The Reels - 5 Great Gift Ideas From The Reels (1980)

(Australian 1976 - 1991, 2007 - Present)
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The Reels formed in Dubbo in 1976, disbanded 1991, then reformed 2007. Initially the Reels apparently styled themselves in reaction to 'dark/heavy' fashion and made upbeat music with a ska-pop emphasis while adorned in bright moddish clothes. However, they became best known for their most melancholic and hauntingly bleak music. The mournful tale of alienation, Quasimodo's Dream (1981) was voted as a "Top 10 Australian song of all time" by the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) in 2001. It has a cinematic gothic-styled story video - see it in the Youtube playlist below. The album of the same name was listed in a 2010 book as one of the top 40 Australian albums of all time. The Reels had top 10 success with covers of "This Guy's in Love With You" and their slowed down icy synth-based version of "Bad Moon Rising".

The Reels released the EP ‘Five Great Gift Ideas From The Reels’, just in time for the festive season, and in part because recording of their planned second album was turning into an epic. The EP featured, not surprisingly, five tracks, and aside from the jovially titled ‘The Bombs Dropped On Xmas’, the highlights were covers of the 1971 Freda Payne soul classic ‘Band Of Gold’, and the song which was identified as the ‘single’ release, ‘According To My Heart’, originally recorded by country crooner Jim Reeves in 1961. The song was about as far removed from a contemporary pop-rock hit as you could get, complete with Western motif promo video, but its inherent charms couldn’t deny The Reels their biggest hit to date (OZ#12), aided in no small part by an equally charming promo video, shot at the ranch of Australian country music legend Smokey Dawson (part of the medley B-side to The Reels 1980 single ‘After The News’ was ‘Media Themes For The Smokey Dawson Show’). Incidentally, ‘Five Great Gift Ideas From The Reels’ had been co-produced by Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop.
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The Reels: An Astonishing Facts Special
Although the Reels have been around for absolutely yonks, it's been ages since they've had a hit single. Now, Bad Moon Rising has changed all that but did you know....

- Singer Dave Mason was born David Lawrence Mason III on 1/9/1955 in Golburn, N.S.W. His father, John Mason was the leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party between 1978 and 1981.

- Up until recently Dave lived on a farm just outside of Newcastle. He now lives in Kings Cross with his dog Poopy (so named because when she was a pup she used to shit everywhere) and three cats, Mother, Mother baby and Kit

- Dave buys his clothes at OP shops because new ones are too expensive.

- Dave is a big fan of soap operas. His faves are, in order, Dallas (the ultimate), Prisoner, Falcon Crest and the Colbys (cos I like Barbara Stanwyck)  He doesn't like Dynasty, occasionally watches Day Of Our Lives and says that JR (Dallas) is his role model in life.

- Dave once sang a medley of the history of duets with sixties songstress Little Patti (Chrissie Amphlett's cousin) The reels were to record "Bad Moon Rising" as a duet with Nick Cave (gloomy Aussie singer) Dave still wants to make a record with him as well as a harmony album with Kate and Zan (of I'm Talking) and Sherine (from Big Pig, also Zan's sister)

- Dave thinks he'd probably come ten millionith in a list of the world's most fanciable men. "I'm not into that. That's what models are for. I'm a dog"

- If  'Bad Moon Rising" goes to number one on the charts Dave says that he'll send a thank you card to John Fogerty 9singer/songwriter of ancient hippies Creedence Clearwater Revival who had a number one hit with the song in 1969 and who is now a solo artist)

- The Reels once did a tour in Sydney called The Freak Show (named after the character in Prisoner) after it was announced that Prisoner had been axed. The Freak herself was supposed to go to one of the shows and sing with Dave but 'chickened out'. The Reels have long included a 'country and western pulls the heart strings' type version of the Prisoner theme song 'On The Inside' in their live set

- The Reels were going to release a version Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" as their next single until they found that Cyndi Lauper had already released one.

- The Reels once recorded a heavy metal album that was never released. Says Dave "We employed heavy metal techniques and filtered them through synthesisers so we came out with this sound and its...it's...unbelievable!  We'll release it one day when the world's ready for it".

- Dave wants to grow his hair so that when he's fifty "it'll be really long and grey". If he ever has it cut, he'll have a wig made out of his hair.

- Dave hates the idea of working out at a gym. "I don't want to be a muscleman, thanks very much, I'd rather be skinny and anaemic".
- The first concert that Dave ever went to was by the Ides Of Man in about 1962. Their singer Wally Morrison was a Dubbo cult hero and now works at a TV station in Newcastle. Their drummer is now with The Reels.

