Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #26

Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Opener – Action Scene – Hawkshaw/Parker (KPM)
Nino Tempo and April Stevens with the Guilloteens – I Love How You Love Me (Atco)
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart – Teardrop City (A&M)
Sir Douglas Quintet – She’s About a Mover (Tribe)
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore – The LS Bumblebee (Decca)
Giant Crab – ESP (UNI)
The Bit A Sweet – How Can I Make You See (ABC)
The Garden Club – Little Girl Lost and Found (A&M)
The Garden Club – I Must Love Her (A&M)
John Wonderling – Midway Down (WB)
The Turtles – Buzz Saw (White Whale)
ALSAC Teenagers March Concert Commercial

Buffalo Covers…
Staple Singers – For What It’s Worth (Epic) 1967
Mojo Men – Sit Down I Think I Love You (Reprise) 1966
Kenny Rankin – Four Days Gone (Mercury) 1970
Percy Sledge – Kind Woman (Atlantic) 1968
Poco – Go and Say Goodbye (Epic) 1972
Glenn Yarbrough – Everybody’s Wrong (RCA) 1967
Fanny – Special Care (Reprise) 1971
Fever Tree – Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing (UNI) 1968
Yes – Everydays (Atlantic) 1970
The Road – Mr Soul (Kama Sutra) 1970
Bonnie Raitt – Bluebird (WB) 1971
Chris Smither – I Am a Child (Poppy) 1970
Kate Rogers – Broken Arrow (Grand Central) 2005
The Grip Weeds – Down to the Wire (Buy or Die) 1998
King Curtis – For What It’s Worth (Atco) 1967

The Doors – Peace Frog/Blue Sunday (Elektra)
The Doors – Unknown Soldier (Elektra)
Rick Nelson – Don’t Make Promises (Decca)
Rick Nelson – Barefoot Boy (Decca)
Rick Nelson – Marshmallow Skies (Decca)
The Dillards – Lemon Chimes (Elektra)
The Dllards – Reason to Believe (Elektra)
The Collage – Rainy Blue Memory Day (Smash)
The Collage – My Mind’s At Ease (Smash)
The Collage – Would You Like To Go (Smash)
Van Dyke Parks – Come To the Sunshine (45) (MGM)
Van Dyke Parks – Datsun Commercial (WB)

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode 26 – 233MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

Welcome to this month’s episode of the Iron Leg Radio Show.

This is a very special edition of the ILRS, with lots of groovy new arrivals and an extra long set in middle of the show devoted to cover versions of Buffalo Springfield songs (thanks to Echoes In the Wind for the inspiration).

You get more than two hours of music this month, so strap on the headphones and dig (in).

See you next week.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #20

Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Opener – Action Scene – Hawkshaw/Mansfield (KPM)
Spirit – I Got a Line On You (Ode)
Spirit – Taurus (Ode)
Spirit – Girl In Your Eye (Ode)
Spirit- Straight Arrow (Ode)
Spirit – Topanga Windows (Ode)
44th St Portable Flower Factory – Let’s Get Together (Scholastic)
44th St Portable Flower Factory – The Letter (Scholastic)
Esko Affair – Morning Dull Fire (Mercury)
Roy Buchanan – Down By the River (Atlantic)
Spirit – Clear LP Promo

Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich – Shame (Fontana)
Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich- You Make It Move (Fontana)
Bang Girl Group Revue – Drink In Hand (Psychedelphonic)
Bang Girl Group Revue – Love’s Gone Bad (Psychedelphonic)
Dino Desi and Billy – I’m a Fool (Reprise)
The Finnz – East Side Story (Finnz)
Heather Black – Bill The Black Militant (Double Bayou)
Kitchen Cinq – Determination (LHI)
Terry Knight and the Pack – Got Love (Lucky Eleven)
Gary Lewis and the Playboys – Heart Full of Soul (Liberty)
Gary Lewis and the Playboys – The Flake (Kelloggs Corn Flakes Ad)

