"Cado Belle" by CADO BELLE - 1976 Debut Album on Anchor Records featuring Maggie Reilly (2014 UK Big Break Records (BBR) 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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1976

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"…I'm Rocked To Stony Silence…"

Cado Belle made only two official releases in the UK - their highly revered self-titled debut album in late 1976 and a hard-to-find 4-track 12” Single EP in late 1977 (see below). Across the years there have been two attempts to my knowledge at CD reissue (2004 and 2008) - both of which are hard-to-find and for years have pulled extortionate prices on the Net. Well at last in 2014 - Big Break Records of the UK have gotten hold of the master tapes and interviewed members of the band for this superb expanded CD remaster that gives us their entire recorded output and a bit little more thrown in. Here are the wee Scottish Soul details…

UK released 23 June 2014 on CD (July 2014 in the USA) – "Cado Belle" by CADO BELLE on Big Break Records CDBBR 0268 (Barcode 5013939056831) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and plays out as follows (58:32 minutes):

1. All Too Familiar

2. Infamous Mister

3. Rocked To Stony Silence

4. I Name This Ship Survival

5. Paper In The Rain

6. That Kind Of Fool [Side 2]

7. Airport Shutdown

8. Rough Diamonds

9. Got To Love

10. Stones Throw From Nowhere

Tracks 1 to 10 are their sole album “Cado Belle” - released October 1976 on Anchor Records ANCL 2015 in the UK and Anchor Records AN 2015 in the USA

BONUS TRACKS:

11. It’s Over

12. September

13. Play It Once For Me

14. Gimme Little Sign

Tracks 11 to 14 are "The Cado Belle E.P." - released November 1977 as a 4-track 12” single in an album picture sleeve in the UK on Anchor Records AN 1

Track 15 is new - an Ashley Beedle re-edit of "I Name This Ship Survival" - it remixes and lengthens the album track from 4:33 minutes to 5:11 minutes

The band arose out of the ashes of two obscure Scottish groups - Stuart MacKillop’s pop combo called “Joe Cool” and a jazz-fusion unit called “Up”. They signed to the then little known Anchor Records Label in the UK (Anchor was home to Paul Carrack’s ACE who had a huge hit with “How Long” from their wonderful “Five-A-Side” album). Their sound was a rock-group with soul/funk leanings – a sort of lighter version of the Average White Band with a Van Morrison feel to the tunes - fronted by a classy female singer. I remember seeing them live in Dublin with my sister several times (they were hugely popular there) and was duly blown away.

CADO BELLE was:

MAGGIE REILLY Lead Vocals

STUART MacKILLOP on Keyboards

ALAN DARBY on Guitar

COLIN TULLY on Saxophone

GAVIN HODGSON on Bass

DAVID ROY on Drums

The 12-page inlay pictures the gorgeous vaudeville artwork of the Cado Belle E.P. as well as the two 7" singles lifted off the album - "Got To Love" b/w "Paper In The Rain" on Anchor ANC 1033 (released October 1976) and "Stones Throw To Nowhere" b/w "Airport Shutdown" on Anchor ANC 1038 (January 1977). A bit of a slip up is not producing the inner sleeve of the LP that had the lyrics to each song on either side. But balancing that is new interviews with Lead Singer Maggie Reilly and Saxophonist Colin Tully recalling the album's history, gigs, lack of chart action and eventual breakup in 1978 when the Anchor label folded leaving them high and dry. But the big news for fans is the fabulous audio quality - really beautiful stuff - gorgeous throughout - especially on one of my all-time faves - the Alan Darby penned "September". It's the second track on Side 1 of the E.P. and comes on like Gary Moore’s "Parisienne Walkways" from 1978 - all Soulful guitar and aching lyrics. It’s also nice to hear their covers of “It’s Over” by Boz Scaggs (a co-write with David Paich of Toto - it’s from the 1976 “Silk Degrees” LP) and the 1967 Soul classic “Gimme Little Sign” by Brenton Wood. For many fans - the album cuts “Stones Throw From Nowhere” and “Rocked To Stony Silence” in this beautiful audio quality will thrill - but there's also the superb Stuart MacKillop tune “Play It Once For Me” on Side 2 of the E.P. - what gems the lot of them.

Contributing to their Soulful Rock vibe is the fantastic Glasgow-born Scottish singer MAGGIE REILLY (not to be confused with Maggie Bell from Stone The Crows). She was similar vocally to Maria Muldaur in ways, even a touch of Chaka Khan circa Rufus. Maggie later had duet hits with Mike Oldfield on three occasions "Five Miles Out" in 1982, "Moonlight Shadow" in 1983 and "To France" in 1984. Since 1976 she’s sessioned as a vocalist on albums by Jack Bruce, George Harrison, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Sisters Of Mercy and Mike Oldfield. Maggie has her own website now and a few dedicated to her. Maggie's latest album "Rowan" was released in 2006 and has received huge praise from all quarters (especially her lovely cover version of "Wild Mountain Thyme").

