Brian Hyland - 70 - UNI Records

Brian Hyland and Del Shannon celebrate the success of the

Shannon-produced Hyland album on Uni Records in 1971

ok , back to the pop. this one is really nice , i remember gypsy woman from when i was young - cool song. the reast of the lp is decent as well , great harmonies & arrangements. dell shannons production doesnt hurt either ! enjoy


Del Shannon's sublime production of Brian Hyland on this 1970 album titled after the singer resulted in the Hyland's eighth hit (and one of his three biggest). The cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman" is totally commercial and totally wonderful, as is this album. Of the eleven tunes there are five Del Shannon/Brian Hyland co-writes, all pretty incredidble, from "Lorrayne" to "Drivin' Me Crazy," a hit waiting to happen. The version of Larry William's "Slowdown" sounds nothing like The Beatles, if anything it anticipates the "New Wave" about to come. "You & Me" is another strong original from the producer / performer team, but the surprise of the album is the breadth of Hyland's artistry. He and Del Shannon play guitars alongside the drums of Russ Kunkel, bass of Leland Sklar, and sweeping string arrangements of George Tipton, but it is the work on the rhythm and blues numbers that is outstanding. A stirring reading of the Benson/Pettite title that became B.B. King's signature tune, The Thrill Is Gone (with more of Tipton's magical string work), is as memorable as the Bernstein/Sondheim medley of "Maria" and "Somewhere" which opens the album. If only engineer Dave Hassinger put some of this sparkle into the grooves of his latter day Electric Prunes released on ABC. This crew takes Berry Gordy's "Lonely Teardrops" and make it a performance, not just a cover of a Jackie Wilson hit. Hyland's only composition without Del Shannon as a collaborator, "Mail Order Gun," is an interesting look at suicide a few years before Elton John's "I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself," but it can't touch "On The East Side," a Del Shannon/Brian Hyland original that cries out for The Hollies. The album is a real work of art full of hooks, musicianship, and the pop star's familiar voice in territory that should have made him a huge star. "Gypsy Woman" is the chestnut here, and quite the herald for an album that should have been a monster. Irresistable and tremendous. [ amg ]


Brian Hyland - 70 - UNI Records
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans


A.
Maria -Somewhere
Lonely Teardrops
On The East Side
Lorrayne
Mail Order Gun
The Thrill Is Gone
B.
Gypsy Woman
I'm Without You
Slow Down
Drivin' Me Crazy
You And Me


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Jim Stafford - `74 - MGM

ok time for comedic break , ha - i think i am showing my age here. this guy was all over the radio when i was growing up. always thought he was hilarious. recently found this LP & thought i would share .
maybe i`ll start posting a comedy LP every now & then. i have most of carlin`s old stuff , some cheech & chong & such - good idea ?  
anyway , for those who never heard of this bloke , check out "wildwood weed" & "swamp witch" ! ha - oh & LOBO helped produce this , go figure ! 


Jim Stafford's self-titled debut album gave him four Top 40 chart singles, with the schoolboyish charm of "Spiders and Snakes" reaching the highest at number three in July of 1973. His friendly voice and novelty style of songwriting actually carried some well-deserved weight, especially throughout the lesson-teaching lightheartedness of "Swamp Witch," a well-crafted story song, and again on the laughable "My Girl Bill." "Wildwood Weed" sticks with Stafford's love of playing with words, and non-hits like "I Ain't Sharin' Sharon" and "16 Little Red Noses and a Horse That Sweats" carry on with the same type of innocent jocularity that ran amuck throughout the mid-'70s, bolstered by artists like Ray Stevens and CW McCall.


Personnel: Jim Stafford (acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocals); 
Richard Bennett (guitar); Slyde Hyde (trombone); Gallagher (whazoo); Alan Lindgren (keyboard, synthesizer); Emory Gordon (bass); Dennis St. John (drums); Alan Estes (conga). 
Recorded at Producer's Workshop, Sound Lab and Master Sound, Atlanta, Georgia.------------- All songs written or co-written by Jim Stafford.


Jim Stafford (Music Performer)
Lobo (Producer)
Phil Gernhard (Producer)
Michael Lietz (Sound Engineer)


Jim Stafford - `74 - MGM
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps
includes high rez scan


L.A. Mamma (2:24)
I Ain't Sharin' Sharon (2:14)
Medley: Mr. Bojangles/A Visit With An Old Friend (5:10)
Wildwood Weed (2:41)
16 Little Red Noses And A Horse That Sweats (3:54)
Spiders And Snakes (3:07)
Last Chant (3:19)
My Girl Bill (3:13)
Nifty Fifties Blues (3:03)
Real Good Time (3:33)
Swamp Witch (3:48)


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The Shocking Blue - Colossus - `70

here we go ! - the debut LP on colossus , sister LP to the post below , Tee Set. this is a great lp as well. these guys could really play , lots of change ups groovin goin on here. um , fuzz acid & flowers here , need i say more ? - don`t make em like this anymore , oh i hear nirvana covered love buzz , dunno.


Pop history has often seen invasions. The most powerful and renown was the British invasion of American pop music in 1963, when the Merseybeat groups led by The Beatles swept across the new world followed by more R&B orientated British bands like The Stones. Each invasion creates new energy and offers fresh inspiration to a music scene lying in idle sleep.
The spearhead of the brief 'Dutch invasion' of the early Seventies was Shocking Blue. They conquered the international charts with their self-penned hit single ‘Venus'. This song not only made the European Top Ten but also reached the Number One position in the US on December 6, 1969 and stayed eight weeks in the Top Ten.
The Shocking Blue had been formed in 1967 by guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, a veteran of a well-known Dutch rock band The Motions. But the eye-and-ear-catching attraction of the band was the dark-haired singer Mariska Veres. Her soul-tinged voice gave the music a distinct R&B sound that was often compared with The Small Faces. Shocking Blue successfully combined Beat and R&B with psychedelic elements of the time like Indian sitar and odd production techniques.
After some inconsequential recording work, they signed with the Pink Elephant label and released 'Venus' in 1969. They recorded successfully well into the mid-seventies and had more international hits with 'Mighty Joe' and 'Long And Lonesome Road' (both in 1970). The Shocking Blue released their first LP also in 1969 titled, ‘At Home', and it featured, of course, the million-seller ‘Venus'. 1970 saw two album releases with 'Scorpio's Dance' and 'Hello Darkness', the latter containing the above mentioned singles 'Mighty Joe' and 'Long And Lonesome Road'. The German Metronome issued the next album in 1971 with the confusing title 'Third Album' which was followed by the studio production of 'Inkpot' and a live album a year later.
For the 1973 'Dream On Dreamer' and 'Eve And The Apple' the line-up changed slightly. Bass player Klaasje van der Wal was replaced by Henk Smitskamp. Finally in the mid-seventies The Shocking Blue disbanded after a very successful career.
Their first hit 'Venus' became an all-time evergreen and was re-recorded by the British pop trio Bananarama in 1986 (produced by Stock/Aitken/Waterman). It, again, made a huge impact on the international charts and showed the hit potential of this song.  [ Ulf Marquardt ]


Lineup :
Mariska Veres (voc)
Robby Van Leeuwen (g, sitar)
Klaasje Van Der Wal (b)
Cornelius Van Der Beek (dr)


The Shocking Blue - Colossus - `70
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans


A.
Long and Lonsesome Road
Love Machine
The Butterfly And I
Venus
California Here I Come
Poor Boy
B.
Mighty Joe
Boll Weevil
Acka Raga
Love Buzz
I'm A Woman
Send me a Postcard


DOWNLOAD -- HERE --

Tee Set - Ma Belle Amie - `69 - Collosus

ok , here is some more older pop psych for ya ~! some might remember title track here "ma belle amie" - was a pretty big hit here in the states in `70 i believe. this is a really great record & one of two on the same label i am posting next. the other one is "shocking blue" with hit venus on it - these are the first two records to come out on colossus records. enjoy !


Tee Set was a pop rock band formed in 1966 in Delft, Netherlands.
The group recorded a single in 1969 entitled "Ma Belle Amie", which was a hit in their native country, selling over 100,000 copies. The group released an album in the United States on Colossus Records in 1970 entitled Ma Belle Amie, which reached #158 on the Billboard 200 chart, just as the single took off in America, eventually reaching #5. The single sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In the Netherlands, the next single "She Likes Weeds" attained #1 there. However, the track was banned in the U.S., because it was said to refer to using drugs. However, the title was taken from the film The Ipcress File. A follow-up single, "If You Do Believe in Love", hit #81. The group disbanded in 1975, but briefly reunited in 1979 and 1983.
Their former lead singer Peter Tetteroo died in September 2002 from liver cancer, at the age of 55.


Ma Belle Amie,
You were a child of the sun and the sky
And the deep blue sea.
Ma Belle Amie,
Apres’ tous les beaux jours je te dis merci merci.
You were the answer to all my questions,
Before we’re through,
I want to tell you that I adore you
And always do.
That you amaze me by leaving me now to start anew.
Ma Belle Amie,
I’m in love with you.


Let the bells ring,
Let the birds sing.
Let’s all give my substitute a big cheer.
Let the bells ring,
Let the birds sing.
For the man after him waits here.




Arranged By, Organ - Hans van Eijck
Bass - Franklin Madjid
Drums - Joop Blom
Guitar, Flute, Banjo - Dill Bennink
Producer, Lead Vocals - Peter Tetteroo


Tee Set - Ma Belle Amie - `69 - Collosus
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320 kbps - includes high rez scans


A1 Ma Belle Amie
A2 What Can I Do
A3 Walk On By My Door
A4 I Don't Want To Know
A5 Charmaine
A6 Finally In Love Again
B1 If You Do Believe In Love
B2 Since I Lost Your Love
B3 Long Ago
B4 Here In My House
B5 Bring A Little Sunshine
B6 Magic Lantern


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Vanity Fare - Early in the Morning - Page One Records - `70

back with some fun pop , really love this LP ! lots of harmonies with tons of stlye ~ most of you will remember hitchin` a ride , but check out  "in my lonely room" AND TITLE TRACK as well , for another GROOVY treat !
this one will leave ya smilin - enjoy


Best remembered in the U.S. for the classic "Hitchin' a Ride," harmony pop ensemble Vanity Fare formed in Kent, England in 1968. Comprising vocalist Trevor Brice, guitarist Tony Goulden, bassist Tony Jarrett, and drummer Dick Allix, the group originally dubbed themselves the Avengers; soon local entrepreneur Roger Easterby signed on as manager, orchestrating a contract with the Page One label and instructing the group to cover the Sunrays' "I Live for the Sun" for their debut single. With their sophisticated harmonies and clean-cut image, the Avengers needed a suitably genteel name, remixing the title of William Makepeace Thackeray's most famous novel to create Vanity Fare; "I Live for the Sun" cracked the U.K. Top 20 in the summer of 1968, although it would take the group a year to return to the charts, with "Early in the Morning" reaching the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. Around this time, Vanity Fare jettisoned its tailored suits for neckerchiefs and fashions direct from Carnaby Street; more importantly, they also added keyboardist Barry Landeman, previously a member of Kippington Lodge, alongside Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwartz; Landeman would prove the dominant instrumental element in the group's biggest hit, 1969's infectious "Hitchin' a Ride," which sold over a million copies in the U.S. alone. A North American tour was met with little interest, however, and soon after Vanity Fare returned to Britain. Goulden quit, quickly followed by Allix; Candy Choir guitarist Erica Wheeler and Canterbury Tales' drummer Mark Ellen signed on as their replacements. The new lineup scored a minor hit with 1972's ballad "Better by Far," and concentrated on touring the cabaret circuit, performing as many as 14 dates a week; the grind ultimately forced Jarrett to resign, with former Tranquility bassist Bernard Hagley signing on for "I'm in Love With the World," Vanity Fare's first single for new label Phillips. In the wake of 1974's "Fast Running Out of World" their recording career screeched to a halt, but the group continued touring, including several passes through Scandinavia. During one trek to Denmark, Brice fell in love and quit the group, with singer Phil Kitto taking his place. Kitto also exited a few years later, with vocalist Kevin Thompson installed as frontman by the time Vanity Fare recorded 1986's "Dreamer," its first single in over a decade. With 1993's "Rain," their recording career again went into mothballs, but the band continues touring, with singer Steve Oakman replacing Thompson in early 2002. ~ [ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide ]


Vanity Fare - Early in the Morning - Page One Records - `70
all trax from wax- akashaman - 2010
http://akashaman.blogspot.com/
MP3 @ 320 kbps
includes high rez cover scans


early in the morning
in my lonely room
music , music , music
man child
i live for the sun
hitchin` a ride
highway of dreams
(i remember) summer morning
four strong winds
you made me love you
hey baby


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Roger Glover & Guests - The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast - `75 - Polydor

ok , here is another really cool conceptual piece ala planet earth or intergalactic band stuff ! this one features deep purples roger glover at the helm , with guest stars ; ronnie james dio , david coverdale, glenn hughes & more ! this one is pretty amazing AND very diverse -- the songs kinda all run together so u get a full side A & side B , hard to cut each song & i thought it might detract : OH & hehe , thats really DIO ! - enjoy ~ !


Of all the multitudinous highways and byways down which the enterprising Deep Purple collector can travel, none, perhaps, is so surprising as The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast, Purple bassist Roger Glover's first "solo" album, and -- almost incidentally -- one of the most delightful children's records ever made. Yes, a children's record. In 1973, Glover was approached about creating a musical adaptation of artist Alan Aldridge and poet William Plomer's book of the same name -- a commission that surprised him, but which he nevertheless accepted. The book itself is delightful and, while Glover's work is unquestionably more heavily flavored by the near-psychedelia of the illustrations, the spirit of the text is retained as well, to create an album that stands among the few truly successful musical adaptations of an existing story yet committed to vinyl. Although Glover, as the album's premier composer, takes the bulk of the credit for this success, his co-conspirators, too, merit praise. Convening what resembles one of the greatest all-star lineups in heavy metal history -- and then banning them from even glancing toward their usual territory -- Glover is joined by Purple stalwarts David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, future Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio, session stars Eddie Hardin and Tony Ashton, soul singer Jimmy Helms, Roxy Music's Eddie Jobson and John Gustafson, and three quarters of funk-rock aspirants Fancy. Each was given his own role to play and the resultant album is a tremendous mishmash of musical styles, from folky balladeering to psychedelic whimsy, but leaning most heavily toward an early-'70s pop/rock vibe -- for some reason, one could imagine the early Queen spending an awful lot of time listening to The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. Given the heavily narrative nature of the project, it is best listened to in one session -- a handful of tracks certainly exist more to carry the tale than make a musical impact. Highlights, however, leap out from across the platter, with the macabre "Old Blind Mole" and the positively buoyant "Love Is All" the twin extremes around which the action revolves. Gustafson's hard rock "Watch out for the Bat," meanwhile, must surely have induced nightmares within the album's younger fans, while Dio's closing "Homeward" all but predicts the course of arena rock during the '80s. [The original vinyl packs 19 tracks; the 25th-Anniversary CD adds one, the European B-side "Little Chalk Blue," together with a fabulous enhanced multimedia clip ("Love Is All" again) taken from a projected animated TV series. It's a great package, as well as a chance to reacquaint yourself with one of childhood's most treasured tales.] ~ [ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide ]


If there is one word to describe this album, it is MAGICAL! The music and lyrics are woven together to create a musical journey into a magical fairytale land. The listener drifts away to another time and place, a place of animals and insects in the forests and meadows all preparing for the grand ball. Conceived, written, and directed by Roger Glover of Deep Purple fame, this is brilliant stuff. There are 20 short songs which flow together perfectly to tell the hopes, dreams, desires, and feelings of the various characters as they approach the grand event. One might think that on such a massive project with so many artists involved, that too many cooks might spoil the soup. This is definitely NOT the case. For example, each vocalist is perfectly suited to the type of song he/she is singing and to the character he/she represents. And althiugh numerous various instruments are employed, they are never employed so indulgently that they get in the way of each other or clutter up the total sound. The production quality is very good and for the most part the mix of instruments is just about right. This is a far cry from the hard rock of Deep Purple, but it is a refreshing change and definite "classic" that should find a comfortable home in anyone's CD collection, whether you are a fan of Barry Manilow or Led Zeppelin.
[ amazon ]


Roger Glover & Guests - The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast - `75 - Polydor
all trax from wax - akashaman - 2010
MP3 @ 320kbps - includes high rez cover scans


Side A
1 Dawn 1:18
2 Get Ready 2:07
3 Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Bee 1:24
4 Harlequin Hare 1:26
5 Old Blind Mole 1:13
6 Magician Moth 1:34
7 No Solution 3:16
8 Behind the Smile 1:59
9 Fly Away 2:22
10 Aranea 1:37
11 Sitting in a Dream 3:40
Side B
12 Waiting 3:06
13 Sir Maximus Mouse 2:40
14 Dreams of Sir Bedivere 4:41
15 Together Again 1:36
16 Watch Out for the Bat 1:41
17 The Feast 1:46
18 Love Is All 3:17
19 Homeward 4:17
DOWNLOAD - -- HERE --