Hairband – Band On The Wagon (1969)
Artist: Hairband
Title: Band On The Wagon
Year: 1969
Format: LP
Label: Bell
U.K. Psych Blues album featuring Alex Harvey, Mickey Keene, Laurie Baker, Peter Woolf etc. This album was recorded when Alex was in the rock musical ‘HAIR‘ and the band that played all the music was deemed good enough to record for this album. Harvey wrote many of the songs and plays guitar and sings. Produced by former Animals keyboardist Alan Price.
Great heavy psych prog beast that would be as big and as valuable as other similar monsters like Open Mind and Motherlight if it weren’t for the presence of horns on some tracks. Personally, I don’t mind a little sax here and there, especially in public places.
Anyway, there are some really killer tracks on here, like “Golden Egg“, which starts off in a cool loungey funk mode before switching gears to a KILLER late 60′s go-go dancefloor theme with dramatic orchestral stabs and some sexy, jazzy sax solos.
“Electric Blues” isn’t really blues at all, but more of an upbeat rural-flavored psych rock track with some trippy backwards guitar. It gets more upbeat and picks up tempo as it goes along, culminating in a psychedelic maelstrom of wild guitar solos courtesy of Mr. Alex Harvey himself. (Ned Ginty)
Track Listing
- Sacrifice
- I’m Living
- The Yellow Bay Tree
- Swan Song
- Big Louis
- Band On The Wagon
- Travelling Song
- No Offence Eddie
- The Golden Egg
- Electric Blues
- How Deep Is The Ocean
Hair [Hairband] – Rave-Up (1969)
Artist: Hair [Hairband]
Title: Rave-Up
Year: 1969
Format: LP
Label: Pye
Originally released on vinyl in 1969, the eleven tracks recorded by the Hair stage band should be appealing to fans of Alex Harvey, 1960s pop culture and/or – simply – the rock musical, which had a special twist in London that is chronicled in a lengthy essay by David Wells.
Harvey handles nearly all the lead vocals and his performance art wit snatches the spotlight on “Royal International Love-In,” though his lyrical interpretations of “All Along The Watchtower” and “Birthday” are scintillating.
The instrumentals aptly demonstrate how the shows merged a true concert experience into the production. The musical had a tremendous run of nearly 2,000 performances – September 1968 to July 1973 – which only ended when the theatre’s roof collapsed. The band had a number of side projects during those years. (Groovy Times)
Track Listing
- Hair
- El Pussy Cat
- Royal International Love-In
- Bond Street Baby
- Harekrishna
- All Along The Watchtower
- Birthday
- Keep Out
- Candy
- Movin’ In The Right Direction
- I Know Where You Are
Bartel – Bartel (1972)
Artist: Bartel
Title: Bartel
Year: 1972
Format: LP
Label: Perception
Raised in Pennsylvania, Jon Bartel was bitten by the rock and roll bug while a kid. By the mid-1960s he was playing keyboards and fronting Johnny Bartel and the Soul Masters (Jeff Martin, Larry O’Brien and Lou Stellute).
1968 found Bartel and company living in Southern California where they released a highly collectable single for the small Solid Smoke label: If This Isn’t Love” b/w ‘I Waited Too Long’ (Solid State catalog number SD 2514). Shortly thereafter he formed the Jon Bartel Thing, which released a self-titled album for Capitol Records in 1969 (see August 31, 2011 post).
In the early seventies Bartel signed with Jimmy Curtiss’ newly formed Perception label and released this his second LP “Bartel” with the same line-up of his first album: Jon Bartel (keyboards), Lou Stellute (reeds), Larry O’Brien (guitar) and Abe Blasingame (percussion).
The album is a fusion of rock, jazz and blues featuring a balance of instrumentals and vocal tracks including a funky treatment of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer In The City” (tymshifter/RDTEN1 RYM)
Track Listing
- Naturally Good
- On The Road
- Green Back
- Summer In The City
- Meat Cleaver
- Boogie
- You’ve Just Been Bitten
Al Anderson – Al Anderson (1972)
Artist: Al Anderson
Title: Al Anderson
Year: 1972
Format: LP
Label: Vanguard
Over the years Anderson’s recorded a handful of solo albums; his debut coming with 1972′s cleverly-titled Al Anderson released by Vanguard Records, the album was actually recorded as a contractual obligation package, Anderson having been left to make good on The Wildweed’s contract which required a second LP (see June 29, 2010 post). Produced by Maynard Soloman, the collection featured nine Anderson originals and a Hank Williams cover (“Honky Tonkin’”).
Perhaps not a big surprise, but with backing from a healthy part of the NRBQ line up – horn player Donn Adams, keyboardist Terry Adams, and drummer Tom Staley the album bore more than a passing resemblance to NRBQ’s recording catalog. (For trivia buffs Al Lepak, Jeff Potter and Stanley had also played with Anderson in The Wildweeds.)
Anyone familiar with Anderson’s NRBQ contributions was liable to find the eclectic mix of humor, pop, rock and soul influences familiar territory. Anderson’s always struck me as being NRBQ’s best singer and he sounded in fine voice throughout these sessions.
Highlights included the blazing rocker “Ain’t No Woman Finer” (check out Anderson’s meltdown guitar solo), the reflective soul ballad “You’re Just Laughing Inside”(Dobie Gray or Bill Withers could have enjoyed a massive hit with the track) and the should’ve-been-a-hit, slide-propelled “I Haven’t Got The Strength To Carry On”.
Not to imply the set was perfect – recalling his work with The Wildweeds, tracks like ”I Don’t Believe I’ll Stay Here Anymore” and “Honky Tonkin’” featured a distinctive country influence which simply didn’t do much for me. Still, a solo debut that’s worth lookin’ for. Any NRBQ fan should have it in their collection. (Bad Cat)
Track Listing
- Be My Woman Tonight
- We’ll Make Love
- Ain’t No Woman Finer
- You’re Just Laughing Inside
- I Don’t Believe I’ll Stay Here Anymore
- Honky Tonkin’
- Goin’ Back To Indiana
- Don’t Hold The Line
- I Just Want To Have You Back Again
- I Haven’t Got The Strength To Carry On
- C’mon If You’re Comin’
The Farm Band – The Farm Band (1972)
Artist: The Farm Band
Title: The Farm Band
Year: 1972
Format: LP
Label: Mantra
The Farm Band’s communistic classic from 1972. In the late 1960s, Stephen Gaskin, a countercultural icon, made a name for himself teaching a weekly class on the meaning of the psychedelic experience in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury District.
At the start of the ’70s, he led a hippie exodus to Tennessee, where he created “The Farm,” just about the only successful hippie commune from that era still standing.
This is the first album by Gaskin and The Farm Band, who fall somewhere between the Grateful Dead and Jethro Tull, performing long, psycho blues suites with good guitar solos, flute and violin. They released four albums between 1972 and 1977, generating more country boogie, good-time, free-loving vibes. (J.J. Hildreth)
Track Listing
- Om
- Loving You
- Lord’s Work
- Keep Your Head Up High
- Being Here With You
- Let It Ride
- Prayer
- I Believe It
The East Side Kids – The Tiger And The Lamb (1968)
Artist: The East Side Kids
Title: The Tiger And The Lamb
Year: 1968
Format: LP
Label: UNI
One of those odd rarities that’s always had a place within my collection, going all the way back to the beginning of my record collecting days. Though definitely not one of the more memorable albums of the late 60′s, as over the years it’s been considered second rate by some.
Understandably, as is the case with many late 60′s one shot bands, the album does contain what some may refer to as filler. Nevertheless, I’ve always had a soft spot for it. Though it admittedly required many listens back in the day before I was able to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Tiger And The Lamb was produced by Buzz Clifford and Dan Moore, previously members of Hamilton Streetcar (see March 8, 2011 post) . The musicianship on this album is quite good…most notably for me, David Potter’s drumming. Yet at the same time The Tiger And The Lamb seems to be lacking in direction and has a tendency to wander, in particular with some of the vocal passages.
This was quite possibly the band and production staff’s intention, as it was 1968 after-all…and far stranger things were issued during that era in an attempt to please the youngsters. The album definitely has a psychedelic/pop vibe, and if you can get past the intermittent directionless and just flow with the music, it’s rather enjoyable.
The Tiger And The Lamb was released on “UNI Records”, who were a subsidiary of Universal City Records/MCA. Many other late 60′s psychedelic and hard rock American bands saw issue on this label, and are today all very sought after by collectors. A few of those bands/artists were; The Hook, The Yellow Payges, Warm Dust, Giant Crab, Alexander’s Timeless Bloozband, Mars Bonfire, Fever Tree, and The Smoke, to name a few (see various posts). (DrProgensteinphp RYM)
Track Listing
- Is My Love Stong
- I Remember The Good Times
- Move Like Love
- Pidgeon Of L. A.
- Taking The Time
- I See I Am
- Heavy Love The Ballad Of The Gentle People
- Can’t Feel Love
- Ask The Bo
- Dancing In The Street
Uncle Willard – Just One More Good Time! (1971)
Artist: Uncle Willard
Title: Just One More Good Time!
Year: 1971
Format: LP
Label: Toya
Uncle Willard were a rural Chicago group comprised of Mick McInerney (vocal), Tony Warren (vocal), Gary Loizzo (lead vocal-guitar-bass), Gary Wisner (rythm guitar-vocal), John Turner (electric piano) and Sam Valeo (drums).
“Just One More Good Time!” was the project of musician Gary Loizzo who produced and engineered this album at Pumkin Studios in Chicago in late 1970. Old Mill Bay suggests connections to the American Breed, but i’m not too sure about that.
