- Mark Andes -- bass (1971-72)

- Matthew Andes -- guitar, backing vocals

- Jay Ferguson (RIP) -- vocals, keyboards

- Jimmie Randall -- bass, backing vocals (replaced 

  Mark Andes) (1973-)

- Curly Smith -- drums, harp, backing vocals 

- Joe Staehely -- guitar, backing vocals (1975-)

- Boston (Curly Smith)

- Jay Ferguson (solo efforts)

- Firefall (Mark Andes)

- Heart (Mark Andes)

- Spirit (Mark Andes, Jay Ferguson and John Staehley)

Genre: rock

Rating: 2 stars **

Title:  Bite Down Hard

Company: Asylum

Catalog: SD-5006

Year: 1973

Country/State: Los Angeles, California

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: minor ring wear

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 5001

Price: $9.00

Following a personnel change that saw original guitarist Mark Andes replaced by Jimmie Randall, the band returned with 1972's "Bite Down Hard".  Produced and engineered by Bill Szymczyk, in spite of having listened to it dozens of times, the album simply never made much of an impression on me.   Jay Ferguson was again responsible for the majority of the material and while there wasn't anything really wrong with rockers like 'Ready Freddy', ''Roll Over Me and '60 Minutes To Go', none of the nine tracks were particularly original, or exciting.  Competent, if unexceptional AOR, 'Rock Around the Symbol' was probably the best of the lot. Elsewhere  Asylum tapped the album for a couple of singles:

- 'Ready Freddy' b/w 'Wait a Lifetime' (Asylum catalog number AS-11018)

- 'Take Me Down' b/w '' (Asylum catalog number AS-11020 )  

"Bite Down Hard" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Ready Freddy   (Jay Ferguson) - 

2.) Roll Over Me   (Jay Ferguson) - 

3.) 60 Minutes To Go   (Jay Ferguson) - 

4.) Rock Around the Symbol   (Jay Ferguson) - 

5.) Broken Down Man   (Jay Ferguson) - 

(side 2)
1.) Special Situations   (Jay Ferguson - Matthew Andes) - 

2.) Take Me Down Easy   (Jay Ferguson) - 

3.) Wait a Lifetime   (Jay Ferguson) - 

4.) Rhoda   (Jay Ferguson - Matthew Andes - Jimmie Randall - Curly Smith) - 

Genre: rock

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  So ... Where's the Show?

Company: Asylum

Catalog: 7E-1022

Year: 1975

Country/State: Los Angeles, California

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 5000

Price: $9.00

Co-produced by John Stronach and the band, 1975's "So ... Where's the Show?" also served to introduce former late-inning Spirit guitarist John Staehley (replacing Matt Andes).  With Jay Ferguson again responsible for writing all of the material tracks like 'Where's the Show?', 'Single Man' and 'S&M Blvd' featured a clear mid-1970s AOR feel, though this time around the group's patented bar band boogie was supplemented by a more varied sound including modest nods to a pseudo-glam feel (be sure to check out their back cover stage outfits).  While that may not have sounded like high praise, Ferguson actually managed to crank out quite a few memorable tunes and the addition of Staehley served to give the band a far more interesting sound (check out his voice box solo on 'She Said Allright'.  Highlights included 'I'm Your Shoe' and the ballad 'Into My Life'.  Elsewhere 'Where Is the Show' b/w 'Into My Life' (Asylum catalog number E-45225) served as the band's final single.

"So ... Where's the Show?" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Where's the Show?   (Jay Ferguson) - 

2.) I'm Your Shoe   (Jay Ferguson) - 

3.) Single Man   (Jay Ferguson) - 

4.) She Said Allright (sic)   (Jay Ferguson) - 

(side 2)
1.) S&M Blvd   (Jay Ferguson) - 

2.) Falling Angle   (Jay Ferguson) - 

3.) Big Busted Bombshell from Bermuda   (Jay Ferguson) - 

4.) Into My Life   (Jay Ferguson) - 

5.) Around the World   (Jay Ferguson) - 

After the erratic and self-consciously weird Jumpin' the Gunne, this album is a return to form. More than that, actually — the replacement of founding guitarist Matt Andes with John Stahely resulted in a tighter, more focused, and generally more interesting band than ever before. Jo Jo Gunne was originally formed to be, in Jay Ferguson's phrase, "a hard-ass rock band," and on So...Where's the Show they finally were one. Ferguson responded to the harder edge by abandoning the synthesizer in favor of a jazzy piano sound, an inspired move under the circumstances. The combination enlivens even the dud songs; "I'm Your Shoe" starts as a pedestrian slow-grind, but has an incredible instrumental break in which the whole band rocks hard and fast, then drops out suddenly to let Ferguson take a wonderful and delicate piano solo. The element of surprise gets you the first time, the brilliant playing every time afterward. When the band actually takes on a song with a half-decent hook all the way through, the results are splendid. The title cut, "She Said Allright," and "Falling Angel" are all winners, and there isn't a single track that is actually a dud. If it was inevitable that Jo Jo Gunne was going to break up, at least they left one consistently good album behind.