Various Artists - The Peel Sessions - Liverpool 1981 - 1983 (1983)

After dominating the UK music scene for most of the 60's, Liverpool experienced a resurgence of young bands in the late 70's and early 80's, with groups forming on an almost daily basis. Some went on to achieve considerable success, such as Black, A Flock Of Seagulls, and The Icicle Works, while other burned brightly for a while before fading away. For every Echo And The Bunnymen there was a Blonde Streak, and for every Frankie Goes To Hollywood, a Lawnmower. Some managed to release a few singles, with the lucky ones even getting an album out, and a number of them, like Big In Japan, Modern Eon, 3D (A Fish In C), OMD, Wah! Heat, Come In Tokio, It's Immaterial, Cook Da Books, The Teardrops Explodes, and China Crisis have already had posts on the blog collecting their hard to find recorded output. Then there were those bands who were only heard by the general public on the John Peel show, where they were invited by that champion of all things Indie to record a Peel session, and this post collects five of them, who probably would have faded into obscurity if their music hadn't been preserved for posterity by the great Peel himself. Jass Babies, Blue Poland and Rebel Da Fe never even released a single, while Box Of Toys managed two, and Here's Johnny released a couple and also recorded an aborted album, before they all disbanded.   

Blue Poland – Chris Larsen (bass) (later Lawnmower, Beach Bastards), Mel Deeprose (vocals), Neil Morgan (vocals), Nigel Robinson (guitar), and Steve Thomas (drums). They were featured on the BBC2 music vehicle 'Something Else' in the early 80’s and shortly after did a John Peel session. Their career was cut short by the illness and tragic early death of Neil Morgan. Nigel's brother Nick Robinson played in Boat Party

Box of Toys – Brian Atherton (vocals, keyboards) (later The Light), Roy Campbell (bass, vocals), Phil Martin (saxophone, keyboards, vocals) (later Come in Tokio), and Andy Redhead (drums, guitar) (ex Select Committee, later 3D). Not much more information about this band.

Here’s Johnny – Roy Corkhill (bass) (ex Black, Third Man, later Icicle Works), Dave Whittaker (bass) (ex Visual Aids, Jass Babies, Herr Lune), Andy Zsigmund (guitar), who was replaced by Mike Bulger in 1985, David Knowles (keyboards) (ex Achilles, Virgin Dance), Steve Brown (drums) (ex Jazz Babies, Afraid of Mice), and Colin McKay (vocals, guitar) (ex Achilles), who was the main force behind the band, writing most or all of the material. Had a track on 'Son Of Jobs For The Boys' compilation LP in 1985 and released four singles on RCA between 1985-86. Although the band were tipped for stardom, RCA decided to put their money on Fairground Attraction and Here’s Johnny faded away.

Jass Babies – Peter Coyle (later No Trace, Tin Ethics, Living Legends, Lotus Eaters), Rob Boardman (guitar) (ex Visual Aids, later Personal Column), Dave Whittaker (bass) (ex Visual Aids, later Here’s Johnny, Herr Lune), and Steve Brown (drums) (ex Visual Aids, AOM, Here’s Johnny). R'n'Bluesy minimalist band, who apparently released one single on Open Eye Records, although I can find no trace of it. 

Rebél Da Fé – Tomo (vocals) (ex Ponderosa Glee Boys, later President Beate Route), Gary Williams (bass) (ex Psycamesh, later SOL), Mark Robson (drums) (ex Psycamesh,later President Beate Route, 501 Amsterdam, Bush Telegraph, Catalogue, High Five, Rain, Salvadore), Steve Hadden (guitar), JJ Whitehead (ex It’s Immaterial), and Karen Halewood (keyboards) (ex Ex Post Facto, Royal Family & The Poor). Tomo left just before they recorded their John Peel session in 1982, after which Mark Robson and Gary Williams relocated to Amsterdam till 1985/86.

You can see by the bands that these musicians had been in or were to join later just what a close-knit community it was in Liverpool at that time, and so to make sure that these groups aren't forgotten here are their Peel sessions all collected together on one post, which celebrates some of the many forgotten and unrecognised bands that played around Liverpool between 1981 and 1983.   

