Hard Meat
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969-71) - Mick "Mike" Carless -- drums, percussion - Michael "Mick" Dolan (RIP 2014) -- vocals, guitar, harmonica - Steve Dolan (RIP 2000) -- bass, guitar backing vocals
supporting musicians (1969) - Phil Jump -- keyboards - Pete Westbrook -- flute
supporting musicians (1970) - Bruce Howard -- piano - Phil Jump -- keyboards - Pete Westbrook -- flute - Ian Whiteman -- piano, flute
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- Big Front Yard (Michael Dolan) - Cock-a-Hoops (Michael Dolan and Steve Dolan) - The Ebony Combo (Michael Dolan and Steve Dolan) - Jimmy Powell and the Five Dimensions (Michael Dolan and Steve Dolan) - Roscarrock (Michael Dolan) - Spirit of John Morgan (Michael Dolan)
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Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Hard Meat Company: Warner Brothers Catalog: WS
1852 Country/State: Birmingham, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: foil gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2222 Price: $60.00
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I'm not sure why, but a couple of on-lined references show this short-lived trio as being American. Drummer Mick Carless, and brothers Michael (lead vocals, guitar) and Steve (bass, guitar) Dolan were from Birmingham, England.
By the time Hard Meat came together in 1969, brothers Michael and Steve Dolan were already seasoned musical veterans having played in a series of Birmingham outfits including The Ebony Combo, Jimmy Powell and the Fifth Dimension, and the Cock-a-Hoops. With the addition of drummer Mick Carless the trio adopted the Hard Meat nameplate, spending several years grinding it out on the English club circuit, opening for a slew of nationally known acts including Chuck Berry, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Jethro Tull. Signing a recording deal with Chris Blackwell's Island Records and promptly debuted with a slowed-down, but equally lysergic cover of The Beatles' 'Rain':
- 'Rain' b/w 'Burning Up Years' (Island catalog number WIP 6066)
Dropped by Island, later in the year they reappeared on Warner Brothers
Produced by Sandy Roberson, 1969's "Hard Meat" featured all original group compositions. Musically quite varied, all seven tracks were powered by Michael Dolan's likeable voice, his surprisingly impressive lead guitar and Carless' Keith Moon-styled percussion. The album certainly wasn't the year's most original offering, bouncing around the musical spectrum including dollops of folk-rock, conventional rock, psych, and even a bit of progressive influences. In spite of the diversified sound I enjoyed every one of these seven tunes. The opener 'Through a Window' (which curiously became the title of their sophomore LP) offered up an enthralling mixture of all of those earlier genres and should have become an FM classic. 'Time Shows No Face' showed the band could do conventional and commercial rock. With a sunny, lysergic feel, 'Universal Joint' sounded like something recorded in the mid-'60s - I'm a sucker for this stuff. Even the band's stabs at ballads ('Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow') were enjoyable. The funny thing was that as good as the individual tunes were, sitting down and listening to the album as a full set the results were even better. Well worth tracking down.
"Hard Meat" track listing: 1.) Through a Window (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - rating: **** stars Opening up with some pretty Dolan acoustic guitar, 'Through a Window' quickly shifted into an attractive melody that's always reminded me of a mash-up between and English folk-rock outfit and Hendrix at his most progressive. There was a lot going on here (love the underlying cello), but it was all driven by Carless frenetic drumming and Dolan's guitar and sweet voice. I've always been curious why the band used the song as the title for their second album ... 2.) Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - rating: **** stars 'Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow' was a beautiful acoustic ballad that sounded anything but acoustic. Showcasing Dolan's wonderful acoustic guitar work, it was one of those songs that picked up speed and energy as if went along and ended way too soon ... 3.) Space Between (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - rating: **** stars 'Space Between' was built on what sounded like a native American rhythm with a touch of lysergic influences thrown in for good measure. Different, but engrossing and the tune showcased Mick on some blazing electric guitar. 4.) Time Shows No Face (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - rating: **** stars The album's prettiest and most radio-friendly tune, for some reason on this one Dolan's vocal has always reminded me of Paul McCartney. Phil Westbrook provided the jazzy flute solo.
(side
2) The album's longest track, 'Run Shaker Life' was largely an instrumental effort with the trio showing off their hardest rock orientation. Complete with a bit of raga influence, the results were stunning. Guitar rock for people who don't like guitar rock. 2.) Universal Joint (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - rating: **** stars Another tune powered by Carless' powerhouse drumming and percussion, 'Universal Joint' was a bit different than the rest of the album soundinmg like something the band might have recorded a couple of years earlier than the rest of the album. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff so this one was a personal favorite. 3.) Most Likely You Go Your Way I'll Go Mine (Michael Carless - Mick Dolan - Steve Dolan) - rating: **** stars With another killer melody and one of Michael's best vocals, the rollicking 'Most Likely You Go Your Way I'll Go Mine' has always reminded me of a good Thunderclap Newman tune (and that was meant as a big compliment). For anyone interested in seeing the band live, YouTube has a 1970 performance on the German television Beat Club show. You'll have to wade through about a minute of introductory material to get to the actual performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0V93A5D2vI
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Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Through a Window Company: Warner Brothers Catalog: WS
1879 Country/State: Birmingham, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: white label promo copy Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2707 Price: $50.00
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I loved the Dolan brothers' 1969 debut so when I stumbled across a copy of their sophomore released in a dollar bin, I grabbed it.
Produced by Sandy Robertson, 1970's "Through a Window" was a modest departure from the debut. On a song-for-song basis the sound wasn't as "rock" oriented, which might prove a turnoff to some folks. Personally I'd suggest the band made up for that by shortcoming a more varied and dynamic sound. Featuring another set of largely original material co-written by the three band members, these guys were one of the tightest trios I've ever heard. Very few wasted notes on any of these tracks. All hyperbole aside, Michael Dolan was one of rock's most overlooked singers and lead guitarists. Similarly, brother Steve and drummer Carless made for a dynamic rhythm section, capable of way more than the standard hard rock trio repertoire. As an added bonus, this time out you also got to hear plenty of Mick Dolan's dexterity on acoustic guitar (check out 'Freewheel' and 'A Song of Summer'). This was one of the few albums in my collection where I love virtually each and every track. I even have the album on my iPhone. Hard to pick out favorites, but if pinned in a corner, my top three would include the rocking opener 'On the Road', the sweet ballad 'Smile As You Go Under' (always loved the freakout backward tapes that close it out), and the stunning acoustic instrumental 'Freewheel'. Needless to say, since I loved the debut, I was equally impressed by this one.
"Through a
Windom" track listing: 1.) On the Road (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - 5:58 rating: **** stars I've always loved their ability to come up with highly commercial and catchy melodies, while retraining their FM credibility. Opening up with some ear catching Mick Carless percussion, 'On the Road' served as a perfect example of those talents. Built on a nifty little guitar figure the buried itself into your head and wouldn't leave, the song managed to included an extended slightly jazzy-tinged "jam" section that never became boring. Quite an accomplishment. An edited version should have been released as a single. 2.) New Day (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - 5:08 rating: **** stars 'New Day' was a pretty, acoustic ballad that showcased their sweet harmony vocals. I didn't even mind Pete Westbrook's flute washes. The track improved considerably around the 1:40 mark when it dived headlong into an extended instrumental jam session that spotlighted Michael's tasteful acoustic guitar work. 3.) Freewheel (instrumental) (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - 3:32 rating: **** stars While I always loved Steve Dolan's acoustic bass on this track, the secret sauce came in the form of Mick Carless' tasteful percussion. Interesting to consider the instrumental 'Freewheel' was recorded in 1970. Except for the fact it crushes most of the material that gets played on today's adult contemporary/lite jazz stations, it wouldn't sound out of place on a 2017 adult contemporary album. Darn, wish I could play half way as good. 4.) Smile As You Go Under (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - 3:04 rating: **** stars Wonderful ballad (the title always makes me smile), showcasing Michael Dolan's great voice and fantastic guitar chops. The ending got a little strange and trippy thanks to some backwards tapes - but actually quite cool. Imagine Badfinger on a really good day ... How was this one overlooked as a single?
(side 2) 1.) I Want You (Graham Bond) - 7:00 rating: **** stars Blues-rock jams tend to blur into one extended aural mess, but their cover of Graham Bond's 'I Want You' was an exception to the rule. All three members shined throughout the performance. Michael turned in one of the album's most impressive guitar solos, but the secret sauce turning out to be Steve's highly melodic bass lines. 2.) From the Prison (Jerry Merrick) - 4:18 rating: *** stars Stark ballad - just Michael on acoustic guitar. I actually like this version better than Richie Havens' cover. Awesome tune to discover what a great voice Michael had. 3.) A Song of Summer (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - 5:21 rating: *** stars Breezy acoustic tune that would sound perfect sitting around a deck with friends drinking some white wine. 4.) Love (Bob Whale) - 5:03 rating: **** stars Worth hearing for Dolan's lead guitar. It sounded like it was multi-tracked, but made for a killer performance. 5.) The Ballad of Marmalade Emma and Teddy Grimes (Mick Carless - Michael Dolan - Steve Dolan) - 3:00 rating: **** stars Wasn't
expecting lead mandolin, let alone a bluegrass flavor. Apparently
inspired by a pair of Colchester vagrants (the Colchester brewery even
dedicated a beer to the Emma), the tune was initially
quite disconcerting and unlike anything else in their repertoire, it sounded
more like The Band than a Hard Meat tune. Luckily, like a good
Band song, this one quickly grew on you. The song was tapped as
their final single in the UK and Germany: - 1970's 'The Ballad of Marmalade Emma and Teddy Grimes' b/w 'Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow' (Warner Brothers catalog number WB 8010)
YouTube has a live performance of the song taken from a performance on the German BeatClubs television show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6uznF_k9YE
With an ever changing series of personnel changes, the Dolan brothers continued to performer around their native Birmingham under the name Big Front Yard. They recorded some demo material and even managed to record an obscure 1976 single for manager Michael Gray's small Rampant label:
- 1976's 'Money-Go-Round' b/w 'Mad John's Dream' (Rampant catalog number RAM-001)
Steve Dolan died in May 2000.
Following Big Front Yard Michael opened up a mobile sound system business and worked as a house engineer at Millstream Studios. He also hooked up with John Copping and then did some studio work, including supporting Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor on his 1996 "Floodgates" album. His later years were split between the UK and Turkey. Sadly, only 67 he died in a Turkish hospital of brain cancer in August 2014.
Carless seems to have vanished, though I came across a YouTube post where someone named Josh claimed to be his son. Someone asked if his father was still alive, but there was no response.
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BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
While
I don't have a background in marketing, the choice of band name was clearly
problematic. Adding to their issues, an early promotional effort saw
their management team mail demos accompanied by pieces of meat to various
radio stations. Probably not a good concept to start with, the plan went further off
the rails when a postal strike delayed delivery of the demos and promotional
meat chunks. I'm thinking the majority of recipients probably were not
thrilled to receive rancid chunks of meat with the demo albums.
