dinsdag 27 februari 2024

Pet Shop Boys - Ultra Rare Trax, Vol. 2 (1993)

The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. 
Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.[6]

Three-time Brit Award winners and six-time Grammy nominees, since 1984 they have achieved 42 top 30 singles, 22 of these being top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart, including four UK number ones: "West End Girls" (also number one on the US Billboard Hot 100), "It's a Sin", a synth-pop version of "Always on My Mind", and "Heart".
 Other hit songs include a cover of "Go West", and their own "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" in a duet with Dusty Springfield. With five US top ten singles in the 1980s, they are associated with the Second British Invasion.


Tracks

1.  Can You Forgive Her?   (Ton Up Crew Remix) - 4:55    
2.  Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend   (Indictment Mix) - 6:52   
3.  So Hard   (Coarse Textures Mix) - 8:15   
4.  Suburbia  (Dub Mix) - 7:48    
5.  Opportunities  (Prime Cuts) - 7:20   
6.  Paninaro   (House Mix) - 5:12   
7.  How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?   (Def Mix) - 4:05  
8.  Miserablism   (Hot Tracks) - 6:23    
9.  Left To My Own Devices   (Razormaid) - 6:21  
10.  Always On My Mind   (Razormaid) - 7:03  
       
                                              
Each track is accompanied by trivia and (alleged) sources:

1 - "An excellent reworking by the up and coming Ton Up Crew."
2 - "Only to be found on Art Of Mix CD 7 - very rare as you can imagine."
4 - "This orchestrated mix of Suburbia was masterfully done by Mr Arthur Baker."
5 - "The Prime Cuts Club must have worked very hard on this track because the outcome sounds like it should have made them lots of money."
6 - "Originating from Italy this Kicking House Mix is extremely rare and sought after."
7 - "A Dave Morales mix ever to be found on a US promo 12", find it if you can."
8 - "A Hot Tracks remix of a lesser known PSB track - still brilliant."
9 - "Left to Razormaid's devices, say no more!!!"
10 - "An excellent reworking of the amazing Elvis Presley number."

Notes
Series: Ultra Rare Trax (3) – Vol. 2
Format: CD, Compilation, Unofficial Release, Red Face Label Disc
Released: 1993
Genre: Electronic, Synth-pop
Runtime: 1:04:14
Label:  Not On Label (Pet Shop Boys) – PSB 2


maandag 26 februari 2024

Dexter Wansel - Voyager (1978)

Keyboardist/arranger/producer/recording artist Dexter Wansel can be heard throughout the catalog of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records. 

His skills can be heard on non-PIR sides like Jermaine Jackson’s “Where Are You Now” from his gold LP Let’s Get Serious and “Tonight” from Junior’s Acquired Taste LP. His frequent songwriting partners were Cynthia Biggs, Bunny Sigler, and T. Life.

A synth pioneer, Wansel’s first LP arranging assignment was several tracks on Carl Carlton‘s 1975 LP, I Wanna Be With You, produced by Bunny Sigler. 
A Biggs/Wansel song, “The Sweetest Pain,” a duet between Wansel and Jean Carn, originally a 1979 single from Wansel’s Time Is Slipping Away LP, was a popular radio-aired LP from Loose Ends’ Zagora

After employing a lot of sci-fi/space travel imagery on his first album, Life on Mars, Dexter Wansel got away from the outer space theme on his second album, What the World Is Coming To. But as it turned out, that was only temporary, the cover of Wansel’s third album, Voyager, finds him dressed like an astronaut. 
In the late ’70s, Wansel wasn’t known for recording one-dimensional albums and he lives up to his reputation for diversity on this decent 1978 outing, which ranges from funk (“All Night Long“, “I Just Want to Love You“) and smooth Philadelphia soul (“I’m in Love“) to instrumental pop-jazz (“Time Is the Teacher“) and fusion (“Voyager“).

