line up 1 (1968-70)

- Bob Beasley -- tenor sax

- Hadley "Hawk" Hockensmith -- guitar, bass

- Harold Jones -- lead vocals, percussion

- Bill Maxwell -- drums, percussion

- Harlan Rogers -- vocals, keyboards

- Mike Underwood -- trumpet

  supporting musicians:

- Darrell Leonard -- horns

- BLT (Harold Jones)

- Andrea Crouch & the Disciples (Hadley Hockensmith,

  Bill Maxwell and Harlan Rogers)

- Hadley "Hawk" Hockensmith (solo efforts)

- Koinmonia (Hadley Hockensmith, Bill Maxwell and 

  Harlan Rogers)

- Harlan Rogers and Smitty Price)

- The Serfs (Mike Underwood)

- Sonlight (Hadley Hockensmith, Bill Maxwell and Harlan Rogers)

Genre: horn-rock

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Fantastic

Company: Revue

Catalog: RS 7213
Year: 1970

Country/State: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

Catalog ID: --

Price: $35.00

I'm not sure if it was a good, or bad thing, but The Third Avenue Blues Band stands as Oklahoma City's contribution to late-'60s horn-rock ... The band came together in 1968, featuring the talents of sax player Bob Beasley, guitarist Hadley "Hawk" Hockensmith, singer Harold Jones, drummer Bill Maxwell, singer/keyboard player Harlan Rogers and former Serfs trumpet player  Mike Underwood.  In 1968 the band signed a recording with MCA's short-lived Revue label, releasing a series of three singles over the next two years.

- 1968's 'It’s Got to Be Love' b/w 'If You Don’t Love Me' (Revue catalog number R 11028)

Goodness knows why, but whereas the first single had been credited to The Third Avenue Blues Band, the rest of their catalog was released to The 3rd Avenue Blues Band.

- 1969's 'Don’t Make Me Laugh' b/w 'Pipedream' (Revue catalog number R 11051)

- 1969's 'Rose Garden' b/w 'Come On and Get It' (Revue catalog number R 11067)

None of the singles did anything commercially, but for some reason Revue management decided to  gather five of the six sides up for release on the band's 1970 debut album.  In case anyone was curious, missing in action was the second "B" side 'Pipedream'.  Produced by Charley Carey, the optimistically titled "Fantastic" was pieced together from material recorded in three studios - IRI studios in Dallas, Sound City Studios in Fort Worth and Sunwest Studios in Hollywood.  Musically the album featured a haphazard mixture of band originals and popular covers.  I've always thought the results were somewhat schizophrenic. Part of that stemmed from having two lead singers with very different styles.  Exemplified by performances like 'Don't Make Me Laugh' and 'Come On and Get It' Jones was a traditional soul singer who brought a Stax-flavored vibe to his performances.  In contrast as the band's primary writer and second lead singer, Rogers was a much more pop and rock oriented performer.  Similarly musically it was a little too diverse for it's own good.   Backed by the horns, tracks like their Creedence Clearwater Revival cover 'Bad Moon Rising' and a remake if The Islay Brothers' 'It's Your Thing' bore more than a passing resemblance to the likes of Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago.  Elsewhere the instrumentals 'Hawk's Blues' and 'Mean Greens' made you wonder if these guys aspired to being a blues band, or perhaps a soul-jazz combo.  Still, if you were a horn-rock fan then some of this was going to be up your alley.  If not, then you were going to struggle with most of the album.

"Fantastic" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Rose Garden (Joe South) - 3:16 ratng: ** stars

Previously released as the band's third single, Howard Jones' opening Hammond B3 moves were promising, but that promise quickly vanished amidst a middle-of-the-road horn barrage.   I'm not a massive horn-rock fan and their cover of Joe South's 'Rose Garden' did nothing to change that attitude.  I liked Harlan Rogers voice, but there were times he struggled to ward off the horns.  I'd rather hear the Joe South original. 

- 1969's 'Rose Garden' b/w 'Come On and Get It' (Revue catalog number R 11067)

2.) It's Got To Be Love (Harland. Rogers) - 2:25 rating: ** stars

With Jones and Rogers splitting lead vocals the hyperactive 'It's Got To Be Love' could have been a decent slice of Rascals-styled blue-eyed soul, but the track sounded like it had been recorded at the wrong speed.  Very MOR-ish and once again the horns were distracting.  The track had previously been released as their debut single.

- 1969's 'It's Got To Be Love' b/w 'If You Don't Want Me' (Revue catalog number R 11028)

3.) I Know About Love (Harland Rogers) - 4:13 rating: *** stars

In spite of the fact it had a cocktail-jazz vibe, I have to admit liking the smooth ballad 'I Know About Love.'  Perhaps part of the feel was due to the fact the spotlight was on Rogers Hammond B-3 rather than the horns.  Yeah, the horns were still there, but they were largely relegated to the background.

4.) Put A Little Love (Jackie DeShannon - J. Holiday - R. Meyers) - 4:00 

5.) Hawk's Blues (Hadley Hockensmith) - 5:08 rating: ** stars

Yeah, the title was an apt description ...  A standard slice of Chicago blues showcasing Hockensmith's guitar and an un-credited harmonica player, the instrumental 'Hawk's Blues' was unlike anything else on the album.  It made for a nice change of pace but was hardly exceptional.  

6.) Don't Make Me Laugh (Harold G. Jones) - 2:52  rating: **** stars

As reflected on 'Don't Make Me Laugh' Jones had a powerful soul-inflected voice. Kind of a Otis Redding vibe on this one with the horns adding a nice Stax flavor to the arrangement.  Previously released as the band's second single, it was one of the album's standout performances.

- 1969's 'Don't Make Me Laugh' b/w 'Pipedream' (Revue catalog number R 11051)

(side 2)
1.) Come On and Get It  (Harold Rogers) -  3:17 rating: **** stars

With Jones and Rogers sharing lead vocals 'Come and Get It' was the album's standout track.  Imagine a second-tier Sam and Dave and you'll get a feel for the Stax-ish sound.  The good news it is was funky and the horns served to push the melody rather than distracting from it.

2.) It's Your Thing (Marvin Isley - D. Isley-  Ronald Isley - Rudolph Isley) -  5:12 rating: *** stars

Covering a classic tune is always challenging; especially when it's something as well know as The Isley Brothers' 'It's Your Thing.'  I'll give them credit for turning in a decent arrangement of the song; well until the horns went off on a rampage.  The credits mistakenly listed "D. Isley" as a writer.  It should have been listed as O'Kelly Isley.

3.) If You Don't Want Me (Harlan Rogers) - 3:07 rating: ** stars

'If You Don't Want Me' was a forgettable MOR horn-powered ballad.  The falsetto harmony vocals were funny.

4.) Bad Moon Rising (John Fogarty) - 5:04  rating: ** stars

No, no, no ...  Jones deep gravelly voice couldn't save their slowed down, horn powered remake of this CCR classic.  Imagine a really bad Blood, Sweat and Tears tune.

5.) Mean Greens (instrumental) (E. Harris) - 5:08 rating: *** stars
Spotlighting sax player Bob Beasley 'Mean Greens' was the album's jazziest performance, imagine the Stax house band hanging out with Young Holt Unlimited ...  The track was also interesting for what sounded like Rogers playing an early Moog.

Though it has no references to his work with The 3rd Avenue Blues Band, Hockensmith has a website at: Hadley Hockensmith (hhockensmith.com)

© 06/2024 Scott R. Blackerby