Redbone
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1968-72) - Tony Bellamy
(RIP 2009) -- guitar, backing vocals backing vocals
line up 2 (1972-73) - Tony Bellamy
-- guitar, backing vocals
line up 3 (1973-75) - Tony Bellamy -- guitar, backing vocals
supporting musicians (1974) - Ronnie Barron -- percussion - Gordon DeWitty -- piano - John Fiore -- background vocals - Michael Freda --background vocals - Terry Furlong -- slide guitar - Chipper Laverone -- percussion - David Oliver -- background vocals - Red Rhodes -- steel guitar
line up 4 (1977) NEW-
Aloisio Aguiar -- keyboards, percussion NEW - Eddie Summers -- drums, percussion (replaced Butch Rillera)
line up 5 (2005) - Tony Bellamy -- guitar, backing vocals
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- The Avantis (Pat Vegas and Lolly Vegas) - The Deuce Coupes (Pat Vegas and Lolly Vegas)
- The Individuals (Pat Vegas and Lolly Vegas) - Pat Vegas (solo efforts) |
Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Redbone Company: Epic Catalog: EGP 501 Year: 1970 Country/State: Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: double album, gatefold sleeve (our copy has less ring wear than that shown in the picture) Available: 1 Catalog ID: not yet listed Price: $25.00
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Having recorded a series of early-'60s surf singles as members of The
Avantis, The Sharks and under their own names (see separate entries), by mid-'60s brothers Lolly and Pat Vegas has attracted minor attention as sessions players and songwriters. Among their efforts, the duo enjoyed limited success penning
"Nicki Hokey" for P.J. Proby. Playing clubs as a duo, in 1968 the brothers hooked up with guitarist Tony Bellamy and drummer Pete DePoe to form Redbone.
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Potlatch Company: Epic Catalog: E-30109 Year: 1971 Country/State: Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring, edge and corner wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: not yet listed Price: $15.00
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With front men Lolly and Pat Vegas responsible
for virtually all of the material (lead guitarist Tony Bellamy was credited
with co-writing 'Chant: 13th Hour'), 1971's
"Potlatch" found
Redbone turning in a more confident and diverse album. Co-produced by Lolly and Pete Welding, the collection found the band taking stabs at a wide variety of genres, including sappy MOR ballads
('Who Can Say?'), meltdown psychedelics (the instrumental 'Without
Reservations') and social commentary ('Alcatraz' and 'Chant:13th Hour'). While the material occasionally bogged down
amidst ill-defined arrangements and lyrical pretense, for the most part these guys wanted to rock. Propelled by Lolly's slinky voice
and distinctive phased guitar sound and Pat's booming bass lines, tracks
like as the hit single 'Maggie,' 'Light As a Feather' (sounding like a CCR outtake),
'Judgment Day' and 'Bad News Ain't No News At All' demonstrated these guys were at their best when working a
swamp-rock groove. It certainly wasn't a perfect set, but exemplified by the
reflective ballad 'Alcatraz' and the jazzy closer 'New Blue Sermonette'
even the also-ran tunes frequently incorporated interesting
components. Propelled by the single 'Maggie' and generally favorable reviews (in the midst of the Alcatraz siege, what critic was about to cast dispersions on a band composed of native Americans?), the parent album provided the band with their first taste of commercial
success ultimately reaching # 99 on the US Billboard charts. 1.) Maggie (Lolly Vegas) - 5:06 rating: **** stars Propelled by Lolly's growling vocals and Pat's thundering bass line, 'Maggie' churned out a classic slice of Redbone's style of Louisiana swamp funk. This is simply one of those songs that most folks are going to find it hard to sit still to. Always loved the skittery lead guitar solo. Guessing that Lolly got it by playing through a Leslie, or Fender Vibratone speaker. Great choice for the lead-off single:
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1971's 'Maggie' b/w
'New Blue Sermonette' (Epic
catalog number 5-10670) YouTube has a clip of the band performing the
tune on NBC's The Midnight Special television program. And, yes they
are playing live: Maggie
- Redbone | The Midnight Special (youtube.com) Penned by Pat, 'Light As a Feather' displayed a far more commercial, pop sound. Lolly's vocals instantly identified it as a Redbone effort, but it wasn't nearly as good as the opening track. The song was also far too short, though that didn't stop Epic from releasing it as a single:
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1971's 'Light As a Feather' b/w 'Who Can Say?' (Epic catalog number 5-10712) The
atypical ballad 'Who Can Say?' sported a pretty melody with interesting
lyrics and an unexpected woodwind arrangement courtesy of Pete
Robinson. Nice change of pace, but not a track that was going to stick
with most listeners for a long time. Returning
to a rock sound, 'Judgment Day' found the band adding a touch of social
commentary to their patented sound. Nice vocal arrangement and Lolly
certainly had some preacher moves in his repertoire. Okay,
technically 'Without Reservation' was an instrumental since the last couple
of sections included a refrain of the 'Judgement Day' chorus. After a
wild, discordant opening the track shifted into funk-meets-jazz mode. Much
of the spotlight was on Lolly's unique guitar sound. At times it
almost sounded like a Zappa jam. (side 2) 1.) Chant:13th Hour (Pat Vegas - Lolly Vegas - R.A. Bellamy) - 5:36 rating: **** stars Of
course Epic was going to capitalize on their Native American heritage.
