cherry red records
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Mark Wirtz: Dream Dream Dream – The Anthology, 5CD deluxe clamshell box.
I’m delighted to bring to you a long overdue extremely comprehensive 5CD retrospective collection of a man whose name outside of the music business is quite possibly unknown to many people. However if I was to say ‘Excerpt From A Teenage Opera’ (or ‘Grocer Jack’) that it’s often referred to, that would instantly be recognised by any ‘baby boomer’ as one of the most well loved songs from 1967. And we wouldn’t have the record to luxuriate in if it wasn’t for its co-writer & producer Mark Wirtz. When Mark passed away in August 2020 the music business lost, in my opinion, a titan whose name should be up there with the likes of Joe Meek, George Martin, et al. This lovingly put together exhaustive collection of Mark’s work by fan & later collaborator Stephen C Wilson of duo Sound Menagerie is a perfect celebration of a mans lifetime work, a man who was not only a visionary producer but also variously a singer, writer, composer, poet, arranger, painter & even in latter years a stand up comedian. One might say Mark had an embarrassing amount of multi-talents. Born in Strasbourg & brought up in Cologne he moved to London in 1962 where he initially studied performing arts at RADA & had his own beat band The Beatcrackers who were signed to EMI in 1963 as Mark Rogers & the Marksmen, the first of many different names attached to his life’s work & career. By 1965 he had formed his own production company working with big names including Marlene Dietrich. In 1966 he wrote & produced a piece that after ‘Grocer Jack’ is probably his best known piece to the public, the instrumental ‘A Touch of Velvet- A Sting of Brass’ credited to The Mood Mosiac, it was much played on pirate radio & used as a theme by several DJ’s, notably Dave Lee Travis on Radio Caroline. It was his next work that really caught my attention. After accepting an invitation to join EMI as an in-house producer in 1967 & working at Abbey Road alongside Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, Mark started working with Hastings Pier regulars Kippington Lodge & Keith West & Tomorrow, the latter producing psychedelic classics ‘My White Bicycle’ & ‘Revolution. Together with Keith he then embarked on his most famous work the ultimately unfinished ‘Teenage Opera’. This work has been mentioned by industry ‘heavyweights’ Pete Townshend & Paul McCartney as an influence on their own projects ‘Tommy’ & ‘Abbey Road’ respectively. Although ‘Teenage Opera’ was never fully realised it did also produce one of my favourite singles of the 60’s in ‘Sam’ the follow up to ‘Grocer Jack’ another delightful whimsical tale, beautifully realised & produced. This new compilation gives you an unrivalled journey through the ‘opera’ story & so much more as Mark moved into the 70’s. Over 5 CD’s this collection spans the years 1963 on through the 70’s with 131 tracks, featuring outtakes, previously unheard & unreleased material, spoken insights into Marks world, Mono mixes that have been unavailable for over 50 years for some of his most famous work like ‘Grocer Jack’ & so much more. The 5 CD’s come in separate sleeves in a sturdy clamshell box that also contains an exclusive yellow badge & a facsimile letter of the handwritten lyrics to ‘Grocer Jack’ & as an added bonus if you order the set direct from Cherry Red Records themselves you get a bonus digital download of additional tracks. The accompanying 40 page booklet perfectly annotates the tracks with a wealth of detail I sadly don’t have the space to go into here, but rest assured if you, like me, are a lover of 60’s psyche or just want to go on a magical journey of discovery into Mark Wirtz’s fascinating world of diverse musical projects then indulge yourself with this set. Its a cracking start to this years Smart Sounds & 10 years of my association with Cherry Red. Enjoy.
Steve Wilson… Thank you so much for this lovely review of the Mark Wirtz box set
Colin Bell… My pleasure Steve, love his work
Alan Esdaile… I also really like the track ‘Sam’.
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Pour A Little Sugar On It – The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971, Various Artists 3CD Box Set
At long last those wonderful people at Grapefruit Records have put together an exhaustive new compilation of what many have derided over the years as disposable (being polite) or simply just crap music (being impolite!) the genre that became known as ‘bubblegum music’. Characterised by 3 minute, 3 chord (deceptively) simple pop melodies often with meaningless lyrics played by many ‘bands’ a large amount of which didn’t exist, but comprised studio concoctions using session managers. The whole sound was aimed at capturing the early teen market in America in the mid-late 60’s as pop and rock music grew more sophisticated for older buyers. It’s roots can reasonably be traced back to the advent of The Monkees and their manufactured pop sound created in 1966. With their massive success came many more imitators jumping on what became, at least, for a few short years a lucrative bandwagon. On this new compilation just about every major successful effort is represented alongside a wealth of long obscure ‘bands’. This new 3CD set comprises of 91 tracks spanning 4 hours of sugar sweet sounds that defined ‘bubblegum’ so sit down with a sherbert fountain or a bag of dolly mixtures and here’s what you’ll find. Disc1 kicks of with a trio of songs that exemplify the whole bubblegum movement with ‘Simon Says’ ‘Yummy Yummy Yummy’ & ‘ A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You’ by respectively the 1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express & of course The Monkees. The first 2 tracks came out of New York based Buddah Records who were undoubtedly the kings of the genre (after Don Kirschner with The Monkees). Buddah gave us the majority of the really big hits from the aforementioned 2 bands plus Kasenetz-Katz Flying Orchestral Circus, with ‘Quick Joey Small’, Lou Christie with ‘I’m Gonna Make You Mine’ & ‘She Sold Me Magic’ (all included) & a host of others. As ever its away from these big names that the long forgotten and obscure sit with fabulous names such as Salt Water Taffy, Lt Garcias Magic Music Box & The Raspberry Pirates all giving us their take on the genre. There are some surprising names on Disc1 (as there are on Discs2 & 3) that are included as they had an abberation away from their normal output. The Grass Roots & Neil Diamond to name a couple. However I must take issue with the inclusion of The Electric Prunes! A beloved group of mine! Ok, ‘Everybody Know You’re Not In Love’ may be a long way from ‘I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night’. But bubblegum?! No siree! Other well remembered names from Disc1 turn up with Crazy Elephant, Lobo & The Cuff Links. The latter sporting Ron Dante on lead vocals. Ron was to American pop what Tony Burrows was to us over here in the UK. He was everywhere as a studio session singer as well as putting out singles under his own name, examples of which you can also hear on the compilation. Disc2 begins with a big personal favourite ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ from Tommy James & the Shondells whose record company Roulette Records also were heavily involved in releasing bubblegum. This is followed by The Lemon Pipers with the evergreen…er ‘Green Tambourine’! a fusion of bubblegim & psyche. Other treats come from Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Mama Cass, Bobby Bloom, Tommy Roe & The Archies. Again its the lesser known that provide some extra treats with the likes of The Pineapple Heard with an excellent version of ‘Valleri’ made famous by The Monkees. Again there are some unlikely names cropping up with forays into bubblegum territory including The Beach Boys, The Cowsills and would you believe The Velvet Underground! Again I have to take issue with the inclusion of The Box Tops who are featured twice, they were definitely pop/soul in my book, but heyho each to their own opinion. Finally Disc3 serves up more big hitters with Melanie, Rick Nelson & Bobby Sherman to name but three. Plus more hits from 1910 Fruitgum Company, The Lemon Pipers, Kasenetz Katz, John Fred & his Playboy Band and more. Amongst the obscure treats are tracks from South Amboy Port Authority, The Peppermint Trolley Company & The Love Generation amongst others. I’d have to argue again that the inclusion of Bruce (‘Hey Baby’) Channel with ‘Keep On’ merits the bubblegum tag, more pop/soul yet again in my book. The whole compilation comes to a close with what is really the poster child for the whole movement with The Archies ‘Sugar Sugar’ (video coming up). Its a funny old world, especially in music. I started by saying bubblegum was defined by 3 minute, 3 chord disposable songs with meaningless (in the main) lyrics. For this the artists were often derided and looked down upon by ‘musical snobs’, which i find pretty funny and ironical. If you wound the clock on a decade to 1976 it was all repeated, the 3 minute, 3 chord……etc. Except this time it was called Punk….which ‘musical snobs’ embraced….think about that. As ever this compilation comes housed in a sturdy clamshell box complete with a fascinating 48 page booklet. Enjoy.
For more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time….stay safe…..Colin
Mick O’Dowd… What a compilation Colin. I’m with you regarding the simplicity of the genre. This gave us DJ’s a lot of dancing toons between them and were also very popular. Like you, there are several names on there that I wouldn’t put in that genre but hey ho!
