Friday, September 23, 2011

PETER GREEN / A case for the blues







A case for the blues


Bit rate: 128 kps


LINK: acasefortheblues


01. Dust my blues
02. One more night without you
03. Cranes train boggie
04. Boogie all the way
05. Lulu gone west
06. Blowing all my troubles away
07. Strangers blues
08. Sweet sixteen
09. Who's that knocking
10. The case



For Satellite Music (UK) Ltd. Issue:
One night at a hot, steamy gig at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, Mungo Jerry frontman Ray Dorset bumped into Chris Holland, who was tour manager for the legendary guitarist Peter Green’s Kolors. With Chris that evening was Nashville Teens bass player Len Surtees who, as fate would have it, used to be in the same school class with Ray years earlier!
Not unexpectedly the subject under discussion inevitably turned to music and while the three chatted Chris mentioned what he had been doing with Kolors and suggested, perhaps, an elaborate jam with Peter Green. Jeff Whittaker, once a member of pre-Floyd band, with Dave Gillmore (sic) and later with Steven (sic) Stills, but now percussionist and leader of Kolors had told Chris that it would be good to play with some different musicians to give air to some new ideas that they had.
Peter Green’s imposing musical pedigree is well known from his early days with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to perhaps his most famous period with Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and on to a much less well known period in the very early 70’s when he split to America and fronted The Act. Since then he has variously enjoyed working solo, writing and playing the odd gig.....but that’s another story!
Ray Dorset himself has been around awhile! Currently contracted as a recording artist to Polygram, he is best known for his work with Mungo Jerry with an impressive list of hit records to his credit. Before Mungo Jerry he work with Jackie Edwards, Millie Small, Jimmy Cliff and Laurel Aitken amongst many others. Gigging regularly today, he also pens TV theme music in between. However it was in a New York music store that Ray last saw Peter Green at an amazing chance meeting in 1970. The opportunity of a session with Peter after such a long time was immensely interesting musicially so both Ray and Len had no hesitation in saying O.K. Thus the scene was set.
With the nucleus of the band established Chris set to work and a few days later called Ray to say he had met Vincent Crane at a party held on Richard Branson’s floating studio and that Vincent had said he would like to join the session.
Vincent’s own musical background is interesting. He was (with) Arthur Brown with whom he wrote Fire before passing on to the famed Atomic Rooster. Today Dexy’s Midnight Runners have the benefit of his frentic style!
One time Jackie Lynton Band sideman, drummer Greg Terry-Short was invited along to complete the line up for the session, which, it had by now been decided, would ‘happen’ at Ray Dorset’s own Satellite Studio.
Tim Green from Boogie Tunes was visiting Satellite Studio on other business and was so knocked out with what he heard (he) persuaded the guys to record what was clearly going to become an (sic) historic session.
All the tracks you hear on this album were recorded during December 1983 and January 1984 with the overdubs and mixing completed in the February.
The production credit is with Katmandu with Ken Marshall and Ray Dorset flying the desk for the session. Vincent Crane and Ray Dorset jointly attended to the remixes.
Ray Dorset is Mungo Jerry and well known throughout the world for his massive international composition “In The Summertime”, a classic hit that constantly finds itself in demand for television commercials where it has promoted everything from orange juice to a drink-don’t-drive campaign.
Before the launch of Mungo Jerry, Ray had worked with Millie Small, Jackie Edwards, Jimmy Cliff and Laurel Aitken amongst others.
The Mungo Jerry diary is always full. Live shows in Scandinavia, Germany and Sweden help to keep airlines busy.
In between his travels Ray Dorset finds time to write and record new product, hone his stage act to perfection and oversee negotiations regarding his publishing involvements.
It had been an amazing chance meeting in a New York music store in 1970 when Ray had last seen Peter Green.
The opportunity of a session with Peter after such a long time was tremendously interesting from a musical point of view and Ray and Len had no hesitation in agreeing to the plot....thus the scene was set!

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