Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Fever Tree - San Francisco Girls (1968-1970)
The Ace Of Cups - It's Bad For You But Buy It
The Ace of Cups was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1967. It has been described as one of the first all-female rock bands.[1][2][3][4]
The members of the Ace of Cups were Mary Gannon (bass), Marla Hunt (organ, piano), Denise Kaufman (guitar, harmonica), Mary Ellen Simpson (lead guitar), and Diane Vitalich (drums). Lead vocals were sung by all members of the band except Vitalich, and all five sang backup. The songwriting, too, was divided among the band members
Past members
Mary Gannon
Marla Hunt
Mary Ellen Simpson
Diane Vitalich
Denise Kaufman
—
Joe Allegra
Jerry Granelli
Noel Jewkes
Lolly Lewis
The Ace of Cups were fairly well known on the late-'60s San Francisco rock scene, playing many shows in the area (and occasionally venturing beyond), and sometimes supporting big names such as Jefferson Airplane. They also attracted attention by virtue of being one of the few all-women self-contained rock bands of their time and place. They never released anything while they were active, however, dooming them to obscurity beyond the memories of those who managed to see them live. A CD of previously unreleased late-'60s recordings did see release in 2003, with an offbeat mixture of raw bluesy garage rock, wistful harmony-rich gospel-tinged songs, and quirky numbers that mixed in some period social commentary and satire. There's more promise than distinguished artistry in these recordings, however, which sound a little crude and derivative when compared to the better San Francisco groups of the time.
The Ace of Cups came together in Haight-Ashbury right as psychedelic rock was taking off, and played a mostly original repertoire, with most of the band writing and all of them singing. Guitarist Denise Kaufman, who did more of the songwriting and lead vocals than any other member, had sung and played harmonica on an obscure 1966 garage rock single by Denise & Company; she was also the ex-girlfriend of future Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner. Originally they were managed by Ambrose Hollingsworth, who'd managed Quicksilver Messenger Service in their early days before getting disabled by a car accident. Hollingsworth in turn eventually passed the reins over to Ron Polte, who'd succeeded Hollingsworth as Quicksilver's manager.
Despite achieving a fair amount of recognition in the Bay Area (and a brief plug in a December 1967 issue of Melody Maker by Jimi Hendrix, with whom the band had played a free concert in the Golden Gate Park panhandle shortly after the Monterey Pop Festival), they never got a record deal. Why that didn't happen isn't entirely clear, as they had opportunities to sign with Warner Bros., Capitol, and Fantasy. Their management evidently felt the band wasn't ready or that the offers weren't suitable; keyboardist Marla Hunt has also said that Albert Grossman was interested in signing them, but had his offer turned down by Polte. Too, there was some reluctance in the group to tour behind records as some of them were starting families. They did appear on some records after a fashion when Kaufman's "Flute Song" was recorded on Quicksilver Messenger Service's Shady Grove album in 1969, and the group did some backing vocals on records by Quicksilver, Jefferson Airplane, Nick Gravenites, and Mike Bloomfield.
In the early '70s, the band began to lose momentum as original members drifted away. The lineup changed so much that at one point three men were in the group, which came to an end around 1972. In 2003, late-'60s Ace of Cups rehearsals, demos, TV soundstages, and in-concert tapes were assembled together for the Big Beat CD compilation It's Bad for You But Buy It!, which also includes "Boy, What'll You Do Then," a song from Denise & Company's 1966 single.
VA - Rare & Raw Beat From the Sixties - Vol 8
1 - Twist & Shout - The Vampires
2 - For Your Love - The Vampires
3 - Hang On Sloopy - The Vampires
4 - Sha La La La Lee - The Vampires
5 - Mona - The Electric Frogs
6 - Tribute To Brian Jones - The Electric Frogs
7 - Dolly - Mike Rogers & His Machine Guns
8 - So Long, Goodbye - Mike Rogers & His Machine Guns
9 - No Use Crying - The Savages
10 - Sad Saturday - The Reacers
11 - Never Alone - The Reacers
12 - Open Your Heart - The Rascals
13 - St. James Infirmary - The Rascals
14 - I Make It Real - Funky Family
15 - Good Dancer - Funky Family
16 - Little Girl - Funky Family
17 - Rita - Funky Family
18 - Penitension - Little Steve & The Penitence
19 - Rudy Rumpus - Little Steve & The Penitence
20 - Facts - Tortilla Flat
21 - Life - Tortilla Flat
22 - If You Let Me Make Love To You,Then Why Can't I Touch You - The Toxic
23 - Waiter - The Toxic
24 - Proud Mary - Why Five
25 - Mendocino - Why Five
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Heimatliche Klaenge - vol.99
Heimatliche Klaenge - Schweizer Beat
Native Sounds - Swiss Beat
vol.99
Dorados - 45' 1965 - 1967
01 - Uns're kleine feine Familie (Shame and scandal in the family)
02 - Oh oh oh Honey
03 - Illusionen
04 - Keine Klasse
05 - Der Tiger
06 - So wird's immer geh'n
07 - Wir wollen nach Haus (Peter &Alex)
08 - Ich mцchte immer wieder in deine schцnen Augen seh'n
09 - Super
10 - Drumboy
11 - Roll 'em Over
12 - Cowboy Lady
VA - Rare & Raw Beat From the Sixties - Vol 7
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1 - Frankie and Johnny - The Silver Strings
2 - So Glad Your Mine - The Silver Strings
3 - Black Suede Shoes - The Silver Strings
4 - Bye Bye Johnny - Peter Reese
5 - Louie, Louie - Peter Reese
6 - Alright - The Echoes
7 - Hold Me - The Echoes
8 - Sweet Soul Music - The Maniacs
9 - Happy Together - The Lemons
10 - Nobody Can Rewach His Aim - Braians LTD.
