OOP Vinyl Curiosities: Gabriel Bondage - Another Trip To Earth (1977)

OOP Vinyl Curiosities:

Gabriel Bondage
Another Trip To Earth - 1977
Dharma Records
(Prog/folk/rock/misc)

mp3@320 kbps

Time for another out-of-print (OOP) vinyl curiosity, where I feature a relatively obscure vinyl-only release. Today I have the second (and final) album from the Chicago-area would-be Prog band Gabriel Bondage, Another Trip to Earth, released in 1977 on Dharma Records. Gabriel Bondage featured a group of talented musicians and varied instrumentation, including sax, flute, clarinet, and prominent synths and keyboards in addition to the standard guitar, bass, and drums. They were trying to establish themselves in a similar lane as their fellow Chicago band Styx, with a mix of progressive rock and more mainstream pop/rock. Their first album, Angel Dust (1975), was a bit more folk-oriented, but with this album, they tried going more progressive, with mixed results. The main problem seems to be that the band couldn't seem to decide just what they wanted to be, as the album includes many quite different styles, from the full-on ELP-style prog of the album opener, Take It On a Dare, to a somewhat country-folk song, Long Time, some folk-rock/light rock songs and ballads, straight ahead blues-rock and pomp rock, to the psychedelic space-rock of the extended album closer, Fallen Angels, which also includes 4 minutes of trippy sound collage (ala Revolution 9). But strangest of all is the lounge act put-on song, All I Know, done in the mocking style reminiscent of the Beatles' You Know My Name, complete with pseudo audience chatter and clinking glasses, which just doesn't fit in here at all. However, several of the songs themselves are quite good, even if the overall album is a bit too scattered (which may be why the band never quite caught on). Fine musicianship, with fine vocals, nice keyboard work, and the welcome addition of winds (flute, sax, clarinet) throughout. Highlights are Take It on a Dare, No Winners, Birth of the Unconquered Sun, Living in the City, In the Daylight. Another notable feature of this album is that it was released on colored vinyl (in three different colors: translucent blue, translucent red, and white). Unfortunately, as with many other specialty vinyl releases in the '70's, the colored vinyl is softer and more prone to clicks and pops, which are ever-present numerous throughout this recording (even after attempting to remove via software). This is a needle drop recording of my blue vinyl version of the album, which I bought back in 1977, and even though I've only played this a few times over the years, the background noise is substantial. Anyway, this is a true vinyl curiosity. An interesting artifact from the '70's. Worth checking out, uniquely idiosyncratic, but certainly not without its issues. 

Tracklist:
This Side
01. Take It On A Dare
02. Long Time
03. Living In The City
04. Birth Of The Unconquered Sun
05. In The Daylight
That Side
06. No Winners
07. All I Know
08. Those Games
09. Fallen Angels

Rex Bundy - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Timpani
Tony Stram -Bass, Vocals
Noel Levitt - Drums
L.James Biernacki - Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
Ron Schwartz - Keyboards
Bill Wisniewski - Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Vocals

Cover Art - Maurice Wilson
Arranged and Produced by Gabriel Bondage
Engineer - David Huston
Recorded and mixed at Rainbow Bridge Studios, Libertyville, IL

Gabriel Bondage_Another Trip to Earth_1977.rar

 

OOP Vinyl Curiosities: James Lee Stanley - Three's The Charm (1974) (Wooden Nickel Records)

OOP Vinyl Curiosities:

James Lee Stanley - Three's The Charm (1974)
(Wooden Nickel Records)
Singer-Songwriter folk-rock
Mp3@320 kbps

Here is where I feature an underrated, relatively obscure out-of-print (OOP) vinyl-only release. Today, we have the third album from the wonderful singer-songwriter James Lee Stanley, released on Wooden Nickel Records in 1974.
Wooden Nickel Records was a small Chicago-based record label (distributed by RCA) that started in 1971 and featured mainly Chicago area artists. Their biggest name artist was the Chicago prog-rock band Styx, whose first 4 albums (1972-1974) were released on Wooden Nickel. Some of the other artists on Wooden Nickel were the Siegel-Schwall Band (blues-rock), Megan McDonough (folk singer), and singer-songwriter James Lee Stanley. The label folded not long after Styx left for A&M records in 1975.
 
