Steve Hunter - ...and on guitar (2001)

Stephen John Hunter was born on 14 June 1948, and his first introduction to music was as a young child listening to country and western music on a Zenith console radio. When he was eight years old, he began taking guitar lessons on a Lap steel guitar after seeing Jerry Byrd play lap steel and hearing what could be done on the instrument, but inspired by the music of Chet Atkins, The Ventures and Duane Eddy, he eventually switched to standard guitar. He continued playing guitar throughout high school as a member of a group called The Weejuns, which took their name from G.H. Bass & Co.'s perennially-popular penny loafers, and he later joined The Light Brigade, a rock and soul group that played in the Decatur area. In 1967 Hunter was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War, and there he trained as an x-ray technician, ultimately serving at an air evacuation hospital in Okinawa, Japan where Vietnam combat casualties were being treated. He considered becoming a doctor but he enjoyed music so much he knew he would follow a career in music, which he did when he returned to Decatur after leaving the Army, building up a reputation as an outstanding guitar player. In 1971 his friend John Sauter called to tell him that he was playing with Mitch Ryder in Detroit and that Ryder was auditioning for guitar players, so he suggested that Hunter come to Detroit and try out. He packed up his guitar and made the eight-hour drive to Detroit, and after passing the audition he became part of Mitch Ryder's new band Detroit, where he met and formed a long-time professional association with producer Bob Ezrin. Detroit released one self-titled album on Paramount Records, but did have a hit single with Hunter's arrangement of Lou Reed's 'Rock & Roll', and Reed was so impressed that he recruited Hunter to join his band, playing on 1973's 'Berlin'. In the 1970's he appeared on five Alice Cooper albums, all of which were produced by Ezrin, starting with the band's most successful album 'Billion Dollar Babies'. When Alice Cooper became a solo artist, Hunter followed and appeared on 1975's 'Welcome To My Nightmare', and can be seen in the film 'Welcome To My Nightmare', enacting the celebrated guitar face-off between him and Dick Wagner that formed part of Cooper's 1975 live show. In 1974 he played the uncredited opening-half solo on Aerosmith's 'Train Kept A Rollin' from 'Get Your Wings', after producer Jack Douglas popped his head out of Studio C and asked if Hunter felt like playing on the recording. Later that year Hunter played guitar on former Cream bassist Jack Bruce's solo album 'Out Of The Storm', and in 1977 he worked with Peter Gabriel on his first solo album, playing the intro to the classic single 'Solsbury Hill'. Other artists Hunter has worked with include David Lee Roth, Julian Lennon, Dr. John, Tracy Chapman and more recently Glen Campbell and 2Cellos. It was while recording Roth's 'A Little Ain't Enough' that Hunter met Jason Becker, and they've remained close friends ever since. He auditioned for and got the job of playing guitar on the soundtrack of the 1979 Bette Midler film 'The Rose', composing the instrumental 'Camelia', which is featured in the film. Hunter's first solo album, 1977's critically acclaimed 'Swept Away', reunited him with producer Bob Ezrin, and he's released a number of further solo albums since, but this collection showcases his guitar-work on other artist's albums, from the famous - Reed, Gabriel, Aerosmith - to the not so well-known but equally as interesting, like The H Factor, Jesse Camp, Angelo, and The Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash.  

Track listing

Disc One
01 Rock 'n' Roll (from 'Detroit' by Detroit With Mitch Ryder 1972)
02 Sad Song (from 'Berlin' by Lou Reed 1973)
03 If We Only Had The Time (from 'Flo & Eddie' by Flo & Eddie 1973)
04 Timeslip (from 'Out Of The Storm' by Jack Bruce 1974)
05 Train Kept A Rollin' (from 'Get Your Wings' by Aerosmith 1974)
06 Some Folks (from 'Welcome To My Nightmare' by Alice Cooper 1975)
07 Back By The River (from 'Hollywood Be Thy Name' by Dr. John 1975)
08 Solsbury Hill (from 'Peter Gabriel' by Peter Gabriel 1977)      
09 Spaceman (from 'Randy Richards' by Randy Richards 1978)

Disc Two
01 Have You Ever Seen The Rain (from 'Midnight Prowl' by Angelo 1978) 
02 Small Town Boy (from 'Richard Wagner' by Richard Wagner 1978)
03 Danger Up Ahead (from 'Don't Look Back' by Natalie Cole 1980)
04 Whatever Will Be (from 'Wake 'Em Up In Tokyo' by Karla DeVito 1986)
05 Urban Strut (from 'Guitar Speak' by Various Artists 1988)
06 The Hurt Stays Home (from 'The H Factor' by The H Factor 1989) 
07 Saltwater (from 'Help Yourself' by Julian Lennon' 1991)
08 A Little Luck (from 'Your Filthy Little Mouth' by David Lee Roth 1994)
09 Meet Me In The Morning (from 'Perspective' by Jason Becker 1995)
10 Break It (from 'Jesse & The 8th Street Kidz' by Jesse Camp 1999)
11 Blade (from 'Walk Alone' by Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash 2001)

Thanks to Duane for the suggestion. 

