! THIS JUST IN !
October 1, 2012: Alex Stimmel's Ashman-Reynolds piece will be featured in the upcoming Ugly Things
#34. All-new interviews with Aliki Ashman, Harry Reynolds and the Heavy Metal Kids' Keith
Boyce (as A-R's 17 year-old drummer) - nice tie-in with my very first List post.
Should hit the stands by Early November . . . Go buy it!
Should hit the stands by Early November . . . Go buy it!
Ashman Reynolds has been called a British supergroup of sorts, and I’d tend to agree, if you’d consider a group to be “super” even when it’s composed of musicians no one’s ever really heard of. Although members came from – and would move on to – Blue Mink, Picadilly Line, Fleetwood Mac, Heavy Metal Kids, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Savoy Brown, Murray Head, Nazareth and Long John Baldry’s band, the band’s namesakes were Aliki Ashman and Harry Reynolds. Ashman had put in serious time in the late-60’s singing with both the Graham Bond Organisation and Ginger Baker’s Airforce, and Reynolds was a formidable session bassist and guitarist.
Their sole album, 1972’s barnstorming Stop Off, is as well-rounded an apotheosis of the British infatuation with American country rock as will be heard, holding its own with contemporaneous albums by the Faces and Stones. Ashman Reynolds also expertly hits West Coast rural psych moves, in part because of their three-guitar frontline (with Reynolds joined by Rod Edwards and Mickey Keene).
With washes of gospel organ, blue-eyed soul wailing and ripping guitar leads, Ashman Reynolds rock the down-home family-n’-friends feel of early Delaney & Bonnie, replete with sparkling group interplay and strong songs. Why they didn’t stay together is a mystery; so is how they came together in the first place. As mentioned above, everyone found continued work in the rock biz, most likely moving on to higher-profile and better-paying gigs. So Stop Off is exactly that - one of those rare alightments at the right place and time that produced a singular and unrepeatable tour de force.
5 comments:
Thanks much for post. Love yr Blog. Discovered it while looking for info on Ashman/Reynolds. Yr right, a bit of Delaney & Bonnie with some THE BAND thrown in. Just got back from a quick hour of Cr Diggin myself when I found a copy of same LP; having to referee kids while searchin at local Salvation Army. Looking for a DL of BOBBY KEYS (Rolling Stones sax player) 1972 solo Lp on Warner Bros. Any help's appreciated. robbybee@sbcglobal.net
Hi, Harry Reynolds is my Dad and we are very happy to see that people are still appreciating his music. The comments made are very nice. The band were said to be ahead of their time and it is true, even nearly 40 years later the music does not sound dated. Harry is still occasionally singing and composing from his Old Station house in Lincolnshire, UK and Aliki enjoys a continued singing career in Australia.
As great as is it that people are still picking up on this album it would be even better if it was remastered, re-released or recorded by a new artist even, providing my dad with some revenue and royalties which are more than duly owed and could mean he could enjoy a comfortable retirement.
We are proud daughters and now our children are enjoing the album too!!
Zoe Reynolds
thanks zoe - so happy to hear about your dad. perhaps there's a way to contact a smaller label like rev-ola or cherry red that might have success with a cd/lp reissue, i agree that the album is ahead of its time - please provide us with any links for harry's recent projects & i will post them to the blog. bestm -a.m.s
Discovered it while looking for info on Ashman/Reynolds.
Love your blog, keep it up .
Discount Billy Joel Tickets
Purchased Stop Off on musicstack. First song I heard was on youtube "taking Off". Bob Weston is a cool guitar player, but I am really getting into the idea this was a supergroup in the making. Aliki Ashman is a strong singer. I like the song "They're only change my life". I am reminded of the gospel sound of Dennis Linde. This album is a testament to Americana.
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