Freedom – Freedom At Last (1970)

Freedom was an English psychedelic rock band, active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, formed initially by members of Procol Harum.

Ray Royer and Bobby Harrison, who had performed on the hit Procol Harum single “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, were kicked out of the Harum by vocalist Gary Brooker, and replaced by Robin Trower and Barry Wilson. Royer and Harrison then formed Freedom with Steve Shirley and Tony Marsh, who was immediately replaced by pianist / organist Mike Lease, releasing two German singles and the soundtrack for the Tinto Brass/Dino de Laurentiis film Attraction (original title Nerosubianco, also known as Black on White).

In 1968, Harrison entirely overhauled the group’s membership, and the new line-up began recording with more of a hard rock sound, scoring tour dates with Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, and The James Gang. They achieved renown for their version of the Beatles song “Cry Baby Cry” on their second album Freedom at Last. Further line-up changes occurred before the band finally splintered in 1972, with Harrison going on to Snafu.

A spin-off of Procol Harum, Freedom was formed by guitarist Ray Royer and drummer Bobby Harrison. Both of them were in Procol Harum’s lineup at the outset for their debut “A Whiter Shade of Pale” single, but were ousted almost immediately when Procol singer, Gary Brooker, enlisted his former bandmates from the Paramounts, Robin Trower and Barry Wilson, as replacements. Freedom’s early sound, perhaps unsurprisingly, echoed Procol Harum’s in its prominent use of organ and piano, as well as heavy rock guitar, and like Procol Harum’s early records, captured late British psychedelia as it was starting to inch toward progressive rock.

Freedom wasn’t a Procol Harum clone, though, with a somewhat poppier take on psychedelia that was closer to Traffic than Procol Harum. Their initial lineup only released two singles in 1968 before breaking up, also recording a soundtrack for an obscure Italian film by Dino De Laurentis, Attraction/Black on White. The soundtrack LP was given a limited release in Italy — so limited, in fact, that the group members themselves were unaware that it had come out. Recorded with noted future producers Eddie Kramer and Glyn Johns engineering, this was reissued on CD in 1999, and is actually a pretty good if derivative slice of late-’60s British psychedelia.

In 1968, Harrison decided to reorganize the band completely — in fact, so totally that he was the only remaining original member. More albums came out in the late ’60s and early ’70s which, in keeping with overall British rock trends of the period, were in a much heavier, hard, bluesier style. These were middle-of-the-pack, or a little lower than the middle-of-the-pack, efforts with nothing to make them stand out from the crowd in a clogged field. They did get to tour the U.S. as support for Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull, and broke up in 1972 after some personnel changes. Harrison became the lead singer in the little-known Snafu, while guitarist Roger Saunders, from the later incarnation of the band, did some session work, joined Medicine Head, and played in Gary Glitter’s group during the ’80s. (by Richie Unterberger)

During 1969 the group released their second LP, titled “Freedom At Last”. (If they are generally confused in people’s memory with the rather more commercially successful group Free, this isn’t made any less by the latter band’s release of an album in 1972 bearing the exact same title!) This new album still had some leanings backwards in the direction of psychedelia while at the same time it pointed at what lay ahead for the future. Sadly, ” Freedom At Last” did only marginally better than “Nerosubianco/Black On White” and for more or less the same reason. It has never been out in the UK at all and only saw release in France (on the BYG label) and Germany (on Metronome). (Claes Johansen)

Freedom’s first album after drummer/singer Bobby Harrison totally revamped the lineup was typical lumpy British hard rock circa 1969, with nothing in the way of interesting songwriting or instrumental innovation to grab one’s attention. In a way, they made for an ideal support act for an emerging and insecure headliner; they weren’t going to upstage anyone. Sometimes they would leave off the generic blues-flavored hard rock for poppier or folkier material with harmonies, but melody and originality were not present in abundance. And it’s playing a losing game to record covers of the Beatles’ “Cry Baby Cry” and the Zombies’ “Time of the Season,” both of which had just been released, in much better and more popular versions of course, by the original artists; the Howlin’ Wolf covers don’t do the master much credit, either. (by Richie Unterberger)

German frontcover:

Some really good song ideas … but the album could have used a better mix and a more competent producer.

The song “Dirty Water” is not a Freedom song but of course the old Standells classic hit from the Sixites.

Personnel:
Bobby Harrison (drums, percussion, vocals)
Walter Monaghan (bass, guitar, piano, mellotron, vocals)
Roger Saunders (guitar, piano, mellotron, vocals)
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Sam (piano on 06.)

Tracklist:
01. Enchanted Wood (Saunders/Monaghan/Hillmann) 3.03
02. Deep Down In The Bottom (Burnett) 4.26
03. Have Love Will Travel (Harrison) 3.52
04. Cry Baby Cry  (Lennon/McCartney) 3.41
05. Time Of The Season (Argent/White) 4.54
06. Hoo Doo Man (Brown) 4.27
07. Built For Comfort (Dixon) 4.26
08. Fly (Monaghan/Hillman) 3.17
09. Never Loved A Girl (Shannon) 4.43
10. My Life (Saunders/Hillman) 2.48
11. Can’t Stay With Me (Saunders/Hillman) 4.15
12. Dusty Track (Saunders/Monaghan) 3.39
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13. Dirty Water (Single B-side) (Cobb) 4.28
14. Ain’t No Chance To Score (Single A-side) (Harrison/Monaghan/Saunders) 4.33

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German single:

Traffic – Live At The Paris Theatre London (1970)

Traffic were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. They began as a psychedelic rock group and diversified their sound through the use of instruments such as keyboards (such as the Mellotron and harpsichord), sitar, and various reed instruments, and by incorporating jazz and improvisational techniques in their music.

