Est. 2009 - aftersabbath.blogspot.com Hard Rock,
Proto-metal, Proto-Doom, Stoner Rock & Heavy Prog/Psych obscurities of the '60s and '70s.
Email: aftersabbath@live.co.uk
Welcome to volume 163! I had been considering some kind of collection of live recordings for a long time for TDATS, and quite recently a youtube subscriber to my channel (link) pointed me to a great performance of a short-lived, hard rock-orientated lineup of the Spencer Davis Group, on 'The Midnight Special' TV show, which set me off wondering what other heavy performances may be buried away in the show.
Wolfman Jack presenting The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special was an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC from 1972 to 1981, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. As a Brit, I was not aware of the show until the internet age and youtube videos etc, but i'm sure it's fondly remembered in the USA. It hosted one of Kiss's early TV appearances (1975 - link), being many metal head's first exposure to the band, donning full battle dress.
One of the upshots of the variety on display in The Midnight Special is the amusing introductions of the bands, made by the artists that were acting show-host for that particular episode. I have gone to lengths to preserve the introduction of each band in this comp, so we get such fascinating one-time-ever events as Barry White introducing The Eric Burdon Band, Curtis Mayfield introducing Status Quo and Gladys Knight (and one Pip) introducing the French/Moroccan hard rockers Les Variations, who have appeared here in TDATS before (v45 & v07).
Sugarman pitched the show to capitalize on the large post-Tonight Show audience (following Johnny Carson), targeting the 18-33 age group who attended concerts but watched little TV. NBC initially rejected it, so Sugarman bought the airtime himself for the August 19, 1972 pilot (hosted by John Denver) with sponsor, Chevrolet. Strong ratings led NBC to pick it up as a weekly series starting February 2, 1973.
DJ JJ Jackson interviews Robert Plant and Phil May on The Midnight Special
The title and theme song came from the traditional American folk/blues standard "Midnight Special," recorded by Johnny Rivers. Wolfman Jack served as announcer and frequent on-camera presence. At the beginning, it featured all-live performances (rare for the era, unlike lip-synced shows), spanning rock, pop, soul, R&B, folk, disco, country, and oldies/nostalgia acts. Occasional comedy (e.g. Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Andy Kaufman) and sketches appeared. Guest hosts rotated weekly (Helen Reddy was regular host 1975–1976). In later years, as disco peaked, the set shifted to a nightclub vibe, though it increasingly relied on lip-sync toward the end.
I noticed that during the life of the show, the emphasis on hard rock bands diminished (unfortunately for us), with a good proportion of heavy bands appearing in the early years, but not so many later on. This was partially due to the changing times of course, for example, Disco acts certainly became a significant part of the show in the later '70s.
Ratings declined after 1977. NBC canceled it in 1981 at the request of Dick Ebersol (to help revive Saturday Night Live), replacing it with the Canadian sketch series SCTV. The final episode aired May 1, 1981, after roughly 450 episodes. It remains a landmark in music television for bringing raw live acts into late-night homes.
TRACKS
01. Gladys Knight & Bubba Knight introduce Les Variations - 'I Don't Know Why' (1974) 02. Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) introduces The Charlie Daniels Band - 'Way Down Yonder' (1975) 03. Charles Miller (War) introduces Climax Blues Band - 'Shake Your Love' (1973) 04. Gordon Lightfoot introduces James Gang - 'The Devil Is Singing Our Song' (1974)
05. Smokey Robinson introduces Rare Earth - 'Hum Along And Dance' (1973)
06. Jim 'Dandy' Mangrum (Black Oak Arkansas) introduces Ruby Starr & Grey Ghost - 'Old West Outlaws' (1975) 07. Curtis Mayfield introduces Status Quo - 'Big Fat Mama' (1974) 08. Wolfman Jack introduces Sugarloaf - 'Don't Call Us, We'll Call You' (1975)
09. Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) introduces Spencer Davis Group - Don't Throw Your Change On Me (1975)
10. The Bee Gees introduce Lee Michaels - Barefootin' (1973)
11. Barry White introduces The Eric Burdon Band - 'The Real Me' (1974) 12. Wolfman Jack introduces Todd Rundgren's Utopia - 'The Seven Rays' (1975)
13. John Kay (Steppenwolf) introduces Steppenwolf - 'Gang War Blues' (1975)
14. Wolfman Jack introduces
Montrose - 'I Got The Fire' (1975)
15. Jose Feliciano introduces Johnny Winter - 'Rock and Roll' (1973)
16. Cub Koda (Brownsville Station) introduces Brownsville Station - 'Kings of the Party' (1974)
Of the acts here, a surprising number have already appeared in TDATS; Les Variations, Climax Blues Band, James Gang, Ruby Starr & Grey Ghost, Sugarloaf, Montrose, Johnny Winter and Brownsville Station, plus some others that I have not included in this volume, Cozy Powell's Bedlam and Italy's P.F.M. among them.
