"Call My Name: Selected Recordings 1964-1970" by JAMES ROYAL and The Hawks (June 2017 RPM Records CD Compilation - Simon Murphy Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...He's About A Mover..."

London's Jimmy Nairn has been an underground white Soul-boy phenomenon for decades amidst Mod-mad stylists and Northern Soul dancefloor fiends.

Never a musical household name in any sense of the word – James Royal (his stage name) nonetheless clocked up a staggering 18 seven-inch singles on Parlophone and CBS Records between 1964 and 1970 in the UK alone – as well as a straggler track on a rare 1964 Decca compilation. Royal even managed a British debut album of his own on CBS in 1969 named after this compilation - "Call My Name" (9 of its 13 tracks are accounted for here).

Musically this CD is pure Soul-Boy dancing candy where James Royal swoons Jackie Wilson style about heartache, suffering, pain or dying (or all four if you're really lucky) - and you can literally see and feel those sassily-clad British dancers getting lost in the cross-armed drama of it all as they slide about in 45-induced rapture on runways of talcum powder. You can also hear the improvement in his vocal delivery as the years went on - to a point where his stunning 1969 cover of The Rascals "You Better Run" (an exclusive to the 1969 "Call My Name" LP) is virtually indistinguishable from Steve Marriott between late Small Faces and early Humble Pie (high praise indeed). On the evidence of this track alone – JR's legend is more than justified.

And that's where this hip-gyrating 2017 CD from the collectors specialist reissue label 'RPM Records' comes shimmying in. Here are the ravers and movers...

UK released 23 June 2017 (30 June 2017 in the USA) - "Call My Name: Selected Recordings 1964-1970" by JAMES ROYAL on RPM Records RETRO 989 (Barcode 5013929599895) is a 25-Track CD compilation of Remasters that plays out as follows (69:26 minutes):

1. She's About A Mover

2. Black Cloud

(Tracks 1 and 2 are the A&B-sides of a June 1965 UK 7" single on Parlophone R 5290)

3. Work Song

4. I Can't Stand It

(Tracks 3 and 4 are the A&B-sides of a November 1965 UK 7" single on Parlophone R 5383)

5. I'm Leaving You

(From the November 1964 UK Various Artists LP "Ready, Steady - Win!" on Decca LK 4634

6. Call My Name

7. When It Comes To My Baby

(Tracks 6 and 7 are the A&B-sides of a January 1967 UK 7" single on CBS Records 202525)

8. Green Days

(Track 8 is the B-side of "It's All In The Game", a May 1967 UK 7" single on CBS Records 2739. The A-side "It's All In The Game" is not on this compilation)

9. Hey Little Boy

(Track 9 is the A-side of a May 1968 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3450. The B-side is "Thru' The Love" is Track 12 on this compilation)

10. I've Lost You

11. Send Out Love

(Tracks 11 and 10 are the A&B-sides of an August 1969 UK 7" single on CBS Records 4463)

12. Thru' The Love

(Track 12 is the B-side of "Hey Little Boy", a May 1968 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3450 and Track 9 on this compilation)

13. A Woman Called Sorrow

(Track 13 is the A-side of an August 1968 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3624. The B-side "Fire" is not on this compilation)

14. Time Hangs On My Mind

(Track 14 is the A-side of a November 1968 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3797. The B-side "Anna Lee" is not on this compilation)

15. I've Something Bad On My Mind

16. She's Independent

(Tracks 15 and 16 are the A&B-sides of an April 1969 UK 7" single on CBS Records 4139)

17. You'd Better Run

(Track 17 is from his 1969 UK debut LP "Call My Name" on CBS Records S 63780)

18. A Little Bit Of Rain

19. I Can't Stand It

(Tracks 19 and 18 are the A&B-sides of an August 1967 UK 7" single on CBS Records 2959)

20. House Of Jack

(Track 20 is the A-side of a June 1969 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3915. The B-side is "Which Way To Nowhere" - Track 24 on this compilation)

21. Little Red Wagon

(Track 21 is from his September 1969 UK debut LP "Call My Name" on CBS Records S 63780)

22. I'm Going Home

23. And Soon The Darkness

(Tracks 23 and 22 are the A&B-sides of a June 1970 UK 7" single on CBS Records 5032)

24. Which Way To Nowhere

(Track 20 is the B-side of a June 1969 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3915. The A-side is "House Of Jack" - Track 20 on this compilation)

25. Sitting In The Station

(Track 25 is the B-side of "Take Me Like I Am", a January 1968 UK 7" single on CBS Records 3232)

All tracks credit to JAMES ROYAL except 1 and 2 credited JAMES ROYAL and THE HAWKS and 5 credited to JIMMY ROYAL and THE HAWKS

Eight tracks of the 12-song September 1969 UK LP "Call My Name" on CBS Records S 63780 can be sequenced from this 2017 CD as follows:

Side 1:

1. Call My Name [Track 6]

2. Something Bad On My Mind [Track 15]

3. He'll Have To Go

4. Little Red Wagon [Track 21]

5. She's Independent [Track 16]

6. A Woman Called Sorrow [Track 13]

7. Fire (Keep Away From My Heart)

Side 2:

1. House Of Jack [Track 20]

2. It's All In The Game

3. When It Comes To My Baby [Track 7]

4. Forget To Remember

5. You'd Better Run [Track 17]

6. Send Out Love [Track 11]

I know RPM have carefully and honestly entitled the compilation 'Selected Recordings...' – but we should also highlight what's 'not' here. As you can see from the LP's track-list provided above and bearing in mind this CD has a total playing time of 69:26 minutes - the four missing songs from the 1969 debut album could and should have been included here. The two B-sides "Fire..." and "Anna Lee" and the A-side "It's All In The Game" are also missing too and you can't help but think there was room on this disc for all seven no shows. Having said that - let's deal with what we do have...

Project-managed by JOHN REED and MARK STRATFORD for RPM Records - the 16-page booklet has a superb essay on Royal's early career by IAN GRINHAM (dated April 2017) that clearly has had input from the great man himself. Trade and publicity photos of the West London slugger pepper the text - there's a colour repro of the rare 1964 "Ready, Steady - Win!" LP sleeve on Decca where Royal had an exclusive track - repro's of British Parlophone and CBS 45 demos - adverts for The Ealing Club in 1964 where James Royal and The Hawks twisted on Thursday while some no-mark bunch of ne’er-do-wells played R&B on Saturdays - The Rolling Stones. There are some side-profile colour photos of JR as we approach 1969 and an intriguing 1968 snap of our British hero with two other American heroes and influences - Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. It's very nicely done and the text is hugely informative throughout - going into details on every song that fans will love ("I Can't Stand It" and I’ve Something Bad On My Mind" were hits for The Soul Sisters and Timi Yuro - that kind of stuff).

SIMON MURPHY over at Another Planet Music has done the mastering and the Mono and Stereo recordings vary from very good to amazing - but always clean and full of that 45-punch collectors love.

The music is one long play of dancers and smoochers - opening with the fab Doug Sahm groover "She's About A Mover" - Royal's debut 7" single on Parlophone in June 1965 with the equally wicked "Black Cloud" on the flipside. The Smokey McAllister winner "I Can't Stand It" that he penned for The Soul Sisters back in 1964 on Sue Records is presented here in two forms - a 1965 first stab on Parlophone and a 1967 re-cut on CBS Records in 1967. Both are great as is the so Northern Style vibes and strings of "And Soon The Darkness" written by Laurie Johnson and former Animals stalwart Alan Price.

Speaking of superb songwriters - an unsung hero here is the Canadian tunesmith Ralph Murphy who joined the James Royal camp in 1967 when he first signed to CBS. His name is either sole or co-writer on 10 of the 25 here - and the man had a knack for penning a white man's version of a Motown groove that white kids could dig and dance too. His compositions "Green Day", "Thru' The Love" and "A Woman Called Sorrow" are fantastic Northern Soul thumpers and alongside "Send Out Love" by Guy Fletcher and Doug Flett are obvious choice-cuts amidst many other classy covers. Royal's tremendous version of Van McCoy's "I've Lost You" (made famous by Jackie Wilson) is another toe-tapper as is the Ashford & Simpson song "When It Comes To My Baby" - originally a hit for Ronnie Milsap. Even the slightly sappy version of Jimmy Webb’s "Which Way To Nowhere" sees JR put in storming vocals amidst the strings and girly backing singers.

Music is a funny old world and that England’s James Royal never tasted British chart success is some kind of special criminal neglect.

Despite the fact that I feel RPM could have bolstered up "Call My Name..." with the LP tracks - what you do get here is solid five-star grooviness. Icing on a very tasty CD cake indeed. And I for one am down with that. Well done to all involved...

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"Rock 'n' Roll Gentleman: His Musical Journey With Dr. Feelgood 1974-1994" by LEE BRILLEAUX of DR. FEELGOOD (July 2017 Parlophone 4CD Book Set – Peter Mew Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry

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1976

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"...Hit Git And Split..."

As a lifelong and frankly rabid-as-a-dog fan of Dr. Feelgood - I pre-ordered this 4CD-beauty months back (a musical companion piece to Zoe Howe's November 2015 autobiography of the same name). Devoted to the Feelgood's legendary frontman - Canvey Island's very own 'Lee Brilleaux' – I’ll admit that I ripped the shrink-wrap off this uppity little sucker this morning like a 59-year old given a personal audience with Gal Gadot in full Wonder Woman regalia.

Yummy I thought - and bugger me sideways with an Amazonian bow and arrow – but I was right. "Rock 'n' Roll Gentleman: His Musical Journey With Dr. Feelgood 1974-1994" is a Roxette Wind-Up, a Milk and Alcohol, a Nosebleed Sam, a Racetrack Tony, A Cigarettes and Stockings Pony and a No Mo Do Yakamo - all rolled into one....

First things first – content. For sure Discs 1 and 2 are slightly problematical for fans like me who have already invested in the April 2012 "All Through The City..." Wilko Johnson Box Set and the July 2013 follow-up Gypie Mayo Box Set "Taking No Prisoners..." – in that we have these Peter Mew Remasters already. That doesn't of course mean that newcomers aren't in for the treat of their lives playing CD1 and 2 – they absolutely are. Lean and mean – the Feelgoods in full flow between 1975 and 1980 was/is an awesome sonic beast to lay your weary ears on (Discs 1 and 2 concentrate primarily on those years).

But for us old timers that still leaves upgraded audio versions of songs on Discs 3 and 4 – LPs even the most die-hard uber fan may not have like 1982's "Fast Women And Slow Horses" on Chiswick right up to and including the "Down At The Doctors" LP released on Grand Records the month LB died (April 1994). Even now I find that he passed aged only '42' deeply saddening and hard to believe. But what a 20-year legacy Lee Brilleaux and his fabulous R&B band of anarchic heroes left behind. There's a lot to digest so let's get to gentlemanly details...

UK released Friday, 7 July 2017 (14 July 2017 in the USA) - "Rock 'n' Roll Gentleman: His Musical Journey With Dr. Feelgood 1974-1994" by LEE BRILLEAUX on Parlophone 0190295919214 (Barcode 0190295919214) is a 4CD Book Set of Remasters containing 93-Tracks (2 Previously Unreleased) that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (74:29 minutes):

1. Cheque Book

2. I Don't Mind

3. All Through The City

4. She Does It Right

5. Roxette

6. Keep It Out Of Sight

Tracks 1 to 6 are from their debut LP "Down At The Jetty" - released January 1975 in the UK on United Artists UAS 29727 (all tracks recorded in Mono)

7. I Can Tell

8. Rolling And Tumbling

9. Watch Your Step

10. Riot In Cell Block Number Nine

Tracks 7 to 10 are from their 2nd studio album "Malpractice" - released November 1975 in the UK on United Artists UAS 29880 (all tracks in Stereo from here on in)

11. Stupidity (Live)

12. Going Back Home (Live)

13. Back In The Night (Live)

14. I'm A Hog For You Baby (Live)

15. Checkin' Up On My Baby (Live)

16. Walking The Dog (Live)

Tracks 11 to 16 are from their 3rd LP (first live) "Stupidity" - released September 1976 in the UK on United Artists UAS 29990 (peaked at No. 1 on the UK LP charts)

17. Johnny B Good (Live) (B-side of the "Free Collector's Single" on United Artists FEEL 1 that came with the first 20,000 copies of "Stupidity") 

18. Sneakin' Suspicion

19. Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Tree)

20. Lights Out

21. Lucky Seven

Tracks 18 to 21 are from their fourth (3rd studio) album "Sneakin' Suspicion" (last with Wilko Johnson) - released May 1977 in the UK on United Artists UAS 30075

22. Everybody's Carrying A Gun (Olympic Version) - outtake from the "Sneakin' Suspicion" sessions first released April 2012 on the "All Through The City..." Box Set

23. Baby Jane

24. I Thought I Had It Made

Tracks 23 and 24 from their fifth (4th studio) album "Be Seeing You" - released September 1977 in the UK on United Artists UAS 30123.

Disc 2 (72:12 minutes):

1. She's A Wind Up

2. The Blues Had A Baby And They Named It Rock 'n' Roll (No. 2)

3. Looking Back

4. Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do)

Tracks 1 to 4 from their fifth (4th studio) album "Be Seeing You" - released September 1977 in the UK on United Artists UAS 30123.

5. Take A Tip

6. Down At The Doctors

7. Milk And Alcohol

Tracks 5 to 7 are from their sixth (5th studio) album "Private Practice" - released September 1978 in the UK on United Artists UAS 30184

8. Let's Have A Party (Early Version) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

9. As Long As The Price Is Right (Second Version) - re-recorded version released April 1979 as a UK 7" single on United Artists UP 36506

10. Matchbox (Live)

11. My Buddy Buddy Friends (Live)

12. The Blues Had A Baby And They Named It Rock 'n' Roll (No. 2) (Live)

13. Lights Out (Live)

Tracks 11 to 13 are from their seventh album (2nd live) "As It Happens" - released June 1979 in the UK on United Artists UAK 30239

14. Put Him Out Of Your Mind

15. Hong Kong Money

16. Shotgun

17. Riding On The L&N

18. Feels Good

Tracks 14 to 18 are from their eight album (sixth studio) "Let It Roll" - released September 1979 in the UK on United Artists UASG 30269

19. Jumping From Love To Love

20. Best In The World

21. Drives Me Wild

22. No Mo Do Yakamo

23. King For A Day

24. Violent Love

Tracks 19 to 24 are from their ninth album (seventh studio) "A Case Of The Shakes" - released September 1980 in the UK on United Artists UAG 30311

Disc 3 (74:07 minutes):

1. Pretty Face (Live)

Track 1 from their tenth album (3rd live) "On The Job" - released August 1981 in the UK on Liberty Records LBG 30328

2. Waiting For Saturday Night

Track 2 is the A-side of a October 1981 UK 7" single on Liberty Records BP 404. Also featured as a lone 'new track' on the November 1981 compilation LP of singles called "Casebook" on Liberty Records LBG 30341

3. Crazy About Girls

4. She's The One

5. Monkey

6. Trying To Live My Life Without You

7. Sugar Bowl

Tracks 3 to 7 are from their album "Fast Women And Slow Horses" - released October 1982 in the UK on Chiswick Records TOSS 4

8. Hit Git And Split

9. You Don't Love Me

10. Neighbour, Neighbour

11. Close But No Cigar

12. I Don't Worry About A Thing

13. I Can't Be Satisfied

Tracks 8 to 13 are from the album "Doctors Orders" - released October 1984 in the UK on Demon Records FIEND 29

14. Dimples

15. Dust My Broom

16. Tore Down

17. Mad Man Blues

18. My Babe

19. Rock Me Baby

Tracks 14 to 19 are from the album "Mad Man Blues" - released October 1985 in France on Lolita Records 5042

20. I Love You, So You're Mine

21. You've Got My Number

22. Grow Too Old

23. Don't Wait Up

24. Come Over Here

Tracks 20 to 24 are from the album "Brilleaux" - released in the UK August 1986 on Stiff Records SEEZ 65.

25. See You Later Alligator

Tracks 25 is the A-side of a November 1986 UK 7" single on Stiff Records BUY 255

Disc 4 (77:06 minutes)

1. Hunting, Shooting, Fishing

2. Heartbeat

3. Hurricane

4. Quit While You're Behind

5. Nothing Like It

Tracks 1 to 5 are from the album "Classic" - released September 1987 in the UK on Stiff Records SEEZ 67

6. Let's Have A Party (Live)

7. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 (Live)

Tracks 6 and 7 are from the album "Live in London" - released May 1990 in the UK on Grand Records GRAND 08

8. Heart Of The City

9. My Sugar Turns To Alcohol

10. World In A Jug

11. Standing At The Crossroads Again

12. Down By The Jetty Blues

Tracks 8 to 12 are from the album "Primo" - released June 1991 in the UK on Grand records GRAND 12

13. Poison Ivy - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

14. Wolfman Calling

15. One Step Forward

16. Tanqueray

17. Styrofoam

18. She Moves Me

Tracks 14 to 18 are from the album "The Feelgood Factor" - released July 1993 in the UK on Grand Records GRAND 17

19. If My Baby Quits Me (Live)

20. Roadrunner (Live)

Tracks 19 and 20 are from the album "Down At The Doctors" - released April 1994 in the UK on Grand Records GRAND 18

The presentation is the same as the two previous Dr. Feelgood sets - a 'Book' Box Set with an attached booklet in this case of 50-pages. Although the 4CDs give a truly fantastic overview of his 20-year stay with England's best rocking R&B band - you do wish there was a DVD to get a glimpse of their raw magnificence - so a bit of a let down there. But if you want visual Dr. Feelgood fronted by Lee Brilleaux - I direct you to my in-depth reviews of "All Through The City" from 2012 and "Taking No Prisoners" from 2013 - stunning Box Sets that both have wonderful DVD elements. Each CD is also a picture disc of Lee at different stages of his two-decade career as frontman. And at less at twenty quid - this new 2017 Box Set is priced to go whilst still offering huge value for money.

Researched, compiled and co-ordinated by TIM CHACKSFIELD - the liner notes are truncated passages of Zoe Howe's "Rock 'n' Roll Gentleman..." autobiography. Weirdly there are no mastering credits at all - so Disc 1 and 2 are Peter Mew Remasters from 2012 and 2013 whilst Disc 3 and 4 are the Grand Records Remasters done in the Nineties. The audio on each CD is fantastic - full of punch. The photos are cool - full colour plates most of them of Lee in full sweaty flow as his band annihilates some club somewhere. There's an album photo discography starting on Page 43 that pictures those LPs few bought in 80s and 90s when the band had effectively stopped selling. It took me years to locate a vinyl copy of "Mad Man Blues" LP pressed up in France whilst the Stiff LPs were about at the time of release but quickly disappeared after that. Let's get to the musical action...

Lead Guitarist and band founder member Wilko Johnson led the initial advance of four albums on United Artists - "Down By The Jetty" and "Malpractice" in 1975, the stunning live LP "Stupidity" in September 1976 that saw them top the album charts and his final studio set "Sneakin' Suspicion" in May 1977. "Roxette", "She Does It Right", "Going Back Home", "Back In The Night", "All Through The City", "Riot In Cell Block No. 9" - so many great tracks and all sounding huge and punchy. New boy axeman Gypie Mayo joined the gigging clan - infusing new blood and a different sound. And with indecent hast the band quickly pumped out the brilliant and wildly underrated "Be Seeing You" LP in September of 1977. The album title was a nod to the Feelgood's fave cult TV show from the 60ts - Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner" - with the record's Producer being credited as ‘No. 6’ (Nick Lowe) and the Engineer as 'No. 2' (no one seems to know who No. 2 is to this day).

The next LP put them back on the chart-map big time – 1978's "Private Practice" with the huge hits "Milk And Alcohol" and "Down At The Doctors". For me every song is a classic (“Take A Tip” is wisely included here as are the other two mentioned above) and I own the Japanese SHM-CD of it just to pet it and stroke it every now and then. The first of only two Previously Unreleased tracks now presents itself - an Early Version of "Let's Have A Party" features a more Fifties Rock 'n' Roll feel with some crude and rude Rockabilly guitar. It's a run-though for sure but a fun one. The remastered sound hammers in with the superb single version of "As Long As The Price Is Right". By the time the Feelgoods got to 1981's third live set "On The Job" few were bothering any more. The Charlie Musselwhite cover of "My Buddy Buddy Friends" is kick-ass nonetheless. And the tracks from the hugely underrated "Let It Roll" and "A Case Of The Shakes" LPs are full of Nick Lowe winners like "Best In The World". Despite "Let It Roll' featuring a sort of muted Production value - songs like the John Mayo/Mike Vernon "Put Him Out Of Your Mind" and the band-created "Hong Kong Money (Pete Wingfield co-write) show they still had that witty edge to both the rhythms and the lyrics.  

Although I've had the later vinyl albums for years I never did get round to replacing them all with the Grand Records CD reissues - so the last two CDs are treats for me and I suspect for many fans who don't know much of the band's output past 1980. The Johnny Guitar/Dave Tice single "Waiting For Saturday Night" is an example - an absolute bopping winner you need in your living room. In fact Johnny Guitar provides many of the goodies on the delightfully named "Fast Women And Slow Horses" LP on Chiswick Records from late 1982 - "Crazy About Girls" and the seriously Wilko-mania influenced "Sugar Bowl" - a guitar 'n' harmonica racer that is guaranteed to make your neck jerk and your barroom-dancing-feet itchy.

I'm not surprised this set offers us six tracks from the excellent "Doctors Orders" LP - with cover-version winners from Young Jessie, Willie Cobbs, Mose Allison and a great slide take on the Muddy Waters classic "I Can't Be Satisfied" - the band sound like the fire in back in their bellies - "Hit Git And Split" even going into an old-days "Back In The Night" refrain as it plays out. A forgotten record is the wild "Mad Man Blues" LP - a warts 'n' all recording where the band sound like they miked-up in someone's living room and let rip. It's raw, mean and fantastically exciting - a souped-up cover of Little Walters' "My Babe" being a perfect example - Neo Rockabilly meets Dr. Feelgood Pub Rock. Unfortunately the "Brilleaux" album felt to me like the goods were sliding away - better was the huge Dave Edmunds production of their Bill Haley cover for "See You Later Alligator" - even if those synths now sound a tad dated.

Gordon Russell joined the ranks for the "Classic" LP in 1987 with excellent cuts like "Heartbeat" and the fun "Hunting, Shooting, Fishing" (bought the 12” single at the time). There’s a storming version of Nick Lowe's brilliant "Heart Of The City" - a tune he penned around the "Jesus Of Cool" LP. Another great Rock 'n' Roll writer and witty tunesmith Mickey Jupp provides "Standing At The Crossroads Again - a clear stand out on the "Primo" LP. The second Previously Unreleased track is a cover of The Coasters Lieber-Stoller classic "Poison Ivy" – but it could be any bar band at this point. Better is a great slow Blues from Dave Bronze on "One Step Forward". And on it goes to a live turn at Jr. Walker’s “Roadrunner” – back full circle to the music and influences they so obviously loved...

To sum up – there is no doubt that you can feel the quality of tunes start to slip on Discs 3 and 4 – but there is still so much to love here. And Discs 1 and 2 are wall to wall with greatness that few bands matched then or now.

"...Hit git and split...I'm coming back home to you..." – Lee Brilleaux sang on their manic cover of Young Jessie's "Hit Git And Split" in the forgotten years of 1984. Well you were welcome in my home back then buddy and you're still welcome now.

"Rock 'n' Roll Gentleman..." is a fabulous celebration of not just a truly great frontman - but that of his kick-ass band too. I haven't enjoyed a listen this much in years. Stick the needle in again baby - I love it to friggin' bits...

"Milk Of The Tree: An Anthology Of Female Vocal Folk & Singer-Songwriters 1966-73" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (June 2017 Grapefruit 3CD Box Set) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Give Her The Day..."

Like many collectors and fans of the late 60ts and early 70ts - I've been singing the praises of Cherry Red's 'Grapefruit' label for some time now. I acquired and reviewed two three-CD sets they did in late 2016 called "I'm A Freak, Baby" and "Let's All Go Down And Blow Our Minds" - wads of Heavy Psych, Hard Rock and 1967 Trippy Vibes.

Well here comes another threesome but this time with a more gentile theme and a far wider range. "Milk Of The Tree..." offers up 60 songs from female trailblazers primarily in the Folk and Folk-Rock fields between 1966 and 1973 – some well known names and many that shouldn't be forgotten. I've been looking forward to this Mini Box Set for some months now and in the main it hasn't disappointed. Here are the Ladies Of The Canyon...

UK released Friday, 30 June 2017 (7 July 2017 in the USA) - "Milk Of The Tree: An Anthology Of Female Vocal Folk and Singer-Songwriters 1966-73" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Cherry Red/Grapefruit CRSEGBOX039 (Barcode 5013929183902) is a 60-Track 3CD Mini Box Set compilation of Remasters that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (74:45 minutes):
1. Do You Believe - MELANIE (from the November 1972 US LP "Stoneground Words" on Neighborhood NRS 47005)
2. Blessed Are... - JOAN BAEZ (from the July 1971 US 2LP set "Blessed Are..." on Vanguard VSD 6570/1)
3. Light Flight - THE PENTANGLE (from the October 1969 UK 7" single on Transatlantic/Big T Records BIG 128, A-side)
4. Foolish Seasons - DANA GILLESPIE (from the October 1968 US Stereo LP "Foolish Seasons" on London PS 540)
5. Someone To Talk My Troubles To - JUDY RODERICK (from the December 1965 US LP "Woman Blue" on Vanguard VSD 79197)
6. Auntie Aviator - JOHN and BEVERLEY MARTYN (from the December 1970 UK LP "The Road To Ruin" on Island ILPS 9133)
7. Flying Away - THE SERPENT POWER (from the December 1967 US Stereo LP "The Serpent Power" on Vanguard VSD 79252)
8. It Could Have Been Better - JOAN ARMATRADING (from her debut November 1972 UK LP "Whatever's For Us" on Cube Records HIFLY 12)
9. Morning Morgantown - JUDE [featuring the Fickle Pickle] (Not originally issued, recorded mid 1970)
10. If Not By Fire - MANDY MORE (from the June 1972 UK LP "But That Is Me" on Phillips 6308 109)
11. Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp - LAURA NYRO (from the November 1970 US LP "Christmas And The Beads Of Sweat" on Columbia KC 30259)
12. I Thought I Knew The Answers - SUSAN PILLSBURY (from the November 1973 US LP "Susan Pillsbury" on Sweet Fortune SFS 804)
13. Give Her The Day - JAKI WHITREN (March 1973 UK 7" single on Epic S EPC 1338, A-side)
14. By The Sea - WENDY & BONNIE [Wendy & Bonnie Flowers] (from the June 1969 US LP "Genesis" on Skye Records SK 10060)
15. Come And Stay With Me - JACKIE DeSHANNON (from the November 1968 US Stereo LP "Laurel Canyon" on Imperial LP 12415)
16. Something Better - MARIANNE FAITHFULL (February 1969 UK withdrawn 7" single on Decca F 12889, B-side of "Sister Morphine")
17. An Everyday Consumption Song - SPIROGYRA [feat Barbara Gaskin on Lead Vocals] (from the April 1973 UK LP "Bells, Boots And Shambles" on Polydor 2310 246)
18. The Milk Of The Tree - POLLY NILES (not originally issued, recorded circa August 1969)
19. Chelsea Girls - NICO (from the October 1967 US LP "Chelsea Girl" on Verve V 5032)
20. Reverie For Roslyn - MARY-ANNE [Mary-Anne Paterson] (from the April 1970 UK LP "Me" on Joy Records JOYS 162)

Disc 2 (72:34 minutes):
1. Different Drum - THE STONE PONEYS [featuring Linda Ronstadt on Lead Vocals] (September 1967 USA 7" single on capitol 2004, A-side)
2. Please (MK. II) - ECLECTION (November 1968 USA 7" single on Elektra 45046, A-side)
3. Five Of Us - JADE [featuring Marian Segal on Lead Vocals] (from the July 1970 UK LP "Fly On Strangewings" on DJM Records DJLPS 407)
4. Who Has Seen The Wind? - THE SIMON SISTERS [Carly and Lucy Simon] (from the April 1969 US LP "The Simon Sisters Sing The Lobster Quadrille And Other Songs For Children" on Columbia CC 24506)
5. Jesus Was A Crossmaker - JUDEE SILL (October 1971 US 7" single on Asylum AS 11000, A-side)
6. January's Snow - THE WOODS BAND [featuring Gay and Terry Woods] (from the December 1971 UK LP on Greenwich GSLP 1004)
7. In My Loneliness - TRADER HORNE [featuring Judy Dyble on Lead Vocals] (from the March 1970 UK LP "Morning Way" on Dawn DNLS 3004)
8. Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking) - JANIS IAN (September 1966 USA 7" single on Verve Folkways KF 5027, A-side)
9. I Was - LILY & MARIA [Lily Fiszman and Maria Neumann] (from the October 1968 US LP "Lily & Maria" on Columbia CS 9707)
10. Feeling High - MELLOW CANDLE (August 1968 UK 7" single on SNB Records 55-3645, A-side)
11. Tomorrow Come Someday - TOMORROW COME SOMEDAY (from the January 1970 UK Privately-Pressed LP "Tomorrow Come Someday" on Sound News Productions SNP 97/98)
12. My Silk And Fine Array - JULIE COVINGTON (from the album "The Beautiful Changes" on Columbia SCX 6466)
13. Red Wine And Promises - NORMA WATERSON (November 1972 UK 7" single on Transatlantic/Big T Records BIG 507, A-side)
14. Mr. Fox - MR. FOX (from the November 1970 UK LP "Mr. Fox" on Transatlantic TRA 226)
15. The Dream Tree - BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE (from the September 1969 US LP "Illuminations" on Vanguard VSD 79300)
16. Munching The Candy - THE ACADEMY featuring POLLY PERKINS (March 1969 UK 7" single on Morgan Blue Town BTS 2, A-side)
17. Late November - SANDY DENNY (from the May 1971 LP "The North Star Grassman And The Ravens" on Island ILPS 9165)
18. Tomorrow Your Sorrow - HENDRICKSON ROAD HOUSE (from the December 1970 US LP "Hendrickson Road House" on Two: Dot Records HRH 81670)
19. Mornings - CHUCK & MARY PERRIN (from the January 1969 US LP "The Chuck and Mary Perrin Album" on Webster's Last Word Records WLW 2010)
20. Mr. Rubin - LESLEY DUNCAN (from the September 1971 UK LKP "Sing Children Sing" on CBS Records S 64202)

Disc 3 (76:44 minutes):
1. Come Into The Garden - CHIMERA (Not originally issued, recorded circa mid-1970)
2. Early Morning Blues And Greens - DIANE HILDERBRAND (from the December 1968 US LP on Elektra EKS 74031)
3. Rainy Day - SUSAN CHRISTIE (Not originally issued, recorded 1969)
4. Autumn Lullaby - BRIDGET St. JOHN (from the August 1969 UK LP "Ask Me No Questions" on Dandelion 63750)
5. Ballad (Of The Big Girl Now And A Mere Boy) - PRINCIPAL EDWARDS MAGIC THEATRE (December 1969 UK 7" single on Dandelion Records 4405, A-side)
6. Windy - RUTHANN FRIEDMAN (Not originally issued, recorded 1968)
7. The Lonely - DESIGN (from the January 1971 USA LP "Design" on Epic Records E 30224)
8. Mirage - SHELAGH McDONALD (from the November 1970 UK LP "The Shelagh McDonald Album" on B&C Records CAS 1010)
9. Aderyn Llwyd (Sparrow) – MARY HOPKIN (June 1969 UK 7" single on Cambrian CSP 703, A-side. A Gallagher & Lyle song)
10. Love Song - VASHTI BUNYAN (May 1966 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7917, B-side of "Train Song")
11. Sandman's Song - ANNE BRIGGS (from the November 1971 UK LP "The Time Has Come" on CBS Records S 64612)
12. When Will I Be Loved – THE BUNCH [featuring members of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay including Sandy Denny and Linda Peters who duet on vocals here] (April 1972 UK 7" single on island WIP 6130, A-side. An Everly Brothers cover)
13. The Lady And The Well – CAROLANNE PEGG (from the April 1974 UK LP "Carolanne" on Transatlantic TRA 266)
14. Think Of Rain – MARGO GURYAN (from the October 1968 US LP "Take A Picture" on Bell Records 6022)
15. Story Of Our Time/Beneath This Sky – ITHICA [featuring Peter Howell and John Ferninando] (from the 1973 privately-pressed LP “A Game For All We Know” on Merlin Records HF 6)
16. Murdoch – TREES [featuring Celia Humphries (nee Drummond) on Lead Vocals] (from the February 1971 UK LP “On The Shore” on CBS Records 64168)
17. Banquet On The Water – THE SALLYANGIE [featuring Sally & Mike Oldfield] (from the December 1968 UK LP "Children Of The Sun" on Transatlantic TRA 176)
18. Banquet On The Water – THE SALLYANGIE [featuring Sally & Mike Oldfield on Lead Vocals and Guitars] (from the December 1968 UK LP "Children Of The Sun" on Transatlantic TRA 176)
19. Pass The Night – EMILY MUFF [featuring Kathy Bushnell and Janet Dourit] (Previously Unreleased, recorded April 1972)
20. Morgan The Pirate – MIMI FARINA (from the December 1968 US LP "Memories" on Vanguard VSD 79263)

Compiled and Managed by reissue champs JOHN REED and DAVID WELLS - the 42-page booklet is a feast on both the eyes and the grey matter. Page after page of DAVID WELLS liner notes go deep into the artists and their backgrounds whilst rare 7" single picture sleeves, publicity photos, label repro's, acetates, demo copies and trade adverts all illuminate the text. It's a huge amount of effort and the details often amaze and amuse in equal measure. The mastering has been done by SIMON MURPHY over at Another Planet Music and naturally with so many disparate sources - the Audio varies like wildfire - gorgeous one moment and hissy-acceptable the next. But overall the quality is really good and with many of these ladies recorded by major labels - way better than that...

Disc 1 (Jackie DeShannon pictured) opens on a wee beauty - the slow and moving "Do You Believe" where Melanie Safka warbles out a passionate vocal that feels like a lost epic that shouldn't have gotten overlooked. "...In the shadow of God they sleep...blessed are the huddled hikers staring out at falling rain..." - Joan Baez writes of a confused generation in the double-album "Blessed Are..." - a song where parents are weeping for the young ones who've died in someone else's war far away. Perhaps dreaming of sexier things Dana Gillespie gives us the Simon & Garfunkel-cute "Foolish Seasons" - a very hooky melody where she wishes she could die in the ice cold of her winter heart. Getting older and thinking of all the things she's done - Judy Roderick comes on like a young Joni in "Someone To Talk My Troubles To" while the brilliant "Auntie Aviator" from John and Beverley Martyn only makes me want to listen to absolutely anything on Island Records by the great man and his lovely wife. Yorkshire lass Judith 'Jude' Willey finally gets her demo of Joni Mitchell's "Morning Morgantown" an airing here with the Fickle Pickle acting as her backing band and Mandy More too - but I find both tracks generally weak to what went before.

Not so the soaring Laura Nyro song "Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp" that feels older and wiser than 1970. A rather lovely discovery comes in the form of "I Thought I Knew The Answers" by Susan Pillsbury – a 1973 track that features guitarist Jay Berliner and Bassist Richard Davis who’d famously played on Van the Man’s "Astral Weeks" in 1968. Pillsbury and her vocal style is similar to Tim Buckley (in a good way) and Wells is right to say that Jaki Whitren deserved chart success with the lovely and moving "Give Her The Day" (I used to see the 1973 Epic LP "Raw But Tender" in the racks of Cheapo Cheapo where you couldn’t give it away). Barbara Gaskin and her airy Lead Vocals gives the Acid-Folk of "An Everyday Consumption Song" a period whimsy no man could. The title track for the Box Set "The Milk Of The Tree" turns out to be a John Barry cover – the flipside of “Goldfinger” from way back in 1964 – another lightweight jangle. "Reverie For Roslyn" is a pretty Disc 1 finisher - but the best here for me is the Marianne Faithfull B-side to "Sister Morphine" called "Something Better" – just as brilliant and stinging as the A-side that would eventually become immortalised on "Sticky Fingers" in 1971 by The Stones.  Another discovery on a first disc full of them...

Disc 2 (Buffy Sainte-Marie pictured) opens with the familiar Mike Nesmith melody of "Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys - a band that of course featured future superstar Linda Ronstadt on Lead Vocals (as brilliant a single as ever came out of the late 60's). I can't say I'm enamoured with either the dreadful Simon Sisters or Eclection tracks - might have been better to use the beautiful "My Luv Is Like A Red, Red Rose" with a killer Carly vocal. But those are forgotten once you clap your ears on "Five Of Us" by Jade - or Silver Jade as they're sometimes known. Fronted by a superb vocalist in Marian Segal - the album-track feels like it's Mellow Candle "Swaddling Songs" good and worth every penny of its £200 Rare Record Price Guide valuation. I would have used "The Kiss" instead of "Jesus Was A Crossmaker" - but any Judee Sill is good news in my books. The Gay and Terry Woods Traditional cover of "January's Snows" bears a close resemblance to the melody of the gorgeous "She Moves Through The Fair" and even if it is a bit hissy and badly recorded - it's full of feel and is the kind of Folk-Rock find collectors get weak at the knees about.

Janis Ian shows her extraordinary writing chops in "Society's Child..." - a tune she penned at 14 about a mixed couple who get the authority's interracial tights in a tangle - it's baroque melodrama rhythms incredibly poignant and wise for a song cut in August 1965. Lily Fiszman and Maria Neumann get their (rather hissy) moment with "I Was" - a love song that trembles under the weight of its own search for tenderness. Unreleased or not Tomorrow Come Sunday is fey-Nico and probably better left in the can. Julie Covington successfully blends William Blake with guitar-led Folk Rock on the excellent "My Silks And Fine Array" (great audio too). Updated English Folk starts to show up a lot on Disc 2. "...Fell in the street in a drunken heap...I don’t nobody helping me..." moans Norma Waterson in the brill boozy ballad "Red Wine And Promises" – shameless and gut-hurting real like cheap red wine and the painful morning light. More misery follows as a poor maid falls fowl of the sly and violent "Mr. Fox" who cuts a girl only to have his comeuppance at the teeth of ravenous dogs (nice).

You forget how powerful Buffy Sainte-Marie's voice can be especially when she wraps that tremble around the worries and yearnings of women waiting for their sailor men to return unharmed and whole - long for one who is longing for me in "The Dream Tree". Dodgy substances surface in "Munching The Candy" where The Academy sings with a smile on their collective flower-painted faces. Uber rarities ahoy with Chuck & Mary Perrin and Hendrickson Road House - two US groups the first of which contained Sue Eakins and the second Chuck Perrin of The Shaggs. The HRH track is almost Jazz-Folk with great guitar work while "Mornings" is simple acoustic-guitar and voice folk with a superb lead from Mary Perrin - like The Mamas & Papas doing unplugged - undoubtedly a highlight on here. "Mr. Rubin" comes from Lesley Duncan's wonderful "Sing Children Sing" album from 1971 - a woman whose 'don't vote against love' voice and songwriting talent graced Elton's "Tumbleweed Connection" and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon". Coupled with Sandy Denny's "Late November" - both highlight the sheer talent and emotional reach amongst the English ladies.

Disc 3 (Vashti Bunyan pictured) opens with an unreleased cut from Lisa Bankoff and Francesca Garnett fronting Chimera as 'children of the sun'. The shadows of Grace Slick's Jefferson Airplane and Sandy Denny's Fairport Convention fill the trippy Folk-Rock soundscape as the guitars and voices chime (Pink Floyd's Drummer Nick Mason was the band's manager). "Early Morning Blues And Greens" brings the musical vibe firmly into Laurel Canyon Americana as Diane Hildebrand awakes to freshly scented sycamores and cold bare feet on someone's hardwood floor (this song was featured on the "Forever Changing: Elektra Records..." 5CD Box Set in 2006). I've loved and reviewed the Bridget St. John material - her Nico-like vocals beguiling again here. The fey hippy 'he walks like a child' track by Principal Edwards Magic Theatre will probably bring some out in a flute-induced rash - better is a trio of goodies from The Association/Jefferson Airplane associated Ruthann Friedman, the wistful acoustic harmony-vocal of Design in their Jimmy Webb-sounding "The Lonely" which has very clever brass jabs and 5th Dimension big choruses. But best is Shelagh McDonald whose "Mirage" track features of wad of cult luminaries - Keith Christmas and Andy Roberts on Guitars, Keith Tippett on Piano with Tristan Fry on Vibes. It even has Robert Kirby who did Nick Drake’s work as the Arranger. It's driving flick-guitar vs. vibes rhythm feels like Fairport crossed with a jazzy Pentangle. I can so hear why this 1970 debut and the "Star Gazer" from 1971 both attract the interest of so many collectors (they clock in at £200 each in 2017 if you can find copies).

The Mary Hopkin track which is a Welsh version of a Gallagher & Lyle song called "Sparrow" has to be one of the most bizarre covers I've ever heard and unfortunately isn't likely to be to anyone’s tastes. Darling of the thousand-pound-LP club Vashti Bunyan gets her moment too from 1966 with the B-side "Love Song" - a pretty ditty that was too lightweight at the time to get noticed. I'm kind of shocked at how good the Bonnie Dobson track is - "Winter's Going" cleverly mixing Sitar and Strings to create a very cool tie-dye hip shaker. Back in the realms of serious money - Anne Briggs' 1971 LP "The Time Has Come" on CBS Records has been escalating in value for years to a point where it now commands a £500 pricetag. But "Sandman's Song" is again a tad underwhelming. Not so the rather brill and strangely poignant cover of The Everly Brothers classic "When Will I Be Loved" by the UK Folk Supergroup 'The Bunch'. Featuring a mishmash of Fairport Convention, Fotheringay and Matthews Southern Comfort at its playing core – out by the mikes The Bunch had the gorgeous vocal-duetting of Sandy Denny and Linda Peters. I recall the Island Records single and album were poo-poo'd at the time by purists - but in hindsight the whole project and this cover in particular have turned out to be lambasted material that absolutely deserves a second go-round. Other winners include Celia Humphries fronting the much-revered Trees on "Murdoch" (the very definition of UK Folk Rock) and an amazingly pretty "Banquet On The Water" by a 15 and 18-year brother and sister team called Sally and Mike Oldfield as The Sallyangie (his playing was utterly extraordinary even then and you can so hear Tubular Bells brewing under the surface).

To sum up - at times "Milk Of The Tree..." is truly wonderful and will definitely get you in touch with the feminine side of your record collection. But at other times and despite all the right credentials being there - the song-selection on each disc just firmly refuses to fly – so for me it’s four stars instead of five.

But having said that there's more than enough here to be seriously impressed and genuinely look forward to Volume 2. Hats off to all involved and big-time praise to all the women and artists who opened the doors all those years ago...

"Baby Driver - The Film" - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Sheer Heart Attack..." 

Opening night Friday, 30 June 2017 and I've just come from the cinema where Edgar Wright's "Baby Driver" absolutely rocked the audience. With so much sub-standard mega-blockbuster cack out there (excepting the fab "Wonder Woman" of course) and more tiresome sequels like Spiderman-Homecoming trying to claw our hard-earned - I haven't seen a movie this 'cool' since "Out Of Sight" with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez electric in their chemistry.

The incredibly smart use of known and unknown music from Carla Thomas 60ts Stax through to 90ts Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has been commented on in every review and rightly so. The opening sequence alone where the lyrics to Bob & Earl's Island Records groove "Harlem Shuffle" playing on his iPod appear in small and subtle ways as he walks to his rendezvous carrying four cartons of coffee is utterly brilliant – turning a credits-sequence into a happening instead of being something that's merely functionary.

There's a pair of tire-squealing four-by-fours doing a duet-battle-sequence in a tiered car park played out to Queen's guitar-wild "Brighton Rock" (the opening song on their 1973 classic album "Sheer Heart Attack") that had many gasping and grinning - a running sequence to "Hocus Pocus" by Focus that will quicken even the slowest heart rate and a gun battle to "Tequila" by The Champs. There's as many as 30 funky and groovy tunes used - T. Rex, Jonathan Richman, Beck, Golden Earring, The Detroit Emeralds and The Commodores to name but a few. And even though I knew almost all of the songs - others will probably not. But that won't matter a jot - you'll be enjoying the high-speed chases and the sheer eat-em-up Tarantino-esque pace of it all too much to even notice.

The cast is perfectly balanced and you have to say that all of them excel. Jamie Fox and Jon Hamm as the hardened robbers/psychos Bats and Buddy have both surely gotten their best parts in years in this film. Kevin Spacey adds the overseeing-mastermind gravitas as the ruthless Doc who has Baby by the emotional short and curlies - while CJ Jones is both touching and funny as the deaf old man Joseph that Baby takes care of at night - a good soul who only wants Baby to be safe and go straight. In what is surely a breakout part Eiza Gonzalez is ravishing as Jon Hamm's squeeze Darling – a super sexy party-siren who isn't demure with a bra or a gun (and God help you if you dis her man). And capping it off is the sheer cinematic gorgeousness of Lily James as the waitress Debora who captivates Baby from the moment he lays eyes on her – a sweet but slightly innocent and vulnerable girl who faces increasing personal hazard because of her new boyfriend's escalating high-risk jobs. He may be 'cool' but should she stick with him for that 2 a.m. rendezvous...

There are believable unfolding back-stories – really witty dialogue scenes – and a mix-tape sequence that will have you smile at its street cleverness. Hell you even have an old lady who’s been car-jacked that gets her handbag and purse back as the bullets fly and the Michelin rubber burns...

And throughout it all "The Fault In Our Stars" Ansel Elgort manages to pull off that elusive cool-yet-funny shtick that's so hard to get right as the principal character 'Baby Driver' (the film and character takes its name from a song on Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 LP masterpiece "Bridge Over Troubled Water"). Baby is a faster-than-a-bullet getaway driver for Kevin Spacey's heists - a kid that will only move to the rhythms of music - his white iPod-leads permanently rammed into his eardrums. Even when Baby's not driving like a reincarnated James Hunt - he walks around all day grooving to tunes to drown out a humming that he sustained in a family accident as a child (a condition called tinnitus). Until one day Baby spots something genuinely exciting in a retro diner - Lily James - a person actually worth uttering words to - a possible future with a smile and a soul as restless as his...

A mash-up of 'Fast & Furious' meets 'Heat' meets 'Out Of Sight' meets 'Training Day' meets 'Ocean's Eleven' – 2017's "Baby Driver" comes at you with attitude, pizazz and the sheer hutzpah of ten Jason Bourne movies.

Fantastic popcorn entertainment and well done to Writer/Director Edgar Wright and all involved...