W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Babies Go Pink Floyd (2006)

 
Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

This month's W.O.C.K On Vinyl post brings you delightful, serene melodies that can be enjoyed by anyone, of any age! These beautifully gentle instrumental renditions of Pink Floyd songs provide the perfect bedtime lullaby for your baby to drift off to sleep to. The laid back, calming tone of these 'Floyd' songs in the style of music boxes for babies is almost whimsical.

With hits like ‘Another Brick in the Wall’, ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘Wish you were here’, this album can be enjoyed by Pink Floyd fans of all ages – all the songs are slowed down to relaxing, gentle versions that still have all the prog-rock character of the originals.

Forget simply feeling relaxed at baby’s bedtime – you’ll feel 'comfortably numb' when you play these beautiful rock lullabies and watch your little mite gently drift off to sleep. 

Sweet Little River have also released dozens of other 'Babies Go' titles covering bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Abba, Elton John, Queen and The Bee Gees to name but a few. For a full listing see HERE  

Pink Floyd finds a new audience as scientists think The Dark Side Of The Moon can help lull your BABY to sleep

* Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon contains elements of good lullabies

* The band's music has influenced the creation of the perfect tune for babies

(L-R in 1971) Roger Waters, Nick Mason, David Gilmour and Richard Wright

Forget Baa, Baa Black Sheep - the perfect lullaby for babies may be one inspired by the experimental musical soundscapes of Pink Floyd. 

The British Academy of Sound Therapy has produced a piece of music based on decades of scientific research which is all but guaranteed to get a baby to drift off. It contains watery sounds like those in the safety of the womb, soothing wind chimes and the calming clatter of rainsticks. 

Underpinning it is the influence of Pink Floyd’s seminal classic The Dark Side Of The Moon. While it may not seem like a classic for the under-ones, the album contains many elements good for lullabies, according to Lyz Cooper, who founded the British Academy of Sound Therapy and produced the lullaby in collaboration with music producer Sillkey, based on a commission by supermarket Aldi’s baby and toddler brand, Mamia.

Ms Cooper said: ‘While older lullabies like Baa, Baa Black Sheep have their place, the soundscapes of Pink Floyd provide real inspiration for getting babies to sleep.

Pink Floyd take you on a musical journey, very much like the journey to sleep in a lullaby, often without the distraction of vocals. The kind of music which aims to alter consciousness, and get people to turn on, tune in and drop out, is also very good for a chilled-out baby. The influence of these songs really will help them drift away.’

Pink Floyd songs which are reflected in the lullaby include Wish You Were Here, which starts with white noise.

The lullaby contains a warmer version of this sound, which may be reminiscent of the womb.

A soundscape similar to that of the lullaby can also be heard in the first few minutes of the Pink Floyd song Shine on You Crazy Diamond, which features chimes and rich droning sounds like those in their lullaby. [extract from dailymail.co.uk]

The lullaby is five minutes and 18 seconds long, because research shows five minutes is the amount of time it takes the average baby to relax, based on tracking infants’ decelerating heartbeats.

The rhythm of the lullaby, called Drift, is set at 50 beats per minute, which is just a bit slower than a normal resting heart rate, so it may remind a baby of their mother’s heartbeat in the womb without being too fast to stop them falling asleep.

There are no vocals in the lullaby, because evidence suggest babies relax more quickly when there are no words played for them to focus on. The song, has repetitive chords and pulsating keyboards, and is titled "Drift".   I have included Drift in this WOCK post as a bonus track for added enjoyment.

When I first saw the title of this CD I thought it was going to be another Crazy & Korny rendition of Pink Floyd songs sung with 'baby' voices (in the same vain as another earlier WOCK posting called the Beatle Barkers) but this is not the case. Rather, this month's WOCK on Vinyl post ticks boxes but not for the usual categories. The W in this post is for Womb while the C is for Cradle. Songs are in MP3 (320) format (thanks to Mr Weird & Wacky for the RIP)

Warning: Do not play the bonus track "Drift" while driving - for fear of falling asleep at the wheel.  

Track List

01. Wish You Were Here

02. Time

03. On The Turning Away

04. Another Brick In The wall

05. Money

06. Learning To Fly

07. Echoes

08. Hey You

09. Comfortably Numb

10. A Great Day For Freedom

11. Sorrow

12. Us And Them

13. Shine On You Crazy Diamond

14. High Hopes

15. Drift (Bonus Lullaby Inspired By Pink Floyd Sounds)

Babies Go Pink Floyd Link (75Mb) New Link 02/09/2023

Pablo Cruise - Worlds Away (1978)

(U.S 1973–1986, 1996–present)

Formed in 1973 in San Francisco, the band chose the name Pablo Cruise because "Pablo represents an honest, real, down-to-earth individual; and Cruise depicts his fun-loving and easygoing attitude towards life."

The band struggled to find success with their first couple of  albums, but their third album, 1977's 'A Place in the Sun', helped them break through, reaching #19 on the Billboard album chart and producing the band's first three charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including their first Top 10 hit, "Whatcha Gonna Do?," which reached #6 (and #1 in Canada).

Worlds Away was their follow-up album, with it's pure late '70s pop rock. It's a little harder than what I would consider "soft rock," but definitely well within what we would now call yacht rock. Along with the band members, they had help from Steve Porcaro (keyboards) and Mike Porcaro (bass) from Toto. At least one of the Porcaro brothers had a hand in many albums around this time.

The album was their highest-charting, going to #6 on the Billboard album chart and eventually going platinum in the U.S. It also spawned their second Top 10 hit, "Love Will Find a Way" (also #6), as well as another Top 25 hit ("Don't Want to Live Without It" #21) and another song that barely missed the Top 40 ("I Go to Rio" #46). The title track, "Worlds Away" was not released as single, but remains a favorite among many fans of the band today.

Before the album was recorded, original bassist Bud Cockrell left the band and was replaced by former Santana member Bruce Day as new band member, but according to their Producer - Bill Schnee, it is Mike Porcaro who did the bass in the studio.

 As with many bands, they went through some lineup changes over the following several years, and while they had a couple more Top 20 songs, they never captured the magic of Worlds Away. Then, as the popularity of yacht rock waned and the popularity of new wave and synth pop rose, they tried to change their sound to adapt, but it didn't work. They broke up in 1984, tried to reunite in 1985, but couldn't get a record deal and broke up again.

In 2005 a reunited Pablo Cruise picked up where they left off and today the band performs all over the U.S. and Canada and they’re enjoying it more than ever….Since getting back together, they have released two live CD’s and a DVD all through Sony Music documenting their exceptional live shows. “One of the great things about playing shows after all these years is that the core band, David, Steve and myself are still here and lovin’ it, says Cory! 

David Jenkins & Bruce Day on stage

Going out and playing shows these days gives us the opportunity to not only pay tribute to our timeless repertoire, it gives us a chance to see old friends and fans from back in the day, as well as, gaining a whole new audience!” Today Pablo Cruise is bringing more energy and excitement to the stage than ever before. The band has never sounded better!

Pablo Cruise Today

Album Reviews
Just like the name implies, Pablo Cruise glides like a warm breeze. Alongside other bands that blew out of the chrysalis of early light and easy radio, Pablo Cruise swayed natural and cool, evoking a rock unit transplanted in Bermuda, entertaining by the pool. "Love Will Find a Way" (probably no connection to the Yes song) grooves like Player in a Hawaiian shirt with a deep, dark tan. This stylish summer single effortlessly scaled to the top of the charts. 

Follow-up "Don't Wanna Live Without It" is another crafty cocktail. Then Worlds Away hits adult contemporary cruise control until the whole crew packs up to "Go to Rio" (a perfect cover closer). Pablo Cruise adheres to corporate rock rules, and wrote groovy music for smooth sailing (taken from allmusic.com)

Pablo Cruise are easily recognisable and distinctive from other 70s bands involved in the 'West Coast' pop rock sound. I think most people like myself would have become interested in the band after hearing "Love will find a Way" on the radio. It's a great song and has all the Pablo Cruise blueprint features - keyboard anchored, a tinge of RnB beat, powerful harmonies and the deep Tom Jonesish voiced singer(s).

Often there's a Latin element within their music (eg. I go to Rio) and a coastal vibe and the album plays right through after the solid opener "Worlds Away". Speaking of the the opening track "Worlds Away", it is really upbeat and cheerful and should have been a single, but somehow got overlooked. Side one closes with the powerful ballad "Runnin' (Away)" which features some wonderful keyboard runs and beautiful vocal harmonies. 

Why this incredible band did not break through after this I do not know. Great harmonies, musicianship and melodies. This is one of my all time favourite albums that I listened to 'repeatedly' during my Uni Days and helped to motivate me during my study sessions and dream about being far away on a warm, sunny tropical island.

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my trusty vinyl and artwork for both vinyl and CD media. No bonus tracks this time, but you won't be disappointed with what this album has to offer and 'excels'  as it stands.

