DONOVAN
In Concert (The Complete 1967 Anaheim Show) (EMI; CD)
     As has been stated in past reviews of his reissued catalogue, Donovan was never treated fairly with regard to his artistic integrity by his British record company and this was compounded in the original release of his 1967 Anaheim live album. The original release was a truncated version of his show, which we can now see with the release of the full concert, was heavily weighted in favour of the tracks with a jazz. This was to the detriment of the solo acoustic Donovan on songs like 'To Try For the Sun' and 'Someone Singing'. Now with the release of the full concert we can at last revel in the sound of Donovan at the peak of his creativity. The whole concert is a delight from start to finish. Highlights include the previously unreleased 'Sunny Goodge Street', 'Epistle to Derroll' and 'Hampstead Incident' but the whole show flows effortlessly and is a worthy addition to the "better late than never" Donovan canon which should surely at last when it is all taken into account, assure him of his true place in the pantheon of 60s greats.
www.amazon.co.uk
Pat Curran

RUTHANN FRIEDMAN  
Hurried Life (Lost Recordings 1965-'71; Water; CD)
     Ruthann Friedman achieved her 15 minutes of fame in 1967 when her  former flatmates The Association got to #1 in the US charts with their version of her song 'Windy'. This was followed up by her 1969 solo album for Reprise, Constant Companion (also issued on CD by Water), where she was accompanied by her then boyfriend Peter Kaukonen (brother of Jorma). I remember importing the album when it was released and being very disappointed it did not include her version of the aforementioned song, but 'Windy' does turn up on this collection of home and studio recordings from 1965-'71 and very good it is too.
     Ruthann writes a paragraph about each song except in a couple of cases where she fails to give any information on when and where they were recorded. The songs are great though, many just solo voice with acoustic guitar and others with the minimum of backing. To these ears the whole thing sounds timeless and could easily be the new recordings of some recently discovered "nu-folk" singer. The whole album flows as one, the only departure being 'Little Girl Lost and Found' the only song not written by Ruthann. This wonderful slice of sunshine pop was written by the equally mysterious Tandyn Almer (who wrote 'Along Comes Mary' for The Association) and was recorded by Ruthann and Tom Shipley (of Brewer and Shipley) and released under the name of The Garden Club.   Highlights include 'Hurried Life' (her favourite song), 'Looking Glass' , 'Windy ' and 'Southern Comfortable' but this is a wonderful album. A real grower and highly recommended.
www.amazon.co.uk
Pat Curran

THE GRUESOMES
Live in Hell (Ricochet; CD)
     Growing up as a teenager in Montreal in the late '80s and early '90s it was impossible to not have heard, seen or been somehow affected by the legendary Gruesomes. Reader, I was one of those teenagers so I should know. They had it all – fuzz guitars, snotty vocals, stripey t-shirts, bowl cuts and Cuban heels. Although these ingredients might not have distinguished them from the wider garage revival that was going on at the time they also had one thing that none of the other North American bands had – a schtick. Fusing a love of The Flintstones, a penchant for Monkees style zaniness, strong comedic instinct, consummate musicianship (it's hard to sound like amateurs so professionally) and an impeccable knowledge of '60s punk, surf, nederbeat and British R&B, The Gruesomes achieved notoriety beyond the strict confines of the garage scene becoming one of Canada's most loved bands. This position was consolidated by a relentless touring schedule that saw them criss-cross the nation like the madcap moptops that they were. This CD captures their live set when they were at the peak of their powers. Originally only available as a tape sold at their gigs, this has always been seen as the elusive Rosetta Stone of their output – as well the only remaining aural evidence of what their gigs were like. So fork out the dough for your entrance fee, take your place near the stage and get ready to wig out to the way out sounds of The Gruesomes live in Hell! (Actually Halifax, Nova Scotia but that was never going to shift many records really.)
www.myspace.com/thegruesomes
Arthur Cravan

THE AHMAD JAMAL TRIO
Pavanne For Ahmad (Five Four; CD)
     The dictionary defines a pavanne as "a stately court dance…or a piece of music for this dance". Listening to these early 50s recordings by pianist Ahmad Jamal, it is not hard to conjure up an image of pairs of elegantly clad courtiers and courtesans stepping in time as they pay their respects to the regent – as long as the dancers are transposed from a renaissance palace to a modernist jazz club. Fittingly the chamber jazz line up of piano, guitar and bass provides the perfect musical accompaniment and gives the whole operation an air of restrained elegance without ever losing its effortless swing. The pavanne was also often used as an introductory dance and these sides, originally cut for Okeh, serve as a perfect initiation to the style that was to propel Jamal into the upper echelons of jazz success in the '60s. With his gentle touch and keen use of space and silence in his playing, Jamal is often overlooked as a lightweight but careful listening reveals strong melodic inventiveness and the ability to create perfect musical miniatures be they standards or original compositions. Amongst his various admirers, Miles Davis, one of the putative rulers of jazz-land, was particularly taken – a clear indication of Jamal's favoured status within the court.
www.elrecords.co.uk
Arthur Cravan

THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET
Classic Concepts
MILT JACKSON
Da Capo (both Five Four; CD)
     For many people, The Modern Jazz Quartet typifies the acceptable face of jazz. With their discrete line up of piano, vibes, bass and drums, tasteful blend of European classical music with modern American, and impeccably tailored suits, The MJQ (as they were often abbreviated) were a conservative jazz fan's dream. But this reading overlooks their deeply innovative contribution to jazz in particular and music in general. After all, they played a crucial role in creating a sound that imbued traditional compositional techniques with the raw earthiness of the blues. They showed how a stripped down rhythm section - with no strict need for a front line – could be the key building block of jazz. And despite the potential artifice of their heavily conceptual approach, they still managed to produce some of the funkiest tunes of the post-war period. As if this weren't enough, The MJQ was the only jazz band signed to The Beatles' Apple label and their drummer Connie Kay played on Van Morrison's seminal Astral Weeks thus showing their innate ability to tap into what was happening on many more levels than just within their own musical niche.
     The two discs in question provide us with a fascinating insight into the initial stages of The MJQ and Milt Jackson, their vibes player. Classic Concepts brings together some of The MJQ's early work from the '50s well as a radio broadcast from '55. What is clear from the first listen, is that their sound was there from the get-go: razor sharp bass and drum interplay, erudite yet down home piano and shimmering vibes ringing out over the top. Indeed some of the tracks featured went on to become signature tunes that they would revisit time and time again during their 40 years plus of activity. Da Capo points the spotlight on the Milt Jackson and provides a glimpse of his playing with and without his usual cohorts. So you can hear him in the company of such luminaries as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Jimmy Giuffre and others. No matter what the context, Jackson is consistently brilliant displaying the ability to swing hard one minute and be sensitive and soulful the next while creating the template for modern vibraphone players. In both records what we have is the sound of jazz history being played and thus made.
www.elrecords.co.uk
Arthur Cravan

THE MOODY BLUES
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour 
Seventh Sojourn (both Decca; SACD/CD)
     The Hayward era band's sixth album Every Good Boy Deserves Favour saw The Moody Blues partially closing the door on their psychedelic phase with the enjoyably pretentious edges becoming sanded down with a rockier production and some really straight and to the point songs. 'The Story In Your Eyes'' Fleetwood Mac-like riffy drive propels it into a psych-rock tour de force with acoustic guitars and fuzz blending with harmonies whilst the gorgeous baroque ballads 'One More Time To Live' and 'Emily's Song' recall the sweetest inclusions from The Bee Gees' epic Odessa. Every Good Boy was a smash, reaching #1 in the UK and #2 in the US in 1971.
     After a year of hectic touring in their personal jet, huge financial gain and rock stardom the tiredly titled Seventh Sojourn followed. Recorded at Mike Pinder's state of the art home studio the burnt out band surprisingly delivered a set of strong material, which at the time of its release in 1972 was readily deemed too pop.  Eschewing the prog undertones they had previously been embracing for a more straight ahead pop/rock sound that touched upon the folkish Seventh Sojourn was still clearly Moody in nature with Mike Pinder's powerful mellotron replacement the Chamberlain taking centre stage. Unfortunately it's really only the visionary keyboardist's two contributions, the plodding, politically correct 'Lost In A Lost World' and 'When You're A Free Man' and the awfully obvious John Lodge rocker 'I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)' that depict how tired and bored the group had become. On the upside 'You And Me' blends shimmering guitars with the haunting Chamberlain and a sharp pop vocal, and yes, it was still psychedelic pop, in 1972; the beautiful 'Isn't Life Strange' again pays homage to the Brothers Gibb and 'The Land Of Make Believe' brims with smart hooks, a majestic chorus and flighty guitars, ranking as one of The Moody's all time greats.
     We've often made the point here that The Moody Blues are a much maligned and misunderstood group. Read our reappraisal of their psychedelic albums in Shindig! #8, buy them on expanded CD and then make your own minds up.
To buy the above two CDs please click on the Moody Blues advertisement at the top of this page or use the links below.
Every Good Boy Deserves A Favor 
Seventh Sojourn
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

DUFFY POWER
Vampers And Champers ( RPM; 2-CD)
     When modern white blues bands get on stage in a pub I slip out quietly and quickly, because most contemporary blues is wrapped up in stultifying layers of formulaic clichés and conventions. Listening to Duffy Power's '60s take on the blues is a refreshingly different experience. Colin Harper's excellent liner notes are right on the money: "By 1967 Duffy had defined a thrilling, dynamic new sound incorporating jazz sophistication and blues grit in a short, sharp pop-rock format".
     Colin Harper retells the strange story of young Duffy's introduction to the blues in 1960. Apparently he lived with a girl with a great record collection, but eventually realised she was a hooker. I was inspired to compose a blues lyric: "Couldn't sleep this morning / My baby is still turning tricks / I'll just practice these blues licks".
     The first CD contains the 1965-'67 demos which were issued as Innovations on Transatlantic. Early Cream springs to mind, not simply because Jack Bruce plays double bass, but due to a host of other factors. There is great musicianship from a band that includes the likes of John McClaughlin, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox. In addition Duffy has a warm and versatile voice which deals equally well with his own tunes and blues classics. The jazz-blues approach puts this set up there with the best of the 'British blues boom'.
     The second CD selects much of the session recorded in 1969 for Donovan's manager Peter Eden. The original plan was to overdub jazz arrangements over Duffy's acoustic guitar/vocal parts, but this never happened. The songs don't sound unfinished, however. Arrangements of 'Gin House Blues' and 'Fox and Geese' showcase Duffy's vocal talents and his dynamic harmonica playing. Also included on CD2 are several previously unreleased songs, including a 1970 session with Keith Tippett's band and a couple of very recent tunes. A combination of bad luck and psychiatric problems prevented Duffy from achieving the success of many of his band mates, but releases like this one and the earlier Leapers And Sleepers prove that he had talent and tunes in abundance.
www.rpmrecords.co.uk
Phil Suggitt

ALASTAIR RIDDELL
Space Waltz (CD; RPM)
     The androgynous, heavily made up Alastair Riddell featured heavily in an exhibition of '70s culture that I saw in New Zealand's national museum. Arguably Riddell's Space Waltz band project was a bigger socio-cultural challenge to the traditional standards of '70s NZ than the glam rockers were to UK culture.
     Whilst I can appreciate that Space Waltz must have seemed like beings from a different planet when they appeared on a Saturday evening talent show, the music remains very much of its time. The trouble is that Alastair's lead vocals are so strongly influenced by the UK Glam era – particularly Ziggy era Bowie, early Roxy Music and Cockney Rebel that the songs are hard to take. The standard of musicianship is high but the mannered and melodramatic singing reduces this 1975 album to the status of a period piece for Glam-rock fans.
www.rpmrecords.com.uk
Phil Suggitt

SUN RA
Toward The Stars: Pioneering in 1955-56 (Five Four; CD)
     Galaxies of ink have been spilled about the jazzman from Saturn. But what is often missed in the colourful accounts of his eccentric behaviour, cosmic costumes and what can only be defined a cosmological pastiche of science fiction and ancient Egypt is just what an extraordinary contribution the extraterrestrial known as Sun Ra made to the music of this planet be it jazz or otherwise. Ironically for all of his reputation as a fearless explorer of other worldly sounds, this CD makes clear just how traditional his lineage as a composer, arranger and bandleader was. In many ways a lot of the tunes are straight ahead big band numbers in which a series of punchy solos follow a head arrangement more reminiscent of Fletcher Henderson than the avant garde. However, from this launching pad Sun Ra travels far and wide introducing eastern sounds, alternative song structures, electronic instruments and all out free blowing into his compositional mix. Sometimes it is hard to believe that what you are listening to is from the '50s forcing you to wonder whether his real gift was not space travel but time travel. In fact if you listen closely enough you can almost hear Sun Ra whispering: "This record contains tomorrow's sounds played yesterday for today".
www.elrecords.co.uk
Arthur Cravan

