Climax Blues Band - A Lot Of Bottle 1970

This album starts out promisingly (and interestingly, and misleadingly) with a cool acoustic number, "Country Hat," before the amplification gets cranked up and a lot of subtlety goes out the window. Still, this is generally an exciting album, if not always an interesting one. The band plays hard enough on grinding, crunchy shouters like "Reap What I've Sowed" (which features a wondering, soaring solo by Peter Haycock, and a spellbinding performance by Derek Holt on bass), which also parallels Mountain's contemporary release "Mississippi Queen"; and they bring back in that oft-overlooked instrument, the saxophone (played by Colin Cooper), on "Brief Case." Much of the rest is on the bland side, " "Alright Blue?" being a tedious workout for the harmonica as lead instrument. A couple of Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters covers are more engaging than most of the originals that follow, until the pleasantly loose-limbed closer, "Cut You Loose." AMG. 

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Ron Nagle - Bad Rice 1970

In 1965 Nagle helped form the San Francisco, California, USA-based Terrazzo Brothers, the R&B act that soon evolved into the Mystery Trend, one of the instigators of the ‘San Franciscan Sound’. With Nagle on keyboards and vocals, they were a popular live attraction, but were overtaken by others, including the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. In 1967 Nagle formed the Fast Bucks, which included John Blakely. Three years later Nagle was invited to join Blakely in Stoneground, but he refused, opting instead to record Bad Rice, produced by Jack Nitzsche, on which members of Stoneground and Commander Cody’s Lost Planet Airmen joined Ry Cooder. Nagle’s songwriting talents stretched from tough rock songs to tender, sweeping ballads, each of which were enhanced by his dry wit. Over the years he extended his craft, penning scores for horror movies as well as the Tubes’ song ‘Don’t Touch Me There’. In 1978, he formed the Durocs, but this venture folded two years later. Nagle is now a leading ceramic artist. AMG.

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Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today 1975

The title is intended in an ironic way, as illustrated not only by the cover -- a grim parody of late-'40s/early-'50s advertising imagery depicting white versus black social reality -- but the grim yet utterly catchy and haunting opening number, "Billy Jack." A song about gun violence that was years ahead of its time, it's scored to an incisive horn arrangement by Richard Tufo. "When Seasons Change" is a beautifully wrought account of the miseries of urban life that contains elements of both gospel and contemporary soul. The album's one big song, "So in Love," which made number 67 on the pop charts but was a Top Ten soul hit, is only the prettiest of a string of exquisite tracks on the album, including "Blue Monday People" and "Jesus" and the soaring finale, "Love to the People," broken up by the harder-edged "Hard Times." The album doesn't really have as clearly delineated a body of songs as Mayfield's earlier topical releases, but it's in the same league with his other work of the period and represents him near his prime as a composer. AMG.

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Cressida - Trapped in Time The Lost Tapes 1969

Cressida was a British art rock band formed at the tail-end of the 1960s in the shadow of (and their music very much in thrall to) the Moody Blues, with a heavy organ and Mellotron sound courtesy of keyboard player Peter Jennings. The original lineup of Jennings, Angus Cullen(vocals, guitar), John Heyworth (guitar), Kevin McCarthy (bass), andIan Clark (drums) was signed to Polydor's progressive rock imprint, Vertigo Records. The group had a dense, lyrical sound, and Cullen's singing was of a pleasing, almost pop nature, in a vein similar to Justin Hayward, Paul McCartney, et al. Their self-titled debut album was filled with hauntingly beautiful melodies and relatively accessible, straightforward song structures. It was somewhat derivative of antecedents such as the Moody Blues, but it did well enough to justify a follow-up in 1971. Heyworth had departed by the time of the second album, entitled Asylum, replaced by John Culley and Paul Martin Layton (of the New Seekers) on guitar, and with Harold McNair added on flute as well. That album, produced by Ossie Byrne, was more ambitious instrumentally and, surprisingly, given Byrne's previous work with the Bee Gees and Eclection, less focused on Cullen's vocals. By 1972, however, the group had run out of steam and recording contract, and they never really had a chance to develop a history. Ian Clark moved on to a brief stay with Uriah Heep and John Culley became a member of Black Widow. AMG.

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Blue Mink - Our World 1970

The Morgan Studios session team's sophomore album is a classic example of (very) early-'70s British pop, an exquisitely performed, flawlessly arranged collection of lightly rocking originals that are not quite soft enough to be as cloying as similar efforts by contemporaries Harmony Grass and the Brotherhood of Man, but only occasionally memorable enough to actually stick in the mind. The title track, Blue Mink's third U.K. hit, was the original album's main selling point -- subsequently, of course, the group's prototype rendition of "Gasoline Alley Bred" attracted the most attention, courtesy of the Hollies' hit version, and it must be said that there is little to choose between either version. Impressive, too, is "You Walked Away," a Madeline Bell showcase that layers her vocals over sultry percussion and percolating guitar, while the closing "Jubilation" is a "Get Back"-style rocker that illustrates just what a powerful bunch of musicians Blue Mink was, once the band dropped the pop posture. Alan Parker's guitar sizzles, and it's not for nothing that Bell is frequently ranked among the greatest R&B singers Britain has ever produced. (Roger Cook released an alternate version of the song as a solo single, later in the year.) Unfortunately, little else on the album even threatens to touch the same highs as these, but overall it's a sterling effort and a proud successor to their Melting Pot debut. An abridged version of Our World would be released in the U.S. as Real Mink. AMG.

