Ace - Five-A-Side LP

Label: Anchor Records; Year: 1974; Format: Vinyl LP

So, here a bit of a peculiar one in the sense that I probably would never have gotten this LP unless I stumbled upon it somewhere. The reason I have a copy now is thanks to a friend of mine in Switzerland (Thanks Pat!) who was kind enough to think of me when he spotted a copy at a record shop in Europe knowing that as a Liverpool FC supporter I would appreciate the gesture, which I absolutely do and even more so since he's an Arsenal FC supporter. He kindly told me that with that front cover he couldn't help himself but that most likely the music sucks to which I replied that we shall see and I'll post about it. So this week I familiarized myself not just with Ace's music, but a little bit with their history as well. The band formed in late 1972 in Sheffield, UK and had somewhat of a successful stint during the '70s, mainly thanks to their hit single "How Long", which I must have heard a million times on the radio not knowing who it was. I must say that as skeptical as I was sitting down to listen to the LP I came away thinking that it's not a bad LP at all. As a matter of fact in my opinion there is a real hidden gem to be found on the record with "24 Hours", a really strong heavy Funk number of which I wish the record had more of. Also quite enjoyable are the first two tracks "Sniffin' About" and "Rock & Roll Runaway", both decent Pub Rock songs leaning on the tame side but never the less still rockin' and rollin'. The rest of the LP is listenable but let's be honest somewhat forgettable. Interestingly enough two of Ace's members used to be in the '60s Mod band The Action, a band whose catalogue I might explore at some point. Ace relocated to the United States in the '70s and released their third and final LP on this side of the pond disbanding in 1977. Paul Carrack who was the main singer and pianist in Ace went on to have a successful solo career as well as joining Mike & The Mechanics during the '80s. His re-recording of "How Long" in 1996 landed the song in the charts again and must be bankrolling him up to this day. Since I became a Liverpool FC supporter around 1983 as far as I remember I looked up the team of 1974 recognizing players like Ray Clemence, Emlyn Hughes and of course Kevin Keegan amongst others. Judging by the five white and blue scarfs waving Ace members plugged into the sea of Liverpool supporters on the front cover I would assume the band were Sheffield Wednesday FC fans and with that I just say "You'll Never Walk Alone". 

Suzi Quatro - Your Mama Won't Like Me LP 

Label: Arista Records; Year: 1975; Format: Vinyl LP

A few months back I listened to an interesting podcast with Suzi Quatro. Now in her early seventies and based in the United Kingdom she seems to still be full of energy and I must say I have nothing but respect for her. Just like countless other Detroit born musicians of any genre she's a self-made woman and has prevailed in the music industry throughout the decades, something that's not easy at all. In that podcast I learned of Suzi's first band she was part of, the Pleasure Seekers, a '60s garage rock band she joined with her older sister Patti and about the years since, of which there has been many by now. I picked up "Your Mama Won't Like Me" not too long ago for a few bucks as it's just an old Quatro record, hence why not. This was Quatro's third LP and somewhat of a departure from the first two records which I don't own but am familiar with to a degree. The productions on this one is top notch and the songs on this full length are largely in the funk rock vein departing from the glam rock and '50s rock'n'roll informed first two LPs. Still, it's an interesting album that doesn't get boring and unsurprisingly has some real hits in my opinion. On Side A "Paralysed" and "Your Mama.." stand out whereas on Side B "New Day Woman" and especially "Michael" are the true winners. I believe back in the time this record came out some critics wrote it off as disappointing but at the same time it was the beginning of a new era for Suzi Quatro and is definitely worth getting for a few bob. I'll be looking for the Pleasure Seekers and Suzi's earlier material so stay tuned!

V/A - Fizzy Soul Cocktail Vol. 2

Label: Cheeky Monkey Records (Unofficial); Year: ?; Format: Vinyl LP

Just like the Killed By Death volumes for rare worldwide punk rock many other musical genres have their own various compilation series when it comes to hard to find records. This particular LP must have been pressed in the UK as I got it dirt-cheap while I lived in London and the few copies that are available through Discogs seem all to be from sellers in the UK. Anyway, this is a great compilation of hard to find soul/funk hits which all seem to have originally been recorded in the '60s. The packaging is typical for a bootleg in the sense that it lacks any information about the artists but the sound quality is good so I won't complain too much. In all fairness it truly is a great record as all twelve songs are above good with some being plain superb. Without wanting to go into all the songs I am going to give you a few teasers so maybe you would want to seek them out on YouTube or such. 'I'm in love with your Daughter' by '60s rhythm'n'blues band The Enchantments from Los Angeles is a beautiful track originally released on Faro Records as a single back in 1965. West Virginia born Turley Richards gets you dancing and grooving with the upbeat smasher 'I feel all right' originally released on Columbia in 1966 while Johnny Robinson's 'Funky Feet' from 1970 is exactly what the song title suggests. Maybe the best song on this compilation is 'Two sided thing' by Johnny Mae Mathews also known as the Godmother of Detroit soul. Miss Mathews founded the Northern Recording Company back in 1958 and many more record labels thereafter. Her song on this platter originally came out in 1968 on Big Hit Records. I will see if I can find the first volume of this compilation at some point as I imagine it'd be equally strong. If you are looking to dance your night away don't hesitate to grab a copy of this one. Have some Boogaloo!