James Lee Stanley was/is a very talented singer-songwriter-troubadour, whose first 3 albums were on Wooden Nickel. Stanley signed a 10-album (!) contract with Wooden Nickel, but after being frustrated with the lack of support and promotion from the label, left after his wonderful third album, Three's the Charm, in 1974. And that third album, should have been his breakthrough as a commercially viable and successful artist, receiving critical acclaim, but remaining unheard by the music-buying public. I first heard of James Lee Stanley around that time (1974-75), as he toured around college campuses and coffeehouses. He played at the college I was attending (Bradley University, Peoria, IL) a couple of times, and put on a great show. He has a very entertaining presence and stage show that is quite humorous as well as great musically. His songwriting and singing is top-notch, but he also tells many humorous stories and anecdotes about his songs and life. Pretty much anyone who has seen him perform becomes a fan. James has gone on to be a steady presence in the music and entertainment world, although never quite achieving stardom. Over the years he has released a total of 34 albums (most through his own Independent label, Beachwood Recordings), and has been an opening act for numerous more famous musicians and comedians, such as Bonnie Raitt, Nicolette Larson, Robin Williams, Steven Wright, and Bill Cosby, as well as released albums in conjunction with Peter Tork (Monkees) and John Batdorf (Batdorf and Rodney), among others. He has always toured regularly around the coffeehouse and club circuit and continues to tour occasionally to this day. So, the album featured here today is that third album from Wooden Nickel Records, Three's the Charm (1974), only released on vinyl in the day, and never reissued or released on CD. It is a genuinely great album, filled with great songs, great arrangements, great vocal performance, and top-notch production. James is backed by an All-Star lineup of quality session players, including Russ Kunkel (drums), Michael Omartian (keyboards), Jim Horn (sax), and Larry Carlton (guitar), as well as some lush string arrangements (by Jimmie Haskell). This album also features what is one of the first, and possibly the very first, appearance of the Chapman Stick on a commercial recording, and it is played here by the inventor of the instrument, Emmett Chapman, on the track 'Eclipse', where it can be heard most prominently soloing in the song's outro (The Chapman Stick instrument, which I've featured before (Kittyhawk album), was invented by Chapman around 1969, but the first commercially available model was not released until 1974, and this album was recorded in 1973). But, back to the album, which features a variety of songs from gentle acoustic crooning to catchy pop to folk and rock stylings, and some humor, including a latin-styled groove that uses terms from a medical dictionary as lyrics (because they are derived from 'latin'). A wonderful album and a fine showcase for his talents, and should have garnered him more success and acclaim, but he still managed to carve out a decent career in music over the years. Going back to this album, and re-listening for the first time in about 20 years was a delight, as I had forgotten just how good it is and what a talent he has. And now this early OOP album is still around and here for all to enjoy. Best Tracks: Windmill, Eclipse, The Round Round, Growing Panes, Plenty of Reason. Check it Out. If you are at all a fan of 70's singer-songwriter-type albums, this is a must listen. You can also check out more of his later music through his website (jamesleestanley.com) and on Youtube.   

Note: This needle-drop recording was made directly from my nearly 50-year-old vinyl copy of the album (Wooden Nickel Records - BWL1-0430) using Audacity. Thus may contain various vinyl clicks and pops.  

Tracklist:
1. Windmill
2. Eclipse
3. Plenty of Reason
4. Tale From a Blue Comet
5. Growing Panes
6. The Getaway
7. Caduceus Blues (Cortisone)
8. Every Reason
9. The Round Round
10. Come On In
11. Star

James Lee Stanley_Three's the Charm_1974_OOPvinyl.rar

 

OOP Vinyl Curiosities: Kittyhawk - Kittyhawk (1980) - Unique jazz/rock band

OOP Vinyl Curiosities: 

Kittyhawk - Kittyhawk (1980)

(Released on EMI America)

Unique Jazz/Rock band featuring great compositions played on the Chapman Stick

MP3 @ 320 kbps

Today I have a real forgotten gem of an album, utterly fantastic, but apparently left to gather dust on the shelf. As I was looking for the next album to feature as part of this OOP (Out of Print) Vinyl Curiosities series and was finding that alot of the ones I was thinking about have been recently re-issued or re-released, I ran across this one, and was absolutely shocked that this stunning album was never re-issued or released on CD. I loved this album when it came out way back in the day, and still love it today. What we have here is the band Kittyhawk, and their self-titled debut album from 1980. Kittyhawk played what might be categorized as light jazz, smooth jazz, jazz/rock, fusion or whatever, a very melodic jazz style that focuses more on composition than improvisation. One of the features of the band was that it consisted of two musicians that primarily played the Chapman Stick. Now, the Chapman Stick is an electric string instrument, related to a guitar, but decidedly different, as it consists of 10 strings on a fretboard, 5 bass strings and 5 melody strings, and is played by tapping the strings rather than strumming or picking. It was developed by Emmett Chapman and first became publicly available in 1974. It has a unique sound, somewhere between that of a guitar and a piano, and because of its unique design, is played with both hands, playing both bass and chords or melody at the same time. Kittyhawk was formed after a couple of Chapman Stick players, Daniel Bortz and Paul Edwards, met at the L.A. home of Emmett Chapman in 1977, and got together to start jamming. They began playing as a duet around SoCal clubs, and wanted to further explore and expand their songs in a full band. So, they recruited drummer Michael Jochum and saxophonist Richard Elliot to join them and fill out their sound and unique style. Their first album, Kittyhawk (1980), was mostly instrumental (with one vocal track and additional wordless vocals from Edwards), featured a breezy jazz/rock style, strong compositions, melodies and arrangements, and the unique combination of Chapman Stick and Sax on all songs. But the Stick was not used as a gimmick or novelty, just an extremely versatile instrument well-integrated into the songs. I don't remember how I first heard about the band, but I got their album and just loved it, certainly one of the best releases of the year, and still a classic album. I just have to say that this is a truly great album that deserves to be heard, and not forgotten as some relic of history. If you are at all interested in a melodic jazz-rock style, you will enjoy this album. It is just a joy to listen to from beginning to end. For comparison, it is in a somewhat similar vein to some of Pat Metheny's stuff, particularly the Pat Metheny Group albums from the 70's and 80's. Kittyhawk released two subsequent albums, Race for the Oasis (1981) and Fanfare (1984), which are also quite good (but not as good as the debut). They received some notoriety and acclaim in the day, and there was a Public Television music special titled 'First Flight' that featured a concert performance by Kittyhawk (and some videos from it are available on Youtube to see what they looked and sounded like in concert). But then, that was it, and Kittyhawk subsequently faded into oblivion. Richard Elliot went on to play with the Tower of Power Horns before starting a successful solo career, releasing over 20 albums (many on his own label). Michael Jochum went on to do session work for film and TV, as well as stints with Jackson Browne, Boy Meets Girl, Korn, and Jonathan Davis. Bortz and Edwards went their own ways and continued playing the Stick and other touch style instruments. As for other contemporary musicians that use the Chapman Stick, probably the most famous is Tony Levin, who has played the Stick throughout the years with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, and Liquid Tension Experiment. Levin even has his own band that features multiple Chapman Sticks, called The Stickmen. But again, the strength of this Kittyhawk album is in the compositions, arrangements, and performance, with all four members contributing and featured prominently throughout, and which is only enhanced by the unique sound of the Chapman Stick. Be sure to check this one out.               

This needle-drop recording was made directly from my 40-yr old vinyl copy of the album (EMI America ‎– SW-17029) using Audacity. Thus may contain various vinyl clicks and pops.  

Tracklist:
1. Islands 4:47
2. Never Once 4:03
3. Chinese Firedrill 4:14
4. Once Upon A Time 6:33
5. Big City 6:00
6. Wooed But Not Wed 6:35
7. Piper's Romp 3:36
8. Aerial View 5:11

Musicians:
Daniel Bortz - Chapman Stick, Guitar, Guitar [Fretless], Cello
Paul Edwards - Chapman Stick, Vocals
Michael Jochum - Drums, Percussion
Richard Elliot - Lyricon, Saxophone

Kittyhawk - Kittyhawk_1980_vinylrec.rar

Note: There was another band, an indie pop-rock band from Chicago, active around 2011-2016, that also had the name Kittyhawk (and has a Wikipedia page), but this is not THAT Kittyhawk. This is the 1980's jazz-rock band Kittyhawk.
 

