Paul Brett's Sage - Jubilation Foundry 1971

Nicky Higginbottom departed Paul Brett's Sage after the release of the band's eponymous debut album, and with her went the haunting flute that gave much of the album such a rich, pastoral sound. But the band was already moving in a new direction, exploring rock's roots and the genre's many permutations. Jubilation Foundry welds Sage's varied influences onto their sleeves, from "Cottage Made for Two," an homage to the Everly Brothers, to the gospel fired "Help Me Jesus" and the Stax inspired "Hold My Hand Mother." There are tributes to Southern blues and Southern rock, nods to singer/songwriters Cat Stevens and Harry Nilsson, and even a tip of the hat to the Beatles. With the group here sporting rich harmonies, the emphasis is on great songs in a variety of musical veins and moods, with singalong choruses, memorable melodies, and flashy musicianship evident throughout the album. AMG.

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Spooky Tooth - Spooky Two 1969

Spooky Two is this British blues-rock band's pièce de résistance. All eight of the tracks compound free-styled rock and loose-fitting guitar playing, resulting in some fantastic raw music. With Gary Wright on keyboards and vocals and lead singer Mike Harrison behind the microphone, their smooth, relaxed tempos and riffs mirrored bands like Savoy Brown and, at times, even the Yardbirds. With some emphasis on keyboards, songs like "Lost in My Dream" and the nine-minute masterpiece "Evil Woman" present a cool, nonchalant air that grooves and slides along perfectly. "I've Got Enough Heartache" whines and grieves with some sharp bass playing from Greg Ridley, while "Better by You, Better Than Me" is the catchiest of the songs, with its clinging hooks and desperate-sounding chorus. The last song, "Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree," is a splendid example of the bandmembers' ability to play off of one another, mixing soulful lyrics with downtrodden instrumentation to conjure up the perfect melancholia. Although Spooky Toothlasted about seven years, their other albums never really contained the same passion or talented collaborating by each individual musician as Spooky Two. AMG.

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Andy Zwerling - Spiders in the night 1971

Probably not a major surprise, but while still attending high school in Long Island one of Zwerling's first jobs was as a freelance writer for Rolling Stone magazine (he reviewed The Dead's "American Beauty" among others) - naturally he contributed record reviews to the magazine.  He apparently also wrote songs on the side and through a weird set of circumstances, was introduced to A&R man/producer/friend Richard Robinson.  Zwerling had previously written a favorable review of a Flaming Groovies LP that Robinson had produced.  Their meeting led Zwerling to record some demos for Robinson who was then working for Kama Sutra Records.  Robinson somehow then convinced the company to sign Zwerling.  The catch was that Kama Sutra demand that Zwerling finish the record using no more than 64 hours of studio time.

Co-produced by Robinson and the late Lenny Kaye (the two also provided instrumental backing throughout the set), 1971's "Spiders In the Night" showcased Zwerling as a capable, if slightly offbeat singer/songwriter. With his blaring baritone Zwerling certainly wasn't the greatest singer you've ever encountered and the largely acoustic songs were a bit on the spare and under produced side (remember he had roughly three days to finish the project).  Sure, as you'd expect from a 17 year old living on Long Island,  there was plenty of suburban angst on display in Zwerling originals like 'Slicing', 'Sifting Around In A Haze', and 'It's In the Morning'.  On the other hand tracks like 'Knife Man', 'Orange Skylight' (an apparent meditation of the annihilation of American Indians) and 'Turtles vs. Green Ants' weren't exactly your standard James Taylor-styled singer/songwriter fair.  Deeply personnel, moody, and occasionally simply indecipherable (anyone got a clue as to what the title track was about), nothing here was particularly commercial (at least in a top-40 sense), though there were plenty of stunning melodies floating amidst these ten original songs. Combined with Zwerling's earnest dedication to the material, the set had a certain hard to describe quirky appeal - imagine a less eclectic Jonathan Richmond, or a more focused Skip Spence (whom Zwerling has named as an influence) and you'd be in the right musical neighborhood.  http://badcatrecords.com/

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Oasis - Oasis 1973

Oasis was an American rock band from Marin County, California, active in the 1970s.
Their sound has been described as psychedelic folk rock, progressive folk and psychedelic pop, characterized by male/female harmonies. With the encouragement of David Crosby, they were signed personally by Ahmet Ertegun, managed by David Geffen and Elliot Roberts, and recorded their first album produced by Stephen Barncard in the space of one month. The album was shelved two months later due to management malfunction and was never released.