Colin Bell… Hi Mate, certainly brings back some memories for us
Alan Esdaile… Always loved ‘Quick Joey Small’.
Terry Corder… Some great songs there. Thanks.
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Gerry And The Pacemakers: I Like It! Anthology 1963-1966, 3CD
‘I LIKE IT’ ANTHOLOGY 1963-1966 GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS (3CD SET)
I’m delighted to bring you this latest fine compilation from Strawberry Records. Back in 1963 at the birth of Merseybeat in Liverpool, Gerry & the lads were serious contenders to The Beatles crown and this exhaustive new collection brings that home. Running to roughly 4 hours of listening time and spanning just under a 100 tracks (98) it reminds you just how successful they were. Sharing both The Beatles manager Brian Epstein & record producer George Martin they released some classic singles. As I’m sure most pop fans are aware, but if not, they were the first UK band to have their first 3 single releases all go to No 1, ‘I Like It’ ‘How Do You Do It’ & ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ a feat even the aforementioned ‘fab four’ didn’t match. That record was to stand for 2 decades until eventually matched by Frankie Goes To Hollywood in the 80’s. So what does this new compilation have to offer on its 3 disc? As you might expect Disc1 contains all the hit singles that the band had between 1963 and 1965, as well as the big 3 already mentioned there are ‘I’m the One (No 2) & my personal favourite the haunting and exquisite ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’ (No 4 in both the UK & USA). The latter written by Gerry for his then girlfriend, later wife, Pauline, has to be one of the greatest love songs ever written in pop music. Gerry was a prolific writer, roughly half of the tracks on the compilation were composed by himself, it’s fair to say they are not all as great as DLTSCYC, but he was no slouch. He also had the ability (& taste) to cover others great songs such as ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ from Carousel & a personal favourite ‘Walk Hand in Hand’ written by Johnny Cowell with aplomb making them his own. Disc1 also contains some rockers such as ‘Maybelline’ ‘What I’d Say’ & ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’ also recorded by The Beatles who provided Gerry with ‘Hello Little Girl’ also contained here which was originally planned to be their 3rd single. Elsewhere there are more tracks by Gerry quite a few of which are new to me. Disc2 kicks off with the massive hit from the film of the same name ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ like YNWA another enduring classic for which Gerry will always be remembered. Followed by another UK hit with ‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’ (No 24 UK & USA) more covers of rockers abound with the likes ‘Reelin & Rockin’ & ‘A Whole Lot of Shaking Going On’ sitting alongside many original songs written by Gerry. As I said earlier not all his songs reached the gold standard of DLTSCYC and its cleat that his contemporaries John & Paul were moving ahead at a much greater creative pace by ’64/65′ with songs such as ‘And I Love Her’ & ‘I Feel Fine’ leaving Gerry’s songs feeling somewhat mundane with their simple ‘Moon & June’ style compositions, and i think the slowing down of his success by the mid 60’s does ultimately come down to the songwriting in my humble opinion. Disc3 contains a jewel in the crown of this fascinating compilation with the presentation of a live concert recorded in Oakland California in 1964 where the guys sound on fabulous form as they deliver the hits and more, and the recording quality is excellent. Throughout the compilation there are scattered ‘alternate takes & mixes’ of various tracks and the set is brought to a close on Disc3 with (amongst some others) some stereo versions of DLTSCYC ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ & a lush ‘Walk Hand in Hand’ and they sound simply magnificent reminding us what a warm and special voice Gerry possessed. As ever the digipack is packed with photo’s and facsimile posters under each disc (a nice touch) and the usual informative and colourful booklet. A thoroughly recommended listen. Enjoy.
For more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time…..stay safe take care, Colin
Mick O’Dowd… Nice compilation including a lot that i’ve never heard before not being a huge fan. Welcome back Colin. Missed your reviews!
Alan Esdaile… Likewise I always loved ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’ and ‘Walk Hand In Hand’
Nigel Ford… Lambretta Li Series 3 – no dampers on front forks and no disc brake like the bigger-engined TV’s had. My mum’s sister, Auntie Winnie, took brother and I to see Ferry cross the Mersey plus another, maybe one featuring Heinz (?) at the Gaiety cinema Queens Road in ’63/64 ish one easter /summer school hols ,probably on a wet day…….Kia-Ora anyone, or a paper-wrapped block of ice-cream in an oblong cone?
