"I Can See Clearly Now" by JOHNNY NASH [feat Bob Marley, Average White Band] (2011 Big Break Records (BBR) 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster with Two Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Gone Are The Dark Clouds That Had Me Blind…"

Some confusion surrounds "I Can See Clearly Now" because it has the same name as a 1989 CBS 'Best Of' compilation that naughtily contained some unannounced re-recordings. This 2011 Big Break Records CD is not that compilation - it's a reissue of the original 1972 album with two bonus tracks added on. And the album quietly features both Bob Marley and members of Average White Band. Here are the less foggy details…

UK released 1 August 2011 - "I Can See Clearly Now" by JOHNNY NASH on Big Break Records CDBBR 0064 (Barcode 5013939036420) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster with Two Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows (42:43 minutes):

1. Stir It Up
2. That’s The Way We Get By
3. Guava Jelly
4. (It Was) So Nice While It Lasted 
5. Ooh Baby You've Been God To Me
6. You Poured Sugar On Me 
7. I Can See Clearly Now [Side 2]
8. Comma Comma
9. We’re All Alike
10. How Good It Is 
11. The Fish And The Alley Of Destruction
12. There Are More Questions Than Answers
Tracks 1 to 12 are the album "I Can See Clearly Now" - originally released July 1972 in the UK on CBS Records S CBS 64840 and on Epic Records KE 31607 in the USA. It peaked at number 39 and 23 on the Pop Charts in the UK and USA. 
[Note: Tracks 1 to 12 are the UK track list - the original US LP replaced "The Fish And The Alley Of Destruction" on Side 2 with "Cream Puff"]

BONUS TRACKS: 
13. Cream Puff - the non-album B-side of "Stir It Up" - originally the first 45 lifted off the album and a track included on the American LP version
14. Stir It Up (Single Mix) - a 2:18 minute remix and edit of the album version - Track 1 at 3:06 minutes

There were 4 x 7" singles issued in the UK and USA off the album at the time - this release will allow you to sequence all of them as follows:
1. Stir It Up [14] b/w Cream Puff [13] - released March 1972 in the UK on CBS Records CBS 7800 and May 1972 in the USA on Epic Records 5-10973
2. I Can See Clearly Now [7] b/w How Good It Is [10] - released 2 June 1972 in the UK on CBS Records CBS S 8113 and July 1972 in the USA on Epic 5-10902
3. There Are More Questions Than Answers [12] b/w Guava Jelly [3] - released September 1972 in the UK on CBS Records CBS S 8351 (unreleased in the USA)
4. Stir It Up [14] b/w Ooh Baby You've Been Good To Me [5] - reissue issued in the USA-only in January 1973 on Epic 5-10949

The 12-page booklet has thoroughly detailed and affectionate liner notes by CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANNE with pictures of UK, US and European singles. A clever inclusion is the original Marty Pekar liner notes that appeared only on the back of the 'US' LP. Because the UK sleeve had neither credits nor an insert - it didn't highlight the extraordinary musician contributions that lay within - and some of these names went on to become huge (see below). But the very best news is the truly stunning SOUND. Remastered by ALAN WILSON at Western Star Studios from the 1st generation tapes with help from BBR's own WAYNE A. DICKSON - the audio quality is truly gorgeous and hits you straight in the solar-plexus the second the drum-whack of "Stir It Up" exits your speakers. Having had to endure years of lacklustre compilations - this is at last the real deal.

As already mentioned above, the album featured uncredited session-men and lesser-known writers. BOB MARLEY was one of them - he features in no less than five writing credits - "Stir It Up", "Guava Jelly", "Comma Comma", "Cream Puff" and a co-wrote with Nash on "You Poured Sugar On Me". Marley hadn't signed to Island Records just yet and was still being hawked around London by Nash as someone people should notice. In fact insiders and journalists of the time cited Johnny Nash as a major catalyst in Marley's global success that eventually came 3 years later in 1975 with his legendary "Live! At The Lyceum" set. It is also widely accepted that members of the backing band at the album sessions were THE WAILERS and even future members of the AVERAGE WHITE BAND. Marley would feature his own version of "Stir It Up" on his Island Records debut album "Catch A Fire" in April of the next year - 1973. Another contributor was sessionman and keyboardist JOHN 'RABBIT' BUNDRICK (had solo albums on Island in the mid Seventies) who wrote three tracks - "That's The Way We Get By", "We're All Alike" and "The Fish And The Alley Of Destruction". Unfortunately they're the weakest songs on here with "Fish" containing some truly cringing lyrics too.

If you think the heavyweight contributions would somehow overshadow Nash's own work - the exact opposite is the truth. Some of the best songs on the album are his. There's "(It Was) So Nice While It Lasted" - a bittersweet ballad with a superb vocal from him - "Ooh Baby You've Been Good To Me" - a chipper and fantastic dancer with great backing-group vocals and the Mellotron-laden "How Good It Is" - probably the most Seventies-Reggae sounding track of them all. Then there are the two huge singles - "I Can See Clearly Now" and "There Are More Questions Than Answers". While the Marley cover "Stir It Up" had aroused interest in Nash's new musical direction when it was released in March 1972, "I Can See Clearly Now" took the summer of that year by storm reaching Number 1 in the USA and 5 in the UK (lyrics above). Neither Reggae nor Soul - it was a strange hybrid of both and the public loved it. And I cannot stress enough how good the sound quality is on both of these gems - especially after years of naff compilations. If you have any love for these songs - then you need to hear them on this CD.

To sum up - it's not all genius for sure but this a great reissue of a criminally forgotten and ignored Reggae/Soul LP from the early Seventies and a timely nod to an artist who thoroughly deserves accolades galore. Buy it and enjoy…

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I’ve reviewed to 2015:
1. Is It Still Good To Ya – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1978)
2. Stay Free – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1979)
3. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)
4. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)
5. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)
6. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)
7. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)
8. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)
9. In The Heart – KOOL & THE GANG (1983)
10. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)
11. I Miss You - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972) [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK]
12. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)
13. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)
14. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)
15. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)
16. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)
17. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)
18. In Philadelphia - O'JAYS (1969)
19. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)
20. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)
21. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)
22. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)
23. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)
24. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)
25. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)
26. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)
27. Live: Stompin’ At The Savoy – RUFUS and CHAKA KHAN (1983)
28. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)
29. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)
30. Spinners – SPINNERS (1973)
31. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)
32. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)
33. Switch - SWITCH (1978)
34. Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)
35. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971 Debut LP on Sussex/A&M Records)
36. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983)

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"Harvest For The World" by THE ISLEY BROTHERS - May 1976 US Album on T-Neck Records - June 1976 UK on Epic Records (October 2011 UK Big Break Records (BBR) 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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MORE THAN A FEELING 

1976

Your All-Genres Guide To 

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"...Gather Every Man...Gather Every Woman..."

I've reviewed the "Original Classic Albums" mini box set from 2008 containing the first 5 albums by The Isleys on T-Neck between 1970 and 1973 (gems like "Brother, Brother, Brother" and the stunning cover versions set "Givin' It Back”). So I got a little hot under my white Soul Boy's collar when I opened this pre-order this morning. And it's absolutely been worth waiting for.

The Isley Brothers have made so many great albums (almost one in the year in the 60ts and 70ts) that their stuff just gets 'overlooked' and lost in the melee. And like The Staple Singers - their message of positivity fills their Soul and Funk with a warmth I keep returning too. Take 1976's "Harvest For The World" - a wickedly good but criminally forgotten platter. And that's where this superb BBR CD reissue comes in. Big Break Records of the UK are determined to get you to re-engage and who am I to disagree. Here are the thankful details…

Released Monday 24 Oct 2011 - "Harvest For The World: Expanded Edition" by THE ISLEY BROTHERS on Big Break Records CDBBR 0083 (Barcode 5013929038325) offers the 1976 LP with 3 Bonus Tracks and breaks down as follows (47:43 minutes):

1. Harvest For The World (Prelude) [Side 1]
2. Harvest For The World
3. People Of Today
4. Who Loves You Better
5. (At Your Best) You Are Love [Side 2]
6. Let Me Down Easy
7. So You Wanna Say Down
8. You Still Feel The Need
Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Harvest For The World" - released May 1976 in the USA on T-Neck Records PZ 33809 and June 1976 in the UK on Epic Records S EPC 81268. It reached No. 1 and No. 9 on the US R'n'B and Pop charts.

BONUS TRACKS:
9. Harvest For The World (Instrumental) – the B-side to the US 45 for "Harvest For The World" on T-Neck ZS8 2261 released in July 1976 (the UK B-side on Epic S EPC 4368 had the album cut "Let Me Down Easy")

10. Who Loves You Better – Part 1 – a 3:30 minute edit of the album track (LP version runs to 5:31 minutes) issued as a 45 in the USA on T-Neck ZS8 2260 in April 1976 (Part 2 is the B-side)

11. Harvest For The World (Single Version) – a 3:30 minute edit of the album track (LP cut runs to 3:53 minutes) issued as a 45 A-side in the UK and USA (see 9 above)

The 12-page inlay has detailed and knowledgeable liner notes by SHELLEY NICOLE featuring interviews with band members. There are repros of American and UK 7” singles and promo shots of the band - but the best news is a new and superlative remaster by WAYNE DICKSON. I've had some of the tracks on the "It's Your Thing" 3CD box set for years to have the music, but I've always found the early Legacy issues a little dead – like they've been compressed or had the life sucked out of them somehow. Here is not the case – there is air and a slight hiss around the gorgeous opener – the "Prelude" version of "Harvest For The World" – it sounds amazing. And then of course – the real deal – the title track. To this day it puts hairs up on my arms. What a song and what a message (lyrics above).

