Maggie Bell

Maggie Bell - Live at the Rainbow 1974 - 2002 - Angel Air

The great Scottish blues lady Maggie Bell's career has been a long and very distinguished one. Her work with the legendary Stone The Crows, an impressive solo back catalogue and the obscure but impressive Midnight Flyer has established Maggie as one of the finest and most important and influential female blues/rock vocalists of the last 40 years. This live album, recorded at London's Rainbow theatre in 1974, gives an idea of Maggie's innate love for soul and blues. The great lady injects a passion into her singing, and it is a joy to hear these classic songs sung by the Scottish "Queen Of The Night". The great "Midnight Flyer (With Maggie Bell)" album is @ MIDNF/MAGBEL Maggie's "Live Boston Usa 1975" album is located @ MAGBEL/LIVEBN Her "River Sessions" album is @ MAGBEL/RIVSS Info on the "British Blues Quintet (Featuring Maggie Bell) - Live In Glasgow" album is @ BBQ/MAGBEL/LIG You should also listen to Stone the Crows superb 1970 album, "Ode To John Law."

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Coming on Strong - Money, Allen 6:07
2 Wishing Well - Rodgers, Yamauchi, Kirke, Kossoff, Bundrick 4:29
3 As the Years Go Passing By - Malone 6:20
4 I Was in Chains - Sutherland 4:15
5 Suicide Sall - Bell, London, Clifford, Trengrove, Wingfield 5:02
6 I Saw Him Standing There - Lennon & McCartney 6:03
7 The Preacher - Brian Breeze 2:00
8 Penicillin Blues - Terry McGhee 5:11
9 Soul Medley [ Boogie Sandwich, Wingfield/Ain't Misbehavin', Waller, Razaff, Brooks/Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Price/Blueberry Hill, Lewis, Stock, Rose/Roulette, Standford/On The Rebound, Crawler/Doo-Wop Groove, Wingfield/Hey Paula, Hildebrand/I Get A Kick Out Of You, Porter/The Way You Look Tonight, Kern/The Sheik Of Araby, Snyder, Smith, Wheeler/Bhuna Curry, Bell, Wingfield 10:56
10 Medley [ The Ghetto, Bramlett, Banks, Crutcher/Boogie Sandwich (Reprise), Wingfield/The Gheto (Reprise), Bramlett, Banks, Crutcher /Rock Me Baby, King, Bihari 9:48
11 Aileem Mochree - Trad. 1:51
12 Medley [ Shout, Isley, Isley, Isley/Gospel Intro., Bell, Wingfield/Lay Down Your Soul for Jesus, Bell, Wingfield, Francis, Foster, Breeze/Shout (Reprise), Isley, Isley, Isley 12:54

MUSICIANS

Maggie Bell (Vocals, Tambourine)
Brian Breeze (Electric Guitar)
Mo Foster (Bass Guitar)
Pete Wingfield (Electric Piano, Vocals)
Paul Francis (Drums)



SHORT BIO

12 January 1945, Glasgow, Scotland. Bell's career began in the mid-60s as the featured singer in several resident dancehall bands. She made her recording debut in 1966, completing two singles with Bobby Kerr under the name Frankie And Johnny. Bell then joined guitarist Leslie Harvey, another veteran of the same circuit, in Power, a hard rock outfit that evolved into Stone The Crows. This earthy, soul-based band, memorable for Harvey's imaginative playing and Bell's gutsy, heartfelt vocals, became a highly popular live attraction and helped the singer win several accolades. Bell's press release at the time insisted that she would loosen her vocal chords by gargling with gravel! Harvey, who was Bell's boyfriend at the time, was tragically electrocuted on stage in 1972. The band, still rocked by his death, split up the following year. Bell, now managed by Peter Grant, embarked on a solo career with Queen Of The Night, which was produced in New York by Jerry Wexler and featured the cream of the city's session musicians. The anticipated success did not materialize and further releases failed to reverse this trend. The singer did have a minor UK hit with "Hazell" (1978), the theme tune to a popular television series, but "Hold Me", a tongue-in-cheek duet with B.A. Robertson, remains her only other chart entry. Bell subsequently fronted a new group, Midnight Flyer, but this tough, highly underrated singer, at times redolent of Janis Joplin, has been unable to secure a distinctive career and can still be seen on the blues club circuit. Her interpretations of songs such as Free's "Wishing Well" and Lennon/McCartney's "I Saw Her Standing There" are excellent. Bell's greatest asset remains her uncompromisingly foxy voice. [ From The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze ]