First known as the 60's indie Psych-Folk duo 'Roger And Wendy' and then the sunshine pop band 'Euphoria', Bermuda Triangle originally released this album on CD through their private label.
A great find. It is a superb collection of very rare treasures. Absolutely one of the best resurrections from a band who was pivotal in the US underground Psych-Folk scene of the late 60's into the 70's
All the recordings range from the late 60's to the late 70's. 'The missing tapes' is their best, till today, offering. Just take a listen to 'Did you love me' and 'Lost worlds' songs. Original, unique and bizzare sound not unlike their first album.
Most of the songs are penned by Roger Penney while there are few covers on: Dennis DeYoung's 'Come sail away', Joni Mitchell's 'Circle game', Richard Farina's 'Swallow song', Fred Neil's 'Dolphin' and an exceptional 'High flying bird'.
Tracks
1. Rainy Monday - 4:09
2. Come Sail Away (Dennis DeYoung) - 5:06
3. Night Train - 5:34
4. Lost Worlds - 3:48
5. My Brother (Wendy Penney) - 4:37
6. You'll Be A Star - 4:16
7. Circle Game (Joni Mitchell) - 4:56
8. Sometimes We Find It - 4:04
9. Did You Love Me - 3:58
10.Goin' Down To New Orleans - 3:09
11.High Flying Bird (Billy Edd Wheeler) - 3:20
12.Swallow Song (Richard Farina) - 2:01
13.Dolphin (Fred Neil) - 3:40
Songs written by Roger Penney except where indicated
Personnel
*Wendy Penney - Vocals, Bass
*Roger Penney - Vocals, Electric Autoharp, Organ, Piano, Arp
Arthur Brown is synonymous with his 1968 hit "Fire", and the Hammond-driven "Crazy World" line-up which spawned it. However, his 'God of Hellfire' burned out fast and, in 1970, he returned with a new project: prog-festival freak-show Kingdom Come. They made three astonishing albums for Polydor, then fell apart without achieving any commercial breakthrough.
Those initial four band albums, by 'The Crazy World of Arthur Brown' and by 'Kingdom Come', are thrilling, as tend to be Brown's cameos on other peoples' projects. Obviously a great collaborator, his solo work has often been impressively poor. Without a persona, a theme, or other characters to play against in the creative process he seems to lose conviction.
To the credit of this collection, it's a goldmine of immaculately mastered rarities. Inevitably, some of these tracks prove to have deserved their obscurity. There are half a dozen pre-fame recordings which posterity could thrive without. Ditto the majority of solo tracks. But, to be fair, this set claims to be The Story Of not a Best Of. A collection of Arthur Brown's best work would discretely set aside year upon year of aimlessness and stick to the period when he found his muse.
The heart of this offering is the selection of guest vocals, oddities, and tracks from currently-deleted Kingdom Come albums. There is ''The Lord Doesn't Want You'' salvaged from an aborted 1969 Crazy World follow up, offering stunning declamatory funkadelia. There are eight faultless Kingdom Come tracks, including rare single ''Eternal Messenger''. Then there is nutter-vs-God-of-Hellfire action from Rob Calvert's "The Gremlin", heading a clutch of collaborative gems. Sadly the provenance of some tracks is left vague by the album notes.This is currently your only option if you have Crazy World Of... and are longing to hear what came after.
by Rob Fawcett, 2003
Tracks
Disc 1
1. Prelude: Nightmare (Arthur Brown) - 3:53
2. You Don't Know (Walter Spriggs) - 3:33
3. Don't Tell Me (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Jean Bouchéty) - 2:30
4. Baby You Know What You're Doing (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Jean Bouchéty) - 1:55
5. The Green Ball (Arthur Brown) - 3:22
6. Devil's Grip (Arthur Brown) - 3:21
7. Give Him A Flower (Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane) - 3:02
8. Rest Cure (Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane) - 2:47
9. Fanfare: Fire Poem (Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane) - 2:02
10.Fire! (Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane, Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker) - 2:54
11.I Put A Spell On You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins) - 3:43
12.Child Of My Kingdom (Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane) - 7:01
13.The Lord Doesn't Want You (Arthur Brown, George Khan, Jonah Mitchell, Android Funnel, Dennis Taylor, Drachen Theaker) - 3:01
14.Eternal Messenger (Arthur Brown, Mike Finesilver, Peter Ker) - 3:49
15.Night Of The Pigs (Arthur Brown, Andy Dalby, Michael Harris, Julian Paul Brown) - 1:05
16.Sunrise (Arthur Brown, Andy Dalby, Julian Paul Brown) - 6:50
17.Creep-Creation (Arthur Brown, Andy Dalby, Michael Harris) - 4:06
18.Love Is (The Spirit That Will Never Die) (Arthur Brown) - 4:20
19.Time Captives (Arthur Brown) - 7:46
20.Spirit Of Joy (Arthur Brown, Michael Harris) - 3:15
Disc 2
1. Gypsy (Arthur Brown, Dennis Taylor) - 9:11
2. The Lord Will Find You (Lee Robinson) - 4:15
3. Eyesight To The Blind (Sonny Boy Williamson) - 5:54
4. The Gremlin (The Song Of) (Adrian Wagner, Arthur Brown, Robert Calvert) - 3:23
There are many different kinds of records. Some latch onto you almost immediately and either stand the test of time or else slip away as easily as they came. Randy Holland’s 1972 album Cat Mind is the other kind; those unusual and sometimes uneven records that take more than one listen to fully appreciate. Released on the independent Mother Records label, it can probably be said that Cat Mind never had a chance at real commercial success. But hell, we’re not interested in the commercial success here “ we’re after good records, wherever they ended up and in whatever condition. And Cat Mind is a good record.
