"...Freedom Special..."
As
of spring 2022 - a full 54-years after the first album event – the rare debut
for Buddy Miles and his band Express has remained stubbornly off the
digital radar (ease of access that is) for yonks. The only copy available on CD
has been Hip-O Select's US card repro sleeve reissue from 2006 on Hip-O Select B0002976-02
(No Barcode), which being a limited edition of only 5000-cipies is long deleted
and extortionately priced on the open market.
The
genuinely fab Rock-Soul-Fusion-Funk "Them Changes" album from 1970
saw the digital light of day in May 2003 out of Universal-Europe on their
'Original Funk Series' of CD reissues too (I've reviewed that release). But to
my knowledge – both 1969's "Electric Church" and 1971's "We Got
To Live Together" have been absent anywhere and/or very difficult to find in
decent audio form.
Well
at last (albeit it belatedly), Beat Goes On of the UK have done the ex Electric
Flag and Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys drummer a solid by lumping four of the six
albums he did with Mercury Records together onto 2CDs and Remastering them to mucho
cool effect. The presentation is properly tasty too. Let’s get it together with
the mind-blowing details...
UK
released 7 January 2022 (delayed from 5 November 2021) – "Expressway To
Your Skull/Electric Church/Them Changes/We Got To Live Together" by BUDDY
MILES EXPRESS (first two LPs) and BUDDY MILES (last two) on Beat Goes On
BGOCD1468 (Barcode 5017261214683) offers 4LPs Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out
as follows:
CD1
(71:29 minutes):
1.
Train [Side 1]
2.
Let Your Lovelight Shine
3.
Don't Mess With Cupid
4.
Funky Mule
5.
You're The One That I Adore [Side 2]
6.
Wrap It Up
7.
Spot On The Wall
Tracks
1 to 7 are his debut solo album "Expressway To Your Skull" by BUDDY
MILES EXPRESS – released November 1968 in the USA on Mercury SR-61196 in
Stereo, January 1969 UK on Mercury 20137 SMCL. Produced by LOU REIZNER with
liner notes on the rear sleeve by JIMI HENDRIX (doesn't play on the album) – it
didn't chart Top 200 in either country.
PLAYERS:
BUDDY
MILES [ex Electric Flag and Hendrix's Band Of Gypsys] – Lead Vocals, Drums,
Guitar and Organ
JIM
McCARTY [of Cactus] – Guitars
BILL
McPHERSON and VIRGIL GONSALES – Baritone and Soprano Saxophones and Flute
HERBIE
RICH – Organ and Tenor Saxophone
TERRENCE
CLEMENTS – Tenor Saxophone
MARCUS
DOULBLEDAY – Trumpet and Flugelhorn
BILL
RICH – Bass
RON
WOODS – Drums
8.
Miss Lady [Side 1]
9.
69 Freedom Special
10.
Cigarettes And Coffee
11.
Destructive Love
12.
Texas [Side 2]
13.
My Chant
14.
Wrap It Up
Tracks
8 to 14 are his second studio album "Electric Church" by BUDDY MILES
EXPRESS (hence-after credited as Buddy Miles) - released June 1969 in the USA
on Mercury SR-61222, October 1969 UK LP on Mercury 20163 SMCL in Stereo.
Produced by JIMI HENDRIX (Tracks 8, 9,11 and 13) - ANNE TANSEY Produced Tracks
10, 12 and 14. The Isaac Hayes/David Porter cover version "Wrap It
Up" was recorded live at the Fillmore East in NYC, all other tracks
studio recordings.
BUDDY
MILES - Drums and Lead Vocals
JIM
McCARTY [of Cactus] - Guitars
DUANE
HITCHINS - Keyboards
JAMES
TATUM, TOBY WYNN and BOBBY ROCK - Saxophones
PETE
CARTER and TOM HALL - Trumpets
BILL
RICH - Bass
CD2
(64:46 minutes):
1.
Them Changes [Side 1]
2.
I Still Love You Anyway
3.
Hearts Delight
4.
Dreams
5.
Down By The River [Side 2]
6.
Memphis Train
7.
Paul B. Allen, Omaha, Nebraska
8.
Your Feeling Is Mine
Tracks
1 to 8 are his third studio album "Them Changes" by BUDDY MILES -
released July 1970 in the USA on Mercury SR-61280, October 1970 UK on Mercury
6338 016 in Stereo. Produced by BUDDY MILES and ROBIN
McBRIDE - it peaked at No. 14 on the US R&B LP charts.
BUDDY MILES - Drums, Guitars and
Lead Vocals
CHARLIE KARP, MARLO HENDERSON, JIM
McCARTY - Guitars
ANDRE
LEWIS and DWAYNE HITCHINS - Keyboards
MARK
WILLIAMS, BOBBY PITTMAN and JAMES TATUM - Saxophones
PETE
CARTER, TOM HALL and LEE ALLEN - Trumpets
PHIL
WOOD - Flugelhorn
BOB
HOGINS - Trombone
ROLAND
ROBINSON and DAVID HULL - Bass
9.
Runaway Child (Little Miss Nothin') [Side 1]
10.
Walking Down The Highway
11.
Easy Greasy
12.
We Got To Live Together [Side 2]
13.
Take It Off Him And Put it On Me
Tracks
9 to 13 are his fourth studio album "We Got To Live Together"
(credited to BUDDY MILES) - released November 1970 in the USA on Mercury
SR-61313, January 1971 UK on Mercury 6338 028. Produced by BUDDY MILES and
ROBIN McBRIDE - it peaked at No. 14 on the US Billboard R&B LP
charts.
The outer card slipcase always lends these BGO reissues a look of classiness and the 24-page booklet inside with al artwork and typically in-depth CHARLES WARING liner notes don't disappoint either. But again - the nuts for us musical squirrels comes in the new 2021 Remasters by Beat Goes On's long-standing Audio Engineer ANDREW THOMPSON. Even as the famously distorted grunge guitar of "Train" opens the debut "Expressway" (making you think there's something wrong with your pressing) right up to the fabulous Bloomfield/Miles composition "Texas" on "Electric Church" and on to the twelve-plus-minutes of "Take It Off Him And Put It On Me" - the audio is great - full of life and power and a genuine pleasure to listen to.
Highlights include the "Don't Mess With Cupid" cover version on CD1 - a funky Willa Parker, Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd song made famous by Otis Redding on Volt Records in 1966, and his own "Easy Greasy" on the never-heard "We Got To Live Together" LP over on CD2.
Other highlights for me include the entirety of the "Them Changes" album - three are BM originals
"Them Changes", "Heart's Delight" and a co-write with Andre
Lewis on "Paul B. Allen, Omaha, Nebraska". The lovely "I
Still Love You, Anyway" is written by band guitarist Charlie Karp. His
cover versions are masterfully chosen too and arguably the highlights of the album
- a fantastically funky reinterpretation of "Dreams" by The Allman
Brothers, "Memphis Train" by Rufus Thomas, "Your
Feeling Is Mine" by Otis Redding and a truly brilliant and soulful version
of "Down By The River" from Neil Young that never ceased to bring
customers to the counter when I worked at Reckless Records in Berwick St. asking - "Who is this!" And there's lots more where they came from.
Miles
made two other albums for Mercury Records - "A Message To The People"
issued April 1971 USA on Mercury SRM 1-608 (June 1971 UK on Mercury 6338 048)
and the double-album "Buddy Miles Live" issued October 1971 USA on
Mercury SRM-2 7500 (February 1972 UK on Mercury 6641 033) - and I'm suspecting
they will be doubled also for BGO's follow up to this cool release.
In
the meantime - grab this superb and bountiful Buddy Miles BGO double-digital
splurge while you can...and enjoy...