OOP Vinyl Curiosities: Intergalactic Touring Band (1977) - Sci-Fi Concept album featuring progressive and classic rock guest artists

OOP Vinyl Curiosities:

Intergalactic Touring Band (1977)
Science Fiction Concept Album (Passport Records)
Featuring guest performances from dozens of notable progressive rock and classic rock artists,
including Annie Haslam, Larry Fast, Anthony Phillips, Percy Jones, Dave Cousins, Rod Argent, Ben E. King, Meatloaf, Clarence Clemons, and many more.
Mp3 @256 kbps

Ok, today I have a real vinyl curiosity, the Intergalactic Touring Band from 1977, which was a science fiction concept album featuring dozens of well-known guest artists from progressive and classic rock. The album purports to be a concert from the future by the illustrious Intergalactic Touring Band, an immensely popular band that spreads musical goodwill throughout intergalactic space, and the songs present a sort of history of civilisation and their journey to colonize the stars and interact with robots and alien species. The project was put together by Danny Beckerman and Will Malone, who are known mainly for making orchestral arrangements for other artists (Prior to this, their primary connection to progressive rock was their orchestral arrangement work on Rick Wakeman's concept albums Journey to the Center of the Earth (1974) and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur (1975), and perhaps got the idea to put together their own epic concept album from those experiences). Beckerman and Malone wrote all the songs, did most of the arrangements, and managed to put together a stellar lineup of talent to participate, including progressive rock notables synthesizer wizard Larry Fast (Synergy), Annie Haslam (Renaissance), Percy Jones (Brand X), Dave Cousins (The Strawbs), Anthony Phillips (Genesis), and Jim and Brian Cuomo (Fireballet), as well as as classic rock stalwarts Ben E. King, Rod Argent, Meatloaf, Arthur Brown, and Clarence Clemons, and jazz great John Tropea, the London Symphony Orchestra, and many others. The album came complete with a glossy booklet that told the story and contained all the lyrics, etc. So, it seemed to be a rather impressive project.

Unfortunately, the resulting music on the album is much less impressive. It is certainly an interesting side excursion, worthy of a listen or two just to check it out, but despite its progressive rock guest artists, the songs on the album are much more of a somewhat cheesy, theatrical pop-rock, complete with supposedly futuristic robotic sounds and instruments (synthesized voices, effects, etc.), with just the barest hint of prog thrown in. The songs are just not very memorable and most of the guest artists are not given much to do or are relegated to sub-standard pop songs.The main problem is probably that Beckerman and Malone wrote all of the songs instead of having the guest artists contribute their own material, and for the most part, the songs just don't work very well. There is some humor thrown in, and yes, it is a bit amusing to listen to, but mostly for fun, or as a campy experience. So, no, this is not a great album or a lost gem at all, but it was a very interesting project, that just didn't quite work out. Not surprisingly, the album disappeared pretty quickly after it was released in 1977. I picked it up not long after in the cut-out bin just based on the musicians that were included. It did have somewhat of a resurrection in 2003, when it was briefly re-issued on CD, and apparently the album does have its fans (as the reviews on Amazon.com as well as a surprisingly positive review on Prog Archives.com and a fan website can attest to). But, it is currently not available for sale in any form (except as used vinyl or CD), so it should be OK to post here. Anyway, here is the full album, from a needledrop rip from the original vinyl album, as well as the full story and lyric booklet for perusal. So, get ready to blast-off to the 1970's vision of the future with the Intergalactic Touring Band.
     