- The Reels launched their 'Kitchen Man' tour by cooking a meal for the press. In fact Dave is something of a dab hand in the kitchen himself. He whips up "a pretty mean hot broccoli salad" and "a mean chicken - fried chicken better than Kentucky!"
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So folks, this is my final post for 2016 and it is My Great Gift Idea for all my blog followers. I hope you've enjoyed the many offerings that were on the table at ' rockonvinyl ' during the year, but be assured that I have plenty more to post in the new year and I look forward to seeing you all back in 2017. 
Remember to drop me a line or two in the comments, if you like what you hear or simply have a request or two, and I'll do my best to accommodate.
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This post consists of  FLACs ripped from my pristine vinyl and includes full album artwork and label scans.  Also included is a scan of the article from which the astonishing facts about The Reels were taken, but alas I am unsure which magazine it was sourced from due to my poor filing. My favourite track is of course "According To My Heart" while the other 4 tracks are equally entertaining.  Enjoy.
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Track Listing

A1     You Got Soul   
A2     Neon Rainbow   
B1     The Bombs Dropped On Xmas   
B2     According To My Heart   
B3     Band Of Gold
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Credits
Bass Guitar – Paul Abrahams
Drums, Idiophone [Wobble Board], Vocals – John Bliss
Keyboards, Artwork [Cover Art] – Karen Ansell
Synthesizer, Vocals – Polly
Vocals, Artwork [Cover Art] – Dave Mason
Synthesizer, Guitar – Craig Hooper
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The Reels FLACs (93Mb) New Link 15/11/2024
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Gary Moore - Rockin' Every Night, Live In Japan (1986) + Bonus Tracks

(Irish 1969-2011)
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'Rockin' Every Night - Live in Japan' is a live album recorded by Gary Moore at Tokyo's Shinjuku Kousei Nenkin Hall in 1983, during the 'Corridors of Power' tour. Despite being released in Japan in 1983, it was not given a European release until 1986. The 2002 CD reissue included the three live tracks recorded at the Marquee, from the bonus EP included with the first 25,000 vinyl copies of Corridors of Power.

'Corridors Of Power' was released in September 1982, and reached #30 in the UK album charts. A new touring band was put together to promote it. Don Airey had already toured and recorded with Moore for some years. Vocalist Jon Sloman (ex of Uriah Heep) had briefly participated with Neil Murray and John Sykes in Badlands, a band which lasted a mere two gigs before Sykes took up the offer of a place in Thin Lizzy and Murray decided to go full-time with Gary Moore.

The new line-up began gigging in November 1982 and were captured on the live album 'Rocking Every Night' issued only in Japan initially, and taped there in January / February 1983. It was released in the UK in 1986. Sloman packed it in around February time, having had voice problems throughout the tour, so from May 1983 the group were down to a foursome. [extract from deep-purple.net]
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Gary Moore Bio
Born in Belfast, Ireland, Moore began as a bluesy guitarist influenced chiefly by Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green (going as far as purchasing Green's actual Les Paul guitar, which served as Moore's main axe throughout the years). Moore first recorded with Dublin rockers Skid Row, before beginning an on-again/off-again relationship with Thin Lizzy throughout the Seventies. Moore's first Lizzy stint was short-lived, but yielded a memorable solo on the group's classic ballad, "Still in Love with You," from their 1974 album, Night Life. When Thin Lizzy opened for Queen during a 1977 U.S. arena tour, Moore (who was also playing with prog rockers Colosseum II) briefly filled in for Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson.

By 1978, Moore was a full member of Thin Lizzy once more, performing on what's considered one of the group's finest studio albums, 1979's Black Rose: A Rock Legend, which debuted at #2 on the U.K. album charts. The album's epic closing track, "Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend," contains one of Moore's greatest solos, in which he incorporated several traditional Irish song themes within a hard rock format. The same year, Moore scored his first solo U.K. top ten hit, "Parisienne Walkways," co-written by Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott. But Moore would exit Lizzy for the third and final time in the midst of a U.S. tour that summer.

In the Eighties Moore scored other hits, including the U.K. top 5 single/Lynott collaboration, "Out in the Fields" (one of Lynott's last recorded works before his 1986 death), and was name-checked by guitarists like Dio/Whitesnake/Def Leppard shredder Vivian Campbell. By the Nineties, Moore had returned to his blues roots, winning his biggest U.S. hit with the gold-certified album Still Got the Blues (which featured contributions from Albert King, Albert Collins, and George Harrison). Moore continued collaborating with others (including Cream's Jack Bruce; Ginger Baker, in the short-lived BBM in 1994; and B.B. King, on tour in 2006) and issuing solo albums, the last being 2008's Bad for You Baby.

The 58-year-old Thin Lizzy star, turned successful solo artist, died from a heart attack while holidaying in Spain , in February 2011 [extract from Rolling Stone Issue 713 April 2011 p334]

Gary's Guitar Playing
Moore picked up the guitar at the age of eight, inspired by the music of Elvis Presley, the Shadows and the Beatles. But his strongest influences were John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers guitarists Eric Clapton and Peter Green, as well as legendary electric blues progenitors Albert King, B.B King and Albert Collins.

