Cream - Swedish Radio Sessions (1967) Bootleg

(U.K July 1966  -  November 1968)
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"Cream" The haughty-sounding name of the group formed by Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in July 1966 was not without some justification. Guitarist Eric Clapton, aged 21. had already been dubbed "God" by a prophet on a North London wall for his playing with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He'd demonstrated his purist principles a year earlier, quitting "the most blueswailin" Yardbirds when they'd dared to go pop with their "For Your Love" single. And he'd also played sessions with first generation bluesman like Sonny Boy Willamson and Champion Jack Dupree.

Drummer Ginger Baker, aged 26. had come from a trad jazz background with Acker Bilk and Terry Lightfoot before moving into the burgeoning R&B scene in the early '60s with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation whose jazz-tinged R&B gained them a strong reputation in musical circles and the club circuit.

Bassist Jack Bruce, aged 23, had studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and had already played with Baker in Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation. He'd also briefly coincided with Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and as part of an all-star session band that also featured Steve Winwood and Paul Jones before a short spell in the pop limelight with Manfred Mann.

Cream's formation sent a frisson of anticipation through a music world for whom the "supergroup" concept - not to mention the cynical connotations - was still some years away Their first gig on 31 July at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival (the forerunner of the Reading Festival) fulfilled all expectations as the band revelled in the possibilities of fusing the festival's favoured musical styles with their own much-vaunted skills. So the comparatively understated, low-key pop of their first single. "Wrapping Paper", in October came as something of a surprise, despite the band's previously stated commercial intentions.

Their debut album, Fresh Cream, released on Robert Stigwood's Reaction Records in December 1966, was an affirmation of the band's original manifesto. The group written numbers, featured blazing nascent heavy metal rock riffs on tracks like "NSU" and "Sweet Wine" providing a foundation for some short, sharp, sonic blasts that utilised Jack Bruce's fierce counterpoint bass, Ginger Baker's thunderous rhythms on his elaborate double bass-drum kit and Eric Clapton's searing solos and ferocious feedback. They also gave a vivid demonstration of just how far you could take blues numbers like Howling Wolf's "Spoonful", Robert Johnson's "Four Until Late" and Skip James' "I'm So Glad" while staying true to the spirit of the originals.

They even found a viable commercial formula for their second single, "I Feel Free" (with lyrics supplied by underground poet Pete Brown), compressing their talents into a three-minute swirl of rhythms, vocal harmonies and controlled feedback guitar. It got them to Number 11 in the charts and onto BBC Television's Top Of The Pops where they found themselves on the same show as Jimi Hendrix who was performing "Hey Joe". Their careers were to run in parallel but while Hendrix's flamboyance gave him the edge in terms of media exposure, particularly in Britain, it was Cream that would make the first breakthrough in America.

Having tightened themselves as a group with gigs around Britain and Europe during the first part of 1967, Cream set their sights on America, Their initial attempts were somewhat misguided - a week-long 15-minute slot six times a day in front of screaming teenagers on DJ Murray The K's "Music In The Fifth Dimension" show at the RKO Theatre in New York with Hermans' Hermits, The Loving Spoonful and The Who was notably unsuccessful. But once they were put in front of audiences who wanted to listen rather than scream they were guaranteed a rapturous response.

Cream Publicity Shot For Polydor

They also got the opportunity to record their second album at New York's Atlantic Studios in May 1967 - with producer Felix Pappalardi and engineer Tom Dowd. The sessions may have been hurried - three and a half days in total according to Dowd, foreclosed when a chauffeur arrived to take them to JFK Airport - but Disraeli Gears flowed with a supreme, focused confidence that grew out of the quality of the material the band had prepared. The opening track, "Strange Brew", a sublime BB King-influenced blues, was the band's third UK single, reaching Number 17 in July. The B-side, "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", was Clapton's first extravagant flourish using the newly introduced wah-wah pedal (was it any coincidence that Hendrix's first wah-wah flurry on "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" came out at the same time?). It was the epic "Sunshine Of Your Love" that was to become Cream's anthem -a pile-driving riff and climatic chorus that instinctively drew on the finest assets of the trio. The other tracks ranged across the ethereal, Byrds-like "Dance The Night Away", the attacking staccato of "SWLABR" (standing for "She Walks Like a Bearded Rainbow"*) and the steady rising crescendo of 'We're Going Wrong".

Disraeli Gears was released in November '67, towards the end of an extraordinary year of landmark albums that included The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper", The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds", Jefferson Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow", Love's "Oa Capo", The Doors "The Doors", The Velvet Underground's "The Velvet Underground & Nico" and Pink Floyd's "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn".

Like them, Disraeli Gears perfectly catches the spirit of the moment which was epitomised by Martin Sharp's quintessential British flower-powered cover artwork. Cream had spent much of the summer of '67 playing concerts around Britain, including another appearance -this time top of the bill - at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival, but the last four months of the year were mainly spent in America, touring to increasing critical and popular acclaim as Disraeli Gears made the US Top 5, selling a million copies and fuelling the band's ascent to superstardom. The gilt edge to their rising status was provided by San Francisco which fervently took the band to its breast alongside its own myriad local heroes headed by The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

Sessions for Cream's third album, Wheels Of Fire, were spread over the course of a year from mid '67 to mid '68, with some basic tracks being laid down at London's IBC Studios before the bulk of the work was completed back at New York's Atlantic Studios, again with Felix Pappalardi and Tom Dowd, The relatively extended time the group were able to spend in the studio allowed them to sound more comfortable which was in turn reflected by the more sophisticated production. In addition the group's internal musical dynamic was changing. The Jack Bruce/Pete Brown partnership supplied four of the album's nine tracks including the monumental "White Room", Cream's other great anthem with its portentous descending chords and driving wah-wah guitar, the biting, stiff funk of "Politician" and the florid escapism of "Deserted Cities Of The Heart".

