"...Take Your Fun While You Can..."
Sandwiched between late 60ts
GUN on CBS Records, the early 70ts solo years of PARRISH and GURVITZ on Regal
Zonophone and finally 1974's BAKER GURVITZ ARMY with GINGER BAKER on Vertigo is
the completely but unfairly overlooked interim group THREE MAN ARMY featuring
the musical link between them all – the dynamic brother-duo of ADRIAN and PAUL
CURTIS (or GURVITZ as they became known).
Three Man Army's rather good
little debut album "A Third Of A Lifetime" from 1971 on B&C's
short-lived offshoot label Pegasus Records has built up a serious rep amongst
collectors – so its 2016 CD reissue in real style by England's Esoteric Recordings
(part of Cherry Red) is good news for fans and lovers of Classic Seventies
Rock. Let's get to those gun-totting Wah Wah Pedals and Moody Mellotrons...
UK released Friday 29 July
2016 (August 2016 in the USA) - "A Third Of A Lifetime" by THREE MAN
ARMY on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2558 (Barcode 5013929465848) is an 'Expanded
Edition' CD Remaster of their 1971 debut LP with Two Bonus Tracks and plays out
as follows (59:41 minutes):
1. Butter Queen
2. Daze
3. Another Day
4. A Third Of A Lifetime
5. Nice One
6. Three Man Army [Side 2]
7. Agent Man
8. See What I Took
9. Midnight
10. Together
Tracks 1 to 10 are their
debut LP "A Third Of A Lifetime" - released October 1971 in the UK on
Pegasus Records PEG 3. Produced by LOU REIZNER - It didn't chart.
BONUS TRACKS:
11. What's Your Name
12. Travellin'
Tracks 11 and 12 are the
non-album A&B-sides of a November 1971 UK 7" single on Pegasus Records
PGS 1
THREE MAN ARMY was:
ADRIAN CURTIS (GURVITZ) -
Guitar, Organ, Mellotron and Vocals
PAUL CURTIS (GURVITZ) - Bass
and Vocals
MIKE KELLY - Drums
BUDDY MILES - Drums on
"Butter Queen", Bass on "Nice One" and Organ on
"Midnight"
Arranged and compiled by
MARK and VICKY POWELL - the 16-page booklet repro's the original gatefold
artwork of the rare Pegasus vinyl LP across its front and rear (the three black
and white photos of the boys playing live that were on the inner gatefold
sleeve are also reproduced in the booklet) and features new liner notes of the
band's history by noted writer MALCOLM DOME. There's discussion on the brothers
beginnings as The Knack which morphed into Gun which went into the self-titled
solo Parrish-Gurvitz album in 1971 (produced by George Martin) - through the
Three Man Army years and eventually ending up to at The Baker Gurvitz Army where
they shared much mayhem and music with Cream's legendary drummer - Ginger
Baker. But the big news is a superlative new 24-bit CD Remaster by BEN WISEMAN
at Broadlake Studios in Hertfordshire - very clear - full of power and presence
without ever feeling over amped for the sake of it...
The 'gun and guitar' artwork
of their first platter (care of Terry Pastor) clearly gave a nod back to those
early CBS days of GUN – promising mucho Guitar pyrotechnics amidst the
occasional Prog-like tune. And that's pretty much what you get here - the new
band also benefitting greatly from BUDDY MILES guesting on Drums, Bass and
Organ. It opens with a speaker-rattling "Butter Queen" where Curtis
seems determined to show how fast he can play guitar whilst Mike Kelly tries to
keep up. "Daze" calms things down for a few moments before going into
Man-like guitar soloing while "Another Day" is excellent Seventies
Rock - funkier than most but still keeping it melodic. The Instrumental
Acoustic title track has gorgeous Audio (such a lovely tune) and sees both
strings and Mellotron come floating in like they're auditioning for a Procol
Harum 45 or the woodwind section of ELO. I also dig "Agent Man" -
five minutes of Funky Acoustic Rock where Adrian's prowess isn’t without doubt
- but his quest to play in a group is hampered by the so-called professionals
he needs to get into a decent band...
My introduction to this
album came via a search for Funky Soulful Rock Instrumentals and the fabulous
slink of "Midnight" jumped off the album - a kind of Brian Auger
meets Jeff Beck guitar work out with sexy Organ passages from Buddy Miles
(normally plays the drums and was with Hendrix). The song "Midnight” is a
winner but even that cool wonder is trumped by "Together" - a very
melodic Prog finale. The six and half-minute tune eases in at first with gentle
Acoustic Guitars and a floating Mellotron note - Adrian singing about longing
to live on a ship with his lady to escape it all. Way more mellow Moody Blues
than hard-hitting Cream - it's the guitar flourishes that kick in at about 3:35
(after a silent Genesis type passage) that impresses hugely - where I'm
reminded of Barclay James Harvest in their early Harvest Records days.
Even now THREE MAN ARMY are
an obscurity – they sold jack zip on release - their albums have always been
hard to find - and of late increasingly pricey. It isn’t undiluted genius – but
this Esoteric Recordings CD Reissue and Remaster is typical of their commitment
to getting rarities out there is quality form. Both fans and the curious should
dive in…
