Artist: Mama Lion
Album: Preserve Wildlife + Give It Everything I've Got
Year: 1972&73 reissue 2006, Picar
Style: Blues-rock
Genre: Blues-rock / Psychedelic rock
Format: FLAC (image) +CUE+LOG+SCANS
Size: 468 Mb
Source: torrent tracker (uploader - kars1954)
I like these albums with Lynn Carey's voice much more than albums of Janis Joplin!
Now here is something quite original from the good old days in the 70's, before MTV and rock videos became the order of the day. If your recollection goes that far back, you might remember seeing a flamboyant and statuesque blonde on television in an early "rock video," wearing a black tuxedo, prancing around and belting out a song with suggestive lyrics, to put it mildly! That voice was quite a surprise and belonged to one Lynn Carey who fronted a five-piece band called Mama Lion. As I remember it, a lot of guys got hooked immediately and a lot of women probably hated her on sight! But you shouldn't judge a book by its cover alone, as the old saying goes, even though Carey worked as an actress and was featured as a Penthouse Pet of the Month in December 1972.
Mama Lion was a blues/rock quintet formed in the early seventies by Canadian bass player, singer/songwriter & producer Neil Merryweather (born Robert Neilson Lillie, 1945 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Lynn (Catherine) Carey (born 1946 in Los Angeles) after the two had released one album "Vacuum Cleaner" as a duo. Other band members included Coffi Hall (drums), Rick Gaxiola (guitar) and Jim Howard (soundtrack composer James Newton Howard). This line-up recorded the debut album "Preserve Wildlife" (1972) with the now famous gatefold with Lynn Carey nursing a lion cub! With the release of the second LP "Give It Everything I've Got," (1973) Gaxiola was replaced by Alan Hurtz. Both albums are included in their entirety on this 2-for-1 release by Picar Records in Valencia, Spain. The remastering is splendid and Carey's bluesy interpretations are quite effective.
Most of the songs were written as a collaboration between Merryweather and Carey, with a few covers thrown in for good. Not all the songs are "radio friendly" if you know what I mean. But sexual inuendo apart, there's still something in the music and singing. Gaxiola is a great guitar player and you can tell that Jim Howard was classically trained by listening to the piano-intro on "Mr. Invitation." Some of the songs show influences from jazz as well ("Life Is Just A Four Letter Word"). This shouldn't put you off in anyway, because it only adds something extra to the many facets of Mama Lion. Top notch songs are "Be Bad With Me," "Ain't To Proud To Beg," "Candy Man," "Mr. Invitation," Can't Find My Way Home," & "Cry" - all from "Preserve Wildlife" plus the title track from the second album, "Mama Never Told Me," "Crazy Place," & "Saved."
Lynn Carey has often been compared with Janis Joplin, but her vocal style could just as easily be compared to Kathi McDonald. Buy this CD and judge for yourself. You won't be disappointed. And - lo and behold! - all original cover art and photos from both albums have been reproduced for this release.
NOTE: Lynn Carey has an IQ of over 160, so it is possible to be blonde, brainy & beautiful - and sing the blues!
Tracks:
"Preserve Wildlife"
01.Ain't No Sunshine
02.Be Bad With Me
03.Ain't Too Proud To Beg
04.Wildcat
05.Candy Man
06.Mr.Invitation
07.Sister, Sister
08.Can't Find My Way Home
09.It's Only A Dream
10.Cry
"Give It Everything I've Got"
11.Give It Everything I've Got
12.I Wanna Be Your Woman
13.Life Is Just A Four Letter Word
14.Mama never Told Me
15.Crazy Place
16.Dark Garden
17.From Bad To Worse
18.I'm Tired
19.Griffins
20.Saved
Line-up:
Lynn Carey- vocals
Neil Merryweather - bass/vocals
Rick Gaxiola - guitar (1st album)
Alan Hurtz - guitar (2nd album)
James Newton Howard - keyboards/vocals
Coffi Hall - drums/percussion