Frankie Miller: Once In A Blue Moon 1972 + High Life 1974

 

Francis John Miller was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland in 2 November 1949 is a Scottish rock

singer-songwriter and actor. Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his 1977 album Full House, the singles "Be Good To Yourself", "Darlin'" and his duet with Phil Lynott on the Thin Lizzy song "Still in Love with You". Miller began singing professionally as a teenager with a Glasgow band called The Stoics. In mid 1970, he moved to London to further his career.
                              

Later in 1972, Miller signed a solo recording contract with Chrysalis Records, and recorded his first LP

Once in a Blue Moon, with record producer Dave Robinson. The album was an early example of pub rock, and featured backing by the pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz. Miller received consistently good reviews, although his singles and albums were not chart hits, Chrysalis continued to invest in his talent.
                                      

In 1974 Miller sang "Still in Love with You", as a duet with Phil Lynott; the song appeared on the Thin

Lizzy album, Nightlife. Miller's second album High Life, was produced and partly written by Allen Toussaint and recorded in Atlanta, Georgia during 1974. Although two album tracks, "Shoorah Shoorah" and "Play Something Sweet", subsequently provided hits for Betty Wright and Three Dog Night respectively, the album was not a commercial success.
                          

He spent around a decade-and-a-half cutting albums of traditional R&B, rock & roll, and country-rock.

In addition to his recorded legacy as an avatar of American roots music, his original material was covered by artists from the worlds of rock, blues, and country, from Bob Seger and Bonnie Tyler to Lou Ann Barton and the Bellamy Brothers. And Miller himself scored a surprise U.K. Top Ten smash in 1978 with "Darlin'," giving his likable, soulful style the popular airing many fans felt it deserved all along.

 

FRANKIE MILLER - ONCE IN A BLUE MOON 1972
                     

Frankie Miller – Once In A Blue Moon
Label: Eagle Records – EAMCD150, Eagle Records – GAS 0000150 EAM
Format: CD, Album, Remastered 2003
Country: Germany
Released: 1972
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues, Soul

TRACKS

                                   

01. You Don't Need To Laugh (To Be Happy)   3:30
02. I Can't Change It   3:07
03. Candlelight Sonata In "F" Mayor  2:35
04. Ann Eliza Jane   3:03
05. It's All Over   2:35
06. In No Resistance   3:59
07. After All (I Live My Life)   3:42
08. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues   4:01
09. Mail Box   3:14
10. I'm Ready   3:12

BONUS TRACKS

11. I Can See The Train (Demo)   2:25
12. Blow My Whistle (Demo)   2:28
13. The Rules Of The Game (Demo)   2:05
14. And It's Raining   3:04

MP3 @ 320 Size: 103 MB
Flac Size: 250 MB

FRANKIE MILLER - HIGH LIFE 1974
                     

Frankie Miller – High Life
Label: Eagle Records – EAMCD151, Eagle Records – GAS 0000151 EAM
Format: CD, Album, Remastered   2003
Country: Germany
Released: 1974   
Genre: Rock,
Style: Blues, Soul

TRACKS

                    

01. Highlife   1:01
02. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)   3:37
03. Trouble   3:32
04. A Fool   2:51
05. Little Angel   3:15
06. With You In Mind   3:20
07. The Devil Gun   3:37
08. I'll Take A Melody   4:35
09. Just A Song   2:49
10. Shoo-Rah   2:50
11. I'm Falling In Love Again   4:07
12. With You In Mind   1:00

BONUS TRACKS

13. Brickyard Blues (Live)   3:15
14. The Devil Gun (Live)   5:07
15. If You Need Me (Demo)   5:47
16. With You In Mind (Demo)   4:15

MP3 @ 320 Size: 140 MB
Flac Size: 312 MB 

Frankie Miller on Urban Aspirines HERE

The Frankie Miller Band: The Rock 1975

 

Frankie is one of the legends of the British music scene, with a powerful voice that has drawn

numerous comparisons. His distinctive voice and song writing ability have earned him the respect of his peers and that is reflected in the number of world renowned artists, including Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Etta James, Cher, The Everly Brothers and Ray Charles, who have covered his songs.
                                            

Frankie was born on 2nd November 1949 in the east end of Glasgow and first became aware of the

power of Rock and R&B through his mother’s record collection. She had a fondness for Ray Charles while his older sisters introduced him to Little Richard and Elvis Presley. He identified instinctively with Little Richard’s flamboyant aggression.
                                  

