Nico – Chelsea Girl (1967)

Christa Päffgen (16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, musician, model, and actress. She had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960) and Andy Warhol’s Chelsea Girls (1966).

At the insistence of Warhol, she sang on four songs of the Velvet Underground’s debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). At the same time, she started a solo career and released Chelsea Girl. Nico’s friend Jim Morrison suggested that she start writing her own material. She then composed songs on a harmonium, not traditionally a rock instrument; John Cale became her musical arranger and produced The Marble Index, Desertshore, The End… and other subsequent albums.

In the 1980s, she toured extensively in Europe, United States, Australia and Japan. After a concert in Berlin in June 1988, she went on holiday in Ibiza to rest and died as the result of a cycling accident.

Chelsea Girl is the debut solo album and second studio album by German singer Nico. It was released in October 1967 by Verve Records and was recorded following Nico’s collaboration with the Velvet Underground on their 1967 debut studio album. It was produced by Tom Wilson, who added string and flute arrangements against the wishes of Nico. The title is a reference to Andy Warhol’s 1966 film Chelsea Girls, in which Nico starred.

Much of the album features instrumental work and songwriting credits from Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, and John Cale. The song “I’ll Keep It with Mine” was written by Bob Dylan, while three songs are by Jackson Browne, who contributes guitar.

After collaborating as a singer with the Velvet Underground on their debut The Velvet Underground & Nico (recorded in 1966 and released in March of the following year), Warhol superstar Nico toured with the band in Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable (EPI) multimedia roadshow. Before the EPI came to an end in 1967, Nico took up residence in a New York City coffeehouse as a solo folk chanteuse; accompanied in turn by guitarists, such as Tim Hardin, Jackson Browne, and also her Velvet Underground bandmates Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison and John Cale.

Some of the accompanists wrote songs for Nico to sing, and these form the backbone of Chelsea Girl. Browne contributed “The Fairest of the Seasons”, “These Days”, and “Somewhere There’s a Feather”, while Hardin contributed “Eulogy to Lenny Bruce”. “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” by Lou Reed was part of the earliest Velvet Underground repertoire (which did not surface as a Velvet Underground recording until it was included in the 1995 box set Peel Slowly and See), and Reed, Cale and Morrison in various combinations contributed four more songs. Additionally, Bob Dylan gave her one of his songs to record: “I’ll Keep It with Mine”.

Musically, Chelsea Girl can be described as a cross between chamber folk and 1960s pop. The musical backing is relatively simple, consisting of one or two guitars or, alternatively, a keyboard instrument, played by either Browne or (a combination of) her Velvet Underground colleagues, but there are no drums or bass instruments, hence the absence of Velvets drummer Maureen Tucker, and adding to the chamber folk feel of the music are the string and flute overdubs added to the initial recordings by producer Tom Wilson and arranger Larry Fallon without involving or consulting Nico.

In retrospective 21st-century reviews, AllMusic described the album as “an unqualified masterpiece”, while Trouser Press commented that the album “is sabotaged by tepid arrangements and weak production” and is “of interest mainly for its links to the band Nico had just left.”

Nico was dissatisfied with the finished product. Looking back in 1981, she stated:

I still cannot listen to it, because everything I wanted for that record, they took it away. I asked for drums, they said no. I asked for more guitars, they said no. And I asked for simplicity, and they covered it in flutes! […] They added strings and – I didn’t like them, but I could live with them. But the flute! The first time I heard the album, I cried and it was all because of the flute.

Two tracks from the album – “The Fairest of the Seasons” and “These Days” – were used in Wes Anderson’s 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums. “The Fairest of the Seasons” was also used in Gus Van Sant’s 2011 film Restless. “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” is used in Andrew Dominik’s 2012 film Killing Them Softly. (wikipedia)

Personnel:
Jackson Browne – guitar on 01., 02. 07., 08. + 10.)
John Cale (viola, organ, guitar on 03. – 05.)
Sterling Morrison (guitar on 06. + 09.)
Nico (vocals)
Lou Reed (guitar on 03., 05., 06. + 09.)

Tracklist:
01. The Fairest Of The Seasons (Browne/Copeland) 4.09
02. These Days (Browne) 3.33
03. Little Sister (Cale/Reed) 4.26
04. Winter Song (Cale) 3.21
05. It Was A Pleasure Then (Reed/Cale/Nico) 8.05
06. Chelsea Girls (Reed/Morrison) 7.26
07. I’ll Keep It With Mine (Dylan) 3.20
08. Somewhere There’s A Feather (Browne) 2.20
09. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (Reed) 5.10
10. Eulogy To Lenny Bruce (Hardin) 3.46

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The inlets:

Kenny Wheeler – Kayak (1992)

Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards.

Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active in free improvisation and occasionally contributed to rock music recordings. Wheeler wrote over one hundred compositions and was a skilled arranger for small groups and large ensembles.

Wheeler was the patron of the Royal Academy Junior Jazz course.

Wheeler was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 14 January 1930. Growing up in Toronto, he began playing the cornet at age 12 and became interested in jazz in his mid-teens. Wheeler spent a year studying composition at The Royal Conservatory of Music in 1950. In 1952 he moved to Britain. He found his way into the London jazz scene of the time, playing in groups led by Tommy Whittle, Tubby Hayes, and Ronnie Scott.

In the late 1950s, he was a member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh’s quintet together with Bobby Wellins. Throughout the sixties, he worked with John Dankworth, and also formed part of (Eric Burdon and) the Animals’ Big Band that made its only public appearance at the 5th Annual British Jazz & Blues Festival in Richmond (1965) with tenors Stan Robinson, Dick Morrissey and Al Gay, baritone sax Paul Carroll, and fellow trumpets Ian Carr and Greg Brown. In 1968, Wheeler appeared on guitarist Terry Smith’s first solo album, Fall Out.
Kenny Wheeler performing with the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble, 1992

Wheeler performed and recorded his own compositions with large jazz ensembles throughout his career, beginning with the first album under his own name, Windmill Tilter (1969), recorded with the John Dankworth band. BGO Records released a CD in September 2010. The big band album Song for Someone (1973) fused Wheeler’s characteristic orchestral writing with passages of free improvisation provided by musicians such as Evan Parker and Derek Bailey, and was also named Album of the Year by Melody Maker magazine in 1975. It has subsequently been reissued on CD by Parker’s Psi label.[5]

In the mid-1960s, Wheeler became a close participant in the nascent free improvisation movement in London, playing with Parker, John Stevens, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and the Globe Unity Orchestra. Despite the above-noted accomplishments, much of his reputation rests on his work with smaller jazz groups. Wheeler’s first small group recordings to gain significant critical attention were Gnu High (1975) and Deer Wan (1977), both for the ECM label (Gnu High is one of the few albums to feature Keith Jarrett as a sideman since his tenure with Charles Lloyd). One exception from the ongoing collaboration with ECM was his rare album on CBC called Ensemble Fusionaire in 1976. This had three other Canadian musicians and was recorded in St. Mary’s Church in Toronto for a different character to the sound than on the ECM recordings.

Wheeler was the trumpeter in the Anthony Braxton Quartet from 1971 to 1976. He was also a member of the chamber jazz trio Azimuth with John Taylor and Norma Winstone from 1977 to 2000. Their first release under this name was a 1977 album issued by ECM; two albums followed, with later albums coming in 1985 and 1995.

In 1997 Wheeler received widespread critical praise for his album Angel Song, which featured an unusual “drummerless” quartet of Bill Frisell (guitar), Dave Holland (bass) and Lee Konitz (alto sax). Wheeler recorded seven albums with CAM Jazz from 2005 to 2008 but returned to ECM to record his final album in 2013.

Wheeler died after a short period of frail health at a nursing home in London on 18 September 2014. He was 84 years old. (wikipedia)

Jazz trumpeter and flügelhornist Kenny Wheeler was one of the most advanced voices on his instrument. Blessed with a full, lovely tone and an astounding range, Wheeler sounded equally at home in fiery free jazz explorations or softer, more lyrical post-bop meditations. (by Steve Huey)

Listen to this album and you´ll know, what Steve Huey mean. Without ny doubts: Kenny Wheeler was a master !

Personnel:
Julian Argüelles (saxophone)
Peter Erskine (drums)
John Horler (trombone, piano on 04. – 07.)
Chris Laurence (bass)
Chris Pyne trombone on 04. – 07.)
John Rook (french horn)
Dave Stewart (trombone, tuba)
Stan Sulzmann (saxophone, flute)
John Taylor (piano)
Kenny Wheeler (trumpet, flugelhorn)

Tracklist:
01.1 5 4 6 / 7.18
02. Gentle Piece – Old Ballad 11.04
03. Kayak 9.13
04. See Horse 6.06
05. Sea Lady 5.59
06. C Man 10.30
07. C.C. Signor! 5.55

Music composed by Kenny Wheeler

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More from Kenny Wheeler:

Steve Marriott´s Packet Of Three – Get Yourself Together (1985)

Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English musician, songwriter and frontman guitarist of rock bands Small Faces (1965–1968 and 1975–1978) and Humble Pie (1969–1975 and 1979–1983), spanning over two decades. Marriott was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces.

In Britain, Marriott became a popular, often-photographed mod style icon. Marriott was influenced from an early age by his heroes including Buddy Holly, Booker T & the MG’s, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Muddy Waters and Bobby Bland. In later life Marriott became disillusioned with the music industry and turned his back on the big record companies, remaining in relative obscurity. He returned to his music roots playing the pubs and clubs around London and Essex.

Marriott died on 20 April 1991 when a fire, which was thought to have been caused by a cigarette, swept through his 16th century home in Arkesden, Essex. He posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award in 1996 for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and was listed in Mojo as one of the top 100 greatest singers of all time.

And here´s a extremly rare audiénce tape from a gig in Germany. During the 80 & 90´s in the last century I was very interesting in collecting and trading audience tapes. And some day I got this tape …

I guess there are no more words necessary … For all hardcore Steve Marriott fans like me is this rarity a must.

It´s a typical concert from this period of Steve Marriott … featuring the great Jim Leverton on bass and Jerry Shirley (Humble Pie) on drums

Grab it and enjoy !