Jack Bruce

Ginger Baker teamed"up with avant garde jazz musician Mike Taylor for three tracks including the babbling but melodic "Those Were The Days" and "Pressed Rat And Warthog" which is as spaced out as it sounds, Clapton, who'd had four co-writing credits on the previous album, preferred to cover Howlin' Wolf's grinding blues "Sittin On Top Of The World" and Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign" (written by the Stax soul team of Booker T Jones and William Bell). However, he did write a winsome ditty with Martin Sharp called "/Anyone For Tennis" which was recorded for the soundtrack of the Savage Seven movie and released as a single in May '68.

To this studio album, Cream added a second album of live tracks recorded in San Francisco in March 1968 called "Live At The Fillmore" (even though three of the four tracks were actually recorded at the Winterland). It included a monstrous 17-minute version of "Spoonful" that defined the term "rock jam", "Toad" a 16-minute drum solo and a 4-minute 14-second exquisite encapsulation of the power and musical dexterity that was Cream at their very very best -"Crossroads". Robert Johnson's stark, eerie masterpiece was given a different but equally compelling intensity.

Eric Clapton

But even as "Sunshine Of Your Love" was giving Cream their first American Top 40 single in February 1968 (it would go on to reach Number 5 in the summer), rumours that the band were planning to split were rife. The sparks that had given Cream their mercurial quality and inspiration were now destroying the group as their increasingly fractured personalities clashed under the suffocating conditions of endless touring.

By the time Wheels Of Fire was released in August 1968, resplendent in another magnificent Martin Sharp design, Cream had effectively ceased to exist as a group except when they were on stage together. That did not prevent the album from being an instant smash hit, however. It topped the album charts in the US for four weeks. In the UK, Wheels Of Fire was released both as a double album and as a single "studio" album and both versions made the Top 10 - at Number 3 and Number 7 respectively.

Clapton, Bruce and Baker had had enough each other, however. Cream were finished, They agreed to a farewell tour, which started in America in October and bowed out in style at London's Royal Albert Hall on 26 November.
Just before their last tour, Cream recorded three tracks at London's IBC Studios including "Badge" which featured George Harrison (credited as "L'Angela Mysterioso" for contractual reasons) on rhythm guitar and Clapton on the trademark bridge riff (or "badge" as he misread it on Harrison's lyric sheet). These tracks, together with three more live tracks, made up the Goodbye album released in March '69, topping the UK charts and reaching Number 2 in the US.

By then, the three members of Cream had moved on - Clapton and Baker into Blind Faith and Bruce into his solo career.

This post is a radio broadcast performance recorded at the "Concert Hall" in Stockholm on Cream's short Scandinavian tour on 7th March, 1967. It established them in Scandanavia.
The 5 songs were later broadcast on Sveriges Radio's "Konsert Med Cream"

This bootleg has been promoted as an "excellent" quality recording. While it is good it does have some problems. Of the three "excellent' quality versions I have heard, all are sped up. The worst ranges from 7-15% over speed.
The performance includes the five songs that would become the closing elements of their extended improvisational sets later in the year.
It is interesting to note that Ginger Baker's name is advertised as 'Peter Baker' on this Swedish billboard poster, and his nickname was probably unknown in European countries at that time.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from a Koine CD (sourced sometime ago from cyberspace) and includes limited artwork. I have also chosen to include artwork from some alternative releases that also include live tracks from other concerts during their 1967 tour, and are readily available on the internet if you search Google.
Track reviews below by Graeme Pattingale

Concert Review

Track Listing
01 - NSU (Bruce) 4.06
Starts with Baker sounding like he's been slowed down but in fact he's marking time while Jack sorts out some hardware problem. EC joins in to fill out time and then jack joins in. Not a significant variation on the 'Klooks' or "Fresh Cream' versions except its harder and the solo starting to adopt the three way jamming elements.
02 - Stepping Out (Bracken) 4.09
A brief performance but shows Eric's continuing growth and increased interaction between all three.
03 - Traintime (Bruce) 5.55
The Graham Bond Organisation piece revived in a reasonably extended performance. Jack and Ginger have been doing this for years and its really a bravura piece for both of them.
04 - Toad (Baker) 6.52
Short and close to the 'Fresh Cream' recording. The later extended versions were criticised as excessive but this lacks the excitement of the musical development of those versions. Baker was not a teller of short stories.
05 - I'm So Glad (James) 4.58
This song was usually the frantic closer of their sets later in the year. This is a proto-rendition ending with the guitar feeding back as Eric leaves it leaning against the stack.

Cream were:
Eric Clapton - Guitar / Vocals 
Jack Bruce - Bass / Vocals 
Ginger Baker - Drums

Cream Swedish Radio Sessions FLACs (181Mb) New Link 02/05/2020

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Mike Brady & Haley White - Up There Cazaly '99 (1999)

Before things get too serious at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be considered to be either Weird, Obscure, Cazaly or just plain Korny.....

"Up There Cazaly" is a 1979 song by Mike Brady, written to promote Channel Seven's coverage of the Victorian Football League (VFL). It was first performed by the Two-Man Band, a duo of Brady and Peter Sullivan, and has since become an unofficial anthem of Australian rules football.

The title refers to early 20th century ruckman Roy Cazaly. Known for his prodigious leap, Cazaly formed a famous ruck combination with South Melbourne teammates Fred "Skeeter" Fleiter and Mark "Napper" Tandy. It was ruck rover Fleiter who was the first to call "Up there, Cazaly!" when the ruckman flew for the ball. The catchcry was soon adopted by South Melbourne supporters and eventually entered the Australian lexicon as a common phrase of encouragement.

Released independently on Fable Records, the Two-Man Band's recording of the song became the largest-selling Australian single released up to that time, with over 250,000 copies sold. The song has been performed at many VFL/AFL Grand Finals, often by Brady himself and performed it perfectly today at the 2019 Grand Final Premiership between GWS (Giants) and Richmond (Tigers).

 It was the Tiger's day with a convincing win over GWS - final scores RICH 17.12.114 / GWS 3.7.25

Mike Brady Singing At The 2019 Grand Final

In 1999, Mike teamed up with a relatively unknown singer Haley White to re-record the hit once again. Ozzi Music Man contacted Mike Brady in 2016 to enquire about Haley and this is what he had to say....

"Hayley White was just sixteen when she and I recorded a version of "Up There Cazaly" in '99. She had a manager and they worked hard on launching a career for her. I don't think it was particularly successful but I'm sure she's still trying. I hope so." 

2019 AFL Premiership Team - The Tigers

This month's WOCK on Vinyl post is a little early because I wanted to pay tribute to Mike Brady (for providing so many inspirational performances at our AFL Grand Finals and getting more than 100,000 people singing this sporting anthem) and to the 2 teams who battled it out for the AFL Premiership Cup today. Congratulations to the Richmond team for their win and commiserations to Greater Western Sydney who were playing their first Grand Final and showed great courage.

And so, the C in WOCK is for all footy players who aspire to be like Cazaly, striving to to their best for their footy team and fans, and demonstrating great Courage, even when the chips are down.

Track Listing

01 - Up There Cazaly '99 (Main Mix) 3:03
02 - Instrumental Mix 3:03
03 - Karaoke Mix 3:03
04 - Extended Video Mix 3:55

Released on Shock Records and produced by Doug & Mike Brady at Brighton Studios for BIB Productions

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Up There Cazaly '99  FLACs & Artwork (99Mb)   New Link 17/11/2024

Stray Dog - Selftitled (1973) + Bonus Live Tracks

(Texas 1970 - 1976)
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Stray Dog were a blues-based hard rock band formed in Texas in the early 1970s. They recorded three albums before disbanding around 1976. The band originally formed in Texas under the name "Aphrodite". They moved to Denver, Colorado, where they became very popular. They were introduced to Neville Chesters, a former road manager for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who convinced the band to go to London where, along with a friend and a former Tour Manager Lorenzio Mazzio, he introduced William 'Snuffy' Walden to Greg Lake, who signed them to ELP's label, Manticore Records. Randy Reeder was replaced by Leslie Sampson. Lake produced three tracks on the 1973 debut self-titled album, Stray Dog, with the band producing the remainder.  Sounding like a cross between Leslie West and Jimi Hendrix, Snuffy Walden's guitar licks and lightning fast frett work make this album compelling listening, especially the bonus live tracks. Interesting voice of Alan Roberts (a sort of a lower, mid-pitched Glenn Hughes)
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Produced by benefactor Greg Lake and the band, 1973's "Stray Dog" was one of those albums that somehow managed to fall through the cracks.  Critics largely panned it as mindless heavy metal, while fans simply ignored it.  Shame.  True, musically these seven tracks didn't offer up anything particularly original, but the band's affection for conventional blues rock was obvious throughout the collection.  Walden was a spectacular Hendrix-influenced guitarist who managed to pull a unique, watery sound out of his instrument (recall he was picked to replace Paul Kossoff in Free).  There's hardly a song here that doesn't showcase a first-rate Walden lead.   He also had a surprisingly enjoyable voice.  Equally impressive, given they hadn't been playing together more than a couple of months at the time the album was recorded Roberts and Sampson provided watertight backing - Sampson's time with Noel Redding's band Road came through on a couple of tracks - check out his blistering performance on the second half of the opener 'Tramp (How It Is)'.

"Stray Dog" track listing:
1. Tramp (How It Is)   (Snuffy Walden - Alan Roberts) - 7:06
'Tramp (How It Is)' opened up with some Keith Emerson-styled church organ and Carl Palmer-ish percussion giving you the impression this was going to be an ELP-styled set of bombastic pretense ...  Luckily about a minute into the track, Walden announced a warning to 'fasten your seat belts' and the song spun off into a nifty slinky blues-rocker.  While Walden's lead work was amazing (the Roberts Sampson rhythm section kicked in big time during the second half of the tune), the big surprise on this one was how good his voice was.

