"Tucky Buzzard" by TUCKY BUZZARD (Inside The 2016 Edsel 5CD Box Set ‘The Complete Tucky Buzzard’) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Coming On Again..."

Arising out of the ashes of Decca's late 60ts Psychedelia band THE END - the delightfully-named TUCKY BUZZARD took their feathery moniker from a character in from one of the Uncle Remus books where one of the Br'er Rabbit runners was called 'Br'er Tucky Buzzard'. They managed a whopping five albums across three countries and with three different labels (without too many people noticing either) - Hispavox in Spain for the debut released in late 1971 as well as Capitol in the USA and Deep Purple's 'Purple Records' in the UK for the remaining four released between 1971 and 1973.

As well as that these funky British Rockers received the high profile patronage and hands-on help of Rolling Stone Bassist BILL WYMAN who produced three of their albums (see 2, 3 and 5 below) - one of which also featured the guitar chops of Rolling Stone ace axeman MICK TAYLOR and well as their top session players Bobby Keys and Jim Price on the Horns (Disc 2).

To the matter in hand...

I've been digging Edsel Box Sets for years (some actually let the side down slightly - the T.Rex one jumps to mind) - but like the fabulous Average White Band, Chairmen Of The Board and their recent effort for 60ts cult band The End (see separate reviews) - this one is a goodie if you like your Rock hard and heavy one minute whilst being funky the next. Superbly put together and clearly with Bill Wyman's involvement (a man known to take care of the Stones musical legacy) - this 5CD Box Set offers the very best presentation of Tucky Buzzard's short but productive career and allows Seventies Rock lovers (and the curious) access to much that is impossibly hard to find on original vinyl. There's a wad of info to get through - so if you'll forgive the inflight pun - onwards and upwards...

UK released 15 July 2016 (22 July 2016 in the USA) - "The Complete Tucky Buzzard" by TUCKY BUZZARD on Edsel EDSB 4033 (Barcode 740155403331) is a 5CD Mini Box Set containing their 'complete' recorded output between 1970 and 1973. The American-only album "Tucky Buzzard" from 1971 is Disc 2 and plays out as follows:

Disc 2 "Tucky Buzzard" (39:39 minutes):

1. Time Will Be Your Doctor

2. Stainless Steel Lady

3. Sally Shotgun

4. Gu Gu Gu

5. My Friend

6. Pieces Apple Lady [Side 2]

7. She's Meat

8. Ace The Face

9. Whisky Eyes

10. Rolling Cloud

Tracks 1 to 10 are the second studio album "Tucky Buzzard" - released June 1971 in the USA (only) on Capitol ST-787. Produced by BILL WYMAN at London's Olympia Studios and featuring Rolling Stones players MICK TAYLOR (Guitar on "My Friend") as well as BOBBY KEYS and JIM PRICE (Horns on "Whisky Eyes" and "Rolling Cloud") - it was not released in the UK at the time and saw its first CD release in 2002 on Ripple Records (the master is licensed from them).

The massively in-depth 32-page booklet inside the glossy 5" clamshell mini box set is an impressive affair- new liner notes by noted music writer ALAN ROBINSON featuring new interviews with Guitarist Terry Taylor and Drummer Dave Brown - there's artwork for all five LPs with each CD placed inside a singular 5" card sleeve. The project was overseen by the vastly experienced VAL JENNINGS and PHIL KINRADE did the Remasters at Alchemy Mastering using licensed tapes. I found the sound varied across the albums - good to great. Mostly I'm just impressed with the musicianship and the Funkiness of the Rock - my kind of poison for sure...

Coming at you like England's answer to Steppenwolf meets Three Dog Night - probably because of the Deep Purple Records label tie-in Tucky Buzzard were perceived as 'hard rockers' - but in fact they were far funkier than that. There was a swing and chug to their guitars that made them FUNK like say American Gypsy or After The Fire. At other times they were soulful like Free and Humble Pie could be - while still churning out those riffs and funky grooves.