Track listing

Blue Poland - 1982
01 Find Out
02 Household God
03 Puppet Nation
04 Time And Motion

Box Of Toys - 1983
01 When The Daylight's Over (Sunset)
02 Time Takes Me Back
03 Precious Is The Pearl
04 I'm Thinking Of You Now

Here's Johnny - 1983
01 Hellzapoppin'
02 World In Action
03 Every Mirror I See
04 Your Room

Jass Babies - 1981
01 Let Me Soak It Up
02 My Love Make You Melt
03 Parable
04 Talk In Tongues

Rebel Da Fe - 1983
01 Yangtse Kiang
02 Hideaway
03 Ascension
04 Alter And Connect 

Steve Morse - ...and on guitar (1997)

Steve J. Morse was born on 28 July 1954 in Hamilton, Ohio, after which his family moved to Tennessee, then Ypsilanti, Michigan, where Morse spent his childhood. Although familiar with piano and clarinet, he ultimately became interested in guitar, and played briefly with his older brother Dave in a band called The Plague. In the late 1960's he played in the band Three with his older brother and a junior high schoolmate, William Gerald (Jerry) Wooten on keyboards, performing at a local psychedelic youth club, the Glass Onion, and at Legion Halls and church functions. While enrolled in the Academy of Richmond County, Morse met bassist Andy West and together they formed the Dixie Grit, adding keyboardist Johnny Carr and guitarist and vocalist Frank Brittingham, with Dave Morse drumming. This short-lived group covered bands such as Led Zeppelin and Cream, before West and Morse left to continue to play as a duet billed as the Dixie Dregs, until Morse's expulsion from school in the 10th grade. He enrolled at the University of Miami School of Music, where he reunited with Andy West, and with the addition of drummer Bart Yarnold, keyboardist Frank Josephs and violinist Allen Sloan, they collaborated in a lab project entitled Rock Ensemble II. In 1975, the group compiled a recording of the project, releasing it on vinyl in 1976, and again on CD in 1997 as 'The Great Spectacular'. When he graduated in 1975, he and West officially named their group Dixie Dregs, adding Rod Morgenstein on drums, and began performing regularly, eventually gaining the attention of Capricorn Records, who signed the band in late 1976. Their first effort for Capricorn, the Morse-composed 'Free Fall', established him as an important newcomer to the fusion genre, being recognized for both his compositional skills and his musicianship, but despite receiving positive reviews as a pivotal jazz fusion album, it sold poorly. 'What If' followed in 1978, but with the writing credits being more collaborative, the band's sound had matured from what was considered fusion at the time, including Southern rock, classical, folk and country elements. 

The band were invited to perform at Montreux Jazz Festival on July 23, 1978, and the recorded performance was released the following year as 'Night Of The Living Dregs'. Capricorn went bankrupt in late 1979, and the Dixie Dregs were left without a label, but were quickly signed to Arista Records, and released three albums for the label. Around this time Morse started to add his guitar to records by other artists, and featured on an album by Liza Minelli in 1977, and with the Rob Cassels Band in 1979. Arista became increasingly concerned about Dixie Dregs' album sales and pressured the band to change their name to simply The Dregs, in an attempt to increase the band's visibility in the public eye. 'Unsung Heroes' included eight new Morse compositions in early 1981, but the name change did little to address Arista's worries, and the Dregs felt compelled by label management to add lyrics to their next release, appropriately titled 'Industry Standard'. Readers of Guitar Player magazine voted Morse 'Best Overall Guitarist' in their 1982 annual poll, an honour that he would hold for five consecutive years, but the band weren't happy with the constant touring , and after fulfilling their commitment to Arista, the Dregs disbanded in early 1983. Before they broke up they backed Fiona Flanagan on demos of some songs that she'd written, and after the 1983 breakup  Morse then formed the Steve Morse Band, a trio with bassist Jerry Peek and drummer Doug Morgan, who was replaced by Rod Morgenstein after Morgan left to fulfill previous commitments. The group toured Germany in early 1984 and was signed by Elektra Records, who released 'The Introduction' album mid-year. 

A second German tour began in December 1984 and 'Stand Up' was released in 1985, including guest vocalists and guitarists (Eric Johnson, Alex Ligertwood, Peter Frampton, Albert Lee, and  Van Temple), and violinist Mark O'Connor. In 1986 Morse joined Kansas, playing on their albums 'Power' and 'In The Spirit Of Things', but he left after the 'In The Spirit Of Things' tour to resume the Steve Morse Band with new personnel, bassist Dave LaRue and drummer Van Romaine, releasing several more albums for MCA Records.  In 1994 he was offered the chance to join Deep Purple, replacing Ritchie Blackmore, and played on all their studio albums from 1996's 'Purpendicular' onwards. In addition to playing with Deep Purple, in 2003 Morse formed the band Living Loud with Jimmy Barnes, Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake and Don Airey, releasing one studio album and a live DVD in 2004/2005. In 2007 he began a collaboration with singer Sarah Spencer entitled Angelfire, and an album appeared in August 2010, after which he formed Flying Colors in 2011, which was an American supergroup composed of Mike Portnoy, Dave LaRue, Casey McPherson and Neal Morse, with their debut eponymous album being released in March 2012, followed by 'Second Nature' in 2014. Morse continued to act as a session player for a wide variety of artists while still a member of all these bands, playing on over 40 albums after the timeframe of this compilation, but here we concentrate on the emergent talent at the beginning of his career.   

