"The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions" by BACON FAT and GEORGE SMITH. Rare 1970-1971 Albums, 7" Singles and Unreleased Stuff.

This 36-Track 2CD set allocates Disc 1 to BACON FAT and Disc 2 to GEORGE SMITH. Disc 1 is loosely based around Bacon Fat's 1st LP for the Blue Horizon label "Grease One For Me" from 1970 and Disc 2 around George Smith's sole LP for the label "No Time For Jive" from 1971. In between these two albums are a rare 7" single and a wad of previously unreleased live material.

Here's the layout:

Disc 1 (79:10 minutes): BACON FAT
Tracks 1 to 10 are the "Grease One For Me" Blue Horizon album from 1970 (7-63858)
Tracks 11 and 12 are the A&B sides of a 1970 7" single on Blue Horizon (57-3181, "Evil" and "Blues Feeling", both tracks are non-album)
Tracks 13 to 20 are previously unreleased live tracks (see 9 to 16 on Disc 2)

Disc 2 (74:38 minutes): GEORGE SMITH
Tracks 1 to 8 are the "No Time For Jive" Blue Horizon album from 1971 (7-63856)
Tracks 9 to 16 (as well as 13 to 20 on Disc 1) are previously unreleased live tracks by BACON FAT and GEORGE SMITH recorded at Hull, Bexley, Leicester, Plymouth and other UK locations during their November 1970 tour

The band BACON FAT was essentially a vehicle for ROD PIAZZA and his superb `chromatic' harmonica playing - loud, live and gutsy! The band line-up on Disc 1 includes BUDDY REED and GREGG SCHAEFER on Guitars, J.D. NICHOLSON on Piano with JERRY SMITH on Bass and DICK INNES on Drums. Track 5 only, "I Need Your Love", features J.D. NICHOLSON on Leads Vocals and Piano, while Track 8 only, "Telephone Blues", features GEORGE SMITH on Lead Vocals and Harmonica.

The album "Grease One For Me" has Little Milton and Smiley Lewis covers, 2 Rod Piazza originals ("Small's On 53rd" and "She's A Wrong Woman") and a lone contribution from J.D. Nicholson on "I Need Your Love". Recorded in Hollywood in November 1969 in one hectic day, the music is harmonica driven rockers and slow blues - and is a blast from start to finish. Listed at £50 in the price guides, good luck with trying to find a vinyl original; I've only ever seen two copies of it in 15 years of mail-ordering rare records - so it's a welcome re-issue here then.
(If you really need convincing, go to the iTunes store and download "Telephone Blues" for 79p - you'll soon want more! They do the entire 2CD set for £7.99, but I prefer the hard copy.)

Born in Arkansas in 1924, GEORGE SMITH was already a 30-year harmonica veteran by the time he stepped into the Eldorado Recording Studios in Hollywood in November of 1969 to record his album. Smith's playing and singing is similar to Little Walter - his blues both ballsy and fun - and equally at home with either. You've probably noticed that the "No Time For Jive" album has only 8 tracks, 3 of which are over 7 minutes long. Vernon comments on this in his liner notes by saying that he felt they were "too" long - and a bit of `producer' editing at the time - along with 3 or 4 more selections readied for the day - would have produced an absolute barnstormer of an album. He's right. But what is there is simply sensational - great rocking harmonica blues that left this aging white boy breathless with admiration! Listed at a whopping £120 in the price guides, and released months AFTER the tour value of the November 1970 gigs had evaporated, it must have sold zip when it finally reached UK stores in the Spring of 1971. So again - a welcome re-issue of a genuine rarity.

The 17 previously unreleased live tracks spread across both discs have a story all to their own. A UK tour was booked for BACON FAT and GEORGE SMITH for May and June of 1970, but it was postponed until November of that year. Although poorly attended in the middle of a cold winter, the acts played their hearts out - and we can now hear that because armed with his Sony TCD-3 and 2 Microphones, Mike Vernon followed the tour around and taped it! His notes explain that he never thought the recordings would be usable - he just wanted a document of the event. Some 36 years later, he rummages around his attic, finds the tapes, "bakes" them to get rid of oxidization - and boom! Here they are! And the results are just fantastic. If it hadn't been for Vernon, we would never have heard these gems. Dedication and love of the subject folks! Many of the live tracks are covers of blues standards. One particular highlight is "Forty Four" which has a preamble by George doing an accurate and hilarious impersonation of the mighty Howlin' Wolf! He talks about the blues ala "Wolf" much to the crowd and band's delight. Great stuff! Also, as Vernon has sequenced the tracks virtually without gaps, you get the feel of one long live concert in the same place - clever. Best of all is that each and every one of the 17 is a more than worthy addition to an already great release.

