Singer/guitarist Frank Carillo was the band's driving force. Carillo had previously been a member of the band Hot Soup which recorded an obscure single and album in the mid-'60s before calling it quits. Carillo's next job was as a member of Peter Frampton's post-Humble Pie recording and touring band (he played in "Winds of Change" and "Frampton's Camel"). With support from manager Phil Loritoe he then decided to form his own band, recruiting the talents of bassist Thomas Arlotta, drummer Robert Liggio, and singer/guitarist Robert Mayo. Signed by the small Metromedia label, the band's debut album teamed them with Rolling Stones producer Chris Kimsey. Metromedia apparently had high hopes for the band, shipping them to London to record 1973's "Doc Holliday" at the famed Olympic Sound Studios. With Carillo and Frank Paul Spagnuolo credited with writing most of the eight tracks (bassist Arlotta wrote 'Come Down Sally'), the album wasn't particularly original, reflecting a wide array of outside influences including FM rockers like Humble Pie, boogie bar band (Faces), more pop oriented groups (Badfinger), and even a touch of glam. In this case the lack of originality was a major criticism. Among other gifts, the band was blessed with a pair of strong lead singers. Carillo was the gruffer of the two, which made him wonderful on tracks like the opener 'Fix Me' and the single 'Whiskey Lady'. In contrast Mayo's voice was a bit more commercial which was great for tracks like the ballad 'Captain Cooke'. As mentioned, musically they were all over the place including a stab at country-rock ('Restless Days') , but for these guys it wasn't a major drawback since there wasn't a single truly awful performance on the LP. Hard to put my finger on it, but "Doc Holliday" is an album with a distinctive British rock feel and it's an album far better than the individual compositions (which are themselves quite good).RYM.
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