Joe Satriani - ...and on guitar (2020)

Joseph Satriani was born in Westbury on 15 July 15 1956 and raised in Carle Place, and he started playing guitar at 14, after being inspired by hearing of the death of Jimi Hendrix, and later taking lessons from jazz musicians Lennie Tristano and Billy Bauer. He enrolled in Five Towns College and also began teaching guitar, taking his first notable student in Steve Vai, a musician who would soon be credited with "stunt guitar" on Frank Zappa records. Satriani headed out to Berkeley, California in 1978, supporting himself through teaching, and beginning to gig with local bands, and over the next few years he racked up what would prove to be an impressive roster of pupils, including Kirk Hammett (who would join Metallica), jazz fusion guitarist Charlie Hunter, Larry LaLonde (later of Primus), Kevin Cadogan (who joined Third Eye Blind), and David Bryson (Counting Crows). During this period he started to be noticed as a musician himself, landing his first notable steady gig in The Squares, and then joining the Greg Kihn Band in 1986, just as the hits started to dry up for the power popper. Satriani has said that as Kihn was desperate for a replacement guitarist, he was paid far too much money, and he used that, along with his credit cards, to finance his full-length debut album 'Not Of This Earth', released on the Relativity label in 1986. At the same time, his student Steve Vai was hired by David Lee Roth, pushing him into the national spotlight, and Vai often tipped his hat to his old guitar tutor. This helped set the stage for the 1987 release of 'Surfing With The Alien', which received rave reviews from guitar publications, and it rocketed Satriani to mainstream stardom almost overnight, eventually being certified platinum, which was an almost unheard-of feat for an instrumental album. 

As a result of this notoriety, he was offered the chance to play with Mick Jagger on his solo tour of Japan in 1988, which he readily accepted, and he was also asked to guest on 'Blue Öyster Cult's latest recording. The following year saw the release of his next album 'Flying In A Blue Dream', which included a couple of cuts where he sang lead vocals, possibly at the request of his label, but it did help propel the album into the upper reaches of the charts. Before he started work on his next album, he played on four tracks with Alice Cooper, and appeared with Spinal Tap on the 'Break Like The Wind' album. 1992's 'The Extremist' was his highest-ever chart position on Billboard, and a year later he joined Deep Purple, taking over the lead guitar slot from the absent Ritchie Blackmore on a Japanese tour, after which he was offered a full-time position, but he turned it down and the gig went to Steve Morse. The next big event in his career arrived in 1996 when he teamed up with Steve Vai and Eric Johnson for G3, a tour designed to showcase the three guitar virtuosos, and it was captured on the 1997 live CD/DVD set 'G3: Live In Concert'. More solo albums followed, with 2003/2004 being particularly productive, not only for him personally, but he also guested on tracks from the reformed Yardbirds, Stanley Clarke, and Jordan Rudess. Satriani's next project was the supergroup Chickenfoot, with ex-Van Halen rockers Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, plus Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and they released their self-titled debut in 2009, while at the same time he was keeping his solo career afloat with 'Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards' appearing in 2010. A year later Chickenfoot released their second album 'Chickenfoot III', while an overview of his work was issued as 'The Complete Studio Recordings' box set in 2014, followed by yet another new release with 'Shockwave Supernova' in 2015. A couple times a year Satriani joined other artists in the studio to add his blistering guitar runs to songs by artists such as Frost*, Don Felder, Todd Rundgren, and just last year on the latest release by Ayreon. This collection shows the huge variety of artists that have benefited from Satriani's fiery guitar-work over the years, and if you aren't already a fan then I hope in inspires you to check out his many solo releases.  

Track listing   

Disc One
01 Love And Rock And Roll (from 'Love And Rock And Roll' by Greg Kihn 1986)
02 Montery (from 'Aquamarine' by Danny Gottlieb 1987)
03 The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At Weisseria 

                                                                                (from 'Imaginos' by Blue Öyster Cult 1988)
04 Flow My Tears (from 'Radio Free Albemuth' by Stuart Hamm 1988)
05 Burning Our Bed (from 'Hey Stoopid' by Alice Cooper 1991)
06 Break Like the Wind (from 'Break Like The Wind' by Spinal Tap 1992) 
07 Ellipsis (from 'All Sides Now' by Pat Martino 1997)
08 Labios De Fuego (from 'Soy' by Alejandra Guzmán 2001)
09 Train Kept A Rollin' (from 'Birdland' by The Yardbirds 2003)

