ONLY GOOD SONG

domingo, 10 de junho de 2012

The Good Old Boys - Live At The Deep Purple Convention

The Good Old Boys - Live At The Deep Purple Convention

review by Stuart A Hamilton

A concert staged for a convention commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the formation of Deep Purple saw The Good Old Boys taking the stage of Esquires in Bedford. In case you don't know, The Good Old Boys feature original Deep Purple bassist Nick Simper along with his former Warhorse / Fandango colleague Pete Parks on guitar. Add in former Strawbs drummer Richard Hudson, ex Renaissance guitarist Simon Bishop and one time Jo Jo Gunne vocalist Alan Barratt, and you've got a fair pedigree going on.

However, nowadays they're largely content to play other peoples songs in the manner of a glorified bar band, as they tackle blues, soul and rock'n'roll chestnuts from the likes of Eddie Cochran, former Simper employer Johnny Kidd, ZZ Top and Fleetwood Mac. They do tip their hat to Deep Purple with their version of 'Hush', and a fine version it is too. It's the sound of a really great night out, and if you stumbled into one of their shows, then you're pretty much guaranteed a good time. My favourite was their take on The Temptations classic, 'Shakey Ground', a tune also covered once upon a time by Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden on his "Look At Me Now" album (as well as being issued as a single).

Whether this translates onto CD is another matter altogether, although the musicians involved do put on a fine performance, and I'm quite happy to have it sitting here in my collection. The CD comes with a 12 page colour booklet with band biographies and photos from the soundcheck and show, including one of Simper alongside his replacement's replacement, Glenn Hughes.

Alan Barratt - Vocals
Simon Bishop - Guitar, Vocals
Peter Parks - Guitar, Vocals
Nick Simper - Bass, Vocals
Richard Hudson - Drums

01. I'm Ready
02. A Fool For Your Stockings
03. My Way
04. Shakey Ground
05. Sleepwalk
06. Twenty Flight Rock
07. Somebody To Love
08. Don't Worry Baby
09. C'mon Everybody
10. Shakin' All Over

11. Oh Well
12. Hush
13. All My Rowdy Friends Are Comin' Over Tonight

+@320

+@booklet

sexta-feira, 8 de junho de 2012

Head West - Head West

Head West - Head West - 1970

Head West foi uma banda baseada em Paris, França e hoje ela é conhecida por abrigar o vocalista e guitarrista Bob Welch, que esteve com o Fleetwood Mac a partir de 1971. Tanto que este álbum foi relançado mais tarde como sendo mais um dos discos da carreira solo do guitarrista, adquirindo o nome de "Bob Welch with Head West" (mais um exemplo de honestidade e respeito pelos músicos). A banda tinha ainda Bobby Hunt nos vocais e orgão e Henry Moore na bateria e vocais.

Bob Welch

Bob Welch, que desfrutou de uma carreira solo de sucesso, morreu ontem, quinta-feira, aparentemente cometendo suicídio em sua casa em Nashville. Aos 66 anos e sofrendo de problemas de saúde não revelados, ele deixou um bilhete de despedida que foi encontrado junto a seu corpo por sua esposa.

Para Mick Fleetwood, que era seu agente durante a carreira solo, a notícia de sua morte foi "incrivelmente contraditória", pois, segundo ele, o guitarrista era um ser humano inteligente e sempre o encontrava de bom humor.

A morte dele junta-se à de outro ex FM, Bob Weston, ocorrida em janeiro.

NB: Sei não! Acho que daqui a pouco esse blog só terá postagens de artistas mortos. Se bem que jamais postarei Andy Gibb :)

01. Head West
02. People
03. Hurry Up
04. Changes
05. Tired of Hangin' On"
06. Faces
07. Attention
08. Czar
09. Someday
10. Straight Down
11. Starchild
12. Costalarico
13. Victória (Bonus Track)

Bob Welch – Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Robert Hunt – Vocals, Organ
Henry Moore – Vocals, Drums, Percussion

+@192

Albatross - Everybody's Got The Blues

Albatross - Everybody's Got The Blues - 1995

Albatross foi uma banda de blues liderada pelo guitarrista irlandês Barry McCabe. O primeiro lineup vem de meados dos anos 70 - com outro nome - e a banda mudou de nome depois do álbum homônimo do Fleetwood Mac.

Duas das principais influências de Barry são Rory Gallagher e Peter Green e a Albatross assim como estas influências, passeia pelo rock rápido e direto de Rory, com seus blues à Fleetwood de seus melhores anos, como pode ser ouvido em "I don't know your name".

No final de 2010, inicio de 2011, o grupo voltou a reunir-se para uma série de shows pela Europa, inclusive com a promessa de lancarem mais um álbum.

Barry McCabe - Guitar, Vocals
Mark Feltham - Harmonica
Johnny Fean - Guitar
Pat Mc Manus - Guitar

01. Intro & Too Late Now
02. Fine, Fine, Fine
03. Feel So Good
04. I Don't Know Your Name

05. Move It On Over
06. Prisoners Of Consience

07. Intro 2 & Someone I Used To Know
08. Never Say Die
09. Full Moon On Main Street
10. Freddy Wants Your Cadillac
11. Talk To Your Daughter
12. Sweet Little Angel
13. Night Time People
14. Tempted

Tracks 1-7 - recorded live in Lille and originally realesed in 1990.
Tracks 8-16 - recorded live at the Independence Day Festival in Norway.

+@320

sábado, 2 de junho de 2012

Henry McCullough - Hell of a Record

Henry McCullough - Hell of a Record - 1984

Henry McCullough was one of the busier guitarists in England during the 1970s, and has played alongside such stars and superstars as Joe Cocker and Paul McCartney. Born in Portstewart, Northern Ireland in 1943, he took up the guitar as a boy and was playing in the Irish show band the Skyrockets in the mid-'60s. After a few years of playing dancehalls, he decided to move his career to the next phase -- he'd met three other players, Ernie Graham (guitar/vocals), Chris Stewart (bass), and Dave Lutton (drums), from a show band called Gene & the Gents, and together they formed the People, later renamed Eire Apparent. Their sound was a mix of blues, pop, and psychedelia, with a commercial and virtuoso edge to the playing and singing. They jumped into the big time after a move to London and being signed by Chas Chandler and Mike Jeffery, the managers of Jimi Hendrix -- from obscurity, they were suddenly thrust into Hendrix's orbit, touring England and then America in support of the legendary guitarist.