Jo 1971

Auteur à succès, Antoine Brisebard est victime d'un maître chanteur, Jo, qui menace de compromettre sa réputation en révélant le passé de sa femme Sylvie. Alors que ce dernier doit passer le soir même pour prendre possession de la somme d'argent exigée, Brisebard le tue accidentellement… In this characteristic French farce, Louis De Funes in the role of Antoine spoofs the 1959 American classic black comedy, Gazebo. In Jo, De Funes is being investigated by the police because his name was on a list kept by a missing blackmailer who is presumed to be dead. Antoine has good reason to know, as he was there when the fellow died…

Boomerang's eponymous 1971 debut also proved to be their last (though a shelved second album remains stashed away somewhere), and its surprisingly stripped-down and unfettered blues-rock approach will probably surprise those familiar with vocalist/organist Mark Stein's earlier work with psychedelic overlords Vanilla Fudge. Clearly inspired by the white-knuckled intensity of Led Zeppelin's first two albums, economic hard rockers like "Juke It," "Cynthia Fever," and "The Peddler" attempted to deliver the same thrilling brand of sheer power masking barely reigned-in virtuosity. Like every other six-stringer of the day, guitar wunderkind Ricky Ramirez (press clippings claimed he was 15 at the time of this recording) was thrust into the role of guitar hero whether he liked it or not; and, despite falling well short of achieving headline status (witness his nonexistent post-Boomerang career), he handled himself convincingly enough throughout, even contributing a nifty backward solo to "Hard Times."

A multi-faceted, veteran poet and singer-songwriter whose work defies classification. Founder of the folk group Grup de Folk (1967), “father” of Catalan rock… Pau’s long career has embraced many genres and countless styles, and his interests now focus on recycling and on toy and invented instruments. Now working particularly with third-generation young musicians, Riba was a key figure in the late-20th-century Catalan underground movement. His vast discography features such titles as "Dioptria" (1970), still considered the Number One Catalan pop-rock record, voted best album of the 20th century by the magazine Enderrock. Other outstanding efforts include "Jo, La donya i el Gripau" (1971), recorded in the open air on the island of Formentera, and "Licors" (1977), a brilliant example of a sound collage.

This was a funny take on the Pinocchio fairy tale. In this case, Gipetta creates a Pinocchio who's intended not as a son, but as a lover, for the lonely wood carver. She takes him to bed, but is saddened that he is only a wooden figure. When she takes a walk, Pinocchio is animated by his Fairy Godmother (Dyanne Thorne, who has some funny lines and a malfunctioning magic wand). Warned by not to do the wrong thing, Pinocchio himself goes for a walk, and runs into a conniving pimp, Jo Jo (played by Eduardo Ranez, doing a good job at playing sleazy). From there, it's funny though a bit predictable.

This was a funny take on the Pinocchio fairy tale. In this case, Gipetta creates a Pinocchio who's intended not as a son, but as a lover, for the lonely wood carver. She takes him to bed, but is saddened that he is only a wooden figure. When she takes a walk, Pinocchio is animated by his Fairy Godmother (Dyanne Thorne, who has some funny lines and a malfunctioning magic wand). Warned by not to do the wrong thing, Pinocchio himself goes for a walk, and runs into a conniving pimp, Jo Jo (played by Eduardo Ranez, doing a good job at playing sleazy). From there, it's funny though a bit predictable.

One Way… Or Another (1971) was the second studio outing to feature the incipient incarnation of supergroup Cactus, comprised of Vanilla Fudge rhythm section Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass), as well as former Amboy Dukes lead vocalist Rusty Day (vocals/mouth harp), and Jim McCarty (guitar) from Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels and the Buddy Miles Express. Even as their debut was ostensibly rawer, they retained the same amp'ed-up electric blues reminiscent of early Grand Funk Railroad and Foghat. The more polished outcome heard on their sophomore effort is undoubtedly the direct result of assistance from recording engineer extraordinaire Eddie Kramer and their upgraded digs at the recently completed Electric Lady Studios, which they inhabited shortly after the passing of the facilities' owner, Jimi Hendrix.