Freedom to Music
Posts tagged Ron Aspery
Tramline – Moves Of Vegetable Centuries (1969) (@256)
31 Oct 2009
(Review from amazon, allmusic)
The second and final album of the hot young blues band sees them getting into its stride with the addition of sax player Ron Aspery and bass guitar virtuoso Colin Hodgkinson from progressive group Back Door. They add a boost to such performances as the Tramline version of Traffic’s “Pearly Queen” and the old Yardbirds favourite “I Wish You Would”.
The group had split by 1970, with McCoy and Sidgwick evidently leaving music behind while Moody passed through Juicy Lucy and Snafu before achieving huge success with Whitesnake; Popple tagged along for a time in Snafu, as well as working with Matthew Fisher and Alan Hull, and passed through the line-up of Radiator.
Line-up:
- John McCoy / Harmonica, Vocals
- Micky Moody / Guitar
- Terry Popple / Drums
- Terry Sidgwick / Bass, Vocals
with
- Ron Aspery / saxophone
- Colin Hodkingson / bass
Track List:
01. Pearly Queen – 3:41
02. Sweet Satisfaction – 3:32
03. You Better Run – 2:17
04. Grunt – 7:12
05. Sweet Mary – 6:25
06. I Wish You Would – 5:21
07. Goodmorning Little Schoolgirl – 2:32
08. Harriet’s Underground Railway – 3:57
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Back Door – 8th Street Nites (1973) (@256)
01 Aug 2008
(Review from allmusic, amazon)
Back when giant carnivorous bass players ruled the earth, Back Door was the hungriest of them all. What sets Back Door apart is the bass playing. While a few bassists-such as Chris Squire, John Entwistle, and Jack Bruce — have tried exploiting the bass’s potential as a lead instrument, they were confined by bands where the guitar or keyboards were the usual lead. Not Colin Hodgkinson; he dispenses with these instruments altogether, allowing the bass to be the sole lead instrument. He strums chords on it the way you’d expect someone to with a six-string.
Their second album, “8th Street Nites” is an overlooked joy – Colin Hodgkinson is justly famous for his chorded-style electric bass playing, but saxophonist Ron Aspery is equally brilliant, and drummer Tony Hicks plays just enough (and not too much) to fill the sound without being overly busy.
The album soars to great heights with its standout covers of Leadbelly and Robert Johnson. These blues numbers are largely played as unaccompanied bass and vocal pieces. There’s something to this unadorned combination — the inherent grittiness of the bass matched against his voice hearkens back to the raw power of delta blues, where it’s just a guy and his crappy old guitar. On “32-20 Blues”, Hodgkinson sings an old Robert Johnson number while throttling away at the bass; on the opening “Laying Track,” the whole band takes on Leadbelly in a sort of restrained funkiness, with the constant thrashing of a tambourine underlining the rhythm section’s punches on the downbeat.
For a three-piece they produce a dense and deeply melodic groove – music that stays in your head, plays in your head. Back Door show much variety and invention.
Line-up:
* Colin Hodgkinson / bass, vocals
* Ron Aspery / saxophonist, keyboards
* Tony Hicks / drums
Track List:
01. Linin’ Track – 4:00
02. Forget Me Daisy – 2:14
03. His Old Boots – 3:24
04. Blue Country Blues – 2:47
05. Dancin’ In The Van – 1:52
06. 32-20 Blues – 2:26
07. Roberta – 2:51
08. It’s Nice When It’s Up – 2:55
09. One Day You’re Down, The Next Day Your Down – 3:35
10. Walkin’ Blues – 3:15
11. The Bed Creaks Louder – 2:21
12. Adolphus Beal – 3:53
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