tisdag 30 april 2013

FAT MATTRESS 583 056 (-69) UK

Noel Reddings first album after quitting Jimi Hendrix Experience. I got off on the wrong foot with it from the beginning. Big Hendrix fan in the late sixties and still digesting "Electric Ladyland" I wanted more of the same. There were already rumours both Hendrix and Mitchell participated on it so I expected heavy guitar psych and wild things. But it was nothing like that. Mitchell and Hendrix are only on one track - "How Can I Live" - (uncredited) handeling the rythm section and the total outcome more like Moby Grape or Byrds. Indeed good inspiration, but since it didn't fit my expectations I was grimly disappointed and put it away. Today, only recognizing it as another groups debute album, I'm enjoying it differently. Most of the songs were co-written by Redding and Neil Landon (former "Ivy League" and "Flower Pot Men") for the latters planned solo album. But with Landons former band mates as session musicians and Redding already aboard, they decided to cancel the solo project and launch it as a group effort. I'm hearing a blend of the US and UK scenes at the time - some pop, some prog, but mostly a kind of soft melodic psych. The band produced themselves, probably with some help from top engineer George Chkiantz (who also worked with Hendrix, Small Faces, Rolling Stones and Family). There's well written songs played by experienced musicians, but still a little anonymous - and apart from the single "Magic Forrest" reaching #11 in Holland it didn't do very well commercially. To my taste it has at least three top numbers - "All Night Drinker" with Traffic's Chris Wood guesting on flute, "Magic Forrest", and the dreamy psych number "How Can I Live". First US on ATCO (SD 33-309) came with other cover design. Premiere UK had label as shown here and laminated cover as a four-way f/o wich can be tranformed into a giant poster. (JHÄ*)

måndag 29 april 2013

ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS/LOVE IS C-8105 (-69) UK MONO

Last album before the groups final break-up, mostly consisting of re-made/extended covers. The original US 2-LP set (MGM SE-4591-2) had a one side medley with songs from Andy Summers and Zoot Money's former group Dantalians Chariot and an earlier Albert King hit "As The Years Goes Passing By" - not included on the UK one LP release. So this comes through more as a pop cover album, somewhat uneven but with at least two top numbers - "River Deep Moutain High" and "Ring Of Fire". The mono sounds OK and may be from US tapes - I've seen catalog numbers of a US mono, not sure if that was for promo or stock release. A single edit of "Ring Of Fire" reached #35 on the UK list, but the album didn't sell at all in England. The public there still wanted the old fashioned r&b Animals and didn't go for the pop/psych style. UK double album re-issue 1973 om MGM (2619 002). First with label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (ÄNÄ*)(YMÖ*)

söndag 28 april 2013

JR. WALKER AND THE ALL STARS/SOUL SESSION TML 11029 (-66) UK MONO

The group was behind the first three issues on Gordy's "Soul" label. Of those this second is the most anonymous, all instrumental and non of the cuts having an obvious hit feeling. Clearly made for dancing and with that purpose it's darn good. A mix of up-tempo and slow movers, tons of bellowing saxes and warm organ to a steady background. The audio on the mono couldn't be better - big, strong and clear. As with their other sixties albums it has a club feeling and lots of presence. I get images of smoky joints, crowded dance floors, high heels and black hats with wide brims. Those days are long gone, but even if the context doesn't exist anymore, the record is still here and the atmosphere with it. Premiere US on Soul label (SM/SS 702). First UK with label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (TÖMÖ*)

lördag 27 april 2013

THE RENEGADES SLP 601 (-65) FINLAND

Birmingham group formed 1960. Never got a breakthrough in England, but gathered following in Finland, Italy and a few other European countries, partly because of their wild stage show. The gangs biggest success came in Finland with a number of hits and sold out concerts 1964-66. They recorded four albums for the Finnish market on Scandia label - no. SLP 600, 601, 602, 603 - where of this is the second, made in Scandia-Studio, Helsinki. It seems no producer was present, only engineer Jouko Ahera. With the wild stage show rep in mind you would expect screaming and pre-punk, but it's more rudimentary britpop - Hank Marvin inspired guitars, primitive organ and vocal harmonies to a basic rythm section. What makes me like it is the untutored feeling, most of it sounds live in the studio, undubbed and uncorrected - pure garage pop. Six of the tracks are self-penned, the best of them a Buddy Holly tribute - "More Than Peggy Sue". Recorded and released in mono only with clear natural audio. First issue had label as shown here, very heavy unflexible vinyl, thin matt cover and "Scandia" logo inner. (SCÄ*)(ÖGÄ*)(CCÖ*) (BRBÄ*)

