Courtesy of M. Glass

(42 votes, average: 3.19 out of 5)

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Long John Baldry & His Hoochie Coochie Men  (1968) Reissue of Long John’s Blues (Originally on United Artists in 1964) on UnArt Records (UK) . Rod Stewart on Vocals. Check out the Elton John connection below.

Long John Baldry (vocals), Rod Stewart (vocals, harmonica), Jeff Bradford (guitar), Cliff Barton (bass), Ian Armit (piano), Johnny Parker (piano), Al Gay (saxophone), Art Themen (saxophone), Johnny Spooner (drums), Pete Willis (guitar), Tom Connor (bass), Barry Martin (saxophone), Eddie Taylor (drums), Pete Blannin (bass), Pete Peterson (saxophone), Rudy Jones (saxophone), Bill Eyden (drums), Ernie O’Malley (drums)Tracklist

A1 Got My Mojo Working
A2 Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You
A3 Roll ‘Em Pete
A4 I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man
A5 Everyday (I Have The Blues)
B1 Dimples
B2 Five Long Years
B3 My Babe
B4 Times Are Getting Tougher Than Tough
B5 Rock The Joint

Baldry grew to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), resulting in the nickname “Long John”.  In the early 1960s, he sang with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, with whom he recorded the first British blues album in 1962, R&B from the Marquee. At stages, Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce and Charlie Watts were members of this band while Keith Richards and Brian Jones played on stage, although none played on the R&B at the Marquee album.  When The Rolling Stones made their debut at the Marquee Club in July 1962, Baldry put together a group to support them. Later, Baldry was the announcer introducing the Stones on their US-only live album, Got Live If You Want It!, in 1966.

Baldry became friendly with Paul McCartney after a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in the early 1960s, leading to an invitation to sing on one of The Beatles 1964 TV specials, Around The Beatles. In the special, Baldry performs “Got My Mojo Workin'” and a medley of songs with members of The Vernons Girls trio; in the latter, the Beatles are shown singing along in the audience.

In 1963, Baldry joined the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars with Nicky Hopkins playing piano. He took over in 1964 after the death of Cyril Davies, and the group became Long John Baldry and his Hoochie Coochie Men featuring Rod Stewart on vocals and Geoff Bradford on guitar. Stewart was recruited when Baldry heard him busking a Muddy Waters song at Twickenham Station after Stewart had been to a Baldry gig at Eel Pie Island.  Long John Baldry became a regular fixture on Sunday nights at Eel Pie Island from then onwards, fronting a series of bands.

In 1965, the Hoochie Coochie Men became Steampacket with Baldry and Stewart as male vocalists, Julie Driscoll as the female vocalist and Brian Auger on Hammond organ. After Steampacket broke up in 1966, Baldry formed Bluesology featuring Reg Dwight on keyboards and Elton Dean, later of Soft Machine, as well as Caleb Quaye on guitar. Dwight, when he began to record as a solo artist, adopted the name Elton John, his first name from Elton Dean and his surname from John Baldry. 

(22 votes, average: 3.77 out of 5)

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The Joyful Heirs  “I Found a Treasure”  A custom pressing from Cincinnati circa late sixties (?)  I’ll let you take in the wonderful faces, hairstyles and clothes of this “group”  Who was listening to this when the radio was playing The Stones, Dylan, The Beatles, Janis, The Doors, Creedence, The Band, Motown, James Brown, Otis Redding … you get my point.  Anyway, Tony is the one who found this “treasure”!

(32 votes, average: 4.09 out of 5)

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Checked this off an old Want List.  Thanks Tony!  “Rockin’ with the Rockets”  Tony Crombie and his Rockets  Columbia Records (UK) (1957)  Tracks: Stop / Stick And Stones / Hear My Plea / Rock Shuffle Boogie / Forgive Me Baby / Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster / Red For Danger / Take My Love / Rex Rocks / Brighton Rock

Anthony John “Tony” Crombie (27 August 1925 – 18 October 1999) was an English jazz drummer, pianist, bandleader and composer.  He was regarded as one of the finest jazz drummers and bandleaders, and occasional but very capable pianist and vibraphonist, to emerge in Britain, and as an energizing influence on the British jazz scene across six decades.

