1970 UK STONE THE CROWS ODE TO JOHN LAW Prog Blues

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46

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    1970 RARE BRITISH ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING

        STONE THE CROWS

         Ode To John Law  

                        UK - ENGLAND - Polydor - 2425 042

MINT VINYL....

**CLEAN** 1970 first pressing in GATEFOLD jacket of arguably the *best* STONE THE CROWS album.... 

Outrageously good, underrated 1970 British first pressing VINYL ...our favorite Stone The Crows album. Less blues, more psych, centered on terrific guitar (wah-wah, etc) navigations by Les Harvey who was tragically electrocuted playing for this band, and...Maggie Bell in fine performance, subdued but powerful vocal performances... 

Stone the Crows was a tough-luck, working class, progressive blues 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. Despite favorable reviews by the critics, however, they never managed to sell their music to a large audience. In addition, they lost two of their key members early on and the group broke up after four good albums.

Within their 2nd album (1970) "Ode To John Law" you start noticing how wonderful certain guitar parts are sounding, and how fine Maggie's vocal parts actually suit them. Take, for instance, the album's most energetic piece, the opening 'Sad Mary' dedicated to the sad demise of Queen Mary Stuart. It's all within the traditional rootsy pattern, BUT notice how many times it shifts the mood and the tempo? Starts out as a rough hasty blues-rocker with a fast organ part, then, just about fifty seconds later, slows down to an ominous shuffle with creepy one-note chords from Les Harvey that seem to scream PAIN! with their very existence, then goes into the quiet moody mid-section which is entirely Maggie's domain, goes back into the main section and then transforms into a gruesome jam for a few minutes. Maggie throws on a real theatrical performance, perfectly capturing the self-confident stance of a proud and majestic regina about to die, and Les Harvey surely provides her with an emotionally resonant guitar action.

In any case, even if second vocalist Jim Dewar has almost entirely been removed from lead vocal duties in favour of Maggie, the album, at least in its first part, still belongs to Les Harvey. 'Sad Mary', as well as 'Friend' and 'Love', all six-minute plus minor epics, cannot really be viewed as anything more than vehicles for Harvey's showcasing his guitar skills --they display a very convincing combination of technical tricks and subtle mood-setting moves. The trebley riff of 'Friend', for instance, certainly could appeal to your subconscious - with a near-psychedelic flavour and that wonderful mild tone. Then Harvey moves on to a super-smooth, flawless wah-wah solo along the lines of Alvin Lee (sometimes just as speedy as Alvin), but more restrained so that you don't get the urge to bang your head against the nearest hard object, but instead just slowly melt in your chair. As for 'Love', it's the tightest number of the three, a shuffle underpinned by a repetitive and very decisive-sounding organ riff - it's a delight to hear the band play in tight rhythmic mode, even if it doesn't do much in the memorability sphere. Harvey's got a thin meek guitar tone on here, playing all kinds of minimalistic tricks that any solid blues guitarist would appreciate.

Things kinda get out of control on the next four tracks. 'Mad Dogs And Englishmen' is kind of a funny tribute to the time of the band's touring with Joe Cocker - a hilarious folk-rocker without too much substance, but certainly essential in its relieving the convoluted foggy atmosphere of the three guitarfests. 'Things Are Getting Better' is a ballad with a half-catchy melody; it's got power, definitely. The title track is almost progressive rock with its constant shifts of tempo and time signature and a strange 'noodling' extension of every sung/played note; the song is dedicated to London policemen.

The record ends on a blistering note: a humble tribute to Curtis Mayfield, Maggie Bell's shining hour on 'Danger Zone'. It's her (Joplin-esque) 'Summertime'

1. Sad Mary - 6:53
2. Friend - 6:28
3. Love - 6:35
4. Mad Dog and Englishman - 3:34
5. Things Are Getting Better - 6:10
6. Ode to John Law - 5:47
7. Danger Zone - 6:21

CONDITION: The cover UK (gatefold) cover is VG+(+) with a little light shelf wear and delete at top left corner, still pretty decent shape for a black cover ... very tight and strong seams with no seam splits, no bends and no writing anywhere.

The vinyl is glossy "M-" super glossy smoooth and clean = plays enjoyable = A TOP COPY!    

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for more & more of similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record