Magical Moment Photos

RANDY (WOLFE) CALIFORNIA OF THE ROCK BAND SPIRIT. PHOTO-ART BY BEN UPHAM.

SPIRIT-
“SPIRIT OF ’76″
(ALBUM REVIEWS)

REVIEW #1-
THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
CHARLESTON, W. VIRGINIA
MAY 18, 1975
This West Coast group which, in 1968, showed itself as one of the few American bands to create a truly original sound, is back with, its best album yet. “Spirit of 76″ is a Bicentennial concept album. It is
patriotic — in a weird way — and optimistic in a way not expected in a rock album.
But Spirit is more than a rock band. Its music is an amalgam of jazz, rock and the avant garde. Spirit has always been best at this brand of music. Ed “Cass” Cassidy, 52-year-old Spirit founder, is as steady with the drumbeat as he was initially, and his stepson Randy California’s guitar work is as fascinating.
They are the creative core of the band, and they are fine. On this two record set, there are some excellent surprises. First off is the opening tune, “America/The Times They Are A-Changing,” which is excellent. “America” gets a fine acoustic, folk treatment and melts beautifully into Dylan’s “Times.” It is fine.
“The Star Spangled Banner” closes the album, and it has never been given a better contemporary treatment. It is an excellent jazz piece, with a fine vocal. Outstanding tunes abound on the set. “Victim of Society” and “Lady of the Lakes” are fine rock numbers, and there is a thrilling version of “Like a Rolling Stone.” There is nothing contrived anywhere on the album. All the music is fine, polished stuff.
“Spirit of 76″ is the first Spirit album in three years. It is their best since the classic “Clear Spirit.” It is a refreshing treat to hear from musicians like Cassidy and California. The band’s new album should re-establish Spirit as one of the rock world’s most respected acts. One thing’s for certain — you can’t beat “Spirit of 76.”

REVIEW #2-
“IT’S ABOUT TIME”
BY F.M. MOSES
JULY 10, 2004
This is the first Randy California effort without the help of Ferguson, Locke, and Andes to rehash the legacy of Spirit. Though 1971′s release of “Feedback” seemed to satisfy a few Spirit fans’ cravings, many felt that the band was missing its main ingredient= Randy California!
“Spirit Of 76″ is California’s first collaboration with the trademark name after nearly five years of the release of the stunning “Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus” classic album. No, it isn’t the best follow-up album…but the title of the album offers a truce, for, it is in the “spirit” of its time. With Calfornia and Cassidy minus the rest of the original line-up leading the way, “Spirit of 76″ lacks some of the heavy jazz influences of the previous Spirit + California efforts. But for the elements that are lacking without the rest of the band, California makes up for with his brilliant guitar work and his find ear in music production.
To look at the album in another distinct way, it is sort of like Bob Dylan from “Blonde on Blonde” to “John Wesley Harding”…the ingredients differ, but both flavors are equally satisfying.
“Spirit of 76″ brings that same brand to life…it is much more mellow than the previous California/Spirit efforts, yet it is full of body and soul. Lacking the experimentation of “Twelve Dreams…,” “Spirit of 76″ is more natural in its sound…it reveals a beauty that cannot be duplicated by any mixing board…for, it comes right from the heart.

“Sunrise” and “Maunaloa” remain as some of my favorites on this album …there is plenty of studio experimentation made by a simple guitar and rhythm session, similar to the Hendrix tradition. If Dylan praised Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watch Tower”…he surely had to recognize the chilling, yet beautiful version of “Like a Rolling Stone” composed by California on this album.

“Spirit of 76″ remains more like a MTV production of “Unplugged” in a bands’ discography…it proves that Randy California was truly a musician, not just another victim who fell to the grace of a record company. By now, any Spirit fan can recognize that Spirit are unique in their following. From a band that rejected an offering to the original Woodstock, the group has a lot more to offer than words can say. “Spirit of 76″ proves that a band can make the best without selling out!
It’s about time this album made its way to compact disc…hopefully it will have the same impact on others as it did for me…to see the Spirit collection reissued in its entirety! “Spirit of 76″ is just a start, and what a fine start it is!

