Archive for the ‘ Classic Rock ’ Category

The Pretty Things “Rock St. Trop”

| Classic Rock,Psych

We are dedicating this next post to Phil May, who recently passed away in May, 2020. One of rock n roll’s great vocalists and personalities, he will surely be missed. The Rock St. Trop recordings date back to 1969, when rich French playboy Philippe Debarge hired the Pretty Things to be his backing band and record this fine album. Most fans usually refer to these recordings as Philippe Debarge. The album first surfaced in the form of a bootleg CD and then in recent years, two official releases became available through Ugly Things Records and Madfish.

At this point, lead guitarist and founding member Dick Taylor had left the group to be replaced by Victor Unitt. Philippe Debarge handles lead vocals but listeners can clearly hear Phil May on backup vocals. All tracks were written by Phil May and bassist/keyboard player Wally Waller and recorded in London’s Nova Studios. This album is the perfect bridge piece from S.F. Sorrow to Parachute. The recording quality is crude but highly listenable and the music surprisingly holds together as a cohesive album. Some of these tracks such as It’ll Never Be Me, Alexander and Eagle’s Son first appeared on the Electric Banana EP series. To me, those earlier Electric Banana versions (cut in 1967) are some of the best UK psych tracks ever waxed and have the edge as far as quality goes. But on the Rock St. Trop LP these songs are very good album cuts that lack the production values and studio trickery of the Electric Banana sessions. Also, Send You With Loving, an excellent folk rock number, appears on the Pretties’ BBC sessions though that BBC version was cut live in the studio and differs quite a bit from what’s here on the Rock St. Trop LP. As an album, this is strong all the way through. Of the songs I hadn’t heard, the opening jam Hello, How Do You Do is a highlight, notable for a long backwards guitar solo. You Might Even Say features fluid Spanish style guitar with mellotron making itself present during the song’s fade out. Other winners are You’re Running You and Me, a hard hitting acoustic rocker which effectively showcases the intricate three-party harmony vocals of May, Povey and Waller. I’m Checking Out has a strange vibrating guitar solo while New Day sounds like a good cut from Parachute, with strong guitar work and neat harpsichord flourishes.

While this is an album the Pretty Things never thought would be officially released, to this reviewer it’s a near classic work and a key album for fans of the band. The Pretty Things were on such a hot streak during the late 60s/early 70s that even their demo albums are better than most bands’ best work.

Send You With Loving:

You’re Running You and Me:

Peace:

It’ll Never Be Me:

:) Vinyl Reissue | Madfish | 2017 | discogs ]

The Frantics “Birth”

| Classic Rock,Garage,Psych

Along with the Initial Shock, the Frantics were one of Montana’s top garage/hard rock groups throughout the 60s. They released a raw garage 45 in 1966 and later on in 1970, Lizard Records released the Conception album. At this point, the Frantics story had come to a close until 1994, when Collectables released the Relax Your Mind recordings. This CD was sourced from a poor cassette tape which did much to explain the terrible sound quality of the recordings. The music dates from 1968, straight from the Norman Petty Studio vaults and surprisingly, it all gels as a coherent album – a lost garage/hard rock psych classic. In 2018, Lost Sounds Montana cleaned up the sound and released these recordings on vinyl (mono) as Birth.

Now in excellent sound quality, Birth can be enjoyed by all psych fans for the superb album it is. The A side of the LP opens and closes with two powerful psych tracks that have hard rock strength and lots of stinging fuzz guitar work – take a listen to near classics Her and Her Mountain and Relax Your Mind. At times the lead singer recalls Jim Morrison circa 1968 (Waiting for the Sun), as heard on the fine psychedelic ballad Lady of the Night. Many of these tracks have a psychedelic punk feel to them, with lots of heavy fuzz guitar, unique production tricks, feedback and pounding beats. Think of a very accomplished garage band who just started dropping acid and is exploring the possibilities of the recording studio for the first time. Stone Goddess, Child of the Universe, Just for Awhile and Sweet Mary reflect this experimental attitude to recording music and all are highlights in that respect. Other cuts go for different sounds such as soft rock, blues, avante garde psych and folk rock but none of them are duds.

Highly recommended for those listeners who enjoy garage, psych or hard rock sounds.

Think About It (from Birth):

Lady of the Night (from Relax Your Mind):

:) LP | 2018 | Lost Sounds Montana | discogs | ebay ]

NRBQ “All Hopped Up”

, , | Classic Rock,Country Rock,Pop

The music on All Hopped Up covered a period of a few years, 1974-1976. The LP was released in the Spring of 1977 by Red Rooster Records. NRBQ has released several fine albums but this has to rank as one of their very best – a minor masterpiece. Released during the height of the new wave/punk era, it sounds like nothing else from the time.

In fact, none of these 13 songs sound alike. NRBQ cover an enormous amount of ground on this release, from rockabilly, country, folk rock, power pop, jazz, and more. Even more amazing that they make it work as well as they do. It’s pointless to list highlights as the album is strong all the way through but a few special tracks need to be singled out. Al Anderson’s Ridin’ In My Car is a timeless pop classic. It Feels Good and That’s Alright are excellent power pop tracks on par with the best from this era. Call Him Off Rogers is a weird, offbeat country rock number with a melodic guitar solo. Things to You, a Terry Adam’s original that would later resurface on NRBQ’s country outing with Skeeter Davis (a great record), is another outstanding track.

NRBQ never took themselves too serious and for this reason they are never ranked among the important bands of the classic rock era. But when one reviews their body of work and its consistency, you can definitely pose the argument for NRBQ being one of America’s great rock n roll/roots bands.

Things To You

Call Him Off Rogers

LP / Digital | 2018 | Omnivore | buy from Omnivore ]

Tamam Shud “Evolution”

| Classic Rock,Psych

Evolution was one of the first original hard rock/psych albums released by a homegrown Australian band. Prior to Tamam Shud, this group of musicians had been known as the Sunsets, a rock n roll combo that specialized in beat/R&B styled material. As trends progressed, the Sunsets changed their name to Tamam Shud. Evolution was their first album, released by CBS in 1969. The LP was financed by Paul Witzig, who would use four of the tracks as background music to his surf film Evolution. Leader, guitarist and primary songwriter Lindsay Bjerre wrote all the tracks on this LP.

The sound quality is very rough due to most of the movie’s budget being spent on transporting (and filming) the surfers to exotic overseas locations. The tracks laid down were little more than demos, recorded live in studio; all songs were first takes. That being said, Tamam Shud’s material and performances still hold up very well in today’s age. The opening Music Train is a Beatles-like pop number that segued into the paranoia of Evolution. This outstanding track features lots of explosive feedback and psychedelic guitar work courtesy of Zac Zytnik. Lady Sunshine was the group at their most pop oriented, a funky folkish number that is perhaps Tamam Shud’s most popular track. Other gems are I’m No One, a track that effectively balances power and grace. Both Mr. Strange and It’s a Beautiful Day feature plenty of dynamic acid guitar work. The latter track opens with jazzy chords but is pretty much a psychedelic blues number with a melodic bridge.

Tamam Shud was one of Australia’s finest psychedelic/progressive groups ever. Any of their prime era recordings are considered essential listening for psych fans. While Goolutionites and the Real People is Tamam Shud’s true masterpiece and one of the great psych prog LPs of all time, Evolution has its moments of brilliance that make it a must have.

Music Train/Evolution

It’s A Beautiful Day

:) LP Reissue | buy from Tamam Shud ]

The Wildweeds “Wildweeds”

| Classic Rock,Country Rock

The Wildweeds were a popular regional group (Windsor, CT) that had a big hit with blue-eyed soul classic No Good To Cry in 1967. More significantly, this was guitarist Al Anderson’s first successful pop rock group. They are primarily known for their early Cadet sides but this album, which Vanguard released in 1970, is a radical departure from their mid 60s blue-eyed soul sound. The Wildweeds album is never mentioned along with the best of the early roots rock classics but to me, its as good as many of those albums.

