Manifesto’s Lee Michaels CD reissues

The Reverend has written glowing prose about singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Lee Michaels previously for this site and elsewhere – in my review for the greatest hits album Heighty-Hi: The Best of Lee Michaels, I wrote that “nobody had quite nailed his unique, frequently minimalist creative vision” since his seven-album run with A&M Records circa 1968-1973. Continuing, I said “A soulful vocalist often accompanied on album by only a lone percussionist, Michaels explored the use of piano, keyboards, and even harpsichord in rock music unlike any other artist at the time; even when he went the full band route by adding bass and guitar, it was Michaels’ keyboards that led the parade.”

Needless to say, I’m a Lee Michaels fan, and I even got a chance to catch him perform live back around 1972 or so and I geeked out when Manifesto Records released Michaels’ The Complete A&M Album Collection, a seven-CD box set, back in 2015. So I’m especially chuffed that on November 16th, 2018 Manifesto continues their restoration of the Lee Michaels catalog with the release, for the first time on CD, of Michaels’ long out-of-print Columbia Records albums Nice Day For Something and Tailface. Both albums have been digitally re-mastered from the original tapes and sport spiffy deluxe gatefold packaging. These reissues bring nine of Michaels’ ten albums to date – minus only the self-released album Absolute Lee – under Manifesto’s care.

Lee Michaels made a lot of innovative and entertaining music while with A&M but he also had a long and somewhat fractured relationship with the allegedly artist-friendly label. He really only had one bona fide hit album during his five-year tenure with A&M, so when he delivered Space & First Takes – a four-song collection of psychedelic hard rock that featured two lengthy 15-minute jams – as the follow-up to the more “pop” oriented Top 20 LP Fifth, the label pushed back. Michaels subsequently gave A&M a live album to fulfill his contract, and lit out for greener pastures.

Signed by the legendary Clive Davis to Columbia, Michaels recorded two albums for the label – 1973’s Nice Day For Something and 1974’s Tailface – both of which sank like a stone, afforded little or no promotional effort when Clive’s departure from the company cost Michaels the support of his biggest supporter at the label. It was even difficult to find them as new titles in record stores; my copies of both were purchased as use vinyl.

It’s a shame, too, as both albums further explored the minimalist, keyboard-oriented classic rock sound of popular early albums Michaels’ self-titled 1969 third album or the following year’s Barrel. While based on his signature sound, both albums also offered signs of musical growth and flourishes absent from his earlier work that went unnoticed in a busy early ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll marketplace.

These Columbia label albums would become obscure footnotes to Michaels’ impressive career, sought-after collectors’ items that command posh prices. After releasing Absolute Lee in 1982, Michaels retired from music altogether to pursue a successful career as a restauranteur. It will be nice to have both albums available on CD so that this deserving artist has another chance to be rediscovered by a young audience that might appreciate his original and honest music.

Buy the CDs from Amazon.com:
Lee Michaels’ Nice Day For Something
Lee Michaels’ Tailface

Also on That Devil Music.com: 
Lee Michaels - Heighty Hi: The Best of Lee Michaels CD review

The Reverend's Favorite Reissue & Archive CDs of 2015

2015 was a golden year for classic rock and blues fans. The major labels continued to mine gold with high-budget archival box sets and budget-priced reissues of albums from artists both obscure and legendary. Listed below are the Reverend’s favorite reissue and archive releases of the year, those titles that found the most playing time here in our That Devil Music World HQ.

Noticeable by their absence are any of those aforementioned premium box sets. As much as I’d like to include stuff like Bruce Springsteen’s The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (roughly $90 on Amazon) and the Pretty Things’ Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky ($180), or similarly-priced boxes from Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground, Them, and others on my year-end list, I can’t afford to buy them and thus can’t review them. One would think that the labels would eventually price themselves out of the market, but it didn’t happen this year. Here are ten fine CDs that all of us can afford to buy… 

The Beckies – The Beckies
The Beckies are one of those “Holy Grail” bands for power-pop fiends. Featuring talented frontman Michael Brown (Left Banke, Stories), the Beckies made one album in 1976 of rockin’ pop not dissimilar to Badfinger or the Raspberries. The band’s self-titled LP quickly went out-of-print and then disappeared, and it hasn’t been reissued on CD until this year. The Beckies were Brown’s final stop in rock ‘n’ roll, and he co-produced the album and co-wrote all of the songs with drummer Gary Hodgden as well as played keyboards on the album. Released at least a half-decade before its time, the album’s fusion of classic rock and energetic power-pop is timeless. Although some fans are chuffed about the lack of bonus tracks on the CD reissue, others have found solace in music historian Jeremy Cargill’s detailed liner notes. (Real Gone Music)

Michael Bloomfield, Nick Gravenites & Friends – Steelyard Blues OST
The long-lost soundtrack to an obscure 1970s movie, Steelyard Blues, was put together by legendary guitarist Michael Bloomfield and underrated singer/songwriter Nick Gravenites with help from friends like Paul Butterfield, Maria Muldaur, and Merl Saunders. The album’s inspired blend of original blues, rock, and country tunes still sounds fresh and vital today. Sometimes albums become lost for a reason, but for any blues and/or roots-rock fan, Steelyard Blues is worth your time and money. (Real Gone Music)

The Dictators – The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!
One of the best-known cult bands in rock ‘n’ roll, the Dictators’ classic 1975 debut album, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!, has proven to be an enduring classic. Critically acclaimed at the time for its proto-punk sound – a fast ‘n’ loud aesthetic heavily influenced by 1960s-era garage-rock and British Invasion bands – and irreverent lyrics littered with pop culture references to pro wrestling, crappy television shows, hot rods, and fast food, the album has outlived its early. This deluxe 40th anniversary reissue is the album’s first re-vamping in 20 years, and includes nine bonus tracks to accompany the nine original songs, including two inspired remixes by Dictators fan Andrew W.K. Band member Adny Shernoff contributed liner notes for this reissue, and the package include several rare, previously unseen photos. The Dictators would go on to make better albums, but the charm and the energy of their debut is unrivaled. (Real Gone Music)
Read the Reverend's review...

Michael Fennelly – Lane Changer
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Michael Fennelly isn’t the most obscure of cult heroes, but his status as a critic’s darling and favorite of 1960s-era rock aficionados is undeniable. After fronting the revered power-pop band Crabby Appleton for a pair of acclaimed albums, Fennelly launched his solo career with this 1973 debut, Lane Changer. An awe-inspiring collection of pure, inspired rock ‘n’ roll songcraft that, in any other year, may have exploded into the mainstream, Fennelly’s superb initial effort was buried in a veritable landslide of great music released during 1973. This long-overdue reissue on CD provides fans and newcomers a chance to rediscover Fennelly’s enormous talents. (Wounded Bird Records)
Read the Reverend's review...

Jimi Hendrix Experience – Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival
One of the last major touchstones from the seemingly endless Hendrix back catalog to see release, Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival is simply stunning. Performing in front of the largest audience Hendrix would experience, his headlining appearance at the Atlanta Pop Festival was assisted by bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The seasoned trio would tear through a set of familiar songs – rockers like “Fire,” “Foxey Lady,” and “Purple Haze” among them – as well as dabble in a bit of sonic experimentation (“Stone Free”), rare cuts (“Room Full of Mirrors”), new songs (“Straight Ahead”) and, of course, the blues (“Red House,” Hear My Train A Comin’”). An explosive reading of the “Star Spangled Banner” beats the Woodstock version hands down and is accompanied by real fireworks. Although portions of this performance had previously been released on the Hendrix box set, and the Atlanta show overall had been heavily bootlegged, this long-overdue legit release of the July 4th, 1970 show puts Hendrix’s talents back on the pedestal. (Legacy Recordings/Experience Hendrix)

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
Although Zep guitarist Jimmy Page finished up the album reissue program he began in 2014 with re-mastered versions of the band’s last four albums, there’s little you need for your collection after Physical Graffiti (although Page might disagree). Certified 16x Platinum™ for better than eight million flapjacks sold (it was a double LP, so every sale counted as two towards certification), Physical Graffiti represents the zenith of the band’s creativity and energy. Offering up 15 diverse tracks that explore the band’s incredible musical range and stylistic obsessions, Physical Graffiti finally earned the band a measure of long-overdue critical acclaim. As with the other Zep catalog reissues, Physical Graffiti was offered in a deluxe three-disc package with original artwork and previously-unreleased studio outtakes. My only complaint with the Zep reissues – a dearth of live material (only Led Zeppelin I included a live concert) – but maybe that will be Page’s next project (go ahead, Jimmy, dig into that Zep bootleg collection we all know you have). (Atlantic Records)

Harvey Mandel – Snake Box
Guitarist Harvey “Snake” Mandel made his bones as part of Chicago blues legend Charlie Musselwhite’s early band, and honed his skills as a member of both Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers while still pursuing a solo career. This box set is comprised of Mandel’s first five solo albums, mostly instrumental masterworks like Cristo Redentor and Righteous, complimented by the inclusion of a sixth disc, Live At The Matrix, which offers an unreleased December 1968 jam between Mandel and pals like the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart, Elvin Bishop, and Steve Miller. Mandel’s Snake Box is a wonderful portrait of an unsung artist and skilled musician plumbing the depths of rock, blues, and jazz music. (Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra Records)

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers – Live In 1967
John Mayall has fronted a lot of different Bluesbreakers line-ups through the years, but few were as special as the version of the band that featured the talents of guitarist Peter Green, bassist John McVie, and drummer Mick Fleetwood alongside ringleader Mayall. They performed some memorable shows together during a short time and, luckily, a hardcore Bluesbreakers fan from Holland recorded a number of the band’s 1967 shows in London, the performances rediscovered and released as Live In 1967. A momentous musical find, the album is a literal time capsule of classic British blues-rock, offering thirteen lively, inspired, and long-lost Bluesbreakers performances, a high-energy mix of classic blues covers and Mayall originals that should thrill any British blues fan...and Mayall himself has said that there’s enough usable stuff on tape for another whole album. Blues fans, rejoice! (Forty Below Records)

Lee Michaels – The Complete A&M Records Collection
Nobody sounded quite like singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Lee Michaels during his seven-album run with A&M Records, circa 1968-1973, and while some have tried, nobody has quite nailed his unique, frequently minimalist creative vision since. A soulful vocalist often accompanied on album by only a lone percussionist, Michaels explored the use of piano, keyboards, and even harpsichord in rock music unlike any other artist at the time. For much of the past 20 years, all of Michaels’ albums have been out of print with the exception of 5th, which featured the singer’s lone hit, “Do You Know What I Mean.” For the long-suffering, but preternaturally loyal Michaels’ fan, The Complete A&M Album Collection offers the singer’s complete run of LPs for the label, seven CDs digitally re-mastered from the original tapes, priming Michaels’ for a long-overdue re-discovery. (Manifesto Records)
Read the Reverend’s review...

The Textones – Midnight Mission & Cedar Creek
Yeah, technically I’m sneaking two LPs into a single spot, but as these were reissued as a pair, I’m keeping them that way. Part of the vital early ‘80s L.A. rock scene that included bands like Los Lobos and the Dream Syndicate, the release of Midnight Mission, the Textones’ 1984 debut album, was a revelation at the time. Carla Olson and crew basically melded the roots-rock of the Byrds with the bluesy roots and sandpaper grit of the Rolling Stones in creating a new amalgam of emotionally-raw rock ‘n’ soul music with a little country twang and a lot of heart, creating an underrated jewel of early Americana. The band had undergone some misfortune on the way to recording their sophomore album in 1987, delivering more of the same high-energy roots-rock. Although often overshadowed by its predecessor, Cedar Creek is still an engaging, entertaining slab o’ wax, and a brilliant bookend to Midnight Mission. (Omnivore Recordings)
Read the Reverend’s review...

Honorable Mention: Bruce Springsteen’s ongoing “beat the boots” campaign, The Boss providing classic performances from the length of his career as special, limited edition releases available as multi-CD sets and as digital downloads in MP3 or 24-bit hi-def lossless format. Vintage Springsteen shows like The Angora in Cleveland 1978 or the Tower Theater in Philadelphia 1975 have only been available as hard-to-find bootleg discs, but are now available legitimately from the man himself through his website.

CD Review: Lee Michael's Heighty Hi: The Best of Lee Michaels (2015)

Nobody sounded quite like singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Lee Michaels during his seven-album run with A&M Records, circa 1968-1973, and while some have tried, nobody has quite nailed his unique, frequently minimalist creative vision since. A soulful vocalist often accompanied on album by only a lone percussionist, Michaels explored the use of piano, keyboards, and even harpsichord in rock music unlike any other artist at the time; even when he went the full band route by adding bass and guitar, it was Michaels’ keyboards that led the parade.

A reappraisal of Lee Michaels’ place in the rock ‘n’ roll history book as been long overdue, and perhaps the release of Heighty Hi: The Best of Lee Michaels will prompt a well-deserved rediscovery of one of the great lost rockers of the 1970s. Comprised of 20 tracks, including his lone Top Ten hit “Do You Know What I Mean,” Heighty Hi provides an insightful cross-section of Michaels’ music, pulling material from all six of his studio albums and offering a representative sample of his artistic ambitions. The compilation provides an introduction, of sorts, to new listeners and is being released alongside the seven-disc The Complete A&M Album Collection box set for those who desire to jump headfirst into Michaels’ milieu.

Heighty Hi: The Best of Lee Michaels

So what can the intrepid listener expect from Heighty Hi? Opening with the controversial title track, “Heighty Hi,” (hey, it was originally released in 1968), Michaels applies a jangly, Southern gospel vibe to what appears, on the surface, to be a pro-marijuana song but seems to me to be just as likely to also serve as an apt metaphor for peace and brotherhood. Led by Michaels’ wistful vocals and intricate piano playing, the song is certainly infectious in its charms. The comp cranks right into Michaels’ best-known tune, “Do You Know What I Mean,” a studio throwaway that, while based on a true story, the singer never really cared for…and ironically, it became his biggest hit. Featuring a repeating keyboard riff and minimal percussion, the song relies on Michaels’ tortured, tearful vocals that – whether he cared for the song or no – nevertheless channel true emotion.

If only for these first couple of songs, which stood proudly alongside the typical guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll fare of the late 1960s and early ‘70s, Michaels deserves acclaim. As shown by Heighty Hi, though, there are lots of other fine examples of Michaels’ musical genius. “If I Should Lose You,” from Michaels’ 1968 sophomore album Recital, masterfully blends R&B roots with a bit of psychedelic pop for a quick shot of exhilaration: Michaels’ whimsical vocals and baroque piano are accented by former Paul Revere & the Raiders’ guitarist Drake Levin’s soaring notes and soulful blasts of horn on what should have been a radio-ready chart hit. Michaels’ original “The War,” also from Recital, is a somber but moving anti-war dirge lifted above the mundane by Michaels’ anguished, angry vox and his clever, effective juxtaposition of harpsichord and keyboards to create a discordant backdrop to the lyrics.

Goodbye, Goodbye

Heighty Hi includes the non-LP track “Goodbye, Goodbye,” a high-octane rocker that was released as the B-side to single “The War.” A foreshadowing, perhaps, of the sort of (slightly) more commercial rock music that Michaels would explore on his album 5th, “Goodbye, Goodbye” is a busy, engaging tune with dynamic keyboards pitted against fluid piano licks, with steady percussion (including a resonant cowbell) and an upbeat, energetic feel that should have made it an AM radio hit. The title track from Michaels’ sophomore effort, “Carnival of Life” has a psych-pop edge that’s sharply honed by intricate keyboard runs and blustery percussion while “Keep The Circle Turning,” one of the many cover songs that Michaels visited on 5th, is provided a rich foundation built on Michaels’ gospel-tinged keyboards, the singer’s reverent vocals supported by the warmth of Merry Clayton’s backing vox.

Michaels’ cover of the Marvin Gaye classic “Can I Get A Witness,” also from 5th, was the singer’s only song to hit the Top 40, and a good ‘un it is, Michaels’ high-flying voice surfing atop a recurring keyboard riff similar in sound to “Do You Know What I Mean.” The urgency and romantic frustration found in Michaels’ vocal performance separates it from his better-known hit, and while it’d never be mistaken for Gaye’s incredible version of the Holland-Dozier-Holland gem, Michaels does the song proud. Michaels shared management with fellow San Francisco rockers Moby Grape, so his cover of their raucous “Murder In My Heart (For The Judge)” comes as no surprise. A rowdy take on the song that features Levin’s nimble fretwork and explosive percussion courtesy of drummer Frosty (a/k/a Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost), Michaels’ deft piano-pounding and gang vocals add a real sense of menace to the song.

Michaels’ original “What Now America,” from 1970’s Barrel, is the sort of gritty, socially-conscious protest song that he could sink his teeth into as a songwriter (Michaels has stated on more than one occasion that his ‘love songs’ were penned only to pacify hit-hungry label execs). With minimalist backing instrumentation and intelligent, probing lyrics, Michaels’ plaintive vocals slowly reach a crescendo before ebbing back into darkness. The shortest of the four songs from Michaels’ 1972 psych-rock experiment Space & First Takes, “Own Special Way (As Long As)” re-imagines the typical love song of the day with a clamorous, keyboard-dominated soundtrack that, along with drummer Keith Knudsen’s solid timekeeping and Levin’s subtle guitar, takes on an authentic funky undercurrent.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

After his stint with A&M Records concluded with the release of the obligatory Lee Michaels Live album in 1972, the singer signed with Clive Davis and Columbia Records, recording a pair of albums for the label that went nowhere when Davis, the singer’s biggest advocate, was forced out of the company. Those Columbia label albums have become obscure footnotes to Michaels’ career, sought-after collectors’ items that command posh prices. After releasing one more album, Absolute Lee, on his own independent label in 1982, Michaels retired from music altogether to pursue a successful career as a restaurateur.

In spite of his unfair distinction as a “one hit wonder,” interest in Lee Michaels and his music remains extremely high to this day, better than three decades after he sung his last note. Four previous Michaels compilations have been released on CD over the past 25 or so years, with Heighty Hi offering more songs and a much more comprehensive look at the diversity and artistry of Michaels’ music. For the casually curious, Heighty Hi will satisfy your needs, providing the ‘hit’ and much more.

As for the long-suffering, but preternaturally loyal Michaels’ fan, The Complete A&M Album Collection offers the singer’s complete run of LPs for the label, digitally re-mastered from the original master tapes, thus allowing you to shelve that worn vinyl in your collection. Either way you decide to go, you’ll be hearing a lot of great music, created by an artist who was never afraid to follow his own distinctive muse. As for those long lost Lee Michaels’ albums on Columbia, well, we can only hope… Grade: A (Manifesto Records, released November 20, 2015)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Lee Michaels' Heighty Hi: The Best of Lee Michaels

Lee Michaels Massive CD Box Set Coming!

Lee Michaels is one of the great lost artists of the rock ‘n’ roll ‘70s. A soulful singer with an incredible range, and capable of expressing great emotion, Michaels was also a talented songwriter and keyboard player, his performances based around his trusty Hammond organ years before folks like Deep Purple and Uriah Heep pushed keyboards to the front of their songs. Michaels often eschewed using a full band in favor of accompaniment by a lone drummer – “Frosty” (real name Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost) for two of his first four albums, and former Grassroots timekeeper Joel Larson on his best-selling title, Fifth.

Nobody sounded like Michaels during his critical and commercial peak, circa 1968-72, and nobody else has come close since. Sadly, much of Michaels’ back catalog has remained difficult, if not impossible to track down on CD except for Fifth, which had yielded a pair of hits, including the timeless “Do You Know What I Mean” (#6 on the Billboard singles chart) and Michaels’ cover of the Marvin Gaye hit “Can I Get A Witness” (peaking at #39). In the absence of readily-available CDs, fans and collectors like the Reverend have been digging through used LP bins to find vintage Michaels’ albums on vinyl.

Start saving your pennies, Lee Michaels fans, ‘cause we’ll be getting an early Christmas present on November 20th, 2015 when Manifesto Records releases The Complete A&M Album Collection, a seven-disc box set of the singer’s complete run for the label. For those yet to be sold on Michaels’ charms, Manifesto will also be releasing Heighty Hi – The Best of Lee Michaels, a 20-song CD featuring just Michaels’ hits, including “Do You Know What I Mean,” “Keep The Circle Turning,” and “Heighty Hi.”

Michaels’ recorded seven albums for A&M Records, beginning with 1968’s Carnival of Life. Michaels had been kicking around L.A. for a few years prior to his debut, playing in various bands with future members of the Turtles, Canned Heat, and Moby Grape, so he used SoCal session guys like guitarist Hamilton Wesley Watt and drummer “Fast” Eddie Hoh on the album. His sophomore effort, Recital, was released later that year and also featured a full studio band, including bassist Larry Knechtel and his buddy John Barbata on drums.

With the release of Michaels’ self-titled 1969 album, though, he’d hit upon the formula that would bring him a modicum of commercial success. Accompanied only by drummer Frosty, Michaels delivered a sizzling set of R&B infused rock ‘n’ roll with inventive keyboard work and percussion. The following year’s Barrel followed a similar musical blueprint as its predecessor, although guitarist Drake Levin contributed to several songs. Both albums displayed meager commercial prospects, charting in the middle of the Billboard Hot 100.

Michaels was making great music, but fighting constantly with his label, the allegedly “artist friendly” A&M wanting more return on their investment. Given one more chance, Michaels responded to the label’s demand for a hit single with an album of R&B covers and original songs that sounded like 1960s-era R&B hits. The result was 1971’s Fifth, which included the biggest hit of Michaels’ career in “Do You Know What I Mean” alongside songs like B.B. King’s “Rock Me Baby” and the Johnny Otis classic “Willie & the Hand Jive.” Provided a bit of momentum courtesy of his Top 20 charting album, Michaels went in a completely opposite direction with 1972’s Space & First Takes, a four-song collection of psychedelic hard rock that featured two lengthy 15-minute jams with Michaels’ downplaying the keyboards to play guitar alongside Levin.

Ending his dysfunctional relationship with the label, Michaels provided A&M Records with the double-album Live to finish up his contract. Recorded on the support tour for Space & First Takes, Michaels’ Live falls back on the keyboards/drums dynamic, Michaels’ backed by percussionist Keith Knudsen. Live features extended versions of songs from all of his studio albums except for Carnival of Life. The album was recorded at Carnegie Hall, which was uncredited at the time as the venue would have gotten a share of the LP’s profits.

Leaving A&M, Michaels was signed by Clive Davis and Columbia Records, which would release two subsequent albums – 1973’s Nice Day For Something and 1974’s Tailface – both of which would sink like a stone without promotion when Davis’s departure from Columbia cost Michaels the support of his biggest supporter at the label. Michaels would record just one more album, the independently-produced Absolute Lee, in 1982. Michaels largely retired from music at the time, later finding success as an entrepreneur with his popular Killer Shrimp restaurants.

There’s no listing for Michael’s The Complete A&M Album Collection on Amazon.com as of yet, and I couldn’t find album cover art for the box, but for long-suffering Lee Michaels fans, this is going to be the box set of the year!