Graham Bell - Selftitled (Blues, Art & Progressive Rock UK 1972)

270:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. (Ex medlem från "Skip Bifferty, Bell + Arc, Arc m.fl. Mycket bra album från 1972)

Graham Bell (vocals) Veteran vocalist from the British scene. He released a solo single in 1966! It was 'How do you say I don't love you / If you're gonna go'.

It was early 1966, when The Chosen Few get a new singer, Graham Bell, and change their band name to Skip Bifferty. They established themselves in London. After several years as a tight unit, they released a self-titled album, Skip Bifferty, in 1968. Some of their songs were produced by Ronnie Lane, and arranged by Steve Marriott. 

In 1969, due to legal problems with their manager Don Arden, they changed their name (again), this time to Heavy Jelly, releasing a single,'I keep singing that same old song / Blue'. But they parted ways that same year. Bell was to reunite with Gibson and White very soon, while Gallagher and Turnbull formed Arc in 1970, but they soon were to rejoin Graham, as we're going to read. After the Skip Bifferty/Heavy Jelly separation, Gibson and White formed a new band, Happy Magazine, still in 1969. 

Skip Bifferty

When their vocalist left, Graham Bell was called, and the band changed the name to Griffin. A terrific lineup. But they only released two singles, being 'I am the dark noise in your head / Don't you know' (1969) the first one.

Colin Gibson and Craddock joined Ginger Baker's Airforce, and Alan White joined Balls (with Denny Laine) for a while, also going to Ginger Baker's Airforce. Graham joined a new band in May 1970: Every Which Way, formed by drummer Brian Davidson (ex-The Nice). The band was short-lived, and after a debut album, Every Which Way, and a successful presentation at The Marquee, they sadly split. Graham started thinking about a solo career. He wrote some demos, and called his old mates (now in Arc) to back him. All went so well, that they decided forming a stable lineup, under the name Bell & Arc.

They released Bell & Arc, with lots of great guests: Kenny Craddock (guitar, keyboards), Bud Beadle (sax), Steve Gregory (sax), Jeff Condon (trumpet), John Woods (percussion), Alan White (drums, percussion). 

But after the album, Rob Tait left, being replaced by John Woods. But John Woods wasn't to stay too much time in the band. For their American tour in November/December 1971, they got Alan White. After the tour, Alan White left, being replaced by a great drummer, Ian Wallace.

In January 1972, Gallagher left, and another great replacement arrives, Kenny Craddock. But, after one month, they disbanded in February 1972. Graham Bell went solo again. He released his first solo album, Graham Bell, that same year, with these musicians (some parts were recorded in UK, some parts in Nashville).

He also appeared in the symphonic version of The Who's Tommy, released in November 1972. It was recorded with The London Symphony Orchestra, The English Chamber Choir, plus a cast of thousands: Sandy Denny, Graham Bell (who sings lead in '1921'), Maggie Bell, Steve Winwood, Richie Havens, Merry Clayton, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Richard Harris, plus The Who, of course.

To celebrate the release, on December 9th, 1972, the whole work was played live at The Rainbow, with mostly the same artists as in the album, plus some added stars, such as actor Peter Sellers, Roy Wood, Roger Chapman, Elkie Brooks, David Essex, Marsha Hunt, Vivian Stanshall, etc. Graham Bell was also there.

And now I have a very big gap in Graham Bell's career. Any help with info would be very appreciated. Some time later, he formed a band with old mate Kenny Craddock. They were called Stotts, but their live was too short. The next (happy) news was finding Graham Bell again! It was in 1988, when he joined exquisite guitarist Snowy White, in a new venture, Snowy White's Blues Agency. They released two albums, Change my life and Open for business (rereleased under the title Blues on me). But they sadly split in 1990. All the members (except Graham) went to play with Mick Taylor All Star Band.

01. Before You Can Be A Man
02. The Thrill Is Gone
03. After Midnight
04. Down In The City
05. Watch The River Flow
06. Too Many People
07. How Long Will It Last
08. The Whole Town Wants You Hung
09. The Man With Angeless Eyes
10. So Black And So Blue

Renaissance - Illusion (2nd Album Progressiv Rock UK 1971)

250:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Utgången utgåva.)

After their debut album's success (especially in France, Germany and Belgium), the group went in the studio for the follow-up in a state of disunion. Indeed, McCarty had become tired of touring, but chose to remain as a songwriter and studio member (and was trying to build as touring version of the band), and before Illusion was finished, the group had disbanded. 

