A New Beginning

The rapidly shrinking, sinking and stinking Rapidshare has blocked my account and deleted hundreds of my files. Is this the end of A.O.O.F.C? Watch this space, & thanks for all your support and encouragement. Keep on rockin' in the free world. Paul

A.O.O.F.C
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Mizar6

babydancing




Get this crazy baby off my head!

30.3.08

Olive





Olive - Extra Virgin - 1996 - RCA

A good album in the vein of Portishead and Morcheeba. It is not groundbreaking , but it is a well above average album of it's type. Most of the tracks are well constructed musically, with some nice jazz influences, helped by British vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle's angelic voice over a wide variety of beats and loops. Check out "You're Not Alone." The album has received mixed reviews, - more critical than complimentary, but many critics are looking for a second "Dummy" or "Walking Wounded, " and that's not being realistic. It's a cool, calm, relaxing album, and very enjoyable. Even if you're not into the techno/electronica/trip-hop scene, you may be missing out on a lot of good music by discounting albums like Extra Virgin. If you like Sade, you might just enjoy this album. For other music in this genre, check out Sade's "Diamond Life," Morcheeba's "The Antidote," and "Walking Wounded" by Everything but the Girl. Olive released a second CD, "Trickle" in 2000, on Maverick Records.

TRACKS

1 Miracle (7:31)
2 This Time (4:43)
3 Safer Hands (5:02)
4 Killing (4:17)
5 You're Not Alone (4:25)
6 Falling (4:52)
7 Outlaw (5:08)
8 Blood Red Tears (4:41)
9 Curious (5:00)
10 You Are Nothing (4:19)
11 Muted (3:37)
12 I Don't Think So (13:37)
13 You're Not Alone - TRACK 13 [This is a hidden version of Track 5, with no rhythm track on it.]

All compositions by Kellett/Taylor

CREDITS

Ruth-Ann Boyle : Vocals
Darren Campbell : Bass
Duke Quartet : Strings
Tony Foster : Bass, Guitar
Louise Fuller : Violin
Adrian Hackett : Drums
Tim Kellett : Flugelhorn, Keyboards, Trumpet
Richard Koster : Violin
George Lambert : Digital EQ
Henrik Linnermann : Flute
Ivan McCready : Cello
John Metcalfe : Viola
Omith Mukherjee : Guitar
Heitor Teixeira Pereira : Guitar
Ruth-Ann : Vocals
Mark Sheridan : Flute, Guitar
Robin Taylor-Firth : Keyboards

REVIEWS

A year after its initial release, Olive's debut album, Extra Virgin, finally produced a number one British hit with "You're Not Alone," a low-key lite trip-hop number with a graceful melody. It's a strong single, and there are similarly strong moments on Extra Virgin, yet Olive don't stand out from the post-Portishead pack. Like Everything but the Girl, they are essentially a folky, pop-oriented group that uses the stoned rhythms of trip-hop as hip window-dressing. Since that rhythm is appealing on its own terms, it doesn't matter that Olive use it as ornamentation, especially since they use it well. What is a problem is their lack of consistent songwriting. Only a few songs match the singles "You're Not Alone" and "Miracle" in terms of memorable, melodic construction, and the weaker tracks tend to float by on their admittedly entrancing production. And that leaves Extra Virgin an intriguing debut, but not necessarily one that promises great things from Olive. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
There are all the standard trip-hop ingredients--two guys who could probably stand to get out of the studio a little more often, lots of keyboards, drum machines, and samples. And there's a female singer, who's been compared to Sade--rather unfairly, since Ruth-Ann can manage more than a monotone and still be sultry. But there's also guitar and--wait for it--real strings. And, um, songs. Granted, they're not your conventional verse-chorus-verse, but like an insect bite, they get under your skin until you're scratching away and can't ignore them. © Chris Nickson, Amazon.com

BIO (Wikipedia)

Olive were a dance/breakbeat/trip hop group from Sunderland, North East England. The founding membership consisted of producer, instrumentalist and songwriter Tim Kellett, producer and keyboard programmer Robin Taylor-Firth, and singer Ruth-Ann Boyle. The band released two albums, the second without Taylor-Firth, before ceasing activity. They are best known for the UK number-one single "You're Not Alone". Following Simply Red's 1991 album Stars, which garnered the band's greatest commercial success in the UK and worldwide at the time, Tim Kellett, last among its original lineup (as trumpet player), left the band. Meanwhile, Robin Taylor-Firth had just come off of George Evelyn's techno/hip hop project Nightmares on Wax.The two met through a mutual friend who had recently joined Simply Red as bassist, and formed a musical collaboration (Taylor-Firth cites the disparity between his relatively "underground" work among Sheffield's electronic music and DJ community, and Kellett's mainstream history). By 1994, three demos (which would become "Miracle", "Falling" and "You're Not Alone") were recorded in Kellett's cellar studio, upon which the two began their search for a singer. At this time, Kellett went on tour as keyboardist with Vini Reilly's The Durutti Column (which he played for a decade ago prior to joining Simply Red). While playing back pre-recorded keyboard samples on stage, Kellett heard a favourable vocal sample; the voice was that of Ruth-Ann Boyle, who had provided the samples for The Durutti Column's 1994 album Sex and Death. Kellett contacted Boyle about singing for the collaboration; at the time working in a bar, and though disillusioned from past experiences singing in bands, Boyle accepted. After a "kind of an audition" with "Miracle" Boyle's membership in the band was set. The completion of the three initial demos attracted the interest of various UK record labels, and Olive signed with the top bidder, RCA, in September 1995. The songwriting and recording process concluded with the completion of their first album in January 1996.The first single, "You're Not Alone," was released in 1996. Although the song took a year for audiences in England to catch onto, it eventually made number one in 1997, after the release of a new, remixed version, selling over 500000 copies. Popularity in America and Australia was muted, with the track falling short of an American Top 40 position and being restricted to a small musical niche with Australians. "Outlaw" followed not long after, with similar responses, as well as their first album, Extra Virgin in 1996. The band also toured with Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison in 1999. Going along with the success of the remixed single, Extra Virgin was re-released with a bonus disc of remixes (by producers including Monkey Mafia, Roni Size, and the famed duo of Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne) in 1997. The band went on tour to promote the album with a seven-piece band, playing three episodes of Top of the Pops ("You're Not Alone" twice in May 1997, "Outlaw" in August), a ten-date UK tour, as well as legs in Germany (alongside Faithless) and the U.S. In the time leading up to the release of the follow-up album, Taylor-Firth had left the group to return to Nightmares on Wax, bringing it down to a duo. Meanwhile, they lost the support of RCA's UK branch, which dropped the band; however, they were then picked up by Madonna's Maverick Records (supposedly, with Madonna's personal approval after she attended one of their concerts in Germany). In 2000, their presciently-named second album Trickle was released. While Trickle still displayed the distinctive Olive sound, the tunes were more dance-oriented. The best known song on this album was a cover of the 10cc song "I'm Not in Love"; it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and was featured on the soundtrack to The Next Best Thing. Since then, like many trip-hop bands, little has been heard of them. The band has entered an extended hiatus. Kellett is focussing on songwriting for other artists so that he can spend more time with his family. Ruth-Ann joined Enigma as a vocalist, and released her first solo album 'What About Us' on June 4th 2007. It was released exclusively through iTunes. At the 1997 Ivor Novello Awards (May 28, 1998), Kellett and Taylor-Firth received the Best Dance Music award for "You're Not Alone". The song was also covered as a 2002 single by German dance producer ATB. During the American leg of the Trickle promotional tour, the band suggested that 60-70% of their audience demographic at the time was gay. This was recognized to the extent that the final show of the tour was played at the San Francisco Pride festival. Today, Olive is generally placed alongside mid-1990s trip hop/electronica artists such as Moloko, Beth Orton, and the Sneaker Pimps.

MORE ARTIST INFO

The epitomy of the quieter, coffee-table side of singer/songwriter electronica and trip-hop, Olive was formed by producers Tim Kellett and Robin Taylor-Firth (former members of, respectively, Simply Red and Nightmares on Wax) with vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle. Kellett connected with Boyle while playing keyboards for a live incarnation of the Durutti Column (he manipulated her tape-looped vocals while on stage), and asked her to join him in a new recording project. With Kellett writing lyrics and the addition of Taylor-Firth, the trio recorded three songs and found plenty of labels ready to bid for their services. RCA Records won out and released "You're Not Alone" in 1995. Though it took almost a year to catch on with British audiences, the single eventually hit number one and sold half a million copies. America proved passingly fond of the track as well, making a home near the Top 40 for it. Their second album Trickle arrived in 2000 on Maverick Records. © John Bush, All Music Guide

29.3.08

Eye To Eye





Eye To Eye - Eye To Eye - 1982 - Warner Bros

The great producer, Gary Katz will probably be mostly associated with many of Steely Dan's great recordings, especially the legendary "The Nightfly" album for Donald Fagen, but he has produced many great recordings for artists as diverse as Bobby Darin, Mamas & Papas, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, 10 CC, & Joe Cocker. He is also a renowned A&R man/talent scout, and signed up artists like Jim Croce, Chaka Khan, Prince, Dire Straits, Christopher Cross and Rickie Lee Jones, mainly for Warner Bros. He was sent a recording of the American/British duo, Eye To Eye, was interested in their sound, and agreed to produce their debut album. It is a very good album full of quirky lyrics and catchy tunes. Katz, as is the norm with him assembled some of the best session musicians available, including part time Steely Dan members like Elliott Randall and Dean Parks to play on the album. Donald Fagen, himself played synth on "On The Mend." A single from this album, "Nice Girls" hit the Billboard Top 40." In 1983 they released their 2nd album "Shakespeare Stole My Baby" including the Billboard Top 100 single hit tune "Lucky." Again, it had an all star session list of credits, but had a much lesser impact than the first release which had been well reviewed by the New York Times and had also sold over 80,000 copies in the U.S. However, over the two albums, Warner Bros lost out financially. In 1983, Julian Marshall and Deborah Berg, had a band assembled which was comprised mainly of British musicians. They played a few N.Y gigs and were offered support band slot to a planned U.S tour by Fleetwood Mac. Warner, understandably were reluctant to finance Eye To Eye, and sadly the duo broke up soon after. It could have been their big break back then. Who knows? This very rare debut album from Eye To Eye is well worth listening to. Deborah's great voice combines the sounds of Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, and Sade. The album has unusual quirky lyrics, very catchy tunes, and some crack musicians. .Eye To Eye's music has been described as heavily influenced Steely Dan "Basia-vein pop," and that is a good description. There was a single released by"Eye To Eye" called "Am I Normal ?" c/w "Tonight Insomnia" on Automatic Records UK. This single should be worth seeking out. In 2005, "Eye To Eye" recorded a third album, "Clean Slate," which has received some great reviews. It is also worth checking out the "Zazu" album, by Rosie Vela @ R.VELA/ZAZU , which is another Katz production in a similar style - unusual song structures, quirky lyrics, and clever hooks played by the Katz/Steely Dan ensemble. But if you really want to hear a classic and criminally underrated album, again in this music style, check out the superb "Flaunt The Imperfection" album by China Crisis. Incredibly cryptic lyrics, but every track is a rock masterpiece.The album, "surprisingly" enough was produced by The Dan's Walter Becker. Enough said.

