Monday, September 30, 2013

W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Jacko: I'm An Individual (1985)

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Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
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The reason why I've posted this novelty track for this month's WOCK On Vinyl, is because Footy Fever has just climaxed here in Melbourne with the AFL Football Grand Final (Freemantle v's Hawthorn - with the Hawks winning) and the Season finale of the Footy Show which show cases the dancing skills of our favourite footy players. So it only seemed logical to follow the hype with a novelty track released in 1985 by one of the craziest and yet talented players of AFL Footy, Mark "Jacko" Jackson.

As a football player, "Jacko" was a full forward of great potential. He started his senior career in the West Australian Football League with South Fremantle in 1979.  Then, after a short stint with Richmond, Jackson moved to the Melbourne footy club for the 1981 season.
Here, despite having one of the strictest taskmasters and legends of the game in Ron Barassi as coach, Jackson released his bag of tricks on the Melbourne fans. One of the most famous was the handstand in front of the Hawks full back, Kelvin Moore. Moore told Jackson that he "wouldn't be a full forward while his arse pointed to the floor", so Jackson did a handstand to point it to the sky. He was also famous for twirling the ball on his fingers like a basketball and doing an impersonation of a ballerina to celebrate kicking a goal.

Jacko continued these antics throughout his football career, playing next at St.Kilda and then finally with Geelong. He ended his career with 308 goals from 82 games, leading his club's goal kicking on 3 occasions.
Now, don't you just love it when a celebrity, like a film or TV star, makes a pop record? Some are quite ok, usually they are tolerable, but at worst they can be unlistenable. (We're not naming names here Warrick!)

A special category should be reserved for sports stars who release records. With the exception of a couple, including Aussie indigenous boxer Lionel Rose whose efforts are widely respected, these records generally suck.
In Australia, footballers usually have larger than life personalities, but the idea of the larrikin footballer is dying out, with outrageous behaviour being frowned upon now. For my money, NRL (rugby league) personalities are just plain awful. The VFL/AFL ones are much more hilarious, but no less stupid than their NRL equivalents.
Enter Mark "Jacko" Jackson, former St Kilda, Melbourne Demons and Geelong AFL player. The man made a splash outside the field with a few records in the mid-80s. The biggest of which was "I'm an Individual" from 1985.

Jacko's follow-up "My Brain Hurts" was simply tragic. Although, that's nothing compared to musical travesty that is (Sydney Swans AFL player) Warwick Capper's attempt at a single "I Only Take What's Mine", which he released after "I'm an Individual" started heading skyward on the charts. But that was so bad that I wouldn't even consider posting that track here.
Later on, Jacko went on to great fame as the guy in the Energizer Battery advertisements, which were a stroke of larrikin genius back in the day.
A few years later he released another musical travesty, with the aforementioned Wazza Capper in tow; a techno track called "Rippin' Undies" which is so bad that even YouTube doesn't have the video for (thank heavens!!!) and Wikipedia doesn't even acknowledge it's existence.
If nothing else, he kept us entertained for a brief few moments. Good on yer, Jacko.
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Track Listing:
01 - I'm An Individual
02 - Our Relationship Is Giving Me The Creeps

* Released on the Raw Prawn label, this month's WOCK on Vinyl selection is nothing short of being a WOCK Lobster - and perhaps the C not only stands for Crazy but also Crustacean !

[various extracts taken from http://thesoundandthefurypodcast.blogspot.com.au with thanks]
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Music & Artwork:  I'm An Individual Link (16Mb)
(MP3/320kps)
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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Dugites - Cut The Talking (1984) plus Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1978-84)
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The Dugites formed in Perth in 1978 with a line-up of Lynda Nutter on vocals, Peter Crosbie on keyboards, Gunther Berghoffer on guitar, Phillip Bailey on bass and Clarence Bailey on drums. In 1979 The Dugites released a single "Hit Single"/"Bruce", and toured as the backing band for Dave Warner. The single had been self-financed, but that year they were signed by the now defunct Deluxe label. In 1980 Paul Noonan (ex-Dave Warner's from the Suburbs) replaced Phillip Bailey. Their first album 'The Dugites' was released in August 1980 and reached No. 22 on the Australian Album charts. It went on to attain gold status (35,000 copies sold). Three singles were issued from the album, "In Your Car"/"13 Again" in May 1980, which reached No. 34 on the Australian Singles charts in July, "Goodbye"/"No God, No Master" in July and "South Pacific"/"Gay Guys" in October, which reached No. 90. At the 1980 Countdown Music Awards both The Dugites and Nutter received nominations for 'Best New Talent' (Johnny O'Keefe Memorial Award) and 'Most Popular Female' respectively. In December the band were the opening act for Elton John's concert at the Perth Entertainment Centre.
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The band's second album, 'West Of The World', produced by Bob Andrews (Graham Parker and the Rumour), was released in July 1981. The album peaked at No. 33 on the Australian album charts and saw the release of two singles, "Waiting"/"Who Loves You More?", in May 1981, which reached No. 40 and "Part of Me"/"Never Touch" in September. In mid 1982 Berghoffer left the band and was replaced by guitarist Andrew Pendlebury (ex-The Sports), following which the band issued a single, "No Money"/"Decide" in July on the Rough Diamond label, and the related mini-album, No Money in August. Pendlebury was then replaced by Bob Fallovic (aka Boris Garter; ex-Stockings) and Paul Williamson also joined on saxophone. By mid-1983 however the line-up was reduced to Nutter, Crosbie, Bailey and Noonan.
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The Dugites signed to Mercury/PolyGram and released their third album, Cut The Talking, in April 1984. Three singles were released from the album, "Cut the Talking"/"Michael and Rodney", in November 1983, "Juno and Me"/"Everything Must Change" in April 1984, which reached No. 60 on the Australian Singles charts, and "It Ain't Like That"/"All That I Want" in August. Following the release of the album the bandy added Peter Kaldor on saxophone and John Crosbie on trombone and trumpet to the line-up for touring purposes, but by the end of 1984 the group disbanded.

When the ABC's Sydney 'youth' radio station Double Jay was launched in 1975, Skyhooks' "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good In Bed" was chosen as the opening song played on air, specifically because it had been banned by Australian commercial radio. When Double Jay switched bands to FM in 1980, The Dugites' "Gay Guys", the B-side of the Dugites 1980 single "South Pacific", which was also banned by commercial radio, became the first song to be played by Double Jay's successor, 2JJJ-FM Triple J.
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The Dugites (Discography)
I first heard the Dugites when their single "In Your Car" was played on 3XY Melbourne, back while I was at Uni. The song was released as a single in 1980 and reaching #16 on the 3XY charts (for 3 weeks) in Victoria. It is a fluffy little piece of pop that exudes an enthusiastic innocence completely missing in today's top 40. It is a great song, but as I quickly found out, The Dugites made better songs during their three LP existence. Lots of them.