VARIOUS ARTISTS
California Love In Vol.5 (U Spaces; CDR)
     The fifth and final (?) volume in this highly enjoyable series sees a softer vibe permeating proceedings in many places. Kick off track is an uncharacteristic sunny pop number by The Neighbourhood Children in 'On Our Way'. It was the flip side to their final single (for Dot) 'Woman Think Twice'. Four sides from Pale Fire begin with their 1968 45 'Eye Girl' and 'Back Home' and they really stand out, indeed 'Eye Girl' is a beauty of the baroque sound, string led downbeat rhythm with brass stabs here and there, before a freaky guitar solo breaks in midway. The Mother Love's 'Flim Flam Man' follows a similar stylistic (and rhythmic) pattern, but with softer voices. Their Carousel of Daydreams LP from 1969 is ripe for the Rev-Ola reissue treatment. Calliope's 'Wiser' is another B side (of 'Mud') which sweeps along between soft harmony vocals and acid guitar runs interlaced with flute, very nice it is too. American Zoo's 'Back Street Thoughts' is a light weight number that sounds as though it wanted to sound heavier. It's a pretty tune that even includes a banjo towards the end. Michael Blodgett will be familiar to Soft Sounds For Gentle People fans for his 'Fire Engine Red' 45. Here, its flip side 'Clay People of Boxtown' makes an appearance, big string section and mariachi brass accompanying him. Family Album's 'Mind Beside Mine' is a perky harmony pop number whilst Marcia Strassman's 'Self Analysis' is almost British in its lyrical composition about the loss of childhood and betrayal. In the round, a very good collection and a worthy companion to the first four volumes. Like all U Spaces compilations they are for trade only. You can find out how at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/u-spaces. This might just be my favourite volume in the series and I advise all '60s pop fans to get hold of a copy pronto.
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Le Discotecque Psychedelique (Boss-A-Tone; CD)
     Yes please, more like this! Boss-A-Tone are (I think) distributed by Misty Lane and are responsible for the two volumes of Stasera Beat comps. Essentially this is a somewhat more progressive and exoticised version of those. All 20 cuts have that La Beat Bespoke club groove and come from all over Europe in the late 1960s and early '70s. Hungaraians Kati Kovacs & Juventus's 'Wind, Komm, Bring Den Regen Her' is as full on and strong as it gets. Corvina's 'A Tuz' is similarly ass kicking as is Birth Control's 'What's Your Name'. Both these and a lot of the tracks are European prog and if you thought prog was cerebral and static, no-one told these groovers. This is what I call real progressive. Lots of keys, fast guitars, funky rhythms even time signature changes, but all amazingly hard impact dancers! The UK is represented through The Ghost (who recorded for Gemini) whose 'I've Got To Get To Know You' has a flute solo! and an uncomped Gene Latter B side 'The Old Iron Bell' which sounds like it might be some kind of old sentimental Irish ballad, but is actually another groover – when is Latter gonna get the anthology treatment? He made some really good 45s. There's also Scrugg's 'Will The Real Geraldine Please Stand Up And Be Counted' which sounds very much at home amongst the rest of its company. Also, the funky rock groove of Black Velvet's 'Tropicana' is belting stuff. There's even a Chris Britton LP track ('How Do You Say Goodbye'). Elsewhere Belgian obscuro's Mad Curry keep up the tempo with 'Antwerp', Roundhouse's 'Alchemy is Good For You' and Dany Martin's 'Er Is Geen Reden' also serve with distinction. This is a most intriguing collection mixing standard dance floor fair with prog prancers and makes for a rousing and ear catching mix. Catch it if you can from the usual hip mail orders.
Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Lovin' Fire: 20 obscure gems from the UK and Europe (Psychic Circle; CD)
     Fans of the New Rubble Vol.4: Utopia Daydream CD comp, will also want to grab this one. It's another 20 track collection of British and European 45s from 1969-'71 that focuses on the transformation of psych into prog. As with the New Rubble series, this is curated and compiled by Nick Saloman. These new comps come with snazzy liners that tell you enough about each artist to get you started. A few have found their way onto compilations before, though possibly only on CDR traders comps, so I won't hold that against anyone. One I recognised was Ipsissimus's 'Lazy Woman' (compiled on U Spaces Psychedlic Archaeology Vol.7), and is the top side of the more familiar Rubble compiled 'Hold On'. 'Lazy Woman' is a great grungy blues rock number. Dutch band Silence, are represented by a B side 'Mother's Game' from an ultra rare 45 and is the kick off track, and a really walloping guitar track it is as well. Ray Owen's Moon's 'Talk To Me', one of only two singles they made, follows up in similar style. Swiss band Pacific Fog appear with the organ led 'Thick Fog; the flip to their $150+ rated 'Ballad To Jimi' 45. Custer's Track's 'On The Run' (also compiled on a volume of Oddities I think) is a good prog pop number with a nice vocal harmony and Paul Nicholas's 'Lamplighter' is another I think has been compiled somewhere, but it's a good 1.58's worth so no harm done. Mayrock's 'Lovin' Fire' is a typical example of a band going heavy at the turn of the '70s and only exists in acetate form and only 3 copies of that are known to exist. WhichWhat's 'Parting' is one of my faves on this comp, a really strong rockin' number that sounds like an updated mid '60s garage rocker. It's the superior flip side of a forgettable cover of Zager and Evans's 'In The Year 2525'. Elsewhere, tracks by Hunter, Children, Rainbows (later to become Still Life), Royal Servants, The Influence and others entertain variously with whooshing organ drives, near castrato sounding vocal stretches and chugging guitar riffs. White Mule's 'Looking Through Cat's Eyes' maybe the exception to this rule as their vocal is almost whispered over a barely louder accompaniment! This is a good collection of the genre it claims to represent, which given its retrospective and collector based definition is not something that easy to get right, so congratulations Mr Saloman. I don't think anyone with a taste for this stuff will leave the room disappointed that's for sure.
 www.soundlinkmusic.com
 Paul Martin

