Pic of the day: Back in…

… June 6, 1962:

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THE BEATLES on Abbey Road. First recording (or test?) session of The Beatles in Abbey Road, between 6 and 8 pm. John Skinner, in charge of security, stood watch on the stairs at the entrance to the studios, neatly uniformed, on that afternoon of June 6. “The Beatles pulled up to the parking lot in an old white van,” he says. “They looked very skinny and gangly, almost malnourished. Neil Aspinall, their road manager, said the Beatles were here for a recording session. I thought what a strange man!” They unloaded the van and began to carry their things to the studio themselves. Precisely it is not clear what study it was about since the memories of that afternoon are blurred. Skinner and George Martin remember that the session took place in studio three, as did others who were not present that day, but were members of the studio team at the time, such as Malcolm Addey, Harry Moss and Keith Slaughter. Conversely, Chris Neal, Ron Richards, Norman Smith and Ken Townsend swear to remember that the session took place in studio two. (by Steve Jaquest)

Astrud Gilberto – The Astrud Gilberto Album (1965)

FrontCover1Astrud Gilberto (born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, 29 March 1940 – 5 June 2023) was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song “The Girl from Ipanema”.

Astrud Gilberto was born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, the daughter of a Brazilian mother and a German father, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. She was raised in Rio de Janeiro. Her father was a language professor, and she became fluent in several languages. She married João Gilberto in 1959 and had a son, João Marcelo Gilberto, who later joined her band. Astrud and João divorced in the mid-1960s. She has another son from a second marriage, Gregory Lasorsa, who also played with his mother. Later she began a relationship with her husband’s musical collaborator, American jazz saxophone player Stan Getz. She immigrated to the United States in 1963, residing in the U.S. from that time on.

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She sang on two tracks on the 1963 album Getz/Gilberto featuring João Gilberto, Stan Getz, and Antônio Carlos Jobim. While it was her first professional recording, Astrud “wasn’t a complete novice. She grew up steeped in music (her mother Evangelina Neves Lobo Weinert played multiple instruments) and sang regularly with her husband in Brazil, including in a concert at the Faculdade de Arquitetura, part of one of Rio de Janeiro’s top universities.” Her “beguiling, whispery voice” and steadfast approach to singing played a significant role in popularizing “The Girl from Ipanema”, earning a Grammy for Song of the Year and a nomination for Best Vocal Performance by a female.

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The 1964 edited single of “The Girl from Ipanema” omitted the Portuguese lyrics sung by João Gilberto, and established Astrud Gilberto as a Bossa Nova singer. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. For the recording, it is reported Astrud only ever received the standard session fee, $120. However, according to Gene Lees in Singers and the Song II, Getz asked producer Creed Taylor to ensure she was paid nothing.[8] In 1964, Gilberto appeared in the films Get Yourself a College Girl and The Hanged Man. Her first solo album was The Astrud Gilberto Album (1965). Upon moving to the United States, she went on tour with Getz. Beginning as a singer of bossa nova and American jazz standards, Gilberto started to record her own compositions in the 1970s. She recorded songs in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Japanese.

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In 1982, Gilberto’s son Marcelo joined her group, touring with her for more than a decade as a bassist. In addition, he collaborated as co-producer of the albums Live in New York (1996) and Temperance (1997). Her son Gregory Lasorsa played guitar on the Temperance album on the song “Beautiful You”, which features singer Michael Franks.

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Gilberto received the Latin Jazz USA Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1992 and was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2002. In 1996, she contributed to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio produced by the Red Hot Organization, performing the song “Desafinado” (Portuguese for “slightly out of tune”, or “off-key”) along with George Michael at his invitation. Although she did not officially retire, Gilberto announced in 2002 that she was taking “indefinite time off” from public performances.

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Her original recording of “Fly Me to the Moon” was edited as a duet using a recording of the same song by Frank Sinatra for the soundtrack of Down with Love (2003). Her recording “Who Can I Turn To?” was sampled by The Black Eyed Peas in the song “Like That” from the 2005 album Monkey Business. Her vocals on “Berimbau” were sampled by Cut Chemist in his song “The Garden”. Her recording of “Once I Loved” was featured in the 2007 film Juno. The “Astrud” track on Basia Trzetrzelewska’s 1987 album, Time and Tide, is a tribute to Gilberto.

Gilberto was an advocate of animal rights.

