PATTO

This is the second of three studio albums this UK band put out in the early seventies. A step down for sure from the debut as they get a little more streamlined with the vocals being more prominent. Named after the lead singer this is a four piece with the guitarist adding piano, organ and vibes while we also get a bass player and drummer. There's three tracks on here that I put an "X" beside which simply means it's poor at best. But there is a song that I did enjoy quite a bit called "Air-Raid Shelter". The vocals aren't as rough and this one is bluesy, even the guitar. Funny but the bass is jazzy then suddenly the song turns jazzy before 3 minutes which to my ears sounds much better. Nice drum work before 6 minutes too. Overall this album is a blend of Jazz, Folk and Blues and not being a fan of the singer means a low 3 stars is all I got.

PATTO were a London-based Jazz-Rock band led by Mike Patto on vocals. They released three albums in the early 1970's:- "Patto" (1970); "Hold Your Fire" (1971); and "Roll 'em Smoke 'em, Put Another Line Out" (1972). Patto recorded a fourth album in 1973 "Monkey's Bum", but that album wouldn't see release until the 1990's, long after the band had broken up due to poor record sales. Their first self-titled album - reviewed here - with it's very bizarre and ghoulish cover, featured eight songs on the original album, with three bonus tracks added for the 2017 CD reissue.

Alright Now, it's time to meet "The Man" for our opening song. It's a slow tempo heavy blues number with the gravelly-voiced soulful singer Mike Patto sounding like he regularly eats sandpaper for breakfast. The music is nicely laid-back, with a similar sound to some of the slower gutsy songs by Paul Rodgers and Free. The song also has the added bonus of a Jazzy instrumental interlude featuring the lustrous sound of the vibraphone, which glides softly over the listener like gossamer caresses. If you were to throw a coin in the Wishing Well and hope for a soulful and bluesy Free-like number to open a Jazz- Rock album, then "The Man" is exactly what you would get. The second song "Hold Me Back" is a storming Blues-Rock song with a punchy rhythm section but without any of the Jazzy elements heard in the opening song. There's no holding back the electric guitarist on this bluesy number, as he demonstrates some frenetic finger-licking prowess on the fretboard. Onto Song No. 3 now and "It's all behind, it's time to rest, it's time to die" ..... Those are the opening lyrics to "Time To Die", so this song isn't exactly bursting with joyous optimism and happiness. The long-haired singer Mike Patto looks and sounds not unlike soulful David Coverdale of Deep Purple in the YouTube video that accompanies the song. If you're in the mood for some mean and moody British blues, then the raw and earthy "Time To Die" might be just your cup of tea (taken without milk and sugar). Get ready for some red-hot duelling guitars in "Red Glow", a song which brings to mind the classic dual guitar leads of Wishbone Ash. The guitarist with Patto might not have an awesome "Flying V" guitar like Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, but he can still make it perform virtual aerobatics with some stunning Stratocaster guitar licks.

Having found a YT video for "Time To Die" on Side One, we're doubly-blessed with a Live YouTube video for "San Antone", the opening song on Side Two. This song is an all-out raucous rocker with a pile-driving rhythm which barrels along relentlessly for three minutes with barely enough time for the band to come up for air. This group of London guys sound just like a bunch of good old boys from San Antonio, Texas in this pounding Southern Rock number. The only thing missing in the YT video are the long beards of ZZ Top, forever remembered as the hirsute Texas trio whose drummer Frank Beard is the only member without a beard! The 6th song "Government Man" is a fairly routine bluesy number with a laid-back mellow groove. The song is nothing to do with a G-Man from the F.B.I. though. No, it's a sad and sorry tale of a family about to lose their home to the government man of the title. The song might be back-to-basics British blues, but it still beats most of what passes for popular music on the radio these days. Forget Bieber Fever - this is what REAL music sounds like! The next song "Money Bag" is the longest piece of music on the album, running at around ten minutes long. It's also the Jazziest tune on the album, where the extended running time allows ample time for some wild improvisational experimentation. The first six minutes is one of those Love/Hate pieces of music, where you'll either love it for the technical wizardry to be heard from a group of accomplished musicians at the top of their game, or you'll hate it for what sounds to your ears like "a tuneless mess". Either way, the last four minutes is a return to some sense of normality for the standard double-four-time British blues formula to be heard on earlier songs. Are you sitting comfortably? We're "Sittin' Back Easy" (with no "g") now for the final song from Patto's debut. It's a two-part piece of music with a deceptively quiet opening to put one in a relaxed and mellow frame of mind. There's no time to rest on our laurels though, as the opening just serves as a prelude for some powerful Blues-Rock which slowly gathers in pace, exploding out into a storming crescendo of sound for the magnificent finale. It's a four-minute-long album highlight.

Patto have stormed onto the Jazz-Rock stage in impressive style with this powerful bluesy debut which packs a mighty punch!

This is an album that seems to be universally loved. Well except for yours truly because Bluesy rock that is listener friendly just doesn't do much for me. Of course there's much more here than that but this sounds like so many bands from back in the day. PATTO is named after it's vocalist Mike Patto who has a rough bluesy voice but we also get some players here in drummer John Halsey and especially guitarist Peter "Ollie" Halsall. The inventive moments are so impressive but then there's that commercial sounding bluesy stuff that does nothing for me. Love the cover art.

"The Man" is a surprisingly laid back opener with tasteful guitar, a beat and reserved vocals. Some vibes around 2 1/2 minutes as the vocals and guitar step aside and they return just before 4 minutes. It does turn fuller and we get more passionate vocals with active drumming late. "Hold Me Back" has more energy to it but it's still a straight forward song with the focus on the vocals mostly. Some really nice guitar from around 2 minutes in to before 3 1/2 minutes when the vocals return. It's okay.

"Time To Die" has these acoustic guitar melodies and fragile vocals but drums and bass join in quickly. A folky tune. "Red Glow" has this sixties sounding guitar intro as the bass and drums support and vocals join in. The vocals stop at 1 1/2 minutes as the guitar lets it rip for about a minute. This happens again 4 minutes in. "San Antone" opens with guitar, bass and drums as they sort of stutter along as vocals join in and man this sounds lame. Commercial drivel.

"Government Man" is a song where the focus is on the story. "Money Bag" really comes across as Free Jazz the way we get such an unmelodic soundscape, especially the relentless guitar that is so annoying. This goes on unmercifully until it ends just before 6 1/2 minutes! The vocals and calm take over at this point. This is somewhat jazzy and whimsical really the rest of the way. "Sittin' Back Easy" ends it and we get a folky vibe here until it turns fuller with more passionate vocals. Contrasts continue until we get some nice guitar work after 3 minutes.

Should get some hate mail over this one but I really don't get the appeal and no they shouldn't have been more popular than they were.

Mike Patto is a great vocalist and together with his supergroup with Ollie Halsall on guitar (a favorite player of mine) and vibraphone they created a very original sort of hard rock fused with jazz and soul. On this record (I have a 2lp version) you can find their BBC recordings and boy are they a treat! Their studio performances are really good on their two first albums, but in my opinion they sound much more energetic in this live (on the radio studio) setting. The playing and musical interaction is stuf of legends and stands out a really original, even today.

The band seems to be able to connect masterful musicianship in both jazz rock and hard rock. As a guitar player I am wildly impressed by Halsall's fierce playing through jazz chords and rhythms. Mike Patto is one of the best live singers with a voice as good as Paul Rodgers or Joe Cocker in their heydays. The songs are just vehicles for shamelessly exposing their musicality and interplay, without ever feeling forced or stern. These recordings breath a wild enthusiasm that one can only find in '67-'72 rock recordings of groups like Hendrix, Zeppelin, Free and The Who.

The quality of the recordings differs, but is mostly very nice and authentic on a higher volume in the living room. Remastered very well. Their are two 'off air' recordings that will invoke instant skip reactions, why print those on a record between well recorded songs? Still the damage is easily dealt with. The first side has the march 1971 BBC recordings which are all perfect. Side two has the June 1971 BBC recordings which are all brilliant except for the off air recording of Hanging Rope. Side three has two great tracks (Love Me, Government Man) and closes with an off air recording (skip) and LP outtake 'Beat the Drum' which I also can live without. Side four has some more LP outtakes which sound great (album recordings), but aren't as interesting as the BBC live recordings.

In summary. First record is great except for the last track and the third side has two great tracks as opening. My rating is based on these recordings. Among the best rock recordings of history in my opinion. And how did the BBC manage to get these well recorded performances? Unbelievable. I can therefor warmly recommend this release!

Recommended to listeners of heavy prog, hard rock, jazz rock, BBC session and British rock greatness in general.

Patto - st (1970)

Often listed as progressive rock, I would rather call it an early hard rock record with jazz influences and very inventive rock musicianship. This doesn't sound like other progressive rock acts at all.

The record has amazing musicianship. The drummer (John Halsey) is brilliant in his subtleties and his jazz-influenced style is extremely rare in rock of this age. The guitar (Ollie Halsal) is played full and inventive, hiding the fact that this is an album with only four instruments. On the second side the free-jazz Money bag runs a bit too long, but the guitar solo's are amazing! The vocals of Mike Patto are among the better of it's day and it makes one wonder why this record wasn't picked up by the mainstream rock audiance. It was probably a bit too sophisticated.

Perhaps the songs on the first side are a bit catchier then some on the second side, but this is a very interesting record nontheless. The performances are very exciting! The recording quality is very good as well. Four stars for now. Perhaps more in the near future. Recommended to listeners of hard rock - progressive crossovers, jazz-rock, strong vocal performances and brilliant musicianship.

Another one of rock 'n' roll's great ironies - the highly-collectible record that musically-speaking isn't particularly good - Patto's second album is apparently almost as rare as it's superior, textured-covered predecessor, making original vinyl copies extremely hot property for serious record collectors and rock geeks. Released in 1971, 'Hold Your Fire' would sadly fail to build on the promise of 'Patto', featuring a dispiriting pop edge that jars badly with the groups trademark, vibraphone-inflected jazz-rock sound. Whilst the first album was fresh and different, 'Hold Your Fire' seems lightweight and unfocused, made up mainly of short, uninspired numbers that fail to properly utilise the considerable talents of criminally-underrated guitarist Ollie Halsall or even Mike Patto's husky vocals. The creative juices that flowed in such a carefree fashion on such nuggets as 'Government Man' and 'Hold Me Back' have here simply run dry, leading to a dull collection that falls somewhere between weak psychedelic pop and ballroom jazz - a definite backward step. For a group this talented, 'Hold Your Fire' is a serious disappointment.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

Upon it's initial release, this curious blend of jazz and rock(which is not, as is the norm with jazz-rock, in the Bitches Brew/Mahavishnu Orchestra style) sold just an estimated 5,000 copies on it's initial 1970 debut. Released by the famous old Vertigo Label(them of the 'spiral')with a special-edition-style textured sleeve, original vinyl copies have become highly-sought items for collectors, with some editions changing hands for up to £500! As has become their style, Germany's Repertoire Records has released 'Patto' on a special edition original vinyl-replica CD - complete with the yellow, textured cover - and have once again captured the mystique of the original album for those rock-enthusiasts who can't find or afford original vinyl copies. The band themselves formed from the ashes of the 1960's singles group Timebox, and was built around vocalist Mike Patto and the hugely-talented guitarist Ollie Halsall, who's eccentric personalities seem to dominate the album. The sound is very much jazz-scaled rock, with the guitars and basses very much to the fore, with catchy rock-soul numbers interspersed with smoky jazz tunes and quirky, improvisational experimentation. Whilst 'Patto' does retain a certain mythical affection from some record collectors, it's not an essential prog-or-jazz album, but nevertheless is a highly-original and enjoyable one. The cool jazz-pop of 'Government Man' is possibly the best indicator of group's prediliction for combining catchy-choruses with proggy guitar-jazz, if not for the song's slight commercial potential that comes in the form of a catchy chorus built upon solid rock foundations, then for the crisp guitar-and-bass interplay that bristles with a funky gusto that gives 'Government Man' a unique, low-slung vibe. Later tracks tend to doodle a bit, especially the ten minute 'Money Bag', but on the whole this is a nicely-judged debut. It would, however, prove to be the peak of the group's recorded output. Follow-up 'Hold Your Fire' failed to re-produce the jazz-gustom and low-slung-rock of it's predecessor, whilst later efforts tended towards a sillier, less-progressive form of strange rock that saw the band incorporate a feature of their popular live show, known as 'Looning'(don't ask) into their already leftfield music. A minor band they may have been, but for one piece of vinyl Patto became, to some, genuine stars, thanks to their unique brand of chameleonic jazz-soul-rock and their sensational live shows. The hit-single or million-selling album may have aluded them, but they have at least contributed an impressiev album to the overall canon of prog, and genuine cult item as well. ST

Sense Of The Absurd, released in 1995 was the first time any Patto music had been made available on cd. The original albums having sold poorly were also hard to come by and pricey if you did manage to find one in decent condition. In these days of ebay their first two albums on vinyl regularly sell for £200 plus. Although the albums are now available individually Sense Of The Absurd gives the buyer an opportunity to get their eponymous debut and Hold Your Fire, presented here on two discs in the original running order with the addition of some welcome bonus tracks which are worthy of inclusion.

Patto's music was an adventurous blend of rock and jazz with a bit of blues thrown in now and then for good measure. Any guitar enthusiast cannot fail to be impressed by the dazzling and inventive playing of Ollie Halsall, surely one of the most criminally overlooked guitar hero's deserving of far more recognition than he gets. In Mike Patto they had a great singer in the rock tradition with powerful and gritty tones though capable of subtle restraint. The versatile rhythm section of Clive Giffith's (bass) and John Halsey (drums) cannot be underrated and form an essential and dynamic base for Halsall's guitar excursions, laying down a solid foundation or equally at home playing subtler jazz patterns.

The music contained on these two discs is pretty much the essential Patto, their first two albums being easily the best of the four available. I've already done detailed reviews of these albums individually so instead I'll concentrate on the bonus material. Of the four tracks three of them capture the band in their more jazz orientated territory. Hanging Rope which appears at the end of the first disc is the first of these. At almost fifteen minutes long, although containing some vocals it's largely instrumental in a similar vein to Money Bag. It has the feel of a jam but reaches some fantastic highs with some particularly blistering guitar work from Halsall. At the end of the second disc Beat The Drum features no guitar with Halsall playing vibes (and a little piano) instead. It's a pretty sparse sound but with some excellent playing from all and jazzy vocals from Patto, works well. Bad News also features vibes but introduces some guitar after a restrained start. It's a more rocky song with jazzy overtones and builds nicely with a strong melody. Finally Air Raid Shelter closes with an alternative version of the most jazz orientated cut of the Hold Your Fire album. It's perhaps not quite as good as the original but not vastly different either.

Unless you're particularly bothered about having the original artwork of these first two albums (I also have them both on CD in lovely LP replica gatefold sleeves) then this is probably the best way to own them. Not only for the superior sound quality; this version is taken from the original master tapes; but also for the bonus tracks included which while not essential for the casual listener certainly are for the dedicated Patto fan.

It's difficult to be objective about Patto's only Live album, Warts And All due to the poor quality of the recording which is at best of mediocre bootleg quality. It was released in 2000 by drummer John Halsey from a recording he made on a cassette recorder at The Black Swan in Sheffield. As it's the only live recording available of Patto it is of interest to fans of the band but unlikely to appeal to anyone else.

Despite the poor quality it's clear that the band put on an enjoyable though not perfect performance and each instrument can be heard clearly enough at least. They run through a selection of the jazz/rock tracks that appears on their first two and best albums as well as a few tracks that weren't like the rock n' roll standards Let It Rock and Route 66. Despite a great guitar solo from Ollie Halsall on Let It Rock I nearly always find these sort of cover versions a bit tedious. Much better are the Patto originals: the laid back You, You Point Your Finger although an unusual choice to kick things off is played in fine style. There's the jazz orientated tracks like Money Bag, Magic Door and Air Raid Shelter. Magic Door is perhaps the best of the three. Of the rockier moments after a ropey start San Antone features another excellent Halsall solo. Government Man, Tell Me Where You've Been and Sitting Back Easy also all make welcome appearances.

It's a shame that this is the only official live recording available of this excellent and under appreciated band. Despite the ropey quality I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to buy this cd which has now long since sold out. In accordance with the PA rating system I can't award it more than 2 stars but for fans of the band, for the music and performance 3 ½ stars.

Monkey's Bum is the fourth Patto studio album but never received an official release at the time. While being a vast improvement on the sillyness of Roll 'Em, Smoke 'Em, Put Another Line Out it's not quite up to the excellence of their first two albums.

Where their eponymous debut and Hold Your Fire were mainly a powerful blend of rock and jazz, Monkey's Bum while having some of those elements has a more songwriterly approach, mainly down to vocalist Mike Patto having a higher profile in the writing. Be warned however that the sound quality is not great. Whether it comes from a deteriorated master tape or other sources I don't know but it does have a bit of a muffled sound and some dropouts.

The band play well and it's great to see more of Ollie Halsall's inventive guitar playing than on the previous album. My Days Are Numbered makes a great opener. A mid paced rocker with some tastefully picked guitar from Halsall as well as some nice jazzy fender Rhodes. Last Night I Had A Dream is a cover of a Randy Newman song, once again there's some nice electric piano. Sugar Cube 1967 is light weight rock which uses a brass section and is fairly average. Better is the uptempo I Need You with some fine fluent guitar work and Clive Griffith and John Halsey provide a strong rhythm section.

Good Friend is a really lovely song with a strong melody played with subtle restraint. One of the album highlights. Get Up And Dig It is another uptempo song with lots of electric piano and sax with Mel Collins guesting. Sausages also has a good helping of electric piano as well as some tasty slide guitar work. Another uptempo number Halsall takes over from Patto for lead vocal duties. Hedyob has an offbeat feel and one of the quirkier songs here. It slips into straight time later for a superb Halsall solo which totally burns. Pick Up The Phone is weaker and is a piano led mid paced light rock song. Closing the album is the rockier General Custer; not bad but unexceptional.

It's a shame this album didn't receive better treatment at the time and received an official release as it's a strong record. Then we may have a better representation of it than the substandard tapes being used for the current release. Nevertheless, if not for the casual listener, essential listening for Patto fans who'll find much to enjoy here. 3 ½ stars.