Chuck Berry - The London Sessions (1972)

(U.S 1953 - 2017)

This is the biggest selling Chuck Berry album ever! Much of its success could of course be attributed to the amazing #1 hit status of the 45 r.p.m" version of "My-Ding-A-Ling". However, the album actually jumped on Billboard's "Top Pop Albums" charts two months prior to the single's release.
It was Berry's first LP chart appearance in five years, since the original Golden Decade greatest hits two-fer nudged its way to #191 in 1967. In contrast, The London Chuck Berry Sessions is his only certified gold album and, upon original release, ripped all the way to #8 while staying on the chart for 47 weeks.

Along with the hit single, the album's success simply reflected the climate of time. Berry and rock 'n' roll had prospered greatly during the early'60s-the originator more than holding his own on the charts and in the grooves on such as "No Particular Place To Go" and "Nadine (Is It You?)" with the British invaders and sundry imitators. However, as the decade wore on, the "roll" was lost from rock and Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Watera replaced the master rock 'n' roller as the primary source of inspiration for mainstream rockers. Furthermore, the hyphen rocks-folk-rock, acid-rock, blues-rock, country-rock and hard-rock had superceded good ole rock'n'roll as the primary terms and music forms of the day.

Chuck Berry in the 70's

As it always is when a pop music strays too far from its roots, there was a backlash to the Woodstock generation, the concept albums, and the 10 minute guitar and drum solos of the early'70s. This backlash came in the form of a several year run of immensely popular "Rock'n'Roll Revival" package shows featuring '50s and early '60s acts of all stripes, kicking off with a series of spectacular showcases at New York's Madison Square Garden. Before long, the revival concept had spread across America, predictably with mixed results. These shows became a mixture of great acts (Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Del Shannon, etc.) getting renewed and deserved atttention, greed (as promoters presented umpteen versions of The Drifters, The Platters, and The Coasters, sometimes on the same bills as Diddley and company), and pure and simple (and often narrow-minded) nostalgia. Rick Nelson celebrated the joy and frustration of the scene on his hit "Garden Party" - many of the fans wanted to turn back the hands of time, while tha acts wanted tn play their beloved music and enjoy.

Berry's Duckwalking

However, even amidst that not-so-happy lament, there was Johnny B.Goode joyously playing his guitar and singing his song. Chuck Berry had once again become the King of Rock'n'Roll duckwalking across American stages. Not just small theater stages this time, though; now it was sports arenas and coliseums. So, when The London Chuck Berry Sessions was released, festuring live versions of "Johnny B. Goode" and "Reelin' And Rockin'" just like Revival fans heard in concert, it became an instant smash. As opposed to earlier Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters London Sessions, the album was not just new versions of the artist's old songs with an all star assemblage of British musicians supporting. There were a few "star" names on the dates: The Faces' Kenny Jones and lan Mclagen on the studio tracks; the Average White Band's Robbie McIntosh on the live sides. But this is purely Chuck Berry's show, and six of the eight songs were new to the Berry "oeuvre." He wrote four of the five tracks on the studio side, using the lead track, "Let's Boogie," to make a passing tribute to the Rock 'n' Roll Revival scene. The one non-original, "Mean Old World," is a remake of a Little Walter song. And the live side is the crux of an especially hot Chuck Berry concert
circa'72.

That the concert side is that good is a tribute to the master, his songs, to then musicians on the date, but mostly to good luck. If form held, Chuck barely rehearsed with the band, if at all. Long before this, Berry had begun the practice of having a promoter provide a band that knew his songs, and he would show up just in time to say hello to the group and go on stage. 

Gatefold Photo 1

The inclusion of "My-Ding-A-Ling," according to Chuck, was also by chance. He had been doing it live in front of non-teen audiences even before "Maybellene" changed history, and he was simply doing it as usual the night of the recording. By this time, Berry had worked the ditty into a slick, naughty, audience participation number of well over 10 minutes in duration, and to see an arena full of fans laughingly participating in a 'Ding-A-Ling" singalong was...well, unusual, to say the least.

Actually, "Ding-A-Ling" served as token respite from wall-to-wall hot rockin' in Chuck's early '70s set, and after it dominated the airwaves, the version of "Reelin' And Rockin"' here took that fourteen year old song to #27, becoming Berry's last hit single. So it was only logical that The London Chuck Berry Sessions was as big a success as it was upon original release. The only real shock is that his earlier singles and albums didn't climb to these heights, and besides the music, the happiest thing about this collection is that it reasserted the prominence of one of the true legends of modern popular music after much too long an absence from the forefront.  [Liner Notes by Andy McKaie]

Pete Clemon's article from the  Coventry Telegraph on the Lanchester Arts Festival 1972. 

"Chuck Berry owes his biggest selling hit to the Lacarno"

Chuck Berry was born in St Louis, Missouri in 1926 and was an early pioneer in the field of electric guitar-led rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll.

His major breakthrough came in 1955 with the release of Maybellene and his stage presence, humour, showmanship and duck walk became the stuff of legend. As were his notoriously short gigs.