Another important influence was Jimi Hendrix; Moore would regularly include Hendrix’s slow blues “Red House” in his live shows. Though Moore was often seen playing a beautiful Fiesta Red 1961 Strat, his signature sound is more closely associated with the beloved 1959 Les Paul Standard that he played for many years.

He purchased that guitar from Peter Green in 1970 and, fittingly, used it to record his 1995 tribute to his mentor, Blues for Greeny.

Often, Moore would begin a song using the warm tone of his Les Paul’s neck pickup, with which he would perform melodic, vocal-like lines, then switch over to the bridge pickup for his solos to achieve a more aggressive and biting sound. Moore often employed a fair amount of gain—courtesy of Marshall heads (often JTM45s), 4x12 basketweave Marshall cabinets and Marshall Guv’nor and Ibanez Tube Screamer pedals—and was known for conjuring tremendous sustain, such as the celebrated “endless note” featured in his live performances of his classic song “Parisienne Walkways.” [extract from guitarworld.com]
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This post consists of MP3's (320 kps)  ripped from CD and includes full album artwork along with a wide range of photos, some of which are featured here.  I have followed Gary ever since I first heard him play with Thin Lizzy and have rated him in my top 10 best axemen.  Although this is not his best live album (see We Want Moore if you really want some kick arse guitar work) it is still a necessary recording to have in your collection.  I have taken the liberty of adding a couple of must have bonus tracks, namely "Parisean Walkways" and "End Of The World", both taken from the 1982 Reading Festival.
Yep, it might be a cliche, but the moore you hear, the moore you want when it comes to Gary Moore.
(Note: The full concert has been released as a bootleg under the title "Hurricane" - see cover above)
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Tracklisting

01     Rockin' Every Night   
02     Wishing Well   
03     I Can't Wait Until Tomorrow   
04     Nuclear Attack   
05    White Knuckles   
06    Rockin' And Rollin'   
07    Back On The Streets   
08     Sunset
09      End Of The World (Bonus Live)*
10      Parisean Walkways (Bonus Live)*

* Taken from Live At Reading Festival, 1982    

Gary Moore - guitar, vocals
John Sloman - vocals, keyboards
Don Airey - keyboards
Neil Murray - bass
Ian Paice - drums

Moore did the lead vocals on Wishing Well and Back on the Streets while Sloman (ex Lone Star, Uriah Heep) sand lead on Rockin’ Every Night, Nuclear Attack and Rockin’ and Rollin’.  Duties were shared on I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow and the other two original tracks are instrumentals.
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Gary Moore Live In Japan Link (113Mb) New Link 02/05/2020
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W.O.C.K On Vinyl - The Spirit Of Christmas (1998)

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.

Well, another year has nearly passed and the festive season has once again taken hold of the Christian world for the celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ's birth.
OK, so 'The Spirit of Christmas' sometimes gets lost while we prepare for the big day and in the sharing of gifts with loved ones and friends, but deep down we all know why the day is special. 

Yes, it's nice to celebrate with a jolly old fellow called Santa and his reindeer and see the expressions on the kids faces while they unwrap their presents on Christmas morning, but let's ensure that we take time to pay homage to the one person in our lives who died on the cross for us.

Like previous posts of past, I have chosen to post the December 'WOCK on Vinyl' a little earlier than normal, to coincide with the Festive Season. This year I've chosen to make available a CD collection of Christmas tunes sung by an all Aussie cast, released by the Myer / Grace Bros back in 1998 as a fund raiser for the Starlight Foundation. Merry Christmas everyone and take care while traveling on the roads.  




Track Listing
01 - Carol Of The Drum (Christine Anu)
02 - Last Christmas (Human Nature)
03 - Silent Night (Vika & Linda)
04 - Hark The Herald Angels Sing (Judith Durham)
05 - Bethlehem Morning (Hugh Jackman)

06 - Grown-Up Christmas List (Lisa Edwards & Lindsay Fields)
07 - O Christmas Bush (Tania Kernaghan)
08 - Away In A Manager (Olivia Newton John)
09 - You'll Never Walk Alone (John Farnham)
10 - Happy Christmas - War Is Over (Jimmy Barnes)
11 - This Christmas (Deni Hines)
12 - Merry Christmas Baby (Stephen Cummings)
13 - Baby Please Come Home (Diesel)
14 - Here Comes Santa Claus (The Wiggles) 
15 - Little Ray Of Sunshine - 1998 remix (Glenn Shorrock) 

The Spirit Of Christmas (MP3/320kps)

  

Tommy Emmanuel - Up From Down Under (1987)

(Australian 1962 - Present)
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Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. The legendary guitarist has a professional career that spans five decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. A household name in his native Australia, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide.

He is undoubtedly Australia's finest ever all-around guitarist. It is also fair to say he is also one of that country's best drummers... and bass players! Tommy began playing guitar at age 5 and touring Australia from age 6 with the Emmanuel Family Band. He has since played throughout Australia with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley, recorded with Air Supply, played in Nashville with Chet Atkins, and recorded and toured Australia & Europe with leading Australian group Dragon/Hunter. This gives testimony to Emmanuel's amazing ability and variety of guitar styles, which are further exhibited on his other Artful Balance Records, namely "Artfully Beatles" and on his own debut solo album.