Wildweeds is characterized by Anderson’s warm vocals, concise guitar work and the group’s tight rhythm section. Anderson’s clean cut guitar solo on And When She Smiles says more in twenty seconds than most guitarists say throughout the space of an entire album. Anderson is a true musician’s musician, who understands the impact of playing with emotion and feel, an approach he’d take to NRBQ. Other highlights are the country kicker Belle, a whimsical number that’s notable for its pretty harmonies and fine dobro guitar work. This album’s strength lies in its variety and consistency. Fantasy Child finds the group playing gutbucket country and while its lyrics are downbeat, this is a superb track. My Baby Left Me, a strong slice of rockabilly written by Arthur Big Boy Crudup and folk rock album opener Baby Please Don’t Leave Me Today are also well worth a spin. It goes without saying that this album is highly recommended.

Baby Please Don’t Leave Me Today

Fantasy Child

:) Wildweeds | 1970 | Vanguard |ebay ]

The Melvilles “The Melvilles”

, | Classic Rock,Country Rock

This is the first post in years. I began writing and talking about these 60s rock bands because of groups like Moby Grape. Moby Grape could effortlessly play any style of music you care to name and do it all extremely well. Whether it was country, blues, psychedelia, folk, or rock n roll, these musicians had a knack for making music that sounded natural and heartfelt.

The Melvilles was actually Moby Grape under a different name. These recordings were a cassette only release from 1989/1990 (Herman Records). Skip Spence wrote one track, the anthemic All of My Life but I’m not sure he plays on this disc. Regardless, all five original members had some involvement in this project. Don’t let the late 80s recording date put you off from listening to this album, the music is mostly excellent. You’ll Never Know, Bitter Wind in Tanganika, and Nighttime Rider recall the folk-rock tracks from their classic debut and are highlights in that respect. Give It Hell, a hard hitting slice of garage rock written by Jerry Miller, holds up very well. Miller never received his due as one of the best SF guitarists but he’s clearly in that pantheon of legends. Take a listen to On The Dime, a cool relaxed country rock number with lots of classy guitar playing. Also, as a reference point, this is a much better album than the Dead’s Into the Dark, which was released around the same time.

This music originally came out on cassette but it was also released on vinyl by Del-Val and on CD by DIG MUSIC (as “Legendary Grape”). The Del Val vinyl release is the best way to hear this fine music.

On The Dime

You’ll Never Know

:) Vinyl | 1990 | Del-Val | amazon ]

Chris Darrow “Artist Proof”

| Americana,Classic Rock,Country Rock

Artist Proof

Artist Proof was Chris Darrow’s first solo LP after stints with legendary psych/roots band Kaleidoscope, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and underrated country outfit the Corvettes. For my money this is his best solo disc and while it may not be a lost classic, Artist Proof is certainly excellent, a minor gem of country-rock Americana. What makes Artist Proof significant are not only a great consistent set of songs but what it represents in the evolution of this genre. The album was created at a pivotal point in time when country-rock was about to become more polished and commercial thanks to the likes of the Eagles and the Pure Prairie League. Luckily, Darrow made a record that’s rough, passionate and unpolished, recalling a number of the early LA country rock greats: Poco, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Nashville West and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It’s one of the last great records in the LA country-rock style by a man who was an early staple on the scene.

All the music on this disc is first rate and well played – Chris Darrow is fantastic. My favorite tracks are a rocking version of Cajun classic Alligator Man, the gorgeous mandolin picking on Lover Sleeps Abed Tonight and the swampy americana of The Sky Is Not Blue Today. This last track is one of several tender, singer-songwriter styled numbers on the album and a superb piece of music. Darrow’s vocals aren’t as strong as Gram Parsons but that doesn’t matter as they fit this style perfectly. Beware of Time (originally recorded as a single by the Corvettes in 1970) and Shawnee Moon are highlights that would have sounded perfect on the radio – they have commercial hooks and attractive melodies. Darrow’s key skill is his ability to blend genres naturally.