Disc Two
01 Hair (from '1,2, To The Bass' by Stanley Clarke 2003)
02 Screaming Head (from 'Rhythm Of Time' by Jordan Rudess 2004)
03 Hang Me Out To Dry (from 'Gillan's Inn' by Ian Gillan 2006)
04 River Of Longing (from 'Collection' by Jason Becker 2008)
05 Nail Grinder (from 'Clean' by Martone 2008)
06 Hold On To The Vision (from the soundtrack of the 1986 film 'No Retreat No Surrender' 2010)
07 Falling Awake (from 'What Lies Beneath' by Tarja 2010)
08 Gaia Tribe (from 'Elemental Journey' by Sonny Landreth 2012)

Disc Three
01 Closer To The Sun (from 'Falling Satellites' by Frost* 2016)
02 This Is Not A Drill (from 'White Knight' by Todd Rundgren 2017)
03 The Healer (from 'Borrego' by Marco Minnemann 2017)
04 When Did Men Rock (from 'Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing)' by Derek Smalls 2018)
05 Power Drunk Majesty (Part II) (from 'Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty' by 

                                                                                                              Metal Allegiance 2018)

06 Rock You (from 'American Rock 'n' Roll' by Don Felder 2019)
07 Tears From A Glass Eye (from 'Old Lions Still Roar' by Phil Campbell 2019)
08 Get Out! Now! (from 'Transitus' bu Ayreon' 2020)

Robbie Blunt - ...and on guitar (2013)

Robert William Blunt was born on 4 March 1951 in Worcestershire, growing up in Wolverley near Kidderminster, and was a fairly popular gun for hire in the 1970's. His first band were the Kidderminster-based Big Gees, and he then moved on to Southern Sound, who released one single in 1966, with 'Just The Same As You'/'I Don't Wanna Go'. Southern Sound were followed by Butch Clutch & The Excellerators, but his first band to really bring him any success was when he joined Bronco, fronted by the powerful singer Jess Roden. Their first album, 'Country Home', featured Clifford T. Ward guesting on vocals, and contained some superb rock with a country tinge, and Blunt contributed some outstanding solos. Their second album 'Ace Of Sunlight' was released in 1971, and was recorded with help from Trevor Lucas on vocals, Mick Ralphs on guitar, and Ian Hunter on keyboards. Around 1972, Bronco disintegrated when both Roden and Blunt left the band, with Blunt joining the Michael Des Barres-fronted Silverhead, replacing their original guitarist Stevie Forest. The band had already released their eponymous debut album by the time that Blunt joined, and so he played on their classic second album '16 And Savaged', co-writing five of the tracks on the 1973 release. The following year the group broke up, and in October Blunt joined the newly-formed Stan Webb Band, which Webb had put together after a short spell with Savoy Brown. Before long they had morphed into Stan Webb's Chicken Shack, and after recruiting Jim Kroeven in February 1975 as their new drummer they changed their name again to Broken Glass, although Bob Daisley and Jim Kroeven soon left, to be replaced by Rob Rawlinson on bass and Mac Poole on drums. This line-up released a self-titled album, with help from Miller Anderson, and produced by Tony Ashton, but in 1977 Webb decided to resurrect the Chicken Shack name, and so Broken Glass split up, with only Blunt staying with Webb for his new project. 

With the addition of Paul Martinez on bass and Ed Spevock on drums they recorded 'The Creeper', which was released on Ariola in 1978, following this the same year with 'That's The Way We Are', before Spevock left them in 1979, to be replaced by Louis Borenius. Later that year, all the members deserted Chicken Shack, leaving Webb as the sole owner of the name, and Blunt joined a band called Little Acre for a few months, before being recruited by Steve Gibbons for his group. The Steve Gibbons Band had a diverse line-up, with many of his friends dropping in to play when they were available, but the core of the band was Trevor Burton on bass and guitar, and Harry Rix on drums, alongside Blunt on guitar and Gibbons on vocals, with dual saxophones from Nick Pentelow and Bill Paul. This line-up recorded the 'Street Parade' album, which was released in 1980, and which featured a distinct reggae flavour to a number of the tracks. 'A-Z' was released as a single, with the non-album 'Blue Lagoon' on the flip, and this featured some of Blunt's best guitar-work with the group. In March 1981, Robert Plant started a low-key project called The Honeydrippers, in order to satisfy his long-time goal of having a rock band with a heavy rhythm and blues basis, and he asked his friend Robbie Blunt to join him. They eventually recruited Andy Silvester to help out on guitar, Jim Wickman on bass, Kevin O'Neil on drums and Ricky Cool on harmonica, and they gigged around the country for the next couple of years. However, when Plant began collaborating with Blunt on original material, he deemed it more suited to his goals as a solo artist, and so he formed a hard rock backing unit, putting the Honeydrippers on the back burner. 