Most of the instrumentals that Wansel provided in the late ’70s were more pop-jazz/NAC than fusion, but Voyager’s title track is the sort of hard, aggressive fusion that one would have expected from Chick Corea’s Return to Forever or John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s. 
And that’s ironic because one of the players who is featured on that track is Philly saxman George Howard, who went on to become a NAC/smooth jazz favorite in the 1980s but had yet to provide any albums of his own back in 1978. Voyager falls short of mind blowing, but it’s a likable record that deserves credit for its unpredictable nature.


Tracks

A1. All Night Long - 5:34
A2. Solutions - 4:57
A3. Voyager - 8:13

B1. I Just Want To Love You - 4:17
B2. Time Is The Teacher - 5:30
B3. Latin Love (Let Me Know) - 4:48
       Backing Vocals – Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Evette Benton
B4. I’m In Love - 3:36
       Backing Vocals – Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Evette Benton


Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Released: 1978 
Genre: Funk / Soul 
Style: Jazz-Funk, Disco 
Length: 39:24
Label: Philadelphia International Records 


donderdag 22 februari 2024

Blown Free - Maximum Rock 'n' Roll (1978)

(US, great hard, rough 'n' raw, pre stoner rock, limited release, 300 copies)

BLOWN FREE were a Houston band active between 1978 and 1982. Their history is almost completely unknown, what is known is that the band's leader and main songwriter, David Matthews, has a long history in music. 
He got his start in Wisconsin, playing in some underground psyche bands as early as 1968.

When he moved to Houston he immediately put together his own band and the results of this can be heard on this disc, what recordings survived anyway. 
If there ever was a band that could be classified as "obscure, underground rock" this is surely one. The only known release on this band is a sole 45 released on Excelsior (the label owned by the late Bill Holford, SR. of ACA Studios in Houston).
Mr. Holford would sometimes take a band under his wing and help them through business deals and publishing deals, which is what he did with Blown Free. 

After the dissolution of the band, and the break-up of Matthews' marriage, David took off for greener pastures back in Wisconsin where he started his own label and put together another version of Blown Free, this time under the monniker of The Matthew Davis Project. 
Several tracks from that period are included here as "Lemonade and Suzie Tonight", "A Seedy Reefer", and "The Bash".


Tracks

1.  Baby Come Back - 2:14
2.  My House - 2:57
3.  Sweet Love - 3:52
4.  The Wizard - 3:56
5.  Come Back My Way - 4:58
6.  Rock And Roll Band - 2:48
7.  A Little Bit At A Time - 3:59
8.  My House - 3:11
9.  I Feel Free - 3:54
10.  Blown Free - 5:47
11.  Sweet Love - 4:14
12.  Lemonade & Suzie Tonight - 5:30
13.  A Seedy Reefer - 3:55
14.  The Bash - 4:46
15.  The Wizard - 3:18


Notes
Release: 1978
Genre:  Rock
Length:  58:59
Label:  Shroom Productions


maandag 19 februari 2024

The Silence Cries - Silent Eyes (1987)

Here’s the debut album from Swiss post-punk/new wave band The Silence Cries, released in 1987. 

This three piece band reminds me quite a bit of Mecano, Svätsox, Razor Penguins, early Modern English, and other rickety, yet powerful post-punk bands from the early/mid 80s. 

There’s also quite a bit of sax, trumpet, and accordion throughout the LP, which adds a nice bit of tension. It’s quite an eclectic album – there’s a lot of variation and dynamic range across the album, and the band occasionally flirts with jangle pop, NDW, and more experimental shades, but still retains that gloomy post-punk sound I love so dearly.

The Silence Cries has a rather modest discography,  three albums and two singles, all of which were released on the Winterschatten label. 
I couldn’t say how their sound evolved on their second and third album, but I’d be curious to find out one of these days. As always, feel free to drop a line if you have any of their other releases, and perhaps you’ll find the band’s first 7” single here soon enough.


