Batdorf & Rodney - Batdorf & Rodney 1972

John Batdorf and Mark Rodney were a soft rock duo of the early '70s who made three albums and reached the charts with two singles, "You Are a Song" and "Somewhere in the Night," in 1975, then split up, with Batdorf forming Silver in 1976. AMG.

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Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - Âme Debout 1971

Originally released in 1971, Ame Debout was Catherine Ribeiro's third album and the first that she recorded for the Philips label. Ribeiro's often harsh voice evokes both pain and hope, while the group les Alpes backs her with an odd sort of progressive cosmic folk, with spacy guitar and keyboards and a pulsing bongo beat on some tracks. They turn up the energy on the spirited title track that opens the record, while "Diborowska" mellows out a bit, a flowing French neo-folk song that sounds similar to Brigitte Fontaine, but with a darker melancholic sound because of Ribeiro's deeper voice. Ribeiro sits out the next three tracks to let the group show its stuff. On "Aria Populaire," Ribeiro sings wordlessly over a strumming guitar, a simple but effective piece. "Kleenex, le Drap de Lit et l'Etendard" is the slowest piece on the record, as Ribeiro croons over a droning organ dirge, reminiscent of some of Nico's early stuff. "Dingues" ends the record with Ribeiro bouncing words around a steady and rollicking acoustic guitar lick for another odd dark folk melody in the Fontaine vein. AMG.

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David Porter - Sweat & Love 1973

David Porter is most famous as the songwriting partner of Isaac Hayes during the 1960s. Functioning as house composers for Stax, they penned most of Sam & Dave's hits, including such classics as "Soul Man" and "Hold On! I'm Coming"; they also wrote material for other acts on the roster, such as Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, and the Soul Children. Starting in the late '60s, Hayes became increasingly involved in his own recording career, eventually leading to the end of the partnership. Many soul fans remain unaware that Porter also began to record his own albums for Stax. In fact, in the '60s he had released a few singles for Savoy and Hi under the pseudonyms of Little David and Kenny Cain, and had done a single for Stax itself in 1965, "Can't See You When I Want To." A remake of "Can't See You When I Want To" became a Top 30 R&B hit for Porter, and he cut several albums for Stax in the early '70s, including an ambitious concept LP, Victim of the Joke?, which connected conventional pop/soul tunes with dialog. By this time he had teamed up with a different songwriting partner, Ronnie Williams, but as a solo artist he ultimately made little impact. In 2005, he and Hayes were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. AMG.

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Back Pocket - Buzzard Bait 1976

American Southern Rock band, with members of The Flying Burrito Brothers. Pat  Robinson started his career at age 15 by writing and singing his own songs. He signed his first recording contract with Four Star Productions with his band Fenwyck. They recorded an album at American Recording Studio with legendary producer Richie Podolor (Three Dog Night, Steppenwolf). After some personnel changes, Fenwyck changed their name to Back Pocket. They signed a recording contract with Del-Fi Records/Allied Records with established producer Bob Keane (Richie Valens, Sam Cooke, Bobby Fuller Four) and recorded the album "Back Pocket”. Following its release, the band toured the United States and Europe for several years. Back Pocket then signed with Joyce Records and recorded the album "Buzzard Bait”. Pat Robinson (acoustic & electric guitar, keyboards, symphonizer, synthesizer, jaw harp, percussion), Pat Maroshek (drums, percussion), Andy Way (bass), Johnny Hunt (bass), John Beland (electric guitar), Mike Katon (electric guitar), Larry McNeely (banjo, harp), Dick McIivery (steel guitar), Thad Maxwell (steel guitar), Alan Lindgren (keyboards) and Gib Guilbeau (fiddle).

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Bernie Worrell - All The Woo in the World 1978

Parliarment/Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell's first LP is more Funkadelic than Parliarment, and with the exception of one tune, less exciting than either. The keeper is "Insurance Man for the Funk," 12 minutes and 39 seconds of pure P-Funk; it has everything: layered sounds, a toe-tapping midtempo beat, and some incredible horns. The chorus has a great hook -- "Insurance Man for the funk/Take some insurance out on your romp/You are the beneficiaryyyy"; it also has some side cracking lines like "Leroy's (Lloyd's) of London," and a great synthesizer solo by Bernie. Not to knock Bernie's rendition, which is great, but if George had cut this with Parliament or Bootsy's Rubber Band, it would have blown up. Unfortunately, nothing else here measures up to "Insurance Man"; the other selections have a weird feel to them. Bernie does most of the lead vocals, and Junie Morrison plays a significant role. You get the feeling that most of these tracks were first slotted for other artists under George Clinton's umbrella of stars. "Woo Together" features Bernie and Junie on a funk number; Morrison leads the rather dull "I'll Be Here." The concept is supposed to be something called Woo, which is not adequately explained. AMG.

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David Chalmers - Primeval Road 1976

David Chalmers started his professional career in the rock and roll business in 1967 playing lead guitar for "Butterscotch Grove", managed by Irv Azoff present manager of; Eagles, Joe Walsh, and REO Speedwagon.
During those years of the 60s and early '70s, Irv took the band through the notoriously wild days when rock and roll icon's ruled the musical scene and pandemonium and coincidence charted the course of their destiny. These days of riotous rock and roll are being captured by one of the band members who presently is writing a book about these experiences.
Dave Chalmers moved on to further develop an opening in the playing field of his dynamic creativity by forming "The Dave Chalmers Band", touring the Midwest in the late 70s, and early 80s and performing with countless top name bands: Journey, Tom Petty, Climax Blues Band, and  The Outlaws just to name a few.

Columbia and Capitol/United Artists Records snapped up the option of distributing three albums of original music recorded by The Dave Chalmers Band. A fourth published album and a fifth acoustic LP was placed on the back burner and never released.
Always a little ahead of his time, Dave Chalmers is busy working in his sound studio in California, on new sounds in his musical world he hopes to release in the year 2000.
In 1970, David Chalmers started The Same Old Music Publishing Co., B.M.I.
Several small Independent Labels have used S.O.M. Publishing Company.  During the early '70s and into the middle of the '80s many published works were released. These were marketed and distributed by Columbia, Capitol, Decca, and other such Distributors.  As usual, Same Old Music is in a new and innovative growth pattern.

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A Passing Fancy - A Passing Fancy 1968

The pop group A Passing Fancy formed in Toronto, Canada, in the '60s. Though they only completed one album, it pulled off two big hits with the singles "I'm Losing You Tonight" and "I Believe in Sunshine."

A Passing Fancy had a number of members, including guitarists Ron Forster, Brian Smith, Jay Telfer, and Phil Seon; lead singer and pianist Fergus Hambleton' drummers Louis Pratile and Steve Wilson; organist Brian Price; and bassists Rick Mann and Dan Troutman. In 1967 the group released its one and only full-length album, a self-titled debut that was recorded under the Boo Records label. A few years later, the members split, some trying solo careers, others joining other bands. A Passing Fancy's album was re-released on CD in 2000 on the Peacemaker Records label. That was a delightful surprise for old fans who thought they would never see Passing Fancy tunes on anything other than black vinyl. AMG.

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Grace Slick & The Great Society - Collector's Item From The San Francisco Scene 1971

This double-LP/single-CD reissue combines both of the Great Society's live albums, Conspicuous Only by Its Absence and How It Was, and features "Somebody to Love" in its original slower, more menacing version. It also includes the Society's extended version of Grace Slick's "White Rabbit" along with several other haunting originals which strike an exhilarating balance between tight songwriting and psychedelic jamming. Based on his raga-tinged work here, guitarist Darby Slick (Grace's then brother-in-law) deserves a lot more recognition than he's ever received for his pioneering explorations of Eastern scales. Bassist Peter Van Gelder isn't far behind him in the innovation department, and makes significant contributions here on saxophone and flute as well, plunging into John Coltrane territory on the former -- and his work on "White Rabbit," by itself, is worth the price of admission. Additionally, Grace Slick's singing was already about 95-percent of what it would be with the Airplane when she came aboard the latter, and if you close your eyes and forget what you're hearing, there are moments when you'd swear you were listening to her work from Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxter's, or Crown of Creation. What's more, the CD edition is very nicely produced, the engineers overcoming most of the sonic limitations of the original concert tapes that made the original LP versions sound so flat in spots. All of these attributes make the title of this release something of a misnomer -- far more than a "Collector's Item," this is a genuinely exciting glimpse into the birth of psychedelic music, and essential listening for any devotees of the latter, or the San Francisco sound in any of its manifestations; the Great Society might not have made it past 1966, but they left behind music here that was as solid, substantial, and enduring -- and worth hearing today -- as anything the Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and the Charlatans were doing at the time. (And if you do look for this CD -- which, amazingly, is still in print as of 2007 -- a lot of stores tend to file it under Grace Slick rather than Great Society). AMG.

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Gal Costa - Legal 1970

On Legal, the follow-up to her extremely bombastic self-titled release, Gal Costa retains only some of the fire and experimentation, instead opting to return to more accessible and subdued arrangements. This was likely a wise decision on Costa's part, even though the reckless abandon she displayed on Gal Costa was astonishing, for her to recklessly continue flailing down that path would've certainly led to her burning out or completely alienating the public she was trying to inform. Furthermore, Legal is a much more diverse record than her previous records, displaying influences from American blues-rock, R&B, and soul with winding, organ-driven rock closer to the sound Milton Nascimento would later latch onto and nurture with his Clube da Esquina albums. This diversity is welcome and served as a setup for Costa to further explore complex arrangements on her later records. Costa's lovely voice flourishes on the jazzy churning of "Língua Do P," the emotional groove of "Mini-Misterio" as well as the gorgeous version of Caetano Veloso's "London, London" -- certainly included as a reminder to the Brazilian public of her comrades (Veloso and Gilberto Gil) who were still exiled for upending politics through their radical music. The only questionable track on the album is "Love, Try, and Die," which has a fun, bouncy Dixieland style but is ruined by the unnecessary and terrible Louis Armstrong impersonation contributed by one of the backing vocalists. In spite of this small blunder, Legal appears near the beginning of Costa's most consistent period and should be sought out by those interested in the revolutionary late-'60s/early-'70s period of Brazilian rock. AMG.

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Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life 1970

Recorded between trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's better-known classics Red Clay and First Light, Straight Life is actually arguably Hubbard's greatest recording. Joined by an all-star group that includes tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, guitarist George Benson, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, Hubbard is frequently astounding on "Straight Life" (check out that introduction) and "Mr. Clean," constructing classic solos. The very memorable set is rounded off by the trumpeter's duet with Benson on a lyrical version of the ballad "Here's That Rainy Day." AMG.

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Fever Tree - Creation 1969

A minor, if reasonably interesting, late-'60s psychedelic group, Houston's Fever Tree is most famous for their single "San Francisco Girls," with its dramatic melody, utopian lyrics, and searing fuzz guitar. Most of their best material, ironically, was written by their over-30 husband-wife production team, Scott and Vivian Holtzman, who had previously written material for Tex Ritter and the Mary Poppins soundtrack. These odd bedfellows produced some fairly distinctive material with more classical/Baroque influences and orchestral string arrangements than were usually found in psychedelic groups. Their pretty, wistful ballads (enhanced on their first album by arranger David Angel, who had also worked on Love's classic Forever Changes) endure better than their dirge-like fuzz grinders, which epitomize some of the more generic aspects of heavy psychedelia. Releasing four albums (the third of which, Creation, included guest guitar by future ZZ Top axeman Billy Gibbons), their records grew weaker and more meandering with time, and the group disbanded in 1970. AMG.

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Gale Garnett and the Gentle Reign - An Audience with the King of Wands 1969

Best known for her Grammy-winning folk hit "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," Gale Garnett later carved out a long-lived career as a writer and actress.

Gale Zoë Garnett was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 17, 1942; her family moved to Canada when she was 11, and she made her public singing debut in 1960. In 1964, Garnett scored a Top Five pop hit with her original composition "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," and recorded her debut album, My Kind of Folk Songs, for RCA Victor. Riding the success of "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," which won a Grammy for Best Folk Recording, Garnett continued to record through the rest of the '60s, eventually breaking into psych-pop with a backing band called the Gentle Reign.

Toward the end of the 1960s, she also began appearing in feature films and on television shows, usually in supporting roles. In subsequent years, Garnett also branched out into journalism, writing essays, columns, and book reviews for various newspapers and magazines. Additionally, she wrote and performed two one-person theater pieces, Gale Garnett & Company and Life After Latex. AMG.

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Hackamore Brick - One Kiss Leads To Another 1971

After playing together in various incarnations since their college years, this group of NYC raggamuffins emerged in 1970 with One Kiss Leads to Another under the name Hackamore Brick. While this solid slab of proto-punk pop-flavored rock & roll would be the only output from the band for almost 40 years as they disappeared under the waves of commercial failure, the years that followed saw the legacy of the album grows. Critics loved it, and as new listeners wrapped their heads around what was becoming a definitive cult classic, rave reviews began popping up sporadically, some citing the band as the first to have a "post-Velvets" sound. From the opening strains of album kick-off track "Reachin'," the songs here find their sound somewhere between the quiet melancholia of the Velvet Underground's reflective third album and the more high-strung rock of Loaded. Chick Newman's strained vocals (often buried in the mix) can evoke Lou Reed's disaffected big-city cool, and the straightforward songwriting and playing are cut from a similar cloth as well.
As indebted to the Velvets as the group clearly is, Hackamore Brick's brilliance comes more from their sophomoric demeanor, as all the songs have an offhanded, almost observational feeling to them that separates them from the gnarly street tales and world-weary junkie seriousness of Lou Reed and co.'s classic tunes. While songs like "Peace Has Come" and "Someone You Know" is heavy-hearted enough, they never feel airless, but keep a meandering pace, coming off more like friends jamming on an autumn day than some chronicle of the N.Y.C. freak show that was very much alive and surrounding the band at that time. Direct, unassuming rock & roll numbers like "I Watched You Rhumba" and "Oh! Those Sweet Bananas" predicted the buzzing and youthful spirit of the Modern Lovers or the Feelies, while "Radio" takes on the same flip character as "Sitting on My Sofa"-style Kinks tunes, extolling the virtues of the FM dial with a goofy grin. Only the drifty "And I Wonder" falls into some of the proggy cliches of the era, leaving the rest of the album soundly rooted in foundational rock & roll aesthetics, delivered with a passionate and wonderful lack of sophistication that makes One Kiss Leads to Another every bit as worthy of praise as the downtown N.Y.C. bands that went on to greater exposure all around them. On par with other lost wonders like Virgin Insanity's Illusions of the Maintenance Man or Ed Askew's Little Eyes, this album has a hidden power that was not just ahead of its time in 1970, but still unfolding decades later. AMG.

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Haillan Rovert - Silent Thoughts 1973

Another Aussie rarity. Haillan Rovert (ie Trevor Nalliah) is a 70s singer-songwriter. More conventional arrangements than Glenn Cardier (refer earlier post) this lush, psych-tinged album contains some beautiful songs as well as some more up-tempo numbers. Haillan Rovert WEA or some financial backer must have believed in Haillan as this sounds like an expensive production, features a number of renowned musicians backing him and it has Howard Gable on production (who I have always considered to be attached to EMI). In Australia, it was rare for an unknown Artist to receive this level of investment. If you like well crafted, easy on the ears psych-pop or just like the rare then this is for you. Trevor Nalliah is alive and well and recording.

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May Blitz - 2nd Of May 1971

The second and final May Blitz album basically picked up where its predecessor left off, with the thunderous and foreboding "For Mad Men Only," and then bludgeoned on from there. Except, where May Blitz concentrated on weight, 2nd of May is more interested in mood and even mirth -- "25th of December 1969" would be almost jovial, if the lyrics weren't so harsh, while the balladic "Just Thinking" closes the album with the sweetest of whispers. It's a tighter disc than its predecessor. Just two of the eight songs really top five minutes, as the band learned how to cram maximum impact into minimal space, and layered the virtuosity on from there. The helter-skelter blur of "Eight Mad Grim Nits" is as electrifying a guitar workout as you're likely to hear, with the axe panning wildly while the rhythm section soars like a steeplechase behind it; while "High Beech" takes the opposite tack entirely, a psychedelic dream that builds so gently that the effect is almost boleric. "Honey Coloured Time," too, has a gentle mood that puts one in mind of labelmates Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan," as performed by the Full House era Fairport Convention. And, while a lengthy Tony Newman drum solo doesn't really repay repeat listens (well, not unless you like drum solos), still 2nd of May remains one of those albums that you will find yourself returning to again and again, while wishing May Blitz had held on long enough to cut a follow-up. AMG.

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