Magical Moment Photos

ERIC BLOOM OF THE AMAZING BLUE OYSTER CULT IN OAKLAND, CA. ON 6-6-76. PHOTO/ART BY BEN UPHAM.

BLUE OYSTER CULT-
“ON YOUR FEET OR ON YOUR KNEES”
(LIVE ALBUM FROM 1975) REVIEWS

#1-
“No One Envied the Bands That Had To Follow Up This One”
By Bud (Seminole, Texas, USA)
June 4, 2004

When surveying Blue Oyster Cult’s catalog of live albums, it’s apparent that each of these in-concert releases was carefully placed at a specific point in the band’s career, to sum up or end a particular epoch. Such albums include “Some Enchanted Evening” (1978), “Extraterrestrial Live” (1982), and the recent triumph “A Long Day’s Night.” Each live album balanced old and new material, describing the advances and new territories discovered, while making sure to note the material from previous eras that made the progression possible. 1975′s “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” was the first of these releases, an homage to BOC’s first three albums (all of which were landmark recordings for the heavy metal genre), and a reliable testament to what kept this great band alive-loyal touring and performing.
The blazing fury on this album completely blows away many, if not most, live albums that came before it; in 1975, Peter Frampton’s “Frampton Comes Alive” was still a year away, and artists were not yet mistaking his example and disguising greatest hits albums under the live album mask (though some bands did manage to make live albums a meaningful event). Some of the only concert recordings released before “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” that had as much fire and energy were The Who’s “Live at Leeds,” Deep Purple’s “Made in Japan,” and Bob Dylan & The Band’s “Before the Flood.”
The focus on these songs should not be so much on melody as on the fact that each of these five men are playing their guts out. The extended guitar readings that dominate the album are pure heavy metal passion and a musical bond that few bands can perfect. A perfect example is `Seven Screaming Diz-Busters,’ which features a searing guitar exercise in which drummer Albert Bouchard’s driving drum beats are kept perfectly in time with the soaring guitar work, one musician in heavy metal harmony with another. And when BOC does show a hint of restraint, it is just as hypnotic; Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser’s `Then Came the Last Days of May’ is one of the best songs written during their early era, a haunting but deceptively melodic tune about the futility and violence of the drug business. The collection closes on an appropriate note, a cover of `Born To Be Wild,’ one of the songs that coined the phrase “heavy metal.”
Perhaps it’s best that “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” has not yet been fully remastered. The studio polishing would only take away from the raw sound that places the listener amidst the battalion of appreciative fans cheering for a band that were among the most unrelenting pioneers in heavy metal. As non-mainstream (for the 70s) as this music was, “On Your Feet Or On Your Knees” was Blue Oyster Cult’s first album to break into the Top 30, a stunning document of the innovations to come; it is both the end and the beginning of an era.

#2-
“A hearty slice of the Rabid 1970s”
By S. R.
February 16, 2005

Blue Oyster Cult recorded “On Your Feet…” at a time when they were selling out venues all over the world without the benefit of a hit single anywhere. A raw sounding record with NO OVERDUBS shows the rabidness of the band and gives a wicked slice of their first few releases with a couple cover songs thrown in, to boot. Speaking about sonics, this album will not impress you at first especially if your under the age 25, but give it a further listen a realize the time it was (I’m not saying its a badly recorded album, it just sounds like a mid 70s live album). “Then came the Last Days of May” features killer Buck Dharma solos, and is one of the coolest songs of the era, and the band’s re-working of the Yardbirds “I aint got You” is also very good rock. This is the band before “Don’t fear The Reaper” was released and before their style began to progress to a more adult-oriented rock and roll. But it’s all good, and it’s all cranked to high volume. A good lost classic for any collectors of landmark musical recordings. An interesting piece of history from an American metal band amongst a sea of British metal gods. An album worthy of the landmark title and should be on the tip of tongues of metal-heads everywhere like Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath is today. Blue Oyster Cult took a back seat to NO metal band of ANY era they just progressed beyond the (for lack of a better phrase) the teenage genre. Check it out.

#3-
“Let me take you back”
By Dr. Music
July 28, 2004

In a darkened room, set up your speakers on the floor about four feet apart. Now, lay down with your head on a pillow positioned midway between your speakers. I’m serious! Crank up Last Days of May (without making your ears bleed) and close your eyes.
Now, picture white clad Buck Dharma, bathed in blue light, standing alone in a smoky spotlight beam. A heady brew of pot and perfume permeates the air. Buck looks down as you strain against the crowd that yearns for your spot on the barrier, longing to worship at his feet. He smiles at you with his infectious grin and nods knowingly as he effortlessly produces the most unearthly, mournful wails ever to emanate from a guitar. You stare in disbelief and a shiver comes over you as if it was you in that ill-fated back seat, with your life-blood flowing and your mis-spent life slipping away before your eyes. The crush fades as the crowd becomes mesmerized. Lighters begin to pierce the darkness like stars on a moonless night. Someone nearby lets out a shrill whistle. Buck turns and your ears buzz with a harmonic ringing, like a pickup on Buck’s guitar. The solo ends with a flourish, the lights come up and he joins Eric Bloom, clad in sunglasses and a theatrical black cape, as they bring the song to a finish. The spell is broken and the air is forced from your lungs as the crowd surges forward, pinning you against the barrier. You could die a happy man now. You have witnessed one of the greatest live songs ever recorded.
This album captures Blue Oyster Cult’s musical genius and raw power like lightning in a bottle. At the time this was recorded, the sound level at a BOC concert could probably be measured on a seismograph!
Unlike most live albums, many of the songs here are actually better than the studio versions. Last Days of May compared to the studio version is like The Red and the Black compared to I’m on the Lamb: not even close. Subhuman is unbelievable! Buck flat out wails and Allen plays the Hammond like a six-string axe. Seven Screaming Dizbusters just keeps building and building to a diz-busting climax. Harvester of Eyes is transformed into a crunchy boogie that is far more enjoyable than the already good studio version.
The CD is not without its faults such as bad production, that annoying screech between two tracks, the repeat of a portion of Buck’s Boogie as a jam at the end of Maserati GT and of course, several conspicuously absent classics. Despite this, it still ranks as one of, if not THE greatest live album in rock history.
I for one would not mind if this album was remastered, if for no other reason than to get rid of that awful screech. As an owner of a vinyl copy as well, I am annoyed by the crossover added to the CD to meld four album sides into one.

#4-
“ALBERT, ALLEN, JOE, BUCK & ERIC’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE” March 29, 2006
By stevenb
March 29, 2006

Of all the live albums this band has ever done, this has got to be a personal best. Albert Bouchard, the band’s drummer, stated in an interview that this was his favorite. This may not be BOC’s best recorded album of all time, but it excells in surprises and unpredictability. It was listening to OYFOOYN that I was first introduced to this amazing band…they had an aura and a mystyic about them. Looking at the earlier albums later, I thought…just who are these guys, and better yet…which one was which?
THE SONGS:

SUBHUMAN: This band started off with a song that deserved a live recording. It has a certain Santana quality to it. Good starting song.

HARVESTER OF EYES: Where did that oooweeoo sound come from? Synthesizer? Guitar? And by the way, who will take responsibility for that? Eric? Buck? Allen? It’s perfect! This is the song that really introduces the album. It’s way better than the SECRET TREATIES version and is unrelenting from beginning to end.

HOT RAILS TO HELL: Joe Bouchard’s hellhole trash metal. Once again, a much different and better turn than in the studio.

RED & THE BLACK: A great song that is an all-time BOC classic, worth it all even just to hear Joe’s bass solo.

SEVEN SCREAMING DIZ-BUSTERS: The song your Baptist parents warned you about. Probably about as controversial a tune as ME-262, this entry has got some assorted treats in it.

BUCK’S BOOGIE: Penned instrumental by Buck and Albert, this jawbreaker has some of the best guitar and keyboard give-and-take ever heard.

THEN CAME THE LAST DAYS OF MAY: Blue Oyster Cult’s mellower side. Yes, this version is much better than their first album’s account. Buck’s lead guitar literally sings on this one.

CITIES ON FLAME: BOC comes roaring back with a song I’m sure all devoted BOC fans appreciate. Albert does the vocals, and this has got to be their best version…oh, to see all of this on DVD. Allen Lanier is especially impressive-to start off with keyboards (on the whole through their career Allen does not sing), and end the song with second guitar.

ME-262: As The Band’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is an account of the Civil War from a Southern man’ perspective, this song is an account of WW2 from a German bomber pilot’s angle of vision…about as controversial a song as Walker Blues by Steve Earle. This take on the song is a little inferior to the one on SECRET TREATIES but worth it to hear all of them on guitar. This is the live part to watch the early charter members do their five-man guitar frontal assault before the audience.

BEFORE THE KISS, A REDCAP: My top-ten personal favorite from BOC. Actually, I love both takes on this one.

MASERATI GT: A song by MC5 that I’m sure BOC loved to cover. This song has a certain roadhouse quality to it and it is enhanced by Eric’s vocals and Buck’s solo guitar in it.

BORN TO BE WILD: The classic BOC live song they never wrote. Poorly recorded, it’s sometimes hard to find out exactly what they are all doing during the song. I guess it might have been better to insert a live take of ODed ON LIFE ITSELF or DOMINANCE & SUBMISSION. Or even a DVD of OYFOOYN to see what is exactly going on.

On the whole, this album closes a chapter of BOC’s first wild and crazy era. It is called the black and white period, where Blue Oyster Cult were the original bad boys your parents didn’t want to even know about, much less listen to. Nowadays, the Oyster Boys keep on rocking the house with fans ranging from teenaged kids to 40-somethings such as me and older. I guess BOC’s future may something on the order of selling out assisted living homes. One thing is for sure…they don’t look like they will ever retire from this.

#5-
“The Best Live Heavy-Metal Album of Its Time”
By BluesDuke (Las Vegas, Nevada)
August 4, 2003

After a magnificent debut album, Blue Oyster Cult’s two succeeding studio albums suffered from excellent material sounding as though it been cut in a huge hurry between concert gigs, minus the stage ambience that enhanced and amplified the band’s hyperkinetic, craftsmanlike playing style (the knitting of their guitars and keyboards had always set them apart from the usual pound-sound heavy metal) and strikingly arrayed songs. This was one heavy metal band that concentrated as much on music structure as they did on blast and flash and weren’t afraid to let a little lyricism or melodism run around loose. What a surprise, then, that the most full-sounding Blue Oyster Cult album in their pre-”Agents of Fortune” period would be a live album. With a few slight re-arrangements – the added intro/bridge of “Subhuman,” the cheeky finale bridge for “Seven Screaming Dizbusters” (with singer Eric Bloom’s smartass parody of Mickey and Sylvia’s “Love Is Strange” repartee), the thundercrack, soaring four-guitar-and-bass midsection of “ME 262,” the eerie synthesiser support for an extended guitar solo (and a pretty one) on Donald (Buck Dharma) Roeser’s early master ballad, “Then Came The Last Days of May” – and a couple of clever covers (especially the oddly atmospheric “I Ain’t Got You”), the Cult delivered a setfull of the exuberant, insouciant slash that made them such an in-person favorite even when their recordings weren’t selling accordingly.

Interestingly, the band divided the selections almost evenly from their first three albums: three from “Blue Oyster Cult” (including a speedball-accelerated “Before The Kiss, A Redcap” and “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll”), three from “Tyranny and Mutation,” and three from “Secret Treaties,” the aforesaid pair of covers, and the concert favourite “Buck’s Boogie.” For the latter, Roeser and keyboardsman Allen Lanier trade off on some whip-it solos before Lanier eases back to play support-and-push for the guitarist’s galloping flights. It could have been a washout of self-indulgence but wasn’t; Roeser was always too sensible and tasteful a player for that (he was nothing if not the most underrated guitarist of his breed), and it didn’t hurt that the band could and did keep up with him and keep him anchored as well as they did.