"In Your Car" was culled from the band's eponymous debut album released on Deluxe Records in 1980. The entire album is filled with clever, fun, instantly catchy songs written by keyboardist Peter Crosbie and exuberantly sung by lead vocalist Lynda Nutter. On The Dugites, the band turns to 60s girl group for inspiration on noteworthy cuts such as "Goodbye" and "Mamma Didn't Warn Me". Other highlights include the epic, eight-minute long "Gay Guys", with its outrageous, humorous lyrics and chugging beat, and the sing-along "No One Would Listen".
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The Dugites followed-up their debut with an equally strong release in 1981 titled 'West of the World'. The most successful single was the slow, reflective "Waiting", but as with "In Your Car", there is better material on the LP. Follow-up single "Part of Me" is my personal favorite. Its strange and captivating lyrics, breezy melody and flawless vocals add up to make it one of the greatest lost singles of the era. Another highlight is "Who Loves You More", the B-side of "Waiting". This is an infectious number that really should have been the A-side. "Malcom's Got a Problem" is another energetic track that fuses punk and new wave quite effectively. Being Used is also a noteworthy cut that wouldn't have sounded out of place on an early Pat Benatar album.
By 1984 The Dugites were nearing their end, but fortunately managed to produce one final album -'Cut the Talking'. The release marks a shift from new wave pop to funk and soul-infused dance pop. Fortunately, a good pop song is a good pop song, and Cut the Talking is nearly as enjoyable as the band's first two albums. The best song is the charming, brassy Juno and Me, which was the second single. The first single, Cut the Talking, is an enjoyable piece of dance pop, but one that definitely shows its age. Other highlights include "Michael and Rodney", a peppy song that's as strange as it is entertaining, and the fast-paced closer, "It Ain't Like That".
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Currently, Nutter and some other original members of The Dugites are performing together again in a new band called Snakefish.
[extracts from Vinyl Goldmine and Wikipedia. Thanks to Frank Krolicki]

The Dugites
(Countdown Annual Feature Article)
It took the Dugites just two months after the release of self-titled, debut album in may, 1980, to become one of Australia's most popular new groups.
The band which was formed when four of its members were students in search of a few extra dollars merged from Perth with a neat package of pop songs - such as their first single "In Your Car" - and quickly started winning national acclaim. The Dugites are not interested in discussing suggestions that their music is contrived, but it is obvious that they started their trek east with a goal firmly in mind. Psychology graduate and guitarist Gunther Berghofer, music graduates Peter Crosbie (keyboards) and Paul Norton (bass), former theatre arts student Lynda Nutter (vocals) and drummer Clarence Bailey did not start out as a group of teenagers with some vague dream of instant stardom.
"Very few bands expect this sort of success first up and we certainly didn't but, the again, we didn't know why we shouldn't have this sort of success, either" Peter Crosbie, the Dugites major songwriter said. "We knew we had good songs, a good record and a good record company, but doing it right is not necessarily enough".
Brian Peacock, whose association with the rock industry goes as far as Normie Rowe's Playboys, is a man to whom the Dugites credit much of their success.
 "When we toured the eastern part of Australia the first time we had a few recording offers, but all that was out of our depth" Peter Crosbie said. "We didn't know how to handle it,but Brian was an old friend from Perth and we knew he had a lot of experience in this business. We approached him and asked him to negotiate a deal for us and from there it grew into a management thing. He sets up almost everything for us."
Peacock also co-produced the Dugites album with Bob Andrews, a member of Graham Parker's brilliant rock band, the Rumour.
"We met Bob when he was here on the Parker tour in November (1979)" Gunther Berghofer explained "We wanted to work with an overseas producer because we wanted the best possible result and we didn't think there was a producer in Australia who was suitable for our sort of music, so we approached him"
The result was a national reputation for a band not known outside Perth at the start of 1980. A follow-up is expected early in 1981 and meanwhile, the Dugites are working on expanding their reputation from national to international. [article from Countdown Annual 1980, p51]

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This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from my pristine vinyl copy, and includes full album artwork with label scans.  As an extra treat, I have also included some of their more popular singles (mostly sourced from YouTube) along with their rare 1979 single "Hit Single / Bruce" released by EMI (before they signed to Deluxe Records) and their extended release of the album's title track. I would especially like to thank Sunshine at Midoztouch for supplying this rarity - thanks mate.
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Track Listing:
01 - Cut The Talking
02 - All That I Want
03 - Like You Do
04 - Michael and Rodney
05 - Juno & Me
06 - Taken By Surprise
07 - Is This What You Need
08 - Everything Must Change
09 - Taking Your Time
10 - It Ain't Like That
Bonus Tracks
11 - Hit Single (A-Side Single 1979)
12 - Bruce (B-Side Single 1979)
13 - In Your Car (A-Side Single 1980)
14 - Goodbye (A-Side Single 1980)
15 - South Pacific (Countdown 1980)
16 - Waiting (A-Side Single 1981)
17 - Cut The Talking (12" Extended Version)
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Band Members:
Lynda Nutter - Vocals & Percussion
Gunther Berghofer - Guitar & Vocals (1978-1983)
Peter Crosbie - Keyboards, Vocals & Writer
Clarence Bailey - Drums & Vocals
Paul Noonan - Bass & Vocals
John Crosbie - Guitars (1983-1984)
Bob Andrews - Production (1978-1983)
Andrew Pendlebury -- Guest Guitar (1983-84)
Robert Fallovic - Guest Guitar (1983-1984)

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The Dugites Link (164Mb) New Link 12/03/24
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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Various Artists - 20 Star Tracks (Vol 1)

(Various International Artists 1970-1972)
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Another compilation, this time an early 70's T.V promotional album featuring a broad range of artists, some who went on to fame and fortune, and others who faded as quickly as they appeared.
What immediately drew my attention to this album (when I came across it at my local flee market) was the 'Ronco' record label, which I've never seen before. I'm thinking that the label is equivalent to our Australian budget 'Hammard Label' or the American K-Tel label.  The album itself is only in average condition, so where possible, I have included track rips from other sources. And now, a little information on each of the featured songs and artists:
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Cat Stevens
Writing credit for "Morning Has Broken" has occasionally been erroneously attributed to Cat Stevens, who popularised the song abroad. The hymn originally appeared in the second edition of Songs of Praise (published in 1931), to the tune "Bunessan", composed in the Scottish Highlands. The familiar piano arrangement on Stevens' recording was performed by Rick Wakeman, the classically trained keyboardist from the famous progressive rock band Yes.
When shaping "Morning Has Broken" for recording, Stevens had to start with a hymn which took around 45 seconds to sing in its basic form. Producer Paul Samwell-Smith told him he could never put something like that on an album, and that it needed to be at least three minutes in length, although an acoustic demo exists of Stevens playing an early version which lasts almost three minutes. Prior to the actual recording Stevens heard Wakeman play something in the recording booth. It was a rough sketch of what would later become "Catherine Howard". Stevens told Wakeman that he liked it and wanted something similar as the opening section, the closing section and, if possible, a middle section as well. Wakeman told Stevens he could not as it was his piece destined for a solo album, but Stevens persuaded him to adapt his composition. The familiar piano intro and general structure of the piece may be attributed to Stevens or to Wakeman.
In 2000, Wakeman released an instrumental version of "Morning Has Broken" on an album of the same title. That same year he gave an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live in which he said he had agreed to perform on the Cat Stevens track for £10 and was "shattered" to be omitted from the credits, adding that he never received the money either.
On his return to performance as Yusuf Islam, Stevens made a payment to Wakeman and apologized for the original non-payment, which arose from confusion and a misunderstanding on the record label's part. On a documentary aired on British television Wakeman stated that he felt Stevens's version of "Morning Has Broken" was a very beautiful piece of music that had brought people closer to religious truth. He expressed satisfaction in having contributed to this [extract from wikipedia]
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Middle Of The Road
Sally Carr (Vocals)
Ian McCredie (Guitar)
Eric McCredie (bass)
Ken Andrew (drums)

