Georgie Fame And The Blue Flames - Sweet Things (Blue-Eyed Blues/R&B UK 1966)

240:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. 10st bonuslåtar. Konvolut med original "Flipback" omslag. Utgången utgåva sedan 2006.)

Born Clive Powell on June 26, 1943 in the English industrial town of Leigh, Lancashire, Georgie Fame’s interest in music initially grew out of his family entertaining in the home and musical evenings in the church hall across the street, where his father also played in an amateur dance band. Although young Clive began piano lessons at age seven, he didn’t stick too long with the formal training. But when rock and roll started to be broadcast on the radio during the mid-fifties, a then-teenage Clive began to take the piano more seriously. Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard were among his idols and that was the basis of his earliest “professional” style. Upon leaving school, shortly after his 15th birthday, he followed the family tradition and took a job as an apprentice cotton weaver in one of the many local mills, but his leisure time was spent playing piano in various pubs and with a local group, “The Dominoes.”

In July 1959, at a summer holiday camp, Clive was spotted by Rory Blackwell, the resident rock and roll bandleader. Blackwell offered the young singer/pianist a full time job and the teenager happily left his job at the weaving mill. Rory and the Blackjacks departed for London, their hometown, when the summer season ended prematurely and Clive went with them. The promise of lucrative work in the music business didn’t materialize, however, and the band broke up. The determined young man from Leigh opted to stay on in London, but for a time it proved rough going. He tried unsuccessfully to make his way back home, and eventually he had the good fortune of finding “lodging” at The Essex Arms pub in London’s Dockland, where the kindly landlord provided him a room where he could sleep.

In October of that year, the Marty Wilde Show was performing at the Lewisham Gaumont and Rory Blackwell arranged for Clive to audition “live” for impresario Larry Parnes. After walking on stage, without any rehearsal, he sang Jerry Lee Lewis’ High School Confidential and was promptly hired as a backing pianist for the Parnes “stable” of singers. As with all the other young talent Parnes had taken on (such as Billy Fury and Johnny Gentle), he renamed Clive Powell “Georgie Fame,” and the name has stuck to this day. By the age of 16, Georgie had toured Britain extensively, playing alongside Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Tony Sheridan, Freddie Canon, Jerry Keller, Dickie Pride, Joe Brown and many more. During this time, Billy Fury selected four musicians, including Fame, for his personal backing group and the “Blue Flames” were born. At the end of 1961, after a disagreement, the band and Fury parted company.

Another gloomy out-of-work period finally ended in March 1962, when Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames took up what was to be a three-year residency as the house band at the Flamingo Club in London’s Soho district. According to Georgie, they played “rhythm and blues all-nighters to black American GIs, West Indians, pimps, prostitutes and gangsters.” The band’s reputation as “the epitome of cool” spread rapidly, and in 1963 their first album, Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo, was recorded live at the club. 

A string of hit records in the following years included the No. 1 best sellers, Yeh Yeh (the first recording that knocked The Beatles off the number one spot in the charts), Getaway and 1967’s The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde. Due to his great popularity, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames were the only UK act invited to perform with the first Motown Review when it hit London in the mid-1960s. During this time, Georgie also pursued his interest in jazz, recording the milestone album, Sound Venture, with the Harry South Big Band. This led directly to successful tours of the UK and Europe in 1967 and 1968, which found Georgie singing with the Count Basie Orchestra.

From 1970 to 1973, Georgie Fame worked almost exclusively in a partnership with fellow musician Alan Price (former keyboard player for The Animals). The duo were featured in their own television series “The Price of Fame,” guested on countless others, and produced the hit single Rosetta. Their partnership came to a close several years later, but the television exposure had made Georgie Fame a household name in Britain.

In 1974, Georgie reformed the Blue Flames and they continue working with him (in one form or another) to this day. At that time, Georgie also began to regularly step away from the keyboards to sing with Europe’s finest orchestras and big bands, a musical tradition he still currently pursues. During the seventies, he also wrote “jingles” for several UK radio and TV commercials and composed the music for the feature films Entertaining Mr. Sloane and The Garnett Saga.

In 1981, Georgie co-produced and performed with jazz vocalist, Annie Ross, on the album In Hoagland, which featured the music of the legendary Hoagy Carmichael. After Georgie met with Hoagy at his home in Palm Springs, California, a film based on the album was made by Scottish television. It went on to win a gold award at The New York Television Festival. A similar tribute to Benny Goodman, In Goodmanland, recorded in Sweden with vocalist Sylvia Vrethammar, followed in 1983. In 1988, during one of his regular visits to Australia, Georgie produced the album, No Worries, with the Aussie Blue Flames. And in 1989, the album, A Portrait of Chet, dedicated to jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, was recorded in Holland.

