Stillrock
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969) -
Bobby Cochran -- guitar, backing vocals -
Casey Van Beek -- bass, backing vocals
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- Bobby and the Midnights (Bobby Cochran) - Cotton Candy (Bobby Cochran) - Kelly and the Midnights (Bobby Cochran) - Kindred (Bobby Cochrane) - Moccasin (Casey Van Beek) - Don Preston (solo efforts) - Don Preston and the South - The Prophets (Bobby Cochran) - Leon Russell and the Shelter People (Don Preston) - Shindogs (Don Preston) - Bob Smith (Don Preston) - Steppenwolf (Bobby Cochran) - The Tractors (Casey Van Beek) - The Vesuvians (Bobby Cochran)
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Genre: pop Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Stillrock Company: Enterprsie Catalog: ENS
1016 Country/State: US Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 14822 Price: SOLD $25.00
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A rock album released on Stax's Ernterprise subsidiary that was produced by Donald Duck Dunn and Don Nix, and featuring material by Nix and Don Preston ... sounds like an interesting way to spend a couple of hours ...
Before recording as Stillrock (I've also seen it referenced as Still Rock'), guitarist/singer Don Preston, guitarist Bobby Cochran, bassist Casey Van Beek, and drummer Bob Young had recorded and album as Don Preston and the South ("Hot Air Through a Straw").
A&M SP-4174
Perhaps because the name wasn't particularly cool, by 1969 the group had reinvented themselves as Stillrock, signing a contract with Stax's short-lived Enterprise subsidiary. Co-produced by Donald Duck Dunn and Don Nix, the album showcased some real talent though much of the impact was lost across the eclectic mixture of genres that graced the eleven tracks. As lead singer, Preston had an extremely likeable voice. He was far from a great singer, but seemed to know his limitations and made the most of his range and capabilities. The rest of the band were also pretty impressive with bassist Van Beek turning in a series of impressive performances. The band was also willing to experiment with some interesting musical mash-ups - check out the country-meets-psych ' Lost City Child'. And too a large extent that was the big problem here. It was simply hard to figure out who these guys were. Bouncing around between country, pop, psych, rock, etc. left you wondering if they were simply auditioning as a wedding act. That's not to take away from the album's strengths. A couple of these tunes were really good with lots of mid-'60s radio potential. 'So Hard to Say Goodbye', 'Hiway Fever' and 'Waiting for the Door to Open'. Unfortunately those tracks were offset by way too many bland, MOR-ish ballads ('I Can Remember') and equally irritating country moves ('Wedding Parade'). Worth hearing especially if you can find a reasonably priced copy.
left to right - Don Preston - Bob Young - Bobby Cochran - Casey Van Beek
"Stillrock" track listing: 1.) So Hard to Say Goodbye (Don Nix - Don Preston) - 2:18 Kicked
along by what sounded like some nice organ chords and the band's fantastic
harmony vocals, 'So Hard to Say Goodbye' was a sweet, mid-'60s slice of
top-40 pop that came close to bubblegum status and would not have sounded
out of place on an Archies album ('specially if Archie and company had been
raised in the South). rating:
**** stars 'The
Reach of My Memory' was a pretty
country-rock ballad that again showcased the band's glistening harmony
vocals. Probably a bit sappy and over-orchestrated for rock fans, but
folks with a '60s top-40 sweet tooth will love it. rating:
*** stars A
shout-down slice of Southern Gospel-rock, this is the kind of stuff Bonnie
and Delaney would have given their right arms up to write and
record. Not sure who handled the lead vocals on this one, but he
sounded like on of the guys from Three Dog Night. rating:
*** stars Normally
a country number like 'Rolling In My Dreams'
wouldn't do much for me, but there was something charming about this one
... it certainly made life sound simpler - which I guess was the
case back in 1969. rating:
*** stars Ever
wondered what Bobby Fuller might have sounded like had he hung out with
Buddy Holly ? Well, I'd suggest the bouncy 'Hiway Fever' might
give you an inkling or the result. Nothing short of charming
!!! rating:
**** stars (side 2) 1.) Waiting for the Door to Open (Don Preston) - 2:55 The
breezy pop number
'Waiting for the Door to Open opened side two with another track that had
echoes of The Everly Brothers and Bobby Fuller embedded in the
grooves. Lovely acoustic guitar and the TexMex-tinged melody was
simply heavenly. rating:
**** stars A
straightforward country number with a hokey lyric, other than the need
multi-tracked vocals, this one was a total waste to my ears.
rating: ** star Heartfelt,
but ultimately MOR-ish ballad that probably could've been a hit for a
country artist. rating:
** stars Hum,
country-meets-psych; Coral electric sitar-meets-fiddle ...
Sounds weird and it was, but in a cool, '60s fashion. One of the
album's true guilty pleasures with Van Beek turning in one those
hyper-melodic bass lines that seems to have disappeared from modern
rock. rating:
**** stars Since
they were signed by Stax it only seems right they'd include at least one
cover tune and they turn in a nice, reverential version of the Hayes-Porter
classic 'When
Something Is Wrong With My Baby '.
It won't make you
forget the Sam and David hit, but it was still pretty
impressive. rating:
*** stars Country-rock with a slightly funky edge; nice harmony vocals, and a cool sitar-like guitar effect. Anyone who liked early Joe South would probably enjoy this one as well. rating: *** stars
The record received virtually no promotional support from Stax and did little commercially. Within a short timeframe, they'd called it quits with the various members moving on to other projects.
Preston has a small web presence at: http://www.donprestonguitar.com/music
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