Middle of the Road were a Scottish pop group who enjoyed success across Europe and Latin America in the early 1970s. Three of their singles sold over one million copies each, and received a gold disc. The tracks were "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" (which went on to sell over 10 million), "Sacramento", "Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum" and "Soley Soley". By early 1972 the group had sold over five million records.
Lead singer Sally Carr, drummer Ken Andrew, guitarist Ian McCredie and his bassist brother Eric McCredie, founded the band on 1 April 1970.
The band had their first and biggest hit record in the United Kingdom with debut UK single, "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" to reach #1 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1971 and keep it for four more weeks. In all, Middle of the Road had five hit singles in the UK during 1971-1972, of which the featured song "Samson & Delilah" was the least successful [extract from wikipedia].
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Mott The Hoople
lan Hunter (vocals, piano).
Verden Alien (keyboards)
Dale 'Buffin' Griffin (drums)
Mick Ralphs (guitar, vocals)
Pete 'Overend' Watts (bass)

Formed in 1969 and named after a character from a Willard Manus novel, Mott the Hoople were heavily influenced by both Bob Dylan and traditional rock'n'roll. They achieved only modest sales with their first four album releases, with their material varying between two styles of writing, one from Ian Hunter and the other from Mick Ralphs. Mad Shadows (1970) was a darkly satanic collection of songs still under Dylan influence and represented the more forceful style of Hunter, while Wildlife (1971), was in essence a somewhat chaotic album, reflecting the softer style of Ralphs. After the commercial failure of their album 'Wildlife', the band decided it would be a good idea to record with the famous producer Shadow Morton and notably a song aimed at being a hit. It was a miss unfortunately and in Spring 1971, the single "Midnight Lady" faded unnoticed. The B-side, a wonderful Hunter's ballad ("The Debt") probably should have been the A-Side and the cover sleeve for the single was pretty average and typical for the early 70's.
However, David Bowie's association with the band revived their fortunes in 1972, just as they were about to quit. 'All The Young Dudes', written and produced by Bowie, resulted in a US Top 40 and UK Top 5 hit. [The Ultimate Encyclopedia Of Rock, 1994]
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Greyhound
Greyhound was a reggae band from the United Kingdom. They began as The Rudies in the late 1960s, with core members Danny Smith and Freddie Notes. They also released material as The Tilermen and Des All Stars. Under the name The Rudies, they issued a cover of "Patches" by Clarence Carter and also "Montego Bay" by Bobby Bloom. Billed as Freddie Notes and The Rudies, "Montego Bay" peaked at #45 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1970. After Notes's departure, Glenroy Oakley joined the band and they changed their name to Greyhound in 1970. Their first single was an Earl Robinson/David I. Arkin composition, "Black & White", later recorded by artists as diverse as The Maytones, Sammy Davis Jr and Three Dog Night; Greyhound scored a Top Ten hit with the tune in the UK Singles Chart. Two more singles, including a cover of Henry Mancini's "Moon River" #12 and "I Am What I Am" #20 followed, before the group's fame fade [extract from wikipedia]
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The Sweet
Brian Connolly (Vocals)
Steve Priest (Bass)
Andy Scott (Guitar)
Mick Turner (Drums)
The Sweet were a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as a prominent glitter rock act. Sweet were formed in 1968 and achieved their first hit "Funny Funny" in 1971 after teaming up with songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and record producer Phil Wainman. During 1971 and 1972, their musical style followed a marked progression from the Archies-like bubblegum style of "Funny Funny" to a Who-influenced hard rock style supplemented by a striking use of high-pitched backing vocals.
The band achieved notable success in the UK charts, with thirteen Top 20 hits during the 1970s alone, with "Block Buster!" (1973) topping the chart, followed by three consecutive number two hits in "Hell Raiser" (1973), "The Ballroom Blitz" (1973) and "Teenage Rampage" (1974).
Sweet's first full LP album, Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be, was released in November 1971. A collection of the band's recent singles supplemented by some new Chinn/Chapman novelty tunes (including "Chop Chop" and "Tom Tom Turnaround") and pop covers (such as The Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream" and The Supremes' "Reflections"), the album was not a serious contender on the charts. Their albums' failure to match the success of their singles was a problem that would plague the band throughout their career.
February 1972 saw the release of "Poppa Joe", which reached at number 1 in Finland, peaked at number 11 in the UK Singles Chart [extract from wikipedia]
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Atomic Rooster
Chris Farlowe (vocals)
Vincent Crane (keyboards)
John Cann (guitar, vocals)
Nick Graham (bass, vocals)
Paul Hammond (drums)

When Atomic Rooster formed from the ashes of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, there was a feeling that another Cream could be in the making. Despite two hit singles in 1971, however, the group never fulfilled its promise. Firmly entrenched in the progressive-rock idiom, the band debuted in 1970 with 'Atomic Rooster', winning considerable critical acclaim for their technical prowess. Soon after Graham and Palmer quit, the latter to become a third partner in ELP, and Crane reassembled a new group, recruiting drummer Paul Hammond and guitarist/vocalist John Cann. With Crane providing the bass on foot pedals, the sound became considerably heavier, and they made inroads into the singles chart with Tomorrow Night' and 'Devil's
Answer' in 1971. This line-up recorded the definitive Rooster album, 'Death Walks Behind You', before disintegrating shortly after the release of 'In Hearing Of. Once again, Crane was forced to pick up the pieces, recruiting a new line-up, including veteran R&B vocalist Chris Farlowe, to record the soul-influenced 'Made In England'. But after 1973's 'Nice'n'Greasy', the band split up, occasionally re-forming until Crane's death in 1989.
Their 1972 single "Stand By Me" (from Made In England LP) is definitely the band working in the Sly & The Family Stone vibe (not just because of the title), with some real hot funky guitar and a pretty catchy chorus. As well, I admire the way he carries the vocal melody in the chorus, gradually rising the voice to a goofy falsetto 'stand by me-e-e-e-e', and then brings it crashing down with 'I will set you free!'. Nice touch.
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Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie is a Canadian-American Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire also includes subjects of love, war, religion, and mysticism.
The great Buffy Sainte-Marie has appeared at Elsewhere previously for her always timely song "The Big Ones Get Away", but this exceptional piece deserves to stand in its own right. Part political activism, part patriotic American anthem and a powerful plea underlining it all, "Soldier Blue" was the title song to a film of the same name which goes largely unseen these days.
The film -- by jobbing director Ralph Nelson from the novel Arrow in the Sun by Theodore V. Olsen -- is an account of a brutal massacre of Native Americans by a Cavalry unit and, like Sam Peckinpah's Wild Bunch of the previous year, renown for its graphic and unflinching portrayal of the violence.
"Soldier Blue" packs in as much information and emotion as a dozen songs, and served the political, social, historic and soundtrack purpose simultaneously.
The single failed to chart in the US and Canada, but it did make #7 on the UK charts. 
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Jethro Tull
lan Anderson (vocals, flute)
Mick Abrahams (guitar)
Glenn Cornick (bass)
Clive Bunker (drums)