'Snuffy' Walden

2. Crazy  (Snuffy Walden) - 5:10
Even though it was listed as a Walden original, 'Crazy' was apparently an updated version of Bloodrock's 'Crazy 'Bout You Babe' (taken from the "U.S.A." album).  Regardless of the song's pedigree, the result was a slinky, Hendrix-styled rocker.  Once again, Walden's raspy voice was the big surprise here.  One of my picks for standout performance.

3. A Letter  (Snuffy Walden) - 3:50
Showcasing Walden's acoustic guitar chops, 'A Letter' was a pretty, slightly psych-tinged and slightly wobbly ballad.  They certainly tried their best and the backing vocals were nice, but they just didn't sound all that comfortable on this one.

4. Chevrolet   (Billy Gibbons) - 3:56
The band's sizzling cover of ZZ Top's 'Chevrolet' moved things back in the right direction.  You won't forget the original, but overlooking the screechy female backing vocals this one wasn't bad.  Would have been a blast to hear it live ... Curiously a couple of website claim Walden took credit for co-writing this one with Billy Gibbons.  For what it's worth the album credits it solely to Gibbons.
"Cheverolet" was released as an A-Side Single with "You Know" on the B-Side.

5. Speak of the Devil  (Snuffy Walden - Alan Roberts - Leslie Sampson) - 4:15
The lone group composition, 'Speak of the Devil' demonstrated a mix of bar boogie and commercial AOR moves.  Nice, breezy melody, though the female backing vocalists were needless.

Al Roberts

6. Slave   (Alan Roberts) - 6:00
Penned by Roberts and showcasing Sampson on drums, 'Slave' found the band taking a somewhat tentative stab at a more progressive sound - imagine early Rush (sans the shrieky Geddy Lee vocals) and you'd have a rough idea of what this one sounded like.  Didn't do much for me at first, but it's consistently grown on me.

7. Rocky Mountain Suite (Bad Road)  (Snuffy Walden) - 8:24
'Rocky Mountain Suite (Bad Road)' started out as an acoustic ballad, but got a lot better a couple of minutes in when it morphed into a country-blues number showcasing some excellent Walden acoustic slide guitar.  The track took another sep in the right direction when it reinvented itself as a jumpy Walden-powered rocker.   For anyone interested, this one showcased Walden's best lead guitar work.
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The band hit the road opening for ELP throughout Europe and the US (certainly a weird musical pairing that probably didn't do much to help sales), but as you'd expect, the album did little commercially. I won't go as far as calling it a lost masterpiece, but I will say that this was a pretty amazing debut.   Hard rock with a commercial edge ...  most bands would have killed to have released something nearly as good. [ review by RDTEN1]
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In March 1973, the British music magazine, NME, reported that Stray Dog were to support ELP on their world tour, which was due to commence in Germany at the end of that month. Stray Dog's follow-up album, While You're Down There (1974), was co-produced by Austin Godsey and the band, which featured new members Tim Dulaine on second guitar and vocals, and keyboardist Luis Cabaza.  The additions of Dulaine and Cabaza radically changed the band's sound from blues-based power trio to a more subdued and commercial AOR rock sound. Much of the material on While You're Down There was written and sung by Dulaine, with founder Walden's contributions being reduced. Only two tracks, "I Would" and the instrumental "Worldwinds", retained a sound and stylistic approach reminiscent of their debut. Sampson had played previously in another power trio, Road, with Noel Redding, and American guitarist Rod Richards. They produced one self-titled 1972 album on the Rare Earth label.

1975

With little promotional support from Manticore which was then distributed by Motown, the band did some local shows in support of the album.  Needless to say the collection vanished without a trace.  Within a couple of months Stray Dog was over.

After the band called it quits Walden joined a reunited Free where he replaced an incapacitated Paul Kossoff.  He also worked with Kossoff in Back Street Crawler.  He was a member of the Eric Burden Band, recorded some solo material and then went on to enjoy considerable success working in film and television - he's scored music for the likes of  "The Wonder Years", "thirtysomething" and "The West Wing". Roberts was briefly a member of Aalon.

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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) which I found in cyberspace some time ago and I thought it was time to unleash this Stray Dog and give it a home on this blog.  Full album artwork for both Vinyl and CD formats is included, along with label scans and all photos displayed above.  The live bonus tracks were released with the 2014 CD release where Tracks 8-11 were recorded live at Reading Rehearsals, London 1973 and Tracks 12-13 were recorded live in Rome, Italy 1973. 

So folks, crank up the volume on ya amplifier and like Snuffy says in the opening track, 'fasten up your seat belts' cause this album is gonna give you the ride of ya life and rip ya throat out, both at the same time!

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Track Listing

01. Tramp (How It Is)  (Snuffy Walden, Al Roberts) - 7:04

02. Crazy  (Snuffy Walden) - 5:12

03. A Letter (Snuffy Walden) - 3:54

04. Chevrolet (Billy Gibbons) - 3:50

05. Speak Of The Devil (Snuffy Walden, Al Roberts, Les Samson) - 3:52

06. Slave (Al Roberts) - 6:06

07. Rocky Mountain Suite (Bad Road)  (Snuffy Walden) - 8:27

[Bonus Live Tracks]