TRACKS

Hunger Pains
Life In Motion
Nice Girls
More Hopeless Knowledge
Progress Ahead
Physical Attraction
Time Flys
On The Mend

All compositions by Julian Marshall & Deborah Berg

MUSICIANS

Julian Marshall - Keyboards
Deborah Berg - Vocals
Donald Fagen - Synthesizer on "On The Mend."
Jeff Porcaro - Drums
Jim Keltner - Drums
Chuck Rainey - Bass
Abraham Laboriel - Bass
Rick Derringer - Guitar
Elliott Randall - Guitar
Dean Parks - Guitar
Ian Underwood - Keyboards
Starz Vanderlocket - Percussion
Rush Underwood - Marimba
Timothy B. Schmit - Background Vocals
Produced by Gary Katz

BIO (Wikipedia)

Eye to Eye are a duo formed by Seattle, USA singer Deborah Berg and English pianist Julian Marshall. They first met in San Diego in 1980 at a performance of the dance ensemble Mostly Women Moving, for whom Berg danced. Berg had been injured and sang instead of dancing on the night of the performance Marshall attended; he spoke with Berg and a few weeks later asked her to fly to England to record with him. A deal with Automatic Records followed soon after, and their first single, "Am I Normal?", came out later that year. Signing with Warner Bros. Records, they released their debut album in 1981, and the lead single "Nice Girls" cracked the Top 40 in the US. A second album followed in 1983, produced by Steely Dan producer Gary Katz, but it did not receive much label support and did not sell well. In 2001, the members reunited, and in 2005 released a third album.

EYE TO EYE HISTORY

Eye to Eye was born in 1980 after a chance encounter between Julian Marshall and Deborah Berg in San Diego, California. Julian and his wife, Arabella, attended a dance performance by the San Francisco-based dance collective Mostly Women Moving, with whom Deborah danced and sang. She had a knee injury, so she sang instead of danced that night, and her voice dazzled Julian. They exchanged phone numbers, and, upon his return to London, Julian invited Deborah to fly across the Atlantic and try writing together. Three weeks later, Deborah and Julian had a tape of demos and a record deal in the works. Their first single, 1980's "Am I Normal?," attracted the attention of Steely Dan producer Gary Katz in Los Angeles at a Warner Brothers Artist and Repertoire meeting. Soon, Julian and Deborah signed with Warner Brothers in the States and were recording in Los Angeles with some of the world's finest session players. Deborah and Julian recorded two albums for Warner Brothers, both produced by Gary Katz. Their self-titled debut came out in 1981 and eventually sold 80,000 copies in the United States. "Nice Girls," the album's single, scored them a Billboard Top 40 hit. Deborah and Julian undertook a successful East Coast tour in support of the album, and received a wonderful review from New York Times reporter Stephen Holden. Their second album "Shakespeare Stole my Baby" was released in 1982. To their disappointment, the album sank without much notice. It has, of course, been reissued to considerable critical acclaim. After their second album, Julian and Deborah put the band on hiatus while they both dedicated their time to family and other pursuits. In 2001, Julian flew to New York, fired up with enthusiasm to play and sing with Deborah again. He came with the idea of forming a jazz quintet with her, but after one listen to old Eye to Eye songs, they reawakened the band. Many trips across the Atlantic later (with enormous apologies to the environment) and armed with eleven new songs, Eye to Eye recorded again. Roxy Music producer Rhett Davies co-produced this album, and recording took place in both New York City and Devonshire. Eye to Eye's third album, 'Clean Slate,' was born on June 27, 2005, and is currently being promoted in the United Kingdom to great response. This vibrant duo's smooth sound and evocative lyrics herald a new chapter in Eye to Eye's fantastic story. © www.eyetoeyemusic.com/secondary/theBand.html

MORE ABOUT THE DUO [ Words © from Adult Music In Japan]

"Eye To Eye" is the duo comprising of Julian Marshall, keyboard player coming from UK, and Deborah Berg, female vocalist coming from Seattle,USA. Julian Marshall had done another duo with female singer, "Marshall Hain" in late 70's, which released the album "Free Ride" in UK (same album released in USA was titled as "Dancing In The City". The reason why this unknown pop duo "Eye To Eye" was remarked was, as you guess, the works produced by Gary Katz known for his producing works with Steely Dan. It is said that "Eye To Eye" started its duo activity in 1979 by releasing their single record "Am I Normal ?" c/w "Tonight Insomnia" under Automatic Records UK. In 1982, they released 1st album "Eye To Eye" produced by Gary Katz and first single "Nice Girls" hit Billboard Top 40. Only one year later, they released their 2nd album "Shakespeare Stole My Baby" including the Billboard Top 100 single hit tune "Lucky". If I explain to their music style, "Eye To Eye" was "pop heavily influenced from Steely Dan."

26.3.08

Gerry Rafferty





Gerry Rafferty - Best of Gerry Rafferty - 1993 - Manhattan (EMI) - Germany

A good comprehensive compilation from the great Scottish singer/songwriter. His song, "Baker Street" is undoubtedly one of the greatest pop songs ever written, and will immortalize Gerry Rafferty. He was was a member of a group called "Stealers Wheel," a Scottish folk rock band which had a mammoth hit in the early 70's with "Stuck in the Middle With You, " from their first self titled album, produced by Leiber & Stoller, in 1972. By 1975 the group had disbanded after managerial problems which were a plague of many good seventies bands. Stealers Wheel released three albums which are now available in remastered versions on Lemon Recordings, part of the Cherry Red company. Definitely worth checking out. By the late seventies/early eighties, Gerry Rafferty had become a huge star, mostly due to the great "Baker Street" single, and the albums "City To City," and "Night Owl," which were classic albums of beautifully written songs. Nowadays, Gerry Rafferty seldom performs live, but he released a brilliant album in 1992, "On a Wing and a Prayer," which is a forgotten classic, and is as good as "City To City," or "Night Owl." Check it out!

TRACKS

1.Baker Street
2.Days Gone Down
3.The Royal Mile
4.Sleepwalking
5.Right Down The Line
6.Night Owl
7.Wastin Away
8.As Wise As A Serpent
9.The Ark
10.Get It Right Next Time
11.Bring It All Home
12.On The Way
13.Whatever's Written In Your Heart
14.Take The Money And Run
15.Can I Have My Money Back

BIO

Gerry Rafferty was a popular music giant at the end of the '70s, thanks to the song "Baker Street" and the album City to City. His career long predated that fixture of Top 40 radio, however; indeed, by the time he cut "Baker Street" Rafferty had already been a member of two successful groups, the Humblebums and Stealers Wheel. Rafferty was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1947, the son of a Scottish mother and an Irish father. His father was deaf but still enjoyed singing, mostly Irish rebel songs, and his early experience of music was a combination of Catholic hymns, traditional folk music, and '50s pop music. By 1968, at age 21, Rafferty was a singer-guitarist and had started trying to write songs professionally, and was looking for a gig of his own. Enter Billy Connolly, late of Scottish bands like the Skillet Lickers and the Acme Brush Company. Connolly was a musician and comedian who'd found that telling jokes from the stage was as appealing an activity to him -- and the audience -- as making music. He'd passed through several groups looking for a niche before finally forming a duo called the Humblebums with Tim Harvey, a rock guitarist. They'd established themselves in Glasgow, and were then approached by Transatlantic, one of the more successful independent record labels in England at the time, and signed to a recording contract. After playing a show in Paisley, Rafferty approached Connolly about auditioning some of the songs he'd written. Connolly was impressed not only with the songs but with their author, and suddenly the Humblebums were a trio. They were a major success in England both on-stage and on record, but not without some strain. Connolly was the dominant personality, his jokes between the songs entertaining audiences as much as the songs themselves. Additionally, Rafferty began develop a distinctive style as a singer, guitarist and songwriter, and this eventually led to tension between him and Harvey: the latter exited in 1970, and Rafferty and Connolly continued together for two more albums, their line-up expanding to a sextet, but their relationship began to break down. The records were selling well, and the gigs were growing in prominence, including a Royal Command Performance. Connolly, however, worked himself to the point of exhaustion amid all of this activity, and when he did recover, he and Rafferty ultimately split up over the differing directions in which each was going. Rafferty had noticed that Connolly's jokes were taking up more time in their concerts than the music he was writing. They parted company in 1971. Transatlantic didn't want to give up one of its top money-makers, however, especially if there was a new career to be started. Rafferty cut his first solo album for the label that year. "Can I Have My Money Back?" was a melodious folk-pop album, on which Rafferty employed the vocal talents of an old school friend, Joe Egan. The LP garnered good reviews but failed to sell. Out of those sessions, however, Rafferty and Egan put together the original line-up of Stealers Wheel, which was one of the most promising (and rewarding) pop/rock outfits of the mid-'70s. Unfortunately, Stealers Wheel's lineup and legal history were complicated enough to keep various lawyers well paid for much of the middle of the decade. Rafferty was in the group, then out, then in again as the lineup kept shifting. Their first album was a success, the single "Stuck in the Middle with You" a huge hit, but nothing after that clicked commercially, and by 1975 the group was history. Three years of legal battles followed, sorting out problems between Rafferty and his management. Finally, in 1978, Rafferty was free to record again, and he signed to United Artists Records. That year, he cut City to City, a melodic yet strangely enigmatic album that topped the charts in America, put there by the success of the song "Baker Street." The song itself was a masterpiece of pop production, Rafferty's Paul McCartney-like vocals carrying a haunting central melody with a mysterious and yearning lyric, backed by a quietly thumping bass, tinkling celeste, and understated keyboard ornamentation, and then Raphael Ravenscroft's sax, which you got a taste of in the opening bars, rises up behind some heavily amplified electric guitars. It was sophisticated '70s pop/rock at its best (and better yet, it wasn't disco!) and it dominated the airwaves for months in 1978, narrowly missing the number one spot in England but selling millions of copies and taking up hundreds of cumulative hours of radio time. The publisher and the record company couldn't have been happier. Everyone concerned was thrilled, until it became clear that Rafferty -- who had a reclusive and iconoclastic streak -- was not going to tour America to support the album. The album, which finally reached number one, might've gone double-platinum and meant it (lots of records were shipped platinum in those days, only eventually to return 90-percent of those copies) had Rafferty toured. His next record, Night Owl (1979), also charted well and got good reviews, but the momentum that had driven City to City to top-selling status wasn't there, and Snakes & Ladders (1980), his next record, didn't sell nearly as well. Ironically, around this time, Rafferty's brother Jim was signed to a recording contract by Decca-London, a label that wasn't long for this world -- something that Gerry would soon have to face about his own situation at United Artists. United Artists Records had seen some major hit records throughout the '60s and '70s, but by the end of the decade, the parent film distribution and production company was revamping all of its operations in the wake of the mass exodus of several of its top executives. The record label was one of the first things to go -- running a record company was a luxury that the current UA management felt it could do without. Rafferty was practically the last major artist signed to the label, and if City to City had been a hit when the label was sold to EMI, he'd probably have been treated like visiting royalty. But by the time United Artists Records was sold to EMI around 1980, his figures weren't showing millions of units sold anymore. His contract was merely part of a deal, and, in fact, almost none of the UA artists picked up by EMI fared well with the new company -- as with many artists caught up in one of those sale-and-acquisition situations, even if Rafferty had been producing anything comparable to "Baker Street" in popularity, it's doubtful the record would've gotten the push it would've taken to make it a hit. Sleepwalking (1982), issued on the Liberty label, ended that round of Rafferty's public music-making activities, and he was little heard from during the mid-'80s, apart from one song contributed to the offbeat comedy Local Hero, a producer's gig with the group the Proclaimers that yielded a Top Three single ("Letter from America") in 1987. A year later, he released his first album in more than five years, North & South, which failed to register with the public. By that time, Transatlantic had begun exploiting his early recording activity, reissuing his early solo and Humblebums tracks on CD. On a Wing and a Prayer (1992) was similarly ignored by the public, although the critics loved it, and Over My Head (1995) was an attempt to reconsider his own past by re-thinking some Stealers Wheel-era songs. Gerry Rafferty is still remembered, two decades after it was a hit, primarily for "Baker Street" and City to City, which have been released as gold-plated audiophile CDs. And every so often, when some Stealers Wheel track gets picked up for some soundtrack (as "Stuck in the Middle with You" was for Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs) or commercial, his voice and guitar also get a fresh airing. © Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

