Fallout Rec.  Monte Dunn & Karen Cruz (US,1969,re.2008)***°

Monte Dunn, since the mid sixties, was an in demand musician on live and studio sessions (Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, Peter, Paul and Mary, Sonny & Cher, Fred Neil, Peter Walker, Jack Elliott, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Bob Gibson,..). In between these sessions he made just one album, together with his wife who’s mostly the main front singer and songwriter. Monte’s experiences seem to have provided him some ideas as a producer. Karen Kruz just had her second child, and had already a life of several independent jobs before turning into music. Her inspirations seem to have come from life as small thoughts and experiences. Sometimes the lyrics carry the song well, with emotions and the right arrangements, but more often the songs pass quickly, and are completely absorbed by certain styles which enjoyment to it is given more attention than to the lyrics, thoughts or feelings, like the happier country folk-rock flavours. Despite a bit of lyrical criticism involved and inspired by what the times provided (like on “Outside looking in”, written deliberately inside a prison, with thoughts against religious preachers who are “outside things” but still dare to have opinions on things with which they never shared participations, but it is also about a guy not wanting to go to the army and then having sent to jail for it), the feeling remains an involvement of a sort of let-it-go happiness, singing over each thought with more up tempo directly consuming live energy, something which for the directly vivid approach still remains appealing. Different are folk-rock songs like “Never in my life” showing strong vocally expressive abilities, followed by a more baroque arranged other beautiful song, “Order to things”. But when the last track concludes with a bluesier rock version/cover of a Tim Hardin track, not much of any the expressed thoughts stay with you, so that the album demands repeated listens to dig all the details, which were covered up a bit like with sand, by all the more up tempo energies involved. This still is a realy enjoyable album, which despite any lightness of moments, for me stands the time well.

Label info : http://www.soundlinkmusic.com/catalog/fallout/monte-dunn-karen-cruz/prod_218.html
Info on Monte Dunn : http://www.answers.com/topic/monte-dunn?cat=entertainment
Other review : http://playitagainmax.blogspot.com/2007/07/monte-dunn-karen-cruz-st-1969.html
Rev-Ola Rec.  Kathe Green : Run The Length of your Wildness (US/UK,1969,re.2008)****

I decided to check out some of the Rev’Ola releases now and then, because they release some beautiful voices from the 60s. Looking back at those days makes me realize that it wasn’t all such a free expression time as we now wish to remember. Lots of female singers were bombed to popularity with a re-enforcement of often lushly orchestrated arrangements in standardised styles, which fitted perfectly for some songs, and sounded just nice with some others, while turning the singer-songwriter’s potential this way very often into a chansonnier/singer/crooner made for entertainment and showbiz, while in the end they were more often being judged for it’s entertainment success before they could continue with their career or not. Despite this bitter fact which happened, the positive thing about it is that the production ideas of the 60s had a nice attractive sound on its own, which in its early years actually hardly ever ruined the music itself. It was only when the costs and efforts for it in the 70s did no longer have the desired success that the production arrangements turned to different, less sweet attractions, leaving less fitting ability to a singer, so that the taste for arrangements became overshadowed by the game of manipulation.

Kathe Green’s first LP surely was one of the more successful female pop albums, but through circumstances missed that much needed promotion. This reissue surely proves how much this is a shame. The London Philharmonic was hired for the sessions and the musical score was done by John Cameron who worked in close cooperation with Kathe’s essence, so that the orchestrations work perfectly. I very much like the strong expressions on “If I thought you’d ever change your mind”, a song by the arranger and musical director John Cameron himself and which I remember very much from David Bowie’s version of it, a version with fits very well as to compare both interpretations. Also the title track, even when this song is not ringing a bell, and this is with additional brass to the string orchestra, convinces in a similar way, creating a world around the song expressions that makes them stronger from within. 10 out of 13 songs were Kathe’s own songs. Recommended.

Label info : http://www.cherryred.co.uk/revola/artists/kathegreen.htm
Description on http://www.spincds.com/...
& http://playitagainmax.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_archive.html
Guerssen Rec.    Alan Munson : Good Morning World (US,1974,re.2008)****'

The beautiful vocal harmonies on this solo album are still there, as if he never quit as a duo, just like the impression on the back cover, where you can see him taking a pose before a landscape (right),.. with himself (left). The liner note introduction mention an important pre-dating experience which changed his life as a musician, which started with a feeling of disappointment after having visited a producer in LA, who said he had to work on more self-experienced songs before coming back. And that’s what he did, literally and drastically, leaving us with a witnessing album of such an experience.

