From the very tangled tree of about a dozen '60s bands that fed into the eventual formation of Mott the Hoople, the Doc Thomas Group were one of the most important, chiefly because they actually released an album. Future Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and bassist Pete Watts were both on board when the group recorded their sole LP (released only in Italy, where they were based for a time) in late 1966. Future Mott drummer Dale Griffin (aka Buffin) joined the band in the spring of 1967, although he doesn't appear on the album, which featured Stan Tippins as lead singer. The self-titled LP consisted entirely of R&B/soul covers, executed derivatively and just about competently, in the style of mod bands of the period such as the Small Faces. The Doc Thomas Group struggled on until 1968, changing their name to Silence with the addition of organist Terry (soon to become Verden) Allen; from that point, it was only a matter of recruiting Ian Hunter to replace Tippins to create Mott the Hoople in 1969. The extremely rare Doc Thomas Group album was reissued on CD in 1998, on a disc that also included a Silence "reunion" session recorded in 1990
Doc Thomas Group & The Silence
The Italian Job & Shotgun Eyes (1998)
Doc Thomas Group "The Italian Job"
Stan Tippins - Vocals
Mick Ralphs - Guitar
Pete Watts - Bass
Terry Allen - Organ
Dale Griffin - Drums
01. Doc Thomas Group - I'll Be Doggone
02. Doc Thomas Group - She Was Really Saying Something
03. Doc Thomas Group - Steal Your Heart Away
04. Doc Thomas Group - My Babe
05. Doc Thomas Group - Please Do Something
06. Doc Thomas Group - Shake
07. Doc Thomas Group - I Got You
08. Doc Thomas Group - Harlem Shuffle
09. Doc Thomas Group - Talking About My Baby
10. Doc Thomas Group - Just Can't Go To Sleep
11. Doc Thomas Group - Barefootin'
12. Doc Thomas Group - Rescue Me
The Silence "Shotgun Eyes"
The A40 Anthems
Overend Watts - Loudest Guitar, Vocals
Patrick Brooke - Lead Vocals, Harp
Paul Jeffery - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Robert Fisher - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Dale Griffin - Drums, Backing Vocals
13. The Silence - Leaving Here
14. The Silence - Shame,Shame,Shame
15. The Silence - See You Tomorrow
16. The Silence - You Can't Judge A Book by Looking At The Cover
17. The Silence - Gunshot (Instrumental)
18. The Silence - Doctor Feelgood
19. The Silence - I Think Of You
20. The Silence - Let It Rock
The B4233 Blues
21. The Silence - I'm Not Talkin'
22. The Silence - I'm Talking About You
23. The Silence - The Fortune Teller
24. The Silence - Don't Start Me To Talking
25. The Silence - Farmer John
26. The Silence - Route 66
27. The Silence - We'll Silence You
If the prospect of an unknown mid-60s beat group's Italian-recorded demo ("live" in the studio, no overdubs) leaves you feeling distinctly underwhelmed, this CD would (I think) pleasantly surprise you. The quality of the Doc Thomas set is better than you would expect: a creditable chunk of moody R & B, very 1966, with echoes of the Spencer Davis Group...
They seem like the kind of band Ocean Colour Scene wish they could have been, right down to the stripey shirts...The recording quality is excellent, with a good live ambience...and the performances are relaxed and confident the touches of crudity are charming and typical of the period, the unspoilt rock Eden B.P. (before Pepper). "Fresh" is the word...
The (new) Silence's half of this CD presents another surprise. Where you might expect some tired old hippies (sorry, Mods!) going;through the motions, shored up by contemporary techno gadgets, this lot come on as if the last 33 years never existed. They deliver an energetic and authentic recreation of the '64/5 beat group sound, the style immediately preceding Doc Thomas's (as, in fact, this line-up did originally). The surprise is that this comes across not as pathetic, but as great fun they really have managed;to revive the spirit, not just the formula.
There's even a token cheesy instrumental, Gunshot, and a maudlin Merseybeat ballad, I Think Of You. Otherwise, it's that bouncy, wizzed-up British interpretation of 50s R&B familiar from the early Stones and Pretty Things, amongst others. Even on the blues covers (Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Williamson), they keep the grins on their faces, resisting the dour, ersatz seriousness that most blues revivalists these days regard as obligatory. The production too (by "the three trousers", it says here) hits a perfect balance between 60s simplicity and 90s clarity.
It sounds as if, with Shotgun Eyes, Watts, Griffin, Brooke, Jeffery and Fisher have made the album they didn't quite manage to in 1965. All credit to them for proving, against the odds, that this kind of stuff is still the most fun you can have with electric guitars, a drum kit and a harmonica...
Nostalgia, they say, is not what it was. With this CD, though, it very nearly is.
Mr.Nasty CD Reviews
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