MORE INFO. (Wikipedia)

Gerry Rafferty (born Gerald Rafferty, 16 April 1947, in Paisley) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. He is the son of a Scottish mother and an Irish father. In his early years, Gerry Rafferty earned money by the formerly illegal practice of busking on the London Underground. Poetically, his biggest hit "Baker Street" was about busking at a tube station. After working with Billy Connolly (now better known as a comedian) in a band called the Humblebums, he recorded a first solo album, Can I Have My Money Back. In 1972 Rafferty and his old school friend Joe Egan formed Stealers Wheel, a group beset by legal wranglings but which did have a huge hit "Stuck in the Middle With You" (made famous for a new generation in the movie Reservoir Dogs) and the smaller top 40 hit "Star" ten months later. The duo disbanded in 1975. In 1978, Rafferty cut a solo album, City to City, which included the song with which he remains most identified, "Baker Street". The single reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 2 in the U.S. The album sold over 5.5 million copies, toppling the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in the U.S. on 8 July 1978, while "Baker Street" remains a mainstay of radio airplay. A cover version by Undercover (not to be confused with the Christian rock band of the same name) also made the Top 3 in the UK singles chart in 1992. Another song from the City to City album, "Right Down the Line", also continues to receive copious radio airplay. "Home and Dry" managed a top 30 spot. One of the more obscure tracks from that time is "Big Change in the Weather" (the B-side of "Baker Street"). His next album, Night Owl, also did well, and the title track was a UK No. 5 hit in 1979. "Days Gone Down" reached #17 in the U.S. The follow-up single "Get It Right Next Time" made the UK and US Top 30. Subsequent albums, such as Snakes and Ladders (1980), Sleepwalking (1982), and North and South (1988), all fared less well, perhaps due partly to Rafferty's general reluctance to perform live. "Don't Give Up On Me", from his 1992 collection On A Wing and a Prayer, is a much-featured oldie on BBC Radio 2. That album reunited him with Stealers Wheel partner Joe Egan on several tracks. Rafferty redid his own "Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway" on the album Over My Head (1994). His latest effort was Another World, released in 2000 and was originally available only through direct order from his no longer active website, but is now on general release through the Hypertension label. Another World featured an album cover painting by J. Patrick Byrne, who also painted the covers for City to City, Night Owl, and Snakes and Ladders. Rafferty also sings on the soundtrack to the film, Local Hero - "The Way it Always Starts" (1983), and co-produced The Proclaimers first UK hit single Letter From America in 1987 along with Hugh Murphy.

24.3.08

Nathan Mahl




Nathan Mahl - The Clever Use of Shadows - 1998 - Mahl Productions

This is a quality top class jazz fusion album with Grade A musicians, in particular the tremendous rhythm section, from the relatively unknown Nathan Mahl. The album is a great blend of fusion and jazz funk with elements of symphonic progressive rock. It never goes "over the top" as some of these albums are inclined to do. Nathan Mahl keep a tight rein on these eight great compositions, and the music is well structured and developed. The "Machiavelique" track is an example of this, where a complex classical type theme is transformed into a great, satisfying progressive composition. Much of the great sound of Nathan Mahl can be attributed to the group's main man, Guy LeBlanc, who often plays with the immensely talented progressive rock band Camel. Even though Nathan Mahl have their own great sound, at times it is possible to hear shades of "Canterbury Rock." I am thinking of bands like Caravan, and Gentle Giant. It is well worth buying Nathan Mahl's 2003 album, "Shadows Unbound." It is also worthwhile listening to the brilliant "Free Hand" album by Gentle Giant, and the classic "In the Land of Grey and Pink" by Caravan.

TRACKS

Without Words
Clever Use of Shadows
Orgasmik Outburst II
Machiavelique
Beyond the Rims of Despair
Something Like That
The Rubber Cage
Call To Arms

BAND

Guy LeBlanc / keyboards, vocals and percussion
Alain Bergeron / drums, percussion
Jose Bergeron / guitar, effects, French vocals
Claude Prince / bass
Paul Desgagne / alto and tenor sax [Guest Player]

REVIEWS

After been playing together for 15 years, Nathan Mahl, releases 'The Clever Use of Shadows', a mix of progressive rock and fusion. As they write in the booklet, 'The Clever Use of Shadows', is an attempt to bypass the mainstream music industry. Nathan Mahl succeeds with this mission through their not-radio-friendly-progressive-fusion. Nathan Mahl consists of Guy LeBlanc on keyboards, odd percussion and vocals, Alain Bergeron on drums and percussion, José Bergeron on guitars, effects and French vocals and Claude Prince on 4 and 5 string basses.
The eight tracks with a total playtime of 62 minutes lacks no innovative elements and lets all members participate in a frenzy of solos and cool show-off segments. Special guest Paul Desgagné plays alto and tenor Saxes on tracks five and seven, which makes this disc even more enjoyable. The musicians' talents combined with their ability to write good music, makes 'The Clever Use of Shadows' a possible should-get for everybody. © Christian Axén Through Different Eyes http://home.swipnet.se/tde/

The band, based around the figure of keyboard player Guy Leblanc, puts together a very potent mix of sounds to produce this mostly instrumental work. Their music is both dark and light, complex and largely symphonic prog, loud and quiet, yet always stretching way beyond. Their musical style incorporates elements of Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant and even a bit of Frank Zappa, blending it together to create a style that is very much their own. Nathan Mahl is just progressive rock of the highest calibre, recommended expecially to lovers of jazz-rock and more complex structures. "The Clever Use of Shadows" is a great modern and mainly instrumental progressive rock, helped by some simply fabulous, talented, and imaginative musicians. © progarchives


Nathan Mahl are Canadian proggers that burst onto the scene big time in 1999. In spite of apparently being around for some years, they just got around to releasing their second album, The Clever Use of Shadows, early last year. A dynamic performance at the inaugural NEARfest launched them into the fore of the prog community, gaining praise from many different prog factions. I finally was able to see for myself what all the fuss was about, and I can safely say that I understand it completely. The band, led by keyboardist Guy LeBlanc, puts together a very potent mix of sounds in to produce this mostly instrumental work. I've heard them described as having fusion leanings, and while that's true, they seem to me to be more in the classic symphonic style of old, with the odd jazzy influence thrown in here and there. That isn't to say that the band's sound is derivative. In fact, while solidly maintaining ties to the past, there's nothing that really hints of the retro tendencies of, say, Sweden's Änglagård. Part of "Orgasmik Outburst II" does, so help me gods, remind me of Boston, tho'. The other main factor in the band's sound, flying on top of LeBlanc's lush keyboard work, is guitarist Jose Bergeron. He moves seamlessly from spiraling electric passages to subdued acoustic ones. He shows a talent that is matched by his sense not to use every ounce of it every time. There's rarely an extra note strewn around just to impress. The opening track is a perfect example of how the interplay of these two build a great song. There is also some nice use of sound effects and such, which usually don't do much for me, but I quite like here. As I said, the album is mostly instrumental, with some vocals thrown in here and there. Where the vocals on some of the other mostly instrumental albums I've reviewed recently just get in the way and seem out of place, they don't here. LeBlanc's voice actually reminds me a bit of John Wetton in places, but he never pushes it or sounds too earnest in what he's doing. In addition, the lyrics to "The Rubber Cage", used to sort of an angry spoken word effect, are very appropriate for a bunch of guys making such commercial unfriendly music. The focus, however, is on the music. And it is, for the most part, very good. The compositions for the most part tend to the epic. As such, there is a tendency to get lost in them. That never really happens, however, as the band changes up textures and styles often enough to keep things fresh and exciting. I came fairly late to the Nathan Mahl coming out party, having missed NEARFest and all while studying for the bar. But, I'm here now, and definitely count me as one of the converted. One of the most pleasant surprises I've heard in a long time. © Jon Byrne, © ground and sky 1999-2008, www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=nm-tcuos

BIO (Wikipedia)

