Shriekback - Big Night Music (1986)

Shriekback are an English rock band formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and League of Gentlemen (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals), and Dave Allen, formerly of the Gang of Four (bass), with Carl Marsh, formerly of Out On Blue Six (guitars/vocals) soon added to the line-up. They were joined by Martyn Barker on drums in 1983.
Other members included: Luc Van Acker, Linda Nevill, Emma Burnham, Brian Nevill, Pedro Ortiz, Clare Hirst, Lu Edmunds, Wendy and Sara Partridge (from Electric Guitars), Steve Halliwell, Eve Moon, Ivan Julian, Mike Cozzi, and Jessica Palin/Jose Fina Cupido. Big Night Music was the fourth full-length Shriekback album, released in 1986. Barry Andrews dominates the writing and performing on the album, with remaining original member Dave Allen fading into the background. Allen would leave the band following this release.
Big Night Music continued Shriekback's evolution from fringe weirdoes to unlikely pop stars. It was more accessible than anything they'd done before, and not by accident -- a conscious intent to reach for a wider audience is apparent even in the album's packaging, which pictures the band members on the cover for the first time, includes a long note from Shriekback to their fans, and gives credits for make-up, hair, and denim. The lush, organic production (by Gavin MacKillop) is a long, long way from the clattering psycho-funk of Tench, and Shriekback's distinctive drum programs have been entirely replaced by Martyn Barker's drums. ("Big Night Music is entirely free of drum machines," say the liner notes. "Shriekback have chosen to make a different kind of music -- one which exalts human frailty and the harmonious mess of nature over the simplistic reductions of our crude computers.") All this makes it tempting to dismiss this album, but that would be a mistake -- taken on its own terms, it's a vastly successful record. Its ten tracks explore a variety of new styles and the results include some of their best songs: "The Shining Path," an evocative moonlight serenade; "The Reptiles and I," with glassine synths echoing over a sinewy rhythm section; and "Sticky Jazz," which is funky in a joyful, floppy way and marks quite a change for the often sinister Shrieks. Barry Andrews, who handles all lead vocals for the first time, is not a great singer, but he manages; Barker shows impressive rhythmic versatility; and Dave Allen continues to be the band's anchor, providing dependable brilliance on the low end. Big Night Music accomplished everything it set out to do, finding success with both record buyers and critics, but was quickly followed by Allen's departure from the band.

01.  "Black Light Trap" - 5:09
02.  "Gunning for the Buddha" - 4:37
03.  "Running on the Rocks" - 4:58
04.  "The Shining Path" - 4:37
05.  "Pretty Little Things" - 3:50
06.  "Underwaterboys" - 4:51
07.  "Exquisite" - 4:30
08.  "The Reptiles and I" - 4:32
09.  "Sticky Jazz" - 4:28
10.  "Cradle Song" - 4:16

Label - Island Records

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Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene (Trance Remix) (1994)

Oxygène (English: Oxygen) is an album of instrumental electronic music composed, produced, and performed by the French composer Jean Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976, on Disques Dreyfus with license to Polydor. The album's international release was in summer 1977. Jarre recorded the album in his home using a variety of analog synthesizers and other electronic instruments and effects.
It became a bestseller and was Jarre's first album to achieve mainstream success. It was also highly influential in the development of electronic music and has been described as the album that "led the synthesizer revolution of the Seventies".
This was a Trance Remix bootleg (private pressing) from 1994. The same guys made a Kraftwerk remix and many Pink Floyd 'Limited Edition Trance Remixes´.

Jean Michel Jarre – ARP 2600, EMS Synthi AKS, EMS VCS3, RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, Farfisa Professional Organ, Eminent 310U, Mellotron and the Rhythmin' Computer (later revealed to be a Korg Minipops-7 rhythm machine).

