The Luv Machine were something of a cross-cultural anomaly in Great Britain at the turn of the '70s. An interracial band from Barbados that played heavy psych influenced by the Hendrix/Clapton axis of British rock, the Luv Machine had been in the U.K. since 1967, slowly mutating from the West Indies' answer to Vanilla Fudge into a somewhat funk-influenced version of early British metal. Their self-titled album for Polydor in 1971 was roundly ignored, and the band split up shortly after its release. So all of the factors were in place to make the Luv Machine album the sort of thing that sells to psych, prog and early metal collectors for hundreds of dollars a pop. The Luv Machine Turns You On (which had been the band's preferred title at the time) is an expanded reissue that adds six single sides and unreleased tracks to the 12 tracks from the original album, remastered from the original tapes. It's the first release on Rise Above Relics, a collectors label run by Cathedral singer Lee Dorrian, and it does a tremendous service to the less hardcore fan of these styles, because at standard retail prices, the Luv Machine's flaws are far more apparent than they would be to someone who just dropped the equivalent of a car payment on a mint vinyl pressing. Heard just as an album, not as a rare artifact, Turns You On is unexceptional heavy psych with a refreshing lack of overblown extended guitar solos and a better than average drummer, neither of which are quite enough to make up for the anodyne vocals and not particularly memorable tunes. Interestingly, however, the unreleased tracks (contained on a separate EP on the reissued vinyl version) are actually considerably better than the album proper, particularly the two-part "Don't Let the Blues Take Over." Part two in particular sounds like the result of a jam between members of Blind Faith and Sly & the Family Stone, and more of that would have made Turns You On a genuine hidden treasure.
allmusic.comTracklist:
01.Witches Wand 2:49
02.You're Surprised 2:47
03.It's Amazing 3:27
04.Happy Children 3:19
05.Everything 3:20
06.Maybe Tomorrow 4:20
07.Reminiscing 2:56
08.Change Your Mind 2:59
09.Corupt 3:50
10.One Lost 3:09
11.My Life Is Filled With Changes 3:08
12.Portrait of Disgust 4:58
Bonus Tracks:
13.Don't Let the Blues Take Over Pt.1 2:58
14.In the Early Hours 3:29
15.Dark Clouds 2:33
16.Do You Want My Love? 3:07
17.Break The News Gently 2:51
18.Don't Let the Blues Take Over Pt.2 2:45
Luv Machine:
Michael Bishop - vocals, guitar, percussion
Bob Bowman - vocals, guitar
Errol Bradshaw - vocals, drums
John Jeavons - vocals
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Adonde es el linko?
Oh, neverio mindo, yo foundidoed el linko, muchas gracias.....
Rock music is littered with thousands of one-off projects and bands that for whatever reason never saw the light of day. Others acts saw a moment or two of the spotlight but burned out in blaze of financial disaster, drug overdoses and infighting. 1980's boxed sets such as "Nuggets" and "It Came From The Garage" were literal testaments to the wonderful but truncated glories of the Rock-n-Roll dream. As these audio snippets show many of these acts deserved their doomed anonymity but a select few leave you scratching your head in wonder that they didn't become full blown classics. Rise Above Records has come out with a new imprint, "Rise Above Relics" to high-light some of these lost gems and the first of these releases is the wonderful, "Turns You On" from the terribly named Luv Machine.
Luv Machine might have not scaled the heights of glory during their brief career but as this CD proves financial success doesn't necessarily equate with artistic mastery. Ultimately this thoroughly enjoyable CD leaves the listener wondering what other dusty gems are out there in the dust bins of history waiting to be discovered. It also gives us caution to pay attention to current underground acts due to the fact that we just might be ignoring a contemporary masterpiece.
Formed in the tropical climates of Barbados 1967, The Luv Machine were spotted by manager, Malcolm West who was visiting the island on vacation at the time. The band was a big attraction in the West Indies, where they’d had a string of hit singles and reached the number 1 spot with their psyched out rendition of the Foundation’s ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’!
West convinced the guys to relocate to England, where they were to set up base in his West Midlands home for several years. The band slogged it out around Britain’s underground club circuit and played extensive tours of Italy (supporting The Sweet) and Germany. Their Hard Rock influences shocked audiences at first, as the typically white rock fraternity had not anticipated such heavy acid-fried freak-outs to translate over from Caribbean shores.
Influenced mainly by Hendrix and The Cream/Blind Faith, they also found inspiration from the likes of Vanilla Fudge, Pink Floyd, King Crimson & early Black Sabbath. Luv Machine managed to combine elements of psychedelic rock with a contemporary progressive attitude. Added to this was the bands natural capability of fusing elements of soul with an infectious funky groove into their completely unique sound.
As word about the band started to spread, West managed to secure them a major deal with Polydor Records. Following the release of their single, ‘Witches Wand’ the band were getting offered more prestigious shows and were a hit at The Speakeasy, The Marquee (they shared the stage with Elton John & Uriah Heep in the same week) and The famous Cavern Club in Liverpool.
The bands self titled debut album that was released for Polydor in 1971, has become a much-revered item amongst collectors and fans of the era. Original UK pressings of the album have been known to fetch figures exceeding £250.
Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the band split before the album was actually released, which meant it was never actually given the publicity it surely deserved. Who knows what may of happened if the situation would have been different for them. Completely re-mastered from the original stereo quarter-Inch tapes, ‘Turns You On!’ finally receives the treatment it deserves, after many years of badly reproduced counterfeit copies have been in circulation.
Thanks much, Solidboy... and much appreciation to your dedication and hard work!
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Peace.
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