I obtained a copy of May Blitz's s/t debut album today, after a recommendation from someone who discovered that I like Leafhound, and it completely blew me away!

OK, it's blues in origin, but it's got a large dollop of garage/psychedelia thrown in - and it's very progressive.

Anyone else know of this band? I understand the second album "2nd of May" is even more progressive - but I haven't tracked down a vinyl copy of that yet (and I bet it's expensive ).

Contenders for the archives?

I saw it quiet often in the expansive japonese mini Lp reedition and I always wondered what they sound like.Nice covers !

I guess it sounds a bit like Cactus but closer to the Pink Fairies. Two of the band members were formerly in Bakerloo (another band whose albums are outrageously expensive and hard to come by on their native vinyl format!) - so the sound is naturally fairly close to Bakerloo. I might also compare them to Touch or Quatermass - or even their Vertigo stable mates Black Sabbath, due to the heavy riffs.

The guitars are obviously Hendrix-influenced, but there's none of Hendrix's lyricism or virtuosity - although that's not to say there's no inventiveness. The riffs are complex, generally two-parters (ie a riff + an answering phrase in a repeated pattern). 

The variety in sound of the tracks is stunning - dreamy atmospheric psychedelia that I can't really think of any comparisons to, right up to psychotic wildness - similar in spirit to the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, but possibly wilder! Somehow, it all feels very natural - even when they suddenly break the wildness down to eerie and empty space.

Hard to believe it was recorded in 1970.

/end mini review 

You've got me curious, with that mini-review Certif1ed.

Off to investigate

Certif1ed wrote: I obtained a copy of May Blitz's s/t debut album today, after a recommendation from someone who discovered that I like Leafhound, and it completely blew me away! OK, it's blues in origin, but it's got a large dollop of garage/psychedelia thrown in - and it's very progressive. Anyone else know of this band? I understand the second album "2nd of May" is even more progressive - but I haven't tracked down a vinyl copy of that yet (and I bet it's expensive ). Contenders for the archives?

God Salvation

I was begining to wonder if half the members were behind the door.

May Blitz are excellent...So are the first few PATTO albums

I'm gonna recommend an album for you Cert...

WALRUS debut,lot of brass sound but boy excellent

You may like CLEAR BLUE SKY debut too.

I'll stick up an mp3 when I get my MiniDisc player back...

Talking of MiniDiscs, KE9 - Catapilla?

Certif1ed wrote: I'll stick up an mp3 when I get my MiniDisc player back... Talking of MiniDiscs, KE9 - Catapilla?

Goes with the nature of the creature.

Certif1ed wrote: I'll stick up an mp3 when I get my MiniDisc player back...

only found a 20 second soundclip on this website http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/ash/75/MAYBLITZMP.html - may Blitz . Sounded ok, but too short to judge.

Certif1ed wrote: I guess it sounds a bit like Cactus but closer to the Pink Fairies. Two of the band members were formerly in Bakerloo (another band whose albums are outrageously expensive and hard to come by on their native vinyl format!) - so the sound is naturally fairly close to Bakerloo. I might also compare them to Touch or Quatermass - or even their Vertigo stable mates Black Sabbath, due to the heavy riffs. The guitars are obviously Hendrix-influenced, but there's none of Hendrix's lyricism or virtuosity - although that's not to say there's no inventiveness. The riffs are complex, generally two-parters (ie a riff + an answering phrase in a repeated pattern).  The variety in sound of the tracks is stunning - dreamy atmospheric psychedelia that I can't really think of any comparisons to, right up to psychotic wildness - similar in spirit to the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, but possibly wilder! Somehow, it all feels very natural - even when they suddenly break the wildness down to eerie and empty space. Hard to believe it was recorded in 1970. /end mini review

Great, we should have more of these, I go often to a shop who sells Arcama reissues, mainly 70's but as I have never heard of  most of the groups I finally don't buy them . Has anyone heard of Hapshash& the coloured coat ?

Alucard wrote: [Great, we should have more of these, I go often to a shop who sells Arcama reissues, mainly 70's but as I have never heard of  most of the groups I finally don't buy them . Has anyone heard of Hapshash& the coloured coat ?

Yes - unfortunately I have the first album (something like) Human Host & The Heavy Metal Kids, (notable for possibly the first printed use of 'heavy metal'?), bought nearly 25 years after last hearing that album - I must have been pretty gone in the 60's  to have had good memories of the record, only to find how amateurish it sounded (in the worst sense) 25 years later. My guess this album was recorded to imitate John & Yoko's Give Peace A Chance? The only professional musician on board I believe was Tony McPhee (notable blues guitarist) but alas playing the bongos. I hear the follow up Western Flyer is a better bet.

Dick Heath wrote: BTW I'm completely bamboozled that you can compare the music/sound of May Blitz and Touch

Ah - I owe you a PM

I'm still a "noob" to this whole heavy blues/psych/garage scene, as I was very young at the time - and these are bands that tended to get known via word of mouth rather than airplay, as I understand.

Therefore to me, Touch are similar to May Blitz at their wildest - I've only heard "Down At Circle's Place", which opens the Wowie Zowie sampler I bought on your recommendation  

Here's the mp3 I promised earlier - I'm determined to drag more folks down with me into the pit of heavy blues/psych/prog/whatever you want to call it  It's a "raw" mp3 - I haven't filtered it or tried to doctor any of the static clicks out of it (always a peril with vinyl) - but you get to hear it as close to it's native format as you can get over the internet

http://s34.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=32T8TDCID672K2VWWV4G5LXTPK - http://s34.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=32T8TDCID672K2VWWV4G5LXTP K

Whaddy reckon - prog or not?

tuxon wrote: Certif1ed wrote: I'll stick up an mp3 when I get my MiniDisc player back... only found a 20 second soundclip on this website http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/ash/75/MAYBLITZMP.html - may Blitz . Sounded ok, but too short to judge.

http://www.allmusic.com/ - www.allmusic.com

If you register (it's FREE), there are many MANY soundclips.

Certif1ed wrote: Dick Heath wrote: BTW I'm completely bamboozled that you can compare the music/sound of May Blitz and Touch Ah - I owe you a PM I'm still a "noob" to this whole heavy blues/psych/garage scene, as I was very young at the time - and these are bands that tended to get known via word of mouth rather than airplay, as I understand. Therefore to me, Touch are similar to May Blitz at their wildest - I've only heard "Down At Circle's Place", which opens the Wowie Zowie sampler I bought on your recommendation   Here's the mp3 I promised earlier - I'm determined to drag more folks down with me into the pit of heavy blues/psych/prog/whatever you want to call it  It's a "raw" mp3 - I haven't filtered it or tried to doctor any of the static clicks out of it (always a peril with vinyl) - but you get to hear it as close to it's native format as you can get over the internet http://s34.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=32T8TDCID672K2VWWV4G5LXTPK - http://s34.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=32T8TDCID672K2VWWV4G5LXTP K Whaddy reckon - prog or not?

 Drag on! 

Birth Control, Cream,Quartermass, Man,Groundhogs (One of my favourite tracks is "Black Diamond", has anyone seen it recently on CD?BTW Tony Mc Phee is the Groundhog gutarist)Atomic Rooster, Steamhammer

Ah yes - the Mighty Groundhogs! My favourite album of theirs is "Split".

Looks like we should have a thread on these progressive blues and heavy prog bands

Certif1ed wrote:   Therefore to me, Touch are similar to May Blitz at their wildest - I've only heard "Down At Circle's Place", which opens the Wowie Zowie sampler I bought on your recommendation

I see - what do they say about a swallow and summer??? LOL. Similarly the Genesis track on that album?

Touch shows its references back to psychedelia and I believe more clearly to US early 60's garage - which is reinforced with the knowledge that leader Don Gallucci is common to both Touch and the Kingsmen (of Louis Louis fame). However, with tracks like Down At Circle Place, and the groundbreaking Aleisha & Others/75 (i.e. one track runs into the second), you have a band at the forefront, laying down several of the early rules for progressive rock. Elsewhere there are tracks which in their shortness have less time to provide movements/change within a composition, but still can stand as early straight rock (as opposed to garage). And again to reflect the earliness of the album, listen to the keyboards, dominated by acoustic piano and something that sounds like a Farfarsia (sp?) pushed to its limits - rather like what Keith Emerson was doing to a Hammond at the same time or Marion Varga of the Czech band Collegium Musicum was doing to crude Russian copy of a  Hammond in 1972 or '3. The Renaissance label remaster CD release of Touch has  bonus tracks (and the label issued a separate CD with further outtakes from Touch, Stray Dog* and Gracious), which Wild Places Records now seem to have the licence.

*This included a stonking tune of blues rock, recorded live during rehearsals for the 1973 Reading Rock Festival - and can be also heard amongst a lot of bonus tracks on the Wild Places Records reissue of their first eponymously titled Stray Dog album (which Greg Lake produced for ELP's Manticore label originally!)

Alucard wrote: [ Drag on!  Birth Control, Cream,Quartermass, Man,Groundhogs (One of my favourite tracks is "Black Diamond", has anyone seen it recently on CD?BTW Tony Mc Phee is the Groundhog guitarist)Atomic Rooster, Steamhammer

Got to speak to Tony McPhee in the bar of Leicester's DeMontford Hall last summer (he was part of a blues package tour with Alvin Lee and Edgar Winter) - shocked to find after 35 years that he was shorter than me!!! Buy him a pint after a gig and he'll talk to anybody! And he signed my Gutbucket 2 album sleeve, the LP sampler which introduced me to the Groundhogs and a lot of interesting blues - not coming from Blue Horizon!

If we are going the rock blues way with this thread  - check out the previously mentioned Stray Dog (who surprised me by acknowledging ZZ Top in the 1973 liner notes to their first album), and the greatly neglected Duster Bennett. The late Duster Bennett was the third Brit signing to Blue Horizon records (after Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack), and wrote a number tunes for and with Peter Green. The excellent album of outtakes etc., Jumpin' At Shadows , (apparently discovered in tapes stored in the loft of the house owned by Duster's wife), issued by the British label Indigo in the mid 90's, is a must to blues rock fans. Includes a demo of Jumpin' At Shadows (superior to both Fleetwood Mac and Gary Moore's versions, IMHO), some live recordings of Bennett as a onemanband (showing great rapport with the audience), some superb blues harp on Gotta To Be With My Baby Tonight, and a couple of tracks backed by the former Krimson rhythm section of Wallace and Burrell, make this a greatly neglected gem. I regret never making the effort to go see Bennett live, and he tragically was killed while driving his car back south from a Manchester gig in 1976. A pity too that Blues Horizon/Sony have not reissued his albums on CD (there are a couple of atypical singles included on a double CD compilation of Blues Horizon's roster of signings - but then Focus are missing!).

Dick Heath wrote: Alucard wrote: [ Drag on!  Birth Control, Cream,Quartermass, Man,Groundhogs (One of my favourite tracks is "Black Diamond", has anyone seen it recently on CD?BTW Tony Mc Phee is the Groundhog guitarist)Atomic Rooster, Steamhammer Got to speak to Tony McPhee in the bar of Leicester's DeMontford Hall last summer (he was part of a blues package tour with Alvin Lee and Edgar Winter) - shocked to find after 35 years that he was shorter than me!!! Buy him a pint after a gig and he'll talk to anybody! And he signed my Gutbucket 2 album sleeve, the LP sampler which introduced me to the Groundhogs and a lot of interesting blues - not coming from Blue Horizon! If we are going the rock blues way with this thread  - check out the previously mentioned Stray Dog (who surprised me by acknowledging ZZ Top in the 1973 liner notes to their first album), and the greatly neglected Duster Bennett. The late Duster Bennett was the third Brit signing to Blue Horizon records (after Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack), and wrote a number tunes for and with Peter Green. The excellent album of outtakes etc., Jumpin' At Shadows , (apparently discovered in tapes stored in the loft of the house owned by Duster's wife), issued by the British label Indigo in the mid 90's, is a must to blues rock fans. Includes a demo of Jumpin' At Shadows (superior to both Fleetwood Mac and Gary Moore's versions, IMHO), some live recordings of Bennett as a onemanband (showing great rapport with the audience), some superb blues harp on Gotta To Be With My Baby Tonight, and a couple of tracks backed by the former Krimson rhythm section of Wallace and Burrell, make this a greatly neglected gem. I regret never making the effort to go see Bennett live, and he tragically was killed while driving his car back south from a Manchester gig in 1976. A pity too that Blues Horizon/Sony have not reissued his albums on CD (there are a couple of atypical singles included on a double CD compilation of Blues Horizon's roster of signings - but then Focus are missing!).

Collegium Musicum was not a Czech, but a Slovak band . Fermata was Slovak too, but in most progrock sites is listed as Czech. With Slovak band from this era i mean band with Slovak musicians, because the state was Czechoslovakia. Modry Efekt is typical Czechoslovakian band with both Czech and Slovak musicians.

Hiwatter wrote: [ Collegium Musicum was not a Czech, but a Slovak band . Fermata was Slovak too, but in most progrock sites is listed as Czech. With Slovak band from this era i mean band with Slovak musicians, because the state was Czechoslovakia. Modry Efekt is typical Czechoslovakian band with both Czech and Slovak musicians.

Thanks for that correction. My favourite period is 1972 to 1975; the 4 CDs of their music I have were made pre-separation/independence of the two states,  hence a natural mistake surely?

Dick Heath wrote: Hiwatter wrote: [ Collegium Musicum was not a Czech, but a Slovak band . Fermata was Slovak too, but in most progrock sites is listed as Czech. With Slovak band from this era i mean band with Slovak musicians, because the state was Czechoslovakia. Modry Efekt is typical Czechoslovakian band with both Czech and Slovak musicians.   Thanks for that correction. My favourite period is 1972 to 1975; the 4 CDs of their music I have were made pre-separation/independence of the two states,  hence a natural mistake surely?

I like their albums from that period too. BTW. Marian Vargas hammond organ was the only one in Slovakia in that time.  It was a bad time for progrock here, communist regime was at peak. Czechoslovakia finally broke in 1.1.1993.

Hiwatter wrote: [I like their albums from that period too. BTW. Marian Vargas hammond organ was the only one in Slovakia in that time.  It was a bad time for progrock here, communist regime was at peak. Czechoslovakia finally broke in 1.1.1993.

There was an interview with Marian Varga in Audion magazine, published by Ultima Thule, quite some time ago, where it was stated the first recording was using a Hammond copy made in the USSR?

Everytime I look at the discographie of John Mayall, I m surprised how many famous musicians played with/for John Mayall. Like Zappa and Miles Davis he was a real "Starmaker".
 BTW 3 of the musicians who played with Zappa played also with Mayall : A.Dunbar, D.Sugarcane Harris & J.Bruce. So here are some of these musicians and the bands they played in before and/or after.
Guitar :

Eric Clapton 1965/66  Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Solo
Peter Green 1966/67 Fleetwood Mac, Solo
Mick Taylor 1967/68 Rolling Stones, Solo
Duster Bennett 1968/70 Solo
Harvey Mandel 1970/71Canned Heat, Solo
 
Bass:

 John Mc Vie 1964/67 Fleetwood mac
Jack Bruce 1965 Graham Bond, Cream
Tony Reeves 1968 Colosseum, Greenslade

Drums :

Aynsley Dunbar1966 Zappa, Solo
Mick Fleetwood 1967 Fleetwood Mac
Keef Hartley 1967 Solo
John Hiseman 1968 Graham Bond, Colosseum

Sax:

Dick Heckstall-Smith 1967/68 Graham Bond, Colosseum

Violin:

Don "Sugarcane "Harris 1970 Zappa

Does anyone know Mogul Trash ?

Dick Heath wrote: Should had added weren't some of the CM albums released on Supraphon Records, which at that time was known in the west for releasing cheap but high quality recordings of serious/classical music; (I bought Debussy's La Mar mid 60's on the label)? Which has had me wondering how did a (prog) rock band get a recording contract (I guess) with a communist state run record label - a similar thought too for the Russian band Horizont?

