The Fat Angel Sings

“Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the ’70s” a new book that will be released on July 25th by Maplewood resident Alan Paul, is more about the story than the album. It uses a great album as a launching pad for a thorough exploration of an artist at a unique and fascinating point in their history.

Paul’s book says everything that needs to be said about the Allman Brothers Band in the heady five-year period between the death of its uncontested leader Duane Allman in 1971 and the breakup of the band in 1976. “Brothers and Sisters” featuring the band’s biggest hit, “Ramblin’ Man” came out in 1973). Also, as Paul writes, “Telling the story of the album reveals a larger story, a story about the nation itself.”

Paul, who has conducted extensive interviews with just about everyone in the Allman Brothers world (and also draws on hundreds of hours of interviews by Kirk West for a book that never got written), has previously written the definitive book on Allman Brothers Band history, “One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band.” given everything that happened to the band from ’71 to ’76. Here is a summary of what Paul covers in great detail, in every case in the book:

• The despair created by Duane Allman’s death — followed by the death of another band co-founder, bassist Berry Oakley, in 1972 and the band’s subsequent reinvention, with singer-songwriter-guitarist Dickey Betts taking on a greater role, and keyboardist Chuck Leavell and bassist Lamar Williams making vital contributions.

• The emergence of Betts and Gregg Allman as solo artists. Allman released his first solo album, “Laid Back” in 1973; Betts followed with “Highway Call” in 1974.

• The deep bond between The Allman Brothers Band and The Grateful Dead, which peaked with the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen festival featuring both groups, along with The Band at a raceway outside of Watkins Glen, New York, in 1973. The event attracted 600,000 fans, which is significantly more than Woodstock did.

• The emergence of Southern rock as a nationally known genre, with groups like The Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd — which had their first hits in 1973 and 1974, respectively following The Allman Brothers Band’s lead.

• A feud with Rolling Stone magazine, which had published an unflattering feature on the band in 1971. The band agreed to another feature, in 1973, written by a young Cameron Crowe, with Gregg Allman turning out to be an elusive but ultimately cooperative interview subject. (Crowe’s 2000 film “Almost Famous” is partially based on his experiences with the band).

• The band’s friendship with Jimmy Carter, who was serving as governor of Georgia during this time period though he had his eyes on the presidency (he officially announced his candidacy in December 1974). A 1975 benefit concert gave Carter’s campaign an infusion of cash when it really needed it, and the Allmans’ support helped raise his national profile.

• Gregg Allman’s unlikely relationship with Cher, whom he met in early 1975 and wed later that year. Their rocky marriage ended with a 1979 divorce. (Betts, incidentally, became romantically involved with Cher’s personal assistant and friend, Paulette Eghiazarian, and married her in 1977.)

• The band’s growing dissatisfaction with their manager, Phil Walden, and the recording and publishing deals he had set up for them. Like many musicians of their generation, the Allmans didn’t pay much attention to contracts early on, were taken advantage of, and tried to resolve their problems with lawsuits, later.

• The 1976 drug trafficking trial against the band’s road manager Scooter Herring, in which Gregg Allman testified, to his bandmates’ dismay and (arguably unreasonable) disapproval. They were already growing apart, but this was the final straw in the breakup.

Paul, of course, takes a close look at “Brothers and Sisters”, too, which, in addition to “Ramblin’ Man,” includes top-notch songs such as “Jessica,” “Wasted Words,” “Southbound” and “Come and Go Blues.” I and, I think, many other Allman Brothers Band fans consider previous albums “The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East” (1971) and “Eat a Peach” (1972) to be superior, musically. But “Brothers and Sisters” had “Ramblin’ Man,” and “Ramblin’ Man” was the main factor behind all the extra-musical chaos that fills much of this book.

Allman Brother Band member Butch Trucks’ son Vaylor is pictured on the cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s 1973 album “Brothers and Sisters.”

“I didn’t realize what a huge difference having a top-five song would make because we never had never had a hit single,” Paul quotes Betts as saying. Betts also says that when “Ramblin’ Man” became a hit, “everything changed. The band reached a whole other level. The places we played got bigger, the crowds were huge and the money was just pouring in.”

