Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Don't Freak Me Out

 
THE DAVY LAMP: SHINING A LIGHT INTO THE DARK CORNERS OF THE WALL OF SOUND.  No.1  Jimmy Stevens - Don't Freak Me Out (Atlantic 1972)

Jimmy Stevens

I came across this when ploughing through The Unsorted in the Cultureberg Vault.  Jimmy was a Liverpudlian musician whose only Lp was a result of the patronage of Maurice Gibb, Lulu and Robert Stigwood.  On the cover he looks like the mid point between Chas and Dave.  The music reminds me of Randy Newman's take on 'Gone Dead Train' on the Performance soundtrack, barrelling along on 88 percussion keys. His vocal is Randyesque, but irony free, with a similarity to Terry Allen on Lubbock (on Everything). A bit of research (Okay, googling) reveals he toured as support to Emerson, Lake and Palmer (unimaginable) and the Bee Gee's.  He preferred the latter experience. I read his Myspace page which has a detailed, atmospheric and interesting biography/autobiography, full of close calls with career breaks and rubbed shoulders.  There's a contemporary cutting there in which the journalist likens him to "a fat John Lennon".  Worse things to be.  What might spark a reissue (I could find no trace of one) is the presence of John Bonham on 2 tracks, including the title track linked to below.  They sound on vinyl to be well suited; to read the article on Jimmy's myspace page, they both seemed to like a drink as well.  Also on there is Peter Frampton and the aforementioned Gibb brother, whose production company Moby (not that one) Jimmy was signed to.The LP was released in the States as Paid My Dues, another of the better tracks.  There's a few tracks that veer into sentiment like Sweet child of Mine (not that one), but it's mostly earthy rock and roll with no frills but with grit and a surfeit of feel.  Jimmy disappeared  back to family in Liverpool but he paid his dues and he made a good LP which has stood the test of time.  Here's the title track -


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