The first album from the solo Plant was the outstanding 'Pictures At Eleven', released in 1982, and featuring guest appearances from Cozy Powell and Phil Collins on drums, as well as Raf Ravenscroft on sax. 'The Principle Of Moments' followed in 1983, and was recorded with help from both Phil Collins and Barriemore Barlow on drums, after which Plant revived the Honeydrippers, this time with an impressive roster of studio guests, including guitarists Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Nile Rodgers, keyboardist Paul Shaffer, bassist Wayne Pedziwiatr, and drummer Dave Weckl. Together they recorded the five-song EP 'The Honeydrippers: Volume One', which was released in 1984, and which featured Plant's takes on '50s and '60s R&B numbers. After a couple of singles and a tour in 1985, which featured guest appearances from The Stray Cats' Brian Seltzer, Plant resumed his solo career and released the 'Shaken 'N' Stirred' album, but no sooner had that come out than all his musicians left him in October 1985. Blunt teamed up with Stan Webb again in a new incarnation of Chicken Shack in 1986, and the next few years also saw him going back to his session musician days, adding his guitar to recordings by Clannad, Edie Brickell And The Bohemians, The Jeff Healey Band, John Kilzer and Murray Attaway. In 1998 he joined Julian Lennon to record his 'Photograph Smile' album, and he was also featured on the 'I Don't Wanna Know' single taken from it. Since then he's appeared with Deborah Bonham on a couple of records, and in 2013 he recorded an obscure single with Gwyn Ashton, but whoever he was playing with you can be sure that his work enhanced their records, as this collection undoubtedly shows.   

Track listing

Disc One
01 Just The Same As You (single by Southern Sound 1966)
02 My Ship, My Star (from 'Thinking Back' by Gordon Jackson 1969)
03 Misfit On Your Stair (from 'Country Home' by Bronco 1970)
04 Cartoon Princess (from '16 And Savaged' by Silverhead 1973)
05 Crying Smiling (from 'Broken Glass' by Broken Glass 1975)
06 Dr. Brown (from 'The Creeper' by Stan Webb's Chicken Shack 1978)
07 Blue Lagoon (b-side of 'A-Z' single by Steve Gibbons Band 1980)
08 Just Can't Be Satisfied (The Honeydrippers live 1981)
09 Worse Than Detroit (from 'Pictures At Eleven' by Robert Plant 1982) 
10 Live And Learn (from 'Sirius' by Clannad 1987)

Disc Two
01 What I Am (from 'Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars' by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians 1988)
02 Nice Problem To Have (from 'See The Light' by The Jeff Healey Band 1988)
03 Voices (from 'Hard Roads' by The Jazz Devils 1990)
04 The Flacon (from 'Busman's Holiday' by John Kilzer 1991)
05 Fall So Far (from 'In Thrall' by Murray Attaway 1993)
06 L'amore Mio (from 'Il Cielo Capovolto' by Roberto Vecchioni 1995)
07 I Don't Wanna Know (from 'Photograph Smile' by Julian Lennon 1998)
08 Black Coffee (from 'The Old Hyde' by Deborah Bonham 2004)
09 Fortunate Kind (single by Gwyn Ashton 2013)

Silmarillion - Herne The Hunter (1980)

In December 1977 bass player Doug Irvine formed the band that was to become Marillion, recruiting local drummer Mick Pointer, and calling themselves Electric Gypsy, before changing that to Silmarillion. They were later joined by keyboardist Brian Jelliman and guitarist Steve Rothery, at which point they shortened their name to Marillion, due to copyright concerns. They recorded multiple demo tapes with the original line-up throughout 1979 and 1980 including a sole recording of an apparently lost song called 'The Tower', which would be exhumed and reworked into 'Grendel' for the b-side of their 'Market Square Heroes' single. In its original form, 'The Tower' was an instrumental track that lasted around 21 minutes, and it's assumed that it was the origin of many of the melodies and solos eventually featured on 'Grendel', especially Steve Rothery's guitar parts, since he was in the band when 'The Tower' was written. It is assumed to be dark in tone, like 'Grendel', and perhaps have echoes of dark, long-form instrumentals by earlier progressive rock acts like King Crimson's 'Larks' Tongues in Aspic', but the changes to many of the original songs during the Fish-era are significant, and since 'The Tower' is at least five minutes longer than 'Grendel', then it's reckoned to be very much a lost piece of music. In November 1980 original vocalist and lyricist Doug Irvine left the band, falling out of contact with them and never being heard from again, and new singer Fish joined in January 1981. This resulted in a complete re-assessment of the group, bringing in new keyboardist Mark Kelly and soon afterwards bass player Pete Trewavas, and scrapping all of Irvine's old lyrics and reworking some of the old songs with new words from Fish. Some of the old demo tapes have survived, including the original versions of the songs with Irvine's lyrics and vocals, and you can hear that a number of them were the genesis of Marillion classics, such as 'Alice' which was rewritten as 'Forgotten Sons' and 'Close' which morphed into 'The Web'. This album features just the Irvine period of the group, and despite the less than perfect sound quality, it shows that even in those early days they had something about them which promised great things. 