Recorded live at the Sinkasten, Frankfurt/Germany November 13, 1985
(audience tape: very good/good condition)

Personnel:
Jim Leverton (bass, vocals)
Steve Marriott (guitar, vocals)
Jerry Shirley (drums)
+
Fallon Williams (drums on 11.)

Tracklist:
01. Intro 0.38
02. What’cha Gonna Do About It? (Potter/Samwell) 3.59
03. Fool For A Pretty Face (Marriott/Shirley) 6.18
04. Shame Shame Shame (Reed) 4.38
05. Announcement 0.40
06. All Or Nothing (Marriott/Lane) 4.23
07. All Shook Up (Blackwell/Presley) + Talkin´ `Bout You (Charles) 5.45
08. Five Long Years (cut version) (Boyd) 3.49
09. Afterglow Of Your Love /Marriott/Lane/ / I Don’t Need No Doctor (Armstead/Ashford/Simpson) 14.07
10. Encore Medley: 13.40
10.1. 30 Days In A Hole (Marriott)
10.2. Mr. Pityful (Redding/Cropper)
10.3. 30 Days In A Hole (Reprise) (Marriott)
10.4. Big Train Stop At Memphis (Marriott)
10.5. Tin Soldier (Marriott/Lane)
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11. Walking The Dog (Thomas) + Big Train From Memphis (live at Dingswalls, London, July 6, 1984) (Marriott) 5.09

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An alternate edition:

More from Steve Marriott:

Herbie Mann – Stone Flute (1970)

Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known professionally by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flautist and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (including bass clarinet), but Mann was among the first jazz musicians to specialize on the flute. His most popular single was “Hijack”, which was a Billboard No. 1 dance hit for three weeks in 1975.

Mann emphasized the groove approach in his music. Mann felt that from his repertoire, the “epitome of a groove record” was Memphis Underground or Push Push, because the “rhythm section locked all in one perception.”

In a review of Mann’s Beyond Brooklyn (2004), his final recording (co-led with Phil Woods), critic George Kanzler proposed that Mann’s status as an innovator had been overlooked:

…Mann’s career, in both its questing nature and embrace of various musical styles, parallels that of Miles Davis. Mann championed Brazilian music even before Stan Getz. When Miles was fusing jazz with rock, Mann was fusing it with Memphis soul and Southern rock. He also was an early exponent of world music. But while Miles was usually hailed as a visionary, Mann was dismissed as just a popularizer selling out. It was a bum rap.

Stone Flute is an album by flautist Herbie Mann recorded in 1969 and becoming the first release on Mann’s Embryo label. (wikipedia)

The 1970 record buyer who came across Stone Flute expecting a typical Herbie Mann album in the Memphis Underground vein was in for a big surprise. Instead of funk, there was moodiness. Instead of a groove, there were violins, viola and cello. The feeling was one of floating in space, with the flute sailing freely over the William Fischer arrangements, like a Miles Davis trumpet solo of this, the Bitches Brew era. This is a totally atypical Herbie Mann recording, but one which rewards repeated listening. (by Jim Newsom)

I have many Herbie Mann’s albums. This is by far a departure in style , very mystic and smooth. I find this relaxing and so glad I have this rare album on vinyl. It is in my top three Herbie Mann albums. I have always felt that he has been so underrated. When I listen to it I always think why didn’t I play this sooner. (Daniel Martinez)

Personnel:
Roy Ayers (vibraphone)
Bruno Carr (drums on 01., 02. + 06.)
Ron Carter (bass on 01., 02. + 06.)
Herbie Mann (flute)
Mickey Roker (drums on 03. – 05.)
Sonny Sharrock (guitar)
Miroslav Vitouš (bass on 03. – 05.)
+
string section:
Al Brown (viola on 03. – 05.) (tracks 3-5)
Selwart Clarke (violin, viola)
Peter Dimitriades (violin on 03. – 05.)
Emanuel Green (violin on 01., 02. + 06.)
Kermit Moore (cello on 03. – 05.)
Gene Orloff (violin on 01., 02. + 06.)
George Ricci (cello on 01., 02. + 06.)
Tracklist:
01. In Tangier/Paradise Beach (Mills/Mann) 10.26
02. Flying (Harrison/Lennon/McCartney/Starr) 4.57
03. Don’t You Know The Way (How I Feel About You) (Mann) 5.20
04. Miss Free Spirit (Mann) 12.33
05. Waltz For My Son (Mann) 4.23
06. Pendulum (Fischer) 2.36

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More from Herbie Mann:

Steve MiIller Band – Sailor (1968)

The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock radio, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band’s contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams, among others. The band’s Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sailor is the second album by American rock group The Steve Miller Band (thus credited), released in October 1968 by Capitol Records. Like the band’s previous album, Children of the Future, Sailor was produced by Glyn Johns. Unlike its predecessor which was recorded in London, England, Sailor was recorded in Los Angeles, California. It was the last Steve Miller Band album to feature contributions by original members Boz Scaggs and Jim Peterman. Scaggs went on to a successful solo career.

The album features a psychedelic blues rock sound. Tracks “Living in the U.S.A.” and “Quicksilver Girl” later received additional notice when the former was covered in 1969 by Wilmer & the Dukes and the latter was included in the popular 1984 movie The Big Chill.

It was voted number 353 in the third edition of Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).(wikipedia)

Most definitely a part of the late-’60s West Coast psychedelic blues revolution that was becoming hipper than hip, Steve Miller was also always acutely aware of both the British psychedelic movement that was swirling in tandem and of where the future lay, and how that would evolve into something even more remarkable. The result of all those ideas, of course, came together on 1968’s magnificent Sailor LP. What was begun on Children of the Future is more fully realized on Sailor, most notably on the opening “Song for Our Ancestors,” which begins with a foghorn and only gets stranger from there. Indeed, the song precognizes Pink Floyd’s 1971 opus “Echoes” to such an extent that one wonders how much the latter enjoyed Miller’s own wild ride. Elsewhere, the beautiful, slow “Dear Mary” positively shimmers in a haze of declared love, while the heavy drumbeats and rock riffing guitar of “Living in the U.S.A.” are a powerful reminder that the Steve Miller Band, no matter what other paths they meandered down, could rock out with the best of them.

And, of course, this is the LP that introduced many to the Johnny “Guitar” Watson classic “Gangster of Love,” a song that would become almost wholly Miller’s own, giving the fans an alter ego to caress long before “The Joker” arose to show his hand. Rounding out Miller’s love of the blues is an excellent rendering of Jimmy Reed’s “You’re So Fine.” At their blues-loving best, Sailor is a classic Miller recording and a must-have — especially for the more contemporary fan, where it becomes an initiation into a past of mythic proportion. (Amy Hanson)

Personnel:
Tim Davis (drums, vocals on 03., background vocals)
Steve Miller (guitar, vocals, harmonica)
Jim Peterman (keyboards, vocals on 06., background vocals)
Boz Scaggs (guitar, vocals on 09. + 10., background vocals)
Lonnie Turner (bass, background vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Song For Our Ancestors (Miller) 6.00
02. Dear Mary (Miller) 3.35
03. My Friend (Davis/Scaggs) 3.29
04. Living In The U.S.A.” (Miller) 4.02
05. Quicksilver Girl (Miller) 2.42
06. Lucky Man (Peterman) 3.04
07. Gangster Of Love (Watson) 1.26
08. You’re So Fine (Reed) 2.53
09. Overdrive (Scaggs) 3.53
10. Dime-a-Dance Romance (Scaggs) 3.26

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More from Steve Miller:

The George Hatcher Band – Talkin´ Turkey (1977)

The George Hatcher Band is an American Southern Rock band formed by vocalist/songwriter George Hatcher (born March 8, 1947 in Bennettsville, South Carolina)  after moving to England in the summer of 1975. Between 1976 and 1985, the group released 5 studio albums and one live in-studio EP.

Their first three releases were produced by Tom Allom and issued on United Artists. After a hiatus, Hatcher reformed the band with new members in the 2000s.

Before forming the group, vocalist George Hatcher was a member of Asheville, NC band Flatrock who recorded two albums for North Carolina-based label King Records with producer Shadow Morton. Neither album was released and because of contractual problems, Flatrock broke up and Hatcher travelled to the UK. Arriving in August 1975, the first musicians Hatcher connected with were Curved Air members, drummer Stewart Copeland (later to co-found The Police) and violinist Darryl Way Hatcher joined their project, Stark Naked and the Car Thieves, and played a few club shows before deciding to form his own band.

Hatcher first met drummer Terry Slade, formerly of Renaissance, and then recruited guitarists Phil Swan, whom he knew personally, and John Thomas, whom he met in a club in Birmingham. Keyboardist Steve Wren and bassist Harris Joannou were recruited through friends and word of mouth.

While still unsigned, the group supported Man, Canned Heat and Dr. Feelgood around the UK. After playing a label showcase at Dingwalls at Camden Lock in London, they were approached by A&R executive Andrew Lauder who signed the group to a three-album deal with United Artists.  Through Lauder, the band was introduced to producer Tom Allom who expressed interest in working with the band. They entered Wessex Sound Studios in London in the summer of 1976 and recorded their debut album Dry Run with Allom at the helm. John McFee, aka John McSteel, later to join the Doobie Brothers, would play pedal steel guitar on “Sunshine (Shine Down On Me)”, with Tony Carr providing percussion. To promote the record, they supported label mates, Dr. Feelgood, on their September/October Stupidity UK tour[ and Continental Europe in November[5] as well as headlining their own shows. 

The band quickly turned to writing and rehearsing for the next album. On December 12, 1976, they decided to invite a few friends and record some tracks at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London with a live audience. According to Hatcher, some 250 people showed up by four o’clock in the afternoon and the band proceeded to record covers of Blind Willie McTell’s “Statesboro Blues”, based on the version popularized by the Allman Brothers Band, and Loggins and Messina’s “Good Friend” (which also appears on Dry Run), as well as a pair of originals, “Rockin’ in the Morning” and “Drinkin’ Man”, the latter written on the spot and recorded on the first take.  These 4 songs would make up the 1977 Have Band Will Travel 10″ EP.

