Humble Pie - “Official Bootleg Box Set Volume 1” (2017) review

“A great document of a great band at its very best: LIVE”

Humble Pie “Official Bootleg Box Set Volume 1” (Cherry Red Records, 2017)

Gathered from various sources by drummer Jerry Shirley, Official Bootleg Series Box Set Volume 1 is a wonderful 3 CD collection of bootlegged recordings by one of the best bands to see live in the 1970s. To make it even more special all these recordings are taken from the band’s heyday 1972-1974 and includes tracks taken from four of their most memorable gigs. Originally formed by members coming from legendary British bands, Humble Pie was indeed a most formidable force to reckon with in concert and this, its definitive lineup, rarely, if ever, failed to impress the audience.

Heirs Of Fortune - “Circus Of Mirth” (2017) review

Heirs Of Fortune - Circus Of Mirth (Counterfeit Records, 2017)

Prior to the birth of Heirs Of Fortune, Terry Carolan (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums) and Robert Woodrich (vocals, bass) played in a pair of noted bands, Just Boys and New Movies, while Ralph Smith (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Robert Watkins (bass) were members of the equally praised Amnesia. With so much talent occupying a single space, it’s only expected Heirs Of Fortune would produce something special.

Collector’s corner: René Debot

René Debot is owning some of the most unique records ranging from obscure experimental music to underground German rock.

Do you remember your first record?

My first records was a present from my parents in 1968 together with my first record player. They were 2 singles which were in the pop charts at that time. Yes I remember exactly. It was ‘Congratulation’ from Cliff Richard which was at that moment second on the Eurovision Song Contest in London, UK. The other single I got was from Johan Stolz - ‘Concerto voor Natasha’ which was a popular song in the hit charts from Flanders.

New Moon Rising - “Bohemia Nervosa” (2014) review

New Moon Rising - Bohemia Nervosa (2014)

https://newmoonrising.bandcamp.com/releases

Literally stumbling across New Moon Rising’s song “Child Of The Moon”, I was instantly rocked back by this gracious little neo-psychedelic track filled with wasted longing and inspired couch-bound intoxication. The track is filled with lovely harmonies that are sonically interwoven with meandering guitar work that ebbs lusciously forward, where they create a superb wake & bake number that will ride effortlessly in your back pocket, a song sounding fresh, yet inspired from the late 60's & early 70’s, and at over nine minutes, will certainly give you every reason to drift.

MSB - “Nope” (2017) review

MSB - Nope (2017)

https://brownbass.bandcamp.com/album/nope

The appearance of jazz in the early 1900s – with its inconsistency-as-structure whereby uncertain melodic propositions are driven to ideal resolution via brave curiosity and explorative interest pursuing the line of inquiry and expression, with Trust or Bust and lack of ego to ensure its accuracy - might be seen as symptomatic of a societal communication breakdown, not a dysfunction but an adaptation to generalized psychoemotional fragmentation after the First World War.

Jamie & Steve - “Sub Textural” (2017) review

Jamie & Steve - Sub Textural (Loaded Goat Records 2017)

Although most people know Jamie Hoover and Steve Stoeckel as one-half of the Spongetones, they also record as a duo when not making merry as North Carolina’s noble band. After nearly forty years of performing together, it’s no surprise Jamie and Steve have developed a strong telepathic bond, and the twosome’s amazing chemistry rears its head time and time again here on their latest effort, Sub Textural. Comprised of six tracks, the disc holds steady as a solid testimony to Jamie and Steve’s multiple talents and devotion to the kind of music that has brought them ample accolades the past few decades. 

Soft as Fire in The House of Love (2016) review

“Soft as Fire in The House of Love” (Blog That Celebrates Itself, 2016)

https://theblogthatcelebratesitself.bandcamp.com/album/va-soft-as-fire-in-the-house-of-love

House of Love are one of those bands who’s music entered this galaxy with nearly absolute perfection and magnificence, composed of rolling guitars that were lushly layered, balanced by hypnotic well considered lyrics and vocals delivered with an eloquent softness that hangs around the edges of each song like an early morning haze, so trying to bring something new to the table with a cover version of anything from the House of Love collection is nearly impossible. That being said, the songs laid down here have been created with loving hands and a reverence for one of the best bands too many people are not aware of.

From The Vault: The Optic Nerve - “Lotta Nerve” (1994)

A great band too many folks have never heard of ...

For more reasons than I can count, it’s nearly impossible to realize that this album burst on the scene in 1994, because for all the world, Lotta Nerve is a relentless step though a portal of time an into the atmosphere of a hazy psychedelic past.

Daybreak - “Daybreak” (1971) review

Daybreak - Daybreak (Gear Fab Records, 1971/2017)

Operating out of Pearl River, New York, Daybreak came together in 1969. The band played local gigs to enthused audiences, and wound up cutting an album. Originally released on the RPC label in 1971, “Daybreak,” produced only four hundred copies, making it an extremely rare bird. So hooray for Gear Fab Records for hunting this baby down, reissuing it and granting it the wider exposure it deserves!

“Blues Rock Festival”/“Beat Club International” (1970) review

“Blues Rock Festival”/“Beat Club International” (Gear Fab Records, 1970/2017 reissue) 

Exploitation albums were the underground of the underground. Pressed in miniscule quantities on vanity labels, these offerings were so obscure that the majority of them were probably not even sold in stores, which raises a question mark, considering the forces behind the concoctions were clearly aiming to make quick couple of dollars. Aha, the smell of tax write-off fills the air! More than likely, the recordings were given to family and friends of the uncredited musicians responsible for the platters. Or they simply remained stored away in boxes, covered in dust bunnies, until years later when collectors came sniffing around, looking for long forgotten relics of the psychedelic age. 

Temples - “Volcano” (2017) review

Temples - Volcano (Fat Possum Records, 2017)

There’s no way I’m saying that the music found within the grooves of Volcano isn’t good, what I am saying is that it’s not at all what I’d expected from all the hype.