This 4CD box set lovingly documents the final musical years of a true legend, a great songwriter, musician, and formidable frontman. Steve Marriott was sadly taken from us prematurely at the age of 44 on the 30th April 1991. Vocalist and guitarist in such great bands as Small Faces and Humble Pie, Steve clearly had so much more to give, as is evidenced here, and this box set attempts to pay respect to the inspirational talent that is Steve Marriott by compiling four of his last ever live shows from his final year with us in 1991.
These live sets contain many old favourite Marriott classics such as ‘Itchycoo Park’, ‘All or Nothing’, ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It’ and ‘Big Train Stops at Memphis’, live Packet of Three staples, a smattering of rhythm & blues standards, plus a number of Chuck Berry classics in ‘Talking ‘Bout You’ and ‘Memphis Tennessee’. This collection of live sets demonstrates the fact that not only was Steve an immense performer throughout his whole career, but that he was sadly taken from us far too early.
CD1 – THE HALF MOON, PUTNEY, LONDON 12.01.1991
01. Memphis Tennessee
02. Watch Your Step
03. Some Kind Of Wonderful
04. Big Train Stops At Memphis
05. Watcha Gonna Do About It
06. Talkin’ ‘Bout You
07. Cockney Rhyme / What A Silly Song
08. Itchycoo Park
09. Mr. Pitiful
10. Hallelujah I Love Her So
11. Five Long Years
12. All Or Nothing
13. This Old Fool
14. Natural Born Bugie
CD2 – LOGO, HAMBURG 21.01.1991
01. Memphis Tennessee
02. Watch Your Step
03. Some Kind Of Wonderful
04. Fool For A Pretty Face
05. Watcha Gonna Do About It
06. Talkin’ ‘Bout You
07. Cockney Rhyme / What A Silly Song
08. Itchycoo Park
09. Mr. Pitiful
10. Hallelujah I Love Her So
11. Five Long Years
12. All Or Nothing
13. This Old Fool
14. Big Train Stops At Memphis
15. Before You Accuse Me
16. Natural Born Bugie
CD3 – DIESELSTRASSE, ESSLINGEN 26.01.1991
01. Memphis Tennessee
02. Watch Your Step
03. Fool For A Pretty Face
04. Big Train Stops At Memphis
05. Talkin’ ‘Bout You
06. Talkin’ ‘Bout You
07. Itchycoo Park
08. Itchycoo Park
09. Hallelujah I Love Her So
10. Hallelujah I Love Her So
11. Big Train Stops At Memphis
12. All Or Nothing
13. This Old Fool
14. Natural Born Bugie
15. Before You Accuse Me
CD4 – SINKKASTEN, FRANKFURT 29.01.1991
01. Memphis Tennessee (Instrumental)
02. Watch Your Step
03. Some Kind of Wonderful
04. Big Train Stops at Memphis
05. Watcha Gonna Do About It
06. Talkin’ ‘Bout You
07. Cockney Rhyme / What a Silly Song
08. Itchycoo Park
09. Mr. Pitiful
10. Hallelujah I Love Her So
11. Five Long Years
12. All or Nothing
13. This Old Fool
14. Natural Born Bugie
15. Before You Accuse Me
Their songs have been covered by acts as diverse as Ride, Boney M and the Sex Pistols; they impressed Pete Townshend so much that he asked their guitarist to join the already successful Who; said guitarist pioneered the use of the violin bow on guitar strings - a trick promptly lifted and made famous by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page; they inspired the name of Creation Records, the most influential record label of the '90s; they have been cited as an influence by Paul Weller, Alan McGee, Ride, Pete Townshend, John Lydon and others. Yet The Creation never had a bona fide hit single in either Britain or the US. They had a recording career that spanned merely mid-1966 to early 1968 and never - in their original incarnation - released an album on either side of the Atlantic. The Creation are pop's quintessential example of Never Mind The Career Width, Feel The Musical Quality. Their compositions 'Makin' Time' , 'Painter Man', 'Biff Bang Pow', 'Nightmares', 'Can I Join Your Band', 'Life Is Just Beginning', 'Through your Eyes', 'How Does It Feel To Feel' and others helped define psychedelia and pop art and are cherished by several different generations of music fans. The Creation were undoubtedly one of the most under appreciated bands to emerge from the UK during the 1960's, but their legend has grown with time and this album, recorded in 1987 and 1988 and never been released before in any form, is a testament to their enduring legacy. You know the story, you know the legend, this is the long lost album.
01. Lay the Ghost
02. Psychedelic Rose
03. Radio Beautiful
04. United
05. Doing It My Way
06. Making Time
07. Far From Paradise
08. White Night
09. Spirit Called Love
10. Spoken word extract from the book 'Our Music Is Red With Purple Flashes / The Story Of The Creation' by Sean Egan read by Joe Foster.
Christmas is a Jorma Kaukonen studio album released in July 1996. It was the only themed album Kaukonen recorded and was a departure from the usual Rev. Gary Davis influenced tunes. It included new Christmas-themed compositions as well old hymns such as "Silent Night." Like the previous album, The Land of Heroes, Christmas incorporated the work of Michael Falzarano and Fred Bogert. Kaukonen's wife Vanessa also performed vocals and co-wrote one song. It was also the only time Kaukonen performed keyboards on an album.
01. Downhill Sleigh Ride
02. Christmas Rule
03. What Child Is This? (Traditional)
04. Christmas Blues (Falzarano)
05. Journey of The Three Wise Men
06. Baby Boy (Traditional)
07. You're Still Standing
08. Silent Night (Traditional)
09. Holiday Marmalade
10. Holiday Segue
Jorma Kaukonen – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Michael Falzarano – Rhythm guitar, Sleigh bells, Vocals
Fred Bogert – Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Vanessa Lillian – vocals
Chris Munson, Wayne Killius – Drums
Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (born November 21 1942, died March 20 2016) was a jazz pianist and founder member of Thunderclap Newman, a cobbled together session band whose anthemic Something in the Air was the surprise hit of the summer of 1969.