Hatcher started off the new year with more live work, including a show with UFO in late January at Friars Aylesbury. After supporting Frankie Miller on March 26, 1977 at The Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland, the band headed straight into Wessex Sound Studios through the month of May to record their sophomore album, Talkin’ Turkey, with Tom Allom producing once more. Expanding on their sound, Hatcher brought in musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra, returning guest players Tony Carr and John McFee, as well as McFee’s then Clover bandmate, Huey Lewis, credited as Huey Harp, on harmonica.  Talkin’ Turkey and Have Band Will Travel were released in short succession and the George Hatcher Band appeared on the popular BBC in Concert series, broadcast on June 18.[ They also played the massive Reading Rock Festival on August 27, 1977 with headliners Thin Lizzy topping the bill. Earlier that month, they had supported Ted Nugent during his 2-night stand at London’s Hammersmith Odeon and would return to the Hammersmith on October 25 as openers for AC/DC on their Let There Be Rock UK tour.

Soon thereafter, Hatcher would dissolve the band due to members going in different directions in their personal and professional lives, with guitarist ‘Big’ John Thomas joining Welsh rockers Budgie. By 1978, Hatcher had put together a whole new line-up comprising guitarists James Morgan and Pete Gosling, keyboardist Geraint Watkins, bassist Vic Young, and drummer Mac Poole, best known for his earlier stints with Big Bertha and Warhorse. All but Morgan toured with Mickey Jupp on the “Be Stiff” Tour ’78 as Mickey Jupp & The Cable Layers, documented on Jupp’s 2004 archives release Live At The BBC. Signing a new record deal with German label Shark Records, Hatcher and his band headed to Germany where they recorded Rich Girl[18][19] with engineer and co-producer Manfred ‘Manni’ Neuner at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein near Nürnberg. The album, a mix of originals and covers, was released under the shortened name George Hatcher and supported with a UK tour. 

At the time, Hatcher began to contemplate a return to the U.S. traveling back and forth between England and his native North Carolina. In 1980, Hatcher assembled a new all-American line-up comprising guitarists Curt Stines and David Phelps, bassist Mike Parnell, keyboardist Tad Hough, and drummer Danny Howe. Reverting to the George Hatcher Band moniker, the group returned to Manni Neuner’s Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein in Germany to cut 1980’s Coming Home. They were joined by original GHB guitarist Phil Swan who made a guest appearance on 3 songs. The album’s epic 8-minute title track would become something of signature tune for the band as well as a strong fan favorite. Originally released on Shark and Kaleidoscope, respectively, the album was licensed stateside by The Goods Records in 1982. By then, Hatcher was firmly based in the U.S. again where the band would support major acts such as Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Ted Nugent, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws, Cheap Trick, Billy Idol, Johnny Van Zant, Black Oak Arkansas, and The Kinks, often as the Charlotte Coliseum. 

The George Hatcher Band would record one final album for Trout Records in 1985. Recorded at the legendary Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith’s (of “Dueling Banjos” fame) studio in Charlotte, NC. Hindsight featured Hatcher, Stines and Howe in addition to newcomers Ace Philbeck on guitar, Joe Nims on bass, Ricky Kirby on keyboards, and Joey Dunlevy on keyboards and saxophone. Despite no longer recording new music, Hatcher would continue to tour through 2005, including playing in front of 80.000 people with 38 Special during Charlotte’s Speed Street festival in 2002, before putting music on hold and going to college to pursue a Masters Degree in psychology.  The band has since been re-activated and Dry Run and Coming Home were re-issued on CD in 2011 and released digitally.

Original GHB guitarist John Thomas passed away March 3, 2016 from pneumonia. Drummer Mac Poole who recorded the Rich Girl album with Hatcher died on May 21, 2015 after a long battle with throat cancer. (wikipedia)

The George Hatcher Band was certainly one of the greatest southern rock bands between 1976 and 1982, and surprising they were not from Dixie land, but from England. And, as Whisbone Ash or Bad Company did, this band helped a lot this musical style to emerge. First, they released the great “Dry run” album, back in 1976 (fot the ones who were lucky enough to get it), and all the southern rock fans immediately loved this album and this band. I must admit I fell on my ass when I first heard the song “Lucky guy”, for example.

George Hatcher was 20% of blues, 40% of boogie and 60% of rock’n roll. All this added with such great feeling, a bit of progressive music, an explosive cocktail. George Hatcher was, and still is, a hell of a singer, somewhere between Joe Cocker, Gregg Allman, Rory Gallagher and Bob Seger. He had in his band two wonderful guitar players, Phil Swan and John Thomas. While listening to this first album, a few weeks ago, I just wondered how this album could be so unknown….. There was everything, the guitars, the singing, the songs. For sure, there was nothing missing and I bet if this kind of album could be released nowadays, it would surely well received by the people loving southern rock music.

With “Talkin’ turkey”, which was released one year later, it was an other great piece of southern rock that George Hatcher Band gave us, and it confirmed us this band was a great one and they have desserved much more fame than they had. (rtjwebzine.fr)

‘Talkin’ Turkey’ is the second album by the George Hatcher Band. George Hatcher from Charlotte, North Carolina, made some of the finest Southern Rock albums I know of. Alas there were only 4 and a half.

Anyway, back to this album. It’s yet another rock solid album. There’s something about George’s singing that soothes the soul. And he’s got some. I’m in love with that voice. And the tunes are splendid too. Not too heavy but enough guitar antics going on to classify this as classy classic Southern Rock. Check out ‘Forty Ford’ and, well, check it all out. (skydogselysium)

Personnel:
George Hatcher (vocals)
Harris Joannou (bass, background vocals)
Terry Slade (drums, percussion)
Phil Swan (guitar)
“Big” John Thomas (guitar)
Steve Wren (keyboards)
+
Tony Carr (percussion)
Huey “Harp” Lewis (harmonica)
John McSteel (fiddle, pedal steel-guitar)
+
background vocals:
Dyan Birch – Frank Collins – Paddie McHugh

Tracklist:
01. Sweet Little Rocker 5.11
02. Black Moon Rising 4.09
03. Forty Ford 2.57
04. The Cadillac 3.32
05. Ten Years On 4.21
06. Louisiana Sheriff 3.15
07. I Can’t Believe It 5.53
08. Magic Thing 4.38
09. I’m Calling 3.18
10. Talkin’ Turkey 4.03

All songs written by George Hatcher

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George Hatcher today:

The official website:

Supertramp – … Famous Last Words (1982)

…Famous Last Words… is the seventh album by English rock band Supertramp and was released in October 1982. It was the studio follow-up to 1979’s Breakfast in America and the last album with vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Roger Hodgson, who left the group to pursue a solo career. Thus, it was the final album to be released by the classic lineup of the band (Hodgson, Davies, Helliwell, Thomson, and Siebenberg).

The album reached number 5 on the Billboard Pop Albums Charts in its third week on the chart dated November 27, 1982 and was certified Gold for sales in excess of 500,000 copies there. It also peaked at number 6 in the UK where it was certified Gold for 100,000 copies sold. (wikipedia)

…Famous Last Words… was the last album that Roger Hodgson made with Supertramp before seeking a solo career, and he made sure that radio would take kindly to his last hurrah with the band. Sporting an airy and overly bright pop sheen, …Famous Last Words… put two singles on the charts, with the poignant “My Kind of Lady” peaking at number 31 and the effervescent smile of “It’s Raining Again” going to number 11. The album itself went Top Ten both in the U.S. and in the U.K., eventually going gold in America. The songs are purposely tailored for Top 40 radio, delicately textured and built around overly bland and urbane choruses.

Hodgson’s abundance of romantically inclined poetry and love song fluff replaces the lyrical keenness that Supertramp had produced in the past, and the instrumental proficiency that they once mastered has vanished. Hodgson’s English appeal and fragile vocal manner works well in some places, but the album’s glossy sound and breezy feel is too excessive. Hodgson gave his solo album, 1984’s In the Eye of the Storm, a mildly progressive feel, quite unlike his last appearance with his former group. (by Mike DeGagne)

And on this album we can hear some of the finest works of John Helliwell on saxophone.

Personnel:
Rick Davies (keyboards, vocals, harmonica on 02. + 09.) 
Roger Hodgson (guitar, vocals, piano on 01., 03. + 09., pump organ on 01.) 
John Helliwell (saxophone., synthesizer on 01., 03., 04., 06.,m08. + 09., clarinet on 07. + 08.) 
Dougie Thomson (bass)
Bob Siebenberg (drums, percussion)
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background vocals on 09.:
Claire Diament

background vocals on 02. + 07.:
Ann Wilson – Nancy Wilson

Tracklist:
01. Crazy 4.45
02. Put On Your Old Brown Shoes 4.21
03. It’s Raining Again 4.26
04. Bonnie 5.39
05. Know Who You Are 5.03
06. My Kind Of Lady 5.17
07. C’est le bon 5.33
08. Waiting So Long 6.36
09. Don’t Leave Me Now 6.25

All songs written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson

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More from Supertramp:

Alex Harvey – Roman Wall Blues (1969)

Alex Harvey was a British journeyman rocker who enjoyed a brief period of widespread popularity in the mid-’70s after decades of struggle. Growing up in Scotland, he turned to music in his late teens and was in a skiffle band by 1955. By 1959, it had evolved into the Alex Harvey Big Soul Band. Harvey took the group to Hamburg, West Germany in the early ’60s, there recording his first LP, Alex Harvey and His Soul Band, in the fall of 1963, which did not feature the band. He and his group made their London debut in February 1964, and the same year he recorded The Blues, which essentially was a solo record. In 1965, Harvey dissolved the Big Soul Band and later returned to Glasgow. But he was back in London in 1967, assembling Giant Moth, a psychedelic group that existed only for a short time. He then accepted a job working in the pit band of the musical Hair and while doing so recorded Having a Hair Rave up Live from the Shaftsbury Theatre. In 1969, he released Roman Wall Blues, his first solo effort in five years. Up to this point, none of his musical efforts had attracted much attention. But in the early ’70s, he recruited the Scottish band Tear Gas — consisting of Zal Cleminson, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna, and Ted McKenna — christening the resulting quintet the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

Their first two albums, Framed (1972) and Next (1973), didn’t sell, but in the fall of 1974 The Impossible Dream became Harvey’s first chart record in the U.K. (It briefly made the American charts in March 1975.) Tomorrow Belongs to Me followed in the spring of 1975, hitting the Top Ten along with the Top Ten singles placing of Harvey’s flamboyant cover of the Tom Jones hit “Delilah.” With that, Next belatedly made the charts, and in September Sensational Alex Harvey Band Live came out and reached the Top 20 (also making the Top 100 in the U.S), as “Gamblin’ Bar Room Blues” became a Top 40 single. This commercial success continued into 1976, with Penthouse Tapes entering the LP charts in April and becoming a Top 20 hit, “Boston Tea Party” making the singles charts in June and making a Top 20 showing, and SAHB Stories following in July and just missing the Top Ten.