Gilberto died from undisclosed causes on 5 June, 2023 (wikipedia)

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he Astrud Gilberto Album (with Antonio Carlos Jobim) is the debut studio album by Astrud Gilberto. With Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar and the arrangements by Marty Paich, it was released via Verve Records in 1965. It peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2017, NPR placed it at number 73 on the “150 Greatest Albums Made by Women” list.(wikipedia)

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Astrud Gilberto became an accidental success when her fragile command of English made her the de facto choice to sing “The Girl from Ipanema” at a session led by Stan Getz and her husband, João Gilberto. Of course, despite its overwhelming success, it wasn’t clear that she could sustain a career when she recorded her first solo LP, The Astrud Gilberto Album. She had sounded more like an amateurish novelty act than a recording professional, her voice was sweet but fragile, and the Getz/Gilberto album had featured two strong voices, with Gilberto herself an afterthought (albeit a commercially effective afterthought). But The Astrud Gilberto Album was at least as good as Getz/Gilberto (despite what jazz fans say), for several reasons.

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The Brazilian repertoire plays particularly well to traditionally weak vocalists, her voice was yet more sweet than had been heard previously, and as before, the record featured two strong leaders — arranger Marty Paich and the incomparable Antonio Carlos Jobim. Paich’s strings positively coated the album with radiance, and his choices for lead instrumental voices — Bud Shank’s flute, João Donato’s piano, Jobim’s guitar — complemented her vocals perfectly. Gilberto sounded beautiful on a range of material, from the sentimental “Dindi” to the playful “Agua de Beber,” and as long as intelligent musicians were playing to her strengths (as they do here), the results were splendid. (by John Bush)

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Personnel:
Milt Bernhart (trombone)
João Donato (piano)
Astrud Gilberto (vocals)
Joe Mondragon (bass)
Bud Shank (saxophone, flute)
Stu Williamson (trumpet)
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Antônio Carlos Jobim (guitar, vocals on 02.)
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Guildhall String Ensemble

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Tracklist:
01. Once I Loved (Gilbert/Jobim/de Moraes 2.11
02. Água de Beber (Gimbel/Jobim(de Moraes) 2.19
03. Meditation (Gimbel/Jobim/Mendonça) 2:42
04. …And Roses And Roses (Caymmi/Gilbert) 2:37
05. O Morro (Não tem Vez) (Jobim/Moraes) 2:59
06. How Insensitive (Gimbel/Jobim/Moraes) 2:51
07. Dindi (Gilbert/Jobim/de Oliveira) 2:44
08. Photograph (Jobim) 2:12
09. Dreamer (Jobim/Lees) 2:03
10. Só Tinha de Ser Com Você (Jobim) 2:22
11. All That’s Left Is To Say Goodbye (Gilberto/Jobim/Moraes) 3:13

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More from Astrud Gilberto:LPFrontCover1The official (now deleted) website:
Website

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Lake – Wings Of Freedom (2014)

FrontCover1Lake, or commonly referred to as The Lake in some countries, is a German-British rock music group that formed in 1973 in Hamburg, Germany. In 1975, they were joined by lead singer James Hopkins-Harrison, who gave them their signature sound for the remainder of their recording career.

The band was originally active as The Tornados between 1967 and 1973, before reincarnated as Lake in 1973. They achieved modest success in Europe from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, particularly in Germany where they were named artist of the year by the German Phono Academy in 1977. That same year, their self-titled debut album reached #92 in the US, and the single Time Bomb reached #83, which would prove to be their greatest success in the US.

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The album reached #97 while Time Bomb reached #91 in Canada. Lake toured the US in the late 1970s as the opening act for various headline acts, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Oak Arkansas, and Neil Young. On June 23, 1978, they were the opening act of a rock festival at the Feyenoord football stadium in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and were followed by Eric Clapton, Champion Jack Dupree and headliner Bob Dylan. After their contract with CBS was discontinued the label released previously unavailable live material from stage appearances between May 1979 and October 1980, introducing the Lake 1 (incl. Detlef Petersen) and the Lake 2 (incl. Achim Oppermann) formations on the double live album Live – On the Run. The band was able to sign another contract with the German Polydor label and in 1984 they released album #6, No Time for Heroes.

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In 1985 Lake released Voices and in 1986 recorded its final Polydor album, So What. Longtime drummer Dieter Ahrendt left and was replaced by Udo Dahmen. Bassist Jo (Josef) Kappl also left, replaced by Benjamin Hüllenkrämer. So What included “Inside To Outside”, written by Achim Oppermann which had already been performed by former Kajagoogoo lead singer Limahl. Lake ceased to exist by 1986/87. James Hopkins-Harrison died from an overdose of heroin in 1991.

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At the beginning of the new millennium, Lake was revived by Alex Conti, including Mike Starrs, Adrian Askew, Mickie Stickdorn, and Michael “Bexi” Becker. In March 2005, the first Lake studio recording in 20 years was released: The Blast of Silence.