-In what we know about Buddhism and other researches for enlightenment or spiritual relief, we often hear about the idea that we should quit our daily lives to be able to meditate on our direct way of experiences. If we should do that literally any time it could also mean a fleeing of any responsibilities and commitment, while we could also have practiced this by making only a conscious distance with our personality alone, while taking only a distance from daily life in mind, while still consciously participating with attention to all the confronting deepest inner needs which we could gradually fulfil in this context as well.- Just at the emotional highlight with a relationship and meeting point, being afraid that one day this might change to something bad, that’s where the songwriter left, trying to keep to good feeling and memory, that should be able to kept high also without this. (I must say I have experienced a likewise situation, but now I know that such decision also destroyed that special connection, and that it wasn’t able to live on without it. (Later I realised that eventually, in a commitment, you are destined to go to a next level, where we can experience who we as individuals and as caretakers for others really are, so that for those who really care about the other this feeling can not become worse, while only illusions and situation-depending experiences can be destroyed by time and change). Alan Munson went for keeper of the energy of the experience itself, which, captured in a moment on an album, of course was able to bring something of that special moment of this, into words and music. 

Audio : "Fences", "Good morning world", "The turtle (moving on)"
Label info on http://www.guerssen.com/           next album ->
Fallout Rec.       Rainman (NL,1970,re.2008)***°

This is the first and only solo album by Frank Nuyens in close cooperation with band mate’s Q65 drummer Jay Baar. For these Q65 lovers I must warn that stylistically there is little to find of a Q65 association (although I didn’t hear their work later than the 60s).

By this time, Frank had already left Q65 for a while, and together with Jay he had played before with Kjoe and after Q65 also one year with Circus, but he felt he wanted a platform for his own songs, so with all the time and investment he got he took the opportunity to record this album which was meant to reach the English, I think especially the American market. The album is co-produced by Cuby & the Blizzards drummer Dick Beekman.

It is a well hung together song album, a strong collection of, often gentle, songs with nice rock arrangements. “Natural Man” has small American/Nashville associations and progressive touches on flute and electric guitar solos. “Don’t” is a beautiful song which sound more like folk-pop like Donovan, led by acoustic guitar and Spanish acoustic guitar while “Get you..” directs slightly towards Al Stewart’s pop reaching abilities during the same years. The only cover is a song from Tim Hardin, “Don’t Make Promises”, in well done, and more up tempo and poly-rhythmic accompaniment than the original. Tim Hardin was a popular choice to cover, but the choice tells also something of the direction what he wanted to achieve. Only the last track is a bit weak ending for an overall really fine song album. The only other single track which he recorded is also included.

After this project, he played almost two years with the group Lynx, who recorded one single which was never released. After this he played with the Red White and Blue band (with Supersister drummer Herman van Boeyen), who recorded another LP. Later 70s groups with more singles were the Cuby & Blizzards and The Freelance Band.

Homepage Q65 : http://www.q65.org/
with more on Frank Nuyens on http://www.q65.org/Nuyens/nuyens_m.htm
Q65 Biography : http://www.hollandrocks.nl/jump/bio/bz1057.html
English info on http://reviews.ebay.com/...
Dutch info on Q65 : http://www.rockart.nl/story_of_q65.htm
Info : http://www.soundlinkmusic.com/catalog/coming-soon/rainman-rainman/prod_199.html
Other review : http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/NUYENSfrank.htm
Opinion (4th record in middle) on http://www.jivetimerecords.com/turntable.html
Guerssen Rec.    Alan Munson : First Light (US,1979,re.2008)**°°

A few years after Alan’s debut I think he still delivered a strong context-bound next chapter to the two previous albums. There is a little less attention to deeper arrangements, but the songs still sound fine, even when several of them are a bit more influenced by country-rock. The overall feeling is light and reveals some contentment and a certain positivism expressed by sunny flavours and a happy and a light feeling which may be somewhat typical for citizens from sunny California. The song “Good morning world”, standing for a hopeful new beginning, is taken also to this second solo album, with a radio friendly happy version. And also that old love isn’t forgotten, which can be noticed in almost every song, but despite my remarks on the previous album, the positiveness and energy of it, is still able to live on and feed his actions further. I also like very much the 12-string driven songs. The bonus track, referring to the funny feeling that at 30 years old he still is playing rock’n roll is a bit lighter in style, but as a song still fits well as an addition to this chapter or period.