The record has been compared to the “jingly-jangly” sound of the Byrds, but the influence here is more Poco or Neil Young, featuring well-crafted original songs with an emphasis on harmony vocals. If your a fan of early seventies rural rock your bound to enjoy this. A great listen from start to finish. (J.J. Hildreth)
Track Listing
- All It Takes
- Welcome To The Army
- Let’s Sit Down
- Cowboy In The Sand
- All I Needed Was A Song
- Where Am I Going
- Dark Cloud
- Joe From Tennessee
- As Long As It’s Not You
- I Don’t Know What To Do With You
- Everybody Needs A Song
- Gone Is The Sunshine
Timber – Bring America Home (1971)
Artist: Timber
Title: Bring America Home
Year: 1971
Format: LP
Label: Elektra
Following a personnel change which saw the addition of female vocalist Judy Elliott and a switch to Jac Holzman’s Elektra Records, the group returned with 1971′s Bring American Home. Produced by Don Gallucci (of Don and the Good Times fame), the album showcased singers/songwriters Wayne Berry and George Clinton (no, not the Funkadelic/Parliament guy); the two responsible (separately) for penning all ten tracks.
To be honest, the first couple of times I played this one it made absolutely no impression on me. In fact after playing it one afternoon I found myself unable to remember a single one of the ten selections. So this one ended up spending a year in my ‘check it out later’ pile. When I finally got around to giving it another shot it didn’t exactly overwhelm me. Nothing particularly bad, though nothing that really jumped out at you.
Exemplified by tracks like “Canada” (which featured a pretty melody and a subtle anti-war lyric), the anti-drug “Pipe Dream”, and “Don’t Underestimate Your Friends” (sporting a Seals and Crofts-vibe), about half the album had a modest country-rock vibe.
Elsewhere the title track sounded a little bit like The Mamas and the Papas doing a car commercial. It was an even odder song given the activist lyric. Vocalists Berry, Clinton and Elliott were all competent (Berry was probably the best of the three), though again none were overwhelming. Certainly competent, but not an essential addition to anyone’s collection. (Bad Cat)
Track Listing
- Bring America Home
- Canada
- Pipe Dream
- Remember
- Don’t Underestimate Your Friends
- Witch Hunt
- The Spirit Song
- Caught In The Middle
- Same Ole Story
- From The Time I Rise
Giant – What’s In This Life For You? (1970)
Artist: Giant
Title: What’s In This Life For You?
Year: 1970
Format: LP
Label: Mercury
Giant, a simple name for a complex of ideas. So here we have another new group; there are so many popping up why should we get excited about this one? The point is we shouldn’t; the idea here is to relax and let their music do it to you.
While we’re asking the questions, we may well try to figur out what set GIANT apart from so many others. First of all the people, and second, the music and the way David Spinozza and Al Del Monte have arranged it.
On the people’s side we have nine individuals who, though each is a distinct musical personality in him (and her) self, have formed a cohesive musical unit which is apparently capable of thinking, creating and performing as one.
That, it seems, is what it’s all about. The arrangements speak for themselves: in this era of superhype which leads to super group which in turn leads to superduper egos, it is indeed refreshing to hear that Al and Dave have devised some unique yet unpretencious ways of putting it down, as it were.
Much attention will most likely be focused on Christie as she is (a) the only girl in the group, and (b) really good. Again, as with the arrangements, she does her numbers with taste, balance, and control. She’s thoroughly professional.
People, mostly critics (whether they’re people or not is a highly debated point) are spending a lot of their time talking about jazz rock, classical rock, blues rock, slock rock, and fusions and permulations of all of these terms.
The possibilities are theoretically and semantically endless. GIANT can be classified as being in any number of modes you can make up, but the only correct category for thier scene is mucic – some of it funky, some polished, but all real.
So there you have it, or as much as you can say about them in print. The previous suggestion therefore stands, that you simply listen to GIANT and just let it happen. (Bob Moore Merlis – Record World)
Track Listing
- Think! What’s In This Life For You?
- You Ain’t Gonna Find Me
- That’s The Way It Goes
- Range Rider
- Dear John
- One Night Stand Man
- Plastic World
- Queen Of Downs
- In My World
- Dedicated To Your Head
- Last War
Akido – Akido (1972)
Artist: Akido
Title: Akido
Year: 1972
Format: LP
Label: Mercury
An obscure Afro Funk combo from the early 70s – produced by Ronnie Lane of The Faces, who may very well have been inspired by Ginger Baker’s love of the style!
The record’s got some pretty heavy guitar work, and there’s lots of funky rock running through the grooves – so those African-inspired rhythms are touched by more than a bit of heavy tripped out electric fuzz. The album features a hard-hitting, irresistibly funky blend of rock and funk that’s sure to appeal to beat-diggers everywhere.
Recorded at London’s Marquee Studios, this lost Afro-funk classic was originally released in North America only in August 1972. Akido was a quartet consisting of Ghanaian percussionist Speedy Acquaye (who also worked with the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and many others), Nigerian bassist Biddy Wright (a member of the legendary Blo), Jamaican conga drummer Jeff Whittaker and London-based guitarist Peter Andrews. (Howard Hales Broom)
Track Listing
- Awade
- Psychedelic Baby
- Midnight Lady
- Happy Song
- Jo Jo Lo (Delicate Beauty)
- Gone With Yesterday
- Confusion
- Wajo (Come And Dance)
- Blow
