Aug 2, 2009

TRAMP - PUT A RECORD ON (SPARK 1974) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve




Tramp were a British blues band active during the late 1960s and early 1970s on an intermittent basis. This on/off activity and the loose, transient nature of the band's line-up were reflected in the group's name.
The line-up centred around the brother-sister pairing of Dave Kelly and Jo Ann Kelly, and included various members of Fleetwood Mac, plus various session musicians. The band released two albums; Tramp in 1969, and Put A Record On in 1974. All members participated in many other projects before, after and even during their time with Tramp.

LINER NOTES
Recording sessions involving musicians who do not regularly work together can be notoriously unproductive, the shelves of second hand record shops are littered with dusty remnants of what might have been a great session.
Happily 'Tramp' is a very fine exception to this rule, perhaps because although there is plenty of creative and spontaneous playing on these tracks, the songs themselves, written by Bob Hall and Dennis Cotton, are economical, witty and tightly constructed; there are no twelve minute guitar solos on this record. Every musician contributed hugely to the overall strength of performance that is obvious throughout the set. Dave and Jo-Anne Kelly are renowned for their ability as blues singers, and they tackled each song whole-heartedly, often adding new ideas whilst actually recording. Bob Hall is surely the finest boogie pianist in Britain, and has never played better than on these sessions. Bob Brunning is also a highly experienced bass player who has worked and recorded with many blues giants, forming a unit with Bob Hall which has become much in demand by impressed visiting American performers, many of whom have invited them back to the States to form a permanent band! Mick Fleetwood has been the mainstay of Fleetwood Mac for a long time, and when one listens to this exciting playing on this album, one can see why - listen to his inspired and absolutely spontaneous drum lead in during the entirely unrehearsed piano break in 'Too Late For That Now' which leads incidentally to one of the most exciting solos heard in a long while. Danny Kirwan plays crisply and economically, showing his ability, unusual among rock guitarists - to know when not to play, nevertheless turning in some pleasing solos. Dave Brooks proves just how easily he recently stole the show on some of the '73 American Blues Legends performances, and last but not least, percussionist Ian Morton adds a lot of excitement to the proceedings. Here then is a fresh and exciting album representing of more than worthwhile gathering together of some well known musical 'Tramps'.

...and TRAMP are:
MICK FLEETWOOD - Drums
Founder member of Fleetwood Mac. He played on all their hit records and is currently spending most of his time touring the U.S.A. He is an old friend of Bob Brunning who he played with in Fleetwood Mac.
DANNY KIRWAN - Guitar
Replaced Peter Green as the lead guitarist in Fleetwood Mac and previously had his own band 'Boilerhouse'. He is currently forming a new band and is touring the U.S.A. He appeared on Volume One of Tramp, replacing Peter Green as he was unavailable.
DAVE BROOKS - Sax
Tenor Player for Manfred Mann, currently freelancing and doing session work.
DAVE KELLY - Vocal
Lead guitarist and vocalist with the John Dummer Band, he has made several albums with John Dummer and also two under his own name.
JO ANNE KELLY - Vocal
Sister of Dave Kelly, she was once dubbed by Melody Maker as Queen of British Blues Singers and has made two albums under her own name. She has toured the U.S.A. and is returning for a further visit.
BOB BRUNNING - Bass
Bass player with Fleetwood Mac and Savoy Brown. He left to continue his career as a teacher, he is working with Tramp and is also a member of a band he got together with Bob Hall, The Sunflower Blues Band.
BOB HALL - Piano
Together with Bob Brunning, he has recorded and toured with a number of American Blues men. He co-wrote all the songs on the album and has made over thirty LP's with various bands including Savoy Brown.
IAN MORTON - Percussion
Here

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi from Cy
Another blog (Rocky Sava River Bank one, I think)put out this and I left a long response, relating to the last concert that I saw Jo Ann Kelly give, before her tragically early death.
She was without exception THE blues voice of GB. A lovely woman with a voice from the deepest soul.
I haven't downloaded this, but your postings come through so well (top notch) that I may replace the one I have, with yours.
Thank you for keeping Jo Ann's music alive and on the net.
Cy from Pck.

Anonymous said...

Although I appreciate the Tramp info which can be difficult to come by, I am curious about your comment regarding Danny Kirwan. You state that he is putting a band together for an American tour.To my knowledge Danny has been living in a homeless men's shelter for many years, can you verify this info?

Rob