- Dave Wagner (aka Dave Waggoner) -- vocals
   

- Crow

- South 40 

Genre: rock 

Rating: ** (2 stars)

Title:  Dave Wagner d/b/a Crow

Company: Amaret

Catalog: AST-5013

Year: 1972

Country/State: Minneapolis Minnesota USA

Grade (cover/record): VG-/VG

Comments: minor ring wear on cover; 3 inch split along top seam

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 4217

Price: $7.00

Cost: $1.00

Having fronted the Minnesota-based Crow for four years, by 1971 singer David Wagner had simply had enough of the band's never-ending touring schedule and ongoing business frustrations.  The following year Crow manager Kenny Myers approached Wagner with a proposal to record a solo album for Amaret Records (which had just been purchased by MGM).  

Recorded in California with support from an impressive cast of sessions players, 1972's "Dave Wagner d/b/a Crow" was a minor disappointment.  The good news is that on material such as "Everything Has Got To Be Free" and "She Makes Me Warm" Wagner's deep and rugged voice remained in good form.  Unfortunately, producer/manager Myers picked most of the material for the album.  That coupled with some poorly conceived and overly commercial efforts ("If It Feels Good Do It"), left one with the impression Wagner was less that sold on the results.   Elsewhere, a remake of Mickey Newbury's "Mobile Blues" simply paled compared to the original Crow cover.  Not that any of this mattered since Amaret/MGM did little to support the album, which promptly vanished into cutout bins.  

"David Wager d/b/a Crow" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Mobile Blue   (Micky Newbury) - 3:33

2.) Cado Queen    (Williams - Seals - Jennings) - 3:48

3.) Everything Has Got To Be Free    (Ward Chandler) - 2:52

4.) She Makes Me Warm    (Paul Williams) - 3:40

5.) If It Feels Good Do It    (Johnny Stevenson) - 3:07

(side 2)
1.) Before My Time   (Weiss - Stanley) - 3:32

2.) Time That I Love You the Most    (Mentor Williams) - 3:38

3.) Load the Boat Up Captain    (Stan House)  3:30

4.) I Don't Want My Love Refused   (Segarini - Bishop) - 3:03

5.) Victims of the Darkness   (Allen Toussaint) - 3:07

In 1972, Amaret released a Best Of Crow (Amaret AST 5012) sort of as an epitaph to a band that flashed ever so briefly. Eight or nine months after Dave Wagner had left Crow, Kenny Myers called him up to inform him that Amaret had been sold to MGM records. Myers worked out a deal with MGM whereas Dave could release a solo album. Dave-"He asked me if I'd be interested. I thought well, I hadn't done much of anything musically for the last couple of months, why not? They'd totally pay for everything, all my expense for the two weeks I'd be out in California."

"He sent me a list of material to choose from, about 20 songs. One of the songs he insisted I re-record was a Micky Newbury tune we had done as Crow called 'Mobile Blues.'
I worked with some top-notch musicians while out there, but I think the song sounded like shit compared to the way we used to do it. But Myers was happy the way I did it the second time because it's been done his way. He'd been with Mercury Records for years and was sure he knew how to pick the hits. Basically, MGM was fulfilling its obligatory contract to get the album (Dave Wagner d/b/a) out. They had no interest in really backing the project."
From 1983 to the present, Crow now plays predominantly all original crow hits and some new crow originals.