After having had to withdraw their 2012 album, Freedom, due to quarrels with their then singer, Lloyd Anderson; their original singer, Ian Cussick, rejoined the band.[1] In February 2014, Lake released their new album Wings of Freedom, which contains most of the material of Freedom (except for three songs which have been replaced by two new songs), with new vocals by Cussick.

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And here´s their last studio album:

“Commercial songs – presented in a sophisticated manner,” this was already on Alex Conti´s mind during the time when the well reputed Blues Rock guitarist joined the Hamburg outfit LAKE in October 1975 – “on the second day”, in the ancient biblical sense. A stylistic mix giving The Beach Boys, The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan a run for their money impressed the Rock scene as well as the media: Backing the sound-defining lead singer James Hopkins-Harrison, this quintet was able to present delicate four-part harmonies as well as Jazz Rock grooves – and their soloing was world class also. In 1973, this German-British Rock group had gone out as a horn-assisted Big Band in Chicago and BS&T style, defined by members of the Hamburg Top 40 gang The Tornados: featuring lead singer Ian Cussick, bass player Martin Tiefensee and drummer Dieter Ahrendt. They were joined by musicians from Gary Glitter’s Boston Showband – organ player Geoffrey Peacey and trumpet player Bernard Whelan.Fort the band´s future West Coast Sound, this line-up seemed hardly typical. In order to arrive at their desired & definite style, they needed the sharp and sensitive voice of the Hanseatic Scotsman James Hopkins-Harrison.

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When Alex Conti joined Lake, leaving Germany´s leading rock group Atlantis, the band had found their sonic calling at last. LAKE proceeded to drive the hard slog through the club circuit of the Republic – and soon the songs and arrangements provided by producer Detlef Petersen and singer Hopkins Harrison really worked a treat.The debut album LAKE, excellently sung and played and commercially oriented as it was, had been engineered “out in the country” by Abbey Road soundman Jerry Boys: the famous knob twiddler had served the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Yehudi Menuhin (!) from the other side of his glass partition – any need for a truly “bad” reputation? Jerry Boys and the Lake boys presented a sound which continues to impress even now, in 2010. Their LAKE collection hit the charts in 1976 the same way as the Gospel power single “Jesus Came Down” – pole position for a band which was able to move faster than even their media hype suggested – proved by a nationwide German tour with The Sutherland Brothers and Wishbone Ash. The harmony sound of those “Sailing” brothers Iain and Gavin Sutherland was topped as easily as the twin lead-guitars of Ash´s axemen Powell&Wisefield.Results were the national disc award “Deutscher Schallplattenpreis“ in April 1977, concert appearances with Genesis and gigantic open airs in Nuremburg and Karlsruhe with their role models Santana and Chicago. As far as their rough road anecdotes are concerned, one of them is a real horror nightmare even for our tough Lake warriors: During a US tour in 1977, it turned out that the band not only had a sixth sense in writing vocal harmonies, but also excelled in choosing airplanes. Lake musicians narrowly escaped the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash, because they had been booked for a radio session in Atlanta, Georgia prior to joining a Lynyrd-led festival.This LAKE band has been touring steadily since May 2002, re-constructing their combination of high harmony overkill and high adrenalin riffing and lovingly re-creating unforgotten classics like „Jesus Came Down“ or „Red Lake“ on a never-ending club tour. In February 2004, George Kochbeck decided to leave the LAKE re-incarnation – fully booked with film and TV music projects as he was. He got replaced by the experienced and reliable first rate Atlantis veteran Adrian Askew.Soon, cries for a LAKE comeback album became louder.

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The well-oiled new line-up reacted in 2005 with BLAST OF SILENCE – and according to Mickie Stickdorn, “it was recorded in only twelve wonderful session days, with the complete package done and dusted!” LAKE guitarist Alex seemed to have found his ideal line-up, but confirms that the doors remain open for the legendary “Mark II“ section of Tiefensee- Ahrendt-Peacey-Petersen.Certainly, the songs on the new album sound as inspired as those of the “classic” LAKE era – featuring tremendous songs, fleshy riffs and rousing Hammond organ outbursts. Vocal power works in solo renditions courtesy of Mike Starrs and also in the high harmonies of Conti-Becker- Stickdorn-Askew, aided by a precise rhythmic engine room with tons of spare energy – and of course the inimitable guitar courtesy of Alex Conti. „Steely Dan with balls?“ Those veterans can live with that moniker.The line-up continued to play live until 2008. For one year, Adrian Askew was replaced by Ingo Bischof, a German keyboard legend in bands such as Kraan and Karthago, and – what goes around – Alex was happy to have his old Rosebud mate Holger Trull back on board, playing bass.

