"Slowhand: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" by ERIC CLAPTON (2012 Polydor 2CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

“...Mean Old Frisco And Low Down Santa Fay...”

Along with 1974's "461 Ocean Boulevard" – Eric Clapton's hugely popular and commercially successful "Slowhand" album from 1977 was always going to be the subject of a 2CD DELUXE EDITION set at some point in time. And chock full of crowd-pleasers like "Wonderful Tonight", "Lay Down Sally" and J.J. Cale's "Cocaine" that Eric plays in concert to this day (some 40 years later) - it's surprising Universal took so bloody long in releasing it. Yet you have to say – it's absolutely been worth the wait - with a 2nd disc that is both thrilling and a reminder of just how good old EC was/is in the 'live' arena. Here are the Diesel and Peaches...

UK and USA released December 2012 – "Slowhand: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" by ERIC CLAPTON is a 2CD Reissue/Remaster on Polydor 0600753407202 (Barcode 600753407202) and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (53:22 minutes):

1. Cocaine

2. Wonderful Tonight

3. Lay Down Sally

4. Next Time You See Her

5. We're All The Way

6. The Core [Side 2]

7. May You Never

8. Mean Old Frisco

9. Peaches And Diesel

BONUS TRACKS:

10. Looking At The Rain – a Gordon Lightfoot cover version, recorded 6 May 1977 - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

11. Alberta – a cover version variant of the Blues song "Alberta" by Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter – Clapton's version is more akin to "Alberta Blues" by The Mississippi Sheiks. Recorded 4 May 1977 – it was first issued on the 1999 Eric Clapton compilation "Blues" as an outtake from "Slowhand"

12. Greyhound Bus – an Eric Clapton song recorded 20 May 1977 - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

13. Stars, Strays And Ashtrays – an Eric Clapton song recorded May 1977 - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Disc 2 – Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London, 27 April 1977 (74:42 minutes):

1. Tell The Truth (Live) – an Eric Clapton and Bobby Whitlock Song originally on the 1970 "Layla" 2LP set by Derek & The Dominoes

2. Knocking On Heaven's Door (Live) – a Bob Dylan cover

3. Steady Rolling Man (Live) - originally on "461 Ocean Boulevard"

4. Can't Find My Way Home (Live) – a Blind Faith song written by Steve Winwood – sung here by Yvonne Elliman only

5. Further On Up The Road (Live) – a Bobby "Blue" Bland cover version (written by Joe Veasey)

6. Stormy Monday (Live) – a T-Bone Walker cover version

7. Badge (Live) – a Cream cover written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison

8. I Shot The Sheriff (Live) – a Bob Marley & The Wailers cover version

9. Layla (Live) – a Derek & The Dominoes song

THE MUSICIANS:

Lead Guitar & Vocals – ERIC CLAPTON

Guitar – GEORGE TERRY

Keyboards – DICK SIMS

Duet Lead Vocals – YVONNE ELLIMAN

Duet Lead Vocals, Harmonica and Guitar – MARCY LEVY

Bass – CARL RADLE

Percussion – SERGIO PASTORA

Drums and Percussion – JAMIE OLDAKER

Tracks 3, 4, 7 8 and 9 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Tracks 1, 2 and 6 first appeared in 1996 on the 4CD Polydor/Chronicles Book Set “Crossroads 2 (Live In The Seventies)”

BILL LEVENSON produced the compilation that features 16-page liner notes by noted writer DAVID HEPWORTH (assisted by Richard Havers) with the tape research, transfers and remastering handled by ANDY SKUROW, KEVIN REEVES and SETH FOSTER at Sterling Sound. The booklet is a very functional affair – a few photos and paragraphs on Clapton’s career and the huge impact tunes like J.J. Cale's "Cocaine", the love song and perennial compilation filler "Wonderful Tonight" and the poppy "Lay Down Sally" had on his radio popularity. The inner flaps of the card digipak have the inner sleeve collage photos of the LP – it's good but hardly great.

The remasters are fantastic – warm, clear and not over trebled for the sake of it. The big riff of "Cocaine" hits you with a wallop – immediately followed by the "...it's late in the evening...she's wondering what clothes to wear..." smooch of “Wonderful Tonight” which despite being overplayed still has the power to make the old soft machine feel a little more mushy. I must admit I never much cared for the throwaway pop of "Lay Down Sally" then and it remains that way now – but I've always loved the jaunt of Don Williams' "We're All The Way" – a genius choice cover version which Clapton makes his own through arrangements. The big rock track of the album "The Core" was co-written with Marcy Levy (as was "Lay Down Sally") and features Yvonne Elliman on Duet Vocals. It dominates Side 2 for nearly nine minutes and yet doesn’t overstay its welcome made interesting with crafty chord changes and that bounce-off vocal. I dare say Scotland’s John Martyn put a few kids through college on the royalties from “May You Never” – a beautiful ballad from his 1973 classic "Solid Air" on Island Records. Clapton keeps the simple melody but again makes it feel like it was an EC song all along. We then get the album’s only Blues outing – a cover of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "Mean Old Frisco" – that EC arranges into an irresistible combo of Electric Slide Guitar alongside high string Dobro fills and a muscle doubled-vocal. It's a winner. The album ends on "Peaches And Diesel" – an instrumental I always felt is lightweight re-run of “Wonderful Tonight” but not in a good way (the remaster of it though is gorgeous). I'd have to say that the Bonus Tracks on Disc 1 are largely disappointing and it's pretty obvious why his dreadful "Stars, Strays And Ashtrays" stayed in the can (his vocal is awful and he sounds stoned). Better is the pretty cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Looking At The Rain" – a nice outtake – as is the washboard harmonica drive of "Greyhound Bus" (sweet duet vocals with Elliman). The Bluesy and acoustic "Alberta" – which first turned up on the 1999 "Blues" Box Set – is the best of the bunch (great audio and vocals too). But all that pales into the distance when you get to the shock of Disc 2...

Although live inclusions are seen by fans as convenient filler in these DE's - the 'Live' Disc here from April 1977 in England's Hammersmith Odeon is a sensation – making mincemeat of the four insipid outtakes that end Disc 1. The band (the same line-up he had on the album minus Saxophonist Mel Collins) is on fire and each version of each song is infused with energy and playing that is amazing ("Further On Up The Road" rocks like a mother and receives a warm audience response). If this had been released as a definitive 2LP set in the late Seventies – it would stand up as a winner to this day. A major bummer is that there's amp feedback prevalent throughout the 13-minute Blues of "Stormy Monday" which really detracts (especially in the solos) - but it's still a great purist performance. Better is "Badge" which gets slightly funked up and elicits crowd handclapping and cheers. Running to 14 minutes - the Reggae-Funk-Rock of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" sees the band cooking on all fronts – the vocals, rhythms, drum solos and guitars – it's wickedly good. Disc 2 ends (as it had to do) on the crowd-pleaser "Layla" where the guitars rock out. Apart from that terrible feedback problem on "Stormy Monday" – it's a cool addition and actually worth of the moniker 'Bonus'.

Even though the booklet could have done with some serious beefing up (photos, memorabilia, interviews) – the great remaster and that live bonus material make this a DE winner. I'd love to see the underrated "Backless" from 1978 receive the same treatment - and for that matter the equally underrated and forgotten "Another Ticket" from 1981. Once more unto the tape vaults Mister Levenson...

"Universal Love" by MFSB (2015 Big Break Records Expanded CD – Nick Robbins and Wayne A. Dickson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...My Mood..."

In April 1975 (with the Vietnam War officially declared over by President Ford) – the last troops left Saigon and America was ready to party and feel good. You can see this in the sleeve of June 1975's "Universal Love" by MFSB (MFSB was the in-house Soul Orchestra for Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International label). A sun rises on a vessel-less sea that has flowers of hope floating above it – a far cry from the cover art for MFSB's 2nd album "Love Is The Message" from December 1973 with its ugly skull soldier and atomic bomb explosion looming in the background (the self-titled debut album from April 1973 showed a syringe lying in a coffin - reflecting America’s inner-city slide into drugs). The largely instrumental "Universal Love" album contained sexy rhythms and warm sways totally capturing the National zeitgeist and catapulting it up to No.2 on the American R&B charts and an impressive No. 4 on the US Pop charts. This 2015 Expanded BBR CD is a great celebration of that warmly remembered summer record and here are the tender loving cares (with big strings and even bigger hairdos)...