So there you have it. Two ludicrously rare albums, a 7" single you're never gonna see in your lifetime, all topped off with an entire album's worth of primo previously unreleased material. Throw in a classy card wrap on the outside, knowledgeable, informative and heartfelt liner notes on the inside - and you get all this blues goodness for an online price of six miserly quid! Jeez the Breeze Baby and Great Googley Moo!! I've bought nine of the Blue Horizon releases to date and this one's been the best surprise of all!

A job well done and a stunning re-issue - buy it with confidence.

PS: George Smith, Gregg Schaefer and J.D. Nicholson have all unfortunately passed away, but Rod Piazza (pictured below) is still playing mean harmonica and has many CDs to his name - including one for November 2007 - "Thrillville" on Wiernerworld CDs out of the USA.

PPS: BACON FAT made other albums for Blue Horizon in the UK, but the label changed distributor from CBS to Polygram in late 1971 - and their 'jurisdiction' then and now changed ownership to the Universal group of labels - and so are outside the scope of this release. They may be released by Universal at some time in the future, but that remains to be seen...

"Fairytale" by DONOVAN. His 1965 2nd Album On CD.

Released in October 1965, Donovan's 2nd album for Pye Records is represented here by Tracks 1 to 12 and it's something of a lost Sixties Folk/Rock classic - Tracks 13 to 18 are bonuses - original LP and CD reissued pictured above)).

The album's opener "Colours" is a balls-to-the-wall 60's classic - it truly is. Fairytale" features a lot of tracks like that - just Donovan and his acoustic guitar - more Folk than Pop really. In fact, when you hear almost any track on this very hard-to-find LP, it's easy to see why Donovan was often referred to as Britain's Bob Dylan. And it wasn't just because of the similar vocal styles - they were both such good songwriters and commentators on the times.

Highlights include "The Ballad Of A Crystal Man" which is represented on this disc twice - the full album version and the edited EP version - it's a fantastically strong and emotive anti-Vietnam piece equal to anything his Bobness put out on the other side of the pond. Lyrically the other songs are equally clever and even witty too. There's a "violent hash smoker" in "Sunny Goodge Street", while a quietly sinister "Jersey Thursday" gives us sly white powder references, "on a tiny piece of coloured glass, my love was born - and reds, and golds and yellows were the colours of the dawn..." Oh yeah!!

The extras (13 to 18) also make the purchase so worthwhile for fans. "Turquoise" and "Hey GYP (Dig The Slowness)" are his 3rd 7" single for Pye Records and both tracks are non-album. The last four songs, "Universal Soldier", "Do You Hear Me Now", "Ballad Of A Crystal Man" and "The War Drags On" are again non-album and make up the 4-tracks of the rare UK-only "Universal Soldier EP" from September 1965. ("Universal Soldier" and "Do You Hear Me Now" were released as a 7" in the States on Hickory).

So - a good album bolstered up with relevant bonuses. And the remastered sound quality on all is excellent too - very clear and not excessively hissy like some Sixties recordings can be.

"Fairytale" is a snip at any price for fans and a great way of discovering the wildly underrated Donovan for the uninitiated - especially those who want to veer away from his better-known hits. Highly Recommended.

"Make It Good" by PRINCE PHILLIP MITCHELL – Debut Album from August 1978 on Atlantic Records – Featuring Ray Barretto (November 2007 Rhino 'CLASSIC SOUL ALBUM - REMASTERED & EXPANDED' CD Reissue – Bill Inglot Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…I'm Gonna Make A Move That You've Never Seen Before…"

Now here's a smart reissue from Rhino (yet again). Louisville's PRINCE PHILLIP MITCHELL is one of the great unsung-heroes of Soul Music – a staggeringly prolific songwriter who’s been penning hits in both the Pop and R&B fields since the Sixties. 

Mitchell also had Solo singles of his own on Smash, Shout and Hi Records in the States (Jay Boy and London in the UK) with his compositions were recorded in the 60's & 70's by artists as diverse as William Bell, Solomon Burke, Archie Bell, The Walker Brothers, The Zombies, The Moody Blues, Millie Jackson, Norman Connors and many more.

