Connie Smith - Connie In The Country (1967)

Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music artist.

Active since 1964, Smith is widely considered to be one of the genre's best female vocalists. She has earned 11 Grammy award nominations, 20 top ten Billboard country singles, and 31 charting albums, three of which have hit number one. On October 21, 2012, Smith became the 12th solo female vocalist and 19th woman to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Despite her success, Smith is considered by some music critics to be one of the most underrated vocalists in country music history due to the decision not to pursue super stardom with the non-country general media market like such contemporaries as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette. Artists such as Parton, George Jones, and Chely Wright have cited Smith as either one of the best vocalists in the music industry or their favorite female artist. Eddie Stubbs of Nashville radio station WSM and the Grand Ole Opry has dubbed Smith "The Rolls-Royce of Country Singers."

“Connie In The Country” is her seventh studio album, released in February 1967 as a budget album on RCA Camden Records and was produced by Bob Ferguson.

“Connie in the Country” contained ten tracks. The album was a showcase of unreleased material Smith has recorded in the RCA studios between August 22 and August 23, 1966.
The album included cover versions of Loretta Lynn's "World of Forgotten People," Buck Owens's "Foolin' Around" and "Love's Gonna Live Here," and "I Overlooked an Orchid (While Searching for a Rose)." 

The album "Connie in the Country" was one of several albums of original new product by popular country stars released by RCA on its budget-line RCA Camden (which usually was just a line for repackaging older material) to encourage country fans to start collecting the label's currently popular artists. Smith's other albums on the Camden label are repackaged material from her RCA Victor albums.

The album's only single, "Cry, Cry, Cry" (not to be confused with Johnny Cash's 1955 hit of the same name) became a major hit on Billboard Magazine's Hot Country Songs chart, reaching #20, becoming Smith's first single to peak outside of the country Top 10.

Side A
A1.  Cry, Cry, Cry   (2:29) 
A2.  Foolin' 'Round   (2:12) 
A3.  World Of Forgotten People   (2:04) 
A4.  I'm Little But I'm Loud   (2:27) 
A5.  Slowly   (2:01)

Side B
B1.  I Overlooked An Orchid   (2:42) 
B2.  A' Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed   (2:07) 
B3.  You Ain't Woman Enough   (2:17) 
B4.  Y'All Come   (2:16) 
B5.  Love's Gonna Live Here   (1:49)

Personnel
Connie Smith - lead vocals
Anita Carter - background vocals
Dorothy Dillard - background vocals
Dolores Edgin - background vocals
Buddy Harman - drums
Walter Haynes - bass guitar, guitar
Priscilla Hubbard - background vocals
Ron Huskey - bass
Charles Justice - fiddle
Leonard Miller - drums
Weldon Myrick - steel guitar
Louis Nunley - background vocals
Dean Porter - guitar
Hargus "Pig" Robbins - piano
Velma Smith - guitar
William Wright - background vocals

Notes
Release: 1967
Genre:  Folk, World, & Country
Format:  LP
Length:  23:22
Label:  RCA Camden 
Catalog#   CAS-2120

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Ike & Tina Turner - Live In Paris At The Olympia Theatre 1971 (1971)

Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo composed of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner.

The duo was once considered "one of the hottest, most durable, and potentially most explosive of all R&B ensembles".

“Ike & Tina Turner: Live In Paris at the Olympia Theatre 1971” is recorded "live" at the Olympia Theater Paris, January 30, 1971.

This double album set captures, the excitement of the live concert of the duo as they roar through Paris.
The Ikettes sound great as the opening act, and once Tina hits the stage she tears it up!  The guitar is gritty, and Tina sings with her whole body, the sound is urgent, cathartic, and when she and the guitar start to talk to each other, something happens that is so graceful, so natural, yet so unpredictable, so fierce… you have to hear it to love it….

While in the studio they were experimenting a new, funky, electric, rock sound, Ike & Tina Turner's shows hadn't changed much since the mid 60s; the new hits "Proud Mary", "Honky Tonk Women", "Come Together" merge with the old ones "A Love Like Yours" while even the Ikettes' number is present (3 songs!) and the opening Tina medley is the same one can find in "In Person" (but the instrumental rendition of "Gimme Some Lovin'" is particularly rocking here!).

P.S. be not fooled by the 10 minute version of I Smell Trouble because it's full of the chat that was part of the Revue's shows since 1964...