The band had early success in the UK with their debut album Mr. Fantasy and non-album singles “Paper Sun”, “Hole in My Shoe”, and “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush,” Their self-titled 1968 album was their most successful in Britain and featured one of their most popular songs, the widely covered “Feelin’ Alright?”

Dave Mason left the band shortly after the album’s release, as did Steve Winwood the following year when he joined the supergroup Blind Faith, and Traffic effectively disbanded. An album compiled from studio and live recordings, Last Exit, was released in 1969.

By 1970, Blind Faith had also broken up and Winwood reunited with Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi in the process of recording a solo album, which led to Traffic reforming and the resulting album, John Barleycorn Must Die, serving as the band’s comeback record. It became the band’s biggest success in the United States to that point, reaching number 5. Their next LP, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971), went platinum in the US and became popular on FM radio, establishing Traffic as a leading progressive rock band. 1973’s Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory and 1974’s When the Eagle Flies were further top 10 successes for the band in the US, and were both certified gold, though neither sold well in the UK. In 1974, the band broke up again.

A partial reunion, with Winwood and Capaldi alongside several new musicians, took place in 1994. In the intervening years Steve Winwood had a successful solo career, with several hit singles and albums during the 1980s. Dave Mason had his own solo career that produced a few minor hit songs in the 1970s, played as a session musician with a number of bands, and was briefly a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1995 and Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band in 1997. Jim Capaldi also had some minor solo hits in the 1970s in his native UK but was less successful abroad. During the 1990s, Capaldi primarily worked as a songwriter, working with Santana and The Eagles. Chris Wood did sporadic session work after the breakup of Traffic in 1974, and died in 1983. Traffic were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. (wikipedia)

Live Traffic concert recorded at Paris Theatre in London on 4/30/1970 and broadcast on BBC. Dave Mason had left in 1968 and the band broke up temporarily in 1969. In 1970 Traffic reformed for a big comeback with the celebrated John Barleycorn Must Die. This great show from the BBC Radio One In Concert series was played months before that release but includes all tracks along with songs from prior albums.

Alternate front + backcover:

Following three astonishingly original album releases in the late 1960s, the original four members of Traffic went their separate ways, a mere two years after they began. Traffic’s farewell album, Last Exit, which contained the underground hit, “Medicated Goo,” would be released in 1969, but by then Steve Winwood was already off to form Blind Faith with ex-Cream guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. Although this collaboration bore musical fruit, Clapton’s lack of commitment frustrated Winwood and Blind Faith would call it quits after only one album and tour. At the dawn of the 1970s, Winwood found himself without a band. Still overflowing with creativity, he began work on his first solo album, with the intention of calling it Mad Shadows. Winwood’s musical vision included elements of American R&B, jazz and psychedelic rock but retained a distinctive British flavor. With an undeniable reverence for Ray Charles and a voice just as compelling, he continued blending the same diverse elements that made his songwriting in Traffic so compelling. As the studio sessions progressed, Winwood enlisted his Traffic cohorts, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood, whose contributions resulted in an album destined to become Traffic’s most cohesive and focused artistic statement. Released in July of 1970, the John Barleycorn Must Die album would undeniably prove what tremendous composers Winwood and Capaldi had become and was the first Traffic album to attain gold status and would eventually be celebrated as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

In April of 1970, prior to the release of the John Barleycorn album, Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood unveiled much of this new material before an intimate live audience at the Paris Theater in London. Hosted by legendary DJ, John Peel, who had long championed the group, this now historic performance was captured for the BBC Radio One “In Concert” series. Showcasing much of the new material, as well as a few choice songs from the second and third Traffic LPs, this recording captures the formidable power and instrumental dexterity of the trio lineup of Traffic. Always respected as a keyboard player and vocalist, this show also illuminates what a talented guitar player Winwood had become. Just as impressive is Chris Wood, who changes instruments on nearly every song, performing on piano, organ, sax, flute, and percussion. It is more often than not Chris Wood’s multi-instrumentalist contributions that add dimension, diversity and flavor to Winwood and Capaldi’s most brilliant compositions.

The performance kicks off with a nod to the past, with “Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring,” a classic song from the group’s second self-titled album. A writing collaboration between Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood, this serves as the perfect introduction for this trio lineup, featuring Winwood on organ and vocals, Capaldi on drums and Wood handling everything else, including electric piano, sax, and percussion. Often Traffic’s set opener during this era, this song serves as the perfect warm-up exercise, allowing the group to flex their improvisational muscles before tackling more adventurous material. Following an introduction by John Peel, they continue with similar instrumentation on the first of the new tracks to be performed, “Every Mother’s Son.” This majestic atmospheric gem would be destined to close the John Barleycorn album and features sensational instrumental contributions from all three musicians and one of Winwood’s most impassioned vocals.

The third song of the set, “No Time To Live,” aired only during the initial live broadcast, is unfortunately not included. It is speculated that the BBC’s recording equipment malfunctioned during this song as it was not included on subsequent transmissions of this performance and appears to only exist from inferior airchecks of the initial broadcast. However, the “Medicated Goo” that follows is terrific, featuring Winwood and Capaldi sharing vocal duties, Winwood now switching to electric guitar and Wood playing the bass part on electronically processed tenor sax. Here the song is more immediate and stripped down compared to its studio counterpart, but it is just as tight and all the more enjoyable for it.