Chuck is also an incredible lyricist, constantly full of double entendre, and so it was a little ironic that his best ever selling single and his only UK and US no 1 would be a cover version... of sorts. Not only that but, as hard as it is to imagine, it was actually recorded in Coventry in what is now Central Library. A headline article in the New Musical Express dated January 22, 1972 proclaimed the forthcoming gig as 'The Berry, Slade, Floyd sound scoop. It went on to report that 'In journalistic terms, the LAF committee have a first-class scoop. Not only do they present the only British appearance of Chuck Berry, one of the great influences of rock over 20 years, but the only college appearance of Pink Floyd, who are at present on a British tour. As if that isn't enough, they also have Billy Preston and Slade appearing at Coventry Locarno'.

Gatefold Photo 2

And so it was on the February 3, 1972, as part of the Lanchester Arts Festival, Chuck Berry would perform the song 'My Ding-a-Ling', all 11 and a half minutes of it in front of almost 2000 fans. A few of the crowd were 'old style' Teddy Boys dressed in drainpipe trousers and bootlace ties. Chuck, dressed in multicoloured shirt and skin tight white trousers, introduced the song as 4th grade humour and the whole thing contains plenty of audience participation.

The full set list that night, as far as I can ascertain, was: Sweet Little Sixteen, Roll 'Em Pete, It Hurts Me Too, Around and Around, Promised Land, Reelin' and Rockin', My Dinga-Ling and Johnny B Goode. The performance lasted around an hour with Chuck Berry being on stage for about 50 minutes of it which would have been par for the course for his gigs back then. A few years later when he appeared at Coventry Theatre he was barely on stage for 40 minutes.

Chuck Berry was backed that night by The Roy Young Band although Roy himself was never credited on the album. Roy, also a wonderful performer, was famed for his boogie woogie piano playing. He first broke through on TV's 'Oh Boy' in 1958. By the 1970s his band was fluid and, depending on the kind of gig, he could pull a line up together from a pool of as many as 30 plus extraordinary musicians.

For the Coventry gig he used Owen 'Onnie' McIntyre on guitar and Robbie McIntosh on drums. On bass was one time Van der Graff Generator member Nic Potter and finally on keyboard was ex Rare Bird player Dave Kaffinetti. Onnie McIntyre and Robbie McIntosh would later that year become members of the newly formed Scottish funk outfit The Average White Band.

The whole Coventry gig was recorded on the Pye Mobile Unit by engineer Alan Perkins and it was rumoured on the night that an LP called 'Chuck Berry Live in Coventry' would be released but that never materialised.

However in July of that year a heavily edited 4 minute version of 'My Ding-a-Ling' was released as a single. It stormed the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in part due to an American disc jockey called Jim Connors who plugged it from his radio station in Boston USA. In fact Jim was credited with a gold record for his efforts. Mary Whitehouse who, at the time, was a staunch campaigner against the permissive society and social liberalism and who once led a crusade against the BBC, tried to get the song banned but to no avail.

Then, during October 1972, an album was released titled 'The London Chuck Berry Sessions'. The album was intended as a double but was finally released as a single LP.

Side 1 had been recorded in the studio while side 2 was 'live' and contained the last three songs from the shows set list.

At the end of Chuck's performance the Coventry audience can be clearly heard chanting and shouting for more while the festival management struggled in vain to clear the Locarno so that the stage could be set up for Pink Floyd. And this is very evident on the album. 'The London Sessions' peaked at number 8 in the US charts.

My Ding-a-Ling had originally been recorded by Dave Bartholomew in 1952. When he changed record label Dave re-recorded it under the new title of Little Girl Sing Ding-a-Ling. In 1954 a band called The Bees released a version of the song called 'Toy Bell' and Chuck Berry's first stab at the song was in 1968 under the title 'My Tambourine'. He would call it his alma mater.

I Can't Hear You

Despite the songs amazing success pop critics, at the time, disliked it. In fact a Coventry Telegraph reporter, on its release noted, "I thought it was easily the worst thing he's ever done. It seems rather sad, after all the great rock classics with those sly, perceptive lyrics he has recorded over the years, that the song which really established him should have been a rather dubious, rehashed nursery rhyme" which of course is a fair assessment.

But I must admit to it being a guilty pleasure and every time I hear 'My Ding-a-Ling' it still brings on a chuckle and a cheeky smile [thanks to coventrygigs.blogspot.com]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from CD (thanks to Sunshine) and includes full artwork for both CD and vinyl media. I puchased my vinyl copy of Berry's London Sessions back in the early 70's, after I heard the live side played at a school mates 16th Birthday Party. I can still remember the laughter and yahooing that took place while "My-Ding-a-Ling" played and everyone joined in with both girls and boys singing their parts. It was hilarious and also a great ice breaker for chatting up the chicks. 

My Australian pressing has the rare gatefold cover and some of the B&W photos above are from that gatefold.