Colin Bell SMART SOUNDS NEWS Can’t Seem To Come Down The American Sounds of 1968 and Don Fardon I’m Alive Anthology cd’s
Can’t Seem To Come Down – The American Sounds of 1968, Various Artists 3CD Box Set
A splendid romp through 80 tracks of American rock & pop nuggets all released in 1968 as per the title. From the very well known…Love, The Monkees, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, through to names you may have forgotten such as Spirit, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Quicksilver Messenger Service, H P Lovecraft..and on to some gems from obscurity including the baroque rock pop of Debbie Harrys first band Wind In The Willows, this release with its accompanying 48 page informative booklet delivers hours of pleasure for 60’s music lovers like myself.
Don Fardon: I’m Alive – The Don Fardon Anthology 1967-1974, 3CD
With a wealth of never before released material this new, & as far as I’m aware, first really comprehensive anthology of ex Sorrows lead singer Don Fardon is an absolute must for his many fans. Mostly famous for his international hit ‘Indian Reservation’ this 81 track compilation features his other hits and club favourites such as ‘Belfast Boy’ ‘Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ Mod favourite ‘Treat Her Right’ & much more besides, including one of my all time favourite tracks ‘I’m Alive’, a track i wore out playing at my disco gigs back in the day. Here it is now. Enjoy.
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell. Reviewing Alcatrazz Live Sentence cd/dvd deluxe edition and John Miles – Miles High cd.
‘LIVE SENTENCE’ Alcatrazz (Deluxe Edition CD/DVD) HNE Records
As regular readers of S.S. will know this is my all time favourite metal band of the 80’s. A coupla months back I brought you their debut album ‘No Parole From Rock and Roll’. As mentioned in that review Alcatrazz were a HUGE success in Japan especially. To capitalise on the albums success they took to the road to promote it and Live Sentence is the result. Recorded in January 1984 in Tokyo the set list includes most of the tracks recorded for NPFR&R, minus annoyingly ‘Jet to Jet’, a personal favourite! However that’s a small niggle. Along with ‘Island in the Sun’, ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’ ‘General Hospital’, all classics in my view Graham Bonnet treats us to his solo success with ‘Night Games’ and re-visits his sojourn with Rainbow to deliver ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ and ‘All Night Long’ to the evident delight of the audience.
This release comes as 2 discs, disc one audio and disc two a DVD. At last I can dispense with my er bootleg footage! The audio and video quality of the DVD is surprisingly good for its age and stands up well. Like me you can now marvel at the 20 year old prodigy Yngwie Malmsteen in all his glory. And a glorious thing to watch it is! His neo-classical shredding is jaw dropping!
Not since I first saw Hendrix have I ever been so transfixed by a guitarist.
‘Kree Nakoorie/Coming Bach’ is mesmerising, yes he’s over indulgent at times compared to the studio recordings, but hell’s teeth he’s simply amazing even when he’s being arrogantly OTT! He knows he’s a ‘Rising Force’ and I forgive him, if I had his talent I doubt i’d hide my light under a bushel.
To cap it all off there’s three bonus tracks recorded at the Rock Palace in the USA including ‘Too Young To Die-Too Drunk To Live’. They don’t write them like that anymore, more’s the pity! For all Graham Bonnet/Malmsteen fans this is an essential addition to your library. PLAY IT LOUD!
‘MILES HIGH’ John Miles (Lemon Recordings)
This is the first time on CD for what was John’s fifth studio album released originally in 1981, at that time it only reached a rather disappointing 96 chart position. Two singles were released from the album in the shape of ‘Turn Yourself Loose’ and ‘Reggae Man’. John is undoubtedly a fine musician, singer and guitarist and indeed a writer having composed the 10 tracks here. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the album, for me however nothing really leaps out at you. Its a polished affair and plays like a soundtrack to an American series of the Eighties (Miami Vice springs to mind) its slick AOR and maybe therin lies the problem for these ears its all a little too bland for my taste. John is without doubt a musicians musician and has contributed his skills to the likes of Joe Cocker, Tina Turner and the great Alan Parson’s project. Overall one for completists of his canon of work methinks, or fans of the Eighties slick pop genre.