Other gems include the powerful Sly Stone funk of "People Of Today" where social words meet the dancefloor ("…frustration is all you feel…"). Side 1 ends with the 1st single off the album in the States – "Who Loves You Better" which has an almost identikit guitar sound to "That Lady" from 1973 – great stuff and a bit of a forgotten goody. Side 2 mellows it down with loverman smoochers like "(At Your Best) You Are Love" and "Let Me Down Easy" – seductive to the point where you might find you reaching for the switch that turns on your bedroom mirrorball. 

Then it's on to the Doobie Brothers acoustic blast of "So You Wanna Stay Down" – very, very good indeed. It ends on a funky-as-mouldy-parsnips hip-gyrator called "You Still Feel The Need" which heralds how the next few LPs were going to go – Part 1 and 2 workouts – similar to "Pride" from 1977’s "Go For Your Guns". The single sides are a very cool inclusion too especially the rarely heard melody lines added to the "Instrumental" of the title track - "Harvest For The World".

So there you have it - great album, superb new remaster, presented well like all these BBR reissues are - and at a zippy price too.

"…Gather every man…gather every woman…give thanks for your children…" - Ronald sings on that stunning title track (a musical harvest for your soul - never mind the world). 

Like the Average White Band or even Hall & Oates – The Isley Brothers always seem to me to be on the verge of rediscovery by legions of Soul and Funk fans who have forgotten how good they 'all' were. Well this brill BBR CD reissue is a really great place to start reminding yourself…

“TEENAGE – Teenagers & Youth In Music 1951-1960 (Compiled by JON SAVAGE)” by VARIOUS ARTISTS. A Review Of The Nov 2011 CD Compilation on Bear Family.

"…She's A Boogie Woogie Teenage…Boogie Woogie All Night Long…"

Released November 2011, Bear Family BCD 17242 AH breaks down as follows (I’ve added US 45 release dates and catalogue numbers – except where noted):

1. Too Young - NAT 'KING' COLE (1951, Capitol 1448)
2. Wild, Wild Young Women - RUTH BROWN (1953, Atlantic 993)
3. Seventeen – BOYD BENNETT & HIS ROCKETS (1955, King 1470)
4. A Teenage Prayer – GALE STORM (1955, Dot 15436)
5. Boogie Woogie Teenager – DON JULIAN & THE MEADOWLARKS
(1956, Dootone 405 [B-side of "I'm A Believer"]
6. Teenage Mambo – THE GAYLARKS (1956, Music City 805)
7. Teenage Partner – GENE VINCENT
(1957 USA LP, "Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps" LP on Capitol T 811,
1958 UK LP "A Gene Vincent Record Date" on Capitol T 1059)
8. Teenage Crush – TOMMY SANDS (1957, Capitol 3639)
9. I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent – FRANKIE LYMON & THE TEENAGERS (1957, Gee 1026)
10. Teenage Party – TOMMY STEELE
(1957 UK 7" on Decca F 10849, B-side of "Knee Deep In The Blues")
11. A Teenager’s Romance – RICKY NELSON (1957, Verve V 10047)
12. Young Blood – THE COASTERS (1957, Atco 6087)
13. The Eighteen Year Old Blues – STEVE CARL with THE JAGS (1958, Meteor 5046)
14. Teen Age Riot – PORTUGUESE JOE with THE TENNESSEE ROCKABILLYS
(1957, Surf SR 5018-45)
15. Sweet Little Sixteen – CHUCK BERRY (1958, Chess 1683)
16. Teenage Cutie – EDDIE COCHRAN
(1972 UK 2LP set "The Legendary Masters Series" on United Artists UAD 60017/18)
17. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen – JOHNNY CASH (1958, Sun 283)
18. School Of Rock 'n' Roll – GENE SUMMERS (1958, Jan 11-100)
19. (Got The) Teen-Age Blues – AL CASEY and THE BATS (1958, Highland 1002)
20. High School Confidential – JERRY LEE LEWIS (1958, Sun 296)
21. A Teenager Sings The Blues – DEAN EDWARDS (1959, Hanover 4501)
22. Teenage Love – THE FIVE CHESTERNUTS (1958 UK 7" on Columbia DB 4165)
23. I Was A Teenage Creature – LORD LUTHER (1958, Frantic F-107)
24. Sixteen Candles – THE CRESTS (1958, Coed 506)
25. A Teenager’s Letter Of Promises –
JUANITA ROGERS & LYN HOLLINGS with MR. V’S FIVE JOYS (1959, Pink Clouds 333)
26. High School U.S.A. – TOMMY FACENDA (1958, Legrand 1001/Atlantic 51-78)
27. A Teenager In Love – DION and THE BELMONTS (1959, Laurie 3027)
28. The Beat Generation – BOB McFADDEN and DOR [DOR is Rod McKuen]
(1959, Brunswick 9-55140)
29. Teen Beat – SANDY NELSON (1959, Original Sound 5)
30. High School Caesar – REGGIE PERKINS (1959, Ray Note S-9)
31. Ballad Of A Juvenile Delinquent – PHIL JOHNS and THE LONELY ONES (1960, River 2012)
32. Because They’re Young – DUANE EDDY and THE REBELS (1960, Jamie 1156)
33. Teen Street – JANIS MARTIN (1961, Palette PZ 5071)
34. Teen Angel – MARK DINNING (1960, MGM K 12845)