The Critters – Mr Dieingly Sad (Kapp)
East Coast Left – My Child (Kapp)
Epic Splendor – It Could Be Wonderful (Hot Biscuit)
Giant Crab – Help Yourself (Uni)
Giant Crab – It’s Getting Harder (Uni)
Hourglass – Power Of Love (Liberty)
Music Machine – Some Other Drum (Original Sound)
Tom Northcott – Blackberry Way (Uni)
Peter Fonda – November Nights (Chisa)
The 10:15 – Joe’s Acclamation ()
Semicolons? – Beachcomber (Cameo/Parkway)
Poco – Hurry Up (Epic)
The Rockets – Hole In My Pocket (White Whale)
Neil Young – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere LP Promo

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode 20 – 184MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

I hope all is well in your part of the world.

It’s time once again for the Iron Leg Radio Show, episode 20!

This time around we start the show with a tribute to the late, great Ed Cassidy of Spirit, move on into some top shelf freakbeat and garage and finish up with a solid set of pop.

I hope you dig it all, and that you come back next week for the annual Year In Vintage Pop mix.

Until then…

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #19

Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Intro/Action Scene – Hawkshaw/Mansfield (KPM)
Byrds – Bad Night at the Whiskey (Columbia)
Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll – Save Me (Polydor)
Captain Beefheart – Who Do You Think You’re Fooling (A&M)
Chris Farlowe – Out of Time (Immediate)
Chris Farlowe – Baby Make It Soon (Immediate)
The Coopers – Didn’t I (White Whale)
The Hassles – You Got Me Hummin’ (UA)
Standells – Why Did You Hurt Me (Tower)
The Yardbirds – No Excess Baggage (Epic)
Yardbirds – Great Shakes Commercial

Hardy Boys – Here Come the Hardys (RCA/Dunwich)
Tradewinds – Mind Excursion (Kama Sutra)
Small Circle of Friends – Kind of Wasted Without You (A&M)
Pleasure Faire – Morning Glory Days (UNI)
Puppet – Best Friend (Date)
James Griffin – Miracle Worker (Viva)
Fun and Games – Don’t Worry Baby (White Whale)
Free Design – Bubbles (Project 3)
Brian Hyland – The Joker Went Wild (Philips)
Grin – White Lies (Spindizzy)
Blades of Grass – I Love You Alice B Toklas (Jubilee)
I Love You Alice B Toklas Movie Promo

Beaver and Krause – People’s Park 45 (WB)
Ananda Shankar – Light My Fire (Reprise)
The Fire Escape – The Trip (GNP Crescendo)
Cher – Hey Joe (Imperial)
Holy Mackerel – Scorpio Red (Reprise)
Living Strings – San Francisco Nights (Camden)
Mickey Newbury – Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (RCA)
Peggy Lipton – The Lady of the Lake (Ode)
Mars Bonfire – Lady Moonwalker (UNI)
Scott Walker – Mrs Murphy (Philips)
Terry Reid – Stay With Me (Epic)
Van Dyke Parks – Datsun Commercial

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode 19 – 176MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

I hope all is well in your part of the world.

It’s time once again for the Iron Leg Radio Show, episode 19!

This time around we have a great one for you, with three long sets of very groovy music.

We get things started with a bunch of garage and other rock, roll on into a set of sunshine and lighter fare, and close things out with a long, trippy grouping of sounds.

As always, I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back next week with something cool.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #17

Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Intro – Action Scene – Hawkshaw/Mansfield (KPM)
Don and the Goodtimes – Little Sally Tease (Dunhill)
Los Gatos Negros – Land of 1000 Dances (Vergara)
The Equals – My Life Ain’t Easy (President)
Terry Knight and the Pack – Got Love (Lucky 11)
Chancellors – I’m a Man (Soma)
The Mods – Satisfaction (Revelation VII)
The Mods – Go (Steinbachs Mustang) (Revelation VII)
Mars Bonfire – Ride With Me (UNI)
Mars Bonfire – Born To Be Wild (UNI)
Hollywood Bowl Concert Radio Spot

Fun and Games – Elephant Candy (UNI)
Fun and Games – Grooviest Girl In the World (UNI)
Fun and Games – Something I Wrote (UNI)
The Hardy Boys – Here Come the Hardys (RCA/Dunwich)
Three Ring Circus – Groovin’ On the Sunshine (RCA)
The Pleasure Fair – Fade In Fade Out (UNI)
Morning Glories – Love-In (RCA)
Bread – Could I (Elektra)
Bread – It Don’t Matter To Me 1969 LP Version (Elektra)
Stone Poneys Pepsi Commercial

Gene Clark and the Gosdin Bros – So You Say You Lost Your Baby (Columbia)
Brewer and Shipley – She Got the Time She Got the Changes (A&M)
Brewer and Shipley – Pig’s Head (Kama Sutra)
Gordon Lightfoot – The Pride of Man (UA)
John Denver – Molly (RCA)
Glen Campbell – Guess I’m Dumb (Capitol)
Primrose Circus – PS Call Me Lulu (Mira)
Jimmie Haskell feat. Denny Doherty – To Claudia On Thursday (ABC)
Kaleidoscope – Egyptian Garden (Epic)
Clear Light – Think Again (Elektra)
Jacques Dutronc – Et Moi Et Moi Et Moi (Vogue)

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode 17 – 172MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

It’s time once again for the Iron Leg Radio Show, episode the seventeenth!

This month’s Iron Leg Radio Show is packed with recent acquisitions.

The last month has been very fruitful digging-wise with lots of sunshine pop, psychedelia and even a long sought after local garage 45 that finally came my way.

You get to check out some prime, late-60s California pop, including some very interesting early stuff from Bread (and pre-Bread 45s too)!

As always, I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back next week with something groovy.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Iron Leg Radio #16

Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Hawkshaw/Mansfield – Action Scene (KPM)
13th Floor Elevators – You’re Gonna Miss Me (International Artists)
New Colony Six – Let Me Love You (Sentar)
The Strangeloves – Night Time (Bang)
British Walkers – I Found You (Try)
Buffalo Springfield – Mr Soul (45 Mix) (Atco)
Curtis Knight – Fancy Meeting You Here (RCA UK)
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich – He’s a Raver (Star Club)
Raspberries – Go All the Way (Capitol)
Moby Grape – Omaha (Columbia)
Moby Grape Radio Spot

Captain Beefheart – Diddy Wah Diddy (A&M)
Question Mark and the Mysterians – Can’t Get Enough of You Baby (Cameo)
Toys – Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby (Dynovoice)
Mickey Newbury – Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (RCA)
Gosdin Brothers – Sounds of Goodbye (Capitol)
Love – She Comes In Colors (Elektra)
Artie Wayne – Automated Man (Smash)
Music Machine – Masculine Intuition (Original Sound)
Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters – Head Inspector (Verve)
Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters – New Dreams (Verve)
Paul Revere and the Raiders – Louie Go Home (Columbia)
Paul Revere and the Raiders Radio Spot

Peggy Lee – I Think It’ s Going To Rain Today (Capitol)
Randy Newman – I Think It’s Going To Rain Today (Reprise)
Randy Newman – Living Without You (Reprise)
Paul Williams – Just and Old Fashioned Love Song (A&M)
Paul Williams – Someday Man (A&M)
Paul Williams – Trust (A&M)
Bugsy Maugh – In Limbo (Dot)
Tom Northcott – Iron Pines (Uni)
Tom Northcott – I Think It’s Going To Rain Today (Uni)

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode 16 – 162MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you well.

It’s time once again for the Iron Leg Radio Show.

This month’s Iron Leg Radio Show brings you another diverse, lovingly selected helping of sounds.

You get lots of garage punk (Elevators, Capt Beefheart etc), some beat, psychedelia and a long set of gentler, more introspective pop by the likes of Randy Newman and Paul Williams.

As always, I hope you dig it, and I’ll be back next week with something groovy.

Peace

Larry

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Gordon Lightfoot – For Lovin’ Me

Gordon Lightfoot

Listen/Download – Gordon Lightfoot – For Lovin’ Me

Greetings all.

Welcome to another week here at the ole leg of iron.

The tune I bring you this fine day is one that I first heard not in its original version, but in a cover by one of the most successful commercial folk acts of the 1960s.

