Josefus
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969-70) - Pete Bailey -
vocals, harmonica
line up 1 (1979) - Pete Bailey -
vocals, harmonica
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- Christopher (Doug Tull) - United Gas (Pete Bailey and Dave Mitchell) |
Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Dead Man Company: Hookah Catalog: LP H-330 Year: 1970 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: psych classic; minor cover, edge and corner wear; slight staining on white areas of flip side; minor hiss on some passages Available: SOLD Price: SOLD $400.00
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Having played together in the Houston, Texas-based United Gas, in the wake of the band's collapse, singer Pete Bailey and guitarist Dave Mitchell decided to continue their musical collaboration. Adding drummer Doug Tull and bassist Ray Turner
to the line up, the band initially attracted the attention of producer Jim
Musil. Musil trucked the band to Arizona where he financed a series of demos under the name Come. Unable to interest a major label in the results (Frank Zappa's Straight label was reportedly briefly interested), the tapes were shelved;
the four members returning to Houston. 1.) Crazy Man (Pete Bailey - Dave Mitchell - Doug Tull - Ray Turner) - 4:00 I've spent hours trying to figure out why 'Crazy Man' is such a killer tune. Musically it wasn't particularly original falling somewhere in the Ozzy-meets-Lynyrd Skynyrd realm, but there's just something about the track's take-no-prisoners enthusiasm that kicks it up a notch. Add in the nifty little riff Mitchell played and this was a wonderful opener. The sound and video quality are horrible, but YouTube has a clip of the band performing the song at a 1989 reunion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dITlX7HbQ5o rating: **** stars 2.) I Need a Woman (Pete Bailey - Dave Mitchell - Doug Tull - Ray Turner) - 4:20 Opening
up with some tasty blues-rock fuzz guitar, 'I Need a Woman' was the kind of
stripped down rocker that would put a band like Grand Funk Railroad to
shame. Bailey seldom sounded as good, but the song's secret
ingredient came in the form of Turner's studio shaking bass line.
Ever heard a bass that sounded like liquid sludge ? Well check this
tune out. rating: **** stars With
so many bands cover classic tunes like The Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' you're
simply hard pressed to expect much from a cover. This is one of
those exceptions. These guys literally ran the song through a
meat grinder and it somehow not only did it survive, but came out giving The
Stones a credible run for their money. rating:
**** stars Yeah, 'Country Boy' reflected a mild country element, but it was still the kind of rocker that would electrocute 90% of country bands who came within a mile of it. rating: *** stars 5.) Proposition (Pete Bailey - Dave Mitchell - Doug Tull - Ray Turner) - 4:45 The
first disappointment, 'Proposition' was an aimless blues-rocker that
showcased Bailey at his shrillest. Towards the end of the song
the band briefly appropriated what sounded like a snippet of 'I Want You
(She's So Heavy)'. Simply boring. rating:
** stars (side
2) 'Situation'
was the album's shortest performance and my choice for standout effort - top
notch acid-drench rocker whose only shortcoming was the fact it was so
short. rating:
**** stars I'm a big bass fan so opening up with a down and dirty Ray Turner bass pattern the 17 minute title track had me from the get go. Psychedelic blues-rock ? West Coast jam band ? I guess those are all pretty good descriptions, but given how good Dave Mitchell's Les Paul sounded, it really didn't matter how you labeled this one. And by the way, the 17 minutes went by in a flash. For anyone interested, YouTube has a clip of the band (original members Pete Bailey and Dave Mitchell with backing from drummer Leesa Harrington-Squyres and bassist Mark Weathers) performing the song at a 2013 reunion at Houston's Last Concert Cafe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V_gQWc1l5k rating: **** stars
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Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Josefus Company: Mainstream Catalog: S/6127 Year: 1970 Grade (cover/record): M/M Comments: still in shrink wrap; played once Available: 1 Price: $170.00 |
With the quartet's debut having sold well in their native Houston, Texas, the Detroit-based Mainstream label decided to sign
the group. Recorded in Miami's Criteria Studios, the cleverly-titled
"Josefus" teamed the band with producer Bob Shad (Ron and Albert Howard engineering). Whereas the debut was reportedly recorded in a single day (a second day provided to mix the results), Mainstream's deep pockets allowed three days to record and three days to master. Unfortunately, the band's relationship with Mainstream proved troubled from the beginning. Originally interested in rerecording their debut, Mainstream instead insisted on new material, sending the band into a frantic creative spasm. Exemplified by material such as "Bald Peach" and "America" musically the set wasn't much different from the debut. Once again Bailey remained a marginal singer who had
consistent trouble staying in tune ("Feelin' Good"). Making up for that, Mitchell was a wonderful lead guitarist, turning in several exceptional performances (check out his leads on "I'm Gettin' On"). Unfortunately, the overall results were mixed; much of the set coming off as sonically flat and creatively uninspired ("Sefus Blues" was simply dreadful). Sales proved anemic, the band all but disowning the LP. Plagued by nasty drug problems, various personal demons and apparently aware they'd run out of creativity, they called it quits shortly after the album's release. 1.) Bald Peach (Pete Bailey - Dave Mitchell - Doug Tull - Ray Turner) - 2:42
(side
2)
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Genre: psych Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Get Off of My Case Company: Epilogue Catalog: 1002 Year: 198? Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: minor ring, edge and corner wear; includes insert Available: 1 Price: $30.00
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In 1979 Bailey and Mitchell briefly reformed the
band. The reunion lasted long enough to release a pair of obscure singles
("Hard Luck" b/w "On Account of You" and "Let Me
Move You" b/w "Big Time Loser"). 1.) Crazy Man (Pete Bailey - Dave Mitchell - Doug Tull - Ray Turner) - (side 2) 1.) Feelin' Good (Pete Bailey - Dave Mitchell - Doug Tull - Ray Turner) -
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