In 1977, Harvey and the band recorded separately, SAHB without Alex (as it was billed) issuing Fourplay, while the leader made Alex Harvey Presents the Loch Ness Monster. A final album together, Rock Drill, was followed by the group’s breakup. Harvey was back with his New Band in 1979 and an album called The Mafia Stole My Guitar, but his moment, so long in coming, had passed. Nevertheless, he kept on rocking and was on tour in Belgium when he succumbed to a heart attack in 1982 just before his 47th birthday. (by by William Ruhlmann)

Roman Wall Blues is the first solo album by Alex Harvey made after the Soul Band, and his time in the Hair pit band. This album was released in 1969 and contains one song from Hair (“Donna”), plus some Harvey originals, (“Midnight Moses”, “Roman Wall Blues” and “Hammer Song”); that he would later re-record with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. The title track was a couplet sonnet by W.H. Auden about the life of a Roman soldier.

The album was recorded at Philips (Phonogram) Studio, London. (wikipedia)

Roman Wall Blues was an awkward though intermittently interesting effort that still found Harvey in the midst of his long, halting transition from soul-blues artist to a more original songwriter who fused satire and hard rock with R&B. Many of the arrangements have a dated horn-adorned soul-rock feel, and the trendy band-on-the-road hippie phraseology isn’t as funny as it was probably intended to be. But there are some genuinely enjoyable tracks here and there, like the goofy minstrel folk-rock of “Broken Hearted Fairytale,” the desultory lament “Maxine,” and the uncommonly grim title track, where Harvey plays the part of an actual Roman soldier on patrol. And Harvey’s vocals are never less than exuberant, in the manner of that hyperactive kid who’s barely toned down even after reaching adulthood, particularly on the ’50s rock & roll-style “Donna.” Covering the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was an utterly superfluous endeavor, however. It’s among the rarest of Harvey’s albums, and as a little-heard link in his evolution it deserves reissue, in spite of its inconsistency. (by Richie Unterberger)

Personnel:
Laurie Baker (bass, electronics)
Maurice Cockerill (keyboards)
Alex Harvey (vocals, guitar)
Leslie Harvey (guitar)
Mickey Keene (guitar)
Pete Wolfe (drums)
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Bud Parks (trumpet)
Frank Ricotti (saxophone, percussion)
Ashton Tootle (saxophone, flute)
Derek Wadworth (trombone)
Derek Watkins (trumpet)

Tracklist:
01. Midnight Moses (Harvey) 3.30
02. Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham (Bramlett/Davis) 2.29
03. Broken Hearted Fairytale (Harvey/McMaster) 3.42
04. Donna (McDermott/Ragni/Rado) 2.21
05. Roman Wall Blues (Harvey/Auden) 2.51
06. Jumping Jack Flash (Jagger/Richards) 3.14
07. Hammer Song (Harvey) 3.13
08. Let My Bluebird Sing (Harvey) 3.41
09. Maxine (Foray) 4.40
10. (Down At) Bart’s Place (Harvey) 4.21
11. Candy (Harvey) 2.57

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More from Alex Harvey:

Pic of the week: Leland Sklar

A real fine bass player:

Barbara Dennerlein – Straight Ahead! (1989)

Barbara Dennerlein (born 25 September 1964 in Munich) is a German jazz organist. She has achieved particular critical acclaim for using the bass pedalboard on a Hammond organ, and for integrating synthesizer sounds onto the instrument, and was described by critic Ron Wynn as “the most interesting jazz organist to emerge during the 1980s.”

Dennerlein was born and grew up in Munich, Germany. She began playing the organ aged 11 after receiving a small Hohner instrument for Christmas. She was encouraged by her grandfather to learn a musical instrument, and her parents were both jazz enthusiasts. She took formal lessons for two years under the instruction of Paul Greisl, who had a Hammond B-3. She immediately became interested in the instrument, and the fact it contained a bass pedalboard unlike her Hohner. After some searching, since the instrument was then out of production, she acquired her own Hammond aged 13 from her parents. She began to play concerts aged 14, and the following year, she played in a jazz club for the first time. When leading her own bands, Dennerlein was often the youngest musician in the group, and she learned to cooperate with more experienced musicians. Her local reputation as the “Organ tornado from Munich” spread after her first TV appearances in 1982.