fredag 26 april 2013

CILLA BLACK/SHER-OO! PCS 7041 (-68) UK

At the time this was recorded she'd become a household name in England. Her two previous albums went top five on the UK list and she had eight top ten singles, whereof two #1. The biggest public break was her TV-show "Cilla", running 66 episodes between 1968-76, guested by the cream of the contmporary pop/rock scene. As a young teen I was mesmerized by the pretty girl with the sparkling eyes and perky style, today it's an admiration with reservations. She has a nice voice as long as it sticks to ballads and calm tunes, but when it gets too strained and chirpy I close my ears. The main reason I still have her sixties albums is the George Martin productions, top notch mixes and clever arrangements - here made by Mike Vickers (former Manfred Mann member and the guy who conducted the orchestra for The Beatles "All You Need Is Love" broadcast and recording). Todays producers and studio engineers should listen to records like this and learn from the best - the audio beats modern digital anytime. Also issued as mono (PMC 7041) - usually I would go for that, but this stereo is a good strong one so it's OK. Don't know of any original US issue. First UK had label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (FÄV*) (PÖX*)(CÄLÄ*)

onsdag 24 april 2013

BLOW-UP E-4447 ST (-66) US MONO

A lot more than just a soundtrack LP. The movie itself was one of the best to come out of the sixties. Made by Antonioni, it was cool, sexy and exciting. I must have seen it at least ten times, always finding new layers and angles. Musically most famous for the Yardbirds live version of "Train Kept A-Rollin" - here slightly re-made and called "Stroll On", probably to avoid lawsuit - with Page and Beck playing together and a guitar smashing scene inspired by The Who:s stage act. It's one of the rawest recordings Yardbirds ever made and the mono mix really captures that. But first and foremost it's a Herbie Hancock album - filled with relaxed sixties jazz, all written and arranged by him, and played by top musicians. So even if you forget about the movie and skip Yarbirds it's still worth having. Not a record I sit down and listen closely to, but a very good mood piece reflecting a better time with other aims and means. The mono version has different edits for some of the tracks and sounds great - big and natural with a cozy feeling. UK -67 release ( MGM C-8039) had black/yellow label and laminated flip/back cover. Early US on ridged or flat label and thick matt cover with ad inner. (YÄB*)(JÄBÄ*) (YZÄ*) (ÖXCÅ*) (ZÖNT*)

tisdag 23 april 2013

TOE FAT 2C 062-04374 (-70) FRANCE

A supergroup in its way and an unexpected combo - the remains of psych/prog band "The Gods"  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-godsgenesis-sx-6286-68-uk-mono.html with clean cut r&b/britpop singer Cliff Bennett  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2013/03/cliff-bennett-and-rebel-rousers-pmc.html . After Bennett's Rebel Rousers split and The Gods in fallow after two unsuccessful albums it was a fuel injection for all. The same kind of happy marriage as Colosseum with Chris Farlowe or Blood Sweat & Tears with David Clayton-Thomas, but unlike those acts it didn't sell and Hensley and Keerslake left after the first album. Hensley went on to form Uriah Heep and wanted Bennett as singer in the new group. He declined and instead decided to continue Toe Fat with a new setting for one more album. IMO this first is a very important LP, connecting three top groups - Gods, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and Uriah Heep. Bennett seems to be in the lead, as singer and sole composer to six of the tracks. It's a combination of psych, prog and hard rock on a solid r&b foundation. There's traces of both Gods and Rebel Rousers, but most tracks reminds of early Uriah Heep. The psychedelic quality comes from Hensley's guitar play, using odd licks and howls. Bennett vocals seems a lot more developed here than on his sixties albums. He was always a good singer, but here he goes deeper and uses a lot more power, reminding of Clayton-Thomas or even Tom Jones. I like this album a lot and most of the songs are favorites. If you haven't heard it yet - here's an exemple http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g0LB36ydDo. First US on Rare Earth (RS 511) had a censored cover with the naked couple to the left replaced by a sheep. Premiere UK on Parlophone (PCS 7097). First French on Odeon as shown here came with laminated flip/back cover. CD issue 2005 on Repertoire Records (REP 4416). (MFÄX*) (ÖRHÄ*)