Track listing

Disc One

01 The Battle's Won (from 'Evening Pastoral' by Rob Cassels Band 1979)
02 When It Comes Down To It (from 'Tropical Nights' by Liza Minnelli 1977)
03 Wait Until Tomorrow (from 'Schemer-Dreamer' by Steve Walsh 1980) 
04 Call In Love (unreleased demo with Dixie Dregs by Fiona Flanagan 1982)
05 Art In America (from 'Art In America' by Art in America 1983)
06 Sparkle Plenty (from 'Storytime' by T Lavitz 1986)
07 Opus 32: Swept Away By Tides (from 'Stone From Which The Arch Was Made' by 

                                                                                                                Mark O'Connor 1987)
08 Headed For Nowhere (from 'Surveillance' by Triumph 1987)

Disc Two
01 Don't Misunderstand Me (from 'Love Your Man' by The Rossington Band 1988)
02 Goodbye Blue Sky (Song For Dominique) (from 'Nashville Rendez-Vous' by Marcel Dadi 1990)
03 Morning Rush Hour (from 'Guitar Speak' by Various Artists 1991)
04 Talking Hands (from 'Lone Ranger' by Jeff Watson 1992)
05 Minute Mouse (from 'Coven, Pitrelli, O'Reilly' by CPR 1993)
06 You Offered Only Parabolas (from 'Thonk' by Michael Manring 1994)
07 4 Miles High (from 'Carmine Appice's Guitar Zeus' by Carmine Appice 1995)
08 Eagle (from 'Storm' by Torden & Lyn 1997)

Devo - Clockout (1977)

Devo gained some fame in 1976 when Chuck Statler's the short film 'The Truth About De-Evolution' won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and this attracted the attention of David Bowie, who began work to get the band a recording contract with Warner Music Group. In 1977, Devo were asked by Neil Young to participate in the making of his film 'Human Highway' playing "nuclear garbagemen", and the band members were asked to write their own parts, with Mark Mothersbaugh scoring and recording much of the soundtrack. In March 1977 Devo released their first single 'Mongoloid' backed with 'Jocko Homo', taken from the soundtrack to 'The Truth About De-Evolution', and this was followed by a cover of the Rolling Stones' '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', and then the 'B Stiff EP' the next year. This third post of  basement demos from the band includes early versions of some of those singles, alongside a handful of previously unheard tracks from the inimitable Devo.   

Track listing

01 Soo Bawls
02 Golden Energy
03 Midget

04 Goo Goo Itch
05 Uglatto
06 Stop Look And Listen
07 Dogs Of Democracy

08 Satisfaction

09 Clockout
10 Bottled Up

11 Mongoloid
12 Booji Boy's Funeral
13 Working In A Coalmine
14 Fountain Of Filth
15 Let's Go

Shirley Manson - Noir (2018)

When Garbage were on hiatus in the second half of the 2000's, Shirley Manson set about working on a solo album, which reportedly featured a collaboration with Rivers Cuomo, but when she brought the material to her then-label Geffen, she was told it was 'too dark', as they had envisioned Manson having international radio hits and becoming the 'Annie Lennox of her generation'. She and Geffen subsequently parted ways and she continued working on solo material, and also considered leaving the music industry behind entirely, but then Garbage reunited and released albums in the 2010's, and the solo album was put on the back burner. Some of the songs have since appeared online, with 'In The Snow' and 'Pretty Horses' surfacing in 2009, followed by 'Lighten Up' the next year, and Manson posted 'Dark Hearts And Heart Beats' on her Facebook page in 2015, but investigation has discovered that it was copyrighted in 2010, and was therefore part of the solo album recordings. Manson also collaborated with other artists, and provided songs for TV and film soundtracks throughout the decade, and so there are actually enough songs out there to make up a 'solo' album for her. I've done a bit of work on 'Brass Muscles', which was a 54-second piece that appeared on the soundtrack to the TV series 'Wet Hot American Summer', and by repeating the verse and chorus and then adding a coda to fade out I've expanded it to sound like an actual song of almost two minutes. Even on the collaborations Manson takes most of the lead vocals, and so by mixing her own demos with the duets we end up with a very creditable solo album from her, and as she used to refer to it as her 'noir record', that's what I've called it. 

Track listing

01 In The Snow (demo 2009)
02 Samson And Delilah (from the 'Terminator' TV series 2008)
03 The Hunger (single from 'Prometheus Bound' rock musical 2011) 
04 Lighten Up (demo 2010)
05 Meet The Foetus / Oh The Joy (duet with Brody Dalle from 'Diplod Love' 2017)
06 Dark Hearts And Heart Beats (recorded 2010, uploaded 2015) 
07 Queen Of The Bored (with Brian Reitzell from 'American Gods' TV series 2017)
08 Pretty Horses (demo 2010)
09 Brass Muscles (with Craig Wedren from 'Wet Hot American Summer' soundtrack 2015)
10 Shame, You're All I've Got (from 'Cry Is For The Flies' with Le Butcherettes 2014)
11 The Sun (single with Pondus 2018)

Kraftwerk - Pop Und Avantgarde (1974)

In early 1974 Kraftwerk were on the cusp of international recognition with the imminent release of their 'Autobahn' album, when they were asked to perform at the large broadcasting hall of the Hessischer Rundfunk HR1 as part of a festival of music. The theme was to be various minimalist musical concepts under the title "Between Pop And Avantgarde", with Kraftwerk performing their set on the 25 January 1974, and with some of the performances being recorded and broadcast on German radio. At this point the band had released three albums of minimalist electronic music, one under the name Ralf & Florian, and two as Kraftwerk, and for this performance the core trio of Ralf Hutter, Florian Schneider and Wolfgang Flur were joined by Klaus Röder on electro-violin and guitar, making a unique line-up for this one concert. The band played pieces from their three albums, as well as one from the forthcoming 'Autobahn' record, and as it was recorded for radio broadcast the sound quality is excellent. There were some very long announcements in German throughout the broadcast which I've removed or edited out, so that we can enjoy the music uninterrupted, and although I don't usually post live albums, this is of such historical importance that it deserves to be heard, as it features a line-up of the band which never made it to a recording studio. 

Track listing

01 Klingklang
02 Ruckzuck
03 Atem
04 Tongebirge
05 Tanzmusik
06 Kohoutek/Kometenmelodie I & II

Personnel
Ralf Hutter: minimoog, farfisa professional piano, mixer
Klaus Röder: electronic violin & guitar
Wolfgang Flur: electronic percussion
Florian Schneider: Arp Odyssey, EMS Synthi AKS, amplfied flute, mixer

Bruce Springsteen - The Ties That Bind (1979)

When Bruce Springsteen started to think about recording his next album in 1979, following the success of 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town', he originally envisioned it as a single album, entitled 'The Ties That Bind'. He'd been working with the E Street Band at his home studio, Telegraph Hill Studios, which was actually a barn at his Holmdel, New Jersey property, and by early August there was an initial cut of 10 songs, with Columbia beginning to believe they might have a new Springsteen record in time for Christmas. A track sequence was prepared, and in September, Bob Clearmountain was brought in to mix twelve tracks. Springsteen signed off on 'The Ties That Bind', and the tapes were sent off for mastering on October 15, but when they came back he suddenly cancelled the release, and went back to recording more songs. He later said that he felt the songs lacked the kind of unity and conceptual intensity that he liked his music to have, and his manager and co-producer, Jon Landau, suggested that maybe this record needed to be a double album, in order to encompass everything Springsteen was trying to achieve. After another seven months at the Power Station, the sessions came to an end, and 'The River' was released on October 17, 1980, including 20 of the 50 songs that had been recorded. Springsteen added darker material after he'd written the title track, and the album became noted for its mix of the frivolous next to the solemn, but he confirmed during an interview that this was intentional, as a deliberate contrast to his previous record. Bootlegs have long circulated of 'The Ties That Bind', generally in excellent quality, as the album was mastered ready for release, but a major upgrade was carried out on the original tapes in 2011, making them sound even better. What was remarkable in 2011 is that most tracks on this 'temporary assembly' of the album remained unreleased, with 'Cindy' being the one major 'River' outtakes that Springsteen was still sitting on, and the alternate verse in 'The Price You Pay' remains lost, while the rockabilly 'You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)' and the double-tracked vocal take of 'To Be True' had never seen the light of day. 'Stolen Car' is a different take to the one on 'Tracks' and even 'The Ties That Bind', 'The River' and 'I Wanna Marry You' are alternate takes or mixes from the released versions. The 1979 single album was eventually released as one of the discs in the 2015 box set release 'The Ties That Bind: The River Collection', but to my ears this bootleg just has the edge over that version, so give it a listen and see if you agree. 

Track listing

01 The Ties That Bind
02 Cindy
03 Hungry Heart
04 Stolen Car
05 To Be True
06 The River
07 You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
08 The Price You Pay
09 I Wanna Marry You
10 Loose Ends

Hank Marvin - ...and on guitar (2007)