And that’s where this CD comes in… 

"Make It Good" (1978) and "Top Of The Line" (1979) are his first two Solo albums made for the mighty Atlantic Records at a time when Mitchell’s smooth and funky Soul was finally able to make inroads into the marketplace and people's hearts. Here are the details…

UK released November 2007 - "Make It Good"by PRINCE PHILLIPS MITCHELL on Rhino 8122-76433-2 (Barcode 081227643324) is part of their 'Classic Soul Album - Remastered and Expanded' CD Series that breaks down as follows (54:07 minutes):

1. Star In The Ghetto [Side 1]

2. You're All I Got In The World

3. One On One

4. Falling From Heaven

5. You'll Throw Bricks At Him [Side 2]

6. Make It Good

7. If I Can't Be Your Man

8. Only Smoke Remains

Tracks 1 to 8 are a remastered version of the LP "Make It Good" released in the USA on Atlantic SD 19160 in August 1978

BONUS TRACKS:

9. One On One (Long Single Version) - the June 1978 USA 7" single on Atlantic 3480 - this is the rare DJ promo version, which extends the album's four-minute album cut by another 40 seconds

10. What Part Of Heaven Do You Come From? - a duet vocal with RAY BARRETTO that first appeared on Barretto's 1978 album "Can You Feel It" on Atlantic SD 19198

"Make It Good" has been remastered by Rhino's long-time tape engineer BILL INGLOT and the sound is typically great - warm, funky and with plenty of wallop without having to turn it up. There is hiss evident on some of the quieter tracks like "Only Smoke Remains" but its nothing too much to detract. The booklet has an essay on the album and artist by noted writer CHARLES WARING with typically insightful comments. The whole reissue feels classy.

Highlights include the lovely ballad "You're All I Got In The World" which sounds like "Let's Get It On" Marvin Gaye  - while his most famous song - "One On One" has become a huge Northern Soul dance floor filler in the UK - with a groove and lyrics to match (title above).  "You'll Throw Bricks At Him" sounds like "Hercules" by The Meters - funky as James Brown's DNA - the strings then kick in - it's just so good. The two bonuses are excellent too - the ballad with Ray Barretto is very loverman territory (a master's degree in making love baby...) but still so soulful - and the extended version of the huge "One On One" is icing on an already very nice cake.

"Make It Good" is old-school soul - an album that's not that well known - and should be. Hopefully this superb CD reissue will change all of that...

PS: This release is part of Rhino's "CLASSIC SOUL ALBUM - REMASTERED & EXPANDED" Series. Most titles are first time onto CD and are rare soul albums from the Warner/Atlantic/Cotillion/Elektra vaults:

1. Ace Spectrum - "Inner Spectrum" (see REVIEW)

2. Blue Magic - "Blue Magic" (see REVIEW)

3. Donny Hathaway - "Come Back Charleston Blue O.S.T." (see REVIEW)

4. Leroy Hutson - "Paradise" (see REVIEW)

5. Ronn Matlock - "Love City" (see REVIEW)

6. Gwen McCrae - "Gwen McCrae"

7. Gwen McCrae - "On My Way"
8. Prince Phillip Mitchell - "Make It Good" (1978 debut Lp on Atlantic)

9. Prince Phillip Mitchell - "Top Of The Line" (1979, his 2nd album on Atlantic)

10. The Voices Of East Harlem [featuring Donny Hathaway] -"Right On Be Free" (see REVIEW)

"Paradise" by LEROY HUTSON – July 1982 US Album on Elektra Records (October 2007 UK Rhino 'Classic Soul Album' CD Reissue - Bill Inglot Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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This remaster is a straightforward reissue of a long-out-of-print US LP by Soul-Funk man LEROY HUTSON. “Paradise" was issued on Elektra 9 60141-1 - E1 60141 in July 1982 and is reissued here on CD in October 2007 in the UK. When I first reviewed this title in 2008, it was easily available, but here in November 2023 it has been deleted years and has gained a price tag.

 

It has remastered sound and a detailed booklet but unusually - and unlike most of the other CDs in this series - Rhino 8122-76432-2 (Barcode 081227643225) has no bonus tracks (39:00 minutes).

 

1. Classy Lady (5:30 minutes) - Side 1

2. Nice And Easy (4:27 minutes)

3. You Make It Happen (4:55 minutes)

4. Paradise (5:38 minutes)

5. She’s Got It (7:57 minutes) – Side 2

6. Nobody But You (4:44 minutes)

7. Stay At It (5:31 minutes)

 

Co-Produced by Hutson with Nicholas Caldwell, "Paradise" is very much of the time – spring and summer 1982 Kool And The Gang sounding keyboards punctured with Earth, Wind and Fire brass fills - all of it underlined by slappy bass lines. The shadow of Chic's "Risqué", George Benson's "Give Me The Night" and Change's "The Glow Of Love" loom over the whole recording - and you can 'so' hear where acts like Maxwell and D'Angelo got their sound and style from.

