Black Oak Arkansas – If An Angel Came To See You Would You Make Her Feel At Home (1971)

If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home? is a studio album released by Southern rock band Black Oak Arkansas in 1972. It is the recording debut of drummer Tommy Aldridge. (by wikipedia)

Produced by Iron Butterfly’s Lee Dorman and Mike Pinera, Black Oak Arkansas introduced a three-guitar thunderstorm underpinning the scary basso profundo growls of lead singer Jim “Dandy” Mangrum. This was a sound unlike any other on the then-nascent Southern rock scene. With songs like “Hot and Nasty,” “Lord Have Mercy on My Soul,” and an otherworldly cover of Guy Mitchell’s hit “Singing the Blues,” Black Oak found a cult following through incessant touring with the likes of the Allman Brothers Band. This is not pretty music, but it does have a propulsive kick to it, with the guitars going in several directions at once while Jim Dandy’s Howlin’ Wolf-influenced vocals lay out a strange blend of macho sexual and religious imagery. Although the sound would quickly become cartoonish over subsequent releases, this initial release contained the spark of the new and different. (by Jim Newsome)

These guys are a trip. It’s the sound of Ozarks, electrified. Bluesy, gospelly, a little glam rocky. This was their best album, a great play start to finish, with a handful of classics from the genre that is Southern Rock. The washboard jam that closes out the album is nothing less than legendary. (by Michael McKinnon)

Real good southern rock … but … The voice of Jim “Dandy” Mangrum: I can´t stand it, sorry !

Personnel:
Tommy “T.A.” Aldridge (drums)
Pat “Dirty” Daugherty (bass, background vocals)
Harvey “Burley” Jett (guitar, banjo, piano, background vocals)
Stanley “Goober” Knight (guitar, organ, background vocals)
Jim “Dandy” Mangrum (vocals, washboard)
Rickie “Ricochet” Reynolds (guitar, background vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Gravel Roads 3.11
02. Fertile Woman 5.19
03. Spring Vacation 3.02
04. We Help Each Other 3.13
05. Full Moon Ride 3.47
06. Our Minds Eye 4.15
07. To Make Us What We Are 4.55
08. Our Eyes Ere On You 3.46
09. Mutants Of The Monster 4.45

All selections written by Aldridge – Daugherty – Jett – Knight – Mangrum – Reynolds

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Black Oak Arkansas – Street Party (1974)

Street Party, Black Oak Arkansas’ follow-up to their most successful opus, High on the Hog, had a respectable chart performance, but in no way does the 1974 Atco release live up to the standard of the group’s previous recordings. James “Jim Dandy” Mangrum’s rockin’ redneck shtick simply overpowers the music on Street Party, setting the tone for a string of inferior offerings. Eventually, the band’s movement away from their Southern rock roots and into diverse and sometimes comical side-roads would cost them their relevancy and most of their audience. Too much emphasis is placed on style and musical devices, while the amount of straight-ahead Southern rock is unduly restricted. The bluegrass- and gospel-tinged “Brink of Creation” is the only non-rocker that really works on this record. Mangrum’s lazy croaking squelches many other numbers like the spiritual “Sure Been Workin’ Hard” and “I’m a Man.” Despite this LP’s respectable sales, it should only be approached with extreme caution. ( by Vincent Jeffries)

Personnel:
Tommy Aldridge (drums)
Pat Daugherty (bass)
Stan Knight (guitar)
James Mangrum (vocals)
Ricky Reynolds (guitar)
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Ruby Starr (vocals on 05.)

Tracklist:
01. Dancing In The Streets (Hunter/Gaye/Stevenson) 2.40
02. Sting Me (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 2.52
03. Good Good Women (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 3.15
04. Jail Bait (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 2.24
05. Sure Been Workin’ Hard (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 3.20
06. Son Of A Gun (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 4.28
07. Brink Of Creation (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 0.30
08. I’m A Man (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 3.40
09. Goin’ Home (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 3.21
10. Dixie (Traditional) 3.38
11. Everybody Wants To See Heaven “Nobody Wants To Die” (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 3.10
12. Hey Ya’ll (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 4.05
13. Brink Of Creation (Alderige/Daughtery/Knight/Magnum/Reynolds) 0.30

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