"Living Game" by MICK GREENWOOD (June 2001 UK Voiceprint CD Remaster in Jewel Case with Altered Artwork - September 2006 JAPAN Air Mail Recordings ARCHIVE CD Remaster in Mini LP Repro Sleeve with Original Artwork - Denis Blackham and Yoshiro Kuzimaki Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Truth Seeker…"

Mick Greenwood's debut album "Living Game" was released in the UK in September 1971 on MCA Records MDKS 8003 (November 1971 in the USA on Decca DL 75318) and was the 1st of his 3 albums in the early Seventies. 

The other two are "...To Friends" from October 1972 on MCA MKPS 2026 (March 1973 in the USA on MCA Records MCA-307) and "Midnight Dreamer" from September 1974 on Warner Brothers K 56059 (no USA release).

June 2001 saw all three reissued on CD (straightforward transfers in all cases) by the Voiceprint Label here in the UK with "Living Game" dubbed as Part One of 'The Mick Greenwood Teenage Trilogy' - the other two albums being Part Two & Three. Those 2001 Remasters pan out as follows - "Living Game" is Voiceprint VP222CD (Barcode 604388305629) - "...To Friends" is Voiceprint VP223CD (Barcode 604388305728) and "Midnight Dreamer" is Voiceprint VP224CD (Barcode 604388305827). There was also a box set containing all three CDs - 'The Mick Greenwood Teenage Trilogy' on Voiceprint VPBOX99CD.

As a further addendum – 20 September 2006 saw all three albums reissued again but this time in Repro Mini LP Original Artwork in JAPAN by Air Mail Recordings ARCHIVE – each with an OBI-Band and that 'Paper Sleeve' artwork (they are not SHMs). The "Living Game" Japan edition is a gatefold sleeve and even has the same colouring as the original British LP on the CD label and like the LP - the CD label calls the album "The Living Game" (attention to detail). NOTE: the UK Voiceprint Edition of his second album "...To Friends" features different artwork to the original UK LP while the third LP "Midnight Dreamer" features the original artwork albeit in an altered form. The only way to get the original UK/US album artwork is on these Japanese 2006 reissues - "Living Game" is AIRAC-1251 (Barcode 4571136372508) - "...To Friends" is AIRAC-1252 (Barcode 4571136372515) and "Midnight Dreamer" is AIRAC-1253 (Barcode 4571136372522). 

This review will focus on the September 2006 JAPAN CD Reissue on Air Mail Recordings Archive AIRAC-1251 (Barcode 4571136372508) – 39:20 minutes: 

1. Taxi [Side 1]

2. Friend Of Mine

3. Living Game

4. My Life

5. To The Sea

6. After The First World War [Side 2]

7. To The Farside

8. Truth Seeker

9. Situation Number Four

10. Keep Coming Back

11. Sight

MICK GREENWOOD - Vocals & Acoustic Guitar

JERRY DONAHUE - Electric Guitar

PAT DONALDSON - Bass Guitar

GERRY CONWAY - Drums, Percussion

TONY COX - Piano & Harmonium

(Tony Cox and Martin Cook produced the album with all songs written by Mick Greenwood)

Born in the UK but raised in the States from the age of 12 - Greenwood returned to London in 1970 in his early 20s to make music. He knew members of the FAIRPORT CONVENTION offshoot Folk Rock group FOTHERINGAY so when he went to make "Living Game" he was able to call on three of them - and along with keyboardist/producer Tony Cox - made up the band that feature on the album. 

The album has a quietly impressive list of guests from the Folk and Avant Jazz circuits of the time. Jazz session man and multi-instrumentalist LYNN DOBSON of THIRD EAR BAND adds flute to "Taxi", tenor sax to "Keep Coming Back" and plays sitar on "Sight".  CHRISTINE QUAYLE of the deeply underground DAYLIGHT adds lovely backing vocals to both "Situation Number Four" and "My Life". ANDY SMITH of THE IAN CAMPBELL FOLK GROUP also plays Banjo on "Situation Number Four". DAVE PEGG of FAIRPORT CONVENTION plays bass on "Situation Number Four" and "Sight". Later to appear with ASSAGAI on Vertigo and SPEAR on Virgin - South African avant-garde jazzman DUDU PUKWANA adds alto sax to "Keep Coming Back". KARL JENKINS of CENTIPEDE (would later form NUCLEUS) and his pals DEREK WADSWORTH (GINGER BAKER’S AIRFORCE) and BUD PARKES also play horns on the off-center "Keep Coming Back". 

The artwork on the Voiceprint CD has been altered slightly; the original front cover of the gatefold LP had the name and title of the album in script writing centered in the top window - Mick Greenwood Living Game – on the 2001 Voiceprint version it's been shortened to Living Game with his name removed entirely. The full-face photo that graced the rear of the gatefold sleeve is reproduced under the see-through tray and the same typo style used on the inner gatefold is also used to reproduce the lyrics and band credits in the booklet - nice touches on both counts. But the JAPANESE issue (being sticklers for detail) have gone back to the British LP and Reproduced it exactly as was – including the lyrics on the inside and even the original MCA vinyl catalogue numbers. The extra foldout glossy paper insert is one-sided and has only Japanese writing although it does advise that a 24-Bit Remaster was done in 2006 by YOSHIRO KUZUMAKI at CM Punch in Japan. And it sounds as spectacularly clean as the DENIS BLACKHAM one does for the 2001 UK variant. 

MCA/Decca released no less than three hard-to-find 7" singles in the USA and UK to promote the album, but none did any chart business:

1. "Living Game" b/w "To The Sea" was on Decca 32922 in the USA and MCA MKS 5074 in the UK (November 1971)

2. "Friend Of Mine" b/w "Situation Number Four" was on MCA MKS 5082 in the UK (February 1972)

 3. "After The First World War" b/w "Nobody Knows Me" on Decca 32962 in the USA and MCA MKS 5092 in the UK (May 1972)

As you can see from the album track list and my seven-inch singles discography provided above - "Nobody Knows Me" is a non-album B-side. Unfortunately, it's not featured as a bonus track on either CD variant - a damn shame that.

But the big revelation is the superb sound quality. DENIS BLACKHAM (of Skye Mastering in Scotland) has digitally remastered the first-generation tapes and he's achieved a beautiful job - warm, clean and full - far clearer than the cackles coming off my battered old vinyl copy. The JAPANESE issue is the same – super clean and clear – amazing audio for 1971. To the tunes…

If you were to describe the music, it would be a cross between Matthews Southern Comfort and Elton John circa "Madman Across The Water".  It isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination and the hammy hippy-lifestyle lyrics on some of the songs irritated me then and may make many cringe now - but there's also a lot to love on here and isn't as dated as I feared it might be. 

The flute driven rock of the opener "Taxi" is excellent, the plaintive "Friend Of Mine" very Clifford T Ward, while the opening piano chords of "Living Game" are "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" three years before it was recorded.  For me "My Life" is gorgeous and will be gracing a 70's Fest CD-R somewhere near you soon. It's a truly lovely song and to hear the clarity of Pat Donaldson's bass playing on this excellent remaster is a genuine blast.

Then two lost classics appear, the strange yet funky "To The Farside" and the lovely string-driven ballad "Truth Seeker" - gems awaiting rediscovery for sure. The funky five-piece brass section on "Keep Coming Back" is superb and may even appeal to soul boys who like the funky side of rock, while Lynn Dobson's sitar combined with Ned Balen's Tablas on "Sight" will have you running for the joss sticks on Sunday morning. It ends the album on a lovely trippy up-note. Pretty impressive stuff really - 45 years on and it still sounds good.

To sum up, Mick Greenwood's 1971 Debut Album "Living Game" is a three to four-star Folk Rock album given a five star remaster and is well worth your checking out. 

Recommended to those looking to explore an underrated and forgotten songsmith from the Seventies...and I've also reviewed "Midnight Dreamer" on this Blog...