen My Boyfriend"
04. "Till"
05. "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes"
06. "Why Don't the Boy Leave Me Alone"
07. "He's So Fine"
08. "Thank You and Goodnight"
09. "The Hurdy-Gurdy Man"
10. "World Without Love"
11. "(Love Me) Now"
12. "The Guy with the Black Eye"

Bonus Track:
13. "Till" (Caprice Label Version)

måndag 8 september 2014

Family Circle - "Family Circle" (Very Rare Soul/Funk US 1973)


290:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Mycket bra soul som gavs ut i en liten upplaga 1973. Albumet säljs nu för mellan 3-4,000:-/styck. Även denna Mini LP utgåva är släppt i en liten upplaga från  P-Vine Records, Japan.)

Sublime soul from 1973 Newark, New Jersey. Housed in tip on-style jacket with obi-strip. The original album (Sky Disc SKD 301, 1973) goes for 4-600 USD each on eBay nowdays. 

Family Circle’s 1973 LP draws a tight ring around the most beguiling soul tropes of its era, with its full house of ambitious players and hook-laden originals. 


Albumets baksida
Newark, New Jersey’s Simmons siblings—George, James, Mary, Don, and David—rallied around journeyman arranger George Andrews and business maven/producer Randy Irwin, whose industry ties brought studio luminaries into the Simmons orbit: session guitar giant Cornell Dupree, guitarist / songwriter Billy Vera, and the inimitable Bernard “Pretty” Purdie on drums.

Charles Simmons’ “Well Runs Dry” dipped several toes into Jackson 5-saturated waters, while “I Hope You Really Love Me” stayed together with the Al Green ethos. 

Where the bowling, basketball, and karate-obsessed Simmons fivesome was hitching to—thumbs unfurled and dressed to impress in Central Park on Family Circle’s back cover—is anyone’s guess, but their sparkling, layered sound, gospel-honed vocal chops, and instantly relatable melodies should’ve dropped them off on everybody’s turntable. 

Give Family Circle a lift, drive ‘em around awhile.

01. I Hope You Really Love Me
02. It Doesn't Make Sense
03. Try It You'll Like It
04. La La So Lucky
05. Mariya
06. Loving Makes The World
07. If You Really Want To Make It
08. Well Runs Dry
09. Change
10. Bridge With One Side

söndag 17 augusti 2014

Tony Kelly - Bring Me Back (Engelsk Rock/Psych/Folk åt Frank Zappa hållet, UK 1972)


220:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Engelsk Rock/Psych/Folk åt Frank Zappa hållet. Raritet släppt av "Big Pink" Korea. Lika fint gjord som japanska Mini LP. Liten upplaga.)

A very obscure album, so obscure and rare that it isn't even listed in the Record Collector price guide. Probably because copies of this hardly ever turn up.  It's one of those major label albums that sank without a trace and has since gained underground cult status. Musically, it's a fine piece of work, - country, folky influences with a touch of psych. and soft rock.

One of those fortgotten major label releases. Probably forgotten because copies of this hardly ever turn up. It's so rare that it isn't even mentioned in well-known price catalogues. I only once saw another copy that went on a Japanese auction site. Impressive Soft Rock, ballad-like with Country & Folk influences and with a touch of Psych now and then. The album grows everytime you play it. Don't miss out on this super rarity!

Personnel:
♦ Tony Kelly - 6 & 12 String Guitar  
♦ Paul Millins - Keyboards  
♦ Jack Mills - electric guitar  
♦ Keith Evans - bass  
♦ Cody - congas , percussion & Harmonica  
♦ Terry Stannard - drums & percussion 

01. Not knowin whats going on
02. Makin the same Mistake
03. The Way it is
04. Blue Bird
05. Bring me back
06. The Elements
07. Blues run the Game (J.C.Frank)
08. One Love
09. Further down the Road

söndag 27 april 2014

Terry Reid - Bang Bang, You're TERRY REID (1a Albumet US 1968)


280:- (SHM-CD Limited Remaster Edition. 1a lbumet 1968. Innehåller 7 bonuslåtar.)

Bang, Bang introduced a hard rocker whose eclecticism was both impressive and unnervingly inconsistent. The covers of "Season of the Witch" and "Summertime Blues" are overlong and dated, but the frenetic version of Cher's "Bang, Bang" is inspired, and the rendition of Gene Pitney's "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" shows his poppier roots. 

Over half of the material was penned by Reid, and while these compositions are sometimes generic, late-'60s hard rockers, he also shows a facility for Donavonesque folk-rock "("Sweater"") and impressive soul-rock vocalizing ("When I Get Home"). Originally not released in the U.K., it's ironically only available now as a U.K. import.

