Record Reviews

HUMBLE PIE ~ I NEED A STAR IN MY LIFE CLEOPATRA 03172 (Barcode: 889466317224) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1974 - 1976 Released: 2020 This is a reissue / remaster of the “lost” album by one of the greatest British Rock groups of all time, Humble PieFind albums by this artist. This album was rejected by the group’s record label A&MFind albums on this label, but they continued to record for many months, until the group fell apart and the music remained shelved, while they released their swan song album “Street RatsFind albums with this title” in the meantime. The album presents twenty tracks, most being originals written by the group members. In addition to the regular group members: vocalist / guitarist Steve MarriottFind albums by this artist, bassist Greg RidleyFind albums by this artist, guitarist Clem ClempsonFind albums by this artist, drummer Jerry ShirleyFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Tim HinkleyFind albums by this artist, they invited a plethora of guests to take part in this project, including such luminaries like bassist Boz BurrellFind albums by this artist, drummer Ian WallaceFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Mel CollinsFind albums by this artist, guitarist B. J. ColeFind albums by this artist and others. These tracks surfaced in 1990s as “Scrubbers Sessions”, both on bootlegs and eventually on Eagle Records, but are not available anymore and this new reissue offers a good sound quality and nice packaging. Overall, this is a great document, both of the era and one of the greatest British Rock groups ever, which definitely is worth being remembered. Marriott had one of the most distinctive voices of Rock and his premature and tragic death in 1991 robbed the world of his magic forever. A great piece of history!

Updated: 07/10/2022Posted: 07/10/2022

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

SPOOKY TOOTH ~ CEREMONY ESOTERIC 2133 (Barcode: 5013929723320) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 2009 3rd album by the excellent British band Spooky ToothFind albums by this artist and definitely one of the boldest and daring experiments in Rock music not only at the time, but since, when the band decided to cooperate on this project with French Avant-Garde electronic music composer Pierre HenryFind albums by this artist, whose "musique concrete" was at the forefront of contemporary Classical music´s quest for new areas of development. The band´s main composer, vocalist and keyboardist Gary WrightFind albums by this artist wrote six new compositions, which together formed a sort of religious Rock Mass, which the group recorded in UK, shortly after replacing the original bassist Greg RidleyFind albums by this artist (who went to form Humble PieFind albums by this artist) with Andy LeighFind albums by this artist. Considering the group was in top form, following the recording of their excellent second album, the music they recorded is absolutely stunning and the level of musicianship is truly astounding. After the recording was completed, the tape was sent to France, where Henry overdubbed the group´s music with his electronic contributions. The resulting amalgam turned out to be one of the most controversial recordings of the era, tearing the band apart as a result and invoking heated discussions amongst the critics and fans alike. If one might speculate a bit, probably the group´s music released without Henry´s overdubs would have been considered as their greatest achievement, but since that never happened, we might never know. In fact I´m still hoping that such version of the album will be available one day, at least in the form of bonus material. Still, this is definitely an intriguing piece of music, which deserves to be listened to and studied, not only by the band´s hard-core fans but by any music fan with broad horizons.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

SPOOKY TOOTH ~ IT`S ALL ABOUT REPERTOIRE 1074 (Barcode: 4009910107423) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2005 1st album by superb British Rock band Spooky ToothFind albums by this artist, which comprised of four British musicians: vocalist / pianist Mike HarrisonFind albums by this artist, guitarist Luther GrosvenorFind albums by this artist, bassist Greg RidleyFind albums by this artist and drummer Mike KellieFind albums by this artist and American vocalist / organist Gary WrightFind albums by this artist, who lived in UK at the time. Together they possessed an incredible amount of talent, which turned then instantly into one of the best Rock acts on the British Isles at the end of the 1960s. Their material, mostly written by Wright, was a mixture of Rock, Blues and proto-Prog with Psychedelic influences, performed with a dense heavy sound dominated by Wright´s organ, somewhere between Procol HarumFind albums by this artist and Led ZeppelinFind albums by this artist. Grosvenor played some fantastic guitar licks and the rhythm section was second to none with Ridley´s heavy but virtuosic pulsations and Kellie´s spectacular pyrotechnics. Together with Harrison´s incredible vocal abilities, which combined the forces of everything from Robert PlantFind albums by this artist, via Rod StewartFind albums by this artist to Roger ChapmanFind albums by this artist, the band had the ability to outshine any if its contemporaries, and they certainly did a fantastic job on their debut album, which is an incredible blast of energy and ingenuity, turning it into an instant classic. Although slightly patchy stylistically, since the band was still searching for its own unique approach, the variety of styles works well here and adds to the album´s appeal. This is definitely one of the strongest debut albums of Classic Rock and a diamond in any serious record collection. Essential listening experience!