The Spencer Davis Group song is something of interest and particularly rare, the lineup seems to have been a one-off, assembled by Spencer especially for this show, in a time just after his group had already undergone major makeovers for recent albums. Maybe he intended this show lineup to last longer, but the 'Spencer Davis Group' as an entity went on hiatus for a decade after this performance. The band:
Buddy Sklar - lead vocals, formerly of The Hook, featured in vol48
Spencer Davis - rhythm guitar
Chris Pinnick (one-time Chicago member wiki) - lead guitar
Lee Dorman (from Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond) - bass
Drums: on one youtube video, the channel says the drummer Deane Hagen, but I have not been able to confirm this elsewhere.
If you liked this please explore this site further, with 160+ similar collections, articles and interviews. My social links are below, I also have a youtube channel (link).
Thanks for reading, until next time, rock on! Rich
Welcome to volume 162. Having touched very little on Asia so far, it's time to visit The Philippines! We now have four East Asian themed volumes: 36: Japan 1 |98: Savage Hell (Duo Kribo) |106: Indonesia 1 |162: Pinoy Rock 1
A point of notice to start, for any Substack users out there, I have created an account and will cross-post with blogspot, take a look over at aftersabbath.substack.com
This volume's cover art depicts Bernardo Carpio, a Filipine mythical figure with the strength to cause earthquakes. Some say Carpio was a giant, leaving enormous footprints in the mountains of Montalban.
So, this set brings fifteen acts new to TDATS, plus Juan De La Cruz Band, who appeared way back in v18 (link) but deserve more attention now. We have some super-fuzz surf rock from RJ And The Riots, plenty of bluesy and funky hard rock from Abrakadabra, Judas, Anak Bayan and Maria Cafra, garage rock from D'Swooners, The Grandells and The Downbeats, some girl-fronted glam rock from Sampaguita and a latin groove monster from Dakila. The legacy of Juan De La Cruz Band runs through this comp, with members also appearing solo or in other acts, such as singer/drummer Edmond "Bosyo" Fortuno, who was also in D'Swooners and Anak Bayan. In fact he's almost the star of this volume, playing in five of the acts mentioned.
One of Pinoy rock's significant influences was the U.S. military presence at bases like Subic Bay and Clark Air Base, established post-WWII and active since the Vietnam conflict. Thousands of troops on shore leave wanted live entertainment in Olongapo and Angeles City, where local bands covered American rock for GIs, honing their skills and creating the hybrid sounds that became Pinoy rock.
TRACKS
01. Frictions - Hoy Kumpare (1978) from album 'Gapô Vol. 2 02. Juan De La Cruz Band - Last Song (1974) from album Maskara 03. RJ And The Riots - Fuzzed (1964) from album RJ And The Riots 04. Wally Gonzalez - Kailan Pa Kaya (1978) from album Wally On The Road 05. Anak Bayan - Pagbalik Ng Kuwago (1978) single 06. Mike Hanopol - Circuit Rider (1977) from album Buhay Musikero 07. Blackbuster - Bump The Bump Pt 1 (1975) from album Blackbuster 08. Judas - Batugan (1978) from album Judas 09. Dakíla - Searchin' For My Soul (1972) from album Dakila 10. The Grandells - Freedom (1972) from album The Grandells On Top (Volume - 3) 11. D'Swooners - Please Please Trina (1968) from album Portrait Of D'Swooners 12. Maria Cafra - Karanasan (1978) from album Maria Cafra 13. Abrakadabra - Batugan (1978) from album Abrakadabra 14. Sampaguita - Easy Pare (1978) from album Sampaguita 15. The Downbeats - You Gotta Tell Me (1966) single 16. Joey Smith - Summer Wind (1978) single 17. Split Ends - Wow Pare Ko (1978) from album 'Gapô Vol. 1
20 minute Pinoy Rock documentary
The music in this compilation
'Gapô Vol. 2 LP
Frictions - Hoy Kumpare (1978) album: 'Gapô Vol. 2 Now to introduce the set with some bare harmonised Filipino vocals, leading into hook-laden late '70s melodic rock. This track is from the second 'Gapô compilation (1978), put out by Ace Records, one of the many sub-labels of Vicor Music Corporation, the major label of the country at this time. Ace Records appears to have specialised largely in acts from the city of Olongapo. These two compilations brought together a number of the popular bar acts of the city, some of which were not recorded anywhere else.