Never is this more obvious than on the "Tucky Buzzard" album from late 1971 with 9 of the 10 tracks being self-penned originals. Both "There Will Be A Doctor" and "Stainless Steel Lady" give it some ants-in-your-pants Funk-Rock with the best of them. But there's horrible hiss levels on "Sally Shotgun" that put a damper on this rather lovely ballad - sweet Peter Green guitar licks from Terry Taylor with Jimmy Henderson's vocals sounding like Pink Floyd circa "Meddle". Things improve hugely with the fabulous "Gu Gu Gu" - a Funky-As-Coffee-Beans groover that I used to put on 70ts CD-Rs whenever I got the chance. Think Spirit's "Mr. Skin" and you're there - a chunky Nick Graham keyboard groove acts as the backdrop to Taylor's guitar and the 'make a mark in the sky' lyrics about existence and not working. I love this track and it sounds wickedly good here.

Other winners on the "Tucky Buzzard" album include their cover of Leon Russell’s "Pisces Apple Lady" where the boys are encouraged by their American friend to get themselves together in the English countryside (they sound so Three Dog Night on this). "She's Meat" and "Ace The Face" feel like groovy Immediate label Small Faces while the two finishers lay down heavy Paul Francis drum beats before going all Brass Funk Rock with Jim Price and Bobby Keys of The Rolling Stones entourage on "Whisky Eyes" and "Rolling Cloud". I love the gritty guitar sound Taylor gets while Graham's keyboards remind me Snafu on WWA Records in 1973 and 1974. An edit of the 5:18 minutes "Rolling Cloud" could easily have been a great 45...

David Bowie apparently saw them live in 1971 and was duly impressed (took some of their stage act with him) - but neither his nor Wyman’s peripheral superstardom seem to rub off and the band disbanded in mid 1974 after poor record sales and missed opportunities (they should have been on the 6 April 1974 'California Jam' bill in front of 250,000 fans where Deep Purple set the record for the 'loudest' band in the world - 50,000 record sales from that gig alone would have saved them). Guitarist Terry Taylor ending up on RAK Records with photogenic heartthrobs The Arrows (released his first solo album in 2014 called "Taylor Made") and Nick Graham later penned winning hits in the 90ts for the Goss Brothers in Bros.

So much to discover and thankfully some of it you can actually like - and even though its far from being undiluted genius from top to bottom - Edsel are to be praised for getting the five-disc "Complete Tucky Buzzard" Box Set out there in such style. Fans should not hesitate...

"The Complete Tucky Buzzard" by TUCKY BUZZARD (2016 Edsel 5CD Mini Box Set Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Coming On Again..."

Arising out of the ashes of Decca's late 60ts Psychedelia band THE END - the delightfully-named TUCKY BUZZARD took their feathery moniker from a character in from one of the Uncle Remus books where one of the Br'er Rabbit runners was called 'Br'er Tucky Buzzard'. They managed a whopping five albums across three countries and with three different labels (without too many people noticing either) - Hispavox in Spain for the debut released in late 1971 as well as Capitol in the USA and Deep Purple's 'Purple Records' in the UK for the remaining four released between 1971 and 1973.

As well as that these funky British Rockers received the high profile patronage and hands-on help of Rolling Stone Bassist BILL WYMAN who produced three of their albums (see 2, 3 and 5 below) - one of which also featured the guitar chops of Rolling Stone ace axeman MICK TAYLOR and well as their top session players Bobby Keys and Jim Price on the Horns (Disc 2).

To the matter in hand... 

I've been digging Edsel Box Sets for years (some actually let the side down slightly - the T.Rex one jumps to mind) - but like the fabulous Average White Band, Chairmen Of The Board and their recent effort for cult 60ts act The End (see separate reviews) - this one is a goodie if you dig your Rock hard and heavy and occasionally funky. Superbly put together and clearly with Bill Wyman's involvement (a man known to take care of the Stones musical legacy) - this 5CD Box Set offers the very best presentation of Tucky Buzzard's short but productive career and allows Seventies Rock lovers access to much that is impossibly hard to find on original vinyl. There's a wad of info to get through - so if you'll forgive the inflight pun - onwards and upwards...