As a kind of wrap-up to their early era (they were already at work on the music that would become “Agents of Fortune,” determined to take the kind of care with it that they took with their first album, avoiding the rush job of the second two), “On Your Feet or On Your Knees” was as good as it got and then some. For a band whose strength was as much their concert style as their recordings, Blue Oyster Cult would never again put forth a live album (there were two yet to come, the disappointing “Some Enchanted Evening” and the inconsistent “Extraterrestrial Live”) equal to this one’s elemental sophistication of power and sensibility.

BLUE OYSTER CULT DISCOGRAPHY:
1972 Blue Öyster Cult
1973 Tyranny and Mutation
1974 Secret Treaties
1975 On Your Feet or On Your Knees
1976 Agents of Fortune
1977 Spectres
1978 Some Enchanted Evening
1979 Mirrors
1980 Cultösaurus Erectus
1981 Fire of Unknown Origin
1982 Extraterrestrial Live
1983 The Revölution by Night
1986 Club Ninja
1988 Imaginos
1994 Cult Classic
1994 Live 1976
1998 Heaven Forbid
2001 Curse of the Hidden Mirror
2001 St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings
2002 A Long Day’s Night

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE BLUE OYSTER CULT PHOTOS:
BLUE OYSTER CULT PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
BLUE OYSTER CULT FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

BLUE OYSTER CULT ROCKING OUT AT THE DAY ON THE GREEN IN OAKLAND, CA. ON JUNE 6, 1976. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

BLUE OYSTER CULT-
“BLUE OYSTER & BLACK OAK”
BY JOHN E. HOLMES
THE CORPUS CHRISTI TIMES
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS
NOVEMBER 1, 1977

The Blue Oyster Cult and Black Oak invaded Memorial Coliseum last night in the second sold out concert in a week and proved why they’re touted as two of America’s most improved bands.
Black Oak, with four new members but led by the inimitable Jim “Dandy” Mangrum, took the stage first and motored through an impressive 10-song set which displayed the best of both its worlds. Previously regarded as the worlds foremost “raunch and roll” band, Black Oak is now a tight, straight forward band with as much or more finesse as any other high-energy act around. Mangrum and guitarist Jimmy Henderson have surrounded themselves with four of Memphis better musicians and the rise in musical quality is almost amazing.
New guitarists Jack Holder and Greg Reding blend right in with Henderson, swapping leads and fighting guitar duels, while the new rhythm section of bassist Andy Tanas and drummer Joel Williams build a rock-steady platform on which the music is built. During the set, Black Oak proved they could still rock with anyone, especially on some of its older songs like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Hot And Nasty,” which is exactly as its title suggests.
But the truly impressive part of Black Oak’s snow is the brand new material found on its latest album, “Race With The Devil.” Throughout the evening, Black Oak played five of the eight songs on the album, all with a mixture of flair and Southern-fried energy. The new, improved Black Oak sounds lean mean and hungry. All the fat has been trimmed away leaving a tight, heady outfit with a new direction and some straightforward ideas on how to get there. Basically, the reason the old band was dissolved in favor of this new one is that its members were getting complacent about putting their hearts into the music and Mangrum just couldn’t live with that. So it was onward and upward and if last night’s show was any indication of what Black Oak is now capable of, the sky’s the limit.
The Blue Oyster Cult hit town with a brand new album and one of rock’s finest light shows, both of which were fairly impressive last night. The Cult has also undergone some musical direction changes recently. Though the music was softened up a bit for “Agents Of Fortune ” the new material is a cross between this softness and the old blitz-rock of earlier days.
But strangely enough, the highlights of BOC’s set were the old standards. The group played three songs from its very first album, including the opener, “Stairway To The Stars” and the murderous “Cities On Flame,” which featured some lightning from lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser. The third oldie, “Then Came The Last Days May,” featuring an extended guitar solo, revealed the first major operation of the Cult’s infamous laser light show. As the sharp green laser beams reflected off strategically located mirror balls, the Cult got hotter and hotter, culminating in three monster songs which made a good show almost great. The thumping “Godzilla” featured more extended guitar work and long drum solo by Albert Bouchard made worthwhile by the lasers and strobes. Albert teamed with brother Joe Bouchard on bass to power the group through “Summer Of Love” into a searing, lasered, strobed firebombed climax of “Born To Be Wild.”
BOC returned for an encore of “Dominance And Submission” but didn’t totally satisfy until playing “Don’t Fear The Reaper”, it’s number one single of 1976. The Cult’s light show was impressive and the music itself isn’t bad, but the major complaints against the band remained valid last night. They can get a littler boring by extending things too long at times, and they have no stage show at all. There really isn’t even much energy flowing up there. They were good no doubt about that, but with a little work this show could be one of the best.

BLUE OYSTER CULT DISCOGRAPHY:

1972 Blue Öyster Cult
1973 Tyranny and Mutation
1974 Secret Treaties
1975 On Your Feet or On Your Knees
1976 Agents of Fortune
1977 Spectres
1978 Some Enchanted Evening
1979 Mirrors
1980 Cultösaurus Erectus
1981 Fire of Unknown Origin
1982 Extraterrestrial Live
1983 The Revölution by Night
1986 Club Ninja
1988 Imaginos
1994 Cult Classic
1994 Live 1976
1998 Heaven Forbid
2001 Curse of the Hidden Mirror
2001 St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings
2002 A Long Day’s Night

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE BLUE OYSTER CULT PHOTOS:
BLUE OYSTER CULT PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
BLUE OYSTER CULT FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

THE AMAZING BLUE OYSTER CULT ELECTRIFY THE SHOW AT OAKLAND ON 6-6-76. PHOTO-ART BY BEN UPHAM.

BLUE OYSTER CULT-
“MIND-BLOWING SPECTACLE”
BY LARRY KELP
THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
DECEMBER 12, 1977

You want spectacle? Try Earth. Wind and Fire three nights at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, or Blue Oyster Cult Saturday at the Cow Palace.
Never mind the music, these shows attract an audience to see mind-blowing circus.
EWF’s Friday opener was preceded by soul band Pockets which, for the 20-minute spot “it was given, showed some potential. Deniece Williams was over-dramatic and under-clothed, and in a small theater would have been at home, but in the Coliseum cavern was out of place. Their mentors, EWF, followed with an eye-opening two hours of colorful costumes and props. The band’s creed of happiness and meaning through positive living was carried out through visual imagery. Egyptian mythology, astrology, magic, pyramids and some effects straight out of Star Trek. It was not unlike a funk interpretation of a Sun Ra concert.
After an opening gong ceremony, nine transparent tubes descended to the stage, and with a flash of smoke appeared to fill with the core members of the band. Up went the tubes, and on went the music: “Serpentine Fire.” the No. 1 hit from the new “All in All” album, helped by flashing and twirling of robes. The finale featured several golden spacemen preparing a large pyramid into which the band members disappeared, then the pyramid ascended above the stage, and in a flash of smoke blew open. The spacemen standing below took off their helmets and—surprise!—it was the band.
Master magician Doug Henning designed the stage trickery for the EWF show. Too bad he did not do something to improve the music. Once a raw but original percussion-oriented band, EWF has become too slick and image conscious of late. Their records may sell a couple million copies each now, but they lack the human quality and distinctiveness of earlier material. Still, EWF provides great entertainment. Leader Maurice White spends most of the time clutching at himself and strutting about, while bassist brother Verdine and guitarist AI McKay are non-stop dancers. How can anyone not like a band that enjoys performing as much as EWF does?
After obnoxious opening performances by Piper and Black Oak Arkansas (the latter at least plays competently, although Jim Dandy’s vocals are still a questionable matter), Long Island’s heavy metal masters Blue Oyster Cult dazzled with their biggest production yet.
Ignoring the musical aspects, there are two basic ways to stage a rock show: with props or with lights. Where EWF used the former. BOC relied on one of the most elaborate lighting systems extant. The result-with fog machines, tons of colored lights and three laser machines augmented sonically by a quadraphonic sound system—was technically advanced over that of the Wings show, and made Electric Light Orchestra’s laser extravaganza seem as effective as a flashlight.
Like EWF, BOC’s present music does not match the raw creative energy of its early days. Opening song “R. U. Ready 2 Rock” kicked off a dull 20 minutes that finally started to pick up with “Golden Age of Leather.” and by “Then Came the Last Days of May” and “Godzilla” the band and audience were in high gear. For “Godzilla” the Cow Palace was filled with hundreds of green laser beams bounced off mirror balls hung from the ceiling. Two beams projected on the back wall changed shapes and danced with each other, then spread into the audience. The three-dimensional effect meant you didn’t just see the show, you were in it as well. Like the Busby Berkeley films of the ’30s. EWF and BOC’s shows may not have a lot to do with music any more, but they sure make for great entertainment…

BLUE OYSTER CULT DISCOGRAPHY:

1972 Blue Öyster Cult
1973 Tyranny and Mutation
1974 Secret Treaties
1975 On Your Feet or On Your Knees
1976 Agents of Fortune
1977 Spectres
1978 Some Enchanted Evening
1979 Mirrors
1980 Cultösaurus Erectus
1981 Fire of Unknown Origin
1982 Extraterrestrial Live
1983 The Revölution by Night
1986 Club Ninja
1988 Imaginos
1994 Cult Classic
1994 Live 1976
1998 Heaven Forbid
2001 Curse of the Hidden Mirror
2001 St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings
2002 A Long Day’s Night

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE BLUE OYSTER CULT PHOTOS:
BLUE OYSTER CULT PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
BLUE OYSTER CULT FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

ALLEN COLLINS SOARS DURING THE PEAK OF HIS "FREE BIRD" SOLO AT WINTERLAND ON 3-6-76. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD-
“DESTROY A MYTH”
THE LOWELL SUN
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTES
APRIL 8, 1976

Wednesday night’s screaming, full-house audience at Boston’s Orpheum Theater proved convincingly that Southern bands are much more than wailing, guitar-pickin’ hillbillies.
Both from Florida, The Outlaws and Lynryd Skynyrd gave evidence that their musical contributions are as valid as any other American bands.
The Outlaws gave an electrifying opening performance to an overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience, frequently spotlighting the talents of their two lead guitarists, Billy Jones and Hughie Thomasson. Very tasteful harmonizing guitar solo’s were augmented by an additional guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, who provided a solid foundation in all their numbers on which the guitarists built.
Lynyrd Skynyrd began as a boisterous bar band in Jacksonville, Florida. Their name came from their mockery of a gym teacher, Leonard Skinner, who repeatedly had three of Skynyrd’s members expelled from high school for having long hair. By mid-1973, their hard driving style had developed and had already landed them a recording contract.
Their big break materialized in 1974 when they were asked to tour with The Who. This brought them in front of large audiences who heard their rock spiced with “down home” flavor as performed by several talented musicians.
As Skynyrd came on stage, a fight in the audience was quelled when singer Ronnie Van Zant, his southern drawl evident said, “You’ll can fight if you want to, but don’t fuss.” Ronnie proudly displayed his half-beard and Bruin’s T-shirt, beginning the show with “Double Trouble”, a funky rocker from their latest album, “Gimme Back My Bullets”. His voice was weak at times, but he did his best to hide his recurring throat problems that may eventually end his singing career with the band. Ron Eckerman, Skynyrd’s road manager, confided that Van Zant’s voice was “raspy from touring”, but Ronnie has undergone surgery for a torn vocal cord and still has throat problems.

Though their audiences are always more than receptive, their records have not sold well in the Boston area. Eckerman feels “they’re a live band. Because radio stations don’t play their albums, no one understands the band. In fact, every Southern band has problems in Boston,” Nevertheless, Lynyrd Skynyrd usually play to sold-out audiences.
Guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins played with the brilliance of a super-nova, trading guitar riffs and displaying their understanding of and union with their instruments. Artimus Pyle’s overhand drum technique provided pounding rhythms that accented the gutsy, rash guitar work, especially on “Saturday Night Special”, “Needle and Spoon”, and ” Gimme Three Steps”, an interesting tune about being involved with another man’s woman.
Later in the show, Van Zant commented “there’s enough guitars up here to start a store”, referring to Jones and Thomasson of The Outlaws joining them on stage for “T for Texas” and “Sweet Home Alabama”. A Confederate flag was unfurled during “Alabama” to the screaming delight of the fans while four incredibly coordinated guitarists blended their talents and abilities to create a harmonizing effect that overwhelmed all.
After a 12-minute standing ovation, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed “Free Bird”, then left the theater to rest for the next leg of their seemingly endless tour, having covered at least 50 cities so far. (No one in the band was quite sure of the figure.) They had delivered to the crowd, the best rock possible, and satisfied with the intensity of applause,
decided it was time to rest. They had dispelled the myth that all Southern bands were alike … and had done it very well…

LYNYRD SKYNYRD DISCOGRAPHY:

1973 Pounounced Lynyrd Skynyrd
1974 Second Helping
1975 Nuthin’ Fancy
1976 Gimme Back My Bullets
1976 One More From the Road (Live)
1977 Street Survivors
1978 First and Last
1982 Best of the Rest
1987 Legend
1991 Box Set
1998 Skynyrds First (Complete Muscle Shoals)
2000 Collectybles
2009 Live at Winterland 3-7-76
2009 Live at Cardiff 11-4-75

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PHOTOS:
LYNYRD SKYNYRD WINTERLAND PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
LYNYRD SKYNYRD SPOKANE SOUND CHECK PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
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LYNYRD SKYNYRD ART BY BEN UPHAM
AND
LYNYRD SKYNYRD FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

FRANK MARINO OF MAHOGANY RUSH DURING A DAYDREAM I HAD ONCE ON MT. TAMALPAIS. PHOTO-ART BY BEN UPHAM.

MAHOGANY RUSH-
“RAW ENERGY”
THE BRANDON SUN
BRANDON, MANITOBA, CANADA
APRIL 11, 1980

Veteran rocker Frank Marino formed his own band when he was 15, about 10 years ago. Since then, Quebec based Mahogany Rush have been almost full-time travellers on the grinding American rock circuit.
The group’s ninth album, What’s Next?, was released in early March, just as the band started its most arduous rock tour yet — 48 concerts in 57 days throughout the U.S.
People have been predicting big things for Mahogany Rush for years but the band has yet to produce that platinum hit album that would launch Marino and cohorts Jimmy Ayoub, Paul Harwood and brother Vincent Marino to real stardom.
Sitting in his favorite haunt in the old working-class Point St. Charles district of Montreal, Marino, the lead guitarist, professed an almost philosophical patience as he readied himself for the tour. “I’m a veteran and yet I’m only 25. I haven’t put in this much time for nothing. I look upon this year as a building period. “Next year should be the year we really break out.”
Despite his curiously anachronistic hippie appearance, Marino talks like a young man who knows exactly where he’s going. Relaxing in Montreal between tours, he had been producing an album by Quebec rock-disco queen Nanette Workman and his New York management has assigned him to produce a couple of new acts. He also has high hopes for the group’s new album. “It’s going to be a lot easier playing this album on stage than some of our earlier records, where I tried to show how versatile Frank Marino was (with electric pedal, synthesizers and the like.) This one concentrates on raw energy. “It’s more of a team effort, just one lead, one rhythm guitar and a minimum of overdubs.”
Touring is the same old grind, but consistently its own reward with increasing exposure to greater numbers of record buyers. “There’s not much chance to do anything while touring. You’re up at seven to get to the place you’re playing that night. You’re picked up by a limousine, you go to the hotel, freshen up, then go to the sound check, then you change and get ready in the dressing room. “After the show you might meet back at the hotel bar, go to bed late, and start all over again the next day.” Still, the grind has paid off for Mahogany Rush, which Marino describes as basically financially secure.

