"Faith & Grace: A Family Journey 1953-1976" by THE STAPLE SINGERS (November 2015 Stax 4CD Box Set - Paul Blakemore Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...A Long Walk To D.C...."

It feels like I've been waiting nearly 4 decades for this Universal/Stax Box Set – and as much as I love the fact that the hugely underrated first family of Soul THE STAPLE SINGERS are at last being celebrated with a full on retrospective – "Faith & Grace" has real problems in its presentation (packaging that actually damages the discs) and could have contained so much more in terms of actual content.

On the upside though it also boasts some of the most extraordinary Audio Remastering of their catalogue that I've ever had the pleasure of laying my tired old lugs on. This box set sounds truly fabulous - SACD-good in places. So if you’re ready...come go with me...

UK released December 2015 (November 2015 in the USA) – "Faith & Grace: A Family Journey 1953-1976" by THE STAPLE SINGERS on Stax STX 36969-02 (Barcode 88072369696) is a 7" Single-Sized 4CD Book Set - An 80-Track Career Retrospective with a Repro 7" Vinyl Single Included (their first ever 78" release in 1953 on Royal Records 204 of 500 copies with "Faith And Grace" on the A-side and "These Are They" on the B – neither included on the CDs) and a 56-Page Attached Booklet with new essays and annotation. It plays out as follows:

Disc 1, Burgundy Vee-Jay Label  (52:57 minutes):

1. It Rained Children (September 1953 US 78" on United U-165, A, Mono)

2. I Just Can't Keep It To Myself (1954 US LP by The Caravans (Side 1) and The Staple Singers (Side 2) called "A Gospel Program" on Gospel Records MG 3001, Mono)

3. Each Day (1963 US Mono LP "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" on Vee-Jay LP-5030)

4. God's Wonderful Love (1956 US 7" single and 78" on Vee-Jay 169, A – and on the 1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee-Jay Records LP-5000)

5. If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again (1956 US 7" single and 78" on Vee-Jay 169, B of "God's Wonderful Love" – and on the 1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee-Jay Records LP-5000)

6. I've Got A New Home (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

7. Uncloudy Day (November 1956 US 7" single and 78" on Vee-Jay VJ 224, A – and on the 1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee-Jay Records LP-5000)

8. Come On Up In Glory (1960 US Mono LP "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" on Vee-Jay LP 5008)

9. I Know I've Got Religion (November 1956 US 7" single and 78" on Vee-Jay VJ 224, B – and on the 1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee-Jay Records LP-5000)

10. Swing Down Chariot (Let Me Ride) (1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee-Jay Records LP-5000)

11. I Had A Dream (1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee Jay Records LP-5000)

12. Help Me Jesus (1958 US 7" single on Vee Jay 856, B-side of "I Had A Dream" – and 1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee Jay Records LP-5000)

13. Love Is The Way (1958 US 7" single on Vee Jay 866, A – and 1959 US Mono LP "Uncloudy Day" on Vee Jay Records LP-5000)

14. This May Be The Last Time (Alternate Take) (1961 US Mono LP "Swing Low" on Vee Jay LP-5014)

15. So Soon (1959 US 7" single on Vee Jay VJ 881, B-side of "Downward Road" – and on the 1960 US Mono LP "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" on Vee Jay LP-5008)

16. I'm So Glad (1963 US 7" single on Vee Jay VJ 930, non-album B-side of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot")

17. Pray On (1960 US 7" single on Vee Jay VJ 893, A – and on the 1960 US Mono LP "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" on Vee Jay LP-5008)

18. Good News (1961 US Mono LP "Swing Low" on Vee Jay LP-5014)

19. Downward Road (1959 US 7" single on Vee Jay VJ 881, A – and on the 1960 US Mono LP "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" on Vee Jay LP-5008)

20. Don't Drive Me Away (April 1960 US 7" single on Vee Jay VJ 885, A – and on the 1960 US Mono LP "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" on Vee Jay LP-5008)

NOTES: All Tracks Are MONO – Track 6 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Disc 2, Black Vee-Jay Label (68:34 minutes):

1. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (April 1960 US 7" single on Vee-Jay VJ 885, B-side of "Don't Drive Me Away" – and on the 1960 US Mono LP "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" on Vee-Jay LP-5008)

2. Don't Knock (September 1961 US 7" single on Vee-Jay VJ 902, A – and on the 1960 US Mono LP "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" on Vee-Jay LP-5008)

3. Medley: Too Close/I'm On My Way Home/I'm Coming Home/He's Alright (Live) (Full Medley - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

4. Swing Low (August 1972 US 7" single on Vee-Jay VJ 912, B-side of "Sit Down Servant" – and on the 1961 US Mono LP "Swing Low" on Vee Jay LP-5014)

5. Calling Me (1961 US Mono LP "Swing Low" on Vee-Jay LP-5014)

6. Stand By Me (1961 US Mono LP "Swing Low" on Vee-Jay LP-5014)

7. Hammer And Nails (June 1962 US 7" single on Riverside R-4518, A – and 1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "Hammer And Nails" on Riverside RLP 3501 (Mono) and RLP 93501 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

8. Gloryland (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "Hammer And Nails" on Riverside RLP 3501 (Mono) and RLP 93501 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

9. Hear My Call, Here (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "Hammer And Nails" on Riverside RLP 3501 (Mono) and RLP 93501 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

10. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "Hammer And Nails" on Riverside RLP 3501 (Mono) and RLP 93501 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

11. New-Born Soul (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "Hammer And Nails" on Riverside RLP 3501 (Mono) and RLP 93501 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

12. Dying Man's Plea (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "Hammer And Nails" on Riverside RLP 3501 (Mono) and RLP 93501 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