Formed in 1981, Nathan Mahl are a Canadian Progressive Rock band with Jazz Fusion influences. Throughout a constantly evolving lineup of possibly some of the finest rock and fusion musicians from the Ottawa and Gatineau regions, keyboardist Guy LeBlanc is widely regarded as the essence and constant of the band. Guy seems more widely known as the keyboardist for Progressive Rock Legends, Camel, recording and touring from 2000-2003, and resulting in a Nod and a Wink and The Paris Collection (Live). They have released numerous concept-based CDs to critical acclaim, including Shadows Unbound, and the Heretik Trilogy. Furthermore, they have played several prestigious music festivals including NEARfest, and FMPM. Nathan Mahl originally formed in Dec. 1981. The first version was formed when Guy LeBlanc, Don Prince and Mark Spénard, who had played together in the band Delerium, recruited Dan Lacasse. It is said that during one night in early 1982, while the band was on an excursion in the Gatineau National Park, the name took on its final form and the seed was planted. This first line-up went on to compose and record their first LP Parallel Eccentricities, in December 1982 releasing it in the Spring of 1983. It seems that 1983 was the busiest for Mahl, as they rehearsed full-time and gigged arguably almost as often. During that summer, they entered a band contest and performed in the finals of the Ottawa classic rock radio station Chez-106 (Sharechez '83), apparently blowing the roof off Barrymore's Music Hall. Some time in late 1983, Dan Lacasse left the group and was replaced by Wayne Palmer till Feb. 27, 1984. This was when Guy, for personal reasons, disbanded the group. In 1986, the band was shortly reformed as a trio (LeBlanc, Lacasse, Prince). 4 new songs were written and recorded, but never released. Again in 1989, this time with second keyboardist Garth Boyd and without guitar, a seemingly more fusion Nathan Mahl ended the decade. Once again 5 new songs with this line-up were recorded but not released. The decade ended with Lacasse and Prince both leaving the group. The 90s began with a new rhythm section: Alain Paluck as drummer, Claude Prince on bass, joining LeBlanc and Boyd (the duelling keys). Many new songs were composed and rehearsed, but only rehearsals were ever recorded with this line-up. It was at this time that Guy decided to create the Mahl Dynasty improv project. This particular project seemed to have brought about the quiet demise of that line-up of Nathan Mahl. Still trying to revive the band, in 1994, Guy auditioned drummers and bassists. This was when Alain Bergeron and Luc Poulin joined. Shortly after that, guitarist Scott Daughtrey completed the quartet. This line-up recorded quite a bit of material, culminating in the disc Radio Rehab, which was not released because Guy was apparently not entirely pleased with the final product. Some of the songs from that disc have been released by others (PMS and the Progday Support disc 2005. In 1996, Daughtrey and Poulin left and were briefly replaced by what appears to have been a revolving door system of line-ups. The original Parallel Eccentricities was released on cd in 1997 (and included a comprehensive interactive cdrom supplement) by Mahl Productions, a label founded by Guy and his wife Dawn Mitchell. Eventually, Don Prince rejoined and suggested José Bergeron as guitarist. When Don quit the group again, he was immediately replaced by brother Claude (again). This line-up became arguably the second most prolific Nathan Mahl. It was the suggestion of José Bergeron to record in a studio where he had bartered his talent as session guitarist in exchange for studio time, making it possible for the band to create the Clever use of Shadows in 1998. However, the strain of recording over 8 months in a piecemeal fashion, and the necessity of Guy adding to the barter of session playing for the balance of the studio time, seems to have took its toll on this line-up. In January of 1999, Mahl Productions released Nathan Mahl's the Clever use of Shadows, and although this disc found a new audience for Mahl, Guy decided to remove the title from the catalogue in 2001, specifically due to what appears to be a long-standing disagreement with his co-producer for this disc. The month of May 1999 saw the band being invited to play at the first NEARfest, as a last minute replacement for the defunct Finneus Gauge. On June 28, 1999, Nathan Mahl took the stage at NEARfest, and many have suggested they blew the roof off the venue. One week later, they played their final gig at Ottawa U. Later in December 2003, NEARfest Records released the recording of Nathan Mahl's set at NEARfest 1999. The 90s ended with the return of Mark Spénard (on guitars) to the fold. After a most interesting turn of events later in 1999 (including a solo disc for Guy and his joining Camel in early 2000), the new Millenium saw the release of the band's next opus -Heretik: Volume I - Body of Accusations with a seemingly heavier sound. It might be suggested that it is musically a return to the proggier side of Mahl (with less fusion). However, the fact that Mahl had become more of a studio band may have to Alain Bergeron's decision to leave the group at the outset of Volume 1. This was followed in June of 2001 with the second instalment of the trilogy. At this point Dan Lacasse accepted the invitation to return to the group. American author Michael McCormack (whom Guy had met while on his first tour with Camel) wanted to make Guy and Mahl the subject of his next novel, so he travelled to Ottawa and wrote of this experience while the band was recording Heretik: volume II - the Trial. This book is called "the People wish to be Deceived…" This time it was Claude Prince who left the group at the outset of Volume 2. The band continued its re-evolution with Heretik: Volume III - the Sentence, first by welcoming Guy "Geezer" Dagenais (whom Dan had met at a jam session) on bass. Volume 3 contains only one 54-minute song, and was released on May 3rd, 2002. Shortly after its release, Dagenais amicably left the group, since it was still only a studio project. LeBlanc decided to take a few steps backwards and revisit the Shadows experience. This time however, he had the agreement of all the original members (including Don Prince on bass) to participate in this project. After all, this was a totally different line-up than the one recorded in 1999. In addition, half of the album features songs never before released. On February 20th 2003, Nathan Mahl released Shadows Unbound. The disc also features J.P. Ranger on lead vocals. Ranger is an old friend of Mahl, and had briefly joined the band in 1983, making it possible for them to tackle some of the juicier prog classic covers they did at the time. The rest of 2003 seemed to be a veritable trial by fire. LeBlanc had to quit Camel on the eve of their Farewell Tour, due to the fact that his partner had a series of heart attacks in April. Whilst caring for her, he produced his second solo disc. A little later in the year, the band was invited to produce the opening 25-minute song for a 9 band collaboration based on Homer's Odyssey. Guy composed the piece, and presented it to the band, and all were on board for the project. In 2004 production seemed pretty much on schedule; however, Don Prince contacted LeBlanc and quit the band due to other musical commitments, and is replaced by Luc Poulin for about 2 days. Since the original agreement for this project was that each band member create his own parts for the song (to be different this time), and that the deadline for submission to the label was getting very close, Guy LeBlanc borrowed a bass guitar, taught himself to play it, wrote the bass part and recorded it in 2 weeks time (thereby making the deadline). The Odyssey was released in September 2005 by Musea Records. 2005 seemed an exciting time for the band and their fans. LeBlanc showed a strong desire to perform again (and so did Lacasse and Spenard). As a result possibly, Guy Dagenais returned to the fold. Also, LeBlanc sensed that this lineup could perform some of their possibly more difficult songs from their discography. He approached Alain Bergeron with the idea of having a second keyboardist/percussionist etc. on board (Alain appears to be quite the multi-instrumentalist). And so for most of 2005, Mahl was a quintet, and it was this quintet that performed in Lowell MA on september 9th, and Prog-in-the-Park in Rochester NY on the 10th. In 2006, Nathan Mahl had settled on being a quartet (Alain Bergeron left seemingly to pursue a solo cd). The setlist now included more "older and newer" songs. Mahl performed in Ottawa for the first time since 1999, on May 20th, and again at Progtoberfest on October 14th. An official performance DVD Live & Unbound 2006 of the entire setlist is in the works. Yet as it often seems to happen with musical differences, both Marc Spenard and Dan Lacasse left soon thereafter. In early 2007, with the prospect of playing the Montreal progressive rock festival (FMPM), Guy LeBlanc contacted Alain Bergeron to return on Drums. Guy Dagenais contacted Tristan Vaillancourt to join on guitar having see him play with his previous band, Widow's Walk[. The new lineup played FMPM on September 16th at FMPM, with a large portion of their set being new material. Currently they are finishing up their new CD, Exodus: Then. They are nearing completion in early 2008, and Guy LeBlanc has been in negotiations with the Quebec label Unicorn Records for its subsequent release. The concept is loosely based on the Exodus book in the Bible. They each made a conscious decision to record in his own respective home studio. Also in the works, is another DVD, with the documentary focus on behind the scenes at FMPM 2007 and at Exodus recording sessions. They plan on eventually making a follow-up Exodus: Now, taking the exodus concept to the present day. Also slatted for release this year is Mahl’s contribution to the latest mega project by Colossus, based on Dante’s Inferno, and brought to you once again by the Finnish Progressive Rock Society and Musea records. Mahl are slatted to contribute a 7 minute piece, along side 35 other current progressive rock bands. This is their 2nd time participating in such a project –the first time being The Odyssey in 2005.

23.3.08

Chris Potter





Chris Potter - Follow the Red Line [Live at the Village Vanguard] - 2007 - Sunnyside

Here's a quote from All About Jazz, and it says a lot about this stunning album - "It's an exercise in futility to find a name for the music of Follow the Red Line. But as Potter blurs the lines between jazz, rock, funk and even a little afro-beat in ways that are finally being accepted again two decades after The New York Times declared the "pestilence known as fusion is dead," the best word to describe this recording is, quite simply, great."
© John Kelman, AllAboutJazz

Born in Chicago in 1971, Potter grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. By the time he was fourteen, he was a professional and when he was eighteen, he moved to New York, enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music, and joined bop trumpeter Red Rodney's quintet until 1994. He has worked with some of the world's finest jazz musicians,. and some of his finest session gigs include work with the legendary Marian McPartland on her 1993 CD, In My Life, and with Renee Rosnes, Paul Motian, Dave Holland, John Patitucci, Dave Douglas, Steve Swallow, and Kenny Werner. He has toured with Steely Dan and played on their briliant "Two Against Nature" album. He was the youngest ever winner of Denmark's prestigious Jazzpar Prize in 2000. There have been many great recordings made from artists appearing at the legendary Village Vanguard venue in Manhattan, and this recording is up there with the best of them. An incredible mix of jazz funk, fusion, blues, and even a few great rock beats, this album should be heard by anybody remotely interested in good music. Even if you are not a jazz lover, it would be impossible not to like this album. A wonderful recording and VHR by A.O.O.F.C.. Check out his excellent 2006 album, "Underground," and for a great lesson in musical education, try and listen to Chris Potter's sax solo on the track, "West of Hollywood" from Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature" album, where he plays a seemingly impossible series of changes for over four minutes. It's breathtaking stuff from a living jazz legend.


TRACKS

Train - 15:59
Arjuna - 14:41
Pop Tune #1 - 11:56
Viva Las Vilnius - 12:59
Zea - 6:52
Togo - 12:55
Morning Bell - 9:19

All tracks composed by Chris Potter, except Togo, which is an Ed Blackwell tune.

MUSICIANS

Adam Rogers (guitar)
Chris Potter (tenor saxophone)
Craig Taborn (Fender Rhodes piano)
Nate Smith (drums)




REVIEWS

Saxophonist Chris Potter has been pushing the limits of the saxophone since his entrance to the jazz scene. Potter created the Underground band as a vehicle for his explorations in improvisation and composition. Though the band has only been around for a short time, it has proven to be one of the most engaging and far-reaching ensembles around. The new recording, Follow the Red Line, documents the band in its element, a live performance at the famed Village Vanguard, and expands upon their previous release, Underground (Sunnyside 2006). The band consists of young stalwarts Craig Taborn (keyboards), Adam Rogers (guitar) and Nate Smith (drums). This recording serves as a perfect expose of Potter’s prowess as composer and performer. © 2003-2007 Radical Moodswinger Music - All Rights Reserved


For the last half century, the tenor saxophone has been the top dog in jazz, the instrument that carries the most heft in the community. It’s the heavyweight voice that typically isn’t cute or clever. Not many tenor saxophonists will settle for being coy.
Chris Potter, album-by-album and show-by-show over the last ten years, has made a bid for the tenor title. He has been playing with the best bandleaders (from Dave Holland to Steely Dan), and he has been leading his own potent groups. Though Potter does not possess a larger-than-life persona, he builds gargantuan solos with the personality of a freight train: slow at first, then surging and bold, and finally explosive and spectacular. Potter’s band Underground is his most hard-hitting outfit, and this document of the band’s tenure in the legendary Greenwich Village basement club bristles with daring and funk energy. What a great record!
Follow the Red Line features not only Potter’s tenor but also a fully integrated rhythm section: Craig Taborn’s Fender Rhodes electric piano, Adam Rogers on electric guitar, and Nate Smith’s drums. This is a band that could court cliché—an electric “fusion” band that integrates funk rhythms with jazz—and that would seem to be lacking an important tool: a bass player. But, in fact, the opposite is true. Underground is a band that pulses with invention. With Potter out front, the band is precisely the opposite of generic. Each player is pressed into varied service: Taborn plays bass lines as well as ripping chords, Rogers is both distorted and clean, choppy and legato, and Smith is polyrhythmic fallout—a dizzying clatter of arms and legs in flowing groove.
Even compared to the band’s first studio outing from early 2006, this is a progression. While the tunes still begin with intelligently composed, carefully voiced arrangements, there is a boiling beneath the surface that rises quickly enough to the surface. On “Arjuna”, for example, the ensemble section bristles with Smith’s nasty stickwork, then Taborn’s solo starts at a simmer and starts to flare up as the punches of left-hand Rhodesplay is complicated by Rogers stuttering guitar. When Potter enters, it is predictably with his own stuttering ‘plosions of breath, adding another pointellistic layer to the polyrhythm. The solo climaxes in a series of serpentine rips that alternate with architectural steps through the harmony.
Equally impressive are the more consonant moments, such as the statement of melody on “Pop Song #1”, where a pleasant and inevitable tune is set amidst a flow of surprising chords. Rogers plays with a pungent simplicity, and Taborn patiently waits for each downbeat before playing his gospel-infused chords. On Potter’s solo, however, the band gets into an improbably hot funk groove that seems to build off the basic guitar line. “Viva las Vinius” is first built off a single rhythm lick, and the band seems ready to ride the thing through the whole performance. It’s even more of the treat, then, when Potter’s solo begins in a slowed-down free time that very gradually builds from slow and quiet back to the full strength of the original groove.
It’s an extra treat that Follow the Red Line allows Potter a long stretch for his outstanding sound on bass clarinet. Bass clarinet is a doublers specialty, of course, and inevitably gets jazz fans thinking about Eric Dolphy. So it’s wonderful to hear Underground place the oddball horn in a Rhodes-and-guitar pop ballad on “Zea” and then allow it to begin “Togo” in a Bennie Maupin vibe, muttering from its lower register as the rhythm section slowly picks up on the percussive groove. This last tune eventually gives way to a one-chord jam groove (and a burning tenor solo) that suggests how Potter’s electric band ultimately converges with the likes of Medeski, Martin, and Wood on the one hand and class Sonny Rollins on the other.
The magic in Red Line is ultimately in the drama that each player brings to his solos, each of which builds like a scene from a Hitchcock film. Top honors, as so often, go to Taborn’s versatile Rhodes playing. But they are Potter’s fiendish tunes and his group conception. In a year that saw the passing of Michael Brecker, Potter seems to have emerged as a steely-toned tenor player who blends harmonic adventure with groove. It’s not a question of talking about Potter as a Brecker successor—they’re totally different players and, frankly, I think that Potter’s range and imagination is wider. But it’s a joy to hear this young master put a hard-edged, Breckeresque foot forward. Chris Potter, one of finest saxophone players in jazz today, has made a great record. © Will Layman, © 1999-2008 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved


Nobody can replace the late Michael Brecker, but sax master Chris Potter has Brecker's sweeping technical command, and the ability not only to express just about any fleeting thought on the instrument, in flat-out real time and without repetition, but to hook the thoughts together as a shapely and dramatic spontaneous narrative. This live set from New York's Village Vanguard features Potter's best-ever group, with visionary keyboardist Craig Taborn, guitarist Adam Rogers and drummer Nate Smith. There's plenty of jolting Breckerish melodic edginess, but more avant-funk explorations, and abstract textural journeys through the sonic resourcefulness of Taborn and Rogers. The opening Train becomes a chunky funk strut, the fast Arjuna is like crisper, cleaner Bitches Brew music, and Pop Tune is a swelling ballad for sax and guitar that eventually becomes loping, Crusaders-like funk. Taborn's sumptuous ripples and lustrous chords usher in Potter's startlingly pure bass clarinet on the rapturously reflective Zea, and Togo is a long, slow-build finale that milks its riff to the utmost. © John Fordham, Friday November 2, 2007, The Guardian , guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008

BIO IWikipedia)

Chris Potter (born January 1, 1971) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Potter spent most of his childhood in Columbia, South Carolina where his mother taught psychology at the University of South Carolina. He exhibited an early interest in all kinds of music and quickly became a prodigy, mastering several instruments including guitar and piano, and finally gravitating toward the alto and tenor saxophone. Potter played his first professional jazz gig at age 13 and quickly developed a devoted local following. He attended college in New York City, first at the New School, and later at Manhattan School of Music. He currently resides in New York. Potter has released a number of albums as leader and has performed and recorded with many leading musicians including Kenny Werner, Red Rodney, Marian McPartland, the Mingus Big Band, Paul Motian, Ray Brown, Jim Hall, James Moody, Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Wayne Krantz, Mike Mainieri, Steve Swallow, Steely Dan, Dave Holland, Joanne Brackeen, and many more. His 1998 CD Vertigo was named one of the year's top ten jazz CDs by both Jazziz magazine and The New York Times. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for his work on the Joanne Brackeen recording Pink Elephant Magic. His 2004 CD Lift: Live At The Village Vanguard was named one of the year's ten best new jazz recordings by Fred Kaplan of Slate.

Heights Of Abraham





Heights Of Abraham - Electric Hush - 1995 - Pork Recordings

Pork recordings produced some amazing downtempo electronica albums. Electric Hush is a good one, although it doesn't have the same impact as their brilliant "Humidity" album. But then albums as good and original as "Humidity" are a rare commodity, and HOA would have found it hard to better that particular album. Nevertheless, "Electric Hush" shouldn't be missed by any lover of quality modern chill-out electronica. Check out their classic downtempo "Humidity" album @ HOA/HUMIDITY
It is worth listening to another Pork release, "East Coast Chip Shop" by Moss, and "Seven Up" by Baby Mammoth. There is info on a great compilation album by Pork recordings @ VA - PORK 100

TRACKS

1.The Cleric
2.Boogie Heights
3.High Times
4.Dolphins
5.What's The Number
6.Olive Branching
7.EVA
8.700 Channels
9.Sunyatta
10.Make Love

Composers - Fred Neil (tracks: 4) , Harries (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10) , Lister (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10) , Cobby (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10)
Producer, Mixed By - Heights Of Abraham

BIO

The Heights of Abraham is an electronica collaboration based in Sheffield and Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire in North-East England. Formed in the mid 1990s by Steve Cobby, Sim Lister and Jake Harries, they play electronica, ambient techno, and chill out. Formed in 1992 their debut releases (Tides EP and Humidity LP) came in 1992 on the ambient-downtempo label Pork Recordings (also based in Hull). With David McSherry; who forms Fila Brazilia with Cobby; Cobby and Lister created their own music label, Twentythree Records.

21.3.08

Mama Lion





Mama Lion - Give It Everything I’ve Got - 1973 - Family Productions

Good Lynn Carey rocker, in the same style as the self titled 1972 "Mama Lion" release. Check out Mama Lion/ML/PW/BIO for more info on Mama Lion / Lynn Carey and the band's "Mama Lion", aka "Preserve Wildlife" album from 1972.

TRACKS

Give It Everything I've Got
I Wanna Be Your Woman
Life Is Just A Four Letter Word
Mama Never Told Me
Crazy Place
Dark Garden
From Bad To Worse
I'm Tired
Criffins
Saved

BAND

Ed Mikenas - Bass
Lynn Carey - vocals
Neil Merryweather - bass/vocals
James Newton Howard - keyboards/vocals
Coffi Hall - drums/percussion
Alan Hurtz - guitar
Bob Rose - Guitar

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham





Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham - Buckingham Nicks - 1973 - Polydor

A very good debut album featuring the duo of Lindsey Buckingham and partner Stevie Nicks. This album was a commercial failure, and Polydor dropped them while they were recording tracks for a second album. Buckingham's guitar playing is very impressive on this album, and Stevie Nicks' likable voice comes from the heart. The tracks are interesting, and the album includes the song "Crystal", which was re-worked for the duo's first album with Fleetwood Mac. The tracks are varied in style. Some of the tunes (like "Don't Let Me Down Again") sound similar to the songs the duo would eventually record with Fleetwood Mac. Other tracks (like "Lola (My Love)") sound very different. Buckingham Nicks is a good album, and should be of interest to anybody who likes the music of the later Fleetwood Mac. Check out Lindsey Buckingham's great "Law and Order " album from 1981, and Stevie Nicks' "Bella Donna " album from the same year.

TRACKS

"Crying in the Night" (Nicks) - 2:48
"Stephanie" (Buckingham) - 2:12
"Without A Leg To Stand On" (Buckingham) - 2:09
"Crystal" (Nicks) - 3:41
"Long Distance Winner" (Nicks) - 4:50
"Don't Let Me Down Again" (Buckingham) - 3:52
"Django" (Lewis) - 1:02
"Races Are Run" (Nicks) - 4:14
"Lola (My Love)" (Buckingham) - 3:44
"Frozen Love" (Nicks, Buckingham) - 7:16

CREDITS

Lindsey Buckingham - Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Stevie Nicks - Vocals
Ronnie Tutt - Drums
Jim Keltner - Drums
Jerry Scheff - Bass
Gary Hodges - Drums, Percussion Overdubs
Monty Stark - Synthesizer
Peggy Sandvig - Keyboards
Jorge Calderon - Percussion
Waddy Wachtel - Additional Guitar on Lola (My Love)
Richard Hallagan - Strings Arranged By
Producer: Keith Olsen
Executive Producer: Lee Lasseff
Engineer: Keith Olsen
Assistant Engineer: Richard Dashut
Photography: Jimmy Wachtel
Album Design: Jimmy Wachtel

ARTIST INFO (Wikipedia)

Buckingham Nicks is a 10-track LP by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. The album, produced and engineered by Keith Olsen, was recorded in 1973 for Polydor Records, right after Buckingham and Nicks disbanded their long-time band, Fritz. It was released that September and proved to be a commercial failure. The album has since gained cult status. It was reissued in 1976 when Buckingham and Nicks hit the big time with Fleetwood Mac. It should be noted that Nicks' name is misspelled as "Stevi" on the record. A short tour through the American south commenced after the release of the album; Buckingham and Nicks had already joined Fleetwood Mac, but the band was still committed to the dates that were scheduled. Bootlegged concert recordings have recently surfaced on fan-sites and on peer-to-peer trading sites of two concerts in Tuscaloosa and Mobile. The touring band consisted of Tom Moncrieff on bass (who later played bass on Nicks' first solo album Bella Donna), Bob Aguirre (from Fritz) on drums, and Gary "Hoppy" Hodges who played drums on the album. Moncrieff and Hodges later formed the band Sinai 48 with a new singer-songwriter duo in 2006, marking the first reunion of any members since disbanding, aside from the continued collaboration of Buckingham and Nicks. Despite the enduring popularity of both of its key contributors, the album was never officially released on CD. Bootlegs dubbed from vinyl have circulated since the late 1980s. It has become one of the most requested titles for CD release. In 2003, Rhino Records announced the album's pending release as a deluxe CD with bonus tracks; however, the CD was never released. Buckingham and Nicks share ownership of the album. Two of the album's ten songs have been issued on CD so far. "Long Distance Winner" was released as part of Nicks' "Enchanted" box set, and "Stephanie" turned up on a promotional only CD release by Buckingham entitled "Words and Music (A Retrospective)." Another song from the album, "Crystal", was recorded by the revamped Fleetwood Mac for the group's 1975 breakthrough LP, Fleetwood Mac. "Don't Let Me Down Again" was rerecorded by Fleetwood Mac for their live album, and "Frozen Love" was performed several times during the tour to support the Fleetwood Mac album. On an interview on WRLT 100.1 Nashville (9/11/06), Buckingham has expressed an interest in the album seeing the light of day on CD. He also suggested the possibility of a future joint Lindsey Buckingham-Stevie Nicks tour in the next few years to support the re-release. Buckingham-Nicks backing musicians Tom Moncrieff and Gary Hodges have also expressed interest in reuniting with Buckingham and Nicks in a possible future tour.

ABOUT STEVIE NICKS

Singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks, who is famous for her husky voice, reached the pinnacle of her musical career with Bella Donna (1981), a 5x platinum album that received heavy airplay through the single “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). She is also praised for her work in “Stand Back” (1983), the Grammy-nominated “Violet and Blue” (soundtrack from the 1984’s drama Against All Odds), “Talk To Me” (1985), “Rooms on Fire” (1989) and “Planets of the Universe” (2001, popularized by its remixed version). Previously, Nicks earned public recognition as a member of the band Fleetwood Mac, who scored success with such self-penned songs as “Rhiannon” (1975), “Landslide” (1975), “Gold Dust Woman” (1977) and “Gypsy” (1982). She, along with the band, earned a Grammy nomination for their reunion project, The Dance (1998). Amid her well-built musical career, Nicks had serious drug problems, which started off in the mid 1980s. Although, in 1986, she was in cocaine rehab at the Betty Ford Rehabilitation Center, the artist was then addicted to Klonopin, a sedative used to counteract her anxiety after reducing her cocaine dose. In late 1993, she had a 47-day detoxification from Klonopin. On a more private note, Nicks was once involved with Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, the late Warren Zevon, and Don Henley of Eagles. During 1983-1984, she was married to Kim Anderson. Nicks now remains unmarried and lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Childhood, Family, Career

On May 26, 1948, Stephanie Lynn Nicks (later famous as Stevie Nicks) was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Her grandfather, a struggling country singer, taught her to sing when she was four. With her well-developed musical talent, 16-year old Stevie wrote her first song, called “I’ve Loved and I’ve Lost.” On August 10, 2005, her father died. While attending Menlo Atherton High School, she formed a band named the Changing Times and met future musical and private partner Lindsey Buckingham. They created the band Fritz, along with friends Javier Pacheco and Calvin Roper, and launched their pro career in music. Amid her attempt to pursue a musical career, Stevie continued her studies at the San Jose State University in Northern California. As for her romantic life, Stevie was involved with some of her musical partners before eventually marrying Kim Anderson on January 29, 1983. Previously, Kim’s wife, who was also Stevie’s best friend, died of leukemia and Stevie felt obliged to marry him and become his child’s mother. However, in April 1984, they divorced..
Stevie Nicks and the Fritz earned some recognition in the West Coast music community with their opening acting for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Yet, the band quickly parted ways, leaving Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham working as a duo. In 1973, they released their only duo album, Buckingham Nicks, which apparently made little impact, save for drummer Mick Fleetwood. He then asked them to join his band, Fleetwood Mac. In 1975, Fleetwood Mac released an eponymous album, which included Nicks’ self-written hit single “Rhiannon” and “Landslide,” as well as the re-released Buckingham Nicks’ song “Crystal.” Soon, the band had their first success by topping the Billboard 200 chart and selling over 5 million copies. It was ensued by the bestseller album Rumours (1977), for which Nicks contributed the No.1 Billboard Hot 100 single “Dreams,” “Gold Dust Woman” and “I Don’t Want to Know.” Fleetwood Mac’s next recording, the double album Tusk (1979), did not fare as well due to its more experimental sound. In Tusk, Nicks wrote several songs, including “Sisters of the Moon,” “Angel,” “Beautiful Child” and “Storms.” At the time, the band began falling apart. Nicks, who formerly recorded “Whenever I Call You Friend” (1978) with Kenny Loggins, went solo and launched her debut album, Bella Donna, in 1981. Scoring huge success, the debut recording became the No.1 Billboard 200 album and by 1990, had received 5x platinum certification. Bella Donna dispatched the No. 3 Billboard Hot 100 single “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), “Leather and Lace” (with Don Henley), “Edge of Seventeen” and “After the Glitter Fades.” It brought her to the movie industry, where she sang the self-written “Blue Lamp” for the animated adventure movie Heavy Metal (1981). Rejoining Fleetwood Mac, Nicks penned “Gypsy,” “That’s Alright” and “Straight Back” for the band’s double platinum album Mirage (1982). The artist then launched her sophomore solo album, The Wild Heart (1983), which also went double platinum. It spawned three hit singles, “Stand Back,” “If Anyone Falls” and “Nightbird,” as well as broke the Mainstream Rock chart with “Enchanted,” “Nothing Ever Changes” and “I Will Run to You.” Performing “Violet and Blue” for the drama Against All Odds (1984), Nicks was nominated for a Grammy for Best Album of Instrumental Score Written for a Motion Picture. Two years later, she issued the platinum album Rock a Little (1985) with major hit tracks “Talk To Me,” “I Can’t Wait” and “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You.” Amid her cocaine rehab, Nicks returned to Fleetwood Mac to work on the album Tango in the Night (1987). The recording became Buckingham’s final involvement with Fleetwood Mac and he was replaced by Rick Vito and Billy Burnette. In 1988, the band released their Greatest Hits album. The Other Side of the Mirror (1989), Nicks’ third solo album, managed to go platinum thanks to such singles as “Rooms On Fire,” “Whole Lotta Trouble” and “Long Way to Go.” After the release of Fleetwood Mac’s gold album, Behind the Mask (1990), she decided to leave the group. The next year, she issued a greatest hits collection called Timespace (1991), which featured her collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi (“Sometimes It’s a Bitch”) and Bret Michaels of Poison (“Love’s a Hard Game to Play”) and saw the album go platinum. The same success, however, did not happen to her studio album Street Angel (1994), whose lead single “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind” only hit the 57th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Taking a break for her drug problem, Nicks still did movie soundtracks, such as the self-penned “Twisted” for Twister (1996) and “Somebody Stand By Me” for Boys on the Side (1995, written by Sheryl Crow). She next marked her comeback by working with Fleetwood Mac in their reunion project, the live album The Dance (1997). The project eventually brought the band a Grammy nomination. The following year, she released the gold-selling box set album The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks (1998). Nicks regained fame with her gold studio album Trouble in Shangri-La (2001) and created success among club music listeners with the remixed version of her “Planets of the Universe.” She re-teamed with other members of Fleetwood Mac in Say You Will (2003), their first studio album in 16 years. Nicks still gives special performances around the world, which included performing in Australia and New Zealand (February-March 2006) and at the inaugural Rock’N the Rally Music Fest (August 2006). © www.superiorpics.com/stevie_nicks © SuperiorPics.com 2007

ABOUT LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (Wikipedia)

Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American guitarist and singer with the musical group Fleetwood Mac. During his career he has also done some independent recording since he first became a member of that group. He is married to photographer Kristen Messner and has three children. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Born in Palo Alto, California, Buckingham was the third and youngest son of Morris and Rutheda Buckingham. He had two older brothers, Jeff and Greg. Growing up in the Bay Area community of Atherton, California, Buckingham and his brothers were encouraged to swim competitively. Though Buckingham dropped out of athletics to pursue music, his brother Greg Buckingham went on to win a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Buckingham's first forays into guitar playing took place on a toy Mickey Mouse guitar, playing along to his brother Jeff's extensive collection of 45s. Noticing his talent, Buckingham's parents bought their son a $35 Harmony guitar. His biggest influence is The Beach Boys. Buckingham never took guitar lessons and does not read music. By age 13, he became interested in folk music and, influenced by banjo methods, practised the fingerpicking styles of The Kingston Trio. At 15 he joined a small folk group, providing vocals and guitar work. Buckingham met Stevie Nicks while they both attended Menlo Atherton High School, and later formed The Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band with her and three other friends. Buckingham's fingerpicking style gave him difficulty playing rock guitar, and thus he moved to bass. After gaining popularity at Menlo-Atherton High School, "Fritz" became a popular local act and even opened for such acts as Santana, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. After cutting some demos with Fritz for producer Keith Olsen, Buckingham and Nicks struck out on their own, and Fritz disbanded in 1971. Buckingham and Nicks became involved romantically, dropping out of San Jose State to pursue a career making music together. Buckingham was stricken with a case of "mono" (Infectious mononucleosis) and his illness forced Nicks to begin waiting tables and cleaning houses to support the couple, while allowing him the free time to master his guitar techniques. Buckingham and Nicks recorded seven demos in 1972 on an analog 4-track. They drove to Los Angeles to pursue a record deal. In 1973, Polydor Records signed the pair. Their album, Buckingham Nicks, was released in September of 1973; soon after its release, Polydor dropped the duo due to poor sales. Despite the record company misstep, Buckingham Nicks has been championed by rock critics since its release. It features gorgeous two-part harmonies backed by notable LA session musicians, including superstar drummer Jim Keltner. Other session musicians include: Ron Tutt, Drums (Elvis Presley TCB Band); Peggy Sandvig, Keyboards; Robert "Waddy" Wachtel, Guitar; Jorge Calderon, Percussion; Jerry Scheff (Elvis Presley TCB Band), Bass; Monty Stark, Synthesizer; Gary Hodges, Drums; and Mark Tulin, Bass. (from the album jacket). Although money was tight, the hardworking duo caught the attention of many budding musicians, including Warren Zevon, who is rumored to have been a roommate of Nicks and Buckingham in a Fairfax district apartment. A short tour promoting the Buckingham Nicks album commenced shortly after the joining of Buckingham and Nicks with Fleetwood Mac. Bootlegs of two concerts in Mobile and Tuscaloosa exist and are widely distributed on peer-to-peer networks and fansites. The touring band included drummers Bob Aguirre (from Fritz) and Gary Hodges playing simultaneously, bassist Tom Moncrieff (who later was featured playing bass on Stevie Nicks' album Belladonna), and, of course, Buckingham and Nicks. To help make ends meet, Buckingham toured with Don Everly's back-up band, singing Phil Everly's parts. Buckingham and Nicks were eventually forced to move in with record producer Keith Olsen, who helped the pair work on several demos for the next Buckingham/Nicks album, including "I'm So Afraid", "Monday Morning", and "Rhiannon". Buckingham Nicks has never been released on CD (although a bootleg version exists). Both Buckingham and Nicks have hinted at a possible remix and re-release on CD in the near future. Buckingham has also suggested a tour in support of the collection could be something the two may be interested in. Moncrieff and Hodges, from the original Buckingham Nicks touring band have also expressed interest. While checking out the Sound City recording studio in California, Mick Fleetwood heard the song "Frozen Love" from the Buckingham Nicks album. He asked who the guitarist was, and immediately stated that he wanted him to fill a recent vacancy. Buckingham insisted to Fleetwood that he and Nicks were a package deal--if Fleetwood didn't want Nicks, he wouldn't get Buckingham. The duo was quickly asked to join Fleetwood Mac on New Year's Eve, 1974. After the resounding commercial success of the group's second album, Rumours (during the making of which Buckingham and Nicks famously split), Buckingham was determined to avoid falling into repeating the same musical pattern. The result was Tusk, a two album set that Buckingham primarily directed. It was during this time that Buckingham moved in with record company secretary, and aspiring model, Carol Ann Harris, with whom he lived until 1984. Though by most standards a hit, Tusk failed to come anywhere close to what Rumours had done, and Buckingham, who also produced the albums, took the brunt of the criticism. Buckingham never fully got over his animosity towards the band for putting a commercial price tag on their art, and it finally came to a head with the release of their 1987 recording, Tango in the Night. Buckingham had already given up much of the material for what would have been his third solo album to the project, including "Big Love," "Tango in the Night," "Family Man," "You and I," and "Caroline." On several of these tracks Buckingham played every instrument. "Big Love" charted as a single, and many (including talk show host David Letterman) thought the "love grunts" on the track were sung by Stevie Nicks. But the vocals on these tracks were, in fact, all sung by Buckingham, who used studio technology to alter the pitch of his voice. Just prior to touring for the release of the album, and citing an aversion to live performance, Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac. He was replaced by guitarists Rick Vito and Billy Burnette. During the time he worked on Tusk, Buckingham also produced albums for Walter Egan and John Stewart in the late 1970s. In 1981, Buckingham released his first solo album Law and Order, playing nearly every instrument and featuring guest appearances by bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie. The album pursued the quirky, eclectic, often lo-fi and new-wave-influences of Tusk, and spawned the hit single "Trouble," a slice of Southern California Beach Boys-inspired pop that reached #9 on the US Charts and #1 in Australia (for three weeks). Two years later, he wrote and performed the songs "Holiday Road" and "Dancin' Across the U.S.A." for the film National Lampoon's Vacation. "Holiday Road" was released as a single, but reached only #82 on the Billboard's Hot 100. He did other soundtrack work, including the song "Time Bomb Town" from Back to the Future. In 1984, after ending his 7-year relationship with Carol Ann Harris, he released his second solo album, Go Insane. The title track was a modest hit, reaching #23 on the Hot 100. The last track of the album, D.W. Suite, was a tribute to the late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. The next year, Buckingham performed on USA for Africa's fundraising single, "We Are the World". Following his split with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham spent much of the next four years in the studio, working on his third solo album, Out of the Cradle, which was released in 1992. Many of the songs seem to deal with the death of his father, and the sudden death of his brother Greg in 1990. "Wrong" was a gentle rebuke of former bandmate Mick Fleetwood's tell-all biography. Out of the Cradle was not successful commercially, but received some favorable reviews and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Production[citation needed]. However, Buckingham toured throughout 1992-93 for the first time as a solo artist; his band included an army of seven other guitarists (Buckingham himself calls them "the crazy band" on his Soundstage DVD), each of whom he individually taught the entire two-and-a-half hours of music from the concert (Lindsey Buckingham: Behind the Music documentary for VH-1, 2001). A subsequent solo album, entitled Gift of Screws, was recorded between 1995-2001 and presented to Warner Bros./Reprise for release. Executives at the label managed to persuade Buckingham to hold the CD back and instead take several tracks from Gift of Screws and re-record them with Fleetwood Mac. Thus, seven songs from Gift of Screws ("Murrow Turning Over In His Grave," "Miranda," "Red Rover," "Come," "Steal Your Heart Away," "Bleed to Love Her," and "Say Goodbye") appear on the Fleetwood Mac album Say You Will, and in substantially the same form as Buckingham had recorded them for his solo release. Excellent bootleg copies of Gift of Screws -- taken from an original CD-R presented to Warner Bros/Reprise -- are known to exist and have been widely distributed among fans through the use of torrent sites and other peer to peer networks. Other songs from Gift of Screws appear on Buckingham's 2005 Soundstage DVD, and on his 2006 solo album, Under The Skin. Buckingham contributed the song "Shut Us Down" (co-written with Cory Sipper) to the soundtrack of the Cameron Crowe movie, Elizabethtown. In November of 2005, he released his Soundstage performance (taped in 2003) on DVD, and on his 57th birthday, (October 3, 2006) an acoustic album entitled Under the Skin was released. Under The Skin features Buckingham on almost all instruments, with the exception of two tracks that feature Fleetwood Mac rhythm section John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. The album includes a cover of The Rolling Stones classic "I Am Waiting." Three days after the album's release, Buckingham started a tour promoting the album that lasted until the end of June 2007. Buckingham plans to follow Under the Skin with another solo album in 2008. A CD/DVD combo of his Fort Worth concert in January 2007, titled Live at the Bass Performance Hall, will be released on March 25 2008 In 1992, newly-elected president Bill Clinton asked Fleetwood Mac to come together to perform the song he had chosen for his campaign, "Don't Stop", at his inaugural ceremony. Buckingham agreed to be part of the performance, but the experience was something of a one-off for the band, who were still very much at odds with one another and had no plans to reunite officially. While assembling material for a yet-to-be-released fourth solo album in the mid 1990s, Buckingham contacted Mick Fleetwood for assistance on a song. Their collaboration lasted much longer than anticipated, and the two eventually decided to call upon John and Christine McVie. The band's old chemistry was clearly still there, and plans for a reunion tour were soon in the works. In 1997, Buckingham and all four of his bandmates from the original Rumours line-up of Fleetwood Mac went on the road for the first time together since 1982 in a reunion tour titled The Dance. The tour was hugely successful and did much to heal the damage that had been done between Buckingham and his bandmates. In 2003, the reformed band released the first studio album involving Buckingham and Nicks in 15 years, Say You Will. However, Christine McVie opted only to add some minor backing vocals and keyboards to the project, and the band carried on as a foursome. Buckingham's song "Peacekeeper" was the first single off of the album. This album was followed by a world tour that would last almost a year and a half. Unlike many rock guitarists, Buckingham does not use a plectrum, or a pick. Instead, he uses his fingers and fingernails. He has developed his own style of playing, which can be heard on all of his albums. In 1979, he worked with Rick Turner, owner of Renaissance Guitars to create the Model One. He has used it exclusively since, with Fleetwood Mac and his solo efforts. On July 8, 1998, Buckingham's girlfriend, Kristen Messner, gave birth to their son, William Gregory Buckingham. Buckingham and Messner subsequently married in 2000, and she gave birth to a daughter, Leelee, the same year. Their third child, Stella, was born on April 20, 2004.

Mama Lion





Mama Lion - Mama Lion - 1972 - Family Productions (released by Philips as "Preserve Wildlife")

Produced by Neil Merryweather, Mama Lion was a group destined to show off the Joplinesque voice of Lynn Carey, a sculptural blonde beauty previously in Ivar Avenue Reunion. As often with the Merryweather outputs, the music is a rather loose mix of blues and rock. Their records are now mostly remembered for their sleeves, especially the first with Lynn Carey breastfeeding a lion cub. © Stephane Rebeschini, [Taken from Fuzz, Acid & Flowers - American Garage, Psychedelic & Hippie Rock 1964-1975]

Not a bad blues rock album. The album is probably remembered more for the inside album cover which depicts Lyn Carey suckling a lion cub, than the music. The album itself features a few good tunes sung by the sometimes overpoweringly strong vocalist, Lyn Carey. There are good covers of "Can't Find My Way Home", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "Ain't No Sunshine" Her backing band were by no means great musicians, and yet the playing and backing vocals suited Lyn Carey's old style hard hitting bluesy vocals. Check out their 1973 album, "Give It Everything I've Got."

TRACKS

Ain't No Sunshine
Be Bad With Me
Ain't Too Proud To Beg
Wildcat
Candy Man
Mr. Invitation
Sister,Sister(She Better Than A Man)
Can't Find My Way Home
It's Only A Dream
Cry

BAND

Lynn Carey - vocals
Neil Merryweather - bass/vocals
Rick Gaxiola - guitar
James Newton Howard - keyboards/vocals
Coffi Hall - drums/percussion
Alan Hurtz (guitar)

REVIEW

Released shortly after Led Zepplin hit big, this LP walks in the shadow of that style. Now mostly remembered for the promoition blitz for this album - that included the lead singer Lynn Carey topless on the LP cover breastfeeding a lion cub and a stint as the September 1972 Penthouse Pet of the month (keep in mind these were different times and promotion like this was edgy but acceptable). The music shares more in common with bands like Cold Blood and Rare Earth than Janis Joplin. Its what 1972 really sounded like. All that said, the songs themselves just are not that good, most are average at best. Good intentions lost in translation. Even with that excuse the LP has not aged well. I really wanted to like this album, but in the end its mearly O.K. ... © Michael Wilson, © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC

LYNN CAREY BIO (Wikipedia)

Lynn Carey is a singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist in the band "Mama Lion." She is the daughter of actor Macdonald Carey. She is remembered for her beauty and figure as well as her powerful voice. First band was C.K. Strong Mama Lion recorded an album in 1972 called "Preserve Wildlife." In addition to performing on the album as a singer, Lynn Carey appeared on the inside of the album cover with her blouse open and breast exposed, pretending to nurse a lion cub. Lynn Carey was Penthouse Magazine's Pet of the Month in December 1972. She performs big band music these days. Her personal website is http://www.lynncarey.com She provides thhe vocals for Kelly McNamara (lead singer with The Carrie Nations) in Beyond the Valley of thhe Dolls Ms. Carey talked about her career and activities in an interview with Steve Escobar in 2001 @
www.steveescobar.com/rock/lynn.html

19.3.08

Luke Kelly





Luke Kelly - 'Baile Átha Cliath' - 1977 - Ard-Ri

The late Irish patriot, and great Dubliner, Luke Kelly (1940-84), was probably known as the greatest Irish folk singer and balladeer of modern times. He was a member of the renowned Irish folk group, The Dubliners for many years. Nearly 25 years after his death, Luke Kelly is a sore loss to the world of folk music. On June 30, 1980, at a concert in County Cork, Ireland, Luke collapsed on stage with what turned out to be a brain tumour. It is said that the whole of Dublin grieved his early death in January 1984. Luke Kelly, will never be forgotten

This is not typical of the music found on A.O.O.F.C, but an exception will be made for Luke Kelly. Like Ewan McColl, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan, the songs come from the heart. They tell a story. They relate to real sociological issues, and they are very relevant to modern day music, and even more so in the times we presently live in. The sound quality varies on this album, but it gives an idea of the great singer that Luke Kelly was, and the real emotion he brought to the songs he sang.

