"I'll Remember" by TASTE [featuring Rory Gallagher] (2015 Universal/Polydor 4CD Book Set – Paschal Byrne Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

Features the album "On The Boards" from 1970

"...Blister On The Moon..."

When "On The Boards" by Rory Gallagher's TASTE was released on the first day of the new decade (1 January 1970) – yours truly was a goofy 11-year old Dublin kid recently progressed from short pants into long trousers with a rapidly growing obsession for Girls, Thunderbirds 2 and Rock Music (yum yum). As you can imagine - guitar-heroes who were 'Irish' could be typed on a very small piece of paper indeed. But man oh man when we stumped up our candidate for selection – Ireland produced a proper goodun.

So what of this much-anticipated reissue? As much as I worship the ground Rory Gallagher and his battered Stratocaster walked on – this 2015 Universal 4CD Reissue is both good and awful in very equal measures. The good news is that the PASCHAL BYRNE remasters of the two studio albums are off-the-wall good. Byrne has a long and distinguished history as an Audio Engineer having handled the "Spirit Of Joy" Polydor 3CD Box Set and hundreds of other quality reissues for Universal and Esoteric Recordings over the last decade. But I'm sensing awards are in order because the boy has excelled himself here. The audio on the two albums is fabulous – the best I've ever heard - and I've known and loved these LPs for over 45 years. The Previously Unreleased outtakes from those studio efforts are also genuinely worth having too – stuff that will make blind men see, preachers lay their Bibles down and even persuade politicians to go straight (well lets not ask for too much shall we).

But (all puns aside) Discs 3 and 4 are a different matter. The very well-recorded Swedish gig is electrifying (it really is) but the 'Off Air' "BBC Live In Concert" stuff that finishes off Disc 3 is virtually unlistenable – poor bootleg standard at best. And the fact that an exclusive song like "Feel So Good" on the officially released "Live Taste" and "Live At The Isle Of Wight" LPs from 1971 and 1972 has been replaced with this lesser stuff will only rub salt into the wounds for fans. Disc 4 is not much better - the 'Belfast Sessions' are Demos notoriously inflicted with tape dropouts on almost all tracks that 'has not' been fixed - so they're curio value at best rather than a pleasurable listen. In fairness to the makers of the box – this stuff is included of course for completeness and some of the earlier tracks are actually worth listening to. But if they're audibly damaged – then why include them at all. The Major Minor single is crap and the Woburn stuff good rather than great (a very so-so recording). In truth - had this been a 3CD set containing the Swedish gig and the stragglers not duplicated from the official live albums slapped on at the end of Disc 3 – then it would have been perfect. As it is – I know I'll only be playing those first two discs and the live Swedish gig off the 3rd – and ditching the inferior rest. Here are the full details...

UK released Friday 28 August 2015 – "I'll Remember" by TASTE on Universal/Polydor 472 269-7 (Barcode 602547226976) is a 4CD Book Set Of Remasters and pans out as follows:

Disc 1 – "Taste" – 63:25 minutes:

1. Blister On The Moon

2. Leavin' Blues

3. Sugar Mama

4. Hail

5. Born On The Wrong Side Of Time

6. Dual Carriageway Pain [Side 2]

7. Same Old Story

8. Catfish

9. I'm Moving On

Tracks 1 to 9 are their debut studio LP "Taste" – released April 1969 in the UK on Polydor 583 042 and August 1969 in the USA on Atco SD 33-296

BONUS TRACKS (all Previously Unreleased):

10. Blister On The Moon (Alternate Version)

11. Leavin' Blues (Alternate Version)

12. Hail (Alternate Version)

13. Dual Carriageway Pain (Alternate Version)

14. Same Old Story (Alternate Version with No Vocals)

15. Catfish (Alternate Version)

Disc 2 – "On The Boards" – 71:10 minutes:

1. What's Going On

2. Railway And Gun

3. It's Happened Before, It'll Happen Again

4. If The Day Was Any Longer

5. Morning Sun

6. Eat My Words [Side 2]

7. On The Boards

8. If I Don't Sing I'll Cry

9. See Here

10. I'll Remember

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 2nd and last studio album "On The Boards" – released January 1970 in the UK on Polydor 583 083 and in the USA on Atco SD 33-322. It charted in the UK rising to No. 18.

BONUS TRACKS (All Previously Unreleased):

11. Railway And Gun (Take 2 – Off The Boards Mix)

12. See Here (Take 1 – Alternate Version)

13. It's Happened Before, It'll Happen Again (Take 2 – Beat Club TV Audio)

14. If The Day Was Any Longer (Beat Club TV Audio)

15. Morning Sun (Beat Club TV Audio)

16. It's Happened Before, It'll Happen Again (Beat Club TV Audio)

Disc 3 – "Live In Konserthuset" - 77:45 minutes (all Previously Unreleased):

1. What's Going On

2. Sugar Mama

3. Gamblin' Blues

4. Sinner Boy

5. At The Bottom

6. She's Nineteen Years Old

7. Morning Sun

8. Catfish

Tracks 1 to 8 recorded Live in Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden, 1970

"BBC Live In Concert"

9. I'll Remember

10. Railway And Gun

11. Sugar Mama

12. Eat My Words

13. Catfish

Tracks 9 to 13 are an "Off Air" Recording of TASTE Live at The Paris Theatre in London, 1970.