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Vampires, Cowboys, Spacemen & Spooks: The Very Best of Joe Meek's Instrumentals
THE FABULOUS FLEE REKKERS
Green Jeans: The Flee Rekkers Anthology (both Castle; 2-CD and CD)
     What can you say about Joe Meek? Legendary producer, visionary, svengali, tormented soul, misunderstood genius, control freak, madman and so on ad infinitum. All of these things are certainly true. But perhaps the most important thing was his relentless conviction and a tendency to be slightly out of step with the world around him – the characteristics of the true innovator. Add to that the quintessentially English condition of boffinry twinned with obsessive attention to detail and you get a sonic experiment like no other. Twanging guitars high in the mix, drums low, treble set to stun, mad sound effects and enough compression to make your head explode the Meek sound is something to behold.
     The fascinating thing is that these sides are really the perfect soundtrack for the moment in time when the young started to rebel and adopt clear signifiers, musical and sartorial, of their hormonally induced angst thus creating the phenomenon now commonly known as the teenager. Once the floodgates were open, the relentless quest for new music that could fuel their desire to kick against the restrictions of the post-war years led them to leave Meek and his quintessentially '50s sound, more Festival of Britain than Summer of Love, behind in order to better embrace the pop revolution spearheaded by The Beatles and their cohorts. And it was this, rather than a suicidal shotgun blast, that ultimately ended Meek's life. This restless pioneer had become a quaint reminder of a recent past, swept away by forces he had helped to unleash but was unable to control.
     Regardless of these considerations and whether you're a neophyte or an acolyte, you could do no better than the instrumental collection on offer here as a passport into Joe Meek's peculiar world with its '60 tracks - all killer and no filler. For those of you that wish to delve deeper into one of the many chapters of this unique story, The Flee Rekkers anthology pulls together everything the band recorded under his tutelage. The Bible famously reports that the Meek shall one day inherit the earth - these records indicate that perhaps he already had.
www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.co.uk
Arthur Cravan

WRECKLESS ERIC
Big Smashes (Stiff; 2-CD)
     Recently I shared a late night taxi with two aging ex-punks who told me every detail of the Wreckless Eric gig they had been to. They were amazed that I actually knew who they were talking about.
     Writing in a 1978 Zigzag, Alan Anger summed up Wreckless Eric's late '70s media reputation as "just another Stiff loony" an amiable drunk with bad dress sense and a handful of simple songs. Eric was always underrated. In 1980 I met a girl who had all of Wreckless Eric's albums. She said she liked Eric because "he was a true rock'n'roll romantic, with just enough rough edges to appeal to the Punk and New Wave crowd". 27 years later her summary still sounds good to me. Eric wrote a brace of fine pop songs with a big heart. Much of his best work is found on CD2. Songs like 'Whole Wide World', 'Reconnez Cherie' and 'Hit And Miss Judy' still sound great after all these years. In the liners Eric confesses to a lack of confidence in his song writing ability, but he regularly turned out some catchy tunes. His early LPs were not always well produced, but this compilation concentrates on the best stuff.
     CD1 contains 1980's 'Big Smash', which is tighter, cleaner and better produced than his earlier work. Eric writes that it was "a more adult affair" than his first two albums, "soul, rock and in part almost pub rock, played by competent musicians". Although he thinks he was pulled in too many directions at the same time, it's much better than Eric originally thought. There are lots of enjoyable songs with good hooks, like 'A Popsong', and 'It'll Soon Be The Weekend', which are just as strong as the earlier material. Three 1980 live songs are included as a bonus, a reminder that Eric always had a good rapport with his audience.
www.stiff-records.com
Phil Suggitt