"Walking all the day, near tall towers where falcons build their nests. Silver winged they fly, they know the call of freedom in their breasts. Saw Black Head against the sky with twisted rocks that run down to the sea. Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets, asked for more. I stood by your Atlantic sea and sang a song for Ireland." © Phil and June Colclough [ from the song "Song For Ireland"]


TRACKS / COMPOSERS /ABOUT THE SONGS

1.Dirty Old Town - The song was written about Salford, Lancashire, England, where MacColl was brought up. The 1949 song is a scornful description of industrial Northern England, and in some ways forecast the industrial collapse in Britain, over 20 years later. It is said that Luke Kelly sang the song as a scathing reference to the similarities to his own hometown, Dublin, Ireland. - Composed by Ewan McColl
2.Joe Hill (A.K.A I Dreamt I Saw Joe Hill Last Night) - Joe Hill b. Sweden, as Joseph Hillstrom was a Swedish-American union organizer; . He came to the United States in 1902 and, as a maritime worker, joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1910. He wrote many labor songs, including “Casey Jones” and “The Union Scab.” Found guilty in 1915 of murdering a prominent Salt Lake City man, Hill was executed. He has become a legendary hero of radical labor. - Composed by Earl H. Robinson
3.Peggy Gordon - A beautiful traditional Irish love song.
4.Raglan Road (A.K.A Dawning Of The Day) - An achingly beautiful love song, with many references to Dublin locations. Lyrics by Paddy Kavanagh [from the traditional air 'Fainne Gael an Lae' - The Dawning of the Day]
5.Scorn Not His Simplicity - A song about Phil Coulter's handicapped son and demonstrated Luke Kelly's love of mankind, and their societal rights. He loved the song, and only recorded it once for a TV broadcast. - Composed by Phil Coulter
6.Song For Ireland - This great song has become a kind of celebratory anthem in Ireland, but the writers were actually an English couple from Staffordshire, who were inspired to write it when visiting the Dingle peninsula. - Composed by Phil and June Colclough
7.Thank You For The Days (A.K.A Days - Composed by Ray Davies [Kinks]
8.The Black Velvet Band - Traditional song about a man being led astray by a woman who leaves him penniless. This is a very common theme in Irish pub songs.
9.The Bonny Shoals Of Herring - A song about the hardship and the proud tradition of the brave trawlermen of the British fishing industry - Ewan MacColl
10.The Foggy Dew - An Irish rebel ballad commemorating the Easter Rising in 1916, in Dublin against the British occupation of Ireland. Luke Kelly was very much an Irish Nationalist and a very patriotic Irishman. - Composed by Milligan, E./Fox
11.The Rare Ould Times - The song tells of the changes that have occurred in Dublin since the 60's. Progress can come at a high price. - Composed by Pete St. John
12.The Town I Loved So Well - is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, and focuses on "The Troubles" which was the high price paid by the people of Northern Ireland, after the British occupation in 1969. It is a song of optimism - Composed by Phil Coulter
13.The Travelling People - A great Scottish folk standard about the plight of the underprivileged travelling nomadic societies in Scotland. Pete Seeger composed similar songs about the American poor. - Composed by E. McColl / Noel Mcloughlin
14.The Wild Rover - Traditional - “The Wild Rover” is the man whose faithless girlfriend convinces him that his only dependable companion is “Whiskey in the Jar,” the Irish drinking song is usually much more of a celebration than a cautionary tale. Many of these songs were introduced to a wider audience during the folk revival of the 1960’s, when Irish musicians such as the Clancy Brothers, gained popularity throughout the world

BIO

Luke Kelly was born on November 17, 1940, into a working class family in Sheriff Street, a quarter of a mile from Dublin's O'Connell Street. His grandmother, who was a McDonald from Scotland, lived with the family until her death in 1953. His father worked all his life in Jacobs biscuit factory and enjoyed playing soccer. Both Luke and his brother Paddy played club GAA football and soccer as kids. In 1953 the Corporation moved the family to Whitehall, then a north city suburb. Luke left school at 13 and after four years of odd-jobbing went to England in 1958. Working at steel fixing with his brother Paddy on a building site in Wolverhampton, he was sacked after asking for more money. He worked odd jobs from oil barrel cleaning to vacuum salesman. The first folk club he came across was in Newcastle in early 1960. Having already acquired the use of a banjo, he started memorising songs. In Leeds he brought his banjo to sessions in McReady's pub and was often to be seen at Communist Party headquarters. The folk revival was under way in England: at the centre of it was Ewan McColl who scripted a radio programme called Ballads and Blues. The skiffle craze had also injected a certain energy into folk singing. Luke started busking. On a trip home he went a fleadh ceoil in Miltown Malbay on the advice of Johnny Moynihan. He listened to recordings of Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seeger. As he sought out the musician in himself, he also developed his political convictions which, as Ronnie Drew pointed out after his death, he stuck to throughout his life. As Ronnie also pointed out, he learned to sing with perfect diction. He befriended Sean Mulready in Birmingham and lived in his home for a period. A teacher who was run out of his job in Dublin after a Catholic witchunt over his communist beliefs, he also had strong music links. A sister, Kathleen Moynihan was a founder member of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann. He was related by marriage to Festy Conlon, the Co Galway whistle player. His wife's brother, Ned Stapleton, taught Luke The Rocky Road to Dublin. Luke bought his first banjo, a five-string, started a lifelong habit of consummate reading and even took up golf - on one of Birmingham's municipal courses. He got involved in the Jug O'Punch folk club run by Ian Campbell. He befriended Dominick Behan and they performed folk clubs and Irish pubs from London to Glasgow. In London pubs like The Favourite he would hear street singer Margaret Barry and musicians in exile like Roger Sherlock, Seamus Ennis, Bobby Casey and Mairtín Byrnes. Luke Kelly was by now active in the Connolly Asssociation, a left-wing grouping strongest among the exiles in England. His political development was significant. It gave edge and conviction to his performance and lent weight to The Dubliners' repertoire at a time when the youth in Ireland were breaking away from Civil War 'Tweedledum' politics. He was also to start frequenting Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger's Singer Club in London. In 1961 there was a ballad boom in waiting in Ireland. The Abbey Tavern sessions in Howth was the forerunner to sessions in the Hollybrook, Clontarf, the International Bar and the Grafton cinema. Luke Kelly returned to Dublin in 1962. O'Donoghues was already established as a session house and soon Luke was singing with among others Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna. Other early people playing at O'Donoghues included the Fureys, father and sons, John Keenan and Sean Og McKenna, Johnny Moynihan and Mairtin Byrnes. A concert John Molloy organised in the Hibernian Hotel led to his Ballad Tour of Ireland with the Ronnie Drew Ballad Group. (Billed in one town as the Ronnie Drew Ballet Group). The success trail led to the Abbey Tavern and the Royal Marine and then to jam-packed sessions in the Embankment, Tallaght. Ciaran Bourke joined the group, followed later by John Sheehan. The called themselves The Dubliners. In 1964 Luke Kelly left the group for nearly two years and was replaced by Bobby Lynch. With the late Deirdre O'Connell, founder of the Focus Theatre, whom he was to marry the following year, he went back to London and became involved in Ewan McColl's "gathering." The Critics, as it was called, was formed to explore folk traditions and help young singers. Luke Kelly greatly admired McColl and saw his time with The Critics as an apprenticeship. "It functioned as a kind of self-help group to develop each other's potential," said Peggy Seeger. Bobby Lynch left The Dubliners and Luke rejoined. They recorded an album in Cecil Sharpe House, London, played the Cambridge Folk Festival and recorded Irish Night Out, a live album with, among other, exiles Margaret Barry, Michael Gorman and Jimmy Powers. They also played a concert in the National Stadium in Dublin with, to Luke's delight, Pete Seeger as special guest. They were on the road to success: Top Twenty hits with Seven Drunken Nights and Black Velvet Band, the Ed Sullivan Show in 1968 and a tour of New Zealand and Australia. The ballad boom in Ireland was becoming increasingly commercialised with publicans building even larger venues for pay-in performances. Christy Moore became a friend after they met in 1967. During his Planxty days he got to know Luke particularly well. "Mind you at that time I think his best singing days were over. I think Luke ran out of steam in The Dubliners as a singer. I've heard tapes of him singing as a younger man and he was wonderful". Luke took to the stage, surprising many with his performance as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1972 The Dubliners themselves performed in Richard's Cork Leg, based on the "incomplete works" of Brendan Behan. An unlikely alliance with Derry composer Phil Counter produced two of Luke's greatest performances: The Town I Loved So Well and the deeply moving Scorn Not His Simplicity. The latter was about Phil's handicapped son and showed Luke as passionate in caring for the individual's plight as he was about the good of society. He had such respect for the song that he only performed it once for a television recording and rarely, if ever, sang it at The Dubliners' often boisterous concerts. On June 30, 1980, during a concert in the Cork Opera House Luke Kelly collapsed on stage. He was rushed to hospital and a brain tumor was diagnosed. Following a lengthy operation there was every hope of a full recovery. He performed again with the group but became ill on a tour of Switzerland and had to pull out. He died in hospital on January 30, 1984. He united Dubliners in their appreciation of their own music and street songs and, years later, when the City Council was divided along Civil War lines over the naming of a new Tolka River bridge, the councillors quickly united as Tony Gregory proposed that it be named after Luke Kelly. © Ronan Nolan, 2008. www.iol.ie/~ronolan/luke_kelly.htm