måndag 22 april 2013

CONTACT/NOBODY WANTS TO BE SIXTEEN MNWL-3P (-70) SWEDEN

The group had existed under different names and settings in Stockholm since 1963. Later in the seventies they got a breakthrough in Scandinavia using a mix of left-wing prog and folk music, all sung in Swedish  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2017/06/contacthon-kom-over-mon-mnw-17-p-71.html  . This debute is surprisingly different - mild garage prog/psych with a cozy feeling and English vocals. I was amazed by the total lack of conformity with their later work till I saw who produced - Kim Fowley. Apparently the US producer spent time in Sweden and took part in a few early productions for the independent MNW label. In this case he engaged them into using English lyrics to enable an international carreer for the group. However after recording the big plans were dropped and the LP released in Sweden only - where it didn't sell at all. Apart from studio work Fowley contributed one track, co-wrote two and helped translating lyrics into English. So here's a bunch of Swedes making their first album in a primitive studio, led and handeled by one of the most eclectic US producers. A strange alloy and it doesn't sound like anything else. Maybe not all beauty, but attractive in its own way. As far as I know this was the only issue, on thick unflexible vinyl and thin f/o cover with "record pocket" inside. (SCÄ*)(ÖGÄ*)(CCÖ*)(NÅY*)

söndag 21 april 2013

THE SUE STORY! ILP 925 (-65) UK

When posting compilations here I keep writing the same phrases - rare on vinyl, non-LP, original mix, hard to find original - and so on. This has it all and more. 1964 UK Island signed a license deal with US Sue label, getting rights to the name and recordings in England. At the same time they also secured deals with a number of other small US labels and started to issue cuts from those under the "Sue" banner, wich wasn't part of the original agreement. It may have been a bad idea back then, but because of that we got this totally unique collection of US '45:s 1959-64, for some of them the only time on LP. It's a strange mix of r&b, jazz, do-wop, blues, soul and pop. Original recordings of songs that later became big hits with other artists, early trials from superstars to be and a bunch of good songs from groups and singers now forgotten. To me this is more than just a compilation - it's rock'n'roll archeology. I'm not going to repeat the whole artist/songlist posted below, but I love having Otis Redding "Fat Girl", Chris Kenner "Land Of 1000 Dances" and Wilbert Harrison "Let's Stick Together" at the same place. Audio shifts from pretty good to rather bad depending on original recordings, but all as it were. First (only?) issue with structured label as shown here, thick unflexible vinyl and laminated flip/back cover. (SÄM*) (GÖJ*) (ÖSÄP*)

lördag 20 april 2013

YES 588 190 (-69) UK

My first Yes LP was "The Yes Album" wich really floored me back then. I went on buying all releases up to "Tormato", listening and investigating every twist and turn. Dazed by the work of Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman I never looked back on the groups earlier work. It was much later I discovered what a fantastic debute this was. The sound and style is already there, but less calculated and more sincere. Early prog with jazzy elements, tempo changes and odd chord sequences, still melodic with pleasant vocal harmonies. There's very nice guitar licks and Peter Banks (1947-2013) does not stand back to Steve Howe. In fact Banks can be seen as a forerunner in prog guitar play on this album. His use of octaves and blend of jazz and rock helped forming a style that has been much copied through the years, not least by Howe. The two covers - "I See You" and "Every Little Thing" - are total re-makes and fits nicely with the six self-penned tracks. The idea of making bombastic arrangements to simple pop songs may have come from Vanilla Fudge and there's also elements reminding of early King Crimson, but the performance comes through all original. Early US on Atlantic with different cover (SD 4283). First UK on plum label with "588 190" number, cover is glossy f/o with pics and info inside, some with lyric insert. (JÄZ*)(ÄTHP*)