Brian Robson Rankin, known professionally as Hank B Harvin, was born on 28 October 1941 in Newcastle upon Tyne, and as a child he played banjo and piano, but after hearing Buddy Holly he decided to learn the guitar, and also adopted Holly style dark-rimmed glasses. He chose his stage name while launching his career, being an amalgamation of his childhood nickname Hank, which he used to differentiate himself from friends also named Brian, and the first name of Marvin Rainwater, the country and rockabilly singer. When he was 16 Marvin and his Rutherford Grammar School friend, Bruce Welch, met Johnny Foster, who was Cliff Richard's manager, and who was looking for a guitarist for Richard's UK tour. He was considering Tony Sheridan, but instead he offered Marvin the position, which he accepted on condition that Welch could join as well, and so both became members of The Drifters, as Richard's group was then known. To avoid confusion with the American vocal group of the same name, The Drifters changed theirs to The Shadows, and both with and without Richard they ruled the UK charts throughout the 60's. In 1970, Marvin and Welch formed Marvin, Welch & Farrar with John Farrar, being a vocal-harmony trio which failed to appeal to either Shadows or contemporary music fans. After Welch left they then became 'Marvin & Farrar' for a vocal album in 1973 and they then reverted to the Shadows in late 1973 for the superlative instrumental 'Rockin' With Curly Leads' album. During the 60's Marvin wrote a number of songs, including 'Driftin'', 'Geronimo', and 'Spider Juice' for the Shadows, and 'The Day I Met Marie' for Richard, and this carried on after he left the band, writing and playing on 'Work's Nice – If You Can Get It' by Spaghetti Junction in 1972. In 1976 he was asked by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to add his distinctive guitar to their 'Evita' album, and that seems to have given him a taste for guest spots, appearing on albums by Tracey Ullman, Roger Daltry, Wings, Dennis Waterman and Leo Sayer over the next few years. He co-wrote Olivia Newton-John's 1977 hit 'Sam' with John Farrar and Don Black, and produced albums for the British showman Des O'Connor, while in 1988 he collaborated with French keyboardist and composer Jean Michel Jarre on the track 'London Kid', and he is the only artist to appear on two volumes of the 'Guitar Speak' series. In 2005 he was immortalised on Richard Hawley's 'I'm Absolutely Hank Marvin', on which he also played, as his name has become the rhyming slang for "starving" (Marvin-starvin'), but obviously it will be as one of the best UK guitarist of all time, and a major influence on a host of young musicians of the 60's and 70's, that he will primarily be remembered. 

Track listing

01 Work's Nice – If You Can Get It (single by Spaghetti Junction 1972)
02 Buenos Aires (from 'Evita' 1976)
03 Another Whiskey Sour (from 'Waterman' by Dennis Waterman 1977) 
04 Parade (from 'One Of One Boys' by Roger Daltry 1977)
05 So Glad to See You Here (from 'Back To The Egg' by Wings 1979)
06 You Broke My Heart in 17 Places (from 'You Broke My Heart In 17 Places' by 

                                                                                                                Tracey Ullman 1983)
07 Don't Wait Until Tomorrow (from 'Have You Ever Been In Love' by Leo Sayer 1983)
08 Teardrops (single by Shakin' Stevens 1984)
09 London Kid (from 'Revolutions' by Jean Michel Jarre 1988) 
10 Captain Zlogg (from 'Guitar Speak' by Various Artists 1988)
11 All Alone With Friends (from 'Guitar Speak II' by Various Artists 1990)
12 You're My World (single by Jane McDonald 1998)
13 I'm Absolutely Hank Marvin (b-side of 'Coles Corner' by Richard Hawley 2005)
14 My Cup Of Tea (from 'Fingerprints' by Peter Frampton 2007)

Devo - Social Fools (1975)

Devo continued to perform and record throughout 1975, and filmed two music videos in their hometowns of Akron, and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with 'Secret Agent Man' and 'Jocko Homo' later featuring in their film 'The Truth About De-Evolution'. This lineup of Devo, which included the Mothersbaugh brothers, Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis, lasted until late 1975 when Jim Mothersbaugh left the band, and while Bob Lewis would sometimes play guitar during this period, he mainly stayed in a managerial role. In concert, Devo would often perform in the guise of theatrical characters, such as Booji Boy and the Chinaman, and not surprisingly live concerts from this period were often confrontational, and would remain so until 1977. This can be seen on a recording of an early Devo performance from 1975, captured on 'DEVO Live: The Mongoloid Years', which ends with the promoters unplugging the band's equipment. Following Jim Mothersbaugh's departure, Bob Mothersbaugh found a new drummer, Alan Myers, who played on a conventional, acoustic drum kit, and Casale re-recruited his brother Bob, with this lineup of Devo remaining the same for nearly ten years. For the second of the three posts from the band, here are the 4-track basement recordings from 1975, once again housed in contemporary cover art.

Track listing

01 Mechanical Man
02 Auto-Modown
03 Bamboo Bimbo
04 I Think I'm Falling In Love Again
05 Space Girl Blues
06 Social Fools
07 Baby Talkin' Bitches
08 U Got Me Bugged
09 Live Forever
10 Chango
11 Fraulein
12 "37"
13 Hubert House
14 Shimmy Shake

As a treat for MAC users, the '...and on guitar' series now have their own folders on Soulseek which will open normally.

