KGB
''KGB''
1976
2005
38:43
1 Let Me Love You (R.Kennedy, J. Conrad) 3:22
2 Midnight Traveler (Paul Rosenberg) 5:10
3 I’ve Got A Feeling (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) 4:03
4 High Roller (Daniel Moore) 3:40
5 Sail On Sailor (B. Wilson, R. Kennedy) 3:14
6 Workin’ For The Children (B. Goldberg, M. Bloomfield) 3:20
7 You Got The Notion (R.Kennedy) 3:34
8 Baby Should I Stay Or Go (B. Goldberg, M. Bloomfield) 5:05
9 It’s Gonna Be A Hard Night (B. Goldberg, Will Jennings) 2:49
10 Magic In Your Touch (R.Kennedy) 4:45
Michael Bloomfield - Guitar
Ray Kennedy - Sax, Vocals
Barry Goldberg - Keyboards
Rick Grech - Bass
Carmine Appice - Drums
KGB Rock's Short Lived Supergroup
KGB, a 70s supergroup featuring Rick Grech, Carmine Appice and Mike Bloomfield, imploded after their first album.
by Michael Jefferson
Rick Grech career had begun with British rockers Family. He swiped from their U.S. tour in 1969 by Blind Faith. When Blind Faith crashed, Grech enlisted in Ginger Baker’s Airforce, another supergroup that included former Traffic members Steve Winwood and Chris Wood. When the reformed Traffic needed a bassist, Winwood contacted Grech.
Grech played on two Traffic albums, 1971’s Welcome to the Canteen and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Grech co-wrote a popular Traffic staple, “Rock and Roll Stew,” but his substance abuse led to his dismissal.
Still in demand as a session player, Grech went on to record with Rod Stewart, Gram Parsons and Ronnie Lane, among others. Grech rejoined his ex-mates from Traffic (Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Reebop Kwaku Baah), for Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert in January 1973. A career retrospective, TheFirst Five Years was released the same year.
Carmine Appice was one of hard rock’s prominent percussionists. He’d started in the legendary Long Island jam band the Vanilla Fudge, then formed Cactus with ex-Fudge bassist Tim Bogert. The duo hooked up with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 1972. Beck, Bogert and Appice burned brightly, but broke up before they could complete their second album.
Guitarist Mike Bloomfield had played with Bob Dylan and served as Paul Butterfield’s main axe man. He formed the Electric Flag in 1967 with Buddy Miles, Barry Goldberg and Nick Gravenites, but struck out on his own a year later.
Bloomfield’s most noted project was 1968’s Supersession, a jam recorded with keyboardist Al Kooper. Unfortunately, Bloomfield’s thirst for heroin made him unreliable.
Keyboard player Barry Goldberg had partnered with Bloomfield in Dylan’s back up band, then in The Electric Flag and Supersession. He’d also worked with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Mitch Ryder.
Singer Ray Kennedy, the least known member of the group, had an impressive resume of his own. He’d played sax for Gerry Mulligan, Otis Redding, Brenda Lee and Fats Domino, among others. Kennedy also co-wrote the Beach Boys’ “Sail On Sailor.” (In a twist of irony, Kennedy’s “Why Should I Care?” appeared on the Beck, Bogert and Appice album.) Kennedy possessed an incredibly rich, pleasing tone that made lame material sound epic.
An Uneven Debut
Formed in 1975, KGB’s initials stood for its founders, Ray Kennedy, Barry Goldberg and Mike Bloomfield. The band’s eponymous album was released a year later and broke into the Top 100 before KGB had played a note live. Considering the musicians involved, it was inconsistent.
KGB’s version of “Sail on Sailor” benefited from Kennedy’s leisurely, but soulful reading. Unfortunately, the band chose to present it as quasi-Gospel. The bank of back up singers and Bloomfield’s scatological solo didn’t help.
The group annihilated a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ve Got A Feeling.” Kennedy tried to do too much, sounding like he was having a fit, and Bloomfield’s directionless slide work left listeners wondering why his fellow musicians raved about him.
“Midnight Traveler” and “High Roller” were blasé countrified ballads with little to offer other than Kennedy’s commanding voice. Kennedy’s “You Got the Notion” and Goldberg/Bloomfield’s “Baby Should I Stay Or Go?” followed a similarly harmless path, but had more palatable hooks.
The songs that worked gave listeners a taste of what could have been. “Workin’ For The Children’s” soul-meets-reggae grooves took advantage of Kennedy’s Jim Morrison growl, Goldberg’s slip-sliding organ passages, Appice’s sweaty beat and Grech’s head-bopping bass.
“Let Me Love You” swaggered confidently courtesy of Grech’s thick bass lines, Appice’s muscular pounding, and Kennedy’s soul-drenched vocal. It’s was also one of the few instances where Bloomfield was forceful, peeling off an R & B based solo.
Grech laid down a funky bass line leading into Kennedy’s deep delivery for “It’s Gonna Be Hard Night.” The unnamed girl singers helped rather than hurt, and Bloomfield sounded invested, letting loose with sharp riffs.
Kennedy wrapped his larynx around a worthy ballad with the album’s closer, “Magic In Your Touch.” His whispery bedroom voice gave the song’s syrupy sentiment credibility.
Bloomfield doomed KGB in “I Wanna Be the Best,” a scathing June 1976 interview with Terry Marshall for BAM. Bloomfield said the band was a scam – a quick payday. He claimed manager Elliott Roberts picked strangers who had no business playing together so he could capitalize on their names. Bloomfield added that Goldberg’s contributions were minimal because of his wife’s pregnancy; that Grech didn’t play because of health problems, and Appice refused to participate and left.
The album did fail to take advantage of Appice’s bone-thug drumming and Grech’s lead bass lines. Both sounded subdued amidst string arrangements and back up singers, lending credence to Bloomfield’s ludicrous claim they weren’t on the record, an accusation later refuted by Appice, who pointed out Bloomfield overdubbed his parts at home and that he was absent when the others were recording.
Grech and Bloomfield quit after the album’s release. With new bassist Greg Sutton and guitarist Ben Schultz, KGB recorded Motion, their second and last album, also released in 1976. With the exception of Appice’s funky “Woman, Stop Watcha Doin’” and the soulful, Sutton-sung “Treading Water,” Motion was emotionless.
Dogged by drugs and alcohol, Grech was soon out of the music business, becoming a carpet salesman. He succumbed to liver and kidney failure on March 19, 1990. Bloomfield was found dead in his car from a drug overdose on February 15, 1981; Goldberg gave his eulogy.
Kennedy went on to write “Isn’t it Time” and “Every Time I Think of You” for the Babys. and “These Strange Times” for Fleetwood Mac. Appice played with Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, Pat Travers, and Rick Derringer, among others, and revived Vanilla Fudge and Cactus. He also recorded a series of Guitar Zeus albums with the likes of Richie Sambora and Brian May.
''KGB''
1976
2005
38:43
1 Let Me Love You (R.Kennedy, J. Conrad) 3:22
2 Midnight Traveler (Paul Rosenberg) 5:10
3 I’ve Got A Feeling (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) 4:03
4 High Roller (Daniel Moore) 3:40
5 Sail On Sailor (B. Wilson, R. Kennedy) 3:14
6 Workin’ For The Children (B. Goldberg, M. Bloomfield) 3:20
7 You Got The Notion (R.Kennedy) 3:34
8 Baby Should I Stay Or Go (B. Goldberg, M. Bloomfield) 5:05
9 It’s Gonna Be A Hard Night (B. Goldberg, Will Jennings) 2:49
10 Magic In Your Touch (R.Kennedy) 4:45
Michael Bloomfield - Guitar
Ray Kennedy - Sax, Vocals
Barry Goldberg - Keyboards
Rick Grech - Bass
Carmine Appice - Drums
KGB Rock's Short Lived Supergroup
KGB, a 70s supergroup featuring Rick Grech, Carmine Appice and Mike Bloomfield, imploded after their first album.
by Michael Jefferson
Rick Grech career had begun with British rockers Family. He swiped from their U.S. tour in 1969 by Blind Faith. When Blind Faith crashed, Grech enlisted in Ginger Baker’s Airforce, another supergroup that included former Traffic members Steve Winwood and Chris Wood. When the reformed Traffic needed a bassist, Winwood contacted Grech.
Grech played on two Traffic albums, 1971’s Welcome to the Canteen and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Grech co-wrote a popular Traffic staple, “Rock and Roll Stew,” but his substance abuse led to his dismissal.
Still in demand as a session player, Grech went on to record with Rod Stewart, Gram Parsons and Ronnie Lane, among others. Grech rejoined his ex-mates from Traffic (Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Reebop Kwaku Baah), for Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert in January 1973. A career retrospective, TheFirst Five Years was released the same year.
Carmine Appice was one of hard rock’s prominent percussionists. He’d started in the legendary Long Island jam band the Vanilla Fudge, then formed Cactus with ex-Fudge bassist Tim Bogert. The duo hooked up with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 1972. Beck, Bogert and Appice burned brightly, but broke up before they could complete their second album.
Guitarist Mike Bloomfield had played with Bob Dylan and served as Paul Butterfield’s main axe man. He formed the Electric Flag in 1967 with Buddy Miles, Barry Goldberg and Nick Gravenites, but struck out on his own a year later.
Bloomfield’s most noted project was 1968’s Supersession, a jam recorded with keyboardist Al Kooper. Unfortunately, Bloomfield’s thirst for heroin made him unreliable.
Keyboard player Barry Goldberg had partnered with Bloomfield in Dylan’s back up band, then in The Electric Flag and Supersession. He’d also worked with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Mitch Ryder.
Singer Ray Kennedy, the least known member of the group, had an impressive resume of his own. He’d played sax for Gerry Mulligan, Otis Redding, Brenda Lee and Fats Domino, among others. Kennedy also co-wrote the Beach Boys’ “Sail On Sailor.” (In a twist of irony, Kennedy’s “Why Should I Care?” appeared on the Beck, Bogert and Appice album.) Kennedy possessed an incredibly rich, pleasing tone that made lame material sound epic.
An Uneven Debut
Formed in 1975, KGB’s initials stood for its founders, Ray Kennedy, Barry Goldberg and Mike Bloomfield. The band’s eponymous album was released a year later and broke into the Top 100 before KGB had played a note live. Considering the musicians involved, it was inconsistent.
KGB’s version of “Sail on Sailor” benefited from Kennedy’s leisurely, but soulful reading. Unfortunately, the band chose to present it as quasi-Gospel. The bank of back up singers and Bloomfield’s scatological solo didn’t help.
The group annihilated a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ve Got A Feeling.” Kennedy tried to do too much, sounding like he was having a fit, and Bloomfield’s directionless slide work left listeners wondering why his fellow musicians raved about him.
“Midnight Traveler” and “High Roller” were blasé countrified ballads with little to offer other than Kennedy’s commanding voice. Kennedy’s “You Got the Notion” and Goldberg/Bloomfield’s “Baby Should I Stay Or Go?” followed a similarly harmless path, but had more palatable hooks.
The songs that worked gave listeners a taste of what could have been. “Workin’ For The Children’s” soul-meets-reggae grooves took advantage of Kennedy’s Jim Morrison growl, Goldberg’s slip-sliding organ passages, Appice’s sweaty beat and Grech’s head-bopping bass.
“Let Me Love You” swaggered confidently courtesy of Grech’s thick bass lines, Appice’s muscular pounding, and Kennedy’s soul-drenched vocal. It’s was also one of the few instances where Bloomfield was forceful, peeling off an R & B based solo.
Grech laid down a funky bass line leading into Kennedy’s deep delivery for “It’s Gonna Be Hard Night.” The unnamed girl singers helped rather than hurt, and Bloomfield sounded invested, letting loose with sharp riffs.
Kennedy wrapped his larynx around a worthy ballad with the album’s closer, “Magic In Your Touch.” His whispery bedroom voice gave the song’s syrupy sentiment credibility.
Bloomfield doomed KGB in “I Wanna Be the Best,” a scathing June 1976 interview with Terry Marshall for BAM. Bloomfield said the band was a scam – a quick payday. He claimed manager Elliott Roberts picked strangers who had no business playing together so he could capitalize on their names. Bloomfield added that Goldberg’s contributions were minimal because of his wife’s pregnancy; that Grech didn’t play because of health problems, and Appice refused to participate and left.
The album did fail to take advantage of Appice’s bone-thug drumming and Grech’s lead bass lines. Both sounded subdued amidst string arrangements and back up singers, lending credence to Bloomfield’s ludicrous claim they weren’t on the record, an accusation later refuted by Appice, who pointed out Bloomfield overdubbed his parts at home and that he was absent when the others were recording.
Grech and Bloomfield quit after the album’s release. With new bassist Greg Sutton and guitarist Ben Schultz, KGB recorded Motion, their second and last album, also released in 1976. With the exception of Appice’s funky “Woman, Stop Watcha Doin’” and the soulful, Sutton-sung “Treading Water,” Motion was emotionless.
Dogged by drugs and alcohol, Grech was soon out of the music business, becoming a carpet salesman. He succumbed to liver and kidney failure on March 19, 1990. Bloomfield was found dead in his car from a drug overdose on February 15, 1981; Goldberg gave his eulogy.
Kennedy went on to write “Isn’t it Time” and “Every Time I Think of You” for the Babys. and “These Strange Times” for Fleetwood Mac. Appice played with Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, Pat Travers, and Rick Derringer, among others, and revived Vanilla Fudge and Cactus. He also recorded a series of Guitar Zeus albums with the likes of Richie Sambora and Brian May.
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