The band, who went by Newman’s school nickname, was formed by Pete Townshend, guitarist with The Who, and the music impresario Kit Lambert to demo tracks written by the singer/drummer John “Speedy” Keen, Townshend’s occasional chauffeur.
Townshend recruited Newman, a pipe-smoking GPO telephone engineer whom he had known at art school, to play keyboards and Jimmy McCulloch, a 15-year-old Glaswegian guitarist, who later played in Paul McCartney’s Wings. Townshend himself played bass, under the name Bijou Drains, on their only album, Hollywood Dream.
Performing in a trilby, spectacles, braces and bow tie, the bearded Newman provided a dapper counterpoint to his younger long-haired bandmates. He looked like a professor taking his students on a class outing. On his barrelhouse piano, however, he delivered a stomping Dixieland bridge for Something in the Air that blended perfectly with his bandmates’ psychedelic rock.
In July 1969 the song went to Number One in the British charts where it remained for three weeks. “To us it was absolute bedlam,” recalled Newman. “People would come up to me as though I was the person who knew how to pull hits out of the stratosphere.”
It was, however, their only successful single and the band split up two years later. Although, as one critic noted, “if you are going to be a one-hit wonder, you might as well be remembered for something as wonderful as Something in the Air.
Corky Laing was an original member of Mountain. As is so common these days, there have been several versions of the band carrying on their music and traditions. This double CD set was recorded in 2016 on the German Sleighride tour. The sound quality is definitely good, but not great. There is a lot of stage talk, telling stories and the like on this set. Beyond that we get some classic Mountain songs, a couple Cream tunes and more all delivered in style. This is a great live album, really.
CD 1
01. Introducion
02. Silver Paper
03. Dreams Of Milk And Honey
04. Long Red
05. Never In My Life
06. Nantucket Sleighride
07. Mississippi Queen
08. Theme From An Imaginary Western
09. Like A Rollin' Stone (Drum Solo)
CD 2
01. Introducing
02. Don't Look Around
03. Sittin' On A Rainbow
04. For Yasgur's Farm
05. Travellin' In The Dark
06. Politician
07. Sunshine Of Your Love
08. The Doctor
Corky Laing - Drums, Vocals
Phil Baker - Guitar, Vocals
Joe Venti - Bass, Vocals
William Souffreau is undoubtedly the last truly active rocker of his generation; this semi-legend’s guitar skills are still razor sharp and his voice hasn’t lost any power over time.
William started his musical career in 1960 with the rock ‘n’ roll band The Blue Jets, and then The Four Rockets a little while later. He founded the hard rock group Irish Coffee in 1970, recording one LP and four singles, all of which are now highly sought-after collector’s items, with Masterpiece being their biggest hit.
William went solo in 1990, and since then, he’s released over 10 highly praised albums, performing opening shows for The Kinks, 10 CC, Motörhead, and many more and collaborating with other artists, including Michael Chapman and Philippe Catherine.
He’s still touring with Irish Coffee, which released their incredibly strong album, When The Owl Cries, two years ago on the Starman Records label.
Souffreau is getting back into his solo career as well, with the album Tobacco Fields. It’s a collection of autobiographic, penetrating songs about his youth and life in the city of Aalst. With the cooperation of – in addition to his regular Irish Coffee team – highly talented musicians, including JM Aerts, Kloot Per W, Walter Broes, Jan Hautekiet, Steven Janssens, Jan Blieck, and many others.
01. Tobacco Fields
02. Take Me Home
03. Crazy Old Town
04. Schooldays
05. El Gringo
06. Going Back
07. Good Ol’ Boys
08. Every Story
09. Walking The Dog
10. The Blues
11. The Emperor
12. Ravachol
13. The Great Rock’N'Roll Life
14. This Town
It’s a crime that Tommy Malone isn’t better known around the world. He is a triple threat—beautiful singer, fine songwriter, and killer guitarist. Most of those talents are showcased on his new disc Natural Born Days. Malone has a fantastic voice. It is soulful and gritty at points, and simply pretty at others. It is an instrument that easily conveys both the rueful and redemptive tone of the songs here. Even though he’s not singing the capital “B” Blues here, he’s singing the blues with shadings and nuance in his vocal lines. The songs here cover a wide range but are never get so far from Malone that they sound awkward. Malone wrote most of the songs here with people he has known or worked with for several decades such as his band mates in the subdudes Johnny Allen and Tim Cook and old friend and drummer Jim Scheurich, so these songs possess a vulnerability that can result from such comfort. Songs such as “Home” and “Distance” have a depth and sensitivity that most songwriters can’t fathom. But it’s not just a ballad-heavy set of songs. There’s a Creedence-like rocker in “Mississippi Bootlegger” and a honky-tonk beat to “Important to Me.” There could have been more of Malone’s excellent guitar work on this disc, but that might have taken away from the emphasis on the songs and vocals. However it pops up with his slide work on “Life Goes On” and a beautiful lead on “God Knows.” Natural Born Days sounds like the Tommy Malone that his fans love and his soon-to-be fans will be happy to get to know.
01. Home
02. Hope Diner
03. God Knows
04. Wake Up Time
05. Distance
06. Mississippi Bootleggers
07. Didn't Want To Hear It
08. Natural Born Days
09. No Reason
10. Important To Me
11. Life Goes On
12. Word On the Street
"Before The Lights Go Out" is long time Alice Cooper/Lou Reed Guitarist Steve Hunter's latest solo album. The cover art and title make a statement about his failing eyesight, but don't make the mistake of thinking this is a quiet wave goodbye. As soon as you put on the first track, you will know that this is more like a Blues Rock Declaration of Independence! There are sexy grooves, luscious guitar tones and melodies galore.
As with all Hunter's releases, there is some diversity and sound imagery, not least of which is Tienes Mi Corazón where alongside his nylon string improvisation comes the sound of his own heart. And listen out for Joe Satriani adding his fire to the heat of "Mojo Man."
Also joining Steve on a couple of tracks are two great Bass players: Erik Scott can be heard on "Mojo Man," Erik is also an Alice Cooper alumni. On "Under The Bodhi Tree" is Andy Stoller. Steve and Andy toured together with Tracy Chapman during the "Telling Stories" album period, most recently Andy has been touring with Ann Wilson of Heart.