Side A
A1.  Grumbling (performed by: Ike Turner)  (1:07)
A2.  You Got Me Hummin’ (performed by: The Ikettes)  (4:00)
A3.  Everyday People (performed by: The Ikettes)  (2:13)
A4.  Shake A Tail Feather (performed by: The Ikettes)  (2:12)
A5.  Medley: Gimme Some Loving / Sweet Soul Music  (3:39)
A6.  Son Of A Preacher Man  (2:45)

Side B
B1.  Come Together  (3:30)
B2.  Proud Mary  (8:48)
B3.  A Love Like Yours Don’t Come Knocking Everyday  (3:37)

Side C
C1.  I Smell Trouble  (10:00)
C2.  Respect  (3:55)
C3.  Honky Tonk Women  (2:05)

Side D
D1.  I’ve Been Loving You Too Long  (7:15)
D2.  I Want To Take You Higher  (4:45)
D3.  Land Of 1000 Dances  (4:57)

Credits
Arranged By – Ike Turner
Art Direction – Patrick Sabatier
Engineer [Recording] – Roger Roche
Photography By – Jean-Pierre Leloir
Producer – Eddie Adamis
Recording Supervisor, Sequenced By [Sequencing] – Michel Poulain

Notes
Release: 1971
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Funk
Format: 2 LP
Length:  1:06:05
Label:  Liberty Records
Catalog#  LBS 83468

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Michael Cassidy - Nature's Secret (1979)

The Hindu visionary Michael Cassidy Michael Cassidy [Mangalananda] was born May 16, 1949 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Michael Cassidy is the common denominator between Golden Avatar and Progress-both on Sudarshan Records. There is a connection to Hansadutta. This record is on Golden Lotus Records(GL-1) Recorded in LA in 1977 falling in between Golden Avatar (1976) and Progress (1978) 10 songs.

In 1971, Michael became an initiated disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, the renowned scholar who translated Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the jewel of India’s spiritual wisdom. The combination of studying the teachings of bhakti-yoga and practicing the disciplines became a continuous source of inspiration and enlightenment for Michael.

Early-on he liked the surfing sounds of Dwayne Eddy, the Ventures, and the Safaris. Later his tastes expanded to the finger-styles of Charlie Byrd, Jose Feliciano, and Carlos Jobim. “My Dad’s record collection was mostly jazz and standards from his own generation. Hearing that music influenced the melodic and harmonic aspects of my composition. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen inspired me to express myself with words.”

The cover photo needs some serious analysis. A man in monk robes sitting peacefully in the woods with a bunny as a doe approaches him. The picture of serenity. Is that Mike in the robes looking like Mr.Spock? Even better their appears to be another pressing with an alternate cover-a painting rather than a photo.

As far as the music goes this may be my favourite of the Michael Cassidy productions. A little less produced than Golden Avatar. Serious keyboard fireworks are busted out on "Spirit of Reason". "Simple Living" is a nice pastoral ode to the good life that morphs into the Maha Mantra dueling with a guitar. The lyrics are full of Krishna imagery and thoughts.

Once again, this is a record you will see listed as "acid folk" or "xian folk", and the cover could get you thinking that, but the music is above average west coast country rock, folk rock.

Side A
A1.  Come Along  (2:44) 
A2.  Golden Avatara  (4:10) 
A3.  Sign Of Surrender  (4:36) 
A4.  Simple Living  (3:33) 
A5.  Spirit Of Reason  (2:56) 

Side B
B1.  Hidden Worlds  (3:24) 
B2.  I'll Never Be Younger Than Today  (3:14) 
B3.  Natures Secret  (3:04) 
B4.  Embodiment Of Bliss  (3:16) 
B5.  Oh Thoughtful Men  (4:23) 

Credits
Vocals - Michael Cassidy
Backing Vocals – Lea Harper, Lyn Harper
Banjo – Terry McNelly
Bass – Bill Breland
Cello – Robertleigh H. Barnhart
Drums – Drew Lawrence
Flute – Gerry Peterson
Flute, Clarinet – Glen Garret
Keyboards – Wayne Cook
Lead Guitar – Steve Bartek
Tabla – Peter Peringer
Engineer – Andy Wallace
Engineer [Assistant] – Ken Krabitz
Written-By – Jeffrey Armstrong, Michael Cassidy

Notes
Release: 1979
Genre: Folk Rock
Format:  LP
Length: 36:24
Label: Golden Lotus Records
Catalog# GLR-1

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