Baccara - Baccara (Lp) (1977) - €10,00

Baccara was a female vocal duo formed in 1977 by Spanish artists Mayte Mateos (born 7 February 1951) and María Mendiola (4 April 1952 – 11 September 2021). 

The duo rapidly achieved international success with their debut single "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie", which reached number one across much of Europe and became the best-selling single of all-time by a female group, eventually selling more than 18 million copies worldwide.

A successful follow-up single ("Sorry, I'm a Lady") and European tour led to a number of album releases, numerous television appearances and the duo's selection to represent Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978. 

Baccara is the debut studio album by Spanish duo Baccara, first released on RCA Victor in Germany in 1977. It contains the European hit singles "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" and "Sorry, I'm a Lady".

Yes sir, they could boogie -- all night long and, as it turned out, across an entire album. And, though Baccara never scored more than a couple of U.K. hits, the duo's 1977 self-titled debut album suggests that, with a little extra marketing, they could have churned them out forever. 

Baccara's well-strung hybrid of post-Brotherhood of Man Eurovision pop and prepubescent bubblegum lyricism was certainly a catchy brew -- like the similarly styled 2002 hitmakers Las Ketchup, it was not the words they sang that made Baccara so buoyant, it was the way they sang them. 

While the chorus has been burned into the brain, it was the verses to the U.K. number one "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" that set up the song, displaying a pent-up sensuality whose eventual release was like an orgasm for the dancefloor. 

Following almost precisely the same format, and sounding like an exotic Shangri-Las, "Sorry, I'm a Lady" followed its predecessor into the U.K. Top Ten and promised more than a simple pop-disco jingle ought to, rhyming the title with "I'd rather be a little shady" and leaving listeners in no doubt what they're apologizing for. 

Elsewhere, the duo's grip on "Can't Help Falling in Love" may outrage classic Elvis fans, but does demonstrate the sheer versatility of a well-honed dance arrangement, while "Koochie-Koo" and "Cara Mia" rocket Baccara back to the duo's continental dance club beginnings, to catch them letting rip with a passion that even the absence of English lyrics cannot disguise. 

All of which adds up to a remarkably enjoyable album, and an irresistibly contagious one. Every great party should have at least one copy.

Side A

A1.  Yes Sir, I Can Boogie - 4:29  

A2.  Love You Till I Die - 4:26  

A3.  Granada - 4:17  

A4.  Gimme More - 3:50  

A5.  Koochie-Koo - 4:04  

Side B

B1.  Sorry, I’m A Lady - 3:37  

B2.  Cara Mia - 2:53  

B3.  Feel Me - 4:20  

B4.  Can’t Help Falling In Love - 3:26  

B5.  Number One - 2:37  

B6.  Don’t Play Me A Symphonie - 4:17 

Personnel

• Mayte Mateos - vocals
• María Mendiola - vocals

Production

• Tracks 1, 4, 5, 6 published by Magazine Music.
• Tracks 2 & 7 published by Cyclus Music.
• Track 3 published by Peermusic.
• Tracks 8-11 published by Intersong.
• Arranged & Produced by Rolf Soja.
• Recorded by Günther Dyke & Günther Zipelius.
• Recorded at Polydor Studio & Studio Maschen

Notes

Release:  1977

Format:  LP

Genre:  Disco

Label:  CNR Records

Catalog#  655070

Vinyl:  Goed (Excellent)

Cover: Goed (Excellent)

Prijs: €10,00

Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers - In The Night (Lp) (1976) - €10,00

Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers was een Arnhemse rock-'n-rollband. 

Een Arnhemse rock’n’roll-band die in de jaren zeventig bij wijze van grap ontstaat en naam maakt met pakkende nummers en een wilde liveshow. 

De groep onstaat bij wijze van grap en komt voort uit de band Moan. 

Deze groep speelt popmuziek, maar komt tijdens concerten - na de pauze - geheel verkleed als rockers op de bühne om een set rock’n’roll-covers af te werken. 

Dit doen ze onder de naam Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers. Vanaf 1973 gaat de pop overboord en gaat de band verder op de rock’n’roll-toer. "In The Night" is hun vierde album uit 1976.

Wel drie hitjes hier op te vinden: "Get Yourself Together", "Allright ( Makin' Love In The Middle Of The Night.)" en "Operator Operator (Get Me A Line)" behaalde de Top 40. "Get It In" kwam niet verder dan de tipparade.

Leuke band wel. Niet wereldschokkend of baanbrekend, maar pastte wel in de glamtijd van toen.
Hadden overigens een status als enigzins gevaarlijke boys, maar dat was dus meer een act.

De groep stopt begin jaren tachtig. Zanger Arnie Treffers overlijdt in 1995.

Side A

A1.  In The Night - 4:10   

A2.  Heartbreaker - 3:14   

A3.  Get Yourself Together  (Leadguitar Alfie Muscles) - 2:58   

A4.  Nightrider - 3:41  

A5.  Operator Operator (Get Me A Line)  (Leadguitar Alfie Muscles) - 3:03   

Side B

B1.  Get It In - 3:00  

B2.  Alright (Makin’ Love In The Middle Of The Night) - 3:00   

B3.  Woman  (Leadguitar Alfie Muscles) - 3:49  

B4.  Rockin’ Rocket (Leadguitar Alfie Muscles) - 3:14   

B5.  Jump Back - 4:42 

Companies, etc.