Alternate frontcover:

The most intimate moment of the entire set follows with the unveiling of the haunting title track from the forthcoming album, John Barleycorn. With Winwood on acoustic guitar and Capaldi and Wood adding sparse percussion in the form of tambourine and triangle, their interpretation of this traditional English folk ballad is performed with quiet, exquisite perfection.

Before they unveil additional new material, they again return to the second Traffic album with a performance of “Pearly Queen.” Here Winwood gets to flex his guitar chops, while Wood takes over on organ (and bass using the organ’s foot pedals) and Capaldi returns to his drum kit. This is another remarkable performance that is a dynamic testament to the magical chemistry between these three musicians. John Peel says it best during his post song commentary, where he astutely mentions, “If you are a guitarist and you think you got to go on playing those same old blues riffs at ear-shattering volume, in order to make it, you don’t – and that’s proof of it.”

The remainder of the set is devoted entirely to new material, beginning with the infectious “Empty Pages,” played close to the album version, but with a raw live intensity. Chris Wood remains on organ for this number with Winwood switching to electric piano. They again take the opportunity to stretch out a bit, with Winwood and Wood applying their formidable improvisational skills to this bouncy number. With just two keyboards and drums, this features unquestionably odd instrumentation for a rock band, but they deliver an engaging performance that never lacks for instrumentation.

The most breathtaking moments are saved for last, with the public unveiling of the Ray Charles influenced “Glad,” paired up with the jazz-rock composition “Freedom Rider.” The fact that these now classic compositions were being heard together for the first time is justification for celebration and the performances are truly outstanding. The piano dominated “Glad” is now widely considered to be Winwood’s instrumental masterpiece and this early performance of it features Winwood, Capaldi, and Wood trading licks like musicians possessed. Both “Glad” and “Freedom Rider” find the band jamming at an extraordinary level, exploring exciting possibilities within the arrangements.

Much like the John Barleycorn album itself, these performances remain highly compelling nearly four decades later. These three musicians have never sounded more cohesive or inspired as they do right here, cementing the fact that this recording is one of the most outstanding Traffic sets ever captured on tape. (.wolfgangs.com)

Recorded live at the BBC Paris Theatre, London, April 30, 1970

Personnel:
Jim Capaldi (drums, vocals)
Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar, vocals)
Chris Woods (flute, sacophone, keyboards)

The Paris Theatre, London:

Tracklist:
01. Introduction by John Peel 0.21
02. Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring (Winwood/CapaldiWood) 6.09
03. Announcement 0.14
04. Every Mother’s Son (Winnwood/Capaldi) 6.54
05. Announcement 0.20
06. No Time To Live (Winnwood/Capaldi) 5.46
07. Announcement 0.34
08. Medicated Goo (Winwood/Miller) 2.35
09. Announcement / John Barleycorn (Traditional) 5.14
10. Announcement 0.19
11. Pearly Queen (Winwood/Capaldi) 4.51
12. Announcement 0.16
13. Stranger To Himself (Winwood/Capaldi) 4.57
14. Announcement
15. Empty Pages (Winwood/Capaldi) 6.12
16. Announcement 0.33
17. Glad / Freedom Rider (Winwood/Capaldi) 12.54
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18. Live at Paris Theatre, London (uncut version) 1.00.41

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More from Traffic in this blog:

Stan Reynolds And His Orchestra – Tribute To James Last (1973)

Stanley Brian Reynolds (16 January 1926 – 14 April 2018) was an English jazz trumpeter.

Reynolds began his musical career when he toured with the Tommy Sampson Orchestra at age 14.

In 1948, he played with Ted Heath and His Music, and from the 1950s, he also worked with Vic Lewis, Dave Shepherd, Kenny Baker, Johnny Keating, Louie Bellson and Buddy Rich.

As a session musician, he was involved as a soloist on the Beatles’ White Album with a trumpet solo in “Martha My Dear”.

In 1975, under his own name the, he created his own big band album, The Greatest Swing Band in the World…is British (PYE). In the 1980s, he worked with Barbara Thompson and Chris Smith. In the field of jazz he was involved in 84 recording sessions between 1948 and 1989. He died on 14 April 2018 at age 92.(wikipedia)

And here´s his tribute album to James Last … the German master Of Easy Listening.

I’m always amazed that James Last was so popular in the UK that this album, for example, was dedicated to him.

However, if you like easy listening music from time to time … you should listen to this album … it is a very interesting album.

Personnel:
Stan Reynolds And His Orchestra

Tracklist:
01. American Patrol (Traditional) 2.56
02. Johnny Comes Marching Home (Traditional) 2.44
03. April In Portugal (Ferrac) 3.14
04. Aquarius (Rado/Ragni/MacDermot) 3.24
05. Downtown (Hatch) 2.55
06. Sugar Bush (Marais) 3.07
07. La Paloma (Traditional) 3.06
08. The Look Of Love (Bacharach/David) 3.26
09. Telstar (Meek) 2.43
10. Spinning Wheel  (Clayton-Thomas) 2.53
11. La Bamba (Traditional) 2.49
12. Something (Harrison) 3.01
13. Cherry Pink (Louiguy/Larue) 2.36
14. Windy (Friedman) 3.28
15. I Talk To The Trees (Loewe/Lerner) 3.50
16. Nature Boy (Ahbez) 3.07
17. Mexican Hat Dance (Traditional) 2.41
18. That’s Life (Kay/Gordon) 3.39
19. Marie (Berlin) 2.55
20. Begin The Beguine (Porter) 2.46

