Although packaged and promoted as a bona fide group, the Fantastic Baggys were actually an L.A. studio project by the duo of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. Sloan and Barri wrote many first-rate (and second-rate) pop-rock and folk-rock tunes in the mid-1960s, but were at this point, as evidenced by the name of the group, doing surf and hot rod material. The similarity of the Fantastic Baggys material to Jan and Dean in particular should come as no surprise, since Sloan and Barri not only wrote some songs for Jan and Dean, but also did some vocals on Jan and Dean records of the era. The Fantastic Baggys did one album for Imperial in 1964, Tell 'Em I'm Surfin', as well as three singles in 1964 and 1965 (which included three non-LP songs); there were also a couple of Fantastic Baggys albums issued in South Africa. (Although there were four Fantastic Baggys pictured on the sleeve of Tell 'Em I'm Surfin', the two other guys were just friends who were not on the records.) The album, in both songwriting and performance, was a pretty close but ultimately derivative and inferior facsimile of circa 1964 Jan and Dean and (more distantly) Beach Boys records. The Fantastic Baggys stopped making records in 1965, when the surf faded and Sloan and Barri were more interested in writing and singing more serious and sophisticated material /R Unterberger.
Songs in order of the South African release with 11 songs.
Phil ‘PF’ Sloan (falsetto, alto and bass vocals, guitar)
Steve Barri (tenor harmony, percussion)
with Hal Blaine (drums)
Tommy Tedesco (guitar)
Glen Campbell (guitar)
Ray Pohlman (bass)
Leon Russell (keyboards)
Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton is a 1966 electric blues album by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton as lead guitarist. It is often referred to as The Beano album because the photograph on the album cover shows Clapton reading The Beano, a well-known British children's comic.
Apart from being one of the most overall influential albums in blues-rock history, it was likely the first time anyone had heard a Gibson Les Paul guitar through an overdriven Marshall amplifier; this unique sound would become particularly influential. The re-introduction of the Les Paul by Gibson was largely fueled by the blues boom that so often featured it. Clapton's incendiary playing inspired graffiti saying "Clapton is God" on the streets of London around the time of the album's release.
The Bluesbreakers included John Mayall on harmonica and a majority of the vocals, John McVie on bass, Hughie Flint on drums, and John Almond, Alan Skidmore and Derek Healey, misspelt on the sleeve as Dennis Healey, as the horn section.
Much of the album was composed of blues standards by long-established blues artists such as Otis Rush, Freddie King and Robert Johnson, as well as a few originals penned by Mayall or Mayall and Clapton. The majority of the songs serve as showcases for the young Clapton's playing, apart from "Another Man" and "Ramblin' On My Mind." "Ramblin' On My Mind" was Clapton's very first recorded vocal performance. Although Clapton left the Bluesbreakers only a year after this album was made, it was still a huge step forward for his playing as far as improvisation and guitar tone, and it formed the bridge between his time with the Yardbirds and his later co-founding of the power trio Cream with fellow British blues-rock players Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.
CD 1 01. All Your Love [Mono] 02. Hideaway [Mono] 03. Little Girl [Mono] 04. Another Man [Mono] 05. Double Crossing Time [Mono] 06. What'd I Say [Mono] 07. Key To Love [Mono] 08. Parchman Farm [Mono] 09. Have You Heard [Mono] 10. Ramblin' On My Mind [Mono] 11. Steppin' Out [Mono] 12. It Ain't Right [Mono] 13. All Your Love [Stereo] 14. Hideaway [Stereo] 15. Little Girl [Stereo] 16. Another Man [Stereo] 17. Double Crossing Time [Stereo] 18. What'd I Say [Stereo] 19. Key To Love [Stereo] 20. Parchman Farm [Stereo] 21. Have You Heard [Stereo] 22. Ramblin' On My Mind [Stereo] 23. Steppin' Out [Stereo] 24. It Ain't Right [Stereo]
CD 2 01. Crawling Up A Hill - BBC Saturday Club Session 02. Crocodile Walk - BBC Saturday Club Session 03. Bye Bye Bird - BBC Saturday Club Session 04. I'm Your Witchdoctor - single 05. Telephone Blues - single 06. Bernard Jenkins - single 07. Lonely Years - single 08. Cheatin' Woman - BBC Saturday Club Session 09. Nowhere To Turn - BBC Saturday Club Session 10. I'm Your Witchdoctor - BBC Saturday Club Session 11. On Top Of The World - New Stereo Mix 12. Key To Love - BBC Saturday Club Session 13. On Top Of The World - BBC Saturday Club Session 14. They Call It Stormy Monday - Live at The Flamingo Club 15. Intro - Maudie - Live 16. It Hurts To Be In Love - Live 17. Have You Ever Loved A Woman - Live 18. Bye Bye Bird - Live 19. Hoochie Coochie Man - Live
Biography
by Richie Unterberger
The Leathercoated Minds were a Los Angeles studio-only group, formed for the express purpose of exploiting both the sound and image of the L.A. psychedelic scene circa 1966-1967. Their sole record, the LP A Trip Down the Sunset Strip, was issued on the small Viva label in 1967 because — as Viva chief Snuff Garrett candidly remembered in the liner notes to the 2006 CD reissue — "we had a real good (photo) shot of Sunset Boulevard and we needed an album to go with it." Accordingly, the LP featured hastily recorded covers of some of the hippest hits of 1966 — "Eight Miles High," "Psychotic Reaction," "Over Under Sideways Down," "Sunshine Superman," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Along Comes Mary" — as well as a few filler psychedelic instrumentals.
The record has its interest for collectors, however, since those filler instrumentals were written by a young J.J. Cale, who also produced and played guitar on the album.
**********
1. Eight Miles High 2. Sunset and Clark 3. Psychotic Reaction 4. Over Under Sideways Down 5. Sunshine Superman 6. Non-Stop 7. Arriba 8. Kicks 9. Mr. Tambourine Man 10. Puff (The Magic Dragon) 11. Along Comes Mary 12. Pot Luck
John Cale famously played violin and bass for The Velvet Underground before Doug Yule replaced him in 19 68.
Terry Riley was among the pioneers of minimalism (along with Steve Reich and La Monte Young). He published and performed "In C" in 1964. Many other versions would follow, and In C's mathematical approach to improvisation not only set the groundwork for minimalism, but influenced many other genres as well.
In 1971, Cale and Riley released this collaboration which somehow sounds like both musicians while being very different from what either had done before. At times, the music recalls later Soft Machine. "Church of Anthrax" is a unique, hard to find record.
Diabolical Quilty (Peter Sellers) obscures his face and poses as a cop, contriving a chance encounter with Humbert (James Mason) in Stanley Kubrick's Lolita, 1962, from Vladimir Nabokov's script.
Booker T. Jones exited Stax Records before it came to a complete crash and married singer Priscilla Coolidge, Rita's sister, and the two hooked-up musically as well. Great things were expected from this project. Jones led his namesake, Booker T. & the MG's, to some success at Stax. The four-pieces also served as the label's most prominent house band, and, in addition, Jones shared co-writer credit on some great songs. Coolidge, like her sister, sang with an abundance of soul. Rita recorded for A&M, and the label had issued a solo album on Priscilla,
which originally came out on Sussex Records. Few people will tell you
this is a bad album, cause it's not, it's just not what was expected.
The lovebirds are all over the place theme-wise -- love, social
problems, ethnic issues, and other twists and spins on a multitude of
subjects. This is a long, two-disc album: 19 tracks, 83 minutes of
music. If you can hang from the first song, "Wedding Song," to the last,
"One Man Trouble," you deserve a music-listening endurance award.
Sometimes less is better. Cherry-picked and taken in smaller doses,
which one can do now with a CD (but this is on vinyl and cassette), you
could take the LP's bitter with the sweet better. But constantly lifting
the turntable arm to move to a different song gets old quick; just
laying back and letting it roll isn't the answer either. Nice singing,
good tracks, but nothing to get up and boogie about. You keep waiting
for the blockbuster that never comes. It attracted some buyers, charting
at number 106 on Billboard's Top 200 Pop Albums, mainly out of
curiosity.
