"Searching For Sugar Man" by RODRIGUEZ. A Review Of The BLU RAY…

"...I Think Of You..."

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

and the

Rodriguez Albums "Cold Fact" (1970) and "Coming From Reality" (1971)

In some respects to review the fantastic documentary film "Searching For Sugar Man" is to ruin it. But here's the some-info' version minus spoilers…

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez (pronounced Sees-Toe) was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1942 to recently emigrated Mexican parents. From the early to late Sixties, Motown had put the Motor City on the musical map – so emerging singer-songwriters cut their teeth in bars and cafes, soaked up the campus/street politics and hoped to get noticed. After an early 7" single in 1967 on Impact that folded without trace - enter Producer Dennis Coffey and Sussex Records (home of Bill Withers). 

Sixto's debut American album "Cold Fact" was born - March 1970 on Sussex SXBS 7000 - followed the next year by "Coming From Reality" - November 1971 on Sussex SXBS 7012. But despite their musical quality, few noticed locally. Legend in fact has it that "Coming From Reality" sold less than 20 copies. 

Cut to the other side of the world – South Africa in fact – and young black and white kids are plagued by Apartheid. With lyrics like "drinking from a Judas cup…papa don't like new ideas round here…" or "I wonder will this hatred ever end?" – they pick up on the Arthur Lee melodies and the Bob Dylan protest lyrics and the soulful Jose Feliciano voice and the album becomes a huge hit over there. So Rodriguez tours and those shows are emblazoned into the memory. But then the mysterious American immigrant troubadour disappears…some even ruminating that he's dead – or never existed at all. Cut to decades later and a South African secondhand record-store owner wonders what happened to this huge and positive influence in his life? And so the journey begins…searching for the sugar man…

As a cartoon figure wanders across the dirty city streets of a cold Detroit with a guitar case strapped over his shoulder - you listen to tracks like "Crucify Your Mind" and "Inner City Blues" – and you wonder how in God's name you've never heard this great music before. Politics, Mafia swindles, radio indifference – all of it probably. But it's what happens next that makes you double take and grin from ear to ear all the way to the joyous end…

I urge you to buy either of the stunning Light in The Attic CD/LP remasters and reissues of both his original albums - "Cold Fact" on LITA 036 or "Coming From Reality" on LITA 038. They have (at last) been reissued 30 August 2019 in the UK on both CD and LP - Universal/Sussex 00602577896255 (Barcode 602577896255) for the "Cold Fact" CD and Universal/Sussex 00602577077371 (Barcode 602577077371) for the "Cold Fact" LP - with Universal/Sussex 00602577896354 (Barcode 602577896354) for the "Coming From Reality" CD and Universal/Sussex 00602577077388 (Barcode 00602577077388) for the "Coming From Reality" LP. Both CD variants can be bought for between five and seven pounds. 

The "Coming From Reality" album has "I Think Of You" - as lovely a melody as you've ever heard. The album finisher "Cause" has stunning lyrics – "...Cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas, and I talked to Jesus at the sewer, and the Pope said it was none of his Goddamn business…" The CD reissue even has three Bonus Tracks from his aborted 3rd album – "Can't Get Away" showing how well his songwriting had progressed. After them make a beeline to this wonderful BLU RAY.

To sum up - you know the way you look at hundreds of 5-Star reviews and wonder what all the love is about – don't. 

They're all right…

“Where’s There’s A Will There’s A Way – The ABC-Dunhill Recordings” by BOBBY WHITLOCK. A Review Of The 2013 Light In The Attic CD Reissue Which Remasters His First Two Vinyl Albums “Bobby Whitlock” (1972) and “Raw Velvet” (1973).

This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…You're The Only One…"

These two albums used to fill out the racks of used record stores and just sit there. And even though the self-titled debut contained heavy hitters - like George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann (of "Revolver" fame), Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett, Chris Wood of Traffic, Rick Vito (Bonnie Raitt's band, Bob Seger's band and Fleetwood Mac) and even The Edwin Hawkins Singers  - both were largely ignored by the buying public. Now at last top US reissue label Light In The Attic (using their Future Days Recordings imprint) has given them a newfound respect with a world-class CD reissue.

Released June 2013 - "Where’s There’s A Will There’s A Way: The ABC-Dunhill Recordings" by BOBBY WHITLOCK on Light In The Attic/Future Days Recordings FDR 602 (Barcode 82626853060226) offers 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD and breaks down as follows (70:29 minutes):

1. Where There’s A Will

2. Song For Paula

3. A Game Called Life

4. Country Life

5. A Day Without Jesus

6. Back In My Life Again

7. The Scenery Has Slowly Changed

8. I’d Rather Live The Straight Life

9. The Dreams Of A Hobo

10. Back Home In England

Tracks 1 to 10 is his debut album "Bobby Whitlock" issued March 1972 in the USA on ABC-Dunhill DSX 50121 and on CBS Records S 65109 in the UK.

11. Tell The Truth

12. Bustin’ My Ass

13. Write You A Letter

14. Ease Your Pain

15. If You Ever

16. Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham

17. You Came Along

18. Think About It

19. Satisfied

20. Dearest I Wonder

21. Start All Over

Tracks 11 to 21 is his 2nd album "Raw Velvet" issued November 1972 in the USA on ABC-Dunhill DSX-50131 and in the UK in early 1973 on CBS Records S

65301.

Produced by Andy Johns and Bobby Whitlock - the debut was recorded in London's Olympic Studios and featured an impressive array of British based Rock musicians. George Harrison and Eric Clapton (guitars) join Bobby Keys on Saxophone (practically an honorary member of The Rolling Stones), Klaus Voormann on Bass with Jim Price on Trumpet and Trombone and Jim Gordon on Drums. That amazing line-up grace three - "Where There's A Will", "A Day Without Jesus" and "Back In My Life Again" while Clapton also plays beautiful solo guitar on the lovely ballad "The Scenery Has Slowly Changed".  In fact the softer songs are far better than the rather frantic rushed tunes that are just trying too hard and getting nowhere. Chris Wood of Traffic adds flute to the lovely acoustic "A Game Called Life" - for me a nugget on this rather patchy album (lyrics from it title this review).

The second album ups the amps on Side 1 in an attempt to capture the 'rawk' market. 
It opens with "Tell The Truth" - a co-write with Eric Clapton. The countrified cover of Hoyt Axton's "Ease Your Pain" and the almost gospel-rock of "Bustin' My Ass" feature The Edwin Hawkins Singers to great effect. "Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham" features a co-write with Mac Davis and mean slide guitar from Clapton. Things mellow out with Side 2 where he often only employs acoustic guitars, a piano and the Los Angeles Symphony on strings. "You Came Along" is undeniably lovely and Rick Vito's lead playing on "Satisfied" is superb. It ends sounding like "Sun King" from The Beatles "Abbey Road" album with "Start All Over" - all swirling and prettily ethereal.

The remaster is properly great - incredible clarity and presence - even when the raucous ensemble threatens to engulf everything. And the exceptional 48-page booklet entitled "The Bobby Whitlock Story" is done with complete co-operation from the singer himself - photos from his private archives, publicity material, repros of the album labels, detailed track-by-track annotation including his own reminiscences on each song. A lot of work and passion went into this and it shows...

To sum up - neither album is undiscovered genius by any stretch of the imagination - but there's plenty of here worthy of reappraisal. And like Rodriguez, Jim Sullivan, Michael Chapman and The City (featuring Carole King) - once again Light In The Attic has given a voice to an artist who deserved better and should be re-heard.

Check this one out...

"Fully Qualified Survivor" by MICHAEL CHAPMAN (2011 Light In The Attic Records CD Reissue And Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…Like Jewels In Your Hand…"

Seventies Rock aficionados will no doubt have read gushing reviews telling them to invest their hard-earned in long lost classics - and having been burned a few times before - would view another such review with a certain amount of scepticism. 

But this is a Light In The Attic Records release - and after 60 peerless reissues of obscurities that truly deserve reappraisal – LITA have done it again. Beautiful presentation, extraordinary sound quality and songs that beggar the question – how the hell did this little gem get lost in the first place? 

MICHAEL CHAPMAN hails from Leeds in England and was 28 when he recorded his second LP "Fully Qualified Survivor" for EMI’s progressive label imprint Harvest. His debut album "Rainmaker" issued in July 1969 was only Harvest’s 5th LP at that time and signalled the arrival of a major Guitar Player and Rock singer-songwriter. 

