2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
The Crystal Mansion - The Crystal Mansion
There is always a little story behind every record posted here, so bear with me!
I bought this album in 1998 at Leeds. I found it in a small shop that had opened very close to my house. The shop was at Brudenell Road, Hyde Park and it used to sell every kind of second hand stuff such as flares and retro gadgets in general, as part of the sixties/seventies revival that had taken over England as a trend in those days. The owners were very polite but they hadn't a clue about rare records!!! The price of this album was 2 quid (we are talking about original pressing gatefold vinyl with lyrics included)!!! I grabbed it immediately (I had been looking for it for a while) and I also bought a couple of other original vinyls at ridiculous prices (Golden Earring's "Moontan" and Amon Duul II's "Dance Of The Lemmings" were among them).
The Crystal Mansion were a band signed to Rare Earth Records (a subsidiary of Motown) and they were one of the numerous "white soul-funk" bands of the label. Their music is kinda anodyne and, to be honest with you, I was a little bit disappointed by the album, since I expected it to be funkier. Nevertheless, it contained some nice tracks such as the real funky "Somebody (Outta Turn Your Head Around)" and "Let Me Get Straight Again". The latter was a funky anti-drug confession of a fucked-up pothead. I used to play that track every day, for quite a while. It was somehow connected to my life and thoughts at the time.
Unfortunately, most tracks are rather prosaic and they lack energy (...mind you, my tastes are a bit eclectic) but I am sure that some of you will consider it an interesting album. It is fairly rare to find (especially on vinyl) but if you dig, you should go and buy the CD reissue.
The Crystal Mansion
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Gay & Terry Woods - The Time Is Right [1976, Vinyl] & Renowned [1976, Vinyl]
The Time Is Right [1976, Vinyl]
Track list;
01 - Song For The Gypsies. 3:12
02 - Brown Girl. 5:04
03 - Northwinds. 2:56
04 - When The Time Is Right. 3:43
05 - Back To You. 5:18
06 - Redlake Piper. 3:01
07 - Empty Rooms. 4:11
08 - Under The Yew Tree. 3:25
09 - Stealer Of Dreams. 4:22
10 - Country Girlie. 2:30
11 - Country Girlie Reprise. 0:51
192k @ [RapidShare] or [Sendspace]
Renowned [1976, Vinyl]
Track list;
01 - Love Is Like A Burdon. 3:44
02 - One More Time. 4:09
03 - Radio Man. 3:44
04 - Solace. 5:17
05 - Save The Last Dance For Me. 3:15
06 - I Found You. 2:21
07 - Jameson And Port. 3:29
08 - Country Blues. 2:54
09 - Van Dieman's Land. 8:14
192k @ [RapidShare] or [Sendspace]
Style; Folk
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Arthur Gee - 1971 - Same (Tumbleweed TWS 101)
"The End Is The Beginning" 1969 (Two:Dot) [1-sided]
"In Search Of Arthur" 2004 (RD Records 13, Switzerland) [+bonus tracks; insert]
"Dawn Of Time" 197 (Marcus 2502) [no cover]
"Arthur Gee" 1971 (Tumbleweed TWS 101)
"City Cowboy" 1973 (Tumbleweed TWS 107)
Tracks
All info and photo from acid archives.
Also
also get the first album here
@320
Enjoy
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Ray Conniff presents Irving Berlin - Dreaming Of Broadway
Here is a really nice 45 from the man and his orchestra, with four quality tracks. I ripped it on a bad day but it made me feel better! Simply great music from another time.
I will actually let the liner notes to do the talking (click to enlarge) :
Dreaming Of Broadway
Sunday, March 23, 2008
India National Sitar Ensemble - Sitar Music Of India
The vinyl is Out Of Print and I am pretty sure that there has been no reissue of it on CD. Anyway, we are talking about great music here, people. Don't miss it and don't be intimidated by the style of the recording (it's quite old, you see). And, if you stumble upon the original vinyl, do yourself a favour and buy it.