Track listing

01 Lady Fantasy
02 The Haunting Of Gill House
03 Alice
04 Scott's Porridge
05 Close
06 Herne The Hunter

Twink - Glad To See You (1971)

John Charles Edward Alder was born on 29 November 1944 into a family of musicians, including his grandmother, who was a concert pianist and soloist. He was interested in music from a young age, and his professional career began in 1963 when he played the drums for Dane Stephens and the Deep Beats, a rhythm and blues band from Colchester. In 1964, after performing for a year, the band changed their name to The Fairies, and their first recording experience was backing Johnny Shadow on 'Talented Man', the flip of his 1963 single 'Atom Bomb Song Part 3', which was issued in two years later in 1965. Due to the band's growing popularity, its members began receiving regular gifts from their music fans, and as Alder had long curly hair at the time, he regularly received bottles of Twink brand home perm lotion, eventually adopted 'Twink' as his stage name. The band signed to Decca in 1964, and their first single was a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Don’t Think Twice It's Alright', with the band making newspaper headlines when members of the group were arrested for climbing up a statue. In 1965 they moved to HMV and recorded 'Get Yourself Home', written by their road manager Johnnie Dee, after rejecting another of his songs 'Don't Bring Me Down', which later became a hit instead for The Pretty Things. Original vocalist Doug Ord was replaced in 1965 by Nick Wymer while Ord spent time in jail for manslaughter following a road accident in which he'd driving the group's van without any licence or insurance when he hit a car and killed a number of people. n 1965, Twink moved to London, living in the Chelsea area. When the Fairies broke up in August 1966, he replaced the departing drummer in a rhythm and blues/soul music band called The In-Crowd, playing alongside guitarist Steve Howe, bassist John 'Junior' Wood and singer Keith West. A few months later the band decided to change their name to Tomorrow, releasing a a njmber of singles and the classic self-titled album in 1967. When West scored a massive hit with his solo single 'Excerpt from A Teenage Opera' it resulted in the band's breakup, which in turn led to a one-off single by the short-lived band Aquarian Age, which was basically just Twink & Wood. A third track was reputedly recorded by Aquarian Age, but Twink has confirmed that 'We' was actually recorded by Zion De Gallier, aka Dougie Ord, aka Dane Stevens – the original vocalist with The Fairies. Also in 1967, Twink completed a recording session with a group called Santa Barbara Machine Head, which was an ad-hoc band consisitng of two former members of the beat group the Birds, Ron Wood and Kim Gardner who both later joined The Creation, plus keyboardist Jon Lord. They recorded three songs which later turned up on the 'Blues Anytime' compilation series. 

In 1968 Twink replaced Skip Alan in The Pretty Things, joining Phil May, Dick Taylor, Wally Allen, and Jon Povey as they were half-way through recording the classic 'S. F. Sorrow' album, and he was still with them when they they appeared in the Norman Wisdom film 'What's Good For The Goose.' Following the release of 'S. F. Sorrow' in 1968 Twink started recording songs for a solo album, enlisting the help of members of underground band The Deviants, including Mick Farren (who produced the album), guitarist Paul Rudolph, Duncan 'Sandy' Sanderson, and Steve Peregrin Took (of Tyrannosaurus Rex, who contributed two of the songs). 'Think Pink' was belatedly relased in 1970, and it also included May, Povey, Waller, and Victor Unitt from Pretty Things, Viv Prince (ex-Pretty Things), John 'The Honk' Lodge (Junior's Eyes, Quiver), 'Junior' Wood, and the enigmatic 'Pink Fairies Motorcycle Club and All-Star Rock and Roll Band'. This provided the name for Twink's next band, when he formed The Pink Fairies with Took and Farren, both of whom had left their respective bands, and they played in Ladbroke Grove, home of the UK underground, as well as helping record Farren's solo album 'Mona – The Carnivorous Circus' in late 1969, before they fell apart. Took, Farren, former Entire Sioux Nation guitarist and bassist Larry Wallis, and Tim Taylor then assembled the band that became Shagrat, with Farren departing before any recordings were made. Farren then reunited with Rudolph, Sanderson and drummer Russell Hunter for a North American our, and when they returned to the UK in 1970 they invited Twink to form a two-drummer second incarnation of The Pink Fairies. This version of the band recorded the stunning 'The Snake', which they released as a single in 1971, followed by the 'Never Never Land' album, after which Twink left the band, although he would periodically return to play with them. As you can see from his convoluted biography, Twink has had an amazing journey from his first group in 1964 to playing with one of the biggest underground bands of the 70's, and it didn't stop there, as he's continued to record and release new and archive material right up to 2019, including an excellent collaboration with The Bevis Frond on 1990's 'Magic Eye', and three more volumes of 'Think Pink' in 2015, 2018, and 2019. So enjoy this collection of recordings from the many bands that have been graced with his drumming and composing skills. 

Track listing

01 Don't Think Twice It's Alright (single by The Fairies 1964)
02 Anytime at All (b-side of 'Don't Think Twice It's Alright')
03 Get Yourself Home (single by The Fairies 1964) 
04 I'll Dance (b-side of 'Get Yourself Home')
05 Don't Mind (single by The Fairies 1965)
06 Baby Don't (b-side of 'Don't Mind')
07 Am I Glad To See You (by The In Crowd 1966)
08 Blow Up (by The In Crowd 1966)
09 Caught In A Web (unreleased demo by Tomorrow 1967)
10 Why (unreleased demo by Tomorrow 1967)
11 Porcupine Juice (by Santa Barbara Machine Head 1967)
12 Rubber Monkey (by Santa Barbara Machine Head 1967)
13 Albert (by Santa Barbara Machine Head 1967)
14 Private Sorrow (single by The Pretty Things 1968) 
15 Balloon Burning (single by The Pretty Things 1968) 
16 10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box (single by The Aquarian Age 1968)
17 Good Wizard Meets Naughty Wizard (b-side of '10,000 Words In A Cardboard Box')
18 Fluid (Slow Version) (alternate demo for 'Think Pink' by Twink 1969)
19 The Snake (single by The Pink Fairies 1971)

Todd Rundgren - ...and on guitar (1980)

After departing Nazz in 1969, the 21-year-old Todd Rundgren briefly considered working as a computer programmer, and then decided that his calling was as a producer. He moved to New York in the summer of 1969 and involved himself with the clubs of Greenwich Village, particularly Steve Paul's Scene, and met a number of Manhattan musicians and fashion designers. Michael Friedman, a former assistant of Nazz manager John Kurland, offered him a job as staff engineer and producer under Albert Grossman, which he accepted. Grossman, known for his management of folk rock acts, had just founded Ampex Records, a joint business venture with the tape company of the same name, and built Bearsville Studios near Woodstock, with the Bearsville name soon becoming its own record label. One of Rundgren's first gigs as a producer was engineering and mixing for The Band, and in 1970, while producing one of the artists in Grossman's stable, he added guitar to James Cotton's 'Taking Care Of Business' album, although generally he stuck to engineering and producing artists such as Jesse Winchester, The American Dream, Great Speckled Bird, Jericho, Halfnelson (later Sparks), and Badfinger. In 1972 he added guitar, keyboards, drums and even lead vocals to future band-mate Mark "Moogy" Klingman's eponymous album, and from then on he was much more hands-on with his productions, adding his guitar if he felt it was needed. In 1973 he was part of the 'Music From Free Creek' album, which brought together a multitude of stars to play what was pretty much a jam session, with Rundgren's contribution being the superb instrumental 'Cissy Strut'. 
In 1974 he provided some screaming guitar-work to 'I Am Free' from Felix Cavaliere's self-titled album, and the same year he played on Grand Funk's 'Shinin' On' record. 1974 also saw him collaborate with Daryl Hall and John Oates, to take the soft blue-eyed soul that they were known for and turn it into the hard-edged, political album 'War Babies'. 1976 was a quiet year, just producing Steve Hillage's 'L' and Bette Midler's 'Songs For The New Depression' records, but 1977 brought perhaps his most acclaimed production work, on Meatloaf's classic 'Bat Out Of Hell' album. He limited his guest appearances to one a year over the next few years, as he was still busy recording and releasing solo albums, as well as records with his band Utopia. In 1979 he played on The Tubes 'Remote Control' album, and we end with a somewhat surprising collaboration with Shaun Cassidy (half-brother of heart-throb David Cassidy), writing and playing on songs on an album which has been pretty much universally condemned as being the strangest and worst record of Cassidy's career, although I have managed to find perhaps the one song that is not that bad. Rundgren redeemed himself in 1981 by producing, arranging and engineering Jim Steinman's 'Bad For Good' album, and then moved on to produce bands like The Psychedelic Furs, Ian Hunter, Cheap Trick and Dragon throughout the 80's, and he continues to release solo albums and produce other artists to this day, although the production work has tailed off recently. Looking through his credits on albums from the last 50 years as writer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer and mixer, it all just confirms that Todd Rundgren truly is a genius of modern music.      

Track listing

01 The Sky Is Falling (from 'Taking Care Of Business' by James Cotton Blues Band 1970)
02 Kindness (from 'Mark "Moogy" Klingman' by Mark "Moogy" Klingman 1972)
03 Cissy Strut (from 'Music From Free Creek' 1973)
04 I Am Free (from 'Felix Cavaliere' by Felix Cavaliere 1974)
05 Carry Me Through (from 'Shinin' On' by Grand Funk 1974)
06 Screaming Through December (from 'War Babies' by Daryl Hall & John Oates 1974)
07 Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad (from 'Bat Out Of Hell' by Meat Loaf 1977)
08 Late In My Bed (from 'Elizabeth Barraclough' by Elizabeth Barraclough 1978)
09 Telecide (from 'Remote Control' by The Tubes 1979)
10 Morning Chorus (from 'Air Pocket' by Roger Powell 1980)
11 Selfless Love (from 'Wasp' by Shaun Cassidy 1980)

Mark Knopfler - ...and on guitar (1985)

Mark Freuder Knopfler was born on 12 August 1949 in Glasgow, the middle child of three, with an older sister Ruth, and a younger brother David, who is also a musician. During the 60's he formed and joined several bands and listened to singers like Elvis Presley and guitarists Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, B.B King, and Hank Marvin, and at sixteen years of age he made a local television appearance as part of a harmony duo, with his classmate Sue Hercombe. In 1968, after studying journalism for a year at Harlow College, Knopfler was hired as a junior reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post, and during this time he made the acquaintance of local furniture restorer, country blues enthusiast and part-time performer Steve Phillips, from whose record collection and guitar style Knopfler acquired a good knowledge of early blues artists. The pair subsequently formed a duo called The Duolian String Pickers, and performed in local folk and acoustic blues venues, but two years later he decided to further his education, later graduating with a degree in English at the University of Leeds. In April 1970 he recorded a demo of an original song he'd written called 'Summer's Coming My Way'. enlisting Steve Phillips to help out on second guitar, along with Dave Johnson on bass, and Paul Granger on percussion. In 1973, Knopfler moved to London and joined a band based in High Wycombe called Brewers Droop, appearing on their 'The Booze Brothers' album, after which he took a job as a lecturer at Loughton College in Essex, and stayed there for three years while continuing to perform with local pub bands, including the Café Racers. 
By the mid-70's his brother David had moved to London, where he shared a flat with bass guitarist John Illsley, and in 1977, Mark moved in with David and John and all three began playing music together, forming a new band called Dire Straits. The group's first demos were recorded in three sessions in 1977, with David Knopfler as rhythm guitarist, John Illsley as bass guitarist, and Pick Withers as drummer. After signing to Vertigo Records, their debut album was released in 1977 to little fanfare in the UK, but when 'Sultans Of Swing' was released as a single, it became a chart hit in the Netherlands and album sales took off – first across Europe, and then in the United States and Canada, and finally in the UK. The group's second album 'Communiqué' was produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett and was issued in 1979, reaching number one in France, and 'Making Movies' quickly followed the next year. This album moved towards more complex arrangements and production, which continued for the remainder of the group's career, resulting in my favourite of their albums, 1982's 'Love Over Gold'. By the time 'Brothers In Arms' came out in 1985, the band were a world-wide phenomenon, with Knopfler also making a name for himself composing film music scores, and writing songs for other artists, including 'Private Dancer' for Tina Turner's comeback album of the same name. 
After his guitar style became noticed following the 'Sultans Of Swing' single, he was often asked to play on other artist's records, including such global superstars as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Steely Dan. He played on Phil Lynott's first solo album 'Solo In Soho' in 1980, and was invited back to help out on the follow-up 'The Philip Lynott Album' two years later. After helping out on Kate & Anna McGarrigle's first album in 1983, he joined family and friends by appearing on albums by his bother David and former band-mate John Illsley. In 1985 he got to play with one of his earliest heroes Chet Atkins, contributing some superb guitar to 'Cosmic Square Dance'. Although this album ends in 1985, Knopfler continued to play on records from artists such as Sting, Randy Newman, Joan Armatrading, Jeff Healey and Hank Marvin up to 1997, adding his instantly recognisable guitar-playing to over 40 releases during that time. For this album, though, enjoy his earliest appearances on some classic albums of the 80's.    

