Genre: rock
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Calvin Keane
Company: Tiger Lily
Catalog: TL
14025
Year: 1976
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: minor discoloration along edges of sleeve
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5782
Price: $350.00
Yes, all hyperbole aside, this is truly one of the mega rare releases in the tax scam catalog ... It's also one where there literally doesn't seem to be any information available on the mysterious Mr. Keane. So, if you're out there, drop me a line ...
Since I can't tell you anything 'bout Mr. Keane, here's a little bit about the music itself:
- Kicked along by some nice electric keyboards the original 'Bad Weather' served to introduce Keane's dry and rather rugged voice. It wasn't a particularly commercial instrument, but anyone who liked the blues was likely to find it pretty attractive. In fact, the song had kind of a blues-vibe to it with a pair of hot wah wah guitar solos coming midpoint and at the end of the track. rating **** stars
- An acoustic blues-flavored number, 'Old Forgotten Bood' was okay, but really didn't have anything to distinguish it - pedestrian melody, plain arrangement, and middling vocal. rating ** stars
- Back to a full band lineup, 'Lime Street' had kind of an unfinished demo feel to it. More jazzy than the earlier numbers, the slightly dischordant horns served to give the song kind of an early-1970s English rock feel. Yeah, I should probably find something more productive to do with my time ... rating *** stars
- Side one ended with the lone non-original; in this case a cover of Mac Rebennack's 'Sho Bout To Drive' (note the liner notes managed to misspell his name as Rebeneck). The funkiest track on the album, this one also had kind of an unfinished demo feel to it. Blame it on the shrill female backing chorus which all but drown out Keane and the cluttered instrumental backing. Those criticisms aside, the results were still enough to get your butt shaking. Curiously the song faded out and then reappeared as a brief refrain, before kind of falling apart. rating **** stars
- Side two kicked off with a country-flavored slice of singer/songwriter material. Pretty, if ultimately forgettable, 'Rainy Night' sounded like something Rod Stewart or The Face might have thrown on one of their mid-1970s albums. rating ** stars
- 'Forgive Me Girl' was my choice for standout performance. A nice slice of bluesy-funk, this one had everything going for it. Great groove, slinky vocals from Keane, hot fuzz guitar solo, and some tasty horn charts that added to the groove, rather than distracting from it. Imagine early Frankie Miller, or Steve Gibbons and you'll be in the right ballpark. rating ***** stars
- Ah hepcat ... 'Rev. Jake' offered up a weird slice of spoken word beat-flavored reflections. To my ears it supported the contention this might have been a demo intended to showcase Keane's diversity that somehow got sidetracked to Tiger Lily. If there's actually a Calvin Keane out there I'd love to know if he knew this LP existed. rating * star
- The album closed out with another strong number, in this case the lone instrumental 'Tuning Up'. My selection for the second strongest tune, this one offered up a tasty slice of guitar-powered funk. Quite funky and to be honest, Keane's voice really wasn't missed all that much. rating ***** stars
Not mainstream enough for a wide audience, but within those confines, one of the better tax scam releases. Worth the asking price? Not my call.
And the only other tidbit worth mentioning - Keane and Gary Legon arranged the album.
"Calvin
Keane" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Bad Weather
(Calvin Keane) - 4:14
2.) Old Forgotten Bood (Calvin Keane) - 2:45
3.) Lime Street (Calvin Keane) - 3:26
4.) Sho Bout To Drive (Mac Rebeneck - J. Hill - A. Robinson) - 6:00
(side 2)
1.) Rainy Night (Calvin Keane) - 3:03
2.) Forgive Me Girl (Calvin Keane) - 4:36
3.) Rev. Jake (Calvin Keane) - 5:00
4.) Tuning Up (instrumental) (Calvin Keane) - 3:14