Gerry & the Pacemakers' debut album, produced by George Martin and Ron Richards, is representative of the mainstream Liverpool sound beyond the Beatles, circa 1963. Gerry & the Pacemakers based their music around American R&B ballads, coupled with a delight in straight-ahead rock & roll and country music with a beat, in a manner similar to the Beatles…
A hard rock band from Newcastle, England, Geordie is mostly known for their lead vocalist, Brian Johnson, who would later join AC/DC. In 1972 and 1973, they had a few hits in the U.K., including the number six single "All Because of You" and "Can You Do It," which reached number 13. Their sound was influenced by British rock bands of the day such as Led Zeppelin, as well as some glam stompers, with Johnson's distinctively abrasive singing strongly in evidence…
The Newcastle quartet's debut album followed hard on the heels of two superlative hit singles. Beyond a passing affection for a Slade-style stomp, "Don't Do That" and "All Because of You" have little in common with the then-prevalent glam sound, but still their pounding hard rock ethos slipped effortlessly into the mood of the day, to portray Geordie as the unabashed hard rockers that even the teenies could enjoy. (Nazareth pulled off a similar coup around the same time.) Following in those same stack-heeled footsteps, Hope You Like It makes few concessions to the band's newfound fame, a raw and raucous slam through 11 songs that only let the bombast slip when they fall into the closing clown time of the traditional "Geordie's Lost His Liggie," a mad singalong that is absolutely captivating.
The Newcastle quartet's debut album followed hard on the heels of two superlative hit singles. Beyond a passing affection for a Slade-style stomp, "Don't Do That" and "All Because of You" have little in common with the then-prevalent glam sound, but still their pounding hard rock ethos slipped effortlessly into the mood of the day, to portray Geordie as the unabashed hard rockers that even the teenies could enjoy. (Nazareth pulled off a similar coup around the same time.) Following in those same stack-heeled footsteps, Hope You Like It makes few concessions to the band's newfound fame, a raw and raucous slam through 11 songs that only let the bombast slip when they fall into the closing clown time of the traditional "Geordie's Lost His Liggie," a mad singalong that is absolutely captivating.
This 7T's two-fer combines two albums Mud released at the tail-end of their career – 1978's Rock On and 1979's As You Like It, adding a couple of bonus tracks for good measure. Mud's prime didn't last long, and these two records definitely arrived outside of it, just as the glitter fad was winding down, much to the blissful ignorance of Mud, who tried to carry on as if nothing had changed. This is the most painful on Rock On, where the oldies covers – "Walk Right Back," "Cut Across Shorty" – are silly and anemic, where they're paired with oddities like the mock-reggae of "Slow Talking Boy," a spangly overhaul of "Drift Away," and the turgid ballad "Too Much of Nothing."
Stunningly complex progressive rock led by Hammond organ and mellotron, these studio tracks recorded between 1973 and 1975 are a significant discovery for fans of Gentle Giant, Yes, Fantasy, Spring, England Garden Shed, Genesis and Caravan. Never before issued.