Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Lost Time (Re-Post)

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin - Lost Time - 2015

from AmericanSongWriter

The title of the Alvin brothers’ follow-up to their Grammy-nominated 2014 Common Ground reunion project that found them working together for the first time in 30 years is multi-faceted and bittersweet. Clearly they are trying to make up for that lost time after not working together since Dave amicably left the Blasters in 1987. But more than that, these dozen covers are predominantly tunes that were also lost to time. Phil and Dave dig deep to reveal these hidden blues and R&B gems, then polish, rearrange and unleash them with pent up energy, providing the tracks with new leases on life.

Dave’s short yet informative liner notes explain the disc is also a tribute to ’50s blues shouter and Alvin brothers friend Big Joe Turner, whose photo adorns the back cover. Four tracks are Turner covers and it’s no secret that much of Phil’s distinctive singing style dates back to that of Big Joe. But from the opening guitar and walking bass lick of Oscar Brown, Jr.’s demonic “Mr. Kicks” to the closing acoustic gospel of “If You See My Savior” (one of the few times both guys sing on the same tune), it’s clear the brothers are having a blast reviving songs they obviously love and have influenced them for decades.

Not surprisingly Phil does the bulk of the singing. Even after his near-death scare a few years back, he sounds strong, vibrant and often, as on a version of James Brown’s “Please Please Please” that nearly beats the classic original, stronger and more powerful than ever. Old Blasters piano man Gene Taylor makes a welcome guest appearance on the salacious public domain blues of “Rattlesnakin’ Daddy,” one of Dave’s few vocals, while letting Phil display his dynamic harp abilities.

The twosome takes Willie Dixon by way of Otis Rush’s “Sit Down, Baby” down to the swamp with another of Dave’s baritone vocals and knock Turner’s “Wee Baby Blues” out of the park with a wild Dave guitar solo, searing slide work from Chris Miller and Phil’s emotional singing.

This is a blues album, but with styles that range from ragtime to jump with Chicago, Texas and Piedmont thrown in it’s diverse, fresh and rocking. There’s not a weak track in the dozen making this another candidate for blues release of the year from brothers who almost never got to play another note together. Making up for lost time never sounded so good.

01. Mister Kicks
02. World's In A Bad Condition
03. Cherry Red Blues
04. Rattlesnakin' Daddy
05. Hide And Seek
06. Papa's On The House Top
07. In New Orleans (Rising Sun Blues)
08. Please Please Please
09. Sit Down, Baby
10. Wee Baby Blues
11. Feeling Happy
12. If You See My Savior

+@320

Ice - The Ice Age

Ice - The Ice Age  - 1970 (E2020)

As RidingEasy Records’ highly successful Brown Acid series (now at 10 volumes and counting) proves, there is a massive amount of incredible heavy psych and proto-metal music that has been lost to the sands of time. Case in point, the astoundingly great 50- year-old album The Ice Age by Indianapolis quintet ICE was never even released upon its completion.

In 1970, the band recorded 10 original songs at 8-Track Studios in Chicago, only to break up shortly thereafter. Two of the tracks were eventually released as a 45 in 1972, but confusingly under a different band name, Zukus! The A-side of that single was featured on Brown Acid: The Ninth Trip, which led RidingEasy Records to discover when licensing the track that an entire album had been languishing in obscurity all of this time. The 2-inch master tapes had been shelved and forgotten until recently when The Ice Age tracks were converted to digital and remixed, preserving the sounds of the original vocals & instruments. Finally, half a century later, this 10-song album of radio- ready rock will finally see light of day.

The Ice Age is an exceptional archive of hard edged rock with serious pop hooks akin to something like Grand Funk Railroad meets The Guess Who and The Move. It rocks hard, but is also interlaced with glorious melodic hooks. Had fate been less fickle, this album would’ve long been a classic rock radio staple.

Album opener “Gypsy” is a chiming Byrds-like rocker, with glistening 12-string guitar, organ and somewhat over-zealous vibra-slap. “Satisfy” and “3 O’Clock In The Morning” nicely pair up as the most pop friendly tunes, but with very clever melodies and structures sounding ahead of their time, the latter with an extended entrancing and droning refrain led by shimmering organ run through a Leslie speaker. “Running High” and “Catch You” were the two tracks released in ’72 under a different band name, which received considerable local radio airplay. And, for good reason: Their nice balance of wayward psychedelic pop and troglodyte thunder is exactly what makes The Ice Age so captivating. Album closer “Song of The East” shares the growling glissando and orchestral style that made Vanilla Fudge and The Moody Blues household names.

In the late 1960’s five young men formed a rock & roll band on the west side of Indianapolis, Indiana. They chose the coolest name possible: ICE. The group consisted of vocalist/keyboardist Barry Crawford, lead vocalist/ bassist Jim Lee, drummer Mike Saligoe, lead guitarist John Schaffer and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Richard Strange. They was among the first bands to perform an all original set throughout the Midwest at high schools, colleges & concert venues. They opened for national acts like Three Dog Night, SRC, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others in arenas and theaters.

The Ice Age is truly an incredible and unprecedented find, particularly when we’d all thought the glorious history of rock’n’roll had long ago been written and sealed as complete.

01. Gypsy

02. Satisfy

03. 3 O’Clock In The Morning

04. Copper Penny

05. Catch You

06. Running High

07. I Can See Her Flying 08. Run To Me

09. He Rides Among Clouds

10. Song of The East

+@320

Allan Clarke - My Real Name Is 'Arold

Allan Clarke - My Real Name Is 'Arold - 1972 (RE 2009)

Singer/guitarist/songwriter Allan Clarke is one of the founders of THE HOLLIES ; intermittently, he also has maintained a solo career. Clarke and his childhood friend, , began singing together in Manchester in the '50s. Adding  (bass) and Don Rathbone (drums) (replaced by Bobby Elliott in 1963), they became the Fourtones in 1961 and then  in 1962. By early 1963, when they added Tony Hicks (guitar) and signed a record contract, they had become . Their initial repertoire consisted of American R&B songs (though they soon began to write original material), and their defining characteristic was a strong vocal style, usually with Clarke in the lead and  and Hicks providing harmonies. In the U.K.,  enjoyed consistent singles success, starting with "Just Like Me," the first of 29 chart singles, 17 of which made the Top Ten, with two -- "I'm Alive" and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" -- reaching number one. Their appearances on the U.S. charts were less successful, though they managed to rack up 23 chart singles, six of which hit the Top Ten.  decamped at the end of 1968 to form , but  continued.

Clarke quit in August 1971 and launched a solo career, during which he made three albums: My Name Is 'arold (1972), Headroom (1973), and Allan Clarke (1974). He rejoined  in July 1973, but maintained his solo career, releasing I've Got Time in 1976. He left a second time in March 1978 and made I Wasn't Born Yesterday (1978), but returned in August. His subsequent albums included Legendary Heroes (1979) and The Only One (1980), plus a Best Of compilation in 1981. In 1983,  rejoined Clarke, Elliott, and Hicks in  for the album What Goes Around ... and a reunion tour, after which Clarke, Elliott, and Hicks carried on as .

01. Ruby

02. Mary Skeffington

03. Baby It's Alright With Me

04. Moonshine Whiskey

05. Goodbye

06. You're Losing Me

07. Le Us Prey

08. Patchwork Quilts

09. Walpurgis Night     

10. Bring On Your Smiles

11. Oh ! Granny (Bonus Track)

Allan Clarke - Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica

Ray Glynn - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocal, Mandolin

Roger Coulam - Organ, Piano

Alan Parker,Joe Morreti - Acoustic Guitar   

Dee Murphy, Herbie Flowers - Bass

Eric Dillan - Drums, Percussion

Tony Newman - Bass, Timbales

Gary Booker,  Herbie Flowers, Joe Egan - Piano

+@320 CD RIP

Bulldog - Smasher - 1974 (re-repost)

Bulldog - Smasher - 1974

When the Rascals broke up in 1972, guitarist Gene Cornish and drummer Dino Danelli wasted little time putting together another band.

For the unaware, the Rascals — who were initially called the Young Rascals — held sway as one of the greatest groups of the 1960s. Hailing from Long Island, New York, the band collected a cluster of shiny gold nuggets, including “Good Lovin’,” “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long,” “Groovin’,” “How Can I Be Sure,” “It’s a Beautiful Morning,” and “People Got to be Free,” that keenly mixed punchy rock arrangements with a smooth soul slant.

And so, shortly after the Rascals ceased to be, Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli joined forces with lead singer and bassist Billy Hocher and keyboardist John Turi, resulting in the birth of Bulldog. The band’s self-titled debut album, produced by Gene and Dino, suggested they were off to a very promising start. Dominated by a loose and lively party vibe, Bulldog (Decca Records) stomped and swaggered with the raunchiest of the lot.

Smasher, Bulldog’s second album, appeared in 1974 on the Buddah label, and although credible moments were to be had, sales were weak and the band was then laid to rest. Come 1978, Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli connected with ex-Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson and formed Fotomaker, and they experienced a brief burst of fame with their brand of slick power pop.

Gene Cornish - Guitar
Dino Danelli - Drums
Billy Hocher - Vocals, Bass
Eric Thorngren - Guitar
John Turk -  Keyboards

01. Flamingo    
02. Are You Really Happy Together    
03. Honeymoon Couple    
04. Bad Bad Girl    
05. Brown Eyed Handsome Man    
06. We All Had a Real Good Time    
07. Ooh When You Smile    
08. Rock 'n Roll Hootchie Coo
09. I Tip My Hat    
10. I Tried to Sleep

+@192

Dave Mason - Alone Together AGAIN

Dave Mason - Alone Together AGAIN - 2020

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of his classic first solo album, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dave Mason has reimagined that iconic release with Alone Together.

"The main reason I wanted to reimagine this album was that I was never quite satisfied with how my vocals sounded. I like the songs and I like the performances but I was so young and it was my first solo album. The older I got the more the vocals bothered me and so I finally thought that I would sing the songs the way I first imagined them when I wrote them." Mason continues, "It's a more accurate representation of what I think I sound like. And, of course, with the years comes a maturity and knowing in my voice that I think gives the songs an all new depth. It may have taken me 50 years, but I am now truly satisfied with all of the songs and I really count this as one of my most satisfying artistic achievements."

01. Only You Know and I Know

02. Can't Stop Worrying, Can't Stop Loving

03. Waitin' On You

04. Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave

05. World In Changes

06. As Sad and As Deep As You

07. Just A Song

08. Look at Me Look at You

Dave Mason - Guitar, Vocals

Johnne Sambataro - Guitar, Background vocals

Alvino Bennett - Drums

Tony Patler - Keyboards, Bass

Special Guests:  John McFee, Jason Roller, Jonathan McEuen, Gretchen Rhodes, Bill Reynolds, Jesse Siebenberg, Teddy Jack Russell, Billy Mason.

+@320

Bulldog - Bulldog (re-re-post)

Bulldog - Bulldog - 1973

By Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

Produced and played by drummer Dino Danelli and guitarist Gene Cornish of the Young Rascals, Bulldog's debut in 1972 opens with a heavy version of the Bobby Day number two hit from 1958, "Rockin' Robin," a performance which displays the strength and weakness of this ensemble. Bassist/lead vocalist Billy Hocher is a cross between Bob Tench of the Jeff Beck Group, Ian Lloyd of Stories, and Ralph Mormon of Savoy Brown. On tunes like "Juicin' With Lucy" and "Don't Blame It on Me," the singing becomes overbearing and a bit tedious, despite the journeyman abilities of the ex-Rascals producing this. Interesting that a band called Sweathog in 1971 had a hit with "Hallelujah" and a sound similar to Bulldog. Also worthy of note is that little Michael Jackson took "Rockin' Robin" back to number two nationally the same year this album was released, 1972. There is a real gem here in the song "No," a minor hit in some regions of the country that was written by Hocher and keyboardist John Turi. It suffered the same fate as Stories' excellent "I'm Coming Home," their 1972 almost-hit which is quite similar in sound and performance to Bulldog's "No." The Hocher/Turi songwriting team had some merit, with Billy Hocher's voice a bit more accessible on "You Underlined My Life" and "Have a Nice Day," both songs being somewhat pleasant and more refined than some of the other material here. John Turi gets to sing lead on the almost-funky version of Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business," featuring guitarists Eric Thorngren and Gene Cornish, who deliver a nice riff-rock sludge to augment Turi's boogie-woogie piano. Inevitable comparisons to the Rascals have the band falling short of what was accomplished when Cornish and Danelli performed with Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavaliere. "Parting People Should Be Good Friends" is nice British pop, and that style of radio-friendly songwriting and structure is where this band shines. It's just that the pop sensibilities are offset by the attempted blues of a song like "Good Times Are Comin'," which, unfortunately, holds this album back. Six years later, Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli would form Fotomaker with Wally Bryson of the Raspberries and a lineup similar to the Rascals. Though superior to Bulldog, the problem there as well was that a creative force like Eric Carmen or Felix Cavaliere was missing. The verdict is quite simple -- these energies put into more albums by the Rascals over these lost years is what the fans would have appreciated. Were that the case, "No" might have gotten a huge yes on the charts.

01. Rockin' Robin
02. No

03. Juicin' With Lucy
04. Don't Blame It On Me
05 You Underlined My Life
06. Have A Nice Day
07. Too Much Monkey Business
08. Parting People Should Be Good Friends
09. Good Times Are Comin'
10. I'm A Madman

Dino Danelli - Drums
Eric Thorngren , Gene Cornish - Guitar
Billy Hocher - Vocals, Bass
John Turi - Vocals, Keyboards  

+@320

Tony Joe White - Tony Joe White (Expanded Edition)

Tony Joe White - Tony Joe White (Expanded Edition) - 1971

Tony Joe White (July 23, 1943 – October 24, 2018), nicknamed the Swamp Fox, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit "Polk Salad Annie" and for "Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but which was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970. He also wrote "Steamy Windows" and "Undercover Agent for the Blues", both hits for Tina Turner in 1989; those two songs came by way of Turner's producer at the time, Mark Knopfler, who was a friend of White. "Polk Salad Annie" was also recorded by Joe Dassin, Elvis Presley, and Tom Jones.

Tony Joe White was the fourth album released by Tony Joe White, and the first he released for Warner Bros. Records. It was produced by Peter Asher and recorded between December 1–12, 1970 at Sounds of Memphis Studio and Ardent Recording Studio, Memphis

01. They Caught The Devil and Put Him in Jail in Eudora, Arkansas

02. The Change

03. My Kind of Woman

04. The Daddy

05. Black Panther Swamps

06. Fitness to Purpose

07. A Night in the Life of a Swamp Fox

08. Traveling Bone

09. I Just Walked Away

10. Copper Kettle

11. Voodoo Village

12. Delta Love

13. That On The Road Lool

Tony Joe White - Guitar, Harmonica

Robert McGuffie - Bass

Sammy Creason - Drums

Mike Utley - Piano, Organ

Memphis Horns:

Wayne Jackson - Trumpet

Andrew Love - Tenor saxophone

James Mitchell - Baritone saxophone

Jack Hale - Trombone

Louis Collins - Tenor

Roger Hopps - Trumpet

+@320

100 YEARS !!!!

1921-2021

I've got a feeling twenty-one
Is going to be a good year
Especially if you and me
See it in together