Lucky Seven [Import] [Limited Edition]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase. Features a Bonus Track.

Lucky Seven, Music, Bob James, Crossover Jazz, Jazz, Jazz-Pop, Pop, Smooth Jazz

Average customer rating:

Bob at His Funky Best

Lucky Seven
Bob James
Manufacturer: Koch Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000FFL2Y8
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Tracks:

Rush Hour
Blue Lick
Look-Alike
Big Stone City
Friends
Fly Away

Customer Reviews:

Bob at His Funky Best.......2007-05-10

This 1979 release is among my favorites from Bob James - it has the jazz funk sound of his other early recordings such as BJ4, Heads, Touchdown, and H. I fell in love with Bob James' jazz/funk sound back in the late 70's and "Lucky Seven" is one reason why (there is not a bad track on it). If you like the funky groove of Bob's other early works, you will love this recording! Another plus is that "Lucky Seven" includes two tracks with Eric Gale on guitar.....perhaps the best jazz guitarist that ever lived!

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"Lost" power pop gems unearthed.
Interesting artifact in the evolution of the Big Star legacy

Rock City
Rock City
Manufacturer: Lucky Seven Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music
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Big Star: The Short Life, Painful Death, and Unexpected Resurrection of the Kings of Power Pop
Live in Memphis!
Idiot Optimism
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I Am the Cosmos

ASIN: B00009WVTK
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Tracks:

Think It's Time To Say Goodbye
I Lost Your Love
The WInd Will Cry For Me
My Life Is Right
Lovely Lady
The Answer
Introduction
Sunday Organ
The Preacher
Shine On Me
Try Again
Oh Babe
Try A Little Harder
Feel

Customer Reviews:

"Lost" power pop gems unearthed........2003-09-23

Okay, it's hard to call something "lost" if it never was released until now AND because most of the fans of Big Star didn't even know a fully realized album from this pre-Big Star lineup existed! Just like Badfinger evolved from the Iveys, Big Star evolved from Rock City. And now there is a full album to show you that evolution.

This CD warrants four stars because it unearths some really cool power pop gems. While Chilton wasn't yet on board for these recordings, his place is taken up by Tom Eubanks, who himself was a pretty decent singer and songwriter. The opening two tracks demonstrate this very well. The nice discoveries here also include two early Chris Bell vocal efforts on "My Life is Right" (which is rawer and a little more energized than than the Big Star version) and "Try Again" (which has a very cool pedal steel solo which kind of takes you by surprise). There are a couple of tracks on the disc which border on filler (hence only four stars, not five), but they are quickly forgotten and overshadowed by the more powerful material.

The bonus cuts here show an ever earlier incarnation of the band when it was called Icewater, with Chris Bell taking the vocals for "Feel." Funnily enough, nearly half of the backing track from this 1969 version was utilized for the 1972 version released on #1 Record. Only the vocals, bass, and a few other odds and ends were changed for the more widely known version.

Two tracks from Tom Eubank's solo career round out the disc. These are strong tunes which hold up well to just about anything else produced by other 70's power pop groups.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about this disc is just how great the production sounds. Big Star fans should be able to recognize that unique production style John Fry adds to the mix. Fry has a way with recording an acoustic guitar that makes you think "this is Big Star" ...even when it isn't. Then again, credit should be given to Chris Bell too, who had a somewhat unique style of his own.

This is a definite must for any Big Star fan. Power pop fans should also consider this disc, as it is more than just a historic artifact...it stands up well on it's own merits.

Interesting artifact in the evolution of the Big Star legacy.......2003-07-31

This CD, from Terry Manning's Lucky Seven Records, is a necessary addition to any Big Star completist-obsessive-fanatic's collection. Rock City was the group the immediately preceded Big Star -- Chris Bell, Terry Manning, Thomas Dean Eubanks, and Jody Stephens. The songs hint at things to come; in fact, different versions of "Try Again" and "My Life is Right" appear (songs which would later appear on Big Star's #1 Record). The band briefly morphed into Icewater, and their version of "Feel" closes the cd. Interesting artifact from the late 1960s/early 1970s Memphis rock scene.

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Nine Tracks Not On Any 7M3 ALBUM

B-Sides & Rarities

Manufacturer: Atlantic/Mammoth
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000LPJOSS

Product Description

PRINTED CARDBOARD SLEEVE WITH ARTWORK/Seven Mary Three / B-Sides & Rarities Track Title 1. Shelf Life 2. Blackwing 3. Lame (Acoustic/Electric) 4. My My 5. Home Stretch (Acoustic) 6. Water's Edge (Alternative) 7. Lucky (+Bonus Tracks)

Customer Reviews:

Nine Tracks Not On Any 7M3 ALBUM.......2007-03-03

A very cool, Limited Edition CD from Seven Mary Three entitled "B-Sides & Rarities" (Atlantic/Mammoth CD 8339-2). Includes all of the band's rare b-sides and live tracks released to date (1998) on one CD. None of these tracks are on any Seven Mary Three album (some come from compilation CDs or rare promo CDs and some are new and unavailable anywhere else). This CD was originally given away free to consumers in the US who purchased the band's second album RockCrown, and hasn't been seen since. Also includes two hidden tracks - rare mixes of Cumbersome ("acoustic" and "acoustic w/ drums") that were previously only available on a rare radio station 3 track promo CD. Tracks include...

1. "Shelf Life" (Outtake from American Standard Sessions - released on "Crow-City of Angels" Soundtrack)
2. "Blackwing" (Outtake from American Standard Sessions - released on "Music For Our Mother Oceans" Various Artists CD)
3. "Lame (acoustic/electric)" (REMIXED VERSION - from "Water's Edge" European Maxi CD Single)
4. "My My" (LIVE IN TORONTO, March 2nd 1996)
5. "Home Stretch (acoustic/live)" (Recorded For Modern Rock Live, June 1st 1997 - COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT)
6. "Water's Edge (alternate/live)" (Recorded May 6, 1997 For A Live Cybercast - DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT)
7. "Lucky (live)" (Recorded May 6, 1997 For A Live Cybercast)
HIDDEN TRACKS
8. "Cumbersome (acoustic)" (REMIXED VERSION)
9. "Cumbersome (acoustic with drums)" (REMIXED VERSION)

Average customer rating:

I could go on and on about this CD but...
dancing/drinking/shooting pool music at its finest!
More talent than anyone has a right to have....
WOW WHAT A BLUES CD
You will buy this cd...you will buy this cd..I repeat...

Bad Juju
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat
Manufacturer: Lucky Seven Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Texas Blues | Regional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music

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Starvation Box: The Best of Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat

ASIN: B00005M0CD
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Tracks:

Deja Blue
Don' Do It
Bad Stretch Of Road
Don't Believe A Word
Shotgun Shack
Restless Soul
Scattergun
Prayin' For Rain
Evangeline
Lover's Curse
Sure As The Sun Rises
Under The Gun
Chupacabra
I.O.U.

Customer Reviews:

I could go on and on about this CD but..........2007-01-24

...all I'm gonna say is this is simply one of the best blues/rock albums ever. Period. More people need to know who Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat are. Buy this then find them live...you won't be disappointed.

dancing/drinking/shooting pool music at its finest!.......2005-01-31

I've always had a thing for gritty blues/rock, and Jim Suhler captures the essence like a couple of favorites of mine - Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood. I was instantly reminded of Thorogood, and just as quickly found it impossible to sit still. This is dancing/drinking/shooting pool music at its finest! Jim is not only exceptional as a guitarist, but as a songwriter. This Dallas native was not only "discovered" by George Thorogood, but together with his group Monkey Beat has toured extensively with the Delaware Madman! It seems like a real shame that his voice isn't more known in the world -- Jim definitely has a talent that puts him on a strong par with the other greats, and deserves just as much recognition.

Deja Blue - is the opening track, and it sizzles, well, actually slides! The lyrics are strong and honest, and fit well with the melody. There's nothing quite so horrid as a broken heart, unless perhaps it is the other half acting the martyr needlessly. Sadly, it will take a few times of listening to it before you even really notice the lyrics! The beat is contagious, and this is a prime party track!

Restless Soul - is dedicated to Rory Gallagher (the pioneer of Irish Rock, who died following complications from a liver transplant in 1995). This is a track which shows off some stylin' guitar work with a distinct edge to it. Jim knows his instrument inside and out, as only a master can, and he can make it talk really tough. I haven't heard music this good in a very long time, there are some riffs in here for even the most skeptical and disillusioned blues fan.