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In 2009, Mike Starrs parted amically from LAKE, and Ingo Bischof went back to his own attractive projects. The new front man and lead singer is Chris Thornton jr – he has been on tour with T.M. Stevens and was a member of Alex´ former retro rousers Rudolf Rock & Die Schocker. On keyboards there is Jens Skwirblies now, who played with Ian Cussick´s band for years and also backed Toto singer Bobby Kimball.The current line-up has already achieved a first major tour with remarkable reviews. At the end of February, the band picked up the unique, one-in-a-million opportunity of supporting the legendary cult band Lynyrd Skynyrd on their German tour. Thus, Alex Conti was able to share the stage with the Southern Rock heroes for an exciting third time in his career. The remainder of 2010 will be spent playing further spectacular gigs – for instance with Foreigner – and of course, the long awaited new CD has now passed the planning stages and is being prepared in earnest! (metal-jukebox.net)

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Personnel:
Alex Conti (guitar, background vocals)
Ian Cussick (vocals)
Jens Skwirblies (keyboards, background vocals)
Mickie Stickdorn (drums, background vocals)
Holger Trull (bass, background vocals)
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Lloyd Anderson (vocals on 02.)
Eddie Filipp (drums, percussion on 03., 04., 08. + 09,)
Jim Hopkins-Harrison (vocals on 05.)

Tracklist:
01. Passionate Eyes (Conti/Randolf) 04:15
02. Silvia (Cussick/Skwirblies) 05:50
03. Die Just A Little (Mendonca) 03:18
04. Stone Crazy (Cussick/Skwirblies) 04:02
05. Nightbirds (Altenbroxter/Becker) 04:18
06. Ted Nugent And The Gunner’s Blues (Conti/Randolf) 05:00
07. Gin And Tonic (Mendonca) 04:14
08. Nineteen Sixties Man (Conti/Cussick) 03:52
09. Freewheeling (Conti/Randolf) 04:39
10. Wings Of Freedom (Conti/Cussick) 05:05

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More from Lake:
USFrontCover1The official website:
Website

The John Dummer Blues Band – The Lost 1973 Album (2008)

FrontCover1The John Dummer Band also known as John Dummer’s Blues Band, John Dummer’s Famous Music Band, John Dummer’s Oobleedooblee Band and The John Dummer Band Featuring Nick Pickett was a British blues band, of the 1960s and 1970s, noted for its extensive roster of members, including Graham Bond, Dave Kelly, Jo Ann Kelly, Tony McPhee, Bob Hall, John O’Leary and Pick Withers, and for supporting US bluesmen such as Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker on UK tours.

The band was formed by drummer John Dummer (born Anthony John Dummer 19 November 1944, Surbiton, Surrey). He formed Lester Square and the G.T’s in 1963 with Chris Trengove (alto saxophone and vocals) and Elton Dean (tenor saxophone, later of Soft Machine) and toured the UK and Germany for two years.

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Dummer formed the John Dummer Blues Band in 1965.[2] The original line-up was John Dummer (vocals, harmonica), Roger Pearce (guitar) and Pete Moody (bass) – both recruited from London R&B band The Grebbels – plus Bob Hall (piano) and Dave Bidwell (drums). Moody later left to be replaced by Tony Walker (bass) and his sister Regine Walker joined Dummer as a second vocalist. The featured guitarist was Tony ‘Top’ Topham, the original Yardbirds guitarist. The band changed its line-up and began a regular Sunday afternoon residency at the Studio 51 Club in London’s West End. Dummer had moved onto drums, and Dave Kelly and Tony McPhee joined as guitarist/vocalists, with Iain “Thump” Thomson (bass) and John O’Leary (harmonica). Dave’s sister, Jo-Ann Kelly, was also a regularly featured vocalist at these sessions. The band picked up a following at the club with visiting artists such as John Mayall, Keef Hartley, Champion Jack Dupree, Long John Baldry, Duster Bennett and Alexis Korner. The band was signed to Mercury Records and their first album, Cabal, was released in 1969. Dave and Jo-Anne Kelly and Tony McPhee were featured artists, and the band was the same as had regularly played the Studio 51 Club. Tony McPhee left the band shortly after to re-form The Groundhogs.

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The second album, The John Dummer Blues Band, featured Dummer, Hall, Thomson, Dave and Jo Ann Kelly (vocals), with a new lead guitarist Adrian “Putty” Pietryga, from The Deep Blues Band from Bristol. This band toured extensively in Britain and Europe for two years.

By the third album, John Dummer’s Famous Music Band (1970), Dave Kelly and Bob Hall had left to be replaced by Nick Pickett (guitar, violin and vocals) Pietryga and Thomson remained, being augmented by Chris Trengove (alto sax).

