The Heavy Metal Kids - By Appointment...Best of the Old Bollocks (2004 KFC Studio)

One of the most spectacular, if sadly neglected, British bands of the mid-'70s, the Heavy Metal Kids straddled the eras of glam and punk with such effortless ease that neither genre has ever seemed entirely comfortable with them. Not for the Kids the succession of compilations and tributes with which the CD age has gifted so many of their peers; not for the Kids the awed accolades of a generation of future stars, raised on their high energy rock and dazzling visual flash. But for anybody who is in on the secret, the three albums which the Heavy Metal Kids unleashed between 1974-1977 represent the missing link in the story of Brit-pop, the bridge which links the Small Faces to Oasis, the Action to the Jam, and any other two points you care to mention.

As an accomplished child actor, vocalist Gary Holton first came to attention as a protégé of the Sadlers Well Opera Company during the early '60s and also played the Artful Dodger in an acclaimed production of Charles Dickens' Oliver. From there, he moved on to regular performances with the Old Vic Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company, before joining the touring company of Hair in 1972, aged 17. It was during this period that he began making the contacts which would lead him to form the Heavy Metal Kids two years later, with Mickey Waller (guitar, and no relation to the Jeff Beck/Rod Stewart drummer of the same name), Argentinean-born Danny Peyronel (keyboards), Ronnie Thomas (bass, vocals), and Keith Boyce (drums). The group's name, incidentally, was taken from William Burroughs -- naively or otherwise, the band members never dreamed people might draw other, musical, conclusions from it.

Fronted by Holton's raucous Cockney accent and visually steeped in the paraphernalia of his theatrical upbringing, the Heavy Metal Kids made an immediate impact. Singer/songwriter TV Smith, whose punk-era band the Adverts would play several gigs with the Kids, recalled, "they cared about their look, wearing makeup on stage, dressing up special for gigs, which was the kind of stuff we were looking for before punk.

Silly lyrics, funny, energetic on-stage." Guitarist Brian James (the Damned/Lords of the New Church) agreed. "The Heavy Metal Kids were great fun. Gary used to take the piss out of himself so much and they kinda filled a little bit of a gap, amongst all that pomp of the early '70s. You had the hippy side, you had the glam thing that was taking itself so very seriously, and then there was Gary and his boys, just being silly." He, too, was adamant, "they were ahead of their time."

Discovered by former Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich frontman Dave Dee, the Kids were signed by Atlantic Records and went immediately into the studio to record their debut album, Heavy Metal Kids. It was well received, but did little, a fate which many observers put down to the conflicting signals sent out by the band's name. Heading out for their first American tour in early 1975, the group dropped the Heavy Metal from their name, and gigged as the Kids alone. Recorded with new guitarist Cosmo replacing Waller, Anvil Chorus, their sophomore album, also appeared under this abbreviated name. It fared no better than its predecessor and, following a U.K. tour with Alice Cooper, the Kids parted company with Atlantic towards the end of the year. Further personnel changes included the departures of Peyronel and Cosmo, to be replaced by John Sinclair (keyboards) and Barry Paul, guitarist on the group's original demos two years earlier. 

 

 

