Epitaph: Epitaph 1971 + Stop, Look And Listen 1972 + Ouside The Law 1974

 

Along with Lucifer's Friend, Blackwater Park, and other bands even more obscure, Epitaph were members of a curious fraternity of '70s German bands that featured British singers. The history of

EPITAPH begins in the winter of 1969/70 in his time hippest music club Dortmund Fantasio, in the basement Britain's Cliff Jackson (vocals, guitar), his compatriot James McGillivray (drums) and bassist Bernd Kolbe practiced and worked on her program, while the weekly Fantasio between sizes like Black Sabbath, Rory Gallagah, Yes and Argent occurred. Even at this time showed his full professional epitaph formality. Their big chance came when Champion Jack Dupree and his performance in Fantasio cancelte stepped in the famous Blue with pianist Günter Boas EPITAPH as a backing group.
                                

Günter Boas producer realized the potential of this band and it's not long and EPITAPH signed their first

contract with Polydor took subjected then to Hanover, shortened their band name of Fagin's EPITAPH in EPITAPH and began Klaus Walz (later Jane) as a second guitarist in London Wessex studio recording their first LP and the same epitaph, which was published in the autumn of 1971.
This was followed by concerts in Germany and an invitation to the legendary Beat Club, in 1972 the first television appearance had the effect of Epitaph.
                       

Epitaph wound up recording their third and most critically acclaimed LP, 1974's Outside the Law, in Chicago, afterwards embarking on a tour of the U.S. with ex-Karthago drummer Norbert Lehmann -- only

to have it rudely interrupted when Billingsgate went bankrupt. Drained by their string of bad luck and feeling lucky simply to escape back to Germany without being held responsible for Billingsgate's debts, Epitaph called it quits in January of 1975. But Cliff Jackson couldn't resist reviving Epitaph just a few months later, gradually rebuilding their damaged reputation until a revamped band -- rounded out by guitarist Heinz Glass, keyboardist Michael Karch, bassist Harvey Janssen, and drummer Fritz Randow -- finally re-emerged with 1979's Return to Reality album. 
                          

1978 EPITAPH plays as support for OMEGA three legendary concerts in Budapest, who were cheered on by more than 30,000 spectators frantically. With the new lineup recorded the band's fourth album, Return to Reality, published in April 1979 on the cult label Brain. The first couple of albums

(while they were signed to Polydor) had prog leanings indeed, but they then sold out to a fairly predictable type of 'Arena Rock'. The early stuff reminds me of Wishbone Ash a lot, and perhaps early Uriah Heep too. Uriah Heep are filed away in Heavy Prog on Progarchives, but Wishbone Ash are only in Prog-Related...and that's where I think I'd personally place these guys too. Excellent music, don't get me wrong (before they copped out to the wishes of the American record company, and similarly later on with the German 'Brain' label), but I don't think that overall they produced sufficient prog to merit inclusion in one of the 'proper' sub genres. 
                                              

ALBUMS ON THIS POST

Epitaph (1971, Polydor)
Stop, Look and Listen (1972, Polydor)
Outside the Law (1974, Billingsgate)

LINE - UP

Cliff Jackson (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals) 
Bernd Kolbe (bass, vocals, 1970-77, 1981-88, 2000-present) 
Jim McGillivray (drums, 1970-72, 1976-77, 2000-01) 
Klaus Walz (guitar, 1971-77, 1981-88) 
Achim Wielert (drums, percussion, 1972-75, 2001-present) 
Fritz Randow (drums, 1977-81) 
Heinz Glass (guitar, vocals, 1977-81, 2000-present)
Luitjen Jansen (bass, 1977-81)
Michael Karch (keyboards, vocals, 1977-80)
Norbert Lehmann (drums, vocals, 1981-88)

 Interview With Cliff Jackson (It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine)

01. EPITAPH - EPITAPH 1971

                           

Very good first album by the german band Epitaph. This album alternate prog-ish hard rock tunes with good dual lead guitars solos, with slower moments and use of mellotron. The lead vocals by the

englishman Cliff Jackson are clean and a bit dreamy. A quite varied album with elements of Wishbone Ash, T2, Nektar, Eloy with a touch of King Crimson. Really strong unknown early 70's album. The guitar sound and drum sound on this record are absolutely top quality. The record is outstanding, sometimes mind-blowing. And the best thing about it is mood, emanating largely from chords (particularly so on 'Hopelessly' and 'Early Morning', with the latter's memorable, evocative arpeggio in A minor).
                       

Epitaph – Epitaph
Label: Polydor – 060249827537, Revisited Rec. – SPV 49582 CD, Universal Music Group – 060249827537
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Digipak
Country: Germany
Released: 2005
Genre: Rock
Style: Hard Rock, Prog-Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. Moving To The Country    5:10
02. Visions    5:25
03. Hopelessly    9:07
04. Little Maggie    8:40
05. Early Morning    9:58

BONUS TRACKS        

    
06. London Town Girl    3:27
07. Autumn 71    4:28
08. Are You Ready    4:25
09. I'm Trying    5:31
10. Changing World    5:50

LINE - UP

Bass, Mellotron, Vocals – Bernd Kolbe
Drums, Vocals – Jim McGillvray
Guitar, Vocals – Cliff Jackson , Klaus Walz
Composed By [All Titles] – Epitaph 

Flac Size: 436 MB

02. EPITAPH - STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN 1972

                                

This second Epitaph album follows in the same footsteps as their debut. Stop, Look and Listen is a very

guitar driven progressive rock record with some elements from hard rock and blues rock as well. This one is even less krautrock oriented than it's predecessor. Their S/T first LP has some krautrock elements but this second album is just a prog rock record.
                                           

Epitaph – Stop Look And Listen
Label:Alcinous Ltd – AL 0077/B
Format:CD, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Unofficial Release
Country:?
Released:1998
Genre:Rock
Style:Classic Rock

TRACKS

                    

01. Crossroads    4:49
02. Nightingale    5:53
03. Uptight    5:53
04. Fly    8:50
05. Stop Look And Listen    9:55

BONUS TRACKS        

    
06. Autumn 71    4:28
07. Are You Ready    4:25
08. We Love You Alice    3:38
09. Paradise For Sale    3:16

LINE - UP

Bass, Mellotron, Vocals – Bernd Kolbe
Drums, Vocals – Jim McGillivray
Guitar, Vocals – Cliff Jackson, Klaus Walz
Written-By – Kolbe (tracks: 5, 9), Jackson (tracks: 1 to 5, 6 to 8), McGillivray (tracks: 5), Walz (tracks: 5, 9)

Flac Size: 336 MB

03. OUTSIDE THE LAW 1974

                               

Epitaph's best album (actually, many would argue it's their only good album), 1974's Outside the Law, was

produced during the German-based, English-fronted quartet's brief sojourn in America, while benefiting from the patronage of tiny independent label Billingsgate Records. Having just lost their deal with mighty Polydor the bandmembers now seemed motivated to edit themselves, and emerged from Chicago's Omega Studios with a far more focused and engaging set of songs, marked by fluid, mid-paced grooves, radio-friendly choruses, and dual-guitar harmonies often backed by acoustic rhythm guitars for added sweetening. 

                     

Epitaph – Outside The Law
Label: Repertoire Records – REP 4885
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Germany
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Hard Rock, Prog Rock, Krautrock

TRACKS

           

01. Reflection    5:15
02. Woman    4:16
03. Big City   5:53
Grand Piano – Fred Kaz    
04. In Your Eyes   2:50
Grand Piano – Fred Kaz
05. Outside The Law    6:07
06. Tequila Shuffle   4:58
Organ – Billy Shaw    
07. Fresh Air    9:01

LINE - UP

Bass, Vocals – Bernd Kolbe
Drums, Percussion – Achim Wielert
Lead Guitar – Klaus Walz
Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Cliff Jackson
Words By – Bernd Kolbe (tracks: 6), Cliff Jackson (tracks: 1 to 5, 7)
Written-By – Kolbe (tracks: 2, 6, 7), Jackson, Walz (tracks: 5 to 7)

Flac Size: 253 MB

The Wreckery: Fake Is Forever 2023

The Wreckery are an Australian punk blues group which formed in 1985 in Melbourne. The

founding members were Hugo Race on vocals and guitar, Robin Casinader on drums, piano, Hammond organ, guitar and violin, Edward Clayton-Jones on guitar, organ and vocals, Tadeusz O'Biegly on bass guitar, and Charles Todd on saxophone and organ. Within a year, Nick Barker had replaced O'Biegly on bass guitar. 
                         

                                   
Mark Deming of AllMusic opined that they were "One of the more important bands on the

Australian post-punk scene of the 1980s, Melbourne's the Wreckery played dark, atmospheric music informed by the blues and the same sort of chemical and cultural obsessions as their contemporaries Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds." Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, observed that they were "Led by the enigmatic, petulant Hugo Race, whose bleak visions stabbed at the heart of the human condition, [the group] defied conventional approaches to plough a deep furrow of dark romantic melodrama."
                                    

FAKE IS FOREVER

 

                     

After 35 years in the making, this is The Wreckery album that never was but always should have been! At

the height of the Australian post punk era, Melbourne's The Wreckery built a loyal audience by playing darkly atmospheric rock with film-noir swagger and true renegade attitude. Their early Rampant Records releases (1985-87) featured the band's inventive blend of swamp blues, noir-jazz, and deadpan rock (see the Ruling Energy video!) However, creative differences caused the band to disband just as they were hitting their pinnacle with the Laying Down Law album (Citadel Records, 1988). 
                        

Now, "Fake is Forever" reignites The Wreckery's signature sound with an unyielding fervour. Charles Todd's haunting baritone sax, Hugo Race's scathing lyrics and mesmerizing vocals, Clayton-Jones's

distorted angular guitars, Robin Casinader's eclectic multi-instrumental prowess, and the rhythm powerhouse of Nick Barker and former Plays With Marionettes drummer, Frank Trobbiani, collide to form an iconic lineup. Each track resonates with The Wreckery's unmistakable style, oozing from the deep, dark end of the musical pool. The range of "Fake is Forever" is as vast as it is intoxicating, conjuring a spell of quiet menace. To celebrate the album's release, The Wreckery will embark on an Australian tour starting in late 2023 and continuing through 2024

                                     

The Wreckery – Fake Is Forever
Label: Gusstaff Records – GRAM2406
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: Poland
Released: Nov 30, 2023
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Post-Punk, Blues

TRACKS

                                   

01. Smack Me Down   3:10
Composed By – Alannah Hill, Hugo Race
02. The Devil In You   4:15
Composed By – Alannah Hill, Hugo Race
03. Stole It From Alpha Ray   4:29
Composed By – Edward Clayton-Jones, Nick Barker     
04. Whistle Clean   3:17
Composed By – Hugo Race
05. Get A Name   4:11
Composed By – Hugo Race    
06. Evil Eye   3:56
Composed By – Edward Clayton-Jones    
07. Garbage Juice   4:03
Composed By – Hugo Race
08. Dragon Fly   5:08
Composed By – Nick Barker 
09. Young People   7:09
Composed By – Alannah Hill, Hugo Race
    

LINE - UP

                               

Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards – Hugo Race
Bass, Backing Vocals – Nick Barker 
Drums, Percussion – Frank Trobbiani
Guitar, Mellotron, Piano, Synth – Edward Clayton-Jones
Organ, Mellotron, Mandolin, Violin – Robin Casinader
Saxophone – Charles Todd

Flac Size: 245 MB

Dirtmusic: Dirtmusic 2007 + BKO 2010

 

Dirtmusic are Australian expat Hugo Race (The Bad Seeds, The Wreckery), and US citizens Chris Eckman (The Walkabouts, Willard Grant Conspiracy etc) and Chris Brokaw, who has worked with

The Lemonheads and Liz Phair, among others. They take their name from a novel by Australian writer Tim Winton, and came together through a shared resolution to escape the “digital sheen” of much contemporary rock for a more organic, back porch sound. Dirtmusic’s first album, recorded in 2007 in Eckman’s adopted home city of Ljubljana, Slovenia, somehow got into the hands of the booker of Mali’s annual Festival of the Desert who invited them to perform. 
                           

When the band attended the 2008 Festival in the Desert in Mali, they found common musical

ground with the Touareg band Tamikrest, jamming with them almost non-stop for three days. The following year, the two groups met again in the Malian capital of Bamako for an intense recording session, which produced Tamikrest’s accomplished debut Adagh and ΒΚΟ, an album named after the acronym for Bamako’s international airport.
                          

DIRTMUSIC - DIRTMUSIC 2007

                             

Digging back to their roots in search of the raw urban folkblues, Eckman, Race and Brokaw converge

paths in the European spring for full immersion in the journey of a brand new collaborative project: DIRT MUSIC. Three multi-instrumental artists from diverse backgrounds - three voices discovering a mutual language in the legacy of the frontier. Six strings, some keys, "found" percussion, steel bottleneck, roots feels, acoustic storytelling illuminated by an electronic vein. Dreams and memories carved from hard bedrock reality: Dirtmusic - a road movie in evolution...

                                   

Dirtmusic – Dirtmusic
Label: Glitterhouse Records – GRCD 676
Format: CD, Album, Promo
Country: Germany
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues Rock, Country Blues, Folk Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. Erica Moody    3:06
02. The Other Side    5:37
03. Sun City Casino    5:30
04. Face Of Evil    3:35
05. The Returning    5:30
06. Still Running    5:37
07. Summer Days    3:30
08. Ballad Of A Dream    7:15
09. No Sorrow More    4:51
10. Panther Hunting    2:04
11. Wasted On    4:07
12. Morning Dew (Written-By – Dobson, Rose)   6:18

LINE - UP

                     

                         
Voice, Guitar, Banjo, Harmonium, Melodica, Percussion, Drums – Chris Brokaw
Voice, Guitar, Organ [Hammond], Electric Piano [Wurlitzer] – Chris Eckman
Voice, Guitar, Organ [Hammond], Harmonium, Percussion – Hugo Race
Written-By – Chris Brokaw (tracks: 1, 4, 7, 10), Chris Eckman (tracks: 2, 5, 8, 11), Hugo Race (tracks: 3, 6, 9)

Flac Size: 343 MB

DIRTMUSIC - BKO 2010

                         

Things open with Black Gravity, where the combination of electric and acoustic sounds as well as kit drums and hand-percussion suggests early T. Rex, with Tamikrest’s singer Ousmane Ag Mossa weaving a

chorus in Tamasheq between Eckman’s verses.  Other Malian stars paid visits to the studio: Fadimata Walet Oumar from the famous Touareg group Tartit lends her sublime vocals to “All Tomorrow’s Parties” and “Desert Wind”. Two master musicians from Toumani Diabate’s Symmetric Orchestra jam on several abstract pieces, with one of them, “Niger Sundown”, being included on the album, while guitar legend Lobi Traoré plays on closing track “Bring It Home”.  
                

Dirtmusic – BKO
Label: Glitterhouse Records – GRCD 704
Format: CD, Album
Country: Germany
Released: Apr 19, 2010
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Indie Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. Black Gravity  6:07
Bass, Vocals – Cheikhe Ag Tigly
Calabash, Vocals – Pino Ibrahim Ag Ahmed
Djembe, Vocals – Aghaly Ag Mohamadine
Drums, Guitar [Tremelo], Vocals – Chris Brokaw
Guitar [Distortion], Vocals – Hugo Race
Rhythm Guitar, Vocals – Mossa Ag Borayba
Vocals, Electric Guitar – Chris Eckman, Ousmane Ag Mossa
Written-By – Eckman, Ag Mossa
02. All Tomorrow's Parties   5:39
Bass – Cheikhe Ag Tigly
Calabash – Pino Ibrahim Ag Ahmed
Djembe – Aghaly Ag Mohamadine
Electric Guitar [Lead] – Ousmane Ag Mossa
Electric Guitar, Vocals – Hugo Race
Organ, Vocals – Chris Eckman
Rhythm Guitar – Mossa Ag Borayba
Vocals – Fadimata Walett Oumar
Vocals, Guitar – Chris Brokaw
Written-By – Reed
03. Ready For The Sign   4:16
Bass – Cheikhe Ag Tigly
Calabash – Pino Ibrahim Ag Ahmed
Djembe – Aghaly Ag Mohamadine
Drums, Electric Guitar – Chris Brokaw
Organ, Vocals – Chris Eckman
Rhythm Guitar – Mossa Ag Borayba
Vocals, Guitar – Hugo Race
Written-By – Race
04. Desert Wind  4:34
Banjo [Slide] – Chris Brokaw
Bass – Cheikhe Ag Tigly
Calabash – Pino Ibrahim Ag Ahmed
Djembe, Maracas – Aghaly Ag Mohamadine
Electric Guitar – Ousmane Ag Mossa
Organ – Chris Eckman
Rhythm Guitar – Mossa Ag Borayba
Vocals – Fadimata Walett Oumar
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Hugo Race
Written-By – Race
05. Lives We Did Not Live   4:40
Bass – Cheikhe Ag Tigly
Calabash – Pino Ibrahim Ag Ahmed
Djembe – Aghaly Ag Mohamadine
Drums, Maracas, Guitar [Distortion], Vocals – Chris Brokaw
Electric Guitar, Vocals – Hugo Race
Rhythm Guitar – Mossa Ag Borayba
Vocals, Electric Guitar – Chris Eckman
Written-By – Eckman
06. Unknowable   4:14
Bass – Cheikhe Ag Tigly
Calabash – Pino Ibrahim Ag Ahmed
Electric Guitar [Lead] – Ousmane Ag Mossa
Guitar [Tremelo], Bass – Hugo Race
Guitar [Wah] – Chris Eckman
Vocals, Banjo, Guitar – Chris Brokaw
Written-By – Brokaw
07. Smokin Bowl   5:13
Banjo, Vocals – Chris Brokaw
Bass – Cheikhe Ag Tigly
Calabash – Pino Ibrahim Ag Ahmed
Djembe, Maracas – Aghaly Ag Mohamadine
Guitar [Fuzz], Vocals – Chris Eckman
Lead Guitar – Ousmane Ag Mossa
Rhythm Guitar – Mossa Ag Borayba
Vocals, Guitar [Tremelo] – Hugo Race
Written-By – Race
08. Collisions   5:41
Bass, Guitar [Buddah], Organ, Vocals – Hugo Race
Djembe – Aghaly Ag Mohamadine
Guitar [Ebow], Vocals – Chris Eckman
Vocals, Guitar, Drums – Chris Brokaw
Written-By – Brokaw
09. Niger Sundown   4:19
Acoustic Guitar – Chris Eckman
Banjo – Chris Brokaw
Guitar [Slide] – Hugo Race
Written-By – Dirtmusic
Xalam [N'goni] – Issa Koné
10. Bring It Home   4:46
Acoustic Guitar [Lead] – Lobi Traoré
Banjo, Vocals – Chris Brokaw
Organ, Xalam [N'goni], Vocals – Hugo Race
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Harmonium – Chris Eckman

Flac Size: 322 MB

                     

TAMIKREST On Urban Aspirines HERE

4 Non Blondes: Bigger, Better, Faster, More! 1992

San Francisco's 4 Non Blondes burst onto the national scene with their massive, neo-hippie anthem

"What's Up" from their debut Bigger, Better, Faster, More? Although they failed to recreate the single's success, the album, as a whole, is a fairly engaging mix of alternative rock, quasi-funk, and blues. 4 Non Blondes formed in San Francisco in 1989. Their lineup comprises Linda Perry (guitars, vocals), Christa Hillhouse (bass), Dawn Richardson (drums) and Roger Rocha (guitar); previously in the band were founding members Shaunna Hall (guitar) and Wanda Day (drums).
                                   

The name of the band came from an experience the group had in the Bay Area with a blonde family.

According to Christa Hillhouse, "Right next to us, there's a trash receptacle with a piece of pizza on top and the kid wanted to pick it up. The mom said, 'No, it's probably dirty, what with the pigeons and people.' And she stared right at us. We were Non Blondes." They said the experience became a symbol that they did not fit the California stereotype. They got their start in the San Francisco bar scene, especially lesbian bars, gaining a significant lesbian following.
                               

The focal point is on lead singer Linda Perry who also plays guitar and was the primary writer of

the material. Perry has a powerful set of pipes akin to Johnette Napolitano, but, unfortunately, she tends to cut loose when a little more restraint would benefit the proceedings. However, "Superfly" is a feel good, funky number and "Spaceman"'s yearning lyrics are delivered over a quiet, martial drum rhythm. A solid debut that got lost in the wake of its mammoth hit. 
                       

The video for "What's Up?" became a smash on MTV, propelling sales of the album to over six

million copies worldwide. "What's Up?" was selected as Best Song by the Bay Area Music Awards; moreover, Perry was chosen as Best Female Vocalist and Bigger, Better, Faster, More? won for Best Album. The group toured with Neil Young, Pearl Jam, and Bob Dylan. The band recorded tunes for the soundtracks to Wayne's World 2 and Airheads. The first single was "Dear Mr. President", which bass player Christa Hillhouse told Songfacts "was about the hierarchy of power and government." 
                            

The second single, "What's Up?", reached No. 1 in several countries and went gold in the United States,

while the album itself went platinum, accumulating sales of 1.5 million copies in the United States alone and 6 million copies worldwide. However, Perry felt that the group had become too pop; consequently, she left 4 Non Blondes. She released her solo debut, In Flight, in 1995. Perry departed from Interscope Records in 1998 and recorded her second full-length, After Hours, for her own label, Rockstar Records. 
                                   

4 Non Blondes – Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
Label:Interscope Records – 7 92112-2, Atlantic – 7 92112-2
Format:CD, Album, Stereo
Country:US
Released:Oct 13, 1992
Genre:Rock
Style:Alternative Rock, Folk Rock, Hard Rock

TRACKS

                          

01. Train    3:47
02. Superfly    4:37
03. What's Up   4:55
Engineer – Mark Hensley, Kent Matcke
04. Pleasantly Blue    2:27
05. Morphine & Chocolate    4:41
06. Spaceman    3:40
07. Old Mr. Heffer    2:16
08. Calling All The People    3:17
09. Dear Mr. President    4:43
10. Drifting    3:30
11. No Place Like Home    3:09

LINE - UP

                      

Linda Perry – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Christa Hillhouse – bass, background vocals
Roger Rocha – lead guitar (credited but joined after the album's completion)
Dawn Richardson – drums

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS

Shaunna Hall – guitar
Rory Kaplan – Mellotron
Suzie Katayama – cello, accordion
Louis Metoyer – guitar
Dave Rickets – keyboard
Andy James – drums
Laurent Tardy – piano

Flac Size: 280 MB