Audio : "it's cold outside", "november", "sail away forever"
Label info on http://www.guerssen.com/
Homepage of Alan Munson : http://www.alanmunson.com
Fallout Rec.    Colleen Lovett : Birds With Broken Wings (US,1974+1966,pub.2008)*****

Some years ago several people, like I did, found out about the great ‘Hippie Goddesses’ compilation of which since then some labels started to trace some of these artists to re-release their original albums.* Linda Perhacs’s album was reissued first, then she was traced and her album received a remastered edition ; this was followed by Michele, more recently (an album which I haven’t heard from start to finish yet), and now, Colleen Lovett is next, who had already no less than 5 tracks on that compilation.  

It was not easy to trace her music history, but it seemed that Colleen had started singing with her sister in the 50s as the Lovett Sisters, in a happy old time country style (with an LP called 'Time Out for Love' in 1954 ; -they seem to have been reunited now and released a new album, "Wheels Of Time'!-). I also traced the existence of an album called ‘Teddy Phillips Orchestra With Colleen Lovett’ (1961) which was mentioned as a word-less chorus album by ‘Hyp records' a source which shows interest in mostly exotic albums. ‘Spaceage pop’ says about this early album that it is “Featured on a fun, if insubstantial, album, Lovett harmonizes so tightly with husband Teddy Phillip's sax solos that some of the impact is lost at first. Phillips' playing is nothing to write home about, but Lovett's airy vocalese compensates considerably for what otherwise would have been a pedestrian and forgettable album.” I noticed the existence of at least one pre-dating single, directed by Teddy Phillips, from 1959, "Goodnight Sweetheart (If I Knew You Were Comin')" / "I'd've Baked A Cake" (Brunswick 55127). The melodic-vocal track "Goodnight Sweetheart" was re-released in 1965 (Drum Boy 113). In 1966 she recorded a beautiful anti-war song on a single pared with "Go Go Girl" (Dot 1258/ Jet 1868), which I only saw as a Japanese edition, which is included here as bonus tracks.**  Her first solo LP is from 1974 but I have seen at least one other LP, with a sensual cover, called ‘Good Grief, It’s... Candy’ from 1979 (Tapex).

Her first solo album album was recorded in the famous Gold Star studios and featured Mike Wolford on piano, Fender Rhodes ; Earl Palmer and Joe Herrick on drums ; Max Bennett on bass ; Mitch Holder and Ray Puthman on guitars ; Pete Chrislieb on alto, soprano and tenor sax ; Colleen Lovett herself on flute, organ, Arp bass, Arp synthesizer, and on background, lead, sighing, crooning and moaning vocals.

The first track, “Asleep in his arms” immediately sets the tone with an almost direct experience with explicit feelings of an overdose of sensuality with somewhat groaning vocals looming the mind of the listener even more through a greasy sax and lukewarm electric piano, smooth bass, and some lounge strings. It is beautifully and soulfully sung. This sort of sexual and sensual satisfaction drips of from many tracks. A bit amusing, almost annoying and definitely personal-hippie minded is “Sandpiper”, starting with “it’s a great depressing day” with seagulls in the background, and only some vocal arrangements as effects ; it is a spoken word track with a sensual broken voice telling the story about finding empathy in a seagull with a broken wing and how they “just stared at each other” feeling each others broken feelings, a track that flows into the title track. In musical essence this moment fits well to some of Linda Perhacs tracks on her album. But then the style smoothly changes to a more funky sensual sound and more soulful arrangements. “Roadside Motel” is more romantic, and includes more string arrangements with sensual laidback-in-bed-daydreaming lounge rhythms and (and some slide-guitar besides other subtle arrangements). “Love Man” is sensuality in body and music. “Woman’s Liberation Blues” is soft-funky soul-blues. Thoroughly the personal story unfolds with references to sensual romance in a motel, which has now ended. “Summer’s gone” takes us back to the beach where she weeps with a lonely echoing vocal. “Monday morning” sings with a lounge jazz vibe, with a more sad looking back. “Getting Over you” features more orchestrations. Part 2 of the title track resumes the story a last time with the seagulls on the background and like participating in the experience, a last sad and soulful goodbye. 
A very nice inclusion is the single from 1966. The first side is a beautiful song about a soldier who lost his life in Vietnam, a song with sad naive innocence as if sung by his girlfriend. The B-side, “Go Go Girl” is of course go go pop in a mid 60s style.
The sound of the reissue in general is good. The album itself for me is highly original, and pretty unique if not essential.