Blur - Peter Panic (1994)

After disappointing sales for their previous album 'Modern Life Is Rubbish', Blur went into the studio determined to establish themselves as one of the leaders of the Britpop genre, alongside Suede and Pulp. Once the recording sessions for 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' were complete, Albarn began to write prolifically, with the band demoing the new songs in groups of two and three, and due to their precarious financial position at the time, the band decided to quickly go back into the studio with producer Stephen Street to record their third album. When recordings were complete the band were pleased with the final result, but Food Records owner David Balfe was not, telling the band's management that the album was a mistake, and then soon afterwards Balfe sold Food to EMI. Albarn has explained that for him, 'Parklife' was like a loosely linked concept album involving a number of different stories, and he has cited the Martin Amis novel 'London Fields' as a major influence on the record. The songs themselves span many genres, such as the synthpop-influenced hit single 'Girls & Boys', the instrumental waltz interlude of 'The Debt Collector', the punk rock-influenced 'Bank Holiday', the spacey, Syd Barrett-esque 'Far Out', and the fairly new wave-influenced 'Trouble In The Message Centre'. The album was originally going to be entitled 'London' and the cover shot was going to be of a fruit-and-vegetable cart, but this was later changed to 'Parklife', which is a reference to the British pastime of greyhound racing. The album was met with almost universal critical praise, and has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed albums of the 1990's. Because Albarn was so prolific during this period there were a number of songs recorded at the sessions which were held back, either for use as future b-sides, or just because they didn't fit on the album, and they were collected on a 4-CD bootleg set which rounded up everything Blur produced around the time of 'Parklife', including the remixes, radio sessions, demos and live performances. For this album I've chosen only the songs which haven't previously appeared in any form (with the exception of 'Trouble In The Message Centre', as the demo for this is drastically different to the album version), so just the b-sides and demos, which make a great 46-minute companion to the classic album, all housed in a affectionate homage to the original sleeve by Reckoner97. 

Track listing

01 Magpie (b-side of 'Girls & Boys' 1994)
02 Anniversary Waltz (b-side of 'Girls & Boys' 1994)
03 People In Europe (b-side of 'Girls & Boys' CD single 1994)
04 Peter Panic (b-side of 'Girls & Boys' CD single 1994)
05 Never Clever (demo 1993)
06 Threadneedle Street (b-side of 'To The End' 1994)
07 Got Yer! (b-side of 'To The End' 1994)
08 Trouble In The Message Centre (demo 1993)
09 Beard (b-side of 'Parklife' 1994)
10 To The End (French Version) (b-side of 'Parklife' 1994)
11 Supa Shoppa (b-side of 'Parklife' 1994)
12 Theme From An Imaginary Film (b-side of 'Parklife' CD single 1994)
13 Seven Days (demo 1993)
14 Red Necks (b-side of 'End Of A Century' 1994)
15 Alex's Song (b-side of 'End Of A Century' 1994)

Kendell Kardt - Buddy Bolden (1971)

There was one artist in the recent Ronnie Montrose post that might be unfamiliar to many people, and so here's a bit of information about him. Kendell Kardt was born on 27 February 1943 in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, and he grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, where he attended public schools. Because his religious parents discouraged his 'worldly' interest in music, he left home at age nineteen to attend college, where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in music in 1967. He soon abandoned classical pursuits in favor of popular music, and while still in college he joined his first rock band, The Frozen Flowers, who performed locally in Queens. They released one single, 'Are You In Love', written by band member Bob Zaidman, and after the breakup of the Frozen Flowers, Kardt performed briefly as a founding member of The Fugs in the mid-1960's. During this time he began to pursue songwriting, at first with collaborator Matt Fried, and then on his own, focusing on developing a rock ensemble as a vehicle for his new songs. In 1967 he formed a power trio called Black Betty, in which he was the bassist and lead vocalist, and they attracted the attention of record company entrepreneur Jac Holzman, whose Elektra Records label was still based in New York. Holzman agreed to record Black Betty if the band found a replacement for guitarist Jack McNichol, but Kardt refused and the deal fell through. The following year he formed the quartet Rig, which also included guitarist Artie Richards, bassist Don Kerr, and drummer Rick Schlosser, and after playing the New York club scene for a couple of years, the group recorded an album for Capitol Records in 1970, under the auspices of new manager Bill Graham and producers Elliot Mazer and Adam Mitchell. At the same time as being in Rig, he was also a session player, and appeared on the Archies 'Sugar Sugar' album, playing the Rhodes keyboard on the title track. 

At the end of 1970, Rig broke up and Kardt relocated to northern California with co-manager Mark Spector in order to be closer to Graham's San Francisco operation. In 1971 he recorded a solo album titled 'Buddy Bolden', scheduled for release on Capitol, and including musicians such as Ronnie Montrose on lap steel, electric and acoustic guitar, Spencer Dryden on drums, David Torbert on bass, Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar and banjo, Ed Neff on fiddle, and Pamela Polland, Barbara Mauritz and Lynne Charles on background vocals. When Ronnie Montrose formed his band Montrose, they recorded one of the songs,'Black Train', for their 'Warner Bros. Presents Montrose!' album, and this prompted interest in the shelved album once it became known where the song came from. Kardt himself has posted the songs on his own website kendellkardt.com, and so you can now hear this legendary album in all it's glory, housed in a sleeve that celebrates the title character, the African/American cornetist who was regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of ragtime music in the early 1900's, which later came to be known as jazz. Kardt continued to write and perform his compositions nationally as a solo artist until 1984, after which he retired from performing and writing to devote himself to his family and other projects, and now lives quietly in rural New Hampshire.

Track listing

01 Buddy Bolden
02 Black Train
03 Mr White's Song
03 Get On By Me
05 Country Lullaby
06 Jesse, Jesse
07 Don't You Worry, Darlin'
08 Arabian Queen
09 City Lights
10 After The Rain
11 My Delight

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Opium Tea (1997)

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds released their tenth studio album in 1997, with 'The Boatman's Call' being entirely piano-based, alternately somber and romantic in mood, and a marked departure from the bulk of the band's post-punk catalogue. Recording for the album began at Sarm West Studios in London in mid-1996, with 'The Garden Duet' being the first song to be recorded, although it was to be one of a number of songs which didn't appear on the final record. Further recordings were later done at Abbey Road Studios, with Cave moving away from full-band arrangements and character-based narratives, and the album's music and lyrics moving towards the more intimate sound of his solo voice accompanied by piano or a few other instruments. The tempo is also generally slow, reflecting the sombre mood of the songs, while many of the lyrics seem to reflect on Cave's personal relationships and spiritual yearnings at the time of writing. Precious few studio outtakes from Cave predating the mid-90's actually exist, something he attributes to the fact that they were often too strung out to record more than the bare minimum, but having recently kicked heroin, and also had his heart scrambled by Polly Harvey, following their brief relationship, he entered Sarm West in 1996 with an abundance of material. Several strays from the sessions turned up on 2005's 'B-Sides And Rarities', and a couple ended up as b-sides on singles from the album, while alternate versions of four of the tracks from the record have also appeared, most radically a full band version of 'Black Hair'. You can hear why the long, half-realised 'Garden Duet' and sleazy blues of 'I Got Another Woman Now, Dear' might not have fitted in with the rest of the tracks chosen for the album, although they are still well worth hearing, whereas the decision to discard the wracked 'I Do, Dear, I Do' is, quite frankly, a mystery. I've had to make one small edit, as the afore-mentioned 'I Got Another Woman Now, Dear' had an annoying glitch in the first verse on every single online copy that I found, and try as I might I couldn't fix it, so as it was a lengthy track to start with I've just removed the whole of the first verse, and if I hadn't told you I don't think you'd have noticed.  

Track Listing

01 Come Into My Sleep (b-side of '(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?' 1996)
02 Little Empty Boat (b-side of 'Into My Arms' 1997)
03 Right Now I'm a-Roaming (b-side of 'Into My Arms' 1997)
04 The Garden Duet (out-take 1996)
05 I've Got Another Woman Now, Dear (out-take 1997)

06 Wake Up My Lover (out-take 1997)
07 Baby I Got You Bad (b-side of '(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?' 1996)
08 I Do, Dear, I Do (bonus track on Japanese CD)

09 Opium Tea (out-take 1997)
10 Sheep Shall Safely Graze (out-take 1997)
11 Farewell, So Long, Goodbye (out-take 1997)

Ronnie Montrose - ...and on guitar (1989)

Ronald Douglas Montrose was born on 29 November 1947 in San Francisco, and when he was a toddler his parents moved back to his mother's home state of Colorado, where he spent most of his younger years in Denver. When he was about 16 years old he ran away from home to pursue his musical career, but he wouldn't join his first real band for another six years, when in 1969 he joined Sawbuck, with Mojo Collins (lead vocals, guitar), Starr Donaldson (guitar, vocals), Chuck Ruff (drums) and Bill Church (bass). They were signed to Fillmore Records, co-owned by producer David Rubinson and promoter Bill Graham, and they toured and opened for major acts, before recoding their only album at the beginning of 1971, and it was during this time that Rubinson arranged an audition for Montrose with Van Morrison. Morrison, having recently moved from New York to California, needed a new band to record his next album 'Tupelo Honey', and so both Montrose and Church left Sawbuck to join Morrison before the sessions had finished for the 'Sawbuck' album, and so they only appeared on two songs on the 1972 album from the band. As well as songs from 'Tupelo Honey', Montrose and Church also played on the song 'Listen To The Lion', which was recorded at the same time but not released until the following year, when it appeared on 1972's 'Saint. Dominic's Preview'. After that, Montrose played briefly with Boz Scaggs, and then added guitar to an unreleased album by Kendell Kardt, where he was so taken with Kardt's song 'Black Train' that he covered it on one of his later albums. In 1972 he joined The Edgar Winter Group, and when he recruited Chuck Ruff to join him it essentially spelled the end of Sawbuck. After playing electric guitar, 12 string acoustic and mandolin on Winter's third album 'They Only Come Out at Night', he left to form his own band, the eponymously named Montrose, in 1973. 