 

01.  Oxygene (Part I)  - 11:34 
02.  Oxygene (Part II)  - 11:36 
03.  Oxygene (Part III)  - 12:57 
04.  Oxygene (Part IV)  - 10:20 
05.  Oxygene (Part V)  - 17:32 
06.  Oxygene (Part VI)  - 8:51

 

Label - Not On Label

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Boxer - Absolutely (1977)

Absolutely was the second rock music album recorded by the band Boxer, released during 1977 on the Epic record label. Singer/pianist Mike Patto had assembled a new-look lineup including bassist Tim Bogert from Vanilla Fudge, guitarist Adrian Fisher from Sparks, Chris Stainton from Joe Cocker and many others and drummer Eddie Tuduri from the American band Wha-Koo.
The album was also released in the U.S. with a different cover.
There had been rumours that George Martin was interested in working with Boxer.
The album was eventually produced by Jeff Glixman, who had worked with the Allman Brothers and Kansas.
Patto collaborated with all the band members to write the songs on this album. "Rich Man's Daughter" is a reworking of the same song recorded by the Boxer lineup for Bloodletting, which was recorded in 1976. This album was the last recording made by Patto.
"Absolutely" was Boxer's and Mike Patto's final album.  Mike was the only member of the original lineup on the album.  Chris Stainton, who contributed on the "Bloodletting" from 1976, played most of the keyboards.  Tim Bogert's (Cactus, Beck Bogert & Appice et al.) creative bass playing is prominent throughout the album.  Adrian Fisher had the challenge of filling Ollie's shoes on guitar.  Adrian and Eddie were probably session players primarily.  Adrian played on a Sparks album that was produced by Muff Winwood, the producer of the Patto albums.
Of course, with the completely new band lineup, the "Absolutely" album is very different from the first two Boxer albums.  It moves away from the rawer, straight-ahead rock approach with a slicker production and more finessed instrumentation.  Mike's vocals are still in fine form -- he sounds great throughout the album.  While Adrian and Eddie are solid musically throughout the album, Tim Bogert's bass and Chris Stainton's keyboards perhaps dominate the musical side of things.  Tim Bogert's bass playing is particularly impressive, but it seems a bit too busy on some of the more simple tunes -- maybe too much of a good thing?
Mike collaborated with all the band members to write the album's material.  "Big Lucy", "Red Light Flyer", the Randy Newman-esque "Everybody's A Star...", and "No Reply" (despite the terribly out-of-place musical extravaganza after the first verses) are among the better cuts on the album..  Mike delivers a great vocal on "As God's My Judge".  "Rich Man's Daughter" is a remake of the version recorded by the original Boxer lineup for the 1976 "Bloodletting" album, which was not  released until two years later in 1979.
"Everybody's A Star..." was released as a single in the UK with "Can't Stand What You Do" as the flip side (Cat. # Epic EPC 5540).  A promotional single with a picture sleeve was also issued and contained the "No Reply" track (Cat. # Epic SHOTS 1).

01.  "A Fool in Love" (Tim Bogert, Mike Patto) - 4:08
02.  "Red Light Flyer" (Patto) - 3:54
03.  "Big Lucy"  (Bogert, Chris Stainton, Patto) - 3:58
04.  "No Reply" (Stainton, Patto) - 5:20
05.  "Can't Stand What You Do"  (Bogert, Stainton, Patto, Adrian Fisher, Eddie Tuduri) - 3:58
06.  "As God's My Judge"  (Stainton, Patto) - 3:10
07.  "Rich Man's Daughter"  (Patto) - 4:04
08.  "Everybody's a Star"  (Stainton, Patto) - 2:32
09.  "Hand on Your Heart"  (Bogert, Stainton, Patto, Fisher, Tuduri) - 4:43

Label - CBS Records

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The Ray Pittman Band - Getcha Some (1981)

Hard Southern Rock from North Carolina/USA similar to LYNYRD SKYNYRD & MARSHALL TUCKER BAND with double leads and slide guitars. Ray Pittman was a member of the US-Bluesrock-Band BULL, before he made this album with his own band.
Excellent album that 70’s styled hard rock and southern rock lovers will enjoy for sure. Highlight of the LP is epic ballad “Bullets” which sounds a bit like a mix of “Free Bird” and Point Blank’s “Stars and Scars”. A real gem! Other tracks are good and pretty varied too, with boogie rock (“Whatever Happened to Ol’ Lucille?”), pure hard rock (“Ain’t What You’ve Got”) or more traditional southern rock à la Marshall Tucker Band (“Love Changes like the Weather”). That’s a rare and very good album so if you find it.