13. Great Day (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "Hammer And Nails" on Riverside RLP 3501 (Mono) and RLP 93501 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

14. There Was A Star (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "The Twenty-Fifth Day Of December" on Riverside RLP 3513 (Mono) and RLP 93513 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

15. Use What You Got (1962 US Mono and Stereo LP "The Twenty-Fifth Day Of December" on Riverside RLP 3513 (Mono) and RLP 93513 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

16. Let That Liar Alone (1963 US Mono and Stereo LP "This Land" on Riverside RM 3524 (Mono) and RS 93524 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

17. I Can't Help From Cryin' Sometime (1964 US Mono and Stereo LP "This Little Light" on Riverside RM 3527 (Mono) and RS 93527 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

18. Blowin' In The Wind (1963 US Mono and Stereo LP "This Land" on Riverside RM 3524 (Mono) and RS 93524 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

19. This Land Is Your Land (1963 US Mono and Stereo LP "This Land" on Riverside RM 3524 (Mono) and RS 93524 (Stereo) – Stereo Used. A Woody Guthrie cover)

20. I Know I've Been Changed (Recorded 13 June 1963 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

NOTES: Tracks 1 to 6 are MONO, Tracks 7 to 20 are STEREO, Tracks 3 and 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Disc 3, Black Riverside Label (65:11 minutes):

1. A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall (1964 US Mono and Stereo LP "This Little Light" on Riverside RM 3527 (Mono) and RS 93527 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

2. Masters Of War (1964 US Mono and Stereo LP "This Little Light" on Riverside RM 3527 (Mono) and RS 93527 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

3. What Are They Doing (in Heaven Today) (1964 US Mono and Stereo LP "This Little Light" on Riverside RM 3527 (Mono) and RS 93527 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

4. Wish I Had Answered [Live At Newport] (1965 US Stereo LP "Newport Folk Festival 1964 – Evening Concerts Vol.2" on Vanguard VSD-79185)

5. I’ll Fly Away (1964 US 7" single on D-Town 204, A)

6. Tell Him What You Want (1964 US 7" single on D-Town 206, A – Tracks 5 and 6 as The Stapleton Singers)

7. Be Careful Of The Stones You Throw (1965 US LP "Amen" on Epic LN 24132) (Mono) and BN 26123 (Stereo) – Stereo Used)

8. Samson & Delilah (1965 US LP "Freedom Highway" on Epic LN 24163 (Mono) and BN 26163 (Stereo) – Stereo used)

9.As An Eagle Stirreth Her Nest (1965 US LP "Freedom Highway" on Epic LN 24163 (Mono) and BN 26163 (Stereo) – Stereo used)

10. Freedom Highway (Live) (1965 US LP "Freedom Highway" on Epic LN 24163 (Mono) and BN 26163 (Stereo) – Stereo used)

11. Why (Am I Treated So Bad) (May 1967 US 7" single on Epic 5-10158, A – and on the 1966 LP "Why" on Epic LN 24196 (Mono) and BN 26196 (Stereo) – Stereo used)

12. John Brown [Bob Dylan song] (1965 US LP "Freedom Highway" on Epic LN 24163 (Mono) and BN 26163 (Stereo) – Stereo used)

13. Waiting For My Child (1967 US LP "Pray On" on Epic LN 24237 (Mono) and BN 26237 (Stereo) – Stereo used)

14. It’s Been A Change (1967 US LP "Pray On" on Epic LN 24237 (Mono) and BN 26237 (Stereo) – Stereo used)

15. For What It's Worth [Buffalo Springfield cover – Stephen Stills song] (1967 US 7" single on Epic 10220, A – and on the 1971 US 2LP set "The Staple Singers Make You Happy" on Epic EG 30635 (2))

16. Let's Get Together (February 1968 US 7" single on Epic 5-10294, A – and on the 1968 Stereo LP "What The World Needs Now Is Love" on Epic BN 26373)

17. Crying In The Chapel (1968 US 7" single on Epic 5-10339, A – and on the 1968 Stereo LP "What The World Needs Now Is Love" on Epic BN 26373)

18. Long Walk To D.C. (August 1968 US 7" single on Stax STA-0007, A – and on the 1968 US Stereo LP "Soul Folk In Action" on Stax STS-2004)

19. Got To Be Some Changes (December 1968 US 7" single on Stax STA-0019, B-side of "The Ghetto" – and on the 1968 US Stereo LP "Soul Folk In Action" on Stax STS-2004)

20. Slow Train (on the 1968 US Stereo LP "Soul Folk In Action" on Stax STS-2004)

NOTES: All Tracks in STEREO, No Previously Unreleased

Disc 4, Yellow Stax Records Label (79:21 minutes):

1. I See It (on the 1968 US Stereo LP "Soul Folk In Action" on Stax STS-2004)

2. The Ghetto (December 1968 US 7" single on Stax STA-0019, A – and on the 1968 US Stereo LP "Soul Folk In Action" on Stax STS-2004)

3. When Will We Be Paid (October 1969 US 7" single on Stax STA-0052, A – and on the 1969 US Stereo LP "We'll Get Over" on Stax STS-2016)

4. God Bless The Children (June 1970 US 7" single on Stax STA-0074, B-side of "Brand New Day" – and on the 1969 US Stereo LP "We'll Get Over" on Stax STS-2016)

5. The Challenge (June 1969 US 7" single on Stax STA-0039, A – and on the 1969 US Stereo LP "We’ll Get Over" on Stax STS-2016)

6. Brand New Day (Theme From The Motion Picture The Landlord) (August 1970 US 7" single on Stax STA-0074, A (Single Version) – written, produced and featuring Al Kooper)

7. Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom) (November 1970 US 7" single on Stax STA-0083, A – and on the 1971 US LP "The Staple Swingers" on Stax STS-2034)

8. I Like The Things About You (from the 1971 US LP "The Staple Swingers" on Stax STS-2034)

9. You’re Gonna Make Me Cry (September 1971 US 7" on Stax STA-0104, B-side of "Respect Yourself" – and from the 1971 US LP "The Staple Swingers" on Stax STS-2034)

10. Respect Yourself (September 1971 US 7" on Stax STA-0104, A – and from the 1972 US LP "Be Altitude: Respect Yourself" on Stax STS-3002)

11. I'll Take You There (May 1972 US 7" on Stax STA-0125, A – and from the 1972 US LP "Be Altitude: Respect Yourself" on Stax STS-3002)

12. This World (July 1972 US 7" on Stax STA-0137, A – and from the 1972 US LP "Be Altitude: Respect Yourself" on Stax STS-3002)

13. I'm Just Another Soldier (May 1972 US 7" on Stax STA-0125, B-side of "I'll Take You There" – and from the 1972 US LP "Be Altitude: Respect Yourself" on Stax STS-3002)

14. Are You Sure (July 1972 US 7" on Stax STA-0137, B-side of "This World" – and from the 1972 US LP "Be Altitude: Respect Yourself" on Stax STS-3002)

15. If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) (September 1973 US 7" single on Stax STA-0179, A – and from the US LP "Be What You Are" on Stax STS-3015)

16. Touch A Hand, Make A Friend (January 1974 US 7" single on Stax STS-0196, A – and from the US LP "Be What You Are" on Stax STS-3015)

17. Back Road Into Town (July 1975 US 7" single on Stax STN-0248, A – and from the 1974 US LP "City In The Sky" on Stax STS-5515)

18. Let's Do It Again (October 1975 US 7" single on Curtom CMS 0109, A – and from the 1975 US LP "Let's Do It Again" on Curtom CU 5005)

19. The Weight [by The Band featuring The Staple Singers] (from the US 3LP Soundtrack Set to the 1978 movie "The Last Waltz" by The Band on Warner Brothers 3WS 3146)

20. Respect Yourself (Demo) by Mack Rice and Luther Ingram (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

NOTES: All Tracks in STEREO, Track 20 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

PACKAGING and SOUND:

Compiled by JOE McEWEN (Co-Produced by Chris Clough and Ryan Wilson) and with photos from the Epic and Stax Archives – the set certainly looks the part when it arrives – a 56-Page 7" single-sized book with 4CDs in hard-card flaps (each with a beautiful colour album cover repro’d). But once opened – the track page on the rear falls away and doesn’t fit into the package with any ease. Worse – the 4 card flaps holding the individual CDs have their discs rammed into them with a very small and tight lip to remove them from. This requires you grabbing the CD playing surface with your fingers and yanking the disc out – mine arrived with scuffs already and once removed a couple of times – all 4 were covered in scuff marks because the hard card lip won’t allow any other use. It's a staggeringly stupid design flaw and one that can’t be fixed. Worse - I found that Track 20 on Disc 2 – the Previously Unreleased "I Know I've Been Changed" refused to play after only two attempts because the disc got marked. I'm sending mine back – but if you do want to keep your copy – I'd suggest taking the discs out as carefully as possible first time – then placing them in protective white envelopes for CDs which can be easily purchased for not a lot of wedge. Don’t place them back in the slots – they’ll be damaged by extraction and your forty quid won’t be worth jack...

The 7" single is a nice touch visually – but practically you can't take it out either without damaging it so ends up feeling like a picturesque waste of space. Their career has been long and chart-wise dominated by 1968 onwards (their stays at Stax, Curtom and Warner Brothers). But looking at the piddly playing times of Discs 1 to 3 above (especially Disc 1) – it doesn't take a particular genius to work out that this should have been a 5-disc retrospective with each disc crammed with goodies. If you look at the Ace 2CD set I reviewed in 2004 "The Ultimate Collection: A Family Affair 1955-1984" – you can get a great 43-track career retrospective for fewer than fourteen quid and much better Previously Unreleased Tracks (4 absolute corkers). As it stands – "Faith & Grace" offers only a paltry four unreleased out of 80 cuts (none of which do much to enhance) - so this 4CD set feels overpriced and underwhelming from the outset.

The booklet is strangely laid out too. There's no Discography for either singles or LPs – the track-by-track 'annotated' credits boasted about on the sticker only give you a catalogue number but don’t tell you what album is what or whether a single is an A or a B-side (I’ve filled in all the blanks for that above). Not every album is represented in the text nor pictured either and their hugely successful Stax Records period is really only serviced by Disc 4 – when another CD of those albums cuts would have been preferable to the pretty but pointless 7" single. The 1975 recorded "Trippin' On Your Love" (which was only released in 1981 on a Stax LP) – is a huge fan fave and Northern Soul winner – and should be here. Chart singles like "You've Got To Earn It" (1971), "Oh Le De Da" (1972), "City In The Sky" (1974) and "New Orleans" (1976) are not here either. On the upside – at last we get the "Landlord" Soundtrack single – their version of Al Kooper's "Brand New Day" and the Mack Rice/Luther Ingram demo of "Respect Yourself" is interesting in its embryonic state. The live medley on Disc 3 is a full version too and the Dylan track "John Brown" is incredibly powerful – complete with spiffing audio.