"Teenage…" is housed in Bear's now standard packaging – a 3-way foldout card digipak with an attached booklet. In this case we get 66 stunning pages worth of liner notes by compiler and music-lover JON SAVAGE. I've reviewed a compilation he did a few years back called "Meridian 1970" which was brilliant too. Like Bill Dahl, his paragraphs on each song are full of facts, wit and personal opinions. There’s a warmth and affection here that's just so enjoyable. The booklet is a joy - peppered with colour photos of US Teen magazines like "Dig", "Teen" and "Records Magazine", full-page colour covers of lurid paperbacks like "The Young Punks", "Savage Streets" and "Teenage Gangs" which we're reliably told are full of 'shocking stories' and 'frightening portraits' - yum yum! In fact as you sit there and ogle the superbly evocative presentation and listen to track-after-track of how 'teenagers' eventually took over the world – you’re struck by the deliciousness of it all – the possibility and the hope. The music sounds 'boss' too…

Mastered by JURGEN CRASSER, I’ve raved about his great transfers before – the 16 "Blowing The Fuse" CDs from 1945 to 1960 and the 10 "Sweet Soul Music" compilations from 1961 to 1970 (see reviews for nearly all of them). Given the hugely differing sources, the sound quality is uniformly SUPERB – and in some cases I'd swear it's better than what went before.

It opens badly. Whether it was Number 1 or not in 1951, few will say that the soothing vocals of Nat 'King' Cole had anything to do with teenagers and rebellion. But it improves immeasurably with the irrepressible "Wild, Wild Young Men" by Ruth Brown - you can literally 'feel' the sex and danger emanating from her every saucy line.

Genius comes in the shape of "Boogie Woogie Teenage" by Don Julian and The Meadowlarks – a sensational dancing rocker relegated to a 1956 B-side on Dootone (lyrics above) and the stark exciting rockabilly vibe of "Teenage Cutie" by Eddie Cochran – an outtake that finally saw the light of day on the 1972 2LP retrospective set "The Legendary Masters Series" – absolute winners both of them and very clever choices. Speaking of the wonderful Eddie – "(Got The) The Teen-Age Blues" by Al Casey & The Bats could easily be a re-run of "Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie" by Cochran and the "…don’t know what to do with my future…" misery of "The Eighteen Year Old Blues" by Steve Carl vocalized the thoughts of so many. The utterly bizarre comes in the shape of the 'werewolf' lyrics of "I Was A Teenage Creature" and the spookily spoken "A Teenager's Letter Of Promises" sounding not unlike Screaming Jay Hawkins meets Bobby 'Boris' Pickett & The Crypt Kickers (it sounds a little rough, but has been included for rarity value).

Then there are the 'themes' - the classroom in "High School Confidential" by Jerry Lee Lewis and the superb "School Of Rock 'n' Roll" by Gene Summers (both imbibed with genuine wildness and parent-filling fear) - "Teenage Crush" by Tommy Sands and "High School Caesar" by Reggie Perkins cover TV and films - while bullish behaviour and its consequences is everywhere in the constant pairing of the words 'teenagers' and 'delinquents'. Longing, necking and romance is handled by Gael Storm in "A Teenage Prayer", "A Teenager Sings The Blues" by Dean Edwards and Ricky Nelson's sappy "A Teenage Romance". Much more fun though is the naughty cockiness of "Young Blood" by The Coasters and the pre-surf instrumentals of Sandy Nelson's wonderful "Teen Beat" and Duane Eddy’s biggest hit "Because You're Young". There’s drive-in doo-wop and melodrama - George Lucas featured the extraordinarily evocative "Sixteen Candles" by The Crests in his 1973 masterpiece "American Graffiti" while the morbid "Teen Angel" by Mark Dinning hit the collective nerve and went to No. 1. Young lust and angst are covered by Boyd Bennett and his "Seventeen" with happier thoughts in "Teenage Party" by Tommy Steele. Perhaps conspicuous by his absence - is the biggest corrupter of them all and surely a close relative of Beelzebub – Elvis Presley. I bet he’s giggling at this compilation right now…and admiring his female counterpart – Janis Martin as she rock’n’roll’s "Teen Street".

Niggles - while Savage’s brief is to chronicle the youth phenomenon that swept the USA and then the world in the mid to late Fifties - long-time Collectors will probably sigh at the overly familiar here – Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Dion & The Belmonts and Frankie Lymon – tracks they probably have two or three times over. But looking deeper into the generous 34 tracks (and its huge playing time of 83:04 minutes), there are rarities and first-time-on-CD gems here well worth the purchase. "Ballad Of A Juvenile Delinquent" by Phil Johns is a musical find with lyrics that go from the Malls to the Jailhouse in 2 minutes 50. Tommy Facenda's "High School U.S.A." is said to have had 28 versions recorded by Atlantic – each name-checking specific high-schools in different States - a trick that worked because it garnished a No. 28 placing on the National charts in 1959.

This CD is fun and beautifully presented. And best of all it captures what it was like to be young in the Fifties and poppin' coins into a jukebox to hear the soundtrack to your life…

Great stuff.

"The Doobie Brothers/Toulouse Street" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (2011 Edsel 2CD Reissue and Remasters with Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…We Got To Let The Music Play…"

Bit of a bargain this one to say the bleeding least. Two forgotten but brilliant Doobie Brothers 70ts albums featuring their ace Lead Guitarist – Tom Johnston – and both bolstered up with cool Bonus Tracks and utterly Amazing Audio/presentation. What’s not to love - here are the ‘Listen To The Music’ details...

UK released 29 August 2011 (6 September 2011 in the USA) – "The Doobie Brothers/Toulouse Street" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS on Edsel/Rhino EDSD 2104 (Barcode 740155210434) offers 2LPs onto 2CDs with Bonus Tracks and breaks down as follows...

Disc 1 (71:41 minutes):

1. Nobody

2. Slippery St. Paul

3. Greenwood Creek

4. It Won’t Be Right

5. Travelin’ Man

6. Feelin’ Down Farther [Side 2]

7. The Master

8. Growin’ A Little Each Day

9. Beehive State

10. Closer Every Day

11. Chicago

Tracks 1 to 11 are their debut studio album "The Doobie Brothers" - released April 1971 on Warner Brothers BS 1919 in the USA and on Warner Brothers K 46090 in the UK

BONUS TRACKS:

12. Nobody (Single Remix)

13. Daughters Of The Sea (Demo)

14. Armadillo Death Chant

15. Osbourne (Long Train Running)

16. Four Days Gone

17. Spiel

18. Lovin’ My Way Back Home

19. Pat’s Song

20. Bluejay

21. Peace In The Valley

Tracks 12 to 21 first appeared on the 1999 4CD Rhino Box Set "Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000".

Track 12 is their April 1971 debut US 45 "Nobody" on Warner Brothers WB 7495. Tracks 13 to 16 and 17 to 21 are studio outtakes from the first album recorded 9 July 1971 and 6 October 1971 respectively

Disc 2 (48:16 minutes):

1. Listen To The Music

2. Rockin’ Down The Highway

3. Mamaloi

4. Toulouse Street

5. Cotton Mouth

6. Don’t Start Me Talkin’ [Side 2]

7. Jesus Is Just Alright

8. White Sun

9. Disciple

10. Snake Man

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 2nd studio album "Toulouse Street" - released July 1972 on Warner Brothers BS 2634 in the USA and Warner Brothers K 46183 in the UK (reached number 21 on the US album charts)

BONUS TRACKS:

11. Listen To The Music (Single Remix)

12. Rockin’ Down The Highway (Single Remix)

13. Listen To The Music (Steve Rodway Extended Remix)

The US 45s for "Listen To The Music" released August 1972 on Warner Brothers WB 7619 and "Rockin' Down The Highway" released December 1972 on Warner Brothers WB 7661 (B-side of "Jesus Is Just Alright").

Track 13 is "Listen To The Music (Steve Rodway Extended Remix)" released April 1994 in the UK on Warner Brothers W0228T (12”) and W0228CD (CD single)  

The booklet apes the others in this series (a great deal more substantial than what's gone before) - 24-pages feature original album artwork (including the inner gatefold sleeve of "Toulouse Street"), the lyrics (a first for both LPs), musician credits and an informative 6-page history by ALAN ROBINSON on both albums and their impact. It's superbly done. A small mistake is that both albums were originally on the 'Tan' Warner Brothers label in both countries - they've pictured the late Seventies cream label for "The Doobie Brothers" and the 'Burbank' label for "Toulouse Street" (which is a mid-Seventies). But aside from these niggles, the really big news is the fabulous new SOUND...

I've had all of the 2006 Japanese Remasters (in 5" card repro sleeves) to have the music - but here the remaster by PHIL KINRADE at ALCHEMY in London is stunning and far better. The clarity is amazing. The first LP is a little hissy in places fro sure, but by the time you get to “Toulouse Street” Ted Templeman’s production values are amazing and fully realized in the transfer. His name has long been associated with the band (and later on with Van Halen).

Their debut album is a mixture of the ordinary and the inspired – a band launching itself – a group getting there. Their debut US 7" single "Nobody" is a great starting point for any career and set up their "Doobie' sound for the first half of the Seventies. The wonderfully slinky acoustics of "Slippery St. Paul" is another firm fan favourite. Their cover of Randy Newman's "Beehive State" hints at the Rock of the 1973 album masterpiece "The Captain And Me", but better is the two finishers by Patrick Simmons – "Closer Every Day" and "Chicago". The extras were all on the 4CD Rhino box of 1999 so if you couldn’t afford that – they are a clever addition here. "Daughters Of The Sea" finally surfaced on their 4th album "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" in 1974 while "Osborne" is an early version of their most famous song – "Long Train Runnin'" that would eventually turn on their 3rd album "The Captain And Me".