Indeed Keith's failing health was also forcing him to stop touring and wanted to concentrate on writing, Cennamo left for Steamhammer via Colosseum (both the latter would meet up again in Armageddon, Keith's fateful end), Hawken coming and going from the group, then finally splitting for Spooky Tooth and later Strawbs, but was persuaded to finish the album. But by the time things had imploded, the album was still too short for release, and it is the reserve/touring group that produced the final track. So Renaissance's Mk II line-up lasted one studio song, but would tour a few months and be filmed for a Belgian TV special.

Again recorded in the Island studios, but this time produced by Keith instead of Samwell-Smith, Illusion was released in early 71 with no promotion and only in Germany, but comes with a superb cosmic artwork gracing the gatefold sleeve, with a mystic inner gatefold artwork enhancing it. (I base myself on the Repertoire mini-Lp for this, because I've never seen the vinyl with my own eyes.) 

Most of Illusion is very worthy successor of the debut (might even be a tad folkier too) and remains well in its continuity (despite the acrimony about musical direction), even if not quite as inspired. And well beyond the track recorded by the Mk II line-up, you can (barely) see the future Mk III line-up peeking through, as Dunford and future external lyric-writer poetess Betty Thatcher each share a credit, but not the same track.

Opening on the rather-poor Relf-only written song of Love Goes On, while not catastrophic, is certainly not a good omen for things to come, but this is thankfully quickly over. The much better Golden Thread renews with the previous album's style (even if it wouldn't manage to find a space on it) and reassures the fans, and features a humming finale heard on Trespass. Next is a first collab between McCarty and Thatcher (nope, not talking politics here ;-))), the good but also ill-fitting (in the album's context) Love Is All, a song that obviously was lifted (and rearranged) by Roger Glover's Butterfly Ball project. As if not enough confusion, the Mk II track Mr Pine is next (I'd have included it last), but sort of announces sonically the future Prologue album with Hawken playing a rare (for Renaissance's Mk I) Hammond organ. 

In the Belgian TV broadcast, it would be John Tout that would play this track and the other Illusion tracks they played. Face Of Yesterday returns to the first album's soundscapes (and should've been grouped with Golden Thread, IMHO). The album closes on the lengthy (and over-extended) Past Orbits Of Dust, where the original group is joined by an extra organ player. This track is a bit jammy, comes with incantations, but also augurs Prologue's more psychedelic soundscape.

Definitely not as good as the debut, Illusion is a confused and patchy album (for the reasons stated), but surprisingly still good and a definitely a Renaissance-worthy album, that should not be overlooked, but investigated in a second or third wave. And if you manage to find in its Repertoire mini-Lp form, you might want to go for it a little dsooner than expected, because it is a beauty.

*** Biography ***
There were two groups under the banner of RENAISSANCE. The first group included Keith and Jane RELF (vocals) and came from the YARDBIRDS ashes. The second and better known incarnation produced some of the best music that I have ever heard. Annie HASLAM's five octave range fit perfectly with the classical/orchestral rock (lot of piano playing & full symphony orchestra backup) created by the other members. The quick description I usually give is they are sort of like the old MOODY BLUES with a an incredible female vocalist. The soprano voice of Annie and the piano virtuosity of John TOUT allied to the beauty and refreshing melodies, the refinement of the arrangements gave their music its magnificent splendour.

My favorite RENAISSANCE albums are "Ashes Are Burning" and "Turn of the Cards". I also recommend "Novella", "Scheherezade and Other Stories" and "A Song for All Seasons" are must haves. I would add "Live At Carneige Hall" and "King Biscuit Hour Parts 1 and 2" as their 'prime' material. Plenty to fill a day with class, power and ethereal delights. The best introduction to the band would be the "Tales of 1001 Nights" compilation, which together contain of the band's best material from 72 through 80. Also the very first album from '69 is essential. After 1979, the band moved towards a more pop direction, like many other bands did in the late 70's.

01. Love Goes On (2:51)
02. Golden Thread (8:15)
03. Love Is All (3:40)
04. Mr. Pine (7:00)
05. Face Of Yesterday (6:06)
06. Past Orbits Of Dust (14:39)

Bonus Tracks
07. Shining where the Sun Has Been (02:52)
08.All The Fallen Angels (05:27)
09.Prayer For The Light (05:26)
10.Walking Away (04:21)

The Holy Modal Rounders - "Indian War Whoop" (Acid Rock/Folk Psychedelia US 1967)

220:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Amerikansk Acid/Folk Psychedelia. Utgången utgåva sedan 2010. Om du är ute efter äkta US psychedelia, så har du ett album här.)

Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber obviously loved American folk music as much as any of the kids who had their head turned around by Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music in the 1950s, but unlike the many musicians who paid tribute to America's musical past by trying to re-create it as closely as possible, as The Holy Modal Rounders Stampfel and Weber opted to drag the music into the present, shrieking and giggling all the way. 

Even by the standards of The Holy Modal Rounders' first two albums, 1967's Indian War Whoop is a thoroughly bizarre listening experience; loosely structured around the between-song adventures of two seedy vagabonds named Jimmy and Crash, side one veers back and forth between neo-psychedelic fiddle-and-guitar freakouts and free-form (and often radically altered) interpretations of traditional folk tunes such as "Soldier's Joy" and "Sweet Apple Cider," while side two is devoted to like minded originals (including a couple songs from their friend Michael Hurley, who would later join the group). 

Most certainly a product of its time, Indian War Whoop sounds rather dated today, but its buoyant good humor and chemically-altered enthusiasm remains effective, even when the Rounders' reckless pursuit of inner space sounds like it was more fun to create than to observe on record. 

The Holy Modal Rounders were almost the very definition of a cult act. This isn't a case of a group that would be described by such clichés as "if only they got more exposure, they would certainly reach a much wider audience." Their audience was small because their music was too strange, idiosyncratic, and at times downright dissonant for mainstream listeners to abide. What makes the Rounders unusual in this regard is that they owed primary allegiance to the world of acoustic folk -- not one that generates many difficult, arty, and abrasive performers.

The Holy Modal Rounders were not so much a group as a changing aggregation centered around the two principals, Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber. When the pair got together in 1961, the intention was to update old-time folk music with a contemporary spirit. As Stampfel told Folk Roots in 1995, "The Rounders were the first really bent traditional band. And the first traditionally based band that was not trying to sound like an old record." They weren't the only musicians in New York thinking along these lines, and Stampfel and Weber contributed heavily to the first recordings by a similar, more rock-oriented group, the Fugs.

The Rounders began recording in the mid-'60s for Prestige as an acoustic duo. Even at this early stage, they were not for everybody. Although clearly accomplished musicians, and well-versed in folk traditions, they were determined to subvert these with off-kilter execution and strange lyrics that could be surreal, whimsical, or just silly. They outraged folk purists by simply changing melodies and words to suit their tastes on some of their cover versions of old standards; Stampfel once wrote in the liner notes that "I made up new words to it because it was easier than listening to the tape and writing words down."

Indian War Whoop On their 1967 LP Indian War Whoop, Stampfel and Weber added other musicians, including playwright Sam Shepard on drums (Shepard also wrote some material). The resulting chaos was just as inspiring, but both material and performance improved on 1969's Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders. This addled combination of folk and psychedelia was their most inventive work, and featured their most famous song, "If You Wanna Be a Bird" (which was used on the Easy Rider soundtrack).

Good Taste Is Timeless The haphazard style of the Rounders perhaps militated against any sort of stable lineup (Jeff Baxter, later to play with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, was one of the musicians who passed through the group briefly in the 1960s). Good Taste Is Timeless, in the early '70s, was engineered in Nashville by legendary Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore, and generated one of their most renowned songs, "Boobs a Lot." Shortly afterward, Stampfel and Weber separated for a time, although they reunited in 1976 for Alleged in Our Own Time on Rounder. By this time, the Rounders were more of a concept than an ongoing group, and 1979's Last Round was recorded with various musicians who had been part of the group at some point. 1981's Goin' Nowhere, billed just to Stampfel & Weber, was their last recorded joint partnership.

Have Moicy!Stampfel has been much more visible as a solo recording artist than Weber, acting as a key contributor to Michael Hurley's critically lauded Have Moicy! in 1976. He's been recording on his own since the mid-'80s, sometimes with the Bottlecaps, in a fashion that keeps the spirit of the Holy Modal Rounders alive without sounding embarrassingly revivalist.

01. Jimmy and Crash Survey the Universe
02. Indian War Whoop
03. Sweet Apple Cider
04. Soldier's Joy
05. Cocaine Blues
06. Sky Divers
07. The Second-Hand Watch
08. Radar Blues
09. The I.W.W. Song
10. Football Blues
11. Bay Rum Blues
12. Morning Glory

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