"Muddy, Brass And The Blues/Can't Get No Grindin'" by MUDDY WATERS – October 1966 US LP on Chess in Mono (January 1967 in the UK) with September 1973 US LP on Chess in Stereo (January 1974 in the UK) – Featuring James Cotton (Harmonica), Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins (Piano), Sammy Lawhorn and Pee Wee Madison (Guitar), Calvin Jones (Bass) with Willie Smith (Drums) with Arrangements by Charles Stepney (June 2011 UK Beat Goes On Compilation – 2LPs Remastered Onto 1CD by Andrew Thompson) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Got A Love Weapon..."

A strange and interesting combo – his genre-evolving 1966 US LP "Muddy, Brass And The Blues" (which has divided purists for years) - here slapped together with a long forgotten and criminally overlooked Rock-Blues outing from 1973 – both on the legendary Chess Records. But I think the pairing works. 

The first album on this 2LPs-onto-1CD Beat Goes On compilation (BGO of the UK) featured his core band of James Cotton (Harmonica), Otis Spann (Piano), Sammy Lawhorn and Pee Wee Madison (Guitars), Calvin Jones (Bass) and Willie Smith (Drums) with Arrangements by the mighty Charles Stepney. Originally recorded June 1966 at their famous Tel Mar Recordings Studios, Chess then brought in as many as five (unnamed) Horn Players and layered up the songs in an effort to make the great Bluesman sound more contemporary or (some suggest) ape preceding successful hybrid album-releases by say Big Joe Turner or Jimmy Witherspoon ("The Boss Of The Blues" and records like that). Some say it worked while others say it's hateful and should be put outside to sulk, hanging its ornery head in shame like the naughty schoolchild it clearly is (shades of "Electric Mud" looming in the future). 

The second LP from 1973 saw Chess replace piano-player Otis Spann (who had sadly passed) with Pinetop Perkins. "Grindin'..." was back to the Blues with a Rock and Funk tinge and featured material that stretched back to 1950 with "Sad Letter" and even further with "Mother's Bad Luck Child" which was a re-working of his first ever release in 1947 - "Gypsy Woman". Re-tooled oldies sat comfortably alongside new stuff – the whole shebang knocked out with gusto and tomato sauce by a band on fire and a leader back in control. As I say, a weird if not slyly cool combo of albums. Let's get to the meal table...

UK released June 2011 (reissued April 2012) - "Muddy, Brass And The Blues/Can't Get No Grindin'" by MUDDY WATERS on Beat Goes On BGOCD1007 (Barcode 5017261210074) offers two US LPs from 1966 and 1973 on Chess Records (issued 1967 and 1974 in the UK also on Chess) Remastered onto 1CD that plays out as follows (66:46 minutes):

1. Corine, Corina [Side 1]

2. Piney Brown Blues 

3. Black Night 

4. Trouble In Mind 

5. Going Back To Memphis 

6. Betty And Dupree [Side 2]

7. Sweet Little Angel 

8. Take My Advice

9. Trouble 

10. Hard Loser 

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Muddy, Brass And The Blues" – released October 1966 in the US on Chess LP-1507 and January 1967 in the UK on Chess CRL 4526 (both in Mono only). Produced by GENE BARGE and RALPH BASS

11. Can't Get No Grindin' (What's The Matter With The Meal) [Side 1]

12. Mother's Bad Luck Child 

13. Funky Butt 

14. Sad Letter 

15. Someday I'm Gonna Ketch You 

16. Love Weapon [Side 2]

17. Garbage Man 

18. After Hours 

19. Whiskey Ain't No Good 

20. Muddy Waters' Shuffle

Tracks 11 to 20 are the album "Can't Get No Grindin'" – released September 1973 in the USA on Chess CH 50023 and January 1974 in the UK on Chess 6310 129. Produced by RALPH BASS.

The outer card slipcase lends these BGO releases a sense of style and class (they've reissued a lot of Muddy, see list below) and the 8-page inlay has new May 2011 liner notes from TONY RUSSELL that do enough to inform and rightly praise the contents within. As was so typical with Chess LPs - they often sported little or no musician credits - so Russell does his research and provides player details and well as critical responses (both the Blues Unlimited and Living Blues magazines gave the 1973 a warm thumbs-up). BGO also reproduces Ralph Bass' original liner notes to 1966's "Muddy, Brass And The Blues". 

But the real beef is new ANDREW THOMPSON Remasters done at Sound Mastering in London - power and grit exuding from their pores - I love the way this CD sounds. I'll be honest and say I skip mostly to the 70ts Stereo outing where my real interest lies, but the 60ts Mono LP still kicks like a mule. To the tunes...

