Jo Jo Gunne/Bite Down Hard/Jumpin' the Gun/So... Where's the Show? CD

Jo Jo Gunne/Bite Down Hard/Jumpin' the Gun/So... Where's the Show? CD music Jack Bruce must have enjoyed his 2005 get-together with Cream so much that, when Clapton and Baker were unwilling to continue the collaboration, he rang up Robin Trower to renew the brief power trio fling they had in the mid-'80s. The Trower-Bruce pairing had released only two albums, B.L.T. and Truce, and was dormant since 1982, so this 2007 reunion was somewhat of a continuation of the project, albeit one separated by a quarter century. The results impressively continue where Truce left off, as Bruce brings his distinctive croon/moan to bluesy, riff-oriented tunes dominated by Trower's silvery guitar runs. Gary Husband fills the drum slot adequately if inconspicuously, but his contributions are mixed so far under Bruce's vocals and Trower's guitar that they are secondary. The previous two releases called in Trower's old Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid and Bruce collaborator Peter Brown to write the words, but Bruce and Trower pen these 11 songs without outside assistance. Most tunes such as "Lives of Clay," a barely concealed rewrite of Cream's "Politician" lick, revisit familiar territory, and clearly these guys are not out to expand any boundaries. Bruce, who has had serious medical problems since they last recorded, sounds terrific -- strong and vibrant, even if a few tunes such as the minor-key ballad "I'm Home" seem somewhat clunky. This disc's "So Far to Yesterday" recalls Trower's "Twice Removed from Yesterday" both in its title and general mood. The yin/yang pairing keeps Bruce's more oblique jazz influences in check and does the same for Trower's space rock instincts, yielding a throwback that fans of both artists' previous work should enjoy. Trower's patented Hendrix-styled guitar adds a psychedelic edge to songs that generally stick to a midtempo lope and never blast out with Cream's insistent power, which can be somewhat frustrating to anyone who would like to hear these guys let loose. Still, there are enough strong moments on Seven Moons to recommend it, especially to those who enjoyed the duo's previous work 25 years ago. ~ Hal Horowitz Personnel: Robin Trower (vocals, guitar); Jack Bruce (vocals, bass guitar); Gary Husband (drums).

Jo Jo Gunne/Bite Down Hard/Jumpin' the Gun/So... Where's the Show? buy CD music This double-CD set is not only the best of Bill Chase's output but -- comprising all three of their albums -- virtually their complete finished studio work, before the plane crash that killed Chase and much of the group. The mastering on this Wounded Bird reissue is excellent, with a full solid bass sound topped by soaring highs on the brass and no compression to speak of. It's not as though this catalog has been overused, in terms of its master tape library -- apart from the hit "Get It On" -- but it's still good to know that the stuff has been well handled in terms of being digitalized. Additionally, the producers have reprinted Nat Hentoff's original essay about the group from their first album (and oh, for a time when college audiences could resonate to the writings of someone like Hentoff, who is now as much of a legend as a writer as the jazz people he wrote about are as musicians....); and they've also reproduced the beautifully designed back covers of each album, as well as their front cover art. It's a bargain in any language, and a fresh opportunity to hear this band's repertory beyond their one and only hit and the album it was attached to. Chase was much more than just a jazz-rock outfit looking for pop success, as those two subsequent albums reveal, in lush detail and rich textures (and bold, forceful nuances) on the second disc in this set. For not quite two hours of some of the better music to come from Columbia Records or that jazz-rock boom of the early '70s that wasn't made by Blood, Sweat & Tears or Chicago, grab it. ~ Bruce Eder Chase (Bill): Alan Ware, Bill Chase (trumpet); Terry Richards, Phil Porter, Gary Smith , Dennis Johnson. Personnel: Terry Richards (vocals); Phil Porter (keyboards); Dennis Johnson (bass instrument); Gary Smith (drums).

Jo Jo Gunne/Bite Down Hard/Jumpin' the Gun/So... Where's the Show? songs Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch (DigiPrep, Hollywood, California). It may pale next to the 29-track California Country, but this is the finest extant single-disc collection on Wynn Stewart, gathering most of his best cuts for Challenge and three of his early Jackpot singles, including the lost classics "How the Other Half Lives" and "Above and Beyond (The Call of Love)." Fans might be disappointed at what isn't here, but Very Best of does feature two good songs ("One Way to Go" and "Don't Look Back") missing from California Country, and is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of one of the finest voices ever to slip under the country music radar. ~ Jim Smith Includes liner notes by Colin Escott. Compilation producers: Cary E. Mansfield, Colin Escott. Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch. Liner Note Author: Colin Escott. Recording information: 04/??/1958-05/24/1962. Personnel includes: Wynn Stewart, Jan Howard. Producer: Joe Johnson.

Jo Jo Gunne/Bite Down Hard/Jumpin' the Gun/So... Where's the Show? album for sale Trapeze were the first act signed by the Moody Blues to their newly founded Threshold Records label, and remain the most substantial talent -- along with Nicky James -- ever to pass through that company's roster, apart from the Moodies themselves. Those listeners who only know the subsequent albums by Trapeze may be surprised by this debut effort, the sole recording left behind by the original five-piece version of the band. With Moody Blues bassist John Lodge producing a lineup that included ex-Montanas lead singer John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist Terry Rowley alongside singer/guitarist Mel Galley, bassist Glenn Hughes, and drummer Dave Holland, late of Finders Keepers, the sounds here don't closely resemble the hard-rocking work of the subsequent trio -- there are lush choruses, psychedelic interludes, and hook-laden romantic ballads scattered throughout this record. Yet that trio, of Hughes, Galley, and Holland, is pumping out high-energy music within the context of psychedelic pop/rock throughout this album, which comes off as a much higher-wattage alternative to the Moody Blues. And in some respects, this album also closely resembles the better moments on those three early Deep Purple albums (the ones with Rod Evans on lead vocals), when they were essentially a hard rock outfit still playing pop/rock -- the results aren't bad and, in fact, are quite catchy at times, but it's clear that three of these musicians are holding back to one degree or another in these surroundings. Galley's high-energy leads and power chords and Hughes' already larger-than-life bass are the dominant sounds about 60 percent of the time, overpowering much around them, with songs like the Galley/Jones-composed "Fairytale" and Hughes-authored "Am I" pointing the way to their future sound -- and even on Rowley's rock ballad "Send Me No More Letters," Holland is playing drums about as hard as the music will permit. The core trio does find a good compromise with Rowley and Jones' more lyrical, psychedelic pop sensibilities, and Trapeze probably could have held this sound together longer than they did but for Jones' and Rowley's departures. But it's also clear that there was another band trying to break out from within the sound of this lineup, which happened later in the year when Trapeze were reduced to a trio. ~ Bruce Eder Digitally remastered edition of the first Trapeze album originally released in 1970 and produced by The Moody Blues' John Lodge. Unavailable on CD for some 13 years, this was the bands debut album with 14 tracks and a great insight into how Trapeze developed over the next the next 3 albums. Features extensive sleevenotes and original artwork. Liner Note Author: Nigel Williamson. Recording information: Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London, England; Morgan Studios, London, England. Photographers: David Wedgbury; Barry Wentzell. Unknown Contributor Roles: Dave Holland ; Jerry Rowley; Glenn Hughes ; John Jones. Trapeze includes: Mel Galley, Glen Hughes, Dave Holland. Personnel: Glenn Hughes (vocals, guitar, trombone, piano, bass guitar); John Jones (vocals, trumpet); Terry Rowley (guitar, flute, piano, organ, keyboards); Mel Galley (guitar, bass guitar); Dave Holland (drums).

Jo Jo Gunne/Bite Down Hard/Jumpin' the Gun/So... Where's the Show? CD music Digitally remastered CD edition of this 1979 live album from Southern rockers Atlanta Rhythm Section which showed the world the power that ARS could bring to a live performance. Following the band's biggest album chart success in 1978 with Champagne Jam, which was the breakthrough album for ARS, Are You Ready! made #51 in the US charts. ARS have been part of the Southern Rock scene for more than 30 years and with 15 albums of outstanding songwriting and performances, they represent all the good things the phrase 'classic rock' implies. . Beat Goes On. Audio Mixer: Rodney Mills. Audio Remasterer: Andrew Thompson . Liner Note Author: Campbell Devine. Photographers: Rick Diamond; Sam Emerson; Mike McCarty.

Jo Jo Gunne/Bite Down Hard/Jumpin' the Gun/So... Where's the Show? buy CD music Digitally remastered two-fer from the Southern Rock band containing a pair of albums on one CD: Third Annual Pipe Dream (1974) and A Rock & Roll Alternative (1976). Often described as a more radio-friendly version of Lynyrd Skynyrd ...