Track Listing:

01 Let's Boogie  3:13

02 Mean Old World  5:58

03 I Will Not Let You Go  2:49

04 London Berry Blues  5:56

05 I Love You

06 Reelin' And Rockin' (live) 7:10 *

07 My-Ding-A-Ling (live)  11:52 *

08 Johnny B. Goode (live)  4:38 *

Personnel: Studio Tracks

Chuck Berry - Vocals & Guitar

Derek Griffiths - Guitar

Ian McLagen - Piano

Kenny Jones - Drums

Personnel: Live Tracks

Chuck Berry - Vocals & Guitar

Own McIntyre - Guitar

Dave Kafinetti - Piano

Nic Potter - Bass

Robbie McIntosh - Drums

 

Chuck Berry Link (266Mb) 

REPOST: Cold Chisel - You're 13, You're Beautiful And You're Mine (1978)

(Australian Band: 1974-83)

Cold Chisel's rare live recording recorded at the Regent Theatre in Sydney in 1977, and released in November 1978.

This five track 12" E.P was released during a low ebb in the Chisel's popularity resulting in a limited number of pressings reaching the record stores. Vinyl copies now fetch up to $200 on eBay. 

Highlight track is the Troggs cover track 'Wild Thing' with Jimmy Barnes burning his tonsils alongside Ian Moss who gives his axe a full work out. After a long period of unavailability, the EP was re-released as a bonus disk with the second pressing of the 1991 compilation album Chisel.

This rip was taken from a CD pressing in FLAC format and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD formats.

Track listing

1. One Long Day
2. Home And Broken Hearted
3. Merry-Go-Round
4. Mona And The Preacher
5. Wild Thing

Band Members:
Jimmy Barnes (vocals)
Ian Moss (Guitar, vocals)
Don Walker (Piano, Organ)
Phil Small (Bass)
Steve Prestwich (Drums)

Stop Press: When this EP was reissued back in 2011, I removed it from the blog, but as it has once again become unavailable, I am reposting this gem in glorious FLAC format.   This is my favourite live release by Cold Chisel and regret the day I stupidly sold my vinyl copy to another collector for a measley sum.  

Cold Chisel Link (174Mb)

.

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Cassius Clay - Stand By Me / I Am The Greatest (1964)

 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.

Muhammad Ali [born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr]; (January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970, was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978, and was the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

He was famous for trash talking, often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, and is identified as a pioneer in hip-hop. He often predicted in which round he would knock out his opponent. As a boxer, Ali was known for his unorthodox movement, footwork, head movement, and rope-a-dope technique, among others.

'I Am the Greatest' is a comedy album by boxer Cassius Clay, released in August 1963 – six months before he won the world heavyweight championship, publicly announced his conversion to Islam, and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. It was released by Columbia/CBS. The album helped establish Ali's reputation as an eloquently poetic "trash talker". The album has also been identified as an early example of hip hop music. 

With the success and popularity of Clay's album release, Columbia decided to release a follow up single featuring Clay singing a cover of Carol King's "Stand By Me", with his earlier hit "I Am The Greatest" on the flip side. The single was released in 1964, charting on the Billboard "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles".

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay)
1967

After later controversy, Columbia pulled the LP and single from stores. Ali did not make another record until he teamed up with Frank Sinatra and Howard Cosell to record The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay in 1976.

However, Clay's "I Am the Greatest" single resurfaced again on CD in 1991 as part of the compilation Golden Throats 2: More Celebrity Rock Oddities.

Now I'm sure many of you are wondering why Muhammad Ali didn't like being called Cassius Clay?

In an interview with a well known celebrity magazine, Ali explained "Cassius Clay is a slave name". "I didn't choose it and I don't want it." ' According to The Independent, Ali attended his first Nation of Islam (NOI) meeting in 1961 and then later joined the African American Islamic religious movement in hopes of improving the status of African Americans in the U.S.

This month's W.O.C.K posting pays tribute to one of the greatest boxers that ever stepped into a boxing ring, and as the old saying goes "He could Float like a Butterfly, and Sting like a Bee".  

This post is definately Obscure (thanks to Guitarzman for the rip - MP3/320) but I'd also like to tick the C box for Cassius Clay's Courage in standing up for his rights as an Africian American in the U.S during the 60's.

Track List

Side A - Stand By Me   2:09

Side B - I Am The Greatest    2:12

Mono Single Link (10Mb)

 (Australian 1978 - Present)

The Radiators (aka The Rads) were formed in Western Sydney in September 1978 as a pub rock band with Brendan Callinan on keyboards and vocals, Brian Nichol on lead vocals and guitar, Stephen "Fess" Parker on lead guitar, Chris Tagg on drums and Geoff Turner on bass guitar. Nichol and Parker grew up in Bega where they attended the local high school. They formed a local group, Undecided, and in 1969 they relocated to Sydney. Callinan, Nichol, Parker and Tagg were all ex-members of hard rockers, Big Swifty which had formed in 1975. Turner had been in Twister which had issued two singles in 1977 prior to disbanding. The Radiators signed with WEA Records and issued their debut single, "Comin' Home" in September 1979. It peaked at #33 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. A second single, "Gimme Head", appeared in February 1980. In March 1980 the group released their first album, 'Feel the Heat', which was produced by Charles Fisher (Radio Birdman, Ol' 55). They supported the Australian leg of a tour by United Kingdom rock group, The Police.

