Three Man Army

Three Man Army's third and final album was, most confusingly, titled Three Man Army Two. The unintentionally clumsy name was in a way appropriate, however, for it was more of the same, whether it was the second or third Three Man Army you happened to come across, indeed falling somewhere between the second and third divisions of early-'70s British hard rock…

For Three Man Army's second album, their power trio lineup stabilized with the recruitment of Tony Newman for the drummer's chair (the first album, A Third of a Lifetime, had featured several drummers). A Third of a Lifetime had been journeyman early British hard rock with a few glimpses of more satisfyingly gentle and melodic moods. Unfortunately, Three Man Army put even greater emphasis on their pedestrian hard rock chops and even more pedestrian material, which at its best could only approximate a sub-Led Zeppelin (as the chorus of "Come Down to Earth" certainly does). Sure, you could hear differing inflections from time to time, like the funky rhythm of "Can't Leave the Summer," the tender pop melodics in sections of "Take a Look at the Light," and - weirdest of all - the pompous instrumental arrangement of "My Yiddish Mama," which segues into the far more conventional strutting hard rock of "Hold On."

Three Man Army - Three Man Army Two (1974) {2010 Japanese SHM Mini LP ARC 8038}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 259 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 73 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2010 Reprise Records / Arcаngelo / Warner Music Japan | ARC 8038 / WQCP-878
Rock / Classic Rock / Hard Rock

Three Man Army's third and final studio album was, most confusingly, titled Three Man Army Two (Reprise/Polydor, 1974). It's a shame that this great early hard rock band aren't better known! So I was more than happy to grab this 2010 Jap SHM reissue when I came across it. I wasn't dissapointed, as it sounds so much better than a 1993 Repertoire copy that I was more familiar with.

Three Man Army - A Third Of A Lifetime (1971) {Repertoire Records ‎REPUK1106 rel 2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 413 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 139 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 70 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2007 Repertoire Records ‎| REPUK 1106
Rock / Classic Rock / Hard Rock

The first Three Man Army album, despite its confidently trio-based title, actually teamed Paul Gurvitz and Adrian Gurvitz with a number of different drummers, including Buddy Miles, Spooky Tooth's Mike Kellie, and Vanilla Fudge's Carmine Appice. Though the Gurvitzes were able at mimicking the cliches of early-'70s hard rock, their material was ordinary to the point of dullness, and their guitar soloing stereotypical almost to the point of unwitting self-parody.

Three Man Army - Mahesha (1974) (Progressive Line PL593 rel 2003)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 200 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 84 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 33 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2003 Polydor / Progressive Line | PL 593 | 24 Bit Digitally Remastered
Rock / Classic Rock / Hard Rock

For Three Man Army's second album, their power trio lineup stabilized with the recruitment of Tony Newman for the drummer's chair (the first album, A Third of a Lifetime, had featured several drummers). A Third of a Lifetime had been journeyman early British hard rock with a few glimpses of more satisfyingly gentle and melodic moods. Unfortunately, Mahesha put even greater emphasis on their pedestrian hard rock chops and even more pedestrian material, which at its best could only approximate a sub-Led Zeppelin (as the chorus of "Come Down to Earth" certainly does).

A semi-progressive British power-trio, Baker Gurvitz Army produced a trio of noteworthy LP's during the mid-seventies, with this 1975 release the highly-recommended pick-of-the- bunch…

A semi-progressive British power-trio, Baker Gurvitz Army produced a trio of noteworthy LP's during the mid-seventies, with this 1975 release the highly-recommended pick-of-the- bunch. Sandwiched between their spiky self-titled debut and the underwhelming commercial rock of 1976's 'Hearts On Fire', the eclesiastically-monikered 'Elysian Encounter' finds this sadly short-lived outfit at their most instrumentally ambitious, toning down the brash rock excess of the group-members previous outfits in favour of a slower, more measured brand of still commercially-viable FM rock that also had half-an-eye on the progressive rock market…