The band first made its name at the Marquee Club in London early in 1968, their debut album, This Was', issued late that year establishing the band in the blues-rock idiom.
This, however, changed after Abrahams' departure as his replacement, Martin Barre, was more flexible, and Tull's popularity soared as 1969's 'Stand Up' gave them a #1 album and singles like "Living In The Past" and "Sweet Dream" fared well.
The more progressive 'Benefit' (1970) gave the group a US profile, and after some personnel changes, Tull delivered their classic hard-rocking 'Aqualung' set in 1971.  On this album, Anderson's lyrics included strong opinions about religion. The song "Hymn 43" was released as a single, and the album provided plenty of FM radio fodder with the tracks "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary" and "Locomotive Breath". The Aqualung album would become the band's first to crack the U.S. top ten, reaching No. 7 in June 1971. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in July 1971.
Because of the heavy touring schedule and his wish to spend more time with his family, drummer Bunker quit the group after the Aqualung album and was replaced by Barrie Barlow (who was rechristened "Barriemore" by Anderson) in early 1971. Barlow first recorded with the band for the EP "Life Is a Long Song" and made his first appearance on a Jethro Tull album with 1972's 'Thick as a Brick'.
Anderson's projects grew ever more grandiose, and their 1973 'A Passion Play' failed to repeat the success of the previous year's Thick As A Brick'.
After successful world tours, and a series of mixed albums, Tull re-established a direction in 1978 with 'Songs From The Wood', the first in a trilogy of folk-inspired albums. However, the group eventually fell apart after Anderson's solo album, 'A' (1980).
Only Barre remained, and in the Eighties Tull was rebuilt with Dave Pegg bass and Peter Vettese keyboards, whose hi-tech influence alienated some of the band's fans. More recently, the group has returned to its roots, particularly on 1991's 'Catfish Rising'.  [The Ultimate Encyclopedia Of Rock]
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Laurie Styvers
A young American Laurette Stivers landed in the multicoloured late 60s London and, through an advert in the press, joined Keith Trowsdale & John McBurnie, two musicians who were looking for a feminine voice for their project. The trio made a demo which soon had them a recording contract and in 1969 they released their first single with the name of Justine. This record was the first issue of the English branch of the American label Dot and was already produced by a man who would be very important for Laurie in the coming years, Hugh Murphy.
Though Laurie kept on doing some occasional gigs with the band, she eventually left Justine and prepared her own songs for a solo career, with the help of Murphy. Her first LP, “Spilt Milk”, was released in 1972 which yielded her first single "Beat The Reaper" and her second and last LP, “Colorado Kid”, was released the following year. Both records have a certain continuity in style and intention, and could have formed a double album, on hindsight. Her two albums received very good reviews… but very poor sales.
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Lindisfarne
Alan Hull (vocals, guitar, piano)
Ray Jackson (vocals, mandolin, harmonica)
Simon Cowe (guitar, mandolin, banjo)
Rod Clements (bass guitar, violin)
Ray Laidlaw (drums)
Lindisfarne were a British folk/rock group from Newcastle upon Tyne established in 1970 (originally called Brethren[1]) and fronted by singer/main songwriter Alan Hull and Ray Jackson.
They are best known for the albums Nicely Out of Tune (1970), Fog on the Tyne (1971) and Back and Fourth (1978), also for the success of songs such as "Meet Me On The Corner", "Lady Eleanor", "Run For Home" and "We Can Swing Together".
"Lady Eleanor" is a song written by Alan Hull, featured on the first Lindisfarne album, Nicely Out of Tune. Initially released as a single in 1970, it failed to chart. In 1972, following the success of the band's single "Meet me on the Corner" (which reached #5 in the UK), and the highly successful second album Fog on the Tyne, it was re-released and became their second consecutive hit single, reaching Number 3 in the UK charts. Its B-Side was "Nothing But the Marvelous is Beautiful". The song features the folk rock band Lindisfarne's characteristic combination of mandolin playing and close harmony singing. Its lyrics are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's 1839 short story "The Fall of the House of Usher"[extract from wikipedia]
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Procol Harum
Gary Brooker (vocals, piano)
Matthew Fisher (keyboards)
Ray Royer (guitar)
Dave Knights (bass)
Bobby Harrison (drums)
Keith Reid (lyricist)

Formed early 1967 in Southend, Essex, from the ashes of R&B group the Paramounts, Procol Harum's first single, the ethereal Bach-influenced 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' gave them a huge international hit. Number 1 in the UK for six weeks, it stands as an immortal cornerstone of the celebrated 1967 Summer of Love. Royer and Harrison were replaced by Robin Trower guitar and B J Wilson drums during the recording of their first album, but Procol Harum received greater recognition (and healthier record sales) in the US than at home, where their first album to chart was 1969's 'A Salty Dog'. It was followed by 'Home' (1970) and 'Broken Barricades' (1971), after which guitarist Robin Trower, disillusioned with Procol's increasingly symphonic leanings, left to form the short-lived Jude (with Frankie Miller), before finding success with his own Hendrix-inspired trio.
Procol Harum's first album without Trower - 1972's live recording with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra - proved the most successful of their career, selling over one million copies in the US. Over the next few years the group released four more moderate selling albums, but by 1977 they had quietly split, recognizing a less favourable musical climate with the advent of punk rock.
After years in the wilderness - during which Brooker struggled with a semi-successful solo career - the best known Procol Harum lineup (with Trower) re-formed for their well-received 1991 album 'The Prodigal Stranger'
"Conquistador" was Written by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid, and it originally appeared on the band's 1967 self-titled debut album. It was released as a single off the band's 1972 album 'Procol Harum Live In Concert' with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and it is this version that is their most popular release. Note that  the version released on this compilation is the original studio version.
Procol Harum's lyricist Keith Reid told Songfacts that the music for "Conquistador" was written before the lyrics. He added that this was unusual as "99 out of 100" of the Procol Harum songs back then, "were written the words first, and then were set to music." [The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Rock & Wikipedia]
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Joan Baez
Joan Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Baez has a distinctive vocal style, with a strong vibrato and began her recording career in 1960. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status, and stayed on the charts of hit albums for two years.
Her first album for Vanguard, "Joan Baez" (1960), was a huge success. The following year, she met Bob Dylan and released her second very successful album, followed the year later by many southern civil-rights performances and "Joan Baez in Concert" (a Grammy nominee). She launched a tax revolt as part of her protest of the Vietnam war, protested Pete Seeger's exclusion by ABC-TV, and joined in the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley and the civil rights march in Selma AL. In 1967, she spent two brief periods in jail for anti-war protests.
Baez has had a popular hit song with "Diamonds & Rust" and hit covers of Phil Ochs's "There but for Fortune" and The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" which was recorded in 1969. Joan Baez's cover of the song was a top-five chart hit when she released it in late 1971.
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Free
Paul Rogers (Vocals)
Paul Kossoff (Guitar)
Andy Fraser (Bass)
Simon Kirke (Drums)