UK released July 2015 – "Universal Love: Expanded CD Version" by MFSB on Big Break Records CDBBRX 0312 (Barcode 5013929061231) breaks down as follows (46:41 minutes):

1. Sexy

2. MFSB

3. Human Machine

4. Love Has No Time Or Place

5. T.L.C. (Tender Loving Care) [Side 2]

6. Let's Go Disco

7. K-Jee

8. My Mood

Tracks 1 to 8 are their 2nd studio album "Universal Love" – released June 1975 in the USA on Philadelphia International KZ 33158 and July 1975 in the UK on Philadelphia International S PIR 80410

BONUS TRACKS:

9. Sexy (Single Version)

10. T.L.C. (Tender Loving Care) (Single Version)

11. Let's Go Disco (Promotional Single Version)

12. K-Jee (Single Version)

Four 7" singles were released in the UK and USA around the album and this BBR CD will allow fans to sequence 'most' of them as follows...

[9] = Track 9 on the CD:

1. Sexy [9] b/w Human Machine [3]

Released May 1975 in the USA on Philadelphia International ZS8 3567

Released July 1975 in the UK on Philadelphia International S PIR 3381

Notes: the A-side is a 7" single edit at 3:13 minutes, the album cut is 3:36 minutes. "Sexy" also turned up at a B-side to the January 1977 UK reissue 7" single of "TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)" by MSFB on Philadelphia International S PIR 4888.

2. T.L.C. (Tender Loving Care) [10] b/w Love Has No Time Or Place

Released September 1975 in the USA on Philadelphia International ZS8 3576

Notes: the A-side is a 7" single edit at 3:20 minutes, the album cut is 3:44 minutes. The B-side "Love Has No Time Or Place" is also an edit at 3:30 minutes but unfortunately isn't included on this CD (the full album version runs to 6:21 minutes). There was no UK 7" issue.

3. Let's Go Disco [6] b/w My Mood [8]

3. Let's Go Disco (Album Version) [6] b/w (D.J. Short Version) [11]

Released September 1975 in the UK on Philadelphia International S PIR 3635. Only the Demo/Promo version had a 'D.J. Short Version' on the B-side running to 2:37 minutes instead of the album's 4:18 minutes on the A.

4. K-Jee [12] b/w My Mood [8]

Released March 1978 in the USA on Philadelphia International ZS8 3641

Released May 1978 in the UK on Philadelphia International S PIR 6287

Notes: the A-side is a single edit at 3:20 minutes while the album full version is 4:19 minutes – the B-side is the full album version at 4:15 minutes.

The CD comes in one of those round-corner jewel cases BBR seems to favour their reissues while the 16-page booklet features new liner notes by noted NYC-based Soul writer CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE. There’s detailed discussion on the sophistication of the album for the Disco genre and its popularity across all boards (including the Pop world) – all of it peppered with photos of those American Philadelphia International labels along with rare European picture sleeves and photos of the huge ensemble orchestra. But the big news (as ever with BBR) is a superb remaster by NICK ROBBINS and BBR's main tape man WAYNE A. DICKSON. Primarily an 8-track instrumental LP with vocals only on "Love Has No Time Or Place" and "Let's Go Disco" – the emphasis was always going to be on the orchestral swirls, guitar licks, bass slaps, brass punches and that high-hat rhythm. This CD sounds fabulous. If I was to single out one track that shows this it’s the gorgeous album finisher "My Mood" – an instrumental that sounds like easy-listening Bacharach taken to another Soulful level. I’ve had this on Philly compilations of old – but the audio off this beauty beats them all. Impressive...

Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff not surprisingly penned the two slick openers – the dancefloor friendly "Sexy" and "MFSB" (Mothers Fathers Sisters Brothers) and they sound fab. Ron Baker of the Salsoul Orchestra co-wrote "Human Machine" with Leon Huff and is a mid-tempo groove with great Steely Dan-ish guitar and keyboard flicks (feels like Disco all grown up and proud of itself). By the time you get to the six-minute "Love Has No Time Or Place" (written by Bruce Hawes and Cynthia Briggs) the group has reached a place of sophisticated excellence that is hard to resist – a perfect hybrid of Disco girl-vocals over George Benson Jazz guitar licks – all of it complimented by that shuffling Philly backbeat and the ever-present lush strings. It’s an impressive groove and frankly sexy too.

Side 2 opens with "T.L.C. (Tender Loving Care)" – a jazzy slide in gives way to pure Philly bop – all high-hats, wah-wah guitars, brass and strings. We get a bit Funk with "Let's Go Disco" where they sound like Kool & The Gang and "K-Jee" is cool too –but my poison has always been the masterful Gamble & Huff slink of "My Mood" – a stunning instrumental that feels the ultimate Easy Listening Jazz cool. I'm always putting it on Soul CD-R compilations in order to show off my Soul smarts and Street cred (oh dear)...

So there you have it – a wicked 2015 Expanded CD reissue for MFSB's "Universal Love" and with that crack-a-lacking Audio - a must own for fans everywhere. The only glitch is the absence of that 7" Single Edit of "Love Has No Time Or Place" (a bad mistake really) – but other than that slip up - this is another BBR audio winner - and well done to all the bods in Big Break Records who got it out into the public domain in such style...

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I’ve reviewed up to July 2015:

1. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)

2. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)

3. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)

4. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)

5. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)

6. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)

7. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)

8.  I Miss You - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972) [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK]

9. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)

10. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)

11. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)

12. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)

13. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)

14. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)

15. In Philadelphia - O'JAYS (1969)

16. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)

17. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)

18. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)

19. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)

20. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)

21. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)

22. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)

23. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)

24. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)

25. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)

26. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)

27. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)

28. Switch - SWITCH (1978)

29. Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)

30. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971 Debut LP on Sussex/A&M Records)
31. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983)

"Subtle As A Flying Mallet" by DAVE EDMUNDS (2013 RPM Records Expanded CD – Simon Murphy Remasters) - A Review By Mark Barry...

"...Get Into Trouble..."

In the early Seventies Dave Edmunds seemed to be late for everything. After departing LOVE SCULPTURE with two great albums under his belt - "Blues Helping" from October 1968 and "Forms And Feelings" from January 1970  – he recorded a cover version of the Smiley Lewis classic "I Hear You Knocking" and released it 30 October 1970 on the then tiny UK independent label Mam Records not thinking it would do much business (it was their first single on MAM 1). "I Hear You Knocking" promptly took the UK charts by storm (reaching number 1) and going Top 5 Stateside (as well as many other territories). Our Dave wasn’t ready and his debut solo album didn’t arrive until June 1972 on Regal Zonophone by which time two further singles - "I'm Comin' Home" in March 1971 and "Blue Monday" in June 1971 sank without a trace as did "Down Down Down" from July 1972. Two years after the momentum of the Number 1 single his 1972 "Rockpile" album was barely noticed and sold jack (its very hard to find on original vinyl).

The scatterbrain guitarist and Rock 'n' Roll revivalist did the same for his 2nd solo album – the long forgotten Phil Spector-ish sounding "Subtle As A Flying Mallet" from 1975. "Subtle..." was also preceded by two singles in May 1973 "Born To Be With You" and September 1974 "Need A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues" before the album belatedly showed up in the spring of 1975. But by that time – the same thing had happened again – no one noticed and "Subtle" has been a bit of a dark corner in Edmunds' long and illustrious career. Personally I’ve always loved both records (I reviewed the "Rockpile" CD elsewhere) and I'd argue "Subtle..." deserves a second-go-round on your deck. And you have to say that RPM Records have done a bang up job on this CD (it's an absolute must-own for fans). Here are the Rock 'n' Roll hammerhead details...

UK released February 2013 – "Subtle As A Flying Mallet" by DAVE EDMUNDS on RPM Records RPM 520 (Barcode 5013929552029) breaks down as follows (60:34 minutes):

1. Baby I Love You

2. Leave My Woman Alone

3. Maybe

4. Da Doo Ron Ron

5. Let It Be Me

6. No Money Down

7. Shot Of Rhythm And Blues [Side 2]

8. Billy The Kid

9. Born To Be With You

10. She’s My Baby

11. I Ain't Never

12. Let It Rock

Tracks 1 to 12 are his 2nd studio album "Subtle As A Flying Mallet" – released April 1975 in the UK on Rockfield RRL 101 (reissued April 1978 on RCA PL 25129) and in the USA on RCA LPL1-5003

BONUS TRACKS:

13. Some Other Guy – non-album B-side (see 4 below)

14. When Will I Be Loved

15. Make Me Good

16. You Kept Me Waiting

17. C'mon Little Dixie

18. Need A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues (Alternate Version)

19. Da Doo Ron Ron (by Dave Edmunds & The Electricians)

20. Pick Axe Rag (by Dave Edmunds & Mickey Gee) – non-album B-side (see 2 below)

Tracks 14 to 19 are from the November 1974 UK 2LP set "Stardust – 44 Original Hits From The Sound Track Of The Film" on Ronco Records RG 2009 and are exclusive to that double-album.

