THE NOW - The Now (Midsong, 1979)

Detrás do único elepé dos neoiorquinos de The Now estaba Bobby Orlando un dos pioneiros da música electrónica de baile nos oitenta pero que a finais da década dos setenta aínda sentía paixón polo pop de guitarras, de feito el compón e produce a maior parte das pezas deste irregular disco de power pop. O momento máis brilante é sen dúbida " Can You Fix Me Up With Her" unha gañadora absoluta, o resto como dirían os coruñeses Combo Dinamo, "más de lo mismo" aínda que "He's Takin' You To The Movies " e  "Reaction" deixánse escoitar. O disco no seu momento vendeu bastante ben e incluso falouse da posibilidade de editar un segundo pero a discográfica Midsong foise ao garete. Esta é a edición portuguesa de Belter. Outra produción de Orlando cun son moi semellante ó disco de The Now, de feito algún dos seus compoñantes tocan no mesmo, é o único Lp de Lyn Todd

FRESH - Feelin´ Fresh (Prodigal, 1978)

Influenced by Sly & the Family Stone and Rare Earth, Fresh was an obscure, little-known 1970s band that combined soul and funk with rock. The interracial outfit, which shouldn't be confused with either the 1990s hip-hop engineer or other bands that have called themselves Fresh, didn't get very far commercially, its three LPs were too funky for rock stations and too rock-influenced for R&B stations. Fresh was formed in 1975, when its original six-person lineup consisted of lead singer Bill Pratt, lead guitarist Paul Marshall, rhythm guitarist Elaine Mayo, keyboardist David Kaffinetti, bassist Milo Martin, and drummer Fred Allen. In 1976, the band signed with MCA, which released its debut album, "Get Fresh", the following year. It was also in 1977 that Fresh was an opening act for Rufus & Chaka Khan; Fresh received generally favorable responses from Rufus fans, but regrettably, that didn't translate into record sales. "Get Fresh" bombed commercially, and the band parted company with MCA. In 1978, Fresh resurfaced on Motown's Prodigal label with its sophomore effort, "Feelin' Fresh", and unveiled a new seven-person lineup. Most of the original members were still on board, although a saxophonist, George Englund, had been added -- and Kaffinetti had been replaced by keyboardist Frank Savino. After "Feelin' Fresh", Mayo left the band. Neither Feelin' Fresh nor Fresh's third album, "Omniverse" (which Prodigal/Motown released in late 1978) received much attention and in 1979, the band broke up. Alex Henderson (Allmusic)

MANOLO GAS & THE TINTO BAND BANG - Spain / Luna India (Polydor, 1975)

Do pianista e organista barcelonés Manolo Gas xa falamos hai un par e anos pero hoxe recuperamos outra das súas aventuras a mediados dos setenta con The Tinto Bang Band. "Spain" é unha adaptación dunha peza clásica do compositor francés Emmanuel Chabrier" con tódolos tópicos da época pero a súa cara B, "Indian Moon", composta por el mesmo baixo o seudónimo Sag Olonam (os seu nome ó revés), é un estupendo tema funk.

EL SONIDO DE MANUEL GAS Hits Del Año (Pergola, 1970)

Recuperamos este vello post do gran Manuel Gas para satisfacer a Paul Harvey que nos envía estas verbas: "Hi there, I have just discovered the wonderful music of Manuel Gas/Manolo Gas and was wondering if you could repost a link to this album as it is almost impossible to find his albums on the net (apart from a couple). I am really surprised that a label like Vampisoul have not reissued his albums or made a compilation". 

SPINACH - Action Man (Parte 1) / Action Man (Parte 2) (Ariola, 1971)

Esta peza, que ben podería ter asinado Santana ou Fernando Arbex, é obra da colaboración do sempre inquedo Giorgio Moroder e o cantante tras Michael Holm. 

ROBERT JOHNSON - The Memphis Demos (Ensign, 1980)

Robert Johnson es un guitarrista de Memphis con buena reputación como sesionero en los primeros setentas para el sello Stax (su guitarra se puede oir por ejemplo en el "Hot Buttered Soul" de Issac Hayes o en grabaciones de Rufus Thomas o Solomon Burke) y para Hi Records de la mano de Willie Mitchell. Durante esa época incluso hizo la prueba para sustituir a Mick Taylor en los Rolling Stones y acabó, unos años más tarde, de guitarrista de la banda de John Entwistle. Ya de vuelta al hogar grabó su único Lp oficial "Close Personal Friend" que estaba más cerca del power pop y la new wave que de lo que había hecho en sus inicios. 

Éste que nos ocupa hoy, contiene unas demos previas a ese disco grabadas en 1978, de hecho algunas aparecerían en él en versiones más pulcras. Como no dejan de ser maquetas, el sonido es mucho más crudo y macarrita, y aunque a veces se le va la mano con la excesiva filigrana, para mi gusto es superior a "Close Personal Friend" y además incluye uno de mis Top 100 Power Pop Classics, "Shaking it down", del que también hicieron adaptación The Bell Heirs o K.K. Black, (el single salió bajo ambos nombres), la misma banda que supuestamente (no logré confirmarlo), le acompaña en The Memphis Demos.

THE FIREBALLS - Goin' Away / Groovy Motions (ATCO, 1968)

The Fireballs o Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs eran originarios de Nuevo Méjico y fueron básicamente un combo instrumental, casi más conocidos por la polémica suscitada al añadir arreglos a las grabaciones póstumas de Buddy Holly, de hecho compartían productor, Norman Petty, que por sus propias canciones. Casi al final de su carrera tuvieron ocasión de filtrear con sonidos más sicodélicos como en esta estupenda cara B.

PURPLE VELVET - Tribute To Creedence Clearwater (Avenue Recordings, 1972)

Towards the end of the nineteen-sixties, the focus of attention in the field of international pop music swung to the West Coast of America where a new and vital spirit had sprung up amongst the horde of young musicians who had gathered there. It was a period which was to see the emergence of a number of outstanding musical aggregations and individual talents, all reaching out for fame and fortune in the rich and relaxed atmosphere that pervaded the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles. As the decade moved to a close and the gentle and wistful sounds which had heralded the appearance of flower-power and incense lost favour, the music took on new vitality and drive.

Out of this creative maelstrom came Creedence Clearwater Revival, four young, talented men whose distinctive powerhouse sound was to set a new pattern for American pop music. The group's gutty, raw material, penned mainly by their leader John Fogerty, was based securely in the blues of the deep South, and their dynamic interpretations quickly swept Creedence into the upper reaches of the best-selling record charts, not only in America but also across the international music scene. 

On this album, Purple Velvet recreate and capture the full vitality and force of Creedence's magni­ficent sound in a selection of their twelve best-known performances. A fitting tribute to one of the most exciting groups to appear in recent times and a superb L.P. for your collection. 

MERIT HEMMINGSON - Rollskog (Mer Svensk Folkmusik På Beat) (Columbia, 1972)

Music freak from the day I was born. Started with accordeon at four and the piano at seven.

After school my plan was to attend Oscar Petersons jazz school in Toronto in the beginning of the sixties, but instead I went to New York to get a band together. I was digging jazz in the famous jazz club Birdland almost every night and even sat in with Miles Davis band at Village Vanguard. Got piano lessons from both Joe Zawinul and Lalo Shifrin. Formed a band in the US with four black female jazz musicians, altosax, trumpet, bass and drums and myself on the piano. We were touring in Sweden for six months, "Merit H. and her Girl Stars".

Left the jazz scene and found my real big "Love" the Hammond B3 organ and started the group Meritones, with which I made my first album in 1967.

In the beginning of the seventies Swedish folk music entered my life which resulted in three gold discs ”Huvva”, ”Trollskog” and "Bergtagen". At this time I also recorded a double album together with the great poet Beppe Wolgers. With two fiddlers and a rhythm section I toured all over Sweden with this quite new concept and had great success. 

Later on exploring other musical fields also with synthesizers, playing with different artists, writing and co-writing songs. But in the last few years I´ve been attracted back to the roots and to the organ playing. A compilation album from the seventies ”Merit – Queen of Swedish Hammond Folk Groove” was released in 2005 and the album ”Touch” in 2006. Merit Hemmingson

FRESH AIR - For What It's Worth / Baby Lady (Exit, 1970)

Sen dúbida miña adaptación favorita do tema dos Buffalo Springfield é esta macarrada feita polos californianos Fresh Air e que ía incluída no seu único Lp "A Breath Of Fresh Air", un disco bastante normaliño aínda que hai xente que ve máis do que hai.