Spirit - Original Album Classics (5 Mini LP Box) (EU Edition)

175:- (5 Spirit Albums as Mini Lp CD's has the correct front & back cover + bonustracks. Japan have not released any Spirit albums so enjoy these album instead. Highly Recommended)

Sony UK's Original Albums Classics series is a terrific idea: take five remastered albums from a certain period in an artist's catalog and pop them in a slipcase for budget price. That said, what usually happens is that they take two or three classic albums from that period, and assemble the box set with other, lesser-quality albums from roughly the same era. 

In other words, the recordings don't follow the chronology -- it's an inventory-clearing scheme. In the case of the legendary American band Spirit, however, the five albums collected here are not only presented in the sequence they were released, they are the group’s five best. Period. Spirit's genre-smashing music provided real -- and attributed -- inspiration for bands such as Traffic, Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and even Led Zeppelin. (The introduction to the song "Taurus" from Spirit's self-titled debut is directly referenced in "Stairway to Heaven.") 

Spirit's early recordings (and revolving door membership) featured a seamless weave of psychedelic and hard rock, folk, jazz, blues, and classical musics. These recordings -- Spirit (1968), The Family That Plays Together (1969), Clear (1969), Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970), and Feedback (1972), produced hit singles and memorable album tracks including "Fresh Garbage,” “Uncle Jack,” “Mechanical World,” “Animal Zoo,” “Nature’s Way," "Dark Eyed Woman," and of course, "I've Got a Line on You." The five albums in this package are full of worthy surprises and forgotten treasures. In their early years, Spirit were deeply focused on creating albums. They weren't conceptual so much as very progressive in how they perceived the sequencing of tracks that flowed together to create unique and often startling listening experiences. For the price, this package is an absolute steal and is well worth investigating for anyone not already acquainted with Spirit's music.

Spirit - S/T US 1968
Spirit's debut unveiled a band that seemed determine to out-eclecticize everybody else on the California psychedelic scene, with its melange of rock, jazz, blues, folk-rock, and even a bit of classical and Indian music. Teenaged Randy California immediately established a signature sound with his humming, sustain-heavy tone; middle-aged drummer Ed Cassidy gave the group unusual versatility; and the songs tackled unusual lyrical themes, like "Fresh Garbage" and "Mechanical World." As is often the case in such hybrids, the sum fell somewhat short of the parts; they could play more styles than almost any other group, but couldn't play (or, more crucially, write) as well as the top acts in any given one of those styles. There's some interesting stuff here, nonetheless; "Uncle Jack" shows some solid psych-pop instincts, and it sounds like Led Zeppelin lifted the opening guitar lines of "Taurus" for their own much more famous "Stairway to Heaven."

Spirit - The Family That Plays Together US 1968
On this, the second Spirit album, the group put all of the elements together that made them the legendary (and underrated) band that they were. Jazz, rock & roll, and even classical elements combined to create one of the cleanest, most tasteful syntheses of its day. The group had also improved measurably from their fine debut album, especially in the area of vocals. The album's hit single, "I Got a Line on You," boasts especially strong harmonies as well as one of the greatest rock riffs of the period. The first side of this record is a wonderful and seamless suite, and taken in its entirety, one of the greatest sides on Los Angeles rock. The CD reissue also boasts some excellent bonus tracks. "So Little to Say" is one of Jay Ferguson's finest compositions ever, and the jazz-inspired instrumentals such as "Fog" and "Space Chile" showcase pianist John Locke as one of the most inspired and lyrical players in the rock idiom to date. All in all, a classic album and a true landmark.

Spirit - Clear Spirit US 1969
Although this album may not be seen as the definitive Spirit statement, it has several moments of brilliance that prove what a revolutionary band they were. Coming off of the success of The Family That Plays Together and "I Got a Line on You," the group entered the studio with Lou Adler once again in the producer's chair. Unfortunately, the group appeared to be beginning to fragment, and it shows on this uneven but ultimately fine album. "Dark Eyed Woman" opens the album with promise, and it is indeed one of Spirit's hardest-rocking studio performances. Randy California's inspired guitar solo is one of the finest performances of the period. The riff and general feel of the track (right down to the siren sound effects) were borrowed by Traffic on "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory." The record tends to go downhill from there (primarily due to some uninspired songwriting), but is not without its high points, like "Cold Wind" and the awesome closer "New Dope in Town."