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After the third album the band “drifted apart”, only to reform to record again when their instrumental “Nine By Nine”, featuring violinist Nick Pickett, was number 1 in France. The 1972 album Blue, released as the John Dummer Band, featured a cover by Roger Dean, whilst the band had shrunk to a four-piece blues-rock band, comprising Dummer, Pickett, Pietryga and Thomson.[9] The band’s fifth album, Oobleedoobleejubilee (1973), released as John Dummer’s Oobleedooblee Band, had a country music style, whilst the line-up again included the Kellys, along with Michael Evans (violin) and Roger Brown (vocals). The band’s final album, recorded in 1973, included Graham Bond (saxophone), Pick Withers (drums), Pete Emery (guitar) and Colin Earl (Foghat) (keyboards), but the album was shelved, and the band broke up in 1974. This final album was eventually released in 2008, as the Lost 1973 Album.

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Dummer became a promotion manager; spending three years at MCA Records and a year at Elektra Records, before joining A&M Records. In 1977 he became the drummer with Darts, with former Dummer Band members “Thump” Thomson and guitarist George Currie, who had earlier re-formed with Dave Kelly to play the London pub scene as The John Dummer Band. Dummer wrote songs including Darts’ “Late Last Night”, “How Many Nights”, and “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” which reached number 43 on the UK Singles Chart, before leaving in 1980.

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Dummer then played drums, toured and recorded with Lowell Fulson and Eddie C. Campbell. (Lowell Fulson – Think Twice Before You Speak; Eddie C. Campbell – The Baddest Cat on the Block. Both JSP Records 1082 & 1087 respectively). His next group, True Life Confessions, featured his wife Helen April, second drummer Manic Esso from The Lurkers, bassist Harry Kakouli from Squeeze, guitarists Robin Bibi and Mark Nevin (later to form Fairground Attraction and write the hit “Perfect”) and two Afro-French girl singers, Any Toco-Salvetti and her sister Myriam. They issued several records on A&M, but none charted. Dummer and his wife also performed as a duo, and peaked at number 54 in the UK Singles Chart with their cover version of “Blues Skies”, and were also known for “Own Up If You’re Over 25”.

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He then managed The Screaming Blue Messiahs for three years, before restoring properties in France and Portugal. He formed Screwy Truants with French musicians, sang and played harmonica with French guitarist Jean-Claude Manuel, and drummed with harmonica player and blues singer Nico Toussaint. Dummer is currently still drumming with various groups in Bordeaux and working as an antiques trader, furniture restorer and author. His bitter/sweet story of an ex-pat’s dream Serge Bastarde Ate My Baguette: On the Road in the Real Rural France was published by Summersdale in 2009, and was followed by a sequel Son of Serge Bastarde: Mayhem In The Antiques Markets of Rural France. (wikipedia)

John Dummer and his wife and fellow singer and musician Helen April:
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This UK band came into being in 1965, evolving from the Muskrats and the Grebbells, and lasted until the early 70s, surviving numerous personnel changes. The line-up included prominent British blues artists such as pianist Bob Hall, guitarist Dave Kelly and his sister Jo Ann Kelly, Mike Cooper, and Tony McPhee. The band backed touring American artists John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf, and recorded albums for Mercury and Vertigo between 1969 and 1973. Drummer John Dummer went on to work with English pop vocal group Darts in the mid-70s. In recent years all Dummer’s albums have become much sought after items in the collectors’ market and currently carry very high prices.(allmusic)

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The John Dummer Blues Band’s reputation as one of those groups that hung forever on the cusp of a major step forward, but never quite made it over the top, is one of those odd little injustices with which the British blues scene forever prickles. There is simply no way of judging why one band made it while another failed to crackle, but Dummer and company were unluckier than most and, by 1973, their fortunes had reached rock bottom. Vertigo, their home for two albums, was about to let them go as part of the company-wide purge that so devastated what had once been one of Britain’s most visionary record labels — and when the bandmembers returned to the studio, it was in the knowledge that they had one last chance to convince the bigwigs to keep them on board. They should have succeeded, too.