Peter, Paul and Mary were hugely successful in their day, and unlike so many of their contemporaries managed to be so without sacrificing all of their folk movement cred.

Some of this was the result of their activist bent, and some due to the fact that they managed to maintain a level of musical and artistic quality, rarely pandering to the middle of the road. I know some people would disagree, but I won’t hold PPM’s efforts to be entertaining against them.

They are often remembered today as representative of “commercialized” folk music, but this is usually by people that forget groups like the Kingston Trio.

Their LP ‘A Song Will Rise’ was a cornerstone of my father’s record collection (the small, non-jazz contemporary wing thereof) and as a result a major formative touchstone for yours truly.

The album featured some cool originals but also some exceptional cover material, such as the Weavers stirring ‘Wasn’t That a Time’ and the song I bring you today.

Naturally, when I was a tot I had yet to discover the value of reading record labels, so I was unaware that ‘For Lovin’ Me’ had been written by Gordon Lightfoot.

Oddly enough, I know who Lightfoot was, but only because by that time he had already entered the pop charts a number of times with songs like ‘If You Could Read My Mind’ (1971).

It wasn’t until decades later, when I picked up Lightfoot’s 1965 debut that I realized that the song I loved so much as a kid was a cover.

Of course by that time, I’d read and listened to enough that I was familiar with his early work as a songwriter, with material being recorded by artists like Nico (‘I’m Not Sayin’), Judy Collins (Early Mornin’ Rain) and Marty Robbins (Ribbon Of Darkness).

Much like his countrywoman Joni Mitchell, many of his most famous songs were recorded (or were popularized) by others first.

Lightfoot got his start as a folksinger/songwriter in his native Canada having chart success in his native country and doing TV work in the UK before being signed by none other than Albert Grossman in 1965 and recording his debut album for United Artists the following year.

Though the record was acoustic, in the folky tradition, the songs and performances had the sound not of a coffeehouse troubadour but rather an early iteration of the singer/songwriter vibe that would become huge over the next five years (much like Tom Rush during the same period).

‘For Lovin’ Me’ is a great, slightly dark feel to it with some haunting chord changes. Though I’ll always love the harmonies in the PPM version it’s also cool to hear the song delivered in Lightfoot’s rich baritone.

The ‘Lightfoot’ album has been reissued, but oddly enough original copies tend to turn up fairly frequently. You not only get to hear Lightfoot’s versions of his own songs but covers of tunes by Phil Ochs (Changes), Ewan McColl (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face) and a cool take on Hamilton Camp’s ‘Pride of Man’ which would later be covered by Quicksilver Messenger Service.

I hope you dig the tune and I’ll see you all next week.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.

Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #9

Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Hawkshaw/Mansfield – Action Scene (KPM)
Brenda Lee – Is It True (Decca)
Nat Stuckey – Listen To the Band (RCA) Echoes In the Wind
Nat Stuckey – In the Year 2525 (RCA)
Fabulous Thunder – Jealous of You (Tight)
Dino Desi and Billy – I’m a Fool (Reprise) Lee Hazelwood
Dino Desi and Billy – The Rebel Kind (Reprise)
Pinking Canandy – Hello Hello (Uni)
Pinkiny Canandy – Mr Keiley’s Roof (Uni)
Pinkiny Canandy – Goodbye Goodbye (Uni)
The Knack – Time Waits For No One (Capitol)
The Knack – I’m Aware (Capitol)
Paul Revere & the Raiders – Pontiac Judge Commercial

Hub Kapp and the Wheels – Radio Spot
Hub Kapp and the Wheels – Sigh Cry Almost Die (Capitol)
Hub Kapp and the Wheels – Boney Moronie (Capitol)
Tom Northcott – 1941 (WB)
Tom Northcott – Blackberry Way (Uni)
Tom Northcott – Iron Pines (Uni)
Frankie Valli – The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore (Philips)
John Frangipani – Jingle Jangle (Mainstream)
Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters – Clouds (Both Sides Now) (Verve)
Carnation Instant Breakfast Commercial

Enoch Light and the Light Brigade – Over Under Sideways Down (Project 3)
Keith Mansfield – Boogaloo (Epic)
Sweet Charity OST – The Pompeii Club (Rich Mans Frug) (Decca)
Walter Wanderley – Kee-Ka-Roo (Verve)
Dave Grusin – Ascent To Virginity (ABC)
Mr Jamo – Shake What You Brought With You (SSS Intl)
Henry Mancini – The Theme From the Party (vocal) (RCA)

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode 9 – 156MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

Welcome back for the ninth go-round in the Iron Leg Radio Show saga.