The original Spirit lineup was the sleeper band of its era, maybe the top LA band from the '68-'72 span. Their first and fourth albums are acclaimed classics by just about everybody, but this disc has moments nearly as great. While the roots of jazz rock taken further by Steely Dan's "Bodhisatva" could be heard on their third album's "All the Same" this disc has three jazz explorations, with "Ice" and "Caught" being superb instrumental, improvisational tracks.

The Hendrix vibe of the earlier discs is just as evident in "Dark Eyed Woman," while "So Little Time to Fly" and "Ground Hog" show early signs of the evolving sound that struck so many on "Dr Sardonicus". The only stiff on this disc is "Give a Life, Take a Life", but the bonus tracks on this release more than make up for it, including both sides of the "1984" single. The disc contains the best non-single track on any Spirit disc, "New Dope in Town," and enough other superb music to make it a classic disc from a classic band, that sometimes doesn't quite get the respect it should.

Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus US 1970
Although Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus has the reputation of being Spirit's most far-out album, it actually contains the most disciplined songwriting and playing of the original lineup, cutting back on some of the drifting and offering some of their more melodic tunes. The lilting "Nature's Way" was the most endearing FM standard on the album, which also included some of Spirit's best songs in "Animal Zoo" and "Mr. Skin." [The 1996 CD reissue has four bonus tracks, though these are on the nonessential side: mono versions of "Animal Zoo" and "Morning Will Come," the 1970 single "Red Light Roll On," and the previously unissued "Rougher Road."]

One of the BEST albums of all time. I know many people that have this opinion and the people I play it for even now appreciate it greatly. Many say it is alternative (well before the term was coined). Anyhow it was/is an environmental alarm with lots of psychedelic sound and great guitar work by one of the best.

Spirit - Feedback (Recorded US 1971)
Feedback is one of the strangest happenings in rock, more dramatic than Michael MacDonald taking over the Doobie Brothers, but more successful artistically than it was financially, and a chapter of the group that is sadly forgotten. The original band was produced by Lou Adler and built around guitar prodigy Randy California, and a bit of history is in order to understand this hybrid project. David Briggs, producer of Kathi MacDonald, Alice Cooper's Easy Action, and Neil Young, helped the band forge their classic Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus and was retained for this follow-up. 

William Ruhlmann's liner notes to Spirit's Time Circle Epic/Legacy release notes that Randy California resigned from the group at this point. Mark Andes and Jay Ferguson formed Jo Jo Gunne with Curly Smith, and Smith's friends, the Staehely Brothers, joined Cassidy and company. What Ed Cassidy and keyboard player John Locke created with producer David Briggs was a phenomenal reinvention of Spirit, which worked, sometimes better than the original group. Bassist/vocalist Al Staehely wrote the music, with guitar chores and backing vocals by his brother J. Christian Staehely. "Witch," the final track on the disc, is typical of this new Spirit sound, a fusion of pop/jazz/rock with a dab of country. It would have been a perfect blend for Randy California to step back into, though his ego might have been the stumbling block here. In concert, this version of Spirit was serious and precise, playing with a cool efficiency. 

David Briggs was the perfect guy to oversee this project, allowing the musicians their space and developing a true counterpart to The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, considered by many to be the band's highpoint. The cover is in eerie aqua blue with the faces looking like spirits peering out of a distorted television. The gatefold contains a band photo and a smart evolutionary image for this eclectic and underrated West Coast band. Here's the clincher: musically, some of the best work on Feedback are the two instrumentals by keyboard player John Locke, "Puesta Del Scam" and "Trancas Fog-Out," fragments of the original "Spirit" performed by this new quartet. 

The stuff is brilliant, and that it was excised from Time Circle is a pity. It was this writer who put Epic/Legacy in touch with Randy California in the development of 1991's Time Circle compilation project, and certainly the elegant "Darkness," the third John Locke title, deserved to be included on that double disc, and some representation of this remarkable work would have been appropriate rather than nine whopping cuts from The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. Jo Jo Gunne guitarist Matthew Andes (brother of Spirit's Mark Andes) co-wrote "Mellow Morning" with Al Staehely, and it, along with "Right on Time" and "Ripe and Ready," all display the Spirit vibe, even hinting at some Jo Jo Gunne, as strange as that may seem. The Cassidy/Locke/Staehely/Staehely combo added enough jazz to Spirit to temper the all out assault that was Jo Jo Gunne, and therein lies the difference. 

This is not David Bowie's ex-drummer and bassist forming the Spiders From Mars; keep in mind that Ed Cassidy was not only the band's insignia with his Yul Brynner look, he was this group's spiritual leader. As Randy California's step-dad, it's a shame he didn't get more firm with the boy and demand they all be "the family that plays together." Had the Staehely brothers and John Locke stayed on board for Cassidy and Randy California's next project, the erratic Potatoland disc may have mutated into something totally brilliant. The best of Al Staehely, John Locke, and Randy California would have been truly something. Feedback is a solid performance and remarkable album which deserves its place in the Spirit catalog, and not the status of bastard son. It is a legitimate Spirit project and it is very, very good.

Originally released 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972
5-CD cardboard case bundle of the band's first 5 studio albums with bonus tracks.

* (Bonus Track)

Spirit (1968):
01. Fresh Garbage (3:11)
02. Uncle Jack (2:43)
03. Mechanical World (5:14)
04. Taurus (2:37)
05. Girl in Your Eye (3:15)
06. Straight Arrow (2:51)
07. Topanga Windows (3:36)
08. Gramophone Man (3:49)
09. Water Woman (2:11)
10. Great Canyon Fire in General (2:46)
11. Elijah (10:49)
12. Veruska* (2:51)
13. Free Spirit* (4:28)
14. If I Had A Woman* (3:12)
15. Elijah (alternate take)* (9:42) 

The Family that Plays Together (1968):
01. I Got a Line on You (2:37)
02. It Shall Be (3:25)
03. Poor Richard (2:29)
04. Silky Sam (4:06)
05. Drunkard (2:38)
06. Darlin' If (3:38)
07. It's All the Same (4:40)
08. Jewish (2:48)
09. Dream Within a Dream (3:01)
10. She Smiles (2:30)
11. Aren't You Glad (5:31)
12. Fog* (2:24)
13. So Little to Say* (2:59)
14. Mellow Fellow* (3:48)
15. Now or Anywhere* (4:21)
16. Space Chile* (6:26)

Clear (1969):
01. Dark Eyed Woman (3:07)
02. Apple Orchard (4:07)
03. So Little Time to Fly (2:49)
04. Ground Hog (3:04)
05. Cold Wind (3:24)
06. Policeman's Ball (2:21)
07. Ice (5:52)
08. Give a Life, Take a Life (3:23)
09. I'm Truckin' (2:25)
10. Clear (4:09)
11. Caught (3:10)
12. New Dope in Town (4:24)
13. 1984* (3:37)
14. Sweet Stella Baby* (2:55)
15. Fuller Brush Man* (3:19)
16. Coral* (3:05)

Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970):
01. Prelude - Nothin' to Hide (3:43)
02. Nature's Way (2:40)
03. Animal Zoo (3:10)
04. Love Has Found a Way (2:42)
05. Why Can't I Be Free (1:05)
06. Mr. Skin (4:01)
07. Space Child (3:25)
08. When I Touch You (5:37)
09. Street Worm (3:43)
10. Life Has Just Begun (3:29)
11. Morning Will Come (2:50)
12. Soldier (2:50)
13. Rougher Road* (3:17)
14. Animal Zoo* (3:10)
15. Morning Will Come* (2:50)
16. Red Light Roll On* (5:41)

Feedback (1972):
01. Chelsea Girls (3:29)
02. Cadillac Cowboys (3:38)
03. Puesta del Scam (2:01)
04. Ripe and Ready (3:53)
05. Darkness (4:47)
06. Earth Shaker (3:54)
07. Mellow Morning (2:22)
08. Right On Time (2:47)
09. Trancas Fog-Out (2:37)
10. Witch (5:21)

Wanda Jackson - Rockin' With Wanda! (2nd Album Rock/Rockabilly/R&B US 1962)

240:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Hennes 2:a album i en liten upplaga från OLDAYS RECORDS. Bonus låtar.)

Absolutely the best collection of Wanda Jackson's rockabilly recordings, including her key 1956-1960 singles -- "Fujiyama Mama," "Mean Mean Man," "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," and others. Rockin' with Wanda! is a leading candidate for the best female rock & roll album of the 1950s.

Wanda Jackson was only halfway through high school when, in 1954, country singer Hank Thompson heard her on an Oklahoma City radio show and asked her to record with his band, the Brazos Valley Boys. By the end of the decade, Jackson had become one of America's first major female country and rockabilly singers.

Jackson was born in Oklahoma, but her father Tom -- himself a country singer who quit because of the Depression -- moved the family to California in 1941. He bought Wanda her first guitar two years later, gave her lessons, and encouraged her to play piano as well. In addition, he took her to see such acts as Tex Williams, Spade Cooley, and Bob Wills, which left a lasting impression on her young mind. Tom moved the family back to Oklahoma City when his daughter was 12 years old. In 1952, she won a local talent contest and was given a 15-minute daily show on KLPR. The program, soon upped to 30 minutes, lasted throughout Jackson's high-school years. It's here that Thompson heard her sing. Jackson recorded several songs with the Brazos Valley Boys, including "You Can't Have My Love," a duet with Thompson's bandleader, Billy Gray. The song, on the Decca label, became a national hit, and Jackson's career was off and running. She had wanted to sign with Capitol, Thompson's label, but was turned down, so she signed with Decca instead.

Jackson insisted on finishing high school before hitting the road. When she did, her father came with her. Her mother made and helped design Wanda's stage outfits. "I was the first one to put some glamour in the country music -- fringe dresses, high heels, long earrings," Jackson said of these outfits. When Jackson first toured in 1955 and 1956, she was placed on a bill with none other than Elvis Presley. The two hit it off almost immediately. Jackson said it was Presley, along with her father, who encouraged her to sing rockabilly.

In 1956, Jackson finally signed with Capitol, a relationship that lasted until the early '70s. Her recording career bounced back and forth between country and rockabilly; she did this by often putting one song in each style on either side of a single. Jackson cut the rockabilly hit "Fujiyama Mama" in 1958, which became a major success in Japan. Her version of "Let's Have a Party," which Elvis had cut earlier, was a U.S. Top 40 pop hit for her in 1960, after which she began calling her band the Party Timers. A year later, she was back in the country Top Ten with "Right or Wrong" and "In the Middle of a Heartache." In 1965, she topped the German charts with "Santa Domingo," sung in German. In 1966, she hit the U.S. Top 20 with "The Box It Came In" and "Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine." Jackson's popularity continued through the end of the decade.

Jackson toured regularly, was twice nominated for a Grammy, and was a big attraction in Las Vegas from the mid-'50s into the '70s. She married IBM programmer Wendell Goodman in 1961, and instead of quitting the business -- as many women singers had done at the time -- Goodman gave up his job in order to manage his wife's career. He also packaged Jackson's syndicated TV show, Music Village. In 1971, Jackson and her husband became Christians, which she says saved their marriage. She released one gospel album on Capitol in 1972, Praise the Lord, before shifting to the Myrrh label for three more gospel albums. In 1977, she switched again, this time to Word Records, and released another two.

Rockabilly Filly In the early '80s, Jackson was invited to Europe to play rockabilly and country festivals and to record. She's since been back numerous times. More recently, American country artists Pam Tillis, Jann Browne, and Rosie Flores have acknowledged Jackson as a major influence. In 1995, Flores released a rockabilly album, Rockabilly Filly, and invited Jackson, her longtime idol, to sing two duets on it with her. Jackson embarked on a major U.S. tour with Flores later that year. It was her first secular tour in this country since the '70s, not to mention her first time back in a nightclub atmosphere. Jackson returned to the studio in 2010 to begin work on a new album. Produced by Jack White and featuring a band comprised of the White Stripes frontman, his wife Karen Elson, various Raconteurs, My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel, and a host of others, The Party Ain't Over arrived in early 2011. Jackson's 31st studio album, 2012's Unfinished Business, was produced by Justin Townes Earle and featured original material as well as covers of songs by Woody Guthrie, Etta James, Bobby Womack, and others.

01. Rock Your Baby 
02. Fujiyama Mama 
03. You're The One For Me 
04. Did You Miss Me? 
05. Cool Love 
06. Honey Bop 
07. Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad 
08. Baby Loves Him 
09. Mean Mean Man 
10. You've Turned To A Stranger 
11. Don'a Wan'a 
12. I Gotta Know 

Bonus Tracks 
13. Half As Good A Girl 
14. Silver Threads And Golden Needles 
15. Cryin 'Thru The Night 
16. No Wedding Bells For Joe 
17. (Every Time They Play) Our Song

Wucan - Sow the Wind + "Vikarma" 6 Track Bonus EP (German Retrorock w. Flute 2015)

270:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition, 2015. Wucan - Sow the Wind albumet + hela "Vikarma" EP:n som Bonus. (Retro Heavy Progressive Rock). Sounds like Early Jethro Tull, Lucifer's Friend, Birth Control and Krautrock in general. En rund Obi som omväxling. Endast 200 exemplar är släppta som Japan Mini LP. Ta chansen att köpa albumet, du kommer int att ångra dig) 
                                                    

The Dresden heavy retro band "WUCAN" began their quick ascent in 2014. Despite their short history the young band is still able to look back at a remarkable success. Everything began with their first EP "Vikarma" released in November 2014 on Metalizer Records. 

This release, which quickly sold its first 500 vinyl copies, received many positive reviews. By taking their chances through their extraordinary, energetic live presence, the band quickly gained an audience at their numerable concerts. Some of their biggest moments include playing the prestigious Hammer of Doom Festival and a tour as support for Siena Root. 

Wucan - Vikarma EP

Heavy metal veteran Karl Walterbach recognized these qualities and soon after took on the role as the band's manager. A record deal with Manfred Schütz' MIG Music sublabel Hänsel & Gretel followed. Lastly the band became part of Berlin-based booking agency Magnificent Music's roster, who agreed to support the band's live success. With all of this praise WUCAN entered the studio to record their debut album “Sow the Wind.” 

The band worked at Big Snuff Studio in Berlin, a well-known studio in the retro scene, with pioneer Richard Behrens. He is infamous for producing quite a number of retro bands, working with Kadavar as their live sound engineer and is the bassist of the Berliner band Heat. Sow the Wind” ‘s striking sound was primarily achieved through analog techniques and fits perfectly with the late 60s and 70s vibe. 

The band also worked with new instruments such as a Moog synthesizer and a Moog Etherwave Theremin. Behrens was able to capture on tape the  essence and dynamic of a WUCAN live show, which carries a hippy attitude with a modern rock sound. Andreas Lupo Lubich von Calyx added the final touches with his mastering skills. 

The result is six extremely diverse tracks, whose sound and composition could have more than likely originated in the 70s. However WUCAN does not imitate any artist but has developed its own individuality fitting somewhere between then and now. The band has always been able to create their own style despite their influences such as Jethro Tull, Renft, Lucifer's Friend, Birth Control and Krautrock in general. 

WUCAN presents changing hymns, from jamming passages to metal riffs with flutes doubled and the complete range of 70s folk rock to classical hard rock. ‘Wandersmann’ is a 16-minute song filled with psychedelic splashes of color and the just named influences. 

It is also the only song on the album sung in German. Even the powerful opener ‘Father Storm,’ the reefy and hard ‘Owl Eyes’ and the melodic ‘King Korea’ bring a bright bouquet of 70s flashbacks. 

The key element is vocalist Francis Tobolsky's characteristic, energetic and emotional voice. The charismatic singer grasps her audience with her voice and catchy flute melodies. Rounding out this successful debut release is the eye-catching packaging. “Sow the Wind” ‘s artwork was inspired by a Rufus Segar art piece, an artist who is particularly known for his work in anarchist publications in the 70s. 

Divided in a seeing and screaming head in a stylistic representation, the cover and back perfectly fit the mood of the album. The storm which will be seeded with “Sow the Wind” figuratively hisses at the beholder before even playing the album.

