Harmony Grass - This Is Us

Harmony Grass - This Is Us - 1970 (re 2003)

Harmony Grass' sole LP has a few songs from their late-1960s singles (including "Move in a Little Closer," their only British hit), and it's also filled out by a few Tony Rivers originals and an assortment of covers. This odd, occasionally impressive and sometimes saccharine mix of pop/rock casts the group among the few British exponents of sunshine pop. Sometimes the airplane-commercial harmonies and cheeriness is vacuous. On the other hand, Rivers proves himself a competent emulator of the Beach Boys' most upbeat material on "Summer Dreaming" and "My Little Girl," as well as the Pet Sounds era on "I've Seen to Dream." On yet another hand, with "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Tom Dooley," and the weird "(It Ain't Necessarily) Byrd Avenue," the group sounds like a college glee club, here to entertain for your social function, backed by extremely competent studio musicianship. On "Ballad of Michael," Rivers grapples with somewhat more serious lyrical themes in a tale of a philandering bachelor, but the song also finds him trying to squeeze too many words into too little space. 

01. Move In A Little Closer Baby

02. My Little Girl

03. What A Groovy Day

04. I've Seen To Dream

05. (It Ain't Necessarily) Byrd Avenue

06. Chattanooga Choo Choo

07. Good Thing

08. Mrs Richie

09. Summer Dreaming

10. I Think Of You

11. Ballad Of Michael

12. Tom Dooley

13. What Do You Do When Love Dies

Bonus Tracks

14. Let My Tears Flow (1970 Demo)

15. You And I (1970 Demo)

16. Summer Dreaming (1969 Demo)

17. Walk On By (1969 Radio Session)

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Andy Fraser - Naked... and Finally Free (Re-Repost)

Andy Fraser - Naked... and Finally Free - 2005

 

A classically trained pianist who switched to bass just in time to get his first professional gig at the age of 15, Andy Fraser was best known as a main songwriter and bassist for the legendary and groundbreaking British blues-rock band . When that band exploded due to drug addiction and internal strife, Fraser worked with other musicians, eventually becoming well respected as a hitmaking songwriter based in Los Angeles.

Born in 1952 in London, Fraser took to playing piano at the age of five. Classically trained, he was able to make the transition to guitar without much fuss. Taking up the bass -- at that time still not considered to be the ideal step to rock stardom -- turned out to be the right decision for Fraser. Well, that and making friends with Sappho Korner, daughter of British blues legend , who suggested to a bass player-less  to hire the 15-year-old Fraser. Playing in  (at the time featuring an 18-year-old , who would eventually join ) only lasted until Fraser was 16, and after he was replaced,  put him in touch with guitarist , who, along with drummer  and vocalist , had been on an unsuccessful search for a competent bass player to round out their new band. The resulting band, , eventually signed with  chief Chris Blackwell -- thanks to more help from  -- and became one of the cornerstones in the second wave of heavy British blues-rock, alongside bands such as  and . 's peak came with the single "All Right Now," a critical and commercial smash that was co-written and produced by Fraser.

Although plaudits and commercial success were plentiful for the band, guitarist 's battle with drugs and power struggles with  eventually pulled  apart, once in 1971 and again in 1972. Fraser kept plugging along, forming a number of different bands. The first, Toby, came together during the first breakup of . Consisting of Fraser, guitarist Adrian Fisher, and drummer Stan Speake, the band recorded but came to an end when Fraser chose to join the re-formed  in 1972. The second exodus from  for Fraser, and also his last, came that same year. Fraser lasted just one album with his new band the Sharks --  (vocals),  (guitars), and drummer Marty Simon -- before forming the Andy Fraser Band, with Kim Turner on drums and Nick Judd on keyboards. After two albums, the band split, and so did Fraser. Relocating to California, Fraser set upon creating a new band, the Stealers, but chose not to release the band's work. One of the songs, "Every Kinda People," a song from the sessions, found its way to , who made the song a huge hit on his 1978 U.S. breakthrough LP Double Fun.

Songwriting became Fraser's main trade, and artists such as , , , , and  eventually covered Fraser's song work. As a recording artist, Fraser returned in 1984 as a solo artist, releasing the record Fine, Fine Line. This time, Fraser was vocalist rather than bassist. At this point, personal and health issues took to the fore, with Fraser coming to terms with his homosexuality, coming down with and overcoming cancer, and sadly contracting AIDS. Fraser continued to work, albeit in small quantities and sporadic at best. In 1994, he reunited with  at Woodstock '94 and in 2005 released the solo album Naked... and Finally Free. In 2006, he made his first public appearance since 1994 with two shows in California. Andy Fraser died in March 2015 at his home in California; he was 62 years old.

01. Healing Hands

02. Yours Faithfully

03. Stand Ready

04. Too Far To Turn Back Now

05. Don't Leave

06. All I Want Is You

07. Jungle

08. Hands Of Time

09. Deliverance

10. Someone Watching Over Me

11. Family

12. The Night

13. Standing At Your Window

Andy Fraser - Bass, Vocals

Tariqh Akoni- Guitar (Track 1)

Nathan Kaye - Guitar (Track 5)

Heitor Pereira - Guitar (Tracks 2,3,5-7,9,10)

Michael Landau - Guitar (Tracks 4,8,11,12)

Bobby Lyle - Organ (Track 8); Piano (Track 12)

Tommy Henriksen, Jeff Pilson - Vocals (Track 1)

Todd Simon, Tracy Wannomae, Keef Ciancis, Dan Ostermann - Horn (Tracks 7,9,11)

Dorothy Coleman - Backing Vocals (Track 6)

Niki Haris - Backing Vocals (Tracks 2-9)

Brenda Lee Eager - Backing Vocals (Tracks 2-9)

Erik Peterson - Backing Vocals (Track 10)

Curt Bisquera - Jungle Toms (Track 7)

Luis Conte - Congas (Tracks 2,3,5,9,12); Timbales (Tracks 4,9,11); Djembe (Track 7); Bata Drum (Track 7); Shaker (Track 9,11)

Cameron Stone - Cello (Tracks 2,10)

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Exchanged Links With Blog Partner

Caros amigos

Por alguma razão desconhecida, minha lista de blogs parceiros desapareceu.

Vou tentar reconstruí-la a partir de minhas memórias (não tenho backup)

Então, caso ocorra de você não estiver nesta nova lista, por favor, me avise para incluí-lo.

Dear friends

For some unknown reason, my blog list disappeared.

I will try rebuild it from my memories (I don't have backup)

So if you're not in new list, please let me know and I will add it

😗

Brinsley Schwarz - Last Orders!

Brinsley Schwarz - Last Orders! - 2021 

During its life as a British pub rock band from 1969-1975, Brinsley Schwarz released seven albums. And over the years other archival material has found its way onto various media. 

The latest, and probably final chapter, is Last Orders!, a collection of some of the earliest recordings Brinsley Schwarz made for radio and television, outtakes, rehearsals, home recordings, and unreleased tracks culled from rhythm guitarist Ian Gomm’s personal archive. 

The sound quality varies a bit from track to track, but overall it is fairly decent. The album opens with the previously unreleased “Seymour (I Love You),” a catchy pop rock instrumental dating from 1970, which is followed by a broadcast version of the country rocker “Funk Angel.” Another unreleased song dating from the same time period is “Indian Woman” with its similarity to Neil Young and Crazy Horse, especially “Down by the River.” There is some cool boogie and stride piano on “That’s What It Takes.” “The Old Country” first appeared on the Rarities album and it signaled a change in the band’s direction to a more laidback country rock sound recalling the Grateful Dead and New Riders of the Purple Sage. In fact, some of the vocals sound like Jerry Garcia. 

Quite a nice set of songs that showcase Brinsley Schwarz’ off-kilter approach to what was happening in British music in the early 70s, successfully blending West Coast country rock with their soulful pub rock vibe to create their own unique style.

01. Seymour (I Love You) 

02. Funk Angel

03. Indian Woman 

04. The Old Country

05. That's What It Takes

06. Strange Feeling

07. What Would You Do

08. Crime Of Passion

09. Unknown Number

10. Silver Pistol

11. She's Got To Be Real

12. Country Girl

13. Range War

14. Murder On My Mind

Tracks 1 to 3 recorded live in the studio circa 1970

Tracks 4 to 8 are Silver Pistols era recordings

Tracks 4 to 6 are unreleased studio recordings

Track 7 was recorded live

Track 8 is a home recording

Tracks 9 to 14 recorded live in the studio for a radio broadcast

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Dave Clarke & Noel Redding - The Redding Factor!

Dave Clarke & Noel Redding - The Redding Factor! - 1995 (2021)

Dave Clarke started playing piano at the age of 4 and guitar at 9. His first record in 1963 (at the age of 15) was produced by Luigi Creatore at New York's Roulette Records. Often confused with his Dave Clark Five namesake, his 1971 solo album Pale Horse saw him temporarily renamed as Dave Carlsen. The album featured Keith Moon and Noel Redding.

He also auditioned for David Bowie at the Lyceum in 1971 but didn't go on the Ziggy Stardust Tour.