An accomplished finger style player, Emmanuel frequently threads three different parts simultaneously into his material, operating as a one-man band who handles the melody, the supporting chords and the bass all at once.

Tommy’s unique style – he calls it simply “finger style” – is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fingers. Rather than using a whole band for melody, rhythm, bass, and drum parts, Tommy plays all that – and more – on one guitar. Guitar legend Chet Atkins was one of the first to inspire Emmanuel to try this “fingerpicker” style as a child. Decades later, Atkins himself became one of Emmanuel’s biggest fans.

There’s a science to assembling the parts, and Emmanuel’s technical gift has earned him multiple awards from Guitar Player magazine and made him a Member of the Order of Australia, an honor bestowed by the Queen in his homeland. But the average fan could listen without even considering the precision behind the work, focusing instead on the artful tension and release of Emmanuel’s melodies.
Playing instrumental music that works in any language and travelling nimbly with a small tour group of three – Emmanuel, a sound engineer and a merchandiser – he was able to build a global audience that encompasses not only Australia, but the U.S., the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.

Tommy Emmanuel is an honorary Kentucky Colonel, a CGP (Certified Guitar Player – a title given by Chet Atkins to only 5 guitarists in the world), an Order of Australia Medalist (AM) and the holder of both an honorary Master’s Degree (MA) and more recently an honorary Doctor of Arts (DR) from Charles Sturt University in Australia in recognition of his commitment to rural Australia and his contribution to music education.

'Up From Down Under' was recorded in 1987 and was produced by Tommy Emmanuel and Rod Tamlyn. It contains many audience favorites including arrangements of the Beatles Lady Madonna, Michelle, and his concert show-stopper, "Inititiation" – dedicated to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

While listening to this album, I am reminded of some other brilliant guitarists like Jan Akkerman (Focus and Brainbox), Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin and place Tommy up with the best.  Best tracks on this album are the Up From Down Under, Raindance, Daybreak and Initiation but the remainder are certainly no fillers, each having its place on this rare release from Tommy.

This post consists of both FLACs ripped from my 'mint' copy, recently acquired at a garage sale where all stock was in pristine condition and the owner was more anal about his record collection than me ! As is the norm, I'm also including full album artwork and label scans along with an autographed CD cover (see below).
This album is not to be missed and is a truly pleasant surprise.
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Track Listing 
01. Up From Down Under
02. Raindance
03. Daybreak
04. Lady Madonna
05. Soul Search
06. Michelle
07. Initiation
08. Turning Point
09. Times Change
10. Night Sky


Tommy Emmanuel (Guitar, bass, electric guitars, hand percussion, drums);
Sam McNally (Keyboards);
Graham Jessey (Soprano saxophone)



Tommy Emmanuel FLACs (213Mb)
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Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze (1999) AMCOS Bootleg

(U.S 1963-1970)
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This release consists of live tracks taken from Live at Albert Hall Feb 18, 1969, two tracks from the first "official" release of the infamous "Scene Club" jam session recording from 1968 featuring Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison and finally four fake Hendrix tracks.

Jimi Hendrix played two nights at the Royal Albert Hall, February 18th & 24th, in early 1969. These would ultimately become the final two British dates to feature the original Experience. For many years the latter performance has been widely available on both bootleg and semi-official releases. The 24th was known to be professionally recorded and filmed and will presumably be released by the Hendrix estate at some point but a soundboard from the first night had never been realized.

Located at 301 West 46th Street in New York City, 'The Scene', which opened its doors sometime in 1965, was indeed the most renowned rock club in the USA for a short span during the mid-sixties. The club was run by Steve Paul, who had begun his career in the rock world working as a publicist for the famed Peppermint Lounge club in NYC. Paul, who had a talent for spotting the next big thing in rock music, made his mark on the music scene by being a savvy judge of musical talent. Paul was among the first clubs on the East Coast to book The Doors (who were booked for a three week run) early on in their career. The club also became a favorite hangout for Jimi Hendrix, who enjoyed stopping by frequently for late night jam sessions whenever he was in town. This led to other rock stars showing up to jam as well and soon everybody who was anybody was making the scene.

One of the things that added to 'The Scene's hip reputation was the spontaneous jams that took place on the club's stage from time to time.  Jimi Hendrix, who was doing sessions at the nearby recording studio The Record Plant for his Electric Ladyland album, would show up and sit in with bands along with other club regulars such as Steve Stills, Mike Bloomfield, Buddy Miles and Johnny Winter.  One of the most notorious jams featured a drunken Jim Morrison attempting to simulate the act of fellatio on a somewhat bemused Jimi Hendrix while Morrison moaned into the microphone and rolled around the tiny stage. And the quality of the jam, well I'll let you be the judge.
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The Fakes
Since Hendrix's death, some tracks have appeared on various albums claiming to be Jimi Hendrix or Youngblood / Hendrix material, but in reality do not contain any involvement by Hendrix. Nor do they feature Lonnie Youngblood but as these fake tracks have often been included on releases containing genuine Youngblood / Hendrix recordings they have become known among collectors as fake Lonnie Youngblood recordings even though that really isn't the case...