Personnel:

○ Francis Tobolsky: Vocals, Electric Guitar, Flute,

○ Theremin Tim George: Electric Guitar 

○ Patrik Dröge: Bass 

○ Leo Vaessen: Drums, Percussion

Album "Sow the Wind" Released September 25, 2015:

01. Father Storm 03:57

02. Owl Eyes 05:50

03. Looking In The Past 05:43

04. Face in the Kraut 04:16

05. King Korea 07:04

06. Wandersmann 15:45

Bonus Tracks From their EP "Vikarma" Released November 14, 2014:

07. Franis Vikarma 05:37 

08. Frank 04:32

09. Dopetrotter 5.59 

10. Big Red Bun 5.33

11. Wizard of Concrete jungle 9.15

Extra Bonus

12. King Korea Live 04.30

American Folk & Blues Festival 1964-65 (2CD)

280:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Amerikanska Blues artister åkte runt i europa och uppträdde i olika länder.)

From 1962 until 1971, the American Folk Blues Festival was responsible for bringing dozens of the most celebrated American blues artists to audiences from England to Poland. For many of the musicians, these were the largest audiences they'd ever played to, and the first (and often only) decent money they ever made. The 1962 volume was recorded live in Hamburg, and has no extra tracks, but the material is so vital and robust that this volume, featuring Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, never needed it. 

The 1963 disc, recorded live in Bremen, opens with three previously unreleased live Memphis Slim cuts, and follows these with a previously unissued Muddy Waters solo acoustic guitar piece and three more never-issued numbers featuring Muddy backed by Dixon, Otis Spann, and Matt "Guitar" Murphy. The three Sonny Boy Williamson bonus tracks were very late in the day and constitute some of the very last songs left behind by the increasingly ailing harp legend. 

The 1964 volume is a little less enhanced, with two songs by Willie Dixon and one song each by Sonny Boy Williamson, Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon, and Sugar Pie DeSanto. The 1965 volume was always the odd one in this series; as a studio recording rather than a concert document, it lacks the vibrancy of the earlier volumes, but its eight bonus tracks do include some interesting moments by Buddy Guy, Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, and Big Walter Horton. The sound quality is good, but given the time that's passed, a full set of notes might have been nice.


1964 (DISC 1) 
01. SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON - I'M TRYING TO MAKE LONDON MY HOME 
02. SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON - DISSATISFIED 
03. SUNNYLAND SLIM - EVERYTIME I GET TO DRINKIN' 
04. SAM LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS - IS NOT IT A PITY 
05. SAM LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS - BABY PLEASE NOT GO DO 
06. SLEEPY JOHN ESTES Ando HAMMIE NIXON - I'M A TEARING LITTLE DADDY  
07. JOHN HENRY BARBEE - COTTON PICKIN 'BLUES 
08. HUBERT SUMLIN - NO TITLE BOOGIE 
09. SUGAR PIE DESANTO - SLIP IN MULES 
10. HOWLIN' WOLF - DUST MY BROOM 

1965 (DISC 2) 
01. FRED MCDOWELL - HIGHWAY 61 
02. J.B. LENOIR - SLOW DOWN 
03. BIG WALTER HORTON SHAKEY - CHRISTINE 
04. ROOSEVELT SYKES - COME ON BACK HOME 
05. EDDIE BOYD - FIVE LONG YEARS 
06. EDDIE BOYD - THE BIG QUESTION 
07. LONESOME JIMMY LEE - ROSALIE 
08. JOHN LEE HOOKER - KING OF THE WORLD 
09. JOHN LEE HOOKER - DELLA MAY 
10. BUDDY BUY - FIRST TIME I MET THE BLUES 
11. BIG MAMA THORNTON - HOUND 'DOG 
12. DOCTOR ROSS - MY BLACK NAME IS RINGING

Hatfield and The North - The Rotters' Club (Prog. Rock UK 1975) (SHM-CD)

220:- (SHM-CD Limited Remaster Edition. Utgången utgåva sedan 2009. SHM-CD.)