Billy Preston – vocals, piano, organ, tack piano, backing vocals; electric piano (CD bonus tracks only)
George Harrison – electric and acoustic guitars, Moog synthesizer, sitar
Eric Clapton – electric guitar
Keith Richards – bass
Ginger Baker – drums, tambourine
Doris Troy – backing vocals
Madeline Bell – backing vocals
John Barham – string arrangements
Pacific Northwest isolation mixed with wide-eyed ambition, a strong sense of family and the gift of music proved to be quite the combination for teenage brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson. Originally released in 1979, Dreamin’ Wild is the sonic vision of the talented Emerson boys, recorded in a family built home studio in rural Washington State. Situated in the unlikely blink-and-you-missed-it town of Fruitland and far removed from the late 1970s punk movement and the larger disco boom, Donnie and Joe tilled their own musical soil, channeling bedroom pop jams, raw funk, and yacht rock. http://lightintheattic.net/releases/705-dreamin-wild
Ahead of their debut release for 4AD (worldwide from June 8), Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti appear in session with a number of tracks from the forthcoming Before Today alongside recordings of the likes of 'Flashback' and 'Spires in the Snow' (incarnations of the latter dating back as far as 1999).
Recorded at Studio Plateaux on the Thameside island Platts Eyot, the session showcases the band's rich pop palette; a beguiling mix of glam rock, West Coast funk and Merseybeat harmonies with a newfound high-production sheen - a contrast to the corroded bedroom recordings that have fomented a fervent cult following over the past decade.
The outfit, now consist of reclusive pop surrealist Ariel Pink (vocals) alongside Tim Koh (bass/vocals), Kenny Gilmore (guitar/vocals) and Aaron Sperske (drums/vocals) - with Cole MGN (guitar) guesting in session. Haunted Graffiti tour worldwide this summer, with a full list of dates available HERE.
Track Listing:
Menopause Man
Spires In The Snow
Little Wig
Flashback
L'Estat (According to the Widow's Maid)
The episode centered on the town’s Gothic teens, upset that no one can tell the difference between Goths and Vampires now that the bestselling bookTwilight has become a film and the elementary school’s preppy students are sporting black clothes and pointy false teeth.
In an attempt to stop the frustrating misconception, the Goths kidnap the “head vampire” and brainstorm what to do with him. They decide to Fed-Ex him somewhere.
Ricky Gervais Raps Cosmetics Companies for Testing on Animals and Abandoning Ethics to Sell Products in China
“Help HSI and The HSUS achieve a world where no animal
has to suffer and die for the sake of cosmetics”
Humane Society International
Actor and comedian Ricky Gervais lashed out against cosmetics
companies that put profit before compassion and test on animals to sell
their products in China, where the practice often is required by law.
Gervais spoke out in support of Humane Society International and The
Humane Society of the United States’ Be Cruelty-Free campaign, which is
working around the world to end cosmetics animal testing once and for
all.
A number of once cruelty-free companies with operations in or that
export to China, including Yves Rocher, L’Occitane, Mary Kay and
Caudalie, were recently and very publicly
removed from the internationally recognised Leaping Bunny.org list of
cruelty-free companies. Ditching ethics for profits, Gervais said, is
unacceptable.
“Like me, most people will be shocked to learn that testing cosmetics
on animals is often still a legal requirement in China,” Gervais said.
“By law, rabbits must have cosmetic chemicals dripped in their eyes or
spread over their sensitive skin, causing sores and bleeding. It makes
me really angry that this is still going on, and it makes me
particularly angry that some previously cruelty-free companies are
abandoning their principles and returning to animal testing in order to
profit from the Chinese market.”
“China's cosmetics market is worth billions of dollars and virtually
every major global cosmetic company is getting a piece of the action,”
he continued. “It remains one of the few countries in the world to
insist on animal testing, so companies manufacturing there have made the
very clear choice to test lipsticks and shampoo on animals to increase
their profit margins.”
