Appaloosa - Appaloosa (1969 us, psychedelic folk rock, baroque pop, Al Kooper production, japan remaster - MP3 320k and FLAC)

Our tale begins on a weekday after my newly-appointed office as staff A&R man at Columbia Records in 1969, had already produced the top ten Super Session album, and was always scouting for new talent. Four young lads had some-how by-passed security and poked their heads into my office. "Can I help you?" I inquired "We've travelled from Boston just to audition for you, Mr. Kooper," they flatteringly exclaimed.

I picked up the phone and called the studio booking office to try and get some space to hear them play as soon as possible. When they heard my end of the conversation, they yelled out: "Hang up!!! We can play right here in your office! All we need is one plug for the bass amp!" Never having been accosted with an offer like this before, I sheepishly hung up the phone, and pointed to the wall outlet.

They plugged in a tiny bass amp and opened their instrument cases. Out came an acoustic guitar, a CELLO! and a VIOLIN! I was totally mesmerized and I had't heard a note yet. The acoustic guitarist. John Compton. began to play and sing. The bass provided a rhthymic/melodic path behind him, and soon the strings began to swirl behind his Buddy Holly-esque vocal and a big smile broke out on my face. Every talent scout hopes for something unique to fall into their lap. Not the run of the mill crap that pours out of AM radios, but something we've never heard before; with unmeasurable depth.

Here it was delivered to my office with no order placed. It was hard to believe. When they finished the first song. I told them to relax - that I would surely sign them up - and to continue playing every? original song in their repertoire. I took notes and asterisked the songs that jumped out at me. "Tulu Rogers" - a pastoral view of the countryside in the height of New England winter, a woman sits by the window crocheting to the sounds of Bach. "Thoughts Of Polly" - a jazzy sounding verse forwards into a folk rock chorus that concludes in a dizzying jazz coda supplied by the addition of then-Blood Sweat & Tears-sters Bobby Colomby on drums and Fred Lipsius on screaming, lyrical alto sax.

The band incorporates the addition of other musicians with nary a blink. "Feathers" - I always felt this album was six months ahead of it's time - that James Taylor followed in the correct time slot, also a New England lad, but with Beatle support, and a great deal more advertising. This song could easily have been written by Taylor in that time slot. "Bi-Weekly" - I could not resist adding a stuaioband around this autumnal quartet. This is a wonderful song lyrically and musicaly. It's hard to believe it's just Robin Bateaux on viola and Gene Rosov on cello, bouilding their own string fortress in this city of sound. "Glossolallia" - reminded me of Donovan to come.

A woman stands in harbor, on a balcy, singing to the ocean. David Reiser, bassist, shows why this quartet had a bassist and drummer in one, when such a thing was neccesary. "Rivers Run To The Sea" Bobby Colomby attempts to bridge this bi-tempo sonnet. I join on electric guitar. "Pascals Paradox" - one of the best examples of what is great and timeless about Appaloosa. With no assistance or correction they do what is INCREDIBLY unique about them. And I lost myself in mock-heroic style, lodged in their castle for awhile. "Yesterdays Roads" - talking about flirting with a past lover and giving it relevance lyrically.

I confess to uncontrollably tinkling the ivories on this track. "Georgia Street" - the other song that Bobby Colomby and Fred Lipsius gave ample contributions. I m also doing my best on the doomed 1969 Rock-Si-Chord keyboard. Anotner duo-tempo composition by Compton is tackled in grand fashion climaxing in a swinging Lipsius alto solo. It's wonderful to ressurect this album now: nearly 40 years after it s innocent, naive debut.

It still retains it s innocence and naivette, and sounds so much like those it influenced much later on in one way or another: Damian Rice. The Left Banke, Christopher Cross, A Stewart, James Blunt, and perhaps in someway or another, James Taylor. The album cover was shot by Marie Cosindas, who specialized in taking all her portraits with Polaroid cameras. She captured the essence of the group admirably and in 60 seconds, we had our cover.

Although not a huge seller in it's time, it reached a lot of people who were in college at the time. I think many of them kept a soft spot in their music heart and will be glad to know about this re-release. To possibly rekindle that warmth once again.
Thanks for listening
Al Kooper.

Tracks
1. Tulu Rogers - 3:59
2. Thoughts of Polly - 5:51
3. Feathers - 2:29
4. Bi-Weekly - 3:36
5. Glossolalia - 4:07
6. Rivers Run to the Sea - 3:32
7. Pascal's Paradox - 3:23
8. Yesterday's Road - 3:21
9. Now That I Want You - 2:34
10. Georgia Street - 4:47
11. Rosalie - 4:28
All compositions by John Parker Compton.

Appaloosa
*John Parker Compton - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Eugene Rosov - Cello
*David Reiser - Bass
*Robin Batteau - Violin
Guest Musicians
*Fred Lipsius - Sax Alto
*Artie Schroeck - Drums
*Tony Ackerman - Guitar
*Jimmy Alcamo - Drums
*Bobby Colomby - Drums, Percussion
*Romeo Penque - Oboe
*Al Kooper - Harpsichord, Organ, Piano, Vibraphone, Electric Guitar

[ Rip and Scans by MARIOS ]
Previous posted at PHROCK on Friday, November 20, 2009
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Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra (1971 uk mix of psych, pop prog - 30th anniversary first light series with bonus disc - FLAC)

You may not have noticed, but 3rd December is the 30th anniversary of the issue of debut Electric Light Orchestra album.

EMI have, and the result is this lavishly-packaged release that, for a limited period, includes a bonus CD of alternate versions, live performances and a handful of quadraphonic mixes that, for some bizarre reason, were previously only available to the residents of Brazil (OldrockerBR: Huhu!!!, I hear these Brazilian SQ Quad version there the first time 38 years ago!)

The brainchild of Move members Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, the original ELO's brief was to take the baroque sound of late-period Beatles to its logical conclusion by seamlessly fusing pop and the classics, though some of us would suggest fellow Brummie Denny Laine got there first back in 1967.

At the time of ELO's inception, however, Lynne was considered by the pop pundits of the era as Wood's junior partner, a fact made clear in the accompanying booklet by a contemporary Melody Maker review: "oh Roy Wood, you've done it this time, you've really done it - a fascinating album".

As is now apparent, this is a bit like praising the essentially marginalised Lennon for the extended Side Two suite that gave Abbey Road its enduring reputation.

Wood is clearly the weaker contributor to Electric Light Orchestra, responsible for the album's less convincing moments, like 'Eleanor Rigby' clone, 'Look At Me Now', and the grating "we've got a cello and we're gonna use it" kitchen-sink arrangements that suffocate 'The Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)' and the shameless 'Classical Gas' rip-off 'First Movement'.

By way of contrast, the album is, arguably, the first indication of Jeff Lynne's emergence as a first division songwriting talent (and yes, I have heard the Idle Race).

Later ransacked to no great effect by Paul Weller, '10538 Overture' (a 1972 promotional video is featured at the end of the enhanced CD) is a toweringly eccentric creation that fulfilled the band's stated intention of picking up where 'I Am The Walrus' left off.

Three decades later, it achieves the notable distinction of sounding far more daring than it did at the time, which must say something about the conservative nature of British pop in the 21st Century.

Elsewhere, 'Nellie Takes Her Bow' is a fairly traditional piano-based ballad with a mildly superfluous cello arrangement, but 'Mr. Radio' is an airwaves-friendly pop song that, shorn of its quasi-classical middle section, is startlingly similar to the mid-70s singles that would lead Lynne and his minions to world domination.

Not everything here is perfect, but there are some genuinely sublime moments, and the spirit of adventure looms large throughout.

It may be 30 years too late, but those of us who've always summarily dismissed ELO as bland, unworthy successors to the mighty Move, may just have to think again (by John Sturdy).


10538 Overture:


Disc one: The Electric Light Orchestra
01."10538 Overture" (Lynne) – 5:32
02."Look at Me Now" (Wood) – 3:17
03."Nellie Takes Her Bow" (Lynne) – 5:59
04."The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)" (Wood) – 6:03
05."First Movement (Jumping Biz)" (Wood) – 3:00
06."Mr. Radio" (Lynne) – 5:04
07."Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)" (Lynne) – 4:22
08."Queen of the Hours" (Lynne) – 3:22
09."Whisper in The Night" (Wood) – 4:50

Bonus tracks
10."Battle of Marston Moor" (Take 1) (Wood) – 1:00
11."10538 Overture" (Take 1) (The Move / ELO) (Lynne) – 5:46


Disc two: First Light
01.Brian Matthew Introduces ELO
02."10538 Overture" (Acetate version)
03."Look At Me Now" (Quad mix)
04."Nellie Takes Her Bow" (Quad mix)
05."Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)' (Quad mix)
06."Jeff's Boogie No 2" (Live) - (Early version of "In Old England Town")
07."Whisper In The Night" (Live)
08."Great Balls Of Fire" (Live)
09."Queen Of The Hours" (Quad mix)
10."Mr Radio" (Take 9)
11."10538 Overture" (BBC Session) - (Hidden track) "Whisper In The Night"' (Take 1)

ELO:
*Jeff Lynne: Guitars, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals.
*Roy Wood: Guitars, Bass guitar, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, percussion, period woodwind instrument; Krumhorn, vocals
*Bev Bevan: drums, Percussion, vocals.
*Bill Hunt: French horn, Hunting horn.
*Steve Woolam: Violin.
*Rick Price: bass on some original tracks (erased and redubbed by Wood and Lynne)


Additional personnel live tracks disc 2
*Richard Tandy - Bass guitar, Keyboards
*Wilfred Gibson - Violin
*Hugh McDowell - Cello
*Mike Edwards - Cello
*Andy Craig - Cello


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Thomas & Richard Frost - Visualize (1969-70 us, psychedelic rock, baroque pop, rev ola edition - MP3 320k and FLAC)

The unreleased album Visualize by Thomas & Richard Frost, taken with its attendant singles "Hello Stranger" and "Open Up Your Heart", is a sparkling and heartwarming gem of late 1960s pop, but the project was merely yet another chapter in the remarkable career of these two brothers, from San Mateo on the San Francisco Peninsula.

Rich and Tom Martin had been performing together since the beginning of the decade, with the ensuing litany of bands mirroring1 all the variegates of American grass roots rock 'n' roll in the 1960s: instrumental surf and greasy R&B in the Impressions; jangly folk-rock with The Newcastle Five; the fuzz-tinged garage rock of The Art Collection. And last but not least, the thundering mod sound of the Martins power trio Powder; whose own LP, recorded while the group was based in Los Angeles and employed as Sonny & Cher's road band, remained frustratingly unissued, and indeed acted as a precursor to the creation of the masterpiece you hold in your hands. For after the Powder debacle, the Martins returned to northern California to lick their wounds and demo some more introspective material.

Though they were enamored of artists like Donovan and Simon & Garfunkel, the Martins innate - and very much Anglophilic – pop sensibility lingered in new compositions like "Bluey Blues Blue" (later to be recorded as "Where Did Yesterday Go?"), "Would You Laugh" and "She's Got Love". It was to be the latter tune that caught the ear of promo man John Antoon, who signed the Martins to his Tons Of Fun publishing imprint, assumed managerial duties and got the duo signed to Imperial Records under the nom de disque Thomas & Richard Frost.

As a single, the simple, catchy "She's Got Love" was to achieve a modicum of success as a turntable hit, reaching only the lower half of the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969, but with strong regional airplay across the country, upon the back of which the Frosts were able to tour. Back in LA, Rich and Tom made the scene with their pals Rodney Bingenheimer and Frank Zinn, enjoying a brief but eye-opening spell as bona fide pop stars. Plans were big for the Frosts, with a full, lavishly orchestrated, album release, but it was all to fall apart as the follow-up singles stiffed and parent label Liberty/UA decided to wind down Imperial.

In 1971, Rich and Tom signed a new deal with Uni and finally got an album, eponymously-titled and singer/songwriter-orientated, released the following year. In their press interviews the Frosts did for that Uni album, they disparaged the bubblegum of their Imperial period, but the state-of-the art production pop of Visualize has clearly stood the test of time and sounds better now, than it probably ever has.

The proceedings are imbued with the Zeitgeist of Los Angeles in its last throes of pop innocence, and the Martins heart-on-their-sleeve Anglophilic sensitivity is less derivative then remarkably refreshing, with superbly recorded arrangements that any late 1960s pop fan will cherish. Listening to tracks like "Open Up Your Heart", "Where Did Yesterday Go?" or "Hello Stranger" recalls the simple joys of commercial pop at the dawn of the 1970s. Uncomplicated, fun, yet eminently memorable. Tony Macauley would be proud.
by Alec Palao

Tracks
1. Prelude/Shes Got Love - 2:55
2. Where Did Yesterday Go - 2:39
3. December Rain April Laughter - 2:54
4. Woodstock - 2:43
5. Gotta Find A New Place To Stay - 2:29
6. With Me My Love - 2:18
7. Where Are We - 2:25
8. Come Clap Your Hands - 2:30
9. The City - 2:33
10.The World Is Love - 2:41
11.On Our Way Home - 2:48
12.If I Cant Be Your Lover (Vic Dana, Ted Glasser)- 5:44
13.Hello Stranger (Bonus Track) - 2:42
14.Fairy Tale Affair (Bonus Track) - 2:49
15.Open Up Your Heart (John Worsley) (Bonus Track) - 2:51
16.Everyday Judy (Bonus Track) - 4:14
All songs by Thomas & Richard Frost, except where noted.

Musicians
*Richard Martin: Guitar, Vocals
*Tom Martin: Vocals, Guitar, Bass

[ Rip and Scans by MARIOS ]
originally published in PHROCK at Wednesday, November 11, 2009
CODE: 51447