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PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE...
And Others Genres Thereabouts
Exceptional CD Remasters
And Others Genres Thereabouts
Exceptional CD Remasters
Covering 1967 to 1977 - It Also Focuses On
Fusion Rock, Acid Folk, Art Rock and Underground
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"...Night Today..."
Taking their name from Horace
Silver's 1967 Jazz album on Blue Note called "The Jody Grind" -
England's short-lived but mighty JODY GRIND managed only two Progressive Rock
albums on the largely Folk Indie label Transatlantic Records.
Their October 1969 debut
"One Step On" received favourable press and elicited a devout fan
following (especially in Europe) - while their second and last album "Far
Canal" from September 1970 massively improved on its predecessor. But
neither did any real business sales-wise. Still - that hasn’t stopped good
labels like Akarma in Italy and Strange Days in Japan reissuing Jody Grind’s
recorded legacy on CD. Which brings us to these new and superlative 2016
remasters out of the UK...
England’s Esoteric
Recordings (part of Cherry Red) have built up a huge rep with collectors for
quality in both Audio and Presentation – and these two November 2016 CD
Expanded Edition Reissues for this long forgotten British Prog Rock Trio will
only add to that growing list of Reissue accolades.
The first album "One
Step On" is really good - a Hammond-Organ and Guitar-driven band let loose
in the studio with Jethro Tull's arranger David Palmer helping out on Horns and
Brass. And it's easy to hear why both of their albums have a stonking £200+
price tag allocated to each (and often a lot more). There's a shed load of
details to get through - so here are the (wait for it) peaky grinders (ouch)...
UK released 26 November 2016
- "One Step On" by JODY GRIND on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2567
(Barcode 5013929466746) is an Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster with Two
Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows (49:13 minutes):
1. One Step On [Side 1]
(a) In My Mind (b) Nothing
At All (c) Interaction (d) Paint It Black
2. Little Message [Side 2]
3. Night Today
4. U.S.A.
5. Rock 'N' Roll Man
Tracks 1 to 5 are their
debut studio album "One Step On" - released October 1969 in the UK on
Transatlantic Records TRA 210. Produced by HUGH MURPHY and Arranged by DAVID
PALMER - the album was not issued in the USA and didn't chart in the UK. All tracks
written by Ivan Zagni and Tim Hinkley except "Paint It Black", which
is a Rolling Stones cover version.
BONUS TRACKS:
6. Night Today (Alternate
Version)
7. Rock 'n' Roll Man (Single
Version)
JODY GRIND was:
TIM HINKLEY – Hammond Organ,
Piano, Electric Piano and Lead Vocals
IVAN ZAGNI - Electric
Guitars
LOUIS CENNAMO – Bass on
"Paint It Black", "Little Message" and "Rock 'N' Roll
Man"
BARRY WILSON - Drums and
Percussion
The 16-page booklet has
informative and well-researched liner notes from Esoteric’s own MARK POWELL –
who also compiled, co-ordinated and remastered the original tapes. The
elaborately constructed picture of a Wizard in his big pointy hat and cape
stood in front of a recording console that adorned the inner gatefold of
original British LPs is repro’d throughout the pages (Tim Hinkley doing the
honours). Powell gives a potted history of the band (slots in Timebox and
Patto), slogging it out on the Prog Rock/Avant Garde live circuit as Jody
Grind, signing their eclectic music with Nat Joseph to his Transatlantic
Records label and on onwards up to entering Morgan Studios in July 1969 to
record the album. Beginning with its eighteen-minute long Side 1 opus in four
parts, the Audio is fantastic – beefy without being too trebled for the sake of
it – very clear and impressive work.
Formed in November 1968 by
Keyboardist Tim Hinkley with Guitarist Ivan Zagni and Drummer Martin Harryman.
Harryman left to work with Elkie Brooks in Dada (over on Atlantic Records) to
be replaced with Drummer Barry Wilson.
As the Side 1
eighteen-minute title-track four-parter opens with tasty Hammond Organ and
Guitar licks chugging-mellow as they build a very definite vibe, you are
immediately reminded of several imaginative bands who pushed the envelope of Rock
– Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Flock, The Nice, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly
and even dollops of Brian Auger’s Retaliation. The playing is great and the
music way better than it had any right to be. Zagni lets rips with impress
guitar soloing as the "In My Mind" portion smooches on, only to be
followed by Hinkley getting all Spencer Davis Group on his Hammond (you can
imagine that this must have been a blast live). About nine-minutes in we get
doomy with the "Nothing At All" second section where Brass fills
accompany the huge Hammond chords – looking for a place to go – travelling in
that direction. The "Interaction" segment is a drum solo that is
followed by the final five minutes - a clever fast-paced whig-out – a cover of
"Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones that feels perfectly placed.
Transatlantic clearly
thought the extended very-Ten Years After guitar boogieing cover version had
some legs so someone turned it into a 7" single in both Germany and
Portugal - giving it a Mono Single Mix. The German single from 1970 on
Metronome M 25 201 had "Little Message" from Side 2 as its B-side and
came in a wicked picture sleeve (Tim Hinkley giving some Keith Emerson on his
Hammond) – while the Portuguese 45 on Zip Zip Records 30 011 had a Single mix
of "Rock n' Roll Man" on its flipside – one of the two Bonus Tracks
presented here.
Over on Side 2, a very ELP
Hammond keyboard run opens "Little Message" – a rapid Blood, Sweat
& Tears puncher with relentless heavy-guitars that tells everyone that the
band want to get down (yeah baby). I can’t help thinking it would have made for
a better A-side choice than the obvious lunge for the known Stones winner and
would have established Jody Grind as perhaps in there with the "25 Or 6 to
4" Chicago mob. Things get decidedly keyboard Jazz Prog with "Night
Today" – a slowy that is accompanied by some sexy brass fills but is
perhaps let down by Hinkley and his forced vocals. The heavy-heavy 6:41 minutes
of "U.S.A." has our heroes going back to America – a long road they
just got to take (there could be a devil woman involved). Their debut ends with
four and half minutes of uncharacteristic Chuck Berry type boogie about
Tennessee and Rock and Roll that has to go Johnny go (you get the drift). Once
Zagni plays a blinder channelling his inner Johnny Winter as that axe pans from
speaker to speaker.
After the first album - both
Zagni and Wilson exited too to be replaced with Bernie Holland and Pete Gavin
for album number 2 - "Far Canal" – an even more sophisticated effort
than the debut. Following the collapse of Paul Korda's Dada after only one
self-titled LP on Atlantic Records – Tim Hinkley (ex Climax Line Blues Band)
then joined Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer for the first Vinegar Joe LP over on
Island Records – later starring in Mike Patto's offshoot band Boxer too (Patto
and he were both in Climax Line Blues Band). Hinkley subsequently played on
stage with Chapman & Whitney's Streetwalkers (ex Family), Dr. Feelgood, Bad
Company, Snafu, Thin Lizzy and has done session work on solo LPs for The Who's
Roger Daltrey and Vinegar Joe's Elkie Brooks.
The four then three-piece
JODY GRIND are a footnote in Rock's History now (2020) – Prog Rockers who liked
to boogie too (with their Arthur Brown face paint and Wizard hats on), and I
can so understand why their two albums garnish such fever in collector’s
circle. Well done to all involved for getting their legacy out there and in
such good shape too...
