Reddit reviews the churchill downs LP
We found 1 Reddit comments about the churchill downs LP. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Reddit reviews the churchill downs LPWe found 1 Reddit comments about the churchill downs LP. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Gary Dalton Stovall (guitar, vocals) Don Adey (guitar, vocals) Dirk Acree (bass) Mick Newton (keyboards) Al Stigler (drums) Fred Darling (drums)
The Churchill Downs are one of the better unknown US psych/rock bands along with Beauregard Ajax and Public Nuisance
The group became the house band at the famous Gazzari's - a notorious club on the Sunset Strip. With Gary Dalton Stovall on guitar and vocals, Don Adey on guitar, Dirk Acree on bass, Mick Newton on keyboards and Al Stigler and replacement Fred Darling on drums - The Churchill Downs were a popular group in and around Hollywood during 1967-68
They recorded 16 tracks with famed producer Gary S. Paxton However, for whatever reason, the band failed to secure a recording contract with any label and the music they laid down remained unheard with the exception of one rare self-released single ‘I Gotta Get Back to My Baby’ b/w ‘The Amazing Three’.
The band was very young at the time but the musical output was of a high level with excellent production. Catchy compositions, great multi-vocal singing, strong guitars, organ, drums, bass and effects with a lot of ideas to make the songs unique.
In 2011 the illustrious German label Shadoks Music who specialise in rare psychedelic and underground music released the 16 track Churchill Downs album in its entirety.
https://lightintheattic.net/releases/1225-the-churchill-downs
The Churchill Downs [playlist]
Amazon ‘Review’: “Forty three years in the making, Shadoks Records, has once again struck gold. So often releases are tauted as "undiscovered gems" but once heard prove bitterly disappointing. This is certainly not the case with The Churchill Downs - a California band who dazzled music fans in the Hollywood are in 1967 and 1968 until the draft board's calls to Vietnam finally delivered a death knell to the band in July, 1968.
Led by guitarist/vocalist Gary Dalton Stovall, The Churchill Downs delivered tasty psychedelic gems for nearly two years, with 16 tasty tracks filling this eponymous release.
A gorgeous mixture of originals and covers, The Churchill Downs achieve what few bands are truly capable of, that is performing the music of others and making it their own, while at the same time writing and performing unique band compositions.
The band had two distinctive incarnations, represented here by eight tracks each. There are many standout tracks, but The Churchill Downs prove themselves by recording the oft-covered ‘I'm A Man’ and giving it a life all its own. Stovall's guitar work on this track is incredible, as is the organ performance of Mick Newton and the group's shared vocals are stunning.
Unlike so many bands of the day, there are no self-indulgent overplayed tunes to be found here. Absolutely none. The tracks range from just over 2 minutes ‘I Can Hear A Sound’ to the 3 minute 29 seconds of ‘I'll Try Anything’ the former an original the latter a cover.
The guitar work of Stovall is consistent throughout and never overplayed nor over-produced, a delicate balance so rarely achieved.
With all members save drummers Al Stigler and his replacement Fred Darling contributing vocals, the bands vocals never disappoint. The one track which may not fit quite as nicely as the rest is the cover of the Bacharach-David composition ‘Alfie’ but it has enough unique guitar work to hold the listener's interest.
I really don't know where Shadoks Records continue to find these absolute nuggets of undiscovered gold, but the proof is in the pudding, and The Churchill Downs offers a bit of everything to the listener, from heavy guitar riffs to gentle keyboard tones. There is truly something here for everyone.
Like so many other groups it is tragic that the Vietnam war caused the end of The Churchill Downs but thanks to the careful archiving of band performances and the ever attentive, open eared folks at Shadoks these recordings from 1967 and 1968 are presented in superior sound quality and tasteful packaging, with an informative 8 page booklet filled with photos, track annotations and instrumentations and a humble introduction by Gary Dalton Stovall himself.”
https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/churchill_downs
https://www.discogs.com/artist/2435190-The-Churchill-Downs