Rock Archeologia

Christopher Milk - Some People Will Drink Anything (1972)

Artist: Christopher Milk
Title: Some People Will Drink Anything
Label: Warner Bros./Reprise Records
Catalog#: MS-2111
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Rock, Pop Rock, Glam
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Bitrate: lossless
Duration: 00:32:54

• John Mendelsohn и Surly Ralph Oswald подружились с тех пор,как играли в группе Halfnelson,вместе с братьями Ron и Russell Mael. Параллельно John подрабатывал музыкальным критиком в LA Times, Rolling Stone и стал известен тем, что написал разгромные статьи на два первых альбом Led Zeppelin. Друзья участвовали в записи демо, но были уволены из группы до заключения серьёзного контракта. Впоследствии Halfnelson трансфомировались в Sparks. Поскольку музыканты уже были заражены бациллой сочинительства и группообразовательства, то в середине 1970 года в общежитии Калифорнийского университета на свет появилась команда Christopher Milk. Пока были заключены контракты с United Artists и Warner Bros. Records,в составе неоднократно происходили изменения,в конечном итоге приведшие к формату квартета.
• Незамедлительно были сочинены и изданы четыре песни на EP, которые звучали очень похоже на Halfnelson. В 1972 году свет увидел альбом Some People Will Drink Anything. Продюсировал его знаменитый Chris Thomas (The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, Pulp, The Pretenders). Он хорошо продавался и даже обогнал по этой позиции дебютник Roxy Music. Но большего успеха добиться им не удалось! Помузицировав до 1973 года, Christopher Milk развалились.
• John Mendelsohn продолжил свою многогранную карьеру сочетая занятия музыкой (несколько сольных альбомов), сочинительство (биография The Kinks-Kinks Kronikles) и музыкальную критику (Rolling Stone,Creem,Playboy, Wired and Mojo). 22 апреля 2012 году музыканты предприняли попытку реанимировать Christopher Milk.

• As much as was promised by the Christopher Milk E.P. before it, the L.P. did not fail to honor those promises. "Some People Will Drink Anything" was a multi-faceted musical tour-de-force/farce that was, perhaps, too remarkable to be appreciated by the general public at the time of its release. However, many musicians of the era surely took notes, not the least of which was Grand Funk Railroad (and/or their producer at the time, Todd Rundgren), whose hitbound take on "The Locomotion" most assuredly copped Christopher Milk's stencil.
• It's perhaps befitting that our lads would pose "a la Fab Four" (see left), inasmuch as this was one of the first production duties that Chris Thomas (one of the Beatles' most reliable Abbey Road engineers) actively pursued. John recalls: "Discerning early on that I didn't give him much to work with, Chris resigned himself to vocals that would forever after embarrass me, and spent nights on end getting Surly Ralph to overdub guitar and keyboard parts while The Kiddo and I killed time playing pinball at a prole bar around the corner..." Nonetheless, you can hardly argue with the results, especially when one regards the very fine musical touches that Mr. Oswald provides throughout the entire 38 minutes and 30 seconds of musical terrain that this L.P. traverses.
• Though sales were not phenomenal, they must have been up to the label's expectations; after all, they even managed to outsell Roxy Music's debut and Sparks' sophomore LP efforts. Armed with a cautious confidence, they strode back into the studio to strike heart at the heart of the singles market -- which leads us to...

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 • Side One:
A1. A1. Tiger (Ralph Oswald) 04:22
A2. LocoMotion (Gerry Goffin - Carole King) 02:28
A3. Poor Baby (John Mendelsohn) 03:39
A4. The Babyshoes Bittersuite: (Total Time - 06:10)
   a) Sad Songs That She Inspired (John Mendelsohn) 01:03
   b) Diminished (John Mendelsohn) 01:23
   c) Kind Lady (Ralph Oswald- John Mendelsohn) 01:00
   d) Your Righteous Man (Ralph Oswald - John Mendelsohn) 02:44
 • Side Two:
B1. Smart Alex (Ralph Oswald - John Mendelsohn) 03:03
B2. A Secondhand Viola (Ralph Oswald - John Mendelsohn) 03:28
B3. The Tough Kids (Ralph Oswald - John Mendelsohn) 02:15
B4. In Search Of R. Crumb (Ralph Oswald - John Mendelsohn) 06:02

 

Musicians:
John Mendelsohn - Acrobatrix and Keyboards, Vocals
Ralph Oswald - Guitar, Keyboards, Woodwinds, Vocals
Kirk Henry - Bass, Vocals
George Draggota - Drums
Produced by Chris Thomas

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