After failed attempts to form new bands, Peace for Paul Rodgers, Toby for Andy Fraser and Kossoff, Kirke Tetsu & Rabbit (strangely the most successful of the 3), they reformed Free mainly (they said) for Paul Kossoff who was drowning more deeply in his psycho-pharmacologic ocean. They recorded a really great but totally depressing album called Free At Last that was rather a success too (#9 in the charts) and some weeks later "A Little Bit Of Love" was also a hit (#13 in the charts) and it deserved to be with its fantastic rhythm and riff arrangement. So many bands copied Free but none understood the magical touch of this band. On B-side, there was one of the most moving and depressing song of the LP (not an unissued one) called "Sail On". Free was able to win on both sides, the emotive and the efficient ones.
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Labi Siffre
London-born singer Labi Siffre has spent his career breaking down boundaries. The openly gay singer built a small cult following with works that dealt squarely with homophobia and racism. In addition to his many albums, the multi-talented Siffre has written several books of poetry and has also written for the stage. Musically, Siffre is known for his soulful, high-pitched voice and thought-provoking lyrics.
His recording debut in 1970 was released in the U.K. on the Pye International division of Pye Records. He had a "turntable hit" in 1970 with the single "Pretty Little Girl (Make My Day)/Too Late" which despite being heavily played on Radio Luxembourg never made it to the charts.
Six albums were released between 1970 and 1975, and four between 1988 and 1998. In the early 1970s, he had UK hits with "It Must Be Love" (No. 14, 1971) (later covered by and a No. 4 hit for Madness, for which Siffre himself appeared in the video); "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" (No. 11, 1972); and "Watch Me" (No. 29, 1972). Both "It Must Be Love" and "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" were released as singles in the U.S. by Bell Records but failed to chart.
The single "Get To The Country" / "A Feeling I Got"  was released in July 1971, on Pye records.  Both tracks were non-album at the time of release; the A-side turns up as a bonus track on "The Singer And The Song" 2006 EMI CD reissue; the B-side is unfortunately still unavailable on CD
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Mungo Jerry
Ray Dorset (vocals, guitar)
Colin Earl (keyboards)
Paul King (banjo, guitar)
Mike Cole (bass)
Tim Reeves (drums)

Mungo Jerry is a British rock group whose greatest success was in the early 1970s, though they have continued throughout the years with an ever-changing line-up, always fronted by Ray Dorset.
"In the Summertime" is a song recorded in 1970 by the British pop-blues band Mungo Jerry. Written by the group's leader Ray Dorset, it celebrates the carefree days of summer. It reached number 1 in charts around the world (including seven weeks in the UK, two weeks in Canada) and number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. It is considered one of the highest selling singles of all time with an estimated 30 million copies sold. It was also the year-end top seller of 1970 in the UK singles chart. The song took Dorset only ten minutes to compose on a second-hand Fender Stratocaster while he was taking time off work from his regular job.
Mungo Jerry made their first trip to the United States in September 1970. On their return Mike Cole was fired and replaced by John Godfrey, who played bass on their second UK maxi-single, "Baby Jump", which also topped the UK chart in March 1971. The third UK single, another maxi, "Lady Rose", also in 1971, was also set to become another UK No. 1, but the record was temporarily withdrawn from sale and all existing copies were destroyed on the instructions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office after complaints about the inclusion of the traditional song "Have A Whiff On Me", to which Dorset had added some of his own lyrics, on the grounds that it advocated the use of cocaine.[extract from wikipedia]
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Traffic
Steve Winwood (vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass)
Dave Mason (guitar, bass, vocals)
Chris Wood (woodwinds)
Jim Capaldi (drums, vocals)