Did “Brothers and Sisters” define the ’70s, as Paul asserts in his book title? I wouldn’t go that far. But it certainly played a big part in one of the decade’s most remarkable rock ‘n’ roll stories, which becomes a real page-turner via Paul’s authoritative storytelling.

As Paul writes in the book’s preface, the band was “teetering on collapse” before and after the album came out. Yet the music was so strong it made them superstars, anyway.

He also writes in the preface that the book “covers the band’s evolution from a modern blues group based in Georgia but rooted in the studios and music halls of New York, San Francisco, and Miami to a group forging a new, distinctively southern sound a Macon sound that deeply impacted not only music but also the nation’s culture and politics.”

Replacing Eric Clapton with Peter Green was John Mayall’s masterstroke. While the guitarist stayed less than a year he left an indelible mark on “A Hard Road” with the instrumental “The SuperNatural” – exploring the sustained tone he’d use for “Albatross” in Fleetwood Mac – and The Same Way, which was an embryonic “Man Of The World”. Mayall had moved on too. There’s an unexpected zest to Leaping Christine and he jousts on bottle-neck with Green on Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom“. New drummer Aynsley Dunbar freshens up the rhythm section but its Mayall’s blend of original songs and covers that gives the Bluesbreakers their own identity.

John Mayall’s third LP and the follow-up to the mighty “Beano Album” had some big shoes to fill.  But with Peter Green on board in place of the departed Eric Clapton, and Aynsley Dunbar taking over on drums, “A Hard Road” was an undisputed triumph and remains one of the truly essential pure blues rock albums of the era. 

Mayall recognised the value of his new guitarist and Green was given acres of space to show off his skills.  He contributed two timeless guitar instrumentals – a masterful version of Freddie King’s “The Stumble” and his own “The Super-Natural”, the latter an ethereal proto-Santana style piece, almost worth the price of admission alone.  Green also took lead vocals on Willie Cobbs’ 1961 song “You Don’t Love Me” (later immortalised by the Allman Brothers) and the self-penned “The Same Way”.  John Mayall wrote eight of the 14 tracks and provided the suitably rustic sleeve artwork. 

The Bluesbreakers was a band in constant flux and during Peter Green’s brief 11-month stint with Mayall, no fewer than five drummers passed through the ranks, all of them still well-known names today.  As well as Aynsley Dunbar, there was “Beano Album” veteran Hughie Flint, who was there when Peter joined and Keef Hartley who arrived just before he quit.  Mick Fleetwood and Mickey Waller also briefly came and went in the interim.  

Notes: 

• The 2003 double CD reissue of “A Hard Road” contained no fewer than 22 bonus tracks, compiling all the non-album studio recordings Peter Green made with the Bluesbreakers between 1966–1968.  These included singles, B sides and the rare UK-only 1967 John Mayall and Paul Butterfield EP collaboration “All My Life”.  A 2006 single disc CD contained 14 extra tracks, mostly drawn from the same sources but adding four additional BBC recordings  
• “A Hard Road” reached #8 in the UK in 1967, Mayall’s third highest chart showing overall, after “Bare Wires” and “The Beano Album”
• BBC Radio 1’s The Friday Rock Show hosted by Tommy Vance in the 80s used the “A Hard Road” version of “The Stumble” as its theme music for many years
• Standout track: “The Super-Natural“
• Blues highlight: “Someday After A While (You’ll Be Sorry)”

John Mayall: Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, Peter Green: Guitar, vocals, John McVie: Bass, Aynsley Dunbar: Drums, Plus: John Almond: Saxophone, Alan Skidmore: Saxophone, Ray Warleigh: Wind instruments.

Originally Released: February 1967

Beneath virtually every live clip of The Last Dinner Party, a familiar question seems to pop up again and again: where can I hear more? An elusive band that only exists live on stage, the answer up until now has been simple – get down to one of their shows.

The band’s origin story isn’t “particularly romantic,” concedes bassist Georgia Davies, who first met guitarist and backing vocalist Lizzie Mayland at their uni halls on a quest for beer. Later that week, the pair bumped into and befriended Abigail at New Cross boozer Marquis of Granby. Emily Roberts (lead guitar) and Aurora Nischevi (keys), who later completed the band’s line-up, both come from more classical backgrounds and studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. “I think it’s really lucky that we’ve all come from such different places musically,” Abigail says.