Kick Off
[320kbps (click & pop elimination) + artwork]
Friday, March 21, 2008
Spacefarm - 1972 - Going Home To Eternity
2. Homeward Bound (3:56)
3. Infinity Way (3:24)
4. Waking Dream (3:40)
5. On the Loose (3:14)
6. Flying (4:23)
7. Gypsy Dream (6:23)
8. Whell (4:14)
9. Lover Not a Dancer (3:36)
incredibly rare LP released on Zodiac in New Zealand. While the original version may remain in obscurity, this alternate take is certainly as high standard acid rock as the infamous original LP. Spacefarm were a Hendrix-inspired psychedelic rock group lead by pyrotechnic guitarist Harvey Mann, who is often compared to fellow New Zealand post-Jimi Hendrix guitar legends Billy T.K. and Jesse Harper. Fans of the heavy psychedelic rock sound of the Human Instinct need look no further than Spacefarm to add to the compendium of obscure New Zealand psychedelic rock — the small but brilliant output of this group is clear evidence as to why these obscure LPs are so sought after in collector circles. Think Cream, Hendrix Expeience, and Blue Cheer and you're getting close to the guitar overload Harvey Mann summons up on this LP. Audiophiles take note that Little Wing released this on vinyl only.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
The Driving Stupid - Horror Asparagus Stories (2002)
The Driving Stupid were formed on the East Coast by college students, three of them longtime friends from New Jersey. As more of a lark than a serious endeavor, in the summer of 1966 they drove from New Jersey to Hollywood in an effort to crack the big time, stopping off in Albuquerque, New Mexico to record some demos. They did manage to land a deal and record an album's worth of material in Hollywood, but the album didn't come out at the time, after the commercial death of the 45. This unreleased material, like the single, combined sloppy garage band rock with self-consciously silly lyrics, like a garage group providing the soundtrack for a Z-grade horror-science fiction film.
Most of the Driving Stupid left Hollywood at the end of the summer of 1966 to return to college. The single, plus 17 unreleased tracks from their 1966 adventures, were issued in 2002 by Sundazed on Horror Asparagus Stories.
The excavation of an entire album's worth of unreleased material by the Driving Stupid must have excited some die-hard garage-heads, though the result proved to be somewhat less thrilling than might have been imagined. The exact sources of each specific track are undocumented, but they're taken from their 1966 demos in New Mexico and the unreleased album they did in Hollywood the same year. Both sides of the "Horror Asparagus Stories"/"The Reality of (Air) Fried Borsk" single are included as well, naturally. But the reality of the Driving Stupid is that this particular brand of horror/science fiction/comedy rock isn't too funny or clever. Imagine a bunch of teenagers who barely know their way around their instruments, fueled by a steady diet of surf rock, Mad magazine, and monster and outer-space films, half-improvising songs in their suburban basement. That's what this sounds like, and though some might interpret that as a high recommendation, it's not. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention these guys weren't, though those who get enormous kicks out of kitsch might enjoy songs about postmen putting spiders in mailboxes and the like, backed by the most rudimentary of riffs and over-excited sung-spoken vocals. They did actually try to get "serious" on a couple of occasions with the romantic ballad "How Do You Tell a Stranger?" and the deliberately Lovin' Spoonful-like "Happytime Springface and Flowers," and not memorably so. For those enamored of the "Horror Asparagus Stories"/"The Reality of (Air) Fried Borsk" single (which admittedly did include their best songs), rawer versions of each of those songs are here, along with an interview with lead guitarist Roger Kelley that does much to reveal the mysterious story of the group.
1) My Mother Was A Big Fat Pig
2) Rid The Lobsters
3) Fast City?
4) The Reality Of (Air)
5) We've Come To Take The Earth Away
6) Green Things Have Entered My Skin,Gladys
7) I'm Gonna Bash Your Brains
8) Water My Doing Here?
9) Girl's Got A Turtle
10) How Do You Tell A Stranger
11) Happytime Springface And Flowers
12) Greensleeves
13) Fast City (Version 2)
14) I'm going To Bash Your Brains In (Version 2)
15) We've Come To Take The Earth Away (Version 2)
16) The Reality Of (Air) (Version 2)
17) Ride The Lobsters (Version 2)
18) Green Things Have Entered My Skin, Gladys (Version 2)
19) Horror Aspargus Stories
GET IT
Dorian Gray - 1976 - Idaho Transfer
Tracks :
1 Idaho Transfer (4:14)
2 Nighttime Is Colder Than Outside (5:21)
3 The Mole (6:56)
4 Extraordinary Exercises (0:56)
5 Quasimodo Shuffle (11:56)
i Crusus ii The Doombox
6 July, 13th (5:05)
Claudia Schippel (vocals)
Filler Mueschenborn (guitar, vocals)
Kurt Paetzold (drums)
Rüdiger Brune (keyboards)
Herbert Jassmann (bass)
New Blood - 1986 - LP spray cover
These were an obscure non-professional band who self-produced one album and then disappeared. Interestingly Dorian Gray can be seen as a very early example of a music that was later to be simplified and commercialised by innumerable female vocal fronted 80's new-wave bands. But, it must be said, Dorian Gray were odd! They mixed in a lot of heavy guitar rocking and contrasting spacey folk, male and (mostly) female vocals, all creating a hybrid between the 60's psychedelic trippiness and slightly punky sounds. An interesting album, though hardly worthy of its reputation as a pricey collectable rarity.