The 12-track album consisted of 11 cover versions and one original by NICK LOWE then with BRINSLEY SCHWARZ ("She's My Baby"). Two of the tracks were recorded live in front of a Welsh audience at the Top Rank Club in Cardiff with Brinsley Schwarz as the backing band – covers of Chuck Berry's "No Money Down" and "Let It Rock". "I Ain’t Never" has Nick Lowe on Bass and Pick Withers on Drums (later the drummer with Dire Straits). "She's My Baby" features Nick Lowe and Bob Andrews of Brinsley Schwarz on Bass and Piano respectively. Edmunds produced the LP at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales and all other tracks feature him playing every instrument. The album famously featured productions that deliberately aped the dense Phil Spector Wall-Of-Sound recordings of the Sixties on his Philles label. 

SINGLES:
"Subtle..." also saw four singles issued around it and this Expanded CD Remaster on RPM will allow fans to sequence them all as follows ([1] = Track 1 on the CD etc)...

1. Baby I Love You [1] b/w Maybe [3]

Released December 1972 in the UK on Rockfield ROC 1

Released 1973 in the USA On RCA Victor 74-0882

Notes: the A-side is a cover of the 1963 Ronettes hit on Philles, the B-side is a cover of the 1957 Chantels hit on End Records.

2. Born To Be With You [9] b/w Pick Axe Rag [20]

Released May 1973 in the UK on Rockfield ROC 2

Released 1973 in the USA on RCA Victor LPBO-5000

Notes: the A-side is a Chordettes cover version that features a Harmonica solo 'probably' by Lee Brilleaux of Dr. Feelgood. The non-album B-side "Pick Axe Rag" is credited to Dave Edmunds & Mickey Gee - Gee was the second guitarist in Love Sculpture for the "Forms And Feelings" album and also played in Joe Cocker's Grease Band prior to that.

3. Need A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues [7] b/w Let It Be Me [5]

Released September 1974 in the UK on Rockfield ROC 4

Released 1974 in the USA on RCA Victor PB-10118 (A&B-sides reversed)

Notes: the A-side is an Arthur Alexander cover version. The album track is listed as "Shot Of Rhythm And Blues" but for some reason the words "Need A..." were added for the single (no one seems to know why). The mix of the song on the "Stardust" double-album soundtrack is an 'Alternate Version' and differs to and LP/45 cut. The B-side "Let It Be Me" is a cover of The Everly Brothers 1959 hit on Cadence.

4. I Ain't Never [11] b/w Some Other Guy [13]

Released February 1975 in the UK on Rockfield ROC 6 [no USA release]

Notes: the A-side is a cover of Webb Pierce’s 1959 hit on Decca while the non-album B-side "Some Other Guy" is a cover of a Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller song done by Richie Barrett on Atlantic Records in 1962.

The 16-page booklet features liner notes by ROGER DOPSON with new Dave Edmunds interviews about the album crossing recording paths with the David Essex film soundtrack "Stardust" (as well as appearing in the movie himself - DE also got the band Brinsley Schwarz a part in it). There are photos of UK Rockfield labels, trade adverts and Euro picture sleeves of "Baby I Love You" and "Born To Be With You" as well as track-by-track credits. The remaster from original tapes has been done by SIMON MURPHY at Another Planet Music and given the density of the recordings – he’s done a stunning job. I love the way that this CD sounds – Murphy has lost none of that Retro Rock 'n' Roll feel that Edmunds so adores – it drips from every cleverly chosen song. In fact you could argue when you hear the live takes of "No Money Down" and "Let It Rock" – perhaps it would have been simpler and even more effective to simply record the lot live – and get that 'real' feel the music so needs.

As fans will know – Edmunds feels the whole Spector-in-the-studio sound he obsessed over only half works and even in some cases is a downright mistake (an experiment that didn’t work). Personally I like what he was trying to get in the echoed and dreamy "Let It Be Me" – a fabulous cover of a gorgeous Everly Brothers song. Even "Billy The Kid" (the odd-man-out here stylewise) rocks in its own weird way. It's a Traditional song Ry Cooder first threw at us in 1972 on his "Into The Purple Valley" LP on Reprise Records. Edmunds apes Cooder's Cajun Americana style of picking – but it also works because the song isn’t that familiar to anyone and breaks up the Fifties R'n'R feel of the rest of the record. I love it that Lee Brilleaux of Dr. Feelgood is 'probably' the Harmonica player on his cover of "Born To Be With You" (its his trademark warble) and you can 'so' hear Nick Lowe's languid vocal style in "She's My Baby". Another fave is the Arthur Alexander cover "Shot Of Rhythm And Blues" and a great stab at Webb Pierce's "I Ain't Never".

