"Original Album Collection" by LAUREL AITKEN [featuring GIRLIE] – Including The Albums "Ska With Laurel" (1966), "Laurel Aitken Says Fire" (1967), "Scandal In A Brixton Market" (1969), "The High Priest Of Reggae" (1970) and more (September 2014 UK Pressure Drop 5CD Clamshell Box Set With Mini LP Card Repro Artwork Sleeves and Booklet – Alan Wilson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Rude Boy With Groovy Beats…"

Having worked in secondhand record shops for the guts of 20 years - and been in and out of them for the formative 2 decades of vinyl debauchery that preceded those - I can safely say that I've never seen 'any' of these uber-rare British Reggae/Ska albums - ever! Listed in 2014 price guides at somewhere between £200 and £150 for each album - good luck trying to find one! Well along comes Pressure Drop of the UK (part of Cherry Red Records) rectifying that unnecessary hole in our Skaless lives with this cool little box set which is frankly guaranteed to put some fire in your wire. Here are the rude boy rhythms, stretching braces and naughty lyrics...

UK released September 2014 - "Original Album Collection" by LAUREL AITKEN on Pressure Drop PDROPBOX25 (Barcode 5013929682504) is a 5CD Clamshell Mini Box Set with Five Mini LP Repro Card Artwork Sleeves - 4 original albums and a new 25-track CD compilation put together by Reggae expert and fan LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSET. 

His is a name familiar to me - he did the superlative 2CD Deluxe Editions of "Tighten Up" Volumes 1 and 2 (see my reviews) and the groundbreaking paperback books - "Young Gifted & Black: The Story Of Trojan Records" and "Tighten Up: The History Of Reggae In The UK" (see separate reviews also). This is a guy who knows what's what when it comes to this genre (at times so shrouded in discography mystery)...

As you can imagine Sixties Reggae and Ska was recorded in Uncle Albert's laundry room with a bucket and a broom - so the sound fluctuates wildly depending on the sources. But having said that - ALAN WILSON has done a wonderful job with the mastering. The 4 albums in particular sound amazingly fresh and clean .You can of course here cackle here and there - but frankly that's what I love about this joyous and funny music - it's from the streets and all the more fab for it. Here's a breakdown of what's on the discs...

CD1 is "Ska With Laurel" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1966 on Rio Records LR 1 (30:12 minutes)

1. Street Of Glory

2. Lonesome Traveller

3. Madame Sorosie

4. We Shall Overcome

5. Call The Doctor

6. Freedom

7. Hallelujah Train [Side 2]

8. Looking For My Baby 

9. Woman Is Sweeter Than Man

10. It’s Coming Down

11. Take Off My Pyjamas

12. Leave My Woman Alone

CD2 is "Laurel Aitken Says Fire" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1967 on Doctor Bird Records DLM (B) 5012 (31:46 minutes)

1. Fire

2. Worried Over Me

3. Halfway To Paradise

4. Coconut

5. Quando Quando

6. If You Need Me 

7. La La La [Side 2]

8. Rice And Peas

9. Stand By Me

10. Sunnyside

11. Mr. Lee

12. Gonna Get Married

CD3 is "Scandal In A Brixton Market" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1969 on Pama Economy ECO-8 – credited to GIRLIE and LAUREL AITKEN (43:02 minutes)

1. Scandal In A Brixton Market

2. Madame Straggae

3. Stupid Married Man

4. Tammering

5. Have Mercy

6. Night Cricket

7. Run Powell Run [Side 2]

8. Teddy Bear 

9. Mr. Soul

10. Woke Up This Morning

11. Babylon

12. Stop The War In Vietnam

CD4 is "The High Priest Of Reggae" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1970 on Pama Special PSP1012 (34:17 minutes)