Line-up:
Julius Ray Pittman – Lead Vocals, Hammond B-3 organ, Rhythm guitar and backing vocals
Richard Bell – Lead, slide, rhythm and acoustic guitars, Backing Vocals
Pete George – Electric bass
Ricky Gardner – Drums

01.  "Ain't What You've Got" - 3:23 
02.  "Love Changes Like The Weather" - 4:44 
03.  "Bullets" - 7:47 
04.  "Come On Back To Me" - 3:47 
05.  "Dance With You" - 4:55 
06.  "Whatever Happened To Ol' Lucille?" - 3:04 
07.  "Don't Chain Me" - 3:42 
08.  "Stay Away From The Wanderer" - 3:55

Label - Not On Label

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Outlaws - Live: Los Angeles 1976

A vintage live recording by the band that merged Southern Rock with Traditional Country to create a sound all their own, Outlaws!
Features the triple guitar assault of Hughie Thomasson (later of Lynyrd Skynyrd), Henry Paul (later of Blackhawk) & Billy Jones, playing live for a thrilled crowd at the very height of the band’s popularity!
Includes spectacular 14-minute performance of the epic “Green Grass & High Tides” plus “There Goes Another Love Song,” “Knoxville Girl” and more!
Billy Jones - vocals, guitar; Henry Paul - vocals, guitar; Frank O'Keefe - bass; Hugh Thompson - vocals, guitar; Monte Yoho - drums
Recorded as part of the "Live at the Record Plant" series, this 1976 performance finds The Outlaws in excellent form. Promoting the upcoming release of their second album, Lady In Waiting, the band enthusiastically delivers their brand of tight, energetic guitar-driven Southern rock.
The Outlaws were signed to Clive Davis' new label, Arista Records, and when their blend of driving guitars, cowboy twang, and Eagles-esque harmonies came together, the public bought in. The group had a Top 40 hit right out of the box with "There Goes Another Loves Song," from their 1975 self-titled debut album, The Outlaws.
But the ten minute plus opus "Green Grass And High Tides," was, and remains today, the band's signature song. With its beginning slow tempo, followed by a frantic, fast moving ending climaxing with pulsating triple lead guitar solos, the tune echoes Skynyrd in many ways yet is uniquely the Outlaws, with it's thrilling vocal harmonies in the chorus. These two songs quickly become the band's standard closers and this show, although very early in its career, got the same response back then than it does now.
The rest of the set is peppered with strong tunes from both of their first two albums. "Song In The Breeze" gets a solid rendition, and their version of the Jimmy Martin bluegrass classic "Freeborn Man" is outstanding.
After this recording was made at the legendary Record Plant, the band went through its first of many personnel changes. Henry Paul left in 1977, only to return again in the late 1980s when the band had a reunion. He departed again and formed Blackhawk, which has spent several weeks at the top of the country music charts.
The music here encompasses a certain animal compulsion, especially when the band locks into their long instrumental breaks. The Outlaws remained so true to their southern rock roots that they rarely moved in other directions. When Southern Rock veered out of the mainstream in the mid-'80s, many artists made a natural transition to country. The Outlaws, however, remained an American rock 'n' roll band. With an enthusiastic Record Plant audience encouraging them, the Outlaws turned in a strong performance on this classic recording.

