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PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE
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Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
And Others Genres Thereabouts
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
Covering 1967 to 1977 - It Also Focuses On
Fusion Rock, Acid Folk, Art Rock and Underground
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"…Let It Happen…"
Ah! the VERTIGO Record Label –
subject of affection and ridicule in unequal amounts...
So what makes me buy a 41-track
3CD mini box set full of the eclectic and the indulgent? Because on rehearing
this much-maligned label's output - there's so much to enjoy on here that isn't
crap - especially if you like your Rock with a Funky Fusion kick in the nuts.
Here are the Black Sabbaths having a Warhorse by the Beggars Opera in the Tudor
Lodge (if you know what I mean)…
UK released April 2005 – "Time
Machine: A Vertigo Retrospective" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Universal/Vertigo 9827982 (Barcode
602498279823) is a 3CD Mini Clamshell Box Set of Remasters that breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 – Vertigo 9827984 -
(78:09 minutes):
1. The Kettle – COLOSSEUM
(from the album “Valentyne Suite” released November 1969 on Vertigo VO 1.
Charted at 15 in the UK. The band featured Drummer JON HISEMAN (ex Graham Bond
ORGANization), Saxophonist DICK HECKSTALL SMITH with Keyboard Player DAVE
GREENSLADE and Bassist TONY REEVES who later formed GREENSLADE)
2. Who Do You Love? – JUICY
LUCY (February 1970 UK 7” single on Vertigo V 1. A Bo Diddley cover – it
reached No. 14 on the UK charts)
3. My Heaven – CLEAR BLUE
SKY (on the album “Clear Blue Sky” released April 1971 on Vertigo 6360 013)
4. Travelling Lady – MANFRED
MANN’S CHAPTER THREE (on the album “Manfred Mann Chapter Three” released
November 1969 on Vertigo VO 3)
5. Behind The Wall Of Sleep
– BLACK SABBATH (on their debut album “Black Sabbath” released February 1970 on
Vertigo VO 6. It reached No. 8 in the UK charts)
6. To Play Your Little Game
– CRESSIDA (on the album “Cressida” released February 1970 on vertigo VO 7)
7. Introduction – GRACIOUS!
(From the album “Gracious!” released June 1970 on Vertigo 6360 002)
8. Three Sisters – AFFINITY
(from the album “Affinity” released June 1970 on Vertigo 6360 004. The band
featured LINDA HOYLE who also had a Solo album on Vertigo in 1971 called
“Pieces Of Me”)
9. Walking On – BOB DOWNES
(from the album “Electric City” released July 1970 on Vertigo 6360 005)
10. I Don’t Know – MAY BLITZ
(from the album “May Blitz” released July 1970 on Vertigo 6360 007)
11. Torrid Zone - NUCLEUS
(from the album “Elastic Rock” released June 1970 on Vertigo
12. Handbags And Gladrags –
ROD STEWART (on his debut album “An Old Raincoat Won’t Let You Down” released
February 1970 in the UK on Vertigo VO 4)
13. Nothing At All – GENTLE
GIANT (on the album “Gentle Giant” released November 1970 on Vertigo 6360 020.