Drag City reissued Artist Proof a few years back so it’s easy to find and inexpensive. Originals were pressed by Fantasy back in 1972. Fans of classic country-rock sounds will be pleasantly surprised with this LP – a must own.

mp3: Shawnee Moon
mp3: The Sky is Not Blue Today

:) LP + CD | buy from Drag City ]

The Stained Glass “A Scene In-Between 1965-1967”

, , | Classic Rock,Folk,Garage

stainedglass

The Stained Glass hailed from San Jose CA, the same scene that spawned 60s garage heroes the Chocolate Watch Band, the E-Types and the Syndicate of Sound. Being 45 minutes outside of San Francisco, it was inevitable that the Stained Glass would rub shoulders with and even play on the same bills with many of the region’s big name acts. Chief songwriter and guiding light Jim McPherson would even go on to play in John Cipollina’s early 70’s post Quicksilver band Copperhead. The music heard on A Scene In-Between 1965-1967 suggest that had things gone right for the Stained Glass, they could have been – should have been – serious contenders.

The Stained Glass started out life in 1964 as a raw folk-rock, British Invasion influenced outfit called the Trolls. The group’s story began with Jim McPherson (bass) answering guitarist Rodger Hedge’s local advertisement to form a band.  Drummer Dennis Carrasco joined by way of recommendation, followed by lead guitarist Bob Rominger.  The group’s earliest songs, all originals mostly written by Jim McPherson, were an impressive lot. “Walking Shoes”, the Trolls only 45 (Peatlore) is a superb folk-rock track with a raw, garage feel – by far their hardest rocking early number and a track often championed by garage rock obsessives. “How Do You Expect Me To Trust You” (45 flipside) and “Sweeter Than Life” compare favorably to what the Beau Brummels were recording around the same time in that they are lyrical, downbeat folk-rockers with strong melodies and a mystical edge. “Such Good Friends,” “She’s Not Right” and “No Rhyme or Reason” were a nod to the Trolls’ British Invasion influences – all are giddy, driving numbers that compare favorably to the early Zombies or Kinks work from around the same time (circa 1965/1966). Jim McPherson’s songwriting, the group’s excellent harmonies and tight ensemble work separated them from countless other regional groups.

From 1966-1967, around the time the group changed their name to the Stained Glass, was when McPherson (and the group) recorded some of their finest material. In 1966, the group travelled to Columbia’s Sunset Boulevard Studios to audition for the label.  They recorded a few gems which ended up being shelved. “Lonely Am I” is a worthy minor key Zombies influenced gem but it was the devastating “Broken Man” that really catches the ear.  “Broken Man” stuck out for it’s well written, enigmatic lyrics, unique chorus and proto psychedelic guitar solo which was innovative for the time.

The Columbia deal didn’t pan out which led the group to RCA Victor. Here, they recorded and released a fine version of the Beatles’ “If I Needed Someone” (before Rubber Soul had hit the market) backed by a recut of “How Do You Expect Me To Trust You.”  This single flopped and the Stained Glass gave it another go. “My Buddy Sin” backed by an underrated Kinks-like “Vanity Fair” (think “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”) was superb but somehow failed to connect with music fans. “My Buddy Sin” was one of the group’s true classics; the back bone of the song is harmony pop but the harmonica flourishes give it a rootsy folk-rock flavor that recalls some of the Byrds best mid 60s tracks. The band was disappointed with the outcome as they did not want harmonica added to the single but it’s interesting to note that the harpsichord intro was played by Jim. The songwriting on “My Buddy Sin” was once again interesting (religious imagery) and ahead of its time. When “My Buddy Sin” failed it did little to the group’s confidence as they were getting plenty of live work and making lots of money.  For their next 45, RCA Victor forced the Stained Glass to record a catchy Barry Mann/Cynthia Well offering. “We Got A Long Way To Go,” was a big hit locally and notable for it’s catchy melody and stinging distorted guitar solo.  It was more in vein with the Turtles pop sound, which wasn’t really where the Stained Glass stood from an artistic standpoint.  At around this time the group were in the studios, recording music that was more in line with Moby Grape, Buffalo Springfield and the Beau Brummels.  “Inside Ouch” a fine balance between soul and folk-rock, would have fit comfortably on Buffalo Springfield’s debut.  The outstanding “Dollar Sign Friends” is a driving jangle rock track with defiant lyrics, which were written by Bob Rominger while “Second Day” was the kind of lyrical folk-rock that could be found on Moby Grape’s debut classic.  A latter recording session yielded two cuts that ended up being issued as a 45 in 1967, the bizarre “A Scene In-Between” and the pure pop of “Mediocre Me.”  Both songs are minor psychedelic pop classics and represent a high point for the Stained Glass.  During this session they also recorded two other fine tracks, “Bubble Machine,” a vibrant piece of sunshine pop with echoplex guitar, shimmering bells and keys and the morbid “Mr Martyr.”  The latter track once again featured unique lyrics and superb harmony vocals.

From here the anthology ends although the Stained Glass would go on to record two albums in the late 60s, the excellent Crazy Horse Roads from 1968 and the disappointing Aurora from 1969.  A Scene-In Between 1965-1967 is a much needed overview of this great lost American band.  This is easily one of the best 60s reissues of 2013 and it goes without saying that this disc is mandatory listening.

mp3: My Flash On You
mp3: Broken Man
mp3: Dollar Sign Friends

:D Reissue | 2013 | Ace Records | get it here ]

Grateful Dead “Birth of the Dead”

, | Classic Rock,Garage,Psych,RnB

birthofthedead

It’s no secret that the Grateful Dead jumped the shark many, many times during the course of their long career. In fact it’s pretty easy to dismiss the group outright as figureheads of the sixties counterculture’s gradual descent into hippie/yuppie oblivion, as their constituency dropped back into the mainstream American fold during the rather nihilistic, Cocaine-fueled post-Nam years and carried the band along with it. But behind the burden of all this history lies a remarkable early career that, while by no means providing the most extraordinary music of the times (our articles here should have made that one clear enough by now), managed to give us a good run of righteous records. Now Birth of the Dead, a relatively generous two-disc set released by Rhino Records back in 2001, adds another, perhaps even more exciting piece to the puzzle that is early Dead.

Split between studio and on-stage material, the material found on the former represent some of the band’s earliest forays into the recording studio, and the sounds they waxed during these sessions are a revelation. The band here is raw, frazzled and gnarly, still rooted in the blues and folk traditions they emerged from and free from any of the light funk fusion flavors that would come to tarnish their jams in the proceeding decade. The tempos here are fast, the guitars brittle and Pigpen’s Vox Continental dripping with garage cool. Had it come from any other group, Mindbender (possibly the crown jewel of the collection) and Can’t Come Down would be regarded as psychedelic folk-rock nuggets of the highest caliber. One almost wishes that some of the instrumental takes of these songs would be shuffled around the disc instead of being placed back-to-back with their masters, but the lack of vocals here help alleviate any repetition irritation. The most unusual cut on the first take is probably Fire In the City, in which the band is found backing jazz singer Jon Hendricks on a political number originally written for use in a mid-sixties documentary feature. The combination works much better than one might expect, with Hendricks letting his hair down a little beside Jerry Garcia’s piercing blues leads.