UK released 15 July 2016 (22 July 2016 in the USA) - "The Complete Tucky Buzzard" by TUCKY BUZZARD on Edsel EDSB 4033 (Barcode 740155403331) is a 5CD Mini Box Set containing their 'complete' recorded output between 1970 and 1973 and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 "Coming On Again" (31:04 minutes):

1. SUITE

(a) Coming On Again [Part 1]

(b) For Maryse

(c) Over The Hill

(d) Coming on Again [Part 2]

(e) Believe Me

(f) Here I Am

2. You're All Alone [Side 2]

3. You Never Will

4. Free Ticket

5. Lady Fair

Tracks 1 to 5 are the debut LP "Coming On Again" - recorded 1970 and 1971 in Madrid, Spain and released 1971 on Hispavox HHS 11-208. Orchestral accompaniment is by the Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra directed by WALDO DE LOS RIOS. Unreleased in the UK or USA at the time– it received its first CD reissue in 2002 on Ripple Records (this version is licensed from them).

Disc 2 "Tucky Buzzard" (39:39 minutes):

1. Time Will Be Your Doctor

2. Stainless Steel Lady

3. Sally Shotgun

4. Gu Gu Gu

5. My Friend

6. Pieces Apple Lady [Side 2]

7. She's Meat

8. Ace The Face

9. Whisky Eyes

10. Rolling Cloud

Tracks 1 to 10 are the second studio album "Tucky Buzzard" - released June 1971 in the USA (only) on Capitol ST-787. Produced by BILL WYMAN at London's Olympia Studios and featuring Rolling Stones players MICK TAYLOR (Guitar on "My Friend") as well as BOBBY KEYS and JIM PRICE (Horns on "Whisky Eyes" and "Rolling Cloud") - it was not released in the UK at the time and saw its first CD release in 2002 on Ripple Records (the master is licensed from them).

Disc 3 "Warm Slash" (40:31 minutes):

1. Mistreating Woman

2. (She's A) Striker

3. Fill You In

4. Need Your Love

5. Which Way, When For Why

6. Burnin' [Side 2]

7. Heartbreaker

8. Sky Balloon

9. Ain't Too Soon

Tracks 1 to 9 are the third studio album "Warm Slash" - released November 1971 in the USA on Capitol ST-864 and February 1972 in the UK on Capitol E-ST-864. Produced by BILL WYMAN - it was their first of three British released albums.

Disc 4 "Allright On The Night" (33:01 minutes):

1. Can't Live Without It

2. Fast Bluesy Woman

3. Gold Medallions

4. All I Want Is Your Love

5. Rainbow Rider [Side 2]

6. "Rudi" Movie Star

7. Pictures

8. Last War

Tracks 1 to 8 are the fourth studio album "Allright In The Night" - released May 1973 in the UK on Purple Records TPSA 7510 and October 1973 in the USA on Passport Records PPS 97001. Produced by PHIL CORDELL (of The Prophets) and TUCKY BUZZARD (Executive Producer Bill Wyman) - recorded on The Rolling Stones mobile unit.

Disc 5 "Buzzard" (41:23 minutes):

1. Who Do You Love

2. Run In The Mornin'

3. Hanging On In There (Waiting For You To Come)

4. Superboy Rock n' Roller '73

5. B-Bo's Hampton

6. Wine And Wimmin [Side 2]

7. Superfine Lady

8. Near To Me

9. Shy Boy

Tracks 1 to 9 are their fifth and final studio album "Buzzard" - released November 1973 in the UK on Purple Records TPSA 7503 and January 1974 in the USA on Passport Records PPS 98001. Produced by BILL WYMAN - recorded on The Rolling Stones Mobile Unit at The Villa in the South of France. Tony Ashton of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke plays Hammond Organ and Piano, Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones plays Piano and Paul Kendrick of Czar and Tuesday’s Children is on Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals.

The massively in-depth 32-page booklet inside the glossy 5" clamshell mini box set is an impressive affair- new liner notes by noted music writer ALAN ROBINSON featuring new interviews with Guitarist Terry Taylor and Drummer Dave Brown - there's artwork for all five LPs with each CD placed inside a singular 5" card sleeve. The project was overseen by the vastly experienced VAL JENNINGS and PHIL KINRADE did the Remasters at Alchemy Mastering using licensed tapes. I found the sound varied across the albums - good to great. Mostly I'm just impressed with the musicianship and the Funkiness of the Rock - my kind of poison for sure...