Tracklisting:

01  Worlds Away  3:50

02  Love Will Find A Way  4:16

03  Family Man  5:02

04  Runnin’  6:34

05  Don’t Want To Live Without It  4:41

06  You’re Out To Lose  3:31

07  Always Be Together  5:03

08  Sailing To Paradise  3:37

09  I Go To Río  4:20

The Band:

David Jenkins - Guitar, Lead & Background Vocals

Cory Lerios - Keyboards and Background Vocals

Stephen Price - Drums and percussion

Bruce Day - Bass, Lead & Background Vocals

Also on Bass - Mike Porcaro

Synthesizers programmed and performed by James Newton Howard, Steve Porcaro and Cory Lerios

Pablo Cruise Link (220Mb)

Harpo - Movie Star (1975) plus bonus singles

(Sweden 1973 - Present)

Jan 'Harpo' Svennson started working as an actor in his home country of Sweden in the late 1960s, but music remained a distraction. He recalled to Mojo August 2009: "I began writing music for the plays I was in. All my friends said, 'You should make a record.'"

In 1972, Harpo signed with Polar (the company that homed ABBA) and began a children's album with Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. It wasn't completed, so Polar released Harpo from the contract but he stayed in contact with ABBA. In 1973, he signed with EMI Sweden and his debut single "Honolulu" was a Swedish hit. His stage name was a homage to his idol, the American comedian Harpo Marx.

The same year, he'd visited London and linked up with English producer Mickie Most, who was sure international success was beckoning. Harpo recorded this song with ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad on backing vocals singing the words "Moviestar Moviestar." It became an international hit, topping the charts in Sweden and Germany and peaking at #24 in the UK. However, the Swede explained to Mojo that he became the second Swedish act after ABBA to achieve success against the odds as EMI, "didn't even send the records to other countries. 'Moviestar' was released by DJM in England, where EMI had said, 'No, we don't release anything from Sweden.'"

After the song's success EMI took notice and wanted him back. However ensuing business wrangles prevented Harpo from fully capitalizing on his hit and despite some sporadic success in other European countries, "Moviestar" was to be his one and only UK chart entry.

Harpo released a number of follow up singles, notably "Motorcycle Mama" (number 9 in Germany) and "Horoscope" (number 1 in Denmark and number 3 in Germany).

In 1977, Harpo travelled to Los Angeles, U.S. with his wife and producer Bengt Palmers. The result was the album The Hollywood Tapes which spawned the hit single "Television". Also, in 1977, Harpo made the news when he refused to take part in the Swedish Military Service. As a result, he went to prison for one month.

In 1978, Harpo revisited the songs he was originally going to work on with Andersson and Ulvaeus in 1972. The result was the children's album 'Jan Banan och hans flygande matta'. He followed this with an album of his favourite rock and roll songs. Both these projects were in the Swedish language.

In 1980, Harpo was ready to get back into mainstream pop music. He signed to Mickie Most's label, RAK and released one single, "She Loves It Too". In fact, Harpo had the chance to be on RAK as far back as 1973. He met with Most in London, but decided not to move to London at that time.

Harpo had an accident in August 1980. As well as being a musician, he is also a horse trainer and one of his horses, Starter, suddenly lashed out and kicked Harpo in the face several times. The injuries were so severe that Harpo lost his sense of smell and the sight in one eye. To show there were no hard feelings, Harpo dedicated his next album to his horse, Starter. He is also committed to animal welfare.

Harpo continued to record throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. After his 1992 album, things were quiet on the recording front. He released a single, "Sounds Like Love", in Germany only in 1994. In 1997, Harpo contributed two new songs to a greatest hits compilation album, Harpo Hits!

Harpo released his latest album of new material, Jan Harpo Svensson 05 in April 2005. He had an extensive tour of Germany in 2007.

Harpo (2nd left) with Velvet Insane

Stop Press: Harpo is still performing and working with the 70's Swedish Glam Band 'Velvet Insane'. For more details see a recent interview by Pete Devine with Harpo and the band HERE

Single Facts

"Moviestar" by Swedish pop singer Harpo is about someone who thinks he’s a real big star, but in reality only did some acting in a TV commercial.

It was recorded on 27 February 1975, and features Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida) from ABBA on backing vocals.

Moviestar reached #1 on the Swedish charts and #24 on the UK charts. It also topped the charts in Norway, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.

In July 1976, a Swedish language version of Moviestar was released. It also reached #1.

The song has been covered by a number of little known bands and was used on the Swedish TV Channel TV4 the mid-90s for Nissan commercials.

His 1973 debut single "Honolulu" featured the B-Side track "Harpo's Helicopter" and was actually the name of his first band. A promo photo of this 1973 band is shown below. This track later appeared on his Movie Star LP.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from vinyl (thanks to Antichubais for the LP RIP) and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD (only released in Sweden).  I have chosen to provide some bonus tracks - firstly, the Australian B-Side to his single Movie Star titled "Teddy Love" (which was lifted from his first LP 'Leo The Leopard'), his 1976 follow up hit single "Horoscope" and his debut single "Honolulu".  

Although most people have heard Harpo's hit "Movie Star", I suspect few have not explored his discography and at the risk of being accused of 'harping' (LOL), I highly recommend you give these tracks a listen.