The well-earned buzz surrounding the band has echoes of the feral excitement that followed Savages’ earliest live shows at The Macbeth. As ringleader Abigail Morris puts it, neatly summarising their stylings: “We’re just five dads trapped in gorgeous young bodies.”

Deacon Blue have released a new acoustic version of their classic hit ‘Chocolate Girl’. This version of the much-loved track is taken from the brand new acoustic album “Peace Will Come” that is included within the forthcoming “You Can Have It All ” A 14CD Box Set.

Thirty-six years since their debut single, ‘Dignity’ – and their debut album, “Raintown” Deacon Blue have announced their most comprehensive greatest hits anthology to date, along with a career-spanning box set. “All The Old 45s – The Very Best of Deacon Blue” (2CD / double vinyl), and the 14CD Box Set “You Can Have It All – The Complete Albums Collection”, which includes a brand-new unplugged CD, will be released by Cooking Vinyl on September 1st, 2023.

Along with that new song, ‘Peace Will Come’ – a unifying hymn for the ages, which echoes Deacon Blue’s earliest single – the unplugged CD revels in fresh takes on harmonic career-highs like ‘Chocolate Girl’ (from Raintown), ‘Delivery Man’ (from 2016’s Believers), and ‘In Our Room’ (from City of Love) – and that’s not to mention gorgeous renditions of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’, and their long-standing live encore of Bob Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’. Recording the “Peace Will Come” CD has been a galvanising experience for the band, says Ross. “It ended up being a vital artistic exercise for us. After we’d finished, I did think – ‘Why have we never done this before?’”

“All The Old 45s – The Very Best of Deacon Blue” coincides with the band’s UK and Ireland tour of the same name, and charts their multi-million selling history – from bringing ‘Chocolate Girl’ and ‘Dignity’ to life in the corner of a Glasgow basement, to skyscraping, stadium-filling hits like ‘Wages Day’ and ‘Real Gone Kid’, via their swoon-inducing tribute to Bacharach and David (‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’), their collective favourite single ‘Your Swaying Arms’, and one of the most significant songs in the Deacon Blue canon, which followed a split in 1994 and the loss of two original members: 2012’s comeback single ‘The Hipsters’ heralded a new lease of life for the group, and jump-started a second act that’s seen them more fired up, and prolific, than ever.

“We’ve added so many songs, albums and EPs which have become a strong part of Deacon Blue and our live repertoire since ‘The Hipsters’ in 2012,” says songwriter and vocalist Ricky Ross. “It feels like the right time to celebrate that; to release something that’s a true compilation of our music so far.”

Ricky Ross said of the song, “‘Chocolate Girl’ was the best ‘flop’ single we ever had. It never made the Top 40 but seemed to be played on the radio as much as anything else we’d released.  It meant that people kept checking out our debut album, “Raintown” and we’ve always been grateful”.

After earning a top 5 chart position in the UK Official Albums Chart and widespread critical acclaim for their self-titled debut album, Far From Saints today announce details of their first full UK headline tour alongside the release of the new single ‘Let The Light Shine Over You’.

Far From Saints’ new single ‘Let The Light Shine Over You’ is already established as a staple of their live shows and was heralded “as one of the most stunning tracks on the record, with some gorgeous strings accompanying Jones and Lynn and adding another element to an already vast soundscape.” The soulful slowburner is a warm embrace of a song, with lyrics that offer a glimpse of positivity for whenever the demands of life begin to feel like too much.

Consisting of Kelly Jones of Stereophonics with Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker from The Wind and The Wave, Far From Saints have made a striking impression with their select shows to date. They received a rapturous reception at their sold-out headline show at EartH Theatre, hit the Glastonbury and Black Deer festivals, played stadiums with Kings of Leon, a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit with Roger Daltrey and major outdoor shows with Paul Weller and Incubus.

Taken from the debut album ‘Far From Saints’ out now and also featuring ‘Let’s Turn This Back Around’, ‘Take It Through The Night’ and ‘Screaming Hallelujah’.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds reveal the video for the new single ‘Open The Door, See What You Find’. The candid performance video was filmed in the legendary Studio 1 at Abbey Road Studios, where the tracks’ uplifting strings were recorded in April of last year.

‘Open The Door, See What You Find’ forms the centrepiece of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds recent studio album ‘Council Skies’. The track is a prime example of a master songwriter at the very peak of their powers and reaches an incredible sense of release in its soaring chorus. The track is one of three on ‘Council Skies’ to feature Johnny Marr on guitar.

Discussing the writing and recording process at his North London Lone Star Studios, Noel says: “Johnny’s guitar here is great – distinctive, and simple, and you wouldn’t think it was him playing on it. There’s so much joy in this track. Lyrically, the premise is that at a certain point in your life that you look in a mirror and you see all you’ve ever been and all you’re ever going to be. And it’s about being happy with that. Being happy with where you are in life, with who you are, and where you’re going. Life is good!”

‘Open The Door, See What You Find’ follows the singles ‘Pretty Boy’, ‘Easy Now’ and the recent title track ‘Council Skies’. A decade since the formation of High Flying Birds, ‘Council Skies’, produced by Noel and Paul ‘Strangeboy’ Stacey, this is the band’s fourth studio album, released on Sour Mash Records. The album was greeted with a wave of acclaim from fans and critics alike and is widely regarded as Noel’s most complete solo statement to date.

The Sherlocks’ recent singles have seen the band throw themselves headfirst into a sound that ups the ante in every possible way: hookier, edgier, full of attitude and just plain bigger than anything they’ve done before. And it’s paying off, with support Tune of the Week at Radio 1 as well as picking up further airplay while their live plans are also going from strength to strength.

With strong ticket sales for their biggest UK headline tour to date this autumn, the band then announced their biggest European headline tour, which will see them hit another eleven countries.

Firmly on a roll, The Sherlocks fire forwards towards the August 4th release of their new album ‘People Like Me & You’ by sharing their new single ‘Remember All The Girls’. 

A song which perfectly captures The Sherlocks’ live energy, ‘Remember All The Girls’ emerges from its scene-setting introduction and erupts into a melody firecracker full of buzzsaw guitars and pulse-racing rhythms. Bringing an accomplished control to their livewire indie/alt-rock hybrid, its rapid pace nonetheless sees frontman Kiaran Crook in a reflective mood. Looking back to teenage years dominated by cliques, rivalry and trends, he now sees that things that were then all-consuming are now irrelevant.

Kiaran says, “Everybody seems to judge each other at that age. It’s only when you get older you realise ‘why did I care so much?’”

‘Remember All The Girls’ opens the ‘People Like Me & You’ album with a bang before The Sherlocks go harder with the record’s lead single ‘Sirens’. From there it doesn’t let up, taking into strident, arena-scale synth-rock, classic indie-pop albums, dancey beats and some welcome surprises throughout. It’s all united by the band’s commitment to raise the bar and, in the process, create a new peak moment in a discography that has already delivered two Top 10 albums.

In recent weeks, The Sherlocks have been packing venues across Britain with a run of intimate shows hosted by local independent record stores. 

Nearly ten years in the making, “The Task Has Overwhelmed Us” is the long-awaited fourth volume in The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project series.  Following “We Are Only Riders” (2009), “The Journey Is Long” (2012) and “Axels and Sockets” (2014), “The Task Has Overwhelmed Us” presents stellar interpretations of tracks from Pierce’s Gun Club and solo canons along with fresh works constructed from rehearsal skeletons, and previously unheard lyrics. ‘Mother Of Earth’ by Dave Gahan is the opening track from this instalment and the second single from the album.

This haunting classic from The Gun Club’s album ‘Miami’ gets reinterpreted as a soul-clenching, gospel-infused, piano-driven anthem led by the Depeche Mode frontman and produced and arranged by Australian-born, Brighton-based singer-guitarist Suzie Stapleton. The song is awarded extra resonance by Gahan’s meaty baritone, evocatively garnished by his own lead guitar, Suzie’s piano and backing vocals, violin by James Johnston (Gallon Drunk, The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey), Gavin Jay (Jim Jones Revue / All Stars) on bass, and Ian White (Gallon Drunk) on drums.

Stapleton says, “This started off with me tinkering on piano in my home studio. The lyrics are so beautiful and evocative and I wanted to see if I could take this song to a different place – a tricky endeavour when the original is so perfect. When I invited Dave to take part in the project he was working on the Soulsavers covers record ‘Imposter’ and had been playing around with his own version of “Mother of Earth” which they didn’t end up recording. So I showed him my version, and he agreed to take part – It was very serendipitous.”

Gahan beautifully plugs into Jeffrey’s spine-chilling acknowledgement of his own self-destruction. Talking about the song, Jeffrey acknowledged he’d sealed his fate. “You think about your home, ‘Gee wouldn’t it be great if I could be back there again but I’m too far gone now, I’m in the abyss now, I’m hopeless now, I give up’. That’s what ‘Mother Of Earth’ is about… like, going up the river in Apocalypse Now or something? I’d gone all the way up the Cambodian River and it had completely ruined my life. I’d become completely jaded and soulless and meaningless. I just kept thinking ‘I can never go back there again, I’m too far into this now.’ I could see now what my life was going to be like.”

Gahan nails exactly that with sensitivity and control over Stapleton’s evocatively conceived backdrop. The film clip was shot in London during the Depeche Mode World Tour, which is currently in full swing in support of their stunning new album ‘Momento Mori’.

‘The Task Has Overwhelmed Us’ will be released on September 29th via Glitterhouse Records and also features Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, Warren Ellis, Mick Harvey, Lydia Lunch, Cypress Grove, Mark Stewart, Jim Jones, Jim Jarmusch, Peter Hayes, The Coathangers, Suzie Stapleton, Duke Garwood & more.

The single “Los Angeles” demonstrates The Lonely Together’s ability to blend ethereal melodies with introspective lyrics, transporting listeners to a dreamlike euphoria. The song showcases the band’s signature sound, combining indie rock, shoegaze, and atmospheric pop elements, resulting in an emotionally resonant and captivating sonic experience.

Drawing inspiration from the city of angels, “Los Angeles” captures the essence of wanderlust and longing, portraying a journey of self-discovery and finding solace in unfamiliar places. The delicate instrumentation, paired with hauntingly beautiful vocals, immerses listeners in a hazy, otherworldly atmosphere that stays with them long after the final note fades away.

As they continue to build a devoted fanbase, The Lonely Together’s “Los Angeles” leaves an indelible mark on the dream rock genre and captivates audiences worldwide.

There are certain albums in the extensive Neil Young Archives that take on a unique life of their own. Maybe it’s their rarity, or a galvanizing reputation that sets them apart. One of the most anticipated releases in this ongoing musical march is the live collection “Odeon Budakan”, recorded with Crazy Horse, scheduled for September 1st, release via Reprise Records, Neil Young’s home label for over 50 years. 

“Odeon Budokan” on vinyl for the first time on September 1st. “Odeon Budakan” is a rare live album that was recorded in 1976 in London and Tokyo.

Originally recorded in 1976 almost a world apart at two overseas venues: Hammersmith Odeon in London and Nippon Budokan Hall In Tokyo. The ten-track album includes an electrifying range of songs, from well-known classics to true surprises. Tracks on Side 1 were recorded in London March 31st, 1976, and feature Neil Young’s solo set on guitar and piano from the first half of the concert. Side 2 tracks were recorded two weeks earlier on March 11th, 1976, with Young and Crazy Horse at an early electric apex. 

This is the first official vinyl release of the previously unissued “Odeon Budakan”. It has only been available on Compact Disc as part of Neil Young’s ARCHIVES VOLUME II box set, released in 2020 in the highest-grade audio high fidelity. Young’s songs like “Cowgirl In the Sand,” “Cortez the Killer,” “Lotta Love,” “Stringman” and others are heard at their absolute highest peak. The ten-track album includes an electrifying range of songs, from well-known classics to true surprises.

This is the first official vinyl release of the previously unissued “Odeon Budakan”. it has only been available on compact disc as part of Neil Young’s archives volume ii box set.

This album was produced by David Briggs shortly after the 1976 tour. It was put on hold because of other albums that were being made and released at the time.

“Odeon Budokan” will be available at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives (NYA) and music retailers everywhere. Hi-res digital audio will be available at Neil Young Archives and most DSPs. All Greedy Hand Store purchases come with free hi-res digital audio downloads from the Xstream Store © at NYA. Once again, Neil Young’s lifetime of music is on the move.