Most of these "fake" tracks have appeared under several different titles, I've tried to list them here with their real titles (if known) and / or the titles they had on their first "Hendrix" release. All of the fake tracks were produced and compiled by Johnny Brantley (sometimes with the help of Lee Moses) for release on various "Jimi Hendrix" -LPs between the years 1972 - 1982. Album titles such as Moods, Genius Of Hendrix and Rare Hendrix are some of the fake Hendrix albums released by Brantley.
Some discs contained only fake material, some only genuine early recordings, others were a mix of both and Brantley even put out the first "official" release of the infamous "Scene Club" jam session recording from 1968 featuring Jimi and Jim Morrison (eg. "Blues, Blues" and "Lime, Lime").
The following fake 'Hendrix Tracks' appear on the 'Purple Haze' release, featured here.

Miracle Worker (Jimmy Norman)
Wiped horns, drums, bass, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, glockenspiel

Girl So Fine (John Wesley)
Drums, bass, lead guitar (w/ phasing effect), rhythm guitar, 2nd rhythm guitar, organ

I'm Gonna Be Good [aka From This Day On] (Marion Farmer, Edward Lewis, James Lewis)
Wiped Piano, wiped horns, drums, bass, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, congas

These are clearly tracks that have been messed with. Several of these songs originally had vocals, horns or piano on them, and these have mainly been wiped. They can still be heard quietly in the background, probably because of leakage during the original recordings. After wiping some of the original parts new instrumentation, mainly vocal & guitar overdubs, was added to the tracks in order to turn them into "Jimi Hendrix" recordings.

Finally, another record producer Herman Hitson was responsible for released some other fake Hendrix material including "You Are Too Much For The Human Heart"

You Are Too Much For The Human Heart (Lee Moses)
The fake "Human Heart" is available in two versions, titled mostly either as "Human Heart", "Let Me Go" or "Louisville". Both of these takes are versions of "You Are Too Much For The Human Heart" recorded by Herman Hitson on 1 March 1968.  The actual 45 this track was released on is very rare, and quite popular in soul collecting circles.
Both "fake" takes sound quite different to the single track, but the song itself is clearly the same, and on one of the "fake" takes faint singing can be heard. The vocals are extremely low, but when you compare them to the single version you are able to match bits of the lyrics. The fake "Human Heart" has a much slower tempo compared to the Hitson single, so it's a different take, not the 45 take with overdubs.

Another fake track, "I'm Gonna Be Good" [aka "From This Day On"], features congas very similar to "Yes You Did", another Hitson 45 produced by Brantley, so it's possible that the fake track "I'm Gonna Be Good" has some kind of connection to Herman Hitson. At least three solo singles were released by Hitson involving Johnny Brantley and / or Lee Moses
[Thanks to earlyhendrix.com for the above enlightenment]
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The Mystery of a 1969 Jimi Hendrix Photo Gets Solved
(By Chris Epting)
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Famous Photo: The Experience Live at Royal Albert Hall, 1969 (Photo by Eric Hayes)

There’s just something really special about the above picture. It all started with a French music promoter and self-professed Jimi Hendrix fanatic, Yazid Manou. Over the years, Manou has helped organize some of the biggest tributes and events built around the legendary guitar player. Additionally, for more than 20 years, he’s worked with artists as storied as Taj Mahal, Steve Winwood and Led Zeppelin. But for him, nothing compares to Hendrix. Manou has even become a bit of a Jimi Hendrix detective, researching rare performances and photos.

One of his favorite Hendrix performances is the much-bootlegged Royal Albert Hall show from London, filmed on Feb. 24, 1969. The show has never been released commercially but has always been popular on the underground circuit.

A famous moment in the film occurs near the end of the concert, just before Hendrix burns through “Purple Haze.” A young child, a boy perhaps just three or four years old, adorably emerges from the wings and bustles over to Hendrix, who bends down as the child appears to whisper a message to him. Seemingly happy that his mission is complete, the child then toddles off the stage.

Manou saw a photo from that moment posted on a private Jimi Hendrix Facebook group. Intrigued at whom the child might be, Manou embraced this as yet another new challenge. He posted the photo across a variety of other Hendrix discussion groups and several days later he had his answer as to the child’s identity.

It wasn’t just any hippie-era kid. The youngster was none other than Charlie Weber, immortalized (along with his family) in the Robert Greenfield book, A Day in the Life: One Family, the Beautiful People, and the End of the Sixties. Weber’s parents, Tommy and Sue (nee Coriat) Weber, were one of the most fashionable, striking couples of the mid-’60s “Swinging London” era. Tommy, a race car driver, eventually made his way into the music scene, shooting films with Hendrix, the Beatles and other stars of the day.

