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ONCE UPON A TIME.....Surveillance

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  FM  Surveillance  (Passport,1979) - Space/Prog rock      For their third album, with violinist Ben Mink now fully integrated into the band, the Canadian trio left the sidelong instrumental suites explored on their second  Direct to Disc , and went back to the shorter song format they started with on their debut  Black Noise . As before, Cameron Hawkins plays synth, bass and sings lead, while drummer Martin Deller ties it all together. Even though the opener "Rocket Roll" is lyrically a bit on the dorky side, the three song suite that follows ("Orion / Horizons / Random Harvest") is probably among the best things FM ever recorded, each part segueing into the next beautifully, and the superb violin and electric mandolin solos on "Horizons" make it one of FM's most unforgettable tracks. Perhaps the band's best lyrics, dealing with life's end, are heard on "Father Time," and the powerful jazz-informed instrumental section for scat-vocal...
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ONCE UPON A TIME.....Ramatam

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  RAMATAM Ramatam  (Atlantic,1972) - Rock       Ramatam's chief claim to fame was in having a female lead guitarist, April Lawton, in the early '70s, especially as she was the only female member of the band. Well, it's not common now (sadly), so try to put yourself back in those days of unrestrained sexism to see how unusual this was. Of course, if you didn't know, you wouldn't know, as she was a competent rock guitarist in an era when you could find a competent rock guitarist on every corner, particularly in the States, where rock had more mainstream appeal than it ever managed in the UK. The rest of the band were far from slackers, too, with vocalist/guitarist Mike Pinera from Blues Image and Manna and none other than Mitch Mitchell on drums, the longest-surviving member of the Experience. TRACKLIST : Whiskey Place                        Heart Song               ...
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ONCE UPON A TIME.....No Static

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  WIRELESS  No Static  (Anthem,1980) - Rock       In the history of Canadian rock and roll, Wireless is but a footnote.   They didn’t sell many records and their biggest claim to fame was being managed by SRO, the same people who managed Rush.   They were a band that had what it takes, musically, but the record buying public paid little attention to them.       The band’s foundation was not solid and the label was not too interested in keeping the Wireless boat afloat.   Management mate Geddy Lee of Rush came to the rescue and stepped up to the plate as producer and hit a home run.   Out of nowhere, this band suddenly rocked and even brought to mind Bad Company with tunes like “Pay to Ride,” “Timekeeper” and “Friends.”   This album is solid from beginning to end and while they didn’t reinvent the wheel, Wireless showed that they could have been a contender. TRACKLIST : Pay To Ride           ...
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ONCE UPON A TIME.....Sold Out

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  SCAFFOLD Sold Out  (WB,1975) - Comedy rock       The Scaffold’s nucleus of comedian John Gorman, poet Roger McGough and songwriter Mike McGear emerged from the fertile early 1960s Liverpool theatre scene before topping the hit parade.       Mike McGear was actually the alias for Mike McCartney who didn’t want anyone to think he was trading off his older brother’s name who at the time was enjoying some success with the Fab Four. TRACKLIST : Liverpool Lou                          Potato Clock                          Mingulay Boating Song                          Ramsbottom                          Beilins Boneyard                       ...
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ONCE UPON A TIME.....Illegal, Immoral And Fattening

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  FLO & EDDIE  Illegal, Immoral And Fattening  (Columbia,1975) - Comedy rock       A true mix of music and comedy, with outright stand up bits over backing music interspersed with full tunes. The comedy bits are a bit hit and miss and don't quite hold up on repeated listenings, but the actual songs have the right blend of tongue in cheek and pop appeal. TRACKLIST : Illegal, Immoral And Fattening                     Rebecca                     Kama Sutra Time                     The Sanzini Brothers Return (With The Tibetian Memory Trick)                     Livin' In The Jungle                     Cheap                     The Kung Fu Killer     ...
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VOICES IN THE SKY.....Bobbie Gentry

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        Bobbie Gentry (Roberta Lee Streeter) was Mississippi born and bred.  At 13, Bobbie moved to Palm Springs to live with her mother who had remarried and they appeared together as a singing duo, Ruby and Bobbie Meyers.       She studied philosophy at the University of California and later enrolled at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music where she took classes in composition, music theory and arranging.  Meanwhile, she found well-paid work as a singer and dancer in Las Vegas. Drawing on country, folk and blues – and taking her stage name from the Charlton Heston movie  Ruby Gentry  – she wrote her own first hit ( Ode To Billie Joe ).  In the States, the album  Ode to Billie Joe  knocked  Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band  off the top spot and earned Gentry three Grammy awards.  Such a daring start made her record company nervous, and Bobbie adopted a cosier personality to keep them hap...
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ONCE UPON A TIME.....Hokey Pokey

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  RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON  Hokey Pokey  (Island,1975) - Folk rock       It’s probably going too far to say that  Hokey Pokey  is an overlooked gem in the Richard Thompson catalog. But this, the second of six studio albums released by Richard and Linda Thompson between 1974 and 1982, generally doesn’t receive the accolades reserved for their first and last. The first,  I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight   and the last,  Shoot Out The Lights  deservedly are considered classics. More than classics, defining moments in British popular music of the era. TRACKLIST : Hokey Pokey (The Ice Cream Song)                          I'll Regret It All In The Morning                          Smiffy's Glass Eye                         ...
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