Tracklist

1.  Change - 3:42
2.  Emotions - 3:23
3.  Grieni Auge - 4:42
4.  Fische Nur - 2:38
5.  Silent Eyes - 2:53
6.  Violence Is Growing - 6:05
7.  Why Should I Dance - 2:49
8.  Slow Death - 3:36
9.  In My Brain - 3:48
10.  Another Beer - 3:48
11.  Frontiers - 2:48
12.  Killed By Unfeeling - 4:57


Credits

Notes
Released: 1987
Genre: Post-punk, New Wave
Length: 45:15
Label: Winterschatten Records


dinsdag 13 februari 2024

The Pointer Sisters - Only Sisters Can Do That (1993)

Only Sisters Can Do That is the last Pointer Sisters studio album made with founding member June Pointer. 
Issa Pointer, the daughter of longtime group member Ruth Pointer, performed as a background vocalist on two album tracks; she eventually replaced June Pointer in the group's lineup in 2002. 

The album was helmed by producer Peter Wolf and led by the single "Don't Walk Away", which featured Michael McDonald as guest vocalist. 
Originally, the track had been recorded by Ruth Pointer for a solo album that she abandoned in favor of the Only Sisters project. 
Other songs of note include "I Want Fireworks" and "Tell It to My Heart", which were both co-written by Anita Pointer, and the title track, penned by the sisters. 
The track "Feel for the Physical" appeared on the 1995 album Souled by Thomas Anders reworked as a duet by the Pointer Sisters and Anders. 

After a troubled, one-album affiliation with Motown Records, the Pointer Sisters entered into a troubled, one-album affiliation with SBK Records. 
That one album was Only Sisters Can Do That, on which producer/songwriter/synthesizer player Peter Wolf (not to be confused with the J. Geils Band singer), who had given Starship several hits, was intended to take over the job of group Svengali previously handled by David Rubinson and then Richard Perry. 
Wolf put together his typical, highly polished musical tracks, playing most of the instruments himself, over which the Pointers sang with their usual enthusiasm. 
The trouble was that pop production styles had moved to a more intricate, R&B-influenced sound typified by the hits of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, so that Wolf's tracks sounded out of date, and none of the compositions was sufficiently memorable to buck the tide. It didn't help that SBK, which had looked like a hot start-up label in the early 1990s with hits by Wilson Phillips, Vanilla Ice, and Jon Secada, was cooling off noticeably. 
Soon, the label was history and, with two consecutive non-charting albums, so were the Pointers as a current recording act.


Tracklist

  1. It Ain't a Man's World" (Kim Eurisa, Clemard Harvey, Maya Angelou) – 4:27
  2. "I Want Fireworks" (Anita Pointer, Ina Wolf, Peter Wolf) – 4:44
  3. "Don't Walk Away" (Andy Hill, Peter Sinfield) – 4:49
  4. "Eyes Like a Child" (Ina Wolf, Peter Wolf) – 4:45
  5. "Only Sisters Can Do That" (June Pointer, Anita Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Sheldon Reynolds, Ina Wolf, Peter Wolf) – 3:54
  6. "Feel for the Physical" (Peter Wolf, Peter Zizzo) – 4:02
  7. "Tell It to My Heart" (Anita Pointer, Franne Golde, Allee Willis) – 5:10
  8. "Vibe Time" (Peter Zizzo) – 4:03
  9. "Lose Myself to Find Myself" (Keith Forsey, Steve Krikorian, Steve Schiff) – 4:45
  10. "Sex, Love or Money" (S. Harry) – 4:14


The Pointer Sisters

  • Anita Pointer – lead vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–10), backing vocals
  • June Pointer – lead vocals (4, 6, 9, 10), backing vocals
  • Ruth Pointer – lead vocals (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10), backing vocals
  • All vocal arrangements by The Pointer Sisters.

Musicians


Notes
Released:  November 16, 1993 
Recorded: 1993 
Genre:  R&B/soul 
Length:  44:53 
Producer(s):  Peter Wolf, Keith Forsey 
Label:  SBK Records 


zondag 11 februari 2024

The Del-Lords - Howlin' at the Halloween Moon (1989)

The Del-Lords are an American rock and roll band that formed in New York City, United States, in 1982, founded by The Dictators' guitarist Scott Kempner
The band combined elements of 1960s garage rock with country, blues and folk influences to become one of the early originators of urban, roots-rock. The band members were Scott Kempner, Manny Caiati, Eric Ambel and Frank Funaro.
Modeled on British bands of the 1960s that used several singers – The Kinks, Beatles, The Who - Kempner's vision was to create an act featuring four singers, that some said was like an "East Coast Beach Boys".
The band took its name from Del Lord, director of many early Three Stooges shorts. 
The four Del-Lords studio albums, released between 1984 and 1990 – Frontier Days, Johnny Comes Marching Home, Based on a True Story and Lovers Who Wander – were released on CD in 2008 by the American Beat label

Howlin' at the Halloween Moon is a live album by The Del-Lords, released in 1989 through Restless Records.
It's the best...Lords since Frontier Days, it still represents a holding pattern more than a return to past glories. The overall sound is pretty hot: Eric Ambel's slide raunch cuts a swath through Scott Kempner's scratchy (and underrecorded) rhythm guitar (Scott guitar is on left channel; Eric guitar is on right channel), while Frank Funaro and Manny Caiati bash'n'crash like a runaway train. The set list is strong (good cover of The Flamin' Groovies' "Jumpin' in the Night"), despite the fact that much of it was taken from their last two so-so records. But, to their credit, "True Love" and "Judas Kiss" have never sounded better...

Track listing

1. True Love - 4:37 
2. Jumpin' in the Night - 5:23 
3. Wastin' Time Talkin' - 3:11 
4. The Cool 'n' the Crazy - 7:43 
5. Judas Kiss - 6:14 
6. I Play the Drums - 5:37 
7. Tallahassee Lassie - 3:11 

All songs written by Scott Kempner, except "Jumpin' in the Night" by Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson and "Tallahassee Lassie" by Bob Crewe, Frank Slay, and Frederick Picariello. 


The Del-Lords


Companies, etc.


Credits

Notes
Released: 1989
Recorded: Halloween night, 1988 ar Dr. Rockits London, Ontario. 
Recorded:  by Comfort Sound Mobile Toronto Canada
Genre:  Roots rock, Rock and roll
Length:  35:57
Label:  Restless Records


maandag 5 februari 2024

Rush - Permanent Waves (1980)

Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on January 14, 1980, through Anthem Records
After touring to support their previous album, Hemispheres (1978), the band began working on new material for a follow-up in July 1979. 
This material showed a shift in the group's sound towards more concise arrangements and radio-friendly songs (such as "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill"), though their progressive rock blueprint is still evident on "Jacob's Ladder" and the nine-minute closer "Natural Science." 
Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee also employed a more restrained vocal delivery compared to previous albums. Permanent Waves was recorded at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec with production handled by the group and Terry Brown.

"The Spirit of Radio" featured the band's early experiments with a reggae style in its closing section, which was explored further on the band's next three albums, Moving Pictures, Signals, and Grace Under Pressure
The group had experimented with reggae-influenced riffs in the studio and had come up with a reggae introduction to "Working Man" on their tours, so they decided to incorporate a passage into "The Spirit of Radio," as Lifeson said, "to make us smile and have a little fun."Peart wrote the lyrics with Toronto radio station CFNY-FM in mind which had adopted the title as its slogan.

"Jacob's Ladder" uses multiple time signatures, and possesses a dark, ominous feel in its first half. Its lyrics are based on a simple concept: a vision of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. 
The title is a reference to the natural phenomenon of the sun breaking through the clouds in visible rays, which in turn is named after the Biblical ladder to heaven on which Jacob saw angels ascending and descending in a vision. 
Early in Rush's 2015 R40 Live Tour, Geddy Lee incorrectly stated that the song had never been played live before, but was corrected by fans on the internet (the song had been performed during the Permanent Waves tour and a live recording of the song was featured on Exit... Stage Left).