 

Highlights include the party opener of "Classy Lady", the Grover Washington Jnr's "Winelight" feel of "Paradise" and the almost Kid Creole & The Coconuts salsa funkiness of "Nobody But You". There's also the Jerry Butler co-written "You Make It Happen" and "Nice & Easy" - a pair of sweet mid-tempo smoochers. But it's not all good of course. "She's Got It" opens with a telephone ringing, then a toilet flushing (I kid you not) then a deep Barry White type voice goes into loverman spiel - it's awful.  A shame that, because the groove of the tune is actually quite good. The dance floor funk of "Stay At It" sounds a little dated too.

 

Long time tape supremo BILL INGLOT has remastered the album and the sound is great - funky and muscular.

 

Like so many albums of the time, this is superb in places, and only ok in others - it's an old-school soul/funk classic given a new lease of life - just shame about the lack of extras though - as it makes it feel a little threadbare.

 

PS: This release is part of Rhino's "CLASSIC SOUL ALBUM - REMASTERED & EXPANDED" Series. Most titles are first time onto CD and are rare soul albums from the Warner/Atlantic/Cotillion/Elektra vaults. I have reviewed all but the two Gwen McCrae titles listed below:

 

1. Ace Spectrum - "Inner Spectrum"

2. Blue Magic - "Blue Magic"

3. Donny Hathaway - "Come Back Charleston Blue O.S.T."

4. Leroy Hutson - "Paradise"

5. Gwen McCrae - "Gwen McCrae"

6. Gwen McCrae - "On My Way"

7. Prince Phillip Mitchell - "Top Of The Line"

8. Prince Philip Mitchell - "Make It Good"

9. The Voices Of East Harlem -"Right On Be Free"

"Blues Jam In Chicago, Volume Two" by FLEETWOOD MAC [and Friends] (1999 and 2004 Columbia/Blue Horizon 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…I Want You To Rock Me Baby...All Night Long…"

Blues Jam In Chicago Volume 2 by FLEETWOOD MAC 

(1999 and 2004 Columbia/Blue Horizon 'Expanded and Altered' CD Remaster)

The two volumes "Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol.1" and "Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol.2" are based around Fleetwood Mac’s 4th vinyl outing in 1969 – the 2LP set "Blues Jam At Chess". Having a convoluted history on all formats - both the original UK and American record issues and their subsequent 1999 and 2004 CD Reissues and Remasters require some serious explanation as regards release dates, artwork and even content. So here goes – the records first...

Fleetwood Mac's 4th vinyl outing was a double-album called "Blues Jam At Chess" issued April 1969 on Blue Horizon Records S 7-66227 in the UK. Produced by MIKE VERNON and MARSHALL CHESS at the Chess "Ter-Mar" Studios in Chicago - the artists involved were FLEETWOOD MAC, OTIS SPANN on Piano, WILLIE DIXON on Bass, WALTER "SHAKEY" HORTON on Harmonica, J.T. BROWN on Tenor Sax, GUITAR BUDDY on Guitars (Pseudonym for Buddy Guy), HONEYBOY EDWARDS on Bass and S.P. LEARY on Drums. It was recorded in one day - 4 January 1969 – and has a multiple credited title (the artists listed in block capitols above).

The following year the double-album was initially split into two single LPs for the USA and retitled "Blues Jam In Chicago, Vol.1" and "...Vol.2" – released May 1970 on Blue Horizon BH 4802 and BH 4803 respectively. Neither charted - but reissued as a double-LP proper under the title "Fleetwood Mac In Chicago" in June 1971 on Blue Horizon 3801 – it did chart and peaked at No. 190 on a 6-week run. To confuse matters even further - and on the back of the success of the Buckingham/Nicks "Fleetwood Mac" Reprise Records LP – it was reissued yet again December 1975 as "Fleetwood Mac In Chicago" on Sire S2X 6009 and charted belatedly for a second time – peaking at No. 118 in a 16-week chart run. Again this 3rd reissue had different artwork – a plain sort of eggplant red. Which brings us to these two reissue CDs...

The cover of the original 1969 British 2LP set had a wavy backdrop and titled sleeve - no real effort in the art department - while the 1971 and 1975 US doubles didn't fare much better either – a blue car door sleeve for 1971 and a plain red cover for 1975. These new CD remasters first issued inside "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969" 6CD Box Set from November 1999 - and now as individual stand-alone single CD reissues in June 2004 – use the much prettier 1970 "Blues Jam At Chicago – Volumes 1 & 2" Artwork for both volumes. Now to the content...

The original American Volumes issued May 1970 were simply Sides 1 and 2 of the British double-LP on Volume 1 with Sides 3 and 4 put onto Volume 2. But as these July 2004 CDs are taken from "The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969" Box Set  – they're the 'Expanded Edition' versions with rejiggered tracks. In order to show the musical differences I've detailed the vinyl first - then the Expanded CD – Volume 2 looks like this...

ORIGINAL VINYL TRACK LIST for Sides 3 and 4:

Side 3:

1. World’s In A Tangle [Jimmie Rogers cover/J Lane]

2. Talk With You [Danny Kirwan song]

3. Like It This Way [Danny Kirwan song]

4. Someday Soon Baby [Danny Kirwan song]

5. Hungry Country Girl [Otis Spann cover]

Side 4:

1. Black Jack Blues [J.T. Brown song]

2. Everyday I Have The Blues [P Chatman cover]

3. Rockin’ Boogie [Jeremy Spencer song]

4. Sugar Mama [Sonny Boy Williamson cover]

5. Homework [Clark Perkins song/ Otis Rush cover]

EXPANDED CD VERSION:

UK released June 2004 - "Blues Jam At Chicago Volume Two" by FLEETWOOD MAC on Columbia/Blue Horizon 5164472 (Barcode 5099751644729) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reconfiguration and Remaster and plays out as follows (75:52 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 8 as per the LP above (1 to 5 on Side 3 and 1 to 3 on Side 4)

Track 9 is “My Baby’s Gone” (David Edwards cover) - an outtake which first appeared on “The Blue Horizon Story 1965-1970 Volume 1” 3CD Box Set from 1997 (reissued in 2006)

Track 10 is “Sugar Mama” (Sonny Boy Williamson cover) [Take 1 – Incomplete – Previously Unreleased]

Track 11 is “Sugar Mama” [Master Version, as per the LP]

Track 12 is “Homework” (Clark Perkins song/Otis Rush cover) [as per the LP]

Track 13 is “Honey Boy Blues” (David Edwards cover) [Incomplete – Previously Unreleased]

Track 14 is “I Need Your Love” (Jimmie Rogers cover) [Take 1 – Incomplete – Previously Unreleased]

Track 15 is “Horton’s Boogie Woogie” (Walter Horton cover) [Take 2 – Previously Unreleased]

Track 16 is “Have A Good Time” (Walter Horton cover) [Previously Unreleased]

Track 17 “That’s Wrong” (Walter Horton cover) [Previously Unreleased]

Track 18 is “Rock Me Baby” (Jackson cover) [Previously Unreleased]

DUNCAN COWELL has digitally remastered the original session tapes to stunning Audio quality - as fresh as a politician's new excuses – while the booklet has informative and detailed liner notes by MIKE VERNON – Blue Horizon’s head honcho and label leader.

 

WALTER HORTON plays Harmonica on CD tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14 and 15

BUDDY GUY, HONEYBOY EDWARDS and WILLIE DIXON are on 6 and 7

JEREMY SPENCER replaces Peter Green on Guitar and Vocal for 8, 9 10 and 11 - these tracks also feature J.T. BROWN on Tenor Sax with WILLIE DIXON on Upright Bass

OTIS SPANN plays Piano and S.P. LEARY plays drums on 13, 14 and 15

Fans greet the original double-album with equal amounts of affection and disdain because at times it sounds like one long rehearsal - and a slightly uninspired and dull one at that. It's not that “Blues Jam At Chess” is bad - it just isn't red hot like you'd think it should have been and maybe another day or two would have sorted out a coherent release.

Compared to Volume 1 – Volume 2 gets the lion’s share of previously unreleased material on CD – almost doubling the playing time. And while the first Volume is good if not a little dull (see separate review) - the second is fantastic. It seems that as the session went on and they settled down and became more comfortable with each other – sparks started to fly as is evidenced in "World’s In A Tangle" and "My Baby’s Gone". But what sends this half of the double album into the stratosphere is the bonus tracks - which are not incomplete takes or aimless studio chatter - but fully realised songs – albeit a little rough around the edges. One of the keys in their magic is Walter Horton’s wonderful harmonica playing and sheer presence ("Have A Good Time" and "Rock Me Baby" are dynamite).

To sum up – a 5-star presentation to a 4 to 5-star second half – and for fans of Blues, Danny Kirwan, Jeremy Spencer and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac – like its little brother – it’s family – and an absolute necessity...

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