Tracklist

01 Moviestar 3:22

02 I Wrote A Love Song 3:41

03 Harpo's Helicopter 2:17

04 Valerie 2:53

05 Beautiful Christmas 3:29

06 Motorcycle Mama 3:25

07 Dancing Child 3:31

08 Happy Birthday 3:12

09 Freedom Bird 1:59

10 Japanese Winter 3:52

11   Teddy Love (Bonus Single)  3:25

12   Honolulu (Bonus Single)   3:02

13   Horoscope (Bonus Single)  3:15 

Musicians:

Lead Vocals - Harpo

Backing Vocals [Uncredited] – Frida

Bass – Mike Watson, Rutger Gunnarsson

Drums – Derek Skinner, Erik Romantschicz, Roger Palm

Guitar – Finn Sjöberg, Göran Fristorp, Harpo

Guitar, Bass – Bengt Palmers

Oboe – Lorentz Larsson

Percussion – Jan Bandel

Piano – Kjell Öhman, Per-Erik Hallin

Steel Guitar – Jan Lindgren 

Harpo Link (272Mb)

Suzi Quatro - Aggro-Phobia (1976) plus Bonus Tracks

(U.S 1964 - Present)

Aggro-Phobia is the fourth studio album by Suzi Quatro, recorded in the Autumn of 1976. It is the only one of her albums to be co-produced by Mickie Most.

Initial sessions for Suzi's fourth regular studio album were undertaken in early 1976 in Montreux, Switzerland under the production of Mike Chapman.

One of the first tracks laid down was "Kids Of Tragedy", written single-handedly by Chapman on the flight from the USA to Switzerland. Several other tracks were recorded at the Montreux sessions, including versions of "Tear Me Apart", "Close Enough To Rock 'n'Roll", "Half As Much As Me", "Cream Dream", "I Miss America" (an early working title for "American Lady") and "What lt's Like To Be Loved". As far as the band and producer were concerned (and indeed with hindsight from audio evidence), things were progressing very satisfactorily.

In May 1976, the music press announced that Suzi was to tour Japan, Germany, Indonesia and Hong Kong before returning to Britain in July, whereupon a new single would be released, which would either be the 'Chinn and Chapman' song "Kids Of Tragedy" or the Suzi/Len Tuckey composition "Half As Much As Me".

Strangely, the single never materialised and there would be no new Suzi Quatro material released in Great Britain that year. Chapman and Chinn's differences had come to a head when Chapman discovered that Chinn's name had been added as a co-writer of "Kids Of Tragedy", despite the fact that all concerned were reportedly aware that he had written the song alone. Mickie Most visited the Montreux sessions and tried his utmost to persuade Chapman to resume his working relationship with Chinn, but ultimately Most's solution would be to shelve Chapman's recordings and begin the entire album again with himself in the producer's chair, consigning the majority of the Montreux recordings to the filing cabinet, where most of them remained for many years.

However, in June 1976, some countries (including Japan and Germany) were treated to the single "Tear Me Apart" / "Close Enough To Rock 'n' Roll" - pairing two Mike Chapman productions from those ill-fated Montreux sessions. N.B. This was a different recording of "Tear Me Apart' to the Mickie Most production which would be released in the U.K. several months later. The record entered the German singles chart on 23rd June and climbed as high as #17.  "Tear Me Apart" was subsequently recorded by American country singer Tanya Tucker for her 1979 album of the same name (which Mike Chapman also produced).

Suzi's New Look 1976

Back in the UK, on July l0th 1976, Record Mirror published a picture of Suzi modeling a more 'space-age' image, sporting permed hair and a new mirrored chain mail outfit, reportedly containing 5,000 sequins. However, there was still no new recorded product forthcoming to satisfy her British fans. Finally, on 6th November 1976, the same paper announced that Suzi's next LP- "Aggro-Phobia" would be ready for release in January 1977 and would be her first album to be produced by Mickie Most.

"Aggro-Phobia" was recorded over a two-week period towards the end of 1976 at the unlikely setting of the Hotel Chateau du Regard, Coye La Foret, Oise, France with the RAK mobile recording unit, The title was a play on the word 'agoraphobia' (fear of open spaces), re-modeled to include the English colloquialism "aggro" (a euphemism for trouble or violence). The cover photos were shot in an underground car park in London by Gered Mankowitz. Suzi's band remained the same as had been with her since her first album" with the exception of new keyboard player Mike Deacon, replacing Alastair McKenzie, who had left the band in late 1975.

Alongside original compositions, the album contained several cover versions. Country singer/songwriter Dallas Frazier's "'Honky Tonk Downstairs" (which had been recorded by George Jones in 1968) was subjected to a similar boogie treatment to that which Nazareth front-man Dan McCafferty had administered a couple of years earlier. Elvis's "Heartbreak Hotei" also came under the Quatro hammer, as did (rather surprisingly) Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel's 'Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)". Also included was a version of the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Susie", with reference to which Suzi recalls in her autobiography: "...we laid down the vocal on the driveway of the hotel, much to the amusement of the other paying guests."