Clarke formed The Noel Redding Band with Redding, Les Sampson and Eric Bell (after false starts with Pete Kircher, Mickey Gee and Mick Taylor). Despite the name, the band's songwriting and lead vocal duties were shared equally by Clarke and Redding. The band went on to two singles, two albums on RCA (Clonakilty Cowboys and Blowin')[1] and four major US tours. Another album was eventually released later on Dave's own Mouse Record label. He then formed White Line with Jimmy McCulloch and his brother Jack, releasing two singles and one album.

Noel Redding was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress.

Following his departure from the Experience in 1969 and the dissolution of Fat Mattress in 1970, Redding formed the short-lived group Road in the United States, which released the self-titled album Road before he re-located to Clonakilty, Ireland, in 1972. There he formed the Noel Redding Band with former Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell, with whom he released two albums. Although by the 1980s Redding had largely removed himself from the music business, he would later perform around his new hometown with wife Carol Appleby.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1992.

01. Eyes in the Attic

02. Video Show

03. Mexican Dance

04. Full Moon in New York City

05. Eclipse of the Sun

06. Friday's Child

07. No More Christmas

08. Victim or the Crime

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Larry Miller - On The Edge

Larry Miller - On The Edge - 2012

Larry Miller is undeniably one of the must see blues/rock guitarists, bringing his unique showmanship to every performance.  He is famous for his mesmerising guitar playing and high octane shows, wowing audiences in the UK and Europe. Larry will be showcasing his new album ‘Soldier Of the Line’, which is receiving much critical acclaim. From power blues of ‘One Fine Day’ and stomping rockers like ‘Mississippi Mama’ to the beautiful love song ‘Bathsheba’.

One of the hardest working musicians on the live music scene, he was a regular headliner at The Marquee in London and produced a barnstorming set at the Reading Festival. He is now more popular than ever and holds the record for the most encores at The Cambridge Rock Festival. Reviewing the festival the Get Ready To Rock journalist  said  “Crowd reaction to his performance was ecstatic ...Joe Bonamassa watch out, there's another new blues hero snapping at your heels”.

In ‘Classic Rock Presents The Blues’ magazine readers poll, Larry Miller  was voted number 3 only to be beaten by Joe Bonamassa and Walter Trout, plus a 5 page article proclaimed Larry Miller was “Keeper of the British Blues Rock flame”.

“Larry Miller explodes on stage and hits you right between the eyes. Polished, professional and highly entertaining, he serves up faultless playing as well as a lively, fun, hard-hitting show. He is one of the biggest crowd pleasers on the live circuit today and one of the nice guys.  His engaging personality brings a dimension of showmanship to his performances like no other. This powerhouse blues/rocker is filling the niche left behind by Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher. The man has flair, memorable riffs, serious soloing as well as being a great blues vocalist and a consummate showman.”

“Full of intense passion, power, exciting guitar playing with both rockers and ballads. "Elegantly crafted compositions provide sturdy foundations for that deep, expressive soloing style of his and we, for one, are sold.  Blues-rock brilliance." Guitar & Bass magazine.  

“Put Rory Gallagher, Gary Moore and SRV in the ring together and you'd be close….. “

"A rock album with blues undertones; and it's brilliant" Classic Rock Society.  “The new Gary Moore”  Radio Caroline.

If you like Rory Gallagher, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Moore, Walter Trout or Jimi Hendrix, you want to see Larry Miller. This is where blues meets rock.

01. When Trouble Comes

02. The Girl That Got Away

03. Road Runner

04. The Wrong Name

05. Reel Me In

06. We Should Be One

07. The Devil's In The Detail

08. When The Blues Man Walked The Earth

09. The Wrong Name (Part Two)

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Steve Hunter - Hymns for Guitar (Re-Repost)

Steve Hunter - Hymns for Guitar - 2008

Steve Hunter started playing guitar when he was eight years old and has dedicated his life to music. His professional career began in the winter of 1971 when he joined a band called ‘Detroit featuring Mitch Ryder’. With that band he recorded his first ever album and the producer of that album was Bob Ezrin.

A mutual respect developed almost immediately between Bob and Steve and over the course of the next few years they worked on several projects together including 4 Alice Cooper albums, Peter Gabriel’s first solo album which included ‘Solsbury Hill’, and Lou Reed’s ‘Berlin’ album. He later toured with all of the above-mentioned artists as well as touring and/or recording with Julian Lennon, performed with Bette Midler in the movie ‘The Rose’, co-wrote and recorded songs with David Lee Roth, toured and recorded with Tracy Chapman and was involved in scoring films and music production.