08. Crazy (WG "Snuffy" Walden)+ - 5:43

09. The Journey (WG "Snuffy" Walden)+ - 13:57

10. Eric Takes A Walk+ - 1:48

11. Rocky Mountain Suite (Bad Road) (WG "Snuffy" Walden)+ - 9:38 

12. Tramp (How It Is) (WG "Snuffy" Walden, Al Roberts)* - 7:18

13. Dog's Blues (Including Guitar Solo)* - 1:39

+ Tracks 8-11 Live At Reading Rehearsals, London 1973

* Tracks 12-13 Live In Rome, Italy 1973

Personnel:

- WG "Snuffy" Walden (William Garrett Walden) - guitar, vocals

- Al Roberts - bass, keyboards, vocals

- Les (Leslie) Sampson - drums, percussion, feet

Stray Dog Link (228Mb)  New Link 04/04/2020

Donovan - Lady Of The Stars (1983)

(Scottish 1964 - Present)
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By 1983, Donovan's albums were receiving little distribution in the UK and none in the US. His popularity had steadily decreased through the 1970s and early 1980s and mainstream record companies were not convinced that Donovan's albums could generate enough record sales to warrant release.

Donovan decided that to win over the record companies and reach his American and British fans, he would record new versions of both "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch" for inclusion on his next album. Both songs were released on the Sunshine Superman album in 1966 and Donovan's Greatest Hits in 1969. The name recognition of these two songs would give the record companies marketing leverage and guarantee release.

In addition to "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch", Donovan updated three other songs from his canon. Two of these songs, "Lady of the Stars" (written for Donovan's wife Linda Lawrence) and "Local Boy Chops Wood" (written about Brian Jones) were as well recorded and released on Donovan in 1977, "Boy for Every Girl" had been recorded for his 1973 album Essence to Essence. Donovan also included five new songs and titled the album Lady of the Stars for his wife Linda.

Lady of the Stars was released in Britain through RCA, and licensed in the US to Allegiance Records. It became the first Donovan album to receive a US release since Donovan in 1977.

Donovan with wife Linda

After this, Donovan took an extended hiatus from recording, and would not release another studio album until Sutras twelve years later.

Lady of the Stars has been the focus of many CD reissues since its original release. The reissues sometimes have a different track order, and the album has rarely gone under its original title. Some are designed to look like greatest hits albums (Golden Hits) or like a reissue of the 1966 studio album Sunshine Superman.

- Till I See You Again, released in July 1994 (Success 22534CD), from which this rip was taken.
- Sunshine Superman, released November 29, 1994 (Charly Records CDCD 1206). Shuffled track order. The album cover is from the same photo session as Donovan's 1967 album Wear Your Love Like Heaven.
- Golden Hits, (original track order) released February 23, 1996 (Masters Music MACD 61075-2, Holland/Intercontinental Records 1075, US).
- Sunshine Superman, released June 3, 1997, (Remember Records). Same track order as Charly Records release.
- Forever Gold, rel. January 18, 2000, St. Clair Records, St. Clair 5818.
- Golden Tracks, August 22, 2000 (Cleopatra 852).
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my CD release entitled 'Till I See You Again'.  Full album artwork for both Vinyl and CD (see above) are provided along with label scans and the CD collage shown below. This is probably Donovan's strongest album, or at least his best post 60's, and reworking some of his biggest hits like "Season Of The Witch", "Sunshine Superman" and "Till I See You Again" demonstrates just how talented an artist he is.

One anomaly noted is the LP track "Boy For Every Girl" which is entitled  "For Everybody There Is A Girl" on the CD releases.  Same song - just a slightly different title.
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Track Listing

A-Side
1. "Lady of the Stars" – 4:37
2. "I Love You Baby" – 3:28
3. "Bye, Bye Girl" – 3:22
4. "Every Reason" – 3:05
5. "Season of the Witch" – 5:27
B-Side
1. "Boy for Every Girl" – 4:39
2. "Local Boy Chops Wood" – 3:29
3. "Sunshine Superman" – 4:06
4. "Living for the Love Light" – 3:44
5. "Till I See You Again" – 3:14
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Session musicians and guest appearances on this album include:

Guitar, Vocals, Written By: Donovan Leitch
Guitar: Pete Carr, Richie Zito
Keyboards: Barry Beckett, Bill Payne, William "Smitty" Smith, Jai Winding, Bruce Robb
Bass guitar: Bob Glaub, Leland Sklar, Wilton Felder, Jim Strauss
Drums: Rayford Griffin, James Gadson, Mike "Reedo" Reed, Paulinho da Costa (percussion)
Wind instruments: Jim Horn
Guests: Graham Nash and Bonnie Bramlett (backing vocals), Dave Mason (guitar), John Sebastian (autoharp)
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Lady Of The Stars FLAC Link (235Mb) New Link 19/12/2023

The Four Seasons - Hits (1991)

(U.K 1960 - Present)
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The Four Seasons singing group was formed in 1955 in Newark. New Jersey with lead singer Frankie Valli, brothers Nick and Tommy DeVito, and Hank Majewski. First known as The Vantones. and then The Four Lovers, they finally became The Four Seasons, named for a New Jersey bowling alley! Bob Gaudio (of The Royal Teens) joined the group in 1959 as keyboardist and songwriter, replacing Nick DeVito. Gaudio also became writer/producer in partnership with hit making producer/songwriter Bob Crewe.

The Four Seasons debut release "Sherry" skyrocketed to #1, and the group had their first million seller. The follow-up release, "Big Girls Don't Cry," followed suit and zoomed to #1, and the group had their second gold record for another million seller. Both of those golden hits are spotlighted in this exceptional collection.  For a more extensive account of The Four Seasons biography, see my previous post The 4 Seasons - Gold Vault Of Hits post.

This compilation of The Four Season's successes not only brings you their #1 hit of 1975, "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)" but also the exciting long dance versions of that hit and "Big Girts Don't Cry," along with their hit version of Maunce Williams "Stay," plus "Who Loves You," "Why Do Fools Fall In Love," "Marlenna", "Gypsy Woman," and "Book Of Love."    Truly a must for collectors'.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my CD release and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD, plus label scans.
Like the Bee Gees, The Four Seasons made newly founded fame when Disco came along, and their 1975 hits "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)" and "Who Loves You" were constantly on my turntable as a Teenager.   Ah, the good ol' days when  Mirror Balls and Platform Shoes were common accessories.............

Tracklist
A1 Big Girls Don't Cry (Enhanced Original Version) 2:24
A2 Sherry 2:30
A3 Why Do Fools Fall In Love 2:12
A4 Stay 1:53
A5 Marlena 2:35
A6 Big Girls Don't Cry (Dirty Dancing Rap) 5:07
B1 Gypsy Woman 3:12
B2 Book Of Love 6:00
B3 December 1963 (Oh What A Night) 6:13
B4 Who Loves You 4:06

Four Seasons FLAC Link (271Mb) New Link 03/01/2024
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John Mayall - The Blues Alone (1967)

(English 1956 - Present)
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John Mayall was the leader and musical prodigy of the British Bluesbreakers Band which featured some of the most successful rock musicians of the '60s and '70s. Celebrated for his legendary songwriting ability, Mayall was, as well, a remarkable performer.

This recording is truly Mayall's blues alone. Recorded in London at the Decca studios in May of '67, this CD was co-produced by Mike Vernon and Mayall. It was engineered by David Grinstead and Gus Dudgeon and spent five weeks on the Billboard charts in the summer of '68.  The cover art and the original LP sleeve design are by John Mayall. Sleeve notes, including track notes, were written by noted DJ John Peel (see below).

With a release coming only two months after Crusade, The Blues Alone, the first Mayall “solo” album (i.e. without The Bluesbreakers), was John Mayall’s third album of 1967, or fourth, if you count the various artists compilation Raw Blues. Like Raw Blues, it was released initially on Decca’s discount Ace of Clubs label to distinguish it from a regular Mayall album, although the distinction has been lost over time. It was actually recorded p
rior to Crusade on May 1, 1967. Mayall played and overdubbed all instruments except drums, which were handled by Bluesbreaker Keef Hartley, which was one way of dealing with his ongoing personnel difficulties (by this time, his bassist, John McVie, had left to join Fleetwood Mac).

It also served notice that, despite his band being a spawning ground for several British stars by now, the real star of the group was its leader. But it didn’t quite prove that, since Mayall, while certainly competent on harmonica, keyboards, and guitars, doesn’t display the flair of an Eric Clapton or Peter Green, and the overdubbing, as is so often the case, robs the recording of any real sense of interplay. (The Blues Alone hit #24 in the U.K. and #128 in the U.S.)

Celebrated “Underground” disc jockey John Peel, who'd achieved popularity with his late-night “Perfumed Garden” show on the pirate Radio London, was embraced by Auntie after the pirates were scuttled, and worked for many years on BBC Radio 1. He wrote the quirky sleeve notes, in a track-by-track breakdown you may find familiar, and I'm presenting them here:

[Liner notes by John Peel]
In the summer of  1966, I was working for a radio station in Southern California and, in my capacity as  resident Englishman  and  therefore  intimate friend of alt groups, I had to contribute a column of light hearted chatter about the British  music scene to the station  paper.

Part of this column was a listing of the current  British top ten.  As far as the inhabitants of San Bernadino and Riverside counties knew John Mayall's Bluesbreakers had a string of enormous hits during that summer - a number of them being, in some curious fashion, LP tracks. Chart-rigging was a hideous reality in unsuspecting California.

Shortly after returning to London, I met John Mayall and found him to be a very warm-hearted person despite his somewhat  forbidding  stage presence. He has a huge laugh that springs from some deep recess within him and tumbles into all corners of the room. I was featuring his LP 'A Hard Road' (Decca LKA 4853) on the air and was amazed that, in addition to writing 8 of the 12 numbers on the record, playing 5 and 9 string guitar, organ, piano, harmonica, and singing, he had written the sleeve notes and painted the portrait of the group on the front cover. With this new LP he has carried all of this to its logical conclusion and has produced a record featuring  no other musician than himself except for the occasional aid of his drummer Keef Hartley. This then is John Mayall - one of the greatest bluesmen in the world.

John Mayall & Jeff Hartley

BRAND NEW START
John plays harmonica, guitar, piano, drums and also sings. A hymn of earthy praise to his current woman with some of his best recorded harmonica. Strangely remote 'popping' guitar adds a touch of deep melancholy.

PLEASE DONT TELL
(Vocal,  harmonica, guitar,  bass)
John has apparently  uncovered something new in the popular field of male/female  relationships — after exhaustive research — and wants to keep it a secret. In his writing he always adds something fresh and interesting to traditional concepts — whatever that means.

DOWN THE LINE
(Vocal, piano, 9-string guitar)
In the clubs the appearance of the Mayallian nine-string is greeted with shouts of approval. On this number the distinctive  sliding  sounds  keep up an almost unbearable tension  behind the sparse  piano. A searing, incredibly lonely sound.

SONNY BOY BLOW
(Vocal, harmonica, jangle piano)
A tribute to the late Sonny Boy Williamson—not a sad, gloomy tribute but a rollicking, cantering thing filled with unrestrained outbursts on the harmonica and some rolling boogie woogie from John's famous 'jangle' piano.

MARSHA'S MOOD
(Piano, drums)
A portrait of an attractive and independent girl. I think I know the Marsh of the title and if I'm right then this superb piano solo fits her well.

NO MORE TEARS
(Vocal, 9 & 6 string guitars, bass)
A  great track featuring John's obviously underrated guitar. Although his efforts are unlikely to start a mass movement of blues guitarists to the bridges of the Thames this should be a revelation for those who've tended to concentrate more on John's celebrated  lead guitarists than on the man himself. I'm glad he recorded this one.

CATCH THAT TRAIN
(Harmonica with train) Blues  harmonica players favour trains to a degree where they might be suspected  of a locomotive fetish — a rare condition. This must surely be the first time that an  actual train has been used as an accompanying instrument. All of this poses an interesting demarcation question — did the N.U.R. receive recording  wages? Incidentally I  am the train's agent so don't get any ideas.

CANCELLING OUT
(Vocal, piano, organ) We all know the  'Put-together  girl - probably one of the main causes of international confusion. John sings of his intention to cancel out that kind of chick. He underlines this laudable decision with grumbling bass figures on the  piano  and  fiery organ playing.  Is this a protest song?

HARP MAN
(Harmonica, celeste, bass)
Music-Box type celeste sounds -— a very emotional music-box let me  hastily add — and wandering harmonica phrases.
There is no truth to the  rumours that the Bluesbreakers will be using dulcimer, sackbut and psaltery. Let's face it, gutteral cries of   "Let's hear your sackbut, son" can only lead to violence.

BROWN SUGAR
(Vocal,  piano,  guitar,  organ) You don't need me to tell you what this is all about. Just listen to the lyrics. More slide guitar playing Tate and Lyle.

BROKEN WINGS
(Vocal, organ)
This is the sort of thing that be heard on the car radio late at night driving  alone  in  the  rain.   A  very gently, caressing and beautiful song. You needed to know this side of John Mayall.

DON'T KICK ME
(Vocal, organ, piano, guitar, baas)
For the final track on this astounding LP, which shows every facet and talent of the limitless John Mayall, a rumbling plea not to kick him when he's down. I get the impression you'd be in a rather dramatic situation if you tried it.

Thank you, John, for letting me write these notes for what is an essential record for anyone with any interest in any kind of good music - especially the Blues  [John Peel]
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This post consists of a freshly ripped set of FLACs taken from my prized vinyl which I have owned for yonks (that's ages folks).  Not sure where I bought it - secondhand I think and still very playable. I have taken the time to manually remove pops and crackles and applied a small amount of bass enhancement on some tracks.  Although I don't have a lot of Mayall's material in my record collection, I hold the greatest respect for this Master Bluesman, as did John Peel based on his liner notes.
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Tracklist
A1 Brand New Start 3:22
A2 Please Don't Tell 2:30
A3 Down The Line 3:43
A4 Sonny Boy Blow 3:49
A5 Marsha's Mood 3:13
A6 No More Tears 3:11
B1 Catch That Train 2:17
B2 Cancelling Out 4:19
B3 Harp Man 2:42
B4 Brown Sugar 3:44
B5 Broken Wings 4:16
B6 Don't Kick Me 3:11


Recorded at Decca Studios, West Hampstead On May 1, 1967. 

Drums – Keef Hartley (tracks: A2, A4, A6, B2 to B6)

Vocals, Piano, Celesta, Organ, Harmonica, Guitar, Guitar [6-string], Guitar [9-string], Bass, Drums - John Mayall



John Mayall FLAC Link (217Mb)
New Link 08/02/2024
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Captain Rock - Buried Treasure (1975) plus Bonus Single

(Australian 1975 - 1981)
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This album is notorious for 3 reasons, actually 4...it's bloody weird! (almost a candidate for a W.O.C.K post), for it's an eclectic mix of folk, rock, country, polka, spoken word comedy, rockabilly, hippie drug themes. It's also likely the lowest selling LP on Mushroom, sank without a trace!
Captain Rock is Bob Brown (not the ex-Greenie leader!), it also includes backing by members of The Skyhooks, Capt Matchbox, Ross Wilson etc and includes the Original version of "Home Among The Gumtrees", the best version in my opinion.  An essential item for any Aussie Music collection!

Bob Brown is the co writer and original singer of the famous Australian song "Give Me a Home Among the Gumtrees," who has had many of his humorous songs appear in the ABC Sing music song books. As a school teacher and children's entertainer Bob was aware of the great benefits music, especially singing, plays in the development of young students. In this unique selection of 10 of his songs, Bob provides a teacher friendly interactive white board presentation combining his vocal and musical arrangements, accompanied by easy to read lyrics, a great asset in themselves to any reading program. Bob's songs have long been favourites of primary age children all over Australia. Teachers and students alike will love the songs and the enjoyment and educational experience they bring to the classroom.