The booklet is beautiful - a short 'Forward' by Mavis Staples, Pages 4 to 29 is an essay called "The Gospel Truth" by JAMES MILLER (Original Editor of the Rolling Stone History Of Rock & Roll and the Author of "Flowers In The Dustbin: The Rise Of Rock & Roll 1947-1977"), Pages 30 to 37 is called "The Staple Singers' Early Days" by OPAL LOUIS NATIONS – Author of "The Sensational Nightingales", Producer of the "Legendary Gospel Series" for Fantasy Records and "There Is No Sweeter Sound" Gospel Collections for Sony Music – and a final page called "Hammer And Nails" by compiler JOE McEWEN. There are some fabulous photos of the group at the Wattstax concert in 1972 as well as beautiful full-page colour album photos and key 7" singles. The card flaps feature Stax instrument charts while Page 52 has an August 1971 Stax Records 16-track session sheet for "Respect Yourself" and 4 other tunes. Typo errors – Track 13 on Disc should read "Love Is The Way" and not 'low' while Track 4 on Disc 3 credits the live album "Newport Folk Festival 1964: Evening Concerts Vol. 2" as Vanguard VSD 79183 when it should read VSD 79185.

All that niggling aside - there is (if you’ll forgive the dreadful pun) one saving grace – the extraordinary Audio Quality. This is without doubt the best The Staple Singers have ever sounded – and that includes all phases of their huge career. PAUL BLAKEMORE has done the Audio Mastering – a new name to me – but man oh man – do I want to pat the Paulster on the shoulder and then pin a huge remaster medal to his undoubtedly manly chest. The transfers on "Faith & Grace" are sublime from start to finish. As a lifelong Staples fan – I've been pining for this kind of Remaster for decades – and while Joe Tarantino did a blinder on "Be Altitude" in the Stax Remasters Series – the audio here trounces all that's gone before it. Even something as familiar as "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" from their Stax heyday or the ethereal "Uncloudy Day" from the Fifties – it all sounds fresh – present – and not supressed by any noise damping. The opener "It Rained Children" from 1953 sounds like it was recorded yesterday – that eerie Pops Guitar – Mavis taking Lead – absolutely beautiful – Sam Cooke SACD good. But if I were to isolate one track - it would be the stunning flipside of “Respect Yourself” – the slow and Bluesy "You're Gonna Make Me Cry". I’ve got this forgotten winner at least three times on CD and in each case the hiss levels are right up there – to a point where it begins to impede on the listen. Not here – the real tape has been used – and the power of those stop-start brass jabs combined with crystal clear Soulful Mavis vocals - just nails it. There is air there and analogue warmth – it’s just not as forced or as intrusive. Track after track is like this – bringing beautiful clarity and freshness to every song. Superbly done...and deserved of some kind of Grammy for mastering...

More stunning Audio comes with the 'different nationality' segregation song "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" where Pops takes Lead Vocals while the family backs him on the 'done nobody wrong' chorus – his guitar and the rhythm full of gorgeous presence and clarity. The first three CDs concentrate on their Gospel Period from 1953 right through to late 1967 touching glorious milestones like “Uncloudy Day” and “Hammer And Nails”. Throughout the audio is fab with only the occasional track showing excessive hiss. By the time you get to the last three songs on Disc 3 – you’ve reached their all-important signing to Stax Records – where for me – the real magic begins. The languid smooch of "Slow Train" is particularly beautiful and stunners like "Are You Sure", "I'll Take You There" and the sexy-lovely Curtis Mayfield collaboration "Let's Do It Again" shines like new. The final two include The Band at "The Last Waltz" concert/film doing a cover of their own "The Weight" with The Staple Singers adding vocal power - finally finishing on a slightly bizarre and misplaced demo of "Respect Yourself" with Mack Rice and Luther Ingram giving it some social conscience (the demo is good but not nearly as potent as the finished article and its a bummer that there's no really decent unreleased tracks from that halcyon period).

To sum up - although its over-priced and a tad underwhelming content-wise - I love the Audio presentation (even if there is way too much Gospel material on Discs 1 to 3), the attached book is magnificent to look at and the liner notes good – but that rather dumb packaging problem is going to mean that people’s CDs start getting damaged very early on – and that needs to be fixed...

"Spyglass Guest" by GREENSLADE (26 October 2018 Esoteric Recordings 2CD Reissue - Ben Wiseman Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

TThis Review Along With Over 310 Others Is Available In My

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites
CADENCE /CASCADE 

PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE...
And Others Genres Thereabouts
Exceptional CD Remasters

Covering 1967 to 1977 - It Also Focuses On

Fusion Rock, Acid Folk, Art Rock and Underground 

Just Click Below To Purchase

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"...Joie De Vivre..."

Whilst Thin Lizzy had its duel-guitar onslaught out front from 1974 onwards – British Prog Rockers GREENSLADE (who shared the musical landscape with the Lizzies around the same time) decided to forego guitars altogether and concentrate on two Keyboardists out front with a Bass Player/Singer and Drummer bringing up the rear.

The band had a huge musical history and pedigree that's worth elaborating on – leader and namesake Dave Greenslade cut his teeth with Chris Farlowe and The Fabulous Thunderbirds on their two Columbia Records albums in 1964 and 1966 only to then join up towards the end of that mercurial decade with Jon Hiseman and his fusion-art-rock outfit Colosseum. Greenslade contributed to their Vertigo Records debut "Valentyne Suite" (the label's November 1969 first LP on Vertigo VO 1), their second album "Those Who Are About To Die Salute You" on Fontana Records (also from 1969 - the band featuring Tony Reeves at this point) and their third record "Daughter Of Time" also on Vertigo Records in 1970 (Reeves had left but Chris Farlowe guested on some vocals). Dave is also on a final hurrah before the band disbanded with the 1971 live double "Colosseum Live". Second keyboardist Dave Lawson had done stints with Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band, Avant Garde jazzers The Web for their third album "I Spider" in 1970 (issued on Polydor Records – the first two LPs were on Deram) who then morphed into the uber-cultish Samurai that issued a self-titled rarity in 1971 on the obscure Greenwich Gramophone Company Records label. Drummer Andrew McCulloch had bashed his kit for no less than King Crimson on their 1970 LP "Lizard" and later hit the tom toms for the revered CBS act Fields on their self-titled debut in 1971.