Featuring Sammy Hagar on vocals, they released two albums on Warner Bros. Records, 'Montrose' in 1973, and 'Paper Money' the following year, before Hagar left to pursue a solo career. With his work on Morrison's album having been noticed, he was asked to add his guitar work to 'Power Of Love' from former Spooky Tooth member Gary Wright's 1975 solo album 'The Dream Weaver', which kick-started a parallel career in session work, playing with Dan Hartman, The Beau Brummels, The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils, Tony Williams and Nicolette Larson over the next few years. With Bob James replacing Hagar on vocals and Jim Alcivar added on keyboards, two more Montrose albums were released, with 'Warner Bros. Presents Montrose!' coming out in 1975 and 'Jump On It' in 1976. Montrose then shifted direction and released a solo album, the all-instrumental 'Open Fire' in 1978, produced by former band-mate Edgar Winter. In 1979 he formed Gamma with vocalist Davey Pattison, bringing Jim Alcivar with him, and recruiting Alan Fitzgerald on bass and Skip Gillette on drums. Gamma had more of a progressive rock edge compared to the hard rock of Montrose, and produced three consecutively titled albums before splitting up. In 1983 Montrose played lead guitar on '(She Is A) Telepath' from Paul Kantner's album 'Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra', and a couple of years later he joined Seattle's Rail (winners of MTV's first Basement Tapes video competition), as he was looking for a new band and one of Rail's guitarists, Rick Knotts, had recently left. For the few months that he was with them, they were billed as 'Rail featuring Montrose' or 'Ronnie & Rail', and they played a set of half Rail favorites and half Montrose songs, before splitting amicably at the end of their tour. He continued to record through the 1980's and 1990's, releasing solo albums including 'The Speed Of Sound' in 1988 and 'Music From Here' in 1994, as well as reforming Gamma to record 'Gamma 4' in 2000. During his 2009 tour, Montrose revealed that he had fought prostate cancer for the previous two years but was healthy once again, and he continued to tour until, on 03 March 2012 he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death was originally assumed to be the result of his prostate cancer, but the San Mateo County Coroner's Office confirmed the guitarist had taken his own life. It was a sad end to what most people would consider to be a rich and fulfilling life, but at least we have his many recordings as a reminder of what a great guitarist he was. 

Track listing 

Disc One
01 Wild Night (from 'Tupelo Honey' by Van Morrison 1971)
02 Saga Of The Blue Beaver (from 'Gandharva' by Beaver And Krause 1971)
03 We've Got Ways to Keep High (from 'Victoria' by Victoria Domoalgoski 1971)
04 Black Train (from 'Buddy Bolden' unreleased album by Kendell Kardt 1971)
05 Lovin' Man (from 'Sawbuck' by Sawbuck 1972)
06 Rock 'n' Roll Boogie Woogie Blues (from 'They Only Come Out At Night' by 

                                                                                              The Edgar Winter Group 1972)
07 If You Need Me (from 'Insane Asylum' by Kathi McDonald 1973)
08 Power Of Love (from 'Dream Weaver' by Gary Wright 1975)
09 Down To The Bottom (from 'The Beau Brummels' by The Beau Brummels 1975)
10 The Party's In The Back Room (from 'Images' by Dan Hartman 1976)

Disc Two
11 Teach Your Daughter (from 'Safe In Their Homes' by The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils 1976)
12 Open Fire (from 'The Joy Of Flying' by Tony Williams 1978)
13 Just In The Nick Of Time (from 'In The Nick Of Time' by Nicolette Larson 1979)
14 Trouble (from 'Two Years In A Padded Cell' by Earth Quake 1979)
15 Dirty Work (from 'Lauren Wood' by Lauren Wood 1979)
16 Soldier (from 'No Heroes' by Jamie Sheriff 1980)
17 (She Is A) Telepath (from 'Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra' by Paul Kantner 1983)
18 Whatever It Takes (from 'Uptown' by The Neville Brothers 1987)
19 Blood Alley 152 (from 'Guitar Speak II' by Various Artists 1988)
20 Tighter (from 'High Heel Heaven' by Heist 1989)

For MAC users

Press command+shift+period (to show hidden files) and a grayed out folder '...and on guitar" will appear and the mp3s will be inside. Either drag those to another folder OR rename the folder without any periods at the beginning. Press command+shift+period to once again hide the hidden files.