Blues from Chicken Shack CHICKEN SHACK Tears in the Wind; the Things You Put Me Through (Cbsblue Horizon 3160)
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RECORD MIRROR, Week ending August 23, 1969 9 reviewed by peter Jones new singles reviewed by Peter Jones new singles reviewed by Peter Jo Moody and compulsive DJ blues from Chicken Shack CHICKEN SHACK Tears In The Wind; The Things You Put Me Through (CBSBlue Horizon 3160). Firstfromthe team since Christine Perfect left- after a moodily-relaxed opening, they get a somehow heavier sound than before.Stan Webb, who wrote MARK JASON 12 thetopdeck,handlesvocallead Love Is The Name Of The Game: well but a big emphasis in on new For The First Time In My Life man Paul Raymond's piano power. (Fontana TF 1050).A Ken Howard this week-dave symonds Thisiscompulsive listening,build- and Alan Blaikley song, which Isn't ingwell and emphatically bluesY- a bad kick-offforahighly -touted A hit, Flip:Notavailableat new singer.Actually Mark is well This week we have David Symonds as the guest disc Presstime. above average in style and person- CHART CERTAINTY. ality and thisisa punchy, brisk, jockey. David ofthedeepvoiceand bearded business -likesort ofproductionall countenance, plus being a sportsman extraordinaire. round. Couldmissout,butit's As usual the selection is six of the best of the oldies, SPANISH musicwiththeusual commendedanddeservestoget through. Flip: A slower -moving six favourites of the current crop and also the all time flair and fire:"Maria Isabel", romantic ballad. favourite LP. by LOS PAYOS (Ilispa Vox 307). CHART POSSIBILITY Frontthe FRANCO-LONDON OR- David, who has very definite tastes in music, started CHESTRA: "MainTheme Front BRIAN KEITH Robinson Crusoe" off with "Alone Again Or" by Love. "I've picked this (Philips BF Till We Meet Again; Lady Butter- 1806), musicfromthetelevision because I thinkit'sa very pretty number," he said. series.A highly -commended treat- fly(Page One POF 152). Thisis mentoftheBeatlesong"Here, either goingtobe a biggie or a "Possibly it was a bit ahead of it's time and I think There And Everywhere" (MCA MU dead loss.It'sa hymnal sortof there is going to be a return to pretty melodic records thing,with ex -Plastic Penny Brian 1095), by theMIKE LEANDER -I forecast this. I think the very hairy, freaky, feed- ORCHESTRA - areally imagina- singingextremelywell. Butit's tivereadingandscoring. More also a bit maudlin and sort of end - backfuzz -boxsortofthing isgoingtogoand telly -thememusic:"Theme From of -the -war and that kind of bit.It's acoustic guitars and woodwinds will come back. DepartmentS"(Pye 17807). by certainlynottoalltastes,but I "Vanilla Fudge and'You Keep Me HangingOn'. CYRIL STAPLETON and his massed founditcompulsivelistening-and orchestra,prettylavisharrange- thechoraleffectsarevery good. Having just said things about freaky music, I suppose ment. "Come On Home", by the Flip:A gentleballadwithsome the Fudge are about the hairiest and loudest group in extremely good lyrics. irrepressible DANDY (Down Town the world. Butitwas such an original arrangement 437)issica-type material, sungin CHART POSSIBILITY an interesting way. andsoexciting withthat50 -secondintroduction before they come in with the vocal . building all the A prettystraightish singalong Cowboy" (CBS4468),afinefilm Stan Webb of the Chicken Shack fromSEAN DUNPHYandthe and some pretty expressive music way. HOEDOWNERS:"When the Fields allround - tonalcolourshere. "The Beatles and 'Strawberry Fields' because there LON SATTON: Destiny;BlowingIn The Wind (Mercury MF 1117). A very Are White With Daisies"(Dolphin DEENA WEBSTERisa young nice performance this - a continental song dressed up with English lyrics, 4466), but thisisthe sort of thing talent worthencouraging - her has to be Beatles in everyone's collection. This one is and sung with a "feel" for the romanticism of the piece. * * * * that so often clicks big.JANUARY "Joey" (Parlophone R 5798)isan so artistic. LES REED: Rain Of Love; Well I Did (Chapter One Ch 108). Songwriter, aretwoladsandtheygetfine okay song,but she'll surelyhitit producer and all-rounder - and thisisa sensitive performance at a very vocalscenesgoingon"ItSings withsomethingelse. Allsortof good song (by Les and Geoff Stephens), and isin fact a Record Of The For Me"(CBS4465),withsome Russki: "Casatschok", by DIMITRI STEREO SINGLE Week. Builds beautifully and is sort of anguished. * * very good highlights.Movie music DOURAKINE (Columbia DB 8526). ROBIN SCOTT: The Sailor;The SoundOf Rain(Head HDS 4003). from JOHNBARRY: "Midnight a jack -booted bit of music. "Merrilee Rush didn't have a hit here with 'Reach Piano - introed bit and a lad who can change his style several times in Out' but I playeditalot.Like the Fudgeitwas a one record.Not potentiallyahit,but thereislifehere. * * * * JUNIORS EYES: Star Child; Sink Or Swim (Regal Zonophone R 3023). tremendously good arrangement of a number that had THE 4 O'BRIENS: Sunflower Eyes; Francois (Philips BF 1803). Rather Promising group but this doesn't seem to have that hit potential.A bit amazing harmonic work here - and certainlya Record of The Week. dirgey and soporoficinparts,butthebasic musicianshipofthis team been heard before.It was released as a stereo single Group goes fora harmonic approach, but thereis more.Produced by shows through.* * * and I think all singles should be in stereo. the excellent Marty Wilde.* * * * SAMANTHA SANG: The Love Of A Woman; Don't Let It Happen Again "TheRollingStones and'Satisfaction'.WellI've WILD SILK: Help Me; Crimson and Gold (Columbia DB 8611).Quite (Parlophone R 5799). A breathy girl,a husky girl,a dynamic girl-this good - butnotreallysufficientlydifferenttoregister. But thevocal is a Record of the Week. This girl really sounds like being a tremendous mentioned the Beatles and the Stones have contributed sounds are fine.* * talent. This record may flop; Samantha must be big. * * * * * so much over the years to pop music. They're leading PRINCIPAL EDWARDS MAGIC THEATRE: Ballad Of Tne nig Girl Now artistes and marvellous entertainers and probably the And A Mere Boy; Lament For The Earth (Dandelion 4405),Lovely. All sortof light and airy and really super -music - a Record of the Week, best exponents of white rhythmn and blues. 'Satisfac- incidentally. Fine lyrics and fine voice. * * * tion' has got to be one of the all-time greats. THE GUN: Hobo; Don't Look Back (CBS 4443), Country blues this time - not too sure whether it can restore the boys to the charts, but there I've got Scott 'IGGINBOTTOM is an air of dynamism about it which could click. * * * McKenzie's 'San Francisco'. This was justa one-off thing, wasn't it?It was a number one record inthat nice summer of 1967 and I had happy memories of 'Igginbottom's Wrench that summer. I liked flower power andit was a hot summer too. Flower power was just a gentle harmless 0 SML 1051 CI DML 1051 fad, and from thatthinking pop has become more AMERICA AWAKES gentle. 'San Francisco' was the start of something and it was a nice record. After putting down one of the big rock names, we BY JAMES HAMILTON come onto the six current singles. tGGI "I'm a tremendous fanof Simon and Garfunkle. I NICKIE LEE: And BlackIsBeautiful;Faith Within(Deep Soul WRENCH DS 9013). Dave Godin and fellow freaksat "Soul City" have finally thought 'Mrs. Robinson' was one of the best records gotittogether and areallsettorelease a lotof sizzling wax over oflast year, and I've chosen their recording of 'The thenextfewweeks(includingabudget -priceOldiesalbum!).To kickoff,they've only released one of the best Soul records ofthe year,that'sall.Actually a U.S. R&B hitabout the time of James Brown's "Say It Loud", this slowie takes that most Black music of all,Gospel,asa framework forits message . a logical choice. AschicksrepeatedlychantthetitlestatementNickieinterweaves his rallying advice, so that the whole isa powerfully insinuous slab ofthebesttypeofSoulthereis.Naturally I am prejudiced,as Gospel Soul (along with those Oldies -But -Goodies Soul Vocal Groups!) is my favouritevariety,and there hasn't been enough ofitduring thelast four years!(Deep Soul got this beauty from Bell Records. who again haveleta small label winasixstar review.Sure,it won't be a hit, but then neither was "Soul Deep" by the Box Tops- which has most merit.Bell have got the goodsinplenty,so why can'tthey giveusatastemore often?).* * * * * * JOHNNY ADAMS: Reconsider Me;IfICould See You One More Time (Polydor 567775). Exactly five years after the late Joe Hinton scoredsomassivelyinAmerica withhisSouled-up versionofthe C&W "Funny (How Time Slips Away)", Johnny Adams isenjoying a similar success with his not dis-similar treatment of another C&W song. His voice soars toa high and beautiful falsetto in a way that will delight True Soul Freaks, who should hear this. Great. Incident- ally,hislasthitwas "Release Me"!(Modesty Corner:duetoa lamentable lapse of my normally reliableI.B.M.-like brain, crammed full with unimportant facts,Iforgot in the recent Aretha review that Vanilla Fudge ofcourse both"Pledging My Love" and "The Clock" were Johnny Ace songs).* * * THE WATTS 103rdSTREET RHYTHM BAND: Till YouGet Boxer'. This has everything you could wish forina Enough; Light My Fire (Warner Bros. WB 7298). The Band's latest single. They're a marvellous song writingtalent. Art U.S.hitstartswithatraceofIsaacHayes'"Hyperbolicsyllabicse- Garfunkel has an incredibly pure voice and loads of quedalymistic" sound (it'sa track off his smash "Hot Buttered Soul" album),before they getintotheir own jungle rhythm groove. Not work wentintothe makingof thisrecord. Ittook every Soul fan's groove maybe, but for "Cue Club" -goers and other over a hundred hours to make anditwas reduced funky dancersthisisamesmeric gas!It'ssureallgot rhythm! down from 32 tracks and it sounds likeit. A beautiful Dig the quietfliptoo - ifyOU think atfirst thatit'snothing new, 'Igginbottom's Wrench havepatience. * * song and the production is perfect. THE PERSUASIONS: PartyIn The Woods;It'sBetter To Have "Next isthe Procul Harum's 'A Salty Dog'. There Loved AndLost(Than Never LovedAtAll)(Minit MLF 11017). was an album of the same title and this dropped just Soul Group Freaks - ignore the very ordinary beater on top, and short of the top thirty mainly because it didn't receive is what you've been dig the slow flip(which I think was the U.S.