This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS
GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available
to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software
to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my
Author's Page for this and other related publications:
"…Ain't Going Down That
Lonesome Road All By Myself…"
Released in September 1969 –
JUICY LUCY’s self-titled debut LP was only the second album on the then new
progressive rock label VERTIGO Records. And on the back of their blistering UK
7” single “Who Do You Love” which was lifted off the record and released in
February 1970 - the "Juicy Lucy" album finally charted in the UK in
April 1970. And that’s where this cool little CD reissue kicks in. "Lie
Back And Enjoy It" was their hurriedly recorded follow-up LP (featuring a
radically altered band line-up) – and it’s mid-price expanded CD reissue by the
renowned Esoteric Recordings Label (part of Cherry Red) is a welcome boogie
blast from my distant past…
UK released August 2010 (reissued
June 2015) – "Lie Back And Enjoy It" by JUICY LUCY on Esoteric Recordings
ECLEC2216 (Barcode 5013929731646) is an ‘Expanded Edition’ CD Remaster and breaks
down as follows (39:08 minutes):
1. Thinking Of My Life
2. Built For Comfort
3. Pretty Woman
4. Whisky In My Jar
5. Hello L.A. Bye Bye
Birmingham
6. Changed My Mind, Changed
My Sign
7. That Woman’s Got Something
8. Willie The Pimp/Lie Back
And Enjoy It Medley
Tracks 1 to 8 are the album
"Lie Back And Enjoy It" released October 1970 in the UK on Vertigo
6360 014. The album charted at number 53 on the UK LP charts for one week in
November 1970. Their next two albums were on the 'Bronze' and 'Polydor' labels
("Get A Whiff A This" from 1971 and "Pieces" from 1972).
Track 9 "I'm A
Thief" (Mono) is the non-album B-side to their second 7" single
"Pretty Woman" (Track 3 on Side 1). It was released September 1970 in
the UK on Vertigo 6059 015 (also on the Spiral label) but failed to chart.
Boasting a new 24-bit
remaster by BEN WISEMAN at Audio Archiving in London (it was first put out by
Repertoire in 1994) - it's also available digitally at www.losttunes.com.
The 5-piece for this LP
featured PAUL WILLIAMS on Lead Vocals, Congas & Piano [ex Zoot Money’s Big
Band] with GLENN ROSS CAMPBELL on Lead Guitar, Mandolin and Vocals [ex The Misunderstood],
MICKY MOODY on Guitars [ex Tramline, Mike Cotton Sound - later with Snafu,
Whitesnake & duet work with Paul Williams], CHRIS MERCER on Saxophones
& Keyboards [ex John Mayall's Bluesbreakers], KEITH ELLIS on Bass &
Vocals [ex Koobas and Van Der Graaf Generator] and ROD COOMBES on Drums and
Percussion.
Building on the greasy
slide-guitar boogie-band feel of their self-titled debut, “Lie Back And Enjoy
It” went down the same road – only this time they’d replaced Ray Owen as Lead
Vocalist with Paul Williams and Neill Hubbard’s guitar work with that of Micky
Moody. Like the first album it’s a mixed batch of the great and the ordinary.
The Paul Williams penned “Pretty Woman” was released as the album’s only single
and you can instantly hear why – catchy as a cold in Margate. The cover of the
Willie Dixon song he gave to Howlin' Wolf "Built For Comfort" is less
successful as is the awful version of Zappa’s “Willy The Pimp” (although it
redeems itself at about 5 minutes 34 seconds in as it fades out and suddenly
turns into a lovely 2-minute long piano instrumental - not surprisingly called
“Lie Back And Enjoy It”). But the track I dig the most is “This Woman’s Got
Something” which was co-written by Moody, Campbell and William (lyrics above) –
it’s a bluesy builder with great guitar work and has graced more than a few
70’s FEST CDs I’ve made up for shop play.
Sound - like Esoteric’s 2010
reissue of "Juicy Lucy" the audio quality is incredibly clean and
crisp, full of power and a massive improvement over what I had before - a
really great job done. The 16-page booklet features a really detailed account
by MARK POWELL of their transition from The Misunderstood of 1966 to Juicy Lucy
of 1969 and onwards into 1970 and their many line-up changes. The original
album artwork was an elaborate 4-way foldout poster affair that is reproduced
in parts here. There are also full-page colour-plates for each member of the
band, Vertigo adverts for the group and a foreign picture sleeve of the “Pretty
Woman” single. Like its predecessor, it's all very nicely done.
There are some Seventies
bands I go dolally over and JUICY LUCY is one of them. And although some of the
tracks on here don't quite live up to the image and promise of the elaborate
sleeve - there's tunes on here that do. I've loved re-hearing this
long-forgotten album.
A wicked little reissue
really...
PS: Their 1st Vertigo album
from September 1969 "Juicy Lucy" has also been remastered and
reissued by Esoteric in 2010 with a bonus track (see separate review).
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