If their debut promised much then "Toulouse Street" delivered. It was rewarded with an album chart placing of 21 on the strength of two hugely commercial singles - "Listen To The Music" (lyrics above) and "Jesus Is Just Alright" (a 1966 gospel song written by Albert Reid Reynolds that was a minor single for The Byrds in 1969). These incredibly catchy songs charted at 11 and 35 respectively and established the Doobies as Adult Rock Radio staples. Their cover of the Seals and Crofts song "Cotton Mouth" is excellent while they just about pull off a version of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don’t Start Me Talking". Better still is the lovely Jamaica shuffle of "Mamaloi" and the truly excellent "Toulouse Street" (both Patrick Simmons songs). The title track has graced many a 70’s Fest CD I’ve made. The acoustic blues feel of "Snake Man" finishes the album in style – and sounds incredible. The two 'Single Remixes' are helpful inclusions, but the truly awful 90's Remix of "Listen To The Music" may evoke murderous tendencies in even the most pacifistic of fans – a travesty best forgotten. The "Jesus Is Just Alright" 7" single was a shorter edit than the full album version – and that would have been a more appropriate last track.

So there you have it. Doobie Brothers fans have waited decades to see their band's back catalogue on Warner Brothers be given the right reissue treatment - and England's Edsel label (who have struck a licensing deal with WEA) has done them proud.

To sum up – albums that deserves a second chance, superb remastering, genuine bonuses, tasteful presentation and all topped off with a dirt-cheap price. Buy the lot in confidence.

PS: there are 4 releases in this series to date (all with bonus tracks):

1. The Doobie Brothers (1971) / Toulouse Street (1972) on Edsel EDSD 2104

2. The Captain And Me (1973) / What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974) on Edsel EDSD 2105

3. Stampede (1975) / Takin' It To The Streets (1976) on Edsel EDSD 2106

4. Livin' On The Fault Line (1977) / Minute By Minute (1978) on Edsel EDSD 2107

"The Captain And Me/What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - 1973 and 1974 Studio Albums on Warner Brothers with Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons (August 2011 UK Edsel Compilation - 2LPs with Rhino Remasters onto 2CDs with Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…Tell Me What You Want And I'll Give You What A Need…"

Two absolute Seventies Rock nuggets on offer here for the Tom Johnston era of THE DOOBIE BROTHERS – both albums sounding spiffing and raring to go. Here come the Abraham Lincoln hats, half-cut bridges and teams of wild horses…

UK released 31 August 2011 as a 2CD set (6 September 2011 in the USA) – "The Captain And Me/What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS on Edsel EDSD 2105 (Barcode 740155210533) offers two LPs onto 2CDs with Bonus Tracks and breaks down as follows...

Disc 1 (66:24 minutes):

1. Natural Thing

2. Long Train Runnin’

3. China Grove

4. Dark-Eyed Cajun Woman

5. Clear As The Driven Snow

6. Without You [Side 2]

7. South City Midnight Lady

8. Evil Woman

9. Busted Down Around O’Connelly Corners

10. Ukiah

11. The Captain And Me

Tracks 1 to 11 are their 3rd studio album "The Captain And Me" - released March 1973 on Warner Brothers K 46217 in the UK and Warner Brothers BS 2694 in the USA (reached number 7 on the US charts)

Tracks 12 to 14 are 3 remixes of "Long Train Runnin'" which was reissued November 1993 on a 12" single (W0217T) and CD single (W0217CD) in the UK to promote the Warners "Long Train Runnin' - Very Best Of" compilation of May 1993. It reached Number 7 on the UK singles chart. The three remixes are (Sure Is Pure Mix), (Full Guitar Mix) and (Done On A Shoestring Mix).

Disc 2 (44:45 minutes):

1. Song To See You Through

2. Spirit

3. Pursuit on 53rd St.

4. Black water

5. Eyes Of Silver

6. Road Angel

7. You Just Can’t Stop It [Side 2]

8. Tell Me What You Want (And I’ll Give You What You Need)

9. Down In The Track

10. Another Park, Another Sunday

11. Daughters Of The Sea

12. Flying Cloud

Tracks 1 to 12 are their 4th studio album "What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" - released March 1974 on Warner Brothers K 56026 in the UK and Warner Brothers BS 2750 in the USA  (reached number 4 on the US charts)

The booklet is a great deal more substantial than what's gone before. The 24-pages feature original album artwork (including the inner gatefold sleeve of "Captain" and the poster that accompanied "Vices"), the lyrics (a first for both LPs), musician credits and an informative 6-page history by ALAN ROBINSON on both albums and their impact. It's superbly done. A small mistake is that "Captain" was originally on a 'Tan' Warner Brothers label in both countries - they've pictured the 'Burbank' label which is a mid-Seventies pressing ("Vices" was on Burbank originally). But the really big news is the fabulous new SOUND...

I've had all of the 2006 Japanese Remasters (in 5" card repro sleeves) to have the music - but here the remaster by PHIL KINRADE at ALCHEMY in London is stunning and far better. The clarity is amazing. It helps of course that the original production on each album by Ted Templeman was so razor sharp in the first place (he's long been associated with the band and more famously with Van Halen).

Bubbling under with "The Doobie Brothers" (1971) and "Toulouse Street" (1972) - the stunning "Captain And Me" changed everything for them - and is probably their most beloved album (outside of "Minute By Minute" from 1978) in their entire catalogue. It's one of those Seventies albums where it's 'all' good. Staples like "China Grove", "Long Train Runnin'", the lovely "South City Midnight Lady" and the riffage of "Without You" still raise a tear in the eye of any Doobie fan. But then there are the unsung gems - the almost Montrose rock of "Evil Woman", the chipper "Ukiah" and the brilliantly constructed Patrick Simmons masterpiece "Clear As The Driven Snow" that finishes Side 1 - fantastic stuff. The sound quality here is truly gorgeous too - the 48-second acoustic instrumental of "Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners" on Side 2 will rattle around your speakers in an impressively clear audiophile manner.

After the sheer brilliance and song-assault of "Captain" - I recall that some perceived "Vices" as something of a disappointment. Personally I loved it to bits at the time - and more importantly, it absolutely deserves reappraisal now as one of the Doobie greats. A far funkier element crept into their songs - so very Little Feat in ways. To this day I play "You Just Can't Stop It" all the time. And you can hear why "Black Water" was a Number 1 single in the USA. "Daughters Of The Sea" is a cracker too as is the acoustic cleverness of "Spirit". "Another Park, Another Sunday" and "Tell Me What You Want" (lyrics above) are as lovely as anything they ever produced. Mightily impressive stuff really...and all of it sounding just spiffing. 

So there you have it. Doobie Brothers fans have waited decades to see their band's back catalogue on Warner Brothers be given the right reissue treatment - and England's Edsel label (who have struck a licensing deal with WEA) has done them proud.

To sum up - great music, superb remaster, really good presentation and a dirt-cheap price. Buy the lot in confidence.

PS: there are 4 releases in this series to date (all with bonus tracks):

1. The Doobie Brothers (1971) / Toulouse Street (1972) on Edsel EDSD 2104

2. The Captain And Me (1973) / What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974) on Edsel EDSD 2105

3. Stampede (1975) / Takin' It To The Streets (1976) on Edsel EDSD 2106

4. Livin' On The Fault Line (1977) / Minute By Minute (1978) on Edsel EDSD 2107

"Taking Some Time On – The Parlophone-Harvest Years (1968-73)" by BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST (2011 EMI/Harvest 5CD Box Set) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 300+ Others Is Available In My

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"…Come On Let's Get Together…"

UK released 18 July 2011 - "Taking Some Time On: The Parlophone-Harvest Years (1968-73)" by BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST features 69-tracks across 5CDs and is housed in a double jewel case (with fold-out flaps on the inside for some of the discs). Here's a detailed breakdown of EMI/Harvest 5099908378826 (SHTW 802)…

Disc 1 (60:56 minutes)

Tracks 1 & 2 are "Early Morning" and "Mr. Sunshine" – the non-album A&B-sides of the band’s debut UK 7” single released 26 April 1969 on Parlophone R 5693

3. So Tomorrow

4. Eden Unobtainable

5. Eden Unobtainable (May 1968 Version)

Tracks 3 to 5 are a 'BBC Top Gear Session' recorded live 23 April 1968

6. Night

7. Pools Of Blue

8. Need You Oh So Bad

9. Small Time Town

10. Dark Now My Sky

Tracks 6 to 10 are a 'BBC Top Gear Session' recorded live 30 July 1968

Tracks 11 and 12 are "Brother Thrush" and "Poor Wages" – the non-album A&B-sides of their 2nd UK single on Harvest HAR 5003 (released 20 June 1969)

Track 13 is "Mocking Bird" (May 1970 version at 6:17 minutes)

[Another version at 6:39 minutes is on the "Once Again" album on Disc 2]

14. Taking Some Time ON

15. Mother Dear

16. The Sun Will Never Shine

17. When The World Was Woken

Tracks 14 to 17 are Side 1 of their debut LP "Their First Album" released 5 June 1970 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 770

Disc 2 (62:42 minutes):

1. Good Love Child

2. The Iron Maiden

3. Dark Now My Sky

Tracks 1 to 3 are Side 2 of "Their First Album" (as per 14 to 17 on Disc 1)

Track 4 "I Can’t Go On Without You" was a 'Bonus Track' on the expanded 2002 CD of "Their First Album"

