"Lie Back And Enjoy It" by JUICY LUCY (2010 Esoteric Recordings 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…Ain't Going Down That Lonesome Road All By Myself…"

Released in September 1969 – JUICY LUCY’s self-titled debut LP was only the second album on the then new progressive rock label VERTIGO Records. And on the back of their blistering UK 7” single “Who Do You Love” which was lifted off the record and released in February 1970 - the "Juicy Lucy" album finally charted in the UK in April 1970. And that’s where this cool little CD reissue kicks in. "Lie Back And Enjoy It" was their hurriedly recorded follow-up LP (featuring a radically altered band line-up) – and it’s mid-price expanded CD reissue by the renowned Esoteric Recordings Label (part of Cherry Red) is a welcome boogie blast from my distant past…

UK released August 2010 (reissued June 2015) – "Lie Back And Enjoy It" by JUICY LUCY on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC2216 (Barcode 5013929731646) is an ‘Expanded Edition’ CD Remaster and breaks down as follows (39:08 minutes):

1. Thinking Of My Life

2. Built For Comfort

3. Pretty Woman

4. Whisky In My Jar

5. Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham

6. Changed My Mind, Changed My Sign

7. That Woman’s Got Something

8. Willie The Pimp/Lie Back And Enjoy It Medley

Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Lie Back And Enjoy It" released October 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 014. The album charted at number 53 on the UK LP charts for one week in November 1970. Their next two albums were on the 'Bronze' and 'Polydor' labels ("Get A Whiff A This" from 1971 and "Pieces" from 1972).

Track 9 "I'm A Thief" (Mono) is the non-album B-side to their second 7" single "Pretty Woman" (Track 3 on Side 1). It was released September 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6059 015 (also on the Spiral label) but failed to chart.

Boasting a new 24-bit remaster by BEN WISEMAN at Audio Archiving in London (it was first put out by Repertoire in 1994) - it's also available digitally at www.losttunes.com.

The 5-piece for this LP featured PAUL WILLIAMS on Lead Vocals, Congas & Piano [ex Zoot Money’s Big Band] with GLENN ROSS CAMPBELL on Lead Guitar, Mandolin and Vocals [ex The Misunderstood], MICKY MOODY on Guitars [ex Tramline, Mike Cotton Sound - later with Snafu, Whitesnake & duet work with Paul Williams], CHRIS MERCER on Saxophones & Keyboards [ex John Mayall's Bluesbreakers], KEITH ELLIS on Bass & Vocals [ex Koobas and Van Der Graaf Generator] and ROD COOMBES on Drums and Percussion.

Building on the greasy slide-guitar boogie-band feel of their self-titled debut, “Lie Back And Enjoy It” went down the same road – only this time they’d replaced Ray Owen as Lead Vocalist with Paul Williams and Neill Hubbard’s guitar work with that of Micky Moody. Like the first album it’s a mixed batch of the great and the ordinary. The Paul Williams penned “Pretty Woman” was released as the album’s only single and you can instantly hear why – catchy as a cold in Margate. The cover of the Willie Dixon song he gave to Howlin' Wolf "Built For Comfort" is less successful as is the awful version of Zappa’s “Willy The Pimp” (although it redeems itself at about 5 minutes 34 seconds in as it fades out and suddenly turns into a lovely 2-minute long piano instrumental - not surprisingly called “Lie Back And Enjoy It”). But the track I dig the most is “This Woman’s Got Something” which was co-written by Moody, Campbell and William (lyrics above) – it’s a bluesy builder with great guitar work and has graced more than a few 70’s FEST CDs I’ve made up for shop play.

Sound - like Esoteric’s 2010 reissue of "Juicy Lucy" the audio quality is incredibly clean and crisp, full of power and a massive improvement over what I had before - a really great job done. The 16-page booklet features a really detailed account by MARK POWELL of their transition from The Misunderstood of 1966 to Juicy Lucy of 1969 and onwards into 1970 and their many line-up changes. The original album artwork was an elaborate 4-way foldout poster affair that is reproduced in parts here. There are also full-page colour-plates for each member of the band, Vertigo adverts for the group and a foreign picture sleeve of the “Pretty Woman” single. Like its predecessor, it's all very nicely done.

There are some Seventies bands I go dolally over and JUICY LUCY is one of them. And although some of the tracks on here don't quite live up to the image and promise of the elaborate sleeve - there's tunes on here that do. I've loved re-hearing this long-forgotten album.

A wicked little reissue really...

PS: Their 1st Vertigo album from September 1969 "Juicy Lucy" has also been remastered and reissued by Esoteric in 2010 with a bonus track (see separate review).

“Juicy Lucy” by JUICY LUCY (2010 Esoteric Recordings 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

JUICY LUCY are part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…Walked 47 Miles Of Barbed Wire…Used A Cobra Snake For A Necktie…"

Sandwiched between "Valentyne Suite" by Colosseum (VO 1) and "Chapter Three" by Manfred Mann (VO 3) - "Juicy Lucy" by JUICY LUCY was only the 2nd album ever released on the then fledgling progressive rock Vertigo Label (famous for its Spiral label design). This reissue is 24-bit newly remastered reissue of that fab boogie-woogie debut LP (it was first put out by Repertoire in 1994) and features a relevant bonus track. It's also available digitally at www.losttunes.com. The quality remaster on this mid-price CD is by BEN WISEMAN at Audio Archiving in London. Here are juicy fruity details...

UK released August 2010 on CD  - "Juicy Lucy" by JUICY LUCY on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC2215 (Barcode 5013929731547) is an ‘Expanded Edition’ CD Remaster and breaks down as follows (41:07 minutes):

1. Mississippi Woman

2. Who Do You Love?

3. She’s Mine, She’s Yours

4. Just One Time

5. Chicago North-Western

6. Train

7. Nadine

8. Are You Satisfied

Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Juicy Lucy" released September 1969 in the UK on Vertigo VO 2 (874 901 VTY)

Track 9 “Walking Down The Highway” is the non-album B-side to their debut 7" single "Who Do You Love" (Track 2 on Side 1). It was released 6 February 1970 in the UK on Vertigo V 1 and entered the UK singles chart in late March 1970 at number 28 - eventually rising to Number 14 in mid April. On the strength of that popular rocker the album also belatedly charted in the UK in April 1970 - rising to Number 41.

The 5-piece featured RAY OWENS on Lead Vocals with GLENN ROSS CAMPBELL on Lead Guitar, Mandolin and Vocals [both ex The Misunderstood], NEIL HUBBARD on Guitars, CHRIS MERCER on Saxophones & Keyboards [ex John Mayall's Bluesbreakers], KEITH ELLIS on Bass & Vocals [ex Koobas and Van Der Graaf Generator] and PETE DOBSON on Drums and Percussion.

Sporting one of those gatefold sleeves you never forget - a nude Zelda Plum covered from head to toe in soggy fruit (she turned up at some of the early gigs and danced with the boys as they played the tune) - it promised sleazy Rock’n’Roll your mother would disapprove of. And it delivered in places too - especially when Ray Owens was at the microphone.

But therein lay the problem with this record and this band. With him to the fore, they had the kind of attention-grabbing growling vocalist they needed with a voice that sounded like a cross between Captain Beefheart and the US DJ Wolfman Jack. But of its 8 tracks only "Mississippi Woman" and "Who Do You Love" featured Owen on Lead Vocals. Glenn Ross Campbell handled the others ("Just One Time" and "Chicago North-Western") with Keith Ellis ("She's Mine, She's Yours", "Train", "Nadine" and "Are You Satisfied") - who was nowhere near as good. It meant that those who'd bought the single and expected more of the same felt short-changed.

Having said that - there's absolute gems on here. Their own "Mississippi Woman" is a cracking rock track while the eerie slow-paced menace of "Just One Time" has graced many of my Shop Play CD compilations - it's hard to categorize but its utterly brilliant. Their cover versions of Chuck Berry's "Nadine" and Buddy & Herb Rich's "Train" are good rather than great and "Chicago North-Western" sounds like sub-standard Allman Brothers. But it ends well on the mandolin-driven Dr. John voodoo of "Are You Satisfied". The non-album B-side is excellent too - far better than it had any right to be. 

But then you're back to their rip-roaring incendiary cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" - it's the album's ace-in-the-hole (lyrics above). Loud, manic and positively dangerous for hip joint replacements - it sounds utterly astonishing even now - a full 40 years after the event. Half way through its radio-rattling 3-minute duration, Campbell just goes ape on the slide steel guitar and combined with Owen's fantastic vocal delivery, it often brings customers to our counter asking - "who the f**k is this!"

The sound quality is incredibly clean and crisp - full of power - while the 16-page booklet features a really detailed account by MARK POWELL of their transition from The Misunderstood of 1966 to Juicy Lucy of 1969. The UK inner gatefold is also reproduced, Chris Welch's original liner notes, there's pictures of the alternate Dutch, Mexican and New Zealand album artwork (more variations on a woman in fruit), the 7" single (UK Demo and Foreign Picture Sleeves) and Vertigo adverts for the album and the band. It's all very well done indeed.

There are some bands you're soppy for - and JUICY LUCY is one of them. And although some of the tracks on here don't quite live up to the wanton promise of that unbelievable single and that saucy-as-sin album cover - there's much that does...

PS: Their 2nd Vertigo album from October 1970 "Lie Back & Enjoy It" has also been remastered and reissued by Esoteric in 2010 with a bonus track - as has their 3rd LP on Bronze "Get A Whiff A This" (reissued in April 2013)