(from Steve Hunter´s site)

This CD is a departure from Steve’s rock past but encompasses his unique style of blues and finger picking, with his ever present passion for music and with Bob Ezrin as Executive Producer. ‘Hymns for Guitar’ is Steve’s acoustic guitar arrangements of some of his favorite old American hymns. Many of these great melodies were written in the mid 1800s. “When I was a very little boy....maybe 4 or 5 years old...my grandmother would occasionally take me to Sunday church with her. I always enjoyed the sound of people gently and quietly singing those beautiful old hymns. My main goal was to try to recreate the warm, peaceful sound with acoustic guitars that I had heard as a boy in church.

01. Precious Memories

02. The Old Rugged Cross

03. Jesus Loves Me

04. Angel Band

05. Softly And Tenderly

06. What A Friend We Have In Jesus

07. Sweet Hour Of Prayer

08. Shall We Gather At The River

09. In The Garden

10. Will My Mother Know Me There

11. Just A Closer Walk With Thee

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John Lennon - Plastic One Band (The Ultimate Collection)

John Lennon - Plastic One Band (The Ultimate Collection) - 2021

Although Paul McCartney announced the dissolution of the Beatles in a self-written sheet accompanying his eponymous solo album in April 1970 (“Q. Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles? A. No”), it was John Lennon who, that December on the release of his Plastic Ono Band album,unequivocally closed the account on the group which had dominated and defined the previous decade.

In the song God, after a declaimed litany of abandoned heroes and beliefs (“I don't believe in Bible, Jesus, Kennedy, yoga, Elvis, Zimmerman . . . “) he announced, “I don't believe in Beatles. I just believe in me, Yoko and me”.

Then, farewelling his image, “ I was the dreamweaver but now I'm reborn. I was the walrus but now I am John. And so dear friends, you'll just have to carry on. The dream is over”.

Never had a figure in popular music so openly renounced their position.

Plastic Ono Band was and remains, a courageous, honest, relentlessly self-obsessed and often emotionally lacerating album about his damaged childhood (“Mother, you had me but I never had you . . . Father, you left me but I never left you” on the throat-damaging screams of Mother), insecurities and the price of fame.

Yet for all the hurts poured into Mother, Well Well Well and I Found Out (“don't let them fool you with dope and cocaine, can't do you no harm to feel your own pain”), it is also an album of unadorned lyrics and some endearingly melodic songs such as his letters-to-self, Hold On, the delicate Love (“love is needing to be loved”) and Look At Me (“who am I supposed to be?”).

Born of time in Arthur Janov's primal therapy programme where participants are encouraged to scream out their fears and pain and reconnect with childhood, Plastic Ono Band was the first truly revealing album-as-therapy record (not uncommon these days) but also almost alarmingly spare in places.

Unusually, the co-producer with Lennon and Ono on this classic album was the unlikely figure of Phil Spector whose studio signature was the dense, space-filling wall of sound.

Certainly Well Well Well with Lennon's caustic guitar and the increasingly claustrophobic Mother were assaultive, but with just Lennon on piano or guitars, bassist Klaus Voorman and drummer Ringo Starr on most tracks – and the jibe at the complacent middle-class audience on Working Class Hero (“keep you doped with religion, sex and TV, and you think you're so clever and classless and free”) was acoustic folk – the sound is often spacious and elemental, befitting songs which were refractions of his childhood but also bathing in the promise the present offered.

The songs breathe, unless they need to be claustrophobic as on Mother, Lennon's Plastic Ono Band (Ono's simultaneously released and much derided POB album is much more demanding but exceptional in its own way) was an album which suggested he would move forward with confidence.

But it was not to be: In short order there were uneven albums which contained enduring songs (Imagine), mainstream pop and the mundane in equal measure. None matched the cathartic Plastic Ono Band for artistic integrity and consistent vision.

After a five year hiatus came Double Fantasy– split equally with Ono's songs – which received mixed reviews on release in 1980. In interviews he was optimistic and at peace with himself at 40.

Just weeks later, almost exactly a decade to the day after Plastic Ono Band, the news rippled around the world and numb recognition sank in: the dream was over.