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The result is a pièce de résistance, a sparkling album that not only packs some of the band’s best ever recordings, but also boasts one of their strongest ever lineups: organist Colin Earl and guitarists Dave Kelly and Pete Emery, a rhythm section of Ian Thompson and Pick Withers, and, on saxophone, the legendary Graham Bond. But somehow it all slipped through the cracks. Within a year, Bond was dead; this may well have been his last ever recording session, a manic four-day span that saw no less than 11 tracks kicked out, and then abandoned. Before that, though, Vertigo did indeed pass on the album, and attempts to land a U.S. deal via the Foghat connection (Colin Earl, of course) were doomed to failure. The tapes were shelved, the band broke up, and it would be 35 years before anybody ever thought to give them another listen. Now, however, they are where they belong, on the streets and still sparkling as brilliantly as the best of the Dummer band ever did. (by Dave Thompson)

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Personnel:
Graham Bond (saxophone)
John Dummer (percussion, vocals on 06.)
Colin Earl (keyboards)
Pete Emery (guitar)
Dave Kelly (guitar, vocals)
Iain ”Thump” Thompson (bass)
Pick Withers (drums)

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Tracklist:
01. L.A. Lady 2.39
02. Sunny Wine Song 3.17
03. Short Haul Line 3.15
04. Reach For Me 4.29
05. Goin’ Home 3.51
06. Bad Dream 6.19
07. Good Rockin’ Man 4.01
08. Undying Love 5.15
09 Who’s Foolin’ Who 5.40
10. Stealin’ 2.31
11. Keep It In My Mind 7.19

I have no idea who wrote the songs

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Liner Notes

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Nina Simone – Montreux Jazz Festival Switzerland (1990)

FrontCover1Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop. (wikipedia)

Nina Simone was one of the most gifted vocalists of her generation, and also one of the most eclectic. Simone was a singer, pianist, and songwriter who bent genres to her will rather than allowing herself to be confined by their boundaries; her work swung back and forth between jazz, blues, soul, classical, R&B, pop, gospel, and world music, with passion, emotional honesty, and a strong grasp of technique as the constants of her musical career. (by Mark Deming)

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And here is a wonderful concert (soundboard quality) that shows all their skills, all their intimacy. They are accompanied by equally great musicians.

Enjoy the wonderful music of Nina Simone !

Recorded live at the Casino (Montreux Jazz Festival/Switzerland), July 13, 1990
excellent sundboard recording

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Personnel:
Leopold Fleming (drums, percussion)
Paul Robinson (drums)
Alvin Schackman (guitar, vibraphone, synthesizer)
Nina Simone (piano, vocals)

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Tracklist:
01. Into / Just in Time (Styne)
02. Here Comes The Sun (Harrison)
03. Porgy And Bess (G.Gershwin/I.Gershwin)
04. Someone To Watch Over Me (G.Gershwin/I.Gershwin/Dietz)
05. Mississippi Goddam (Simone)
06. Sea Lion Woman (Traitional)
07. I Put A Spell On You (Hawkins/Slotkin)
08. Don’t Smoke in Bed (Robison)
09. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (Woods)
10. Little Girl Blue (Rodgers/Hart)
11. Band introduction + Announcement
12. Liberian Calypso (Simone)
13. Four Women (Simone)
14. Mississippi Goddam (Simone)
15. No Woman, No Cry (Marley)
16. My Baby Just Cares For Me (Donaldson/Kahn)
17. Ne me quitte pas (Brel)

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More from Nina Simone:
More

The official website:
Website

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On the road again …

This time I’m going to Nuremberg for a few days.

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Nuremberg (in the local East Franconian dialect: Nämberch  is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. On the Pegnitz River (from its confluence with the Rednitz in Fürth onwards: Regnitz, a tributary of the River Main) and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it lies in the Bavarian administrative region of Middle Franconia, and is the largest city and the unofficial capital of Franconia. Nuremberg forms with the neighbouring cities of Fürth, Erlangen and Schwabach a continuous conurbation with a total population of 800,376 (2019), which is the heart of the urban area region with around 1.4 million inhabitants, while the larger Nuremberg Metropolitan Region has approximately 3.6 million inhabitants. The city lies about 170 kilometres (110 mi) north of Munich. It is the largest city in the East Franconian dialect area (colloquially: “Franconian”; German: Fränkisch).

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There are many institutions of higher education in the city, including the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg). With 39,780 students in 2017, it is Bavaria’s third-largest and Germany’s 11th-largest university, with campuses in Erlangen and Nuremberg and a university hospital in Erlangen (Universitätsklinikum Erlangen). Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm and Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg are also located within the city. The Nuremberg exhibition centre (Messe Nürnberg) is one of the biggest convention center companies in Germany and operates worldwide. Nuremberg Airport (Flughafen Nürnberg “Albrecht Dürer”) is the second-busiest airport in Bavaria after Munich Airport, and the tenth-busiest airport of the country. (wikipedia)

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I will be back on Sunday June 4th

And as always, I wish all readers of this blog a good time !