5. She Said

6. Happy Old World

7. Song For Dying

8. Galadriel

9. Mocking Bird

10. Vanessa Simmons

11. Ball And Chain

12. Lady Loves

Tracks 5 to 12 are their 2nd album "Once Again" released 5 February 1971 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 788

Disc 3 (66:39 minutes):

1. Introduction-White Sails (A Seascape)

2. Too Much On Your Plate

3. Galadriel (Non Orchestral Version)

4. Happy Old World (Take One)

5. Song For Dying (Full Un-edited Version)

6. Mocking Bird (Extended Non-Orchestral Version)

7. Dark Now My Sky (Live March 1971)

Tracks 1 to 7 are bonus tracks on the CD of "Once Again"

8. Galadriel

9. She Said

10. Someone There You Know

11. Ursula (The Swansea Song)

12. Medicine Man

Tracks 8 to 12 are a 'Bob Harris Session' recorded for the BBC on 29 June 1971

Disc 4 (67:06 minutes):

1. Medicine Man

2. Someone There You Know

3. Harry’s Song

4. Ursula (The Swansea Song)

5. Little Lapwing

6. Song With No Meaning

7. Blue John’s Blues

8. The Poet

9. After The Day

Tracks 1 to 9 are their 3rd album "And Other Short Stories" released 5 November 1971 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 794

Track 10 is "Brave New World (Demo Version)" – a bonus track on the "And Other Short Stories" CD of 2002

Track 11 is "Child Of Man" recorded for a 'Bob Harris Session' on 15 March 1972

Tracks 12 and 13 are "I'm Over You" and "Child Of Man" – the non-album A&B-sides of a UK 7” single released 28 April 1972 on Harvest HAR 5051

Tracks 14 and 15 are "Breathless" and "When The City Sleeps" (with the band credited as BOMBADIL) – the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single released 29 September 1971 on Harvest HAR 5056

Track 16 is "Medicine Man" – released 20 October 1972 as the non-album B-side of "Thank You" on Harvest HAR 5058

Disc 5 (60:41 minutes):

1. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out

2. Delph Town Morn

3. Summer Soldier

Tracks 1 to 3 are a 'Bob Harris Session' for the BBC recorded 9 October 1972

4. Crazy Over (You)

5. Delph Town Morn

6. Summer Soldier

7. Thank You

8. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out

9. Moonwater

Tracks 4 to 9 are their 4th LP "Baby James Harvest" released 10 November 1972 in the UK on Harvest SHSP 4023

Track 10 is "Thank You (Alternate Version)" is a bonus track on the 2002 expanded CD of "Baby James Harvest"

Track 11 and 12 are "Rock And Roll Woman" and "The Joker" – the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single released 4 May 1973 on Harvest HAR 5068

The discs themselves all have the distinctive 'Harvest' label logo and there are pictures of the band beneath the see-through trays (a nice touch). But its also one of those fiddly and easy to break double jewel-cases - so you need to be a tad careful handling it. The booklet has excellent liner notes by MALCOM DOME, but at 12-pages is a fairly slight affair. However it does picture concert tickets, flyers, badges, posters, small shots of the four album sleeves etc…and of course full discography info.

But the really great news is the superb new remastered sound. Done by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios, I've praised his exceptional transfer work before (see reviews for the Deluxe Editions of Dr. Feelgood's "Down By The Jetty", David Bowie's "David Bowie", Free's "Fire And Water" and Jethro Tull's "This Was") – here it's the same. The audio is very clear despite the denseness of the instrumentation, powerful without being over-trebled for effect and full of presence. (See the 'tag' marked "Peter Mew Remasters" above this review and it will give you a pictorial of 40 great reissues he’s been involved in).

The music as you can imagine is a mixed bag of the great and the merely good. Comparison-wise BJH were actually hard to pin down (constantly experimenting with their 'sound' as the liner notes explain). The Mellotron gives a song like the lovely "Mocking Bird" a sort Moody Blues feel with a faint hint of Nick Drake's melancholy – while the compilation’s title track "Taking Some Time On" (lyrics above) rocks it up with the best of them (albeit in a very Seventies Prog Rock kind of a way). The early BBC stuff (expertly engineered by the greatly missed BBC engineer and character BERNIE ANDREWS) is tight and impressive. It's all very inviting somehow. And you can feel them inching towards "Time Honoured Ghosts" and "Octoberon" (their popular 1975 and 1976 Polydor LPs) by the time you get to the strings and acoustic bedroom melodrama of "Medicine Man" and "Song With No Meaning" on Disc 4. 

To sum up - die-hard BJH fans will know that the 2002 remasters for the first four LPs - "Their First Album" [aka "Barclay James Harvest"], "Once Again", "And Other Short Stories" and "Baby James Harvest" - are all here along with their large number of bonus tracks (64 songs in total). So there are only 5 new additions. But for the casual buyer however - you get 4 whole albums worth, 5 rare non-album 45s (A&B-sides) and a slew of live BBC Sessions and other rarities. A huge haul in great sound and all at a very reasonable cost…