So why didn't CADO BELLE make it? As others have noted - I guess they lacked that one killer hit that would have made people and the charts sit up and take notice - perhaps if they'd released the epic "Stones Throw From Nowhere" first - things might have been different. 

Still - it's a sign that Cado Belle are still remembered with such affection today - closing in on 50 years after the event. A stunning BBR (Big Break Records) CD reissue - well done to all involved…

“The Complete Studio Recordings” by THE DOORS (1999 Rhino 7CD Box Set of Remasters) - 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:

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"…Love Me Two Times…"

Back when Rhino were amongst the best reissue labels in the world (with access to unlimited primo material) – they regularly produced fabulous Box Sets like “The Complete Studio Recordings” by THE DOORS. Let’s get riding that storm of details…because there’s a lot to get through…

USA released November 1999 - "The Complete Studio Recordings" by THE DOORS on Rhino 62434-2 (Barcode 075596243421) comes in a 5½ x 5½-inch CUBE BOX with a flip-ribboned-lid (the artwork is a collage of Elektra records album sleeves). Inside are 8 slots – one for the sumptuous booklet and 7 albums in oversized 5½” card repro sleeves (one of which is a Rarities set). The STEREO mixes have been used for all six Studio albums (catalogue numbers and release dates provided below are American) and it breaks down as follows:

1. "The Doors", debut album released January 1967 on Elektra EKL 4007 (Mono) and EKS-74007 (Stereo), 44:30 minutes

1. Break On Through (To The Other Side)

2. Soul Kitchen

3. The Crystal Ship

4. Twentieth Century Fox

5. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)

6. Light My Fire

7. Back Door Man [Side 2]

8. I Looked At You

9. End Of The Night

10. Take It As It Comes

11. The End

2. "Strange Days", 2nd LP released September 1967 on Elektra EKL-4014 (Mono) and EKS-74014 (Stereo), 35:17 minutes

1. Strange Days

2. You’re Lost Little Girl

3. Love Me Two Times

4. Unhappy Girl

5. Horse Latitudes

6. Moonlight Drive

7. People Are Strange [Side 2]

8. My Eyes Have Seen You

9. I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind

10. When The Music’s Over

3. "Waiting For The Sun", 3rd LP released September 1968 on Elektra EKL-4024 (Mono) and EKS-74024 (Stereo), 33:05 minutes

1. Hello, I Love You

2. Love Street

3. Not To Touch The Earth

4. Summer’s Almost Gone

5. Wintertime Love

6. The Unknown Soldier

7. Spanish Caravan [Side 2]

8. My Wild Love

9. We Could Be So Good Together

10. Yes, The River Knows

11. Five To One

4. "The Soft Parade", 4th LP released July 1969 on Elektra EKS-75005 (Stereo), 33:54 minutes

1. Tell All The People

2. Touch Me

3. Shaman’s Blues

4. Do It

5. Easy Ride

6. Wild Child [Side 2]

7. Runnin’ Blue

8. Wishful Sinful

9. The Soft Parade

5. "Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe", 5th LP released February 1970 on Elektra EKS 75007 (Stereo), 37:24 minutes

1. Roadhouse Blues [Side 1 is called “Hard Rock Café”]

2. Waiting For The Sun

3. You Make Me Real

4. Peace Frog

5. Blue Sunday

6. Ship Of Fools

7. Land Ho! [Side 2 is called “Morrison Hotel”]

8. The Spy

9. Queen Of The Highway

10. Indian Summer

11. Maggie M’Gill

6. "L.A. Woman", 6th LP released April 1971 on Elektra EKS-75011, 48:51 minutes

1. The Changeling

2. Love Her Madly

3. Been Down So Long

4. Cars Hiss By My Window

5. L.A. Woman

6. L’America [Side 2]

7. Hyacinth House

8. Crawling King Snake

9. The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)

10. Riders On The Storm

7. "Essential Rarities" – The Best Of The ’97 Box Set, 73:26 minutes

1. Hello To The Cities (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show, 967 and at Cobo Hall, Detroit, 1970)

2. Break On Through (Live at the Isle Of Wight Festival, England, 1970)

3. Roadhouse Blues (Recorded live at Madison Square Garden, New York, 1970)

4. Hyacinth House (Demo Recorded at Bobby Krieger’s Home Studio, 1969)

5. Who Scared Who (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1969)

6. Whiskey, Mystics And Men (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1970)

7. I Will Never Be Untrue (Recorded live at the Aquarius Theater, Hollywood, 1970)

8. Moonlight Drive (Demo Recorded at World Pacific Studios, 1965)

9. Queen Of The Highway (Alternative Version Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1969)

10. Someday Soon (Live at Seattle Center, Seattle, 1970)

11. Hello, I Love You (Demo Recorded at World Pacific Studios, 1965)

12. Orange County Suite (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1970)

13. The Soft Parade (Live On PBS Television, New York, 1970)

14. The End (Recorded live at Madison Square Garden, New York, 1970)

15. BONUS TRACK: Woman Is A Devil (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1969)

This box set hits you on two fronts – and in my book – the two that matter – sound and presentation. Housed in individual slots  - the attention to detail on the Repro Card sleeves is superb. The CDs for 1 to 3 have Brown Elektra Records labels, 4 and 5 have Red and 6 is the Butterfly variant as per the 1967 to 1971 vinyl albums. “Strange Days”, “The Soft Parade” and “Morrison Hotel” have their Inner Bags repro’d with “The Doors” and “Waiting For The Sun” all with Elektra Records Label Bags (and gatefolds where applicable). And of course there’s the beautiful die-cut sleeve of “L.A. Woman” with its plastic and inner yellow bag (very tasty indeed). The Essentials Disc also sports a gatefold card sleeve. The properly chunky and beautifully laid-out booklet is over 60-pages long with essays on each album (time-lined), lyrics to all at the rear and a plethora of period photos and memorabilia peppering the text throughout (liner notes by DAVE DiMARTINO). It’s a fabulous read. But all of this is nothing to the AUDIO…

Remastered from the original analogue 2-track master tapes to 96K/24-bit digital by BRUCE BOTNIK and BERNIE GRUNDMAN at Bernie Grundman Studios in California in August 1999 – the sound quality is mind-blowingly good (Botnik was the original engineer). Sure there’s been other remasters since and even fatter boxes – but for me – the audio detail presented here has never been surpassed. The only obvious shame is the absence of the rare MONO mixes on 1 to 3 – especially on the stunning debut where the differences are acute (many fans prefer the MONO). But in my book that doesn’t take away from the superlative warmth and presence these remasters have.

The hits are all here – “Light My Fire”, “The End”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Hello, I Love You”, “People Are Strange”, “Touch Me”, “Love Her Madly” and of course the amazing “Riders on The Storm”. But the beauty of this box is that it allows you to dig out those LP nuggets that don’t get enough airing – stuff like “Back Door Man”, “Spanish Caravan”, “Shaman’s Blues”, “Peace Frog”, “Roadhouse Blues” and  “Cars Hiss By My Window”. And amongst the goodies on “Essentials” are superb outtakes like a menacing “Whiskey, Mystics And Men”, a hurting “Orange County Suite” and the live Bluesy take on “I Will Never Be Untrue”.

Despite being deleted pretty quickly – it was one of those Box Sets you saw cropping up all of the time. But whilst common once – in 2015 it’s not so much any more - with some dealers trying to procure over £200 for a sealed copy. You can still nail it for under £50 in certain places.

"...I live uptown…I live downtown…I live all around…" - Morrison sang on “The Changeling” and I suppose in fifty years time we’ll still be trying to figure out what he and his fab band were actually on about (in a good way). 

Start your love affair with THE DOORS here while you can still afford to…

"Reason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings" by ROD STEWART (2003 Mercury 3CD Set - Suha Gur Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…I Wouldn't Change A Thing…"

I’ve been meaning to heap praise on this “Chronicles” tin of Scots Shortbread for years – so here are the tartan scarves, champagne buckets and caviar pillow stains…

USA/UK released November 2002 (reissued January 2005) – "Reason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings" by ROD STEWART on Mercury/Universal/Chronicles 440 063 422-2 (Barcode 044006342221) is a 3CD set and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (79:19 minutes):

1. Street Fighting Man

2. Man Of Constant Sorrow

3. Blind Prayer

4. Handbags And Gladrags

5. An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down

6. I Wouldn't Ever Change A Thing

7. Cindy's Lament

8. Dirty Old Town

Tracks 1 to 8 are his debut LP "An Old Raincoat Won’t Let You Down" – released February 1970 on Vertigo VO 4 in the UK. It was called "The Rod Stewart Album" in the USA and its September 1969 release on Mercury SR-61237 featuring different artwork to the UK issue (same tracks). As this is effectively an American release – the booklet doesn’t picture the lovely 'photograph' gatefold of the UK artwork.

9. Gasoline Alley

10. It's All Over Now

11. Only A Hobo

12. My Way Of Giving

13. Country Comforts

14. Cut Across Shorty

15. Lady Day

16. Jo's Lament

17. You're My Girl (I Don’t Want To Discuss It)

Tracks 9 to 17 are his 2nd solo LP "Gasoline Alley" – released May 1970 in the USA on Mercury SR-61264 and September 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 500.

Track 18 is "It's All Over Now" – issued as a 7” single edit in the UK on Vertigo 6086 002 in September 1970 (the album track "Jo's Lament" was its B-side).

Disc 2 (77:08 minutes):

1. Every Picture Tells A Story

2. Seems Like A Long Time

3. That’s All Right / Amazing Grace

4. Tomorrow Is A Long Time

5. Maggie May

6. Mandolin Wind

7. (I Know) I'm Losing You

8. (Find A) Reason To Believe

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 3rd album "Every Picture Tells A Story" – released July 1971 in the UK on Mercury 6338 063 and May 1971 in the USA on Mercury SRM-1 609

9. True Blue

10. Lost Paraguayos

11. Mama You’ve Been On My Mind

12. Italian Girls

13. Angel

14. Interludings

15. You Wear It Well

16. I'd Rather Go Blind

17. Twistin' The Night Away

Tracks 9 to 17 are his 4th album "Never A Dull Moment" – released July 1972 in the UK on Mercury 6499 153 and Mercury SRM-1 10646 in the USA

Tracks 18 is "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me)" is the non-album B-side to "Angel" – a UK 7” single issued in November 1972 on Mercury 6052 198

Disc 3 (70:47 minutes):

1. Pinball Wizard - a cover of The Who track from "Tommy" – it was featured on the June 1973 compilation LP "Sing It Again Rod"

2. Oh! No Not My Baby

3. Jodie – Tracks 2 and 3 were non-album and the A&B sides of a 7" single in both the USA and UK in September 1973

4. Sweet Little Rock ‘n Roller

5. Lochinvar

6. Farewell

7. Sailor

8. Bring It On Home To Me / You Send Me

9. Let Me Be Your Car

10. (You Make Me feel Like) A Natural Woman

11. Dixie Trot

12. Hard Road

13. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face (Instrumental)

14. Girl From The North Country

15. Mine For Me

Tracks 4 to 15 are his 5th album "Smiler" – released September 1974 in the UK on Mercury 9101 001 and Mercury SRM-1 1017 in the USA

16. Missed You

17. You Put Something Better Inside Me

18. Crying Laughing Loving Lying

19. Every Time We Say Goodbye

20. So Tired – Tracks 16 to 20 all 'Previously Unreleased in the USA' session outtakes first released on the 1995 2CD retrospective set "Handbags & Gladrags"

The 24-page booklet is housed in a three-way foldout card digipak with each flap featuring live photos (pictures beneath the see-through plastic trays also). AMY LINDEN provides the liner notes and there’s discography info on each track and overall recording credits. But the big news is the SUHA GUR remasters which are fantastic – full of presence and life and that raunchy feel Stewart got at the time.

Lyrically and musically – there is so much richness here. Armed with a God-given set of tonsils and a way with observation and melody - song after song smacks you over the head with greatness and smart choices. And all of it with that fantastic band of his - Ronnie Wood, Martin Quittenton, Ronnie Lane, Mick Waller and Ian McLagan- dripping British Rock’n’Roll swagger that seemed to come so easily to them.

But while “Picture” and “Moment” are 5-star Rod Stewart classics with nuggets like the gorgeous “Mandolin Wind” and the raucous “Los Paraguayos” – it’s the first two on Vertigo and the massively underrated “Smiler” that I keep returning to when I play this massive CD haul. We get the superb keyboard contribution of Keith Emerson on “I Wouldn’t Ever Change A Thing” (before ELP) and Stewart's beautifully sensitive cover of “Only A Hobo” – a Dylan outtake from “The Times Are A-Changin’” sessions. And there’s that stunning mixture of rockers versus ballads – the thread runs right through from his fab take on Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller” in 1974 backtracking to his own “Lady Day” in 1970.

Amongst the previously unreleased “Missed You” is a gem - but you can see why his take on Labi Siffre’s classic “Crying Laughing Loving Lying” stayed in the can (it just doesn’t suit him). Better is his version of an old Stealers Wheel tune “You Put Something Better Inside Me” (written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan). And “So Tired” (an outtake from the “Smiler” sessions) is very good too.

To sum up - five whole albums, rare single sides and a batch of previously unreleased for under nine-quid is a bit of a no-brainer really. “Reason To Believe” is a rare instance of quality and quantity combined - and of all of it wrapped up in that top-quality remastered sound…

"...Combed my hair in a thousand ways…but I come out looking the same…" - Rod sings on "Every Picture Tells A Story". 

Forget all the expensive alternatives - this is the musical mirror you want to look in to…