Review:'Duffy Power & Argent' 'Hellhound: The Lost 1971 CBS Album'
- Label: 'Think Like A Key Music'
- Genre: 'Seventies'
- Release Date: '23.5.25.'- Catalogue No: 'TLAK1200'
Our Rating:
These are the lost recordings Duffy Power made with the Argent production team of Chris Smith and Rod Argent at Regent Sound, Sound Techniques, Central Sound, Advision and Livingstone studios, with backing musicians including Danny Thompson, Ollie Halsall, Neville Whitehead, Chris Gunning, Russ Ballard, Rod Argent, Jim Rodford, Chris Smith, Don Broughton, Terry Cox, Sam Mitchell, Tim Hinkley and Bob Henrit. Along with studio string sections and backing singers.
The sessions were recorded throughout 1971. Duffy Power is one of those lost first generation blues rockers who having failed to have any hits seemed to slip through the cracks a little bit. He was part of Les Cousins scene, played with Graham Bond, John McLaughlin et al. After reading the liner notes I am left wondering if I might have met Duffy back in the 90's at the Jazz cafe judging by the tale Chris Smith tells of the last time he spoke to Duffy and wondering if it was the Zombies one that Chris invited me to back when he was managing the Ice Mummies who I used to dance onstage with.
The first cd opens with the title track Hellhound a piano and brass led blues for having those Hellhound on your trail one Christmas eve, does Duffy outrun them or not or is he just captured by Robert Johnson like everyone else, listen and find out.
Lover's Prayer has Duffy listing all the things Randy Newman didn't want, including a young girl, thankfully though his reasons for rejecting a young girl may be different to what you might expect, well hopefully he will find the love he craves to really enjoy that carefully picked guitar solo.
Hummingbird is what he calls the woman who hums in the mornings, before she files away, probably going to work, this has a gospel blues backing choir to help add to the pain Duffy feels when she has to leave him.
Lawdy Miss Clawdy is played slow and pensive, built around a gently tinkling piano, minimalist guitar and Duffy's heartfelt vocals on the Lloyd Price monument.
Lilly's In The Valley Of Tears she's had enough of Duffy and has run off, he claims he doesn't care, but we know he probably did, through his harmonica, weaving between the guitars and super steady piano lines.
The River has a jazz folk feel, slow sad reflections, the acoustic guitar strummed for maximum sorrow, this super sparse reflection is introspective. Loves Prescription is a gospel soul stirrer for more love and affection, perfect to clap along too with the backing singers, early 70's loving gets explored.
Love Song is wistful reflections for a lady that told him not to put him on, didn't believe his reply and was gone, gone, gone his sadness on missing out comes through the delicate piano solo.
Corrina is begging and pleading for her love, his lusty vocals beg and plead over the stripped back harmonica and organ backing. Song About Jesus does what you expect it too, this is soulful gospel blues, carefully acoustic picking and hopeful vocals.
Halfway uses vibrato violins for atmosphere, gently tinkling piano and the hard scrabble blues, trying to hide away from all the grief surrounding you. Sally Plain (2024Mix) has cool picking acoustic guitars, full of lust and desire to spend more time with Sally Plain.
The second cd opens with The Great Pretender something Duffy never sounds like, he is far more the real deal, hot harmonica and chiming guitars help add to the feeling in Duffy's vocals.
Motherless Children (Unabridged) the full 6 minutes plus version, opens with sparing use of acoustic guitars and bongos, slowly more stings are added, it builds slowly over the evocative vocals, full of anguish and pain for those orphans, the use of stereo separation really works brilliantly to make it sound like you're in a large room taking in this masterpiece.
Love Is Shelter is early 70's chamber pop majesty, semi classical with impassioned vocals explaining how things didn't go to plan. The River (demo) is strummed on an acoustic guitar allowing Duffy's vocals more upfront and expressive of all the pain within this song.
Sally Plain Demo has a far more upbeat feel musically, despite the pain and sorrow in the lyrics. Roberta is a full-on rocking blues take on the Leadbelly classic, that if my dad heard this version he would have been spitting that it was over amplified, but for me this just cooks along brilliantly, with an immense harmonica part towards the outro.
Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Alternate Version) this is more rocked up than the first version, with statuesque piano and walking bass for that scintillating harmonica to play off, I much prefer this version to the album version. Halfway (demo) is begging and pleading over a slow picked acoustic guitar, late night feelings being sung into the bottom of a glass, all his memories of what she did to him.
The Sky Is Crying is a louche laid-back take on the Elmore James classic, with deeply impassioned vocals, this would grace any great lost 70's blues rock compilation. La La Song (Demo) is a firmly strummed song for more love gone not quite right. Lover's Prayer (Old Mix) is dirtier than the album mix, this is proper sleazy blues getting to the heart of Randy Newman's classic, the guitar in the right speaker on this is just stunning.
Milk Cow Blues has what sounds like duelling acoustic guitars driving on this version of Kokomo Arnold's classic, Duffy gets right to the heart of the lyrics. Motherless Children (1971 edit) is the single mix for a tune that never got released as a single, cut to just over 3 minutes this still has some incredible guitar and string action, but is far more concise, the unabridged version didn't sound at all baggy to me.
The Sky Is Crying (2024 Remix/Prof. Stoned) brings the harmonica front and centre and seems to strip away some of the warmth from Duffy's vocals, the guitar wailing away in the background. Lawdy Miss Clawdy (2024 Remix/Cormac) is closer to the album version, but with the harmonica brought far more up in the mix, totally owning the right side of the room, with the piano bass and guitars on the left and Duffy howling away in the middle.
Sally Plain (Complete version 2024 mix Prof stoned) has a good groove to it, having heard the other versions, by now you should be singing along with them. The album closes with the rather beautiful Love Is Shelter (Backing track) that is a semi classical love theme beautifully orchestrated.
Find out more at https://www.thinklikeakey.com/release/496749-duffy-power-hell-hound-the-lost-1971-cbs-album https://www.rodargent.com/ https://www.facebook.com/tlakmusic