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

SPOOKY TOOTH ~ SPOOKY TWO REPERTOIRE 1061 (Barcode: 4009910106129) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1969 Released: 2005 2nd album by superb British Rock band Spooky ToothFind albums by this artist, which comprised of four British musicians: vocalist / pianist Mike HarrisonFind albums by this artist, guitarist Luther GrosvenorFind albums by this artist, bassist Greg RidleyFind albums by this artist and drummer Mike KellieFind albums by this artist and American vocalist / organist Gary WrightFind albums by this artist, who lived in UK at the time. By the time they recorded this album, the band was at the peak of its powers, following extensive touring and polishing of their act. The experience, combined with the incredible amount of talent the band members possessed turned their second recording session into a magical ride, which produced one the greatest Rock albums of all times. The material, mostly written by Wright, is wonderfully consistent and the heavy sound of whaling organ and screaming guitar behind Harrison´s incredible vocal excursions is absolutely stunning. Although rarely mentioned in Rock encyclopedias and other sources, this album epitomizes everything that was great and unique in British Rock at the time – complete artistic freedom, unlimited talent, great production and that sound, which unfortunately is now lost forever. There is not a dull moment anywhere on this album, with one exciting peak chasing another, a complete roller-coaster of musical rush. Sadly enough, this monumental achievement was not to be repeated again, although the remaining future output of the band is incredibly solid right to the very end. It´s unimaginable for any true Classic Rock fan to miss this masterpiece in their collection. Absolutely essential!

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

SPOOKY TOOTH ~ THE ISLAND YEARS (AN ANTHOLOGY) 1967-1974 ISLAND 602547053114 (Barcode: 602547053114) ~ UK ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 1967 - 1974 Released: 2015 This magnificent Box Set collects all the recordings by the seminal British Rock band Spooky ToothFind albums by this artist, perhaps the most underrated of all British bands active at the late 1960s / early 1970s. It includes all seven albums recorded by the various Spooky Tooth lineups for Island records, before they disbanded, as well as the only album by the band Art, which was in fact an early version of Spooky Tooth and finally a previously unreleased live album by the band. Spooky Tooth formed when the four members of Art: vocalist / keyboardist Mike HarrisonFind albums by this artist, guitarist Luther GrosvenorFind albums by this artist, bassist Greg RidleyFind albums by this artist and drummer Mike KellieFind albums by this artist, were joined by the American (resident in UK at the time) vocalist / keyboardist Gary WrightFind albums by this artist, who was also a superb songwriter. The double lead vocals / double keyboards effect created a potent and incredibly spacious sound, which was completely unique among the bands active at a time, and combined with truly outstanding songwriting abilities by the band members simply placed them way at the top of the British scene as far as ambitious and original Rock is concerned. As all British Rock bands at the time, also Spooky Tooth owed a lot to the Blues revival, which swept the Isles a decade earlier. The Blues motifs are clearly evident in their music, but they are more subtle than in similar groups like FreeFind albums by this artist or Ten Years AfterFind albums by this artist. Therefore Spooky Tooth did not enter the Blues-Rock niche per se, as did many of their contemporaries, staying closer to the path set by melodic Hard Rock pioneers. It is obvious that Spooky Tooth paved the way for other British bands, like Humble PieFind albums by this artist, which included Greg Ridley as a founding member when he left Spooky Tooth to join Humble Pie. Spooky Tooth and Humble Pie have many similarities in their musical approach, which is based on solid melodic themes, great riffs, Bluesy vocals and extended instrumental soloing. The set includes the highly controversial album the band recorded with French Avant-Garde electronic music composer Pierre Henry, which is one of very few such experiments. The fact that the group recorded such daring projects and many of their other qualities firmly places Spooky Tooth as proto-Prog pioneers and to say the truth they had more Progressive tendencies than most other Prog groups at the time, although they were never credited and recognized as part of the Prog movement. This beautifully researched and lavishly packaged Box Set is a long overdue tribute to one of the best British Rock bands, including a plethora of bonus tracks, a well written booklet by the producer / researcher Mark PowellFind albums by this artist, who is well known for his love and total dedication to the subject. I can´t imagine a serious music collection without this box being a part of it. Truly essential piece of music history!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 9 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

SPOOKY TOOTH ~ THE LAST PUFF REPERTOIRE 1073 (Barcode: 4009910107324) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2005 4th album by superb British Rock band Spooky ToothFind albums by this artist, led by vocalist / pianist Mike HarrisonFind albums by this artist, which was the last recording by the original lineup of the band, soon to be disbanded. Following the recording of the band´s previous album, the bold and ground-breaking "CeremonyFind albums with this title", a Rock Mass recorded with French Electronic Music composer Pierre HenryFind albums by this artist, which turned out to be a source of major controversy among the band´s members, the original superb lineup of the band started to break up, with bassist Greg RidleyFind albums by this artist leaving to join another epic British band Humble PieFind albums by this artist and vocalist / organist Gary WrightFind albums by this artist (who was the band´s main songwriter) leaving to start a solo career. Harrison brought aboard three excellent British musicians, who were previously the core of Joe CockerFind albums by this artist´s support band The Grease BandFind albums by this artist: multi-instrumentalist Chris StaintonFind albums by this artist, guitarist Henry McCulloughFind albums by this artist and bassist Alan SpencerFind albums by this artist in order to expand the lineup, and these musicians participated in the recording sessions that resulted in this release. Since there was no resident songwriter aboard, Harrison decided to record a series of arrangements / adaptations of existing Rock repertoire. His choice of material is impeccable and the bands interpretations truly inspired, resulting in an excellent piece of music, different from the original incarnation of Spooky Tooth, but nevertheless highly satisfactory and worth listening to. The overall sound is quite similar to the band´s previous incarnation and any Spooky Tooth fan will find this album most enjoyable. Warmly recommended!

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend