Flat Baroque & Berserk - ROY HARPER***

Don't You Grieve/I Hate The White Man/Feelin' All The Saturday/How Does It Feel/Goodbye/Another Day/ Davey/East Of The Sun/Tom Tiddler's Ground/Francesca/Song Of The Ages/Hell's Angels

1970 was a good year for folk-rock singer Roy Harper as he achieved his highest chart placing with Flat Baroque & Berserk, plus the ultimate accolade of a tribute track on the latest Led Zeppelin album. The Nice helped out with some of the backing here. (UK:20)

“The rich intense English folk-rock sound is present through most of the tracks, as powerful as the best acoustic moments of any of the best proto-folk prog groups.”

“Flat Baroque And Berserk mostly features the acoustic folkie side of Roy Harper, though a couple of tracks rock. The closing Hell’s Angels does so quite heavily with Keith Emerson’s guest performance on keyboards. The album isn’t exactly a consistent work with Harper all over the map in terms of his mood and the different feelings conveyed by the various songs. Nearly all of the music is of high quality though.”

“The album contains occasional commentary from Harper as well as off hand studio remarks and laughter included for effect. All of it is cool enough to hear a few times, but becomes tiring upon repeated spins. Regardless, this is one of Harper’s better early albums with the strongest five tunes being extraordinarily moving.”

“Here is a musician and poet who has travelled a long way from his acoustic roots. This album represents the acoustic side edged with an electro quality that at certain moments simply lifts it out of the familiar and into a more dynamic landscape. It represents a ground shift in Roy's writing, due in part to the luxury of recording in a quality studio, but also because at this time Roy Harper was writing and playing with confidence.”

“A man who writes lyrics like this and plays music as honest and intense must be trustworthy and deservers my total admiration and respect. The music is at the same time humble and sweet.”

“Every song has something interesting and unique to offer, and with the exception of Hell’s Angels they have a folk tinge to them, although you can't exactly call this a folk album even though it is primarily him and his guitar. He puts in such a brute honesty to his music that make no mistake this is really how he felt when he was making this music.”

The Fabulous Charlie Rich - CHARLIE RICH****

I Almost Lost My Mind/Life Has Its Little Ups & Downs/San Francisco Is A Lonely Town/Sittin' & Thinkin'/July 12th 1939/Bright Lights Big City-Hush Hush-Baby What You Want Me To Do-Ain't That Loving You Baby (Medley)/ Raggedy Ann/Have You Ever Been Lonely/A Picture Of You/Love Awaits For Me/It Makes Me Wanta Cry

Despite critical acclaim country singer Charlie Rich had many years in the commercial wilderness before achieving fame in the mid 1970s. Fabulous was another of his albums which failed to make any impact on the charts.

“Charlie Rich's unique blend of country, jazz and blues was probably never better showcased than on this album of top-notch material. There was a certain reserve to his style which got in the way somewhat, but even so this is a fine record.”

“The music is as fresh as the day Charlie cut these songs. Once or twice in a lifetime, a song comes along and hits you so hard you remember exactly where you were, and what you were doing, when you first heard it. Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs was like that for me.”

“No one ever sang more soulfully, more sweetly or with more passion than Charlie Rich. His talents are on display here. Yet this is just a typical studio album for him. Although it was cut in Nashville with Billy Sherrill as producer, it is nothing like the albums he cut with him after hitting the big time in 1973. Here Sherrill was content to let Charlie do some of his favourite Jimmie Reed and Ivory Joe Turner songs, and the country songs Sherrill brought somehow fit in. Charlie sang these with so much passion they sounded right on an album with blues and jazz stylings. I wish I could do justice to this music and tell you how great it is.”

“Included in this album is Life Has It's Little Ups And Downs. Written by Charlie's wife Margaret Ann, this is one of the greatest songs I ever heard in the many years I've been listening to music. It's just so special.”

“Charlie Rich was so excellent; this really should have been titled 'The Excellent Charlie Rich'. I can already imagine this album with that title. Unfortunately, this second album with Billy Sherrill for Epic Records, like the previous one, made little commercial noise.”

UFO - JIM SULLIVAN***

Jerome/Plain As Your Eyes Can See/Roll Back The Time/Whistle Stop/Rosey/Highways/UFO/So Natural/ Johnny/Sandman

UFO was the debut album from the West Coast folk-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jim Sullivan. Sadly, he is best remembered for his mysterious disappearance in New Mexico in 1975.

“This record is has an incredibly potent bitter sweetness to it and is pretty uncanny. A great collection of psychedelic folk/pop songs that feel like a serene and nostalgic fantasy world, tinged with sadness.”

“His plaintive voice avoids corniness, yet is strong enough to hang with the string arrangements that bolster his sturdy acoustic guitar playing. Sullivan manages to leave an ethereal yet substantial impression, never overstaying his welcome.”

“This is an incredible album, absolutely a lost masterpiece. The songs are like little ponds of peaceful surfaces with startling depth. They are for cool summer nights, tinted with hopeful melancholy and the slightest hint of otherworldly mystery.”

“It's really good, but in a low-key way that will only be relevant to people who are already into the intangible nuances of songcraft that superficially pedestrian music can possess, especially contextualized by a certain era's characteristic sound, roughly similar to Van Morrison.”

“I had never previously heard of Sullivan, but this album is a wonderful revelation. The songs are sometimes wistful and sad and not of a genre that I normally enjoy, but I can't get enough of this disc.”

“Jim’s acoustic guitar is the dominant feature on each song, the bass really helps drive the music towards the rock genre, especially on the title track, performed to a world-class standard. I really like the string sound and arrangements, they add depth and emotion, and it’s not a full orchestra so has a warm quality. Jim was obviously a well liked guy who these musicians respected and brought their best to these sessions.”

“He wrote songs full of restless despair that he sang in a rich voice, winning over crowds wherever he played. This first album contained songs about aliens, desert highways, and desperate redemption, but failed to generate the attention and sales it probably deserved.”

Argent - ARGENT***

Like Honey/Liar/Be Free/Schoolgirl/Dance In The Smoke/Lonely Hard Road/The Feeling's Inside/Freefall/ Stepping Stone/Bring You Joy

Debut album from the English band Argent led by the former organist from The Zombies, Rod Argent. They would adopt a more progressive musical approach than that of his earlier group’s largely pop orientated sound.

“This album has so many gems in it. Like Honey with its beautiful guitar arpeggios, Liar with great vocals and haunting bass guitar. Dance In The Smoke is a progressive rock masterpiece with a growing sound and fantastic drums playing. Schoolgirl and Bring You Joy have brilliant vocal harmonies. This is very refined album which deserves to be discovered.”

“Taking late 60s/early 70s musical trends into account, this effort sounds like a logical follow on from The Zombies, with a progressive edge to some of the tracks. Although, to my ears, the progressive touches are fairly understated.”

“Subtly pleasing and, at times, soft and dreamy, this is generally prog influenced pop, featuring strong vocal harmonies, with Argent's ever present keyboards and some restrained guitar work.”

“Side one is where the action is here. It's a tremendous string of songs that faintly echo the greatness of The Zombies with a little dash of some harder edge prog flavours. Side two unfortunately is weighed down by rather pedestrian material.”

“Rod Argent's keyboards, sweet vocal harmonies and good production keep me going back to this record, although there are a couple of duds on side two.”

“Sophisticated keyboards dominated prog rock with the accent on songwriting. Given the accomplishment of the songs, vocals and keyboards this should be a lot more intense and impactful. However, it is too restrained and muted, almost the story of a talented band that seemed to lack that vital spark.”

“More a continuation of the Zombies sound than actually breaking new ground, it's a very enjoyable album. Rod Argent is one of the finest keyboard players and this album is a showcase for his talent. The entire band put in a stellar performance though, making it one of the most cohesive debut releases I've heard.”

“The songwriting is tuneful for the most part, and the instrumentation is always topnotch. Call this progressive pop from an innocent time, and enjoy it.”

Stone The Crows – STONE THE CROWS***

The Touch Of Your Loving Hand/Raining In Your Heart/Blind Man/The Fool On The Hill/I Saw America

Self titled debut album from the Scottish blues-rock band Stone The Crows, featuring 1970s stalwarts vocalist Maggie Bell, and Alex Harvey who would later form his own band to moderate critical and commercial success.

“This is one of those albums that blues fans tend to rave about. There is no doubt the band had more than their share of talent. Les Harvey was a first-rate guitarist, and bassist/singer James Dewar was equally impressive, though largely kept to the sidelines. That said, Maggie Bell has always struck me as being a Janis Joplin wannabe. Her screechy delivery has the same impact on me as chalk on a blackboard. Similarly, the band's blues heavy repertoire left me cold and indifferent, although this does not imply that the album was without some merit.”

“Good debut release by this blues psych band. There is more blues than psych on here with outstanding lead guitar and terrific Hammond. Maggie Bell is a Janis Joplin clone and she has a fabulous voice.”

“Bluesy version of Fool On The Hill sung in Janis Joplin harsh style sounds somewhat weird and I Saw America is too spreading and becomes somewhat tedious. Music is very good all through the album but it is a bit short in originality. They try too hard to sound bluesy and as a result they lose part of their individuality.”

“Very soulful blues rock with raspy female vocals and some great hard blues rock guitar with a few progressive elements as well.”

“A very nice debut album from the Scottish soul-blues group fronted by Maggie Bell, a singer inspired by Janis Joplin. Side One comprises four songs, featuring an organ sometimes reminiscent of Ray Charles, among which there are two covers: the acoustic Blind Man and a bluesy, poignant rendition of the Beatles’ Fool On The Hill. Side two features the long suite I Saw America that is more open to progressive and psychedelic flavours, sometimes recalling The Grateful Dead.”

“A stunning debut album from one of the lost bands of the 70s, that should be in any serious classic rock fan's collection. You may not know the band by name, but many are sure to recognize one or two of the pedigrees involved.”

Forms & Feelings – LOVE SCULPTURE****

In The Land Of The Few/Seagull/Nobody’s Talking/Why (How-Now)/Farandole/You Can’t Catch Me/People People/Mars/Sabre Dance

Forms & Feelings was the second and final album by the Welsh power trio Love Sculpture featuring guitarist Dave Edmunds. Includes the UK No. 5 hit single Sabre Dance plus two other classically themed tracks, Mars and Farandole.

“This is the album, not the previous one. Turns out Dave Edmunds is not just that boring rockabilly guy, he's actually a guitar god. The classical covers on this prove it; the playing is superhuman at times. The whole band kills it. This album should be much, much more appreciated.”

“Sabre Dance is the most insane guitar speeded-up classical, hard rocker. As a whole I cannot think of any album that comes even close to this, hard and heavy, speed rocking guitar wise.”

“This very good long play is better than their first album. Over the top guitar and the material is better. Sabre Dance is glorious, play it loud. As good as any hard rock release from 1970.”

“Awesome psych infused rock with bluesy elements. What a great sound. Edmunds is smokin' on this album. It verges on the 'sunshine' side of psych pop but evened out with some awesome gritty bluesy riffs.”

“Second and last album by Welsh power trio Love Sculpture, led by the immensely talented guitarist Dave Edmunds who also sings and plays piano. On this album the band move away from the blues-rock direction which dominated the debut, moving into the psychedelic and progressive genres.”

“Dominated by the immense success of their single, Sabre Dance, a worldwide hit, the band recorded two more arrangements of classical pieces: Gustav Holst's Mars and Georges Bizet's Farandole, all exceptional showcases for Edmunds' spectacular guitar playing. The album turned out to be a classic and serves as a great document of the era.”

“This album shows that they really were a class act. They tackle a variety of styles, from the almost heavy metal version of Holst's Mars through to light pop. They do them all superbly; it seems they could turn their hand to anything. The standout throughout is Edmonds’ incendiary guitar work.”

Chicago II - CHICAGO*****

Movin' In/The Road/Poem For The People/In The Country/Wake Up Sunshine/Make Me Smile/So Much To Say So Much To Give/Anxiety's Moment/West Virginia Fantasies/Colour My World/To Be Free/Now More Than Ever/Fancy Colours/25 Or 6 To 4/Prelude/AM Mourning/Pm Mourning/Memories Of Love/It Better End Soon/Where Do We Go From Here

Chicago II was the follow up double album from the rock ensemble Chicago. More consistent than their debut, it provides a succession of creative and diverse tracks of a high quality they were unable to recreate on future albums. Includes three US top ten hits Make Me Smile, Colour My World and the inscrutable 25 Or 6 To 4 , the latter peaking at No. 7 in the UK. (US:4 UK:6)

"Many years ago, before the band Chicago was synonymous with casino concerts and oldies radio stations, they were one of the most cutting edge rock groups around, true artists stirring up passion with incredible precision and intensity. This, their second album, is one of the more remarkable accomplishments of the era. The first side consists of four solid songs; Movin’ In, The Road, Poem For The People and In The Country show the remarkable songwriting prowess of James Pankow, Terry Kath and Robert Lamm. But what always distinguishes Chicago from just about any other band is their horn section. The musicianship is nothing short of incredible. Not just their skills on the instruments, but the intelligence in the arrangements and overall togetherness."

"Are there any musical styles that Chicago can't play? This album has it all - classical, jazz, rock, pop, ballad, country, and down outright experimental. If all you know of Chicago is their sentimental love songs, then do yourself a favour and hear what they were like, before they went mainstream MOR."

"Chicago's crowning achievement. It's mind boggling how good this band once was, and equally mind boggling what happened to them just half a decade later. Acid-rock, jazz and classical compositions meet in a whirlwind of creative frenzy. It goes all over the place but somehow manages to stay very focused and unified at the same time. I've listened to this over and over again and I simply never get tired of it."

"If you only buy one Chicago album, this should be it. This work, more than any other album, encompasses everything one should know about Chicago in their early days." "With their second album, Chicago hit their creative stride. This is an excellent collection of well arranged, smart, and very well performed songs."