The Stone Poneys – Same (1967)

LPFrontCover1Stone Poneys (also the Stone Poneys, Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys, and The Stone Poneys With Linda Ronstadt) were a folk rock trio formed in Los Angeles, consisting of Linda Ronstadt on vocals, Bobby Kimmel on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Kenny Edwards on lead guitar. Their recordings include Ronstadt’s first hit song, a cover of Mike Nesmith’s “Different Drum”. Even at this early stage, Ronstadt was showcasing her performances of an eclectic mix of songs, often from under-appreciated songwriters, requiring a wide array of backing musicians.

The band released three albums: The Stone Poneys; Evergreen, Volume 2; and Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III. All three albums were reissued in CD format in the 1990s in the US. The first two albums were reissued in Australia in 2008.

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Linda Ronstadt first met Bobby Kimmel as a teenager in 1960 while performing gigs in and around Tucson, Arizona, with her older brother Peter and older sister Suzi (under the name The Three Ronstadts, among others). The three Ronstadts joined with Kimmel and a local banjo player named Richard Saltus, performing locally as The New Union Ramblers. Kimmel, who was six years older than Linda, was impressed with the strong voice and enthusiasm of the fourteen-year-old. He relocated to Southern California around 1961 and wrote regularly to cajole Linda into joining him throughout her high school years at Catalina High. Kimmel had already met and befriended Kenny Edwards shortly before Linda’s arrival in L.A., and they had started writing folk-rock songs together.

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in December 1964, after dropping out of Tucson’s Catalina High School, and completing a semester at the University of Arizona, Linda Ronstadt decided to move to the Los Angeles area to join Bobby Kimmel and form a band. Ronstadt described Kimmel’s vision of the band: “It was going to be five people. We had an electric autoharp and a girl singer, and we thought we were unique in the world. And it turned out the Jefferson Airplane and the Lovin’ Spoonful had beaten us.”[2] The group trimmed down to a trio that called themselves The Stone Poneys. Their (misspelled) name came from Delta Blues singer Charley Patton’s 1929 song, “The Stone Pony Blues” (also known as “Pony Blues”).

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The band was discovered by a couple of music industry executives while rehearsing at a soul food restaurant called Olivia’s, located in Ocean Park, a community between Venice Beach and Santa Monica. Olivia’s was famous for its food and clientele, including The Doors.[2] In 1965, they recorded the Johnny Otis song “So Fine” and several others. Mike Curb, who at that time was working for Mercury, produced the sessions. The record company wanted them to change the group’s name to “The Signets” and sing surf music, which the trio chose not to do.

Instead, The Stone Poneys became a leading attraction on the Los Angeles club circuit, with Ronstadt usually performing on stage in a miniskirt and bare feet. They worked intimate clubs like The Troubadour in Hollywood, where they were opening for such musicians as Odetta and Oscar Brown Jr.; The Insomniac in Hermosa Beach, where they often appeared with The Chambers Brothers; and The Bitter End in Greenwich Village.

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One night at The Troubadour, the band’s first manager, Herb Cohen, told Kimmel in front of Ronstadt: “Well, I can get your chick singer recorded, but I don’t know about the rest of the group”. Linda Ronstadt called this “the beginning of the end”, although this occurred even before they were signed to Capitol and Ronstadt insisted that she would not record without the band. The Stone Poneys broke up briefly in this time period, and Cohen tried to connect Ronstadt with Frank Zappa to make a demo, and also with Jack Nitzsche, but nothing ever materialized (she and Zappa – who were both being managed by Cohen in this time period – would later make a radio commercial for Remington brand electric shavers that was rejected by the company).

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It doesn’t have “Different Drum,” but the first Stone Poneys album is their folkiest and best, dominated by close harmonies and strong original material by the group’s guitarists, Bob Kimmel and Ken Edwards. (Richie Unterberger)

Great sixties Americana with master musicians and a splendid (not only voice-like) lead vocalist who would become one of the major American singers during the seventies. (by Alain Robert)

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Personnel:
Ken Edwards (guitar)
Bob Kimmel (leaduitar, vocals)
Linda Marie Ronstadt (finger cymbals, vocals)
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James E. Bond, Jr. (bass)
Pete Childs (guitar)
Cyrus Faryar (guitar, bouzouki)
John T. Forsha (guitar)
Billy Mundi (drums)

Booklet05ATracklist:
01. Sweet Summer Blue And Gold (Edwards/Kimmel) 2.19
02. If I Were You (Edwards/Kimmel) 1.57
03. Just A Little Bit Of Rain (Neil) 2.20
04. Bicycle Song (Edwards/Kimmel) 1.53
05. Orion (Campbell) 3.19
06. Wild About My Lovin’ (Traditional) 3.50
07. Back Home (Edwards) 2.01
08. Meredith (On My Mind) 2.11
09. Train And The River (Edwards/Kimmel) 2.19
10. All The Beautiful Things (Edwards/Kimmel) 1.56
11. Train (Albertano/Campbell 3.21

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Liner Notes

Bad Company – Live Albuquerque, NM, USA-1976 (2006)

FrontCover1Bad Company are an English rock supergroup formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers (formerly of Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (formerly of Mott the Hoople), drummer Simon Kirke (formerly of Free) and bassist Boz Burrell (formerly of King Crimson among various others).[2] Peter Grant, who managed Led Zeppelin, also managed the band until 1982. Bad Company experienced widespread commercial success and popularity during the 1970s. Their first three studio albums, Bad Company (1974), Straight Shooter (1975), and Run with the Pack (1976), reached the top five in the album charts in both the UK and the US.