Bob Brown (aka) Captain Rock originally recorded the song on his 'Buried Treasure' album in 1975. It was later recorded by numerous artists, most famously by 'Bullamakanka' and John Williamson. It has since become one of the most recorded Australian songs of all time. Its popularity grew enormously when Don Burke used a cover of the song as the theme to his highly rated National TV program 'Burke's Backyard'.

In 1981, Captain Rock released the single "I Do Love A Saturday Arvo" (Arvo being slang for Afternoon) on the Fable Label but failed to chart in Australia.
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Give Me A Home Among The Gumtrees
It was originally performed as a satirical number in Johnson and Brown's comedy act at the Flying Trapeze Cafe in Fitzroy, Melbourne and was first recorded in 1975 on the Captain Rock album - Buried Treasure on Mushroom Records. At that time the Australian Government had decided to scrap God Save the Queen as the national anthem and was running a contest called the Australian National Anthem Quest to find a replacement. The Gumtrees song was Johnson and Brown's response (it did not win).

The band's first roadie with the bands nicknamed THE EMU had the cassette tape of capt'rock. and insisted that "Home Among The Gumtrees" was a tune well suited to their sound and from the first night it was performed at the Port O Call Hotel in Coolangatta, it was a hit for the band.

Bob Brown Today

In 1982, the bush band Bullamakanka reputedly found a copy of the Captain Rock album in a music shop sale bin (although this story is not confirmed by all members of the band). They recorded a cover version of Gum trees, which then became a hit.  The song was later recorded by popular Australian country music singer-songwriter John Williamson (singer), thus increasing its popularity with many mistakenly believe Williamson to be the original composer. Bullamakanka made some changes to the lyrics, which were also retained in Williamson's recording. These tended to water down the original tongue-in-cheek nature of the song.

Bullamakanka's version was later used as the theme song for a popular gardening and lifestyle television program called Burke's Backyard, which ran on Australian television for 17 years. The program once held a competition for the best school video version of Home Among the Gumtrees, and thousands of entries were submitted; one of the winners was an Aboriginal community school group who sang the song in their own language.

Home Among the Gumtrees has a set of mime actions accompanying the chorus which are familiar to people throughout Australia, although their exact origins are unknown. Bob Brown re-recorded the song in 1990, releasing it on the independent label Kookaurra Records.

The song has become one of the most frequently recorded Australian compositions of all time and is a standard in Australian folk music. A variety of artists have covered it, ranging from bush bands like Paradiddle to international superstar violinist André Rieu, who included it on his 2008 album Waltzing Matilda. John Williamson performed Gumtrees at the 2006 memorial service to commemorate popular Australian wildlife expert and TV personality Steve Irwin; the program was followed by a worldwide television audience reputedly numbering 300 million viewers.

Co-writer Wally Johnson died of pneumonia in 1995. Bob Brown has continued writing and performing tongue-in-cheek folk songs, which have been covered by artists including John Williamson and folk singer Slim Dusty. One of Brown's numbers "I’m an Individual" was recorded by cult Australian Rules footballer Mark ‘Jacko’ Jackson, and became an Australia-wide hit. Brown has also recorded an album of children's songs called 'Riding Round on Golf Balls'.
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This post consists of MP3 (320kps) ripped from vinyl and includes limited artwork (sourced from the original Midoztouch Website with thanks) along with album and single label scans. If you're looking for something abit different and light hearted to listen to, then this album is for you. The album is full of catchy tunes but my favourite tracks are "Worms" and "Private Parts, and of course "Home Among The Gumtrees".
Also included as a bonus track is Captain Rock's 1981 single "I Do Love A Saturday Arvo" along with the naughty B-Side "Can We Do It Again"
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Tracklist
01 Buried Treasure 0:54
02 The Shape I'm In 1:46
03 Worms 1:42
04 The Grandson Of Ivan The Terrible 2:59
05 The Doobie Doobie Hen 2:35
06 Private Parts 1:05
07 Dr. Funlay's Casebook 1:05

08 Can't Stop Rock 'N' Rollin' 3:05
09 Frank     0:49
10 Give Me A Home Among The Gumtrees 4:55
11 There's...Pt. 1 1:08
12 The Ballad Of Boris Pilloris 3:59
13 There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner1:47
14 Blow The Monday Blues 2:34
15 There's...Part 11 0:59
16 20 Flight Rock 2:22
17 Steamed Vegetables 5:15
18 Pickled Onions 0:53
19 Ezy Street 2:46
20 There's...Part 111 1:14
21  I Do Love A Saturday Arvo  (Bonus A-Side Single)
22  Can We Do It Again (Bonus B-Side Single)
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Credits:
Acoustic Bass, Keyboards [Additional], Music Director [Musical Director] – Peter Sullivan (2)
Acoustic Guitar, Dobro, Fiddle, Backing Vocals – Doug Wallace
Backing Vocals – David Flett, Fred Olbrei, Graeme 'Shirley' Strachan, Mick Conway, Ross Wilson (2), Wayne Burt
Banjo, Dobro, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals – Peter Hayes (8)
Bass Guitar – Greg Macainsh
Drums, Percussion – Bob Bickerton (3)
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Red Symons
Harmonica, Backing Vocals – Jim Conway
Keyboards – Ivory Jane
Management [Personal] – John Pinder
Mandolin – Steve Cooney
Vocals, Voice, Acoustic Guitar – Bob Brown
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Captain Rock Link (113Mb)