- Joe Cerisano -- vocals (1969-70)

- David Coombs (RIP 1999) - bass, backing vocals

  (1969-70)

- Joe Hartman -- drums, percussion, backing vocals

  (1969-70)

- Tom Nicholas -- lead guitar, backing vocals (1969-70)

 

- J.B. and The Bonnevilles (Joe Cerisano and 

  David Coombs)

- Joe Cerisano (solo efforts)

- Silver Condor (Joe Cerisano)

- Trans Sibarian Railroad (Joe Cerisano)

Genre: rock

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Long Overdue

Company: Electric Fox

Catalog: LP 555

Year: 1970

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Country/State: West Virginia

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM Catalog ID: 4962

Price: $120.00

First a warning ...  A number of high priced dealers label these guys as a psych outfit.  In spite of occasional crushing guitar from Tom Nicholas, they're not a psych band, rather come off as a talented, if rather conventional rock outfit. 

So what do I know 'bout these guys?  Having spent several years as members of the West Virginia-based  J.B. and the Bonnevilles, in 1969 singer Joe Cerisano and bassist David Coombs decided to strike out on their own.  Within a matter of months they'd recruited drummer Joe Hartman and lead guitarist Tom Nicholas.  As Elderberry Jak, the quartet hit the club circuit, attracting a cult following throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  In 1970 the band signed to a recording contract with Leland Rogers and the small Electric Fox label, debuting later in the year with "Long Overdue".  With Rogers producing, musically the album featured a standard mix of AOR styled rockers and  power ballads.  Cerisano was a gifted singer blessed with one of those chameleon-like voices that could adapt to virtually any genre. Coombs was a surprisingly accomplished guitarist, turning in several tasty performances.  Exemplified by group penned originals like 'Going Back Home' and '', all  ten tracks were tuneful and well produced - something you don't actually find on most top-40 releases.  To my ears album highlights included the fuzz propelled crusher 'Vance's Blues', their cover of Gary Brooker's 'Wish Me Well' (which I thought was actually entitled 'Wishing Well'), and  the America-goes-Latin flavored 'Forrest On the Mountain' (their spelling not mine); the latter would have sounded really good on top-40 radio.  That said, nothing here was particularly original, or earth shattering and  on tracks like 'Restless Feeling' and 'You're the One' the quartet occasionally sounded like Grand Funk Railroad.  Great if you enjoyed GFR, but not so good if you didn't ...   Still, a fun album through and through and one that I pull out and listen to every now an then.

Electric Fox also tapped the album for an obscure single, though I don't know if stock copies exist:

- 1970's 'Vance's Blues (Comin' Down On Me)' b/w 'Vance's Blues (Comin' Down On Me' (Electric Fox catalog number EF 2000)

"Long Overdue" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Going Back Home   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:22

2.) Forrest On the Mountain   (Mike Snyder) - 2:48

3.) Vance's Blues   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:42

4.) Inspired   (Mike Snyder) - 3:26

5.) Restless Feeling   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:40

(side 2)

1.) Wish Me Well   (Gary Brooker) - 3:20

2.) Mr. Sun   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:40

3.) My Lady  (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:0

4.) Keep On Pushing (Changes) - 4:46

5.) You're the One   (Mike Snyder) - 3:57

Absent sales or recognition, the band promptly called it quits.  Cersian became an in-demand studio musician, singing on dozens of radio and television commercials.  In the early-1980s he reappeared as a member of Silver Condor, followed by a stint with The Trans Siberian Railroad (see separate entries). He's also released some solo material.  Coombs died in 1999.

Genre: rock

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Eldeberry Jak

Company: Electric Fox

Catalog: LP 555

Year: 1970

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Country/State: West Virginia

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM Catalog ID: 5730

Price: $100.00

First I'll be upfront and tell you this 1977 pressing is almost certainly an unauthorized bootleg released by the infamous tax scam Album World label.  Yeah, the album was credited to the Forrest label, but if you look at the catalog number you'd see that the nomenclature followed the standard Album World format: AW #14 ...  What made this one even funnier was that they didn't even get the band's name right ... it was actually "Elderberry Jack".  Note the missing "r" from the reissue.  It seems highly unlikely the band would manage to release an LP that typos their name.

So what about this offering?  In comparison to the original 1970 Electric Fox release, it sported different cover art and liner notes.  The liner notes also credited a different line up in the form of bassist David Coombs, Mike Snyder and Tom Steele.  That said, the ten songs were identical to the 1970 LP.

Another warning ...  A number of high priced dealers label these guys as a psych outfit.  In spite of occasional crushing guitar from Tom Nicholas, they're not a psych band, rather come off as a talented, but rather conventional rock outfit. Having spent several years as members of the West Virginia-based  J.B. and the Bonnevilles, in 1969 singer Joe Cerisano and bassist David Coombs decided to strike out on their own.  Within a matter of months they'd recruited drummer Joe Hartman and lead guitarist Tom Nicholas.  As Elderberry Jak, the quartet hit the club circuit, attracting a cult following throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  In 1970 the band signed to a recording contract with Leland Rogers and the small Electric Fox label, debuting later in the year with "Long Overdue".

So what do I know 'bout these guys?  Having spent several years as members of the West Virginia-based  J.B. and the Bonnevilles, in 1969 singer Joe Cerisano and bassist David Coombs decided to strike out on their own.  Within a matter of months they'd recruited drummer Joe Hartman and lead guitarist Tom Nicholas.  As Elderberry Jak, the quartet hit the club circuit, attracting a cult following throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  In 1970 the band signed to a recording contract with Leland Rogers and the small Electric Fox label, debuting later in the year with "Long Overdue".  With Rogers producing, musically the album featured a standard mix of AOR styled rockers and  power ballads.  Cerisano was a gifted singer blessed with one of those chameleon-like voices that could adapt to virtually any genre. Coombs was a surprisingly accomplished guitarist, turning in several tasty performances.  Exemplified by group penned originals like ' Going Back Home' and '', all  ten tracks were tuneful and well produced - something you don't actually find on most top-40 releases.  To my ears album highlights included the fuzz propelled crusher 'Vance's Blues', their cover of Gary Brooker's 'Wish Me Well' (which I thought was actually entitled 'Wishing Well'), and  the America-goes-Latin flavored 'Forrest On the Mountain' (their spelling not mine); the latter would have sounded really good on top-40 radio.  That said, nothing here was particularly original, or earth shattering and  on tracks like 'Restless Feeling' and 'You're the One' the quartet occasionally sounded like Grand Funk Railroad.  Great if you enjoyed GFR, but not so good if you didn't ...   Still, a fun album through and through and one that I pull out and listen to every now an then.

"Eldeberry Jak" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Going Back Home   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:22

2.) Forest On the Mountain   (Mike Snyder) - 2:48

3.) Vance's Blues   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:42

4.) Inspired   (Mike Snyder) - 3:26

5.) Restless Feeling   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:40

(side 2)

1.) Wish Me Well   (Gary Brooker) - 3:20

2.) Mr. Sun   (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:40

3.) My Lady  (Eldeberry Jak) - 3:0

4.) Keep On Pushing (Changes) - 4:46

5.) You're the One   (Mike Snyder) - 3:57

Absent sales or recognition, the band promptly called it quits.  Cersian became an in-demand studio musician, singing on dozens of radio and television commercials.  In the early-1980s' he reappeared as a member of Silver Condor, followed by a stint with The Trans Siberian Railroad (see separate entries). He's also released some solo material.  Coombs died in 1999.