Another project, completed in the eighties, was a musical written with fellow composer, Steve Gray. This outstanding piece of music remains unperformed in public with the exception of a prototype version that was broadcast on Dutch radio with the Metropole Orchestra, featuring Madeline Bell.

It was also in 1989 that Georgie Fame joined forces with Van Morrison, after having been invited to play Hammond organ on Van’s Avalon Sunset album the previous year. He continued to record and tour with Morrison throughout the nineties. During that time, he and Van co-produced and performed on the Verve albums, How Long Has This Been Going On, released in 1995 and Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison, released in 1996.

In 1990, Georgie Fame signed with producer Ben Sidran’s Go Jazz Records and his first album, Cool Cat Blues, was released on that label in 1991. Recorded in New York City, it featured such musical luminaries as Van Morrison, Jon Hendricks, Boz Scaggs, Will Lee, Robben Ford, Richard Tee and Bob Malach. The follow-up album, The Blues and Me, completed in 1991 and released in 1992, was recorded in similar musical company. It also featured special guests Dr. John, Phil Woods, Stanley Turrentine and Grady Tate. In 1992, the album, Endangered Species, was recorded with the Danish Radio Big Band in Copenhagen and in 1993, the album, City Life, featuring Fame, Madeline Bell and the BBC Big Band was released.

A unique album by Three Line Whip (featuring Georgie’s sons, Tristan and James), Three Line Whip/Will Carling, was released in the UK in May 1994, with close family friends and musical associates of many years standing joining the trio in the studio. They included Guy Barker, trumpet; Peter King, alto sax; Alan Skidmore, tenor sax; Steve Gregory, tenor sax/flute; Anthony Kerr, vibraphone; Brian Odgers, bass guitar and Steve Gray, digital piano. Another Three Line Whip album, Name Droppin', was released in 1997, after being recorded live in true Blue Flames style at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London during one of their annual residencies. A second album, Walking Wounded, from the same sessions, was released the following year.

Also in 1997, bassist Bill Wyman began forming his new band The Rhythm Kings and Georgie Fame became a founding member. Since that time, there have been five CDs and several tours, and The Rhythm Kings "reform" periodically to tour and record to the present day. During 1999, Fame presented several radio programs on BBC Radio, including his own six-week series featuring The Blue Flames plus special guests, including Madeline Bell, Bill Wyman, Zoot Money, Peter King, Steve Gray and Claire Martin. In the year 2000, Georgie’s critically-acclaimed CD, Poet in New York, was voted Best Jazz Vocal Album by the Academie du Jazz in France. In 2001, the latest Three Line Whip CD, Relationships, was released, which included some of Georgie Fame’s finest songwriting to date. In the same year, a compilation CD, Funny How Time Slips Away: The Pye Anthology, was released.

Throughout his 40-year career, Georgie Fame has recorded over 20 albums and 14 hit singles. He is equally at home in the company of jazz groups and big bands, orchestras, rock groups and his own band, The Blue Flames. As a sideman, he has recorded with many artists, including Gene Vincent, Prince Buster, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, Andy Fairweather-Low, Bill Wyman and Van Morrison. Ever on the road, Georgie Fame continues to perform his unique blend of jazz/rhythm and blues for live audiences at clubs and music festivals throughout Europe.

Amongst his musical influences and heroes, he names Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Mose Allison, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonius Monk, Betty Carter, Peggy Lee, Jimmy Smith, Booker T, Chet Baker, Johnny Griffin, Jon Hendricks, Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Sonny Rollins, Richard “Groove” Holmes and many, many more.

01. Sweet Thing
02. See Saw
03. Ride Your Pony
04. Funny How Times Slip Away
05. Sitting In The Park
06. Dr. Kitch
07. My Girl
08. Music Talk
09. The In Crowd
10. The World Is Round
11. The Whole World´s Shaking
12. Last Night

Bonus Tracks
13. Like We Used To Be
14. It Ain´t Right
15. No, No
16. Blue Monday
17. So Long
18. Sick And Tired
19. Move It On Over
20. Walking The Dog
21. Hi Heel
22. Rockin´ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu

Fairport Convention - Hey Day (Rare BBC Live UK 1968-69)

210:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. 20 BBC livelåtar. Utgången utgåva sedan 2005. Någon senarepressning finns inte.)

Heyday: the BBC Radio Sessions 1968–69 is an album by English folk rock band Fairport Convention first released in 1987. As its title suggests, it consists of live versions of songs recorded for John Peel's Top Gear radio programmes.

Fairport Convention has long been British folk-rock with the emphasis on British and folk, but listeners most familiar with their revved-up interpretation of traditional English ballads (and like-minded originals) often forget that the band started out as the U.K.'s response to Jefferson Airplane. Heyday collects 12 performances (ten of them covers) recorded for the BBC during the early period when Sandy Denny and Ian Matthews were both singing for the group (and a bus accident had not yet taken the life of original drummer Martin Lamble). 