Only one Chinn/Chapman tune was present, in the form of Mickie Most's new recording of "Tear Me Apart" and only one Mike Chapman production was salvaged from the Montreux recording session
- "What It's Like To Be Loved'" - composed by Suzi and soon-to-be husband Len Tuckey. The three remaining Quatro/Tuckey compositions were "Half As Much As Me", 'Close The Door" and "American Lady".

With the fourth album belatedly in the can, Suzi and Len finally tied the knot and got married in Essex on 12th December, 1976 and were able to enjoy the festivities for a couple of weeks before settling back into the business of promoting their new album.

"Aggro-Phobia" was released on 21st January 1977, with Record Mirror reporting claims of 1 million advance orders worldwide for the album. The same journal urged record buyers to 'buy it' with a 4-star review from correspondent Jim Evans who proclaimed: "Suzi, it would appear, has woken up and come up with a brilliant album." He also observed: "She sings with feeling - sensuality and sex appeal ooze from her vocal chords." In an interview with the same publication on 29th Jan. 1977, Suzi discussed the 17-month gap in her recording output: "Before doing this ("Aggro-Phobia"), we took a year off from recording. We'd had three successful years with Chinn and Chapman, but I think we'd outgrown each other. The last two singles were flops so, rather than go through a painful transition period, we stopped recording."

A week later, the new British single - "Tear Me Apart'/ "Same As I Do" - was released. Despite Suzi's diplomatically-worded comments in Record Mirror. it was indeed a Chinn & Chapman song (albeit a Mickie Most production) which was deemed by RAK to be the most commercial track on the album and would ultimately restore her to the British charts after a two-year absence. Reviewer Rosalind Russell gave the single an 'unbeatable' 5-star rating via Record Mirror's pages on l9th Feb 1977: "Hard driving, rough rockin' - a real cracker..," and continued: "I think it should be Top Five at least. It has a heavy, filled out sound and GUTS!" The single made an appearance in the UK chart breakers on 26th Feb and made the hop into the published Top Fifty the following week, ultimately peaking at a respectable #27 during a six-week stay in the charts.

To tie in with the album and single promotion, Suzi played university and college dates in the UK during February and March and appeared on TV shows such as Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, which also featured her playing Rock 'n' Roll standards in a 'supergroup' with herself on bass, [Leo Sayer on vocals, John Miles (guitar), John Christie (keyboards) and Kenny Jones (drums),

No further singles were taken from the "Aggro-Phobia" album in the UK, although "'Make Me Smile" and "Half As Much As Me" were released as singles in various other countries. Despite the excellent reviews, "Aggro- Phobia" neither charted in the UK, nor any other countries for which our chart statistics are readily available.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my recently acquired vinyl which I found at my local flee market. I already had the single "Tear Me Apart" which I bought when it was first released, so it was nice to finally find the album it was lifted off.  In my opinion, the Quatro/Tuckey tracks are not as strong as the Chinn/Chapman track, but her Steve Harley / Elvis Presley covers help to make this album enjoyable.  As a bonus I have included several non-album B-Side Singles - "Same As I Do" and "Cream Dream", along with the unreleased "Kids Of Tragedy" single and Mick Chapman's original recording of "Tear Me Apart" which is significantly different to the official single release in 1977.

Full album artwork is included for both vinyl and CD, with an edited 'back tray' that lists these bonus tracks. 

Although my mum never really appreciated my taste in 70's music as a teenager, she did like Suzi's "Can The Can" and so, I would like to dedicate this post in loving memory of my mother (and her great taste in music). Miss you mum.

Track List

01 - Heartbreak Hotel

02 - Don´t Break My Heart

03 - Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)

04 - What´s It Like To Be Loved

05 - Tear Me Apart

06 - The Honky Tonk Downstairs

07 - Half As Much As Me

08 - Close The Door

09 - American Lady

10 - Wake Up Little Susie

11 - Same As I Do (Bonus B-Side Single)

12 - Cream Dream (Bonus B-Side Single)*

13 - Kids Of Tragedy (Bonus Track)

14 - Tear Me Apart [Mike Chapman Version] (Bonus Track)

The Band:

Suzi Quatro - Bass and Lead vocals

Len Tuckey - Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals

Dave Neal - Drums and Backing Vocals

Mike Deacon - Keyboards and Backing Vocals

Aggro-Phobia Link (256Mb) New Link 02/01/2024

Genesis - Live In Chicago, 1978 (1997)

(U.K 1967 - Present)

Recorded near the start of their 'And Then There Were Three' tour Genesis played at the Stadium in Chicago. They were unhappy about their sound at the Stadium and so returned to play the smaller venue the Uptown Theatre by the end of the tour. WXRT in Chicago broadcast the concert on the air that night and the two and a half hour show ended with a seven-minute interview with Phil Collins discussing the tour and the broadcast.