I found a facebook page 'Olongapo City Musician's Network' (link) which documents the '60s-'80s live scene, showing pictures of the local bars and the bands playing them, such as Frictions and other rock acts on the 'Gapô comps, including Split Ends and Our Daily Bread. There's a lot of comments on the page from American ex-servicemen, fondly reminiscing on Gapô's thriving music scene, with it's proximity to the Subic Bay Naval Base. An article on Frictions can be seen at abs-cbn.com (link) (backup link) with drummer Benny Quintana stating that the band started in 1969 and gigged in Hong Kong, and Saigon, where they got work playing for US troops. On return to Olongapo, they became house band at the Sierra Club and later, Genesis Club.
Juan De La Cruz Band - Last Song (1974) album: Maskara This is a striking, timeless-sounding track with a style and production that could easily be from a number of modern bands, especially those that feature bass up-front in the mix. The bass player in question here is Mike Hanopol, one of the key figures in Pinoy rock, as were all the members of Juan De La Cruz (JDLC).
The core of JDLC started in the sixties in The Downbeats, along with front man Eddie Reyes. This Manila act also played in Hong Kong and earned a living playing covers and British beat style music in clubs. They supported The Beatles' first shows in Manila in 1966, and after disbanding, members Joey 'Pepe' Smith, Mike Hanopol and Wally Gonzalez started a gigging band 'Zero History' in Japan. At this point Joey Smith was discovered by Japanese guitarist Shinki Chen and recruited to play drums and some guitar on the first album, 'Eve' (1971), of Shinki's new act which became known as Speed, Glue & Shinki. ('Speed' being a pseudonym for Joey Smith, 'Glue' being Japanese guitarist/bassist Masayoshi Kabe - both these nicknames arising from their respective drugs of choice).
Juan De La Cruz Band
Now, something I had no idea about until writing this was that the second, self-titled, album from Speed, Glue & Shinki in 1972, was actually put out after Shinki Chen and Masayoshi Kabe had disbanded due to falling-out with Smith, and (according to Wikipedia) was the result of Joey Smith poaching Eve session recordings and adding new contributions from himself and his Downbeats/Zero History bandmate, Mike Hanopol.
The long and the short of all this is that soon after, Smith returned to The Philippines where he re-joined with Hanopol and Gonzalez in Juan De La Cruz, a band that was started a little earlier by Wally Gonzalez and Edmond Fortuno, previously of D'Swooners (although Edmond had already split to start Anak Bayan before any JDLC records were released.
Phew, this rock family tree of twists eventually straightened-out to the classic JDLC three-piece of Smith, Hanopol and Gonzalez, and that was the lineup that recorded the 'Maskara' album from which I have used 'Last Song'. Maskara is the second album from the classic lineup after 1973's 'Himig Natin' LP, which contained the biggest commercial hit the band ever had, the album's tile track 'Himig Natin'. That song is considered by many as the start of Pinoy rock, and the 'Original Pilipino Music' (OPM) movement, the point where Pinoy rock started to forge its own identity away from the usual trappings of western rock & pop.
RJ And The Riots LP 1964
RJ And The Riots - Fuzzed (1964) album: RJ And The Riots Here's a nugget of fuzzy surf excellence from RJ & The Riots, a pioneering band formed in 1960 by teenager Ramon "RJ" Jacinto with schoolmates Alan Austria, Jimmy Colayco and Bernie Evangelista. Known for their signature instrumental hit 'Weightless', they were key figures in early Pinoy rock. The band, which released one self-titled LP in 1964 and many singles throughout the sixties, was heavily influenced by Washington's The Ventures, and helped popularize rock guitar music in the Philippines before disbanding in 1971.
RJ Jacinto has since become a radio / TV personality and political figure, having served as Undersecretary for Government Digital Broadcast Television and the Department of Information and Communications Technology. He is also the founder of the the country's first rock radio station, DZRJ.
Wally Gonzalez Wally On The Road LP
Wally Gonzalez - Kailan Pa Kaya (1978) album: Wally On The Road As described in the JDLC section above, Wally co-founded that important and successful band in 1968, the final album from them being 1981's 'Kahit Anong Mangyari'. In the late '70s he recorded two solo albums, 1977's 'Tunog Pinoy' and 1978's 'Wally On The Road', both of which concentrated largely on slower, introspective bluesier numbers like the behemoth I have included here, 'Kailan Pa Kaya' (with some exceptions such as 'Open Fire' (youtube), which could be from Ronnie Montrose). Wally On The Road experimented more with keyboards and studio effects, and gave him his biggest solo hit with 'Wally's Blues'.
In 1986 he retired from music to a job as a shipping treasurer. He resurfaced in 1995 with bar gigs as Wally and Friends, evolving into the Wally Gonzalez Bandwagon by 2002 to mentor young talents. Performances with long-time cohort Joey 'Pepe' Smith led to a 2005 JDLC reunion concert in Manila (youtube) with Mike Hanopol also back on board, followed by further occasional reunion shows visiting other countries such as Singapore, sadly curtailed in 2021 by Wally's death from Covid complications.
Anak Bayan - Pagbalik Ng Kuwago (1978) single This brooding track reminds me somewhat of a heavy rock take on the Peter Gunn theme, something that would perfectly suit a tense movie chase scene. This single was a comeback effort with a different line-up to the original Anak Bayan that recorded their sole album in 1973, which was shelved and released in 1977, after the original band had faded. Anak Bayan's album is more jazz-rock than hard rock, with the blues rocker 'Double Crosser' (youtube) being the track I would have used to represent them here if I hadn't gone with the 1978 single.
So, the single I've used here was made with a new line-up anchored around the founding member, drummer/vocalist Edmond "Bosyo" Fortuno. Most of this new line-up, including Edmond himself, were also the backing band for singer Sampaguita at the time. She is coming up in this comp.
By 1978 Edmond was a Pinoy rock veteran with involvement in other major acts (exemplified above with JDLC), having cut his teeth since the early '60s, primarily with D'Swooners, a Filipino group that had a 1965 hit with 'My Sonata of Love' and spent significant time in Hong Kong and Japan (also coming up later in this comp). It's said that Edmond left the early incarnation of JDLC to start Anak Bayan, partially from an urge to sing in Tagalog, a regional language pre-dating modern Filipino. There's a lot more to say about Edmond, talented in many styles of music including jazz. A good article can be found at aminorchord28.livejournal (link), based on interviews with Edmond, who passed away with meningitis in 2002.
Mike Hanopol - Buhay Musikero LP
Mike Hanopol - Circuit Rider (1977) album: Buhay Musikero On to another alumni of JDLC. This plaintive slow-burner from Mike Hanopol compares the life of a grizzled gigging musician to that of the 'Circuit Riders'; horse-back travelling preachers of 18th/19th century America.
Mike made three solo albums in the late seventies, all of similar quality. His self-titled 1980 album turned further away from heavy rock to a more polished pop sound and around the same time Mike collaborated with record producer Vic del Rosario to mastermind a Village People-inspired macho disco act called Hagibis. He was not a stage member of this band but writer and producer, seeing an opportunity to use his talents and experience to remain successful at a time when mainstream interest in '70s style rock was declining.
Mike has performed occasionally in the last 20 years, with his band Hanopology, appearing at venues like Cowboys Lair Bar (this month in 2026), and events such as the 2025 Rolling Stone Philippines Hall of Fame induction for JDLC (where Hanopology performed). In September 2025 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Filipino Music and Cultural Legacy at the Legacy Awards, honoring his enduring impact on Philippine rock.
Blackbuster 1975 LP
Blackbuster - Bump The Bump Pt 1 (1975) album: Blackbuster Here's a funky little palette cleanser. Blackbuster was a prominent Filipino studio and session band, known for their contributions to the Pinoy funk, disco, and instrumental pop scenes during the 'Manila Sound' era. Formed around 1975, the group featured seasoned Manila musicians including Snaffu Rigor (bass/vocals), Bob Guzman and Spanky Rigor (guitar).
Snaffu was previously in beat group Orly Ilacad & The Ramrods, and still in pop act Cinderella, Guzman was also in The Ramrods, and a Bee Gees style band called The Boyfriends, Spanky was in another big disco/funk act called VST & Company. Blackbuster specialized in groove-heavy tracks blending soul, funk, disco, and Latin influences, tracks such as their cover of 'Shack Up' have cult status in breakbeat and hip-hop circles for drum breaks.
Judas LP 1978
Judas - Batugan (1978) album: Judas Hailing from Angeles City, Judas only released one LP and I would personally put it in the 2nd tier of Pinoy hard rock albums along with Maria Cafra and Abrakadabra. These bands had a few good hard rock songs on their respective self-titled LPs but those were in a minority along with many ballads and pop songs. They remind me a little of the proliferation of US AOR albums in the late '70s that had technically good playing and production, and two or three excellent almost-metal hard rockers among the pop ballads and up-tempo boogie rock. See more on this subject in my AOR special: volume 91 (link).
Judas band
Sometimes I have to remember that it's not fair on these bands to regard them solely through the TDATS lens, I.E. looking for the heaviest tracks. They still deserve respect for making rock albums, in a country where that was almost certainly guaranteed to reap less rewards than soul / funk and pop albums.
You also have to consider that some of these bands that had a good live reputation and played for a number of years but didn't put much down on record, may not have been fully represented on that record that was aiming to make sales instead of rocking a club audience. I get the impression that these bands were heavier on-stage, which seems to be attested by the online comments made by Filipinos who saw them live in the day.
Going back to the Olongapo City Musician's Network facebook page, one commentator recalls the day he saw three heavy bands in one night at the Sherry Club. They were Psyclones, (which later became Maria Cafra), Energy Pills, and Drug Cult. Another person comments that Resty Fabunan (of Psyclones) was the 'Pinoy Hendrix'. Now, I want to hear those bands! Unfortunately neither Energy Pills or Drug Cult put out records...
Dakila LP 1972
Dakíla - Searchin' For My Soul (1972) album: Dakíla A hard-riffing nine minute trip right here...Dakila's album was re-issued by Guerssen a few years ago (link) and here is how they are described: "Dakila (a Filipino word meaning Greatness) emerged from the melting pot of musical fusions that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area of the late 60s. They often could be seen playing at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West, SF Winterland and all the major clubs in the SF Bay Area and festivals.
Singing in Tagalog, Spanish and English, Dakila was the first Filipino-American band signed to a major label [Epic]. Their sole album from 1972 combined their Filipino heritage with latin rock, psychedelia / acid-rock and afro-funk. The result was an explosive, hot jamming sound full of congas/percussion, Hammond, dual fuzz guitar, fuzz-bass…"
Dakila have been playing occasionally in the US since reforming, the most recent show advertised on their instagram (link) was last year in 2025.
The Grandells On Top (Volume 3)
The Grandells - Freedom (1972) album: The Grandells On Top (Volume - 3) Here's a funky anti-war song from a band that mostly made covers, of a wide range of music styles. It's surprisingly hard to find useful biography for the band considering that they seem to have done well, with many albums and singles on Discogs. I don't know if the song I used here, 'Freedom', is a cover....if you do, let me know!
The identity of the players is documented on various sites but I get the distinct impression that the identity of the band was of secondary importance their label, Grandeur, as they seem to have mainly been a vehicle for pumping out covers, like the many pop cover records released by exploitation labels around the world. Please do let me know if I am wrong there, and I will be glad to update this section in the future.
Portrait Of D'Swooners LP 1968
D'Swooners - Please Please Trina (1968) album: Portrait Of D'Swooners A Pinoy group that had success in Japan after a stint in Hong Kong. Apparently they had a hit with Please Please Trina in Japan, and before that, a hit in Hong Kong with pop ballad 'Sonata Of Love'. Like The Grandells, their albums mainly contained covers, but these guys liked to cover stuff like Hendrix, Cream and The Doors, making them a little more relevant to us at TDATS towers!
As mentioned already, Edmond Fortuno's time as drummer and singer in D'Swooners gave him the confidence to start JDLC with Wally Gonzalez on his return to The Philippines, although he didn't stick around long and split to start Anak Bayan before JDLC took off.
Maria Cafra LP 1978
Maria Cafra - Karanasan (1978) album: Maria Cafra Maria Cafra originated in Olongapo City, known for its live music culture, influenced by the U.S. naval base presence there, and blended blues rock, Latin influences, and traditional Filipino styles. The band started out as The Psyclones (or 'Psyclone Band') in the local bar scene in the the mid-1960s and were managed by the station manager of DZRJ AM, with their self-titled 1978 album produced by Snaffu Rigor of Cinderella, and Blackbuster (previously is this comp). The album 3-piece lineup was Jun Fabunan (bass), Rolly Averilla (drums) and Resty Fabunan (guitar, vocals).