While most of the songs were written by noted American folk-rockers of the day, the Fairports put a very individual stamp on every selection here; if you don't think you ever need to hear another version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" or Bob Dylan's "Percy's Song," you might well change your mind after hearing Fairport work their magic with them, and their takes on Joni Mitchell's "I Don't Know Where I Stand" and Gene Clark's "Tried So Hard" actually improve on the very worthy originals.

Fairport Convention approaches these songs with taste, skill, and subtle but potent fire, and Richard Thompson was already growing into one of the most remarkable guitarists in British rock (and if you're of the opinion that he doesn't know how to be funny, check out his goofy double entendre duet with Sandy, "If It Feels Good, You Know It Can't Be Wrong"). While Fairport Convention would create their most lasting work with Liege and Leif and Full House, Heyday offers delightful proof that this band's talents (and influences) took many different directions, and it captures one of the band's better lineups in superb form

Personnel:
♣ Ashley Hutchings – bass
♣ Martin Lamble – drums
♣ Richard Thompson – guitar
♣ Simon Nicol – guitar
♣ Ian Matthews - Vocal 
♣ Richard Thompson - Vocal 
♣ Sandy Denny – vocal

01. "Close the Door Lightly When You Go" (Andersen) – 2:56
02. "I Don't Know Where I Stand" (Mitchell) – 3:40
03. "Some Sweet Day" (Bryant, Bryant) – 2:18
04. "Reno, Nevada" (Farina) – 2:18
05. "Suzanne" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:27
06. "If It Feels Good, You Know It Can't Be Wrong" (Hutchings, Thompson) – 3:12
07. "I Still Miss Someone" (Johnny Cash, Cash) – 2:37
08. "Bird on a Wire" (Cohen) – 2:36
09. "Gone, Gone, Gone" (Everly, Everly) – 2:10
10. "Tried So Hard" (Clark) – 2:48
11. "Shattering Live Experience" (Nicol) – 3:19
12. "Percy's Song" (Bob Dylan) – 5:34

Bonus tracks
13. "You Never Wanted Me" – 3:18
14. "Nottamun Town" – 3:37
15. "Fotheringay" – 3:01
16. "Si tu dois partir" – 2:28
17. "Cajun Woman" – 2:47
18. "Autopsy" (Sandy Denny) – 4:26
19. "Reynardine" – 4:24
20. "Tam Lin" – 7:49

Duane Eddy - $1,000,000,00 Worth of Twang (Klassiskt Album US 1960)

240:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Samlings LP från 1960. Utgiven på ett litet Japanskt skivbolag "Oldays Records" i runt 3-500 exemplar totalt.)

Solid best-of album from 1960 of Duane Eddy's earliest hits, including "Rebel Rouser," "Movin' & Groovin'," "Ramrod," and "Forty Miles of Bad Road."

The first Jamie Records 45 was released in 1957, but it was guitar instrumentalist Duane Eddy who vaulted the label into national prominence in 1958 with “Movin’ and Groovin’” and “Rebel Rouser.” He would eventually garner 20 Top 100 hits before leaving in 1962. Label owner Harold Lipsius’s business partner, Harry Finfer, discovered Eddy, a Phoenix guitarist produced by Lee Hazlewood. 

Finfer’s habit was to play a record over and over to see if he tired of it. The strangeness of Eddy’s catchy, bottom-string melody – reverbed in a 2,000-gallon water tank complete with whoops and hollers – caught his ear, and with Dick Clark’s help (reputedly, he held a share in Jamie in those conflict-of-interest times) on Bandstand, created a formula that would be replicated on many albums, all centered on The Twang: Have Twangy Guitar, Will Travel; The Twang’s The Thang, and this particular assemblage, which features Duane’s greatest hits, including the 1960 movie theme “Because They’re Young” that balances Eddy’s baritone voicings against soaring, uplifting strings, its own raison d’etre.

Svensk EP från 1960

If Duane Eddy's instrumental hits from the late '50s can sound unduly basic and repetitive (especially when taken all at once), he was vastly influential. Perhaps the most successful instrumental rocker of his time, he may have also been the man most responsible (along with Chuck Berry) for popularizing the electric rock guitar. His distinctively low, twangy riffs could be heard on no less than 15 Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1963. He was also one of the first rock stars to successfully crack the LP market.

That low, twangy sound was devised in collaboration with producer Lee Hazlewood, an Arizona disc jockey whom Eddy had met while hanging out at a radio station as a teenager. By the late '50s, Hazlewood had branched out into production. Before Duane began recording, his principal influence had been Chet Atkins, but at Hazlewood's suggestion, he started concentrating on guitar lines at the lower end of the strings. 