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Re-Post: Pete Sinfield - Still 1973

In a perfect world, Pete Sinfield's debut album as a performer would be as highly spoken of as the work of the artists he traditionally wrote with, King Crimson and ELP, who signed him to their own Manticore label) among them. Featuring nine tracks, any of which would have graced his mentors' own catalog, Still is an album of unimaginable richness and art, with Sinfield possessed of a far more pleasing voice than those who usually sang his lyrics. Fresh, at the time, from producing the first Roxy Music album, and with that album's intricacies certainly still on his mind,Sinfield visualized a collision between all his past glories, but fed through a wholly personal prism, to emerge one of the most startling albums of the '70s. Reissued in 2010, however, it takes on entirely new vistas as a full disc of out-takes and alternate versions is appended to the original album, including the otherwise unavailable "Hanging Fire" and "Can You Forgive A Fool?," plus early mixes of most of the album tracks. None truly top the familiar versions, but all possess an enjoyable character of their own, confirming not only the original collection's brilliance, but to build on it, too. AMG.

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Alice Clark - Alice Clark 1972

The self-titled 1972 disc from Alice Clark has more than stood the test of time, it is a sublime masterpiece of R&B/pop from the house of Bob Shad, the jazz producer who founded Mainstream Records, the original home for this superior project. Perhaps it isn't a coincidence that Clark's repertoire is exactly the kind of material Janis Joplin would pick up on in her days after Big Brother & the Holding Company, as this was also the first imprint that Joplin & the Holding Company recorded for professionally. Jimmy Webb's "I Keep It Hid" starts things off, one of the singles released from this original package and a nugget from another soul masterpiece, Supremes Arranged and Produced by Jimmy Webb, when Webb oversaw the post-Diana Ross girl group the same year as this release. A rendition of Fred Ebb andJohn Kander's tune, "Maybe This Time" from the motion picture Cabaret, is included along with three compositions from "Sunny" author Bobby Hebb. The collection of material from Webb, Ebb, and Hebb is actually genius A&R because all of it is a perfect fit. Northern soul fans and R&B critics are aware of this hidden treasure, but the buildup in this review of all the magnificent trappings shouldn't overshadow the fact that Alice Clark delivers the goods from start to finish. Some call it acid jazz, but truth be told, beyond the cult niches of space age bachelor pad and Northern soul -- the base that keeps obscure gems such as this bubbling on a variety of radar screens -- this is some of the best R&B you've probably never heard. The trifecta of Bobby Hebb songs include "Don't You Care" and "Hard, Hard Promises," two titles Hebb has yet to release on his own. The third is an up-tempo version of "The Charms of the Arms of Love" which concluded his 1970 album Love Games. Clark rips apart "It Takes Too Long to Learn to Live Alone" in wonderful fashion with tasteful guitar, chirping horns, and restrained vibraphone. Juanita Fleming's "Never Did I Stop Loving You" is just brilliant as the vocals take off into different dimensions inside and between the unique melody. The final track,"Hey Girl," is not the famous Carole King/Freddy Scott hit -- it's a true find originally covered by Donny Hathawayand written by Hathaway's percussion player, Earl DeRouen. Here Clark changes it to "Hey Boy" in a lively, jazz-heavy jaunt which concludes the Toshiba/EMI version of this dynamite set of recordings that should have made Alice Clark a superstar. AMG.