SPIRIT DISCOGRAPHY:
1968 Spirit
1969 The Family that Plays Together
1969 Clear
1970 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
1972 Feedback
1973 Best of Spirit
1975 Spirit of ’76
1975 Son of Spirit
1976 Farther Along
1977 Future Games
1977 Live Spirit
1981 Potatoland II
1984 Spirit of ’84
1989 Rapture in the Chambers
1990 Tent of Miracles
1991 Time Circle (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1992 Chronicles ’67-’92 (compilation of unreleased tracks)
1995 Live at La Paloma
1996 California Blues
1997 Made in Germany (Live 1978)
1997 The Mercury Years
2000 Live at the Rainbow (Live 1978)
2000 Cosmic Smile
2002 Sea Dream
2003 Blues from the Soul
2004 Live from the Time Coast Live ’89-’96)
2005 Son of America
2006 the Original Potatoland
2007 Salvation, the Spirit of ’74
2008 Rock ‘N’ Roll Planet (Live ’77-’79)
2009 California Blues Redux (different than California Blues)
2010 The Last Euro Tour
2011 Tales From the Westside

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STEVEN TYLER AND JOE PERRY OF AEROSMITH ROCK THE CROWD IN SPOKANE, WA. ON JULY 26, 1978. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

AEROSMITH- “SHAKES EAR DRUMS”
BY DENISE TESSIER
THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
JUNE 30, 1977

I had wondered if there existed another man walking around somewhere who is somewhat like Mick Jagger, but unknown. He does exist, but is already so famous he’s protected even from the press. He is Steven Tyler, lead vocalist and prancer in the very hard rock group Aerosmith.
Aerosmith and second-billed group Nazareth filled Tingley Coliseum Tuesday night to near 13,000 capacity and literally shook ear drums. It’s hard to keep from comparing Aerosmith with the Rolling Stones. They have the drive and strength of a great group; every member is incredibly strong on his instrument. And then there’s Tyler, prancing about in a tight leopard-skin outfit with matching coat and long tails, swinging flowing ribbons of scarf and tautly running his hands through a cat-like mane. He even has the Jagger mouth, a gorgeous creature.
The only problem Tuesday night was the PA system, cranked up quite a bit too loud, which is unnecessary with Aerosmith; they don’t need to cover anything up. But aside from eardrum pain, the show was extraordinary. Aerosmith opened their set with an original “Back in the Saddle” that would have curdled cowboy Gene Autry’s blood. Tyler’s voice consistently approaches a scream, but is incredibly powerful and contained. Nazareth’s lead singer Dan McCafferty,on the other hand, had screamed so harshly it pained the listener’s vocal chords.
Unlike most concerts, the Aerosmith song lineup was unpredictable and shot off unceasingly — clever, raunchy, but clear — the ultimate rock and roll. After they had done the hits — “Dream On,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Sick as a Dog” — it seemed the one hit left would be saved for last. But after “Walk This Way” they remained on stage for a version of “Rattlesnake Shake,” reminiscent of but surpassing Spooky Tooth’s version. (Strange, but they warned that this was a song we’d probably never hear from them again, though it was the climax of the set.)
What could be left for an encore? “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” with piercing freight engines from Joe Perry’s electric guitar, and a fabulous,
screeching “Helter Skelter” that was as good as the Beatles could ever do. Would you believe Perry even resembles Bill Wyman of the Stones?

AEROSMITH DISCOGRAPHY:

January 13, 1973 Aerosmith
March 1, 1974 Get Your Wings
April 8, 1975 Toys in the Attic
May 3, 1976 Rocks
December 1, 1977 Draw the Line
October 1978 Live Bootleg
November 1, 1979 Night in the Ruts
August 1, 1982 Rock in a Hard Place
November 9, 1985 Done with Mirrors
April 1986 Classics Live
June 1987 Classics Live Vol. 2
September 5, 1987 Permanent Vacation
September 8, 1989 Pump
April 20, 1993 Get a Grip
March 18, 1997 Nine Lives
October 20, 1998 A Little South of Sanity
March 6, 2001 Just Push Play
March 30, 2004 Honkin’ on Bobo
October 25, 2005 Rockin’ the Joint

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ANGUS YOUNG OF AC/DC PLAYING "BLUES METAL" IN SPOKANE, WA. ON 7-26-78. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM

AC/DC-
“DON’T SING… SCREAM”
BY SYLVIE SIMMONS
THE CHRONICLE TELEGRAM
ELYRIA, OHIO
OCTOBER 12, 1979

AC-DC will not be making a movie. They’d like that made perfectly clear. They were offered the starring role in an upcoming movie called “Dracula Rock,” which will now feature the Boomtown Rats. One look at the Australian rockers’ ‘If You Want Blood” album cover and you’ll know why AC-DC was the initial choice.
“So the Rats got that one?” asks diminutive lead guitarist Angus Young, who looks like a demented schoolboy on stage but is a perfect gentleman once the show is over. “It’s obviously done the rounds. We got it first and then after us they offered it to Queen. They didn’t like that.”
AC-DC is midway through its fourth American tour in a bus that keeps breaking down in towns whose concert-goers seem to have a habit of making off with souvenirs belonging to the band. On one of the first dates on this tour, “all the kids pulled my pants off — a bit embarrassing, but it does make you very popular,” says the guitarist. A couple of stops down the line, “someone ripped off my sneakers. “I was rolling around on the floor onstage and some kid in the front row dived over and pinched them. I put up a good fight trying to get them back, but between him and his friends there wasn’t much left except one inch pieces!”
The group’s other energetic member, singer Bon Scott, still has ins clothes, but lost the cassette recorder that he carried with him everywhere to jot down notes for new songs. His method of songwriting is to sing ideas into the microphone when other than sober, play them back, to his mother, and if she says they are “not nice,” keep them in the act. “The tape got ripped off too,” says Young. “One night Bon got drunk. Three months later he sobered up and it was gone.”
This is the group who did not honor the calls for an encore at the Whiskey A Go-Go on their first U.S. tour because they fell into a deaf stupor as soon as they left for the dressing room.
Surprisingly, it is Angus, the group’s craziest member on stage, who is the quietest off. Backstage after a recent concert, he painstakingly orders a cup of tea while his colleagues go searching for bottle openers.
Presently of no fixed abode — the house they shared in Australia “got wrecked,’ said Angus philosophically, and this current tour is booked solid until January — AC-DC members are busy following the advice of their new producer, who told them: “Don’t sing — scream. People don’t want to see Liberace. “They want to see a bunch of guys out there who look like they’ve got rabies.” “It’s not a bad life,” concluded Angus, who spent more than 10 months of last year doing just that. “But it’s hard to get a decent cup of tea in this country.”
AC-DC will be appearing in concert
Thursday at Cleveland Public Hall at 8
p.m. Tickets, $7.50 in advance and $8.50
the day of the show, are available at all
Ticketron outlets.

AC/DC DISCOGRAPHY:

High Voltage (Australia) (1975)
T.N.T. (1975)
High Voltage (International) (1976)
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)
Let There Be Rock (1977)
Powerage (1978)
If You Want Blood You’ve Got It (1978) (live album)
Highway to Hell (1979)
Back in Black (1980)
For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981)
Flick of the Switch (1983)
74 Jailbreak (1984 USA) (compilation album)
Fly on the Wall (1985)
Who Made Who (1986) (soundtrack album)
Blow Up Your Video (1988)
The Razors Edge (1990)
AC/DC Live (1992) (double live album)
Ballbreaker (1995)
Stiff Upper Lip (2000)
Black Ice (2008)

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STEVE MARRIOTT PERFORMING AT WINTERLAND IN SAN FRANCISCO ON MAY 7, 1976. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

STEVE MARRIOTT-
HUMBLE PIE- “SMOKIN” REVIEW”
BY ANDY MELLEN
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA
APRIL 29, 1972

HUMBLE PIE — SMOKIN’ is Humble Pie’s third album in less than a year, and it would seem that the group’s prolific output is starting to take its toll. Just as The Guess Who’s ‘Rockin’ LP was something of a misnomer, so is Smokin’ — if this is Humble Pie’s idea of an album that literally bursts with energy, I think the guys should reassess their musical values. Take-’Rock On, the album which was released shortly after the band’s appearance here. Now that record really; smoked, as did Performance, the dynamic two record set recorded at Fillmore East. Although the members of the group tended to display their virtuosity in great excess at times, they still managed to lay down enough driving, hard as steel rock and roll to make most groups simply green with envy. With a few exceptions, Smokin’ just doesn’t come off as being truly representative of what Humble Pie is capable of doing.
One of the problems stems from the replacement of former lead guitarist Peter Frampton with Dave Clempson of the now defunct Colliseum. Clem is a fine guitarist, but somehow he just doesn’t seem to work as well with the group as Frampton did. Otherwise, the lineup is splendid, with Steve Marriott, one of rock’s most exciting vocalists, handling the majority of the singing as well as second guitar, Jerry Shirley on drums and Greg Ridley, vocals and bass.
“Hot ‘N Nasty” is a nifty little rocker, with Marriott’s pulsating work on organ and then piano trying hard to be heard over Ridley’s thundering bass lines. “The Fixer” is a riff rocker, which comes across as very concious effort by the band to be heavy. It rocks, but certainly doesn’t roll. One of my favorite tracks is “You’re So Good To Me”, a partly acoustic number with Ridley and Marriott exchanging vocal leads. It’s quite reminiscent of some of the original Small Faces’ things, with Steve’s pleading vocal being fairly convincing.
An Eddie Cochran tune, “C’mon Everybody”, fares well-enough, with Clempson getting in some of his best guitar licks, riding above Marriott’s strong rhythm backup. “Old Time Feelin” wraps up side one in average fashion. It’s a laid back , country-oriented track, with some nice tinkly piano but not much else to really distinguish it.
“30 Days In The Hole” is The Pie at its best, a real raver which starts slow, but comes on strong in a manner similar to Free’s “All Right Now”. A catchy guitar line, wailing vocal and excellent accompaniment by Doris Troy and Madeleine Bell on backing and harmony vocals make this a potential hit, in spite of references to silver coke spoons and “Black Nepalese, it’s got you weak in your knees.” Road Runner is an exercise in monotony, while “I Wonder”, a long blues track, features some Hendrix-influenced guitar work but fails to go anywhere. As a shorter piece it might have worked, but as
it stands, this isn’t worth the nine minutes worth of wax it takes up.
“Sweet Peace And Time” is a promising finale, with the band moving vigorously through an up-tempo driving rocker. In all, though, this album falls far below my expectations for a group of Humble Pie’s stature. Hopefully, things will be rectified by the next record; meanwhile, I’m eagerly awaiting Frampton’s upcoming solo LP, which I think might have something more substantial to offer.

STEVE MARRIOTT SOLO DISCOGRAPHY:

1976 Marriott
1985 Live at Sir George Robey 10-23-85
1986 Live at Dingwalls 7-6-84
1990 Marriott and Band
1993 30 Seconds to Midnight
1996 Steve Marriotts Scrubbers
1999 Clear through the Night
1999 New Millennium
2000 Afterglow
2000 Sing the Blues Live
2000 Live in Germany
2000 the Legendary Majestic Mijits
2005 Rainy Changes
2006 Tin Soldier, The Steve Marriott Anthology

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TOM SCHOLZ CREATES LAYERS OF COLORED SOUND IN SPOKANE, WA. ON 9-10-78. PHOTO-ART BY BEN UPHAM.

BOSTON-
“ROCKED BY TROUBLES, BOSTON TRIES TO REBOUND”
BY STEVE MORSE
THE DAILY HERALD
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
DECEMBER 23, 1994

Boston is trying to salvage a lost year. Not the city, but the band. The band experienced a devil of a year, fighting with its record label, fighting a former manager in court, scrapping a summer tour and watching in horror as a new album sold only 1 million copies. That’s a dream figure for most bands, but was only 25 percent of what any of Boston’s three previous discs had sold.
“One million (sales) is not a total embarrassment,” says Boston producer/guitarist Tom Scholz. “And it got extremely good reactions from the people who actually managed to find out there was an album released”…
Scholz has reason to fume — he lost his battles with MCA Records, which did little to promote the album; and lost his court case with former manager Paul Ahern, who won a half-million dollars for alleged breach of contract. But Scholz is determined to be optimistic. A shed tour is being planned for the spring and summer. The band will debut new lead singer Fran Cosmo (formerly of Orion the Hunter). Other players include guitarist Gary Pihl — formerly of Sammy Hagar’s solo band — and bassist Gary Sikes and new drummer Curly Smith.
Original singer Brad Delp, whose urgently high-pitched voice graced early Boston hits “Amanda” and “Don’t Look Back,” recently joined the band for a Boston-area benefit concert. But as for whether Delp will tour next year, Scholz is noncommittal. “We never think that far ahead. These days, I’m just trying to get my amp to work.”
The new singer, Cosmo, handled the vocals on Boston’s latest disc, “Walk On.” He won the job when Delp opted to work on other projects such as RTZ (with Barry Goudreau, a former guitar player with Boston) and Beetle Juice, a Beatles cover band.
Scholz tried out “dozens” of new singers before settling on Cosmo, whose tenor voice fit the lush, multilayered “Boston sound.” Criticism ensued when Scholz, who produces 90 percent of the group’s music in his home studio, wouldn’t identify the new singer until the album came out. Some observers found this tactic deceptive, but Scholz claims that wasn’t the intent. “Van Halen did it the other way, they made a big deal of it when they changed singers,” Scholz says of Van Halen’s switch from David Lee Roth to Sammy Hagar. “I’m not finding fault with that, but they made a big deal out of it to get some added promotion for their record which is fine. But Boston is not a band of personalities…. Plus, I wanted fans to hear the album without a lot of attendant thinking like, ‘Does this song sound different from before?”
What didn’t work out well was the relationship with MCA Records “What relationship?” Scholz says snidely “Let’s put it this way I killed myself to finish the record ‘Walk On’ in December of last year But MCA didn’t put it out until June We had planned a spring and summer shed tour and that whole thing went down the drain when (MCA) waited so long to put it out.”
One thing that didn’t change was the painstaking way that Scholz recorded “Walk On,” fussing over it like his previous records. He tinkered in his basement studio for three full years, trying to forge the multi-tracked sound he wanted. “There are no shortcuts for me in the studio. It’s always the same procedure — three steps forward, two steps back,” says Scholz, a former Polaroid engineer.

BOSTON DISCOGRAPHY:

1976 Boston
1978 Don’t Look Back
1986 Third Stage
1994 Walk On
1997 Greatest Hits (with 3 new songs)
2002 Corporate America

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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

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