VINEGAR JOE
''ROCK 'N ROLL GYPSIE''
1972
40:48
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1 So Long 04:38 (Elkie Brooks, Pete Gage)
2 Charly's Horse 03:02 (Pete Gage)
3 Rock 'n'Roll Gypsies 05:05 (Roger Tillison)
4 Falling 03:10 (Robert Palmer)
5 It's Gettin' To The Point 04:36 (Pete Gage)
6 Whole Lotta Shakin' (Goin' On) 02:44 (D. Williams)
7 Buddy Can You Spare A Dime? 04:25 (Pete Gage, Steve York)
8 Angel 04:17 (Jimi Hendrix
9 No One Ever Do 04:12 (Pete Gage)
10 Forgive Us 04:35 (Robert Palmer)
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Elkie Brooks/Vocals
Robert Palmer/Vocals
Jim Mullen/Guitars
Pete Gage/Guitars
Steve York/Bass Guitar, Harmonica
Mike Deacon/Keyboards
John Woods/Drums, Percussion
Keef Hartley/Drums, Percussion
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REVIEW/AMG
Richie Unterberger
Vinegar Joe's second album was workmanlike, early-'70s mainstream British rock, though with more of a soul and rock & roll influence than the usual such band of the era, due to the one-two punch of lead vocalists Robert Palmer and Elkie Brooks. It's fair but not astounding stuff, Palmer and Brooks both singing together and taking individual leads of their own. The original material tends toward the commonplace good-time rock & roll vibe, though it gets a bit more interesting on Palmer's two original compositions, "Falling" (which clearly points toward the reggae-funk of his early solo career) and "Forgive Us" (which is a decent facsimile of rootsy southern Californian country-folk-rock). As for the three covers, it's doubtful anyone needed a version of Jerry Lee Lewis' classic "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." But they showed better taste on Jimi Hendrix's "Angel" (Brooks' most impressive vocal on the record) and the obscure American folk-rock tune "Rock & Roll Gypsies," originally done by the Gypsy Trips and Hearts & Flowers in the 1960s.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Bruce Eder
Vinegar Joe might very easily have been Island Records' answer to the Allman Bros. or Wet Willie. A sextet formed out of a busted big-band rock outfit called Dada, they were brought together at the suggestion of Island founder Chris Blackwell. Elkie Brooks (vocals), Robert Palmer (vocals, guitar), Pete Gage (guitars, piano), and Steve York (bass, harmonica), were at the core of the group, with Tim Hinkley and then Mike Deacon on keyboards, and Conrad Isadore and Keef Hartley, and then John Woods and Pete Gavin on drums--the band cut three albums for between 1971 and 1973. Their live shows were well reviewed and attracted significant audiences in England, but this was never reflected in their record sales. They split up in 1973, with Robert Palmer becoming an international star as a pop-rock blue-eyed soul singer and Elkie Brooks a success as an MOR singer with Pete Gage as her arranger.
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BIO/WIKIPEDIA
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TO THE TOP
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''ROCK 'N ROLL GYPSIE''
1972
40:48
**********
1 So Long 04:38 (Elkie Brooks, Pete Gage)
2 Charly's Horse 03:02 (Pete Gage)
3 Rock 'n'Roll Gypsies 05:05 (Roger Tillison)
4 Falling 03:10 (Robert Palmer)
5 It's Gettin' To The Point 04:36 (Pete Gage)
6 Whole Lotta Shakin' (Goin' On) 02:44 (D. Williams)
7 Buddy Can You Spare A Dime? 04:25 (Pete Gage, Steve York)
8 Angel 04:17 (Jimi Hendrix
9 No One Ever Do 04:12 (Pete Gage)
10 Forgive Us 04:35 (Robert Palmer)
**********
Elkie Brooks/Vocals
Robert Palmer/Vocals
Jim Mullen/Guitars
Pete Gage/Guitars
Steve York/Bass Guitar, Harmonica
Mike Deacon/Keyboards
John Woods/Drums, Percussion
Keef Hartley/Drums, Percussion
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Richie Unterberger
Vinegar Joe's second album was workmanlike, early-'70s mainstream British rock, though with more of a soul and rock & roll influence than the usual such band of the era, due to the one-two punch of lead vocalists Robert Palmer and Elkie Brooks. It's fair but not astounding stuff, Palmer and Brooks both singing together and taking individual leads of their own. The original material tends toward the commonplace good-time rock & roll vibe, though it gets a bit more interesting on Palmer's two original compositions, "Falling" (which clearly points toward the reggae-funk of his early solo career) and "Forgive Us" (which is a decent facsimile of rootsy southern Californian country-folk-rock). As for the three covers, it's doubtful anyone needed a version of Jerry Lee Lewis' classic "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." But they showed better taste on Jimi Hendrix's "Angel" (Brooks' most impressive vocal on the record) and the obscure American folk-rock tune "Rock & Roll Gypsies," originally done by the Gypsy Trips and Hearts & Flowers in the 1960s.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Bruce Eder
Vinegar Joe might very easily have been Island Records' answer to the Allman Bros. or Wet Willie. A sextet formed out of a busted big-band rock outfit called Dada, they were brought together at the suggestion of Island founder Chris Blackwell. Elkie Brooks (vocals), Robert Palmer (vocals, guitar), Pete Gage (guitars, piano), and Steve York (bass, harmonica), were at the core of the group, with Tim Hinkley and then Mike Deacon on keyboards, and Conrad Isadore and Keef Hartley, and then John Woods and Pete Gavin on drums--the band cut three albums for between 1971 and 1973. Their live shows were well reviewed and attracted significant audiences in England, but this was never reflected in their record sales. They split up in 1973, with Robert Palmer becoming an international star as a pop-rock blue-eyed soul singer and Elkie Brooks a success as an MOR singer with Pete Gage as her arranger.
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BIO/WIKIPEDIA
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TO THE TOP
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