Formed in 1972 from the ashes/exits of/from all these other bands – the foursome supergroup GREENSLADE were also riding on the wave of Progressive Rock's growing popularity - a complicated musical force that had been storming both the UK and USA in those formative years of 1970, 1971 and 1972. After signing to the prestigious Warner Brothers label – their self-titled debut was released February 1973 complete with deriguere Roger Dean logo and suitably flashy gatefold artwork (script writing akin to the inner sleeve on Yes' "Close To The Edge"). The Greenslade four-handed-man logo was in fact thought up by Dave Greenslade (drawn by Dean) to reflect the two sets of hands playing the music out front.

The stage seemed set for success too. Those other Proggy giants Emerson, Lake & Palmer (also heavily leaning towards keyboards over guitars) had put their third platter "Trilogy" up at No. 2 in August 1972 on the UK LP charts and would do the same to "Brain Salad Surgery" in December 1973 on their own record label - Manticore Records. YES would put their triple-live "Yessongs" on the No. 7 spot in May of 1973 only to replace that with the four-sided double-album studio beastie that was "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in December - both hugely ambitious and highly unlikely Top Ten entries ("Tales From Topographic Oceans" went all the way to No. 1). In other words - 1973 was a massive year for Prog Rock both artistically and commercially.

I say all of this because despite the press giving our fine-feathered newcomers loads of coverage (six clippings from Melody Maker and NME adorn the 24-page booklet of their debut "Greenslade") and despite their obvious Progressive Rock appeal and backdrop - Greenslade weren't the commercial success they should have been. Of the four albums they did in their classic period between 1973 and 1975 - it was only this - their third and most sophisticated work "Spyglass Guest" from August 1974 that charted - and even then at a lowly No. 34 for three weeks.

In many ways, Greenslade are a footnote in chart history now. That doesn't mean they aren't remembered with huge affection (they are) and on evidence of this exemplary and comprehensive reissue series from Cherry Red's 'Esoteric Recordings' - it's easy to hear why. Let's get to the Joie De Vivre...

UK released Friday, 26 October 2018 - "Spyglass Guest" by GREENSLADE on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22647 (Barcode 5013929474741) is an 'Expanded Edition' 2CD Reissue and new remaster of their 1974 Third Album with a Bonus CD of Eight Previously Unreleased 1974 BBC Recordings and it plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (38:54 minutes):

1. Spirit Of The Dance [Side 1]

2. Little Red Fry-Up

3. Rainbow

4. Siam Seesaw

5. Joie De Vivre [Side 2]

6. Red Light

7. Melancholic Race

8. Theme For An Imaginary Western

Tracks 1 to 8 are their third album "Spyglass Guest" - released August 1974 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56055 and November 1974 in the USA on Mercury SRM 1-1015. Produced by GREENSLADE and JEREMY ENSOR (Ensor former Bassist with Principal Edwards Magic Theatre) - it peaked at No. 34 on the UK LP charts (didn’t chart USA).

Disc 2 (52:32 minutes, all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

1. Joie De Vivre

2. Beside Manners Are Extra

3. Sundance

4. Red Light

5. Song Of The Dance

Tracks 1 to 5 recorded live 7 November 1974 for BBC Radio One's "In Concert" Series at the BBC Paris Theatre in London – Announcer ALAN BLACK - Producer JEFF GRIFFIN and CHRIS LYCETT

6. Mélange

7. Melancholic Race

8. Red Light

Tracks 6 to 8 recorded 6 November 1974 for BBC Radio One's "Bob Harris" Session

GREENSLADE was:

DAVE GREENSLADE – Organ, Fender Piano, Mellotron, Clavinet, Harmonium, ARP Synths, Glockenspiel and Tubular Bells

DAVE LAWSON – Acoustic Piano, Fender Piano, Clavinet, ARP Synths, Soprano Saxophones. Gong, Bell Tree and Lead Vocals

TONY REEVES – Bass Guitars

ANDREW McCULLOCH - Drums and Percussion

Guests:

DAVE 'CLEM' CLEMPSON [Bakerloo, Champion, Colosseum and Humble Pie] – Electric Guitar on "Little Red Fry-Up" and "Siam Seesaw"

ANDY ROBERTS [Everyone, Plainsong and Grimms] – Acoustic Guitars on "Siam Seesaw"

GRAHAM SMITH [String Driven Thing] – Violin on "Joie De Vivre"

(Engineer) GREGG JACKMAN – Recorded Church Noises on "Joie De Vivre"

(Producer) JEREMY ENSOR – Recorded Rain on "Rainbow"

The three-way fold out digipak is the generic packaging for all three of Esoteric's 2CD GREENSLADE reissues – each picture disc reflecting the original artwork cover – CD1 the gong and black panther front cover by Marcus Keef and CD2 one of the photos from inside the LP gatefold (Lawson penning lyrics). The 16-page booklet too (helmed by noted writer and musicologist MALCOLM DOME) comes with new interviews from Dave Greenslade and Dave Lawson and the whole thing is compiled, researched etc by resident Prog expert and label head honcho MARK POWELL. All colour snaps of the four boys in the studio (along with Engineers Gregg Jackman and Lindsay Kidd) that came with the original Warner Brothers inner gatefold are here (nothing new unfortunately) and the lyrics (missing from the debut reissue in this series) are thankfully present and accounted for too. There's discussion of the band’s career – the inclusion for the first time of a cover version (Jack Bruce's "Theme For An Imaginary Western") – the three-week recording process (15 May to 6 June) – guests guitarists and friends Andy Roberts and Clem Clempson both upping the aural ante hugely on songs like "Little Red Fry-Up" and especially the prize-winning instrumental "Siam Seesaw" – a change in sound Greenslade unfortunately never took on the road. In short the booklet is beautifully laid out - both looking and feeling substantial.

