Showing posts with label Buddy Miles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buddy Miles. Show all posts

December 31, 2022

20,000 vinyl LPs 329: Jimi Hendrix ~ Band of Gypsies

 ~  
vinyl LP front cover
cover photo by Jan Blom 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


Fifty-three years ago today, on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1969, Jimi Hendrix introduced his group Band of Gypsies at a show at the Fillmore East in New York. Parts of that show and the following show on January 1 were recorded and later released as this live album, Band of Gypsys.        


vinyl LP back cover
cover photos by Jan Blom 
photo of album cover by Styrous®

 
It the first and only album without his original group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and featured Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums. Some of the songs represent a change in Hendrix's music from his Experience repertoire and became the basis of funk rock. Band of Gypsies contains previously unreleased songs and was the last full-length Hendrix album released before his death.     
 
 
vinyl LP label, side 1
photo by Styrous®  

 
According to Sean Westergaard of AllMusic, Band of Gypsies is one of the best live albums of all time and an important recording for Hendrix.        


vinyl LP label, side 2
photo by Styrous® 

 
Sputnikmusic's Hernan M. Campbell believed Machine Gun is one of Hendrix's most captivating performances. Miles Davis commented about the song that "Jimi liked what I had done with Kind of Blue and some other stuff and wanted to add more jazz elements to what he was doing. He liked the way Coltrane played with all those sheets of sound, and played his guitar in a similar way. Machine Gun is as much about the late 1960s American race riots as the war in Vietnam. Guitarist Vernon Reid describes it as "like a movie about war without the visuals. In many commentaries about Band of Gypsies, Machine Gun is singled out as the highlight of the album.      

What a way to end the year!
 



   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1        Who Knows    9:34
A2        Machine Gun    12:38
       
Side 2:
       
B1        Changes - Written by B. Miles*  5:11
B2        Power To Love    6:55
B3        Message Of Love    5:24
B4        We Gotta Live Together, written by B. Miles*  5:51
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.
    Mastered At – Sterling Sound
    Published By – Bella Godiva Music, Inc.
    Published By – Miles Ahead Music Inc.
       
Credits:
       
    Design – Victor Kahn (2), Victor Kahn (2)
    Lacquer Cut By – RL*, LH*
    Performer – Billy Cox, Buddy Miles, Jimi Hendrix
    Photography By – Jan Blom (2)
    Producer – Heaven Research
    Recorded By [Live] – Wally Heider
    Supervised By [Remixing & Engineering Supervision] – Eddie Kramer
    Written-By – B. Miles* (tracks: B1, B4), J. Hendrix* (tracks: A1, A2, B2, B3)
       
Notes:
       
Recorded Live-New Year's Eve 69-70 At Fillmore East New York City
Green Capitol labels. Labels with Capitol™, not Capitol ® as shown on other green labels.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
       
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout (Variant 1)): STAO-1-472-A Z5#1 LH Sterling RL
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout (Variant 1)): STAO-2-472-B Z5#1 LH Sterling RL
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout (Variant 2) ): STAO-1-472 X1#1 STERLING RL
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout (Variant 2)): STAO-2-472 X1#1 STERLING RL
    Matrix / Runout (Side A label): STAO 1-472
    Matrix / Runout (Side B label): STAO 2-472
    Rights Society: ASCAP
    Matrix / Runout (Side 1 (Variant 3)): STAO-1-472 X1#2 STERLING RL 0
    Matrix / Runout (Side 2 (Variant 3)): STAO-2-472 X1#3 STERLING RL 0
 
Jimi Hendrix* – Band Of Gypsys
Label:    Capitol Records – STAO-472
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold
Country:    US
Released:    1970
Genre:    Rock
Style:    Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock
         
Viewfinder links:        
         
John Coltrane         
Billy Cox           
Miles Davis        
Jimi Hendrix        
Buddy Miles        
        
         
        
Net links:        
        
         
        
        
         
        
        
YouTube links:        
        
Changes         
Machine Gun         
Message Of Love         
Power To Love         
We Gotta Live Together        
Who Knows                  
         
        
        
         
        
        
Styrous® ~ Saturday, December 31, 2022       
       
 
 
















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Buddy Miles articles/mentions

 ~        
      
     
     
mentions:      
Jimi Hendrix ~ Band of Gypsies     
     
     
     
     
     
Buddy Miles - 1969    
photographer unknown     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

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February 14, 2018

Casablanca Records ~ Disco Daze 3





        


Casablanca was the major label for disco music in the late 70's.