Coming at you like England's answer to Steppenwolf meets Three Dog Night - probably because of the Deep Purple Records label tie-in Tucky Buzzard were perceived as 'hard rockers' - but in fact they were far funkier than that. There was a swing and chug to their guitars that made them FUNK like say American Gypsy or After The Fire. At other times they were soulful like Free and Humble Pie could be - while still churning out those riffs and funky grooves. Never is this more obvious than on the "Tucky Buzzard" album from late 1971 with 9 of the 10 tracks being self-penned originals. Both "There Will Be A Doctor" and "Stainless Steel Lady" give it some ants-in-your-pants Funk-Rock with the best of them. But there's horrible hiss levels on "Sally Shotgun" that put a damper on this rather lovely ballad - sweet Peter Green guitar licks from Terry Taylor with Jimmy Henderson's vocals sounding like Pink Floyd circa "Meddle". 

Things improve hugely with the fabulous "Gu Gu Gu" - a Funky-As-Coffee-Beans groover that I used to put on 70ts CD-Rs whenever I got the chance. Think Spirit's "Mr. Skin" and you're there - a chunky Nick Graham keyboard groove acts as the backdrop to Taylor's guitar and the 'make a mark in the sky' lyrics about existence and not working. I love this track and it sounds wickedly good here. Other winners on the "Tucky Buzzard" album include their cover of Leon Russell’s "Pisces Apple Lady" where the boys are encouraged by their American friend to get themselves together in the English countryside (they sound so Three Dog Night on this). "She's Meat" and "Ace The Face" feel like groovy Immediate label Small Faces while the two finishers lay down heavy Paul Francis drum beats before going all Brass Funk Rock with Jim Price and Bobby Keys of The Rolling Stones entourage on "Whisky Eyes" and "Rolling Cloud". I love the gritty guitar sound Taylor gets while Graham's keyboards remind me Snafu on WWA Records in 1973 and 1974. An edit of the 5:18 minutes "Rolling Cloud" could easily have been a great 45...

The tastefully entitled third album "Warm Slash" sees the five boys looking all manly on the front cover (hairy chests ahoy) while one of them communes with nature on the rear sleeve (helping a tree out you understand). Unfortunately the music looses a lot of the funky nature of "Tucky Buzzard" and opts instead for a harder edged Rock that is plodding at best. Keyboard moments in the eight-minute "Which Way, When For Why" are very cool and the riffage of "Mistreating Woman" has plenty of snake-guitar in its tight-trousered heart - but stuff like "Heartbreaker" and "Sky Balloon" just sound like bad Prog or Grand Funk Railroad on an off day. The "All Right On The Night" LP picked things up considerably with the great British Rock 'n' Roll of "Can't Live Without You" - the kind of Humble Pie swagger song (with Brass) that should have been a hit. It's hardly surprising that Purple Records chose "Gold Medallions" as a UK 7" single in March 1973 (Purple PUR 113) with the equally pleasing "Fast Bluesy Woman" on the flip-side. Rhythm Guitarist Paul Kendrick wrote ""Rudi" Movie Star" and the album ends on some nice slide within "Last War"...

David Bowie apparently saw them live in 1971 and was duly impressed (took some of their stage act with him) - but neither his nor Wyman’s peripheral superstardom seem to rub off and the band disbanded in mid 1974 after poor record sales and missed opportunities (they should have been on the 6 April 1974 'California Jam' bill in front of 250,000 fans where Deep Purple set the record for the 'loudest' band in the world - 50,000 LP sales from that gig wold have rescued them). Guitarist Terry Taylor ending up on RAK Records with photogenic heartthrobs The Arrows (released his first solo album in 2014 called "Taylor Made") and Nick Graham later penned winning hits in the 90ts for the Goss Brothers in Bros.

So much to discover and thankfully some of it you can actually like - and even though its far from being undiluted genius from top to bottom - Edsel are to be praised for getting the five-disc "Complete Tucky Buzzard" Box Set out there in such style. Fans should not hesitate...