For more information go to http://ww.cherryred.co.uk
Til next time…. Colin
Stephen Carson… Hi Colin. Just to let you know Cherry Red are releasing a box set of John Miles albums 1983 – 1993 which includes Play On on CD for the first time. It comes out on July 19 2024.
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing I’m A Freak Baby – A Journey Through The British Heavy Psych & Hard Rock Underground Scene 1968-1972 – Various Artists including Factory & The Kult and Concrete & Clay The Complete Recordings by Unit 4+2 cd’s.
I’M A FREAK BABY – A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BRITISH HEAVY PSYCH & HARD ROCK UNDERGROUND SCENE 1968-1972 (3CD SET) …featuring FACTORY & THE KULT…! Snappy title! the ‘featuring’ is my own addition, I think the main title is long enough! So, here we have a glorious trawl through 3 cds (48 tracks) of the some mainstream but mostly lost and obscure bands that flourished briefly but sometimes brilliantly in those heady four years. Most compilations of this period concentrate on the baroque twee ‘psyche’ vibe ‘Elephants in Bubble Gum Trees’ and suchlike whimsical lyrics. I’m A Freak does what it says on the tin and goes with the hard edged rock that was splitting away from ‘pop’. So lets deal with the elephant(s) in the room and two tracks of great interest to Smarties! Disc 1 track 9 sandwiched between The Pink Fairies and The Groundhogs (a good place to be!) is the first official cd debut for our very own Factory and ‘Time Machine’ and sounding fresh as a remastered daisy. Now you who didn’t get one of the 99 vinyl copies originally pressed can add it to your collection! If that wasn’t enough Disc 3 track 14 and hailing from about half a mile from where I’m writing this is Bexhills very own The Kult ‘Occult’ again first time on CD. Brilliant for all of us with long memories! Of the 46 other tracks as aforementioned there are some ‘names’ Deep Purple, Chicken Shack. The Move, Yardbirds, Uriah Heep to name but 5 (and not the usually compiled tracks) but its in the obscure that some real delights spring forth such as Cycle, Stonehouse, Barnabus, Sam Gopal, names that jog dim memories for this reviewer who was always into the more esoteric!
I must also mention two bands who I worked with the excellent, and at the time highly controversial, Third World War with ‘Ascension Day’ and The Gun with ‘Race With The Devil’ a record ahead of its time for 1968, The Gun were Adrian and Paul Gurvitz, two great guys who had relationships with Ruperts People. Like the famed and never bettered ‘Nuggets’ psychedelic 3CD compilation I’m A Freak has set the standard for mining the vaults and putting together an outstanding compilation of proto power trio’s, rock experimental pioneers, the avant garde, and the really out there! I take my hat off to the compiler David Wells, a first class job. The accompanying 36 page fully annotated booklet has good potted biogs and photos of the bands featured, (Tony & Jaffa love the hats!) I’m A Freak is released this Friday (29th July 2016).
CONCRETE & CLAY-THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS – Unit 4+2 (2CD) Also for the first time on CD this collection gathers together the entire recordings from 1964-1969 remastered with detailed sleeve notes. There has been mention recently of U4+2 on the Smart website so this is a timely release! Space negates a full history of the band members (the sleeve notes are admirable). I confess I didn’t know one member morphed into Whistling Jack Smith with the er..dreaded ‘I Was Kaiser’s Bill’s Batman’ anyway that aside..i did know that one of the ‘plus 2’ was Russ Ballard. I guess the band are synonomous with the million selling ‘Concrete & Clay’ and are no doubt remembered chiefly for that which hit the top spot in April 1965 (knocking off The Stones). Many TV appearances followed on the likes of ‘Ready Steady Go!’ and ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’. They were not just a one hit wonder though, the follow up ‘You’ve Never Been In Love Like This Before’ released a coupla months later made a respectable No. 14. Two minor hits followed You’ve Got To Be Cruel To Be Kind’ and ‘Baby Never Say Goodbye’., which was a re-tread musically of C & C. Chart wise that was it for the band. However they remained a very popular and busy live draw. This 2 CD set is split between their time with firstly Decca and their subsequent 1967 move to Philips offshoot Fontana. Up to C & C and indeed after til their move to Fontana their material was lightweight pop/harmony, a mix of original material and as was the custom of the times ‘covers’ of songs like ‘La Bamba’ ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin Feelin’ ‘The Girl From New York City’ etc. Their original material fares better if a tad forgettable at times(apart from the aforementioned hits).