Steve Hunter is his own man; he has been around the block with a forty-five year career.
From his 1973 solos on Alice Cooper's "Billion Dollar Babies" album, his legendary acoustic work on Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill," his "Intro" to Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" and his searing opening solos on Aerosmith's version of "Train Kept A Rolling" Most recently he can be heard on Alice Cooper's 2017 album "Paranormal" making this his ninth Cooper album appearance. The Deacon is not done yet but his life is evolving! He has challenges playing live now but his honed skill, tone, power and soul, is dished up on this hot plate of guitar driven instrumental tastiness.
01. On The Edge Of Uncertainty
02. Mojo Man
03. Summer's Eve
04. Cinderblock
05. Softtail Deuce
06. Tienes Mi Corazón (You Have My Heart)
07. Ice Storm
08. Under The Bodhi Tree
09. The Other Side Of The Coin
10. Happy Trails (vocal Karen Hunter)
Formed in 1973, Too Smooth featured stunning songs and twin guitar runs; intricate time changes and fall-off-the-cliff dynamics; riverine vocal melodies, close gospel harmonies and bubbling musical improvisations. These were elements of what was coming to be called progressive rock and associated with acts ranging from Yes to Wishbone Ash - yet Too Smooth also offered a decided tip of the hat to the proud tradition of Lone Star boogie, blues, and hard rock. Too Smooth should have become one of the most successful rock acts in the world; as it turned out, they had to settle for simply being one of the best.
CD 1
01. Crippled Duck
02. You Say When
03. Friends
04. Smile
05. Leavin' It Up to You
06. Try a Little Magic
07. Let Me Be
08. You & I
09. Windmill
10. I Love the Way
11. Song For the World
12. Soon Our Time Will Come - Mamie Mama (medley)
CD 2
01. It Must Be Love
02. Here to Stay
03. I Love You
04. Man Knows Nothing
05. Texas Hospitality
06. Lonesome Road Back Home
07. You Take Me to Paradise
08. Just Be Yoursself
09. Believe In Me
10. Don't Stop Lovin' Me
11. Where Has All the Magic Gone?
12. Nobody Knows Me Like I Do
In 1969 a Scottish group named The Marmalade hit the charts in a big way with their Top Three ballad, “Reflections of My Life”. It was a melancholic look back at life, sung by a young singer/songwriter who had not yet lived it. The singer was Dean Ford (Born Thomas McAleese). The Marmalade made their splash and suffered the fate of many entrants into the 60’s sweepstakes. They had a couple of hits and faded into history, only to return sporadically on oldies radio, the odd soundtrack or the occasional K-Tel compilation.
Ford has now released a new solo album, “Feel My Heartbeat”. It’s a no-nonsense, filler free affair containing 10 songs with a strong narrative flow. The subjects are love, searching, mortality, progeny and acceptance of what is and what might have been.
Dean has returned to the music business after a long sabbatical and possibly felt the need to reintroduce himself to fans he left behind decades ago. The irony is, “Reflections of My Life” is far more relevant and poignant a statement now than it was for Dean Ford in the year 1969. The man has aged but the voice retains its youthful aspect that comprise “Feel My Heartbeat”.
01. Heaven in Your Eyes
02. Hello Bright Eyes
03. Feel My Heartbeat
04. Crazy About a Girl
05. Under Your Wing
06. Cosmos
07. Room in My Heart
08. Stay Awhile
09. Over Yesterday
10. Dance a Little Dance
from BadCatRecordings
What little attention this album seems to get stems from George Harrison's supposed appearance on four of tracks (the performance credits don't list Harrison). If true, that's not a bad claim to fame, but the album actually has much more going for it.
Rudy Romeo's initial claim to fame came as a member of San Diego's The Hardtimes. When that band and a one-shot follow-up The New Phoenix called it quits Romero struck out in pursuit of a solo career and in the early 1970s was signed to the Colorado-based Tumbleweed imprint. Produced by former Hardtimes singer Lee Keifer, 1973's "To the World" found Romero working with an impressive list of musicians. In addition to the supposed Harrison appearance, the line up included Clear Light keyboardist Ralph Schuckett, Things To Come bassist Bryan Garofalo, and former Undertakers drummer Warren Pemerton. To my ears Romero had a highly commercial voice that was well suited to the pop and softer rock materials he wrote. In fact most of the ten Romero-penned tracks had at least some degree of commercial potential, with 'If I Had the Time' and '' being two of the two highlights. So back to Harrison for a moment: if you believe the story he played on four tracks - ‘Lovely Lady,' ‘Nothin' Gonna Get You Down,' ‘Doing The Right Thing,' and ‘If I Had Time'. To be honest about it, I've got my doubts, due in part to the fact Harrison's mid-1970s playing style with a heavy emphasis on slide guitar was very unique and easy to spot. With the exception of the title track, none of the guitar work on the collection reminded me of that style. Who knows ... In an interview with Patrick 'The Lama' Lundborg, fellow Tumbleweed artist Robb Kunkle was clear in saying Harrison played on the album.
01. Simple Thing
02. To The World
03. Anyway We Can
04. Lovely Lady
05. If I Find The Time
06. Notihing Gonna Get You Down
07. Level Out
08. You Used to Be So Light
09. Love Comes (When It Wants to Anyway)
10. Doing The Right Thing
Rudy Romero - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals
John Ussery - Guitar
Bryan Garofalo - Bass
Warren "Bugs" Pemberton - Drums
Peggy Sanding, Ralph Schuckett - Keyboards
Lee Kiefer - Percussion, Vocals (Background)
James M. McGee, William Hinshaw, Arthur Maebe - French Horn
Dalton Smith, Ollie Mitchell - Trumpet
William Hurasch, Sid Sharp, Ralph Schaeffer - Violin
Harold Diner, Robert Knight - Trombone
Venetta Fields, Clydie King - Vocals (Background)
Joey Deaguero - Vibraphone, Vocals (Background)
Jesse Ehrlich - Cello
Columbus, Ohio's Mount Carmel pound out extensive, riff-heavy jams that draw substantially from the blues-based rock of Cream, Blue Cheer, and Black Sabbath. As a tight power trio with feet firmly rooted in the past, it seemed like a stretch when the bandmembers announced they would pair with a label built on the modern "shitgaze" phenomenon of slack lo-fi artists like Times New Viking and Psychedelic Horseshit. Yet Matthew Reed, Patrick Reed, and Kevin Skubak signed to Siltbreeze for the self-titled Mount Carmel album in 2010, and stayed with their hometown label for the 2012 follow-up, Real Women. The band eventually moved to label Alive Naturalsound, where they released their third album, Get Pure, in 2014.