The broadcast resulted in a great sounding early release on vinyl called From The Mouth Of The Monster on Atlantis (GTT 78), a ninety-minute recording spread over two LPs. Compact disc releases include Follow You Follow Me on Great Dane Records (GDR CD 8918), Live In Chicago 1978 on Golden Stars (GSCD 2104/1-2), Live and Alive with Genesis and Phil Collins (IMT 900.019/20) on the infamous IMTRAT label, Live at Uptown Theatre Chicago International Pop (INP023, INP024), and the 2nd half of the show by AMCOS (EML 136) under the title Genesis (featured here).

A source that claims to be from the WXRT reels, including the post-concert interview, surfaced and was released on Master Of Chicago (HL446/447) on Highland.

Between 1976-1981 Genesis were almost always on the radio with each tour producing at least two or three excellent quality broadcasts. This is one of the best concerts from the “interim” period between the “progressive” Gabriel and the “eighties pop” Collins eras. They have always excelled in narrative song writing and they sing about a whole host of interesting characters and take the audience through several different vignettes.

Phil Collins goes go great pains to teach the audience when to cheer and boo to his pantomimes before “The Lady Lies” (“People are going to think we’re not going down well!” he quips).

“The Cinema Show” segues seamlessly into “In That Quiet Earth” which runs into “Afterglow” as per the studio version. The majestic “Afterglow” is followed by the Brazilian beats of “Follow You Follow Me” which was their big hit of the day. The finale begins with an aggressive version of “Dance On A Volcano” where Collins really spits out the lyrics (“Holy mother of GOD!) and leads into the drum duet between him and Thompson. This feature does not translate well on boomy audience recordings with the duet becoming lost in the general mush of sound.

But the clarity of this recording offers a detailed glimpse into Thompson’s and Collins’ contribution. This leads into “Los Endos” and “I Know What I Like”, which includes the “Stagnation” interlude, is the encore [extract from classicrockreview.wordpress.com]

Genesis 1978

Chester Thompson (Drummer)

When Chester Thompson joined Genesis as a drummer for the Wind and Wuthering tour in 1977, he had every reason to think it would be a short-term gig. He’d recently wrapped up stints with Frank Zappa and Weather Report that lasted about two years each, and Genesis’ previous touring drummer, Bill Bruford, bailed after just four months on the road.

But not only did Thompson stick with Genesis all the way through their Turn It On Again reunion tour of 2007 — Collins also brought him over to his solo career in 1981 and used him for nearly all of his tours between 1981 and 2010. During this time, the drummer somehow also found time to tour with Santana and the Bee Gees and maintain a solo career.

Chester Thompson 1978

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Thompson recollects when he first joined Genesis in 1977:

Andy Greene: Did you take a crash course in Genesis before you went in?

Thompson: They sent over some cassettes. I was leaving straight from San Francisco. And even though I listened to the cassettes, I didn’t get a real feel for what was going on before I got there. Unfortunately, they never really had to change drummers before. They brought in Bill Bruford for that one tour [in 1976], but it was a fairly short tour. Apparently Phil and Bill grew up near each other and knew each other fairly well. It was kind of like asking your buddy to come cover your band because suddenly you’re doing something different.

Chester Thompson 1977

Bill knew that world. He didn’t know all the tunes, but obviously he was pretty familiar with the whole prog-rock thing. They didn’t find out until pretty late in the game that Bill wasn’t going to do the next tour. They kind of assumed that he would. By the time they reached out to me, they allowed 10 days for rehearsal and it was a two-and-a-half–hour show. Basically, after the first day, I was like, “The only way this is going to work is if you give me a list of which tunes you want to go over the next day — I’ll have them ready.”

Basically, I literally transcribed everything Phil played on those early prog-rock albums. I’d come in and read it down the next day, which was pretty new to them because none of them read [music] at all. They felt that was pretty interesting, but it was the only way we got through it. It was another situation of me not getting any sleep since I was up all night writing charts.

Genesis-1978-Phil-Mike-Tony

Andy Greene: Did they audition you?

Thompson: No. When Phil called, the first thing he said was, “There’s no audition. I’ve already played stuff for the guys. If you want the gig, it’s yours.”

Andy Greene: How was it for you culturally? For lack of a better word, they are really, really British.

Thompson: Oh, my goodness! Where do I start

Andy Greene: And they’d never had an American in their ranks.

Thompson: Right. And much less, a black American. [Laughs] Culturally, we were on opposite sides of the world. It was quite an adjustment for me. It was the biggest adjustment I’ve ever had to make, musically and culturally.

Andy Greene: How did you manage to bridge that gap culturally?

Thompson: I just basically kept my mouth shut and my eyes open. [Laughs] It’s interesting, I probably absorbed more of their culture than they did anything I grew up with because I was really uncomfortable. The very first tour was a tour of England. You have four guys with British accents [Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Steve Hackett], and there was tour management and a couple of other guys, all with British accents.

L-R: Thompson, Hackett, Banks, Collins & Stuermer

Every night after the show we’d hang out. It was really disturbing because for the first two weeks. I could not follow a single conversation. I was okay one-on-one, but they speak much, much faster than we do. There were all these conversations going back and forth that I’d try to track. I could track one guy, kind of, but then somebody else would jump in. It was a weird, lonely feeling to be in the room with people that supposedly speak the same language and not be able to understand what was going on.

Andy Greene: When Daryl Stuermer joined in 1978, did you have a compatriot that was a little more like you?

Thompson: Well, yeah. And I’d known Daryl for years. He was part of a band in Milwaukee that played a place that was the place to stop and jam when you were on tour. There was a lady with the band I kind of had a crush on and we were very much in touch. And so, we had met and played together on a few occasions.

Andy Greene: It’s an interesting gig musically speaking. Much of the show is just you playing drums, but during a lot of the instrumental breaks, Phil would come back and play along with you. Was that a challenge for you?

Thompson: Not at all. Phil and I, from the very first rehearsal when he sat down and we started jamming together, we just locked. It was just there.

And Phil and I had a lot of the same roots. He was into a lot of the American jazz drummers. The difference being I wasn’t so much into the English drummers, like Keith Moon, and he was. But he still had that American stuff; it was a big part of his background, and we just hit it off immediately.

Andy Green: After 1978, this must have felt like a long-term gig.

Thompson: I still thought it would just be a couple of tours. I certainly never dreamed it would go on and on like it did.

[Interview from Rollingstone Magazine, Feb 4, 2021]

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my AMCOS CD Bootleg and includes full album artwork. I have also included the front covers of other releases of this concert. This particular release is the 2nd half of the Chicago show.

Track Listing

01 Squonk

02 Say It's Alright Joe

03 The Lady Lies

04 The Cinema Show

05 In That Quiet Earth

06 Afterglow

07 Follow You, Follow Me

08 Dance On A Volcano

09 Los Endos

10 I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

Genesis were:

Bass, Guitar – Mike Rutherford

Drums – Chester Thompson

Bass, Guitar – Daryl Stuermer

Keyboards – Tony Banks

Vocals, Drums – Phil Collins

Genesis Live Link (361Mb) New Link 22/12/2023

Rick Springfield - Comic Book Heroes (1973)

(Australian 1962 - Present)

Some people think of Rick Springfield as the good looking star of General Hospital who burst onto the music scene in the early 1980's with his chart topping hit "Jessie's Girl". But almost ten years before that break-through, Rick Springfield recorded 'Comic Book Heroes', one of several memorable early albums that established him as a singular musical talent.

Boprn in Sydney, Australia on August 23, 1949, Richard Lewis Springthorpe - later changed to Springfield - was bitten by the music bug at age thirteen, when he receioved his first guitar. Soon he was honing his chops with such bands as The Jordy Boys, MPD, Rock House, Wickedy Wak and Aussie sensations Zoot, a band which also included Beeb Birtles, later a member of The Little River Band. Voted the top guitarist in Australia in 1970, Springfield topped the Aussie charts with the hit "Speak To The Sky" that year.

In 1972, Springfield's debut U.S album 'Beginnings' was released and a re-recorded acoustic version of "Speak To The Sky" went to the Top 15 of the U.S Charts. At about the same time, Springfield landed the role on Mission Magic!, a Saturday morning cartoon show which ran on ABC-TV for one season. Featuring a cache of infectious pop gems culled from his Australian-only Mission Magic! album, Springfield's cartoon image in the show was very similar to the drawing that appears on the cover of Comic Book Heroes.

The next year, he began recording Comic Book Heroes at Morgan Studios in London with producer Robie Porter and orchestrator Del Newman, best known for his work with Cat Stevens. The concept of the album centered on the trials and tribulations of a fictional character similar to such super heroes as Spiderman and Batman. In fact, "I'm Your Superman" ("my Marc Bolan rip-off", confesses Springfield) includes a sampling of the theme from the classic TV show The Adventures Of Superman.

Despite his credentials as a serious songwriter and musician, Springfield had become a mainstay in teen magazines like 'Tiger Beat' and 'Valentine'. At the time of Comic Book Heroes' release, he struggled with being pegged alongside the freshly-scrubbed cherubic teen idols of the day. "They were trying to market me as the new David Cassidy but I wasn't delivering the bubble-gum songs that they needed. It was a real drag," says Springfield.

In fact, the songs on Comic Book Heroes have nothing in common with "white-bread" teen-pop. The album was amature and eclectic collection of quintessential pop. From the baroque harpsichord-majesty of "The Photograph" to the high-octane kick of "the Liar", Comic Book Heroes is a notable attempt at expanding the borders of pop music.

Along with a stellkar cast of seasoned musical pros, Springfield tackled a myriad of instruments including all guitars, electric piano, Hammond organ and moog synth. There is even a nifty Beatlesque backwards guitar solo on one track. "I did some backwards stuff on the end of "Do You Love Your Children". I just love the sound of backwards guitar. It's from my old sixties days." The song, ironically, was inspired by a religious leaflet titled 'Do You Love Your Children' that was placed under the door of Springfield's Hollywood apartment.

The nostalgic epic "Born Out Of Time" is Springfield's favorite song from Comic Book Heroes. "It worked as a song and it has a lot of emotion because I had really found that I was enamored with Greta Garbo at the time and was very caught up in the whole silver screen romance. I had my wall covered with Greta Garbo posters. I got this absolute fan worship thing for her. I'd just sit and watch her movies all day long."

Despite raves from the pop cognoscenti, including Rolling Stone, who compared Springfield toi David Bowie, Comic Book Heroes fizzled on the charts. Bad fortune plagued Springfield throughout the '70's. His 1974 Springfield LP was shelved by Columbia Records, while 1976's Wait For Night was doomed when his record label folded midway through a concerty tour. It would be years of musical mishaps and assorted guest roiles on such TV shows as Battlestar Galactica, The Six-Million Dollar Man and Wonder Woman before he struck gold in 1981 with Working Class Dog. A hit album coupled with his popular role as Dr. Noah Drake on TV's General Hospital, quickly made Rick Springfield a household name.

Since then, Springfield has tallied up a string of seventeen Top 40 hits including "Don't Talk To Strangers", "Love Somebody" and "I've Done Everything For You", as well as multi-platinum albums and sold out tours.

Assessing Comic Book Heroes twenty years later, Springfield is justifiably proud of the record. "The best review I ever got from Rolling Stone was for that record. It was a part of me. I can look back on it and it's like opening a drawer of memories". As a magazine ad for Comic Book Heroes stated way back in 1973, Rick Springfield is much more than another pretty face. (liner notes written by Ken Sharp, August 1993)

Album Release

In 1973, Springfield signed to Columbia Records and recorded his second album, Comic Book Heroes, which was also produced by Porter. In Australia, released on Porter's new label, Wizard Records, the album and its two singles failed to chart. Springfield was promoted as a teeny pop idol similar to David Cassidy and Donny Osmond. Springfield spoke of the teenybopper image in Circus Magazine in 1973. He said he was not sure how it happened. "Someone saw my photo and that was it." He went on to say that someone asked to take a photo of him in a white suit and thought that it was "a bit dull", so he took some crayons and "scrawled an R with a lightning bolt going through it ... which became my emblem."

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my Australian vinyl pressing and includes full artwork and label scans. I recently acquired this album by chance, while out grocery shopping. A nearby house was holding a garage sale and although it was late in the day, I found this album tucked away behind some boxes, and it had clearly been missed by earlier record collectors.  The cover was a little rough but the vinyl is in pristine condition.

I already had the single "I'm Your Superman" so finding this album was magic. I was going to include the B-Side of the single as a Bonus Track (thinking it was a non-album track), until I worked out that it had been lifted from his Beginnings LP.

While researching this album I came across a 'one of a kind' action figure of Rick Springfield (see left), that had been made by a die-hard fan. WTF !  To read more about this, see megomuseum.com 

I also discovered that the Columbia and Wizard releases have slightly different track listings, with the last track on each side swapped. So the Columbia LP finishes with "Do You Love Your Children" while the Wizard LP concludes with "Misty Water Woman"

Australian Track List

A1 Comic Book Heroes 0:42

A2 I'm Your Superman 2:59

A3 Weep No More 3:39

A4 Why Are You Waiting 3:57

A5 Believe In Me 1:47

A6 Do You Love Your Children 6:05

B1 The Liar 3:39

B2 The Photograph 3:23

B3 Bad Boy 3:07

B4 Born Out Of Time 3:47

B5 Misty Water Woman 4:29

The Band:

Rick Springfield - Guitar, Electric Piano, Hammond Organ, Moog Synthesizer, Lead Vocals

Mike Morgan - Piano, Harpsichord

Dave Wintour - Bass

Terry Cox - Drums

Comic Book Heroes Link (203Mb) New Link 25/08/23