In 1970 i think Varga had Hammnod organ, before it its possible he played the USSR copy. You are right, Supraphon was mainly classical music label with very high recording quality. Its interesting that the mainly instrumental progrock groups (especially in half and late 1970s) hadnt problem to record in state music studios and to get record contract with such labels - it was because their music wasnt potentionally dangerous to communist regime, because if they sang, the texts were lyric and not provocative and anticomunnist. So the censors allowed these groups to record -- it was similar in Polland, Hungary Yugoslavia, DDR...

Alucard wrote: Everytime I look at the discographie of John Mayall, I m surprised how many famous musicians played with/for John Mayall. Like Zappa and Miles Davis he was a real "Starmaker".  BTW 3 of the musicians who played with Zappa played also with Mayall : A.Dunbar, D.Sugarcane Harris & J.Bruce. So here are some of these musicians and the bands they played in before and/or after. Guitar : Eric Clapton 1965/66  Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith, Solo Peter Green 1966/67 Fleetwood Mac, Solo Mick Taylor 1967/68 Rolling Stones, Solo Duster Bennett 1968/70 Solo Harvey Mandel 1970/71Canned Heat, Solo   Bass:  John Mc Vie 1964/67 Fleetwood mac Jack Bruce 1965 Graham Bond, Cream Tony Reeves 1968 Colosseum, Greenslade Drums : Aynsley Dunbar1966 Zappa, Solo Mick Fleetwood 1967 Fleetwood Mac Keef Hartley 1967 Solo John Hiseman 1968 Graham Bond, Colosseum Sax: Dick Heckstall-Smith 1967/68 Graham Bond, Colosseum Violin: Don "Sugarcane "Harris 1970 Zappa Does anyone know Mogul Trash ?

Check out John Mayall's double album Back To The Roots, originally released c 1971 but only in the last 3 years has got a US release, remastered/extra tracks, on CD - and  many of the excellent musicians you list can be heard on it, often playing together as duo, trio or more. After a John Mayall/Peter Green gig locally, I got Mayall to sign the CD and asked why the label (Polydor) hadn't got round to releasing it in the UK - it was clear Mayall was most unhappy with the label and its release policy  from the language used.

BTW thanks for the tip on Duster Bennett - hadn't been aware of that connection.

What has happened to Harvey Mandel who got into electric guitar legato before Allan Holdsworth? I have Cristo Redentor, the excellent if quirky Shengrenade, and couple of other 80's solos issued by BGO and oddly EG Records (although I wish I could nail the album he produced Get Off In Chicago). He's on a couple tracks of a Peter Green tribute album Rattlesnake Shake, produced by Jack Bruce's partner in songs Pete Brown, released about 8 or ten years ago - which also happens to be the home of Rory Gallagher's last recordings.

Mogul Thrash might be called a Colosseum spin-off, was lead by guitarist vocalist James Litherland (one of my favourite British blues vocalists of the period) - he released a poor AOR vocal album in mid 90's unde rhis own name, and last I read of him he was playing guitar for a touring musical starring Gary Glitter. The line up for Mogul Thrash included a young John Wetton (bass and the rare vocal), and has been issued on CD remastered and bonus tracks - the album has a great jazz blues rock number What's This I Hear, which has one of my favourite alto sax riffs.

Harvey Mandel : Shangrenade.

Great record, great cover too. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I can't stand his "complaining", howling guitar sound.

Alucard wrote: Does anyone know how Harvey Mandel got this strange sound?

Got an mp3?

Yes!??

Alucard wrote: Yes!??

stick it here or PM it... can't promise anything, but I'll take a listen... 

Certif1ed wrote: Alucard wrote: Yes!?? stick it here or PM it... can't promise anything, but I'll take a listen...

Thanks BTW for the May Blitz mp3, like the sound of it 

Certif1ed wrote: Alucard wrote: Yes!?? stick it here or PM it... can't promise anything, but I'll take a listen...

Oops, little misunderstanding, I thought you knew it. I send some ..