The final track - I.O.U. - is a dynamite acoustic piece. This is back to basics blues at its finest. Each note reaches deep inside and pulls forth a corresponding chord from the heart, as Jim teases and finesses the strings to provide the perfect sound. The lyrics are simplistic, which can be a great thing, leaving the focus to land on the music. This disc has been spinning almost non-stop in my player since it arrived, and I've nothing bad to say. There are no weak areas, there are no sour chords, no bad notes, this is simply an incredible disc. If you like the blues and you don't have this one yet, what are you doing sitting there?! This is a MUST HAVE item for any blues collection. Honest.

Review Originally Posted at LinearReflections.com

More talent than anyone has a right to have...........2003-07-23

...that's what I thought when I witnessed Jim Suhler playing with Monkey Beat in a bar a week after getting a fake ID in fall of '92. I'm pushing 30 now, but still a fan of the smokin' slide guitar genius of Mr. Suhler. This is a great cd that captures most of the excitement of the live performance. (You can't actually SEE him run around the bar while still playing the most amazing slide guitar you ever heard while listening to the cd, but that's not his fault)
The production of this album is transparent in that it doesn't pretty up the raw sound that is one of the best blues bands in the bidness, while also maintaining the clarity of being able to hear every instrument. The songs are mostly straight ahead rockers and none rely on goofy blues cliches for subject matter. This is a great cd for driving cross country, but be warned, you will want to drive fast when "Bad Stretch of Road" cues up.
I've seen the band play live several times since that first night, and the guy just keeps getting better. Like most amateur guitar players, my first impulse to seeing Jim play live is to go home and practice practice practice, or just sell my Strat and learn to play the kazoo. I can't play "Restless Soul" yet, but I haven't embarked on my career as a kazoo player, either.
Check out Jim Suhler and his amazing band Monkey Beat and partake of some rockin' blues with a dark edge that dares to sidestep the shadow of SRV and forge ahead with an original vision.

WOW WHAT A BLUES CD.......2003-03-18

What a pleasure when you don't know what to expect and it exceeds all your expectations. Thanks to all the reviewers who convinced me to buy this CD. Blues doesn't get much better than this. Think GEORGE THOROGOOD with a turbo charger. This is like a CD of the best THOROGOOD material, except it is written and played by a far supirior guitarist/songwriter. The guitar playing is original and great. Always tasteful and full of surprises. Jim's voice is excellent and the songs are infectious. Where THOROGOOD has a handful of classics and a lot of mediocre fillers, this is consistenly first class and has no obvious fillers. If this doesn't make you dance, check your pulse as you may be dead. ( the most likely reason )
I will now have to buy the rest of his releases, boy this website can cost you some serious money, but what value if you consider pleasure for money and the thrill of discovery.

You will buy this cd...you will buy this cd..I repeat..........2002-09-08

A super effort by Mr. Suhler and Monkey Beat. An eclectic cd to be sure...a little cajun style..some sit down blues but best of all...Restless Soul and Scattergun....if you could wear out a cd by playing it over and over I'd be on my 100th copy. You could do a lot worse but if you like hard drivin rock/blues you can't do much better.

Average customer rating:

A MUSICIAN'S TOUR DE FORCE: LIVE!!!

Live in Memphis!
Cargoe
Manufacturer: Lucky Seven Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00027Y5M0
Release Date: 2004-06-22

Tracks:

Come Down [with radio intro]
Things We Dream Today
Feel Right
Horses and Silver Things
Scenes
Heal Me
Intro/This Is Real
Feelin' Might Poorly
Thousand Peoples Song
Time
I Love You Anyway
Tokyo Love

Album Description

2004 sees the continued release by Lucky Seven Records of great Power Pop from the golden era of Memphis, this time in the guise of Cargoe Live In Memphis! Cargoe were the first band ever to release an album on the now-famous Ardent Records label, just before Big Star's #1 Record came out, in 1972. And Cargoe, in fact, had the highest-ever charting record on the Ardent label with their single, "Feel Alright." But, as in the case of Big Star, Ardent and their distributor, Stax Records, weren't able to properly promote or market the then-almost unwanted "Pop" sound, and the group and their album should have vanished into the mists of musical time. However, again, as in Big Star's case, it just wouldn't go completely away. Why? The group and their music were really good! In addition to several countries reissuing the original Cargoe and Big Star albums on CD in recent months, Lucky Seven and Rounder now have a genuine "lost" Pop classic on their hands, as they issue for the very first time ever, this awesome live recording by Cargoe. This set was recorded by their producer and engineer, Terry Manning, right in Ardent's Studio A, as it was performed for a live radio broadcast in 1972! The sound is studio-excellent, and the band performs to their utmost. They play every song from their debut Ardent album, including "Feel Alright," plus a powerful bonus set closer, "Tokyo Love." Cargoe Live In Memphis follows right on the heels of other great Power Pop releases by Lucky Seven/Rounder Records, including Rock City (the Big Star progenitor group), Van Duren's Idiot Optimism, and the Rockin' Memphis 1960s-'70s collection! Power Pop fans the world over will be unable to resist adding Cargoe Live In Memphis to their collection!

Customer Reviews:

A MUSICIAN'S TOUR DE FORCE: LIVE!!!.......2004-08-15

Over thirty years ago, I discovered Cargoe and proceeded to beat people about the head and shoulders to what I thought was no avail. Shortly thereafter, the LP disappeared along with the label (Ardent). The beatings continued anyway, though no product has really been available. Until recently, that is. In what I can only describe as some sort of delayed cosmic reaction, two CDs have replaced the one album--- a Japanese CD release of that excellent 1972 studio LP PLUS a live recording, also from '72, recorded one night for a WMC-FM/Memphis stereo broadcast. I tell you, the gods must love me!!!

I must admit, the thought of a live recording made me nervous. I mean, I love these guys, but the thought of them not living up to their legend (as broadcast through my own lips for those so many years)... I mean, they wouldn't be the first band to collapse on stage.

I am happy to report that they did not. Sure, this is not the studio album, complete with multi-tracking and guitar and vocal overlays and at times an almost spiritual euphoria. But that is a good thing, for Cargoe was comprised of four extremely talented musicians and songwriters and here we hear it spot on.

The music is hard to explain. They played rock, but without the standard chord changes and time patterns and cliches. Sure, "Feel Alright" has the punchy rock which has made critics label the band power-pop (they're not) and "I Love You Anyway" is a floating and ethereal love song, but there is something more here. It's the way there is a beat missing here and an extra chord there and that odd chord progression that at first seems a little strange until you hear it for the tenth time and it becomes a high. Musicians would understand.

Hey, these guys were consummate musicians. Sure, the recording was a little raw. They may have even stumbled a little. But what playing! Tommy Richard's guitar crunched and whanged and screamed (just listen to him wail through the raucous "Tokyo Love", and not just the leads), but always in control and always for an obvious musical reason. Bill Phillips switched from guitar to keyboards at just the right moments and punched everything up a notch just when it was needed. Max Wisley and Tim Benton laid down the rhythms of the moment beautifully, pounding and tearing through one movement and then, turning on a dime, just as easily bouncing off into some light jazz-influenced contra step. And regardless of what style they played, be it light and fluffy or loud and crunchy or somewhere in between, they nailed it!

And I know this. As with the studio LP, it takes multiple hearings to appreciate what these guys had and I have listened to it multiple-ly, and I shall continue to do so until, with luck, the musical gods uncover yet another Cargoe masterpiece.

Average customer rating:

Haunting and timeless

Christopher Idylls
Gimmer Nicholson
Manufacturer: Lucky Seven Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000001P9Y
Release Date: 1994-10-18

Tracks:

Millenial Harbinger
Charon's Crossing
Red And White Light Ship
Hermetic Waltz
Venus Cumulus
Wesak

Customer Reviews:

Haunting and timeless.......2002-08-03

Someone gave me a copy of this in 1994 and it's one of my most cherished CDs. I listen to it only occasionally, when I am seeking solace and the quiet beauty of these masterful performances. The liner notes suggest that the recording was made around 1968, though it was freshly mastered for this release, and I just can't believe that the music was recorded at that or *any* date.

Stylistically, the music falls somewhere between classical, folk, and new age. All pieces are the product of Nicholson playing some stringed instrument (guitar? dulcimer?), and the combination of cascading melodies and intricate textures never fails to both engage and soothe me.

Lucky Seven
Average customer rating:

Out Of New York Come Mr.Lucky

A true winner!

hey

Lucky Seven
Bob James
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000002N0J