80's Band

In 1981, Powderworks Records released "Up for Grabs" in October, which reached the top 40. They followed with "Nothing's Changed" in December. The Radiators signed with EMI Records and, in May 1983, issued the album, 'Scream of the Real', which peaked at #15 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. That month its lead single, "No Tragedy" reached the top 30. In 1984 they released 'Life's a Gamble', which became their third platinum album. In June Tagg was replaced on drums by Mick Buckley.

In late 1986, they signed with Mercury Records and released 'Nasty Habits in Nice Children' in March 1987, which was produced by Peter Blyton (Chain). That June, Buckley was replaced on drums by Brad Heaney. Heaney was replaced in turn by Mark Lucas and then in 1988 Callinan left without being replaced. In January 1989 Heaney was a founding member of hard rock group, The Screaming Jets.

The Rads maintained their popularity through the 90s and beyond. With many acts falling off the edge of the road in the ever changing music culture of today, these guys have come through relatively unscathed. They continued to record, tour, and please fans and venues alike with their everlasting vibrance.

The Radiators in the 90's

Financed by the band early in 1991 the six track E.P 'Hard Core' was released independently, selling in excess of six thousand copies. Also released in 1991 was their self titled album 'The Radiators', opening the international eye to their talent with sales in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy.

The Radiators have carved a niche in the annals of Australian rock history. They have shared the stage with all the great Aussie acts such as AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and INXS with more than 4000 shows to their credit.

Brian & Fess in the 90's (Check out the mullets !)

They have played the music to an estimated three million people in Australia, recorded more than 100 original songs with two albums awarded platinum status, two achieving gold and a host of other top-selling records topping one million units.

From humble beginnings, through years of success and hard times, through to the new millennium, The Radiators are living proof that pure, original music never dies, it just gets stronger.

The Radiators in the 00's

This post consists of FLACs ripped from a Cassette EP release (thanks to Bondie at Ausrock) and includes artwork for both Cassette and CD. To my knowledge, this EP was not released on vinyl.

This EP is a rarity folks, with copies selling on eBay for $100+

Track List:

01 Turn Of The Century

02 Hard Core Love

03 Skin Thing

04 Who's Bad

05 Love machine

06 Hate

The RADS were:

Brian Nichol - Vocals

Fess Parker - Guitars

Geoff Turner - Bass

Mark Lucas - Drums

Radiators Link (142Mb)

Little River Band - Little River Band (1975)

 (Australian 1975 - Present)

Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band originally formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart including Diamantina Cocktail (April 1977) and First Under the Wire (July 1979), which both peaked at No. 2. Nine singles appeared in the top 20 on the related singles chart, with "Help Is on Its Way" (1977) as their only number-one hit. Ten singles reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Reminiscing" their highest, peaking at No. 3. Only First Under the Wire appeared in the top 10 albums on the Billboard 200.

Early members were Beeb Birtles, Ric Formosa, Graeham Goble, Roger McLachlan, Derek Pellicci and Glenn Shorrock. Most of the group's 1970s and 1980s material was written by Goble and/or Shorrock, Birtles and David Briggs (who replaced Formosa).

Little River Band have received many music awards in Australia. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change", written by Shorrock, as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. The 1976 line-up of Birtles, Briggs, Goble, Pellicci, Shorrock and George McArdle (who replaced McLachlan), were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004.

Original cover of their debut LP

Little River Band have undergone numerous personnel changes, with over 30 members since their formation. None of the musicians now performing as Little River Band are original members, nor did they contribute to the success the band had in the 1970s. In the 1980s, members included John Farnham, David Hirschfelder, Stephen Housden, Wayne Nelson and Steve Prestwich. Currently the line-up is Nelson with Rich Herring, Greg Hind, Chris Marion and Ryan Ricks. Two former members have died, Barry Sullivan in October 2003 (aged 57) and Steve Prestwich in January 2011 (aged 56).

An Australian sextet, Little River Band's debut album sounds as American as anything by the Eagles or the Doobie Brothers, and is driven by "It's a Long Way There" -- whose eight and a half minutes of crunchy electric guitars, luminous acoustic guitar, and smooth harmonizing is spread across a musically dramatic arc that is worth every second of its running time. This is an astonishingly strong debut album. There aren't any surprises, just seven more eminently enjoyable if slightly looser structured mainstream rock songs in the same vein, inventive where they had to be (like on the solos or the variations on the extended choruses), all more modestly proportioned than the hit and thoroughly enjoyable. 

Guitarist Graham Goble dominated the songwriting with the single and "I Know It," but drummer Glenn Sharrock contributed significantly with the delightfully exuberant "Emma" and the hauntingly beautiful movie-within-a-song "The Man in Black," and guitarist Beeb Birtles showed himself no slouch in the ballad department with "I'll Always Call Your Name," which overstays its welcome by about 30 seconds but is otherwise nice and catchy.

