Friday, February 16, 2024

Clifford T. Ward - Singer, Songwriter (Folk-Rock UK 1972)



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Clifford Thomas Ward (10 February 1944, — 18 December 2001) was a popular English singer-songwriter, best known for his career as a solo artist.

Born in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, Ward was one of five children, having one sister and three brothers. He was educated at Stourport Secondary Modern School, and there he met his wife, Pat, when she was 13 years old, and he 14. At school he spent some time as a choir boy. Ward and Pat married when he was 17 and she 16, after Pat became pregnant with the first of their four children: Debbie, Martin, Sam and Polly.

In 1962, shortly after leaving school, Ward formed a beat band 'Cliff Ward and The Cruisers'. The band was popular in Birmingham and also in demand at American Army bases in France. It was during this time abroad that Ward wrote "Home Thoughts From Abroad" (a song that would later appear on his second solo album and also as the B-side of "Gaye"). In the mid 1960s and after several member changes, the group was re-named 'Martin Raynor and The Secrets' with Ward in the role of the elusive Raynor. The fictitious name was soon dropped and the band continued on as 'The Secrets', and went on to tour around Britain and France, achieving moderate success. Along the way, six singles were recorded by the group (ten of the songs penned by Ward himself), though these made little impact.

In 1968, following the demise of The Secrets, Ward decided he needed to get a 'real job', and so spent the following three years at a teacher training college, ultimately finding employment at nearby North Bromsgrove High School, teaching English and drama. One of his pupils was the future wife of Sting, Trudie Styler. The children heard singing on Ward's early albums were from North Bromsgrove High School. In his spare time, he continued songwriting and recorded his first solo album Singer Songwriter.


His first album, Singer Songwriter, was released in 1972 on Dandelion Records (a label formed by the late disc jockey John Peel) just before it went into liquidation. As a result, the album received little media coverage and went largely unnoticed. Signing a new recording contract with Charisma Records, Ward went on to have a hit with the single "Gaye". It sold over a million copies worldwide and reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1973.

In July 1973, following the success of "Gaye", Ward's second album Home Thoughts achieved healthy sales and reached number 40 in the UK Albums Chart. At this point, wanting to concentrate on music full time, he gave up the teaching profession. He made a rare public appearance in August, performing "Gaye" on Top of the Pops. In January 1974 Ward entered the singles chart again at number 37 with "Scullery", a track from his third album Mantle Pieces.

Subsequent singles, notably "No More Rock'n'Roll", "Jigsaw Girl", "Ocean of Love" and "I Got Lost Tonight" (written by the U.S. singer-songwriter Tim Moore, one of the very rare occasions when he recorded outside material) were loved by BBC Radio presenters and programmers but Ward never made it into the UK charts again. It was said that he would have had more commercial success were it not for his dislike of touring, public appearances, interviews and photo shoots. 


"The Best Is Yet To Come", from the album Both of Us, enjoyed success when covered by Justin Hayward, and his songs were also recorded by Cliff Richard, Jack Jones, Art Garfunkel, and Judy Collins. He was compared to Paul McCartney by reviewers and his songs have strong melodies and concise, original lyrics.

In 1984 Ward was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis. He continued to record and write songs while living at home, cared for by his wife Pat.

In 1994, Ward was interviewed by local paper, the Wolverhampton Express & Star. He told reporter Aidan Goldstraw: "I have not and will not come to terms with this illness. There are times - usually quite late at night - when I'm almost normal again. But unless they find a cure for this dreadful MS, then I don't see a future".

Also then, he recorded his eleventh and what would be his last new album, Julia And Other New Stories, crawling on all fours into his home-based recording studio to finish it. At around the same time, a stage musical, Shattered World, was produced as a tribute to him, based on his life and his battle against MS. Half of the songs were Ward's own, and half were numbers written by others about him.

In the early winter of 2001, he fell ill from pneumonia and entered a Kidderminster hospital. He died there a few weeks later, on 18 December.

01. Coathanger
02. Sam
03. Leader
04. A Dream
05. Anticipation
06. Rayne
07. The Session Singer
08. Carrie
09. God Help Me
10. The Cause Is Good
11. Sympathy
12. Circus Girl
13. You Knock When You Should Come In
14. Sidetrack

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Chris Rohmann - The Man i Am Today (Rare Folk UK 1973)



Size: 85.1 MB
Bitrate: 256
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Who is this artist (?)

Sorry, but i have no info about this artist. Anyone who can help me (?)

01.  The Chair Song    
02.  Biography    
03.  Roll Your Dreams On    
04.  What Would It Be Like    
05.  I Don't Know What To Say    
06.  Riot ( Are You Afraid)    
07.  The Man I Am Today    
08.  The Lion And The Deer    
09.  I Must Fly    
10.  Song Of The Farmer    
11.  Sing    
12.  Happy Birthday  

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Steve Cropper, Albert King - Jammed Together (Superb Blues US 1969)



Size: 91.8 MB
Bitrate: 256
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One thing is certain...when these guys said "Jammed Together", they MEANT it; what an awesome album this is! Here we have two of the blues' elder statesmen (Pop Staples & Albert King), and the young "whippersnapper" (Steve Cropper) all assembled in one place, and the results are fantastic; there's no doubt that the three of them had a great time making this album! 


"Jammed Together" isn't an album of self-indulgent guitar solos and noodling to satisfy egos; the title tells you all you need to know: this is all meat, no filler, folks. Because each of the three guitarists have very distinctive playing styles and tones, you can literally pick them out as you listen to it. 

A great example of this can be heard on the rocking instrumental "Big Bird", where Cropper, King and Staples each occupy the left, middle and right stereo channels respectively, but the stereo separation didn't really need to be done so you'll know who is who; as I said, you'll literally be able to identify them with each solo turn. 


In addition to the fabulous guitar playing, all three take turns on vocals as well; King leads off with the Ray Charles classic "What I'd Say", Cropper turns in a rare vocal on "Don't Turn Your Heater Down", and Staples on the positively spine-tingling "Tupelo", where his soulful vocals and trademark tremelo-effected guitar give the track a swampy, ominous feel and mood. It's very obvious that this song influenced John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, as evidenced by the CCR tracks "The Midnight Special" & "Born On The Bayou" alone. 

Released on the Stax label in early 1969, "Jammed Together" is a genuine blues/soul classic; get it now! 

01. What'd I Say 5:28 
02. Tupelo 6:00 
03. Opus De Soul 5:30 
04. Baby, What You Want Me To Do 3:30 
05. Big Bird 3:13 
06. Homer's Theme 2:11 
07. Trashy Dog 3:00 
08. Don't Turn Your Heater Down 3:15 
09. Water 3:06 
10. Knock On Wood 5:02 

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