Gervais also praised global brand Urban Decay for its recent decision
not to start selling its products in China, following pleas from animal
welfare groups and ethical consumers. Urban Decay was temporarily
removed from the Leaping Bunny.org cruelty-free list endorsed by HSI and
The HSUS, but promptly reinstated following its compassionate decision.
“Ethical principles shouldn’t be up for sale,” Gervais said. “You
cannot put a price on morality and compassion. So I say
‘congratulations’ to Urban Decay, a massive cosmetics brand that
recently made a very public U-turn when it realised its plans to start
selling in China would have meant unnecessary suffering for hundreds of
animals. In deciding against selling in China, Urban Decay has sent a
very powerful message to the rest of the industry — you don’t have to
sell your soul in order to be a globally successful cosmetics brand. I
applaud them for that and I urge other companies to follow their
compassionate example.”
On a positive note, there are signs China might reconsider some of
its animal testing requirements for cosmetics. A Europe-wide ban on
selling newly animal-tested cosmetics due in 2013 has spurred Chinese
regulators’ interest in non-animal test methods.
“There is also hope on the horizon in China,” Gervais acknowledged.
“Real progress is being made with getting advanced non-animal test
methods accepted, and I’m sure that before too long, China will be a
world leader in humane alternative techniques. But it’s no coincidence
that this new energy towards alternatives has happened under the
spotlight of consumer criticism. Compassionate consumers have a powerful
voice and we can speak up for those animals in labs who cannot be
heard. So make your voice count, sign the Be Cruelty-Free pledge and
help Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United
States achieve a world where no animal has to suffer and die for the
sake of cosmetics.”
Sign the Be Cruelty-Free pledge at humanesociety.org/becrueltyfree and visit leapingbunny.org to download a global guide to cruelty-free products. Media contact: Rebecca Basu, 301-258-3152, rbasu@humanesociety.org
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Years ago before the first human beings uttered the word "disco," the Bee Gees we're just another one of those bands from across the pond riding the wave of psychedelia caused by the gravitational pull of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Although these salad days were quite prolific and fruitful, their glacial ascension to the top of the pops would be stunted by one of their more ambitious undertakings.
"Chamber Pop." "Baroque Pop." Whatever cool phrase you think is witty to describe stuff like this is all acceptable but not limited to as well. This one also comes in a strong second as one of the first ventures into country-rock/alt-country right behind The Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," released just barely a year before in 1968, and obviously being way ahead of its time, the album didnt really have the coveted "hit" that all the labels were searching for in those times and thus, another masterpiece fell through the cracks.
Now, we fast forward almost 40 years later to the time when labels are unearthing buried musical history, Odessa receives the reissue-deluxe edition-extras-bells and whistles treatment. Four disc's consisting of a stereo mix, a mono mix, demos, alternate mixes and outakes. If you're nerdy enough to even want to own all this music, grab your wallet and click here or just take this one disc of the mono mixes below.
"Jesus built a ship to sing a song to." At least that's the way Gram Parsons
sees life. It's one of those curious lines from a song that just stick
out to me as being so quizzically beautiful that it makes me smile with
wonderment every time I hear it.
This week's installment of Song of the Week is filled with those type of lines. The song is A Song For You from Gram Parsons' first solo album, GP, released in January of 1973. In my humble opinion, the song is the standout on the more than solid album.
Gram Parsons,
like all good musicians who died far too young, has become a bit of a
legend. The stories of his multi-million dollar upbringing, his
exploits, his death at the tender age of 26 and his bizarre burial have
been overstated too many times and I won't bother to repeat them here.
If you want to read about that, just go to our friend, señor wiki. What's important here is that Parsons had a major influence on the evolution of music. You need not look any farther than Wilco, Calexico, Whiskeytown or the Jayhawks to see his direct influence. Long story short, Gram Parsons is often credited with creating "country rock" through his groundbreaking work in the International Submarine Band, his stint in The Byrds, his formation of the band The Flying Burrito Brothers with fellow Byrds Alumnus, Chris Hillman, and, of course, Parsons' two solo albums. In fact, he probably gets too much credit, but I digress.
Let's get back to our Song of the Week, A Song for You. The song is simple as could be. This does not succeed because of the stellar musicianship -- which includes James Burton of Elvis Presley fame, Emmylou Harris and Barry Tashian of the Remains fame -- but because of the sincerity of Gram Parsons
himself. Parsons was gifted with a sweet voice and the ability to paint
a different color on your front door with his lyrics. I always get a
sense that his songs are deeply personal but shared with a larger
audience as a tool to articulate what he can't say to the real intended
recipient: "I loved you everyday, and now I'm leaving. And I can see the
sorrow in your eyes. I hope you know a lot more than you are believing,
just so the Sun don't hurt you when you cry."
I'm
going to cut it off here, and just ask you to stop and really listen to
all the lyrics in this song. Pay particular note to how and when Emmylou Harris harmonizes with Parsons, bringing importance to some lines more than others, and how Parsons' voice wavers under the strain of his words.
CD 01: 01 - Ace Of Spades.mp3 02 - You're Gonna Make Me Cry.mp3 03 - Drowning On Dry Land.mp3 04 - Afflicted.mp3 05 - A Nickel And A Nail.mp3 06 - Eight Men, Four Women.mp3 07 - Everybody Knows [The River Song].mp3 08 - Gone For Good.mp3 09 - I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled And Crazy.mp3 10 - He's My Son (Just The Same).mp3 11 - I'll Take Care Of You.mp3 12 - I've Been Searching.mp3 13 - Poor Boy.mp3 14 - Motherless Child.mp3 15 - Don't Let My Baby Ride.mp3 16 - When You Took Your Love From Me.mp3 17 - Monkey Dog.mp3 18 - Heartaches, Heartaches.mp3 19 - I Don't Want To Sit Down.mp3 20 - Why Not Give Me A Chance.mp3 21 - What Did You Tell That Girl Of Mine.mp3 22 - I'm Going Home (To Live With God).mp3
CD 02: 01 - Nothing Comes To A Sleeper.mp3 02 - This Hurt Is Real.mp3 03 - Love The Way You Love.mp3 04 - Please Forgive Me.mp3 05 - Bachelor's Blues.mp3 06 - Why Don't You Believe Me.mp3 07 - Memory Blues.mp3 08 - What About You.mp3 09 - I'm In Your Corner.mp3 10 - I Have None.mp3 11 - How Long Baby.mp3 12 - Can't Find True Love.mp3 13 - You're So Good To Me.mp3 14 - Oh Baby Mine.mp3 15 - Missing You.mp3 16 - I Can't Believe.mp3 17 - Ace Of Spades (Alt.).mp3 18 - I Can't Take It.mp3 19 - He Made Woman For A Man.mp3 20 - Nobody But You.mp3 21 - Fed Up With The Blues.mp3 22 - Slow And Easy.mp3
CD 03: 01 - You Must Believe In Yourself.mp3 02 - I'll Hate Myself Tomorrow.mp3 03 - I Could Write A Book.mp3 04 - Lost In The Shuffle.mp3 05 - Are You Going Where I'm Coming From.mp3 06 - Pledging My Love.mp3 07 - Wish I Were That Boy.mp3 08 - You're Been Crying.mp3 09 - Working Your Game.mp3 10 - Don't Take It Away.mp3 11 - I Want Everyone To Know.mp3 12 - Ghetto Child.mp3 13 - Treasured Moments.mp3 14 - The Only Thing That Saved Me.mp3 15 - What Did You Tell That Girl Of Mine (Alt).mp3 16 - Blowing In The Wind.mp3 17 - To You I Shall Cling.mp3 18 - Gonna Forget About You.mp3 19 - Born All Over.mp3 20 - Henpecked Man.mp3 21 - What More Can I Do.mp3 22 - If It's Only For Tonight.mp3 23 - That's How Strong My Love Is (Goldwax Single 106-A).mp3 24 - There Goes My Used To Be (Goldwax Single 106-B).mp3
The name should be enuf: However ....
