Stone The Crows: Discography + Live

 

Stone the Crows were a Scottish blues rock band formed in Glasgow in late 1969. They are remembered for the onstage electrocution of guitarist and founding member Les Harvey. Stone the

Crows was a tough-luck, working class, progressive soul band that came out of the pubs of Scotland in the early '70s. They had everything going for them at the start: not one, but two gritty singers, a talented guitarist, a rhythm section that had played with John Mayall, and the name recognition of having Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant as their producer.
                

The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to Les Harvey by his elder brother Alex Harvey. After playing together in the Kinning Park Ramblers, their next band Power was renamed

Stone the Crows (after a British/Australian English exclamation of surprise or shock) by Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant. The band was co-managed by Grant and Mark London. London was associated with Lulu as the co-writer of her signature song, "To Sir With Love" and was also married to Lulu's manager, Marion Massey. London had also managed the predecessor band Cartoone, in which Peter Grant had a financial interest and featured Les Harvey on guitar.
      

Their biggest contribution to rock was the immense vocal talent of one Maggie Bell. Winner of several

Top Girl Singer awards in Britain, Bell had a raunchy, gutbucket voice that, although it fell short of the naked emotion and range of Janis Joplin's, came probably closer to her style than any other female singer. She first attracted notice when she jumped up on stage at a show in Glasgow to wail with Alex Harvey of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
     

McGinnis and Dewar left the band in 1971 and were replaced by Ronnie Leahy and Steve Thompson.

Guitarist and co-founder Les Harvey was electrocuted onstage in front of a live audience at Swansea's Top Rank Suite in May 1972. Jimmy McCulloch would subsequently replace the main songwriter Harvey as lead guitarist, following Harvey's death. Guitarist Les Harvey was tragically electrocuted onstage on May 3, 1972. After Harvey's death the band reconsidered their direction.
                      

Stone the Crows ultimately broke up in June 1973, and Peter Grant continued to manage Maggie Bell's career. Guided by Grant, Bell subsequently recorded two solo albums, Queen of the Night (1974) and

Suicide Sal (1975) and an album with the Grant-managed band Midnight Flyer (1981). Bell is also known for her session work on Rod Stewart's album Every Picture Tells a Story (1971), in particular her co-lead vocal with Stewart on the album's title track (credited as "vocal abrasives"). Jimmy McCulloch joined Paul McCartney's group Wings, in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1974.
            

Miles Davis told, Maggie she could "sing her ass off".   
 

ORIGINAL LINE - UP

Maggie Bell, vocals
Les Harvey, guitar
Colin Allen, drums
James Dewar, bass and vocals
John McGinnis, keyboards

The band's first two albums were recorded with the original line up and Bell's vocals were described as being similar to Janis Joplin's.

STUDIO ALBUMS

              

Stone the Crows (January 1970)
Ode to John Law (October 1970)
Teenage Licks (1971)
Ontinuous Performance (1972)

1. STONE THE CROWS - STONE THE CROWS 1970

      

Stone the Crows is the debut album by Scottish rock band Stone the Crows. A somewhat atypical debut rock release. Not only does the band deliver a soulful rendition of "Fool on the Hill," but the dreaded side-long track makes its appearance on side two of Stone the Crows. The tune is titled "I Saw America," and it pulls together the rock, blues, and soul elements that were splintered up on the first side. A spirited attempt was made to live up to the grandiose title, and there's some amazing guitars by Les Harvey.                   
               

Stone The Crows – Stone The Crows
Label: Repertoire Records – REP 4626-WY
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1997
Country: Germany
Released: 1970    
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Classic Rock

TRACKS

   

01. The Touch Of Your Loving Hand    6:01
02. Raining In Your Heart    5:06
03. Blind Man   5:09
Written-By – J. White
04. Fool On The Hill   4:07
Written-By – J. Lennon-P. McCartney
05. I Saw America    18:21

LINE - UP

Colin Allen – drums, percussion
Maggie Bell – vocals
Jimmy Dewar – bass guitar, vocals
Les Harvey – acoustic, electric guitars
John McGinnis – organ, piano, keyboards

NOTES

Originally released in 1970 on Polydor Records.