FRANK MARINO & MAHOGANY RUSH
DISCOGRAPHY:

1973 Maxoom
1974 Child of the Novelty
1975 Strange Universe
1976 IV
1977 World Anthem
1978 Live
1979 Tales of the Unexpected
1980 What’s Next
1981 The Power of Rock ‘N’ Roll
1982 Juggernaut
1986 Full Circle
1988 Double Live
1990 From the Hip
1997 Dragonfly (Best of)
2000 Eye of the Storm
2004 Real Live
CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE MAHOGANY RUSH PHOTOS & ART:
MAHOGANY RUSH PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM (1975-1978)
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MAHOGANY RUSH PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM (1979)
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MAHOGANY RUSH ART BY BEN UPHAM
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MAHOGANY RUSH FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

PETER FRAMPTON JOINS THE J. GEILS BAND ONSTAGE IN OAKLAND ON JUNE 6, 1976. PHOTO ART BY BEN UPHAM.

THE J. GEILS BAND-
“GEILS & FOGHAT UPSTAGE FRAMPTON”
BY JOE SEGURA
THE INDEPENDENT PRESS TELEGRAM
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA
JULY 9, 1977

Following the J. Geils Band-Foghat-Peter Frampton concert Wednesday at the Anaheim Stadium, one lingering question — not melody— surfaced. Is Frampton petering-out?
The rock idol of the pre-puberty generation offered a limited platter of musical morsels — mainly hits from his immensely popular “Frampton Comes Alive” album — on which to satisfy an appetite for rock.
Frampton’s performance, in short, was — if not tasteless’ — in need of a strong dose of spice. . . GRANTED, the hit-singles of Alive —”Show Me The Way,” “Do You Feel Like We Do” and “Baby I Love Your Way”— were great crowd pleasers. But, there is a repetitiveness about Frampton’s compositions that can be irritating — like a stuck needle on a warped disc. The three hit tunes, for instance, offer slight beat variations — along with the “talking” guitar trademark — that attracts the listener’s attention for a period. But, without the Frampton gimmick — a novelty that has its limits — the works would suffer greatly.
For example, most of the other ‘Frampton pieces, including the rock idol’s album’s title song, I’m in You, (a surprisingly anti-climatic tune for an encore) were sleepers, with monotonous lyrics and tempo.
Aside from his three hit singles Frampton’s best received songs during the 75-minute performance were creations of two earlier superstars — Stevie Wonder’s “Here I Am Baby” and the Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” — who offered fans a steady diet of rich compositions.
Frampton, it seems, needs to develop more variety in his music to maintain the momentum of his earlier success. With added dimension, Frampton’s music might reach the maturity many of his youngish fans lack.
On the other hand, the J. Geils Band and Foghat delivered strong performances for the 55,000 rock fans that arrived at the midday concert by 3 p.m. Based soley on an educated guess, the older fans at Wednesday’s concert appeared to be attracted to the hard-driving rock of the J. Geils Band and/or Foghat rather than the soft measures of Frampton. The two groups, performing under bright clear skies, helped set the festive mood for the audience — dressed mainly in swimwear — that sprawled along the stadium’s baseball outfield.
Adding to the festive mood, the promoters of the concert included
an air devil show and a trapeze act — both designed to keep the natives charmed during the unusually long intermissions.
As a credit to both the J. Geils Band and Foghat, the sideshows were not needed. J. Geils Band’s finish song, “Nothing Like A Party,” had the partying crowd clapping its agreement. But, it was Foghat’s energetic rock and cool abandon that stood the partying crowd on its feet, stomping and swinging, with hits from the three golden albums, including “Drivin’ Wheel” and “Slow Ride.” The group, demonstrating an unceasing stream of powerhouse rock ‘n’ roll, proved to be the high point of the concert that was needlessly prolonged by the Frampton finale.

J. GEILS BAND DISCOGRAPHY:

1970 The J. Geils Band
1971 The Morning After
1972 Full House (Live)
1973 Bloodshot
1973 Ladies Invited
1974 Nightmares & Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle
1975 Hotline
1976 Blow Your Face Out (Live)
1977 Monkey Island
1978 Sanctuary
1980 Love Stinks
1981 Freeze Frame
1982 Showtime!
1984 You’re Getting Even While I’m Getting Odd

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J. GEILS BAND PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM