Terry Reid
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Topic: Terry Reid
Posted By: Dick Heath
Subject: Terry Reid
Date Posted: April 21 2008 at 18:37
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Sparked off by a very positive review at Sid Smith's blog Postcards From A Yellow Room (an excellent musically literate blog), I was prompted to buy the obscure SF-based band Howlin' Rain's album Magnificent Fiend. SId stated it is an excellent piece of retro rock, and (whether or not this a deliberate reenactment) the band sound like a few very late 60's/early 70's rock/blues/soul Hammond based groups with a male singer with a great fags'n'Southern Comfort voice - oddly for an American band there's a lot of British good time rock about the music. Sid suggest a Terry Reid/Rod Stewart voice, and I might add because various inflections, Mike Patto and Chris Farlowe. Because of this, I dug out a 1969 sampler release of Terry Reid's The Most Of Terry Reid, (recorded in 1968) from my vinyl collection, and not played for quite some time. However, it has become my musical soundtrack for the last few days. The band with Reid, plays Hammond, bass and drums, whilst Reid provides these superb smokey vocals to his own guitarwork. A mixture of covers (at least two good interpretations, Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and a most soulful Stay With Me Baby) and his own originals, in particular My Superlungs My Supergirl and Rich Kid Blues grabbed me by the proverbals. This is an album which again shows a band experimenting, one which could have gone prog or straight rock. Rumours suggest Jimmy Page offered the vocal seat to Reid whilst forming LZ (and there's a thought LZ with a composer/vocalist who also had a mean reputation as a guitarist). Reid turned the offer down and headed to LA. Perhaps less difficult to believe with Reid under the same management as Jeff Beck, Page producing for Most...... ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Replies:
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: April 21 2008 at 19:52
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Terry Reid has always been one of rock's nearly men - apparently he was also offered the role vacated by Rod Evans in Deep Purple and turned that down too. Great voice though.
It's also quite probably/possible that the sessions musicians used by Mickie Most on the Most of collection were some Most's regular sessions stalwarts like Jimmy Page, JP Jones and Nicky Hopkins...
Anyone who remembers "New Faces" will recall Most as being the 60s & 70s equivalent of Simon Cowell - he discovered some great tallent and produced some great songs, but due to his view that hit 3 minute singles were everything he also managed to lose a lot of that talent (Yardbirds, CCS, Donovan, Beck and Reid) simply because he saw no commercial advantage in longer songs. ------------- What? |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: April 21 2008 at 20:52
| I had a couple of Terry Reid albums, back in the day. One was Bang Bang You're Terry Reid. The other had Superlungs on it. Both were decent enough rock albums of the era. I think he may have had a minor hit in the U.S. here with Superlungs, but basically he got lost in the shuffle. |
Posted By: salmacis
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 04:46
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Nice thread. Indeed, he's more famous for what he wasn't involved with than what he was! I have his most famous album 'River' on CD and it's excellent; not an immediate album by any means and that harmed it at the time by all accounts (Terry said that the record label had no idea how to market it because they couldn't pigeonhole it into a genre) but if you could imagine a cross between Free and 'Solid Air-era John Martyn, you're pretty much there IMHO. He's playing a short UK tour later in the year; am thinking of going to see the Cardiff one... |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 05:40
Lulu was in there too, I do believe...... who on Mike Figgis's documentary film Red White & Blues, is reunited with Jeff Beck.
Been listening to Most Of Terry Reid coming into work today. Reminded to add that Silver White Light is the tune that connects to the Small Faces.
Having had a go of "remastering" Most of Terry Reid through some clean -up software this weekend - not half bad result, which you can hear on ALT2 this Thursday - gone berserk and ordered three of Reid's CDs from Amazon - The River (glowing reviews at Amazon),, a complete(?) set of of 60's recordings (including all of Most Of Terry Reid) and Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival - I hadn't appreciated he performed at either of these two festivals. ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
darqDean wrote:Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 05:46
The River (extended) is on order. Seeing Free and Martyn were released in the UK by Island Records, then you feel even with Chris Blackwell's limited resources, this would have been the label for Reid. So I presume he was tied into contractual obligations with a less imaginative label and/or management, e.g. Most's? ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 05:49
Gigs
------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Chicapah
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 08:33
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Count me as a TR fan from way, way back. Saw him open for the Stones and for Cream (on their farewell tour) and was fascinated with his music. I bought a CD a few years ago entitled "Superlungs" which is pretty much a compilation of most of the material from his first two energy-filled albums and a few rarities. He mellowed in the later 70s and onward but he was definitely a firecracker in those early days and the dominance of the Hammond organ in his work is what I love best about his music. ------------- "Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain |
Posted By: salmacis
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 09:25
Oh yeah absolutely, it has that Island Records feel about it so much it should have been on that label. I think it came out at the time on Atlantic and it did nothing. I just checked it on Wikipedia and it turns out that Eddie Offord who produced the Yes/ELP albums did this one too. The CD reissue of a few years back got some keen interest- I remember a 5 star review in Mojo which piqued my interest.
I remember seeing him duet with Linda Lewis on that Glastonbury Fayre film from 1971 too- not sure if he's on the accompanying triple album though.
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Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 15:30
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A great singer for sure. I too have The Most of...., River and also an excellent album called Seed Of Memory which has a fairly mellow country Rock sound. I haven't played it in years; I must give it a play again.
That Glastonbury clip of him was one of the highlights of the film.
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 20:09
| Superlungs, Silver White Light, Stay With Me Baby...I say damn, now I'm gonna have to get a TR CD or two. |
Posted By: The Wizard
Date Posted: April 22 2008 at 20:17
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I have 'Bang Bang You're Terry Reid'. It's a little uneven but it does have a lot of strong points. He's definetely one of rock's hidden talents, it's a shame he pretty made all the worst moves possible for his career. -------------  
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Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 23 2008 at 07:52
My feelings too - and done it - 3 CDs ordered!!!
Stay With me - trying to remeber who had the hit with the song - Fontella Bass???? Raunchy mailto:RN@B - R'N'B soul - which as a reference point makes modern mailto:RN@B - R'N'B sound gutless. ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: salmacis
Date Posted: April 23 2008 at 09:56
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^If you mean the song that The Walker Brothers had a hit with as well (also a very fine, if more melodramatic, version), this was sung originally by someone called Lorraine Ellison. Only song I know of by her, personally- I have it one rather excellent 3-disc collection of great soul music called 'Platinum Soul Legends'. Tails off a bit for me when the disco starts edging its way on to the album, mind...
I can't listen to modern R&B, it's the computerised production values that characterise much of it that seriously turn me off- I find them more soulless than soulful.
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Posted By: Chicapah
Date Posted: April 23 2008 at 11:08
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What's interesting about his take on "Stay with Me" is how he completely surrenders his vocal chords to the song and gives every ounce of energy he has to it. It's ragged as hell but that was always a big part of his charm to me. Vocally, the man didn't know what the word restraint meant. Also love his driving version of Dylans' "Highway 61 Revisited" and his own "Tinker, Tailor." Now I gotta dig out that "Superlungs" CD and get a TR fix on! ------------- "Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 23 2008 at 12:41
No not the WB's (oh dear changed my mind - very sanitised version) - Shirley Brown has been thrown up by the search engine on Google: and from the You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMnNdI9Wg_s - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMnNdI9Wg_s
it is the right song but not the one I remember from the 60's..... Fontella Bass apparently is assoociated with Rescue Me - both (for the period) raunchy but definitely gutsy recordings. Lorraine Ellison had a hit with Stay With me - in1969, which post-dates the Terry Reid recording date........
And then there is Bett Midler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc1oznH5bNE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc1oznH5bNE
Ruby Turner apparently did a version for UK TV in the early 90's - could this be the one??? ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: salmacis
Date Posted: April 23 2008 at 13:51
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Here's the Lorraine Ellison one I was familiar with;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaYPRzIeVK0 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaYPRzIeVK0
Obviously the song's been around for quite a while, though- didn't realise there were this many versions!
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Posted By: Chicapah
Date Posted: April 23 2008 at 14:17
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According to Wikipedia, the James Ragavoy song was not only covered by Lorraine Ellison but other artists including http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walker_Brothers - The Walker Brothers , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Essex - David Essex , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher - Cher , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Turner - Ruby Turner , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Cole - Natalie Cole , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Midler - Bette Midler , and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Wheatley - Rebecca Wheatley . Sure got around, didn't it? ------------- "Literature is well enough, as a time-passer, and for the improvement and general elevation and purification of mankind, but it has no practical value" - Mark Twain |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 24 2008 at 06:22
Now I can get You Tube to work again, Lorraine Ellison's (still don't remember that name) seems closest to the soul version I remember, i.e. a real belter of a number. However, got a feeling Ruby Turner may also belted this out too.
Dare someboby to belt this out and do the song justice on a one of those dire Simon Cowell chaired "talent" shows, it would have the egotist wet himself. ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: weetabix
Date Posted: April 24 2008 at 07:45
| So Terry is (don't know for sure) living in the U.S. I believe California, in some Canyon hidden away from everything and he comes out occasionally to entertain the masses.A mate of mine said he performed some thing with Robert Plant in a club there once and was one helluva show. |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 25 2008 at 18:15
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Three TR CDs with copious liners each, received today and much revealed. Hey and no LP surface noise!
------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: April 27 2008 at 07:41
Silver White Light: Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival (not to be confused with The Most Of Terry Reid: Silver White Light vinyl release), is an interesting recording catching Reid in transition. For the stage announcements, it sounds like Reid did his set at the IoW F very late, with the audience being propeed to wake up. However, he had gathered around him David Lindley (El X-Rayo - sometime before becoming the sidesman for the West Coast players like Jackson Browne) and as a one-off KC's Mike Giles with some distinctive drums (*standing in for Alan White, who apparently hadn't been given the night off by John Lennon???!"!!). And transition(s)? Transition between living in the UK and California, transition wrt the music being somewhere between Superlungs and The River. The audio quality you can niggle about - when Reid goes ballistic vocally, the mikeman seems to be continually chasing levels or the blance isn't quite right - but that apart this is an excellent document of Reid in 1970. Musically it is very different from the heavy rock that those in and around the Mickey Most-stable were developing , e.g. Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and probably explains why Reid turned down the offer to front Zeppelin - and as the liner notes here reveal, Reid had spotted Plant and recommended him to Page, strongly implying Reid understood what Page was after and heard Plant (and Bonham??) as being perfect for the set-up. ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: April 27 2008 at 14:57
| Picked up the 2-CD Terry Reid Super Lungs (The Complete Studio Recordings 1966-1969) yesterday. I haven't listened to it all (went straight for Superlungs, Silver White Light, and Stay with Me Baby), but what I've heard is more or less what i recalled from the last time I heard these songs, some 35 years ago. Total cost was $22, because my local independent CD retailer is going out of business, so everything was 30% off. Now that was depressing, but TR cheered me up a bit. |