"Entre Nous", French for "Between us", did not receive heavy radio airplay and was not performed live until the Snakes & Arrows Tour in 2007.

While the band began stepping back from the epic song format on this album, the closing track "Natural Science" is more than nine minutes long and is composed of three distinct movements: I) Tide Pools, II) Hyperspace, and III) Permanent Waves. The lyrics are driven by concepts of natural science.


Tracklist

1.  The Spirit of Radio - 4:58 
2.  Freewill - 5:23 
3.  Jacob's Ladder - 7:50 
4.  Entre Nous - 4:37 
5.  Different Strings - 3:50 
6.  Natural Science - 9:27
       I:  Tide Pools
      II:  Hyperspace
     III:  Permanent Waves

All lyrics by Neil Peart except "Different Strings" by Geddy Lee. All music by Lee and Alex Lifeson.


Rush

Additional personnel

  • Terry Brown – arranger, producer, mixing
  • Fin Costello – photography
  • Robert Gage – hairdresser to the cover girl
  • Bob Ludwigremastering
  • Adam Moseley – mixing assistant
  • Craig Milliner – mixing assistant
  • Paul Northfield – engineer
  • Deborah Samuel – photography
  • Flip Schulke – photography
  • Ray Staff – mastering on original album
  • Hugh Syme – piano, art direction, design, cover concept
  • Paula Turnbull – cover girl (credited as "Ou La La")
  • Robbie Whelan – assistant engineer

Notes
Released:  January 14, 1980
Recorded:  September–October 1979 Studio Le Studio (Morin-Heights, Quebec)
Genre:  Progressive rock 
Length:  36:05
Producer(s):  Rush, Terry Brown
Label:  Anthem Records


zondag 4 februari 2024

Deep Purple - Burn (1974)

Burn is the eighth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in February 1974, and the first release by the Mark III line-up, featuring then-unknown singer David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, from Trapeze, on bass and vocals.
The album was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland, in November 1973, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. With the addition of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, Purple's hard-rock sound became more boogie-oriented, incorporating elements of soul and funk, which would become much more prominent on the follow-up album, Stormbringer.Hughes participated in songwriting, but was not given credit due to unexpired contractual obligations. However, the 30th anniversary edition of the album included Hughes in the credits for all the tracks except "Sail Away", "Mistreated", "'A' 200" and bonus track "Coronarias Redig".

Although it shook the band's fan base to its core, the acrimonious departure of vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover served to rejuvenate Deep Purple in time for 1973's aptly named Burn album, which unquestionably showed huge improvement over their lackluster previous effort, Who Do We Think We Are. 
And in an interesting twist rarely attempted before or since, new recruits David Coverdale (vocals) and Glenn Hughes (bass and vocals, ex-Trapeze) traded lead singing duties on virtually every one of its songs -- an enviable tag team, as both possessed exceptional pipes. 
The phenomenal title track started things off at full throttle, actually challenging the seminal "Highway Star" for the honor of best opener to any Deep Purple album, while showcasing the always impressive drumming of Ian Paice. 
Up next, the intro to the equally timeless "Might Just Take Your Life," however simple from a technical perspective, remains one of organist Jon Lord's signature moments; and the downright nasty "Lay Down, Stay Down" roared behind wildly careening starts and stops and a fantastic Ritchie Blackmore guitar solo which left no doubt as to who was the band's primal force, regardless of lineup. 
Moving right along, though it was rarely included in later-day greatest hits sets, "What's Going on Here" was about as good a single as Purple ever wrote; "You Fool No One" was compelling for its sheer intensity; and the funky "Sail Away" was a sign of the band's direction in years to come. 
Lastly, the fantastic slow-boiling blues of "Mistreated" closed the album proper (let's ignore the record's only throw-away track -- boring final instrumental "A 200") with a command solo performance from Coverdale, as nuanced and sensitive as it was devastating. 
So impassioned was the singer's delivery, in fact, that the song would remain his personal, in-concert trademark with Whitesnake, long after his tenure with Deep Purple came to a close. 
Like the vast majority of Burn this song's greatness qualifies it for the highest echelons of hard rock achievement, and therefore ranks as an essential item in the discography of any self-respecting music fan.