Amongst the Bonus Stuff both the non-LP B-sides are worthy inclusions – the fast-paced almost Country picking instrumental "Pick Axe Rag" is a curio for sure but it’s a cool one. I have the Richie Barrett original of "Some Other Guy" on Atlantic Records from my 2006 Ace CD "Lieber & Stoller Story Vol.2..." – but again – a smart choice by Edmunds that suits his love affair with Rock 'n' Roll leanings and is a criminally forgotten sing-a-long gem of the genre. The "Stardust" tracks are a brilliant inclusion what with the double-LP languishing in CD limbo. Edmunds was commissioned by film producer David Puttnam to do nine songs for the film - both "Let It Rock" and "Shot Of Rhythm And Blues" from the album are on their but the other six presented here make their CD debut to my knowledge. "When Will I Be Loved" has always been an Everly Brothers bopping winner and Edmunds wisely doesn't mess with that original dynamic. "Make Me Good" and "You Kept Me Waiting" (written by the trio of Peter Anders, Paul Naumann and Kenneth Laguna) sound like typical Edmunds layered-vocal fare. The Orleans R'n'B boogie of "C'mon Little Dixie" is a winner (penned by Gerry Goffin and Barry Goldberg) too...

A fab little reissue of "Subtle As A Flying Mallet" and a long overdue reassessment that I hope will make people sit up and take notice. Now if only someone would expand CDs of his Swan Song albums – I’d be hammering on about those too...

"Shine On Brightly: 3CD Deluxe Edition" by PROCOL HARUM (2015 Esoteric Recordings Reissue/Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Tea Time At The Circus..." 

I diligently picked up the reissues of Procol Harum's 60s and 70s catalogue when they were reissued in sequence in 2009 by Salvo Records of the UK - and dug their natty gatefold card sleeves and half-decent remasters. But just as soon as they had arrived - they seemed to be quickly deleted and almost instantly started to attract unhealthy price hikes right across the board. So along comes England's Esoteric Recordings (part of Cherry Red) in 2015 to rescue the British band's legacy and fan's wallets with a full on reissue campaign that practically doubles the preceding issues in size and scope (and in real style too). There is a lot on this chunky sucker so let’s to those glimpses of Nirvana (if you know what I mean)...

UK released 29 June 2015 (July 2015 in the USA) – "Shine On Brightly: 3CD Deluxe Edition" by PROCOL HARUM on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 32500 (Barcode 5013929460041) is a 3-Disc Remaster in a 5" Clamshell Mini Box Set of their classic 2nd album from 1968 on Regal Zonophone Records (A&M in the USA).

Newly Remastered on all counts (BEN WISEMAN and ROB KEYLOCH did the expert transfers) – Disc 1 is the Stereo Mix of the 11-track album plus three extras - Disc 2 features the 11-track 'MONO' Mix on CD for the first time - while Disc 3 gives us 20 more Bonus Tracks – 7 of which are Previously Unreleased 1968 BBC Sessions from John Peel's "Top Gear" Radio One Series. Inside the Clamshell Box are three postcards repro'ing American Concert Posters – one for the San Francisco International Pop Festival 1968 and two for the "Grand Ballroom" shows in Detroit in May and October 1968. A fold-out double-sided colour poster features the album’s UK artwork on one side (a George Underwood painting) and the different USA A&M Records artwork on the other (a Guy Webster photograph that was deemed more 'appropriate') - as well as the lyrics and the Gary Brooker/Keith Reid blurb that accompanied the original UK trade advert.

On top of all that there’s a beautifully laid out 24-page colour booklet with liner note by HENRY SCOTT-IRVINE who authored the book "Procol Harum: The Ghosts Of The Whiter Shade Of Pale". The card sleeve for CD1 has the UK album artwork (Stereo), CD2 has the US LP artwork (Mono) and CD3 features a (unseen) variant of the US album artwork. A nice touch and real attention to detail is that the label for CD1 is Purple in colour and CD2 is Red – both reflecting the original Stereo and Mono label colours of the original 1968 LP issues - while Disc 3 is in Black. Page 19 of the booklet gives a good indication of the classiness on offer here – a 9-picture collage of rare European and Japanese 7" single sleeves for "Quite Rightly So". There is discussion on the impact of the album (Pete Townshend name-checks it as an influence on "Tommy"), concert photos, concert posters and publicity shots, paragraphs on the 'outtakes' etc. It’s very tastily done. Here is a detailed break down of each CD:

Disc 1 – STEREO MIX (49:36 minutes):
1. Quite Rightly So
2. Shine On Brightly
3. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)
4. Wish Me Well
5. Rambling On
6. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)
7. Glimpses Of Nirvana
8. Twas Tea Time At The Circus
9. In The Autumn Of My Madness
10. Look To Your Soul
11. Grand Finale
Tracks 1 to 11 are their 2nd studio album "Shine On Brightly" – released September 1968 in the USA in Stereo Only on A&M Records SP 4151 and December 1968 in the UK on Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1004 (Stereo)

BONUS TRACKS:
12. Il Tuo Diamante ("Shine On Brightly" Italian Version In Mono, Recorded September 1967) – a small chart hit in Italy in January 1968 on Nil Records 45NIL 9005
13. Quite Rightly So
14. In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence – Tracks 13 and 14 are the non-album A&B-sides of a March 1968 UK 7" single on Regal Zonophone RZ 3007

Disc 2 – MONO MIX (38:39 minutes):
1 to 11 as per Disc 1 - their 2nd studio album "Shine On Brightly" – released December 1968 in the UK on Regal Zonophone LRZ 1004 in Mono (No USA variant) - Previously Unreleased on CD

Disc 3 (53:06 minutes):
1. Monsieur Armand (Mono) – a 1967 recording that first appeared on the may 1976 UK LP "Rock Roots" by Procol Harum on Fly/Cube Records ROOTS 4. It was re-worked and re-recorded as "Monsieur R. Monde" for the 1974 LP "Exotic Birds & Fruit" on Chrysalis Records
2. Seem To Have The Blues (Most Of The Time) (Mono) - a 1967 recording that first appeared on the may 1976 UK LP "Rock Roots" by Procol Harum on Fly/Cube Records ROOTS 4
3. Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) (1967 Version in Mono)
4. Shine On Brightly (1967 Version in Mono) – recorded October 1967
5. In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence (Stereo Mix) – recorded 6 December 1967. A mono version is on Disc 1 as the B-side to "Quite Rightly So"
6. Monsieur Armand (Stereo Backing Track) – recorded 11 October 1967
7. A Robe Of Silk (Stereo Backing Track) – recorded 12 January 1968
8. McGreggor – first appeared on the 1997 "30th Anniversary" CD Edition of "A Salty Dog" on Westside
9. The Gospel According To...[Wish Me Well] – recorded 19 March 1968
10. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)
11. Quite Rightly So
12. Ramblin’ On
13. Shine On Brightly (tracks 10 to 13 are from "Top Gear" BBC Radio One Session, 14 February 1968) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
14. Skip Softly (My Moonbeams)
15. Wish Me Well
16. Long Gone Geek (tracks 14 to 16 are from "Top Gear" BBC Radio One Session, 19 August 1968) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEADED
17. In Held 'Twas In I (Look To Your Soul/Grande Finale) (track 17 is from "Top Gear" BBC Radio One Session, 6 October 1968) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Released in the run up to Christmas 1968 on both sides of the pond, Procol Harum’s 2nd album "Shine On Brightly" was produced by DENNY CORDELL and an uncredited GLYN JOHNS and featured the same line-up as their January 1968 self-titled debut album:

Piano and Lead Vocals – GARY BROOKER
Lead Guitar – ROBIN TROWER
Hammond Organ and Keyboards – MATTHEW FISHER
Bass – DAVID KNIGHT
Drums and Percussion – B.J. WILSON
(Lyrics) – KEITH REID

As the Matthew Fisher organ sails in for the album opener "Quite Rightly So" - the new Stereo remaster on Disc 1 is immediate and powerful (the tambourine and Brooker's vocals have more clarity too). A huge fan favorite – the title track "Shine On Brightly" is also incredibly clean on that wailing Trower guitar and Fisher's Hammond. And even though the channel separation is harsh and that cross fading is gimmicky – the remaster still feels better than what was on the 2009 reissue. "Slip Softly (My Moonbeam)" has Trower's guitar and those treated keyboard sounds married well – and when it goes into that floating piano passage in the middle of the song and Trower comes in with that wicked solo – it's the best I’ve ever heard this track. Probably my personal crave and a groove I've loved for years – "Wish Me Well" is Funk for Procol Harum and feels like a great Joe Cocker track with The Grease Band. It has real power now and renewed clarity.

Side 2's "Glimpses Of Nirvana" is a talking-tale of hippy lore too far for me ("...life is like a beanstalk..." - yikes) – but what's not in dispute is that this remaster adds a huge power to the instruments as they build. The 1:19 minutes of "Twas Tea Time At The Circus" feels like a Small Faces madrigal – and again the remaster is amazing. Much was made in initial reviews of the threesome that finishes the album (like a suite of serious songs) – "In The Autumn Of The Madness", "Look To Your Soul" and "Grand Finale". You can hear elements of Gabriel's Genesis circa "Nursery Cryme" in all that melodrama – those heavy themes and sound affects while the heavy Prog guitars feel like Vertigo Spiral territory. A tiny bit hissy – still the opening Bass and Cymbal to "Grand Finale" is beautifully clear as Fisher's piano fades in and then those church-like vocals – superb.

I must admit the Mono Mix does little for me and actually makes tracks like "Rambling On" sound ever so slightly weird and less powerful somehow. The extras on Disc 3 are a motley crew of different mix rarities and genuine finds. "Monsieur Armand" opens proceedings strongly – the Mono mix on this song having a huge punch with Trower’s solo shining half way in. The very Jethro Tull "Seem To Have The Blues (Most All The Time)" thunders through your speakers with Trower's heavy grungy guitar offset by R 'n' B keyboards from Fisher as Gary Brooker bemoans his fate ("...whole lotta people treat me unkind..."). The vocal on the Mono "Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)" is way back in the mix and gives it a more melancholy feel. But a genuine blast comes in the shape of the Stereo Mix of that beloved B-side "In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence" which puts Fisher's keyboard runs more to the fore (loving this).

Next we get a duo of fan-pleasers in the (vocal-less) Stereo Backing Tracks to "Monsieur Armand" and "A Robe Of Silk" where Procol sound like The Spencer Davis Group or even the Small Faces in their Immediate period on both cuts (very cool additions). The lament "McGreggor" is good but far better is the Bluesy and Funky groove of "The Gospel According To...(Wish Me Well)" where they sound almost like "Tons Of Sobs" Free with keyboards added – Trower trucking away on that guitar as the slow beat drives the song on (it ends abruptly at 3:35 minutes and you wish there was more). The BBC stuff is professionally recorded and packs an impressive punch – the soft piano and wild guitar soloing of Trower on the opening "Skip Softly" doing anything but skipping softly. The band sounds fresh and pleased with itself on "Quite Rightly So" – the drums well recorded too. "...Our local picture house is showing the Batman movie..." Brooker sings plaintively on "Ramblin' On" where a copper warns him that his newly purchased Batwings may not work if he jumps off a building like Adam West. The cheesy spoken intro of "...mind expanding sound...burn into your brain baby..." at the beginning of "Shine On Brightly" is 'so' Radio 1 DJ-speak (what a hoot!). The 2nd "Top Gear" set seems better recorded with superior Stereo imaging. The soft piano intro to "Wish Me Well" followed by Trower’s chugging guitar and the doubled vocals is wicked stuff and a real discovery. The 2:34 minutes of "Long Gone Geek" is the sound of a band finding its feet and thoroughly enjoying it – very cool little tune. And on it goes...

There are four x 2015 titles in Esoteric's 'Deluxe Edition' PROCOL HARUM reissue campaign so far and at this rate – all will be mandatory purchases for lovers of the band. “Shine On Brightly” is a superlative reissue and one that will please both fans and whet the appetite of the curious. Well done to all involved...

2015 PROCOL HARUM CD Reissues/Remasters by Esoteric Recordings:

1. Procol Harum – January 1968 UK Debut Album - 2CD Deluxe Edition UK released 17 July 2015 on Esoteric ECLEC 22497 (Barcode 5013929459748)

2. Shine On Brightly – December 1968 2nd Studio Album – 3CD Deluxe Edition UK released 29 June 2015 on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 32500 (Barcode 5013929460041)

3. A Salty Dog – June 1969 3rd Studio Album – 2CD Deluxe Edition UK released 31 July 2015 on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 22503 (Barcode 501392946348)

4. Home – June 1970 4th Studio Album – 2CD Deluxe Edition released 31 July 2015 on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 22505 (Barcode 5013929460546)

This review is part of my SOUNDS GOOD Music Books Series

SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1960s and 1970s Volume 1...

See Amazon Kindle e-books at the following link....