What's Playing Now

[Fritz The Cat]

Jack Casady plays a rare Gibson (????) Flying V bass with the machine heads on top row of headstock: a self-modified Gibson bass body combined with Fender Jazz bass neck? I have never seen this curious bass elsewhere. Does anybody know better or more? Inner gatefold cover shows Casady using a Wah Wah pedal. Recorded live Aug. 5./6. 1977 at Theatre 1839, San Francisco. Very dynamic live sound superbly produced by Felix Pappalardi: mountains of cream....Listen to tracks A1-A4: Kaukonen solo with big sounding acoustic guitar. Listen to the audience. So many women screaming.....

No, it's neither Gibson nor Fender! Now i found what i was looking for. As Jack Casady says in his interview with "Fly Guitars": it's a Guild V bass modified by a Guild Jetstar bass neck. See www.flyguitars.com

[Fritz The Cat]

Barclay James Harvest - The Best Of Barclay James Harvest Volume 3
(1981, Harvest) UK pressing




A compilation with a nice selection of tracks published between 1968-1972.

Thank you for the tip. On "Vol.2" there are some rare or curious tracks too. I didn't know until now. Good german pressing. Fine dynamics though it's a cheapo label. Track A1 "Early morning" was their first single. Track A5 "When the city sleeps" was B-side of a single issued under pseudonym "Bombadil". A5 "Medicine Man" was single B-side. B4 "Mr. Sunshine" was single B-side of A1. B6 "Breathless" was a single under pseudonym "Bombadil". Interesting pop history indeed. Do you have Vol.1?

[Fritz The Cat]

Very good american pressing with superb dynamics! This one is interesting because of a special guitar acessory, which was invented by Byrds Gene Parsons and Clarence White in 1967: the B-Bender. This tool enables the player to bend the B-string up a whole tune (two frets) to C-sharp. On this LP we have also Albert Lee using it brilliantly. Listen to track B5 "Why you been gone so long".

[Fritz The Cat]

A big one. Rare with original vertigo swirl. This summer in a thrift store in Vevey: goose bumps! But it's a little bit mishandled one. First i had to wash it. Now it sounds very good ++. Those were the times when everything was possible in rock music. Everything!!!! Did Vertigo swirl also exist in USA? It was a quality sign for progrock in Europe. Listen to track B5 "Tomorrow is a whole new day" with different rhythm changes. Remember Colosseum, Rare Bird, Barclay James Harvest, Moody Blues, Audience, and.....? Playful.

[SpeakerLabFan]

Area Code 615 - s/t
(1969, Polydor) SS LH in the deadwax; mastered by Lee Hulko at Sterling Sound




Tasty country rock by top Nashville session players, well recorded on thick heavy vinyl. These guys played on Harvest, Blonde On Blonde and Nashville Skyline albums.

[SpeakerLabFan]

Thank you for the tip. On "Vol.2" there are some rare or curious tracks too. I didn't know until now. Good german pressing. Fine dynamics though it's a cheapo label. Track A1 "Early morning" was their first single. Track A5 "When the city sleeps" was B-side of a single issued under pseudonym "Bombadil". A5 "Medicine Man" was single B-side. B4 "Mr. Sunshine" was single B-side of A1. B6 "Breathless" was a single under pseudonym "Bombadil". Interesting pop history indeed. Do you have Vol.1?

I might have picked up Vol. 1 in the past, (or a different BJH compilation)...not sure and the collection is not organized. I'm fairly sure I don't have Vol.2. Vol. 3 was found in an Antique store last month.

[SpeakerLabFan]

This is a canadian pressing. Deadwax inscription: 2HDZ. Acceptable dynamics. Magic cover art work by famous Hipgnosis. Flash Gordon Vol.2 ? Too many synthesizers. At least Roger Taylor's voice is a variable and characteristic one. But superb vocals and ideas are not sufficient. It's always a special thing, if drummers do their own LP. Which rock or pop drummer produced an acceptable or good LP or a masterpiece? There are many famous drummers in Jazz with the well known resulting masterpieces. But in rock music? Drummers always needed many important helping friends. In fact on this one there is none...........Concerning the producing helping hands it's the lack of Mack that matters. As Queen sang: "It gotta be Mack". See next post.

Good question. I've always enjoyed Bill Bruford's solo LPs - thankfully I don't think he tries any vocals,

also ...not a drummer but it's unfortunate that fellow Yes member Steve Howe did sing on his solo LP(s). :|

[SpeakerLabFan]

The Doobie Brothers - s/t
(1971, Warner Bros) -1B/-1B



recycled picture from several years ago.

[SpeakerLabFan]

Miles Davis Sextet - Someday My Prince Will Come
(1961, Columbia) MONO -1A/-1D




'61 first pressing w/o "guaranteed high fidelity" on the label. Playing a very nice VG+ so far.

[Fritz The Cat]

John Coltrane has left the group of Miles Davis in spring 1960. A year later Miles Davis recorded "Someday my prince will come" with Hank Mobley ts, Wynton Kelly p, Paul Chambers b and Jimmy Cobb dr in March 7./20./21. 1961. On Front cover there is a picture of his then wife Frances Taylor. On March 20. and 21. John Coltrane appeared in the studio between two sets at the Apollo Theatre where he was performing. So on "prince" there were only two tracks with contributions of Coltrane. Before these two studio days Davis had performed on 19. March at Carnegie Hall with his group without Coltrane but with the Gil Evans Orchestra. It was one of only two concerts Davis and Evans ever performed together. And that fact makes this one necessary for collectors. It shows a strong, powerful Davis (Cit. allmusic guide). Listen to track B2, a short version of "Someday my prince will come" without Coltrane. Very historic night. It's the last recording Hank Mobley did as part of the Miles Davis group. Mobley resumed his solo career with Blue Note. This is a superb US rerelease pressing (from?) electrically re-channeled for stereo. Deadwax: HPY and GI

[Fritz The Cat]

They were the only 2 persons who were with the Doobies from 1970 beginning: longtime producer and catalyzer Ted Templeman together with Patrick Simmons. On this one we have many superb studio cracks: Chris Thompson voc, Lee Sklar b, Willie Weeks b, Jeff Baxter g, Mike McDonald key voc, Nicky Hopkins p, Tower Of Power Horns. Co produced by Ted Tempelman and John Ryan. This one is a little bit too lightweight though there are some fantastic guitar solos. Too many boring synthesizers and keyboards. Shurely Simmons is an underrated musician. But together with the Doobies there was more punch. And (sorry Chris Thompson!) better vocals.....

[Fritz The Cat]

Danny Federici of E-Street Band is featured on 3 tracks. Texas Tornados number 2 or 3. Does anybody know more about this one?

[Fritz The Cat]

Eddie Grant was composer of most of these songs. Disco music of the 60ies. Superb german pressing. This is fun. Don't forget to dance .....Thrift store find 3 Sfr. this summer anywhere in east Switzerland.

[SpeakerLabFan]

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow
(1967, RCA)




ahhhh. a nice record to downshift into the weekend with, and rest my head on this pillow.

[SpeakerLabFan]

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire
(1973, Columbia) -2B/-2B




in tents. John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, Jerry Goodman, Rick Laird