Tracklist:
 1. Approach (Overture)
 2. Silver Lady
 3. Universal Zoo/Why
 4. Starship Jingle
 5. Heartbreaker
 6. Reaching Out
 7. First Landing
 8. Space Commando
 9. Robot Salesman
 10. Love Station
 11. A Planet Called Monday/Epilogue
 12. Keeper Keep Us

The Intergalactic Touring Band - Fictional band members (Actual band members)
    Hope Larson (Brian Cuomo)— Lase Keyboard Panel
    Ixol Phaane (Larry Fast)— Computerized Keyboard Synthesis
    Justice Conrad (Peter Sobel)— Globe Lase Base
    Krys (Pete Marchetti)— Holographic Percussion
    Raif Reed (David Scance)— Lase Guitar

Partial Credits (notable performers);
Brian Cuomo (Fireballet): IGTB Band - Keyboards
Larry Fast (Synergy, Nektar, etc.): IGTB Band - Synthesizers
David Scance: IGTB Band - Guitars
Peter Sobel: IGTB Band - Bass
Paul Marchetti: IGTB Band - Drums and percussion
Guests:
Rod Argent (The Zombies, Argent): Lead vocal on "Silver Lady"
Arthur Brown (Crazy World of): Lead vocal, "Universal Zoo"
Ryche Chlanda (Fireballet, Nektar): Electric guitar on "Robot Salesman"
Clarence Clemons (E Sreet Band): Saxophone solo on "Love Station"
Dave Cousins (The Strawbs): Lead vocal on "Heartbreaker"
Jim Cuomo (Fireballet): Lead vocal on "Robot Salesman"
Annie Haslam (Renaissance): Lead vocal on "Reaching Out"
Percy Jones (Brand X): Fretless Bass on "Why" and "Keeper Keep Us"
Ben E. King: Lead vocal on "Love Station"
Meatloaf: Lead vocal on "Keeper Keep Us"
Peppi Marchello (Good Rats): Lead vocal on "Starship Jingle"
Anthony Phillips (Genesis): Acoustic guitars on "Reaching Out"
Marge Raymond (Flame): Silver Lady vocal on "Silver Lady"
Rick Parfett and Frank Rossi (Status Quo): Lead vocals on "A Planet Called Monday"
John Tropea: Electric guitars on "Love Station"; Guitar solo on "Love Station"
Members of the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Harry Rabinowitz
Danny Beckerman, Will Malone, David Bedford, and Stephen Galfas: Orchestral arrangements

New Link (updated 05/23/23)
Intergalactic Touring Band (1977).rar

 

OOP Vinyl Curiosities: Trefethen - Am I Stupid or Am I Great?/It's All Mom's Fault (1980)

OOP Vinyl Curiosities

 (New Feature!?)

Artist - Trefethen (Tom Trefethen)
Album - Am I Stupid or Am I Great?/It's All Mom's Fault
Released 1980 (Pacific Arts Records)
Mp3 @ 320 kbps

So here is something a bit different, and potentially an idea for a recurring feature, highlighting some fairly obscure Out of Print (OOP) albums (that were only available on vinyl) that are of interest and may be worth a listen. As I was thinking about obscure albums in my record collection, this gem of an oddity sprang to mind, as it is quite interesting, but I have never known anyone who has ever heard of it or knows anything about it. Ok, so featured today is an album (the only album) from the band Trefethen. Trefethen is basically Tom Trefethen, an audio engineer that is most well-known for engineering the albums of Ambrosia in the 1970's (nominated for multiple Grammys for best engineered albums). He also has worked with Andrae Crouch and other Christian artists, as well as Michael Nesmith and Alan Parsons (on Tales of Mystery and Imagination). But Tom also was a budding songwriter and musician. After finishing work on the third Ambrosia album (Life Beyond L.A.-1978), Tom concentrated on trying to get his own album released, which he had finished recording in 1977. The album was recorded with the help of his musician friends, including guest appearances by all members of Ambrosia, as well as Andrae Crouch and Alan Parsons. Tom then was able to hook up with Michael Nesmith and his developing Pacific Arts record label, engineering Nesmith's 1979 album Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma, and then getting his own album a 1980 release on Pacific Arts. It is actually a quite good album (maybe not great but quite good), and very interesting from start to finish.