Traffic was a band with talent to burn. Its nominal figurehead, Stevie Winwood, powered the group with his searing blues singing and intelligent keyboard and guitar playing. Dave Mason, whose singing, song-writing and guitar playing would have made him the focal point of most other bands, was overshadowed here by Win-wood, and the lineup was completed by the angular funk drumming of Jim Capaldi and hipster fills from saxophone-flautist Chris Wood.
At its best. Traffic was a band to be reckoned with. The first two Traffic albums are late-Sixties classics, an eclectic combination of blues, folk, jazz and rock that was polyglot without ever becoming overextended. Mr. Fantasy, released shortly after Sgt. Pepper and masterfully produced in similar fashion by Jimmy Miller, is one of the most durable products of that very dated era. Traffic was more fully mature. "Feelin' Alright," "Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring" and "You Can All Join In" are timeless songs, some of the best moments of their era.
After Mason's departure for a solo career, Traffic was never really the same. John Barleycorn was Winwood's swan song as a major talent; the album concentrated more on the folk and jamming elements of the band, and it was particularly effective as a trio record. It includes three stand-out songs: the title track, "Empty Pages" and "Freedom Rider." Their live album 'Welcome To The Canteen' added a new rhythm section, Latin percussion and reunited Dave Mason with the band for a one-shot tour. The record's fairly good, especially in comparison to the prior lethargic live 'On the Road. Traffic's later work is desultory, with Winwood apparently just going through the motions after his disastrous flirt with superstardom in Blind Faith. He even wrote a song called "Sometimes I Feel So Uninspired," an accurate account of his creative powers. Some of the old spark seemed to return for When the Eagle Flies (1977), but nothing has appeared since then.
"Gimme Some Lovin'" was written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis and Muff Winwood, although solely credited to "Stevie Winwood" on the UK single label, and originally performed by The Spencer Davis Group.  In 1971 Traffic, with Winwood as lead singer, performed it on their live album 'Welcome to the Canteen' and this is the version included here.  [extract from The Rolling Stone Record Guide, 1979]
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Blue Haze
Written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach, “Smoke gets In Your Eyes” has been recorded by everyone from Paul Whiteman (who first made it into a hit in 1934) to Louis Armstrong to a band from England called Blue Haze.  A remake of the song was made famous by the Platters in 1958.
There’s not much information available about Blue Haze, except that they were put together by the team of Johnny Arthey and Phil Swern, an English songwriting and production duo that recorded pop and reggae artists in the 1960s and 70s.
Blue Haze’s version of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” was every bit a conglomeration of their forte: a poppified reggae song with an over-the-top, dance-orchestra accompaniment. Not the worst and by far not the best version of the song, it was nonetheless a hit in 1972, when it went to Number 27 on the Billboard chart.
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Scott English
Scott English is an American songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-writer of "Brandy" with Richard Kerr. This song became a #1 hit for Barry Manilow in 1974 under the revised title of "Mandy". English had also released a single of "Brandy", which reached #12 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1971 and entered the US charts in March 1972.
This is a unique situation and I am not certain how often something like this has occurred – if ever, where a song has been recorded under different titles yet each has its place in musical history.
In 1971, Scott English recorded a song that he and Richard Kerr had penned. “Brandy” did well in the UK charting, but was a stateside flop. The single was released in North America on the Janus label and was the original recording of a song that Barry Manilow would take to #1 in 1974 as “Mandy.”
A year after English’s dismal American chart action, another group named the Looking Glass released their #1 hit wonder – “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl). While the song only shared the name of the female lead in the song, it would have implications for English & Kerr’s composition.
In 1974, Arista Records owner Clive Davis suggested to Barry Manilow that he record the Kerr/English composition. Manilow agreed; however, feeling that the title was too similar to the 1972 hit by the Looking Glass, he changed the title to “Mandy.” The song became his first number one record as well as his first gold single. While he had originally recorded a version that was similar to Scott English’s release, he and producer Ron Dante thought that it would be better to be recorded as a ballad – and the rest as they say is history. [extract from Reading Between The Grooves ]
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Olivia Newton John
Actress/singer Olivia Newton-John was born on September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. She lived there until she was five years old, and her family relocated to Australia when her father was offered a job as the dean of a college in Melbourne. When she was a teen she returned to live in England with her mother, after winning a singing talent contest. She had many hit singles and appeared on TV series with Cliff Richard as well as in the film Tomorrow (1970). For a while she was engaged to Bruce Welch, a member of The Shadows, who backed Richard.
Newton-John released her first solo album, 'If Not For You' in 1971. The title track, written by Bob Dylan and previously recorded by ex-Beatle George Harrison for his 1970 album All Things Must Pass, was her first international hit (#25 Pop Charts). Her follow-up single, "Banks of the Ohio", was a top 10 hit in Great Britain and Australia.
Newton-John has been a long-time activist for environmental and animal rights issues. Since surviving breast cancer in 1992, she has been an advocate for health awareness becoming involved with various charities, health products and fundraising efforts. Her business interests have included launching several product lines for Koala Blue and co-owning the Gaia Retreat & Spa in Australia.
Olivia took the advice of a friend, and in the mid-'70s left Britain to take up residence in America to help further her singing career, and has lived there ever since.
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Post consists of MP3 rips mostly taken from vinyl, except where better reproductions could be sourced from other vinyl or CD. Full album artwork, single covers and label scans are included. Although there is no release date on the album, I suspect it was probably released around 1973, with all tracks  being released between 1970 and 1972.

Track Listing:
 01 Cat Stevens – Morning Has Broken
02 Middle Of The Road – Samson And Delilah        
03 Mott The Hoople – Midnight Lady

04 Greyhound – I Am What I Am        
05 The Sweet - Poppa Joe        
06 Atomic Rooster – Stand By Me        
07 Buffy Sainte Marie – Soldier Blue

08 Jethro Tull – Life Is A Long Song
09 Laurie Styvers – Beat The Reaper 
10 Lindisfarne – Lady Eleanor        
11 Procol Harum –     Conquistador        
12 Joan Baez – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down        
13 The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards – Amazing Grace        

14 Free –     Little Bit Of Love        
15 Labi Siffre – Get To The Country

16 Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime
17 Traffic – Gimme Some Lovin'        
18 Blue Haze – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes        
19 Scott English – Brandy        
20 Olivia Newton-John – Banks Of The Ohio


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20 Star Tracks Link  (146Mb) New Link 17/10/2015
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Thursday, September 12, 2013

James Reyne - Hard Reyne (1989) plus Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1975 - Current)
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In 1978, James Reyne formed Australian Crawl with Simon Binks. Australian Crawl made one of the most memorable debuts on the popular music television program of the day Countdown, for the fact that James performed with both arms in a plaster cast, a result of injuries sustained after being hit by a car. The band went on to sell more than 1 million albums in Australia in the 1980s, creating several memorable songs that still resonate within Australian culture and on Australian radio today (perhaps most notably "Errol", "Boys Light Up", "Downhearted", "Oh No Not You Again" and "Reckless").

During his time with "The Crawl", Reyne established himself as a powerful and versatile singer/songwriter and one of the leading talents in the country.

As the decade wore on, Australian Crawl enjoyed a succession of smash hit's on the Australian (and oddly enough, Brazilian) charts, but after fellow band-member Guy Mcdonough was diagnosed with a rare form of terminal cancer, the steam went out of the band and after several albums and a lot of fantastic concerts, Aussie Crawl was a thing of the past and the band members went their separate ways.

Following the demise of the seminal Australian Crawl, lead singer James Reyne continued to chart the musical path he initiated in the last stages of his former band's career. It was through leaving his homeland that the Melbourne native found the inspirations for his debut disc. The distinctive voice and singing style of James Reyne, was always in my opinion "the sound of Australian Crawl". After two years of touring the world, Reyne began his solo work in London, sculpting out a sound indebted to the Crawl but with a depth, scope, and edge uniquely his own. The resultant cinematic James Reyne, released in Australia in 1987, was a powerhouse of an album, a claim-staking arrival cry of a new voice in popular music -- one that would touch down in rock, country, folk, outback, poetic, and rootsy territory, while still managing to transcend them all. The album produced three Australian Top Ten hits and afforded Reyne a fanatical following culminating in a dynamic tour with Tina Turner. Ironically, it was only after this jaunt with Turner that Reyne's album was released (to minimal response) in America nearly two years after its initial appearance.

Working with frequent collaborator Simon Hussey, Reyne's sophomore effort echoed the success of its predecessor in Australia, yet slipped through the cracks nearly everywhere else. Hard Reyne produced several more chart-topping singles and spawned another sellout Aussie tour, but was never released overseas. As a result, Reyne chose to extend his collaborations for his third album to include Jim Vallance (Bryan Adams' longtime producer) and Louisiana maestro Tony Joe White. The resultant Electric Digger Dandy (released in America as Any Day Above Ground) was a wildly original variation on Reyne's first two albums. While still maintaining the urgent and edgy rock feel of James Reyne, the lyrics became significantly darker and even more cryptic ("Dust on the bible/The man who waits behind your door/You can't feel/You can't score/Breathing on his face to make him real" from "Take a Giant Step"). A startlingly oddball collection, Electric Digger Dandy was capped by Reyne's re-do of the Australian Crawl classic "Reckless," as if reminding his fans that these wildly eclectic works came from the same source as those old Crawl beach ditties (having much the same effect as Brian Wilson's 1988 solo album).

After another tour that established Reyne as one of the most important and groundbreaking Australian artists past or present, the bush poet laureate further shattered convention by collaborating with offbeat country artist James Blundell on a wacky re-do of The Dingoes' "Way Out West" for Blundell's This Road album. The charity single for the National Farmer's Federation lodged at the top of the charts for a considerable time, and providing significant relief for a period of major droughts.