1. Jesse James

2. Mr Popcorn

3. I Got To Have Your Love

4. John B

5. Shoo Bee Shoo Bee

6. Hailes Selaise

7. Landlords & Tenants [Side 2]

8. Save The Last Dance

9. Walk Right Back

10. Don’t Be Cruel

11. Woppi King 

12. Suffering Still

CD5 - Exclusive 25-Song CD Compilation - "Skinhead Train: 1960's Singles & Rarities" with all tracks by LAUREL AITKEN except where noted (73:45 minutes):

1. Boogie In My Bones - 1960, Starlite ST45 011, A-side

2. Drinkin' Whisky - with The Caribs, 1960, Starlite 014, B-side to "Honey Girl"

3. Mary Lee  - with The Blue Beats, 1960, Melodisc M 1570, A-side)

4. Bartender - 1961, Blue Beat BB 40, A-side

5. Brother David - 1962, Blue Beat 84, A-side

6. Lucille - with The Blue Beats, 1962, Blue Beat 109, A-side

7. Adam & Eve - 1963, Rio R 11, A-side

8. I Shall Remove - 1963, island WI 092, A-side

9. Lion Of Judah - 1964, Black Swan WI 401, A-side

10. Don't Stay Out Late - 1964, Columbia DB 7280, B-side of "Be Mine"

11. Clementine - 1966, Blue Beat 340, A-side

12. Propaganda - 1966, Ska Beat JB 236, A-side

13. Green Banana - 1966, Ska Beat JB 239, A-side

14. Rock Steady - 1967, Columbia Blue Beat DB 102, A-side

15. Blowin' In The Wind - B-side of 14, Bob Dylan cover

16. I'm Still In Love With You Girl - 1967, Columbia Blue Beat DB 106, A-side

17. Reggae Prayer - 1969, Doctor Bird DB 1196, A-side

18. The Rise And Fall (Of Laurel) - 1969, Doctor Bird DB 1197, A-side

19. Heile Heile (The Lion) - 1969, Doctor Bird DB 1202, A-side

20. Donkey Man - 1969, Unity UN 506, B-side of "The Avengers" by TOMMY McCOOK

21. Reggae '69 - 1969, Nu Beat NB 025, B-side of "Suffering Still"

22. Big Fight In Hell - 1969, Nu Beat NB 033, B-side of "Lawd Doctor" by Laurel Aitken & Girlie

23. Skinhead Train - 1969, Nu Beat NB 047, A-side

24. Apollo 12 (Skinhead Invasion) - 1969 White Label Only

The infectious brass rhythm that permeates "Street Of Glory" and "Lonesome Traveller" pretty much define Ska while he upped the piano involvement for his brilliant and very funny/fruity second LP "Says Fire". Laurel tells of his ardour being 'vexed' and "bwoy me hav fire in me wire..." (what a hoot!). "Worried Over Me" is fantastic - sounds great too. Even his cover of Billy Fury's "Halfway To Paradise" raises a smile. And as you can see from my track listing provided for Disc 5 (these details are not in the booklet) - there's lots of catalogue numbers collectors' want badly. The only let down (if you could call it that) is the 8-page inlay - which feels way too slight. But at least it has a central display of rare UK 45s with labels like Rio, Black Swan, Doctor Bird, Blue Beat, Ska Beat, Nu Beat, Pama and Island - it's the kind of photo that will make lovers of Reggae and Ska drool.

Fans will notice though that the hand of collectors has been involved in putting this together. For instance in the spring of 1969, Nu Beat (a subsidiary of Pama) issued the fabulous Girlie and Laurel Aitken non-album single "Lawd Doctor" on Nu Beat NB 033 – it’s equally rare non-LP B-side "Big Fight In Hell Stadium" turns up as a bonus on Disc 4 – as do a slew of other 45s seeing the digital light of day. "Scandal In A Brixton Market" indeed...

Such an enjoyable release - makes me big and fat - and I don't mind dat...