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taken from London Jazz News, 2018:

Humble Pie – Big Black Dog + Only A Roach (1971)

Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by singer-guitarists Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. Often regarded as one of the first supergroups in music, Humble Pie experienced moderate popularity and commercial success during the 1970s with songs such as “Black Coffee”, “30 Days in the Hole”, “I Don’t Need No Doctor”, “Hot ‘n’ Nasty”, and “Natural Born Bugie” among others. The original line-up featured lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott from Small Faces, singer and guitarist Peter Frampton from the Herd, former Spooky Tooth bassist Greg Ridley and a 17-year-old drummer, Jerry Shirley, from the Apostolic Intervention.(wikipedia)

… And the rest is history …

And here´s a rare single from Germany (with German liner notes) called “Big Black Dog” … a strong rock song and a non LP track.

The B-side (a Jerry Shirley composition) was taken from their “Humble Pie” (1970) album.

The Italy edition:

In UK the B-Side was taken from their “Rock On” album … “Strange Days” was one of their best songs from this period !”

Personnel:
Peter Frampton (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
Steve Marriott (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
Greg Ridley (bass, guitar, background vocals)
Jerry Shirley (drums, guitar, vocals on 2.)
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John Wilson (drums on 02.)

The UK edition:

Tracklist:
01. Big Black Dor (Ridley/Marriott/Shirley/Frampton) 4.48
02. Only A Roach (Shirley) 2.50
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03. Strange Days (Ridley/Marriott/Shirley/Frampton) 6.37

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More alternate frontcovers:

More from Humble Pie in this blog:

The official website:

Tim Rose – Love, A Kind Of Hate Story (1970)

A nearly forgotten singer/songwriter of the ’60s, Tim Rose’s early work bore a strong resemblance to another Tim working in Greenwich Village around 1966-1967 — Tim Hardin. Rose also favored a throaty blues folk-rock style with pop production flourishes, though he looked to outside material more, wasn’t quite in Hardin’s league as a singer or songwriter, and had a much harsher, even gravelly vocal tone. Before beginning a solo career, Rose had sung with Cass Elliott in the folk trio the Big Three a few years before she joined the Mamas and the Papas. Signed by Columbia in 1966, his 1967 debut album (which actually included a few previously released singles) is considered by far his most significant work.

Two of the tracks were particularly noteworthy: his slow arrangement of “Hey Joe” inspired Jimi Hendrix’s version and “Morning Dew,” Rose’s best original composition, became something of a standard, covered by the Jeff Beck Group, the Grateful Dead, Clannad, and others. Years later, though, it was debated as to whether Rose wrote the song, or whether folksinger Bonnie Dobson penned the original version. Some non-LP singles he recorded around this time have unfortunately never been reissued, and although he made several other albums up through the mid-’70s, none matched the acclaim of the first one.

An influence on Nick Cave and others, Rose died on September 24, 2002. A posthumous album called Snowed In, which contains material Rose was working on in the last year of his life, was released in 2003 by Cherry Red Records. (by Richie Unterberger)

And here´s his 3rd album:

A middling album, produced by Shel Talmy, and a little heavier on the “rock” in folk-rock than Rose’s 1960s recordings were. In fact, the backing band is Rumplestiltskin, a Talmy-formed supergroup of session players including Herbie Flowers on bass, Alan Parker on guitar, and Clem Cattini on drums. Rose sounds like a minor-league Joe Cocker on “Ode to an Old Ball,” but gets into more original, moody melodies on “I Know These Two People,” with its harpsichord, and “Sympathy.” “Dim Light a Burning” has some of the same riff-driven urgency found on one of Rose’s most famous tracks, “Morning Dew.” Still, in all, it’s the work of a secondary, though not mediocre, rock and folk-rock singer-songwriter. (by Richie Unterberger)

Personnel:
Clem Cattini (drums)
Tina Charles (background vocals)
Bass – Herbie Flowers (bass)
Alan Hawkshaw (keyboards)
Alan Parker (guitar)
Tim Rose (vocals, guitar)

Alternate UK edition:

Tracklist:
01. I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You (B.Gibb/R.Gibb/M.Gibb) 2.29
02. Dimlight (Rose) 3.17
03. Where Do You Go To My Lovely (Sarstead) 6.17
04. You Can’t Stop Yourself (Rose) 2.52
05. Sad Song (Clinton) 4.44
06. Georgia By Morning (Cadd/Mudie) 4.16
07. Ode To An Old Ball (Rose) 3.37
08. Sympathy (Kaffinetti/Ashton/Gould/Field) 2.42
09. I Know These Two People (Rose) 3.29
10. Jamie Sue (Rose) 3.56

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Promo poster:

Single from Japan:

More from Tim Rose in this blog:

Orange Peel – Same (1970)

Orange Peel: Founded in Hanau, Germany in 1968 – Disbanded in 1971

ORANGE PEEL is one of the first heavy progressive german act. The band was formed in 1968 by Peter Bischof, Leslie Link, Heinrich Mohn, Ralph Wilrheiss and Curt Cress, a young drummer of 17 years. They spearheaded the Krautrock movement with FAUST and AMON DÜÜL II by adding powerful organ playing to raw psychedelic rock. However, ORANGE PEEL released only one album, and disbanded immediately after in 1970. Most members pursued their careers with another progressive bands. The bassist Helmut Mohn replaced Michael Ertl in EPSILON, while Peter Bischof joined EMERGENCY and Curt Cress went to many bands like EMERGENCY, PASSPORT and ATLANTIS.