01 Swaggs
02 Real Women
03 Oh Louisa
04 Be Somebody
05 Choose Wisely
06 Hear Me Now
07 Don't Make Me Evil
08 Rooftop
09 Lullaby
Often associated with the Power Pop genre given to Ardent Label Mates Big Star, Cargoe projected more of a stylized artistic nuance to their songwriting and performing, with harmonies exhibiting a strong American/Southern Roots cultural influence.
The band recorded their Album CARGOE with Terry Manning producing at, John Fry's Ardent Studios. They scored numerous Billboard and Cashbox Top 100 listings, and reviews from 1970 through 1973, along with major radio play of their first single “Feel Alright” and follow-up “I Love You Anyway”. The band’s studio LP CARGOE was even featured, with Isaac Hayes Shaft, which won an Academy Award/Oscar that year for Best Original Song, in a Special Edition section of Billboard’s June 3, 1972 “The Deck is STAX” promotion.
The band began a west coast tour the summer of 1972, but was caught up in the distribution and bankruptcy label problems at Stax/Volt, who distributed the album and owned the masters. Distribution was sold to Columbia Records who failed to include Cargoe in their catalog, which meant that listeners who heard the hit couldn't actually buy the record. “Feel Alright” and their debut CARGOE LP fell off the charts instantly.
The same label troubles caused both Cargoe and Big Star to disband within a short time. Big Star went on to become one of the most beloved and influential bands of the entire decade, while Cargoe pretty much disappeared out of the popular memory.
Ardent Records contracts for distribution with Stax/Volt gave Stax ownership of the master tapes. When Stax went bankrupt in the mid-'70s, ownership of the masters eventually wound up in the hands of Fantasy Records Saul Zaentz, and no one's been able to get the tapes for domestic release.
It's certainly worth noting that after nearly 40 years of producing and engineering countless hit records including ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, George Thorogood, Celine Dion, Björk, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, and many others, Terry Manning to this day regards Cargoe as “the great record he helped make that no one ever discovered”
01. Who Do You Think
02. Take Me Out Tonight
03. Rut
04. Stay
05. Games
06. Seasons
07. Sizzlin'
08. It Won't Be Wrong
09. Believe In Me
10. Together
11. Hurry Up & Wait!
12. Sailing
13. I Don't Want To Lose
14. Do It!
Queen - News of the World 40th Anniversary Edition - 2017
Originally launched in October 1977, News of the World is one of Queen's biggest selling albums of all time.
Opening with two of their biggest hits - "We Will Rock You" (written by Brian May) and the iconic, Freddie Mercury-penned "We Are The Champions" - the band's sixth album went x4 platinum in the US, selling over six million copies around the world.
The new package includes the original album on CD, newly cut from the Bob Ludwig 2011 master, plus two other CDs of recently-unearthed out-takes and rarities from the Queen archives.
It also contains a pure analogue re-cut of the original vinyl LP, straight from the unmastered analogue master mix tapes, and a brand new one-hour documentary, Queen: The American Draem, which has been compiled from backstage footage taken during the band's '77 News of the World tour around the US.
British radio and TV presenter Bob Harris and his crew were granted unlimited access to the band on and off stage, in the recording studio and during rehearsals.
CD 1 - The Original News of the World Album
01. We Will Rock You
02. We Are the Champions
03. Sheer Heart Attack
04. All Dead, All Dead
05. Spread Your Wings
06. Fight from the Inside
07. Get Down, Make Love
08. Sleeping on the Sidewalk
09. Who Needs You
10. It's Late
11. My Melancholy Blues
CD 2 - Raw Sessions
01. We Will Rock You (Alternative Version)
02. We Are the Champions (Alternative Version)
03. Sheer Heart Attack (Original Rough Mix)
04. All Dead, All Dead (Original Rough Mix)
05. Spread Your Wings (Alternative Take)
06. Fight from the Inside (Demo Vocal Version)
07. Get Down, Make Love (Early Take)
08. Sleeping on the Sidewalk (Live in the USA, 1977)
09. Who Needs You (Acoustic Take)
10. It's Late (Alternative Version)
11. My Melancholy Blues (Original Rough Mix)
CD 3 - Bonus Tracks
01. Feeling Feelings (Take 10, July 1977)
02. We Will Rock You (BBC Session)
03. We Will Rock You (Fast) (BBC Session)
04. Spread Your Wings (BBC Session)
05. It's Late (BBC Session)
06. My Melancholy Blues (BBC Session)
07. We Will Rock You (Backing Track)
08. We Are the Champions (Backing Track)
09. Spread Your Wings (Instrumental)
10. Fight from the Inside (Instrumental)
11. Get Down, Make Love (Instrumental)
12. It's Late (Usa Radio Edit 1978)
13. Sheer Heart Attack (Live in Paris 1979)
14. We Will Rock You (Live in Tokyo 1982)
15. My Melancholy Blues (Live in Houston 1977)
16. Get Down, Make Love (Live in Montreal 1981)
17. Spread Your Wings (Live in Europe 1979)
18. We Will Rock You (Live at the MK Bowl 1982)
19 We Are the Champions (Live at the MK Bowl 1982)
Aretha Franklin - A Brand New Me - Aretha Franklin With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - 2017
The 50th anniversary of Franklin’s historic signing to Atlantic Records is being celebrated with the new release.
A Brand New Me was produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman, the men behind If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which recently topped the charts in multiple countries and sold more than 1.5 million copies.
Patrick says: There is a reason that Aretha Franklin is called the ‘Queen of Soul.’ There is nothing more exciting than that incredible voice taking you on an emotional roller coaster ride through her amazing repertoire of songs. To have the opportunity to work with that voice on this project has been the greatest honour and to hear a symphony orchestra wrapped around those performances is breathtaking.
01. Think
02. Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)
03. I Say A Little Prayer
04. Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
05. A Brand New Me
06. A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)
07. Angel
08. Border Song (Holy Moses)
09. Let It Be
10. People Get Ready
11. Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby)
12. You’re All I Need To Get By
13. Son Of A Preacher Man
14. Respect
Given the sheer number of Who compilations over the years -- including The Who Hits 50!, a career-capping retrospective that appeared just three years prior to this 2017 box -- it may be easy to cast a cynical eye upon Maximum A's & B's, which it doesn't deserve. For one, there hasn't been a large-scale Who box set since 1994's Thirty Years of Maximum R&B -- most of the comps have been simple hits collections -- and, secondly, the Who benefit from having attention being drawn to their singles. At the dawn of their career, the Who mastered 7" blasts of pop art and even when Pete Townshend toiled over rock operas, he couldn't resist the pull of a 45, releasing non-LP singles as late as 1972 and hiding excellent songs on B-sides along the way. The Who continued to release singles over three-plus decades, using them as calling cards for reunions or samplers of latter-day live albums, and Maximum A's & B's collects them all, give or take a couple of variations in international markets. Its very comprehensiveness can be something of an Achilles Heel, particularly in the late '80s and '90s when the group were cranking out singles from fine but forgettable live albums, but putting the flops and B-sides alongside the weary warhorses winds up reviving the entirety of the Who's catalog. These oddities provide a bracing jolt of context: when they were Mods, they were grooving with the "Batman" theme -- later revived by the Jam in this arrangement -- saluted the Stones once Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were imprisoned, and invented Brit-pop with the flop "Dogs." After Tommy, some of Townshend's best songs found no room on albums -- "The Seeker," "Don't Know Myself," "Let's See Action," "Join Together," and "The Relay" never found a home -- as did a performance as phenomenal as a live 1972 B-side "Baby Don't You Do It," which has never been reissued prior to this collection. But perhaps the real revelation of Maximum A's & B's is how the 21st century reunion wound up producing bittersweet tunes that serve as an effective elegiac coda to their career. Usually, this latter-day material seems like an afterthought, but thanks to the weight of this box, it's given its proper space and helps illustrate just how remarkable the entirety of the Who's career is.
Disc: 1
01. Zoot Suit
02. I'm the Face
03. I Can't Explain
04. Bald Headed Woman
05. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
06. Daddy Rolling Stone
07. My Generation
08. Shout and Shimmy
09. Circles (AKA 'Instant Party')
10. Instant Party Mixture
11. A Legal Matter
12. The Kids Are Aright
13. The Ox
14. La - La
15. The Good's Gone
Disc: 2
01. Substitute
02. Circles
03. Waltz For A Pig
04. I'm A Boy
05. In The City
06. Disguises
07. Batman
08. Bucket T
09. Barbara Ann
10. Happy Jack
11. I've Been Away
12. Pictures Of Lily
13. Doctor, Doctor
14. The Last Time
15. Under My Thumb
16. I Can See For Miles
17. Someone's Coming
18. Dogs
19. Call Me Lightning
20. Magic Bus
21. Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Disc: 3
01. Pinball Wizard
02. Dogs Part Two
03. The Seeker
04. Here For More
05. Summertime Blues
06. Heaven And Hell
07. See Me Feel Me / Listening To You
08. Overture From Tommy
09. Christmas
10. I'm Free
11. Won't Get Fooled Again
12. Don't Know Myself
13. Let's See Action
14. When I Was A Boy
15. Join Together
16. Baby Don't You Do It
17. Relay
18. Wasp Man
Disc: 4
01. 5:15
02. Water
03. Listening To You / See Me Feel Me (Soundtrack Version)
04. Overture (Soundtrack Version)
05. Squeeze Box
06. Success Story
07. Who Are You
08. Had Enough
09. Long Live Rock
10. My Wife (Live)
11. 5:15 (Soundtrack Version)
12. I'm One (Soundtrack Version)
13. You Better You Bet
14. The Quiet One
15. Don't Let Go The Coat
16. You
Disc: 5
01. Athena
02. A Man Is A Man
03. Eminence Front
04. It's Your Turn
05. Twist And Shout (Live)
06. I Can't Explain (Live)
07. Bony Maronie (Live)
08. Join Together (Live)
09. I Can See For Miles (Live)
10. Behind Blue Eyes (Live)
11. Real Good Looking Boy
12. Old Red Wine
13. Sound Round
14. Pick Up The Peace
15. Endless Wire
16. We Got a Hit
17. They Make My Dream Come True
18. Mirror Door
19. I Can't Explain (2014 Stereo remix)
The musician and author Spartacus R., one of the founding members of the acclaimed 70s band Osibisa, passed away on 30 July 2010 after battling cancer. He was 61.
Born Roy Bedeau in Aruba, West Indies, Spartacus moved to London with his family at the age of 12. His musical career began in earnest in 1969 as a founder member of Osibisa, where he played bass guitar, percussion and vocals.
Fusing rhythms from Africa with rock and jazz, Osibisa played a central role in developing an awareness of African music among European and North American audiences in the 1970s, bringing it into the pop music mainstream. Spartacus wrote, co-wrote and produced many of the songs on the band’s first 3 albums, Osibisa, Woyaya and Heads. Osibisa was released in 1971, reaching number 11 in the UK album charts. The album cover artwork featured a flying elephant emerging from a primeval forest and became a classic of its time.
Woyaya and Heads followed suit in 1971 and 1972 respectively. Woyaya reached number 11 in the UK and Art Garfunkel later covered its title track in 1976.
Spartacus left Osibisa in 1972 after the Heads album was released. He continued to pursue music as a solo artist, setting up Zara Music Records and producing albums Third World War, Freedom First, and Africa I See. He also collaborated with other artists, providing background vocals on Eddy Grant’s 1979 hit Walking on Sunshine amongst other projects.
"Africa I See" is one of four successful, self-penned solo albums
released on his own Zara Music Records label. With an acoustic guitar,
ankle bells and some face paint, Spartacus R. travelled the world
playing to audiences of 3 to 300,000 people in Africa, America,
Australia, Europe, Japan.
Jerry Garcia Band - GarciaLive Volume 8 - November 23rd 1991 - Bradley Center - 2017
The eighth installment in the GarciaLive series presents the 's November 23rd, 1991 performance at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. The Fall ’91 tour as a whole is widely regarded as one of Garcia’s finest and this particular Saturday evening serves as a further testament to the legend. Fans in attendance at the Bradley Center braved an intense snowstorm and the audience's palpable energy and enthusiasm was a likely catalyst for this spirited performance. Keyboardist Melvin Seals summarized the group nicely stating "That was the magic band. It’s not that the other scenarios didn’t work out but once we got to that level of the band with (drummer) Dave Kemper, John Kahn, Jerry, myself and the singers, Jackie (LaBranch) and Gloria (Jones) we all knew we had something special. That was the band.”
CD 1:
01. Cats Under the Stars
02. They Love Each Other
03. Lay Down Sally
04. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
05. Reuben and Cherise
06. Money Honey
07. My Sisters and Brothers
08. Deal
CD 2:
01. Bright Side of the Road
02. Waiting for a Miracle
03. Think
04. Shining Star
05. Ain't No Bread in the Breadbox
06. That Lucky Old Sun
07. Tangled Up in Blue
Jerry Garcia - Guitar & Vocals
John Kahn - Bass
Melvin Seals - Keyboards
David Kemper - Drums
Jacklyn LaBranch, Gloria Jones - Vocals
Mollie Marriott is very proud of her heritage (daughter of former Small Faces and Humble Pie singer/guitarist Steve Marriott and step-daughter to singer Joe Brown) but it does not daunt her, she is ready to go it alone and will release her debut album Truth Is A Wolf. Says Mollie, Im really excited about the album. It features a lot of different styles and I think it really showcases my vocals. We had a lot of fun making the album and I hope people enjoy listening to it. I cant wait to perform the songs when we tour with Bad Touch in the UK during November. Mollie began writing the debut album in Nashville and has fond memories of the recording process. She teamed up with Paul Weller whilst recording, who appears on two tracks, Truth Is A Wolf and King Of Hearts
01. Control
02. Broken
03. Truth Is A Wolf
04. Give Me A Reason
05. Run With The Hounds
06. Love Your Bones
07. Transformer
08. Fortunate Fate
09. King Of Hearts
10. My Heaven Can Wait
Dave Mason - Infinite Hall Live april,26,2017 - 2017
Renowned for such Traffic hits “Feelin’ Alright” and “Hole In My Shoe” plus his solo signature tracks “We Just Disagree” and “Only You Know and I Know,” Dave Mason has long history as a guitarist and singer songwriter that should be celebrated. Over the course of his career, Mason has played and recorded with many notable pop and rock musicians, including Paul McCartney, George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, and Cass Elliot. This 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of fame inductee takes us on a journey from his early days as the co-founder of Traffic through his solo recordings today.
01. World In Changes
02. Only You Know And I Know
03. Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave
04. Rock And Roll Stew
05. We Just Disagree
06. All Along The Watchtower
07. Sad And Deep As You
08. Dear Mr. Fantasy
09. Look At You, Look At Me
10. Feeling Alright
Dave Mason - Vocals, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Tony Pattler - Keyboard, Bass, Vocals, Lead Vocal in "Rock 'n' Roll Stew"
Johnnie Sambataro - Guitar, Vocaks
Alvino Bennett - Drums
Tommy Castro's debut CD on 33rd Street Records is one of his best. Guilty of Love features 11 cuts of full-throttle blues that don't let up from the opening "Guilty of Love," through one of my favorite songs done by Delbert McClinton, "Somebody to Love You" and the slow, easy blues of the set's closer, "Dirt Road Blues." The funky instrumental "Naugahyde" lets Castro get more than a little bit funky, and the title cut features the final recording session made by the late, great John Lee Hooker before he passed away on June 21, 2001. If you like your blues a little tinged with rockabilly like I do, check out "Shakin' The Hard Times Loose," which features a rollicking piano by sax man Keith Crossan and the powerful rhythm section of drummer Billy Lee Lewis and bassist Randy McDonald laying a strong foundation for Castro's muscular band of guitar-driven blues. Guilty of Love is one of the best blues releases of 2001, and continues Tommy Castro's fine recording career as one of America's top contemporary bluesmen.
01. Guilty Of Love
02. Stay With Me Tonight
03. Somebody To Love You
04. Blinded In The Face Of Love
05. Whole Lotta Soul
06. Shakin The Hard Times Loose
07. I Ain't Gonna Make That Call
08. Naughahyde
09. Ain't No Fun To Me
10. If You Ain't Lovin You Ain't Livin
11. Dirt Road Blues
Tommy Castro - Vocals, Guitar
Randy McDonald - Bass, Backing Vocals
Billy Lee Lewis - Drums, Percussion
Keith Crossan - Saxophone, Backing Vocals
Andy Aledort & Lucky Peterson - Tete a Tete - 2007
Andy Aledort has been a significant figure in the international music scene over the last 20 years. As a senior editor for the top guitar-oriented music magazines Guitar World, Guitar For The Practicing Musician, Guitar Extra, Guitar Legends and Guitar World Acoustic, among others, his work is unsurpassed as a music transcriber, instructional columnist and journalist.
He has authored over 200 books of guitar transcriptions as well as a series of guitar-related instructional books and videos/DVDs, all of which are distributed worldwide, for the leading music publishers Hal Leonard Corp., Warner Brothers Publishing and Cherry Lane Music.
Aledort is a performing musician as well: along with leading his own ensembles in the New York/tri-state area, he is often tapped for high-profile appearances with artists such as Buddy Guy, Dickey Betts, and the Allman Brothers band.
As a session player, Andy Aledort was called upon to recreate the Band Of Gypsys -era playing of Hendrix for recording sessions with the original Gypsys themselves, Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles, where Aledort was required to recreate note-for-note renditions of Hendrix’s incendiary live performances of “Machine Gun” and “Power of Soul” from the classic Band of Gypsys album. He performed with the Band of Gypsys at both the 2001 and 2002 Street Scene concerts in San Diego, CA, as part of two ambitious Tribute to Hendrix concerts featuring such guest guitarists as Andy Summers of the Police, Slash, Stephen Stills, Mick Taylor of Rolling Stones fame, Vernon Reid (Living Color) and others, as well as the big Jimi Hendrix 60th birthday bash at the EMP Museum, created by Microsoft’s Paul Allen, in November of 2002.
In the summer of 2001, Aledort was tapped for session work with Double Trouble (Tommy Shannon, bass, and Chris Layton, drums), bandmates of Stevie Ray Vaughan, in order to recreate the guitar work of Stevie Ray, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Freddie King, and Johnny Winter. He also appears with Double Trouble on two Hot Licks instructional videos.
Lucky Peterson was born in Buffalo New York and played his first
gig at age three. By the time he was five, he had already recorded his
first single, produced by none other than the legendary Willie Dixon.
Before Lucky turned six, his career had been propelled into the national
spotlight with television appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The
Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and even What’s My Line?
As a
child prodigy, Lucky was somewhat of a novelty act. Now he is a true
blues veteran. Over the last three decades, Lucky has played to
audiences all over the world, dazzling both fans and critics with his
multi-instrumental talents (he plays keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and
trumpet), his soulful vocal style and his youthful approach to the
blues.
Born Judge Kenneth Peterson in 1963, Lucky was raised
on music in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, His father, James
Peterson, was a blues singer and owner of the Governor’s Inn, a northern
version of a Deep South “chitlin’ circuit” roadhouse club. Artists like
Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Muddy Waters and Koko Taylor played there
regularly. Virtually growing up on stage, little Lucky began playing
almost before he began talking.
He started on drums, but after
hearing the famed Bill Doggett one night, Lucky became fascinated by the
huge Hammond B-3 organ. “Bill had a fit trying to keep me from it,”
recalls Lucky. After some lessons from Doggett and the legendary Jimmy
Smith, Lucky focused most of his musical energy on the organ. In his
spare time, he also mastered bass and piano, becoming good enough to sit
in with his father’s band and back touring artists like Lightnin’
Hopkins and Jimmy Reed. “At first, people wouldn’t believe he could play
so well,” says James Peterson. “They would think the organ was rigged.”
By
the time Lucky was five, word of this child prodigy had spread among
the blues community. Willie Dixon, a friend of James Peterson, heard
little Lucky and produced the boy’s first record, a single entitled
1,2,3,4 and a follow-up album for Chicago’s Today Records. The single
hit the airwaves with a bang and the national television appearances
followed.
As Lucky continued to grow, he honed his instrumental
skills by learning from and jamming with some of the best blues players
in the world. When Little Milton’s band came up short an organ player
one night, Milton asked the then 17-year-old Lucky to sit in. One gig
was all it took for Milton to fall in love with Lucky’s playing. He
asked Lucky to join the band permanently. After seven months, Lucky had
become Milton’s bandleader. Opening shows with his own 45-minute set on
vocals and keyboards, Lucky’s three-year stint with Milton led to an
equally long gig with Bobby “Blue” Bland as Bobby’s featured soloist.
During
a break in Bobby’s touring schedule, Lucky headed to Europe on a
package tour billed as “Young Blues Giants.” There he recorded his
second career album this time for the French label Isabel Records. In
1988, Lucky left Bland’s touring band, relocated to Florida’s Tampa Bay
area and began concentrating on a solo career. His reputation quickly
led to regular session work for tiny Florida-based King Snake Records.
His funky keyboards sparked Kenny Neal’s Big New From Baton Rouge!!,
Rufus Thomas’ That Woman Is Poison! and Lazy Lester’s Harp And Soul,
which were all released by the more visible Alligator Records label. In
1989, Alligator released Lucky’s third solo outing, Lucky Strikes! Lucky
co-wrote three songs for the album and played all of the keyboard parts
and all but one of the guitar solos.
Alligator’s promotion
helped to bring Lucky’s music to the attention of radio stations and
music critics nationwide. They liked what they heard. Billboard called
Lucky “…a prodigy whose raw talent bodes well for his future as a
leader.” Keyboard said, “Peterson is a 26-year-old blues master.” The
album received airplay on nearly 200 radio stations nationwide, and
Lucky toured the U.S. several times.
Lucky’s next Alligator
recording, 1990’s Triple Play, picked up right where Lucky Strikes! left
off, again featuring his dynamic organ fills and leads with equal
emphasis on his stinging lead guitar and soulful vocals. The material
blended straight-ahead blues, Memphis soul and funky grooves that placed
Lucky Peterson on the cutting edge of the blues.
01. 'Til My Dyin' Day
02. No More
03. Leavin' to Stay
04. Get Outta My Bed!
05. Not Guilty
06. Tete a Tete
07. C'Mon
08. Talk Is Cheap
09. Tribute to Albert Collins
Lucky Peterson - Guitar, Organ, Vocals
Andy Aledort - Guitar, Vocals
Larry McCray - Guitar, Vocals (7)
Burt Teague - Guitar (2,4,5,8,9)
Froc - Guitar (1)
Mary Taylor - Vocals (1)
Mike Nunno- Bass
John Pell - Drums (2,3,5,7,8)
Jason Arnold - Drums (4,6,9)
Trevor Somerville - Drums (1)
Bruce Feiner - Piano (5), Tenor Sax (9)
Robert Feiner - Tenor Sax
Jamie Finegan - Trumpet
Char is considered one of Japan’s most influential guitarists and an elder statesman of the Japanese music scene. Born Hisato Takenaka in 1955, he took up guitar at age 8 after hearing the Ventures and assembled his first band, Fox, at age 11. Regarded as something of a prodigy, he was heavily influenced by the Ventures and the U.K. blues-rock of the Yardbirds, Cream, Free and Led Zeppelin.
Char started his career as a session player and backing guitarist while still in junior high school before forming Smoky Medicine in 1973 at age 17. He moved to the United States when the group disbanded, but returned to Japan and released his debut solo single (“Navy Blue”) and eponymous first solo album (Char) in 1976. A succession of pop-rock hits followed before Char formed seminal Japanese power trio Johnny, Louis & Char in fall 1978.
01. Help
02. Ticket To Ride
03. Crossroads
04. Going Down
05. Your Time Is Gonna Come
06. Sunshine Of Your Love
07. Jumpin' Jack Flash
08. Purple Haze
Stud began as a trio with Jim Cregan (ex Blossom Toes) (vocals, guitar), Richard McCracken (bass) and John Wilson (drums), the latter pair having split with Rory Gallagher's Taste on 31st December 1970. They were signed by Deram Records. Ex Family violinist John Weider joined the band in June 1971, in time to appear on the debut LP which was released to little acclaim. While the musicianship on show is top notch, some of the material lacks distinction and meanders too often. The LP sold poorly and Deram declined the option of a follow up.
The band had more success in Germany, where Polydor had released the debut in different cover artwork. After some very succesful German tours and TV appearances, Stud signed to the BASF label and released their second album "September" in 1972, housed in a memorable gatefold cover, but they split soon after: Jim Cregan left to join Family on bass in August 1972 and was later in Cockney Rebel and Rod Stewart's band; Richard McCracken left for the Spencer Davis Group. BASF released a posthumous third album "Gooodbye" in 1973, containing a live in the studio performance recorded in May 1972. Wilson joined Brush Shiels mid-70s incarnation of Skid Row, and continued to work as a musician based in Belfast, playing both sessions and live work
Jim Cregan - vocals, guitar
John Weider - violin, guitar (June 1971 onwards)
Richard McCracken - bass
John Wilson - drums
01. Sail On
02. Turn Over the Pages
03. 1112235
04. Harpo's Head
05. Horizon: Part 1: Here - Part 2: There
06. Song
Humble Pie - Official Bootleg Box Set Volume 1 - 2017
Humble Pie’s “Official Bootleg Box Set Volume 1” is a raw testament to what this band did best; playing bluesy, gutsy, soulful and often hard rock, live on stage to an adoring audience. Drawn from a variety of mainly audience recordings that have previously only been available as “under the counter” pirate releases, this is an honest, and often unforgiving, tribute to a classic and much missed 70s supergroup.
Originally emerging from the remnants of 60s beat heroes, The Small Faces, Humble Pie formed in 1969 when guitarist and vocalist Steve Marriott joined forces with Peter Frampton, drummer Jerry Shirley and bassist Greg Ridley, and signed to Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate label.
After two albums for Immediate, Humble Pie switched to A&M Records, and began their ascent to conquering the theatres, then arenas of North America, culminating in 1972’s double live “Performance: Rockin’ The Filmore”. Frampton would leave to pursue a highly successful solo career, to be replaced by Clem Clempson, and it was this line-up that was captured at the Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago on 22nd September 1972, whilst touring to promote that year’s “Smokin’” opus, from which ‘Hot ‘n’ Nasty’ and ‘C’mon Everybody’ were taken.
With the band’s growing worldwide reputation, the band toured Japan, playing the Shibuya Kokaido in Tokyo on 16th May 1973, whilst promoting their “Eat It” album, from which Ray Charles’ ‘I Believe To My Soul’ was featured, and with a set that ended with a rip-roaring take of the Staple Singers’ ‘Oh La-De-Da’.
There’s no doubting that the 70s saw some unmissable bills, and the show held at Charlton Athletic Football Ground on 18th May 1974 was no exception, where Humble Pie guested alongside Lou Reed and Bad Company at a concert headlined by The Who. Kicking off with the Small Faces’ debut classic ‘Whatcha Gonna Do About It’, Humble Pie were at the peak of their live powers before a capacity crowd, including ‘Thunderbox’, the title track from that year’s new LP, in their set. CD Three ends with four songs recorded at Finbury Park’s legendary Rainbow Theatre, on 6th June 1974.
As well as plenty of rare memorabilia, the booklet features an essay from Malcolm Dome based on new interviews with Pie drummer, Jerry Shirley.
Whilst every effort has been made to produce the best possible audio, limitations in the material drawn from various, non-standard, and unoffical sources means that the quality may not be up to the standard usually expected. All tracks have been included for their historical importance, and to present an alternative anthology of Humble Pie live on stage from 1972-1974.
CD 1 - Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago 22nd September 1972
01. Introduction
02. Up Our Sleeve
03. C'Mon Everybody
04. Honky Tonk Women
05. I Wonder
06. Hallelujah (I Love Her So)
07. I Don't Need No Doctor
08. Hot 'N' Nasty
09. Four Day Creep
CD 1 - Shibuya Kokaido, Tokyo 16th May 1973
10. Up Our Sleeve
11. Tokyo Jam
12. C'Mon Everybody
CD 2 - Shibuya Kokaido, Tokyo 16th May 1973
01. Honkey Tonk Women
02. Steve's Little Jam
03. I Believe To My Soul
04. 30 Days In The Hole
05. Road Runner
06. Hallelujah (I Love Her So)
07. I Don't Need No Doctor
08. Hot 'N' Nasty
09. Oh La-De-Da
CD 3 - Charlton Athletic Footbal Ground 18th May 1974
01. Introduction
02. Whatcha Gonna Do About It
03. Thunderbox
04. Sweet Peace And Time
05. 30 Days In The Hole
06. Let Me Be Your Lovemaker
07. C'Mon Everybody - I Want A Little Girl
08. I Don't Need No Doctor
CD 3 - Rainbow Theatre, London 6th June 1974
09. Thunderbox
10. 30 Days In The Hole
11. Sweet Peace And Time
12. C'Mon Everybody