"These 23 Days In September/Stories/Nice Baby And The Angel/Cupid's Arrow" by DAVID BLUE – Four US Albums from April 1968, November 1971, April 1973 and June 1976 on Reprise and Asylum Records – Guest Musicians including Graham Nash, David Lindley, Ry Cooder, Rita Coolidge, Jesse Ed Davis, Dave Mason of Traffic, Glenn Frey of Eagles, Levon Helm of The Band, John Barbata of Jefferson Airplane, Chris Ethridge of The Flying Burrito Bros, Ralph Schuckett of Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Auburn Burrell of The Classics IV and more (June 2020 UK Morello Records Reissue – 4LPs onto 2CDs – Alan Wilson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...For A Window Thief..."

1941 was a good year for the birth of future singer-songwriter heroes – Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Guy Clark, Tim Hardin and in February of that WW II moment - Stuart David Cohen of Providence, Rhode Island. This was a chap who when gigging with Bob Dylan and Eric Anderson in the early 60ts in Greenwich Village in New York (both in their early 20s) was advised to change his stage name because there was already a Dave Cohen doing the rounds. Fixating on his eye-colour, our hero, the young Jewish troubadour, became DAVID BLUE.

With a voice akin to a deeper Leonard Cohen mumble, the romanticism of bugger-all LP sales allied with rich lyrical tales of waste and woe and the never-ending search for love (his loner personality gave him plenty of mental and physical demons, drugs up the wazoo) – David Blue has been a cult figure for decades now. Always bubbling under in US Sixties and Seventies Folk and Folk-Rock circles as a singer-songwriter of real worth like say Mickey Newbury or Fred Neil or Judee Sill or even Dory Previn – Blue and his self-titled debut album had been issued by Elektra Records in August 1966 – itself egged on after Blue had been featured for three tracks the year previous (August 1965) on a four-artist LP called "The Singer-Songwriter Project" (put out by Rhino in the 00s, there is an Elektra twofer CD Remaster set that deals with both of these albums).

Then signing to Reprise Records – Blue released two albums on Frankie's label - "These 23 Days In September" in April 1968 and a December 1969 effort called "Me" credited for that release to his real name S. David Cohen (it is not featured here). "These 23 Days In September" saw his genius for a hooky tune mature, and that is where this fab little '4 Classic Albums On 2 CDs' offering comes a-dancing in. Giving us a further three whole LPs on David Geffen's Asylum Records - home of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and in 1974 even Bob Dylan himself - there is a lot to savour here.

With no less than eight albums in his career across three huge record labels and a slew of acting spots when he ditched music after 1976 – David Blue would never reach the dizzying heights of his contemporaries. But with savvy folks like The Eagles, Richie Havens and Neil Young covering/praising his songs – you know you need to investigate what y’all missed first time around. Going back to the those halcyon days, here are the digital details...

UK released 12 June 2020 - "These 23 Days In September/Stories/Nice Baby And The Angel/Cupid's Arrow" by DAVID BLUE on Morello Records QMRLL 96D (Barcode 5013929899636) features Four Albums Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:

CD1 (73:05 minutes):

1. These 23 Days In September [Side 1]

2. Ambitious Anna

3. You Need A Change

4. The Grand Hotel

5. The Sailor's Lament

6. You Will Come Back Again [Side 2]

7. Scales For A Window Thief

8. Slow And Easy

9. The Fifth One

Tracks 1 to 9 are his second studio album "These 23 Days in September" – released April 1968 in the USA on Reprise Records RS 6296 in Stereo (no UK issue). Produced by GABRIEL MEKLER – it didn’t chart (WB in 2007 CD)

10. Looking For A Friend [Side 1]

11. Sister Rose

12. Another One Like Me

13. House Of Changing Faces

14. Marianne [Side 2]

15. Fire In The Morning

16. Come On John

17. The Blues (All Night Long)

Tracks 10 to 17 are his fourth studio album "Stories" – released November 1971 in the USA on Asylum SD 5052 and March 1972 in the UK on Asylum SYL 9001. Produced by BOB RAFKIN, DAVID BLUE and HENRY LEWY – the album features Ry Cooder on Slide Guitar, Chris Ethridge of The Flying Burrito Bros on Bass (Bob Rafkin also), Rita Coolidge on Backing Vocals, Ralph Schuckett of Jo Mama, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Clarence Clemens And The Red Bank Rockers on Keyboards, Milt Holland of The Surfmen and Captain Beefheart's Magic Band on Percussion, John Barbata of Jefferson Airplane and Russ Kunkel of The Section on Drums with Strings Arranged by Jack Nitzsche.

CD2 (73:51 minutes):

1. Outlaw Man [Side 1]

2. Lady O' Lady

3. Truth To You

4. On Sunday, Any Sunday

5. Darlin' Jenny

6. Dancing Girl [Side 2]

7. Yesterday's Lady

8. Nice Baby And The Angel

9. Troubadour Song

10. Train To Anaheim

Tracks 1 to 10 are his fifth studio album "Nice Baby And The Angel" – released April 1973 in the USA on Asylum SD 5066 and June 1973 in the UK on Asylum SYL 9009. Produced by GRAHAM NASH – String Arrangements by Graham Nash – Jennifer Warren Backing Vocals on "Lady O' Lady", Dave Mason of Traffic and David Lindley on Guitars, Chris Ethridge of The Flying Burrito Bros on Bass, Backing Vocals by Dave Mason of Traffic, Glenn Frey of Eagles and Graham Nash of The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Drums by John Barbata of Jefferson Airplane.

11. Run, Run, Run [Side 1]

12. The Ballad Of Jennifer Lee

13. Tom's Song

14. I Feel Bad

15. Cordelia

16. Maria, Maria [Side 2]

17. Cupid's Arrow

18. Primeval Tune

19. She's Got You

Tracks 11 to 19 are his seventh studio album "Cupid's Arrow" – released June 1976 in the USA on Asylum 7E-1077 (no UK release). Features Levon Helm of The Band on Drums, David Lindley on Guitar and Violin, Barry Goldberg on Keyboards (also Produced the LP) with Auburn Burrell of The Classics IV and Jesse Ed Davis on Guitars.

Produced by Lee Simmonds, this isn't a Deluxe Edition by any means so those expecting 30-page booklets can look elsewhere. But the 8-page inlay for QMRLL 96D does provide a brief two-page history of David Blue's career by SPENCER LEIGH (authoring a Bob Dylan tome that touches on Blue's association with him in New York), the LP credits for all four platters and that's about it. Photos from the original LP artwork are here too and Leigh's dense explanation of what happened is both informational, highly entertaining and ultimately (especially given what happened to Blue later in life) - sad. And with four rare albums for just above a tenner on digital – bloody good value for money. The Audio is care of ALAN WILSON with the Remasters done at Western Star Studios (Warner Brothers licenses for Cherry Red) and it all sounds great to me. To the music...

Afforded the luxury of a gatefold sleeve, the 1968 LP "These 23 Days In September" is a sparse affair musically - acoustic guitars and voice - all songs penned by DB. The title track opens with tales of humour spent, girly discontent politely spoken. The Gabriel Mekler Production values are gorgeous (he did Steppenwolf) - while DB tries to do his best Leonard Cohen vocal impression on the poppy "Ambitious Anna". Tunes like "You Need A Change" introduces Pedal Steel Guitar (doesn't say who) while a strummed zither helps "The Grand Hotel" and piano/keyboards lead the doom in "The Sailor's Lament" - men gone to the bottom of time. The Folk-Rock strum continues on "You Will Come Back Again", a good tune even if his vocals fall a tad flat. We then get nearly six minutes of "Scales For A Window Thief" - a wind that blows into sails of the past pushing them forward into a nothing horizon. "Slow And Easy" could be James Taylor (pretty) while the finisher "The Fifth One" even has a fuzzed-up guitar hoping to stroke that burgeoning Psych-based pop songs market (the first four women were al right but the fifth is just right). Amazing sound for the album, but for me, its strictly three-to-four star material unlike...

Things improve immediately with "Stories" from 1971 - his first platter for Asylum Records. The label provided him with some heavy-hitter musical company - Ry Cooder on Slide Guitar, Milton Holland on Percussion, Bass by Chris Ethridge and Backing Vocals from Rita Coolidge with Strings arranged by Jack Nitzsche (to name but a few). "Looking For A Friend" feels epic - like a really good Fred Neil song - his voice better than in 1968. "Sister Rose" only compounds the feeling that Leonard Cohen had something to worry about in David Blue - a never been warm song - except in your love - a Holy Cross sent from Montreal to act as a protector. The radio played Soul by the garden wall in "Another One Like Me" - as lovely as Seventies ballad as you've ever heard - soulful organ floating over the acoustic picking - only to have Ry Cooder slide in like a pro on the National Steel to seal the deal (gorgeous audio too).

"House Of Changing Faces" begins mellow and thoughtful - before going into over six minutes of acoustic anger on a sometimes clown making movies in some drugs hellhole where DB wanted to die (it's brilliant in a Mickey Newbury way). "Marianne" is an accordion-pretty waltz ala Tom Waits (the legendary Pete Jolly on Accordion). Blue loves that lady in the loft of her favourite lover - comforting her burning eyes filled with fear for the future. Elegant Jack Nitzsche strings accompany a lone piano for "Fire In The Morning" - a feeling weak breakfast song in a cold restaurant. But even better is "Come On John" - an impressive tale of a hungry man who can't help but run to liquid on spoons that he knows will do for him. And with its hooky electric guitar chorus parts - could have been a successful 45. The overlooked/excellent "Stories" album closes with six minutes on a singer that touched him - a fellow traveller on the road singing "The Blues (All Night Long)" - Ry Cooder once again blinding on the Slide. I'm so pleased with the Audio - fantastic - and I'd forgotten how sweet the whole record is.

Disc 2 goes into the Country Rock of "Nice Baby And The Angel" (1973) - produced to buggery by none other than Graham Nash of The Hollies and Americana superstars - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The Eagles famously took the album's opener "Outlaw Man" and put it on their second album "Desperado" - the Royalties for which undoubtedly kept our skint hero in a hot lunches for a few years (Graham Nash can be heard harmonising). Jennifer Warren provides lovely backing vocals on the mandolin pretty "Lady O' Lady" - a used-to-be-a-rambler song where she takes the wayward braggart in hand. Massive production values too for "On Sunday, Any Sunday" - his vocals purposely echoed into the background as the perfectly captured squeaking acoustic strings rattle around your speaker stack. He goes for the Pop Country Rock market with the kicking "Darlin' Jenny" - a high up on this hill looking for tomorrow tale of looking for gold (I think its Dave Mason of Traffic playing the electric guitar parts).

Terry Adams provides the lone Cello on "Yesterdays Lady" - a softly sweet ballad about leaving - gorgeous words and audio. The title song "Nice Baby And The Angel" talks of sharing space with a woman with a twinkle in her eyes (she ain't eyeing the door). "Troubadour Song" sees our man light a smoke and wait for the train - on to a cheap hotel and poor food - waiting alone for a future to show up. It ends with what feels like The Waterboys transported back to 1973 and mated with The Eagles - waiting in London Town with the rain pouring down - sick to his soul - lady up and gone on the "Train To Anaheim".

By the time we reach 1976 (their was an album in 1975 that isn't featured here called "Comin' Back For More" also on Asylum) - Pedal Steel Country Rock dominates tunes like the down-home cowboy song "The Ballad Of Jennifer Lee". But Rawk like "Tom's Song" and "I Feel Bad" comes on like bad Ringo Starr and hasn't aged at all well. The ballad "Cupid's Arrow" just about saves what for me is a so-so album after the highs of "Stories" and "Nice Baby And The Angel". 

"...It's all over now, David Blue!" Bob Dylan reputedly joked to the young buck in 1961 as he changed his name from S. David Cohen. Another legend is that Blue was playing back the guitar melody to Bob as The Zim penned the lyrics to "Blowing In The Wind" right in front of him – a song that would change the world. And on the same spot as he had seen Lightning Hopkins play in the Sixties in Washington Square Park (a moment that inspired him to write) – the Jewish singer-songwriter (free of drugs and happily married) suffered a stroke while jogging in December 1982 and died at the criminally young age of 42.

I know its not all five-star material, but this 2020 David Blue release still feels huge to me. Morello Records have pulled off a wee bit of a coup here. Remember the window thief like this and well done to all involved...

"She's Killing Me/A New Day" by JOHNNIE TAYLOR - Albums Originally from 1979 and 1980 on Columbia Records (September 2014 UK SoulMusic Records CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Play Something Pretty..."

Stax Soul man JOHNNIE TAYLOR got a commercial second wind when he signed to Columbia Records in the USA – promptly charting three albums in a row - "Eargasm" in 1976 (a Number 1 USA R&B LP), "Rated Extraordinaire" in 1977 (No. 6) and "Ever Ready" in 1978 (No. 35). 

This gorgeous-sounding CD reissue/remaster by SoulMusic Records of the UK (part of Cherry Red) deals with the next two Columbia platters dating from 1979 and 1980 (charted 53 and 75) lumped together onto one CD with a massively expanded booklet. Here are the track-by-track details...

UK released September 2014 – "She's Killing Me/A New Day" by JOHNNIE TAYLOR on SoulMusic Records SMCR 25124 (Barcode 5013929082434) offers 2LPs originally from 1979 and 1980 Remastered onto 1CD and pans out as follows (74:46 minutes):

1. Little Dancin' Queen

2. Play Something Pretty

3. (Ooh-Wee) She's Killing Me

4. The Users

5. Love Account

6. Pulling The Train

7. I Can't Leave You Alone

Tracks 1 to 7 are the album "She's Killing Me" – released October 1979 in the USA on Columbia Records JC 36061

8. The Heart Break Kid

9. I'd Rather Hurt Myself

10. I've Got This Thing For Your Love

11. Signing Off With Love

12. Baby Lay Down

13. Sneakin' Sneakin'

14. I Wanna Get Into You

15. Sylvia

16. Baby Don't Hesitate

Tracks 8 to 16 are the album "A New Day" – released August 1980 in the USA on Columbia Records JC 36548

The 16-page booklet is far more substantial than I'd expected it to be – full album artwork – recording details – repros of the album labels and 45's around both records as well a superbly detailed set of liner notes by American Soul/Funk specialist MATT BRAUER. It looks great and shows a great attention to fan-pleasing details.

But the real fireworks lies in an ALAN WILSON remaster of two albums that were professionally produced. Ballads like "Play Something Pretty" and the conscience-prodding "Love Account" sound incredible – full of great vocals and instrumentation. Funkier Disco tunes like "Little Dancin' Queen" and the guitar flicking/brass pumping dancefloor filler “Pulling The Train” sound great – plenty of vim and vigour. 

 

By the time we get to album two – the same amazing Production values are brought to the talking funk of "The Heart Break Kid" and the smooch of "Signing Off With Love". We go slappy-bass with "Sneakin' Sneakin'" where some lady isn't quite being honest about her night time activities – ending on the John Shaft slinky "Baby Don't Hesitate".

Great remaster, some cool tunes and a substantial booklet – a quality presentation overall by SoulMusic Records of the UK. Fans should dive in – especially given the quality upgrade in the audio...