1. Aviator

2. Naked Ladies And Electric Ragtime 

3. Stranger In The Room

4. Postcards Of Scarborough 

5. Fishbeard Sunset

6. Soulful Lady [Side 2]

7. Rabbit Hills

8. March Rain 

9. Kodak Ghosts 

10. Andru’s Easy Rider

11. Trinkets & Rings

The LP "Fully Qualified Survivor" by MICHAEL CHAPMAN was released March 1970 on Harvest SHVL 764 in the UK and Capitol/Harvest SW-816 in the USA – and even though it actually charted in the UK at No. 45 on the album charts - it’s a rare record on vinyl and UK originals can command upwards of £100. 

This February 2011 reissue on Light In The Records LITA 060 (Barcode 0826853006026) is a straightforward transfer of that 1970 album remastered from the 1st generation EMI tapes by NICK ROBBINS at Sound Mastering in London (46:32 minutes). The sound quality is fabulous - clear, warm and full of presence - and fully realises the original quality production values of GUS DUDGEON (of David Bowie and Elton John fame). 

The original gatefold artwork has been retained but upgraded to a lovely silver effect on the card digipak (they’ve also issued it on a beautiful Vinyl Version using the same silver effect artwork – a future collectable). The booklet is an impressive 32-pages long with liner notes by MICK HOUGHTON that feature new interviews with Chapman in 2010. Photos and archive material provided by the artist himself feature black and white snaps of him and the other musicians in the studio, on tour, reproductions of press releases and reviews and so on.

It opens with the epic "Aviator" – a nine and half-minute long acoustic song that has touches of Tim Buckley and Nick Drake in its languid pace. The cello is by Paul Buckmaster and the Violin by Johnny Van Derek. But – and this is a matter of taste – you’re met with his nasally drone of a voice which you will either embrace or loath. It all sounds a bit effected now, but if you give it time, there’s rewards later. Chapman was also a very accomplished guitar player (Bert Jansch, Stefan Grossman and John Renbourn jump to mind) and there follows the first of the album’s three acoustic-instrumentals "Naked Ladies & Electric Ragtime". With his foot tapping in the background, it’s a very pretty ditty and it also emphasises the superlative NICK ROBBINS remaster. The sheer musicality of "Postcards From Scarborough" is shocking – and the strings added by Dudgeon are lovely. "Fishbeard Sunset" is the second instrumental and is a 40-second introduction to a great song - "Soulful Lady". It also heralds a major playing talent – MICK RONSON on Guitar. He crops up again on "Kodak Ghosts" and his contributions are so exciting – rocking like a madman – loose and inspired ("The Man Who Sold The World", "Ziggy" and "Hunky Dory" with Bowie lay ahead). 

Side 2 is far better than Side 1 in my book – giving a run of truly superb tunes. "Rabbit Hills" is my favourite on here – a beautifully realised acoustic song with warm words and a haunting melody that still sounds sweet four decades on (lyrics above). "March Rain" with its Cello, Strings and Acoustic guitar arrangement could be Nick Drake circa "Bryter Layter" – so impressive. Mick Ronson adds lovely electric guitar licks to the treated Chapman acoustic guitars on the mid-tempo "Kodak Ghosts". The fantastically bluesy "Andru's Easy Rider" starts out with him on Piano but then goes into this huge John Fahey 12-string slide-guitar blues-boogie that you wish would overstay its mere two-minute duration. It segues into a funky Tabla and Guitar album finisher called "Trinkets & Rings" which features his trademark nonchalant vocals and electric guitar licks in the background. It’s impressive stuff, it really is…

To sum up - like his fellow Harvest Label mate Roy Harper (and nearest musical comparison), Chapman remains a bit of an unknown even in deep rock circles (Keef Hartley, Bryn Haworth, Mick Greenwood, Judee Sill, Karen Dalton and Fred Neil are others).  But you have to say that this is a smart reissue on the part of Light In The Attic Records in a long line of them (Lou Bond, Kris Kristofferson and Rodriguez come to mind - see reviews) and I’m glad I took a chance on it. I’ve subsequently bought the 2006 remaster of his "Millstone Grit" album from 1973 on Deram and it’s a cracker too. 

In 2015 at the age of 74 - it probably seems slightly odd to Michael Chapman now to be the subject of adoration and rediscovery for Folk/Rock he penned 45-years ago – but better late than never. A top job done boys and a major reissue for 2011…

“Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos 1968-72” by KRIS KRISTOFFERSON. A Review of the 2010 “Light in The Attic" CD Reissue.

"…Someday These May Be All We Remember Of Each Other…"

“Light In The Attic Records” - a reissue label out of Seattle in the USA - has been building up a steady and loyal audience of music connoisseurs since 2002. Their releases cover many genres of music and are often reissues of ultra-rarities - obscure albums and artists that actually deserve reappraisal (their Karen Dalton and Lou Bond issues are good examples).

And they are clearly proud of their 50th release – why? Because the first thing you notice about the gatefold card sleeve is the bulge in the left flap - the booklet is 60-pages long – I’ll repeat that – SIXTY PAGES LONG! I’ve seen Bear Family inners reach as much as 40 pages for a single rhythm ‘n’ blues CD (which is impressive), but this is something else! But to the details first…

Released May 2010 on CD (produced by Mark Long and Matt Sullivan), Light In The Attic LITA 050 has taken over 5 years to compile and breaks down as follows (51:47 minutes):

1. Me And Bobby McGee [5:12 minutes]
2. Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends [3:19 minutes, with False Start]
3. Smile At Me Again [2:34 minutes] (lyrics above)
4. The Lady’s Not For Sale [3:45 minutes]
5. Border Lord [3:58 minutes]
6. Just The Other Side Of Nowhere [2:40 minutes]
7. Come Sundown [3:19 minutes]
8. Slow Down [2:29 minutes]
9. If You Don’t Like Hank Williams [1:50 minutes]
10. Little Girl Lost [3:23 minutes]
11. Duvalier’s Dream [2:31 minutes]
12. When I Loved Her [2:47 minutes]
13. Billy Dee [2:55 minutes]
14. Epitaph (Black And Blue) [3:25 minutes]
15. Enough For You [2:40 minutes] [with studio chatter]
16. Getting By, High, And Strange [4:57 minutes] [with False Starts & Dialogues]

1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15 and 16 are solo acoustic recordings
3, 5, 8 and 12 are band recordings

The sound quality is a little rough on some tracks, but most of the acoustic demos are beautifully clear and amazingly free of recording glitches. The band material is good too and the occasional studio chatter and false starts lend a lovely intimacy to it all.

The booklet opens with interviews from Dennis Hopper, Kinky Friedman and Merle Haggard - then has a huge essay on the release by label-founder Michael Simmons which is followed by Kristofferson’s own dictated notes on every song (lyrics are provided, but the recording details are oddly sketchy). In-between all these words are loads of superb period photos - the young country singer with friends and like-minded musicians, hand-written lyric pages and even passport details… It's one of the best presentations I’ve ever seen.

Lyrically Kristofferson’s as sharp as Dylan and as caustic as Cash – “…nothing looks as empty as a motel bed…” (from Smile At Me Again), “…she’s got six gold records and been married seven times” (from Slow Down) and “…I like Bobby Gentry and that sexy Mama Cass, but if you don’t like Hank Williams buddy, you can kiss my ass…” These are songs about whiskey-drinking loose women and needle-chasing young men who are “…driven towards the darkness by the devils in his veins…” (from Billy Dee). Great stuff…and smart too.

The stark piano playing of Donnie Fritts accompanies Kristofferson’s lone guitar on “Epitaph (Black And Blue)” – it was written for Joplin after she died and obviously played with real pain and hurt. And then there’s the opposite - great fun with Billy Swan on the last track about women on construction sites in New York – a tape box that was rescued from Swan’s shed.

Obviously LITA are hoping that this release will warrant a reappraisal of Kristofferson as a major writing force – but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. Some of it is good, some a bit weak, but the better stuff is truly fantastic – it really is. And as I listen and re-listen to these songs – I’m reminded of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” and Johnny Cash’s “American Recordings” – albums I adore – and I’m sure many of their fans hold them precious too - being a true representation of their inner voices precisely because they’re so raw and stripped-down.

As he finishes singing the highly emotional words to “Enough For You” – he stops and says (rather impressed with himself) – “Was that just perfect!” And at times it’s hard not to agree.

A major release from a wonderful reissue label then - and an award-winning presentation. They’ve done the man proud.