Τετάρτη 2 Ιανουαρίου 2008

Mighty Baby - Live In The Attic 1970 (UK Underground Psychedelic) Blows Your Mind!!!

This is a live recording of a gig at Lanchester University in 1969 supporting Love. Live in the Attic the CD includes two versions of the unreleased song India.
Live In The Attic (1970) (2001)
7 tracks +plus#1
1. India Live 1970
2. Title Unknown Live 1970
3. Title Unknown Live 1970
4. India Live Stdio Version
5. Title Unknown Live Studio Version
6. Winter Passes First Studio Take
7. Winter Passes Second Studio Take
8. Title Unknown (Live studio version)
MIKE EVANS bs
ALAN KING vcls, gtr
ROGER POWELL drms
PETE WATSON gtr
AIAN WHITEMAN Flutes Piano Organ vcls woodwind
MARTIN STONE gtr Cambridge Free Festival August 1970
This superb late sixties underground band were formed from the remnants of pop/soul band The Action, who were popular around the London mod club circuit and issued five singles on Parlophone, including I'll Keep Holding On and Shadows and Reflections between 1965-67.
Both Mighty Baby albums are now very rare. The first, in particular, has a definite psychedelic West Coast influence. Both are important progressive releases and Mighty Baby had their own distinctive and imaginative sound. Their music was often a sophisticated interplay between the twin guitars of King and Stone and the woodwind accompaniment of Whiteman. Its influences were wide-ranging from jazz (Egyptian Tomb) through to country rock (I'm From The Country) and Some Way From The Sun, notable for an hypnotic guitar intro. Egyptian Tomb is unquestionably the most inspired moment on their first album - melodic guitar playing set to a jazzy arrangement.
Alan King later played in Ace whilst Martin Stone (Ex- Savoy Brown Blues band) later fronted Chilli Willi and Red Hot Peppers. Mighty Baby also played on lots of other albums, including Reg King's and others on Head. Evans, Powell and Whiteman were later in Habibiyya.



Mighty Baby biography by Bruce Eder
The British psychedelic band Mighty Baby grew out of the Action, the Liverpool-based R&B outfit signed to Parlophone by George Martin in 1965. Long considered one of Martin's best discoveries this side of the Beatles, the Action consisted of Reggie King (vocals), Alan King (guitar), Pete Watson (guitar), Mike Evans (bass), and Roger Powell (drums). After Watson left in 1967, he was succeeded by keyboardist Ian Whiteman and blues guitarist Martin Stone, a veteran of the Savoy Brown Blues Band. This new lineup evolved beyond the R&B/soul sound that the original Action had played and into a top-flight experimental group, incorporating the kinds of long jams and folk/blues influences that the West Coast bands were starting to export around the world.
They hooked up with ex-Yardbirds manager Giorgio Gomelsky in 1967 and recorded an album's worth of material that went unreleased. Reggie King was gone by early 1968 to record a solo album, and the remaining members went through a number of name changes, at one point calling themselves Azoth. In 1968, they hooked up with the managers who represented Pink Floyd and T. Rex and cut a new series of demo recordings featuring Whiteman (who wrote most of the songs) and Alan King on lead vocals. These demos were even more ambitious than the 1967 sides, extending the structure of the group's songs with long, beautiful guitar progressions and soaring choruses. Unlike a lot of R&B outfits that tried the psychedelic route and failed, they were suited to the new music by inclination and temperament.


Side 1
1. Now You See It
Side 2
1. Stone Unhenged
2. Sweet Mandarin
3. Winter Passes
Side 3
1. Now You Don't Part 1
2. Now You Don't Part 2
Side 4
1. Now You Don't Part 3
2. Now You Don't Part 4
http://www.sunbeamrecords.com/Artists/MIGHTY/MIGHTY.html



The president of the band's new record label, Head Records, for reasons best known to himself, chose "Mighty Baby" as the group's new name. The self-titled album that followed was a masterpiece of late psychedelic rock, with long, fluid guitar lines and radiant harmonies; still, Mighty Baby didn't sell very well, although the group continued to play live shows to enthusiastic audiences. Their record label folded in 1970, and the group eventually signed to the Blue Horizon label, where they released a respectable if not wholly successful second album, A Jug of Love. It was clear by then, however, that their moment had passed, both personally and professionally. Mighty Baby broke up in 1971, although several of the members periodically played together on various projects — Evans and Whiteman even played back-up to Richard and Linda Thompson in the late 1970's. ****This hour-long CD is one of the best bodies of British psychedelia ever released. It contains the complete Mighty Baby album from Head Records, expanded to 13 tracks with the addition of five tracks cut by the Action during its 1967 transition period. The opening number, "Egyptian Tomb," sets the tone for the entire album — in terms of content, structure, and beat, it sounds like the early Allman Brothers, or maybe the Grateful Dead in one of their harder-rocking moments, jamming with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on an impromptu version of CSN's "Pre-Road Downs." The beauty of the original Mighty Baby album tracks is that they're psychedelia with a solid beat, none of that noodle-rock that drugged-up Brits usually engaged in. "A Friend You Know But Never See" mighthave passed muster on the Byrds' Notorious Byrd Brothers album. Other songs noodle around too much, but overall this is some of the most energetic psychedelia to come out of England, and anyone who enjoys psychedelic guitar will love Martin Stone's and Alan King's work on this album. The bonus tracks, all "lost" demos, are even better: highly rhythmic, driving rock (check out "Understanding Love") with lots of spacy guitar and tougher-than-normal flower-power introspective lyrics, with some gorgeous harmonies dressing it all up — a near perfect meld of garage rock and psychedelic sensibilities.
First time Posted By heavyrockspectacular.blogspot.com A Great Music Blog !

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6 σχόλια:

aldo είπε...

There's some FANTASTIC STUFF here but it has NOTHING TO DO WITH LIVE IN THE ATTIC!!!
you get Coltrane's "India", both live and studio (last one over 25 mins)great versions, the Action already did it...much shorter of course, it came out in a BBC session CD/LP.
The other cool one is titled "Winter passes (2nd studio take)" very jazzy...also a great untitled one 10 mins long, a studio track....
in fact i prefer all of that to their albums!
there are also few short untitled tracks that are nothing special...
but, I WONDER about those Long tracks from the real LIVE in the ATTIC...Also it would be nice to get information about the file here, because you read about the whole story of the band and even get CD artwork for the first album but NO INFO AT ALL about the ACTUAL TRACKS:
but, hey THE MUSIC IS GREAT!
Thanks

Standin'AtTheCrossroads είπε...

Hi Aldo !
first of all i would like to thank you for coming here.you have a gorgeous blogspot and your work is excellent!!!
stay as you are in the same way!!
i have allready pick your blog on my list .

so, about the Mighty Baby live in the Attic , to find some informations bout the credits its very difficult !

the things that i know bout this live recording are:

A live recording of Mighty Baby was recently discovered and is available via the band's Web site. is a live recording of a gig at Lanchester University in 1969 supporting Love. Live in the Attic the CD includes two versions of the unreleased song India

Live In The Attic (1970) (2001)
7 tracks

1. India Live 1970
2. Title Unknown Live 1970
3. Title Unknown Live 1970
4. India Live Stdio Version
5. Title Unknown Live Studio Version
6. Winter Passes First Studio Take
7. Winter Passes Second Studio Take

Record Label :
Live In The Attic (Rolled Gold Productions, December 2000)

http://www.makingtime.co.uk/mbaby.html


Other info see below:

http://www.myspace.com/mightybabyband

http://www.actionmightybaby.co.uk/

finally:
I hope to help you as i can!
If you find some very good news about this live,
please let me know!
i would be happy if you send me some news..

best regards

BCB

aldo είπε...

Hi!
I'm glad you liked my blog, thank you.
I had a look at the Action/MightyBaby site and I think I understand now...
As you can see from the titles listed on the back of LIVE IN THA ATTIC in the picture above there are only 2 "titles" so it looks like two long tracks but they're actually 3 and 4 songs respectively...the titles you get when opening the file!
what is missing here is the Glastonbury Festival track that somebody else added to Live in the Attic...

Ανώνυμος είπε...

Hi, Great blog.
Can I add this information:
'Live in The Attic' has been released by Sunbeam Records. in Feb 2009. It has been edited.
The stuff recorded live was recorded at Lanchester University, Coventry.UK. March 1970
The three live tracks are:
1: Now You See It
2: Stone Unhenged
3: Sweet Mandarin

4: Now You Don't (part 1)
5: Now You Don't (part 2)
6: Now You Don't (Part 3)
7: Now You Don't (part 4)
8: Winters Passing

re Winters Passing - music Ian Whiteman - lyrics Martin Stone - vocals by 'Emily Muff' two American girls - sessions recorded at Olympic Studio's. Barnes 1970.

The instrumental 'Winters Passing' is part of the vocal version. The Long track with the flute intro that goes into some latin music is not Mighty Baby.

By the way the sleeve for the Sunbeam release is awful and is a contender for worst sleeve design of 2009.

Thanks

zappahead είπε...

Firstly, I agree with quite a few people...if not all...your blog is superb...you have some great stuff on here and thanks for this mighty baby cd....very much apprecitaed...many thanks for sharing.

Standin'AtTheCrossroads είπε...

hello Zappahead! youre allways welcome!
thanx for coming..