17.01.2022.

TRAPEZE - Studio Discography 1970 - 1979

Trapeze were an English rock band from Cannock, Staffordshire. Formed in 1969, the band originally featured former The Montanas members John Jones (trumpet, vocals) and Terry Rowley (keyboards), and former Finders Keepers members Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals, piano), Mel Galley (guitar, vocals) and Dave Holland (drums). Jones and Rowley left the band following the release of their self-titled debut album in 1970, with the lineup of Hughes, Galley and Holland continuing as a trio. After the release of Medusa later in 1970 and You Are the Music... We're Just the Band in 1972, Hughes left Trapeze in 1973 to join Deep Purple.



Galley and Holland resurfaced with Trapeze a year later, adding second guitarist Rob Kendrick and bassist Pete Wright to the band. Hot Wire was released in late 1974 and a second self-titled album followed in 1975, after which the classic trio briefly reunited for a tour in 1976 when Hughes returned following Deep Purple's breakup. After Hughes left again, Trapeze returned in 1978 with new frontman Peter Goalby, who performed on the band's final album Hold On. Several more lineup changes occurred in the following years, including Holland joining Judas Priest in 1979, before the band broke up in 1982 as Galley joined Whitesnake. In 1991, Hughes, Galley and Holland reunited Trapeze for a string of tour dates the following year, adding Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes for the shows. The tour resulted in a live album, Welcome to the Real World: Live at the Borderline, which was released in 1998. The trio revived Trapeze again in 1994 with second guitarist Craig Erickson, completing a brief tour early in the year before permanently disbanding. Following the band's breakup, both Galley and Holland remained relatively inactive, while Hughes continued with his solo career and collaborations with various artists. Galley died of oesophageal cancer on 1 July 2008, and Holland died of lung cancer on 16 January 2018, leaving Hughes the sole surviving member of the classic line-up.

16.01.2022.

CARMINE APPICE & FERNANDO PERDOMO - Energy Overload (2021)

Drummer Carmine Appice is a legend of the New York rock scene going all the way back to when his band Vanilla Fudge were wowing the crowds as the house band back in Island Park on the South Shore of Long Island. Years of playing with some of the greatest musicians in rock history has only sharpened his legacy and lo and behold in 2021, Carmine is back recording a new album with modern-day guitar / producer wiz Fernando Perdomo. Perdomo is a relatively new name yet in the past five years, he’s managed to create such a wide range of great albums producing artists, as well as on his own, that it staggers the musical imagination. Recording with a drummer as illustrious as Carmine Appice, on Energy Overload—credited to the Carmine Appice & Fernando Perdomo Project—Fernando blows collective musical minds with a performance on electric guitar that rivals earlier albums Carmine recorded with notables including Jeff Beck. Instead, Fernando rises high to the task at hand and proves his valued worth as both a guitar hero as well as an album producer and a multi-instrumentalist. Not only does Fernando play all guitars yet he adds to the mix by performing bass, keys, Hammond organ and more. All music composed by Appice / Perdomo is offset by key covers, including a rocking version of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” and an up to date cover of Rod Stewart’s late '70s disco hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”, which incidentally, no lie, was a co-write by Rod Stewart and Carmine. The entire 12-track Energy Overload CD rocks on so many levels that it’s basically an across-the-board goldmine of instro-rock-fusion magic.

FRESH MAGGOTS - Fresh Maggots ...Hatched (1971) [2006]

Fresh Maggots were a short-lived folk duo from Nuneaton, Warwickshire in England, consisting of Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin, who played a variety of instruments including guitars, glockenspiel, tin whistles and strings. Taking their name from a newspaper advert for a sports shop that proclaimed "fresh maggots always available", the pair were spotted by Mike Berry of the Sparta Florida Music Company in September 1970 while playing only their second concert at Wolvey village hall, and signed a publishing deal with the company. Fresh Maggots (1971), RCA Victor reissued in 2006 on Sunbeam as Fresh Maggots...Hatched This legendary album combines gentle, pastoral songs with violent fuzz guitar to stunning effect. Though it san.k without trace on its original release, it has since acquired a major reputation amongst acid folk fans. Presented here with rare photographs, detailed sleeve notes, and seven bonus tracks (including the duo's rare non-album single and a previously unheard 1971 radio session). This is the most comprehensive collection of their music ever assembled. "The British folk-rock duo of Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin were just 19 years of age when their sole, self-titled album came out in 1971. Comprised entirely of original material, the LP has an admirable array of textures, adding some heavily distorted electric guitar and orchestration around an acoustic guitar base."

15.01.2022.

EGG - 1970/74

An overlooked classical rock trio that had both the talent and sound of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer without the bombast or success, Egg - comprised of organist Dave Stewart (not the one in the Eurythmics), bassist/vocalist Mont Campbell, and Clive Brooks - formed in July, 1968 from the ashes of Uriel/Arzachel after their guitarist, Steve Hillage left to study philosophy at the University of Kent. The band never made it on a major scale, as their music was too grandiose and challenging to garner a mainstream audience. It's a shame, because Campbell had a powerful set of vocal cords, and the group WAS capable of composing shorter, finely crafted melodies. An early single "Seven Is a Jolly Good Time" b/w "We Are All Princes" received modest airplay on the BBC's venerable John Peel Show. The group then proceeded to record two albums, Egg and The Polite Force, both dominated by Stewart's organ, then broke up after Stewart joined the Canterbury all-star group Hatfield and the North. The Civil Surface is a reunion album that came out in late '74. Stewart currently works with singer Barbara Gaskin on periodic new age projects. Campbell had a brief spell with the first version of National Health, and Brooks drummed for a fortnight with the Groundhogs, but their current activities are unknown.

With a strong Canterbury influence implanted into their sound, Egg's first album has the band looking to establish their niche as a progressive group, with Dave Stewart's sharp, effective keyboard work outlining much of the album's overall feel. Mixing jazz and progressive rock drifts, the tracks on Egg contain rhythms and meters that are never at a standstill, with ongoing instrumental action encompassing nearly every track. Numerous classical overtones make for a familiar listen against a backdrop of loose-ended jazz fusion and an unordered yet inviting array of haphazard progressive spillages. The fragmented instrumentals sport an attractive inexperience, especially on "Bulb" and "The Song of McGillicudie the Pussilanimous," which also introduce Egg's lighthearted whimsy. Both "Blane" and "I Will Be Absorbed" represent the most colorful example of Egg's progressive rock fundamentals, with quick tempos and assertive keyboard runs.



It was inevitable that Egg would be compared with Emerson, Lake & Palmer a trio of bass/keyboards/drums with the bassist also singing, coming along at the very end of the 1960s, incorporating serious classical influences (and directed quotations) into their extended pieces. On their second album, The Polite Force, they try for a higher wattage sound than Emerson, Lake & Palmer, without as high velocity a brand of song. Dave Stewart's organ playing is as aggressive and melodic as Keith Emerson's, and he accomplishes a lot with less in the way of high-speed histrionics. That doesn't mean they aren't given to some electronic excesses. The album is diverting enough in its successful spots to carry the rest of it, but there are some missteps including one track dominated by guest horn players that were enough to keep this album from being a favorite, even among art-rock fanatics. Reissued in Japan in the late '90s as part of the Decca/Deram psychedelic retrospective series.

After releasing two highly original albums - their self-titled debut and The Polite Force - the Egg cracked in 1971, and the trio went their separate ways. In 1974, however, Dave Stewart, Mont Campbell and Clive Brooks reunited and returned to the studio. There they were joined by members of Henry Cow and old friend Steve Hillage, resulting in the The Civil Surface album. Although Egg had presented some of the material within on their final tour, still that long ago taster barely primed fans for what was to come. For as experimental as the trio had been in days of yore, with Civil Surface the band moved almost completely into improvisational, avant-garde territory.

14.01.2022.

STEPPENWOLF - Studio Albums 1971/76

For Ladies Only is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1971, by Dunhill Records. It is a political concept album mainly about feminism but with several more conventional songs about romance as well, both unusual themes for Steppenwolf. Some critics saw the album as sexist, citing the lyrics of the songs and a photo of a car shaped like a penis alongside the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the gatefold. The album saw the band hinting toward the progressive rock movement that was popular at the time with more complex arrangements and sophisticated keyboard playing, particularly on the title track. Like their previous album, it was accompanied by two minor hit singles which fell just short of the Top 40. Lead guitarist Kent Henry from Blues Image, replaced Larry Byrom prior to recording this album. The album was Steppenwolf's last of new material released prior to the band's initial breakup in February 1972.



Slow Flux is the seventh studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in August 1974, by Epic Records. In the US it was released on the Mums Records label, a short-lived CBS Records subsidiary. It was the first of three albums the band created after reforming in 1974 before they disbanded again in 1976. "Straight Shootin' Woman" was the last Steppenwolf song to chart on the Billboard magazine Top 40. The song "Children of the Night" notably posits that the hippie movement at this time had died, and president Richard Nixon is referred to as "the fool who believed that wrong is right". Guitarist and composer Bobby Cochran replaced Kent Henry on lead guitar in this reformed lineup, until the 1976 breakup. Cochran is the late Eddie Cochran's nephew. This was the last Steppenwolf album that Goldy McJohn would play on. He was sacked from the band by bandleader John Kay in 1975. A horn section also played on the album.

Hour of the Wolf is the eighth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in September 1975, by Epic Records. Andy Chapin replaced long time keyboardist Goldy McJohn on this album. AllMusic gave the album a negative retrospective review, saying the songs are all competent but adhere too closely to Steppenwolf formulas that had already been played out. The material is all adequate, but where Kay was crafting an interesting direction on his Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes solo disc, abandoning those elements for the somewhat tried and true is this album's dilemma. When Kay does touch upon that venture slightly, as on the slide guitar and slick chorus vocals of "Another's Lifetime," it is most satisfying.



Skullduggery is the ninth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in May 1976, by Epic Records. It was the third of four released by Epic Records, and the last to feature keyboardist Wayne Cook, who left to join Player in 1977. Announcing the supposed end of Steppenwolf in early 1972, group prime mover John Kay explained that “we were locked into an image and a style of music and there was simply nothing new for us to look forward to.” Two years later, after an apparent change of heart, Steppenwolf reformed. Unfortunately, though, its recent work has largely confirmed the wisdom behind the original decision to disband. The majority of Skullduggery‘s eight tracks serve only to demonstrate the most vacuous side of the group’s raunchy rock style. After this release, the band didn't produce again until the early 1980s.

13.01.2022.

ENGLAND - Garden Shed (1977) [Golden Edition, 2015]

This British quartet featured Martin Henderson (bass, vocals), Frank Holland (guitar, vocals), Robert Webb (keyboards, vocals) and Jode Leigh (percussion, vocals, bass). Their debut LP "Garden Shed" is one of the finest, 24-carat progrock albums. The LP was released on CD in Japan but you could hear the scratches because they put it directly from the record on CD without the usual mastering. Fortunately keyboard player Robert Webb re-released the original album tapes on a limited edition CD with the help of Gordon Haskell and The Forward Organisation. This in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Garden Shed" in 1997. Two years before there was a CD-release entitled "The Last Of The Jubblies", including material from '76 and '77. The album "Garden Shed" has strong echoes from early Genesis and Yes. The often Mellotron drenched compositions sound melodic, warm and inventive with many captivating changes of climate and thrilling breaks. The guitarwork is sensitive, the keyboardplay is varied and the vocals are strong, no doubt that these are good musicians. The way England combines the influence of Yes with lots of original ideas reminds me of Fruupp, another good British progrock band. Not to be missed in any serious progrock collection! "The Last Of The Jubblies" is a grouping of the recording made between 1976 and 1977. Their sophisticated music with elaborated instrumental developments could be situated in the same category as Yes and Genesis.

This 2CD edition includes the original album on one disc with the other collecting together all the bonus tracks available plus some other related stuff. The original album has been remastered, though from Tony Arnold's 1997 remaster with added tweaks by Robert Webb. The booklet contains lots of artwork and photos, song texts, production & recording information about all songs and extensive private / background info about the bonus tracks written by Robert Webb.

12.01.2022.

THIRD WORLD WAR

Third World War were an English rock & roll band formed in 1970 by manager and producer John Fenton together with songwriters Terry Stamp and Jim Avery. Fenton came up with the band's name and provided a large part of its musical direction; Phill Brown, the recording engineer on the band's first album, quotes him as saying, "I want a no-bullshit, working class band—I've had enough of all this pseudo peace crap." Due to this attitude, the band's raucous sound and its revolutionary lyrics, they have been described as "England's first punk band." In 1970 the band recorded their first album, Third World War, which was released in 1971 on Fly Records. Largely, the themes of the album espoused far-left political sentiment. It featured Stamp on rhythm guitar and vocals, Avery on bass, Mick Lieber on lead guitars and Fred Smith (drums). Tony Ashton also added piano on some of the tracks, and Jim Price (trumpet and trombone) and Bobby Keyes (saxophone), American musicians who were playing with the Rolling Stones, provided some horn parts.



At the time the album was released, the band had yet to play live. In the summer of 1971 Avery, Fenton and Stamp reconfigured the group to get "the 'best' live grouping," which was Stamp, Avery, John Hawken on piano, John Knightsbridge on lead guitar, and Paul Olsen on drums. They toured Finland, playing 35 gigs in 30 days, and then went on to perform at a number of festivals across Europe. 1971 also saw the release of the band's two singles, "Ascension Day"/"Teddy Teeth Goes Sailing" and "A Little Bit Of Urban Rock"/"Working Class Man", both of which appeared on Fly Records. By the time Third World War went into the studio in 1972 to record their second album the management at Fly Records were becoming unhappy with the band's lack of commercial potential. Hoping to guide the group towards more mainstream acceptability, the label demanded the song "Coshing Old Lady Blues" be removed from the album. Fenton refused to release the album without that track, so Third World War II came out instead on The Who's Track Records label. Personnel on the record was the touring group from the previous summer, except that Craig Collinge replaced Olsen on drums. During the recording of the album, Fenton ran out of money and could no longer pay the musicians, and once the record was finished the band broke up.

DOWNCHILD BLUES BAND - Bootleg (1971) & Straight Up (1973)

The Downchild Blues Band is a Canadian blues band, described by one reviewer as "the premier blues band in Canada". The band is still commonly known as the Downchild Blues Band, though the actual band name was shortened to "Downchild" in the early 1980s. The Blues Brothers band was heavily influenced by Downchild Blues Band. The Downchild Blues Band was formed in Toronto in 1969 and continues to perform today. It was co-founded by two brothers, Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh and Richard "Hock" Walsh. The band's international fame is partially due to three of its songs, the originals "I've Got Everything I Need (Almost)" and "Shot Gun Blues", and its adaptation of "Flip, Flop and Fly", all from its 1973 album, Straight Up, being featured on the first Blues Brothers album, Briefcase Full of Blues (1978). "Flip, Flop and Fly" has been Downchild's only hit single, and became the signature song of Hock Walsh. The band's musical style is described as being "a spirited, if fundamental, brand of jump-band and Chicago-style blues". The band's first album, Bootleg, is regarded as one of the first independent albums ever produced in Canada. It was recorded over two nights in 1971, in a makeshift studio at Toronto's Rochdale College. Donnie Walsh and others distributed the album by hand. It was welcomed by major Toronto music retailer Sam Sniderman, of Sam The Record Man renown, who was very much disposed to promoting Canadian music. The record was soon acquired by RCA Records Canada for more general distribution.

11.01.2022.

THE SNAKES

In 1997, former Whitesnake guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody decided to reunite in order to perform their legendary old band's classic material once again. So after drafting Norwegian vocalist Johnny Lande (aka Jřrn Lande), keyboard player Josh Phillips, bassist David Levy, and drummer Mark Brzezicki, they set out on a tour that was conveniently billed "An Evening of Whitesnake Music," then decided to record an album of original material, proper. This became 1998's Once Bitten, which featured new drummer Willy Bendiksen and was only officially released in Japan, but eventually led to the Live in Europe set, recorded on location later that year with the aid of journeyman keyboardist Don Airey. Bassist Neil Murray was the next Whitesnake alum to join them, and with vocalist Robert Hart and drummer John Lingwood then in tow, the group decided to change its name to Company of Snakes.

10.01.2022.

WHITESNAKE - Restless Heart (1997) [25th Anniversary Edition), 2021]

Even though they were a global chart-topping, hit-making machine less than ten years prior, David Coverdale came up empty when he tried to find a U.S.-based record company to issue the group's 1997 release, Restless Heart (available Stateside only as an import). To Coverdale's credit, he did not attempt to give Whitesnake a modern-day makeover (which so many pop- metal bands of the late '80s did post-Nirvana, and failed miserably), as he follows in the same melodic rock mold of Whitesnake's previous two releases, 1987's Whitesnake and 1989's Slip of the Tongue. Unlike the late-'80s edition of Whitesnake (which included Steve Vai, Tommy Aldridge, etc.), the 1998 version is not a showcase for rock's most renowned hired guns. In addition to Coverdale, the only holdover from the group's previous album is guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, who FINALLY gets the chance to appear on a full-length Whitesnake recording (after several close calls on the aforementioned releases). Instead of walloping listeners over the skull with an album opening rocker, Coverdale kicks things off on a mellow note, with the bluesy ballad "Don't Fade Away," but harder-edged material soon follows, including the riff-rocking title track, and "Crying," which shows the singer's Zeppelin fixation remains. The times may have changed, but David Coverdale is content with his old sound -- and longtime Whitesnake fans will be pleased.

08.01.2022.

DAVID BOWIE - TOY [3CD Box] (2022)

Around the turn of the millennium, David Bowie made one of the more unexpected moves in a career filled with them: He began revisiting some of the very earliest songs from his professional career, most of which he’d released in his teens or early 20s and that most fans would only be dimly aware of, if at all. In fact, a rocked-up version of his fourth single, “Can’t Help Thinking About Me,” originally released in 1966, became a highlight of his live sets from 1999 and 2000. He later took his tour-tight band into the studio and bashed down more than a dozen of them for an album called “Toy” that, due to complications with his label, was not released at the time, although several songs were released separately and the whole thing leaked a few years back.

Producer and longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti has described the album as being “some of David’s finest work” and the project offers a unique lens on the musician’s own interpretations of his recordings. Following his iconic Glastonbury set in 2000, Bowie entered the studio to record new takes on songs he’d first cut early in his career, from 1964-1971, with a view to release the collection in as short a time frame as possible. While a commercial release was ultimately shelved, it sees Bowie reconnect with some of his finest early recordings, with freakbeat single Can’t Help Thinking About Me bringing all the energy of his live shows onto the record. His selections are choice and, given the concept, it’s only natural to yearn for more, as Bowie hones in on specific moments from his formative years which were inspiring him at that particular time. But instead of a cohesive body of work, ‘Toy’ exists more as a soundboard for what would be to come, as it was laid to one side while the icon set to work on his next original album, ‘Heathen’, released the following year. The album was first issued as part of the ‘Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)’ box set, but the ‘Toy:Box’ release expands further across three discs, featuring alternate takes and stripped-back recordings from the original sessions. The brilliance, of course, is that he not only left behind an unreleased album after his death, but also a full expanded edition to be enjoyed for years to come.

DAMN YANKEES - Damn Yankees (1990) & Don't Tread (1992)

For a brief time in the early '90s, the supergroup Damn Yankees enjoyed a considerable amount of success on the arena rock circuit. Comprised of guitarist Ted Nugent, Styx's Tommy Shaw, Night Ranger's Jack Blades, and drummer Michael Cartellone, Damn Yankees arrived during the final moments of pop-metal's heyday, and their music didn't stray from that radio-friendly format at all. The group's self-titled debut album spawned several hits in 1990, including the Top Ten power ballad "High Enough" and the radio hit "Coming of Age." Although they proved to be a popular concert draw (Nugent even made headlines for his unchained behavior on-stage, which included shooting arrows into an effigy of Saddam Hussein), the band's follow-up effort, Don't Tread, didn't fare nearly as well. The group disbanded soon after, with Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades continuing to work together as Shaw Blades.

07.01.2022.

JONI MITCHELL - Archives, Volume 2 - The Reprise Years (1968-1971) [2021]

Archives, Volume 2 - The Reprise Years (1968-1971) is a five-disc box set by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on November 12, 2021, by Rhino Records. The box set is the seventh overall release and second offering of unreleased material from the Joni Mitchell Archives, a planned series of releases containing remastered material from the singer's archives. Formatted in chronological order, the second volume of the series includes archived material that was recorded in the years between the release of Mitchell's debut studio album, Song to a Seagull (1968) and her fourth studio album, Blue (1971). The tracks on Archives, Volume 2 have been sequenced chronologically to follow Mitchell in real time through one of the most creative periods of her career. The collection uncovers several unreleased Mitchell originals, including “Jesus” recorded in 1969 at her friend Jane Lurie’s New York apartment in Chelsea, which also served as the setting for the song “Chelsea Morning.” Other highlights include Mitchell’s performance at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa on March 19, 1968 that was recorded by Jimi Hendrix and a concert at the Paris Theatre in London on October 29, 1970 that was broadcast on the BBC. The latter includes several songs destined to appear on Blue the following year: “Carey,” “River” and “My Old Man.” In addition, singer-songwriter James Taylor joined Mitchell to perform with her during the second half of the show.