DADDY LINDBERG Shirl - Wade In The Shade (Columbia, 1967)

"Wade in The Shade"

The Fingers foron unha das primeiras banda británicas en definirse a si mesmos como sicodélicos alá polo 66. Tamén, segundo as lendas que acompañan a todo grupo de rock, saían a escena cun mono de nome Freak Out. Na súa curta carreira deixaron tres sinxelos aínda que  o seu terceiro apareceu baixo o seudónimo de Daddy Lindberg. "Shirl", una peza de Geoff Stephens e John Carter non vale moito pero "Wade in the Shade" é realmente impresionante.  Hai uns días púxose en contacto con nós John Bobin,  baixista orixinal de The Fingers,  que nos conta isto:

Hi:
I saw a track called "Wade in the Shade" in your blog which my old band The Fingers recorded in 1967 under the name Daddy Lindberg (The Fingers were under contract to EMI, with a certain amount of recording time allotted to us at Abbey Road. We had run out of time for that period so Peter Eden (our producer) booked us in as Daddy Lindberg!). We were recently persuaded to reform for a one-off gig and the evening was recorded for posterity. Henry Scott-Irvine (the well known author, broadcast media consultant and radio presenter) was present at the reunion gig when The Fingers played together for the first time since 1967. Henry described the gig thus: 

“The Fingers emerged in 1966 and recorded their best songs in the summer of 1967. With former members of Dr Feelgood, The Kursaal Flyers and Wilko Johnson’s Solid Senders, gathered alongside former associates of Procol Harum, The Fingers took to the stage on the night of September 21st 2012 in the shape of their original line-up. During the break several TV screens came to life showing The Fingers in May 1967 from the German TV series Beat Beat Beat, which was televised, live in Frankfurt. The pinnacle of the show was ‘Wade in the Shade’, which was the B-side of ‘Shirl’ undertaken by The Fingers’ alter-ego band Daddy Lindberg. I did say to their bass guitarist, John Bobin, that it was a shame they had not played ‘All Kinds Of People’ and its B-side ‘Circus With A Female Clown’, which are now regarded as psychedelic masterpieces by many, which brings us back to that particular tag ‘psychedelic’. Record Mirror newspaper said in 1966, ‘The Fingers are as about as psychedelic as Ken Dodd!’ Leaving aside the above two songs, the Daddy Lindberg single and the songs seen on Beat Beat Beat, Record Mirror probably had a point. The Fingers were a great 60’s Pop group. They were extremely versatile, then and now. And they had their psychedelic moments, too!” 

Our new CD "Wade in the Shade" is available from www.mickeyjupp.com.. All the best,  John

LIVING JAZZ - Memphis Underground (RCA, 1970)

"Memphis Underground"

Living Jazz eran un invento del trompetista y arreglista Phil Bodner, también conocido por estar al frente de otro combo de similares características, The Brass Ring (Los Anillos de Bonce). La bonita portada y el título inducen a pensar que nos vamos a encontrar toques de lisergia o algo parecido pero la realidad es otra, sólo un agradable disco de easy listening con bonitos detalles del teclista, un poco de fuzz ligerito y una aceptable selección del repertorio. La mejor es sin duda la  adaptación del tema de Herbie Mann que se puede escuchar en el reproductor.

............

Since its early formative years in New Orleans, jazz has been imbued with an astounding variety of outside influences, absorbing and utilizing features of other musical styles in order to enrich and broaden its own development. Yet, it has always managed to retain its own unique identity, its essence unsubmerged by appearances. Whatever else jazz may seem to be, it is always jazz, always the music of now. 

Rock and bossa nova are two of the more recent contributors to the growth and development of that protean organism we call jazz. Here is particularly fertile ground for the jazzman: the rhythmic, electric excitement of rock and the gentle, lyrical understatement of bossa nova. In the right hands this combination of ingredients promises some very groovy music indeed. 

Which brings us to the present album. Phil Bodner, along with a superbly gifted group of instrumentalists, has come up with an outstanding example of jazz it la mode. The recipe calls for a brimming bagful of choice, Grade A, now hits liberally seasoned with the sounds of rock, a dash of bossa nova and served with a great heaping of jazz soul. 

Included in this collection of tunes are such tasty morsels as Lennon-McCartney's Eleanor Rigby, Otis Redding's (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay, Herbie Mann's Memphis Underground and Nilsson's I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City. Phil Bodner's arrangements are as upto-the-minute as the material itself, and Living Jazz plays them with its customary sound and spirit. 

All in all, MEMPHIS UNDERGROUND stands as living proof of the fact that although the face of jazz may change the groove goes on and on. (Notas contraportada)

LALLY STOTT - Chirpy Chirpy, Cheep Cheep (Philips, 1971)

"Love Is Free, Love Is Blind, Love Is Good"

Antes de que Middle of the Road, Los 3 de Castilla y Mac & Katie Kissoon bombardearan a medio mundo con "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep", su autor, Lally Stott ya había grabado su propia versión que alcanzó cierta popularidad en Australia e Italia donde residía entonces. Lally nació cerca de Liverpool y en los primeros sesentas en plena explosión beat formó parte de varios grupos como The Vaqueros o los algo más conocidos Four Just Men que posteriormente mutarían en los recomendables Wimple Winch. En 1965, como muchos músicos británicos del momento, desembarcó en Italia dónde formó parte de los Motowns hasta 1969. Éste, su único Lp, grabado con apoyo de los Black Jacks, contiene las dosis justas de bubblegum mezclado con popsyke de época con excelentes momentos, un disco realmente agradable. Murió en 1977 en accidente de coche. Como bonus va la cara B de "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep", otra estupenda canción titulada "Henry James".

GEORGE TIPTON - Nilsson By Tipton (Warner Bros. 1970)

"Rainmaker"

With his background as a television soundtrack and jingles arranger, but also possessing a deep knowledge of the history of jazz and popular orchestration, George Tipton was the perfect collaborator for Harry Nilsson in the late '60s, bringing Nilsson's wonderfully skewed sense of pop to life on a series of classic albums that flirted with commercial appeal even as they undermined that appeal with deliberate quirkiness and a wink of the eye. At some point the two had a falling out, but assumedly before that happened, Tipton released this charming set of Nilsson tunes reassembled and reshaped as MOR instrumental fare in 1970. The album works for the same reason that Nilsson's albums work -- that goofy love of what pop music can be when a little intelligence, grace, and joy are applied to it. “Rainmaker” emerges in Tipton’s tribute version as strong, sturdy, and sure, like a bold theme to some sweeping television Western, while the repositioning of “Nobody Cares About the Railroads Anymore" sounds like a vintage 1940s vocal jazz piece. “Think About Your Troubles” is lovely, bouncing, and soothing, sugary but not to a fault. “Without You” keeps its wounded grace even as it emerges as a gentle dance samba. True, these tracks are really just a button away from being elevator music, but somehow they aren't. Tipton saw the musical history and structure that were inherent in Nilsson's songs, and with his own musical background, he knew how to bend them into familiar shapes -- make that almost familiar shapes. Nilsson's odd and joyful melodic signatures always shine through. Steve Leggett

ALFALPHA - Alfalpha (EMI 1977)

"About You"

With a rather stylish album cover created by none other than renowned artist David Hockney; Alfalpha had some serious friends in high places with the inside sleeve namedropping Pete Townsend/ Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and more importantly Marc Bolan of T Rex. It's the connection with the godfather of glam that reaped big dividends including contributing vocals to what would be the final T Rex album "Dandy In The Underworld" and several appearances on Bolan's short-lived television show "Marc" which ran for six episodes before his untimely death in September 1977. 

I Indeed this is a very laid-back album in the style of America and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Not a problem since I'm a fan I of both but unlike their folk-pop peers, Alfalpha didn't have a well of great songs at their disposal. Vocally and as expected, the trio blends well with jangly acoustic and occasionally but not often enough electric guitars and yet nothing here sticks, although tunes like the sugary sweet 'About You' and the windswept "Sky Turned Red" are certainly passable. One single "If I Can Just Get through Tonight" was released and it too is a pleasant little ditty but with so much ground breaking competition in 1977 it never stood a chance. Too late for the Laurel Canyon heyday and too early to hitch-up on the Paisley Underground movement; Alfalpha were a melancholic minor league oddity in the wrong era and short of originality. 

Main man Nick Laird-Clowes who went on to respected power poppers The Act and later to international success in The Dream Academy, a band I have a great admiration for and although I rarely if ever give Alfalpha a spin on the old turntable, I keep it for the artful Hockney sleeve. Glory Daze Music

BAR-KEYS - No Puedes Sentarte / Bar-Kays Boogaloo (Atlantic, 1968)

"Bar-Kays Boogaloo"

"You Can't Sit Down" é unha adaptación dun tema de The Dovells do ano 1963 que resolven sin problema pero o interesante de novo aparece ao darlle a volta.

SEBASTIAN WILLIAMS & HIS SOUL MEN - The One You Can't Have / Shucks (Cotillon, 1969)

Otro curioso instrumental de orientación soul que me llamo la atención estos días. "Shucks" es en realidad una relectura de la cara A "The One You Can't Have", firmada por Isaac Hayes y Dave Lambert, en la que el papel de vocalista es ocupado por un guitarrista con cierta querencia por su nuevo pedal wah-wah. Del grupo no sé absolutamente nada. 

WILSON PICKETT - No Desprecies Mi Amor (Partes 1 y 2) (Atlantic, 1971)

""Don´t Knock My Love Part 2""

Unha compra desta mañá que se convertiu en agradable sorpresa cando escoitei este friki instrumental de soul funk sideral con certo toque sicodélico. ***

LOUIS PHILLIPPE - Passport To Pamplona (GASA, 1987)

"You Mary You"

Outra petición. Publicado inicialmente en outubro do 2008

Hace un par de años estabamos Kabaloff y yo rebuscando entre los pocos discos que aún quedan en la tienda que hay en Monforte y además de comprarme por segunda vez el disco de los Triffids "Born Sandy Devotional", por cierto no entiendo en aprecio que hay por ese disco, también me hice con este de Louis Philippe, al que recordaba por una bonita canción "If You're Missing Someone" que aparecía en un recopilatorio de "él records" publicado por Grabaciones Accidentales en los ochenta, de hecho Philippe era una de las personas que estaban detrás de ese sello de efímera existencia (1986-1989), pero de fuerte impronta musical. Este "Passport To Pamplona" es en realidad "Passport To The Pogie Mountains" editado según reza en la página de Louis Phillipe sólo en España y Japón y que no viene a ser más que una recopilación de ocho temas provenientes de "Appointment with Venus" (1986), su debut para "él records", algunos temas aparecidos en single como "You Mary You" o "Anthony Bay", una demo de "The Rubens Room", más tarde publicada por The King of Luxemburg, otro colega del sello y un par de instrumentales grabados para el programa de TV3 Catalunya Arsenal Atlas. El disco tiene todo lo que se espera de este titán, pop barroco excelso "You Mary You" o "Heaven Is Above My Head" que podría haber sido fuente de inspiración para The Divine Comedy, ejercicios vocales fantásticos en "Anthony Bay", sonidos fronterizos en "Touch of Evil" con unas trompetas muy molonas, toquecitos Ray Davies en "Angelica My Love", pop francés " La Pluie Fait Des Claquettes", lounge de diverso tipo, etc, un disco bien bonito a pesar de la portada, no sé porque no escogieron la estupenda foto de la contra, obra de Nick Wesolowski, ex-batería de Monochrome Set, que lo retrató como una especie de anarquista de finales del XIX. Como nota curiosa decir que el señor Philippe aparte de sus escarceos musicales es también muy conocido en su país bajo su nombre real Philippe Auclair como comentarista futbolero y es, además, corresponsal de France Football en Inglaterra. Tiembla Segurola

VIGRASS AND OSBORNE - Steppin' Out (CBS, 1974)

"Daily Depress"

Había anos que non escoitaba este disco do que, a verdade sexa dita, só lembraba a peza que se pode escoitar no reprodutor, pero decidín compracer a un comunicante anónimo que tiña certo interese neste segundo Lp do dúo británico Vigrass and Osborne. Despois de darlle un repaso enteiro de novo, dicir que o máis interesante está nas voces e nalgúns dos arranxos do produtor Jeff Wayne. As notas que veñen a continuación están extraídas do blog The Note Book Of.

Here you'll find all I have been able to assemble about Vigrass and Osborne: the British duo of Paul Vigrass and Gary Osborne. They had a brief recording history in the early 1970s which resulted in a handful of sparkling pop singles that were criminally ignored in most territories around the world.

Their producer, Jeff Wayne, was a writer and producer of commercial jingles - he undoubtedly brought that sensibility to the table, as well as playing organ and co-writing some of the songs.  Musicians I recognise on the albums include guitarists Chris Spedding and Caleb Quaye, and Ray Cooper (percussion); the latter two frequently worked with Elton John.

Wayne, of course, later produced the highly successful War Of The Worlds album in 1978. To that project, he took with him Gary Osborne to write lyrics to some of the songs - and he uplifted a Vigrass And Osborne tune - Forever Autumn, which became the biggest seller and signature tune from War Of The Worlds.

Prior to V&O, Paul Vigrass had a few solo releases in the late 1960s (including Free Lorry Ride and A New Man), then briefly replaced Tony Burrows as lead singer of the studio band Edison Lighthouse. 

Gary Osborne leaves a number of traces, though - as a lyricist. He apparently wrote English lyrics for the Veronique Sanson song Amoureuse, recorded by Kiki Dee in 1974 (a year after the original). But his best residual income would be from the War Of The Worlds album, possibly also for his lyrics for Elton John on three albums in the mid-1980s; the hits were Part Time Love, Little Jeannie, and Blue Eyes. He's been active as lyricist as recently as 2006.