Resty Fabunan of Maria Cafra
As front man and main writer, Resty is regarded as one of the best guitarists of '70s Pinoy rock, known for stage antics like burning his guitar. Maria Cafra have made a few more records and performed live occasionally since the '70s, including this year (2026) on the Vibe PH show (link).
Abrakadabra LP 1978
Abrakadabra - Batugan (1978) album: Abrakadabra Although their album was released in 1978 (with a cover depicting some of the band in Kiss style face paint), it seems that this band became a lot more famous in the '80s after winning GMA-7 TV's "Student Canteen Rock Explo" battle of the bands, December 5th 1981, performing a pastiche of Bohemian Rhapsody, Razamanaz, and their own song 'Bote Diyaryo' (youtube) which became a hit.
The Judges were the Australian 'Little River Band', who were playing there on tour. There's a set of pictures of the event on facebook (link) showing various members of Frictions (from track 1 here) also playing at the event.
Sampaguita LP 1978
Sampaguita - Easy Pare (1978) album: Sampaguita I had a hard time choosing between this stomping glam banger and the equally cool, almost Hawkwind-like 'Kinabukasan' (link), both from this good album. Sampaguita (the national flower, jasmine) is the stage name for Tessy Alfonso, who started out as a fashion model, and dancer on TV pop shows. Music producer Nilo Santos (who also worked with Mike Hanopol) developed her career, no doubt noticing that there was a lack of women in Pinoy rock 'n roll, something which I have also noticed while making this comp. There were many talented female folk & pop artists, but Sampaguita is (so far) the only Filipino woman of the 60s-70s period that I could find to include in TDATS.
Sampaguita (Tessy Alfonso)
The backing band on the debut LP was Gary Perez (guitar, writer/arranger), Edmond Fortuno (drums), Tony Aragon (keys) and Rey Nuñez (bass). As mentioned already, Perez and Fortuno were both in the reformed Anak Bayan at the time, and Tony Aragon is credited on Wally Ganzalez's first solo LP.
Sampaguita's debut performance was at the 1977 "New Moon Concert: Beginning of a new rock age" put on by Nilo Santos's Nilsan Productions, where Mike Hanopol, Maria Cafra and Anak Bayan also played, it must have been quite a show! (photos link). More albums and success followed in to the '90s, and Tessy still performs occasionally to this day.
Joey Smith - Summer Wind 45
Joey Smith - Summer Wind (1978) single This is a cool slow-burner, not too dissimilar to Mike Hanopol's 'Circuit Rider' included earlier, it certainly has that high planes wondering vibe. During a hiatus of JDLC, Smith formed his own short-lived band, The Airwaves, c.1976. The other members were Jun Lopito (guitar), Gary Perez (guitar), Gil Cruz (bass) and Edmond Fortuno (drums). Unfortunately there are no recordings of that combo. Smith released this double A-side single in 1978 and I cannot find much info on it...I wonder if it was a product of The Airwaves and maybe some of those names above played on it, or old friends from JDLC, or it could well have been just Joey playing all the parts himself, as he was a seasoned multi-instrumentalist by this point.
Split Ends - Wow Pare Ko (1978) album: 'Gapô Vol. 1 For our closer we go back to the 'Gapô comps that provided the opening track from Frictions. Split Ends were, of course, another popular Olongapo City bar band. As far as I can ascertain they were never on record apart from the 'Gapô Vol. 1 comp. There is a brief account of the band, written by Split Ends bass player Andrew Galang on facebook (link) where he says that the band was started in Okinawa and moved to Olongapo in 1975. I assume he means Okinawa in Japan, which apparently had close historical ties to The Philippines. Galang was also in a lineup of Frictions, or 'Friction Band' as it was otherwise known. This track starts with a great jazzy riff, that does return in the song but I wish it did so more often! Oh well, it's still a cool little song to end v162 of TDATS.
If you liked this please explore this site further, with 160+ similarly researched collections, articles and interviews. My social links are below, I also have a youtube channel (link).
Thanks for reading, until next time, rock on! Rich
Welcome to volume 161, a collection of tracks to percolate through the mind far longer than usual*, the third time I have done this, since v122 (link) and v145 (link).
We have 9 tracks from 8 new acts to TDATS, plus the welcome return of a band that first featured in the communist Germany volume 146, Lift.
As usual this covers the range of obscure heavy ‘70s psych, blues, hard rock and prog that I know listeners have become acquainted with over the years of this place, on this occasion, courtesy of acts from The UK, Germany, Italy, Australia, The USA and The Netherlands.
*these are genuine 8 minute+ tracks, certified 100% drum solo-free
TRACKS 01. Michael Fennelly - Sweet Pain (1975)
from album Stranger's Bed 02. Mr. Grabstein - Smoke (1975) from album Psychedelic Gems 3 03. Tymepiece - Shake Off (1971) from album Sweet Release 04. Catapult - Midsummer Switch (1974) from album Catapult 05. J.E.T. - Fede, Speranza, Carita (1972) from album Fede Speranza Carità
06. Hurricane Express - Death Watch (1978) from album Early Warning 07. Cockney Pride - Mess To The World (1978) from album IJmond Poparchief Volume 2 08. Lift - Tagesreise (1979) from album Meeresfahrt 09. Reg King - Savannah (1971) from album Reg King
Michael Fennelly - Sweet Pain (1975)
album: Stranger's Bed
Michael was the frontman / guitarist of Los Angeles’ Crabby Appleton, a band that is yet to appear here in TDATS. He made a solo album in 1975 including this slow-burning blues monster with evil guitar tone. The album heads in the more polished, mainstream direction that some blues rock was going in the later-70s but it has some other good tracks, and Michael’s killer guitar sound throughout. Fennelly interview at ItsPsychedelicBaby.
Mr. Grabstein - Smoke (1975)
album: Psychedelic Gems 3
According to the blurb in the comp that this track is taken from, Mr. Grabstein was an upcoming band of experienced musicians in the Saarland area of Germany, at times featuring members of GÄA (vol82). As far as I can tell this is the only recording of theirs that has been heard, even though they existed for a few years and recorded material for a studio album, which remains unheard. A shame, considering how good ‘Smoke’ is!
Tymepiece - Shake Off (1971)
album: Sweet Release
Tymepiece was an evolution of New South Wales (Australia) act The Black Diamonds. I remember being impressed by this (rare for the 1960s) promo video for Black Diamonds when someone posted it in the TDATS facebook group (link) many years ago.
Tymepiece’s studio album, ‘Sweet Release’, is a good listen. A diverse record covering heavy psych leaning towards progressive rock, and country rock, all to a high standard that I can easily recommend.
Catapult - Midsummer Switch (1974)
album: Catapult
Catapult was a Dutch band that made one album in 1974, where this track is from. They seem to have had more success after that by only making singles throughout the 1970s, which was a common thing for Dutch bands as you’ve probably read me commenting on before (see my interview with Blue Planet’s Art Bausch). If you like Neil Merryweather’s Space Ranger-era albums (see v68) then I think you’ll like Catapult too, they share a similar approach to theatrical heavy glam, the kind that would suit a flamboyant ‘70s musical, with a side-order of heavy prog and space rock. A heady combination indeed!
J.E.T. - Fede, Speranza, Carita (1972)
album: Fede Speranza Carità
J.E.T. was an Italian prog band, making exactly the kind of stuff that we love at TDATS, it’s about time they appeared here!
This is what the essential site italianprog.com (link) has to say about them:
“Their name is very popular among Italian music collectors because from their ashes came the commercial pop group Matia Bazar, and also among prog collectors because of their LP rarity.
Jet (or J.E.T. as their name was usually written) were formed in Genova at the beginning of the 70's from a previous band of the same name that also included later members of another pop band, Ricchi e Poveri. The group made their debut in 1971 at the radio contest "Un disco per l'estate" with their first single 'Vivere in Te', and two other singles a year later, 'Non la Posso Perdonare' and 'Il Segno Della Pace', were still in a melodic pop style.
Their first album, Fede Speranza Carità, also in 1972, derives from a radical turn in their musical style, to the then popular progressive rock, and is a very good album, with strong hard rock influences and falsetto vocals but with nice use of organ and a solid rhythm section, as in the long 'Sinfonia Per Un Re' that sometimes reminds of New Trolls' multivocal parts and Il Prete e Il Peccatore. Unfortunately this has been their only venture into prog territory, and later singles took them back to a commercial rock not particularly memorable.
In 1974 the band added a female voice (Antonella Ruggiero) and a new drummer (Giancarlo Golzi from Museo Rosenbach) changing name to Matia Bazar and starting a very long and successful career that, through many line-up changes, lasted up to the present.”
Hurricane Express - Death Watch (1978)
album: Early Warning
Here's a killer cut from a Wisconsin private press album. The whole album is worth a listen with lots of stand-out tracks, some more metallic than this blues rock workout. Here is what drummer Coop Philips wrote on his personal website (link):
“Hurricane Express was formed by Jerry Unger and Coop Philips in 1977. The band recorded at Shadetree Studios at the playboy club in Lake Geneva Wisconsin releasing the classic rock album "Early Warning" in 1978.
The band toured the midwest and was known for no holds barred rock and roll and for hosting large multi-band events at venues including the Electric Ballroom in Milwaukee and for annually rocking Summerfest.
Hurricane Express origins stemmed from bands that teamed Jerry and guitar brother Bill "Big Daddy" Unger with Coop Philips in Zanders Guitar brothers and had already cemented the boy’s following throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. Additional band members included John Steffens (bass and vocals on Early Warning album), Tom Jackson, Rick Holmes, Ralph Cybella, and Dave Unger (guitar) who was the third accomplished Unger guitar brother.”
Jerry Unger's old website shows that Hurricane Express toured again in 2018. (link)
(Milwaukee's Summerfest established 1968 is still going strong, running three weekends in a row every year! wiki)
Cockney Pride - Mess To The world (1978)
album: IJmond Poparchief Volume 2
Henk de Jonge (link), super-fan of classic Dutch blues rockers Bintangs, wrote this about the very obscure Dutch act ‘Cockney Pride’:
“Bintangs-related, of course, because Jan Wijte, guitarist/composer and former Bintang, played a leading role in this band. In 2015, he was the opening act for the Bintangs' Blues on the Ceiling Project and was also a member of that band. A unique song with a rather insignificant video. The band performed at a unique concert at De Slof in Beverwijk, where both the Bintangs, Kraaijeveld, and Cockney Pride were playing at the time. Remarkable. Equally remarkable is this recording, which was once released on cassette tape. Recorded on mobile in Beverwijk. Enjoy Jan Wijte's brilliance on guitar!”
Lift - Tagesreise (1979) album: Meeresfahrt This is an excerpt from the GDR volume of TDATS (link) where Lift first appeared here:
Lift arose from the 'Dresden-Septett' and gave their debut concert on January 28, 1973 in Dresden. In the early days, the personnel carousel turned very quickly. In 1973 after Wolfgang Scheffler's departure, Franz Bartzsch joined on keyboards, and Stephan Trepte as singer. Bartzsch's affiliation was short-lived and he left the group after only a year and a half to go to Veronika Fischer's Band. Wolfgang Scheffler then returned.
Werther Lohse, who is still the only remaining member from the early days, joined Lift in 1974, while guitarist Jürgen Heinrich and singer Christiane Ufholz left. Trepte then left in '76 and formed Reform. Henry Pacholski replaced him. During Scheffler's time in the army from May '75 to 1976, Michael Hausdorf and Peter Sandkaulen (guitar) came in for him first and Michael Heubach for Hausdorf from October '75, during which time the guitarist left and Scheffler, together with Pacholski, rejoined the band from October '76. Lift played recently in 2022, you can read a review of that at ostmusik (link). Some more biography can be read at ostbeat (link), deutsche-mugge (link) and ostmusik (link).
Reg King - Savannah (1971)
album: Reg King
Reg King was a multi-instrumentalist and writer who cut his teeth in ’60s acts The Action and The Boys. His main career continued behind the scenes in writing and production etc, including working with TDATS name Blossom Toes (see vol20). As is often the case with industry pros like this, if they happened to make a solo record, you can bet the supporting musicians were going to be good.
On this absolute barn-stormer, ‘Savannah’, we have no less than Brian Auger on keys, Brian Belshaw of Blossom Toes on bass, Barry Jenkins (Eric Burdon’s Animals, Heavy Jelly) on drums, Mick Taylor (The Stones) on guitar and Joe Jammer on guitar (who by pure coincidence was on the previous TDATS: v160!).
If you liked this please explore this site further, with 160+ similarly researched collections, articles and interviews. My social links are below, I also have a youtube channel (link).
Thanks for reading, until next time, a merry Christmas and a happy new year to all! Rich
Unzip problem? Make sure you enter the password, and for MAC users especially, I recommend using the free, opensource program 7Zip (there is a MAC version too), which is what I make the zips with. Feel free to contact me, or report dead/erroneous links, at: aftersabbath@live.co.uk If you have trouble with any volumes in particular email me.
Recommendations and advice is always appreciated, Cheers! Rich
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