* Only the first names were mentioned on that album, but included were actually Sally Eaton (known from Hair), Colleen Lovett, Cheryl Dilcher, Cheryl Dilcher, Carolyn Hester, Lilly & Maria, Michele, Margo Guryan, Tobie Columbus, Ruth Copeland, Colleen Lovett, Linda Perhacs and  Xaviera Hollander (author of "the happy hooker").
** The bonus single B-side was featured before on the LP “It's A Go-Go World”.

PS. In my radioshow I described the album as such : "On the 1974 album she is sounding like a sensitive woman who hardly knows where feelings ought to be stopped, controlled, trusted or mobilized, possibly had met someone who just took advantage of the sensuality of this, leaving the woman behind, unable to understand what happened, so that she could only sing, as a witness, what she had experienced."

Audio : "Love Man" (LP) ; Video : “Freckle-Faced Soldier" (1966)
Other review of LP on http://www.lysergia.com/AcidArchives/lamaArchiveL.htm
Hippie Goddess info : http://lost-in-tyme.blogspot.com/2006/07/v_19.html
Label info : http://www.soundlinkmusic.com/...
Discography with cover of 1979 album : http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/colleen_lovett
and tape : http://www.8-track-shack.com/product_info.php?products_id=16988
Teddy Philips album on http://www.audiophileusa.com/item.cfm?record=50500
Laff records discography with 1979
Lyrics of '66 single "Freckle-faced Soldier" : http://www.prato.linux.it/~lmasetti/antiwarsongs/...
front & back cover here and audio here
Lovett Sisters homepage : http://www.lovettsisters.com
Short film (not sure if it's
Fallout Rec.    Fred Neil : Trav'lin Man : The Early Singles (US,1957-1961,pub.2008)***°
Rev-Ola Rec.Fred Neil : Everybody's Talkin' Theme from 'Midnight Cowboy' (US,1966,re.1993)***°°

How I remember Fred Neil is a bit different from how most people remember him, who see him as a blues singer, and remember him as the writer of “Dolphins” (Tim Buckley) and “Every Body’s Talking” (sung by Harry Nilsson in ‘Midnight Cowboy’), and perhaps mentioned as an influence on Bob Dylan, and Stephen Stills guitar playing, or the admiration from Jefferson Airplane (who covered "The Other Side of This Life", a song which Lovin'Spoonful and The Animals also covered) or from David Crosby's. While I like this blues period least (with ‘Bleecker & MacDougal’ as the most appreciated album, an album which still did had a significance for directing song music in a different direction), my favourite album is Fred Neil, also published as “Everybody’s Talking..” from 1966 for several reasons. In this period (1966) he was a close friend to bluesfolk singer (and musical hero if you ask me) Karen Dalton, from whom he was influenced in his singing. In his turn it is clear that not just a song like “Dolphins” influenced Tim Buckley in his turn to use his voice differently. What is it that makes this difference ? Karen Dalton used her voice as an instrument with a timbre, an emotional strength of harmonies. Also Fred Neil especially around this 1966 album had used his extremely beautiful voice with some notes of baritone strength with an inner meditative calmness which was rarely seen. His voice penetrates feelings like harmonic vibrations, with the songs.* This makes songs like “Faretheewell” a must to hear. The two blues songs on the 'Fred Neil' album are in fact the most normal songs on that album, while the others go much further to something unique. The last track on this album is also always neglected attention ; it is a spontaneously developed raga-rock track with voice and instruments. A must-have album for sure!... (see remarks at the end).