"Labi Siffre" by LABI SIFFRE (2015 Edsel Expanded CD Reissue – Phil Kinrade Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…Make My Day…"

Labi Siffre's self-titled debut album "Labi Siffre" was released in the UK on the Pye International label (NSPL 28135) in the summer of 1970 (probably July). But even though both it and the follow up album "The Singer And The Song" from July 1971 made waves ("Singer" even grazed the charts at 47 for one week) – it would not be until October 1972's "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" LP which contained the two huge hits "It Must Be Love" and the album title track – that Siffre finally impacted the English LP and single charts in any real way and arrived as a revered singer-songwriter. That's not to say that his debut is meritless – very, very far from it. In fact when I re-listen to "The Singer And The Song" from 1971 (also in this CD reissue series) – I'm struck by how much stronger the debut is in its melodies and it had obvious winners that should have made a dent on Top Of The Pops and him an early star...

This UK released Friday 31 July 2015 Edsel CD reissue on EDSA 5039 (Barcode 740155503932) is essentially a re-run of the June 2006 EMI CD remaster that’s been deleted for years now. It even has the same six bonus tracks and runs to exactly the same playing time of 55:46 minutes. What is upgraded is the 12-page booklet of old into a new impressive 32-page version inside a rather lovely digipak. It offers  – there are full lyrics (including the bonus track), a colour photo of Siffre playing live and a new ALAN ROBINSON interview with Siffre in 2015. PHIL KINRADE at Alchemy Mastering has transferred the fabulous Audio remastering done by EMI in 2006 and the results are stupendous – each track beautifully clear, muscular and a real revelation. Here are the debut details…

1. Too Late

2. Words

3. Something On My Mind

4. Maybe Tomorrow

5. You And I Should Be Together

6. I Don’t Know What's Happened To The Kids Today

7. I Love You [Side 2]

8. Make My Day

9. A Little More Line

10. Maybe

11. River

12. Love Song For Someone

Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut album "Labi Siffre" - released July 1970 in the UK on Pye Records NSPL 28135 (no USA issue).

BONUS TRACK:

13. Why Did You Go, Why Did You Leave Me? – the non-album B-side to "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" released March 1972 as a UK 7" single on Pye International 7N.25576

14. I Just Couldn’t Live Without Her – first issued as a Previously Unreleased outtake on the June 2006 EMI CD remaster

15. Last Night Tonight – the non-album B-side to "Give Love" released January 1973 in the UK on Pye International 7N.25602

16. Maybe When We Dance - first issued as a Previously Unreleased outtake on the June 2006 EMI CD remaster

17. Ask Me To Stay - first issued as a Previously Unreleased outtake on the June 2006 EMI CD remaster

18. Here We Are – the non-album B-side to the stand alone 7" single "Watch Me" released July 1972 on Pye International 7N.25586

The original vinyl LP was a single matt sleeve with the lyrics filling the entire back cover. Unfortunately this new CD reissue repeats the lack of musician credits on the LP (doesn’t say who played what) but the booklet is a massive improvement over the 2006 CD (the disc itself is light blue in colour to reflect the original UK Pye Record label - a nice touch). There’s a photo of EMI Tape Boxes on Page 2, lyrics from Page 4 to 18 (including the bonus material) and a new interview from Pages 20 to 30. Siffre opens up about his childhood, his struggles as a black gay singer trying to get his material listened to and the recording process which seemed to be largely out of his inexperienced hands. It’s a fascinating read and illuminating. But the best news was and is the fabulous remaster – gorgeous audio on the mainly acoustic tracks – all of it beautifully realised. This CD sounds glorious and the album is far better than I remember it – possibly even a bit of a lost classic...

In the spring and summer of 1970 – Pye Records was more familiar to the British public through Petula Clark and Max Bygraves - rather than The Kinks, Man and Status Quo. So a young black singer with Folk-Soul affections hardly got a look in. Born in London in 1945 to a Belgian/Barbadian mum and Nigerian father, Labi had his demos sent to a music publisher in late 1969 – which resulted in a publishing contract. His style for the first 5 albums he did on Pye is more singer-songwriter than Soulster - though the tracks themselves are often very soulful in their nature - sort of a 'Bill Withers meets Gilbert O'Sullivan' vibe. Many were just Labi, Acoustic Guitar and his high falsetto voice. He's often lumped in with the Easy Listening genre here in the UK that frankly does his superb song-writing talents a huge disservice. And like Gilbert O'Sullivan – Siffre is another 'soft' songwriter of the Seventies not given nearly enough credit for his brilliance in penning a truly touching tune, but beloved still by fans and those who like their singers to be on the side of Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor.

10 tracks on the debut are Siffre originals with the other two being inspired cover version choices – "Words" by The Bee Gees and Harry Nilsson's "Maybe" – both of which Siffre emphatically makes his own. Of his own compositions the brilliance and acoustic simplicity of "Maybe Tomorrow" and "Too Late" stand out immediately (both on Side 1). Flutes, Piano and Electric Guitars mix well on "You And I Should Be Together" initially - but then Producer, Arranger and Conductor Ian Green kind of overdoes it with the strings (trying too hard to impress). The falsely acidic "I Don't Know What's Happened To The Kids Today" is done in the voice of an old man riling at the young (..."I can't say that I fought for kids like you in the war..." Over on Side 2 standouts are "Make My Day", the lovely Nilsson ballad "Maybe" and the warm finisher "Love Song For Someone" with complimentary string arrangements. Kenny Young's American group Moonshine had a go at covering Siffre's "A Little More Line" on RCA Victor 1954 in 1970 calling it "Just A Little More Line" (it was reissued in September 1973 on RCA 2408). And in Germany Polydor put out Siffre's original as "A Little More Line" in December 1970 on Polydor 2001 065 with the gorgeous "Words" as its flipside (its rare 7" picture sleeve is shown on Page 9). Pye released just one single off the album in the UK by pairing "Too Late" with "Make My Day" in July 1970 on Pye International 7N.25528 but it failed to do any business which is a shame because the whole album is far more cohesive than its patchy follow up "The Singer And The Song".

The 6 bonus tracks consist of three rare non-album B-sides and three outtakes – the pretty ballad outtake "I Just Couldn't Live Without Her" being shockingly good while he goes piano on the equally impressive "Maybe When We Dance". The ukulele strum of "Ask Me To Stay" is like Joe Brown meets George Fornby – a very pretty ditty that would have made a great B-side.

Increasingly his songs are being name-checked and used by R'n'B soul boys of the last few years who have realised that Labi's songs offer a wealth of good source material - KAYNE WEST sampled "My Song" from "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" on his "I Wonder" track from 2007's "Graduation" - while both JAY-Z and EMINEM have famously sampled the stunning bass break that happens half way through "I Got The..." track on the "Remember My Song" LP from 1975. Siffre retired for a few years but then returned in 1987 with "(Something Inside) So Strong" on China Records - a magnificent Anti-Apartheid anthem - and as moving a song as you're ever likely to hear.

So there you have it. A largely forgotten album that shouldn’t be – a 70s gem that’s genuinely ripe for rediscovery methinks.

Well done to Edsel for getting these reissues out there once again and in such classy presentation too...

The 31 July 2015 EDSEL Expanded CD Remasters for Labi Siffre are:

1. Labi Siffre (1970)

Edsel EDSA 5039 (Barcode 740155503932) with 6 Bonus Tracks

2. The Singer And The Song (1971)

Edsel EDSA 5040 (Barcode 740155504038) with 8 Bonus Tracks

3. Crying Laughing Loving Lying (1972)

Edsel EDSA 5041 (Barcode 740155504137) with 8 Bonus Tracks

4. For The Children (1973)

Edsel EDSA 5042 (Barcode 740155504236) with 1 Bonus Track

5. The Last Songs (1998)

Edsel EDSA 5043 (Barcode 740155504335) no bonus tracks

His 5th album "Remember My Song" from March 1975 on EMI was reissued on CD in 2006 but for some undisclosed reason is not included in this 2015 reissue campaign.

There was one last album in the Seventies for EMI called "Happy?" released in November 1975 and its 10-tracks are available on CD albeit in a round about way. The EMI CD compilation called "The Music Of Labi Siffre" contains all but one song of the "Remember My Song" album and the full "Happy?" album (see separate review) – so you acquire that budget-priced CD to get the guts of both albums at a reasonable cost.

The 14 new tunes of "The Last Songs" was recorded live on Tour in 1998 and released on CD that year. It was reissued in 2006 and is once again in this 2015 Edsel campaign (no bonus tracks). It’s beautifully recorded and songs like "Sparrow In The Storm" and "Why Isn't Love Enough?" show Siffre has lost none of his singer-songwriter magic...

"For The Children" by LABI SIFFRE (2015 Edsel Expanded CD Reissue – Phil Kinrade Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…If You Have Faith…Then That's All You Need…"

Labi Siffre's 4th album "For The Children" was released in the UK on the Pye International label in late 1973. Its predecessor "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" contained the two huge hits "It Must Be Love" and the album title track "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" - so the LP charted reasonably well. "For The Children" didn't - it had no hit singles amongst its 10 quality tracks so failed to dent the Top 50. In fact “For The Children” has been difficult to find on vinyl for decades.

This UK released Friday 31 July 2015 Edsel CD reissue on EDSA 5042 (Barcode 740155504236) is essentially a re-run of the June 2006 EMI CD remaster that’s been deleted for years now. It even has the same lone bonus track – the then Previously Unreleased “So What” - and runs to exactly the same playing time of 53:08 minutes. What is upgraded is the 12-page booklet of old into a new 24-page version inside a rather lovely digipak – there are full lyrics (including the bonus track), a colour photo of Siffre playing live and a new ALAN ROBINSON interview with Siffre in 2015. Here are the finite details…

1. Somesay

2. Children Of Children

3. Entertainment Value

4. Odds And Ends

5. Prayer

6. Let's Pretend [Side 2]

7. Someday

8. If You Have Faith

9. For The Children

10. Give Love

Tracks 1 to 10 are his 4th album "For The Children" - released 1973 in the UK on Pye Records NSPL 28182 (no USA issue).

BONUS TRACK:

11. So What – first appeared on the June 2006 CD reissue – it’s a 4-act song that runs to 6:48 minutes

The original gatefold sleeve artwork makes up the first and last page on the booklet with the family snapshots collage that was the inside of the gatefold reproduced as the centre pages in the digipak. The CD itself is light blue in colour to reflect the original UK Pye Record label - a nice touch. There’s a photo of EMI Tape Boxes on Page 2 - while the interview from Pages 17 to 23 goes into some depth with the singer-songwriter about the album’s ruminations on the State Of The World in 1973. Personally I’ve always thought this album his lost masterpiece containing a level of song sophistication that even surpassed his more popular and well-known LP “Crying Laughing Loving Lying” from 1972.

Born in London in 1945 to a Belgian/Barbadian mum and Nigerian father, Labi had his demos sent to a music publisher in late 1969 which resulted in a publishing contract and the recording and release of his first album on Pye Records early in 1970 (Pye Records at that time was home to The Kinks and Status Quo). His style for the first 5 albums he did on Pye is more singer-songwriter than soulster, though the tracks themselves are often very soulful in their nature - sort of a ‘Bill Withers meets Gilbert O'Sullivan’ vibe. Many were just Labi, Acoustic Guitar and his high falsetto voice. He's often lumped in with the Easy Listening genre here in the UK that frankly does his superb song-writing talents a huge disservice. And like Gilbert O'Sullivan – Siffre is another 'soft' songwriter of the Seventies not given nearly enough credit for his brilliance in penning a truly touching tune, but beloved still by fans and those who like their singers to be on the side of Gordon Lightfoot and James Taylor.

PHIL KINRADE at Alchemy Mastering has transferred the fabulous Audio remastering done by EMI in 2006 and the results are stupendous – each track beautifully clear, muscular and a real revelation.

SINGLES:

Two 45s were issued around the "For The Children" LP and using the “Labi Siffre” and “Crying Laughing Loving Lying” Edsel CD reissues – fans can sequence them as follows:

1. Give Love [10] b/w Last Night Tonight

UK released January 1973 on Pye International 7N.25602 (no US release)

The non-album B-side is available as a bonus track on the “Labi Siffre” CD

2. If You Have Faith [8] b/w Oh Me Oh My Mr. City Goodbye

UK released October 1973 on Pye International 7N.25629 (no US issue)

The non-album B-side is available as a bonus track on the “Crying Laughing Loving Lying” CD

All songs on "For The Children" are written by Siffre (including the extra track) and are uniformly excellent. Standouts would number the funky guitar strummer “Odds And Ends” (bass and pedal steel sound amazing). Side One ends with the gut-string acoustic ditty “Prayer” which lasts only two minutes but is truly lovely. Side 2 opens with the epic “Let’s Pretend” - nine and half minutes of building 12-string guitars - and it’s properly gorgeous. As the hopeful words float by - he sings of religious leaders dropping their rules - “…Let’s Pretend there’s a God of love…that he wants us to be…all of the good things we can be…let’s pretend…” It’s emotional stuff - passes the love test. The keyboard strut of the superb “For The Children” sounds amazing - full of punch and clever stereo tricks. But the album’s real masterpiece is the beautiful “If You Have Faith” - as lovely a song as the Seventies produced. Sure its sappy and maybe it’s even a tad naive in its beliefs - but it moves me to tears and more importantly has that rarest of qualities - it fills me with hope. The 4-act bonus track “So What” seems to be two songs run into one near seven-minute tune. “So What” comes first and feels like a recent recording - then about 2:27 minutes in - a separate “London Town” keyboard tune emerges (very 1975) - all of it keyboards. It’s very good.

Increasingly his songs are being name-checked and used by R'n'B soul boys of the last few years who have realised that Labi's songs offer a wealth of good source material - KAYNE WEST sampled "My Song" from "Crying Laughing Loving Lying" on his "I Wonder" track from 2007's “Graduation" - while both JAY-Z and EMINEM have famously sampled the stunning bass break that happens half way through "I Got The..." track on the "Remember My Song" LP from 1975. Siffre retired for a few years - but then returned in 1987 with "(Something Inside) So Strong" on China Records - a magnificent Anti-Apartheid anthem - and as moving a song as you're ever likely to hear.

So there you have it. I can’t help but feel that songs like the inspirational and moving "If You Have Faith”, the Hey Jude epic quality of "Let's Pretend" and the Piano-Funk of “For The Children” have languished in obscurity for far too long. I've treasured this Labi Siffre album (along with his others) for years on vinyl - and to finally hear it given this kind of sound quality is a joy. A 70s gem that’s ripe for rediscovery methinks.

Well done to Edsel for getting these reissues out there once again and in such classy presentation too...

The 31 July 2015 EDSEL Expanded CD Remasters for Labi Siffre are:

1. Labi Siffre (1970)

Edsel EDSA 5041 (Barcode 740155503932) with 6 Bonus Tracks

2. The Singer And The Song (1971)

Edsel EDSA 5040 (Barcode 740155504038) with 8 Bonus Tracks

3. Crying Laughing Loving Lying (1972)

Edsel EDSA 5041 (Barcode 740155504137) with 8 Bonus Tracks

4. For The Children (1973)

Edsel EDSA 5041 (Barcode 740155504236) with 1 Bonus Track

5. The Last Songs (1998)

Edsel EDSA 5043 (Barcode 740155504335) no bonus tracks

His 5th album "Remember My Song" from March 1975 on EMI was reissued on CD in 2006 but for some undisclosed reason is not included in this 2015 reissue campaign.

There was one last album in the Seventies for EMI called "Happy?" released in November 1975 and its 10-tracks are available on CD albeit in a round about way. The EMI CD compilation called "The Music Of Labi Siffre" contains all but one song of the "Remember My Song" album and the full "Happy?" album (see separate review) – so you acquire that budget-priced CD to get the guts of both albums at a reasonable cost.

The 14 new tunes of “The Last Songs” was recorded live on Tour in 1998 and released on CD that year. It was reissued in 2006 and is once again in this 2015 Edsel campaign (no bonus tracks). It’s beautifully recorded and songs like "Sparrow In The Storm" and "Why Isn't Love Enough?" show Siffre has lost none of his singer-songwriter magic...

This review is part of my SOUNDS GOOD Music Books Series. E-Books giving advice on "Exceptional CD Remasters" in different genres. Check out SOUNDS GOOD: Classic 1970s Rock...available to buy on Amazon and many other download sites...