In December, 1975, the Kids signed with producer Mickie Most's RAK label, but before work could begin on their next album, Holton was loudly sacked from the lineup amid a storm of drink- and drug-related headlines. Plans for the remaining members to continue on without him, however, came to naught and, in late 1977, Holton rejoined the band for a handful of live shows and the long-delayed third album, Kitsch. But by mid-1978, he had departed once again and, this time, the band broke up. Returning to acting, Holton landed roles in the disco movie Music Machine, the Who's Quadrophenia, and alongside Hazel O'Connor in the hit Breaking Glass. He also starred in the British TV movie Bloody Kids. His musical endeavors were now confined to strict one-offs: in December, 1978, Holton stood in for Damned vocalist Dave Vanian on a short Scottish tour, he also recorded a solo single, a stunning punk-country version of Kenny Rogers' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" with the Boys' guitarist Casino Steel. But even the opportunity to replace the late Bon Scott in AC/DC could not lure him back to full-time rock & roll.
In 1983, Holton landed a starring role in British television's Auf Weidersehn, Pet, a light drama conceived by Quadrophenia director Francis Roddam and one of the surprise hits of the 1983-1984 season. He followed up with a memorable role in a Pilsner lager commercial and, in September, 1984, Holton returned to theater, appearing in the London cast of the 1950s Americana musical Pump Boys and Dinettes.
The following summer, he traveled to Spain to work on the long-awaited second series of Auf Weidersehn, Pet. It was there that he died, on October 25, 1985, the victim of a heroin habit which even the gossip-ridden London underground scarcely remembered.(allmusic)

I am sorry but no artwork here. Maybe some kind person can help...:-)
But this is a very fine collection and i think you will enjoy
Have fun
               Frank    Flac p1 & Flac p2  & Flac p3     -  mp3@320    

Nancy Sinatra - Movin' with Nancy (1967) (1996 Sundazed) Flac & mp3@320

Sundazed released a 1996 CD version of the original Movin' With Nancy album, adding three bonus tracks to the 1968 soundtrack from her television special, and it earns high marks for documenting more of the fun and campy escapades of Frank Sinatra's daughter. Without the opportunity to surpass her dad the way Mira Sorvino or Charlie Sheen may have moved beyond Paul Sorvino and Martin Sheen in terms of popularity, Nancy Sinatra deserves credit for a sultry, hip image and the ability to hit a few home runs. It's easy to hit a home run, of course, when your father owns a piece of the record label, Reprise, and a Rodgers & Hammerstein composition makes its way onto track four, like "Younger Than Springtime," sung by "a very close relative." The uncredited Frank Sinatra performance is great, of course, and is followed by a Dean Martin/Nancy Sinatra "duet" on the Bobby Darin song "Things."

It sure sounds like dad called up Martin and asked if he wouldn't mind Nancy overdubbing her voice on a pre-existing Martin track -- this was, of course, before the days of putting Natalie Cole on a Nat "King" Cole master. Despite the awkwardness of it, there is a certain charm that adds to the festivities. Make no mistake, this is a festive album. Heck, some kids go to the circus with their folks, Nancy Sinatra got to play at the record company. Her vocal style is on par with Claudine Longet and Jo Jo Laine, not the kind of singing to give Whitney Houston or Jackie DeShannon sleepless nights, but charming nonetheless.

Where this Sinatra really shines is when she and producer Lee Hazlewood do the Sonny & Cher routine on the previous hit, "Jackson," and the real gem here, "Some Velvet Morning." When Nancy Sinatra has Hazlewood as her foil, she is outstanding. Though "Some Velvet Morning" was number nine out of her Top Ten hits as far as chart action goes, it is her strongest performance here, and proves she had more of a voice than maybe she even realized. She walks through Jimmy Webb's "Up, Up and Away," but it works, as does, surprisingly enough, the cover of Ray Charles' "What I'd Say," which closes the vinyl version of this project. Do the math: two hit singles, a duet with Dean Martin, an appearance by the Chairman of the Board (the legend, not the band), and superb production by Lee Hazlewood all make for a highly entertaining disc. Yes, she was lucky to have those doors open for her, but while other showbiz kids fell by the wayside, Movin' With Nancy delivered the goods. You can't help but like her.(allmusic)

To me the second half of the disc is the better one. Listen yourself,
and have fun
                    Frank   Flac p1 & Flac p2         -  mp3@320

Fox - Fox 1975 (Cherry Red 2002) Flac & mp3@320

A few days ago i saw on a site a box set of the band and that gave me the idea to post the first album from 1975. Cherry Red released it in 2002 with some bonus tracks.
Enjoy
         Frank  Flac p1  &Flac p2     -   mp3@320

Pop-Mod-Beat! David Bowie - Early On 1964-1966 (1991 Rhino Records) Flac & mp3@320

Before landing his first commercial success with 1969's "Space Oddity," David Bowie released a number of flop records in a variety of styles. He first emerged in the mid-1960s as a mod following the paths of The Who, Kinks, and Rolling Stones. The 17-cut CD Early On (1964-66) is by far the most comprehensive anthology of his first works, gathering all six of his first singles and adding five previously unreleased demos from 1965. Fans of Bowie's famous work may be nonplussed by this material, in which the singer shifts from sub-Stones R&B to Who/Kinkish power chords to trendy Swinging London pop in search of his own style.

He didn't establish his own identity on these fairly derivative recordings, but that's not to say they aren't without their enjoyable aspects. The 1965 single "You've Got A Habit Of Leaving" has some fierce Who-styled feedback, "Can't Help Thinking About Me" is an uneasily introspective number that foreshadows his later lyrics, and the acoustic demos find him groping closer toward a more familiar and distinctive vocal style. Several of the tunes on this collection were produced by the legendary Shel Talmy, who also handled sessions for The Who and Kinks in the mid-'60s.(allmusic)

The definitely best collection of pre fame Bowie. This collection is not for Bowie fans only. I think it's interesting to everyone who loves the british music of the sixties.
Enjoy
         Frank        Flac
                          mp3@320

Eric Stewart - Viva La Difference (2009 Strawberry Soundtracks) Flac & mp3@320

Eric Michael Stewart (born 20 January 1945, Droylsden, Lancashire, England) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995.
In 1968, he became a co-owner of Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, where he developed skills as a recording engineer and record producer. His involvement in Strawberry was instrumental in the eventual formation of 10cc.
Stewart has collaborated with Paul McCartney on three of his albums recorded between 1982 and 1986, has recorded three solo albums and released Viva La Difference in 2009.(wiki)

That is a very short story of the musical life by Eric Stewart. Here is another short note about this album:
He began a fourth solo album – Viva la Difference, – in 2006, describing it as "more 10cc in style than Do Not Bend", but in January 2007 announced recording would continue sporadically while he carried out renovations on his home and construction of a studio in France. His online store was subsequently closed, with an announcement made that the album would be released in January 2009, which duly came about.

This album is much more in the 10cc sound in the most songs and Stewart shows here his incredible skills on guitar again. This means not this is a ''guitar album''. But listen yourself. In my opinion this album was his strongest work since a very long time.

Enjoy
         Frank    Flac p1  & Flac p2  & Flac p3     - mp3 p1 - mp3 p2
 

Pilot - The Craighall Demos 1971 - 1976 (Flac & mp3@320)

Found this somewhere a long time ago in the web and here are some interesting song demos of well known songs by the band. Some have a very different feeling compared to the oficial versions. Listen yourself and

have fun
               Frank    Flac p1  & Flac p2    - mp3@320

Micky of the Monkees: Micky Dolenz - King For A Day (2010 Gigatone) Flac & mp3

King for a Day is not a boast from Mickey Dolenz -- nor is it a collection of XTC covers -- it’s an album-length salute to Carole King, one of the great pop songwriters of the 20th Century. Dolenz isn’t necessarily such a skilled singer that he redefines or reinterpret these songs but these songs aren’t designed for showboating: these are songs that belong to everyone, songs where anyone can sing along, so they lend themselves to Mickey’s cheerful readings.

He’s so friendly it’s possible to hear him smile as he sings even on songs that perhaps should have a bittersweet bent (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow”) or are just downright sweetly sad (“Crying in the Rain”), but this is unabashed, unapologetic nostalgia tainted only by an unintentionally creepy duet with Emily Osment on “I Feel the Earth Move.”(allmusic, Mr. Erlewine!)


Thank you so much Mr. Erlewine for your very helpful information about this are no XTC covers.
What would i do without your helping hand...