Hatfield's second album's title prompted longtime fan and writer Jonathan Coe to name his best-known book The Rotters Club in describing what was a youth's life in the mid-70's in Birmingham's working class neighbourhood. An excellent book and a recommended read, but not affecting a single bit this album's music or existence, if only giving it a bit more of light. With a weird 50's-like pin-up decorum on the front cover and a crazy semi-mythical drawing/picture of the said Rotters Club on the back, the same unchanged quartet apparently made this "better" second album for a fraction of the cost of their debut album. Outside the returning of The Northettes vocal trio, two more Henry Cow members guest here ( Lindsey Cooper and Tim Hodgkinson), while Mont "Egg " Campbell and Bother Jimmy (Hastings) replaced Leigh and Bloomdido, all four on wind instruments..

Opening on one of Hatfield most conventional song, Share It, Sinclair plays around telling us please not to take it seriously, a fast tempoed tune ending on rather modern Moog sounds, as if Emerson was toying with them, but it is definitely Stewart's playing. Next up is Miller's jazzy Louging There, trying is a superb guitar-lead piece that is almost uncommon to hear him take such a frontman's role? But Phil is on a roll and he almost becomes bigger than Fripp with the Yes/No Interlude over a fuzzed organ and odd wind instruments first than a Fender Rhodes next. Fitter is back in his bath (remember the non-album single) and Sinclair closes the A-side on the superb Didn't Matter Anyway.

The flipside opens on Miller's Underdub, but this piece is a Fender Rhodes-dominated piece where Stewart adapts to Miller's constant key changes and Brother Jimmy chimes in with a superb flute. The other track on the flipside is the Mumps suite. Mumps!! We're there!! We've gotten to Hatfield's crowning achievement, their magnum opus, their meisterwerk uber alles! Starting over just a very calm and subdued Rhodes and distant Northettes choirs, then abruptly falling into a pit filled with tricky time sigs, demented drum patterns, wild fuzzed-out organ and a fantastic bass, able to tackle lead and rhythm at once. 

Miller is there too, but in the background, waiting for quieter moments (usually when Stewart reverts to the Rhodes) to shine in his own manner. The Northettes then lead us to the more Caravan-)esque moment of the two Hatfield album, even if it's clear than I should say Caravan-plus in this case. Solid, intense, but wait until the end of Lumps when everyone but Pip goes contrapuntal and Richard plays with the alphabet. A tad later Brother Jimmy gives up sax bumps down our spine into a fade-out. 

The group takes up again on a stunning Rhodes line, before cooling it up directly with Jimmy's flute and a cool moody almost spooky (but beautiful) jazz-rock that will slowly bring back the organ and the Caravan-plus of the previous movement?.this time with sax. Grandiose. A fitting exit for a short-lasting band

The bonus tracks on the Virgin re-issue are again a tad different than the ones of the newer Esoteric reissue, the first three on Virgin being modified, but the last two tracks being themes from Matching Mole with their titles being anagrams of their previous version. Rooters Cluc is simply an excellent album, whether looking just over the Kent county or overseeing the full prog spectrum. Not flawless, but bettering it would prove an impossible task.

01. Share It (3:02)
02. Lounging There Trying (3:10)
03. (Big) John Wayne Socks Psychology on the Jaw (0:46)
04. Chaos at the Greasy Spoon (0:30)
05. The Yes No Interlude (7:02)
06. Fitter Stoke has a Bath (7:38)
07. Didn't Matter Anyway (3:03)
08. Underdub (3:55)
09. Mumps (20:06)
a) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (quiet) (1:59)
b) Lumps (12:35)
c) Prenut (3:55)
d) Your Majesty is Like a Cream Donut (loud) (1:37)

Bonus Tracks: Live versions of
10. Halfway Between Heaven And Earth 
11. Oh, Lens Nature!
12. Lything And Gracing

Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Brotherhood (2nd Rare UK Album 1972)

220:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Utgången utgåva och nästan omöjlig att hitta.)

Christopher McGregor (24 December 1936 – 26 May 1990), was a South African jazz pianist, bandleader and composer born in Somerset West, South Africa.

McGregor grew up in the then Transkei (now part of the Eastern Cape Province) where his father was headmaster at a Church of Scotland mission institution called Blythswood. Here he was exposed to the music of the local amaXhosa people.