They went on to have a long career on both WWA Records and Chrysalis in the UK
and remain highly collectable to this day)
14. The Influence – BEN (on
the album “Ben” released August 1971 on Vertigo 6360 052)
Disc 2 - Vertigo 9827985 –
(76:58 minutes):
1. Evil Woman's Manly Child
– Dr. Z (on the album "Three Parts To My Soul" released August 1971 on Vertigo
6360 048)
2. Borne On The Solar Wind –
JADE WARRIOR (on the album "Last Autumn's Dream" released November 1972 on
Vertigo 6360 079)
3. The Man – PATTO (on the
album "Patto" released November 1970 on Vertigo 6360 016)
4. Thinking Of My Life –
JUICY LUCY (on their 2nd album "Lie Back And Enjoy It" released October 1970 on
Vertigo 6360 014)
5. Half Baked – JIMMY
CAMPBELL (on the album "Half Baked" released August 1970 on Vertigo 6360 010)
6. For Madmen Only – MAY
BLITZ (on their 2nd album "Second Of May" released June 1971 on Vertigo 6360
037)
7. The Lady's Changing Home
– TUDOR LODGE (on the album "Tudor
Lodge" released July 1971 on Vertigo 6360 043)
8. Time Machine – BEGGARS
OPERA (on the album "Waters Of Change" released September 1971 on Vertigo 6360
054)
9. Bring Out Your Dead –
COLOSSEUM (on the album "Daughter Of Time" released November 1970 on Vertigo
6360 017)
10. Mouthpiece – WARHORSE
(on the album "Red Sea" released May 1972 on Vertigo 6360 066)
11. Lady In Black – URIAH HEEP
(on the album "Salisbury" released February 1971 on Vertigo 6360 028)
12. Through The Years –
FREEDOM (on the album "Through The Years" released August 1971 on Vertigo 6360
050)
13. Midnight Moses – THE
SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND (on the album "Framed" released December 1972 on
Vertigo 6360 081)
14. Lord Of The Ages – MAGNA
CARTA (on the album "Lord Of The Ages" released September 1973 on vertigo 6360
093)
Disc 3 – Vertigo 9827983 –
(79:17 minutes):
1. Living At The End Of Time
– ATLANTIS (on the album "Atlantis" released March 1973 on Vertigo 6360 609)
2. Life Child – RAMASES (on
the LP "Space Hymns" released July 1971 on Vertigo 6360 046)
3. McArthur Park – BEGGARS
OPERA (on the album "Pathfinder" released July 1972 on Vertigo 6360 073. It's a
cover of the Jimmy Webb song made famous by actor Richard Harris and later
Disco Diva Donna Summer)
4. Song For The Bearded Lady
– NUCLEUS (on the album "We'll Talk About It Later" released February 1971 on
Vertigo 6360 027)
5. Patagruel's Nativity –
GENTLE GIANT (on the album "Acquiring The Taste" released July 1971 on Vertigo
6360 041)
6. (A Ballad Of) A Peaceful
Mind – GRAVY TRAIN (on the album "(A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man" released
September 1971 on Vertigo 6360 051)
7. Powers Of Darkness –
RONNO (on the album "Powers Of Darkness" released March 1971 on Vertigo 6360
029. The band featuring ace-guitarist MICK RONSON who went on to Solo stardom
and as a sidekick to both David Bowie and Lou Reed)
8. Paper Plane – STATUS QUO
(on the album "Piledriver" released 8 December 1972 on Vertigo 6360 082)
9. Little Known – IAN
MATTHEWS (on the album "If You Saw Thru My Eyes" released May 1971 on Vertigo
6360 034)
10. Let It Happen – VANGELIS
O. PAPATHANASSIOU (from the album "Earth" released 1973 on Vertigo 6499 693)
11. Mwenga Sketch – JADE
WARRIOR (exclusive to the double-album Vertigo label sampler "Suck It And See" released May 1973 on Vertigo 6641 116)
12. The Four Horsemen –
APHRODITE'S CHILD (on the album "666" released May 1972 on Vertigo 6673 001.
The band famously featured keyboard wizard Vangelis and Greek singer DEMIS
ROUSSOS)
13. Spiral Architect – BLACK
SABBATH (on the album "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" released December 1973 on
Vertigo 6360 115)
The mini clamshell box
contains a fantastic 48-page booklet with hugely detailed liner notes by
reissue hero MARK POWELL – there’s the usual band photos, the album sleeves in
miniature (and in colour) – but it’s the trade adverts you’ve never seen that
impress most. Better is the PASCHAL BYRNE remastering (done at Audio Archiving
in London) which is up to his usual standard of excellence. This guy has been
on hundreds of reissues – especially in the Progressive Rock field – so he
knows how to handle these tapes. The audio is clear, punchy and if there’s hiss
on some tracks – he lets them breath. A great done…
The funkier side of Vertigo
is kind of shocking – Affinity's "Three Sisters" from their debut features
LINDA HOYLE on lead vocals and comes on like Cold Blood with Lydia Pence
(Atlantic Records) – great brass, keys and guitar hooks aligned around a Julie
Driscoll type vocalist. It's immediately followed by the even more-catchy "Walking On" from BOB DOWNES sounding not unlike Blood, Sweat & Tears finding their inner Prog. That funky groove continues with "I Don't Know" by
MAY BLITZ with a fantastically clever guitar repetition throughout that digs in
from the start and only deviates to let the drums and bass battle it out before
the guitars rip. At times it sounds like the innovativeness of Zeppelin II. We
then firmly enter the area of Rock Fusion with the stunning NUCLEUS
instrumental "Torrid Zone" – a near 9-minute fest of IAN CARR's trumpet
sounding like Miles Davis discovering his inner bop. It's easy to see why
Jazzers and even Soul Boys want this so much – it's undeniably brilliant and
the remaster is fabulous highlighting the amazing speaker-to-speaker
musicianship.
After all the Hard Rock, Metal, Jazz Fusion and general mayhem –
Rod Stewart's gorgeous cover of Mike D'Abo's "Handbags & Gladrags" comes as
a melodic surprise – and as ever – a heart-warming one. We return to more familiar
Genesis-like Prog territory with GENTLE GIANT's equally lovely "Nothing At
All". Produced by Tony Visconti – its nine minutes has beautifully
accomplished harmony vocals floating over pretty guitars and keys – and again –
it's shockingly good. Like their fellow mates on Vertigo – the obscure BEN fit
into the jazzy Nucleus, Affinity and Colosseum bracket. The ten-minute flute
and guitar battle that is "The Influence" sounds like its late Sixties Doors
doing an instrumental – funky Rock with Jazz leanings – very cool indeed and it
ends Disc 1 on a definite high.
Disc 2 opens with a rarity by DR. Z - their album having reputedly sold less than 100 copies. Formed by a Professor of
Swansea University - Keith Keyes aped his surname and played a mean set of
keyboards. Their lone track has a slightly vaudeville backing and funky piano
riff – sounding not unlike the kind of thing you'd hear in a Jesus Christ
Superstar stage show. Colosseum's "Bring Out Your Dead" is a fabulous funky
instrumental but Uriah Heep's clunky "Lady In Black" is less impressive. Freedom was
formed by ex Procol Harum bods Bobby Harrison and Ray Roger and their "Through
The Years" is a cracking Rock tune with great lead guitar from Roger
throughout. But then things go stellar
for me – the utterly brilliant "Borne On The Solar Wind" by JADE WARRIOR – the
kind of drifting, floating Prog instrumental I love. I'm forever putting it on
70s FEST CD-Rs and it always elicits a "...whose this!?" response. It sounds not
unlike Brian Eno's instrumental "Another Green World" – the theme music used
for the British TV program "Arena" (with the logo floating in the bottle). Disc
2 ends with the acoustic whimsy of "Lord Of The Ages" where most of its story
of knights, dark forests and black granite is spoken. Genius…
Disc 3 opens with a
lesser-heard belter – "Living At The End Of Time" by ATLANTIS - sounding like
Graham Bond meets Greenslade. It also reminds me a lot of the title track of
Gary Moore's first solo album on CBS called "Grinding Stone" – a sort of Jeff
Beck speed guitar thing with a fast funky rock backbeat. Things get hippy-dippy
with "Pantagruel's Nativity" by GENTLE GIANT sounding not unlike RUSH on too
many mushrooms. We're then hit with a piece of genuine Progressive Rock
excellence – Gravy Train's "(A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man" that opens with
classily orchestrated strings and goes a bit Tull for the rest of it seven
minutes. Things get Folk-plaintive with "Little Known" from the wonderful ex
Fairport Convention songsmith Iain Matthews. But then we get my favourite on the entire box – a true hidden gem – "Let It Happen" by none other than Blade Runner supremo VANGELIS (trading under
his full name). The vocals on this funk fusion gem are actually sung by Robert
Fitoussi and I can safely say I've seen the "Earth" album maybe twice in my
life. Apparently it was big in Europe but Vertigo did little to promote it or
him here in Blighty.
So there you have it. Having
worked in record shops all my life – I know the resistance this particular
record label evokes – almost to the point of being pathological. Well – well
done to all involved with this superb box set for making a case. Don’t be put
off – dig in and explore the swirl…
