Wednesday 27 March 2019

Jump (1971) Here I Lie With You - LOST 70s GEMS

Jump are an astral rock band with soaring organs and Prog Pop chops indicated heavily by the star spangled pink and black boot, worn with rainbow socks as it travels through the sky on their front cover; very glam. Here I Lie With You is part polished watery finger picked folk tune with supple vocals and more of their organ rock choruses. The next track combines some of their blues rock of the early tracks with the big organ driven sound but the distinctly raw vocals that barrel along are the biggest driver of their music. The drums are bombastic and the lead guitar zaps away like a ray gun with distorted string scratches, zinging off in a not commonly used technique.
Having a Wonderful Time is a short one minute jazzy folk ditty about climbing a mountain you want to climb that is a spry delight. Close as Touch is a typical 70s boogie rocker with anthemic group vocals that could have come from any Southern Rock act, though the laser cut distorted guitar parts are still worth a note. Bank of Love combines a sleepily smooth lead croon with some particularly soulful backing sounding closer to a experimental Marvin Gaye track as harmonies coo hypnotically and in rousing call and response with the undulations of a quieter organ sound, while the bridge includes a nimble bass line, a waka waka James Brown rhytmm guitar and Purdie-esque drumming that all hint at a very soul influence. Change, We Are All Alive is a hard rocking groover while closer Life, Leave Us Past As Friends is another soft and soulful quiet folk ballad that transcends genres into gentle rocking soul number and extended organ solo. Are they soulful folk rock or bleusy organ boogie band I don't know but they're a reasonable listen with this clean production.


Saturday 23 March 2019

Alamo (1971) Happiness is Free - LOST 70s GEMS

An exciting band with an exciting album, Alamo is a terrific collection of tunes, opening with soaring organ rock of Got to find another way; reminding me of El Chicano, though the ragged vocal doesn't work for me the grooving guitar parts, triumphant organ chords and the spacey Latin inflected guitar solo does work. Soft and Gentle is full of soft and gentle vocal melodies, including one section where a dreary organ and guitar harmonics illuminate the backing track distracting from the vocalist's shortcomings. The multi-tracked guitar harmonies add a spaced out lilt before a fiery solo, though the punchiness is soon lost as the song rambles on with a church organ solo and more inane verses. The minimalist solo of tension filled bends and shredding pullofffs in Questions Raised stands out amongst the organ hard rock sound that a lot of bands were mining post Deep Purple. Bensome Changes is a more heartfelt track with the strained vocals still apparent but the chorus lyrics stating "Lonely Day, Lonely Night, the kind I never wanted to see, Sunny Day, Sunny Side, it wasn't good enough for me" standing out despite the singer's generic blues growl. All New People has a funky organ part during the verses that makes it interesting as the track rolls along with a simple fuzz guitar line.
Get the Feelin with it's twin slide guitars wailing, staccato drum intro is intriguing while the smooth organ backed verses are also a delight. Best is when the cowbell comes in with a host of maracas and tambourines in shimmering backup, the drumming is fantastic as heard later in the song in a tabla oriented section. The closer Happiness is Free starts with some guitar and organ droning in tandem before some pretty arpeggios lines and another melodic organ vocal verse. The sitar sounding quality of the twangy fuzz guitar gives the solo some colour while the excellent organ continues to shine with it's malevolent drawls. The funky playing of the verses as they sing about trying to find the 'open G' is memorable as is the guitarist's sparse notes . Ultimately the band is lacking something, the organ, guitars and drums feel like a great instrumental backing for a more defined lead instrument; at the moment it's all rhytmm and needs a more diverse soloist, like another singer or guitarist.


Friday 22 March 2019

Head Over Heels (1971) Right Away - LOST 70s GEMS

Head Over Heels first struck me with their name; a Michigan hard rock Trio with connections to Rare Earth, they only lasted acouple eyars in the early 70s. Starting off their self titled debut album is Right Away, which balances a watery acoustic plucked verse with a the highly melodic gospel strains of late 60s organ rock chorus, the solo is magnificent but the quiet dynamics at play are so much better than I was expecting form an unknown self titled rock album from 71. The band features very noisy blues rock with softer moments sandwiched here and there. The live tracks have a splendid atmosphere where you feel the acoustics with the singer's 'off mic' wailing making clear the live environment seem so palpable and the electricity of the room flow onto the record's grooves.


Children of the Mist is another atmospheric track with the placid tabla and folk guitars accentuated by a drawling slide guitar and some heavy effects and chorus washes. This was the time of Zeppelin and this band tried to imitate a lot of that group's technique, while they boast funky overdriven blues and a powerful singer it's in the quieter moments the delivery hits you, Children of the Mist has a reoccurring raga vocals float in and out to quiet a three dimensional effect. In My Woman is almost blues pop song with twanging guitars playing lightning fast synchronised Allman Brothers licks to a chugging melody and melodic vocal.


Friday 15 March 2019

Titanic (1970) Mary Jane - LOST 70s GEMS

Norway rockers Titanic's debut album is a force of Psych Rock, Jazz, old timey pop; Ghostly reverb, haunting backing vocals, lively percussion, devilish lead guitar, penetrating organ work and European splendour come together for what is an epic voyage of rock musicianship.

 The album opens with Searchin, an organ drenched number, featuring a thrumming bass line doubled guitar, a frenzied percussion only bridge full of congas, cowbells and various other drums is startling before the organ smoothly glides in. The rip roaring track is cleanly recorded for it's underground status and ends in some supreme group vocal wailing, demonic guitar fuzz chords and thrashing drums. The droning and wailing of the guitar continues in the following track, Love is Love, in a very rhythmic blues pattern set to a Jazzy hi-hat tempo; in the song we get more ghostly vocal wails and even a haunted house scales as well another brief percussion segment. Mary Jane is a beautiful orchestral ballad draped in haunted echo, delicate piano and elegant strings waltzing along to a swaying circus organ line. Cry for a Beatle, is very much in the Nillsson/Lennon school of chirpy Vaudeville pop with a honky tonk piano, clopping drums and underwater keyboard fills. While the next track Something on my Mind is a powerful rocker with a strutting late 60s wah wah crunch, more cavernous echo for the solo parts and solid backbeat drumming; it's also worth pointing out the singer sounds remarkably like Steve Winwood on this track. Firewater is a sax and horn driven dance number with an unrelenting big band beat full of strong horns and a carousel like riff and a bopping 1940s rhythm section; you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a different band if it wasn't for the big drums echoing off into abrupt stops and the 'out of place' wah wah blues solo.

Schizmatic Mind is a early 70s bubblegum rocker with it's different singing voice being ore in line with the pinched 'bratty' vocal direct delivery of many 60s groups set to their background of sultry Jazz piano and a series of 'underwater' Hammond filtered guitar arpeggios taken from Cream's Badge. I See No Reason is the longest track and yet most forgettable as an another heavy organ ballad with more ghostly backing vocals and prominent hi-hats and excessive wah wah guitar soloing in the final third. The ghostly raga backing vocals mix with lyrics pertaining to ethnic identity and mixed blood in Half Breed and more of that very European waltz sounding reverb and organ combo that dresses this whole album. Santa Fe is a closing African drum track with Scandinavian accented backing vocals singing 'ooooh Santa Fe' is a strong example of subtle mixing as the drumming pans subtly around the vocals and is steadily layered up to end this interesting mess of an album. It's fitting as the drums are the key to their whole sound, then organ then backing vocals with the rest of the elements being perfunctory.



Tin House (1971) You've Gone Too Far - LOST 70s GEMS

 This Rik Derringer produced hard rock album is a tough one; balancing all too brief melodic elements with very stodgy metallic blues playing and slow tribal jazz beats. I Want Your Body features incredible orgasm sound effects to add to the motor paced bop as well as a corny lip smacking at the end reminding us this was an underground album. The Deep Purple/Medicine Head styled stencilled in metal album cover is nice fitting the band's name as it is built around very rugged guitar riffs full of meaty, whining guitar licks, metallic tonal qualities, an overuse of legato and incessant string pulls wailing away.

 You've Gone Too Far sounds exactly like a 90s Grunge song, with it's contemplative, mind numbing chords, robotic guitar strum as well as the distant, melancholic vocal so devoid of expression and the bleak lyrics. Silver Star is a overwrought rocker with Ted Nugent cat strangling guitar licks but a mellow harmony verses that don't mesh well and have no business being in the same song. Personal Gain is practically a Deep Purple song, with all that band's hallmarks; a deep British sounding howler, pumped speed drumming, a jacked up funky rhytmm, heavy metal chord changes and overdriven organ all wrapped up in a tight jam structure. Jezebel, Give Me Your Lovin is also similar to Deep Purple as well as Mountain and Vanilla Fudge but with a funky hoedown beat,Tomorrow is a very quiet acoustic number with quiet finger pickin accentuated by little string scratches and a vibraphone chiming along before a louder, distorted part with some treated vocals and a flanged drone in the background like a helicopter flying overhead panning around in the audio channels. Lady of the Silent Opera is even bigger and more adventurous with sweeping orchestra parts and slow jazzy verses that remind me of the jazz metal of Black Sabbath's Never Say Die. The strings on Lady of the Silent Opera are so folksy, the violins and fiddles stand out in their high ragged sound, particularly as a melodic rock guitar enters the fray and the playing becomes more fluid with crashing drums it is an sublime if analogous finale to the album.


Wednesday 13 March 2019

Rumplestiltskin (1970) Squadron Leader Johnson - LOST 70s GEMS




First off, Rumplestiltskin was a UK hard rock band in the 1970s underground formed of famous session guitarist Alan Parker, who laid down the searing guitar lines to Donavan's Hurdy Gurdy Man, not a pre- Zeppelin era Jimmy Page as it is frequently attributed. This is almost a continuation of the Hurdy Gurdy Man sessions as the drummer from that recording is also here; famed session man Clem Cattini as well as famed session bassist Herbie Flowers, all playing under pseudonyms surely for professional reasons. They produced two records a this self titled debut on Bell Records and a follow up called Black Magician the following year on Bellophon records, this album is stacked full to the brim with earthy hard rock sound, revolving around metal chugging and very bright organ and Jazz piano playing keeping the sound from being too dry and monolithic but more soulful, rhythm and blues style. The tracks are very consistent, though the band was a super-group of talents assembled by the Kinks' producer Shel Tamy and centred around a promising singer called Peter Green, a different Peter Green who would have a hit two years later as Daniel Boone called Beautiful Sunday. But in this incarnation he is a solid RnB belter anchoring the tight rhythms of his band. The virtuoso organ vamps that occur on Make Me Make You, though it's suspect lyrics the watery Organ licks actually challenge the hard rocking guitar. Poor Billy Brown is a slow, atmospheric jam of exceptional construction as the electric piano echo soothingly, the crisp drumming is easy on the ears while the slide guitar and organ notes that are played in tandem flow from one note to the next so smoothly. The quality of their playing is as flawless as you would expect from session musicians, listen to the use of very quiet lowly mixed organ sustains in the Three Dog Night sounding track Poor Billy Brown. The blaring Farfisa attacks are truly something, played by Alan Hawkshaw, who adds some barroom piano to the gospel pop rock of Knock On My Door along with the funky guitar chords making it the most melodic cut and a potential single. No One to Turn To is another potential single release with the dominant musician being singer Peter Green's doubled vocals erupting from slow lounge verses into a fist pumping call out chorus. Mr Joe (Witness for the Defense) features some of Alan Parker's menacing magic with some scary muted guitar chugging, while the chorus is more melodic old school 'storytelling' soul from Green that fits with the odd comic book panelled cover seemingly telling a similar story of nefarious doings with a shady character in a fur coat; is it Rumplestiltskin or Mr Joe who is pronounced guilty at the end of the track? Paté de foie gras is an odd song, with Parker on full on Jimmy Page scintillating blues mode with a recipe for the aforementioned dish set to another gospel funk backing, the track ends on the sound effect of a cork popping and a man glugging some wine before belching. The title track features a airy maracas, tambourine led section for a jungle fever pitch as Parker menacingly chugs away on his sinister guitar tone, before the final track,Squadron Leader Johnson, which Parker starts with a truly bad ass little riff that reminds me of Mountain with Green's blues vocals and the simple jazzy beat. There are dive bombers heard and footsteps marching and a cool succession of chords that lead us into this bridge section where Parker plays some truly slipping and sliding funk guitar parts. This is the most Zeppelin sounding tracks with the thunderously brooding power riff and and Parker's jagged guitar cutting through in clean shredding solos that make this track stand out; it's the best playing heard outside of Sabbath or Zeppelin.






Monday 11 March 2019

Too Much (1971) Reminiscence - LOST 70s GEMS

Too Much were an exciting rock act from the early 70s from Japan, there are jazzy laidback shuffles, Clapton esque playing and Black Sabbath fuzz rock all wrapped in an Eastern Blues package. Too Much thought a 1971 release reminds me a lot of King Crimson's 1969 debut with its mix of crunching hard rock whine and doom laden vocals reminiscent of Greg Lake as well as the sweet orchestral strains and flute embellishments on offer on Song for My Lady, the album's closing track. Elements of Prog emerge in the mix of jazz and classical interludes, but the thunderous opener chugs along like Deep Purple Mark 1, the vocalist Juni Rush (Loku Lashu) deep croon through an echo filter reminds me of Rod Evans' vocals on the Deep Purple track Listen Learn Read On with it's cavernous echo.
Reminiscence is the highlighted track starting with a series of blaring organ chords before a whining blues guitar wails away it is very influenced by Cream and King Crimson's dark Prog Folk rock tunes like the crimson song, Epitaph. The dark statements of the band are obvious from the cover of I Shall Be Released, though that usually reliable tune is delivered with little panache. This is blues rock at it's heart and not a very fresh attempt hence it's fate but it still is approachable at its best.