This time out we have all kinds of goodies for your earholes, including some unusual country-pop, beat, late-60s power pop, prime Canadian folk-rock and a long set of explosive now sound goodness.

If you haven’t yet picked up last month’s (or any of the other previous) episode on MP3, please do yourself a favor and grab it (them).

I hope you dig this episode, and I’ll see you all next week.

See you next Monday.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

ILDT37 – Iron Leg 2011 Year In Vintage Pop

Playlist

Unrelated Segments – Where You Gonna Go (Liberty)
Spats – She Done Moved (ABC)
Underdogs – Loves Gone Bad (VIP)
Pretty Things – Don’t Bring Me Down (Fontana)
Tweeds – We Got Time (Coral)
Bruce Johnston – Jersey Channel Islands Pt7 (Columbia)
Beverley – Where The Good Times Are (Deram)
The Gas Co – Your Time’s Up (Mirwood)
Thorinshield – Wrong My Friend (Philips)
PJ Proby – Don’t Forget About Me (Liberty)

Pt2

Chad and Jeremy – Rest In Peace (Columbia)
Don Agrati – Protoplasm Blues (Elektra)
Mama Cass – Talking To Your Toothbrush (Dunhill)
Grace Markay – Sally Go Round The Roses (Capitol)
Bobby Vee – The Passing of a Friend (Liberty)
Incredible String Band – No Sleep Blues (Elektra)
MFQ – If All You Think (WB)
Sonny Curtis – The Straight Life (Viva)
Marian Segal and Silver Jade – Amongst Anemones (DJM)
Peggy Lee – Is That All There Is (Capitol)

Listen/Download -ILDT37 – Iron Leg 2011 Year In Vintage Pop – 115MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

Welcome to the 231st annual Iron Leg Year In Vintage Pop.

Of course it hasn’t really been that long, but this being the intertubes and all there’s always the chance that some gullible soul will happen by and think they’ve stumbled on the first blog ever.

That said, what we have here is a cross section – as determined by the management – of the best stuff featured in this space during two thousand ought eleven.

What I’ve done, instead of stirring too vigorously, is allowed the vibes to separate as it were, with the heavy stuff up on top and the lighter, slightly deeper stuff resting on the bottom end.

It has been a very interesting year hereabouts, with me tracking down all kinds of groovy music that was new (at least to me), getting the rare chance to DJ Iron Leggy stuff out in the world and dealing with a serious “outside world” crisis that almost put the kibosh on the blog for the second time in two years.

Things seem to be rolling along nicely at the one-post-a-week pace, allowing me to keep my shit together outside the blog, and still get to post some cool stuff here as well.

Hopefully I’ll be able to keep it together for another year, or at least until Iron Leg celebrates it’s fifth anniversary this coming June.

So, I hope you have dug what I brought you this year, and continue to dig what comes up in the future.

Happy New Year to all, and I’ll see you all in 2012.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

Iron Leg Radio Show Episode #8

Beep beep beep beep…..

Playlist

Hawkshaw/Mansfield – Action Scene (KPM)
Turtles – Outside Chance (White Whale)
Tommy Roe – Leave Her (ABC)
Van Dyke Parks – Vine Street / Palm Desert (Warner Brothers)
Van Dyke Parks – Music For the Ice Capades Pt1 (WB)
Van Dyke Parks – Music For the Ice Capades Pt2 (WB)
Van Dyke Parks – Music For the Ice Capades Pt3 (WB)
Zombies – Beechwood Park (Epic)
Who – Rael (Decca)
Mindbenders – Getting Harder All the Time (Fontana)
Cheetah Club Promo

