Intro magazine, February 1968

PARADISE LOST (LP)—The Herd:

This record includes the Herd’s two big hits which we all know and love—Paradise Lost and From The Underworld -but what an eye-opener! There’s more to them than most people ever dreamed of. Invention, musicianship, atmosphere, humour, maturity—that’s the stuff the Herd are made of. One track in particular lets on the extra-ordinary depth of the group. Called Impressions Of Oliver, it could have walked out of the doors of Ronnie Scott’s club—an instrumental composition by Bown/Frampton with all the touches of great pop/jazz. Andy and Pete come out with some amazing organ and guitar work, with a lot of support from Reg Tinsley’s arrangement, and their huge potential for future progress hits you right between the ears. Absolute knockout!

TRAIN TO GIRLS’ TOWN—Prince Buster And The All Stars:

This one (on the Fab label!) is a beautiful tongue-in-cheek travelogue from Buster, all-time boss of the blue beat who recently had Al Capone in the British charts. But—we’ve heard it all before. This is very similar to The Pyramids’ Train Tour To Rainbow City—exactly the same vocal style, the same happy backchat from the group, the same train rhythm. Prince Buster has had loads of original hits in Jamaica—it’s a drag he didn’t keep up the originality by doling out a measly rehash this time.

DON’T STOP THE CARNIVAL—Alan Price Set:

This joyous single is a drastic change of course by Alan and company after their last release, Shame. Why that wasn’t a huge hit I’ll never be able to understand—but Don’t Stop The Carnival should be a different tale altogether. It’s a happy-go-lucky piece of Caribbean sunshine complete with fairground organ, crooning saxophones, infectious rhythm and some fine singing, as always, from the man himself. His West Indian accent should put Lance Percival out of business for keeps! A great group like the Set just can’t miss out twice in a row—Don’t Stop The Carnival is bound to go straight into the charts.

YOU—Marvin Gaye:

Old Marvin hasn’t been doing too well in the British charts recently, possibly because of his run-of-the-mill material. However, You is about the best thing he’s done since he burst on to the scene with Witness. You is the raw pulse of the Detroit sound at its best, and you can almost feel the straining lungs and pouring sweat as Marvin gives all he has. An exciting sound.

ALONE AGAIN OR—Love:

Anybody who doesn’t go mad over this superb record will be either deaf or six feet under. Groups on the Elektra label are always worth listening to, and Love must be the best of all of them. Even the Beatles know it—all you need is Love and their latest single Alone Again Or is a shining example of just how much you can do in pop with genius at the wheel. It’s right in every possible way—combining a depth of feeling more or less unknown in pop with a wonderful song that sings its way straight to the heart of things: It builds up into climaxes, falls away into fragile, moving quietness with marvellous guitar work, and if I had my way would go on for a couple of hours. Real greatness. (Rick Sanders 03/02/68)

GORILLA (LP)—The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band:

You can’t really judge a funny record until you’ve had it for a couple of months—so, a little belatedly, I’m overjoyed to report that after The Laughing Policeman, Gorilla is the funniest thing on record. I’ve tried very hard, but I just can’t be bored by it. The one that always breaks me up on Gorilla is Intro And Outro—but they’re all gems. And there’s even some serious (well, almost serious) music in the shape of Music For The Head Ballet, which illustrates that as well as fantastic comic creativity, The Bonzo’s are supremely good instrumentally too. I can’t recommend this enough—so just go out and get it. Immediately.

EARTHQUAKE—Bobbi Lynn:

Stateside have put out a number of soul things this week, this one by new girl Bobbi Lynn being the best of a good bunch. She sounds like a cross between Lulu and the incredibly lovely Diana Ross—what more could anybody wish for? There’s a driving, stomping beat with a great arrangement featuring piano that’s one minute crashing out with full, round chords and the next minute cool and witty. The song itself isn’t so very different from a lot of Detroit products—Earthquake, Heat Wave, what’s the odds—it’s the fantastic vocal performance by Bobbi and the overall production that sets this single out of the ordinary.

ONCE I WAS—Tim Buckley:

Tim’s a very big name in America, and dramatically growing in popularity here. Once I Was might well be the one to get him into the charts—beautiful ringing guitar chords, melancholy mouth-organ—and his delicate, high-pitched voice rising above it all, sometimes breaking out in powerful outbursts. This is a fine song written by him, from which Tim gets every possible ounce of feeling—with a lot of credit to recording director Jerry Yester. Every sound fits perfectly into place, with an easy, rolling backing hand-in-hand with lyrics of loneliness and despair. It really is amazing how the Elektra label never fail to come up with mind-blowing sounds.

CANNED HEAT (LP):

You might call Canned Heat the American answer to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers—they are all dedicated to the blues and really know what they’re on about. Great, exciting music results from their re-working of a number of old blues classics, including such world-beaters as Dust My Broom, Help Me and Goin’ Down Slow. They don’t just copy the masters, either—Canned Heat aren’t afraid to branch out into their own personal interpretations while still respecting the old tradition. Instrumentally very nice all through, but I have one or two doubts about the singing, which doesn’t really have the strength to drive the message home. But the guitar work more than makes up for that. All in all, a very good record, and a must for blues addicts.

NO REGRETS—Tom Rush:

Following his highly-successful recent visit to our green and pleasant land, behold a terrific new single by hero Tom Rush. No Regrets was written by Tom—no connection with the Edith Piaf classic —but this sad, personal masterpiece gets over similar emotions with at least as much effect. Piaf fans savage Intro’s record reviewer—but this Tom Rush record has class that would stand out in any company. Tom’s deep, mournful voice blending with his twelve-string guitar sweeps over and through you, with sensitive piano and lonely flute all building up the atmosphere set by the lyrics. Quite an overwhelming experience listening to it—a true blue beauty.

H.P. LOVECRAFT (LP):

These wonderful American groups that nobody here has ever heard of keep on cropping up. Here’s another one to add to the collection —H.P. Lovecraft, named after an author who used to write science fiction stories about the earth being taken over by alien beings. They’re a group out of the same mould as Country Joe and the Fish, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and all the rest, making thoughtful, stimulating music. I was particularly struck by the unusual arrangements and the beautiful harmony singing—lots of good strong voices and lots of great ideas to use them. And the sleeve is a work of art of its own! (Rick Sanders 10/02/68)

JENNY—John Mayall:

This single, written, produced and performed by the magnificent John Mayall, is in my opinion the best thing he’s ever done. It’s a slow, very deep blues song. Over a perfectly uncluttered backing, the Mayall voice is less raucous than usual, speaking volumes with every word. Has a mellow yet piercing guitar, softly changing chords, heart-felt piano, half-heard chanting build up into a cathedral atmosphere. No drums to obstruct the flow of the pure distilled essence of music. Rarely have I heard a record with such electrifying effects.

MONEY—The Lovin’ Spoonful:

No, not the old Barrett Strong hit beaten up by every pop group since Noah’s Ark. This is a new song by lead singer, John Sebastian, and it’s all to do with the bewildering ins and outs of that lovely/ repugnant folding green stuff at the root of all evil/good (depending on how much your overdraft is). However, I digress. Money is a very nice change from the diabolical She Is Still A Mystery which got the bitter end it so richly deserved. This is an easy, relaxed side with lots of good-timey banjo, great words and percussion. All great fun and who cares if it is only about thirty seconds long?

COLD FEET—Albert King:

This saga of Albert’s chick and her frigid feet is really just a show-case for fireworks on Mr. King’s talking guitar. If John Mayall is the heads of the blues coin, Cold Feet is the gutty, raw tails. A slow, funked-up beat with Albert half-speaking the words. But there’s nothing to compete with the biting guitar. I personally enjoyed it but not really in today’s trendy top twenty style, alas.

WEDDING AT PEYTON PLACE—The Pyramids:

This hasn’t very much connection with the interminably boring Peyton Place that thrills us all on the goggle. It’s a huge, jokey party record from the Pyramids, six lovely fellows originally from Jamaica who gave us Train Tour To Rainbow City—the best ska record within living memory. Lead singer Roy Barrington acts as master of ceremonies at the wedding of the year —Alison Mackenzie gets spliced to Zackie Poo. Guests at this monster binge include John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Jimi Hendrix. A lovely record.

THE FOOL ON THE HILL—Sharon Tandy:

Cover jobs on the Beatles’ songs are getting a bit rare these days. Sharon Tandy takes on the task with Fool On The Hill, sung by Paul on Magical Mystery Tour, and it’s a fine effort. The arrangement is much the same, if a little less freaky, and Sharon’s crystal voice blends well with the brass chorus and the hop-skip beat. However, too many people have the Beatles’ record for a second time around success for Sharon. And isn’t it strange how you tend to take the quality of Lennon/McCartney songs for granted when they do them? It comes out even more when someone else has a go. (Rick Sanders 17/02/68)

JOHN WESLEY HARDING (LP)—Bob Dylan:

The eighteen month wait is over, with the appearance of the first new Dylan since Blonde On Blonde. Well, he’s a very changed man. During his recuperation after an accident, he’s had a total re-think and John Wesley Harding is mostly country-style stuff with a more open and direct manner. For the first time ever, he sings more or less straight—Hank Williams’ influence coming through strongly. The songs are musically well up to scratch and all normal length. None of the marathon masterpieces like Desolation Row and Sad Eyed Lady which may disappoint a lot of people. In fact, I think general reaction at first will be anti Harding: for a kick-off, Dylan is actually smiling on the LP cover above right: but give it a few weeks and we’ll all be happily raving about the new Dylan message. As the man says: “If you can’t bring good news, then don’t bring any at all.” A new pop philosophy is born!

PORTABLE PEOPLE—Ten Years After:

Yet another British blues group as good as anything from the States. Ten Years After‘s first single is indeed a goodie—in honour of the portable people who are forever zooming from place to place. It has an hypnotic guitar riff by mainspring and guitar king Alvin Lee running through, behind very nice singing. The chanting in the back-ground adds a lot to the atmosphere, and it’s a success in every way.

SAFE AS MILK (LP)—Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band:

Safe as milk, yes certainly . . . Milk spiked with electric nightshade. I didn’t think too much of Yellow Brick Road when it came out as a single, but as part of this LP, it fits in perfectly and I am converted. Safe As Milk is a witches’ brew of rock and roll cum freakout, done with great style by the incredible Magic Band. The gravelly, howling vocals are enough to break most minds weaned on what’s in the charts at present. On a few of the songs you get a delicate, tuneful intro—but only for a couple of bars. Then comes the earthquake. It’s impossible to hear most of the words, but the odd snatches I did get were very intriguing. However, it’s the sheer sound that counts—and it really does count! Make sure you’ve got some tranquillizers handy when you listen to Safe As Milk

TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD TIMES—Pretty Things:

Four lovely minutes with the new style Pretty Things—but it’s a pity they didn’t release this before The Beatles’ Strawberry Fields. It would have been hailed as a masterpiece. Even so, it could still make it—weird Indian sounds, thundering drums, involved harmonies, false ending, slowed down strings, all combining to make a very nice record.

FLEETWOOD MAC—(LP):

All the promise of their first single, I Believe My Time Ain’t Long is fulfilled on this, the first LP for the Blue Horizon label. This is a blues LP by a British group that should finally convince everyone that you don’t have to be a ninety year old Louisiana sharecropper to deliver the goods. Listen particularly to My Heart Beat Like A Hammer, an original by guitarist Jeremy Spencer—words aren’t enough to describe the sledge-hammer emotion it generates. Fleetwood Mac’s first album is going to become a classic. (Rick Sanders 24/02/68)

DELILAH—Tom Jones:

A popular girl these days—first Grapefruit and now Tom Jones with refrains in her honour. Actually, I do think Tom just might have a hit with this, but I don’t like it. It’s the sort of thing Frankie Laine used to do in the early fifties with lots of big, big singing and emotional effect on a song that just isn’t worth it. Isn’t it about time Tom gave us something with a bit more real bite? Why is he wasting his amazing voice when he could be the best blues singer ever produced in Britain?

LOVELY CITIES—Cat Stevens:

Cat’s been having a quiet time recently, but make way for the fireworks with Lovely Cities. It’s a typical Cat Stevens song, with a galloping rhythm, exciting melody and, in particular, a great production job and musical arrangement by Noel Walker and Lew Warburton respectively. The massed instruments echo the vocal and there’s a dramatic quality about the whole thing—with a few bars of the Whistling Jack Smith bit at the end! Anyway, bound to be a big one.

WILDFLOWERS (LP)—Judy Collins:

For the nineteenth time this week, words aren’t enough. Wildflowers includes so many ideas, so many moods, so much stimulation that I’d need a few hundred pages to put down all I think. All I can say is that the very

Judy Collins beautiful Judy has left all the musical categories, like folk, pop, classical, way behind with an album of pure Music with a big M. And to think that she started out as one of the American trad folk brigade! The change is a big one—and her wonderful voice has found its true home at last.

FOREVER CHANGES (LP)—Love:

As expected, another brilliant record from Love. Forever Changes confirms their position as top dogs—one hundred per cent pedigree—of the American group scene, and it must bring home the message to Britain that Love are up on the celestial level of The Cream, The Beatles and the rest of the holy men. The strange voice of Arthur Lee sounds very much like his stablemate Tim Buckley but more powerful. The subtle interaction of guitars, strings, percussion, the emotional songs, with shades of Spain as in Alone Again Or, or the fiery acid-rock of A House Is Not A Motel make Forever Changes pop music in its most rewarding form.

RENAISSANCE FAIR—The Human Instinct:

Their second single, it features superb guitar work as the main theme, very effective harmony vocals and a surprise break in the middle where the guitar is swept up in the string section. A fine record which will please nearly everybody. (Rick Sanders 02/03/68)