• Published By – New Dayglow Music
• Recorded At – Frans Peters Studio
• Produced For – Red Bullet Productions

Credits

• Bass – Ruud Van Buuren
• Cover [Photo] – Ronnie Hertz
• Design – Arno Arts
• Drums – Alan Macfarlane
• Engineer – Jaap Eggermont, Jay Denson
• Lead Guitar – Jos Jaspers
• Management – Rein Muntinga
• Organ – Tony Britnell
• Piano – Tony Britnell
• Producer [Produced By] – Jaap Eggermont
• Saxophone – Tony Britnell
• Vocals – Arnie Treffers
• Voice – Tony Britnell
• Written-By – A. Treffers, A. J. Britnell

Notes

Release:  1976

Format:  LP

Genre:  Rock & Roll

Label:  Polydor Records

Catalog#  2441067

Vinyl:  Goed (Excellent

Cover:  Goed (Excellent)

Prijs: €10,00

Paul Santos - Paul Santos (Lp) (1977) - €15,00

Het soloprojekt van latere Doe Maar-bassist/zanger Henny Vrienten in de tweede helft van de jaren zeventig.

Vrienten groeide op in Tilburg In de jaren zestig speelde hij in diverse beatgroepen, waaronder in Les Cruches. 

In de jaren zeventig schreef hij muziek voor andere artiesten, waaronder twee Engelstalige nummers voor het kerstalbum We wish you a merry Christmas van The Cats. 

Hij bracht in 1974 twee singles uit onder het pseudoniem Ruby Carmichael (onder andere Little yellow shop) en in 1977 een album onder de naam Paul Santos.

De dure produktie bevat ondermeer een orkest van strijkers en blazers die in Stockholm worden opgenomen.

Zover bekent kwam alleen het nummer "Lift Me Up Higher" in 1977 op single uit, en is een collector´s item voor de verzamelaar.

Doe Maar werd in 1978 opgericht. Vrienten kwam er in 1980 bij als vervanger van Piet Dekker die eerder ook deel uitmaakte van The Rumbones. Doe Maar groeide uit tot een van de belangrijkste groepen van de Nederpopscene.

Side A

A1.  Lift Me Up Higher - 3:54

A2.  Million Steps - 4:05

A3.  Love Is A Strange Disease - 4:00

A4.  Big Boy - 3:25

A5.  Come Back - 4:40

Side B

B1.  Why Don’t We Live Together - 3:16

B2.  Wishing Wells - 3:11

B3.  Man With A Plan - 3:04

B4.  Sweet Wine - 2:58

B5.  Occapella - 5:03

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Grammofoonplaten B.V.
• Copyright (c) – CBS Grammofoonplaten B.V.
• Published By – Universal Songs
• Published By – Chappell
• Published By – Marsaint Music
• Recorded At – Soundpush Studios
• Recorded At – Metronome Studio, Stockholm
• Mixed At – Dureco Studio

Credits

• Backing Vocals – Anita Meyer, Hilda Vermeulen, Martha Hollestelle, Paul Santos, Tom Patrick Salisbury
• Bass – Wim Essed
• Cover, Design – CBS Studio Holland
• Cover, Photography By – Clouds Studios
• Drums – Kees Kranenburg
• Engineer – Jan Audier
• Engineer [Strings And Horns] – Lars Holmberg
• Guitar – Lex Bolderdijk
• Mastered By – Joop Niggebrugge
• Percussion – Malando Gassama
• Producer, Arranged By, Keyboards – Tom Patrick Salisbury
• Strings – Symphony Orchestra Of Radio Sweden, The

Notes
Release:  1977

Format: LP
Genre:  Pop
Label:  CBS ‎Records
Catalog#  81625

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover: Lichte Gebruikerssporen

Prijs: €15,00

John Miles - Stranger In The City (Lp) (1976) - €10,00

Stranger in the City was the second solo album by John Miles and was released in 1977. It was awarded BPI Silver Certification on 19 July 1977.

Recording sessions with its producer and orchestral arranger Rupert Holmes started in the summer of 1976 in the United States when Miles was promoting his first album Rebel. 

The bulk of the album was recorded in England.

For this album, Miles recruited Australian keyboardist Gary Moberley because Miles felt that his previous album was missing something funky.

After his initial breakthrough with his previous singles “Highfly” and in particular the monumental “Music” plus a fine debut album “Rebel”, John Miles sought to fully push open the door of opportunity with this hastily recorded and released follow-up album.

Containing three good singles, sadly for Miles, only one of them made the top 20 and that the bandwagon-jumping discofied “Slow Down”, while this, the related album stalled in the charts. Thereafter, he got lost in the crowd, as disco and punk / new wave combined to squeeze out either only the most established acts, many of whom were quick to ape aspects of both the fashionable new genres or those who raised their game to meet the challenge. On this perfectly likeable album, it’s apparent that Miles couldn’t quite hit the same heights as that promising debut. To take one contemporary example, clearly Queen could have backed themselves into a corner with the huge success of the unique “Bohemian Rhapsody” but came out punching straight afterwards with the more conventional but still high-quality “Somebody To Love”.

Miles first two singles from “Stranger In Town” were “Remember Yesterday”, a melodic, plaintive ballad and the Elton John-influenced flashy pop of “Manhattan Skyline” but neither broke into the top 30, thus highlighting Miles’s limitations not only in songwriting and vocalising, but also his lack of image. He’d been rather silly in following a James Dean-type persona to promote the first album, now he was trying to let the music stand on its own, but ultimately, it wasn’t quite up to the task.

Like I said, the three singles, in their own ways are perfectly serviceable and there are one or two other strong tracks supporting them, especially the album title track with its loping, vaguely noirish riff and the extended prog-rocky centrepiece “Stand Up And Give Me A Reason”, complete with ill-judged Jon Anderson-type scat-singing at the end. The rest however lean towards the dreaded album-filler category.

He even lets fellow-band member Barry Marshall contribute a song in the form of the hoedowny rather vacuous “Do It Anyway”, “Time” is a similarly empty attempt at a serious ballad, “Glamour Boy” is Steely Dan without either the biting wit or melodic flair and “Music Man” is a clunky album closer, its misjudged title, a bit too close to his biggest hit, an over-repetitive “What’s a star?” refrain and worst of all a melody which sounded too similar to the theme tune to the popular talent show of the day, “New Faces”.

There’s a lack of depth in the often clichéd lyrics and a similar want of verve in his melodies with Miles you suspect writing by rote rather than from inspiration and no amount of studio. proficiency, of which there is plenty, can make up for them. He has a pleasant light-tenor voice and considerable range at the top end of his register, but you wonder if his singing, like much of his other attributes, really has a defining identity.

In the end, with the relative failure of this set, Miles faded away to relative obscurity and instead became a hired gun for Alan Parsons and his various oProjects in the studio and for Tina Turner on the road as guitarist for hire.

One of his later songs was called “Nice Man Jack”. Sad to say Nice Man John turned out not to quite have enough in his locker to become a lasting star with the wider public. There’s some decent music here but listening to it, the lack of personality is palpable and he he was clearly just off the pace. Consequently, Miles, who sadly died recently, never really looked like reigniting his own career as an artist anytime after this, his career ironically following the trajectory he himself outlined in his superb debut single for Decca “Highfly”. 

Side A

A1.  Stranger In The City - 4:28

A2.  Slow Down - 4:46

A3.  Stand Up And Give Me A Reason - 6:59

A4.  Time - 3:55

Side B

B1.  Manhattan Skyline - 3:04

B2.  Glamour Boy - 4:46

B3.  Do It Anyway - 2:43

B4.  Remember Yesterday - 5:16

B5.  Music Man - 4:44

Personnel

• John Miles – vocals, piano, guitar
• Bob Marshall – bass guitar
• Barry Black – drums
• Gary Moberley – keyboards
• Jimmy Maelen – conga, Latin percussion
• Rupert Holmes – producer, orchestral arrangements, conductor

Technical

• Bob Clearmountain, James Guthrie, Mike Bobak - engineer
• Godfrey Diamond - mixing
• Hipgnosis - design, photography

Notes

Release:  1976

Format:  LP

Genre:  Pop

Label:  London Records

Catalog#  PS 682

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Goed (Gatefold)

Prijs: €10,00

Tee-Set - T5 (Lp) (1971) - €10,00

Tee Set was een Nederbietband uit Delft, die in de jaren zestig rhythm-and-blues en vanaf begin jaren zeventig popmuziek maakte. 

De belangrijkste hits van Tee Set zijn Ma belle amie uit 1969 en She likes weeds, een Nederlandse nummer 1-hit in december 1970. Componist Hans van Eijck was het muzikale brein. 

De band werd in 1965 opgericht door Peter Tetteroo, Gerard Romeyn, Polle Eduard en Carry Janssen. Deze bezetting is te zien op de hoes van de eerste single Early in the morning. Vervolgens voegt Robbie Plazier zich bij de groep als organist. Met Hans van Eijck als ondersteunende songwriter (hij levert vier nummers aan) wordt het eerste album Emotion opgenomen. Na het uitkomen van het eerste album wordt Plazier vervangen door Van Eijck als vast bandlid. Gerard Romeyn verlaat de band begin 1967 en treedt toe tot The Motions (als vervanger van Robbie van Leeuwen). Romeyn wordt vervangen door de Britse gitarist Ray Fenwick (Romeyn staat nog op de hoes van de single Don't you leave, maar Fenwick is te zien in een clip van het nummer uit het popprogramma Moef Ga Ga).

Een tweespalt tussen zanger Tetteroo en manager Theo Kuppens enerzijds en de andere bandleden anderzijds leidt tot ruzies in de band. De inkomsten die Kuppens opstrijkt met de hit Don't you leave (een oud bluesnummer dat door de manager onder eigen naam was geregistreerd) spelen hierbij een rol. Fenwick, Van Eijck en Eduard stappen op en formeren een nieuwe band After Tea. Carry Janssen is op dat moment al uit de groep gezet, zodat op de fotohoes van Now's the time weer een viermansformatie prijkt. Tetteroo trekt drie nieuwe muzikanten uit de Amsterdamse groep James Mean aan om Tee Set voort te zetten: Franklin Madjid (bas), Joop Blom (drums) en Ferdi Karmelk (gitaar). Jan-Pieter Boekhoorn wordt de nieuwe toetsenist en daarmee is de Tee Set weer een kwintet. Het einde van James Mean is daarmee een feit, want zanger Michel van Dijk vindt emplooi bij Les Baroques. Door de Tee Set wordt een eigen platenmaatschappij Tee-Set Records opgericht (voor het eerst in de Nederlandse muziekgeschiedenis), om de rechten in eigen beheer te kunnen houden. Na enige tijd wordt Boekhoorn vervangen door Peter Seilberger.

Met de terugkeer van Hans van Eijck in 1969 wordt een fase ingezet waarin Tee Set langzaam transformeert naar een popgroep, die makkelijk in het gehoor liggende liedjes brengt. Op het personele gebied blijft het rommelen: Dihl Bennink (ook wel gespeld als Dill, broer van Leo Bennink uit de JayJays en The Motions) wordt de nieuwe gitarist en Herman van Boeyen is enige tijd de drummer als opvolger van Blom.

De grootste hit uit de geschiedenis van de band wordt in 1969 uitgebracht: Ma Belle Amie. In het voorjaar van 1970 stijgt het nummer tot de vijfde plaats op de Amerikaanse hitlijst. Bennink wordt vervangen door Ferry Lever (ook uit After Tea). Op de LP The Morning of my days is het enige nummer te vinden dat op nummer een in de hitparade terechtkomt: She likes weeds. Inmiddels is Max Spangenberg de nieuwe drummer. Het nummer wordt echter in de Verenigde Staten geboycot, omdat het zou refereren aan drugsgebruik. De titel slaat volgens tekstdichter Peter Tetteroo echter op onkruid en is àfgeleid van een dialoog uit de film Funeral in Berlin (1966). Tetteroo vertelde destijds per abuis in diverse interviews dat de dialoog afkomstig was uit The IPCRESS File (1965), maar dat is de voorloper van deze film.

Tussen 1970 en 1975 heeft Tee Set een vaste bezetting. In 1975 wordt Lever vervangen door Polle Eduard, maar hits heeft de band niet meer. In 1979 is er nog een hit met het nummer Linda Linda, maar daarna is het vier jaar stil rondom de groep en gaan de bandleden ieder hun eigen weg.

Vanaf 1983 treedt Tee Set weer enkele jaren op, met Peter Tetteroo en verder een wisselende bezetting. Hits komen er niet meer, maar de band speelt in die tijd regelmatig op festivals. Tetteroo overlijdt op 9 september 2002 op 55-jarige leeftijd

Side A

A1.  She Likes Weeds - 3:36

A2.  Early In The Morning - 2:25

A3.  Finally In Love Again - 3:17

A4.  Please Call Me - 2:59

A5.  Don’t You Leave - 3:16

A6.  We Will Be There - 2:57

A7.  Ma Belle Amie - 3:11

Side B

B1.  In Your Eyes - 2:57

B2.  Now’s The Time - 2:41

B3.  Long Ago - 2:42

B4.  Red Red Wine - 2:43

B5.  Tea Is Famous - 3:07

B6.  Chermaine - 3:23

B7.  If You Do Believe In Love - 2:41

Companies, etc.

• Printed By – Habo

Credits

• Liner Notes – Hans I. Kellerman, Joost de Draayer
• Producer – Peter Tetteroo

Notes

Release:  1971

Format:  Vinyl, LP, Compilation

Genre:  Nederbeat

Country:  Netherlands

Label:  Negram 

Catalog#  ELS 921

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Goed

Prijs: €10,00

Wing And A Prayer Fife And Drum Corps. - Babyface (Lp) (1976) - €10,00

Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps was an American disco group in existence from 1975 to 1978. The assemblage of studio musicians (which, contrary to its name, had no fife players) were put together by Harold Wheeler; the group's vocalists were Linda November, Vivian Cherry, Arlene Martell, and Helen Miles.

Sometime in 1975 Atlantic Records launched their very short-lived Wing & A Prayer subsidiary label in New York City, primarily to provide an outlet for the Disco studio groups Consumer Rapport and Wing & A Prayer Fife & Drum Corps assembled by Harold Wheeler, who had been associated with the Broadway musical The Wiz, at a time when Disco was in its infancy. Just 2 albums were released in their existence along with 6 singles.

Their 1976 album, Babyface, hit No. 47 on the US pop album chart and No. 19 on the R&B Albums chart, due to the success of the single, "Baby Face". It had previously reached No. 1 for Jan Garber in 1926 and Art Mooney in 1948. The single went to No. 1 on the US Club Play chart, and No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Act I

A1. Just An Old Fashioned Medley - 9:45

      (1) Swanee

      (2) Toot! Toot! Tootsie! (Good-Bye)

      (3) Oh! You Beautiful Doll

      (4) The Best Things In Life Are Free

      (5) Blue Skies

      (6) I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover

A2. Eleanor Rigby - 5:11

A3. I Hear A Symphony - 3:58

Act II

B1. Show Medley - 5:53

      (1) There’s No Business Like Show Business

      (2) Hooray For Hollywood

      (3) Give My Regards To Broadway

      (4) Somewhere

B2. Charleston - 3:36

B3. Those Were The Days - 3:28

B4. Baby Face - 6:38

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Atlantic
• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Wing And A Prayer
• Copyright © – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Pressed By – Monarch Record Mfg. Co. – Δ20346
• Recorded At – Soundtek Studios
• Mixed At – Soundtek Studios
• Published By – New World (14)
• Published By – Leo Feist, Inc.
• Published By – Warner Bros. Music
• Published By – Chappell
• Published By – Irving Berlin Music
• Published By – Maclen
• Published By – Stone Agate
• Published By – George M. Cohan Music Pub. Co., Inc.
• Published By – G. Schirmer Inc.
• Published By – TRO-Essex
• Published By – WB Music Corp.