However the switch to Fontana and a desire to ‘update’ themselves produced some little gems as they stretched themselves and embraced ‘the summer of love’. ‘Butterfly’ is a good example (I remember Marmalade also recording this Brothers Gibb track). A foray into Dylan ‘You Aint Going Nowhere’ comes off well. Self penned numbers ‘I Was Only Playing Games’ and I’ve Seen The Light’ show a new confidence, even if the latter sounds like they nicked the opening chords from The Troggs’ Give It To Me’ (or maybe that’s just in my head!). The penultimate track ‘The World of Broken Hearts’ (a favourite track of mine in Amen Corner’s version) works well, albeit less gritty. So to sum up, if you favour pop/harmony and a dash of mild psyche you will find much to enjoy here. Released this Friday (29th July 2016)
For more information, full tracklists etc go to http://www.cherryred.co.uk
See you soon with a new Tony Burrows comp and more….
Til then…. Colin
Andy Qunta… Thanks, Colin! I think I might get myself a copy of this! Lotsa good stuff! 😉
Robert Searle… I have a copy of ” I’m a freak baby”
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Barry Ryan: The Albums 1969-1979, 5CD Box Set
For more information go to https://www.cherryred.co.uk
Mick O’Dowd… Very interesting review Colin. I liked P&B because they were light weight and easy on the ear. When you mentioned Eloise the memories came flooding back, What a song and production.
Colin Bell… Mick, Thanks for the thumbs up! There’s some great material on here. I didn’t mention ‘Kitsch’ in my review, just not enough space! another ‘Eloise’ style classic, give that a listen if you’ve not heard it before
Merv Kennard… Eloise my favourite
Alan Esdaile… Wonderful. Love ‘Eloise’
Wendy Weaver… Marion Ryan, the Ryan twins mum, was a huge star in her own right
Colin Bell… She had a great voice, it was her idea the twins take up singing as neither were academic at school & left with no idea of what to do
Michael Grave… Fantastic Artist, and brilliant songwriting from his brother Paul. My favourites are, of course, Eloise, Love is Love, The Hunt, It is Written, and Magical Spiel. Does anyone know if this Box Set Compilation is remastered, and what the sound quality is like?
Colin Bell… Hi Michael, i wrote the review. Yes it has been re-mastered & the sound quality is excellent. They’ve (Cherry Red Records) obviously had access to the master tapes. I should just add I don’t work for them! My response to you comes from 55 years in the music biz. Thanks for your comment Colin
Jon McCallion… My mum always talked about growing up with Marion
Michael Grave… Thank you for establishing the audio quality is excellent on this compilation, Colin. I’ve now ordered it. I have various CDs of Barry Ryan, and this should hopefully top them all. I love Jimmy Webb’s compositions, and was knocked out when I first heard Richard Harris singing MacArthur Park, and his subsequent work with Jimmy Webb, who was a genius songwriter. I guess it was why I loved Eloise and Love is Love so much. The same high drama production values. Never again would I feel the same surge of adrenalin, until Trevor Horn unleashed his brilliant studio creations in the eighties.
