John Cipollina

Man - The Twang Dynasty (2014) {3CD Esoteric Deluxe Clamshell Boxset Edition ECLEC32455 rec 1992}
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© 1992, 2014 Esoteric Recordings / Cherry Red Records | ECLEC32455
Rock / Prog-Rock / Pub Rock / Hard Rock

Although Man had reformed in 1983 to perform live, The Twang Dynasty was Mans first studio record release in sixteen years. The album was a very strong comeback that stands alongside the bands work in the 1970s. Featuring a line-up of Micky Jones (Guitar, Vocals), Deke Leonard (Guitar, Vocals), Martin Ace (Bass, Vocals) and John Weathers (drums), The Twang Dynasty featured excellent material such as A Feather on the Scales of Justice, The Chinese Cut and The Wings of Mercury (dedicated to the late John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service who had performed with MAN). The deluxe set is newly re-mastered and features two additional CDs of Mans complete set at Glastonbury Festival on 25th June 1994, featuring many tracks from The Twang Dynasty, along with splendid performances of classic tracks such as CMon, Many Are Called, But Few Get Up, Bananas and Romain.

Grateful Dead - New Year's Eve 1982, Oakland Auditorium Arena (2016) {3CD Box Set Limited 1000 Mojo Filter MFRCD2006}
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© 1982, 2016 Mojo Filter Records | MFRCD2006
Rock / Classic Rock / Psychedelic / Folk Rock / Jam Band

Bill Graham rides in on a giant mushroom. Etta James and Tower of Power Horns featured as well as the mercurial John Cipollina on "Not Fade Away", "Deal" and "Sunshine Daydream".

Minnesoda did an obscure but fairly interesting self-titled jazz-rock album for Capitol in 1972, produced by Bob Johnston (famous for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Simon & Garfunkel, and numerous others). The record was in limited respects like the first recordings of Chicago and, more distantly, Blood, Sweat & Tears in its jazz-rock-with-vocals format…

If you want to know why producer Gary Usher is revered in some circles, play The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading next to the pretty much self-produced For Children of All Ages. A name as trendy as the Jefferson Airplane - and a sound that is absolutely the Airplane - meets the Mamas & the Papas; the '60s guitars sound smart; the 1967 liner notes by Lawrence Dietz tell you nothing about the group; and the front cover looks like something Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper encountered during Easy Rider. "It's a Happening Thing," like much of this record, tries too hard. Decades after it was recorded, there is charm in a band like the PBC (which rhymes with PCP) being such an authentic figment of someone's countercultural imagination. Sandi Robison is stunning on "Then Came Love," and the production by Gary Usher really is impressive - it makes the record something special…

The Sons of Champlin released three albums on Capitol Records between 1969 and 1971 (Loosen Up Naturally, The Sons, and Follow Your Heart), none of which was a commercial hit for various reasons, but not for lack of musical quality. This 78-minute CD makes a reasonable selection of the highlights from those LPs, demonstrating that at their best, the Sons were a collection of talented musicians who packed their songs full of good solos that grew out of complicated arrangements. Although they were a part of the psychedelic San Francisco scene of the time, their music never quite fit the mold, leaning much more toward jazz and R&B than, say, the Grateful Dead. the Sons played instruments including saxophones and a vibraphone, not otherwise typical of the San Francisco Sound, and they were less interested in songs than in creating platforms for soloing. They might start a tune like "Love of a Woman" as a gentle, romantic ballad with an acoustic guitar, but midway through that would suddenly give way to a jazzy instrumental section in a different time signature, return to the ballad, then again go off into jazz.

Plying their trade in the fertile San Francisco scene of the late '60s, Crystal Syphon's name was only known to aficionados through viewing copies of old SF gig posters and through the index of bands at the back of Ralph Gleason's book on the rise of Jefferson Airplane. Then both their studio and live 1967-1969 archival recordings were discovered that replaced the imagination with true grooves in 2012 and 2015 with the release of 2 LPs on Roaratorio Records. Trying to find comparison with other Bay area bands from that era has proven a bit fruitless as they don't specifically evoke any of the heavy hitters of the era. They have a bit of a dreamy, stoned vibe with some great harmonies and some have compared their style to Quicksilver Messenger Service (John Cipollina was their idol!!) as well as H.P. Lovecraft. As with so many bands of the era, the draft, time and declining fortunes signaled the end of the band. There is some great guitar work alongside the Farfisa organ in the extended jams, and fans of the west-coast sound should delight in these recordings.