Hello Folks, if you don't know this work of Micky Dolenz you maybe want give it a try.
Have fun
               Frank    Flac p1  &  Flac p1     -  mp3@320

Boston Power Pop: Bleu - Four (2010) Flac & mp3@320

Being a power pop artist doesn’t have much commercial currency these days, but that hasn’t stopped Bleu from releasing a string of solid, hook-laden albums. Four is his first collection of new material in years -- A Watched Pot, although released in 2009, was recorded half-a-decade earlier -- and it takes its cues from 1970s AM radio pop, American trad rock, and the same singer/songwriter tradition championed by contemporary popsters like Butch Walker. With help from a rotating cast of musicians (including the Section Quartet and former L.E.O. bandmate Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.), Bleu cycles through pop tunes like he’s competing in the Tour de France, unveiling hook after hook with nary a gap in energy. Even the ballads, from the falsetto-laden "How Blue" to the Van Morrison-styled “In Love with My Lover," have enough sugared melody to maintain the pace. The album is irreverent, too, featuring one of Bleu's best vocal performances during “When the Shit Hits the Fan” (sample lyric: “You know, there’s a putrid wind about to blow”) and making room for everything from funk horns to girl group gospel harmonies on the zippy “Dead in the Mornin’.” In some alternate universe, Bleu would be topping the charts alongside Rooney, Butch Walker, and other torchbearers of classic pop/rock. In this world, though, he’s relegated to power pop cult royalty, and Four extends his reign a little bit longer.(allmusic)

Bleu to me seems a little underrated by the audition but maybe that is just my personal impression.
Give it a try
                  Frank      Flac p1  & Flac p2     - mp3@320

Paul Revere & the Raiders - The Legend of Paul Revere (Compilation Columbia 1990) Flac & mp3@320

This double-CD set presents a real conundrum, on a lot of levels. For starters, on its face, 55 songs may well seem like overkill to the casual fan who only knows or remembers (or thinks they only remember) five or six big hits by Paul Revere & the Raiders. And there are more modest single-CD collections to be found on this band that seem less daunting. But as it turns out -- for those who give this set a try -- Paul Revere & the Raiders did have just enough hits, when coupled with a sufficient number of respected album tracks and B-sides, to sustain a double-CD set. And that goes double for anyone who likes plain old rock & roll -- even when this band got ambitious and a little bit progressive and serious, they never lost sight of the value of a great beat and carefully placed vocal and instrumental hooks, and they were always fun.

The truth is, whether it was the classic lineup playing frat rock or an early-'70s version of the band delving into more complex songs, these guys delivered high-quality music across a decade, from 1964 through 1974, and it's all represented here. And amazingly, this was the first Raiders compilation to include "Indian Reservation," the group's only number one hit, or to place it alongside their earlier round of hits, so that one can hear their progression from Pacific Northwest dance rock to smoothly professional AM pop/rock, absorbing elements of the British Invasion, garage punk, and psychedelia along the way.

And the funny thing about this collection is that it came about through a series of accidents and misconceptions. Back when Columbia Records' U.S. division first got into the compact disc marketplace in the late '80s, it had reissued the 1967-vintage 11-song Raiders' Greatest Hits album as a budget CD (one of the first such low-priced releases in the digital format). The latter had sold well but also elicited a large number of letters, and vociferous articles in the music magazines of the time, complaining about both the sound quality on the CD and the fact that there were only those 11 Raiders' songs out on CD, which didn't really reflect the group's output or even their full range of hits.

During the period that followed, Columbia became Sony Music and the "Legacy" imprint, devised to exploit the company's vintage music holdings, was established. The Legend of Paul Revere was among their earliest releases on that line -- and, ironically enough, it never did sell the way it was anticipated; as it turned out, the hundreds of letters (so it was reported by someone close to the project) complaining about the budget Greatest Hits CD weren't the tip of an iceberg, as was assumed, but the whole iceberg; additionally, there were further complaints about the double-CD set's use of remixes on various single tracks that had only ever appeared in mono, and other instances of tampering with the group's classic recordings.

In the end, it seemed as though The Legend of Paul Revere was a failure -- except that it has kept selling across almost 20 years (and is still in print as of 2009), and remains the most comprehensive collection ever done on the band. And it did serve as something of a dry run for subsequent Legacy ventures involving the Byrds and other acts from Columbia's past, which were done differently and more to the satisfaction of fans, precisely because of what the company learned from this release. And even if you forget the back-story, this is still 150 minutes of big fun.(allmusic)

It's all said in the review. This is really a fine collection.
Enjoy
          Frank    Flac p1 & Flac p2 & Flac p3 & Flac p4 & Flac p5        - mp3@320 p1 - mp3@320 p2

Music by Ex Member Of 10cc! Eric Stewart - Do Not Bend (2003 Strawberry Soundtracks) Flac & mp3@320

During the first half of the 1970s, Eric Stewart was one of the stars of England's pop/rock scene, along with his bandmates from 10cc, Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme. Born Eric Michael Stewart in early 1945, in Droylsden, near Manchester, he started out in music as a guitarist in the early '60s, initially as a member of Jerry Lee & the Staggerlees, who later became the Emperors of Rhythm. Stewart was busy on the music scene in Manchester for the next couple of years, when lightning suddenly struck in a most unexpected way. He was at the Oasis club in Manchester in early 1963 on a night when local singer Wayne Fontana had an audition scheduled with a record company representative, and his drummer and guitarist failed to appear. Stewart and drummer Ric Rothwell were asked to substitute, and Fontana passed the audition and was offered a recording contract -- provided that he worked with the musicians who'd played with him at that audition.

The group was to have been called the Jets, but that name was taken and all concerned -- taking their inspiration from the title of a British movie of the period -- chose the name the Mindbenders instead. Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders struggled for a time to make an impression, but by their fourth single, "Stop, Look and Listen," they had started selling records, and with their fifth, "Um Um Um Um Um Um," they were in the Top Five. Their sixth single, "The Game of Love," reached number two in England and number one in America in the spring of 1965.
For Stewart, the band's success became a decidedly mixed blessing. He found the frenzied young fans who mobbed him and his bandmates on the U.S. tour to be harrowing, even terrifying; additionally, he and the other members had seen some success as songwriters on the B-sides of two of their singles, and he had become much more interested in pursuing that side of music than touring the world with a guitar or two in tow. He also resented the group's shift from its original R&B sound to pop ballads, which was the direction that Fontana and the record label wanted to go in. The Mindbenders parted company with Fontana in late 1965 and continued to work on their own, Stewart taking over as lead singer. But despite some great albums, plus an appearance in the hit movie To Sir with Love, they weren't able to sustain their career momentum, and by 1968 they were forced to accept offers to play the cabaret circuit, the last refuge of bands on the decline. He finally announced his intention to leave, which ended the group.

It was during the summer of 1968 that Stewart received an offer from producer/manager Peter Tattersall to invest in Inner City Studios, a small recording operation in Stockport, where Stewart had already been recording demos. He duly joined the company as a partner, and they soon took over larger quarters, which Stewart renamed Strawberry Studios, drawn from the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever." A new partner joined later in the year when Graham Gouldman, a successful songwriter (and an ex-member of the Mockingbirds, as well as the last bassist for the Mindbenders), came aboard. It was soon after this that Stewart was contacted by producer Giorgio Gomelsky about playing lead guitar for a duo he was working with, consisting of Lol Creme and Kevin Godley. Stewart and Gouldman began offering the pair regular session work at Strawberry, and soon there were four musician/partners at work there.
In December of 1969, in order to generate some income and develop the studio's facilities, they signed a deal with American producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, whose Super K Productions specialized in pop-oriented "bubblegum" music. Stewart, Godley, Creme, and Gouldman worked for three months, writing and releasing songs as the Ohio Express, Crazy Elephant, and a brace of other names owned by Super K. Stewart, Godley, and Creme also subsequently generated a two-million-selling single ("Neanderthal Man") of their own under the alias Hotlegs, released by the Pye label. They also ended up touring with the Moody Blues which, unfortunately, led nowhere in terms of future work.

It was a series of sessions for Neil Sedaka that convinced the four -- Gouldman having rejoined after a stay in America working for Super K on his own -- that they had a special sound together as a band, and led to the formation of 10cc. They immediately took the rock press by storm and, over a period of four years, from 1972 through 1976, were among the most widely written-about pop/rock outfits in England, releasing a brace of hit singles and albums that sold around the world. The quartet didn't last past that point, Godley and Creme exiting in 1976, though Stewart and Gouldman became a very effective and successful songwriting team. Starting with the breakup of the group, he also established himself as a producer, working with Justin Hayward and John Lodge of the Moody Blues (most notably their single "Blue Guitar"), Neil Sedaka, and Agnetha Faltskog in her post-ABBA period. A car crash in early 1979 nearly derailed his fledgling solo career, though he did recover and has gone on, in between producing other artists' work, to release three solo albums in the 30 years since 10cc's demise. A fourth has reportedly been promised for sometime after 2008.(allmusic)

All four guys of 10cc are gifted musicians. After the end of 10cc Godley & Creme had huge success and also Graham Gouldman with his projects. Around Eric Stewart it was fairly quiet. But to me his work after 10cc sounds the most in the direction of the old band. Give yourself a listen
Cheers
           Frank   Flac p1  & Flac p2 & Flac p3  -     mp3 p1  -  mp3 p2

The Remo Four - Smile (1996 Repertoire Records) Flac & mp3@320

Contemporaries of the Beatles, along with other Liverpudlian rockers like Gerry & the Pacemakers and Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, the Remo Four were lost to the darkest corners of Merseybeat history, with only See for Miles' 1992 compilation The Best of Tommy Quickly, Johnny Sandon, Gregory Phillips & the Remo Four -- a disc featuring singers the group backed, along with a handful of their tracks -- being the only reissue to surface until Bear Family's 2010 Smile!, Peter Gunn…And More. Only one of the songs on that 1992 disc -- a cover of “Peter Gunn” -- is on this 2010 CD, which contains the entirety of their 1967 LP Smile!, released only in Germany, and singles surrounding the album.

The Remo Four were in something of a time warp in 1966 and 1967. While their contemporaries were enjoying the fruits of swinging London, the quartet were stuck in Hamburg playing the Star Club, working off an enormous debt to their management company NEMS along with a tax bill. They were working hard, playing upwards of four times a night, delivering Merseybeat with a hard, jazzy R&B edge. In a sense, they hadn’t moved forward from the glory days of Merseybeat, relying on driving, crowd-pleasing, floor-filling covers, but the constant playing gave the group a deep, muscular groove and jazz chops credible enough that they could play Oscar Brown, Jr. “Brother Where Are You” and Cannonball Adderly's “Jive Samba” as convincingly as they could pound out Chuck Berry's “No Money Down” or stomp along with Stevie Wonder's “Nothin’s Too Good for My Baby.” This makes Smile! and its accompanying singles rather unique: ostensibly, this is generic British R&B, but the Remo Four swing with an authority that no other British Invasion band had, probably because they never would have had the chance to stretch out in the studio the way the group did here, cutting the entire LP in an afternoon between one of those never-ending club gigs.

 

Add to that a really nifty gender-bending original in “Live Like a Lady” -- its growling guitar sweetened by organ -- and this is an unexpected delight, one of the better undiscovered British rock artifacts of the ‘60s. (allmusic)

Enjoy
         Frank   Flac p1  & Flac p2      - mp3@320