"Loosen Up Naturally/The Sons/Follow Your Heart" by THE SONS OF CHAMPLIN [aka THE SONS] (2014 Beat Goes On Reissue - 3LPs onto 2CDs - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Some Things To Show..."

Taking their name from bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Bill Champlin – THE SONS OF CHAMPLIN [aka The SONS] were something of well-kept West Coat secret for most British fans. But this fantastic 2014 double-CD haul on Britain’s Beat Goes On (BGO) rectifies that San Francisco hole in your life with huge style. Here are the longhaired be-speckled LSD-induced details…

UK released April 2014 – "Loosen Up Naturally/The Sons/Follow Your Heart" by THE SONS OF CHAMPLIN on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1135 (Barcode 5017261211354) contains 3 full albums Remastered onto 2CDs (one is a 2LP set) and plays out as follows…

Disc 1 (73:08 minutes):

1. 1982-A

2. The Thing I Do

3. Misery Isn’t Free

4. Rooftop

5. Everywhere [Side 2]

6. Don’t Fight It, Do It!

7. Get High

8. Black And Blue Rainbow [Side 3]

9. Hello Sunlight

10. Things Are Gettin’ Better

11. Freedom [Side 4]

Tracks 1 to 11 are the band’s debut album “Loosen Up Naturally” originally released May 1969 in the USA as a 2LP set on Capitol Records SWBB-200

12. Love Of A Woman

13. Terry’s Tune

Tracks 12 and 13 are the first two tracks on Side 1 of their 2nd American album ”The Sons” (now credited simply as The Sons) released November 1969 on Capitol Records SKAO-332

Disc 2 (71:24 minutes):

1. Boomp Boomp Chop [last track Side 1 of "The Sons"]

2. Why Do People Run From The Rain [Side 2]

3. It’s Time

4. Country Girl

5. You Can Fly

Tracks 1 to 5 are the remainder of “The Sons” LP

6. Before You Right Now

7. Children Know

8. Hey Children

9. Follow Your Heart

10. Beside You [Side 2]

11. Headway

12. The Child Continued

13. A Sound Love

14. Well Done

(Also credited as by The Sons) Tracks 6 to 14 are their 3rd American vinyl album “Follow Your Heart” released January 1971 on Capitol Records ST-675  

There’s a classy card-wrap on the outside and the chockfull 20-page booklet has typically brilliant and informative JOHN TOBLER liner notes. Tobler also rightly acknowledges CHARLIE KELLY - a former Roadie for The Sons whose website has strung together huge amounts of info about the band and its previous incarnation as THE OPPOSITE SIX. None of these three Capitol Records albums ever saw a UK release on vinyl and up until a few years ago info on the Band had remained virtually a mystery. There’s even lyrics to the 3rd LP “Follow Your Heart”. It’s impressively done.

But as ever the real news comes with the great sound… All 3 albums saw CD reissue on One Way in the mid 1990s and on Acadia in the 2000s – yet to my ears these newly minted remasters by ANDREW THOMPSON trump the lot – filled with a sonic power that is overwhelming at times. There’s wonderful clarity and presence on all three outings – a deftly handled transfer.

Proceedings open with truly fantastic clarity on the poppy “1982-A” (a title supplied by the Engineer) and continue that way with “Misery Ain’t Free” and “Rooftop”. There’s a lovely musicality to “Black And Blue Rainbow” and they even get a bit commercial on the guitar-up of “Hello Sunlight” and “Things Are Getting’ Better”. But it all comes together in the near 15-minute “Freedom” that made up the whole of Side 4. With an assault of Tenor and Baritone Saxophones fronting jagged guitars and a funky backbeat – the mammoth song sounds like a marriage between the Chicago Transit Authority 2LP set from 1969 and the first Emerson, Lake And Palmer album from 1970. Prog-like organs do battle with brass fills, punctuated intermittently by impassioned vocals and funky guitars to impressive if not long-winded effect.

But while the slightly stoned double-debut is good – the single-album follow up “The Sons” saw real improvements in the songwriting – especially restraining the brass overload that afflicted some tracks on its predecessor. Side One openers “Love Of A Woman” (Bill Champlin on Vocals) and “Terry’s Tune” (Terry Haggerty on Vocals) now featured far calmer arrangements. Mellow one moment and hip the next - Haggerty’s voice on the second sounded not unlike a pleasing rendition of Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. The 10-minute “Boomp Boomp Chop” ended Side One sounding again like the outcome of a Blood, Sweat & Tears after hour’s party. There are trippy vocals and vibes on the short “Country Girl” and the funky finisher “You Can Fly” was an obvious single (Capitol 2786) in early 1970.