01.  "Waterhole"  (Billy Jones, Frank O'Keefe, Henry Paul, Hughie Thomasson, Monte Yoho) - 2:07
02.  "Stick Around for Rock & Roll"  (Hughie Thomasson) - 8:54
03.  "Song in the Breeze"  (Henry Paul) - 4:59
04.  "Lover Boy"  (Hughie Thomasson) - 4:17
05.  "Freeborn Man"  (Keith Allison, Mark Lindsay) - 5:12
06.  "Cry No More"  (Billy Jones) - 4:03
07.  "Knoxville Girl"  (Henry Paul) - 3:35
08.  "Green Grass & High Tides"  (Hughie Thomasson) - 14:10
09 . "There Goes Another Love Song"  (Hughie Thomasson, Monte Yoho) - 4:17

Label - Purple Pyramid

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Sass Jordan - Racine (1992)

Racine is the second studio album by Canadian rock singer/songwriter Sass Jordan, released on MCA Records 31 March 1992. Jordan's "barroom hard rock" style on this album has been compared to that of the Black Crowes.
Is anyone named more appropriately than Sass Jordan? On her sophomore effort, the Montreal-based rocker kicks the synth-heavy Starship impersonation of her first album to the curb, raids her old Faces and Bad Company LPs for inspiration, and turns the attitude up to 11. Racine ("roots" in French) lurches into gear with "Make You a Believer," a brassy, swaggering nugget of electric barroom crunch that draws from the same well as the Black Crowes but might go one better with its surging gospel chorus.
"If You're Gonna Love Me" wraps a cutting riff around Jordan's reckless vocal, which threatens to careen out of control but of course never does. Jordan's a pro, as her effortless shift into balladry for "You Don't Have to Remind Me" proves. When she sings the payoff line after the chorus "Because every night I sleep alone" it's with a sigh and a nod, as if she's acknowledging the crappiness of how things go, but will just have another cigarette and forget about it, because there's plenty of fish in the sea. Later, a horn section stops by for "Do What Ya Want," and even if it's totally clichéd, it somehow works, if only on the sheer elastic sandpaper quality of Jordan's vocal. That's the thing about Racine it's not sparklingly original, but who ever said great barroom hard rock had to be? Each song starts with a chip on its shoulder, as if Jordan's the new girl in town and wants to prove she can hang. By song's end, she's the center of attention. And trashing the cold synths of Tell Somebody for the vibrant Hammond organ of the title track and "Windin' Me Up" was the best possible move she could have made. Jordan always sings straight from her heart -- it's great to hear her throaty purr over instrumentation that comes from the same place.

 

01. "Make You a Believer"   (Sass Jordan, Rick Neigher) - 4:45

02. "If You're Gonna Love Me"   (Jordan, Neigher) - 3:45
03. "You Don't Have to Remind Me"   (Jordan, Stevie Salas, Parthenon Huxley) - 4:07
04. "Who Do You Think You Are"   (Jordan, Neigher) - 3:59
05. "Windin' Me Up"   (Jordan, Neigher) - 3:56
06.  "I Want to Believe"   (Jordan, Salas) - 4:30
07. "Goin' Back Again"   (Jordan, Kevin Savigar, Robin LeMesurier) - 4:28
08. "Do What Ya Want"   (Jordan, Neigher) - 4:21
09. "Cry Baby"   (Jordan, Salas) - 4:46
10. "Where There's a Will"   (Jordan, Neigher) - 3:42
11. "Time Flies"   (Jordan, Salas, Randy Cantor) - 4:43

Label - MCA

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David Bowie - Station To Station (1976, 2010 Reissue)