In August 1956, Crombie set up a rock and roll band he called The Rockets, which at one point included future Shadows bassist Jet Harris. The group was modeled after Bill Haley’s Comets and Freddie Bell & the Bellboys. Tony Crombie and his Rockets released several singles for Decca Records and Columbia Records, including “Teach You To Rock” produced by Norrie Paramor, which is regarded as the first British rock and roll record and which made the Top 30 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1956.^[2] He is credited with introducing rock and roll music to Iceland, performing there in May 1957. By 1958 The Rockets had become a jazz group, including Scott and Tubby Hayes.

The following year Crombie started another group, Jazz Inc., featuring pianist Stan Tracey. In 1960, Crombie composed the score for the film The Tell-Tale Heart and established residency at a hotel in Monte Carlo. In May 1960 he toured the UK with Conway Twitty, Freddy Cannon, Johnny Preston, and Wee Willie Harris.^[5] On his return to England, he became the house drummer at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, where he accompanied visiting American stars like Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Jimmy Witherspoon. In September 1965 when Don Byas played at the club his performance was captured on tape, and is available on the CD, Autumn Leaves. Ronnie Scott announced the band saying: “…Tony Crombie is deputizing for our regular drummer, Jackie Dougan, who has unfortunately been taken suddenly drunk…” He also performed in Israel and the United States, and began writing for films and television. He also toured with artists like Lena Horne, Carmen McRae, Tony Bennett, and Jack Jones, and played piano on the Annie Ross album Skylark.

(22 votes, average: 4.27 out of 5)

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An alternate cover of the Rolling Stones “High Tides and Green Grass” from Israel!  PAX Records (1966).  Happy Rosh Hashanah.

(47 votes, average: 3.74 out of 5)

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Organist Dave “Baby” Cortez  “IN ORBIT”  Roulette Records  (1966)  The third and final LP that Dave cut for Roulette Records following “Organ Shindig” (1965) and “Tweety Pie” (1965)   Titles include “Belly Rub (parts 1 & 2)”, “In Orbit”, “Countdown (parts 1 & 2)”, “Sticks & Stones”, and “Peg Leg”.

(42 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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The Rolling Stones   “Some Girls”   (1978)   Cover designed by Peter Corriston.   A die-cut cover of ladies wig ads with the faces of the band alongside those of Lucille Ball, Farah Fawcett, Judy Garland, Raquel Welch and Marilyn Monroe peeking through from the inner sleeve.   Soon after it’s release the cover was withdrawn due to legal threats from many of the celebrities or their estates.   The revised cover removed all the celebrities whether they had complained or not, and they were replaced with just   colors with the phrase PARDON OUR APPEARANCE – COVER UNDER RE-CONSTRUCTION.

1. Miss You (4.48)
2. When The Whip Comes Down (4.20)
3. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (4.38) (Whitfield, Strong)
4. Some Girls (4.36)
5. Lies (3.11)
6. Far Away Eyes (4.24)
7. Respectable (3.06)
8. Before They Make Me Run (3.25)
9. Beast Of Burden (4.25)
10. Shattered (3.47)

On a personal note, I saw the stones play the summer “Some Girls” was released.   It was at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium on July 1, 1978.   A crowd of 80,000 plus!   After getting there in the early morning for a 2PM gate, I scrambled to the front of the field – where I stayed for about ten straight hours.     The concert opened with J. Geils and then Peter Tosh.     Peter Tosh, lit a HUGE joint, and tossed it into the crowd as he kicked into “Legalize It”.   (It made the rounds for most of his set).   He also came out for a duet on “Don’t Walk Back.”   Sugar Blue came out and played harmonica on the new songs.   That Fall, back in New York, I went to Studio 54 a few times and “Miss You” will always make me think of that time and place.

(76 votes, average: 3.79 out of 5)

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George Harrison   “All Things Must Pass” Apple Records   (1970)   (I got my copy that year.)   A triple album with the #1 hit “My Sweet Lord,”   “Isn’t It A Pity,” and many other beautiful songs.   Album design and photography:   Tom Wilkes.

Wilkes was partner in a Long Beach advertising firm when he became art director for the 1967 Monterey International Pop Music Festival for which he created all of the graphics and print materials, including the festival’s psychedelic poster that was printed on foil stock.   Music producer Lou Adler, who produced the landmark music festival with singer John Phillips, said Wilkes “caught the spirit of the time” with his festival graphics.   The Monterey pop festival “catapulted” Wilkes’ career into the music industry, his daughter said, beginning as art director at A&M Records.

During his heyday, Wilkes designed or provided the art direction or graphic design for scores of album covers, including designing the covers for the Rolling Stones’ “Beggars Banquet,” Neil Young’s “Harvest,” Eric Clapton’s “Eric Clapton,” Joe Cocker’s “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” and George Harrison’s “Concert for Bangladesh” and “All things Must Pass.”

As he did with many of the albums, Wilkes also shot the cover photo of Joplin for her 1971 “Pearl” album, which shows the flamboyant singer lounging on a settee.   (Their photo session was the night she overdosed.)

In 1973, Wilkes won a Grammy Award for best recording package for the Who’s rock opera “Tommy,” as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir.

Wilkes passed away in 2009.   He was 69 years old.

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(67 votes, average: 3.90 out of 5)

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Mississippi Fred McDowell   “1904-1972”   Photo by Baron Wolman   Just Sunshine Records   Recorded September 8-10, 1969 at Malaco Sound Recording Studios, in Jackson, Miss.; prod. by Tommy Couch; Fred McDowell, g, voc; Jerry Puckett, b; Darin Lancaster, dr Liner notes by Michael Cuscuna     Mississippi Fred McDowell taught a young Bonnie Raitt the slide guitar and his recording of “You Gotta Move” was covered by the Rolling Stones on “Sticky Fingers.”   There’s a nice story about Fred’s last live recording session on Oblivion Records You can buy a print of this cover shot at Wolfgang’s Vault

(66 votes, average: 3.86 out of 5)

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The Coasters on Broadway on King Records   (1973)   A Leiber-Stoller Production     Re-recordings of classic Coasters’ cuts like “On Broadway,” “D.W. Washburn,” plus others like “Mohair Sam,” “Mustang Sally”and “Cool Jerk”.   But the funky stand-out is perhaps “Down Home Girl” which has been sampled many times.   This is what Funky 16 Corners says:

First waxed in 1964 by the mighty Alvin Robinson for the Red Bird label (one of my all time fave records), ‘Down Home Girl’ was written by Jerry Lieber and Art Butler. In it’s original form (produced by Lieber and Mike Stoller and arranged by Joe Jones) it is one of the grittiest pieces of New Orleans-associated soul ever to hit wax.   The following year, the Rolling Stones, knowing a good thing when it crawled into their ears, recorded a version of their own.   The version I bring you today see’s Lieber and Stoller taking the song out for a stroll once again, with one of their favorite groups, the legendary Coasters.   By 1966, when the group went into the studio with L&S (Stoller producing) they were a few years past their last big hit (‘Little Egypt’ hit the Top 40 in 1961).

The Coasters version of ‘Down Home Girl’ – taken at a slightly more deliberate pace than Robinson – opens with a horn/drums/vibes riff that is verily begging to be looped by some enterprising producer, and features some classic group harmony. Much of the humor associated with the Coasters is there, though it gets delivered not via the performance itself, but rather through Lieber’s hyperbolic lyrics. Where Robinson’s reading of the song is dripping with unbridled lust (thanks in large part to his awesome, soulful growl) the Coasters vocal arrangement, with tenor and bass trading lines allows them to highlight the absurdity of some of the lines.   It really is a lost classic, and one of the finer versions of a truly great song.

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(53 votes, average: 3.53 out of 5)

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