Genre: rock
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Jon Gordon
Company: Tiger Lily
Catalog: TL
14008
Year: 1976
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): NM / NM
Comments: still in shrink wrap
Available: 2
GEMM catalog ID: 5839
Price: $250.00
Another obscurity from the Tiger Lily catalog ... This one's a real mystery to me - as far as I can tell there's virtually nothing to be found in reference works, or online. Among the mysteries, namesake Jon Gordon was listed as the producer and was credited with penning all of the material, but wasn't credited with anything else. In fact he didn't even seem to be a member of the band which was listed as singer/rhythm guitarist Michael Garrigan (perhaps the same guy who was in Majic Ship), bassist Bobby Held, lead guitarist Steve Patt, and drummer Craig Tustin. Equally curious, the liner notes and track listing reflected ten songs, but there were actually 11 selections on the album. The last track on side one wasn't listed. Musically the album didn't reveal much of a unique personality, bouncing all over the genre spectrum including stabs at boogie, country-rock, pop, and southern rock. That said, at least half of the songs were very good.
- With a country-rock flavor, 'Bring Yourself Around' was unlike anything else on the album. Normally I'm not a big country-rock fan, but this track was quite good, showcasing a catchy and propulsive melody, along with Garrigan's muscular voice and some tasty multi-tracked lead guitar from Patt. rating: **** stars
- 'Doctor, Doctor' was a competent, but bland slice of boogie rock. You've undoubtedly heard something similar dozens of times in you local cub, or bar and it probably would've made a better impression after a couple of beers. Highlights came in the form of a couple of nice guitar runs and the quick nod to 'Jesus Is Just Alright'. rating: ** stars
- With heavily treated Garrigan lead vocals, 'Television Man' sounded like a Badfinger ballad. Espousing love for his television the lyric was pretty strange ("life is better when your knobs are in my hand ..."), but the song had a catchy melodyand sported a very pretty Steve Patt lead guitar. rating: **** stars
- Clocking in at 90 second, 'Interlude' was a strange organ powered instrumental. Think along the lines of something played during one of those creepy Vincent Price horror flicks and you'll have a feel for this one. rating: ** stars
- When stripped of the effects, Garrigan actually had a decent and versatile voice. On the mid-tempo rocker 'Days Gone By' the results sounded like something Todd Rundgren might had released in the mid-1970s. Pretty melody with a great twin lead guitar segment, but to my damaged ears there seemed to be something strange with the mastering ... rating: ** stars
- Not listed on the liner notes or track listing, powered by Patt's blazing leads, side one ended with a fantastic slice of Allman Brothers-styled Southern rock. Garrigan turned in his best performance on this one. rating: ***** stars
- Side two's 'Pack My Sorrows' offered up a weird mixture of Merseybeat with some great jangle rock lead guitar, and country-rock. It really didn't sound anything like the rest of the album - kind of raw and under-produced. It also featured a prominent and slightly flat sounding female backup singer (Debby Stone). rating: *** stars
- 'Livin' On the Road' was a nice jangle rocker marred by a second of channel drop out - not a skip (at least on my copy of the album). The lyrics were standard 'life's tough on the road', but the song featured some great harmony vocals and a killer melody. rating: **** stars
- Sounding like early solo Mike Nesmith 'Old Familiar Story' was too country for my tastes. though the song had some amazing channel separation. There's a section where the lead guitar literally comes jumping out of one of the channels. rating: ** stars
- 'No Way' was the album's most commercial and mainstream rocker. Nice slightly funky feel with excellent drumming and a cool multi-tracked chiming guitar solo. rating: ***** stars
- From best song to worst song ... Complete with pedal steel guitar, 'Fiddle Thing' was a throwaway country hoedown. rating: * star
One of the more interesting Tiger Lily releases and quite rare, explaining the asking price.
"Jon
Gordon" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Bring Yourself Around (Jon Gordon) - 3:45
2.) Doctor, Doctor (Jon Gordon) - 3:00
3.) Television Man (Jon Gordon) - 3:40
4.) Interlude (instrumental) (Jon Gordon) - 1:30
5.) Days Gone By (Jon Gordon) - 4:35
6.) not listed (Jon Gordon)
(side
2)
1.) Pack My Sorrows (Jon Gordon) - 4:15
2.) Livin' On the Road (Jon Gordon) - 4:50
3.) Old Familiar Story (Jon Gordon) - 4:15
4.) No Way (Jon Gordon) - 3:00
5.) Fiddle Thing (instrumental) (Jon Gordon) - 2:20
Suffering from heart problems, lead guitarist Garrigan died in December 2008.