Casablanca record sleeve
photo by Styrous®
 

         
Casablanca Records was an American recording label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. It was founded in 1973 by former Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart, who named the label in homage to the classic film, Casablanca, and was based in Los Angeles in Southern California, The label became most successful as a disco label in the 1970s and currently operates as an electronic dance music label under the direction of Tommy Mottola.    
               
The Casablanca Label launched the careers of KISS, Donna Summer*†, Meco*†, Parliament, The Funkadelics*†, Angel and the Village People. It also recorded Cher, The Sylvers, Buddy Miles, Giorgio Moroder*†, Santa Esmeralda*† and many others.




Kiss was the first group to be signed by Casablanca. It released three albums by the group: Kiss (1974), Hotter Than Hell (1974), and Dressed to Kill (1975), but all failed to make an impact on the charts, however, the glam rock band did amass a following. However, it was NOT a disco album.  


Kiss - Kiss (1974)
vinyl LP cover 
 cover photo by Joel Brodsky
photo of album cover by Styrous®


Although the band's studio albums had not been strong sellers, the band had a reputation for performing exciting live shows. Casablanca decided to try to capitalize on that reputation by releasing the double-live Alive! (1975) album. It became both Casablanca's and Kiss's first top ten album, being certified gold.     

The Kiss follow-up studio albums to Alive! were better sellers than its previous studio albums. Destroyer (1976), Rock and Roll Over (1976), and Love Gun (1977) were all certified platinum in the United States. The band would release several more albums, with its last studio album on Casablanca being Creatures of the Night (1982).      




In 1975, Casablanca signed a new artist named Donna Summer and released her album entitled Love to Love You Baby which was certified gold. I will never forget this song; it was my introduction to the world of DISCO!  


vinyl LP cover 
 cover photo/art direction by Stephen Lumel
photo of album cover by Styrous®

The title song, written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, is over 17 minutes long, and Casablanca released the song in its entirety as a single (a shorter version was also promoted for radio). In releasing the 17 minute version as a single, Casablanca would help make popular a format that would become known as the 12 inch. The song,  featured Summer seductively moaning and groaning, it was banned by some American radio stations (as it was in Europe) but made its way to #2 on the US Hot 100. Summer had several gold and platinum albums on Casablanca from 1975–1979, and became the label's most successful act on the singles chart. At one point, she scored eight US top 5 singles within a 19-month period. Summer had 10 gold singles (1 million), 2 went platinum (2 million) and a gold maxi-single while with Casablanca.




In 1979 Lipps Inc., with Steven Greenberg as writer, producer, and musician, and Cynthia Johnson on lead vocals, signed with Casablanca. Soon the single Rock It was released, followed by the album Mouth to Mouth. The album included the #1 smash hit Funkytown. A totally bubble-gum tune, it's one of my all-time favorite hits.     


Lipps Inc. - Mouth To Mouth
vinyl LP cover  
Illustration by Jan Kovaleski & Michael Kevin Lee
 photo of album cover by Styrous®
Parliament with group leader George Clinton was signed to the Casablanca label in late 1973. Their  first official release for the label was in 1974 with the album Up for the Down Stroke.


vinyl LP cover 
 cover photo by Leandro Correa
photo of album cover by Styrous®

The title song from the album gave Parliament its first top ten R&B hit. Their next album, Chocolate City sold approximately 150,000 albums in the Washington, D.C. area alone. But it would be their next release, Mothership Connection, that would give the group its first gold and, eventually, platinum album. Parliament would achieve either gold or platinum status with each album release up until 1980, as well as scoring hit singles with Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker), Flash Light (Casablanca's first R&B #1 hit) and Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop). The success of Parliament allowed George Clinton to develop another P-Funk spin off act known as Parlet.         

Casablanca also financed the various extravagant P-Funk stage shows, including the "Mothership Connection/P-Funk Earth Tour" of 1976-77; as well as the Motor Booty Affair underwater tour of 1979. Parliament were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Parliament also gave Casablanca Records a much needed presence in the R&B/Soul market.     
        
The Casablanca film division produced the films, The Deep, Midnight Express*†, Foxes and The Hollywood Knights. Casablanca Records was purchased by PolyGram after which the label went into decline. Visit the Casablanca website to see more Casablanca Records videos. Be warned, however, it takes forever to get the pages to open.            

*† future article      

        



        
Viewfinder links:       
       
Disco Daze                          
KISS        
Record Labels        
Santa Esmeralda
Donna Summer        
Village People           

Net links:       
        
       
        
         
          
            
           
           
          
        
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, February 14, 2018          
    















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September 12, 2016

20,000 Vinyl LPs 68: Betty Davis ~ They Say I'm Different

                        
vinyl LP album cover detail
costume by Kaisik Wong 
 cover photo by Mel Dixon
detail photo of cover by Styrous®


Many albums have influenced my life, one way or another. They Say I'm Different was THE most influential album in a massive way. I know, that sounds like an exaggeration; but in no way is this an overstatement. I have been wanting to write about it since I started the Vinyl LP series (link below) but because of its significance in my life I wanted it to be right. After mulling it over for the last couple of years I feel I'm ready to have at it now.  

Actually, it is not so much the album but the cover that had such a profound effect on my career and where it went a few years after I bought it. A hint as to its impact on me is that my copy of the album has been signed by Kaisik Wong, the designer of the costume Davis is wearing (link below). 


vinyl LP album cover detail
costume by Kaisik Wong 
 cover photo by Mel Dixon
detail photo of cover by Styrous®




This is my favorite funk/pre-disco album of all time. It is moderately slow funk at its very best; turn down the lights and it sets up a mood for the discriminating dancing fool. I enjoyed it for several years before I met Wong. The Wire (magazine) placed They Say I'm Different in their list of  "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)". And that seems to sum up what happened with this talented woman.          

They Say I'm Different is a gatefold album so along with full credits, the costume is displayed in all its glory. It is the second studio album by Betty Davis released in 1974. As well as singing, Davis wrote the songs and produced the album.   

The cover design is by Ron Levine; the art direction by Bill Levy. As mentioned earlier, the costume was designed by "Kai" (Kaisik Wong). The album was recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California.    

gatefold vinyl LP album
costume by Kaisik Wong
cover photos by Mel Dixon
photo of cover by Styrous®

gatefold vinyl LP album interior
costume by Kaisik Wong
cover photos by Mel Dixon
photo of cover by Styrous®





The lineup on the album is stellar. Pete Escovedo plays timbales and Buddy Miles along with Merl Saunders soar into heavenly heights on guitar. Hershall Kennedy and Tony Vaughn, both of Graham Central Station, are amazing with clavinet, acoustic piano and trumpet on their respective songs. Amazing! The total is far beyond the individual parts.    

vinyl LP album cover personnel detail
detail photo of cover by Styrous®
 
     
The back up vocals are amazing! These include: Elaine Clark of The Voices of East Harlem, Ted Sparks (also backup singer for Natalie Cole and Keni Burke, the Five Stairsteps) and Cordell Dudley who toured with the George Clinton superstar band, Parliament-Funkadelic.   


vinyl LP album cover vocals detail
detail photo of cover by Styrous®


With every album I have favorites. On this one it's They Say I'm Different, He Was a Big Freak and 70's Blues; some for the musical elements, some for the lyrics; Different and Freak are the very best you can find for A-Class, get-down, "Dirty Dancing".       





vinyl LP album cover detail
costume by Kaisik Wong 
 cover photo by Mel Dixon
detail photo of cover by Styrous®

They Say I'm Different is a moderately slow, sensual song with some wicked guitar work by Jimmy Godwin backed up by Cordell Dudley on lead guitar and Larry Johnson, bass. Tony Vaughn plays a great acoustic piano and Mike Clark builds the foundation with some nice drum work (links to music & lyrics below).    



vinyl LP album cover detail
costume by Kaisik Wong 
 cover photo by Mel Dixon
detail photo of cover by Styrous®



He Was A Big Freak literally dances on the edge of kink; the lyrics border a PG rating. She opens the song with a banshee screech that raises serious goose-bumps. Also, it is "Dirty Dancing" par excellence.   

He was a big freak!
Pain was his middle name
He was a big freak!
He used to laugh when I’d make him cry
He was big freak!
A big freak, yes he was!
I used to whip him with my turquoise chain
(link to music & complete lyrics below)

Boogie K sampled the voice of Davis at 1:45 seconds into his song, Troubleman, on his album, Moonshine Sister.       



vinyl LP album cover detail
detail photo of cover by Styrous®



Betty Davis was born Betty Mabry on July 26, 1945, and grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and just outside Pittsburgh. One of the first songs she wrote, at the age of twelve, was called I’m Going to Bake That Cake of Love. When she was 16 she went to New York City and enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology.         

In New York City, she met Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, soul singer Lou Courtney, and many other music giants.  She wrote Uptown (to Harlem) for the Chambers Brothers (link below to song on YouTube)  

Davis was a pioneer of fusion music, she mixed up funk, rock, soul and blues into a style all her own; she influenced many fusion artists including Miles Davis.  




vinyl LP album cover detail
detail photo of cover by Styrous®



She met Miles Davis in 1967 and married him in September 1968. In just one year of marriage she influenced him greatly by introducing him to the fashions and the new popular music trends of the era. In his autobiography, Miles credited Betty with helping to plant the seeds of his future musical explorations by introducing the trumpeter to psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix and funk innovator Sly Stone. The Davis album Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968) includes a song named after her and her photo on the front cover.      

Miles believed that Hendrix and Betty had an affair which supposedly hastened the end of their marriage, but Betty denies this. Hendrix and Miles stayed close after the divorce, planning to record until Hendrix's death. The influence of Hendrix and especially Sly Stone on Miles Davis was obvious on the album Bitches Brew (1970), which ushered in the era of jazz fusion. The origin of the album's title is unknown, but some believe Miles was subtly paying tribute to Betty and her girlfriends. In fact, it is said that he originally wanted to call the album Witches Brew—it was Betty who convinced him to change it.    



vinyl LP album cover detail
detail photo of cover by Styrous®




Music writer, Oliver Wang has said:   

"She was this force of personality, writing all her own songs, and eventually producing her own albums," Wang continues. "She's this fascinating aberration. She wasn't the mouthpiece for a male producer or songwriter, but an independent black female artist in the early 1970s.'      
In part, theorizes Wang, she was a victim of her own independence. Because she sought to control every facet of her own career, she eschewed outside management. "She wanted to knock down the gates herself. But that's really hard for any artist to do, let alone a black female artist."     

Nor was time on her side. Just a few years after Davis withdrew, musicians like Nona Hendryx and Grace Jones were completely overhauling notions of how black women should sound, look, and act. "If [Betty] had waited five years, and come out during the punk era, she would have killed it," insists Wang. Only now does the world finally seem ready for Davis. Whether they are aware of her work or not, pop stars like Kelis and Macy Gray embody the same fiery spirit she pioneered."    
           


vinyl LP record label, Side 1
photos by Styrous®


vinyl LP record label, Side 2
photos by Styrous®


Track listing

All songs written by Betty Davis

Side 1:  
  1. "Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" – 3:57
  2. "He Was a Big Freak" – 4:07
  3. "Your Mama Wants Ya Back" – 3:27
  4. "Don't Call Her No Tramp" – 4:06
Side 2:
  1. "Git In There" – 4:46
  2. "They Say I'm Different" – 4:14
  3. "70's Blues" – 4:01
  4. "Special People" – 3:22

Personnel

  • Betty Davis - Producer, Vocals
  • Debbie Burrell - Vocals
  • Elaine Clark - Vocals
  • Mary Jones - Vocals
  • Trudy Perkins - Vocals
  • Mike Clark - Drums
  • Nicky Neal - Drums, Vocals
  • Willy Sparks - Drums, Vocals
  • Ted Sparks - Drums
  • Pete Escovedo - Timbales
  • Victor Pantoja - Congas, Percussion
  • Errol "Crusher" Bennett - Percussion
  • Buddy Miles - Guitar
  • Jimmy Godwin - Guitar
  • Cordell Dudley - Guitar, Vocals
  • Carlos Morales - Guitar, Vocals
  • Larry Johnson - Bass
  • Merl Saunders - Electric Piano
  • Fred Mills - Keyboards, Vocals
  • James Allen Smith - Keyboards
  • Hershall Kennedy - Clavinet, Keyboards, Organ, Electric Piano, Trumpet, Vocals
  • Tony Vaughn - Bass (Vocal), Clavinet, Keyboards, Piano, Electric Piano, Vocals
  • Mel Dixon - Photography
  • Bob Edwards - Assistant Engineer
  • Tom Flye - Mixing
  • Ron Levine - Cover Design
  • Bill Levy - Art Direction
Released: 1974


Genre Funk
Soul
Rock
Length 32:52 (original 1974 release)
51:60 (2007 re-release)
Label Just Sunshine (1974)
Light in the Attic (2007 re-release)
Producer Betty Davis




Net links:  
          
Betty Davis, Kaisik Wong & Sandra Sakata ~ They were different  
They Say I'm Different lyrics          
He Was A Big Freak lyrics          
Sleazy Listening - Betty Davis Rides Again              
Nasty gal: Betty Davis                 
She Was a Big Freak           
                
YouTube:              
                
Chambers Brothers ~ Uptown (to Harlem)          
         
Betty Davis songs     
Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him         
He Was a Big Freak         
Your Mama Wants Ya Back       
Don't Call Her No Tramp             
Git In There                   
They Say I'm Different             
70's Blues                   
Special People                    
               

     
                  
        
What a woman!



Styrous® ~ Sunday, September 11, 2016         



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