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Sam Cooke - Night Beat 1963

Saddled with soaring strings and vocal choruses for maximum crossover potential, Sam Cooke's solo material often masked the most important part of his genius -- his glorious voice -- so the odd small-group date earns a special recommendation in his discography. Thankfully, Cooke's voice took center stage on this admirably low-key session from February 1963, recorded in Los Angeles with a quartet of studio veterans. Unlike so many session crews and producers of the time, these musicians gave him plenty of space and often simply framed Cooke's breathtaking vocals. (On one of the best tracks here, "Lost and Lookin'," he's barely accompanied at all; only bass and cymbals can be heard far in the background.) The results are wonderful -- except for his early Soul Stirrers sides, Night Beat is the best place to marvel at one of the two or three best voices of the century. The songs are intimate blues, most taken at the pace of a late-night stroll, but despite the dark shading and heart-rending tempos, Cooke's voice is so transcendent it's difficult to become depressed while listening. Cooke also wrote three of the songs, including the excellent "Mean Old World," and rendered the traditional "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" practically unfamiliar with his own re-arrangement. Cooke also stretches out on a pair of jump blues classics, "Little Red Rooster" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll," summoning some honest grit for the former and putting the uptown swing into the latter. He also allows some solo space, from Barney Kessel's simple, unadorned solo on "Get Yourself Another Fool" to Billy Preston's playful organ vocalizing on "Little Red Rooster." If Sam Cooke had lived longer, there would've been several more sessions like this, but Night Beat is an even richer treasure for its rarity. AMG.

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Mandingo - Savage Rite 1975

A super-rare exotic oddity that was originally released on EMI in 1975.
A strange hybrid of cultural and ethnic roots set in filmic arrangements. The fourth and final album from the studio-created combo who set out to cash in on the excitement around African music and particularly Osibisa but ended up making music that sounded like nothing else.
These final sessions include a unique play-off between African rhythms, Bond-styled melodies and funk-fuelled dance music on the tip of ‘Bongolia’.

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The Four Tops - Keeper of the Castle 1972

The Four Tops finally left Motown in the early '70s, signing first with ABC/Dunhill. This was their debut for the label, and it was a moderate success. They did much more pop-oriented material than they ever did for Motown, and the title track was the first of several hits they would enjoy while on ABC. AMG.

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Mandala - Soul Crusade 1968

Originally known as the Rogues, Canadian quintet Mandala were led by Italian-born Domenic Troiano, and quickly became known as one of the hottest bands on the Toronto R&B scene in the '60s. The group featured Troiano on guitar, keyboardist Josef Chirowski, Don Elliot on bass, vocalist George Olliver, and drummer Whitey Glan. Famous for their blistering live performances, Mandala's unique sound blended elements of soul, funk, R&B, and psychedelic rock, delivered with an aggressive attack. On-stage, the group always provided a memorable experience, with strobe lights and bandmembers in matching suits, encouraging crowd participation akin to a religious revival.

After making the rounds in the Toronto area, the band began playing shows in the U.S., making several high-profile appearances in Los Angeles and New York. In late 1966, they signed a deal with KR Records and recorded their first single, "Opportunity," at Chess Studios in Chicago. The Troiano-penned cut became a Top Ten hit in Canada and was swiftly followed by "Give and Take," issued in May 1967. Despite the band's rapidly rising stardom, Olliver left Mandalain mid-1967 and was shortly followed by Chirowski, who went on to play with Alice Cooper and later appeared on several Peter Gabriel albums. They were replaced by vocalist Roy Kenner, a friend of Troiano's, and Henry Babraj, both from R.K. & the Associates. Mandala soldiered on, prepping material for their debut album and touring the U.S. and Canada. Record exec Ahmet Ertegun soon discovered the band and liked what he heard, signing Mandala to Atlantic. Before long, Henry Babraj was out of the band, and Hugh Sullivan was recruited as Mandala's new keyboard player.

