Tim Rose


Band members                             Related acts

- Tim Rose (RIP 2002) -- vocals, guitar

 

  supporting musicians: (1970)

- Clem Cattini -- drums, percussion (1970)

- Tina Charles -- backing vocals (1970)

- Herbie Flowers -- bass (1970)
- Alan Hawkshaw -- keyboards (1970)

- Fuzzy Knight -- bass

- Russ Knukel (aka Russ Kunkle) -- drums

- Pete Seers (aka Pete Sears) -- keyboards

- Andy Sommers (aka Andy Summers) -- lead guitar

 

  supporting musicians (1972)

- Slo Bender -- backing vocals

- Bryson Graham -- drums, percussion

- Mick Jones -- guitar

- Ach Leggett -- bass

- Gary Wright -- keyboards

 

 

- The Big Three (Tim Rose)

 

 

 


 

Genre: folk

Rating: 2 stars **

Title:  Love, A Kind of Hate Story

Company: Capitol

Catalog: ST 673
Year:
 1970

Country/State: Washington, D.C.

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: minor ring wear

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5569

Price: $20.00

 

Admittedly I didn't know a great deal about Tim Rose when I stumbled across this album.   I seemed to recall he was a Dylan-styled folky which made the cover showing Rose holding a telecaster kind of interesting ...  That was underscored by the fact Shel Talmy produced the album.  Well it was interesting enough for me to shell out a dollar.

 

Given those apparent discrepancies I wasn't sure what to expect from 1970's "Love, A Kind of Hate Story".  The album title left me with visions of sentimental singer/songwriter material that would send English majors into spasms of self hatred.  Luckily the album title was a misnomer.  Kicked along by Rose's hard as nails voice and a top-notch band in the form of drummer Clem Cattini, bassist Herbie Flowers and keyboardist Alan Hawkshaw (all members of the Talmy-managed band Rumplestiltkin) about half of these tracks seriously rocked with at least three being worth the prices of admission ('Dim Light A-Burning', 'You Can't Stop Yourself' and 'Ode To An Old Ball').  Yeah, Rose's voice was an acquired taste.  Imagine a slightly less spastic Joe Cocker, or a Kevin Coyne who was a little more mainstream and you'd be in the right neighborhood.  The horn arrangements were another problem ...  

 

 

 

Too rock oriented for folk fans and too folk for rock fans, his probably isn't the place to start checking out Rose's catalog.  Still, the album has it's moments.

 

For some reason Capitol marketing elected to issue the album's UK release with alternative artwork (Capitol catalog number ST-22673).

 

 

 

 

"Love, A Kind of Hate Story" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) I've Gotta Get a Message To You (Barry Gibb - Robin Gibb - Maurice Gibb) - 2:25  rating: * star

Things certainly got off to a ragged start with an ill-advised cover of The Bee Gee's 'I've Gotta Get a Message To You'.  Adding an overblown horn arrangement that only served to highlight his ragged voice, Rose managed to take a crappy song and make it even worse.   Always wondered why Capitol tapped it as a single:

- 1970's 'I Gotta Get a Message to You ' b/w 'Jamie Sue' (Capitol catalog number P-3001)

2.) Dim Light A-Burning (Tim Rose) - 3:15  rating: **** stars

'Dim Light A-Burning' was one of the set's highlights.  Great rocker and Rose's voice came off well. 

3.) Where Do You Go To My Lovely (Peter Sarstead) - 6:20  rating: * star

Why would anyone want to cover a fey piece of MOR crud like Peter Sarstead's 'Where Do You Go To My Lovely'?  Yech !    

4.) You Can't Stop Yourself  (Tim Rose) - 2:48    rating: **** stars

The combination of dainty harpsichord and some of Rose's nastiest lyrics (some lady totally ticked him off), made 'You Can't Stop Yourself' fun to hear.   

5.) Sad Song (George Clinton) - 4:40  rating: * star

A martial paced ballad complete with bleating female back chorus, 'Sad Song' was one for the English majors ...  Okay, okay, Rose turned in a nice lead guitar on the song. 

 

(side 2)
1.) Georgia By Morning (B. Cadd - D. Mudie) - 4:15  rating: * star

'Georgia By Morning' was a nice ballad, but Rose's whining vocal (you were left wondering whether he'd make it through the song) effectively killed it.   

2.) Ode To An Old Ball (Tim Rose) - 3:35  rating: **** stars

While Rose's labored vocals were often hard to take, on the soul-ish  'Ode To An Old Ball' they were near perfect.  Great track !!!   

3.) Sympathy (Rare Bird) - 2:40  rating: * star

 Sounds strange, but 'Sympathy' sounded like a Gary Brooker and Procol Harum outtake.  Unfortunately Rose should stay away from fey ballads.     

4.) I Know These Two People (Tim Rose) - 3:25   rating: * star

 Well the harpsichord melody was nice, though I can't think of anything else to say about 'I Know These Two People'.    

5.) Jamie Sue (Tim Rose) - 3:52  rating: *** stars

The album closed on a positive note with the original 'Jamie Sue' serving as the set's most commercial and mainstream track (thankfully no horns).   

 

 

 

In September 2002 Rose underwent surgery for cancer.  Only 62, he died from resulting complications. 

 

There are a couple of nice Tim Rose websites:

 

The official website is located at: http://www.tim-rose.co.uk/

 

Longtime friend/fan Brian Mathieson also has a nice site at:

http://www.bmathieson.freeserve.co.uk/tr/index.html

 

 

© Scott R. Blackerby March, 2023

 

 

 

 

 


Genre: rock

Rating: 4 stars ****

Title:  Tim Rose

Company: Playboy

Catalog: PB-101
Year:
 1972

Country/State: Washington, D.C.

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: three panel sleeve

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 1025

Price: $50.00

 

 

I've always been interested in learning how Tim Rose came to sign with Playboy's short lived record label. Similarly, Rose's decision to work with the late Spooky Tooth singer/keyboardist Gary Wright was an odd pairing, though the liner notes to their 1972 collaboration briefly explain the circumstances behind the pairing - "I called Gary in Paris in November 1970, and concurrently introduced myself and asked him to produce my new album.  He said yes.  It was a thrilling conversation."  Not exactly a deep discussion of why ...  Irregardless, the Wright produced "Tim Rose" marked a continuation of Rose's move away for his earlier folk image.  His previous release, 1970's "Love: A Kind of Hate Story" featured Rose working with a rock band line-up and exploring more conventional rock moves.  The follow-up went even further. Nah, you weren't going to mistake this  for a Deep Purple album, but the mixture of Rose originals and outside covers found him shifting towards a more conventional and mainstream rock sound.  Sure, the inclusion of  two Tim Hardin songs was a nod to Rose's folk roots, though his version of 'If I Were a Carpenter' was on the rock side of the equation).  Exemplified by his Beatles cover and three Wright covers it seemed pretty clear Rose no longer wanted to be a folk singer. The biggest discovery was how good Rose could sound in a rock setting.  Note I used the word "could".  On tracks like 'It Takes a Little Longer', 'Cryin' Shame' and a cover of Spooky Tooth's 'Cotton Growing Man' his voice came off strong, resilient and confident, as if he'd been singing rock his entire musical career.  That new, heavier sound was well supported by Wright and Spooky Tooth drummer Bryson Graham and guitarist Mick Jones.  Sure, there were a couple of mis-steps.  The Beatles cover reminded you of Joe Cocker's shrill, frenetic cover of The Fab Four's 'With a Little Help from My Friends'.  'Boogie Boogie' and the reprise were like third tier Marc Bolan retreads. The ballad 'You Can't Keep Me' was bland and depressing.  Still, I liked the album's commercial direction and yes, I know those sentiments put me at odds with most hardcore Rose fans.  C'est la vie.

Playboy certain spared no expense on the album packaging, releasing it in a three-panel sleeve cover with glitzy photos from Leandro Correa and Rod Dryer.  Shame they didn't promote the album or any of the singles with the same vigor.  (Small factoid - the back cover photo of a pensive looking Rose was subsequently used as the cover of the 1976 "Unfinished Songs" album (Tiger Lily catalog number TL 14055).

 

"Tim Rose" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) It Takes a Little Longer (Christina Uppstrom - Gary Wright) - 2:50 rating: **** stars

The liner notes described the song as: "A Gary Wright tune turned into a fantastic tune.  We had a lot of fun recording this."  Opening with the first of three Gary Wright compositions, 'It Takes a Little Longer' was an unexpected surprise.  I never would have suspected Rose's rugged voice would sound this good when paired with a for blues-rocker.  Kicked along by Mick Jones' guitar the song had a breezy, Southern-rock flavor and a killer refrain.  Unlike Wright's own vocals, Rose sounded  totally comfortable, not even straining to get through the performance.  Nothing shrill here.  (Yes, that was a comparison to Gary Wright's singing style.)  The song was released as a promotional single in the US:  Shame Playboy didn't have the resources to push the 45 since it could have been a massive radio hit.

- 1972's 'It Takes a Little Longer' b/w 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' (Playboy catalog number P 50005)

2.) You Can't Keep Me (John Bettis - Tim Rose) - 2:45 rating: ** stars

'You Can't Keep Me' was a stark, rather depressing ballad - just Rose and acoustic guitar.  I was surprised at how much I liked Rose's deep, expressive voice, but these weren't the kind of lyrics that were going to endear him to a legion of women.   The liner notes describe the song as: "I don't mind if you borrow me for a week or so, but nothing permanent.  A song written in my own wonderful, unforgiving fashion.  No apology to Germaine and all her funny little libertines.  I Never felt women were particularly hated by men anyway."  

