Eugene Wallace
Band members Related acts
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- Eugene Wallace (RIP 1999) -- vocals, guitar
supporting musicians: (1972) - Bob Andrews -- organ - Mike Bailey -- trumpet - Madeline Bell -- backing vocals - Jeff Beadle -- sax - Chris Careen -- tablas - Ronnie Carylie -- guitar - Phil Collins -- drums, percussion - Ray Cooper -- percussion - Jeff Daley -- sax - Leslie Duncan -- backing vocals - Kay Gardner -- backing vocals - Jo Jo Glemsor -- guitar - Nick Graham -- keyboards - Steve Gregory -- sax - John Hawken -- keyboards - David Hentschell -- synthesizers - Rud Hudson -- lead guitar - Chris Hughes -- sax - Davey Johnstone -- guitar, mandolin - Paul Keogh -- lead guitar - Tony Knight -- drums, percussion - Kristof Krisiekwitz -- organ - Laura Lee -- backing vocals - Lynott Niaff -- keyboards - Brian Odgers -- bass - Margo Quantrel -- backing vocals - Tim Renwick -- lead guitar - Frank Ricotti -- percussion - Liza Strike -- backing vocals - Mike Taubman -- lead guitar - Geoff Wright -- trombone
supporting musicians: (1974) - Hughie Burns -- guitars - Phil Chen -- bass - Phil Collins -- drums, percussion - Barry De Souza -- drums, percussion - Mike Morgan -- keyboards - Brian Odgers -- bass - Chris Spedding -- lead guitar
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- Johnny Fean - MacBeath - Rake N’ Ramblers - Sweet Street
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Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Book of Fool Company: ABC Catalog: ABCX
810 Country/State: Limerick, Ireland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor cover wear'; white label promo copy Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1129 Price: $20.00
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Walked into a garage sale and bought this one (along with 90 other albums) for 50 cents a pop. Had no idea who Eugene Wallace was, but the cover and title looked entertaining and how could you go wrong for the price ?
Wallace is largely unknown to me. He was born in Limerick Ireland and as a teenager spent time in a series of local bands including Sweet Street, Johnny Fean, and MacBeth. By 1971 Wallace was living and working in London where his participation in a September 1971 charity concert (raising funds for Bangladesh), attracted the attention of Neptune Productions. Neptune signed him to a contract, planning on releasing an album of cover tunes to showcase his unique voice. Unhappy with the plan Wallace insisted on being allowed to record some of his original material. The end result was a compromise with Wallace mixing originals with cover from Tim Buckley, Jackson Browne, and Randy Newman. Released by EMI (ABC acquired US rights),1974's "Book of Fool" teamed Wallace with producer John Anthony and an impressive cast of supporting musicians, including B.J. Cole, Phil Collins, Tim Renwick, and Roger Taylor (I counted over 30 names in the supporting credits) Exemplified by tracks like 'The Gambler', 'Trail of Tears' and 'Blind Willie Johnson', the album showcased Wallace's tough, bluesy voice that occasionally sounded more than a little like Joe Cocker trying to fight his way through a nasty head cold (check out his cover of Randy Newman's 'You Can Keep Your Hat On'). I'll readily admit Wallace's voice wasn't going to appeal to everyone out there, but folks who liked Cocker, Frankie Miller, Bob Seger, and other "tough" singers were probably going to find this guy immensely appealing.
"Book of
Fools" track listing: 1.) The Gambler (Eugene Wallace) - 4:23 'The Gambler' was a nice up-tempo rocker that sounded a bit like Bonnie and Delaney with Joe Cocker handling lead vocals. rating: *** stars 2.) Rock Me On the Water (Jackson Browne) - 4:07 Early Jackson Browne cover so the man had decent musical tastes. His version didn't stray too far from the original's melody, but had a nice, energetic country-rock edge to it. ABC released it as a promotional single in the States. rating: *** stars 3.) Don't You Feel It ? (Eugene Wallace) - 4:10 Okay, the flute arrangement didn't do much for me, not did the shrill female backing vocals, but otherwise 'Don't You Feel It ?' boasted one of the album's prettiest and most commercial melodies, probably explaining why it was tapped as a single in the States and the UK. rating:***** stars 4.) Morning Glory (Beckett - Tim Buckley) - 4:27 Ever wondered what Joe Cocker covering a Tim Buckley song would sound like ? Well, Wallace's cover of 'Morning Glory' (off of Buckley's "Goodbye and Hello" album), well give you the answer. Intense comes to mind. rating: *** stars 5.) Trail of Tears (Eugene Wallace - M. Hall) - 4:26 Another impressive up-tempo rocker than bore more than a little resemblance to Joe Cocker's sound. The man could certainly wail. ABC tapped the song as an instantly obscure single rating: *** stars
(side
2) Perhaps not the most subtle lyrics you've ever heard, but it was still a wonderful anti-drug tune. Loved Wallace's acoustic guitar work on the track. rating: **** stars 2.) The Badman (Eugene Wallace) - 3:20 Kicked along by Tim Renwick on lead guitar, 'The Badman' was the album's toughest rocker. My goodness the man could growl. The raunchy lyrics guaranteed no radio station would come close to the tune. rating: **** stars 3.) You Can Leave Your Own Hat On (Randy Newman) - 6:02 If you were doubtful about the Cocker resemblance, check this one out. Wallace even managed to nail Cocker's spastic vocal edge on this one ... shades of John Belushi. rating: *** stars 4.) Blind Willie Johnson (M. Hall) - 3:04 Possibly Wallace's most impressive performances, 'Blind Willie Johnson' had a great country-blues melody that allowed him to stretch out without falling into the dread Cocker sound-alike track. Fantastic performance. rating: **** stars 5.) Book of Fool (Eugene Wallace) - 6:45 Maybe it's just my long abused ears, but the percussion heavy folk rocker 'Book of Fool' has always reminded me of Richie Havens. Always liked Brian Ogders' bass on this one. rating: *** stars
EMI preceded the album's release with the single 'Don't You feel It' b/w 'The Badman' (EMI catalog number EMI 2144)
In the States the singles were
- 1974'-s 'Rock Me On the Water' (mono) b/w 'Rock Me On the Water' (stereo) (ABC catalog number ABC-11418) - 1974's 'Do You Feel It' b/w 'The Gambler' ABC catalog number ABC-11446)
With little promotional support and absent any touring in support of the album, the record quickly vanished into cutout bins. Shame since it's quite impressive; one of those album's that I like the more I hear it.
For hardcore fans, along with David Essex and Ringo Starr, Wallace appeared in the 1973 film "That'll Be the Day" (Ronco catalog number MR 2002/2003). One of his songs 'Slow Down' was featured in the accompanying film soundtrack.
I've never been able to uncover the details, but Wallace died in November 1999. He was only 45 years old.
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Genre: rock Rating: ??? Title: Dangerous Company: EMI Catalog: EMC
3067 Country/State: Limerick, Ireland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: -- Catalog ID: -- Price: --
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I've never tracked down a copy, but there's a second Eugene Wallace LP - 1974's "Dangerous".
Musically the album continued to showcase Wallace's impressive voice, but EMI apparently pressured him to pursue a more commercial Given the debut did little commercially sound. For better or worse, Wallace responded by dipping into his Joe Cocker bag of influences. , the follow-up LP never saw a US release. About half of the tracks reflected material recorded during, or shortly after 1974's "Book of Fool". Copies are hard to locate and based on Roger Taylor's participation, have become quite expensive, frequently selling for more than $100.
"Dangerous" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Reach Out and Touch 2.) Red Light Lady 3.) Kind Woman Kind Released as the UK and US singles, 4.) Lies 5.) Lullaby
(side 2) 1.) The Killer One of the songs recorded during the 1972 sessions, 'The Killer' The song also featured Queen drummer Roger Taylor. 2.) Children One of the album's standout tunes 3.) Little Baby Mine 4.) Dangerous
While the album was not released in the States, there was a US single:
- 1975's' 'Kind Woman Kind' b/w 'The Killer' (GRC catalog number 2079)
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