Looking at that stark, black and white cover shot you’re probably expecting a good deal of grit here, and the opening cut doesn’t disappoint in that department. The off-kilter flower child stomp of Bless the Naked Days also wastes no time introducing the listener to Holland’s rough and nasally voice; a voice which he tends to push to the limits, and often far beyond. Depending on where you’re coming from, I reckon this could either be an acquired taste or a real attraction.
Following this first number, Colors of Sad is bizarrely saccharine, and it’s this vivid contrast between wildness and melancholy which perhaps defines this record more than anything else. Holland tilts mercilessly between incisive, jagged rock and roll numbers and melodramatic country cuts, with very little sense of transition or artistic compromise. His uncredited backup band really shines, especially on the former, where they lay down some of the most righteous country-stained rock this side of Wray’s Shack Three Track. The hot swamp growl of Muddy Water is a real highlight, as is the weird title track, graced with scorching Davie Allan-style guitar work and an insistent rhythm section. Holland’s forays into the tamer side of Americana are more hit-and-miss, giving us both the warm and gentle Ladybug and an unfortunately overwrought reading of Mickey Newbury’s Remember the Good.
Fortunately, however, even the most underwhelming cuts are outweighed by the grittier numbers, and the overall quality and unique character of Cat Mind really does warrant it the kind of reissue treatment afforded so many other lost jewels of the period, such as Vernon Wray’s Wasted. As it stands, it isn’t all that hard to track down a used copy for a decent price. And what ever happened to Randy Holland? From what it looks like, he retired his attempts at making it in the music scene not long after cutting this record and moved to Las Vegas, where he opened an art gallery and devoted the rest of his days to painting and poetry. He passed away a few years ago, truly making this his one and only album.
by Nik Rayne, June 29th, 2011
Randy Holland passed away Jan. 7, 2011.
Tracks
1. Bless The Naked Days - 3:07
2. Colours Of Sad - 4:54
3. Song For A Rainy Tuesday (Lew Alpaugh) - 3:05
4. Make Me Flowers (Randy Holland, Barbara Bishop) - 2:46
5. Muddy Water (F. Wright) - 3:18
6. I'll Remember The Good (Mickey Newburry) - 3:03
Sounding like a blend of Jefferson Airplane and the Doors, Bow Street Runners was a Fayetteville, North Carolina-based psychedelic band who released one eponymous album in limited quantities on B.T. Puppy Records in 1970.
While the group was ignored at the time, Bow Street Runners became a collectible item among psychedelic aficionados during the '80s and '90s. Flushed from Fayetteville, North Carolina-where they thought they could remain comfortably obscure-by our release of their only album, the Runners have recently re-surfaced.
Issued in ultra-limited quantity by B.T. Puppy in 1970-and now changing hands for sums more familiar to NASDAQ-this is an other-worldly blend of sweet female blotter acid harmonies, hypnotic Farfisa and high-octane fuzz guitar histrionics.
Tracks
1. Electric Star - 2:35
2. Watch - 2:12
3. American Talking Blues - 3:48
4. Leaving Grit America - 2:49
5. Another Face - 5:11
6. Eating from a Plastic Hand - 4:06
7. Rock Fish Blues - 2:13
8. Push It Through - 2:04
9. Spunky Monkey - 3:15
10.Steve's Jam - 4:05
All songs by Frank Hardwick and The Bow Street Runners
The Bow Street Runners
*Steve Darling - Guitar, Vocals
*David Guy - Keyboards, Vocals
*George Graham - Drums, Percussion
*William Simkiss - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
*Frank Hardwick - Bass
*Mike Dees - Guitar
A British group from Birmingham (not to confused with the US Californian band with the same name), with a surprisingly no-nonsense approach for the time – neither prog, nor hard rock, glam, or anything else that might have been big during the early 70s underground – which may well be why this set never got the fame it deserved!
There's some great guitar work on the set that almost gets funky at points, but which often just holds to rockish riffing instead – really well-fit to the offbeat vocals which are perfect for the lyrical delivery of the set – all at a level that makes the whole thing one of those great under-circulated major label efforts that's wonderfully hard to peg, and which is ripe for rediscovery all these many years later.
John Lyman later worked with many different artists as a session player and round 2005 with his wife Mel moved to Mallorca. Drummer Alan Moore was in the early and unofficial phase of the newborn Judas Priest, he left the band to join Sundance, and about a year after the "Cfuffer" returned to Judas Priest replacing John Hinch.
Here's one of those obscure outfits that collectors love to heavily hype.
Bassist Dave Nichols, singer Alan Pearse, drummer Derek Perry and guitarist Trevor Povey first came together as Chicago Max, followed by brief stints as Sopwith Camel (not to be confused with the San Francisco-based outfit), Malibou and Armageddon. Working in a blues-rock vein (wasn't every early-1970s band dipping their creative toes in the genre), they were signed by the small Reflection Records, though the label immediately demanded a new name - hence the change to the deplorable Dogfeet.
At least to my ears that's way off the mark. Produced by Andrew Cameron Milla, 1970's cleverly-titled "Dogfeet" is surprisingly good. With Povey writing all of the material, the album's varied and pleasingly understated. Pearse exhibited an attractive voice, while Povey's slashing guitar was quite effective (check out some of the effects he used on 'Evil Women').
Musically 'On the Road' harkened back to the bands' blues-rock roots, but extended tracks such as 'Now I Know', the attractive atmospheric ballad 'Reprise' and the Western-inspired 'Since I Went Away' set them apart from most of their contemporaries. Not that it mattered. The album vanished without a trace, followed in short order by the band.
Tracks
1. For Mary - 2:03
2. On The Road - 5:58
3. Sad Story / Reprise - 8:14
4. Now I Know - 3:05
5. Since I Went Away - 2:56
6. Clouds - 5:06
7. Evil Women - 5:00
8. Armageddon - 4:14
9. For Mary And Child - 5:39
10.Theme - 1:53
11.Armageddon - 4:33
12.On The Road - 4:56
13.Now I Know - 3:06
All songs by Trevor Povey, Alan Pearse
Tracks
1. Mr Sunshine (David Lewis) - 11:08
2. Armageddon # 1 - 4:36
3. Theme # 1 - 1:55
4. On The Road # 1 - 4:57
5. Now I Know # 1 - 3:09
6. For Mary - 2:05
7. On The Road - 5:01
8. Reprise - 8:17
9. Now I Know - 3:09
10.Since I Went Away (David Lewis) - 2:57
11.Clouds - 5:07
12.Evil Women - 5:01
13.Armageddon - 5:01
14.For Mary And Child - 5:43
15.Voodoo Chile (Jimi Hendrix) - 10:57
All songs by Trevor Povey, Alan Pearse except where indicated
Michael George "Chick" Churchill is a classically-trained pianist best-known as on/off keyboard man with Ten Years After, possibly the archetypal British blues/rock band, featuring Alvin Lee's lightning-fast guitar work.
You and Me is Churchill's only solo album, is an unfairly forgotten rock gem with quite strong, progressive influences. A bevy of famous friends Jethro Tull's Martin Barre, Cozy Powell, Leo Lyons, Rick Lee, Roger Hodgson, Bernie Marsden, Garry Pickford Hopkins, it’s really hard to imagine a better configuration on one record.
Tracks
1. Come And Join Me - 5:10
2. Broken Engagement - 3:09
3. You And Me - 4:41
4. Reality In Arrears - 7:02
5. Dream Of Our Maker Man - 2:58
6. Ode To An Angel - 4:06
7. You're Not Listening - 2:39
8. Chiswick Flyover - 2:54
9. The Youth I Dreamt In Slipped Away - 4:31
10.Falling Down An Endless Day - 3:06
All songs written by Chick Churchill.
Born Ronald Raymond Barrosse in 1943, Barron worked with Rebennack during his early days as an A&R man for Specialty and Ace records in the late 1950s and early '60s. Rebennack produced Barron's first single, "Bad Neighborhood," which was credited to Ronnie and the Delinquents. The pair later recorded "Talk That Talk" under the name "Drits and Dravey" for Harold Battiste's AFO label. Barron also served some time in a group called the Prime Ministers, featuring fellow New Orleanians Freddie Staehle (drums), Bobby Lonero (guitar), Eddie Zip (bass), Jerry Jumonville (tenor sax), and Wayne DeVilliere (organ).
After moving to California and declining the Dr. John role, Barron worked for Louie Prima for several years and concocted his own mystical stage persona, "Reverend Ether," recording an album by that name for Decca.
By the 1970s, Barron had moved to Woodstock, N.Y., where he worked again with Rebennack as well as fellow Louisiana expatriate Bobby Charles, joining harmonica wizard Paul Butterfield's Better Days group. This group cut a couple of standout albums - "Better Days" and "It All Comes Back" - featuring Charles and Barron compositions like "Small Town Talk" and "Louisiana Flood," as well as great vocal performances from Barron. Besides doing some acting, Barron worked with BB King, Ry Cooder, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Turner, Canned Heat, and Tom Waits.
He was married to Linda Kelly and had two children, Ronald Raymond, Jr. and Ava. He died in 1997 from complications of heart problems.
Gillian McPherson, was a folk singer from Northern Ireland who had her first (and only) major label release out*‘Poets, Painters and Performers of Blues’ on RCA. She came out looking the part with long hair and long skirt. She played a short set in a jazzy folk vein of which I can remember ‘They All Want Somebody To Blame’ with an emotive lyric and the album’s title track. The set was received politely. McPherson’s album was out of print for decades.
The session team on the record was the Mark-Almond band who were, coincidentally, the second show I went to, and included Tommy Eyre on keyboards who later went on to marry Scarlet Rivera of ‘Desire’ and Rolling Thunder fame. Gillie McPherson later moved to south-east France where she continues to perform and issue the occasional recording still in the jazz-folk zone.
Richard Parkinson, February 22, 2023
Just like the cool front cover photo, it is a very beautiful work that looks like it is being played on the waterside deep in the forest. Produced by Pentangle's Danny Thompson. Perhaps because of this, there's a cool, jazzy feel to the whole thing, which seems to play a role in the popularity of this work. The backing team is also gorgeous, with Marc Almond, Dave Cousins, Tommy Eyer, etc., and the string arrangements for some songs are done by Robert Kirby.
All of the songs are self-produced, the arrangement of the talented back team is also good. It's definitely a plain work compared to the top-class British female singer-songwriters, an irresistibly lovely album with an atmosphere that feels like it's a moss-covered arrangement of pop songs.
Tracks
1. Muff The Gong - 4:52
2. It's My Own Way - 3:19
3. Look What We've Got To Do - 3:52
4. They All Want Somebody To Blame - 4:36
5. Who's At The Deceiving End - 3:56
6. I Am The Runner - 3:19
7. Is Somebody In Tune With My Song ? - 5:04
8. We Can't Be The Last Line - 3:44
9. Flight - 3:40
10.Lazy Dreamer - 2:51
11.Poets And Painters And Performers Of Blues - 2:25
Music and Lyrics by Gillian McPherson
Personnel
*Gillian McPherson - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Jon Mark - Acoustic Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Congas
In 1965, the “music scene” in America was often conservative yet diverse, similar throughout many regions. University students had access to international touring artists like Ravi Shankar, and the general public to Broadway musicals, ballet and orchestras. Additionally Black R&B clubs were active, and White Teen Dance clubs focused on original, local R&R/R&B bands. A folk scene in the University District brought musicians, poets, beatniks who performed evenings and sat around in coffee shops during the day. Seattle had Jazz clubs, top quality Symphony Orchestras, Opera, Ballet, etc, and radio stations were starting to widen their scope with emerging British rock groups.
I studied music at University, played in the Seattle Symphony, with several jazz groups and joined a R&B club band called The Frantics, that owing to my injury from a car accident, the band found a new drummer. Steve Lalor and Don MacAllister found me recuperating. We talked about making new music. We located Doug Hastings, rehearsed here and there, and continued to meet at coffee houses in the University District. News of a psychedelic underground in San Francisco began to filter northward. Brave new ‘explorers’ (consciousness-pioneers) soon arrived in Seattle whereupon the University area became a gathering place for an emerging youth culture that included university students, as well as those who hadn’t figured out what they wanted to do.
Here, musicians wanted something different; police wanted to keep abreast of it all; artists wanted to design it all; journalists wanted to publish information on it all; rich fraternity boys wanted to chop-off longhair from freaky menfolk, grab the girls and run. Despite all that there were few venues that wanted longhaired musicians, certainly not weird mixed-music groups such as The Daily Flash. Finally, The Daily Flash decided to create a series of moveable venues in Labor Union halls, and Blaise LeWark opened Seattle’s BFD club.