50+ years ago on March 20, 1975, Little River Band played their first ever gig together at Martini’s in Carlton, Victoria, Australia. The rest they say is history, and what an incredible and illustrious history it is. But exactly how did LRB come about, you might ask ?  Well, Jeff Apter (an Australian Author) has recently discussed this in his book entitled 'Up From Down Under - How Australian Music Changed the World'.  The following is an extract from this book:

Glenn Wheatley

The Greyhound pub in Earls Court, London, was dark, dingy and sparsely populated, a real dive. When Glenn Wheatley’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, he sensed there were more people on the small stage than inside the pub itself, or so it appeared as he peered through the smoke that seemed to hang in the air like a fog.

Wheatley (pictured left), until recently the bassist for Melbourne band the Masters Apprentices, recognised some of the musos up on stage: singer-songwriters Beeb Birtles and Graham Goble. Drummer Derek Pellicci, too. The band was called Mississippi, straight out of Adelaide, of all places. And from what Wheatley could observe, they were seemingly on the same path as so many Aussie bands in the UK at the time — the road to nowhere. It was 1974 and times were tough. 

Wheatley knew that empty feeling only too well. The Masters Apprentices had arrived in London in 1970, full of hope and fire, yet within a few years had crashed and burned, yet another Oz rock casualty. He’d recently shifted away from performing, learning the music industry ropes in LA and London, working for the Gem Toby Organisation. Wheatley was in a unique position; he understood how things operated on-stage and off; he identified with a musician's struggle but was also coming to grips with the intrigue and small print that was a key component of the music business. Over time, these qualities would prove incredibly helpful for Wheatley and the band he’d come to manage. And there was something about Mississippi that Wheatley liked: the songs were strong, the sound was good — and those harmonies. Wow. There was one song in particular, ‘A Long Way There’, that really had potential. But they could use a lead singer. No disputing that.

The single release of "It's A Long Way There" was an edited version (4:16)
while the album version is (8:43) which I prefer much more

Singer Glenn Shorrock was also in London in 1974, sniffing out a solo career in the wake of the demise of his band Axiom, who’d travelled to the UK from Adelaide only to dissolve when their drummer decided to quit. (Just two weeks earlier they'd finished recording an album with UK hitmaker Shel Talmy.)

Shorrock, for a time, had sung back-up vocals for Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John’s buddy. And Shorrock was a big fan of the songs Goble had written for Mississippi, especially the haunting ‘Kings of the World’, an Australian hit, and ‘Early Morning’. He liked their soulful pop grooves and deep harmonies.

Shorrock & Birtles

Shorrock was a vastly different person to Goble — he was a piss-taker, mouthy, whereas Goble was pedantic and detailorientated, with a keen interest in numerology and matters spiritual — but Shorrock sensed a kindred musical spirit and a fellow traveller. Shorrock once boasted, ‘I come from a long line of show-offs.’

As a kid, he’d mimed Elvis Presley’s ‘All Shook Up’ with a guitar made of cardboard and the rock’n’ roll bug bit him hard, much to the horror of his opera-loving father. When he handled a real guitar, it was a revelation. ‘It was like seeing the wheel for the first time, Shorrock said. He loved American rock’n’ roll, Elvis, Little Richard: the masters. There was an aggressive quality to Shorrock when he stood on stage and sang. As his future bandmate, guitarist David Briggs, came to learn: ‘To see him working, I saw a guy who knew how to project all the way to the back of the room. He was an incredibly charismatic performer.’

The shaggy-haired, bespectacled Goble, meanwhile, was a dead ringer for Bill Oddie from British comedy team the Goodies. Goble was quiet and thoughtful, introspective. He and Shorrock were worlds apart.

‘Glen and I saw things from very different perspectives, Goble admitted, perhaps understating the case. As for handsome Dutch-born Birtles, whose real name was the challenging Gerard Bertelkamp, he’d been a member of Oz pop-rockers Zoot. Rick Springfield was his bandmate and close buddy. Although a supercharged rendition of the Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ had been a huge hit in Australia for the Zoot, they, too, fell apart in the early 1970s. It was a familiar pattern: Oz band breaks out at home and then breaks up after a failed offshore sojourn.

Better to burn out than fade away, or so it seemed. ‘I call those years,’ Beeb Birtles now says with a wry chuckle, ‘my apprenticeship years.’

Things had played out well for Springfield, however; his winsome folk ditty ‘Speak to the Sky’ was a US Top 10 in 1972, launching a meteoric (if occasionally bumpy) career Stateside.

Birtles, meanwhile, played to a succession of empty rooms in London. Birtles’ career, just like the Greyhound pub, had seen better days. Wheatley was only passing through London in 1974; he was about to slowly make his way back to Australia, travelling for a few months. But before he left he hastily set up a meeting with Goble and Birtles, who agreed that their band needed a lead singer, at the very least. Wheatley also reached out to Shorrock. It was pretty clear that Mississippi was about to run dry, Wheatley acknowledged, ‘But why don’t you guys try working together?’

