1969 RARE Nick Gravenites MY LABORS Bloomfield Blues

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                                                  ***  ATTENTION! **

SCARCE 1969 ORIG WITH MIKE BLOOMFIELD & QUICKSILVER   

        NICK GRAVENITES

            MY LABORS 

                   USA - COLUMBIA 360 Sound - CS 9899   

Always been hard to find...ORIGINAL 1969 first pressing on the highly collected Coulumbia 360 Sound label...

An important figurehead in the San Francisco sixties...Gravenites was a key player in bands like The Electric Flag & Big Brother and The Holding Company as well as scene-ster blues jam cat who hung in/out with notible San Francisco head bands of the era...

No matter how you look at it, Nick Gravenites has some pretty impressive credentials including stints with Big Brother & the Holding Company and Electric Flag.  Born and raised in Chicago, Gravenites' roots were in the blues (he began hanging out at the city's blues clubs while attending the University of Chicago in the late 1950s) and he stands as one of the folks responsible for injecting that genre into San Francisco's mid-1960s psychedelic scene, where he left his fingerprints as a writer and producer all over bands like The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Janis Joplin, and Quicksilver Messenger Service.  He's written hundreds of songs, produced scored of albums, and played on even more.  Ironically, in spite of those credentials, today he's largely unknown.  Shame since he has quite a legacy.

Largely as a result of his work with Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company, Gravenites scored a recording contract with Columbia.  The result was 1969's "My Labors".    Musically the album was an odd concept divided between five live tracks recorded at various early 1969 dates at Bill Graham's Fillmore West and three studio numbers recorded with members of Quicksilver Messenger Service (billed on the album as anonymous friends).   So here's the interesting thing about the collection ...  it's really good.   We have no idea how much post-production work went into these tapes, but judging by tracks like 'Killing My Love' and 'Holy Moly' Gravenites had a killer voice and the backing from the likes of longtime friend guitarist Michael Bloomfield, keyboardist Mark Naftalin, and a backing section that was simply stellar.  He may have looked like a hip accountant, but unlike most folks trying to push a blues-psych hybrid, Gravenites was smart enough to keep these tracks tight and focused (and occasionally quite funny).  Anyone expecting to hear twenty minutes, acid-stoked jam sessions, or extended, plodding blues numbers was going to be sorely disappointed.   There simply weren't any on here.

'Killing My Love' opened up sounding like a standard blues-rock number, before morphing into something far more commercial with a great call and response arrangement ... and then Bloomfield turned in one of his most amazing solos, simply blowing the song to pieces.  Amazing way to start an album.   

'Gypsy Good Time' was equally good.  Once again, Bloomfield turned in a killer performance as did the backing section section.  

Side one's most commercial performance, 'Holy Moly' is a pretty, radio-friendly ballad with one of those melodies that drilled into your head and simply wouldn't leave.  One might find themselves occasionally humming the track.  The fact Bloomfield turned in another amazing guitar performance didn't hurt the song at all...

Showcasing his Chicago roots, 'Moon Tune' was side one's most conventional blues song.  

the title track, 'My Labors' started side two with the first of three studio tracks  recorded with members of Quicksilver Messenger Service (Gravenites had previously written material for the band and produced one of their albums).  A pretty, rural-tinged ballad, this one simply never really kicked into gear and the female backing vocalists threatened to drown Gravenites out.   

'Throw Your Dog A Bone' was a blazing blues-rocker and one of our favorite performances.  Given the backing was supposedly from Quicksilver, we noted John Cipollina providing his famous quivery guitar.  

'As Good As You've Been To This World' is kind of meandering blues number.  Gravenites vocal is enjoyable.

Returning to live material, 'Wintry Countryside' opened up with some pretty Mark Naftalin keyboards (though it sounded like he was being recorded from across the street), before Bloomfield kicked in with one of his most stunning performances.  When Bloomfield was on his game, he could play as well as any of his better known competitors.  Doubt that comment, then check this one out.   

It was amazing to have seen the stoned Fillmore crowd's reaction of what had hit them ... 
 

CONDITION: The cover is solid with just a little overall light shelf wear but nothing to keep anyone away, VG++, with tight seams, no bends, no writing...bright original colors

The vinyl is glossy shiny over both sides VG++ having only lightest soft (superficial) scuff hairs that are not audible...played excellent when tested here...clean 360 Sound labels too... 

                keeper copy!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for more & more of similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record