Hour Glass – The Power of Love (Liberty)
Heather Black – She’s My Woman (Double Bayou)
Heather Black – Bill (the Black Militant) (Double Bayou)
Tygers – I Still Love Her (Teen Town)
Gary Lewis and the Playboys – Heart Full of Soul (Liberty)
The 10:15 – Joes Acclamation (Private Press)
Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters – Alley Oop (Verve)
Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters – Head Inspector (Verve)
Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters – Chelsea Morning (Verve)
Nobody’s Children – I Can’t Let Go (Bullet) Maryland
Rolling Stones – Rice Krispies Commercial

Small Faces – Tin Soldier (Immediate)
Small Faces – All or Nothing (RCA)
Unchained Mynds – Going Back To Miami (Buddah)
Walker Brothers – Hurting Each Other (Philips)
Scott Walker – Mrs Murphy (Philips)
Marian Segal and Silver Jade – Amongst Anemones (DJM)
Marian Segal and Silver Jade – Fly On Strangewings (DJM)
Bob Seger and the last Heard – Sock It To me Santa (Cameo)
Hals Record Shop Commercial

Listen/Download -Iron Leg Radio Show Episode 8 – 155MB/256kbps

Greetings all.

Welcome to Episode #8 of the Iron Leg Radio Show, your home for all things vintage pop.

We’ve got some very cool stuff for you this month, including some rare, early Van Dyke Parks, wherein he wrestles with a Moog, pages from an unheard chapter in the history of Dave Van Ronk, a lost bit of groovy acoustic guitar from a very odd source, vintage garage and pop 45s and exactly one Christmas record.

I hope you dig the sounds, and if you haven’t picked up on any of the previous seven episodes, get your download on and luxuriate in the wonderfulness.

See you next Monday.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners

The Incredible String Band – No Sleep Blues

The ISB – Mike Heron and Robin Williamson

Listen/Download – Incredible String Band – No Sleep Blues

Greetings all.

Welcome back to the ongoing series of poptacular musical excursions otherwise known as Iron Leg.

While trolling through the archive of previously digimatized, yet not quite blogged music, I happened upon one of my favorite slices of UK freak folk.

The Incredible String Band was one of those groups that I knew of (pretty much just the name) for many years before I actually heard them, an event that occurred when I picked up an expensive (but wholly excellent), imported, multi-cd comp of psychedelic music during the early days of compact discs.

The track in question was their 1968 single ‘Painting Box’, by which I was seriously underwhelmed. Here, finally was the Incredible String Band, and I was perceiving strings, but a decided lack of incredibleness.

That said, years later, during the depths of my UK folk/folk rock mania, with Nick Drake, and Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch etcetera etcetera, I found a Rykodisc reissue of the album that included that track, ‘The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion and decided to explore further.

Released in July of 1967, it was their second album, and their first since the departure of Clive Palmer. Truth be told, by the time this album came out, the group with the grandiose name was basically the duo of Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, augmented by Williamson’s girlfriend Licorice (yes, Licorice) and bassist Danny Thompson.

When I first had the CD, I dug it heavily because despite the surface folksiness, the music was in fact the work of a couple of twisted hippies and the sounds they made owed as much to then contemporary England as it did to Morris Dancers and the like.

What I also noticed was that the music on the album had a slightly schizophrenic bent, with two distinct musical personalities fighting for prominence within. A look at the writing credits revealed that the stuff I was really digging was credited to Robin Williamson, and those I dug not so much to Mike Heron.

The tune I bring you today is my favorite Williamson-penned track, ‘No Sleep Blues’.

While there are certainly elements present of what might be termed ‘old time folk’, i.e. traditionalist hootenanny plucking, it was overpowered by a certain longhairs on caravan in Morocco vibe, otherwise known as a hashish haze,or at the very least the residual effects thereof.

I can well imagine the English equivalent of Pete Seeger tearing his (or her) hair our at the roots when hearing stuff like this, but I also see the more cosmopolitan contingent of the freak scene shying away from it as well (until they all morphed into hippies a few years on).

Heron and Williamson went on to a long career as the ISB, and individually as well.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll see you all next week.

Peace

Larry

 

PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.