“The music was alive, exciting, I loved it. I realised later that I could get my own aggression out

through music. R&B and Soul Music, I just knew, was what I really loved“. Frankie started writing songs at the age of nine after being given a guitar by his parents. He composed a song called “”But I Do” which caused tears of laughter amongst his family members but Frankie was to remain undeterred…
                                    
Frankie then met up with Ex Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower, Ex Jethro Tull drummer

Clive Bunker and bassist Jimmy Dewar who had just left Stone The Crows. Together they formed one Rock’s first “supergroups” – Jude. Despite a number of college gigs in the London area, Jude never made it to the recording studio and also, sadly split.
                                             

After the demise of Jude, Frankie signed a solo contract with Chrysalis in 1972 and recorded his first

album “Once in a Blue Moon” using ‘Pub Rockers’ Brinsley Schwarz as his backing band. Material wise the album showcased Frankie’s skills as a well above average song writer and “I Can’t Change It” was accorded what must have been for Frankie, the ultimate compliment when Ray Charles covered it on his album “Brother Ray Is At It Again”.
                                             

During 1974, without a band or hit record to his name, Frankie helped his good friend Phil Lynott to

write, perform and record a track for Thin Lizzy’s “Night Life” album. This turned out to be the classic “Still in Love with You” which became one of the highlights of Thin Lizzy’s shows for years to come. A brief collaboration with progressive rockers Procul Harum saw Frankie front them at The London Rainbow Farewell Show during which he featured songs from Highlife including “Shoo Rah Shoo Rah”, “Brickyard Blues” and “The Devil Gun”.

The BBC filmed a documentary in 1999 called “Stubborn Kinda Fella” to mark his amazing progress. In this documentary, Rod Stewart stated that Frankie “was the only white singer to have brought a tear” to his eye.
                                        

2006 saw the release of Long Way Home featuring tracks from the aforementioned project. Upon its

release,the album received 5 star reviews fromcritics. September 30th 2016 saw the release of Frankie Millers Double Take, a 17 track album full of duets with other stars including Elton John, Rod Stewart and Willie Nelson. So …..it may be that after all of the twists and turns that fate can bring, the best times for Frankie Miller may still be yet to come!

THE ROCK

                                             

The Rock is the third album from Frankie Miller, and the only one officially credited to The Frankie Miller Band. The album features backing from The Memphis Horns and The Edwin Hawkins Singers.

The album was recorded in sight of the prison of Alcatraz in San Francisco, Miller commented that it was only music that had saved him that kind of fate and dedicated the song, The Rock, to the plight of prisoners, a reference to his second cousin Jimmy Boyle.
Already hailed as one of the finest Scottish soul singers of the 70s, Frankie Miller was despatched to San Francisco to record his third album with producer Elliot Mazer and a band that included guitarist Henry McCullough and keyboard player Mick Weaver from the Grease Band.
                                          

The Rock’s underlying Stax feel proved what a great singer/songwriter Miller was with the Memphis Horns kicking (br)ass and the Edwin Hawkins Singers laying down backing vocals on the brilliant A

Fool In Love. Ain’t Got No Money was covered by Bob Seger and Cher, but Miller’s inability to hold on to his band for any period of longevity denied him the success he deserved."Ain't Got No Money" became the album’s most covered song with notable versions from Cher, Chris Farlowe and Bob Seger. The song, "Drunken Nights in the City", was written for his late-night drinking buddy Jimmy Johnstone, the former (Celtic FC) Scottish footballer. Etta James covered the song A Fool in Love for her 1990 album, Stickin' to My Guns. "A Fool in Love" was also covered by UFO.

"The Rock" is in the list with the 30 best British Blues Rock albums ever.
(The 30 best British Blues Rock albums ever. Visit the site HERE.)

The Frankie Miller Band – The Rock
Label: Eagle Records – EAMCD152, Eagle Records – GAS 0000152 EAM
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2003
Country:Germany
Released: 1975    
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Classic Rock

TRACKS

                                                    

01. A Fool In Love    3:02
02. The Heartbreak    4:01
03. The Rock    3:32
04. I Know Why The Sun Don't Shine    5:59
05. Hard On The Levee    3:15
06. Ain't Got No Money    2:53
07. All My Love To You    5:35
08. I'm Old Enough    4:50
09. Bridgeton    4:45
10. Drunken Nights In The City    3:51

Bonus Tracks
    
11. Hard On The Levee (Live)    3:30
12. Sail Away (Live)  (Written-By – Newman)  5:15
13. Drunken Nights (Live)    5:29
14. Walking The Dog (Live)  (Written-By – Thomas)  6:11

THE FRANKIE MILLER BAND

 
             

   

Frankie Miller - vocals, rhythm guitar
Henry McCullough - lead guitar, backing vocals
Mick Weaver - keyboards
Chrissy Stewart - bass guitar
Stu Perry - drums, percussion
James Dewar - backing vocals
The Memphis Horns - horn section
The Edwin Hawkins Singers - backing vocals
Written-By – Fraser(tracks: 1, 4, 11), Miller (tracks: 1 to 11 & 13)

DRUNKEN NIGHTS IN THE CITY

 
     

I'll tell you a story about a night in the town
It started off drinking and fighting.
By the time I was through,
I'd near worn out my shoes,
I had visited every known dive.

      

All the lights in the alley,
Fall dim on the ground, When your trying to see your
Way home.
And the all night ladies,
In their perfume so fine,
Wont leave a poor boy alone.

            

You know the paths of the gambler
Are kneeded too thin,
When the cards are all spread on the floor.
The six and the seven,
I needed to win,
And you can't call the bluff any more.

So you stand to your feet,
And you figure discretely,
The best way to pay what you owe.
And she hands you a line,
Tells you thanks for the time,
'You might have brought brains to the show.'

   

Chorus:
Drunken nights on the city,
Are showing their toes,
They'll take you for all that you owe.
You can't judge a book,
And you can't judge a crook,
Down where the buffalo go.
 
By early the next morning,
I rose up to tight,
My eyes were as red as the light.
My pockets were empty,
And so was my heart,
And I promised to put things right.

               

So I went to the preacher,
I fell on my knees,
I asked the preacher,
To right all my wrongs,
But he just shook his head,
And looked sorry when he said,
'You've been on the streets far too long'

MP3 @ 320 Size: 145 MB
FLAC  Size: 375 MB

Frankie Miller: The Very Best Of  (1993) HERE

Frankie Miller : The Very best Of ... 1993

Frankie Miller was born November 2, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland . He began singing with local bands beginning in 1967, in a style influenced by American soul singers like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Otis Redding. After a few years, he moved to the more fertile music scene in London, where he soon met ex-Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower in the summer of 1971.

Impressed with Miller's talents as a raw soul belter in the vein of a Rod Stewart or Joe Cocker, Trower offered him a job as lead vocalist of his new band Jude. It wasn't to be Miller's big break, though. Internal conflicts split the group apart by the following year, and Miller returned to the London pub rock circuit.

Upon returning to England, Miller assembled a Stax-style backing band , dubbed simply the Frankie Miller Band , featuring guitarist Henry McCullough, keyboardist Mick Weaver, bassist Chrissy Stewart, and drummer Stu Perry. This group traveled to San Francisco to record The Rock (named after Alcatraz), which was released in 1975.

Miller's backing band imploded, and he was back on his own for 1978's Double Trouble, which produced his first British Top 30 hit in "Be Good to Yourself."
Late that year, Miller scored a runaway Top Ten hit in the U.K. with "Darlin'," a single included on his 1979 LP Falling in Love .

1980's Easy Money was recorded in Nashville, and some of 1982's Standing on the Edge was recorded at Alabama's legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. During this period, Miller also had a Scottish hit with his cover of Dougie McLean's "Caledonia."
1986's "Dancing in the Rain" was his final studio album.


In August 1994, Miller suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage that left him in a coma for five months. Unable to walk or talk upon his emergence, Miller rehabilitated himself enough to begin writing songs again . At a late-'90s benefit concert in Edinburgh, Miller's new collaboration with Will Jennings, "The Sun Goes Up, the Sun Comes Down," was performed by Bonnie Tyler, Paul Carrack, and Jools Holland.
(all music)

Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his album Full House, the single "Darlin’ " and his duet on "Still in Love with You", with Phil Lynott. In an article published in Rolling Stone magazine in 1978 Bob Seger remarked that Miller "was a huge influence" on him.

TRACKS

1 Darlin' 3:06
2 When I'm Away from You 3:21
3 Be Good to Yourself 3:00
4 I Can't Change It 3:08
5 Highlife/Brickyard Blues 4:36
6 A Fool in Love 3:01
7 Have You Seen Me Lately Joan? 2:13
8 Love Letters 2:57
9 Caledonia 3:31
10 Stubborn Kind of Fellow 3:07
11 The Devil Gun 3:39
12 Hard on the Levee 3:13
13 Tears 3:29
14 I'm Ready 3:06
15 Shoo-Rad Shoo-Rah 2:50
16 Double Heart Trouble 3:22
17 So Young, So Young 3:34

THE DEVIL GUN

I don't mind if you laugh in my face
I don't mind the way you treak me down
I don't mind the feelings you erased .

I don't mind no whiskey in your water
I don't mind no sugar in your tea
Everybody's got to feel free .

Flac