W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Bart Sells His Soul - In The Garden Of Eden (The Simpsons)

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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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.In the episode of the Simpsons entitled "Bart Sells His Soul", the hit track "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida", by Iron Butterfly is used as a hilarious parody during a church scene. The show was the fourth episode of Season 7, and first aired on October 8, 1995. The episode was written by Greg Daniels and was directed by Wesley Archer. The plot of the episode is a parody of the book "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.", by Judy Blume.
The Simpsons serve as church ushers one Sunday morning. Bart uses the opportunity to switch the intended hymn with a song called "In the Garden of Eden" by "I. Ron Butterfly"; actually, the song is Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".
Reverend Lovejoy initially fails to notice anything amiss (or the lewd behavior of congregants) but he eventually catches on, noting "This sounds like rock and/or roll". At the end of the 17-minute song (shortened in this episode of course), the exhausted organist collapses on the organ.
Reverend Lovejoy demands that the perpetrator step forward, and Milhouse names Bart. As punishment, Lovejoy assigns Bart and Milhouse to clean the organ pipes. Bart is indignant with Milhouse, who claims he feared for the fate of his soul. Bart proclaims that there is no such thing as a soul and agrees to sell his to Milhouse in the form of a piece of paper saying "Bart Simpson's soul". After the deal is made, Lisa tells Bart that he will regret selling his soul, but Bart does not believe her. Bart soon finds that his dog, Santa's Little Helper, will not play with him, automatic doors fail to open for him, and when he breathes on the freezer doors at the Kwik-E-Mart no condensation forms. He begins to suspect he really did lose his soul, and sets out to retrieve it.
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was a psychedelic rock epic by Iron Butterfly, released on their 1968 album 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', and is one of my all time time favourite psychedelic tracks. At a little over seventeen minutes, it occupies the entire second side of the 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' album. The lyrics are simple, and heard only at the beginning and the end. The track was recorded on May 27, 1968, at Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. The recording that is heard on the album was meant to be a soundcheck for engineer Don Casale while the band waited for the arrival of producer Jim Hilton. However, Casale had rolled a recording tape, and when the rehearsal was completed it was agreed that the performance was of sufficient quality that another take wasn't needed. Hilton later remixed the recording at Gold Star Studios in LA. The single version (included here) reached number thirty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
So for this posting, I have included both the 'Simpson's version of 'In the Garden Of Eden' along with the shortened 'single version' released by Iron Butterfly - and therefore classify this WOCK on vinyl posting under the category of 'Korny' but still very, very Cool !
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The Simpsons Link (7 Mb) New Link 07/08/2024
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Arktis - On The Rocks (1976)

(German 1973-1985)
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Arktis was formed in March 1973 by Karin Toppig on vocals, Klaus Blachut on guitar, Klaus Gollner on bass and Harry Kottek on drums. They came from the area of Bonn devoting themselves to progressive rock. In March 1974, Arktis independently released their self-titled debut in a vinyl edition of 300 copies. In 1975 their second album "Arktis Tapes" was released in a limited edition of 1000 copies. Meanwhile both albums have been rereleased on CD, in 1993 and 1994 respectively and both highlight bonus tracks not available on the LP versions.
Due to internal differences, Blachut and Gollner split from Arktis in 1975 and went off to study at a university in the south of Germany. Kottek and Toppig decided to continue with new personnel they found in Manni Dick on guitar, Alex Maurer on keyboards and Bernd Kolf on bass. As a result the third Arktis album "On The Rocks" was released in 1976, independently again and a very limited edition of 250 copies (produced by Conny Plank).
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A Hammond organ was added to all songs on this album. They took alot more time in the studio than their two previous albums and this is clearly apparent by the album's song compact structures. Their psychedelic and underground feeling was influenced by their new guitarist Manni whose idols were Cream and Hendrix.
A pounding rhythm section, swirling keyboards, powerful, understated female vocals (in English) and some truly great electric guitar make this an album that I listen to on a regular basis. The 20 minute long "Loneliness" is a highlight. Well, maybe "Dangerous Love". Actually, the whole album is terrific!
Arktis's "On the Rocks" is an album which with you can easily imagine knights fighting on the landscape drawn on the cover while listening to the music. It's a pity they only made a few albums. Very enjoyable and accessible album. To all Kraut and progressive rock lovers!"
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It is enchanting 70s' progressive rock from Germany. Although featuring simple melodies and not hard progressive rock with complex arrangements, such as, say, Rush, Arktis' sound is interesting for two reasons.
The first reason is that their powerful guitar playing sounds Jane like for a mid 70s band and catches the attention at once. The second reason is that the voice of Karin is both very powerful and enchanting and sounds androgynous, which give the tracks a feel of fairy-tales. The highlight here is 'Please Call Me' with its catchy tune and lyrics and 'Loneliness', a beautiful powerful epic lasting 20 minutes. The tune is both heavy blues and melancholic passages in the vein of Pink Floyd. The doomy bonus track Y.T.T is reminiscent of Black Sabbath and complements the rest of the album's tracks.
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Rip was taken from CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork and lyrics, along with choice photos of the band. This album should not be missed - you won't be disappointed.
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Track Listing
01. Dangerous Love (4:31)
02. Since You've Been Gone (5:35)
03. Never Come Back (5:00)
04. Please, Call Me (5:26)
05. Loneliness (20:01)
06. Y.T.T. (Bonus Track 5:57)
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Band Members:
Karin Toppig (vocals)
Harry Kottek (drums)
Manni Dick (guitar)
Axel Maurer (keyboards)
Bernd Kolf (bass)

Arktis Link (122Mb)
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Uriah Heep - Classic Heep Live from the Byron Era (1973-76)

(U.K 1969-Present)

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Uriah Heep are an English hard rock band that was one of the most popular groups of the early 70s.
The band released several commercially successful albums in the 1970s such as 'Demons And Wizards' (1972) and 'The Magician's Birthday' (1973), but their audience declined by the 1980s, to the point where they became essentially a cult band in the US and UK.

Their debut album, Very 'eavy... Very 'umble (which was self-titled in the United States), introduced a heavy organ and guitar-driven sound, with David Byron's theatrical, dynamic vocals soaring above thunderous sonic backgrounds, although acoustic and jazz elements also featured in the mix. The album's title references the signature phrase of the Dickens character Uriah Heep ("very 'umble") from the novel David Copperfield from which the band took its name. Their second album, 'Salisbury', was more squarely in the progressive rock genre, with its 16-minute title track featuring a 24-piece orchestra. Their third album, 'Look at Yourself', released at the end of 1971, included the classic song "July Morning".

Subsequent releases would find the group's ever-shifting lineup (between 1969 and 1980, the band changed drummers five times, bassists four times, and lead singers five times) frequently exploring fantasy-oriented lyrical themes, often in lengthy, multi-part compositions, largely penned by Ken Hensley, who would eventually come to dominate the band during his tenure [extract from Wikipedia].

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David Byron was Mister Uriah Heep, his incredible voice that could reach the highest possible ranges and change lowest tones in fraction of seconds with absolutely no effort represent the peak of these pioneers of progressive hard rock.

And what can I say about Gary Thain except that he was one of the best bass players of the seventies. Without these two guys, Uriah Heep would have been no more than the band that recorded Demons and Wizards. And let's not forget Ken Hensley who makes his old Hammond and Mini Moog cry out in a way like nobody else, not the most technical keyboardist but without doubt one of the most emotional performers. His skills on guitar were also exceptional.

And of course all of them playing alongside Lee Kerslake (another musician without a great technique, more like a force of nature than a fancy percussionist) and the brilliant Mick Box on guitar. This really was the 'classic' Uriah Heep.

This posting features concerts from Japan, the UK and the USA in the era 1973-76. Featuring Ken Hensley on his Hammond organ and slide guitar (like on "Tears in my eyes"), Mick Box with his fiery and creative guitarwork and from the propulsive and solid rhythm-section Gary Thain/Lee Kerslake. But the focus is really on David Byron, he gives most of the songs an extra dimension like "Sunrise", "Love Machine", "The Easy Road" and "Shady Lady" and especially in the R&R-medley.

My highlight for this compilation is the version of "July morning" (a compilation of live material 1973-76 which includes a segment from the Dutch rock festival Pinkpop 1976, which I plan to post in the near future)

For a glimpse of Uriah Heep in the seventies, this is a must have. Heep fans have been clamoring for something like this for years-Ken Hensley's raging Hammond organ and slide guitar, Mick Box and his thunderous power chords and wah-wah solos, Lee Kerslake's pounding drums, the nimble bass work of Gary Thain (and John Wetton) and the hostrionic, pompous vocal style of David Byron..It doesn't get any better than this!

Unknown source - mp3's 192kps, includes limited artwork with select classic band photos. Quality is excellent.

Track Listing
1 - Sunrise (1973)

2 - Tears in My Eyes (1973)

3 - Traveller in Time (1973)

4 - Love Machine (1974)

5 - So Tired (1974)

6 - The Easy Road (1974)

7 - Rock 'n' Roll Medley (1974)
8 - Return to Fantasy (1975)

9 - Easy Livin' (1975)

10 - Stealin' (1975)

11 - Prima Donna (1975)

12 - Shady Lady (1975)

13 - July Morning Montage (1973-1976)

14 - Easy Livin' (1974)

15 - Stealin' (1974 )

. Musicians:

David Byron - Lead vocals
Mick Box - Guitars and vocals

Ken Hensley - Keyboards, guitar and vocals

Lee Kerslake - Drums

Gary Thain - Bass and vocals (on tracks 1 - 9, 14, 15)

John Wetton - Bass and vocals (on tracks 8 - 12)

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Uriah Heep Link (98Mb) Link Fixed 04/01/2024

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Jimi Hendrix with John McLaughlin / Johnny Winter - Jam Sessions at The Record Plant (1969) Ex Bootleg

(U.S 1967-1970)
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Jimi Hendrix jammed with numerous artists during his 'experience years' but regrettably many of these sessions were never recorded or have yet to surface. Artists such as Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (Hendrix was a big fan of Cream and included 'Sunshine of your Love' in his earlier gigs), Jim Morrison from the Doors, B.B King, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder, Peter Tork from the Monkees (who toured with the Experience in their early stages) and Eric Burdon and War at Ronnie Scott's Club, the night on which he died.
Jim also jammed with John McLaughlin (from Mahavishnu Orchestra) and Johnny Winter (the master of the Blues and slide guitar) at the Record Plant and these sessions were recorded for prosperity.
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John McLaughlin Sessions:
"In 1969, guitarist John McLaughlin, who had just signed with Alan Douglas, began working at the Record Plant on the album 'Devotion'. Joining John McLaughlin on the album were Buddy Miles on drums and Larry Young on Keyboards. While this album was being recorded in the Record Plant's lower level, Hendrix worked in the studio upstairs.

.On one fortunate occasion, the two guitarists met. A few days after his arrival in the US, John McLaughlin recorded with Miles Davis for his 1969 album 'In a Silent Way'. He later jammed with Hendrix at NY's Record Plant, where Hendrix was playing with Buddy Miles, bassist Roland Robinson, and guitarist Jim McCarty (of BM Express). At the request of Mitch Mitchell, John McLaughlin went to the Record Plant with the intention of jamming with Hendrix, not recording.
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In 1996, Steven Roby interviewed John McLaughlin and asked him how the jam with Hendrix took place.
'It was through Mitch Mitchell. Mitch and I go back to working with Georgie Fame in the early 60's. In 1969, I was playing with Tony Williams. Mitch was a big fan of his and would come to see us play at the Vanguard. One night Mitch invited us to the Record Plant. I came down with Larry Young and Dave Holland (MD's bassist 68-70). Basically, we played, but it was difficult because at the time I was using a hollow-bodied acoustic.....like a country guitar. The volume on it was so low and Buddy Miles was playing drums so loud. Dave Holland was there and Jimi played electric. It wasn't really a playing session....it was just hanging out....having a good time. I've only heard a little bit of tape, about two or three minutes, that's all they sent me. It sounded terrible to me.' An energized Hendrix and Buddy Miles dominated the three jams based on blues riffs, and McLaughlin's guitar static was too distracting to make this a great moment in rock history.
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In 1974, Alan Douglas discovered the tape of of John McLaughlin and Hendrix jamming and was ecstatic: 'the tape we have of them together is not only a historical thing, it's very exciting. It's going to have a heavy impact on the musical audience. It's Jimi playing in a way that's never been released before'. Douglas quickly drew up a promotion campaign and started feeding the press teasers about the jazz-fusion material he had on tape between John McLaughlin and Hendrix. Oui magazine reported in Feb1975 that Reprise would release one album of this material and Nemperor Records (McLaughlin's manager's label) would come out with an alternate one. After hearing a sample of these jams, rock critic Dave Marsh wrote in Penthouse Magazine: 'The McLaughlin/Hendrix tapes are reportedly ten hours long.....once they got started, McLaughlin and Hendrix achieve the sort of interplay that producers of super-sessions always seek but rarely discover'.
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Mysteriously, neither record was released and the boasts about hours of recordings full of non-stop jamming were silenced when archivist John McDermott explained in his book "Sessions": 'All that remains of this special summit (March 25 1969) is one thirty-minute reel of recording tape.' No one seems to know what happened to the recordings that inspired Douglas to say, 'I felt like I had been to Tibet.'

John McLaughlin was happy that this project was aborted. 'They were looking to squeeze as much money as possible out of what to me was a scam', he later explained. 'Jimi had already been scammed by these people, because most people will want to buy something on the strength of the name. Jimi's name and my name, and who ever else was there - it was just a scam. For me, I would have been delighted to see something good to have resulted from it, but it wasn't a recording session. I didn't play very long. There were other guitar players down there. They were all playing good and Jimi sounded great. Jimi was a revolutionary like Coltrane. He could do things with the guitar that nobody has ever done before. We all owe him a great deal' [Extract from : 'Black Gold - The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix', Steven Roby 2002]

Footnote: These thirty minutes of the McLaughlin/Hendrix jams have surfaced in the collector's network and apparently this is all that remains of the loosely organised jam that John McLaughlin said 'lasted from two til eight in the morning'. If other reels exist from the 6-hour session, they have not surfaced. Since John McLaughlin was not too thrilled with the short sample tape that Alan Douglas gave him, it is unlikely he would ever approve a future release. The songs that appear on the thirty minute tape are "Drivin' South", "Everything's Gonna be Alright" and are included in this rip.
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Johnny Winter Sessions:
In New Musical Express (NME a UK music magazine), the 6 Feb. 1971 issue there is an interview with Johnny Winter -
"I first met Jimi Hendrix at The Scene [popular New York City nightclub that his manager Steve Paul had in 1968]. I was a Jimi Hendrix groupie, and he was a Johnny Winter groupie. ....
We jammed together at The Scene a good bit; Jimi jammed with anybody who stayed there long enough. What we would often do after the club closed is go over to a studio where he had recording time booked regularly, and play around with things, maybe play for several hours and then some other day listen to the tapes to pick out the good parts for ideas to work into songs.
One of the things that the studio people were interested in putting out from the jams was an old Guitar Slim tune "The Things I Used to Do." I was playing slide and Jimi Hendrix was playing regular guitar and singing. It was just playing around, but it was a lot better than some of the stuff that was put out after he died. Some of that stuff should never have been released. The trouble when we played together was that we both respected each other's playing so much that we'd each lay back and wait for the other to play lead.
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I never really learned much from playing with Jimi Hendrix, though, because we had both learned from the same people; we had the same influences - but the music evolved in different ways. I guess I did learn from him some, however, though I didn't want to be copying him. It's just that any guitar player can learn from someone who has that many ideas and can do so much."
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Then Johnny Winter talks about how they went into the Record Plant Studios in NY and jammed...
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"We didn't play any particular tunes. It was just an extended guitar workshop. I mean, you just couldn't show that man anything new. It was just a case of Jimi watching how I used a bottleneck when playing. All I was doing was more or less demonstrating the basic technique to him."
And Johnny Winter goes on: "I guess Jimi Hendrix and I must have played together for at least two or three hours that day. Now...if someone was to do a professional job of editing those tapes, I'm sure we could get a good album out of them. If they're good, then I'd really like to see them come out for everyone to hear. I know I shouldn't say it, 'cause I'm under contract to another company and all that stuff, but really, I'm not bothered if I don't make a penny from them. It's just that I liked him so much."

.In another interview with Johnny Winter, this time in UniVibes (issue 4, November 1991), Winter was asked - You're sometimes credited as playing on a Jimi Hendrix bootleg called `Sky High' along with Jim Morrison and others playing `Red House', `The Sunshine Of Your Love' and several other songs...
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Winter responded - "Oh, I never even met Jim Morrison! There's a whole album of Hendrix and Morrison and I'm supposedly on the album but I don't think I am `cause I never met Jim Morrison in my life! I'm sure I never, never played with Jim Morrison at all! I don't know how that rumour got started".
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All tracks ripped at 320kps and full album artwork is included (with alternative covers) - source unknown.
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Track Listing:
01. Drivin' South
02. Everything's Gonna Be Alright/Jam
.Studio Recording (March 25, 1969 Record Plant, New York, NY)
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
John McLaughlin - guitar
Dave Holland -on bass
Buddy Miles - drums
Mitch Mitchell - drums on final part
Bass ?
03. Instrumental Jam 1
04. Earth Blues Jam
05. Instrumental Jam 2
06. The Things I Used To Do (Take 1)
07. Ships passing The Night
08. The Things I Used To Do (Take 2)
.Studio Recording (May 7th 1969 Record Plant, New York, NY)
Jimi Hendrix - Guitar, dialogue
Johnny Winter - Slide guitar
Steve Stills - Bass
Dallas Taylor - Drums
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Hendrix Jams Link (58 Mb) REPOSTED 06/11/2012
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Sherbet - Howzat (1976) + Bonus Live Track

(Australian 1969-84)
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Between 1971 and 1978, Sherbet released 15 albums and 30 singles. Among these were Australian pop classics such as "You've Got The Gun", "Slipstream", "Howzat, "Life", and "Summer Love". Their earlier singles and albums were produced by Festival house producer Richard Batchens, but in 1975, with Batchens increasingly concentrating on Richard Clapton, Sherbet's production was taken on by Richard Lush, the former Abbey Rd alumnus and engineer on many of the The Beatles' later recordings, including the Sgt Pepper's LP. Braithwaite also branched out with a solo career, releasing several singles under his own name -- "Old Sid", "Love Has No Pride", "Afterglow" (a cover of the Small Faces classic) and his solo No.1 hit version of the Cilla Black hit "You're My World".
One of the most celebrated images of the band was created in at the height of their fame in 1974, when the group posed nude -- although discreetly draped in detergent suds -- for a series of photos by renowned photographer Lewis Morley for a feature on the group in the magazine Pol, published in October/November 1974. From 1974, lead singer Braithwaite also maintained an active solo career alongside Sherbet, with Sherbet members often playing on Braithwaite's solo singles.
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Beginning in 1975, Sherbet's records were produced by Richard Lush who had begun his career in the UK as a trainee engineer at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, where he helped to engineer a number of Beatles' recordings including Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Porter also began to take an occasional lead vocal on Sherbet singles. His vocals can be heard on "Hollywood Dreaming" and "A Matter of Time".
The high point for Sherbet came in 1976, with the release of their hit single "Howzat". Ironically, this breakthrough came hot on the heels of press predictions that Sherbet's demise was imminent. Just prior to recording the new single and album, founder member Clive Shakespeare left the band.
Shakespeare was finding the growing pressure less and less easy to bear and by 1976 he had decided it was time to quit: Shakespeare was eventually replaced Harvey James (ex Ariel).
The inclusion of Harvey into the band saw their music move towards a heavier feel than anything previously released, and he adds some great guitar licks to nearly every track on the album. Around this same time, bassist Tony Mitchell stepped up to join Porter as Sherbet's new main songwriting team. The Porter/Mitchell duo was responsible for penning "Howzat" (1976), the band's only international hit, and a song which was inspired by the sport of cricket. The song's success lead to an extensive international tour in 1976-77. "Howzat" went to #1 in Australia, and was a Top 10 hit through most of Europe, South Africa, several Asian nations and parts of the Middle East -- but it failed to reach the American Top 40, stopping at #61 in the Billboard Hot 100. As well, while the Howzat album also made #1 in Australia, it failed to chart in the U.S. altogether.
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For those of you who enjoy a little trivia, you might be interested to know that Sherbet and their hit single "Howzat" were acknowledged by Australia Post in 1998.
Sherbet, AC/DC and the Easybeats were among 12 Australian bands to feature on a set of stamps issued by the Australian post office in 1998. The set of 12 stamps were issued on the 26th May and were withdrawn on the 30th October 1998. The stamps were issued to celebrate the contribution that Australian has made to the Rock and Pop world from the 50's to mid 70's.
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The rip for this posting includes 320kps mp3 taken from CD and contains both CD and LP artwork. As a bonus, I have included a live version of "Howzat' which was released on the B Side of their 1984 'Tonight Will Last Forever' 12" single, however, as credits are given to Richard Lush for producing this live track, I suspect the recording was actually made in the late 70's. (thanks to Deutros at Midoztouch for this track)
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Track Listing

01 - Howzat
02 - Lady Of The Night
03 - Gimme Love
04 - If I Had My Way
05 - Hollywood Dreaming
06 - Dancer
07 - Blueswalkin'
08 - Motor Of Love
09 - The Swap (You Can Get The Lot)
10 - Can't Find True Love
11 - I'll Be Coming Home
12 - [Bonus Track] Howzat (Live)

Band Members:
Daryl Braithwaite (Lead Vocals, Tambourine)
Harvey James (Guitar, Vocals)
Tony Mitchell (Bass, Vocals)
Alan Sandow (Drums)
Garth Porter (Keyboards, Vocals)
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Sherbet Link (99Mb) New Link 17/10/2024
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James Reyne - Electric Digger Dandy (1991) + Bonus Live Track

(Australian 1975 - current)
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Born in Lagos, Nigeria to an Australian mother and an English father, James' family migrated to Australia in the early 60's,settling in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula area. Leaving law school to study drama at the Victorian College of the Arts, James' musical career initially took hold in the early 80's when he and some friends formed the band Australian Crawl.
With his prolific song writing and unique vocal style, James Reyne led Australian Crawl to the top of the Australian music scene.The band's popularity skyrocketed with all of their albums achieving top 5 status, winning numerous band, music and video awards, while James won accolade's for the best male vocalist for 3 consecutive years. He also won acclaim as a songwriter - the song "Reckless" earning him a place in the league of homegrown greats.

Australian Crawl achieved a success that assured them a place in Australian music history.
After the band split in 1986, James spent some time in the United States and Europe, returning to Australia in 1988.
His first self-titled solo album went triple platinum and included three top 10 singles. In the following years James released two more solo albums, 'Hard Reyne' and 'Electric Digger Dandy', which effortlessly mirrored the success of the first.
Being somewhat beguiled by the experience of working in an ensemble, James joined country music star James Blundell and recorded the classic Dingoes song "Way Out West" which exploded into the number 1 position on the Australian charts.
He next joined close friend Daryl Braithwaite, Jef Scott and Simon Hussey on the unique and very successful album 'The Company Of Stranger', from which four top 10 singles were drawn.
In 1999, James recorded and released the CD 'Design For Living' with friends and brothers Scott and Brett Kingman.

Arguably the most critically applauded album of his career, it further cemented his position as a unique, witty, thoughtful and challenging songwriter and singer.
Throughout his career James has appeared in several and varied theatrical, film and television productions and concert events,the more visible of these including "Return To Eden", "Tina; What's Love Got To Do With It?", television drama "State Coroner"and "The Little Shop Of Horrors".

2004 saw the completion of "Speedboats For Breakfast", released on Liberation Records followed in 2005 with the special Liberation Blue acoustic series CD …'And The Horse You Rode In On' which allowed James to revisit many of the above titles with little more than a lone acoustic guitar underpinning the most distinctive voice of his generation.
James toured Australia during 2005 – 2006, all the while writing and recording.

2007 saw the release of James next solo album 'Every man A King' which closed a 30-year circle since he first led Australian Crawl into the front line of the Oz rock boom. His eye and pen grew sharper through a platinum-lined solo career, but never have his wit and poignancy been on more consistently solid musical ground than they are here, on his eighth solo album.
A second acoustic album, titled 'Ghost Ships', was released early October, 2007, taking Reyne's releases to four albums in four years - his most prolific period in recent times. In December 2007 his first live DVD - James Reyne 'One Night in Melbourne', was released.

In April 2010, James released, "TCB" (short for Taking Care of Business), a collection of Elvis Presley covers, including "Viva Las Vegas", "Return To Sender" and "Burning Love". The album debuted at number 32 on the ARIA Albums chart. James also appeared on "Hey Hey It's Saturday" and Channel 9's NRL "The Footy Show" in the week of 19 April 2010. [Extract from James Reyne's Website]
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Electric Digger Dandy was the third solo album by James Reyne released in 1991. The title of the American release was 'Any Day Above Ground', but the album was not officially released in the United Kingdom and only available via import. The album saw James Reyne's return to a more electric sound. It features the singles "Slave" and "Any Day Above Ground", which have both become concert staples. It also features a new, acoustic rendition of the Australian Crawl song "Reckless." The album was produced by keyboardist Simon Hussey, who also co-wrote two tracks.
The rip provided here was taken from my CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork. I have also included an extra treat - a great live recording of his Australian Crawl hit 'The Boys Light Up' which was recorded in Rio in 1996 (ripped from a YouTube video clip)
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Track listing
01. Some People
02. Slave
03. Reckless
04. Any Day Above Ground
05. Take a Giant Step
06. Company of Strangers
07. Black and Blue World
08. Stood Up
09. Outback Woman
10. Water, Water
11. Lay Your Weary Head Down
12. [Bonus] The Boys Light Up (Live in Rio 1996)
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Band Members:
James Reyne - Vocals, guitar
Jef Scott - Guitars, bass, vocals
Simon Hussey - Keyboards
John Watson - Drums
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Special Guests
Mick O'Connor - Hammond Organ
Renee Geyer - Backing Vocals
Gene Black - Guitar
C.J Vanston - Keyboards
Scott Griffiths - Piano, Hammon ORgan, Keyboards
Steve Housden - Guitar solo on "Slave"
Richard Pleasance - Mandolin
Brett Kingman - Electric Guitar
Mark Goldenberg - guitars, keyboards
Kenny Aronoff - Drums, percussion
Jimmie Wood - Harmonica
Eric Lowen - backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Dan Navarro - backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Tony Joe White - electric guitar, harmonica, bass, drums
John Pierce - bass
Byron Berline - fiddle
Jim McMains - backing vocals
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James Reyne Link (102Mb) New Link 23/12/2023
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Windchase - Symphinity (1977)

(Australian 1977)
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Windchase was created in the mid-seventies by Mario Millo (guitars, vocals), and Toivo Pilt (keyboards), former members of the famous Australian band Sebastian Hardie, one of the most talented Australian bands of the seventies, and one of the rare progressive ones (both albums, "Four moments" (1975) and "Windchase" (1976).
After the dissolution of Sebastian Hardie, Mario Millo and Toivo Pilt formed the group Windchase and released the album "Symphinity in 1977, with symphonic-melodic style, characteristic of Millo and Pilt. Subsequently, the guitarist and main songwriter Mario Millo, continued a solo career and released his first studio album Epic III in 1979 and 1983 released a second album "Human Games". After his involvement with Sebastian Hardie and Windchase, Mario Millo focused mainly on the composition of soundtracks for several Australian movies and TV series (his most successful being 'Against The Wind' which stared singer and actor Jon English).
Symphinity contains beautiful lyrical melodies, in the vein with that of '70s progressive rock/jazz band Camel.
The band released only the album “Symphinity”, but it’s a very solid and enjoyable work of typical 70’s symphonic progressive rock. Beautiful lyrical melodies, musical emphasis, lyrical guitars and keyboards, mix of sung and instrumental sequences, positive lyrics… Sound here is a blend of soft art & symphonic rock with agreeable pop-rock tunes, being the first seriously influenced by the likes of Yes or Camel with some Pink Floyd touches and the second much in the lines of Beatles or ELO.The album opens with the atmospheric piano tones of “Forward We Ride” that glides into the excellent “Horsemen to Symphinity”. The sound is clearly a bit late 70’s here, but not bad at all. Toivo uses his synths in a floating and very symphonic way. The charming and cheerful “Glad to be Alive” features real strings and an irresistible chorus. The instrumental “Gypsy” has the strong melodic themes that the last Sebastian Hardie album seemed to miss sometimes, and stands actually as one of my favourites here. “No Scruples” is just as typical symphonic progressive rock as it possibly can get, sounding a lot like Yes's Relayer album - complex and grandiose with numerous Moog/guitar solos and juicy Hammond riffs. “Lamb’s Fry” opens with the sounds of a frying pan, and is essentially a long and energetic jam where Millo and Toivo duels from start to finish. The short, acoustic instrumental “Non Siamo Perfetti” combines the melody of “Rosanna” from Sebastian Hardie’s debut with one of the themes from “Windchase”. The closing track (on the LP release) “Flight Call” is slightly more lightweight than most of the album, but still quite nice and enjoyable. The final track (on the CD release) is a bonus track, recorded live in 1998, but it hardly adds any value to the original studio version.
Lovers of Focus and Seventies Camel will like this album, no doubt about that; and of course Sebastian Hardie followers will not be disappointed. With the highly melodic tracks and excellent instrumental (especially guitar) skills, I would recommend it to everyone still stuck in the Seventies!
The Rip provided here was taken from a remastered CD at 320kps and includes full album artwork taken from LP.
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Tracks Listing
01. Forward We Ride (1:39)
02. Horsemen to Symphinity (8:33)
03. Glad to be Alive (8:06)
04. Gypsy (4:47)
05. No Scruples (6:29)
06. Lamb's Fry (9:39)
07. Non Siamo Perfetti (1:57)
08. Flight Call (4:36)
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Band Members:
Mario Millo (Vocals, Gibson S1, Gibson L5-S, mandolin, acoustic guitars, tubular bells)
Toivo Pilt (Hammond C3 L-111 organ, grand piano, Mini Moog, Fender Rhodes, mellotron, Arp 2600, Solina, Omni string synth, clavinet D6, handclaps and vocals)
Doug Bligh (Drums, percussion (various), backing vocals and handclaps)
Duncan MgGuire (Bass guitar)
GUESTS:
Doug Nethercote (Bass guitar) *
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Sorry - this album is now available at Mario Millo's website. Please support our local artists.

John Dallimore - 70's Audio Archives + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1975-1980, 2007)
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As a child prodigy on guitar, John Dallimore was gigging by the age of eleven with musos twice his age, and supporting bands such as Rick Springfield's Zoot.
John Dallimore was just 17 years of age when he joined a popular Geelong (Australian) band called the 'Redhouse Roll Band', which quickly built up a strong following on the Melbourne pub circuit as a hard-working heavy rock band. In July 1976, De Jongh left the band to join Hush. Graham Matters (on vocals) and Garry Quince (on guitar and keyboards) took his place. In September, Redhouse entered the studio to record a debut album, 'One More Squeeze'.

Dallimore's prodigious guitar playing on the album’s title track is hailed as ‘one of the best solos ever recorded’ in Australia!
The album did not reflect the band's onstage energy and presented as a lightweight guitar-pop LP. The album produced the singles "I Like Dancing" (October 1976) and "Who's Foolin' Who?" (February 1977).
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In December, long-serving bass player Jack Green took over management of the band and Redhouse played the pub circuit with a new line-up of Dallimore, Crothall, Gary's brother Rick Crothall on bass, and Joey Amenta (ex-Taste) on guitar. Amenta did not last long and left in March 1978 to join the Russell Morris Band. Redhouse continued as a three-piece for several months before finally calling it quits.
In late 1978, John Dallimore and Rick Crothall formed a new band - a loud, heavy rock band in the tradition of Rose Tattoo and AC/DC. The band were modestly called Dallimore. The band issued one single (and a very catchy one at that!), called "We Are The Kids", in August 1980.

Dallimore were a fantastic live band but perhaps due to the lack of success of the single, Dallimore accepted an offer by Jon English to join his backing band - the Foster Brothers band. He also played on former AC/DC & Rabbit singer Dave Evans' album “Thunder Down Under in 1985, but was never made an official member of his band. John Dallimore has the kind of finesse on guitar that puts his playing into another realm. His originality, technical ability and improvisations make him a legend amongst serious guitarists. As a session player, Dallimore's interpretation on guitar extends to numerous recordings including, Grammy Award winning artists. Dallimore has toured extensively both nationally and abroad supporting such artists as Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Deep Purple and AC/DC.
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The RIP included here was taken from a CD that was released by Dallimore in 2006 (thanks to Keith from Midoztouch for providing the 320kps mp3's) and also includes both sides of Dallimore's 1980 single, two live tracks from the Canned Rock Concert, a recent live track with Max Merritt and a rare video of JD playing with the Redhouse Roll Band back in the early 70's.
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Track Listing
01 - The Scream
02 - What Kinda People
03 - One More Squeeze
04 - The Leader
05 - Arabian Fortune
[Bonus Tracks]
06 - We Are The Kids (Single A - 1980)
07 - Women Together (Single B - 1980)
08 - Heartbreaker (Live - 1979)
09 - Long Distance Frog (Live - 1979)
10 - Live with Max Merritt and the Meteors (2007)
# Bonus video - a young Dallimore playing with Redhouse Roll Band
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John Dallimore Link (126Mb) New Link 24/12/2022