Their unique album was recorded at the end of 1969. Mostly featuring long tracks, the record is undoublty one of the most heavy psychedelic organ-based progressive albums of its time, with elongated solos of angry organ and guitar, announcing the debut albums from ELOY and GROBSCHNITT.

Little known, ORANGE PEEL was one of the main bands from early Krautrock. Recommended to all raw space rock lovers ! (progarchives.com)

Orange Peel from Haunau near Frankfurt/Main was an early hard-edged prog rock band founded in 1968. Late in ’69 they recorded their sole self-titled album at the Dierks Studio (actually one of the first Dierks productions!) which was released a few month later in 1970. The result was an organ driven mix of progressive rock with some bluesrock elements. This release marked the start of drummer Curt Cress’ long and impressive career. He was then only 17 years old, and still studying the art of percussion, when the album was recorded. The band broke up in 1971.

It is still an extraordinary example of early Krautrock with long tracks filled with improvisational psychedelic hammond organ and edgy electric guitar solos. (recordcollector.org)

Orange Peel was one of the first Krautrock albums, standing at the edge between late 60s’ psychedelia with saturated guitars, raw vocals and long organ solos, and space rock pieces in the style of the first albums by Amon Düül II, ELoy, Faust and Grobschnitt. The music played here was quite innovative for its time and could be described as “heavy organ psychedelic rock”. The record contains two long epic tracks and two shorter songs, more blues-rock oriented.

The overture track, You Can’t Change Them All, starts with a smooth beautiful sounding very symphonic to increase progressively on intensity and psychedelism. The song contains just a few minutes of vocals at the beginning and at the end, but the rest is instrumental. It goes faster and faster with powerful guitar and organ solos alternating accompanied by bongos. Some parts remind me a little of Santana’s III.

The tune has many changes and is very experimental by moments. Mindblowing ! The longest and best track of the album ! The next tracks, Faces That I Used To Know and Tobacco Road are less spacey but however pretty enjoyable with sometimes a Jimi Hendrix’s feel. The disc ends with We Still Try to Change, the other masterpiece of Orange Peel. With its implacable bass introduction and its powerful ogan riff, you are immediately transported to another planet. As for the first long piece, the tune features mainly instrumental passages very spacey and experimental. Such moments announces future Krautrock sounds.

Formed during a transitionnal period, the short-lived band Orange Peel released an astonishing unique album, in par with great german progressive acts of their time. Highly recommended to krautrock and early space rock fans ! (by Modrigue)

Personnel:
H. Peter Bischof (vocals, percussion)
Curt Cress (drums, percussion)
Heini Mohn (bass)
H. Leslie Link (guitar, effects)
Ralph Wiltheiß (organ)

Tracklist:
01. You Can’t Change Them All (Mohn/Wiltheiß) 18.15
02. Faces That I Used To Know (Bischof/Cress/Mohn/Link/Wiltheiß) 3.09
03. Tobacco Road (Loudermilk) 7.15
04. We Still Try To Change (Bischof/Cress/Mohn/Link/Wiltheiß) 10.03
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05. I Got No Time (Link/Winzkowski(1)) 2.50
06. Searching For A Place To Hide (Link/Winzkowski) 2.58

(1) Michael Winzkowski later became Michael Wynn, who had his own band.

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Jimi Hendrix – Soundtrack Recordings From The Film (1973)

James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as the greatest and one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.”

Born in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix began playing guitar at age 15. In 1961, he enlisted in the US Army, but was discharged the following year. Soon afterward, he moved to Clarksville, then Nashville, Tennessee, and began playing gigs on the chitlin’ circuit, earning a place in the Isley Brothers’ backing band and later with Little Richard, with whom he continued to work through mid-1965. He then played with Curtis Knight and the Squires before moving to England in late 1966 after bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals became his manager. Within months, Hendrix had earned three UK top ten hits with the Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Hey Joe”, “Purple Haze”, and “The Wind Cries Mary”. He achieved fame in the US after his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and in 1968 his third and final studio album, Electric Ladyland, reached number one in the US. The double LP was Hendrix’s most commercially successful release and his first and only number one album. The world’s highest-paid performer, he headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 before his accidental death in London from barbiturate-related asphyxia in September 1970.

Hendrix was inspired by American rock and roll and electric blues. He favored overdriven amplifiers with high volume and gain, and was instrumental in popularizing the previously undesirable sounds caused by guitar amplifier feedback. He was also one of the first guitarists to make extensive use of tone-altering effects units in mainstream rock, such as fuzz distortion, Octavia, wah-wah, and Uni-Vibe. He was the first musician to use stereophonic phasing effects in recordings. Holly George-Warren of Rolling Stone commented: “Hendrix pioneered the use of the instrument as an electronic sound source. Players before him had experimented with feedback and distortion, but Hendrix turned those effects and others into a controlled, fluid vocabulary every bit as personal as the blues with which he began.”