Station to Station is the tenth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1976. Commonly regarded as one of his most significant works, Station to Station was the vehicle for his last great "character", the Thin White Duke. The album was recorded after he completed shooting Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, and the cover artwork featured a still from the movie. During the sessions Bowie was heavily dependent on drugs, especially cocaine, and recalls almost nothing of the production.
Musically, Station to Station was a transitional album for Bowie, developing the funk and soul music of his previous release, Young Americans, while presenting a new direction towards synthesisers and motorik rhythms that was influenced by German electronic bands such as Neu! and Kraftwerk. This trend culminated in some of his most acclaimed work, the so-called 'Berlin Trilogy', recorded with Brian Eno in 1977–79. Bowie himself has said that Station to Station was "a plea to come back to Europe for me". The album’s lyrics reflected his preoccupations with Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley, mythology and religion.
Blending funk and krautrock, romantic balladry and occultism, Station to Station has been described as "simultaneously one of Bowie's most accessible albums and his most impenetrable". Preceded by the single "Golden Years", it made the top five in both the UK and US charts. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 323 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The songs on Station to Station are composed of a fusion of soul, rock, funk, and disco, twisted by an influence of experimental German artists. When singing as The Thin White Duke, Bowie sounds completely withdrawn from the emotions that the songs convey.
Everything about Station to Station, from its significance as a testament to the evolution of David Bowie as an artist to the role played by his cocaine addiction on its recording, has been oft-discussed in the decades since its release. But if there is ever a time to revisit an album, it’s upon the release of a special edition reissue and new digital transfer. Opener “Station to Station” is as epic an introduction to The Duke as ever.
From the sound of a train chugging along the droning introduction to the buildup to an up-tempo, funky finale, it never slips to anything less than astonishing in its 10-plus minutes. Only someone like Bowie could open an album with his most experimental song yet, and follow it with something as danceable as the still-infectious funk hit “Golden Years”.
“World on a Wing” is an impassioned hymn that seemingly reflects Bowie’s spiritual longing that coincided with his personal woes during the recording of Station to Station. “TVC 15” begins with the false impression of a straightforward piano-rocker but proves to be the most compelling song after the title track, for both its trippy lyrics about a girlfriend getting lost in a holographic television and its desperate coda. Funk-rocker “Stay” features some of the best guitar work of Bowie’s career, and his seductive cover of “Wild Is the Wind” brings Station to Station to a haunting close.
Thirty-four years after its release, Station to Station stands as an intriguing portrait of an artist going through a period of transition. It’s also an excellent album in its own right. The new digital transfer of Station to Station is crystal clear and superbly mastered, but the differences between it and previous masters are subtle and would largely go unnoticed by a non-audiophile. As a better come-on for fans with standard sound systems and/or less discerning hearing, the 1976 concert at Nassau Coliseum is included with the special edition.
The concert captured in the Nassau recordings is energetic, full of hits, and successfully maintains the delicate balance between cleaning up a performance for listening at home and capturing what the music must have sounded like in a live setting.
In addition to the three-disc special edition, a deluxe edition is also available that includes the new Station to Station master and Nassau Coliseum performance on both CD and vinyl, the the original 1985 CD master and an EP featuring single edits, a DVD featuring original analogue masters and new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes, and replicas of the 1976 fan club package and memorabilia from the Nassau Coliseum concert. That’s a heck of a lot of packaging and extra bits, but a dedicated Bowie-ite will surely find it worthy of snapping it up. Otherwise, the new transfer is an improvement from the original, but with an album this amazing, any improvement is like another layer of icing on the cake.

Station to Station 2010 transfer (Disc 1)
1.  "Station to Station"   10:11
2.  "Golden Years"   4:02
3.  "Word on a Wing"   6:01
4.  "TVC 15"   5:31
5.  "Stay"   6:12
6.  "Wild is the Wind"   6:02

Live Nassau Coliseum '76 (Disc 2)
1.  "Station to Station"   11:53
2.  "Suffragette City"   3:31
3.  "Fame"   4:02
4.  "Word on a Wing"   6:06
5.  "Stay"   7:25
6.  "I'm Waiting for the Man"   6:20
7.  "Queen Bitch"   3:12

Live Nassau Coliseum '76 (Disc 3)
1.  "Life on Mars?"   2:13
2.  "Five Years"   5:03
3.  "Panic in Detroit" (With most of drum solo edited out) 6:03
4.  "Changes" (With band intro) 4:11
5.  "TVC 15"   4:58
6.  "Diamond Dogs"   6:38
7.  "Rebel Rebel"   4:07
8.  "The Jean Genie"   7:28

Label - RCA Records

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R.E.M. - R.E.M. Live (2007)

Cynics may dismiss R.E.M.'s first-ever live CD as a way to run out their contract, and they may not be wrong. Despite the lack of a full-fledged live album in their catalog -- and some could call R.E.M. Live not quite an album, since it is a two-CD/one-DVD package that documents a concert the group gave at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, on February 27, 2006, so it's as much a video as an album -- there hasn't exactly been a paucity of official live releases, not with all the home videos, DVDs, and B-sides issued over the years (and this isn't even counting the numerous bootlegs). If there wasn't necessarily a need for a live album, it also is true that R.E.M.'s stock never was lower than it was in 2007, as the band was limping along after Around the Sun, which was not so much a flop as it was merely ignored. So, the band could have conceivably been running down their contract or they could have been in a slump, needing the time that a live set bought them, or perhaps they just wanted to offer a reminder of why everybody cared in the first place, something that R.E.M. Live almost provides. At the very least, R.E.M. Live proves that the group packs a stronger punch live than they do in the studio, as the band gives songs from recent albums muscle they sorely missed on record. They also can sound vital on classic material, such as "Cuyahoga," which retains a fragile beauty here, and they give "I Took Your Name" a mean, menacing vibe. Not that everything clicks here -- as they go to the encore, they get a bit too strident and overblown, while Mike Mills' lead vocal on "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" turns the song into something a little too slight -- but the band sounds tight and enormous, a perfect example of old pros comfortable in their skin. Now, this won't necessarily be everybody's cup of tea -- in particular, fans of the frenzied early R.E.M. rock & roll will find this too anthemic -- but this big, big sound on R.E.M. Live speaks to the band's core strengths in a way no post-Bill Berry studio album does.

CD 1
01. "I Took Your Name"  (originally on Monster) – 4:08
02. "So Fast, So Numb"  (originally on New Adventures in Hi-Fi) – 4:40
03. "Boy in the Well" (originally on Around the Sun) – 5:16
04. "Cuyahoga"  (originally on Lifes Rich Pageant) – 4:25
05. "Everybody Hurts" (originally on Automatic for the People) – 6:49
06. "Electron Blue" (originally on Around the Sun) – 4:13
07. "Bad Day" (originally on In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003) – 4:26
08. "The Ascent of Man" (originally on Around the Sun) – 4:12
09. "The Great Beyond" (originally on Man on the Moon Soundtrack) – 4:49
10. "Leaving New York" (originally on Around the Sun) – 4:48
11. "Orange Crush"  (originally on Green) – 4:27
12. "I Wanted to Be Wrong" (originally on Around the Sun) – 5:02
13. "Final Straw" (originally on Around the Sun) – 4:10
14. "Imitation of Life" (originally on Reveal) – 3:53
15. "The One I Love"  (originally on Document) – 3:27
16. "Walk Unafraid" (originally on Up) – 5:02
17. "Losing My Religion" (originally on Out of Time) – 4:53

CD 2
18. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"  (originally on Monster) – 4:06
19. "Drive"  (originally on Automatic for the People) – 5:41
20. "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville"  (originally on Reckoning) – 4:39
21. "I'm Gonna DJ" (later released on Accelerate) – 2:27
22. "Man on the Moon" (originally on Automatic for the People) – 6:46

Label - Warner Bros.

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Toad The Wet Sprocket - Dulcinea (1994)

Dulcinea is an album by Toad the Wet Sprocket released in 1994. It is their fourth studio album with Columbia Records and the follow-up to their popular album fear, which was released in 1991. Two songs from Dulcinea reached Top 40 designation on the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts: "Fall Down" and "Something's Always Wrong". Dulcinea was RIAA Certified Gold on September 1, 1994 and Platinum on July 31, 1995
From the platform of success built by Fear, Toad the Wet Sprocket dove head first into their fourth release, Dulcinea. Without changing the formula too much, they conjured up 12 more hooks, stretching them ever so slightly to make the alternative tunes a bit edgier and the mellow ones a little folkier, and scoring a couple of modest hits along the way with "Something's Always Wrong" and "Fall Down." One of the thematic threads of Toad's music has always been a certain spirituality, a sense of awe and wonder in regard to life and death. Dulcinea exploits and explores that theme with reverence and humility, going so far as to close the album with "Reincarnation Song," a delicate examination of a soul's transition shrouded musically by a veil of electric guitar feedback. Counteracting that heaviness with an offbeat, country-tinged ditty about the pros of Nanci Griffith versus Loretta Lynn is pure Toad, never being pinned into a stylistic corner. One of the best songs on this album, and perhaps their entire catalog, is "Windmills," a moody look at the fragility and futility of existence that will cause not only the exquisite melody to linger with you, but contemplations of your own purpose in life. Framed by the flawless production of Gavin MacKillop, every song on this record creates a world of its own that is impossible not to be drawn into.

01.  Fly From Heaven  (4:36) 
02.  Woodburning  (3:58) 
03.  Something's Always Wrong  (4:58) 
04.  Stupid  (2:41) 
05.  Crowing  (3:18) 
06.  Listen  (4:08) 
07.  Windmills  (3:48) 
08 . Nanci  (2:58) 
09.  Fall Down  (3:23) 
10.  Inside  (4:17) 
11.  Begin  (4:04) 
12.  Reincarnation Song  (4:42) 
13.  Hope  (3:41) 

Label - Columbia Records

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Wing & A Prayer Fife And Drum Corps. - Babyface (1976)

Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps was an American disco group in existence from 1975 to 1978. The "fife and drum corps" was actually an assemblage of studio musicians put together by Harold Wheeler; the group's vocalists were Linda November, Vivian Cherry, Arlene Martell, and Helen Miles.
Their 1976 album, Babyface, hit #47 on the US pop album chart and #19 on the Black Albums chart, due to the success of the single, "Baby Face". It had previously reached #1 for Jan Garber in 1926 and Art Mooney in 1948.
The single went to #1 on the US Club Play chart, #6 AC, #32 US Billboard Black Singles, and #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also reached #12 in the UK Singles Chart.
Sometime in 1975 Atlantic Records launched their very short-lived Wing & A Prayer subsidiary label in New York City, primarily to provide an outlet for the Disco studio groups Consumer Rapport and Wing & A Prayer Fife & Drum Corps assembled by Harold Wheeler, who had been associated with the Broadway musical The Wiz, at a time when Disco was in its infancy. Just 2 albums were released in their existence along with 6 singles and all we now have at our disposal is the original vinyl covered here as, insofar as I can tell, no CD compilation of their work exists nor have any of the sides even been included in any multiple-artist quality CD compilations.

Act I 
A1. Just An Old Fashioned Medley  (9:45) 
       1. Swanee   
       2. Toot! Toot! Tootsie! (Good-Bye)   
       3. Oh! You Beautiful Doll   
       4. The Best Things In Life Are Fre   
       5. Blue Skies   
       6. I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover   
A2. Eleanor Rigby  (5:11) 
A3. I Hear A Symphony  (3:58) 

Act II 
B1. Show Medley  (5:53) 
       1. There's No Business Like Show Business   
       2. Hooray For Hollywood   
       3. Give My Regards To Broadstreet   
       4. Somewhere
B2. Charleston  (3:36) 
B3. Those Were The Days  (3:28) 
B4  Baby Face  (6:38) 

Label - Wing And A Prayer

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