“Seven Separate Fools” [1972] & “First Step” [1970] …revisited!!

  

I was ready to share with you Seven Separate Fools, the sixth album of Three Dog Night, which was released [according to Wikipedia] on March 27, 1972. After visiting the band’s official site, I realized that the releasing date was in July, but the decision had already been taken, so here it is for you.

“Three Dog Night has amassed a following so large that at this time in their ascension they could release an album of Gregorian chants and have it certified gold one week after its release. Never fear, though, this album will not win disfavor with any of their fans. Their choice of material is a little more sophisticated but nonetheless brimming with commerciality. Winners are "Pieces of April," and "Black & White." Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson placed the LP at No. 3 among his all-time Top Ten favorite records in a 2016 conversation with Esquire's Middle East branch. Wilson succinctly stated, "Danny Hutton’s vocals are truly on point. [Billboard, 1972].

I tried to find another album with March 27 as the date of release and found First Step by The Faces. It is their debut album and comes from 1970.

 

“Its title aptly describe how the LP was only just the beginning of what the band had to offer. First Step is, at least in terms of songwriting credits, arguably the most democratic album ever released by the Faces, with each member of the band having their name on at least one song. Whether you want to consider this coincidence or not, it’s also the single longest album ever released by the band, which doubtlessly helped in terms of finding space for everyone to score a songwriting credit.

While still beloved by most Faces fans, there’s little argument that FIRST STEP is an album that shows the band finding their footing, which stands to reason when you consider that they’d really only just gotten together as a group when they entered the studio to record it. Songs like “Flying,” “Three Button Hand Me Down,” and the band’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Wicked Messenger” show just how much promise there was to be had in the Faces, but it would take another album before most folks could say without fear of argument, “This is one of the best rock and roll bands in the history of the UK!” (Now, of course, they say it all the time.) [rhino.com]

 

 

Remembering Phil & Gerry - an Irish and a Scotish [with Irish roots]

 

January 4th is a day of remembrance for two of the most significant rock artists who passed away, 36 and 11 years ago respectively: Phillip Lynott  (20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) and Gerry Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011).

I choose two posthumous album releases of the two musicians.

Philip Lynott - The Lost Recordings [2006]

The Lost Recordings contains five previously unreleased tracks from one of Ireland's greatest rock stars. Recorded at Trend Studios in Dublin, by John Dardis, these five recordings have remained hidden in the vaults, until 2006.

Different versions of 'Saga Of The Ageing Orphan' and 'The Friendly Ranger At Clontarf Castle' appeared on the album Thin Lizzy (1971). A different recording of 'Dublin' appeared on the New Day EP (also 1971). Two of the songs - 'Mama And Papa' and 'It's Really Worthwhile' - are effectively 'new': they were never otherwise recorded, so that even the most ardent of Thin Lizzy fans will not have heard them before. "It's strange to think that these recordings have been waiting for over 35 years to see the light of day," says John Dardis, producer of The Lost Recordings. "Prompted by the fact that I had been approached by a lot of people who wanted to hear these recordings, I thought Hot Press was the perfect vehicle to get them out to that huge audience of people who love Irish music and who along the way fell in love with Philip Lynott, both as a musician and as a great Irish character." [hotpress.com]

The track listing is : 1. Mama And Papa   2. Saga Of The Ageing Orphan   3. It's Really Worthwhile   4. Dublin   5. The Friendly Ranger At Clontarf Castle

 ………………………………………………………………………………..

Gerry Rafferty - Rest In Blue [2021]

“Ten years after his death, Gerry Rafferty's 14th solo release Rest In Blue, posthumously compiled by his daughter Martha, is a fitting swansong for the much-loved singer-songwriter whose Irish roots helped shape his craft, writes Richard Purden” [irishnews.com]

“From 2006, Gerry started work on a new album on and off, but sadly passed away in 2011. His daughter, Martha Rafferty, sought to complete a project started by father, culminating in Rest In Blue. Many of the demos left by Gerry included multiple layers of synths, which Martha stripped back to showcase his immense vocal ability. The result is an album brimming with raw emotion, and a quintessential collection of blues, rock, and folk. Some of the demos date back as far as 1970, many of which Rafferty had singled out as potential tracks for his new album.As well as many brand-new originals penned by Gerry, the album features popular traditional folk songs such as Wild Mountain Thyme and Dirty Old Town. It also features a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s It’s Just The Motion, an artist Gerry was a big admirer of. The album finishes with a re-record of the Stealers Wheel classic Stuck In The Middle With You recorded back in the 90s, that gives the track a fresh, country-inspired interpretation.”[store.rhino.com]

 

click to listen and remember:

 

 

 

"Kyrie Eleison" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) by Gerry Rafferty, from his final album "Life Goes On" released in 2009.