It came as a shock to me today to realize I've been a fan of NRBQ for over 15 years and didn't even know about their fourth album, Workshop. It must be as rare as a three dollar bill. In all my years of scouring the 'N' section at used record stores I've yet to ever see a copy. Sundazed reissued the album on vinyl in 2007, but it's never been available on cd. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Original guitarist Steve Ferguson and singer Frank Galder left shortly after recording their third album, Scraps. Workshop was Al Anderson's 'Q debut. Al proved to be the kick in the pants the band needed to set them on the path to becoming one of the greatest and most versatile bands in history, thanks to his triple-threat skills of singing, songwriting, and fiery, innovative guitar playing. He would stay until 1994 when he left for a career as a Nashville songwriter. He occasionally releases solo albums and appears live with NRBQ at their anniversary shows in Northampton, MA.
The two tracks I'm presenting today can be found on Workshop, but these files are ripped from the Kama Sutra "Get That Gasoline Blues" b/w "Mona" single. The A side is a novelty rave-up written by Terry Adams and C.Craig (?) that continues to be relevant apart from Terry Adams' aside, "Ninety-five cents a gallon!" Joey Spampinato's "Mona" is a gorgeous miniature love song. He would refine this style with later songs like "Beverly" and countless others, but the lilting acoustic arrangement and sneaky chord changes make this a lost gem.
4 comments:
Your new blog RULES.. thanks for re-introducing me to NRBQ I love that song you gave me! xoxoox
patricoxo
the bonzo reference drew me to your sight, only to find a post for my favorite band on earth, nrbq. i'm afraid i eclipse your fandom by about 25 years; since 1969.
'workshop' has been released on cd under the title,'rc cola & a moon pie.' it's available through rounder records. the kama-sutra label folded just after the release of workshop. without a record deal, the q eventually resurfaced on the newly formed rounder. the label later reissued workshop with the new title and slightly altered track order, replacing 1 or 2 songs with newer material.
terry adams told me the original title for workshop was to be 'the age of aquariums.'
Thanks for the comments, guys.
Patrick, you will be won over in time.
Miles, thank you for setting me straight. I guess they did something similar to All Hopped Up when it turned into Riding In My Car a few years ago. I kinda wish they'd leave it alone and add bonus tracks, but then again, I'm happy to have the stuff at all.
Love this - as far as I know the Kama Sutra single isn't on any reissues. But my copy (which I bought when it came out in 1974) goes for 2:49, has a cool intro and no fadeout. There's a video on youtube that has the full-length version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb4ZWccudEM
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