I thought that his first introduction on record was the cooperation with Vince Martin, in 1964, a combination which only worked well for his own solo work and songs, (it reminds me at how also Phil Ochs was introduced, with compromises to another performer), but there seemed to have been earlier singles recordings, which are now, for the first time, well compiled together. With these earliest singles, it becomes even more clear how there has been a whole different lifetime of songs, and another chapter of his personal and musical history, which is also worth checking out. Also in the late 50s and early 60s Fred Neil has been appreciated for his songs and attractive voice. He is known to have sold songs to Roy Orbison ("Candy Man"), Jack Scott ("Grizzly Bear"), and others, while also Buddy Holly covered a song co-written by him (“Come Back Baby”, recorded 5 years earlier but only published in 1964, a short time only before Buddy's sad accident).

Until his father died when he was nine (?) he travelled with him around the South-East border selling jukeboxes. From him he got his first guitar, and through the jukeboxes he learned to play the instrument. One of the earliest musical influences on Fred Neil was in fact the gospel music in churches where only black worshippers gathered, where he went to sing with his grandmother. Since the mid fifties he quickly became involved in the rockabilly scene, and knew several important writers and singers. Personally it seems that he liked very much Hank Williams. Possibly with some recommendations from Buddy Holly, Fred Neil got a contract for his first single around 1957. After a few more singles it seems that he also was a session guitar player like for Bobby Darin ("Dream Lover" demo) and Paul Anka ("Diana").

My girlfriend's musical and other tastes spans much more the 40s to the 60s, while my own roots of interests started where her roots originally leaves off more or less, at around 1966-1967, but it is still interesting to see how during the years we find the overlaps and bridges between the two different periods, and also, starting points,  in music well, while it is as if for me now I feel better the early roots of the sixties with its more free and personal expressions how this lies rooted further back in time. While she also liked very much the later Fred Neil, and each song which I presented there, obviously she didn’t feel less sympathy for his older work, which while it still is clearly a product of his time, it already shows Freddie’s own unique personality of expressions through the use of his voice, and his clever song writing, showing often a certain intelligent distance to the songs.

On the first listed, rock’n roll, track, “You ain’t treatin’ me right”, you can hear in some phrases how his baritone voice is penetrating with its lower vibrations with a certain fun making in the song. Different to Elvis's strong and slightly “black”-alike voice, in many of Fred’s early songs we hear an almost cynical enjoyment having fun with the style of the times, making the songs different as usual, and thus also highly enjoyable (from the crooner B-side “Don’t put a blame on me” to the calmer beauty “Take me back again”, a song with some sad mouth harmonica, onto the more serious “heartbreak bound”). “Listen Kitten” sounds more like Buddy Holly. Mostly he is accompanied by a background choir singing rhythmic “awoo’s” and such (like on “heartbreak bound”, “Travelin’ band”,..), as well as with the usual rock’n roll band. More of a ballad is “Love’s funny”, lead by acoustic guitar this time. The next, happy romantic song, “Secret-Secret” then is already more comparable to a let’s say pre-Tim Hardin area of singing/style. Equally happy and attractive, with beautiful whistling, is “Slipping Around”. Also “Rainbow and A Rose” continues with a ballad romantic style. “Four Chaplains” is a bit more country-like, and only 'seems' to have a pro-American subject, with Church-like musical associations in the beginning, but also here you can hear a cynical intelligent Fred Neil having his own story to tell.

After these singles, or around this period, he started to sing at ‘The Café Wha?’ where he would be one of the first politically conscious singers, influencing people like Bob Dylan and playing with him occasionally. Then he moved to the scene at ‘At the Gaslight’ where he would turn to a folkier and more blues-folk period of influence, while meeting people like Tim Hardin, Karen Dalton and Peter Stampfe, but that is already a next chapter..

The sound quality of the compiled tracks is very good and it definitely shows very well the talent of the early period of Fred Neil before he was introduced to other influences. A recommended document. The release also made me again curious to Neil's bluesier period to giving it a second opinion and listen soon.

* Sebastian for instance called his voice a "honey-laden baritone with the Southern lilt", and also Odetta once described his voice as "a healing instrument."

Audio of Fred Neil around 1965-1966 : http://www.myspace.com/fredneil ;
audio of Fred Neil album : http://www.allmusic.com/... & Early singles on http://www.allmusic.com/...
Info on Fred Neil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Neil
& http://www.furious.com/Perfect/folkniks.html
& http://www.furious.com/perfect/folkniks2.html
& http://www.fufkin.com/columns/wilder/fred_neil_obit.htm
& http://www.bobdylanroots.com/neil.html
& http://www.richieunterberger.com/neil.html
& http://www.richieunterberger.com/neil.html
& http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/fredneil/biography
and a lot more on the fan page : http://www.fredneil.com/
Biography : http://www.home.zonnet.nl/jim2873/fredneil/chronology.html
& http://www.gracenote.com/search/artist.php?contributor_id=33967
Discography : http://www.wirz.de/music/neilfrm.htm
Other review of 'Fred Neil' : http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2894

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The only question I still have about his whole life, and which remains unanswered, a question which might not even have been asked before, is about one more, deeper lying background of his, which never has come out well on record, maybe because many surrounding people during his life wanted to use him for this or that, and where one other important interest might have remained aside. It was the raga track on his ‘Fred Neil’ record : what made him make a track like this ? I know that raga influences were starting to emmerge, and someone like Peter Walker also ran around the place, but he might not have been the very first to come up with all that.. I asked Toni Ruiz from Fred Neil’s website how I could place this influence :

“ He played backed by The Seventh Sons *(note: -who recorded the first ragapsych record, in 1964-), when the Buzzy Linhart band still was named The Buzzy Linhart Trio (Buzzy on vibes and guitar, Steve DeNaut on bass and Serge Katzan on percussion). Yet, the line-up also included sometimes: Luther Rix on drums, Max Ochs on guitar, Frank Evantoff on flute, James Rock on bass -who played on the "raga" LP-, Ned Carter on guitar -who backed Fred in Coconut Grove-, Barry Goldberg on keyboards -who backed Dylan at Newport '65 and played usually with The Fugs-.

According to different sources, between 1964 and 1966, Fred played with The Trio at the Night Owl and the Café au Go Go. It'd not be strange if they played also at the Feenjon, the most adventurous and Middle Eastern inflected venue in Greenwich Village, where Hamza El Dim, Felix Pappalardi and Steve Knight -the latter two would found Mountain years later- played their own jammings. Besides, the only pic featuring Fred backed by Linhart, DeNaut and Rix (from around early 1966) was taken on a live set at Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey.

The Serge Katzan loft was used to display fabulous raga excursions, playing on them many varied musicians like Gram Parsons, Mississippi John Hurt and David Crosby.

The eponymous LP by Fred, recorded in the Fall of 1966, and produced by Nik Venet for Capitol Records, with no one from the Sons in the personnel, comprised at the end of the track-list a true indian raga essay called "Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga". On it we can hear Fred on 12-string, Pete Childs and John T. Forsha on acoustic guitars, Al Wilson (Canned Heat) on harp and Billy Mundi (The Mothers Of Invention) on drums. What a pity that other songs in the album were faded-out at their ends because the musicians justly, once finished the song structure, used to start to jam. Something that Venet allowed that we could hear on Sessions, the 1967 Fred album, full of acoustic folk-blues improvised litanies.” Toni Ruiz Diaz
REISSUES OF SINGER-SONGWRITERS AND FOLK-PSYCH SONG ALBUMS PAGE 6 :

US : Peter Kelley, Fred Neil (2x), Colleen Lovett, Lily & Maria, Michelle, Donnie Dobson, Terence,
Monte Dunn & Karen Kruz, Cooley-Munson & Alan Munson (2x) +UK : Kathe Green ; NL : Rainman
Fallout Rec.Peter Kelley : Path Of The Wave (US,1969)***'

Peter Kelly released two albums, of which this is his first. It features some distinctive and qualitative variety in his vocal expressions and inspirations, which are always under some influence of a slow and sparkling bluesy vibe. Several tracks are in a slight poetic, and expressive story telling way, accompanied by acoustic guitar. On “Apricot Brandy” the second instrument has a strange key and sounds as if being a mixture of koto and a banjo. There are sparse violin arrangements and slow improvising moody flute improvisations. When his voice takes more forward expressions his voice becomes almost like a Dr.John’s “voodoo” kind of singing, with weirder emotionalities ; elsewhere this can be regarded as an American way of more lyrical focused blues-inspired songmusic, for which some people might make Bob Dylan comparisons, without this being too relevant of an association. A few tracks feature electric guitar too, of which “The Man is Dead” is the most rocky track, featuring organ, drums and a bluesrocking electric guitar. A really nice album and a fine discovery.

Participants were David Budin : guitar, piano, bass, saxophone, co-production ; Rusti Clark : viola ; Chuck Colin : trumpet ; Danny Federici : organ ; Barton Friedman : co-production ; Richard Gottehrer : viola ; Eddie Guzman : drums –he also played with Rare Earth / Doobie Brothers ; Harriet Jacoff : piano ; John Lehr : guitar ; Walton Mendelson : flute ; Jack Nailon : bass guitar ; Roy Nievelt : electric guitar ; Richard Husson & Warren Slaten : engineering.

PS. The album knew a US release on Sire SES-97009 and a UK release on London HAK 8402. After a preview single called ‘Dealin Blues’ (1971) his second, more arranged album was released under the same title ‘Dealin’ Blues (1972).

Info : http://www.soundlinkmusic.com/...
Details of album and two singles : http://myhome.naver.com/myisabell67/PeterKelly/TheManIsDead.html
Go to the next review page :
WISHES FOR REISSUES REVIEW PAGE->
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Do you know interesting reissues of singer-songwriter related releases,
especially with a certain amount of intuitive creativity ?
Please e-mail me
Reissues of some acid folk albums see
http://psychedelicfolk.homestead.com/acidfolkreviews.html

Guerssen Rec.      Cooley / Munson : In Debt (US,1972,re.2008)****

This duo from Santa Barbara, California shows creatively all the sunny/beach healing energy of the bay area, in an extremely relaxed way and with a distance to the world and also to their own experiences. “In Debt” deals with their own consequences in relationships, in committing and in leaving, looking for change that was never found. The front cover says “we will no longer be responsible for debts contracted by ourselves on any other person”, while at the same time they also deal with the whole reality of what is left behind. The side path, outside it all, makes above all a very creative meditation. It is even as if the 60s sounds come to a halt now, with new free expressions of honest and calm retrospective songs. The lead vocals are beautifully gentle, and so there is little percussion. The dual guitars work like gentle breezes. The attractive songs are kept relatively simple, and because the melodic-rhythmic ideas of the guitars are well adapted to the song melodies, this gives them a rather timeless feeling. “In The Rain” has a really beautiful melody-driven acoustic guitar tune, taking its place to develop. “Sightly Sue” has a certain surf-effect on the guitar, revealing a California beach feeling, perhaps even something of an island, separated from the land. More often it is acoustic and electric guitar that are combined. The song “In Debt” is also worth a mention for its beautiful vocal harmonies. A recommended, enjoyable album.

Audio : "I need a change", "In debt", "In the rain"
Homepage of Alan Munson : http://www.alanmunson.com
Description  on http://www.bompstore.com/... & http://www.systemrecords.co.uk/...
Label info (Spanish) : http://www.guerssen.com/cont_sello.html     solo album->
Fallout Rec.    Terence : An Eye For An Ear (CAN/US,1969,re.2008)**°'

This is a slightly confusing album by a songwriter called Terry Black who seems to have started his career crooning on a local Vancouver music show, and who had six top 40 hits in Canada around 1965, becoming Canada's first and biggest teen sensation, with an LP in 1966 called Black Plague (now reissued on Unidisc), before recording this strange album partly in Toronto and New York. From his earliest period he comes over as a soul-rocking powerfully crooning singer, with heavy pop brass arrangements on several tracks, staying with his singing between crooning, soul and blues-rock. So it is weird that the second track, “Rap” already directs to heavy bluesrock, with great electric guitar solos. “Fool Amid the Traffic” can be considered as a psych track, featuring doomy organ, fuzzed electric guitar, and some funky organ, which tends to deliver his serious message. This message sounds as if partly inspired by a inflicted Christian who wants to deliver a message to the world, in a priest-like way, saying how shocked he is that things are governed by war and not peace or something like that, especially on “Exiles”. (-Is he posing with armoury before the university?-). “Priscilla” has a much lighter feeling. But “Does it feel better now” which has spoken word telling about “the emperor’s new clothes” is really very experimental, with a soprano classical voice mixed with reverb bass, and high notes of electronica, before making a last song conclusion, with big lunged singing one more last time.

Discography on http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Black,+Terry/a/Terry+Black.htm
Other review : http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/TERRENCE.htm
Label's info : http://www.soundlinkmusic.com/
Sunbeam Rec.    Lily & Maria (US,1968,re.2008)****'

Ah, it was a time and atmosphere when everything seemed possible, or like in the liner notes by Lily, says, where “men were long-haired” (and wishful thinking), and “women wore beads and flowing dresses” ; in the midst of this, two young women started to sing together, with a mutual understanding like sisters, vulnerable and fragile like young virginal angels, knowing that there were protest songs from Joan Boaz and Bob Dylan, and soft sounds from Simon & Garfunkel or Peter, Paul & Mary, and who suddenly, hardly experienced with music, were suddenly picked up to make an album. The producers looked for contrasts to fill up, against the beauty of the soft sounds, and even worked three months on the result, then printed the album and just left it for what it was, perhaps too much wondering that after having so much effort and dedication to work for creative perfection, it might have brought an equal shared and matured knowing of what really had happened with it. From the liner notes, today, it seems that the duo thinks even now that their lonely voices with the bit of subtle guitar was all they knew they had for sure, and with the arrangements this had become something different as how people knew them. I personally think the voices come out well, even with a few rockier tracks (in a psychedelic way), and the arrangements work very well with them too. Personally I also don’t care very much if people might notice any naïve lyrical beginnings, because even taken out of this context they are still better than the average modern pop song I hear on national radio today. This is the expression of a nice, sweet and innocent protected area which was possible at that time. They had a reason to believe in at least certain, vague possibilities. When I hear the bonus track of “Everybody knows” with bird whistling flute I understand the perfect attraction.

(The only thing I do not like is the too vague, thin and over-exposured front cover. It says however something of how thin and volatile the duo in consciousness saw themselves, while the final result on the album had much more fronting and mature qualities).

Label info : http://soundlinkmusic.com/catalog/sunbeam/lily-and-maria/prod_203.html
& http://www.sunbeamrecords.com
Other reviews : 2 different reviews of LP on http://www.lysergia.com/AcidArchives/lamaArchiveL.htm
& on http://www.lysergia.com/LamaReviews/reviews3.htm#LILY%20&%20MARIA
& http://www.answers.com/topic/lily-maria-album-by-lily-maria?cat=entertainment
Description on http://www.dustygroove.com/...
About Lily : http://theisaacs.musiccitynetworks.com/index.htm?id=5411
Fallout Rec.  Michelle : Saturn Sings (US,1969, re.2006?)***°'

I also would like to mention that Fallout also released a third album which had a track on the legendary Hippie Goddesses compilation. It is either soulful folk-rock/(folky) pop or smooth (jazzy) soulfolk, or song-driven acoustically arranged music (including some double bass arrangements), often this is somewhat hippie-lyrical in nature. "Fallen Angel" is Indian-flavoured (electric violin and tabla) psych. The expressive changes of expressions, styles and well cared for arrangements work very well, and saves strongly the very few just slightly mellower moments. "Lament of the Astro Cowboy" is a longer improvised outro-like trip-engaging song.

There are many music-historical associations involved that led to this album and to connections between appearing session’s musicians. Singer Michele O’Malley first sang with pop band Ballroom, then did some vocals on Sagittarius’s “Present Tense”. She also appeared on vocals on Tommy Roe’s “Now it’s a winter day”, on a single from Summer’s Children, on Friar Tuck and his psychedelic guitar album (1967), and then on Millenium’s “It’s a sad world”. Most of these albums involved arranger and producer Curt Boettcher, and of course included a few session musicians he used before. This was Michell’s first chance of a solo record, still under lead of Curt Boettcher. Other collaborators were already or would soon become famous with other projects like Lowell George (pre-Little Feat), Elliot Ingber (Zappa/Beefheart), Bobby Notkoff (pre-Rockets), Gordon Alexander (The Association),  Bobby Jameson (a.k.a. Chris Lucey).

Label info : http://www.soundlinkmusic.com/catalog/fallout/michelle-saturn-rings/prod_33.html
Other reviews : http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3053
& http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Michele
& http://www.mp3.com/albums/36935/reviews.html
Rev-Ola Rec.  Bonnie Dobson : Good Morning Rain (CAN/US,1969,re.2007)**°°?




review will be added soon







Label info : http://www.cherryred.co.uk/revola/artists/bonniedobson.htm
Discography : http://www.wirz.de/music/dobsofrm.htm
Info on Bonnie Dobson : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_Dobson &
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000987
& on http://www.myspace.com/bonnie_dobson