Hendrix was the recipient of several music awards during his lifetime and posthumously. In 1967, readers of Melody Maker voted him the Pop Musician of the Year and in 1968, Billboard named him the Artist of the Year and Rolling Stone declared him the Performer of the Year. Disc and Music Echo honored him with the World Top Musician of 1969 and in 1970, Guitar Player named him the Rock Guitarist of the Year. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Rolling Stone ranked the band’s three studio albums, Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967), and Electric Ladyland (1968), among the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and they ranked Hendrix as the greatest guitarist and the sixth-greatest artist of all time. Hendrix was named the greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023. (wikipedia)

Soundtrack Recordings from the Film Jimi Hendrix is the soundtrack to the documentary film Jimi Hendrix (1973). The double album was released by Reprise Records in July 1973. It contains the full-length live performances from the film and some clips from interviews (though not necessarily from the film). The album peaked at number 89 on the Billboard album chart, which generated concern at Reprise Records that repackaging old material would no longer satisfy the fans of Jimi Hendrix. The album has not been released on compact disc.

The documentary (or rockumentary) was made in 1973 by Joe Boyd, John Head and Gary Weis for Warner Bros. The film contains concert footage from 1967 to 1970, including material from Isle of Wight and the Monterey Pop Festival. The film also includes interviews with Hendrix’ contemporaries, family and friends. The estate of Jimi Hendrix authorized the 1973 film to be re-released on video and DVD in 1999, and a special edition DVD was released 2005. (wikipedia)

Unlike the soundtrack to the movie Janis Joplin, which — most unfortunately — contained studio versions of songs performed in the film but not the actual live takes from the motion picture; this 1973 double-LP from Reprise/Warner Brothers has the actual music from the celluloid. The liner notes to Sound Track Recordings From the Film Jimi Hendrix note that the film contains “all the performances included in this album,” so there are none of the substitutions that Joplin fans would encounter two years hence. There’s a plethora of interviews in the actual film, Eddie Kramer, Lou Reed, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and many others, while this soundtrack album — interestingly enough — contains “some of the same individuals interviewed in the film but (not) necessarily taken directly from the film.”

Making it a definite collectors item. As for the music, four tracks are from the Monterey Festival in June of 1967, “Johnny B. Goode” and “Purple Haze” come from Berkeley California, May 30, 1970, “Machine Gun II” is from the Band of Gypsys recorded December 31, 1969, with material also from Woodstock and the Isle of Wight festivals. There’s also a “Hear My Train A-Comin'” taped in London, 1967 by Jimi using a 12-string guitar. Twenty-four photographs inside the LP gatefold, and a Nigel Waymouth illustration of the musician sitting on a stool gracing the front cover give the document added value for collectors. When released in 1973 it was difficult to find some of this material, though most — if not all of it — has surfaced via the fine work of the Experience Hendrix corporation. The interviews do make it extra special, and right now, it is the only LP to legitimately have the voices of both Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix — though Little Richard is here in interview form. Not to be confused with the British film soundtracks Experience and More Experience, released in 1971 and 1972 respectively. (by Joe Viglione)

Personnel:
various Jimi Hendrix Experience line-ups

Tracklist:
01. Rock Me, Baby (King/Josea) 3.35
02. Wild Thing (Taylor) 6.49
03. Machine Gun I (Hendrix) 9.02
04. Interviews I (Jimi Hendrix, Al Hendrix, Freddie Mae Gauthier and Dolores Hall) 4.15
05. Johnny B. Goode (Berry) 4.27
06. Hey Joe (Roberts) 4.04
07. Purple Haze (Hendrix) 3.53
08. Like A Rolling Stone (Dylan) 6.52
09. Interviews II (Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, Pat Hartley and Fayne Pridgon) 3.29
10. The Star-Spangled Banner (Smith) 3.55
11. Machine Gun II (Hendrix) 12.53
12. Hear My Train A Comin’ (Hendrix) 3.11
13. Interviews III 2.33
14. Red House (Hendrix) 11.32
15. In From The Storm (Hendrix) 4.25
16. Interviews IV (Hartley, Alan Douglas, Pridgeon and The Ghetto Fighters) 6.03

01., 02., 06., 08.: Monterey Pop Festival (June 18, 1967)
03., 14., 15.: Isle of Wight Festival (August 31, 1970)
05., 07.: Berkeley Community Center, Berkeley, California (May 30, 1970)
10.: Woodstock (August 18, 1969)
11.: Fillmore East (December 31, 1969)
12.: Bruce Fleming Photography Studio, London London (December 19, 1967)

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More from Jimi Hendrix in this blog:

Iron Butterfly – Live (1970)

Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”, providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal music. Although their heyday was the late 1960s, the band has been reincarnated with various members with varying levels of success with no new recordings since 1975. Their second album, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968), remains a best-seller, and Iron Butterfly was the first group to receive an In-House platinum album award from Atlantic Records. Their music has found a significant impact on the international rock scenes, influencing numerous acts such as Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Rush, Alice Cooper, Mountain, Uriah Heep, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Slayer, and Queens of the Stone Age. (wikipedia)

Here is their 5th album:

This album stands as something of a minor landmark, musically — as far back as the late ’70s, its presence in used record bins attracted a great deal of attention from historically minded collectors, as a genuine live recording of its era, and of a hard rock, heavy metal band, at that. Not too many concert recordings were attempted in hard rock in those days, and even a lot of what was issued in the way of live albums — John Lennon’s Live Peace in Toronto and the Rolling Stones’ Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! come to mind — were done under duress, as an attempt to undermine bootlegs that had shown up.