As for Manou, once he found out the child’s identity, he reached out to Weber via email and made contact. Weber, now in his 50s, had never even seen the photo before. Manou put Ultimate Classic Rock in touch with Weber, now living in Turkey, who told us just how shocked and pleased he was to see the photo.

“To open up an email and see piece of your past looking at you like that was just extraordinary,” he said. “I’ve never seen the picture before, but I remember very clearly being backstage before the photo happened. My father introduced me to Hendrix. Of course they were all doing ridiculous amounts of chemicals when we met. But Hendrix put me up on his shoulders. He was just a lovely guy; a beautiful guy with lovely energy.”

Even at that young age, Weber had an instinctive fondness for Hendrix. “He was my hero. That’s why I was so excited to watch that performance. My father had shot a film of him so I was familiar with the music and his style. He was just the master. He spoke to me deeply at a very early age.”

And he remembers the moment he walked out on stage, too. “If you look at the shot, it’s like a fantasy image; like something from Alice in Wonderland, he continued. “Back then, in that era, a child wandering out was not all that odd, I suppose. Nobody tried to stop me. A year later, I did a similar thing at the Isle of Wight concert when Donovan led me and Julian Jones, Brian Jones’ son that Donovan was raising, out onstage. But nothing was like going out to see Jimi.”

As to what he told Hendrix once he got out there, he’s not completely sure.

“What do you say when you see a musical hero? I suppose I would have said, ‘I really love your music,’ or something in that vein. Or, ‘Could you play ‘Foxey Lady?’’ If you watch the clip you can see, in the midst of all that was going on, he managed to be very human. He was very engaged and patient. Looking at me like, hey, this kid here, he’s as important as anyone else. Hendrix’s values were 100 percent. You see the warmth and his normalcy.”

And what of the man that actually shot the image that started this story? Manou also tracked down photographer 'Eric Hayes', who said:

“I was at the Royal Albert Hall a week or so before that concert,” he shared. “I spent some time talking with the band and shot some photos backstage. It was all so casual and intimate. There was really no security and photographers were free to do pretty much whatever they wanted. I had built up a lot of trust by then by shooting some big shows. So I knew who I had a talk to to get access. And then once I had the access, I was just set free to shoot what I wanted.”

Does he remember the photo of Charlie?

“Absolutely,” he recalls. “I remember the whole sequence of what happened. I was in front of the stage shooting. If you’ll notice the angle of the photo, I’m actually on the stage at that point. I had seen Hendrix’s set before and knew that when they did ‘Wild Thing,’ that he would start humping the amplifiers at the back of the stage. To keep the amps from falling down, he would have some guys back there propping them up. I thought that would make an interesting shot. So I got up on the stage a couple of songs early just to get ready. That’s when Charlie decided to wander up. Just the fact that we are talking about this confirms something I’ve always believed as a photographer. There is a story behind every photo. Back then, a kid could get up on stage and nobody freaked out. That was just sort of the relaxed hippie culture.”
[story sourced from ultimateclassicrock.com]

This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from my CD and includes full album artwork.  This CD has also been released by Music World under the title of 'Jimi Hendrix: 32 Great Tracks Vol 1 & 2' (see album artwork below)
Clearly, not all tracks on this recording are true Hendrix recordings, and the Scene Club recordings are nothing to write home about, but what saves this release are the live Royal Albert Hall recordings.
Irrespective, I know that any hard core Hendrix fans will still want this bootleg in their collection, even if its for the alternative artwork.
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Track Listing

01 - Purple Haze (Live)
02 - She's So Fine (aka From This Day On)
03 - Fire (Live)
04 - Wild Thing (Live)
05 - The Sunshine Of Your Love (Live)
06 - Bleeding Heart (Live)
07 - Room Full Of Mirrors (Live)
08 - Smashing The Amps (Live)
09 - Miracle Worker
10 - Blues Blues (aka Woke Up This Morning And You  Find Yourself Dead)
11 - From This Day On
12 - Lime Lime (aka Outside Woman Blues)
13 - Human Heart
14 - Girl So Fine
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Note: Track 2 is incorrectly entitled "She's So Fine" and is in fact "From This Day On" and the same as track 11.

Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze Link (133Mb) New Link 27/02/2024

Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons - The Sound Of (1983)

(Australian 1975–1983, 2001-present)
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One of the more popular Australian bands of their day, Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons was primarily a vehicle for frontman Joe Camilleri, who assembled the group in Melbourne in 1975. The band's lineup fluctuated regularly over the years; in addition to Camilleri, the nucleus consisted of guitarists Jeff Burstin and Tony Faehse, bassist John Power, saxophonist Wilbur Wilde and drummer Gary Young. At the outset, the Falcons were a gritty, sax-powered R&B unit -- a sound dominant on their 1976 debut LP 'Don't Waste It' -- but they remained wildly unpredictable in the years to follow, moving from genre to genre with ease. 'Whip It Out' appeared in 1977, with 1979's 'Let's Drip Awhile' continuing the trend of unsavory album titles; that same year, the Falcons moved to the Mushroom label, soon issuing the LP 'Screaming Targets'. However, after 1980's 'Hats Off Step Lively' fared poorly, the band kept a low profile for several years before announcing their retirement in 1983.
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Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, and primarily Joe Camilleri, will be remembered for their musical influences and styles. From 1975 to 1983 Joe investigated, invented and interpreted more avenues of music than most of his contemporaries and as you read below the entire history of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons evolves.

Joe Camilleri talks about each track

1. RHYTHM AND BLUES -1975-1977

"SECURITY":  O.Redding. 2.55. From "Don't Waste It".
Otis sounds like Bob Marley here. We did the film clip at Pentridge Gaol in the condemned area. In return we had to play a concert for all the lifers one afternoon and my usual stage patter started as it would normally; 'Good evening ladies and gentlemen'!

"DANCING SHOES": W.Burt. 5.03. From "Don't Waste It".
This is a traditional R&B song in the same vein as John Lee Hooker. I played saxophone, with Wayne Burt on vocals, who had written this song about five years before recording it.

"HONEYDRIPPER": Joe Liggins. 4.18. Live version available on "Loud & Clear" and "Let's Drip Awhile".
Falcons at their best playing Soul/R&B. This song has been with me all the way and we originally learnt it before recording the first album. It's a great vehicle for the sax and a live concert classic.

2. JOE'S FIRST SONGWRITING 1978-1980.

"SO YOUNG": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse 3.36 From "So Young" E.P.-1978.
I wrote this in Hawthorn. Melbourne and it was our first chart single. It's Reggae meets son of Blues, with many different time changes. It took the band a week to learn because it was so intricate and not like anything else we'd tried.

"HIT AND RUN": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 4.36. From "Screaming Targets" - 1979.
This is the start of producer Peter Solley in our lives. He'd seen us play with The Sports when he was here working with them. At the time I think he just wanted a holiday but he came over anyway! I'd sent a tape to him without "Hit and Run" on it but when he heard it in the studio he was sold on the Falcons and has been ever since.This is my most exciting record, every day was big; recording, releasing and playing it and the band were at their best.

"SHAPE I'M IN": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 3.30. From Screaming Targets" - 1979.
Peter Solley came to Australia to produce the Falcons on the strength of this song. It wasn't a giant hit but became a live monster with the crowds chanting the chorus. It used to happen all over the country, from Perth to Brisbane: it astounded us that the live version had taken on its own entity. Wilbur and I playing sax against each other. Tony's guitar solo is great.

3. POP-1980-1981.

"ALL I WANNA DO": Lilley/Cook. 3.02. From "Hats Off Step Lively" - 1980.
With the release of this and the "Hats Off" album, it was my most commercial time and it went well. The film clip was fun doing, with John Power's Roosevelt Dance and the monkey that sat on my head and tore hair out! Solley brought the song from England and already had the arrangement in his head and it fitted in with the songs I had written for the album. It had a sense of humour about it. We arrived home from overseas and every major radio station had picked it up which was magnificent.
Coincidentally, I met one of the co-writers in England, Cook, and he was the spitting image of Wayne Burt!

"PUPPET ON A STRING":  Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 3.31. From "Hats Off Step Lively" - 1980.
We were doing so well at this stage and I was happy when I wrote it. It has a pop beat and a good concept and it sees my own vocal style emerging, no longer sounding like anyone else.

"I WILL RETURN":  Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse.   3.19. From "Hats Off Step Lively" - 1980.
Here's the first attempt at using strings in the recording. We had a great arrangement for it and I had the whole song down and recorded apart from the very first bit which I just could not sing in tune for ages!

"SWEET": Camilleri/Burstin/Faehse. 3.43. From "Dexterity" mini-album -1981.
This was recorded specifically to go on the second American album "Step Lively". I had realised by this time that we didn't have to record every year and "Sweet" was a radical departure from previous material using modern drum sounds, heavy metal guitar and falsetto vocals. It was also a radio disaster - they stayed away in droves It was this song that was the basis of, and made possible, the "Cha" album; a totally fresh approach.

4. LATIN BIG BAND 1982-1983 - Using all previous influences.

"TAXI MARY": Camilleri/Burstki Faehse. 3.43. From "Cha"-1982.
Written about the same time as "Sweet", it was the first time for me with a big band and it was so hard to produce the song live. Jane Clifton's falsetto vocals added colour and it became a good sing-along track. It stood on its own, apart from the "Cha" album and like "Hit and Run" I didn't play it to Solley until we were in the studio.

"WALK ON BY": Bacharach/David. 3.49. From "Cha" - 1982.
Peter Solley and I recorded this classic arrangement on our own and it is his best keyboard work ever. Once again it was a radical departure but a good follow on to "Taxi".

"SHERRIE"   Camilleri Kelly (3.46) Cha - 1982.
Paul Kelly and I have written half a dozen songs together Since the 'Screaming Targets' days and although we are from different styles musically writing with him is always a pleasure.
I had the melody and the basic chorus for Sherrie and Paul added the lyrics and expanded my writing concepts for songs.

"LOSING GAME": Camilleri/Gyllies. 4.29.
On single only. This nearly went on "Cha" but we decided on a single instead and it's the first single for us in America. I produced it with Eddie Raynor which could be a promising team for the future.

Michelle Higgins talks about Jo Jo Zep

While thriving on watching bands every day of the week, the greatest possible thing is to be hit by lightning. Going to a concert or to an hotel gig and without warning, seeing and hearing a band on stage that stops you in your tracks is one of the most pleasurable feelings and one exclusive to the music fan. When we talk of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons 1975-1983 we are really talking about Joe Camilleri, for even though in the beginning he was not the band instigator, he named the band and became the band leader.

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons' most important contribution to music is the multiplicity of brilliantly treated styles they pursued, from R&B through Soul, Rock, Reggae, Ska and Salsa. The Falcons have given audiences in Australia and overseas some of the best live concerts known to man. Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons are worth getting hot and sweaty for. That saxophone belting into "Security", you can hear a pin drop during "Walk on By ", guitarists Jeff Burstin and Tony Faeshe singing higher than soprano vocals on "Sweet"!
There are very few places in Australia Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons haven't worked in the last eight years and they have always had a legion of fans who never tired of the tour campaigns. "F.F.F.F.Falcon Fanatic", "Your Town Our Target", "Falcons Lift-Off"- positive stuff.

Positive yes. The ongoing strive to let the world know about Joe Camilleri and Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons (not yet complete) has been a continual business by a large team of managers, record company people, media, agents, promoters, friends, crews, producers and engineers. And it's not often you've got all these people on the one side at once and all dedicated fans. Joe Camilleri is a man of great musical enterprise, initiative and knowledge that he doesn't hesitate to pass on to other musicians; and he also has the pizazz of a true star. For years the Falcons never had a song list on stage, Joe would just get to the end of a song, say "Hit and Run" and depending on the crowd feeling he would automatically throw the band into "Honey Dripper" or"Taxi Mary"!

A delight live and a recording success: gold albums, top ten singles and albums, awards and an ever-increasing audience. This album is designed as the complete guide to Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons: tracking stories, band changes, discographies. To get to the nucleus of the band however, its tremendous personalities and characters, the music really is the final word.Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons were my favourite band. Joe Camilleri - a great musician and a gentleman. [Cover notes by Michelle Higgins]
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I have fond memories of seeing Jo Jo Zep play many of the tracks on this compilation, along with other hits such as "Girl Across The Street" and "Don't Wanna Come Down", on many occasions at La Trobe Uni, Bundoora back in 1977. They were a big favourite with the Uni crowds at the time and always produced an exciting stage show. Joe and Wilbur were certainly the show stoppers. I also had the privilege of seeing them play at other venues such as Bombay Rock and Martini's.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl copy that was recently given to me by a mate (thanks Ian). This completed my collection of Jo Jo Zep albums which I have being collecting since their conception, so I thought I'd share it here with you. Full album artwork for LP and CD are included along with label scans.
I have also included the two tracks listed previously as bonus tracks, the live version of "Girl Across The Street" taken from their 12" EP Live! Loud & Clear (see cover below) and "Don't Wanna Come Down" taken from 'Screaming Targets'. So get ya dancin' shoes on folks and get ready for some classic R & B, Soul, Rock, Reggae, Ska and Salsa, cause Joe and the boys are back in town.
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Track Listing

01 - The Honeydripper     4:01
02 - Dancing Shoes     5:03
03 - Security         2:53
04 - I Will Return     3:20
05 - All I Wanna Do     3:04
06 - Sweet         3:44
07 - So Young         3:35
08 - Losing Game     5:16
09 - Shape I'm In     3:31
10 - Hit & Run         3:44
11 - Puppet On A String 3:32
12 - Walk On By     3:49
13 - Taxi Mary         3:59
14 - Sherrie         3:39
15 - Girl Across The Street (Bonus Live) 5:26
16 - Don't Wanna Come Down (Bonus)     3:23
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Jo Jo Zep were:
----------- 1975 --------
Joe Camilleri (Vocals, Sax)
Jeff Burstin (Guitars, Vocals)
Wayne Burt (Guitars, Songwriting)
John Power (Bass, Vocals)
Gary Young (Drums)
----------1977 -----------
Wilbur Wilde (Sax, Vocals)
Tony Faehse (Guitar, Vocals)
---------- 1982 ----------
Simon Gyllies (Bass, Vocals)
Fred Strauks (Drums)
---------- 1982/83 -------
Jane Clifton (Vocals)

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Jo Jo Zep FLACs Link (387Mb)
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