Pictured above: War, 1971
When War returned from their European tour in which Eric Burdon left, they went on to record their third album and the first without Burdon, meant to be an eponymous record. However, Red Maple insisted on the inclusion of at least some songs with Burdon.
“Now I remember being pretty frustrated at the time about that. Looking back I get why they did it, as to sort of ease the transition from being Eric’s band to our band, but it was still frustrating at the time nonetheless.”
- Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan, 2008
The songs with Eric Burdon were taken from previous recordings from 1969 and 1970 that didn’t make it on either of War’s previous albums and with that, the album was released in April 1971 to little commercial and critical success at the time. After the release of the album, the band left Red Maple Records and released their next album, All Day Music on United Artists Records.
Love is All Around
01. Love is All Around (4:14) [1]
02. Sun Oh Son (5:56) [2]
03. Lonely Feelin’ (4:34) [2]
04. Home Dream (7:15) [1]
05. Back Home (6:43) [2]
06. Magic Mountain (4:22) [2]
07. War Drums (3:52) [2]
08. Vibeka (8:03) [2]
09. Fidel’s Fantasy (11:17) [2]
10. A Day in the Life (11:07) [1]
Released: April 1971
Track sources:
[1] - Love is All Around, 1975
[2] - War, 1971
Pictured above: Syd Barrett, 1971
In June 1971, John “Twink” Alder received a phone call from Syd Barrett just 5 days before the Glastonbury Festival, in which he expressed interest in reforming Stars and possibly performing at Glastonbury.
“It wasn’t exactly the best of timing. We hadn’t played together in months, and I was already scheduled to perform with Pink Fairies. Despite that, we managed to pull through.”
- Twink, 2013
Stars and Pink Fairies ended up rehearsing together for the festival and at one point came along the idea of them all performing together. This was partially for time slot convenience and that fact that Twink would have to perform with both bands either way. Among other acts of note performing at Glastonbury were Joan Baez, David Bowie, Gong, Gilberto Gil, Family, Hawkwind, and Traffic.
While the exact setlist is unknown, it is known that among the songs played by the “Star Fairies” supergroup were Do It, Octopus, Still Yawning Still-Born, Lucifer Sam, and Uncle Harry’s Last Freakout. The performance has achieved a cult status due to the bombastic performance and the ambitiousness of the 6-man lineup. However, it would be Twink’s last stint with Pink Fairies, due to him leaving the band soon after to put his focus into Stars, who would spend the rest of the year on a European tour.
Pictured above: The Doors, 1971
On July 3rd, 1971, the music world came into great shock as The Doors’ frontman Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub by his girlfriend Pamela Courson. The rest of the Doors had at that point already begun recording a new album, entitled Other Voices. However, after Morrison’s death, the band felt discouraged from using The Doors’ name.
“It just didn’t feel right anymore. Liking it or not we weren’t The Doors without Jim.”
- Ray Manzarek, 2011
The band, unable to think of another name, simply changed their name to the title of the album. They had considered getting a new vocalist, yet instead, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger took up shared vocal duties. Other Voices was released later that year, to a lukewarm reception and commercial indifference.
Other Voices
01. In The Eye of The Sun (4:46) [1]
02. Variety is the Spice of Life (2:47) [1]
03. Ships w/ Sails (7:30) [1]
04. Tightrope Ride (4:14) [1]
05. Down On The Farm (4:14) [1]
06. I’m Horny, I’m Stoned (3:55) [1]
07. Wandering Musician (6:18) [1]
08. Hang On To Your Life (5:44) [1]
Released: October 18th, 1971
Track sources:
[1] - Other Voices, 1971
Pictured above: Keith Emerson, 1971
On March 26th, 1971 at Newcastle City Hall, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer, recorded a live performance of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which was a live staple of theirs since their time with King Crimson. Performing the piece was originally the idea of Keith Emerson, who desired to arrange the piece after seeing an orchestral version of it being performed several years prior.
Around the time it was set for release, their record label pressured the band to finally come up with a name for themselves. Originally intending to simply name themselves “Emerson, Lake & Palmer”, they avoided doing so in fear of them being abbreviated to ELP, which could cause confusion with the Extended Long Player. After some more thought, they finally came up with a name: Triton.
Pictures at an Exhibition
01. Promenade (A) (1:58) [1]
02. The Gnome (4:18) [1]
03. Promenade (B) (1:23) [1]
04. The Sage (4:42) [1]
05. The Old Castle (2:33) [1]
06. Blues Variation (4:23) [1]
07. Promenade (C) (1:28) [1]
08. The Hut of Baba Yaga (1:12) [1]
09. The Curse of Baba Yaga (4:11) [1]
10. The Hut of Baba Yaga (1:06) [1]
11. The Great Gates of Kiev (6:37) [1]
12. Nut Rocker (4:25) [1]
Released: November 1971
Track sources:
[1] - Pictures at an Exhibition, 1971
Pictured Above: Billy Preston, 1971
During the sessions between All Things Must Pass and Layla, Billy Preston was recording a solo album of his own, co-produced by bandmate George Harrison. It was originally going to be titled I Wrote a Simple Song, yet after that song was used on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, it was changed to Billy's Thoughts. Sessions for the album continued after The Ravellers' hiatus, making use of songs that were intended for the next Ravellers album.
"Well after Eric left and the band took a break, I wasn't even sure if we would ever get back together, so I decided to use those songs for my own album."
- Billy Preston, 1981
Other notable musicians on the album were George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman, Jim Gordon, Bobby Keys, Carl Radle, Delaney Bramlett, and Davie T. Walker. Despite not generating hit singles, it went on to be well-received as one of his best solo efforts.
Billy’s Thoughts
01. John Henry (3:16) [1]
02. Let The Music Play (2:44) [2]
03. Use What You Got (4:22) [2]
04. Without a Song (4:58) [1]
05. The Bus (3:20) [1]
06. The Same Thing Again (4:32) [2]
07. The Looner Tune (2:40) [2]
09. You Done Got Older (3:03) [1]
10. God is Great (3:28) [1]
11. I Don’t Wanna Pretend (3:28) [2]
12. My Country Tis of Thee (4:32) [1]
13. You’ve Been Acting Strange (3:24) [2]
Released: November 8th, 1971
Track Sources:
[1] - I Wrote a Simple Song, 1971
[2] - Encouraging Words. 1970
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