His opening riff of his debut single, "Movin' and Groovin'," would be lifted for the Beach Boys five years later to open "Surfin' U.S.A." It was the next 45, "Rebel Rouser," that would really break up him as a national star, reaching the Top Ten in 1958. Opening with a down-and-dirty, heavily echoed guitar riff, it remains the tune with which he's most often identified.

Eddy's phenomenally successful run of hits over the next few years was to some extent a variation on the "Rebel Rouser" theme. With cowboy whoops from the backup band helping drive things along, they weren't nearly as innovative as work of Link Wray during the same era, but they were much more popular. 

The singles -- "Peter Gunn," "Cannonball," "Shazam," and "Forty Miles of Bad Road" were probably the best -- also did their part to help keep the raunchy spirit of rock & roll alive, during a time in which it was in danger of being watered down. Much of that raunch was not solely due to Eddy himself, but to the honking sax solos of Steve Douglas, who would go on to become one of the top session players in the industry. Duane would have his biggest hit, however, in 1960, when he sweetened the twang with strings for the movie theme "Because They're Young."

Eddy's records were also huge influences on legions of budding guitar players. In England, the Shadows no doubt took Eddy as one of their chief inspirations for their spare, moody sound, as one listen to their most famous hit, "Apache," makes obvious. More subtly, his influence can also be heard in the work of George Harrison. For evidence, listen to the growling riffs that decorate the verse of "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

Eddy started to lose momentum in the early '60s, and left the Jamie label in 1962 for the much bigger RCA. "(Dance With The) Guitar Man," which featured an atypical chorus of female vocals, would be his last Top 20 hit that same year. His albums -- often based on loose themes, like A Million Dollars Worth of Twang, Twisting With Duane Eddy, and Surfing With Duane Eddy -- kept him afloat to some degree. 

But his style doggedly refused evolution, although scattered cuts indicate he was capable of abandoning the twang for more bluesy or straight-out rock sounds. The British Invasion wiped Duane out commercially, although he recorded intermittently over the next couple of decades. In 1986, he enjoyed a brief comeback when the Art of Noise built their "Peter Gunn" hit around his guest contributions; Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ry Cooder, and Jeff Lynne all helped produce a 1987 album. It's that run of late-'50s and early-'60s hits, though, for which he'll principally be remembered.

01. Rebel Rouser  02:02  (1958)
02. Cannonball  01:52  (1958)
03. The Quiet Three  01:57  (1959)
04. Bonnie Came Back  01:59  (1959) 
05. Because They're Young  01:59  (1960) 
06. Theme For Moon Children  02:15  (1960) 
07. Moovin 'n' Groovin'  02:03  (1958)
08. The Lonely One  01:40  (1959)   
09. Forty Miles of Bad Road  02:10  (1959) 
10. Some Kinda Earthquake  01:17  (1959) 
11. First Love, First Tears  02:05 
12. Kommotion  02:25  (1960)

Bonus Tracks:
13. Ramrod 01:40  (1957)
14. Peter Gunn  02:23  (1959) 
15. Yep!  02:04  (1959) 
16. Shazam!  02:04  (1960)

Lee Dorsey - Ya! Ya! (Klassisk R&B Album Från "Fury Records" 1963

240:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Eftertraktad och tidig R&B album. Mini LP'n gavs ut av "P-Vine" år 2006 och är en utgången utgåva sedan länge.)

Lee Dorsey epitomized the loose, easygoing charm of New Orleans R&B perhaps more than any other artist of the '60s. Working with legendary Crescent City producer/writer Allen Toussaint, Dorsey typically offered good-time party tunes with a playful sense of humor and a loping, funky backbeat. Even if he's remembered chiefly for the signature hit "Working in a Coalmine," it was a remarkably consistent and winning combination for the vast majority of his recording career.

Dorsey was born in New Orleans on December 24, 1924 (although some sources list 1926), and moved to Portland, OR, at age ten. After serving in the Navy during WWII, Dorsey returned to Portland and became a successful light heavyweight boxer, fighting under the name "Kid Chocolate." He retired from boxing in 1955 and returned to his birthplace, where he eventually opened a successful auto-body shop. He pursued a singing career by night, and wound up recording singles for several different labels, most of which made little noise (although "Lottie Mo" sold respectably). 

In 1961, he signed with Bobby Robinson's Fury label, where he entered the studio with producer Allen Toussaint for the first time. Dorsey's nonsense ditty "Ya Ya" -- reportedly inspired by a children's rhyme -- became his first national hit that year, reaching the pop Top Ten and hitting number one on the R&B charts. Despite its popularity, following it up turned out to be difficult, and with a large family to support, Dorsey returned to his auto repair business after a few more singles flopped.

The New Lee Dorsey Still, Allen Toussaint loved Dorsey's voice, and kept him in mind for future sessions. Toussaint's hunch paid off in 1965 when, signed to the Amy label, Dorsey turned "Ride Your Pony" into a Top Ten R&B hit. The accompanying album of the same name sold respectably as well, and Dorsey began cutting a multitude of Toussaint compositions, often with the legendary New Orleans funk ensemble the Meters as his studio backing band. The New Lee Dorsey was released later in 1966, and supplied Dorsey's best-known song, the irresistible "Working in a Coalmine" (which he co-wrote with Toussaint). 

With its clanking sound effects and Dorsey's comic exclamations, "Working in a Coalmine" became his second Top Ten pop hit and signature song, and Dorsey toured internationally with the Meters backing him up. A few follow-ups, particularly "Holy Cow" and "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)," met with some success, but Dorsey was once again hard pressed to duplicate his big hit, and once again left music for the practical concern of running his business. 1970's Yes We Can (on Polydor) was his last album for some time, with the title track becoming his last chart single.

Night People After guesting on the Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes cut "How Come You Treat Me So Bad?," Dorsey attempted a comeback in 1977 with the ABC album Night People, which wasn't a commercial success despite mostly positive reviews. Still, it was enough to land him supporting slots on tours by the likes of James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, and even the Clash, whose 1980 tour was his last major concert jaunt. 

In the meantime, other artists mined his back catalog for covers: "Working in a Coalmine" was redone by robotic new wavers Devo and country duo the Judds; "Ya Ya" by Ike & Tina Turner, John Lennon, and Buckwheat Zydeco; "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" by jazzman Lou Donaldson; and "Yes We Can" by the Pointer Sisters (under the new title "Yes We Can Can"). Dorsey continued to perform sporadically, as opportunities presented themselves, until he contracted emphysema; he died in New Orleans on December 1, 1986.

"Ya Ya" is a song by Lee Dorsey. The song was written by Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson and Morris Levy. Levy’s participation in the writing has been previously called into question. In fact, the Flashback release of the single (image) lists only Dorsey and Lewis as writers, as do the liner notes to the American Graffiti soundtrack.

The song was inspired by a children’s nursery rhyme.

Covers:
♦ Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers (wrongly believed to be The Beatles, who had no involvement in the track) recorded the song in 1961. It is erroneously available on the 1964 release The Beatles' First among others.
♦ Petula Clark recorded the song ("Ya Ya Twist") in French (released in 1962, #1)
♦ In 1962, Dalida covered the song in German under the title "Ya Ya Twist".
♦ In 1964, Joel Denis covered the song in French "Le Yaya".
♦ In 1966, Tommy James and the Shondells released a version as the B-side to their song "It's Only Love."
♦ Mouse and the Traps recorded Ya Ya as the B-side of their 1967 single "Cryin' Inside".
♦ The Hombres included a cover on their only album Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out), in 1968.
♦ Lee Michaels covered the song on his 1971 album 5th.
♦ Ike & Tina Turner covered the song in the early 1970s but their version was not released until 2004 on the album Ike Turner: His Woman, Her Man.
♦ John Lennon included a snippet of himself and his son Julian playing the song on the 1974 album Walls and Bridges. Lennon covered the song fully on his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll.
♦ Trio played it live on their album Trio live 1982
♦ Steve Miller covered the song on his 1988 album Born 2 B Blue.
♦ In 1994 Mitsou covered the song in French "Le Yaya".
♦ Goran Bregović covered the song as "Ringe ringe raja" in his soundtrack for the 1995 film Underground.

Album Tracks:

01 . Ya Ya

02 . Give Me You

03 . Do-Re-Mi

04 . People Gonna Talk

05 . Chin Chin

06 . Mess Around

07 . Eenie Meenie Mini Mo

08 . One And One

09 . Yum Yum

10 . Ixie Dixie Pixie Pie

11 . Behind The Eight-Ball

12 . Hoodem Joe

13 . Give Me Your Love

14 . You Are My Sunshine

15 . Great Googa Mooga

Rod Demick & Herbie Armstrong - Little Willie Ramble (Folkrock UK 1971)

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

Former members of Screaming Lord Sutch's backup band, Rod Demick and Herbie Armstrong continued to work together after leaving the British satirist/rock & roller's group in 1971. Billing themselves as Demick & Armstrong, the two instrumentalists joined with keyboardist David Watkins, vocalist Gordon Smith, and drummers Tony Knight and Henry Spinetti to record two impressive albums -- Little Willie Ramble and Looking Through -- before disbanding in 1973. 

Although they briefly reunited with Kenny Young as Yellow Dog, the glory days of their partnership were past.

Northern Wales-born and Belfast-raised Demick and Ireland-born Armstrong were veteran sidemen when they met in England in the early '70s. Initially a guitar player, Demick honed his craft as a member of teenage skiffle band the Vibros, later known as the Telstars. 

Joining a Belfast-based R&B band, The Wheels, in 1963, he remained with the group when they relocated to England two years later. When the Wheels disbanded in 1967, he began writing songs with lead guitarist Armstrong, switching to bass when they played together. They released a single, "I Forgot to Give You Love" b/w "The Truth About It," as the James Brothers.

Armstrong had been a member, along with Van Morrison, of the Manhattan Showband and the Golden Eagles in 1964. After turning down an invitation to join Morrison's new band, Them, he formed the Wheels with ex-members of the Golden Eagles.

Demick and Armstrong have remained active since going in their own respective directions. A highly regarded session player, Demick has worked with Dr. John, Guitar Shorty, George "Mojo" Buford, Ron Kavana, Terry Woods, Taj Mahal, Snooky Pryor, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and Ian Gomm. A member of Bees Make Honey in the mid-'70s and Tex-Mex band Meal Ticket in 1978, he worked with the David Essex Band from 1979-1990 and the Strawbs from 1985-1999. 

Since 1988, he has collaborated on many projects with ex-Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty, including the Top Topham-Jim McCarty Band and the Jim McCarty Group. In 1992, he participated with McCarty and former Yardbirds rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja in a series of concerts celebrating the Yardbirds' election into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has since become a member of the Kingsnakes. Armstrong has performed with Morrison's live band since 1978.

01. Little Willie Ramble
02. Over The Valley
03. You´re My Island
04. Waiting For The Train
05. Morning
06. We Are Free
07. I´ve Got Time
08. We´re On The Right Track
09. I Don´t Care
10. Open Road
11. That´s What Friends Are For

Roy Wood - Boulders (1st Solo Album UK 1973, ex. "The Move")

270:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Relieftryckt utvikomslag. Utgiven av "Strange Days Records" Japan 2007)

An intricate, deliberately idiosyncratic record, assembled piece by piece, Boulders perfectly captures Roy Wood's peculiar genius, more so than anything else he recorded. All of his obsessions are here -- classical music, psychedelia, pre-Beatles pop, pastoral folk ballads, absurdist humor, studio trickery, and good old-fashioned rock & roll -- assembled in a gracefully eccentric fashion. Some listeners may find that eccentricity a little alienating, but it's the core of Wood's music. 

He wrote tuneful, accessible songs, but indulged his passions and weird ideas, so even the loveliest melodies and catchiest hooks are dressed in colorful, odd arrangements. The marvelous thing is, these arrangements never sound self-consciously weird - it's the sound of Wood's music in full bloom. Never before and never again did his quirks sound so charming, even thrilling, as they do on Boulders. As soon as "Songs of Praise" reaches its chorus, a choir of sped-up, multi-tracked Roys kick in, sending it into the stratosphere. 

All nine tunes unwind in a similar fashion, each blessed with delightfully unpredictable twists. It's easy to spot the tossed-off jokes on the goofy "When Gran'ma Plays the Banjo," but it may take several spins to realize that the percussion on "Wake Up" is the sound of Roy slapping a bowl of water. Boulders is a sonic mosaic -- you can choose to wonder at the little details or gaze at the glorious whole, enjoying the shape it forms. Wood has an unerring knack for melodies, whether they're in folk ballads, sweet pop or old-fashioned rock & rollers, yet his brilliance is how he turns the hooks 180 degrees until they're gloriously out of sync with his influences and peers. Boulders still sounds wonderfully out of time and it's easy to argue that it's the peak of his career.

Most of the album was recorded while Wood was still in The Move, although it was not released until he had left the Electric Light Orchestra and was fronting Wizzard. Two singles were taken from the album, "When Gran'ma Plays the Banjo" (February 1972), and "Dear Elaine" (August 1973). The latter reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart.

"Rock Down Low" and "The Locomotive" were sometimes featured by Wizzard in their live performances.

"Songs of Praise" was recorded by the New Seekers and reached the last six for the British entry to the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest.

Wood had previously attempted recording "She's Too Good for Me" in 1968 with Move bandmate Trevor Burton, before re-recording the song entirely himself for "Boulders". These early attempts were released on Anthology 1966–1972.

01. "Songs of Praise" – 04:40
02. "Wake Up" – 03:19
03. "Rock Down Low" – 03:25
04. "Nancy Sing Me a Song" – 03:28
05. "Dear Elaine" – 04:09
06. "Medley: "All the Way Over the Hill"/"Irish Loafer (And His Hen)" – 04:49
07. "Miss Clarke and the Computer" – 04:20
08. "When Gran'ma Plays the Banjo" – 03:12
09. "Rock Medley: "Rockin’ Shoes"/"She's Too Good for Me"/"Locomotive" – 07:31

Bonus:
10. "Dear Elaine" (Rough Mix  - 04.14

Dee Clark - You're Looking Good (Superb Vee-Jay R&B US 1960)

240:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Superb amerikansk R&B från Vee-Jay Records 1960, Gavs ut av Japanska P-Vine 2006, nu utgången sedan länge.)

Dee Clark's third album is a fine collection of 11 songs, some strong originals like the infectious "Kangaroo Hop" and "Gloria" interspersed with covers of standards by Jimmy Reed ("Baby What Do You Want Me to Do"), Ray Charles ("What I Say"), etc. The overall sound is a mix of R&B ballads -- some of them, such as "I Just Can't Help Myself," displaying '50s doo wop elements -- alternating with hard-rocking rhythm numbers, drawn from various sessions and some earlier single releases. 

As a balladeer, Clark sounded uncannily like a young Clyde McPhatter, while his harder songs probe a distinctly tougher side to that same voice, and both sides work well in the context of this album.

Though largely unknown among contemporary audiences, Dee Clark was one of the most successful R&B singers of the late '50s and early '60s, his resonant, expressive tenor gracing classics like "Raindrops" and "(Hey) Little Girl." Delecta Clark was born in Blytheville, Arkansas on November 7, 1938; from the age of three, he grew up on Chicago's West Side, in 1952 joining with schoolmates Sammy McGrier and Ronnie Strong in the Hambone Kids. 

A fad that required performers to slap their thighs, chests, and other parts of the body in emulation of what's now known as a Bo Diddley beat, the Hambone Kids were popular long enough for the teenage trio to collaborate with Red Saunders & His Orchestra for a single, also titled "Hambone," issued on Okeh in 1952. 

The record was a minor hit, but in 1953 Clark moved on, assuming lead duties with the Chicago vocal group the Goldentones — when local DJ Herb "The Kool Gent" Kent took over their management, he rechristened his charges the Kool Gents, landing them a recording deal with Chicago's Vee-Jay label. The group issued its debut single "This Is the Night" in early 1956, followed that summer by "I Just Can't Help Myself." (As the Delegates, they also released "The Convention," a novelty record inspired by that year's presidential election.)

After one final Vee-Jay session yielding 1957's "Mother's Son," the label's general manager Ewart Abner convinced Clark to go solo — his debut "Gloria" was, in fact, a Kool Gents recording, although only Clark's name appeared on the label. He struggled to forge his own style, mimicking Clyde McPhatter on the follow-up "Seven Nights" and aping Little Richard on 1958's "Oh, Little Girl." 

Neither charted, but when Little Richard himself abruptly quit performing to enter Bible college, his booking agent hired Clark to fulfill his remaining live dates; he ultimately spent five months on the road with Richard's backing band the Upsetters, also enlisting the group for studio dates. 

Clark officially came into his own with late 1958's "Nobody But You" — a luminous, uptempo love song ideally matched to his deeply affecting vocals, the single reached number 21 on the pop charts and number three on the R&B charts, creating the template for the remainder of his Vee-Jay output. Its 1959 follow-up "Just Keep It Up (And See What Happens)" was an even bigger pop hit, reaching the number 18 spot (although going only as high as number nine on the R&B rankings), and with the Bo Diddley-inspired rocker "(Hey) Little Girl" Clark solidified his popularity, reaching number 20 pop and number two R&B during a 15-week run on the charts.

In 1960 Clark notched three more consecutive pop chart entries: the Top 40 hit "How About That," "(Crazy Little Mama) At My Back Door," and "You're Looking Good." 

The streak continued in 1961 with "Your Friends," which reached number 34 on the national pop charts and proved an even bigger hit in his hometown Chicago market. 

Inspired by the inclement weather that plagued a road trip back from New York City, the follow-up "Raindrops" was both Clark's biggest hit and his creative apex — a vividly cinematic virtuoso performance that reached number two on the Billboard pop chart, its sophisticated sound anticipated the R&B genre's coming evolution into soul. 

But Clark never again recaptured its success either in the studio or on the charts: none of his next three singles — "Don't Walk Away from Me," 1962's "You Are Like the Wind," and "Dance On, Little Girl" — even charted. "I'm Going Back to School" was a renaissance of sorts, cracking the R&B Top 20, but in 1963 Clark again stumbled, and after three successive singles ("I'm a Soldier Boy," "How Is He Treating You?" and "Walking My Dog") failing to chart, he left Vee-Jay, signing with Ewart Abner's new label Constellation for the dance record "Crossfire Time," which squeaked onto the Billboard Hot 100 at number 92 — his final U.S. chart appearance.