The moment Muddy takes on Joe Turner's "Corine, Corina" you will either think this is a mistake or a (slight) leap forward. Cotton's Harmonica solo still smashes it, but those horn-fills for sure busy up proceedings just a tad too much. "Well I been to Kansas City and everything was really alright..." he moans on "Piney Brown Blues" where Otis Spann on Piano and James Cotton on Harmonica lay down the mid-shuffle beat. At least here the brass isn't dominating but actually contributing. The very Bluesy "Black Night" is fantastic stuff - Otis Spann, Sammy Lawhorn and Pee Wee Madison and James Cotton all finally getting room to solo and shine on Piano, Guitar and Harp - crying for his baby with virtually no horns in sight. Back to the oldies with "Trouble In Mind" - a stalwart of Joe Turner's live shows - another great sounding Remaster. And on it goes...

The leap from 1966 to 1973 is huge in terms of what comes jaunting out of your speakers. Suddenly the 'Funk' is with Muddy when he sings the opener "Can't Get No Grindin'..." - a weird Clavinet groove greets you as he sings and the boys answer. More Traditional and let's face it 'down and dirty' is "Mother's Bad Luck Child" - Pinetop switching to Piano while the boys lick those slide guitar notes. Muddy goes to a gypsy woman to have his fortune told only to be advised to go back home and never darken her tent again. "Funky Butt" uses the same Clavinet groove that "Grindin'" does - a sort of Harmonica Blues shaking and shimmying as Muddy roars 'yeah!'. Better is the mean lowdown gutbucket "Sad Letter" - a real return to form as Muddy got a letter this morning to tell him that his baby has moved on to the great gates beyond. Speaking of straight-up type Blues - I have always loved the crossover "Love Weapon" where Muddy's baby don't fight like a man - she uses her love weapons - comes at you like a tiger whilst looking at you like a lion. It perfectly fuses Guitar, Harmonica and Bass whilst throwing just a slight Funk on the Clavinet keyboard (Cotton puts in a blistering Harp solo). What a racket they made when they were good. 

In the end neither album could be called a masterpiece, but the combo of the two playing alongside each other here delivers a lesser-heard Muddy - Bluesy and Cool one minute - Funky and Hip the next – and all in crisp audio glory. McKinley really was the Hard Drivin' Man...

MUDDY WATERS CD Reissues and Remasters for Beat Goes On (BGO) 

All are 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD

1. Muddy Waters At Newport/Muddy Waters Live (1960 and 1971 LPs)

1996 UK CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD314 (Barcode 5017261203144)

2. Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill"/Folk Singer (1959 and 1964 LPs)

1998 UK CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD397 (Barcode 5017261203977)

3. The Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues (1966 and 1967 LPs)

1998 UK CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD436 (Barcode 5017261204363)

4. Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live/King Bee (1979 and 1981 LPs)

September 2004 UK CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD584 (Barcode 5017261205841)

5. They Call Me Muddy Waters/Live At Mister Kelly's (1971 for both LPs)

October 2010 UK CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD949 (Barcode 5017261209498)

6. Muddy, Brass And The Blues/Can't Get No Grindin' (1966 and 1973 LPs)

June 2011 UK CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD1007 (Barcode 5017261210074)

7. Electric Mud/After The Rain (1968 and 1969 LPs)

October 2011 UK CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD1011 (Barcode 5017261210111)

"The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" by RICK WAKEMAN – January 1973 Debut Solo Album on A&M Records [ex The Strawbs, With Yes When Recorded] - Featuring Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford and Alan White of Yes with Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk of The Strawbs, Barry De Souza of Trees, Les Hurdle of The Mohawks, Ray Cooper of Elton John’s Band and Dave Winter of If (February 2015 UK UMG Recordings/A&M Records 1CD Reissue with Andrew Walter Abbey Road Remaster) - A Review of Mark Barry...

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"...Giving Days..."

I remember vividly when you opened the gatefold sleeve of AMLH 64361 – you couldn't help but be impressed. 

Like a wizarding version of Keith Emerson from ELP without the pantaloons and Puss 'n' Boots footwear - stood the Royal College of Music prodigy Rick ("Don't Mention God Save The Queen Only Dead Queens") Wakeman. 

With his long mane of Vosene manicured blond hair and Octopus-like arms outstretched, the Rickster stroke a pose – a stance he would become famous for in fact. A serious musician amidst a seriously impressive circle of custom-made keyboard thingies - Synthesizer, Mellotron, Grand Piano, Organ, Electric Piano, Harpsichord and more - it was all there. As were his unseen mates from Yes both present and future during the February to October 1972 recordings – Steve Howe on Guitar, Chris Squire on Bass, Bill Bruford and Alan White on Drums and three more muckers from his former band The Strawbs – Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk. Throw in Dave Winter of If with Mike Egan on Guitars, Barry de Souza from Trees also on Drums and Ray Cooper of Elton John's Band on Percussion with session Vocalists Laura Lee, Liza Strike, Sylvia McNeill, Judy Powell and Barry St. John - and you had a stellar cast working on genuinely inspired material.

Arriving in January 1973 – "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" also started what would become the YES Solo Albums run and despite A&M's A&R people having hissy-fit reservations when they heard the finished LP (they asked when are the vocals being put on) – Henry VIII was a monogamous winner. I also can't have been the only YES fan who perhaps hadn't bought the album but did purchase the triple live set "Yessongs" in May 1973 - only to be amazed at Wakeman's "Excerpts From The Six Wives of Henry VIII" - an absolute highlight across those six sides. In fact "The Six Wives..." has subsequently amassed some 15-millions sales worldwide on what is now (in 2021) fast approaching a 50-years-ago release date. Which brings us to this...its best Remaster. Here are the details for the single disc issue...

UK released 2 February 2015 - "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" by RICK WAKEMAN on UMG Recordings/A&M Records 5356246 (Barcode 600753562468) is a straightforward 1CD Reissue and New 2014 Remaster of the 1973 Debut Solo Album (originally on A&M Records) that plays out as follows (36:53 minutes):

1. Catherine Of Aragon [Side 1]

2. Anne Of Cleves 

3. Catherine Howard 

4. Jane Seymour [Side 2]

5. Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended'

6. Catherine Parr

Tracks 1 to 6 are his debut solo LP "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" - released January 1973 in the UK on A&M Records AMLH 64361 and in the USA on A&M Records SMAS-95075. Produced by RICK WAKEMAN - it peaked at No. 7 in the UK and No. 30 on the LP charts. 

Remastered by ANDREW WALTER at Abbey Road Studios - it's worth mentioning that if you want to go deeper, there is also a 2-Disc 'Deluxe Edition' Version of sorts on UMG/A&M 5356238 (Barcode 600753562383) that features Three Bonus Tracks on the CD - "Catherine Of Aragon (First Mix)", "Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended' (Single Edit)" and "Catherine Parr (Single Edit)" - whilst the second disc is a DVD-A with the album in various mixes - Stereo Hi-Res, Quadrophonic and some period Video Footage. You could argue that this single version should really have featured the Three Bonus cuts (especially those Single Edits) as add-ons - but what you do get is enough for me. 

The 12-page booklet centres the original gatefold's artwork whilst the rest of the pages feature a history of the debut solo album penned by JERRY EWING, Editor of "Prog Magazine" with input and reminiscences from Wakeman. It's an interesting and witty read - Wakeman spilling the beans on collecting Platinum Discs from the head of A&M at a MIDEM who had previously poo-poo'd the project by the "...***king piano player..." (Wakeman admits though that those remarks not withstanding, his stay with A&M was good and they quickly cottoned on when they saw the sales figures). Holding court on the last page of the CD-sized booklet, the rear sleeve artwork of the LP that told miniature histories of each lady is now unfortunately almost unreadable. But the meat for me is the AUDIO - which is beautiful - thrilling actually - having been used to my crackly VINYL LP all these years. 

As the Grand Piano notes for "Catherine Of Aragon" come sailing in only to be followed by those swirling synth passages - the Audio is full and warm. But as the ladies hit oohing and aahing with that acoustic break - I was moved to say genius. Seen as the LP hit the shops on 23 January 1973, you could say A&M UK were a bit slow of the Prog Rock starting blocks when they issued the LP's lone UK 45-single as late as March 1973 - an edit of Side 2's "Catherine Parr" backed-up with an edit of "Anne" on AMS 7061. "Catherine Parr" and its rapido keyboard runs also so Manticore ELP, so perhaps that's why they chose it over the more delicate and frankly lovely "Catherine Of Aragon". 

Things get fast and heavy with "Anne Of Cleves" - future Yes-drummer Alan White playing a blinder even if MIke Egan's guitar parts are still too distant in the mix for me. Wakeman flies up and down the keyboards and again it's impressive and inventive stuff. Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk of Strawbs join Barry de Souza of Trees on Side 1's finisher "Catherine Howard" (legendary Percussionist Frank Ricotti is in there too). Sounding almost Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken" as it leads in - that beautiful keyboard run he featured on the Yes live excerpt still amazes. But its Dave Lambert's delicate guitar soon joined by stunning synth runs from Wakeman that will have most fans in raptures. 

Wakeman famously went to the Church Organ at St. Giles-Without-Cripplegate for Side 2's regal "Jane Seymour" because he couldn't get the sheer depth he wanted from an electronic one. The unspoken hero of the album is the Genesis "Cinema Show" beautiful textures in "Anne Boleyn". Engineered by Bowie's Ken Scott with Mike Egan finally audible on Acoustic Guitar - Wakeman compliments their contributions with some of the albums finest playing - the Remaster really shining here. 

Guitarist Steve Howe and Bassist Chris Squire would go YES solo in October and November 1975 with their "Beginnings" and "Fish Out Of Water" LPs on Atlantic - whilst Drummer Alan White would get "Ramshackled" too. But they were all whomped by Yes Lead Vocalist Jon Anderson's dense and beautiful "Olias Of Sunhillow" in July 1976 (also on Atlantic Records) – recently reissued with Style by Esoteric Recordings in April 2021. 

By the time Wakeman had left YES after 1973's end-of-year double-album "Tales From Topographic Oceans" (leaving behind stunners like "Fragile" from 1971 and "Close To The Edge" from 1972) – the keyboard maestro was already onto "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" and "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur" (both also on A&M Records) and even bigger keyboard rigs. But this supremely tuneful Prog Rock album from early 1973 is where his real journey began. 

2015's "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" by RICK WAKEMAN is a great CD Remaster and at a smidge above a fiver sterling, something of a bargain too (certainly cheaper than a trip to Madame Tussauds Museum to see the wax works of these hard-done-by ladies). 

Giving days they were in 1973. Nearly 50 years later, I'd still advise that you give this off-with-their-heads musical masterclass a more gentile revisit on your Stereophonic rig...

PS:

Also UK released 2 February 2015 was "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table” on 1CD and a 2-Disc Deluxe Edition. 

"Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring UK, US, GERMAN, DUTCH and FRENCH 45-Singles by Little Feat, The Move, Grin, Faust, Mott The Hoople, Big Star, Free, Sparks, Lou Reed, David Bowie (4 Tracks have connections), Andy Pratt, New York Dolls, Dana Gillespie, John Lennon, Sparks, Neu, Dr. Feelgood, Hawkwind, Kraftwerk, Murray Head, Roxy Music, Yoko Ono, The Runaways, The Hammersmith Gorillas, Blondie, Nick Lowe, Blue Oyster Cult, The Count Bishops and more (March 2021 UK Ace Records 2CD 44-Track Compilation with Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...School's Been Blown To Pieces..."

I love a CD compilation me and this rather angry little brute has more than its fair share of fabulous snarling moments. 

Part of Jon Savage's ongoing year-by-year exploration of Rock's 60ts beginnings through to its 70ts multi-genre developments as issued on seven-inch singles (see series list below) - his latest for March 2021 is this - a 44-Track 2CD growl through what he loosely describes as 'punk' covering five years in the Seventies - 1972 to 1976. 

Wot! Punk Rock between 1972 and 1976 you say! Didn't it start during 1976 and explode thereafter? Well, it's more the ethos that Savage is getting at – the subterranean screams that lie in say Alice Cooper's "School's Out" (that symbol of control and establishment blown to pieces) or the edgy Art-School neck-jerk that's inherent in Roxy Music's brilliant "Editions Of You" (a rare Euro-only single) or Patti Smith's stunning snot-nose rendition of "Hey Joe" - the Billy Roberts song done by The Leaves in 1966 and made famous by Hendrix's Experience that same year. 

But like so many compilations dragged down by the omission of big names that can't be licensed and (let's be mean mister mustard here) a few of his own dubious choices - "All Our Times Have Come" also falls in places despite some genuinely brilliant inclusions on those roads less travelled. 

That aside - I like "All Our Times Have Come" a lot – an alternative listen worth a tremble in the trouser area. "1972-1976" is also stuffed to the gunnels - check out the near 80-minute playing times for both CDs listed below. And the annotation Savage puts in is second-to-none - a rammed 28-page booklet that's even more fact-windy than this review. Time to get teenage and wasted...

UK released 26 March 2021 - "Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Out Times Have Come" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDTOP2 1594 (Barcode 029667101523) is a 44-Track 2CD compilation of 45-Single Remasters that plays out as follows:

CD1 (79:39 minutes, All Tracks are 45-Single Versions):

1. Easy To Slip - LITTLE FEAT (January 1972 US on Warner Brothers WB 7553, A-side)

2. Do Ya - THE MOVE (April 1972 UK on Harvest HAR 5050, One B-side of "California Man")

3. End Unkind - GRIN (April 1972 US on Spindizzy ZS7 4006, A-side Edit, featuring Nils Lofgren)

4. School's Out - ALICE COOPER (June 1972 UK on Warner Brothers K 16188, A-side)

5. I Hardly Know Her Name - THE WACKERS (May 1972 UK on Warner Brothers K 12054, A-side)

6. So Far - FAUST (May 1972 GERMAN on Polydor 2001 299, A-side edit)

7. Slow Death - FLAMIN' GROOVIES (July 1972 UK on United Artists UP 35392, A-side, Produced by Dave Edmunds)

8. One Of The Boys - MOTT THE HOOPLE (July 1972 UK on CBS Records S 8271, B-side of "All The Young Dudes", Written by Mick Ralphs (later with Bad Co) and Ian Hunter, Produced and Arranged by David Bowie)

9. When My Baby's Beside Me - BIG STAR (August 1972 US on Ardent ADA 2902, A-side)

10. She Means A Lot To Me - SMYLE (October 1972 NETHERLANDS on Polydor 2050 215, B-side of "It's Gonna Be Alright")

11. Wishing Well - FREE (December 1972 UK on Island WIP 6146, A-side)

12. Full Circle - THE BYRDS (June 1973 UK on Asylum AYM 517, A-side - Written by Gene Clark, Produced by David Crosby)

13. Blockbuster! - THE SWEET (January 1973 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2305, A-side - written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn)

14. Vicious - LOU REED (March 1973 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2318, A-side - Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson)

15. Avenging Annie - ANDY PRATT (June 1973 UK on Epic S EPC 1538, A-side)

16. Yang Yang - YOKO ONO/PLASTIC ONO BAND (April 1973 UK Apple APPLE 47, B-side of "Death Of Samantha")

17. Editions Of You - ROXY MUSIC (June 1973 GERMANY on Island 12 713, B-side of "Do The Strand")

18. Search And Destroy - IGGY & THE STOOGES (June 1973 US on Columbia 4-45877, A-side)

19. 48 Crash - SUZI QUATRO (July 1973 UK on RAK Records RAK 158, A-side - written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn)

20. Trash - NEW YORK DOLLS (August 1973 US on Mercury 73414, A-side- Produced by Todd Rundgren)

21. Andy Warhol - DANA GILLESPIE (August 1974 UK on RCA Victor RCA 2446, A-side - written and produced by David Bowie)

22. No. 9 Dream - JOHN LENNON (January 1975 UK on Apple R 6003, A-side)

 

CD2 (77:23 minutes):

1. Girl From Germany - SPARKS (June 1974 UK on Bearsville K 15516, A-side - from 1973's LP "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing")

2. You Really Got Me - THE HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS (September 1974 UK on Penny Farthing PEN 849, A-side - cover of The Kinks 60ts hit, Produced by Larry Page)

3. The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy - JOHN CALE (July 1974 UK on Island WIP 6202, A-side - Produced by John Cale, Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera) 

4. Hey Joe (Version) - PATTI SMITH (November 1974 US Mer Records 601, A-side - cover of The Leaves and Jimi Hendrix 1966 hit)

5. Third Uncle - ENO (1974 FRENCH on Island 6837 233, A-side)

6. Kings Of Speed - HAWKWIND (May 1976 UK on United Artists UP 35808, A-side - Dave Brock and Michael Moorcock song)

7. I Don't Mind - DR. FEELGOOD (March 1975 UK on United Artists UP 38515, B-side of "She Does It Right" - Mono Single from the Mono LP "Down By The Jetty")

8. After Eight - NEU (June 1975 UK on United Artists UP 35874, B-side of "Isi")

9. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - R. ERICSON & BLEIBALIEN (1975 US on Mars Records No. 1000, A-side - Roky Ericson of The 13th Floor Elevators, Produced by Doug Sham)

10. Roadrunner - JONATHAN RICHMAN (August 1975 UK on United Artists UP 36006, A-side)

11. Say It Isn't So Joe - MURRAY HEAD (October 1975 UK on Island WIP 6252, A-side)

12. Radioactivity - KRAFTWERK (February 1976 UK on Capitol CL 15853, A-side)

13. Final Solution - PERE UBU (March 1976 US on Hearthan 102, A-side)

14. Blitzkrieg Bop - RAMONES (July 1976 UK on Sire 6078 601, A-side)

15. Max's Kansas City '76 Pt. 1 - WAYNE COUNTY & THE BACKSTREET BOYS (1976 US on Max 1213, A-side)

16. Cherry Bomb - THE RUNAWAYS (September 1976 UK on Mercury 6167 392, A-side - written by Kim Fowley and Joan Jett)

17. X Offender - BLONDIE (March 1977 UK Private Stock PVT 90, A-side - written by Debbie Harry and Gary Valentine)

18. Horseplay (Weary Of The Schmaltz) - EDDIE & THE HOT RODS (June 1976 UK on Island WIP 6306, B-side of "Wooly Bully" - Lew Lewis on Harmonica)

19. Keys To Your Heart - THE 101'ERS (June 1976 UK on Chiswick S 3, A-side - written by and featuring Joe Strummer before he formed The Clash)

20. (Don't Fear) The Reaper - BLUE OYSTER CULT (July 1976 UK on CBS Records S CBS 4483, A-side)

21. Heart Of The City - NICK LOWE (August 1976 UK on Stiff BUY 1, B-side of "So It Goes")

22. Train, Train - THE COUNT BISHOPS (August 1976 UK on Chiswick S 5, A-side)

ARTIST INDEX (Alphabetical): 

Big Star – CD1, Track 9

Blondie - CD2, Track 17

Blue Oyster Cult - CD2, Track 20

The Byrds – CD1, Track 12

John Cale - CD2, Track 3

Alice Cooper – CD1, Track 4

The Count Bishops - CD2, Track 22

Wayne County & The Backstreet Boys - CD2, Track 15

Dr. Feelgood - CD2, Track 7

Eddie & The Hot Rods - CD2, Track 18

(Brian) Eno - CD2, Track 5

Roky Erickson and Bleibalien - CD2, Track 9

Faust – CD1, Track 6

Flamin' Groovies – CD1, Track 7

Free – CD1, Track 11

Dana Gillespie – CD1, Track 21 (David Bowie connection) 

Grin – CD1, Track 3

The Hammersmith Gorillas - CD2, Track 1

Hawkwind - CD2, Track 6

John Lennon – CD1, Track 22

Little Feat – CD1, Track 1

Murray Head - CD2, Track 11

Iggy & The Stooges – CD1, Track 18 (David Bowie connection)

Kraftwerk - CD2, Track 12

Nick Lowe - CD2, Track 21

Mott The Hoople – CD1, Track 8 (David Bowie connection)

The Move – CD1, Track 2

Neu - CD2, Track 8

New York Dolls – CD1, Track 20

The 101'ers (featuring Joe Strummer) - CD2, Track 19

Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band – CD1, Track 16

Pere Ubu - CD2, Track 13

Andy Pratt – CD1, Track 15

Suzi Quatro – CD1, Track 19

Ramones - CD2, Track 14

Lou Reed – CD1, Track 14 (David Bowie connection)

Jonathan Richman - CD2, Track 10

Roxy Music – CD1, Track 17

The Runaways - CD2, Track 16

Patti Smith - CD2, Track 4

Smyle – CD1, Track 10

Sparks - CD2, Track 1

The Sweet – CD1, Track 13

The Wackers – CD1, Track 5

The 28-page booklet is more than impressive, Savage going the extra mile with 'both' US and UK seven-inch single catalogue numbers and release dates and a lengthy seriously knowledgeable paragraph on every song. There's clever stuff like Sparks, The Hammersmith Gorillas and Dr. Feelgood all benefitting from Euro Picture Sleeves because their British equivalents only came in label bags, while other pages contain collages of magazines, trade adverts, demos of 45-single labels, and wads of rare picture sleeves like Faust's "So Far", the New York Dolls' "Trash" and the titled demo sleeve for Murray Head's aching "Say It Ain't So Joe" on Island. 

I also found that long-standing Audio Engineer for Ace NICK ROBBINS - who has probably been round more 45 master tapes than many human beings on the planet would ever want - has achieved a remarkable clarity and even-handedness to the sound. For instance although I adore Little Feat and The Move, I thought Savage's pairing of the slick Rock-Funk of "Easy To Slip" with the Raw-Rock riffage of "Do Ya" in the first two opening tracks on CD1 would be a disaster - it isn't. Zipping right over to both Nick Lowe and The Count Bishops on the tailend of CD2 - I have these tunes on other remastered CDs, but somehow the Robster has squeezed more oomph out of them. Very cool. To the music...

You have to love a compilation that digs down to find the US-only 45s for "End Unkind" and "When My Baby's Beside Me" by Grin (with Nils Lofgren) and Big Star – both great examples of post-Beatles Pop Songs that impress and jangle. But I have to say that both The Wackers and The Byrds entries leave me stone cold even if Gene Clark and David Crosby are present on the second. But then genius choices kick in – The Dutch group Smyle is a superb new one on me and the relentlessness of the Faust and Flamin’ Groovies tracks work so well. Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn feature large in my youth and frankly anything on RAK Records – so its chipper to see Suzi and The Sweet bask in all their Glam Rock sun and pomp (we don’t know just what to do!). Bowie androgynous punk-riffing shadow looms over four entries – Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed, Iggy & The Stooges and Dana Gillespie (looking buxom on Page 16 never mind 3). And I had forgotten the brilliance in both "Editions Of You" and "♯ 9 Dream" – Ferry and his gang of Glam marauders shining snotty alongside a sensual-sounding Lennon dreaming of "Walls and Bridges" and elaborate album artwork. 

Tunesmith slick-willies of British and US Punk and New Wave pepper CD2 - Blondie, The Count Bishops, Dr. Feelgood, The Runaways, Nick Lowe, The Ramones, Pere Ubu and more – while The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, Big Star and Dana Gillespie all Glam/Alternative/Space Rock/Bowie-esque up CD1. But Savage then throws in the desperate but gorgeous melody of Murray Head, the can't get out of my head space of John Lennon, the longing Feminism of Yoko Ono or the ahead-of-its-time Stooges-like guitar-wild of Neu and the Euro-Electronic angst of Kraftwerk and even Sparks. Just out of hospital and some five years after the 13th Floor Elevators' Roky Erickson gets angry while the Velvet's John Cale worries about men who can't afford to orgy. There's straight up Seventies Rock, Glam Rock, Kraut Rock, Art Rock, Post Rock 'n' Roll, Early Punk, British & US New Wave, Space Rock, Comedy - it's a cool and varied ride. Hit me with a flower. 

"...They're all revved up and ready to go..." screamed The Ramones in their impossibly cool reinvention of 60ts Garage - one foot in the past but the other ready to race towards the future. "1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come" embodies that girls, boys and all-points in-between world of excitement and restlessness with a bullet. CDTOP2 is right...  

Titles in Jon Savage's Year Series are (2CD Compilations)

1. Jon Savage's 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited (26 January 2018 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1513 - Barcode 029667086028)

 

2. Jon Savage's 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded (30 October 2015 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1452 - Barcode 029667074223)

 

3. Jon Savage's 1967: The Year Pop Divided (31 March 2017 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1495 - Barcode 029667079525)

 

4. Jon Savage's 1968: The Year The World Burned (30 November 2018 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1536 - Barcode 029667092821)

 

5. Jon Savage's 1969-1971: Rock Dreams on 45 (25 October 2019 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1559 - Barcode 029667096621)

 

6. Jon Savage's 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come (26 March 2021 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1594 - Barcode 029667101523)

7. Jon Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere (28 January 2022 UK 2CD set on Ace CDTOP2 1610 - Barcode 029667104623)

8. Jon Savage's 1980-1982: The Art Of Things To Come (24 February 2023 UK Ace Records CDTOP2 1625 - Barcode 029667107921)

9. Jon Savage's 1983-1985: Welcome To Techno City (26 January 2024 UK Ace Records CDTOP2 1639 – Barcode 029667110020)

VINYL:

1. Jon Savage's 1965-1968: The High Sixties On 45 (June 2019 UK on Ace Records XXQLP2 060, 35-Track 2LP Set on Orange Vinyl in Stereo and Mono, Barcode 029667009515)

"Olias Of Sunhillow" by JON ANDERSON of YES – July 1976 UK and USA Debut Solo Album on Atlantic Records (April 2021 UK Esoteric Recordings CD + DVD-A Reissue with a 2020 Ben Wiseman Remaster for CD and 5.1 Surround Mix and High Resolution Stereo Mix for the DVD-A) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...One Clear Hand..."

Encouraged by the brilliance of "Relayer" in 1974 (with Patrick Moraz at the keyboards instead of Rick Wakeman) - like most YES fans at the time - I awaited the inevitable Solo albums in the mid Seventies with a sense of excitement. And while Bassist Chris Squire and Guitarist Steve Howe had their moments of glory with November 1975's "Fish Out Of Water" and October 1975's "Beginnings" respectively - most of us somehow knew that Lead Singer and Leading Light in the Yes Multiverse JON ANDERSON and his debut vinyl LP of 1976 would be the Proggy Humdinger to get. And - "...one clear hand..." (lyrics from "Flight of The Moorglade") - it was and still is. 

Released in July 1976 on Atlantic K 50261 in the UK and Atlantic SD 18180 in the USA - "Olias Of Sunhillow" even peaked at Number 8 in good old Blighty (No. 47 in the USA) and has been a treasured work by Prog Rock fans ever since. But its odyssey onto digital has been one of expensive hits and cheap-assed misses - mostly misses.

First came the German/Europe version from February 1996 with an unreadable four-page inlay badly repro'ing the stunning original artwork and sporting un-remastered dull sound (Atlantic 7567-80273-2 - Barcode 075678027321). Two followed that improved things - the October 2011 Japan-Only edition Warner Brothers/Atlantic/Arcangelo ARC-8061 (Barcode 4988044390614) - a SHM-CD in Repro Artwork and America's Audio Fidelity issue from January 2014 - a 24-Carat Gold CD Remastered by noted engineer KEVIN GRAY (Audio Fidelity AFZ 156 - Barcode 0780014215620). But both of those have been deleted years and subsequently acquired very nasty price tags on auction sites. In January 2020 Music On CD out of The Netherlands simply reissued the 1996 version in a Super Jewel Case (Music On CD MOCCD13846 - Barcode 8718627230459) but without any mastering details and some were suckered into buying that. Which brings us to pandemic year plus one - 2021...

UK released Friday, 9 April 2021 (delayed from Friday, 29 March 2021) - "Olias Of Sunhillow" by JON ANDERSON [of YES] on Esoteric Recordings QECLEC22748 (Barcode 5013929474888) is a CD + DVD-A Reissue and New Remaster (by Ben Wiseman) that plays out as follows (the CD and DVD-A have the same tracks as listed below - 44:22 minutes):   

1. Ocean Song [Side 1]

2. Meeting (Garden Of Geda)/Sound Out The Galleon

3. Dance Of Ranyart/Olias (To Build The Moorglade)

4. Qoquaq En Transic/Naon/Transic To

5. Flight Of The Moorglade

6. Solid Space [Side 2]

7. Moon Ra/Chords/Song Of Search

8. To The Runner

Those who bought the original record will of course remember not just the fabulous dense music contained within but also the full-on glory of the sleeve designed and painted by DAVID FAIRBROTHER ROE. A gatefold cover with an extra leaf inside and a same-design inner lyrics sleeve - it was dazzling as a package. Although Roger Dean ad been approached first and proved too busy to help, Roe had done Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog" album in late 1973 and prior to that designed striking posters for three Isle of Wight Festivals in 1968, 1969 and 1970. Anderson saw the returned artwork and was duly taken aback. 

His space-tale of Magician Olias who lives on the doomed planet of Sunhillow features four tribes and two other characters in his journey to the safe world of Asgaurd - a second magician Ranyart who becomes the navigator of the spaceship 'Moorglade Mover' and a trance-singer Qoquaq who lulls sceptical tribes onto the ship with melodies of peace and love before their world explodes into millions of tears. As you imagine and see from the photos I've provided - the staggeringly elaborate artwork and equally beautiful inner sleeve and its writing font seemed more like a Tolkien book art-plate than an LP record. Esoteric are clearly aware of this and have tried to reproduce that impact and (largely) succeeded. 

A clever move has been to put the lyrics that were originally on both sides of the inner sleeve into a separate booklet (in the right inner flap) and print them to such a degree that you can actually read them. Unfortunately, they have not done the same to the 'story' of Olias that is spread across four inner flaps - most of which is barely legible. Clearly, they should have done the same for the story part of this. 

There is a separate 20-page booklet in the left flap that fills out the album's making - a new in-depth interview with JA by MALCOLM DOME (dated Oct 2020). Rumours of Vangelis playing keyboards on the album (which have persisted for years) and RCA doing their nut at the same are quickly quashed as untrue - though Vangelis was one of the first to hear the finished product and mightily approved (Anderson saw him as a mentor as well as musician friend). 

We also learn that "Olias Of Sunhillow" was a truly 'solo' project, Anderson playing 'everything' - as much as 30 instruments with a recording time of a gruelling three to eight-months (project gestation had been almost five years since the "Fragile" LP in 1971). Amidst the text and illuminations of how maddening the recording actually was - there are pictures of memorabilia supplied by fan David Watkinson - but I have to admit they are strangely muted and badly rendered to a point where you can see what they are but not read them. 

Presentation-wise - this Esoteric Recordings reissue is a damn good fist at it - the rare American Promo 7" single with Titled Picture Sleeve for "Flight Of The Moorglade" b/w "To The Runner" is pictured as are Trade Adverts, Reviews, Times articles etc. And the sepia-feel paper even mimics the texture of the original release. But I would have to be honest and say that that mistake with the story being unreadable is kind of dumb. I should also add that the new remaster from BEN WISEMAN says all the right things on the printed tin (first gen tapes, stereo masters etc) - but the result has left me slightly underwhelmed. 

For sure when you hear those Harp Scales in "Dance Of Ranyart" and that massive crescendo of voices and instruments during Track 4 on Side 1 - the effect is powerful. But I would say that this is a Remaster that needs a bit of welly on your Volume Dial to lift that veil. I also demo'd the 5.1 Surround Mix and the High Definition Stereo Mix on a mate's system (I don't have 5.1 myself) and the Audio was magnificent - the clarity is there that I feel is still a tad muffled on the CD version. 

I've waited decades for this album to be properly remastered and available as such at a reasonable price - so I will congratulate Esoteric Recordings for that. But the lack of anything new (demos, outtake passages etc) is a bit of a disappointment if I'm brutally honest and that packaging faux pas irritates. But then I played the gorgeous Acoustic/Synth intro to "Flight Of The Moorglade" and I shed a wee Proggy tear of joy (I bought that single in Dublin back in the day). So someone is doing something right here. 

"Olias Of Sunhillow" has quite rightly built up a bit of a rep as a genuine Prog Rock, Art Rock, Symphonic Rock masterpiece. And while I still don’t quite know what your four tribes of Sunhillow are actually about (can’t tell my Oractaniom from my Nordranious man) – I love this record. Dense, layered, articulate without being too fay – it is a beautiful thing. And at last a good reissue label has done it a solid space retain.  

"Cha! Cha!" Anderson chants as he finishes the wicked album closer "To The Runner". Couldn't agree more my Topographic son...