Week of May 14, 2000
This long-lost classic is of utmost importance to
Uriah Heep and
Keef Hartley collectors, for the inclusion of veteran drummer
Keef Hartley (ex-John Mayall's
Bluesbreakers) and the late New Zealand native Gary Thain on bass
(Keef Hartley Band, Champion Jack
Dupree, Uriah Heep) in the session roster which reads like nothing short of who's who of that era's British jazz, blues and rock scenes:
Johnny Almond - saxophone (John Mayall,
Mark-Almond)
Brian Auger - organ (Brian Auger & Trinity, Oblivion Express)
Dave Bidwell - drums (Chicken
Shack, Savoy Brown)
Duster Bennett - harmonica (Champion Jack Dupree, B.B.King)
Jack Bruce - bass (Cream)
Jim Capaldi - drums (Traffic)
Eric Clapton - guitar (Cream, Blind Faith)
Jeff Condon - horns (Mark-Almond)
Rick Hayward - guitar (Mike Vernon, Christine Perfect)
Spit James - guitar (Keef Hartley
Band)
Paul Kossoff - guitar (Free)
Christine McVie - keyboards (Chicken
Shack, Fleetwood Mac)
Chris Mercer - saxophone (Keef Hartley
Band, Juicy Lucy,
John Mayall)
Mitch Mitchell - drums (Jimi Hendrix,
Roger
Chapman, Eire Apparent)
Terry Noonan - horns (Keef Hartley
Band,
Chicken
Shack, Champion Jack Dupree)
Bud Parkes - horns (Julie Driscoll,
Alex
Harvey, Wishbone Ash)
Andy Silvester - bass (Chicken
Shack, Savoy Brown,
Chris Youlden)
Derek Wadsworth - horns (Ginger Baker, Colosseum,
Manfred Mann, Julie
Driscoll)
Blue Weaver - keyboards (Strawbs,
Bee Gees, Keef Hartley
Band, Roger Chapman,
Grease Band, etc.)
Stan Webb - guitar (Chicken
Shack, Savoy Brown,
Champion Jack Dupree)
Chris Wood - saxophone (Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Shawn Phillips)
The style of the record is blues-based rock with a heavy emphasis on the horns; for my money it just about makes the perfect late 60s blues record with all of its elements on display - stunning guitar, Hammond B-3 and harmonica jams, warm production and above all Martha's breath-taking voice which alone is worth the price of admission. She combined the subtlety of
Sonja Christina with the sheer abandon of
Elkie
Brooks, jazzy wistfulness of Julie Driscoll and the sultry, bluesy sex-appeal of
Dana Gillespie. Track this record down if you can. It is very rare at the moment and used copies change hands for exorbitant amounts; hint to the record companies: this gem is long overdue for a CD treatment!!!
Fiends And Angels (1969) (LONDON, SHK 8395, UK)
Escape From Babylon (1976) (SIRE, 9103252, UK)
American Heartbeat (1977) (SIRE 9103256, UK)
Angels of the Future/Past (1989) (SIRE 9 25962 2)
Alex Gitlin, 2000