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Flo & Eddie - Illegal, Immoral and Fattening 1975

After issuing a pair of thoroughly excellent albums on Reprise Records, the Phlorescent Leech & Eddieaka Flo & Eddie -- who were embodied by Mark Volman (Flo) (vocals/guitar) and Howard Kaylan(Eddie) (vocals) -- moved over to the Columbia label for two additional LPs Illegal, Immoral and Fattening (1975) and Moving Targets (1976). The contents of the former are split between studio and live material containing considerable overdubs. The support backup band for the project consists of West Coast session talents Phil Reed (lead guitar), Erik Scott (bass), Andy Cahan (keyboards), and Craig Krampf (drums) -- with one notable exception that will be dealt with shortly. As the anti-authoritarian title track "Illegal, Immoral & Fattening" instantly reveals, the performances are victims of -- or perhaps too-accurately parody -- mid-'70s glam metal, which is heavier and may come off as slightly pretentious when compared to their earlier outings. What certainly has not escaped them are their immutable vocal harmonies or the vicious Flo & Eddie sense of funny business. Kaylan and Volman's tenure as co-founders of 1960s folk-rockers the Turtles likewise reveal their remarkable sensitivity when interpreting ballads. Their version of Albert Hammond's "Rebecca" and the catchy, lithe "Let Me Make Love to You" are this platter's quintessential examples. Fellow Turtles and Mothers of Invention member Jim Pons is co-credited with the first of several obligatory cuts to feature their mature-theme gags circa the Mothers' anything goes stage shows under Zappa's baton. "Kama Sutra Time" -- which also handily pokes fun atElton John and T. Rex -- as well as the "Sanzini Brothers Return," are filled with plenty of locker-room humor. Then there is the case of the rapid, multi-syllabic "Tiberian Memory Trick" tongue twister. This famous bit of convoluted conversation was handed down from the likes of Del Moore and Jerry Lewis. By the time Danny Kaye began incorporating it into his act, it was named "The Tibetan Memory Trick." And it remained an integral part of Flo & Eddie's stage act ever after. The funky, wah wah driven "Livin' in the Jungle" and the demented power ballad "Cheap" are on par with their best straight-ahead rockers -- although the term "straight-ahead" is definitely relative. The "Kung-Fu Killer" is a brilliant piece of live shtick that -- on-stage at least -- seems to have developed out of an update of the Turtles' hit "You Showed Me." They draw upon the concurrent pop hit "Kung Fu Fighting" and even the Doors' Oedipal climax to "The End" before remaking the Mothers' classic "Eddie, Are You Kidding?" circa Just Another Band from L.A. (1972) appropriately enough. "The Pop Star Massage Unit" is another sexually suggestive wink and nod that also includes allusions to "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and "My Sweet Lord." Wrapping up the effort is a rock & roll spin on Irving Berlin's "There's No Business Like Show Business" that boasts a significantly different combo of all-stars -- namely Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar (guitar), Leland Sklar(bass), Ian Underwood (keyboards), and Aynsley Dunbar (drums). In 2007, Illegal, Immoral and Fattening as well as Moving Targets were issued onto a single two-fer CD from the U.K.-based Evangeline reissue imprint. AMG.

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Maria Muldaur - Waitress In The Donut Shop 1974

Best known for her seductive '70s pop staple "Midnight at the Oasis," Maria Muldaur has since become an acclaimed interpreter of just about every stripe of American roots music: blues, early jazz, gospel, folk, country, R&B, and so on. While these influences were certainly present on her more pop-oriented '70s recordings (as befitting her Greenwich Village folkie past), Muldaur came into her own as a true roots music stylist during the '90s, when she developed a particular fascination with the myriad sounds of Louisiana. On the string of well-received albums that followed, Muldaur tied her eclecticism together with the romantic sensuality that had underpinned much of her best work ever since the beginning of her career.

Muldaur was born Maria D'Amato on September 12, 1943, in New York. As a child, she loved country & western music and began singing it with her aunt at age five; during her teenage years, she moved on to R&B, early rock & roll, and girl group pop, and in high school formed a group in the latter style called the Cashmeres. Growing up in the Greenwich Village area, however, she naturally became fascinated with its booming early-'60s folk revival and soon began participating in jam sessions. She also moved to North Carolina for a while to study Appalachian-style fiddle with Doc Watson. Back in New York, she was invited to join the Even Dozen Jug Band, a revivalist group that included John Sebastian, David Grisman, and Stefan Grossman; they had secured a recording deal with blueswoman Victoria Spivey's label and she wanted them to add some sex appeal. The young D'Amato got a crash course in early blues, particularly the Memphis scene that spawned many of the original jug bands, and counted Memphis Minnie as one of her chief influences.

Maria Muldaur's follow-up to her gold-selling debut album includes her second (and final) hit single "I'm a Woman" and presents a pleasant folk-blues mixture of material including everything from contemporary songs by Wendy Waldman and Anna McGarrigle to Skip James blues tunes and Fats Waller's "Squeeze Me," all given Muldaur's earthy, enthusiastic treatment.Muldaur moved back to Stony Plain for 2001's Richland Woman Blues, a tribute to early blues artists (particularly women) inspired by a visit toMemphis Minnie's grave. Featuring a variety of special guest instrumentalists, Richland Woman Blues was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album. The children's albumAnimal Crackers in My Soup: The Songs of Shirley Temple appeared in 2002. The next year saw the release of Woman Alone with the Blues, a collection of songs associated with Peggy Lee, on Telarc Records. Love Wants to Dance followed in 2004, also on Telarc. The mostly acousticSweet Lovin' Ol' Soul was issued by Stony Plain in 2005, followed byHeart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan on Telarc in 2006. Songs for the Young at Heart was also released in 2006. The following year, the last in the set of three albums that paid tribute to female blues singers of the 1920s through 1940s, Naughty, Bawdy and Blue (the other two were Richland Woman Blues and Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul), came out. The antiwar-themed Yes We Can!, which featured Muldaursinging with the Women's Voices for Peace Choir, was released in 2008. Muldaur next released another children's album, Barnyard Dance: Jug Band Music for Kids, in 2010, following it with the New Orleans-flavored Steady Love on Stony Plain in 2011.Partly inspired by Dr. John's New Orleans obsessions, Muldaur signed to the rootsy Black Top label in 1992 and cut Louisiana Love Call, which established her as a versatile stylist accomplished in blues, gospel, New Orleans R&B, Memphis blues, and soul. The album won wide acclaim as one of the best works of her career, offering a more organic, stripped-down approach than her '70s pop albums, and became the best-selling record in the Black Top catalog. Her 1994 follow-up, Meet Me at Midnite, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. Muldaur next cut a jazzier outing for the Canadian roots label Stony Plain, 1995'sJazzabelle. She subsequently signed with Telarc and returned to her previous direction, making her label debut with 1996's well-received Fanning the Flames. Released in 1998, Southland of the Heart was a less bluesy outing recorded in Los Angeles, arriving the same year as a second children's album, Swingin' in the Rain, a collection of swing tunes and pop novelties from the '30s and '40s. Meet Me Where They Play the Blues, issued in 1999, was intended to be a collaboration with West Coast blues piano legend Charles Brown, but Brown's health problems prevented him from contributing much (just one vocal on "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You"); thus, the project became more of a tribute.Around 1980, Muldaur became a born-again Christian; she recorded a live album of traditional gospel songs, Gospel Nights, for the smaller Takoma label in 1980, and moved into full-fledged CCM with 1982'sThere Is a Love, recorded for the Christian label Myrrh. However, this new direction did not prove permanent, and for 1983's Sweet and Slow,Muldaur recorded an album of jazz and blues standards (many with longtime cohort Dr. John on piano) that created exactly the mood its title suggested. Released in 1986, the jazzy Transblucency won a year-end critics' award from The New York Times. Muldaur spent the rest of the '80s touring, often with Dr. John, and also began acting in musicals, appearing in productions of Pump Boys and Dinettes and The Pirates of Penzance. In 1990, she recorded an album of classic country songs, On the Sunny Side, that was specifically geared toward children; it proved a surprising success, both critically and among its intended audience.With Maria initially unsure about her musical future, her friends encouraged her to pursue a solo career, as did Reprise president Mo Ostin. Muldaur went to Los Angeles and recorded her debut albumMaria Muldaur in 1973, scoring a massive Top Ten pop hit with "Midnight at the Oasis." Showcasing Muldaur's playfully sultry crooning, the Middle Eastern-themed song became a pop radio staple for years to come and also made session guitarist Amos Garrett a frequent Muldaur collaborator in the future. Muldaur's next album, 1974's Waitress in a Donut Shop, featured a hit remake of her Even Dozen-era signature tune, "I'm a Woman." Three more Reprise albums followed over the course of the '70s, generally with the cream of the L.A. session crop, but also with increasingly diminishing results.Elektra Records bought out the Even Dozen Jug Band's contract and released their self-titled debut album in 1964; however, true to their name, the band's unwieldy size made them an expensive booking on the club and coffeehouse circuit and they soon disbanded. Many of the members went off to college and, in 1964, D'Amato moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to another vibrant folk scene. She quickly joined the Jim Kweskin Jug Band and began an affair with singer Geoff Muldaur; the couple eventually married and had a daughter, Jenni, who would later become a singer in her own right. When the Kweskin band broke up in 1968, the couple stayed with their label (Reprise) and began recording together as Geoff & Maria Muldaur. They moved to Woodstock, New York to take advantage of the burgeoning music scene there and issued two albums -- 1970's Pottery Pieand 1971's Sweet Potatoes -- before Geoff departed in 1972 to form Better Days with Paul Butterfield, a move that signaled not only the end of the couple's musical partnership, but their marriage as well. AMG.

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