LOS ANGELES, CA. (Conqueroo Music) - Collectors' Choice
Music travels back in time to re-release recordings by two
Texas artists linked by geography and era. Doug Sahm was the kingpin of the Sir
Douglas Quintet plus two latter-day bands - Sir Doug & Band and the Sir
Douglas Band. fever tree, from Houston, was often mistaken for a Haight-Ashbury San Francisco band because their one big hit was titled 'San Francisco Girls.' By coincidence, both have albums that will be released on CD by Collectors' Choice. Street date for all is October 31.
Legendary music producer Jerry Wexler said it best about Doug Sahm: 'What Mac Rebennack (a.k.a. Dr. John) is to New Orleans, Doug Sahm is to Texas.' In fact, Wexler was such a fan that he swooped in and signed Sahm to Atlantic after the Sir Dougla Quintet's contract with Mercury elapsed, and co-produced these two record along with Sahm and Arif Mardin. Expect Doug's usual blend of every American musical style under the sun on both Doug Sahm & Band's self-titled album and the Sir Douglas Band's album Texas Tornado, which feature a stellar supporting cast (e.g. Bob Dylan) and some of Sahm's best work.
The assemblage known as Doug Sahm & Band included Bob Dylan, who not only shares vocals on three tunes on this band's one album but contributes a song ('Wallflower') that was yet to appear on any of his albums. Indeed, this recording had a lot going for it - joining Dylan were Dr. John, David 'Fathead' Newman, long-time Sahm stalwart Augie Meyers, David Bromberg and future Texas Tornado Flaco Jimenez, with artwork by Gilbert Shelton (of 'Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers' fame) that was, well, fabulous. Includes '(Is Anybody Going to) San Antone.' 'It's Gonna Be Easy,' 'Your Friends,' 'Poison Love,' 'Wallflower,' 'Dealer's Blues,' 'Faded Love,' 'Blues Stay Away from Me,' 'Papa Ain't Salty,' 'Me and Paul,' 'Don't Turn Around,' and 'I Get Off.'
Composed of sessions recorded in New York for Doug Sahm & Band and later sessions recorded in Northern California by Wally Heider, the Sir Douglas Band's 1973 release Texas Tornado explored Sahm's R&B roots on Side One, and then veered wildly (as was Doug's custom) to a cocktail of rock and Tex-Mex on Side Two. But its reliance on original material - Sahm penned eight of the 11 songs - make this a favorite album among many of his fans. Includes 'San Francisco FM Blues,' 'Someday,' 'Blue Horizon,' 'Tennessee Blues,' 'Ain't That Loving You,' 'Texas Tornado,' 'Juan Mendoza,' 'Chicano,' 'I'll Be There,' 'Hard Way,' and 'Nitty Gritty.'
Houston's fever tree (their name usually spelled in lower case) existed at the same time as the 13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola and Zakary Thaks, yet their sound was closer to the San Francisco sound of the late '60s. The band never met with much commercial success, notching only a No 91 hit with the lush psychedelic pop song 'San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native),' in 1968. But part of the reason for that is also the reason these albums, their first two and only essential releases, are so much fun to listen to. Anchored by Dennis Keller's steady vocals, this was a band with big ambitions - working classical and jazz influences and unusual instrumentation into the rock format well before such a thing became commonplace, pointing the way toward the prog-rock movement to come. Most of their best material, ironically, was written by their over-30 husband-wife production team, Scott and Vivian Holtzman , who had previously written material for Tex Ritter and the Mary Poppins soundtrack. Their debut album was arranged by David Angel, who also worked on no less an album than Love's Forever Changes. Collectors' Choice has added notes featuring quotes from multi-instrumentalist Rob Landes that set the scene.
fever tree's fever tree and Another Time, Another Place CD two-fer-featuring CD debuts for both albums-includes 'San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native),' along 'Imitation Situation 1 (Toccata and Fugue)/Where Do You Go?,' 'Ninety-Nine and One-Half,' 'Man Who Paints the Pictures,' 'Filigree and Shadow,' 'The Sun Also Rises,' 'Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out,' 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing,' 'Unlock My Door,' 'Come with Me (Rainsong),' 'Man Who Paints the Pictures II,' 'What Time Did You Say It Is in Salt Lake City?,' 'Don't Come Crying to Me Girl,' 'Fever,' 'Grand Candy Young Sweet,' 'Jokes are for Sad People,' 'I've Never Seen Evergreen,' 'Peace of Mind' and 'Death Is the Dancer.'
