GREEN BULLFROG
''THE GREEN BULLFROG SESSIONS''
1971
1991
46:33
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1 Ain't Nobody Home 04:15 (J. Ragavoy)
2 Bullfrog 07:15 (Lawrence)
3 Walk A Mile In My Shoes 03:46 (South)
4 My Baby Left Me 03:17 (Crudup)
5 Makin' Time 03:00 (Pickett, Philips)
6 Lawdy Miss Clawdy 03:20 (Price)
7 I'm A Free Man 04:37 (Kingman)
8 Lovin' You Is Good For Me, Baby 04:54 (Lawrence, Corlett, Hutton)
9 I Want You 03:52 (White)
10 Louisiana Man 04:11 (Doug Kershaw)
11 Who Do You Love 04:02 (Ellas McDaniels)
Tracks 2 to 9 1971
Tracks 1, 10, 11 1991
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Albert Lee = Pinta - Guitar
Matthew Fisher = Sorry - Keyboards
Ian Paice = Speedy - Drums
Tony Ashton = Bevy - Keyboards
Rod Alexander = Vicar - Guitar
Chas Hodges = Sleepy - Bass Guitar
Earl Jordan = Jordan - Vocals
Big Jim Sullivan = Boss - Guitar
Ritchie Blackmore = Boots - Guitar
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REVIEW/AMG
Dave Thompson
Carved firmly in the mold of the superstar jam sessions that fascinated the rock cognoscenti during the late '60s/early '70s, Green Bullfrog was the brainchild of producer Derek Lawrence. Built around longtime occasional collaborator Ritchie Blackmore, the session band also featured the pseudonymous talents of Tony Ashton ("Bevy"), Big Jim Sullivan ("Boss"), Earl Jordan ("Jordan"), Albert Lee ("Pinta"), Charles "Chas" Hodges ("Sleepy"), Matthew Fisher ("Sorry"), Rod Alexander ("Vicar"), and Blackmore's Deep Purple bandmate Ian Paice ("Speedy"). Contrary to rumor and the inferences of the Ecy Street label reissue, however, neither Roger Glover nor Jon Lord were involved.
With such a stellar lineup, the actual musicianship is impeccable -- or, at least, as impeccable as you'd expect from a one-day studio party. A couple of Lawrence-penned numbers alone can be considered "original" numbers; the remainder of the album comprises blues-rock-inflected covers of sundry rock & roll staples, punctuated by a rough-and-ready version of the Creation's "Makin' Time."
With Blackmore, Sullivan, and Lee involved, it is naturally a guitar-heavy event, and there's certainly some searing playing to be found amid the good-time grooves and loose-limbed energies; the seven-minute title track is a particular tour de force. One has to admit, however, that unless ragtag armies of boogie buddies really are your cup of tea, there's little about Green Bullfrog to truly engage the attention. Just like every other superstar jam session, then.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Bruce Eder
Green Bullfrog were a group that only existed on paper, and scarcely officially in that medium, either, because of all the hairs that had to be split (and names unnamed) in existing contracts to get their record made. Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Ashton, Big Jim Sullivan, Albert Lee, Chas Hodges, Matthew Fisher, and Ian Paice are just some of the luminaries who showed up for the super session, which was recorded in the first half of 1970 and issued on LP in America in 1971, a year earlier than it was in Europe. With the identities of the bandmembers effectively hidden behind pseudonyms, it's not entirely surprising that the album never rose beyond cult status on either side of the Atlantic. The whole project was the brainchild of producer Derek Lawrence, who roped these former members of his stable into doing him the favor.
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TO THE TOP
********************
''THE GREEN BULLFROG SESSIONS''
1971
1991
46:33
********************
1 Ain't Nobody Home 04:15 (J. Ragavoy)
2 Bullfrog 07:15 (Lawrence)
3 Walk A Mile In My Shoes 03:46 (South)
4 My Baby Left Me 03:17 (Crudup)
5 Makin' Time 03:00 (Pickett, Philips)
6 Lawdy Miss Clawdy 03:20 (Price)
7 I'm A Free Man 04:37 (Kingman)
8 Lovin' You Is Good For Me, Baby 04:54 (Lawrence, Corlett, Hutton)
9 I Want You 03:52 (White)
10 Louisiana Man 04:11 (Doug Kershaw)
11 Who Do You Love 04:02 (Ellas McDaniels)
Tracks 2 to 9 1971
Tracks 1, 10, 11 1991
********************
Albert Lee = Pinta - Guitar
Matthew Fisher = Sorry - Keyboards
Ian Paice = Speedy - Drums
Tony Ashton = Bevy - Keyboards
Rod Alexander = Vicar - Guitar
Chas Hodges = Sleepy - Bass Guitar
Earl Jordan = Jordan - Vocals
Big Jim Sullivan = Boss - Guitar
Ritchie Blackmore = Boots - Guitar
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Dave Thompson
Carved firmly in the mold of the superstar jam sessions that fascinated the rock cognoscenti during the late '60s/early '70s, Green Bullfrog was the brainchild of producer Derek Lawrence. Built around longtime occasional collaborator Ritchie Blackmore, the session band also featured the pseudonymous talents of Tony Ashton ("Bevy"), Big Jim Sullivan ("Boss"), Earl Jordan ("Jordan"), Albert Lee ("Pinta"), Charles "Chas" Hodges ("Sleepy"), Matthew Fisher ("Sorry"), Rod Alexander ("Vicar"), and Blackmore's Deep Purple bandmate Ian Paice ("Speedy"). Contrary to rumor and the inferences of the Ecy Street label reissue, however, neither Roger Glover nor Jon Lord were involved.
With such a stellar lineup, the actual musicianship is impeccable -- or, at least, as impeccable as you'd expect from a one-day studio party. A couple of Lawrence-penned numbers alone can be considered "original" numbers; the remainder of the album comprises blues-rock-inflected covers of sundry rock & roll staples, punctuated by a rough-and-ready version of the Creation's "Makin' Time."
With Blackmore, Sullivan, and Lee involved, it is naturally a guitar-heavy event, and there's certainly some searing playing to be found amid the good-time grooves and loose-limbed energies; the seven-minute title track is a particular tour de force. One has to admit, however, that unless ragtag armies of boogie buddies really are your cup of tea, there's little about Green Bullfrog to truly engage the attention. Just like every other superstar jam session, then.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Bruce Eder
Green Bullfrog were a group that only existed on paper, and scarcely officially in that medium, either, because of all the hairs that had to be split (and names unnamed) in existing contracts to get their record made. Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Ashton, Big Jim Sullivan, Albert Lee, Chas Hodges, Matthew Fisher, and Ian Paice are just some of the luminaries who showed up for the super session, which was recorded in the first half of 1970 and issued on LP in America in 1971, a year earlier than it was in Europe. With the identities of the bandmembers effectively hidden behind pseudonyms, it's not entirely surprising that the album never rose beyond cult status on either side of the Atlantic. The whole project was the brainchild of producer Derek Lawrence, who roped these former members of his stable into doing him the favor.
********************
TO THE TOP
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