And when one considers that Atlantic Records never even got around to recording the Rascals in concert, the very existence of Iron Butterfly Live can only be regarded something of a gift (though one that a lot of us would gladly trade for a period concert recording of Felix Cavaliere, et. al). As a concert document from the spring of 1969, the album shows off the group’s strengths, which mostly take the form of a lot of raw energy and some entertaining keyboard flourishes from Doug Ingle — lead guitarist Erik Braunn, who was to leave the group less than a year later, doesn’t fare quite as well in the mix, which was one of the inherent problems with recording a hard rock band in concert during this era, although one can still make out some of the flashier aspects of his playing. And bassist Lee Dorman gets a great showcase throughout. Not surprisingly, given the nature of concerts and audiences in those days, there’s not a lot of subtlety on display, but power and intensity count for something here. Additionally, the album is a document about how the group’s second lineup, with Braunn and Dorman, approached material from the first album, such as “You Can’t Win”; and it gives us a glimpse of the concert versions of “Filled with Fear,” “Soul Experience,” and “In the Time of Our Lives” from Ball.

There are moments when the group might be aspiring to a Doors-like seriousness on some of this material, though Ingle isn’t a good enough singer nor the band sufficiently articulate to bring that off. As for the live “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” it adds just a few flourishes and some longer solos to the studio original, which was a live-in-the-studio performance anyway. The sound is surprisingly good, given the technology in use and the era in which it was recorded. (by Bruce Eder)

Personnel:
Erik Brann (guitar)
Ron Bushy (drums)
Lee Dorman (bass)
Doug Ingle (organ, vocals)

Re-Issue from 1975:

Tracklist:
01. The Time Of Our Lives (Ingle/Bushy) 4.42
02. Filled With Fear (Ingle) 3.39
03. Soul Experience (Ingle/Bushy/Brann/Dorman) 4.08
04. You Can’t Win (Weis/DeLoach) 3.24
05. Are You Happy (Ingle) 4.02
06. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Ingle) 17.53

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The inlets of the re-issue from 1975:
More from Iron Butterfly in this blog:
The official website:

Syd Barrett – The Peel Sessions 1970 (1987)

Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965.

Barrett was the band’s frontman and primary songwriter, known for his whimsical style of psychedelia, English-accented singing, and stream-of-consciousness writing style.

As a guitarist, he was influential for his free-form playing and for employing effects such as dissonance, distortion, echo and feedback.

Originally trained as a painter, Barrett was musically active for less than ten years. With Pink Floyd, he recorded the first four singles, their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), portions of their second album A Saucerful of Secrets (1968), and several songs that were not released until years later. In April 1968, Barrett was ousted from the band amid speculation of mental illness and his use of psychedelic drugs. He began a brief solo career in 1969 with the single “Octopus”, followed by albums The Madcap Laughs (1970) and Barrett (1970), recorded with the aid of three other members of Pink Floyd.

In 1972, Barrett left the music industry, retired from public life, and strictly guarded his privacy until his death. He continued painting and dedicated himself to gardening. Pink Floyd recorded several tributes and homages to him, including the 1975 song suite “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and parts of the 1979 rock opera The Wall. In 1988, EMI released an album of unreleased tracks and outtakes, Opel, with Barrett’s approval. In 1996, Barrett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pink Floyd. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2006. (wikipedia)

The Peel Session is a collection of recordings by Syd Barrett released on 25 January 1987. This EP contains the five songs he performed for the John Peel Top Gear show, recorded on 24 February 1970 and broadcast shortly after. (wikipedia)

In February 1970, Syd Barrett performed five songs for John Peel’s show on the BBC, accompanied by Jerry Shirley on drums and Dave Gilmour on guitar. Besides reprising “Terrapin” from his first album, the session featured three of the strongest tunes from his second LP, “Gigolo Aunt,” “Baby Lemonade,” and (a very brief) “Effervescing Elephant.” This five-song EP also includes the bouncy, easygoing “Two of a Kind,” which doesn’t appear on any other release; it’s since been claimed that this was actually a composition by Pink Floyd organist Rick Wright. The rest of the songs don’t differ much from the officially released versions; they’re somewhat sparer and looser. A decent if not absolutely essential relic for the Barrett/Floyd fan, with excellent sound. (by Richie Unterberger)

Personnel:
Syd Barrett (guitar, vocals)
David Gilmour (bass, guitar, organ)
Jerry Shirley (percussion)

Tracklist:
01. Terrapin 3.06
02. Gigolo Aunt 3.40
03. Baby Lemonade 234
04. Effervescing Elephant 1.01
05. Two Of A Kind 2.34

All songs written by Syd Barrett.

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Syd Barrett – David Gilmour – Jerry Shirley:

More from Syd Barrett in this blog:

The official website:

Creedence Clearwater Revival (with Booker T. Jones) – Fantasy Session ´70 (2001)

Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs, before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. The band’s most prolific and successful period between 1969 and 1971 produced fourteen consecutive top 10 singles (many of which were double A-sides) and five consecutive top 10 albums in the United States – two of which, Green River (1969) and Cosmo’s Factory (1970), reached number one. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there.

CCR disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success. Tom Fogerty had left the previous year, and John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in lawsuits among the former bandmates. Fogerty’s disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz led to more court cases and John Fogerty refused to perform with the two other surviving members at Creedence’s 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Though the band has never reunited, John Fogerty continues to perform CCR songs as part of his solo act, while Cook and Clifford have performed as Creedence Clearwater Revisited since the 1990s.

CCR’s music remains a staple of U.S. classic rock radio airplay; 28 million CCR records have been sold in the U.S. alone. The compilation album Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, originally released in 1976, is still on the Billboard 200 album chart and reached the 600-week mark in August 2022. It has been certified Diamond by the RIAA for 10 million copies sold in the U.S (wikipedia)

Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.’s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.

This is a popular boot among CCR fans and collectors and, in 2008, a wider public became acquainted with two of the tracks. The release of CCR’s 40th anniversary reissues saw the Booker T Born On The Bayou included as a bonus track on Cosmo’s Factory while the Booker T Down On The Corner is included on Willy And The Poor Boys:

Even if there are some pops and hiss, Bootlegzone calls this “an interesting disc overall”. Bootlegzone reader Cooley added: “Probably includes Steve ‘The Colonel’ Cropper on guitar, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn on bass, and Booker T Jones on keyboards, although only the CCR band and Booker T Jones are acknowledged on the cover. A great, great jam session with John Fogerty leading the pack and directing the others. Very informal setting, superbly recorded.”

Creedence Clearwater Revival invited Booker T. Jones, Donald “Duck” Dunn and Steve Cropper of the Booker T & the MGs to hold a jamming session at the Factory in Berkeley, California, on January 30. 1970. Booker T drummer Al Jackson wasn’t able to participate due to sickness.

It was quite a natural collaboration since Creedence Clearwater had always admired this Stax label house band. John Fogerty and others in the band had already met Steve Cropper at Stax Studios in Memphis 1969 and changed phone numbers.

In the jam session at the Factory, they played rock and soul, 12-bar blues, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and their own songs.

The session was filmed and recorded professionally. A two-minute snippet of playing was seen in In Concert TV special which was first broadcast in the USA in June 1971. The TV special has never been released officially.

The Cosmo’s Factory jam session has been available on poor sounding bootlegs for years. “Down on the Corner” was released as a bonus track on the 40th Anniversary Edition CD of Creedence Clearwater in 2008. Other numbers of the night are still collecting dust in vaults.

After the session at 2am, Creedence Clearwater and Booker T & the MGs played a basketball game at the Factory. Later on the following day, Creedence Clearwater Revival performed one of their finest gigs at Oakland Arena, Oakland, California.

The session might have influenced to the later recordings of Creedence Clearwater. It’s sometimes suggested that John Fogerty’s interest in putting Hammond B3 on Pendulum was a direct nod to Booker T & the MGs and the mutual admiration both bands had for each other.

Creedence Clearwater and Booker T. and the MGs combined their forces again in summer 1970 when the two bands toured together in the United States. After many years, Booker T. Jones and Duck Dunn performed with John Fogerty again in the studio concert Showtime Special which was exposed on American television in summer 1985. Unfortunately, it has never come out as an official release.

John Fogerty, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper also collaborated in the nationally televised Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Opening Concert in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, on September 2, 1995 when Fogerty performed “Born on the Bayou” and “Fortunate Son”. Next year, the concert saw an official release on the album Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Opening Concert.

In the Cleveland concert, while introducing his backing group, John Fogerty labeled Booker T. & the MGs as the greatest rock and roll band of all-time.  (unknown source, sorry)

Alternate front + backcover (1):

It didn’t get a lot of fanfare, and maybe it wasn’t intended to produce any music for release. But Booker T. Jones of Booker T. & the MG’s did record a jam session with Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1970 at Fantasy Studio. This bootleg documents it, with 67 minutes of music, in good though not great studio quality. Like many jams between superstars, of course, it doesn’t sound as wonderful on disc as it might in your head. It just sounds like Creedence with a good organ player, running through some of their most popular songs rather informally. Apparently it wasn’t seen as an opportunity to work up new material or take on cover tunes that CCR hadn’t done on their records. In fact, six of the nine tracks were versions of songs that Creedence put on their early releases, including the hits “Proud Mary,” “Down on the Corner,” “Born on the Bayou,” and “Travelin’ Band,” as well as and two versions of “Ninety-nine and a Half (Won’t Do).” The other tracks are basic bluesy instrumental groove jams – nice enough, but not any with riffs that sound like they could have been developed into distinctive songs. (Note that the track identified as “I Put a Spell on You” is an instrumental that doesn’t seem to have more than a casual resemblance to the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins classic that Creedence covered on their first album.) Part of the reason the CD’s so long is that there’s a fair amount of bumbling around between songs, and while John Fogerty does sing (and with passion), the instrumental balance and presence of the vocals in the mix aren’t ideal (not to mention the presence of occasional loud electronic beeps). There aren’t many Creedence bootlegs around, though, and this is a neat if not earthshaking chance to hear them playing live and playing fairly well, with a celebrity guest helping them out. (by Richie Unterberger)

Recorded at the Factory Recording Studios, Berkeley, California, USA January 30. 1970

Personnel:
Doug Clifford (drums)
Stu Cook (bass)
John Fogerty (vocals, lead guitar)
Tom Fogerty (guitar)
+
Steve Cropper (guitar)
Booker T Jones (organ)

Tracklist:
01. Tune-up 1.19
02. Instrumental I (unknown) 13.13
03. Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won’t Do) (Cropper/Floyd/Pickett) 7.43
04. Born On the Bayou (J.Fogerty) 5.09
05. Down On The Corner (J.Fogerty) 3.40
06. Blues Instrumental II (unknown) 16.06
07. Going Down Jam (Nix) 3.567
08. Proud Mary (J.Fogerty) 6.16
09. Travelin’ Band (J.Fogerty) 2.50

Alternate front+backcover (2):

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More from Creedence Clearwater Revival in this blog:

CCR at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame (with Bruce Springsteen), 1993: