Darius, Don't You Get The Feelin: 2023-10-01

Sunday, October 01, 2023

The Elastic Band - Expansions on Life (Pre. The Sweet) (UK 1970)

Size: 117 MB

Bitrate: 320

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A sole album by this British band later became Sweet. The album features mixed bag sound of blues, psychedelic, progressive rock. Unfortunately, never made to the chart but the album is pretty impressive indeed. The Elastic Band is a psychedelic rock/blues band formed in North Wales during the late 1960s. The band features Andy Scott , Mike Scott, Ted Yeadon, and Sean Jenkins. Andy Scott would go on to become a member of Sweet. The band released one album, Expansions On Life , on the Decca Nova label.

The Elastic Band was a Welsh rock music group band, formed in Cardiff in the 1960s. They were one of the exponents of the UK psychedelic rock scene from the late 1960s and featured Andy Scott who would go on to become guitarist with Sweet. Other members were August Eadon (Gus) who went by the name Ted Yeadon when he was a member of Elastic Band, Sean Jenkins (drums) and Mike Scott (bass - Andy's brother). The band broke up in 1970 when Yeadon accepted an offer to join Love Affair.

The opening gambit for future Sweet axeman Andy Scott, The Elastic Band were born from the embers of The Silverstone Set, a mid-decade Welsh soul band of some note, who had their minds expanded when they supported some of the emerging underground acts whenever they strayed across the border. When they finally made it to the studio in 1969, their music was a long way from the highly-collectable mod pop of their two early singles, incorporating psych with an amateur proggishness, which remains very endearing, if not very well recorded.

Step forward this reissue, which does right some of the studio wrongs and makes intrinsically good tracks such as Crabtree Farm and Has Anybody Seen Her sound as they should have done at the time. The addition of four bonus tracks and a wealth of archival material also goes some way to putting this very decent album back into some order.

♦ Andy Scott – guitars (1968–1971)

♦ Mike Scott – bass (1968–1971)

♦ Sean Jenkins – drums (1968–1971)

♦ Ted Yeadon – organ, piano, flute, congas, harmonica, vocals (1968–1971)

01. Mother Goose

02. Last Person In The Bar

03. Crabtree Farm

04. Has Anybody Seen Her

05. Dear John

06. Room Full Of Room

07. That's Nice

08. Life Still Goes On

09. Sad Jazz

10. Sunrise Work 'Till Sunset

1. Elastic

2. Elastic

3. Elastic

Steve Morgen - Morgen (Really Good Heavy Psychedia US 1969)

Size: 172 MB

Bitrate: 320

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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock

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Formed in Long Island in 1968, MORGEN (fronted by vocalist/guitarist Steve Morgen) released its unique album in 1969, one that is considered a major heavy psychedelic rock record, mixing fuzzy garage and freaky hard rock, covering Summer of Love flowers under furious guitars and a massive rhythm section.

US heavy psych masterpiece from 1969. Powerful sound and recording with thunderous drums, piercing fuzz guitars and the incredible vocals of Steve Morgen. Formed as Morgen’s Dreame Spectrum in 1967 in NY, Morgen were one the first bands signed to ABC’s offshoot Probe Records (home also of Soft Machine in the US).

Fuelled by the chemistry between ace guitar player Murray Shiffrin and creative songwriter/singer Steve Morgen, they recorded their self-titled album in 1968 but, much to the band’s dismay and frustration, it wasn’t released until December 1969. Morgen included seven impressive tracks, all of them written by Steve Morgen. You can hear subtle influences of Hendrix, Stones, Who, Doors or Donovan but Morgen’s sound is clearly a beast of its own kind. The mysterious gatefold cover featured Edvard Munch’s iconic 1893 composition The Scream on the front. Welcome to the Void!

* Audiophile restoration / remastering by Ezra Lesser.

01. Welcome To The Void 04:48

02. Of Dreams 05:38

03. Beggin' Your Pardon (Miss Joan) 04:51

04. Eternity In Between 05:10

05. Purple 04:13

06. She's The Nitetime 03:31

07. Love 10:56

08. Of Dreams (45 Version) [bonus track] 03.24

09. She's the Nitetime (45 Version) [bonus track] 03.27

10. Street Walker [bonus track] 03.39

11. Lady [bonus track] 04.06

12. Too Many Americas [bonus track] 05.47

13. Don't You Tell Me [bonus track] 05.52

14. Maryjane [bonus track] 02.59

15. Alpha Omega [bonus track] 05.01

1. Morgen

2. Morgen

3. Morgen

Richard Thompson - Guitar, Vocal (Unreleased Songs UK 1967-76)

Size: 163 MB

Bitrate: 256 & 320

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Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock

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Source: Japan SHM-CD Remaster

(guitar, vocal) is a 1976 album by Richard Thompson. It was released by Island Records as a career retrospective after he and his wife Linda had gone into semi-retirement from the business of making and performing music following the release of Pour Down Like Silver (1975).

Most tracks are unreleased recordings from Thompson's career to date - though the two instrumental tracks were recorded specifically for this compilation. (guitar, vocal) spans Thompsons's early years with Fairport Convention as well as the time he spent performing and recording as a duo with wife Linda. The release was notable for two live cuts from the 1975 Richard and Linda Thompson tour — "Night Comes In" and "Calvary Cross" — which featured lengthy guitar solos by Thompson, and for the Fairport Convention tracks "The Ballad of Easy Rider" featuring an excellent vocal from Sandy Denny which was an unreleased track from the Liege & Lief sessions and "Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman" which had been recorded for and then omitted from that group's Full House album.

(guitar, vocal) has been out of print for some years now. Several tracks first released as part of this compilation have subsequently been included as bonus tracks on remastered Fairport Convention and Richard & Linda Thompson albums issued by Island Records. However the BBC version of Mr Lacey remains unavailable elsewhere, and did not feature on the recent Fairport Convention boxset.

A superb 68-minute collection of obscure and unreleased tracks from Thompson's career, covering late 1967 until April 1976. The album's first six tracks are devoted to Thompson's career with Fairport Convention -- highlights include "Throwaway Street Puzzle" (the B-side of the single "Meet on the Ledge"), the BBC recording of "Mr. Lacey," the Liege and Lief session outtake "The Ballad of Easy Rider," the Full House session outtake "Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman," and "Sweet Little Rock 'N' Roller" from the L.A. Troubadour (House Full) concert tapes.

Thompson plays some sizzling guitar on these cuts, though "Ballad of Easy Rider" -- played here the way Dylan might've covered it on John Wesley Harding -- is more representative of Sandy Denny than Thompson. The post-Fairport material includes an alternate arrangement of "A Heart Needs a Home" from Hokey Pokey, a beautifully sung live rendition of "The Dark End of the Street" (featuring one of Linda Thompson's best performances); their hard-rocking live rendition of Jack Clement's "It'll Be Me"; the exquisite solo acoustic guitar instrumental "Flee as a Bird"; and two epics, "Night Comes In" and "Calvary Cross," featuring Thompson and his band stretching out on-stage. Despite the existence of the triple-CD career retrospective, this disc still has enough prime rarities to rate as a must-own, even for casual fans. [Source: Wikipedia + AMG]

Joe Boyd – Producer

Sandy Denny – Vocals

Timi Donald – Drums

Pat Donaldson – Guitar (Bass)

Judy Dyble – Vocals

Fairport Convention – Performer

Victor Gamm – Engineer

Ashley Hutchings – Bass, Guitar (Bass)

John Kirkpatrick – Accordion, Button Accordion

Martin Lamble – Drums

Todd Lloyd – Producer

Dave Mattacks – Drums

Ian Matthews – Vocals

Simon Nicol – Guitar, Guitar (12 String), Mellotron

Dave Pegg – Guitar (Bass)

Pete Ross – Harmonica

Peter Ross – Harmonica

Dave Swarbrick – Mandolin, Violin

Linda Thompson – Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Performer

Richard Thompson – Dulcimer, Guitar, Mandolin, Arranger, Vocals, Producer, Appalachian Dulcimer

Ian Whiteman – Harmonium, Piano (Electric)

John Wood – Producer, Engineer

01."Time Will Show the Wiser" (Emmitt Rhodes) - this recording was included on Fairport Convention's first album. – 3:03

02."Throwaway Street Puzzle" (Ashley Hutchings, Thompson) - originally released as the b-side to Meet On The Ledge, the single from Fairport's second album What We Did On Our Holidays. This song was a bonus track on the 2003 re-issue of What We Did On Our Holidays. – 3:18

03."Mr Lacey" (Hutchings) - this version is from a 1968 BBC radio broadcast and remains unavailable eleswhere. – 2:53

04."The Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn) - Recorded during the sessions in 1969 for Fairport's Liege & Lief album. The 2002 re-issue of the Unhalfbricking album included The Ballad of Easy Rider as a bonus track as it was felt that the song fitted better with the mix of contemporary songs on that album rather than the traditional feel of Liege & Lief. – 4:34

05."Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman" (Thompson, Dave Swarbrick) - originally recorded during the 1970 sessions for Fairport's Full House album. Thompson was unhappy with the vocals and insisted that the track be omitted from the original album. However the track was included on the 2001 re-issue of Full House. The recording included on (guitar, vocal) has extra vocals by Linda Thompson recorded in 1975. – 5:23

06."Sweet Little Rock 'n Roller" (Chuck Berry) - recorded in concert at the Troubador club in Los Angeles during Fairport's 1970 tour. – 4:18

07."A Heart Needs a Home" - this is a different recording and arrangement of the song included on the Hokey Pokey album. This track was included in the 2000 Island Years compilation. – 4:04

08."The Dark End of the Street" (Dan Penn, Chips Moman) - recorded during a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in April 1975. The same recording was included as a bonus track on the 2004 re-issue of the Pour Down Like Silver album. – 4:22

09."It'll Be Me" (Jack Clement) - recorded during a concert at Oxford Polytechnic in November 1975. The same recording was included as a bonus track on the 2004 re-issue of the Hokey Pokey album. – 4:22

10."Flee As a Bird" (trad., arr. Thompson) - recorded in 1976 for this compilation. – 3:11

11."Night Comes In" - recorded during a concert at Oxford Polytechnic in November 1975. The same recording was included as a bonus track on the 2004 re-issue of the Pour Down Like Silver album. – 12:24

12."The Pitfall/The Excursion" - recorded in 1976 for this compilation. – 3:02

13."Calvary Cross" - recorded during a concert at Oxford Polytechnic in November 1975. The same recording was included in the 2000 Island Years compilation. – 13:27

Bonus Tracks

14. Fairport Convention - If I Had A Ribbon Bow (Bonus 1967) 02.44

15. Fairport Convention - Throwaway Street Puzzle (Bonus 1968) 03.30

16. Fairport Convention - You're Gonna Need My Help [BBC Bonus 1969] 04.11

17. Fairport Convention - Some Sweet Day (BBC Bonus) 02.18

1. Thompson

2. Thompson

3. Thompson

JJ & The Real Jerks - Rat Beach (Ramones Alike Punk US 2023)

Size: 121 MB

Bitrate: 320

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Ripped by ChrisGoesRock

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For those late to the party, L.A.’s JJ & The Real Jerks have been kicking around since 2009, bashing out a handful of singles, e.p.’s and full-length platters for labels like Dead Beat, Rock N' Roll Manifesto, Stamp Out Disco, Heavy Medication, and Pat Todd’s Rankoutsider Records. Now, these Sons of The Dolls are back in business with their strongest batch of sleazy barroom rock ‘n’ roll yet.

Steeped in boozy swagger and Stonesy git-down, these 17 songs do exactly that. Joe “JJ” Jennings and company mix their Johnny Thunders with SoCal punk’n’roll from the glory days of The Humpers and The Dragons and add a spritz of Buzzcocks’ melodic attack. They come blazing out of the gate with dual-guitar overdrive and thrashing rhythms, segue into hooky-as-hell barstool anthems, then celebrate the miracle of life with uplifting swagger infused rock n' roll ditties.. This is one fun, raging garage-punk release so hop on aboard and hitch a ride with us on over to Rat Beach.

Published by 4 May 2013:

Can you tell us a bit about the band’s history? What have you released so far?

The band started in mid 2009, essentially as a recording project just to get some ideas out. Eventually when we had enough material, we started playing out live and releasing records. So far we’ve put out 3 seven inch singles, and one 12 inch EP, and currently working on a new recording now.

You played your first show opening for MICHAEL MONROE, how was it and how did it happen?

That was an amazing night! It was at a small 200 person venue in Redondo Beach, right under the pier. It was one of Michael Monroe’s first shows with his new band, before their record was even out. We kind of just got lucky to get on that bill, it was a Sunday night and we got in front of a good amount of people. I think we only rehearsed once and played like 5 songs, it was loose to say the least, but really fun! Michael Monroe ruled, and it was pretty great to get that opportunity to see him perform right in my neighborhood!

How did you get to work with Rankoutsider Records?

I’ve been friends with Pat Todd’s rhythm guitarist Kevin Keller for a few years now. He got us an opening slot with The Rankoutsiders a couple years ago, and Pat was there to see our set. I gave him a few of our older recordings, and through that the relationship with the label began. We’ve released ‘The Wringer’ 7” single, as well as the latest ‘Economy Class Ego Trip’ EP on Rankoutsider. I also had the opportunity to play sax on two songs on their new record that will be out this year.

Greg Kuehn (The JONESES/TSOL) appears on the EP. How did you meet? When did you hear The JONESES and TSOL for the first time?

I met Greg when my old band got to play with Prima Donna & The Joneses at a club in West LA back in 2008 or so. Around that time, Full Breach Kicks had just re-issued a few of the Joneses records, and the band was starting to play shows around town again. TSOL I had been familiar with just through being into the early LA and OC punk rock stuff. Greg’s an amazing musician, and when we were looking for those real rollicking ‘ham-fisted’ piano parts, he was more than willing to lay down some tracks for us!

You probably get a lot of comparisons with The HANGMEN. Your opinion about the band?

I think they’re great! I’ve gotten to catch them a few times. One of the best shows I saw was them along with the Zeros (the original Zeros from Chula Vista) on New Year’s eve a few years back at a tiny bar in downtown LA.

J.J., you also play sax in WALTER LURE’s West Coast backing band, right?

Yes, since about 2009. I met Joey Pinter (The Waldos lead guitarist who played on the Rent Party record) through Real Jerks bassist Hiroshi Yamazaki. Walter wanted to line up a few SoCal shows, and Joey basically put the backing band together. They were looking for a sax player and through Hiroshi I got the gig. Since then, Walter has come out to LA about three times. We actually just played a show a few weeks ago put together by Roy J. Morgan, it was the fourth annual Johnny Thunders tribute show that he does. It was a blast. Close to 400 people came out, and just about every good rock n’ roll band from L.A. was on the bill!

Do you only release your records on vinyl? It seems like this format is getting more popular than the CDs nowadays…

All of the releases have come out on vinyl & digital so far. Usually 300-500 copies pressed on colored wax. I’ve always been a big record collector, so it just seemed natural to release the music on this format. It’s definitely not the cheapest route, but it’s been a great experience and I’ve learned a lot. The pressing plant we use is local here in LA, and I’ve gotten to know them pretty well over the years. Also it seems like people will pay a little more attention to a vinyl release. It’s more likely to get reviewed, airplay on radio stations etc.

Do you feel like a new American rock’n’roll scene is rising from the underground with bands like PRIMA DONNA or The BITERS?

It’s definitely still an underground ‘niche’ thing, but what’s really cool is to see more and more younger guys and girls showing up at the gigs, and maybe even forming bands of their own. There seem to be a lot of younger groups that are looking to bands like the Dolls, Stooges, MC5 etc as an influence, and still putting a modern spin on it.

What are the last live bands you’ve enjoyed?

The Night Marchers, The Hives, Fidlar, The Zeros, Crazy Squeeze, Dirty Eyes, Telephone Lovers, Black Mambas,

Your projects?

Aside from doing JJ & The Real Jerks, I play bass in The Legendary Swagger, which is a five piece straight ahead rock n’ roll/punk band. A few of the guys in that band Geoff Yeaton, Skot Pollok and Richie Mendez play in the Real Jerks too. They’ve been around for a while, I loved their band so much they were one of the major influences on me forming The Real Jerks. Eventually I got a couple of those guys to agree to play in my band, and in turn, they let me join their band as the bass player!! We play out a couple times a year.

01. Rat Beach 02:58

02. Girl I Want My Money Back 02:39

03. Mile High Fight Club 03:29

04. Crash Pad 03:10

05. Bridge Worth Burning 03:12

06. Built To Blast 02:28

07. Dead In The Water 02:14

08. Lost Souls Pub 02:49

09. I Don't Know 03:01

10. Ten Cent Beer Night 02:58

11. Mess You Up 03:48

12. Deprecation Blues 02:28