Here's an interesting 2CD anthology of the seldom mentioned British proto-prog/hard rock band Tucky Buzzard. Formed from the ashes of the demise of the group the End, Tucky Buzzard caught the attention of the Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who took the band under his wing and managed & produced the band, and their first three albums Tucky Buzzard, Warm Slash, and Coming On Again, released in the years 1971 & 1972, are including here in their entirety. The band played in a style that can be best compared to contemporaries like Humble Pie, Cressida, UFO, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Rare Earth, Grand Funk Railroad, Warhorse, Bloodrock, Spooky Tooth, Cactus, Whitesnake, and Captain Beyond, with stinging, bluesy guitar riffs, heavy rhythms, swirling organ, and husky vocals.
Honestly, I'm surprised that Tucky Buzzard rarely gets mentioned at all in hard rock circles seeing as how good these long out of print recordings are. The first disc is made up of songs from the first two albums, which shows the band in raw, hard rockin' form. The band at the time was comprised of Jimmy Henderson on vocals, Terry Taylor and Paul Kendrick on guitar, Nick Graham on keyboards, David Brown on bass, and Chris Johnston on drums (who had replaced Paul Francis mid-way through the recording of the album). Guest guitar parts were played by Mick Taylor from the Stones, as well as the horn section of Bobby Keys and Jim Price on a couple of tracks. There's no shortage of classy hard rock and early psychedelic prog on Tucky Buzzard and Warm Slash, like "Stainless Steel Lady", "Rolling Cloud", and the scorching "Which Way, When for Why", complete with plenty of fiery guitar solos and tasty organ. Disc Two features the other half of the Warm Slash album as well as Coming On Again in its entirety. The latter is a very fine album, which features more organ than the earlier material, and the songs and arrangements are a bit more adventurous, allowing the band to stretch out a bit more over tracks like the near 15-minute "Suite" and the moody prog of "You're All Alone". In fact, this album features the Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra, and ironically was only ever released in Spain, making its inclusion here a must for the collector.
Tucky Buzzard would go on to record two more albums before breaking up in the mid-70's. Sanctuary Records has done the world a great service by releasing these recordings for all hard rock and prog fans to hear. I'll bet most have never heard of this excellent band, but now you can check them out and see what the secret has been all these years. Highly recommended for fans of the above mentioned bands, and those who like early 70's music with lots of guitar, organ, and strong vocals.
Track Listing
CD 1
1. Time Will Be Your Doctor
2. Stainless Steel Lady
3. Sally Shotgun
4. Gu Gu Gu
5. My Friend
6. Pisces Apple Lady
7. She's Meat
8. Ace The Face
9. Whiskey Eyes
10. Rolling Cloud
11. Mistreating Woman
12. (She's A) Striker
13. Fill You In
14. Need Your Love
15. Which Way, When For Why
CD 2
16. Burnin'
17. Heartbreaker
18. Sky Balloon
19. Ain't Too Soon
20. Suite: Coming On Again (Part I) / For Maryse / Over The Hill / Coming On Again (Part 2)/ Believe Me / Here I Am
21. You're All Alone
22. You Never Will
23. Free Ticket
24. Lady Fair
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