Tracklist

1.  Burn - 6:00
2.  Might Just Take Your Life - 4:36
3.  Lay Down, Stay Down - 4:15
4.  Sail Away  (Blackmore, Coverdale) - 5:48
5.  You Fool No One - 4:47
6.  What's Goin' On Here - 4:55
7.  Mistreated  (Blackmore, Coverdale) - 7:25
8.  'A' 200  (Blackmore, Lord, Paice) - 3:51

All tracks are written by Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Glenn Hughes, except where noted.


Deep Purple

Production
  • Deep Purple – producer, mixing
  • Martin Birch – engineer, mixing
  • Tapani Tapanainen – assistant engineer
  • Nesbit, Phipps and Froome – artwork
  • Fin Costello – sleeve photography
  • Candle Makers Supplies – candles

Notes
Released: 15 February 1974 
Recorded:  November 1973 Studio Montreux, Switzerland with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio 
Genre:  Hard rock  
Length:  38:12 
Producer:  Deep Purple 
Label:  Purple Records 


vrijdag 2 februari 2024

Chicago - Chicago III (1971) [2LP]

Chicago III is the third studio album by the American rock band Chicago. It was released on January 11, 1971, through Columbia Records
The album was produced by James William Guercio and was the band's third consecutive double album in less than two years.
Much like the previous year's Chicago (many times referred to as Chicago II), Chicago III is made up of both multi-part suites and more conventional individual songs. 
The album saw the band integrate a number of different genres including folk and country ("What Else Can I Say", "Flight 602"), free improvisation ("Free Country"), and musique concrète ("Progress?") into their sound, while also continuing in their trademark jazz-rock style.
Chicago III was a critical and commercial success. It peaked at number two in the US, their highest chart placement at that point, and received positive reviews. 
While neither of its singles ("Free" and "Lowdown") matched the success of the band's previous and following singles, both managed to make the top 40, peaking at numbers 20 and 35, respectively. 
After the release of the album, Chicago would become the first rock band to play the famous Carnegie Hall; performances from this run would be released on the following album, Chicago at Carnegie Hall.
The band had used up its storehouse of original material on its first two albums. It needed new material for Chicago III, and the songwriters worked "nonstop" Danny Seraphine said the band "took the opportunity to experiment with instrumentals and showcase our skills as musicians."
Their long hours on the road gave the principal songwriters, Robert Lamm, Terry Kath and James Pankow, much food for thought, resulting in more serious subject matter, which contrasted with the positivity of their first two sets. 
In his retrospective review of the album, Jeff Giles writes that Lamm's "Travel Suite" was "inspired by the boredom, loneliness, and beauty of the road," and characterizes Pankow's "Elegy" suite is an "ecologically minded composition", (an issue Lamm also touches upon in "Mother"). 
While Kath's multi-part "An Hour in the Shower" provides a reprieve from the sobering explorations elsewhere, Chicago III was undeniably the result of a band who had seen the flip side of the world over the last several months. 
"Lowdown", co-written by Peter Cetera and Danny Seraphine, was Seraphine's first co-writing credit, and he was appreciative of the support Cetera gave him during the writing process.
Chicago III incorporates a variety of musical styles. "Sing a Mean Tune Kid" features the influence of funk,"What Else Can I Say" and "Flight 602" have a country feel, while abstract qualities are found in "Free Country" and "Progress?"


Tracklist

A1.  Sing A Mean Tune Kid - 9:15
A2.  Loneliness Is Just A Word - 2:35
A3.  What Else Can I Say - 3:11
A4.  I Don't Want Your Money - 4:48

Travel Suite
B1.  Flight 602 - 2:45
B2.  Motorboat To Mars - 1:30
B3.  Free - 2:12
B4.  Free Country - 5:50
B5.  At The Sunrise - 2:42
B6.  Happy 'Cause I'm Going Home - 7:25

C1.  Mother - 4:28
C2.  Lowdown - 3:34

An Hour In The Shower
C3.  A Hard Risin' Morning Without Breakfast - 1:58
C4.  Off To Work - 0:45
C5.  Fallin' Out - 0:48
C6.  Dreamin' Home - 0:56
C7.  Morning Blues Again - 1:03

Elegy
D1.  When All The Laughter Dies In Sorrow - 1:02
D2.  Canon - 1:05
D3.  Once Upon A Time... - 2:35
D4.  Progress? - 2:32
D5.  The Approaching Storm - 6:33
D6.  Man Vs. Man: The End - 1:33


Chicago

Production
  • Producer – James William Guercio
  • Engineering – Don Puluse and Sy Mitchell
  • Recording – Lou Waxman and Willie Greer
  • Logo design – Nick Fasciano
  • Album design – John Berg
  • Flag design – Natalie Williams
  • Photography – Sandy Speiser
  • Poster photo – Steve Horn and Norm Griner
  • Lettering – Annette Kawecki and Melanie Marder for Poseidon Productions


Notes
Released: January 11, 1971
Recorded: June – December 1970 Studio CBS 30th Street (New York City)
Genre: Soft Rock, jazz fusion
Length: 71:29
Producer: James William Guercio
Label: Columbia Records


donderdag 1 februari 2024

Cuby + The Blizzards - Appleknockers Flophouse (1969)

Appleknockers Flophouse is het vijfde studioalbum van de Nederlandse bluesband Cuby + Blizzards. De titeltrack is ook op single uitgekomen en is een van de meest succesvolle nummers van de band.
Goede blues van de heren uit Grollo e.o. Vind de stem van Harry Muskee na een paar liedjes niet te harden, dus ik draai em alleen voor de allerbeste nederlandse blues gitarist ooit: Eelco Gelling!

Herman Brood was hier al de band uit geflikkerd omdat een dopehead niet paste bij zuipschuiten.
Laat dit nou net een album zijn waar ik Muskee goed vind zingen.
Appleknockers Flophouse en de laatste vier songs van deze plaat horen bij mijn C+B favorieten. Mooi werk inderdaad van Gelling, behoort tot zijn beste.

Het album Appleknockers Flophouse is opgenomen in 1969 en bevat meest zelf geschreven nummers en een paar covers van bekende, internationale bluesartiesten. De band speelt niet alleen bluesmuziek maar ook wat steviger rock, zoals Midnight mover. 
De gitarist en pianist spelen regelmatig solo's op dit album. Gelling speelt vooral op de elektrische gitaar, maar zo nu en dan speelt hij ook een akoestische solo. 
Black snake wordt helemaal gespeeld met akoestische gitaar, daarbij speelt Harry Muskee op mondharmonica. Help me is een jazz-achtig nummer, met een bassolo van Herman Deinum.

De groep heeft met veel bezettingswisselingen te kampen gehad. De vaste kern bestond uit Harry (Cuby) Muskee en Eelco Gelling. De andere drie leden ten tijde van dit album hebben eerder gespeeld in de formatie Blues Dimension uit Zwolle.

- Harry Muskee (zang en mondharmonica)
- Eelco Gelling (akoestische en elektrische gitaar)
- Herman Deinum (bas)
- Helmig van der Vegt (piano en orgel)
- Hans la Faille (drums)


Tracklist

A1. Appleknockers Flophouse - 2:30
A2. Unknown Boy - 6:45
A3. Help Me - 5:35

B1. Go Down Sunshine - 7:02
B2. Disappointed Blues - 3:20
B3. Midnight Mover - 2:36
B4. Black Snake - 4:20


Companies, etc.


Credits

Notes
Release: 1969
Recorded at:  G.T.B. studios, the Hague (Holland)
Genre:  Blues Rock
Tijdsduur:  32:16
Label:  Philips Records