Epitaph: Epitaph 1971 + Stop, Look And Listen 1972 + Ouside The Law 1974

 

Along with Lucifer's Friend, Blackwater Park, and other bands even more obscure, Epitaph were members of a curious fraternity of '70s German bands that featured British singers. The history of

EPITAPH begins in the winter of 1969/70 in his time hippest music club Dortmund Fantasio, in the basement Britain's Cliff Jackson (vocals, guitar), his compatriot James McGillivray (drums) and bassist Bernd Kolbe practiced and worked on her program, while the weekly Fantasio between sizes like Black Sabbath, Rory Gallagah, Yes and Argent occurred. Even at this time showed his full professional epitaph formality. Their big chance came when Champion Jack Dupree and his performance in Fantasio cancelte stepped in the famous Blue with pianist Günter Boas EPITAPH as a backing group.
                                

Günter Boas producer realized the potential of this band and it's not long and EPITAPH signed their first

contract with Polydor took subjected then to Hanover, shortened their band name of Fagin's EPITAPH in EPITAPH and began Klaus Walz (later Jane) as a second guitarist in London Wessex studio recording their first LP and the same epitaph, which was published in the autumn of 1971.
This was followed by concerts in Germany and an invitation to the legendary Beat Club, in 1972 the first television appearance had the effect of Epitaph.
                       

Epitaph wound up recording their third and most critically acclaimed LP, 1974's Outside the Law, in Chicago, afterwards embarking on a tour of the U.S. with ex-Karthago drummer Norbert Lehmann -- only

to have it rudely interrupted when Billingsgate went bankrupt. Drained by their string of bad luck and feeling lucky simply to escape back to Germany without being held responsible for Billingsgate's debts, Epitaph called it quits in January of 1975. But Cliff Jackson couldn't resist reviving Epitaph just a few months later, gradually rebuilding their damaged reputation until a revamped band -- rounded out by guitarist Heinz Glass, keyboardist Michael Karch, bassist Harvey Janssen, and drummer Fritz Randow -- finally re-emerged with 1979's Return to Reality album. 
                          

1978 EPITAPH plays as support for OMEGA three legendary concerts in Budapest, who were cheered on by more than 30,000 spectators frantically. With the new lineup recorded the band's fourth album, Return to Reality, published in April 1979 on the cult label Brain. The first couple of albums

(while they were signed to Polydor) had prog leanings indeed, but they then sold out to a fairly predictable type of 'Arena Rock'. The early stuff reminds me of Wishbone Ash a lot, and perhaps early Uriah Heep too. Uriah Heep are filed away in Heavy Prog on Progarchives, but Wishbone Ash are only in Prog-Related...and that's where I think I'd personally place these guys too. Excellent music, don't get me wrong (before they copped out to the wishes of the American record company, and similarly later on with the German 'Brain' label), but I don't think that overall they produced sufficient prog to merit inclusion in one of the 'proper' sub genres. 
                                              

ALBUMS ON THIS POST

Epitaph (1971, Polydor)
Stop, Look and Listen (1972, Polydor)
Outside the Law (1974, Billingsgate)

LINE - UP

Cliff Jackson (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals) 
Bernd Kolbe (bass, vocals, 1970-77, 1981-88, 2000-present) 
Jim McGillivray (drums, 1970-72, 1976-77, 2000-01) 
Klaus Walz (guitar, 1971-77, 1981-88) 
Achim Wielert (drums, percussion, 1972-75, 2001-present) 
Fritz Randow (drums, 1977-81) 
Heinz Glass (guitar, vocals, 1977-81, 2000-present)
Luitjen Jansen (bass, 1977-81)
Michael Karch (keyboards, vocals, 1977-80)
Norbert Lehmann (drums, vocals, 1981-88)

 Interview With Cliff Jackson (It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine)

01. EPITAPH - EPITAPH 1971

                           

Very good first album by the german band Epitaph. This album alternate prog-ish hard rock tunes with good dual lead guitars solos, with slower moments and use of mellotron. The lead vocals by the

englishman Cliff Jackson are clean and a bit dreamy. A quite varied album with elements of Wishbone Ash, T2, Nektar, Eloy with a touch of King Crimson. Really strong unknown early 70's album. The guitar sound and drum sound on this record are absolutely top quality. The record is outstanding, sometimes mind-blowing. And the best thing about it is mood, emanating largely from chords (particularly so on 'Hopelessly' and 'Early Morning', with the latter's memorable, evocative arpeggio in A minor).
                       

Epitaph – Epitaph
Label: Polydor – 060249827537, Revisited Rec. – SPV 49582 CD, Universal Music Group – 060249827537
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Digipak
Country: Germany
Released: 2005
Genre: Rock
Style: Hard Rock, Prog-Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. Moving To The Country    5:10
02. Visions    5:25
03. Hopelessly    9:07
04. Little Maggie    8:40
05. Early Morning    9:58

BONUS TRACKS        

    
06. London Town Girl    3:27
07. Autumn 71    4:28
08. Are You Ready    4:25
09. I'm Trying    5:31
10. Changing World    5:50

LINE - UP

Bass, Mellotron, Vocals – Bernd Kolbe
Drums, Vocals – Jim McGillvray
Guitar, Vocals – Cliff Jackson , Klaus Walz
Composed By [All Titles] – Epitaph 

Flac Size: 436 MB

02. EPITAPH - STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN 1972

                                

This second Epitaph album follows in the same footsteps as their debut. Stop, Look and Listen is a very

guitar driven progressive rock record with some elements from hard rock and blues rock as well. This one is even less krautrock oriented than it's predecessor. Their S/T first LP has some krautrock elements but this second album is just a prog rock record.
                                           

Epitaph – Stop Look And Listen
Label:Alcinous Ltd – AL 0077/B
Format:CD, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Unofficial Release
Country:?
Released:1998
Genre:Rock
Style:Classic Rock

TRACKS

                    

01. Crossroads    4:49
02. Nightingale    5:53
03. Uptight    5:53
04. Fly    8:50
05. Stop Look And Listen    9:55

BONUS TRACKS        

    
06. Autumn 71    4:28
07. Are You Ready    4:25
08. We Love You Alice    3:38
09. Paradise For Sale    3:16

LINE - UP

Bass, Mellotron, Vocals – Bernd Kolbe
Drums, Vocals – Jim McGillivray
Guitar, Vocals – Cliff Jackson, Klaus Walz
Written-By – Kolbe (tracks: 5, 9), Jackson (tracks: 1 to 5, 6 to 8), McGillivray (tracks: 5), Walz (tracks: 5, 9)

Flac Size: 336 MB

03. OUTSIDE THE LAW 1974

                               

Epitaph's best album (actually, many would argue it's their only good album), 1974's Outside the Law, was

produced during the German-based, English-fronted quartet's brief sojourn in America, while benefiting from the patronage of tiny independent label Billingsgate Records. Having just lost their deal with mighty Polydor the bandmembers now seemed motivated to edit themselves, and emerged from Chicago's Omega Studios with a far more focused and engaging set of songs, marked by fluid, mid-paced grooves, radio-friendly choruses, and dual-guitar harmonies often backed by acoustic rhythm guitars for added sweetening. 

                     

Epitaph – Outside The Law
Label: Repertoire Records – REP 4885
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Germany
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Hard Rock, Prog Rock, Krautrock

TRACKS

           

01. Reflection    5:15
02. Woman    4:16
03. Big City   5:53
Grand Piano – Fred Kaz    
04. In Your Eyes   2:50
Grand Piano – Fred Kaz
05. Outside The Law    6:07
06. Tequila Shuffle   4:58
Organ – Billy Shaw    
07. Fresh Air    9:01

LINE - UP

Bass, Vocals – Bernd Kolbe
Drums, Percussion – Achim Wielert
Lead Guitar – Klaus Walz
Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Cliff Jackson
Words By – Bernd Kolbe (tracks: 6), Cliff Jackson (tracks: 1 to 5, 7)
Written-By – Kolbe (tracks: 2, 6, 7), Jackson, Walz (tracks: 5 to 7)

Flac Size: 253 MB

Fresh Blieberry Pancake: Heavy 1970

A Power-Trio from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA, founded in 1968, by comprising singer/bassist

Tony Impavido, guitarist John Behrens, and drummer Geoff Rydell. The Band recorded multi-pal demo tapes through the late 60's, and very early 70's, and in 1970, they released their only album, Heavy. Only 54 original copies were ever pressed, and they are considerably rare and hard to find, especially among collectors and fans. Active from 1968 to 1972, the group did not release any album, but a set of demos was recorded in 1970. The band disbanded in 1972.
                      

Around that time most of the bands that got interested in the heavier sound spectrum were listening to what Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience and other worldwide known groups at the time were doing. These

three guys were no exception and they got together with the intention to record some of their own ideas in the style of the heaviest bands around. Even in a sea of local bands, power trios were practically non-existent in Pittsburgh at the time. The sound quality is pretty good considering the group probably invested little money in studio time, which makes one think that Shadoks (The Label) had access to the master tapes. 
                         

When these three guys jammed together there someone got the idea that it would be fantastic to have a name for the band. Their unique name was a lighthearted accident, chosen from a cookbook

during a rehearsal. They joked about calling the band Fresh Blueberry Pancakes but then realized that with the “s” dropped, they actually really liked it, even though the name embarrassed Tony’s girlfriend. The band quickly cemented their status as something special. Everyone was in a band back then, but Fresh Blueberry Pancake stood out because they played so loudly with huge stacks. Their electrifying performances were very different from the garage stuff that dominated the scene at the time. 
                           

Fresh Blueberry Pancake became a staple of Pittsburgh’s live music circuit, performing everywhere from church basements to shopping center parking lots. One legendary gig during a Battle of the Bands

ended with the stage collapsing under the force of their sound—without missing a beat, they played on and won. In 1971, the trio self-recorded Heavy, a nine-track demo captured almost entirely in single takes. Only 54 copies were pressed to vinyl, and it remains a remarkable document of their ferocious energy and tight musicianship. Though Fresh Blueberry Pancake disbanded in 1974, their brief but explosive legacy lives on through Heavy, a raw and powerful snapshot of early U.S. hard rock that continues to captivate fans and collectors alike.
                           

LINE - UP
                        

Tony Impavido (lead vocals, bass)
John Behrens (guitar) 
Geoff Reidell (drums)

                               

Fresh Blueberry Pancake – Heavy
Label: Shadoks Music – SHADOKS MUSIC 022
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Unofficial Release 2001
Country: Germany
Released: 1970    
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock

TRACKS

                         

01. Hassles    4:02
02. Being In Town    3:14
03. Clown On A Rope    3:53
04. Bad Boy Turns Good    3:24
05. I Call Him Lord    2:37
06. Down On The Farm    2:40
07. Where's The Sun    4:08
08. Sleep Bound    4:14
09. Stranded    4:53

NOTES

                          

Demo LP recorded in 1970 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and originally privately pressed in an edition of 54 vinyl copies.

Flac Take It HERE

Datura4: Discography 2015 - 2023

 

Emerging from the port city of Fremantle in 2009, Datura4 deliver a gutsy revival of boogie, blues,

and psychedelic hard rock - fused with a sound that’s unmistakably their own. Led by Dom Mariani (The Stems, DM3), and featuring Warren Hall on drums, Stu Loasby on bass, Bob Patient on keys, and Joe Grech on guitar and vocals, the band has built a solid legacy with five critically acclaimed albums on US label Alive Natural Sound Records: Demon Blues (2015), Hairy Mountain (2016), Blessed is the Boogie (2019), West Coast Highway Cosmic (2020), and Neanderthal Jam (2022).
                         

Known for their explosive live shows, DATURA4 have toured extensively across Australia and

Europe, carving out a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting bands on the circuit. Fronted by Aussie legend Dom Mariani, who came to prominence on the music scene in the 1980s with legendary garage rock combo The Stems, and later went on to form revered power pop outfits DM3 and The Someloves, Datura4 is Mariani’s return to his blues and heads-down, full-tilt boogie roots. 
                     

Combining equal parts vintage psychedelia, no-quarter boogie, rock-infused blues, and classic hard

rock and running them all though a big bank of amps, Datura4 are a rock band living in the present while showing a true appreciation for the sounds of the past. The band debuted their high-impact blues-based sound on 2015's Demon Blues, which blended '70s-style hard rock with boogie blues-rock of similar vintage; the band was stripped from a two-guitar powerhouse to one guitar and a keyboard player without a major change in their impact on 2019's Blessed Is the Boogie. 
                              

After touring Australia and the U.K. Datura4 utilized a pair of studios some 242 kilometers apart to record

their fourth album. Fully integrating Patient's keyboards,the band stretched out and got looser in their approach to gritty garage psych and blues-infelctedf boogie. The finished album, titled West Coast Highway Cosmic (referring to their long drive between studios), was released in the spring of 2020. 
                                  

01.  DATURA4 -  HAIRY MOUNTAIN 2015

                                  

The 2016 sophomore studio long-player from the bluesy Aussie psych-rockers, Hairy Mountain delivers

another muscular blast of lovingly retooled classic rock that bristles with electric, down-under eccentricity. Similar in tone to the Sword, Thin Lizzy, Cream, Electric Wizard, and Blue Öyster Cult-loving High Country that, like Datura4's debut, arrived the year prior, Hairy Mountain ultimately transcends its reliance on genre tropes by delivering those familiar melodic turns and road trip-ready backbeats with supreme gusto.
                               

Datura4 – Hairy Mountain
Label:Alive Records – ALIVE0185-2
Format:CD, Album
Country:US
Released:2016
Genre:Rock
Style:Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock

TRACKS

                         

01. Fools Gold Rush
Organ – Bob Patient
Written-By – D.Mariani
02. Trolls
Written-By – D.Marian
03. Uphill Climb
Written-By – D.Mariani
04. Mary Carroll Park
Written-By – Dom Mariani, S.Loasby, W.Hall
05. Hairy Mountain
Written-By – D.Mariani
06. Greedy World
Written-By – G.Hitchcock
07. Confide in Me
Written-By – D.Mariani
08. Too Much (Or Not Enough)
Written-By – Dom Mariani
09. Something To Hide
Written-By – D.Mariani
10. Broken Path
Written-By – Dom Mariani

LINE - UP

                     

Guitar, Vocals – Dom Mariani, Greg Hitchcock
Bass – Stu Loasby
Drums – Warren Hall
Written-By – Dom Mariani (tracks: A1-A4, B1, B3-B4), Greg Hitchcock (tracks: B2), Stu Loasby (tracks: A3), Warren Hall (tracks: A3)

Flac Size: 315 MB

02.  DATURA4 - BLESS THE BOOGIE 2019

                            

If any rock band in 2019 were going to call an album Blessed Is the Boogie, it would make sense for it to be Datura4, the Australian four-piece who have spent their career evoking the spirit of any number of

denim-clad blues-rock outfits from the '70s. But if they were going to call an LP Blessed Is the Boogie, their third effort is an unlikely choice, since it offers significantly less guitar-powered boogie than their previous work. That is not to say there isn't plenty of boogieing going on here; the first half of the album makes Datura4 sound like a band destined to share a stage with Savoy Brown and/or Status Quo, with the strut of Dom Mariani's guitar and vocals and the implacable stomp of Warren Hall's drums standing front and center. 
                               

Datura4 – Blessed Is The Boogie
Label: Alive Records – ALIVE 0204-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Apr 5, 2019
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock

TRACKS

                      

01. Black Dog Keep Running    5:33
02. Blessed Is The Boogie   4:20
Harmonica – Howie Smallman    
03. Looper    4:30
04. Run With Lucy    4:35
05. Ooh Poo Pah Doo   3:07
Written-By – Jess Hill    
06. Sounds Of Gold    3:40
07. Evil People Pt.2    3:53
08. Not For Me    5:58
09. Cat On A Roof    5:18
10. The City Of Lights    6:42

LINE - UP

                               

Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Slide Guitar – Dom Mariani
Backing Vocals – Howie Shawcross
Bass – Stu Loasby
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Warren Hall
Keyboards – Bob Patient
Written-By – Dom Mariani (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 10), Stu Loasby (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 10), Warren Hall (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 10)

NOTES

Tracks 7 and 10 are only available on the cd version. They are not on the LP

Flac Size: 334 MB

03.  DATURA4 - WEST COAST HIGHWAY COSMIC 2020

                                      

With 2019's Blessed Is the Boogie, Western Australia's Datura4 brought blues-rock keyboardist Bob Patient (Dave Hole, DM3) to replace departing guitarist Greg Hitchcock. Despite its title, that record,

while not remotely subdued, was still less raucous than its two predecessors as the band integrated Patient into their sound. West Coast Highway Cosmic is titled for the 242-kilometer stretch of two-lane blacktop that runs along the southwest coast of Western Australia and bridges the recording studios Datura4 has utilized since recording Demon Blues back in 2015. In these ten new songs, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Dom Mariani has thoroughly adapted to the wealth of dynamic, textural, and sonic possibilities Patient adds to his band's sound. That now-missing second guitar isn't remotely missed.
                            

Datura4 – West Coast Highway Cosmic
Label: Alive Records – ALIVE0208
Format: CD, Album, Digi-Pack
Country: US
Released: Apr 17, 2020
Genre: Rock
Style: Classic Rock, Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS 

                      

01. West Coast Highway Cosmic    5:22
02. Wolfman Woogie   7:33
Harmonica – Howie Smallman
03. Mother Medusa    4:31
04. A Darker Shade Of Brown    2:00
05. You're The Only One   3:50
Harmonica – Howie Smallman    
06. Rule My World   3:12
Harmonica – Howie Smallman    
07. Give    4:20
08. You Be The Fool   4:17
Harmonica – Howie Smallman    
09. Get Out    3:01
10. Evil People Pt1    5:56

LINE - UP

                          

Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Slide Guitar – Dom Mariani
Backing Vocals – Jozef Grech
Bass, Guitar – Stu Loasby
Drums, Percussion – Warren Hall
Organ [Hammond], Piano, Synthesizer [Moog] – Bob Patient
Written-By – Datura4

Flac Size: 277 MB

04.  DATURA4 - NEANDERTHAL JAM 2022

                            

West Australian boogie masters DATURA4 return with their highly anticipated fifth album, “Neanderthal

Jam”. Fronted by Dom Mariani of legendary Oz garage rockers The Stems (and an inducted of the West Australian Music Industry Awards Hall of Fame), “Neanderthal Jam” is packed with new tracks of psychedelicised blues and full-tilt heavy rock that were jammed out and recorded at their favourite south-west farmhouse studio. Full-tilt retro fun, it bounces along like a hippie hitchhiker after a really good night’s sleep, seems to finish…and then trips out for another half a minute or so of freakdom.
                             

Datura4 – Neanderthal Jam
Label: Alive Records – ALIVE0223-2
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 2022
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock

TRACKS

                      

01. Going Back To Hoonsville    6:00
02. Secret Society    3:11
03. Open The Line   4:17
Percussion – Richie Pavledis
Written-By – D. Mariani, W. Hall
04. Bad Times    5:24
05. Black Speakers    4:24
06. Neanderthal Jam   4:40
Harmonica – Howie Smallman
Written-By – B. Patient, D. Mariani
07. Hold My Life
Harmonica – Howie Smallman    3:05
08. A Worried Man's Boogie   5:16
Harmonica – Howie Smallman    
09. Digging My Own Grave    3:26
10. Fish Fry   4:13
Percussion – Richie Pavledis
Written-By – B. Patient, D. Mariani, J. Grech    
11. Drive-By Island   7:45
Pedal Steel Guitar – Luke Dux
Percussion – Richie Pavledis

LINE - UP

                  

Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Bass – Dom Mariani
Bass – Stu Loasby
Drums – Warren Hall
Guitar, Bass, Vocals – Jozef Grech
Organ [Hammond], Electric Piano, Piano – Bob Patient
Written-By – D. Mariani (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 to 9, 11)

NOTES

CD issued in card sleeve with printed credits insert.
Contains two bonus tracks not on LP (tracks 10 and 11)
    

Flac Size: 326 MB

05.  DATURA4 - INVISIBLE HITS 2023

                      

Because Datura4 followers are eagerly awaiting a new full-length studio effort, the label and the band,

collectively, thought it to be a fantastic idea, and give Datura4 fandom a small collection of never-before-heard versions/out takes and grouping of songs that have never before been available on vinyl record, before now.  The end of 2023 has given us a pseudo-new album by the band, and thus Invisible Hits is proving to be a great pacifier, in order to hold fans over, until we can get a new Datura4 full-length 'original material' album onto our turntables and into our CD players. 
                  

Datura4 – Invisible Hits
Label: Alive Records – ALIVE0229-1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition, Transparent blue vinyl
Country: US
Released: Nov 4, 2023
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock 

SIDE A.

                         

   
A1. Drive-by Island
A2. Walk On The Water
A3. Evil People Pt 2
A4. Phoenix

SIDE B.

                         

B1. Going Back to Hooonsville
B2. Rule My World
B3. Fish Fry
B4. City Of Lights

NOTES

All tracks previously unreleased on LP

Flac Size: 251 MB

 Datura4: Demon Blues 2015 On Urban Aspirines HERE