Following the breakup of Mandala, Troiano, Kenner, and Glan formed Bush with bassist Prakash John; they released one album in 1970 before splitting. Glan played drums for Lou Reed and then backed Alice Cooper with Chirowskiand John in the mid-'70s. Hugh Sullivan worked with Steppenwolf vocalist John Kay before passing away in 1978.Kenner and Troiano joined the James Gang in 1972 and collaborated on various musical projects through the '80s. Unfortunately, Troiano passed away in 2005 after fighting cancer for a decade. George Olliver continues to perform and remains a local R&B hero in Toronto. Although Mandala's recordings have been mostly out of print since their heyday, interest in the band has held steady. Classics, an anthology of singles and album tracks, was delivered in 1985. The group was featured heavily in the 2005 CBC documentary Shakin' All Over, examining the history and influence of Canadian music from the '60s. Soul Crusade was released for the first time on CD by Canadian indie Pacemaker Entertainment in June 2010.In the summer of 1968, Mandala's debut LP, Soul Crusade, was released. The album was dominated by Troiano, producing all but one track (the single "Love-itis") and solely writing seven of the album's ten songs. "Love-itis" gave the band some airplay in the States, and the record was greeted with positive response. Leaving the band around this time was Don Elliot, whose exit was prompted by an auto accident. He briefly played with Leigh Ashford in the early '70s before dropping out of the music business. After the departure ofElliot, the group continued as a quartet with Sullivan covering bass parts using his keyboard pedals. Nonetheless, frequent personnel shifts, creative stagnation, and record label politics damaged the band's momentum.Ertegun reportedly battled with Mandala's manager, Randy Markowitz, over the direction of the group; Troiano once stated that Ertegun wanted him to sing lead vocals instead of Kenner. The band embarked on a short Canadian tour in October, but it wasn't enough to stir up new interest. A single released in December, "You Got Me," also did little for the band's fortunes. They played a handful of dates in 1969 but soon decided to call it quits, giving their last live performance in June at the Hawk's Nest in Toronto. AMG.

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Rough Diamond - Rough Diamond 1977

Rough Diamond was formed by singer David Byron following his dismissal from Uriah Heep, along with former Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson and ex-Wings drummer Geoff Britton. The album peaked at No. 103 on the Billboard 200 in 1977. The band opened for Peter Frampton in the spring of 1977 on the latter's US tour. The group disbanded shortly after releasing their debut. Bizarrely, for a few weeks, the band's roadie and driver was Royal Shakespeare Company actor Tony Rowlands.

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The Fifth Avenue Band - Fifth Avenue Band 1969

Because it was produced by one-time Lovin' Spoonful members Zal Yanovsky and Jerry Yester, and because they were also based in Greenwich Village, the Fifth Avenue Band's sole and self-titled album has generated its share ofLovin' Spoonful comparisons. It's really not too close in sound to the Spoonful, however, even if it shares a little bit of the same sort of good-timey/easygoing reflective mood of some of the Spoonful's vintage material. It's far more colored by late-'60s rock in its arrangements, for one thing, sometimes going into a somewhat heavier, occasionally jazz-funk-influenced sound than what the Spoonful were renowned for, though there are bits of country as well. To be a little harsher, it also doesn't have anything on the order of the classic original material the Spoonful generated at their peak. It's not at all bad, however, with a gentle melodic vibe and vocal harmonies that tend toward the optimistically upbeat even on the somewhat more pensive tunes, though it's more a pleasant listen than a memorable one. Some of the more forceful songs might also recall some of the Nazz's work in their blend of pop/rock with slight soul spice, thoughthe Nazz were more Beatlesque in their approach. They come closest to hitting that kind of stride on the closing cut, "Angel," which is the album's highlight. AMG.

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Gregg Allman - Playin' Up The Storm 1977

In a way, Playin' Up a Storm doesn't really highlight Gregg Allman's strengths, since it's a little smoother and soul-inflected than his work with the Allman Brothers. Then again, that's not a problem; after all, why make a solo album that's exactly like your full-time gig? Consequently, Playin' Up a Storm is a well-made, expertly performed set of blues-rock, soul-pop, and straight-ahead rock & roll. There aren't any true classics here, but the thing that makes it one ofAllman's best solo efforts is the terrific performances. Not only is he in fine voice, delivering each song with conviction, but his supporting band -- featuring such luminaries as Dr. John and Bill Payne -- is sterling. All the grooves are in the pocket, the sound is enticing, and the overall effect is just right. Not an earth-shattering record, but it will please trueAllman fans. AMG.

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