Pacific Gas & Electric
Band members Related acts
|
line up 1 (1967-68) - Charlie Allen (RIP 1990) -- vocals, drums, percussion - Brent Block -- bass - Tom Marshall -- rhythm guitar - Glenn Schwartz -- lead guitar
line up 2 (1968-70) - Charlie Allen (RIP 1990) -- vocals - Brent Block -- bass NEW - Frank Cook -- drums, percussion (replaced Charlie Allen) - Tom Marshall -- rhythm guitar - Glenn Schwartz -- lead guitar
line up 3 (1970) - Charlie Allen (RIP 1990) -- vocals - Brent Block -- bass - Tom Marshall -- rhythm guitar - Glenn Schwartz -- lead guitar NEW - Ron Wood -- drums, percussion (replaced Frank Cook)
line up 3 (1970-71) - Charlie Allen (RIP 1990) -- vocals - Brent Block -- rhythm guitar (replaced Tom Marshall) NEW - Frank Petricca -- bass (replaced Brent Block) NEW - Ken "Fast Kenny" Utterback -- lead guitar (replaced Glenn Schwartz) NEW - Ron Wood -- drums, percussion (replaced Frank Cook)
line up 4 (1971-73) as PG&E NEW - Steve Abernathy -- vocals - Charlie Allen (RIP 199) -- vocals NEW - Jerry Arello -- keyboards NEW - Alfred Gallegos -- sax NEW - Virgil Gonsalves -- sax NEW - Joe Lala (RIP) -- percussion - Frank Petricca-- bass - Ken "Fast Kenny" Utterback -- lead guitar - Ron Woods -- drums, percussion
line up 5 (1973) as Pacific Gas & Electric Starring Charlie Allen - Charlie Allen -- vocals
supporting musicians: (1973) - Cornell Dupree -- guitar - Bob Mann -- guitar -
Robert Mann -- guitar -
Wilton Felder -- bass - Michael Brecker -- sax - Joe Grimm -- sax - Arthur Kaplan -- sax - Seldon Powell -- sax -
George Young -- sax - Al DeRisi -- horns - Mickey Gravine -- horns -
Lew Soloff -- horns - J.R. Bailey -- backing vocals - Gloria Barley -- backing vocals - Shirley Brewer -- backing vocals - John Brown -- backing vocals - Lou Courtney -- backing vocals - Bill Foster -- backing vocals - Charlotte Gilbert -- backing vocals - Lani Groves -- backing vocals - Carl Hall -- backing vocals - Delores Harvin -- backing vocals - Melvin Kent -- backing vocals - Troy Keyes -- backing vocals - Sherman Lewis -- backing vocals - Jon Lucas -- backing vocals - Ron Marshall -- backing vocals - Barbara Massey -- backing vocals - Ray Pollard -- backing vocals - Albertine Robinson -- backing vocals - Ray Rollard -- backing vocals - Jim Ryan -- backing vocals - Manny Seymour -- backing vocals - Tasha Thomas -- backing vocals - Sammy Turner -- backing vocals - Ken Williams -- backing vocals
|
- Al Saved Freak Band (Glenn Schwartz) - Blueberry Jam (Charlie Allen) - Canned Heat (Frank Cook) - The James Gang (Glenn Schwartz) - The Schwartz Brothers Band (Glenn Schwartz) |
|
Genre: pop Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Pacific Gas & Electric Starring Charlie Allen Company: Dunhill Catalog: DSX
50157 Country/State: Los Angeles, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: shrink wrap; opened and torn Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1214 Price: $
|
In case you couldn't guess from the album title, 1973's "Pacific Gas & Electric Starring Charlie Allen" was released in the wake of a massive personnel upheaval that left singer Charlie Allen the only holdover from the prior band. The band had essentially called it quits after the release of 1971's "PG&E" and Allen's original intent was to continue on with a solo career. Dropped by the band's longtime label Columbia, Allen found himself signed to ABC's Dunhill subsidiary which seems to have suggested he retain a link to the Pacific Gas & Electric nameplate for marketing purposes. While credited to the band, for all intents and purposes, this was an Allen solo effort with support from a wide array of studio musicians and friends (by my count the liner notes listed 48 performers). As far as I can tell, not other former PG&E members participated in the recording sessions.
To my ears the late Charlie Allen had one of rock's best voices - deep and powerful, he was capable of handling a wide variety of genres including country-blues, commercial pop, rock, and soul. Accordingly, I really wanted this to be a fantastic album that showcased Allen's talents. While there were a couple of impressive performances, this wasn't that magic release. Produced by John Hill (who also co-wrote most of the material with partner Spencer Michlin and Allen), tracks like 'Roll Georgia' and a cover of Tony Joe White's 'I Got a Thing About You, Baby' were excellent, showcasing Allen's song-writing gifts and that great voice. The other standout performance, if only from the shock standpoint was Allen's country-blues tune 'Niggers In the Woods'. Hard to imagine a record label letting it go out today. The bad news was those were the exceptions to the rule. Way too often the album fell into mindless LA "product" genre with Allen falling victim to the lowest common musical denominators; uninspired writing, coupled with faceless arrangements (lots of shrill female backing vocals, busy horn arrangement, and dull material) that would have sounded just as good on a chewing gum commercial. Having listened to this album dozens of times I've always wondered why producer Hall didn't showcase Allen's talents more.
"Pacific
Gas & Electric Starring Charlie Allen" track listing: 1.) Gumbo Jones (Charlie Allen - John Hill - Spencer Michlin) - 4:43 Say
what you will about this band, but there was no denying Allen had a great
soul voice. As for the song, well the food-oriented lyrics were enough
to make you droll and bands like Little Feat have made a career out of
Cajun-tinged funk like 'Gumbo Jones'. Nice opener. Dunhill
tapped it as a promotional single.
rating: *** stars Sweet
Stax-tinged ballad with Allen turning in one his most affecting
vocals. One of the album's highlights. ratings:
**** stars The
album's first disappointment, their cover of 'Somebody You Love' was flat,
shrill, and the irritating female backing vocals and extensive horns didn't
help one but.
rating: ** stars After
all these years I'm still not sure how to describe 'Hold On' ...
Country-reggae ? Close enough. rating:
*** stars 'Dancin'
In the Fire' found Allen shifting his focus back to funk and could have been
a great tune with more Allen and less emphasis on the shrill backing singers
and the irritating horns. The track almost sounded like Allen had
excused himself midway through for a cigarette break and just never come
back. rating:
*** stars (side
2) Imagine Clarence Carter doing a Gospel performance in Los Angeles ... The song was plodding ad predictable, though ultimately saved by Allen's wonderful voice. rating: *** stars 2.) Hear the Trumpets Calling (Charlie Allen - John Hill) - 2:46 Every
heard The Les Paul Singers, well 'Hear the Trumpets Calling' sounded like
the kind of MOR hippy gospel those guys churned out for European
audiences. Allen sounded flat and uninspired on this one; all
but buried by the backing singers. Best thing on this one was
the short electric guitar solo. rating:
** stars Gordon
Edwards bass line provide the highlight on the rocker 'Some Kind of
Feelin''. rating:
*** stars Allen's
cover of Tony Joe White's 'I Got a
Thing About You, Baby' was another album highlight. Given a low key,
funky edge complete with steel drums, this one was simply charming and
stands as one of the best White covers I've ever heard.
rating: **** stars MOR-ish
ballad. Pretty, but not particularly memorable so it would have made a
dandy single. rating:
*** stars Nice acoustic country-blues number though the title was kind of jarring and certainly would cause concerns in this politically correct timeframe. rating: *** stars
The tonal Pacific Gas & Electric single:
- 1973's 'Gumbo Jones' b/w 'Gumbo Jones' (Dunhill catalog number D-4374)
Only 48, Allen died in May 1990.
It appears inactive, but there's a nice Pacific Gas & Electric website at: http://web.archive.org/web/20111002022352/http://www.pacific-gas-electric.com/
|
BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