This music is a rich and varied music which pervaded every aspect of life - from formal rituals to the casual activities and encounters of everyday life, like herding cattle or just walking home in the evening. Music was everywhere. And this music, as explained in Dave Dargie's seminal book Xhosa Music, is complex. Dargie mentions the following as examples of this complexity which might be seen to have influenced McGregor in his own music, both as composser/arranger and as band leader: "... a great number of style characteristics are to be found: relating not only to harmony and scale, but to melody, structure and phrasing, form, rhythm, instrumentation, singing techniques, and so on."

In his book Chasing the Vibration Graham Lock quotes McGregor saying: "I have this strong imaginative reference to African village music, and the thing I know about that music is that it has a strong centre. It builds up, a lot of people do things together that they know."

After school and a stint in the merchant navy training academy The General Botha at Gordon's Bay in the Western Cape, McGregor enrolled at the South African College of Music, then headed by Professor Eric Chisholm. Here McGregor was exposed to a different set of influences, during the day Bela Bartok and Arnold Schoenberg, and at night recordings of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the live music of local jazz musicians like Dollar Brand (now Abdullah Ibrahim), Cecil Barnard (now Hotep Idris Galeta), Christopher Columbus Ngcukana, Vincent Kolbe, "Cup-and-Saucers" Nkanuka, Monty Weber, the Schilder brothers, and many others who were active in the vibrant Cape jazz scene at that time, the middle 1950s. The vibrancy and power of this music has led some to designate the music played around Cape Town as a particular jazz genre called "Cape Jazz." (Miller, 2007).

As McGregor's friend and fellow-student Bruce Arnott wrote in the University of Cape Town's alumni magazine after McGregor's death in 1990: "I am no musicologist, but I believe that Chris was working toward a synthesis of South African black traditional music and the wonderfully evolved black American contribution to jazz." McGregor put together a group to perform at the 1962 Moroka-Jabavu jazz festival in the Johannesburg suburb of Soweto. This group consisted of Mzimkulu "Danayi" Dlova on alto, Chris Ngcukana on baritone, Ronnie Beer on tenor, Willie Netie on trombone, Sammy Maritz on bass and Monty Weber on drums. At the festival, in which the group took second prize, McGregor came into contact with a wider group of musicians such as Dennis Mpali, the legendary altoist Kippie "Morolong" Moeketsi, Churchill Jolobe and the various artists then organised under the banner of the Union of South African Artists, which had put on the famous "jazz opera" King Kong.

These contacts led in the following year to the formation firstly of the now-legendary Blue Notes and secondly of a big band called the Castle Lager Big Band. The Blue Notes at this stage consisted of Mongezi Velelo (and later Sammy Maritz) on bass, Early Mabuza on drums, Dudu Pukwana on alto and Nikele Moyake on tenor. The great young trumpet player Mongezi Feza joined the group soon after. Johnny Dyani replaced Sammy Maritz on bass and Louis Moholo replaced Early Mabuza soon after and the permanent Blue Notes group was complete.

The Castle Lager Big Band was formed after the 1963 Moroka-Jabavu Jazz Festival. This 17-piece group made the album Jazz: The African Sound, which had six tracks, two compositions by Abdullah Ibrahim, two by Kippie Moeketsi and two by McGregor, all in arrangements by McGregor. Apart from the arrangements, one of the most striking things about the album was the wonderful playing by Moeketsi on clarinet, instead of his usual alto. In the band were musicians who had yet to make names for themselves but would become internationally known. Most notable perhaps was Barney Rachabane, who would go on to, among other achievements, play with Paul Simon on the Graceland tour. Simon would describe Rachabane as the "most soulful sax player in the world."

McGregor is perhaps best-known for his foundation and leadership of The Blue Notes, a South African sextet which included collaborators Dudu Pukwana, Nikele Moyake, Louis Moholo, Johnny Dyani and Mongezi Feza. Equally as notable was McGregor's creation of the Brotherhood of Breath in 1969, which branched out from his work as The Blue Notes. He released three albums of solo piano performances, and continued to be a major force in the music after leaving England to live in the French countryside. He also made a contribution to Nick Drake's Bryter Layter album by performing a piano solo on the track "Poor Boy".

01. Nick Tete  05:58
02. Joyful Noises   13:50
03. Think Of Something  07:46
04. Do It  08:56
05. Funky Boots March  01:20

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