As one of my fave Prog albums of that year - soundwise this is a HUGE improvement over what has gone before – another fabulously clean and substantive Remaster from BEN WISEMAN who along with Paschal Byrne is Esoteric's go-to tape guy. Like most I've had the two Rhino/Edsel reissues these last few years that covered their first four albums (I reviewed the "Spyglass Guest/Time And Tide" twofer they put out in May 2011) – and whilst they were good – the audio here is a morning mist lifted off a muddied lake. Rehearsed and prepared in advance (the band’s motto) – you can hear the tight rhythm section so clearly – especially Andrew McCulloch whose drums seem to hover just beside the duelling keyboard whizzes as if they were an integral part of the overall soundscape and not just a rhythmic backdrop (very Crimson in fact). The rain effects on "Rainbow", the vocal interplay on "Little Red Fry-Up" and the gorgeous Roberts and Clempson guitars vs. Greenslade's keyboards of "Siam Seesaw" are now leaping and hopping through those creative time signatures – a triumph. To the album...

The debut and second LPs both came in 1973 (February and November) and by the time the band hit the studio for that difficult third platter – they had a Sympatico sound, a well-rehearsed pre-recording routine (practice, practice) and a sophistication that comes roaring off "Spyglass Guest" with aplomb (the title of thee album comes from lyrics in "Joie De Vivre" – a phrase no one seems to know the meaning of!). Side 1 opens with dancing synths, a Fender Rhodes and a Mellotron – like a steeplechase on keyboards. But it's the audio that thrills – those delicate Andrew McCulloch taps on the high hats now so clear. "Little Red Fry Up" has the guitar of former Colosseum axeman Dave "Clem" Clempson, while Andy Roberts of Liverpool Scene, Plainsong and Grimms did acoustic guitar on the lovely "Siam Seesaw". "Joie De Vivre" is excellent (lyrics above) – featuring Violin work from Graham Smith (String Driven Thing) trading off keyboard codas with Greenslade.

"Red Light" is the nearest they ever got to a single track – clever lyrics with the keys aping the melody. "Rainbow" opens with rainfall and a sinister piano lead-in – it's then added to by treated drum and cymbal patterns, which fades into a prettier piano passage halfway through that is beautifully produced by Jeremy Ensor (man does the Remaster really lift this). It’s very Prog and very good. The LP ends on a rather slow and plodding cover version of Jack Bruce's "Theme For An Imaginary Western" - a song Bruce co-wrote with Pete Brown of Battered Ornaments in 1969 for his debut solo album from Cream - "Songs For A Tailor" on Polydor Records. But if I'm truthful – I'm returning to "Siam Seesaw" all the time and playing that sucker into the ground over the others – something about it eliciting deep memories within me of a past listening on my trusty Garrard SP25 – a Dustbuster arm keeping that gathered grimly grime at bay. Fantastic stuff...

I can vividly recall tuning in as an eager teen Progster to Radio One on a Saturday afternoon only to hear Greenslade give a concert for the BBC – and here it is at last from November 1974 - sounding amazing. These eight Previously Unavailable recordings (along with the Remaster on CD1) are what put this reissue into the must own territory. The band sound amazing, are super rehearsed and feel like a more keyboard orientated Prog-rocking Supertramp (they’re introduced by the Beeb’s resident MC Alan Black to an obviously enthusiastic audience). Like the unreleased stuff on the debut 2CD reissue "Greenslade" – these recordings are shockingly good - clean - present - and if anything - there's an air around the sound that seems to free their playing from the slightly po-faced stuffiness of the album versions.

To sum up - I've always loved the sophistication of "Spyglass Guest" and this five-star 2CD reissue of that 3rd album obscurity should make sure it gets the musical reappraisal it deserves. The packaging is great, the booklet informative and cool looking, the audio a big improvement on what went before and that second disc of unreleased, a no-filler winner. Cool.

The second album "Bedside Manners Are Extra" is due November 2018 as a twofer also - but with rare video footage on a DVD - whilst this and the first album make their rare British catalogue available in great audio once more. No doubt the fourth platter from 1975 "Time And Tide" will follow soon after (possibly December 2018). Once again Esoteric Recordings have delivered big time. This is the version of "Spyglass Guest" to buy - nicely done boys...

GREENSLADE - 2-Disc 2018 Reissues from Esoteric Recordings of the UK

1. "Greenslade" (February 1973 UK Debut) – reissue released 28 September 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22645 (Barcode 5013929474543) – 2CD Remaster with Seven Previously Unreleased BBC ‘In Concert’ performances on Disc 2 (recorded January and April 1973)

2. "Bedside Manners Are Extra" (November 1973 Second Album) – reissue released 30 November 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22654 (Barcode 5013929475441) – CD & DVD Remaster with Three Previously Unreleased BBC Sessions after the album on CD1 (recorded October 1973) and a Three-Song Warner Brothers Promotional Film Recorded 1973 along with Two Old Grey Whistle Test Appearances (November 1973) on the Region Free DVD

3. "Spyglass Guest" (August 1974 Third Album) – reissue released 26 October 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22647 (Barcode 5013929474741) – 2CD Remaster with Eight Previously Unreleased BBC Radio Sessions on Disc 2 (recorded November 1974)

"Greenslade" by GREENSLADE (September 2018 Esoteric Recordings 2CD Reissue - Ben Wiseman Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...An English Western..."

Whilst Thin Lizzy had its duel-guitar onslaught out front from 1974 onwards – British Prog Rockers GREENSLADE (who shared the musical landscape with the Lizzies around the same time) decided to forego guitars altogether and concentrate on two Keyboardists out front with a Bass Player/Singer and Drummer bringing up the rear.

The band had a huge musical history and pedigree that's worth elaborating on – leader and namesake Dave Greenslade cut his teeth with Chris Farlowe and The Fabulous Thunderbirds on their two Columbia Records albums in 1964 and 1966 only to then join up towards the end of that mercurial decade with Jon Hiseman and his fusion-art-rock outfit Colosseum. Greenslade contributed to their Vertigo Records debut album "Valentyne Suite" (the label's November 1969 first LP on Vertigo VO 1), their second album "Those Who Are About To Die Salute You" on Fontana Records (also from 1969 - the band featuring Tony Reeves at this point) and their third record "Daughter Of Time" also on Vertigo Records in 1970 (Reeves had left but Chris Farlowe guested on some vocals). Dave is also on a final hurrah before the band disbanded with the 1971 live double "Colosseum Live". Second keyboardist Dave Lawson had done stints with Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band, Avant Garde jazzers The Web for their third album "I Spider" in 1970 (issued on Polydor Records – the first two LPs were on Deram) who then morphed into the uber-cultish Samurai and issued a self-titled rarity in 1971 on the obscure Greenwich Gramophone Company Records label. Drummer Andrew McCulloch had bashed his kit for no less than King Crimson on their 1970 LP "Lizard" and later hit the tom toms for the revered CBS act Fields on their self-titled debut in 1971.

Formed in 1972 from the ashes of all these other bands – the foursome supergroup GREENSLADE were also riding on the wave of Progressive Rock's growing popularity - a complicated musical force that had been storming both the UK and USA in those formative years of 1970, 1971 and 1972. After signing to the prestigious Warner Brothers label – their self-titled debut was recorded/finished November and December 1972 and released February 1973 complete with deriguere Roger Dean logo and suitably flashy gatefold artwork (script writing akin to the inner sleeve on Yes' "Close To The Edge"). The Greenslade four-handed-man logo was in fact thought up by Dave Greenslade (drawn by Dean) to reflect the two sets of hands playing the music out front. All of this gorgeous artwork is reproduced on the three-way gatefold digipak and in the elaborate booklet.

The stage seemed set for success too. Those other Proggy giants Emerson, Lake & Palmer (also heavily leaning towards keyboards over guitars) had put their third platter "Trilogy" up at No. 2 in August 1972 on the UK LP charts and would do the same to "Brain Salad Surgery" in December 1973 on their own record label - Manticore Records. YES would put their triple-live "Yessongs" on the No. 7 spot in May of 1973 only to replace that with the four-sided double-album studio beastie that was "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in December - both hugely ambitious and highly unlikely Top Ten entries ("Tales From Topographic Oceans" went all the way to No. 1). In other words - 1973 was a massive year for Prog Rock both artistically and commercially.

I say all of this because despite the press giving our fine-feathered newcomers loads of coverage (six clippings from Melody Maker and NME adorn the new 24-page booklet) and despite their obvious Progressive Rock appeal and backdrop - Greenslade weren't the commercial success they should have been. Of the four albums they did in their classic period between 1973 and 1975 - it was only their third and most sophisticated work "Spyglass Guest" from August 1974 that charted - and even then at a lowly No. 34. In many ways, Greenslade are a footnote in chart history now. That doesn't mean they aren't remembered with huge affection (they are) and on evidence of this exemplary and comprehensive reissue series from Cherry Red's 'Esoteric Recordings' - it's easy to hear why. Let's get to the temple songs...

UK released Friday, 28 September 2018 - "Greenslade" by GREENSLADE on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22645 (Barcode 5013929474543) is an ‘Expanded Edition’ 2CD Reissue and new remaster of their 1973 Debut Album with a Bonus CD of Previously Unreleased 1973 BBC Recordings and it plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (40:40 minutes):

1. Feathered Friends [Side 1]

2. An English Western

3. Drowning Man

4. Temple Song

5. Mélange [Side 2]

6. What Are You Doin' To Me?

7. Sundance

Tracks 1 to 7 are their debut album "Greenslade" - released February 1973 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46207 and July 1973 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2698. Produced by Dave Greenslade, Stuart Taylor and Tony Reeves - it didn't chart in the UK (made No. 218 in the USA).

Disc 2 (44:13 minutes, all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

1. Temple Song

2. Feathered Friends

3. An English Western

Tracks 1 to 3 recorded 10 January 1973 for BBC Radio One's "Sound Of The Seventies" (first broadcast 29 Jan 1973)

4. Sundance

5. Drowning Man

6. Feathered Friends

7. Mélange

Tracks 4 to 7 recorded 5 April 1973 at the BBC Paris Theatre in London for BBC Radio One's "In Concert" Series

Introduced by ALAN BLACK and Produced by JEFF GRIFFIN

GREENSLADE was:

DAVE GREENSLADE - Keyboards

DAVE LAWSON - Keyboards and Vocals

TONY REEVES - Bass

ANDRW McCULLOCH - Drums and Percussion

The three-way fold out digipak is the generic packaging for all three of Esoteric's 2CD GREENSLADE reissues - each picture disc reflecting the Roger Dean artwork cover. The 28-page booklet too (helmed by noted writer MALCOLM DOME) comes with new interviews from Dave Greenslade and Dave Lawson and the whole thing is compiled, researched etc by resident Prog expert and label head honcho MARK POWELL. There's lots of black and white period photos of our fruity foursome and press clippings from the UK, USA and even Promo Sheets from Warner Brothers (most of which I've not seen before) - but disappointingly the lyrics that were on the inner gatefold sleeve (in Roger Dean script) are AWOL which is a bit of a shame considering the obvious effort put into this reissue. Still – it both looks and feels substantial.

Soundwise though - the minor niggle of missing words goes out the window when I clap my weary lugs on another great Remaster from BEN WISEMAN who along with Paschal Byrne is Esoteric's go-to tape guy. Like most I've had the two Rhino/Edsel reissues these last few years that covered their first four albums (I reviewed the "Spyglass Guest/Time And Tide" twofer they put out in May 2011) – and whilst they were good – the audio here is a major improvement. Rehearsed and prepared in advance (the band’s motto) – you can hear the tight rhythm section so clearly – especially Andrew McCulloch whose drums seem to hover just beside the duelling keyboard whizzes as if they were an integral part of the overall soundscape and not just a rhythmic backdrop (very Crimson in fact). Both the instrumentals "An English Western" and "Sundance" are now leaping and hopping through those creative time signatures – wickedly good. To the album...

Penned by Dave Greenslade (lyrics by Dave Lawson) - 6:47 minutes of "Feathered Friends" opens Side 1 with jaunty keys vying for your attention until it settles down into a "what's your poison..." lyrics. It's at this point that some might balk even wince - Dave Lawson's voice - it's a whinny thing and his affected strangulation of the words can take some getting used to. Some love it - I've always felt it was the band's ultimate weakness. At 3:27 minutes the shortish Dave Greenslade instrumental "An English Western" is an undoubted album high - very Camel in its cool keyboard breaks. Doom opens the Dave Greenslade penned "Drowning Man" - clutching at straws - images of comrade’s dead as the soft piano and Mellotron dance between slow and fast rhythms (the Audio is great). A concert favourite "Temple Song" closes Side 1 with its almost Japanese feel and harmony vocals showboating.

But it's Side 2's brilliant opener "Mélange" that gives the album its revered status - a fantastic 7:27 minutes of keyboards and harmony vocals that is broken up by Tony Reeves going all Chris Squire on his Bass. Using its heavy strings like a lead electric guitar - he combines this with the 'ah's and 'ohs' of the floating vocals and plinking pianos and Mellotron sways - it feels like properly sophisticated Prog Rock - brilliant stuff. Lawson returns for a vocal work out on the musically boppy "What Are You Doin' To Me?" but again his 'good guy - bad woman' words come over as terribly Seventies dated - like second rate ELP. Side 2 is closed with the album's other instrumental of sophistication - "Sundance" - another concert fave. A lovely remaster brings up the playing (that lovely turn of notes at 1:16) before it gets Prog Funky and romps off to keyboard soloing heaven only to return to beauty half-way in (impressive stuff).

I had half expected the Previously Unreleased live BBC stuff to be somehow under par - but the 'in the studio' Production values of "Temple Song" from January 1973 puts that one to bed right quick. This is shockingly good - clean - present - and if anything there's an air around the sound that seems to free their playing from the slightly po-faced stuffiness of the album versions. The piano is a bit muted at the beginning of "An English Western" for sure but its soon replaced by that rapid electric piano run and you can hear McCulloch's razor sharp drumming every bit of the way - very nicely done and a cool transfer of something that's been languishing on BBC shelves for over 45 years.  Alan Black introduces the former Colosseum 'Greenslade' and to cheers we're off into the wickedly good "Sundance" - a clever opener that immediately wins the crowd over. The morose "Drowning Man" is sung in almost silence whilst Producer Jeff Griffin did well to catch the huge sound of "Feathered Friends" as the band lifts off into rapid keyboard races. But its "Mélange" that's the stunner here - Greenslade clearly able to reproduce their studio sound out in the great wide open - Reeves getting a chance to shine on those Yes/Crimson-sounding bass runs. Fans will dig this.

I've always felt that "Greenslade" was a four-star keyboard Prog Rock beginning that would lead to the sophistication of "Spyglass Guest" in August of the following year. But (those missing lyrics notwithstanding) this is a five-star 2CD reissue of an obscurity that deserves reappraisal. The packaging is great, the booklet informative and cool looking, the audio a big improvement on what went before and that second disc of unreleased, a no-filler winner.

The second album "Beside Manners Are Extra" is due on a 2-Disc set November 2018 and the mighty third this Friday, 26 October 2018. I’m looking forwarding to all of them now. Nicely done boys...

GREENSLADE – Two-Disc 2018 CD Reissues from Esoteric Recordings of the UK

1. "Greenslade" (February 1973 UK Debut LP) – reissue released 28 September 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22645 (Barcode 5013929474543) – 2CD Remaster with Seven Previously Unreleased BBC ‘In Concert’ performances on Disc 2 (recorded January and April 1973)

2. "Bedside Manners Are Extra" (November 1973 Second Album) – reissue released 30 November 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22654 (Barcode 5013929475441) – CD & DVD Remaster with Three Previously Unreleased BBC Sessions after the album on CD1 (recorded October 1973) and a Three-Song Warner Brothers Promotional Film Recorded 1973 along with Two Old Grey Whistle Test Appearances (November 1973) on the Region Free DVD

3. "Spyglass Guest" (August 1974 Third Album) – reissue released 26 October 2018 on Esoteric Recordings PECLEC 22647 (Barcode 5013929474741) – 2CD Remaster with Eight Previously Unreleased BBC Radio Sessions on Disc 2 (recorded November 1974)