Wheatley also identified that the USA was a better target for the new band. He’d seen way too many groups fall apart in the UK, including his own. ‘America, he told the trio. ‘That’s where you should be looking. Forget England.’ It was sage advice. By the time that Wheatley and the four musicians (including drummer Pellicci) reconnected back in Australia, their master plan was in place: America or bust. ‘It was all such chance,’ Birtles said of their union, ‘because Glenn Shorrock had had enough of getting nowhere in England and Glenn Wheatley was passing through London.’ 

It didn’t take long for Birtles, Goble, Pellicci and Shorrock to find common musical ground. They also bonded over poverty and ambition, especially ambition. Everyone, Wheatley included, had served their apprenticeship: it was time to put together a band with the requisite skills as players and writers to sell some records. A great commercial band with great commercial songs. And when their voices joined in harmony, well, it was pretty special. They also had a good stock of new songs ready to unveil. 

They didn’t have a new name — they were still using the Mississippi tag — but they had a sound that seemed tailor-made for the US market. ‘We were unified through the music we were writing and performing, said Birtles. ‘We were also friends in those early days because we started with nothing between us.’ Shorrock had a slightly different take on their roots. ‘I knew these were the best songs that I'd come in contact with and I was able to sing them very well with these guys. [But] these two guys and me, we weren't brothers. ‘This wasn’t a marriage born of love; it was a marriage of convenience. And a good marriage. I felt pretty confident, and my feet were on the ground still, and I was ready to give it another crack.’ 

It was duly decided: they'd break America in a bigger way than any other Australian band. And Wheatley would be their manager. But what to call the group? Mississippi was rooted in the past.

The current sign on the Geelong/Melbourne Highway, but
not the original one that
the band would have seen back in '75

The same dumb luck that connected the four musicians with Wheatley continued when they were back in Oz. The as-yetunnamed group were driving through rural Victoria, not too far from Geelong, when a road sign caught everyone's eye. It read: ‘Little River’.

‘That, someone said, ‘would make a great name for a song.’ ‘No, said another voice. ‘That's the perfect name for a band.’

It was simple, stark and absolutely perfect. They pulled over to the side of the road and made a pact: ‘We're now the Little River Band.’ 

[LRB discuss this historical moment in the following interview]

While still on the dole — seemingly another rite of passage for a struggling Aussie band with big dreams — they played their first gig under this new name at Melbourne's Martinis Hotel on 20th March 1975. By the end of April they'd already played 20 shows. They'd barely stop to take a breath for the next 10 years, playing  more than 1300 concerts and recording 10 albums, a hefty load that would break the toughest of bands. Yet LRB, as they came to be known, seemed to revel in the work, and truly demonstrated how Australian Music could change the world. [extract from "Up From Down Under - How Australian Music Changed the World" by Jeff Apter, 2013 p85-91]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from CD and includes full album artwork for both CD and Vinyl.

Although I own both vinyl releases, I much prefer the reissue cover (see top) rather than the cartoonish original cover which only appeared on vinyl, as it depicts a more serious band and probably better suited the American market anyhow.

Track List:    

01. It's A Long Way There 

02. Curiosity (Killed The Cat) 

03. Meanwhile... 

04. My Lady And Me 

05. I'll Always Call Your Name 

06. Emma

07. The Man In Black

08. Statue Of Liberty 

09. I Know It

Band Members:

Glenn Shorrock - Vocals 

Graeham Goble - Vocals/Guitar

Beeb Birtles - Vocals/Guitar

Derek Pellicci - Drums

Roger McLachlan - Bass

Ric Formosa - Guitar

Little River Band Link (269Mb)

Rick Wakeman - The Classical Connection II (1992)

(U.K 1969 - Present)

The "Classical Connection" tour was a 1991 European tour by Rick Wakeman featuring a neoclassical, stripped-back setup with bassist/guitarist David Paton. The live performances focused on reworked solos and popular tunes, including highlights like "Merlin the Magician," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Sea Horses," capturing a "chamber-prog" style. As a result, Wakeman released a live album titled 'The Classical Connection' in the same year featuring live recordings that showed a departure from his larger, more bombastic live acts, highlighting technical proficiency and melodic, classical influences.

After going out yet again on tour in 1992 with a second Classical Connection line up, Wakeman's record company deemed it necessary to have another release to coincide with such an event and so 'Classical Connection II' was born which was half live and half studio, which always made it an unsatisfactory compromise as far as Wakeman was concerned.

Rick Wakeman In The 70's

The 'Classical Connection II' is a natural progression in the series and features a wide variety of the clasically influenced talents that have been the trademark of Rick Wakeman's music over the past twenty five years.

There are fabulous live recordings of "Eleanor Rigby", arranged in the style of Rick's "hero composer" Prokofiev as well as a unique rendition of Gershwin's "Summertime".  Two of Rick's film themes are also captured live, "Macintosh" and "A Day After The Fair".

"Birdman of Alcatraz" has been re-recorded by popular request and all the rest are new compositions. "The Painter" and "A Garden of Music" are piano solos and "Pont Street" is written in memory of the home of Rick's great friend and harpsichord maker, Thomas Croff.

