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"...How About A Welcome For My Children..."
By the time California's STONEGROUND released
the 2LP-set "Family Album" before Christmas of 1971 - their 2nd
platter for Warner Brothers in a year – the San Francisco ensemble were a
sprawling ten-piece Rock act fronted by ex Beau Brummel’s singer and guitarist
Sal Valentino and featured no less than four other singers - all ladies (see
list below).
Their self-titled debut "Stoneground"
had arrived in April 1971 on Warner Brothers WS 1895 to acclaim but poor sales
and their ambitious but again ignored three-sides-live-one-side-studio
"Family Album" 2LP set came in December 1971 (Warner Brothers 2ZS 1956).
These albums were in turn followed by "Stoneground 3" on Warner
Brothers BS 2645 in December 1972 - yet none bothered the US charts in any real
way despite the favourable reviews, great live rep and big-label name (members
of the band would morph into the yacht rock act Pablo Cruise and enjoy six
charted albums - one of which "Worlds Apart" went Top 6 in 1978).
But on hearing this sprawling and at times
brilliant double album from that halcyon year - you're left wondering - why?
Maybe we missed something back there? I think we did and reissue label 'Beat
Goes On' of England seems to think so too. There’s a lot to love on this
gorgeous-sounding 2CD reissue of this long-forgotten band and their gatefold
shot at fame – there really is. Here are the rocky details...
UK released November 2016 - "Family
Album" by STONEGROUND on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1263 (Barcode 5017261212634)
is a 2CD Reissue of the 2LP set from 1971 (no bonus tracks) and plays out as
follows:
Disc 1 (43:19 minutes):
1. Get Rhythm [Side 1]
2. Passion Flower
3. Corrina
4. Big River
5. Won't Be Long [Side 2]
6. Super Clown
7. Richland Woman
8. Queen Sweet Dreams
9. Precious Lord
Sal Valentino sings Lead Vocals on "Get
Rhythm", "Big River" (both Johnny Cash cover versions) and
"Queen Sweet Dreams" (his own song) and duets with Lynne Hughes on
the Traditional "Corrina". Lynne Hughes sings Lead Vocals on
"Passion Flower" (her own song) and "Richland Woman" (a
Mississippi John Hurt cover) - Annie Simpson sings Lead Vocals on the spiritual
"Precious Lord".
Disc 2 (43:30 minutes):
1. It Takes A Lot To Laugh (It Takes A Train To
Cry) [Side 3]
2. I Can't Help It
3. Ro Doreen
4. It's Not Easy
5. If You Gotta Go
6. Total Destruction Of Your Mind
7. You Must Be One Of Us [Side 4]
8. All My Life
9. Where Will I Find Love
10. Gonna Have A Good Time
11. Jam It
Disc 1 and 2 make up the double album
"Family Album" - released December 1971 in the USA on Warner Brothers
2ZS 1956 (no UK issue). Sides 1, 2 and 3 recorded live by KSAN Radio in San
Francisco, Sunday 8 August 1971 using the Pacific High Recording Studios in
front of an audience of 200 invited guests. Side 4 is the studio side (Tracks 7
to 11 on Disc 2) and was recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles.
STONEGROUND was:
SAL VALENTINO - Lead Vocals, Guitar and
Percussion
TIM BARNES - Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals
CORY LERIOS - Keyboards
JOHN BLAKELEY - Bass
BRIAN GODULA - Bass
STEPHEN PRICE - Drums
LYNNE HUGHES - Vocals
DEIRDRE LA PORTE - Vocals
ANNIE SIMPSON - Vocals
LYDIA MORENO - Vocals
BGO's now generic card slipcase adds the 2016
2CD reissue a classy look and the superb 12-page liner notes from noted wrier
JOHN O'REGAN give a potted and affectionate history of the band's many line-up
changes - explaining their history and unfortunate lack of commercial success
(the public seemed indifferent to them no matter what they did). The original
double vinyl LP was a gatefold sleeve laid out (not surprisingly) in a 'family
album' way with pictures of all 10 players on the inner gatefold - that spread
is reproduced on the inner two page spread. I still can't definitively say who
sings lead on which track (the original never said) and O'Regan doesn't
illuminate either. But I can say that audio-wise this is a gorgeous-sounding
recording - a beautiful 'high definition' audiophile transfer from original
masters by ANDREW THOMPSON that really gives the recordings an ethereal, loose
and casually cool feel.
Stoneground's sound isn't easy to nail -
probably a good reason as to why they were difficult to market. For this
mainly-live (3 sides) double album with Valentino mostly out front singing -
best approximation is early Little Feat 'live' with Leon Russell at the
microphone - a combo most Seventies Rock fans would gladly embrace. They also
had a knack of making very obvious 'cover versions' their own - and this is
evident in their very Stoneground reworked takes on Johnny Cash's "Get
Rhythm" and their boogie organ-driven version of Dylan's "If You
Gotta Go" - turned into a Soul raver with one of the ladies getting all
Tina Turner on its funky ass.
Reviewers complained at the time that the
clearly sparse 'invited 200' audience members seemed just a little too vocal in
their appreciation of the group giving some of the live cuts an awkward and
false feel – but I'd say that this happens so little it's an utterly mute
point. More likely that 1971 was such a huge year for rock (Hepworth's book
"Never A Dull Moment" nails this argument convincingly) - reviewers
were literally spoilt for choice and got a bit nasty on bands that weren't
immediately sensational. But I suspect that the real problem was a lack of
killer hits. The songs are good and at times - the rhythms funky and inspired –
but there's no Top 10 winner on here. Even when they're tackling the Jerry
Williams song "Total Destruction Of Your Mind" which they funk up
into a sort of Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band rave up complete with drum
solo – or have a go at Dusty Springfield's "Won't Be Long" turning it
into an Aretha Franklin Atlantic Records bopper – they sound like a great
covers band and that's all – it's good but not distinctive enough to make their
own mark.
The lonesome slide guitar and lone voice of
"Precious Lord" is chillingly brilliant though – sparse - like Ry
Cooder sat on a chair with Doris Troy letting rip on a microphone nearby – her
eyes closed – feeling every righteous word. Of the studio stuff Ron Nagle's
"You Must Be One Of Us" has Sal Valentino sounding like the recently
passed Leon Russell finding his inner Delta Lady. Keyboardist Cary Lerios supplied
the mushy love song "All My Life" while Lynne Hughes gives us the
better "Where Will I Find Love" – a very Delaney and Bonnie Soul-Rock
funky dancer. There's amazing audio on the I-feel-good rocker "Gonna Have
A Good Time” and near six-minute instrumental "Jam It" chugs along
like The Allman Brothers having a Rock-Funk workout in the studio in-between
"Brothers And Sisters" outtakes.
Piano player Pete Sears who played on their
debut would later feature in Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship and along with Ian
McLagan became a member of the house band that played on Rod Stewart's mighty
trio of classic albums - "Gasoline Alley", "Every Picture Tells
A Story" and "Never A Dull Moment". Cory Lerios, Steve Price and
David Jenkins would form Pablo Cruise and sign to A&M Records for major
chart success in the Seventies. Stoneground went on make more albums that no
one remembers - even returning to Warner Brothers in 1978 for the "Hearts
Of Stone" LP in 1978. There's a website to the band that tells you bugger
all info about them...
To sum up - there's much to dig here and as I
listen to the announcer tell the audience to 'give it up' for his children in
Stoneground (his words title this review) - I'm thinking he was onto to
something with the ignored double "Family Album".
Fans of 1971 need to check this superb-sounding
2CD reissue out. And well done to BGO for doing such a top quality job...
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