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Артист: The Hour Glass Альбом: HOURGLASS, 1967 Жанр: Rock/Soul/R&B Формат файла: EAC-Cue-Flac-Scans Ссылка 1: CD 1 2 clicks Ссылка 2: CD 2 2 clicks Нахождение: eDonkey/Kademlia

Biography by Bruce Eder
Chances are that the Hour Glass's two albums would never have been reissued, but for the fact that the group was formed by Duane and Gregg Allman out of the ruins of their first full-time band, the Allman Joys; additionally, its lineup featured future Capricorn Records star record producers Johnny Sandlin on drums and Paul Hornsby on organ and piano. And that would also be a bit unfair, because the Hour Glass were an above-average white soul group - no Allman Brothers Band by a longshot, at least on their recordings, but an imposing outfit.

Originally named the Allman-Act (a pun on "almanac"), they got an audition with Liberty Records with help from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and a recording contract resulted. There was also a name change to the Hour Glass.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Liberty was primarily interested in Gregg Allman as a lead singer, and did its best to dress up the group's recordings with layer upon layer of production, including a full horn section and a soul chorus. The resulting debut album didn't sound a lot like the group, although it was polished and often effective white Southern soul, sometimes crossing paths with the sounds later heard from Elvis's glorious Indian Summer on the Elvis In Memphis album, which was still two years away. Other moments, such as "Silently," fit more easily into the languid pop-psychedelic spirit of 1967.

Amid this overproduction, there wasn't a lot of the actual Hour Glass on the album, and not much in the way of sales success. By the time of their second album, Power of Love, the band's lineup had changed, with Pete Carr, a friend of Sandlin and company from Pensacola, Florida, replacing Mabron McKinney on bass.

This time out, they were given a freer hand in choosing the songs that went onto the new album, which gave it a bluesier feel than its predecessor. The band still wielded virtually no control in the studio in terms of how the songs were arranged or recorded, but elements of their sound slipped through. Gregg Allman also wrote a couple of songs during this period, one of which, "It's Not My Cross to Bear," was to turn up later on the Allman Brothers Band's debut album. Unfortunately, the group's best moments were nowhere near the studio sessions where these two albums had been recorded but, rather, at the long jams they played at the Whiskey A-Go-Go.

The band made an attempt to record an album of its own, putting together demos for a proposed third release at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama - they also cut a handful of tracks, most notably a B.B. King medley featuring Duane Allman out in front which, although not adequate from a commercial standpoint, did show off his playing in the studio better than any records up to that time. Liberty Records had no interest in the resulting tapes or in doing a third album, the first two having stiffed, and the band broke up soon after. Gregg and Duane tried playing in a band with their friend Butch Trucks, called the 31st of February, but Gregg headed back to California while Duane remained in Florida.

Although Liberty rejected the results of the Muscle Shoals sessions, they ended up benefiting all concerned in a far more roundabout fashion. Duane Allman's playing on those tracks led to a contract for session work at Fame, where he got to play on records by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, and King Curtis, and was heard by manager Phil Walden and persuaded to form a new band. The rest, as they say, is history...

The Hour Glass
The Hour Glass were a 1960s rhythm and blues band based in Los Angeles, California between 1967 and 1968. Among their members were two future members of the Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman and his brother Gregg) and three future studio musicians at the world-renowned Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Pete Carr, Johnny Sandlin and Paul Hornsby).

Formed from the ashes of two disbanded rival groups that had played the same southern circuit, The Allman Joys (based in Florida) and the Men-its (based in Alabama), the group was booked in early 1967 into a month-long engagement in St. Louis, Missouri, where they met members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whose manager, Bill McEuen, arranged for them a contract with Liberty Records.

Moving to Los Angeles, they were soon opening for groups like The Doors and Buffalo Springfield and recording their eponymous debut album, full of lighthearted poppy soul that was quite contrary to what the group was performing in various clubs and theatres in California such as the Fillmore West and Troubadour, picked out by the label from a pool of songwriters including Jackson Browne. The album flopped, perhaps due to the fact that the group, aside from Gregg Allman, was sparsely used in the studio.

Onstage, the group rarely performed tracks off of the album, preferring original material by the younger Allman alongside covers of Otis Redding and Yardbirds songs. Over the next few months, however, the group lingered, unable to perform outside of southern California due to label constraints. Eventually losing bassist Mabron McKinney, they soldiered on, performing concerts and recording a second album, Power of Love, which featured bassist Pete Carr. However, like their debut, Power of Love, which also featured the songwriting skills of Gregg Allman and material that fit the group much better than the material on their debut, flopped.

Pulling out one last-ditch effort by leaving Los Angeles to work at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the group recorded a handful of tracks that, for once, showed their full potential in the studio. After these tracks were rejected by the label, the group became dejected and broke up. The group over, Duane and Gregg Allman went to Jacksonville, Florida where they jammed with folk-rockers The 31st of February, featuring drummer Butch Trucks. The others went to do session work in Muscle Shoals.

Liberty Records threatening to sue the group for disbanding, they were given the rights to a solo album by Gregg Allman to keep them from doing so. However, tracks for the album were only issued twenty-five years later when they were released as bonus tracks on the compact disc reissues of the group's two albums. With his brother back in Los Angeles, Duane Allman temporarily joined his fellow bandmates in Muscle Shoals, eventually forming The Allman Brothers Band, enticing his brother back from Los Angeles.


Personnel
Duane Allman - guitars, sitar, vocal
Gregg Allman - vocal, organ, piano, guitar
Paul Hornsby - piano, organ, guitar, vocal
Johnny Sandlin - drums, guitar, gong
Mabron McKinney - bass (1967)
Pete Carr - bass, guitar, vocal (1967-1968)

Discography
The Hour Glass (1967)
Power of Love (1968)
The Hour Glass (1985 compilation)
Southbound (2001 compilation)



The Hour Glass
Hourglass

Audio CD (January 1, 2002)
Label: Bgo - Beat Goes on
Personnel
Gregg Allman - organ, piano, vocal
Duane Allman - guitars, vocal
Paul Hornsby - piano, organ, vocal
Johnny Sandlin - drums
Mabron McKinney - bass
Several unknown studio musicians on horns, guitars, backing vocals, drums, bass and keyboards

The Hour Glass was the debut record by the group of the same name, issued in mid-1967 on Liberty Records, the first of two by the group that featured the namesakes of The Allman Brothers Band. Recorded with an emphasis on lead vocalist Gregg Allman's voice and dispensing with both the instrumentation of the group and nearly all original material, the album was a failure in both sales terms and in properly showcasing the group. Of the eleven tracks on the original LP, only one was penned by a group member, Gregg Allman's "Got To Get Away".

Review by Bruce Eder
Anyone buying this CD in search of revelations of Duane Allman's early playing is in for a disappointment, as Gregg Allman's voice, a soul choir, and a horn section dominate most of the stuff here, which is weighted toward a popular white soul sound, with the occasional intrusion of bits of psychedelic flotsam and jetsam. On the other hand, this isn't bad as a white soul-pop venture, with Gregg, 20 years old at the time, turning in an extraordinary performance. And every so often Duane's playing cuts through with the basic band, as on "Love Makes the World Go 'Round." [The Beat Goes On (BGO) reissue practically doubles the length of the album, adding another 12 songs to the 11 on the original release. This edition was manufactured and distributed in the United Kingdom.]

1. Out of the Night
2. Nothing But Tears
3. Love Makes the World Go 'Round
4. Cast Off All My Fears
5. I've Been Trying
6. No Easy Way Down
7. Heartbeat
8. So Much Love
9. Got to Get Away
10. Silently
11. Bells
12. Power of Love
13. Changing of the Guard
14. To Things Before
15. I'm Not Afraid
16. I Can Stand Alone
17. Down in Texas
18. I Still Want Your Love
19. Home for the Summer
20. I'm Hanging Up My Heart for You
21. Going Nowhere
22. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
23. Now Is the Time



Southbound
The Hour Glass

Recording Date Jun 22, 1967-Feb 7, 1969
Audio CD (September 7, 2004)
Label: Acadia Records

1. Southbound
2. February 3rd
3. God Rest His Soul
4. Apollo 8
5. It's Not My Cross to Bear
6. Down in Texas
7. Three Time Loser
8. Bad Dream
9. She Is My Woman
10. D-I-V-O-R-C-E
11. Kind of a Man
12. I've Been Trying [Version 1]
13. In a Time

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