Development of the British Blues and Rhythm
  --- show 41 ---   12-23-2015

Foghat                                             1972-74

Jeff Beck Group II                          1971-72
Johnny Almond Band                        1968

*************************

From this point on, let’s just consider any Blues content a bonus.  As we follow the players that influenced the Blues boom in Britain in the mid-60s, it is no wonder that the entire genre has transformed almost a decade later in a few diverse directions.  When we last heard from Foghat, or three quarters of them anyway, drummer Roger Earle, bassist Tone Stevens and guitarist “Lonesome Dave” Peverett were backing up vocalist Chris Youlden and guitarist Kim Simmonds in Kim’s group, Savoy Brown.  In shortening their name from The Savoy Brown Blues Band, these guys were acknowledging the expansion of the musical influences and effects.

Sharing vocals with Dave was their other guitarist, Rod Price, as Foghat kept a strong Blues foundation in their compositions but seemed to rock even harder than most of their contemporaries.  In this, our first listening to the band, we take a set from each of their first three LPs, 1972’s Foghat, 1973’s Rock and Roll, and 1974’s Energized, the last of which I did not have on vinyl so unfamiliarity and time restrictions likely brought on the shortness of the last set.

For quite a while now my blogs have been almost entirely written off the top of my head memories (could it possibly have coincided with the start of the baseball season when I watched almost three hours a day on MLB.com?), but it is my hope that in 2016 I will be going back to putting in more time researching the groups’ histories, etc.  As an example, there is a good story behind the formation of Foghat but that will just have to wait ‘til our next foray into their discography.

*************************

So these are a couple of albums that I just never listened to.  By this time I was becoming more and more entrenched in at minimum Blues-based material, the first Jeff Beck Group which featured Rod Stewart being a worthy example, and these were just not “that”.  Backing up Beck’s guitar work in his second formation of The Jeff Beck Group were Cozy Powell behind the drum kit, Clive Chaman on bass, Max Middleton playing piano and Bob Tench providing the vocals.  While these are not among my favorites by the guitarist who is definitely my favorite from the Brit Blues era, the musicianship is up to his high standard and you should find these two sets wholly enjoyable.

Backing up a bit, Beck came out with the Truth album in July of 1968 and a year later, with the same ensemble excepting a change in drummers, issued Beck-ola and credited it for the first time to The Jeff Beck Group.  In between the two albums, they also backed Donovan on the single Goo Goo Barabajagal.  Stewart and Ron Wood would form Faces in September and Beck waited a full two years for his next release, October 1971’s Rough and Ready and its follow-up from July of 1972 simply titled Jeff Beck Group, and these are the two albums we have gleaned our two Beck sets from today.

*************************

I spent a few hours earlier this month with Ginny Almond, the widow of saxophonist Johnny Almond, and had a lot of fun discussing all kinds of relevant things while she allowed me access to their personal collection of his music for me to rip to my computer.  (Coincidentally, I believe it was Beck-ola that Ginny was listening to when I entered her home.)  I first came across Johnny’s name as a musical contributor to John Mayall’s first American LP release, Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton from 1966, and then really never heard him again until Mayall’s innovative Turning Point album, released in 1969.  In between, I discovered, he had also recorded with Zoot Money, The Alan Price Set (who have been overlooked in this series), and Chicken Shack as well as studio work in general, but I never had access to that music or information until recently.

In 1969, just prior to his return to the Mayall ranks, Johnny put together The Johnny Almond Music Machine and put out two albums, Patent Pending and Hollywood Blues (most of the musicians were unfamiliar names to me except for Jazz guitarist Joe Pass and legendary New Orleans drummer Earl Palmer, both of whom appeared on the second LP), and Music Machine is how the handwritten paper CD sleeve lists its source, but in comparing its content (whose song list is accurate except for the last two titles not identified) to the song lists for the two aforementioned albums they do not appear indeed to be that source.  At the top of this posting I have listed this as the Johnny Almond Band from 1968, but in truth, unless someone provides me better knowledge, it is a mystery set … THAT MUST BE RESOLVED!

The discs provided were taken from vinyl recordings so there are some sounds of use but, HEY!, these are from the man’s personal library.

*************************

We still have a good six months of programming in this series but I wanted to add a little bit of year-end holiday cheer to this year’s final edition so, even though I have put together two full 80 minute CDs, I hope to be able to fit in one Christmas tune to thank you all for faithfully listening to my show, indeed some of you for over 25 years.  A few years back, Ron Thompson included an instrumental version of Little Drummer Boy on his CD Magic Touch and while I rarely try to do a special Christmas Blues program, I have often thrown it in as a seasonal mood setter.

Ron is a friend of KKUP, having appeared often over the years at our Blues Marathons and also showed up on one of our own Johnnie Cozmik’s CDs.  I first heard some of his recordings from parties he played in Ben Lomond back in the late 70s and, of course, his career got a big boost when he played with John Lee Hooker.  I intend to hear him again today about an hour after the show ends because, for many years now, Ron and his small combo have held down the Wednesday evening (6-9pm, I think) slot at the Poor House Bistro.  I don’t stop down there very often, but today just sounds right for a couple of beers and some good music.
 

My sincere best wishes to all of you at this special time of year.  I have made many friends because of KKUP and this show, most of whom I have never seen, and I thank you all so much.  I'll talk to you again next week as I share the show with Paul, a good end to the year

*************************

Since it is still relatively new, I thought I’d mention that KKUP is now streaming on the internet and, while it is still in a developing stage, we have been putting out the word.  I’m not all of that good with high-tech stuff, but it seems pretty easy to access.  If you go to our website at KKUP.org you will see on the home page a strip of options immediately above the pictures of the musicians the next to the last option being LISTEN ONLINE.  By clicking this, it brings up a choice of desktop or mobile.  I can only speak for the desktop but after maybe a minute I was receiving a crystal clear feed.  As already mentioned, this is still a work in progress and we are currently limited to a finite number of listeners at any one time.  I mention this so you will be aware to turn off the application when you are not actually listening.  (I put the player in my favorites bar for the easiest of access.)  Now we can reach our listeners in Los Gatos and Palo Alto, even my family in Canada.  Let your friends elsewhere know they can now listen to your favorite station, and while they have the home page open they can check out our schedule.

*************************

I Just Want to Make Love to You
Maybellene
Double Trouble
Highway Killing Me
Leaving Again (Again)
   Foghat  

Got the Feeling

Situation
Max’s Tune
New Ways Train Train
   The Jeff Beck Group II 

You Can Fly

The Love of a Woman
Let It All Hang Out
Ventures
?Track 7
?Track 8
   Johnny Almond’s Music Machine   ?

Ride Ride Ride

Long Way to Go
What a Shame
Helping Hand
She’s Gone
   Foghat  

Ice Cream Cakes

Glad All Over
I Can’t Give Back the Love I Feel
Sugar Cane
Definitely Maybe
Going Down
   The Jeff Beck Group II 

Golden Arrow
Wild Cherry
That’ll Be the Day
Nothing I Won’t Do
   Foghat