Credits

• Art Direction [Art Director] – Bob Defrin
• Bass [Fender] – Bob Babbitt
• Cello [Contractor] – Jesse Levy
• Design – Abie Sussman
• Drums – Alan Schwartberg
• Electric Guitar – Jeff Mironov, Jerry Friedman
• French Horn – Peter Gordon 
• Harp – Margaret Ross
• Keyboards – Harold Wheeler
• Oboe [D'amour], English Horn, Ocarina, Recorder [Solos] – George Marge
• Percussion – Dave Friedman
• Photography By – Steinbicker-Houghton
• Producer [A Record By] – Harold Wheeler, Stephen Y. Scheaffer
• Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Baritone Saxophone [Baritone Sax], Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Piccolo Flute [Piccolo] – Lew Delgatto
• Trombone – Dave Taylor
• Trumpet – Alan Rubin
• Viola – Emanuel Vardi
• Violin – Guy Lumia, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman
• Violin, Concertmaster – David Nadien, Gene Orloff
• Vocals [Singers] – Arlene Martell, Helen Miles, Linda November, Vivian Cherry

Notes

Release:  1976

Format:  LP

Genre:  Disco

Label:  Atlantic Records

Catalog#  ATL 50227

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Goed

Prijs: €10,00

Toyah - The Changeling (Lp) (1982) - €7,99

The Changeling is a studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1982 by Safari Records. 

The album peaked at number 6 in the UK and it included the Top 40 single "Brave New World". 

The album continued the new wave sound of the band's previous release, Anthem, taking it into a darker, almost gothic direction. 

Willcox wrote the song lyrics in isolation and the material was recorded at the Roundhouse Recording Studios in the Chalk Farm area of north London in early 1982. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite using early digital studio recording equipment. 

Some overseas editions, such as the Dutch release, featured an additional 'Digital Recording' logo on the cover sleeve. Original vinyl issues of the album came complete with a lyric insert, the background of which featured drawings of circuit boards. Around the lyrics of each song were sections of poetry written by Toyah Willcox, which were not included on the album. The front cover features a photo by Bob Carlos Clarke.

Toyah Willcox reflected that The Changeling "wasn't easy to make, in fact it was the unhappiest of all the album experiences, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good album. Not everything has to come effortlessly for it to be right". "I was quite depressed at the time. (...) I was so angry and so anxious to get away from everything that The Changeling came out as quite a dark piece. (...) I was coming into the studio in very dark moods and incredibly emotional and I cried my way through that album, but in retrospect I think that it's quite a remarkable record". Similarly, Phil Spalding described it as "an album recorded with great challenges, difficulties and tensions, but a great album nonetheless and overall, my favourite Toyah band album".

"Street Creature" was written during Toyah's journey from London to Birmingham. The singer explained that it is "a song about being on a street and being real. (...) I'm going back to my roots and nothing is gonna stop me from achieving my goals, doing what I believe in". "The Druids" tells about the ancient druids. "What they used to do was strip off naked, they would paint themselves completely blue, (...) and they would have belts around their waists with the severed heads of their enemies on. And they would charge the Romans. (...) They were known as the shock troops. They deliberately shocked their enemy and terrified their enemy," Toyah explained.

"Angel & Me" was influenced by seeing Jacob Epstein's sculpture The Archangel Lucifer in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Referring to the line "Why do you always cry when you come to see me? I always die to see you smile", Toyah revealed that the person she is talking to is her mother: "I was in hospital and my mum visited me, she'd always start crying. I am now [close to my mother], I didn't use to be. I always loved her very much, but she had a weird way of loving me back. I can never remember kissing and cuddling mummy and daddy when I was small. But I love them both, my father is one of my heroes".

Toyah has described "The Packt" as "a very dark song and it came from a very dark place. (...) It's often said within the deep, old, medieval scriptures of Wicca and witchcraft that when the end of the world comes you will see twin suns. So, I wanted to write something about this woman meeting the Devil and I wanted her to be a match for the Devil, (...) about using man's most sinister creation to fight the Devil back and that is kind of using the atom bomb to destroy the Devil. (...) It's about the power of femininity, it's about the Devil destroying femininity, but also I think it's quite a winning song, even though in the middle eight the nuclear bomb goes off and skin melts from our bones. (...) We are not skin and bones, we are much more. And we go beyond the physical, we go beyond the body, and I believe we are eternal. And I think the Devil is fixated with the flesh. So, we can conquer the Devil eventually".

Discussing "Life in the Trees", Toyah said that she "wanted to write a song about the fact that nature is the all-seeing, all-controlling organism, (...) has the power to completely control and reinvent new species. (...) The pecking order within nature is exactly what we mirror within our interactive lives. (...) We had TV and we had huge corporates, such as EMI and Decca, and they were all running our lives. It's just as dog eat dog as our normal lives are".

"Run Wild, Run Free" is about "that 'break loose' moment when you realize if you don't cut ties you are never ever going to cope emotionally. (...) To survive and be the person you are you have to cut yourself free". The singer explained that the closing track "Brave New World" "is a sad love song, because I wrote most of it (...) after a tremendous row with my boyfriend. (...) I think everyone goes through the phase when they think no one in the world knows how hurt they are – experiencing a loneliness that no one knows, but everyone knows it".

Side A

A1.  Creepy Room - 3:16

A2.  Street Creature - 3:58

A3.  Castaways - 3:55

A4.  The Druids - 3:29

A5.  Angel & Me - 4:44

Side B

B1.  The Packt - 4:52

B2.  Life In The Trees - 3:16

B3.  Dawn Chorus - 3:53

B4.  Run Wild, Run Free - 4:01

B5.  Brave New World - 5:20

Band members

• Toyah Willcox – vocals and noises
• Joel Bogen – guitar, additional keyboards, vocals
• Andy Clark – keyboards
• Phil Spalding – bass, vocals
• Simon Phillips – drums and percussion

Additional musicians

• Simon Darlow – additional keyboards
• Nigel Bennett – backing vocals
• Phil Smith, Vince Sullavan, Dave Lord – brass

Production

• Steve Lillywhite – producer
• Mark Dearnley – engineer
• Ashley Howe – additional engineering
• Neil Hutchinson – assistant engineer, tape operator

Notes

Release:  1982

Format:  LP

Genre:  New Wave

Label:  Safari Records

Catalog#  VOOR 3623

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Goed

Prijs: €7,99

Superjones - Superjones (Lp) (1980) - €10,00

Superjones is een rockgroep uit Utrecht die wordt opgericht in 1978. Een jaar later verschijnt een eerste single, "Neon light". 

Inderdaad een soort van powerpop/poprock zoals dat in die jaren zoveel gemaakt werd.

Met uitwaaierende gitaarakkoordjes, soms een fretloze bas,dikwijls een wat Eagles-achtige samenzang en veelal uptempo. En geen toetsen.
Over het algemeen lekker in het gehoor liggende nummers en nergens moeilijkdoenerij.
Van die wielen die iedere keer weer opnieuw worden uitgevonden. Heeft ook wel wat weg van Vitesse.
De single "Neon Lights" haalde in februari 1980 de tipparade en hoort tot de beste nummers net als Time en Roadie en I Gotta Go (waar ietwat funk en soul in is te horen).
Mooiste nummer is het enige rustige nummer en dat is The Night.
C.D.S. staat voor Computer Dating Service (was er toen blijkbaar ook al).

Het vertrek in 1981 van Hans Boosman naar Het Goede Doel en Steven Wienjus, eerst naar de Ferdy Lancee Band en later ook naar Het Goede Doel, betekent het einde van de rockgroep Superjones.

Geert Jan Westenbrink vertrekt naar Ratata, de begeleidingsband van Jan_Rot. 

Side A

A1.  Welcome - 3:18

A2.  Neon Light - 3:49

A3  C.D.S. - 3:20

A4.  Time - 4:38

A5.  Trouble Shooter - 4:24

Side B

B1.  What's Coming - 3:19

B2.  Roadie - 3:49

B3.  Hold Me - 3:20

B4.  The Night - 4:05

B5.  I Gotta Go - 3:24

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Bovema Negram
• Marketed By – EMI
• Manufactured By – EMI
• Distributed By – EMI
• Recorded At – EMI Studios, Heemstede

Credits

• Arranged By – Superjones
• Bass Guitar [Fretless] – Steven Wienjus
• Drums, Percussion – Hans Boosman
• Engineer – Michael Beekman
• Graphics, Design – Sjef Nix
• Lead Guitar, Vocals – Han Bavinck
• Lead Vocals – Geert Westenbrink
• Management – Dick Vink
• Management [Road] – Fred Kabel
• Photography By – Fred Koster
• Producer – Paul Post
• Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Tony de Bruine

Notes

Release:  1980

Format:  LP

Genre:  Nederpop

Label:  Harvest Records

Catalog#  1A 062 26452

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Goed

Prijs: 10,00

Colin Blunstone - I Don´t Believe In Miracles (Lp) (1979) - €10,00

Colin Edward Michael Blunstone (born 24 June 1945) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the English rock band the Zombies, which released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s, including "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", "She's Coming Home", and "Time of the Season". 

Blunstone began his solo career in 1969, releasing three singles under a pseudonym of Neil MacArthur. Since then, he has released ten studio albums under his real name. He appears on several albums with the Alan Parsons Project and sang "Old and Wise".

A surprisingly decent 16-song compilation assembled from Colin Blunstone's first three Epic solo albums. The individual albums, especially One Year and Ennismore, are worth owning intact, but this was a nice place to start -- it has since been supplanted by a similarly titled but much more fully loaded, wider ranging Japanese CD released 20 years later, among other digital compilations of Blunstone's work. 

Overall, this is a good collection; some lovely tunes, highlighted by Blunstone's distinctive vocals. The songs are both originals and covers (a very good version of Tim Hardin's "Misty Roses" is one such track on here).
"This album is a collection of some of his best loved work, including five singles compiled from the first three solo and albums and was released on the Epic label in 1979"
As for the music, however, I'm quite pleased with what I hear on this collection. Nothing as amazing at the Zombies material, but some nice songs nonetheless. 

But I think some of the other Colin Blunstone compilations that are available on other labels are probably much better value.

Side A

A1.  I Don’t Believe In Miracles - 3:05  

A2.  Caroline Goodbye - 2:55  

A3.  Exclusively For Me - 2:30  

A4.  Misty Roses - 5:06  

A5.  Shadow Of A Doubt - 3:42  

A6.  Wonderful - 5:01  

A7.  Beginning - 1:50  

A8.  Keep The Curtains Closed Today - 2:50   

Side B

B1.  Say You Don’t Mind - 3:20  

B2.  Let Me Come Closer To You - 2:24   

B3.  Time’s Running Out - 2:38  

B4.  Though You Are Far Away - 3:25  

B5.  I Want Some More - 3:02  

B6.  Every Sound I Heard - 2:26  

B7.  Beware - 3:30  

B8.  How Could We Dare To Be Wrong - 3:22 

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – CBS Records
• Copyright © – CBS Records
• Pressed By – CBS, Haarlem – 02-31760

Notes

Release:  1979

Format:  LP

Genre:  Soft Rock

Label:  CBS Records

Catalog#  31760

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Goed

Prijs: €10,00

Dickey Betts & Great Southern - Dickey Betts & Great Southern (Lp) (1977) - €7,99

Forrest Richard Betts (born December 12, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. 

After the Allman Brothers fell apart in 1976, Betts released more albums, starting with Dickey Betts & Great Southern in 1977, which included the song "Bougainvillea", co-written with future Hollywood star Don Johnson.

Three years after the issue of his landmark solo recording, Highway Call (and countless inbred brawls and unholy wars among the Allman Brothers), guitarist, singer, and songwriter Dickey Betts released the debut by his "other" band, Great Southern. 

Attempting to capture the loose, easy feel of Highway Call and combine it with the more blues-driven sound of the Allmans, Betts was largely successful though the record does suffer a tad from overly slick production. Evident from "Out to Get Me," the very first track, is Betts' trademark slide guitar burning a hole through the center of the mix. 

The undertone of the album is the shuffle, both country and blues, aided in large part by Topper Price's harmonica and the able second guitar of Dan Toler. 

But the feel is all Betts. He stretches out the stinging boogie of "Run Gypsy Run," with dual leads, a killer pre-verse riff, and a solid "Ramblin Man"-style melodic line in the heart of his blues. 

Perhaps the hinge piece on the album in on its third track, "Sweet Virginia" (not a cover of the Rolling Stones' track). Here, Betts' slide work is easily and lilting as it undergirds a sleepy country tune with a killer backbeat. 

Nostalgia, or at least the previous, is the backbone of Betts' sentiment as his vice rings through the guitars and rhythm section with conviction and a sureness that only comes out of the finest country-rock music (think Creedence Clearwater meets the Allmans). 

Ultimately, this album, with its funky New Orleans basslines and second-line percussions, is another restless country-soul set from Betts. 

And though more guitar driven than Highway Call (fiddle god Vassar Clements is not Betts' foil here), its songs hold as much soul and aplomb if not the same deeply held convictions that made the previous album the classic it is. Nonetheless, 

Great Southern is a very fine album that despite its polish holds a wealth of fine songs and truly astonishing playing within its grooves. 

Side A

A1.  Out To Get Me - 4:42

A2.  Run Gypsy Run - 3:30

A3.  Sweet Virginia - 3:40

A4.  The Way Love Goes - 4:59

Side B

B1.  Nothing You Can Do - 4:10

B2.  California Blues - 5:00

B3.  Bougainvillea - 7:14

Great Southern

• Dickey Betts – electric guitar, slide guitar, lead vocals
• "Dangerous Dan" Toler – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals
• Tom Broome – keyboards, background vocals
• Ken Tibbets – bass
• Jerry Thompson – drums, percussion
• Donnie Sharbono – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Don Johnson – backing vocals on "Bougainvillea"
• Topper Price – harmonica on "Out to Get Me" and "Run Gypsy Run"
• Mickey Thomas – backing vocals on "Nothing You Can Do"

Production

• Produced by Dickey Betts
• Recording, production assistant: Steve Klein
• Assistant engineer: Stephen Hart
• Mixing: Johnny Sandlin, Buddy Thornton
• Mastering: George Marino
• Art Direction: Bob Heimall
• Photography: Benno Friedman

Notes

Release:  1977

Format:  LP

Genre:  Southern Rock

Label:  Arista ‎

Catalog#  AL 4123

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Goed

Prijs: €7,99

George Benson - Breezin´ (Lp) (1976) - €5,99

Breezin' is the fifteenth studio album by jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist George Benson. 

It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records. It not only was a chart topper in the Jazz category but also went to #1 on the pop and R&B charts. 

It was certified triple platinum, making it one of the best selling Jazz albums of all time. 

Breezin' marked the beginning of Benson's most successful period commercially, topping the Billboard Pop, Jazz and R&B album charts. It spun off two hit singles, the title song (which has become a fusion jazz standard) and "This Masquerade," which was a top ten pop and R&B hit. The album has since been certified as 3X multi-Platinum by the RIAA.

The album garnered multiple nominations and awards at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards. The album won the awards Best Pop Instrumental Performance for Benson and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Al Schmitt and was nominated as Album of the Year for Tommy LiPuma and Benson. "This Masquerade" received the award Record of the Year for LiPuma and Benson, while it was nominated as Song of the Year for Leon Russell and as Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for Benson.

All of a sudden, George Benson became a pop superstar with this album, thanks to its least representative track. Most of Breezin' is a softer-focused variation of Benson's R&B/jazz-flavored CTI work, his guitar as assured and fluid as ever with Claus Ogerman providing the suave orchestral backdrops and his crack then-working band (including Ronnie Foster on keyboards and sparkplug Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar) pumping up the funk element. 

Yet it is the sole vocal track (his first in many years), Leon Russell's "This Masquerade" -- where George unveiled his new trademark, scatting along with a single-string guitar solo -- that reached number ten on the pop singles chart and drove the album all the way to number one on the pop (!) LP chart. 

The attractive title track also became a minor hit single, although Gabor Szabo's 1971 recording with composer Bobby Womack is even more fetching. In the greater scheme of Benson's career, Breezin' is really not so much a breakthrough as it is a transition album; the guitar is still the core of his identity. 