Colin Bell… Hi Michael. No problem, I’m sure you’ll have much enjoyable listening. All the best. Colin
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell reviewing Chris Farlowe: Stormy Monday – The Blues Years 1985-2008, 3CD Digipack
I must be honest upfront and say I’m not a die hard blues fan, I am however a die hard Chris Farlowe fan. I’ve been privileged to know him and see him work since the late 60’s. The casual fan will always think of Chris’s best known work he did for Immediate culminating in his immortal No 1 ‘Out of Time’ and his (in my view) definitive version of Mike d’Abo’s ‘Handbags & Gladrags”. Excellent raw pop/soul/r&b records. After those days, fans of jazz rock & prog rock will appreciate his work with Colosseum & Atomic Rooster. However, at heart Chris is a blues man, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the scene & may well be the finest singer of the genre this country has produced. This new 3CD set release from Strawberry Records brings together some of his greatest blues work, with his backing band The Thunderbirds, solo, & live spanning 2 decades from the 80’s to the noughties. Spanning 3 discs are 55 tracks showcasing that very special voice that remains undimmed by the passage of time. I last saw Chris just pre Covid & he was still sounding as powerful as ever. Nobody else ever sounds like him he is unique & his delivery instantly recognisable. Blues fans in my experience know their subject in minute detail & relish every nuance. As i said at the start I’m not in the die hard camp but having said that I could listen to this new compilation all day happilly. Disc1 provides us with the most traditional blues tracks culled from 1985’s ‘Out Of The Blue’ & ‘1986’s ‘Born Again’ recorded with The Thunderbirds. Produced by Mike Vernon a major figure in the British Blues scene who founded the much loved & respected Blue Horizon label. There are treats galore here from the brace of opening tracks ‘I Ain’t Superstitious’ & ‘Gamblers Blues’ through the wonderful take on Bobby Bland’s ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City’ Howlin Wolf’s ‘I Ain’t Superstitious’ & my favourite BB King song ‘The Thrill Is Gone’. The musicianship on display is excellent, the brass on ‘Ain’t Got No Money’ is just awesome. The closing 2 tracks on Disc1 constitute 2 of my favourites on the whole 3 CD set with Chris covering soul singer Don Covey’s ‘I Stayed Away Too Long’ & his interpretation of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac hit ‘Man Of The World’ which I’ve heard him do live & have long admired. Disc2 kicks off in a more blues/rock vein with the storming ‘Rock & Roll Soldier’ & ‘Livin it Up’ 2 brilliant tracks with some great guitar work from the likes of Albert Lee & Alvin Lee. There’s a choice cover of old Stax favourite ‘Private Number’ originally performed by William Bell & Judy Clay, here Chris partners with Elkie Brook’s to bring the number a fresh feel. This leads on to his storming cover of The Small Faces No 1 ‘All Or Nothing’. Elsewhere standout highlights come from the likes of ‘Gangster Of Love’ ‘Ain’t No Big Deal’ and an inspired cover of John Fogerty’s ‘As Long As I Can See The Light’. The last half dozen tracks on the album are given over to Chris’s collaboration with Van Morrison who share a mutual admiration. I remember seeing the 2 performing live in the 90’s early 2000’s when Chris supported Van on tour. ‘It Should Have Been Me’ & ‘Blues Anthem’ top & tail the 6 tracks & bring Disc2 to a satisfying conclusion. Disc3 gives everyone a chance to hear Chris at his barnstorming best singing live, backed variously by, The Thunderbirds, The Norman Beaker Band & Roy Herrington & The Rhythm ‘N’ Blues Train. Here he serves up some of his best known work with opener ‘I Don’t Want To Sing The Blues No More’ ‘Stormy Monday’ & the aforementioned ‘All Or Nothing’ ‘Handbags & Gladrags’ ‘Out Of Time’ ‘Thrill is Gone’ and a cracking ‘Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City’ before wrapping up with ‘I’ve Been Born Again’. The whole digi-pack package is as ever nicely put together, with photos & with an interesting essay from Mojo writer Lois Wilson. It has been said that Chris’s mid 60’s recording of ‘Stormy Monday Blues’ is the greatest British Blues recording ever. I wouldn’t disagree with that. As I remarked earlier I believe Chris has one of the finest blues voices Britain has ever produced. Jimmy Page wanted him as lead singer for Led Zeppelin when he was putting the band together (the two had often worked together in the 60’s). Chris turned him down. That may not have been the wisest move financially, however creatively i can see why. Chris is a blues man to his very core. Enjoy.
Mick O’Dowd… What a compo! Loved him since I discovered Stormy Monday on a Sue label single and found out it was him!
Alan Esdaile… I did hear Rod Stewart’s version of Handbags and Gladrags on the radio this morning but you are right Colin, you can’t beat Chris Farlowe version. Wonderful.
