Willie and the Red Rubber Band
Band members Related acts
line up 1 (1967-69) - Charles Addington -- keyboards, cello - Glen Ballard -- guitar, bass - Conley Bradford -- drums, percussion - Lanny Fiel - guitar - Willie Redden - vocals, guitar
supporting musicians: 1969 - Begie Chruser -- keyboards - John Buck Wilken -- guitar
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- Willie Redden (solo efforts)
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Genre: rock Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Red Rubber Band Company: RCA Victor Catalog: LSP-4074 Country/State: Shreveport, Texas Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor cover wear; promo copy Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $20.00
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They may have called Shreveport, Texas home, but to my ears Willie and the Red Rubber Band sounded like a mid-'60s Memphis band. As reflected in the liner notes on their debut LP, RCA Victor marketing may have tried to portray them as having a blues edge (see below), but their predominant sound was blue-eyed soul and pop. That might explain why they've always reminded me of Memphis groups like The Gnats, or The Hombres ... By the way, those comparisons aren't meant as a slam since I'm a big fan of '60s Memphis bands.
The initial band line-up showcased the talents of front man/lead singer Willie Redden, keyboardist Charles Addington, bass player Glen Ballard, drummer Conley Bradford, and lead guitarist Lanny Fiel. While there isn't a lot of biographical information available on the band, here's what Redden's liner notes have to say:
"The blues is my bag. Born in, raise during and inspired by the once-called race records, I listened to "Stan the Record Man" out of Shreveport for all the life that I'd lived aware. I started collecting "blues and blues with a Beat" records (some are 78 rpm) in 1953 after hearing a man say "Man alive, we're gonna play a little no-name jive - man what could be bluer than music without a name? But I dig music and so do a lot of other people because the blues has been named ... first jive, then rhythm and blues, then rock 'n' roll and now soul, and brother has it got soul - it always has. I have records by Ray Charles just after he split with the Five Blind Boys, Fats Domino when he sounded like a teenager and the first release by Little Richard. I also have a collection which includes Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, Nappy Brown, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Joe Liggins, Jimmy Liggins, Jimmy Beasley, Jack Dupre, T-Bone Walker and Joe Turner just to name a few. These guys didn't invent the blues by any means ... the blues invented them. The blues is a way of life. Testimony has been made, is being made and shall be made as long as there is life and people living it Every time I get the blues, I get them from my head down to my shoes, and there just ain't no cure 'til I'm singing and playing them. You've gotta be ugly, you've gotta sweat and you've gotta be lonely to dig the blues. Blues is an experience ... blues is a rash ... blues is incurable. Little Richard came to town when I was fourteen. I sneaked into the place he was playing and onto a corner of the stage as close as I could get, which by the way, was pretty close. I can remember keeping him well supplied with requests because I was probably the only person in the place that knew the title to every song he had ever recorded - hit or miss. I've spent the greater portion of my life playing with various local musicians and have been writing for several years now. Blues is an attitude and a feeling - not always good and not always wanted. But writing, playing and singing are forms of contemporary relief, and I continue to take strong doses. The Red Rubber Band is a cover-up for a very "blues" group. Though we are sensitive and versatile we do and feel blues best. As we continue trying to relieve ourselves, here's hoping we can be of some relief to you."
The funny thing is the Duke Niles produced "Willie and the Red Rubber Band" wasn't particularly blues oriented. You certainly weren't going to confuse them with one of the artists Redden name checked on the album's liner notes, or even for a white-blues outfit like John Mayall, or early Fleetwood Mac. With the possible exception of ''I'm Puttin' You Off ', the eleven selections were largely blued-eyed soul and pop. Again, that' wasn't meant as a criticism, just a statement of fact. Redden served as lead singer, rhythm guitarist and was responsible for writing the majority of the material. Keyboard player Addington and bassist Ballard contributed to the songwriting chores. While the band may have envisioned themselves as proud purveyors of the blues, RCA and produced Duke Niles were having none of it. Wherever possible Niles added needless horns and other sweeteners to the mix. I've often wondered how the band could record tracks like the sappy ballad 'Little Old Clockmaker' and the bouncy pop tune 'Good Time' and still claim to be a blues band. I guess we all see ourselves differently than the rest of the world views us. Anyhow, enough of the criticisms. As lead singer Redden had a nice, slight gruff voice. On tracks like the lead off 'School of Hard Knocks', 'Love In the First Degree' and the rockier 'I'll Stay with You' he vaguely reminded me of a younger Tony Joe White. The album's standout performance was also one of the most atypical numbers - the folk-rock/psych 'Mary Jane.' Nothing awe-inspiring, but stronger than a lot of better known releases.