Clark's Constellation tenure is a study in frustration — between 1964 and 1966, he released eight singles for the label, none of which charted. (Some were nevertheless excellent, in particular the Bob Gaudio-penned "Come Closer," "Warm Summer Breeze," and "T.C.B.") In the wake of "Old Fashion Love," issued in mid-1966, Constellation folded and Clark spent the remainder of his career hopscotching from label to label, never again releasing more than one single on any given imprint — these efforts include 1967's "In These Very Tender Moments" (Columbia), 1968's "Nobody But You" (Wand), 1970s "24 Hours of Loneliness" (Liberty) and the self-explanatory "Raindrops '73," which appeared on the Warner subsidiary Rocky. 

Throughout this period he lived in almost as many cities, making a living by headlining local lounges and nightclubs during extended stays in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Orlando. Although 1975's Chelsea label release "Ride a Wild Horse" enjoyed chart success in the U.K., the single was Clark's last — he continued touring relentlessly during the decade-plus to follow, the grind no doubt contributing greatly to the massive heart attack that ended his life on December 7, 1990 at the age of only 52.

01. You're Looking Good Carter, Oliver  02:08
02. Wondering Clark, Nash  02:37
03. Kangaroo Hop Clark  02:21
04. I Just Can't Help Myself Blackwell  02:27
05. Little Red Riding Hood Clark  02:22
06. Gloria Clark  02:29
07. Come to California Diamond  02:19
08. Baby What You Want Me to Do Reed  02:58
09. 24 Boyfriends Clark, Twigs  02:05
10. Just Like a Fool Clark  02:17
11. What I Say Charles  04:35

Bonus Tracks:
12. Nobody But You  02.24
13. Hey Little Girl  01.52
14. Your Friends  02.03
15. Raindrops  02.52
16. Shook Up Over You  02.45

James Brown and the Famous Flames - Live at The Garden (Rare Album US 1962)

220:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition, utgången utgåva sen 2007. Svår James Brown album att hitta.)

Surely one of James Brown's most mysterious opuses: apparently never even reissued on *vinyl*, despite an impressive chart placement. Of course, the somewhat misleading packaging ("somewhat", meaning check out this review box title for the actual venue, another great landmark, though quite different in scale!), and subway station post-production effects, presumeably to make it sound like a huge auditorium event, added to the confusion. [The slow-running master tape didn't help either].

Then again, it's James Brown, who always found a special way of making order out of "chaos" - who else can keep a one-chord riff going for days, with mostly non-verbal emanations ("Hip Bag '67", track four)?

Yes, all of James Brown's live album have good audience sonic inreraction, and here the crowd is up in the mix, which adds to the excitement, although, in a sense, it also is a reminder that a big aspect of the live experience is in the visuals, and typically, though we can hear the crowd, there are no stills from the actual event. 

One can imagine the beatific glow on the on the receiving end of the funk (though that came a few months later).

I say, without hesitation that this is Brown's most exciting live album (the Live in Dallas set has that heart-pounding and foot-stompin' "pop", but is *paced*). Following the greatest vocal introduction in recorded history, we're right into nearly-manic renditions of "Out Of Sight" and "Bring It Up", and the audience is already close to being emotionally spent. Cut five has a tremendous "Prisoner Of Love", his best on record. 

The take recorded at the Apollo about five months later does not have the Soul or warmth this one has - he sounded a bit tired and distracted on that much better-known performance on "....Apollo, Vol. Two". Historians might presume that some of that "lower-impact" approach may have been by design. It's been written that sometime in 1967 JB considered retirement, and during that period changed the "pacing" of his shows. [When the Latin Casino recording was made, it seems that the over-the-top, beginning to end, approach was the key, so listeners can appreciate this intriquing piece of history].

Another tune fares better here than on the forementioned double-album: "It Maybe The Last Time". [For initiates, it is reminiscent of an earlier tune by the Staple Singers, "This Could Be The Last Time", and a later tune by the Rolling Stones]. This one has the power and compression, quite possibly noticed by Bad Company ("Can't Get Enough Of Your Love").

The gospel styled R & B-jazz hit "Ain't That A Groove" has the band at optimum capacity. (Another strong presumption: Paul McCartney referenced this particular track *and* "Please, Please, Please", prefacing the finale, "Bring It Up" [reprise]).


01. Out Of Sight
02. Bring It Up
03. Try Me
04. Let Yourself Go
05. Hip Bag '67
06. Prisoner Of Love
07. It May Be The Last Time
08. I Got You (I Feel Good)
09. Ain't That A Groove-Part 1-Ain't That A Groove-Part 2
10. Please,Please,Please
11. Bring It Up