Flac Size: 328 MB

2. STONE THE CROWS - ODE TO JOHN LAW 1970

                 

Ode to John Law is the second studio album by Scottish band Stone the Crows. Released    October

1970. Live, they were an incendiary act, with singer Maggie Bell and guitarist Les Harvey true stars. "Sad Mary," "Friend," and "Love 74" are all showcases for Harvey's excellent guitar skills, while "Things Are Getting Better" and a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Danger Zone" let Maggie Bell shine in her best Janis Joplin style (although it's a shame bassist Jim Dewar has his considerable vocal talents muffled). The good time, neo folk-rock of "Mad Dogs And Englishmen" offers some light relief.
          

Stone The Crows – Ode To John Law
Label: Repertoire Records – REP 4624-WY
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1996
Country: Germany
Released: 1970    
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Classic Rock

TRACKS

              

01. Sad Mary    6:50
02. Friend    6:25
03. Love    6:33
04. Mad Dogs And Englishmen    3:32
05. Things Are Getting Better    6:09
06. Ode To John Law    5:44
07. Danger Zone (Written-By – P. Mayfield)   6:18

BONUS TRACK

    
08. Things Are Getting Better (Single Version)    4:04

LINE - UP

Colin Allen – drums, percussion
Maggie Bell – vocals
Jimmy Dewar – bass, vocals
Les Harvey – acoustic and electric guitars
John McGinnis – organ, piano, keyboards
Written-By – C. Allen (tracks: 4, 6), J. Dewar (tracks: 2), J. McGinnis (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 8), L. Harvey (tracks: 2, 4, 6)

Flac Size: 464 MB

3. STONE THE CROWS - TEENAGE LICKS 1970

              

This third album from Scotland's Stone the Crows was as close to hitting on all cylinders as they ever came in the studio. With some personnel changes following Ode to John Law (a new bassist and keyboard player), they powered through the disc, with "Big Jim Salter," "I May Be Right I May Be Wrong," and their version of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" being the absolute standouts. The

figureheads of vocalist Maggie Bell and guitarist Les Harvey had never sounded better as they worked in a pure rock vein, abandoning the blues aspect of their sound (Indeed, "Aileen Mochree" took them into Gaelic, a pleasant, brief side track) -- check "Mr. Wizard" to get a good picture of where they were really headed. Of course, it wasn't a one-dimensional sound; the keyboard-dominated "Seven Lakes" was full of pseudo-classical portentousness, almost de rigeur for the period. But it was when they rocked that Stone the Crows were at their best, and with this album they seemed truly poised to move up to the big time.
                 

Stone The Crows – Teenage Licks
Label: Repertoire Records – REP 4625-WY
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1996
Country: Germany
Released: 1971
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Rock & Roll

TRACKS

                

01. Big Jim Salter    4:34
02. Faces    4:40
03. Mr. Wizard    5:28
04. Don't Think Twice (Written-By – B. Dylan)   5:02
05. Keep On Rollin'    3:50
06. Ailen Mochree (Arranged By – M. Bell/Written-By – Traditional)  0:22
07. One Five Eight (Written-By – J. McGinnis)  6:27
08. I May Be Right I May Be Wrong    5:02
09. Seven Lakes    3:03

LINE - UP

Vocals – Maggie Bell
Bass – Steve Thompson
Guitar, Recorder – Les Harvey
Keyboards – Ronnie Leahy
Percussion – Colin Allen
Written-By – C. Allen (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 8, 9), L. Harvey (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 8, 9), M. Bell (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 8, 9), R. Leahy (tracks: 2, 8, 9), S. Thompson (tracks: 2, 8, 9)

Flac Size: 394 MB

4. STONE THE CROWS - ONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE 1972

            

Much of Ontinuous Performance (and no, there's no C in there) was already in the can when guitarist Les Harvey was tragically electrocuted onstage on May 3, 1972. The band brought in young guitar wiz Jimmy McCullough (ex-Thunderclap Newman) to take his place, but really, in a band like this, no one could have filled his shoes -- a listen to Harvey's guitar work on the instrumental "King Tut" shows how far he'd come, and how integral his particular style of playing was to the band's

LES HARVEY (13/9/1944 - 3/5/1972)

sound. Ironically, out of tragedy came a brief moment of success, as "Good Time Girl," released as a single (and, except for gender, it was a perfect Rod Stewart song) hit #12 on the U.K. singles chart. But there was also a return to their blues roots with the acoustic "Penicillin Blues," while "One More Chance" offered Maggie Bell an opportunity to show her soulful vocal chops. However, they blew it during the nine minutes of "Niagara," a piece that, it sounded, was never finished before release. It was would have impossible for the band to let go of Harvey without a song, and it comes at the end of the disc, the ballad "Sunset Cowboy," which is touching and heartfelt. After this disc the disheartened band broke up.
           

Stone The Crows – Ontinuous Performance
Label: Repertoire Records – REP 4627-WY
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1997
Country: Germany
Released: 1972
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock

TRACKS

                 

01.On The Highway   5:32
Written-By – Harvey, Leahy
02.One More Chance   6:10
Written-By – Leahy
03.Penicillin Blues   5:30
Written-By – B. Magee, S. Terry
04.King Tut   2:37
Written-By – Harvey, Leahy
05.Good Time Girl   3:25
Written-By – Allen, Bell, Leahy, Thompson
06.Niagara   9:12
Written-By – Leahy
07.Sunset Cowboy   6:42
Written-By – Allen, Leahy

LINE - UP

Vocals – Maggie Bell
Bass – Steve Thompson
Drums – Colin Allen
Guitar – Jimmy McCulloch (tracks: 5, 7), Leslie Harvey (tracks: 1 to 4, 6)
Horns – The Pumping Spumona Horns
Horns [Pumping Spumona Horns, The] – Malcolm Duncan, Roger Ball
Keyboards – Ronnie Leahy

Flac Size: 391 MB
 
5. MAGGIE BELL & STONE THE CROWS - COMING ON STRONG 2004

                

Maggie Bell (born 12 January 1945, in Glasgow, Scotland) is a blues singer who collaborated with many notable musicians including Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, on her Suicide Sal album in 1975. Her soulful pipes earned her a reputation as the "British Janis Joplin" and she was a member of the hard

rocking live blues rock bands Stone The Crows and Midnight Flyer. From a musical family, she sang from her teens, leaving school at the age of fifteen, to work as a window dresser by day and singer at night. Alex Harvey, after being impressed with her singing introduced her to his brother Leslie Harvey who was, at that time, a guitarist with the Kinning Park Ramblers. Bell joined the group as as one of the vocalists. After the band split she moved to the Mecca Band at the Sauchiehall Street Locarno, and later to the Dennistoun Palais Band.
              

MAGGIE BELL & JIMMY PAGE

She then rejoined Harvey, forming a group, initially known as Power, eventually travelling to Germany to sing on U.S. airforce bases in the mid 1960s. Power was later renamed as Stone the Crows. In her words "we worked six nights a week. We worked in Universities and Polytechnics, we were a working

band." They were managed by Peter Grant, signed to Polydor, and also toured the US, including a stint on Joe Cocker's Mad Dog's & Englishmen tour and a memorable gig at the Fillmore West with Miles Davis who told Maggie she could "sing her ass off". They continued on with members such as Jimmy McCulloch (later with Wings), bassist James Dewar (later with Robin Trower), and drummer Colin Allen (later with Focus), lasting until 1973, but finding that after her fiancé Harvey's death from accidental electrocution onstage in 1972 it took too much momentum out of the group for them to continue.

                     

Maggie Bell & Stone The Crows – Coming On Strong
Label: Recall 2cd – SMDCD519
Format: 2 x CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 2004
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock

CD1. STONE THE CROWS LIVE - MONTREUX 1972

01. Friends   9:19
02. Penicillin Blues   6:52
03. Love 74   11:28
04. Danger Zone   6:14
05. Hollis Brown    21:01        

MP3 Size: 130 MB (My EAC program denies to convert it on Flac after the 2o track)

CD2. MAGGIE BELL LIVE - RAINBOW THEATRE, LONDON 1974

                 

01. Coming On Strong   6:07
02. Wishing Well   4:29
03. As The Years Go Passing By   6:20
04. I Was In Chains   4:15
05. Suicide Sal   5:02
06. I Saw Him Standing There   6:03
07. Preacher   2:00
08. Penicillin Blues   5:11
09. Soul Medley: Boogie Sandwich/ Ain't Misbehavin'/ Lawdy Miss Clawdy...  10:56
10. Medley: Ghetto/ Boogie Sandwich/ Ghetto ( Reprise)/ Rock Me Baby   9:48
11. Aileem Mochree   0:51
12. Medley: Gospel Intro/ Lay Down Your Soul For Jesus Shout   12:54

Flac Size: 445 MB