11 - Purple Haze - The Cave-Men
12 - Memories - The Regents
13 - A Stitch In Time - The Eyes
14 - Daisy - The Loosers
15 - Barefootin' - The Maniacs
16 - Nothing Will Be Changed - The Regents
17 - Change Your Life - Braians LTD.
18 - With A Little Help from My Friends - The Roosters
19 - I Take What I Want - The Eyes
20 - I've Been Lonely Too Long - The Maniacs
21 - 6-3-4-5-7-8-9 - The Eyes
22 - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - Steve Cannings & The Matadors
23 - Hate Everything Except of Hatter - Steve Cannings & The Matadors
Tages - 1 LPs (1965)
Tages – a short history
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In the early 60s, skiffle was not only a big craze in England, it hit Sweden pretty hard too. In a small town outside of Gothenburg, a 16-year old lad named Tommy Blom had just received a guitar from his parents. One day he met an old school chum, Anders Töpel, who also had a guitar, and who in turn knew a third guitar player, Danne Larsson. These three young boys started playing together, and soon a fourth member was added, Göran Lagerberg. On purpose they chose the "geeky" name Tages (from Danne's middle name) to make fun of all guitar based pop bands with their slick attitude and suits.
Soon, however, the four youths decided to change their style, after having been introduced to the new "Mersey" sound. A drummer, Freddie Skantze, was added, and within a short time a reshuffle of the instruments followed. Lagerberg took up the bass, while Danne and Anders were to play rhythm and lead guitar respectively. This left Tommy as lead singer and tambourine player.
Their first gig was held on 23 December 1963. Their name was becoming locally known and in August 1964, a Swedish newspaper held a contest called "The Beatles of the West Coast". Many different groups applied, but finally Tages were the victors, earning the right to make a record for the new company Platina. This first recording session took place on 20 September 1964. While the studio was pretty basic, Tages did bring two good songs to the sessions, Sleep little girl and Tell me you’re mine, which were released as a single about a month later. One day, not knowing that the single was going to be tested for the Swedish Top Ten, the boys heard themselves on the radio, and just one week later, the single had reached no. 1, replacing none other than the Beatles.
A couple of months later, the next single followed: I should be glad b/w I cry. This was not only a commercial success, but the critics liked it too, and now Tages were accepted by the large crowd. On 31 March 1965, Tages got to open for the Rolling Stones on their performance in Gothenburg. New singles followed, and the first eponymous LP was released in November. At about the same time, Göran and Freddie were allowed to play together with Chuck Berry in Stockholm.
The first single after the LP was a change of direction. Their music had previously been rather similar to that of the Beatles and other beat groups, but just like the Beatles, Tages felt the need for change. So for the next single, So many girls, a new instrument was added, the recorder. A more soft sound was the result, and the single was a great success. Therefore, Tages and their management decided that it was time to break the English market. Very thorough preparations followed, new clothes, new equipment, etc. Unfortunately, what the management had forgotten was that work permits would be necessary for Tages to be allowed to play in Britain. The boys had to turn back to Sweden, beginning work on their second LP, simply to be called "2".
Another setback was the resignation of original drummer, Freddie Skantze. A replacement was soon found in Tommy Tausis, who had been playing with another important Swedish pop group, the Strangers, until their break-up. Tausis is also present on some tracks on the second LP, which was released in July 1966.
Musical experiments became increasingly important to the boys, who were very eclectic in their choice of music, playing many original songs, as well as some carefully chosen covers. The next LP, "Extra Extra", was released towards the end of 1966, and, like its predecessor, consisted of 6 original songs and 6 covers. Covers were taken from many different styles of music: soul, pop, and Motown. On "Extra Extra", there were a number of interesting original songs, showing the band’s willingness to experiment. One song, Extra, featured a theremin, just like Good vibrations by the Beach Boys. Other songs had controversial lyrics, like Secret room. This was also their last release at Platina, since they had signed a contract with the Swedish branch of Parlophone.
Tommy Tausis had never really settled in the group and after the release of the third LP, he resigned. The next drummer in Tages was Lasse Svensson, and the first release he was featured on was a revelation: the single Every raindrop means a lot. Finally, psychedelia had reached Sweden. Nonsensical lyrics were combined with a strange musical arrangement, and hey presto, a new change in direction had been made. Together with their producer, Anders Henriksson, Tages now began producing incredibly clever and interesting music, as can be heard on the two 1967 LPs, "Contrast" and "Studio". Contrast only has four covers (plus one especially written for them by producer Henriksson and Thorstein Bergman). Criticism of society, love songs, psychedelia, everything can be found on this LP.
The next single, She’s having a baby now, relating the story of an unwanted teen pregnancy, was maybe too critical for the public to accept it, and suddenly, the band lost many of its followers, in spite of the great music they made. A final attempt to break into England was made with the single Treat her like a lady, a cover of a Crewe/Knight song. The promo movie was made by Peter Goldmann, more famous for his work with the Beatles, but the song did not become a hit (allegedly because the wrong people were paid).
The England tour was not a total flop, however, since the band was allowed to record a few songs in the legendary studio, Abbey Road. Also, many celebrities, such as Cat Stevens and Roger Daltrey from the Who, really liked Tages music, and the Kinks’ Ray Davies said that Tages’ stage show was wonderful, and that the band really should have a future in Britain. But, unfortunately it was not to be.
Having returned to Sweden, Tages recorded their next and last LP, "Studio". Probably the finest LP ever made in Sweden, it is heavily influenced by Swedish folk music. Rock songs featured unusual instrument, such as accordions and flutes, while the softer songs had even stranger instruments. But never did the band lose touch with their rock background, and the LP stands today as testimony to the talent of this Swedish band, who was never to make it big.
Tages soldiered on for a year or so, releasing three more singles, before Tommy Blom decided to leave the band. The band changed its name to Blond, but it was to no avail, and soon the rest of the boys decided to call it quits. A sad ending to one of the (if not THE) greatest bands outside the UK and the US.
Thanks Emil (RH) for this
Friday, February 24, 2012
Heimatliche Klaenge - vol.98
Heimatliche Klaenge - Schweizer Beat
Native Sounds - Swiss Beat
vol.98
Dorados - So ist uns're Welt Polydor (1966 )
01 - Wir koennen niemals so werden
02 - Immer Kummer mit den Maedchen
03 - Ьber den hohen Haeusern der Stadt
04 - Zwei Gitarren mit gleicher Stimmung
05 - Eine schoene groЯe Liebe
06 - Wo ist der Loewe
07 - So ist uns're Welt
08 - Trauriger Abend
09 - Happy Girl
10 - Ronny der Spieler
11 - Sie hat so wunderbare Augen
12 - Provozieren
VA - Rare & Raw Beat From the Sixties - Vol 6
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[02:50] 01. The Kentuckys - Uncle Willy
[01:53] 02. The Kentuckys - 5 Dollars And Saturday Night
[02:50] 03. The Sharks - Hu-Hu, Hully Gully
[03:02] 04. The Sharks - Times Are Getting Hard
[02:38] 05. Sonny Stewart - Come Along With Me
[02:42] 06. Sonny Stewart - Beggar In Town
[02:59] 07. The Rebbels - This Can't Go On
[02:22] 08. The Rebbels - Round The World
[02:21] 09. The Rebbels - Monkey, Monkey
[02:10] 10. The Rebbels - Come Back
[02:52] 11. The Krauts - I Can Understand
[02:00] 12. The Krauts - You Came Along
[01:58] 13. Jimmy Ward & The Rockers - Yes, Clementine
[02:04] 14. Jimmy Ward & The Rockers - Wo Ist My Baby
[02:40] 15. The Blue Rhythms - Kinky Minky
[02:33] 16. The Blue Rhythms - 1,2,3, Shake-Shake
[02:26] 17. The Hit Nuts - Land Of 1000 Dances
[03:03] 18. The Hit Nuts - Dead End Street
[02:11] 19. The Hit Nuts - Dear Mrs. Appleby
[03:13] 20. The Hit Nuts - Green, Green, Grass Of Home
[02:35] 21. Gitta & The Shouters - Die Sterne Leuchten
[02:11] 22. Gitta & The Shouters - Wann
[02:24] 23. The Rascals - Sweet Little Sixteen
[05:38] 24. The Rascals - What D' I Say
[02:22] 25. The Rascals - I Can Tell
The Swinging Blue Jeans - Come On Everybody
The Swinging Blue Jeans - Come On Everybody (1996) Compilation
Although they're only remembered today for their 1964 hit "Hippy Hippy Shake," which charted on both sides of the Atlantic -- the Swinging Blue Jeans were actually one of the strongest of the Liverpool bands from the '60s British Invasion; and, indeed, the Blue Jeans' earliest incarnation goes back about as far as the roots of the Beatles as the Quarry Men. "Hippy Hippy Shake" -- a cover of an obscure '50s rocker that was actually done much better by the Beatles on tapes of their BBC performances -- was their only Top 30 entry in the U.S.. But the band enjoyed some other major and minor hits in the U.K., including a top-notch Merseyization of Betty Everett's (and later Linda Ronstadt's) "You're No Good," which they took into the British Top Five in 1964.
The group's origins go back to 1957, when singer/guitarist Ray Ennis decided to form a band. The result was a skiffle sextet called "the Bluegenes" -- the latter a misspelling of "blue jeans" that remained unchanged for a couple of years. Surprisingly, Ennis had already played rock & roll, but -- in a manner the opposite of many other young musicians of the time -- he regarded skiffle as an advancement; equally surprisingly, given their later work, the Bluegenes were heavily jazz influenced, and stayed away from trying to cover songs associated with Elvis Presley and other American rock & rollers, preferring instead to try and emulate the horn and sax parts that they heard on their guitars. The skiffle group lineup also included Bruce McCaskill on guitar and vocals, Tommy Hughes on banjo, Norman Kuhlke on washboard, and Spud Ward on oil drum bass. Ralph Ellis later joined on guitar, and Ward subsequently moved over to Rory Storm's band, and eventually Les Braid took over the bassist spot. Hughes and McCaskill later left, the former for the army and the latter over personal disagreements, replaced by Johnny Carter and Paul Moss, respectively. By 1962, they were working full-time and playing the same venues in Liverpool as rival bands such as the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers et al, and also performed for the first time at the Star Club in Hamburg late in the year. But amazingly, they were still playing jazz-based skiffle, and had even done some unsuccessful record company auditions working in that musical genre. They saw no reason to change until the German audiences, not as tolerant of skiffle music as Merseyside listeners at the Cavern had been, booed them off the stage. At that point, seemingly in the blink of an eye, they switched to rock & roll, trading in their acoustic instruments for their electric equivalents. And in that guise -- and a name change to the Swinging Blue Jeans, they not only won over German audiences but earned a coveted recording contract with EMI's HMV imprint, under producer Walter J. Ridley (who handled such diverse talents -- and not too well, by some accounts -- as Johnny Kidd & the Pirates and Alma Cogan). With the departure of banjo player Paul Moss soon after, they were left as a quartet comprised of Ray Ennis (rhythm guitar, vocals), Les Braid (bass, keyboards), Ralph Ellis (lead guitar), and Norman Kuhlke (drums). They made their recording debut -- still as a quintet -- with a Ray Ennis original, "It's Too Late Now," which made the British Top 30. Their second single, "Do You Know," released in the fall of 1963, failed to sell, but in December of that year they broke through to stardom in with their rendition of "Hippy Hippy Shake." They rode that record's success all the way to the number two chart spot in England, right behind the Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over," and earned a place on the first-ever broadcast of Top of the Pops in the bargain.
Their follow-up single, "Good Golly Miss Molly," released in March of that year, charted in England at number 11. And "You're No Good" followed two months later, and soared to number three in the U.K.. That string of successes led to a good debut album called Blue Jeans A' Swinging, issued in July of 1964. They were only to enjoy one more charting single, a rendition of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David-authored "Don't Make Me Over," which only reached number 31 in 1965. Ralph Ellis -- who, with Ray Ennis was one of the two songwriters in the group -- left early in the following year, and was succeeded by Terry Sylvester, who had previously played with the Escorts. The band carried on for a couple of more years, but, like most early-'60s Liverpool outfits, the Blue Jeans' career rapidly lost momentum as the '60s progressed. As with most other Liverpool bands of the period, they were masters of that particular brand of rhythm-heavy rock & roll known as Merseybeat, but like most of their compatriots -- and the Beatles were the notable exception -- they were unable or unwilling to let their music evolve into new forms and directions.
By 1965 their string of hits was over, though their chart success in America (and elsewhere) with "Hippy Hippy Shake" did give them a higher international profile than all but a handful of Merseybeat bands. Ennis and Ellis had written some catchy and energetic, if slightly sappy, originals in the purest Merseybeat style. And while it doesn't add up to an enduring legacy, there's a lot to be said for the naive energy of the best of their early tunes, and they did hang on quite effectively until 1968, remaking themselves as more of a harmony group in the process. Terry Sylvester left that year to join the Hollies, succeeding Graham Nash in the latter group, but the Swinging Blue Jeans soldiered on, right into the early 1970s. Ennis and Braid stayed on in the core of the band, amid myriad personnel changes, and kept them going for years after that. The group essentially became an oldies act, their playing and recordings mostly consisting of remakes of their '60s hits. Braid passed away in 2005, but a version of the band featuring Ennis was still playing in the 21st century.
You can dance every dance with the guy
Who gives you the eye and let him hold you tight
You can smile every smile for the man
Who held your hand 'neath the pale moonlight
But don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darlin' save the last dance for me
Oh, I know that the music's fine like sparkling wine
Go and have your fun
Laugh and sing, but while we're apart
Don't give your heart to anyone
And don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darlin' save the last dance for me
Baby, don't you know I love you so
Can't you feel it when we touch
I will never never let you go
I love you oh so much
You can dance (You can dance)
Go and carry on till the night is gone, and it's time to go
(You can dance, you can dance)
If he asks (You can dance)
If you're all alone (You can dance)
Can he take you home (You can dance)
You must tell him no (You can dance)
And don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms you're gonna be
So darlin' save the last dance for me
And don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms your gonna be
So darlin' save the last dance for me
Mmm, save the last dance for me
******
Спасибо Александру !
Thanks Aleksandr !!!
HIPPY SHAKE !!!! YeHHHhhhh !!!!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
VA - Pure 60s
Peter & Gordon - The EP Collection
In June 1964, Peter & Gordon became the very first British Invasion act after the Beatles to take the number one spot on the American charts with "A World Without Love." That hit, and their subsequent successes, were due as much or more to their important connections as to their talent. Peter Asher was the older brother of Jane Asher, Paul McCartney's girlfriend for much of the 1960s. This no doubt gave Asher and Gordon Waller access to Lennon-McCartney compositions that were unrecorded by the Beatles, such as "A World Without Love" and three of their other biggest hits, "Nobody I Know," "I Don't Want to See You Again," and "Woman" (the last of which was written by McCartney under a pseudonym). But Peter & Gordon were significant talents in their own right, a sort of Everly Brothers-styled duo for the British Invasion that faintly prefigured the folk-rock of the mid-'60s. In fact, when Gene Clark first approached Jim McGuinn in 1964 about working together in a group that would eventually evolve into the Byrds, he suggested that they could form a Peter & Gordon-styled act.
Asher and Waller had been singing together since their days at Westminster School for Boys, a private school in London. "A World Without Love" was their biggest and best hit, one that sounded very much like the Beatles' more pop-oriented originals. Their other two 1964 hits, "Nobody I Know" and "I Don't Want to See You Again," were pleasant but less distinguished. Sounding like McCartney-dominated Beatle rejects (which, in fact, they were), the production employed a softer, more acoustic feel than the hits by the Beatles and other early British Invasion guitar bands. "I Don't Want to See You Again" used strings, as would several of the duo's subsequent hits, which became increasingly middle-of-the-road in their pop orientation.
Some scattered folky B-sides showed that Asher and Waller may have been capable of developing into decent songwriters, but like many of the less talented British Invaders, their lack of songwriting acumen and ability to move with the times would eventually work against them. They did continue to hit the charts for a couple of years, with updates of the oldies "True Love Ways" (Buddy Holly) and "To Know You Is to Love You" (a variation of the Teddy Bears' "To Know Her Is to Love Her"). There was also a Top Ten cover of Del Shannon's "I Go to Pieces," and the brassy, McCartney-penned "Woman." The overtly cute and British novelty "Lady Godiva," though, became their last big hit in late 1966.
After Peter & Gordon broke up in 1968, Asher became an enormously successful producer, first as the director of A&R at the Beatles' Apple Records (where he worked on James Taylor's first album). Relocating to Los Angeles, in the 1970s he was one of the principal architects of mellow Californian rock, producing Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Johnny Rivers - Anthology (1964-1977)
Johnny Rivers is a unique figure in the history of rock music. On the most obvious level, he was a rock star of the 1960s and a true rarity as a white American singer/guitarist who made a name for himself as a straight-ahead rock & roller during the middle of that decade. Just as important behind the scenes, his recordings and their success led to the launching, directly and indirectly, of at least three record labels and a dozen other careers whose influence extended into the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond.
Rivers was very much a kindred spirit to figures like Buddy Holly and Ronnie Hawkins, with all of the verve and spirit of members of that first wave of rock & rollers. He had the misfortune of having been born a little too late to catch that wave, however, and took until the middle of the next decade to find his audience. Born John Henry Ramistella on November 7, 1942, in New York, his family moved to Baton Rouge, LA, in 1948, and it was there that his musical sensibilities were shaped. His father, who played the mandolin and guitar, introduced him to the guitar at an early age, and he proved a natural on the instrument.
Meanwhile, Ramistella also began absorbing the R&B sounds that were starting to turn up on the airwaves at the dawn of the 1950s. Additionally, he got to see performers like Fats Domino and Jimmy Reed in person, and by the time he entered his teens, he was immersed in rhythm & blues. He was also good enough to start playing guitar in local groups and at age 13, he formed his own band, the Spades, playing New Orleans-flavored R&B and rock & roll, especially Fats Domino, Larry Williams, and Little Richard. Ramistella made his recording debut leading the Spades in 1956 with the song "Hey Little Girl," issued on the Suede label.
In 1957, he went to New York and wangled a meeting with Alan Freed, who was then the most influential disc jockey in the country. This led to a change of name, at Freed's suggestion, to the less ethnic, more American-mythic Johnny Rivers (which may also have been influenced by the fact that Elvis Presley had portrayed a character named "Deke Rivers" in the movie Loving You that same year), and to a series of single releases under his new name. Johnny Rivers' official recording debut took place with an original song, "Baby Come Back," on George Goldner's Gone Records label in 1958, arranged by renowned songwriter Otis Blackwell. Neither this number -- which sounds a lot like Elvis Presley's version of Blackwell's "Don't Be Cruel" -- nor any of Rivers' other early singles, recorded for Guyden, Cub, Era, or Chancellor, was successful. He made his living largely performing with the Spades and cutting demos of songs for Hill & Range, primarily in Elvis Presley's style.
It was as a composer that Rivers experienced his first taste of success off of the stage, when a chance meeting with guitarist James Burton led to one of his songs, "I'll Make Believe," finding its way to Ricky Nelson and ending up on the album More Songs by Ricky. By 1961, he was 18 years old and a veteran performer with six years' professional performing under his belt and relatively little to show for it except the experience; even a lot of the established figures in the business who'd tried to give him various breaks over the years, including Alan Freed and George Goldner, had fallen on hard times by then. He moved to Los Angeles and began aiming for a career as a songwriter and producer.
Fate played its hand in 1963, however, when a friend who ran a restaurant in Los Angeles appealed to Rivers for help when his house band, a jazz group, suddenly quit. He reluctantly agreed to perform for a few nights in a stripped-down version of his rock & roll act, with just his electric guitar and a drummer, Eddie Rubin. That was when lightning struck -- it turned out that audiences at the restaurant liked the way he sang and played, and soon the crowds were growing and his performing stint turned into an open-ended engagement. Bassist Joe Osborn was hired to join the combo and fill out the sound and suddenly seeing Johnny Rivers was becoming the thing to do.
It was at those gigs that Rivers hooked up with a songwriter and music producer named Lou Adler, a business associate of Herb Alpert who'd previously worked with Jan & Dean and who was planning to start his own record company. Rivers took on Adler as his manager and also got a contract, starting in mid-January of 1964, to play at a new club opening in Los Angeles called the Whisky a Go-Go. This was where Rivers' act and reputation exploded, resulting in turn-away crowds -- his act was so rousing and the chemistry between Rivers, his music, and the audience was so strong, that Adler decided to try and record him live at the club, and to do that, he and Rivers had to borrow the money to rent the necessary equipment.
At the time, there were other artists playing this kind of basic, danceable rock & roll, mostly in club settings, in and around Los Angeles. The most notable among them was probably Bobby Fuller, although the Standells were making something of a noise as well. In early 1964, however, none of those acts had broken nationally or even locally. Rivers got there first and, in many ways, paved the way for performers like Fuller, once he got heard.
The tape of Rivers' performance was rejected by every record company in Los Angeles until Adler got to Liberty Records. Liberty had been founded by Al Bennett in the mid-'50s and although it had enjoyed huge success with pop singer Julie London, Liberty was also more of a youth-oriented label than most other L.A. record companies at that time. Bennett didn't believe that Rivers' tape was anything special, but he was convinced by one of his executives, Bob Skaff, to release an album from the tape on the Imperial Records label, which Bennett had purchased a few months earlier.
Johnny Rivers at the Whisky a Go-Go, released in May of 1964, was a hit from day one, its sales boosted by the accompanying single, a powerful version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis," which got to number two on the charts. The magnitude of Rivers' accomplishment shouldn't be underestimated -- since early 1964, the American charts had been dominated almost exclusively by British rock acts, with American artists picking up the scraps that were leftover, and then along came this new white kid from Baton Rouge, playing '50s-style rock & roll and R&B like he means it (and he did). The sales of the debut album were stunning for their time, rising to number 12 in a 45-week chart run on the strength of the single. In response, another live performance was released as Here We a Go-Go Again in late August of 1964. In the interim, his debut single was followed by Rivers' version of "Maybelline," which got to number 12.
Ironically, at around this same time, previously established performers like Dion were being ignored doing their own singles of Chuck Berry's music and even Berry himself was having trouble reaching the charts with any regularity. Part of the secret of Rivers' success was his stripped-down sound, guitar, bass, and drums, to which he and Adler only added piano a little later and which didn't get much more elaborate for two years. Dion, possibly because of all of his success prior to the British Invasion, and Berry, perhaps for the same reason and also his legal troubles (and resulting two-year absence from music ending in 1964), had trouble finding acceptance during this period, while Rivers was embraced by radio stations and listeners alike. Listening to his work, it seems almost a mid-'60s descendant of rockabilly music, with more flexibility in his range and singing.
Rivers' next few singles, with the exceptions of "Mountain of Love" and "Seventh Son" -- which made the Top Five and Top Ten, respectively -- didn't do quite as well, but all performed very respectably. As important as his singles were in keeping him on the radio and before the public, his albums during this period were extraordinary. Rivers proved himself exceptionally prolific and versatile, releasing seven more albums through the end of 1967. Most of these were recorded live at the Whisky a Go-Go, which remained his home base for many years and his favorite concert venue. And all of the albums after his debut were carefully calculated -- the performances displayed great spontaneity and rate among the best pure rock & roll documents of their era, but Rivers and Adler were also careful to choose songs that all translated well on vinyl.
He ranged freely between classic songs by Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard and then-current hits and album cuts by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and even covers of Sam Cooke material. Other albums made room for electric versions of folk and blues numbers and his versions of '60s soul material and all of these albums sold very well by the standards of the day, climbing into the Top 50 and occasionally much higher.
For Rivers' studio recordings, Adler assembled a core band of top talent, drummer Hal Blaine, pianist Larry Knechtel, and Joe Osborn on bass, who together went on to become one of the top studio bands in Los Angeles, backing the Mamas & the Papas, Scott McKenzie, and other Adler-produced acts as well as playing on many of the records of the Carpenters, among many others.
It was out of the success of Rivers' Liberty recordings that Adler was able to found Dunhill Productions, initially as a management, production, and publishing company, which soon after became Dunhill Records, one the most successful independent labels of the mid-'60s, with artists including Barry McGuire, the Mamas & the Papas, and the Grassroots. Within two years of its founding, Adler had sold the new company to ABC Records for millions of dollars, which allowed him to form Ode Records, which, in turn, became the home of Carole King.
Meanwhile, Rivers kept generating new hits, including one totally unexpected soundtrack success. In late 1964, the CBS network scheduled an hour-long British television espionage series called Danger Man, starring Patrick McGoohan. Rechristening it Secret Agent in America, the network and the British producers sought out a new theme song. Adler and Rivers decided to try and deliver one, written by the composer-producer team of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. Rivers recorded it for the opening credits of the show, running scarcely a minute, which went on the air in the spring of 1965. That was the last anyone involved thought of it -- the song ran less than a minute, after all -- until Liberty began getting requests for "Secret Agent Man" from radio stations and asked for a single, which required new verses. "Secret Agent Man" became a number three single in America in mid-1966 and, for years, was one of those basic songs -- alongside standards by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly et al. -- by which aspiring guitarists learned to play. The song is the most familiar in Rivers' output, partly thanks to its fairly regular revival on radio and occasional runs of the series, and something of a pop-culture touchstone (indeed, in 1984-1985, the all-gay gender-balanced New York-based rock band Lowlife used it as one highlight of their shows, playing a hard-rocking version of it as a commentary on the AIDS crisis -- if you listen to the lyrics carefully, it works).
Rivers' commercial career peaked in 1966 with a further Top 20 single of "(I Washed My Hands in) Muddy Water" and his number one hit, "Poor Side of Town," which was also unusual as an original song. Although he'd aspired to a career as a songwriter early in the 1960s and had seen some success in that field, once his career at Liberty took off, Rivers quickly recognized at his shows that his own songs didn't go over as well as his covers of others' songs. "Poor Side of Town" was the exception and also one of his very few singles of this period to have a very produced sound, a ballad, featuring overdubbed strings and a chorus. That decision was Rivers' own, against the advice of Adler and his record label, who didn't think the public would appreciate a change in his basic sound -- instead, it was a breakthrough and marked a change in his approach to music.
That same year, Rivers heard a demo of a song called "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," written by a little-known songwriter named Jimmy Webb, and was impressed enough to put it on his Changes album in a gorgeous pop-soul rendition. An advance copy of the album, brought to Capitol Records, got the song placed with singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, who recorded a version very similar to Rivers' and enjoyed a huge hit with it and, in the process, put Webb on the map as a composer. In 1966, Rivers also formed his own label, Soul City, to which he signed a soul quartet that took the name the Fifth Dimension -- they, in turn, began a string of successes (initially with Jimmy Webb as composer and arranger) that would carry them and the company into the early/mid-'70s as regular denizens in the upper reaches of the charts.
Rivers enjoyed a number three hit with his slow, intense version of "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" in early 1967 and a number ten hit with "The Tracks of My Tears" that spring. He and Adler also played a central role in helping to organize the Monterey Pop Festival, where he was one of the featured performers, though Rivers is usually overlooked in favor of flashier participants such as Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and Janis Joplin.
By this time, rock & roll had evolved into rock and Rivers ran the risk of seeming increasingly out of step, musically and in terms of his image. His sound had evolved from its basic guitar-bass-drums configuration into more elaborate, though fairly restrained, productions, in which his voice was featured in an honest, white soul mode. He took steps to keep his music in touch with the current charts -- the Realization album featured Rivers in a slightly more sophisticated soulful vein, covering songs like "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Summer Rain," which became a number 14 hit in 1968.
Cutting edge musicians by then were looking and sounding a lot shaggier than they had in 1964, however, and Rivers' commercial appeal gradually slackened through 1969. Somehow, he couldn't catch a break in those days, and while his music and image did change -- Rivers let his hair grow longer and grew a beard -- he seemed on the wrong end of the music world, even in his strategy of covering good songs by other composers. He inadvertently went head to head with James Taylor with his version of the latter's "Fire and Rain" which got out first, but stalled when Warner Bros. got Taylor's own recording out as a single.
He soldiered on, returning to his Lousiana roots with a version of the old Frankie Ford hit "Sea Cruise" in 1971, which heralded his number six single "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," part of his highly acclaimed L.A. Reggae album. He charted yet again in 1973 with "Blue Suede Shoes," a killer rendition of the Carl Perkins classic that made it to the lower reaches of the Top 40. Rivers left United Artists (which had absorbed Liberty Records) in 1973 and spent the next two years bouncing between Atlantic and Epic Records, cutting a new version of the Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" with Brian Wilson singing backup for the latter label. Rivers enjoyed his last chart hit to date in 1977 with "Swayin' to the Music," which got to the number ten spot nationally on his own Soul City label.
By 1983, he had ceased recording, following the release of Not a Through Street, but Rivers never ceased concertizing, performing regularly on several continents into the 1990s and beyond. The early 1990s saw the release of Rhino Records' Anthology, 1964-1977, presenting many of the highlights of Rivers' '60s and '70s output and Capitol reissued four of his middle/late-'60s albums in a series of two-on-one CDs. In 1998, Rivers himself returned to recording for the first time in 15 years with Last Train to Memphis. That same year, the British BGO label began undertaking the re-release of his classic '60s and early '70s albums in England.
CD 1
02:32] 01. Johnny Rivers - Memphis
[02:17] 02. Johnny Rivers - Maybelline
[02:43] 03. Johnny Rivers - Mountain of Love
[02:32] 04. Johnny Rivers - Midnight Special
[02:32] 05. Johnny Rivers - Cupid
[02:50] 06. Johnny Rivers - Seventh Son
[03:44] 07. Johnny Rivers - Parchman Farm
[03:18] 08. Johnny Rivers - Where Have All The Flowers Gone
[03:18] 08. Johnny Rivers - Where Have All The Flowers Gone
[03:16] 09. Johnny Rivers - Under Your Spell Again
[03:08] 10. Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man
[03:03] 11. Johnny Rivers - (I Washed My Hands in) Muddy Water
[03:48] 12. Johnny Rivers - Poor Side of Town
[02:48] 13. Johnny Rivers - By The Time I Get to Phoenix
[03:06] 14. Johnny Rivers - Do You Want to Dance
[03:06] 14. Johnny Rivers - Do You Want to Dance
[03:20] 15. Johnny Rivers - Baby I Need Your Lovin'
[03:00] 16. Johnny Rivers - Tracks of My Tears
[02:25] 17. Johnny Rivers - Do What You Gotta' Do
[03:11] 18. Johnny Rivers - Tunesmith
[03:46] 19. Johnny Rivers - It's Too Late
CD 2
[03:52] 01. Johnny Rivers - Summer Rain
[03:34] 02. Johnny Rivers - Look to Your Soul
[03:26] 03. Johnny Rivers - Brother, Where Are You
[03:29] 04. Johnny Rivers - Going Back to Big Sur
[05:38] 05. Johnny Rivers - Whiter Shade of Pale
[03:21] 06. Johnny Rivers - These Are Not My People
[03:16] 07. Johnny Rivers - City Ways
[03:22] 08. Johnny Rivers - Better Move on
[03:18] 09. Johnny Rivers - Muddy River
[04:44] 10. Johnny Rivers - Into The Misty
[03:32] 11. Johnny Rivers - Fire And Rain
[02:53] 12. Johnny Rivers - Sea Cruise
[03:13] 13. Johnny Rivers - Rockin' Pneumonia - Boogie Woogie Flu
[02:48] 14. Johnny Rivers - Blue Suede Shoes
[02:58] 15. Johnny Rivers - Help Me, Rhonda
[03:31] 16. Johnny Rivers - Outside Help
[04:07] 17. Johnny Rivers - Swayin' to The Music (Slow Dancin')
Tom Jones - 13 Smash Hits (1967)
Tom Jones became one of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the British Invasion. Since the mid-'60s, Jones has sung nearly every form of popular music -- pop, rock, show tunes, country, dance, and techno, he's sung it all. His actual style -- a full-throated, robust baritone that had little regard for nuance and subtlety -- never changed, he just sang over different backing tracks. On-stage, Jones played up his sexual appeal; it didn't matter whether he was in an unbuttoned shirt or a tuxedo, he always radiated a raw sexuality which earned him a large following of devoted female fans who frequently threw underwear on-stage. Jones' following never diminished over the decades; he was able to exploit trends, earning new fans while retaining his core following.
Born Thomas John Woodward, Jones began singing professionally in 1963, performing as Tommy Scott with the Senators, a Welsh beat group. In 1964, he recorded a handful of solo tracks with record producer Joe Meek and shopped them to various record companies to little success. Later in the year, Decca producer Peter Sullivan discovered Tommy Scott performing in a club and directed him to manager Phil Solomon. It was a short-lived partnership and the singer soon moved back to Wales, where he continued to sing in local clubs. At one of the shows, he gained the attention of former Viscounts singer Gordon Mills, who had become an artist manager. Mills signed Scott, renamed him Tom Jones, and helped him record his first single for Decca, "Chills and Fever," which was released in late 1964. "Chills and Fever" didn't chart but "It's Not Unusual," released in early 1965, became a number one hit in the U.K. and a Top Ten hit in the U.S. The heavily orchestrated, over-the-top pop arrangements perfectly meshed with Jones' swinging, sexy image, guaranteeing him press coverage, which translated into a series of hits, including "Once Upon a Time," "Little Lonely One," and "With These Hands." During 1965, Mills also secured a number of film themes for Jones to record, including the Top Ten hit "What's New Pussycat?" (June 1965) and "Thunderball" (December 1965).
Jones' popularity began to slip somewhat by the middle of 1966, causing Mills to redesign the singer's image into a more respectable, mature, tuxedoed crooner. Jones also began to sing material that appealed to a broad audience, like the country songs "Green, Green Grass of Home" and "Detroit City." The strategy worked, as he returned to the top of the charts in the U.K. and began hitting the Top 40 again in the U.S. For the remainder of the '60s, he scored a consistent string of hits in both Britain and America. At the end of the decade, Jones relocated to America, where he hosted the television variety program This Is Tom Jones. Running between 1969 and 1971, the show was a success and laid the groundwork for the singer's move to Las Vegas in the early '70s. Once he moved to Vegas, Jones began recording less, choosing to concentrate on his lucrative club performances. After Gordon Mills died in the late '70s, Jones' son, Mark Woodward, became the singer's manager. The change in management prompted Jones to begin recording again. This time, he concentrated on the country market, releasing a series of slick Nashville-styled country-pop albums in the early '80s that earned him a handful of hits.
Jones' next image makeover came in 1988, when he sang Prince's "Kiss" with the electronic dance outfit the Art of Noise. The single became a Top Ten hit in the U.K. and reached the American Top 40, which led to a successful concert tour and a part in a recording of Dylan Thomas' voice play, Under Milk Wood. The singer then returned to the club circuit, where he stayed for several years. In 1993, Jones performed at the Glastonbury Festival in England, where he won an enthusiastic response from the young crowd. Soon, he was on the comeback trail again, releasing the alternative dance-pop album The Lead and How to Swing It in the fall of 1994; the record was a moderate hit, gaining some play in dance clubs. Jones enjoyed an even bigger hit with 1999's Reload, which featured duets with an array of contemporaries and those he influenced. Three years later, he worked with Wyclef Jean to produce Mr. Jones, and 2004 brought another collaboration, Tom Jones and Jools Holland. In 2008, he released another commercial and critical success, 24 Hours, which featured Jones' classic sound backed by contemporary productions from Future Cut, Nellee Hooper, and Betty Wright. His 2010 release, Praise & Blame, went in a completely different direction, filled with American Songbook material from the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker, and Billy Joe Shaver.
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