Side A

A1.  Breezin’ - 5:40

A2.  This Masquerade - 8:03

A3.  Six To Four - 5:06

Side B

B1.  Affirmation - 7:01

B2.  So This Is Love? - 7:03

B3.  Lady - 5:49

Personnel

• George Benson – guitar, vocals
• Jorge Dalto – acoustic piano, clavinet, acoustic piano solo 
• Ronnie Foster – electric piano, Minimoog synthesizer, Minimoog solo, electric piano solo 
• Phil Upchurch – rhythm guitar, bass 
• Stanley Banks – bass
• Harvey Mason – drums
• Ralph MacDonald – percussion
• Claus Ogerman – arrangements and conductor

Production

• Tommy LiPuma – producer
• Noel Newbolt – associate producer
• Al Schmitt – recording, mixing
• Don Henderson – assistant engineer
• Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California).
• Ed Thrasher – art direction
• Robert Lockhart – art direction
• Peter Palombi – design
• Mario Casilli – photography

Notes

Release: 1976

Format:  LP

Genre:  Jazz Soul, Smooth Jazz

Label:  Warner Bros.

Catalog#  WB 56 199

Vinyl:  Goed

Hoes:  Goed

Prijs: €6,99

Alabama - Feels So Right (Lp) (1981) - €10,00

Feels So Right is the fifth studio album by American country band Alabama, released in February 1981 by RCA Nashville. 

It was their first #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. On the all-genre Billboard 200 the album peaked at #16 and stayed for more than three years, longer than any other Alabama album.

Feels So Right produced three Number One hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart: "Old Flame", the title track and "Love in the First Degree". 

The latter two also reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Alabama are one of the few country bands I sort of knew when I was young. For some reason, my father had a few of their records (not this one as far as I know) and my dad would play them sometimes, so I was exposed to Alabama's sound before CMT existed (or we got it) and before I really knew that there was this whole thing called country separate from pop/rock. And he bought Dancin' on the Boulevard in my teens, even though I'm pretty sure Alabama didn't get played on CMT at the time. I bring this up because I'm not sure I could have told you what Alabama was, or why it was supposedly different from the other music my parents listened to. That might be a good thing, in some cases...
When I first encountered neo-traditionalism (specifically, '80s Steve Earle) I wondered, "what about this is traditional?" To me, it sounded very contemporary and fully aware of the trends in pop rock. At the time, I figured whatever Earle and his contemporaries were reacting against must be pretty slick indeed. Little did I know that one of the things they were reacting against was the one mainstream country band I was actually somewhat familiar with, Alabama.
There are tracks on this album that are identifiable as country music. Sometimes the country accent is thicker than on other tracks, for example. (Cook's one lead vocal sounds more "country" to me than Owen often does, for example.) Other times they play guitar like they are playing country music. The songs might even all pass as country if they were performed by a different band. I mean, there's an alternate reality in which this band has fiddles and pedal steel guitars and at least pretends it's a country band. (There is a fiddle on "Ride the Train" and maybe another song but there is no credit for it, which is weird.)
But, most of the time, this is a pop rock band (the emphasis being on the "pop") playing middle of the road contemporary pop rock that is "country" because of their voices and because there isn't any distorted guitar on the record. I have no idea what their previous records sounded like, as I'm pretty sure the records my dad owns (owned?) were all later than this. But numerous pop rock bands were playing this degree of country in the early '70s, only they weren't marketing themselves to the audience (or perhaps weren't able to). Is this music more country than the Eagles' early albums? Is it more country than the Flying Burrito Brothers? (The answer to the latter question is "No.") There's borderline disco on this record, for fucks sake ("Fantasy").
I am not opposed to musical fusion - I love musical fusion. However, fusing a genre with lame mainstream pop music is not what I like about fusion. It's something else.
I don't like discussions of artistic purity. They are mostly stupid and ways of gatekeepers trying to keep upstarts out of their clubs. But the idea that this is "country" music is kind of laughable. This is pop rock dressed up in country clothes in order to sell a massive amount of records. Yes, there are a couple actual country tracks, but they are few and far between. I didn't realize that the "arena country" that I detest was actually invented a decade (or more) earlier. Now I know. (I should have already known, but I was a kid when I first listened to this band.)

Side A

A1.  Feels So Right - 3:32  

A2.  Love In The First Degree - 3:16  

A3.  Burn Georgia Burn - 3:26  

A4.  Ride The Train - 3:38  

A5.  Fantasy - 4:06  

Side B

B1.  Hollywood - 3:45  

B2.  Old Flame - 3:10  

B3. Woman Back Home - 2:23  

B4.  See The Embers, Feel The Flame - 2:38  

B5.  I’m Stoned - 5:05 

Alabama

• Randy Owen - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Teddy Gentry - vocals, bass guitar, lead vocals on "Burn Georgia Burn"
• Jeff Cook - vocals, lead guitar, lead vocals on "See the Embers, Feel the Flame"
• Mark Herndon - drums

Other musicians

• Rick Scott - drums
• Arliss Scott - guitars
• Jack Eubanks - guitars
• David Humphreys - drums
• Leo Jackson - guitar
• Fred Newell - guitar
• Willie Rainsford - keyboards
• Billy Reynolds - guitar
• David Smith - bass guitar
• Strings arranged by Kristin Wilkinson

Production

• Produced by Alabama, Harold Shedd and Larry McBride
• Engineers: Jim Cotton, Gene Rice, Harold Shedd
• Assistant engineers: Paul Goldberg, Ben Hall, Joe Mills
• Mastering: Randy Kling

Notes

Release:  1981

Format:  LP

Genre:  Country

Label:  RCA Records

Catalog#  AHL1-3930

Vinyl:  Goed

Hoes:  Goed

Prijs: €10,00