Who wouldn't? That said, the first two minutes of 'Chant: 13th Hour'
was one of the few tunes that blatantly tread on that facet of their
background. Once you got through the opening tribal chanting the rest
of the song reflected something along the lines of a Chicano version of
Felix Cavaliere and the Young Rascals. One of the album's hidden
treasures. I'm guessing the pretty acoustic ballad 'Alcatraz' was inspired by the American Indian college students who occupied the island for over a year (November 1969 - June 1971) in an effort to get Federal funding for a cultural and education center. The government eventually cut off power, fresh water and phone services and in mid-June 1971 forcibly removed the handful of protesters still on the island. 3.) Drinkin' and Blo (Pat Vegas) - 2:17 rating: *** stars In
case you couldn't guess from the title,
'Drinkin' and Blo' returned to the band's trademarked rock sound.
Can't say I agree with the sentiments, but it was an energetic performance. Powered
by a nifty Pat bass line, 'Bad News Ain't No New At All' was a nice mix of
their funkier sound and a more commercial orientation. Nothing
outstanding, but it was a nice showcase for their vocal harmonies. 'New Blue Sermonette'
introduced jazzy and blues moves into their sound. Odd, but
intriguing, it was a nice platform for Lolly's instantly recognizable
voice. The track also appeared as the slip side to their 'Maggie'
45.
There's a nice Redbone website at: Redbone (redbone-band.com)
© 06/2024 Scott R. Blackerby
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Already Here Company: Epic Catalog: KE-31598 Year: 1973 Country/State: Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1296 Price: $15.00
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1973's "Already Here' was released in the wake of a personnel change that saw original drummer Pete DePoe quit in the wake of his father's unexpected death. He was quickly replaced by Arturo Perez. Musically the album found the band shifting their sound away from the commercial Cajun-rock moves that had made them radio favorites. With the exception of 'Condition Your Condition', 'Fiat-Do'. and an energetic remake of Leiber and Stoller's 'Poison Ivy' the rest of the album was far more varied and experimental that previous studio sets. 'Power (Prelude To a Means)' was a decent radio-friendly ballad, while 'Speakeasy' found the band trying their hand at country. The title track was an even bigger change in direction with the band dipping their collective toes into Jeff Beck-styled jazz-rock fusion. The results were certainly interesting, but not the place for a casual fan or a curious listener to start.
1.) Fait-Do (Pat Vegas - Lolly Vegas) - 2:36 rating: ** stars Yeah, Epic released it as a single, but to my ears it sounded like a subpar attempt to jump on the Sly and the Family Stone bandwagon. Kind of a mindless funk tune without a great deal going for it. YouTube has a black and white promo clip for the tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkRlLVcKGrc The track was released as the album's lead-ffo single:
- 1972's 'Fais-Do' b/w 'Fais-Do' (Epic catalog number 5-10910) 2.) Motivation (Pat Vegas - Tony.Bellamy - Lolly Vegas) - 2:13 rating: **** stars 'Motivation' was one of the album's more interesting tunes, mixing some punchy horn charts with a driving rock base. Nice harmony vocals on this one. 3.) Power (Prelude To a Means) (Pat Vegas) - 4:29 rating: **** stars 'Power (Prelude To a Means)' was a pretty, if somewhat over-orchestrated ballad that highlighted Tony Bellamy's wah wah guitar and Lolly's nifty voice. He's always reminded me a bit of John Fogerty. Apparently a carry over from earlier recording sessions, the song featured original drummer DePoe. Would have made a nice single. 5.) Speakeasy (Lolly Vegas) - 3:50 rating: ** stars Hum, I Wasn't expecting a country-tinged number ... thoughtful lyrics, but the melody wasn't particularly memorable. 5.) Condition Your Condition (Pat Vegas - Tony Bellamy - Lolly Vegas) - 2:51 rating: **** stars 'Condition Your Condition' was one of the few tunes that carried over their earlier Cajun-rock. Nice rocker and one of the album highlights.
(side 2) 1.) Where Is Your Heart (Lolly Vegas) - 3:05 rating: **** stars My favorite tune, in spite of the hackneyed orchestration, 'Where Is Your Heart' was a soulful ballad that got better as it went along. Lolly had such a cool voice. 2.) Good Enough for Jesus (Pat Vegas) - 2:37 rating: **** stars Another country-influenced tune, Pat explained 'Good Enough for Jesus' as being inspired by audience responses to their long hair and counter-culture appearance. 3.) Poison Ivy (Jerry Leiber - Mike Stoller) - 3:00 Probably the album's biggest surprise, anyone who grew up with The Coasters' version of 'Poison Ivy' was likely to find Redbone's funkified cover quite different. I can certain remember being surprised by the tune the first time I heard it on the radio. Very nice and one of the album highlights. The song was released as the album's second single:
- 1972's 'Poison Ivy' b/w 'Condition Your Condition) (Epic catalog number 5-10946)
YouTube has a clip of the band lip-synching the tune for French TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcgLkSm3tO4 4.) Already Here (Brujo) (Lolly Vegas) - 9:21 rating: **** stars To my ears the title track came off as an overly long slice of jazz-rock fusion. Yeah, Jeff Beck might have been proud of the performance, but stretched out over nine minutes Tony Bellamy's discordant guitar and the rest of the jam quickly became tiring. Not sure if 'Bruno' has a unique meaning in the Indian languages, but in Spanish I think it translates as sorcerer, or witch doctor.
Only 70, Lolly Vegas died of lung cancer in March 2010.
© 06/2024 Scott R. Blackerby
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