Things take a more organized and mature turn with “Follow Your Heart” and the keyboard funky opener “Before You Right Now” contains a fantastic organ solo by Champlin. The acoustic “Children Know” feels almost concept album as does the near six-minute title track – both superbly produced by John Palladino. It’s surprising the short and upbeat “Headway” wasn’t chosen as a lead off 7” single sounding like “Can’t Buy A Thrill” Steely Dan with Jeff Baxter in the ascendancy. The wordy seven-minutes of “The Child Continued” sounds Todd Rundgren in its complex yet soft reach. But most impressive of all is the trippy “A Sound Love” which has gorgeous instrumental flourishes (lyrics above) and sounds not unlike Greenslade three years prior. The upbeat “Well Done” gives it their best Three Dog Night with Guitars – and that’s not a bad thing in my book.

At times its hard to pin down The Sons Of Champlin and their sound – part Chicago part BS&T part ELP meets Todd Rundgren meets Three Dog Night… And I suppose that’s what’s made so many fans forgive the occasionally bland vocals and overdone brass – because theirs is a unique listen - varied and interesting and therefore worth returning too.

It’s not all genius by any stretch of the imagination – but there’s a huge amount of largely unheard talent on display here (one double album and two singles) – and all of it sounding just amazing on this truly great remaster.

And if you’re curious about THE SONS OF CHAMPLIN (forgotten heroes of those heady California days) - then this is 'the' place to start exploring…

"American Violet" on BLU RAY – A Review Of The 2011 Tim Disney Film

Here is a link to the 'German' BLU RAY on Amazon UK (best price):

http://www.amazon.co.uk./gp/product/B0057FD3NO

"…The Truth Will Set You Free…" - American Violet on BLU RAY

In order to get why the film "American Violet" is such a big deal (especially in the USA) - a potted history of the deeply flawed American Justice System is needed.

Cleverly used by Politicians and District Attorneys trying to look 'tough on crime' during the 1990s and into the mid 2000s - Drug Task Forces across America routinely employed military style raids with guns and helicopters to terrorize the poor. Worse - the predominantly white hit squads of the South also stood accused of selectively targeting people of colour. Huge Federal sums would then get transferred to these Counties and the more convictions they got – the more money they kept - so the 'plea bargain' system was aggressively pursued.

A 'plea bargain' means that the accused 'accepts' a guilty verdict and thereby bypasses court and a possible 15 to 20 year jail sentence. This may seem like a foolish and morally suspect move to make (to admit guilt when you’re not) - but if you’re poor or even low to middle income – the alternatives are stark. You can have your passport removed, your job taken (and never get another because of a criminal record), have your Aid To Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) stopped, food stamps cut out and Medicare supplies terminated. If you’re housed in the 'projects' (government assisted housing) where large numbers of Black and Hispanic communities live in the bigger cities – you can be made homeless. And those threats are dangled in front of you as an enticement to settle. So it’s hardly surprising to find that a staggering 95% of cases never get to trial (or are heard before a jury) because they are ‘plea bargained’ beforehand.

And if you ‘do decide’ to fight a prosecution brought against you by the Police or the FBI – you’re arrested, cuffed and jailed until a trial date is set (up to 6 months wait). If the charges (trumped up or not) are for loss of life, narcotics possession or distribution - bail can be set at five and six-figure sums because you’re seen as a flight risk. These are sums most can’t afford - and if they do borrow to meet it – you end up shackled to crippling debt for years to come. But worst of all was the infamous ‘one informant’ law that plagued so many cases in the 90’s and 00’s and opened them to outright abuse. The police needed to supply only ‘one informant’ - and if that person said you distributed drugs – then you did.

So it’s November 2000 in the town of Melody in Texas - and as the movie opens we see the George W Bush Vs. Al Gore Presidential fiasco being played out on a television set. A young black mother (Nicole Beharie as Dee Roberts) is preparing breakfast for her 4 kids before they go to school under the watchful eye of her live-in mother (Alfre Woodard as Alma Roberts). Meanwhile uptown an all-white police force is tooling up with flak jackets, rifles, undercover trucks and helicopters for a raid on the ‘project’ estate where her family lives. This raid has been organised during election time by the 'tough on crime' Southern White District Attorney of 9 years Calvin Beckett who is seeking re-election (a fantastic show by Michael O’Keefe as and odious and arrogant bigot).

On his hit list of names - now Dee Roberts suddenly finds herself arrested in her humble waitress job and thrown in jail. She naively thinks it’s for $782 worth of accumulated parking tickets. But Dee’s been charged with distributing narcotics in a School Zone and named by a 'reliable' black informant called Eddie Porter (a brilliant early part for Anthony Mackie – the angel who helps the Matt Damon character in "The Adjustment Bureau"). Bail is set an impossible $70,000 and she is appointed a Public Defender David Higgins who is a young appeaser all-too-willing to sell her life away to put the thing to rest quickly. But both Higgins and District Attorney Beckett have picked on the wrong mother…she determines to fight.

Into this legal race-maelstrom steps ACLU Attorney David Cohen (a brilliant Tim Blake Nelson of "O Brother, Where Are Thou?" fame) with his partner Byron Hill (a stunning role for Malcolm Barrett). Cohen is a white man and Hill a black American – but both are determined to out the entire corrupt system. They of course spot the case that can do it and in order to strengthen their hand - Cohen approaches a local prosecutor Sam Conroy (played perfectly by Will Patton) - an insider with knowledge of the treacherous and notorious Texas court system. But Sam Conroy is not an idiot. He is being asked by Cohen to go up against cops he lives with and the most powerful man in the State (the District Attorney) -while the outsider Cohen can simply walk away. But knowing what must be done – he agrees and along with a local preacher (Charles S Dutton as Reverend Saunders) they file against 'the man'.

But nothing is ever going to be that easy. Tapes disappear, written files are lost, Judges won’t set the trial in a fairer county to avoid prejudice and the preliminary Deposition talks are limited to only 3 hours to question the District Attorney. And Dee Roberts herself has custody battles with her volatile ex husband (Xzibit as Darrell Hughes) and his crazy live-in lady (Karimah Westbrook as Claudia). They slowly throw everything at her and the prosecutors…

As you can imagine this is a film chock full of great parts for Black and White actors of real calibre to get their teeth into. And there is no shortage of stunning verbal exchanges as the staggering unfairness of the American Justice system is ruthlessly exposed. And on it goes to an ending that quite literally changed the law for the better…

Because the American BLU RAY on Image Entertainment is REGION A LOCKED (won't play on our machines in the UK) - I bought the German variant (quite cheaply too). It's defaulted to Full Screen Aspect and the picture quality is beautiful throughout - spotless really. The Audio is in both German and English DTS-HD 2.0 and you have to choose the English Language because it’s defaulted to play its local tongue.

If I was to fault the movie it’s that Nicole Beharie is ludicrously beautiful for the lead role – the lack of big names also gives it a slight TV movie feel and the complete absence of ‘Extras” really lets the side down. But apart from that "American Violet" is a moving film that will make you think, reel and believe that even though American Democracy is flawed – brave and admirable people will somehow bring the truth to the surface – and it will stay there.

Superbly Scripted by BILL HANEY and Directed by TIM DISNEY - "American Violet" is a top movie - and well done to all involved…

"All The Young Dudes" by MOTT THE HOOPLE (2006 Columbia/Legacy CD Reissue - Vic Anesini Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With Hundreds of Others Is Available In My

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"…Gotta Work…"

After three albums on Island between 1970 and 1971 that saw constant touring, critical acclaim but little chart action ("Mad Shadows", "Wildlife" and "Brain Capers") – Mott The Hoople were about to throw in the towel when they finally hit paydirt with the David Bowie assisted  "All The Young Dudes" Single and LP in the heady days of 1972 (the height of Glam Rock in the UK). With the mercurial Bowie a fan and his star exploding everywhere – the timing and the song was perfect. And that’s where this wicked 2006 Expanded CD Remaster comes swaggering in. Here are the Dude-ish details...

UK released April 2006 – "All The Young Dudes" by MOTT THE HOOPLE on Columbia/Legacy 82796938092 (Barcode 827969380925) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and breaks down as follows (72:57 minutes):

1. Sweet Jane

2. Momma’s Little Jewel

3. All The Young Dudes

4. Sucker

5. Jerkin' Crocus

6. One Of The Boys [Side 2]

7. Soft Ground

8. Ready For Love/After Lights

9. Sea Diver

Tracks 1 to 9 are their 4th studio album "All The Young Dudes" – released September 1972 in the UK on CBS Records S 65184 and November 1972 in the USA on Columbia KC 31750

BONUS TRACKS:

10. One Of The Boys (Demo Version)

11. Black Scorpio (Demo Of "Momma's Little Jewel")

12. Ride On The Sun (Demo Version of "Sea Diver")

13. One Of The Boys (UK 7" Single Version) – released August 1972 on CBS Records S 8271 as the B-side to "All The Young Dudes"

14. Sucker (Live 1973 At The Hammersmith Odeon, London)

15. Sweet Jane (Live 1973 At The Hammersmith Odeon, London)

DAVID BOWIE originally produced the album and also plays Sax on some tracks (doesn’t say which). KEITH SMITH – Editor of the MTH Fanzine "Two Miles From Heaven" - provides the liner notes but I have to say that its 8-pages feels disappointingly slight – sporting centre spread liner notes by Ben Edmonds, recording details and precious little else… But the meat and potatoes lies in a fantastic new remaster by tape wizard VIC ANESINI whose credits include Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Jayhawks, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Hall & Oates, The Isley Brothers and Santana to name but a few. His name is a mark of Audio Quality I actively seek out.

It opens with a great cover of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" (lyrics above) where Mick Ralphs puts in some fantastically fluid Guitar playing. The muscle on the piano and guitar of the "Don’t Stop!" Intro to "Momma's Little Jewel" is just great as is Verden Allen’s slightly Prog Rock organ soloing throughout. It’s the first properly cool Hunter song on the album (co-written with Bass player Overend Watts). I’d have to admit a possible travesty here – I’ve always loathed the title track – it seemed hammy to me then and still does now – and it hung around the band's musical neck for decades. But at least it got the job done.

Far better is the menace of "Sucker" and the fabulous snotty British Rock 'n' Roll of "Jerkin' Crocus" (a B-side to the USA 7" single of "Sweet Jane"). It's back to Prog Organ for Verden Allen's "Soft Ground" where he unwisely ruins the song by taking Lead Vocals. Better is the Mick Ralphs double "Ready For Love/After Lights" where you can 'so' hear the beginnings of Bad Company (Hunter and Ralphs share vocals on this one). It ends on a short but poignant Ian Hunter piano balled "Sea Diver" – for me a real highlight - and like "Trudi's Song" on 1974's "The Hoople" – a hidden gem in their catalogue.  

The bonus tracks are shockingly good – especially "Black Scorpio" which is a pumping Rock Demo Version of "Momma's Little Jewel" and "Ride On The Sun" which is an equally delicate demo of "Sea Diver" but with different lyrics. It's still odd to hear David Bowie actually sing "All The Young Dudes" - but it actually suits him more. In fact what a single this previously unreleased duet between Bowie and Hunter would have made (as a double credit perhaps?). The reissue finishes with the huge guitar punch of "Sucker" and "Sweet Jane" - a track that will thrill fans of the Lou Reed live classic "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" – both recorded before a triumphant crowd at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.

So there you have it – a great album and a properly fab trip down Rock’s Memory Lane. It's a real shame that the booklet doesn’t celebrate "Dudes" a bit more (an Indie label would have splashed out 20-pages or more) but what is on offer is sonically brilliant - a fantastic remaster by Anesini.

With principal song-writer and singer Ian Hunter still at the helm – the band would go on to even better things with the beautifully presented "Mott" album in 1973 and the underrated 6th LP "The Hoople" in 1974 (see reviews). Now in 2015 - this remastered Mott The Hoople CD is cheaper than a stick of eyeliner at Boots. Get this nugget into your home right away...

"The Hoople" by MOTT THE HOOPLE (2006 Columbia/Legacy 'Expanded Edition' CD - Vic Anesini Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…I'm In Love With Her…"

After four albums on Island between 1969 and 1971 that saw little chart action ("Mott The Hoople", "Mad Shadows", "Wildlife" and "Brain Capers") - then the David Bowie assisted breakthrough of "All The Young Dudes" in 1972 with its equally successful follow-up "Mott" in 1973 - the pressure was on to produce another winner. And Mott The Hoople's 7th LP "The Hoople" featuring Ian Hunter delivered what was needed.

UK released April 2006 – "The Hoople" by MOTT THE HOOPLE on Sony/Legacy 82796 978732 (Barcode 827969787328) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and plays out as follows (69:06 minutes):

1. The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll

2. Marionette

3. Alice

4. Crash Street Kidds

5. Born Late 1958 [Side 2]

6. Trudi's Song

7. Pearl 'N' Roy (England)

8. Through The Looking Glass

9. Roll Away The Stone

Tracks 1 to 9 are their seventh studio album "The Hoople" - released in the UK in July 1974 on CBS Records S 69064 and Columbia PC 32871

BONUS TRACKS:

10. Where Do They All Come From

Non-album B-side of the November 1973 UK 7" single "Roll Away The Stone" on CBS Records S CBS 1895

11. Rest In Peace

Non-album B-side of the March 1974 UK 7" single "The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll" on CBS Records S CBS 2177

12. Foxy, Foxy

Non-album A-side of a June 1974 UK 7" single on CBS Records S CBS 2439

13. (Do You Remember The) Saturday Gigs

Non-album A-side of a September 1974 UK 7" single on CBS Records S CBS 2754 (credited as "Saturday Gig" on the label)

14. The Saturday Kids (Work In Progress Mixes)

15. Lounge Lizard (Aborted B-side)

16. American Pie/The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll (Live From Broadway)

The 12-page booklet is pleasantly festooned with foreign picture sleeves and affectionate/knowledgeable liner notes by Campbell Devine - author of "All The Young Dudes: The Official Autobiography Of Mott The Hoople".

But the best news for fans is a fantastic new remaster by tape wizard VIC ANESINI whose credits include Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Jayhawks, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Hall & Oates and Santana to name but a few. The muscle on the rockers like "Marionette" and the Overend Watts track "Born Late '58" (the only Mott song to feature a non Ian Hunter vocal) is properly great. The singles too "The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll" and "Roll Away The Stone" still thrill in that T.Rex glam kind of way (Lynsey De Paul contributes vocals to "Roll Away The Stone"). But for me the bees-knees is the gorgeous ballad to Ian Hunter's wife "Trudi's Song" (lyrics above) - the kind of Seventies tune that reduces me to mush for some reason.

This is also one of those reissues where the Bonus Tracks actually up the ante rather than just acting as filler. The previously unreleased mix of "The Saturday Kids" rocks and the aborted single B-side "Lounge Lizard" is a guitar-driven find - fabulous stuff. And those great single sides like "Saturday Gig" remind me of the buzz I got just finding their stuff in record stores and in secondhand shops. It does seem odd though that the "Saturday Gig" non-album B-side Medley of "Jerkin' Crocus, Sucker and Violence" isn't here too when there was room. But overall - a very tasty package indeed.

In 2016 – a Remastered "The Hoople" CD is cheaper than a pair of cheap sunglasses at a market stall. And I'm down with that. Get this little audio nugget into your shady home right away...

PS: Inspired by the ballad that turned me into a big girl's blouse this afternoon - I formed the following 70's FEST CD compilation list for geysers between 50 and 75 (and that's just the waistline). I've called it "Songs To Make A Grown Man Cry" and it just about fits onto an 80-minute CD-R. Here goes...

1. That's The Way - LED ZEPPELIN (October 1970 on "Led Zeppelin III" LP)

2. Home Again - CAROLE KING (March 1971 on "Tapestry" LP)

3. If I Laugh - CAT STEVENS (September 1971 on "Teaser And The Firecat" LP)

4. Debris - FACES (November 1971 on "A Nod's As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse" LP)

5. Old Man - NEIL YOUNG (February 1972 on "Harvest" LP)

6. Watch Me - LABI SIFFRE (July 1972 UK 7" single-only on Pye International)

7. Journey - DUNCAN BROWNE (August 1972 UK 7" single-only on Rak)

8. My Friend The Sun - FAMILY (September 1972 on "Bandstand" LP)

9. You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio - JONI MITCHELL (December 1972 on "For The Roses" LP)

10. The Right Thing To Do - CARLY SIMON (January 1973 on "No Secrets" LP)

11. The Kiss - JUDEE SILL (April 1973 on "Heart Food" LP)

12. I'm In Love With A Girl - BIG STAR (January 1974 on "Radio City" LP)

13. Trudi's Song by MOTT THE HOOPLE (March 1974 on "The Hoople" LP)

14. Roll On Babe - RONNIE LANE & SLIM CHANCE (August 1974 on "Anymore For Anymore" LP)

15. You're A Big Girl Now - BOB DYLAN (February 1975 on "Blood On The Tracks" LP)

16. Misty - RAY STEVENS (August 1975 on "Misty" LP)

17. Stay Young - GALLAGHER & LYLE (January 1976 on "Breakaway" LP)

18. On And On - STEPHEN BISHOP (December 1976 on "Careless" LP)

19. Alison - ELVIS COSTELLO (July 1977 on "My Aim Is True" LP)

20. River Song - DENNIS WILSON (September 1977 on "Pacific Ocean Blue" LP)

21. She's Always A Woman - BILLY JOEL (December 1977 on "The Stranger" LP)

22. English Rose - THE JAM (November 1978 on "All Mod Cons" LP)

Further suggestions/slagging in the 'comment' postcard section please...