I would describe the music as piano-based progressive pop-rock. It is equal parts quirky, fun, melodic, silly, and strange, as it has a definite pop-rock underpinning, but with various jazzy, humorous, and progressive elements. I hear shades of Steely Dan and Supertramp, and not surprisingly, Ambrosia, as well as 10cc and maybe even some Ben Folds, as far as the styles, sounds, and songs to compare it to. As an audio engineer, the sound and production are quite good, and it is also clear that Tom likes to play with different sounds and sound effects, as the album is full of those interspersed throughout the songs. As far as I can tell, Tom wrote, arranged, engineered, and produced all the songs, as well as sang lead vocals and played multiple instruments (piano, guitar, bass) on the album (and although the Ambrosia guys are credited as playing on the album, it is not clear what songs or how much they play on the tracks). The album is arranged as two separate themed suites of songs (each encompassing a side of the album). These are continuous tracks each consisting of multiple linked songs (often connected by various sound effects and experimentation). Thus the album consists of these two main Suites - Am I Stupid or Am I Great? and It's All Mom's Fault. It's not quite clear if this constitutes an actual concept album or whether they are just song collages, but they all do fit together somewhat to make a whole listening experience. The album starts strong with some of the best songs, the 'Opening' intro, 'Do the Tattoo', and 'Moving Blunders'. Although it loses a bit of luster as it progresses, there are plenty of fine moments throughout and several catchy, quirky songs.

Unfortunately, Trefethen's quirky pop-rock did not catch on (or was ever heard), and the album disappeared quickly, never to be heard from again (until now). But if you are at all a fan of any of the bands I mentioned above, it is certainly worth checking out, and you might find it to be a hidden gem. Although it is not something I go back to often, it is quite enjoyable. I picked this up back in the early eighties while rifling through the bargain bins at some record store (something which I did quite often). I had no idea who or what it was, but was intrigued by it, and it was cool enough that I picked it up (and encouraged by a blurb from Alan Parsons on the cover sticker). As I mentioned, I never heard anything about it again in all my music travels, but I always thought it was a worthy addition and a unique aspect of those times. Only recently did I try to look it up on the Internet to find the info I have presented here. To complete the story, after the failure of the album, Tom left the music business for a long period, but returned in the 2000's to open his own recording studio and production company. His only known return to performing was in 2005, when he released an internet-only single titled 'Johnny's Gone Away', a song he wrote in 1980 after the death of John Lennon. He also performed the song at the 25th annual Lennon candlelight vigil in Hollywood that year.

The album is presented here as two long mp3 files, each consisting of the complete song suites that comprise the album. The individual songs are listed in the track listing, but the recording is of the entire suite (I thought it best to present this way, as this is how the album is tracked). This is a needle-drop recording (using Audacity) of the vinyl album I purchased some 40 years ago, so there are the usual vinyl clicks and pops (I did not try to reduce or remove any imperfections). I am presenting this solely for the purpose of making more people aware of it and providing this music to those that may appreciate it.

As I mentioned, if this type of thing is of interest, I may make it a recurring feature (I have lots of old obscure but good albums that might work here - Bargain Bin Bonanzas, etc.). So, if this sounds interesting and you are willing to take a chance on it, let me know what you think, and whether you would be interested in more of these types of things. So, here's Trefethen with Am I Stupid or Am I Great/Its All Mom's Fault.

Note: An earlier version of this album post was incorrectly processed in mono instead of stereo during the transfer from LP to mp3. However, the corrected stereo version has now been uploaded. If you previously downloaded this album and enjoyed it, you may want to I download this updated version which is the true stereo version. Sorry for any inconvenience.   

Tracklist:
Am I Stupid or Am I Great?
1. Colas' Opening
2. Do the Tattoo
3. Champagne Breakfast
4. Moving Blunders (March of the Marble People)
5. Hole in My Pocket
6. Blunder Starter Kit
7. Am I Stupid or Am I Great?
8. Where Was You, Where Were I?

It's All Mom's Fault
1. It's All Mom's Fault
2. Prerequisite
   A. I Forgot to Remember
   B. Dancing of the Inbetween
   C. None of the Above
      1. why do we fight?
3. It Just Followed Me Home
4. The I Don't Want To Go To Work Waltz
5. The last Bosenians
6. Dreaded Fold

Trefethen_Am I Stupid-1980_OOPVinyl(corrected).rar

 Link updated (03/05/24)

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