SMART SOUNDS by Colin Bell. Reviewing I See You Live On Love Street – Music From Laurel Canyon 1967-1975, 3CD Box Set
I’m delighted to bring you this companion piece from Grapefruit Records to their well received 2022 ‘Heroes & Villains : The Sound of Los Angeles 1965 – 1968 compilation, previously reviewed in these pages. This new compilation boasts 3 CD’s spanning 72 tracks & running to over 4 hours & as ever with Grapefruit its beautifully presented in a sturdy clamshell box with each of the 3 CD’s enclosed in its own cardboard sleeve & sporting individual artwork. The accompanying 48 page booklet by label boss David Wells, is as ever, a fascinating treasure trove of information, annotating the tracks together with contemporary photo’s & I particularly liked the closing double page spread of Posters advertising gigs of the times. With the likes of The Doors, Jefferson Airplane & The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band plus others on the same bill. Wonderful. For those not familiar with the whole Laurel Canyon scene, a brief history. Whereas London & Liverpool here in the UK & New York over the pond had been the epicentres of the music world from the late 50’s onwards, By the ‘summer of love; & the whole hippie psychedelic scene of 1967 centred around San Francisco the music scene in the USA was now concentrated on the warm sunny skies of the West Coast & Los Angeles had become the place to be. A short distance from the famous Sunset Strip up in the hills lay peaceful Laurel Canyon. You may have seen the excellent Sky documentary a couple of years back on the whole scene that sprung up there. It became an incestuous hotbed of cross fertilisation between a host of unlikely bedfellows as the press release points out so aptly. You had The Monkees hanging out with Zappa, The Turtles with Judee Sill, The Doors, Steppenwolf & Warren Zevon collaborated with shady figure (i memorably met him once) Kim Fowley, a record producer amongst other things. Country rock burgeoned with the nearby Troubadour venue hosting the likes of The Byrds, Poco, CS&N, Buffalo Springfield etc. So to the compilation. Disc1 sub headed ‘Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon 1967-68’ gets us under way with the breezy vocals of The Association with ‘Come On In’ immediately transporting us to sunny Californian skies. Love appear with ‘The Good Humour Man, He Sees Everything’ from what i consider the best album ever recorded ‘Forever Changes’. A band I’m not familiar with deliver a cracking slice of psyche with ‘Wildflowers’, I’ll be investigating the band further. Scott McKenzie of ‘San Francisco’ fame brings one of the best tracks on the whole compilation with ‘Twelve Thirty’ One of the best Beatles covers I;ve ever heard comes from The Sunshine Company & ‘I Need You’. Elsewhere you will find The Monkees, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Stone Poneys, Captain Beefheart, Mamas & Papas, Buffalo Springfield & a host of others. Disc 2 sub headed ‘Going Home To California 1969-72’ starts with a song I love, but I regularly forget about it until like now it pops up, i refer to Stephen Stills & ‘Love The One You’re With’ followed by the brilliant Poco with ‘Pickin’ Up The Pieces’ The dreamy tones of Tim Buckley entrance with’ Buzzin Fly’ & Glen Campbell weighs in with my all time favourite Jim Webb song ‘Where’s The Playground Susie’ & thank you compiler for not chopping the end, as is so often the case! Other tracks to be delighted with come from the likes of Three Dog Night, Rick Nelson, Canned Heat, Steppenwolf, Frank Zappa & a great number from Dave Mason with Cass Elliot on ‘Too Much Truth-Too Much Love’. Disc 3 sub headed ‘Postcards From Hollywood 1971-75’ takes us into more generally upbeat fare opening with J D Souther with ‘Some People Call It Music’ swiftly followed by the underrated excellent Little Feat & ‘Easy To Slip’, Linda Ronstadt & Judee Sill provide soft entries with ‘Birds’ & ‘Crayon Angels’ respectively. Elsewhere there are great contributions from Nilsson, Crazy Horse, Gram Parsons, Leon Russell & a whole host of others. Sadly I don’t have the space to go track by track, however i hope I have given you at least a sample taste of all the sublime music to be had on this new compilation. Over to you. Enjoy.
Pete Prescott… Looks great !
Paul Gray… Excellent review! I have this on order. Can’t go wrong with Grapefruit Box Sets and yes, Forever Changes is the greatest album of all time!
Colin Bell… Hi Paul, thanks for your kind comment. Pleased to meet someone else who also believes ‘Forever Changes’ is the greatest album of all time! Hands down, no arguments!
Leigh Mitchell… The documentary was excellent, this sounds like a brilliant purchase for ‘him in doors’! I saw Warren Zevron when I was living in Washington DC (1982 I think) in a very small venue, he was so good. I have an LP of his somewhere…..! xx
Alan Esdaile… yes it was a great documentary.