CD 1 - The Ultimate Mixes

01. Mother

02. Hold On

03. I Found Out

04. Working Class Hero

05. Isolation

06. Remember

07. Love

08. Well Well Well

09. Look At Me

10. God

11. My Mummy's Dead

12. Give Peace A Chance

13. Cold Turkey

14. Instant Karma (We All Shine On)

CD 2 - The Ultimate Mixes The Out -Takes

01. Mother (Take 61)

02. Hold On (Take 2)

03. I Found Out (Take 1)

04. Working Class Hero (Take 1)

05. Isolation (Take 23)

06. Remember (Rehearsal 1)

07. Love (Take 6)

08. Well Well Well (Take 2)

09. Look At Me (Take 2)

10. God (Take 27)

11. My Mummy's Dead (Take 2)

12. Give Peace A Chance (Take 2)

13. Cold Turkey (Take 1)

14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Take 5)

CD 3 - The Elements Mixes

01. Mother (Elements Mix)

02. Hold On (Elements Mix)

03. I Found Out (Elements Mix)

04. Working Class Hero (Elements Mix)

05. Isolation (Elements Mix)

06. Remember (Elements Mix)

07. Love (Elements Mix)

08. Well Well Well (Elements Mix)

09. Look At Me (Elements Mix)

10. God (Elements Mix)

11. My Mummy's Dead (Elements Mix)

12. Give Peace A Chance (Elements Mix)

13. Cold Turkey (Elements Mix)

14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Elements Mix)

CD 4 - The Raw Studio Mixes

01. Mother (Take 64)

02. Hold On (Take 32)

03. I Found Out (Take 3 Extended)

04. Working Class Hero (Take 9)

05. Isolation (Take 29)

06. Remember (Take 13)

07. Love (Take 37)

08. Well Well Well (Take 4 Extended)

09. Look At Me (Take 9)

10. God (Take 42)

11. My Mummy's Dead (Take 1)

12. Give Peace A Chance (Take 4 Extended)

13. Cold Turkey (Take 2)

14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Take 10)

CD 5 - The Evolution Documentary Mixes

01. Mother (Evolution Mix)

02. Hold On (Evolution Mix)

03. I Found Out (Evolution Mix)

04. Working Class Hero (Evolution Mix)

05. Isolation (Evolution Mix)

06. Remember (Evolution Mix)

07. Love (Evolution Mix)

08. Well Well Well (Evolution Mix)

09. Look At Me (Evolution Mix)

10. God (Evolution Mix)

11. My Mummy's Dead (Evolution Mix)

12. Give Peace A Chance - (Evolution Mix)

13. Cold Turkey - Evolution Mix)

14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) - (Evolution Mix)

CD 6 - Home And Studio Demo

01. Mother (Home Demo)

02. Hold On (Studio Demo)

03. I Found Out (Home Demo)

04. Working Class Hero (Studio Demo)

05. Isolation (Home Demo)

06. Remember (Home Demo)

07. Love (Home Demo)

08. Well Well Well (Home Demo)

09. Look At Me (Home Demo)

10. God (Home Demo)

11. My Mummy’s Dead (Home Demo)

12. Give Peace A Chance (Home Demo)

13. Cold Turkey (Home Demo)

14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Studio Demo)

CD 7 - The Jams

01. Johnny B. Goode (Jam)

02. Ain't That A Shame (Jam)

03. Hold On (1) (Jam)

04. Hold On (2) (Jam)

05. Glad All Over (Jam)

06. Be Faithful To Me (Jam)

07. Send Me Some Lovin’ (Jam)

08. Get Back (Jam)

09. Lost John (1) (Jam)

10. Goodnight Irene (Jam)

11. You’ll Never Walk Alone (Parody) (Jam)

12. I Don’t Want To A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (1) (Jam)

13. It’ll Be Me (Jam)

14. Honey Don't (Jam)

15. Elvis Parody (Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog/When I’m Over You) (Jam)

16. Matchbox (Jam)

17. I've Got A Feeling (Jam)

18. Mystery Train (Jam)

19. You're So Square (Jam)

20. I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (2) (Jam)

21. Lost John (2) (Jam)

22. Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow) (Jam)

CD 8 - (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

01. Mother - Take 91 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

02. Hold On - Take 18 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

03. I Found Out - Take 7 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

04. Working Class Hero - Take 10 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

05. Isolation - Take 1 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

06. Remember - Take 1 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

07. Love - Take 9 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

08. Well Well Well - Take 5 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

09. Look At Me - Take 3 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

10. God - Take 1 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

11. My Mummy's Dead - Take 2 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

12. Give Peace A Chance - Take 4 (Stripped Down Extended Raw Studio Mix)

13. Cold Turkey - Take 2 (Stripped Down Raw Studio Mix)

14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) - Take 5 (Out-take Raw Studio Mix)

John Lennon - Vocal, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Organ, Piano

Yoko Ono - Wind

Klaus Voormann - Bass

Ringo Starr - Drums

Billy Preston - Grand Piano

Phil Spector - Piano

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