3.) You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 5:10 rating: ** stars

"What can be said about a Beatles song other than I've never recorded on before."  The arrangement dragged the song out slowing it down to a funeral dirge. Gary Wright's church organ fills only underscored the dirge comparison.  Rose's vocals recalling the late Joe Cocker.  Mick Jones' guitar provided the song highlights.

 

- 1972's 'Hide Your Love Away' (stereo) b/w 'Hide Your Love Away' (mono) (Playboy catalog number 50005)

4.) Boogie Boogie (Tim Rose) -1:10 rating: ** stars

Well the title wasn't inspiring and the lyrics weren't about to win him a Pulitzer Prize, but it was certainly strange to hear Rose trotting out his best Marc Bolan impersonation.  Docked a star for being more of a song fragment that a true song.  "The Boogie part in front and in back I wrote while playing in sun-struck, sun-filled Orange County, California about one hundred years ago.  The rest of the song you'll recognize as being written by another Tim."

5.) If I Were a Carpenter (Tim Hardin) - 2:55 rating: **** stars

The Tim Hardin original remains the go-to version, but kicked along by Bryson Graham's tasteful drums and some of Mick Jones' prettiest work Rose's rocked-up 'If I Were a Carpenter' arrangement was darned impressive. I can't get over how good his voice sounded in a rock setting.

6.) Boogie Boogie (Tim Hardin) - 1:00 rating: ** stars

A straight ahead instrumental reprise of the earlier track ...

 

(side 2)
1.)  Cryin' Shame (Gary Wright) - 3:43
rating: **** stars

With drummer Graham setting the pace and Jones contributing some nice slide guitar moves the rocker 'Cryin' Shame' found Rose trotting out his roughened up voice. Not to sound like a broken record, but he sounded great.  Shame the song faded out when the guitar showdown kicked in.  "This is the kind of hard rock sing Gary's old group, Spooky Tooth, did so well.  I wanted a sing like this on my album.  So here it is."  Technically Spooky Tooth was still active ...

2.) Darling You Were All That I Had (John Bettis - Kerry Chater) - 4:27 rating: *** stars

Co-written by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap keyboardist Kerry Chater, the heavy ballad 'Cryin' Shame' sounded like a mash-up of Joe Cocker and Spooky Tooth.  Once again  Graham and Jones backing made all the difference, turning an okay song into a much stronger performance.  This one would have made a nice single.  "A John Bettis lyric and Kerry Chater tune and vice versa.  John is one of my oldest friends and a hell of a prolific writer.  "Darling" is a beautiful song about putting your eggs in one basket.  I once did; John constantly does.  Ah! The delights of stocking tops."

3.) Cotton Growin' Man (Gary Wright) - 4:03 rating: **** stars

I was familiar with 'Cotton Growin' Man' owning the Spooky Tooth original (it appeared on their 1973 album "You Broke My Heart So...I Busted Your Jaw").  Slathered in Wright keyboards, Graham's thundering drums and Jones' fuzz guitar the original was a tour-de-force with the harmony vocals giving it just a touch of commercialism.  The one thing Rose's version had were better vocals.  His gravelly delivery gave the song a searing feeling of frustration and reservation.  Rose actually reminded me of the late Root Boy Slim on this one.  "Being from the South, I cam honestly say I never picked cotton, but I feel for the rotten existence pickers lead.  Just drive through there on one of your travels.  Incidentally, Gary is from New Jersey."  I'm not sure being born in Washington, D.C. qualifies as the South.  You certainly won't find much cotton in the area.

4.) Goin' Down in Hollywood (John Bettis - Tim Rose) - 4:42 rating: **** stars

Admittedly 'Goin' Down in Hollywood' was one of the darkest songs I've every encountered. Easy to see where so much of Rose's frustrations came from.  Regardless, I've always loved this I-hate-Hollywood ditty.  The snarling cynicism that came pouring out in the autobiographical tune was simply ferocious.  It certainly wasn't fair that such a talented guy would never enjoy the recognition and fame many of his less talented compatriots would.  But then life is seldom fair.  "About a wonderful town and so full of shit.  Someday, if we're all good, Hollywood will be a as farm land."

 

 

 

 

 

- 1972's 'Goin' Down in Hollywood' (stereo) b/w 'Goin' Down in Hollywood' (mono) (Playboy catalog number P 50012)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Scott R. Blackerby December 2024

 

 

 


Genre: rock

Rating: 4 stars ****

Title:  Unfinished Song

Company: Tiger Lily

Catalog: TL 14055
Year:
 1976

Country/State: Washington, D.C.

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: still in shrink wrap (opened)

Available: 2

Catalog ID: 1025

Price: $425.00

 

 

Self-produced, musically1976's "Unfinished Song" was a major departure for Tim Rose.  Although released in 1976, the album's history is ill defined and confusing.  Depending what references you use, the material was recorded in 1970, 1972, or 1975.  Judging by the songs and the overall album vibe, I'd go with the 1972 recording date.  That's based on the fact that while living in L.A. Rose formed a short-lived group that year.  The line-up featured keyboardist bassist Larry "Fuzzy" Knight, Michael 'Papabax' Baxter, drummer Shelly Scott  and guitarist Bob Zinner on guitar. I'm guessing the band recorded some material in anticipation of hitting the concert circuit.  There are different stories explaining how the material landed in the hands of Morris Levy's Tiger Lily tax scam label.  One story I've read has the master tapes being stolen and sold on the cheap to Levy.  Another has the studio where the recordings were made going bankrupt at which time the tapes were sold to Levy.  Regardless, it's one of the rarer releases in Rose's catalog, and is one of the holy grails in the Tiger Lily catalog.  In fact this is the only copy of the LP I've ever seen.   Having mentioned I had a copy on an online forum, before I'd even listed  it for sale a couple of high end dealers had contacted me about buying it.  Reportedly an attempt to expand his repertoire and audience beyond folk by recording a real rock and roll collection, about all you can say is he succeeded with flying colors.  Backed by a small group of studio musicians including Fuzzy Knight, keyboardist Russ Kunkle (erroneously listed as Russ Kunkle) and Andy Summers (mis-spelled as Andy Sommers), Rose seemed to be having a blast across these eight tracks.   Perhaps because it was little more than a personal experiment that was never intended for broad release, the performances were uniformly upbeat and enthusiastic.  On tracks like the opener 'Outrageous Mary', the bossa nova-tinged 'Givin'' and 'The Day I Spent with You', Rose sounded like he was having fun in the studio.  Hard to imagine for a folky who trafficked in pain and despair.   In fact, I can only think of one negative thing to say about this album - clocking in at less than thirty minutes, it was simply too short.  (The album cover photo was lifted from Rose's prior album - 1972's "Tim Rose" (Playboy catalog PB-101).

 

"Unfinished Song" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Outrageous Mary (Tim Rose) -    rating: **** stars

So anyone who thinks Rose was nothing more than a run of the mill folky needs to hear this fuzz guitar powered rocker.  The combination of Rose's blistering voice, Andy Summers fuzz guitar, and the Knight and Kunkle rhythm section was simply devastating.   The track's always reminded me of a good Stephen Still rocker.  
2,) Givin' (Tim Rose) - 
   rating: **** stars

For a moment the acoustic guitar opening gave you the impression  'Givin'' was a return to folk, but it wasn't.   Instead the song featured a surprisingly enjoyable bossa-nova vibe with a touch of Flamenco guitar thrown in.   Unfortunately, the song faded out prematurely.  
3.) The Day I Spent with You (Tim Rose) - 
   rating: **** stars

Opening up with some squealing Andy Summers (the liner notes list him as Andy Sommers) lead guitar, 'The Way I Spent with You' was a straightforward rocker.  Seemingly inspired by a one-shot dalliance with a married woman, about all you can say is she must have been one amazing woman.   My pick for the album's best performances.  
4.) Little Girl (Tim Rose) - 
   rating: **** stars

Another out-and-out fuzz guitar propelled rocker.   You were left to wonder why the man didn't do more of this stuff !!!  

 

(side 2)
1.) Unfinished Song
(Tim Rose) -   rating: *** stars

To be honest, the title track was probably my least favorite performance.  Showcasing Pete Sears on keyboards (the performance credits listed him as Pete Seers), this one sounded like  sub par Spooky Tooth track.   
2.) Mine For a Night (Tim Rose) -   rating: **** stars

Showcasing Venetta Fields and Clydie King on backing vocals, 'Mine for a Night' sounded like a good Spooky Tooth rocker.  
3.) Empty People
 (Tim Rose) -   rating: *** stars

Probably the album's prettiest tune, 'Empty People' featured another killer Summers guitar, while showcasing some interesting facets in Rose's gruff voice.
4.) Where Is the Good Life? (Tim Rose) -
   rating: **** stars

With a blazing rock melody, 'Where Is the Good Life?' simply served to underscore how good Rose could sound in a conventional rock setting.   One of the album's most FM-friendly tunes.  

 

 

© Scott R. Blackerby March, 2023

 

 


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