fredag 19 april 2013

EARTHA KITT/DOWN TO EARTHA DLP 1087 (-55) UK

For background check my post on the UK issue of her debute "That Bad Eartha". During the short time between the recordings a lot happened. She'd starred in films, made stage performances and had a number of hits. She could do vocals in many different languages wich made her popular and loved by more than just an English speaking audience. Even made a 78 rpm for the Swedish market 1956 - "Rosenkyssar"/"Vid Kajen" (RCA Victor R 511). It's a story worth telling - a coloured girl, born from poverty in North Carolina sings schlagers in Swedish with a French accent and becomes a Scandinavian star. Although this album has same type of songs as the debute with same kind of backing, you can hear how she's become more collected and self-confident. The vocals are 100% secure, allowing her to move from whisper to howl, be playful with the accent and idiom - sometimes expanding the vibrato till it's almost parody. This is a singer in total control trying to draw you in and seduce. Impossible to resist even today - they don't make female artists like that anymore. Early US on 12 inch RCA Victor (LPM 1109). First UK on HMV 10 inch had same tracking as US, label as shown here and fully laminated cover with crescent flips. Later UK on RCA Victor 12 inch (RD-27084). (FÄV*)(NYFÖ*)

torsdag 18 april 2013

SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES/MAKE IT HAPPEN TML 11067 (-68) UK MONO

The fifth Miracles LP I'm posting here. Big fan of almost anything Gordy and his staff did in the sixties - vocals, backing, production and the perfect monos. It's hard to pick a favorite, but IMO this is one of the best albums from that stable. Most numbers written by Robinson, one by Holland/Dozier/Holland and three compositions involving Stevie Wonder. I'm free from work this morning and have listened to it twice already. To my ears all songs have hit potential - Robinsons vocals are clear and emotional with exactly the right tremble and the backing precise. It takes a lot to melt the geezer nowadays, but this does it. Tracks like "You Must Be Love" and "The Tears Of A Clown" goes directly to my heart. Even though it originally produced two hit singles and the album itself peaked at #28 I'd still call it underrated at release. Almost three years later, as the group got more popular in England, a UK re-mix "The Tears Of A Clown" was done and soon got to #1 on the list. That led to re-issue in US where it immediately topped both Billboard and the R&B chart september 1970. Along with the new success the album was re-released as "The Tears Of A Clown" with same cover, tracking and stereo number. This UK mono sounds lovely, without doubt using the original US mix (T-276). First UK had label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (TÖMÖ*) (SXÖM*)

onsdag 17 april 2013

BLUES AT SUNRISE STFID 2165 (-69) UK

The first English blues album was the 1962 Alexis Korner's "R&B From The Marquee" with Cyril Davies. On that they tried to copy the US originals, resulting in a very proper, British kind of sound. Just a few years later the UK scene changed and the blues mixed up with rock and jazz, resulting in "white blues" and prog, big sales and fame. There were a few British admirers who didn't jump on that wagon, but remained with the roots and developed the domestic blues scene closer to the American precursors. Gerry Lockran, Redd Sullivan and Dave Travis were three of those who soldiered on. This issue was a good deed by the Saga/Fidelity label - putting them together and let the alternate British blues scene be heard. It sounds like right-on recordings with few overdubs, the atmosphere and vocals not far from the "Marquee" album seven years earlier - clean US style electric blues with a British idiom. These guys never had a large success, always in the shadow of acts like Bluesbreakers and Cream, still with a strong conviction in what they did and that's worth respect. Not the biggest seller in the genre, but it shows an important part of UK sixties music and therefore a keeper. Don't know of any other issues. This came on thick unflexible vinyl and laminated cover with notes by Alexis Korner as shown below. (SÄM*)(SÄGÖ*)