"Opus-1", "Dancing In Heaven" and "Art and Soul" are modern digital orchestrations demonstrating the modern electronic orchestra's capabilities at it's fullest.

Rick Wakeman 1991

Finally, a piece of nostalgia and a very collectable one at that. Back in 1971 when Rick recorded "Catherine of Aragon" at Trident studios in London for his first solo album 'The Six Wives Of Henry VIII', he recorded another short piece for fun entitled "Farandol". It only runs for 2 minutes and 45 seconds, but it is the line up that makes it interesting in as much as aside from Frank Riccotti on tuned percussion, there was Stwe Howe on accoustic guitar, Chris Squire on bass and Bill on drums!

All in all, this collection is a concert in itself. Recorded September 1991 at Bajoner Studios (Isle Of Man) and live at Poole Arts Centre usinga Tascam MSR 24S and Shure microphones. The album was produced by Rick Wakeman and engineered and mixed by Stuart Sawney.

Album Reviews

1. This was something of a stopgap release, designed to support Wakeman's continued "Classical connections" tour. Where the first album of that name had a general coherence, CC2 is something of a hotchpotch. The majority of the tracks are re-workings of pieces from Wakeman's previous albums, but there also three cover versions. Since Wakeman does not indulge in covers too often, these alone make the album more interesting than it might otherwise have been.

The covers in question are:

- the Beatles classic "Eleanor Rigby" (apparently performed in the style of Wakeman's favourite composer, Prokofiev). This is an imaginative and exciting interpretation, with classical guitar and keyboards complementing each other well. While the original melody is clearly discernible, Wakeman develops the theme superbly. A great opening track.

- Gershwin's "Summertime", captures the relaxed mood of the piece, through a jazz based interpretation. Both this and "Eleanor Rigby" are live recordings.

- The recording of the traditional "Farandol" included here is Wakeman's original version from in 1971. It was recorded as part of the "Six Wives" sessions. Yes fans will be interested to know that the line up on this track (only) includes Bruford, Squire and Howe. The track has strong similarities with the works which were on the finished album.

Of the other tracks, the numerous solo piano and other keyboards tracks are new recordings of some of Wakeman's compositions from previous albums. The rather uninspired nature of the performances tend to lead to them sounding overly familiar. "Dancing in heaven" reminds me a bit of Albinoni's "Adagio", while "MacIntosh" has a similar melody to Nancy Griffith's "Gulf coast highway".

In all however, the feature tracks make this collection worthy of investigation and should keep Wakeman fans happy. [Review by Easy Livin' 2005]

2. The musical curriculum vitae from keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman is both impressive as whimsical, some albums are refused by second-hand record shops because they won't sell (no names!). After a turbulent life with alcohol abuse, several divorces and megalo maniac behavior, Rick Wakeman has turned into a decent and loving father, peacefully living between his beloved wife, children and lots of animals on The Isle Of Man. 

Wakeman & Paton On The Classical Connection Tour

The music on this album is in the vein of this pleasant and balanced life. Wakeman delivers his marvellous acoustic pianoplay but he is playing more electronic instruments than on Classical Connection I. This evokes the 'polished classic progrock' from Sky (in "Art", "Soul" and the strong "Opus") but also Trace in "Farandol" (from Bizet) featuring Bill Bruford, Chris Squire and Steve Howe (on acoustic guitar). 

My highlight is the version from The Beatles their known piece "Eleanor Rigby": lots of varietion and great guitar play by David Paton (ex Pilot) along bombastic keyboards from Rick Wakeman. A more varied and exciting album than Classical Connection I. [Review by Erik Neuteboom, 2005]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from CD and includes album artwork for both CD and Vinyl media.

It should be noted that the running order of songs on the Vinyl release (Korea only I believe) is different to that of the CD releases, probably due to side length restrictions of the record media and accomodating the 55min of music.

Track Listing:

1. Eleanor Rigby (8:08)

2. Birdman Of Alcatraz (4:28)

3. A Day After The Fair (4:38)

4. Opus-1 (3:10)

5. The Painter (3:07)

6. Summertime (6:05)

7. Dancing In Heaven (6:36)

8. A Garden Of Music (3:18)

9. MacIntosh (3:49)

10. Farandol (2:45)

11. Pont Street (4:30)

12. Art And Soul (5:01)

Line-up / Musicians

- Rick Wakeman / piano, keyboards, arranger & producer

With:

- David Paton / bass & guitar (1,3,6,9)

- Steve Howe / acoustic guitar (10)

- Chris Squire / bass (10)

- Bill Bruford / drums (10)

- Frank Ricotti / tuned percussion (10)

Rick Wakeman Link (298Mb)

Jeannie Lewis - Looking Backwards To Tomorrow (1974)

(Australian 1964 - Present)

Jeannie Lewis' performing career began in the mid 60's, and her name has since become synonymous with concerts and cabaret shows that flently blend dance, theatre, poetry and song into their own unique style of music theatre. She has worked with jazz artists, blues bands (ie. The Foreday Riders Blues Band) and symphony orchestras, and her multilingual performances reflect a career which has taken her through countries as diverse as Cuba, France, Greece, China, Mexico and Argentina.

Jeannie started her singing career on the Sydney folk and jazz circuit in the mid-1960's then moved into the rock scene in the early 70s, establishing a strong reputation through her dynamic performances and powerful interpretations of songs both on stage and on the outstanding recordings she made in those years. During the 80's and 90's she continued to develop and broaden her career, with roles in musical theatre and the unique one-woman cabaret shows that reflected her growing love of Latin music, and her commitment to the often-underrated role of women's voices in music. Jeannie can adapt her voice to a large and eclectic range of material -- folk, rock, blues, opera, torch songs, Broadway tunes, tango and jazz -- and she is recognised both here and overseas as a peerless interpreter, with a rare ability to make almost any material her own.

Jeannie Lewis (born 1945) is a highly talented virtuoso performer of jazz, blues, rock, folk, tango and opera, who began her diverse musical career playing in folk and jazz clubs in Sydney in the early 1960s. Gifted with a voice of extraordinary vocal range and tone, and able to brilliantly convey a vast array of moods and emotions, Jeannie Lewis is arguably the most underrated performance artist in Australian musical history.

After singing in clubs and with jazz bands such as the Alan Lee Jazz Quintet and the Ray Price Jazz Quintet throughout the 60s, in early 1970 Lewis changed streams to join forces with the progressive rock band Tully, who had just completed a stint as the house band for the Australian production of the rock musical Hair. In what was to be the first stage of a long and successful collaboration, her first foray into rock music was as one of two vocalists, alongside Tully and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, in a Sydney Proms premiere performance of Peter Sculthorpe’s work Love 200. Later that year she formed the Sydney-based band Gypsy Train, which included Tully vocalist Terry Wilson and highly regarded jazz pianist Bobby Gebert, alongside guitarist Kydric Shaw, bassist John Helman, and drummer Daryl McKenzie. She also sang the title song to Jim Sharman’s 1972 debut feature film Shirley Thompson Versus The Aliens.

Jeannie Lewis’s debut album was the critically acclaimed Free Fall Through Featherless Flight (1973), which featured musical direction and arrangements by Tully’s Michael Carlos, and cover art by Australian artist Martin Sharp of Cream’s Disraeli Gears fame. The star-studded lineup of backing musician included Carlos on Moog, organ and harpsichord, Marcia Hines and Shayna Stewart on backing vocals, Mike Reid and Mike Wade on guitars, Ken Firth on bass, Jamie McKinley on piano, Greg Henson on drums, Alan Lee on percussion, plus a wind section, and The Fidelio String Quartet. 

 The album won an Australian Radio Record Award for Best Australian LP of 1974 despite receiving almost no airplay – only the ABC via Chris Winter’s music show Room To Move, and the newly created Sydney radio station 2JJ showed interest. Amongst an outstanding list of high-quality material, Lewis’ rendition of Australian Graham Lowndes ballad "Till Time Brings Change" is particularly moving, however it was her brilliant take on the Dylan Thomas poem "Do Not Go Gentle" that first drew my attention to Lewis's musical genius.  

Jeannie’s second album was the live set 'Looking Backwards to Tomorrow (In and Out of Concert)', released in 1974, and was released and performed on stage at the State Theatre in Sydney. The song list for the album includes stunning versions of songs by artists such as Dory Previn (Scared to Be Alone), Ray Davies (Celluloid Heroes), Graham Lowndes (The House is Burning) and the Reverend Gary Davis (Cocaine Blues with backing provided by the Foreday Riders). Celluloid Heroes was released as a single, while the album was released in the USA by American label Mainstream.

Jeannie Lewis' 1974 live album is an superb mixture of progressive rock, folk and pop opera and she was absolutely one the best Australian female singers in the 70's.   As "The Age" once reviewed - "Jeannie Lewis is a concert in herself, her singing thrills, her voice is powerful and unique, with a startling range of dramaric expression".

This post consists of FLACs freshly ripped from my near mint Vinyl and includes full album artwork. Requested by a blog follower last month, I have finally found time to rip this rare album (enjoy Peter).

For those of you who have not heard any of Lewis's performances, this album may take several hearings to fully appreciate its genius, while her voice in quite unique and compelling.

Track Listing:

A1 The Magician

A2 The House Is Burning

A3 Porque Los Pobres No Tienen

A4 Scared To Be Alone

A5 Celluloid Heroes

B1 Feet

B2 Rocelli Kaharunta

B3 Les Blouses Blanches

B4 Ladies Who Lunch

B5 Cocaine Blues

B6 An Artist's Life

Musicians:

Jeannie Lewis - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

Michael Carlos - Moog, Organ

Dave Ellis - Bass

Doug Gallacher - Drums, Percussion

Ian Mason - Acoustic Piano

Jamie McKinley - Electric Piano

Mike Wade, Peter Boothman, Roy Ritchie - Electric Guitar

Allan Lee - Vibes & Percussion

Graham Lowndes - Backing Vocals

The Foreday Riders - Full backing band on "Celluloid Heroes"

Jeannie Lewis Link (327Mb)