When her third LP Bebab was issued, Dennerlein established her own record label in 1985,[2] and assumed her own management duties, because she felt she was not getting enough support from either her existing label or from Hammond, who wanted to promote later digital models rather than the B-3 she used. She received two German Record Critics’ awards for self-produced albums. Later, she made three recordings for Enja Records and three for Verve Records. On these recordings she worked with Ray Anderson, Randy Brecker, Dennis Chambers, Roy Hargrove, Mitch Watkins, and Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts.

Dennerlein modified a Hammond’s pedalboard to trigger samples of an acoustic bass, and, impressed with results, decided to modify the manuals to play samplers too. Her performances include solo performances as well as quintets (e.g. her “Bebab” band). In both, she uses MIDI technologyand triggers built into pedals and manuals to trigger synthesizers and samples to her sound.

After a variety of projects and after playing with unconventional musicians, such as Friedrich Gulda,[5] Dennerlein started playing the pipe organ in 1994. Since 2003, she has also developed jazz projects with symphonic orchestras, including a collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on the Karl Schuke organ.

Dennerlein claims to have been primarily influenced by jazz, and was not initially interested in classical or church music, although it was and is popular in Germany. She has never been enthusiastic about formal music theory, preferring to learn things through improvisation. However, she has further said that her main influence from jazz is the ability to mix other musical styles as desired, saying “To me, jazz is a synonym for freedom. Freedom from prejudice and discrimination”.

Dennerlein’s first album included four of her own titles. Her compositions vary from traditional blues schemes, romantic, melancholic ballads to tempo driven compositions with elements of swing, bebop, funk and Latin rhythms. The fast tempos and rhythmic figures she uses in her interpretations of well-known standards, and in many of her own compositions, require fast bass pedalboard foot work, though she has used bass players for recordings in order to feature techniques such as slap bass, which cannot be played on pedals. Dennerlein often uses changing meter (e.g., 3/4 to 4/4), as well as unconventional harmonic changes to add expression to her compositions. (wikipedia)

I never get tired of listening to Barbara Dennerlein on this CD. I bought a cassette version back in the 80s when “Straight Ahead” first came out and was blown away. On this, her absolute best CD (in my humble opinion), the players really swing. “It Just So Happens” is a twelve-minute joy ride with some of the best jazz organ I’ve ever heard. And if you have never been impressed by a jazz trombonist, this number will turn you around. Written by Ray Anderson (” It Just So Happens “), his playing is intelligent, solid, and inventive. On “All that Blues,” Mitch Watkins (” Underneath It All “) plays blazing, amazing guitar. The slow, smoky “Stormy Weather Blues” offers lots of room and another eleven and a half minutes for more great solos. Who needs vocals when Ray Anderson sings with his trombone. Dennerlein’s title for this CD is exactly right; if you like straight-ahead, blood-pumping jazz, you’ll truly love this great album. Every track on “Straight Ahead” is a gem. (by Jens Jensen)

The labels of the vinyl edition:

When you think of the B3, you will obviously think of Jimmy Smith, Brian Auger, and Joey DiFrancesco. It wasn’t until I discovered You Tube and I looked up Mitch Watkins that I first even heard of Barbara Dennerlein. As I watched the Watkins performance, I wondered who was playing the killer stand up bass and, as the camera pulled back, I was in absolute shock to see that this woman (Barbara) was not only playing a killer B3, but she was also playing all the bass on the pedals. This German woman is an absolute master of the B3, and I immediately ordered four of her cds. They ALL cook! If you want jazz that sizzles … listen ! (by Paul Bowers)

Yet another excellent set from the greatest living jazz organist. On this one her rhythm and blues credentials come to the front and she is accompanied by top-line soloists such as Ray Anderson and Mitch Watkins. Recording quality great; soloing great; and what is also surprising is that when this was recorded she was still only 23 years old. Unmissable – but then that also applies to all of her other recordings to date. (by Bob Heath)

After several recordings on her own Bebap label and for a few tiny German companies, organist Barbara Dennerlein came to the attention of a larger public with the release of this superior effort for Enja. Teamed up with eccentric trombonist Ray Anderson, fiery guitarist Mitch Watkins, and drummer Ronnie Burrage, Dennerlein performs six of her swinging originals, one apiece by Anderson and Burrage plus “Opus de Funk” and “A Night in Tunisia.” The colorful voices of these musicians constantly inspire each other, and Dennerlein (whose sound with the use of MIDI had become quite original) quickly emerged as one of the brightest new stars of the organ in the late ’80s. (by Scott Yanow)

And here´s a reissue from 1998 with some bonus tracks…

Great stuff … enjoy this album !

Personnel:
Ray Anderson (trombone)
Ronnie Burrage (drums)
Barbara Dennerlein (organ)
Mitch Watkins (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. Bad And Blue (Dennerlein) 5.51
02. It Just So Happens (Anderson) 11.57
03. What´s Up (Dennerlein) 5.59
04. All That Blues (Dennerlein) 8.32
05. Open And Free (Burrage) 4.58
06. Stormy Weather Blues (Dennerlein) 11.30
07. Straight Ahead (Dennerlein)
08. Rumpelstilzchens Bossa (Dennerlein) 5.38
09. Opus De Funk (Silver) 4.14
10. A Night In Tunesia (Gillespie/Paparelli) 6.15

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More from Barbara Dennerlein: