Juicy Lucy
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969-70) - Glenn Ross Campbell -- vocals, steel guitar, mandolin - Pete Dobson -- drums, percussion - Keith Ellis -- bass - Neil Hubbard -- lead guitar - Chris Mercer -- keyboards, sax - Ray Owens -- vocals
line-up 2 (1970) NEW - Rod Coombes -- drums (replaced Pete Dobson) - Glenn Ross Campbell -- vocals, steel guitar, mandolin - Keith Ellis -- bass - Chris Mercer -- keyboards, sax NEW - Mick Moody -- lead guitar (replaced Neil Hubbard) NEW - Paul Williams (aka Paul William Yarlett) -- vocals (replaced Ray Owens)
line-up 3 (1970-71) - Rod Coombes -- drums, percussion - Glenn Ross Campbell -- vocals, steel guitar, mandolin NEW - Jim Leverton -- bass (replaced Keith Ellis) - Chris Mercer -- keyboards, sax - Mick Moody -- lead guitar - Paul Williams (aka Paul William Yarlett) -- vocals
line-up 4 (1971-72) NEW - Ron Berg -- drums, percussion (replaced Jim Leverton) - Mick Moody -- lead guitar NEW - Andy Pyle -- bass (replaced Jim Leverton) NEW - Jean Roussel -- keyboards (replaced Chris Mercer) - Paul Williams (aka Paul William Yarlett) -- vocals
backing musicians (1972): - Chas Hdoes -- backing vocals - Albert Lee -- guitar, backing vocals - Ian McLagan -- keyboards - Mick 'Wynder K. Frogg' Weaver -- keyboards.
line-up 5 (1972) - Ron Berg -- drums - Glenn Ross Campbell -- steel guitar, mandolin - Jean Roussell -- keyboards NEW - Chris Stewart -- bass (replaced Andy Pyle) - Paul Williams -- vocals
line-up 6 (1995-97) NEW - Spencer Blackledge -- drums NEW - Andy Doughty - bass NEW - Mike Jarvis -- lead guitar NEW - Ray Owens -- lead vocals
line-up 7 (2004-) NEW - Mr. Fish -- lead guitar NEW - Fletch -- bass NEW - Fudge -- drums NEW - Ray Owens -- lead vocals
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- Blodwyn Pig (Ron Berg and Andy Pyle) - Blue Thunder (Mick Moody and Paul Williams) - Bluesology - Graham Bond Organization (Neil Hubbard) - Boxer (Keith Ellis) - Caravan (Jim Leverton) - Mick Clarke Band (Ron Berg) - Rod Coombes (Jeff Beck Group) - The Company of Snakes (Mick Moody) - Dirty Blues Band (Glenn Ross Campbell) - Dog Soldier (Jim Leverton) - Duffo - Ellis (Keith Ellis) - Fat Mattress (Jim Leverton) - Greasy Band (Neil Hubbard) - Hanson (Jean Roussel) - Hemlock (Jim Leverton) - Killing Floor (Ray Owens) - The Kinks (Andy Pye) - Koobas (Keith Ellis) - The Loving Kind - The Luvvers - M2 (Mick Moody) - John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (Chris Mercer) - The Misunderstood - Zoot Money (Paul Williams) - The Moody Marsden Band (Mick Moody) - Gary Moore And The Midnight Blues Band (Andy Pyle) - Mick Moody (solo efforts) - Ray Owen's Moon (Ray Owens) - Remus Down Boulevard (Ron Berg) - Savoy Brown (Andy Pyle) - Snafu (Mick Moody) - Snakecharmer (Mick Moody) - The Snakes (Mick Moody) - Stealers Wheel (Rod Coombes) - Strawbs (Rod Coombes) - Tempest (Paul Williams) - Tramline (Mick Moody) - Tranquility (Jim Leverton) - Trifle - Van Der Graaf Generator (Keith Ellis) - Paul Williams (solo efforts) - Whitesnake (Mick Moody) - Wishbone Ash (Andy Pyle)
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Juicy Lucy Company: ATCO Catalog: SD
33-325 Country/State: US / UK Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve; US pressing; minor hiss on a couple of songs Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5748 Price: $50.00
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Though they were never well known in the States, the Anglo-American Juicy Lucy is worth acknowledging for a couple of reasons, including the fact they're still an active enterprise some four decades after their start.
In an early example of multi-nationalism in rock and roll, the band's roots trace back to Riverside, California where steel guitar player Glenn Ross Campbell was a founding member of The Misunderstood. The group managed to release two independent 1966 singles before taking up an offer from fan and UK DJ John Peel to relocate to the UK. Unfortunately the American draft grabbed lead singer Rick Brown and in short order most of the other members ran afoul of personality clashes and British immigration regulations. By 1969 the only remaining original member was Campbell with The Misunderstood having taken on a decidedly British flavor with a lineup featuring drummer Guy Evans, singer Steve Hoard, guitarist Tony Hill, former Graham Bond Organization guitarist Neil Hubbard, keyboardist/sax player Chris Mercer, and bassist Nic Potter. At that point Campbell decided to rename the group Juicy Lucy. Depending who you want to believe, the band name was inspired by a band groupie, or from a character in Leslie Thomas' novel Virgin Soldiers. In case anyone cared the titel character was a Malaysian prostitute.
UK pressing French picture sleeve Vertigo 6059.001
Signed by Vertigo, the group debuted with a 1970 cover of the Bo Diddley chestnut 'Who Do You Love?' b/w 'Walking Down The Highway' (Vertigo catalog number V1 6059 001). Their version sold quite well throughout the UK and Europe, eventually going top-20 and generating quite a bit of interest in the parent LP - 1969's "Juicy Lucy". Produced by Nigel Thomas, musically the set had quite a bit going for it. With every late-1960s British band seemingly interested in showcasing their American blues roots, thanks to Campbell these guys came off as one of the more authentic sounding outfits. They were certainly gifted with some amazing players. Only 23 at the time, Owen's effortlessly achieved that '70 year old back guy' sound that others like Eric Burden could only dream of. Check out his grizzled performance on the country-blues number 'Just One Time'. Guitarist Neil Hubbard and the rhythm section of Dobson and Ellis all deserved special mention. All of that said, the results were still imitative - after all these were a bunch of British guys trying to sound like an American blues band. If you were looking for true authenticity you probably wanted to check out The Allman Brothers.
LP inner sleeve
Not the perfect album, but a hundred times better than most of their late-1960s competitors. Shame the follow-on efforts didn't match this one.
Ah, lets talk about the infamous cover. Clearly concerned about American consumer sensibilities ATCO management elected to give the album's US release somewhat toned down packaging. The US cover was certainly racy for the late-1960s, though nowhere near as attention drawing as the UK original which featured a somewhat haggard looking exotic dance by the name of Zelda Plum spread out on a bed of fruit. The funny thing is that what was clearly intended as an erotic cover came off as anything but ... Personally I've always felt bad for the fruit. Seemed like a massive waste of good produce. Shame on the band for exhibiting such poor tastes. I can only hope Ms. Plum was well compensated for what must have been an unpleasant experience.
US cover
UK cover - Vertigo catalog number VO 2 / 847 901
"Juicy
Lucy" track listing: 1.) Mississippi Woman (Juicy Lucy - Ray Owens) - 3:45 rating: *** stars Propelled by Owens sandpaper voice the album started out with a blazing blues-rocker 'Mississippi Woman'. Musically it wasn't the most original number you've ever heard, but it served as a nice platform for introducing you to the band's influences - no progressive pretense here. It also gave Neil Hubbard a chance to showcase his nifty slide guitar moves. 2.) Who Do You Love? (Ellis McDaniels) - 2:49 rating: **** stars Probably the most commercial track, they turned in a fantastic cover of Bo Diddley's 'Who Do You Love'. Mean as a snake bite, this version must have served as the inspiration for the cover and George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers churned out a couple of years later. Only complaint was that it ended too soon. 3.) She's Mine, She's Yours (Keith Ellis - Nigel Thomas) - 5:43 rating: *** stars The rocker 'She's Mine, She's Yours' effectively served as a showcased for Hubbard's screaming guitar. That was actually a good thing given the track saw Owens struggling to keep it together in a register that was simply too high for his comfort zone. Musically the song reminded me a bit of the Atlanta Rhythm Section's 'Outside Woman Blues. The fade out and abrupt refrain didn't really add anything to the song. 4.) Just One Time (Neil Hubbard - Glenn Ross Campbell) - 4:31 rating: *** stars Normally country-blues numbers don't do a great deal for me, but the haunting 'Just One Time' was an exception and may have been the most stunning track on the album. I think Campbell handled the vocals on this one, turning in what was simply a mesmerizing performance with Mercer's psychedelic Norman Whitfield-styled horn flourishes adding a nifty background.
(side
2) Sporting another Campbell vocal (always interesting to hear a British guy with an American drawl), side two's 'Chicago North-Western' was a fantastic country-rocker. Great melody, surprisingly nice harmony vocals from the band, and a cool lyric (songs about trains are always nifty). Totally unexpected and nice change of direction with a funny nod to Neil Young. YouTube has a clip of the band performing the song on the West German Beat Club television program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AI44V2H8Wg 2.) Train (Buddy Miles - Hern Rich) - 5:49rating: ** stars A fairly conventional rocker, 'Train' showcased some tasty Mercer horns and Hubbard's always classy guitar. Unfortunately the song found Owen's displayed his higher register singing voice which wasn't nearly as impressive as his lower ranges. r 3.) Nadine (Chuck Berry) - 2:46 rating: ** stars It was passable, but yet another cover of Chuck Berry's 'Nadine' wasn't really a necessity. 4.) Are You Satisfied? (Pete Dobson - Chris Mercer - Nigel Thomas) - 6:13 rating: *** stars Starting out as an acoustic country piece, 'Are You Satisfied?' morphing into a surprisingly catchy hippy rhetorical sing-along ...
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Genre: rock Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Get a Whiff a This Company: Island Catalog: 850528
IT Country/State: US / UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: German pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2305 Price: $35.00
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Based on the isolated reviews I'd come across, my expectations for this album were pretty low. I'm not about to tell you 1971's "Get a Wiff a This" was a great album, it might not even be considered good by lots of folks, but by the same time it wasn't nearly as bad as reviews would have you expect. Produced by Nigel Thomas and the band, the band's third album featured another personnel change with bassist Jim Leverton replacing Keith Ellis. At the same time the album found the band seemingly casting about for a new sound and direction. Unlike the first couple of albums where rock predominated, this time around the group opted for a mash-up of country-rock and bar band boogie. Exemplified by tracks like 'Harvest', 'Mr. A. Jones', 'Jessica', and 'Future Days' their country-rock moves weren't bad, but failed to distinguish themselves from an already crowded field. At the same time they seemed to have run out of quality original material, hence the inclusion of a couple of covers - the most interesting being their takes on The Allman Brothers' 'Midnight Rider' and Spirit's 'Mr. Skin'. Again, both were professional, if hardly groundbreaking. To my ears the album's most interesting facets came in the form of Williams' growling voice - he didn't sound very English to me, and Moody's sterling guitar work.
"Get a
Whiff a This" track listing: 1.) Mr. Skin (Jay Ferguson) - 3:44 rating: *** stars Ah, the late Ed Cassidy - Mr. Skin himself. It you're familiar with this tune, in all likelihood it's a result of having heard Spirit's original version. To be honest, this cover wasn't bad. Williams' growling voice sound quite good on the rocking melody. The melody and general vibes were quite similar to the Spirit original and after a couple of cold beers, there's a good chance you wouldn't have been able to concentrate enough to discern the differences. The sound quality wasn't very good, but YouTube has a brief clip of the band playing the song on a 1971 French television program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhXsbVLBb_Y 2.) Midnight Sun - 3:40 rating: **** stars Bar band boogie ... mind you it was quality bar band boogie with an interesting anti-war lyric, some nice Mick Moody acoustic slide guitar and Paul Williams seldom having sounded as authentic. 3.) Midnight Rider - 3:10 rating; *** stars Yeah, it was a cover, but give them credit for having good taste in their outside material - in this case one of the best Allman Brothers tunes ever written. Musically it didn't stray too far from the original song so by default it couldn't come close to Greg and company. Still, nice to hear the song. 4.) Harvest - 3:05 rating: ** stars Not sure what they were trying to do on 'Harvest' ... To my ears this one sounded like a crappy Tony Joe White track with Paul Williams basically talking his way through the bland swamp-rock flavored tune. At least Mick Moody got a chance to strut his stuff on this one. 5.) Mr. A. Jones - 3:15 rating; *** stars Pretty if forgettable acoustic country-folk number.
(side 2) 1.) Sunday Morning (Paul Williams - James) - 3:47 rating: ** stars Country flavored ballad that gave Glenn Ross Campbell another opportunity to shine, but was otherwise plodding and forgettable. 2.) Big Lil (Rod Coombes - Glenn Ross Campbell - Jim Leverton - Chris Mercer - Mick Moody - Paul Williams) - 4:22 rating: **** stars Opening up with a funky little Moody riff, followed by some tasty slide guitar, 'Big Lil' was easily the album's best performance. Unfortunately that wasn't saying all that much since the other eight tracks were pretty week. Still, the song reflected some energy and Williams deserved some kudos for turning in his best Greg Allman impression. 3.) Jessica (Paul Williams - Mick Moody) - 4:13 rating: *** stars Nah it wasn't another Allman Brothers cover ... rather 'Jessica' was a country-tinged rocker that showcased Glenn Campbell's slide guitar moves. 4.) Future Days (James) - 4:00 rating: *** stars Bland country-rock. Based on Williams' growling southern twang, you would be hard pressed to identify them as being English.
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Genre: rock Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Pieces Company: Polydor Catalog: 2310
160 Country/State: US / UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: UK pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 245 Price: $20.00
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By the time 1972's
"Pieces" was released,
for all intents and purposes Juicy Lucy was a new band. Signed by
Polydor, the group did not include a single founding member.
Produced by Grease Band drummer Bruce Rowlands, the band's fourth album marked a change in musical direction. With Williams and friend/lyricist John Edwards responsible for the majority of the ten tracks, out the door went most of their blues roots; replaced by a more commercial and varied attack that included boogie-rock ('Promised Land'), country ('Dead Flowers In The Mirror'), country-rock ('Prospector Dan'), and even a couple of shots at commercial pop-rock (It Ain't Easy''). For a band that was rapidly running out of options, you couldn't really blame them for casting about for an audience. Williams had a likeable voice and the rest of the band were all thoroughly professional, but with the exception of 'The Cuckoo' and the rocker 'Suicide Pilot', nothing here really captured your ears. Far too often the results sounded like music recorded and selected by a legal committee.
Yeah there were a couple of isolated treasures, but overall it wasn't a particularly impressive way for the band to go out. I don't think the album saw a US release. Who knows why, but in 1997 the British Repertoire label reissue the album in CD format (Repertoire catalog number REP4644-WY).
And that was the end of the band until Ray Owens reactivated the nameplate was reactivated in the mid-1990s.
(side 1) 1.) Promised Land (Chuck Berry) - rating: ** stars Technically there wasn't anything wrong with the band's cover of Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land'. The performance was full of bar room swagger, with Paul Williams turning in a suitably energetic vocal and Mick Moody adding just the right amount of lead guitar. Small club and a couple of cold beers and this one probably sounded like dynamite ... That said, why bother covering the tune - their performance added nothing to the hundreds of earlier cover versions, let alone the Berry original. 2.) The Cuckoo(traditional arranged by Paul Williams) - rating: **** stars The band 'discovered' the traditional song 'The Cuckoo' on a Taj Mahal album and decided to give it a shot. Given a driving, upbeat arrangement and one of Williams best vocals and kicked along by some tasty Moody slide guitar, the result was one of the few highlights on the collection. 3.) All My Life (Paul Williams - John Edwards) - 4.) It Ain't Easy (Zoot Money - Colin Allen) - rating: ** stars Written by Zoot Money who suggested the band record it, 'It Ain't Easy' was a breezy, mid-tempo rocker; one of the album's most commercial offerings. Showcasing a pretty melody, a catchy chorus, and a beautiful Moody lead guitar solo, the song had FM radio written all over it. It was also thoroughly predictable and dull. This could have been a Pablo Cruise release for all it mattered which might explain why Polydor released it as a single in the UK:
- 1972's 'It Ain't Easy' b/w 'Promised Land' (Polydor catalog number 200 1279).
(side
2) I've always been partial to a tough, sleazy rock song and the Williams-Edward original 'Suicide Pilot' fit the bill. Hum, an English band that capably nailed Lynyrd Skynyrd-styled Southern rock. Who would've guessed ? Guitarist Moody deserved the spotlight on this one. 2,) Why Can't It Happen To Me (Paul Williams - John Edwards) - rating: *** stars
With a laidback jazz-tinged feel, the dry ballad 'Why
Can't It Happen To Me' has always reminded me a bit of Mark Knopfler and
Dire Straits. A straight forward country number, 'Dead Flowers In The Mirror' was a total waste of vinyl. Moody was quoted as saying the song was intended as a country spoof. Waste. 4.) Prospector Dan (Paul Williams - John Edwards) - rating: *** stars 'Prospector Dan' found the band taking a stab at country-rock. With a catchy hook, it was certainly better than 'Dead Flowers' and with a moderately funny lyric, actually sounded a bit like a Barenaked Ladies track. 5.) How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live (Alfred Reed) - rating: * star 'How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live' was another track the band had heard on a Taj Mahal album. I've never heard the Taj Mahal version, but this version was far too country for my tastes.
You'd have to write a novel to track the member's post Juicy Lucy comings and goings, but among their post-Juicy Lucy endeavors:
- Berg and Pyle joined Savoy Brown. - Moody joined SNAFU for a couple of albums; was in an early version of Whitesnake, and played in The Moody Marsden Band. - Roussel hooked up with Cat Stevens and did sessions work. - WIlliams joined Jim Hiseman's Tempest.
The band have a web presence at: http://www.juicylucyinfo.co.uk/
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BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
Defacto
leader/singer Paul Williams had joined the band as part of the second
line-up, as did guitarist Micky Moody. Keyboardist Jean Roussel and
the former Blodwyn Pig rhythm section of Ron Berg and Andy Pyle had all
joined the previous year. In the business world, I guess you would call this
an example of "extending the brand". 