A minor but interesting late-'60s British rock singer, Terry Reid could have been a lot more famous if he had been able to accept the slot of lead singer for the New Yardbirds in 1968. That slot, of course, went to Robert Plant, and the New Yardbirds became Led Zeppelin. Unlike Plant, Reid was also a guitarist, and the opportunity to head his own group no doubt played a part in his decision to gun for a solo career. Leading a guitar-organ-drums power trio, he recorded a couple of respectable, though erratic, hard rock albums while still a teenager in the late '60s. Some bad breaks and creative stagnation combined to virtually bring his career to a halt, and he never cashed in on the momentum of his promising start.

Bang, Bang You're Terry Reid A teen prodigy of sorts, Reid had turned professional at the age of 15 to join Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers. His first couple of singles as a headliner found him singing in a sort of poppy blue-eyed soul vein. But by the time of his 1968 debut Bang, Bang You're Terry Reid, produced by Mickie Most, he'd switched to more of a hard rock approach. Most was also handling Donovan and the Jeff Beck Group at the time, and similarities to both of those acts can be heard in Terry Reid's first two albums -- proto-hard rock on the louder tunes, sweeter folk-rock on the mellow ones (Reid in fact covered a couple of Donovan compositions, although he wrote most of his own material). Reid's high voice was reminiscent of Robert Plant's, though not nearly as shrill, and his folky numbers especially are reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's most acoustic early cuts.

Reid, oddly, was considerably more well-known in the U.S. than the U.K. His first album, very oddly, was not even issued in Britain, although it made the American Top 200. It's been reported that he at least in part declined Jimmy Page's offer to join Led Zeppelin owing to his contractual commitments to record for Mickie Most as a solo artist, and to perform as an opening solo artist on the Rolling Stones' late-'60s U.S. tour. He did influence Led Zeppelin's history in a big way by recommending Plant and drummer John Bonham as suitable candidates for the group's lineup, after Plant and Bonham's pre-Led Zep outfit (the Band of Joy) played support at one of Reid's early gigs. Reid felt confident enough in his solo prospects to also turn down an offer to join Deep Purple (Ian Gillan was recruited instead).

Seed of a Memory An opening spot on the Rolling Stones' famous 1969 tour of America seemed to augur even brighter prospects for the future, but this is precisely where Reid's career stalled, at the age of 20. First he became embroiled in litigation with Mickey Most, which curtailed his studio activities in the early '70s. After a couple of personnel changes, he disbanded his original trio, leading a group for a while that included David Lindley and ex-King Crimson drummer Michael Giles (this quartet, however, didn't release any records). He moved to California in 1971 and signed to Atlantic, but his long-delayed third album didn't appear until 1973. Reid would release albums for other labels in 1976 and 1979, but none of his '70s recordings were well-received, critically or commercially (though 1976's Seed of Memory did briefly chart). He's barely recorded since, though he did play some sessions, and The Driver appeared in 1991.

Bang, Bang introduced a hard rocker whose eclecticism was both impressive and unnervingly inconsistent. The covers of "Season of the Witch" and "Summertime Blues" are overlong and dated, but the frenetic version of Cher's "Bang, Bang" is inspired, and the rendition of Gene Pitney's "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" shows his poppier roots. 

Over half of the material was penned by Reid, and while these compositions are sometimes generic, late-'60s hard rockers, he also shows a facility for Donavonesque folk-rock "("Sweater"") and impressive soul-rock vocalizing ("When I Get Home"). Originally not released in the U.K., it's ironically only available now as a U.K. import.

A minor but interesting late-'60s British rock singer, Terry Reid could have been a lot more famous if he had been able to accept the slot of lead singer for the New Yardbirds in 1968. That slot, of course, went to Robert Plant, and the New Yardbirds became Led Zeppelin. Unlike Plant, Reid was also a guitarist, and the opportunity to head his own group no doubt played a part in his decision to gun for a solo career. Leading a guitar-organ-drums power trio, he recorded a couple of respectable, though erratic, hard rock albums while still a teenager in the late '60s. Some bad breaks and creative stagnation combined to virtually bring his career to a halt, and he never cashed in on the momentum of his promising start.

Bang, Bang You're Terry Reid A teen prodigy of sorts, Reid had turned professional at the age of 15 to join Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers. His first couple of singles as a headliner found him singing in a sort of poppy blue-eyed soul vein. But by the time of his 1968 debut Bang, Bang You're Terry Reid, produced by Mickie Most, he'd switched to more of a hard rock approach. Most was also handling Donovan and the Jeff Beck Group at the time, and similarities to both of those acts can be heard in Terry Reid's first two albums -- proto-hard rock on the louder tunes, sweeter folk-rock on the mellow ones (Reid in fact covered a couple of Donovan compositions, although he wrote most of his own material). Reid's high voice was reminiscent of Robert Plant's, though not nearly as shrill, and his folky numbers especially are reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's most acoustic early cuts.

Reid, oddly, was considerably more well-known in the U.S. than the U.K. His first album, very oddly, was not even issued in Britain, although it made the American Top 200. It's been reported that he at least in part declined Jimmy Page's offer to join Led Zeppelin owing to his contractual commitments to record for Mickie Most as a solo artist, and to perform as an opening solo artist on the Rolling Stones' late-'60s U.S. tour. He did influence Led Zeppelin's history in a big way by recommending Plant and drummer John Bonham as suitable candidates for the group's lineup, after Plant and Bonham's pre-Led Zep outfit (the Band of Joy) played support at one of Reid's early gigs. Reid felt confident enough in his solo prospects to also turn down an offer to join Deep Purple (Ian Gillan was recruited instead).

Seed of a Memory An opening spot on the Rolling Stones' famous 1969 tour of America seemed to augur even brighter prospects for the future, but this is precisely where Reid's career stalled, at the age of 20. First he became embroiled in litigation with Mickey Most, which curtailed his studio activities in the early '70s. After a couple of personnel changes, he disbanded his original trio, leading a group for a while that included David Lindley and ex-King Crimson drummer Michael Giles (this quartet, however, didn't release any records). He moved to California in 1971 and signed to Atlantic, but his long-delayed third album didn't appear until 1973. Reid would release albums for other labels in 1976 and 1979, but none of his '70s recordings were well-received, critically or commercially (though 1976's Seed of Memory did briefly chart). He's barely recorded since, though he did play some sessions, and The Driver appeared in 1991.

01. Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) 4:12
02. Tinker Taylor 2:53
03. Erica 3:48
04. Without Expression 4:47
05. Sweater 2:03
06. Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart 4:56
07. Season Of The Witch 10:09
08. Writing On The Wall / Summertime Blues 10:14
09. When I Get Home 3:38
10. Loving Time 3:40

+ 7 Bonus Låtar

tisdag 25 mars 2014

Rare R&B: Bobby Marchan - There's Something on Your Mind (R&B US 1960) (Recorded 1959-61)


230:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition, Bra R&B US 1960. Utgången utgåva och mycket svår att hitta nu.)

Bobby Marchan (born Oscar James Gibson, April 30, 1930 in Youngstown Ohio – December 5, 1999) was a well-respected American rhythm and blues bandleader, MC, singer-performer, recording artist, and female impersonator.

He initially began performing in New Orleans nightclubs, specifically the Dew Drop Inn and the Club Tijuana in the mid-1950s. Marchan also toured with the band of Huey "Piano" Smith, sometimes performing as lead singer / bandleader and substituting vocally for Huey Smith (who reputedly often would stay in New Orleans to write and record while his namesake band "Huey Smith and the Clowns" played clubs and toured on the road). The touring band included James Booker on piano.

One of Marchan's vocal performances with Huey Smith and the Clowns can be heard on the New Orleans R&B recording, "Don't You Just Know It", which was released in 1958. Marchan also had a solo #1 hit on the national R&B charts in 1960 with the tune "There is Something on your Mind," a cover of a song performed by Big Jay McNeely. Marchan recorded for a handful of small soul labels such as Fire Records, Volt, Dial, Cameo, and Gamble as well as Ace Records, which had released the Clowns' records.
Marchan regularly performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

"There's Something on Your Mind (Part 2)" is a 1960 novelty song by Bobby Marchan. The single was Marchan's most successful release on both the R&B and pop singles chart. "There's Something on Your Mind" made it to number one on the R&B charts and number thirty-one on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song was originally recorded as "There Is Something on Your Mind" in 1957 by Big Jay McNeely and his band in a small Seattle recording studio, and leased more than a year later to Los Angeles disc jockey Hunter Hancock's Swingin' Records label, where it reached #42 on Billboard's pop chart and number 2 on the R&B chart in early 1959. The lead vocalist on this original recording was Little Sonny Warner. Though McNeely is listed as the song's writer, he has freely admitted that he purchased the song from the Rivingtons' vocalist John "Sonny" Harris, who in turn had lifted much of it from a gospel song, "Something on My Mind," by The Highway QCs.


The song has been recorded many times since then by Big Jay McNeely himself with various collaborators, along with Freddy Fender, B.B. King, Albert King, Etta James, Gene Vincent, Baby Lloyd Stallworth (of The Famous Flames), the Jolly Jacks (who parodied the violence of the Marchan recording), and others.

A larger-than-life performer best remembered for his 1960 R&B chart-topper "There Is Something on Your Mind," singer Bobby Marchan was born Oscar James Gibson in Youngstown, OH, on April 30, 1930. As a child he became fascinated by the female impersonators who appeared on the so-called "chitlin circuit" of black nightclubs, and began singing and performing comedy in drag while in his teens. In 1953 Marchan organized his own drag troupe, the Powder Box Revue; during a booking at New Orleans' Dew Drop Inn, he became enamored with the city, making it his home for the remainder of his life. There he accepted a job as MC at the Club Tijuana, where he was discovered by Aladdin Records president Eddie Meisner. Marchan cut his debut single, "Have Mercy," for producer Cosimo Matassa in 1954, but Aladdin dropped him soon after, and he landed at Dot for the follow-up, "Just a Little Ol' Wine."

He then signed to Ace after label head Johnny Vincent caught his drag show, offering Marchan a contract in the mistaken belief he was a woman; 1955's "Give a Helping Hand" appeared under the alias Bobby Fields, with the Marchan surname restored for his next effort, the regional smash "Chickee Wah-Wah." In 1957 he joined Huey "Piano" Smith as the original lead vocalist with Smith's legendary band the Clowns -- in addition to appearing on classics including "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu," "Don't You Just Know It," "You Don't Know Yockomo," and "Havin' a Good Time" (not to mention popularizing the Smith composition "Sea Cruise," a hit on wax for singer Frankie Ford), Marchan also continued his solo career, issuing "I'll Never Let You Go." He left the Clowns in early 1959, issuing his final Ace single, "Rockin' Behind the Iron Curtain," later that same year. He then returned to the road and resumed his drag career, signing to Fire Records to issue "Snoopin' and Accusin'."

With 1960's reading of the Big Jay McNeely song "There Is Something on Your Mind," Marchan finally scored the solo hit that had for so long eluded him, reaching number one on the R&B charts. A series of Fire singles followed in rapid succession, among them "Booty Green," "All in My Mind," "What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You," and "Yes, It's Written All Over Your Face," but none earned much attention on the national charts. On the recommendation of Otis Redding he was signed to Stax Records in 1963, adopting a more contemporary soul approach and making his label debut with "What Can I Do." Within a year Marchan was recording for yet another label, Dial, cutting "Get Down With It," a hit for British glam icons Slade in 1971. He spent much of the mid-'60s recording for Cameo, debuting in 1966 with "There's Something About You, Baby" and returning to the R&B Top 20 with the follow-up, "Shake Your Tambourine."


US Single 1960
Subsequent efforts, including 1967's "Meet Me in Church" and "You Better Hold On," received scant attention, however, and after 1968's "(Ain't No Reason) For Girls to Be Lonely" -- a one-shot for Gamble -- Marchan spent nearly a decade without a record deal, returning to his drag roots yet again. By 1977 he was installed as the MC at New Orleans' Club Alhambra, resurfacing that same year on Mercury with "I Wanna Bump With the Big Fat Woman," soon followed by another novelty effort, "Disco Rabbit." Around 1983 Marchan founded his own production company, Manicure, to scout and promote up-and-coming hip-hop acts. In 1987 he recorded his final single, an updated version of "There Is Something on Your Mind," and later helped found the Cash Money label. After a long battle with liver cancer, he died December 5, 1999, at the age of 69.

The exciting New Orleans R&B/blues singer revisits the spotlight with this reissue. Bobby Marchan's potent deliveries are glossed over 18 well-baked tracks, including his famous two-part songs "There's Something on My Mind," "You're Still My Baby," "Things I Use to Do," and a previously unreleased take of "Yes It's Written All Your Face." Marchan, a female impersonator, breaks out in an extremely feminine singing and speaking voice on some tracks that sounds like the real deal. He handles up-tempo tunes like "Booty Green," "What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You," and "Snoopin' and Accusin'" as skillfully as he does slow-moaners like "The Things I Used to Do" and "All in My Mind." Bobby Marchan's recordings are blue-plate specials comprised of rock & roll, R&B, blues, soul, and novelty items.

01. There's Something On Your Mind (Pt.1)
02. There's Something On Your Mind (Pt.2)
03. Booty Green
04. It Hurts Me To My Heart
05. Snoopin' And Accusin'
06. All In My Mind
07. The Things I Used To Do (Pt.1)
08. The Things I Used To Do (Pt.2)
09. What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You
10. This Is The Life
11. I Need Someone (I Need You)
12. I Miss You So
13. Yes, It's Written All Over Your Face
14. You're Still My Baby (Pt.2)
15. You're Still My Baby (Pt.1)
16. Look At My Heart
17. Yes, It's Written All Over Your Face (Pt.1): Unreleased
18. Yes, It's Written All Over Your Face (Pt.2): Unreleased

tisdag 4 mars 2014

Bandolero - Life is Love, Love is All ! (Puerto Rican Heavy Fuzz Psychedelia 1970)


230:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Legal Utgåva från Korea. (Big Pink Records) Outstanding Heavy Fuzz rock från Puerto Rico med 
sång på engelska. Utgiven på Big Pink Records, Korea. Ett måste 
för dig som gillar Heavy Psychedelic Fuzz.)

"An ultra rare Puerto Rican heavy psychedelic band's only album in 1970. From beginning to end, the album is full of battle between outrageous fuzz guitar and swirling organ. An astonishing Latin psychedelic beast!"

A Puerto Rico outfit whose album, an amalgam of psychedelia, garage, blues and rock, is well worth investigation. Most of its better moments come on Side One. All vocals are in English except for one cut, Tenura. The album's opener I Got It is quite fast-paced with prominent guitar and keyboards. Love Me Tonight, one of the strongest, is notable for good vocals and pleasing melodic guitar work. Don't Hang Me features lots of heavyish guitar work, but is a little disjointed in places. 




I Can Always Think Of You, another of the best cuts, features more good guitar work and some quite dramatic piano parts. The side closes with Salsa Friquea. This commences with a climatic keyboard intro, which gives way to bouncy Latin American style rhythms as the song progresses through different stages. 


Side Two opens with Together, which blends lots of guitar / organ interplay. My Life Is Always Going Through Changes applies a similar format, but is a little disjointed in places. I Want To Get There is more of the same, but weaker. Awake features bouncy Latin rhythms and is similar to Salsa Friquea, but becomes tedious in places. The finale Truth And Understanding is another of the album's finer moments. It blends good vocals and melody and there's a pleasing guitar interlude followed by a rhythmic Latin section. The cut ends with a drum solo. Overall, a recommended album.

01. I Got It - 3.33
02. Temura - 3.30 
03. Love Me Tonight - 3.38
04. Don't Hang Me - 3.51
05. I Can Always Think Of You - 3.50
06. Salsa Friquea - 5.07
07. Together - 2.47
08. My Life Is Always Going Through - 6.11
09. I Want To Get There - 3.42
10. Awake - 3.43
11. Truth and Understanding - 7.49
.

tisdag 28 januari 2014

John Morgan - Kaleidoscope (Progressive Rock UK 1971)


240:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Utgången utgåva.)

Formed from the ashes of psychedelic blues legends Spirit Of John Morgan, this talented yet arguably overlooked keyboard player continued his career with the underground indie label Carnaby Records.

However, the arrival of Kaleidoscope in 1971 failed to achieve the applause it deserved at the time leaving Morgan in the midst of progressive rock’s obscured past.

Kaleidoscope makes its long-awaited and welcome return to CD with detailed liners affirming Morgan's deserved place in progressive rock history.


Keyboard player and vocalist John Morgan was a Graham Bond afficianado who turned toward psychedelia as the 1960's wore on. Billed originally as The Spirit of John Morgan, the band was successful enough to get booked into the Marquee and other top clubs, and cut three albums. Their self-titled debut into 1969 was followed by two more LPs in 1970 and 1972 (credited simply to John Morgan) for the Carnaby label. He also cut a single for British RCA in the early 1970's.

Kaleidoscope is an exercise in funky R&B-inspired psychedelic music. Keyboard heavy, it can sometimes fall into the trappings of weird/bad ’70s rock, but the spirit of the ’60s is alive and present in all these tunes. Morgan’s band sounds at times like a heavier Crosby, Stills & Nash, Morgan himself recalls the soulful delivery of Spencer Davis Group-era Steve Winwood.

01. Psych Wheels  05:28
02. Kaleidoscope of Life  07:58
03. Sky Rider  03:08
04. Sandy Mouth Bay  05:50
05. Evil City  06:27
06. Make Ye Merry  04:32
07. Cow Cow Boogie  02:20
08. Anthole Highlander  01:52
09. Entertrainer Rag  02:43
10. 303  04:34