"Red
Rubber Band" track listing: 1.) School of Hard Knocks (Willie Redden) - 2:46 rating: *** stars To my ears, 'School of Hard Knocks' recalled a younger, slightly rawer Tony Joe White. The underlying vibe was blues-meets-swamp rock, but the effect was largely ruined by Don Caldwell's obtrusive horn arrangement. 2.) Street Singer Charles Addington - 1:45 rating: *** stars Can't say I've ever heard a harpsichord propelled blues number prior to 'Street Singer.' It was an interesting mash-up. Guitarist Fiel also turned in a pair of tasty fuzz solos. The only thing wrong with this one was the track was simply too short. 3.) Little Old Clockmaker (Willie Redden - Charles Addington) - 2:05 rating: **** stars Co-written by Redden and Addington, the ballad 'Little Old Clockmaker' was saccharine sweet. In spite of the fact it was a danger to diabetics, I found it music-box charming. Again the main downside was the song was too brief. Loved the way they sang Connecticut. 4.) I Dig Love (Willie Redden) - 1:50 rating: ** stars The album's first disappointment, the horn powered 'I Dig Love' sounded like something you would have seen on a '60s television variety show. Hip blue-eyed soul for an audience that wasn't young, or hip. 5.) Nature's Way of Saying Thank You (Willie Redden - Charles Addington - Glen Ballard) - 2:05 rating: **** stars Side one's standout performance, 'Nature's Way of Saying Thank You' managed to blend classic '60s folk-rock moves with an awesome Ballard fuzz solo and some of the most "frustrated young man" lyrics you've ever heard. I would have tapped this one as a single.
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2) The album's toughest rocker, 'I'll Stay with You' opened up with a blazing Fiel fuzz guitar solo. Redden sounded like he's been using gravel for mouthwash. Awesome performance; good enough that you could even overlook the ever present horns. RCA tapped it as the album's single: - 1968's 'I'll Stay with You' b/w 'Little Old Clockmaker' (RCA Victor catalog number 47-9628) 2.) Mary Jane (Willie Redden) - 1:54 rating: **** stars I'm sure the song doesn't have any subtle drug connotations ... LOL Sweet, breezy acoustic ballad with some interesting early synthesizer backing. Not to sound like a broken record, but it was just way too short. One of the album's standout performances. 3.) I'm Puttin' You Off (Willie Redden) - 2:15 rating: *** stars For a band that was billed as being bluesy, there wasn't a great deal of blues material on these grooves. It was still a stretch, but Redden's 'I'm Puttin' You Off' probably came the closest to being an outright blues number. That's probably why it was one of the set's less impressive numbers. Actually Addington's cello work might have also played a part in the tune being less than overwhelming. 4.) Run Boy Run (Gleghorn) - 2:33 rating: *** stars 'Run Boy Run' was a slow, slightly lysergic-tinged ballad. The lone cover, it's interesting for the cool organ pattern and the fact it sounded like someone other than Redden was handling lead vocals. 5.) Good Time (Willie Redden - Reeder) - 3:56 rating: **** stars Kicked along by a bouncy Farsfa organ and scratchy guitar pattern, 'Good Time' was the album's most commercial performance. Imagine Doug Sahm and the Sir Douglas Quintet in a really good mood. 6.) Love In the First Degree (Willie Redden) - 2:38 rating: *** stars The closer 'Love In the First Degree' struck me as a mash-up of Jerry Lee Lewis and Tony Joe White. Likeable, but not the most original track on the album. Nice Fiel solo.
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