Disc 4 - "The Belfast (Early) Sessions" - 56:12 minutes (Previously Unreleased on CD):

1. Wee Wee Baby

2. How Many More Years

3. Take It Easy Baby

4. Pardon Me Mister

5. You've Got To Pay

6. Norman Invasion

7. Worried Man

8. Blister On The Moon - April 1968 UK debut 7" single on Major Minor Records MM 560, A

9. Born On The Wrong Side Of Time - B-side of 8, both are different mixes to the versions on the debut LP (which were re-recorded)

"Live At Woburn Abbey" (Woburn Abbey Festival, UK, 1968)

10. Summertime

11. Blister On The Moon

12. I Got My Brand On You

13. Medley: Rock Me Baby/Bye Bye Bird/Baby Please Don’t Go/You Shook Me Baby

TASTE (or The Taste as they were originally called) was Rory Gallagher on Lead Guitar and Vocals, Richard McCracken on Bass and John Wilson on Drums.

"I'll Remember" comes in one those 8" CD Book Packs with an attached 40-page booklet. Produced by Donal and Daniel Gallagher (his family) alongside Joe Black – the superbly detailed sleeve notes are by NIGEL WILLIAMSON and go into Rory’s early days in Belfast at The Maritime Club (Taste took over residency from Van Morrison's Them) on to their first reference on a London billboard (August 1967 as a support act to Robert Hirst at The Marquee) and even meeting John Peel in a transport café (he remained a huge fan of Gallagher for years). Pages 28 to 29 are festooned with photographs I’ve never seen before of the young band in Cork, on their way to a date Scotland, tours with Traffic, sharing the Bill with Roger Chapman’s Family at the Camden Roundhouse and so on. There’s even a very old newspaper clipping of a happy Rory amidst a bunch of Cork hopefuls on a 'Spot The Talent' show smiling beneath a Mrs. Mary Carey-O'Mahony who had to be 75 if not a day! It's properly great stuff and affectionate too...the only error I can see is that a Danish titled picture sleeve of "Born On The Wrong Side Of Time" is credited as a UK release when it never had a picture sleeve in this country.

SINGLES:

Eagle-eyed fans will know that the first Taste 45 was "Blister On The Moon" b/w "Born On The Wrong Side Of Time" on Major Minor Records MM 560 in April 1968 (long before they had an album) – and both cuts were different mixes to the re-recorded versions that turned up on the debut LP in 1969. Although it doesn’t state it directly on the packaging (it is mentioned in the excellent booklet) - they are here on Disc 4, Tracks 8 and 9 as part of ‘The Belfast Sessions’. That whole recording was issued in the UK as a Rory Gallagher LP called "In The Beginning" on Emerald Records GES 1100 in 1974 (it was later subject to successful prosecution). The only officially released British Polydor single came when the label put out the newly recorded LP cut of "Born On The Wrong Side Of Time" b/w "Same Old Story" as a first 7" single on Polydor 56313 in March 1969. But in that strange way that Polydor didn't support the first Stone The Crows LP with a 45 when they should have done – Polydor didn't bother to plug the 2nd Taste LP "On The Boards" with a single either although "What's Going On" was an obvious choice. In fact that track flipped with "Railway And Gun" and "If I Don't Sing, I'll Cry" b/w "I'll Remember" were both released as 7" singles in many European countries (a set of those picture sleeves adorns the last page of the attached booklet).

STUDIO LPS:

Produced by Tony Colton - the debut LP opens with a belter - "Blister On The Moon" - and immediately I'm hit with the quality remaster – the bass and drums so clear. We now get the first of the album's four cover versions – Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter's "Leavin' Blues" which sounds incredible – that strangely sparse slide sound he’s getting. The other three covers are a grungy (and hissy) "Sugar Mama" by Howlin' Wolf, his amazing cut of Robert Petway's 1941 Bluebird Records stalwart "Catfish" and a Countrified shuffle through Hank Snow's "I'm Moving On” (the rest are Gallagher compositions). His acoustic-only "Hail" sounds incredible while it's easy to hear why the re-recording of "Born On The Wrong Side Of Time" was an obvious single. “Dual Carriageway Pain” was badly recorded in my opinion and still sounds strangely tame - as if the song just needed to let rip somehow to infuse it with some genuine excitement. The same unfortunately applies to "Same Old Story" – a good tune hampered by a weedy recording. But then we get a true monster and surely why Hendrix was so impressed by Gallagher - his cover of "Catfish". Hendrix recorded "Catfish" himself in a similar 8-minute Bluesy vein (It was finally released as "Catfish Blues" on the superb "Blues" CD from 1994). It's as if Gallagher knew that something needed to be done – so he cranks the amps up to 90 and does an 8-minute Blues Rock thrashing of "Catfish". With heavy riffs like he's auditioning for Led Zeppelin - you can hear the amps rumbling in the background – his playing inspired because the structure of the song allows him to let go. It's a standout on an otherwise strangely tame debut LP...

The 2nd album "On The Boards" is an entirely different beast to the first – so much more sophisticated and filled with far better songs (all Rory originals). Again produced by Tony Colton but Engineered by Eddie Offord (late of Yes fame) – the audio is brilliant and the remaster absolutely brings that to life. "What's Going On" has always made me throw undignified shapes around my living room with a tennis racket (still does) – but little prepared me for the stunning audio on Bluesy "Railway And Gun" and the jazzy "It's Happened Before, It'll Happen Again" (Rory gives the Alto Saxophone a rare outing on this one). The Fleetwood Mac "Then Play On" boogie of "Morning Sun" is wicked too. The Johnny Winter style cool slide of "Eat My Words" sounds awesome, as does Rory's clever Harmonica inclusion on "If The Day Was Any Longer" (again with gorgeous Audio).

LIVE STUFF:

A six-minute "What's Going On" allows Rory to stretch out and get the crowd going but it’s the fabulous Blues Rock riffage of "Sugar Mama" that gets them clapping and screaming. He does a wicked electric slide version of Melvin Jackson's "Gamblin' Blues" where he sounds like Mike Bloomfield enjoying himself even though "...my woman eat me out of house and home..." We then get a track that would eventually turn up in studio form on his 1971 debut solo LP – "Sinner Boy". He slows it down with a 'new one' called "At The Bottom" which features his Harmonica playing (he would eventually record it for 1975's "Against The Grain"). Next up is a very cool version of Muddy Waters' "She's Nineteen Years Old" which has the crowd clapping to its salacious Blues beat – a great inclusion. It's followed by a forgotten nugget from "On The Boards" – a huge rocking version of "Morning Sun" fully brought to life in the live environment where Taste suddenly sound like a four-piece band and not just a trio. And it ends on the crowd-pleaser Blues-Rock of "Catfish" sounding every bit as powerful as the debut LP version – hair-raising note bending and all that. This is Heavy Hard Rock and I love it...

After the high of the Swedish recording – the BBC tracks come as a truly dreadful disappointment – they’re no better than a bad bootleg recording and even though "Eat My Words" is electrifying in all its slide-guitar glory – the audio makes it virtually unlistenable. Disc 4 offers some solace in 1967 demos of Big Joe Turner's "Wee Wee Baby", Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" and a wicked Bluesy version of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Take It Easy Baby" which stretches to 7:13 minutes. The bad news is that those three-or-four-second tape drop-outs on "How Many More Years", "Pardon Me Mister", "You've Got To Pay", "Norman Invasion" (a three-minute instrumental) and "Worried Man" are still there making the listen a curio rather than a genuine pleasure. The Major Minor single versions of "Blister On The Moon" and "Born On The Wrong Side Of Time" in Mono sound strictly amateur-hour compared to their 1969 Polydor re-recordings and the Woburn Abbey gig is good rather than great. All in all – there's too much of Disc 3 and 4 that's dismissible. So there you have it – a very mixed bag - but I have to say that I’m lapping up the remasters of the studio albums and their alternate versions.

Once asked what’s it like to be seen as the greatest guitar player in the world – Jimi Hendrix reputedly replied, "I don't know. You should ask Rory Gallagher..." And at least parts of this "I'll Remember" 4CD release hammer home why the mighty Jimi was such an admirer...

"1970-1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything..." by FACES (August 2015 Warner Brothers/Rhino 5CD Mini Box Set Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Had Me A Real Good Time...And Other Domestic Short Comings..."

Features the 1970 album "First Step" by FACES
Featuring Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones

FACES fans are going to love 'and' hate this. "1970-1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything..." is both truly exhilarating and sappily infuriating at the same time. The upside is that it contains stunning remastered music with some shockingly good extras but it’s missing edits when there was room on the 'Singles' disc and it’s presented in a truly small beer way - when this best of British bands deserved the full brewery (and it's not cheap either). To the good news first...

On the 4CD Rhino Book Set "Five Guys Walk Into A Bar" from 2004 - you got 3 tracks out of 10 from the 1st LP, 5 out of 9 from the 2nd and all of the 3rd and 4th LPs bar three (as well as a hefty wad of 30+ Previously Unreleased - I reviewed it years back). Here the temptation is all 4 studio albums newly remastered in their entirety and each bolstered up with great Previously Unreleased material not available anywhere else. There’s also a 5th bonus disc with 9-tracks that mops up those 'Stray Singles' and a rare NME Flexidisc track. There’s a lot to get through - so lets get this box set's tartan trousers down and have a peek at its Bollinger-stained boxer shorts (if you get my drift)...

UK and US released Friday 28 August 2015 – "1970-1975: You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything..." by FACES is a 5CD Mini Box Set on Warner Brothers/Rhino R2 550009 (Barcode 081227954239) and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 - "The First Step" – 70:11 minutes:
1. Wicked Messenger
2. Devotion
3. Shake, Shudder
4. Stone
5. Around The Plynth
6. Flying [Side 2]
7. Pineapple And The Monkey
8. Nobody Knows
9. Looking Out The Window
10. Three Button Hand Me Down
Tracks 1 to 10 are their debut studio album "The First Step" – released March 1970 in the UK on Warner Brothers WS 3000 (reissued December 1971 on Warner Brothers K 46053) and March 1970 in the USA (as "First Step") on Warner Brothers WS 1851. The British LP had the words FACES centred on the front cover of its gatefold but because this set is US based it uses American artwork where the band were wrongly called SMALL FACES (the band they used to be).

BONUS TRACKS (all Previously Unreleased):
11. Behind The Sun (Outtake) (Jones/Lane/McLagan/Stewart/Wood)
12. Mona – The Blues (Outtake) (Lane/Wood)
13. Shake, Shudder, Shiver (Lane/Wood) (BBC Session recorded 9 March 1970, broadcast 28 March 1970 on John Peel's "Top Gear" Radio 1 Program)
14. Flying (Take 3) (Stewart/Wood/Lane)
15. Nobody Knows (Take 2) (Wood/Lane)

Disc 2 - "Long Player" – 67:18 minutes:
1. Bad 'N' Ruin
2. Tell Everyone
3. Sweet Lady Mary
4. Richmond
5. Maybe I'm Amazed (Live)
6. Had Me A Real Good Time [Side 2]
7. On The Beach
8. I Feel So Good (Live)
9. Jerusalem
Tracks 1 to 9 are their 2nd studio album "Long Player" released March 1971 in the UK on Warner Brothers WS 3011 and February 1971 in the USA on Warner Brothers WS 1892. Tracks 5 and 8 were recorded live at The Fillmore East in New York (no date specified) – two more live versions from that date have been included as Bonus Tracks (13 and 14).

BONUS TRACKS (All Previously Unreleased):
10. Whole Lotta Woman (Outtake) (Marvin Rainwater cover)
11. Tell Everyone (Take 1) (Lane)
12. Sham-Mozzal (Instrumental – Outtake) (Jones/Lane/McLagan/Wood)
13. Too Much Woman (Live) (Ike & Tina Turner cover)
14. Love In Vain (Live) (Robert Johnson cover)
[Notes: 13 and 14 are live and were recorded at The Fillmore East in New York on the same date that 5 and 8 on the album were – no date specified]

Disc 3 - "A Nod's As Good As A Wink…To A Blind Horse…" – 45:07 minutes:
1. Miss Judy's Farm
2. You're So Rude
3. Love Lives Here
4. Last Orders Please
5. Stay With Me
6. Debris [Side 2]
7. Memphis
8. Too Bad
9. That's All You Need
Tracks 1 to 9 are their 3rd studio album "A Nod's As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse..." released November 1971 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56006 and in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2574. It was credited in the USA as "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse" and that front cover artwork is used for this reissue.

BONUS TRACKS (both Previously Unreleased):
10. Miss Judy's Farm (Live)
11. Stay With Me (Live)
[Notes: both were recorded 28 September 1971 and Broadcast 6 October 1971 on John Peel's "Top Gear" Radio 1 Program]

Disc 4 - "Ooh La La" – 46:36 minutes:
1. Silicone Grown
2. Cindy Incidentally
3. Flags And Banners
4. My Fault
5. Borstal Boys
6. Fly In The Ointment [Side 2]
7. If I’m On The Late Side
8. Glad And Sorry
9. Just Another Honky
10. Ooh La La
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 4th and final studio album "Ooh La La" released April 1973 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56011 and March 1973 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2665.

BONUS TRACKS (All Previously Unreleased):
11. Cindy Incidentally (BBC Session)
12. Borstal Boys (Rehearsal)
13. Silicone Grown (Rehearsal)
14. Glad And Sorry (Rehearsal)
15. Jealous Guy (Live)
[Notes: "Cindy Incidentally" was recorded 12 February 1973 and Broadcast 1 March 1973 on "BBC Radio One Club". The cover version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" was recorded at The Reading Festival in the UK on 25 August 1973.

Disc 5 – "Stray Singles & B-Sides" – 40:38 minutes:
1. Pool Hall Richard – a non-album single released in the UK 30 November 1973 on Warner Brothers K 16341 as the A-side
2. I Wish It Would Rain (With A Trumpet) – a Temptations cover version issued as the non-album B-side to "Pool Hall Richard". It was recorded live at The Reading Festival in 1973
3. Rear Wheel Skid – the non-album B-side to "Had Me A Real Good Time (Edit)" released 13 November 1970 in the UK on Warner Brothers WB 8018 and 21 October 1970 in the USA on Warner Brothers WB 7442
4. Maybe I'm Amazed – a non-album 3:40 minutes 'studio version' - released 6 April 1971 US 7” single on Warner Brothers WB 7483. It's a cover of a Paul McCartney song and the full 'live' version at 5:32 minutes is on the "Long Player" album.
5. Oh Lord I'm Browned Off – the non-album B-side to "Maybe I'm Amazed"
6. You Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (Even Take The Dog For A walk, Mend A Fuse, Fold Away The ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Short Comings – a non-album UK 7" single released as the A-side 11 November 1974 on Warner Brothers K 16499 and (as an edit) 22 January 1975 in the USA on Warner Brothers WBS-8066. It was reissued in the USA (also as an edit) 28 May 1975 on Warner Brothers WBS-8102.
7. As Long As You Tell Him – the non-album B-side to "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything..."
8. Skewiff (Mend The Fuse) – an instrumental non-album B-side to "Cindy Incidentally" issued 9 February 1973 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 16247 and 5 February 1973 in the USA on Warner Brothers WB 7681.
9. Dishevelment Blues – a non-album exclusive track recorded 5 April 1973 for the UK 'NME Magazine, April 1973' issue – it was issued on a one-side flexi that came free with the Music Paper.

The Mini Box Set contains five singular card sleeves inside and a foldout inlay. Bluntly it feels cheapish. The attached 62-page colour booklet that came with the FACES Book Set "Five Guys Walk Into A Bar..." from 2004 was a fabulous fan-fest rammed to the gunnels with foreign picture sleeves, press clippings, live photos, badges, teeshirts, Warner Brothers memorabilia and all manner of boozy tour shenanigans. Here we get a three-way fold out slip of paper with track credits and absolutely nothing else! Each of the original vinyl albums (in the UK especially) had elaborate packaging – the first in a gatefold, the second in a 78" stitched sleeve with its own custom label, "Nod" came with a massive fold out poster and "Ooh La La" famously had the folding 'lips' sleeve with a lyric poster inside as well – none of it is reproduced here.

As if to add insult to injury (and with no offence to our good American friends) but this most British of Rock 'n' Roll bands then gets the 1st and 2nd LPs represented here in single sleeve 'American' artwork both of which have all the aesthetic impact of a wet rag. They couldn't even be bothered to produce a gatefold on the first. I suppose the tan label CDs on all four studio-albums (aping the original issues) is a nice touch - while the singles set gets a Warner Brothers Burbank Label – again a good idea. The artwork also prints the bonus tracks on the rear of each single card sleeve in the same print as the original - so I suppose that makes them a tiny bit interesting (the fifth CD has nice artwork too). But it all feels like small beer when surely this is a 70ts band that deserved the best WEA could offer. If Rhino were able to do the packaging business by the Faces in 2004 - then why not in 2015? Anyway - let’s get to the Audio - which is thankfully blindingly good...

It doesn't say when the DAN HERSCH and BILL INGLOT remasters (done at Digiprep from Flat Analogue Tapes) were carried out (no dates provided) but I suspect these are the 2004 versions. The good news is that they 'rock'. These CDs sound great even if they're hissy on the 1st and 2nd albums (how they were recorded). Hersch and Inglot have handled huge swathes of primo WEA material across the years for Rhino - Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding to name but a few legends. But I bet these Top Audio Engineers got their transfer jollies digitally preserving this catalogue. The power of the band is realised - muscular, clear and full of that 'live-in-the-studio' feel that original Producers Glyn Johns, Mike Bobak and Ron Nevison got for the Faces at the time. Each album has fantastic audio moments – "Stone" on "First Step", "Sweet Lady Mary" on "Long Player", the stunning Side 2 opener "Debris” (and "Stay With Me" B-side) on "Nod" and the lovely overlooked ballad "Glad And Sorry" on "Ooh La La". I'll presume that fans already know how good the studio albums are so I'll get stuck into the cool extras...

The bonus tracks on "First Step" are shockingly good. The first "Behind The Sun" is 5:30 minutes long as is just as good if not better than anything on the album (and it sounds utterly amazing here). Both it and the second helping here "Mona – The Blues" were recorded after the LP's release on 12 May 1970 in Hollywood. "Mona – The Blues" starts with shouts and comes on like a barroom brawl is about to break out at any minute – another five-minute slide boogie winner with piano and no vocals (it later turned up on the 1976 Soundtrack LP "Mahoney's Last Stand" by Ron Wood and Ronniw Lane). The audio on the BBC Session of "Shake, Shudder, Shiver" is good rather than great - but the Rock 'n' Roll power of the band is amazing. We're now treated to a duo of sublime versions of "Flying" and a more Piano-orientated cut of "Nobody Knows" – wow!

As if to reinforce what a bunch of hairy-assed reprobates they really were – "Whole Lotta Woman" (a Marvin Rainwater cover done in British Rock 'n' Roll style) opens with giggles and drunken screams to "...turn the tape machine on and let's get it going!" The session then launches into that effortless Stones swagger The Faces seemed to be able to conjure up at the drop of a hat. This is the kind of outtake that will make fans weak at their elderly knees. A very shambolic Take 1 of "Tell Everyone" gets an outing where both Lane and Stewart are clearly trying to get a feel for the melody - and begin getting there towards the end. But we now get a true kick in the nuts – an instrumental Ron Wood Guitar version of "Had Me A Real Good Time" called "Sham-Mozzal" and my God am I grinning from ear-to-ear. This is true fabulous stuff and it sounds stunning too (where has this sucker been all these years). Continuing in Rock mode we get an incendiary live version of an Ike and Tina Turner song "Too Much Woman" wrongly credited in the inlay as being by Ronnie Lane. With terrific audio it's 5:29 minutes of Wood riffing away while Stewart shows why he had the best damn larynx on the planet at the time (there's also a cool Kenney Jones drum portion).  Their cover of Robert Johnson's "Love In Vain" doesn't have great audio really but as it sounds like "Let It Bleed" Stones – I can so understand why it's here...

I'm always disappointed that the mighty "Nod" from 1971 never seems to have even a single outtake or alternate version – so what were offered here are two workmanlike versions of "Miss Judy's Farm" and "Stay With Me" from an unreleased BBC Session. They’re good – they are – but they're hardly sparkling. At least the 'Stray Singles' disc gathers up those wicked B-sides - like the three rough and tumble instrumentals "Rear Wheel Skid",  "Oh Lord I'm Browned Off" and "Skewiff (Mend The Fuse)". And after years of playing that crinkled 1973 NME Flexidisc – I can now hear the slow "Dishevelment Blues" in all its Bluesy glory (the boys essentially goofing in the studio - with wild guitar from Ron Wood). And how good is "Pool Hall Richard" backed with its live cover of The Temptations classic "I Wish It Would Rain" complete with Soulful brass.

So there you have it – good and bad – mostly good it has to be said. The remastered albums are fabulous and those Previously Unreleased goodies genuinely exciting. It's just a shame about the ASDA packaging (docked a star for that) when with a little imagination this mini box set could have been a Fortnum & Masons hamper you covet...and that would truly have been something worth getting drunk and disorderly about...

"Completely Well" by B.B. KING (December 2012 Japanese SHM-CD Remaster in 5" Gatefold Gard Repro Sleeve with Obi and Booklet) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Think About You All The Time..."

There's so much B.B. King product out there - it's hard at times to isolate the real goodies. "Completely Well" was his 5th album on the American Bluesway label since he'd moved to them in 1967 with "Blues Is King". Released December 1969 in the USA (June 1970 in the UK) - it’s represented here on one of those natty Japanese SHM-CD reissues in gorgeous 5" card repro artwork. A fab mixture of Blues with Funk and even Boogie (his band was mainly white Rock guys) – "Completely Well" is a great B.B. King album – and on this format – elevated up the Audio ranks even further. Here are "The Thrill Is Gone" details...

Released 19 December 2012 - "Completely Well" by B.B. KING is a Japanese SHM-CD Reissue on Geffen/Universal UICY-94841 (Barcode 4988005743954) and comes in 5” Gatefold Hard Card American Repro Artwork (52:44 minutes)

1. So Excited

2. No Good

3. You’re Losin' Me

4. What Happened

5. Confessin' The Blues

6. Key To My Kingdom [Side 2]

7. Cryin' Won’t Help You Now

8. You're Mean

9. The Thrill Is Gone

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Completely Well" – released December 1969 in the USA on Bluesway BLS-6037 and June 1970 in the UK on Stateside SSL 10299 (both Stereo only).

The album was produced by BILL SZYMCZYK of Eagles and Joe Walsh fame and the band consisted of B.B. King on Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar, Hugh McCracken on Rhythm Guitar, Paul Harris on Piano, Electric Piano and Organ, Gerald ‘Fingers’ Jemmott on Bass and Herbie Lovelle on Drums.

BONUS TRACK:

10. Fools Get Wise – Studio Outtake recorded June 1969 in New York with the same line-up as the album

As any collector will tell you – these Japanese Mini LP Repro Sleeves are truly gorgeous. There's an OBI strip with reissue details on it (in Japanese) around the card sleeve (the SHM-CD symbol is at the top) and it's held in a resealable plastic. When out of the plastic - you see the lovely attention to detail - even mimicking the 'gloss' texture of the Bluesway gatefold sleeve, which was also 'hard card' like LP sleeves of the time. The Inner Gatefold has Ralph J. Gleason's original liner notes with photos of BB on stage and looking cool as he lights a cigarette. The booklet is a plain white affair with the lyrics in English and the remainder in Japanese. A SHM-CD (Super High Materials) doesn't require a special CD player to play it on (compatible on all machines) - nor does it need audiophile kit to hear the benefits. It's a new form of the CD format that picks up the nuances of the transfer better (top quality make). I own about 15 of them and they're uniformly superb.

His "Live And Well" album had turned up March 1970 in the UK on Stateside SSL 10297 – only three months before the release of the studio album "Completely Well" in June 1970 on Stateside SSL10299. The British record label preceded the album with a classic single that should have garnished more chart love than it did – "The Thrill Is Gone" b/w "You're Mean (Edit)" in February 1970 on Stateside SS 2161. But it did precious little business – despite now being a tune entirely associated with B.B. King. Just before the album hit the racks in June – Stateside UK tried the jaunty Side 1 opener "So Excited" as another 45 on Stateside SS 2169 in May 1970 with "Confessin' The Blues" on the B-side – but again no takers.

You have to say that the remaster on this beauty is awesome (it doesn't say who did it). 

B.B. King has all these white Rock guys around him – and McCracken's chunky Rock guitar backs up his licks – while Paul Harris plays those cool keyboard flourishes. With great production values and his voice in top form as he growls his way through "No Good" and "You're Losin' Me" – the remaster hits you again and again – elevating the tunes to another level. The brass arrangements on the wonderfully languid "What Happened" were arranged by Bert "Super Charts" DeCoteaux and what an Audio winner it is. The sweet bass, the guitars, the drums and the piano plinking – the audio on this sucker is fabulous – all the instruments fully accounted for. It then rocks out big time with a wicked cover of Jay McShann's "Confessin' The Blues" where Hugh McCracken’s boogie guitar underlines the song with a chugging Rock sound while Paul Harris plays a big chords melodic blinder.

His cover of Maxwell Davis's "Key To My Kingdom" is good rather than being great – far better is the Funky Blues of "Cryin' Won't Help You Now" – a slinky little number with a gorgeous Bass Line (B.B. puts in some of his most convincing picking on this). But then something unexpected happens – it extends into the next track "You're Mean" which is near 10-minutes long. "You're Mean" is essentially a huge blasting extension of the funky "Cryin' Won't Help You Now" where the band comes on like Led Zeppelin letting rip on the Blues – it’s properly great stuff. B.B. shouts at the boys half way through "...that's alright..." as they improvise and boogie like Canned Heat in the company of a great Blues man. It ends on the beautiful Audio of "The Thrill Is Gone" – a bit of a minor masterpiece frankly. The Bonus Track "Fools Get Wise" turns out to be a Funky Rock tune and at 2:38 minutes – it comes in, does the business and then leaves - a great addition and worthy of the moniker 'bonus'.

These Japanese SHM-CDs are pricey for sure – some over thirty quid – some below twelve – but there's something about the sound on them – like this is how CD should have sounded in the first place when dealing with analogue recordings. I can totally understand why fans feel that their fave artists should be on this format – mastered by the perfectionist Japanese. 

Seek it out – you’ll love what you’re seeing and hearing...and thanks for all the Blues Mister King...

"McLemore Avenue" by BOOKER T. & THE M.G.'S (2011 "Stax Remasters" Expanded CD Reissue) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Here Comes The Sun King..." 

Like "Electric Mud" by Muddy Waters, "McLemore Avenue" by Booker T. & The M.G.'s divided fans and critics alike at the time of release - and has done ever since. Some call it a masterpiece - even visionary - while others see it as little more than an opportunistic cash-in that only half worked in Stax's otherwise impressively individualistic canon of releases. More than 40 years after the event - I think it's fair enough to call it a bit of both - good and bad (much like this new reissue actually). Here are the details...

Released May 2011, Concord Music Group, Inc 0888072328747 breaks down as follows (59:03 minutes):

1. Medley: Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End/Here Comes The Sun/Come Together

2. Something

3. Because/You Never Give Me Your Money

4. Medley: Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window/I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Tracks 1 to 4 are the album "McLemore Avenue" released April 1970 in the USA on Stax Records STS 2027 and July 1970 in the UK on Stax SXATS 1031

BONUS TRACKS:

Tracks 5 to 10 are all Beatles covers - 5 and 6 are "You Can't Do That" and "Day Tripper" from the late 60s album "Soul Men"; 7 and 9 are "Michelle" and "Lady Madonna" from the 1969 album "The Booker T. Set"; 8 is "Eleanor Rigby" from the 1968 album "Soul Limbo" - while track 10 is a PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (Alternate Take) of "You Can't Do That" (recorded late 60s).

The new 12-page booklet has very knowledgeable and affectionate liner notes by ASHLEY KHAN (author of books on the recording career of John Coltrane and Miles Davis). You also get the original artwork and production credits, a collage of 2 photos on the inlay beneath the see-through tray and the disc itself pictures the group too. But it's a shame the booklet doesn't go any further - there's no new photos, no memorabilia - not even a picture of the lone 7" single of "Something" (US or UK). It makes the inlay feel workmanlike at best - even a little dull - when it should have spread its wings a little. But the big news is the SOUND...

I bought and recently reviewed another title in this new "Stax Remasters" series - "Be Altitude: Respect Yourself" by The Staples Singers and I duly raved about the fabulous sound quality on that after years of lacklustre reissues in jewel cases and repro digipaks. This is the same. 24-bit remastered from the first generation tapes by JOE TARANTINO at Joe Tarantino Mastering in Berkeley, California - the audio quality is truly GORGEOUS - absolutely incredible clarity that will make you reassess every song.

To the music - it probably seemed like a good idea at the time - "McLemore Avenue" would cover the recently released "Abbey Road" album by The Beatles (September 1969) and do it all in that distinctive Booker T & The M.G.'s instrumental style. They even aped the famous UK album sleeve and wittily called it after the street on which the Stax Studios resided in Memphis.  They also realigned the 17-songs of the original LP into four new tracks - three lengthy Medleys and one straight up shorter cover of "Something" (which was actually released as a 45 on both sides of the pond to some success). The problem for me is that of the four tracks only two really work - "Something" and the "Because/You Never Give Me Your Money" Medley. The playing and clever interpretation on each is superb. On the other two however - I feel the band sounds way too close to a poor man's Procol Harum without the vocals. But again I must reiterate that if you have any affection for these songs, you 'need' to hear them on this stunningly good new remaster.

Of the five bonus covers - the best is undoubtedly Track 5 - the first version of "You Can't Do That" (from "A Hard Day's Night") - it's really excellent. Unfortunately the cuts of "Day Tripper", "Michelle" and "Lady Madonna" don't fare so well - barely rising above a bar-band doing cheesy Lounge versions of famous Beatles songs - it's not good. The last track is an (Alternate Take) of "You Can't Do That" which is a lot rougher than the first and not as good either.

Too sum up - I wasn't prepared for two things on this reissue - the truly astonishingly remaster by Joe Tarantino - and secondly how it transformed the listen and made me reassess what I had formerly thought of as an anomaly - an LP on Stax best avoided.

If you're a fan of the record - this is no-brainer - it's an absolute must-own. If you're like me and aren't particularly bothered, I'd still say give "Something" and the "Because/You Never Give Me Your Money" Medley a try on iTunes - you'll be more than impressed...

PS: titles in the "STAX REMASTERS" series are (all reviewed):

1. Green Onions - BOOKER T. & THE M.G.'s (1962)

2. McLemore Avenue - BOOKER T. & THE M.G.'s (1970)

3. Woman To Woman - SHIRLEY BROWN (1974)

4. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - THE DRAMATICS (1972)

5. Born Under A Bad Sign - ALBERT KING (1967)

6. I'll Play The Blues For You - ALBERT KING (1971)

7. Be Altitude: Respect Yourself - THE STAPLE SINGERS (1972)

8. Taylored In Silk - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1973)

9. Do The Funky Chicken - RUFUS THOMAS (1969)

"I Looked Up" by THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND (2014 Beat Goes On CD - Andrew Thompson Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...This Moment..."

When the INCREDIBLE STRING BAND put out the vinyl double-album 'U' in October 1970 complete with a pantomime show to accompany its half-genius and wholly indulgent sprawl - many fans thought they'd lost it - and critics of course had a total field day. And perhaps the single album "I Looked Up" that preceded 'U' only months earlier (which also tested people's patience) lit the fuse for that backlash. Whatever way you look at it - four and half decades later - and along comes Beat Goes On of the UK with a spiffing new CD remaster and quality presentation. They're hoping of course you'll reassess the whole hairyman affair in 2014...and if you're a fan - you should. Here are real ale details...

UK released September 2014 - "I Looked Up" by THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1166 (Barcode 5017261211668) is a straightforward CD Remaster of the 1970 LP - comes in an outer card slipcase - and breaks down as follows (41:27 minutes):

1. Black Jack Davy (Mike Heron)

2. The Letter (Mike Heron)

3. Pictures In A Mirror (Robin Williamson)

4. This Moment (Mike Heron)

5. When You Find Out Who You Are (Robin Williamson)

6. Fair As You (Mike Heron song)

Tracks 1 to 6 are the stereo vinyl album "I Looked Up" - released April 1970 in the UK on Elektra 2469 002 and Elektra EKS 74061 in the USA

Consisting of multi-instrumentalists ROBIN WILLIAMSON and MIKE HERON (Guitar, Mandolin, Sitar, Flute, Piano, Bass, Various English and European String Instruments and Vocals) - the band also had ROSE SIMPSON on Bass and LICORICE McKECHNIE on Duet Vocals and Guitar. The 16-page booklet features two photos of the ISB and detailed liner notes by noted writer JOHN TOBLER that go into a long history of the groups stay at Elektra. But the big news is a lovely new remaster by ANDREW THOMPSON that brings out the music in a really great way. Many of these tracks are essentially acoustic guitars, mandolins and high vocals - the remaster has hiss on some tracks - but the clarity is fab.

Musically if I were to single out two extremes (bad and good) - it would be the near unlistenable nonsense of "Pictures In A Mirror" which goes on for eleven minutes and is painful to listen to. A contrast is the lovely six minutes of "This Moment" - even if it has the "oh no" vocal refrain towards the end. And the remaster is amazing on "When You Find Out Who You Are" as it goes into those delicate vocal duets between Robin and Licorice. But perhaps best of all is the old world madrigal folk of "Fair As You" with its Flute, Gimbri and layered vocals. It has hiss on it for sure but it's not been dampened down in the transfer at the expense of the prominent acoustic guitar and flute (deftly done).

The Incredible String Band would go on to the altogether better "Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air" album when they signed to Island in 1971. To sum up - it's a bit Bovril - you either love it or loathe it. But if you're a fan - you need this superb remaster in your collection...