Bob Lance (B. Lance) - Rollin' Man

Bob Lance (B. Lance) - Rollin' Man - 1972

Bobby Lance was a noted songwriter and blue-eyed soul man who enjoyed a successful career as a tunesmith and arranger, while winning a cult following for his recording career without making much of a dent on the sales charts. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bobby lost his parents at a young age, and the primary responsibilities of looking after him fell to his sister Fran Lance, 17 years older than her brother. Fran was a classically trained pianist, and Bobby developed a strong interest in music. When Fran married Norm Robins, he noticed Bobby's budding talent as a singer and composer, and as Bobby started writing songs in collaboration with Fran, Norm believed Bobby had the potential to be a pop star. Norm kicked in the money to record Bobby's first single, "Baby, I'm Gone," and while the record didn't sell very well, it got Bobby's foot in the door of the music business. In 1962, the vocal group the Escorts (led by future record producer Richard Perry) cut one of Bobby Lance and Fran Robins' tunes, "I Can't Be Free," and a year later, when lead singer Goldie Zelkowitz left the Escorts, Bobby was brought in to sing with the combo. (Zelkowitz later enjoyed greater success as a singer and producer under the name Genya Ravan.) While the Escorts broke up after two more singles, Bobby and Fran continued to enjoy success as songwriters, and Bobby began branching out as an arranger. By 1968, Bobby had been hired as an arranger and songwriter for Atlantic Records; Bobby tried to place a song he'd written, "The House That Jack Built," with Aretha Franklin, but when Franklin's A&R people expressed an initial indifference, Bobby persuaded R&B diva Thelma Jones to cut the tune. To Bobby's surprise, Franklin and her producers had a change of heart about the song, and Aretha's version of "The House That Jack Built" ended up trouncing Jones' on the charts.

By the end of the '60s, Fran and Bobby began going their separate ways as songwriters, and in 1970 Bobby began work on his first solo LP as part of his Atlantic deal. However, in hopes of expanding his profile as a tunesmith, Bobby had signed a conflicting songwriting deal with Motown Records, and by the time the lawyers had settled the matter, Motown was owed part of the royalties on Bobby's upcoming album. By the time it was released by Atlantic's Cotillion subsidiary in 1971, Bobby's debut album, First Peace, received little notice, in part because Atlantic was reluctant to promote an album that would earn profits for another label. While First Peace was inspired by Southern soul -- and Bobby's vocals were a perfect fit for that style -- Lance took his music in a more rock-oriented direction for his follow-up, 1972's Rollin' Man, which was released under the moniker B. Lance. The album fared no better in the marketplace than First Peace, even though unlike the debut, Atlantic released a single from Rollin' Man ("Rock Your Own" b/w "Hot Wood and Coal") in hopes of promoting radio play. Rollin' Man marked the end of Bobby Lance's contract with Atlantic, and his lack of commercial success as a performer made it difficult for him to land a new record deal. Lance stepped away from music, relocated to Tarrytown, New York, and took up a career in education, though he continued to write and perform in his spare time

01. Bar Room Sally

02. Hot Wood And Coal

03. Something Unfinished

04. She Made Me A Man

05. John The Rollin' Man

06. Last Stop Change Hands

07. You Got To Rock Your Own

08. He Played The Reals

09. A Tribute To A Woman

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Clare Torry - Heaven In The Sky

Clare Torry - Heaven In The Sky - 2006

Clare H. Torry is a British singer, well-known for improvising and performing the wordless vocals on the song "The Great Gig in the Sky" on Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.

01. Intro- British Caledonian

02. Midnight Train

03. The Music Attracts Me

04. Love For Living (Backed By Man)

05. Carry On Singing My Song

06. Theme From Film 'Oce'

07. Heaven In The Sky

08. Love For Sale

09. I Always Seem To Wind Up Loving You

10. Love Is Like A Butterfly (from butterflies)

11. Warming And True

12. I Know What I Like Best

13. Knock Knock Who's There

14. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat

15. My Boyfriend's Back

16. One Way Street

17. Well Done

18. It's All Over

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Dennis Yost - Traces of The Past

Dennis Yost - Traces of The Past - 1982

This is a collection of Soft Rock & Pop gems from Florida born singer Dennis Yost. Recorded in 1982, "Traces of the Past" was originally released on Phonorama Records and features his reflective rentitions of a number of his past hits made famous in his time with the group 'Classics IV' including 'Spookey', 'Traces' and 'Stormy'. 

01. Taking the Long Way Home

02. Traces

03. Spooky

04. Hooked on a Feeling

05. I Go Crazy

06. Stormy

07. Desperado

08. Everyday with You Girl

09. I Just Want to Be Your Everything

10. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

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Carl Palmer - Do You Wanna Play, Carl? The Carl Palmer Anthology

Carl Palmer - Do You Wanna Play, Carl? The Carl Palmer Anthology - 2001

This double-CD set raises a lot of questions and red flags, though most of the doubts will be resolved by the music itself. For starters, the first disc, credited to Emerson, Lake & Palmer in terms of its focus, is a tiny bit of a cheat, since it's not a truly comprehensive look at Palmer's contribution to the latter group -- it consists largely of Palmer's solo work within the context of the group name, all dating from 1977's Works (which was essentially three solo albums and a group side) or later, some as late as 2001, and that material only tells part of the story of Palmer's work with the group. Additionally, the structure of the set is a little odd -- on an intellectual level, it is understandable why this double CD was arranged the way it was, with the ELP tracks on disc one, while disc two covers the periods before and after; the ELP stuff is qualitatively different from the rest, as music, in terms of its goals and what Palmer was doing. It's also probably the main selling point to lots of fans -- it's just a pity that the set is arranged this way, because it relegates a pair of supremely attractive mod-era tracks by Palmer's first band to record, the Craig, to a secondary position, and it leaves "Love Light" by the Liverpool group the Chants -- for whom Palmer played drums on that song -- in a similarly neglected spot, and does a similar disservice to Atomic Rooster's "Decline and Fall."

In fairness, however, the set does encompass virtually the entirety of Palmer's career and art, or at least the accessible high points; from his beginnings as a potentially top-ranked session drummer (he could have been the percussionist's answer to Jimmy Page) to his emergence as a member of Atomic Rooster, listeners get a sketchy but satisfying view of his developing ambition. Asia is represented by "Heat of the Moment," and the material by Palmer's more pop-oriented group P.M. is eminently accessible. The 3 project material shows a mix of pop and progressive sensibilities that should have proved more popular than it did (their version of "Eight Miles High" is fun). And the disc ends on a deeply personal note, with a live performance by Palmer with the Buddy Rich Orchestra -- an acknowledgment of Palmer's debt to the legendary jazz drummer (whom he got to know in the later years of his life) -- playing "Shawnee." The ELP material is all on disc one, and it is also sketchy -- the more developed 1977 version of "Tank" is present, and it is the earliest composition represented, but obviously Palmer's contributions to the trio go deeper than a track such as that; the opening section of "Tarkus" could just as easily have been included. In Palmer's case, as opposed to that of his bandmate Keith Emerson, at least his reach doesn't exceed his grasp -- "Concerto for Percussion" by Joseph Horovitz is well within his abilities as a player and does, indeed, give him an opportunity to say something with his playing in a classical context. The sound is excellent apart from the latter track, and the annotation is very thorough, if a bit disjointed.

01. Concerto For Percussion - ELP

02. The Enemy God Dances With The Black Spirits - ELP

03. The Pancha Suite - ELP

04. Bullfrog - ELP

05. Toccata - ELP

06. Close But Not Touching - ELP

07. LA Nights - ELP

08. Canario - ELP

09. Tank - ELP

10. Two Part Invention In D Minor - ELP

11. Fanfare For The Common Man - ELP

12. March Militaire - ELP

13. I Must Be Mad - The Craig

14. Suspense - The Craig

15. Love Light - The Chants

16. Decline And Fall - Atomic Rooster

17. You've Got Me Rockin' - Carl Palmer's PM

18. Dynamite - Carl Palmer's PM

19. Mount Teidi - Mike Oldfield

20. Ready Mix - Mike Oldfield

21. Heat Of The Moment - Asia

22. Wildest Dreams - Asia

23. Time Again - Asia

24. Desda La Vida: La Vista/Frontera/Sangre De Toro - 3

25. Eight Miles High - 3

26. Hoedown (Live) - Qango

27. Shawnee (Live) - Carl Palmer/Buddy Rich Orchestra

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The Jook - Different Class (Repost)

The Jook - Different Class - 1974 (2005 Remaster)

A first ever collection of all the singles and unreleased studio recordings by this seminal UK pop punk outfit with close links to Sparks , whose track Aggravation Place is one of the highlights of the recent Glitterbest set.  The Jook were the brainchild of Sparks manager John Hewlett, who introduced guitarist Trevor White to singer-songwriter Ian Kimmett, and recruited bassist Ian Hampton and drummer Chris Townson. He secured a record deal with RCA; a publishing contract with Mickie Most, who signed them without even hearing a note and a monthly residency at The Sundown in Edmonton, North London. 


The Jook released five singles (one of which Oo Oo Rudi inspired early Irish label mates of the Undertones to name themselves Rudi )- and recorded an unreleased album called "Different Class" - to little commercial success. The final nail in the coffin was when they were unable to promote their last single, Bish Bash Bosh, after their tour with The Sweet had been cancelled. The anthemic Aggravation Place dates from their last recording session in 1976, which later appeared as an EP on Bomp in the US and Chiswick in the UK in 1978. Trevor White: "The best thing we ever done, everything just as we wanted, and if we'd stayed together we might have had the breakthrough." As soon as the session was finished White and Hampton jumped ship and joined Sparks, who were enjoying their first taste of success with This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us, and stayed with them for two albums. Kimmett remained in the business and ran Bearsville Records for Albert Grossman. Today the US market for 70s power pop has embraced the Jook, whilst elsewhere such as the UK and Japan the market for proto punk has equally identified the Jook for re-appraisal.

01. Different Class
02. Aggravation Place
03. Watch Your Step
04. Bish Bash Bosh
05. Oo-Oo-Rudi
06. King Kapp
07. Alright With Me
08. Everything I Do
09. Rumble
10. Cooch
11. La La Girls
12. Do What You Can
13. That's Fine
14. Mohair Sam
15. Movin' In The Right Direction
16. Crazy Kids
17. City & Suburban Blues
18. Hey Doll
19. Shame Shame Shame
20. Jook's On You
21. Everything I Do (Ian Kimmett Demo) (Bonus Track)
22. Aggravation Place (Ian Kimmett Demo) (Bonus Track)


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TORQUE - 103103

TORQUE - 103103

From Steve Luongo's Blog

Late in 2001 Steve Luongo and fellow Rat Race Choir member, guitarist Mark Hitt formed the progressive rock band TorQue. The two musicians co-wrote 11 songs for the debut album titled TorQue 103103.  The original band was started as a power trio with Mark Clarke (Billy Squier) on bass and vocals.  This line up was joined in the studio by Chris Clark on keyboards. The new quartet served as the backing band for 2 tracks on the CD Songs From The Material World - A tribute to George Harrison on Koch Records.  They performed with Leslie West on "Old Brown Shoe" and John Entwistle on "Here Comes The Sun."  The tracks were produced by Steve Luongo.

While recording 103103 Mark Clarke was tapped by his former band for a tour. Luongo & Hitt added bassist Jeff Ganz(Johnny Winter).  Luongo served as producer and lead vocalist in addition to his usual spot as drummer.  Both Luongo and Hitt have said that 103103 is among their proudest musical achievements. TorQue 103103 is considered to be a huge step in their progressive musical journey which began in 1974.  TorQue toured nationally in 2003-2005. 

The band has also backed up some familiar names on the live concert stage.  Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Buck Dharma (Blue Oyster Cult), Eddie Money and Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) to name a few. Mark and Steve recorded and toured in 2007 with Brian Johnson & Cliff Williams (AC/DC).  They also performed a set of Cream material with bass legend Jack Bruce for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

After a break Luongo and Hitt reformed the band as a trio with bassist Larry Hobbs.  They played some one off gigs in 2011 including an appearence at the famed Playboy Mansion in LA.  The band recently invited Tommy Zvoncheck(Blue Oyster Cult) to fill the keyboard seat and is once again performing as a four piece group.  This progressive rock band is looking forward to playing some "prog" festivals in the fall.  Dates will be announced here and on all of the band's media outlets.  

01. Hard Time

02. Too Much Talk

03. When You See The Light

04. I Won't Be Coming Back

05. Take Me

06. Is Anybody There

07. I'll Be Watching

08. We Live For Today

09. Lucky One

10. Rippin'

11. The Horror Rock Suite (Horror Rock/ PI/ Nightmare)

Steve Luongo - Drums, Lead Vocals

Jeff Ganz - Bass, Backing Vocals 

Mark Hitt - Guitar, Backing Vocals

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