The live disc is a further joy, painted in surprisingly crisp sound quality and featuring a lengthy anthology of 1966 concert recordings apparently culled from a number of sources. Some of the usual suspects are to be found here, numbers which would follow the Dead onto their debut album such as Viola Lee Blues and Sitting On Top of the World, but these are backed with some rarely-heard material from the era, including a solid rendition of Dylan’s oft-covered It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue and the traditional ballad In the Pines. The blues and R&B numbers in-between are all solid, if not particularly exhilarating, but are definitely worth their weight for hearing this band in its prime really cut loose. The seven-minute closing romp Keep Rolling By has some razor-sharp Garcia guitar action going – at times sounding more like fellow Bay Area pickers John Cippollina or Jorma Kaukonen than his own latter-day self “ and a bevy of endearingly ragged group vocal shouting. Merry Prankster Dead like it should be.

So if you’ve never really given the band their due, put off by their mythological hokum and alarmingly obsessive legacy, give this set a shot and see where you end up. There’s a lot of great rock and roll to be found here, and it deserves to be taken on its own merit. And if you’re digging this and haven’t already jumped into the band’s self-titled debut (released a year after the material contained herein was recorded but born of many of the same impulses), maybe now you’ll have the proper context to digest that often underrated set.

Mindbender

One Kind Favor

:D CD Issue | 2001 | Rhino | buy here ]
8-) Spotify link | listen ]

Gene Clark “Two Sides To Every Story”

| Americana,Classic Rock,Country Rock

Two Sides To Every Story

It was three years after Gene Clark’s infamous, cocaine-fueled mid 70s masterpiece No Other, teaming again with Thomas Jefferson Kaye as producer and employing the best musicians of the era, Doug Dillard, Emmylou Harris, Jeff Baxter, Al Perkins, John Hartford to name a few, Clark took things down a notch while retaining a tight (but not overly slick) studio sound on 1977’s Two Sides To Every Story. Even judging the albums by their cover, the excess of No Other gets stripped away to reveal a regular, humble Gene Clark in its wake. On the surface what appears to be a late, perhaps too-safe offering from a washed up Gene Clark (it did turn out to be another commercial failure) in hindsight is one of his finest moments on record.

A little bit a country, a litte bit rock n roll, a heavy dose of Gene’s trademark ballads and tender vocal deliveries, you’ll probably fall for one of the styles offered up on Two Sides more than another, but the varied mix works. Album starter “Home Run King” is an oddly great track as good as anything from the Fantastic Expedition, though Dillard’s pronounced banjo picking will surely turn off the less country inclined. In the same kind of feel, the band lends traditional “In The Pines” as much a ‘Gene Clark’ sound as Nirvana would do for themselves some fifteen years later. I’m less inclined to stay around for the barroom rock sound on his own “Kansas City Southern,” previously recorded for Dillard & Clark’s Through The Morning Through The Night, and a cover of Young Jessie’s “Mary Lou,” but these are still strong cuts.

The key to this record is to not let the soft ones sneak by. Like all good Clark tunes the slower numbers here are moody, dynamic, dramatic rides that pay off more and more with each new listen. The beautiful “Sister Moon” could have easily found a home on No Other.  “Give My Love To Marie” is a tender take on a sad track penned by the underrated James Talley. The final trio of ballads, “Hear The Wind,” “Past Addresses,” and “Silent Crusade” all originals where he does his thing; the growing beauty of this album further solidifies Gene Clark as one of my favorite singer/songwriters (a shame I hadn’t found this one sooner).

Perhaps a little more thought on the sleeve design (not that Gene’s big goofy grin on the back is without its charm) might have ensured Two Sides would be properly recognized as the classic it is. On the other hand, most of Clark’s material remains woefully unrecognized today, Two Sides no exception.

The fairly new High Moon Records issued Two Sides To Every Story on vinyl (with 16-page booklet) earlier this year. They plan to also put it out on CD for the first time this spring, included with an extra disc of bonus material. Apparently vinyl buyers will eventually be able to get their hands on the extra material as well through a download card. You can’t be a Gene Clark fan without this one.

mp3: Home Run King
mp3: Sister Moon

:) Reissue | 2013 | High Moon Records | buy from highmoon ]
:) Original | 1977 | RSO Records | search ebay ]