A truly incendiary deep soul performer. O. V. Wright's melismatic vocals and Willie Mitchell's vaunted Hi Rhythm Section combined to make classic Memphis soul during the early '70s. Overton Vertis Wright learned his trade on the gospel circuit with the Sunset Travelers before going secular in 1964 with the passionate ballad
"That's How Strong My Love Is" for Goldwax in Memphis. Otis Redding liked the song so much that he covered it, killing any chance of Wright's version hitting. Since Wright was already under contract to Houston-based Peacock as a gospel act, owner Don Robey demanded his return, and from then on, Wright appeared on Robey's Backbeat
subsidiary. Wright's sanctified sound oozes sweet soul on the spine-chilling "You're Gonna Make Me Cry," a 1965 smash, but it took Memphis producer Willie Mitchell to wring the best consistently from Wright. Utilizing Mitchell's surging house rhythm section, Wright's early-'70s Backbeat singles "Ace of Spades," "A Nickel and a Nail," and "I Can't Take It" rank among the very best Southern soul of their era. No disco bandwagon for O. V. Wright — he kept right on pouring out his emotions through the '70s, convincing his faithful that "I'd Rather Be (Blind, Crippled & Crazy)" and that he was "Into Something (Can't Shake Loose)." Unfortunately, he apparently was — drugs have often been cited as causing Wright's downfall; the soul great died at only 41 years of age in 1980.
Tracklisting / Additional Info:LIVE DISC: Messidor - Night Moves, Glasgow 19/02/82 Party - Night Moves, Glasgow 19/02/82 Danny - Night Moves, Glasgow 19/02/82 Mercy Theme - London School of Economics 14/12/84 Mercy Dance - London School of Economics 14/12/84 Prayer - London School of Economics 14/12/84 The Beggar - London School of Economics 14/12/84 The Missing Boy - London School of Economics 14/12/84 For Belgian Friends - Brighton Zap Club 15/12/84 Self Portrait - Brighton Zap Club 15/12/84 Sketch for Summer - Brighton Zap Club 15/12/84
DEMO/STUDIO DISC: Intervals - Home recording 1978 Katherine - Home recording 1978 Untitled - Home recording 1978 Conduct - Home recording 1978 In D - Issued on second pressing of Return of The Act Commited - Graveyard Studio demo LC Portrait for Frazier - Graveyard Studio demo LC Detail for Paul - Graveyard Studio demo LC Never Known - Graveyard Studio demo LC Experiment in Fifth - Graveyard Studio demo LC Untitled LC demo - Graveyard Studio demo LC Never Known - Four Track home demo Mavuchka - released in place of Messidor in some territories on LC
Although packaged and promoted as a bona fide group, the Fantastic Baggys were actually an L.A. studio project by the duo of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. Sloan and Barri wrote many first-rate (and second-rate) pop-rock and folk-rock tunes in the mid-1960s, but were at this point, as evidenced by the name of the group, doing surf and hot rod material. The similarity of the Fantastic Baggys material to Jan and Dean in particular should come as no surprise, since Sloan and Barri not only wrote some songs for Jan and Dean, but also did some vocals on Jan and Dean records of the era. The Fantastic Baggys did one album for Imperial in 1964, Tell 'Em I'm Surfin', as well as three singles in 1964 and 1965 (which included three non-LP songs); there were also a couple of Fantastic Baggys albums issued in South Africa. (Although there were four Fantastic Baggys pictured on the sleeve of Tell 'Em I'm Surfin', the two other guys were just friends who were not on the records.) The album, in both songwriting and performance, was a pretty close but ultimately derivative and inferior facsimile of circa 1964 Jan and Dean and (more distantly) Beach Boys records. The Fantastic Baggys stopped making records in 1965, when the surf faded and Sloan and Barri were more interested in writing and singing more serious and sophisticated material /R Unterberger.
Here's "Only in My Dreams", a new song from 
