What's Playing Now

[Fritz The Cat]

Very good Canadian pressing with lyrics-sheet, folder and gimmix cover.
Listen to the short jazz guitar solo on track B3 "I'm the face" (first record release 1964 by The Who as The High Numbers) and look at the notice by Pete Townshend on lyric sheet: "Superb jazz guitar solo from somebody i don't recognize.......".
Anybody who knows more about this session guitar player?
Anyway, anyhow, anywhere: Long live rock!

[Fritz The Cat]

German curiosity. Notorious because of the offensive front cover art/title. Heya! (track B1)
In hippie-1970 everything was possible in Krautrock. Krautrock: anybody knows about it in USA?
Bellaphon: always superb pressings!

[Fritz The Cat]

There are some LP's you should grab immediately if you recognize the producer: George Martin, Bob Ezrin, Mike Vernon et.al.
Here is one produced by Mike Vernon. Wrong decision? A lightweight funk album played by UK session cracks in the style of Rare Earth.
Pete Wingfield (notice credits:"Eighteen with a wallet") vocals, keyboards
Mike Vernon producer, vocals, percussion, mouth harp.
Joe Jammer, guitars & schtickenspiel (???????)
Big fun in the studio. All in all fun must be: (track A4) Just funkin' around.....

[Fritz The Cat]

Producers which guarantee a gem album (especially if it's an unknown LP), that should be grabbed in thrift store immedately:
George Martin, Bob Ezrin, Chris Thomas, T-Bone Burnett, Mike Vernon, Rick Rubin, Mickie Most, Chet Atkins, Dieter Dierks, Manfred Eicher, Rudy Van Gelder.......
Further proposals?

[Fritz The Cat]

US 1967 original. Electronically re-processed. Does anybody own an original mono pressing?
Notice on back cover: "With the exception of Repent Walpurgis for which Matthew Fisher may be held responsible all the music was written by Gary Brooker and the words by Keith Reid". Since the famous law-suite in 2005 Matthew Fisher owns 40% of the credits of
"A whiter shade of pale"!! The room was humming harder and the ceiling flew away......
Look at the lady on cover art of the first album.
Look at the lady on cover art of 2017 "Novum". After 50 years: It's the granddaughter?

[SpeakerLabFan]

nice spins, Fritz! great Manzarek album.

[SpeakerLabFan]

Nick Lowe - Labour Of Lust
(1979, Columbia)

[SpeakerLabFan]

Gene Clark - No Other
(1974, Asylum) WLP;* A1/B1* & ESR in the deadwax, mastered at Elektra Sound Recorders

[Fritz The Cat]

After many hours (rainy sunday) of heavy rotation on my turntable: yes, there still is the same old MAGIC in this same old voice and the same old tunes!
Gary Brooker's heritage....

[Fritz The Cat]

In the 70ies mostly separated out into the dust bins with mistreated cut out gimmix cover: underrated because of the dominance of Robin Trower's Gibson Les Paul guitar and the absence of the organ of Matthew Fisher. This one was not the classical "Whiter shade of pale"-sound anymore. Also for me it was a huge disappointment then.
But from the view of today it's very interesting because that one was Trower's goodbye to Procol Harum and his change to Fender Stratocaster with Hendrix touch.
So let's listen to "Song for a dreamer" track B2: his tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

[Fritz The Cat]

Some people like his voice, some don't. Anyway, there are two outstanding musicians in this line-up:
Geoff Whitehorn, guitar (look at my post of Procol Harum "Novum")
Mel Collins, sax
Recorded live in Hamburg at Markthalle 28.8.79 on a Telefunken 2-track machine. Nothing has been added to enhance the album.
Limited edition: different cover, 24 pages booklet, 2nd LP two tracks 45rpm

[Fritz The Cat]

By chance i have found the older sister of this LP.

1973 US stereo reissue. Good dynamics. Listen to track A1 "Split kick": what a majestic introduction by the ebullient voice of Pee-Wee Marquette, the club's emcee-mascot.
Soon after this recording Clifford Brown died June 27, 1956, in an automobile accident.
Great piano playing by Horace silver at the jazz corner of the world.


This is vol.2, hot stuff.
Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, February 21,1954, an engineer who understands jazz and knows how to balance it. (Notice on back cover in the liner notes by Leonard Feather).
Very good mono US pressing. Deadwax inscription RVG and the "ear" (for Plastylite) on both sides. Deep grooved labels with address
161 Lexington Ave on A side /47 West 63rd on B-side. A rare one in this formidable condition.

[Fritz The Cat]

Something very special, a curious discovery from thrift store last month. Cult female vocal group arranged and conducted by George Duke with George Duke Trio. Produced by Hans Georg Brunner Schwer in Villingen, Germany in 1969/70. And it's definitively a cult album in Germany.
Scarce German 1999 reissue with great dynamics.
Originally released at MPS.
Includes superb versions of "Maiden Voyage", "Cantaloupe Island", "Got to get you into my life" and "Eleanor Rigby".
Turn this one and listen once again!
Where are these 5 girls today?

[SpeakerLabFan]

Tim Hart and Maddy Prior - Folk Songs Of Olde England Volume II
(1969, Tepee) UK pressing, 1976 issue on Mooncrest

[Fritz The Cat]

42 years since then, but this one sounds fresh and clear like a little mountain creek in springtime in the morning. No, this is definitively not fusion jazz, as noticed in most critiques. It's funky Latin-BeBop! What a genious sax played by David Sanborn. So many thrilling rhythms here!
Produced with superb dynamics by Creed Taylor, recorded at Rudy Van Gelder in March, 1975. Good England pressing by James Upton Ltd.
Look at the miraculous front cover painting by Mati Klarwein (Bitches Brew/Abraxas).
Listen to the highlight, track B3 "Brothers and others". And listen once again. And again.....