Many of their songs, such as “Bad Company”, “Can’t Get Enough” (1974), “Feel Like Makin’ Love”, “Shooting Star”, “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad” (1975), “Burnin’ Sky” (1977) and the disco influenced track “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” (1979), remain staples of classic rock radio. Bad Company has sold over 20 million records in the U.S. and over 40 million worldwide. (wikipedia)

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Live in Albuquerque 1976 is a live album by the English hard rock band Bad Company featuring all four original members. The recordings were made by Mick Ralphs, who regularly taped the group’s shows in the 1970s, so the band could use them to finely tune their set and performances.The album was released on Angel Air Records in 2006, 30 years after it was recorded. The band did not release an official live album in the 1970s. Mick Ralphs also supplied photos from the 1970s and 1980s for the booklet, taken from his personal archive. It would be the last Bad Company release to feature original bassist Boz Burrell, who died from a heart attack on 21 September 2006 in Spain.

Due to legal objections, Live in Albuquerque 1976 was withdrawn shortly after its release. (wikipedia)

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How is it possible that an arena rock band like Bad Company never left a legit live album in their wake? It certainly wasn’t due to lack of touring; beginning with their live debut in Frankfurt, Germany, the group regularly played across Europe, their native U.K., and the States, graduating swiftly from support act to headliner. In 1976, riding high on the success of their Run with the Pack album, Bad Company embarked on their third U.S. tour, a 52-date trawl through the nation’s stadiums that spring. The Albuquerque gig fell early in their itinerary, so the band was still fresh and raring to go.

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The recording itself was made by Mick Ralphs, who regularly taped the group’s shows, utilizing them as a tool to more finely tune their set and performances. Which means, of course, that not only is the sound quality excellent, but you get Live in Albuquerque 1976 in its entirety spread over two CDs. Bad Company power through 16 songs, drawn from all three of their albums, although not all their hits, “Movin’ On” being a notable omission. But fans were treated to fabulous versions of “Can’t Get Enough,” “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Young Blood,” and, of course, the group’s eponymous theme song.

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On record, Bad Company were an unadulterated, hard stompin’ band, whose sound was built on unquenchable beats, thick bass, hefty rhythm guitar, and Ralphs’ mortar fire leads. On-stage, the band added another level of excitement, which fed to and from the crowd. Two decades after the fact, the Bad boys of rock finally add a live album to their canon, a potent reminder of classic rock’s enduring legacy and the Company’s own. (by Jo-Ann Greene)

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Personnel:
Boz Burrell (bass)
Simon Kirke (drums)
Mick Ralphs (guitar, background vocals)
Paul Rodgers (vocals, piano, guitar, harmonica)

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Tracklist:
01. Live for the Music (Ralphs) 4.47
02. Good Lovin’ Gone Bad (Ralphs) 4.04
03. Deal With The Preacher (Ralphs/Rodgers) 4.59
04. Ready For Love (Ralphs) 6.55
05. Wild Fire Woman (Ralphs/Rodgers) 6.15
06. Young Blood (Pomus/Leiber/Stoller) 2.47
07. Sweet Lil’ Sister (Ralphs) 4.11
08. Simple Man (Ralphs) 4.37
09. Shooting Star (Rodgers) 6.22
10. Seagull (Ralphs, Rodgers) 4.07
11. Run With The Pack (Rodgers) 6.22
12. Feel Like Makin’ Love (Ralphs, Rodgers) 5.46
13. Rock Steady (Rodgers) 4.43
14. Honey Child (Boz Burrell, Simon Kirke, Ralphs, Rodgers) 4.44
15. Can’t Get Enough (Ralphs) 7.47
16. Bad Company (Kirke, Rodgers) 8.33

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More from Bad Company:
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Raymond “Boz” Burrell (1 August 1946 – 21 September 2006) was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for his singing with King Crimson (1971–1972) and bass playing in Bad Company (1973–1982, 1998–1999). He died of a heart attack in Spain on 21 September 2006, aged 60. (wikipedia)

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