After a two-year hiatus and a major-label change, Reyne returned to the solid song craftsmanship of his solo debut for The Whiff of Bedlam, in many ways his strongest album to date. Produced by radio-friendly Stuart Levine, this epic collection boasts some of Reyne's finest writing, his edginess worked into the fabric of the songs rather than racing around them. Bookended by hit singles "Red Light Avenue" and "Day in the Sun," Whiff also contains a beautifully tragic rendition of Steely Dan's "Only a Fool Would Say That." But the highlight of this song cycle is the haunting single, "It's Only Natural," which laces an unforgettably hook-laden melody around bizarro lyrics like "Anglo-Reptilian/Wrist-watch radio titters/She waltzes her way through the aerodrome/Powdering conversation with pigeon-Indo/She catches her plane to petty, sun-white, two-tone
James Reyne Today
heaven", and actually pulls it off! The Whiff of Bedlam is an astonishing album, the culmination of Reyne's oddball journey from quirky popsmith to eclectic experimentalist to mature balladeer, while opening the door to an even more interesting and unpredictable future. As Reyne himself sums up his aesthetic (in Whiff's "No Secrets"): "I've seen all these faces/Between the mountains and the beach/Looking out for happiness/Out of reach/Cars and women/Running rich and fast/Driving down the freeway/This fun it won't last...Gonna cross that bridge." And we can only wait till he shows us what he finds on the other side. [by by Tomas Mureika at Allmusic.com]

Album Review
Not Reyne's best album, but still OK nonetheless. Further collaboration with Simon Hussey finds Reyne treading water to some degree, trying to replicate the success of his debut, while lacking the fury and energy that made that album so utterly compelling. "One More River" and "Wake Up Deadman" share a more traditionally bluesy feel, while "House Of Cards" tries to echo the intensity of earlier classics. A mellower, less surprising effort, Hard Reyne is not a bad album by any means. There is just nothing here to render it great. [review by Tomas Mureika, Rovi]
I would like to add my 'two bobs worth' by saying that I think this album is better than this - there are some wonderful moments on this album and although not every track has the catchy riffs and whining vocals typical of his Crawl days, each song has something to offer the listener. In fact, my favourite tune is "Rumour" which could have easily been a hit if released as a single.
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This post consists of a MP3 (320kps) rip taken from CD and includes full album artwork for both CD and LP. In addition, I have included two B-Side singles that did not appear on his album, and they are by no means throw away tracks. "Jim Dandy" is the flip-side to "One More River" and "Walking In The Dreamtime" is the flip-side to "House Of Cards".
So forget the laim review above and do yourself a favor if you haven't heard this album already. Grab yourself a copy now. How hard can it be?
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Track Listing
01 - House Of Cards
02 - Rumour
03 - No Such Thing As Love
04 - One More River
05 - Shine On
06 - Harvest Moon
07 - Lamp Of Heaven
08 - Drifting Away (Confusion Of Slow Novas)

09 - Trouble In Paradise
10 - Five Miles Closer To The Sun
11 - Wake Up Dead Man
12 - Jim Dandy (Bonus B-side Single)*
13 - Walking In The Dreamtime (Bonus B-Side Single)*

* Non-album tracks

Musicians:
James Reyne (Guitar, Vocals)
Simon Hussey (Keyboards)
Andy Cichon (Bass)
John Watson (Drums)
Additional Artists:
James Ralston (Guitar)
Ollie Marland (Piano)
Gary Barnacle (Sax)
John Thirkell (rumpet)
Judy Cheeks (Backing Vocals)

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James Reyne Link (137Mb) New Link 29/06/2022
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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Bruce Springsteen - Born Again: Unauthorised Vol 2 & Vol 3 (1992) Bootleg

(U.S 1969 - Present)
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Bruce Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for his work with the E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Boss", Springsteen is widely known for his brand of heartland rock, poetic lyrics, Americana sentiments centered on his native New Jersey and his lengthy and energetic stage performances, with concerts from the 1970s to the present decade running up to an uninterrupted 250 minutes in length. After signing with Columbia Records, Springsteen released his first studio album in 1972. Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. garnered critical acclaim but slow sales. Many compared him to Bob Dylan for his introspective lyrics and poetic style, but this did not immediately help Springsteen make it big. Springsteen and the E Street Band followed their debut with The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle later the same year but found themselves lauded by critics but largely dismissed by the public.

Finally, in 1975, after over a year in the studio, Springsteen released a third album, 'Born to Run', which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and skyrocketed him to fame. Drawing heavily on Springsteen's New Jersey roots, the album offered soaring guitars, larger-than-life characters, urban romance and a rebellious spirit that captured the essence of the American Dream and connected with audiences of all ages.

Springsteen's next album, 'Darkness on the Edge of Town', released in 1978, was a more somber affair, emphasizing themes of lost love, depression and existential suffering. "The whole force of Darkness was a survival thing," he said. "After Born to Run, I had a reaction to my good fortune. With success, it felt like a lot of people who'd come before me lost some essential part of themselves. My greatest fear was that success was going to change or diminish that part of myself."

In order to promote the album, Springsteen and the E Street Band embarked on a cross-country tour that would make them famous for their marathon performances (three or four hours per show), boisterous behavior and infectious energy, captivating audiences from California to New York. During this time, Springsteen also became famous for his integrity and pride as a performer, as stories of his exhausting performances and perfectionism in the recording studio became legend.
Darkness at the Edge of Town marked a shift in Springsteen's musical style that he continued in his next two albums, 'The River' (1980) and 'Nebraska' (1982), which both explored themes about working-class Americans. 'Nebraska' was a raw, solo acoustic effort that has been lauded by music fans for its provocative sound.

But Springsteen's explosion into rock superstardom came in 1984 when he released 'Born in the U.S.A'. With seven singles hitting the top of the Billboard Charts—including "Glory Days," "Dancing in the Dark," "Born in the U.S.A." and "Cover Me"—the album would become one of the best-selling records of all time and sparked a successful world tour which lasted almost two years.

Springsteen dissolved the E Street Band in 1989 and relocated with his new wife and family to California in the early 1990s. The albums he produced during this period—'Human Touch' and 'Lucky Town', released on the same day in 1992—came from a happier place; ironically as his personal life improved, his songs seemed to lack the emotional intensity that had made him so famous in earlier years. He was criticized by his fans for "going Hollywood" and no longer recording with E Street Band. As happy as he may have been in his personal life, the early 1990s were not Springsteen's glory days as an artist.
He began to bounce back with 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' (1995), an acoustic set musically reminiscent of Nebraska and lyrically inspired by Pulitzer Prize–winning writers and books (John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Dale Maharidge's Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass). Springsteen also recorded an Oscar-winning song, "The Streets of Philadelphia," for the movie Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks. In 1999, Springsteen reunited the E Street Band to tour in support of a new Greatest Hits album, selling out stadiums around the world despite his long absence from the limelight. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 2002, Springsteen and the E Street Band released their first studio album in 18 years, 'The Rising', which became both a critical and commercial success. Lyrically wrestling with the pain, anger and anguish caused by the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001, the album restored Springsteen's status as one of America's most iconic musicians.
Springsteen continues to thrive as a performer and songwriter. In 2012, he released his latest album, 'Wrecking Ball'. He has launched a world tour to support this new recording, of which Australia was one destination in 2013 and he plans to revisit in 2014. [extract from biography.com]

Interview With Bruce Springsteen (December, 1984)
(Rolling Stone Article by Kurt Loder)
With his 'Born in the USA' album, Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen is going very large. Springsteen-mania is second only to Beatlemania in its intensity and devotion. The Boss speaks in Oakland and Los Angeles on the second leg of the "Born" tour.

'Born in the USA', the title track of your current album, is a rousing rock & roll song that also gives voice to the pain of forgotten people: in this case, America's Vietnam veterans. How long have you been aware of the Vietnam vets' experience:?
I don't know if anybody could imagine what their particular experience is like. I don't think I could, you know?  I think you had to live through it. But when you think about all the young men and women that died in Vietnam, and how many died since they've been back — surviving the war and coming back and not surviving — you have to think that, at the time, the country took advantage of their selflessness. There was a moment when they were just really generous with their lives.

What was your own experience of Vietnam?
I didn't really have one. There wasn't any kind of political consciousness in Freehold in the late '6os. It was a small town and the war just seemed very distant. I mean, I was aware of it through some friends that went. The drummer in my first band was killed in Vietnam. Bart Haines was his name. He came over one day and said, "Well, I'm enlisted. I'm going to Vietnam." I remember he said he didn't know where it was. And that was it. He left and he didn't come back. And the guys that did come back were not the same.

How did you manage to escape the draft?
Jersey Boy
I got a 4-F. I had a brain concussion from a motorcycle accident when I was 17. Plus, I did the basic '6os rag, you know: filling out the forms all crazy, not takin' the tests. When I was 19, I wasn't ready to be that generous with my life. I was called for induction and when I got on that bus to go take my physical, I thought one thing: I ain't goin'. I remember being on that bus, me and a couple of guys in my band, and the rest of the bus was probably 60, 70 percent black guys from Asbury Park [New Jersey].
And I remember thinkin', like, what makes my life, or my friends' lives, more expendable than that of somebody who's going to school. It didn't seem right. And it was funny, because my father, he was in World War II, and he was the type that was always sayin', "Wait 'til the army gets you. Man, they're gonna cut that hair off you. I can't wait. They gonna make a man outta you." And I remember I was gone for three days and when I came back, I went into the kitchen, and my folks were there and they said, "Where you been?*" And I said, "Well, I had to go take my physical." And they said, "What happened?" And I said, "Well, they didn't take me." And my father sat there, and he didn't look at me, just looked straight ahead. And he said, "That's good." I'll never forget that.

I know one fan who infers from the rump shot on the 'Born in the USA' album cover that you're actually pissing on the American] flag. Is there a message there?
No, no. That was unintentional. We took a lot of pictures and in the end, the picture of my ass looked better than the picture of my face, so that's what went on the cover. I didn't have any secret message.

You've never allowed yourself to slip into the Elvis Presley syndrome?
I believe that the life of a rock & roll band will last as long as you look down into the audience and can see yourself, and your audience looks up at you and can see themselves.
[Extract from ROLLING STONE  May 2002 p71  - 30 Years of Rock N Roll]

  
2014 Australian Tour
Bruce and the E Street Band have announced they are headed back to Australia and New Zealand in 2014 for their most extensive tour of the area to date. The 2014 tour includes the first New Zealand show in more than a decade and their first-ever visit to Perth and Adelaide, kicking off at Perth Arena on February 7.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought the Wrecking Ball tour to Australia earlier this year on their first tour Down Under in more than a decade, performing three hour plus shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and at Victoria’s iconic Hanging Rock.
Said Springsteen’s long-time manager and producer, Jon Landau, “Our shows in Australia earlier this year were among the very best and most satisfying of our whole 128 show tour.  The crowds were tremendous, the fans as warm, friendly, and welcoming as we could ever hope for, and the quality of the performances, as virtually every reviewer commented, were spectacularly high.

1992-93 World Tour
“From the moment we finished the second show at Hanging Rock on March 31, we have been working on a plan to return next year.  Among other things, we wanted to expand the number of places we play to include the Hunter Valley, Perth and Adelaide, with a trip to Auckland, as well.  Those venues are in addition to the new dates in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.  In other words, this will be our most far reaching tour of Australasia ever – and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are planning to make it their finest.”
Frontier Touring is also thrilled to announce that Australian music legends, Hunters & Collectors will be reforming to be special guests at Springsteen and the E Street Band at the Melbourne AAMI Stadium concert.
Additional special guest at the Melbourne and Hunter Valley shows will be Australia’s favorite rock & roll soul man Dan Sultan.  Continuing the musical tour de force that they established on this year’s Wrecking Ball tour, Jimmy Barnes will be special guest for the Auckland Mt Smart Show.
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This post consists on MP3 rip's (320kps) taken from CD, originally sourced from a Radio Broadcast in the States. These 'Banana' Bootleg releases were recorded at the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, California on June 5th, 1992.  Note that the last 3 tracks on Vol 3 are probably not from the same concert (as they already appear on Vol 2) and were probably added as fillers. The quality of the sound recording is superb - soundboard rating all the way.
This concert set has also been released by Red Phantom under the title of 'Kick Off'. Full album artwork for this Banana release (along with Kick Off - see below) have been included, along with a scan of the Rolling Stone Magazine Interview with Springsteen documented above.
I'm sure this Banana bootleg will aPEEL to most of you....LOL
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Track Listing (Vol 2.)
01 - Born In The U.S.A. (6:37)
02 - Local Hero (5:47)

03 - Lucky Town (4:22)
04 - Darkness On The Edge Of Town (5:22)
05 - If I Should Fall Behind (4:49)
06 - 57 Channels (And Nothin' On) (6:55)
07 - The Big Muddy (4:18)
08 - Living Proof (6:14)
09 - My Hometown (6:13)
10 - Leap Of Faith (4:46)
11 - Man's Job (5:20) 

Track Listing (Vol 3.)
01 - Roll Of The Dice (12:23)
02 - Human Touch (8:30)
03 - Glory Days (7:54)
04 - Hungry Heart (3:38)
05 - Prove It All Night (9:32)
06 - Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (11:14)

07 - Luck Town (4:45)
08 - 57 Channels (And Nothin' On) (3:02)
09 - Living Proof (5:27) 

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The E.Street Band:

Bruce Springsteen (Guitar, Vocals)
Tommy Sims (Bass)
Michael Barakan (Guitar)
Roy Beaten (Keyboards)
Zachery Alfort (Drums)
Bobby Wing (Backing Vocals)
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Bruce Springsteen Link Vol.2 (143Mb)

Bruce Springsteen Link Vol.3 (155Mb)  New Addition 19/04/2014
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