Track listing

01 Gotta Serve Somebody (from 'Slow Train Coming' by Bob Dylan 1979)
02 Loving You (from 'Oh! What A Feeling' by Mavis Staples 1979)
03 Time Out Of Mind (from 'Gaucho' by Steely Dan 1980)
04 Ode To Liberty (The Protest Song) (from 'The Philip Lynott Album' by Phil Lynott 1982)
05 Cleaning Windows (from 'Beautiful Vision' by Van Morrison 1982)
06 Love Over And Over (from 'Love Over And Over' by Kate & Anna McGarrigle 1982)
07 Blanket Roll Blues (from 'Climate Of Hunter' by Scott Walker 1983)
08 Madonna's Daughter (from 'Release' by David Knopfler 1983)
09 Never Told A Soul (from 'Never Told A Soul' by John Illsley 1984)
10 Cosmic Square Dance (from 'Stay Tuned' by Chet Atkins 1985)

Eric Johnson - ...and on guitar (1994)

Eric Johnson was born on 17 August 1954 into a musical family, studying piano with his three sisters at an early age, while his father was a whistling enthusiast. He started learning the guitar at age 11 and rapidly progressed while listening to the musicians that would heavily influence his future style, including Mike Bloomfield, Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Django Reinhardt, among others. At the age of 15, he joined his first professional band, the psychedelic rock band Mariani, and in 1970 they recorded a demo, which saw an extremely limited release, and which became a prized collector's item some years later. I've had a copy of this since around the late 80's, but never knew Johnson appeared on it, so I must dig that out again. After graduating from high school, he briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin, and later traveled with his family to Africa, returning to Austin in 1974, and joining a local fusion group called Electromagnets. They toured and recorded regionally but didn't attract attention from major record labels, and so disbanded in 1977, but the strength of Johnson's playing had attracted a small cult following to the group's early recordings and, decades later, their two albums were given wide release on CD. Following the Electromagnets' demise, Johnson formed a touring trio, the Eric Johnson Group, with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock, and between 1976 and 1978 they recorded the 'Seven Worlds' album, but due to contract disputes it was not released until 1998. Unable to secure a new management contract, Johnson began working as a session guitarist for some well-known acts, including Cat Stevens, Carole King, and Christopher Cross, and it was Cross's producer David Tickle who recommended Johnson to Warner Bros. Records, who signed him to their label. In 1986 he released his actual debut album 'Tones', with a cover story in Guitar Player helping to promote the release, but although 'Zap' was nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, the album did not sell well, and Warner Bros. let Johnson's contract expire. 

Signing with indie label Cinema Records, distributed by Capitol Records, he released 'Ah Via Musicom' in 1990, and not only was he winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press, but 'Cliffs Of Dover' won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The session work took a back seat while Johnson recorded his next album, but being an admitted perfectionist, he recorded, mastered and then scrapped several completed tracks for the new album, which delayed its release for three years, on top of the three years he had spent touring, and 'Venus Isle' eventually appeared in 1996. Despite demonstrating Johnson's growth as a guitarist, songwriter, producer, musical arranger, and vocalist, it received mixed reviews and did not match the success of its predecessor, and as a result he was dropped from Capitol Records. While recording 'Venus Isle' Johnson formed a side project called Alien Love Child with vocalist Malford Milligan, and played sporadic shows around Austin, and positive fan feedback from the shows made Alien Love Child a permanent gig. Johnson eventually returned to the recording studio, releasing 'Souvenir' in January 2002 on his own Vortexan Records label, followed by 'Bloom' in 2005, on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, and then releasing a new record every few years since then. This collection starts with one of his earliest gigs with jazz organist Jack McDuff, then takes in those late 70's guest spots with Cat Stevens and Christopher Cross, and quite a bit of work from the mid 80's to the mid 90's. I have to admit that I wasn't that familiar with Johnson's work, so this has been as much as a revelation to me as it might be to you. 

Track listing

Disc One
01 Rolling Stone (from 'The Fourth Dimension' by Jack McDuff 1974)
02 Circle Song (from 'Once Upon A Rock' by American Peddlers 1977)
03 Dancin' With Tears In My Eyes (from 'Pearls' by Carole King 1980)
04 Bad Brakes (from 'Back To Earth' by Cat Stevens 1978)
05 Minstrel Gigolo (from 'Christopher Cross' by Christopher Cross 1979)
06 Rise Up (from 'Long Time Friends' by Alessi 1982)
07 SA Stroll (from 'Tomás Ramírez' by Tomas Ramirez 1983)
08 Save A Little Time (from 'Pressure' by Pressure 1983)

Disc Two
01 Recover Gracefully (from 'Marc Anthony Thompson' by Marc Anthony Thompson 1984)
02 Distant Star (from 'Stand Up' by Steve Morse Band 1985)
03 Ballad Of Fast Eddie (from 'Street Language' by Rodney Crowell 1986)
04 Western Flyer (from 'Guitar Speak' by Various Artists 1988)
05 Ronda (from 'Inside Out' by Jay Aaron 1990)
06 Our Dreams (from 'The Urge' by Stuart Hamm 1991)
07 Keep Coming Back (from 'Rush Street' by Richard Marx 1992)
08 Lights Of Louisiana (from 'The Hunter' by Jennifer Warnes 1992)
09 Somebody Loves Me Now (from 'Read My Licks' by Chet Atkins 1994)

Thank to Don for the suggestion.