 style: fusion
country: us
audio: lossless (ape, cue, log, booklet scans)
size: 239mb
misc.: {1998 Repertoire}
Fuzz Acid & Flowers:
Born in Detroit in 1945, Harvey "The Snake" Mandel is an excellent guitar player who began his career in 1964 on the Chicago Blues scene, playing on records and performing with Charlie Musselwhite, Barry Goldberg (he played on his first five albums) and Neil Merryweather. Playing in a very recognizable fluid style and specialized in sustain and controlled feedback, Mandel began his solo career in 1968 with Cristo Redentor. Housed in a stunning sleeve signed by Alton Kelley (of Mouse & Kelley), this largely instrumental album was produced by Abe "Voco" Kesh and contains a good cover of Wade In The Water (also recorded by Clover).
Having relocated in Los Angeles, Mandel began to do some session work, notably with Graham Bond on his Pulsar albums produced by Wayne Talbert and with Jimmy Witherspoon.
After Righteous, Mandel teamed up with Russell DaShiell (Crowfoot) to release Games Guitars Play, which is probably his best album with strong guitars on Dry Your Eyes or Leavin Trunk. Mandel then replaced Henry Vestine in Canned Heat and played on Future Blues and Historical Figures And Ancient Heads. He also performed with them at Woodstock. Mandel then joined John Mayall for three albums (from Back To The Roots to The Turning Point).
He moved to Janus for whom he recorded four further albums, which are not as good as his Philips period but which still contain some interesting guitar parts (notably on Shangrenade). In 1972 he also produced and organized the bluesy project Get Off In Chicago with Ken Little and Freddy Fox. He then formed Pure Food and Drug Act with Sugarcane Harris, Paul Lagos and Larry Taylor. They released Choice Cuts in 1972 on Epic but the same line-up also worked on two Sugarcane Harris albums. Mandel was also briefly part of The Ventures and even recorded an album with them!
In 1973, Harvey Mandel produced both Ken Little's Solo album and a Freddy Roulette LP. He played on the Music From Free Creek project and on Dewey Terry's Big Chief. 1974 saw him playing with the Rolling Stones on Black And Blue (he was one of the possible substitutes for Mick Taylor). In the mid-70s, he vanished from the music scene but returned in the '90s and is still recording with Howard Wales (ex A.B. Shky and Barry Goldberg).
01 What The Funk 3:07
02 Fish Walk 4:47
03 Sugarloaf 4:16
04 Midnight Sun 3:42
05 Million Dollar Feeling 3:32
06 Green Apple Quickstep 3:10
07 Frenzy 4:32
08 Shangrenade 4:15
Bobby Lyle - Clavinet, Piano
Bobby Notkoff - Strings
Coleman Head - Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar
Danny Keller - Drums
Don "Sugarcane" Harris - Violin (Electric), Electric Violin, Violin
Fred Roulette - Guitar (Steel)
Mark Skyer - Vocals, Guitar
Paul Lagos - Drums
Ray Lester - Bass
Richard Martin - Vocals
Skip Taylor - Producer
Victor Conte - Electric Upright Bass, Bass, Guitar
Harvey Mandel - Producer, Main Performer, Guitar
Jim Taylor - Assistant Producer, Title
John Stronach - Mixing
Baker Bigsby - Engineer, Mixing
In a departure from the familiar shuffle-blues and rock styles of his past three solo albums (and work with Canned Heat and John Mayall), Harvey Mandel has now moved into a jazz-funk idiom. While his guitar's golden tones and snake-charming seductiveness remain intact, he has borrowed from John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell and Frank Zappa (Hot Rats). Unfortunately, the LP's meticulously executed eight instrumentals lack originality and only "Fish Walk," "Midnight Sun II," and the title cut possess a genuine life of their own. But Shangrenade does conjure up an other-worldliness in keeping with its Hieronymus Bosch-styled cover. Some may miss the Mandel of old; but, despite its shortcomings, this LP advances his music and holds out some promise for the future. (RS 158) LEN EPAND
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