source : The Crack In The Cosmic Egg
Get it here :
rapidshare.com/files/Dorian_Gray.rar
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Creamcheeze Good-Time Band - 1973 - Home Cookin'
Tracks :
01 Living Without You
02 Ruby Tuesday
03 Fleetwood Plain
04 Wild World-Song For Marlene
05 Home Cooking
06 Redwood Hill
07 Uncle Jed
08 Log Cabin Home (In The Sky)
09 T.O. Lady
10 Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue
Billy Kell (guitar; vocals)
Dave Harwood (bass)
Barb Payne (fiddle, maracas, washboard, recorder,vocals)
Pat Kell (mandolin, tambourine, kazoo, whizzer, washboard, vocals)
Jimi Kell (drums, spoons)
This quintet from Perth County, Ontario was a showcase for three siblings and the vocals of Barb Payne.
Their first hit was 1971's "Uncle Jed" from their Terry Regan produced 'Perth County Green' LP.
Their second hit was 1973's "Living Without You" from the album 'Home Cookin' produced by Gary Buck and contained a number of cover tunes including The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", Cat Stevens' "Wild World", Gordon Lightfoot's "Redwood Hill", and "Fleetwood Plain" written by Greg Quill, long-time columnist for The Toronto Star. The latter song was the second song off the album.
The group disbanded in the mid-70s.
The Kells and Ross Whitney released an album together in 1981 called Kell High Energy featuring studio sessions done at Waxworks in St. Jacobs, Ontario plus live material from The Blue Moon in Petersburg, Ontario (featuring Gary Halliwell on bass).
In the early '90's Billy Kell released an independent cassette called "Too Old To Quit Now". Billy Kell succumbed to cancer in 1992.
notes from Ross Whitney and John Sakamoto.
Singles
1971 Uncle Jed (Dominion)
1973 Living Without You/Redwood Hill (Dominion/MCA) MCA-40089
1973 Fleetwood Plain/T.O. Lady (MCA) MCA-40163
Albums
1971 Perth County Green (Dominion)
1973 Home Cookin' (Dominion/MCA)
source : http://jam.canoe.ca/
Get It Here :
rapidshare.com/Creamcheeze_Good-Time_Band.rar
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Dennis Linde - 1970 - Linde Manor
Although he is best known for writing the 1972 Elvis Presley hit, "Burning Love", Dennis Linde has written numerous hit songs for mainlycountry music singers, beginning with hits for Roger Miller and Roy Drusky in 1970. In 1990, Sara Hickman covered his song "Hello, I Am Your Heart" for the compilation album Rubáiyát. In 2000, his song for the Dixie Chicks, "Goodbye Earl", stirred some controversy for its apparently humorous take on spousal abuse. Linde has also written tunes recorded by Tanya Tucker, Gary Morris, Don Williams, the Judds and Garth Brooks.
He was known as one of the more reclusive figures on the Nashville scene, rarely attending industry events. Nashville manager Scott Siman described him as a "mystery man," explaining, "If you ever saw Dennis Linde it was amazing, because you didn't get that opportunity very often.
In 2001, Linde was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Linde died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on December 22, 2006. He was 63.
His daughter, Lisa Linde, is married to actor James Marsden.
Enjoy!
Mushroom - 1999 - Leni Riefenstahl
Tracks :
A1. Leni Riefenstahl
A2. A Violin Bow In Curved Air
B1. A Tribute To Eddie Harris
a) Swiss Movement (The Ticking Of A Clock)
b) Some Jive Ass Wasting My Time
B2. Dig My Mood
Lineup:
Michale Holt - Mellotron / Rhodes piano / voice (track 1)
Erik Pearson - flute / saxophone / violin (tracks 1, 2, 3)
Patrick O'Hearn - drums / tape manipulation (tracks 1 - 4)
Dan Olmstead - drone guitar / guitar (tracks 1, 2, 3)
Alec Palao - bass (track 1)
Graham Connah - analog keyboard sounds (track 1)
Kurt Statham - bass / invisible bass (tracks 2, 3, 4)
Alison Faith Levy - keyboards /overdriven keyboards (tracks 2, 3, 4)
Continuing their worldwide tour of record labels, Mushroom's sixth studio album has now appeared on the Aether label out of Indianapolis (run by the folks who perform as Many Bright Things) as a limited edition vinyl-only release. The album is a collection of four (more like five, really) very different instrumental works, totalling (well, pretty obvious really) about 40 minutes. Just like the old days! Again, some lineup shuffling of the ever-evolving group has led to different sounds and styles emerging.
The opening track, "Leni Riefenstahl" (named for a German actress/film maker), is a long, winding mesmerizing affair. Set to a relatively leisurely pace, the steady bassline and drumming are countered by streams of (what I imagine is) heavily-f/X'ed guitar, that comes across like a squadron of aircraft successively strafing your position. The tune reaches its full fruition at about the 8-minute mark when the power chords from Dan Olmstead's guitar stream through, followed then by bits of soloing against a peculiar curtain of rising and falling runs on both flute and synths. Eventually, the tune winds down and morphs directly into "A Violin Bow in Curved Air," initially an experimental piece of kling-klanginess mixed with Erik Pearson's screamin' violin. Somewhere in the middle of the piece, the unsettling sounds resolve into a more pleasant mix of atmospheric sounds... an effective device.
Side B opens with "A Tribute to Eddie Harris," a two-part journey that is more similar to the Mushroom of Analog Hi-Fi Surprise. "Swiss Movement" ebbs and flows over seven minutes, full of individual statements mainly from Olmstead's strangely-tuned and buzzing guitar and Pearson's sax. The combo soldiers on into a downright bluesy affair for the second phase, "Some Jive Ass Wasting My Time," a lazy stroll down to the Mississippi Delta for another five minutes of improvisation, before suddenly switching into a more uptempo jam with a rambling bassline and a swirly guitar 'whine' mixed with some inspired soloing. The LP wraps up with the more ambient "Dig My Mood," essentially a solo electric piano piece by Alison Faith Levy, full of soothing Cluster-like motifs echoed in just the right way to induce a reflective mood. Levy's stylish playing is a welcome new addition to the group.
Mushroom have yet to put out a sub-par work, and this one ranks right up there. The title track was taken from the Analog Hi-Fi recording session, but the bulk of the album is new material with a different intent. Some of the sounds and patterns in the improvisations are recognizable as distinctly 'Mushroom,' but the band always manages to present them in different guises with each successive album, such that they never produce redundant works. Given the limited nature of this release, I recommend promptly tracking it down.
~Reviewed by Keith Henderson (Aural-Innovations)
Get it here :
RapidShare or SendSpace
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Atomic Rooster - Land Of Freedom
Try It
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Mike Furber & The Bowery Boys - 1966 - Just A Poor Boy
Tracks :
PLAY IT LOUD; PLEASE DISTURB YOUR NEIGHBOUR !!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Girls Go Wild!
I bought this album back in 1996 for 2 quid from a small record shop at the ground floor of the Corn Exchange building in Leeds. I had bought some 90 lps from there before the shop finally closed down. Shame.
Note: this is a vinyl rip at 320 kbps
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Hookfoot - Hookfoot
I bought this vinyl in 1996 in Leeds and, although it was supposed to be relatively rare, it was only priced for 50p, probably because the worn-out cover made the salesman think that the record was in bad condition too. Lucky bastard I was then!!! If you happen to be a retro freak, a record digger or a purist like me, try to find the original vinyl.
Rip is in 320 kbps. A few clicks and pops are present but nothing really to worry about.
Try it here and enjoy!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Orkustra - 1967 - Light Shows For The Blind
Tracks :
A1 Flash Gordon (4:54)
A2 Bombay Calling (5:45)
A3 Punjab's Barber (6:43)
A4 Flash Gordon's Return (7:36)
B1 St. John's Cathedral Jam (25:44)
Band :
Jaime Leopold - Bass
Terry Wilson - Drums, Percussion
Bobby Beausoleil - Guitar, Bouzouki
Henry Rasof - Oboe
David Laflamme - Violin
Reviews :
1
Legendary 1966-67 Bay Area band, whose members would go on to various sorts of fame. Mainly instrumental music of a highly eclectic nature, mixing modal Eastern sounds with impressionist classical and plain old SF acid rock. Embryonic versions of two It's A Beautiful Day numbers can be heard. Somewhat challenging and with below average sound quality, but well worth hearing for purveyors of mid-60s freak sounds and of obvious historical value.
[PL]~Acid Archives
2
Here is what we would name some of the best, most important, unreleased at the time, historical and lost westcoast psychedelic recordings ever.
This legendary band includes none other that the famed Kenneth Anger soundtrack creator Bobby Beausoleil as well as a very young David LaFlamme, before starting his legendary band “It's A Beautiful Day”.
As for the music, we are talking waaaaayyy out tunes here! This is the missing link between the Drone Avantgarde and the Hippie Scene symbolized by 2 people that couldn't be further apart. The complete B-side features a single long tune which can best be described as Theatre of Eternal Music (the famed Pre-Velvet Underground La Monte Young/ John Cale Drone Band) meets It's A Beautiful Day. On the other side you will find middle eastern influenced hippie psychedelic jams that will remind you of bands like the “BEAT OF THE EARTH”.
A true slice of pure acid psychedelia.
Get it Here
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Terry Jacks (Canada) - 1974 - Seasons In The Sun
Tracks :
A1 Concrete Sea (2:20)
A2 I'm Gonna Love You Too (2:40)
A3 Pumpkin Eater (2:45)
A4 Again And Again (2:35)
A5 Since You Broke My Heart (2:27)
A6 Fire On The Skyline (3:05)
B1 The Love Game (2:16)
B2 I'm So Lonely Here Today (2:22)
B3 It's Been There From The Start (2:16)
B4 Sail Away (3:00)
B5 Seasons In The Sun (3:28)
It's been a long time since "Seasons in the Sun" became a monster hit for Canadian Terry Jacks, but the syrupy 1974 single is still top dog among all best-sellers issued by Canadian acts. The release spent more than three months on the U.S. charts and more than four months on the charts in Jacks' native country. Its accumulated sales topped more than 11 million copies. Jacks, who moved on to producing for artists such as the Beach Boys, Nana Mouskouri, DOA, and Chilliwack, reaped the good life from the monster hit's royalties, which he acknowledged by naming his power boat Seasons in the Sun. Royalties also spill in from "Which Way You Goin' Billy?". He and former wife Susan Pesklevits recorded the song under the name the Poppy Family in 1969. The release hit number two in the U.S. and topped the Canadian charts, raking in four Juno Awards and selling more than two million copies.
~Linda Seida, All Music Guide
Full article here :
http://www.answers.com/topic/terry-jacks
More Info :
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?
http://jam.canoe.ca/Jacks_Terry.html
http://www.cdisle.ca/history/jacks_terry.htm
Myspace page :
http://www.myspace.com/terryjacksofficial
No reissues yet....
Get it here :
Terry_Jacks.rar
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Galaxies - 1968 - The Galaxies
Tracks :
01. Hey
02. Cant Judge a Book by Looking
03. Orange Skies
04. I'm Not Talking
05. Ain't Gonna Lie
06. Linda Lee
07. Mellow Yellow
08. Concrete and Clay
09. Que Vida
10. How Does That Grab You Darling
11. Slow Down Baby
12. Farmer John
Review :
With a mere eight songs (six of them covers) and untrained amateurishness pervading the recording techniques, instrumental performances, and singing, The Galaxies is by no means a lost gem. Should you be in that certain mood for slightly kitschy relics of '60s garage band naive sincerity, however, it's a pretty fun listen, if only for the refreshing open-eyed enthusiasm they bring to their bash-it-out covers of "Mellow Yellow," Mose Allison by way of the Yardbirds' "I'm Not Talking," Keith's "Ain't Gonna Lie," Love's "Orange Skies" and "Que Vida," and Nancy Sinatra's "How Does That Grab You Darling." You won't find a weirder Love cover than the Galaxies' "Orange Skies," where Jocelyn Ann Odams — supposedly an American according to the reissue's liner notes — sounds very much like she's singing in English as a third language, or at least as if she can't decide whether to use a British or American accent. Not far behind that for strangeness is a punky "How Does That Grab You Darling," where Odams sing-purrs the spoken interjections with the uncertain intonation of an ESL student. As for the two band originals, "Hey!!!" (all three exclamation points included) actually is a pretty entertaining mismatch of basic Mamas & the Papas/Beatles-like pop with overheated fuzz guitar, while "Linda Lee" is a far more basic early British Invasion-derived rocker with way out of tune guitar.
~by Richie Unterberger
Biography :
From Sao Paolo, Brazil, the Galaxies issued a rare album on the Brazilian Som Maior label in 1968. Strictly speaking, it might not be correct to call them a Brazilian group: they were based there, but featured an English guitarist-singer (David Charles Odams) and an American singer (Jocelyn Ann Odams, who also played maracas), as well as Brazilian members. Like many '60s rock records cut by bands from non-English-speaking countries, particularly ones from South America, the LP was crudely recorded and performed, and heavy on clumsy covers of American and British rock songs. However, the untutored innocent energy of the eight tracks — including a couple of originals in addition to covers of songs by (or popularized by) Donovan, Love, the Yardbirds, Keith, and Nancy Sinatra — is appealing. Highlights include the reasonably tough fuzz guitar-laden original "Hey!!!" and the weird cover of Love's "Orange Skies," sung in an indefinably Transatlantic accent by Jocelyn Ann Odams. The album was reissued in 2002 in Italy on Misty Lane.
~by Richie Unterberger
No download or buy link.....
Reason in comments.....
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Gomez - Machismo EP
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
The Frantic Five 1994-2004 (compilation)
It includes tracks taken from all of our past releases (including the unreleased "Frantic Party" from the very first demo,1994).
Here's the track listing (and the year each track was recorded)
1.Frantic Party (1994)
2.Feeling Sad (1998)
3. It's Been So Long (2004)
4. She Can't Be Found (1996)
5. Be Mine (1998)
6. What Made Me Lose My Head (1996)
7. Misty Morning (1998)
8. I've Been a Fool (1998)
9. In The Bradford Mist (1996)
10. Last Night (1996)
11. Haunted Melody (1994)
12. The Fugitive (1994)
13. Zoe's Stomp (1994)
14. Quinta (1996)
15. Why Did You Lie? (1998)
16. I'm Blue (1998)
17. Last Laugh (1994)
18. Do Like Me (1998)
19. She Ain't You (1998)
20. Kathe Fora (1998)
21. There's a Pain (1998)
22. I Believe You Were Wrong (1998)
23. Wrong Guy (1998)
24. Room 409 (2003)
25. James Bond In Space (1994)
Here's the link :
Frantic Five 1994_2004.rar
Captain K - guitar, vocals
Alex - drums, vocals
Dr Organ - farfisa, vocals
More info for the band here :
http://www.myspace.com/thefranticfive
http://www.franticv.com/net/default.asp
Monday, February 04, 2008
Roy Wood - Boulders
Wood was keen on musical experimentation and was in this respect one of the most progressive musicians of his time, taking the 'pop group' into new areas. He was an early proponent of combining rock'n'roll and pop music with other styles, such as classical music, or the big band sound, and introduced classically-styled string and brass sections into the pop record. When The Move was still on tour, he founded, together with his band colleagues Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan, the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was later to gain major commercial success by successfully fusing the basis of a rock band with a permanent string section, without losing rock 'n' roll roots.
The line-up of albums was always fascinating, because of the large number of instruments Wood, and his band members, were playing. Wood himself is mentioned as singer as well as player of guitars, bass guitar, sitar, cello, double bass, saxophones, clarinet, trombone, tuba, recorders, oboe, French horn, banjo, mandolin, bassoon, drums, percussion, vibraphone, bagpipes and keyboards.
Collectively, hit records by The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, Wizzard, and Wood's own solo singles demonstrate an impressive chart run for an individual, both as composer and performer.
By the late 1970s, Wood was appearing less in public; commercial success faded away, and his musical experiments did not always match popular taste, but he remained productive in the studio as musician, producer and songwriter. He was a big Elvis fan, but never succeeded in getting 'The King' to adopt one of his compositions. However, he was untiring as a producer for other acts, most successfully doo-wop revivalists Darts. In 1976, Wood recorded Beatles cover songs "Lovely Rita" and "Polythene Pam" for the ill-fated musical documentary All This and World War II.
In 1977 he formed the Wizzo Band, a jazz-rock ensemble, whose only live performance was a BBC simultaneous TV and radio broadcast in stereo, which split early the following year after cancelling a nationwide tour.
In the early 1980s Wood released a few singles under his own name and also as The Helicopters, and played some live dates under this name. The release of one of these singles, "Aerial Pictures", backed with "Airborne", was cancelled owing to the lack of chart success for its predecessors, but both sides appeared for the first time in 2006 on a compilation CD, Roy Wood - The Wizzard!. "Aerial Pictures", using the original backing track, subsequently became a solo single for former Move vocalist Carl Wayne.
Wood also made a one-off rock'n'roll medley single with Phil Lynott, Chas Hodges and John Coghlan, credited to The Rockers, "We Are The Boys", which made the Top 100 in late 1983, and played a leading role in the Birmingham Heartbeat children's charity concert, on 15 March 1986. As well as designing the logo, Wood stole the show[citation needed] in a line-up which also included the Electric Light Orchestra and the Moody Blues.
After an extended period of hibernation, following the release of the album Starting Up (1987), a cover version of the Len Barry hit "1-2-3", and a guest vocal appearance on one track on Rick Wakeman's Time Machine album, he went on the road with 'Roy Wood's Army'. Rumours of a new live album, and an album of new studio work, provisionally called "Electric Age", did not materialise. He also recorded a two tracks with Jeff Lynne around this time ("If You Can't Get What You Want" and "Me and You"), which likewise have never seen the light of day.
Altogether he had more than 20 singles in the UK Top 40 under various guises, including several number one hits. His most regularly performed and broadcast oldie is the seasonal Wizzard single "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". In 1995 he released a new live version as the 'Roy Wood Big Band', which charted at No. 59, and in 2000 he joined forces with Mike Batt and The Wombles, for a re-recording of the song and the Wombles' hit "Wombling Merry Christmas", which reached No. 22.
Most recently, he has formed 'Roy Wood's Rock and Roll Band' for occasional live dates and TV performances in the UK.
Fans of Wood are a loyal bunch, and in 2007 a group of them launched the website Release Roy! lobbying Warner Brothers Records to release two of Wood's 1970s albums Super Active Wizzo (now released on Wounded Bird Records), and On The Road Again.
Over Christmas 2007, Wood appeared in a catalogue advert for Argos, where he played the part of a rowdy neighbour playing guitar along to Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", and the song once again entered the UK Top 40 singles chart.
Wood was awarded an honorary doctorate for his contribution to music by the University of Derby on the 18 January 2008
HARVEST CDSHVLR 803 RELEASED 20 AUGUST 2007
interview http://www.themoveonline.com/archive_01.html
Track Listings
1. Songs of Praise
2. Wake Up
3. Rock Down Low
4. Nancy Sing Me a Song
5. Dear Elaine [Rough Mix]
6. All the Way Over the Hill/Irish Loafer (And His Hen)
7. Miss Clarke and the Computer
8. When Gran'ma Plays the Banjo
9. Rock Medley: Rockin' Shoes/She's Too Good for Me/Locomotive
Many kinds of music... prog, psyche, rock, melody ...masterpiece i.m.o.
Hats of to Mr Wood (or maybe heads of....????)
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Re-Up
Well, I said in my previous post, that I would tell you more for those people "tomorrow"...
I won't discuss with those people. Their minds are connected only with their pockets and that makes any conversation with them a waste of time.
For those who missed the Boulders series :
Boulders 01.rar ~ Boulders 02.rar ~ Boulders 03.rar
Boulders 07.rar ~ Boulders 08.rar ~ Boulders 09.rar
Boulders 10.rar ~ Boulders 11.rar
You may ask why I'm re-uploading this series...
The reason is that "Boulders" series it's compiled by Dave G. (r.i.p.) of Moxie records.
It's a bootleg series from the first day, and all the the tracks are for 45's.
In the mid sixties almost every town in the states had a record label who published all these teenager music later known as garage. Most of this labels never had the copyrights for this recordings because most of the artists never make this for profit. It was just music !!!
P.S. Thanks all of you for the welcome back messages.
Lost-In-Tyme : Prog - Kraut - Classic Rock - Blues.....It's closed for some time...
Don't ask for permission.